[IC] A Walk in the Desert - An Avatar Roleplay

[Exit]

Game currently closed.
IC currently open.


A few days ago.

Our story starts here...

...within the walls...

...on the cusp of the centennial anniversary of the end of the Great War...

The streets are fire.

It didn't matter who you were. It didn't matter your name. It didn't matter what ring you hailed from. Your future. Your past. Your dreams. Your fears. Your gains and loses. This day wasn't about you. No... this day was for everyone. The man paving a way for sciences for the betterment of the world's future. The woman holding the hope of dozen children in her eyes, reciting to them the truths hidden in a hundred years worth of lies. The son wiping the sweat from his brow as he splits open the Earth for the seeds he intends to sow. For the daughter leading the family's Ostrich Horses back to their stables, quelling their temperament with a gentle touch.

A Hundred years ago men bent to the will of gods with the power to move the universe as they saw fit. They held in their hands the possibilities of a hundred lifetimes and with that power, forged the weapons they would wield to destroy the world. The man and the woman and the boy and the daughter had no power over them. All they could do was watch as gods burned the world with a gift they didn't understand.

That is until the day men felled the gods.

And that is what the world remembers. And that is what they celebrate now. Galas in the Upper Ring. Parades in the Middle. Light shows and street performances in the Lower. There's laughter. There's love. There's life. Most of all, there's peace. But peace is often broken. And so it would be again...

An eruption rocks the city. A synergy storage facility situated in the Lower Ring is decimated knocking out power across all of the Republic and pushing tremors through all corners of the Ba Sing Se that can be felt by everyone. Festivities come to an immediate halt. Shortly thereafter, the populace is plagued by two very distinct occurrence. The first: Those closest to the blast become excessively violent to the point of physical and fatal harm. The second: You and many others are suddenly bending the elements.


_{.Collaboration between MidnightRose and Exit.}

Cypher pushed through the crowd trying his best to ignore the incessant buzzing in his ear as he continued to track his target. There were a million things happening all around him and he was having a hard time concentrating.

"K. Switch comms." He tapped his ear, switching to a clear channel and waited to hear from a familiar voice. He didn't have to wait long.

"Cy!"

As Cypher pushed through an unrelenting mass of bodies, his vision blocked, his ears bombarded with the screams of a city that was tearing itself apart, the sound of Koeska's voice cut through clear as crystal. Relief poked at his gut. That was one less thing he had to worry about.

"The hell just happened? Didn't feel like an earthquake. And people are acting insane."

"I have no idea." Another body shoved passed him. "Still trying to figure things out but it's good to know you're alright."

"What's your position?"

Cypher took a quick look around. He was approaching one of a few main gates into the city, watching as the walls began to fold onto themselves in an attempt to seal off the flood of escaping citizens. Whatever happened had not only knocked out power to the city and destroy a sizable portion of the lower ring, it had also given birth to a number of benders. The smart ones were mixing into the general populace and using the crowds as cover to make an escape and the walls weren't closing fast enough to cut them off. Some of them were going to make it out.

"K. There are benders escaping the city! Stopping them takes top priority. The RSF can handle the rest..." I hope. "Meet me at the southern ga-" Force like a truck found his gut and sent him flying into a wall knocking the air out of his lungs. He slip to the ground with lights in his eyes and a crush diaphragm. He struggled to find any air. Out of the corner of his eyes he watched his assailant, a fairly large man, close the distance between the two of them and before he could object, felt strong hands wrap around his neck and lift him off the ground. Cypher remained suspended in the air long enough to get a good look at the man. Dark skinned. Short hair. Tattered clothes and a fierce expression made all the more unsettling by the pupiless eyes staring up at him. Even more unsettling still was the dark thin shadow standing behind him... staring up at him too.

...What the f-...

An audible crack broke through the commotion in the air and the man's head suddenly exploded. Cypher fell to the ground in a breathless heap.

"Don't scare me like that!"

Koeska was yelling at him now and looking over his neck and face searching for any injuries. He figured he was fine and returned to the man and his shadow. However Koeska had already stepped over the body and behind there was no shadow to be found. Returning to Koeska, Cypher coughed up the "thank you" lodged in his throat and proceeded to find his lungs. "The g-" He coughed. "The gate. We don't have enough time to stop everyone that's escaping." He was on his feet again and dusting himself off. "You'll have to seal everyone in."

