smaller patch of fading sky [ open ]

[resetbutton]

WHO: EVERYONE. All PCs thus far will be in this log, through active tagging or implication.
WHAT: THRILLS. SPILLS. Hiking trip toward the Diamond City.
WHERE: The Overworld.
WHEN: Forward-dated to May 1st (Tuesday) through May 7th (Monday).
WARNINGS: May contain violence or other mentions of physical harm. This is not summer camp.
NOTES: More information can be found on the OOC post here. Please read it!

Gathered in the morning haze, Sleepers were brought to the mouth of the Cave with plenty of supplies and equipment. Compasses that would point them toward the City. Backpacks full of clothes and food, medical kits, tents and even weapons. Stun rifles and knives — to fight off any unwanted company, they said. ("Watch out for their bite," Ryan had commented. "Those fuckers are downright feral.") The straight and narrow path would get them there in six days if they kept a good clip. They were sent off just like that. Refusals to leave were met with a wall of guard force officers blocking the entrance back into the cave city. No way to go but forward, unless someone was particularly stalwart about remaining.

From the exterminator's station near the mouth, leaving the Cave was as simple as a short hike upward into the fresh air of the Overworld. Dust and an uncomfortable sort of heat pervaded the atmosphere, light winds stirring up the sand and teasing the meager bits of vegetation that had grown. No matter what direction you looked... it was all wasteland, cracked ground and desolate emptiness. Jutting up from scarred ground were boulders and small spires made entirely of glass and patches of stone; instead of reflecting the harsh sunlight, they seemed to absorb it and only add to the muted loneliness of the atmosphere. As far as the eye could see, there was no life to be found.

With no other option, the Sleepers eventually made their way onward.

| Day 1: Calm

| Day 2: Animals

| Day 3: Sandstorm

| Day 4: Mansion

| Day 5: Thomp

| Days 6&7: Long way

Comments

sorry about the delay :(

[oilyhands]

"Nearly." Perfect would be all of them — plus one. After a moment, he sighed, nodding to the wasteland around them. "There isn't much to work with, here."

ilu bb <3

[trickntreats]

[Gabriel waves dismissively.]

That's just because someone beat you to it. Don't feel bad, now. You may've heard what they say about imitation.

[He sounds sardonic, a bit caustic, as opposed to the teasing he normally would have with anyone else.]

[trickntreats]

"If this isn't a precursor to Hell, I'd eat my wings," Gabriel muttered, and then smirked. "Then again, if this city has hotsprings, I could definitely deal with the heat."

The archangel rubbed his hands to get rid of the oily feeling, finding a random pocket and leaving the cream in there before stretching with a sigh. "Y'know, there's a whole buncha stuff about treks through the desert in Dad's Book," he said idly. "It always looked kinda entertaining when you could watch from overhead."

He just never expected to get a front-row view. Somehow he didn't think it would be nearly as entertaining from this perspective.

[whowillsaveyou]

"Not something you ever expected to wind up doing yourself?" the Doctor inquired, sounding earnestly curious about the answer. "So long as the heat is all we have to worry about, I can't imagine it'll be very entertaining." And he was hoping that would be all they had to worry about.

[trickntreats]

"To put it lightly," Gabriel agreed. "Back then inhabiting actual physical bodies was kind of a new concept. Relatively speaking. And the whole 'heat and physical exhaustion' thing just never happens when your presence alone heals the body you're in."

He paused, heaved his pack up onto his shoulders, and then glanced at the Doctor with an ironic smile. "And that's why I didn't know when the Hell to stop eating cake before I got sick. Hard to tell limits when they never used to be an issue."

[whowillsaveyou]

"Ah, so you're experiencing a whole new set of things." Now that was most fascinating. And yet, the Doctor did manage to avoid trying to interogate Gabriel on it, as curious as he was, and focus more on the trek before them. "Did you have enough time to adjust, do you think? I imagine this sort of venture wouldn't be a good way to discover your limits in other areas."

[trickntreats]

"A month?" Gabriel looked back at the Doctor again, and this time his expression was rueful. Rueful and old. A month, compared to the billions of years since the dawn of time? There was no way that had been long enough. "I don't think so."

[whowillsaveyou]

The Doctor frowned, but it was one of concern more than anything else. "Then you'd best be careful." He felt silly for saying it as soon as it came out. As if Gabriel wouldn't have figured that part out on his own. "Stay hydrated, keep your skin protected, and you may want to keep those goggles handy in case the sand starts getting blown about too much." He lifted his own pair up to put them on, settling them on his brow for the time being.

[trickntreats]

The goggles and the cream, Gabriel had figured out. Humans were ridiculously squishy. The water ... that was useful. Sure, he'd known that humans were made of dirt and water, but the maintenance of their health hadn't exactly been something he paid attention to.

"Doctor's orders?" he said dryly, and started walking back to the main group. "Whatever you say."

sorry dj, i'm having some struggles with remembering threads on this log apparently

[tartanisstylish]

He raised his eyebrows. "Perhaps that will allow us to get there faster?" he said, trying to keep a straight face. "We could run the whole way, you know. After the carrot."

