Yankee

Fate/Glimmering Oasis

Edge of the City District ➠ Middle of the City District

---

There were many things about this battle that took Rider by surprise. He was familiar with fighting against men and beasts, but these enemies acted like neither. They cared not if they injured each other as long as it got them closer to their target: him. Rider wouldn't shy away from close quarters combat, but it wasn't his strongest suit. When his deadly strike against the assassin in front of him proved to be less than fatal, he pulled away a moment too late, earning himself a cut to his cheek as he abandoned his spear and took a new stance, calling his club to him.

As he beat away those that got close, he considered the second surprising thing about these enemies: what was under their mask. They had the shape of a man, besides the face of wriggling, spiny tentacles. That, coupled with the haphazard way they went about their attack, made Rider think that perhaps these opponents weren't servants after all. Just shadows of one, if even that.

Rider bashed his club into one of the puppet's heads, sending it and it's mask spiraling away from him. It was about that time that finally, his master contacted him. Unfortunately, it wasn't the with the best of news, but Daniel did seem to have a plan.

Understood.

A rush of lightning and energy swirled around Rider, pushing the swarm of assassins back. The miniature storm crackled and darkened until it enveloped Rider completely, and when it finally faded he was astride a huge, powerful, painted horse. The creature snorted, staring down every enemy in front of it, baring it's teeth as though it were a predator - until it's rider stroked a hand down it's thick neck.

"My friend, we have no time to spare with these. Let's finish here quickly then return to my master's side."

After all, Inyan - Rider's beloved partner and the crux of his noble phantasms - was much too fast to lure these assassins toward the others. They would never catch up. Herding them wouldn't be a bad idea, but Rider was a warrior, not a shepherd. Inyan stamped his hooves and then shot forward with no further warning, trampling the lot of the strange servants. Then, quick as a bird in flight or a fish in water, the horse galloped away. If some survived and gave chase, all the better. With Inyan's speed and Rider's previously trekked route, it took no time at all for Rider to return to the others.

Master, I'll be relying on your information. Take cover.

_{A Horse Appeared Where Lightning Struck}

Inyan, Wakinyan

When horse and rider came down on the group of assassins, it was with all the force of nature. A crack of thunder sounded long after the bolt of lightning that was Inyan touched down, cratering the already ruined earth. Between one blink and the next they moved, zipping behind the gathered enemies - then again, a chain of electric after image caging them in as they galloped. When the assassins were corralled in by the sparking lightning, Rider moved through the cage, slashing across the center with such speed and force that any in his horse's direct path were sure to be torn asunder, if not completely obliterated. He repeated the movement over again, laying waste to all caught in his noble phantasm's range. The destruction was intense, a fierce lightning storm raging on the ground. Every step Inyan took left a smoldering footprint, and split the very air itself.

It was only over once Rider was sure every single mask was shattered, and their wearers nothing more than smears on the pavement.

Current Mood in One Gif

Cacophony Concord

aмeℓιa

aмeѕ
 aмeѕ

_{HP: 55/110 - MP: 100/100 - SP: 80/100}
^{_________________}

Inspect User

I want a space here.

CHARACTER

Avatar Appearance
Username: Ames
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Height: 176cm | Weight: 69kg

Classes: Warrior (+10% HP | +10% STR | +10% END)
_{Weapon Proficiency: LVL 1}

Attributes:
HP – 10 (110)
MP – 10 (100)
SP – 10 (100)
STR – 22
AGI – 19
END – 22
DEX – 20
LUC – 21

Abilities:
Power Attack _{Actively consume SP while preparing for an attack; unleash for increased damage on attack.}

INVENTORY

Funds: 19 Bronze
Item Pouch (Common):

• Fa Trung's Talisman x2 ^{Equipped x2}

Current User Experience

Perception: Fantastic
Gore: Pixelated
Pain Setting: 40%
Clothing Damage: On
Nudity Censor: Personal
Profanity Censor: Off
Combat Action: Stylish
Spell Incantations: Stylish

aмeѕ
 aмeѕ

^{_________________}
As soon as Klein slammed into the sandstone, Ames was free - and never happier to be so. The game righted the warrior after a few tumbles, but once on his feet she wobbled and fell back onto her butt, watching Klein and the frog tussle briefly before - finally - the frogman retreated. Or got bored of them, or was satisfied, whatever. The point was he was gone. Ames let out a great sigh at that. "Jeez."

