[IC] The Vanquishing of the Vampire Plague (Sanquin/Sarpedon)

[Sarpedon]

Kevin paid close attention as they ventured deeper into the bunker. He didn't want to be caught unaware, or have to try and flee without knowing where he was going. Not that he was planning on running away, but sometimes he didn't have a choice. Their destination wasn't too far, though, so it seemed like there wasn't a whole lot to worry about. They were offered alcohol and instructed to share their story. Kevin plucked the beer out of the air, and had it open before he hit the couch. And he didn't even have to ask for a cigarette either! Things were looking up, it seemed. He grinned as he was tossed a pack of cigarettes, and he was immediately glad he hadn't tossed his fancy cigarette case. The pack was quickly emptied into the black-painted silver container, minus the one he was going to light immediately.

He sipped at his beer and fought with the case for a moment, trying to get his smokes neatly tucked away. By that time Geoffrey and Zara were talking. He finally managed to get settled, just as their host threatened to hunt him down. To prove a point, the contractor leaned back on the couch, taking his time to get comfortable. Popping the cigarette into his mouth with one hand, he extended the index finger on the other. When he snapped his fingers, the tip of his finger lit up like a blowtorch. He followed that by extending his thumb and turning his hand into a flame-throwing finger-gun. After lighting his smoke, the man inhaled deeply, and snapped his thumb forward, extinguishing the flame. A wisp of smoke curled upward and disappeared as he gave Geoffrey's threat another moment to stew. He finally pulled the cancer stick from his lips to speak. "Do it." he dared the man, smirking and blowing smoke everywhere with his words. The man was obviously crazy, and Kevin saw nothing wrong with antagonizing him right back. "Nobody stops the Payne Train, baby. Absolutely nobody." It was a running gag from his time with GoldGate, but even time couldn't stop it from being catchy or accurate.

Then, because he was smart enough to know that people were liable to try and prove their own points at times like these, and because he didn't want to leave any beer behind, he downed what was left in his bottle, which was most of it. He was less concerned about the cigarette hanging out of his mouth, however, and he sucked on it thoughtfully as he waited for their host to do something. If the man wasn't smart enough to realize that he needed Zara alive to get his payday, he didn't think he would understand if he tried to explain...

[sanquin]

Geoffrey decided not to take the man up on his offer. This wasn't the time or place. Families lived here and all that. Plus Kevin hadn't done anything bad so far. So no need to become enemies right away, even if he didn't like him. "Are the boys going to start a dick measuring contest now?" Zara pitched in, finding the way the conversation was going a bit immature. She opened her beer as well, deciding that if the two of them were going to go at each other she might as well sit back and enjoy the show. "Shut up, brat..." Geoffrey replied, finally opening his beer as well. "I'll get you two some supplies... Some bullets and a first aid kit sound good?" Zara nodded, as she puffed out some smoke. Though the man immediately got up after that, deciding that he still had things to do before having dinner. "We only have one room free at the moment. So you two will have to share. I'm sure you can still find your way around here so help yourself. As for me, I'm going back to the lab. Stop by for some blood samples later will ya, Zara?" Zara nodded once again, and the man left with one last glance towards Kevin.

[Sarpedon]

"You know, someday, someone is going to try and stop the 'Payne Train' and you're going to be sorry..." it sounded like more of a threat than a warning, but Kevin was convinced that Coyote wouldn't let him down. The canine spirit was practically a god, there was no way it could be stopped by anything mortal. He supposed there were other possibilities, but he wasn't exactly worried. He didn't reply to the spirit's comment, mostly because he didn't want people thinking he was talking to himself. Zara butted in before it became a problem anyway, talking like she wanted to join in their little contest. That distracted Geoffrey, though, and seemed to drive the man back to whatever business he had been attending to before they had crashed the party.

