Maxim gathered his group of Oaky and Rynh and then followed Jay's instructions as best as he could; the spreading fire was making it hard to see the path ahead, but he managed to tread a mostly straight line running parallel to Jay's. With the edge of the forest drawing nearer, he did the only sensible thing and drew his knife while trying to keep the other two near him so they wouldn't fall behind. He wasn't paying attention to Jay's group to see if they were ahead or behind, but as he broke out of the forest, he wondered what had caused the fireball in the first place.
In any case, some open land would be fine to put between the group and the blaze, so he continued to push his group forward into the daylight. Doubling over to catch his breath, the knife still in his hand, Maxim realized that he was still going to have to wait for Jay's group to catch up to him. Looking back at the forest, there were a lot of trees burning; it would attract attention and, if this place had inhabitants, it was entirely possible that the fire would be blamed on these foreign interlopers. They couldn't waste any time in regrouping, tracking down some kind of settlement, and figuring out the next step of their plan, preferably before people started drawing connections between their arrival and the blaze consuming the forest behind them.
"Alright," he panted, "we wait for Jay's group, then we move out. Sit down, take a load off, let's see where we are."
In any case, some open land would be fine to put between the group and the blaze, so he continued to push his group forward into the daylight. Doubling over to catch his breath, the knife still in his hand, Maxim realized that he was still going to have to wait for Jay's group to catch up to him. Looking back at the forest, there were a lot of trees burning; it would attract attention and, if this place had inhabitants, it was entirely possible that the fire would be blamed on these foreign interlopers. They couldn't waste any time in regrouping, tracking down some kind of settlement, and figuring out the next step of their plan, preferably before people started drawing connections between their arrival and the blaze consuming the forest behind them.
"Alright," he panted, "we wait for Jay's group, then we move out. Sit down, take a load off, let's see where we are."
Oh, come on, computer! I only watched furry porn ONCE! Out of curiosity! I didn't even like it!
The smoke was on them quicker than Dylan expected. His eyes stung, but his adrenaline rush and will not to die to fire kept him going on long enough to make it out of there. Even during this life threatening situation he still had that sense of responsibility with him. He made sure Oaky followed, and would offer to guide him if needed. The smoke made it hard to see, after all, but if there's one thing Dylan had, it was perception. Even during the night he'd still be able to see any potholes, roots and branches that would be in his way.
The heat kept creeping up on him, which caused him to move faster each time he felt it out of fright. He had never been so glad to be away from the trees. He nearly fell down as he reached safety and finally got the chance to take a breather. The young man agreed with Witness' plan."Sounds good. Let's just hope they're somewhere near." Just as he said that, it occurred to him that something had caused that fire in the first place."What the hell was that back here?" He didn't quite see the fireball, only a quick flash strong enough to make an entire tree collapse.
The smoke was on them quicker than Dylan expected. His eyes stung, but his adrenaline rush and will not to die to fire kept him going on long enough to make it out of there. Even during this life threatening situation he still had that sense of responsibility with him. He made sure Oaky followed, and would offer to guide him if needed. The smoke made it hard to see, after all, but if there's one thing Dylan had, it was perception. Even during the night he'd still be able to see any potholes, roots and branches that would be in his way.
The heat kept creeping up on him, which caused him to move faster each time he felt it out of fright. He had never been so glad to be away from the trees. He nearly fell down as he reached safety and finally got the chance to take a breather. The young man agreed with Witness' plan."Sounds good. Let's just hope they're somewhere near." Just as he said that, it occurred to him that something had caused that fire in the first place."What the hell was that back here?" He didn't quite see the fireball, only a quick flash strong enough to make an entire tree collapse.
She ran as fast and well as she could, allowing the familiar instincts she used to rely on as a child to guide her over the terrain in those impossible shoes. She made a mental note to take them off and walk around on socks when possible. It was a more pleasant alternative than breaking your neck over some damn heels.
Jay was right behind her, although she couldn't tell if Sufyan and Ceel were making it themselves. Fire was too dangerous to loiter near, it spread faster than most people thought. She'd seen the experiments people did on tv to show you how fast a house fire can catch you by surprise, for example.
What felt like twenty minutes had probably only been a two minute sprint before she couldn't breathe anymore. Sanne stumbled to a halt and leaned heavily against a tree, her breath ragged and wheezy as a result from a total lack of physical fitness. The adrenaline boost had worn off, and now she looked back to talk to Jay between her gasps. "Where are-" Gasp. "The others?" Gasp.
Jay was right behind her, although she couldn't tell if Sufyan and Ceel were making it themselves. Fire was too dangerous to loiter near, it spread faster than most people thought. She'd seen the experiments people did on tv to show you how fast a house fire can catch you by surprise, for example.
