"Sig? I'm Will, as you can see I control water, and you must be earth?" Will replied. "Our plant Hygron, Thema, came back from a failed rescue attempt very late last night ." Will explained to Sig. Then Sig was criticizing humans. "You seem to have a different idea about humanity to us? I think you have a generalized view of humans, a negativs one too. The thing is, we were humans, until our powers sparked, I have no hatred towards humanity as a whole but don't get me wrong, raiders can kiss my ass." Will said, grinning. He turned back to the cave. 'We should wait a minute, we got a bit of a... situation." He explained to Sigsmund. Taunami formed and cocked his head curiously as he stared at Spike, having never seen a turtle before.

Phil was amazed by Cora's response. She never had a lollipop... Phil then realised how lucky he got it, he thought about how he starved only HALF the time. And, if he had any disposable income, how he would buy some candy and share it w- at that point, Will interrupted Phil's thought by bursting through the entrance instructing Phil and Cora to "deal" with something. Which Yhatzee said was a very aggravated Thema acting more than unpredictable within the haven. Phil followed Cora's lead but stood a few feet behind her. He wanted to be able to react if Thema did something dangerous. But the question arises, Would Phil have to be offensive, to keep everyone safe, or would he risk trying to soothe her frustration with light? Phil knew from experience that his calming ability didn't work all the time, that was his only worry. But... He wasn't going to kill another person, not one that deserved it. He was ready to try reaching an illuminated hand out, if things became violent or unreasonable. But when Phil realised just what he thought, he couldn't believe that harming someone even come to mind, how far had his sanity been stretched to think something so cold...
So dark...

Gilfred woke slowly, truth be told he had slept better than he had in a long while, but now the waking world needed his attentions. Slowly pulling himself to a sitting position he was unprepared for Gawain's sudden intrusion into his mind. It hit him like a ton of bricks, the feeling of alert, panic and caution all washing over his still booting up mind, nearly staggering him. Without pausing to wonder what had got the Enfeild so upset, the metal elementalist drunkenly reached out for Clarent, finding it after a small amount of searching, the oiled leather of the scabbard creaking slightly as he closed his fist around it. Hauling himself to his feet he blinked and shook his head, trying to dispel the haze that still sat in his mind, and began to make his way forward, following the urgings of Gawain. Soon he saw a few others, Thema among them, gripping Clarent he was about to speak when he saw the glowing hand of the light elemental outstretched. Shifting the scabbard so Clarent was in an easy draw position he cleared his throat and spoke, his voice low and even "What is going on?"

"Look psycho, I can't remember your name right which might have something to do with being woken up but leave me alone!"

Psycho!? Had it all been a dream? Had last night even happened? Thema was now questioning her own sanity along with the others now.

As his familiar huffed a breath of smoke at the plant mage, she took a step back, not wanting to get burned by the heat. Once the duo was out of sight, Thema squatted on the ground and placed her hands atop her head. How did she get back at the Haven? Where was GIlfred? Who was that man? She had no answers to any of her questions, leaving her to feel helpless in her current situation.

Rubbing her eyes, she could feel tears beginning to form. The plants that sprouted around her offered only a minor dose of consolation. By now, her vision was finally adjusting to the darkness. It was then she saw another figure approach her. The lush flora shifted slightly towards the foreign being, a low hiss seemed to escape a few.

"Hey, Thema. How are you feeling? Gilfred brought you here last night after you healed him, you were sleeping pretty heavy. Yahtzee's a little flustered outside, can you tell me what happened?"

“…Cora?” Now she was really questioning her sanity. Oddly enough, her story added up. But could she really trust her? After all, it was her who ran away and pretty much caused the collapse of the hygrons. “Wheres Gilfred? And who was that man?” she asked, trying her best to conceal her shaking voice. She stood up and loosened her body language, though her plants still stood in their defensive position. The bottom of the growth teemed with life with the tangle of roots almost shaking the earth around her.

"What is going on?"

Like a switch, the defensive flora immediately took a neutral position. Though vines escaped the thicket, they slithered in a curious manner rather than an intimidating one. Thema turned towards the voice, finally able to receive one of the answers she had been searching for. It was Gilfred who now stood before her. She tried to speak, but her voice trailed off. “Last night, I…” pausing, she began to inquire yet another question. This one was more soft spoken than the others. “How did we get here?”

"Look psycho, I can't remember your name right which might have something to do with being woken up but leave me alone!"

