Kicking Dust/Episode 8

Kicking Dust Episode 8 - Rainclouds...
Nimbus learns to live in the new environment she's been thrust in, while trying to get a handle on all of the recent developments in her life.
== Scene 1 ==
Gampa, Nimbus and Duster are in a field of Cati, doing their regular harvest of Catus juice. Duster appears to have gotten better at doing so, though this is Nimbus’s first time. Duster materializes rock bowls for herself and Nimbus, creating it in a shape similar to a ball with a hole on top to make it harder for the juice to leak out.
:Duster: Alright… so now, you have to pierce the Catus. Fret not, it doesn’t feel pain.
:Nimbus: I know that, dummy!
Nimbus creates a small icicle and stabs the Catus with force. She then allows the Catus juice to flow into her bowl, spilling some of it, but getting the hang of it quickly.
The camera then cuts to a masked person in armored desert camouflage outfit, with the music fading out. They look at the trio as they reach for a knife, before charging at the group, to the shock of them as they notice them.
:Duster: What the - !
:Nimbus: WAAAAAGH!
:Gampa: An actual raider! Watch out!
The raider goes for a stab towards Gampa, who charges their umbrella and shoots a blast of lightning at them, pushing them back. However, they get back up quickly.
:Raider: Ghhh...
:Gampa: There’s a lot of competition around Cati. You gotta be careful around them!
:Duster: Right -
The raider then throws a knife towards Nimbus, which is intercepted by a rock from Duster as they pull another one.
:Duster: Did you just…
:Raider: (Uh oh.)
The raider brandishes their extra knife, but Duster quickly flies towards them in a rage, fist coated in rock. She punches them hard, knocking them away and breaking the knife. They get up, and are then promptly punched again by Duster, this time with one of their bones audibly breaking. They back away and run as Duster briefly keeps giving chase, before stopping.
:Gampa: That’s one way to deal with them…
:Nimbus: I-I’m scared… what if there’s more around?
:Gampa: There could be more, yes. That’s why… it’d be a good idea to return to base just about now!
Duster and Nimbus nod, as the trio proceeds to fly away.
== Scene 2 ==
The camera shows Gampa, Duster and Nimbus on top of the rock formation their shelter is in.
:Gampa: Ah, shit…
:Nimbus: Don’t say that word!
The camera pans down to reveal armed Flydevins, with one or two Kotomos amongst their ranks.
:Nimbus: But… w-what does this mean?
:Gampa: We’ll have to find shelter somewhere else. Look for caverns, abandoned buildings and that kinda stuff!
Gampa takes off, soon followed by Duster and Nimbus, as they look for a shelter - looking around rock formations and scrap settlements in particular.
:Duster: A lot of these seem to already be occupied…
Gampa: Eeyup. There are a lot of Flydevins that have exiled themselves or been kicked out by force. Not to mention, Flydevins ain’t all that there is around here!
:Duster: I see…
They eventually find, inside of a junkyard, an empty makeshift building.
:Gampa: Alright, found something!
Gampa flies down, soon followed by Duster and Nimbus. Gampa observes the found shelter, happy, while Duster and Nimbus don’t look so convinced - it looks small, fragile and quite rusty.
:Nimbus: This doesn’t look very nice…
:Gampa: What looks nice or not does not matter much here.
:Duster: I mean, she has a point. Can you even live there?
:Gampa: Hey now, that’s rude to the building.
They chuckle.
:Gampa: Worst case scenario, we can reinforce it.
:Duster: Yeah… I have a feeling we’ll need to do that.
She begins reinforcing the building with rocks, as Gampa checks out the inside and Nimbus watches Duster work.
== Scene 3 ==
The raider from earlier in the episode is preparing to attack another person within a rock formation, which is currently unseen. They brandish their knife, and charge at the person, shown to successfully stab towards their neck… only for the knife to only make a scratch against the armor the person is wearing.
The camera pans to reveal said person is in fact Fractus Zhantom. She turns around and grabs the raider by the face.
:Raider: Shit, shit! This is a really bad day!
Fractus slams them against the ground, and then creates a rock stake, bringing it down towards their head - an attack the raider narrowly dodges by rolling.
:Raider: And of course you’re one of those rock Flydevins! Why did I have to run into two of you today…
Fractus then grabs the raider by the shirt.
:Fractus: Two...?
:Raider: Y-yes… the other was… grey haired… with hair buns… light skin-
:Fractus: Where did you see her?
:Raider: T-the Catus patch! She was in a group, which absconded soon after, towards the rock formations to the north…
:Fractus: Thank you for the information.
Fractus tosses them towards the floor hard in order to hurt them, but sparing their life as she flies towards the rock formations.
:Raider: That was way too close...
== Scene 4 ==
Duster and Gampa are shown inside their new shelter, Duster creating rock bowls for Gampa to pour the Catus juice into on a table, which has noticeably been reinforced by Duster’s rocks. It’s dark outside, including this takes place in the evening.
:Gampa: So, I think I’ll actually be able to make beds for the three of us here!
:Duster: Awesome.
