caveofsapphires | smaller patch of fading sky [ open ]

smaller patch of fading sky [ open ]

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

The rest wasn't going to last long and Liam was taking the time to sip at his own water while glancing out into the wasteland. It was much easier with the goggles, as they doubled as sunglasses, which was really just one of those little small conveniences that annoyed the hell out of him. Mostly because he couldn't figure out the Workers' angle on being so... thoughtful about their provisions compared to everything else that had happened in the Cave. He jolted out of the reverie to look over to Aziraphale and quirked a half-smile when he saw the man.

His memories of the incident were foggy and only got worse the further he tried to follow them. There was the offer of a meeting, their talk and realization, the guard force showing up. They were cornered, Aziraphale pleading and Liam simply lashing out — literally, in one case. He distinctly recalled throwing a punch and could only guess by the bruise that was now mostly-healed that he had hit something and been hit back. That was where it more or less ended.

"Good afternoon," he greeted sardonically. It was anything but good, after all. "You doing all right?"

"Oh." Aziraphale shrugged. "I'm all right. Just a touch out of my element." He rubbed his nose and winced. It stung. He must have missed a spot with the sunblock. Although really, who could blame him, it wasn't as if he'd ever used it before.

"I was wondering if you're all right, er, as well. Considering." He shrugged, hands wide, palms up, a touch helplessly. He wondered if the worry showed on his face as much as he thought it might.

Liam tilted his head away automatically, then sighed and forced himself to look back up. "Considering the right load of trouble we got ourselves into... I'm fine. My head's already back on straight. Hell of a lot quicker this time." For Aziraphale's benefit, he grinned and added, "Maybe I built up a tolerance. Wouldn't that be nice?"

He couldn't help but smile a little at that. "Yes," he said, "it would. Convenient, too." He didn't see it as likely that the more fuss they made, the less they'd be affected by the punishment for it - that seemed overly sloppy for what they'd seen of the authority figures in this place so far - but it was a nice thought. He would hang on to nice thoughts, improbable though they might be.

Was it significant that he couldn't remember much? A girl and a young man, a decent amount of shouting - he'd been sad for her, which in retrospect was ridiculous, but felt perfectly natural. They can't have made him feel it; everything else had worn off.

Breathing in the stagnant air, Aziraphale felt face-deep in an oven. He'd wished for the sky a while ago, but he'd wished for it with rain, or stars, not this horrible oppressive heat. With a sigh, he pulled the compass out of his pocket and fiddled with it, watching the needle spin as he turned it. "Sorry," he added. "For even bringing it up." His lips twisted. "And for not fighting."

Twisting up his face, Liam looked at Aziraphale long and hard before he shook his head. "None of this would have happened if it weren't for those bastards who took us in."

Truth be told, he was exasperated with Aziraphale. Not exactly angry or bitter, but the sort where Liam wasn't entirely sure what to do with the man. Begrudging people who didn't fight wasn't his style, but that didn't mean it wasn't frustrating when they felt bad for being themselves. If this were like old times, he would have disappeared from Aziraphale's view until he had a better idea of what course to take... but that was the entire problem now, wasn't it?

He took another sip of his drink before capping it and putting it away. "If you'll recall, we're both equal parts to blame for bringing it up, anyway."

Shrugging in acknowledgment of Liam's words, Aziraphale looked away, not sure how to articulate what he meant. If he had, it might not have gone over well. He'd had millennia as a field agent to gain a sense of personal responsibility for humanity, but on a grand scale, never personal. His few run-ins with individuals outside the context of helpful nudges in the direction of holiness had been brief and routine. Otherwise, his interactions had been limited to Crowley and the host. Feeling an emotional connection to a human being was an entirely new experience.

He felt responsible. He couldn't help it. But he was also beginning to feel that perhaps he shouldn't. It was confusing, particularly for someone who'd spent thousands of years in a rigid state of certainly.

"Well." He straightened his back and smiled stiffly, retreating into formality. "It's good to know that you're all right. Hopefully things will be a bit better where we're going."

Oh no, he wasn't going to get off that easily. Liam realized he might not be the most welcoming person right now, but there was something he'd wanted to ask once he realized they were outside the Workers' reach. Something they couldn't punish him for, and something he should have already known.

"Yes, let's hope. Since we'll be travelling together, I ought to ask: what's your name?" he asked abruptly, before the man would get his chance to pull back entirely. "And don't tell me it's John Gates."

That caught him off guard, enough that he let out a surprised laugh. "Oh," he said, "I never - " He supposed he hadn't.