Psycho!? Had it all been a dream? Had last night even happened? Thema was now questioning her own sanity along with the others now.

As his familiar huffed a breath of smoke at the plant mage, she took a step back, not wanting to get burned by the heat. Once the duo was out of sight, Thema squatted on the ground and placed her hands atop her head. How did she get back at the Haven? Where was GIlfred? Who was that man? She had no answers to any of her questions, leaving her to feel helpless in her current situation.

Rubbing her eyes, she could feel tears beginning to form. The plants that sprouted around her offered only a minor dose of consolation. By now, her vision was finally adjusting to the darkness. It was then she saw another figure approach her. The lush flora shifted slightly towards the foreign being, a low hiss seemed to escape a few.

"Hey, Thema. How are you feeling? Gilfred brought you here last night after you healed him, you were sleeping pretty heavy. Yahtzee's a little flustered outside, can you tell me what happened?"

“…Cora?” Now she was really questioning her sanity. Oddly enough, her story added up. But could she really trust her? After all, it was her who ran away and pretty much caused the collapse of the hygrons. “Wheres Gilfred? And who was that man?” she asked, trying her best to conceal her shaking voice. She stood up and loosened her body language, though her plants still stood in their defensive position. The bottom of the growth teemed with life with the tangle of roots almost shaking the earth around her.

"What is going on?"

Like a switch, the defensive flora immediately took a neutral position. Though vines escaped the thicket, they slithered in a curious manner rather than an intimidating one. Thema turned towards the voice, finally able to receive one of the answers she had been searching for. It was Gilfred who now stood before her. She tried to speak, but her voice trailed off. “Last night, I…” pausing, she began to inquire yet another question. This one was more soft spoken than the others. “How did we get here?”

There was something off about this. Cora immeditaly felt a tension in Thema's words. There was a growing suspision behind the mage's stare. I'm not trusted... Cora sighed, rolling her eyes. That was a minor set-back, she might as well press on. "Yahtzee, " She glanced at the entrance. "Come here for a sec', Thema wants to meet you."

Cora returned her careful gaze to Thema, raising an eyebrow. "I promise she wont bite." She spoke to her in a softer tone. "Yahtzee's the second newest Hygron we've met, he can be a little firey. You missed out on introductions last night."

Yahtzee thought he noticed a brief could practically feel the tension in the air and he frowned slightly in confusion but he dismissed the feeling. Anything that happened between Thema and Cora was going to stay there. It wasn't his place to go poking around in the past especially when he had noticed the sort of affect it had on everyone. Some things were just better buried. He heard Cora calling to him and headed out to actually meet the girl that had kicked him looking at her through narrowed eyes. "It's not biting I'm worried about." He said cautiously. Salamander stood on the ground just in front of his legs in a motionless position with his eyes locked onto Thema. "But I guess if you vouch for her she must be one of the good guys right?" He said suddenly cheerful and relaxed. "Hi there. I'm Yahtzee and this is Salamander. The pleasure is all..." He paused thinking. "Well it's not mine but I'm sure someone up there is getting a vindictive satisfaction out of all this." He said gesturing upwards as Salamander snorted and relaxed a little leaning against his legs.

"So what do we actually do?" Yahtzee asked Cora. "I mean I get that we're Hygorns and are on the side of nature against the vygorns but I don't get what that means? I mean are we just going to hang around here for the next few days or is there like a plan of action?" He asked suddenly eager to know more. He wasn't used to sticking around for long most of the time anywhere and if the plan was to stay until something happened he didn't know if he would be okay with that. Sure another day would fine but he wanted to explore the world and see what was out there and maybe even make a difference.

Phil just watched as Cora tried to introduce Yhatzee to Thema. He didn't think that giving her new names would calm her. If she keeps freaking out, maybe leaving Gilfred to explain everything to her is the best option. Phil would suggest this to Cora if Thema does become more panicked. Phil caught eye of the vines that slivered down the wall, it sent a chill down his spine thinking about what she could do with them. The most concerning thought was being impaled by one. In Thema's state, She may try and attack someone, to get space or answers. Phil then was brought back to the thought he had when deciding how to confront Thema. The fact that he thought of killing someone, in cold blood, worried Phil. For some reason, he even felt guilty about it, even though he had done nothing. Phil returned to reality, knowing that those thoughts where irrelevant in this situation.

