Night 69: Night, Farwell

[corvus_veritas]

Who: Sora, Locke Cole, and Byrne Faraday (NPCs later)
Where: Section 3, The Diamond
Summary: As night falls, the trio of former patients search for help that supposedly can be found in a certain hotel...


Wow... Was the day already over?

Byrne supposed that was what the three of them got when they spent a whole day exploring, only waiting until they were exhausted and starving before collapsing in an abandoned pub and sleeping for nearly another whole day. At least they finally got food when they woke up, thanks to some friendly locals who were giving out free rations at a 'supply station'. (...Even though it had been the same pink goop that'd been served when Aguilar had control of the Institute, unfortunately. At the time, Byrne had quite frankly been too hungry to care, eating it without any outward complaints other than a disappointed expression; now that he could think it over with a full stomach, though, he kind of hoped that wouldn't be the extent of their meals from now on.)

In any case, their exploration of Farwell could continue now - and this time with better purpose. The locals had pointed them to a hotel called "The Diamond", located in the middle of a nearby casino strip along a river. Once there, they should ask for a guy who called himself 'Rockhand', the locals said. Apparently he was supposed to be able to help them. Whoever he was.

That was great and all. The only problem with that was the fact that the sun was now setting, quickly reducing their visibility. In less than half an hour, probably, the three of them were going to have a real tough time finding this hotel if they hadn't already found it.

"Do you see anything yet?" the prosecutor asked his two companions, as he glanced from side to side, trying to get a better look at the buildings surrounding them. This was the right direction, right? The way the locals had pointed them in the first place? There was a giant sign on one of the buildings far down the street, but from this distance Byrne couldn't read what it said...hopefully it was a casino sign. That would at least put them in the right place.

Comments

[lighthearted]

Sora had almost started to worry that they weren't getting anywhere, especially when all three of them had ended up passing out from both hunger and general tiredness, but things improved a lot when they woke up. Even that pink slop from back when the military had been in charge tasted pretty good when you hadn't eaten in a few days, though Sora had definitely ended up with a stomachache afterward because he'd eaten too fast.

That had finally passed, though, and the three of them were armed with a new set of information. There was a hotel manned by someone who could help them, though Sora had to wonder if Rockhand was really his name. It didn't sound like a normal name, but he'd heard some pretty weird ones from the other patients, so who knew?

Either way, now that he had a full stomach (that was no longer hurting), a clue on where to go next, and two people who were still sticking with him, Sora was feeling that much more optimistic. When Byrne asked his question, Sora arched his neck forward, going on his tip-toes as if that would help him to see the approaching sign.

"I think that might be it! It looks flashy enough, anyway." A hotel sounded like a pretty great place to hang out right now. Sora was already missing a real bed, and they had only been gone from Landel's for a few days.

[kings_thief]

There was no love lost between Locke and that pink slop, he hadn't liked it the first day he'd woken up in Landel's and he certainly didn't like it now. However, he wasn't one to turn away from food, especially when he didn't know if there'd be anything else any time soon. With his stomach full for the first time in a while he swore to himself he was never going to skip breakfast again, even those sickly-sweet pancakes would be more appealing.

But now they had a somewhere to get to, something beyond wandering around and hoping to find something useful. A place called 'The Diamond' along a casino strip reminded him of Setzer, though he had the feeling the gambler wouldn't be too happy with the state of this casino; it wasn't any different than the rest of the city, he doubted there was anything better with partial exception to the courthouse.

If he could have, he would have chimed in that it seemed like the right place to him, but he deemed it unnecessary and just continued on. As they got closer, Locke could just make out the words on the sign in the quickly fading light. Well, at least they'd gotten there all right.

He glanced at his companions before moving to open the door for them. Hopefully, this Rockhand guy would be in and not too hard to find.

[corvus_veritas]

Oh good, they'd made it after all - and just in time, as their light was already fading fast. Byrne sighed with relief. Worst case scenario: averted. Now they just had to hope that this 'Rockhand' guy would actually be in this place somewhere. And would he really be able and willing to help out a couple of foreign strangers?

Guess they had no choice but to try to remain as optimistic as possible. Not much else they could do.