What a sorry state the party was in, but hey, they did it! And all they got to show for it was a token. At least, all Ames got to show for it. A quick glance at her own status screen plainly showed that number which was quickly becoming her least favorite. 1. Level one. Still.

She didn't stare long at the screen. Once she closed it, Ames stood up and weakly raised her arms over her head in a low effort cheer.

"We did it~ nice job everybody. I can't believe two of you got the cool nucleus-thing already, that's awesome. I'm still level one somehow but whatever." Despite her dismissive words, Ames' tone was a touch annoyed. She brought her arms down and shook them, trying to get some of the creature's residue off of her clothes. "I mean, am I doing something wrong? Did I mess up my character creation? I thought my guy was pretty cute but should I have matched my real life gender? I don't really get what the problem is."

As the redhead mused, she removed her avatar's shoes and carefully peeled off not one, but two of the old beggar's talismans from her person. One of them was always meant to go to Kriz, but he hadn't logged back in yet to her knowledge. With these pieces of equipment removed, Ames strode off towards the river nearby, waving Mags' question off with one hand as she passed the brawler by.

"I feel disgusting," she announced, "We should meet up with Lew and Ari in the city, and maybe like, get a real bath or something... I'm sure all of you smell as bad as I do right now."

Ames wasted no time jumping into the river and washing up just to get the feel of the frogman's slime off of her. When she climbed back out and rejoined the party she was soaking wet, but already seemed to be in a better mood. She glanced at the still bloody Raime. "You need help? Wanna wash your face?"

Forsaken

Outside of the inn, the girls (and that otter, Flick noted, in a different direction) dispersed. While the ladies headed toward the Garrick Estate, the menfolk were heading forwards the sheriff's office. Flicker thought it was probably just as well that the "estate team" was comprised of the fairer sex. There were probably still some broken hearts over there, mourning Garrick's wife. Gentle words would be better suited for that investigation. Although... Flick couldn't exactly say he got a "gentle" vibe from any of them. Maybe volatile instead. Maybe not such a good idea after all then. Oh well, they can sort it out themselves I'm sure.

A genasi, a kobold, a warforged, and a man with a giant skeleton made up the other party. What could go wrong?

As the group made their way down the next street, something seemed to catch said kobold's nose and he scampered away. That was no skin off Flick's nose, out of everyone the little lizard was... well. No need to get into that.

So that left Flick, Nemorad, Graves and... companion. Flicker turned to Nemo, who'd answered his previous question.

"Newbie huh? Welcome," Flicker said to the warforged, flashing him a warm - if somewhat sarcastic - smile. "I'll have to show y'all my favorite over priced, under stocked shops. Or dens of filth! Though it sounds like we won't be in town too long, judgin' from how eager some of us are."

Whatever the Forsaken-native's issue was with the town, he didn't elaborate. He thought that soon enough it would be apparent to anyone that spent time there anyway. Down a dirt trail that widened at the end, Flicker slowed his pace to nodded in one direction.

"Morgue's down there," he told the others, though he expected that Graves probably knew that already. "Can't miss it. Sheriff's ain't too far. Don't know what exactly you're lookin' for, but it's not really my scene anyway. So, er. Good luck?"

He shrugged with one shoulder, making the motion awkward. "We'll meet up again here, or if not, meet up all together with the girls."

In another direction was the local sheriff's office. It was a bit too small for a town of this size in Flick's opinion, but then, he had a lot of opinions. There were a few people hanging around the little porch area outside of the building, deputies and brown-nosers Flicker guessed. "This is it, nice place huh?"

Fate/Iliou Persis

Checking in!

Sum up your week in roleplaying in just 3 words

I've fallen behind!

^Bonus:
Feeling kinda weird

Cacophony Concord

aмeℓιa

aмeѕ
 aмeѕ

_{HP: 55/110 - MP: 100/100 - SP: 80/100}
^{_________________}

Inspect User

I want a space here.

