Averra Ren
Youngling
[M:150]
Bird Nerd (Played by AverraLikesRamen)
Posts: 41
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Post by Averra Ren on Jan 8, 2013 23:14:59 GMT -6
Listening to the transmission from a voice that presumably belonged to Tiberius Thorne, Averra nodded to herself then called to the crew to finish off the ammo on the monsters. Grinning, she saluted Khai as the sorceress sailed over, then shouted to Deity, "Ammo shipment! Reload!" The wind tearing at her words, the captain gazed down at the portal, then retreated inside to her console. Checking on the fox they had picked up, she strapped the unconscious body to an alcove used as a bed, then pressed her green buckle up button.
As small lights dotted along the walls lit up neon green, her small crew fluidly slid into harnesses. Av darted back to her console and quickly swiped her left paw over over the screen, signaling to the quartermaster. Chuckling to herself as the Hawk dropped into a steep dive, Fantine adjusted the trajectory of the missiles sailing down, and watched as they shattered the ridiculous ice creatures in a matter of seconds.
Grinning, Fan called to the captain, "Missiles launched! All prepared for evasive maneuvers!" Deity and Swift chirped their agreement and Averra happily twisted her airskiff in a barrel roll to dodge the flurry of icicles. "Swift, Chancellor Thorne included some first aid kits with the ammo. Refresh our patient's bandages, please! Everyone else, those monsters are finished, but we should check in at the Nexus in case our services are required. Also, we will need to return our unconscious friend."
As the portal disappeared, Av strode to her console and sat down to navigate her airskiff and it's cargo to the docks of the floating city. The Hawk mainly flying on autopilot, she took a moment to contemplate the complexity of the portal. Having minored in magic theory, the corsac understood the basics of how elaborate the thing was, but that was the extent of her knowledge. Cheerfully figuring that the three armies were going to need all the help they could get, the captain was prepared to aid in any way possible; she had a feeling that this was only the beginning of something very big. Calling Deity to the navigation console, she left to check on the injured stranger. The silver fox had been out for quite a while, and Averra was becoming slightly concerned.
...
After docking at the Nexus, Averra sent Fantine to restock their ammo and other essentials. Swift was charged with assessing and repairing the damage to their ship, and the captain and Deity stayed in the ship to get all of her systems working smoothly. "I don't think our weapons arrays were affected by that hit we took, but it jarred some wires relaying information to our navigation console. I had to reenter the coordinates to the Nexus for autopilot," mused Av. "Could be an issue if we're going to travel much more."
"Well, you did back up our data, and I can ask Swift to get into the wires and replace them," came the reedy response from the falcon, who was sorting the crew's field equipment. "Fantine'll make sure to bring extra supplies for repairs. She's nice like that."
"Right about that, Deity! I've got loads of stuff, so it's good that you upgraded the Hawk's weight capacity, Av." Fan's voice was muffled behind a large cart loaded down with all sorts of goodies. "Brief rundown; three bags of regular ammo, one of incendiary, and one of heat seeking. Also, two medium crates of missiles. Along with those, I've procured ten ice seeking grenades, twelve regular ones, and some granola bars, because they taste good. Stopping to run her eyes over the cart, Fan continued, "Five packages of first aid kits as well as meds specialized for puncture wounds, which will come in handy for any number of situations."
Pleased, Av and Deity nodded as the gray fox listed her items. "...enough food to last us at least a month, compressed or in pill form. Finally, wires, gears, and other mish mosh for repairs." The captain grinned widely. "Perfect! Thanks, Fan." Deity left to help the gray fox sort and store all the new supplies, so Averra went to check on Swift. The hummingbird was pecking at the panel for maintaining the hull. Checking the read out on a screen, the corsac nodded, pleased. "Looks like that new titanium really paid for itself."
A heartbeat after she uttered that sentence, Averra looked up as a seam in the metal belched a cloud of combined steam and smoke, engulfing her. Spluttering, she peered through the haze at Swift, who chirped apologetically and poked buttons on the panel. Suppressing a smile, the captain activated the intercom. "Everyone, we're going to assist the armies in any way possible, because I have a bad feeling about that portal. This isn't over, so just thought I'd let you know."
