private Road to Retribution (with Raven Rawne)

[Raven Rawne 1,381]

@

 

Garreth listened to the mare's reply. It sure was rather chilly compared to what it was during the day... At least she was close to the fire, probably still drying her clothes. The cave chamber was deeper into the cliff,  unseen from the entrance.  A good feature for a defensive position. But one question kept coming - where did she even get so wet in the first place?

 

Upon hearing the rest of Harley's sentence, he asked with some concern: "It's quiet alright,  thankfully.  You said you were injured? Anything serious? "

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

@@Raven Rawne,

 

"Nothing too severe, but I got a bit carried away, found some tracks and thought I could track them but then came across some blasted Timberwolves, don't know what they're doing this far out of the Everfree though" she states and shakes her head "They scratched me a little and made me have to go into the river to get away from them" 

[Raven Rawne 1,381]

@

 

...did somepony say the T word?

 

"T-Timberwolves?" - note to self, try not to sound like a schoolfilly when faced with the prospect of being stalked by eldritch abominations.

 

"But, you lost them,  right? Because they don't swim?" - suddenly feeling like his weapons are way too far to reach, the griffon grabbed his carabine and held against his chest, like a foal clutching to their plushie. Suddenly wide awake, he scanned the approach like a searchlight, fearing to see a pair of glowing green orbs...

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

@@Raven Rawne,

 

"Don't worry, they can't find us" she says, "I went into the river to mask my scent and it worked" she says "besides, nopony but me knows of this cave" she says and gets up, walking over to him and placing her hand on his carbine to lower it "There's always a chance a pony  might stumble across it, but other than that, there's no real danger" she says and sits back down near the fire "you eat berries and roots yeah?"

[Raven Rawne 1,381]

@

 

Gareth heard Harley approaching from behind and tried to appear professional,  but the way he held the gun was quite obvious.  He didn't look away from the approach when she came to the entrance. For once, while she did her best to sound calming, who knows how these things work? Another reason was that he wasn't sure if she had her clothes on. Better safe than sorry.

 

Once Harley got back inside the cave and asked him about food,  he suddenly realised that he haven't eaten since 3 PM. - nothing exceptional in itself, he often had to stand on duty for the whole day long, but today was not an ordinary day...

 

"Sure, griffons eat the same things as ponies do. We can also eat meat and fish, but we can be vegetarian alright."

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

@@Raven Rawne, 

 

"great, there's a bit of mixture I made for you, figured after everything that has happened, you could use a bit of nourishment" she says with a smile, covering herself a little. You need to relax a little darling, if you're all tense, you'd be no use with reaction times" she says softly as she closes her eyes and drifts off to a sleep that was haunted by her nightmares.

[Raven Rawne 1,381]

@,

 

All this food talk, combined with Harley's reassurance of their safety, caused Garreth to "abandon" his post and retreat into the cave proper, taking his toys with him. The mare seemed to know what to expect around here, and if she could relax, then so could he, right? Besides, it's not like Garreth could keep watch indefinetly - he was rather tired himself.

 

 

 

"You need to relax a little darling, if you're all tense, you'd be no use with reaction times" she says softly as she closes her eyes and drifts off to a sleep that was haunted by her nightmares.

 

Aaaand now she was asleep. Garreth laid down the rifles away from the fire, which seemed to be slowly dying anyway, and sat by it to catch the last minutes of warmth. It was warmer inside, but still not as warm as he was used to. He then proceeded to eat what Harley left for him. It wasn't much, but it should keep him going for sometime longer. Let's just hope the town tavern is well stocked...

As the griffon ate, he looked around the cave to make sure it's the only chamber, and with some satisfaction he saw it was indeed the end of it. That means there was only one entrance. Once the dinner was finished, he turned his attention to the healing salve. It may not look particularily inviting, but better that than amputation, eheh... It took some gymnastics to free his righr arm without removing the uniform's top completely, but Garreth didn't want to compromise the already fleeting warmth. Up close, his first "battle wound" proved to be far less severe than the pain would suggest - just a glancing shot, barely reached the tissues underneath the skin, and already clotted with dried blood. Reluctant to open it up again, Garreth carefully smeared the paste on top of it, wincing as it tingled against the damaged parts, then waited a bit until it dried some, and finally dressed again. He didn't use his tie as a makeshift bandage, although he considered this option.

