FoE RPG G0 - #016 Suburb: The Last Siren

[20:08]<SpiritOfFate>	Group 0: *Epitaph* - Session #16 starts now
[20:08]<SpiritOfFate>	=================================================
[20:10]<SpiritOfFate>	Blood pools on the cracked streets after the combat. Everything is silent again. Bloodshed seems to attract a faint mist from the corpses, or at least that is what our most spirit attuned ponies see.
[20:11]?	Sotho looks at the mist and sighs, a bit ashamed in himself for surcombing to all the death around him, but proud he spared one pony
[20:11]?	Firefly looks at the mist, over to Bloodshed, back to the mist. That must be his cloud cannon...probably shouldn't take it. The filly flies up to go check on Hawkeye.
[20:12]?	Ignis shakes his head and cringes his nose a bit at the corpses. "Well, folks...we'd best stick to the interiors of the ruins whenever we could, if they aren't infested with raiders as well.."
[20:13]?	Hawkeye sighs and relaxes in her sniper bastion. The ancient bricks weren't quite enough cover, it seems, and a gash from a thrown spear mars the side of her neck and right shoulder. She looks up as Firefly flitters into the window. "Oh, hey there, half-pint," Hawkeye says. "Nice work with them clouds... oh my." She notices the filly's brand-new cutie mark. "Well, if that ain't something," she says...
[20:13]?	Hawkeye ...with a bittersweet smile. "Come on, short stack. I think you have somethin' Miss Green would like t'see."
[20:14]?	Wintergreen looks to all those around, checking for any injuries that need immediate attention. "Anyone need badly hurt?" she calls out, loud enough for all to hear.
[20:14]<Wintergreen>	"Anyone badly hurt"*
[20:14]?	Sotho shakes his head as he examines the surrondings. "I am fine."
[20:14]<Ignis>	"I just have one scratch or another...dunno if it'll be a hinderance..."
[20:19]<SpiritOfFate>	The wind seems to bring clouds again to the sky
[20:20]?	Firefly cocks her head at Hawkeye. "I'm pretty sure she saw me hit that bad pony with my Cloud Cannon...and I'm not hurt. Oooh! Clouds! I'm gonna get a new cloud cannon!" The filly flies off to go get a new cloud.
[20:22]<Hawkeye>	"Firefly!" Hawkeye calls out, then shakes her head. "Foals..." She limps down from the sniper bastion to meet up with Wintergreen. "Got a bitty scratch from one of them spear-chuckers," she says. "Ain't worth wasting our resources on, but Ah could use a bandage. Oh, and..." She grins. "When y'all see Firefly again, y'all might want t'take a look at her flank..."
[20:22]?	Ignis nods. "I could use a bit of a patch up...don't know if we'll face more of those, yeah."
[20:22]?	Sotho tries to examine his surrondings but he is too focused on the blood and battle
[20:25]?	Wintergreen smiles lightly and chuckles. "Oh, I have seen it, after she fired that cloud cannon... Though, I'm not sure whether I should tell her, or let her find out." She shrugs. "Although, I definitely would like to see her reaction..."
[20:25]<SpiritOfFate>	There is blood. Lots of blood. And a spirit. Some crumbling buildings. There doesn't seem to be nothing of notice, though.
[20:26]<Hawkeye>	"Lay you odds, eight to five, she'll run around in a circle trying to spot it," Hawkeye tells Wintergreen with a sad smile. "It'd be unkind not to tell her, too. A happy day like this only comes once in a pony's life, and it's good she's got friends t'share it with." She looks away toward her former base and sighs. "And some never even get it once."
[20:30]?	Sotho trots over to them. "I say we should tell her when we get to a safer area, so we can have a celebration."
[20:30]<SpiritOfFate>	Her old outpost isn't more than a few blocks away. She can see the taller building still standing
[20:30]?	Wintergreen raises an eyebrow at Hawkeye and gives her a sympathetic smile. "I am sorry for what those sand raiders did..." She sighs, giving Hawkeye a quick, comforting hug. "Hugs are the wastelands' best medicine." she mutters, shaking her head. She turns away, looking for the filly. "Firefly does deserve her day."
[20:31]?	Ignis nods to that, remembering...the dragon's gaze seems of for a while, lost into some sort of longing, a lifelong lost contemplation of sorts...
[20:32]?	Hawkeye smiles a bit and doesn't resist the hug. "Eeyup. Zebra's got a point, though. If the Sand Raiders ain't still occupyin' the old Siren outpost a few blocks thataway, we could camp there an' hold a... uh, cutsie whatchamacallit for Firefly." She tips her hat forward. "That and Ah might have to bury some friends..."
[20:35]<Sotho>	"We always called it a festival in my village
[20:36]?	Firefly it takes Firefly a bit to catch a suitable cloud for cannon-making. Most of them are thin wisps of cloud and she just flies through them when she tries to grab them. Eventually she finds a nice fluffy one and pushes it down toward the others.
[20:39]?	Ignis nods. "As much as I enjoy the scent of righteous slaughter, we should get back to moving..."
[20:42]?	Firefly pushes the cloud down about 30 ft above the group before she starts shaping it into something vaguely cylindrical.
