Fear not son when the tables turn

    The air was thick, humid, oppressive. It pressed down on Cecil like a weighted goose-down blanket- like the one his mother had sewn and used to throw over him in the unforgiving winter months as the cold weather put him down in the dumps, leaving him shivering and unwilling to get out of the scratchy straw mattress. To be fair, it just as warm, too, the sun beating down on the sadly dried out looking grass within the confines of the barbed wire fence, it's rays creating little shimmering mirages off in the distance, distorting the dark line of trees on the other side of their protective fortress. Hell, it even smelled hot. The breeze, a gentle, nearly nonexistent force that did nothing to soothe the fire raining from the sky, he noted, smelled ever so faintly of burnt- not like smoke, or a blazing wildfire, it just smelled like every last particle of oxygen had been scorched, and in turn, burned as he inhaled.

    And he was in the shade, of all places, resting under the overhang of one of the storage buildings next to the kennels, listening to the grumbles and barks of the complaining dogs. That morning, Cecil had rolled out of bed, his blankets stuck to him with a fine sheen of sweat despite the relative coolness of the underground bunker. Like a good little soldier, he had pulled on the oil polished leather armor he was granted with his position, skipped breakfast knowing that it's weight in his belly could only make things worse, and headed above ground- today, of all days, he was training some of the younger soldiers and boy did they desperately need it. In fact, he mused with a snort, if he could, they'd need training all day, every day. Maybe he was just jaded, but were the newer and younger soldiers just getting lazier? The day he had been told he'd start his training, he had been ecstatic and had tried to climb the stairs to the surface three at a time, wanting to rush out, grab a weapon and get going, but now, he had to all but threaten to get several of the lazy bums to drag themselves above. He had to be fair though, begrudging himself a little smile, training had ended far earlier than expected today, before noon, even as the heat had everyone panting and nearly toppling.

    It was likely cooler out in the forest, under the thick canopy, but also so much riskier. Down below, it was cool as well, but it wasn't often he could stand the stagnant bowels of The Maw when he could very well be above ground, getting some fresh, if not singed, air. Honestly, he was starting to resent that restlessness, as even now, stripped out of his armor and in to much lighter, cotton clothing courtesy of Ashwatch, and lounging in the shade with a decrepit old book from the library, he felt like every last drop of moisture was being pulled from his body and in to the surrounding, overly saturated atmosphere. He tried once again to immerse himself in the fragile yellowed pages, but a squeal of joy caught his attention. Blue eyes raised slowly, and a true, brief smile was mustered.

    A few dozen yards away, a pair of children tumbled and played despite the temperature, swinging wooden swords at each other, ignoring the straw dummy set up nearby. If he wanted excited, curious soldiers, well, he could certainly still have some. Carefully, stiffly, he rose to his feet, clutching the book loosely in one hand as he approached them slowly. The duo were young, golden haired, no more than five or six, and as he had little to do with the children of The Maw, he wasn't too certain on their relation, parents, or even their names, but that was besides the point. For a few moment, he stood ten paces from them, watching them continue their awkward, terrible sword fighting, before clearing his throat and earning their attention. They both snapped to alertness, staring up at the towering man, wide eyed and concerned. He flashed them a grin, "How would you guys like to learn how to really fight?"

    Half an hour later, the kids were swinging wildly at the dummy now instead of each other, , and Cecil found himself once again sprawled out on the ground, book open but mostly forgotten as he watched them, looking every bit like some ancient roman emperor perched at the Colosseum watching gladiators fight for his approval. The children were by no means good, despite his brief lesson, their swings were still wild and uncontrolled, and he still swore one of them would fall over and break something and he'd be to blame, but oh, how much fun they seemed to be having, and how could he chastise or correct them as he would one his soldiers? Every couple of swings, one of the little blonde, mousy children, would swing around beaming at Cecil, seeking praise, and he would oblige, praise, offer maybe a tidbit of advice that would certainly go unheeded, and then attempt to return to reading his book, only to find himself affectionately watching the children again, chuckling at their antics. They reminded him of himself, mostly, small and excitable, attempting to fill the shoes of soldiers triple their size, and it was heartwarming. Under it all, however, churned the bitterness that they reminded him of what Lucas could have been, had life been in his favor.

