caveofsapphires | 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.

The sun was slipping lower and lower. Re-l couldn't claim much - or any - experience in estimating time, but it was definitely getting late. She moved into a more upright position and packed away the rest of her food.

"I don't expect to find anyone," she said, her voice cold. It was something of a sore point. "Expecting is not usually helpful. Although I don't agree that it would confirm the dreams. If their dreams were different, wouldn't it confirm this world instead?"

She was tighening the straps on her bag as Mal spoke, and when the laugh came her hands stopped for a moment, gripping the rough fabric tightly. Then they moved again, and Re-l moved with them, standing up. She stood over Mal - Milena - and looked down at her, watching the dark-haired woman pop the coffee beans into her mouth.

"Of course," she said, with no emotion at all in her voice. "The life they offer us is so very appealing." She swung the bag on her back. "It's probably unwise for us to spend too much time with any one person, just in case they are tracking us. And I wouldn't want to get you involved. I'll leave first."

She turned away and began to walk across the desert, her face perfectly blank, her eyes on the distant horizon.

Well. That was a very efficient dismissal.

Mal didn't say anything, watching Re-l go. She crossed her legs on the stone and let a bean rest on her tongue, relishing the bitter taste. It was a shame; she'd been interesting, clever, viciously sarcastic. Prickly. Not that Mal had a problem with prickly. Prickly people tended to be fascinating, and smarter than they had a right to be.

After a few minutes, she packed up and followed after Re-l. It would be easy enough to keep an eye on her in such a small group, and Mal had been intrigued enough to focus her attention. The woman had revealed a great deal before suddenly shutting down.

It would certainly make the journey a lot more interesting.

smaller patch of fading sky [ open ]

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