Roleplay

[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/etu4ryb.jpg[/img] [center][font=georgia]no one really saw it coming. sure, there had been rumors, speculation. despite the talk, no one thought that nuclear would bring humanity to it's knees. the population went into hibernation not out of want, but necessity. the people went into hiding underground as the world died above them. but what comes of death, but another birth? while humanity shivered underground, the places far from where the bombs dropped died, and was reborn. in the north, far, far away from where the bombs dropped, humans blinked their eyes at a different world twenty years later. so far north, everything lays in frozen wasteland. the trees don't grow their leaves, not even the ones said to be evergreen so long ago. the game is odd, mutated, two heads, too many eyes. but still, people go forward. it's what they've done for millennia, and they weren't going to stop now. they step bravely from their bunkers, into unfamiliar territory they once called home. --------------------- [size=2]and in the end is a 1x1 private roleplay between @Incalyscent and @Zenikay.

[center][font=charcoal][size=5]Characters played by @Incalyscent[/size][/font][/center] -------------- [center][font=georgia][b]Rhett Haywood[/b] [img]https://78.media.tumblr.com/51499fa04f1275aec0e8c76783d0e4b8/tumblr_ozagmzSX2O1uhhfkdo1_500.jpg[/img][/center] [b]Age[/b]: 27 [b]Gender[/b]: Cis male [b]Appearance[/b]: Rhett isn't particularly tall, standing at about 5'8, but he is stocky. He doesn't have a bodybuilder's frame, no, but he is well defined from a lifetime of farm work. He has shoulders that are slightly below average in width, with only a slight taper through his torso. His legs are stocky and well set apart, with shorter thighs that give him his height disadvantage. He has a narrow chin and a rounded jaw that often sports a little scruff. He has a strong brow with well-defined brows, and a short nose with just the smallest upturn at the tip. His face is splattered with freckles, especially across the bridge of his nose and along each cheekbone, though they travel across his shoulders and back in thick clouds. His face is rather oval-shaped in general. His eyes are a vivid green, while his hair is a red dark enough to mistaken for brown without much light. His skin would be pale, but years of working in the sun have left it worn and tan. He generally wears worn out jeans and a t-shirt, though he did manage to salvage a leather jacket he loves dearly. In colder weather, he layers up with rugged flannel and always has work boots of some sort, that he can easily insulate with wool. He has several scars, but the most distinct are the ones curling from the left side of his neck to the front of his throat and down past his collarbone, and the similar ones curving over his right hip and ending near his inner thigh. This one does leave him with some nerve issues, leading to chronic pain. [b]Personality[/b]: While it would be easily to categorize Rhett into a stereotypical redneck, he is so much more than that. He's not the best with people, so he often comes across as cold and dismissive instead of the awkward that he really is. Once his initial shell is broken, he is a sweet and protective friend, who is too quick to take people under his wing. While spats between two people (especially due to personal reasons) aren't much of his concern, any blatant bullying or discrimination don't go unnoticed by him. He can't help but get involved, and sometimes can get in over his head. He does have a little bit of temper, and can say things he doesn't quite mean after being prodded for too long. He always feels bad later, of course, but he also has a bit of a problem owning up to his actions. He usually mopes around until the person he hurt tells him it's okay. He also blames himself for a lot of things, even if they weren't he fault. His guilt can grow unchecked and become anger, which again becomes guilt in a vicious circle. That, and a tendency to be emotionally distant, can lead to him becoming isolated easily. He is very quiet, and prefers to listen than to speak. When he does, it's usually against something, or to offer a suggestion in a soft voice. [b]History[/b]: Rhett was born in Mississippi, on a farm down near the coast. It was a quaint life; his family didn't have much money, just enough to live a comfortable life. The farm was a heirloom, something passed down from generation to generation on his father's side. When Rhett's sister was born, it became more and more apparent that this farm wouldn't support another child. It was with a heavy heart that they left, buying another farm up in foreign Alaska, while Rhett's parents both took jobs on the oil fields, working themselves to the bone to support their family. It was for the best, in the long run. The bombs were dropped on mainland America. From what they've heard, not much of it was left. Luckily, there was a cellar on their property that dealt adequately with the radiation that burst though the area, leaving Rhett and his family relatively unscathed. The crops weren't so lucky, and neither were the animals. The ones that lived mutated, and the rest died. Rhett and his family went to work preserving the best specimens through selective harvest. The years between were as normal as they could be, with the end of days in their rear-view mirror. They farmed, they defended their land, and they kept quiet, away from others. It was only so long before something went wrong. Rhett's mother got cancer. She coughed blood, wheezed and rattled. They didn't know what to do. There were no hospitals, or doctors that they knew of, even when Rhett went looking for one. All they could do was watch her suffer. She did not die suddenly, but it made Rhett's heart ache to see her like that. Rhett's father grieved, barely ate or drank. Rhett and his sister did all the work on the farm without a fuss, and personally, he was happy to have something for his hands to do to take his mind off of it. Rhett and Sandy went out scavenging soon after, looking for medical supplies. It was then that they were attacked by a rabid bear, driven mad by the radiation. It incapacitated Rhett, and went after Sandy. It knocked him unconscious when he tried to help her. When he woke up, he could barely breath through the cuts on his neck, and he was alone. No bear. No Sandy. After ages of searching, he went home with a leaden heart. When he told his father what