#threads — kisa fujiwara

[decayseason]

Today's camp is on a hill in the forest, specifically because Kisa mentioned she'd seen some deer around this area and would have a better vantage point if she'd had higher ground. She'd been stomach down with her rifle on the ground for almost an hour, looking out into the vast green for any signs of wildlife or life in general—told Benji that she'd keep watch for Aiyla whenever she returns. For the last couple of weeks they'd been living off flora and fauna, the former more than anything. Mushrooms and dandelions will only get you so far, though, especially as spring shies away and summer's soon plummeting.

They'll only keep losing more energy. If she can find this deer, she can kill it and they can have something to eat. Never mind that she has no idea how to skin and carve such a thing, never mind that they'll have no proper way to store the meat so it'll be a meal just for one night (most likely). It's better than nothing.

Eye glued to the scope, Kisa is laying down prone position, stuck in a left angle so she can leverage the rifle on her right. She breathes, but only barely, worried that one wrong move from her will scare the deer or squirrel or anything else they can eat away. She also breathes, but only barely, because she doesn't want to give away their position to any biters or bandits lurking about.

A second later, she sees a spot of chestnut brown toward the east. Stifling a gasp, she shifts ever so slightly, the deer's speckled fur growing more and more prominent as it moves away from the brush. She sees the doe's eyes. It's far away enough that a shot won't attract any nearby walkers. Three... two...

Right as she's about to pull the trigger, the deer gets startled by something and scurries away. Kisa lets out a frustrated groan, sitting up from her rifle. "Damn. I almost had it," she says out loud, maybe to Benji if he's around and listening. Now more toward him, she adds, "I lost it. I'll try again in a few minutes, but we may have to dig into our stash of cans if we want to have dinner tonight." || @endingsfated

[decayseason]

Owls hoot. The pen, as saturated as squid ink on milky paper, feels lighter and lighter in her hand...

Almost like it's not there.

With a gasp, Kisa's eyes blink open once she becomes conscious of the fact that she'd fallen asleep at all. Her heart sinks to the pit of her stomach because, fuck, she shouldn't have fallen asleep. Who knows if the fire station's safe, who knows if Benji had fallen asleep too, who knows what's happened since she so carelessly let her exhaustion get to her? At this point, in this stage of the world-end, she should know better. Her heart thumps against her chest.

"Benji?" she whispers, looking around. All at once she remembers where she is: Up in the fire station, in the middle of the night, with Benji, who'd busied himself with tinkering with a generator they'd found in a storage closet inside.

She wipes at her eyes, the sleeve of her jacket rough against the soft flesh there. She wishes there was a way to tell time anymore, but with all the clocks broken, she's only got her body and the sky to rely on. Without realizing, she'd fallen asleep at the kitchen table. Something like heebie-jeebies shoots straight up her spine, remembering Mason's corpse sitting right at this very spot. Even if she'd purposely avoided posting up on his side, she was still at the same table and that's got to mean something. Guilt warms her stomach, like she'd desecrated his grave.

Kisa sees the paper and pen and map sprawled out across the surface of the chipped wooden table, and the word "Garage?" is circled in red. Amazing that she found a red pen in the first place. "Sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep," she mutters out to him as soon as it's clear that they're both okay. "I was trying to figure out just how far this garage is from the fire station, and in what direction it's in exactly. According to these notes, there's some kinda vehicle in there..."

Maybe extra gas cans to get this generator going? || @endingsfated

[decayseason]

She's eternally grateful that Benji had volunteered to take the corpse out on his own, because the only word she'd registered in the past few seconds since she'd incurred nausea is outside. Normally she would have tried to stay, but the note and the sight of the body and the stench had all concocted a swirling feeling in her stomach and nose and throat. "Thank you," she barely whispers out before she drops the note and rushes outside, barreling through the front door.

Hands reach for the railing as her torso dips forward off the edge, making sure she's on the side where Benji won't be going down the stairs before throwing up however many feet down. Kisa is totally embarrassed, but there's no way she would have made it all the way down these flights of stairs. She shuts her eyes tight and lets it coarse through her body for a minute or so, then when she thinks she's let it all out, straightens up and wipes saliva off her mouth with her sleeve.

She crouches, regaining her breath, taking in the clean air from the outside. Focusing on the breeze helps recenter her, and though the nausea is still there, it's subsided enough for her to keep moving. Eventually she'll forget about it.

When Benji meets her at the top of the stairs on the porch, she offers an apologetic, thin-lipped smile. "Thanks for that." She would have helped, she would have insisted on doing so. But he is the sort of person, and she's always known this about him, to not hesitate for even a second to help. At least, when it comes to her.

