Compromises (Closed CVU)

North of Cape Town, South Africa

Her hands were dirty, and she liked it.

The West Coast National Park provided her with most everything a woman of her kind could need from all the out-doorsy type of activity. Tall Mountains. Scenic Ocean views. Good amount of Wildlife in the view. The Mistress of Maverick, tended towards the highest risk of these, opting away from flowery filds and seeking to symbolically climb the highest mountain and be rewarded with a view, highlighting her accomplishment. In a way, it reminded her of her job in itself.

Far as official records go, Moya had come here of her own accord on vacation. But efficiency wasn't something she had to exert to maintain, it was a way of life for her to accomplish much her work without effort or stress. Higher risk activity was noted in her paper work and really, as always, she was always being watched. Particularly after the incident in which she was caught unawares by one such Doctor Wheatley made it abundantly clear how vulnerable she would be if actually left alone. As she rose in prominence through Maverick, her enemies almost appeared to be coming out of the wetwork all around her.

Erhardt Weidmann was, for all intents and purposes a terrorist for what he had done in Fort Knox and in running with a supervillain team. Someone was going to have to do something about that, and why not here? On top of the scenic view, hundreds of feet in the air, bverlooking the ocean from a pair. She wore gym shorts, hiking boots and a White T, and of course, Weidmann could come in whatever he so pleased.

What was not optional was the time. 1950 (7 50 PM). Sharp.

....Sun will set a little later.

@weidmann

@maverick_6:

Fort Knox and his involvement with Alpha Tri Omega as a whole had been an interesting albeit short-lived ride. While he wasn't sure where he walked out of it better or worse off, he wasn't doing terrible all things considered. He didn't know what happened to everyone else after Knox, but he had to figure getting hired instead of tossed in jail was one of the better things that could have gone down. Still, though, he wasn't a fair of losing his autonomy and the jury was still out on whether having a constant partner was a good thing. Especially when he was about as hard to like as Erhardt was, least they had that in common.

So getting called out to a mountain range by Moya was a mixed bag, on one hand, it would be nice to see her again and it would be nice to take a breather. However, on the other, he was pretty sure the fact she'd contacted him so close after Knox wasn't a coincidence and he doubted he was going to get a pat on the back for that one. Still, he was hardly about to turn her down, so he made his way over to the West Coast.

Unlike the first time, they met Erhardt knew there would be no need for him to arrive in full armor, instead, he merely came in one of his few sets of casual clothes. His portal was a tad off the mark, but after a couple minutes of walking, he finally made it to where Moya was waiting. A smile flashing onto his face as a approached her he walked up next to her looking over the edge at the rest of the park.

"Hell of a spot to pick." He said, gazing out for a few more seconds before turning his head back to her. "So, how's it been."

@weidmann:

"Isn't it? I have such good taste, don't I? Ocean over there. Mountains here. Plains over there."

She smirks arrogantly as she turns to him upon his approach. She sits just before a ledge overlooking the ocean, glistening with sweat from a day's worth of physical exertion. His second question, she takes a deep breath. "Oh, same old same old. Only just now am I getting any kind of break. The world has slowed down, I think. Since that whole thing in France, the World has been...quiet if that makes sense. Stupid crap still happens but it is smaller scale. Though some threats still seem to loom over the horizon. Business is good. Steady."

She flicks her hair off her shoulders.

"And you? How are things? Are you getting along well, Erhardt."

Her smirk dissipated as she asked the last statement, her features slipping to something less. One that did not convey hatred, anger dissappointment...or approval, happiness, relief. Simply, her face was so relaxed that it spoke near nothing to most anyone.

She idly brought her knee to her chest as she, leaning on it as she awaited his answer.

@maverick_6:

Joining her on the ground, Erhardt nodded his head. "Yeah, I getcha. I like the world this way though, global conflicts and the like can be draining. I try to stay out of as much of it as possible, not really my job not place to get involved in politics, but it still sends ripples everywhere. Could get used to this, shame it won't stay this way. Wish it would"

As he said this the huntsmen leaned back, lying on his back as he looked up towards the sky. His hands clasped behind his head with his knuckles digging into the gravel. Staring at the clouds Erhardt adjusted his gaze to Moya as she directed the conversation to him. "Quite a bit to be honest," He said with a slight grin. "Found myself the owner of a new pet for one, still getting used to it, but he's alright. Nothing too exciting hunting wise, though I'll admit that might be me slacking off more than anything. Tried my hand at working in a group, turned out to be a pretty shit idea, but you win some you lose some."

"Overall though, I'd say I'm doing pretty well." Which was true, regardless of a couple sore spots here and there, he was still kicking. Long as he was still around he couldn't quite say things were going bad, he had a knack for bouncing back anyway.

"Anywho, so what did you call me out for? Unless you just wanted to chat, which I'd be fine with." Erhardt asked, relaxed as his eyes drifted across the sky.

