Scene #8004: The (mostly) Unfamiliar Wasteland Scouting Party

Owner	Pose
Karlan Nobles	SilverAsh: "What a unique looking land." Pramanix: "That's a funny way of saying 'awful'." SilverAsh: "It just needs a little bit of work to become... Profitable." SilverAsh might be understating it a little. The apocalyptic wasteland that the wealthy entrepreneur and the snow pope have found themselves in certainly doesn't leave a lot to the imagination. It's sandy, it's clearly in the ruins of a once great city destroyed by war, and there's wrecks of weird junk vehicles half-buried in the sand elsewhere. The siblings have already gotten a small camp set up through the power of throwing (SilverAsh's) money and people at it so they don't have to actually get their hands dirty setting up a base, but actually scoping out the rest of the territory still needs to be done. They're just kind of wandering at the moment, with Pramanix slowly jingling her bell to keep the air somewhat cooler while SilverAsh and Tenzin (the eagle) handle the more focused scouting. There's some floating people further to the east.
Rubi-Kan Vagrants	The haft of Bercilak's axe gently bumps against SilverAsh's head, as if he'd said a bad word. "Fuck that," he chides. "Maken hit useful, in stede." Taking a look around at the barren wasteland, "Oth that, lanhure beauteous." It's a bit of a fixer-upper, to be sure. Following along with SilverAsh, Bercilak is serving as both an extra weapon on deck and a potential healer--this place doesn't look the safest. His great strength, absent any danger, is put to use prying wrecks from the sand, the axe's power of verdance used to shape trees. Those desert palms are substantially taller and wider than most, used as supports to prop up buildings that look like they might give way soon.
Karlan Nobles	SilverAsh rubs the back of his head reflexively at the bump, looking over at Bercilak afterwards with a raised eyebrow. "Is there a difference?" He asks, and then he rubs the other side of his head after Pramanix bonks him on the other side with her bell. Unlike Bercilak, she's not so gentle about it. "Of course there is. Not everything has to be about making money." She comments with a disapproving grunt, but continues going along with the two. Bercilak's caution is well-timed, as they do encounter a fair share of opportunistic raiders seeing some out-of-place travelers and thinking they might make some money off of them. Some of their eventual wrecks might even be the ones that become those new foundations for supporting older buildings. SilverAsh, utilizing Tenzin's higher viewing angle, even gets around to fine-tuning/guessing where some of those palms might need to go for the more precariously balanced buildings. "What uses can you see for this land? Production facilities would overheat too easily, and parking lots..." SilverAsh eyes a wreck, moving over to join Bercilak in helping to pry it out with whatever strength he can add to the process. "Somehow, I don't feel like the locals would pay for such a service." He's coming around somewhat, at least, while trying to come up with something or anything. "Selling imports from home, perhaps? Possibly..." He visibly hesitates, as if it hurts something to continue speaking. "... At severely discounted rates? Or at cost, to... Encourage development here?"
Rubi-Kan Vagrants	"Thei hath verily ben differenced since ifirst shit-hed awened him could agein mo from two noghtli-dight peses of shit thanne from one useful wight," Bercilak agrees with Pramanix. His axe is swift and decisive against the bandits, his nanites able to improve the accuracy and lethality of SilverAsh's sword and Pramanix's ice. Asked about uses, he has an answer. "'Tis simple," he opines. "Iheding place. One which, is bestudded bi theim that idwell thire, whanne 'tis neded not." It's not hard to see why he'd suggest it being a hideout. It's remote, it's inhospitable, and with Bercilak's abilities, perhaps even easily fortifiable.
Karlan Nobles	Pramanix: "See, Bercilak gets it! " SilverAsh: "So you're proposing... A hideaway. Somewhere the Watch can call an outpost, but also somewhere the locals can stay for a modest fee." SilverAsh earns another disapproving look from Pramanix at that, and he sighs. "... Somewhere the locals can stay in exchange for maintaining the premises in our stead. I suppose it would be easier than trying to manage the upkeep of this area ourselves, at the least." He continues with a slightly less withering look from his sister, keeping the conversation going even while the three of them subdue and slay any bandits still trying to accost them on the way around the area. Their work is already making a notable difference in security, though, largely from Bercilak's addition of yet more trees and raw strength to lift those salvageable wrecks out of the sand. Pramanix aids in the process by adding extra snow and (indirect) rain to the region for future survival-enabling efforts with the Green Knight, and SilverAsh focuses his efforts on identifying good defensible areas and marking them off with flags that are sure to get attention even from afar. There's still one last thing on SilverAsh's mind. "Bringing food and water here should be simple enough, so it's just a matter of convincing enough people to stay here and make it worthwhile. I still wonder, though..." He pauses, then turns to Bercilak with a more purposeful look on his face. "What is your experience with people that have already lived through so much hardship? Do you believe they would so easily abandon their homes even under these circumstances? They've undoubtedly lived in squalor for so long, but they would be trading their freedom for..." He turns a bit, mostly to avoid Pramanix's stare again. "... Another set of shackles, I imagine."
