Exploration Attempt #1

[notabirdcostume]

WHO: Sam Wilson
WHERE: Outskirts of Village Area, various points (see subthreads)
WHEN: July 3 - Morning
OPEN TO: OTA
WARNINGS: N/A
STATUS: Open
NOTE: Subthreads will be set up for the different paths by myself and anyone else who wants to take a path. Once a path is claimed, feel free to tag into that group and be part of the exploration party.

---

A few of them had the same idea and it seemed to make the most sense to divide and conquer. They had no map or compass to use, so it made sense to meet in the morning and use the sunlight as their guide. Of course, they would be working on the assumption that this sun even WORKED the same way, but at least it followed SOME pattern so they may as well designate where it rose as "East" and where it was setting as "West." It was going to be difficult with limited tools, but it was better than just holing themselves up in the abandoned buildings hoping for something to change. Not that it really mattered whether it was east or west, they'd be starting on the roads leading out of the village so they had an easy division and land marker to start with.

Sam couldn't tell you whose idea it had been originally, but most of them had agreed pretty quickly. After meeting in front of the Pub, they would divide into groups and each take a different path out of town. If the path ended, then they'd just have to do their best to press on in the woods. If they couldn't find a way out before sunset they'd mark their stopping point and return to the pub. That way they could all share details and figure out a plan for another attempt. More optimistically, they'd return with an idea of how to get out, though Sam was skeptical about it being that easy.

For his own sense of consistency and to make referencing things a little easier Sam had designated the four paths by letter.

Path A would head past the Blacksmith Shop.
Path B would head past the School house.
Path C would head towards the River.
Path D would head towards the Police.

After scratching the letters out into the dirt of each path, he waited for the groups to form and then they'd head out.

Comments

Path A - Sam's Group -- Thread Jack to your heart's content

[notabirdcostume]

Sam didn't know what to expect on any of these paths, so he'd decided on one at random. Path A was as good as any of the others as far as they knew. This was about getting information and exploring what they could, so Sam was traveling as light as possible. He had his bag, of course, in case they found anything useful. He was also wearing the hat again, he'd taken to wearing it even though he really hated the symbol on the front. The symbol had something to do with this place so every time he wore the cap he felt like he was supporting this place. On the other hand, a cap was practical for keeping the sun out of his eyes and staying cool. He'd make the sacrifice for now.

He stepped onto the path and waited to see who would join him.

Re: Path A - Sam's Group -- Thread Jack to your heart's content

[womanofvalue]

She'd wandered for a time after the wind and the sirens, trying to process what Sam had told her. Steve is alive. Or, rather, Steve is alive at some point in the future that she has no access to. The thought is beyond comprehension. She's been able to tuck Steve away in the past, into a compartment that she took out to think about only when she could bear the pain.

Now, she's thinking about it more than she has in years. She needs something to focus on and unfortunately, it appears that the group setting out to explore the settlement includes Sam. She'll have to face the music at some point and she's hardly a coward. She stops three paces from him and offers an even-keeled brief smile.

"Where are we off to, then?" she asks, as much as she'll offer that she's ready to move on.

[notabirdcostume]

There's several teams so honestly after that last conversation Sam is a little surprised to see Peggy move towards his path. The only indication of the surprise, however, is a raised eyebrow. Well, maybe she'd rather face it than avoid him. Besides, after they'd all been forced to take shelter it had become apparent that it was going to be difficult to avoid people -- there were less than 20 of them.

"That way is about all I've got," he jerks a thumb over his shoulder at the path leading away and towards a large building that had been identified as a Blacksmith's. He drops his hand, adjusting the pack on his back, though it's light as a feather given the minimal contents, "Best I can tell is that we're going to be moving in an eastern direction. That's assuming the sun moves east to west...I've sorta given up trying to make sense of this place in terms of my understanding of science. I figure until I get a compass that says otherwise, we can name it whatever direction works as long as we're consistent about it."

He'll wait a few more minutes for any other stragglers before moving forward. "No one's gone past the houses which is why we're doing this. I assume you're up for a lot of unknown territory."

