Welcome to Gaia! ::

She had been watching the ruins for a long time from her perch up on the roof. Her sword rested in her lap, snug against her shoulder as she sat there, one leg popped up, her arm hanging off of it. The red sunglasses she had taken from Valiant were on her face, sliding down her nose.

Tiel was tired.

Tiel was dirty.

Tiel was annoyed.

All of the things inside of her, and those were the three that lived the longest inside of her. A cigarette hung between her lips. The old thing had been with her for the months she had been trapped in this damn city. Yet...she hadn't lit it yet. For when we get out... he had said. Mercutio. Her lips turn in a frown through the cigarette. Mercutio... Clenching her fist, she scoffs and takes the cigarette, tucking it back behind her ear again. Where it had lived day after day in this hellish place.

Where she left it, hoping that soon, they'd figure out what the ******** was going on.

Then, she saw the familiar light again. That flash of blue that indicated that someone else had arrived. She pushes slowly to her feet, stuffing the sheath of the sword through her belt. Her red button up shirt flaps around her, the color less bright than it had been when they first arrived.

Unsurprising to anyone who looked in on this travesty, baths were few and far between.

Running one hand through her brown hair, she drags it into that low ponytail once more, her bright green eyes focusing on the building where the light had originated. Guess she was all that was left of the welcoming committee.

She hadn't found their bodies yet.

But she was starting to think that the trio of misfits weren't here anymore. Somehow... they were missing from a place where there was no way to leave. Other than dying, anyway.

Tucking one hand in the pocket of her black jeans, she sighs and starts towards the edge of the roof. A few hours left of daylight. Maybe she'd make it with time to spare. Get whomever had fallen into this nightmare prepared for what was about to come. Dropping down onto the ladder, she half climbs and half slides to the bottom. Then, taking to the road, she walks carefully to the destination.

Just because it was daylight, didn't mean that there weren't other things lingering in the shadows. All she needed was a Reaper to ruin her day. Or a Wailer. She supposed the second she would hear coming, however. Making it to the building where she had seen the light, she goes inside, staying in the hallways that were filled with light. Shadows were dangerous, after all.

Finally, she lands eyes on the new guest. He was sitting in a pile of rubble, looking as lost as the rest of them. But something... was off about this one. He seemed... more out of place than the others. Stuffing her hand back in her pocket, she looks him over, then frowns.

"Well what the ******** is this then?"

Her words come without introduction, and she stands there, wondering if maybe she was going a little bit nuts at this point.

Tiel could feel her entire face wrinkle as he looked at her, his expression holding that weird mix of shock, surprise, and confusion. This was going to be a whole adventure. She thought she had her hands full with that fairy chick back in the day, trying to explain why they weren't in a more natural place.

She had been here too long.

At his single word utterance, she folds her arms over her chest, cocking one hip to the side as she taps one foot impatiently. She really needed Mercutio. He was the friendly one. The one that knew how to make people comfortable without cracking jokes. Taking a breath, she releases it slowly, trying to remember how to be comforting.

To be human.

It had been a while.

Meanwhile, her green hues remain on him while he stands, walking to the broken window before looking out to the hellscape that they were trapped in. She watches as he takes it in. As he lets the thoughts percolate through his brain. Judging by his attire, he was from some pre-technology era. He would have to play a lot of open-minded listening games from here forward if she was to keep him alive in any sort of way.

Judging by his weapons, he was a hunter of some sort.

Hopefully a monster hunter, because Bambi wasn't really what they were concerned with here.

His next question had her smirking lightly. Where is this place, indeed. There were a lot of peaky answers she could give him. Sarcastic floats that kept her from going quietly insane. Dark quips that would answer zero of his concerns.

After all. She had been the first to arrive here. And now... she was all that remained.

"Well it sure aint Narnia."

Unfortunately, her mouth often opened before she finished deciding what to say. Walking over, she glances out the window, sniffing lightly.

"You know as much as I do with this view."

Looking at him, she shrugs, stuffing her hands into her pockets.

"We just call it the Deeps. Nerys called it the Shadowlands once. 'Tomi just called it hell. But really... I think hell would be preferable to whatever this place is."

Then, scoffing, she turns on her heel, moving to the doorway she came through. Stopping in the arch of it, she looks back at him.

"Well? C'mon. Lingering here will just lead to problems. Gotta find a sanctuary before it gets dark."

She'd explain more on the way. Or she wouldn't. Tiel hadn't really decided. But... he was alive. And she needed someone else who was living to keep her from losing it.

