Galideno Prairie & Fields

[From Here]

Mikaru's vehicle bounced and rumbled as soon as she left the paved roads and got further away from the metropolis section of Galideno. Her breasts bobbed and her shades bounced on the edge of her nose. She could see the big mountain easily ahead of her, most on the edge of Galideno could. "Gods... its really been fifteen years. Two damn years before I joined up with the T.I.R.S.. I was such a foolish kid back then. Where is that courage now? Damn my disorderly attitude..." she groaned.

She didn't know how good her memory was, but Mikaru would have to assume that she did remember her. Dragons... were like that. If she could bargain with one in her youth, she should be able to do so now. "Okay... okay..." she gulped. She half flinched, wanting to turn the vehicle around, but surprisingly didn't. "Okay..." she breathed slowly. She would arrive at the base of the mountain shortly.

[To Here]

The old 'Betsy' with its forest green gleam and mud encrusted tire wells bellowed a final cloud of black smoke from its tail pipe before coming to a stall. A loud, continuous 'honk' bellowed from its frame and echoed across the miles of open grassland. The disheartened occupant was the cause; her bosomy body pressing against the wheel, with her head slumped over it in such a depreciated state. Not again... by Corveyus' luck, why now? Its almost nightfall... she mentally groaned, as well as physically- her tail smacking her curvy rump hard beneath the folds of her long dress, hidden away from mortal eyes. Not that there was a set of eyes on her out this far into the grassland. She sighed heavily, pulling her head up; her glasses askew upon her face and her large, saddened bright crimson glade reflected off the inner windshield's glass.

Her ears, fuzzy and somewhat firm twitched once the bleating horn silenced itself, now that her massive boobs weren't forced right up against the push horn of the old pickup's steering wheel. She leaned back, slumping in her seat and blowing mossy green hair from her eyes while her left hand readjusted her glasses, her right hand adjusting her top. The red straps of her bikini bra clearly visible, she adjusted the white cotton material over top with a slight snap, before sighing heavily and glancing into the rear view mirror at herself. "Well, Millie..." she started, drawing out that sigh a bit longer in a low husky tone. "We ain't gonna move at this rate. Better get yer hands dirty now or else yer gonna get stranded out here." she told herself, closing her eyes and flattened her fingers against her forehead, closing her eyes and shaking her head lightly left to right. Had to make a run to the city... couldn't just put that off for tomorrow, could I? Not to mention I have night school tonight, and by the time I get there now, my students'll just skip lessons and head home themselves! Dammit, I really should get a phone too. She paused at that thought, her eyes lidded as she pouted her plush lips and inflated her cheeks: "Not my fault they so dang expensive..." she grumbled.

Without as much to do now, she decided it was perhaps best to remove herself from the vehicle and begin an inspection of the Ol' Betsy. She opened the door, slipped her five foot ten inch frame out into the cool open prairie, her long skirt flapping with her puffy detached sleeves and long moss green hair. Her oval shaped glasses glinted in the setting sun, and she sighed again at her predicament. She wished she had low-light vision like other Beast-Kin, but being a Tauran species of Bos had its mix of benefits and weaknesses; one such was ordinary mortal's sight. She had to work fast, as she didn't have a torch immediately on hand either. Double damn my luck...

She flips open the hood, backing off with a sharp gasp as plumes of smoke rolled out from the engine. "Oh shit me..." she spat, shaking her head wearily before continuing the process. The scent of burning oil and rubber pungent, Millie bending her generous body over the vehicle, her well rounded bottom sticking up into the air, swaying subtly left and right as she got her head deep into the smoky engine's interior, coughing and wheezing as she 'shooed' away the smoke from her face.

Having departed the Bliss towers, Regis Black-Fire took his own custom roadster, and left Galideno to blow off some steam. With the fighting arenas shut down due to Howard's death, the young Scardian needed to do something to take his mind off of boiling tensions, otherwise he would likely murder someone outside of the cage.



The loud roaring of the engine accompanied a burst of terrifying speed of the DZS-90 super sportster. that was until the sudden emergence of plumes of smoke and the rapidly growing sight of a broken down tractor in the middle of the road!

Regis slammed on the breaks and the wheels locked up screeching the tires as they slid along the road in a vicious smoking skid. Regis' eyes widened, if he slid into the tractor, his armored vehicle would either smash right through it, or the larger vehicle would land on top of him.

Fortunately, the tires were fresh, and he stopped a few meters from the broken down antique.

Frustrated and angry, Regis door swung upward automatically, and he stepped out. His eyes a rage. "What the fuck?! You're in the road!" he yelled.

