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Xandrya
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Lone Wolf
STATUS: The security camera going off in the middle of the night scared me awake last night. Good times! 28 days ago
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The security camera going off in the middle of the night scared me awake last night. Good times!
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2 mos ago
I would die for a Charlie Puth and Lewis Capaldi collab song.
2 mos ago
My therapist mentioned referring me to a psychiatrist for anxiety medication, then at the next appt. said it wasn't a good idea as it doesn't the issue. I would've loved the temporary relief though...
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2 mos ago
I thought a tiny woman like me wouldn't break a sweat with the timed wall sit. Ho Ho homg wtf
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2 mos ago
Started calisthenics today; not to lose weight, but to get toned and get a little stronger. It's a 5x/week type deal ChatGPT drew out for me, but my snap, crackle, pop knees sure do love to complain..
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The following is Part 1 of a collaboration between @The Savant and myself.
As they continued to go deeper and deeper, Pilka remembered that people like Kara could not see in the dark without tools to help them — flashlights and things. He stopped in his tracks and looked around, immediately to the left of them was probably a twenty foot drop, and the man realized how dangerous it was for her to be blindly following him. “Do you have anything on you? To help you see?” his voice stayed low as if he was making sure no one could hear them. This was a habit from living in the tunnels and the caverns – you never knew what was roaming around. Be it the cult or the creatures dwelling in their natural habitat.
“If not,” he began before he stopped talking as he heard a few things fall in the distance. Their light echoes telling him that it was a few small things, probably pebbles or the like, and most likely from natural shifts or drafts. “You can hold on to me until we get somewhere safer.” he added once he felt like there was no danger around. There was still danger in the cities especially in all the nooks and crannies.
She thought on his question for a moment, quickly realizing the contents of her small bag didn’t include a light to help illuminate her path.”I do not, sorry." Kara slowly inched forward, holding her arm out in front of her until her hand came in contact with his shoulder. She stood still for a moment, waiting for him to move.
”So, where are we going?" Kara was a little nervous if she was being honest with herself, mainly because she was out of her element and there was some vulnerability to that alone. That and she was completely enveloped in darkness while a stranger guided her further away from the light.
A stranger... It suddenly dawned on her.
”I’m Kara, by the way. What’s your name?"
There was a naturalness to how his body tensed when Kara touched him, he wasn't expecting her to reach out and grab his shoulder, but he instantly settled down. Being a hermit meant there was not a lot of physical touch for him and when there was… it was bad. Fighting off creatures of the caverns and darkness or fighting off scavengers and lowlives. An internal thought pressed him to ease his body though he would stay alert and cautious, “I don’t have anything either, sorry,” the man added because he didn’t ever think to bring flashlights or lights or whatnot on him. He didn’t really need them.
“Well…” he began as if he had to think about where they were going. “I actually don’t know where any of this leads to and I doubt you would want to go outside of the city,” he spoke as if he was having external thoughts more than a conversation. Looking around, he mumbled something to himself, “I would go home, though you leaving the walls might put you in a lot of danger. You are practically as useful as a baby outside,” he chuckled at his words, finding them amusing, and continued to move forward. Looking for ways to possibly climb down or higher or get Kara somewhere safer.
Then he stopped when she introduced herself and he looked back at her, the faint bits of light that came from behind them, and it caused his eyes to gleam in the darkness. Similar to eyes that she might have seen before except a little more eerie — stray cats. “How rude of me, I forgot to introduce myself. I must be getting old,” he held out a hand to shake her free hand. “I am Pilka, nothing more,” he added as his longer spider-like fingers wrapped around her free hand and shook it. His hands were gloved for obvious reasons since he was trying to hide who he was from civilization. Letting go of her hand, he began to move again. “Kara, that is a pretty name.”
She shook his hand briefly before letting go. It was different, but not unexpected. He wasn't, after all, as "human" as her. Horrible as it sounded, it was only the truth.
"Thank you," she added in response, saying his name in her head. "Yours is unique, can't say I've heard it before." Small talk aside, Kara was uncertain and a little anxious over what he had said moments before. They were in hiding for now on these city outskirts, but she would eventually have to go back. Go back home. Go back to her family... "Pilka, we need a plan," she finally spoke up after a few moments of working it out in her head. "When I go back, I'm gonna need a cover story, a reason as to why I ran away from those officers."
“It’s an orphans name, nothing unique,” he said a little too quickly before realizing that she was probably decades younger than him and he chuckled to himself. “Thank you,” he decided to cut off everything else that was on his mind and what he wanted to say about the name. It was popular amongst orphan boys when he was younger. It was similar to when people decided to all name their kids Lee or Olivia.
She stood still, unable to read his facial expressions which was slightly frustrating to say the least. "They've got my face," she shrugged, "but maybe that's it. If they were unable to detect our conversation, we can make something up..."
Kara was going a certain direction with this, though she wasn't sure how she'd put it in words. Her plan would implicate him, not that he wasn't already a target due to his status. "Maybe I can lie and say that you coerced me to walk with you, and that you told me to act normal and avoid capture otherwise you'd hurt me." She stopped with a sigh. "It sounds bad, I know. But if I go back and they interrogate me and I don't have anything to answer for my actions, I'm done."
She waited for his response, hoping he'd see her point despite the idea being selfish in nature.
Kara took the words right out of his mouth and he was thankful for that. “I was thinking about that,” his voice was low and filled with honesty. He shouldn’t have stated such a thing for her to follow him in the first place. Shaking his head at himself, he was disappointed, and his thoughts were running wild with what ifs and solutions.
“It’s not bad,” his tone seemed a little defensive when he argued with her feeling bad, if she did. “You’re protecting yourself and it’s not like I have a place in society. You are not affecting my life like I am affecting yours at the moment,” it might sound horrible but it was true — Dwellers and burrowers were not individuals who were welcomed in society or in the walls of Dominion at all. He was playing dangerous games by coming into the city.
She scoffed jokingly, her mood changing for the better now that he had agreed. "You can't blame yourself when I was the one who bumped into you and set of this chain of events... I even went as far as following you to give you back your broken shades," she added matter-of-factly. When Pilka talked down on himself, her voice grew defensive. "Don't say that. You seem as civilized as the rest of us; at the very least, you deserve respect, and that means being able to freely roam wherever you please like the rest of us."
Kara wasn't sure how she was suddenly defending dwellers like him, but maybe it was the fact that interacting with one had challenged the very same stereotype she thought to be true, at least to an extent.
Stopping as he was thinking, that was when he began to feel vibrations all around them, “Stick to the wall,” he encouraged her by guiding her right against the wall and away from the drop off. Looking over the edge for a second, he noticed it went from about twenty feet to what appeared to be an already formed crack into the earth, and he didn’t press himself up against the wall at all.
“If you do not mind getting dirty or having scratches on you. I can make it look like I attacked you,” he honestly wanted to bring that up when they continued to go into the darkness but he felt off with making such statements or asking such questions.
"Fun fact, I've never been in a fight," Kara went on, her fingers loosely tracing the wall they were walking next to. "I know it's going to hurt but I think you should give me a black eye—it's crazy I know but I want to make my lie as authentic as possible." She waited for his response, hoping he'd agree. If not, then she would have to persuade him, but something told her there wouldn't be any pushbacks from him. This was, after all, helping her avoid the fallout later on. Or so, that's what she hoped...
His mind flooded with questions, statements, and everything else that could appear after such a question. Kara might not be able to see him though he was looking at her like she had completely lost her mind. She wanted him to punch her and give her a black eye… It was for the better, indeed, since it would be more convincing but how could she want that? He swallowed dryly, “I’ll think about it,” he sounded conflicted as if he had a moral code that was telling him no while another part of him was reminding him it was for her safety. If he didn’t, she could lose everything, and worse… be prisoned or something.
