Desmond Mores

---

"Uh, sure, Poppy, but I should come with you to...." And she was already gone, Desmond only sighed and was concerned. Someone was watching them from the treeline, and that is not a good thing. Now they have to worry about this unknown variable. Lost are one thing, mindless, predictable, and dangerous. But people are another thing and in the past, while he lived at his home settlement, the main threats were Lost. There was one occasion of dealing with a hostile group of raiders that to be dealt with some casualties.

Bastards, the lot of them, but that was a group of humans. Revenants, on the other hand, can do far worse, and it was fortunate they never encountered hostile revenants. Even if they would be later brought down by Lost.

Well, either way, with Poppy making sure that the coast albeit by herself. Desmond reluctantly followed Poppy's order and introduced himself to Sean. "Well, Sean, nice to meet you and nice to see a friend of Poppy. And let's get you set up, and I am Desmond, by the way."
He motioned for Sean to follow before making one last look at Poppy. Please, let nothing happen, he thought worryingly. So he walked slowly back to the Crow's Nest, on the off chance something does happen, and if he hears a scream, then he will be running to her. Now to see if he made the right choice.

As Vincent walked with his little group, plus Renee, he laced his fingers behind his head and looked around. In his travels, he had come across various communities a lot like this one, people trying their best to make a the best life they could in this hellish world, wary of newcomers. At least they're not trying to chase us off with those pitchforks, he mused, unfazed by the attention. Then again, they all probably know why we're here and that's the only reason they're not trying to run us through.

As they approached the shed, he stopped and looked over his shoulder. A few of the people who had been staring had gotten back to work, tending livestock or their gardens, but many of them were still staring warily at him and his friends. A smirk crossed his face as he turned around and placed a hand on his hip. He ran his other hand through his dark hair and called out, "Please, please, everyone, no need to be shy. I know it's not every day you see someone as perfectly handsome as me, but I promise, I won't bite." After a moment, he added with a wink, "Much." With that, he turned around and entered the shed, not noticing the grumbling or eyerolls behind him.

He walked over to where everyone was gathered around a table and peered over Akaia's shoulder as Renee told them where they were going. Hearing Akaia echo it, he let out a low whistle and said, "Cheery, as far as names go." He crossed his arms and confidently smirked as he added, "Well, in my experience, the more depressing a name a place has, the more fun I'll have. What're we looking at as far as enemies go?"

---

Sean had known the Commune long enough to know that when Poppy told one to do something, it was best if one listened, especially when she used that tone. He shouldered his pack and followed Desmond toward the observatory. Before he went inside, he saw Poppy disappear into the forest. He started to reach for the pistol holstered under his left arm, but after a moment, let his arm drop, that loose component in his arm clicking quietly as he did. If whoever Poppy found in the forest, assuming they were still there, decided to turn things violent, Sean knew he was better off trying to find someone else like Ajax. After all, he was only human and he didn't trust his aim enough to provide any meaningful contribution. He used a shotgun for a reason, after all.

Instead, he turned around and continued to follow Desmond inside. "Nice to meet you, Desmond. And you don't need to worry about finding a spot for me," Sean told him with an easy grin. "Unless anything's changed, Erik set aside a spot for me in the escape tunnel a couple of years back. Might be pretty dusty, but I should have a bed and a workshop down there."

As he led the way down the hall toward the telescope room, Sean noticed a door to his left was slightly ajar. The name on the door read "Desmond" and Sean caught a glimpse of someone laying in the bed. However, he knew better than just walking into someone's room, even if that someone was right next to him, so he resolved to talk to Desmond and Poppy about it later. This pack's getting kinda heavy, anyway, he thought as he and Desmond entered the room. He strode purposefully toward a crimson rug laying off to the side and pulled it away to reveal a trapdoor. He pulled it open and took in a deep breath. "Ah, smell that wonderful, stale, musty air," he told Desmond with a grin.

He dropped his pack into the hole and started to climb down the short ladder. After a couple of steps, he looked up at Desmond and said, "If anyone needs me, I'll be down here for a bit. I've got some work to do." That said, he dropped down to the floor and flipped a light switch. Bare lightbulbs flickered to life down the length of the tunnel as he shouldered his pack again and began to walk. He didn't go very far before he came to a wooden door on his right. He tried to open it, only to find it locked, and he let out a quiet curse as he dropped his pack again. He searched through the various pockets and pouches before he finally came across a ring of keys, then took a few more moments trying each key one at a time before he found the right one. "Suppose that's what I get for taking so long between visits," he muttered as he carried his pack into the room.

