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Toledo
Sept 3, 2012 16:32:31 GMT -5
Post by Bramwell on Sept 3, 2012 16:32:31 GMT -5
<Field: Town> <Field Type: N/A>
Since WW3, Toledo has become a city well known for its industry, particularly in glass and auto assembly, as well as for its art community, education, and local sports teams.
Parts of the town were destroyed during heavy bombing by enemy forces during WW3 and the attack by Seuss that followed. In recent years, downtown Toledo has undergone significant redevelopment to draw residents back to the city. The Huntington Center opened in 2009. The riverfront area adjacent to International Park has been upgraded with walking trails, landscaping and several restaurants have opened nearby.
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Toledo
Sept 3, 2012 16:55:07 GMT -5
Post by Kitti Roguehart on Sept 3, 2012 16:55:07 GMT -5
*A cherry red car blazes down the highway, dangerously fast for even the top highway speeds, it swerves slightly from left to right giving any who may see its passing due cause to catch their breath with worry. suddenly the metal beast growls and shudders to a halt.*
"Fuck it all!"
*Azuya yelled slamming his fists on the horn causing the car to seemingly scream out in pain. He flicked his finger on the gas gauze, it was still half full, so that wasn't the issue, and nothing seemed to be on fire. Exasperated the Asian man turned to look questioningly at his companion, a tall Englishman by the name of Izzy. He sat relaxed in the passenger seat, holding a stomach stab wound as though it were nothing. He have a half assed shrug which just caused Azuya to rage even more.*
"Frucking mericano cars , ain't worth a shit!"
*He swore climbing out and squinting up at the sky, they had been driving at a reckless speed for over and hour, but Azuya could not be sure that they had lost their pursuers. God only knows that they were fucked now. Azuya needed to get this car working again, And fast. He lifted the hood of the car as gave the engine a cursory glance, he sighed. Azuya knew he had not a chance of fathoming what was wrong with this dumb beast. It was not a computer there was no way he could "fix" it.
He paced back and forth on the dirt track on the edge of the highway, glad for the use of his legs if nothing else. Walking helped to calm him, after a final stretch he returned to the car and gave his companion a small nod.*
"I'm sorry I'm such an ass at the moment , this being a criminal business has me on edge you know?" He smiled sheepishly. "how are you feeling? still bleeding? need a change of dressing or a break?" *Azuya asked, his eyes filled with concern. They needed each other now that they were on the run and it was painfully clear to the small Asian man that he would never be the brawn of any outfit.*
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Toledo
Sept 3, 2012 17:31:07 GMT -5
Post by Bramwell on Sept 3, 2012 17:31:07 GMT -5
In the 60 minutes that had followed their escape from the clutches of the EDF, Izzy had been dozing in the car, somewhere between realities as he contemplated their fate. The car was becoming increasingly jerky and eventually it ground to a halt on the side of some dirt track where the constructions crews hadn't quite finished rebuilding a road. The Asian raged and Izzy shrugged idly before watching the hothead stamp outside to poke and prod at the cars internal workings.
A few moments and a few surpressed smiles later, Azuya reappeared and sulked in his seat, distracting himself from his failure by enquiring as to Izzy's current state.
"Thanks Mum, but I'm fine."
He smiled a playful smile at his companion and squeezed his shoulder comfortingly with his free hand, no hard feelings.
"Right, let the dog see the rabbit...."
The Brit mumbled as he pushed open the car door and sauntered to the front of the vehicle. With both hands, he lifted the bonnet and immediately felt the stagnant heat radiating uncomfortably from the car's engine.
~cough~
Like a fool, Izzy touched the radiator, then pulled his fingers away quickly and hissed, flicking his hand in a vain attempt to cool his singed fingers. Still, it was proof enough that they were out of coolant. It was a fairly safe bet to assume there was water in the boot, so Izzy wandered around and indeed found a tank sloshing full of pre-prepared replacement coolant for the radiator. Filling her up was an easy enough task, though the Crusader had to guess the recommended amount required for their Scarlett Lady. Patting the side of the car to catch Azuya's attention he hollered.
"Run the engine for me would ya, handsome?"
Obligingly, the Empath did so. If this was correct, it would take about 10 minutes to get back to a safe temperature, then they could be on their way. With heavy feet, Izy shuffled back into the car and slumped in his seat, surprisingly tired for so little an excursion.
"When we get to the next town, Im'ma buy you a nice woman Azuya. That'll help you lighten up..."
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Toledo
Sept 3, 2012 17:58:34 GMT -5
Post by Kitti Roguehart on Sept 3, 2012 17:58:34 GMT -5
*Azuya hardly even tried to suppress his scowl as he flicked on the engine as Izzy effortlessly fixed the metal beast, but he was quickly pacified at the thoughts of being bought a "woman" , though having another member of the party added would be a burden it would be nice to be able to indulge in "those" practices whenever the need arose.*
"I wasn't aware that slavery was rife so soon after the suess attack"
*Azuya mused a smirk plastered on his face as he thought of all the ways he would enjoy his "woman".