[womanofvalue]

If he knows Steve, he's a familiar object in a world of unfamiliar things. She's met two people now who talk about outer space and one who knows about Roxxon. The latter, she knows she'll need to touch base with later, and she hasn't got the energy for the former. Sam Wilson, then, who knows Steve is a steady and safe option.

She just has to face the fact that Steve's life has whole parts of it that will never belong to her, but then, the same is true in reverse. "I'm willing to explore until we can find some sort of answers or resources. I'd very much like to locate a fresh water source," she adds. "Thirst is going to come on at some point soon."

[notabirdcostume]

"Food and water. The basics would be nice," Sam admits. He's hoping for a bigger discovery of course, but he'll also take what he can get to survive here too. If that's what it comes to anyway. He hopes for more, but he'll take less.

Not seeing anyone jumping at the chance to explore, Sam beckons Peggy to follow with a tilt of his head and turning his back to start down the path towards the edge of town. "Although, water might be less of a concern than food. There seems to be running water in the buildings -- it just hasn't been used in a long time and comes out pretty nasty. We'd need to make sure it's safe first before trying to drink it. Could just be we need to mess with the pipes though."

[womanofvalue]

"We'll have to boil it off," she says, which will require fire. She hasn't had much of a chance to really inspect the insides of the homes she'd passed. "Have you had a chance to see what supplies we're working with?" she asks, her stomach growling as she thinks of food. She picks up the pace after him, not terribly concerned with an attack.

Everything here is eerily quiet and she has the feeling that whatever might happen, it's going to come when they least expect it.

[notabirdcostume]

He nods, he'd figured that much out. At least there was some kitchen equipment around that they'd have containers to boil water in and get that process going. "Considering the state most of the buildings have been in, I've been hesitant to try any of the food supplies -- whether they're in cans or boxes or not. We have no way of telling how good any of it actually is and we don't exactly have the medical supplies to help if someone gets food poisoning." He glances out towards the woods they are now heading in the direction of, "I'm hoping we might find something in the surrounding forests."

There was a source of water nearby, which most likely meant there was the capability of animals or plants that were edible in the forest. Of course, they would run into some problems with plant life since Sam couldn't exactly tell an edible berry from one he should avoid. "I know I saw fish in the stream if nothing else--we'll just have to improvise on tools, which we have plenty of materials to work with on that front I think."

[womanofvalue]

"Anything in cans should be fairly safe, provided that it's been canned to last," she says absently, thinking of all the rations they had tinned away during the war and how desperate you had to be to eat them (and yet, how they had been eaten, every single time). "Not that I'm volunteering," she means to clarify.

"We'll need shelter," she says. "I'd really like to make sure I have a roof over my head that won't fall on me and I'm not entirely sure how structurally sound the building I'm in is."

[notabirdcostume]

He knows that canning should be safe and that would normally be something he trusted. However, this place was throwing enough curve balls and they didn't exactly have a medical team to help should the cans be poorly preserved. "Still...not sure I want to risk a bad can. At least, I think we still have enough things to explore that we don't have to necessarily risk it. We know so little about this place after all."

That was another thing bothering him about this whole incident. As far as he'd found there were no records in the town -- not even someone's weird diary hidden under a bed in one of the empty houses. If people had existed here before -- as everything pointed to that -- there should be evidence of it. Didn't everyone prior to the internet keep diaries or journals or, hell, just write letters? He hadn't found a scrap of evidence of that.

"So far the buildings are the only thing I trust. I mean they stood up to those winds that pushed us towards the inn." He hadn't seen evidence of structural damage anyway. "Which place did you lay claim to anyway?"

Talking while they walked was a good thing. It would make the time pass and sure enough they were already getting to the outer-most houses, the tree line becoming clearer as they approached the woods.

[womanofvalue]

The idea of a bad case of food poisoning in this place without the amenities of home (and in her case, Howard Stark's mansion and Edwin Jarvis' hurry to please) is enough to give her pause when it comes to reaching for something from the cupboards.

"I've got a little bungalow, it's a little north of the river," she says. "But that said, it's from a time I'm not really accustomed to and I'm not entirely sure what state of disarray the supporting beams are in. Shame we don't have a handyman around," she says, keeping to his side as they move. "You?"

