Ora Noc Terrol: The Road to Paradise (rated M)

Bannon waited patiently, third in line, behind a runt of a boy, and hard looking red-head woman. Some blonde had just picked up a piece, and Bannon felt slightly overwhelmed at the amount of options on display on the walls. He had never actually felt a need for them on Earth. Being armed just made you more of a target in some cases.

Supposedly everyone’s armed in this place. I don’t like it, but “When in Rome” I guess. Do I buy a gun I never hope to use, so big and dangerous looking that everyone else feels the same? Hmm, perhaps something more discreet. Yes, having some hand-cannon snap my wrist at the first shot would be rather embarrassing, not to mention potentially fatal.

Bannon couldn’t help smiling when he thought of how that would look. He gave some of the other tools of death in the shop a look, but quickly discarded the idea of buying a knife. He was more likely to stab himself with one of those things. He decided that he would ask the shopkeeper for a gun he could easily hide under his jacket and light enough that he could draw it quickly. But his best defence would be, as always, his wits.

Innokenti examined the gun. It was a little heavier then he would have liked, but he couldnt afford much else. Plus, the merchant was giving him a great deal on it. He supposed that was worth sacrificing a little accuracy. "Deal." He said as he laid the money out on the counter.

He gathered his newly bought belonging and move out of the line. After a quick once over for any fatal defects he loaded the revolver and slid it into his jacket pocket while he placed his remaining ammo with the rest of his belongings. 'Should have asked about a holster...' he thought.

Angel slid up to the counter. She didn't want to keep the person behind her waiting. After pausing for a moment she told the clerk, "Do you have any guns that are good for beginners? Just something I can use to defend myself, doesn't matter what though I prefer if it was light and cheap."

She glanced at the knives again. Maybe if she had enough left over she would buy one.

(hey Hogaki! Just a little tip to make things easier, try putting your character's thoughts in italics. This can be done by putting [ i] at the start of his thoughts and [/ i] at the end. Just remove the spaces and that's the code.)

The shop keep casually flipped through the bills, counting them to be sure he had the full two hundred. All there. A slight smile crossed his face as he pocketed the bills.

"Alright, who's next?" He waved up the red-headed woman who was next. After taking a second to listen to her, he held up a hand. "Hang on a sec kid, this place is getting jammed."

He whistled, the sound long and sharp in the relative quite of the shop. A small side door opened up, and out rolled a short little bot. "Jack! Get your head out of your ass and get over here! We've got a pile up of costumers."

The little bot swiveled, turning its gaze on the shop keep before it shook vigorously, its way of nodding. "Right away boss!" It then zipped across the shop and dissappeared behind the counter. After a few moments of grunts and sounds of struggle, the bot appeared next to the shop keep. If one were to lean over the counter, then they'd be able to see the stool the bot was standing upon.

"Listen up people! We'll get this moving along faster, so if some of you will move over to Jack, he'll take good care of you." His gaze across the room before landing back on the red-head. "Guns for beginers..." He caught her glance at the blade wall. "Well, if you're looking to buy both a blade and a gun, I might have just the deal for you."

Turning his back on her he moved over to the wall and lifted a small gun from it. Turning back around he displayed the gun. "Its a Viper, smallest model the rifles come in. Decent firing rate, little to no kick, still sighted in. Only draw back is that it's gonna take a few rounds to drop a man and it tends to jam." His grim smile came back to dominae his features. "I'll give you a package deal. This old girl, a box of shells, and..." He fished under the counter with one hand for a moment. "and this." He pulled up a small sheathed blade that was around four inches in length. "All for two hundred. Straight up." He winked. "You won't find a better deal on all of Sheol."

Angel looked at the weapons. The gun wasn't the best model around here, but then again she wasn't planning on using it a lot. Besides his deal was too good to past down. She had enough money as well.

"I'll take them," she said, slidding the money across the counter. She took the gun and the knife and moved out of line.