CHARACTER

Avatar Appearance
Username: Ames
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Height: 176cm | Weight: 69kg

Classes: Warrior (+10% HP | +10% STR | +10% END)
_{Weapon Proficiency: LVL 1}

Attributes:
HP – 10 (110)
MP – 10 (100)
SP – 10 (100)
STR – 22
AGI – 19
END – 22
DEX – 20
LUC – 21

Abilities:
Power Attack _{Actively consume SP while preparing for an attack; unleash for increased damage on attack.}

INVENTORY

Funds: 0
Item Pouch (Common):

• Fa Trung's Talisman x2 ^Equipped

Current User Experience

Perception: Fantastic
Gore: Pixelated
Pain Setting: 40%
Clothing Damage: On
Nudity Censor: Personal
Profanity Censor: Off
Combat Action: Stylish
Spell Incantations: Stylish

aмeѕ
 aмeѕ

^{_________________}
The battle was a lot more intense up close, on the cusp of Magpie's sandstone and ocean territory. The smell of the salt water met Ames' nose as she continued her lap around the outside of the circular space where Mags, the frogman, and Klein were fighting. The three of them traded uneven blows, and a particularly powerful let out a shock wave and sent Klein flying high. Ames spared her sky bound companion a brief look of concern, but when he burst into a ball of flame she recalled his cool special power and refocused on the enemy. The enemy that was wiggling his way out of Mags' grasp.

The frog slipped away, landing on his hands and - Ames assumed - was about to complete a handspring when the warrior took that chance to move in. Her eyes widened and she moved forward with purpose. There! She lashed out with a kick. If she could get the frog off balance, just give the group more of an opening...

When the frog creature retaliated, it was so quick that Ames didn't know what hit him. Suddenly there was a sensation of limbs behind his head, then a weightless feeling as Ames was lifted off of the ground.

Huh? Huh?

The opponent had been right in front of her, but now all Ames saw was the landscape, upside down, before she was smashed hard into the sandstone. She grunted in pain, the sound quickly turning into panicked sputtering when water rushed into her nose and mouth. She turned her head, lifting it out of the water and squinted her stinging eyes.

"What - what the fuck," she coughed out. She couldn't move, and she couldn't see the frog. Further, there was something warm pressed to her body. Something... slick. Damp. Slimy.

When her brain caught up to her, Ames shrieked and thrashed around in the amphibian's hold with all the strength she could muster. "Groooooooss!" she cried out. Fighting a giant frogman was one thing, but she never wanted to be this close to it! Ames barely even registered Klein or Magpie above, but there was a little voice in the back of her head that said hey girl, that spear is coming in quick. In theory, this could be a good opportunity for the party. If Ames thought she could hold the frog down and escape at the last minute - as she thought was perhaps the frog itself's plan - then maybe the could do some serious damage with Klein's spear.

...but the problem was she didn't think she could escape at the last moment. So the only option was to escape as soon as possible, even if it gave the frog further opportunity for survival.

"Klein if you fucking stab me and I die like this with this frog I - I - !" Ames hissed to herself through clenched teeth, struggling in the frogman's hold.

Windfall ☄ A Character-driven Fantasy

---

Eliza, Ori, and Kayliss find themselves in:

Midland Pass

---

It was just long enough to ensure that their paladin was asleep when the final person in their little wagon made herself known. With Kayliss now out of the crate, the inside of the wagon was all the smaller. The canvas stretching overhead kept the sun from beating down on the passengers, but in these close quarters it would soon get sweltering either way.

Donna and her daughter moved aside to make room for Kayliss. Jessie looked excited to have yet another person to talk to, while her mother seemed more surprised than anything. Perhaps she thought that their secret stowaway would hide out in that cramped little box the whole trip, which certainly would have been miserable. Still, Donna smiled at Kayliss even if her face had grown a bit pale.

"Ah, good morning Miss. We're just passing through into the Scrublands now."

True to her word, the wagon trail began to open up wider and straight ahead was Kayliss' last major checkpoint before she was free of the Midlands. Midland Pass was frequented by many people coming and going from the region, but now especially the town was filled with hopeful merchants and tourists looking to celebrate in the capital. There were a couple of guards posted on the town's perimeter, but they hardly paid any attention to one plain little carriage coming in when a wave of more colorful ones passed in the opposite direction.

"Missus Kayliss, this is Mr. Ori!" Jessie piped up, taking it on herself to introduce them to each other much like she'd introduced her family earlier. Then, she cupped a hand to her mouth and whispered to the runaway woman, "Momma said to be nice, he's blind."

The girl sat back and beamed at all of the cart's occupants. Proudly she lifted up her bandaged leg. "He helped me when I hurt my leg! Also, that's Ms. Paladin Eliza!"