    He'd scold himself at those thoughts, however. It was none of his concern, what happened all those years ago- he had been duped into thinking it was his problem, and it wasn't- even if it hurt now, it still wasn't. He shoved the thoughts aside and forced another smile as the little girl- oh boy, he still hadn't bothered to learn their names- spun around after impaling the straw dummy with her blunt wooden sword. He should probably usher them inside soon, before their parents came looking for them, or they passed out from heat stroke or something- eh, five more minutes. He thew his head back to peer up at the clear, cloudless sky, the sun blinding him momentarily. He couldn't remember the last time he had wanted it to rain so badly.

1,071 words || Let your soul walk free || Ariana Gabriels
Note: Oh boy this is a little crummy sorry.

Made by Riley at THQ!

Ariana normally didn't have an opinion either way, whether she preferred hot weather or cold weather. Though, she had to admit that she didn't really like the current weather. The humidity was thick, making it a little hard to breathe. She thought about how the weather seemed to kill whenever it wasn't Spring. Either everything was dead or dying, or it was Spring. Pretty weird in her opinion, but people didn't care about her opinions as far as she knew. Any breeze that floated on by was a nice reprieve from the near constant heat that made it seem like everything was burning and on fire. Of course, nothing had actually caught on fire. She didn't need to look around to know, since people would likely start shrieking and running around like someone killed their child if that were the case. So, yeah. No actual fire. It only felt like it. She sighed and rested the back of her head against the wall behind her.

Of course she was in the shade, she wasn't a glutton for punishment. She leaned against the storage building behind her. She flashed a grin at anyone who passed by, or even spared her a glance. They shook their heads and kept on moving along. Just how she wanted it. She disliked staying inside cooped up, despite her lack of interest in social interaction. So, she made herself an unpleasant person to talk to. She casually tossed about disrespect as if it were necessary for her to live, and she treated even the most serious maters with humorous levity. Perfect way to make people go away without saying a word. People didn't expect a conversation with her to be worthwhile, so she was able to simply hang about outside without being bothered. It was pretty nice, honestly. She yawned. She tugged absentmindedly at her shirt's collar. Earlier, she'd been training a bit by herself. It'd been a while since she'd sparred with anyone. Sparring was the only social interaction she didn't find absolutely exhausting. Funny how talking to people was tiring and a good spar invigorated her. People a while ago had been nervous to spar with her, however now they seemed to have forgotten their uncertainty. Still, she was kind of not really liked by most... So, yeah. She was on her own most of the time. She could still train. She still practiced swinging a sword, and how to aim properly on the first swing. Of course, there was a difference between striking an inanimate dummy and fighting an actual person or creature. Both were much more unpredictable and vicious. A dummy couldn't even move. Still, Ariana didn't have much choice other than to make do. She turned her head and looked off into the distance.

She was bored. Really bored. She hated being idle, even as she sought refuge in the shade. She yawned again, stretching her arms behind her back, as she pushed herself off the wall and began walking. She shoved her hands into her pockets and looked around with an easy smile. She looked as if she didn't have a care in the world. She could go train some more... Or she could fulfill her voluntary social interaction quota for a week. Eh. Might as well do it today. It wasn't as if it mattered all that much which day it was.

As she wandered around without much conscious thought as to which direction she was traveling in, she stopped. She spotted a pair of kids wailing on a dummy. They kind of sucked. That was Ariana's first observation. However, bullying kids was kind of low even for her, who mouthed off to literally anyone who was stupid enough to spend more than five seconds in her presence. Then she noticed someone who was near the kids, laying down as he looked up at the sky. She recognized him. She knew him to be the Lieutenant of the Maw. It would be kind of ridiculous if someone didn't know Cecil Sharp and had lived here for all their life like Ariana had. She smiled to herself and decided annoying Sharp would be a fantastic use of her time.

