(no subject)

[ruin_mania]

[Good evening, explorers! After departing from Cair Paradisa, the path was south at first, but turned west fairly early on. Skirting well south of Eldritch Forest, the travelers had camped near the edge of the Amber Steppe, not quite within sight of the forest that marks the Totem Coast. The grasses are parched brown by the heat, though greener patches mark the presence of water. It's near one of these - a small, bubbling stream leading west that Raine has chosen to follow as it will almost certainly run into the river marked on her map - that the travelers have made their camp.

The carts and wagons are arranged in a defensive circle, though the campers are free to set up their tents outside them as well as inside wher ethe rest of them are. There are small cooking fires scattered around as well as a large bonfire in the center for socializing.

Play music? Sing? Teach those poor non-Earth kids how to make s'mores? Or just sit around and socialize with others.

Or hide in your tent and ignore everyone, if you really want to.]

Comments

[ino]

[One of those cooking fires has an Ino at it! She is sitting pretty with a smile at a pot that's supported over a fire, slowly stirring something -- a stew -- that smells DELICIOUS.

Hope you brought a bowl, travelers!]

[persequor]

What's it of?

[not_mafia]

Mmm, that smells really good, Ino!

[ectobabble]

[s'mores. oh heck yes. Ray came SO prepared for this. no, really, he brought a small trunk on wheels. and now he's setting up a s'more-making station with enough marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate bars to - well, feed a whole expedition.

once he's got it all set up, he'll sit next to it with a few fallen branches he's been gathering over the course of the day, whittling down the perfect roasting sticks.]

So, hey, who wants a s'more?

[persequor]

Wants a what?

WATCHES

[youfallback]

[Carolina at least is going to sit down for a few minutes after a long day of riding. She's sweaty, gross, and altogether just well-worn. She dismounts with ease and starts tying her horse to a nearby tree. Needing a moment to stretch, she strips off her gloves and adjusts the bandana around her neck before doing so. ]

Watches start in 15 minutes. 4 volunteers minimum per watch of four hours.

[She's got first watch, so that means grabbing a quick bite to eat before going out on watch duty. And York has all her food, except some MREs that she still stashed in her things.]

[waterproofed]

I'll take a watch. [he's used to this kind of thing after all]

[inmylight_commander]

[Kat's spending a few more moments on her horse, because as far as they've come she still hasn't gotten the hang of it yet. She'd been doing a lot of zig-zagging, pausing when the horse wanted to pause (she couldn't get him going again), and taking off when the horse wanted to take off (she couldn't get him to stop).]

[But tonight she was determined to get him to do what she wanted to do. It was with this mindset that she somehow got horse and rider wedged between two trees and was in the process of trying to get unstuck.]

[lonenoble]

...

[Here, have another Spartan staring in disbelief. She's off ehr horse now, but damn...] How did you manage that, Kat?

[dupable]

[ John is buy the fire, and while he's not cooking marshmallows (having not thought to bring any with him) he is tossing small twigs and what not into the fire, and grass, and a rock.

That last one doesn't really burn that well, alas. ]

[perfectisnteasy]

[CLU wanders up and kneels nearby, curious] ... What're you doing?

[not_mafia]

[After talking with a few people, Tsuna's gone off to the side and slightly off a ways, legs drawn up to his body and his arms wrapped around him as he stares out into the night. He hasn't really thought about home much, not even on the long journey to where they've gotten so far-- he'd been mostly focusing on moving forward then. Even back at the castle, he'd been keeping his mind preoccupied with miniscule tasks, like playing video games or just reading and answering the journal.

But now that he's gone from the castle and in this completely foreign land, he feels farther from home than ever before. Back home, he'd hadn't gone a day without seeing at least one of his friends, and usually, easily more four or more of them. And now he's coming up on two months since he'd first arrived at Paradisa, and he realizes how much he misses their company.