She nodded her head, "That's fair, thank you." And it really was. Her request was not one some people would feel comfortable granting, that much she could acknowledge. She herself wasn't obviously looking forward to it neither, but it was something she needed, and her focus now was the future, or at least, making sure she didn't mess it up for herself. Herself and her family, of course... Goodness knows how they would deal with the news. "Your daughter was caught aiding and abetting a dweller." Kara could predict her mom fainting and her brother trying to make sense of it all.
That was when the earth started to shake terribly and he held his arms out to balance. The trembles were severe and he hooked himself into the ceiling above while putting one hand on Kara so she wouldn’t move away from the wall. In the distance it sounded like rocks were falling and crashing, the echoes booming, and then a crushing sound could be heard before the ground started moving. So many noises could be heard from the earth shifting.
She gasped, getting her footing right as if she were bracing for the worst. "What is that?!" It was a hypothetical question of course as the shaking was bad enough to make it more than obvious. Are we safe here? she wondered to herself, never being this far out within city limits. Kara placed her free hand on his arm, solely using him for balance. "Can we go somewhere safe?" her voice was urgent, and a little louder than before.
”Tunnelers,” he spat out with a distaste — the Dominion government would always be quick to say these trembles, no matter how long or short, were due to earthquakes. However, people on the outside knew better. These vibrations throughout the earth were due to the massive fauna that the outsiders called Tunnelers. The gigantic creatures were not an issue except for causing the ground to shake and making holes that went on for miles and miles, sometimes straight down, so you always had to watch your step.
The biggest issue with tunnelers was they were an omnivore species and it was not the adults that were concerning. It was the nest of babies that they would have. Falling into a nest was a death wish. “You are safe,” Pilka replied with such certainty that his slight lie might be convincing. She was as safe as he could manage her being safe.
At the mention of the Tunnelers, Kara recalled one of the lessons from a long time ago. They touched briefly on their existence, but didn’t provide any additional information beyond a few facts. And surely no mention of them being the cause of these earthquakes. The same earthquakes that had always been a naturally occurring phenomenon, according to them. The same earthquakes that were somehow much stronger out here, but never had the same level of intensity in the middle of the city.
Looking around, he didn’t want to chance moving her and her falling to her death or something, so he wasn’t sure about moving at all. That was when Pilka made a few odd noises and seemed to fall silent. Listening. His voice echoed throughout the area and he shook his head. “What would you suggest is safe? Going to my home or returning you somewhere else in the city?” His home was safe for him but that meant moving down more and going up an old sewer way with a rusty ladder that could be dangerous. Going into the city was not safe for him and he hadn’t beat the girl up yet — God that thought made him feel a bit sick. She didn’t deserve what was going to happen to her. Not by him or by the authorities but he knew he had to hurt her.
"No no, we can't go back there yet, not until..." she stopped, not saying the words they were both thinking. "If it's okay with you, let's wait for a while at your home. Then we can go ahead with the plans." Pilka still hadn't given her a definite answer, but he didn't need to. She'd inflict some form of damage on herself if she had to, but she wouldn't go back home unscathed.
A distasteful groan could be heard from the man, “I know…” his voice sounded less than thrilled about the thought. “Not until I hurt you.” that statement made him feel sick. Actually vocalizing that he was going to have to do that though it helped ease him a little as well. Most burrowers, dwellers, and scavengers wouldn’t think twice about hurting someone else for a variety of reasons — more money, security, safety, making sure no one knew where they lived, another meal on the table, or so on. Pilka understood how hard life could be out here but he had met quite a few that were like him as well, individuals that didn’t care for needless violence, but was this near-future violence so needless? His eyes focused on Kara at the thought. If the government, specifically the Crystalline council thought she was befriending people outside of the city, and plotting or anything of the like. The damage that he would have to do to her for them to not think that would be incomparable to the horrors that he’s heard from survivors or runaways.
Without another word, Pilka led Kara through multiple tunnel ways before they got to the old sewer shaft, and he purposefully went after her just in case she fell or anything. Luckily, she was light enough that nothing seemed to be irritated by her presence or weight. They emerged into an old sewer system which didn’t smell that bad except for how dusty and mildewy it was. The air was a bit thicker too with a slightly bad after taste.
Leading her down a tunnel that seemed to be very unoccupied or messed with, spiderwebs, dusty, and everything that said people didn’t come down this way. There were bugs crawling everywhere and trying to escape the movements. Luckily for Kara, the sewers had artificial lights, but the deeper they went the less light there was.
That was when Pilka began to move some stuff, things fell, and it sounded like a mess and he used his weight to open the door in almost a painfully slow way before he coughed a bit. Waving the allergens away from him and going into the vaulted area, at first he turned around, and realized… Kara couldn’t see. That was when he leaned over and turned the light on. Nothing happened at first. Then an electrical buzzing could be heard and it sounded painfully old before lights began to slowly dim and brighten up with time.
An area that was an old maintenance room of good size, different levels, ladders, and a bunch of junk. It almost looked like a storage unit. Things that were new, broken, and being repaired. However, the floors were spotless, and everything was almost meticulously kept. Barely any dust. Everything seemed decently organized. There might have been a lot of stuff though Pilka’s home was not filthy or disgusting.
He walked around the big center table to grab something, “I would try to be a good host but I doubt I have anything that you would care to even touch,” he joked. It was somewhat true though in the back part of his house, where he slept and spent most of his time resting were decent options — an older coffee machine with actual bagged coffee, washed cups, and a few areas to store food. However, he knew the items that he got were probably ugly in the sense of everything that was fresh on the shelves in Dominion. While he moved around, he seemed to have a little bit of anxiety with his movements, and he continued to tidy up slightly. Moving things to look better and so on without even thinking too much of it.
As they continued to go deeper and deeper, Pilka remembered that people like Kara could not see in the dark without tools to help them — flashlights and things. He stopped in his tracks and looked around, immediately to the left of them was probably a twenty foot drop, and the man realized how dangerous it was for her to be blindly following him. “Do you have anything on you? To help you see?” his voice stayed low as if he was making sure no one could hear them. This was a habit from living in the tunnels and the caverns – you never knew what was roaming around. Be it the cult or the creatures dwelling in their natural habitat.
“If not,” he began before he stopped talking as he heard a few things fall in the distance. Their light echoes telling him that it was a few small things, probably pebbles or the like, and most likely from natural shifts or drafts. “You can hold on to me until we get somewhere safer.” he added once he felt like there was no danger around. There was still danger in the cities especially in all the nooks and crannies.
She thought on his question for a moment, quickly realizing the contents of her small bag didn’t include a light to help illuminate her path.”I do not, sorry." Kara slowly inched forward, holding her arm out in front of her until her hand came in contact with his shoulder. She stood still for a moment, waiting for him to move.
”So, where are we going?" Kara was a little nervous if she was being honest with herself, mainly because she was out of her element and there was some vulnerability to that alone. That and she was completely enveloped in darkness while a stranger guided her further away from the light.
A stranger... It suddenly dawned on her.
”I’m Kara, by the way. What’s your name?"
There was a naturalness to how his body tensed when Kara touched him, he wasn't expecting her to reach out and grab his shoulder, but he instantly settled down. Being a hermit meant there was not a lot of physical touch for him and when there was… it was bad. Fighting off creatures of the caverns and darkness or fighting off scavengers and lowlives. An internal thought pressed him to ease his body though he would stay alert and cautious, “I don’t have anything either, sorry,” the man added because he didn’t ever think to bring flashlights or lights or whatnot on him. He didn’t really need them.
