RP: Taking It Back [Time-out!] New Players, New Problems

She was going to scream. For the first time in what seemed like ages, Alex felt somehow exhilarated. There were so many options, so many possibilities. The statistical possibility of bloodshed grew exponentially from the moment Ally opened her mouth, and his opponents were people he had selected by hand to destroy an entire insurgency. His lips peeled back into a twisted smile, and his eye gazed down to the floor.

"It's really a shame that we all have important work to do." Alex said finally, turning on his heel. As he mounted the doorway to make his way out, Alex added, with some babbling emotion beneath his words, "I would love to see who would come, and how it would play out from there. Unfortunately, I value you and our purpose more than my own recreation at this moment."

The door slid behind him to punctuate his sentence.

The door closed, and the room was silent, and very slowly, Alexis Kimball-Styrling curled her legs and hugged her knees, going over mentally what had just happened, along with all the possibilities.

Mostly, she didn't like them.

Eventually, after she stopped shaking, Alexis reached up to one of the pegs meant to hold a towel above her stateroom's single bunk and freed the .357 from its hanging holster. She checked the cylinder, even though she knew it was loaded, already.

Then, she stashed it under her pillow, instead.

Curled up.

And mostly just held herself.

Alex strutted into the conference room and took his previous seat. He eyed the people who'd arrived since he'd departed and cleared his throat.

"I apologize for my lack of punctuality, everyone." He said. "I was trying to rouse Alexis from her sleep. It was also an unsuccessful attempt to bond."

Lucas frowned at the last part, and let go of Chrys' hand to lean over the table. The ID-Sol squinted at Alex in confusion for a moment before asking, "What did you do?"

"I left the room." Alex replied matter-of-factly. Lucas took on a look of confusion before Angelo spoke up with a smile, "He's using hypnotic logic. You'd make an excellent politician, Mister Foster."

Alex shot back, wiping the smug grin from Aneglo's face, "That's of little value coming from a terrible politician. Anyhow, Samuel, go knock on her door and be... meek, or something, like you like to do. I don't have all day to attend to children."

Sammy stammered and stood up from his chair. "Uh, s-sure, Lexi." The salesman shuffled around the table with Archie's cigarette tucked behind his ear and left through the door, a nervousness in his step.

"Foster, some men have arrived at the dock this morning, who wanted to join up with us." Angelo spoke up again, his eyes averted and his hands dividing the tea cups around the table. "I have them waiting in the empty officer's lounge where you usually take your breakfast."

"Send them in." Alex said. "They'll be moving with us for at least today."

Angelo nodded and walked out at a brisk pace. As the politician left, Alex relaxed in his seat and pulled a tea cup towards himself.

"Now, how did everyone fare on the trip this month?"

-----

Sammy leaned against Ally's door, trying not to sweat in his freshly cleaned garish plaid suit. He knocked once, extremely softly before asking the door, "Little girl? A-are you okay in there? You sick? N-n-need something?"

Archie waved away Samuels offer, he'd rather not take mind altering drugs before a mission. As Chrys bounced in almost giddily with Lucas on her arm he looked at her from his reclined position.

"Good morning, Miss..." Archie realized it still didn't know the Elysians full name, so he made a best guess from stereotypical media, "Papadopoulos." he said finally.

As Alex admitted his misdeeds to the room Archie sighed and dropped his feet reluctantly, following Sammy out of the room and to Alexis's room.

Archie reached over Samuel's shoulder to knock louder, enough to wait anyone out of reprieve.

"Young Miss, it's me," Archie looked at Samuel and added, "and the car salesman. Can we come in?"

Like Lucas, Rennik frowned at the last part of Alex's address, but unlike him said nothing. Perhaps nobody noticed; he wasn't exactly smiling to being with.
"Je deviens à l'etroit" Rennik replied to Alex's question. He noticed he was the only one of a couple people in the room.
"I can only clean my pistol, keep my hair trim, and stretch so much, vous comprenez?" he added, sliding in to a chair in a corner.

"My full name is Chrysanthe Chronis grandpa." Chrys responded to Archie. "But feel free to call me Chrys." She then added and shrugged. It was not first time she way called Papadopulous and it won't probably be last time.

When Alex came in he got her attention. She was curious why he called them all. Her expression got serious when he started talking about Alexis and 'bonding attempt'. Chrys always though about Alex as as cold-blooded bastard, but she would never imagined he could force himself on woman. She now took that option as possible. She almost stood up and went to check on Alexis, but Sammy and Archie headed that way first so she stayed where she was instead.