She moved to point at the sleeping knight, but Donna caught her daughter's hand and pulled the girl closer to her. "Jessie, please. We don't want to wake her up."

"Yes Momma..."

Donna cleared her throat. "We're going to take these two west with us, Kayliss. They're headed to the Highlands - "

"Looking for treasure!" Jessie squeaked.

" - so we'll make a little detour. Er, you never told us where you were headed, but I hope that's no trouble."

Ahead, their cart's already slow pace slowed even more. There were men wrangling the swell of incoming people into a more manageable mob, but until then it made leaving town feel like wading through molasses. Far to the south, there was a similar congested scene.

_{@stone@Aviaire@Psyker Landshark}

---

Cassius, Nea, Jason, and Tala find themselves in:

Cropland Pass

---

Among the din and bustle of the crowd, not many even noticed two men approach the teenage girl. Those that did quickly turned their eyes away, minding their own business. Only two bystanders stepped up to get involved in the suspicious looking scene, cutting quite the heroic figures.

"Untoward?"

Of course, not everyone appreciated the intervention. It was tough to say if even the girl appreciated it, as stunned and red faced as she was.

The man holding her puffed out his chest, trying to measure up to Cassius' height as he looked both the mercenary and the farmer beside him in the eye. "Untoward...!? I dunno what that means but if you're accusing us of something you best walk away quick like. It a crime to ask a girl where she's going?!" The man quickly got defensive, scratching at his patchy salt-and-pepper beard with his free hand while the other still rest on Nea's shoulder. "I'm just asking where she's going!"

The man's tanned skin was beginning to match Nea's red as he sputtered, but his partner walked up and patted his back. Smoothly the second man moved around, putting himself between Jason and Cassius, and Nea and the first man. This man, shorter with paler skin, smiled happily at the do-gooders. When he did, they could see one of his teeth was missing, and some were replaced with cheap crystal implants. It was around this time that Nea's voice was finally heard, and it spurred the crystal toothed man into speaking.

"Folks, you might have got the wrong idea. We're just looking for someone, okay? If you don't get a move on you're gonna lose your spot in line, huh?" He gestured back to the mass of people looking to get in through the gate, assuming both men were on their way into the Croplands. "We ain't hurting anyone! Right sweetie?"

He turned his gaze on Nea. He appeared to be making quite the effort to come off as non-threatening. "We're all friends here, huh?"

–——————— ❂ ——————–

In town, people continued to file around Tala, giving her space as best they could while still trying to get to their own destinations as quickly as possible. The horrible off key cacophony was still playing somewhere close by, and once or twice bold street hawkers approached to peddle their product directly to the woman.

At one point a group of people passed with their heads turned to look back to the city gate, whispering about some commotion outside.

"Some guy yelling about crimes, didn't hear him very well. Think it's bounty hunters?"

"Probably. All kinds of riff raff come down this way, let's just stay out of it..."

One of their group strayed a little close to Talanashta, and the bird on her shoulder squawked at the poor woman loudly. She yelped in surprise and hurried on.

_{@PrankFox@Anza@ERode@Crimson Flame}

---

Kendra and Derrick find themselves in:

The heart of the Scrublands

---

With the touch of an expert, the axe head flew up and dragged the handle behind it. It spiraled neatly and cut through the heavy air until it landed with a thunk, it's blade sinking into the packed earth and it's handle and knob pointed directly west. It seemed like his hero's magic was pointing Derrick further down the road. In that direction, the West, beyond the Scrublands, lay the Tidelands and the very tip of the Scorchlands. Both options on his quest. Of course, Derrick was after monstriest monster. Between both leads, that could only be one.

On the way out of the region, most people didn't recognize at all "The Scourge of the Great Swamp." After all, having traveled the length of the Lowlands, he was far from Indiga. And though there were people who would be eager to meet and aid the local legend in town, Derrick instead went around any settlements he came across, including Lowland Pass.

All in all it was a very uneventful trek. In the Scrublands, most people worried more about men than monsters. Slayers of all kinds drove the largest beasts away from the area a long time ago. Not to mention it was much harder to avoid populated trails in the Scrublands, when humans touting the spread of civilization endeavored to make the whole region one big giant road. Still, the longer Derrick traveled, the less people were around, until eventually it appeared that he was the only human among the landscape that stretched out so far in each direction....

