[PRP]Flaming Unicorns...IN SPACE! ( Blade & Puddle)

[PuddleInk]

The big question is where in the timeline does Talon fall into all of this. Well, a couple days back he ran into another Rogue that turned out to be a brother of one of his more violent team mates and pretty much got out of Dodge faster than he ever thought he could. And yes, he's still on a couple weeks leave to visit folks off somewhere in a vague area. Aka: He was getting sir crazy and needed to get out of there.

And look! There happened to be a vaguely permanent looking settlement ahead. "Thank the Gods. They better have coolant. " he grumbled, pushing the nose of the overly eager MRZ that was sitting behind him off his shoulder. The larger Raptor growled and hissed, agreeing completely.

They had managed to con a couple of folks out of a hundred Zi worth of potable water, but that hadn't gotten them very far. Now, another two days into the trip, the Tyrant needed another couple gallons. Something really must be wrong with the cooling system. The large Zoid hissed again and seemed to ignore Talon's commands for the time being, heading for the town. Not that Talon minded, it was nice not to be in control. "Yeah...yeah. I hear you. More water and someone to look at you. Hell, I'm thinking we should just forgo the vacation and get Mal to look at you. " A caressing pat was given to the dashboard console.

Moe, the little MRZ that was attached to the hip to Talon, squeaked what sounded like words of encouragement to the bigger, stronger, and obviously more self-controlled Zoid.

Talon relaxed a little. It'd be another five minutes before the Tyrant would deem it safe to let its pilot out to go and gather the appropriate supplies. Until them, Talon decided to research the little unknown settlement for any incursions..and it seemed clean on both ends. Also, he was on a bit of a budget..and there didn't appear to be any folks that seemed to be Raptor Class savvy. Oh well...guess he'll have to figure out what the hell is wrong and barter for parts. Harder, but doable.

"Tyr... when you're done, run a diagnostic and I'll start dabbling... " There was an indignant huff, "Fine! Don't run a diagnstic. I just want you to work fine! I don't want to have to install a brand new fricking cooling system. That'd be two months of pay that could be spent towards saving your core! "
The hiss turned into a rather loud and angry roar. ' You ungrateful little $#@% ! ' the large Zoid seemed to say and decided to bounce his little minion around some.
"Okay! Okay! Okay! Bad timing! I'll replace the cooling system! Let me out! Let me out! "

Tyrant crouched down, lowering its head to the ground. The hatch flew open, Moe leaped out and Talon scrambled out quick enough to avoid getting the hatch closed on the cuff of his pant. Tyrant stretched to its full height and roared at its Pilot. "Yeah! Well back at you! Sheesh...indignant oversized lizard.. "

Moe gave a squawk and started telling off the larger Zoid. Talon and the Tyrant were stunned and not sure what to do about it. Little Moe chattered and chattered...and chattered..... and chattered...  

[Blade Kuroda]

Another hot day in these barren lands, but then again when was it ever really cool during the day? Not that Blade minded much as he'd rather be warm than cold anytime. But on these warmer days he definitely had to watch out how much he pushed his Zoid. It really wouldn't do him any good to have Jagati overheat. After so long of him being out of commission, the thief was trying hard to keep the Saix in good shape. This has been easier to do now that he had Maelthra with him to help fix up a few minor things here and there.

It might not have been much, but it at least allotted him to have more funds to take care of himself. Normally it wasn't that big of an issue but with all the heat against rogues as of late, it really wasn't the greatest idea to go around stealing things.

In any case, it was time to get a few supplies.

Further ahead Blade spotted a bright green rev raptor stopping by the edge of town. It wasn't often that he saw something as brightly colored as that but he didn't think much of it. Parking the saix nearby, he went and hopped out of the cockpit with his MRZ dropping down soon after. It felt rather nice to be out after being a little cramped up there with Maelthra. Though, his attention soon was snagged onto something... chattering nearby.

The source came from another MRZ, which seemed fairly agitated at the Rev Raptor. That was an odd scene, and he wasn't quite certain what to make of it.

Neither did Maelthra for that matter, as he made a curious noise as if asking the MRZ why it was so... angry.  

[PuddleInk]

Talon had spotted the incoming Zoid and was pretty much trying to get Moe to shove it. Seriously, it was embarrassing enough that his own Zoid thought so little of him; but to have a little MRZ berate both the pilot and the Zoid? That was down right ego shattering right there.

