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Salt and Sulfur: Chapter Two (Messeduprp and Skieth Takahata II)

CatScrezatio

CatScrezatio

Supernova
Joined
Nov 5, 2016
Location
The 5th Dimension
Maria trudged through the dank streets of the city's underbelly. Her stomach growled to be fed but she ignored it, she had something bigger on her mind. Looking up at the burned out house, she checked the address she had written down. This was supposed to be the place.

She was careful, this was a delicate operation that could end poorly. The front door wasn't an option, she needed a side entrance. Thanfully for her, there was a fire escape on the side of the building. She crept up the ladder rungs as silently as she could manage before swinging inside. Landing on lithe feet. She drew her hand gun from her holster and tiptoed through the upstairs.

She counted every step she took, her ears attuned for even the hint of movement from somewhere else. Finally on the fifth room she searched she saw someone. A figure crouched down by the wall. A dark overcoat and hat, to the untrained eye it would seem like a squater, but Maria saw something that told her who it really was.

Sitting on a chair was a stuffed rabbit dressed in black. That rabbit's name was Flopsy.

She held up her gun, clicking it into single action. "Hello Charlotte."
 
To say that the last three months had been hell for Charlotte would be an understatement. Even only having Maria in her life for a few days, she was no longer equipped for her old lonely existence. But somehow she carried on. Using what she had learned from Maria, she had been tracking other members of the Descendants, trying to locate Dalia, and by extension, her parents. She could save her parents, and avenge Maria's suffering, all without putting her in the crosshairs. At least, that had been her hope.

In her time alone, her condition had worsened. A manic obsession with fire and destruction was reinvigorated by the new found presence of voices and hallucinations. Descendants investigated were tortured for information, if found alive, they had suffered horrendous burns all over. Everywhere she investigated, she destroyed. Both for entertainment and effectiveness. No one would expect an aimless anarchist of taking on a larger mission. Police were out in force to catch her, but they never checked the remnants of places she'd struck before. Which was what brought her to where she was today.

She sat on the ground, scribbling away as she used to. Another image of her and Maria, this time featuring her parents as well. Though their heads were out of view, as she couldn't remember their faces. "Shut up! It's better this way!" She shouted, presumably at the rabbit. "She's perfect and I'm broken. This way she's safe and I can't hurt her." She didn't hear another person enter, but she did hear the weapon click. She reached for her father's rifle before hearing the voice. She winced visibly. She stood up slowly. She turned to face her. There was an almost feral wildness in Charlotte's wide eyes, but her manic grin was nowhere to be found. Her face was dirty and her hair a mess, but still tied up in her telltale pig tails. She didn't say anything, simply staring blankly, like she wasn't convinced she was real and not just another hallucination.
 
Maria looked no better, in her time alone she had adopted a new look as well. Her police attire had been discarded. Too obvious, as far as the police knew she had dissapeared. Gone looking for Charlotte the arsonist and as they assumed had been killed. She was dressed now in a simple jacket of leather, a shirt and her goggles.

Seeing Charlotte again was like seeing a ghost. It was a strange sight. Here she was, looking at Charlotte drawing pictures, just like the first day she really met Charlotte. Her eyes stayed locked on the other woman, studying her deranged expression. She had been following her activities closely, finding the seemingly meaningless connections between the victims, it had all led her to this point.

She took a step forward, her gun trained on Charlotte. She took another and another, walling until she was only an arms length away, her gun pressed against Charlotte"s chest. "I have half a mind to kill you for what you did... Nobody would know... Only me..." She glared at Charlotte before suddenly grabbing the lapel of her coat, pulling her into a passionate kiss. sliding a hand up to her cheek and clicking the gun out of single action. "I missed you so much."
 
Charlotte's eyes widened further as Maria spoke again. As she stepped closer, approaching with the gun still raised she swallowed hard. Still, she said nothing even as the gun pressed against her chest. She waited for what she was sure was the end before she was grabbed and pulled close. She wasn't ready for how passionate the kiss was. She froze, wide-eyed as it happened. Then she returned it in earnest. Her eyes closing as she broke completely. When she pulled away and spoke again, Charlotte felt her throat knot. Her eyes reddened from emotion before finally letting herself go.