[20:42]?	Hawkeye nods, but wrinkles her nose. "Cain't say Ah agree entirely, Scales, but y'all are right. We'd best get, before the Sand Raiders find their folk missing. Besides, Ah got some personal items to retrieve." She looks at the filly pushing the cloud around, then back to Wintergreen. "Y'all want to tell her? And unrelated, is there a scrap of armor we ain't using? Them spears weren't exactly blunt."
[20:43]?	Wintergreen nods. "I will, and perhaps you'd like my armor? I believe you need it more than I do..."
[20:44]?	Ignis frowns a bit. "Scales...the last time I went by that name, I winded up :dead" two hours later..." The dragon speaks. "And yea... we got plenty of unused armor...just take your pick, Siren..."
[20:46]?	Hawkeye nods to Ignis. "Well, then Ah take it back, Fangs." She grins. "If somepony ain't using the other leather armor we got, Ah'll take that. I try to stay out of the line of fire, but sometimes y'still get spotted, and... a bit of leather's better than just my poor tender hide." She looks back toward her outpost. "Just let me slip that on, and we can get going."
[20:48]?	Wintergreen smiles to Firefly, watching her work the cloud.
[20:50]?	Firefly becomes satisfied as she makes the cloud into a bumpy cylinder.  She goes over to an end and starts hollowing it out, pushing bits of cloud to the back and creating a large base.
[20:50]?	Ignis smiles, nodding in acceptance. "It sounds better...you know, old habits do tend to have a nasty habit to bite you when you least expect it...call it a hunch or whenever...but I've seen enough to know that it isn't completly BS, these small things..." He looks around. "Not that I'll pretend I'm a merc escorting slavers anytime sooner...on this lifetime."
[20:51]?	Hawkeye grunts as she slips on her armor. The leather chafes at the edges of the scabs forming on the spear wound. "Fair enough. Past has a way of haunting you sometimes. It's best not t'give it a reason to," she says, buttoning up the front. "All set. We ready to get a move on?"
[20:52]?	Wintergreen nods, waiting for Firefly to finish before telling her and moving on.
[20:53]?	Firefly pops her head out of the end of the cannon she just hollowed out, looking much like she's ready to be shot out of it. "Oooh! Are we going to Overgrowth?"
[20:53]?	Ignis eyes over the rest of the group. "Yeah, I guess we are pretty much geared to go..."
[20:54]?	Wintergreen taps her hoof. "Maybe soon, dear. Perhaps a celebration for /you/ first though, Firefly."
[20:56]?	Firefly climbs out of the cannon, standing up on top of it. "A party for me? Is it my birthday?!" Firefly pauses for a moment. "No...that's not for..." Firefly tries to count, and her eyes derp for a second as she can't count that high. "A really long time." Firefly shakes her head, realigning her eyes. "Oooh! Is it my unbirthday today?!"
[20:58]?	Wintergreen giggles and shakes her head. "Nope. Not your unbirthday. Guess again."
[20:58]?	Hawkeye clomps a hoof to her face, then walks away, taking up a spot away from the group, still within earshot, but where she can better keep an eye on the north and west. Besides... she doesn't really want to be there anyway.
[20:59]?	Firefly taps her hoof against her chin. "Uh...oooh! Are you going to give me a baby pony to foal sit?" Firefly bounces up and down on the cloud, giggling. "I'll take the bestest care of the foal! Honest!"
[21:01]?	Wintergreen smiles and shakes her head. "Firefly... have you ever heard of a cuteseñera?"
[21:02]<SpiritOfFate>	The afternoon gets colder, the sky is now thick enough with clouds to remind of old Equestria, and a faint mist slowly descends over the ponies. Hawkeye sees the 3 storied building that was once Hawkeye's outpost. A voice comes from there, two pony shapes close to the door. "Holy shit! Those runts actually did it?!"
[21:03]?	Ignis frowns instinctively at the R-word...memories, memories...
[21:03]?	Sotho looks around in the mist. "Be on your guard... this mist isn't good."
[21:03]?	Firefly nods her head up and down. "Yeah, everypony has heard of that. Its for when you get your cutie mark. I don't think we met a filly or a colt who is getting one though." Firefly's head is cocked in curiosity at Wintergreen's question.
[21:04]?	Hawkeye ducks back behind a nearby building and holds her breath. Was she spotted? She leans around the corner to try to get a look at where the voice came from. Just to be sure... she checks the load on her rifle. Loaded. Good. Now where did that come from...?
[21:05]<Wintergreen>	"Oh? I think there is a little filly who /has/." She smiles. "Firefly, are there any little fillies around?"
[21:06]?	Firefly shakes her head in disagreement. "I'm a big pony!"
[21:06]<Ignis>	"Yup, you are now."
[21:07]?	Wintergreen nods, "Big ponies need cutie marks. Maybe you should check if you're actually a big pony?"
[21:11]?	Firefly sighs, busted. She starts to turn her head toward her flank. "Ok. I mean, its not like I...have...one..." Firefly trails off, just staring at her flank. For a moment, there is silence. Then, there comes a low-pitched squeal of delight and joy. Firefly takes to the air and flies around the cloud in happiness, flying faster and faster. The cloud spins faster and faster as well, until one small...
