And I Would Walk 500 Miles

[Zamora]

Ears twitch lightly from their folded state, and the large creature gives a grumble here, A tug on Silver's sleeve, and she motions and babbles to him. The others about may not catch what she's explaining, but she seems to trust Silver with her words. Somewhere in the chatter, there's a few words to be picked up.

'Music Box'.

It seems the Pit Beast had seen the small creature recently, and her location had something to do with a music box. Or, more likely, the old, vintage radio some of the soldiers had unearthed a few days ago. The little creature had requisitioned it for herself once it was found, and had since locked herself inside.

She hasn't been seen outside of the item in nearly a week's time.

[Hercules]

Hercules stopped, staring at her for a few moments. "Huela?" he repeated. He blinked for a few moments before laughing. "Oh... oh her? Yeah, we actually know her." he frowned. "However, I'm not sure where she is right now, sorry," he said with an apologetic smile.

He was deeply sorry he couldn't help her, but he could at least try. "But... maybe she could be in the barn over there," he said, pointing to the barn behind him. "But I'm not 100% sure that she could be in there," Hercules said with a frown. He wasn't too sure if Huela was in the barn or not, but it was a pretty good guess considering most of the other soldiers were in there.

[John Silver]

"Ah so yer the little geck's family?, aye, aye come this way" He motioned with his right hand for her to follow him into the barn where the little lizard like alien had indeed claimed some music box as shelter last he heard. "Comin?" he turns to look back at Hercules and Zamora as he hovers in the barn doorway waiting for them to follow him if they so desired. He turns, eye flickering and out pops the red lazor from his eye, he scans around for a moment before locating the music box with Huela still inside it.

"There she be, you'll have better luck coaxing her out of that thing" he said with a soft yet worried smile

[Anka]

  The somber tone amongst her welcoming party was enough to set Anka on edge, but it wasn't enough to smother the rush of hope once they made it clear that Huela was alive. Nestled in a... 'music box?' That sounded like her. Anka's tail swished, disturbing the fine layer of powder snow from that morning's fall.

"...aye, aye come this way."

  "Ah, yes! Thank you! Thank you very much!" She bowed towards Hercules and quickly fell into step behind Silver's lead, albeit with an uneasy shift as she passed the Pit Beast on her way inside. With the old ursid's guidance, the 'music box' in question - which was in fact an old dial-operated radio - was quickly located, nestled amongst a pile of boxes and other belongings. Anka felt her nerves bunching together, tense coils going unseen beneath her facade as she approached.  She should be excited, she was telling herself.  And she was, to an extent.  But something wasn't right, and as she drew closer, that feeling was getting harder to ignore.

  "Huela...?" Kneeling down, Anka reached out and gently lifted away the front cover of the device, exposing the guts of the machine inside. "Sweet pea, are you in there...?"

[Zamora]

Zamora seems to humble slightly, following behind Silver rather closely. When the newcomer parts from them, there’s a murmur here, one of thought. She speaks, only loud enough for Silver to hear.

“Monster.”

It seems she’s referring to the gentle newcomer. Something about her has thoroughly upset the local Pit Beast. Zamora seems to have some history and prior knowledge about the species, and it’s putting her on edge...

[Huela]

The creature inside the radio was certainly Huela, and while she was certainly alive, it seems Anka’s fears weren’t unfounded. This isn’t the jovial, sassy creature that left to go take care of ‘something dangerous’. The little Geck inside is malnourished, sleep deprived, and obviously still injured. And, from the looks of the untouched bedpile and scraps of food around the radio...

It’s been completely self-inflicted.

Golden eyes shift to the Lohi as she addresses the little scrapper, and for just a moment, hope and life seem to light up the Geck’s expression. But as quickly as it’s arrived, it fades back to exhaustion. There’s a murmur here, as the injured creature goes back to her work.

“Quit it, brain. I get it: I suck. I didn’t tell her. I didn’t go back. I don’t have time for this. I can’t be useless...

Quit it with the hallucinations.”

[John Silver]

“Monster.”

“How so?” The cyborg whispers back glancing between the alien and the pit beast. A silent frown tugging on his lips ever so lightly. A quick scan was done of Anka, data whirling across the screen of his mechanical eye. “We’ll wait and see, no sense of judging to quickly lass” Silver murmured giving Zamora a gently clap on her forearm. “Why so worried? Do you know her personally or somethin?”

[Zamora]

Zamora gives a grunt, and shakes her head, before chattering to Silver again. Her tone is tense, and while she’s hurried in her speech, the Ursid can undoubtedly catch the gist.

While Zamora doesn’t know this particular creature personally, it’s apparent that she’s run into the species before. She explains their ‘sleep smell’, or more likely, the calming pheromones the creature can put out. They were often employed to dull the senses of the larger pit fighters, Pit Beasts included, to transport them safely. She then goes on to chatter about ‘hidden hands’, making a strange, wiggling gesture with her fingers and then touching her mouth.

It seems there’s more to this creature than she’s shown them in meeting. Zamora, on the other hand, knows the truth, and is on edge about the whole ordeal. She’s aware of their strength. It’s one of the reasons she’s so against being tied down or numbed out nowadays. And if this creature decided to pop that ‘sleep smell’ around the army...

Well, there’s little anyone could do about it.

[Anka]

  There was a flick of her ear, and the word 'monster' echoing unpleasantly inside it. It was the only word she caught, with the rest being carefully controlled mumbles and hushed tones behind her back. Under different circumstances, it would have got under her skin, leaving her already feeling unwelcome in this strange new place. But, put simply, she couldn't bring herself to care about that right now. She was here for her sister, and now that she'd found her... well.

  Quite frankly, Anka had been prepared to chew the little Geck out. Three months. She had been missing for three months! The worry and panic that had tortured her up until now had been enough to send her writhing. But now that she was here, and now that she saw Huela in this state...

  It broke Anka's heart.

  "Oh, sweet pea," The Lohi gingerly reached in and scooped Huela out, cupping the Geck in her hands. Anka held her close, fiercely protective. "Just what in the world's happened to you?"

[Huela]

There’s a strange look as the Geck is picked up, one of calculation and confusion. One can almost watch the pieces of the puzzle slowly snap together in the little creature’s mind.

She wasn’t in the radio anymore. She had been moved. The hallucination was holding her up, solid and warm. She had been moved...

This wasn’t a hallucination.

Golden eyes snap up towards the Lohi’s face, tears rapidly swelling up to drown out their gaze, “A-Anka? It really is you! You came all this way... I-I’m sorry, I’m so sorry...”

Huela’s free hand presses up to wipe away tears as she curls into the other’s grip, beginning to lose coherency in her blubbering.

“There was the pod, and then there was building, a-and then the fights, and then— hic! — the frickin’... lion politics! I should have wrote home, or gone back to tell you, or— I don’t know, anything! I’m sorry, I’m sorry...”

Eventually, the creature finally looks back up at the other, voice cracking weakly from the stress.

“I’m in a lot of trouble, aren’t I?”