Roleplay on Dolor with Rodrick, Hikaru and Ruby regarding History and the Shadow Realm #1

Ruby comes in to the Hold looking for Rodrick. She hears the sounds of a hammer ringing out. Wearing her hair braided back, dark leggings and a jacket, she pats her satchel bag absentmindedly, feeling for the things she's brought with her.

Rodrick has a bent, grarled piece of the clockwork dragon wing on his anvil and is smacking it with a sledge hammer nearly as big as he is. The delicate metal isn't moving much for being brutalized under such impact.

Ruby approaches carefully, wary of the swinging hammer. "Hey Rodrick, I don't mean to interrupt. Can I trouble you with two questions?" She tries to shout over the banging of the hammer.

Rodrick stops mid-swing, nearly throwing himself off his feet. "Oh, hey Miss Ruby!" He drops the hammer, it giving a very loud thud as it crashes into the floor. Rodrick tosses his leather gloves over his shoulder and hastily rolls up a blueprint off a nearby crate before tucking it inside. "You're no trouble. Let me clean up a bit so you have somewhere to sit! What can I do for you?"

Distracted by her thoughts, she doesn't think much of your hastily stashed blueprints, though she's sure you have something fantastic planned...

"I'd like to get another set of...explosive ammo for my hummingbird. Do you happen to have the pieces to make some?"

Rodrick nearly splits his face in two with a smile. "But of course! I can make up a batch for you!"

Rodrick begins wandering around, grabbing tools out of random places and tossing them in the general direction of his work bench. "Hmm... where is that set of precision tools?"

He crawls under his bed and begins throwing wrenches, hammers, and other various tools out, yelling variations of "nope, not this one!" With each tool.

Ruby looks around the workshop, wondering what precision tools look like. She doesn't see tools specifically, but notices the leather chest belonging to Rhys has been opened, his books scattered across a neatly organized desk.

Rodrick crawls out from under his bed with a box of tools in one hand, a sack of parts in the other. He stands up and dusts off before looking at Ruby. "I gotta find those tools really quick... be right back." He runs over to Firelord, climbing headfirst into an access panel on his back, his feet the only thing still visible from the outside. Echoing from inside Firelord, Rodrick's voice can be heard saying, "Nope... nope... what the... why did I put that there?! Where are those stupid things!?"

Going over to the desk she looks around and under everything, eyeing the large piece of metal from the clockwork dragon on the anvil. "Do you need help organizing your workshop later?" She yells up over to Firelord.

"It's organized! Everything is in its pile, and every pile has its place! Tools just get moved around because they get used on different projects!" The voice echoes from within Firelord, followed by the sound of a rivet popping and Rodrick yelling, a loud crash and a heavy thud. A muffled voice from inside Firelord reverberates "I'm okay... just a suspension strap broke..."

Ruby hurries over to Firelord. "Fair enough, fair enough..." She looks under and around the bottom of it, analyzing the metal plating. "Is there a place I can help you out of?"

"Rod you making a mess down here again? Oh! Miss Ruby, I didn't expect you here." Hikaru comes down into the hold.

A muffled voice comes from inside Firelord. "Me? A mess? Never!" Followed by an echo of laughter.

"You stuck in there?"

"Not.... stuck. I may have... fallen in the back access panel and the stabilizer strap I was leaning on broke."

Ruby steps back, looking at Hikaru, "You know how to get him out?"

He responds, "Well we're gonna want to get to the access panel."

"Where's that?" She walks around the back side, looking for any openable areas.

"Right here." Pulls it open and sticks his head in. "Where are you, Rod?"

"Right leg. At least I think it's the right."

"Oh I see you now. How in the name of Tarj do you fit in there!"

"Very carefully. Especially since my face is just a couple inches away from the ignition coils..."

Hikaru sighs loudly. "Do you need like a rope? Or a bar? Something to grab to haul yourself out?"

Ruby stands back, watching Hikaru try to fish Rodrick out of Firelord. She leans against the wall and smiles despite everything. Even among the uncertainties they're in, the chaos that develops, it's... It's familiar. It's home.

Rodrick’s voice rings out, "Grab me and pull, if you can. Both my hands are holding me from impaling myself on these things..."

"Alright. Hold onto my waist will you Miss Ruby?" Hikaru pulls himself in up to his waist to reach down the leg, his feet kicking up into the air.

"Yep! Coming over now." She rushes up to grab him before he falls in, too.

Hikaru begins to slide but she's gets to him in time. He reaches down and grabs Rodrick by the belt. "Alright Rod I got you. Pull me out Miss Ruby!"