happened, he told him to leave. He was a disgrace. How could he fail to protect her? He left, as he was asked to, with nothing but a pack on his back with his meager belongings. He wandered, further out than he'd ever been. That's were he found Sandy, slumped against a massive stump, bleeding but alive. He picked her up and carried her home, relieved, wanting to show their father that she was alive and to treat her wounds. When he came home, he found their father dead by his own hand. Now, the two of them tend the farm with heavy hearts. While Rhett understands the farm is an asset, there are too many bad memories that go along with it for him to ever call it home. [b]Other[/b]: -Has a strong Southern accent. -Definitely has some ptsd that he's not dealing with. -Chaotic good/ISFP -His favorite colour is a soft yellow, like wheat grass. -His favorite song is Hey, Good Lookin' by Hank Williams because his mom would sing it to him when she wanted him to do something for her. -Has survival skills that can come in handy (hunting/agricultural/livestock). -Really loves horses and misses riding them on his farm. -He has a bolt-action hunting rifle that he loves dearly, though ammo for it is usually low. He keeps a knife in a thigh holster that he's more inclined to use. -Did come out to his family as gay, they accepted him though they didn't quite understand. -------------------- [center][font=georgia][b]Sandy Haywood[/b] [img]https://78.media.tumblr.com/ea1ed5613eb25a993af3d5caf46f3463/tumblr_ozcis3AD5P1uhhfkdo1_500.jpg[/img][/center] [b]Age[/b]: 21 [b]Gender[/b]: Trans female [b]Appearance[/b]: Sandy stands at around 5'11, which she lords over her brother consistently. Her body is rather straight, with very little difference in width between her shoulders and hips. She has very few curves, though her arms have a toned layer of muscle. Her legs are average, maybe even on the slim side compared to the rest of her body. She has large hands with long fingers. Her face is rather heart shaped, with a soft jaw and round cheeks. Her cheekbones are not well pronounced, though her brow is. Her bottom lip is slightly fuller than the bottom one. Her face is full of dark freckles that are evenly scattered across her face, but barely make it anywhere else. She has light green eyes and sandy blonde hair, usually tied into a braid. It is long, passing her shoulders easily. She's usually wearing a lot of layers, as she gets cold easily. Wool sweaters are a staple in her wardrobe, though her favorite piece is a denim jacket full of patches. She wears jeans most of the time, and black boots. She owns way too many pairs of socks, and wears almost all of them at once. She has her ears pierced, though she did it in the bunker and they're slightly lopsided. She has a set of scars that run diagonally from right shoulder to under the left side of her ribs. [b]Personality[/b]: Sandy is sociable and friendly, considering she grew up in moderate isolation. She believes in seeing the good in everyone, and generally gives anyone all the chances they need. She's a daredevil, and her adrenaline addiction has earned her a fair amount of skinned knees and scars. She an active and upbeat individual, and feels best when she's doing at least one thing at a time. She is good at juggling tasks. She is a little naive, and sometimes refuses to see a bad situation when it's laid out in front of her. Even if the world has gone down the rabbit hole, she still wants to see it as a beautiful thing. While this is good for moral most of the time, sometimes it's just downright wrong. She has a quick temper though, and is very opinionated. She doesn't take anything from abuse from anyone. She is confident in herself, and doesn't let anyone cut her down. [b]History[/b]: Sandy doesn't remember Mississippi. All she knows are the cold Alaskan winters, and the roar of the wood-burning fireplace. She barely remembers the world before it was bombed into submission, the whir of cars and buzz of streetlamps like a far away dream. She was home schooled to the best of her mother's abilities, while she helped harvest whatever the ground had decided to spit out at them. It was a lonely life for an extrovert like Sandy. Her brother became her best friend. She grew up like that, working side by side with Rhett. It wasn't a bad life, she supposed. She's sure other people had it much worse than them. Still, she was sad they had to turn away everyone that came to the farm. Surely they provided enough that they could take in a couple of people for a few days? Her father had to explain more than once that it wasn't safe. She really struggled with her mother's illness. She stopped helping Rhett so much in the field in exchange with taking care of her. It killed her to watch her get sicker and sicker despite how hard they tried to keep her well. When she died, Sandy returned to the farm with a vigor. She didn't stop working from dawn until dusk, until Rhett came to get her from dinner. She thought, briefly, that they were going to lose their father too. He was too sad to eat or drink. It was miserable to be in the house, so when Rhett invited her to go out scavenging she didn't hesitate to say yes. Even if she thinks about it very hard, she doesn't remember much of the bear attack. She remembers it cutting into Rhett, and she remembers shooting it with an arrow, but after that it goes black. She remembers the pain, of course, pumping though her with every beat of her heart. The bear had knocked her out and dragged her away, probably to store her to eat her before winter fell. Rhett found her, and when he picked her up she regained some consciousness. He seemed determined to get her home despite his injuries. She was just happy to go back, scared out of her mind and in pain. Their father's body is there but he is not. After all she'd been through she broke down. She allowed Rhett to fix up her injuries, but she didn't help him did a grave and bury him. It took a while to get back to her regular self. Now, she helps with the farm, even if she'd rather be anywhere but there. [b]Other[/b]: -Has a strong Southern accent, though not as strong as her brother's. -Owns a hunting bow, and several smaller knives she keeps stashed on her person. -Actually not a fan of country music. -Her favorite colour is soft, light green and lavender. -Came out as transgender at 14. Again, her parents didn't understand but accepted her to the best of their abilities. -More un-dealt with ptsd over here. -Lawful Neutral/ENTJ