[21:11]?	Firefly ...piece of it taps the filly, and she bounces off the cloud, hitting an unoffending box with a mighty crash! That poor box never stood a chance.
[21:13]?	Wintergreen smiles widely, laughing at Firefly's reaction.
[21:15]?	Firefly sits up from the pile of broken wood. Bits of board fall from her mane and head, hitting the ground with a bit of a clunking sound. Her eyes spin for a moment before they recenter, but Firefly never stops smiling. Soon she's bouncing around the courtyard, giggling. She keeps looking at her flank, double-checking its still there.
[21:17]<SpiritOfFate>	One of the ponies seem to look into the building before coming back. They seem to be both Sand Raiders. One carrying a rebar club, the other a knife spear. Both wearing scrap armor and unaware of Hawkeye. "They didn't even die? What, there were what? A bunch of Sirens cooped up here. Aww buck, I was really looking forward to see them turning tails." The other raider moves closer. "Heh, I guess you lost the bet. What you're going to do now, i
[21:17]<SpiritOfFate>	t's not you can make them Major League." A raider seems to turn their head for a moment, then shake it again.
[21:18]?	Sotho smiles at the filly. "When we have a chance in a safe area, we will throw you a party little filly!"
[21:18]<Sotho>	"Sorry, I mean Big pony!"
[21:19]?	Hawkeye grits her teeth. How *dare* those Sand Raiders talk about her friends that way! She braces her rifle on the side of the wall, takes a deep breath and lets it out, waiting until the speaker turns his head again...
[21:20]?	Wintergreen nods. "It'll be a great party."
[21:21]?	Firefly dashes over to Sotho, looking up at him with big filly eyes. "Ooooh! Will there be streamers and balloons and cake?!" Firefly looks up at the zebra, eyes wide and smiling.
[21:21]?	Sotho smiles at Firefly. "Perhaps... I'll try my best... Maybe I can.." He thinks and mutters to himself. "There was that spirit the shaman mentioned for celebrations..."
[21:23]<SpiritOfFate>	The other raider walks into the building. "Yeah, whatever. The Coach will. Shame, I was looking forward to have their three little flanks cheering for me." The suspicious spear raider turns away to follow him, still outside. "It's not like the Coach has to know. We tell him it was us."
[21:23]?	Ignis smirks. "yeah, you'll have everything we can help ourselves to get, Firefly...it should be fun."
[21:24]?	Firefly claps her hooves together before leaping up and giving Sotho a big hug! "Yay! Your the bestest zebra ever!" Firefly bounces over to Wintergreen and gives her a hug as well. And then she gives one to Ignis. Filly hugs for everypony!
[21:24]?	Sotho laughs a bit and smiles
[21:24]<Hawkeye>	These raiders won't be getting credit for killing her friends. Hawkeye lines up the shot and pulls the trigger.
[21:25]?	Wintergreen smiles, hugging Firefly back and mentally planning the party...
[21:25]?	Ignis giggles and hugs...a party was a nice prospect.
[21:32]<SpiritOfFate>	The party can hear as the bullet is blasted towards the raiders head. She stumbles back, bleeding and confused.
[21:33]?	Sotho raises his ears to the sound, ready to battle
[21:33]?	Wintergreen blinks, looking around for the source.
[21:34]?	Ignis twitches his ears. "Gunshot...more raiders nearby..." The dragon whispers, looking around for the source.
[21:34]<SpiritOfFate>	Hawkeye is a bit further than all of you, half-concealed by mist, you can see her aiming at something further ahead.
[21:37]?	Firefly turns her head, looking at Ignis. "More bad ponies?"
[21:37]?	Sotho starts to rush over to Hawkeye
[21:37]<SpiritOfFate>	The raider's head blows into bloody bits with the hail of bullets. The other one turns from inside the building. "The fuck was- oh, fuck."
[21:37]?	Ignis nods and crawls overs into the mist, his eyes scouring at where Hawkeye was looking at.
[21:37]?	Hawkeye aims and fires, fires, fires, and fires again, striking out at the raiders. Tears flow from her one remaining eye as she lines up the last shot. "Goodnight you murderous piece of trash," she grits.
[21:40]<SpiritOfFate>	The second raider barely has time to see Hawkeye before he takes a bullet of his own, stumbling back.
[21:50]?	Firefly snags the cloud and pushes it over above Firefly. She looks down range and sees the second raider, still standing. She positions the cloud cannon, taking care to aim it just so at the raider...and bucks the cannon. A peal of lightning and thunder sound as the lightning connects from cloud to raider's head!
[21:51]<SpiritOfFate>	The raider spazzes out and snorts, his hooves starting to shake.
[21:59]?	Hawkeye looks up at the filly. "Thanks, half-pint," she says, wiping away a tear, then putting two more bullets in the raider for good measure.
[22:02]<SpiritOfFate>	Hawkeye blows a hole on the raider chest, which tumbles to the floor.
[22:04]?	Ignis can't hear squat, captain...the dragon keeps very silent and can't hear the breath of any other creatures... "That was easy..." He speaks, slightly disappointed.
[22:05]?	Wintergreen walks forward, checking to make sure everyone is safe and uninjured... besides the ones Hawkeye killed.