As the man departed, Kevin gave him a nod, jerking his chin up as if to dare the man to do something about his presence. The werehyena wasn't the least bit worried, though he supposed that could change. "That was a lot more excitement than I usually care for..." he sighed, realizing that he probably wasn't going to be able to strip out of his combat gear, even here, in the safety of an underground bunker. There were too many people around, and the last thing he wanted was someone getting hurt because he'd left his stuff laying around. That, and he didn't need anyone picking through his things while he wasn't looking. "Where do they keep the food around here? I want something to eat, and then I think I'll hit the sack..." life was simpler out here in the wasteland. He did what he had to do to survive, and when he found shelter, he took advantage of it by sleeping as much as not-quite-humanly possible. Then he realized he'd forgotten about the cigarette in his hand, and proceeded to suck it back about as quickly as he could, assuming it might be a while before he got another smoke break...

[sanquin]

"Guess I'll go hang up a sheet in the room in the mean time. I'd like to have a little privacy at least." She spoke, deciding she should finish her smoke as well, sucking it back with haste. She wasn't about to go to bed just yet, since it had only just gotten dark outside. But she did want to have a look around the base, see what had changed and meet some people she knew if they were still there. The people in here were probably the only ones apart from Kevin that didn't want to pump her full of bullet holes right away. So it was best to take advantage of that and socialize at least a little bit. They probably wouldn't have the chance to do so in the near future after all.

Zara pointed to the door they had entered through. "The kitchen's out that door, then the first one on the left." She told Kevin, finishing her cigarette and standing up a moment later. "Oh, and you can find the bedroom through the hall, then take a right at the end, and finally the door at the end of the hallway." She added, realising that even though the base wasn't too big, it was still hard to know which door you had to take.

Zara then headed to the bedroom herself. Upon opening the door she immediately noticed that it hadn't been touched at all, apart from getting cleaned once in a while. The posters of rock bands were still there. Her bed was still the same as always, apart from having clean sheets. And the heavy chain with a collar and cuffs attached to it was also still anchored into the ground. That brought back a few unwanted memories. Sometimes they had to tie her down in her room, when she was having one of her outbursts again. Though it was better than being locked in a cell or being killed outright at least. The woman turned on the USB music player, smiling a little bit at the nostalgic sounds coming from it. Then she opened her backpack, taking the tarp she had taken with her out, and started tying it to whatever it could be tied to to shield her bed from sight. Kevin would just have to make do with whatever sleeping gear he had with him, though he was probably already used to that.

[Sarpedon]

"You do you." Kevin replied, realizing that Zara was probably much more in need of privacy than he was, considering that she was used to living all alone in a bunker. He supposed it was probably a good idea to hang up a barrier regardless, she probably didn't want to see him naked, and he wasn't entirely convinced that he wanted to see her naked, either. Some things were better left to the imagination, especially when they had to work together for a little while. He snapped out of his thoughts to listen intently to the woman's directions, though, and nodded when she informed him of where to go. The kitchen sounded very close, and their bedroom sounded like it could be a bit of a hike. He wasn't sure how big this underground complex was, though, so he supposed it would remain to be seen.

"Thanks." he offered in response. Then the werehyena followed his companion out of the room, but he turned off into the kitchen instead of following her off to wherever she was going. The man headed straight for the fridge, only to be interrupted as a sharp, quiet gasp got his attention. It was almost like the rasp of a knife that you heard when someone didn't know how to pull their blade out quietly. His sidearm was half out of its holster before he realized it was just a kid. "Fuck." he sighed abruptly, shoving the gun back into place. The little boy whipped around, gasping louder this time.

"Mom! The guest said a bad word!" he sounded truly offended, and then Kevin was confronted with the boy's mother, who gave him a withering look.

"I'm sorry..." he offered in response, wondering if she'd killed anyone with that look. Then he popped open the fridge, and spotted what he was pretty sure was orange juice.

"I'll take that." the woman stated as he pulled it out.

"Of course." the contractor just handed it over and decided he would drink something else. He found a pitcher of blue juice and figured he would give it a shot. Blue flavoured drinks were always a good choice. The next step was hunting for a glass. The other two people in the room didn't help him, of course, so he just pulled open all the cupboards until he found one. Kevin poured himself a glass of juice, and sipped on it while he hunted for dinner. Eventually he settled on two approximately half-full containers of what he was pretty sure was left-over stir-fry. After mixing the contents on a plate that he spent several long moments searching for, he tossed it in the microwave and started hunting for a fork while it heated up. By the time his food was ready, he needed to refresh his glass. Once that was done, he took all of it back into the room he'd come from to settle down and eat. Of course, eating, for the werehyena, was a matter of shovelling food into his face until he felt like he would be uncomfortable if he continued to do so. That point was right about the time he finished his plate. Washing it down with the last of his juice, Kevin returned to the kitchen.

