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Barsoom Tales I - COMPLETE
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<blockquote data-quote="barsoomcore" data-source="post: 623694" data-attributes="member: 812"><p><strong>Wake-Up Call</strong></p><p></p><p>Karel tasted something. Something foul. Something fuzzy.</p><p></p><p>His brain spent some time considering, and decided that "fuzzy" was inappropriate for anything actually in his mouth. It tried opening his mouth, had very little success and decided it was time for Karel to wake up.</p><p></p><p>He found himself sprawled in one of the dingy armchairs, his open mouth resting on the upholstery. Iseut and Trazik were curled up on the motheaten green sofa by the counter, while Vlad snored with Ilonka across his lap in the other, slightly less motheaten, sofa nearer the door. Everyone looked very peaceful, if somewhat uncomfortable.</p><p></p><p>Karel studied the others, keeping his eyes lidded. The rule was that the first to wake up had to make coffee for the rest, so there was a certain amount of chicanery and deceit when it came to waking up. But there was no mistake. Everyone was asleep, and if Karel wanted coffee, he'd have to make it for himself, which meant he'd have to make it for everyone.</p><p></p><p>He thought about how badly he wanted coffee, gave up, and stretched, yawning.</p><p></p><p>The rain had not slackened off in the slightest. It hadn't slackened off for the past month, so Karel hadn't really expected it to. He did note the weak grey light outside and knew it was day. Or what passed for day up here. He thought of clear summer days on Duelists' Street back home, carrying banners demonstrating against the Kishak government and sighed, pushing himself up to his feet and shuffling over to the counter to start on the coffee.</p><p></p><p>Of course as soon as he got up, everyone else opened their eyes, happy that somebody else was making the morning round.</p><p></p><p>*****</p><p></p><p>Neither Arrafin nor Elena had gotten much sleep. After making their way back to the del Maraviez house, they'd spent several hours trading observations on what they'd witnessed, terrifying each other even more than they already were.</p><p></p><p>The suicide of that man had rattled Elena deeply, and she'd talked long into the night, speculating about what had caused such a reaction. She'd remained up long after she heard snores coming from Arrafin's cot.</p><p></p><p>They awoke to bustle and clatter and voices downstairs, and dressing hurriedly, found themselves in time for breakfast. Aubrey and Philip were finishing up, while Nevid was still going with a young man's appetite. Ambrose and Neria bustled about and greeted the women with scowls but served out eggs and roasted cuts and potatoes as Arrafin and Elena seated themselves.</p><p></p><p>Aubrey and Philip exchanged glances, then the Pavairellean man spoke.</p><p></p><p>"We're thinking we should go back to the coffee shop, see what else those folks know. I don't think they told us everything."</p><p></p><p>Elena nodded. "I don't think anybody's told us anything." She glanced at Ambrose and noted how the man's hands shook as he poured tea.</p><p></p><p>Thumping boots on the stairs and Boyce came into the dining room with a big smile for everyone.</p><p></p><p>"Exciting night for you folks, I guess."</p><p></p><p>He crashed into a chair and leaned back, still grinning.</p><p></p><p>Elena tried to be offended but gave up. Boyce was probably a thief and certainly a liar, but he was just too overwhelmingly charming to stay mad at.</p><p></p><p>"We could have used your help, Boyce." Philip evidently found Boyce less charming than Elena.</p><p></p><p>The Gap rogue put his hands behind his head and nodded sagely.</p><p></p><p>"Well, now, Philip, my lad, I could fetch the contract for you but I swear to you on the grave of my blessed mother there's not a word in it about stomping about in the rain after things what can slaughter our entire company's mounts in one go. But I do hope you had fun. Did you get to shoot your guns at it?"</p><p></p><p>Philip glowered. "You're not much of a caravan guard now, are you?"