[22:05]?	Sotho sighs happily as the combat finishes, trotting up to them
[22:06]?	Hawkeye snorts, and holsters her rifle. "It ain't a game," she says shakily. "It ain't a gol' durned game." She walks forward and kicks one of the corpses. "*It ain't a game!*" she shouts, kicking the headless corpse again. "It's real ponies you're hurtin' and killin' you backward misanthropic tumbleweeds!" She sinks to her knees. "It ain't a game..."
[22:08]?	Wintergreen slides over to give Hawkeye another hug, trying to comfort her.
[22:09]?	Ignis trots after Hawkeye. "They seem pretty dead to me, Siren...I doubt any of your words will fall into their ears..." The dragon says behind the mare, looking at the corpses. "Even when they were alive, I'd doubt that...for raiders, a game...to us, a goddess damn arms race..."
[22:09]?	Firefly flies down, electricity sparking off her wings slightly before disappearing entirely. She floats over gently, and gives the snipermare a filly hug. "Its ok. They can't hurt anybody no more."
[22:10]?	Sotho smiles at Firefly and looks around, we should find a safe area soon.
[22:11]?	Hawkeye can't stop a sob from wracking her entire frame. She manages to breathe with only a couple of catches in her breath. "Ah... Ah'm s-sorry, it just now hit me th-that my friends are dead, for real," she says, and wipes her eye. The hugs are comforting, and soon she stops shaking. "These rotten idjits were treatin' it... treatin' killing my friends like a game." She shakes her head. "Nevermind....
[22:11]?	Hawkeye ...Tower's clear. Ah gotta go look upstairs, see if they took Pap's rifle."
[22:14]?	Firefly stops hugging Hawkeye once it looks like she is feeling better. She looks over at the dead raiders and starts to go through there things, seeing if they have any party supplies.
[22:14]<SpiritOfFate>	The building is silent now. Just corpses can be seen under it's shadows
[22:15]?	Wintergreen nods and releases her hug, keeping an eye out for more trouble.
[22:15]?	Ignis allows the snipermare to recompose herself and moves over to the tower, opening the door and peeking inside.
[22:16]?	Hawkeye gets up and shakes herself, then follows Ignis. "My Pap's rifle could still be up there, unless them Raiders took it," she says. "That, some spare ammo, and maybe some food. Help me look, Fangs?"
[22:17]?	Ignis nods, saying lowly. "Sure, Siren...sure...let us just keep a low profile in any case, alrite?"
[22:17]?	Sotho trots into the building himself, searching around
[22:18]?	Hawkeye nods. "Sorry, gun ain't exactly quiet. But Ah'll follow your lead," she says, and crouches close to the walls, following Ignis.
[22:19]?	Ignis accostumates his eyes to the darkness and looks around the first floor for signs of life.
[22:20]<Hawkeye>	Until, of course, she trips over a discarded tin can, and falls flat on her face with a clatter. She looks up, sheepishly. "Yeah... y'all might best go first."
[22:20]?	Wintergreen follows in the back, gesturing for Firefly to follow along.
[22:21]?	Ignis nods and enters the tower, immediately searching around for...clues, trails and whatever sort of stuff...he knew his drill.
[22:22]?	Sotho trots in and searches as well
[22:23]<SpiritOfFate>	Turned desks, many broken. Behind them, mangled bodies, crushed skulls. Hawkeye can some some apart from their colors, some from the cutie marks. The first they meet is Two-Triggers, one winged griffon, always told big stories of his times of mercenary, nopony was sure if he ever was one at all. His guns are stained on his blood. Two .357 revolvers, loaded and unfired, he liked those guns. Made him feel like who he told he was.
[22:25]?	Firefly continues finishes sorting through the things the raiders owned, placing...well, pretty much everything in her saddle bags before she follows Wintergreen in.
[22:26]?	Hawkeye begins shaking again as she bites into Two-Trigger's barding, to drag him back outside. Another tear trickles down her face. At this rate she's going to have to wring out her eyepatch. She chokes on the taste of the griffon's blood, but grits her teeth and keeps dragging him outside for burial.
[22:27]?	Ignis cringes his nose once more. "They...were...beaten repeat..." The dragon can't just continue, shaking his head. "Sorry, Hawkeye...sorry..."
[22:27]?	Sotho looks around closely, scanning for anything he could try and find
[22:28]?	Wintergreen nudges Firefly away, trying to scurry her outside... she didn't need to see this.
[22:28]?	Ignis scoops the revolvers with all the care he could muster and follows Hawkeye...they were possibly important to the griffin. He follows along the mare, silent.
[22:29]?	Hawkeye makes a noise that's halfway between a snort and a sob. She releases the griffon outside, and sits down, hard. "Ah should have seen 'em coming," she whispers. "Ah should've spotted 'em and warned everyone..." She chokes up and looks back into the building. "Ah need to know," she says. "Ah need to know if any of 'em made it besides me..."
[22:30]?	Firefly looks up at Wintergreen. "But...I wanna help Miss Hawkeye."
[22:31]?	Wintergreen shakes her head. "We can help her later," she hmmmms. "Hawkeye's upset right now... let's think of a way to cheer her up, or make her less sad, outside."
[22:32]<SpiritOfFate>	In the dark, Sotho trips on a footlocker, the stash of the outpost.
