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Post by Oliver on Mar 25, 2009 2:36:07 GMT -5
Oliver stops dead, his face deadpan and tense. He breathes deep and long, his eyes fixed at Iole. "How... dare ye... I am notin 'ike that monster!" His whole body is tense, like a machine with too much pressure built up inside it.
"Ollie... vatch yourself." Sid positions himself so if Oliver does something stupid, he'll be able to block him.
"I'm fine, Sid." He says, emphasizing each word. "Iole, I'll say tis c'eary. I don target civilians, none of us do. On'y the Regents Guard and Oinkers, tat's it. Sid's gunshot was te warning. I am not a murderer, dammit!" He yells, near tears which he fights back with any remaining ounce of emotional strength he has left.
((Harsh))
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Post by Iole on Mar 25, 2009 2:45:57 GMT -5
(OOC: You totally set me up for that one)
::Iole watches Oliver walk the other way. She knows she's cut him deeply, and that she definitely went too far. But the part that makes her feel the worst was that she had actually felt good about causing him pain. In that instant, no matter how brief it had been, she had enjoyed making him suffer for what he had done. She was seeing more and more of her Auntie in herself every day::
You think that makes it okay? You just treated those men like stepping stones to your victory. How do you know one of them didn't have a kid at home? And what's going to stop that kid from coming after you and making sure you pay. And then someone will want to make him pay for you. And it goes on and on and on.
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Post by Oliver on Mar 25, 2009 2:55:28 GMT -5
Oliver turns around, his arm raised, hand pointing at her in anger. "Ten what about me friends! Wat gave tem ta right to drag them out with b'ack bags on teir heads into street to be shot! Like dogs! F'u'in dogs!" He walks up to her, his face into hers. "Kids, fifteen, no older! All cause tey read'a book! A bloody book! Ye weren't here..." His voice grows low and growls. "Ye don't know nuttin about tis, if tey don want us to be seen as equals, instead jus some dogs ta kill in ta street cause they don wanna listen to ta master, ten we'll make ten equal ta us in death, ta whole lot of tem if we have too!"
Sid, meanwhile, leans up against the wall, his boonie cap covering his face. He's just letting them vent out their feelings, no use to get between young kids full of passion. "...kids..." He looks up. "Can you tvo make this quick? Ve got to check in vith forvard camp."
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Post by Iole on Mar 25, 2009 3:04:38 GMT -5
::Iole folds her arms and glowers::
Alright, I'll give you that one. The Regent has done some terrible things. But you can't fight evil with evil. The way you're going about things... it'll make you just as bad as them. You're not the first one to think your killing is justified.
::She looks away from him. She wants nothing more then to storm off like that would prove her point. But again, she doesn't know where they're going, and she's not about to crawl back out of the man-hole::
(OOC: I'm having a flashback to my high school days. I used to be fascinated by the way the philosophies of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King collided.)
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Post by Oliver on Mar 25, 2009 3:15:02 GMT -5
"Vell, if you tvo are done, can ve continue?" Asks Sid, sounding frustrated by their antics.
"Ya... I'm through." Replies Oliver, storming off down the sewer.
Sid rolls his eyes and approaches Iole. "Vell, missy, you are trapped vith us for the time being. Can't let you go back up there, if the Guard catch ya after being seen vith us, they'll torture you till you spill our names, then execute you for aiding us. So... shall ve valk?" He stands there, blocking her path back, his arms cradling the shotgun, looking foreboding.
((Shudder, Malcolm X.))
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Post by Iole on Mar 25, 2009 11:07:27 GMT -5
::Iole shoots Sid daggers with her eyes::
Don't call me missy.
::She she growls before pushing past him::
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Post by Oliver on Mar 25, 2009 13:04:02 GMT -5
"Feisty." Is the last word Sid speaks before they continue on in the sewer, through the filth and decay, the stench rising with each passing step.
After what feels like near half-an-hour of walking through the rubbish, they begin to hear the sounds of fighting overhead, on the street. Blades, guns, magic, and yells permeate down with the dust knocked loose by the fighting.
"Reta'iatory?" Oliver asks, stopping for a moment to listen. "Can't be, not this fast." Replies Sid. Oliver pauses for a moment. "Guess we gotta hurry."
Oliver picks up the pace while Sid coaxes Iole to keep up, they run for several minutes till they come to a ladder leading up, marked by spray-paint with the wrench and bolt symbol of the revolution and an arrow pointing up.
"Iole..." Oliver says, appearing like a puppy beaten for messing the rug. "We got ta go up, in'ta fightin. Our side is jus a few meters away from here, keep ye head low. I... don't wan ta be responsible for getten ye hurt again... jus stay close ta me and Sid here."
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Post by Iole on Mar 25, 2009 18:10:32 GMT -5
I can still hold my own Oliver. Just because I'm not jumping up and down to kill someone, doesn't mean I'm helpless.