[center][size=5][font=constantia]Characters played by @Zenikay[/size][/center] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [size=4][font=constantia][b]Name:[/b] Dante Everett [b]Gender:[/b] Male, isn't too sure about his preferences yet [b]Age:[/b] 26 [b]Appearance:[/b] [img]https://68.media.tumblr.com/094018a1276987b1ba59c6372f55ed4a/tumblr_nlm64l8qOy1sxgupuo1_500.png[/img] [center][size=4][font=constantia]Art credit to [i]unknown[/i][/font][/size][/center] [size=4][font=constantia][b]Personality:[/b] A bit more of a practical and negative character, Dante is still helpful in not sugar-coating things. He won't give false hope and loyalty towards lost causes, and knows when a fight is more than he can handle. He can be amiable and kind, to a certain extent. It really isn't in his blood to be very giving, especially in a new everyone-for-themselves kind of world, but he tries his best. Dante is still capable of pity, but is very sure when or when not someone deserves it. In a way he's very silent, but when there's an issue that needs to be addressed or needs more input, he never keeps quiet. He can actually get a bit argumentative, mainly when the safety of the group is what's in consideration. Dante becomes protective over the people around him after a while, though he won't make any huge sacrifices unless they're almost family to him. Most of the time, he's pretty relaxed. If supplies are low or they can't find shelter, then he'll definitely be on edge, but most other times Dante is very chill about things. [b]Weapons of Choice:[/b] His wit and strategy, and occasionally his full-tang Tanto knife [b]History:[/b] As it usually is with apocalypses, families can find it very hard to stay together, and stay alive. For the first 15 or so years of his life, the Everetts got off pretty well in comparison to a lot of other people at the time. But at one point, a tragic incident involving misplaced trust and dangerous wildlife ended up killing a lot of those around him. Left with only his sister, Rona, they continued a harsh living. After the event, the two had become incredibly wary of outsiders, and interacting with other survival groups. Years later, when Rona became very sick, one group happened by and took pity, willing to offer medical supplies in aid. But the two refused it, too traumatized by their family's death and too distrustful after others had been the cause. Dante couldn't leave her side to search for supplies, he had to keep her cool when she got a fever and keep her warm when the snows came. He had to help feed her and move her and protect her in her times of sickness. And a month later, Rona died. Dante didn't care that she didn't want the help from the others too, he felt like he was to blame, and continues to hold this guilt. Only about a week after his sister's death, Dante was scavenging when he came across a girl named Jade, sitting wounded and bleeding on a sidewalk at dusk. He recognized her, as one of the members of that group from before, who had tried to help his sister. Seeing her in need, Dante carried her half-conscious and shivering form into a nearby building for shelter, and did what he could for her wounds. Once things got better, they went through introductions and explanations. Jade clarified that she had purposefully left her group, mainly because all of the good people in it had left or died and the overall monarchy of it had been overthrown by a jerk. After being off on her own, she ended up getting robbed on the street, wounded and itemless as a result, the way Dante had found her. They ended up sticking together after that, and it's been two years since. Jade wanted to repay his kindness, and Dante really wanted to do the same for her, since she was one of the group members who had been wanting to give his sister medicine. He was also very lonely, especially after Rona had passed, and he sometimes sees a lot of his sister's personality in Jade's. [b]Location:[/b] Currently in an abandoned house taking shelter with Jade [b]Other:[/b][LIST] [*][size=4][font=constantia]I imagine his voice like Nicholas Boulton, basically (here's [url=https://youtu.be/nhhIbiMUpm0?t=200]a short soundclip[/url]).[/font][/size] [*][size=4][font=constantia]Dante fears abandonment and fire the most, and basically freezes up upon encountering the latter in an uncontrolled environment (he's pretty okay around campfires but keeps his distance usually, unless he's freezing to death).