[22:32]?	Ignis shakes his head, revolvers still on his claw, not really sure what to do with those... "No, you couldn't...you could never see it coming Hawkeye..." he voices. "It wasn't your fault, they died an honorable death, fighting for what they believed...nopony can predict the tides of war."
[22:32]?	Sotho rubs his head from tripping and looks to the footlocker, attempting to open it
[22:33]?	Firefly nods to Wintergreen. She jumps and flies over to the cloud cannon, positioning it in front of the building. She takes a seat on it, and puts on her serious thinking face. She furrows her brow and everything.
[22:33]<Ignis>	"Its both unfair and no use blaming yourself for something like this."
[22:33]<SpiritOfFate>	It's locked, but maybe a Siren would know where the key is.
[22:34]?	Sotho carefully trots his way out to Hawkeye. "I am desperately sorry for your loss. Bu I seem to have found a locked footlocker. Perhaps you know the whereabouts of the key? It's surely yours to have."
[22:34]?	Wintergreen calls Firefly down, wanting to whisper something to her.
[22:34]?	Hawkeye stands back up and grits her teeth. "It weren't a war, Fangs. This was the Sand Riders comin' in and butchering every last one of my friends, because they're Sand Riders. Too big for their britches to stay put, and too full of drugs to care what they do." She takes a deep breath, then lets it out and looks up at the dragon. "Thanks, Ah guess. I don't really believe y'all, but thanks for...
[22:34]?	Hawkeye ...trying." She pats Ignis's claw. "Keep Two-Triggers's pistols. He'd want someone brave to have 'em, and if you use 'em to gun down some more Sand Riders, I'm sure he'd get a grand laugh out of it."
[22:36]?	Firefly flies down to Wintergreen, curious. It takes a few seconds, but Firefly claps her hooves together excitedly before taking off into the sky.
[22:37]?	Ignis nods sheepishly. "We shall do that...whenever weapons we can find with your friends, we'll make good use of them on avenging their deaths...just..." He sighs. "Don't tread down the path of self-blame, its not something worthwhile."
[22:38]?	Hawkeye perks her ears in Sotho's direction. "Huh? Oh, Rusty's stash?" She turns and heads back for the building. "Well, look for a dead ghoul. Rusted Badge was pretty much our boss, as much as we had a boss. Key should..." She looks down at the floor. "Key should be on her person someplace..." She nods to Ignis. "All right. I'll... I'll try. Just, if y'all don't mind, help me get 'em out here and...
[22:38]?	Hawkeye ...give 'em a proper burial. Please?"
[22:38]<Ignis>	"Even if we are not really Sirens, we'd be all willing to help you do a proper funeral to them...I know its little comfort, but...yeah..."
[22:39]?	Firefly starts to pull down clouds from the sky, gathering them a couple stories above the door.
[22:39]?	Hawkeye nods. "Thanks, pardner. Let's get moving before I blame myself for some other stupid thing that ain't my fault neither." She sniffs and then goes back inside.
[22:39]?	Sotho nods. "Of course. I will treat the bodies with upmost respect. I remember how it felt when members of my team died... it was terrible." He bows himself before trotting back in
[22:39]?	Ignis stows the guns with utmost care, then follows back in to help Hawkeye.
[22:40]?	Wintergreen watches Firefly work. If only she could help with the surprise...
[22:41]?	Sotho searches for the dead ghoul
[22:41]?	Wintergreen calls Firefly down to assist her with spelling, when ready.
[22:47]<SpiritOfFate>	The ghoul donkey is fallen by the stairs, her Security Armor not in the best state. The holes on the walls show that her police pistol was used recently.
[22:47]<Firefly>	Once Firefly has finished gathering clouds, she starts to form them. She takes extra, extra care, trying to make them dense enough to stick around for a long time.
[22:48]?	Sotho searches the body of the ghoul donkey, apologizing to them while he does
[22:49]?	Ignis looks around for any corpses...that were still in reaconsably one piece.
[22:49]<Ignis>	*reasonably
[22:49]?	Hawkeye takes off her hat and holds it across her chest for a silent moment. "They're gonna pay for this," Hawkeye says softly. "I swear, Rusty. So long as I got bullets left, them Sand Riders better not fall asleep." She puts her hat back on and waits for Sotho to find the key. "Just... take her outside when y'all are done, please," she asks the zebra.
[22:50]?	Sotho nods to Hawkeye. "Of course."
[22:50]<SpiritOfFate>	Sotho finds the key with her. There are no more corpses on this floor.
[22:51]<SpiritOfFate>	On one of the desks that still stand there three cans of beer, unopened
[22:51]?	Sotho drags the corpse outside carefully, returning to the locker, to open it
[22:52]?	Ignis looks around, scratching his head. "Seems to be pretty clean apart from the two here..." The dragon moves over to Sotho and the ghoul corpse, crouching and looking at the pistol...then taking it. Whenever he had time, he'd see what to do...
[22:52]?	Hawkeye heads up the stairs. "Coming, Fangs?" she asks quietly. "Ah need someone with me. Don't know if I can do this myself..."
[22:53]?	Ignis nods. "Just a sec..." He moves to the desk, immediately disregarding the beer and opening the drawers.
[22:55]?	Hawkeye waits patiently for the dragon to finish looting her former home. It doesn't matter, really. It's not like there was anything to come back to.