"Your..." She snickers, not trying to laugh as she wiggles out of the way, "Your tail is tickling me!!" She struggles to hold on to him.

"S'not my fault it's so bushy!" He waves it trying to get it out of her face.

"Oh hey! Found the precision tools! They were in here, Miss Ruby!" As Hikaru and Ruby pull him out, Rodrick grabs the small canvas bundle of tools.

Hikaru sets Rodrick down and begins to dust himself off. "Thank you Miss Ruby."

A soot covered Rodrick sets down the canvas bundle of tools. "Yes, thank you. Thank you both." He rubs his hands on his leather apron. "My, those ignition coils are sharp..."

"You're welcome, 'Karu." She laughs, brushing the tickles out of her nose. "Glad you found your tools, good thing you got them out of there. Wouldn't want that catching on fire down there. You okay?"

"I'm okay. Just some bumps and bruises. Maybe a few scratches, but nothing too bad."

Hikaru sits down heavily and relaxes, putting his feet up on a crate.

Rodrick rushes across the shop and throws a blueprint behind his work bench and out of sight before setting the precision tools down on his bench, sitting down on his chair to catch his breath.

"You seem very... Secretive about this project of yours," she chuckles.

"Maybe... Maybe not." He smiles over his shoulder before smashing a few injector vials with his tinker's hammer.

Hikaru pulls his hat over his eyes, and puts his hands behind his head.

She watches intently, sincerely interested in how the process works. "I know I saw you make these before... But it looks so small and fragile."

"Well, the injector vials have the right head and primer, but the casing is wrong. It's not strong enough to withstand the composition of the fuel. If we used the regular glass casing it would just crack and ooze out when you shoot it. I add the brass tube around it to reinforce it and actually make it explode instead of just be a little fireball."

"Oh, I see..." She observes closely. Not taking her eyes from it, she takes a seat on a barrel next to the table.

Rodrick takes a long, glass tube and heats it up over a candle, then he rolls it between a glass cutter, making the proper sized canisters for the rounds. Doing the same with a brass tube, he punches out two holes in the side of the brass tubes, allowing for the fuel to explode upon impact. "These cutouts are important, otherwise you get a different kind of round... if we didn't put them on there, the fuel would stay liquid and pressurize into the target, and then ignite... very lethal, very messy... "

Her eyes narrow as she contemplates that further. She bites her lip and chews on it, thinking. "I see... Can I have a few of those too?"

Rodrick stops working, contemplating this request. "I think, for now, we'll stick with the regular incendiary rounds... I don't think I'm ready to make more immolation rounds right now. Last time I used one I..." He pauses talking, and looks away. "I missed my target and hit someone's house. The whole thing was engulfed in seconds... I still don't know if there was anyone inside."

"Oh..." she is silent for a long time. "I...I'm sorry."

"It's okay. You couldn't have known. I'm not sure if Hikaru has even heard that story before."

"I was just thinking of those... monsters... A quick death sounded necessary, so fewer people didn't get hurt." She looks somewhat sickened at herself. "I wasn't thinking of what would happen if I missed."

"Well... if we run into another one, I'm sure it won't like the incendiary rounds... and if those don't pack enough punch, then we will revisit the immolation rounds..."

"That's fair." She lets out a long breath. "...I'll keep practicing my aim."

"Those immolation rounds are pretty nasty." Mumbles Hikaru from under his hat.

Watching you work, Ruby mumbles into her arms, crossed in front of her on the table. "I have... Another question. But maybe it's a poor idea..."

Rodrick continues working, cutting the glass tubes and brass pipe. "What's your idea, Ruby?" He grabs an empty coffee pot. "Hikaru, think fast!" He tosses it in his direction.

Hikaru snatches the coffee pot without looking up. "Really now, Rod?"

Ruby jumps, surprised at how fast both their reflexes are.

"Nice catch, just like always! Coffee is in the blue footlocker, same place as always..."

"Well..." she mumbles, relaxing again. "I... I feel like I froze up at fighting that...thing. Back then. And... I've...uuugh." She burrows her head into her arms, hiding her face. "Wolves with Rhys, I could shoot. They were normal, ish..." she trails off, "At least, animals like what I've seen."

After a pause, she concludes, "I want to... No, I need to practice facing monsters."

Hikaru fixes up the percolator and let's it begin to boil. "What were you thinking, Miss Ruby?"

