Isaac did not wake up well, when he did. Unbeknownst to him, though, it was going to get better. The reason he did not get up well was because his sleep was fitful, cold, and there'd been one moment he awoke with a start. His dreams had been the kind of disturbing imagery you'd expect: He was opening fire on Hill 58 and gunning down the cavalry that they'd all been around to see and hear shriek its last. In the middle of it all, he thought he'd heard a faint howl and that's where his eyes shot open. He thought he'd heard something, and thought he'd felt something. It was impossible to determine whether anything he'd heard was not a part of his dream, because nothing else seemed to present itself as evidence. As for what he felt, it was like someone jostled him slightly, and as Isaac checked, he discovered that that was [i]exactly[/i] what had happened. Britta had been asleep next to him and for whatever reason - cold, nightmares, etc. - she had sought another and wound up leaning against it. No objections, he tried to go back to sleep, found maybe a bit more time of what he [i]assumed[/i] was sleep, and then they were all told to get up. The passage of time was truly a mystery to one who is asleep, and so Isaac felt groggy, muggy, and dead. Things would improve, later on. For now, though, he picked himself up and so did Britta. The silver-haired gunner seemed distracted, as well, and the reason was that her dreams hadn't been any better than Isaac's. [i]Hers[/i]...was that she was pinned down in that room without Isaac, Ines, or Gwyn...and that it was the armored car that was doing the pinning. It didn't look to Isaac that now was the time for talking. Neither of them were in any great mental condition, you see, and they needed all the mental strength they had for machine gun overwatch. So, that was what they focused on. Now, you'd probably say that everyone should check their weapon for any sort of problems before heading out, but the two Gunners knew that their weapons were practically new. The only REAL concern was ammo count. Yes, you hope you find the enemy having some ammo for you to use once they're dead, but the truth is that Isaac and Britta's steady stream of kills did not leave them with much in the way of recup'd ammo. There hadn't been all that many Gunners on the streets here. Not unlike the machine guns on Hill 58. Now, fortunately, the point of a Gunner was that they filled you up with ammo so that you don't run into such problems easily. It's just that these two had the most people dead of all the people in the 15th. That still drank a fair chunk of their respective supplies. It would've been pretty bad if they'd wasted much ammo on the armored car. It was very foggy outside... It reminded Isaac of the most temperate climates of Edinburgh. No city of his area was safe, and even the farm suffered from it, a bit. The fog was always thick in Hadleigh, and when he went into town, you ran the risk of running right into someone. Into...into... Isaac's eyes widened in realization. When he was a kid, he'd gotten lost in the fog and separated from his parents, and instead bumped into [i]Mila Wagner![/i] THAT was where he'd seen her! She was a wealthy socialite in Hadleigh, though at the time, Isaac had just thought of her as a stuck-up kid. It was a foggy day, he'd gottan lost, they bumped into each other, she got indignant on him, he shouted back, and it was [i]after[/i] an argument about their given lifestyles and why theirs was the best...that Isaac's parents found him and that they could go home now. [i][color=f7941d]Damn, and I didn't even attempt to make up with her. At least I know WHY she seemed so familiar now.[/color][/i] People began to pay more attention to the day once Jean basically called to attention and explained the plan for the day, which was to keep moving - carefully and quietly - under the concealment of the fog. It was a good idea, of course, but then it also meant their own visibility was going to be shit. Jean...probably shouldn't have mentioned the idea of the machine gun car deciding to take a 'liking' to them, as in a liking to use them all for target practice. Starting the day with 'We have to keep moving and keep ahead of the enemy' is fine, but don't add 'By the way, we might get hit by that armored monstrosity again'. That's what you call a morale no-no. Everybody knows that it could be lurking with intent. They didn't need it in their faces like that. So! They moved out into the spooky foggy day. Visibility was, of course, very poor...which is why they had to be quiet. With thick enough fog, this was what the enemy would be looking for. Why did Isaac know? Because he was trained for this. There's alot of machine gun drills revolving around finding the best opportunities to spray an area with gunfire. In this particular case, he had been blindfolded and put in a constructed tower, then asked to determine the alligiance from sound along. Footsteps said nothing. Unless your man was sneaking around and the area was controlled strictly by your side, you couldn't tell if a man walking around was disreputable and kill-worthy or not. Even still, you get people who would fire anyway, and who wants to be at the business end of THAT? So, they tell you to be quiet anyway, just in case of trigger-happy fools, AND because it's your [i]chatter[/i] that gives you away. Your accent and mode of speech is as damning as a fingerprint. You will marvel at how an Imperial soldier - Nay, any soldier at all - can tell the difference between an Imperial and some farmer from Hadleigh in Edinburgh. Or at least, he'll know it's not an Imperial territory dialect and shoot. They were spared this as they moved along and found indicators of something called a White Heart. Isaac had no idea. He turned to Britta, and the Gunner lady had a good answer for him. [color=f7941d]"White Heart?"[/color] [b][color=ed1c24]"Could be a hospital."