Being a considerate guest, he washed all of his dishes and put them back where he found them. Now he just needed to find a bathroom, and he was going to bed. Not wanting to go around poking his head into every single room, and risk disturbing another understandably distrustful mother, or worse, the same one, he decided to hunt down Zara and get her to direct him. He decided to start by looking in the bedroom she'd given him directions to. If she wasn't there, he would just have to quietly stalk the halls until he found her, or got familiar enough with the place that he could begin logically selecting locations for a bathroom...

[sanquin]

Zara had obviously already finished hanging up the makeshift barrier way before Kevin decided to show up. Though she stayed there a bit longer with the door open to be sure that he was able to find it. That worry proved to be unfounded as the man entered not too long after. Apparently he ate just about as fast as she did, even if their choice of meal was a bit different. Instead, the man asked for the bathroom. "Oh, right, it's the door at the start of this hallway. They decided to put the living rooms in the same hall as the bathrooms for easy access. "Just put your bedroll or whatever anywhere on the ground. I'll try not to wake you once I go to bed as well."

Once Kevin looked like he didn't need her any more Zara headed outside again. Unlike him she did go to every door, seeing who was there and if there were any familiar people. Kids were still kept away from her. An unneeded precaution, but an understandable one. They knew what she was, and no one wanted any chance of their kids being bitten. Or worse. Still, the adults were friendly enough with her. And the few acquaintances that were still there were friendly with her. Lastly the woman headed outside for some fresh air to go with one last smoke for the day. Then she returned to her bedroom to get a good night's rest as well.

If Kevin was still awake the reason for her wanting some privacy soon became clear. As the night light on her desk cast a nice shadowy display of her dressing down to just her panties before getting into bed. No lady would just undress in front of a man after all. And though Zara was hardly a proper lady, she still considered herself to kind of be one. She quietly got into her bed, turned the light off, and got to sleep as well. There was still a long and no doubt hard road ahead of them no doubt.

[Sarpedon]

Kevin nodded when Zara directed him to the bathroom, and then shrugged when she told him he could set up wherever he wanted on the floor. The woman disappeared pretty quickly after that, so he figured he would be on his own from here. Tossing his back on the floor, he made sure to put it in the corner behind the door so that anyone simply poking their head in wouldn't see it. He kept all of his valuable or dangerous possessions on his person, however, as he headed for the bathroom.

This one was spacious, and while he wouldn't call it "well-appointed" it was a hell of a lot nicer than some of the bathrooms he'd used, so the contractor put in extra effort to keep it that way. And then, just liked he'd planned, he headed to bed. Of course, before he could actually get any sleep, he had to set up his bed, a process that involved laying out his sleep system in such a way that it would function the way it was supposed to. He had an airtight bivy bag, stuffed with a poncho liner and a self-inflating air mattress. Lucky for him, the valves on the air mattress still worked, so all he had to do was unroll it and let it do its thing. The bivy bag was small enough that everything would pretty well be forced into place once he climbed in, so the werehyena just made sure he was going to have enough room to stretch out before he started undressing.

Keeping himself between his gear and the door, Kevin carefully laid out his things the way he always did. Clothes under his combat kit, boots next to his vest, and his rifle and revolver just above his head. He'd been doing this long enough that the meticulous manner in which he did everything didn't even take much time, and it meant he could wake up and begin fighting while completely blind and still be confident in his abilities. Once everything was laid out and he'd stripped to his rash guard undergarments, the mercenary cuddled up in his sleeping bag and passed out. Unfortunately, he was a very light sleeper, so nothing Zara could do would keep him from waking up at her arrival. He did like the show he got of her shadow self stripping. He grinned as she turned off the light, and rolled over once more. "Good night, Zara." he murmured just loud enough for her to hear and understand...

[sanquin]

Zara was surprised to suddenly hear Kevin's voice, as she had thought he was sleeping already. Or maybe she had woken him up. There wasn't much she could do about that though, as being more silent was almost impossible. So she just replied with a quick "Night" back and soon after fell asleep.

