Snippet #2515652

"Hold on to yer ass, Wick! We're comin' in hot!" Josibel clutched the control stick of the runaway train they'd hijacked for dear life, alternating between jerking it wildly and keeping her hat on her head. Behind her, Wickerbasket pressed his bulk against the entrance to the conductor's cabin, keeping the many angry Government agents on the other side from swarming in and killing them. Without warning, the train dropped out of wormspace, sending the roaring machine through their destination and shattering the train station. The force of impact threw Josibel over the console and into the windshield, knocking the wind from her lungs. Her companion, with his substantially larger bulk and superior footing, simply grimaced as he braced himself against the impact.For a few blessed moments, there was only silence. All too soon, however, the rowdy hollering and swearing of the Government officials in the next car over resumed and Josibel figured it was high time to lay the bastards to rest.

"Alrighty then, Wick. Let's clean house an' see where th' devil we washed up." A deep purring sound rumbled from within the creature as he backed away from the door to allow his companion a clear line of sight to her targets. She climbed down from the control panel, drew her twin firearms and prepared to unleash hell. The first man to press into the cabin immediately dropped to the ground, his insides turned to ground meat from her gunfire. The rest backed away from the door in an attempt to seek cover, but it was futile. Josibel casually pushed the door wide open with one gun barrel, spraying the train car with her other hand and mowing down several of the officers. Once her weapons clicked empty, she bowed out of the way to allow her bloodthirsty friend a shot at the annoying men left alive. Like some sort of threshing machine, Wickerbasket stormed through the train car, warping the metal sides and brushing chairs away like they were made of paper in his murderous rampage. Men's bodies exploded under the force of his paws, were shredded and torn by his fearsome claws. teeth and axe-like beak.

When they'd finished mopping up the survivors, Wickerbasket pried open the now-defunct train car doors to allow them egress. Almost immediately, Josibel had to sheild her eyes against the bright, unforgiving sunlight.

"Hooee! Where'n th' blazes did we end up, pardner? This looks mighty similar ta nowhere. I ain't exactly keen on that notion." Taking a few minutes to adjust to the sunlight, Josibel got a better feel for the town. Some backwater criminal haven, she supposed. Just her kind of place. "Well, well. Mayhap this ain't such a bad spot ta end up crashin' on, eh? Looks ta be fine folk about." Wickerbasket, who of course couldn't see anything, simply chuffed neutrally.
<><><>

The bartender just watched Kaija for a moment as he dried out a glass with a red rag that had seen better days. A silence ran between them that permeated the general clamor of the bar as the two just stared at eachother, neither moving. "Where you come from, girl?" he asked finally, brow furrowing.
"Somewhere colder than this dump. And darker." Another stagnant pause. "You gonna take my order or are you just gonna stare at me?" The thin lines on her face and body pulsated softly, shifting from a greenish yellow to a light orange. "You seem like the dumb type. I'll take my coin else--"
"Whu-wait. I'll serve you li'l lady," he said, though Kaija could hardly be considered 'little'. She was slender, but quite tall--taller than the portly man behind the counter. "What can I get you?"
"Stout. If it's not cold, I ain't buyin'."
"Stout? Er...yeah. Sure. Comin' right up." He moved quickly, bringing her a large, tall glass of a foamy dark beer with a brisk, sort of chocolatey aroma. She smiled at him, though not kindly, and after pushing a coin across the bar, sauntered out the door with his glass. "Hey! I better get that back!" he hollered after her. She didn't even turn.

Not five feet from the door, Kaija nearly spilled her drink as a thundering crash sounded from down the way, followed by a series of gunshots and the gruesome crunching of metal. The woman watched with interest as a woman and a large beast crawled from the wreckage looking victorious. Behind them lay several government officials, most of them brutally maimed and all of them dead. Good, their natural state, Kaija thought. She never did like authority much. The pair began looking around, exploring the washed out glory of the dusty dump they landed in. Passerbys would nod to them, some tipping their hats in congratulations, and others laughing at the fate of the dead. Oh, what a place this was. Some might call it backwards, but it was good a place as any for Kaija, even if it was miserably hot and fiercely bright; a pair of dark sunglasses helped remedy that, at least. Even so, the woman felt she'd been here too long. She'd been itching to try her luck somewhere else, perhaps another planet, but finding the means to do so was often harder than it seemed. This lady though, she looked like she knew how to hop planets. Interesting.