[/color][/b] Now, you ask if Isaac, Britta, Reyna, and everyone else noticed Jean's change in general action, and we will say 'Yes' to the two Gunners noticing. Not that Isaac disapproved, per se, of him wanting to look ahead for the safety of others, but his talk with Jean had revealed much, and he had been giving off the kind of talk a suicidal man might have. Asserting yourself is fine, but throwing yourself into something was definitely unhealthy. Isaac kind of hoped that nothing bad was going to happen to him as a result of this turn-of-a-new-leaf. There was...something up ahead, presumably whatever White Heart was. Whatever Jean was hearing from the fog, Everyone else would pick it up a bit fainter, but...that was people, wasn't it? This was where someone called out, and Jean was approached by a man. They seemed to talk and...wasn't that an Imperial soldier with a bunch of medals? What's going on here? A man that decorated doesn't get that way by openly talking to a high-strung Jean with a rifle. When no promise of violence occurred from either men or anyone out in the fog, Jean lowered his weapon. After that, Gwyn and Luke decided 'The hell with it' and approached. Isaac wanted to, as well, but let's be perfectly honest here: You want him watching your back - and Britta his - instead of sauntering on up to give off the old 'What's all this, then?'. There's no question of it. It was his job, and he had to either be prepared to fire at a moment's notice, or wait for some indication that things were more relieving. [color=f7941d]"Thoughts, Britta?"[/color] [b][color=ed1c24]"If it's a hospital, it's sounding awfully jovial. Wish this fog would clear up. I can't see it clearly."[/color][/b] After a [i]further[/i] lack of gunfire or maybe even a sudden stabbing by the man talking to Jean, it became apparent that - for some reason - there wasn't going to be any battle here. Okay...and that left what, then? Well, in Isaac's case, enough was enough. Time to approach the place and see what the hell was going on. Isaac's vision became Jean's as he was able to see the building and...it was an inn! It was a most [i]substantial[/i] inn. And yes, they were going IN the inn. Jean appeared to be taking the gracious invitation of...the Green Fox. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> The full story of the White Heart Inn became apparent once they'd walked in. Neutral inn, open to everyone and demanding that everyone behave...within reason. Obviously, this place was for the purpose of removing one's frustrations, and that comes in many forms. Now, Isaac and Britta had come in after Ines had finished talking to...someone. Didn't catch who that was. No big deal, though, because after she apparently turned to the bartender and asked for one of what was being served here, those two walked in as the person had their back turn, and then suddenly saw more people in the same uniform and had to get some more. As a result, the two Gunners walked in...and were automatically handed two drinks. They were also informed of {A} beds (though Isaac had heard mention of that by Jean outside) and {B} baths. Holy shit, this place was truly a weighstation of paradise or something. Food, drink, the ability to get clean, and the ability to get rest. He looked at Britta, who had perked up at hearing these things. With a shared gesture of 'Bottoms up', the two tipped their bottles up and began to drink the house brew. Time passed, and Isaac had used it on various conversations among Feds and Imperials alike, trying to explain situations and learn things. For instance, he had attempted to - while he was still relatively sober - gain information about the armored cars from a very inebriated Imperial soldier. [color=f7941d]"How the hell did you get those machine gun cars?"[/color] [b]"We built them of course!"[/b] [color=f7941d]"No, I mean how'd you get them here and [i]nobody[/i] in all the Federation around here knew that?"[/color] [b]"You wouldn't believe me if I told you!"[/b] [color=f7941d]"I don't believe it NOW, and I've [i]seen[/i] one of these things!"[/color] ...then explain his circumstances to Fed and Imps alike while getting a bit gabby from having a few drinks... [color=f7941d]"Look, I get it, alright? You all think you need to trade bullets, but you've got it all wrong. You need to trade [i]money[/i] to get what you want. I don't need this war. You guys started it. You're the ones who decided that a simple bloody farmer - a man who makes you the FOOD you put on the table - should be off fighting your war. I was just minding my own business. It isn't fair that I have to deal with this when other people have got to eat. I raise cows and wolves and shit, dammit! What? No, not [i]actually[/i] raising shit."[/color] ...and then, finally, comparing rotten COs. [color=f7941d]"Oh, [i]you[/i] think you have it bad? I've only been in this outfit two battles and I hate it, and I hate my commanding officer, of course. Now, I'm not going to name 'im because he'll literally kill people over this, but I have to... I have to... Hold on, I got this."[/color] He stood up near the bar and got people's attention with a combination of knocking on the bar counter and going [color=f7941d]"Hey!"[/color]. He then spoke in a manner that was surprisingly solemn and meaningful...which was thoroughly unsuitable for what he was about to say. [color=f7941d]"I would like to propose a toast. Out there somewhere, far and away from the ensuing violence...probably...is a man with no morality, no sense of decency at all. He'll have you shot for desertion. He'll have you shot for insubbordination. He'll have you shot if you even call him the wrong name. ...fortunately, he's not HERE."[/color] He'd checked. Isaac now raised his drink. [color=f7941d]"To the ultimate asshole, Captain Grumpus."[/color] Isaac snerked and drank his drink. He hoped that Middleton got wind of this, but with no context or details to give it clarity. I mean, look at some of the Imperials and the Feds who all raised their glasses. They don't even know who he's [i]talking[/i] about! They just did it to be funny and they'd probably spread rumors or something! At least, he [i]hoped[/i] they did, 'cause that would be funny as hell. Meanwhile, Britta had had a couple of drinks, and then eyed a nice bottle of scotch that the bartender had. She asked to use it, fully intending to have a private word with Isaac. He'd wanted to speak to her about something before and...so did she, actually. Now was as good a time as any. After convincing the 'tender to say yes, she got two glasses and strode over to him. [b][color=ed1c24]"Isaac, do you think I could borrow you for a while?"[/color][/b] [color=f7941d]"It [i]is[/i] possible, but I know for a fact that my legs have gone a bit stumbly."[/color] [b][color=ed1c24]"I can handle it. Follow me, or stumble and let me give you a hand."[/color][/b] [color=f7941d]"Alrighty. Lead the way."[/color] They would be taking a room for this.