::Despite her harsh words, she does what he says and stays near him. But out of stubborness, she refuses to look him in the eye::
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Post by Oliver on Mar 25, 2009 18:54:11 GMT -5
"Outa the vay." Sid cuts between the two and scales the ladder and slides the lid off, it screeches loudly as it scrapes against the road. Suddenly, the tunnel fills with the sounds of battle. "Get up here!" Sid yells back down the hole. He waits on the street, using the manhole cover as a temporary shield and cover.
Oliver let's Iole go first, Sid grabs her arm as she emerges out onto the street, the first sights that catch her attention is the fact they are stuck literally between two opposing sides in a veritable no-man's land. Bullets whiz by her head, blasts of fire erupt against buildings, and a number of para-military type soldiers, with ski-masks, run past the man-hole, carrying rifles or other weapons. They are dressed in rudimentary military uniforms with yellow arm-bands with that same symbol that she saw in the sewer. They charge towards a line of Regent Guards in full armor, many revolutionaries don't make it to their cover.
Oliver pops up next, beside Iole. "Let's roll!" Sid yells over the sounds of war.
The three take off running, away from the bulk of the fighting, towards the far side of the street where a makeshift wall of fallen debris and anything else that could be quickly set up to create a barrier. Dodging bullets, magic, explosions, gas, and explosions, they get to the LPA side of the fight.
Once behind cover in the relative safety of the forward base, the two breath a sigh of relief, panting all the while. "Iole, ye ok?" Oliver asks, though it occurs to him that she will probably just scold him for talking.
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The LPA
Experienced Novice
?Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun.?
Posts: 142
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Post by The LPA on Mar 25, 2009 19:12:05 GMT -5
The forward camp is in a state of confusion, with soldiers of every racial background, scrambling to grab items of importance while officers bark orders, it looks like they are trying to quickly close up shop here and move.
There, standing in front of two other burmecians soldiers, is a far more finely dressed burmecian in what looks to be an officers uniform and a black beret. He gives the two an order and they runs off when he turns around. "About bloody time ye two get your tails here!" he exclaims, briskly approaching Sid and Oliver. "Regent got his panties in a bunch over a blast at a shop in the fashion district, we're pulling back. You get your target?" He then looks at Iole. "Who is the lass and why is she here?" When an explosion erupts nearby, he doesn't flinch and keeps his bearing, waiting for an answer.
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Post by Iole on Mar 25, 2009 22:43:45 GMT -5
::Iole answers plainly and honestly, still sounding pretty irritable::
Wrong place, wrong time.
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The LPA
Experienced Novice
?Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun.?
Posts: 142
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Post by The LPA on Mar 26, 2009 0:06:30 GMT -5
"Right." States the burmecian officer. "Well, welcome to the right side of things. I take it you're with the Crest Workers Party?"
Oliver grits his teeth. "Uh, captain, not exactly..."
The captain looks to him, curious and intrigued. "Explain?"
"She's an old friend of mine, not from Lindblum. We haven really had a chance to catch up... approached me at ta cafe. I couldn't leave her tere... so we took her with us. I'm sorry, captain." It's obvious Oliver was uncomfortable telling this, it is bad enough Iole is more then angry with him, he didn't need his officer in command angry as well.
The captain nods. "Right, well, shes your responsibility then."
Another explosion rocks their position, the sounds of the enemy getting closer with each passing moment. "Sid!" The captain yells. "Get your rifle, we need to cover this position till our people have retreated." Sid salutes and runs off.
Bullets are now hitting the other side of the wall. "Oliver, get her out of here. To the blue zone. Go!" Before Oliver can respond, the captain has already left to assist with the retreat.
Oliver looks to Iole, still awkward and uneasy. "Can we ta'k a little more? It will take a bit ta get to ta Crest?"
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Post by Iole on Mar 26, 2009 0:12:20 GMT -5
::Iole brushes past him, not very fond of being man handled anymore, she decides to make him follow her this time. She knows the way to the Crest well enough, even the back alleys that will give them the fastest route. Right now she's just anxious to be as far from the battle as possible, and leave behind the screaming and the gunfire, though it rings loud in her ears now. But at last they reach an empty part of the city that's quiet, and Iole feels up to talking again, though she's still as venomous as ever::
So what was that last explosion? A shop? A library?
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Post by Oliver on Mar 26, 2009 0:24:47 GMT -5
Their path is somewhat different then what Iole would remember, the many of the streets near the warzone are in shambles, broken and destroyed. Many roads are impassable or repaired with shanty and quick remedies. A lot of graffiti adorns the walls of buildings and street signs, most of it declaring places as under the authority of the 'LPA'.
"Ta Regent burned ta libraries three years ago." He looks away as they carry on.
The farther they get away from the war zones, the better everything begins to look. Some buildings look nearly new, the streets are fairly clean, and that feeling of gray that once inhabited this place has been replaced with brilliant reds and golds. There's signs to union halls and meeting halls, posters with the profile of a single individual adorn bulletin boards mixed amoungst many signs with revolutionary messages and poetry.
