forum Bandits Don't Cry (gritty dystopian fantasy rp with a dash of comedy-O/O-Closed, stalkers welcome)

Started March 22, 2020 by @Young-Dusty-the-Monarch-of-Dusteria group

tune

Danthony leaned against the fence. "That's fine by me, take your time. Where are you going, though? Did I miss something at this morning's meeting?"

"I dunno," Taran said, shrugging and stretching slightly. "I don't know if we're going anywhere or not. Muddybones just said we might leave, so I'm preparing all of the options on my head." She tapped her temple. "One of the blessings of overthinking."

"Ah, gotcha. You overthink stuff, huh? Sounds like Renzi. He's always stressing about something." Danthony glanced at Ango. "Okay, bro, I think Noodles is ready for a nap. Time to clear out." Flashing Taran a final grin, he added, "It's been good to meet ya, Kali. I have a feeling we're not going to regret letting you join our tribe."

"I hope you're not going to." Taran flashed him a grin and turned to Ango. "Ready to go? Or do you need to pet Noodles one last time?"

"One more time," Ango agreed, giving Noodles a final pat on the head before standing up and ambling out of the pen. "Bye, Danthony. I guess you wanna get back to working on your arm now, right Kali?"

"I probably should," Taran agreed, following him. "But I don't really want to. I've been hunching over that piece of junk for a while." She snorted. "But I need to get it done, or I'll regret it."

Ango nodded. "You're probably right. I'm gonna go look for food in the woods next, so I'll see you later. An' don't be scared to wake up Muddybones if you need more stuff for your arm, okay?"

"Okay. Does he usually get mad when people wake him up?" Taran asked, as she started to move to her tent.

"Well sometimes, but he doesn't stay mad unless you're lower-ranking than him, and I think you're at least equal, so you should be fine." Ango paused by his own shelter to pick up a plastic bucket with rope straps attached to it. Slinging it over his shoulders like a backpack, he gave Taran a wave. "Good luck. If anybody asks, I'll be somewhere west of camp, by th' crashed bus. Seeya!"

"Alright. See you later, Ango!" Taran said, waving and walking to her tent. She smiled slightly, remembering the adorable little puppies, and sat down at her table, new energy filling her. Now she had a reason to finish it.

The next couple of hours passed quietly. The bandits napped or hung out together or jealously sorted through their loot, all seeming either relaxed or bored or both. Brandon eventually left the medical shed to get some fresh air, limping stiffly around the camp to check on recently injured bandits to make sure they were healing all right. Boar-back continued to lounge like a cat in the sun with his book for a while longer, then went into his cabin and didn't return.
Finally, some of the Fighters got restless and gathered in a slightly rowdy huddle, talking and laughing loud enough to disturb the calm of the camp. They swaggered between the campfires, forcing other bandits to get out of their way until they reached Taran's shelter.
"Hey Kali," Florida called from the front of the group. "Watcha doin' in there? Me 'n the gang are gonna go play High Stakes Hide 'n Seek in the woods, wanna come?"

"Absolutely," Taran said, standing from her desk and stretching. Her new arm was almost done, and she was excited about that, but she was at a stalemate with it right now, and so she needed to take a break with it.
"Right now?" She asked hopefully.

"You got it." Florida waved her over with a grin. "Ever played before?"

"Not in a while," Taran said, moving over and returning the grin.

(Sorry I'm so slow lately, it's been kinda hectic)
"Well, I'll go over the rules again to make sure we're all clear.'' Florida glared at a couple of the Fighters as she led them toward the woods. "And because some people keep 'forgetting' them. So, it's like normal hide 'n seek, but weapons are allowed. No headshots though, and only bruise other people, no cutting them. One person's the Hunter and the other people can hide anywhere. Hiders can move around, but no leaving the woods. The Hunter has to find everyone, chase them down, and tag 'em with her weapon. Last person to get found is the next Hunter. All clear?"

(Oh, it's totally fine, it's been the same way here XD)

"Got it," Taran said. She clipped her old arm on and left her tent. "Can we hide anywhere in the woods?" She asked.

She was oddly excited for this, although the only sign of excitement was the glint in her silver eyes. She hadn't played a game like this in over three years, and she had started to miss it. She had many good memories of this game.

"As long as we're still on the side of the mountain somewhere, and not outside of Boar-back's turf," Florida explained. "So the way we usually decide who gets to be the Hunter first is by drawing sticks." She nodded at one of the other Fighters, who had gathered up a handful of twigs and now held them out so everyone could pick one. "Longest stick wins."
(Would you rather Taran be Hunter first or nah XD)

(Doesn't matter to me!)

Taran picked one of the sticks. "How do you know that there is a longest one?" She asked, grinning. "Did you you guys cut and measure them beforehand?"

"Nah, we just pick and then measure against each other to see who got the longest one." Florida and the others drew sticks of their own, then held them up, some trying to subtly cheat by holding the sticks a their very tips as if they were longer. Florida saw through the trick and pointed at a big-boned young man with shaggy black hair who hadn't talked much. "Menard, you're the Hunter for the first round. Watch him, boys 'n girls, he's quiet as the grave. The rest of us, we have a count of sixty to get out of earshot and find hiding places. Let's move."

Taran flicked her stick away, slightly relieved that she hadn't been the Hunter, and sent an appraising glance at the Hunter, Menard. He didn't seem like someone to watch out for, although looks could be deceiving, as she well knew.

She followed the others into the woods. She didn't want to seem like a puppy, following everyone around all of the time, so she slid past them and into some thick brush. She looked around. Where would a good hiding spot be? The trees, maybe? People rarely, if ever, looked up.

But… this was a hiding game. People would obviously look in the trees.

(sorry, for the wait, I took a sort of unofficial break from Notebook for a couple of days)
Menard stood in the clearing with his eyes closed, sticking his hands in his pockets and starting to count in a slow, carrying voice. "One….two…..three….."
The others, meanwhile, scattered into the gloom and each went for their preferred hiding spot. Some chose trees, despite the risk, some dropped down into the thick ferns and went completely still, and some (the most cunning ones) disappeared into the woods and it was impossible to tell where they'd gone. Florida was one of these people, casting a mischievous look over her shoulder as she ran off.

(Oh, it's fine! I'm almost never on here anymore, anyways.)

After a moment's consideration, Taran followed them deeper into the forest. She ducked under low-hanging branches and looked around for the perfect hiding place. Unfortunately, though, she wasn't as small as she used to be, so she had to be mindful of where she hid.

Finally, she spotted a low-hanging pine tree, with branches to the ground. She got down on her hands and knees and climbed under the tree. Pulling her hair, which had gotten caught on a branch, away and tucking it into the back of her shirt, she looked up. The tree was riddled with tiny branches, amongst the big ones, and so it would be a nightmare to climb, but… why not.

As she started to climb, she realized that she had never asked Florida when the game would end. Oh well. It'd be fine. Probably.

A long few minutes passed. A couple of other bandits ran by, still searching for their own hiding places. Eventually, Menard's voice rang through the forest.
"….Sixty! Ready or not, here I come!"
Things got deadly quiet after that. Maybe even a little boring. It seemed that Menard had started by setting off in some other direction, and it might be a while before he reached this area. Slowly, the woodland birds and squirrels returned, going about their business calmly as if they had no idea Taran was there.
But then, there was a loud rustle and a crash from a few yards away, followed by the sound of someone groaning in pain. Whoever it was, they were being very loud, as if they had forgotten the rules of the game.