[right][sub][sub][color=gray]b1.ch03.r03.p01  [/color][color=2e2c2c]_[/color][/sub][/sub][/right][color=bfbfbf][sub][table= //////= EXIT'S POST DESIGN v3 =\\\\\\][row][sub][sub][sub][sub][sub][img=//////TOP IMAGE HERE\\\\\\]https://i.imgur.com/wUZI7OY.png[/img][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/row][row][cell][color=white]
[sub][sub][sub][sub][sub][img]https://i.imgur.com/vWXdBkm.png[/img][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][center][color=2e2c2c]A TLA Collaboration____[/color][color=white]A TLA Collaboration[/color][/center][/sub][/color][quote][color=777777][sup][color=2e2c2c]_______________________________________________________________________________________________________..[/color][/sup]
[sub][sub][u][b][color=steelblue]vietmyke   [/color][/b][/u][/sub][/sub]
[color=white]”I’m telling you, Jin was [i]floored[/i] when he realized who you were,”[/color]
[sub][sub][u][b][color=firebrick]canaryrose   [/color][/b][/u][/sub][/sub]
[color=firebrick]“[i]Really[/i]?”[/color]
[sub][sub][u][b][color=steelblue]vietmyke   [/color][/b][/u][/sub][/sub]
Sumire was happily chatting away to anyone who would listen during the drive to the forest, the bunny ears on her helmet flopping excitedly as the animated young woman was basically permanently turned around from her spot in the passenger seat, peering into the back bench. Her current target of conversation was Chu Hua, whom she was animatedly yapping at, much to Jin’s chagrin- but she couldn’t see the red of his face behind his polarized helmet. Thus, as though pretending to not grasp the concept of object permanence, Sumire decided to act as though he didn’t exist in that moment. [color=white]”All he listened to out in the desert were podtalks and shoutcasts about Stickball. [i]I[/i] said if he wanted an autograph he should just ask, but [i]he[/i] said it would’ve been too awkward given everything that’s gone down. [i]I[/i] think that’s silly and he should-”[/color]

[color=steelblue]”Dammit Mire- Ignore her!”[/color] Jin grunted without looking over his shoulder, his faceplate polarized enough that his expression was invisible to the others, though one might reasonably guess what his face looked like. [color=steelblue]”Don’t make me stick you in Feyi’s jeep.”[/color]

[color=white]”You. Wouldn’t. [i]Dare[/i].”[/color] The bunny ears whipped back towards the front.
[sub][sub][u][b][color=firebrick]canaryrose   [/color][/b][/u][/sub][/sub]
Chu let a small smirk cross her face as she listened to Sumire recount how starstruck Jin had been. She was enjoying this- not only because it was funny to see Jin embarrassed, but because she just liked being talked to. Especially in [i]this[/i] car. She had refused to sit in the trunk, where she probably would have fit a bit more, so Chu was jammed up between the right window, the passenger seat, and Weiyuan, who had been forced to sit in the middle. It was an uncomfortable ride, and not just because of how tight it was.

[color=firebrick]“Did he figure that out before or after he nearly kicked me out of the car?”[/color] Chu joked, making what she hoped was eye contact with Jin in the rear view mirror. That day felt like eons ago, really, but she still didn’t know Jin too well. Didn’t know any of them. [color=firebrick] “I think I’m well beyond being a celebrity at this point, though. I was a firebender way before I was ever on TV, and that kind of seems like the part of me that matters, now. An autograph [i]would[/i] be kind of weird if you’re seeing so much of me.”[/color]

[color=firebrick][i]Plus, you practically have an autograph on the floor of your trunk.[/i][/color]
[sub][sub][u][b][color=steelblue]vietmyke   [/color][/b][/u][/sub][/sub]
[color=steelblue]”Not that it matters- nor am I apologizing,”[/color]  Jin clarified, [color=steelblue]”I didn’t know it was [i]you[/i] yelling at me- I got shot in the head, and heard [i]someone[/i] yelling at me.”[/color] He tapped at a corner of the now smoothed glass of his faceplate that had previously been cracked. Crazy to think that it was only a week ago- it felt like a subjective lifetime ago now. [color=steelblue]”So I yelled back. Deal it, take it. But yes, we were aware of who you were.”[/color]