[/font][/size] [*][size=4][font=constantia]He can play the piano! Before his family incident, one of the places they got to camp out in was a church, which had one.[/font][/size] [*][size=4][font=constantia]His favorite animal is the raccoon and his favorite color is navy blue.[/font][/size] [/LIST] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [size=4][font=constantia][b]Name:[/b] Jade Morgan [b]Gender:[/b] Female, biromantic [b]Age:[/b] 20-21 and a half, she lost track a little bit [b]Appearance:[/b] [img]https://i.pinimg.com/564x/7a/56/68/7a5668914883c03e49b17c1ae067e133.jpg[/img] [center][size=4][font=constantia]Art credit to [i]Charlie Bowater[/i][/font][/size][/center] [size=4][font=constantia][b]Personality:[/b] Jade's a bit of a quirky person, who loves making quips and puns about things and finds very mundane objects and actions super interesting at times. She's like one of those people who will click a mechanical pen again and again to have fun, easily-distracted and a little dim in a way. Her sidetracked attitude can be dangerous for big situations, as she might space out and miss out on important information or events, but it's just a part of her that people have mostly gotten used to, and they really just need to shake her around a bit to pay attention sometimes. Jade acts pretty juvenile in these ways, finding small interest in serious matters and more interest in jumping through piles of leaves. She's not really stupid, or anything, but her brain almost wants to block out the sadness of her broken world and go back to better forgotten days. Jade isn't always happy, though she tries, and when very upset she's pretty dang apt to cry. Whenever she reaches that level of depression, she keeps a lot of distance from people until she feels better, which can take up to a week or more. Dante always stays close enough to make sure he knows where she is and if she's well-stocked on supplies, but has learned that she needs a lot more space than most people sometimes. When feeling generally normal, how much she talks really depends. If lost in thought she'll be silent or just interject a few useless words like "yeah" and "okay" into the conversation wistfully, but if particularly excited she might run on and on with her talking, prone to ramble when feeling good about things. [b]Weapons of Choice:[/b] She's just really good at making do with whatever's lying around. She used to have a baseball bat but lost it when she was robbed. [b]History:[/b] Welp, Jade's case is a bit strange. She actually got amnesia when she hit her head on a root after falling out of a tree around age 14, and since this was much after the nuclear winter began, her beginnings are.. foggy. Jade does, however, remember the people of the groups she had traveled with after that. They always seemed a little confused at her confusion, at first, but it always faded away after time. She still wonders about her life before. She hopes that she wasn't traveling with friends or family and got lost in the woods when it happened, because that would have meant she left them behind somewhere to wonder about what happened. Instead, she hopes she had a very torturous life before that she was fortunate enough to have forgotten about. She tries to look at her situation in multiple ways. After meeting Dante and pairing up with him for scavenging, Jade really felt like a whole person again. He was like an important family friend, and being that she didn't know family, he basically became it. Ever since they began sticking together two years ago, they've had each other's backs through it all. [b]Location:[/b] Currently in an abandoned house taking shelter with Dante [b]Other:[/b][LIST] [*][size=4][font=constantia]Jade's worst fear is going blind or deaf for some reason, so she refuses to ever look at the sun and runs into the distance when anyone is firing a gun, even friendlies.[/font][/size] [*][size=4][font=constantia]While Dante is a pianist, Jade is more of a percussionist really. She has a lot of nervous ticks that involve rapid tapping and clicking, or just playing imaginary drums on tables.[/font][/size] [*][size=4][font=constantia]Her favorite song is called [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zkR2lAxv0c]Fall Again[/url], which one of the people in her last group sang for her.[/font][/size] [*][size=4][font=constantia]Jade once had a pet snail she found but it died when a hecking jerk purposefully stepped on it. Snails and pangolins are her favorite animals.[/font][/size] [/LIST] [/font][/size]

