Log:Getting Lucky

Getting Lucky
Lucky looks over the railing, grimacing, but not as much as when Maddox tells him that he's gonna have to hold it off. "With what?!?" he shouts back at the other man, "My good looks and witty charm?!?"
Participants Lucky and Maddox	10 June, 2017 Maddox picks up a hitchhiker. After that, everything goes to hell.
Location The Hedge.
The old riverboat makes its way slowly down the river that bisects the Hedge, much like the river that bisects the city in the mundane world. Only this river is not nearly so friendly, and questionable creatures lurk just beneath the surface of the dark, unwelcoming water. The boat itself is... well, it is, or was, a river boat, 1920s style. Only it's been heavily modified. There are crooked steam stacks, extra machinery of questionable purpose, impromptu structures built our of random material, so that the whole thing looks like a floating pile of junk with a wheel that turns slowly as it creeps forward. It looks like it might fall apart at any moment, but it doesn't. At the wheel, in a little wheelhouse, is Maddox. He's in his grease-stained jeans, t-shirt, and sneakers. His hair is a mess, he needs a shave, and he looks like he hasn't slept in a while. Electricity crackles around him, sparking off the places where machinery have replaced flesh and bone. A couple of hobs crawl around the boat, much to Maddox's chagrin. He studiously ignores them as he pilots forward, eyes scanning the horizon. His trusty old shuko hangs from a hook on his belt, ready if needed. Of course, the water aren't the only things where questionable and dangerous creatures live. The foliage along the riverbank up ahead rustles somewhat before Lucky bursts through them, moving at a good clip. At least, until he sees the water. That causes him to skid a bit along the muddy banks, going down on one hand as he tries to catch himself, feet flailing like some half-deranged ice skater. But the man is -moving-. Maybe not as fast as some of the elementals can move when pressed, but he's definitely running from... Oh, look. Something bursts out of the hedge right behind him. It looks like a strange, purple lion, a red mohawk of mane running along its back while wicked-sharp bull's horns shield its eyes from the sun. It's moving at a damn good clip, too. And it looks pretty damn hungry as it chases the dark-clad elven man, shifting its weight in a much more precise manner. Of course, they're running in the direction of the boat. And the elven man seems to see that. It's a long shot... the boat is awfully far out into the water, and there are a ton of things in the water that might want a morsel such as himself for their own snack. But it looks like he's actually gonna risk it. He does some quick mental math, looking at the environment, before running out onto a log that hangs out over the water. At the last possible second, he LEAPS, reaching for the railing of the boat... and just barely catching it. He slams into the side of the boat with the kind of thud that makes it clear he probably just broke a few ribs on that impact, and at the very least had the wind knocked out of him, though he's still scrambling to try and make it up over the railing as the dark shapes circle those legs trailing in the water... Maddox is used to the Hedge. He's spent a lot of time there, helping out, doing what he can as a Squire. He knows a lot about it, including how dangerous it can be, and thus he's alert, always expecting the unexpected. And the unexpected just arrived. He catches that movement out of the corner of his eye and looks over as the elf and the leohawk burst from the brambles. He watches as the elf runs towards the river, "He's not going to fucking..." And Lucky's launching himself at the boat. "...he is." He watches in amazement as the elf flies through the air and /slams/ against the side of his boat. A chunk of something falls into the water, giving question to just how sturdy the boat is. What it was, who knows? Maddox locks the wheel and then scrambles out of the wheelhouse, heading towards there he thinks the elf might have landed. He sees the hands struggling to hold on. And then Lucky feels two strong hands grabbing his arms, tugging him up and over the railing, dumping him on the deck. At least the water isn't an issue now. That said, Lucky now has a scowling changeling, half machine, half man, all flickering with electricity, staring down at him. And there's that /blast/ of Summer. It comes in powerful waves, that heat, along with the smell of heated asphalt and exhaust. "Who the /fuck/ are you?" He doesn't ask why he's there - that much, at least, is obvious. Hopefully the leohawk doesn't make that jump, too. The hobs are screeching and hoping around over the structures