Losing Mercutio was already hard enough.

Her hands were stuffed into her pockets as she walked back to the doorway. The strange blue light had definitely brought her something, though what that something was seemed to be an awful big mystery. There was still no sense to be made of the decisions on who was brought here, and all together she was getting annoyed.

Was annoyed.

Constant annoyance.

He introduces himself, and she frowns lightly. Darren Savros.

She couldn't say that it rang any bells. Not that she could remember anything before she came here. And Tiel could bet a pretty shiny artifact that his name would be all he remembered too. Maybe a moment from before he appeared here, but that would fade after some time too.

All they ever knew was their names.

Some people remembered bits and pieces later. Flashes of memory. But it was never anything useful.

Then, realizing that she was just brooding and fast walking down the street towards the buildings she knew as safe havens, she sighs.

"Satiel Harrison. Most... call me Tiel."

Not that there was anyone left who called her that. And she was pretty damn sure that she would freak out if she heard one of the shadows saying it. Turning down another street, she looks up at the sky, clocking where the light was coming from.

They would need to go down fifth instead of eighth. There would be too many shadows for things to hide in this time of day. Her frown extends and she lifts her hands out of her pockets, tugging the collar of her shirt closer to her face for a moment. Rings clinked against each other on her fingers, and she pushes her sunglasses back up her nose before she squints at her newest companion.

Ren. Darren Savros.

Even the way he introduced himself had been awkward. Definitely from some pre-tech era. Sometime when women were fainting machines and men were gross. Though, she supposed he seemed a lot cleaner than some who had fallen into this place. He wouldn't be for long, of course. But at least he might take advantage of the soap that she hoarded all over the place, where water was readily available.

"You some sort of mercenary, Ren?"

It was a pretty big hope. Someone with fighting skills would be pretty nice. Her and her sword did pretty well, but she was really missing Mercutio for a good too many reasons. And she had a feeling that the things they needed were going to be behind some pretty shade-heavy doors.

Not her favorite of ideas, that was for certain.

But they were down to one light location, and it was only good every other night. The other wouldn't be good again until the moon rose. And they were a couple weeks away from that.

Simply a hunter.

The words linger in her, and Tiel decides that it has to be better than nothing. At least... he knew how to survive against creatures, if nothing else. Some survival skills would be bouncing around in that head of his. And that was definitely something.

Something useful, she supposed.

Though, she sort of hoped that he was less of a trap hunter and more of an attack hunter. Because traps weren't going to do jack diddly s**t here. Sighing, she rubs one hand over face, resisting the urge to mutter darkly. After all, she wasn't alone here. Not anymore. There was someone to offend now.

Someone to hear her dark utterings.

Someone she rather needed, as much as she hated to admit it.

He asks about some city, and then he stops, and she turns, looking at him. Tilting her head to the side, she narrows her eyes at his sudden pause, looking him over for some wound she could have missed. Then, her gaze seemed to zoom into the paper in his hand.

Ah.

That conversation time.

Guess he wasn't immune to the effects of this place. The empty memory issue that they all seemed to stumble upon eventually. Not that this was the time or the place for it. Guess she was lucky this hadn't happened in the middle of some battle, or while they were hiding from some spook or the other.

Walking over to him, she takes the paper from his hands, stuffing it into her own pocket before speaking simply.

"Don't think about it too hard. You'll hurt that pretty head of yours."

Her tone was dry and she turns, gesturing for him to follow. She wasn't good at comforting people. Or explanations. Though... she supposed they were about to spend a helluva lot of time together. Maybe it was time that she got better at it.

"A side effect of this place, Ren. None of us remember anything other than our names. Sometimes our occupations when we first arrive. The last place you saw... that'll fade soon enough too."

The only one that had been different had been that fairy. And Tiel was sure there was some other weird magic going on there. Nothing about the situation could be explained by anything other than a nonchalant shrug, and a puzzled expression.

Looking back over shoulder at him, she smirks, stuffing her hands fully into her pockets, her shoulders slumping forward.

"Welcome to hell, Darren Savros."

She speaks the words dryly, a wry smile twisting her lips, then continues on their path. He would follow eventually, she was sure. Not like she had time to waste to convince him otherwise.

How do you stand it?

She kept walking, her hands clenching in the pockets of her black jeans. It was enough, she supposed, that she was alive. He would understand with time. Things would make sense to him eventually. They just had to keep moving. They had to keep trying.

