EOTC: Life as a Lawman

[Norgarth]

As he climbed aboard Hughe's four wheeler, Reggie had been a bit surprised at the disappointment of Ryan's face. He'd made the assignments with the thought of keeping Ret away from any abuse from Hughe, not realizing Ryan wanted to ride with him. And then Ret decided to stay behind.

Reggie has little attention to spare for Jack and Ryan behind them. His feet are braced against the footwell, and his legs squeezing around his guns to keep them from flying out, occasionally assisted by his left hand. His right hand has a death grip on the rollbar. This was a much faster and wilder ride than he had been anticipating.

[Chaser1]

Jack’s thoughts pinwheel in pure panic, oO(ow‑fuck‑shit‑that‑hurt—we’re‑gonna‑die‑before‑we‑even‑get‑there)Oo as he clings to the roll bar like it’s the last stable object in the universe. Once the daze fades, he releases one hand and fumbles for his seatbelt. The other hand stays locked on the roll bar in a white‑knuckled death grip.

His struggle is heroic and deeply undignified. He tries to yank the harness down with one hand, tries to snap it between his legs, tries not to fly out of the vehicle entirely. After several extremely concerning jumps, he finally latches it.

“If you’re gonna drive like that,” Jack shouts, “you should at least put on your seatbelt! I’ll buckle you in. Just keep this thing steady, okay?”

“I’m okay!” Ryan yells back, absolutely not okay, and one good bump away from becoming airborne.

Up ahead, Reggie had been a bit surprised at the disappointment on Ryan's face. He'd made the assignments with the thought of keeping Ret away from any abuse from Hughe, not realizing Ryan wanted to ride with him. And then Ret decided to stay behind.

Reggie doesn’t have the luxury of worrying about Jack and Ryan now. His feet are braced against the footwell, legs clamped around his guns to keep them from flying out. His left hand occasionally helps. His right hand has a death grip on the roll bar. This ride is far faster, and far wilder, than anything he signed up for.

The plateaus around Lake Crenshaw rise into view. Guard sentries appear over a gradual hill. Hughe slows and stops. Ryan and Jack catch up, skidding to a halt as two sentries step out of the shack, rifles ready.

“Purpose of your visit, boys?” the first guard asks.

The second guard spots Reggie. “Deputy! Any reason you guys were riding so fast we thought a dust storm was kicking up?”

Jack and Ryan finally catch up.

[billtheripper]

Jack slowly steps out of his seat, a little unsteady on his feet after that wild ride. He clenches and relaxes his hands a couple of times to loosen them up, shakes his head a little to clear his mind and replies "Well hello there fellas, sorry if we caused concern. We were tasked with getting some medicine before the doc runs out. They wanted us to hurry and as you can see these two did so enthusiastically" gesturing to Hughe and Ryan before asking "so how are things going here?"

[Norgarth]

Reggie climbs from the ATV somewhat shakily and walks over to the guards as he tries to rein in the adrenaline crash.

"Our drivers were rather more... enthusiastic, about the drive than anticipated, "he says. "As Jack said, Doctor Anderson sent us to acquire more medical supplies. The Pecos Bandits apparently hit Drive City and we've started getting refugees."

[Chaser1]

Jack steps out of the ATV like a man who’s just survived a rodeo. He wobbles, flexes his hands like he’s checking they still work, gives his head a little shake to make sure his brain hasn’t fallen out, and finally manages, “Well hello there, fellas. Sorry if we caused concern.”

He gestures at Hughe and Ryan with the resigned patience of a babysitter, “We were tasked with getting medicine before the doc runs out. They wanted us to hurry and, uh… these two took that very literally.” He clears his throat, “So how are things going here?”

Reggie climbs off his ATV with all the grace of a man whose soul has left his body. He staggers toward the guards, trying to pretend his legs aren’t made of noodles. “Our drivers were… more enthusiastic than anticipated.” he steps up, still catching his breath. “As Jack said, Doctor Anderson sent us for medical supplies. Pecos Bandits hit Drive City, refugees are coming in.”

The guard’s eyes widen. “Oh! Geez! Thanks for the update, deputy. We haven’t seen any refugees come through here.” He glances at Ryan and Hughe like they’re two raccoons who stole a police cruiser. “Drive safer…”

Ryan throws his hands up. “What? I was trying to keep up with Hughe.”

Hughe jabs him with an elbow. “Oh cripes! You’re just slow!”

