ANNIE, ARE YOU OKAY — THE BADLANDS

[charlie luciano]

[align=center][div style="borderwidth=0px; width: 415px; color: black; line-height:115%; text-align: justify;font-size:10pt"]Charlie furrowed his bushy brows at the aggression that the canine displayed upon arrival. He had no experience with dogs — or any animal, for that matter — so he couldn't tell if this was pre-attack mode or some shit. He had tensed a little, but not enough to make it look like he was freaking out. The man had managed to keep his cool until the woman shushed her animal, and he was relieved to find that she was civilized and willing to question him calmly. "Lucky Luciano. Boss of the Badlands." The man had responded, baritone voice and all. He had introduced himself by his alias, as he had with all foreigners, for his own reasons. Perhaps when met with fellow authority, he'd allow them to call him by his real name. But, as far as he knew, none of these people were the ones he was looking for.

Another had arrived, and one more afterward. The latter had a dog with her as well, and he couldn't help but wonder if everyone here had animals. The Badlands didn't even have too many pets running about, although he knew that a couple had dogs. Charlie's brown-hued gaze fixed onto the other woman who spoke, and he responded, "I'm here to speak to your leaders." Little did he know, they had suffered the same fate as many of his soldiers had.

[KIT]

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in all her time in the badlands, she'd somehow never been to the flintlock. not for raids, for antagonistic, for spying or diplomacy. she'd wanted to visit for some time, if only to see gilbert, but she'd somehow never found the time to ask charlie for permission to go for a few days. one thing after the other, life kept getting in the way, but she knew gilbert wasn't here now. and really, the blonde wasn't sure about the appeal of it all.

she was in a shitty mood, but she tried not to let the crankiness or the discomfort she was in show. snow was getting in her boots, wind whipping against her face, she'd tasted a whole lot of her hair, and she felt like she needed a warm bath and a cup of coffee. the guard wandered near the front, petite frame bundled in a coat that tripled her size, a scarf wrapped around the lower half of her features to keep them warm.

when they came to a stop, meeting the group of people, curiosity overwhelmed her distaste for the climate and she found herself to the side of the boss, a foot or so behind him to make it clear who was in charge. who had the business. still, she'd tug the scarf down to reveal fair features, golden curls and blue eyes, a stark contrast to the man beside her. her cheeks were a little rosy from the cold, her eyes watching curiously, and she looked far from threatening or dangerous. she certainly wasn't what you imagined a badlander to be.

chewing the inside of her lip as she glanced to charlie, then back to the women, she wasn't really sure what to expect. gilbert, he'd spoken about a lot of men at the lodge - but this definitely didn't look like the meat market she'd been expecting. kind of the opposite, in fact.

[ELLIE]

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[div style="text-align: justify; width:490px;font-size:9.2pt; line-height:1.4"]The Badlands? A dark eyebrow raised, and she glanced over to Jo, hoping to gauge her reaction on the matter. Lucky Luciano. Ellie hadn't been anticipating a visit of this kind after she'd learned of the relationships Flintlock had with the other groups, especially knowing that The Badlands was not the sort of group to play nicely, as far as she had ascertained from those with experience dealing with the people. Whatever he had traveled all this way to discuss, it had to be incredibly important, and not only because of the distance itself. Ellie wasn't suspicious still, despite knowing of his position and residency. If they were to meet again in different circumstances, maybe her guard would have been raised higher and she would have been more reluctant to speak to him, but with recent happenings and the lack of hostility on the other group's end, Ellie wasn't concerned about that. The pressing issue at hand was one she could only guess at, so as soon as the opportunity for that path of conversation arose, she did not hesitate to turn there. "You are speaking to them, actually. This is Jo, and I'm Ellie. If you remember someone else in charge, there's been a change in management." Hands folding behind her back, Ellie's measuring gaze tilted between Luciano and his little entourage, chiefly the woman beside him. "So what do you need to discuss? We can do it inside, if you'd prefer. You must want to warm up."