Millie, face and ears deep into an old crusty engine, didn't hear the thing approaching yet, only felt a steadily increasing rumble. Before she had a chance to poke her head out from the plumes, she heard the squealing of the tires, and thus closed her eyes, knees buckling slightly and her body tensed up, ready to feel the full impact! Dust and dirt bellowed against her back, given the nature of the road. She blinked, about to raise her head when she instead heard someone raise their voice!

Regis Black-Fire wrote:"What the fuck?! You're in the road!" he yelled.

She squirmed, a timid creature by nature, she hunkered her head behind the open engine for a moment longer. Oh great... now I've got some city boy all up in a fuss... Could be worse though, if we actually collided I suppose... She thought silently, her wide hips swaying slightly, her body quivering gently. "S-sorry..." came her husky but almost frail sounding tone, almost a whisper but enhanced by the echoing interior of her open engine. She raised her head, hitting it on the underside of the hood with a slight 'bong' sound. Smooth. Look more of an idiot now...

"Ow...." she whined, rubbing the top of her mossy green hair before slowly turning, her large light red eyes glancing at the very angry deeper crimson eyes of a young human man. She was slightly taken back by his ferocity, as if he wanted to flay her alive! She grimaced too at the sight of his vehicle: one of those newer age vehicles that the wealthy were getting their hands on these days. Some of them didn't even need gas to run! "S-sorry..." she stuttered again. "My ol' Betsy isn't in the fairest shape these days. Besides... you do know you're not technically on the 'road' anymore... do ya?" she asked, her bovine ears slumping slightly, adding to her nervous blushing features.

Despite her ears, she looked human. Very curvaceous though, and rather tall too:

Regis growled out and shook his head, stepping back into his car, closing the door, and starting the engine. Then he stopped, and stared at the Bovine Beastkin. A million thoughts circled in his head, every selfish emotion he had clashed with his diminishing sense of Scardian honor, and as his engine hummed low, his face ever so slowly softened, his sense of honor slowly, ever so slowly, beat back his desire to simply take off, to kill the woman, to break her vehicle, anything other than what he knew was the right thing to do. With a sigh, he leaned on the wheel with his arms on top of the steering wheel and his forehead resting on his forearms as he tried hard to think. After a few more moments and a *tsk* of irritation, he backed his car up and pulled alongside the tractor on the opposite side of the dirt trail.

The door reopened and Regis stepped back out. Without saying a word, the Scardian lad lifted the back of the tractor by it's rear pull bars and dragged the vehicle to the side of the trail and out of the way. He quickly flipped out his cell phone and called for a local mechanic. "Yeah, Joey, I got a job for ya. I've got a broken down Tractor named 'Betsy' on the dirt trail outside Galideno's west. Yeah, Green tractor, license plate FFT-787. Yeah... Cool... Yeah just put it on my tab. The beastkin owner probably couldn't afford your prices anyway. Yeah... Thanks dude... Cool. Later." He hung up the phone, and looked over at the bovine beastkin. "Well... That's my good deed for the day."

Regis Black-Fire wrote:Regis growled out and shook his head, stepping back into his car, closing the door, and starting the engine. Then he stopped, and stared at the Bovine Beastkin. A million thoughts circled in his head, every selfish emotion he had clashed with his diminishing sense of Scardian honor, and as his engine hummed low, his face ever so slowly softened, his sense of honor slowly, ever so slowly, beat back his desire to simply take off, to kill the woman, to break her vehicle, anything other than what he knew was the right thing to do. With a sigh, he leaned on the wheel with his arms on top of the steering wheel and his forehead resting on his forearms as he tried hard to think. After a few more moments and a *tsk* of irritation, he backed his car up and pulled alongside the tractor on the opposite side of the dirt trail.

The door reopened and Regis stepped back out. Without saying a word, the Scardian lad lifted the back of the tractor by it's rear pull bars and dragged the vehicle to the side of the trail and out of the way. He quickly flipped out his cell phone and called for a local mechanic. "Yeah, Joey, I got a job for ya. I've got a broken down Tractor named 'Betsy' on the dirt trail outside Galideno's west. Yeah, Green tractor, license plate FFT-787. Yeah... Cool... Yeah just put it on my tab. The beastkin owner probably couldn't afford your prices anyway. Yeah... Thanks dude... Cool. Later." He hung up the phone, and looked over at the bovine beastkin. "Well... That's my good deed for the day."

The woman blinked, adjusting her glasses which glinted so in the low light, jaw slightly agape as she stepped away from her totaled pickup and towards the young man. She... didn't expect this reaction from him! "Why... thank you, Sir." she says to him, smiling a warming smile. "Though I would normally decline such noble acts as I ain't worthy of them, I can't help but accept this gracious gift you've given me considering this old girl is retrofitted and customized to my specifications. I can pay for it, though. I may not look it, but I'm not as poor as I look." she says adding another warm smile.

