|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Generous Conversationalist
|
 Posted: Fri Jul 10, 2015 11:22 am
 |
|
|
 |
And shepherds we shall be...
Aidian snapped to attention, standing perhaps even straighter than he had. There were a thousand questions shooting through his mind in that moment, but he knew better than to ask right now. They would tell him everything he needed to know when they were ready. As he turned and left the room, he didn't dare relax, even for a second until he was alone in the elevator ascending back to the main floor. Exhaling heavily, Aidian leaned back against the cold steel wall of the elevator and lowered his head. One night with his kids and then he had to go back to the fighting, and this time it was more confusing than ever before. Once again he found himself regretting ever accepting his commission. The days of accepting black and white orders and carrying them out were so much easier, but ever since he became an officer everything was gray. It was impossible to make the right choice, because most of the time there wasn't one. Home and family or king and country? No matter what he did he felt he would be wrong, but if nothing else he knew he had to protect his children in any way he could. Besides, if I'm not leaving the country for this one and things fall apart, I can always find my way home... The little voice in his head betrayed to him his own feelings of what his country had become. He was not a deserter or a coward, but having been keeping close tabs on the news lately he knew his superiors were just as much to blame for the state of everything as his enemies were.
With all of this coursing through his mind, Aidian made his way out of the building and climbed into his jeep. It would only be a couple of hours before he saw his kids, and with that thought in mind he smiled and headed for home.
(minor time skip)
Arriving in his driveway, Aidian climbed out and watched his kids come running out of the house, screaming out 'Daddy's home!' as they did. Putting on his best smile, Aidian dropped down to one knee and caught them both, picking them up and hugging them tight. "Did you two little heathens behave for miss Alicia?" They smiled and began regaling him with their exploits over the last few months as his live in babysitter came outside grinning. As his kids continued with their stories he looked over their shoulder and smiled at her, mouthing a big thank you for everything. She nodded, returning his smile and grabbed his youngest from him as they all headed inside.
The next few hours were spent at play in the backyard until Alicia had cooked dinner, and afterwards they all sat in the living room watching cartoons. Aidian sat on the couch with his kids on either side as Alicia sat curled up in the chair a few feet away, reading a book. As the two began to get drowsy he carried them upstairs and tucked them into bed, kissing each on the forehead before leaving their bedroom and heading back into the living room. Dropping back on the couch with an exhausted sigh, Aidian stared at the TV, not even seeing the animated cat and mouse chasing one another on screen. Alicia got up from her chair and sat next to him.
"Hey, you should be happy! You're home again and you won't have to ship out again for another month!" she said with a cheerful tone.
Snapping from his stupor, Aidian glanced at her for a moment before looking back at the TV. "I have to leave again tomorrow. My superiors told me they have another mission and they gave me a choice, but the way they worded it... I didn't really have a choice." His voice was gloomy and depressed, but inside he was steeling himself for the hardest thing he's ever had to face; telling his children goodbye.
Her smile faded and suddenly she looked very sad. Her cheerful demeanor disappeared completely and she too turned and stared at the television. For awhile they sat quietly until Aidian finally picked up the remote and changed the channel to one of the news stations. Maybe he'd be able to pick up on something there about what he was supposed to be doing in this mission.
...For thee my Lord for thee |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2015 10:54 pm
|
|
|
|
(OOC: Slightly shorter absence this time, but sorry again! Certain parts of my life are ah... Well, let's just say they require consistent maintenance, but I'm hoping things will be smoother for a while at least. Also, I was keeping an eye on the roleplay, hoping that those who were at the black market might have more to post. I don't want to skip us ahead until everyone has more or less given me a thumbs up. So, black market folks, if you have more to do, please post soon if you can, thank ya!)
Vincent smiled and nodded at Leila's remarks. Temperature might not help Snow, but Vincent himself had always found the Mediterranean to be quite beautiful, especially on the beaches. He could never bash a British beach, but the truth simply was that Southern France, or beaches in another country in that area, fit nicely between being like a Caribbean or Californian beach, and being like a British beach (which typically just didn't seem quite as 'warm' he supposed).