A fast moving shadow stepped up to Koeska from behind, arms stretched out in an attempt to wrap itself around her form and slam her smaller frame into the ground. That was until it's head snapped back with violent unnatural force and a red mist erupted from the back of it's skull. It landed at Koeska's feet defeated. Cypher didn't bother putting the gun away.

"Get to the gate. Seal it. Then we go after the rest."

It was a heavy request. Even if no words were spoken there was this realization in the both of them, an understanding of what he was asking her to do. With all this chaos innocent people were bound to get hurt if locked in. However she didn't hesitate. She nodded before standing up and cocking her pistol. "I'm on it." She replied with a playful smile before bolting for the gate, diving into the crowd and moving through it with an ease he was entirely unfamiliar with. He tried to follow but was immediately swept up in an angry wave of people. They carried him closer to the gate and he let them, content with watching as the walls began to shut faster than they had been before. Within a handful of minutes, the walls had been sealed and though the crowd had stopped moving, the commotion had not. They swelled in their need to panic and in the chaos, Koeska's voice cut through on comms again.

"I'm not supposed to kill non-targets but if you don't put me down we're gonna have a problem honey,"

Cypher's eyes flicked over to the wall and he immediately caught sight of Koeska being pinned against the wall by her hair and a particularly dead man getting in her face. He shoved his way over toward the pair, pushing another man into the ground and closing the gap between himself and Koeska's overly aggressive date. The man opened his mouth.

"You threatening me bi-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Cypher snaked his left arm through the the loop created by the man's left elbow and his back and then pushed in and pulled up to both pin the man's own arm against his back and expose the fingers of his left hand. Cypher grabbed the smallest of the set and torqued it up toward the sky eliciting a yelp of pain and releases Koeska's hair from his grasp. She landed on her feet. A quick kick to the back of the leg and the man dropped to a knee.

"That would be a mistake." Cypher whispered in the man's ear through gritted teeth. "Apologize."

The man growled in pain but knew he was clearly bested. He looked up to Koeska, "S-sorry," he grumbled grimacing. Koeska calmly ran a hand through her hair. "Come on Cy. We don't have time to play. We've got work to do." She said glancing around, though she did take a second to shoot the man's leg where he knelt before her. The man shrieked in pain. "Oh quit whining. It won't kill you," Koeska said lightly before turning her attention back to the crowd.

Now that the gate was closed even more fighting had broken out as people descended further into panic. "This should be fun," Koeska said cheerfully, cocking her pistol and shooting an earthbender, she noticed, in the arm. "Like fish in a barrel."

"Yeah."

Cypher watched as Koeska spit metal at the crowd and large airships moving into position above began dropping warnings. RSF officers hung from the exposed ribs of large black birds yelling into the chaos below. When there was no one to heed their words, they dropped bombs instead. Bright metallic casings tumbled from the sky like a thousand falling stars, their shells cracking against the dirt and releasing a thick black mist. This mist brought with it sleep and as it slipped into the lungs of unsuspecting men and women, they found themselves ushered into a soundless slumber. The rest of the day was spent locked in a wondrous dance of blood, metal and smoke.

Cypher, Koeska and officers of the RSF would eventually manage to cull the rest of the riots in the streets, incarcerating a large number of "dangerous" individuals and executing the rest. The men and women who had lost their minds to anger and blood had to either be put to permanent rest or captured. There was no way to stop their hallucinations and because the very nature of their affliction was a mystery, Cypher figured it was best they were taken to their resident doctor. It was there they could be taken in for a medical and psychological evaluation in the hopes that the City could understand what was happening and find some much needed answers, the most important of which: What was the cause of the sudden influx of benders in the world?

For now... the city was left decimated. Left defeated. Left dead.

Men and women lost...

...sons and daughters missing...

...within the walls...

The streets were fire.

[Exit]

Part 1: The Village Under the Moon
Yue Outpost

Morning light drapes over the mountain passes to the East. The glint of the golden sun slips over their towering peaks and bathes the town in warmth beckoning a new day. The skies are a damp blue, the morning air cool, the atmosphere clear if not a bit dry. A mild wind snakes between wooden shells and through open shutters kicking up the loose bits of dust and dirt from the day before and tossing them to oblivion, the heavier bits settling again. The morning bird circles above, gliding along an invisible path as it eyes the dirt in search of the morning's last meal. The rat muses a nights worth of labor, second guesses his instinct to continue, and burrows into a hole out of sight. The Ostrich Horses shake their feathered manes and stretch their legs waiting for the call of their masters and another days worth of travelling. They have yet to heed the call. Men are slow and lazy beasts.