"Ja'ti," she greeted them, approaching with her drink in hand, the condensation dripping from her glass. "Welcome to town. That was a nice entrance...I like your style. You got plans, trainwrecker?"
****
Loosing a short bark of a laugh, Josibel danced a little jig. Her kind of people, indeed. It was nice to get some hospitality for once, rather than gun barrels and irons at every turn. She gave two short whistles as she stepped off the platform, her faithful compainion at her heels.

"Can't say I do, friend. Jus' finished a lengthy stint in th' black, an' I'm feelin' a mite cooped up. A stretch o' th' old legs would do us well fer now. How's about ye give us th' grand tour, since ye seem ta be knowin' yer way 'round th' place. Maybe a drink too. Ain't had good booze in too long, an' I'm feelin th' thirst come upon me somethin' mighty fierce." From behind her, Wickerbasket chuckled, though he was definitely in agreement. The creature rather fancied ale, and usually drank up a sizeable portion of Josibel's hard stolen credits whenever they made friendly ports. Josibel sauntered up to her greeter, squinting up at the much taller woman with a lopsided grin on her face.

Sticking out a hand in greeting, the bandit introduced herself. "M'name's Josibel, friend. What're ye called, by chance? S'not often I get ta meet folk as welcomin' as yerself." Behind her, Wickerbasket huffed and gave his friend a nudge, almost bowling Josibel over with his enormous head. "Ah, shit! Sorry, Wick. Erm..This 'ere is m'best pal, Wickerbasket. We are pleased ta meet ye." Wickerbasket's face broke into an enormous toothy smile as he chuckled.
<><><>
"Grand tour." Kaija chuckled, her stripes turning blue. "Oh it's grand alright. I'll show you around and afterward we'll go pay my friend the bartender a visit." She glanced at the glass in her hands. "He's dumber than a hunk of iron, but he's got good brew." Kaija shook Josibel's hand and gave a small bow. "Kaija Tezusha. A pleasure. It's not often I get to meet folk as interesting as yourself...it's a dull place, this city. Not really much of a city if you ask me. Well then, Josibel and Wickerbasket, allow me to escort you around this lovely town," she said, laying the sarcasm on thick. She hated this place, really. Well, perhaps hate was a strong word, but so was her distaste for the arid climate and the admittedly rowdy but altogether dull residents.

Kaija sipped her drink and turned on her heels, strolling down the wide street. Despite being paved, the wind brought in so much dust that it was hard to tell most of the time there was ever a real road there at all. "I have a friend you simply must meet," she said with faux enthusiasm, though she had kind of a mischievous look in her bright eyes. "He's one of my favorites here. A real sweet fellow." As she walked, she seemed to be looking for someone, or listening in for some kind of signal; her footsteps were soft but quick. "Kind of a reclusive guy, so you have to track him down....ah!" Her head turned sharply and the spines on her head flicked upright as she spotted a young man slinking in the shadows between two buildings. He didnt' look quite as rough as the rest and he seemed to have a more cautious air about him; obviously, he hadn't lived here long and was not used to a life of crime. He spotted Kaija and bolted suddenly, but he was no match for Kaija's swift feet and deft hands. Her fingers hooked his vest and yanked him back, turning him around to pin him against a wall with the business end of a wicked knife held to his throat. "Ja'ti, Morrison..."

"Heh, Kai, hee-eey...um...I see you made a friend there...that's uh, great."

"Isn't it? Fork over some cash, boy, so I can buy these nice folks a cold drink."

"Er....a couple coins ought to do it, right? I could uh...s-spare a few..." The minute his wallet was in sight, Kaija snatched it, emptied it, and pushed it back into his chest. "Kaija, wait! That's all I've got, c'mon...cut me a break..."

"CUT you a break?" Kaija laughed.

"Wait! Not what I meant! No, just--just go, please?"

The woman, still laughing, let him go and tapped his head with the flat of her blade. "Good boy, Morrison. I knew you'd come through for me." Smilng amiably at Josibel, Kaija hefted the stolen loot in her hands. "Drinks on me. This way."
***