He flipped another switch and, once again, lights flickered to life, revealing a medium-sized room, the walls, floor, and ceiling of which were covered in plastic sheets to prevent dirt and other debris from accumulating. A table sat against the far wall, on top of which was a red metal toolbox, and to the left of it was stood a bookcase. Instead of books, however, the shelves held containers full of bits and pieces made of various materials. Against the wall to his right was a desk which had several computer monitors sitting on top of it, complete with a computer tower that sat below, jury-rigged with parts that Sean had scavenged from various systems, and a bed sat against the wall to his left. The most notable thing in the room, however, were the arms. There were three of them, each one a bionic prosthesis, held up by a set of hooks and wrapped securely in more plastic sheeting. Through the sheeting, it would be clear that, while each one was made of steel, each one looked different from the others.

He walked over to the workbench and pulled an arm off of the wall. This arm was the simplest out of the set, made only for when Sean wasn't planning on going out into the world. "Alright, let's get to work," he said as he shrugged his jacket off.

Location: Medical & Outside The Crow's Nest

stranger danger

---

"Yes, ma'am," Indigo murmured before they had too much time to think about it, coming to stand at their towering height, only to duck back into the observatory obediently.

Padding back to the cot they were assigned, Indigo pulled the privacy screen to the side and stretched their legs out as they took a seat. They gripped the edge of the cot loosely, playing with the fabrics beneath their fingers absently. Something about the way Poppy had reacted to the strange being in the forest piqued Indigo's interest. It was almost as if she had been expecting something like that to happen. Perhaps it was simply the way she handled unknown situations and Indigo had not been privy to her mannerisms.

They puzzled on the fairy while continuing to fidget, beginning to pick at the rough skin at the beds of their fingernails, a habit that had left their nail beds damaged and the skin around their cuticle scarred.

Thoughts started drifting into Indigo's undistracted mind, taking the opportunity to dig claws of doubt into his frontal lobe.

Don't overstay your welcome, who knows if someone's looking for you? What if that person in the forest was watching you and not them? What if you brought danger to your newly found sanctuary? Way to go, you just got here and you're already creating a dangerous environment.... Indigo's intrusive thoughts started to race faster and faster, matching the pace of their restless leg that was bouncing in place with abandon. Their eyes went glassy, the pale greens in their irises fogging over.

JUICE

---

Location: Renee's Farm
Interactions: Akaia @Exit, Vincent @Daxam, Erik @FunnyGuy
Mentions:

---

The ride was surprisingly quiet. Relatively quiet. Aside from Juice all too enthusiastically tugging on Akaia's clothes when she suddenly manifested in front of him, both crow and Sidhe rather unenthused by the newcomer's presence. (Brittle. Invisible? A dam against a welling current. Accompanied by a corvid. A single confluence, tied together with many, many strings.) Or him shifting around the back and banging his helmet against the van ceiling. Aside from that, Juice was content to watch the landscape fly past him, the grey of the city melting into the pastel brown of the aridness.

Juice didn't seem to mind the extra attention at all. Between his usual floundering gait, artificial voice, and the casualness with which he wandered around the settlement, he seemed to almost want to actively invite the extra attention. His helmet prevented anyone from peering at his face, yet a wave and the melodic way he repeated his greeting, "Hey, I'm Juice!" all gave a plentiful hints that although quite odd, this helmeted man that accompanied the strangers meant little harm. Well, aside from a slightly sore ear, perhaps.

While the three more familiar strangers followed Renee, Juice took a more meandering path around the farm and scanned across the pockmarked structures and its inhabitants that peered out back at Juice. Juice hadn't seen a settlement like this in a while, especially a settlement that wasn't ringed by Lost tugging at barbed wire fences. It must be a dull living here, with little music and little to fight.
Disappointing.
With his initial curiosity satisfied, Juice appeared peering over Vincent's shoulder. "Ominous! Why name it like that?" The tone was happy to emphasize that he approved the naming convention regardless of the reason.