She cried openly, weeping as she threw her arms around Maria, burying he face in the nape of her neck. "I didn't want to! I just... I wanted you to be safe. If I could find her for you then she couldn't hurt you. Then we could be a family. And I wouldn't have to lose you. B-but what if I hurt you? I'm not safe..." She loosened her grip, her knees becoming week. She collapsed to the floor, letting the hat fall away. She looked up at Maria, still crying and unable to stop. "I love you so much!" She nearly shouted as she wept.
 
Maria Caught Charlotte in her arms, watching her weep broke her Own barrier, she wept openly with her. Crying over the loss of her family, of her life over the past several months looking for Charlotte, over seeing that the woman she had known had been replace by her old maniacal self. She was scared for herself of course, by she feared more for the sake of Charlotte.

"I love you Charlotte" she sobbed, "I love you and I will never let you fight this alone. I know you want us yo be a family and so do I, but I also know the risks of hunting Dalia. I know them better than anyone else, that's why we need to face them together. Just... Promise me you won't leave me again."
 
Charlotte wrapped her arms tightly around Maria, pressing her face into her chest as she cried. "N-never. Never again." She let her self weep against her for several moments until she simply ran out of tears to cry. She slowly pulled away from her, kissing above each of her eyes to dry her tears before holding her close. "So, we hunt Dalia, find Mum and Dad... Then we're a family again." The plan was simplistic, but it was good enough for Charlotte. She reluctantly separated.

She went back to the corner where she had been, busting free a loose floor board. She began pulling equipment she had hidden in the floor out. Explosives, lock picking devices, grapple guns, a few other unidentifiable objects and weapons of her design, setting them on the floor. As she worked, her lips began to spread again, her grin finding home again. She had her Maria back and they were going to play again.
 
Maria smiled and watched her. She was glad to have Charlotte back. After months apart from her love, she was happy to see her at least alive. "Come on, we can find somewhere better to hide out instead of this burned out house."

She looked around the charred remains for a second before gathering some of the things Charlotte had taken out. "Don't forget Flopsy." Maria had only a menial connection to the rabbit but it meant a lot to Charlotte and therefore it was something that she needed to bring with her.
 
Charlotte looked back towards Maria after she took some of the things. She reached for Flopsy when Maria mentioned him, clipping him in place on her belt. She collected her hat, setting it in place on her head. She slung the rifle over her back before starting for the door. She paused in alarm as she heard the sound of carriages outside. Her grin fell away. She moved to the window quickly, cursing under her breath as she saw police vehicles beginning to move on the building. Had she been sloppy? Perhaps given herself away? Then there was always the third possibility in her new found mania, she may have been hallucinating the pursuit. "Everyone shut up!" She said out loud holding her head.

"Roof, now." She ordered quickly hurrying out the door. She held the side of her head for a moment as she swung the rifle back around under her arm. She had practiced her rifle use while trying to build new gauntlets, having never recovered her old weapons from Dalia's airship. She hastily began filling the rifle with bullets as she moved. Shadows moved about in the corners of her vision, causing a nervous twitch as she tried not to acknowledge them.
 
Maria saw the carriages too, therefore it was plain that Charlotte was not hallucinating. She dashed up after her, luttinfnher arms around her shoulders and pulling her along. "Come on Charlotte. I'm not letting you get away now."

She took one of the charges from her bag and set it on the wall, pressing a button she armed it and pulled Charlotte along faster as soon as they were out, she activated the charge. The stairway behind them exploding. Maria grunted as she shielded Charlotte with her body, a piece of wood hitting her in the back, thankfully irnwaa the flat end and she only sustained a bruise.

She growled softly and picked Charlotte up, "come on... Just like in that laboratory." She csrdied her out toward the rooftop, looking our for some means of escape from the building.
 
