epidemiology | [BOUNTY]

Entry tags:

[BOUNTY]

CHARACTERS: Oliver Hampton [

catphishing], Bellamy Blake [

dominance] and Majima Gorō [

justbeingknife]
DATE: Possibly slightly further into their time in Hanabira.
WARNINGS: Violence. Will edit if anything else comes up.
SUMMARY: A farmer needs some help getting her goats back. Luckily(?) for her, Ophelia is here to help!

[Oliver listens to the plight of the farmer sympathetically. She still has the adults, but all the babies have been taken and she'd been relying on them to make enough money to get by. She'd been hoping to get some of the warriors in the clan to help her, but so far she's had no luck finding anyone willing to face the ogres just to get back some goats.]

What if I help you?

["What will you do?"

She seems skeptical and a little confused by the offer, and in truth Oliver isn't sure how he's going to manage it either. He's sure other members of Ophelia would be capable, but he's not sure which ones he should ask. He's considering utilizing his magitek, but he knows Connor won't be happy when he catches wind of what he's intending.]

I can try, right? I should be able to find someone to go with.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ living with a hundred or so teenagers on the ground for several days has taught bellamy something: patience. one of the civilians — a farmer's son, a little boy who's skinny and reaches his hips in height — is rambling his head off. he's afraid. the ogres are from stories he had only heard of when he was misbehaving. he wants to help. he doesn't know how. with a hand on his shoulder, bellamy tells him he's already helping — keeping his mother and his father and his sisters safe. despite that, it still doesn't feel like it's enough. ]

[ it's the little boy's sister who runs toward them, reaching for bellamy's hand to tug at it. he's going to help, he's going to help, with a frantic waving toward oliver. it's safe to say, bellamy doesn't believe it. ]

[ leaving the kids, he walks over to oliver, doubt evident on his face. ] You know how to get rid of ogres?

[Oliver looks around to make sure no one's listening before he admits he doesn't have much of a plan with a shrug. He recognizes the man as a teammate, albeit one he's only encountered occasionally.]

I figured I'd use the magitek when I get back to the inn. We have some pretty good fighters, I'm sure someone will be willing to help.

And by the time you get back to the inn, that ogre they're talking about is either going to be gone or have friends. [ the faults in your non-existent plan are showing, oliver. bellamy's brows are furrowing together, as if annoyed. and he is, but not at oliver hampton, or at the farmers who only want to be left alone by the ogres. it's at all of this — the expectation they come here and fix everything that's out of their own hands. ]

[ bellamy glances around. ] We're going to need a way to get those clubs out of their hands.

Hey, Oliver. You're lookin' a little hot under the collar there. Somethin' wrong?

[ Oh it was that guy from the clothing shop. Majima wasn't 100% sure, but he thought he'd overheard the word 'ogre' being tossed around before he rolled up in a commoner's kimono.

He didn't recognize Bellamy, but it seemed reasonable to assume that this was a Hathaway convention. ]

[Oh, look, it's Majima. He seems to be making a habit of showing up when Oliver's got himself into a spot of bother. This time is potentially a lot more dangerous than deciding which kimono to buy.]

Not with me. One of the local farmers had her goats stolen by ogres. I wanted to try and help her.

[He turns back to Bellamy. He isn't wrong, they would be better off figuring something out quickly. He doesn't know how good Majima is in a fight, but with three of them here he's starting to feel a little more hopeful.] I remember seeing you fight in other missions. You're pretty good, right?

[ bellamy's brow furrows. other missions ...? then he decides, just as quick, it's not important. while goats have never been his priority, it's the well-being of the people. if those ogres are allowed to take those goats, who knows if they'll come back for another couple of animals ... or people. figuring out how oliver knows him can wait when bellamy inevitably goes back to shop for a kimono that isn't so dirtied or ripped. space people have no appreciation for the finer things in life. ]

Yeah. I'm okay. [ if only he was one to boast. ] Kind of used to fighting people who are bigger than me. [ and then with a nod of his head, ] Bellamy.

[ He listened to Oliver's explanation with some interest. Goat-stealing ogres? Apparently, more likely than you'd think. He gave Bellamy a tilt of his head in answer. ]

Majima.

If you're thinkin' of throwing down, I'm game.

[ In fact, this was a bit of an understatement -- not a single person had attacked Majima while he'd been here, which was frankly a weird feeling for him. He looked pretty chill about the whole situation, actually, arms folded into his sleeves like of course, fighting ogres. Yes. ]

[Bellamy's look does make him wonder. Does he even remember him? Granted, the interaction had been brief and the circumstances heated, but that's still a little hurtful. He doesn't like being so forgettable.

