And I got the piccies to work! So no worries.
Sorry this took so long…
Unpleasant Revelation
“Yer hungry Bailey?” Stranger asked as they padded side by side down the main street of Birdington. Bailey shrugged,
“A bit-” her stomach grumbled in protest, “Okay, make that a lot. Why?”
“’Coz we’re gonna git somat to eat, that’s why.” Stranger grinned, trying to coax out a return smile but Bailey didn’t comply, she just nodded. Hiding his mild disappointment Stranger led the way to the nearest tavern, this one called The Stoned Crow,
“I am so sick of these names…” he thought as he pushed open the doors and went in, Bailey trailing after him, looking around in interest.
The Clakkerz clustered around the inn looked up as Stranger entered but went back to drinks, meals and conversations – it was only Stranger. But they did double-takes as Bailey came in after him, first off because she was a completely alien creature but their beaks dropped open when the pair of them got to the bar (which was for some reason twice as tall as the ones from Earth even though the Clakkerz were smaller then Bailey) and Stranger picked up the creature around middle and sat it on the barstool.
The barkeeper smoothed over his expression before Stranger could see it and give him a taste of the well-known ‘Stranger Temper’.
“What’s ya pleasure?” Stranger considered getting a drink but an echo of his early hangover changed his mind and he decided to lay off the alcohol, besides, he didn’t want to have one to many with Bailey there, he glanced at Bailey, Bailey shrugged,
“I’ll try anything once.” She said. So Stranger ordered something.
Bailey couldn’t begin to guess what it was as she couldn’t even pronounce the name. As the bartender went to inform the kitchens Bailey leaned over to Stranger,
“What was that?” Stranger said it again, Bailey blinked at him. He repeated the word, very slowly. Bailey tried to copy him but ended up sounding like a kitten sneezing. Stranger chuckled, “Nevermind…” Bailey muttered. Stranger’s first impulse was to pat Bailey on the head and make a snarky comment but he held himself back, their relationship was cool at best.
When their food came Bailey poked at it curiously.
“Stranger,” she whispered, “Stranger,” Stranger was already eating and had to answer with his mouth full,
“Uhum?”
“You sure it’s dead? Looks like it’ll get up any second an’ start bouncin’ offa the walls…” Stranger choked as he tried to laugh and swallow what was in his mouth at the same time. Bailey slapped his back until he recovered. “Didn’t think it was that funny meself…” she muttered, but she obviously had found Stranger’s reaction intensely amusing as she was grinning as she gave the plate one last poke before digging in. Stranger eyed her for a moment,
“Well?”
“Ish very nicsh.” Bailey managed, cheeks bulging like a hamster’s. Stranger spluttered and many of the Clakkerz looked up in shock, no one, but
no one had ever heard stern and strong Stranger
laugh before (even so, many of the Clakkerz found the sound somewhat alarming) and here he was, chuckling with the small alien creature. Bailey swallowed. “What? What’s so funny?”
Stranger just shook his head and kept sniggering, luminous green eyes bright and shining. Bailey blinked innocently at him, completely non-plussed and Stranger laughed harder.
“They slipped somat inta yer food didn’t they.” Bailey said, completely innocent and with a straight face. Stranger snorted and leaned his forehead on the bar, shaking with laughter. “Gee, no need to get hysterical on me Stranger. People’d think you had a sense of humour.”
Stranger didn’t know what was wrong with him but he knew he had a stitch in his ribs from laughing too much and he couldn’t stop. And he also knew that he was so very glad he had his Bailey with him again. He needed her sharp wit and sense of humour, he knew that now. He knew that he was becoming soft and he didn’t care either, Bailey was good for him, she could make him laugh. It was what he needed. It was Bailey, Bailey made him lighter, calmer, a better person. And he liked it.
Bailey just watched the normally gruff and intimidating bounty hunter crack up right before her eyes. And found it sort of pleasant. She was glad she’d come back. She knew now that she needed Stranger, just as she needed Abe and Slick (she felt a pang when she thought she might never see them again), just as she had needed a parent…but she’d never had one of those…not in the sense of a parent anyway…
Bailey’s smile faded as she thought about her mother, the workaholic that had left her at home all alone since she was eight years old…
Stranger noticed Bailey’s abrupt change of mood. That was another thing, he’d become aware of, he always knew what Bailey was feeling and right now she was depressed. His laughter died.
“Bailey? Kid? You okay?” Bailey nodded but Stranger knew she was lying. “Liar…” he sighed, “C’mon, what’s up, tell yer ol’ Stranger what’s bugging yer.” Bailey shook her head,
“Not now…”
“Later then.” It wasn’t a request. Bailey nodded. “Okay then.” Stranger said cheerfully, “Now, cheer up kid. It could be worse.” Bailey looked at him, the beginnings of a grin on her face,
“Don’t ever say that, I can guarantee it’ll get worse if you do.”