Smoke from chimneys signal their rise. The first bellows up from the tavern and soon after, the smell of baked and buttered bread leaks into the air and inevitably, the rest or the outpost. Fresh cut slivers of thin meat are fried on a pan. Eggs broken, boiled and flipped. Fresh barrels of water delivered. Coaxed by the promise of breakfast, patrons of The Lady of the Lake stumble from their rooms and begin a search for something to stuff themselves with.

The doorbell from across the street is the second signal. The doors of the Sand and Satchel hang open, an invitation to spend your gold and walk away with the wares you had been searching for. The place is well stocked in all manner of trinket. Weapons and Wards. Clothes and Clogs. Food and Drink. The type you take with you. For a proper penny you can by your own Ostrich as well.

The Town Hall is the last. No signal. Just a flip of a sign and the start of a line. It's the last stop before the city but the first stop for you.

At the end of the main road just outside the outpost is a rather large rusted bus, fitted as if it were meant to drive through a sandstorm. Three men stand around it discussing topics of import between each other.

"The fuck is that?" Jerem moved toward the door of the bus and peaked inside. A tune was playing and it was poking annoying at his ears.

"Music? It's supposed to... you know. Wake us up all nice and slow. So we've got a lot more energy throughout the day." Zakar smiled back at him. "Proven stuff man."

Jerem gave him a cross look before turning to the man's brother. Zavar just shrugged. Jerem rolled his eyes and went back to looking at the map. He traced their planned route for the hundredth time that day ensuring the one he picked was indeed the fastest... and still relatively safe. Events back in the city had accelerated his schedule and although he'd preferred safety over anything else, he was forced to find a not so happy balance between the two. His eyes carved a semi circular path around the western border of the Si Wong Desert. They'd have the cover of the forest to their right and open ground to their left. Good coverage and an escape plan if need be. He folded up the map and turned to the other two.

"How's our stock?"

"A little more water might not be a bad thing but food, blankets. Everything else looks good." Zakkar stepped out of the bus. "I'll head to the tavern. I Heard they were getting more water in today so I'll pick up a couple barrels." He pulled the handkerchief up to cover his mouth and nose. The wind was beginning to pick up and he didn't like dust getting in his face. "How long do we got before we're leaving?"

Jerem glanced at his wrist. "We're leaving in the hour... so don't get distracted Zakkar. Just the water."

[MidnightRose]

Collaboration with Exit ThirdHour and MidnightRose

We open as a team of some of the best RSF officers are in transit toward Yue Outpost. This team is lead by Cypher and Koeska and has brought along their newest recruit and top of her class Maya Koyanagi. The outpost looms into view ahead of them all and before they stop, Cypher stands to address the team. He stares at the group and takes note of the appearance of each of his men. The RSF (including Maya) are outfitted in clothing reflecting the importance of protection against the harsher environment of the wilds. Underneath this layer of protection is the standard RSF garb. At first glance, they look like simple bounty hunters and can easily blend into the populace of the outpost.

They are currently traveling in a large armored vehicle or mobile HQ not unlike that of a trailer. Not far behind them is a large specially outfitted prisoner transport bus made to temporarily incarcerate men and women of the bending type.

“I can’t stress to you enough the importance of low key.” Cypher began, his right hand held up to his chest in a slow descent to give his words physical representation. “We don’t want to scare the people going into the city. We don’t want to scare the people of this outpost. We just want to apprehend the benders and get them back home. This mission is about safety. Safety for the people. Safety for this team.” He glanced over at Maya. The RSF’s pride and joy on a trial run before she was moved to bigger things. It was just as important for him to get her back home as it would be for the girl herself.

“We will identify our targets, engage peacefully and only use force should they try to escape or resist. And try not to over do it and cause a panic. We already did that at the City and we don’t need to clean up another one.” He paused, slamming a fist into the roof of the vehicle to drop a monitor. He tapped on the screen and an image flickered into view.

“This man is our main target. Known to have been a bender before the incident and is thought to be one of a few in charge of these terrorist attacks. One Lee Shen. We apprehend him with whatever means necessary.” He paused again as he looked from one team member to the next, searching their eyes for the understanding he knew was there. “Any questions?”

Koeska watched Cypher as he explained the details of their mission. Occasionally she would glance at Maya. Koeska was skeptical of any new recruit joining their endeavors, especially one so young and fresh out of training. As Cypher continued talking she decided to clean her pistol, taking it apart to clean each piece.