She placed the gun in her bag, even though it didn't exactly fit. She could of used a hostler, but she might be able to keep the gun in her bag or make a makeshift one. Angel wasn't really concerned with it as of now. She placed the knife in a loop on her pants.

The shopkeep scooped up the money, counting through it to be sure that she hadn't under-paid. "Next." He waved forward the next person casually, still counting the bills. After a moment he nodded to himself and slid the money into his pocket to join the other profits of the day.

He glanced up. "What can I get ya, kid?"

Maria Zal

Snapped out of her thoughts, Maria Zal blinked and found that she was now at the front of the line, when she had been toward the rear earlier. She strode forward and gave a brief glance at all the weapons she could choose from.

"I'm not the type of person who would buy a gun, but I'll probably need it here. I've had some weapon's training, though I have no idea what I should get. Do you have any suggestions?" Maria asked.

It hadn't been long since she'd arrived at Sheol, a planet she was very familiar with. She had spent most of her later childhood thinking about this planet, always hoping she would one day arrive here to search for her father. It had been hard to believe at first, but Maria was finally here, and she could (hopefully) get the answers Maria and her mother had searched for since she turned sixteen. Maria knew it was a longshot she'd find out anything about her father here, but her mother deserved an answer before she succumbed to her illness.

"And," Maria added, "If it's not too much trouble, I'd like to ask you a question that does not deal with weapons."

The shop keep looked the woman that had stepped up over, sizing her up and making calculations about what gun he thought would best fit her. "I might have just the thing for you."

He turned his back on her, scanning the wall for the gun he was after. "And shoot. Not sure if I'll be able to answer, but asking never hurt no one."

Maria Zal

"Have you ever heard of a man named Jack Zal, and/or has he ever been in your shop?" Maria asked. It was a longshot, she knew, that this man had heard of or met her father. Still, she needed to start her search somewhere, and what better place than here? Besides, it couldn't hurt. If she was lucky, she might get her first lead. If Maria wasn't, then she'd just have to look elsewhere. Sheol was a big place, and she had plenty of room to look for him...

"Jack Zal..." The shop keep glanced over his shoulder at the woman, lifting a gun off the wall and turning back around to face her. "Sounds faintly familiar. Might have better luck asking Kel down at the garage. She sees everyone who comes to Sheol, at one point or another."

He set the gun on the counter, a small compact model. "This is a Killshot SMG. Its a beaut, easy to fire, minial kick, built in laser sight. Got to be careful when firing though, because it'll get away from ya fast and chew through rounds like no tomorrow. It and a box a shell's will cost round...Four hundred. Good deal, considering the shell box is a 500 rounds."

Jack glanced over the guns this shop had on display, and even though some were good and decent, none of them where good enough. None satisfied Jack’s sight. He remained calmed and shut behind the woman currently being attended by the shopkeeper. Jack took one or two steps forward, in order to hear better what the woman was asking. Searching for a certain someone are we? Incredible what kind of people is here. I expected to find all sorts of people here, however, I seriously did not had in mind stumbling upon a kid buying a weapon. The ex-soldier thought as he took a brief look towards a girl that bought pistol moments ago.

Maria Zal

Maria nodded. "It sounds reasonible. Very well, I'll take it. Thanks for the help, too. I'll make sure to check with this 'Kel' person."

Maria got out the money, and set it on the counter. She grabbed the gun, and stowed it away in her purse. She stepped out of line to let the next person buy. Maria started to go to the door, but decided to stay in the gun shop for the moment. She started to scan the various weapons in the shop, studying them to various degrees. It was an impressive display, no doubt. One could supply their own small army with all the weapons in here.

"Well, at least no one will think of robbing this place," Maria commented to herself.

As if she could tell that the merc were thinking about her 708's eyes shot up, locking with his before he had a chance to look away. Her eyes narrowed and one hand curled into a tight fist; her knuckles turning white from the force of it.