Rubi-Kan Vagrants	In addition to the less withering look from Pramanix, SilverAsh also earns a gauntleted headpat. "God," says the Green Knight, after the entrepeneur's reconsideration. "Nay, not thire frenesse," says Bercilak of the other concern, leveraging a sand-submerged trailer with his axe. As a tide of hot particulate rolls off the crumpled, rusted hulk, the axeman pauses to remove his helmet and wipe his brow. "We shalt not ofaxe theim thire frenesse in eschaunge," says Bercilak with a shake of his head. "Mine 'esperiaunce' is that we shalt not knoue hau much thei hath iliven thurgh. Not treuli." The helmet disintegrates from his grasp, leaving his thoughtful frown exposed to the elements. "Al that we may do is profren fod and haus and saufnes, and frenesse to come and ileve as thei lest. Swich shalt be the onli way we shalt ofern thire trustinge, and the onli way this covenant shalt be fair."
Karlan Nobles	SilverAsh doesn't respond right away, instead looking deep in thought while the trio continues getting the area into a less horrible state. It's still a fixer-upper by any stretch of the imagination, but it's already getting to a point where bringing in some prefab buildings or even putting together something with outsourced materials would easily make this a... Maybe not a wonderland of modern technology, but certainly some kind of oasis in the vast desert following the wars of 199x. "Nobody likes being having their lives bound by someone else's choices, especially if they've never had a say in any of them." There's clearly some barbs in Pramanix's words, but her tones softens after a little while. "So... That's all the more reason to do what Bercilak's suggesting. We give them the freedom to come and go as they please..." "... And they'll make their own choices on how much or how little to take and contribute." SilverAsh replies with a thoughtful noise, stopping to regard Bercilak with another inquisitive stare. "Those who choose to take more can contribute more, and regardless of their choices, they'll have more freedom than they started if they don't have to worry about their most basic needs. And should they trust us enough, or should they desire more than 'just enough'..." As if sensing something coming, Pramanix sighs and gets right to where SilverAsh is (probably) headed. ".. Then you can start thinking about turning that into profits. But let's leave that for /after/ we get something set up, yes? Okay?" She turns to Bercilak, nudging him lightly as if trying to get some backup there (and also staring a little now that the helmet's off). "I mean, what could we even sell from here? It's all... Junk and sand."
Rubi-Kan Vagrants	Bercilak meets SilverAsh's gaze, leaning upon his axe and offering a thumbs-up when he seems to get the idea. "Thou perpend," he says approxingly, before abandoning the partially-buried axe to slip his arm around SilverAsh's waist. Lightly squeezing, he nods in agreement with Pramanix. "Thire is mo to lif thanne what shalt make thee riched, SilverAsh. Verily, I bisaie unto thee, coin corrumps nigh-honde al which hit shalt at-rine--but swich is a differenced conversacioun." He offers Pramanix a smile behind her brother's back, as if to say 'we'll get through to him.'
Karlan Nobles	SilverAsh hurks audibly at that grab from Bercilak even if it is light, still visibly unused to being handled in such a way/at all. He's still a fancy guy in a fancy outfit, after all, even if he's ditched the coat earlier in the day to account for this area being so arid and assy. "There... Is, indeed. Rest assured, though, that I am not pursuing wealth for the sake of it. I know full well what it's capable of, or else I wouldn't be so..." He sighs after a while, then shakes his head. He knows he's not going to win this one, especially with Bercilak and Pramanix working on him. Pramanix, meanwhile, gives Bercilak a satisfied smile and a thumbs up in return from behind SilverAsh's back when he's not looking. He probably knows anyway, but he's not saying anything. He has a reputation to protect, after all! In due time, this arid chunk of wasteland will be rebuilt into something far more habitable for those that actually have to live here. It won't be a utopia by any means, but it'll certainly be an improvement over what's here with so many trees, lodging, and food providing at least a momentary reprieve from everything.
Rubi-Kan Vagrants	Bercilak spends the rest of the day primarily cleaning--removing corroded vehicles and uprooted infrastructure, clearing out the sand with a combination of his strength and help from Pramanix's blizzards, shoring up his work in reinforcing the abandoned buildings with Tenzin and SilverAsh's guidance. It's been a productive first day, but there's more work to be done. The Green Knight, in anticipation of doing it, ends up creating an abode for himself--a quiet, green copse in the shadow of two buildings, with a sturdy hempen hammock. Humble, but effective.