Some invisible chill makes him shudder, and he pulls his legs just a little closer to himself.

It's all the more motivation to make this expedition count.]

[gevurah]

Tsuna? [ Sometime after her own meal, Kate makes her way over to the kid. She shows concern toward him, since he's sitting a ways away from everyone else and looks lost in some troubling thought. ]

[whichwayyoulean]

[The Once-ler has set up his own very special living accommodation as far away from everyone else as he can possibly get. He really did set a shower and an outhouse at the back of it, too, nicely filled with river water, the shower heated by a complex system of pipes and a small, contained fire.

Once night comes, he knows there will be more than enough room for more than him to sleep inside the cottage-mahome, and he'd hate anyone to be left OUTSIDE anyway. So for now, he's enjoying as much peace, quiet and 'alone time' as he can before its inevitably ruined again. He's just lounging on the grass outside his masterpiece, enjoying a cigar and trying to pretend everyone else doesn't exist for a while.

And yes. He brought the tacky pink flamingo too.]

[persequor]

[ Hey look it's your favorite miniature person ever. ]

You really built this?

[gevurah]

[ Once she's refilled a couple of canteens of water from the stream, Kate seats herself near the fire to warm up. She's peeling an apple she brought with her, but she's definitely got a couple of more if anyone's feeling inclined to ask.

For expedition veterans, they might note they've never seen this face on their explorations before. ]

[persequor]

[ Oh, hey, it's Kate.

Oh, it's Kate.

Let's back up nice and slow. ]

[persequor]

[ And this is Arya sneaking away downstream until she's certain she's out of sight. She waters and hobbles Aemon, leaving him to graze. She had been feeding Nymeria scraps on the way so the direwolf can last until Arya gets her a proper meal. Ignoring her hunger pains, Arya proceeds to strip down to her smallclothes and dump the rest in the water to scrub clean. Hopefully, that will help the smell. ]

[draca]

[ Arya. Arya. You're not as sneaky as you think, and someone certainly see you attempt to slink off. After gathering a couple of things she follows after, allowing her horse to graze nearby. Guess who brought some goodies? That's right, Dany did! ]

[wilder]

[After dinner, Zelos is a bit away from the camp circle, laying back in a green patch of grass he's found. He seems to be relaxing and looking up at the night sky. It's not QUITE the roof, but hey it will do. He doesn't look very upset or anything, simply a bit more...tired than he keeps presenting himself when he's around the others. Guess even the loud whiny goofball gets tired of being in the action sometimes too huh?]

[ardor]

[WHY HELLO FELLOW GINGER!

Without his enhanced senses, he may not hear Kallen approach until she's plopping down on the grass next to him.]

Anything interesting?

[heal_theworld]

[Martel's sitting outside the circle on the ground, leaning on one of the wagons that looks out on the steppe. The stars are really pretty that night, and she really didn't feel like talking to people around the campfire. She's hoping nobody spots her sitting alone out here and comes to scold her or talk to her. Which means do it.]

[shrugs_a_lot]

[Apparently he wasn't the only one who was avoiding crowds... He's tired, incredibly so as he had refused to take his sword off his back at all and all the wanted was to find quiet spot where he could relax.

Then he sees this girl sitting there, all alone, and he can't help but wonder if she's alright... He approaches a little and...

Well, well, if it isn't Martel.]

Hey.

[messin_with_my_zen_thing]

[Flynn has settled down a little ways away from the fire. He spends some time just watching everyone with a small smile on his face. After a while he lounges back on his bedroll looking up at the stars. They may not be the stars from home but it's still remarkable, being able to see the stars again. He sighs happily. He may not be able to meditate but he's found himself completely at peace.]

[gentleidealist]

[Having eaten already, Lloyd can be found on the outskirts of camp beyond the wagons, armed but distracted. The stars are so much brighter without the light pollution from the castle and its city, and it makes Lloyd nostalgic and sad at the same time. He sits on the grass with his knees pulled up to his chin, and wonders.]