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Post by Tzeitel Kensington on Jan 10, 2013 9:24:15 GMT -6
The crackle of an intercom message buzzed in Tzeitle's ears as the unconscious silver began to wake. Throbbing, stinging, burning sensations came from her abdomen. After realizing how much pain she was in Tzeitle didn't want to wake up in the least bit, but would rather go back into a numb sleep as before.
Finally the memory of being stabbed came back to her and Tzeitle tried to lurch into a sitting position but her body was being held back and against the bed she was laying on. The pain in her abdomen and now her head as well stopped her from squirming. After her eyes adjusted to the light in the room Tzeitle was finally able see where she was and what was holding her back. The scene was of cold metal walls with odd lights blinking here and there, and she was strapped down to a bed with blood soaked bandages over her abdomen. The silver fox's first thoughts was that she was being held prisoner and may be touched soon because of the thick leather straps binding her, but then when she noticed the bandages she realized that if someone wanted her dead or to suffer they would not have taken the time to mend her like that. But the straps were still concerning to her and in case if she is being help prisoner she decided that it would be best to get out of the straps.
Tzeitle wiggled and tugged, cringing each time she used a muscle in her pain racked abdomen. Finally she was able to pull one of her paws free and began to unbuckle the straps. Soon Tzeitle was free from the bed and trying to pull herself up off of the bed without crying out from the harsh pain when she did so. Her movements were very slow and almost robot like, trying her best to prevent any more strain on her abdomen. With one paw on the bandage and one paw stretched out in front to guide her movements through the metal room and hallway Tzeitle made her way slowly and quietly out of the room and through the hallway. She stopped at the door frame that lead to the fresh air of the sky. The silver fox peaked around the frame and tried to find her airskiff and her belts of guns and ammo. Without her guns she felt very naked and vulnerable indeed.
She spotted her airskiff tied down to the wing of this large air ship-like airskiff. Tzeitle fround, if she wanted to escape on her airskiff she would have to travel out into the open to retrieve it, and in her condition the travel in the open will be very slow and vulnerable. She needed her guns if she was going to retrieve her small airskiff. Tzeitle let her eyes wonder around the deck before she sneaked back into the shadows. She saw a corsac female at the command with a grey fox and some birds at her command. Tzeitle's ears twitched as she tried to register this information. Of course more tingling pain came from her ear but she was able to ignore it. Tzeitle made her way back through the hallways and peaked into each door to try to find her lost items. Then she made a dreadful mistake. This last door that she opened revealed to face of another fox, with her eyes wide she jumped backwards, instantly regretting the motion and clutching her abdomen with both paws, but keeping a glare on the stranger.
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Averra Ren
Youngling
[M:150]
Bird Nerd (Played by AverraLikesRamen)
Posts: 41
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Post by Averra Ren on Jan 10, 2013 18:07:50 GMT -6
Averra nodded to her crew, and they left the command console to go about their business.
Fan was straightening up the lockers of the Hawk, placing the injured stranger's guns and ammo in a separate one. She'd loaded their weapons with the extra ammo the gray fox had acquired, and stacked the remaining bags neatly next to the missiles. Poking at a dent in the door of the locker, she closed it tightly and left the room, moving on to Averra's lab. The corsac had requested that everything breakable be stored safely, mostly because she expected to be doing more aerial maneuvers than usual.
Padding to the desk bolted to the wall, Fantine shuffled the various papers depicting wings together, then pushed them to the back of a cabinet. The small models of airskiffs and mechanical wings were wrapped in a sack and secured to the inside wall of the cabinet. Sneezing, she muttered, "Someone should dust in here, or at least vent the place. When you're going to be messing around with feathers, it's probably courteous to consider whether one of your crew is allergic to them." Chuckling, the quartermaster bundled Averra's collection of long flight feathers in a drawer, then latched everything shut.
