revivalproject | 08 | It must be getting early; Clocks are running late

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08 | It must be getting early; Clocks are running late

WHO: the Soldier (

sinistral) and you
WHERE: various Temba locations
WHAT: while everyone hunkered down in the warrens, the Soldier was sent elsewhere; now it's time to come back
WHEN: a few days after the general population emerges from the underground
WARNINGS: none; will update if that changes

TEMBA
→ Excavation: for Billy Kaplan;

The first thing the Soldier did on waking in Temba, sore and tired and with the familiarly, infuriatingly vague idea that he'd been elsewhere, was to check to make sure he was intact, or near enough to it. But the first thing after that was to make his way through ruined streets to the building Billy and his brother claimed as their home. The sight that met his eyes made something twist and drop out of the bottom of his stomach, a sensation he immediately tried to ignore. It, and the implied emotion, were unneeded.

"Billy?" he called out, circling toward the wall that seemed most intact. The ceiling was a complete loss, but he couldn't tell from this angle how much damage the structure had absorbed, and how much it had caved. He couldn't tell either if Billy or his brother was around; he resolved to find out. "Tommy?"

→ Exploration: open to all;

The Soldier hadn't been one to rely heavily on the amenities of the community. He generally preferred to forage, and to repurpose things he found in so doing. Years of living on the run with few resources prepared him pretty well for losing the bulk of his supplies when the volcanic activity apparently swept through the towns. But years of living on the run also had him hiding small caches of supplies here and there in ruined buildings. If he was lucky maybe one or two of his stashes hadn't been completely destroyed.

(He never had that kind of good luck but it was a nice thought.)

The weather seemed like it would hold at least, making it a decent day for exploring the rubble of ruined buildings. Maybe he'd luck into finding something useful. Or maybe he'd just end up doing the heavy lifting for someone who needed it. At the very least the sounds from the building in front of him didn't seem like the predatory animals he'd seen on Temba's outskirts. Still, a hand strayed close to the knife at his hip, just in case.

→ Examination: network text to Cal Kestis;

I could use a mechanic. If you've the time.

→ Explanation: network text open to all;

Anyone know if this was a planned redecorating, or is apocalypse chic just in now and I missed the memo?

→ Wildcard;

Open to other ideas. Please reach out to me at

sometimesamuse or via PM for plotting needs. As always while I write starters in prose I'm happy to match brackets if that's your preference.

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Link, too, was looking to explore. Had to get his bearings again, find out what had changed. Sift through the rubble, see if there was anything to salvage.

He makes no attempt at stealth as he clambers over the building, so it's not hard to hear the sounds of his footfalls, of stones dislodged by his hands.

Like the Soldier, he's armed; a long blade, bow, and shield all slung on his back. And the Soldier will certainly spot Link before Link spots him. Although once the man moves close enough, Link will pause, and look in his direction.

"...Hi," he says.

The Soldier isn't so self centered to think that he's the only scavenger, or the only hunter, or the only one who might make a habit of exploring landscape so broken it's looked over by others. But his training is too far ingrained in him; he moves about silently, like the assassin he was engineered to be. He's well aware of the sounds of another person, and how those sounds don't correlate to being hunted. Thus, he allows their paths to cross rather than diverting his own plan.

What he doesn't expect is the greeting. The Soldier didn't go out of his way to be friendly, and it always throws him for a loop when someone new initiates conversation.

"Hello," he returns finally, letting his hand fall away from the sheathed knives; the action might say as much as the greeting.

Link, apparently undeterred by the Soldier's knives or lack of friendliness, gives a little wave to the man.

"You need help?" he asks, always keen for a way to be useful. Maybe the man is looking for something? Was this building Link was climbing all over one he had been living in?

"Just looking," he returns, then decides to clarify. It can't hurt, right? "I stashed supplies here once. I don't know if they're still here."

At the very least having an extra pair of hands to shift rubble isn't a bad thing, should it come to that. Judging by the state of the building, it's possible that nothing of his stash had survived.

Edited 2023-09-12 02:11 (UTC)

Link nods. Lost supplies. He can help look for those. His eyes start scanning the ground, searching for anything that could be...well, something.

Although as yet, he doesn't know exactly what he's looking for.

"In boxes?" he asks. "Chests?" Or were these loose items, not stored away in any particular fashion?

"An oilskin package." Wrapped against the weather, a skill whose origins he doesn't quite know. Had it come from HYDRA, or before? He supposes that ultimately it doesn't matter, and ultimately the package might not have survived anyway.

"It was inside this building. I'm trying to decide if shifting the rubble is worth it."

Link nods, taking note; an oilskin package. He knows what to look for, now.

