031 - 4th wall

[tapestodiane]

[If you're around ... wherever he is, but it's out in the woods somewhere, you might hear gunshots. And if you're curious enough to see what's up, you'll see that Coop evidently has his gun back and is shooting at targets. Where they're from is a mystery, but he's making the best of their presence - his skills have waned some in the years he's been stuck in pokémonland, but it's evident the longer he's at it, the more confidence and skill shows in his shooting.]

[Until he's at the point where he's consistently hitting the bullseye in every single target every single time.]

[Yeah, he's that good. He could shoot you a pattern if you like.]

[... and there magically seems to be ammunition around whenever he needs it, so hey.]


(Action absolutely anywhere as per usual - feel free to just bump into him wandering if you prefer. COME AT ME.)

Comments

[gotmyending]

[OH, HE'S SHOOTING AT TARGETS. Well that's good. Billy can shove that pistol back into his jeans pocket now. No popping of caps in asses needs to happen.

So, Coop, you're being approached by a guy in a weird hat, walking a shih tzu on a leash with a very conspicuous gun in his pants pocket.. He at least knows to wait for Cooper to finish off a clip before just wandering up to a guy with a gun.]

Yo!

[tapestodiane]

<sub>[Yes, that is quite a weird hat, but it's ... probably very telling that the dog strikes Coop as the weirdest thing in the ensemble. Because it's a dog. Just a dog.]

[Man, it's been a long time since he saw one of those.]

[He turns to the stranger with a nod of appraisal more than anything else as he looks him over real quick - not judging exactly, just you know, checking. He sees that gun, too, bro.]</sub>

Hello.

[dontcallmesis]

[Walking around after she randomly appeared in...well she doesn't know where she was. The player and the Chief couldn't seem to hear her either which wasn't good.

Oh wait a person ...please speak English she needs her little bro for the language thing.]

Excuse me? Do you know what country this is? And where I'd be able to find a phone?

[tapestodiane]

_{[Don't worry, Ivy, Coop would be at a bit of a loss at other languages as well. He's good with English, French and some chosen phrases in a handful of others, but nowhere near as much to get by on as her brother.]}

I'm afraid I don't think I can help you with that. They're not too big on landlines here. You don't have one of these?

_{[He picks up his pokégear to show her. The 'country' question could probably wait a second until he figures out just how new this girl appears to be.]}

[rainsdownsulfur]

[Have someone looking awfully interested in that gun, Coop.]

That's not too bad. Kinda low in intimidation points, I guess.

[tapestodiane]

_{[Uh ... sure. Coop looks over at the stranger as he finishes reloading the weapon in question.]}

How do you figure?

[isthelittlegirl]

....Are you a police officer?

[tapestodiane]

_{[Oh, wait - he remembers this girl. Cheryl. He puts the safety on the gun and angles it away from the two of them as he crouches down to look at her, not sure if she remembers him or not and looking for signs of either in her face.]}

Yes, I am.

_{[More or less, anyway.]}

[carmenjuniors]

[The thing about gunfire is that it's a fairly distinctive sound, assuming you know what you're listening for, and the two very prudent children who were just making their way through the woods assuredly know that particular sound when they hear it. As they've been taught, they immediately drop and find cover, staying low and moving slow until they can figure out where the shooting is coming from — and more relevantly, which direction the gun is pointing.

Once they find it, however, an entirely different topic of discussion unfolds:

(It is!)

(No, it's not!)

(Yes, it is, that's how he shoots, I know 'cause he showed me.)

(But remember what he said? If we thought it was him but we weren't sure. He said.)

(...Yeah. You're right. Okay.)

As silently as possible, a Pokeball opens, and a Ninetales emerges — slightly bigger than average, and beautifully groomed.

(You stay here and hide. I'll go see. If you get scared or he gets me, jump on and run away as fast as you can, okay?)

(But we're supposed to stay together!)

(I know, but you'll be okay. You remember what we're supposed to do if something bad happens.)

(...Uh-huh.)

(Okay. Shhh. Be really quiet. I'll go see.)

Bravely, the eleven-year-old boy creeps out of the hiding place and sneaks around so he's coming from a different direction before squaring his shoulders and walking (hopefully confidently) into the clearing.]

I found you!

[He sounds triumphant, like that should mean something.]

[tapestodiane]

<sub>[Unfortunately, it doesn't mean anything to Coop. He secures his gun and turns towards the boy with a slight frown, but an altogether open and more or less polite expression - it reads of confusion rather than recognition, but there's at least nothing sinister about it. Not that that might calm Tom all that much.]

[Not that Coop even knows.]</sub>

Sorry?

[dollfie]

[The sound of gunfire attracts Pino's attention, wondering if it's Re-L practicing her shooting.

She's a little disappointed to find it's just some random dude with a gun but. Maybe he knows Re-L? Re-L likes guns and this guy has a gun and...

The Connection totally makes sense, okay? The little robot girl leans against one of the trees, watching him for a few moments, before taking a deep breath] HELLLLOOOO~

[tapestodiane]

<sub>[WELL DAMN that startled him- but Coop has an admirable set of nerves and tenses rather than, you know. Having a minor freakout.]

[She's lucky he has a good grip on his gun too, because he wasn't even out of bullets when she did that and it could have ended badly for everyone involved if he'd had his finger on the trigger. This just leaves Coop feeling rattled and kind of displeased when he checks the gun, slides the safety into place and then turns towards her.]</sub>

I'll advise you not to do that.