Deity and Swift were cleaning. Dunking scraps of cloth in pails of brackish water, they cleared the screens of the Hawk's consoles. The slim falcon swept his right wing over the particularly smudged communications console. "Over here, Swift. Av's been using this after she loads the guns, and that always leaves her paws filthy because no one cleans the weapons." Swift chittered in a relatively snarky tone(for a hummingbird), then poked her beak through a tiny rag. Depositing it on the screen, she pushed it over the glass quickly. Deity followed that with a much bigger scrap, sweeping the whole surface in one go.
The captain herself was perched on the skiff, adjusting the position of the wings. They'd been slightly dislocated by the icicles, so she pressed a blue button, rotating the metal slowly. When she was satisfied, Av rubbed the titanium and bronze fondly before slipping in through her lab window. Seeing that everything was neatly put away, she smiled, grateful for Fan. Unlatching her silver collar, the corsac placed it in her drawer, next to her matching mask. As she turned to leave through the door, the bronze rectangle swung open, revealing the silver fox they'd taken in.
Flicking her ears, startled, Averra inspected her glaring visitor. She was clutching her bandages, obviously in pain, and most likely very confused. Holding up her paws to show she was unarmed, Av began, "I'm Averra Ren, captain of this airskiff. Yours caught on our wing so my crew brought you in and I treated your injuries." Recalling her barrel roll, the corsac continued, "I apologize for the straps, the skiff was engaging in aerial maneuvers while you were unconscious."
"We're currently docked at the Nexus, so if you wish to repair your skiff, we have extra materials." Remembering proper social protocol for meeting new people, Averra added, "What's your name?"
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Post by Tzeitel Kensington on Jan 13, 2013 19:43:29 GMT -6
Hearing the explanation of the situation Tzeitle felt less like a prisoner, but the notion that she might want to make repairs to her AirGuppy made the silver fox almost cringe at the idea of her skiff's demise. "...Repair my skiff? It's broken?" Her lips almost curled at the news. She shook her head trying to gain a better composure. "Thank you for your kindness Captain Averra, I appreciate you saving my life. My name is Tzeitle Kensington."
Her gaze rolled off to the side for a moment then returned to the captain. "I am feeling rather naked without my arms, when would be a good time to retrieve them from you?" Tzeitle then realizing that the captain's eyes were on her wound she felt vulnerable again with a loss of pride by being so crippled. So she began to hobble away back towards her airskiff. "I must repair the AirGuppy its my only form of transportation and employment, may I ask where you keep the tools so I may start on it right away?"
Tzeitle tripped through a door frame which she had forgotten was not the door that lead to the outside. Tzeitle found herself tumbling over and crashing on top of a desk, scattering the stacks of paper and other items. She bit back a cry of pain as her body crumpled onto the floor.
"I am so sorry." She tried to pick herself up and then saw the red streaked over some of the papers. Tzeitle feeling even more embarrassed began to quickly pick up the split papers and place them back onto the desk with almost flailing limbs. Then she froze when she saw that she was only spreading more red, but now in the shapes of paw prints all over the papers.
Tzeitle dropped the papers that were in her paws and continued to just sit there in the middle of the mess looking around her, dismayed at how clumsy and stupid she had suddenly become. "Oh Captain, I am so so sorry, I am repaying your hospitality and good nature with this horrible mess. What can I do to make it up?"
Tzeitle looked over her paws which were wet with her own blood and then she looked down at her abdomen. All of the recent motion and especially her crash into the desk made her wound bleed through the bandages very quickly, and they were now soggy with thick, fresh crimson. A growl of frustration leaked from her lips. "Perhaps I am not ready to be walking yet." She half mumbled and half whispered.
