Firebringer
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Elemental Ifrit, Presence 3 (Intimidating)
Posts: 634
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Post by Firebringer on Mar 10, 2021 1:01:13 GMT -8
Firebringer has invited Rowan out with her to the Red Rock Canyon Campground area for some survivalist camping training, as well as general hang out space. She's gotten herself well and packed with her hiking and camping gear, food and water, extra clothes, and a knife and a swiss army knife. She and the Shitmobile are just waiting outside of Rowan's place to get going. She's only mildly nervous. Nervous in the sense that this is new ground, mostly. She scouted it out first, but even still. This wasn't like the places in Virginia you could go back east. This was less foresty and more mountainy over here. They'd be fine though; she's always had a knack for survival in the wild. She just kind of hoped he did at least a little bit so it isn't all teaching from square one. She doubted it though. What was more on her mind was figuring out what they are doing. Are they forming a motley? Are they just keeping with the friendship vibes without an oath? An oath would make it all a hell of a lot easier on them, but even still. Swearing a motley oath can be an intense decision for some, so they needed to talk about it. Rowan
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Post by Rowan on Mar 10, 2021 7:15:32 GMT -8
He didn’t want to go. Hand to the heart, he didn’t want to go. The heat, the sun. The lack of places to hide. The desert made him uncomfortable, especially after the last visit. But Dani had seemed pretty adamant. He felt another lecture of social propriety coming on, and he was preparing counter arguments. The worst thing she could want to talk about would be Archie.
Rowan wasn’t jealous. If anything, Dani finding new friends gave him more time for his hobbies and research. It would become problematic if Torrent started to try and make the Darkling more like her new Spring buddies. He shuddered at the thought.
He still had some basic camping stuff from his trip to the Hedge, so he packed that. Plenty of water and ration packs as well. He brought a bottle of homemade cold brew and some snacks for the road before finally leaving his Hollow.
“I’m not in a really good mood.” Context was important to social interactions.
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Firebringer
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Elemental Ifrit, Presence 3 (Intimidating)
Posts: 634
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Post by Firebringer on Mar 10, 2021 9:32:35 GMT -8
The Torrent took one look at the Darkling and she had had a feeling he wasn't in a good mood. Actually, was Rowan ever truly in a 'good mood'? She wanted to help change that at some point. Not by changing him or anything, but by figuring out what the heck he actually likes to do. Like, something not court related? She realizes they've never talked nerdy things. Maybe this could be the go around. See what they haven't talked about. It could be fun.
She glances at him from the drivers seat with a look of concern, "What's goin' on? Rough morning or just general blarg?" She knew sometimes nothing in particular had to be the thing that set her off. Some days were just bad.
"I mean, like, we could turn back, but you wanted the survival training. Better to just kind of get it out of the way..." And talk about things. ...Huh. Was this her manner of talking about most things? Getting people trapped with her for no escape? Weird...
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Post by Rowan on Mar 10, 2021 17:09:31 GMT -8
"Well, when I said I wanted to learn how to camp, I didn't exactly think you'll drag us all the way out there." He kicked some dirt and looked out into the distance before speaking again. "We'll be outside the Wards. Last time was- it was a lot." Pause. "For me."
"Do we have to go so far? Or you know, maybe we don't go at all. The Hollow is forest-y. Kinda." He pointed his thumb to the basement door that had just closed behind him. He seemed to take a moment. "Forget it. Let's go."
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Firebringer
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Elemental Ifrit, Presence 3 (Intimidating)
Posts: 634
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Post by Firebringer on Mar 10, 2021 17:29:37 GMT -8
Dani purses her lips a little bit, "Well, I'll say this. We're barely outside. And when I say barely, I mean... we barely hop on the highway and we're back in. I don't know if that helps at all." She sighs a little bit, "Best way to learn is to do. We can only learn so much from the books. We gotta put our hands on it."
"This won't be like then though. We won't be dozens and dozens of hours out. We're right next to the city and we'll be on a campground site where camping is meant to be done." She takes in a deep breath, slowly letting it out. She'd felt like things had been tense between them lately. Tense and bubbling and she couldn't quite figure out what it was yet. She waited a moment, just taking the time to process that.
Am I being too much? Am I forcing him out of his comfort zone too much? Like... this isn't that much. I went with this spot specifically because it was the absolute closest camping ground to the city. Crazily opportune. Perfect for the basics. Got hiking trails too. If it gets too much, we can literally hop back in the car and be in the wards in like 5 minutes.