" Well... I've scoured the island and I haven't seen anything else strange, since the wolves. The only other monsters I can think of where... Well..." She trails off remembering. "When Rhys and I got back to the ship after the wolves,we... We shadow stepped back."

She pauses listening to the burbling of the percolator. "There are monsters there... Right?"

Rodrick pauses. "There... might be? I don't understand it nearly like he does. For me it's more like..." his face wrinkles as he thinks. "Opening a door and diving through.”

"He told me a shadow beast almost got us."

"I try to avoid that place... It's scary."

"He looked... I can't tell if he was joking or not. But..." She trails off. "I wanted to ask him if I could go there to face one. If I could even handle...taking on one."

"Maybe... if you took some help with you just in case."

Hikaru chimes in, "Personally I don't think it's the safest idea. Best way to stay out of trouble is to stay out of trouble."

"Well... I figure Rhys would have to come with me, since he knows the place more. And could make sure I get out..." She tries not to think of what would happen if she was stuck there.

Rodrick looks over, "But of course!"

Hikaru mumbles, “I would prefer not to, but if you have to go I'll go with you two."

Rodrick smiles. "If anyone could for sure handle themselves against one of those... things... it would be Hikaru. I'm curious to see how Balgor is going to help you fight, too."

“It'll be different that's for sure."

"I wouldn't mind the extra company." She smiles at Hikaru. "I should learn some combative teamwork too."

He shrugs. "It might work better that way."

Rodrick thinks. "I know I'd feel better having him there... not that I don't trust Rhys... except... I don't, really..."

She chuckles. "He wouldn't leave me. He said... Well..." She smiles to herself. "He reassured me of that, is all. If I can trust you, I can trust Rhys... And Ragnar. And Rolland. And Ruck." She beams at you.

"I see. You seem to get along with Rhys quite well, which is impressive. Most people who know the truth about me don't like him at all."

"Well I didn't at first. He...made my skin crawl. He still does sometimes, when I think he means to." She snorts. "But after spending some time hunting and being... hunted, I feel I can trust him a lot more than before, that's all. You are all peculiar in your own ways." Her eyes twinkle teasingly.

Rodrick holds up a finished bullet. "One down!" He snickers and looks at Ruby with a teasing look, jumping down from his chair to go get some coffee.

Hikaru glances over. "He's different. But I suppose he has skills that help you.”

"Very true." She looks over at Hikaru and studies him. "Do you know what having a god means, now? Like... Did Balgor expound what blessings you receive as a patron? Or does he give blessings?"

"I'm not really sure to be honest miss Ruby. Mostly I'll just see what happens."

"That's always how he's done things... see what happens." Rodrick chuckles. "Wing it... go by the seat of his pants... Seems to be his style." Rodrick grins as he pours his coffee.

Ruby smiles, and looks back at Hikaru. "Well, I suppose everyone had a style of their own."

Hikaru mumbles, "Winging it seems to have worked so far, Rod."

"Being able to improvise on the fly is really beneficial, actually... For many things." Ruby says rather absentmindedly.

Rodrick thinks. "My improvisation usually involves me hitting a button and a two ton lumbering machine running towards me."

She snorts. "Well, it doesn't hurt to have a two ton lumbering machine...."

"It does if you're in between him and me..." He snickers in reply.

Ruby laughs, leaning her head in her hands as she does so. "You are somethin' else."

Her phrasing keeps slipping in and out of heavy southern and she blushes. "Sorry, force 'a habit." Taking a deep breath, she exhales. "So what tips do guys have for being more...efficient with taking out a threat?" She looks over at Hikaru.

"I find being at a distance and using a large enough round to kill in one hit works best."

"Hmm... Distance is good." She looks worried for a second. "Wait... I... I can't see in the shadow there, can I?"

Rodrick considers that. "You should be alright... It's a little.... dim... but not dark. It's just not bright."

She bites her lip while she thinks about that. "Okay... so... Distance. Can anything hurt a shadow?"

"Light. A shadow can't exist in the excess of light."

She nods, her hand subconsciously moving to her satchel.

Hikaru smirks. "Immolation rounds may be a good idea then."

"Well, I don't want to shoot either of you," she smirks back at Hikaru. "You could probably use some though... But they'd have to be different for your guns."

"I don't know if it would be much a problem if we stick next to each other when we shoot."

"That... could be true..."

Rodrick looks over. "It's all well and good to talk about, but if Rhys isn't up for it, it's a no-go."

"True... Should we ask Rhys?" She puts a hand up, "Not that I want to stop talking with you yet, Rodrick. Only when you're ready, is all. I don't want to keep you from your work..." She looks over at the anvil.