[charlie luciano]

[align=center][div style="borderwidth=0px; width: 415px; color: black; line-height:115%; text-align: justify;"]( all of the visiting threads are gonna be basically copy/paste because i'm in a rush + aka just ignore any mistakes lmao )

The small group had managed to reach Flintlock's territory in a little under two days, and because of the quickened pace, everyone was exhausted and weary from a lack of rest. This was no walk in the park, however. This wasn't for leisure. There was a real crisis on their hands, and it was due time for Charlie to head out and see just what the hell was going on. This could be an issue only specific to the Badlands. This could be affecting everyone else as well. It was time to find out, because it was all getting out of hand. At this rate, everyone around him was going to be plucked out of existence one-by-one until there was no one left.

They couldn't reach the lodge itself, obviously. There were still borders. There were still guards. Most of all, there was snow and terrain that they weren't used to. The Badlanders had moved from a desert city to an oceanside town, so they couldn't tackle the mountains with ease. Charlie was sure that this was the right route, though. He had... been here before. Albeit for different reasons, but now the two groups were on neutral terms. Right now, Charlie needed the Lodge's assistance more than he ever would've thought.

The boss, clad in a black coat and a dark gray fedora, moved along the wooded area with the rest of the patrol. He glanced around, searching for any signs of movement. He had a gun and a switchblade tucked away from view, just in case they came across any of those fuckers, but he highly doubted that they would be hiding out here. It was cold as hell, and this was coming from a man who had spent most of his winters in sleet and snow.

[JOSIE]

[align=center][div style="width: 500px; text-align: justify; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 1.4;"]Flintlock had suffered its own losses as of late. Nothing that Jo had been here for, though. Being a relatively new addition here herself, she had only seen the aftermath. And there had been so much of it. The lodge had lulled into a state of silent uncertainty, like an animal frozen intently, listening with desperation for some sign of the predator it can feel. It had felt, for a while, that the world as the lodge had been ready to bolt. Instead, it had found some sort of peace with Jo and Ellie in charge. Quiet and light, like freshly fallen snow over the remnants of a battlefield. It seems as if this place had needed it, anyway. The downside, however, was that the two of them weren't fully aware of the history and political situation. All that she knows is that as long as people don't start things, Flintlock won't be forced to end them. Jo certainly prefers the peace. It's hard-kept. There haven't been any issues as of yet, but Jo keeps patrolling anyway. A dog, a few people, and a weapon. That's all she needs.

And that's how she meets Charlie. The young woman blinks at his attire, and the dog at her side begins to growl lowly. "Shh, Boots." Her hand drops down to the mutt's collar, though she's not entirely certain that he small frame could keep the Rottweiler-like canine in place if he really wanted to disobey. But he seems well-trained and settles easily enough, at least to the point that Jo doesn't struggle too much to walk a little closer. "Who are you?" Summer green eyes are bright and curious, though her weight leans away from the strangers. There's no way that they're all here to join, and perhaps part of her is relieved.

[ELLIE]

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[div style="text-align: justify; width:490px;font-size:9.2pt; line-height:1.4"]She had been waiting for something to happen the moment she and Jo took the reins of Flintlock. Ellie hadn't been necessarily anticipating a response to the new leadership, but one in regards to the former authority, and the others who once populated the Lodge before going missing. She had asked for information on the previous conditions, and from what she had gathered, all those in charge were taken. It left Flintlock vulnerable, and Ellie couldn't be certain if that had been the point, or if those past authorities shared a common acquaintance, or even if it was a random series of kidnappings. Too little was known about who was behind the acts, and she suspected that a similar situation had to be occurring in the other groups. Flintlock was difficult to reach, but the others were less taxing when it came to the climate, or so she had been told. Perhaps this was all just targeted at Flintlock, but if that was the case, why hadn't more incidents cropped up? Whoever orchestrated the captures couldn't have retreated permanently into the shadows, unless they had simply taken those people to kill them. She hoped that wasn't true, but there was, again, no way of knowing, or being certain of anything, so like Jo, she kept a careful eye out when walking the grounds.

Seeing the young woman standing before a stranger and a group of others. The man was dressed somewhat impractically for the climate, which meant he probably hadn't access to better clothing. He was most likely from someplace warmer, then, which wasn't too surprising. Most places were warmer than Flintlock. As she approached, Ellie remained wary, but she wasn't convinced he was here with intentions to harm, considering the captors didn't seem to like standing out in the open. "And what brings you here?" Her voice lilted just after Jo's as she came to stand beside the slightly taller woman, gaze switching between the man and those behind him.

[thea]

[table]