She walked over, moving past the practicing children, and sat down right next to the Lieutenant, regardless of whatever his opinion may be. Her palms rested on the ground behind her, propping up her body as her legs sprawled out. "Hi. Your name's See fill, right? Funny name. Your parents must've thought you were hilarious to name you a joke." Her voice was cheery in tone.

Fear not son when the tables turn

    He heard the approach of footsteps, and the burning light behind his eyelids was momentarily blotted out by shadow. Just as quickly, the light returned and he cracked his eyes open to peer at the person settling down next to him. Red hair, pretty, not one of his usual bedmates- did he want to? He thought for a moment as he gave her a once over, then glanced at the children, still whacking at the dummy. Nah. Too hot to fuck anyway. He was grateful, as the oppressive heat made everything uncomfortable, to not be one of the various couples within the compound who chose to attempt to share a bed, wrapped around each other like copulating garter snakes. He could only imagine the sweat, the stickiness, as they attempted to peel apart each morning to go about their duties. Suddenly he was even more grateful to be divorced. Yuck.

    "Hi. Your name's See fill, right? Funny name. Your parents must've thought you were hilarious to name you a joke." Internally he cringed at the missed barb. Why did everyone think it was cool to try to irritate him? It didn't work. Sure, most people had seen some drunken evening brawls between him and some of the other soldiers, but liquor always made hotter heads prevail and well, it was a given. He was a pretty chill dude, or at least he would like to think that. For several moments, he continued to lounge peacefully, only cocking his head in her direction to peer through half lidded eyes.
    "See Fill? Why not, like, Seashell, or something?" He arched a dark brow, and then turned his head back to the sun, shutting his eyes against the harsh light "Besides, I'm pretty sure to you, and everyone else, I'm Lieutenant Sharp."


    Ariana Gabriels. Not quite one of his soldiers, but that title meant nothing in The Maw. Everyone was a soldier to some degree, like it or not. The only variation ended up being that some were trained day in and out to fight, and others were trained for whatever it was they chose to do, and then were often accompanied by soldiers on outings- not that they couldn't fight for themselves anyway. He was certain, at least, that this one could. He didn't know too much about the woman at his side, maybe only slightly more than he knew about the two children playing nearby, and even that was only because of their similarity in age. They hadn't played together as children, they'd never bonded over a late night drink in the lounge, hell, he was pretty sure the only real exchanges they had ever had, had involved him giving her, and others, orders, as was his job. He had heard about her, though. Like so many humans before her, and so many to come, she was a victim of the wretched Lamia. No, of course she'd never been bitten, but she had lost family to it- at least that was the rumor.

    Kirin had been a good man, Cecil had found himself sparring with the man on a few occasions, but much like Ariana and her family, he knew very little. It had mostly been small talk shared, and fighting advice. When he had fled, and people speculated he had been bitten, Cecil may not have shed any tears, but he certainly took it without levity. It was always, always a serious matter when the Lamia added to their ranks, and stole it from The Maw to boot.

    The thought, and it alone, irritated him. Now was certainly not the time for that, however, and with a stretch like a great jungle cat, he propped himself up into a sit, braced with one arm while one leg stretched out, and his free arm propped on the knee tucked closer to his chest. He motioned blindly towards the children, their strikes getting more sluggish as finally they too began to realize that it was far too hot for this sort of play, but of course, children were children, and the sweaty little cretins were stubborn and would probably keep going until they started whining. 'That', he decided, 'would sound more like one of my soldiers.' Truthfully he couldn't fault any of them- in fact, if the Lamia decided today was a good day to attack The Maw, they'd all likely roll belly up like submissive dogs and let it happen. Too hot! they'd cry, Five more minutes! they'd whine. His head tilted back towards his new companion.
    "I'm training them. Decided that them beating the pulp out of each other could be better put to use on the dummy." He punctuated it with a half hearted shrug, lowering his voice to a conspiratorial whisper, "They're... not very good."
    Once again he focused on her hard though, glancing her up and down. One more thing he knew, was that she hadn't been very friendly after her brother took off, and even now wasn't much of a conversationalist, who he doubted would seek out a chat, especially with her Lieutenant, 'I'm sorry, did you need something, or...?"