@weidmann:

She smiled subtly.

"You are in a good mood. I hate to potentially spoil it."

She leans a little closer to him.

"If I could chalk it up in a nutshell, I'd say I'm a little worried, Erhardt. The whole Fort Knox Fiasco. Honestly, I have to say. "What the ****?" She frowns now. "We've been keeping tabs on the gang for a while, but really, what were you thinking, rolling with them. Their leader was spiraling down the path of self destruction from the start. Why, she was suicidal to go about attracting so much attention and then going about and stealing the money. Then she wanted to attack Fort Knox, of all places, and seemed to expect to get out and get herself out guns blazing."

She leaned back away into her arms, staring out at the deep blue oceans in front of her. Some soothing sounds she couldn't really enjoy.

"One woman got captured by the government. Another was apparently abducted. Another incapacitated and the army closing in. It's a good thing you had an escape plan, and that we weren't there. Otherwise, you could've been like the rest."

She tilts her head.

"You aren't affiliated with us, officially and well in such a case we'd throw a book or a bullet your way. But then that's your ass, Erhardt. Not even getting into the moral ramifications of helping her with anything, what do you have to show for it?"

She raised her brow, genuinely curious as to what it was that he got out of the entire thing.

@maverick_6:

Erhardt grimaced slightly as Moya started to lay into him. Not only for the fact that she was clearly unhappy about the whole ordeal, but because he couldn't quite disagree with her. He'd love to be able to pull the curtain down and reveal a masterplan. That he had been a puppetmaster, manipulating the circumstances to his advantage. However, the truth wasn't nearly that grandiose, when you got down to it he made a really bad call. There was no point trying to hide it.

"Yeah... can't say it was my finest hour. I knew the team would be dysfunctional, that much was obvious from the beginning. Still though, having a way to get ahold of rare and valuable resources, one that didn't have to trapeze through the legal system, it was tempting. Not going to say I cared much for the leader's death wish, but regardless of my better judgment, I ignored it. The first operation was small scale at least, hit up a truck, the fact that we still managed to make a mess out of that should have been proof enough to get out. However, I just went ahead and chalked it up to us having to work out our kinks."

Erhardt paused, sighing as he got to the far less flattering part. Him staying around for the Fort Knox job was inexcusable, he should have seen the warning signs from a mile away.

"As for Knox, it was a whole mess of things. I'm not going to act like the cash wasn't important to me at all, while I'm not quite one for living it up in a mansion it still comes in handy. Artifacts, information, ingredients, none if it's cheap. However, the real reason was plain ol' ignorance on my behalf. Living your whole life in a small cabin isolated from the rest of the world will do that to you. When it comes to things so far removed from my area of expertise, I've got no choice but to defer to those around me who know more. Turned out those around me happened to be either setting a trap or incompetent. I wasn't confident on if we'd be able to do it, but I went ahead and trusted what I mistook as a better judge. Not the leader mind you, she was insane. However, the girl with claws had experience, the one with the sword was a powerhouse as for the kid... well at the very least he seemed optimistic."

"As for what I got out of it, a fat load of nothing. Though to be fair I could have gotten off with a lot less. I as long as I survive I can grow, and trust me I'm not a fan of close calls either. I'm done messing around like that, got too big a head for my own good. Too many wins and too much time in the public. It's about time I went back to hunting anyway."

Turning, Erhardt looked at Moya gauging what her response was.

@weidmann:

Moya's head tilted as she did listen, her cold expression letting loose some sign of sympathy in invariable emotional bias towards him. She was still, drawing a little closer as he did explain to him his situation.

"I've seen a lot of soldiers say things like that before they get crippled. You really ought to be careful, Erhardt. For your sake, I hope you did learn your lesson." She crosses her arms, her face more disappointed than anything else really. "Monster hunting doesn't seem to be the most capital of ventures. And I'm usually not one for direct charity. Loaning money out, more and more. I just don't believe in it." She shrugs, reaching into the bag she brought.

"But...."

"We did have a deal, a little while ago." She flashes the laser pistol, extending it's stock so as to briefly aim it and demonstrate to Erhardt how it is to be held. The gun was white but compact. It could fit easily and comfortably into a holster. Visual inspection showed that it seemed to be a combination weapon, featuring both the crystal for a laser and the magnetic rails of an accelerator. In it's core was the anti-magic drake crystal, intricately cut into a proper lense through which a laser would be channeled. It was smaller than submachine gun but a bit larger than a normal pistol. Small enough to fit into a holtster but still able to be held effectively underneath the barrel for control with two hands. A set of iron sights at the front of back with one flip up red dot sight if necessary, which Moya herself personally used as she aimed it down range.