Sig was already impatient, what are they doing in this god forgotten place when they could be kicking butt and blowing stuff up?
He walked towards the others, and it seemed that he came just at the right moment, he heard a voice ask what the plan was, and Sig knew.
"I tell you what we're gonna do kid! We're gonna head to the military base to the north west of Atlanta and get us some guns! Hell, maybe even a tank!" He said grinning.
"In any case, they wont be expecting anything and if we take out their local military, their response speeds will be way slower, giving us a chance to attack again."

Spike snorted and stomped, as if to agree with Sig. Sig liked this now, getting organised was a big step ahead. He might finally be able to avenge his friend.
He then turned to a rugged looking man.
"Nice sword buddy."

"I tell you what we're gonna do kid! We're gonna head to the military base to the north west of Atlanta and get us some guns! Hell, maybe even a tank!" Said the newbie. She never caught his name.

Yahtzee had directed the question to her, and she was moments from answering. Instead, Yahtzee had the unique pleasure of watching cold rage flash across her face. Her brow furrowed, and she exposed her teeth in a snarl.

Snapping a lethal gaze at Sig, Cora raised her cuffed hand as icy tendrils threaded together. A gleaming ice pistol formed in her iron grip, and she fired a round off near his head. It wasn't as loud or strong as a gun made of metal, but she hoped it'd cause some uncomfortable ringing in his ears. Maybe he'd get Tinitus, that bastard. Quick as it formed, Cora dispersed the gun back into thin air. 

"Guns? Pah. My short time slaving at a weapons factory gave me an intimate knowledge of certain guns, among other awful shit; we do not need their guns. What we need is food. Almost everyone here hasn't eaten in two days, myself included." Cora said, her voice surprisingly restrained despite the venom in her eyes. Almost on cue, her stomach gave a lamenting growl. Cora ignored it. 

She glanced at Will and Phil. "Tell me what city you chose. We need to go."

"Earth Hygron, whatever your name is," Cora appraised him again with ice-gray eyes. Her frustration had boiled off, now she just looked tired. Well, tired and starved. "You have a choice, as we all do. You can come with us, or walk the day-or-so journey to the furthest military camp on the map on your own."

"Just so I can prove my point," She presented this question to everyone listening. "Does anyone want to travel with the Earth Hygron to the camp by Dalton?"

“How did we get here?”

Gilfred sighed, relaxing a bit, and took a moment to gather his thoughts into words before he answered Thema, "After you healed me, you kind of... collapsed. So I had to carry you the rest of the way here." He spoke evenly, as he looked at Thema, a small smile hinted on his face as he remembered the events of the previous night, including but not limited to the almost fight. "Then I set you down in here, and you slept away." His expression changed as he spoke, turning from the neutral, and partially bemused look, to a more apologetic one as he continued to explain what had happened the night before. As he finished the others began to join them, talking about moving out soon, he was beginning to catch parts of their conversations when a new voice came to him.

"Nice sword buddy."
Turning he saw a new face, and after taking a moment to register it, nodded. "Thanks, nice turtle."

Bamm. An ice bullet passed right next to Sig's ear, hurting it, but the Earth man showed no sign of having noticed other than a tiny twitch of his eyelid.

He turned to the angry girl who shot at him, she was clearly angry. Sig didn't know or care why, people were always angry at him.
"Aren't ya a bit insolent you ice girl? You might not need their guns, but they do. What are they gonna shoot us with when we take their weapons aye? Think before you speak! Or is your brain frozen as well?"
These people seemed lost. Luckily he was here to show them what has to be done. The problem was that Sig's supplies were running short too.
"You hungry? Poor thing!" Sig said mockingly, his mouth pulling to a grin. With that he put his hand in his pocket and took out a bar wrapped in plastic. It was one of those very chewy plastic-tasting things that people ate these days as candy.
"Catch!" Sig threw the bar up in the air towards the ice girl.
"If you want more of those and other, better stuff, than we should go to the warehouse north of RockHill. I've been there already, I took a ton of stuff from right under their noses and they didn't even notice! Ha! So yes, if you wanna go with snow-white to some random village to steal from poor miners, you can go. But I'm stealing from the rich! Its more fun." He grinned again again, looking straight at the ice girl.
"So, you changed your mind kid?"