Charlotte looked back in alarm when the explosion occurred and she heard Miara's groan of pain. Before she could speak she was lifted into her arms. The lithe elf not weighing much at all. As the made their way to the roof, she continued loading the rifle. She freed herself from Maria's arms when they made it to the roof. She looked over the edge where the police were gathering. "They're getting better at the game..." She giggled, her grin forming across her lips. It was a nigh undeniable urge to stay and cause trouble. She reached into her bag, pulling free two canister like bombs.

She gave a loud whistle to get their attention. "Hey everybody! Not fast enough!" The canisters she held were decorated with crude drawings of herself and Flopsy, both with X's for eyes. She let both go. The officers, not knowing what to expect from the maniac, moved to hide behind the carriages. The canisters hit the ground with loud tinking sounds. They rolled forward before thick plumes of smoke were emitted from both ends, quickly filling a thirty foot radius. "Tag, you're it!" She shouted before laughing loudly.

"Now, for our daring escape!" She patted Flopsy's head before looking back at Maria. There was a wild and excited look in Charlotte's eyes. Truly she never came alive like when mischief and mayhem were afoot. As usual when excitement was everywhere, Charlotte showed no fear. Only joy. She got a sprinting start before leaping off of the roof. "Wooh! Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha!" She tucked at the last second, crashing through a lower window on the neighboring building. She rolled across the floor, coming to a stop on her back. A couple small knicks from the glass but nothing serious. She laid there laughing hysterically.
 
Maria rolled her eyes with a grin. So alike Charlotte to do something insane and stupid. Maria was beginning to remember why she missed it. She sprinted out and jumped down through the win down, rolling in and scooping up Charlotte. "Stop trying to get out of this and let me handle this." She tightened her grip, "I'm not losing you again." She dashes through the building. Going back up to the roof. She see Charlotte down and sprinted to the edge, omjumoing off and landing with a roll on the next rooftop over.
 
Charlotte's laughter was broken by Maria's scooping her from the floor. Get out of it? She wasn't trying to get away from Maria or something. As she was let down on the roof, she looked back the way they came. She smirked before turning to follow after Maria. She jumped across the roof. Her elvish grace allowing her to land with ease. She looked over the ledge back down to where to police were, smiling as they tried to figure out where she had gone after the smoke had cleared. She looked back to Maria curiously. She had insisted that she could handle it, but she had no clue what she had in mind.
 
Maria kept up her running, keeping an eye on Charlotte behind her. Careful to make sure she wasn't losing track of her lover. "I missed you Charlotte." She shouted back to her, "you don't know how much."
 
The light footed elf kept pace behind Maria, but remained a half-step behind her so that she could still lead the way. Charlotte grinned a little when Maria spoke. "Well, maybe I can find out how much once we're out of here." She giggled a little. "Speaking of which... What's the plan here?" She asked, glancing back the way they came.
 
Maria shrugged, "Whenever we make a plan, everything goes to hell so I just made this up as I went along." She stopped on one last roof and opened a hatch on the rooftop, motioning for Charlotte to go down first. "Down you go then. Not letting you out of my sight." She mumbled, hopping down after her and dropping beside her in an abandoned factory.
 
Charlotte grinned when Maria revealed there wasn't a plan. Perhaps some of Charlotte's anarchic nature had rubbed off on her. She followed closely behind, pausing to look at her when she opened the hatch. At her comment about not letting her out of her sight, she crooked an eyebrow. She dropped into the old factory, her light feet making barely any sound as she landed. She looked around before reaching into her bag. She pulled out a home made rod. Flicking the cap back and squeezing a trigger, a fire emitted from the end like a torch. She held it aloft as they looked around the room. "Let's see... Police are still searching the block, so we need to get out quietly..." Stealthy was not the young anarchist's forte. "So... Maybe the sewers?"
 
Maria thought back to the last time she has been in a sewer, heading to find the elven politician and inadvertedly be captured by her crazy ex-lover who would push her and Charlotte out of an air balloon. Now here she was, going back down with her newfound crazy anarchist lover into another sewer. She really would never learn.