“Oh really?” asked Stranger, “How d’yer know?”
“Personal experience.” Bailey was grinning again. Stranger inwardly sighed in relief, good, he didn’t want his young Bailey being depressed.
Bailey went back to eating and soon had cleaned the plate. Stranger grinned,
“Yer liked it?” Bailey nodded,
“Yup, it’s very good. Just don’t tell me what’s in it…” Stranger chuckled.
“’Ey Stranger, I got some bounties yer might be innerested in.” it was the barkeeper and he slid a pile of Wanted posters towards Stranger. Stranger nodded and began looking through them while he ate. Bailey soon got bored and looked around the tavern.
Nothing caught her interest until she saw a group of Clakkerz around a table, one of them was grinning and shuffling a pack of cards, he had a hat on that was practically a mini version of Stranger’s only with a loose cord so it could hang at the back when not worn.
“Wha’? No takers?” Bailey heard him say, she grinned, slid off the stool and went over. She just stood and watched them for a moment until the one with the cards saw her. “Hey kid, you wanna play?”
“What’cha playin’?”
“Poker.” Bailey grinned,
“Yeh, ‘kay, but I don’t have any Moolah on me.” The Clakker with the cards and hat waved his wing,
“No problem kid, yer don’t just havta bet Moolah.” Bailey nodded and drug out a chair, joining the game.
“Whadda the values of the cards?” Bailey wanted to know. Indulgently the Clakker with the hat laid down the deck and showed her the suits, they were basically like the 52 playing cards that Bailey was used to, apart from they were based on Oddworld animals rather then King, Queen, Jack and the suits.
There were four suits; Fuzzle, Bolamite, Sleg (which looked to Bailey like a deformed Slog) and Chippunk. With little pictures of the aforementioned animals for the numbers, which still went from the Ace to 10. The cards that could have passed for Joker surprised Bailey at abit as they were clearly showing Shrykull and she didn’t remember thinking of a Joker when she saw Abe turn into him, more like run screaming in terror…
For the King, Queen and Jack, Bailey was surprised to find she knew what two of them were as well, a Scrab and Paramite, the Clakkerz didn’t know what they were however. Somewhere along the line, when the critters died out on this side of Oddworld they had been forgotten…
“And that red and yellow critter, yes that one, that’s the highest of the picture cards, and the small animals they’re eating tells yer the suit it belongs to.”
“Charmin’…” Bailey thought,
“And this one here, that looks like it has one o’ yer hands stuck to the front, yep that one, that’s the lowest one, and this one, this one’s in between.” Bailey gazed at the card, not entirely sure was it was. It looked like some kind of hybrid of raptor, Scrab and tiger prawn…she shrugged it off and nodded.
“Got it.” The Clakkerz smiled to each other and the first one shuffled the cards again. Bailey kept a sly grin from her face. They thought they were going to rob her blind.
Yeah, whatever.
A few minutes later Bailey fanned her cards and looked at them, adopting the poker face she’d been taught by her gang friends, Red especially.
“Yer wanna swap yer cards kid?” asked the dealer,
“Yeah, I’ll take two.” Bailey slid two of her cards face down across the table and got two in return.
“I’ll raise the stakes then,” began another Clakker to Bailey’s right and put a pile of Moolah coins on the table. Another Clakker bet a clean deck of cards and a very nice looking dagger. The dealer put in his hat and some more Moolah. When Bailey’s turn came she unclipped the Outlaw shotgun from her belt and put it on the pile.
“Outlaw shotgun,” she said, “Clean and in good working order, fully loaded and ready to rock.” The dealer nodded and Bailey could almost hear him saying ‘Nice, very nice. Make a decent addition to my collection…’.
“In yer dreams buddy boy…” Bailey thought to herself. The dealer was definitely the best player, and her biggest enemy in this game.
The betting continued for a few minutes until one by one the other Clakkerz folded,
“Yer ready ta give up kid?” asked the dealer smirking, Bailey allowed herself a small smile.
“Are you?” she asked in a low voice. Smugly the Clakker laid down his five cards,
“Three cards.” Bailey sucked on her teeth and shook her head,
“Wow, you’re good.” The Clakkerz grin widened and he reached out for the stakes, Bailey caught his wing, “Unfortunately, not the best,” Bailey turned her cards so he could see them and looked apologetic, “Flush in Slegs, sorry, you’re beat mate.” She smiled quietly. Just then the poker players heard the clomp of heavy boots and Bailey turned to see Stranger standing behind her, fists on his hips.
“What are yer doin’?” he asked, knowing perfectly well what she was up too.