[color=white]”We’d figured it out when you strolled up into the campsite.”[/color] Sumire nodded helpfully, [color=white]”Firebender celebrity is still a celebrity, you stuck out like a sore thumb.”[/color]
[sub][sub][u][b][color=firebrick]canaryrose   [/color][/b][/u][/sub][/sub]
[color=firebrick] “Yeah, you and half the camp did,”[/color] Chu said, letting out a small laugh at the memory. It wasn’t a happy one, but in retrospect… yeah, it was kind of funny that two pro sports stars had just walked into a camp in the Wastes. [color=firebrick]“We had more than a few people come up to us and try and talk to us, actually. But I was spent at that point. Didn’t care, neither did Kanna. We just wanted to… I dunno, be safe, I guess.”[/color] Chu let that hang for a moment. Were they even really safe now? Could she say she had gotten everything she wanted? No, no she couldn’t.
[sub][sub][u][b][color=steelblue]vietmyke   [/color][/b][/u][/sub][/sub]
[color=white]”I dunno about Jin, but I’d still take an autograph!”[/color] The smaller girl remarked brightly, turning her head to show off the smooth white face of the side of her helmet and tapped it. 

[color=steelblue]”Mire, quit bugging her.”[/color] Jin scolded the younger Piperunner before finally glancing up at the mirror to make what appeared to be eye contact, if still through his polarized glass.
[sub][sub][u][b][color=firebrick]canaryrose   [/color][/b][/u][/sub][/sub]
She quirked a brow at Sumire. [color=firebrick] “I’ll give you an autograph if you [i]want[/i], but I dunno how much resale value it’ll have, kid,”[/color] she joked, taking a glance at the mirror when Jin did. She smirked.

[color=firebrick]“Got a favorite team, Jin? Maybe we can still pick up radio this far out… or I could tell you all the dirty secrets and shit.”[/color]
[sub][sub][u][b][color=steelblue]vietmyke   [/color][/b][/u][/sub][/sub]
[color=steelblue]”I’m a Cabbage Corp. guy- Nal Nid’s got a nasty swing, even if he is a bit of a prick. Mire’s team is-”[/color]

[color=white]”Turtleducks!”[/color] Sumire proclaimed loudly and proudly, a lower ring fan through and through- and likely just as rowdy, [color=white]”LETS GO DUCKS!”[/color] the bunny ears flopped erratically as Sumire began pumping her fists as though she were preparing to start cheering and her passenger seat was in fact a stadium box.
[sub][sub][u][b][color=firebrick]canaryrose   [/color][/b][/u][/sub][/sub]
[color=firebrick]“Ugh, you guys are [i]those[/i] people,”[/color] she groused, joking. Stickball team rivalries- it was the one thing guaranteed to pull everyone together. A common topic. A [i]good[/i] common topic, for people she knew nothing about. [color=firebrick]“Jin- you’re just plain wrong. Nal Nid is a prick [i]and[/i] is mediocre at best. Your guys’ defense fucks me up every time though, I’ll give you that. And, the Ducks… well.”[/color] She winked at Sumire in the mirror. [color=firebrick]“They’re good. Give me a hard game. Not as good as the ‘Moles, though.”[/color]
[sub][sub][u][b][color=02ffff]Passable Writer   [/color][/b][/u][/sub][/sub]
Vasra flickered to life, weariness fading from her body, as she focused on the conversation. Losing a patient was hard. And the girl that died in her hands still flashed before her eyes when sleep overwhelmed her.[/color][/quote][/cell][cell][sup][img=//////SIDE IMAGE HERE\\\\\\]https://i.imgur.com/gxaGeOn.png[/img][/sup]

[table=bordered][row][/row][row][cell=active][color=303030]Location.[/color] [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5181702][color=404040]The Wilds,[/color][/url] Westbound from [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5598604][color=404040]Tu Zin.[/color][/url]
[color=303030]Time.[/color] Morning
[color=666666]___________________________[sub]...........[/sub][/color]
[url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/users/canaryrose][color=303030]Canaryrose[/color][/url] as [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5181677][color=404040]Chu Hua[/color][/url]
[url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/users/vietmyke][color=303030]vietmyke[/color][/url] as [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5181688][color=404040]Jin Wei[/color][/url] and Sumire Lin
[url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/users/Theyra][color=303030]Theyra[/color][/url] as [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5181678][color=404040]Reman Xuoshi[/color][/url]
[url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/users/passable-writer][color=303030]Passable Writer[/color][/url] as [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5181680][color=404040]Vasra Dermok[/color][/url]
[url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/users/Exit][color=303030]Exit[/color][/url] as [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5181678][color=404040]Feyi Sinoh[/color][/url]

[color=303030]Summary.[/color] A little after two hours on the road, the group approach a rest stop where they can take a quick break.
[/cell][/row][/table][table=bordered][row][/row][row][cell=active][color=303030]Prompts.[/color]
The small convoy picks their way carefully through the abandoned vehicles on the road, eventually reaching the looped off ramp and making it safely into the rest stop without incident.