Taking advantage of Locke's politeness in holding the door open for him, Byrne entered the place first, although he clumsily bumped into the door frame in the process. Ow - he honestly hadn't thought he'd been that close to the wall. Then again, his lack of half his vision had been doing wonders at throwing him off earlier, too...a day hadn't been long enough to get completely used to such a major change in perception. Sigh. He made no outward comment about it, however, and tried to pretend all was well as he walked into the darkened hotel lobby.

On first glance, it was just like all the other buildings the trio had searched: dirty, run-down, abandoned. But as Byrne took a few more steps forward and looked a little closer, he spotted something quite different about this place. There was furniture set up everywhere, but not in the same way as all the other places where it was clear it had been left there for a long time. No, this furniture was purposefully and recently set up by someone. And beyond that, Byrne could see a small fire with people sitting around it.

So there is someone here. Byrne stopped in his tracks, feeling unsure, then briefly glanced back at his two companions to make sure they were close behind him. Was 'Rockhand' among these people? Hopefully the locals had been right about the helpfulness of this guy and whoever his friends were...

[lighthearted]

Sora startled when Byrne ran into a wall without warning, wondering what that was all about. Maybe he was just hungry or tired... or both. It didn't seem like he was too hurt, so other than giving him a concerned glance, he didn't say anything.

Besides, he was soon distracted by the fact that they had actually found some other people. Sora noticed the fire with the people gathered around it before anything else. It looked like this was the one place in this area, other than the courthouse, where people actually gathered.

It did seem like it might be strange for them to approach the group out of nowhere, though, and they'd been told to ask for Rockhand specifically. Sora looked around the hotel lobby, shoving his hands in his pockets as he realized just how cold it was getting. No wonder they'd built a fire.

"Do you think we should just ask someone who Rockhand is?" he asked the other two. Sora was a friendly person by nature, so he wouldn't be against just strolling up and asking if that was what it came down to.

[damned_rebels]

A bearded gentleman looked up from the fire and tilted the brim of his hat up enough so he could get a proper look at the newcomers.

"Most people don't gotta ask," he suddenly spoke up, "I ain't exactly hard to find. Well--" The man gave a bark of a laugh. "Unless I don't want no one to find me, but since I've managed to avoid pissing off most the people in this place so far..."

The crackling fire illuminated the features of a middle-aged man with darker skin and a rugged face. Like a lot of the rebels in the city, his clothes weren't exactly in the best shape, but they were at least functional.

"S'not often we get new faces around here," he remarked with a toothy grin. "What brings you boys to this fine establishment?"

[kings_thief]

The man seemed seemed amiable enough, at least. He reminded Locke of some of the rovers he would meet back home while he was traveling, before the world broke, anyway.

The thought that this was the man who could help them to do something rekindled Locke's determination. If they could do something, anything, he wanted to know. Whatever it was couldn't be any worse than what they'd already gone through.

He was quick to jot down 'We were told you could help us. We need to know about this place and how we can help our friends still trapped at Landel's.' on his pad of paper and strode forward to offer it to Rockhand. Well, okay, those where Locke's concerns, at least, he just assumed he wasn't the only one.

[corvus_veritas]

So this was Rockhand, huh? He looked and sounded friendly enough, though looks could often be deceiving. Either way, Byrne couldn't help but flash a friendly smile in response to the other man's grin. Force of habit, really. (Plus, it was just polite.)

Locke was already jotting something down on his paper pad, but Byrne figured he might as well add to whatever that 'something' was with spoken rather than written words. "I'm Byrne Faraday," the prosecutor introduced, then pointed to the others in turn. "This is Sora and Locke, who's currently mute. We...heard about you from the supply station and were wondering if you could help us."

And then Byrne considered the possibility that Locke had already said exactly that on the paper he just offered to Rockhand, but oh well. Maybe it was better to hear it from more than one person.

[lighthearted]

That turned out to be way easier than Sora had imagined. Sometimes things just worked out that way, though, and it seemed that the advice they'd been given had been worthwhile, since this Rockhand already came across as pretty friendly. Maybe he really could help them after all.

When Sora was introduced by Byrne, he made sure to lift his hand in a wave to indicate himself. He didn't want to bombard the man with questions, and he was betting that between what Byrne said and what Locke wrote down, they'd covered the most important things.