on the boat wildly. Maddox continues to ignore them, although it's clear he's irritated by it, judging from his grumbling. Lucky grunts as he's so helpfully manhandled onto the deck, falling with a new thud that knocks the wind out of him -again- in the kind of slow, painful wheeze that says it could be a minute before he's good with the talking bit. At least he manages enough wherewithal to hold up a finger as he curls up onto his side in the fetal position, lungs struggling to do that thing where they actually take in air again. Anyone who's ever had the wind knocked out of them might know those few terrifying, painful moments when your diaphram just refuses to diaphram anymore. The fact that his unusually gray-white skin is turning a lovely shade of boisenberry probably helps a bit with that too. The bull-lion-thing prowls along the shore, looking mighty irritated that it just lost its lunch... but also looking at the boat, and the hobs creeping along it, licking its fangs as it sets a paw in the water, testing how much the ground beneath it gives. It's not that far a swim for something so very large, after all... Lucky, finally managing this breathing thing again, looks up at Maddox and introduces himself with a pained grin. "Lucky," he wheezes, by way of introduction. Though he doesn't -seem- very lucky. Or perhaps he is. He still hasn't been eaten by the bull-lion yet. Maddox watches as Lucky curls himself into a fetal position and grunts. He's no doctor, but he's curious about the shift in color. Then he shrugs and moves towards an old cooler anchored to the deck of the boat, pops it open, and pulls out two bottles of what is probably beer. They're unlabelled and it's the Hedge, so who really knows. He tosses one of them towards Lucky. It lands near him, rolling to bump up against his curled up form. "Well, /Lucky/," he glances past him at the leohawk on the shore, testing the water, than back at the elf, "I'd say it's about time we blow this fucking joint." He's not a local, that much is evident from the southern drawl in his gruff baritone. "Maddox." And, should Lucky have ever watched the show, Mad Maddox's Mechanical Magic, there /is/ a similarity between the Lost before Lucky and the host of the show. "Well, get up, and make yourself useful and shit." He points towards a machine across the deck, one with some dials and gauges and three levels, "Go pull the fucking thruster lever." He points point out which one it is. Instead, he's turning, cracking open his bottle of whatever with a bare hand (it's not a twist off) and tossing the cap away absently. He takes a swig as he ducks back into the wheelhouse, unlocking the wheel. The boat isn't fast - it could never outrun the leohawk - but it has some defense. It's a Hollow, after all, and Lucky can feel that. Chances are he would have had a lot more difficult time getting on had the owner not actually helped him, inviting him in. It takes Lucky a second to actually get to his feet, but until then, he just gives the mechanical man a solid thumbs up sign. Sounds good, boss, let's do that. It's only a few seconds, though. Eventually, he finds his footing and hobbles over to where the dial is, picking up the beer bottle and putting it in his pocket as he pushes the lever all the way forward. Because presumably they want speed. It's also hopefully the right direction. He doesn't look very seaworthy. The bull-lion thing seems to get a sense of what they're doing, letting out an enraged roar as it wades a bit out into the water. The darting things there don't seem to bother it much at all. It's much too big for most of them to swallow whole, anyway, and it looks more than capable of putting up a fight with the slimy swimmers. It has its eyes on a different set of prey entirely, one that is currently picking up speed, even as the lion thing starts to swim after it... at a not unreasonable pace. Maddox is already gone by the time Lucky gives him the thumbs up. Like he just assumes Lucky will follow instructions. After all, if he doesn't, Maddox can just push him back off the boat. He has more important things to worry about, like driving, because up ahead is some more turbulent water, and the ruins of an old bridge loom over the river. It's a perfect spot for an ambush - attack from the bridge while the pilots are navigating the peril. Maddox pointed at the lever, but all three levers are right next to each other, so it's difficult to tell which is which. And, of course, they're not labelled. And, really, who would put the anchor lever and the kill engine levers /right next/ to the thruster lever? Maddox would, that's who. Thankfully, Lucky chooses the right lever. He pushes it forward and a furnace on deck suddenly bursts to life, sending up a