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Toledo
Sept 3, 2012 18:22:20 GMT -5
Post by Bramwell on Sept 3, 2012 18:22:20 GMT -5
"Heh, hookers've been round a whole lot longer than Ol' Man Seuss has been a douche. I don't think buying sexy times quite qualifies for slavery"
Though he supposed it may be different for Azuya who grew up in Japan. There were parts of Asia that would sell their virgin daughters to lonely old Westerners if they had enough green in their pocket. Perhaps in places, people still did that. Izzy felt pretty shitty now that he started to think about it.
The engine rumbled quietly as Izzy contemplated slavery and Azuya contemplated which positions from this month's edition of "More" were going to be the most exciting to experiment with. Breaking the silence, Izzy piped up.
"So what kind of girls do you like anyway?"
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Toledo
Sept 3, 2012 18:42:04 GMT -5
Post by Kitti Roguehart on Sept 3, 2012 18:42:04 GMT -5
"Easy ones"
*Azuya answered honestly, and well there were plenty of those in good old 'merica, got bless the weeaboo girl~ he sighed happily, before realizing he was being too quiet.*
"What about you?" He asked, turning the topic away from himself, it really wouldn't do for him to get too embedded in his thoughts after the stress of today .*
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Toledo
Sept 3, 2012 19:05:56 GMT -5
Post by Bramwell on Sept 3, 2012 19:05:56 GMT -5
Izzy snorted, then immediatly regretted it, his stab wound acting like an unexpected punch to the gut. Still, he hadn't expected such an answer from cute little Azuya with his adorable little Angel face, apparently the boy had a hint of the deviant about him that was well hidden behind a timid facade.
Momentarily, the younger male was lost in reverie, clearly thinking on a previous conquest of note before switching the topic back to Isambard.
"Me?"
Izzy thought of her curly, honey blonde hair, her full pink lips, her soft, heavy set breasts that cupped nicely in his hands. Playfully devious green eyes. A peppering of freckles on sun-kissed peach skin, smooth as silk. Voluptuous thighs leading to a softly curved waist...
"Eh, easy ones...."
He laughed back easily, the image of a ghost lingering at the forefront of his mind as he exchanged banter with his travelling companion.
Before the conversation could wander further, the Red Hornet hummed softly, the growl progressed to a purr as the coolant adjusted itself accordingly.
"...I think we're good to go. Toledo shouldn't be too much further down the road. Want me to drive for a bit?"
Despite this moment of respite, they were both still on edge, or certainly the Crusader was. Idle talk of manly topics just helped him assert his control of the situation, one that he felt he was losing control over as his strength sapped away. God only knew how close the EDF agents were and if Azuya was human, which he certainly seemed to be, then his nerves were likely cut up too. The tension of their getaway came flooding back as Isambard stared hopelessly at the dashboard.
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Toledo
Sept 4, 2012 21:06:25 GMT -5
Post by Kitti Roguehart on Sept 4, 2012 21:06:25 GMT -5
g*Azuya was hit with a wave of emotion so strong it physically hurt, the Asian nan wasn't even attuned to izzy emotions at that moment but the feelings of longing and melancholy that embarked from him took Azuya regardless, he was probably hyper sensitive to emotions because of the stress he was under. Reasoning it away didn't help the situation though. He shuddered slightly trying to shake the unwanted feeling off himself when the car saved them both from the suffering.*
"heh"
*Azuya was relieved that the car seemed to 've in working order, hopefully they could get to the town proper and pick up supplies fir the long road that awaited them. Taking up izzy on his offer ti take the wheel Azuya climbed into the back of the scarlet beast.*
"if you are sure you are up to it though''
*He added stifling a small yawn, now that he had allowed himself to rest the stress of the day seemed to catch up with him all at once. It had been draining both mentally and physically for the pair of them.*
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Toledo
Sept 5, 2012 1:04:27 GMT -5
Post by Bramwell on Sept 5, 2012 1:04:27 GMT -5
"Yeah, it shouldn't be a problem"
And truthfully it wasn't really, with the odd exception, Izzy could mostly ignore his injuries. Walking round to the drivers side he attempted to fumble with the keys, only to remember that the vehicile was hotwired. Azuya had some interesting skills.
"Any thoughts on what we actually need from Toledo?"
It would likely be basic stuff, but then how much would they need? They couldn't buy tons of things to carry in the car, just in the event that they had to ditch it, but at the same time, it could be a little while before they'd get chace to re-stock. Izzy mulled it all over as they set off towards the centre of the town.