[notabirdcostume]

"Picked one out close to the fountain...wanted to keep an eye out," Sam replied. He'd scouted the buildings for awhile before deciding on one that was at the "heart" of the village. He figured strategically having a place near where everyone came in at would help him stay informed of who was coming in -- if more people DID end up coming in. The Fountain hadn't really shown any activity since that first day after all.

"Guess we'll have to just keep an eye out on the structures--maybe someone is secretly a handyman and just hasn't come forward with that information yet." Sam wasn't bad with tools, but it wasn't like he could just look at a house and tell if it was solid. He hadn't noticed any bowing or anything though--which was at least a little reassuring. The fact that the houses had mostly stood up to the high winds of that first day was reassuring enough for him. "As long as there are no termites I think we'll be okay."

He glanced over his shoulder as they walked past the last of the houses in sight, though the road seemed to continue right into the woods. "Speaking of which...looks like we're about to leave civilization, if you can call it that."

[womanofvalue]

She raises her brow when he remarks on where he's decided to set up shop, because it does make a great deal of sense to be close. "What will you do if someone comes out of that fountain that we ought to be wary about?" she can't help but wonder. It's hardly like they have anything to subdue someone, do they?

"If someone is holding back their handyman skills, I'm going to be very cross if I find out after a roof caves in on me," she deadpans, her gaze around her. "What do you think we're going to find?" she wonders, as they stand on the precipice of the unknown.

[notabirdcostume]

He considers that question. There are probably a few people Sam would prefer not to see wandering around here. Knowing a bit about when Peggy comes from, there are probably a few people she would rather not see either. "They'll be pretty disoriented and, to our advantage, unarmed. We have plenty of empty spaces we could stash them too, if necessary." He considers their situation though, and how all these different people have been coming together, "But, I have a feeling even some of the worst people we've faced would cooperate long enough to get out of here and survive with the rest of us."

Survival is important to even the biggest low life after all. And while Sam can think of several he'd rather punch in the face than go berry picking with, he'd make that sacrifice if necessary. In the meantime he will just hope it doesn't come to that.

But, no sense looking to the future and worrying about it when they were facing the present. The present was an unknown forest that could hold the key for getting out of here. "Animal and plant life, hopefully that's useful and not going to kill us. Maybe some clues about this place...at least I'm hoping for that part," Sam replied.

"Guess we'll never know until we head out though." They'd already come this far, so Sam moved forward towards the tree line. "If we're really lucky we may even find a way out of here."

[womanofvalue]

Unarmed means nothing to a man like Yvchenko, who could turn this whole damn place on its head with nothing more than the power of his words and hypnotism. Similarly, Dottie Underwood and Whitney Frost have never needed weapons, leaving Peggy far from reassured about how disoriented they might be.

"I think I'd like to believe in luck, today," she says, trying to keep her mind from straying to such pessimistic thoughts. Especially when it's still early days, yet. "Let's see if we can't find ourselves a way out," she agrees. "Towards the canyon?" she suggests.

[notabirdcostume]

It's true that not everyone needs a weapon to be a threat. Sam knows that very well. But they had no way of knowing who will come through the fountain, so it's not like they can set up any traps around it. Sam will keep an eye out though and look for trouble -- if nothing else instead of confronting the problem (or problems) he can give the others a warning before it's too late.

But, no sense in worrying about something they literally have no control over.

Sam nods at her question and sets off in the direction. It isn't long into the woods before a distinct path becomes nonexistent. He figured that might be the case and Sam looks over his shoulder to see the community is still visible. Good, they didn't want to get too far without starting a trail. "We should probably mark our path. It'll also help if we have to explore more of the forest later -- we'll know we already explored this area." No sense getting lost. Sam pulls his bag around and opens it up to pull out a few scraps of fabric -- either Sam tore up some curtains or towels, but whatever the case he clearly thought ahead for this. He reaches up to a nearby tree branch and ties the fabric so it's visible clearly and is also pointing in the way of the village.

"Better than breadcrumbs anyway."

[womanofvalue]

"Clever," Peggy says, leaning over to see what he's got with him. She'd been intending to mark some of the trees as landmarks, but she's yet to find a suitable item that she can also carry as a weapon. Peggy glances over her shoulder to the village behind them, wondering how far they might be able to get and whether they could simply keep walking.