Location: Medical area - Desmond's room - Lysandra's room
Interactions: Indigo, Lysandra

---

The snap of gloves being removed denoted the end of the physical exam. Poppy pulled the curtains aside, releasing Indigo from her care.
"You're free to go"

While she cleared out the workspace she glanced at the tall stranger, who looked lost. The Sidhe approached, placing her hand on Indigo's inked forearm. She looked up into a pair of pale green eyes.
"We'll find you a place to sleep later, for now just familiarize yourself with your new surroundings. I suggest to stay with us for a while. At least until you've processed what you've become. You got a second life Indigo."

Poppy wanted to check on Amelia again. After she discovered her condition was worsening Desmond's sister was constantly in the back of her mind. She entered the room, closing the door behind her. Amelia was sleeping peacefully. Her chest rose up and down slowly, her breathing was steady, face serene. Poppy brushed some hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear.
"Desmond really loves you..."

Sometimes she thought about what would happen if she didn't remember him. Amelia would have no recollection about the fierce and loyal love of her brother. His fight would have been pointless, everything he'd done to save her. Only to find that person isn't there anymore. Poppy closed her eyes. Sometimes she thought the same might have happened to him.
Stop it...

A tear ran down her face. A tear of sadness at Amelia's situation or maybe her own. It was difficult to say. She wiped her cheeks and took a deep breath. Poppy rubbed her fingers together, there was something odd sliding on her fingertips. It was some sort of residue. Where did it come from? She narrowed her eyes and held up her fingers to her face. The skin looked normal.

It had not been there before she entered the room and Amelia was the only one she touched since. Poppy brushed Amelia's upper arm with her left hand. The same residue started to stick to her other hand. Strange. She must not have noticed it when she was wearing gloves before.

A couple of minutes later the red haired Sidhe entered Lysandra's room.
"I discovered something."
She held out both of her hands to Lysandra, palms facing upwards.
"There is something covering Amelia's skin. It transferred over to me when went to see her."

---

Huh? It’s just a stupid mutt. The “beast” that came to ambush Dallas was nothing more than a wild dog. Standing about 20 inches tall, the stray collie was covered in shaggy, matted hair and had a serious overbite. It was hard to tell, but the revenant was convinced he saw some fleas jumping around on its head. It was by every meaning of the word, ugly. Dallas lowered his weapon and knelt down. He patiently waited to see what the mutt would do.

Rather than approach him, the collie walked over to the mound of dirt nearby. As it did so, Dallas noticed that the dog had an obvious limp. He looked it over from a distance and spotted a clump of dark red fur near the dog’s hindquarters. So that was the blood he’d been smelling.

”Was this your owner? You must have really liked them, huh? Sorry, I didn’t have time to build a casket.” Dallas gazed sympathetically at the former pet as it circled around the spot where its master was buried. It really sucked to have a revenant’s nose at times like these. The dog stank. It must have been hovering around this place since the human passed away. A small part of him wanted to help the dog out, but wasting medical supplies on an animal he had no intention of raising would be a poor economic decision.

Anyways, I better get out of here. I’ve wasted enough time as is. Dallas took stock of his equipment one last time and then left the grave behind him, accompanied only by the cries of a lonely canine companion.

---

Dallas reached the edge of Tranquilo not too long after his encounter in the field. At first the only indication he was inside the town limit was a solitary gas station. It was tempting to storm into the convenience store and grab himself a couple of beers, but he was low on bag space and didn’t want to be drunk on a solo mission. There wasn’t much else to see for a few minutes besides the tallish buildings in the distance where the bulk of the town had been developed.

The first place he passed through seemed to be an old residential zone. There were a couple of rows of houses that looked like they were brand new in the 1960s. Dallas thought to himself that the place was so run down, it might have been abandoned even before the apocalypse. Once in a while he encountered a thrall wandering aimlessly about, but with a few swings of his battle axe he had the street to himself again.

Ah shit, where am I even going? The Nest didn’t have any maps of this town. I should backtrack… Dallas turned around and retraced his steps towards one of the gas stations he’d passed by. When the place was within visual range he instinctively took cover behind a conveniently placed wreck. The gas station was no longer empty; there was a dark gray pickup truck parked next to one of the pumps. There was a man in the driver’s seat and two outside the vehicle. A fourth person, a woman, was keeping watch with a DIY gun turret mounted on the truck bed.