Regis took in a deep breath, and managed to smile a little. "That's alright ma'am. If I left you here all alone, you'd be stuck out here all night.... And these grasslands may not look it, but the animals and monsters do still hunt in these grasslands at night."

Regis then took out a cigarette from his breast pocket and lit it up with a small flame from the tip of his gloved finger, and let out a puff as he leaned against the boot of his car. "I take it you're heading into the city?" he asked casually. He may as well make some idle chitchat until Joy's pickup got here.

She raised a brow. She could sense his unease, as if he went through a deep bought of rage and was still fighting it. She continued to smile. "Yes, you hit the nail on the head sir. I was..." she brought the back of her wrist to her lips and suppressed a giggle. "...ironically going to have the old girl looked over. Also was running for some supplies." she added. "That is definitely courteous of you to stay out here and keep an eye on me. I know that just as much as the next, beast-kin or mortal, Gailden is still wild country. There are plenty of things out here that wouldn't mind having a taste of either of us." she says with a slight look of worry on her face. She thought she heard a dragon roar earlier... they had a penchant for her 'kind'.

She shook her head, her little bell around her neck ringing a little as she shook the negative feelings away. "Still, I owe you for helpin' me outta this pinch..." she says rubbing her slender fingers together nervously before adding: "Oh? Where are my manners! I'm... Millie." she says with an innocent smile.

Regis this time genuinely smiled and nodded. "I am Regis. Regis Black-Fire. Pleasure is mine" he said as he took the cigarette from his lips and held it away from Millie as he raised his other hand to shake hers.

"Hmm, you a farmer or rancher out here?" Regis asked as his curiosity was stroked a little at the simply archaic vehicle she chose to putter into the city with. In all honesty, he was amazed that the thing got over as many hills as it did before konking out here.

Regis Black-Fire wrote:Regis this time genuinely smiled and nodded. "I am Regis. Regis Black-Fire. Pleasure is mine" he said as he took the cigarette from his lips and held it away from Millie as he raised his other hand to shake hers.

"Hmm, you a farmer or rancher out here?" Regis asked as his curiosity was stroked a little at the simply archaic vehicle she chose to putter into the city with. In all honesty, he was amazed that the thing got over as many hills as it did before konking out here.

She took his hand and shook it earnestly. The name sounded familiar, but it was just a genuinely a likable name. "Regis huh? Heh, perfectly fitting for a dashing noble Knight~" she teased, with a slight curtsy, lifting the edges of her long skirt slightly. She then caught his eyes looking at her vehicle again, and she smirked. "Ah, yes. I'm a bit of both I suppose. I raise horses mostly, though I do have a few herds of cattle too inherited from my parents. On the side I have a modest little farm, general produce and the like." she says with a mild chuckle, pulling back her mossy green colored hair over her shoulder. "We Bos are generally great farmers. I... ain't as good as my Pa or Ma honestly." she shrugged. "But yeah, that old Chesluk Betsy has been modified to load several tonnes of weight...." she blushed, shrugging. "Including my own... *ahem*." she then turned to him, closing her eyes with a flustered look. "Well, its got mythril suspension and everything inside's heavy duty. Kinda a tank if you think of it... but I don't think it could take a direct hit with a human fist let alone a bullet or dragon talon!" she chuckles.

Regis chuckled slightly. "Nah, I'm a bastard from the noble house Blade-Breaker of Scardia. I'm not a noble." he then listened to Millie's explanation as he looked over the tractor from where he was.

"Well, I hope you don;t mind me saying, but it's probably broken down because the engine is as old as any dragon out here. It may be modified, but that's a temporary measure at best before you need to drop in a new engine, or at worst, replace the vehicle entirely. For it ti emit smoke like that, the engine manifolds and the carborator are probably so worn down that the heads have cracked and the pistons are shooting steam and heat. I'm no mechanic, but I know enough to spit problems..." Regis explained.

Then he looked back at the woman. "Well, I guess you're lucky to be running a combine farm on Galideno soil. Outside of Scardia, this land is probably the richest and most temperate in the world, until you get to the badlands."

Regis Black-Fire wrote:Regis chuckled slightly. "Nah, I'm a bastard from the noble house Blade-Breaker of Scardia. I'm not a noble." he then listened to Millie's explanation as he looked over the tractor from where he was.

"Well, I hope you don;t mind me saying, but it's probably broken down because the engine is as old as any dragon out here. It may be modified, but that's a temporary measure at best before you need to drop in a new engine, or at worst, replace the vehicle entirely. For it ti emit smoke like that, the engine manifolds and the carborator are probably so worn down that the heads have cracked and the pistons are shooting steam and heat. I'm no mechanic, but I know enough to spit problems..." Regis explained.