There's a moment where he grabs her arm and her skin there is electrified, and simultaneously warmed, by his touch. Brown eyes flit down to his hand on her forearm and then back up at him, and she wonders if he can sense her complete not-knowing of what to do next. These tender moments are hard for Kisa because she knows what they might mean, but she's too afraid to say anything out loud.

Fortunately, Benji turns his attention back to the station and she remembers what they came here for in the first place. "Let's go have a look."

Inside, the station is well-kept despite no one having lived here for quite some time. Kisa walks the perimeter. These things are built like studio apartments, no walls except to separate the bathroom. A double bed is in the corner by the bathroom, with musty-looking sheets and pillows but sheets and pillows nonetheless. Mason kept books and stationery supplies on his nightstand, and a few other manuals and such scattered about on floating shelves. On the other wall is a kitchenette with a plug-in burner, a sink, a microwave, and a smaller fridge. There's a small table for four but it's missing two chairs. One of those chairs is where Mason once sat, and the other is nowhere to be found.

"Anything in the cabinets?" she asks. Food, weapons, anything.

She makes her way toward the gargantuan desk where they found the ranger who manned this station. As expected, the desk is cluttered with things, but most notably, there's a large control panel for communications. There's a radio to speak into and Kisa's sure Mason had been trying to reach someone on it for a while before he lost hope.

She flips through a few pages of a journal next to the radio, skimming through counts of Mason's last days. "He took care of this place," she says. "It's a miracle how nobody's found him up here yet. This last journal entry was dated a few days after it all began."

Then, facing Benji, she offers a resolute nod. "I think this'd be a good place, Benji. For all of us. For now." || @endingsfated

he expected some form of argument from her — some resistance to his otherwise foolish mentality that he should be the one throwing himself into the line of danger first ( and when she doesn't a soft, silent breath of relief escapes him ). nodding his agreement, benji moves into the lead — the blade he carries on his person like a constant companion these days gripped within white knuckles ( poised to address any potential threat they might encounter either as they trek up the otherwise clear stairs to the top of the tower ).

at the top, there is nothing but silence ( and it takes everything in him to prevent a look of hope from coloring his gaze as he flickers her attention toward kisa ). his hilt smacks against the rail at his side as if to prompt anything alive ( or reanimated for that matter ) inside to stir. yet when he pushes his shoulder in through the door, he's meant with nothing but silence and a rancid smell.

the gag the escapes him is instantaneous ( free hand immediately grabbing onto the collar of his shirt to drag it up and over his nose — as if that will somehow help... it doesn't ). benji has, unfortunately, grown intimately familiar with the scent of rotting flesh in recent months, but this is.... something else.

"fuck," he curses the moment the cause of the scent comes into view. the body is unmoving, but it doesn't stop him from taking large strides across the room ( prepared to plunge his knife through the skull until he spots the gruesome entry and exit wound ). again, the queasiness in his stomach threatens to take hold and benji forces his attention away to glance at kisa. his expression must convey his discomfort with the entire situation before he's moving to search the rest of the space ( and only once he's satisfied with the fact that there is no one else present — living or dead — does he take the time to start opening windows in hopes of making the space breathable ).

at the sound of kisa's voice, hues turn to look at her ( momentarily riddled with confusion as to what she's saying until he spots the paper in her grasp ). he remains stock still until she's finished ( heart hammering because how easily could this have been any of their own family members — been them? ).

another soft curse escapes him before a shaky hand runs down his face. what they found is bad... but it could have been so much worse. "step outside and get some air until it clears out in here. i'll... remove mason." he murmurs, knife returning to its sheath at his side as he approaches the corpse with a frown.

hooking his arms beneath the corpses ( mason's ) armpits, benji releases a grunt as he begins to try shuffling the body out the door and down the stairs. perhaps — once aiyla has met back up with them, they can properly bury the man, but for now, he leaves the body near the bottom of the stairs ( hoping the scent will deter other undead and ward off the living ).

returning to the top of the tower with a fine layer of sweat upon his brow, benji moves to offer kisa's arm a gentle squeeze of reassurance. "what do you think of the place? good place to hunker down for a bit maybe?" // @decayseason

[decayseason]

The girl slows down to a stop on the path, taking a deep breath through her nose, watching Benji brush past her to take front. Words are at her throat, but she bites her tongue. No matter how much Kisa says she can take care of herself, he will always feel the need to be the first in the line of defense. She's almost certain it stems from how long they've known each other and wanting to preserve that. Sweet in theory, impractical in the apocalypse. There's no sense in arguing about it, though—at least, not right now. They're burning enough daylight as it is.