"Bah... that thing? I smacked it, threw it in Ragnar's forge, put it in the press... it hardly moves! I really want to get it straightened out so I can use it! But it can wait for now... I do, however, want to finish these bullets for you."

"Wow... That durable, huh? Perhaps it was forged in real dragon's fire," she jokes.

Rodrick's face lights up. "Now that's an idea..."

"Oh...you're serious?" She blinks.

"Maybe not quite... real... Dragon fire, but.... I was able to harvest a liquid cell of the fuel from the clockwork dragon... I wonder if it burns hotter than my fuel composition..."

"That would be interesting to study. Just don't blow our ship up," she snickers. "It has a lot of wood still."

"I just have to save enough to make sure to let Rolland have a crack at figuring it out."

"Oh that's true." She furrows her brow. "I...wanted to talk to him too. About alchemy."

 

She pulls a vial out of her bag and places it on the table. It has a faded label of ALKAHEST across it in spidery handwriting. " I wanted to run a few ideas by him about this... As well as some splash effect material that might work in our favor against similar creatures. Balgor gave me some information the other day and, well... I've been trying to study up on my herbology because of it."

"I know enough about alchemy to make fuel for Firelord, booze for me, and that's about it to be honest." He says with a laugh. "Your best bet will be talking to Rolland about that one."

"Sounds good. He found some of his long lost pipeweed here." She smirks. "He was pretty excited. It was good stuff, I see why he was so elated."

"Yeah, he covets that stuff..."

Remembering something, Ruby looks over at you with sincere concern in her eyes. "How is your back? That fall in Firelord earlier didn't...reopen anything did it?"

"I don't... think so?" He reaches over his shoulder and feels for the stitches, trying to see if they popped.

Ruby fidgets, "If you need me to go fetch anything for it you just let me know. I have some stuff with me..." she starts to rifle through her bag.

"I think my back is okay. I don't feel any pulled stitches or oozing..."

"That's good, just...let me know." She flexes her hand against the scarring tissue building up.

"What about Miss Armella? She would be invaluable in the shadow realm, if you could convince her to come... and to spend time around Rhys..."

"She... I don't know. She is rather anti-magic, more than I am... Isn't she?" Ruby looks over at Hikaru, unsure.

He thinks. "I... Dunno... She didn't seem to like talking about Balgor..."

Ruby blinks. "Wait… did you tell her about your pledge to him?"

He kicks his foot. "She didn't take it very well."

"I know, but learning to combat magic might be something she's willing to do... Hrmm. What... happened?" Rodrick walks over to Hikaru, giving him a coffee and offering a small flask to spike it with. "Numb the nerves a bit?"

He takes it and spikes it a little. "She worried that I'll keep going after kill him. I'll keep killing. I don't know if she isn't right."

Rodrick mutters under his breath as he goes back to fill his coffee cup. "Like her church isn't doing the exact same thing..."

Hikaru tips his hat to that and drinks.

Ruby fiddles her thumbs, contemplating that. "Well right now might be for...revenge, but after, I mean... I'm sure you would only kill to protect others, right?" She looks up, not sure if she knows you well enough to know that.

"I...I don't know Ruby. I certainly have killed for less in the past. First person I killed when I was 12...

"Oh... I didn't know." She blinks, sometimes forgetting how young you are.

"And you saw me shoot my cousin. Dead in the face. Helpless as could be." He pauses. "All I know is he needs to die for what he did."

"Well, I..." she trails off, a dark look in her eyes. "I don't remember a lot from that...But, I figured he wasn't long for this world once he got in your sights." She tries to chuckle but it seems forced. "What happened to him, anyway? Did we dump him in the sea?"

"I think so. To be honest we probably could have let him live except that's been known to put me in danger. The only time I ever let my prey live he almost killed me later.”

Rodrick snickers. "Nope. I shadow stepped his body back to the other ship before we blew it up."

She smiles at Rodrick, with a look like, *yes, you would do that ...*

He returns a look that says *yes, I DID. No evidence.*

"Well Hikaru, I don't blame you. I wouldn't have felt safe with him on board. I'm...not too keen with torture, so I'm rather happy you did him in." She sighs. "I'm still sorry I became a liability that day, though. I'm glad it worked out... I don't want to be one again."

"What happened when...well, that time you didn't finish the job?" She stands to go pour a cup of coffee for herself, then refill the other cups.

