Winchester/Fairfield Expedition - Camping

[not_mafia]

[After a long day of traveling over the hilly, grassy grounds of Nostos after a quick trip in the TARDIS, the sun is slowly starting to inch its way down to the horizon, the light catching on the clouds and making quite a spectacular sunset view. It's time to halt the traveling and rest the animals, get those tents pitched and crack out the canned foods. You're pretty deep into the Dead Zone, now, and stretched before you are rolling plains, with the only foliage being the golden grasses and some shrubbery. The air seems quite a bit warmer than it was in Paradisa as well. It is not an empty plains, though; buffalo roam the area, generally pretty tranquil as they graze on the grasses, sometimes lifting their heads to look curiously at the residents. Well. If they had eyes, that is.]

CAMPFIRE | TENTS | THE GROUNDS | THE BUFFALO

Comments

[deductiongeek]

Its a little late for that, don't you think. We're more than a days walk to the edge of the Dead Zone.

[luxe_can_kill]

Gale? I remember that name. You offered to teach outdoor survival.

[toobravehearted]

[Oh, the kid can take that smile away.] I wasn't planning on making you walk. I know how to drive, Conan, and the steam sleighs can get us back to the edge rather quickly. Honestly, why has no one else stopped you from coming along?

[deductiongeek]

Because no has noticed.

[And that earns a scowl.]

Which would put you several hours behind at the least. Its a waste of effort.

[wizard_redfive]

[Not easily. But that doesn't mean she won't try and pry it from him.]

Really? Then you better start giving some examples, punk.

[wizard_redfive]

Sounds good to me. Let's aim for sooner rather than later then. You never know when something'll interrupt our plans around here.

[Plus she's been putting off this project long enough.]

[deductiongeek]

Pass.

[wizard_redfive]

[She narrows her eyes.]

I'll find you a babysitter if you don't.

[deductiongeek]

Good luck with that.

[wizard_redfive]

[Ever so sweetly:]

Oh, I'm sure I could find some willing volunteers if I tried. Adults don't like seeing a kid get shot, you know. [And she's not above telling them his past history with guns, even if she promised to keep Shinichi's ~big~ secret.]

[deductiongeek]

[Conan bristles. He didn't care about his scars, but he could easily predict the reaction of most of the adults he knew.]

Don't you dare, Dairine!

[kungfuwitch]

[She reaches out to touch his arm]

I'm sure you will, Mark.

[eat_me_beat_me]

[She laughs]

No, no. The name is Paradise Hills. It's a smaller town right outside a big city called Phoenix. We're considered the suburbs of Phoenix - thus Suburbia.

[fanstheflame]

[give him a minute]

So a suburb is ... another word for a "smaller town"? Does that mean "suburbia" is a nickname for a suburb?

[eat_me_beat_me]

Well... a smaller town on the outskirts of a big city but yeah. [she laughs] And suburbia is more of an insulting way to call a suburb because people are weird in the suburbs. Like all the houses look exactly the same and shit.

[fanstheflame]

Oh. [he's finally starting to get it, as he sets up the tent] ... So you didn't like living where you did, then?

[toobravehearted]

[Good. Scowl away.] You have no idea how much effort I'm willing to make.

A small boy coming out here, unsupervised, that would have been noticed long before we reached the Dead Zone. [That's he's extremely confident of; he would have noticed Conan travelling with the group. But he hasn't noticed him. Therefore--] You already know that. Where have you been hiding?

[deductiongeek]

You would be surprised at how many people never look down.

[toobravehearted]

[He makes that last step to Conan. The Doctor is a tall man, not the tallest he's ever been, but either way he probably towers over the kid. Bearing that in mind, he kneels down on one knee.] Take a guess who is now and in no mood to brook flippancy.

You think you're a smart child, tell me, why do you think I'm irked with you right now? Or why any other adult that happens to clap eyes on you will no doubt be.

[deductiongeek]

[Conan stares up at him with the stubbornest of expressions.]

The majority of adults here don't care what kids do. [Not what he did, anyway. Conan had figured that out easily enough over the last two years. This was not the first time he had invited himself along on a dangerous expedition.]

You're upset because you think that the well being of a kid like me is the responsibility of any adult in the area.

[wizard_redfive]

I would dare a great many things, Conan! Do not test me.

[She crosses her arms.]

Now tell me: if our group was ambushed by the bug-like creatures that attacked us last time, what. would. you. do.

[toobravehearted]

[Conan has a stubborn expression back for his trouble.] I'm not part of the majority.

Well, the Doctor IS in the area right at this moment.] Incorrect. I'm irked that a small boy appearing to have reasonable intelligence could be so utterly stupid. You know full well what we encountered last time. [He holds up a finger to cut off what he anticipates coming next] Don't even think of making the last expedition part of your argument.

[deductiongeek]

And I told you already, what I would do would depend on who and what was there. Just saying something like that isn't enough for me to create a plan for the situation.

[deductiongeek]

Of course I do. I was there.

And I didn't get hurt.

I know what I'm doing.

[toobravehearted]

I said don't even think of it and I beg to differ. Go on, give one good reason why a child barely eight should be here.