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Averra Ren
Youngling
[M:150]
Bird Nerd (Played by AverraLikesRamen)
Posts: 41
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Post by Averra Ren on Jan 13, 2013 23:41:26 GMT -6
Averra nodded slightly. "Don't worry, it's not severe. There are several dents and a few chips made by icicles." To the latter statement she responded, "It was nothing. Oh, and welcome aboard." Inspecting the silver fox, she added, "Oh, and your weapons are in a locker just down the hall. Two doors to the left." As Tzeitel limped to her airskiff, she said, "I must repair the AirGuppy its my only form of transportation and employment, may I ask where you keep the tools so I may start on it right away?" The corsac opened her mouth to speak, but then Kensington stumbled over a frame and fell.
As she darted over to help, Averra noticed blood staining the pages that had scattered. She must have missed those while cleaning up. Over a muttered apology, the captain reassured Tzeitel, "Don't worry, those were letters of complaint from various feline crafts. They don't like that I steal from them, although it's ironic because they try to shoot me down often enough. Mostly I'm surprised that they're civilized enough to write. Also, there are a few warnings about violating the boundaries of the wolf territory, or some junk like that."
"You're doing me a favor. Now I have a valid excuse to toss them out," she joked, hoping to lighten the mood. As more blood spread over Tzeitel's bandages, she said, "We have meds available on board, let's go fix you up and you'll be right as rain. Though I'm not too fond of rain myself, it leaves streaks on the skiff." As she escorted the injured fox down the hallway, the captain stopped at a scuffed door. "Here's the locker room." Darting to the third cabinet, she opened it to reveal the silver fox's weapons. "Your ammo is there as well." As she spoke, Av was busily taking bandages and various medications from another locker. Paws full, she led Tzeitel to the makeshift stretcher they had used before.
Setting her load down, the corsac nodded to her guest. "Be right back." Dashing away to find her crew, she remembered that the Hawk had an intercom system. Pressing the button, she said, "Fan and Deity, can you guys detach the skiff we took on? Also, lay out the proper tools and materials for repairing it." Inwardly, Averra suddenly recalled that Fantine was also a Kensington. "Nice coinkydink," she mumbled under her breath. Waving a fluffy paw at Swift, she called, "Can you fetch that medicine for puncture wounds? I haven't put it in the lockers yet."
Pattering back to Tzeitel, she laid out the various items she had brought. "Bandages, a few alcohol pads for cleaning, although they may be soaked in whiskey, antibiotics, and oh, Swift's here with that puncture medication." Poking the hypodermic needle that the hummingbird deposited, Av explained, "This prevents an abcess from forming, trust me you do not want one of those. Just do you know, Tzeitel, they develop when bacteria pools and grows in a puncture wound. It sort of scabs over, but it stays moist and will probably open up again, repeating the process."
As she busily started unwrapping the bandages, Averra continued, "My crew has detached your skiff from mine and set out the tools and materials for repairs. Like I said, some dents and chips mainly, though there was a fair sized chunk taken out of one of the wings." She added cheerily, "Nothing some scrap metal and glue won't fix though."
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Post by Tzeitel Kensington on Jan 14, 2013 8:51:07 GMT -6
"You're doing me a favor. Now I have a valid excuse to toss them out," reached Tzeitle's ears and the silver fox smiled, feeling a little better by not being in as much trouble as she thought she would be and for being treated so kindly. The Silver Fox followed the Corsac through the hallways where she was shown were her arms were kept and told about the puncture wound medications that were going to be given to her.
"Thank you Captain, you are most kind." Tzeitle's ears perked up a bit at the mention of her airskiff being prepared for repairs. She smiled to herself knowing that she had found a friend and wondered if she even wanted to leave this large AirSkiff. She knew that her odd jobs weren't getting her the income that she wanted, and this Captain and her crew seemed to understand her better than some the usual fox she dealt with, and of course a lot better than her sister. Tzeitle began to wonder if it were possible to work for this captain.
Tzeitle found herself back in the room she had first woken up in. A humming bird darted in and gave the captain a needle. Tzeitle felt impressed by the bird but a little frightened by the needle. But she gulped down the lump in her throat and tried to focus on the bird. How did you train your humming bird so well and EEEP!" Tzeitle felt the needle pinch at her flesh. She bit her lip to make sure that she didn't embarrass herself any further by revealing her distaste of needles. She held still until the needle had left her flesh.