He glanced up, looking for Famine. The likelihood that the man would recognize him from name alone was silly, it wasn't as though they'd exchanged cards, but he'd caught sight of him earlier and felt obliged to keep an eye out. And it wasn't as though his name could pass for anything but the name of an angel. At least Gabriel could get away with it.

"Aziraphale," he said, "it's Aziraphale," and laughed again, squinting at Liam uncertainly.

Liam raised a brow, head tilted as he took in the name. The paranoia was easy to assume as looking for Workers ready to crawl out of the glasswork instead of directed at any of the Sleepers.

"That's certainly unique," he said after a small laugh. "Me? I've got nothing on a name like that. Whatever the case, it's a pleasure to meet you, Aziraphale." Holding his hand out to shake and make it official, he added, "You already know mine, yeah?"

"Unique is a word for it, yes," Aziraphale said, his odd laughter resolving itself into a genuine smile. He shook Liam's hand, feeling a certain level of calm returning. "And you're Liam. It suits you better anyway."

"I've always thought so," agreed Liam, studiously ignoring the period of time where he did not. That was over, and to acknowledge it would only leave a sour taste in his mouth. He paused, looking around for emphasis, then smiled. "Looks like we're home free."

Aziraphale followed Liam's gaze. "Ah, yes," he said, raising an eyebrow at the surrounding wasteland. "Home free. Absolutely. Not to mention safe, and air-conditioned."

It could be - had been - worse, though. Things were looking up, in a very unexpected way.

"Pretty sure I'd take this for a few days over having my head fucked with," Liam admitted easily. He wasn't eager to say how, but the fact that they'd shared the experience made the event itself easier to talk about. "Not forever, but I know how not to look a gift horse in the mouth."

"Mm." Aziraphale gave a short nod. It was nice to be able to speak relatively freely. It was nice to say his name, too, he realized with some surprise. "It's an odd place to feel safe, but . . . I do feel safer. Not to mention - " He smiled. "No more crystals, and all that sky."

He might not have much of a personal connection with Heaven these days, but open sky still made him feel just a bit closer to home.

"Aye." Liam laughed, glancing upward with something of a rueful look. "Could use s'more colour or clouds, but it's a sight for sore eyes. Those crystal lights were driving me bonkers."

The change in colour was still bothering him, but there was nothing to be done about that now. Better to keep his mind on the current and not borrow more trouble than he already was.

"At least it makes sense, more or less, in a . . . big, empty, dangerous sort of way." Aziraphale looked up, squinting, at the sun, and beamed. "And there'll be stars tonight, I should think."

"That, Aziraphale," said Liam, pointing toward the man with a keen eye and twisted lips, "is an excellent point. I'm looking forward to that. It's been far too long already."

"It has," he agreed, and pulled out his water. Another thing he wasn't used to was being thirsty, really thirsty. He drank and tapped a tattoo on the side of the container. "People need the sky, and the open, I think."

He wasn't happy, not exactly, but more content, yes. The lingering guilt had faded somewhat, and all that remained was the beginnings of an ache in his legs from the journey. The false security of being out in the open was enough to keep uncertainty off his mind, at least for the moment.

"Absolutely. Being cooped up underground... that's no way to live." Liam brought his hands together, left thumb absently trailing over his inner wrist where the inexplicable tattoo was placed. He was severely tempted to just find a spot in the shade and sleep for a few hours, but knew he had to keep awake until the rest of the group was ready to stop for the night. His sleep schedule had only begun resembling normal back in the Cave, and now all this exertion was putting him off his game again. "Not that living out here is all that preferable, either, but you get what I mean."

"Well - hopefully when we get to our destination it will be some combination of outside and in," Aziraphale said ruefully. He tapped the water bottle and tilted it back and forth, feeling the contents slosh around inside. "With beds and real food and a view of the sky. I don't know how they'd expect us to continue living ordinary lives otherwise."

"Got two out of three already," Liam said with a shrug. "Sort of. One and a half? Food isn't too bad. Just... boring." His lips quirked and there was some humour in his gaze. "Could really go for adding a nice bed to the whole equation, though. Sleep — now that's something I'm not so averse to, even if it is a waste of time."

Aziraphale laughed under his breath. "I'm sure we'll all be exhausted soon enough and then it won't be a waste at all," he said. "And we'll dream of feather beds and ridiculous pillows and - well, a breeze, or a fan, or something, that would be nice too."

Sighing, he grabbed his wrist behind his back with the other hand. "Of course, that's all days away still, but I can't help torturing myself."

Liam simply gave a toothy (and obviously false) grin to accompany his next words. "S' like waving the carrot in front of the horse. We may never get to it, but damn if we aren't going to go after it anyway because we really want that carrot."

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."

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."

smaller patch of fading sky [ open ]

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

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

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