What felt like twenty minutes had probably only been a two minute sprint before she couldn't breathe anymore. Sanne stumbled to a halt and leaned heavily against a tree, her breath ragged and wheezy as a result from a total lack of physical fitness. The adrenaline boost had worn off, and now she looked back to talk to Jay between her gasps. "Where are-" Gasp. "The others?" Gasp.
Jay, as he ran, appeared indomitable. Despite the sweat that washed his body, his entire head flushed from neck to mohawk, and his labored breathing, he forced his body to run at speed, reminding himself that it was like pouring salt on a wound. It hurt like a bastard, but it drew out and killed the infection. In this case, it hurt like a bastard, but it kept his ass from being caught on fire.
When Sanne stopped, Jay didn't, giving her only the moment's respite before he grabbed her arm as he ran, pulling her along and as far out into the relative safety of the open air, slowing down once they were in clear daylight, but not stopping. Sucking air into his lungs air as deeply as he could through his nose and out through his mouth for a breaths before he tried to answer the question.
"Meat shield ran off, and Sufyan..." The redneck looked down at his hand, which was now holding Sanne's, having slid down her arm after grabbing it to continue moving, but which also should have been holding Sufyan's collar. "...Pisser if I know."
Standing as tall as he could, he looked out for the other group, which hopefully would have followed the aforementioned intended plan. In addition to being naturally paranoid, ahem 'cautious', Jay had the benefit of being a military man as well, training ingrained into his instincts causing him not to shout out or draw attention, but rather look, even as he straightened his glasses with hands shaking from adrenaline and exertion. "What do you see, Mutti?"
When Sanne stopped, Jay didn't, giving her only the moment's respite before he grabbed her arm as he ran, pulling her along and as far out into the relative safety of the open air, slowing down once they were in clear daylight, but not stopping. Sucking air into his lungs air as deeply as he could through his nose and out through his mouth for a breaths before he tried to answer the question.
"Meat shield ran off, and Sufyan..." The redneck looked down at his hand, which was now holding Sanne's, having slid down her arm after grabbing it to continue moving, but which also should have been holding Sufyan's collar. "...Pisser if I know."
Standing as tall as he could, he looked out for the other group, which hopefully would have followed the aforementioned intended plan. In addition to being naturally paranoid, ahem 'cautious', Jay had the benefit of being a military man as well, training ingrained into his instincts causing him not to shout out or draw attention, but rather look, even as he straightened his glasses with hands shaking from adrenaline and exertion. "What do you see, Mutti?"
More running?! She didn't protest when he pulled her along, although her lungs and legs were burning and making her regret her choice of lifestyle. When they slowed down to a manageable pace, she looked back over her shoulder, breathing heavily and trying to calm her racing heart. They were alone. Was that a good thing or a bad thing?
She shook her head at Jay's question and took off her own glasses to run a finger under her eyes, removing any makeup that may have run out from the sweat. "I don't know." She put the glasses back on and planted her hands on her hips. "I wasn't paying attention to where the others ran off to." But her eyes scanned the area anyway. It was calm, quiet, pretty even, and the wind was gently blowing at them. "If the fire spreads, it won't spread into this direction for now. But who knows how long that will last?"
She shook her head at Jay's question and took off her own glasses to run a finger under her eyes, removing any makeup that may have run out from the sweat. "I don't know." She put the glasses back on and planted her hands on her hips. "I wasn't paying attention to where the others ran off to." But her eyes scanned the area anyway. It was calm, quiet, pretty even, and the wind was gently blowing at them. "If the fire spreads, it won't spread into this direction for now. But who knows how long that will last?"
Ceel would have had a fit of laughter, had her lungs allowed her the freedom to do so. And if she had OOC knowledge of the uses of hint, foreshadowing, and furry porn, all within the same post. Ceel’s mouth inhaled deeply, her lungs being filled with air, as her legs carried her through the underbrush. Several small scrapes marked her feet, as she ran, and her kimono’s red silk drifted behind her, much like the forest fire.
Ceel’s arms spread out, her bare feet treading down a steep slope, rapidly, her chest filling itself and pushing the air out. Her right foot landed on something poky, and her foot instinctly raised upward, her hands moving to clutch at the bottom of it, “Owch!” Her becomes un-balanced and her shoulder soon moves to collide with the ground, her form becoming a mess of leaves and twigs, silken pajamas, and flailing arms.
Eventually, Ceel ceases tumbling downwards, landing on her back upon a damp, mossy patch of land. Her mouth opens, letting out what breath she had sucked in, her right hand moving to her side, comforting her ribs, while her left arm lay against the ground.