To not...

Tiel frowns. That wasn't an option. She had decided that a long time ago. Back when she was stained black with blood and exhausted from fighting too long. If she could survive that... well she could survive anything then.

How do you not just give up, knowing that you have descended upon hell?

That part made her pause for a brief moment. To consider. How did she not give up? How was it that she could be alone, again, and still keep going? Was it pure hubris at this point? Stubbornness? Or was it that stupid elusive feeling... hope?

She scoffs and turns, walking back to him before shoving his shoulder, purposefully wanting to send him back before she kept walking into him. As if to force him to comply. To scramble back from her while she stared darkly into his soul, being angry about his own hopelessness.

"You want to know how, Ren?"

She snarls the words, feeling out of sorts. It was too close to dark to be dealing with this.

"You get up in the morning, you strap on your ******** big boy pants, and you do it. You keep going."

Her voice was a low hiss by time she stopped, and she pauses in her steps, staring at him, her green eyes holding anger. Frustration. And above all else, fear.

"If you don't, then you may as well just lay down and wait for the shadows here to devour you. I'm not saving a person who isn't ready to save themselves first."

That part came out softer. She turns on her heel, starting towards the building they had reached moments before her tantrum. Stepping inside, she slaps her hand to the wall. The sigil there activated, and the place was flooded with a soft glow of light.

"Close the door when you come in."

She issues the order and moves further into the room. It was simple. Just a fire pit in the center, and an open roof to the outside.

Four bunk beds lay along the east wall, the bedding on them rather suspicious, but warm. Curtains had been hung on them to give the illusion of privacy, and to help block out the light while they slept. Somehow, those shadows didn't count as long as the relic that lit the room was active.

A counter rested along the west wall, holding a sink and a broken cook stove. Dishes lay in the drying rack by the sink from the last time that she was there. Somehow, the water worked even when barely anything else did. The cupboard above the sink held toothpaste that they had scavenged from a store, and some canned goods they had found in the city.

There wasn't much in the city but scavenged items. And some of them made no sense for the place. But Tiel was beyond asking questions about how this place worked at this point. She was just glad they hadn't run out of soap yet, even though safe havens like this were few and far between.

This one was fine during the day. But it was only good for every other night. The relic had to recharge for that long. Otherwise, she'd have made camp here every night she had been in this place.

Maybe then some of her party would still be alive.

But the other nights between... those were the hard part. They hadn't had much luck finding other safe havens that were active as often as this one.

Sitting down by the firepit, she starts her same old habit of starting the fire, careful to only use one match. They were running low. Thirty more matches. Thirty more fires.

The fire lit easily. That was something.

Tiel watches it for a moment, brooding. She could feel the frown on her features. She knew absolutely that she wasn't being a good host. But how did you host someone at the end of the world? Was there a way to do it without being an absolute d**k?

The man came in. That was good.

Darren.

She had to remember his name.Someone should remember his name, anyway. And if not her, then who? They were running real low on options these days. She runs one hand through her hair, letting loose an annoyed breath. Not at him. Just... at the situation.

He sets his jacket down on the bed.

Mercutio's bed.

She guessed it wasn't that anymore, however. Now it belonged to whoever fell into it at the end of a long a** day. Probably Ren. He would probably be the only one with her a while. The city wasn't generous in sending help, after all.

Taking a breath, she releases it, then looks at him. He had come sit by the fire. He stared into it too. He had looked around the room, and seen what life was here, and decided silence was a good answer for whatever he had read from what was left behind.

Tiel decided that was terribly smart of him.

Perhaps the nicest thing anyone had done for her in a while. Rubbing her hand against her face, she folds one leg under her, the other up against her chest. She rested one arm against her knee,, that hand against her face. The other went to the ground next to her. As if helping her balance. Always helping her balance.

Her sword just sort of rested by her. She hadn't taken it off her belt, but sitting like this, it wasn't uncomfortable. She would take it off in a while. When she had settled that rage inside of her and become more of a human being. A kinder person, Tomi had told her to be.

Patient.

Softer.

Kinder.

And then Tomi had ******** disappeared.

Tiel grimaces, then speaks softly.

"You hungry, Ren?"

Her tone wasn't friendly. But it was softer at least. Less like a demand for answers, and more just a statement that she was thinking about eating, and maybe he was too. Tiel wasn't good at people. She wasn't good at being human. Anymore, she was just an arm with a sword attached that felt too damn much for the situation she was in.