He looks like a soldier, just from the way he carries himself. He wasn't part of the Facility, or he would of recognized me. And I would of recognized him. Is he ex-military? Or still an active member?

Her pulse quickened ever so slightly, but her face remained impassive as ever.

I'll need to keep an eye on him as long as he is around.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Exellent!" THe shop keep counted out the money, before it quickly dissappeared into her pocket. "Next!"

Putting his right hand inside his outside pocket, he raised his head and looked straight at the shopkeeper and said “These are some …awful weapons you got on display. I need 2 small semi-automatic silver twins, a compact rifle that can shot down one of Earth’s elephants in one shoot and a short barrel shotgun able to take up to 7 bullets. And if you have, a belt able to take up to 40 bullets, at least. Does this shop hold only what’s being showed or do you have some of the things that I look for?”

Jack was preparing for anything. A pair of guns for him to be able to deal at a somewhat close range and medium range, and the rifle, obviously, for the long range shots. The shotgun however, was a personal favorite, plus for a little security. Some things can’t be taken down with one shot of a gun, sometimes a little more power is needed, here comes the shotgun.
Full automatic weapons have never been one of Jack’s favorites. Automatic weapons weren’t, aren’t and will never be as accurate and simple as a hand gun. Those weapons were solely made to waste bullets. Yes they can be useful at close range, but the tactic of it is shoot a lot and expect to hit, not a smart way to go. Trained men can do with 1 bullet, what civilians can do with 10.

The shop-keep laughed, the sound harsh and grating on the ears of all present. "Oh oh, big billy badass Merc. My merchandise not good enough for ya?" The man grinned, but it was far from a friendly guesture. "I know your type, looking for the shiny ones, the ones that gleam. You don' know shit about my stock, so shut the Hell up."

His grin dropped and he turned his back on the Merc, stalking over to the wall to fetch a few guns. "I've got everything you want, Kid. But, you can't afford it. No matter how much money you got." He bent down and lifted a case from the floor, before setting it on the counter. "Don't touch, big boy." He growled.

He then turned his back yet again to lift a pair of twins matching the Merc's description. He set them on the counter and lifted two boxes of sells from under the counter. Careful fingers opened the case and lifted a beautiful rifle out. It was then set on top of the case. "Ten Fifty. That'll get you the twins, the rifle, and a box of shells for each." He carefully set the rifle down before taking the case off the counter. "That's One Thousand Fifty, incase you don't understand, Kid."

He rested his hand on the counter, his gaze level with Merc. It was easy to tell that there would be no bartering with the Shop-keep. "Take it, or leave it. Personally, I don't care which."

Bannon strolled over to the small robot, leaning his right elbow on the counter and promptly ignored the battle of wills going on next to him between the shop keep and what Bannon could only call “one though customer”.

- Well Jack, I need a gun that’s easy to hide, and light so I can draw it quick. Doesn’t have to be too powerful, but no kids gun either. A reasonable price would also suit me, but I don’t want some rust heap that only fires when the stars are aligned… I guess a “medium, well done” pistol is what I need.

He gave his usual lopsided grin at his own restaurant joke, while wondering if this bucket of bolts was even programmed for humour.

(Hey Turtle (hope you don't mind me calling you that), if it's not too much to ask, do you think you could put your character's speech in "quotation marks", just so that its easier to read for everyone, since that's pretty much the standard here? Thank you!)

The small bot's eye lens zoomed forward, focusing on the man that stood before him. "Medium well done?" Mild confusion sounded in the bot's mechanized voice, before a quick search through its humor program picked up on the joke. "Oh!" Mechanized laughter sounded. "I will find you good pistol, yes!"

The little bot jumped down from its chair and quickly zipped over to the wall. A quick scan, and it zipped along it before coming to a halt before a section on the farther end of the wall. Its arms stretched up and it lifted a small gun from its hooks. Once it was securely grasped in the bot's hands, Jack zipped back to his chair and after a moment's struggle hopped back onto it.