Hey, it's fine. These are old threads, anyway. ♥

[inequal]

Waving vaguely out into the wilderness, Liam responded, "Feel free to give that a shot. Let us know how that one works out, why don't you? It'll be like a baton race. Only without the baton."

[whowillsaveyou]

"Consider it more the advice of the experienced," he answered, following Gabriel. "And if you develop any, well, problems along the way, don't hesitate to ask for further advice, hmm?" The least he could do was offer that much.

[perpend]

"Let's get going then," Cabanela agreed, moving to offer to help Gabriel. "You able to walk on your own?" he asked. He wasn't going to stay around to see what would happen, instead, wanting to get as far away from the area as possible.

[myfedorarocks]

"Yeah, you're right," Twitch said, but there was something in his voice that made it clear he wasn't so confident. It wasn't that he didn't believe the other man-- he did. But there was something about his own skills that he wasn't sure would be useful at all.

He had, in his dream, been able to do things-- been able to see things that he couldn't seem to do now. No powers in this world, because they had all been dreams. "It'll be nice to sleep in a bed again."

[inequal]

Liam chuckled quietly, allowing the amusement to wash over him and slowly drain away some of the gritty memories that clung to him like muck. "Somewhere we're not being kept tabs on, either," he agreed. Not that he knew any of this for certain, but the fantasy of it was certainly good motivation. "Somewhere safe."

[oilyhands]

By its nature, it happens once. [And his preparations aren't here, his nuclear codes and scientists. This isn't the where, even if he seems to have passed the when.] This doesn't look much like a holy war.

[delightme]

"I was forced to. You see, angels can't just gallivant around with the rest of humanity. Our true forms would burn out your eyes, at the very least." Balthazar had always found it vaguely confusing that their Father had told them to love and cherish the humans, yet the very sight of an angel would make a human's insides burst like a balloon. Love the things I have created, but don't touch. "When an angel comes to walk among you, so to speak, they must shove themselves inside a willing vessel. This," he said, gesturing to his physical body, "Is mine. Otherwise I could be as tall as...the Empire State building."

[tartanisstylish]

"That sounds like tremendous fun. I'll meet you there."

Peering up ahead, Aziraphale saw that everyone was beginning to gather their things together to begin the journey again. With a weary sigh, he said, "I suppose we're off, then." Shouldering his pack, he gave Liam a quick smile. "Godspeed is appropriate, I think."

[whowillsaveyou]

"Oh, I could complain if I wished. There are more important things at hand than how much I ache, however." His back was none too pleased with the workout, and his shoulder still ached, but he would much rather focus on dealing with the situation than dwelling on pains. That would only slow him down.

With a mild smirk, the Doctor offered Gabriel an arm. "Come now, let's get you up and moving, now. We'll have plenty of time to discuss how much we ache once we're away from here and getting those scratches tended." He nodded towards Cabanela. "I think you'd be better at keeping an eye out than I, hmm? My eyes aren't as good as they once were."

[knifedances]

"Which makes perfect sense," his own voice was light, conversational, "and I suppose it's true that it matters a lot less out here, without our every move being scrutinised."

Which wasn't to say he was willing to allow his own guard to drop quite as much; he was forever wary, and he'd prefer that - when they reached this mysterious City they were headed towards, providing they did all make it - there were no opportunities for him to be caught out. The idea of 'memory rehabilitation' held little appeal for him at all.

"Well then. I'd hate for you to think me rude. Toshiyuki Kaneko," and he gave her a small smile before uttering the one small clue he was prepared to give towards his unwillingness to believe the story they'd been given, "I don't think it suits me, particularly."

[inequal]

Liam let out a low whistle. "Takes a bit more than just ducking to get you through a doorway, I see," he commented in something of a tease. There was very little disbelief in his tone; the concept itself was sound. Whether he actually and completely bought that Balthazar himself was what he claimed was hard to tell. "Seems like a form like that would be useful in getting where they want us to go quickly. It would take—what, seven steps? Eight?"

[inequal]

Liam followed Aziraphale's suit, shifting the knapsack back up before moving to rejoin the herd. He tilted his head toward the other man in curiosity. "Appropriate?" he prodded.

[tartanisstylish]

Making a face, he shrugged. "Well. We might need it."

[deshabille]

She raised her eyebrows slightly at his caution. Not that it offended her - she didn't particularly care either way - but it was interesting. "Toshiyuki," she said, familiarizing herself with the sound of the name, then grinned. "Well, you've convinced me that you're the epitome of courtesy with that. I do appreciate it."

Closing her eyes, she let her grin relax into a half-smile and listened rather than watched him. "It's interesting what they pick for us," she said, intentionally pushing him further than he seemed to be comfortable with. "I wonder what the significance of these names might be."

[delightme]

"Walking? Please." When he thinks about it, maybe he should've did a little more of that in this body. It probably would've made this trip look a little less daunting. The farthest he walked was from one bar to the next. "I would have just flown there." Whether Liam believed him or not, he really didn't care. It felt kind of nice to reminisce.