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 Posted: Fri Jul 04, 2014 9:06 pm
 This RP immediately follows the claiming of objects that happened here.The early morning sun had moved overhead, heralding the arrival of midday, by the time the buzzing Fae reached her destination. She'd retrieved the cart from her home, then gone to pick up the second thing she'd needed: help to load up her prizes.
Sure, they'd made improvements to the cart itself so she'd likely be able to pull it...but, there was the issue in getting things INTO the cart first. And the isle fairies had already said she was on her own if she wanted to claim stuff.
Pulling the cart up to the remote cottage, a cloud of dust rose as she skidded to a halt and left the device where it stood. "Hey! Cosworth!" Buzzing towards the cottage when she saw no sign of activity outside, Elyta hovered near the front door and started knocking. "Yo! You here? Come on! I got a surpriiiiiiiiiize!" she exclaimed in a loud, sing-song voice, cheerfully beating on the door all the while.
Nothing.
She alighted toes-first, sinking to the ground as her enthusiasm momentarily waned. Was he not home? Sort of seemed that way...maybe he did leave from time to time. But...she really needed help, and she knew he'd be just as excited as she was with her discovery! Well...okay, perhaps that might be saying a lot, but...there was a chance!
She wouldn't normally intrude but...she needed to make sure. And besides...the door seemed not-exactly-completely-shut-all-the-way...
Pushing the heavy wooden door open, she peered inside. "...Hello? Cosworth? You here?" She glanced about the inside of the cottage as soon as her eye adjusted to the change in lighting. While her attention was captured by some of the drawings and gadgets scattered about, she reminded herself that that wasn't what she was looking for right now, but their creator instead. A dusky bundled shape in the corner lay atop a pile of straw and cloth...she nearly passed by it before recognizing what it was...
Buzzing over excitedly, she hovered over the sleeping inventor and looked down at him with a quizzical expression. "Oh come on, it's nearly mid-day! Get up! I found somethiiiiing! You need to get up and come seeeeee! Also, help me load it up," she added quickly, waving a hand in a dismissive manner, then leaning down to shake his shoulder instead.
"Cosworth! Come on, get up!"
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Posted: Fri Jul 04, 2014 9:41 pm
 Cosworth's dreams were interrupted quite suddenly by Elyta's insistent (and high-pitched) wake-up call. Ironically, he was dreaming about being woken up by Sierra again, so for a while he was utterly confused as to where exactly he was. Once his cottage came into focus, and he turned to face the intruder, he instantly recognized the rich purple hair and monocle.
"Mffwhuzzat?" Cosworth's voice wasn't just sleepy- it had an edge of raspiness to it as he croaked out his reply. For his part, he was completely unclothed, his shorts lying on the dusty floor beside his straw bedding, and his goggles hanging awkwardly off the edge of one of his benches. His unruly hair was even more of a mess somehow, and as he sat up and rubbed his eyes, a few pieces of straw clung to his hair and fur, rising out of bed with him. He coughed and leaned forward as he hacked up a couple of times, the raspy note in his throat continuing to bother him. "Elyta, lass, what do you think you're doing just bursting in here like this?"
The grizzled faun tried to get up, but a stabbing pain in his head sat him back down instantly. How much of his awful liquor had he downed the night/morning before? He realized that he couldn't remember, and that wasn't a good sign at all. Although very little sunlight penetrated into the cottage, it was more than enough to seem to sear his brain with its brightness. He figured he'd maybe gotten three or so hours of sleep in the last day. Although he hadn't remembered much from the last few hours, he knew his own habits, and fumbled around the edge of his mattress, finding a mostly-empty wooden mug with an acrid-smelling liquid in it. Not very much, but probably enough for now. He raised it to his lips and swallowed the remaining amount in one gulp, fighting down his urge to throw up and facing the fae standing over him. He knew the pain at least would subside given a few moments.
"Now Elyta, what is so important that you would break in and interrupt a perfectly good hangover for it?"