billow of smoke. It's choking, and heavy, and drifts behind them. It's not at all pleasant. The boat speeds up minutely. It's a mobile Hollow, it just doesn't move fast. Maddox peeks his head out of the wheelhouse and shouts, "Is it still fucking following us? I got some shit ahead, and this thing doesn't move that goddamned fast. You gotta hold it fucking off." The bridge looms closer and closer. The deck is already rocking a bit more from the rougher water. On the bright side, maybe once they're into the rougher water, the leohawk will get swept away or impaled on something. Of course the thing is still following them, gaining a bit on them as the slow-moving mass of whatever-it-is moves through the water in not at all the same way that the streamlined predator does. The cat thing doesn't even seem to be putting that damn much effort into it. At this point, it's like trying to fight a zombie toddler -- no use expending a bunch of energy on it. Lucky looks over the railing, grimacing, but not as much as when Maddox tells him that he's gonna have to hold it off. "With what?!?" he shouts back at the other man, "My good looks and witty charm?!?" Lucky didn't bring any weapons on board, that the other can see, and it's not like he can really have much of a wrestling match with the thing in the water. Instead, he looks around, grabbing for the nearest thing he can find. Which is, naturally, an oar. Why a boat like this would need an oar on board is anyone's guess, unless it has lifeboats in those heaps somewhere, but Lucky finds one, holding it aloft like some sort of deranged whaler. "Maybe try and hurry!??" Between the slow speed and the fact that the boat seems to be falling apart (a piece falls out now and then, splashing into the water), it's probably not the most promising of situations. But hey, Lucky has an oar! And the good news is that strange metal 'fins' have been attached to it. Perhaps an abandoned experiment on water movement efficiency. Who knows? Maddox doesn't answer Lucky's question, of course, worried on navigating the more dangerous water, while keeping and eye up above. The boat doesn't move fast, which makes the peril all that greater, as he can't do any emergency changes of course. He has to anticipate in advance, which requires a lot of concentration. He takes a swig of his 'beer' and then sticks the bottle in a convenient cup holder, likely just for that purpose. It's both hands on the wheel time, eyes straight ahead. The hobs that have been lurking around (one like a chipmunk with red eyes and huge fangs, and one more like a lizard with feathers, go scampering off, disappearing into hiding spots. The deck begins to rock around a bit more and the boat leans a bit this way and that as Maddox changes course. It's not fast, more of a slow rocking. Then things grow a bit darker as the boast passes into the shadow of the bridge. Meanwhile, kitty is coming to say hello. Lucky looks at the thing, with the strange metal fins, and curses something foul enough that old catholic women would faint and old jewish women would smile. This is obviously not his weapon of choice. Thankfully, what the elf lacks in personal weaponry, he makes up for in cleverness. One of those curious machines that may-or-may-not do anything is right there next to him, with a big, lumbering gear that seems pretty damn sturdy. Lucky shoves the oar into the gear, leveraging it in just the right way that with a little bit of effort... Snap! The head, metal fins and all, goes flying... right into the wall of the boat, where it buries itself halfway through the wood of the wheelhouse, through to where Maddox is currently trying to steer. Because that's not distracting. "Sorry!" Lucky calls to the captain, brandishing his new, sharper stick at the cat. Just in time, too. Because kitty used the cover of darkness to put on a burst of speed, one giant paw sweeping at Lucky just as the man manages to get that makeshift spear set back in place. It drives in deep, going all the way through it, leaving a few feet of bloodied oar as it pulls back. That enraged roar becomes even more pronounced... as does the movement in the now bloodied water... To be fair, the fins might have been good for whacking, although not so good for stabbing. Lucky does his thing, sharpening his stick, and Maddox doesn't even flinch as something grinds loudly right before the metal fins smack into the wheelhouse, one slicing through it and ending up a few inches from Maddox's leg. He just grunts at the shout, focused. The water's getting rougher. There's a scrap as the hull bumps into an unforseen obstacle below, making a loud grating sound, but not doing too much damage. Sweat forms on Maddox's brow, the electricity crackling sharper from it. And