vault66 | FIRST TRIP OUTSIDE

The group rides the elevator up and out of the Vault and into the muck of the mire that sits a good hundred feet above it. The gear shaped platform characters stand on is (now that the swamp was accidentally drained a bit into the Vault) located in the center of a mud patch a few inches above water level. As far as the eye can see, there is nothing but mud, radioactive water, and near-dead trees sagging under moss. The characters are also not the only living things in the swamp. Scattered around there are small clumps of giant eggs, and in the distance a few more mirelurks can been seen trudging their way through the water on the hunt. They don’t seem to have noticed the characters yet, and it’s up to the individual parties whether they choose to hunt or sneak around the creatures.

Those that check their pip-boys once the reach the surface are in for a bit of a surprise. There’s a new radio station: No Land Radio. In between the songs, an apparently alive disc jockey makes comments about just played songs and advertisements for weapons, robots, and food. Somewhere, there’s a city. The signal is a bit scratchy, suggesting characters are on the very edge of the signal radius.

[[OOC: Individual starters for each group will be posted below. Feel free to RP about any point of the journey in the sub-thread. When mod input is wanted in the scene, just add MOD to the title of the comment! Please direct OOC questions to this month’s OOC post here.]]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Saya nodded, "Good, then it's settled. We'll gather as much intel as we can before making our move back to a suitable camping spot near the vault to wait for the other teams. That should give us enough time to start formulating a plan and hopefully the others will have had better luck in gathering things we could use." She turned back to the tower and frowned.

"Once we're all in the same plan, we can definitely strike a fast and decisive blow to these cretins and secure the tower for our group." She hated to admit it, but she could see a bit of her parents in all this planning and plotting. They would have been able to make a more forward decision but for now, she was glad they were on the same page and they would make this work.

"If you know or notice anything at all that I may miss that could be useful to us, please let me know. I really do value your company and input."

Azula had to pause and focus her attention on Saya, picking apart her tone and her words with scrutiny.

"You really do don't you?" She sounded surprised and unsure, both unusual for the Princess who had been so determined to prove herself. Her lips curled into a cruel smile and she turned her attention back to the Raiders camp to resume monitoring them.

"It's nice to know. I was starting to think I was alone here." But perhaps if she was careful, Saya wouldn't betray her.

And even if she did, she could handle it this time. It wouldn't ruin her.

That caused Saya to raise an eyebrow and regardless of their current situation, even a smirk. "Heh, really? I mean, you've given me no reason to distrust you and you've been helpful in many ways since I awoke from that pod so... Yeah, really I do." she stated as if it was fact.

Saya continued then, taking notes, not only of the raiders and the camp, but of the area around them, the flora, the fauna. She also started to take samples of what she could grab safely. The fungus, the plants, bark, samples of the water and any insects that weren't giant and could fit in 'specimen' bottles (IE; nuka cola bottles).

"In my position I have fallen victim to...let us say less then reliable and honest people. People who I trusted and even called friends."

Her grip unconsciously tightened on her Sniper Rifle and she refused to look at Saya as she explained, instead focusing her scope on one of the Raider's heads.

"When I needed them most, they turned on me and in hindsight I have come to realize that was the first step down the road to ruin for me."

"That... unfortunately happens..." Saya stated as if having faced similar situations in her past. "I promised myself I wouldn't be like that however. If you're fucking up and not pulling your weight, I'll tell you and help you get back on your feet, but never abandon you. I did the same for my friends."

She paused, not wanting to seem too weak and looked up in thought, "Though, if you went full stupid and weren't listening to reason, or I couldn't bring you back, then I also wouldn't risk my life over that and would expect you to do the same in turn. There's merit in standing firm behind and supporting your friends and allies, but you also have to remember to care and value yourself. If you go down, who's gonna be there to pick them back up once they fall?"

"You're practical, I'll give you that much." Azula sighed casting a wary glance her way before returning her attention to the camp.

"No this wasn't a matter of my failings as a leader. Everything was going according to plan. We were going to win and be praised as heroes. They were influenced somehow...by others who would see me fall. That's the only explanation that fits given how much I've done for them. They'd been my friends for years after all."

But they had ungratefully thrown it all away. And worse thrown Azula with it.

"Never again. I won't fall so far so quickly because of someone else's disloyalty."

Saya studied Azula as she spoke, giving her full attention. This wasn't something someone talked about freely, openly and she felt the urge to respect that and give Azula her time. It wasn't an easy subject to talk about but she had to give it to the so-called princess, she was really strong of mind and from what she had witnessed, body as well.

"But you're still here," she began, "And granted, this isn't the place you came from, let alone probably not even your world depending on which theories we're going by, but you're still standing. You're still moving forward regardless of the hardships you faced and even more astounding, you're placing your trust, if partially, on complete strangers. That says a lot more about you, than the trials you faced." Saya ended with a small smile.

Azula stiffened listening to Saya's analysis and after mulling it over she smiled gently, perhaps even genuinely.

"Yes...I suppose I am pretty amazing. Father always said I was born lucky but perhaps I make my own luck after all."

With how hard she'd worked to get where she was, only to lose it all she couldn't even begin to think of how to rebuild. Only how to get revenge.

But revenge was no longer an option. Not until she got home if that was even possible.

So where did that leave her?

Who was Princess Azula without the Fire Nation or her family?

Perhaps somewhere out here in the Wasteland that answer could be found.

"Yeah, let's not fall into that whole lucky/unlucky stick... Sometimes all we can do is make our own paths." Saya added as she took a few more notes and looked up to verify the time.

"I think we've made as much progress as we can and the road back is long. Wanna start our trek back and set up camp to meet with the others before debriefing Simmons?"

"I'm not satisfied, but it'll have to do." She agreed sighing and taking one last look over the camp. Soon they would know to fear her. But not until the time was right.

Creeping back from their vantage point before rising up she sighed with dismay dusting herself off.

"This would be so much easier with Mongoose Lizards. We'd be "home" in hours." She made air quotes around the word home to indicate she still couldn't think of the Vault as a proper home.

"Mongoose lizards?" Saya asked curiously, already packing up her things and making her way further away from the Raiders. "Can't say I've heard of those before."

As Saya moved along, she made sure to be as silent as possible. Even though they had ended up unseen, she didn't want to risk giving themselved away now.

"Native creatures to my home. Large enough to ride, fast enough to run across water and strong and smart enough to track their prey across great distances."

She had a sort of affection for the creatures if only because they were the best at what they did. Just like her.

"Just another thing to add to the list of things I wish we had from my world."

"So transportation in the form of creatures then? Though those seem like much more useful than horses and other beasts of burden... I would prefer an ATV right now though, preferably military grade like the one we had before... before I ended up here."

That thing was amazing and it saved them plenty of times.

FIRST TRIP OUTSIDE

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