The next morning Zara woke up a little late at 8 am, though not because she was fully rested. In fact, she barely knew what 'well rested' felt like, as for some reason she always woke up still feeling tired. Though that usually passed after an hour or so. Maybe a side-effect of the virus or something. She poked her head around the sheet to see that Kevin had already gotten up and left. No surprise there. He did seem like an early bird for some reason. Time for the usual morning routine, then. First, clothes of course. Once dressed the woman headed for the kitchen to get a cup of coffee, together with possibly a sandwich of some kind. It depended on what they had. If there was no meat to put on said sandwich, she wasn't interested. As she arrived in the kitchen she still looked half-dead, making the label 'vampire' seem very fitting for her at the moment.

[Sarpedon]

Kevin was up with the sun, even when he didn't know the sun was rising. He blamed Coyote for that, but it wasn't entirely a bad thing. He was well-rested and ready for whatever the day could throw at him. He just needed a smoke first. It was perfectly dark in the room, but that didn't stop him. The man had done enough last watch shifts that he could get up, get dressed, and pack up all of his things without making a sound, and without even the tiniest bit of light to help him, and he did just that when he determined that it was indeed a reasonable time to get up, according to his chronometer.

It didn't take very long, before he was in his full battle-rattle once more, and creeping out of the room. Convinced he'd succeeded in leaving Zara asleep, the contractor sighed as he headed for the door outside. Once in the hallway, he was less concerned about making noise, but he was still courteous enough not to tromp around too loudly. The way outside was easy enough, as he had memorized it the night before, so it was a short trip to outside, where he took a seat on the ground next to the door, and enjoyed his first leisurely smoke in a very long time. "Gotta buy more sagrits." he whispered to himself as he lit up. Coyote had some words about making him a list, but he wasn't listening, the warrior was enjoying his cigarette too much.

After drawing out his morning smoke about as long as he could without trying to smoke the filter or something, he got up, dusted himself off, and headed inside once more. This time, he headed for the kitchen, getting coffee started for anyone that wanted any, and looking into breakfast for himself. Simply because he was bored, and no one else was around, he cleaned the place up a little. By the time breakfast was ready, he'd tidied up the kitchen, and made sure that anyone that wanted some would have fresh coffee. Then he went and got himself settled in the living room. By the time Zara got up, he'd eaten, though he hadn't quite gotten around to cleaning up his dishes, instead taking advantage of the time to relax a little more. "Morning." he offered quietly when he noticed her joining him...

[sanquin]

Zara started off with her usual, which was anything containing meat. Anything but meat tasted bland to her, apart from such strong flavours as bitter coffee. It was annoying, but meat did taste pretty damn good at the same time. So she fried some slices of bacon, slapped them op top of a slice of bread, and poured herself some coffee. Might as well go for, what was for her, luxury meat while they were there. And since there was only room to stand in the kitchen, she decided to sit in the living room instead. As soon as the woman entered she was greeted by a familiar voice. Though she didn't give a response just yet. Instead she first sat down, took a long sip of her coffee, and lighted her cigarette, inhaling deeply. Only when she was done exhaling she finally said something. "Morning. How the hell can you be up so early, and not look half-dead?" Zara mostly asked out of jealousy, as she wished she had that kind of energy in the morning herself. Waking up half-asleep, and it taking an hour to properly wake up sucked.

"I guess you'll also want to leave early? I mean that's fine but...I need at least half an hour before I'm ready for more travelling." Or maybe he wasn't in too much of a hurry. Which would be even better. Since then Zara could take her time. It wasn't even guaranteed that they could keep on going on her bike. As maybe Geoffrey didn't have any gas to spare at the moment.

[Sarpedon]

Kevin wasn't exactly surprised when Zara didn't respond to his greeting. In his experience, at least, vampires were always slow to wake up. If you could ambush them before their adrenaline kicked in, they didn't stand a chance. Lucky for Zara, no one had any plans to ambush her while she drank her coffee. He laughed when she greeted him, and shrugged, "I don't have a choice. Things get a lot easier when you don't have a choice..." he offered. It was more of a mental thing for him, but it got him through to the next day, and out here, that was all that mattered. Then she moved on to more important matters.