But to do at least something, she looked directly at Alex. It was look that could be describes as 'not nice' or 'displeased' if you wanted to be polite about it. In reality she wanted to show him that she is not afraid to kick his ass. At least she tried for that.

"Trip was fine." She said, putting unfriendly look away and turning her head to Lucas. "I had a lot to busy myself with." She then added and smile went back to her face.

Alex stared incredulously at Chrys while she gave him her patented mean look. He started to feel that excited anticipation again, like she was going to pounce and he'd have to use all of his speed to best her without killing her. Just as his mind started to deduce her opening moves, she turned back to Lucas with a smile. Alex sighed and swirled his tea before sipping again.

"I can imagine." He said, his eye finding a spot on the ceiling, "Lucas has always been a noisy man, even in the bed room."

He sipped his tea again. "Today will be a good day for all of us; even you, Rennik Cage, with your filthy Halna dialect that so grates on my ears, will be welcome to join. I will explain once Angelo sends the new recruits in and Alexis manages to drag herself out of bed. I imagine she is quite exhausted, as late as she stayed up last night."

-----

"You, new people." Angelo leaned into the officers' lounge just a few doors down from the conference room. "Alex Foster, the boss, he wants to talk to you boys now. He's four doors down that way, in the conference room."

Angelo hiked a thumb out the door before heading back to the conference room himself, and back to his tea.

The men that were in the officers' lounge were all three strangers, who'd come into the knowledge of the submarine one way or the other. When they'd arrived at the dock that morning, a greasy mechanic ushered them into the lounge, where Angelo Barton bid them wait as he made tea. Finally, Angelo had returned with new instructions before they were even alone long enough to introduce themselves to each other. They were wanted down the hall, by the boss.

"Very funny, but wrong part of the City" Rennik replied, crossing his arms and leaning back in the chair. He figured alex must be in a mood, and the thought of just leaving was certainly becoming a persistent voice in the back of his mind. ~Just like everyone else~ he thought

He was down to his last few cigars and had already smoked one while waiting to see ‘the boss’ outside at the dock. He had smoked the last of his pipe tobacco a week ago and now simply chewed on the stem of it. He had just taken a seat in what appeared to be the officers' lounge and had put his worn-out boots on the table when the man who had let them in returned and told them that the boss was ready to see them. Caff sighed as he put his boots back on the ground and followed the man down the hall. I hope this Fether is as good as I’ve heard. Caff thought to himself as he entered the meeting room.

The door was eventually opened by a mostly-dressed Alexis, who had apparently just roused herself. Her hair was a mess, and the sleep was easy to see in her eyes. As she stood there, looking at them, she rubbed some of it out. She might have just pulled her shirt on – it exposed her shoulders, and the twin straps of her tank – but the gun belt she wore was firmly affixed, and she’d holstered what looked like a Zen Arms .40.

She was frowning, and obviously tired or troubled, but otherwise seemed physically alright.

“Yea,” she said, in response, "I'm fine, it's not like, real big. What did he say?”

As newcomer came in Chrysanthe gave him a judging look. Her eyes scanned him from head to toes. She then nodded. He looked like a fighter. Nose broken several times, scarred face. Broad shoulders, big hands. He carried himself like someone who knew what to expect from life. She did not say anything, but she waved at him and wondered what the other new ones will be like.

The old man stepped back slightly and made sure to keep his eyes on Ally's face as he replied.

"Little. His lack of detail was mildly worrying." Archie turned to look down the corridor towards the conference room. "He is a man who seems addicted to thrills, whether for good or ill. Now please, dress properly and conduct yourself to the briefing. Do not avoid eye contact, stare him down."

As Jack Greiss had waited in the office lounge. He was a patient man, and simply waited in a stoic manner as the minutes unfolded into hours until he and the other newcomers -to which he paid little attention- were called in to meet 'The Boss'.

Truth be told, the ex-ganger tried his best to look as formal as he could, all his gear, including his cloak, was either tucked away in his rucksack or was strapped to it, sleeves pulled down to hide the small bruises or scratches on his arm and his face clean shaven.

As he went down the halway towards the conference room, he decided it was best to let one of the other newcomers - a man with cowboy boots - to enter the room first, and then proceeded into the room.

Away from the entrance by a few safe steps, Jack scanned the room from one side to the other, taking his time eye its occupants.

Raven slowly made his way towards the indicated office of the "Boss" considering his last contract had made him a reasonable amount of money he figured here was a good place to set himself up and see what he could do to free this besieged city and possibly come out with a bit more than he started with. Having his variety of weapons festooned across his body he looked like a walking arsenal.