When Cypher showed Lee Shen’s picture she grinned mischievously, “He’s kinda cute. It's a shame I'll probably have to break his nose,” she said before she began reassembling her weapon. When Cypher asked for questions she looked to Maya, “You ready for this kid? Training doesn’t come close to what we're about to do.” She loaded a clip into her pistol with a snap, keeping eye contact with Maya.

Maya glanced around at all the RSF officers around her, trying to ignore how uncomfortable the metal seat under her was. She shifted, and continued paying attention to Cypher’s address. At this point, she was used to the looks she got. One particular man seemed to find interest in watching her for an extended period of time. It took everything within her to restrain from asking if the man had a problem or something.

Maya smiled lightly at Koeska’s remark on Lee, and watched her rebuild her gun until she asked her a question. Was she ready for this? Tough question, honestly. Physically? Yes, without a doubt. She was in peak condition and definitely youthful, she had advanced training and was quite confident in her abilities. Mentally though? Who knew? You never know what you’re made of until you’re put in the situation. Sure, Maya’s gone through various simulations and tests, but according to Koeska, what was about to happen was nothing like that.

Were things really that bad outside of the Republic? Actually, this was the first time she’d ever been out of the walls of the city. She’d had no need to come out there and from what she’d seen through the windows of the vehicle it wasn’t anything too special. She’d seen pictures in school and of course knew the history of how it got to be that way, but in person it was so much more real.

Getting out of her head finally, Maya turned to Koeska and smiled confidently, fake it ‘til you make it. “Ready? I always am.” With that, she too checked the pistol she was given and made sure she had extra magazines on her person.

Koeska smiled apparently pleased by Maya’s response. “Good answer.” Then without changing expression or looking away from Maya she aimed her pistol at the team member who couldn't seem to keep his eyes off Maya.

“and shithead,” Koeska began glancing at the man as she cocked the gun, “save your sick fantasies for your bunk. We've got work to do.” She said all this with a cheerful smile but the gun in his face made the gentleman think twice about replying.

The man shrunk into the wall and flinched away from the gun. “S-sorry Sir-err Ma’am!” He stammered helplessly. The other men stifled their laughter and tried in vain to keep the corners of their mouths from turning. The officer on the man’s left didn’t even fight it. He turned to Maya with a wide grin, though his eyes were sincerely apologetic.

“Apologies Koyanagi. Ken means well, he’s just never put his dick in anything but the…” He choked on a piece of laughter that threatened to come out. “...the hole in his pillow.”

“Fuck you.”

“In all seriousness. We have your back. The names Bo.” He held out his hand.

Maya smiled awkwardly, men were weird, weird creatures. “I’m Maya,” she introduced herself, grasping the offered hand. She made sure her grip was firm, she didn’t want to seem like a pushover, first impressions were always important. She could almost hear her father’s voice giving her advice. Cut off before she could initiate some small talk, Maya looked over to her boss.

“Yes... “ Cypher began, arms crossed and eyes deadpan as he watched men of the RSF try their luck with the only two women on board. “...Let’s introduce ourselves.” The delivery was deliberately montone. Now was not the time for fraternization and he was beginning to second guess his request for backup.

The bus pulls to a stop a few hundred yards outside the outpost. It’s still quite early in the day so the town is sparsely populated. Buildings cast long shadows. Wind is kicking up clouds of dust that hang around the ankles. The air through the window is cool yet heating quickly.

Koeska gently holstered her gun, satisfied with the man's response to her threat. She glanced to Maya before smirking at Cypher’s monotone comment. She knew he hated any time wasting when they were on a job. He was a hard working, dedicated leader to say the least.

When the bus pulled to a stop Koeska stood up, “All right, princesses. Time to get to work. Remember the objective is capture. Try not to fuck anything up and don't screw with civilians.” She yelled loudly as the team embarked from the bus. Koeska followed Cypher off the bus, putting on a pair of sunglasses to combat the glaring desert sun. She then popped a piece of gum into her mouth as she looked around scanning the area. “I hate sand. It makes everything blurry,” she grumbled to Cypher before blowing a bubble with her gum. Cypher smiled.

Wind whipped at Maya’s face, carrying stinging sand, so she lifted her bandana over her nose and lowered the dust goggles that were sitting atop her head over her eyes. The young trainee made sure she stayed close to Cypher and Koeska, mostly ‘cause she trusted their skills the most.