"Okay," she agrees. "No barging in. But I'll be right behind you." She exchanges a look with him that she hopes tells him she's just as concerned about his safety and well-being as he is about hers. Then, she follows suit. Her palms are buzzing with dehydration, the sort of swollen feeling her skin gets when she's near depleted her energy. There'll be water up in the station, though, she knows it.

A minute or so later, they approach the base of the tower, and if you can believe it, it's much larger up close than it already seems when you're far away. A good perimeter around the tower has been plowed down and filled with gravel and sand. For the most part, it looks untouched, except for the small flower bed nearby with practically diminished crops. If she had to guess, Kisa would say whoever lived at this outpost was here for most of the year; no one else would undertake such an arduous task as gardening.

The pair begin to ascend the stairs, each hollow drop of their boots against the wooden steps echoing in the quiet air. Some creaks here and there, but nothing to suggest the wood has rotten. Kisa holds onto her rifle via the strap on her shoulder while her other hand grabs onto the railing, propelling her forward when the steps get too tiring.

Wordless up to this point, Kisa and Benji arrive at the door, finally. She gulps, exchanging a look with him, hating that he is probably going to insist on going first. When they slowly open the door, they're met with...

silence.

But also, a horrid, rancid smell, a mixture of decaying bodies and something putrid. Kisa immediately coughs, flinching back against the railing of the small porch around the outpost. She holds the back of her hand up against her nose and squeezes her eyes shut, body adjusting ever so slightly to the scent. "What the heck is that?"

They dare to step further into the outpost. Then, there it is, clear as day. A rotten, dead-body-nearly-skeleton, presumably belonging to whoever held this post in the past. There's a moment, after they realize, where Kisa waits for any sounds. If the person's dead, they could come back to life as a biter. But she's heard that if you end it a certain way, that whole reanimation thing won't happen to you...

Dread fills her stomach as they walk ever closer to it. She sees a note on the table right where the body's sitting. An old plate with some spoiled, half-eaten beans is on the table, too. They must have tried to eat one last time, maybe they couldn't stomach it anymore, she doesn't know.

"Dearest Maria," Kisa reads the note aloud.

"If you find this, that means I'm dead. I'm sorry that I couldn't find you and Noah. I was in contact with the southern outpost for a few days but haven't heard anything back since this all started. It's getting worse and worse. I hope we can be together again someday. I'm sorry. Love, Mason."

She glances over at the body and, in his hand, she sees a pistol. Facing it now, she can see the blunt force trauma that the bullet did to Mason's jaw, and up through to his skull. Her stomach grumbles with something unpleasant. She's going to throw up. || @endingsfated

at the recommendation, the man makes adjustments to the note, though his brow furrows for one of two reasons. one — he'd stopped keeping track of the days weeks ( months? ) ago and to find out that kisa continues to keep track is surprising. and two, well, did they expect her to find it later? they'd been fortunate not to run into any large groups of undead, so the only thing that should delay here was a rather poor encounter with the undead or... people.

pushing the thought aside, he turns back to kisa and returns the smile. there is guilt in his gut, but once more he reminds himself that in the end, the woman before him is his priority. and this find... it could change everything. "she'll understand," he tried to reassure ( though he didn't entirely believe the words himself ).

the walk to the tower is one that is done in relative silence. here and there, they exchange little comments ( mostly observations of the flora and fauna that appear to linger within the general area ) and benji busies himself with thinking over how they might make such things last once the months grow colder and the cans of food they possess ( and those within the immediate area dwindle ).

standing beneath the tower, benji removes the large hunting knife from his belt ( his free hand hovering over the pistol at his side ). it seems entirely absent of movement and sound — and when kisa questions if he's spotted anything, the man offers a shake of his head in denial.

"why don't i take the lead?" he murmurs even as he trails after her. "i know you're capable of taking care of yourself but if one or more of those things is up there..." benji at least still have the physical strength to fend them off should the duo be surprised. kisa... he worried about that possibility of what could happen to her. "we'll bang on the door or window to see if theres movement and go from there. no barging right in, alright?" // @decayseason

[decayseason]

Kisa thins her lips, a pang of guilt washing over her as Benji gets up to write the note. She toughens up, though, because she has to, and she's hanging on faith that this decision will prove worth it. The prospect of being leader has never interested her, and she doesn't want this step to make her one. But sooner or later, the trio was going to have to do something to seek shelter before the winter months, or they're going to freeze to death out here.