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Posted: Fri Jul 04, 2014 10:44 pm
Zipping back from the coughing, waking Faun, Elyta cocked her head in momentary confusion. "Hangover? Cozzie, dear, whatchu' been doin'?" Without waiting for an answer, she snatched the now-empty cup from his grasp and lifted it to her face...then recoiled in horror and disgust, nose wrinkling. "Oh good Guardians, honey, no wonder, if you've been drinking THIS! Are you sure this wasn't hinge lubricant?" With a shudder, she quickly deposited the cup on a nearby table.
The reason she was here was quick to take precedent in her thoughts. "Oh, right! Get up! We need to go! I have something that you're gonna' wanna' seeeeee!" She'd picked up the sing-song tone again, grinning widely. "Sorry about just coming in, but you weren't outside and I wondered if you were in here instead. And you were, trying to sleep the day away! And it's something really, really important, I swear! But...you need to come see. And help me get it." After rambling for a bit, she seemed to remember the part about the hangover, and lowered her tone at least. "Look, I just need some help with it. You can ride in the cart, 'k? But we need to get going before someone else comes along and takes it! So, I'm gonna' need you to get up, dear, and get your pants on so we can go. We can come back and go to bed later, 'k?"
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Posted: Sat Jul 05, 2014 8:27 pm
Without so much as a glance in Elyta's direction, Cosworth mumbled a response as he struggled to his hooves, leaning heavily against the nearby stone wall. "If the firewater I make is so awful, maybe you can bring me some proper liquors when you come to visit." His tone was gruffer than usual, but at least it wasn't what could be considered cranky anymore. He managed to stand up straight, although he kept rubbing his eyes with his left hand, and he yawned loudly. "Where is this thing you need help with?" He finally opened his eyes and gave Elyta a weary look. "And is there nobody else who can help you with this?"
Despite the exasperation in his voice, Cosworth made an effort at gathering himself, first by finding his shorts then failing to find his goggles. He made a dismissive gesture before abandoning that search and deciding to just settle on legwear. "You stop talking about my bed- and my shorts- like they're somehow any of your business." He pulled on his shorts and shuffled past Elyta, deciding that the only way to speed his way back to bed was to give the chipper fae what she wanted.
Cosworth stretched and kicked his legs, trying to get the feeling back in them. "Don't you worry about carting me around. I can walk. I think." He was sure he would regret that statement, but for the time being, he would have to wear those words. The scruffy (or perhaps right now, almost mangy) faun made it outside, swaying all the way. He grunted loudly as the bright sunlight hit him, and leaned against his doorframe heavily. "Where are we going, you silly girl?"
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Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2014 7:45 pm
With some concern, Elyta had zipped back a bit, giving Cosworth room as he struggled to an upright position. Was he really alright? A hangover was one thing, but...was this something more? Of course, he had just woken as well...maybe he'd be better after waking up a bit.
Instead of showing her concern, Elyta grinned instead at the Faun in reply. "Aww...then maybe you should stop making it my business if you don't want it to be," she giggled, continuing to back towards the door with a wink. He moved past her towards the outside, and only after he'd stumbled into the sunlight did she follow.
"I...kinda' wanted it to be a surprise," she hesitated, glancing towards the cart and back to Cosworth. "It's a good surprise though, promise! Though...I did a lot of flying earlier, before I got the cart and came here, so uh...suppose it might take a while. I did pack some food and things in the cart." She'd packed a couple of sachels of food, in fact, as well as several canteens of water, all stowed snugly beneath a cover in the back of the cart. "Think of it as uh...a picnic outing! Yes, a picnic on the Isle," she grinned, flitting forward towards the cart, then spinning in mid-air to face Cosworth. "Before we set off, you sure you don't want a ride?"
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Posted: Wed Nov 05, 2014 9:33 pm
Oh bloody fantastic. Cosworth rubbed gingerly at his temples. She wanted him to take a long walk to the Isle of all places, which meant traversing the bridge that dangled across the narrow strait separating the Isle from Faun lands, something he'd never done before. The thought of it sent his stomach reeling, but he kept it in check for the time being.
Something told him, however, that the young lass wouldn't leave him alone, at least not until he made an effort. Her eyes shone with anticipation, and her voice rang with an eagerness that suggested whatever she was dragging him out of bed for was important to her- and likely would be important to him too. It just would have been nice if he didn't have a splitting headache. Oh, and a certain fear of heights.