</p><p></p><p>Boyce spread his hands in a gesture of innocence. "It's not much of a caravan anymore, is it? Guess we won't be taking any silver back to the Fort, now will we? Unless you're offering those broad shoulders of yours."</p><p></p><p>Philip sighed and stood up. "Let's go."</p><p></p><p>After a moment's hesitation, Aubrey and Nevid rose and the three went out, followed quickly by Arrafin as she wolfed down the last of her breakfast, calling out for them to wait, she just needed to grab her notebooks and a pen and maybe she should bring her maps...</p><p></p><p>Elena and Boyce grinned at each other.</p><p></p><p>*****</p><p></p><p>When Iseut came back she was clutching Trazik, but there was nothing of romance in the girl's shattered face. Elena came over, blinking back tears, and guided the girl to a sofa.</p><p></p><p>"I'm so sorry. We... we were too slow. Maybe we could have -- "</p><p></p><p>Vlad cut her off. "Maybe you could have what? Haven't you people been listening to us? There's nothing we can do. You, her, any of us. Nothing."</p><p></p><p>Aubrey inspected his boots. They were covered in mud.</p><p></p><p>"I think we should go check out the mines."</p><p></p><p>Everyone turned to him.</p><p></p><p>"That's where all this started, right? Let's go down there and see what they found."</p><p></p><p>Philip was the first to put words to the question all of them were wondering about.</p><p></p><p>"What about that big white thing? It might be in there somewhere."</p><p></p><p>Aubrey shrugged. "It just ate two whole parasaurs. It can't be hungry again."</p><p></p><p>"You people are crazy!" Ilonka shouted, "If that thing doesn't get you, Mara will. Why are you doing this?"</p><p></p><p>Arrafin put up her hand and smiled at everyone before she spoke. "I'm curious. Aren't you? I want to know what... all this... is about. And how did Mara learn to speak Calegrian? Maybe she IS Calegrian and was imprisoned down there..."</p><p></p><p>"You're crazy!"</p><p></p><p>"No, you crazy!"</p><p></p><p>The last voice was that of a little girl, high-pitched and amused, and everyone jumped at the sound, spinning or twisting about to see the small figure in the doorway.</p><p></p><p>Ilonka put a hand on her chest and leaned against the counter, closing her eyes in relief.</p><p></p><p>"You crazy!"</p><p></p><p>The little girl was not Kishak. It wasn't this Mara that Ilonka and her friends had been telling the newcomers about. She was Yshakan, dark-skinned and with long hair pulled back into intricate braids, dressed in a bright woolen tunic and with mud-covered moccasins. She looked about at all the adults with great satisfaction.</p><p></p><p>"Hello, Atranztipac."</p><p></p><p>"Hello!"</p><p></p><p>The Yshakan girl marched smugly across the room to put a hand on Ilonka's leg. She looked up at the woman and beamed.</p><p></p><p>"Say hello to our new friends, Atranztipac."</p><p></p><p>"No!"</p><p></p><p>Ilonka rolled her eyes. She looked over at the other and explained. "There's a whole tribe of Yshakans that live here, in the shacks across town. They work in the mines, but they don't mix with us much, except for Atranztipac here. She's kind of adopted us."</p><p></p><p>"No!"</p><p></p><p>The woman sighed. "She doesn't really speak Imperial Kishak, though, so conversation can get a little strained."</p><p></p><p>Arrafin, smiling, came over and squatted in front of the Yshakan girl. "Hi there. I'm Arrafin."</p><p></p><p>Atranztipac punched Arrafin in the face and the Naridic woman fell backwards. Atranztipac seemed very pleased with herself and laughed.</p><p></p><p>Ilonka smacked the little girl in the head and helped Arrafin back to her feet.</p><p></p><p>"She likes to fight, too."</p><p></p><p>"Uh, yeah." Arrafin scowled at Atranztipac and stalked back to her seat, fuming. She didn't realize that the Yshakan child had followed her back to the table until little pudgy reached up and grabbed a half-dozen papers. Arrafin just managed to yank them free, and Atranztipac dodged the Naridic woman's backhand blow easily, chuckling. She noticed Aubrey's rapier and scuttled over, nearly dragging the weapon free before he managed to snap a hand on it and stand up.