Sora circled around so that he was standing next to Byrne, taking in the rest of the people who were sitting around the fire. None of them were paying them much mind, at least for right now. Sora could tell that most of them had probably been going hungry for a while now, and it didn't look like there were many beds around, even though this was a hotel. Maybe in some of the rooms upstairs...?

[damned_rebels]

By now, he'd seen plenty enough to at least have an idea why some unlucky soul from the institute would find himself unable to speak. Rockhand decided to respond to it as tactfully as he could by addressing Locke and the others as he normally would.

"Well, y'all came to the right place. Nice ta' meet you three," Rockhand politely said with a tip of his hat. Too bad it wasn't under better circumstances, but there was no use in saying that out loud. It all went without saying by now, he was sure.

"If you're wantin' to help your friends," he answered, "I'm afraid you're gonna have a hard time doin' that from here, aside from helpin' us hold the fort while we figure out what to do next. But, if your aim is to get back to that hell hole, all you gotta do is head for the old subway station. Rumor has it that the line was once used to transport a bunch of poor bastards to the Institute, so just follow the abandoned train tracks."

Rubbing at the stubble on his chin, Rockhand grew more thoughtful. "It'd be a shame to lose you gentlemen, but we'd all understand if you decided to meet up with the pals you left behind. Actually, we could even give you a few souvenirs. On the other hand, if you decided to join our crew, we'd love to have ya'."

[kings_thief]

Locke could understand Rockhand's desire to see them stay and help out, a resistance was pretty difficult to hold if you didn't have anyone on your side. Part of him wanted to stay and help just for that reason, but he had stronger loyalties he needed to tend to first.

He glanced at his two companions and, in that moment, realized he didn't know what their intentions were. He'd just assumed they had people to go back for as well, but maybe that wasn't the case. He crossed out the previous thing he'd written and scribbled out: 'I can't speak for the others, but I intend to come back and help you, but there's a couple people I need to get to safety first. From here, where is this station and can we I head there tonight?'

He'd written 'we' on impulse, but again he didn't know what his companions intended to do; he didn't want to assume they were coming if it turned out he was in this alone. And what if he was alone? Unless he suddenly became really good at magic or could, somehow, access it without his voice, he didn't have a weapon. Once he could get back to his room he'd be able to get the lead pipe Tolten had given him, but if there were monsters anywhere along those tracks, that could prove to be a little difficult to handle alone.

Still..the thought of waiting around was maddening, if he let himself think too long, his mind would wonder to any of the possible things that could be happening to his friends while he wasn't there to do anything about it.

[corvus_veritas]

To stay and help the cause, or to go back to familiar faces?

Admittedly, the thought of returning to that hellhole after finally getting out of there made Byrne hesitant. Maybe that was selfish, but he couldn't help the feeling. He'd finally made it out - and while the world outside wasn't very pretty, it wasn't the Institute and it wasn't ruled by Landel. Plus, from the sound of it, the people who lived out here needed all the help they could get.

But what about everyone else who was still trapped in the Institute? They needed help, too. It didn't exactly feel fair to abandon them, even if it was just to live in some place that was only miles away. How much could he do for them here with these people versus actually being with the other patients?

Byrne wasn't entirely sure which decision was best, and as he, like Locke, also exchanged glances with his companions to try to see what they were feeling on the subject, he was thinking they were probably uncertain, too. But considering how difficult it was to get out of that place to begin with, Byrne wasn't sure if he was ready to just immediately go crawling back to Landel so soon. It probably wasn't going to be so easy to get back a second time, and there was much more he wanted to do here. (Not to mention, Badd and Kay could be out here somewhere. Maybe he could find them somehow - or hell, maybe even Rockhand knew of them. He'd have to ask later.)

So after a moment of silent thinking, the prosecutor looked back at Rockhand again and decided to speak his own mind as Locke passed along his notepad. "Personally, I'd like to offer your group any assistance I can give. But I'm worried about the others still trapped in the Institute." And about these two, he kept to himself, though he couldn't help looking back at Sora and Locke with concern anyway. What did they want to do?

[lighthearted]

Just like Locke and Byrne, Sora was torn. Of course he wanted to help. That was the whole point, wasn't it? To work together and make sure that they were able to take down Landel once and for all, and then to get everyone home once that was taken care of. But he had people who would be worried about him, who thought he was dead. Kratos, Tsurugi, Link, Tsubaki... and that was just the start of the list.