[stonecoldbadass]

Agent Cooper, I'm back!

[WHAT VOICE THROUGH YONDER FOREST BREAKS. CAN IT BE?]

I brought the rocks just like you said!

[Sure is.]

[tapestodiane]

<sub>[Wait he- knows that voice ...]

[Sorry Andy, you're going to be met with a confused stare.]


[He didn't ask for any rocks. Right?]</sub>

Andy? -- You can put those down.

_{[Added helpfully.]}

[dragonrights]

[Temeraire hears the sound of gunfire as he flies through the area--although it doesn't sound quite right--and decides to go check it out. After all, this might be a soldier or someone who might be able to help him find his missing captain and crew.]

[Although after he's found the man shooting and backwings to land nearby, he does wonder at someone shooting at nobody all by themselves. Perhaps he's lost as well? And his uniform is nothing Temeraire has ever seen, but it doesn't look French, so he probably isn't an enemy.]

[But here, Cooper, have an 18 tonne dragon leaning down towards you.]

Have you lost your company?

[tapestodiane]

<sub>[Well, that's ... definitely different. Coop had seen him approach, of course; it's kind of hard to miss a dragon that size even if you hadn't heard the swoop of wings. The look of quiet awe doesn't falter at any point, in fact only grows the closer the dragon gets, and when he finally speaks, Cooper feels very small in a way he hasn't for a long time.]

[But somehow, there's also an interesting sense of calm about all this, for now. The dragon appears to be far from hostile and Cooper believes in that feeling.]</sub>

I think most of us have.

_{[He speaks with respect, of course. It's impossible to adress a creature like this anything else (not counting fear, but he sees no reason for that one). His gun is holstered at this point. It doesn't feel right to keep on hand in this kind of company.]}

[action]

[usedsuperpower]

<sub>[You know who else can shoot? Stitch can. Except with four guns. At the same time. And they're Plasma Cannons. He can't shoot with the same deadly accuracy as Coop, but he absolutely obliterates a target. Hard to not do it when you have four large plasma guns.]

[Hello Cooper, yes, this is the 10-something years old brat that bit your arm, except now he looks like a little four-armed koala monster.]</sub>

[tapestodiane]

<sub>[-- well OKAY, that's entirely unexpected and absolutely jarring - the fact that a target was shot instead of Coop himself isn't actually much of a comfort and he whirls around until he finds Stitch, aiming his gun on him with a steely expression. He can be surprised at what he's aiming at later.]

[Coop's never liked being shot at, and that shot? It was a bit too close for comfort.]</sub>

[doitrockapella]

[Oh. Hello. She may be racing to the moon, but being neck-deep in a caper is still no reason to miss a lunch date.

Also notable is the fact that there's an index card labeled "Mission Control" taped to the PokeGear on her belt...but other than that, you'd never know what she's been up to, really.]

Making up for lost time?

[tapestodiane]

_{[He doesn't outwardly react to her presence at first, just smiles at her voice. But once he's checked the chamber to make sure all bullets are fired he turns to her, not bothering to reload the weapon just yet.]}

When you only get so many opportunities, you better.

[allthekeys]

[There's a little girl there, watching him with only the vaguest sort of interest. Not in what he's doing, but maybe who he is. But it's intent and unwavering.

She doesn't say anything to him, though.]

[tapestodiane]

<sub>[And it takes him a while to notice her, but he soon does out of the corner of his eye; the targets are placed around him, after all, and he's steadily turning to get to them all.]

[But he stops shooting when he sees her, immediately - gunfire isn't a place for a child, and he gets his finger off the trigger and makes sure the gun is safe before he approaches.]

[It's only when he's closer that he sees that she doesn't ... really look like a child. Not in the expression. Not quite.]</sub>

Hey there.

/looms

[headtrauma]

[Hey, Dale.

Hey, Dale.

You know what's funny about the forest?



That's where the monsters live.]

[tapestodiane]

<sub>[He didn't know, not until he was older. Forests had been places of excitement in his youth, and he'd been taught how to not only survive in them but make the best of them.]

[It was only later when the monsters really started showing themselves. Only later when things started crashing and burning. Yet woods have always been a constant presence, just waiting in the back of his mind.]

[And then he finally wound up exactly where he was supposed to be and the woods in his head grew and started suffocating what lied beneath.]

[But then he was gone.]


[This isn't it. This is far from Ghostwood.]



[But that makes no difference in the sudden pinpricks of fear that makes Cooper turn his head to look over his shoulder.]</sub>

[adoptivemother]

[Jodie is trying to figure out how the gears work and doesn't notice that there's someone in front of her. /Runs into.]

Ah, sorry.

[tapestodiane]

_{[Coop doesn't take offense.]}

Don't worry about it. _{[And just from the way she's holding the device and the look on her face, with a kind of understanding expression,]} Gear trouble?

Late? What's that?

[rodeopony]

[AHEM I believe a small orange horse creature is in order to cure the traditional 4th wall blahs.]

DALE COOPER!

[Here she comes, looking...angry?]

Put that thing down 'fore you take somepony's eye out!

[There might be a hole in her Stetson OOPS.]

no idea, a myth?

[tapestodiane]

<sub>[Holy shit did he manage to hurt someone oh my god, stopping shooting right away and turning to see what's up and also gun is being holstered like nobody's business and wait]

[Is that the small orange horse creature composed of Friendship that is exactly what Coop probably needs ??]

[Have a double-take. Mixed with a sheepish look.]</sub>

Applejack?