"As discussed, it's the we made from that crystal you gave me. It was designed with you in mind. The batteries are thermoelectric, meaning that they recharge from heat. So, you can recharge them by throwing them into fire. The gun however is single shot and it has to be reloaded every time. Pulsed. Your shots may travel in the form of a laser or a more powerful close range burst that can incapacitate most kinds of targets, let alone the supernatural types."

She twirled the gun flashily in her hand, about to hand it to him before, she pulls it back to her body. Further attempts to take it would result in her holding her back.

"Do you...know how to use a gun Erhardt?"

Part of her started looking off to the plains area of the place.

@maverick_6:

"Trust me I'm in no rush to go through something like that ever again," Erhardt said as he looked, eyebrow raised, as Moya reached into her bag. However, his curiosity quickly turned to interest as he saw the weapon that was produced. Due to recent events, his request to have such a weapon crafted had slipped his mind but it was immediately brought to the forefront. His eyes traveling over the gun as Moya briefly showed it off he felt a small grin forming. The small size meant I wouldn't be a burden even when in close combat, meaning he could switch from range to sword much smoother. The thermoelectric batteries were as Moya said, perfectly suited for him. Using Lohe should more than suffice when it came to charging them, meaning that while there would be a delay between volleys, he had virtually unlimited ammunition.

It would definitely make things a little easier.

"I'd almost forgot about that, glad to see you could end up getting it to work though. I'll be the first to say a couple of my tools might be a tad outdated." He said, reaching out for the weapon just as Moya pulled it back. He tilted his head slightly confused, only to understand as Moya asked him whether he'd ever even used a gun before.

"More or less," He gave a small shrug. "As in while I've never actually shot one myself, I've been shot at enough times to know what they do. Turn off the safety, point, pull, pray. I'll have to work on my accuracy if I wanna actually use it effectively, but I'm sure I could get a hang of it after a while." Erhardt finished, eager to get a feel for the weapon himself.

@weidmann:

"Hopefully you'll get me that gem for the necklace you owe me." Spoken with a smirk and a grin. Business is business.

"Part of me wants to see you handle a real gun, Erhardt." She flicks the gun onto safety, and then gives it to him out of eagerness. "This one doesn't have as much impact and it's actually not the best in bad weather. It's not the most rugged thing from what I can tell."

She pulls her knee up and relaxes a little more. In her mind, she did not really wish to ream Weidmann for what he had done as much. Indeed, if it were anyone else in Maverick the punishment would likely have been much less brief and more severe. This much she knew. But really, she also knew she didn't own and his independence was his greatest asset to her. He couldn't be easily traced back to them and he didn't really "work" for her by any means. He didn't follow Maverick rules and he functioned as a specialist who at the end of the day, didn't need them to survive. It almost reminded her of a special forces operative, in a way. But her mind gradually went away from from that.

The conversation drifts. By now he's probably looking the gun over in his hand, aiming it all about.

/"To be honest, many enemies we've faced in the past out did us technology-wise. Orpheus Knightfall made near indestructible nano-machines. Otto Von Lichter made a death ray the size of a handgun which could cut a warship in half. There was once an alien race who made ships that simply got stronger as they were destroyed. The list goes on."

And on. And on...

"And on the other spectrum, there are people who deflect bullets. Carve them in half. See the trend?" She rubs her chin. Though you could probably stand to benefit from this. Even at a distance, it's not a bad dazzler. On the other spectrum it may also be tuned to not be visible."

As he held it in her hands, her hands went over his, tuning the dial. "Dial." Her hands, running over his as she showed him the safety "Safety." And the magazine release. "Magazine release."

@maverick_6:

"While it's no laser, I'm sure I can get that necklace for you," Erhardt said, never one to lead something unpaid for. Taking hold of the gun he examined it in his hands, getting used to the weight of it. It was a tad heavier then he might have expected it to be, however it was hardly cumbersome. He felt more then confident in being able to use it with one hand if need be.

With a smirk, he nodded his head as Moya told him, it wasn't the most durable thing. "Got it, so I shouldn't go around swinging it a people."

As Erhardt listened to her talk about some of the more advanced things her and Maverick had been matched up against made him realize that he was fairly lucky most things he hunted shared his affinity for the old ways. Wasn't often you found a mage using technology to supplement their spells, he often wondered if the refusal to advance was caused by some sort of ego. The belief that magic would always outperform technology. Without the wide pool of magic to draw from, however, Erhardt wasn't willing to die because the only thing he was willing to use was a sword.

"I toyed with the idea of using whalebone engraved with runes to make bullets a while ago, in the end I realized I've seen more people dodge bullets then I've seen people get shot." While that might not be too different with the gun he was holding now, he didn't really plan on giving anyone he planned on taking a shot at any warning.

As Moya guided his hand over the various points of interest he took a deep breath and made an effort to store the movements into his muscle memory. "What exactly should I call it? I'd feel weird if just referred to it as the gun."