starhuevalley | .1 caliber [Intro]

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.1 caliber [Intro]

[ACTION]

[She steps down from the bus and tugs at the strap around her shoulder tighter - she travels light, but there's something rather long, carefully wrapped, strapped between her bag and back. Squinting lightly at the warm summer sun, she sighs. Mixed feelings, all in one breath. This lady travels light except for the baggage in her mind.

Still, as she treads through the beaten paths towards an x in a map (excellent orientation skills, for one), she looks around carefully with what seems like a half smile in her piercing gaze. Yet, when she finds the place in the map, she keeps walking around, checking the Community center, the city, - greeting a couple of kids playing outside with a smile - walking through the beach... ending up finally at the Saloon around the evening, asking for a cup of tea at the counter.

Where do you meet her? ]

[VIDEO]

[That's exactly where she is when the video feed opens up. She's looking down at the screen, kohl rimmed eyes scrutinizing the device with a somewhat disappointed expression to them. She tsks.]

So unintuitive. How old is this?

[Dexterous fingers reach the screen and blip! goes the feed

Ring ring?]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

That is a very long story, and best not repeated. [Such a gravely serious tone, a hand even going over his heart

before opening the gate and holding it open, and god was that damned rare smile still very much there. This was good, honestly.]

Might come up when we're covering everything best left for a sit down.

That sounds promising. [Sometimes, a smiling Gabriel could mean trouble. An edge of mischief here, a challenging tone there. That was the smiling Gabriel she was most used to. But other times, rare as they are, he looks like that, and it never fails to have her smile back. She takes it as the silent welcome that it is, even if she never thought she'd see it while he opened the gate to a farm.

She tips her head low in a mock-bow (her dramatic antics aren't as good as his flare, though), muttering a thank you and crossing the gate, eyes sweeping through the grounds and the house.]

Well, this is actually quite nice. [Is it ok to sound surprised?]

[It was fun to get in to the topic of some outlandish story like that occasionally, let that get through his system and all before things would have to come back to some sense of reality.

Closed the gate just behind them, hand sliding back into the pockets of his hoodie.] Been working on clearing up the area, all of us.

The house itself is a little bit of a mess inside with Jack's remodeling, though.

You've been doing quick work of it, I can see. [That she isn't surprised. They're overachievers, anyway.]

What is he working on? Maybe I can help.

Nothing else to do other than either investigate the mines, look in to these monsters, or see what else we can learn about the people here. [And sometimes it was just better to drop that and do something that actually left you feeling accomplished.

Farming.]

Working on getting a third bedroom or something in there.

And here I thought you'd be into fishing. [This is teasing, but it actually... maybe... kind of appeals to her.

Especially if she gets her hands on some scuba gear.

And a speargun.
Just maybe.]

Do we have enough room for that? Or does he actually have to expand the house?

Didn't you know? I always wanted to go spelunking in to caves. [He could honestly enjoy fishing.

Tongue clicked again, head tilted back for just a moment.]

We do or not he's going to try his damnedest to make it work. You know how he gets when he wants to get a project done.

[A twitch of her lips.] Fair enough. I can see that, too.

[She shakes her head.] True. Well, if anything, we get a new pantry, I guess.

The trick will be not getting eaten by whatever monsters live in there. [Gabriel, no.

He rubbed the back of his neck.] Yeah. Feel up to some lemonade? Still fresh.

[Once inside the house.]

[Gabriel no indeed.] Oh, I think the monsters will soon learn who's boss soon enough, anyway.

[That sounds delightful, actually.] Yes, please. The tea back there was... subpar. Would be nice to wash it off.

[Gabriel shrugged his shoulders slightly.] Going to have to find out what types are around here soon enough anyway. They apparently like the woods.

[Thumbing towards the ore heavily treed area visible from near the porch, and already walking up them for the door.]

Come on in then and make yourself at home, just watch the floor from Jack's project. I'll get the lemonade, can join me in the kitchen.

[Her gaze goes to the woods Gabriel points at, cybernetic eye trying to scan everything - a hint of motion, something.

Nothing that she can see at the moment, anyway.

She steps into the house and immediately looks around. It looks only kind of lived in, save for the spot on the floor where Jack apparently took over.

Stepping into the kitchen behind him.] How do you get supplies in town?

[They were close enough that it wouldn't be that long until they encountered whatever monsters lurked out there. Fine with him.

They'd be able to handle it.

Gabriel was already pulling down two glasses, along with that pitcher of lemonade to fill the both of them with, even as he spoke.]