Perhaps he could work his way around the issue, or maybe he could just summon the courage somehow, either way he would literally cross that bridge when he came to it.
Cosworth took a deep breath and tried to clear the thick fog that seemed to soak through his skull. The fresh air was helping, admittedly, and he decided that he would, indeed make the trip on hoof if at all possible. He dismissed Elyta's offer of help with a wave of his hand. "Lass, if you think I need a ride that badly, as big as I am, it's going to take more than one of you." He peeked into the cart to verify its contents, before pausing, thinking about what he'd said, then nodding to himself as though approving of it. "Let's get going, if you're so keen, so we can be done before nightfall." He took hold of one of the carts' traces and began to guide it so it was facing the trail leading back to Laisidhiel's road.
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Posted: Mon May 25, 2015 5:07 pm
Well, at least he was moving. Even if he still didn't look so good. Steady? Maybe for the moment. Ugh, stubborn old coot and his damned hangover. With a mechanical whirr, Elyta's wings stirred to life and lifted her off the ground. She hovered over the back of the cart, riffling through the contents beneath the cover, then emerged with a canteen of water and a chunk of hearty travel bread. She then zipped to the front of the cart and shoved both into Cosworth's hands with a grin. He didn't seem likely to accept any fussing over, so...she'd just not give him a chance to argue.
"Breakfast." Her gaze flickered upwards and she corrected herself, "...err, lunch." She puzzled over this for a moment, then shrugged and giggled. "Brunch then, I suppose. Come on, Cozzie! Sooner we git goin', sooner we git back!" She took hold of the cart's other trace and started pulling. It took a bit to get started until she landed and took hold of both, digging her heels into the ground. With a grunt and a final tug, she got the wagon to start moving and it took less effort to keep going once the inertia picked up. In fact, she seemed inclined to leave the Faun behind if he didn't keep up.
Of course, how likely she was to keep up that pace, well...
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Posted: Sat May 30, 2015 8:23 pm
He may not have had quite as much brawn as most of his compatriots, but he was still a Faun, and as Cosworth leaned into the motion, that was when the cart started to move. Elyta helped, of course. A little annoyingly, she began to accelerate almost immediately, which Cosworth responded to by pacing himself and letting her drag him along if that was what she wanted. Young people.
As the cart bounced, bumped and scraped down the narrow path to the main road, Cosworth held up his free forearm to ward away any offending branches, but instantly regretted it as one almost scooped away the bread and water that hand was holding on to. He was really quite hungry, but at the same time his stomach was sending him signals it wasn't so ready for a meal after the previous night's bender. He settled for taking a big mouthful of the bread (which immediately dried out his already parched mouth) and followed it with a deep swig of the canteen, so that he wouldn't start choking. About the same time his stomach lurched, so too did the cart. They had hit the main road from Laisidhiel to the isle.
Cosworth tapped his hooves on the very firm dirt and pulled the cart clear of the foliage. He let Elyta lead the cart, as he had no idea where they were going. The scent and humidity of the forest in the rising heat was becoming very apparent, and he considered himself wise for pacing himself; to that end the faun kept a sporty but not overly enthusiastic pace, watching the much daintier fae alongside him work her side of the cart. "Is this how you are with all things, lass? Using all your energy early and leaving your partner to finish by themselves? Or perhaps you have more endurance than I'm giving you credit for?" He set the bread back in the cart for the time being, but took another swig of water.
They would likely be on the road some time, as Cosworth had long ago concluded that whatever they were doing, wherever they were going, it would be a far cry from any 'picnic' in the traditional sense. He filled some silence with observations on the increase in the number of ranger patrols he'd noticed (and, by extension, the number of patrols he hadn't noticed, as well as the relative increase in strength afforded when he'd alloyed molten iron with charcoal, and what that meant for his engine designs.
Naturally, he also mused how much easier it might be if only an engine could be small enough to push the cart.
