A Little Past the Market Place
It hadn't taken long before Ebony reached the market place. As her eyes cautiously scanned over those within the immediate area, she kept a look out for anything out of the ordinary. There were people trading, a few standing off to the side having what looked like a small meeting, and others who appeared to be simply loitering about. Nothing overtly suspicious, but there was a strange underlying sense of unease that couldn't quite be placed on anyone or anything in particular. The feeling lingered throughout the market place; a strange kind of tension that Ebony could see etched on a number of faces around her.
Each step she took fell evenly, her pace never picking up in speed even as she reached her target destination. This was where she'd left them. Taking one more precautionary look around, Ebony looked half-heartedly along the ground for the bag of Techno weapons she'd left behind when she'd carried Cloe back to the mall. She hadn't expected them to still be there; in fact, it would have been highly strange if someone *hadn't* picked them up. But she'd had to go back to check, more for herself than anything. The memories she had from before the blackout were fuzzy at best, and she'd hoped that retracing her steps might help to jog a few more. Her brow creased as she walked in a semicircle around the spot where she'd left the T-guns; her focus set on trying to recall where or how she'd come across them in the first place. Flashes of images creeped into her mind, some lasting longer than others, but all of them feeling more like a dream than a true memory. She'd found them in a barn,...they'd been left by someone, probably hidden away for safe keeping rather than just abandoned. Ebony's eyes peered at the exact spot where she'd left the bag when she'd found Cloe. Certain pieces of her jumbled recollection still seemed to be missing, and as she looked around her once more she tried harder to recall the pictures in her head that didn't seem to add up. There had been bodies. Dead bodies, and an instinctive part of her that didn't want to know anymore.
Ebony's right hand came up to her head, her elbow resting on her left arm about her middle. As she realized she knew what had happened, Ebony exhaled slowly allowing the memory to completely resurface. It hadn't happened here, it was somewhere else, the woods. She'd killed them. Rigged a trap and shot each one of them, watching as they fell. And she had no idea why. A small spike of paranoia hit her, and she quickly looked up, irrationally wondering if anyone close by could read her thoughts. The twinge of panic increased as she realized there may have been a witness. There had been a girl out in the woods when everything had gone down, but she couldn't recall who. Ebony had been City Leader, and was widely recognized by most of the people in the city. If this girl knew, and if what she knew ever got out...Ebony immediately thought of Jay, and felt utterly sick. No. Jay would never take the word of some random girl over her. He wouldn't. The possibility was too devastating to even think on, and Ebony pushed it quickly from her mind. Jay's loyalty to her probably wouldn't be shared by the rest of the Mallrats however, and she was fully aware of what that could mean. They would believe she had done it, many wouldn't even second guess it, and they would be right. And what would be her defense? That she hadn't meant to? That she hadn't even remembered it until recently? That she'd blacked out and everything had been a complete blur? That wouldn't hold up. It sounded ridiculous even to her. At the same time, she knew she wasn't crazy. Something had happened to her she was certain, but of what exactly she couldn't be sure. Maybe she had been poisoned. Someone seeking revenge on the former City Leader. It was very likely that someone could have done something to her using more advanced means; especially given the kind of technology the Techno's possessed. There were a number of possibilities, too many in fact.
Turning around, Ebony headed back towards the mall still deep in thought. Telling Jay or any of the others what she had done was out of the question. Just the other night she and Jay had had a long talk about trust and honesty; two seemingly simple things he really valued and asked of her. Ebony shook her head slightly as logic won out. Telling Jay would be stupid, and Ebony wouldn't risk losing him over it. Her jaw set as she looked upward for a brief moment. She couldn't tell him, she couldn't play the odds, but she would at the very least try to get to the bottom of it. Maybe she should go back to the spot where she'd shot those people. To see what, if anything, she could find there. On the other hand, it wouldn't do well if she was spotted standing in the middle of a pile of bodies either. Ebony glanced over to her side, noticing the sun rays hitting her softly at an angle . The day was winding down, and she wouldn't be able to make it there and back to the mall before nightfall. Setting out tomorrow would be the best option, if at all, and she would have to be careful about it. Something was wrong in the City, and something had been done to her. This made things very personal. Ebony didn't know whether the two were related or not, but she wasn't going to sit by and do nothing. It just wasn't an option. Getting to the bottom of things had just become her number one priority, and she had more than enough motive.
Ebony would prove to Jay she really did care about the City, and that she wasn't always completely self serving like Amber believed. She wanted him to be proud of her; to prove herself to him. The need to reclaim her sense of usefulness was also a driving factor. Not being able to do anything when so much was going on around her...it felt like being in a cage, and Ebony didn't do very well locked up. This was also the perfect chance to win back some of the support she had lost from her tribe and from the city, and support was *always* preferable to opposition. Lastly, she would find out what had happened to her, and see to it that whoever was behind it was thoroughly delt with. Now having a renewed sense of purpose, Ebony's pace slightly quickened as she continued her way to the mall. Tonight, she would have to speak with Salene.