854 words || Let your soul walk free || Ariana Gabriels
Note: N/A

Made by Riley at THQ!

Ariana lifted an eyebrow as Sharp looked at her up from down. That was an interesting look in his eye that she usually didn't see aimed at her... At least, not this close. Sometimes she saw men giving her a similar look from afar, however that sort of glow in their eyes usually faded as soon as she opened her mouth. Considering how much she tended to talk when given a conversational partner, she pretty much destroyed any potential partner's desire seven times over. Regardless, she liked being irritating. Intimacy of that nature, whether casual or more serious, it didn't particularly interest her that much. She had her needs, however she didn't see the point of being with someone for no reason whatsoever. She'd satisfied her curious about her own preferences years ago. She had no reason to go for anything else.

Ari flashed a grin at her superior. "Eh. Guess it didn't cross my mind." Lieutenant Sharp seemed less easily aggravated than some of the people she talked to. Some people were ready to punch her in the face at the drop of a hat. It seemed Sharp was not one of those people. She was sure she still made a horrible impression. That was the important thing, really. Despite Sharp's rank, really... He was only another person for her to reaffirm her crappy reputation with. He only had a higher degree of power and authority to lord over others and order them around. She understood rank, but only really paid attention to it to a limited extent. Her tendency to disrespect anyone and everyone wasn't limited by anything.

As for Sharp himself... She didn't have anything against him personally. She didn't know much about him. She knew his rank. She knew some basic things that well... Everyone knew. He was a little older than her, so it wasn't like she knew exactly nothing about him. It was only... That Ari didn't know anything she'd actually put stock in about him. She liked to make judgements herself. If you listened to another, you could easily fall victim to bias and opinions rather than fact. She disliked missing facts. It threw off calculations and could cause mistakes that could've been easily avoided. Assumptions could be fatal at times. Anyways, she really only accepted orders from him. It wasn't like everyone in the Maw knew everyone else personally. Besides, she liked it when well... No one knew her personally. Izzy and Ren treated her like a stranger, and she did the same. She knew for a fact that they didn't talk about her. Ari never talked about them either. As far as the redhead was concerned, there was no one who knew her remaining in the Maw. 

Outside the Maw... Ariana had no idea if he was dead or alive. She'd heard the rumors. People thought he'd been bitten. She kind of wanted to punch them in the face or give them a verbal lashing for it. Instead, she would grin. She would made sarcastic comments and poorly timed jokes that no one really liked. She wondered if it seemed like she didn't care. She'd prefer it if it were that way. She didn't need people trying to befriend her or anything. That way only ended in someone's heartbreak. Probably her's.

Ariana's thoughts were interrupted when Sharp suddenly sat up. She wasn't startled. She simply tilted her head and looked to where he was gesturing, at the kids who sucked at swordplay. She was surprised they hadn't started whining yet. Children were pretty bratty, and she would've expected one of them to start whining in that squeaky young voice of their's. Personally, she thought there wasn't any point in whining. Suck it up and deal with it, was what she'd like to say. No one gives a crap what weather it is if someone decides to attack. Like say, the Lamia. 

She snorted. "That's an understatement." In contrast, she made no attempts to hide what she said from the kids. "They've got a long way to go before they're more likely to harm an enemy than themselves." Then she turned her head at Sharp and shrugged. "Need? Nah. Want? Well, I'm bored." She said, as if it explained everything. Which, it kind of did.