Will was completely outraged! How dare he treat Cora and the others this way! He felt like Sigsmund just listened to everything Will said and spat it out. He couldn't bottle it up, he grabbed Sigsmund by his shirt and pinned him to the nearest wall of the cave. "Listen here! You do NOT come here, act like you're better than us and treat them that way." Will said and nodded to the others. "I'm done with you, I'm not prepared to let these people carry around your annoying, dead weight. When you've wisened up, talk to me." Will warned and threw Sig to the ground. He turned to the others, unfortunately he kept a similar tone he used with Sigsmund, without realizing it, having not calmed down yet. "Me and Phil were thinking about Atlanta, however if there are any stops on the way that may be beneficial that's good to. I intend to leave as soon as possible if that's okay." Will was struck by the realisation of how he was talking. He closed his eyes and sighed. "Sorry, I'll be outside." Will said and made his way out of the cave,. He leant by the outside of the cave and stared into the scene before him.

Ignore

Sig was falling to the ground, but he simply fell into the soil. He disappeared and appeared upright a few feet further.
"Someone's boiling up here isn't he?" He laughed. "This isn't the welcome I'd give to someone who tries to help me."
He raised a wall behind him and leaned against it. "Think of me what you want, but are you willing to endanger all of us by going to Atlanta and deprive us of food? I'm definitely going to the warehouse, and I'll have a feast. I'm sure the boy will want to come with me. Right kid?" He said to Will and then to Yahtzee, putting an arm around his shoulder and pulling him closer as if they've been friends for a long time.

Phil wasn't impressed by the new hygorn. He already apposed everything they had planned. Guns wasn't a necessary weapon, nor a reliable one. When Cora fired the gun she conjured, it rung in Phil's ear and reminded him of what happend... In Atlanta... Phil forced himself out of that state once again before he damaged his mind more. Then, after Will stormed out, Phil decided he better too, he said to inform everyone "I'll calm him down" and walked out after Will. He leaned on the wall next to Will and said "Hey". He stared in the general direction Will was and asked "So, was it that asshole's tone or his attitude that did you in?"

Phil came out to help Will calm down, and Will chuckled a little when Phil asked him the question. "Both to be honest Phil." Will said, he turned to him. "But there is one thing I WILL NOT stand, and that is the way he treated you all." He announced. "That guy can do what he wants, but sure as hell we do not need to get 'guns' as Cora demonstrated. We can get food in Atlanta or on the way. Wait a minute..." Will said, his mind pondersd as he had a brainstorm. "Do you think Thema can grow fruit?" He asked Phil, "An apple or something?" He added. He peered in to see if Thema had calmed down but he couldn't really tell. "That'll sure as hell stump Sigsmund, even if I have to water the damn thing it's gotta be worth a shot right?" Will said, this time to no one in particular.

Yahtzee stared blankly at Cora as she flew into an ice cold rage. The entire scene seemed to happen in slow-motion and left his body feeling numb and hollow. The truly scary thing was just how fast and violently she had reacted. Since he had met this group and joined up with them he had looked at her to be the leader and guide. She was so level-headed about everything and despite having a past that seemed obviously painful it didn't seem to weigh on her and he admired that. Until now. Seeing how powerful she was made him glad he was on their side however he found he couldn't share her feelings against the new earth Hygorn despite generally accepting Cora as the leader. His sympathy for the earth hygorn vanished though at his words that felt almost like taunting and he took a step forward but Wil beat him to the punch clearly just as angry, if not more so, than he. This was someone who was even newer to the group than him but he was already strutting about like he owned the place

Yahtzee's first instinct when Sig put his arm around him was to sharply elbow him in the ribs but he contained that and instead pulled his arm off of him as politely as possible and turned to face him with a sombre expression. "Hey, uh Sig right?" He said slightly nervously. He wasn't sure what he was going to say but he did know that as much as he didn't like this guy he couldn't hate him. "I'm really new to this whole thing. I mean I only arrived last night. That's barely even twelve hours ago." He chuckled a little nervously. "But I've learned a lot in that time. Most of it seems sort of important like the whole saving the world thing. That's kind of big but there's something bigger." He gestured at all the hygorns around him. "You see everyone here? They all have gone through something I can't even imagine and I get the feeling you can't either. Something so painful and tragic that it would have destroyed any normal person but they each pulled through it. They survived and moved on and now all they want is to make life a little better. A little more peacful and never have to go through any of that again. That sounds pretty good in my book. Maybe this is a battle that we'll lose with guns but that's a hell of a lot better than a battle we win with them. These are not people who want death on anyone. They want life for themselves and their friends. I am one of those people and like it or not so are you. Do you really want something that will only cause death?" He asked meeting his eyes for a moment before turning and walking towards Cora.