Jesse's been running in to town to pick things up, got a bit of money to start out with. Jack found some tools laying around in the barn. [They'd have to start selling or trading some sort of produce.] Apparently people also mine for things they need.

Or gold. [Glass of freshly poured lemonade held out in offering.]

[She takes it with a thanks, sipping at it. ] I didn't get much when I arrived. Guess we're going to have to start working, then.

[A double take. This is actually good lemonade, or maybe it was the tea that had been so bad that it had lowered her standards. Another sip. ] I will be honest, out of everything I wasn't expecting to go back to using gold.

The corn was growing wild, but I figure we can still harvest enough to sell. [So it was a start, at the very least.

Gabriel was leaning back against the kitchen counter, pitcher put up and glass in his free hand. Had to get to work to actually live here while doing everything else. Either Jack made it or they both participated with that lemonade.]

Probably why no one thinks twice about going in to the mines. Safety be damned.

That's a good start. The corn demons would be proud.

[It's good and familiar and hits the spot. She drinks up quickly, and steps up to wash the now empty cup in the sink as if she had been living there for weeks already.] Is there a bank, or do the stores take care of production value? I heard something about a [a pause as she squints, picking her brain] JojaMart?

We'll be blessed with a bountiful harvest, clearly.

[Long and slow sip of that lemonade—] I'd hope there's a bank, since places take currency. I haven't done too much searching in town outside of my trips there with Jack, and coming to find you.

Been staying around here, getting a better feel for the land. [So he knows where they're covered and where they could go should they need to leave the house, so on and so fourth.] Could be a mix.

[It's part of their usual proceedings, really. Checking the area, looking for vantage points, weak spots, clearing what could be obstacles. They've always done this whenever they were deployed somewhere, new or old, rushed or planned.

Still, she nudges him with her shoulder playfully while grabbing a rag and wiping the cup clean, putting it in the cupboard where Gabriel took the glass from.] So you've been a hermit, is what I'm hearing.

Asking people questions with Jack was clearly way too much socializing for me in one day. Gotta replenish my energy. [Didn't miss a beat with it, even gesturing out one of the windows there in the kitchen.] One of them invited us in for cookies, Ana.

You know it's going to take me several day to recover from that. [Looking all the part of a withered man, hand slapped over his heart, half empty glass set o the counter.

Far enough away he wouldn't knock it over as he still leaned against said counter.]

[She does her part, faking a gasp.] Cookies? Terrible.

[She leans on the counter beside him and gives him a commiserating pat on the shoulder.] No wonder you've been cooped up in here. I would be bedridden.

[Either this person had absolutely no clue or they had guts. Maybe a mix of both. Regardless, Ana suspects she'd probably like them. But the most pertinent question, to fill out the mental image of a stranger offering both Jack Morrison and Gabriel Reyes cookies during plain recon work:] Were they good?

[It's always fun when someone plays along, honestly.

She'll hear about the rock golem thing eventually.] After answering a few questions, even. Insisted we have some! She was so hospitable!

[Then there was that long moment of consideration after, as if he really had to think about it.] They were alright, been experimenting with recipes, apparently.

Wanted us to try the latest batch.

Who would do such a thing?

[That is ended with a chuckle. Resting her hands on the edge of the counter, she does think that she'd probably like this person who would be thorough enough to pull a taste test on two super soldiers because she had been experimenting.] Surprised you didn't think they were poisoned.

A very proud self-proclaimed housemaker.

[There'd been something else there, but he didn't feel as if it were anything too bad just yet. She had also apparently been living with the guy who showed up from the sheriff's office.

Been an interesting visit, that one.] When someone talks about baking like that? They wouldn't poison it.

[A chuckle. If there was something she could trust Gabriel of doing, was reading a room (or a person) quite well.

It worked with Jesse, there was no reason why it wouldn’t work with this baker.] Fair enough. It’s a good point of contact, at least.

[There’s an urge for her to hoist her weight up to sit on the counter. Snipers and their high spots. She shifts her weight on her feet, but doesn’t. Not yet.] So, I guess we have to investigate the locals, the people who came by bus, and the competition - see who else will be selling corn. Anything else?

[A slight nod of his head.] Yeah, seemed a bit cautious herself at first. Which is only natural considering. Still, friendly.

[Considering how Jack and Gabriel were when they did recon, and the fact they were armed for their own safety and habit of following protocol for it.]

Look more in to the fruit trees, see if we can use them as well. Either for ourselves or to sell, or a mix of the two. Maybe talk about what else we could get running. [Actually farm on top of everything else.]

As well as fortify our defenses, of course.

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