Yankee

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure - Operation: Ground the Harpy

As the group made to get into the plane, Taras merely nodded to the women as a way to acknowledge their greetings. Oscuro, an American, made up the other of the pair of women he'd be working with. Small, but dangerous - that was the kind of vibe Kiara gave off. That kind of aura could be appreciated by Taras, but unfortunately it seemed like she might be also be the talkative type similar to Cakebread Yonaka. Taras wasn't a man who would judge people on things they couldn't control, such as being unfortunate enough to be born in the United States or seeming to be of Japanese-descent despite a clear British accent, but he would happily, happily, judge enough on a first impression alone. Musical discussion was not something he wanted for a first impression, so as soon as Kiara entered the small plane Taras pushed in after her, cramming the three of them into the confining space and slammed the door after him.

...saying it was cramped was an understatement. Perhaps the two smaller women would have been fine, but with Taras inside as well there was barely room enough to breathe let alone stretch out. When the co-pilot mentioned the air would thin out, the bulky Russian man couldn't stop the small frustrated noise that escaped him. Cold, windy, cramped, and hard to breathe? What more could a man ask for?

<I'll make someone pay for this> Taras sighed under his breath in his native language. As the plane was just taking off, he already couldn't wait for it to touch down in France. It wasn't really the mission or his fellow agents that had him in such a sour mood - just that, there was a certain comfort level he preferred to travel in. It most definitely was not this. Once on the ground he'd get re-acquainted with, and hopefully not loathe, the women he was with and meet the agents already in the area, and he'd go about his mission as usual. Just... had to get through this awful flight first.

As Kiara and Chloe attempted conversation in the dismal conditions, Taras tried his best to settle in. He tucked his chin against his chest as he leaned as far back as possible, letting his eyes fall closed.

"Hope you are comfortable, ladies," he said, his deep voice dripped with the most professional tone of sarcasm, "I will take the pallet when we land. If you are dizzy do not bang anything, deal with it. Spokoynoy nochi."

His words left no room for argument, but even if the women tried to talk to Taras he'd be ignoring everyone and everything until they touched down. After that, with some breathing room, he'd be much more inclined to cooperate. For now, he used his experience sleeping in holes and trenches to block everything out and let his frustration melt away with rest before arrival in France.

Root River: A Wonderful Life!

---

^{❀ Spring 1 • Year 1 ❀}
_{Location: Root River Clinic -> General Store}

---

Overall, Xavier found Root River to be a sleepy little town. As a child, he'd had no lack of surprises and adventure both in and around the small settlement, but as the years passed and people moved away, the community quieted down and now the days were mostly peaceful. At least, that was the impression the young new owner of the Root River Clinic got since moving back to town recently. Although threatened, the current clean air of nature kept most of the residents in good health, and Xavier hadn't seen a lot of patients with major health concerns - mostly just minor cuts and scrapes, the occasional stomach bug, etc. No emergencies yet.

Which is why, when the clinic's phone rang in the early hours of the morning, Xavier laid in bed upstairs perplexed about what had woken him up. The constant, monotone briiiing briiiing briiiing didn't click with him at first, but once he finally processed the sound as the clinic's phone Xavier all but scrambled out of bed and stumbled his way downstairs. It seemed like the sun was just beginning to rise - no light came through the clinic's windows, which was all the better because Xavier, in his rush to answer, was dressed only in his sleeping shirt and boxers.

"Hello?!" the young man answered in a bit of a panic, snatching the phone from it's receiver, but all he was met with was an even dial tone. Missed call.

He set the phone back down, and as Xavier was about to fiddle with the buttons to call whoever it was back, the blinking red light of a new message! came to life. The not-yet-a-doctor wasted no time in listening to said message just in case someone needed help immediately. Why else would they be calling at such an early hour? ...of course, after hearing the words left behind by the Mayor, that didn't seem to be the case. It was simultaneously frustrating and relieving. With all the panic suddenly gone from his system, Xavier's body was instead flooded with sleepiness. He sighed and briefly rubbed his eyes with one hand. Back to bed... or not. It was a special day after all, might as well stay up and get ready for it.

The rest of Xavier's early morning thankfully passed in peace. He groomed and dressed himself before heading outside to the yard behind the clinic he currently called home. There, a large rabbit hutch sat with three well looked after bunnies inside.