"I don't care to be honest." he replied when she suggested that they wouldn't be leaving for half an hour if not more, "I've been waiting for a decent score for a very long time, I can wait another hour or two." he shrugged again and stood up as he finished speaking. He collected all the dishes that were empty, and headed for the kitchen. "Let me know when you're ready to go, and we'll get out of here." he added just before he left the room. Once in the kitchen, he started doing some math while he cleaned up his mess. They'd gotten so much further than he'd hoped on Zara's bike. Two more days like yesterday, and they'd be there. He didn't know how much fuel they had, though. If they went through a tank a day, that would mean they needed one more stop, or to take more gas with them. That was assuming they burned through a tank a day, though. He didn't know anything about mileage on bikes.

Trying not to worry about it, the contractor found his way back to the living room, and sprawled out on a couch once more, just in time for someone he didn't recognize to shamble in, and then curse and shamble out. They shambled back in a few minutes later with a mug full of coffee, and plunked down next to the soldier, who'd been forced to act quickly, or facing being sat upon by an ornery, sleep-impaired man armed with a cup of hot coffee. The man paid no heed to his surroundings, and instead focused entirely on his beverage, as if it were capable of anything and everything. Kevin decided to take advantage of their leisurely start, and headed for the door, intending to have another smoke. "Shouldn't have fuckin' quit. Shoulda brought fuckin' sagrits..." he grumbled to himself, fishing for his cigarette case as he made his way outside...

[sanquin]

"Thank god..." She replied, relaxing a little more. Her entire day was always better if she didn't have to hurry anything. "I'll try not to take too long though. The more time we have the better." If not for longer travel time, it would give them some leeway when setting up camp in the wasteland. Or to at least find a spot to stay the night. Kevin left, leaving Zara to eat, drink, and finish her smoke in peace. Once all of them were finished the woman headed towards the lab. She needed to ask Geoffrey about getting some gas. The man was indeed awake as well. Or most likely, he hadn't gone to sleep yet. Zara hadn't provided him with any blood for a few years, so he had probably been doing tests with it all night. At least he could sleep whenever he wanted, pretty much.

About 10 minutes later Zara headed outside. The same guard was still in his post, and Kevin was there as well, finishing his smoke. She walked up to him and sighed. "So, bad news. They can't spare any gas at the moment, so we'd at most be able to go another 30 to 40 miles on my bike. And I don't want to just leave it somewhere, so I decided to leave it here instead. At least we got about three days worth of travel on foot out of it though." A car would have been really nice right about now. Not only would it give more space and comfort for a longer trip, but she could have also brought the extra gas she had at her bunker then. A car wasn't a luxury either of them could afford though. "Anyway...I just have to pack up my things and I'll be ready. So be back in 10 minutes at most."

The vampiress headed back inside again, heading to her bedroom. Packing her backpack again was only a matter of folding up the tarp, and then heading to Geoffrey one last time to get the first aid kit and bullets he had mentioned he could provide. 2 magazines for both Kevin's and Zara's gun. Not much, but it would get them through at least two fire fights if they aimed carefully. Once she had everything, she went up to the surface one more time to meet up with Kevin and head out again. Her bike would be staying under Geoffrey's care until she got back.

[Sarpedon]

Kevin looked up when he heard something moving around. It was Zara, bringing bad news. He didn't move from his seat on the ground as she explained that they would be walking from here. She understandably didn't want to leave her bike out in the wilderness, and he couldn't think of any place within forty miles that could spare gas for a reasonable price. He shrugged at the inconvenience. They could probably make it there in four days if they really tried, but for Zara's sake, he decided to shoot for five. It was safer that way, even if it meant another night in the wilderness. While his friend did her thing, the contractor finished his cigarette and then got to his feet, checking over his things once more before deciding he was ready to go. By the time he was properly adjusted and actually prepared to step off, his companion had shown up.

"Ready to go?" he asked, heading for the gate. The next few days were going to be unpleasant, but it was better than having to walk the whole way, and definitely better than wandering around without the promise of a big score. It wasn't something he could retire on, but life would definitely be easier for a little while. Maybe he could even put the money toward an even larger score, something that might get him out of this mess. For now, he tried not to get his hopes too far up, but at this point, it was pretty close to all he had. One way or another, Kevin was determined to make this go his way...