“Collecting me winnings, lookie.” Bailey grinned, Stranger nodded,
“Well c’mon, we’re leavin’.”
“Right, sorry guys.” She added as the Clakkerz protested. She pulled out the lining bag of her arrow quiver and shut the quiver flap to keep her shafts dry and swept the winnings into the lining bag, jamming the hat on her head and slinging the pair of edible lizards that were tied together by their tails over her shoulder. “It was nice playing with yer guys.” She grinned and scampered after Stranger as he left The Stoned Crow. “Where we goin’ Stranger?” she asked when she’d caught up with him.
“Bounty Store, see if they got anything worth goin’ after.” Stranger explained,
“Oh. A-see.” Bailey dug around in her winnings, taking out what wasn’t Moolah and treating them appropriately, Stranger watch her out of the corner of his eye.
“So, whadda ya win?” he asked eventually.
“Loads of stuff.” Gushed Bailey, she clipped the Outlaw shotgun back onto her belt and tied the dagger and it’s holster on her upper arm, under her jumper. Stranger laughed gently.
“I bet them Clakkerz had no idea what had hit ‘em.” Bailey grinned brightly as she put the pack of playing cars in her pouch and wound the dark scarf one of the Clakkerz had bet around her neck.
“And I got this spunky hat.” Bailey grinned, she tipped the hat so it covered her eyes, “Yer talkin’ to me?” she said, imitating the well-known Robert DeNiro line and snickered to herself. Stranger raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment as they’d reached the Bounty Store just then.
A bell over the door tinkled as they entered. Stranger went straight to the counter but Bailey peeled off and began looking at the guns and ammo that was on offer.
“Yer got anythin’ fer me?” Stranger asked. Bailey noticed that his tone changed when he was talking to her to when he was talking to Clakkerz and Outlaws. Right now his voice was a deep, intimidating growl while just a minute ago it was been a soft purr more then anything else.
“Yep!” squawk the Clakker, “Gotta load fer ya. And there’s a mighty big one here, the guys who want it, big hotshots and they’re mighty innerested in paying big fer it.”
“Oh, what kinda ‘hotshots’?”
“Corporate kinda hotshots, very big on the other side of Oddworld, organisation called the Magog Cartel-” there was a yelp and the Clakker and Stranger turned, Bailey had just knocked a box of bullets off the shelf but managed to catch it.
“Sorry.” She grinned sheepishly, replacing the box back on the shelf. Stranger turned back to the Clakker and examined the blurry photograph on the Wanted poster, it was a very familiar person, arms cross and scowling in an expression he knew extremely well, and he nearly choked…
Bailey.
That was Bailey! On a Wanted poster! Why did Bailey have a bounty on her head!?
“Anyone else gone afta this one?” Stranger finally managed to get out.
“No, by what I ‘ear she’s a devil of some kind, just disappears into thin air. She ‘elped start a revolution but then ‘er and ‘er companions just faded into the jungles.” The Clakker said dramatically. “’Asn’t bin seen inna while but they want ‘er bad, closed down two of their biggest plants apparently with ‘er and ‘er pals.”
“I’ll takes it, the Moolah’s good even if it is a wild Sleg chase.” Stranger muttered and slipped the pile of posters into his poncho. Just then Bailey clattered up to the counter and dumped an assortment of weaponry and ammo onto it. Fortunately she had her hat and the scarf on her head and around her face, plus Clakkerz weren’t known for their IQ’s so the store owner didn’t notice that she was in fact the one on the poster.
“Yarg! What yer expecting kid? A war?” squawked the Clakker,
“Better safe then screwed, don’t you think?” Bailey replied, grinning. Amongst the pile was a money belt, a hatchet, something like a sniper rifle and two miniature versions of Desert Eagle handguns and ammunition for them plus the Outlaw shotgun and Slig semi-automatic.
“Mebbe you should git one o’ these as well.” Said the Clakker bringing out a metal ring that could have fit around Bailey’s neck.
“What is it?” Bailey asked curiously.
“Called a ‘Compressor’, produced on the other side of Oddworld, very popular for Sligs, they works for the Magog Cartel, I found that out when one of ‘em came to gimme this bounty.” The Clakker looked extremely pleased with his ‘extensive’ knowledge. “Yer clip yer guns and ammo onto it and it shrinks ‘em, makes ‘em take up less space and don’t weigh as much.” Bailey nodded,
“’Kay, I’ll take that as well then.”
The Clakker added up what Bailey owed him and Bailey only managed to use part of her poker winnings to pay him before Stranger hustled her out of the store.
“Stranger? What’s up?”
“We gotta get outta here…” Stranger muttered, looking around warily before heading out of Birdington…
-----
MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I bet none of yer saw
that coming did yer!?