Then he looked back at the woman. "Well, I guess you're lucky to be running a combine farm on Galideno soil. Outside of Scardia, this land is probably the richest and most temperate in the world, until you get to the badlands."

She blinked at his unexpected response yet again. "Well, if you're not pulling my leg, then you're at least my valiant knight~" she says sweetly with a giggle, blushing a deep crimson. She got the sense of noble blood from him, and despite an underlying darkness, she actually saw hope for the young man. She could sense, even in his non-chalant wave of his lineage that it was something which seemed to bother him. A part of her felt like making him feel a little appreciated.

Once he began speaking about the engine, she turned to face the vehicle and blinked. "Oh, dear... I really hope that isn't the case... I'd have to heavily modify a new vehicle if I have to buy a new one altogether!" she gasped, pouting slightly. She turned to look at him once she mentioned her farm again. "Oh yes, these prairies make for a good harvest, but... on the side of farming and keeping the ranch in order I also teach young men and women on a Highschool and early university level. Some of the locals out in Rural Galideno aren't able to afford an education in the city, so I give them at least a fighting chance to leave the countryside. I was... fortunate to have gone to college myself..." she says looking down at her ring, twisting it upon her finger slightly.

Millie Braun wrote:She blinked at his unexpected response yet again. "Well, if you're not pulling my leg, then you're at least my valiant knight~" she says sweetly with a giggle, blushing a deep crimson. She got the sense of noble blood from him, and despite an underlying darkness, she actually saw hope for the young man. She could sense, even in his non-chalant wave of his lineage that it was something which seemed to bother him. A part of her felt like making him feel a little appreciated.

Once he began speaking about the engine, she turned to face the vehicle and blinked. "Oh, dear... I really hope that isn't the case... I'd have to heavily modify a new vehicle if I have to buy a new one altogether!" she gasped, pouting slightly. She turned to look at him once she mentioned her farm again. "Oh yes, these prairies make for a good harvest, but... on the side of farming and keeping the ranch in order I also teach young men and women on a Highschool and early university level. Some of the locals out in Rural Galideno aren't able to afford an education in the city, so I give them at least a fighting chance to leave the countryside. I was... fortunate to have gone to college myself..." she says looking down at her ring, twisting it upon her finger slightly.

Regis half smirked at Millie's response. "To be honest, at times, I wish I was lying Ma'am. At least then, I would have this burning desire to murder my half uncle, or at the very least have the question in my mind as to why he left us to rot on the street like discarded garbage." As he said those words, the smirk turned into a frown, then a grimace of bad memories which he quickly shook off.

He smiled again when she mentioned that she taught the less fortunate people of the region, and that brought him a little reprieve from his own past as memories of a better thing occurred to him. "That is good... I was once under the tutelage of a legitimate knight for a few years. Sir Hrothor Brightblade The Honored, Captain of the White Tower and The Last White Sword of Scardia. I trained under his eyes for 4 years after my mother and I were cast out of the Blade-Breaker estate. It was literally the only legal education I had. When my mother died and my training was complete, everything else I learned, I learned on the streets of Cretu, and Galideno."

Regis Black-Fire wrote:

Millie Braun wrote:She blinked at his unexpected response yet again. "Well, if you're not pulling my leg, then you're at least my valiant knight~" she says sweetly with a giggle, blushing a deep crimson. She got the sense of noble blood from him, and despite an underlying darkness, she actually saw hope for the young man. She could sense, even in his non-chalant wave of his lineage that it was something which seemed to bother him. A part of her felt like making him feel a little appreciated.

Once he began speaking about the engine, she turned to face the vehicle and blinked. "Oh, dear... I really hope that isn't the case... I'd have to heavily modify a new vehicle if I have to buy a new one altogether!" she gasped, pouting slightly. She turned to look at him once she mentioned her farm again. "Oh yes, these prairies make for a good harvest, but... on the side of farming and keeping the ranch in order I also teach young men and women on a Highschool and early university level. Some of the locals out in Rural Galideno aren't able to afford an education in the city, so I give them at least a fighting chance to leave the countryside. I was... fortunate to have gone to college myself..." she says looking down at her ring, twisting it upon her finger slightly.

Regis half smirked at Millie's response. "To be honest, at times, I wish I was lying Ma'am. At least then, I would have this burning desire to murder my half uncle, or at the very least have the question in my mind as to why he left us to rot on the street like discarded garbage." As he said those words, the smirk turned into a frown, then a grimace of bad memories which he quickly shook off.

He smiled again when she mentioned that she taught the less fortunate people of the region, and that brought him a little reprieve from his own past as memories of a better thing occurred to him. "That is good... I was once under the tutelage of a legitimate knight for a few years. Sir Hrothor Brightblade The Honored, Captain of the White Tower and The Last White Sword of Scardia. I trained under his eyes for 4 years after my mother and I were cast out of the Blade-Breaker estate. It was literally the only legal education I had. When my mother died and my training was complete, everything else I learned, I learned on the streets of Cretu, and Galideno."

