Wandering

[Guest]

How long had it been since they set out? How long since she had bade her family good bye in Creta? Apos was off somewhere right now and Vivian was watching camp. She was stripped down to a tank top and short shorts which had distracted the blonde haired man quite a bit. Ohhhh he liked her. And honestly? She was finding those feelings of her own growing stronger by the day. Her long hair flowed out freely in the desert win, sunglasses perched delicately on her nose as she sipped very carefully at her water bottle. A pistol was strapped to her hip, her bum leaning against the seat of his bike. Her tattoos were clear on her hands and wrist, a necklace glinting hot in the sun. It dangled just a bit above her dog tags, her sweat keeping the metal from feeling too hot.

Vivian sighed lightly as she adjusted her combat boots, wondering how far they must be from the nearest settlement. She knew Lior was out here somewhere, but they hadn't quite run into it yet. Maybe they were near the Xerxes ruins. Maybe not. She sure as hell had no real clue where in the world they were. And you know what? She didn't really care either. She was off in the world away from expectations, away from war, away from death. The faces of her fallen comrades that she had failed didn't float in front of her eyes when she slept, she didn't hear their voices in her ear telling her that it wasn't her fault. That it was the nature of war. She couldn't buy that bullshit. She was their commanding officer and she had failed them. Thats all it amounted to in her eyes.

She knew her parents were probably worried about their little girl, but she was fine. She was a warrior.... what? Princess? She wasn't that high up on the food chain. She was just a noble families daughter, thats all. So she was a warrior noble. That didn't sound nearly as catchy as anything else. The wind was starting to pick up, and she couldn't ignore that like she normally would have anywhere else. It could mean that there was a sandstorm coming or something. Picking up her walkie, she pressed the button and held it up to her lips. "Apos come in." Silence. "Apos, can you hear me?" Nothing. Well either he was out of range or his walkie had died. Either way that wasn't quite good. Well! Time to pack up then. There wasn't really a lot that she had to pack up anyway, just a couple of things that she had taken out of her pack. Sliding them back into their appropriate pockets, she zipped up her bag and placed it back on the back of her bike, hoping that she'd find somewhere to take shelter somewhere soon.

[Guest]

Hot. HOT HOT HOT. Then again, Vlad hadn't really been expecting any less. When his compass had led him in the direction of the Great Desert, he figured it was going to be a scorcher. And so he had properly prepped for just such a journey. He knew a nice, old couple just outside of the Great Desert and they had been happy to hold on to some of his effects. He had left his coat and even his clothes behind, purchasing himself a pair of sturdy cargo shorts and a wifebeater. He had even managed to find an Indiana-Jones-esque hat! Most sad of all was that is DVD collection remained with the Taylors. He didn't want to risk anything happening to his collection or his DVD player. It had truly been a sad parting.

So now he had a neat dune buggy, plenty of water, food and a tent rolled onto the back of the buggy. He was ready for his quest! He intended to find the Xerxes Ruins as well as the town of Lior. It would be something new and different for him and definitely something he had not tried before. And it was definitely an interesting experience. His compass did more than just activate his alchemy now; it actually helped steer him towards the ruins on the slightly dated map he had. But a dated map didn't matter so much, as he doubted the ruins were actually going to go anywhere. He'd been out for a few days and it had been pretty uncomplicated. Mostly just hot and very, very beige. But he enjoyed it! Just cruising along on his dune buggy, staring at the vast sea of sand all around him. He suspected that other people would have found it rather boring, but it was just fascinating to Vlad. And it was made even more fascinating since he happened to be wearing his fedora at a roguish angle. He cruised along, humming the theme song to himself.

As he traveled along, he felt himself dropping, going back and back. Suddenly... he was no longer Vladmir Azarov... he was Indiana Jones! He accelerated daringly over a large dune, sailing off of it to hit the sand hard below. He gritted his teeth, pushing hard at the accelerator as he rode his “horse” to higher speeds to find his father amidst the Nazi convoy. He had managed to take out quite a few as he saw his mate Sallah emerging from the dust with...

“SALLAH, I said NO camels! That's FIVE camels! Can't you count??”*

Vlad dropped his shoulders slightly, pushing out his belly and putting on a bushy, Indian accent. “Compensation for my brother-in-law's car!”*

Vlad straightened back on the buggy, rolling his eyes. There was danger afoot! The Nazis were going to do something... wait, maybe it wasn't the Nazis... Indiana Jones returned to his secret identity of Vladmir Azarov as the buggy halted in the sand. The wind was picking up. He could feel it against his neck and grabbed at his compass, flicking it open. The needle spun, gradually picking up speed. OH. That wasn't good! This was... what did they call it? A sandstorm! RIGHT. To find shelter! The theme song contined as Vlad went off again, aiming for rocks he saw in the distance. The Xerxes Ruins! He was close! He just needed to beat the storm there. No point in trying to set up a tent in a sandstorm; it could blow away with him inside it.