"Thank you, I really don't know how to repay you for all of this." She then heard the news about the damages to her skiff and nodded in agreement. "Those do sound easy to repair. Again thank you." Tzeitle stroked the new clean bandages and felt that the pain was already dying down but knew that if she tried to move around too much again, it would not heal, so she made herself comfortable on the bed and told herself that the AirGuppy could wait.
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Averra Ren
Youngling
[M:150]
Bird Nerd (Played by AverraLikesRamen)
Posts: 41
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Post by Averra Ren on Jan 15, 2013 1:27:55 GMT -6
Averra grinned at Swift and finished applying the various medicines. "All done!" Answering Tzeitel's question, she added, "I'm an adept Light Air sorceress. My specialty is talking to birds, so I befriended Swift and she helps out. Although bribing with food doesn't hurt. She's pretty smart, too." Waving away the silver fox's thanks for the meds, she said cheerfully, "Don't worry about it. On the Hawk, we all look out for each other." As she tossed the puncture wound injection, the corsac noticed Swift buzzing back, followed by Deity and Fantine.
The gray fox hurried up. "Hi, just thought I'd introduce myself. I'm Fantine Kensington, the quartermaster aboard the Hawk. The falcon is Deity, and you've already met Swift. Welcome!" Turning to Averra, Fan produced a sheaf of papers. "These are the damage reports for our ship, the inventory, weapons arrays status and predicted performance, and damage for the skiff we took on." As Swift perched on her head, the captain pored over the papers briefly, then handed one to Tzeitel.
"Complete report, down to the last scratch. Deity's eyes are super sharp. Also, inventory of your weapons. " Tucking the rest of the files beneath her elbow, Av went on, "The meds will take a few hours to fully close your injuries, so if you need anything, please let one of us know, although the hallway is right there if you want to walk. Light movements shouldn't shift the bandages."
Sitting on a box, Averra shook out the papers to peruse them more thoroughly. The Hawk had sustained minimal damage from icicles, including the wing dislocation that she had fixed. The weapons arrays had been jarred, which would probably affect the accuracy of the guns; that would have to be fixed. Otherwise, small dents and chips.
The inventory had been completed by Fan, and included ammo, weapons, food, and medicines. Folding the files, the corsac smiled, pleased by her ship's endurance.
Thoughts turning to Tzeitel, Averra considered the possibility of working with her. There would be many advantages for both of them, but in the current situation, things could become quite a bit more risky than usual. And that was saying something, seeing as usual for the Hawk was frequent feline raids and the occasional wolven tank to deal with. Either way, the captain and her crew would always be up for a challenge.
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Post by Tzeitel Kensington on Jan 17, 2013 8:44:46 GMT -6
Tzeitle smiled at the cute little bird as it flitted and buzzed. Her attentions were turned to an incoming grey fox who introduced herself as a Kensington. Tzeitle was taken back by the fun coincidence and tried to remember if she had seen Fantine before in the Kensington house or any of its meetings and gatherings. But all that Tzeitle could do was smile and wave like the shy fox she usually was, while trying to come up with something to say back. A paper was handed to her and she looked it over, finding a detailed report of her personal air skiff's damages. She was impressed but a little confused at some of the words being used on the report and its format. She decided to go over it later when she had more time to understand it.
Tzeitle listened carefully and nodded to the instructions for healing her wound and was impressed again by the time for the meds to work. Then Averra sat on a box as she scanned the reports so Tzeitle guessed that it would be a good time to try to get to know Fantine a little better, to fulfill the social expectations her adoptive parents ingrained into her.
Tzeitle held out a paw to the grey fox. "My name is Tzeitle kensington. I'm trying to remember if we have seen each other before. Please forgive my forgetfulness if we have. But may I also ask how you came to become a Quarter Master on such a fine skiff?"