Fear not son when the tables turn

    "Need? Nah. Want? Well, I'm bored." Cecil's gaze on her turned mildly amused, eyebrow arching again in question. A small, sly smile played across his lips and he cocked his head again. A big hand came to rest on her crooked knee as he spoke, voice low,
    "Fun? I only provide one kind of fun, and I don't think it's the kind you're looking for, sweetheart." He chuckled, a low rumble in his throat, and turned his head back in the direction of the children, thoughtful.
    Sexual conquests were his bread and butter- he never had an issue attracting people to his bed, he could usually leave the cafeteria at the end of the night with his pick of females, occasionally more than one, and his private quarters separate from the rest of The Maw enabled his deviancy well. Some may see it as a blessing, and he supposed, he certainly did too. Perhaps it left him lonely, but he certainly wasn't going to put himself on that market again. Of course, if the pretty redhead wanted that sort of entertainment, temperature be damned, he wasn't going to deny her that.

    His hand on her knee slid to the dry grass between them in a long caress, though at this point, he was simply being a teasing flirt for the fun of it. Rapidly, he switched gears, fingers trailing in the grass until it bumped the smooth, worn cover of the book he had been enjoying before he decided the children could use a refresher course. He snatched it up, tracing the cover reverently with another small, gentle smile. He loved reading, it was always glorious. The books were old, ancient even- a few, of course, had been written in more recent years on hand made parchment paper, written with precious ink and feather pens from various bird species. He himself had even written one or two of them, though they were both informative essays, on fighting and crossbow wielding, though they had proved useful to those who had picked them up, and frequently restored books as they climbed in years. Writing, of course, was another passion, typically just in his journals, stacks of the dusty tomes sitting on his desk alongside an assortment of feathered quills from all sorts of birds- but he always came back to reading, the old, and newer, stories always transporting him to another place in time, driving away the darkness of their situation.

    Casually, he waved the book in the air, it's cracked red leather cover perhaps a hundred years old, a transcription of a transcription of an ancient book found in the old library. Burned into it's cover, leaving deep, dark etching. Robinson Crusoe, he had read it before, he had read just about everything in The Maw's grand library over the course of his life, but he particularly enjoyed this one. It was a beautiful adventure, making his body ache with the desire to see the world, even knowing that the world was far different than it had been millenniums ago, knowing that it was a dangerous, impossible desire. His place was here, in The Maw, protecting his home, his people, and just trying to survive. Books were his one pleasure, his one escape- at least, the only pleasure and escape that didn't involve the opposite gender.

    "You could read, you know. The library is full of painstakingly restored books," He flipped the book open, exposing it's yellowed pages, fragile, and cracked at the edges.
    Another fifty years, and this one would need to be redone again. Paper was so fragile, though it likely wouldn't need another cover,
    "The world we live on is massive, and none of us will ever see it all. Most of us won't see outside the immediate area. We're... caged." He gave a shrug as he thumbed through the novel.
     Most of the soldiers didn't care much for reading, and usually when he wandered into the library, aside from maybe a few of the more studious warriors reading books of stratagem and war, he would be alone, and so he'd stay. He'd sit in one of the high backed oak chairs, surrounded by the musky smell of old books, and read for hours each evening. It was one of his favourite rooms in the compound, though if too many people gathered, chattering loudly, he'd swipe a few novels and retreat to his quarters, instead of silencing them- he was too at peace in the library to be confrontational.