"I was assassinating a CEO for a rival business of my client. He asked me to spare him. He had a family he said. So I let him go. No sooner than getting out of his building did he have his whole compound trained on me. I didn't let him escape though."

"I see... That's a very dangerous situation. I'm glad you made it out with your life."

"It was a difficult time."

Ruby sips her coffee, thinking. Her eyes are distant as they look into the cup. "I couldn't... Kill. When I was younger. It may sound ridiculous, but I've feel both pity for you, but also envy, that you could follow through with it... when it's...needed."

"After what I'd seen it was easy. Easier than I care to admit.”

"I'm... I don't want people coming back to me," She looks up, meeting Hikaru's eyes, "if they can find me...like what happened to you. Moreso for people I care about. I...don't care about my fate so much, in the end." She shifts uncomfortably.

"I don't know anymore. Sometimes I feel a stronger drive than ever. Others I Don't."

"I sent a man to jail. A very prominent... dwarf," she says the name dripping with ill-will, "with stuff the government cares about..." She lets out a little frustrated huff through her nose. "Money. I made sure he'd be locked away for a long time, and ruined his business and his name..."

 

She swirls her coffee. "It sounds stupid, I'm sure... But I wanted an eye for an eye at the time. I...didn't think it'd get worse than that, but it did...for us. I wished I'd killed him."

Ruby sighs deeply and looks in the corner of the room. "I don't use that disguise anymore...she was a book keeper." She sips her coffee. "I know he would hunt me down if he could find me. I think he's free now, and...looking."

"Well we'll be here if he shows his damn face." Hikaru looks over. "Most of us are criminals of some sort. All of us have killed. If he tries to mess with you know... He may end up wishing he hadn't."

"Well, if he somehow starts snooping around he won't like what he finds..." Rodrick points over his shoulder at Firelord.

She sets her cup down. "Thanks... I appreciate the firepower." She looks a little less sullen. "He worked a lot with other dwarves in Genaria, northern Alwyn. I...don't usually fancy dwarves because of my history with them."

Ruby chuckles at Rodrick. "I hope I didn't offend Ragnar when I first met him, I was pretty...rude. He's the kindest dwarf I've met. And I'm trying to warm up to Thorin too... It’s... Difficult. I'm more worried about my mom, to be honest. They might try 'retribution' another way than me."

Hikaru places his hand on the butt of his revolver and squeezes hard enough to make his knuckles turn white. He looks like he's far away for a second, then it passes. "Let's hope it doesn't come to that."

"Yes... Yes I agree. As long as they can't trace me to…well, me, it should be fine." She smiles. "I was careless then, I left fingerprints. Wasn't a fan of gloves... I've tried to file my fingerprints, and wear gloves since."

Rodrick glares. "They'd best not... or let's just say that a certain wanted Mech would surface again, this time a new target of his burning wrath..."

"I wouldn't..." she thinks of her words carefully. "I wouldn't want either of you to put yourselves in harm's way, though... I... You're like family to me."

"Exactly. And family protects each other... your mother is important to you, so that means she's important to us." He gestures to himself and Hikaru in turn.

"If somethin' were to happen to me though... Please don't seek revenge on my behalf. Just...do what you need to do to save one another, and other innocents." She looks at you both pleadingly. "I couldn't stand knowing I put you in harm's way... Okay?"

Hikaru hesitates but nods. "We'll see what happens."

Rodrick sets his coffee down and folds his arms. "I'm sorry, Miss Ruby but I can't promise that... I've been alive long enough to know that people like you don't come around everyday. I'll fight like mad to protect you, or I will bring the wrath of the Gods down on whomever hurts you... that, I can promise you."

Rodrick notices that Hikaru had his fingers crossed behind his back.

Ruby is quiet for a long time, looking down into her coffee cup. Her teeth clenched, she breathes slowly, trying not to show her tears. It had been so long since she'd felt this kind of...love and familial bond. Not since she was a little girl.

She's having a hard time processing it, but is trying her best.

Rodrick hands Ruby a small bag of 11 finished incendiary rounds. He looks her in the eyes as he does, pausing as he does. Something seems a bit off with her, but he's not sure what...

"Thanks," she takes the bag carefully, meeting his gaze.

"Armella agreed to help us get into the hells though." Hikaru adds, remembering his earlier conversation with her.

Ruby looks over, blinking a few times. "She did? Willingly?"

"Yes. She said we were friends. She couldn't let us go alone."

Rodrick leans back. "Well, before going to that place it might be a good idea to learn to fight monsters... we'll face plenty down there."

"Yeah..." Ruby stiffens, "we should."