He's glad when Majima offers his help too. He's not sure what his combat skills are like, but he's quick enough he hopes the lack of hesitation implies experience.]

We'd have to be smart. The ogres are supposed to be really strong, so we'll probably need to try and ambush them or something.

[Charging in there and taking the ogres on directly seems to be an even worse idea than volunteering to do this in the first place.]

[ with introductions settled, it’s time to get down to business. bellamy glances over his shoulder to look at two of the kids huddled together, whispering like they have some sort of secret to keep from everyone around them. turning back to his new friends, he lets out a breath. ]

You guys know how to take down an ogre?

[ by the skeptical look he wears, bellamy doesn’t. ]

[ A quick shake of his head. ]

Not really. I was figurin' they'd be like oni. Why don't we ask the farmer, though? Or some of the folks around here. Even if they don't know how to beat 'em, they must know more about them than we do.

[ If they turned out to be merely large humanoids, all the better. ]

Good idea.

[Oliver looks around to see where the farmer's got to. She's disappeared, presumably to do her work, but her husband is still out here. He's trying to convince his children to play nicely, a task that isn't going especially well. It makes Oliver hesitant to approach, but they need the information he hopefully has to offer.]

Excuse me.

[The man looks up, and the little boy takes advantage to drag his sister into the mud with a loud shriek. It takes a few minutes to clear up the commotion before he sends the scolded children away to clean themselves up.

"What can I do for you?" he asks at last, a pleasant smile gracing his features now he's addressing them.]

Your wife told us you were having problems with the ogres. We wanted to help, but we don't know much about them.

["You?" he asks, laughing in disbelief. Presumably he doesn't believe that they're warriors, which in Oliver's case at least is true. The farmer's husband shakes his head, smile suddenly mournful.

"The ogres are strong and vicious. They have clubs crafted from iron. They'd kill you easily. Our goats are gone, only a fool would risk facing them."]

[ bellamy watches the kids play before they’re sent away. it’s a sight he hasn’t ever seen in his life, except for when he’s face to face with a grounder clan. it makes him wonder if the grounders would’ve let a group of ogres, let alone one, terrorise them. ]

[ rather than wait for oliver to get a handle on the conversation, bellamy walks over toward the small house the kids had been banished into. a shovel and a rake lean against the wall. holding up the shovel, he addresses them. ] Think this will do it?

[ the farmer stares at him, then shakes his head. “you think we haven’t tried that already?” ]

Alright. So they use clubs, and they're strong enough to haul a bunch of goats around. But they probably have the same weaknesses as a human, right? Got two eyes, two arms, and two legs.

You take out someone's legs, and you cut their mobility. You take out their arms, and it's a lot harder to use any weapons.

[ "Don't forget the claws," said the farmer glumly. "Poor Daisy didn't have a chance."

Majima considered this for a moment. ]

If there are several of 'em, probably the biggest problem is if they all gang up at once. We'd be better off if there was some way to stagger them, or get 'em all disorganized.

[Oliver pales at the mention of claws, but Majima's strategy doesn't seem to be a bad one. If they have weapons and play it smart then maybe they stand a chance. He nods over at the tools Bellamy's looking at.]

Can we take these?

[The farmer's husband snickers.

"If you pay."

Clearly he has no faith in their ability to return them. The response isn't that surprising. The family have lost a lot. Oliver turns back to the others to see what they think.

He has his own secret weapon to offer, but it's one he feels guilty about using without Connor so his voice is a little strained when he speaks up.]

Do you think they'd be any use at all? I have an idea for how we could be stealthy, but we'll still need weapons.

Anything's better than nothing. [ bellamy says it gruffly, eyeing the farmer with distaste. everything comes with a price, doesn't it? no matter where he is, the simplest thing is never free. ]

Grab whatever you can. Our payment will be your farm being ogre free. [ the man looks like he's ready to spit and argue, but bellamy holds the shovel like he knows what to do with it (he doesn't) and the man seems to quieten up, if only for a few moments. "We'll see," he says. "We'll be cleaning up your bodies, like the rest of them." ]

[ tired of talking to a brick wall of information, bellamy sighs. ] Hercules fought the Nemean Lion for a long time, lured him to a cave, then managed to strangle him. We just need to see how these guys move. They have a weakness.