    He gingerly placed the book back down, and glanced back up to see the children stomping sluggishly towards him, drenched in sweat. They mumbled their complaints but didn't stop as they trudged towards the small storage shed that hid the true entrance to the bunker. He watched them go, eyes alight with amusement. They'd get better, one day, but he could remember being that age, feeling like he could take on the world even though he probably got mocked by the older soldiers just as much. He couldn't remember being that bad though. Once they were out of earshot, he he turned his attention back away from them. He had his hobbies, of course. He wondered what her's were.
    "I imagine the intense heat will have the Lamia out in droves, so I can't say I suggest expending any energy taking any hunting or scouting parties out. I just can't say I have much in the way of entertainment for you." 
    His pause was brief, and he rose to his feet, scooping up the book and motioning for her follow as he began to leisurely stroll the compound.
    "You could entertain me, of course?" Another sickly sweet, flirty smile, dripping with innuendo, though it quickly melted away to the less propositioning version of his question, "What do you usually do then, when the General isn't handing orders down the chain of command?"

983 words || Let your soul walk free || Ariana Gabriels
Note: N/A

Made by Riley at THQ!

Ariana lifted an eyebrow as Sharp's hand came to rest on her knee. Then as he spoke, well... It didn't take a genius to figure out what he was implying. She rolled her eyes. "You sure? Sounds like you're trying to make yourself out to be pretty boring." Personally, she'd fulfilled her curiosity as to her own tastes years ago. She found that she didn't quite enjoy it as a recreational activity as some seemed to, such as the Lieutenant. She didn't dislike sex, it simply wasn't something she was generally interested in. Though, looking at Sharp now... If she had to pick a dude, he might make the top of the list. Heh.

However, she still wasn't really... Liking the idea of intimacy with anyone really. Hm... Maybe Sharp wouldn't be so bad, but no. She wasn't about to admit it to anyone because she wasn't the type to share, but the idea of getting close to anyone like that even in a weirdly intense, casual way... It freaked her out a little too much to act on whatever desire burned within her.

Sharp proceeded to tease her, his hand sliding onto the grass between them, slowly and sensually. Pfft. He claimed he was no fun except for sex. She saw otherwise. 

Then the tone of their interaction changed again, as Sharp snatched up his book with a smile. Personally, Ariana did enjoy reading. She always liked learning and finding out more, being a curious soul herself. However, as of late... She left her like of books behind. She wasn't trying to be relatable, and well... If she ever read a book nowadays it'd be in private. The less people actually knew about her the better. Perhaps she shouldn't be so reserved and secretive, but she didn't care much. What people thought of her didn't really matter much, as long as they weren't being too stupid like actually trying to cultivate an actual relationship wit the redhead. She didn't want it, so she made sure to make no openings. 

Ariana hummed in response. "I could." She agreed. The problem was well... There were a lot of books she'd already read through. She didn't reread things unless her memory began to fail, because to her? The point of it was to read something new and interesting, to know something she hadn't known before, to know a story she'd never known. Thus, that was another reason she read less nowadays. 

Then she tilted her head. "Yeah... Quite unfortunate that we're trapped like rats." She did itch to see more, but there was the constant danger when one left to simply get supplies or something. It severely restricted their movement, venturing out could be akin to a death wish a lot of the time. It was somewhat maddening, but Ari had years to cope with it, settling her restless urges by walking around. Sometimes running. Sometimes trying to simply push down her burning curiosity and pretend she didn't feel that niggling want.

She looked up and watched the children leave and towards the entrance to the bunker. She turned her head back towards Sharp. Then she smiled, though it was only for appearances. Not that most really saw that it was forced, a facade. It was the face she presented that made it seem like she didn't care enough.

"Oh, it really just depends on my mood. You severely underestimate how entertaining people can be." It was true. When Ariana wasn't ready to slam her head against the wall because people were exhausting and stupid, they could be pretty funny. A lot of people got mad and irritated with the redhead at the drop of a hat. She liked those people best, able to push their buttons with the touch of a feather. Those people were a real riot.

She stood up as well and followed Sharp as a leisurely pace, though she followed from beside him. 