Ceel’s arms spread out, her bare feet treading down a steep slope, rapidly, her chest filling itself and pushing the air out. Her right foot landed on something poky, and her foot instinctly raised upward, her hands moving to clutch at the bottom of it, “Owch!” Her becomes un-balanced and her shoulder soon moves to collide with the ground, her form becoming a mess of leaves and twigs, silken pajamas, and flailing arms.
Eventually, Ceel ceases tumbling downwards, landing on her back upon a damp, mossy patch of land. Her mouth opens, letting out what breath she had sucked in, her right hand moving to her side, comforting her ribs, while her left arm lay against the ground.
Oaky nearly collapsed when they stopped running, leaning over and resting his hands on his thighs. It seemed him, Mr. Maxim and Dylan were on their own.
After a few minutes of panting, he gave a breathy "Okay."
~~~~
Everyone, no matter their location, might hear a small, high-pitched giggle. It seemed to be leading everyone in a westward direction. Away from the forest. Ceel would hear it leading her in a northwestern direction, (more north than west,) towards something else within the forest.
The fire had died as quickly as it exploded into existence. Only the thinning smoke lingered. Something definitely strange was going on.
After a few minutes of panting, he gave a breathy "Okay."
~~~~
Everyone, no matter their location, might hear a small, high-pitched giggle. It seemed to be leading everyone in a westward direction. Away from the forest. Ceel would hear it leading her in a northwestern direction, (more north than west,) towards something else within the forest.
The fire had died as quickly as it exploded into existence. Only the thinning smoke lingered. Something definitely strange was going on.
Maxim heard the giggle and scanned the area; it wasn't clear where it had come from, save for somewhere to the west. With Jay's group nowhere in sight and the fire suddenly disappearing, it was clear that they'd just have to stay split up for a while longer; something was definitely not right about this place and the longer they stuck around, the more they risked being picked off by whatever strange being was targeting them with the fire and giggle.
"Alright, we're continuing without Jay's group. With any luck, we can get out of these trees and spot each other on open ground, but for now, we move on."
He took a moment to sweep ashes from his trenchcoat, then took the garment off and draped it over his arm; he replaced the knife in his waistband, brushed the ashes from his boots, and nodded to Oaky.
"I'll take point, you stick close by. You too, Dylan," he said, addressing Rynh, "we'll need to be on our guards now that Jay's group is separated."
"Alright, we're continuing without Jay's group. With any luck, we can get out of these trees and spot each other on open ground, but for now, we move on."
He took a moment to sweep ashes from his trenchcoat, then took the garment off and draped it over his arm; he replaced the knife in his waistband, brushed the ashes from his boots, and nodded to Oaky.
"I'll take point, you stick close by. You too, Dylan," he said, addressing Rynh, "we'll need to be on our guards now that Jay's group is separated."
"Ross, you got maintenance today."
"UUUUUUGGGGGGGHHHHH."
"It's just one EGL though. The valves down in troop."
"Yeah, okay. No problem."
"Thanks man."
After that busywork was taken care of, he pretty much skated off till training at ten. Proper wear of the navy working uniform. Seriously. For an hour.
She wasn't feeling well. "Hey, are you going anywhere for lunch?"
"Yeah. Whatcha want?"
"Just some soup. Any kind of soup."
"Sure, I'll hit up that Japanese place we went to last week."
"Thanks."
He and Weeks ate at Carl's Jr. first, then crossed the lot to Hanaoka to order the soup.
"Can you order the beef udon? Gotta use the head. I've got cash."
So he was washing his hands when he got the text message. At first he thought it was corrupted, then that it was a different language. None of the characters were recognizable. His phone was a real piece of crap, but he'd never seen it pull any bs like this before.
The characters blurred together. He smelled smoke. The screen flowed outward from its case. Finally the phone itself expanded to fill his vision, and he knew no more.
Whatever unnamed force was responsible had deposited him somewhere within the forest, but near its edge. Immediately his lungs and eyes started burning, and he felt heat and pressure at his back. Not really processing anything, he blindly ran/stumbled away from the apparent source of bad hot stuff until he broke through the tree line. He spent a while doubled over and dry heaving.
As soon as he recovered, he compulsively checked his pockets. First he opened his wallet. Everything was still there, fortunately: some cash, ID, debit card, keycard, navy cash card, a few dozen useless business cards. He still had his cover, which he unconsciously put on now that he was outside. His phone was gone. He wasn't really sorry about that. Other than that, his dog tags and key to the lock on his closet, a pen, eraser, and mechanical pencil. Yup, really excellently prepared.
His digital blue camos were somewhat streaked with ash and splinters and other plant stuff. Boots were more scuffed then they'd been. He wasn't really paying attention to that though. Because honestly, who cares.