 

"Vanity before reason..." - he muttered to himself. At the same time, Harley shifted a bit and Garreth thought he woke her by his rambling, but it seemed she was still asleep. Although whatever she dreamed about didn't seem pleasant, if her expression was any indication. Heh, even plagued by nightmares she looked rather... attractive.

 

"Stop right there - you just lost your job and it would be best if you never showed up in Manehattan again, your escort partner is probably dead, and you're thinking about mares?!" - he thought to himself, suddenly angry at his own ridiculousness.

 

Suddenly aware that the fire before him started to die out, and with nothind to feed it further, Garreth decided it would be best to get some rest. Tomorrow will be tough. Using the same trick as before, he sat against a wall, pulled up his legs and hugged himself with his wings to remain warm, and quickly dozed off.

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

@@Raven Rawne, 

 

Next morning, Harley woke to find that she was somehow snuggled up to the large griffon. She sighs as she didn't quite want to stop, but it was slightly awkward. She sighs and stretches before going over to the gun pile and pulling apart some more older firearms to use for firewood.

 

Using her magic, she sparks the fire to ignite it and it soon starts to roar to life. "Can't wait to get back to town and dressed" she mutters to herself.

[Raven Rawne 1,381]

@,

 

Garreth slowly woke up. As per usual, he rubbed his eyes open and shifted a little, then looked around, slowly recalling where and why he was. He noticed that Harley has already butchering some more innocent firearms for firewood... He could almost hear those bits falling out of reach as these guns lost the last ounces of worth. Not his call anyway, if not for her he would be dead...

 

Now fully awake and aware, Garreth stretched a bit and extended his wings fully. It'll take forever to preen them once the time comes.

 

"N-ghhhh... Morning!" - he greeted the mare by the fire and got up from the ground, accompanied with the sound of some popping joints. Nothing unusual after sleeping in such awkward position.

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

@@Raven Rawne, 

 

Harley smiles over at him "Morning handsome" she says, not realizing the compliment she paid to him until it was too late "Oh and by the way, your fur and feahters are rather soft" she says softly before warming her hands against the flames of the fire.

 

Looking towards him once more, she smiles "We should set off for town soon, but we still need to thoroughly sort through the ammo and firearms, no use lugging around things that won't fetch a decent price or that would be useful to us" she says, motioning to the piles of things they had dragged in with them.

[Raven Rawne 1,381]

@,

 

 

 

Harley smiles over at him "Morning handsome" she says, not realizing the compliment she paid to him until it was too late "Oh and by the way, your fur and feathers are rather soft" she says softly before warming her hands against the flames of the fire.

 

Taken completely by surprise, Garreth cocked his head a bit sideways and gave her a puzzled look. You don't get compliments like that every day.

 

"Eh, thanks? I guess?" - maybe he didn't just dream about cuddling after all...

 

 

 

"We should set off for town soon, but we still need to thoroughly sort through the ammo and firearms, no use lugging around things that won't fetch a decent price or that would be useful to us" she says, motioning to the piles of things they had dragged in with them.

 

His new train of thought derailed right after leaving the station, Garreth looked at the pile, then back at Harley.

 

"Okay, let's do this. Anything caught your eye?"

 

Just one more stretch, and the griffon followed Harley's lead into segregating their treasures.

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

@@Raven Rawne,

 

"A few things yeah, I've already taken out what I wanted to keep, as well as the ammunition I believe would best suit your carbine" she says with a gentle smile. At first glance, with her warm and friendly nature, you wouldn't have been able to guess that she was a hardened bounty hunter, but she was in fact one.

 

She then stands up, and straightens out her skirt, her shirt had fully dried now, and as she took a glance at it, it seemed to be torn up but not too badly that she'd just scrap it, so she donned it. "Not much, but at least it covers my chest well enough...for now" she says and looks to him "take your time, but not too long, we don't want to have to spend another night here" 

[Raven Rawne 1,381]

@,

 

 

 

"A few things yeah, I've already taken out what I wanted to keep, as well as the ammunition I believe would best suit your carbine" she says with a gentle smile.