And the Soldier might still be trying to decide - but Link doesn't take any time at all. He just starts immediately shifting pieces of debris, carefully looking under each one for the package.

No need to wait to help, after all.

Well then. That pretty much decides him on the attempt to get inside; the Soldier joins in the effort to shift rock and rubble. Hopefully they won't cause anything to collapse inwards because that would definitely make extracting a package a little more difficult. Fortunately his new companion seems stronger than the Soldier initially anticipated.

The smaller bits are easily shifted, but it leaves them with some larger pieces. Normally he might have considered alternative means to access the interior but with a strong enough companion... "Two of us might be able to shift the larger chunk of this wall. That should let us get inside."

At first glance, Link doesn't look like someone who would be very strong. He's small, and lightly-built. But as the Soldier noticed, he's stronger than he looks.

He's no Captain America - but he's definitely no slouch, either.

So at the Soldier's suggestion, Link nods immediately. Shifts into position, both hands on one end of the chunk of wall - ready to grab and lift it up, as soon as the Soldier gives the word.

Fortunately the Soldier is pretty close to a super soldier, without all the pleasant heroics. He doesn't need them; he needs a strong pair of hands to help shift rubble that's a little too big for him alone. Whether or not his companion is surprised by how much of the weight he can take doesn't concern him.

At least two strong people make shifting debris possible. And shifting debris makes accessing the interior of the building possible. Something something teamwork.

"North wall should be the location, if it survived." That if might be bigger than he thought, based on the condition of the interior. Even if it was a bust, the assistance had made quick work of something that would've taken most of the afternoon.

At first, it's hard to tell if takes any notice of the Soldier's unusual strength. Quiet as he is, and with a tendency to be rather blank-faced and neutral in his expressions, he's not the easiest person to read.

But Link does notice. Interesting, to see someone so strong. Maybe something to do with the man's...armor?

Curiosity compels him to speak, rather than simply nod and start searching in silence.

"Your armour makes you strong?" he says, glancing at the Soldier's hand. Unfamiliar as he is with prosthetics, it doesn't immediately occur to him that it's actually the man's arm.

At least the other man doesn't say something when they're in the middle of moving the slab; that may have been distracting. But the Soldier isn't offended at the initial question. He's heard similar before, though not in a long time.

"Is not armor. It's my arm." Straight to the point, though not directly answering the question about strength. Complicated as his relationship with the hardware is, he's at least accepted the loss of his natural arm. Doesn't remember it, not really, but accepts it.

Link's eyes widen, just a fraction. His arm! He'd seen how the man's arm moved - it was utterly natural, with no sign at all that the arm was mechanical.

He'll have to tell Zelda about this.

"Like a real arm!" he exclaims, as he leans forward, trying to get a closer look. And now that he is looking, he can see how it's not armour at all.

As he notes the fine joints in the metal arm's fingers, Link's own fingers absentmindedly wiggle.

"It is my real arm." He kind of said that already though so he adds, "or it is now, anyway."

He probably just gave away too much information there, but then again it's likely easy for anyone to infer that the Soldier wasn't born with a metal appendage. He does wiggle the fingers and twist the wrist, causing the metal plates to slide and shift. He's not showing off, but simply demonstrating that the limb is functional.

Seeing the other man's fingers wiggle, he makes a simple offer. "You can touch it. If you want."

Link had been imaging his own fingers as metal, rather than thinking about reaching out to touch - but once the offer is given, well, Link certainly isn't going to say no. He reaches out to touch the metal fingers, feeling the groves and the joints.

"It's nice," Link says. Because it was; Zelda will be very impressed, when he tells her all about it later.

But he doesn't overstay his welcome either, and soon withdraws his hand, curiosity now sated.

"It's useful." At this point he can't allow himself to think of it any other way. It represents a lot to him, most of it not positive, but it is useful. And secretly he feels some trepidation around the idea of expressing distaste for the limb; what if the Agrii take that as a request for their so-called help?

Fortunately though the exploration of the Soldier's arm doesn't last long. If only others could be so brief!

Still, they'd tried for access to the building and now they have it. The Soldier steps inside cautiously, still aware that the structure isn't fully stable. Hopefully the supplies he'd hidden here survived the mess!

Link nods. Yes, definitely useful.

But now the time for talking is done, and it's time to search. The Soldier is cautious, but Link doesn't hesitate to follow him in. And of course, immediately start to look around. Can he see any oilskins?

For now, Link doesn't touch anything - just looks. Perhaps they'll be lucky, and it will be out in the open rather than hidden under rubble.

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08 | It must be getting early; Clocks are running late

Exploration

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