*Indiana Jones and Sallah, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade


[[So I made... or rather, Vlad made the executive decision that we're gonna be at the Xerxes Ruins! Hope Vivian doesn't mind <3]]

[Csilla Angelis]

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[Guest]

She gave Apos' bike one last check before she suddenly heard the rev of an engine not that far off from their position. Very few people would be out here, so she couldn't help but wonder who in the world it was. Her hand lingered towards her pistol at her hip as she fell perfectly still, watching the dune-buggy crash over the hills with a movie quote upon the drivers lips. Oh she knew that quote quite well. Her youngest siblings loved to quote that movie randomly on their adventures. It seemed they always managed to find a way to slip it in no matter where in the world they had placed themselves in their imaginations. Well, if it was someone making such movie quotes, then it was most likely not an enemy. As he slowed to a stop, it allowed Vivian to get a better look at him as she carefully lowered her sunglasses a little. Ah. So it was a boy who didn't look that old to be honest. Certainly older than a teenager, but that was about as close as her guess got.

It seemed like he hadn't noticed her presence at all since he began to consult something before he sped off. There was a shift in the air pressure which drew her attention more than the boy. Sandstorm. Perfect. Swinging onto the bike, she revved the engine and sped off, glad that she had already packed everything up and readied them for travel. She was just more worried about Apos at this point since he was who knew where. Maybe he had forged on ahead towards... Her eyes squinted behind her sunglasses as she looked at the ruins in the distance, already picturing the map in her mind. Had to be the Xerxes ruins, right? Well, there would have to be shelter of some sort there. Leaning forward, she actually felt quite refreshed to have this much freedom, the hum of the bike beneath her igniting her blood. Perhaps she should invest in a bike when she got home-- No. Oh lord no. She could just see her parents reaction to that. She had already tried it once years ago in high school, there was no way..... or was there? She could certainly give it a shot.

Her fingers tightened as she revved the engine harder, quickly overtaking the dune buggy in an unspoken race towards the Xerxes Ruins. She did not care that her long hair was getting whipped about for it was rather comfortable in the deserts heat. Though a bath would be absolute hell at a later time.... Anyways it didn't take too terribly long to get there, the bike slowing to an appropriate speed as she searched for any sign of potential cover from the oncoming storm. She could sense it coming closer and that bugged her. Where could she.... A-HA! Slowing to a stop, she found a little cave carved out between the ancient stone and the sand, taking a quick moment to judge the height before she drove inside. She had to duck low, but at least the bike fit. She didn't know how Apos would react if something happened to his girls. Hah... She really did hope he was safe out there wherever he was. Sliding carefully off the bike, she rumaged through her bag for her flashlight before flicking it on, peering carefully inside the little cave to find that it extended a lot further back than she initially expected. Well that could be good. Or bad.

Either way, she rolled the bike forward carefully, pulling it off to the side as she unpacked to set up a quick camp. She made sure she wasn't terribly close to the entrance since sand would be flying everywhere shortly. It occurred to her then that the sand might cover the entrance to her refuge and that.... was not good. She could always use her alchemy to punch her way through if she had to. Removing her sunglasses, she folded them and slid the one arm down her shirt, relaxing for the moment and braiding her hair. There was no sense in it flying free to annoy her later, at least not more than it already had.

[Guest]

Vladmir was coasting along when he heard an engine revving along behind him. He didn't really have an opportunity to turn around because as he made to turn his head, the bike sped past him. He couldn't get a good glimpse of the rider, but was able to deduce it was a black-haired woman. She was heading for the ruins like he was. Great mind think alike or something? He decided to follow her, as she seemed to have a plan. She managed to find a cave which was awesome, especially if she felt like sharing said cave. “Oh, my friends! I'm so pleased you're not dead!”* Point well taken, Sallah. Vlad decided to take the risk. Sandstorm was bad and would likely create death. There was a slightly less chance of death if he temporarily shacked up with the stranger.

Vlad approached the cave, getting off the buggy and pushing it in. As he pushed it forward, he noticed the woman had set up camp further in. He pushed it in until he was closer to her and then came around, lifting his arms up in an innocent gesture. He then realized... he had no idea what language she spoke! So he aimed for the best way to show he was friendly. He smiled and waved!


*Sallah, Raiders of the Lost Ark

[Shula Brighton]

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