She continued to smile, despite his honest words of blood lust. Given how the world worked, in some cases, some instances, some people... just need killing. She knew that especially well her own. She reached up and caressed his cheek, in spite of his smile which appeared shortly after his frown, when he spoke of Hrothor, his one true teacher. "There is still a chance, hon." she began, giggling sweetly. "Sometimes we need to keep the pain, to remember where we're from. But we can't let it fully overcome us..." she says smiling sadly. "Its been seven years, and I'm still trying to get over it... its a hard, uphill climb. But like my pickup behind me, you gotta keep going forward till you can't any longer." She says, closing her eyes and sighing, yet her sad smile remained. As did her left hand upon his right cheek.

Millie Braun wrote:She continued to smile, despite his honest words of blood lust. Given how the world worked, in some cases, some instances, some people... just need killing. She knew that especially well her own. She reached up and caressed his cheek, in spite of his smile which appeared shortly after his frown, when he spoke of Hrothor, his one true teacher. "There is still a chance, hon." she began, giggling sweetly. "Sometimes we need to keep the pain, to remember where we're from. But we can't let it fully overcome us..." she says smiling sadly. "Its been seven years, and I'm still trying to get over it... its a hard, uphill climb. But like my pickup behind me, you gotta keep going forward till you can't any longer." She says, closing her eyes and sighing, yet her sad smile remained. As did her left hand upon his right cheek.

Regis smiled, slightly again, closed his eyes, and shook his head slightly from side to side. "Perhaps I'm just not ready yet... Besides, I am a fighter... I fight in war, I fight in peace, I fight in cages for money... I am a killer... It's all I know how to be. My half uncle is also a fighter, and for people who live by the fist, just as with the sword, the field of battle is the only place to settle this... You are fortunate to be a normal person Ma'am. You can leave the hell of the battlefield behind. For warriors like me, death is the only way we are freed from it."

He looked out over the hill to see if Joey's pickup man was coming, but couldn't see the tow truck at all, and shrugged as he leaned back against his car, extinguishing the cigarette in a small plume of blue fire.



"You're probably going to need to either book a cab to return home, or rent a hotel room in the city while 'Betsy' here gets fixed. Judging from the smoke and damage, she could be in the shop for weeks."

Regis Black-Fire wrote:
Regis smiled, slightly again, closed his eyes, and shook his head slightly from side to side. "Perhaps I'm just not ready yet... Besides, I am a fighter... I fight in war, I fight in peace, I fight in cages for money... I am a killer... It's all I know how to be. My half uncle is also a fighter, and for people who live by the fist, just as with the sword, the field of battle is the only place to settle this... You are fortunate to be a normal person Ma'am. You can leave the hell of the battlefield behind. For warriors like me, death is the only way we are freed from it."

He looked out over the hill to see if Joey's pickup man was coming, but couldn't see the tow truck at all, and shrugged as he leaned back against his car, extinguishing the cigarette in a small plume of blue fire.



"You're probably going to need to either book a cab to return home, or rent a hotel room in the city while 'Betsy' here gets fixed. Judging from the smoke and damage, she could be in the shop for weeks."

She reopened her eyes, her face serious. "...War is something I understand too well."

She closed her eyes again, and she smiled sadly again. "You remind me of him in that regard." she said gently, in a low tone. She then let her hand glide down his cheek and her fingers playfully flicking his chin, forcing him to turn his head slightly to the side. She then reopened her lidded eyes and her brows posed in an amused expression, her smile gentle and sweet. She said no further of that subject before turning to face her truck again. "Yah, I reckon you're right about that. Cabs hardly come out this way and it'll take too long for them to get out here. By the time one of them get out here, I'd be hitching a ride in a monster's belly likely. And I bet it be in the minutes before the damn thing arrived." she says with a sigh, shaking her head in a similar fashion to him. She then turns to him, raising a brow. "Speaking of the belly, I know we just met and all, but... how about I repay you with a warm meal? As it is, I'm gonna miss my scheduled night class." She chuckled.

Regis shrugged slightly, this Millie was getting more confident with him, which he didn't mind really. Other than Desozir and Olivia, he didn't have many friends. Oh sure, plenty of fans who paid to watch him spill blood for their entertainment, and all would claim to be his friend if asked, but few actually found the young brash Black-Fire approachable.

"Hmm, Your ring is a wedding band. I take it you lost him to war?" Regis asked. A rhetorical question he knew. "You don't have to answer that... Your face says it all... I'm sorry I asked." Regis said, then remained silent for a few moments.

