Create a new version of paste:

<Darkling> The sun is still in the sky as you step out of the sheriff's office. Still a few hours before night.
Imogene sighs, rubbing her bad leg as she let her gaze wander the town. It'd been ages since she last went bounty huntin' and it was clear she needed some gear.
<Darkling> Good thing you know a few places in town to get decent gear, at least stuff that won't break the first time you use it.
<Imogene> She takes off her hat to fan herself and heads for the first store. She had a list in her head already, wondering how much it would all cost.
<Darkling> A large, run down house is where you're heading. Looks like it may have been an old grocer from the look of the faded sign. Now though it serves as Jones' Collection of Crap.
<Imogene> She knocks on the doorframe as she enters, as if the spurs weren't enough to announce her. "Oi, Jones. Yuh in? Ah need a few thangs."
<Darkling> You can hear him shuffling around in the store. The smell of incense fills your nose. "'Eh? Who's that? I'll be with you in a moment."
<Darkling> Collection of Crap was right though. He had so many odds and ends of stuff he collected over the years since the Reckoning. Mostly worthless junk that travellers brought in and peddled off to him. He seemed to have a value for nostolgia.
<Imogene> Nothing quite her age, she was willing to bet. Still, she wandered a bit and checked the shelves for anything that looked like something she needed.
<Darkling> You pass by a whole shelf of ceramic figurines. Ballerinas and other dancers frozen in time, their paint faded and limbs chipped away.
<Darkling> Another shelf of old farming tools. Now some of these you recognize, like that wheat scythe.
<Darkling> The Jones appears, his old face almost as repugnant as yours. "Alright alright, to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit today?"
<Imogene> "Ah need a few thangs. One'a them there flashlights with them power sticks for it, a pair of sunglasses n' two or three sets of handcuffs."
<Darkling> "Batteries Imogene, batteries." He goes about fiddling and grabbing the things she listed off. "Planning on a hell of a party?"
<Imogene> "Gittin' back inta huntin' down bounties. Figured ah should update mah kit." Sometimes you needed a little more than a lot of bullets, after all. Not that she was about to give them up.
<Darkling> "Ahh.. I see I see." He's got most everything on the counter, lining them up by height and size. He starts pointing to them one by one, mouthing words as he thinks.
<Imogene> "Kin ah pay with mah good looks?" She smirks, snorted and was back to looking serious.
<Darkling> "Mmh. If only looks could feed me." He recounts, then adds "Ah! Batteries. These are getting pretty rare." He sets two on the counter, enough for the flashlight.
<Imogene> "Gimme two more, ah wanna have spares."
<Darkling> He nods, finding two more under his counter. "That everything?"
<Imogene> She looks it over before nodding. "S' good."
<Darkling> "Heard you tagged a couple of them Dogs out there today."
<Imogene> "Yeah, good 'nuff start but bah no means the end of it. Plenty more tah bring, dead or alive."
<Darkling> "Good. Damn bastards forgot about good society. The world burns, and they want to start more fires." He pulls out a pocket knife to clean under his fingernails. "Someone needs to teach 'em a lesson."
<Imogene> "Gonna learn 'em all real good. Ah'll bring anythin' interestin' right t'you."
<Darkling> That earns a yellow toothy smile. "Good t'hear." He tallys everything in his head. "Eighty bucks and we're square."
<Imogene> "Deal." She pulls out her cash and peels off a few bills, handing them over. "Yuh take care, Jones."
<Darkling> "You too Imogene." He tucks away the money efore going back to whatever you interrupted.
<Imogene> She slips on her new shades and gathers up everything else in her arms before leaving, getting the last battery into the flashlight as she steps outside. Well, the others should be done with the Sheriff. Time to go have a chat.
<Darkling> Neither Deane or Nia are in sight as you enter the Sheriff's office. He's sitting back with his feet on his desk, chair leaning back.
<Imogene> "Yuh got yerself a few? Ah gotta chat wit' yuh about somethin' we found out there."
<Darkling> He startles, must've been asleep. Righting himself in the chair before he falls over he looks up. "Oh, yeah. What about?"
<Imogene> "Cult shit." She leans in the doorway, arms folded. "Lotta dead folk in a basement, cut open like some surgeon did it'n took out organs. Twisted stuff, dark n' crazy. Was stuff written on the walls too, like instructions fer somethin' ah couldn't understand." It was probably for the best that she didn't.
<Darkling> "Woah woah. Hold on a moment. What're you talking about?"
<Imogene> She sighs, backtracking to describe their trip the the farmhouse and the Devil Dogs that had taken up residence there.
<Darkling> The Sheriff sits back and listens at first, then jots down some notes, muttering as she recalls the basement.
<Imogene> "Ain't gonna find much, burnt the place down. Bad mojo. Yuh don't let that stuff linger."
<Darkling> He nods in agreement. "You think there's more? OR just one crazy fucker?"
<Imogene> "Mah instinct says more. Yuh ain't got that much crazy in yuh without spreadin' it. How did he git all them folks there all by his lonesome?"
<Darkling> Some people just ain't careful on the roads."
<Imogene> "At least keep yer eyes peeled." She pulls out the section of cloth she took the the body. "Dunno if they all wear robes this color but...eh. Worth watchin' fer."
<Darkling> He takes it and examines it. "Fuck, it smells like shit."
<Imogene> "Shoulda been in that there basement."
<Darkling> He tosses it back onto the desk. 
<Darkling> "Why didn't you bring it up earlier?"
<Imogene> "Ah didn't tell them whut ah saw down there. Ah've delt with this sorta thang b'fore n' ah ain't keen on lettin' other folk see that side'a the world unless they gotta. Ah hope he was a lone crazy, ah really do."
<Darkling> "Yeah, I do too. I don't really wanna scare folk with stuff they won't understand." Let alone the fact Imogene gave him the chills talking about this stuff.
<Imogene> "Well...that's 'bout it. Ah'll be goin'."
<Darkling> "Alright. Thanks again for letting me know."
<Imogene> "Sure." A tip of her hat and she's off.
<Imogene> Nothing left now but to return to the Fox, maybe have a drink or three.
<Darkling> Still ots of light out, so it won't be busy at all yet.
Imogene takes her usual seat in the bar area, chair tilting back as she gets her boots up on the table.
<Darkling> A glass of the usual slides her way.
<Darkling> Being the only patron right now, looks like it's going to be a long wait for the others...
<Darkling> =========END=========