"Moe...Moe...Moe! MOE! " Talon roared, grabbing the medium dog sized MRZ by the mask plate and tugging really, really hard. "Leave the big thing with the claws that could potentially accidentally squish you without thinking alone! " The little dino huffed and struggled to get out of Talon's grip, squeaking vehemently in defiance and something about upholding honor of its great master or something along those lines.

The Tyrant was standing there, and if it had eyelids would be blinking in its baffled state. It did the next best thing, which was take a couple of steps back and lightly nudge the smaller Zoid thing with its big toe. ' I get your point. Now go away! ' was what it seemed to be saying.

"See now you're bothering it. Its going to....OH hi there! " Talon said, waving to the person that just happened to appear from the rather fancy looking Saix. "Lovely day, yah? Hmm.." He peered at the horizon, using a hand to block the rather glaring light of the annoying orb known as the sun, "Sure hope a cloud comes. The heat is horrible. "

Moe squeaked and stopped protesting. OMG!PEOPLE!YAY! The little Mrz bounded around, knocking Talon over and started forward in the classic charge/tackle...but stopped short when it realized there was something its own size that seemed to have claws and teeth..and looked a bit more dangerous. It stared at the large thing, hooted and then wagged its stump of a tail several times. "Damnit Moe! " ...Talon, naturally, could be heard cursing in the background as he assessed the physical damage to himself at yet another tumble caused by the gift that kept on giving.  

[Blade Kuroda]

Blade stared and watched at the little bickering fest between pilot, MRZ, and Rev Raptor. Whatever happened, it must have been something to have stirred this up. And quite frankly he wasn't sure if he should feel bad for the pilot having to deal with all this machine madness.

As the other guy addressed him, he quickly snapped out of his thoughts with a weak grin.

"Yeah. Maybe it's just me but the desert seems hotter than usual today," he said before looking down at the other MRZ.. seeing it running straight for Maelthra.

The dragon MRZ jumped back as the other came bounding straight for him. Though when it halted in its tracks, he tilted his head before lowering his body a little and wagging his tail much like a dog would. He greeted the other amiably before glancing up at the raptor, as if asking the little one if the big zoid was bothering it.

"Er... stay here and play nice ok?" blinked Blade before making his way over to the pilot who seemed to be having quite a day. Once he was there, he offered the man a hand to help him up. As small as the mini zoids were, they still can pack quite a punch... being made of metal and all. "You alright there?"  

[PuddleInk]

Not bad. Nor sympathy. This was all normal, or so Talon would happily say if ever asked in these situations. But oddly, hardly a soul did. Couldn't imagine why.

"Global warming, I say. " Talon replied... just before he got bowled over and got reacquainted with the earth.

The MRZ chirped a hello, glad that it wasn't going to get ripped to shreds and gave the other a low down. Which really consisted of nodding its head and running around the dragon type MRZ to get a better sniff.

Anyways, Talon decided that laying in the dirt was rather comfortable and probably the best life choice he could make, given the current circumstances. Now if only Tyrant would move a couple feet to the south then he could get a nice block of shade... Oh look! Shade! Wait... Talon squinted at the being blocking the sun, realizing it happened to be the other pilot. He also squinted at the hand being held out to him. Hum..Seemed safe enough. Talon took the hand, er..well forearm, and allowed himself to be helped up.

"If I said yes, I'd be lying. " He gave the kind stranger a quick smile before dusting himself off. Blasted thing. "But, I'd be lying if I said this didn't happen often. So! Hi! M' called Talon. ... and that was Moe... " A glare was given to the little Mrz who was trying to bat at the tail of the dragon Mrz. Aww...Moe could be so cute sometimes.  

[Blade Kuroda]

Once the other pilot was up on his feet again, Blade stepped back to give the guy some room. From the sounds of things, the little MRZ was quite a hassle for the other pilot. He supposed he should be glad that Maelthra wasn't one to cause much of a fuss all that often.

"Moe's a handful I take it?," he asked while glancing back at the two little Zoids, "That's Maelthra over there, and I go by Blade. Nice to meet you?"

Maelthra, having his tail being swatted at, the MRZ jumped and turned around quickly. He tilted his head, then hopped back and stared at the other one. A soft 'wrrring' noise emitted from his throat before he reared up playfully and hopping from side to side.  