[sanquin]

"Ready as I'll ever be. Might as well get going." Zara replied, handing him both magazines for his gun. "Bit of extra ammo. Also got a med kit. Though considering you seem to be fine already after getting shot several times, I guess it'll be more for me than you." The virus didn't exactly give her regenerative capabilities, so she would have to heal the normal way. Considering that, she would probably be quite reliant on Kevin to do most of the 'dirty work'. One or two human enemies, she could take without getting hurt. Anything more than that would pose a problem, for both her and their travel time most likely. As they stepped out Geoffrey watched them from the entrance to the bunker. He was never a man for sweet talk, or goodbyes for that matter. He had...different ways to show that he cared.

Zara let Kevin lead the way. She didn't have a compass or navigation in her eye. Not something she needed where she had been living after all. The trip would be quite long though, so she hoped he wasn't the type to walk at a what she liked to refer to as a military pace. She was basically just a civilian, used to getting around on a bike. Too fast a pace, and this little excursion would be hell for her feet, to say the least. "So, you seem to be the type that gets around in the wastelands. Where do we go? I doubt we just bee-line it straight to your employers. Having to find shelter and all..." Right about now Zara kind of wished she had paid more attention to Geoffrey's lectures about surviving out there. She hadn't seen any need back then, since there was a nice abandoned bunker near the city she could live in.

[Sarpedon]

Kevin was a bit surprised when he was handed two full magazines, but he wasn't going to argue. One he tapped off the stock of his rifle and then snapped into place, the other he tucked away in a free pouch. "Always good to have." he agreed when he explained they had also gotten some extra medical supplies. He didn't usually need to be patched up, but he could always patch up someone else. With that taken care of, they headed out the gate and off to their destination. While they got started in the direction they had been going the previous day, the contractor started blinking through the menus projected onto his eye protection, getting them a heading and looking for places to stop.

He wasn't quite done analysing their path when his companion spoke up again. Zara wanted to know where they went from here. "We could try just bee-lining it, stop wherever we end up. It wouldn't cut any time off our trip, though, I don't think." he replied with a shrug, "I was going to take us through some shaman territory on a bit of a shortcut. Bit of a dicey area, especially considering anyone I knew there is dead now... Coyote keeps me awake all night there, regardless of the situation, though, so I figure we'll be all right..." more shrugging and the soldier found some more words, "I think we might stop off and bother what's left of Blackwater on the way... Assuming they let us find them..." Most people assumed that Blackwater had died after a court order demanded the liquidation of the company, but they often forgot that the man who'd created the company had bailed long before then, leaving the renamed private security fiasco in the hands of private investors. His much more private outfit was alive and well, but they were much more selective of their clients now. So much so that they were hiding out in the wasteland where not even vampires could find them.

"I like that, actually... Let's see... We'll spend tonight on shaman lands, and tomorrow we'll traipse over and see if anyone on duty recognizes me, and within two days after that we should be at our destination..." mostly speaking to himself at this point, Kevin plotted them a course on his heads-up-display, and then realized that his time estimate was going to be off. They weren't moving quickly enough. At his pace they could make it, but with Zara lollygagging like she was, they'd end up spending the better part of a day in shaman territory and far longer than was really safe wandering around in full view of Blackwater snipers. He started trying to re-plot a route, but decided there wasn't a better one. "Fuck it..." he whispered, hoping Coyote was up for some crazy shit. Then he cleared his heads-up-display of anything he didn't need, and followed the little dotted line projected over the landscape, scanning his arcs lazily and hoping no one out here had enough fuel to pose a risk of running them down...

[sanquin]

"So, through Blackwater, and then through Shaman territory...let's hope the rumours I've heard about those places aren't entirely true..." Zara mused. Blackwater was described as a hell hole. A place that normal citizens should stay away from. And shaman territory was even worse. Rumours of a lot of people disappearing there. Of cannibalism other than from the vampires. Of literal monsters roaming the area. Not exactly her first pick if it was up to her. Kevin seemed to have experience with both area's though. And he was a shaman himself and not nearly as inhuman as people in the city liked to describe his kind. In fact, he might even be more human than her, depending on ones viewpoint. "You're the man with the plan though. So I guess if you think it's safe enough I won't question it." They had only known each other for about a day now. Yet she already found it easier to trust him a bit. At the very least he didn't seem like the kind of guy that was plotting against her. Rather just another 'freak' working towards his next pay.