[wilder]

[Zelos had gone out there to you know, lay on the grass, stare up at the sky, fulfill his daily brood, take a breather, have some time alone. You know the works. And he's been doing that for awhile until he starts feeling a bit sore in the neck and turns his head.]

[To see Lloyd doing the exact same thing like seven feet away or something.]

[.....Man this is awkward. He'll be sitting here, wondering what proper thing you do during this. Pretend not to see him and let the lonerness continue on both sides or bother him....]

[Yeah. He's turning to look back at the sky and hoping Lloyd doesn't notice sflkjsd ]

[fly_little_bird]

[Rue's found herself a nice spot by the fire and she's smiling happily as she looks around. Sleeping outside is a lot more fun when you don't have to sleep up in a tree to stay safe. She tosses small twigs into the fire, humming to herself as she watches them pop and burn.]

[i_got_this]

[South drops down next to Rue after scrounging herself up some dinner, but she's slow to actually dig into it. She's not used to horseback riding, and she hasn't quite been keeping up on her training regiment since she arrived. That and she learned that you can get motion sickness from riding a horse.]

[Son instead of eating she just sort of watches Rue throw sticks at the fire, oddly entranced for the moment.]

[unnaturalpause]

[Having settled the (unnamed) hippogriff with a rationed bit of food he's brought along with him over near a tree (helpfully tied down just in case) James has settled himself near a fire with a well, kettle and a cup of tea along with a book using what light he can get to read or write in it or what have you after having gone through the process of making said cup of tea via campfire.]

[ninjainviolet]

[Like a few others, Sheena's also outside the camp, her tent set up a little ways downstream from the cluster of wagons. She really hadn't felt like eating--or socializing--so when she had been able, she slipped away from the others.

Now, she's leaning back on her hands, sighing as cool water flowed over her feet as they dangled in the stream. Looking up, she kicks her legs idly as she stares at the stars, the noise from the camp making her wonder if this pseudo-solitude had been such a good idea after all.]

[shrugs_a_lot]

[You think Cloud doesn't notice things? Well bad for Sheena he had noticed that during her short stay around the food, she barely ate anything, if she did at all...

He doesn't follow right away, it's not his style, so he waits a while, checks other things around, gets a bite and everything... Then he looks for her.

He approaches as silent as he can, luckily the steam sound will cover his steps. As she looks at the sky, there might be a Cloud blocking the way and looking at her from above, and upside down.]

[excalibured]

[He's mostly just out of the way, with the horse he's ridden here, removing the saddle and setting it aside carefully so that he can brush it down. It's a nice way to occupy himself, without having to think too much, and a good excuse to remain a little away from the others. He hasn't been in the mood to socialize in a long time, whether or not he wants to avoid being rude]

[draca]

[ Daenerys had done something the same, as other horses become nervous around her children and they have been on edge ever since the group ventured into the Dead Zone.

Which is very much the reason for the disgruntled cry that comes from her spot, where three dragons the size of small dogs sit huddled close to a young girl of silver-gold hair. ]

[hedonic]

[ Having publicly 'revealed' herself once Ino had offered out dinner, Echidna is now hanging around the camp like she had been a part of the expedition all along. Never mind that she's remained parked out of sight until now.

She expects it's only a matter of time before a certain someone harasses her about something. In the meantime, she's almost minding her own business lounging out in the open near the outskirts of the camp. Although the woman's scantily clad, all the important parts are covered, and she's clearly armed, so she isn't just hanging around to look pretty disturbing.

If nothing else, the elf is keeping the occasional eye on anyone visible she knows, or might be interested in poking at eventually. There's also a constant vigil regarding possible outside intruders, but one wouldn't be able to tell for how comfortable and lazy she appears. She's even drinking some sort of hard alcohol from a tea cup, should anyone else recognize the scent. ]

[disciplines]

[You're right. Guess who quietly saunters up, sitting nearby, pretending like she's reviewing some notes and making sketches of the area. She sends Ruu off to go watch the area for her, flipping her cape's hood down and snorting a bit.

