xp_logs | Xbalanque - Santo Tomás (Reply)

Finally arriving at the Mission, Dr. David Mendez is there to greet Elpis (and Terry), along with his assistant and the local "eccentric."

Mission de Santo Tomás was located in the mountains of Western Guatemala and up a very steep, and unfortunately for those in the back, bumpy road. Once it was long abandoned, but Dr. David Mendez had acquired the property for cheap thirty years ago and converted it into his base of operations. It consisted of a courtyard with several outlying buildings around a central dirt plaza, including a meeting house, stables, pens for livestock, a large building housing the orphanage, a smaller building housing Mendez's workspace and offices, a garage for the vehicles, and smaller outlying buildings that provided temporary housing for families that had been displaced by poverty or fighting. Or both. In addition, Mendez provided necessary supplies and resources for several outlying villages in the area, of which Elpis would be touring that afternoon. Including the local ruins.

Waiting for them as they pulled in, was a pleasant-faced older man in khaki trousers and a faded short-sleeved button down. His face was weatherbeaten and tired-looking, but his smile was kind. Next to him stood a girl in a woven skirt and blue blouse. He raised his arms in welcome. "Hello! I trust it wasn't too bumpy of a drive? The rains make the roads almost impossible this time of year..."

Terry grinned as she shoved the pins back into her hair that had shaken loose. "Just like back home," she chirped sunnily, "Least we didn't have to pull off for a flock of sheep. That's been a problem before." She advanced and offered him her hand, never one to wait for permission. "I'm Terry Drake. This is Gavin Nash and Julio Richter." She added the latter two when she realized they'd followed after. The rest were back at the car still, unloading the supplies.

Dr. Mendez grasped Terry's hand and gave it a firm shake. "Hello yes," he turned to Nash. "Ah, they were telling me to expect someone big, I guess they were right. I'm Dr. David Mendez, and this young lady here is my assistant Berta Morales. Welcome, we are so happy to have you." He extended a hand towards Nash.

Nash had been wearing a look of mild amusement on his scarred face as Terry took over the introductions, but it vanished into something warm but still professional as he shook the doctor's hand, the other man's hand vanishing into his. "It's good to be here."

Dr. Mendez smiled and politely shook Julio's hand before clapping his hands together. "it's an absolute pleasure to have you here. I'm glad Armando was able to give you a ride. We weren't sure when you'd be arriving, our phones have a tendency to go down and with the way things are around here we're just barely creeping into the 21st century. The only internet in this region is unfortunately two hours back down that road."

Berta smiled at the group, shrugging her shoulders. "Not any point in even a dial-up connection when the phone lines can't handle it," she put in. "The national infrastructure's improving, slowly, but even when it is possible to upgrade, we can't always afford the necessary technology."

Terry sighed to herself. She'd been expecting that and had warned Bobby that she'd be out of contact for several days but it was still disappointing. She just didn't sleep as well the nights that she didn't get to talk to him before bed. "Sure we'll manage. It's hardly the end of the world just because we can't check our email." She itched to continue, to take charge and get everything moving but this wasn't her show so she just rocked back on her heels and looked expectantly up at Nash.

Whatever Nash was going to say next was interrupted by startled yelp from Julio. Something sharp had just nudged him in the spine. He turned around to see what had attacked him, and frowned at the tiny, ancient woman standing before him. She was wrapped in an old blanket, and from the smell of her, probably hadn't washed in a very very long time.

"Ladino! The woman spat, pointing at Julio. She said something else in a strange, almost guttural language, that most definitely was not Quiche, before proclaiming the three Elpis people "Ladinos!" all over again.

"Ah, dear," Dr. Mendez said, looking slightly embarrassed. "I do apologize. Doña Teresa is not entirely possessed of her faculties. She came to us with a group of refugees some time ago and then stayed on. Normally she's all right. Here-- Berta? Perhaps Doña Teresa would be better off in the orphanage? It's nearly lunchtime anyway..."

Berta shot Julio an apologetic look for the old woman's behavior as she moved to take her arm, tugging lightly to pull her away from the group. "~Come, come, Doña Teresa. Let's leave them be and go see how the children are fairing...~"

The woman continued to glare at the Elpis people even as she was being lead away by Berta. Dr. Mendez sighed when they were out of earshot.

"Normally she's quite harmless," he said, running a hand through his thinning hair. "But for some reason she's been agitated this month, Jaime caught her killing a couple of our chickens last week. We tend to lose a couple to wild animals here and there, but now I'm starting to wonder if it wasn't her all along," Dr. Mendez smiled ruefully.

"Sure it wasn't that killer jaguar I heard all about in town?" Julio rubbed his spine sourly. The woman had talons. He'd picked up on that story while in town. People had a tendency to go missing in this region, and it was blamed on an over sized man-eating jaguar.

Dr. Mendez threw his head back and laughed. "What? No! That's just a story," Dr. Mendez waved his hand dismissively. "I've been here for almost three decades and have never seen such a thing. No," he chuckled. "Anyway, perhaps you would like a quick tour? Maybe meet some of our little ones?"

Nash merely smiled. He wasn't precisely taciturn, but it had become clear very quickly to the others traveling with him that he was a man of few words even at the best of times. "That's what we're here for," he said.

"Excellent," Dr. Mendez clapped his hands together. "As you can see over there, that big building is our orphanage. We take in displaced families from time to time, and they stay in those houses over there, no one here with us now, for which I am glad. No, the reason I've called you is we do get some escapees from the guerilla fractions that still hold out in our mountains. They entice these youngsters away with promises of food, money, and fighting for a good cause. Unfortunately these children don't realize what they're signing up for. Now what I'm worried about is the fact that they seem to be targeting mutants, especially now. I've got two boys, about thirteen and fourteen, escapees. Both mutants, and what they tell me is troublesome..." He continued to speak as he ushered the others around the Mission. They had a long day ahead of them.