(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

[youfallback]

[Carolina nods; he reads like military of some kind, so she might as well ask.]

You military?

[bustered]

Used to be, yeah. Zack Fair, SOLDIER First Class.

[Not that the rank would mean much to her, but Zack's observed that it's not so much the actual rank as the way one states it. It's just something about military personnel that seems constant across the worlds -- or at least the ones he's encountered in Paradisa.]

[youfallback]

[Carolina knows that tone easily; she's introduced herself similarly, albeit there was a lessening pride the more she heard about Project Freelancer.]

Good to have experience with us on the expedition. Agent Carolina, UNSC.

[bustered]

[Clearly they need a support group for Characters with Pride in Their Organizations, Only to Discover Later What's Really Going On. The only problem? CWPITOOTDLWRGO is a really long abbreviation, and just as much a pain to say.]

Likewise, it's nice to work with someone who's got some familiarity with this sort of thing. You need anything before I catch a nap?

[youfallback]

[Screw long acronyms, man. They'll just call their support group "Support Group" because creativity.]

Not that I know of. Sleep well. [Pause.] I'd like to get the chance to talk to you later.

[bustered]

[When they're not calling it "meeting at the bar," you mean.]

Wake me early if you need it. [Slight headtilt.] I'd say your horse or mine, but I don't even want to think about riding until we have to again. Anytime you like though, we've got this whole crazy thing ahead of us.

Just getting off hiatus! I totally understand if it's too late to backtag! <3

[youfallback]

[Carolina's face lights up with a grin.] Got it. I'll keep an eye out for you.

I will backtag forever and ever <3

[bustered]

[ooc: And I'm willing to skip to their planned discussion too if you desire, either continuing here or in a separate post.]


Likewise. Safe watch, Commander. [Maybe not the rank she'd given, but in Zack's mind it's appropriate to the person taking charge of watches -- and perhaps other security as well, he'll have to ask when they talk.]

[youfallback]

[ooc: I would love for them to still have the conversation, if you're cool with it! <3]

[Carolina blinks over at him for a second or two before nodding and heading off to wrangle more people into volunteering like her team, but it's the next morning until she really gets a chance to sit down and talk to Zack again as the group's having breakfast.]

Hey, thanks for your help last night.

[bustered]

[ooc: ALL THE CONVERSATIONS.]

[The next morning is all good, it means they'd gotten through the night successfully, always a good thing with watchers who might not have worked together before. Zack had grabbed a pair of naps on either side of his own shift; he's got a piece of toast in his mouth, a cup of coffee on the ground next to him, and he's buckling on his armor as Carolina walks up.

The toast is hastily removed before replying, at least.] Heh, no problem. Thanks for coordinating the whole thing, I always hated that part of the job.

[youfallback]

[Carolina smirks as she sits down next to him, an MRE in one hand and canteen of water in the other. One of these days, she really needs to invest in some non-powered armor to wear out into the dead zone.]

Not my favorite part of the job either but someone needs to do it or nothing gets done. [Okay, she does love being in charge, but wrangling people is always a challenge.]

[bustered]

[The sucky thing about regular armor, genetic enhancement, and the Dead Zone? You're not as strong as you're used to being. It's a pain but habit does help in getting everything into place, and there's a moment to relax after.]

I might just be too used to working alone, too; been a while since I had a unit under my command. [There's a smile, and a nod toward a still hot coffee pot, one of those simplistic dealies you heat over a campfire.] Help yourself if you like.

[youfallback]

[With a grateful nod, Carolina digs a cup out of her mess kit before reaching for the pot of coffee. She doesn't indulge in caffeine often, but this is one of those necessary occasions.]

Been solo for long? [She pours herself a cup and sets the pot back in its place. ]

[bustered]

[Coffee is a godsend out here, because sometimes you just need a little liquid energy.]

Four, five years? [A large part of that spent as an experiment in a Mako tube, but that's a detail he doesn't need to share.] Plenty of solo missions before that, but... [Shrug.]

[youfallback]

But you weren't ever technically solo before then. [Carolina feels she understands that part well enough. She'd been on solo missions herself, but always come back to the team. Well, that and the general atmosphere of Freelancer strongly encouraged independence and undercutting others to get ahead in the rankings.]

[bustered]

Not technically, no. [Gear's in place, but military is always quick to get ready, Zack's noticed (individually, at least; he won't comment on organizations as a whole). That means they've got some time to just wait -- not really relaxing, because Zack doesn't think he can even really relax out here -- but enjoying the company, the conversation, and the coffee.] Things change, you know how it is.

[youfallback]

[Nodding, Carolina takes a sip from her cup of coffee. Oh man, this is wonderful and just what she needed this morning.]

Ever miss it? [She glances over at him, her posture casual, her tone similar. At times, she knows that she just aches for home, for familiarity, for order, but it's been getting less frequent the more she learns about what she'll go back to.]

[bustered]

[Dead Zone Survival Kit: one pot of coffee, a handful of various soldiers from various worlds, and room for them all to play.

But there's a hesitation to reply, one he knows Carolina will sense, but it can't be helped.] I miss what it used to be.

[Another pause, but this time because mmmm, coffee.] You miss yours?

[youfallback]

[Zack's response strikes a chord inside Carolina as she nods in return. She could definitely identify with how that felt, how sometimes she just wanted her team back the way they were, not with all the in-fighting and threats. The whole dynamic was FUBAR.]

Miss what it used to be. [Maybe because she was on top and in control in how things used to be, maybe because she felt she could still trust her team. She's still not sure.] Things change. People change.

[bustered]

Hey. Yeah, and not always for the better. [Why are they even talking about this? Probably because it seems like vague terms are enough, that they don't need to go into detail to know someone understands. In a way it's a relief to talk without talking.]

I dunno, I kind of like this place because of that. Don't have to deal with it, you know?

[youfallback]

[Carolina tries to busy her mouth with her cup of coffee to keep down a snort. She hadn't experienced any of that change or outright deconstruction of her team until coming here. Hell, right out of the gate, Wash was different than she remembered, and then dealing with the knowledge of the fate of her team in the future had only added to the burden she felt daily.]

Depends on the timeline. It would work better if everyone was on the same page.