Each step she took fell evenly, her pace never picking up in speed even as she reached her target destination. This was where she'd left them. Taking one more precautionary look around, Ebony looked half-heartedly along the ground for the bag of Techno weapons she'd left behind when she'd carried Cloe back to the mall. She hadn't expected them to still be there; in fact, it would have been highly strange if someone *hadn't* picked them up. But she'd had to go back to check, more for herself than anything. The memories she had from before the blackout were fuzzy at best, and she'd hoped that retracing her steps might help to jog a few more. Her brow creased as she walked in a semicircle around the spot where she'd left the T-guns; her focus set on trying to recall where or how she'd come across them in the first place. Flashes of images creeped into her mind, some lasting longer than others, but all of them feeling more like a dream than a true memory. She'd found them in a barn,...they'd been left by someone, probably hidden away for safe keeping rather than just abandoned. Ebony's eyes peered at the exact spot where she'd left the bag when she'd found Cloe. Certain pieces of her jumbled recollection still seemed to be missing, and as she looked around her once more she tried harder to recall the pictures in her head that didn't seem to add up. There had been bodies. Dead bodies, and an instinctive part of her that didn't want to know anymore.
Ebony's right hand came up to her head, her elbow resting on her left arm about her middle. As she realized she knew what had happened, Ebony exhaled slowly allowing the memory to completely resurface. It hadn't happened here, it was somewhere else, the woods. She'd killed them. Rigged a trap and shot each one of them, watching as they fell. And she had no idea why. A small spike of paranoia hit her, and she quickly looked up, irrationally wondering if anyone close by could read her thoughts. The twinge of panic increased as she realized there may have been a witness. There had been a girl out in the woods when everything had gone down, but she couldn't recall who. Ebony had been City Leader, and was widely recognized by most of the people in the city. If this girl knew, and if what she knew ever got out...Ebony immediately thought of Jay, and felt utterly sick. No. Jay would never take the word of some random girl over her. He wouldn't. The possibility was too devastating to even think on, and Ebony pushed it quickly from her mind. Jay's loyalty to her probably wouldn't be shared by the rest of the Mallrats however, and she was fully aware of what that could mean. They would believe she had done it, many wouldn't even second guess it, and they would be right. And what would be her defense? That she hadn't meant to? That she hadn't even remembered it until recently? That she'd blacked out and everything had been a complete blur? That wouldn't hold up. It sounded ridiculous even to her. At the same time, she knew she wasn't crazy. Something had happened to her she was certain, but of what exactly she couldn't be sure. Maybe she had been poisoned. Someone seeking revenge on the former City Leader. It was very likely that someone could have done something to her using more advanced means; especially given the kind of technology the Techno's possessed. There were a number of possibilities, too many in fact.
Turning around, Ebony headed back towards the mall still deep in thought. Telling Jay or any of the others what she had done was out of the question. Just the other night she and Jay had had a long talk about trust and honesty; two seemingly simple things he really valued and asked of her. Ebony shook her head slightly as logic won out. Telling Jay would be stupid, and Ebony wouldn't risk losing him over it. Her jaw set as she looked upward for a brief moment. She couldn't tell him, she couldn't play the odds, but she would at the very least try to get to the bottom of it. Maybe she should go back to the spot where she'd shot those people. To see what, if anything, she could find there. On the other hand, it wouldn't do well if she was spotted standing in the middle of a pile of bodies either. Ebony glanced over to her side, noticing the sun rays hitting her softly at an angle . The day was winding down, and she wouldn't be able to make it there and back to the mall before nightfall. Setting out tomorrow would be the best option, if at all, and she would have to be careful about it. Something was wrong in the City, and something had been done to her. This made things very personal. Ebony didn't know whether the two were related or not, but she wasn't going to sit by and do nothing. It just wasn't an option. Getting to the bottom of things had just become her number one priority, and she had more than enough motive.
Ebony would prove to Jay she really did care about the City, and that she wasn't always completely self serving like Amber believed. She wanted him to be proud of her; to prove herself to him. The need to reclaim her sense of usefulness was also a driving factor. Not being able to do anything when so much was going on around her...it felt like being in a cage, and Ebony didn't do very well locked up. This was also the perfect chance to win back some of the support she had lost from her tribe and from the city, and support was *always* preferable to opposition. Lastly, she would find out what had happened to her, and see to it that whoever was behind it was thoroughly delt with. Now having a renewed sense of purpose, Ebony's pace slightly quickened as she continued her way to the mall. Tonight, she would have to speak with Salene.