Maria nodded her agreement and motioned to the stairs, "Come on, there should be sewer access here somewhere. Search the floor and we'll be fine."
 
Charlotte descended the stairs, keeping the light held aloft so that they could make out their surroundings. Once she reached the ground level, she began searching the floor for a drain of some kind. "So, back to the sewers then..." She was more or less thinking out loud, trying to figure out where they would be going. She continued searching the floor until finally stumbling on a hatch of some kind. "I think I found something." She said, looking back to Maria.
 
"Are you sure about this Charlotte? Toy and I do not have a good history with hatches." Maria said warily. Besides her stint with her psycho ex, kidnappings her after they for through a hatch, they had also stumbled upon a room full of bloodthirsty mutants ready to kill them which they had to blow up as they eacaped. Maria had lost any love she had for hatches.
 
Charlotte pried the hatch open before turning to look at Maria. She frowned softly, placing her hands on her hips. "Well, we don't have to. We could go out into the street and see if your old cop buddies are willing to give us a pass for old times sake." She stepped closer, kissing Maria, perhaps more passionately than she had any business showing in this circumstances. Chalk it all up to her unstable mind and emotionally stunted nature. She pulled away grinning. "Besides, what was it you said? Whenever we make a plan, everything goes to hell?"

She twirled around, her pigtails bouncing as she did so. "So we go with the flow! Chaos is only dangerous if you try to fight it! Look at me! I grew up that way and I turned out fine!" It was abundantly clear that she still wasn't conscious of her madness, or how her life had made her that way. She giggled a little before turning back towards the hatch. Without another word, the psychotic elf dropped into the hatch.
 
Maria rolled her eyes and looked down into the hatch, "I'm a goddamn magnet for crazy girls." Without another word, she slung her rifle back around and dropped into the hatch with Charlotte. Pulling it closed over her as she plunged I to the darkness.


Once she reached the bottom she broufht up her rifle, slipping her goggles down over her eyes and looking around, "Charlotte?" She called softly.

Maria's eyes scanned the smooth stone walls around her. Looking for any sign of her deranged heart throb. She seemed to have up and dissapeared. Maria looked around once more when something caught her eye. On one of the walls was a strange dark mark.

As she got closer, she dragged her finger over it, smearing the mark. It took her a second before she realized exactly what it was. She gasped and stepped back. Looking around frantically. She needed to find Charlotte and get out of here as soon as possible.
 
Charlotte's head peaked from around the corner, her head flopped to the side, goggles sitting over her eyes. "I'm over here silly. What's gotten in to you?" She grinned widely as she approached, but then her smile fell. "What's up with you? You look like you've seen a ghost or something." She raised her hands, wiggling her fingers in mock menacing tone while making spooky "oooh" sounds.
 
Naira clapped a hand over Charlotte's mouth. "Be careful... We're in a very bad place right now and we need to be careful. Those markings on the wall. This is a secret meeting place for the Durghar. We have to find a way out of here." As Maria was preparing to return back up the hatch she heard something, the patter of footsteps coming down from one of the halls.

Maria held Charlotte behind her and aimed her gun at the sound, prepares Ro shoot whatever came out until she realized that it was only a raccoon. The animal screeched and scurried off in the other direction. "What the hell? They wouldn't keep that alive." She looked back at Charlotte. "Keep your eyes peeled... I think this might be an abandoned cavern but I'm not sure... If you hear any chanting or see anyoneninna red robe, tell me and hide.
 
The elf smirked when she saw the raccoon. "Ooh. Spooky." She giggled a little. Charlotte brought her hands up to rest above her head as they walked, looking around the tunnel. "Robes and chanting? We've dealt with mages before. I can just blow these ones up too!" She said cheerfully, not recognizing the threat. "Who are these Durghar guys anyway?"
 
Maria looked at Charlotte, "They're a cult, devoted to a God who they worship through blood and sacrifice. They torture and kill their victims in the name of some deity." She grimaced, "it makes my skin crawl. So be careful alright?"
 
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