"Do you suppose there's another village just like this one, some miles away?" she asks. "Perhaps with a line of communication to...well, somewhere?" She's not even sure what year it is, not really.

Path C: Jo's Group -- OTA/Thread-Jack-Team-Join-At-Will

[tobeclosetohim]

Jo was skeptical about just about everything as the third morning wore in, with no new faces and no new attacks, with little water, less food, and a world of archaic buildings full of equally archaic things left all around them as though their inhabitants jut vanished years and years ago, and everything was left an untouched echo. Every personality of everything stripped clean, until there was nothing left but old, and dust caked. It bothered her. Everything bothered her.

Still she found herself saying, "I'll take the river." Followed by, "And anyone else who wants to head out that way."

She'd already seen her way through the places on the list that weren't the Blacksmith shop on that list, but she really wanted to get a look at the river as it was, and she hadn't headed that way at all yet. Not when she'd actually had to sleep for the first time in the early midnight hours of this third day. So it was easy to stake her claim on that, without lying, and agree to anyone else who wanted, and to head off that way with those people. Ignoring the aches and pains in her body from getting soft on not walking so much everywhere in Medietas.

Path D- Emma's Group- OTA and Threadjacking okay.

[thesavior]

Emma had been in this place for several days and still had no earthly idea what the hell was going on. She fell back to her roots of a true detective though, and was bound and determined to ferret out some sort of information. She was good at it after all, like mother like son she supposed. He had found her when she most definitely did not want to be found.

Her heart gave a twist when she thought of Henry. Henry he was the reason why she did everything she did, and he would be the reason why she struggled to survive now.

Her arms still hurt from being grabbed by Cougar and Frank but she shook it off. She stood on the dirt path considering her options. It made her think of her favorite Robert Frost poem. “Two roads diverged in a wood….” She recited from memory. She had forgotten most of the words, but the sentiment remained the same. “And I took the one less travelled by and that has made all the difference,” She finished quietly.

She watched closely as the others chose their paths. She decided to take Path D and hopefully find some things out. She didn’t relish the thought of travelling alone, but she wasn’t scared of it either. With a deep breath she set off.

Path B - Frank & Kylo Ren

[dnr]

Turns out Wilson's not bad at organizing civilians. Much as Frank would rather take care of his own recon, they'll cover more ground with more people, and even he can admit going in teams of two or more makes a certain amount of sense. He'd be happier about it if he was teamed up with anyone he trusted (...Cougar, that means Cougar), but, well, them's the breaks.

And that's what the walk out is for: figuring out who to trust. This guy hadn't said much in the pub, after all.

Frank starts out easily down the lane, head up and eyes alert to the structures and post-windstorm debris. He's still in his scrubs and ballcap, pack secure to his back and his sharpened chair leg stashed in it, but now that they're outside again he's picked up a sturdier branch to wield, part walking stick and part weapon. There's no telling what (or who) they'll find out here.

"Looks like buildings, mostly, but we've gotta clear 'em sooner or later," he says of the path up ahead. "So what'd you do? Before all this."

[andrend]

Ren had kept his thoughts to himself for the most part. He had not seen a reason to add his own opinions on the matter when those opinions would lead to questions he had not wanted to have to answer. It was better to observe and get a feel for the other people he was trapped with.

Sam was an ally so far as he had proven to be useful and intelligent so far, and even though Ren had differing opinions he was willing to let someone else take the reins of the situation. Jon Snow was a potential ally because he knew when to show respect and seemed to know when to keep his mouth shut. The women he had met seemed capable enough, though his opinions of them beyond that needed to be fleshed out over more time. Of course Hux was there, too. For all the good that did Ren.

Frank is a new situation to deal with, though. Ren walks along near him with a long stride, intent with purpose despite apparently not having a real destination. He carries no weapons, and the pack on his back is empty now, though he also had decided to wear the cap to protect his eyes from the sun.

He watches ahead of them and nods once to Frank's comment. It takes him a few moments to respond while he considers the best response.