 

"Thanks! I was starting to worry I'll have to get rid of it. It's moody alright, but I like it you know. It's good stuff when it's not choking on faulty ammo. Accurate too."

 

 

 

"take your time, but not too long, we don't want to have to spend another night here"

 

"Awwww, but it was no nice in here..." - Garreth said jokingly, then kneeled by the pile.

"It'll take just a moment"  - he said over the shoulder, then took a good look on what lied before him. Some revolvers, Winchesters, a coach gun or two... local favourites it seems. That BAR looked cool but it really needs a new barrel. Even dead bandits can cause trouble it seems.

 

"Nah, I'll stick to what I know. I could try to tie the long guns with those bandoliers, it'll make them easier to carry in bulk. What do you think?"

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

@@Raven Rawne,

 

She smiles and nods "That's usually a best way to go, it usually takes a long time to learn a new firearm" she says, moving over to him and  looks at what he meant "Yeah, that could work, less loose things we need to carry, the less times we will have to stop to pick them up if we drop any" she states.

 

As Garreth rummaged through the pile, Harley begins to give him a gentle shoulder massage, "so tense" she says as she finds a rather significant knot and begins to work away at it.

[Raven Rawne 1,381]

@,

 

 

 

"Yeah, that could work, less loose things we need to carry, the less times we will have to stop to pick them up if we drop any"

 

"My thoughts exactly. I could carry a whole pack that way without worrying about dropping stuff every few steps. Although, just to be sure, I guess we should check the safeties or unload the guns without them. Wouldn't want any spontanious discharges once they start rubbing each OUCH!"

 

 

 

As Garreth rummaged through the pile, Harley begins to give him a gentle shoulder massage, "so tense" she says as she finds a rather significant knot and begins to work away at it.

 

That was... unexpected. And painful too. Once Harley located the first knot, Garreth's wings started shaking slightly.

 

"Ow, that's the... spot... Who knew that being shot at and spending the night in a cave could make one's muscles tense up huh? Ooooow I get it okay? Bad joke." - it did hurt, but in a strangely good way. Like with those nasty pills, the worse it tastes the better it heals. Suddenly reaching town wasn't such a top priority...

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

@@Raven Rawne

 

Harley chuckles "if I didn't know any better, there were a few bad innuendos in what you just said" she says as she continues to massage his shoulders., immediately finding another knot and works on it. "Here's another one, what kind of training did you get with the company darling?" she asks, purring softly as if she were a kitty. It was her intention to get him to lower his guard a little to talk with her as if they were friends. the hint of seductiveness helpd a little too.

Edited October 7, 2016 by Roxy Sparx

[Raven Rawne 1,381]

@,

 

Mindful of the fact that Harley had a reliable way to get back at him if he tried some more antics, Garreth decided that it probably wouldn't hurt if he opened up a bit.

 

"N-No offence, it's just stress that's all. Well, I did almost all there was to do in the biz: started as a bouncer on concerts and things like that, then I got promoted on various posts as a guard. The Museum was the worst... night shifts, looking for lost foals... boredom galore! I started liking this job once I was finally allowed to run convoys and stuff. You know, real responsibility, real authority, and some real money too... But I digress. I was trained in unarmed combat: disarming opponents wielding knives and such, mostly defensive skills on how to get somepony stop making a ruckus. Once I was allowed to wield firearms they sent us to the range once per week to get used to guns, so I had enough time to learn marksmanship. I won't shoot a match from 50 metres, but most of the time I hit what I want. We did stationary and moving targets, some scenarios when they tell us to get into the truck and score no less than eighty points in 3 minutes, shooting targets from inside...  Yeah, I did some shooting alright, but never really fired in anger while being shot at. That was a first..." - he dropped his head a little, recalling what happenned yesterday.