“Well…” he began as if he had to think about where they were going. “I actually don’t know where any of this leads to and I doubt you would want to go outside of the city,” he spoke as if he was having external thoughts more than a conversation. Looking around, he mumbled something to himself, “I would go home, though you leaving the walls might put you in a lot of danger. You are practically as useful as a baby outside,” he chuckled at his words, finding them amusing, and continued to move forward. Looking for ways to possibly climb down or higher or get Kara somewhere safer.
Then he stopped when she introduced herself and he looked back at her, the faint bits of light that came from behind them, and it caused his eyes to gleam in the darkness. Similar to eyes that she might have seen before except a little more eerie — stray cats. “How rude of me, I forgot to introduce myself. I must be getting old,” he held out a hand to shake her free hand. “I am Pilka, nothing more,” he added as his longer spider-like fingers wrapped around her free hand and shook it. His hands were gloved for obvious reasons since he was trying to hide who he was from civilization. Letting go of her hand, he began to move again. “Kara, that is a pretty name.”
She shook his hand briefly before letting go. It was different, but not unexpected. He wasn't, after all, as "human" as her. Horrible as it sounded, it was only the truth.
"Thank you," she added in response, saying his name in her head. "Yours is unique, can't say I've heard it before." Small talk aside, Kara was uncertain and a little anxious over what he had said moments before. They were in hiding for now on these city outskirts, but she would eventually have to go back. Go back home. Go back to her family... "Pilka, we need a plan," she finally spoke up after a few moments of working it out in her head. "When I go back, I'm gonna need a cover story, a reason as to why I ran away from those officers."
“It’s an orphans name, nothing unique,” he said a little too quickly before realizing that she was probably decades younger than him and he chuckled to himself. “Thank you,” he decided to cut off everything else that was on his mind and what he wanted to say about the name. It was popular amongst orphan boys when he was younger. It was similar to when people decided to all name their kids Lee or Olivia.
She stood still, unable to read his facial expressions which was slightly frustrating to say the least. "They've got my face," she shrugged, "but maybe that's it. If they were unable to detect our conversation, we can make something up..."
Kara was going a certain direction with this, though she wasn't sure how she'd put it in words. Her plan would implicate him, not that he wasn't already a target due to his status. "Maybe I can lie and say that you coerced me to walk with you, and that you told me to act normal and avoid capture otherwise you'd hurt me." She stopped with a sigh. "It sounds bad, I know. But if I go back and they interrogate me and I don't have anything to answer for my actions, I'm done."
She waited for his response, hoping he'd see her point despite the idea being selfish in nature.
Kara took the words right out of his mouth and he was thankful for that. “I was thinking about that,” his voice was low and filled with honesty. He shouldn’t have stated such a thing for her to follow him in the first place. Shaking his head at himself, he was disappointed, and his thoughts were running wild with what ifs and solutions.
“It’s not bad,” his tone seemed a little defensive when he argued with her feeling bad, if she did. “You’re protecting yourself and it’s not like I have a place in society. You are not affecting my life like I am affecting yours at the moment,” it might sound horrible but it was true — Dwellers and burrowers were not individuals who were welcomed in society or in the walls of Dominion at all. He was playing dangerous games by coming into the city.
She scoffed jokingly, her mood changing for the better now that he had agreed. "You can't blame yourself when I was the one who bumped into you and set of this chain of events... I even went as far as following you to give you back your broken shades," she added matter-of-factly. When Pilka talked down on himself, her voice grew defensive. "Don't say that. You seem as civilized as the rest of us; at the very least, you deserve respect, and that means being able to freely roam wherever you please like the rest of us."
Kara wasn't sure how she was suddenly defending dwellers like him, but maybe it was the fact that interacting with one had challenged the very same stereotype she thought to be true, at least to an extent.
Stopping as he was thinking, that was when he began to feel vibrations all around them, “Stick to the wall,” he encouraged her by guiding her right against the wall and away from the drop off. Looking over the edge for a second, he noticed it went from about twenty feet to what appeared to be an already formed crack into the earth, and he didn’t press himself up against the wall at all.
“If you do not mind getting dirty or having scratches on you. I can make it look like I attacked you,” he honestly wanted to bring that up when they continued to go into the darkness but he felt off with making such statements or asking such questions.
"Fun fact, I've never been in a fight," Kara went on, her fingers loosely tracing the wall they were walking next to. "I know it's going to hurt but I think you should give me a black eye—it's crazy I know but I want to make my lie as authentic as possible." She waited for his response, hoping he'd agree. If not, then she would have to persuade him, but something told her there wouldn't be any pushbacks from him. This was, after all, helping her avoid the fallout later on. Or so, that's what she hoped...
His mind flooded with questions, statements, and everything else that could appear after such a question. Kara might not be able to see him though he was looking at her like she had completely lost her mind. She wanted him to punch her and give her a black eye… It was for the better, indeed, since it would be more convincing but how could she want that? He swallowed dryly, “I’ll think about it,” he sounded conflicted as if he had a moral code that was telling him no while another part of him was reminding him it was for her safety. If he didn’t, she could lose everything, and worse… be prisoned or something.
She nodded her head, "That's fair, thank you." And it really was. Her request was not one some people would feel comfortable granting, that much she could acknowledge. She herself wasn't obviously looking forward to it neither, but it was something she needed, and her focus now was the future, or at least, making sure she didn't mess it up for herself. Herself and her family, of course... Goodness knows how they would deal with the news. "Your daughter was caught aiding and abetting a dweller." Kara could predict her mom fainting and her brother trying to make sense of it all.
That was when the earth started to shake terribly and he held his arms out to balance. The trembles were severe and he hooked himself into the ceiling above while putting one hand on Kara so she wouldn’t move away from the wall. In the distance it sounded like rocks were falling and crashing, the echoes booming, and then a crushing sound could be heard before the ground started moving. So many noises could be heard from the earth shifting.
She gasped, getting her footing right as if she were bracing for the worst. "What is that?!" It was a hypothetical question of course as the shaking was bad enough to make it more than obvious. Are we safe here? she wondered to herself, never being this far out within city limits. Kara placed her free hand on his arm, solely using him for balance. "Can we go somewhere safe?" her voice was urgent, and a little louder than before.
”Tunnelers,” he spat out with a distaste — the Dominion government would always be quick to say these trembles, no matter how long or short, were due to earthquakes. However, people on the outside knew better. These vibrations throughout the earth were due to the massive fauna that the outsiders called Tunnelers. The gigantic creatures were not an issue except for causing the ground to shake and making holes that went on for miles and miles, sometimes straight down, so you always had to watch your step.
The biggest issue with tunnelers was they were an omnivore species and it was not the adults that were concerning. It was the nest of babies that they would have. Falling into a nest was a death wish. “You are safe,” Pilka replied with such certainty that his slight lie might be convincing. She was as safe as he could manage her being safe.
At the mention of the Tunnelers, Kara recalled one of the lessons from a long time ago. They touched briefly on their existence, but didn’t provide any additional information beyond a few facts. And surely no mention of them being the cause of these earthquakes. The same earthquakes that had always been a naturally occurring phenomenon, according to them. The same earthquakes that were somehow much stronger out here, but never had the same level of intensity in the middle of the city.