Fear not son when the tables turn

    Her words echoed in his head as he strode along, heading for the fence line, following along the metal rails and links, inspecting it carefully for any faults. "Yeah... Quite unfortunate that we're trapped like rats." Trapped like rats. Somehow, that just didn't seem right. They were trapped in here, almost constantly, too afraid to leave their protective fence, and terrified of the idea of the walls being torn down. The only thing that brought the most well trained citizens of The Maw out were the basics for survival- more water, more food, more supplies.

    Rats had more freedom than that in his opinion. Perhaps not a millennia ago, when they had been used almost purely for testing in laboratories, but these days, that just wasn't so. Rats roamed the forest, fearing nothing, little scavengers carving out their existence in the world. As he dwelt, he revisited that thought- no, they feared birds of prey, snakes, large reptiles, foxes, other predators, so, no, it wasn't that they feared nothing, it was that, despite their fear, they continued to live, for what would their lives be, if they stayed inside their burrows forever, hiding?
    "I disagree. Rat's have freedom, rats don't spend their whole lives hiding." He glanced over at her as she came to follow alongside him.
    "Rat's realize that the only life worth living is one where you don't hide forever. Somewhere along the line, I think The Maw forgot that. We hide in our burrow, metaphorically and literally speaking, and play it safe. We're trapped more so than the rats."

    He caught her forced smile and gave a grim one in response, along with a, what-can-you-do shrug. Of course, he knew there were things he could do. He could abandon The Maw pack his bags and try to live life out on his own, he certainly wouldn't be the first. The Maw didn't appreciate it's soldiers leaving, however, and between that, and the fact that for many, it could be signing a deathwish, he knew better. For now.

     He had it cushy in the compound, his own private quarters, rank, surprisingly more respect than you would expect a tomcat like him to get, food, and safety. Really, he shouldn't be complaining, and yet, his skin itched and his heart raced with the idea of getting out and forging his own way, outside the compound. It was exhilarating. Between the rough metal links of the fence, he could see the rich green of the forest again, closer now, it's shadow's beckoning. There was danger to be found in those woods certainly, but so much more as well.

    "Oh, it really just depends on my mood. You severely underestimate how entertaining people can be." A snort escaped him, along with a small shake of his head.
    "Oh I know how fun people can be, especially women." His mood, it seemed, fluctuated little, from either infallibly relaxed, furious, or, well, in the mood. People watching, he decided, was not what the mood called for, but he could humor her, knowing he probably wouldn't get much farther with the prickly chick.
    "I can't imagine that the people of The Maw are very interesting to watch. Except me."
    The last bit was tagged on with a blinding grin and wink, a chuckle rumbling in his throat, before his eyes slid up to the guard towers high in the air. Predominantly wooden, but they were adorned in key spots with barbed wire to discourage enemies climbing them, the only other metal pieces glittering in the sun were the thick metal support beams keeping them aloft.

    Squinting, he peered at the shadowed hut at the top, scanning for movement inside, until he caught the eye of the man inside. Short, fat, another face in the ranks that he just simply couldn't name. He gave the man a slight nod, which was returned, and then turned his focus back down to his own level- or at least, the Ariana's level. He certainly didn't see any joy in people watching, but the more he thought, the more he realized her joys of people probably involved driving them up a wall- it was likely what she had approached him with the intent of doing. Big mistake, wrong target- he just wasn't easily moved.
    
    The thought of rats had gotten to him, however, and the forest continued to call to him. The danger sang in his blood, the scents set him alight, and risk be damned, if he died, he'd be a martyr. Changing directions suddenly, he began to make a beeline for the bunker, and more importantly, to his weapons and armor. He raised a hand, both waving her off and motioning to the door at the same time.
    "Gabriels, it's been a pleasure, truly. You know where to find me." He glanced back only once with another sly smile. 
    "You know, if you need me."

818 words || Let your soul walk free || Ariana Gabriels
Note: Okay so, if you want to let this go here we can, I wasn't sure what else to do. We could do another thread out in the wilds for scavenging and fighting and stuff if you wanted, or whatever lmao

Made by Riley at THQ!