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

@@Raven Rawne,

 

Harley stops for a moment and says softly "It wasn't your fault, those raiders, while as well trained as they seemed to be, and even with their equipment, they're still bloody cowards" she says as she continues to massage the knots out of his shoulders "Well you're lucky to have formal training, I had to start from the ground up all by myself" she says with a sigh "being a slave at such a young age, you don't get much of a chance to learn anything except what they want you to learn" 

[Raven Rawne 1,381]

@,

 

 

 

"It wasn't your fault, those raiders, while as well trained as they seemed to be, and even with their equipment, they're still bloody cowards"

 

Garreth looked up at Harley: "Thanks... I sitll need to notify the Sherrif he's not getting whatever we were hauling, and also send a telegraph to Manehattan to let them know what happenned. After that, I guess I can look for a new like of work..."

 

 

 

"Well you're lucky to have formal training, I had to start from the ground up all by myself" she says with a sigh "being a slave at such a young age, you don't get much of a chance to learn anything except what they want you to learn"

 

"You were...? Damn... Life must've been hard for you... S-sorry, I-I just don't know what to say really." - he looked at her apologetically.

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

@@Raven Rawne,

 

Harley nods and sighs "It was tough, but luckily I escaped before they were able to turn me into..into one of their personal slaves" she says nods once more "He's not going to like that, he's a stickler for getting what he wants"  she says with a dry smirk, "As for line of work, well.." she thinks for a moment "I could use a business partner, make things easier and well...less lonely"

[Raven Rawne 1,381]

@,

 

 

 

"He's not going to like that, he's a stickler for getting what he wants"

 

"Uh-huh... we'll see how it'll go..." - he never liked being yelled at, and it seems he'll get quite a treatment from the Sherrif. Perfect.

 

 

 

"As for line of work, well.." she thinks for a moment "I could use a business partner, make things easier and well...less lonely"

 

"Really? I'm not saying no but, maybe there's some way for me to, you know, restore my reputation, just a bit? I don't think I'm ready to switch from motels to caves, just to name one thing..." - a faint hope blossomed as he thought that, maybe, the mare would help him set things straight again. She kills bandits for a living, right?

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

@@Raven Rawne,

 

"Well perhaps, but but you should know that I don't always stay in caves." she says and flashes him a sparkling white smile "Most of my bounties are actually high up leaders, so I usually stay at a motel or hotel, depending on the town where I'm at"  she says and thinks "Well we will see, from the sound of it though, your boss doesn't seem to be the type to accept failure, not even once" she muses and smiles.

 

"If we cannot get you some of your reputation back, the offer is always there" she says as she finally finishes with the massage and helps him to collect what they were going to salvage and sell.

[Raven Rawne 1,381]

@,

 

"Heh, you bet Lockdown tore the pages with "sorry" and "failure" out of his vocabulary. He's obsessed with becoming the most succesful security company in Manehattan, and competition is fierce. Why else would they buy overpriced weapons, armored trucks and flashy uniforms? In the City, looking the part matters just as much as acting it. Aaaand thanks to yours truly, he'll be a laughing stock for months!"

 

Suddenly he noticed that Harley finished tending to his back.

 

"R-right, let's pack that gear and get going. I am anxious to meet with local law enforcement..."

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

@@Raven Rawne,

 

She nods "I can understand, and that's one of the reasons why I work for myself. I only have myself to answer to" she says  and goes about packing up what they wanted to leave and wanted to carry. She sighs "well, we best get going if we don't want to be caught out in the dark again" she says as she stretches and smiles at him. "Plus, I can't wait to get changed"

[Raven Rawne 1,381]

@,

 

 

 

"I can understand, and that's one of the reasons why I work for myself. I only have myself to answer to"

 

"Well, I could live with that..." - he thought at the prospect. Maybe switching jobs wouldn't be that bad, but first stuff must be put in order. Garreth thought about his options as he prepped the long guns for transport and lied them together with bandoliers. Once they were secure, he pulled his own G43 across his back on the attatched strap, then hauled the guns up with both hands and secured against his chest. Now he looked like he was holding a bunch of branches before him. His helmet, filled with empty shells, was dangling from one of the barrels.

 

"Looks like I'm ready. I guess I could take some more if needs be though. Lead the way?"