What have they got there? A thirty cal? Fifty? Dallas calmly observed the party of four from a distance, well out of range of human perception. There were several actions he could take here. He could leave without a word and risk taking a bullet later in the event of an accidental encounter. He could go and greet them, and risk taking a bullet if they were bandits. Finally, he could kill them all first since they might try to shoot him either way. No matter what scenario Dallas imagined, he couldn’t see himself not getting shot today. Unvetted strangers made him paranoid. While he thought the situation over, he noticed an odd sound coming from behind. It sounded like… Cerise’s teleportation ability! The burly revenant crouched down ready to jump out of the danger zone, but he was a microsecond slower than whoever was behind him.

Click.

”...” Big D had been held up enough times to know the sound of a hammer being cocked. In a way it was a good sound to hear. It meant whoever had the gun pointed at you wasn’t aiming to kill on sight. He stood as still as possible and waited for the perpetrator to say something first.

”Toss your weapon.” Dallas complied and chucked his axe into the dirt out of arm’s reach.

”Lie down on the ground. Hands where I can see them.” Dallas got on his stomach and put his hands on his head. He twisted himself as best he could to see what the gunman’s face looked like, but the man had a black ski mask wrapped around his face.

Does this guy think he’s a special forces operator or something? What a joker. The humor he felt inside didn’t reach Dallas’s face. The stone faced revenant observed that the interloper wasn’t patting him down for weapons or anything. How laid back. As much as he wanted to make a sarcastic remark here, it was probably not a good idea to antagonize the other person as long as he remained empty handed.

”Just stay the fuck there until my people are finished. We don’t want any trouble, but take note. Your life means nothing to me. Don't try anything."

"Sure." Jackass. If he really wanted to he could probably kill the guy, but Dallas played it cool. Poppy always got mad when he came home full of holes. That thought was enough to maintain his self control.

Desmond Mores

---

"Yeah, nice to meet you too, Sean," Desmond said as he escorted Sean to the Crows Nest. "The escape tunnel?" Sounding a bit confused, "That would explain the setup I found down there when I first came here." So that stuff belongs to Sean, okay, not sure why he has his stuff stored there, but it would be easy to run if the Crows Nest gets overrun.

Either way, he went to the entrance to the escape tunnel before waving goodbye to Sean. "Understood, Sean," and watched as the man descended into the escape tunnel.

I wonder how long he is going to stay and might as well tell Poppy about Sean being situationed. So after some time of walking around the Crows Nest looking for Poppy after seeing she was not at her expected locations like the medical area and Desmond's room. So he found her in Lysandra's. And with a friendly voice, he spoke, "hey Poppy, just came to say that Sean is settled with his things in the escape tunnel." Waiting for a response, but noticed the substance on Poppy's hands. His calm face turned into a concerned one. "What is that on your hands, Poppy?"

Location: Lysandra's room,
Interactions: Lysandra, Desmond

---

"Already sampled it" Lysandra answered without looking up from her desk. She held up the sample, prompting Poppy to take a closer look. As per usual Lysandra was already three steps ahead. Poppy deduced another sample wouldn't be immediately necessary and went over to the sink. She cleaned her hands methodically, getting rid of the film covering her palms.

"I didn't notice it before because I was wearing gloves. Any ideas what it could be? It's odd, not something I've seen with any other patients."

Before Lysandra could answer Desmond walked in. In similar fashion to a soldier and commander, Desmond had a tendency of reporting back to Poppy whenever he'd done a task she asked off him.
"Thanks Desmond, Sean knows his way around the Nest, so he won't be needing much more assistance."

He'd noticed her washing off the residue in the basin. Desmond must have heard what they were talking about when he approached Lysandra's room.

"That is what we're trying to find out." Poppy answered in her even toned voice. She noticed Desmond's concerned expression. The red haired Sidhe finally dried off her hands and joined Lysandra at her desk.

"I did some basic testing and what I've managed to figure out so far is that the substance is definitely organic. It is some kind of spore, so plant based. And...freaking aggressive. Like parasitic almost."

"I need to run some more tests though, before we can really take things up a notch."