"This is good gun, nice make and model. Thoroughly tested in the field, guarenteed to never jam!" The bot shook, whether it was from excitment or faulty parts was another matter entirely. "I will give you good price, gun, holster, box of shells all for four hundred straight up! No hidden fees. Good deal, yes?"

(Turtle will do just fine Shadow. Will be sure to remember that in the future.)

Bannons visible reaction to the robot’s deal was a slightly raised eyebrow.

400! Snake eyes! That’s more than I was counting on. Supposedly never jams though. Hmm, if he were a human, I would have thought that he was pulling my leg on that one. Ah well, the price for security.

“Very well, 400 it is then.”

He reached into his pocket and pulled out 250. He quickly put his suitcase on the counter, opened it, and took out the rest, and placed his suitcase on the floor again. Bannon never liked to put all his eggs in one basket, so he always kept some cash on him, some stored elsewhere. When travelling, that meant his suitcase. He pushed the wad of bills to the robot’s side of the counter.

Down to a hundred in cash. Going to have to work my magic soon and win some more.

(Awesome! )

The bot fished under the counter for a breif moment, pulling out the box of shells and setting it on the counter. It handed the gun over, before scooping up the money a swiftly counting it out.

"Pleasure doing business with you, Sir! Enjoy your stay on Sheol!" The little bot dipped down happily, a strange facsimile of a bow.

~~~~~~~~

(Quick note guys. Once your char has purchased a gun, feel free to socialize a bit. We aren't all loners here, after all.)

Bannon gave a laugh at the robot’s friendly goodbye.

“ Yes, it seems like quite the cheerful place.”

He scooped up the gun and ammo, and moved to the side of the line. He took of his outer Jacket, and strapped the holster to his belt. He put most of the ammo in his suitcase and loaded the gun, only keeping enough for two spare clips inside a pocket in his west. He tested the guns weight in his hand.

Feels strange. Its like something that spits death shouldn’t fit this easily into your grip. Better check the safety. Wouldn’t want to shoot myself in the foot.

He found the little flip-switch on the side of the gun. Satisfied that it was secure, he slipped it into the holster. The additional weight and feel would take some time getting used to. He walked towards the front of the store, like a man testing a new pair of shoes, unsure whether he can still keep his old gait. He saw a plain looking blonde woman standing there, eying more of the weapons on the wall. She looked about his age, and not the kind of person you would find in a gun store. Bannon had overheard her asking the shopkeeper for a man named Jack Zal. Bannon hadn’t been trying to eavesdrop, but the store wasn’t that large, and most of the patronage had been quiet. He stopped next to her, pretending to be checking out the weapons himself. Truth be told, he was simply curious.

“Thinking of buying one more to go with the one in your purse?”

His tone was friendly and inquisitive, yet detached. Bannon found himself already thinking of the best ways to make her lower her guard. Pure instinct, nothing personal really.

Well this ain’t going to be no where near cheap. Here I thought that in such a far away planets things where going to be quite less valuable.

“Very nice, those are the things you should have on display though. However, you are still missing some of the things I asked for. I do need the belt and the shotgun. Get those and then give me a final price.” He exclaimed once again.

Let’s hope he takes gold, because I only have a twelve hundred in cash on me. The thought was inevitable, but his face remained still, no emotion at all.

The door to the shop swung open with a thunderous bang, as a young woman strode swiftly into the shop. Behind her dark sunglasses, she glanced at the patrons, her thin eyebrow rising at the unusual number in the shop. Must be the busy season or something. Dismissing the crowd from her mind, the young archeologist tapped her finger against her lip as she moved to the counter. The robot, Jack, if she recalled correctly, seemed to be far to excited for his own good, and she was surprised the shop-keep allowed him to handle weaponry.