Looking around, he didn’t want to chance moving her and her falling to her death or something, so he wasn’t sure about moving at all. That was when Pilka made a few odd noises and seemed to fall silent. Listening. His voice echoed throughout the area and he shook his head. “What would you suggest is safe? Going to my home or returning you somewhere else in the city?” His home was safe for him but that meant moving down more and going up an old sewer way with a rusty ladder that could be dangerous. Going into the city was not safe for him and he hadn’t beat the girl up yet — God that thought made him feel a bit sick. She didn’t deserve what was going to happen to her. Not by him or by the authorities but he knew he had to hurt her.
"No no, we can't go back there yet, not until..." she stopped, not saying the words they were both thinking. "If it's okay with you, let's wait for a while at your home. Then we can go ahead with the plans." Pilka still hadn't given her a definite answer, but he didn't need to. She'd inflict some form of damage on herself if she had to, but she wouldn't go back home unscathed.
A distasteful groan could be heard from the man, “I know…” his voice sounded less than thrilled about the thought. “Not until I hurt you.” that statement made him feel sick. Actually vocalizing that he was going to have to do that though it helped ease him a little as well. Most burrowers, dwellers, and scavengers wouldn’t think twice about hurting someone else for a variety of reasons — more money, security, safety, making sure no one knew where they lived, another meal on the table, or so on. Pilka understood how hard life could be out here but he had met quite a few that were like him as well, individuals that didn’t care for needless violence, but was this near-future violence so needless? His eyes focused on Kara at the thought. If the government, specifically the Crystalline council thought she was befriending people outside of the city, and plotting or anything of the like. The damage that he would have to do to her for them to not think that would be incomparable to the horrors that he’s heard from survivors or runaways.
Without another word, Pilka led Kara through multiple tunnel ways before they got to the old sewer shaft, and he purposefully went after her just in case she fell or anything. Luckily, she was light enough that nothing seemed to be irritated by her presence or weight. They emerged into an old sewer system which didn’t smell that bad except for how dusty and mildewy it was. The air was a bit thicker too with a slightly bad after taste.
Leading her down a tunnel that seemed to be very unoccupied or messed with, spiderwebs, dusty, and everything that said people didn’t come down this way. There were bugs crawling everywhere and trying to escape the movements. Luckily for Kara, the sewers had artificial lights, but the deeper they went the less light there was.
That was when Pilka began to move some stuff, things fell, and it sounded like a mess and he used his weight to open the door in almost a painfully slow way before he coughed a bit. Waving the allergens away from him and going into the vaulted area, at first he turned around, and realized… Kara couldn’t see. That was when he leaned over and turned the light on. Nothing happened at first. Then an electrical buzzing could be heard and it sounded painfully old before lights began to slowly dim and brighten up with time.
An area that was an old maintenance room of good size, different levels, ladders, and a bunch of junk. It almost looked like a storage unit. Things that were new, broken, and being repaired. However, the floors were spotless, and everything was almost meticulously kept. Barely any dust. Everything seemed decently organized. There might have been a lot of stuff though Pilka’s home was not filthy or disgusting.
He walked around the big center table to grab something, “I would try to be a good host but I doubt I have anything that you would care to even touch,” he joked. It was somewhat true though in the back part of his house, where he slept and spent most of his time resting were decent options — an older coffee machine with actual bagged coffee, washed cups, and a few areas to store food. However, he knew the items that he got were probably ugly in the sense of everything that was fresh on the shelves in Dominion. While he moved around, he seemed to have a little bit of anxiety with his movements, and he continued to tidy up slightly. Moving things to look better and so on without even thinking too much of it.
Interested too!
<Snipped quote by Xandrya>
I'm working on a 1940s zombie rp if you wanna join that when it's done.
I'll check it out when you publish it.
The following post is a collaboration between @The Savant and myself.
The morning was nothing spectacular as the older man pushed what felt like a stuck or locked door open. Leaving the dripping leaks of the ancient sewer way. Going into the dry and settled air, Pilka closed the door behind him and locked it, so no one could follow him in. The only reason he was outside of his little secretive home was to get a few things to eat and breakfast along with a few more items. Nothing special. Just regular everyday items that one might need — a toothbrush, some toothpaste, fabrics to patch and make more clothes, and some other things.
Flicking the lights on, everything paused for a moment before the sound of electricity buzzed up the walls and the lights struggled to come on because of the old wiring. A few of them flashed off and on before settling at a dimer light. Others started dimly before they brightened up. Leaving uneven shadows throughout the whole area while he moved over to press a button on a standard remote and a screen flashed on. Instantly showing the Crystalline Council’s insignia and he wondered what was happening once again.
The T.V. was somewhat static-ridden and not the clearest picture especially to him. He had to rely more on his hearing than focus on the T.V. which hurt his eyes more than anything else. Sometimes he wondered why he even turned it on but the sound of it was better than the loudness of nothing. Slowly going around and organizing all his items that he brought into his hideaway, Pilka wandered around before he sat down on the cot-like bed. It was comfortable. Better than being in some cave somewhere plus he had the last twenty-ish years to make this place his which he has done.
Listening to the broadcasting only left him thinking of how bad of a state Dominion was in. Looking up towards the ceiling, he thought about what was on the surface. When he was younger, he tried a few times to open the ancient, vaulted doors but nothing happened, and long ago he decided that it was a lost cause to continue attempting to get to the surface. Maybe it was ruined and dangerous. Who would know? Probably no one. Those vaulted doors wouldn’t budge, no matter what you would do, and plenty of others tried to open them and failed.
Then a curiosity came over him, he wanted to know, how badly Dominion was now. Was it similar to the outrage that happened decades ago when they were kicking burrowers and dwellers out of the city. Plenty of people died due to those events – dwellers, burrowers, and regulars alike.
“I’m sorry!” hearing those words while being jostled forward was a surprise to him. It knocked off the old shades that he found around his place and his eyes and skin were revealed even more. At least the hood stayed up to hide his presence though he felt a pang of anxiety go through him as he heard a crunch. His hand reacted way too slow to even grab those shades as he stared at them for a few seconds.
That was when Pilka stood up tall and turned around, knowing he had to interact with whoever was behind him, and he was hoping they would freeze from his appearance instead of calling the authorities or even lashing out at him. “No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have been standing there,” came out naturally since he knew he shouldn’t be in the cities of Dominion at all though he found himself so curious about seeing the state of things for himself. It would help him understand the situation and where the other burrowers, dwellers, and regulars who lived outside of the cities could possibly find themselves.
Pilka was standing tall and his blind-like eyes were looking right at Kara. He looked blind but any keen eye would notice how his eyes moved — he could see perfectly fine or at least as fine as he possibly could. Seeing Kara in front of him, she was gray for the most part, but her core was red before it faded outwards to orange to show how warm she was.
However, he appeared to be an older man in his forties, though his skin was similar to the color of the cave walls. It was very apparent by the silver-translucency of his hair as well that he was a burrower or dweller. His voice was deeper and somewhat raspy though that might be from his times in the mines and how that affected his lungs and their development.
“Please, it’s all on...me.”
Kara was not expecting a dweller/burrower to turn around. His height alone was slightly intimidating, but his posture was not threatening. It was rude to stare, though she couldn’t not look at his features. The gray skin, the white hair, and his eyes... They were haunting, but not in that sense per se. No, those eyes immediately told her he’d endured a past of hardship and pain. And boy, did she continue to stare.
But moments later she finally snapped out of it. “You shouldn’t be here."
It might have been a subtle shift though it said more than words. His whole body seemed to tense under such a statement — defensively. Not threateningly. It almost appeared as if he was considering his escape routes and where to go from there. His eyes gently tried to act like they were not moving around to find the best route away from her or the others around him. A natural response to possible danger.