Poppy took that as their que to leave Lysandra to her work. For now there wasn't much she or Desmond could contribute. They walked through the hallways, side by side in silence. They returned to the medical area. Poppy's eyes wandered around and came back to focus on Desmond.

"Desmond I'm going to set up a training session outside. Can you gather up a group and meet me there when you're ready?"

"The training session will be an assessment of everyone's skills and fitness. So feel free to bring everything you use in the field with you."

Vincent crouched by the edge of the pit, probably closer than he should be, especially as he leaned forward to get a better look. Down below, his sharp eyes could make out the forms of seven thralls. He had yet to familiarize himself with what their names were, but he could see a few with claws while the rest milled around, dragging swords along the ground. Off to the side, he could also see a hint of the mouth of a cave or a tunnel. As he inspected the pit from where he was, a surprisingly thoughtful expression on his face, he couldn't shake a nagging feeling that had taken root in the back of his mind ever since Renee told the group about it.

He rose to his feet and scratched the back of his head before he said, "I know I'm not exactly the brightest crayon in the toolshed, but something I've learned is to trust my instincts. Because of them, I haven't died, yet. Well, permanently, at least." He crossed his arms and turned toward his comrades as he added, "I've just got this kinda...hinky feeling, you know? I'm probably overthinking things, which is a weird and pretty uncomfortable feeling, but I thought it was worth mentioning, at least."

He then gave his trademark (over)confident smirk and added, "Anyway, boss, what's the plan? I'm not any less willing to knock some skulls just 'cause I've got some weird feeling."

---

The trapdoor in the telescope room opened as Sean resurfaced once more. He stretched his arms over his head, not for the first time pondering how strange it was that he still felt the need to stretch his artificial arm even after having had it for almost a decade, and rolled his neck. He had been hunched over his workbench for so long performing maintenance on one of his combat arms that his shoulders felt stiff. He still wasn't quite finished, though, the internal damage having been more extensive than he originally expected, so he still had one of his spare arms equipped. While it still had one or two weapons tucked away, he didn't consider it one of his combat models, given that it was on the heavier side.

Sean let out a quiet yawn and stepped out into the hall just in time to see Poppy and Desmond leave what he remembered as being Lysandra's room. He made a note to check in on her later, but for the time being, he felt as if he needed to check in on someone else a bit more. He walked down the hall, his hands in his pockets, as he inadvertently followed Poppy and Desmond toward the medical area, where he found the person he wanted to talk to sitting on a cot. Sean put on his best, friendliest smile as he approached the stranger from behind. He knocked his steel hand against the rail of the privacy curtain to get their attention. "Heya," he said, still wearing his easy smile. "You look like you have some questions. Not to toot my own horn or anything, but I'm about as qualified to answer those questions as the next guy."

JUICE

---

Location: Howling Pit
Interactions: Akaia @Exit, Vincent @Daxam, Erik @FunnyGuy
Mentions:

---

"Ehh? It's not a pit pit and it doesn't even howl!" Juice whined as he followed suit in peering down at the Lost, disappointed that it was far less grandiose than he anticipated. Juice didn't like caves too much. The dampness often got through the powder and ruined it unless he was careful, and he couldn't watch the particularly fiery ones from up close, unless he wanted to get his helmet burnt off. And something else about them...Juice involuntarily shivered, jingling the many gadgets underneath the coat. He agreed with Vincent's sentiment, expressing it with a small grumble.

But! They weren't in the cave yet, were they? Juice cheered himself up by pulling out a baseball painted grey, nearly bursting at the seams and a curious wire attached to a pin sticking out on top of it. A small yellow smile was painted on its side, as if it too, was excited at its future prospects. An old classic, the compact shrapnel blast bomb: Sharpie MK III.

Juice swung to the two plus ghost plus bird that was with him, and with a voice that could be attributed to a concert MC, announced, "And our opening song goes to-!" Before tossing the baseball down the pit. The baseball whispered a small ticking sound as it sailed down the pit and landed squarely amongst the screeching blades of the Lost. Juice peered over the edge, mentally ticking down along with the baseball as the helmet shook with anticipation.

---

”So where are you from stranger?

”The next city over.”

”You came this far on foot? You must be one of those AB types then. Did you come for business or are you just looting?”

”I need to replace a window in my house.”

”Hey, I guess that makes you a window shopper then!”

”...”