She's quiet. She looks like she has something to say, but she's letting her quiet intimidate you. Her eyes stay sharp, shifting to you now and again, sighing.

You are so being graded.]

[disciplines]

[Close to where Echidna has made herself ugly and comfortable is Alleyne, holding a notebook out and surveying the area. Her notebook is propped up in her lap against her tomato cap,leaving her ears and head free for now. Everything is recorded carefully in shorthand and in sketch form. She flips between pages now and again, marking numbers down next to names, looking as serious as she ever was. Next to her is her staff and her bag, not leaving her sight, within a quick hand snatch's distance. Just in case.

If you look around her, you can catch a glimpse of Ruu, her small pet monkey, looking around and helping her survey things. He's friendly, don't worry.

Once in a while, she reaches in a pouch on her belt to pick out a snack and nibble on it neatly.]

[wizard_redfive]

[Dairine is sitting quietly at one of the fires, a frown on her face. A few days in and the young wizard still isn’t comfortable with the loss of her powers. Everything feels all wrong. Places in her mind where wizardry would be, should be, are now dull and hollow. Not to mention, the distinct loss of control that normally would be available to her. It’s unsettling to say the least.

So she’s distracting herself with the first thing that comes to mind -- poking at the fire with a long stick.]

[not_mafia]

[Tsuna notices that look. Normally he doesn't approach people he doesn't know, but, well. It helps that she looks to be around his age, maybe even younger.

Not to mention, it's a good distraction from his own thoughts.

So he walks over, speaking gently.]

Hey. Is everything alright?

[draca]

[ Not too close to the major circle is Daenerys and her dragons, all three of which are out of their cages. She keeps close enough that the light of the fire still hits her, but far enough that the other horses do not get spooked by her children. She has her own small cooking fire but her ability to actually cook is abysmal at best, most attempts at cooking meat ends in near charring. Her dragons are the only ones who benefit from her mistakes, happy to eat whatever meat is given to them as long as it is cooked.

And charred is as cooked as cooked can come.

She sits on a small collection of furs, with her white hrakkar (a breed of white lion) cloak hanging loosely off her shoulders, to protect her from the coolness of the night though it is hardly needed. This weather is pleasant compared to the heat of the Red Wastes, the nights do not threaten to steal as many as the day's heat did.

Dany's hands busy in braiding her silvergold hair, though even that proves to be as difficult as cooking. With no way to see the back of her head she works blind, settling on a loose haphazard braid in the end. All the while her dragons eat from a clay bowl, filled with meat she had failed to cook properly and instead burnt. For the moment they are content and that is enough to please her. ]

[hedonic]

[ There are few things that can catch your eye quite like three dragons hanging around like cattle of all things, and acting like the loyal pups of what appears to be a normal young woman. But Echidna knows of course that appearances can be deceiving.

Having had enough to drink for the moment, and finally giving into her curiosity, the elf saunters over, the serpent around her waist flicking a tongue out at one of the dragons as she nears. ]

What an impressive entourage.

[youhavebeenflynned]

[Flynn has set up his camp within the protective circle of wagons. It's just a small one man tent. His bags are placed outside of the tent entrance. Harry himself is currently sitting outside of the tent with some papers and pen, making some travel notes. Next to him sits an strange creature. It's his Axew whom goes under the nickname of Buddy. Buddy munches on some berries but other than that he's quite calm. Harry had not intended to take him with him but the Pokémon followed anyway.]

[heliotroping]

[Just outside the wagons, with a small lantern of his own, Django sits with his journal, closed on his lap, trying to figure what he ought to write.

Sometimes he stares out into space, with his pencil between his top lip and nose, but otherwise staring at his journal's cover]