Sig stood upright from his leaning position, the earth wall falling back to ground level. His face turned from a teasing gring to a sad and serious look as memories flooded back. He looked at Yahtzee in the eyes for a few seconds, then gazed at a wall.

"You know kid, its not just them who had tragic times. I lost my only and best friend long ago. I lived for years underground, alone, only going home at night. Then I found Spike and decided it was time to do something. He was the only one who understood me, and he died." Sig paused, sighing. His eyes, still gazing into the distance, showed rage now. A deep and perpetual rage.
"I swore I'd make the bastards pay. Not just the ones who killed him, but the also the ones that made this world as it is now. You have your goals, I have mine. Go on, save the planet from aliens but I'm going for the government's real leader. I'm going for Vrail!"
He paused for a couple more seconds then snapped his gaze back to Yahtzee.
"Do you see any guns on me? No. Its cos I don't need them. Do you see the guards having guns? Yes. Its cos they need them. Take away their guns and they can be squashed like vermin. Don't use guns if you don't want to, but taking them away from them would definitely help you not go through something so tragic as the others have, right kid?"

Sig's expression suddenly changed and al the sadness disappeared, as well as most of the anger.
"The sooner we move the sooner we arrive. Someone call Kettlehead and his buddy. Decide where we're going, fast."

Cora casually plucked the bar out of the air, giving it a dismissive look. She never saw any food like this, it looked like hard mush. But any food was good food after two days, and she was so close to opening it right there. But... That would mean she admitted Sig had a point. His insults rolled off her shoulders, but the idea of food stuck. She really was hungry, but the warehouse was a half-day's journey from here. A fair distance, but Appling was only 45 minutes beyond that. Hell, perhaps they could hole up in Appling for the night and feast, then travel to Atlanta in the morning. 

Ah, he found her most silly weakness. Food. Sustenance. She had a craving for it, as she always did. It was a bad thing to have these days, a constant yearn for munchies. So it was a choice she was quite torn between: going to Atlanta directly (which was an hour closer), or raiding a warehouse and taking a round-about trip that would delay them another day. She didn't even know what was in Appling. Were there rich to steal from, or just the poor? Did they have green houses like in Atlanta? How was their security? 

This thought occurred to her last, but she knew the Elementals needed more training. Atlanta was overrun with Vygorns, maybe it would be best if they hung back in Appling for a little while. She remembered Phil being incredibly uncomfortable with Atlanta, and she knew personally the city didn't hold the nicest memories for her either.

Jesse, my love... Cora had ignored that part of her for so long, she almost forgot her past life in the city. About the terrible moments that drove the star-stricken lovers apart and caused her to run away to the Haven. 

Will became infuriated with Sig, excusing himself after. Phil followed him before she could, so she let those two be. Sig tried to persuade Yahtzee, but he handled the situation the best out of all of them, and Cora felt a twinge of shame. She let her anger get the best of her. How could anyone have faith in her if she flew off the handle like that? 

Ugh... She face-palmed, reacting to her own thoughts.

As Yahtzee turned to Cora the first true smile of the day graced her lips, and she nodded. "That... was beautiful. You haven't been here long, but I'm proud of you. You've internalized Kyra, maybe better than I have."

Sig didn't make sense. She couldn't resist speaking up at this point, her voice at a level tone. "Yes, we want to save Kyra. But what makes you think we're not after Vrail's head too? These things will come in good time. And, about the guns, the military is overstocked with such things. We could take and take and they'd still find more."

Eventually Sig posed the final question, the one everyone was so concerned about. "The sooner we move the sooner we arrive. Someone call Kettlehead and his buddy. Decide where we're going, fast."

Cora glanced back at Yahtzee, trying to find an answer in his eyes. Her thoughts veered to Kyra, Mother Earth. The silent Lady who had struggled longer than centuries. If her spirit were here, what would She do? Cora puzzled over this, slowly looking back at Sig with a distant gaze. Maybe... Yes, perhaps.

Her eyes glinted with clarity. "We'll do it your way, Sigsmund. Our ultimate goal will be traveling to Atlanta, but we're not ready for the challenges awaiting us there. Our first stop will be that warehouse you mentioned, and we will travel to the city of Appling thereafter to feast, to train, and to begin weaving the legend of the Elementals. And then, with Kyra at our backs, we will march to Atlanta and take back what is rightfully the world's!" She raised a triumphant fist in the air.