In a strange turn of fate, Dallas was currently linked up with the party in the pickup truck. Their leader noticed Mr. Navy Seal holding him at gunpoint and called the guy off immediately. Apparently the strangers had been attacked by bandits a few days ago, which had made their bodyguard a little paranoid and trigger happy. As a form of apology for troubling Dallas, the scavengers offered to give him a ride in their technical for a while. The big revenant was now laid down in the back of the truck keeping the gunner company. Her cringey sense of humor was testing his patience, but she was nice otherwise. Dallas wasn’t that worried about them trying something on him where he was. He could easily jump out of the back of the vehicle.

The tires hit a bump in the road causing Dallas’s head to bang against the truck bed. He cursed and threw his bag behind his head to use as a pillow. The roads were cracked from disrepair and full of garbage. He would actually rather be walking right now, but staying in a group would keep the weaker Lost off his ass until he got what he came for.

After about fifteen minutes of slow, bumping driving the truck gradually braked to a halt. Dallas lifted his head to look at the machine gun lady.

”Why’d we stop?”

”I don’t know. Let me find out.” She grabbed the radio clipped to the front of her vest and pressed a button on the side. ”Beard, everything looks clear out here. Why aren’t we moving?”

“Sky says she saw something. Lots of movement a quarter mile ahead of us. Home team is recommending we stop while she comes back for another sweep.”

”Well, there you have it big guy. You can still hoof it if you like?”

”I’m in no rush.” Dallas stretched his arms out and closed his eyes. It sounded like they had someone watching over them from the skies, so he was more comfortable with letting his guard down. The weather out here felt nice - the wind kept his skin feeling nice and cool. It was hard to resist the temptation of falling asleep right here, right now. His eyelids were already starting to close on their own. Because of that, he didn’t see the moment when the gunner lady got hit in the chest by a beam of energy. She practically collapsed on top of him, unconscious. Her radio was blowing up with traffic.

”We’re being engaged! Contacts 12 o’ clock! Everybody dismount!”

Dallas pushed the human off and got up to peek over the side of the truck bed. It looked like they were right in front of a bridge crossing, though he had no idea what river it was. Trees and buildings were blocking visibility all around, but several humanoid figures could be seen on the other side of the bridge, one of which was throwing beams at the truck. It was exactly like the infernal that Vincent had killed a couple days ago. The human passengers had gotten out of the vehicle and were taking cover behind any wrecks and debris they could, as well as the unfriendly revenant in the ski mask. They put some rounds downrange and took out a line of thralls charging across the bridge, but an uncountable number of them were swarming across the narrow passageway. Dallas could hear someone shouting:

“Someone get on the fifty!”

Look at ‘em all go. As usual, those freaks have no concept of self preservation. He jumped behind the mounted gun and pulled the trigger on anything he could see moving on the other side of the bridge. The sound of gunfire was deafening without any ear protection. Dallas could barely hear the others as he swept the barrel left and right. The infernal was still throwing energy attacks, but its accuracy left something to be desired. The first strike must have been a lucky hit.

Then without warning, the bullets stopped coming out of the gun. Dallas kept trying to pull the trigger, but all he heard was a clicking noise. He pulled open the feed tray cover and saw that the weapon still had ammunition left.

”This thing is jammed!” He called down to one of the humans to his left. The bearded man looked over his shoulder at Dallas and slung his rifle before crawling over to the truck.

”Let me take a look at it!” The man reached a hand up and let Dallas heave him into the truck bed. While the guy tried to clear the jam, Dallas grabbed his battle axe and jumped off the car. He would have to help these people out or they’d run out of ammo before all the Lost were dead.

Desmond Mores

---

"Uh, sure okay Poppy," sounding unsure. Desmond was more concerned about what was on Poppy's arm and even though she washed it off. What is happening, he wondered and while he would like to ask about it more to Poppy but, by the sounds of it, Lysandra is on the case of figuring out what the residue is. Besides of what he heard and does this have to do with Amelia? Not sure why Poppy wants to do some training session now with some of them gone. Who knows, maybe getting some training in might do him some good.

"I will gather everyone up and meet you outside." Guess that includes the new people, and it has been a while since he last trained. Though the thought of the residue stayed in the back of his mind. Please be nothing, he thought as he departed Poppy's company and went out to collect whoever he can find and bring them outside to train. Well time to see how the new people are and see if anyone happens to be slacking. Which he doubts given this group but either way time to train.