</p><p></p><p>"Let's go check it out. We need to know what's down there. What we're dealing with." The others stood and headed for the door.</p><p></p><p>"I come!" shouted Atranztipac.</p><p></p><p>"I don't think so."</p><p></p><p>Ilonka shrugged. "She knows the way up to the mine entrances. Atranztipac, take them to the mine, you understand? The mine."</p><p></p><p>"No! This way."</p><p></p><p>Aubrey, Elena, Philip, Nevid and Arrafin passed out into the rain, following Atranztipac's determined stride.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="barsoomcore, post: 623694, member: 812"] [b]Wake-Up Call[/b] Karel tasted something. Something foul. Something fuzzy. His brain spent some time considering, and decided that "fuzzy" was inappropriate for anything actually in his mouth. It tried opening his mouth, had very little success and decided it was time for Karel to wake up. He found himself sprawled in one of the dingy armchairs, his open mouth resting on the upholstery. Iseut and Trazik were curled up on the motheaten green sofa by the counter, while Vlad snored with Ilonka across his lap in the other, slightly less motheaten, sofa nearer the door. Everyone looked very peaceful, if somewhat uncomfortable. Karel studied the others, keeping his eyes lidded. The rule was that the first to wake up had to make coffee for the rest, so there was a certain amount of chicanery and deceit when it came to waking up. But there was no mistake. Everyone was asleep, and if Karel wanted coffee, he'd have to make it for himself, which meant he'd have to make it for everyone. He thought about how badly he wanted coffee, gave up, and stretched, yawning. The rain had not slackened off in the slightest. It hadn't slackened off for the past month, so Karel hadn't really expected it to. He did note the weak grey light outside and knew it was day. Or what passed for day up here. He thought of clear summer days on Duelists' Street back home, carrying banners demonstrating against the Kishak government and sighed, pushing himself up to his feet and shuffling over to the counter to start on the coffee. Of course as soon as he got up, everyone else opened their eyes, happy that somebody else was making the morning round. ***** Neither Arrafin nor Elena had gotten much sleep. After making their way back to the del Maraviez house, they'd spent several hours trading observations on what they'd witnessed, terrifying each other even more than they already were. The suicide of that man had rattled Elena deeply, and she'd talked long into the night, speculating about what had caused such a reaction. She'd remained up long after she heard snores coming from Arrafin's cot. They awoke to bustle and clatter and voices downstairs, and dressing hurriedly, found themselves in time for breakfast. Aubrey and Philip were finishing up, while Nevid was still going with a young man's appetite. Ambrose and Neria bustled about and greeted the women with scowls but served out eggs and roasted cuts and potatoes as Arrafin and Elena seated themselves. Aubrey and Philip exchanged glances, then the Pavairellean man spoke. "We're thinking we should go back to the coffee shop, see what else those folks know. I don't think they told us everything." Elena nodded. "I don't think anybody's told us anything." She glanced at Ambrose and noted how the man's hands shook as he poured tea. Thumping boots on the stairs and Boyce came into the dining room with a big smile for everyone. "Exciting night for you folks, I guess." He crashed into a chair and leaned back, still grinning. Elena tried to be offended but gave up. Boyce was probably a thief and certainly a liar, but he was just too overwhelmingly charming to stay mad at. "We could have used your help, Boyce." Philip evidently found Boyce less charming than Elena. The Gap rogue put his hands behind his head and nodded sagely. "Well, now, Philip, my lad, I could fetch the contract for you but I swear to you on the grave of my blessed mother there's not a word in it about stomping about in the rain after things what can slaughter our entire company's mounts in one go. But I do hope you had fun. Did you get to shoot your guns at it?" Philip glowered. "You're not much of a caravan guard now, are you?" Boyce spread