Sora managed to catch the gist of what Locke had written before he handed it over, and it looked like he was planning to head back. Byrne seemed to be more on the fence with it, maybe because he didn't have as many close contacts back in the institute.

Sora had to admit that he didn't particularly like the idea of running back to Landel and being under his influence again, but hopefully he could find his way back out here, and with his friends in tow this time around. That was the plan, anyway.

"Maybe Locke and I could head back to the institute and we can let your friends know that you're okay?" he suggested to Byrne. It wasn't ideal, leaving him behind like this, but there were clearly enough rebels around to accommodate Byrne and make sure that he stayed safe. "I plan to come back too," he informed Rockhand, "but there are friends of mine back there who I need to talk to first."

He was curious about where those subway tracks were and what Rockhand had meant by souvenirs, but he figured they'd get there soon enough.

[damned_rebels]

"Completely understandable," Rockhand said, and he raised his palm as if to gesture that he didn't expect the three patients to explain themselves. "Your friends are probably gonna worry if they can't see you for themselves, so don't feel like you gotta put 'em through hell on our account."

After rubbing his hands together to warm them up, he added, "The station itself is southwest of here. It'll take a long time to get there by foot, so I recommend seeing if you can't get somebody to ferry you there. If y'all need a little more time to think on what each of you want to do, though, that's fine too. Just lemme know who's doing what, and I'll help make the arrangements."

[kings_thief]

Locke spared a Sora a small smile to hear he was thinking of going back as well. He didn't begrudge Byrne his hesitation, to be honest that was probably the saner thing to do (especially if there was no one waiting for the older man back in the institute) but it was also nice to know he wasn't going alone. Even if they went their separate ways once they got there, just knowing someone would have his back till then was comforting.

Locke used the bottom of the page to write: 'If you'd rather not go with us, we could always deliver a message to someone for you, if you'd like us to.' and tore that off to give it to Byrne. For Rock hand he wrote: 'Honestly, the sooner we could leave, the better. What are these souvenirs that you mentioned?' and handed the pad back to the other man.

He'd never realized before how much slower and cumbersome writing your thoughts out was compared to speaking them, particularly when you had no other option.

[corvus_veritas]

So the other two had their minds set on going back? Byrne couldn't blame them, especially since it seemed they had friends they were eager to get back to. Byrne himself had a few friends there, too, like Renamon and Rei...but he also had Badd and Kay somewhere out here that he was just as concerned about. In the Institute, there were at least other patients to support you, even if Landel was always watching. Who did Badd and Kay have, though?

Locke passed him a note on the subject as he was thinking about it, and he stopped pondering to read it. 'Deliver a message to someone for him' - that actually didn't sound like a bad idea, though Byrne immediately thought of how inconveniencing that might be. It wasn't like he wanted to throw any of his personal affairs on either Locke or Sora. At the same time, though, if they were offering, then it wouldn't be fair to turn down the opportunity.

"I want to stay and help, at least for a little while," he said, both to his companions and to Rockhand. More specifically to Sora and Locke, he continued: "But I can follow you two to the station to make sure you get there alright?" That, and Byrne wanted to know where it was himself. Couldn't hurt to have that knowledge.

As for taking Locke up on his offer...they could discuss that on the way to the station, Byrne figured.

[lighthearted]

It didn't take Sora long to decide that he liked this Rockhand guy. He wasn't pressuring them to make one choice or the other, and he seemed to understand why he and Locke were eager to get back. He was even going to help them make it to those subway tracks a little faster, so it sounded like they were in business.

Byrne seemed to have made up his mind, though. While Sora couldn't help but worry about him, since they were essentially leaving him here, it did seem like the rebels had things under control. Besides, Sora hadn't seen any monsters around Farwell, so it could be argued that this place was safer than the institute.

"You can come with us that far if you want to, but you don't have to," Sora told Byrne with a shrug. "Locke and I can probably manage, but..." It would be nice to say goodbye, at the same time. Sora realized he hadn't known Byrne for all that long, but they'd spent the past few days together and that counted for something.

"So what's this about a ferry?" he asked Rockhand. "Are there really boats around here?" Sora had caught sight of a river during their travels, but he hadn't seen any boats. Either way, it would be nice if they had a faster way to get from here to those subway tracks than just walking.