The people here, dressed as any citizen of Lindlubm would, walk about much as those in the rich districts do. There's markets with cheerful woman and children buying groceries and other necessities. The place certainly stands in stark contrast to the war zone no more then nine or ten blocks beside them. There is still a heavy presence of rebels, dressed in their mismatched military fatigues and yellow arm-bands. Upon noticing the other soldier, Oliver himself pulls out a yellow band, his with a red stripe around its boarder. He extends his arm out and pulls the cloth over his sleeve, then with a swallow of confidence, begins to speak.
"I... I'm really glad ta see ye. An I'm sorry... dunno how many more times I can say tat."
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Post by Iole on Mar 26, 2009 0:46:06 GMT -5
::At first Iole doesn't seem to be listening. She's looking in another direction. But Oliver is relieved to see that she's smiling. Though the streets are very different than when she was here last, there are still parts of it that she could never forget::
Hey look. Just through that alley around the corner is where we got cornered by the Bowery Boys. And Over there is the shop where you took me to buy a new outfit. But... it looks like they've been long out of business.
::She sighs and meets his eyes again. She chuckles when she notices she has to look up this time::
Heh, you're bigger than me now. That's not allowed.
::Then her expression becomes sad again. She can't stay mad at Oliver::
I'm happy to see you too. Really I am. I'm just kind of scared for you. I know this crowd you're running with might sound great to you, but I've seen it all before. I'm not that much older than you, but I know I've seen more war. "We will end all war by uniting the continent under one banner." The Ghestalian Empire. "We will remake the world into a utopia where all can live in peace." The Order of the Locus. "We will free our kind from opression and discrimination." The Coven. See what I mean? I've seen it all, and they may have sounded great, but soon they all become worse than what they're fighting against.
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Post by Oliver on Mar 26, 2009 1:06:33 GMT -5
Oliver sighs a little, but he is at least smiling, even a tiny smile. "Yea, the old lady who ran the shop died a few years after I returned. It was a big disappointment for the whole community."
They come to a most familiar street corner, the one that leads to where Oliver's flat was and still is. The street however, looks far nicer, cleaner and with more a life to it. No longer in complete squallier and rot, it feels fresh and vibrant but with that hint of old charm.
"Remember tis street?" He asks, with a little smile as he stops on the corner to gaze down upon the rows of apartments. He smiles slightly those his eyes look downtrodden "Iole, I kno about all tat but tat, but tis feels different. I dunno how, but it does. We're not tri'n ta conquer the world or sumtin, all we want and wanted was ta be equals in work an'ife. The Vigilance Committee tried that an they were executed. Crest 33 rose up, tey were executed. The CWP arose from them and, for awhile, we were doin good, ye know? Had a say in politics, even made it possible to truly unionize. Then... it got ugly again."
Oliver leans back against the light post on the corner, more of a depressed slouch then a lean. "We tried it one way, didn't work out so well. We want rights, we want social justice, equality, benefits for everyone. Ta regent wouldn't listen ta us... so were makin him listen. Jus happens ta sounds like gunfire and explosions."
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Post by Iole on Mar 26, 2009 1:14:57 GMT -5
I'm guessing The Old Crow doesn't know about this. You two are still in contact aren't you?
::She hates to admit it, but right now she could probably use Lillith's advice. After all, the sorceress had once been on this side of things::
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Post by Oliver on Mar 26, 2009 1:21:07 GMT -5
"I wish." He states with a hint of frustration. "Its next ta impossible to send communications in and out of ta city. I'd send Emily." The little sparrow chirps on his shoulder. "But I don want her ta go tat far. Dunno wat could happen to her."
Oliver then stands back up, his face shows that he's about to ask a most curious question. "Tat reminds me, why did ye come to here? More importantly, how ye get in, fly I assume?"
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Post by Iole on Mar 26, 2009 1:24:48 GMT -5
You know me too well. I hate going through all that paperwork just to get somewhere. Especially when all I really came for was a little shopping. It's a stupid girl thing, you wouldn't understand.
::She's doing a very good job of it, but Oliver can probably already tell she's lying::
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Post by Oliver on Mar 26, 2009 1:35:17 GMT -5
"Righttt." He says very sarcastically. "Shopping? In a city-state in full-on revolt? Ye definitely have a dangerous taste in fashion."
Overhead, the sounds of fast moving aircraft screech by, leaving behind some rattled nerves in Oliver. He shudders, eyes closed and when the whine of the aircraft disappears into the distance, he breathes a sigh of relief. "Regent's new toys, ShinRa patrol planes. Tey do fly-bys every now an ten. Don attack or notin... yet, just tere to make us sleep a 'ittle less easy."
"Soo-" Oliver turns a bit cocky. "Wat it like ta see yer old friend all big and strong now? Kinda weird I was, as ye said, was shorter ten ye not more ten a few years ago. I gota say, ye certianly turned into a fine lass, bet Lillith is jealous."
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