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"I-I didn't mean it!" A panic voice stumbled backwards out from the Bandit Kings tent. The owner of the freaked voice fell back hitting the ground almost as if he was shoved out into the open and out of the tent.

The fallen man scrabbled backward on his hands moving him backward looking up to the one that had roughly shoved him.

"You come in to my tent...In to my camp." Riot's voice spoke calm passed his hand as he removed a cig from his mouth. He dragged a wooden chair slowly from behind him as he walked-one the other might have been sitting on.

The camp had turned silent as everyone watched, some dully-seeing this kind of thing before-but kept watching as the reaction was always different.

The king of bandit's let out a deep chuckled, as he poorly down at the other man looking back at him wide-eyed.

"I didn't mean-"

"what?" Riot cocked his head with a grin daring him to repeat the word. "I didn't quite hear that.'you didn't mean' what?" He smirked.

The other looked sheepishly off to the side wondering if he should say it, but then again-what if he didn't. He looked to the chair-oh God what was he going to do with that?!

"Boring...." The man mumbled off to the side.

"BORING!" Riot bellowed and looked to his fellow brothers, he moved over to a single table with a bottle of liquor, with the same hand that held the cig.

"BORING?!" He called again with a laugh. Riot took a swallow the drink, wiping his mouth his grip tightened on the chair and he tossed it to the ground a little close to the fallen man. IT broke into peices with a crack.

Riot quickly brought the bottle back to his lips and took a mouth full, before he sharply snapped the bottle with the chair-causing it to shatter and spill flammable alcohol all over the wood. Turning around quickly Riot stuck a light-a flame and with the mouth full of liquor he blew it out on to the flame at at the chair.

The wood drenched in liquor was lit a flame.

"Rouges! I think we should show this scum what the camp is all about!" He threw his arms up and gestured to the camp wildly

Roars of agreement left many of the brother's. A bon-fire was soon piling up where the chair was once at. Drinks where pulled out, table tops cleared and games of coin started. IT was the start of a great rougish party!

Having missed the cause for the outburst, Blade came wandering by just as many outlaws roared in agreement to something unknown. At that, the thief hesitated somewhat, wondering if he really should have come to the party. While he was definitely a rogue, he didn't exactly affiliate himself with any of the gangs.

Though, he supposed it wouldn't hurt over all (hopefully), as he may make an ally or two. Possibly some enemies along the side depending on how things went exactly.

Either way, he had a relatively clean slate with most of the others there, at least that's what he thought.

And in any case, it was a nice excuse for him to get out and about again with the Saix, which had been finally repaired not too long ago.

Shrugging off any sense of doubt and most of his wariness, he went ahead and continued to join the group. There were quite a few people there, as far as he could see, along with somewhat of a bonfire. Amongst the people, he noticed someone with bright pink hair; easy to pick out because of that fact. He hadn't seen the bandit king before in person, but he had heard a thing or two; so his guesses were that he was the guy.

The heavy stomping, the mechanical whirls and clicks, and the occasional squeak that had once been an annoyance had become white noise, and ironically, a comfort. Hugo had yet to fully grasp the nature of his companion, but he'd grown to accept the zoid's persistence in following him.

"Zoid" is what Kaspar had called it. The rest of the explanation had been a jumble of words and concepts that had never once entered the tribal, simple world that Hugo had known his entire life. The cities of stone and glass, the giant shining beasts, and the fire that they caused had been things only heard of in stories. Even then- such stories had been told to keep the children of the desert tribe form wondering off too far. He quietly wondered if the elders knew of the beasts and the true nature of the world.

He glanced shortly over his shoulder. The gryphon zoid's ears rotated forward. Fubar...that's what the old man had called him. A defect. They'd related the zoid to an untamed beast, something that could not be controlled. Something...dangerous. And here the creature stomped after him, persistent as a mother hen. A small part of the boy still held bitterness for the creature. Afterall- it had been one of these monsters that had ended his peaceful life, that had left him alone, and that had left him at the mercy of the strange reality of the world. Much of him, however, was grateful.

While he might have been considered a man in his tribe- out here he was a child. Ignorant to the world, and unprepared for every discovery that had come his way.

A persistent groan in his side re announced itself. He bit his lip and snapped his attention forward.

"Krrrewee?"

"It's nothing."

"Kwrrr......"

"I said it's nothing. I'm just hungry."

"Kwr...?"

"I ate it all yesterday." Hugo grumbled. Perhaps he was humoring himself. Out of desperation for company or another voice- he'd led himself to believe he could understand the gryphon to come extent.

Fubar's heavy stomping came to a sharp stop. Hugo glanced back, brow creasing. The gryphon had turned his head out towards the north. Following the zoid's gaze, Hugo scanned the horizon line. The dark desert horizon seemed endless. Dark shapes rose and fell from the sand dunes. On occasion, something would dart off- rabits or jackals. At first, he suspected the zoid had been considering yet another one of it's 'hunts'. At one point, Fubar had returned with a dead gazelle hanging from his mechanical beak. It'd been his dinner for the few days that the meat had kept. After a few moments of scanning, Hugo's eyes settled on a distant glow.