Her first mission, just the thought sent adrenaline pumping, sweat glistened on her forehead. Every nerve in her body was ready to fire, every sense was on high alert. With this success you’ll be promoted in no time! She told herself, hoping it would motivate herself further. Maya took in her surroundings, the Yue Outpost. It seemed like a relatively quiet place, not many people, obviously. She wondered how they even ended up here, the Republic was a place of opportunity, why not try their luck there? Maybe she was just being naive, after all, this was her first time out of the High-Middle class society she was raised in.

Maya once more checked her gun, an anxious tic, as well as the boot knife she had sheathed by her ankle. Everything was in order, she waited for Cypher’s commands, kicking dust up with her boot absentmindedly.

Cypher moved ahead of the group. “Spread out. Keep on comms.” He turned to look at Maya and Koeka, walking backwards now toward the outpost. “Maya and Bo with me. K…” He lifted a finger toward the sky. “Stay off the sand. You’re no use to me blind.” He smiled. It was his attempt at a jab. He wasn’t particularly good at being humorous yet but that’s why he had her. “See what you can see from up top. Everybody else...” He put on his own pair of aviators, his a few shades lighter than Koeska’s.

“... Well let’s go.”

“Let me just grow a pair of wings real quick,” Koeska countered sarcastically with a smile as she followed after Cypher. “Oy shithead!” she hollered over her shoulder, referring to the gentleman she had threatened earlier, “Get me a sniper rifle.” If she was going to be their eyes in the sky she was going to need the right weapon. In less than a minute a sniper rifle was placed in her outstretched hand. “What do you know, you're not totally useless!” Koeska said cheerfully admiring the weapon. She snapped her gum before looking to Cypher. “I've got your back,” she assured him with a bright smile. She then broke from the group to get to the nearest rooftop she could reach.

Maya clicked on her comm and filed in next to Cypher and Bo. She wondered what kind of intel Cypher gathered to get the general location of the wanted benders. Their scanners should be able to weed them out. They’d have to move fast and make sure none slipped through. This was time for her training to kick in, there was no time for daydreaming…

The new recruit thought about brandishing her own scanning device but thought better of it, she didn't want people to recognize the device and become suspicious.

[Pundii]

---

---

Lee Shen

Location: Yue Outpost
Interacting With: Zavar & Jerem @Exit

---

---

If there was one good thing about having been on the run for so long, it was that Lee had learned how to remain hidden from anyone hunting him. In a place so far from the city, where he could probably be spotted a mile away, Lee knew full well that blending in was just as important, if not more-so, than remaining completely hidden in the first place. That of course meant that he was downstairs in the Lady of the Lake, in the middle of a table of burlier, more brutish men, wolfing down plate after plate of bacon and eggs. Lee had also learned to treat every meal like his last, meaning seconds, thirds and even fourths were certainly not out of the question.

Eventually, after perhaps a little more meat and eggs than would be considered a 'healthy' breakfast, Lee took note of the time, and sunk away from the table, up to his room. He'd hired it under a fake name of course, and paid using someone elses' money, but he hadn't unpacked a thing since he arrived at the outpost. He knew not to get too attached to any one place, he'd be moving on sooner or later once the RSF came along, as he knew they would. It was both fortunate and unfortunate just how accustomed to the RSF and their movements Lee had become over the years, and how much they had grown to know about him.

Slipping his backpack over his shoulders, a shemagh around his neck and a pair of goggles over his eyes, he shifted the shemagh over his mouth and hopped up out of the window, making use of his trained agility to jump up, grabbing onto the ledge and hauling himself up onto the roof of the building, where he'd stowed away his binoculars. The goggles and mask were somewhat unnecessary, the sand wasn't blowing too much just yet, but they still weren't too out of place, and they hid his identity, at least somewhat, something for which Lee was fairly grateful.

In the distance, he spotted the telltale dust trail of a vehicle approaching the outpost. This wasn't too out of the ordinary, bounty hunters, scavengers or refugees came to the outpost every now and then, but they followed the same paths that the RSF would, and so it had been more or less Lee's morning routine since he arrived only a few days prior to check each morning for new arrivals, eventually, he'd know when it was time to move on. Peering through his binoculars, he focused on the vehicle as well as he could. The dust made it difficult to see, but the vehicles in question stood out, especially to Lee, who'd seen their type a few too many times for comfort. He didn't need to wait or watch any longer to know it was time to go.

