The wind whistled through the skeleton of a collapsed apartment block, carrying dust and the faint chemical smell that never truly left the air.

Nova crouched on the edge of a broken rooftop, carefully stuffing a handful of salvaged batteries into her pack. The cracked lenses of her gas mask reflected the gray sky overhead.

A distant clatter echoed through the ruins.

She froze.

Scavenger? Raider? Breach-touched?

Slowly, she reached for the rusted pipe strapped across her back and peered over the edge.

There.

Movement.

Someone else picking through the dead city.

Dressed in a white robe that has been stained with mud recently Alia walks around in the bare city. Her eyes curiously looking at the deserted building. Two High Quality Masks on a belt around her waist. A small bag slung across her shoulders. She curiously picks up the empty can and shakes it.Seeing there is nothing of use for it, she puts it down. A strong gust of wind passes by, her hair whipping around her face.

She looks towards the direction of the wind, to see what caused it, eyes that shine with sudden interest lasting for barely a second before it is replaced with something else.

...

Her heart drops.

Standing there was another girl.

Did they find out that Alia already escaped?
Is this person here a guard to take her back to that prison?
Is the guard strong and intelligent that they disguise themselves as a weak girl?[/i][/i][/i]

Alia slowly takes a step back cautiously.

@Blue Wolf Nova's grip tightened around the rusted pipe for only a heartbeat before she let it rest against her shoulder instead of raising it.
The girl couldn't have been much older than her.

Strange clothes. Too clean beneath the mud. Two masks hanging from her belt—good ones.

That's... odd.

Most scavengers would kill for one.
She stayed on the rooftop, keeping a few yards between them. Close enough to speak. Far enough to run if she had to.

"um...hi"

@Kimberly What was this feeling called. Somehow Alia couldn't pick up on this emotion behind this stranger's voice. The girl looked a bit young to be a guard, but inside her mind screams trap while another soft voice tells her that the stranger is not a threat.

She makes up her mind. Taking a deep breath she reaches out for the pipe, just in case this person is actually a foe. This is going to be Alia, she cannot be afraid even though her legs shakes, she is gonna fight, if they take her back.

Fight.Fight.Fight
She repeats the mantra in her head silently to ground her from fleeing.

She faces the girl,"I am not going to go back..."

She waits watching the other girls reaction, looking for cues, for some expression that she can identify.

Nova frowned behind the cracked lenses of her mask.

"...Go back?"

The words hung in the air between them.

For a moment she simply stared, trying to fit them into a story that made sense.

Back to a settlement?

Back to a raider camp?

Back to... somewhere she didn't want to be?

Nova slowly lowered the pipe until its end rested against the broken concrete.

"I don't know where you came from."

Her voice remained calm, almost gentle.

"But I'm not taking you anywhere."

Another gust of wind swept through the ruined street, tugging at loose strands of her dark hair.

Her eyes drifted, almost involuntarily, to the two pristine filters hanging from the girl's belt.

"...You don't look like a scavenger."

She tilted her head slightly.

"You look like someone who's been running."

A quiet pause followed before she gave a small shrug.

"If you wanted to hurt me..." she glanced at the pipe Alia had grabbed, "...you would've already tried."

Nova shifted the weight of her backpack onto one shoulder.

"So... either we keep pointing pipes at each other until the sun goes down..."

A faint hint of humor slipped into her voice.

"...or you tell me your name."

@Kimberly Alia eyes Nova for a few more seconds, before exhaling. She takes a cautious step forward lowering the pipe.

"My name is Alia" She bites her lower lip nervously.

"what do you mean by scavenger"

"Also whats your name, you look like...you look like you have lived outside the entire time, also why are you alone? I thought the surface dwellers lived in groups"

Alia glances around at the surrounding again noting how run down the entire place looks. Then her eyes shine at a thought.

"You must be experienced right, just take me far far away from this place, and I can give one of the masks."

Nova blinked.

"...Surface dwellers?"

The phrase sounded strange, almost old-fashioned, like something from one of the dusty books she'd found buried beneath collapsed libraries.

She let out a quiet breath before answering the questions one by one.

"My name's Nova."

She tapped a thumb against the worn straps of her backpack.

"A scavenger's just... someone who searches the ruins. Food. Parts. Batteries. Anything people left behind that still works."

Her gaze lingered on Alia for a moment.

"I've lived out here my whole life."

A small shrug.

"Most of us have."

At the question about being alone, Nova's shoulders lifted again.

"I travel alone because it's quieter. Less mouths to feed. Less people to worry about."

She smiled faintly beneath the scratched mask.

"...And I get first pick if I find something good."

Then Alia mentioned the mask.

Nova's eyes immediately settled on the pristine filter hanging from her belt.

For a long second, she said nothing.

Finally, she looked back at Alia.