It was bright as a... something that was really bright, out here. He was great at similes. He grabbed his aviators out of their case, put those on. Could stop squinting at least.
He looked around. Saw what he had been running from. Smoke was still rising over the trees. Trees? There weren't this many trees in all of San Diego. And there weren't any idiots driving way too fast and not paying attention to anything.
Welp, I'm boned, he thought immediately. Then he finally noticed a few people some distance off. One really tall lady, a shorter lady, and a dude.
Doesn't look like they're in the navy. Maybe they won't be total d***heads.
He was about to wave, or call out, or start walking over, or something, but his throat seized just then and sent him into another coughing fit.
I just wanted to pick up some frikkin soup for my friend! What the ass?!
It was then he realized he'd be counted UA in less than an hour. He leaned back, shoulders slumped, and let out an annoyed groan. Just another Great Navy Day.
"UUUUUUGGGGGGGHHHHH."
"It's just one EGL though. The valves down in troop."
"Yeah, okay. No problem."
"Thanks man."
After that busywork was taken care of, he pretty much skated off till training at ten. Proper wear of the navy working uniform. Seriously. For an hour.
She wasn't feeling well. "Hey, are you going anywhere for lunch?"
"Yeah. Whatcha want?"
"Just some soup. Any kind of soup."
"Sure, I'll hit up that Japanese place we went to last week."
"Thanks."
He and Weeks ate at Carl's Jr. first, then crossed the lot to Hanaoka to order the soup.
"Can you order the beef udon? Gotta use the head. I've got cash."
So he was washing his hands when he got the text message. At first he thought it was corrupted, then that it was a different language. None of the characters were recognizable. His phone was a real piece of crap, but he'd never seen it pull any bs like this before.
The characters blurred together. He smelled smoke. The screen flowed outward from its case. Finally the phone itself expanded to fill his vision, and he knew no more.
Whatever unnamed force was responsible had deposited him somewhere within the forest, but near its edge. Immediately his lungs and eyes started burning, and he felt heat and pressure at his back. Not really processing anything, he blindly ran/stumbled away from the apparent source of bad hot stuff until he broke through the tree line. He spent a while doubled over and dry heaving.
As soon as he recovered, he compulsively checked his pockets. First he opened his wallet. Everything was still there, fortunately: some cash, ID, debit card, keycard, navy cash card, a few dozen useless business cards. He still had his cover, which he unconsciously put on now that he was outside. His phone was gone. He wasn't really sorry about that. Other than that, his dog tags and key to the lock on his closet, a pen, eraser, and mechanical pencil. Yup, really excellently prepared.
His digital blue camos were somewhat streaked with ash and splinters and other plant stuff. Boots were more scuffed then they'd been. He wasn't really paying attention to that though. Because honestly, who cares.
It was bright as a... something that was really bright, out here. He was great at similes. He grabbed his aviators out of their case, put those on. Could stop squinting at least.
He looked around. Saw what he had been running from. Smoke was still rising over the trees. Trees? There weren't this many trees in all of San Diego. And there weren't any idiots driving way too fast and not paying attention to anything.
Welp, I'm boned, he thought immediately. Then he finally noticed a few people some distance off. One really tall lady, a shorter lady, and a dude.
Doesn't look like they're in the navy. Maybe they won't be total d***heads.
He was about to wave, or call out, or start walking over, or something, but his throat seized just then and sent him into another coughing fit.
I just wanted to pick up some frikkin soup for my friend! What the ass?!
It was then he realized he'd be counted UA in less than an hour. He leaned back, shoulders slumped, and let out an annoyed groan. Just another Great Navy Day.
Once upon a time, there was a girl named Sabrina. Well, she looked like a girl, but she was actually juuuust about old enough to drink! Not like she'd want to, really. But anyway, Sabrina was probably the epitome of frail, hilariously so. She often joked about it to her friends, how similar she was to a dramatic, sickly Mary-Sue in some anime. But other than her extraordinary ability to be sick or hurt for no apparent reason, she was also the epitome of klutz and timid. It was rather pathetic.
Social anxiety kept her from going out at night with friends (probably because they never offered to take her because she wouldn't have fun at a bar), so instead she spent the night sitting at her computer, drawing, browsing artoftrolling.com, and roleplaying on Furcadia. Occaisionally, she'd open the RPR website to check her feed, but wouldn't likely reply until the next morning.
Exhausted from a day of stocking peanuts and walking to and from work (although two miles either way was negligible, she grew tired and weak pretty quick), Sabrina sought to lay down on her futon and watch some Courage the Cowardly Dog. Next thing she knew, she was turning over mid-sleep with something tickling her face. At first, she thought it was her cat's whiskers, but when she opened her eyes, she saw it was dark and she was surrounded by grass and trees and...voices?
