Ch.16e Night Moves (Alex & Ivy)

[Silver Priest]

"I'd like to hear from him first, once he calms down." says Alex, giving Bart a nod of thanks. "It's hard to say. You said he talked about it for awhile, but I''m wondering if someone took advantage of that to push him into it. I'm getting the sense the oil workers are not beloved around here."

[Philulhu]

“Well, it’s quiet place and folks are set in their ways,” said Bart. ”The oilmen are rowdy and we haven’t seen their kind since the fishing boats stopped coming. As for me,” he continued, looking around carefully and lowering his voice, ”Well, I’m a businessman first and foremost. They’ve got to spend their wages somewhere, don’t they?”

[Mr. Handy]

"I saw him too, but I don't think he was acting alone," says William. "I'll go see what he has to say. Good night, sir." He turns back and follows Ivy.

[Silver Priest]

"And I don't begrudge you that," Alex assures him. "I'm an outsider here after all. But I've met enough people to know a lot of folks are not happy about the oil operations presence here. They may not be wiling to act themselves, but if they can put someone else to it? Something to be considered, at any rate."

[Philulhu]

“Nashoba’s had a grudge against the oilmen ever since they moved here,” said Bart. “But whether someone one put him up to it, I don’t know.” He shrugged. ”He’s always been his own man. Knows his own mind, if you get my understanding.”

The man in question hung limply between them. It seemed he knew nothing of anything at that moment in time.

OOC: Are you all moving away?

[Mr. Handy]

I am.

[Silver Priest]

"Seems like it was quite a shock to him," Alex says, though of course he knows why. "And I fear his troubles are not over. He'll likely be receiving a visit from the local authorities before too long. But I'd like to get him home and help him to sober up before then. Get his side of the story." he explains, still gently helping to guide the man.

[jp1885]

Yes, Ivy will follow the others.

[Philulhu]

Ivy, Lawrence and William soon caught up with Alex, who, along with the storekeeper, Bart Bordeaux, was helping Nashoba back to town.

As they arrived in the town square, Bart said, ”I can take it from here, if you like. Ephraim can fetch the handcart and we’ll get him back to his wife to sleep it off.”

[Mr. Handy]

"Did he say anything?" asks William.

[Silver Priest]

"Thank you but no need, I don't want to trouble you further. I'll get him back to home and see if I can get any quotes once he sobers up-- I believe the reality of his actions are hitting him."

"Nothing yet," he tells William.

[Mr. Handy]

"I can help you with him," says William.

[Philulhu]

”Well at least take my handcart, so you don’t have to carry him all the way. Just leave it around the side of the store when you bring it back,” said Bart. He helped Alex to set Nashoba down on the stoop before disappearing around the back of his store, before returning momentarily, pushing the handcart.

The two-wheeled cart was barely big enough for the Native American, who sprawled across it, limbs hanging down. If he was uncomfortable however, he didn’t show it. He just stared upwards into the night sky, rambling to himself.

[Mr. Handy]

William helps move the cart, listening closely to Nashoba's ramblings to try to make any sense out of them.

[Silver Priest]

Alex thanks the shopkeeper before beginning to push Nashoba home. He too listens for any information amongst all the insane ravings.

"I hope this is not permanent," he tells the others, unsure how to bring the man back.

[Bullfrog]

"Might be... some time before he's back." Lawrence mutters, recalling his own stint in the madhouse; Nashoba must have already been coming apart at the seams under the strain of life, and this must have been the straw that broke the camel's back. It felt strange calling a floating mass of burning oil a mere straw, but looking on the face of the Charnel God gives a man perspective- and what a terrible perspective it is.
"I'd say tonight was a mess, but we've learned a lot- where to look, and who to look at. Hopefully, this didn't make too much of a scene..."
Of his companions, Lawrence is the one least versed on how people think, but he is the most versed on the abominable truth. Throughout Nashoba's ramblings, be listens for names he recognizes- Yig, for one.

[jp1885]

"So what do we do next, hm?" asks Ivy. "That dreadful foreman won't let us anywhere near the oilfield, should we indeed wish to return - was I the only one to witness that tentacle striking Nashoba?"

[Philulhu]

It took almost half an hour to get Nashoba home, as the cart proved difficult to steer in the dark on the rutted, unmade road that lead to his ramshackle shack on the edge of town.

As they approached the building, the door flew open and the older woman seen earlier looked out, a smokey oil lamp illuminating the scene as the cart came to a halt. Seeing Nashoba lying prostrated on the cart, she gave out a cry and came hurrying down the steps, repeating his name over and over again, and sobbing to him in her native tongue.

From the doorway, the young boy emerged, blinking sleepily. ”My grandmama wants to know what has happened to my grandpapa,” he said. ”Is he dead and who has killed him?”

[Mr. Handy]

"We see if he has anything to say that makes any sense," says William on the way back, "and we find out who that oilman who fled is. Maybe Nashoba knows."

"Don't worry, he's not dead," says William when they arrive. "I'm not entirely sure what happened to him myself. Maybe when he recovers he'll be able to tell us more."

[Silver Priest]

"I saw it too," he tells Ivy. "It's why I think someone must have set him up. The chances of him striking the exact area that horrific creature resided in is rather low. Though I also wonder what the precise intention was. The thing seemed to vanish shortly thereafter, though I was busy tending to Nashoba so I don't know exactly to where."

As they get him home he attempts to communicate with his grandson. "Your grandfather tried to set the oil fields alight, and something seemed to frighten him," He remarks vaguely. "We fear someone tried to set your grandfather up to attack the fields so that he would take the blame for whatever happened, and we'd like to find the real culprit to ensure he doesn't get in too much trouble. Have you or your grandmother seen him speaking to anyone new recently, or has he mentioned someone?"