Stable Mountain Extra Session 1

* Phisa just waits on the table as she looks at the rest of the gang, having nothing else to say.
* Composite sighs. He'd have to look around for the materials tomorrow, but until then...
* Composite jumps off the stool, seeing Phisa. Eh, couldn't hurt to try.
<Composite> "Hey, mind if I sit here?"
* Phisa stares at Composite for awhile. "... Alright."
* Composite leans on the table. "So... 500 caps."
<Phisa> "... Yes ..." She said a bit akwardly.
<Composite> "Yeah." He muttered, before looking the zebra mare in the eye. "So, what are you gonna do with yours?"
<Phisa> "Maybe get a better gun. Sawed off shotgun perhaps." She said, appearing annoyed a bit at her shotgun. "Not exactly a good gun when I want to use my hooves as well. Sawed off's just give me more space to work with."
* Composite nods. "Sounds good."
<Phisa> "... So what are you going to do after you find Stable Mountain?"
<Composite> "Might settle down somewhere nice, start a family, even, if I manage. Hard to get away from the past, though."
<Phisa> "... Nothing really would change, I'd just do what I always do, survive."
* Composite shrugs.
<Composite> "Different folks, different strokes."
<Phisa> "Let's leave it there then." Phisa says, and for a brief moment looks at Composite for awhile. "A bit amazed, most ponies ususally aren't keen to even speaking with me, let alone not shoot at me."
<Composite> "Guess I'm not most ponies." he stated, rolling his neck and hearing a satisfying crack. "I'd like to think that my foalhood had some effect on that."
<Phisa> "Your foalhood?"
* Composite cocks an eyebrow.
<Composite> "You really wanna hear it?"
<Phisa> "Go ahead, I have nothing better to do right now anyway." She said coldly.
* Composite whistles.
<Composite> "Well, it starts about twenty or so years ago." He said, drawing his bottle of whiskey. "That's around the time I'd assume I was born."
* Phisa nods.
* Composite sets the bottle of whiskey on the table, popping the cap off.
<Composite> "See, I lived in a real bad town." He took a sip. "Real, real bad."
<Phisa> "Disease? Random Killing? Chem addiction everywhere?" She guesses.
* Composite frowns.
<Composite> "That, slavers, and all kinds of other stuff you wouldn't want to hear about."
<Phisa> "So you grew up a slave?"
* Composite shakes his head.
* Phisa raises an eyebrow.
<Composite> "I grew up to a missing father and a mother who was a whore. Only way I was safe was if I joined up with other foals."
* Composite takes another sip.
<Phisa> "..." She doesn't say anything.
<Composite> "The way things worked, they sent us out, we scavenged, and then we got paid. In food, in caps, in whatever."
<Phisa> "... Then something happened?"
* Composite sighs.
<Phisa> "Go on."
<Composite> "A... friend of mine, a zebra with a missing leg, he got it in his head that we should revolt."
<Composite> "Said that we could make a difference if we tried, said we could stop the shit going on in the town."
<Phisa> "... And they perished, with you as the only survivor." She said, as if she was familiar with this kind of feeling.
* Composite looked Phisa in the eye.
<Composite> "No. They didn't."
<Composite> "We gathered a bunch of guns and explosives. Told our parents and friends we were leaving."
<Phisa> "..." She let him continue.
<Composite> "We left a surprise I cooked up, something that'd distract the slavers and criminals, so we could get away."
* Composite took a long gulp of his whiskey.
<Phisa> "... Seeing how you're here, I take it worked out for you well ... the others?"
* Composite glared at Phisa. "Not quite."
<Phisa> "... I see, so just you?"
<Composite> "No, we all got out alright. It was what happened afterwards..."
* Composite looks down, muttering something under his breath.
<Composite> "Fuckin hell, you know what happened to us?"
* Phisa lets him continue.
<Composite> "Wasteland got to us. Started small; holding up a wastelander. Then a farmer. Right up until we were holding caravaner's foals at gunpoint when I realized what had happened."