then, even as the water begins to boil with movement, they begin to pass beneath the bridge, and suddenly there's movement from above as well. Maddox growls, "Oh, fucking shit!" He then shouts out, "Incoming! Almost clear of the rocks, hold 'em for just a fucking minute!" Hold them... Shapes fall from the bridge, at least a dozen of them, maybe twenty, and land on the deck. They're about the size of a medium sized dog. They look like monkeys of some sort, with claws like a sloth's, but their heads are like that of an ant, with sharp, oversized pinchers. Their tails end with a wicked claw as well. Maddox ducks his head out the window, sees Lucky's situation, and waves his hand, sending some Glamour, and aid, his way. He then ducks back in, slamming the wheelhouse door shut even as one of the ant-moneys slams into it. Some of them pound at the wheelhouse, while the others focus on the more exposed party. Lucky. They start forward. Of course, there's no way that Lucky can take on twenty antmonkies by himself. Not with nothing but a sharpened, glamoured oar. Still, that doesn't stop him from trying. Some things are just about survival. He raises the oar, smacking one into the wall as it leaps at him, the magic of Summer's whatever-it-is empowering the weapon in ways only found in faerie. Lucky might actually be able to do this... Of course, he forgot about the cat-thing. It leaps up out of the water, slamming both paws onto the deck and trying to drag the boat to a stop as its claws dig into the wood. Of course, physics being physics, and all, this just pushes the boat back into the water, the wheel groaning as it manages pressures that it was never intended to handle. The nose of the boat rises up into the water, even as the thing tries desperately to continue lurching forward, which causes the deck to slant at an improbable angle. Anything not securely tied down? That's now sliding down into the water. Furniture. The cooler. The antmonkeys. And Lucky. "Motherfucker!" Maddox yells as he feels the boat slant like that. Electricity crackles around him brightly, filling the wheelhouse room, making it glow like a beacon. He can't help it. And then the engines are grinding to a halt. "Noooo!" There's dangerous rocks around, and now he has little control over avoiding them. "Shit, shit shit!" He slams out of the wheelhouse with such force that two of the antmonkeys are thrown off the boat. He manages to keep his footing, despite th e rocking of the boat. Glamour flares around him, electricity crackling. He reaches over and almost /casually/ rips the boathouse door right off hinges, like it's nothing. And then, using it as a shield, he's charging the remaining antmonkeys. He's pissed. This is /his boat/. Hopefully, Lucky, who doesn't seem to be all that lucky, isn't in his path. Because, due to the door, he can't really see. Maddox is propelled downward by the force of gravity, if nothing else. That still works here in the Hedge, and the slant is more than forty-five degrees. It's a fast trip down. And of -course- Lucky is in his path. Sensing what the elemental is about to do, Lucky just goes all out with it, ripping the oar out of the gears (which causes the engine to start again, who knew?) and catching himself on the boat's railing, which groans under his weight dangerously. Lucky takes aim at the cat-thing, now once again subject to the deluge from the churning wheel and unable to see much of anything, and launches that pointed oar at it, sticking is squarely into the beast's nostril and causing it to let out a bellowing roar once more. Of course, all that's just in time for Maddox to go sweeping past, knocking antmonkeys out of his way as that looming wall of metal charges toward the now-injured bull-lion-thing, Maddox a blur of movement as rage and gravity take hold of him... Maddox is only seeing red at the moment. His boat is being attacked. It's being damaged. /His boat/. And this other changeling, who he doesn't know, is being threatened. It's his job, his duty, to protect those that need it. So he charges with that door held sideways, knocking antmonkeys away, off the boat, and then he's connecting with the leohawk. Maddox has misjudged the incline. Or it's gotten steeper. He has a lot of momentum. He impacts that beast, but it's not enough to keep him on the boat. Both of them go tumbling over. Thankfully, Maddox had thought to slip on his shuko just before busting out of the wheelhouse. As he falls, he reaches up instinctively and those claws hook onto a jutting piece of metal. His toes are just above the surface of the water, and he's a couple feet from the railing of the boat, but he's not in the water. And then there's a loud, metallic scraping sound, a rumbling in the boat itself, as, unguided, it