PANIC TIME! Shooting straight up for fear of getting bit by bugs, the girl scrambled backward and touched a tree, from which she'd jump away from. She'd stare closely at it to make sure there were no spiders, and then placed her hands on it. Listening now, Sabrina shook and thought to herself about the content surrounding her. She was dreaming, right? She never was too sure. A lot of her dreams seemed too realistic to be dreams, and it'd likely explain why she was suddenly in a forest after falling asleep watching old cartoons. Her body ceased shaking and she inched toward the people. Timidity didn't leave her even in sleep, so the fact she had no newfound bravery didn't seem off to her. And of course, she had to approach in time to hear Mr. Jay there threaten to beat someone with a bat.
She wanted to talk, but remained silent and wide-eyed (or was that just cause her eyes were friggin' huge?), watching them curiously out from behind a nearby tree. If she wanted to be invisible, she could, right? It was her dream after all. And she had a pretty strong willpower in her dreams! So she willed herself to be invisible.
Although she thought herself to be completely nonexistent to those around her, what they would actually see was a really, really scrawny girl. She wasn't tall, standing between 5'3" and 5'4" (she's had several results before in recent weeks), skin stretched tight over her bones, yet her cheeks still seemed moderately full. She couldn't weigh any more than 108 lbs. She was also very much barefoot, donning a brown asymmetrical dress she was using as a nightgown. Sabrina's hair was also platinum blond. She was donning very crooked purple plastic-framed glasses, which she forgot to adjust because of the commotion. She probably shouldn't have fallen asleep with them on.
Sabrina was kinda dumb like that. Regardless, she'd fling her arms up and try to make it sunny out! It was just a dream, right? She kept whispering the word, "Light!" over and over again but nothing happened, so she let out a disappointed noise. And then the fireball. DID SHE DO THAT HOLY SHIT?! She made the strangest of squeaking noises and fled from tree to tree to get away from the flames, eventually winding back with Dylan, Austin, and Witness. She didn't want to be invisible anymore. She wanted to be seen and protected. And she wanted to wake up!
Social anxiety kept her from going out at night with friends (probably because they never offered to take her because she wouldn't have fun at a bar), so instead she spent the night sitting at her computer, drawing, browsing artoftrolling.com, and roleplaying on Furcadia. Occaisionally, she'd open the RPR website to check her feed, but wouldn't likely reply until the next morning.
Exhausted from a day of stocking peanuts and walking to and from work (although two miles either way was negligible, she grew tired and weak pretty quick), Sabrina sought to lay down on her futon and watch some Courage the Cowardly Dog. Next thing she knew, she was turning over mid-sleep with something tickling her face. At first, she thought it was her cat's whiskers, but when she opened her eyes, she saw it was dark and she was surrounded by grass and trees and...voices?
PANIC TIME! Shooting straight up for fear of getting bit by bugs, the girl scrambled backward and touched a tree, from which she'd jump away from. She'd stare closely at it to make sure there were no spiders, and then placed her hands on it. Listening now, Sabrina shook and thought to herself about the content surrounding her. She was dreaming, right? She never was too sure. A lot of her dreams seemed too realistic to be dreams, and it'd likely explain why she was suddenly in a forest after falling asleep watching old cartoons. Her body ceased shaking and she inched toward the people. Timidity didn't leave her even in sleep, so the fact she had no newfound bravery didn't seem off to her. And of course, she had to approach in time to hear Mr. Jay there threaten to beat someone with a bat.
She wanted to talk, but remained silent and wide-eyed (or was that just cause her eyes were friggin' huge?), watching them curiously out from behind a nearby tree. If she wanted to be invisible, she could, right? It was her dream after all. And she had a pretty strong willpower in her dreams! So she willed herself to be invisible.
Although she thought herself to be completely nonexistent to those around her, what they would actually see was a really, really scrawny girl. She wasn't tall, standing between 5'3" and 5'4" (she's had several results before in recent weeks), skin stretched tight over her bones, yet her cheeks still seemed moderately full. She couldn't weigh any more than 108 lbs. She was also very much barefoot, donning a brown asymmetrical dress she was using as a nightgown. Sabrina's hair was also platinum blond. She was donning very crooked purple plastic-framed glasses, which she forgot to adjust because of the commotion. She probably shouldn't have fallen asleep with them on.
Sabrina was kinda dumb like that. Regardless, she'd fling her arms up and try to make it sunny out! It was just a dream, right? She kept whispering the word, "Light!" over and over again but nothing happened, so she let out a disappointed noise. And then the fireball. DID SHE DO THAT HOLY SHIT?! She made the strangest of squeaking noises and fled from tree to tree to get away from the flames, eventually winding back with Dylan, Austin, and Witness. She didn't want to be invisible anymore. She wanted to be seen and protected. And she wanted to wake up!