Perhaps 10 minutes passed before they rolled into the city centre in one of the few cars still road safe. Isambard could see a host of ramshackle buildings covered in scaffolding that were clearly part of the regenesis project., but for the most part, Toledo was largely a mash of old and new buildings in a mixture of styles. It must have taken a battering during the war by the looks of things but at least it hadn't suffered a nuclear strike like so many other places.
"Right, I think it's best we stay together. The local units may have been told to keep a lookout for us, there are only so many places we could run from Michigan and they must have known we'd need to stop eventually."
Luckily, the patter of rain had started again, so Izzy had an excuse to pull the hood up on his coat but he would need to hide his injury a little better. Reaching into the footwell near Azu's feet, he awkwardly wrestled with his clothes in the car, changing into a dark coloured vest shirt that wouldn't show the blood up as easily.
"Ready, boss?"
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Toledo
Sept 6, 2012 10:45:30 GMT -5
Post by Kitti Roguehart on Sept 6, 2012 10:45:30 GMT -5
"Any thoughts on what we actually need from Toledo?"
*Azuya shook his head, in truth he had not really though beyond getting the hell outta that cafe. His only progress as "helping" had been to do some searches on the network on his tablet. He wandered if he should tell Izzy that they were men with a bounty on their heads now. It was with some small pride that Azuya had noted that he was worth more credits. He chortled at the fact before Izzy spoke up again.*
"Right, I think it's best we stay together. The local units may have been told to keep a lookout for us, there are only so many places we could run from Michigan and they must have known we'd need to stop eventually."
*Azyua looked up and was surprised to see that there were in civilization already. It was hard to not pretend that everything was normal. He half hoped that news had not spread this far yet but he knew that his tablet told him otherwise. He looked up from the flickering screen. to see Izzy struggling to change his clothes.*
"Ready, boss?"
"Boss?"
*He enquired raising an eyebrow at the wounded crusader, since when was Azuya in charge of the situation? Shaking his head slowly Azuya licked his lips.*
"you should probably know that according to the network we are already seriously wanted men. They have men looking for us."
*He paused, thinking maybe he was voicing the obvious but he continued regardless.*
"We should probably try and disguise our looks, maybe invest in some hooded tops and the like? and as much as I loathe to do so, we need to drop this car as soon as you are healed enough to run."
*Though he doubted that the EDF would be sophisticated to have a tracking device on the car Azuya made a silent note to check the vehicle over as soon as the had finished their re-con/supply run. Azuya hoped that Izzy would have a more practical idea as the what they would be needing, Azuya still felt like he was trapped in an adventure novel, it was all a little unreal. Stashing his glasses in his pocket, he squinted at the English man before mussing his neatly combed hair into a tousled mess. It was not much but hopefully it was too early for the guys looking for them to be too organized. He swallowed at took a deep breath.*
"I'm ready when you are... I guess."
*Azuya smiled sheepishly as they climbed out of the car. Azuya twiddled with the dorrs, locking them with a small piece of wire.
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Toledo
Sept 6, 2012 15:39:28 GMT -5
Post by Bramwell on Sept 6, 2012 15:39:28 GMT -5
"Ah, fuck."
The Crusader let out a heavy sigh and rubbed his hands across his face. He knew the EDF were quick, but to have bounties online already? If there was any silver lining to be found, it was that at least most other people were unlikely to have seen it yet so they could go about their business in town. Or so Izzy hoped.
"Right, change of plan"
Izzy shifted in his seat and pulled a battered brown leather wallet from his back pocket. He quickly counted the notes, then handed a bundle to Azuya. He had no fear handing over a wad of his cash, it was hardly like he could run off without him. The Casanova had hoped for a little more wiggle room and time to discuss what had happened at the hotel, but now really wasn't the time to bring the topic up.
"We split up. Get us food supplies, anything you can, tinned goods, stuff with a good shelf life. Avoid salted products. Get a large amount of water...and, huh, empty bottles if you can. Plan like it's a zombie apocolypse...and uh, from now on, we can't use our names in public. You can be...Shinji?"
It was the first Asian name that came to his head. Izzy wasn't familiar with stuff like that and he doubted Azuya wanted to be "Mr Miyagi".
"I'll be Theo."
It was simple enough.
"While you get the food, I'll go see a Doctor, and look at getting us some survival gear. Maybe see if we can trade in little miss Red Beacon here."
He patted the dashboard affectionately, there would be honeyed words involved to trade their hotwired mistress, but he could probably (with guilt) be able to con some local into trading their automobile. They needed to ditch this particular car as soon as possible, any EDF forces in the area would be on the lookout for it, but they would need an alternate mode of transport. Getting away on foot simply wasn't practicle.
With a heavy sigh, Isambard stuffed his wallet back and stepped out of the over-sized vehicle, pulling his hood up to both hide his features and sheild himself for the drizzle that filled the air.
