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

[sinistral]

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.

Comments

[out_of_order]

[Well, just so long as they're both not discounting the possibility. Still, Cal made a face.]

Gotta love this place, right?

[He shook his head. It was a bit frustrating when even being on your guard was no guarantee that you could avoid problems.]

Hey, you're managing fine. Maybe some day we'll have a fun conversation.

[His grin came a bit easier with that.

The possibility of having a better start to the mystery of the book's whereabouts had him lift a brow.]

Well, I'm sure not going to complain about making things possibly easier.

[sinistral]

That's one word for it.

[One very sarcastic word. Unfortunately though they'd likely hit a wall with trying to figure out why the Soldier kept getting taken. He could ask the Agrii, but he doubted he'd get an answer.]

Heh. No one comes to me to be the fun choice. [It was his thing. Too much of the assassin lurked at the edges for him to relax.

The Soldier nodded though;
losing Cal as a mechanic was a harsh punishment, or so it felt. He'd have to search out an alternative, but he couldn't think about that at the moment.]

Well, we did apparently have a volcano. There was no guarantee that his hideout survived. But it'd be a place to start.

[out_of_order]

You never know.

[Slim chance as it was, it wasn't impossible. The Soldier had already proven he had at least some slight sense of humor.

Cal swung his legs over the edge of the bench before leaning forward to get on his feet.]

Well, we may as well check it out. It's something, at least. Come on, BeeDee.

[sinistral]

Why do I get the feeling that you'll try to prove me wrong if I say that I do know?

[Just a hunch.

The Soldier also stood, albeit with an eye on Cal the whole time. Wouldn't want the Jedi to collapse again! But his companion seemed steadier now so after pulling on his jacket again, he led the way out of the building.]

We may end up not finding anything at all.

[out_of_order]

[To that, Cal just gave him a grin.

He seemed fine on his feet at least, and once BD-1 had hopped onto his outstretched arm, the Jedi started after his friend.]

Maybe, but we won't know for sure.

[He glanced back at BD as the droid started beeping at him once they were outside and back by the steps, and looking around, Cal caught sight of the rock that the Soldier had given BD-1. He held a hand out towards it, pulling it into his grasp as though by magic. Showing it to his buddy, he pocketed it once the little droid hooted his satisfaction.]

[sinistral]

[You're trouble Cal. The Soldier can tell.]

You're not wrong.

[He paused as Cal and BD-1 stopped to grab the rock; apparently bringing it for the little droid made quite the impact! Or he just really liked shiny rocks. But seeing the casual demonstration of Cal's power caught his attention; it never failed to surprise him.]

Guess I made a good choice in rocks?

[out_of_order]

[Oh you have no idea.]

Heh! BeeDee loves collecting things. It's a nice rock if he hasn't found anything from scans.

So, where to?