"'We who choose to enter the battlefield and fight, do so because you love what is behind you, not hate what is in front of you. Fight, so those who do not wish to need not do so, or those that cannot are not forced to. The battlefield is no place for the weak, the helpless, or simply those who live in peace. But for those of us who live through the hell of battle, those of us who stain our hands with the blood of death, we remain there until death or true victory frees us. Our consolations are that our loved ones need not see our tragedies, our miserable fates, or the crimes of our choice, and that those who choose to enter the darkness and use war to commit atrocities enter a level of hell even worse than we do.' That is what Hrothor taught us on our first day... The one binding truth the world over, the fate of the Warrior."

After reciting the nihilistic code, Regis smiled again at Millie's offer. "Once Joey gets going, I'll give you a ride into town. Don't worry, my car is a lot sturdier than it looks."

Regis Black-Fire wrote:Regis shrugged slightly, this Millie was getting more confident with him, which he didn't mind really. Other than Desozir and Olivia, he didn't have many friends. Oh sure, plenty of fans who paid to watch him spill blood for their entertainment, and all would claim to be his friend if asked, but few actually found the young brash Black-Fire approachable.

"Hmm, Your ring is a wedding band. I take it you lost him to war?" Regis asked. A rhetorical question he knew. "You don't have to answer that... Your face says it all... I'm sorry I asked." Regis said, then remained silent for a few moments.

"'We who choose to enter the battlefield and fight, do so because you love what is behind you, not hate what is in front of you. Fight, so those who do not wish to need not do so, or those that cannot are not forced to. The battlefield is no place for the weak, the helpless, or simply those who live in peace. But for those of us who live through the hell of battle, those of us who stain our hands with the blood of death, we remain there until death or true victory frees us. Our consolations are that our loved ones need not see our tragedies, our miserable fates, or the crimes of our choice, and that those who choose to enter the darkness and use war to commit atrocities enter a level of hell even worse than we do.' That is what Hrothor taught us on our first day... The one binding truth the world over, the fate of the Warrior."

After reciting the nihilistic code, Regis smiled again at Millie's offer. "Once Joey gets going, I'll give you a ride into town. Don't worry, my car is a lot sturdier than it looks."

She chuckled slightly shaking her head. "No, its okay... in a... sense of the word. Yes. A 'war' took him." she says cryptically before listening to his first lesson, one she herself heard in a similar sense once upon a time. "Sometimes, you can't tell which side you belong: the path of the warrior or the path of the civilian. Its a battle I've seen constantly fought, but seldom won." she adds before smiling a little. "Still, he died doing what he believed. He made an ultimate sacrifice many dare not choose..." she shook her head, closing her eyes, holding back some tears, before wiping her eyes. "Sorry, heh. Seven years. Two little words, but... still the pain has a way of returning."

Upon his response, she turned to him, with her light red eyes glassy with fresh tears yet, her blushing face smiling sweetly. "You're really are a kind person, even if you don't think it yourself sometimes." she says shifting somewhat closer to him. Her tail under her dress waggled a little, barely noticed by the gentle sway of her long skirt.

Millie Braun wrote:She chuckled slightly shaking her head. "No, its okay... in a... sense of the word. Yes. A 'war' took him." she says cryptically before listening to his first lesson, one she herself heard in a similar sense once upon a time. "Sometimes, you can't tell which side you belong: the path of the warrior or the path of the civilian. Its a battle I've seen constantly fought, but seldom won." she adds before smiling a little. "Still, he died doing what he believed. He made an ultimate sacrifice many dare not choose..." she shook her head, closing her eyes, holding back some tears, before wiping her eyes. "Sorry, heh. Seven years. Two little words, but... still the pain has a way of returning."

Upon his response, she turned to him, with her light red eyes glassy with fresh tears yet, her blushing face smiling sweetly. "You're really are a kind person, even if you don't think it yourself sometimes." she says shifting somewhat closer to him. Her tail under her dress waggled a little, barely noticed by the gentle sway of her long skirt.

Regis nodded, knowing that pain all too well. "For us, sides are not really the issue. When you fight, you fight because you have to believe you are doing the right thing. The politicians, and rulers may say the other side was evil, but we who fight know that, most of the time, the enemy we fight are only an enemy in a relative sense, because they are people too. It's different when you fight monsters and demons, at least then you know what they represent is simply death, and that is a concept you can fight against without moral ambiguity. But when you fight people... Morality tells you that you shouldn't kill them just because they believe differently from you. Unfortunately, armies are given their directives by people with political power, and political power is often determined by a type of bloodlust even we warriors cannot fathom. But, that's a difference between a soldier and a warrior. A solider is bound to the service of his country and it's rulers. A warrior is bound only to their own sense of right and wrong" Regis explained what he believed to be the senseless battlefield.