Her statement wasn’t accusatory in nature. On the contrary, her voice was laced with concern, surprising herself even. "Do you know what’s beyond those doors? If an officer catches you here, you'll be detained for a list of things. The security detail is too close," Kara motioned to the uniformed men and women standing above the crowd scanning the wave of people for any potential threats.
Then her second statement was what seemed to get him to focus on the doors. “I wasn’t planning on going through those doors,” his tone was even and honest. He had no plans to go through those doors and he was somewhat on the outside of the roaring crowd. His moonlit eyes looked back to her, “I just wanted to see how badly the riots were. If they compared to when people like I were cast out from Dominion’s walls,” he sounded civil for the most part. Most people that held an education had all gone through a course about burrowers and dwellers — those videos only showing the native tongues that they speak in. Not that they can talk in the common tongue like Kara and Pilka were doing with each other at the moment.
"I wasn't implying that..." she shook her head slightly, feeling the need to clarify herself. "This is a heavily guarded location, and now with these riots, they're acting more cautious than before." The idea that an individual like him was shunned and made to fend for himself was disheartening. Yes, Kara had gone over the history, and she had looked at the images but this was the first time she'd come across someone like him, someone who didn't fully fit the mold of a burrower. In that moment, she felt she owed him something. What that was exactly, she didn't know, but the fact that he showed more humanity than some people she knew in these few seconds they'd been interacting said a lot about them.
Pilka decided that he had overstayed his welcome at the moment and he began to move. It wasn’t quick movements but he began walking away from the crowd. He didn’t have his sunglasses on anymore so people would notice his eyes and skin coloration easier. The disguise was not perfect but most of the time when you had something covering your mouth, eyes, and a hood. Most people read it as shadows were misplacing the details of a person so that allowed him to go through Dominion at times especially into the Gray Market to get stuff.
As he began to walk away, she noticed the broken glasses that lay on the ground where he used to stand. It didn't take long for her to put two and two together. His skin was easier to hide underneath the layers of clothes but his eyes...there was practically nothing to hide that. Kara took a step forward and reached down to pick them up, seeing the damage the frame had sustained. The bridge was nearly cracked all the way, but at least they were salvageable. "Hey, wait! I can fix these for you if you'd like." Kara rushed to his side, meeting his pace.
Hearing someone come up next to him caused his eyes to glance, it was the woman, and he was a little surprised that she was doing whatever she was doing. Pilka shook his head lightly in the negative, “They are not that big of a deal,” he reached out and grabbed the broken glasses. “I appreciate the offer but I found them up in the tunnels when scavenging. There are probably a hundred or more pairs to find up there,” he chuckled lightly at the thought but it was true. All of the ancient and current day items that were discarded and moved around by flood waters and everything else could be found in the upper tunnels or all over the caverns.
The logic was there. Of course he knew to have a pair of shades in hand or at least know where to find them. Given the sight of dwellers and burrowers evolved over time, she can only imagine how uncomfortable it must feel to be in a well-lit place. That, and they also helped conceal his features, which was a most if he wandered into town. Kara then wondered how often he visited, or whether he had any legitimate business here.
“Also, aren’t you supposed to be calling the authorities by now? Isn’t that the law currently or has that changed?” This was more of an external question to himself because he remembered how heavy handed the authorities were with burrowers and dwellers in Dominion — decades after ostracizing them. People might have not been reminded of the heavier and punishable laws they had against them entering the city plus the majority of individuals that were in their twenties or younger probably have never seen a burrower or dweller, not even on film.
"Yes, technically, I should have called it in. But..." Kara shrugged her shoulders, thinking on that for a moment. "You're not causing a disturbance, and had it not been for my inability to watch my step, I would have been none the wiser as to your presence." Her face grew slightly concerned. If she happened to be caught interacting with him, and there weren't reports on record, then she would get into trouble, and very possibly face termination from her job.
Examining the glasses in his hand, he folded them up which had a crunchy sound to it, and he put it into his coat pocket. There was no reason to waste the young girl’s time when he could find another pair though he didn’t assume he would be coming into the city anytime soon. “And you don’t seem very fearful of me either.”
"Oddly enough, I'm more scared of them than I am of you." The statement was more a thought of hers that happened to be said out loud. The whispers, the rumors... Secrets that were discussed in extreme privacy that made her question certain things. But the lack of proof kept her grounded. She still went to work, enjoyed actually doing her job, and went home. Beyond that, Kara didn't know anything else. "Well, that's to an extent," she attempted to backtrack. "I like to judge an individual based on their actions alone, not on the actions of the whole, if that makes sense."
His eyes glanced towards the woman as she spoke and a crack in his armor happened, a gentle smile, but he knew he had to be careful. Being in the city and around people who were deemed “normal” could still be dangerous even if they were being nice. For some reason, he felt like he wasn’t in any danger with the woman beside him, but he could detect the cameras all around them.
Pilka glanced around with the nod of his head as if he made a decision internally, “Then you must be aware that there are technologies all over Dominion recording us at the moment,” It was a good thing that his hood was up and that he had gloves on though he knew the devices had most likely caught bits and pieces of him. He continued to walk.
A slight nod of acceptance. She was a citizen of Dominion, but that didn’t mean there weren’t setbacks. The constant surveillance was something she wasn’t thrilled about when first learning about it, but right now, there were multiple riots happening simultaneously, and surely the Council diverted most of its resources to properly handle the situation. Or that’s what she assumed at least.
“And you have a right to be scared of them though I don’t want them hearing you say that. You’ll get in trouble and I am no one to get in trouble over,” he chuckled lightly. “They aren’t any better than what they were decades ago,” he sighed. A stranger opening up so quickly like this exposed to him that the people who ran Dominion might be worse than what they were twenty or thirty years ago. Then he heard a noise and glanced over his shoulder — they left right in time.
Pilka was standing by Kara and they were about four hundred feet away from the rioting crowd when the noise caught his attention — safety and peace officers were using their batons, shields, and even tasers to stop whatever was happening. That was when a few other officers were beginning to walk up to people who were around the crowd and one looked to be heading towards them. He looked back at Kara,”I would say this is where we depart though I don’t think you would enjoy speaking to that officer heading towards us, would you?” He wondered while glancing around for immediate areas to escape in. “Ah, there we go, follow me,” Pilka didn’t wait as he hurried to two buildings and began moving through a narrow passage between them. One where you have to move sideways through it instead of walking down it like a hallway.
That was when the safety and peace officer looked confused, “Halt there!” He called after Pilka who was already sliding in between the buildings with too much ease as if he had done it before even though he didn’t look like he would totally fit — meaning it was even easier for Kara to fit into such a space.
She followed his gaze, and her eyes widened upon realizing what was happening. Kara’s pulse began to race, and she turned to him for a moment, though she wasn’t really listening as he spoke. Instead, she had flashes of what would occur to her once caught, from the initial apprehension all the way to lock-up, or worse... But then the man took off, and she snapped out of it. Kara looked back at the officers gaining on her, and in a split-second decision, she rushed to follow him.
The buildings left barely any space between them, but Kara went in sideways and tried to move as efficiently as she possibly could, and that’s when she heard it... ”Deploying taser!"
There was no time to react. The prongs caught her shoulder blade and instantly delivered jolts of electricity. Kara cried out, her body tensing from the shock as she lost all control and fell forward. However, the walls on either side of her being so close together prevented her from hitting the ground. She was stuck, those five seconds feeling like a lifetime. But then it was over, and it was as if nothing happened. No pain, nothing. Kara worked herself upright before any more damage was inflicted on her.