Like every day, Rhett wakes up with the sun.

He knows it's early, but it's too taxing to sleep. He does lay there for a bit, scrubbing a hand over his face, until restlessness takes him. He gets up, wearing only a sleep t-shirt and pants, and makes his way to the kitchen were supplies lay.

He lights the fire in the fire pit. He brings out the old pot that'd seen better days. He throws a few veggies in it, some tried vegetable stock, and leaves it to simmer. He stumbles into the cold outside barefoot, hugging his arms to keep himself warm. He pulls water from the well and brings it in to drink, only swearing a little when some splashes onto his foot, freezing it to the core.

When he come back inside it already smells like cooked onion and carrots. Rhett sets the bucket down, before he pads back down the hallway. He knocks on the door next to his own, barely sparing a glance at the open door at the end of the hall, gathering cobwebs. Neither him nor Sandy had taken the master bedroom after their father died.

"Sandy? C'mon, time to get up," he calls through the door.

His only response is a groan, muddied by the wood between them. Rhett snorts and makes his way back to the kitchen, sitting on the floor and spooning some of the soup into a chipped bowl. Sandy joins him several minutes later, yawning a rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

She sits next to him in sleepy silence, eating lethargically. It was a typical morning, during the time that fall has started barely nipping at winter. Full of warm soup, the pair of them retreat to get dressed. Both layer up, flannel under denim under leather, before they head out into the cold. Rhett grabs his gun to sling over his back, while Sandy shoves more than one knife into her boots

It's too far into the harvest for them to get anything significant. They pull a few squash, and till the hardened dirt into something workable for next season. They never strayed more than one row away from one another, and Rhett constantly stole looks to Sandy.

He thinks it's kill him to lose her at this point. He is so afraid of being alone. He has no idea that she thinks the same thing every time she looks at him.

They come in sometime around lunch, where they eat yet another mug of soup, huddled by the fire pit to warm their frozen toes. They are silent for most of the time, conserving energy to warm up instead of talk. After a while, Sandy sighs.

"Do you ever think we'll ever see anyone else?" She says softly, like she's ashamed to say it.

Rhett is quiet, flexing his jaw in contemplation. He knows that she's lonely, but he honestly doesn't know at this point if they every will. He drums his fingers on the side of his mug, bowing his head above it and closing his eyes at the feeling of the steam on his eyelashes.

"Yeah. I think we will sometime," he says, before taking a long drink.

Outside, the first snow begins to fall, painting the fields with delicate white. Sandy looks out the grimy window, and wishes on the first snowflake she sees that they can build their family up again. She knows Rhett's just as lonely as she is, though he won't ever see it.

"Good. 'Cause my workload is getting awful heavy. My coworker's a slacker," she says with a smile.