Oh, great. They lost the others. Dylan sighed as he rubbed his temples. This faint giggling made him anxious, not to mention how quickly the fire subsided. He hadn't witnessed many forest fire, but even he knew they didn't end that quickly on their own.
At Witness' remark, Dylan nodded."We'll stick close and keep an eye out for the others." He said, trying to sound calm. The truth was he feared for their lives right about now. Though Witness carried a knife, Dylan and Austin had nothing much in the way of preparation. The most he could do in a fight is throw that heavy wallet of his or try to stab someone with the sharpest of his many keys. All he could do is hope they wouldn't run into trouble.
Suddenly, a noise got the poor Belgian guy spooked as he quickly turned around. It wasn't a monster or a demonic presence like he thought it would be. It was a girl who seemingly got plucked straight of bed by the looks of her."Hey, wait up!" He warned the others of the group in case they didn't hear her footsteps either."We've got another one here."
At Witness' remark, Dylan nodded."We'll stick close and keep an eye out for the others." He said, trying to sound calm. The truth was he feared for their lives right about now. Though Witness carried a knife, Dylan and Austin had nothing much in the way of preparation. The most he could do in a fight is throw that heavy wallet of his or try to stab someone with the sharpest of his many keys. All he could do is hope they wouldn't run into trouble.
Suddenly, a noise got the poor Belgian guy spooked as he quickly turned around. It wasn't a monster or a demonic presence like he thought it would be. It was a girl who seemingly got plucked straight of bed by the looks of her."Hey, wait up!" He warned the others of the group in case they didn't hear her footsteps either."We've got another one here."
The coughing fit from behind them grabbed Jay's attention, and he spun towards the sound, not seeing anything until the dark shape stood back up and groaned.
Baring his teeth and exhaling as hard as he could (To avoid the very audible sharp 'S' sound associated with hissing), the redneck dropped to the ground, still facing his target. Slowly, he began to low-crawl towards the figure, moving slowly and deliberately, though he'd be lying to himself if he tried to pretend that he wasn't still winded from the run, or that his hands were steady after the rush of adrenaline.
Hoping to Sanne would have understood his not-hiss and dropping down, he moved closer and closer until he was either spotted or had come close enough that he was able to make out the USN digital BDUs. Swallowing back a mouthful of post-exertion nastiness, he called out, his voice croaking slightly as he had avoided clearing it. "Ahoy! Sailor! Name and rank!"
He was aware that he might not be very inconspicuous, lying down in the grass, no matter how tall, and he readied himself to spring up if he needed to.
Baring his teeth and exhaling as hard as he could (To avoid the very audible sharp 'S' sound associated with hissing), the redneck dropped to the ground, still facing his target. Slowly, he began to low-crawl towards the figure, moving slowly and deliberately, though he'd be lying to himself if he tried to pretend that he wasn't still winded from the run, or that his hands were steady after the rush of adrenaline.
Hoping to Sanne would have understood his not-hiss and dropping down, he moved closer and closer until he was either spotted or had come close enough that he was able to make out the USN digital BDUs. Swallowing back a mouthful of post-exertion nastiness, he called out, his voice croaking slightly as he had avoided clearing it. "Ahoy! Sailor! Name and rank!"
He was aware that he might not be very inconspicuous, lying down in the grass, no matter how tall, and he readied himself to spring up if he needed to.
Sanne wasn't as... let's say well-trained in these situations as Jay was. Hell, all she had was common sense and an awkward timing. She stared at Jay as he dropped down, taking several heartbeats to realize what was going on before dropping to the ground with a soft 'unf'. She may have airbags to catch the fall, but that didn't mean it hadn't hurt.
She perked up when Jay called out to the shape. Sailor? She inched backwards in the grass, totally ruining her clothes of course. Yergh.
She perked up when Jay called out to the shape. Sailor? She inched backwards in the grass, totally ruining her clothes of course. Yergh.
He watched a wake in the grass moving towards him. He was confused until he heard the voice call out.
"Oh. Ross. OS3. Uh, I think..." he paused to look around and over both shoulders, "I think you can stand up dude. Don't think anybody's out here except you and your friends. Anyway, pretty sure I'd have already given you guys away by now. By the way, why are you out here? The heck's going on?"
"Oh. Ross. OS3. Uh, I think..." he paused to look around and over both shoulders, "I think you can stand up dude. Don't think anybody's out here except you and your friends. Anyway, pretty sure I'd have already given you guys away by now. By the way, why are you out here? The heck's going on?"