[22:55]?	Sotho opens up the footlocker
[22:57]<SpiritOfFate>	Hawkeye finds a leg of Pea Soup, and the rest of her, mangled by an explosion in the upper hallway. She was never a good shot, but she was a good cook and managed to make whatever they scrounged up at least edible. Through doors in the hallway old offices and conference rooms, all empty.
[22:58]?	Hawkeye clenches her jaw and begins gathering the pieces of her friend, and looking for something to wrap them in. She'd have a good cry later. She could wait. For now, it was time to do what she could to make things right.
[23:03]<SpiritOfFate>	Sotho finds 4 weapon repair kits and one maintenance kit, 230 caps. A variety of bullets
[23:03]<SpiritOfFate>	4 frag grenades and 3 frag mines
[23:04]?	Sotho nods and pockets them for the group later
[23:04]?	Ignis takes whenever the drawers had inside and looks over at the beers...well, the heck...the dragon took them as well, a shame to leave those by. He wastes not much time on that, moving over to help Hawkeye with her task....he can't bear look up into her eyes.
[23:04]?	Sotho starts to go up to the next floow to help Ignis and Hawkeye
[23:05]<SpiritOfFate>	By the end of the hall, another set of stairs and Pea's kitchen, there is some food there.
[23:06]?	Hawkeye is still shaking as she holds a severed leg in her tail. She's strangely calm-sounding. "Can somepony help me find a sheet or something," she asks. "Pea's a bit of a mess and Ah can't carry her out in pieces or it'll upset the filly." Her eye is almost glazed over, and she removes her eyepatch to shake the moisture off it.
[23:07]?	Firefly finishes the cloud sculptures (under the careful instruction of Wintergreen). They are sitting in a neat row a few feet off the ground, and resemble a row of unwritten tombstones.
[23:07]?	Sotho nods and searches for a sheet
[23:07]?	Ignis nods and trots further into the building, bumping into the kitchen....the dragon just dumps in his saddlebags the food and anything useful...plus, ALL the spoons there. He fetches a table towel and goes back to Hawkeye.
[23:08]<Ignis>	"This should do the trick..." He says, waving it.
[23:08]?	Ignis lays it over the floor.
[23:10]<Hawkeye>	"Oh, yeah, thanks," Hawkeye says, putting the leg down on the cloth. "Might not be big enough, this looks like it was a grenade... do you see a right hindleg laying anywhere?" She scans the room. "I got most every other piece... already..." She swallows hard and clears her thoat. "Sotho, darlin,' could you take her outside and make sure Halfpint don't get too curious, p-please?"
[23:10]?	Ignis helps Hawkeye envelop the corpse by it.
[23:11]?	Ignis hmms and looks around.
[23:11]<Sotho>	"Yes ma'am." He picks up Pea and slowly takes her outside, avoiding Firefly from seeing it
[23:12]?	Wintergreen is sure to keep Firefly clean, though she is building something with her clouds.
[23:12]<Wintergreen>	clear*
[23:14]<Hawkeye>	"One floor left," Hawkeye says to Ignis. "Ah'm going up..." She looks up the stairs and takes a deep breath. "And that'll be the end of it." She begins heading up the staircase.
[23:14]?	Sotho sets down the body with the others and returns
[23:14]?	Ignis nods and cautiously follows Hawkeye...so be it.
[23:21]<SpiritOfFate>	The last floor. It's pretty much one big hall, cleared of most furniture, except for a couple desks, so Hawkeye could see all windows around her, and shoot approaching Sand Raiders. There is an open vent on a wall. By it's side, Black Pepper. She was always full of herself, but then again, she was one of the best gunponies of the group, even when there were more than half a dozen of you. Her face and body are almost entire, other than a crus
[23:21]<SpiritOfFate>	hed throat.
[23:22]?	Sotho trots up behind the two of them, silently look on
[23:24]?	Hawkeye very slowly walks up and sits next to Black Pepper, and stokes her blood-spattered mane with a hoof. "Dammit..." she mutters. "Why'd this have to happen... Ah don't get it. What'd we do..." She looks up at the sky with a single burning eye. "Ain't no gods, goddesses, nopony looking out for no-one. Nopony I'd want watching out for me would let this happen." She closes Black Pepper's eyes with...
[23:24]?	Hawkeye ...a hoof. "That's it," she tells Ignis. "That's all of 'em. Ah... Ah'm the only.. th-the only one l-left..." And with that, Hawkeye can't contain herself any longer and bursts into tears and great body-wrenching sobs.
[23:25]?	Ignis silently hugs Hawkeye, patting the mare and allowing her to run her tears...he couldn't do much, but he'd do whenever he could.
[23:26]?	Sotho moves and searches the floor closely, making sure to check everything
[23:36]<SpiritOfFate>	Sotho and Hawkeye see the faint shape of a pony approaching through the hall, Ignis can feel a shiver and hear wind whistling as she talks. "Ah, c'mon Hawkeye, you are stronger than that." Black Pepper stands a few steps away from her own body.