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Posted: Sun Jun 28, 2015 7:37 pm
Relaxing a bit upon noticing the Faun's attempts to partake of the bread and water, Elyta was having some trouble keeping her enthusiasm from showing in her pace. Still, she couldn't let such a comment go by without a reply. With a sparkle in her eye, she turned and winked at Cosworth. "Oh, don't you worry none, honey. I might need to work on the endurance, but I got stamina to spare for ages!"
All joking aside, once they reached the road proper, the Faerie did relax her efforts somewhat. They weren't fighting the foliage out here and could keep more of an even pace without expending so much energy. Among the talk of patrols and molten alloys, she had worked out in the back of her mind that this trip was going to be far more than just a picnic. Afterall, she'd flown across the isle to get back here...on the ground, this journey would take much longer. Especially given her companion's current condition. He might not be happy about such a trek, but...given what lay at the other end, hopefully he could forgive her.
Up ahead, the bridge that led to the main isle appeared, their first landmark on the journey. After that, they'd head for the lake and hug its southern shores, she thought. Best way to get to the old site of the HQ from here.
Glancing back at the cart, she mused aloud, "Hmm...might be best to go across single-file. You wanna' pull and I can push then? Or would you rather be in the back?"
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Posted: Sun Jun 28, 2015 9:54 pm
"I'll pull. I know this road fairly well so I'd be more useful leading." Cosworth tried grabbing one trace in each hand but the width was just a little too wide, causing a pain in his shoulders, so he returned to just guiding it with both hands on one trace while still being able to pull with adequate force.
Before long, the forest thinned, then opened up to the scent of brine, and a stiffening of the breeze. Ahead stood two colossal trees, platforms perched amongst their branches where stood what were probably some guards and archers. A group of mostly empty benches clustered near an empty fire pit on one side of the road, a small white tent just beyond that, while on the other side of the road a pair of guards chatted idly in the enormous shadow of one of the large trees.
Cosworth had felt for some time it would come to this. He'd been desperately hoping not, of course, but the further they traveled down the road the more inevitable it seemed. Stretched out before them, swaying in the wind despite its enormous mass, was what may well have been the longest, broadest, highest-spanning rope bridge in all of Telrunya. Made with planks of Laisidhiel wood and ropes of Laisidhiel jute, the entire construction boasted impressive strength for its relatively light weight. The bridge's working ropes were thicker than the sturdiest of Faun, and its planks interlocked with a series of beams underneath that, while not load-bearing, helped dampen the sway without making the whole structure too brittle. The deck was a bit bumpy, but it was sturdy and wide enough to fit two carts abreast. The ropes ran through the branches of the pair of incredibly large trees on either end acting as towers before anchoring themselves- and the entire span- deep into the ground beyond. For a level of safety, an arrest rope ran separate from the others, lashed to the deck to catch it in the extremely unlikely event both working ropes failed. The construction had been repeatedly improved since it had first been erected, both in terms of capacity and safety.
Despite this fact, Cosworth found his stride faltering, then halting as he passed the two trees and approached the cliffside that marked the edge of the Faun lands. The miles-long bridge that led to Telrunya proper hung hundreds of feet above the sea below, and the moment the scruffy faun caught a glimpse of just how far down it was, his stomach lurched and he leaned backward into the cart, effectively stopping it.
"If the 'picnic' you planned isn't right here at the bridge, we're going to have a problem." He glanced behind him at the guards, one of whom seemed to have noticed his unusual behaviour. He looked concerned until recognition spread over his features. "Old man, where are you going?" Recognition turned to amusement. "You're not trying to cross the bridge again, are you? Do you need me to hold your hand this time?"
Cosworth, however, was anything but amused. "Thank you, sir-I-don't-remember-your-name-guard, but I must respectfully decline your kind offer." He rubbed his temples and watched as the guard walked back over to his partner. The two exchanged a few words and burst out laughing. He rolled his eyes at them and looked back at Elyta with a part-helpless, part-embarrassed look on his face. His fear of heights had gone from being a nuisance to a full-blown phobia over the years and it seemed it wasn't getting any better with age. "Sorry about this. But I haven't been over that bridge in years."