Rhett snorts, lifting his head slightly. Sandy can tell he's biting the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling.

"Shut up."

(Sorry this took a while, I got busy unexpectedly! ^^')

Sunrise.

Dante didn't need to tell by looking at the sun directly, through some incredibly simple habits he picked up from Jade earlier that week.
"Just look at the areas around you, beneath where the sun would normally peer, down onto the Earth. Look at the trees and see if they're dappled by light. The water, see if it shines." She had been in a somewhat-poetic mood then.

Today he noticed the floor. Light spread at an angle across the wooden planks before his sleeping cot, spilling from the window nearby, dusty from its relatively calm life. The house where the two were staying seemed frozen in time when they first arrived the day before, everything in disarray as if some sudden event had caused the inhabitants to leave, objects haphazardly scattered yet a sign that scavengers had never found them, or they wouldn't have been around still. In a way it made the house seem a bit more haunting, but they couldn't complain about more supplies and better shelter, really.

Dante wasn't exactly sure that he should get up yet—his body definitely wasn't sure, in the comfort of its rested position—but eventually the practicality of his mind convinced himself to stand up and begin for the day.

Jade was still asleep, but it was alright. She had been having terrible nightmares the past week, and coming to the new place had seemed to remedy that for a while. This had been her first complete rest in over a month, and he didn't really feel like ruining that. But only for a while. I'll give her 10 more minutes, he thought to himself, somewhat callously. Hey, we need to get to work sometime soon.

While he waited for about that much time to pass, or for her to wake herself, which was albeit rare, Dante began on breakfast. Today would be ham on pilot crackers, with granola bars for each of them. It didn't sound great, but at least Jade loved pilot crackers, and the meal was generally healthy.

When she failed to wake herself up 15 minutes later, after Dante had given her some extra time while he sharpened his knife, he stood up, walked over to her cot, and began moving her shoulder back and forth with his foot. "Night has passed, up with you."

Jade grumbled, turned away, and then pushed herself up into a sitting position. "If night has really passed, then why am I still tired?" She pulled herself from the floor slowly and began stretching out her arms, preparing to yawn.

"You tell me, I certainly got enough rest. Or, rather, tell me something that happens after night."

"Oh, uhmmm morning happens."

"And what happens during morning?"

"Sunshine, feet in my face, and.. uh.. Food! Yeah, okay, food is better than sleep," Jade admitted hurriedly, making her way over to the table now that she had woken herself up enough. "Yeah, well, not sure this food beats sleep but, eh. I've already been kicked awake."

"That's the spirit!" Dante teased, sitting down across from her as they both began to eat.

((god me too life went sideways so i think replies might be slow))

Sandy leads Rhett out of the house once they could feel their fingers once again. They check the gate as they leave, Sandy balancing her bow in one hand, feeling the weight of her quiver at her side. She eyes Rhett's rifle slung over his shoulder. Fortunately, their father always stocked up on ammo, but she knows that Rhett only ever brings a full round of twelve shots with him anyways.

It's not so cold that the metal sticks to their fingers, but has been snowing. Sandy's boots crunch in the powder, but Rhett hardly makes a sound. He'd always been the better hunter.

Scavenging was to be done now. What crops they could grow wouldn't even sprout during the winter. Most of the irradiated animals had bred or died out, so smaller game was often available as well. Sandy had packed her bag with some leftover crackers and dried meat in case they got stranded anywhere, though Rhett has been known to tunnel through the deepest snow to get home with only his gloved hands and sheer stubbornness.

They don't plan to be out long - neither of them are keen on nightfall and what in brings. It's better safe than sorry, of course.

They pass by cabins that they have picked clean already, farmhouses stripped of seeds and rifle bullets. Their once carefully tilled land now grows over with grass, and Sandy can feel her heart squeeze with a sadness she knows she can't afford these days. Rhett marches on, eyes attentive, and she scurries to catch up before she is left behind.

They have to travel farther than they're used to, out into the forest. Rhett takes his rifle out and holds it in front of him, and Sandy readies her bow, her fingers on either side of a notched arrow but relaxed. She can't read his mind, but she knows he's thinking about the last time the traveled outside their territory. She traces where the scars start on the back of his neck with her eyes.

"Up here," he says suddenly, breaking Sandy away from her thoughts.