scrapes against some rocks. This time, there's the hiss of water entering somewhere and the boat starts to wallow a little, Maddox's toes dipping towards the water. On the bright side, they seem to be past the bridge, and the water seems to be opening up, with less turbulence, less obstacles. In fact, it widens out a /lot/. Close to a mile wide, and with the speed of the boat, chances are they just might sink if something isn't done. The cat thing is off the boat, now bleeding in the water and flailing enough that it's starting to atract -attention-. It's wounded. It's desperate. And those things are hungry. It breaks off its pursuit, struggling to make it back to the shore. But there are still a few antmonkeys left on deck, and there's a struggling Maddox almost hanging in the water. Lucky makes use of the last of his unusual strength, boosted by glamour, and runs to Maddox's place, hauling him up by the back of the shirt... and depositing him hard, ass first, onto the metal door. "HANG ON!" he yells to the elemental, bracing his back against the rail as he shoves the edge of the door with his foot. It sends the door, and its passenger, skidding toward the wheelhouse once again, now that the boat is flat. The two antmonkeys left are easily knocked off the boat as Maddox flies along with the door, the timing here of unfortunate necessity, even as Lucky wraps him in fortuitous glamour. If there was ever a point when they needed a little luck, it was now. Luck, however, doesn't help much with the rather unfortunate and abrupt stop at the end of Maddox's journey. Maddox's t-shirt rips some as he's haul onto the deck. He scowls at Lucky. He scowls even more as that door is kicked before he even has a chance to object. He lets out a howl as it slides across the deck, electricity flaring. He lashes out at anything that comes too close, and the door spins sideways. The remaining antmonkeys are knocked off the boat. There's a feeding frenzy of some sort in the water. Maddox hits the wheelhouse full force with his side and collapses in a heap, groaning. "Why the fuck di..." All the enemies are gone, the water it open, but suddenly, the engines die. The water must have reached that level and the bilge pumps can't handle it. They're going to sink. Maddox pushes himself up with a grunt and moves past lucky, giving the elf a shove. Retaliation for the door stunt. And then he's opening the door to the down below, stumbling towards it. He might drown, depending on where the water's coming in from. He growls, "Gimme a sec! Keep the fucking deck clear." Meanwhile, they are sitting ducks. Lucky just sighs. So. That went about as well as he expected it to. The shove gets a yelp of pain from the man, already-damaged ribs banging against the railing. But that's the price you pay when you mess with Fate. He's pretty used to that, all in all. While Maddox goes down below, Lucky patrols the deck up top, looking out over the water to make sure that nothing else is going to try and eat them. Though really, they have enough of a feast in the water that it's not very likely they'll try and come up onto the deck. Yet. Besides, the deck is rapidly coming to -them-. The elf, for his part, just slumps down against the wall slightly. He could maybe be more help down below, but... Maddox doesn't seem like the type to challenge too much. Besides, they're in a dangerous situation, and swimming back to shore is not an option. Sentry duty for the wounded elf seems to be his destiny. Minutes pass by. The deck sinks lower. The water boils with activity. Might as well just accept it, right? And then, it starts to even out, or maybe it's the imagination, a lingering hope? But no, the deck starts to actually raise a little from the water. And, ever so slowly, the back end of the boat starts to raise a little. Meanwhile, down below, it's a mess. Water is rushing in. No man can withstand that. Thankfully, Maddox is no man. He pushes through it, he doesn't have tools, he doesn't have parts, and for a moment reality blurs and Glamour flares, but then the gouge is sealed. It takes the bilge pumps a while to catch up, but they churn away still. Maddox makes his way back towards drier ground. And it's probably good Lucky didn't follow him, because he was an electrical Elemental submerged in water. It might have been a shocking experience. Maddox trudges back onto the deck, wet and crackling and irritated. "You fucking killed my engines." He moves towards where the damage was done. He'll have to clear that out first, before he can start up again. "Lucky? You don't seem very fucking lucky to me. Tell me how you fucking got here." He moves to grab a fresh 'beer', as his was knocked all over, and a tool bag. he heads towards the last piece of