"...A fire?" He turned towards the distant flame, eyes widening. "....Fubar! A bonfire!" He kicked up his feet and broke into a run through the sands. A flicker of hope sparked- the tribe! There could be survivors! Afterall, he'd survived- there were plenty of warriors stronger than he.

Fubar stomped after him, squeaking eagerly- or in warning. Hugo couldn't tell.

His pace slowed as they came within sight of the bonfire and, more importantly, the individuals gathered. For one- they weren't even close to his tribe's men. The boy's grin fell flat. Secondly- they didn't look like the most friendly lot.

He took a few slow steps back, his form falling under the dancing shadow falling off Fubar's front leg.

Quin rolled his eyes again. Truthfully he did find it very amusing and had no opposition to most of Riots actions. He followed Riots gaze to see the large hazy shadow than nodded. "Yeah, haven't see a blip that that before."

Quin had taken care to try and memorize ZOID patterns throughout his entire carrier. He had the more common ones down, but this one was an odd one indeed. Reaching in his pocket he withdrew his eye patch and was quick to put it on. As he did he stood up from his chair to be by Riots side.

The cameras clicked and whirled about as they focused as best they could off in the distance. "ah s**t..." Quin mumbled under his breath than broke into a run toward the blip. From what he saw, someone was in trouble! Being stomped mercilessly after by a wild ZOID. Or perhaps a cruel pilot. He didn't leave Riot any clue as to what was going on as leader instinct kicked into the ex-leader of the disbanded chimera gang. He placed his fingers over the ear and switched on the communication to Saga, whom was hiding in the sands outside of the camp. "Saga, need you to take out that ZOID. Be careful, it's in pursuit of a boy."

Saga understood what ZOID he was talking about. Ander sent visual from his patch to Saga immediately after contacting him. The ZOID responded with several different tone growls than sprang into action. The sands around him became like water as he moved toward the odd ZOID. Saga was about half a mile away from the target.

Riot moved the cig from his mouth dully as he moved his gaze back to the shadow noticeable in the dark. As Quin rushed off after the shadow, the bandit king just let out a sigh of a breath, smoke barriled out from his mouth.

"yeah, I thought so." Riot spoke in agreement to what it was, as if to answer Quin if he had been still at his side as he watched his second incommand rush off toward it. It might have looked uncaring to stay where he was not doing a thing, but really Quin had it handled and it would have looked ridiculous him running off too when not needed-he buddy was capable, and did after all teach a young Riot how to be a bandit.

So he would stay behind untill he was 'needed' if so, but Quin had it. Riot always had away to communicate with his second if needed across distance. He was after all the only one he really truly trusted in this band of thugs.

His blue gaze moved on to the rest of the camp and to the man he shoved out of his tent before. The fool, was dazily starting to stand not daring to look at the leader. THough his eye couldn't help but wonder over to him still.

"You still there? Join the party and grab something to drink already, boy." Riot spoke to him as he noticed the faint look. The lead showed a smug look back to the unsure man...

_---

As a lone man (blade) on looked off to the dunes, another threw his arm around his shoulder.

"ay-owl ya dhoing budday?!" The strange man asked looking at the other somewhat hanging off his shoulder. He was obviously drunk-even at the start of a party...must have been drinking before.

"wdat ya looooking hat?" he asked in friendly slured words raising his head and looking over to try and see what the other was. His voice was somewhat brisk, but lazy at the same time...a obviously clueless friendly drunk.

"yo'u shood really jhoin the pahrty." The stranger spoke again with out letting the sober man answer, his head turned and he raised a finger to point at the other. His hand still grasped a dirty green bottle with a dark liquid slushing around in it

Quin kept at his pace until he reached the edge of the camp. He would have been there sooner if it were not for the heavy crowd. But he was there now none the less. His eyes widened as he saw that the boy was no longer running from the beast, but using as a shield from Saga.

"cancel that Saga, head back to your post. It's no threat." He radioed to Saga via the com link. The ZOID huffed than changed course. Saga turned around and begun to head back to its previous location. Or rather close to it. It kept an 'eye' other ZOID still just in case.

From this point Quin would have to approach carefully, the ZOID didn't seem tame. And oddly enough neither did the boy. The Kitchen knife drawn toward Saga was comical to say the least.
"Hey, you alright over there?" He called to the boy.

The boy's voice reminded him of a small mouse. Not that the tone was squeaky, but rather he was quite unsure of something. From what Quin could see on the boy he looked somewhat miserable.
"Well, you have come to the right place than for being lost. Leave your ZOID there and we'll get you some food."
Quin tried to think this situation over. He'd never encountered something like this before. It didn't seem like he knew what he was doing. Here he had a perfectly good ZOID yet he chose to use a kitchen knife? Something was off.
"I will not hurt you. You have my word" He took another cautious step forward, eyes on both ZOID and owner.