For the next few hours nothing much happened. Zara wasn't much of a talker either as she had gotten used to living by herself. Quite a turnaround from her days as a bartender, where being social with customers was pretty much a must. Not talking was probably a good thing though. As by now she was starting to feel her feet a little. And even just walking like this took more energy than she had hoped. Which also brought the problem of her probably having to eat sooner than anticipated. But that was a worry for the next day. Today she would be fine. "How much longer until Blackwater anyway? Not trying to sound like a kid...I'd just like to know an estimate." Having to walk without knowing how much longer they had to keep going sucked. With a time frame Zara would at least have a goal to work towards, which would help with her morale a little.

[Sarpedon]

Kevin wasn't sure what to tell Zara, so he offered her a shrug instead. The things she'd heard were probably true. Then again, people did tend to exaggerate. "Question away." he added when she put her trust in him, "The world isn't exactly safe any more. If you wanna go a different way, let me know. We'll get where we are going eventually..." clearly the contractor wasn't too worried about what path they took. And at this point he was pretty sure he didn't care how long it took, either. As long as they got there. So they walked. They did a lot of walking, only stopping for the occasional break when the werehyena decided he wanted to adjust something, or get a snack out of his bag. Eating and drinking could all be done on the move.

Finally his companion broke the silence again. That wasn't quite true, he'd communicated through grunts, hand signals, and the occasional word, as they walked, but this was the first real sentence either of them had spoken in a while. He chuckled as she clarified that she wasn't trying to sound like a kid as she asked about their destination. "Blackwater... At this pace, we'll reach their little patch of heaven late tomorrow afternoon... We're going to end up spending tonight on shaman lands, and then we'll spend most of tomorrow walking through their territory, and we can see if Ricky and the gang even want to talk to us tomorrow night. Just don't call him Ricky or he'll execute us both." he chuckled at that thought, and wondered if he really would do that. He'd never called the man's bluff, though he supposed that at this point, he likely wouldn't have much to worry about. He didn't know if Zara could shrug off a shot to the head, though, and that was pretty well the best case scenario. It was more likely they'd be decapitated and thrown in the river, and even he would struggle to get back up after that.

"If your feet are bothering you, say something. Out here, your feet are your greatest asset, and wearing them out is a good way to get yourself in more trouble than you really want..." Kevin didn't want to have to carry the vampire because she got blisters the size of dinner plates and couldn't walk. He'd much rather take frequent breaks and have both of them fully operational, even if it meant taking a little longer, and having to restructure his plans...

[sanquin]

"Ricky huh...what should I call him then?" Zara asked, a bit curious about what this 'Ricky' and whomever was with him, were like. From the sound of things, Kevin's relationship with them was shaky at best. Then again, those were the kinds of people she had been dealing with for the past few years. So she would be able to handle herself if problems arose. "Of course my feet are bothering me. I'm not used to walking at all. Though this is as good a time as any to get my feet accustomed to it again. But since you suggested it, a short break will do. Just so I can massage my feet for a moment. Shouldn't take more than a few minutes." Massaging her feet helped a lot back when she was still a bartender. It was normal to be on her feet and walking about for up to 6 hours per day back then. And she got her neighbour to massage them after particularly active days. She still remembered some of the techniques the woman used back then.

Zara found a decently flat rock to sit on, and started taking off her boots. Already her feet felt relief just from not being stuck in her shoes any more. "Say, I could go for a smoke while we're at it." She spoke as she started to massage one of her feet. "Or at least, I don't like having to walk while smoking. Kills part of the enjoyment." She added, wondering if they even had time for that. Otherwise she might just smoke while walking though. It had been a few hours since they started walking, and that 'itch' had been bothering her for the last hour already. "As for asking questions...what am I supposed to expect from these shaman lands? The furthest I ever got from the city was Geoffrey's place, so...I have no clue what to expect out here." Surely he knew some of the details at least, him having that beast thing inside of him. It sounded pretty similar to what Zara had heard shamans did, at least. And he had to have learned it somewhere.