Sammy's lip wavered a little at Archie's instructions. Instead of warning against it, though, he nervously added, "Well, ya know, th-that's just if you want to. You don't have to stare anybody down. He-Heh."

He pushed another pill into his mouth and swallowed quickly. "I mean, well, you could just kinda of stare him down quickly and look away, or just look aloof. Th-that's a funny word, aloof. Heh."

-----
The boredom was returning. Alex had worked out the most probable strategy for single-handedly defeating the entire team. With only a sixty-five percent chance of success without killing any of them, he was disappointed, yet not surprised.

When the newcomers entered the room, Alex regarded them for just a second with his eye before gesturing to the table and leaning back again with his tea.

"Sit down." He instructed, boredly explaining his purpose. "And introduce yourselves. You three will be working with us for today while I figure out where to put you. I will have some crewmen put any luggage of yours under some bunks for you."

As if on cue, Angelo entered the room behind them with more tea and a mobster in tow. He sat the new tea platter on the table. The mobster shuffled through the small crowd forming in the conference room and put a small stack of papers in front of Alex.

"Here's the stuff you wanted, Lexi." He said.

"Go stand around looking stupid outside for a little bit, please." Alex replied, still boredly. "Thank you.

Chrysanthe looked around, she gave a look to the two newcomers. One of them seemed like guy you would not even give second look. Not tall, but not short. Lithe built and short brown hair. What made him stand out now was the myriad of weaponry. Chrys noticed few pistols and assault rifle, strapped on his body armour. He seemed like guy that means business. Her hand slowly rested at her side, reaching for a gun that was not there. She now understood why Lucas always carried a piece. If this guys wanted he could have shot Alex and then half of the team. Chrys was sure that NMX had spies and assassins too.

Second guy was not so average looking. Although his build was something you see everyday on Nepleslia, his bald head and well bulit muscles helped. It seemed to Chrys that he had kind of cold look in his eyes. The way he looked over the room made Chrys feel a little uncomfortable.

"First one seems okay, but I got a bad feeling about these last two," she whispered to Lucas, resting her hand on his thigh, as she leaned to his ear. She then leaned back and waited for newcomers to introduce themselves.

Rennik was obstinately not paying attention to the new comers at all. He barely knew any of the current group of people, and (apart from Chrys and Lucas), nobody seemed particularly close. Now another group of people show up? Where were they gonna sleep? Would the supplies last long for all of them? Could Alex tolerate this many more people?
All these questions and more were running circles in his head, and was partly why, when someone started talking, he didn't hear a word,

"I'm not going," Alexis stated, simply, "It's not all that important, you know what I mean?"

Turning around in the chair, Ally shuffled around a few of the gun parts she had been working on. Tabled was a 10x25 Zen Arms submachine pistol, mostly disassembled, and several other small arms of similar caliber.

"W-well." Sammy started to stammer. He had a hurt look on his face, "I wouldn't say that it's all that important, I guess. But I was going to be doing some of the talking, and maybe you might've liked to at least hear what I had to say, maybe."

He scratched at the back of his head for a second before straightening his tie and continuing, "Of course, you know, you don't have to show up for my sake. I mean, after all, I could just bring you the n-notes an' stuff."

Sammy looked nervously at Archie before adding, "Or I could give them to the hunter guy here if... y'know, I bother you rambling about my stuff. Or you don't have to read them, really they're not that important anyway! Otherwise Alex wouldn't have had me do it, am I right?"

The salesman laughed a little nervously before sighing and slumping a bit, fingers digging into his pill bottle again.

Caffran sat down in slowly in one of the chairs as his eyes took in the room and the people in it. More particularly, the weapons that were on said people’s person. Quite a lovely assortment, though nothing that really sparked his interest, at least no more than usual. Caff’s own weapons consisted of a revolver, a HHG model which was tucked away in his waistband for a cross draw, and a Nepleslian TV Remote he had just purchased a few days ago from a lovely one-night-stand in a makeshift holster that dangled at his side. He had knife tucked behind his shirt collar, another in boot, and his mother’s lucky piece, a 30-centimeter-long, straight-edged, silver-plated dagger, which was hung upside-down across his back so the handle stuck out about the same level as his left hip. The blade could be drawn by either hand was like all his other blades, sharp enough to shave with.

Seemed like the other two new guys were all that anxious to speak up so Caff thought he’d open the ball. “I’m Caffran Canterbury.” He said, looking straight at Alex. “I work for Nepleslian Arms and Munitions testing and designing weapons. At least I did until those Fethen Buggers came and whipped out the institute where I worked.” Caff sat back in his chair and shrugged, “So here I am.”