machinery Lucky ruined, the one that killed the engine. "I'm plenty lucky," Lucky retorts. "Other people, not always so much. There's a finite supply of luck in the world. Nature of the universe, friend." For one to benefit, another has to suffer. Lucky just happens to be the one usually benefiting. It's not like he can help that. Still, he's leaning against the side of the wall, all of the gears now churning again, if unhappily. "Besides," he tells the man, "that thing has been prowling the banks for weeks now. Mostly you can avoid it on land, if you're quiet. Not so much when you're floating around like a duck. It likes boats. You probably would have run into it anyway." Which could have gone much worse. Another pair of hands was at least -helpful-. Still, he looks around, frowning at the damage. "At least it's still above the water." There's a silver lining there, somewhere, even if Maddox is unlikely to see it that way at the moment. Lucky takes his own 'beer' out of his pocket, finally, removing the cap with an elbow. He's clearly not an elemental. Or at least, not wholly. When he looks over to Maddox, the man might notice that telltale meteor fire and constellations in his eyes, if one is looking carefully. Bad omens, all around. "Thanks for the lift. Think I know a guy who can probably help with the repairs too. As for how I got here," he tells the other, "the next bridge up has a Gate under it. Tends to be left alone, mostly, on both sides. They're all along the banks, if you know where to find 'em." Maddox snorts at Lucky's words. "I think that's a bunch of bullshit. There /is/ no fucking luck. You make your own bed, you fucking deal with it. Yeah, chaos and shit happens, but you deal with it. It's not a matter of fucking luck, it's a matter of skill, of being fucking prepared, of having the goddamned /drive/." He snorts again, then, once the engine is free again, heads back into the wheelhouse to fire it up. Shouting out the door, he says, "It has? I'm up and down this fucking river and I hadn't seen it, and hobs didn't fucking /tell/ me about it. How do I know you didn't fucking summon it or some shit?" He ducks into the wheelhouse, firing up the engines. The churn back to live, and the bilge pump, no longer restricted to emergency power, starts to pump more quickly. They start to inch forward. Clear course ahead, he locks the wheel and steps out to look at Lucky, hand son his hips, electricity crackling around him. "/That's/ what you were fucking looking for? There's gates all the fuck over. Hell, there's one down below." On this very boat. A gate to the other side. It's a Hollow, after all. It's linked somewhere, even if it moves. Lucky tries -really- hard to keep from rolling his eyes at the angry elemental. And somehow, he even manages to succeed. Maybe it's the threat of potential death by devouring water beasties. Maybe it's that the man is made of lightning, and tends to look intimidating. Either way, he manages to keep a decent, if not perfect, poker face. "If I had summoned it," he tells the man, "I could have just sicced it on the boat and let it eat you, instead of trying to eat -me-. That seems like an awfully counterproductive method of attack." Sniffing at the beer-stuff, he takes a sip, not really caring much what's in it. He's probably had worse. "And no," he tells him. "You asked me how I got here. Not what I was looking for. I got here through a door under the bridge." It -is- what the Elemental wanted to know, after all. He doesn't even ask about the door under the boat. It might be more convenient to get back by, but Maddox has no reason to trust him just yet, especially not with -that-. Maddox glares at Lucky, as if this whole thing were his fault. Here Mad was, just cruising down the river in the Hedge, the most dangerous of places, and then utter chaos. Then again, protecting people if what he does, so the actual anger is somewhat lacking. He grunts, "Fuck, people get attacked by shit they summon all the fucking time. That's why you shouldn't do it. Weakest fucking excuse ever." But the other changeling is taking a swig of the 'beer'. And it /is/ beer, of a sort. It's a slightly different flavor. It sweeps into the mind rather than the bloodstream. But the effects are more or less the same. And it's pretty good. Maddox grunts, "There's a hob port up ahead and shit. I'll dock. It's not too far to the fucking gate." Maddox knows all the gates. Hell, he spots some that other people don't even know about. "I'll fucking take you there." And there is the shadow of some ramshackle buildings in the distance, and the shadow of a bridge, this one whole, beyond it. Lucky can't help but smile a little. "Much appreciated," he tells the man. "Though I'm pretty sure that I owe you