[23:37]?	Sotho looks on and is surprised. He knew he could see spirits, but didn't know he could see the dead
[23:38]?	Ignis does his best to supress a sigh...he was getting pretty much frustrated by his limitation to understand the spirits throught a logical purview...just because of the inconsistence that was seeing some and not anothers...and not quite knowing the reason, or the extent...the dragon was a curious soul, and that situation pretty much grinded his gears
[23:39]<Hawkeye>	Hawkeye's face contorts in anguish, but she tries to control herself by biting her lip. "H-hey, Pep," she says, tears streaming down her face. "Y-y'all bit it, hun..." She wipes her nose and sniffs. "Ain't that strong. Ah can only lose everythin' so many t-times..." She breaks loose from Ignis's hug and takes a few shaky steps toward the ghost. "What'm Ah s-sposed to do, Pep?" she says,...
[23:39]<Hawkeye>	...sounding strangled. She takes a hitching breath. "Ah cain't do it... not again..."
[23:40]?	Ignis leans against the wall and just stares at the body.
[23:40]?	Sotho looks at her. "Are you... a spirit?" He thinks back to what Hope said before, about her not being able to remember her old name. "I mean... do you have powers?"
[23:41]?	Ignis checks the vent...weird.
[23:51]<SpiritOfFate>	"So what? Are you giving up?" Pepper approaches Hawkeye, putting a hoof on her shoulder, with a friendly smile, though she feels no more than a faint shiver. "I don't mind if you hang around, but you're still standing. It's not all gone." She trots to the back of the room. "I was keeping these for you." She stops by a sniper rifle and a pendant, resting by a desk. "Those folks you're with look fine, you're gonna be okay. Just go out there an
[23:51]<SpiritOfFate>	d shoot a Sand Rider for me okay?"
[23:52]?	Sotho smiles at the spirit.  "You are a good pony."
[23:54]?	Hawkeye looks down at the floor, her tears streaming down her muzzle and dripping to the floor. She nods softly. "Cal's pendant..." she whispers. "Th-thanks, Pep..." She gets up and walks to the apparition's side. She chokes back the tears and forces a smile. "Appreciate th'vote of confidence, Pep," she says, reaching out to touch the ghost, with no luck. "Ah'll put this to good use. Like I told...
[23:54]?	Hawkeye ...Rusty-" She chokes on her tears a moment, then continues. "I'll shoot one for y'all every time I see one, til I run out of bullets or Sand Riders. Whichever comes last."
[00:01]<SpiritOfFate>	Pepper snickers at Sotho. "I know that." She smiles to Hawkeye. "That's what I like to hear! Eh, I don't know how long I'll be around, the others all went away already. Sooo... I'm not good with all this goodbye stuff." She shrugs.
[00:05]<Hawkeye>	"Neither am I," Hawkeye says, finally managing to slow the waterworks. "Done it too many times to give a hill o' corn an' beans. Just take care of the others, will ya?" She tips her hat back. "Somepony's gotta keep Trig in line, and teach Pea how to shoot straight. Guess that's your job, now." She nods to the ghost. "Good luck, Pepper."
[00:07]<SpiritOfFate>	Pepper nods back. "Will do! Now, don't show up there too soon or I'll kick your flank." She turns away, slowly starting to fade out.
[00:08]?	Hawkeye chuckles sadly. "You'd try, Pep. But I'd take y'all down first. So long..." She turns back to Sotho and Ignis after retrieving a shard of Malachite on a leather thong, and slinging the damaged sniper rifle over her shoulder. "That's all she wrote, gents," she says. "Someone want to help me get Pep downstairs, please?"
[00:09]?	Sotho looks around the top floor. "Can Ignis help? I want to search around here."
[00:10]?	Ignis stares at Hawkeye clueless for good five minutes, then grimaces, flails and eventually sighs and helps Hawkeye get the mare downstairs, not without grumbling inaudible things.
[00:11]<Hawkeye>	"Thanks," Hawkeye says, and moves Black Pepper's body downstairs and outside with the others. She's run out of words to say, and thus holds her peace. She doesn't immediately notice Wintergreen and Firefly's work, as she's busy moving the body.
[00:12]?	Firefly looks over at Wintergreen, unsure what to do with the tombstones. She doesn't know the names or what to write on them.
[00:13]?	Wintergreen nudges Firefly to bring them over, trotting up towards Hawkeye.
[00:13]?	Wintergreen calls Firefly over if she's still flying.
[00:14]<Hawkeye>	"Just right here, next to Rusty is fine," Hawkeye directs Ignis as she helps lay the fallen mare down. She turns to Wintergreen, and it's obvious to the medic that Hawkeye is not weathering this loss very well. Her eye is red and her face soaked with slowly-drying tears. "Howdy, Doc," she says. "This is it. Ah'm officially the last of the Siren Singers."
[00:14]?	Firefly takes one of the cloud-stones, pulling one over and hovering next to Wintergreen.
[00:15]?	Ignis helps Hawkeye lay the corpse and sits by the floor...such a shame.
[00:16]<Ignis>	"With the Sirens no more, who else is holding the Sand Riders from taking over?"
[00:16]<Ignis>	"Besides us..."
[00:16]<SpiritOfFate>	In the stillness of the empty room, Sotho sees a faint blue mote.
[00:17]?	Sotho looks to the mote and waves. "Hello there."