He then looked into Millie's eyes "For you, I would say your husband lived a warrior, and died a hero, because he didn't want you to become a victim of war, and he fought with all he had to make sure of it. I think you should believe that, and hold that thought in your heart, and find happiness in his stead. Don't be sad, Because he'll want to know what happiness his life bought you when you go to see him when your time comes" the Black-Fire reassured.

When Millie complemented him that he really was a kind person, Regis half smiled. "Well, despite being a bastard, I am still Scardian. Probably the one good thing I inherited from the Blade-Breakers."

Regis Black-Fire wrote:

Millie Braun wrote:She chuckled slightly shaking her head. "No, its okay... in a... sense of the word. Yes. A 'war' took him." she says cryptically before listening to his first lesson, one she herself heard in a similar sense once upon a time. "Sometimes, you can't tell which side you belong: the path of the warrior or the path of the civilian. Its a battle I've seen constantly fought, but seldom won." she adds before smiling a little. "Still, he died doing what he believed. He made an ultimate sacrifice many dare not choose..." she shook her head, closing her eyes, holding back some tears, before wiping her eyes. "Sorry, heh. Seven years. Two little words, but... still the pain has a way of returning."

Upon his response, she turned to him, with her light red eyes glassy with fresh tears yet, her blushing face smiling sweetly. "You're really are a kind person, even if you don't think it yourself sometimes." she says shifting somewhat closer to him. Her tail under her dress waggled a little, barely noticed by the gentle sway of her long skirt.

Regis nodded, knowing that pain all too well. "For us, sides are not really the issue. When you fight, you fight because you have to believe you are doing the right thing. The politicians, and rulers may say the other side was evil, but we who fight know that, most of the time, the enemy we fight are only an enemy in a relative sense, because they are people too. It's different when you fight monsters and demons, at least then you know what they represent is simply death, and that is a concept you can fight against without moral ambiguity. But when you fight people... Morality tells you that you shouldn't kill them just because they believe differently from you. Unfortunately, armies are given their directives by people with political power, and political power is often determined by a type of bloodlust even we warriors cannot fathom. But, that's a difference between a soldier and a warrior. A solider is bound to the service of his country and it's rulers. A warrior is bound only to their own sense of right and wrong" Regis explained what he believed to be the senseless battlefield.

He then looked into Millie's eyes "For you, I would say your husband lived a warrior, and died a hero, because he didn't want you to become a victim of war, and he fought with all he had to make sure of it. I think you should believe that, and hold that thought in your heart, and find happiness in his stead. Don't be sad, Because he'll want to know what happiness his life bought you when you go to see him when your time comes" the Black-Fire reassured.

When Millie complemented him that he really was a kind person, Regis half smiled. "Well, despite being a bastard, I am still Scardian. Probably the one good thing I inherited from the Blade-Breakers."

She couldn't argue his point there. It was true, but the people she looked back on were more than politicians. They were their teachers who sent them out to fight true evil. Evil of the wastes, and in lands where soldiers were not stationed and lawlessness thrived on a truly sardonic and twisted level. She glanced into his deep crimson eyes as she spoke of her husband, and it was almost eerie how well he painted the picture of what truly happened. She smiled warmly, and without thinking she hugged the young man tightly. Her... gifted chest was pleasantly plush and somewhat springy as it squished against his chest, her tail wagging gently under her skirt and her heart booming as she hugged him. "Thank you, Regis..." she says softly into his ear. "Heh... you Scardians... such a Knightly race~" She giggled, her breath against his ear tantalizing as her sweet, aromatic scent.

Millie Braun wrote:She couldn't argue his point there. It was true, but the people she looked back on were more than politicians. They were their teachers who sent them out to fight true evil. Evil of the wastes, and in lands where soldiers were not stationed and lawlessness thrived on a truly sardonic and twisted level. She glanced into his deep crimson eyes as she spoke of her husband, and it was almost eerie how well he painted the picture of what truly happened. She smiled warmly, and without thinking she hugged the young man tightly. Her... gifted chest was pleasantly plush and somewhat springy as it squished against his chest, her tail wagging gently under her skirt and her heart booming as she hugged him. "Thank you, Regis..." she says softly into his ear. "Heh... you Scardians... such a Knightly race~" She giggled, her breath against his ear tantalizing as her sweet, aromatic scent.  

"We try to be..." Regis replied, and closed his eyes. "Scar'd taught us that even from the humblest beginnings, true might can thrive, but might should only be used to protect those who cannot protect themselves, never for conquest or enslavement, or self gratification, lest they suffer Gjalskar's fate. The fate of the wicked tyrant."