When he heard the officers yell out deploying taser, he glanced back, and watched as Kara seemed to be in pain. He had never been hit by a taser but he doubted it was any fun which is why he started climbing — not to leave Kara — though to get over her. Easily maneuvering up the wall, one of the guards tried reaching out for the girl and the bottom of his shoe pressed right onto their head and primarily on their face before a weighty kick caused them to fall back into the other officer.
The officer that fell back and caught his comrade looked horrified, “Oh god! What is that!?” it was a younger officer that seemed terrified and looked at Pilka like he was a monster. From the movements, his hood was down, and his facial characteristics were exposed. This seemed to freeze the officers from getting back up. Shocked and surprised.
Pilka climbed through the buildings before realizing there was a ledge and bending down to pick up Kara like she was a feather. Using the back of her shirt to hoist her up without a struggle, “Up you go,” he stated while getting her to where she could grab the edge and climb onto the safe area. Off the ground. Away from potential officers.
A shadow gliding over her, as swift as a river current. She turned around to witness her acquaintance outmaneuver the officers, their faces mostly surprised, but slightly terrified too. He then began ascending up the walls, and before Kara could have a chance to brace herself, she was being pulled up off the ground. ”Hey!"
He got onto the edge and looked around, “Come on,” Pilka began to move in the dimmed area and heading towards darkness like he could see perfectly.
Once Kara had her footing, she looked down below. ”Two suspects—one male and one female. The male... He was on the move again, asking her to follow him. And as Kara did just that, the voice below faded.
She breathed a sigh of relief, which was much welcomed after such close encounter. She did however have to slow down as the farther away she got from the danger, the more strained her vision grew. Goodness only knew where he was leading her.
The morning was nothing spectacular as the older man pushed what felt like a stuck or locked door open. Leaving the dripping leaks of the ancient sewer way. Going into the dry and settled air, Pilka closed the door behind him and locked it, so no one could follow him in. The only reason he was outside of his little secretive home was to get a few things to eat and breakfast along with a few more items. Nothing special. Just regular everyday items that one might need — a toothbrush, some toothpaste, fabrics to patch and make more clothes, and some other things.
Flicking the lights on, everything paused for a moment before the sound of electricity buzzed up the walls and the lights struggled to come on because of the old wiring. A few of them flashed off and on before settling at a dimer light. Others started dimly before they brightened up. Leaving uneven shadows throughout the whole area while he moved over to press a button on a standard remote and a screen flashed on. Instantly showing the Crystalline Council’s insignia and he wondered what was happening once again.
The T.V. was somewhat static-ridden and not the clearest picture especially to him. He had to rely more on his hearing than focus on the T.V. which hurt his eyes more than anything else. Sometimes he wondered why he even turned it on but the sound of it was better than the loudness of nothing. Slowly going around and organizing all his items that he brought into his hideaway, Pilka wandered around before he sat down on the cot-like bed. It was comfortable. Better than being in some cave somewhere plus he had the last twenty-ish years to make this place his which he has done.
Listening to the broadcasting only left him thinking of how bad of a state Dominion was in. Looking up towards the ceiling, he thought about what was on the surface. When he was younger, he tried a few times to open the ancient, vaulted doors but nothing happened, and long ago he decided that it was a lost cause to continue attempting to get to the surface. Maybe it was ruined and dangerous. Who would know? Probably no one. Those vaulted doors wouldn’t budge, no matter what you would do, and plenty of others tried to open them and failed.
Then a curiosity came over him, he wanted to know, how badly Dominion was now. Was it similar to the outrage that happened decades ago when they were kicking burrowers and dwellers out of the city. Plenty of people died due to those events – dwellers, burrowers, and regulars alike.
“I’m sorry!” hearing those words while being jostled forward was a surprise to him. It knocked off the old shades that he found around his place and his eyes and skin were revealed even more. At least the hood stayed up to hide his presence though he felt a pang of anxiety go through him as he heard a crunch. His hand reacted way too slow to even grab those shades as he stared at them for a few seconds.
That was when Pilka stood up tall and turned around, knowing he had to interact with whoever was behind him, and he was hoping they would freeze from his appearance instead of calling the authorities or even lashing out at him. “No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have been standing there,” came out naturally since he knew he shouldn’t be in the cities of Dominion at all though he found himself so curious about seeing the state of things for himself. It would help him understand the situation and where the other burrowers, dwellers, and regulars who lived outside of the cities could possibly find themselves.
Pilka was standing tall and his blind-like eyes were looking right at Kara. He looked blind but any keen eye would notice how his eyes moved — he could see perfectly fine or at least as fine as he possibly could. Seeing Kara in front of him, she was gray for the most part, but her core was red before it faded outwards to orange to show how warm she was.
However, he appeared to be an older man in his forties, though his skin was similar to the color of the cave walls. It was very apparent by the silver-translucency of his hair as well that he was a burrower or dweller. His voice was deeper and somewhat raspy though that might be from his times in the mines and how that affected his lungs and their development.
“Please, it’s all on...me.”
Kara was not expecting a dweller/burrower to turn around. His height alone was slightly intimidating, but his posture was not threatening. It was rude to stare, though she couldn’t not look at his features. The gray skin, the white hair, and his eyes... They were haunting, but not in that sense per se. No, those eyes immediately told her he’d endured a past of hardship and pain. And boy, did she continue to stare.
But moments later she finally snapped out of it. “You shouldn’t be here."
It might have been a subtle shift though it said more than words. His whole body seemed to tense under such a statement — defensively. Not threateningly. It almost appeared as if he was considering his escape routes and where to go from there. His eyes gently tried to act like they were not moving around to find the best route away from her or the others around him. A natural response to possible danger.
Her statement wasn’t accusatory in nature. On the contrary, her voice was laced with concern, surprising herself even. "Do you know what’s beyond those doors? If an officer catches you here, you'll be detained for a list of things. The security detail is too close," Kara motioned to the uniformed men and women standing above the crowd scanning the wave of people for any potential threats.
Then her second statement was what seemed to get him to focus on the doors. “I wasn’t planning on going through those doors,” his tone was even and honest. He had no plans to go through those doors and he was somewhat on the outside of the roaring crowd. His moonlit eyes looked back to her, “I just wanted to see how badly the riots were. If they compared to when people like I were cast out from Dominion’s walls,” he sounded civil for the most part. Most people that held an education had all gone through a course about burrowers and dwellers — those videos only showing the native tongues that they speak in. Not that they can talk in the common tongue like Kara and Pilka were doing with each other at the moment.
"I wasn't implying that..." she shook her head slightly, feeling the need to clarify herself. "This is a heavily guarded location, and now with these riots, they're acting more cautious than before." The idea that an individual like him was shunned and made to fend for himself was disheartening. Yes, Kara had gone over the history, and she had looked at the images but this was the first time she'd come across someone like him, someone who didn't fully fit the mold of a burrower. In that moment, she felt she owed him something. What that was exactly, she didn't know, but the fact that he showed more humanity than some people she knew in these few seconds they'd been interacting said a lot about them.
Pilka decided that he had overstayed his welcome at the moment and he began to move. It wasn’t quick movements but he began walking away from the crowd. He didn’t have his sunglasses on anymore so people would notice his eyes and skin coloration easier. The disguise was not perfect but most of the time when you had something covering your mouth, eyes, and a hood. Most people read it as shadows were misplacing the details of a person so that allowed him to go through Dominion at times especially into the Gray Market to get stuff.
As he began to walk away, she noticed the broken glasses that lay on the ground where he used to stand. It didn't take long for her to put two and two together. His skin was easier to hide underneath the layers of clothes but his eyes...there was practically nothing to hide that. Kara took a step forward and reached down to pick them up, seeing the damage the frame had sustained. The bridge was nearly cracked all the way, but at least they were salvageable. "Hey, wait! I can fix these for you if you'd like." Kara rushed to his side, meeting his pace.