[00:17]?	Wintergreen shows Hawkeye the headstones, though names not written yet. "We though perhaps you'd like to mark their graves, for sentiment's sake."
[00:18]<Wintergreen>	"I could help Firefly with the names, if you'd like..."
[00:18]?	Hawkeye shakes her head. "Nopony. Probably why the merchants were on the run." She hefts the weight of Black Pepper's sniper rifle on her shoulder. "Nopony but us. And Ah intend to stop them in their tracks." She looks over to the cloud tombstones and swallows visibly. "Y'all made these for my friends, Halfpint?"
[00:19]?	Firefly hovers in the air a few feet off the ground. She nods and points at Wintergreen. "Miss Green came up with the idea...I just wanted to be able to help."
[00:20]?	Hawkeye sniffs and holds her forelegs open for a hug. "C'mere, halfpint," she says, another tear trickling down her face.
[00:20]?	Wintergreen smiles lightly.
[00:21]?	Firefly flies over and gives the snipermare another hug. Filly hugs fix all the things!
[00:23]?	Hawkeye holds Firefly tight, as if she couldn't let go even if she wanted to. Which she doesn't. "Thank you," she whispers, and kisses the filly's mane. "Thank you, Cal- er, hrm, Firefly." She shakes her head and releases the filly. "Means a right lot to me. Ah appreciate it." She looks back to Wintergreen. "We can hole up on the ground floor here if y'all like, once Ah finish burying the Sirens. It...
[00:23]?	Hawkeye ...ain't too messy. Just... don't let Halfpint stray upstairs."
[00:24]?	Wintergreen nods. "Of course. I'm sorry, about... earlier." She grimaces. "I didn't... know what those sand raiders did to you... I couldn't imagine little fillies doing something like this..."
[00:26]?	Hawkeye waves a hoof. "They snuck in through the vents. Ain't no surprise Ah didn't see 'em coming. They was inside the whole time." She lets her eyes drift back to the bodies of her friends. "And from what these two pudd'n'heads said, the fillies were trying to make it into the gang as something more than cheerleaders. They came in loaded with explosives, and guns. So when they said they didn't use...
[00:26]?	Hawkeye ...guns, they was so full of horseapples, their eyes shoulda been brown."
[00:27]?	Firefly hugs her back, not sure about the name slip. "Its ok. Uh...what did you want me write?"
[00:28]?	Ignis falls silent and "accidentally" kicks one of the bodies of the raiders.
[00:28]?	Hawkeye begins directing Firefly how to spell the names of her fallen friends, so that the pegasus filly can carve their names into the cloud.
[00:30]?	Firefly takes the time to write the names carefully, referring to Hawkeye and Wintergreen for points on her spelling. The first time she tried to spell Black Pepper as 'Plak Pepur'.
[00:32]?	Hawkeye falls silent shortly thereafter, and begins the process of burying the last of her old life. Time to turn over a new leaf, with new friends, yet again.
****
[00:20]<SpiritOfFate>	You feel a faint warmth and thoughts of your friends and family bubble up as you stare to the blue mote.
[00:20]?	Sotho smiles softly. "What are you?" He asks the mote
[00:23]<SpiritOfFate>	"I... am..." You hear in a voice fainter and more ethereal than the other spirits. "...ties."
[00:23]<Sotho>	"Ties? Like ties to family and friends?"
[00:24]<SpiritOfFate>	The spirit glows stronger and goes silent, floating to you.
[00:24]<Sotho>	"What do you want?" He asks kindly
[00:42]<SpiritOfFate>	It glows and shakes a bit and seems to gather smaller blue dots to itself.
[00:43]?	Sotho looks around closely at the mote, examining it
[00:47]<SpiritOfFate>	Sotho's thoughts seem to reach to his wife and foal, Firefly's parents, Royal_Lace
[00:57]<Sotho>	He smiles lightly at the mote. "My name is Sotho, I suppose I am... a shaman now. May I ask what your name is?"
[00:58]<SpiritOfFate>	"I am... Ties." The mote echoes.
[00:59]<Sotho>	"Well... Ties. I see you are important, like all." He smiles at the spirit. "Perhaps I can ask if you know why you are here? Something summoned you."
[01:01]<SpiritOfFate>	"Companions... new... old... bonds... paths... crossroads..."
[01:01]<Sotho>	"Then... you are here because of Hawkeye and her old companions?"
[01:02]<SpiritOfFate>	The mote spins and glows a bit.
[01:03]<Sotho>	"I see... Well... I suppose you know that my friends and I are her new companions."
[01:06]<SpiritOfFate>	The mote glows and circles Sotho
[01:07]<Sotho>	"I wish that you will be in good favor of us. If that is possible?"
[01:08]<SpiritOfFate>	The mote glows brighter
[01:10]?	Sotho bows. "Thank you." He looks through his pack for something to offer pulling out the coral. "Perhaps you would like this?"
[01:16]<SpiritOfFate>	The mote glows brighter and approaches the coral, engulfing it with a blue glow
[01:17]?	Sotho smiles and gives the coral to the spirit
[01:20]<SpiritOfFate>	The coral slowly vanishes in a blue flame, the mote growing larger
[01:21]<Sotho>	"I wish you luck Spirit of Ties." He says. "You have to grow stronger, as you are very important."