<Phisa> "... So you became bandits."
* Composite sighs.
<Composite> "That's... one word for it."
<Composite> "We justified it as keeping ourselves safe. Keeping ourselves fed. Keeping ourselves from dying."
<Phisa> "That's how all bandits are made. The need for survival. Nothing more, nothing less." She says it as if it wasn't a bad thing at all.
<Composite> "I guess that's right..." he murmurs, taking a long look at his whiskey. "But I kept quiet about it. We were doing it for our own good, but we were killin others."
<Phisa> "That's just how it works in the Wasteland. Survival of the fittest. Either you are prey, or a predator."
* Composite straightened, looking Phisa in the eye.
<Composite> "You know what I'd like to do?"
<Phisa> "... What is it?"
<Composite> "I'd like to tell 'em sorry. For what I did. For what I became. For what happened to them."
<Composite> "It wasn't even a dignified death; I just got sick of it, and I..."
<Phisa> "... What's the point?"
<Composite> "Fuck, I guess I got off-track."
<Phisa> "You survived in the end because of it, didn't you? That's what should matter."
* Composite glares at Phisa.
* Phisa just continues looking calm and composed, giving a blank, neutral look on her face, like she didn't care what he thought of her.
<Composite> "I shouldn't have survived."
<Phisa> "And have the Wasteland beat you?"
* Composite chuckles darkly.
<Composite> "The wasteland already beat me. I'm just trying to find my way."
<Phisa> "How could it, you were just fulfilling your role as a predator. Like a wolf, we all have to rely on taking what we need from others. There's nothing more too it. Not for the lust of loot, or blood, or ill will, just survival, nothing more, nothing less."
for the lust of loot, or blood, or ill will, just survival, nothing more, nothing less."
<Composite> "I never wanted to be a predator. I wanted to find a better life."
* Composite looks off into the distance.
<Composite> "I'd like to hazard a guess that you were once like me?"
<Phisa> "... Currently, and you best not tell anypony else about it." She says in a threatening tone as she gave an intimidating glare into Composite's eyes. "The last thing I need is for everypony aim their guns at them when they learn that I'm a bandit."
<Composite> "Ah... and I'd like to hazard a guess that you're going to Stable Mountain to find enough cash to settle down too?"
* Phisa snorts. "I'm bandit, it's the only life I can have. Maybe I'd use it to make myself stronger by forming my gang that I can trust and use well. Maybe expand it to an entire faction if I can. And make sure that everypony gets the idea that crossing with me the wrong way will cost their lives." She then points to her glymph mark, a tribal looking crossbone.
<Phisa> "You know what this represents, no?"
<Composite> "Please enlighten me."
<Phisa> "A warning of death. I exist to survive, and I will kill anypony who thinks they know better than to screw with me."
<Composite> "You really think survival is all there is in this hellhole?"
<Phisa> "What is there else? Everypony hates me anyway for being a zebra. If I can't ever be loved, then I can only be feared."
* Composite leans forward.
<Composite> "Tell me, then, why I didn't shoot you the first chance I got?"
<Phisa> "Because you're smarter than that, and you need the help in finding Stable Mountain."
<Phisa> "And I'm willing to give that help so long as you and everypony else in this group is not a threat to me."
* Composite sighs.
<Composite> "I admit I'm not prone to trigger-happiness."
<Phisa> "Good, and keep it that way."
<Composite> "But for all I'm worth, I can't see the path you're going down as being any good for you or anypony else."
<Phisa> "..." Phisa doesn't respond to that.
<Phisa> "... We'll see."
<Phisa> "So I take it you agree you won't tell anypony else about this hopefully?"
<Composite> "I can't make any promises, but I'll try my best."
<Phisa> "You better." She says in a venomous tone, and then gets up. "Well, when you're all done, I'll be waiting outside for you." She says as she begins to walk towards the exit.
<Composite> "Alrighty, then," Composite mutters, before putting the cap back on his whiskey and dropping it into his saddlebags.