They come upon a house with smashed windows and a rickety door, sitting half sunken in the slowly freezing earth. It's not much, and the state of the windows suggests there's not much inside anyways. But it has a porch, and after a few hours of wandering the forest, Sandy nods at it with raised eyebrows until Rhett rolls his eyes and trudges towards it.

He sits down, stretching his bad leg out in front of him with a barely concealed grimace. Sandy knows the cold makes it worse. She frowns, but says nothing. She sits next him and unwraps the food she brought. They split it, though the meat has gone tough from the cold.

"Where to next?" Sandy asks, and get's only a grunt in response around Rhett's mouthful.

"West for a bit," he says, already studying his food to pick his next bite, "and then home. I don't wanna get caught out here. Winter and bear season, after all."

Sandy nods vigorously. There was no way she ever wanted to see another bear.

"Sounds good captain," she says, and Rhett just snorts, chewing on the tough meat.

(Hey wow I'm back! :O)

While Jade was finishing the last of her granola bar, Dante was outside packing clean snow into plastic cups for water. Once finished, he opened the door and brought them back inside, setting one on the table and keeping one for himself, impatiently sipping on the not-yet-melted snow. "Finish that, wash up, pack, and we'll head out for the day."

"Yes sir," Jade answered back a bit teasingly, knowing their routine.

While she was doing her work, Dante began "securing the fort." He headed to the upstairs of the house, double-checking the rooms for anything interesting as he also stashed things like a squirrel here and there, just in case intruders happened by while they were away. He hid some clothes in the empty back lid of a broken toilet, some other things in the bottom frame of an old and rotting bed that neither of them had wanted to sleep on the previous night. That mattress is incredibly stained, with who knows what, and goodness knows we can't deal with any sickness right now. We'll take our chances on the floor tonight too.

Closing the door of that room behind him, he padded down the stairs to find Jade packing her knapsack with essentials by the door. "Almost done," she told without looking his way, putting a match box into a front pocket before zipping it closed and standing with the bag over her shoulder, heading across the room to grab an extra layer for outdoors.

"Good, meet me outside." His own backpack already prepared, Dante slipped its straps onto his shoulders and entered the snow again. Taking out his canteen, he began filling that with snow too as Jade closed the door and stepped out.

"Ready to go, Danny," she said smilingly, beginning to fill her canteen beside him. "Crocodiles in the moat, electric fences on, guard dogs on duty," she continued to joke, "Snipers at their posts, alarms in working condition.."

"Good work lieutenant," he obliged on this rare occasion, standing back up and twisting the cap back onto his canteen. "Our top secret intel shall never be compromised now."

Finishing her canteen too, Jade stood up and looked at him with a dumbfounded expression, mouth agape. "You played along with one of my jokes. Just now. You just did that."

Rolling his eyes, Dante began to walk away. She began to follow and so began their scavenging journey.

"Who are you and what have you done with Dante?" Jade asked, still playing out her surprise at his accepting mood.

"Listen," he answered, a bit more sternly. "I just, while I was preparing I remembered the dream I had last night. And it was a very nice dream so therefore I'm in a nice mood right now. That's it. Try not to ruin it for me."

"Hey, since when have I ruined anything?"

"Well I'm sure you've ruined something, but you just can't remember because you ruined your memory," he replied calmly, smirking.

"HeY! It's not my fault trees hate me," she said back pointedly, crossing her arms in a fake pout. "And it's not like I remember the tree dropping me, but that's what my friend Kat that found me said it probably was. Because I was at the bottom of that dumb tree with my head on a root."

"Well if you were nice don't you think that tree wouldn't have dropped you? You must have been very rude that day. Even now you're here calling him dumb. Ever call me dumb and I'll drop you too."

"Hmph."

They continued on like this for a while, bickering jokingly until they came upon the abandoned village a couple hours later.

"Well, it's where he said it would be," Dante replied, a little shocked.

"And he said there were some farmlands nearby, with a good river source in the woods," Jade cut in excitedly. "Water has edible vegetation, vegetation has wildlife, like deer, and deer have... uh. Sustenance."

"Sounds too good to be true. Let's not get our hopes up."

"Awww. I was hoping you'd be happy all day," she replied in disappointment, beginning to open one of the doors after checking through the windows. "Back to the pessimism with you, I guess."