"Good morning girls," Xavier greeted to the rabbits softly, cleaning the hutch and giving the fluffy creatures their breakfast. As the rabbits munched away, Xavier took the time to watch the rest of the sunrise of the first day of the year. There was a slight chill in the air, both the last grips of Winter and the mysterious "Rot" that sullied the attitudes of the residents, but even so it was a time of happiness and hope! Clinging to that notion, the young apothecary went back inside to finish up the rest of his morning routine.

One small breakfast later (and the realization that his fridge and pantry were getting dangerously close to barren), the phone rang once again. This time on the other end was Xavier's father, a pleasant surprise.

"Morning Xavier! Happy New Year!"

"You too Dad! Hope you and Mom are doing okay."

"We're fine, don't worry about us. How's it going in Root River? You know I saw on the TV that BigCo.--"

"I've been fine," Xavier interrupted, not really keen to discuss the potential town leveling on the first day of the year. "I even got a call from Mayor Yuletree already, about the New Year's Picnic. I completely forgot about it - actually, I'm kind of surprised it still happens."

"Oh, yeah, those were always fun, huh? ...wait, Yuletree? Not the same Mayor since I was a kid, right? I swear there was even a 'Mayor Yuletree' when your grandfather used to tell me stories about when he was a kid."

"Um... Maybe? Anyway, it's been nice to hear from you, but--"

"Wait, you remember you have to bring something to the Mayor's place, right? It's like a potluck."

"He made that very clear," Xavier laughed. Indeed, he'd need a trip to the local market to restock not only his own home with food, but figure something out to bring to the picnic. The Price men exchanged a few more words before signing off, and after that it was out the door for Xavier.

First thing's first: what should he bring to the picnic? The young man considered that question as he hung a sign on the clinic reading "Out for the holiday. Need medical attention or advice? I'll be in town, please come see me. - Xavier Price." and made a beeline for the general store. He hadn't gone to a 'New Year's Picnic' since he was a kid, so he had no clue what would be nice to bring. Something to appease the Mayor, sure, but also enough to share with everyone. Xavier dabbled in cooking every now and then, it was fun and... cathartic, in a sense, but he wasn't particularly amazing at it. Not only that but he wasn't exactly making bank at the clinic. Lack of business combined with his general aversion to charging a lot for care, and his loan payments, meant Xavier was living on a strict budget. Well, it doesn't really bother me, he thought, just means I need to get kind of creative... maybe... something apple-y?

With "apple-y" on the mind, Xavier arrived at the town market and went in.

ꇙ ꒤ ꋊ ꋪ ꒤ ꋊ ꋊ ꏂ ꋪ ꇙ

I'm here, too. Just sorta chilling for the moment, I'm imagining that Adam will sort of turn up at a convenient and poignant but unobtrusive and uninvasive moment. Just need things to move forward a *little* more while I figure out how he's been living for the past couple weeks without any money since I forgot to give him any.

@Bazmund

Medical treatment in return for food, room and board? I sympathize with you though, I always forget to give my characters starting money!

Yankee's Characters: Past & Present

Reorganizing. . .

Why hello there!

I like your username too, as a gacha-addict myself

Welcome!

World of Light

Word Count: 596 (+1 exp)
Level: 2 - Total EXP: 7/20
Location: Ancestral Farmstead
Stress Level: 15

As the Brachydios slung it's slime around the area, the Ace Cadet managed to expertly dodge the globs that came flying his way. He wasn't part of the "Ace Hunters" by coincidence after all. However, even experts make mistakes every now and then. Cadet's focus was zeroed in on the Brute Wyvern, and as he kept his eyes on it to avoid the monster's incoming headbutt, he missed the creep of husked farmhands behind him. Cadet leapt backwards to avoid the Brachydios' head protrusion only to land directly in front of a group of the husks, who tore at the armor on his back. "Get off!" he snapped at the humanoid husks, spinning around with his sword to slice at the enemies in a circular slash. From the corner of his eye he saw the Brachydios move away to strike at another target, so he took a step to distance himself from the husks that had 'survived' his attack - and stepped directly into the left over slime puddle.