his hands in a gesture of innocence. "It's not much of a caravan anymore, is it? Guess we won't be taking any silver back to the Fort, now will we? Unless you're offering those broad shoulders of yours." Philip sighed and stood up. "Let's go." After a moment's hesitation, Aubrey and Nevid rose and the three went out, followed quickly by Arrafin as she wolfed down the last of her breakfast, calling out for them to wait, she just needed to grab her notebooks and a pen and maybe she should bring her maps... Elena and Boyce grinned at each other. ***** When Iseut came back she was clutching Trazik, but there was nothing of romance in the girl's shattered face. Elena came over, blinking back tears, and guided the girl to a sofa. "I'm so sorry. We... we were too slow. Maybe we could have -- " Vlad cut her off. "Maybe you could have what? Haven't you people been listening to us? There's nothing we can do. You, her, any of us. Nothing." Aubrey inspected his boots. They were covered in mud. "I think we should go check out the mines." Everyone turned to him. "That's where all this started, right? Let's go down there and see what they found." Philip was the first to put words to the question all of them were wondering about. "What about that big white thing? It might be in there somewhere." Aubrey shrugged. "It just ate two whole parasaurs. It can't be hungry again." "You people are crazy!" Ilonka shouted, "If that thing doesn't get you, Mara will. Why are you doing this?" Arrafin put up her hand and smiled at everyone before she spoke. "I'm curious. Aren't you? I want to know what... all this... is about. And how did Mara learn to speak Calegrian? Maybe she IS Calegrian and was imprisoned down there..." "You're crazy!" "No, you crazy!" The last voice was that of a little girl, high-pitched and amused, and everyone jumped at the sound, spinning or twisting about to see the small figure in the doorway. Ilonka put a hand on her chest and leaned against the counter, closing her eyes in relief. "You crazy!" The little girl was not Kishak. It wasn't this Mara that Ilonka and her friends had been telling the newcomers about. She was Yshakan, dark-skinned and with long hair pulled back into intricate braids, dressed in a bright woolen tunic and with mud-covered moccasins. She looked about at all the adults with great satisfaction. "Hello, Atranztipac." "Hello!" The Yshakan girl marched smugly across the room to put a hand on Ilonka's leg. She looked up at the woman and beamed. "Say hello to our new friends, Atranztipac." "No!" Ilonka rolled her eyes. She looked over at the other and explained. "There's a whole tribe of Yshakans that live here, in the shacks across town. They work in the mines, but they don't mix with us much, except for Atranztipac here. She's kind of adopted us." "No!" The woman sighed. "She doesn't really speak Imperial Kishak, though, so conversation can get a little strained." Arrafin, smiling, came over and squatted in front of the Yshakan girl. "Hi there. I'm Arrafin." Atranztipac punched Arrafin in the face and the Naridic woman fell backwards. Atranztipac seemed very pleased with herself and laughed. Ilonka smacked the little girl in the head and helped Arrafin back to her feet. "She likes to fight, too." "Uh, yeah." Arrafin scowled at Atranztipac and stalked back to her seat, fuming. She didn't realize that the Yshakan child had followed her back to the table until little pudgy reached up and grabbed a half-dozen papers. Arrafin just managed to yank them free, and Atranztipac dodged the Naridic woman's backhand blow easily, chuckling. She noticed Aubrey's rapier and scuttled over, nearly dragging the weapon free before he managed to snap a hand on it and stand up. "Let's go check it out. We need to know what's down there. What we're dealing with." The others stood and headed for the door. "I come!" shouted Atranztipac. "I don't think so." Ilonka shrugged. "She knows the way up to the mine entrances. Atranztipac, take them to the mine, you understand? The mine." "No! This way." Aubrey, Elena, Philip, Nevid and Arrafin passed out into the rain, following Atranztipac's determined stride. [/QUOTE]
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