A voice! A sudden voice! It made her jump. Yeah, despite being able to see him, the sudden addressing caused her fear. It was only momentary, though, as she soon calmed herself. What was strange about this dream was that her feet hurt from the constant poking and prodding of sticks and the like - the one thing most of her woodsy dreams forgot to address. She didn't look down at them, though. Instead, she stopped dead in her tracks and stared at the guy. Why was half of her vision blurry?! Oh. Glasses were still crooked. Right.
Duh!
Sabrina adjusted her glasses and awkwardly looked at the ground, then back up again. "What does 'another' mean?" she asked. Her voice didn't carry very far at all. Really, she seemed to wince, as if she spoke too loud, but he'd likely have to strain to hear it from that small distance. "Do I have clones here?" Dead. Freaking. Serious. And if he'd notice, she wasn't even looking at his face! Just sort of in his general direction, like she couldn't make him out even at the short distance thanks to the darkness. Still, if he could see her, she should be able to see him right?
"Sorry about the fireball...," she mumbled. Apparently she still thought she did it! Ah, but the timing of it was hilarious!
Duh!
Sabrina adjusted her glasses and awkwardly looked at the ground, then back up again. "What does 'another' mean?" she asked. Her voice didn't carry very far at all. Really, she seemed to wince, as if she spoke too loud, but he'd likely have to strain to hear it from that small distance. "Do I have clones here?" Dead. Freaking. Serious. And if he'd notice, she wasn't even looking at his face! Just sort of in his general direction, like she couldn't make him out even at the short distance thanks to the darkness. Still, if he could see her, she should be able to see him right?
"Sorry about the fireball...," she mumbled. Apparently she still thought she did it! Ah, but the timing of it was hilarious!
Ceel's expression changes into a grimace, a breath being released in a slight wheeze as she turned to slowly push herself to her knees. Her hands touched different parts of her head, bringing her hand in front of her vision. "Nope. Nope. Nope. Oh good." Ceel's hands turn their palms upward, her fingers moving to rake through her hair, shaking off what leaves and twigs. Her hands stop near her hair's end, her gaze lifting and drifting between the trees. "Hmm?"
Ceel's form regains its footing, her hands brushing away at the dirt that had gathered about her kimono, her hands slowing as her gaze drifts between the trees, again. "Hmm." Ceel's lips purse together. A giggling in the woods? Her right hand presses its palm against her forehead, her gaze closing shut, her left hand typing on an imaginary keyboard, "That is a...fey-like quality. Fey are weak against cold-iron. Fey come in several forms, but most of which play music. One is particularly fond of leading others astray." Ceel's right hand removes itself from her forehead and her eyes open, looking about the ground around her bare feet, "Oh, rocks, why couldn't you be cold iron?" Her lips form a small smile, her form bending to snatch a large rock, tossing it aside for a medium sized rock.
With the rock in her hand, Ceel's scraped feet would carry her towards the giggling, and sometime during her travel, she would place the rock within her kimono's front pocket.
Ceel's form regains its footing, her hands brushing away at the dirt that had gathered about her kimono, her hands slowing as her gaze drifts between the trees, again. "Hmm." Ceel's lips purse together. A giggling in the woods? Her right hand presses its palm against her forehead, her gaze closing shut, her left hand typing on an imaginary keyboard, "That is a...fey-like quality. Fey are weak against cold-iron. Fey come in several forms, but most of which play music. One is particularly fond of leading others astray." Ceel's right hand removes itself from her forehead and her eyes open, looking about the ground around her bare feet, "Oh, rocks, why couldn't you be cold iron?" Her lips form a small smile, her form bending to snatch a large rock, tossing it aside for a medium sized rock.
With the rock in her hand, Ceel's scraped feet would carry her towards the giggling, and sometime during her travel, she would place the rock within her kimono's front pocket.
Oaky stopped when he heard Dylan call out. He whirled around and saw Sabrina. This was strange. He could have sworn he hadn't seen her in the forest before... This whole situation just seemed totally messed up.
Wait, did she say she made the fireball? Okay, definitely staying with Mr. Maxim now. Oaky's Leatherman was growing heavier on his side. Definitely was keeping it in case he needed it for whatever reason.
He quickly turned back around and hastily caught up with Witness because clearly he didn't want to be fried by that girl.
The giggling sound came about again. Oaky thought it was just a fluke but now he was tempted to see where it was coming from. He looked up at the older companion. "Do you think we should check out that sound?"
No. No you shouldn't. But alas, their OOC knowledge is so limited. And they are yet naive.
Oh well. Makes for entertaining drama.