The camera pans, to show Nimbus sitting in a chair in another room, sulking and sighing.
It then cuts back to Gampa and Duster.
:Duster: Cloudie, dinner’s ready!
Nimbus is shown to slowly get up, and then trudges towards the dining table, slumping on her designated chair and staring at her Catus juice bowl.
:Duster: Y-you don’t look very happy at all lately, Cloudie…
:Nimbus: …
:Gampa: Don’t be afraid to tell us if there’s anything wrong.
:Nimbus: Everything.
:Gampa: … everything? (Oh dear, that’s not good.)
:Nimbus: … it was great to see D-Dustie again… and it w-was, uhm, nice to discover the Catus juice… but that has about been, uhm, the only j-joy I’ve felt recently.
She sighs.
:Nimbus: I have n-no time to myself… i-it has all b-been travelling, and r-running from c-creeps… a-and, with, uhm, the fact everything I-I knew has been shaken up, I-I don’t think t-that’s good…
Duster and Gampa look pretty stunned, though Duster keeps listening attentively. Gampa looks at Duster’s eyes for a bit, before doing the same as her.
:Nimbus: I-I mean… I-I found o-out my m-mother’s an evil person… a-and m-my dad d-died in battle b-before I was born… and I-I’ve been made, uhm, to sculpt up e-evil people f-for so long…
Duster gets up, taking her chair with her and sitting next to Nimbus.
:Duster: It’s… understandable. I get it. I-I saw war with my own eyes. I-it was a horrible experience, a-and it shook everything I knew too…
She begins petting Nimbus’s hair.
:Duster: We’re in this together… and we’ll get through this together, Nimbus.
:Nimbus: T-thanks, but, uhm… what about… later? W-what are we getting through? W-when we come back, uhm, assuming we do, I’m w-worried for what will h-happen to us. I’ll have m-missed a lot of school, and, and…
She stays silent for a bit. Duster sees this as her cue to speak. Gampa, in the background, figures out this is something they shouldn’t intervene in and begins drinking their Catus juice quietly, still listening to the conversation. Duster takes a deep breath.
:Duster: Things are gonna change, a lot. A lot of your education… is probably gonna change, too. I-I understand the concerns, but your school subjects… m-many of them are bogus. Sure, English and Math k-knowledge is nice, but History is b-biased towards Flydevin Warriors, Art i-is just p-propaganda building class, and i-it’s not like you’re not d-doing more than e-enough PE right now.
:Nimbus: Ah… that… a-actually makes some sense… still w-worried, though…
:Duster: As for our g-goal… we’re gonna, uhm… s-survive, and then, t-take down Fractus.
:Nimbus: A-and… how will y-you do that?
:Duster: W-well… it’s probable… words won’t be enough… I-I’ll have to fight… I hope w-we don’t have to go… t-too far. I-I don’t want to… k-kill my own mother, even k-knowing how horrible of a person she is.
:Nimbus: Uhm, I see… t-thanks for clarifying all of this, at least.
After a bit of a pause, she begins drinking her Catus juice, seemingly enjoying it. Duster is relieved to see Nimbus in a slightly better mood and begins to do so as well.
:Nimbus: S-so, uhm… what about sculpting? C-can I still do t-that, even if the f-focus is… uhm, survival?
:Gampa: Of course you can!
Duster nods.
:Nimbus: I-I see… s-should I sculpt anything in s-specific, or…?
:Duster: Well… I’m not an artist, but I think you should just sculpt whatever you wanna sculpt.
:Nimbus: Y-yay.
After a bit more time, they finish drinking the Catus juice.
:Gampa: Alright, y’all have any extra plans for the day… or is it time to take a good rest? Please say the latter.
:Duster: Hmmmm…
:Gampa: (Uh oh…)
:Duster: Yeah, I’m tired and Nimbus’s probably even more tired. G’night.
:Gampa: Phew, you had me worried for a second!
Nimbus giggles.
:Nimbus: It’s always fun to see you being shocked!
:Gampa: W-what?
Duster chuckles. Gampa just stays there, mouth agape, as the two sisters go off in a different room, with a large couch, which Duster and Nimbus will apparently share.
:Duster: Cloudie…
:Nimbus: Yes?
:Duster: Know that… I’ll always do everything I can to protect you. To give you a path to follow your dreams…
She proceeds to hug Nimbus.
:Nimbus: Gwagh - r-right… j-just… please don’t lose sight of your own d-dreams…
Nimbus returns the hug.
:Duster: M-my dreams… my dream was to p-prove my strength to our mother… b-but, I… don’t want that anymore.
:Nimbus: That’s… that’s sad. You… you should probably find another personal goal…
:Duster: I see… I’ll figure out something, don’t worry.
Nimbus smiles, Duster smiling back as they proceed to get into bed and rest. Gampa is then shown to be about to go upstairs, but they stop themselves, sensing something.
The door to the shelter is then busted off, being launched towards Gampa, who narrowly dodges. The episode ends by showing Fractus at the door.
:Fractus: Where. Is. Nimbus?
Category:Episodes
Category:Poisonshot