"You'd trade one of those..."

Her voice was quiet.

"...for directions?"

She shook her head.

"Keep it."

The answer came so quickly it surprised even her.

"If you've got two good filters, you're going to need both eventually."

Nova rested the pipe across her shoulders.

"I don't know who told you stories about 'surface dwellers'..."

She looked around at the empty city.

"...but you're already farther from whatever you're running from than most people ever get."

Her gray eyes met Alia's again.

"So..."

A curious tilt of her head.

"Where did you come from?"

@Kimberly Alia looks at her for a while buys contemplating how much to expose. She then sighs and looks around at the ruins as she speaks.

"Well, it was underground... I think at least."

A pause.

"I only saw white rooms, with people in the white suits..."

Her voice starts to break a bit so she changes the subject. She steps closer to Nova.

"So you are pretty much free to roam around right, is there a reason why you are roaming around?"

She looks curiously Nova. Alia wonders what she meant by food and less mouths to feed. Maybe she was talking about the daily IV supplements. But those should be plentiful, even if they are painful. Perhaps she will ask Nova about it later

Nova was quiet for a moment.

Underground.

White rooms.

People in white suits.

None of it sounded like any settlement she'd ever heard stories about.

She noticed the way Alia's voice caught before she changed the subject.

She doesn't want to talk about it.

Nova let it go.

"...Yeah."

She nodded once.

"I'm free."

The words came easily, but hearing them aloud made her realize how strange they sounded.

"I leave when I want. Stay where I want. As long as I've got filters and enough luck."

She glanced toward the broken skyline stretching across the horizon.

"I'm out here looking for supplies most days."

A small smile tugged at the corner of her eyes.

"...But mostly I'm looking for answers."

She adjusted the straps of her backpack.

"My mom used to tell me stories about the world before the Breach."

"Real trees. Blue skies. Oceans you could actually swim in."

She gave a small laugh.

"I've never seen any of it."

Her gaze drifted upward to the endless blanket of gray clouds.

"Doesn't mean I've stopped looking."

Looking back at Alia, she tilted her head slightly.

"You keep asking questions like you've never been outside before."

There wasn't any accusation in her voice.

Only curiosity.

"...Have you ever actually eaten real food?"

The question escaped before Nova had time to think about how strange it sounded.

She blinked.

"...Sorry."

"I just... have a feeling your world's been very different from mine."

@Kimberly

Alia tilted her head toward the sky, about to answer, when a powerful gust of wind swept through the ruined streets.

Her long black hair danced wildly around her face as the air rushed past her. Broken signs creaked overhead, loose pieces of metal clattered against shattered walls, and dust spun into graceful spirals between the abandoned buildings.

She froze.

Not from fear.

From awe.

Her eyes drifted upward.

The endless gray blanket above was... moving.

Massive clouds rolled across the sky like waves, folding over one another in shapes she couldn't begin to understand. The air itself seemed alive, brushing against her skin, tugging gently at her clothes before pulling harder a moment later.

"So this..."

she whispered almost to herself,

"...is the wind and clouds."

She slowly lifted a hand into the rushing air.

Invisible fingers pushed against her palm.

"Pretty"

A smile spread across her face, small at first before growing brighter.

She laughed quietly.

"It's wonderful..."

The sensation was unlike anything she had ever known. Underground, the air had always been still—filtered, controlled, predictable. Nothing moved unless someone made it move.

But this...

This had a will of its own.

Another stronger gust rushed through the street, making her stumble a single step before she steadied herself, more fascinated than concerned.

She watched scraps of paper dance high into the air, following them with sparkling eyes as though they were birds taking flight.

She had never imagined the world itself could move. Little did she know how dangerous this was.

Nova didn't answer at first.

She simply watched.

Most people cursed when the wind picked up.

They pulled their masks tighter.

Looked for shelter.

Checked their filters.

Alia...

...was smiling.

Nova followed her gaze as scraps of paper spiraled through the gray air before looking back at the girl laughing quietly to herself.

A strange feeling settled in her chest.

"You've really never seen it before..."

It wasn't a question anymore.

Just quiet disbelief.

Another gust swept through the street, stronger this time.

Nova instinctively reached up, pressing a hand against the seal of her mask before turning serious.

"Alia."

Her voice stayed calm.

"You should put one of your masks on."

She pointed toward the filters hanging at Alia's belt.

"The wind's beautiful..."

Her eyes drifted to the clouds rolling overhead.

"...but it's one of the worst times to be breathing the air."

She stepped closer, stopping just within arm's reach.

"If the Breach gets stirred up..."

Nova looked toward the empty streets stretching between the buildings.

"...it can make people sick a lot faster."

She hesitated before adding quietly,

"So... admire it."

A faint smile reached her eyes.

"...Just don't let it kill you."