...until the sound of a horse approached from behind, and astride it was a woman with two swords strapped to her person.

–——————— ❂ ——————–

With some new provisions and the same determination, mount and rider rode over the dusty trails heading north. Today it felt nearly as hot in the Scrublands as it did in the Scorchlands yesterday, though Kendra was well used to heat. Others she passed were no so much, and they wore themselves out trying to rush ahead to find shade, and ended up parked on the side of the rode sitting in the shadow of their own steeds.

Closer to the borders of the region, the roads were friendly and it never took long to pass a stranger. Some that were traveling the same direction as Kendra stopped to chat with her, although when the topic of the Ivorydawn Company came up they shook their heads in ignorance. Eventually the land grew to look lonely, with other shrubs for company. Trails spread out and snaked in many different directions, and the wide expanse featured no other travelers besides Kendra. Rarely a sunbathing lizard would scurry away from the steady beat of her horse's hooves, but otherwise the Scrublands grew quiet once the woman reached further towards the center. It was a strange contrast to the bustle of the border towns that lined the region's edges.

The Midlands were a little ways off, and Kendra could reach them by the end of the day on horseback. Midland Pass was further still, but being the central area of Sedaia, there were other towns that were proud to serve as passages into the region. Towns that posted knights with keen eyes at their gates. Small streams of smoke off in the distance implied that one such settlement was within reach.

Continuing down the current path, there was finally another human to be seen. They traveled on foot, headed in the same direction as Kendra for now. Swaddled in tough fabrics and carrying weapons and equipment of all kinds, the man certainly seemed well prepared if not well traveled.

_{@Cu Chulainn@SilverPaw}

Cacophony Concord

aмeℓιa

aмeѕ
 aмeѕ

_{HP: 86/110 - MP: 100/100 - SP: 80/100}
^{_________________}

Inspect User

I want a space here.

CHARACTER

Avatar Appearance
Username: Ames
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Height: 176cm | Weight: 69kg

Classes: Warrior (+10% HP | +10% STR | +10% END)
_{Weapon Proficiency: LVL 1}

Attributes:
HP – 10 (110)
MP – 10 (100)
SP – 10 (100)
STR – 22
AGI – 19
END – 22
DEX – 20
LUC – 21

Abilities:
Power Attack _{Actively consume SP while preparing for an attack; unleash for increased damage on attack.}

INVENTORY

Funds: 0
Item Pouch (Common):

• Fa Trung's Talisman x2 ^Equipped

Current User Experience

Perception: Fantastic
Gore: Pixelated
Pain Setting: 40%
Clothing Damage: On
Nudity Censor: Personal
Profanity Censor: Off
Combat Action: Stylish
Spell Incantations: Stylish

aмeѕ
 aмeѕ

^{_________________}
Crack! The frogman's rubbery heel connected with the side of Ames' face. The warrior leaned into the blow, letting the momentum spin him out of further harm's way, the fluid action once again the result of the game's settings. Ames swiped her knuckles over her jaw, deeming it to be a glancing blow. Sometimes it was hard to tell with the reduced pain, although after everything that already happened to her in the game she wouldn't dream of raising it even a single percentage higher.

Speaking of pain settings, their ranger looked to be absolutely ass blasted. Where Klein offered the man a sympathetic gesture and quickly moved on, Ames spent a little more time beside Raime who was actually the closest to dying. It was either that, or continue chasing after that damn frog anyway.

"Hey, you alright?" she asked Raime, even though it was pretty clear he wasn't. "Unless one of those weeds can heal your HP, maybe don't stuff your face with them? And - " the redhead paused to check the man's user settings, " - Jesus, you're playing on 100%? Turn it down! At least turn it down for now so you can walk away before you bite the dust! You don't have any broken bones, right?" Besides your nose maybe! Ames prodded at Raime's legs, making sure they were in working order. When first starting the CaCo, Ames had mostly gone in totally blind. She had no idea what happened after death. What if the game forced you to make a new character, building on it's realism? That would totally suck! She didn't want anyone to have to start over, even this early on. "I'm serious, don't let pride make you stupid, okay? You still got your crossbow, so shoot it from a safe distance or something." Yes, the frog could catch bolts, but not every single one, every single time, right?