The rest stop itself is little more than a singular rectangular building with clearly marked areas for restrooms and a section in-between where people could sit. A dirt patched area extends from one side of the building at an angle, enclosing a section of the road where cars could park. It had obviously at one point in another life been grass. The dead trees are the only remaining sign that there had once been plant life here.

Scattered around the stop are a plethora of abandoned vehicles. All of them seem to be picked clean. Judging by the arrangement of the vehicles both in the rest stop and in the immediate area, it seems that in the early days of the war, the more ill prepared people fleeing the nearby city of Gao Ling ended up here, regrouping with friends and families and making plans for what was next. Eventually enough people had gathered that it turned into a temporary camp. Over time, people left out of necessity, some people tried to make the rest stop a permanent home but years of surviving saw it abandoned soon after. The signs of this are all here, though they've nearly faded completely away after nearly 100 years left alone.

Passing around the rest stop is the road that becomes the overpass and continues into the distance, and to the West, the highway that leads to their destination. In the far distance, the subtle outline of a city is visible.

Feyi parks her jeep at the end of the rest stop with the front of the vehicle facing West. She gets out and studies the path ahead through a pair of binoculars. Tenet stands nearby and Takoa wanders off to take a piss. She informs everyone that they'll be back on the road in fifteen.
[/cell][/row][/table][abbr=Two hours outside Tu Zin][img]https://i.imgur.com/VKZUYkW.png[/img][/abbr][color=2e2c2c]_
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[/cell][/row][/table][/sub][/color][sup][sup][sup][sup][sup][sup][sup][sup][sup][sup][table][row][sub][sub][sub][sub][sub][sub][sub][sub][sub][sub][img]https://i.imgur.com/Q81E2kF.png[/img][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/row][row][cell][quote][color=777777]Tu Zin, had been a fresh start. A welcome relief after all the fear. But there was work to do. There were people to treat. Doctors were rare in the wilds. And she had not been idle. It was the least she could do. No one seemed particularly happy when she had demanded to go with the other newcomers. It was an unnecessary risk, she knew. It was selfish of her. Better to keep someone as valuable as a doctor safe. She knew that. However, she couldn't abandon her companions. They had saved her. They felt safe. She liked them.

She shifted, leaning over one of the battered headrests that separated the baggage compartment from the front of the Kyoshi.

[color=02ffff]"My older brother used to take me to Stickball games. Nelu loved the Badgermoles. However, he always said no one was as good as Liang Shi, though,”[/color] she added with a smirk.

[color=02ffff]“I still remember the giant poster of her that he had in his bedroom. It was more than a little awkward when I walked in on him kissing it,”[/color] Vasra said laughing into her hand.
[sub][sub][u][b][color=bca346]Exit   [/color][/b][/u][/sub][/sub]
Conversation was interrupted briefly when Feyi’s voice crackled over the radio. [color=white]”We’re pulling over at that rest stop up ahead.”[/color] 

The road continued under the overpass before looping back around on the far side and connecting with the small gathering of buildings off to the side of the road. A similar looped road connected back to the highway that continued Westward. All along the road and in both directions, cars were densely packed together and at times seemingly, haphazardly stacked. So close were these cars parked that it was impossible to navigate through besides the single lane path that was carved out of the other vehicles. It was a tight fit, but both the Kyoshi and the jeep could make it through.
[sub][sub][u][b][color=f5cbcc]Theyra   [/color][/b][/u][/sub][/sub]
Reman so far in the trip had chosen to remain silent, busy in the middle of his own thoughts as he watched the scenery pass by and change. He was still listening to what the others were saying but Reman is not that much of a stickball fan. That was more the interest of his older brother though Reman has seen some games out of respect for his family but it mostly fails to keep his interest. So he had little to add to the group’s conversation. 

Though he would chuckled briefly at one thought about stickball For. Reman knows his brother would be mega jealous that he is hanging out with the Chu Hua Yuan. His brother being a big fan of hers and now Reman is the one travelling and doing stuff with her and not him. Granted Reman is not sure how his brother would feel about Chu being a bender and maybe it is best that stays that way if he does not know for his own sake.        

Still,when Feyi got on the radio about the rest stop and Reman got out of his head. Studying the scene as he wondered what could have caused a old traffic jam that made it that they could barely pass through. [color=f5cbcc]”So how is everyone doing so far?”[/color] Reman asked the group as he looked at the rest stop. [color=f5cbcc]“Besides stickball and I say so far so good.”[/color][/color][/quote][/cell][/row][/table][/sup][/sup][/sup][/sup][/sup][/sup][/sup][/sup][/sup][/sup]