"I'll meet you back here in an hour....and Shinji, if you think of anything else we need for our roadtrip, don't hesistate to pick it up."
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Toledo
Sept 6, 2012 17:29:27 GMT -5
Post by Kitti Roguehart on Sept 6, 2012 17:29:27 GMT -5
"Okay Theo"
*Azuya,-no Shinji- he mentally corrected himself, it will be easier to think of himslef as thus if he used the alias at all times even in his mind, after all the Empath knew that the mind was most definitely not a sacred place.
The asian couldn't help but admire how Izz-Theo managed to get shit done, not half a day had passed and yet the English man was ready for a life on the run, but he made it out to be no big deal. A-Shinji couldn't help but feel guilty about the whole thing, after all it was his stupidity that had lead to this whole mishap.
not that he was going to admit that to I-Theo, he knew from that he could pack a punch and Azuya was not overly fond of being hit.
He wandered off with a renewed resolve to try and fulfill his quest to the best of his ability*
* ** ** **
*Fifty minutes later and Shinji, had had some success, he clutched a large green rucksack to his chest filled with foodstuffs and another strapped to his back. He looked at the pitiful amount of money that he still had on him and groaned. -Shinji, it would seem was terrible at bartering.- He thought to himself sardonically. -The people of Toledo can bite my ass-
He thought bitterly as the rain beat down only adding to his misery.
His eyes scanned the crowds looking for the return of Theo, He really wanted to get back in out of the rain and on their way *
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Toledo
Sept 6, 2012 18:11:00 GMT -5
Post by Bramwell on Sept 6, 2012 18:11:00 GMT -5
In 30 minutes, Izzy had managed to purchase enough supplies from the camping surplus store to feature in a homemade Rambo movie. He'd purchased a Medi-kit, tent and sleeping tackle, a hunting rifle, travel stove, flexiwire to use for simple defensive perimeters, a multipurpose knife, a lantern and gasoline, a GPS tracker, a set of walkie-talkies and a water sampling kit. And now he was very, very broke. On the upside though, he could hand over Azuya.
A further 15 minutes of shameless flirting with the chubby, plain faced daughter of the store had landed him a trade, their crimson beauty for an average flatbed Nissan Navara in blue. She'd demanded a down payment, a further distraction of 10 minutes that had Izzy behind the store performing his duty and thinking of England. It was a necessity he told himself as he wandered away with the keys in hands, feeling slightly dirty from the whole sordid affair.
After that, Isambard went to see the local quack, an old grey-haired man who spent more time lecturing him on his behavior to have gotten in to such a state than actually casting his spells. Once it was over though, the dull ache in Izzy's mid-rif was gone, the bruises forgotten from his handsome features. There was still a scar across his stomach, but Izzy could live with that, it made him look kinda bad ass if he did say so himself.
Overall he was about 15 minutes late and he saw a half drowned little Azuya like some forgotten latch-key-kid waiting by the pavement. A look of worry plastered his face and he clutched a green bag to his chest like it contained the greatest treasures in the world. Izzy, now Theo honked the horn on the Navara as he pulled up close. Rolling down the window he grinned from the driver's seat.
"Heya handsome, need a ride?"
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Toledo
Sept 7, 2012 14:08:34 GMT -5
Post by Kitti Roguehart on Sept 7, 2012 14:08:34 GMT -5
*Relief was obvious on Shinji's face when Theo rolled up in the blue car. Shivering he climbed into the back seat throwing his purchases in the empty seat next to him.*
"I thought you were never coming back"
*He whined through chattering teeth. shutting the door behind him.*
"Did you manage to sort everything Theo?"
*He questioned looking for all the world like a drowned rat.*
"Where did you put my stuff? I would love to get changed right about now."
*He shrugged for empath is sending a small shower of rain all over the back seat of their new car.*
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Toledo
Sept 7, 2012 14:49:08 GMT -5
Post by Bramwell on Sept 7, 2012 14:49:08 GMT -5
The Crusader was unimpressed as the sodden Asian youth decided to spray rain water all over the car interior, a few drops even splashing on Izzy himself.
"And leave you to fend for yourself?"
Isambard grinned to himself as he patted away the stray droplets from his leather sleeve. He curled round in the car seat and pointed to the footwell behind his seat, across from Azuya's current position.
"Your stuff's there mate. And yeah, I got everything. You like camping, right?"
The new annointed Theo turned back to look out of the front window, noting that the rain was starting to fall that little bit harder. Were it a regular journey, he'd probably suggest resting up for the day, since it was such a damp squib, but they didn't have that luxury anymore. If it was still raining come nightfall, they'd either be sleeping in the car or roughing it out in the wild, regardless of the weather. Such was life on the run.
"...In the dark. With a stranger <3"
He teased playfully as his companion began to rifle through his belongings.
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