Tzeitle wanted to know this grey fox's history as well as the corsac's. Tzeitle pondered on how similar that the three of them may be and was hoping that she could find some friends in the crowd. She remembered that she didn't have very many friends if any at all back on the floating cities and certainly none from the other Kensingtons, for they had seen her taste for adventure to be unladylike and something to try to avoid, so this already shy fox felt even more shy around the more common foxes and other Kensingtons. And the fact that her sister Victoria was constantly trying to reveal her as a barbarian didn't help her confidence in the least. So now that she has met an other Kensington who worked on an airskiff was almost a dream come true.
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Averra Ren
Youngling
[M:150]
Bird Nerd (Played by AverraLikesRamen)
Posts: 41
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Post by Averra Ren on Jan 18, 2013 0:20:37 GMT -6
Smiling, Fantine shook the proffered paw. "Chances are, we haven't met. I spent most of my time adventuring and saving up for the Hawk with Averra. So, I try to avoid the family gatherings. Too many second cousins twice removed trying to get in my face. Oh, and I became quartermaster because of my abilities as a weapon mechanic. Fixing the skiff isn't my forte, though." The gray fox studied the silver a bit more. The one reunion she had attended, Victoria had been flouncing about and making snide comments about her sister, who happened to be named Tzeitel. Noting her shy nature, Fan figured that having a snob like Victoria as a sister wouldn't help one's self esteem.
Diverting her thoughts from the other Kensingtons, Fan ventured cheerfully, "Did you build your skiff yourself? When Deity and I looked over it, it seemed to be, sort of un-factoryish. I prefer handmade ones myself, though the Hawk is an exception." While she was speaking, Swift decided to land on Fantine's head, pecking at an ear. Without looking up, the gray fox pulled a spherical capsule from a pouch and placed it on a nearby box. Since it happened to be filled with sugar water, the hummingbird darted over immediately.
Fantine grinned good-naturedly at the tiny bird. "She gets hungry sometimes. But Swift is pretty good at repairing the ship, mostly when it comes to pressing the right buttons." Averra, who had been reading in the background, added, "Also, her eye for damages are nearly as good as Deity's." She nodded to the falcon, who was perched in a large bird shaped alcove.
Turning her attention back to Tzeitel, Fan inquired, "So, what are your plans for the war? I've heard that everyone's fortifying Calamity Bay, but Av wants to meet Khai Thorne and get her opinion on what to do. I think we could be pretty good for flying recons, since the Hawk can take high altitudes and has some scopes for spying on."
Averra, who was still listening, nodded. "I minored in magic theory, so I get the basic gist of how complex that portal was. This'll get pretty ugly once whoever made that portal shows up. Besides, we need the action. All we've been doing recently is hanging out in Oasis Serenitus. Pretty boring, really."
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Post by Tzeitel Kensington on Jan 25, 2013 22:41:21 GMT -6
Hearing that Fan noticed that her skiff was hand built caused Tzeitel's ears perk up. "Yes, I built it while in college with a friend of mine, Peter Thorne. Ours are the only two of their kind." She rubbed her bandages a bit testing the pain levels which were dying down faster than she thought they would. "Once it is fixed and if I am still not well enough to fly it, you and Avera are more than welcome to use it in recon or a pleasure flight if you wish."
Tzeitle grinned also at the tiny bird. It was quite cute and the falcon looked very regal perched where he was. Then Fan began to talk about war plans. If Tzeitle was drinking anything this would have been the time that she would have spat out her mouthful involuntarily from surprise. "War? We are at war?" Tzeitle could feel her stomach twist out of anxiety. "I thought that this was only an incident of a freak accident or something." But when she heard the reasoning from the two foxes about the portal being very complex and having to come from some one, the idea of perpetual war made sense. "Um." Tzeitle stammered. "I have never really made any plans for war myself, only the idea that I would aid my fellow foxes with my skiff and guns." She shrugged. "That's it for my planning. If everyone is preparing at the Bay then I will be more than happy to help there or stay behind at a city to help defend it in case of another attack."