Hearing someone come up next to him caused his eyes to glance, it was the woman, and he was a little surprised that she was doing whatever she was doing. Pilka shook his head lightly in the negative, “They are not that big of a deal,” he reached out and grabbed the broken glasses. “I appreciate the offer but I found them up in the tunnels when scavenging. There are probably a hundred or more pairs to find up there,” he chuckled lightly at the thought but it was true. All of the ancient and current day items that were discarded and moved around by flood waters and everything else could be found in the upper tunnels or all over the caverns.
The logic was there. Of course he knew to have a pair of shades in hand or at least know where to find them. Given the sight of dwellers and burrowers evolved over time, she can only imagine how uncomfortable it must feel to be in a well-lit place. That, and they also helped conceal his features, which was a most if he wandered into town. Kara then wondered how often he visited, or whether he had any legitimate business here.
“Also, aren’t you supposed to be calling the authorities by now? Isn’t that the law currently or has that changed?” This was more of an external question to himself because he remembered how heavy handed the authorities were with burrowers and dwellers in Dominion — decades after ostracizing them. People might have not been reminded of the heavier and punishable laws they had against them entering the city plus the majority of individuals that were in their twenties or younger probably have never seen a burrower or dweller, not even on film.
"Yes, technically, I should have called it in. But..." Kara shrugged her shoulders, thinking on that for a moment. "You're not causing a disturbance, and had it not been for my inability to watch my step, I would have been none the wiser as to your presence." Her face grew slightly concerned. If she happened to be caught interacting with him, and there weren't reports on record, then she would get into trouble, and very possibly face termination from her job.
Examining the glasses in his hand, he folded them up which had a crunchy sound to it, and he put it into his coat pocket. There was no reason to waste the young girl’s time when he could find another pair though he didn’t assume he would be coming into the city anytime soon. “And you don’t seem very fearful of me either.”
"Oddly enough, I'm more scared of them than I am of you." The statement was more a thought of hers that happened to be said out loud. The whispers, the rumors... Secrets that were discussed in extreme privacy that made her question certain things. But the lack of proof kept her grounded. She still went to work, enjoyed actually doing her job, and went home. Beyond that, Kara didn't know anything else. "Well, that's to an extent," she attempted to backtrack. "I like to judge an individual based on their actions alone, not on the actions of the whole, if that makes sense."
His eyes glanced towards the woman as she spoke and a crack in his armor happened, a gentle smile, but he knew he had to be careful. Being in the city and around people who were deemed “normal” could still be dangerous even if they were being nice. For some reason, he felt like he wasn’t in any danger with the woman beside him, but he could detect the cameras all around them.
Pilka glanced around with the nod of his head as if he made a decision internally, “Then you must be aware that there are technologies all over Dominion recording us at the moment,” It was a good thing that his hood was up and that he had gloves on though he knew the devices had most likely caught bits and pieces of him. He continued to walk.
A slight nod of acceptance. She was a citizen of Dominion, but that didn’t mean there weren’t setbacks. The constant surveillance was something she wasn’t thrilled about when first learning about it, but right now, there were multiple riots happening simultaneously, and surely the Council diverted most of its resources to properly handle the situation. Or that’s what she assumed at least.
“And you have a right to be scared of them though I don’t want them hearing you say that. You’ll get in trouble and I am no one to get in trouble over,” he chuckled lightly. “They aren’t any better than what they were decades ago,” he sighed. A stranger opening up so quickly like this exposed to him that the people who ran Dominion might be worse than what they were twenty or thirty years ago. Then he heard a noise and glanced over his shoulder — they left right in time.
Pilka was standing by Kara and they were about four hundred feet away from the rioting crowd when the noise caught his attention — safety and peace officers were using their batons, shields, and even tasers to stop whatever was happening. That was when a few other officers were beginning to walk up to people who were around the crowd and one looked to be heading towards them. He looked back at Kara,”I would say this is where we depart though I don’t think you would enjoy speaking to that officer heading towards us, would you?” He wondered while glancing around for immediate areas to escape in. “Ah, there we go, follow me,” Pilka didn’t wait as he hurried to two buildings and began moving through a narrow passage between them. One where you have to move sideways through it instead of walking down it like a hallway.
That was when the safety and peace officer looked confused, “Halt there!” He called after Pilka who was already sliding in between the buildings with too much ease as if he had done it before even though he didn’t look like he would totally fit — meaning it was even easier for Kara to fit into such a space.
She followed his gaze, and her eyes widened upon realizing what was happening. Kara’s pulse began to race, and she turned to him for a moment, though she wasn’t really listening as he spoke. Instead, she had flashes of what would occur to her once caught, from the initial apprehension all the way to lock-up, or worse... But then the man took off, and she snapped out of it. Kara looked back at the officers gaining on her, and in a split-second decision, she rushed to follow him.
The buildings left barely any space between them, but Kara went in sideways and tried to move as efficiently as she possibly could, and that’s when she heard it... ”Deploying taser!"
There was no time to react. The prongs caught her shoulder blade and instantly delivered jolts of electricity. Kara cried out, her body tensing from the shock as she lost all control and fell forward. However, the walls on either side of her being so close together prevented her from hitting the ground. She was stuck, those five seconds feeling like a lifetime. But then it was over, and it was as if nothing happened. No pain, nothing. Kara worked herself upright before any more damage was inflicted on her.
When he heard the officers yell out deploying taser, he glanced back, and watched as Kara seemed to be in pain. He had never been hit by a taser but he doubted it was any fun which is why he started climbing — not to leave Kara — though to get over her. Easily maneuvering up the wall, one of the guards tried reaching out for the girl and the bottom of his shoe pressed right onto their head and primarily on their face before a weighty kick caused them to fall back into the other officer.
The officer that fell back and caught his comrade looked horrified, “Oh god! What is that!?” it was a younger officer that seemed terrified and looked at Pilka like he was a monster. From the movements, his hood was down, and his facial characteristics were exposed. This seemed to freeze the officers from getting back up. Shocked and surprised.
Pilka climbed through the buildings before realizing there was a ledge and bending down to pick up Kara like she was a feather. Using the back of her shirt to hoist her up without a struggle, “Up you go,” he stated while getting her to where she could grab the edge and climb onto the safe area. Off the ground. Away from potential officers.
A shadow gliding over her, as swift as a river current. She turned around to witness her acquaintance outmaneuver the officers, their faces mostly surprised, but slightly terrified too. He then began ascending up the walls, and before Kara could have a chance to brace herself, she was being pulled up off the ground. ”Hey!"
He got onto the edge and looked around, “Come on,” Pilka began to move in the dimmed area and heading towards darkness like he could see perfectly.
Once Kara had her footing, she looked down below. ”Two suspects—one male and one female. The male... He was on the move again, asking her to follow him. And as Kara did just that, the voice below faded.
She breathed a sigh of relief, which was much welcomed after such close encounter. She did however have to slow down as the farther away she got from the danger, the more strained her vision grew. Goodness only knew where he was leading her.
@Xandrya Roleplays gonna be shut down since including me, Theres only 2 people.
Was looking forward to it but it makes sense, no worries.
The Last Bell Tolls
JP with @wanderingwolf and @Xandrya
As SAM reported her findings to Cal, he kicked on the ship comms to relay the report to the crew.