Location: Medical

Interactions: @dreamingflowers , @Daxam

stay a while?

---

Poppy's words were soothing, and her hand was warm against Indigo's cool skin. The revenant sheepishly met her gaze with their own, nodding slowly at her suggestion, but the last phrase hit them in the chest.

"You got a second life, Indigo."

A second life...

Colour sparked in their eyes. They were given a second chance. Another go at life....only, they couldn't remember their last one. How could they make the most out of a second go-around if they couldn't remember what they did wrong the first time? Frustrated inwardly, Indigo stifled a grimace, turning their face away from the medic as a feign of shyness. Disappointment filled their stomach with ice water.

Poppy's words and reassuring touch lingered in the air that Indigo exhaled slowly. They hadn't realized they'd been holding it in. Though they weren't positive of being completely safe, it was nice to believe the red-haired stranger. She did so much as to make sure they weren't injured, and made them feel welcome to stay.

Corpses never bothered with such niceties. They would just stare blankly through you, up into the sky, at nothing, patiently waiting for your trespassing to cease.

Indigo watched Poppy leave, slowly coming to a stand just as a metallic knock against the privacy screen startled them. Turning alot quicker than they meant to, hints of UV purple blurred their body, abruptly dissipating when they came to a halt. Widened eyes relaxed once they fell upon a familiar face. It was the stranger from outside that visited Poppy. What was his name again?

Indigo mirrored Sean's friendly smile, eyes flicking to the ground sheepishly. "That obvious, is it?" Indigo huffed with a half-chuckle, shrugging their sharp shoulders and stuffing their hands into their pockets. "To be honest, I think I'd like to get familiar with my surroundings before I start trying to dig through my head. I wouldn't mind help with that, if you're up for it." Familiar surroundings meant that Indigo would be able to relax more, and also search for possible routes of escape if things went wrong. While the people they met so far seemed nice, the last time they had met someone alive in this wasteland....

They could never be too careful.

Shuffling the discomfort out of their feet, Indigo gazed down at Sean evenly, shoulders slightly tense as they took a look at the prosthetic. "I hate to be nosy, but...are you...like me? Poppy said something about a...second life, but..." Indigo was trying to choose their words carefully, desperately wanting information but terrified to say anything out of place. They pondered on who was responsible for creating such intricate wirework on this man. It perplexed the nonbinary to the point where their brain could've tied itself in a knot. Despite the desolated state of the world around them, technology was still advancing. From what, Indigo wouldn't be able to say, though they wished they could, and longed for the memories that left wide, yawning gaps in their headspace.

The thought of them having died was having a hard time sinking in. I mean, that explains the waking up in the middle of a street and coughing up gods knew what, but... It just didn't make any sense.

The sound of Juice's bomb going off was like the crack of a starting pistol and Vincent was the sprinter crouched at the starting line, eager to get the show on the road. Without hesitation, he threw himself over the edge of the pit, whooping as he fell toward the Lost below. He landed in a low crouch and slowly rose as the smoke cleared. He quickly took in the positions of the Lost around him, having landed more or less in the middle of the group. Looks like the blast got three of them, he thought. One of the Krugers laid to his left, missing one of its legs and there was an armless Lost almost directly in front of him. Just at the edge of his vision to his right, Vincent could also see an Edgelord missing an arm, its other, mangled arm barely holding onto its weapon. Other than that, two more in front of me and I'm assuming a couple more behind, he thought as the one-armed Edgelord charged, hardly able to raise its sword arm.

Vincent barely looked at the creature as he swung his right arm. The back of his fist connected with the flat side of the old, rusted sword first and the brittle metal shattered under the force of Vincent's almost casual strike. His fist continued onward and crashed into the side of the Edgelord's head, sending it flying into a pile of rubble, where it quietly began to dissipate, Vincent's strike and the prior explosion having done too much damage for it to keep itself together. "You guys better get down here or else I'll have all the fun!" he shouted up at his friends.