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Posted: Wed Apr 27, 2016 3:58 pm
The bridge had grown into something quite impressive; far more imposing than the simple rope and plank structure that had been here when the pair had first met. Elyta's ill-fated propulsion device hadn't fared as well, though at least the bridge had held up that day. No one had paid her much mind that day, except the faun inventor watching from a distance. There had been no guards, no grand structure then.
Of course, it seemed if there was one thing the Faun were good at, it was building solid, sturdy structures. They may not have shared the interest in machines that Cosworth and Elyta did, but structural integrity? For that, they seemed to have a solid grasp of engineering. Elyta allowed herself a moment to take in the massive bridge, stretching over the divide, before her attention turned back to Cosworth and the guard's exchange. They hadn't given her much of a look before in crossing, and they seemed little concerned with her now. She wondered just what it was they were guarding. Like...guards had to have something to guard, right? And what were they guarding against?
She tuned back about the time the guard started laughing with his friend, and Elyta was puzzled by the expression on Cosworth's face. Picnic on this side? No...they needed to get to the main Isle. What did he mean that he hadn't been across the bridge in years? How else would they get across? She hadn't quite grasped the nature of the problem yet when she voiced her thoughts aloud.
"Well...how else are we going to get to the other side? I mean...I don't think I could carry you. I'm good, but..." she turned and looked over her shoulder, pointedly fluttering her wings with a whirr. Yeah, they were pretty special, but likely not strong enough for that. Faun seemed like they might be a bit heavy. Definitely heavier than fae. And well...while Elyta seemed willing to take a lot of risks otherwise, risks that might damage her wings were not on that list.
It had taken a moment for her to slow down and put it all together: the laughter, the embarrassment on Cosworth's face, what he'd said... Wings stilling, her eyes widened for a moment and she covered her mouth with a gasp. She leaned in close, her voice a whisper as she inquired, "Are you...afraid of bridges? That's it, isn't it?" Well, this was a conundrum. How could they cross the bridge if the bridge was the problem? By the Guardians, this was a puzzle. Elyta pursed her lips, deep in thought. Alright, there had to be a way to do this.
"Is it the movement? It didn't move much on the way over, not like it used to," she added, thoughts tumbling out in a rush as she tried to work through this like a mental challenge. "If that was the problem years ago, the new bridge is much more stable. The planks then? I mean, shouldn't be a problem for hooves, I wouldn't think. The height maybe? What if, um..." She glanced back towards the cart. "I know you said no earlier, but what if you didn't look? Would that make it better? You could ride in the cart instead, and I could pull it, and there's even a couple blankets in there if you didn't want to see anything..." She was rambling, but was trying to keep her voice down at least, so that the nearby sentries didn't overhear. She didn't appreciate them teasing her friend when he clearly had a serious issue; she certainly didn't need them to give her more of a reason to stomp over and give them a piece of her mind about it either.
She wasn't sure she completely understood the problem yet. Was it the bridge itself? Or falling? Though she could imagine a fear of falling for those without wings, it was hard to be able to empathize with it personally. Just the thought of not having her wings, though, the fear that must come with that, let alone the loss of freedom, being unable to take to the sky whenever one wished...
...she felt sad.
Pushing through the gathering, gloomy cloud, Elyta turned her eyes on Cosworth. She wanted to understand the problem, she wanted to be sympathetic. She also badly wanted to get to the other side and get back to that generator before someone else got their greedy paws on it. The guard had been poking fun earlier with his offer, so Elyta hesitated a moment, biting her lip, before reaching out to take Cosworth's hands in her own. "...how can I help? I don't know how to help deal with these kinds of things. All I can promise is that there's something really, really amazing waiting on the other side. If I could get it on my own and bring it back here, I would. But, I don't think I can. And I don't know how much time we have. I don't wanna' push...but..." She took a deep breath, then added, "...would it help if I told you what it was?" She'd wanted it to remain a surprise until they got to the HQ, but...if knowing what lay on the other side of the bridge might help, she'd share it now. Of course, it was still a surprise; she'd managed to get him this far at least. And maybe the thought of that generator and what they might be able to do with it would prove to be a good enough distraction to help occupy Cosworth's mind and pull his thoughts away from his fear.