I agree with ya on that one.

[ Majima rolled his head against one shoulder, as if to work out a kink. ]

You guys wanna break real quick and regroup with whatever's around? I'm good on weapons, myself.

[ Where was he hiding... weapons..... (probably somewhere in his clothing.) ]

[Oliver thinks about pointing out the Ancient Greeks were kind of idiots, but it's probably best not to think too hard about how dangerous this plan could actually be.

Instead he nods in response to Majima's suggestion, looking at him as if trying to figure out where he's hiding those weapons.]

Do you want to meet at the end of the farm in like an hour?

[The farm seems like a pretty good spot to meet back at. They all know where it is and it's close to the spot the ogres are supposed to be living, possibly the reason this farmer is the one whose livestock is being stolen.]

[ glancing over at majima, bellamy looks back at oliver. it seems like the best course of action — gather weapons, even see if they can find anymore evidence of the ogres' movements, and then meet back in the middle. if they storm the ogres now, he has a feeling their skin will be ripped from bone. ]

An hour. [ truthfully, bellamy has no concept of time, but he has a feeling none of them will take half the day to find a reasonably sized rock to throw at their goliaths. either way, he sounds like he knows what he's doing — and he does, to an extent. they did this shit on the ground, thank the stars. ] Stay within someone's eyesight — doesn't matter if it's a farmer's kid — and check in on the radio. We can't afford to lose someone to the ogres.

[ When Majima returned, he had a small wrapped package under one arm -- looked like some kind of butcher paper. Otherwise, however, he did not appear to have picked up any flashy spears.

He handed this package to Oliver, who, if he decided to open it, would discover a sharp kitchen knife with a slender blade.

Don't look at him like that. They wouldn't sell him the good stuff. ]

Here. Might come in handy.

[Oliver is already waiting when Majima arrives, though he hasn't been there for long. He has a box on the ground next to him and is carrying a small bag. He looks extremely pleased with himself, and is clearly waiting for the others so he can reveal exactly what he's brought along.

He takes the package curiously, looking over the knife wrapped within.]

Thanks. That's probably a good idea. Are you sure you don't need it?

[He's still very interested in just what weapons Majima might have.]

I'm sure. I got my own, anyway.

[ WHAT'S IN THE BAG, OLIVER? ]

[ it’s when the package is exchanged between the two of them that bellamy arrives, a spear in a hand and a knife at his belt. it’s the best he could muster with himself looking a bit ragged and in need to try and avoid getting arrested. there’s nothing like a rifle in his hands, but this will have to do for now. ]

[ joining them, bellamy regards them. ] If you’re having second thoughts, you can leave. No ones going to think badly of you for getting your ass out of danger.

[ despite not knowing how to fight an ogre — or what an ogre is outside of the civilians’ stories — his self loathing keeps him here. ]

Second thoughts? Hell no; I'd never find out what's in that mystery box!

[ Priorities....

But at this point, Majima had no intention of backing down. He had to know what these ogres were like! He had baby goats to save! Also, all this talking and running around was kind of getting to him. ]

[Oliver's assuming the comment was directed at him more than Majima, knowing full well he's not one of the most combat minded members of the team. Maybe he can tell that.]

I'm not. I've actually got a great idea.

[At least it had seemed good to him, and he hopes that they agree. He lifts the lid off the wooden box he's brought with him, revealing a stack of fireworks.]

They were supposed to be for the festival, but they didn't get used up. [They can probably all guess why that was...] I figured we could use them to scare the ogres away. Even if it turns out they can handle loud noises they can leave a pretty nasty burn.

And if we need a little help getting up close without being spotted I have rings that are supposed to make you invisible, but I only have two of those.

[He looks between the other two men eagerly, clearly looking for some kind of approval for his plan.]

[ oliver had lost him until he got to the good part — loud deafening noises and nasty burns. the contents of that box is going to require a conversation at a much later date. if he says it'll work, bellamy has to trust him. if raven was here, she'd be able to confirm that they were just like the bombs they'd made on the ground, perhaps even just as loud. ]

[ it's with no hesitation that bellamy speaks up. ] You two take them. [ his gaze remains on the fireworks. he doesn't know oliver or majima from adam, but he doesn't particularly want to see either of them shake their head or look a little unsold on the idea. ] If they need something to focus on, they can focus on me.

[ lifting his head up, ] Good plan. How the hell do we use these?

[ wtf are fireworks. ]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

just going to SKIP AHEAD

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject