(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

[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. ]

[gevurah]

[ GUESS WHO'S TURNING HER HEAD ONCE SHE FEELS SOMEONE'S EYES ARE ON HER? ]

... Arya. [ She sighs. She heard Arya's mother angrily demanding through the journal the other day to know where she was. ] I'm pretty sure you almost gave your mother a heart attack.

[persequor]

I didn't mean to! I just…forgot to tell her.

[gevurah]

[ Kate doesn't look impressed. ]

Arya, no more lying.

[persequor]

I'm not lying!

[gevurah]

[ She puts down the knife and apple now, standing up. She folds her arms. ]

You can either start telling the truth or I can take you back to the castle myself.

[persequor]

My mother gave me permission to stay. [ So suck on that. ]

[gevurah]

I think I'll have a talk with her, then.

But you didn't tell her originally, did you?

[craggyfaced]

[The knight takes a seat nearby, setting down a small frying pan and a bag next to him]

Hello again, Kate.

[gevurah]

[ She looks up from her peeling and nods. ]

Good to see you, Durge.

[craggyfaced]

[He nods as well] It has been awhile. How are you?

[gevurah]

Luckily we're not stuck in a room again.

Alright. You? [ It's really a relief to see more adults on this voyage. ]

[craggyfaced]

[He shrugs] I doubt my complaints are any worse that anyone else's in this place.

[gevurah]

Long ride out, but we haven't come across any trouble.

[craggyfaced]

I confess to some surprise, though we have a long way to go yet.

Have you been on any of the previous expeditions?

[gevurah]

None of them. [ She takes a moment to look over at the other obvious newbies. ] But I figured it was about time I started lending a hand on these trips.

[hedonic]

[ She's a newbie on this one too, although she looks as comfortable as hell, despite not appearing on the trip before tonight. Echidna's occasionally shooting an observatory look the redhead's way, partially because she seems competent, but mostly because she's a hot chick what else do you want.

Minding her own beeswax and drinkin' her drink like the kind troll she is, however. ]

[gevurah]

[ Once she's done peeling the apple, she puts aside the skin and starts to chow down on it. A crowd this big has most likely drawn the attention of others, First Gens and whatnot. They're lucky to have made it this far without interruption.

She gazes long into the fire as she eats, wondering if this is actually a small blessing or there's something bound to happen out there. ]

[hedonic]

[ After a...disagreement with Alleyne, Echidna is suddenly more prone to wander, seeking out some sort of buffer; or distraction. Both options had their own pluses, but picking out the least noisy person might help her case. That one hadn't really been poking about like so many others.

Inviting herself over into the redhead's space, the elf leans over with a smile. Certainly the snack wrapped around her waist would smile if he could, too. ]

Is this spot taken?

[gevurah]

[ It doesn't take long to eat an apple, so Kate's already long done by the time Echidna comes around. She sizes her up momentarily. That's a snake... ]

No, you can sit.

[hedonic]

How kind.

[ It's often hard to tell if she's being sincere or sarcastic, but either way she appears to be good-natured for the moment. Less likely to burn bridges after so recently shaking off the monkey, Echidna keeps any further commentary to herself for awhile, simply lounging nearby enough that they could be mistaken as friends, but not so close as to invite conversation from anyone else nearby. ]

So many seem awfully melancholy or worn, and the adventure hasn't even begun. I feel as if I've missed something.

[gevurah]

For a lot of people, this is probably not an adventure. [ She leans her hands on her knees. ] This is about finding a way back home.

[hedonic]

Oh? And we're back on that, are we...

[ That last part is mostly mused to herself, not specifically speaking of Kate. Echidna can certainly recall everyone's reactions to her questioning their resolve on that front. Why wait for group expeditions? Why not just go out on your own when you want? It's tempting to prod this woman with the same inquiries. To see if she gets uncomfortable, angry, or simply shuts down completely. Hm, would the fun brought from that be an equal trade for needing to seek out another temporary companion?

She weighs the options in her head, then shrugs and waves a hand in front of her dismissively. ]

Do they not say that home is where your heart is? I'm certain that some here have come to love something in this world. That is a curse of being stuck in one place for so long. Even I've succumbed to that once or twice.

[gevurah]

[ Kate turns her gaze on Echidna now, studying her. Everyone has their own reasons for being out here. It seems the normal reaction when held against one's will somewhere was to get out.

Besides, it's a constant reminder of the small, dark room she was kept in as a kid. The one where later her mother and sister would be executed by their captors. ]

Maybe some. [ She shrugs. ] I don't have any interest in staying here.