Crap, Cadet thought, finishing off the few husks around him before running back towards the Brachydios. He did a quick tumble forward in an attempt to get the slime off his leg, only to discover it wasn't that easy. Crap again! The hunter scraped the slime off with his shield and shook the metal plate vigorously to rid it of the volatile mucus (only serving to spread it around the area more) as he watched the others attack it. Euden's fire attacks he knew wouldn't do much good, and the Cadet quickly thought to himself how much he wished he had a water-element attuned weapon.

...oh my Gog, water, duh! The Cadet barely had time to think and give himself a face palm before the smaller puddles of slime he'd created finished changing color and exploded around him, further scorching his armor. Scrambling upright after the short distance he'd been blown, the Cadet got back into a fighting stance and took stock of the situation: Geralt, Euden and the Courier were all on the offensive. Bowser left to join the fight with the Thing, and... the entire place was suddenly surrounded by green? It was a bit disorienting, but Cadet squeezed his eyes shut for a moment to regain his focus. Euden's mention of "something something frenzy" nearly had the Cadet's heart leaping into his throat, but no, it wasn't exactly the same as the virus, at least he didn't think so.

"We need to keep it off your back, right? Can do!" Cadet called out to Euden, moving toward the young blonde to try and draw the Brachydios' attention back to himself. After a brief moment considering which area on the monster's body to target, Cadet settled for what he thought the best way to stop the Brachydios from attacking the apparent shape-shifter, or any of the others, was: getting on top of it. The hunter briefly looked toward the others and offered the advice that had slipped his mind earlier, "If any of you have any water-element attacks, they'd be a lot more useful!"

With that, the Cadet grounded himself and aimed the large claw attached to his slinger at the Brute Wyvern's back. The clutch claw was a rugged hook that was perfect for gripping to the hide's of monsters, and what better situation to use it in than this one? He fired it it, looking for a clean connection to pull himself directly on top of the Brachydios to mount it and distract it enough for the others to put work in on it.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure - Operation: Ground the Harpy

^{"S'a bit small, innit."}
"S'a bit small, innit."
"S'a bit small, innit." ??

Was that all she had to say? Not to mention "a bit small" was a complete understatement.

Taras had circled around the small aircraft once, twice, three times as the General spoke, sizing it up. Literally sizing it up, because the large Russian man severely doubted he alone would fit inside, never mind the entire lot of them. As he came back around the final time and walked back towards the gathered group, Taras' face was lightly twisted in disdain. This was going to be unpleasant, to say the least.

Still, Taras rejoined the group as the General finished his speech. 'Thank you for your service,' blah blah blah. Taras would have been a little more appreciative if he hadn't been stuck with this particular group of fellow agents. He cast his dark eyes on the lot of them, scrutinizing them all and not for the first time. Though sure to be skilled in order to be selected for a mission such as this one, they were all Westerners - and young to boot. Perfect, Taras thought to himself with an internal roll of the eyes.

Well despite the immediate situation, Taras couldn't deny that he was extremely curious about these "super Nazis." He'd have to deal with the other agents for a little while in order to find out more, as displeasing as the thought was. For fuck's sake the British woman had just introduced herself as "Cakebread." Cakebread? Really? Cakebread? Taras didn't even try and resist the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose, and he did just so to try and stave off the headache that was sure to come. Breath, Taras... Agh, pizdets.

Giving his regards and a short nod of his head to General Carmond, Taras too approached the small plane - though he didn't go inside. No, no, he wasn't getting in there before the rest of them. Once the others were in he'd cram himself inside and be the first to get off the Godforsaken thing when they touched down. The large man leaned against the metal body of the craft, tugging on his gloves impatiently.

"You will refer to me as Tupolev," he said, figuring he ought to introduce himself as well. Although he didn't plan to learn more about the group than needed, a name was always important. Taras' voice was deep and heavy with his Slavic accent - it fit his large imposing frame. He said nothing else afterward, merely observing the rest of them as they prepared to leave.

Root River: A Wonderful Life!

@Majoras End I'm thinking until everyone's sheets are in and everyone has a place to live, maybe just pick one place for now?

@Summers I'm fairly sure it was called that because it's literally red, don't think it had an official name.

Root River: A Wonderful Life!