"I was fighting a war." Whether or not the dispute between the First Order and the Resistance could be truly classified as a war was possibly a point of debate for some, but given recent events he feels it's the more apt description for the moment.

With actual effort to at least appear more open to discussion, he glances briefly over to Frank and then back to the path ahead.

"You?"

[dnr]

Frank huffs, the vague after-image of a laugh exhaled through the nose at the answer, and follow-up the question. Fighting a war. Whoever's kidnapped them sure seems to like their veterans — or their fighters, anyway, and maybe that's the more relevant measure.

"Something like that," he says, without putting much effort into sounding convincing. His war wasn't the kind people mean when they say the word; even he isn't quite delusional enough to believe that, and he doesn't much care if this guy does either. It was just something that needed doing. Something he needed to do. Something he still needs.

"I wouldn't have taken you for a soldier," he adds, chin tilting and eyes narrowing to take a better look at the guy. It's not the build, certainly — he's got practically half a foot on Frank, and Frank wouldn't be surprised to find muscles under those scrubs. The scar, too, isn't the kind of thing you see on many civilians, but — something about his bearing, maybe, doesn't exactly scream jarhead.

(If he's noticed the effort it takes the other man to appear conversational, he doesn't comment on it. He does persist with the smalltalk regardless.)

"What branch?"

[andrend]

"The Knights of Ren." Ren wasn't just tall, he carried himself to make that height imposing and noticeable. He walked with purpose and direction even when he had neither, and kept his head high, not ducked down. He trained often, and he did not sit back to let others fight his fights. The scars on his uniform and body would have expressed as much if either had been visible. Aside from the one across his face. The harsh reminder that his efforts had led to weakness and loss, not greater power. He had taken a calculated risk that blew up in his face.

He glances toward Frank as they walk, only for a few steps. His eyes are focused on scouring the landscape around them. He hasn't forgotten the purpose of this exercise in forced alliances.

He fails to mention that he was the master of the Knights, or his skills that have weakened to below the level of even the youngest padawan.

"Soldiers have their uses. We were focused on more important missions."

[dnr]

Frank doesn't make any real effort to contain the scoff that answer prompts from him. Yeah, I'm sure you would've gotten real far without 'em. Because all right, this guy might be a knight — in chainmail and armor is what he's picturing, since time travel is apparently a thing — and Frank may not know the first thing about the kind of military culture he comes from, but you don't throw the guys who are putting their lives on the line for you under the bus like that. Like you could do your job if they weren't around to do theirs.

"Right," he says, in a tone that sounds more like What an asshole, and keeps walking. The fact that making allies instead of enemies is almost always the easier path has never particularly inspired Frank to reign in the sarcasm before; he's not about to start now.

But he does want to get a better read on this guy, asshole or not. He keeps most his attention sharp on their surroundings, but eventually, he adds, "Think we'd call that Special Forces, where I'm from. Taking out high profile targets, that kind of thing?"

[andrend]

Ren cared about the distinction because he had worked hard to become who he was, and he trained tirelessly and took pride in his abilities. Whatever Frank did or didn't think of him only mattered to Ren as far as his irritation with the tone. He knew better than most that the First Order's army was necessary. They did the work they were trained for. It was different than his own, but valuable. As much as he would give Hux shit about them, he recognized that well enough. But it didn't matter what Frank thought of him, or what was on his mind. What mattered now was establishing that Ren was strong and more than capable of fighting his own battles. Even if he was trying to get allies for the moment to have support to stand on.

"Along those lines. Hunting down assets and threats, extracting valuable intelligence targets." Commanding some aspects of the army itself. He was no more fond of Frank so far than the man seemed to be of him, but they didn't have to like each other to work together.

"And battles too important to be left to the rest of the army."

[dnr]

Frank values the opportunity to test people's tempers as much as he does getting to know anything else about them, so in some respects this situation is win/win. In high-stress environments, coping capacity can be as important as practical skill. So he doesn't miss that this guy isn't returning sarcasm with sarcasm, at least not yet. Asshole or not, he could still be worth his salt.

"You done much of this?" with a nod ahead, nonspecifically. "Survival training, getting dropped in hostile territory with no supplies, that kind of thing."