and if you're still breathing, you're the lucky ones [CLOSED-ISH]

[punkisntdead]

WHO: Chloe, Ann, Subaru, maybe others?
WHAT: One surly punk's arrival and adjustment in the days leading up to Shit Going Down between factions
WHEN: Vaguely early February/mid-Emru
WHERE: Tree of Life, Highstorm, maybe other locations

Closed starters here for stuff Chloe's getting up to before the event. If you want a thread with her, wildcard something here or let me know and I'll toss a starter up!

Comments

[punkisntdead]

[Oh, the urge to panic is sitting right there under the surface, but that little light of hope that Max might be out and about somewhere around here is more steadying than she realized. Meltdown postponed, even if there’s still some clear worry there in her eyes.]

…Chloe. And god yes, get me the hell out of here.

[She pauses to glance toward one of the nearby roots, following it to the main body of the Tree and up along its impressive height.]

Please tell me we’re close to somewhere more civilized than this.

[annmorous]

Yeah! I can take you to a city called Springstar.

[Ann's really doing her best to keep up the forced cheer here...! So she gestures for her to follow her out of the roots. She's not kidding about the lack of civilisation -- at least once, Ann's boot sinks into the soft mossy earth enough that she stumbles. At other point her pigtail gets caught on an exposed root, and she has to untangle herself with a disgruntled 'uuuugh'.]

I'm so going to need a shower too by the time we're done here... The cornerstone's not far, though, and it'll take us there in no time.

[punkisntdead]

[The comment about a shower gets a dry laugh from Chloe, because she’s feeling like she’s gonna need ten showers to get clean after this herself. She doesn’t even want to think about how much of a pain in the ass it’s gonna be to get this sap out of her hair, ugh…

But otherwise she follows along the path Ann leads them on, gaze scanning ahead a little warily in part, but mostly in hopes that she’ll catch some sort of glance of this Springstar place on the horizon. It’s just a lot of dirt and roots so far though, so it’s not exactly instilling her with confidence.]

Cornerstone? [Her attention drifts back Ann’s way.] Kind of a weird name for transportation.

[If it’s something that’s supposed to take them there, Chloe’s picturing something like. A bus. Or a train. Oh boy…]

[annmorous]

Honestly, it's hard to explain, so it'll be easier if I just show you. Oh -- I think this might be a shortcut!

[Getting tired of the route through the roots, Ann spots what looks like a quicker way out. She ducks under some low growth and then pulls herself up a steep slope of mossy earth until she emerges and finds herself back on the platform outside the tree. She turns to peek back down.]

Can you manage? [She's not trying to baby her or anything, but waking up here for the first time can be a pretty disorienting experience, so Ann's ready to help pull her up if need be.]

[punkisntdead]

[Fuck yeah, she’ll be down for a shortcut. This little hike of theirs is turning into the realization of how tired she is after clawing her way out of the dirt. Anything that brings them to civilization faster is great in her books.

Even if it means something of a steep climb. Chloe’s gritting her teeth a little and sighing internally while Ann makes the trip up. There’s something stubborn or prideful that refuses to admit how beat she’s feeling already, so she waves off the question as she begins tackling the mossy slope herself.]

Yeah, I got this.

[And to her credit, she’s managing… even if it’s feeling a bit precarious. She might be wordlessly holding out a hand for a little help on that last stretch, though.]