"Millie..." Regis said as he stepped back a little. "I am not a nice man... I am a criminal, and a warrior who has stained his hands with the blood of the innocent before. I am far from noble. And what is worse, I know the difference between right and wrong." He turned away from her then, his face shrouded in shadow. "And I know the fate of people like me, A hell worse than the lonely battlefield awaits me when I die."

Regis Black-Fire wrote:

Millie Braun wrote:She couldn't argue his point there. It was true, but the people she looked back on were more than politicians. They were their teachers who sent them out to fight true evil. Evil of the wastes, and in lands where soldiers were not stationed and lawlessness thrived on a truly sardonic and twisted level. She glanced into his deep crimson eyes as she spoke of her husband, and it was almost eerie how well he painted the picture of what truly happened. She smiled warmly, and without thinking she hugged the young man tightly. Her... gifted chest was pleasantly plush and somewhat springy as it squished against his chest, her tail wagging gently under her skirt and her heart booming as she hugged him. "Thank you, Regis..." she says softly into his ear. "Heh... you Scardians... such a Knightly race~" She giggled, her breath against his ear tantalizing as her sweet, aromatic scent.  

"We try to be..." Regis replied, and closed his eyes. "Scar'd taught us that even from the humblest beginnings, true might can thrive, but might should only be used to protect those who cannot protect themselves, never for conquest or enslavement, or self gratification, lest they suffer Gjalskar's fate. The fate of the wicked tyrant."

"Millie..." Regis said as he stepped back a little. "I am not a nice man... I am a criminal, and a warrior who has stained his hands with the blood of the innocent before. I am far from noble. And what is worse, I know the difference between right and wrong." He turned away from her then, his face shrouded in shadow. "And I know the fate of people like me, A hell worse than the lonely battlefield awaits me when I die."

She blinked as he turned away from her, and spoke his mind true. Her 'sight' knew it so, that his words were honest. She paused for a moment, before lightly caressing his left shoulder, turning him towards her again. Her large eyes reflected his image as she spoke. "Hon..." she started, raising his chin a little with her other hand. She smiled a little, before adding: "I don't care what you are. You seem honest, and true. You believe in what you must do to accomplish your goals. You don't have to share those hardships alone, especially since we're from similar stock, if not from opposite sides of the law." she says with a slight smile. "I've killed many myself. My existence before my current life was like a thick poison, with every person I killed, a part of me died as well. Especially after my Master, my Husband... past away." she explained, drawing herself a little closer. "I slipped away from my former life, did what I could to try to forget, and teach others a different path, so they wouldn't have to suffer a similar fate... but seven years, seven years I wore this ring, and this bell... still longing for that which was taken from me. I'll never get him back..." she says before frowning, bowing her head. "Heh... sorry. I'm being selfish..." she blushed, turning away a little herself. "Its... like I'm remembering what it was like when he was at my side when I'm around you. You're both... so very much alike, yet...." she paused. She turned to him with a frail smile. "I'm not so decent a lady myself I reckon..." sounding a little unsure now.

Regis nodded slightly, but before he could reply, he heard a truck horn and looked over to see the flashing amber strobelights of Joey's ever reliable tow truck.



He smiled as he got up from leaning on his car and waived the driver down. "Hey Joey!" Regis called out. Joey did a two point turn and backed towards 'Betsy' the pickup.



Once he was within a meter of bumper to bumper, Joey stopped the engine and jumped out. "Hey Regis! Is this the breakdown? Man, this thing is retrofitted, but it's older than my ma! Lets have a look." he said as he took out his full toolbelt and kit, and walked over to the now much less smoking engine under the hood, a small torch in hand like a surgeons light, he started looking through every crease and crevace of the engine.

Millie smiled warmly, before walking over to the mechanic's side to inform him of the modifications shes had to make and what's recent and old and the like. As she continued to explain however, her mind wandered to the memory of her husband. He looked similar to Regis, long blond hair a face that was devilishly handsome. He had the expression of a man who knew where all the puzzle pieces fit, and radiated a confidence and power that was almost Godlike. Even in the beginning of her training as a Gunslinger, she felt as sudden connection towards him. Most did in the Association.

Once finished explaining her vehicle's situation, she stepped back with a smile and turned to Regis with the same, warm and gentle expression.

Joey took in all the information as he stuck his hands into the guts of the engine and examined it thoroughly. "Hmm, Cracked the radiator, hence the steam, engine overheats, and then the heads melt down and that means... Yep.... You've popped the piston cylinders... That's why it smoked up, your engine was pumping fuel into open air when it pops. Your lucky it didn't set itself on fire" Joey explained.

Regis meanwhile had adjusted his car seat to accommodate Millie. He pulled the seat back and lowered it for her comfort. Fortunately the reinforced hull and parts of the DZS-90 was well and truly capable of matching or exceeding the modifications she had for 'Betsy'.