As Leila continued speaking about the process of helping Snow with the adoption, he couldn't help but wonder how Snow might do as a father. He seemed nice and caring to be sure, but would he have the skills required? Well, if Snow wasn't totally ready, Vincent knew that he'd be smart enough to ask for help, and regardless, no one could fault him for wanting to improve the life of a child.
Despite the talk of the child though, Vincent perked up considerably more as Snow began talking about the issue he'd been having. Vincent was silent as Snow went on, saying nothing but taking everything in. The whole thing was disgusting, but not something Vincent was unfamiliar with. When his troops pushed South into Africa, they were faced with armies where children were among the ranks. Few things on Earth as a soul crushing as that. They did manage to save a few thousand children from that, but some just couldn't be, usually from circumstance. Vincent remained silent, but smiled as Snow mentioned his soon-to-be-daughter's name. "That's a lovely name Snow. I can say with some certainty you'll make a great father." The smile started to fade as Vincent began to think more about the favor.
"Japan isn't a country that typically does stuff like this... I suspect one of the Japanese nationalist parties is partly responsible for this. Tensions have always been high between them and China for decades now, this is probably the culmination of an 'arms race', so to speak. China and Russia have been trying to build upon their armies long enough though, a generation of 'super soldiers' is not something I'm surprised they're looking for." Vincent went silent for a moment. "Dealing with situations like this are not easy, bureaucracy always gets in the way of doing the right thing. I'd like to think this is over, but I think it's merely the beginning, and I don't think this arms race is going to end at child soldiers."
Clearing his throat for a moment, Vincent took another sip of his drink and continued speaking. "The situation will likely continue until it's dealt with directly. I would personally do a lot more, but with the UN meeting right now, I can't really risk stirring the pot any more. My men have never been in direct combat with the Chinese, and if that did happen, it could... Well, escalate rather quickly." Vincent went quiet as he thought, studying Snow a bit, thinking over the whole situation. "Once the UN conference is over, I'll see what I can do." |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jul 14, 2015 1:40 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 15, 2015 9:34 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 15, 2015 10:04 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2015 6:41 pm
|
|
|
|
(OOC: Sorry for the wait folks, last night was a late night for me, fell asleep at the keyboard for a while. The risks of using my bed as my "desk". xp Anyways, time to tarry forward!)
As the grey haired man watched Aidian leave the room, he turned to the other men sitting beside him. "Well gentlemen, I'd say he's a good start. Seems loyal, and hopefully won't ask too many questions." The other men merely nodded in agreement. The man turned around and flicked on a computer screen again, and a strange figure appeared on. It was a man (presumably) dressed in a black cloak, wearing what appeared to be the 'comedy mask' that you often see with theaters. "Mr. Bentley," the grey haired man said. "Good to be speaking with you again. I'm sure I don't need to remind you, but the United States thanks you for your assistance with the matters we put before you."
A muffled kind of giggling could be heard from the other end. "Oh, now you're making me blush! HAH! But let's be honest, I think everyone in your country, left wing and right wing, would burn down D.C. if they knew about me. At any rate, our deal still stand. I'll conduct my research, you'll keep your noses out of my business, forever, and we'll both do away with a mutual enemy!" The man began to laugh maniacally. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have some salesmanship to do." The screen went blank. The man, known as Adam Bentley, continued to make his rounds around the black market, staying out of most people's way, but handing out 'business cards' to people he considered might be good customers. Tonight would be interesting, but tomorrow would be better he suspected.