She opens her mouth as if to speak, but closes it again, waiting till he got in and fastened his buckle before beginning to drive. Dani really wasn't kidding about the length of time it would take to get there. Driving, it was only 20 minutes from center of Vegas with no traffic.
"Um- so... how've you been?" The Torrent looks over at the Wisp briefly. "O-or if you want a quiet ride, we could do that too... It's short anyway."
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Post by Rowan on Mar 10, 2021 17:55:10 GMT -8
"Busy." And he had been. Between his GED, his climb up his Courts and his research with Lucas, most of his time was tied up. "Occult stuff. I can't tell you much, but I can give you the skinny."
'Because this might still be a long con. Because you're a hypocrite who lectures others on taking their time with friendship while clinging on to me for dear life. Because nowhere is safe.'
Of course, he said none of these things. He looked straight ahead, the millions worst case scenarios never crossing his lips.
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Firebringer
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Elemental Ifrit, Presence 3 (Intimidating)
Posts: 634
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Post by Firebringer on Mar 10, 2021 18:18:59 GMT -8
Fire nods. The terse, short answer was not not normal, but it just felt weird with the tension. She takes another look at him, trying to read anything she can off him.
Are you mad at me? Are you mad at the world? Am I misreading shit because I have anxiety that a pill can't fix?
"Okay... well, you know I'm always happy to listen. Or you could tell me about other stuff. Later. If you want," And she was happy to listen. It wasn't like she didn't enjoy hearing about weird occult stuff. But, he never seemed to really want to share. And then there's this new dude he keeps hanging with. Maybe a feeling of abandonment going on?
Urgh. Stop being so clingy. But you don't really have many other friends, do you? Riley doesn't count. That thought put a giant knot in her stomach. She really did only have two friends. Two people she really talked to. What if she's losing one of them? No. It's just in your head.
She continues driving and it isn't long before they reach the camping site where they could park. They just needed to choose exactly where they wanted to set up camp and make note of where the hiking trail was and all of that.
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Post by Rowan on Mar 10, 2021 18:31:13 GMT -8
“You remember Golden? The guy who disappeared during Yule? I’m trying to help him. Ghosts aren’t really my thing, so I had to ask Lucas for help.”
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. No matter how hard he tried to tell himself that everything would be fine, he couldn’t escape the feeling of helplessness the vast, flat expanse of sand and rocks stirred in him. The excruciating hours of trekking under the sweltering sun after having uncovered next to no valuable information. He shook his head to chase the thoughts away.
They lingered.
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Firebringer
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Elemental Ifrit, Presence 3 (Intimidating)
Posts: 634
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Post by Firebringer on Mar 10, 2021 18:45:50 GMT -8
Dani nods. Okay. It doesn't seem like he's mad at me specifically. Just a lot going on. Okay. Cool. Fuck, but I am annoying him with the desert. Well... we can go home if it gets bad. I can give that concession.
"I'm glad Golden is getting help. I was there with you when talking to Tanner about it, remember? Scary shit. I'm glad Lucas is able to help. I- I actually don't know much about him." Or your relationship with him or... stop. She takes a deep breath.
The Elemental brings them up a ways until they find a good flat spot with shade to lay out their stuff. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to help you as much when we were, you know, trying to get back. I did my best." It was a long trek...
"But, hey, we're here now. Why don't we get all set up and check out the area, talk about some key markers for going about different terrain?" She offers a smile, a little more chipper then. Teaching about this kind of stuff was fun when you weren't in a life or death situation.
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Post by Rowan on Mar 10, 2021 19:42:49 GMT -8
When he stepped out of the car, Rowan looked, well, miserable and out of place. The sun brought out just how pale he was, mercilessly pointing at all the places his second-hand clothes fitted him wrong: a pink Hawaiian shirt with palms and flowers and other nonsense that was at least a size too much, sunglasses and a saggy looking brimmed hat. The only thing that was right were the trekking shoes.
He sighed with resignation - he was likely being punished for something. He dismissed her apology with a thumbs up like the inconsequential thing it ultimately was. Fire had brought them back, there was nothing to be sorry about. It wasn't about that. He forced his mind to focus on something else as he, by rote at this point, payed the price of adaptation. Usually, the change happened relatively fast, even if it looked painful. But not this time - Rowan's Nature wasn't familiar with this possibility. He came from a land of forests and ice and darkness and cold-blood was not needed there. His form darkened, overcome by shadows like a blotch of ink that folded onto itself, stretching and contracting as multiple outcomes clashed with one another. Some unseen force erased, rewrote and compressed timelines to bend Matter to the Mind's desire. Eventually, Rowan resurfaced, clawing is way out of the depth of entropy. His face, arms and body was deformed with angry, hard boils that ranged from black to yellow, creating some strangely appealing patterns on his skin. He was panting, touching his face to feel the textures flesh. He tanked the Wyrd for the Mask and he slowly regained his composure.