Ames left the broken scout on the ground to his own devices, only hoping he took her advice as she moved to rejoin the battle. Somehow, Mags summoned shimmering blue waters around herself. The frog was closing in on her from the air, and Magpie was rushing to meet it. That could easily go terribly for her, so the other party members should be around just in case. The group didn't have any strategy whatsoever besides mindlessly wail on the frogman, but it was working at least a little bit. No reason to stop now, not until someone came up with a better idea. So Ames circled the crystal waters, looking for any opening to dive in and strike the enemy.

World of Light

Word Count: 378 (+1 exp)
Level: 6 - Total EXP: 14/60
Location: Edge of the Blue

Despite the robed woman's clipped response, the Cadet took her words as a straight up win for Blue Team. There was wiggle room in the stranger's plan, if they decided to go through with it. It seemed that at the moment, commandeering the ship was the popular choice. The hunter couldn't say he had much experience with that (in fact he had none), but he was more than willing to give it a try. It couldn't be much different from what the group had been doing up until then, he thought. Even if it wasn't, there was a first time for everything, right? Some members of the team were just learning that not all firsts were easy when the robed stranger gestured to the ship that would take them to Limsa.

"I actually did want to look around town," he laughed, but Hat Kid, Sakura, and Link were already headed aboard. It sounded like Limsa was a much larger city, it would probably have everything they could find here in this place and more, but there was something really nice about seeing someone in their natural habitat, so to speak. It felt great to hunt in the Coral Highlands, as brief as it had been, and he recalled Banjo and Kazooie's stunned emotional response to the valley with the spiral mountain in the center. Cadet was definitely looking forward to the Cuphead tour around the little island, but Sakura was right - it would probably be more fun on the way back when they weren't busy mulling over the mysterious 'Maw' and what to do about it. "Aw well, it's Ya-cool. Next time buddy," the hunter told Cuphead. Ace Cadet folded his arms behind his head and wandered up the gangplank.

The captain was fun to listen to, with his exaggerated speech and mannerisms, but of course the most interesting thing was the ship itself. Ropes and masts moving on their own was one thing, but the steady movement of the boards on deck was another. The expressions of the princess and the few others still on land drew the Cadet over to the boat's rail, and he leaned out as far as he could, peering down at an expected pair of giant eyes. "Whooooa! Is this thing alive?"

---

Word Count: 451 (+1)
Level: 1 - Total EXP: 8/10
Location: Sandswept Sky

As the stranger in white stood up and even seemed to float, Primrose quietly steeled herself for anything. Her muscles tensed and her eyes grew sharp. Once more her delicate fingers found their way around the pommel of her family's dagger, though she kept it concealed beneath her own stolen cloak. Then... the stranger did nothing but motion. If they did anything more, Primrose couldn't see it from this distance. When no spell came flying in the car's direction, Primrose gradually relaxed again. Not a foe, then. At least not yet.

The dancer tilted her head at the stranger, but her attention was drawn by Panther's exclamation. The colossus she was pointing at was, thankfully, far off in the distance. Primrose couldn't tell if it was a living beast or not, although Poppi clarified that right away. Although no one had come out and said it, Poppi seemed a little less than human, which would explain how she could see that far. That wasn't a problem at all, considering the current party line up was a dragon man, a fox man, a giant insect, a shadow imp, a fluffy bunny-like guy and a cat-car. Include Poppi in that and the non-humans nearly outnumbered Primrose and the three codenamed kids two-to-one. Once again Primrose's time in the Alcamoth had done wonders acclimating her to weird situations like this.

Skull waved over at Primrose and Midna, but before the dancer moved back towards the car she once more gestured for Midna to go ahead of her. "After you," she said, with the barest hint of a playful smile on her face.

Once they were back aboard their unusual ride, Primrose paused at the front. She laid a hand on the back of the driver's seat, her eyes flitting down to the boy sat in it. And he was just that, a boy. Still, he seemed to fancy himself the leader of his own little group. Besides, at his age Primrose herself had already gone through hell. She didn't judge him, although she looked like she wanted to give him some words of advice. For a few moments she said nothing, feeling like she wasn't in any position to comment. Eventually she just sighed to herself. The desert can be a dangerous place for the hasty. It takes back whatever it offers two-fold. But if these children are determined to get through it with the rest of us, I suppose I can keep an eye out for them.

She moved on then, finding the same space she'd claimed earlier and sitting herself right back in it, next to the cooling little bug and the warm window she went right back to gazing out of.