The grey haired man sighed as he sat back down. "I hate that man. But sometimes, you have to shake hands with the devil gentlemen." He went quite as everyone began to pack up and leave.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vincent smiled as Leila chastised him. "Don't worry yourself Leila, I started my business to end wars, not make more." He nodded as she mentioned that they had to leave. "Fair enough. Well, I hope you both enjoy the show tomorrow." He smirked as he said that, trying to demean the UN a little more. However, it softened a little as Snow spoke about Hollis, though the talk about China and Japan seemed to dampen the mood a bit. Vincent nodded to Snow and Leila at the mention of her assistance, feeling glad that she could step in and do something for Snow. "Certainly, we can talk after. As long as they don't put me behind bars." He smirked. "But yes, it will be interesting." Vincent smiled and said his goodbyes as they left. Turning around and walking towards the bedroom window, he sighed a little as he thought over the events that would occur tomorrow. "It certainly will be interesting." He whispered to himself.
The next day was hectic. It was a busy NYC day, like any other, but TV screens all over the city, and the country, were flooded with news images of the UN conference that was about to occur. Hundreds of protestors stood outside the UN building, some cheering on Vincent, others calling for him to be put behind bars, or even executed in some cases. As his limo pulled up to the building, Vincent sighed slightly to himself. 'Deep breaths', he reminded himself. Stepping out of the car, Vincent was met with a rush of cheers and boos, all rushing to him at once. He walked towards the entrance, back straight and shoulders back. There was a confident smile on his face, as if this was just a lovely Saturday morning or something. Of course inside he felt nervous beyond belief. He's never managed to shake off being nervous in front of crowds, he's just learned to push himself, to enjoy it, and to look good doing it. Stopping at the entrance, Vincent turned around and gave a wave to the crowds, both those cheering and those booing. Once he finished, he turned around and walked inside.
The entrance was alight with reporters, all asking him a myriad of questions. "Ladies and gentlemen", he said with some confidence. "Your questions are likely the same questions the lovely folks of the UN are going to ask me, so perhaps it would be in your best interests just to watch that." He smiled, nodded, and continued walking. After a few minutes, Vincent and his entourage finally reached a large set of doors. They waited for a moment as few guards checked them over, spoke into a headset, and then finally waved Vincent through. He walked down a long aisle, right in the center of all the delegates, being watched like a bug under a microscope. Vincent found the whole thing rather amusing, and smirked as he approached a chair and podium set up at the middle of the room, so that the delegates, news crews, and those at the front (who would be questioning him) could see him. Once he reached his chair, Vincent sat down, placed the ankle of his right leg over his left knee, and took a drink of the water at the podium. 'Time for the circus to begin', he thought. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2015 8:45 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2015 10:29 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2015 11:11 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2015 9:27 pm
|
|
|
|
When the Barus rifles came onstage, Greg wasted no time in purchasing a crate of them, after taking note of the features mentioned by the sales representative. With a little assistance, he moved his crate of rifles out of the way of the rest of the market, and began devouring the manuals, and the cake, that had been included in the purchase. So understandably, he was preoccupied with other things when he was approached by a middleman for the Union. Finally, he looked up from the manuals, if only to easier facilitate the guidance of cake into his mouth, and noticed him standing there.
"Mmmph, oh hrmello dere. Can I helph oooh?"
Wiping his mouth of cake, Greg accepted a letter the middleman handed him, and opened it with his cake-covered fork.
"Cordially invited, dinner, tomorrow, fancy schmancy place..... I'm going to assume this is some sort of proposition..... Means I don't have to pay. Righty-o then. I should go. Thank you sir, now if you'll 'cuse me."
Going straight back to eating cake, Greg planned on waiting for his larger, more cargo-friendly ride back to the airstrip arrived, and making a detour into downtown. Seeing as he was likely still on some watch list somewhere, he didn't get many opportunity to stay in the States for long periods of time, and wasn't about to pass up an opportunity to stay and extra day or two, even if it was in a cheap hotel.
The next day, Greg found himself in a Chinatown hotel, eating takeout and watching the UN debacle while his clothes were washed. He hadn't slept, seeing as he'd been asleep the whole plane trip over, and was looking forward to watching the proceedings, if only for the political shitstorm it would create, and the protests.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jul 18, 2015 1:15 am
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 19, 2015 8:28 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