Tzeitle tapped her nails together as she thought on how to bring up the question of becoming employed under Avera. Her ears twitched, she never did well in interviews or tests, that's why she ended up self employed and stuck with hands on classes as much as possible while in college. She rolled her shoulders back and decided to just spit it out. "Avera?" She scratched her neck. "In this time of war, if you need more hands on the Hawk, and if you feel it a good idea, I could be available soon to help out here." As the words were coming out she knew that this would draw a bit of attention and her powerfully shy personality broke through her confidence act and made her voice become quieter towards the end and slumped her neck below her shoulders. She felt herself falling victim to her old ways and knew that she was beginning to cower because of her fear of failure and rejection. She chastised herself inside and forced her confident posture and smile to reappear. She cleared her throat and tried another sentence. This time succeeding in sounding and looking much more confident. "I believe that I could be of help with a variety of chores and defensive or offensive stances."
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Averra Ren
Youngling
[M:150]
Bird Nerd (Played by AverraLikesRamen)
Posts: 41
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Post by Averra Ren on Jan 30, 2013 2:12:29 GMT -6
Fan blinked. "Oh, right. My guess is that's not quite common knowledge." Scratching at an unruly patch of fur, she's continued, "While I was, eh, acquiring supplies, I heard stuff. You wouldn't believe how loud those scientists talk. I know we're on the Nexus, and it's secure, but they were practically shouting about everything going on."
Averra, who had integrated herself into the conversation, nodded. "When Deity scanned the portal, I got quite a bit of info. The sheer complexity of it, and the scientists, leads me to believe that this is more than an accident. Actually, a scientist ran by me yelling into a communicator about how this means war. He seemed pretty agitated.''
She broke off, smirking at the memory. Thoughts shifting, the corsac's paws drummed an irregular tattoo on the slender wasp knife she had recently acquired. How to extend an invitation to Tzeitel to join them on the Hawk? Flicking her gaze over to the silver fox, Av noticed her shifting uncomfortably. As she opened her mouth to ask what was the matter, Tzeitel said quietly, ''Averra? In this time of war, if you need more hands on the Hawk, and if you feel it a good idea, I could be available soon to help out here.''
The captain blinked, caught of guard by the fact that they were thinking the same things. Swiftly regaining her composure, Averra said cheerily, ''That would be great! For the next fifteen to thirty minutes, bear with me while I get the tour guiding out of my system. Let me go over the basics on the Hawk. The alcove you woke up in serves as the sleeping area while we're traveling. Personal storage is in the form of a locker down the hall and a drawer in the alcove. Um, we have a variety of weapons and ammo stores are kept full.''
Av twirled her wasp knife, frowning. ''What else? Oh, activities. We spend most of our time traveling around Anathema, studying birds. Y'see, I've patented a few wings, attached with harnesses, and I'm always looking for ways to improve. Products like that bring in the majority of our income, although airskiff design makes up a decent chunk. Wing anatomy can be applied in many ways. I've even drawn out an especially aerodynamic set of throwing knives.''
Suddenly remembering the papers she kept in her personal drawer, the corsac dashed to get them, continuing to speak as she did so. ''Naturally, we do run into some unfriendly characters, mostly feline pirates that take to the land. The Hawk is sufficiently equipped with weaponry enough to hold off your average frigate. Not only guns and missiles, though; I've, uh, acquired various types of handguns and blades. Now, with this portal war mess, we're likely to do a lot more fighting.''
Returning, the captain handed Tzeitel a sheaf of worn papers. ''These are some figures I've collected showing how well the Hawk stands up in battle, as well as a diagram of the skiff, which includes rooms, emergency exit routes, and other good stuff like that. Also, there's a list of procedures for various actions, such as aerial maneuvers and gearing up for combat.''
Finished giving a thorough rundown of pretty much everything that went on in the Hawk, Averra grinned at her new friend. ''Welcome aboard. Feel free to stay and fly with us for as long as you please.'' Swift and Deity flicked their wings in agreement, and Fan nodded approvingly.
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