The two unharmed Kruger's chose that moment to leap at him from behind and Vincent's ear twitched as one of them sent a stone skittering as it jumped and he turned just in time to react. He sidestepped the first Kruger and delivered a straight kick into its side. As the Kruger landed a few feet away, Vincent turned toward the second one and greeted it with a heavy right straight to its face just before its claws could dig into his neck. While both hits connected solidly, Vincent only managed to put the second Kruger down for the count, but he didn't mind. "Can't let the fun end too quickly, he said to himself, grinning as if he were having the time of his life.

---

Sean smiled at Indigo as he watched them stand. Sean knew he wasn't exactly short, but it was hard to feel otherwise as he looked up at Indigo. "Ah, don't worry too much about it," Sean answered. "Thanks to my old job, I've met hundreds of people who were all in the same situation you're in. I've gotten good at being able to tell who's new to it and who isn't. As for giving you a tour, I don't mind, but..." He nodded over in Poppy and Desmond's direction as the latter walked away. As close as he was, he had been able to overhear Poppy mention something about training and told Indigo, "That might have to wait a bit. Seems Pops over there has something in mind."

When he noticed Indigo looking at his arm, he grinned and asked, "Like it? Made this model, myself. One of my first ones, actually, that's why it looks a bit...crude, I suppose you'd say." When they asked Sean if he was like the others, he shook his head and said, "Nope, still as human as the day I was born. Well, about 6.5% less, if you wanna be technical." He added the last part with a chuckle as he knocked his steel knuckles against the railing of the privacy curtain again. He slipped his hands into his pockets and let out a quiet sigh. "Tell you what. After we're done with whatever Poppy's got planned, I've got something I need to talk to her about. After I'm done with that, I'll give you that tour I promised you, then I'll answer all the questions you've got. I do have to warn you: it'll be a lot to take in and I won't lie, it might be pretty overwhelming."

He smiled again and held out his right hand to Indigo. "I'm Sean, by the way. We have a deal?"

Location: Training area
Interactions: Everyone

---

Poppy brushed off the dust from her arms and inspected her work. She was pleased. Sure you would need to use your imagination on some parts. Like the rooftop chase, which was not nearly as high as a rooftop. The training course started with a steep uphill run towards a broken assembly of stone structures. There a rooftop chase would start, testing balance in the pursuit of a swift and nimble target.

The glass shards got repurposed in swinging boobytraps. They were strategically tied to high rising tree branches, which towered over a seemingly harmless forest trail. After having cleared the forest the training group would be faced with a large open field, deceptively empty. There they would face an aerial assault through the combination of Lysandra’s drones and Poppy’s crossbow.

The final stop was a mound of stones, pieces of wood and other sorts or rubble, of which the objective seemed to be lacking. The red haired Sidhe made her way back to the entrance where she waited for everyone to arrive. She expected everyone to be there. Poppy brushed away a sheen of transpiration on her face and the back of her neck. Her blouse was sticking to the skin of her back. As per usual she came prepared with a fresh set of clothes. She unlaced her corset and pulled the blouse over her head, letting it fall on the dirt next to her.

Poppy put on a similar off the shoulder top in a washed blueish gray and pulled it underneath her loosened corset. A quick change and she was ready to go. For practicality’s sake she pulled up her hair into a high ponytail, keeping it off her neck.

By now most of the group had gathered at the requested meeting spot and Poppy started to give them instructions on the first objective. After having explained the basic setup, pointing out the area that was supposed to be a deadly drop, the medic continued.

“We’ll be moving from there…” She pointed towards the starting point of the “rooftop” chase.

"To there.”

“Your job is to catch me”

Desmond Mores

---

It did not take long for Desmond to round up everyone and assemble in the training area. He was the first to arrive and took his time to look at the training course that Poppy has made. "Uh, diffident than what I am used to, but this sure to be fine," speaking out loud. Even though he bets that this will not be a simple training course. Still, he has done well, with training courses back in his home settlement, even if this one is diffident from the ones he is used to.

So, as Desmond was readying himself when Poppy said that the objective of the course was to catch her. His eyebrow raised at the news, so this is going to be interesting, Desmond thought to himself. No way is she going to make this easy, and this is sure to be a challenge. Wearing a smile, "I see Poppy, and I am sure that you will make us work for catching you." True be told, he forgets how fast Poppy can run but with those wings, it should not be a problem for her. Just time to see who will have the honor of catching her, if anyone can, that is.