"Sure. Lead the way." No changing trajectory after liftoff, after all.
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Firebringer
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Elemental Ifrit, Presence 3 (Intimidating)
Posts: 634
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Post by Firebringer on Mar 10, 2021 20:16:45 GMT -8
Fire watched as Rowan changed his kith once more and... god, every time he did it, it looked like it hurt. Substantially. Like, sometimes she wondered if on top of him changing his kith as survival and tactic, did he also do it as a form of punishment? I wouldn't do that willingly.
The creature he turns into looks... weirdly appropriate for the terrain. Well, of course it is. It should be appropriate. The poor Snowskin would be dying in this heat. Not that it was overly hot. The hottest part of the day had long past. She'd had enough of that BS for a hot minute. Sighing a little, but not in any kind of emotional way, she nods, "Alrighty. Let's get a move on!" Yes. Channel the chipper self. That'll work.
They set up camp before grabbing their hiking supplies and checking out the nearby area and walking along the trail.
As they walked, she'd point out things she looks for when keeping track of where she's going, use of certain gear when you have it and what to do if you don't, looking for particular nature signs and what they usually point to, what kinds of animals might have passed through the area based on tracks, what not to touch or eat in case you stumble upon them and the like. Doing all of this, she was worried she'd actually get them lost (she wouldn't tell him that), but they managed to stay on track.
After a while she kind of looks out along the terrain before looking back to him, "Okay, how are you doing with all of this? Any burning thoughts?"
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Post by Rowan on Mar 10, 2021 20:32:05 GMT -8
"Yeah. Why are we doing this? Like, I know I asked you but. Did I do something wrong?"
He had barely listened to anything she had said. His vision blurred every time he looked out toward the expanse and he had cold sweat even through the boilscales. He wanted to go home, but he also understood that Dani was single minded in her pursuits - most Torrents were.
"I feel like I'm suffocating." Use your words, describe your feelings. Others can't read your mind and know your thoughts. 'What if they can?' He dropped his gear to the ground in a gesture of revolt that felt very appropriate given Rowan's circumstance.
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Firebringer
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Elemental Ifrit, Presence 3 (Intimidating)
Posts: 634
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Post by Firebringer on Mar 10, 2021 20:44:07 GMT -8
Danica looked genuinely surprised, "What? Wrong? No- I just. I'm confused. Y-you wanted me to teach you survival tactics. You can't learn them without doing, so..." She makes a bit of a face and is further surprised by him just dropping his stuff.
She takes a long pause, "Oh. Shit. I'm sorry. I didn't think-" Fuck. I didn't realize the desert would still be affecting him like this. "We could go back if you want."
Why are you backing down like this? Why do you keep skating around him like he's some child? He's not. "You can say no, you know. I knew you weren't happy about coming out and learning this way, but if you really wanted to do a hard 'no' you can just tell me." She sets her hand on her hip and her voice isn't judgmental, but it is trying to be more assertive and less apologetic.
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Post by Rowan on Mar 10, 2021 20:55:05 GMT -8
She wasn't getting it. She wasn't getting it so Rowan picked up his backpack and, in history's shortest lived rebellion, hoisted it on his shoulders. He grabbed the straps and took a few steps forward. "Forget it. Show me the cacti, or something."
So many thoughts were going on in his head that he couldn't make sense of them. He felt vulnerable and exposed, always looking behind his shoulder. He was incapable of processing anything in this state and decided to just bite the bridle and get it over it. 'Just get the stamp in the friendship card and move on.'
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Firebringer
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Elemental Ifrit, Presence 3 (Intimidating)
Posts: 634
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Post by Firebringer on Mar 10, 2021 21:02:20 GMT -8
Danica shakes her head, "Oh, no you don't." She walks over to him, "No. You don't get to slam the pack down and then pick it up like nothing is happening." Why am I so worked up?
"What's going on, Rowan? Really? There's been something going on and I have no idea what and it's been driving me nuts. Just tell me so we can figure it out." Why does he always keep it bottled up? I can take it. "Whatever it is, I can take it. Just, stop hiding crap from me." That's what it felt like. Hiding feelings. Hiding thoughts.
Weren't things supposed to be open and easy? Why is this all so hard?
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