[PuddleInk]

Stoopid dust and the stoopid ability to cling to clothes in less than a second's time on the ground. Up on his feet, Talon was patting away at his coveralls, trying for the life of him to get the dirt off as much as possible. There was soft, bemused, laughter coming from Talon's general direction. This wasn't as bad as it could have been. At least it had been on dirt and not concrete.

"Not as much as it seems. " Talon replied, satisfied with the dirt to cloth ratio at last. He glanced back over at the two MRZ's playing. "Ah... a cute one. Nice to meet you Blade."


Moe was impressed and jealous at the quick reaction the other had. It was probably due to not having stubby legs. Yep, yep. Had to be. Moe chirped back, that stump thudding against the ground, and plowed forward in an odd attempt to keep playing. It liked this one. Then again, this was the only other MRZ it had ever met. Its standards were a little low.

Talon quietly observed for a moment or two. "Fancy that, they get along. " He rubbed the back of his neck, glared up at the sun and made a decision. "Probably should go find some shelter before the sun sucks the life out of us, er..Blade was it? " A pat on the shoulder was given to the new acquaintance then Talon was heading back to the raptor to grab his bag he forgot in the rush to get out.

"Oy! You gonna behave and let me get my bag so I can fix you? Or are you...Yipe! " A very large toothy maw closed inches before Talons face. "Cranky monster... " he grumbled and scrambled back inside the cockpit, retrieved his bag, then slid out again. "No picking fights. " he called back, whistled for Moe and started to head into town.

An afterthought, Talon called back to Blade, "Say...how savvy are you with Zoid cooling systems? "  

[Blade Kuroda]

"Yeah, Maelthra's pretty friendly in general. At least to other MRZ's and machines. He can be pretty moody or snappy around people.." he mused as he watched the two little zoids play. In a way it was like seeing two dogs play... but considering neither of the two were canine in appearance, it was a little odd to see.

The dragon MRZ was more or less bowled over this time around, not quite expecting Moe to rush forward like that. Though, he was unharmed, and rebounded rather quickly after rolling in the dust a moment. Then, with his tail waggling back and forth, he leaped forward in an attempt to pounce on the other more or less.

Turning his attention back to Talon, Blade stared as the Rev Raptor nearly bit the pilot's head off... or at least it seemed that way. The two must have.. quite the relationship was his guess. Then, shaking his head to himself, he motioned Maelthra to his side then turned towards the town as well.

"Cooling systems? I'm not much of a mechanic, so I can't really help you there..." he started. At first he wondered why the man had asked, but recalled hearing him telling the raptor that he'll 'fix him up' or something along those lines. The raptor's cooling system must be a part of the reason why the zoid seemed so 'hot headed'.

"However.. I might be able to tinker around a little. If I can't do anything about it I may at least be able to help find the needed parts.. if anything needs replacing."  

[PuddleInk]

"Hm... That's good. Well, protective is a good thing. Overtly friendly MRZ's put people on edge most of the time, or wind up with trips to the hospital. " Talon said, also watching the two little machines play. It was rather cute in an odd way, but this was Planet Zi, so this could be considered normal, right?

Moe, who had just bowled over the taller, thinner one barked and hooted a bit in glee. It tilted its head to the side and barked again, only to find itself rolling on the dirt and stubby legs flailing trying to push the dragon MRZ off. Clearly, Moe was having a blast and a half.

The near death experience was shrugged off. Tyrant was cranky, end of story. And the chance that the big lug would hurt its pilot on purpose was a very slim chance. Anyways, Moe, realizing that his playmate was called back to the human, trotted over and bumped Talon for a patting. "Ah. Well, thanks then. Any help is appreciated. "  

[Blade Kuroda]

With playtime over for now, Maelthra trotted up to his human's side, appearing to be rather happy with the experience. He shot a glance back at the two big zoids as they walked, then turned his attention back to those closer to him.

"Not a problem. I take it that's why your zoid is kinda angry right now then?" asked Blade with a tilt of the head. He remembered Jagati not being in the best of moods when he was put back into commission after being put out for some time. Not that he could blame the machines as it never was the best thing to be feeling ill or hurt.

"Just let me know when you want to take a look at it and I'll see what I can do."

Hopefully it wasn't going to be too soon. He was feeling fairly thirsty himself and the heat wasn't exactly helping with that.  