Town Doctor

Xavier Price

_{Spring Casual | Summer | Fall | Winter
Winter Professional | Formal}

The Basics

N A M E

Xavier Price

A G E

26

B I R T H D A Y

Fall 09

G E N D E R

Male

O C C U P A T I O N

Town Physician

A Lil' More In-Depth

P E R S O N A L I T Y T R A I T S

Generous, Gentle, Caring, Curious, Eager to try new things
Strong moral compass, a little dismissive at times
Bit of a chatterbox, Distant, Naive, Scatterbrained

F A V O R I T E S E A S O N

Spring

F A V O R I T E C O L O R

Yellow

F A V O R I T E F O O D

Peach Cobbler

L I K E S

Trying (and failing) to raise a garden, cooking, sewing,
learning new things, animals, spices and spicy food, sweets

D I S L I K E S

Rainy days, cold days, smoke, being crowded,
being stuck in a small space, snow, feeling uncertain

D O Y O U B E L I E V E I N M A G I C ?

Xavier doesn't really believe in the Harvest Goddess or magic of the like, but he entertains the idea because the thought of it is nice. He plays along when others sincerely believe in it, and he has seen the very real effects of "The Rot," but he doesn't contribute any good or bad fortune to supernatural forces like magic.

Past and Present

F A M I L Y M E M B E R S

Xavier is an only child, and his parents live kind of far away in the city, their names are Clara and Ethan Price. His mother Clara is a real-estate agent and his father Ethan is a nurse at the city's hospital. His father's work combined with some other factors in his life guided him on his path to medicine.

A N I M A L F R I E N D S

Xavier cares for a few small rabbits:
Nami (black), Muffy (white), and Celia (brown)

H O M E L I F E

Xavier's home is Space 4 on the map, and also doubles as the Root River Clinic
The building is a moderate size, and the entire first floor is dedicated to the clinic. It features a curtained off resting area in addition to exam rooms. The second floor is a bit smaller and features a kitchenette, bedroom, bath, etc.
Behind the clinic is a small hutch for the rabbits and small yard. Xavier is by no means a vet but he does let animals rest in the yard if they need to be quarantined from their home farms.

S T O R Y

Despite his more recent reputation as a former city slicker, Xavier's family used to live in Root River. Xavier, his parents, and his grandfather Francis, had a modest home in the town as Xavier was growing up. They enjoyed a very happy family life, but Ethan worked long hours and had a long commute. His wife also wanted to move into the city, but Xavier was resistant. He loved his grandfather (who had no desire to move) and the town, but ultimately he had no say in the matter. When they could afford it, Xavier and his parents moved away and his grandfather remained in town. Living the city life, Xavier studied hard to get into med school, and spent nearly all of his free time working towards his goal. That and questioning his sexuality, that is. Despite that, the smog and dense populous, it wasn't an unpleasant life.
Xavier's grandfather Francis was a hearty man, but eventually time caught up with him and he needed someone to look after him. Xavier and his parents would travel back and forth from the city to Root River to keep an eye on Francis, as the old man didn't want to leave his home. The town's local clinic had been failing for the last few years, as more and more residents left for greener pastures and rumors that the entire town would be leveled spread throughout. The diminished services of the clinic meant that sooner or later Francis would have to leave Root River as well if he wanted to get the care he needed. However, Root River had always meant a lot to him as the place he grew up and met his late wife, and so after a couple years he passed peacefully in his home. His old house in Root River was sold to BigCo. by none other than Xavier's mother, since the family had inherited it. This incident caused quite a big fight in the family and although Xavier and his mother have since made up, the situation made up Xavier's mind and, now an adult, he moved back to Root River. He borrowed some money from his parents and a city bank to buy out the old clinic and fix it up. He still owes a lot.
He thought, 'No one should have to leave their home so far behind just to get care!' Using the medicinal knowledge he'd acquired from schooling in the city, Xavier hopes to revitalize both the small clinic and the town. Just to note: Xavier doesn't have a doctorate, so whenever the residents call him "Dr. Price," he gets a little embarrassed and has to correct them! He's working on it though, and continues his schooling online and some infrequent trips back into the city when needed.

Root River: A Wonderful Life!

@Majoras End Pixlr is a serviceable online image editor that you don't need an account to use. I use that when my actual computer is out of commission.