“We’re here,” his gruff voice announced with a hint of anticipation. The months that it took to get to this spot had been filled with too many hands of Tall Card, protein-powder-dishes, and one-sided games of hoop-ball (every team Elias and Boone played on always seemed to win) for his taste. Now, finally, hovering above their paydirt, the feeling of being in the saddle again made Cal stand a little taller as switches flipped.
“Yuri has assignments for all crew part of the excavation party. We’ve been through this and the plan is simple: we go down there and suss the situation. If we find what we came here for, we crack open the container and feed up what’s good. We’ll be taking it in shifts. This ain’t new news to any of you, so suit up!” He let go of the comm and shot a look at Boone which said to take them in closer, to the spot SAM had pinged.
“Any idea if it’s intact?” Strand said to the ether.
The Bostonian voice of SAM replied, “There is a sixty-seven percent chance that the exterior hull of the shipping container sustained major damage upon impact, though whether or not the damage penetrated the shipping container’s reinforced alloy, you won’t know until you reach it.” Her voice disappeared for a moment before re-articulating, “‘Til you ‘lay eyes’ on it, Cal.”
The Captain let out a chuckle. He’d been coaching the AI on a more familiar way of speaking; so it didn’t sound so uppity. In truth, it just kept repeating what he said, obviously still unsure of the synonyms. “Keep practicin’. I’m headed to the infirmary.”
With that, Cal tread his way through the halls of his ship until he reached the medbay. With a knock on the open door, he announced his presence to those inside.
Imani had been sitting down with one elbow propped up on the counter as her hand supported her chin. She was deep in thought with her gaze subconsciously fixated on the white finish of the bulkhead. There was a sudden knock, that which startled her back to the present. Imani swiveled around in place, seeing Cal standing by the entrance. She stood and wiped her hands on her slacks, almost out of habit.
“I heard your announcement, Captain.” She had caught on to what he said just a few minutes prior over the intercom, but didn’t get a move on as she should have. “What set of instructions do you have for me?” Her face more on the solemn side rather than joyful.
The tenor of his acting-medic’s voice gave him pause. “Somethin’ on your mind, ‘Doc’?”
Captain Strand was wearing his usual trusted and stained brown leather boots, mauve chinos, wrapped in his carbon fiber gunbelt. The butt of his pistol shone through the holster at his side. The button down shirt Cal wore was buffalo plaid in varying hues of green and brown, and it terminated at a loose unbuttoning around his throat. There was a tired bandana wrapped around his neck, something worn near threadbare by the looks of its freckled white stars on navy blue background. But the look in his eye, that was a touch softer than the rest of his exterior, and those eyes were trained on Imani.
Sure he could rattle off the laundry list he’d been writing in his head for what she could do to pull weight for the job, but something about the way she asked, whether in tone or content, had him on a back foot for a moment. It felt like, and he weren’t much a man of feelings persay, the woman before him might be less than keen on the job ahead, or her role thereabouts.
Cal approached Imani, then leaned on the exam chair. “I gotta minute afore we need to get settled.” He watched the stoic woman for a response before adding, “Or, we can get the boxin’ gloves out if that’s more your shine.”
“Nothin’ of concern, just been thinkin’ on some stuff lately,” she admitted without going into further detail. Imani wasn’t opposed to the idea of having a chat with Cal, or anyone who cared enough to listen, really. She was human after all, and humans were social creatures by nature. But now wasn’t the right time to do any chatting, especially since that would mean tying up the captain with her personal problems, and Imani would rather be dropped off in whichever corner of the universe than hinder the work of the crew. “I’m fine, honestly,” she went on, finally cracking a smile, “I appreciate you askin' but there’s work to do that ain’t gonna get itself done. Maybe later once the dust has settled I'll fill you in on a few pages of the book that’s my life...only if you’re up for it, of course.”
The simple gesture that was his reaching out had bettered her mood. She had been honest with Cal; her mind being elsewhere was only because she was concerned about her future, concerns that were discussed only once before with the man she assumed she would spend the rest of her life with.
“That’s a lotta ‘nothin’’ and ‘I’m fine’ outta you, but I cotton to your work ethic. Once this business is all buttoned we’ll have a long haul back to civ. I could pull out a bottle of somethin’ I’ve got tucked away.” He placed a hand to one side of his mouth, “Not even SAM knows where I keep the mango wine.”
The comm on the wall crackled for a moment of static before SAM’s voice lilted into the infirmary. “I heard that, Cal. And you have three-point-five bottles stored in your quarters under the sink. ‘Squirreled away,’ as it were.”
"The jig is up," she smirked, keeping a mental tab on that mango wine. Imani knew the captain well enough to attest to the fact that he was a man of his word, and so if he mentioned a "wine and chat", then it was safe to assume she could look forward to him sharing the bottle.
Cal nodded and chuckled, “You’re getting better at talkin’, I’ll give you that.”
“On the score of things need doin’, I’m gonna need some extra oxygen tanks asteroid-side, just in case. I figured you’d have something ‘squirreled away,’” the Captain made air quotes for the invisible company in the room. “Also wanted to pick your brain on any other kit we might need, of the medicinal flavor, while we’re excavatin’.”
"Oxygen is one of our priorities, so we got tanks available. There are also a few vials of promethazine I can hand off along with the standard med kit." Imani headed off to get some of the mentioned items from the cabinet. "While we're not runnin' low on the promethazine per se, I do ask the user to be mindful with the dosage.”
The Captain nodded along, attempting not to appear visibly baffled by Imani’s Latin, “Uh-huh. Got anythin’ to help with nausea? Sometimes lower gravity can trigger folk, and dependin’ what we find dirt-side, might be a spell before we can ride back up here.” He scratched his stubbled chin, “We could use a little stimulant, too, I reckon. Caffeine pills or somesuch maybe?”
With a vial in hand, she held it in front of her to show Cal. "That's what this is for... Nausea, vomitin', motion sickness, etc." Imani put it down on the counter to grab some additional items from the cabinet. "It has other uses too but it'll keep you on your feet." She then turned around and reached for one of the kits, inspecting what was inside. "I can add some stimulants to the inventory as it seems there are none in here. But I have to emphasize—and not because you don't know better but for my own peace of mind... IF you happen you double up on the stimulant, you will be left shakin', on edge, and in some extreme cases, you may experience hallucinations."
Yes, the chances of that happening were extremely low, but nonetheless a possibility.
“Darlin’, shakin’, on the edge, and seein’ things is my sweet spot,” Cal replied, before meeting Imani’s unamused expression, to which he arched his brows and he added, “Yes Doc. You got it. Drugs are bad.” Straightening, the Captain squared with his medic. “You know you’re comin’ too, right? I need your boots on the ground in case we need you to do your stuff. Suit up, and meet in the bay.”
Your smartassery remains unmatched, Captain, she smirked to herself. Imani wouldn't make such a statement out loud, but she wanted to. Instead, she opted for the more civilized response. "I wouldn't miss that party for anythin'. Actually, I'd be insulted if you left me behind." She turned away from him to get her stuff done. "I'm gonna check my list once more and I'll see you down there."
You're dismissed.
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Awesome! Once I get off work, I'll write something up then I'll send you the link in DMs with a tag your turn comment or something so you know your good to write.
No rush! I fell asleep trying to make my little one fall asleep... Good times.
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I tend to use Google documents unless the other writer(s) are uncomfortable with that then I use DMs on this site. Whichever you prefer, I'll use, and I'll get to writing over this weekend.
Gdocs sounds good. If you'd like to start it up that'd be great since I'll respond hopefully tonight when my little guy goes to sleep.
@Xandrya would you like to do a collab? It might be quick or long but I think this would be a great exposure moment, possibly, for Klara.
I'm game. What method do you prefer, PMs or another site?
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