Edit: @Incalyscent

@Zenikay ((flight rising is a great website that likes to stay open and not crash))

West is a little village that Rhett barely remembers running errands to when he was a child. It has all the things that they couldn't get on the farm. Had. Rhett hadn't been there since he came back out from underground, and at this point he is just hoping and praying that it has something, anything, of use. He watches Sandy chew through tough meat and ignores the anxious squeeze of his heart. They've made it through winters before, and nothing's wrong with her, but he can feel the thought I can't lose her pound away like a hammer in his head.

When he gets up he ignores the pain in his leg, and gently taps the butt of his rifle against Sandy's knee where she's folded them on the ground.

"C'mon," he says. She pouts up at him, but doesn't say anything, just puts the cloth in her bag and follows him out.

Her boots crunch through the snow and snap twigs so much that Rhett has left his rifle out of ready position. There's no way that he'll be able to hunt anything with her blundering around after him. The naked trees still block what little light makes it through the snow clouds. Even though Rhett knows it's midday, it feels like the sun is falling, and his fingers are frozen to the bone.

When the mangled forest gives way to cracked pavement, and the buildings spring up from the ground, Sandy pulls up beside Rhett and marvels at the grimy windows and faded signs hanging off awnings.

"I didn't come here before the drop," she says. Rhett rolls one shoulder in an approximation of a shrug.

"Wasn't much of a looker back then either," he says, before he strides into the nearest store.

He found at least a few of his fears to be true; the buildings were ransacked at one point or another, so things like food and water were nowhere to be found. However, it seemed that it had been abandoned right after. There were some clothes that almost fit, sewing needles, and even some over the counter medication and medical supplies that were stuffed into Sandy's bag with much enthusiasm. A few other knickknacks here and there. Some batteries, pens.

After some fruitless rummaging, Rhett's head comes up and the look on his face freezes Sandy in her tracks.

"What is it?"

"You hear voices?" he says, his voice so low she can barely hear it. She shakes her head.

"Nah, you're just going senile, old man," she says with a grin. But she knows him. There's a flutter of nerves that sits in her gut while she turns back to the shelves she'd been searching. She pretends not to notice Rhett's grip shift on his rifle.

(It's okay really xp I getcha)

"Eep!"

"Hush, it's fine," Dante assured, Jade having been alarmed by him dropping something on the other side of the room. He crouched down slowly, brushing around the wooden debris, dust from the floor gathering on his fingers.

"A-anything useful?" Jade asked, walking around the office to meet him.

"No," he replied, a tad bitterly as he pushed himself back to standing. "But the next building seemed promising. I thought I saw a shine from the window."

"Oh? Okay then. Let's go."

She led the way out, Dante looking around warily before following suit. Stepping out into the snow, they veered to the right, tracking thin footprints beside... More footprints.

"D-Dante," Jade whisper-warned, pointing down with wide eyes.

Gaze following her hand, he then nodded and placed a finger to his lips. Then, he nodded towards the direction the prints continued in. Worriedly Jade shook her head, signalling it as a bad idea. But he was persistent, and gave a reassuring nod, lightly grabbing her forearm and pulling her along.

The tracks ended before an entrance, with no further tracks yet made to signify that the creators had left. The door was ajar only slightly, but they could easily be lurking on the other side.

"How recent do y-" Jade was cut off from asking, as adamantly Dante returned his finger to his lips.

"Quiet," he mouthed. "Head that way," he also mouthed, pointing to the side of the building, around the corner. Reluctantly she complied, slowly treading out of any potential harm's way.

Breathing in and out carefully, he turned back to face the entrance. Cautiously Dante crouched down again, and sidled his back against the wall of the building until he was directly under the main window, yet still near the open door.

"Who's in there?!" he then asked, loud enough for anyone inside to hear, and in a tone that suggested he should be answered.

Surely this entire situation was preventable, really. Upon seeing the footprints, the duo just as easily could have simply left the village. But throughout both of their experiences, they had learned it's best to face things head on. An opportunity? Take it. An enemy? Kill it. An item? Earn it. A stranger? Meet it. If not, all the choices would haunt them in the end. The unsolved questions, the could-be's and would-be's, regrets, curiosities. This was just another day of shaking hands with the apocalypse.