Wait, did she say she made the fireball? Okay, definitely staying with Mr. Maxim now. Oaky's Leatherman was growing heavier on his side. Definitely was keeping it in case he needed it for whatever reason.
He quickly turned back around and hastily caught up with Witness because clearly he didn't want to be fried by that girl.
The giggling sound came about again. Oaky thought it was just a fluke but now he was tempted to see where it was coming from. He looked up at the older companion. "Do you think we should check out that sound?"
No. No you shouldn't. But alas, their OOC knowledge is so limited. And they are yet naive.
Oh well. Makes for entertaining drama.
Maxim stopped and turned to look at the female with Dylan; her appearance didn't seem to fit with how she was taking the blame for the fireball. For one thing, the fireball had been launched pretty much at their direction, suggesting an intent to harm, and if she meant to harm them, she wouldn't have meekly emerged into their company, or apologized for it; it would have been much easier to just blend in as another confused person transported here if she wanted to attack them up close and personal. With all that considered, he turned away from the sound of the laughter and approached the girl.
"You're sure you caused that fireball? Who are you, anyways? How'd you get here?"
He was alert but not overly alarmed; she seemed shy, even a little dazed, certainly not the right type to be throwing fireballs around. Still, the arm carrying his trenchcoat flipped it over his shoulder and both hands rested on his hips as he waited for her response.
"You're sure you caused that fireball? Who are you, anyways? How'd you get here?"
He was alert but not overly alarmed; she seemed shy, even a little dazed, certainly not the right type to be throwing fireballs around. Still, the arm carrying his trenchcoat flipped it over his shoulder and both hands rested on his hips as he waited for her response.
Sabrina glanced at both Witness and Dylan. At least the latter didn't want to get up close and personal with her, as that would likely make her freak the hell out and run off like a dumbass. Witness, however, did cause her some unease, but it wasn't because he seemed outright frightening or any such thing. He was just a thing with two legs that moved toward her and questioned her. Witness was smart though, and she didn't actually make the fireball. She just wanted there to be light and then there were flames. It was only a coincidence.
She noticed she was gawking, mostly because confrontation made her skittish and sweaty and all the while, no eye contact could be made. With any of them. "I fell asleep," came her reply. "I might have? I'm magic, right?"
Wait, why was she asking him? Gah, dumb girl. "I'm a Sabrina," she answered again. "Er... Not a, but THE--no, uh... technically a Sabrina but... I hate saying my name, I'm sorry, hah!" OH YOU. Nervous laughter was always your icing on the cake, wasn't it? A little bit, yeah. She winced at all her words, face softening into a frown after a moment and she looked down.
"What's this place called? Where's the city? Is there a castle...? Oh I hope soooo!" she questioned. Yeah, it was obvious she was either convinced she was asleep or absolutely insane.
She noticed she was gawking, mostly because confrontation made her skittish and sweaty and all the while, no eye contact could be made. With any of them. "I fell asleep," came her reply. "I might have? I'm magic, right?"
Wait, why was she asking him? Gah, dumb girl. "I'm a Sabrina," she answered again. "Er... Not a, but THE--no, uh... technically a Sabrina but... I hate saying my name, I'm sorry, hah!" OH YOU. Nervous laughter was always your icing on the cake, wasn't it? A little bit, yeah. She winced at all her words, face softening into a frown after a moment and she looked down.
"What's this place called? Where's the city? Is there a castle...? Oh I hope soooo!" she questioned. Yeah, it was obvious she was either convinced she was asleep or absolutely insane.
Dylan heard the giggling too, and it was freaking him out. He had to shrug it off. He just kept his distance from Sabrina. Maybe there were more people out there. The fact she apologized for the fireball made Dylan frown skeptically. He found it hard to believe she actually fired that ball of death. She didn't look like she'd be capable. She looked like a frightened girl to him who's just as confused as everyone else was.
"How many more people are out there?" He wondered out loud, not expecting an answer. It was a question worth asking in his opinion, though. He had hoped there wouldn't be any more people joining, but sadly this was not the case. People still seemed to be getting pulled out of their beds into this strange worlds.
"You don't happen to be a member of RPR, are you?" Dylan asked her. It would seem like a silly question, but what Sufyan said earlier still lingered in his mind. Could there truly be a connection with membership to the community and being here?
"How many more people are out there?" He wondered out loud, not expecting an answer. It was a question worth asking in his opinion, though. He had hoped there wouldn't be any more people joining, but sadly this was not the case. People still seemed to be getting pulled out of their beds into this strange worlds.
"You don't happen to be a member of RPR, are you?" Dylan asked her. It would seem like a silly question, but what Sufyan said earlier still lingered in his mind. Could there truly be a connection with membership to the community and being here?