With pursed lips, she watched the little machine for a moment longer before clearing her throat. “My name is Evelyn Goins. I placed an order a few days ago with you, and I’m here to pick up my items. I have the rest of the money here.” Placing the small wad of bills in front of Jack, she gave the tiny bot a grin, although it was something more akin to the fangs of a rearing cobra, and one almost expected a forked tongue to flick out from between her orange lips. “If you could be quick about it, I’m in a bit of a hurry.”

Her fingers thudded against the counter, drumming out a rapid and impatient beat as her eyes watched the crowd around her. Her right hand tirelessly played with a lock of her short violet hair, as a sigh slipped from her mouth.

(Nando, just so you know, you will not be able to get the shot gun or the ammo belt. This is my way of regulating weapons, so that people don't go overboard right off the bat. Later one, he might be able to snag a shotgun from a dead bandit. Okay?)

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The shopkeep's eyes narrowed in annoyance. "You piss me off, kid. I just told you, you can't afford anything else, no matter how much cash you got." He cracked his neck, before cracking his heavily scarred knukles. He guestured at the guns and ammo that he had set on the counter. "This is what you get. The rifle, the twins, and ammo for both. One thousand fifty. Take it or get the Hell out of my shop."

He raised a hand to stop any protests before the could be spoken. "If you say anything other than Yes sir, I'll take it or No sir, thank you, I will personally throw you out of here. Because you're wasting my valuable time."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The little bot's optical lens zoomed in on the woman's face, while it did a quick search of its data base to double check her claims. "Evelyn Goins. Prepaid on a pair of Harlequin repeaters, plus ammunition. Holsters included." It chirped out, unaffected by her feirce grin. "Hang on a second! I'll get them, yes!"

With another enthusiastic chirp, the bot jumped down from its chair and sped off into the office that it had come from several minutes before. Sounds of rummaging could be heard, acompanied by occasional grunts.

Then, almost quick as it had left, the little box zipped back out, a box obscuring most of it from view. Once it reached its chair, its arms extended and placed the box on the counter; it then jumped up on its chair. "Here you are!" Jack opened the box quickly, pulling out the pair of repeaters, the holsters and two boxes of ammo.

"Two fifty, Ma'am!" The bot scooped up the cash, quickly counting it out. "Paid in full! Please enjoy your stay on Sheol, Ma'am!"

(Ok, no problem.)

“Nice attitude you got.” Jack grunted a little. “For what it seems, you like cash, but how about something better?” he said. He got closer to the shop keeper and whispered “How do you feel about gold… Sir?” Jack backed away to his earlier stance, and grinned.

With his right hand he reached to a pocket in the inside of the jacket he wore. In his palm sat a brown leather pouch about the size of a softball. Jack opened it slowly and took out 7 gold pieces and showed them to the shop keeper.

“These seven alone are worth three times of what you ask of me, take it or leave it. It’s your choice now” Jack said on a low tone while grinning softly.

The shopkeep's eyes flicked down to the gold. True, it was worth plenty. At least, back on the civilized world. Here on Sheol, gold didn't count for much. There was no place to trade it in, no place to exchange it. Sure, a bandit might snag gold, in the hope that he could leave the planet and start over somewhere fresh. But not the civilians, not the townsfolk. They knew. On Sheol, there were only two currencys worth any value. Cash and blood.

"Too bad." The shop keep started pulling his merchandise off the counter, begining to repack the rifle in its case. "Get the hell out of my shop. Hope you don't give some Skrig out there idigestion."

There had been a time when he would have taken the gold without a second thought, when he was younger, fresh-faced on Sheol. When he still thought that he was going to leave and make his home on some prosperous planet. Before he had realized that once you come to Sheol, there was no leaving.

(You gotta act fast nando. I don't want to have anyone walk out of this shop unarmed, but if he doesn't hurry it will be too late to salvage the situation.)