[Sarpedon]

"Probably shouldn't..." Kevin offered with a chuckle. "He's an interesting character, the sort that will do anything to protect his guys. Great if he's on your side, not so much otherwise... Being with Goldgate, we had some dealings together, split a few contracts. Even fucked over Knight-Errant together a couple of times. He's got a major case of brand loyalty going on, though, and since I never worked for Blackwater, I'm not really on his list of people to welcome..." the werehyena shrugged, "He might not even say anything, though. It's about fifty-fifty that he'll just ignore me. Maybe more likely since you're with me, and I doubt you two know each other..." he trailed off as his train of thought wondered what it would be like if the two did know each other. He wasn't sure if that would make things better or worse.\

He had plenty of time to think on it, though, since his companion needed a break. They sat down and the vampire did her thing for a moment, before observing that now would be a good time for a smoke. "You want me to massage your feet while you smoke?" he asked, just a touch too suggestively. The raised eyebrow didn't help either. But he figured the worst he would get was a boot to the face. "Or are you asking me to hold your sagrit while you rub your feet?" he couldn't help but chuckle at that point. He just hoped she didn't ambush him while he was working on her questions. The last thing he needed was a boot to the fact that he wasn't expecting.

He chuckled some more when she asked what to expect once they got into shaman territory. He blamed the hyena in him for all the laughter, but never actually explained that to people. It was nicer if they just thought he was a surprisingly up-beat person. "On a good day, it'll be bunnies and puppies and kittens all over the place, and all the attractive young shamans will be out socializing with the attractive nature spirits and it's surprisingly nice... Tonight, we probably won't see anything... Tomorrow, probably a bear or two, maybe a pack of werewolves. These aren't the shamans I learned from, and while they are fairly welcoming of non-magical outsiders, they seem to dislike shamans from other cults. That being said, the Cult of Flame always wins..." he grew a cocky grin as he declared his supremacy, and parts of him seemed to ignite with ghostly flames. "Still, I was going to take us around the edge. It's mostly water cult out this way, on account of the river, so if we cross it in Blackwater territory we should be fine..." then he sighed as the flames winked out. He pulled out his revolver, casually levelling it at an indistinct point. He tracked the air for a moment and then sighed more heavily and shook his head. "You spend enough time out here, you start to go crazy..." he offered, "Thought I saw someone..." A couple of deep breaths later he scrutinized their surroundings some more, and holstered his hand-cannon. "I need to win the lottery or something... Retire..." he mostly said it to himself, and wondered he'd even do if he retired. It was an exercise in creativity, if nothing else...

[sanquin]

Zara raised a brow when Kevin not only agreed to having a smoke, but at the same time offered to massage her feet for her. She had figured he would want to have a smoke as well, though apparently he wasn't as addicted to the stuff as she was. She smirked, stretching out her leg towards him while already reaching for her smokes. "Go ahead. Can't say I've ever had a guy kneeling before me in any situation, but I certainly don't mind." The vampiress wasn't exactly shy about physical contact with the other sex. Plus this was just her feet, so no harm done either way. And considering that she would get to have a smoke in the mean time, who was she to reject his offer? Though if Kevin refused at this point she'd just continue herself. Either way was fine really.

The surprise on Zara's face was clearly visible when Kevin decided to set himself on fire. Or that was what it looked like to her at least. Though she made no mention of it. It was probably some kind of shaman thing, since he had implied that he was part of the flame cult, whatever that was. The water cult sounded easy enough to deal with, if at all needed. The thought of werewolves and bears sounded less appealing though. If the werewolves were anything like Kevin's transformation, then she'd rather not fight several of them at once to say the least. Heck, just one would likely give her trouble. Though maybe Kevin was able to go toe to toe with more than one of them. He didn't seem like your regular were-person at least. If there was such a thing as a regular one.

"I'd say being paranoid is better than being too relaxed in the wastelands..." She mused, having felt like they were being watched ever since Geoffrey's place had left their viewing distance. She figured it was just her imagining things, though it did keep her a little more on edge than usual. Sleeping might be a bit hard for her during the next few nights outside.