Jack and Reggie climb back into their rides. Ryan immediately guns his engine, nearly launching Reggie back out. Hughe cackles and floors it to catch up. Out of respect for the guards, they slow down… but only by a speed measurable in millimeters, then speed back up once the shack is out of sight.

Eventually, the ATVs rumble across the southern bridge into Lake Crenshaw’s poorer district. Reggie and Jack recognize the area; Cal and his gang live around here. Ryan and Hughe finally ease off the throttle.

Ryan grumbles, “Alright boys. Where’s this medical supply place?”

OOC: Reggie knows exactly where it is. Jack… well, Jack’s been there once, but would be a difficult task to retrace the streets.

[billtheripper]

"Hey Reg, think we could grab a few extra supplies for our friends 'round here? nothing extravagant or expensive maybe just a couple of first aid kits."

Jack will try to remember the general direction to the shop to get Ryan moving in the right direction at least, then leave the finer details to Reg.

He hopes that nothing too exciting will happen on this trip and wants to make at least a brief stop by Cal's gang's territory to say hi and hopefully bring them a small gift.

[Norgarth]

"Hey Reg, think we could grab a few extra supplies for our friends 'round here? nothing extravagant or expensive maybe just a couple of first aid kits."

"I was thinking the same," Reggie replies with a grin. "Maybe some food too."

Reggie looks around to get his bearings. "It should be that way," he says, pointing. Throwing a stern look at Hughe and Ryan, he adds "go slow, there are pedestrians all over the place here."

[Chaser1]

"Hey Reg, think we could grab a few extra supplies for our friends 'round here? Nothing extravagant or expensive, maybe just a couple of first aid kits."

"I was thinking the same," Reggie grins, "Maybe some food too."

Reggie pauses, craning his neck to survey the busy thoroughfare. "It should be right down that way," he says, pointing toward a side street. He shoots a deadly serious look back at Hughe and Ryan. "Go slow. There are pedestrians everywhere."

Hughe scoffs, letting out a heavy, offended huff. "You severely underestimate my superhuman...ness..." He then immediately slams on the gas, barreling in the exact direction Reggie pointed.

As they weave through empty streets and the occasional crowd, Jack slowly begins to recognize the route, but Reggie is far too busy playing backseat driver to notice. At least four times within two blocks, Reggie is forced to scream at the top of his lungs directly into Hughe's ear because Hughe has either blithely blown past a turn or executed a breathtakingly wrong one.

Eventually, the two four-wheelers pull up outside Crenshaw Pharmacy. Visually, calling it a 'pharmacy' is generous. It's a squat, adobe-style box slightly larger than a family hut. But inside? Inside is a paradise of crisp white coats, shelves lined with tantalizing medical goodies, and four hardworking pharmacists.

Two are meticulously measuring out pills, a third is rhythmically working a manual pill press, and the fourth, who's a absolute vision with intricately styled brown hair, framing a heart-shaped face, is reviewing a spreadsheet.

She glides her hazel eyes up from her work, landing directly on the four dusty, windblown boys standing in her doorway. She unleashes a smile so blindingly radiant that her pearly whites practically hum with magic, "Hello, fellas," she starts, leaning lightly against the counter, revealing a low cut blouse beneath the lab coat, "What can I do for you today?"

[billtheripper]

Jack has a moment of whiplash, going from the high adrenaline mad dash through town to seeing someone so beautiful it takes him a moment to remember why he's even there. With a harder shake of his head than last time he manages to get talking "Howdy ma'am, I'm Jack, we are here for some medical supplies, the deputy here", Jack claps a hand on Reggies shoulder "has the list we need for the doc back home, plus we need a few first aid kits and either some nutritious food that'll keep or a pointer to where we could obtain some if you would be so kind."

oO(she is a beautiful one, dangerously so I reckon. but hopefully she's a nice sort)Oo While thinking about the lady Jack takes a moment to glance around at the guys and see what their reactions are to her.

[Norgarth]

As he climbs out of the four-wheeler outside the pharmacy, Reggie pinches the bridge of his nose in a vain attempt to suppress the headache he's been developing from dealing with Hughe. Entering the shop after gathering his gear and weapons (no way is he gonna just leave them in the four-wheelers), he ,like the others, is momentarily stunned by the Pharmacist's beauty. oO(I don't remember seeing her before.)Oo

As Jack introduces himself and Reggie, Reggie recovers his wits and nods. "That's right, Mam. Here's Doc Anderson's list," he says as he hands it over.