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Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2017 11:21 pm
"No, it's not the bridge, Lass. Not the bridge specifically anyway." Cosworth pointedly avoided looking over at the guards nearby. "And it might help if you told me what's so important that I should leave this comfortable little isle to see it." With a heavy sigh, the scruffy old faun shifted uncomfortably and leant heavily on the cart. "Maybe if I just..."
The cart began to roll.
Slowly at first, but with the slight slope down towards the bridge, the cart accelerated at a surprising rate, with the sleepy engineer all but tripping over his own hooves trying to cling to it. "Elyta!" He croaked. At this point he was certainly in no position to attempt to slow it down, as the two wooden wheels began to bounce over the first wooden planks making up the bridge's span. Instead all he could do was guide it to keep it centred. "ELYTA! NEED HELP!"
Suddenly the bridge didn't matter. The height didn't matter. The headache didn't.... Well maybe it mattered a little bit. Cosworth was focused almost entirely on not losing the cart, as well as not stumbling and eating bridge.
Somewhere behind Cosworth the guards' mirth switched to alarm, but there was little any of them could do to save the situation either. There was a long way to the lowest point in the bridge and the cart was going to pick up speed almost all the way to there. And behind that, was a hung-over old Faun cursing up a blue storm every step of the way.
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Posted: Tue Mar 28, 2017 5:50 pm
Ah well, it still counted as a surprise if she'd gotten him out this far before telling him exactly why, right? Besides, she just knew he'd be as excited as she was when she told him about the generator. She was ready to explain when suddenly certain events set themselves in motion. It happened so fast, there wasn't time to think. Elyta reached out to the faun as the cart shifted, but his attention was on the cart. "Cosworth!" The two were picking up speed quickly and without further thought, Elyta's wings buzzed to life.
She took to the air, far faster than the faun guard could react. What were they going to do anyway? Run after? Not likely. Would't be fast enough. she wouldn't have minded having their strength, but no time. No time. Had to act now! Cosworth was struggling just to keep the runaway cart centered on the bridge without falling behind it; guess that left it to her. Elyta dove like a bird, latching onto the back of the cart next to Cosworth. Then, she shifted her wing beats to try and pull momentum backward instead in an attempt to slow the cart. No good. Well, perhaps some good, but she was feeling the strain, and it was too much strain for too little gain. The moment she felt the strain on her wings, she halted her attempts in a panic. No good. No good!
The more dangerous option it was then. A metallic whirr and she was into the air again, a burst of speed pushing her to the front of the cart as she matched pace. She placed her hands flat against the front of the cart and started flying towards the cart as hard as she could. She just needed to slow it a little more...just a bit more...even if the inertia was building as they neared the center and lowest point of the bridge. Going back up the other side at least might slow it some, but they needed more stopping power. Elyta shifted one shoulder down, prepping to brace against the front wall of the cart. Here goes nothing... Trying to match the current pace of the cart, she hit the ground running...literally. Panic and instinct told her to pick her feet up from the ground and stay in the air, but she fought the urge and instead tried to balance keeping her feet under her and trying to slow the cart with her efforts. She needed the extra leverage of having her feet on the ground rather than being solely airborne. She may have stumbled once or twice and in a panic, resumed relying on her wings until she could force herself to put her feet down again. Still, the cart was slowing, at least some...right?...and they hadn't gone sailing over the edge yet.
Passively, she noted that faun were probably a bit too heavy for her wings to handle. She shelved that thought in order to better focus on the task at hand.
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Posted: Tue Apr 18, 2017 8:56 pm
With each stride, Cosworth's breath grew more laboured, with the air seeming to burn its way in and out of his windpipe and his heart feeling like it was bouncing furiously against his ribcage. He immediately considered just damning the wooden hulk to its own fate, but then Elyta- willowy, delicate Elyta- placed herself at the front of the runaway cart and it suddenly felt imperative to stop the bloody thing. If she was going to risk injury for it, then it had to mean something to her, and so by extension it meant something to him too.
Yet is all this effort necessary? Cosworth saw stretched ahead of him the immensely long span of the bridge, and they were still descending and rolling towards the midpoint. On the further half it rose again to the mainland and although not particularly a steep rise, the sheer distance to climb would make it a monumentally labourious endeavour.
Despite the intense situation (and the hangover), the Faun's mind switched into gear. They were fighting the very motion that would be of assistance in just a few moments when the gradient of the decking they were rolling on would reverse and change into an ascent. In his mind's eye he could even place a fairly good guess of where the cart would eventually roll to a stop on the far side, once the loss of momentum to various forces took its effect. All they really had to do was stop it from veering into the rope barriers on either side of the bridge.
Cosworth stopped trying to plant his hooves on the wood and instead angled them so that they would glide over the planks, clicking along as the cart continued to pick up speed. He centred himself behind it, firmly gripping the rear with both hands to steady himself and squaring his legs with it. He tried digging in with one hoof to drag the cart to the left, but it wasn't nearly enough force to have any significant effect.
After a couple of ragged, deep breaths, he yelled forward to Elyta. "Get on the traces!" A pause, a moment to swallow some phlegm. "Don't try to slow it- use your wings to steer!" As far ahead of the centre of mass of the cart as that, she probably wouldn't have any problem directing it left and right, and would definitely have an easier time of it than he would.
Such as it was, the faun, the fae and the cart raced past the lowest point of the bridge, before they began climbing and mercifully slowing. About halfway up the ascent they all finally slowed to a stop. Cosworth firmly planted his hooves on the deck and stopped the cart from rolling backwards, before jamming the head of his hammer between the spokes of the cart to lock it in position. With speed uncharacteristic of the lethargic, alcoholic shut-in that he was, Cosworth quickly made his way to the side of the bridge, whereupon he promptly collapsed onto all fours and vomited off the edge into the sea far below.
Then, quick as he'd made his way there, he scrambled back to the centre of the deck, once more leaning heavily against the cart.
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Posted: Wed Jul 19, 2017 4:58 pm
Heart hammering, the Fae struggled to slow the cart's forward momentum, but she just wasn't built for this type of work. She knew if she tripped up, the cart would barrel right over her without losing much speed. She wasn't thinking clearly though, she'd just seen the cart clattering away with Cosworth chasing after and she'd sprung to action. She couldn't let him get hurt trying to save the cart. It was her fault he was out here at all. She wondered if it wouldn't have been a better idea to just let the cart go, find another way to retrieve the generator, but...if the Faun felt it was that important to save, well, then she'd find some way to help save it.
At first, she didn't process Cosworth's shout to get on the traces. She clearly had better leverage here at the front wall if she had any hope of helping stop the runaway cart. Wait, don't try to slow it? Use her wings to--
A glance forward allowed her brain to snap back into gear and in line with the engineer's train of thought. Of course! Elyta, you idiot. "Got it!" she shot back, clearly winded, but happy to cease her efforts to stop or get run over by the cart. Her whirring wings carried her up, safely away from the rushing ground and forward to the cart's traces. Alright, just gotta' steer, she thought to herself, taking hold of the leads. The cart had reached the low point of the bridge and was now beginning its ascent of the other side. Mercifully, the cart began to slow and eventually Elyta allowed her wings a rest, descending to plant her feet firmly on the ground. When momentum ceased, she kept a tight hold on the leads, straining to keep the cart from rolling backwards. She heard Cosworth do something at the back of the cart before seeing him swiftly rush to the edge of the bridge to...oh.
At least with Cosworth in the clear, she had less reason to worry if the cart did get away from her. She didn't move from the front of the cart until slowly, experimentally letting the cart roll back and noting that it locked in place and would roll no more than an inch before settling. Seeking the source of the noise from earlier, she found the hammer in the spokes serving as a brake. Clever. In that time, Cosworth had finished and hurriedly scrambled back from the edge of the bridge. Elyta bit her lip, taking in the sight of the faun leaning heavily against the cart, looking miserable. She felt terrible. This hadn't been what she'd had in mind at all. This wasn't going to plan. Even with what lay at the end, was it still worth all this?
Well, yes. But she had hoped the trip would be more pleasant.
Tentatively, she reached out to touch Cosworth's shoulder. "Are you...alright?"
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