now. So, you ever need a favor, come find me." he doesn't really argue with the man about taking him to the hob port. It's not where he -wanted- to be, but after that little adventure, it's probably where he -needs- to be. "Didn't realize that boats ran this river," he tells the man. "At least, not the ones you wanna meet up with." There are plenty of other boats. The Gentry sometimes cruise in their impossible ships. And other, less scrupulous individuals own some boats too, all the better for slaving in such a way that the Lost they steal don't have much choice but to stay, or be devoured. "Glad to know that there are still at least a -few- good ones out there." Still, he's suspicious. Anyone who spends that much time in the Hedge, well... their perceptions of reality might be a little... off. Best not to antagonize. Maddox heads back into the wheelhouse to guide the boat towards the port. The listing improves by the moment as the bilge pump does its work. He leaves the wheelhouse door open, even motions for Lucky to follow him, or at least come closer so he doesn't have to shout. "Little Big, that's the name of the fucking port. Hobs are mostly chill and shit. They'll rip you off, and avoid dark places, but they aren't looking to die, you know?" As they approach, the port comes into view. Shanties stacked on shanties, questionable docks, a few lights here and there advertising some business or another. It doesn't look like a nice place. And it's filled with hobs. Maddox glances at Lucky and snorts, "I'll take you through, unless you want to fucking go your own. I'm good with 'em." The hobs. At the comment about a few good ones, he rolls his eyes. "I have a fucking job to do. I protect those I can. Those that escape, even hobs that fucking need it. This is /my/ fucking turf, not some asshole Gentry's. And so I patrol." He shrugs, then docks the boat, hopping off to secure it. He looks at Lucky and motions for him to follow, "C'mon, it's not far to the fucking gate." Lucky follows dutifully along... though he does make sure to tuck a few of his valuables a little deeper into his pockets. Anyplace that closely resembles Mos Eisley in the Hedge is a great place to lose you stuff to some random hob. Good thing he's more efficient at taking stuff -back-. But he follows Maddox along, since Maddox knows the way and says he's good with them. It's not like he's got anything to lose. "So you're a...Squire then, right?" Lucky searches his memory for the proper title and rank, the infinite intricacies tending to be somewhat lost on him. He does his own job regardless of who it is. And no one is immune. "Appreciate the assist." Maddox leads Lucky deeper through the maze of shanties. Hobs of all sorts mill around, or move about with activity. Some glare at them, some wave, some ignore them completely. And some seem to recognize Maddox. This isn't the first time the Elemental's been here. He pushes on, ignoring it all. At Lucky's question, he glances back, then shows his hands. Scars slash across his palms, scars that will never go away. That's answer enough to the Squires question, as they all have it. At the mention of the assist, he grunts, "It's what I fucking do." He continues on. At one point, he shoves a hob trying to pickpocket him aside. Otherwise, he's mostly left alone. Out of the port, he starts down an alley, which turns int' a trail along a dam-like structure, crumbling. Eventually, they reach the other side of the river, where a blank wall greets them. Maddox grunts and waves, "Your gate. Just fucking run through it. It doesn't appear when you're still and shit." Maddox could be just fucking with Lucky. Or he could be serious. His expression says serious but it /is/ the Hedge. Maddox adds, "You can find me at World's a Part, it's a fucking junkyard. You think you owe me, then I'm going to use you for a goddamned job." He lifts a hand, and then he's turning, starting back down towards hobtown. "Sounds fair," Lucky tells the Elemental, grinning at him as he goes. He's gruff, straightforward, and to the point. Lucky can deal with that. It didn't even end in violence! Well... at last not violence toward each other. Much. He rubs his ribs, the bruising there starting to creep up th side a bit. It's gonna leave a hell of a mark. And as the Elemental leaves, he finally leans over to the side, not wanting to show weakness in front of the other man... but also resisting screaming from standing straight. Turning toward the gate, he says, "Man, this had better work," and moves toward it as fast as he can manage. One does not linger too long near gates. They're popular with all manner of people. And the person that was keeping the hobs off his back just turned and headed back toward his (mildly damaged) boat.