[PuddleInk]

"Kinda sorta. " Talon muttered. "Some rookie mechanic got their grubby paws on him and he's been running a little off. It's been showing for several days now. Clearly, he blames me for it when I had nothing to do with it. " Talon sighed, then shrugged. "Oh well. " Already in better spirits, the pilot trudged ahead to find a waterhole to cool down at. Something to drink sounded awesome.

"Eh? Well certainly. But not right now. " Talon had stopped just in front of what looked to be a bar of some type or another. Or some sort of food place that was emitting cool air. "I haven't bribed you for your services yet. That would be unkind to throw you at that monster. "

Moe chirped and peered at the two humans, then at the place his human had stopped at. What an odd place. Didn't look at all friendly from the looks of it. But oh well. But it did look cool, temp wise. Status wise? Eh... not so much. Not for an Imperial solider anyways, or so thought Moe. Who knew the little bundle of chaos could think such deep and ponderous thoughts!  

[Blade Kuroda]

Blade grinned lightly at the mention of some sort of payment. He didn't really care what it was for the most part as just about anything would help, whether it was straight up money, a meal, or supplies.

Once in town, he paused as Talon stopped in front of a shady looking place. Sure, he could feel a soft cool air emit from within, but this wasn't exactly the type of place he'd expected his new acquaintance to choose. Oh well, it probably wouldn't matter either way. He's been to some shakier places.

Peering at the building from around his human's legs, Maelthra stared into the building before glancing up at the two men. An interesting location. He certain wondered what sort of people were the regulars here.

"Have you been here before?" asked the thief while walking on in.  

[PuddleInk]

Maybe he could have chosen the one a little further that seemed to have a little better crowd, but Talon really didn't care. Hell, last time he'd been around here, he'd been a bit younger and dumber. And if he recalled, the food was better here. Mmm... sandwiches that didn't taste like sawdust.

"Years ago. Didn't think this place still existed. If you'd rather another...." Talon began, but he stopped when Blade walked past him and inside. Apparently this was just fine. Neato! Moe chirped protest but followed the other human that seemed to know what he was doing. "Okay then. " the solider muttered and followed inside.


It really wasn't anything special. Just a run of the mill place that looked worn around the edges. Yes, the bartender and waiters looked like they could rip someone's arm off or shoot someone without blinking, then again so did the patrons. Talon gave a wave to one of the waiters before settling down in a chair. The worn woman was mildly surprised and returned the wave, giggling and dashing to the kitchen for some reason. Apparently Talon got around when he was younger.

Moe was practically pressed against Talon's side, giving everyone around a wide eyed parot stare of fear and unease. Clearly, this place wasn't the little MRZ's element. "Anyways, I'm slightly curious why you even accepted to help me out. Normally, folks run when they see anything Imperial. " Talon said, lazily eying Blade.  

[Blade Kuroda]

Moe wasn't the only one that wasn't comfortable as Maelthra eyed the patrons and the workers of the place rather warily. When they reached their table, he laid down next to his human's chair while seeming to be on a fairly high alert.

"Well... to be honest a part of that is because I didn't realize you were Imperial right away. Your zoid isn't exactly the typical choice of color for either army," replied Blade with somewhat of a wry grin, "But all in all you didn't seem to be a jerk.. unlike a few other soldiers I've run into, and you looked like you could use the help."

Leaning back in the chair, he paused momentarily before continuing.

"But hey... I wouldn't really like it if people turned me down only because I'm a rogue if I need help.. so I try not to be too judgmental on factions."  

[PuddleInk]

"Really? I'd have thought the temperament of the Zoid would have given it away. But I suppose I should take that as a compliment. " Talon let out a hearty guffah, leaning back in his chair, "Lot of 'em have issues. And thanks... I think. The stripes weren't my idea, it came like that. "

Talon shrugged. Some folks cared too much about sides, others just didn't seem to care at all and caused chaos. Though he did eye the youth for a moment or two, sorting away a few thoughts to chew on later.

"Eh... You seem reasonable enough and most of the folks out here are either rogue, local law enforcement, or joy-riding kids. Its totally fine and understandable. " He grinned, "Any friend of Moe's is a friend of mine. "

Speaking of Moe, the little MRZ was still plastered against Talon's leg, rumbling a low growl as a pitcher of water and some other substance was placed on the table by the waitress earlier mentioned.