Rolling his backpack off his shoulders, he tucked his binoculars away inside it before putting it back on, hurrying across the roof to the corner, sliding down the light-pole to the side of it until he hit the ground. Moving around the corner of the building, he peered back toward where he'd spotted the vehicles, the dust was dying down now, so he presumed they had stopped by now. He would have preferred to wait around for the outpost to be busier, blending in was easier then, but now that he'd spotted the officers, he knew waiting around was a very, very bad idea, it was time to go.

He peered around the outpost, and before long, set his eyes upon a bus. It looked like it was more or less ready to go, and better yet, equipped to go through the desert sandstorms, something he hoped the RSF's vehicles wouldn't be too able to do. Tucking his hands into his pockets, he began to move toward the bus, strolling as opposed to running, he knew not to act suspicious at all as he made his way over. Getting to the bus, he moved around toward the door when he laid eyes upon the two men there. He'd partially hoped the truck was left alone, stealing it would have been much easier. "Hey, uh, you guys taking passengers?" Surely this wouldn't go wrong.

[Exit]

Yue Outpost - Outside the Lady of the Lake
_{Collab between Exit and ThirdHour}

Cypher entered the main road of the outpost flanked by Bo and Maya. Bo was chatty as usual, mostly directing his energy toward the woman and every now and then throwing a comment Cypher’s way. Cypher Ignored most of it as he scaned the town. The town hall was straight ahead at the far end of the road. To their left was the Lady of the Lake and to the right was the Sand and the Satchel. The distinct smell of bacon, eggs, breakfast and a fairly solid morning's start was wafting across the street from the tavern and it was hard to ignore.

Cypher scanned the rooftops for Koeska as he moved toward the center of the road. Despite the low average height for most of the buildings lining the street and the fact that it was broad daylight, he found locating her difficult and satisfied, he smiled. She was always good at that type of thing, sneaking around and away and getting where she needed to be without letting anyone else see her. It was during games of hide and seek when they were children that he was always bested...

...blue water...

“How are we doing this exactly? There are only so many of us and we need to check as many people as possible in this Outpost without alerting the actual targets so they don't get away.”

Cypher blinked, cleared his head and then turned to Maya. “It’s a good question and a tricky situation. But fact of the matter is… there really is no way to check everyone and not alert our ‘runaways’. They’re going to find out who we are eventually, but until then all we can really do is prepare and try to reduce as much damage we are inevitably going to make as we can.” He pulled out his device. It was small, roughly the same shape as a flashlight and felt near identical in the palm of his hand. When pointed at an individual, it inconspicuously took a reading of their biometrics and determined their sensitivity to spirit energy. A small green or red led light would report the results and follow up actions thereof were left up to the discretion of the user.

“The little guy is small enough to use without drawing too much attention so just engage in natural conversation, take a reading and move on. Shouldn’t be too much trouble. Besides, periodic scans for safety is a normal thing here as it is in the city. It’s required to get a check up before entering the city so most of the citizens here have seen one of these and have been scanned by it before. It’s when you point it at a bender and they notice that we have a pro-”

“That smells damn good.” Chimed Bo, stopping in front of the tavern now and pointing at the doors with his nose. “I gotta eat.”

Cypher rolled his eyes and nodded toward the same doors. “Maya. Go with him and make sure he doesn’t get into any trouble. And keep your eyes peeled. Tavern’s a good place as any to lay low. I’ve got to check in at the Hall so radio me if anything should happen.”

Yue Outpost - Refugee Bus
_@Pundii

Zavar had been sitting half inside the bus staring at the sky when Lee approached. Lee, a man with a black tussle of hair on his head, eyes trapped in plastic and fabric wrapped up past his nostrils. Zavar eyed him cautiously, noting the man's particular features: his gait, where his eyes would shift, where he put his hands. When Lee was within range, a light in the palm of Zavar's hand turned to a dull green and he relaxed. The man approaching was one of them. He stood up to "Hey, uh, you guys taking pasengers?"

"Who is that?" Came Jarem's voice from the front of the bus, the lower half of his body jutting out from the side of the vehicle with his head buried someplace unseen. Zavar knocked against the metal frame of the bus's rear entrance and motioned for Lee to enter with a nod of his head. "One of them finally showed up? About time"

Jarem pulled himself from the front of the bus and after dusting himself off, began walking around the back toward Lee. Inside the bus was one other person already waiting. A rather small boy, frazzled clothes and hair and dirt smudged into the skin of his cheeks and hands. He was chewing on a piece of jerky and staring at the new face that had just arrived.