"Just a little bit more," she answers, trying to put herself in Aiyla's shoes. Though they're not yet deeply bonded, she knows that the other woman is smart. Smarter than any one of them. Still, there's no telling how Aiyla will react to the news that she's basically been stranded. "Add the date. It's the 21st, late afternoon. Write that we'll back in the morning, in case she wants to stay put. I think she'll know to head for us if we're not back by then."

Kisa offers Benji a nervous smile and hopes that he gives her one right back, one perhaps more confident than her own.

"There it is."

Still a good few minutes away from it, Kisa gawks up at the tower. First, with just her eyes, and then, through the scope of her rifle. The tower is a man-made and metal thing, sticking out like a sore thumb in the midst of vast, lush green. Though she supposes that's the point; you're supposed to be able to find these things easily if you're lost out in the woods or if you're a first responder team.

The station has big windows to look out and look in. For a minute, she searches for a sign of life up there. If they hear any rustling, any voices... it's game over, time to go back.

Waiting, waiting, waiting...

She sees a large land spotter perched in front of the window pointing their direction. Likely one of those big sky telescopes you can move about to scope the area, which'll be useful for them. Holding her breath, she prays that no one's behind it.

"You see anything?" she asks.

Nothing.

Kisa pulls away from her rifle and looks over at Benji, unable to stifle her grin. She should be more careful and she should temper her expectations, but she can't help but be excited all over again at the notion they could finally have someplace to settle. Even if only for a little while. It makes the guilt from leaving Aiyla (temporarily) behind somewhat more bearable.

"Let's go," she says, leading the way. || @endingsfated

the more they discuss the possibility, the more excited he becomes. they needed some little flickering of hope ( some reason to keep going ) and a home? perhaps a temporary one, but the thought of a proper bed and kitchenette was promising. "if theres an atv i can get it up and running so long as we have gasoline. a map of the area would give us a better idea, but easier access to the woods — a source of water or even food," he remarks, feeding into her thoughts. "and if theres a road leading up to it, we could get a car too. fix it right up on the roads if i have to, start figuring out supply running," not wanting to get too far ahead of himself before they've even seen if the little station is outfitted as they hope, benji snaps his jaw shut ( but flashes her a grin all the same ).

the suggestion of hiking there before dark makes him blink back his surprise ( lips parting as if to ask after the deer but quickly realizing that somewhere they can sleep — even if not outfitted as they hope, would take priority ; a roof over their heads and a door to shut out the undead ). the thought of leaving aiyla behind however, causes something in his stomach to twist in distaste. in the end, kisa will always be his number on priority, but the other woman has been there companion for a while.

he's quiet for a moment as he thinks it over. he's got a little pad of paper in his bag still ( used to mark down what they're looking for when the separate for runs as they have today, or even where they've been ) and after a moment, he sighs. "it makes sense. i don't like the idea of separating further but..." rising from his feet, the man moves slightly down the hill to where his pack sits and digs through it for the pen and paper. "just simple? 'aiyla, gone to check tower to northwest'?" he asks, glancing over his shoulder at the woman.

not waiting for a response, he scribbles the instructions and stands once more ( trying to figure out how the hell to make this small little sheet visible to the other woman before deciding to spear it through a small tree branch at eye level ). "alright well. shall we?" // @decayseason

[decayseason]

She has never actually visited a station herself, but knows from research and her peers from university who were studying to be park rangers that it could be a saving grace in this situation. "Depending on what kind it is, it might even have a bed, a kitchenette... Some towers are for fire watchmen who have to stay at their post for a summer at a time. Maybe there's an ATV or something, too." Maybe Kisa is getting a bit ahead of herself, but the tower has become a shiny new beacon—and as she looks out at it through the wide view of binoculars, lowering her rifle to her side, its tall roof might as well be made of gold.

They've been looking for something like this for a long time, Benji and Kisa. Since the start of it they've been in and out of groups, smaller and smaller as days have gone by, up to now where there's just three of them. Against a world of walkers, it's a death sentence to not have a place to be—not have a home base to report back to or seek shelter in when supply runs get hairy. Even during her springs in the marsh, studying microorganisms and otters and minks and the like, she had a shack to call home.

She's not in Benji's mind but can sense that he feels the same, like if they don't find some semi-permanent place to be, they're going to keep wandering. And that works for some people, but not for them, they who have historically used a sense of belonging in their families if not a house itself as a north star. Her stomach fills up with butterflies, not even daring to consider the notion that the ranger station could have been ransacked early on or is in a state of disrepair. This has to work for them. It just has to.

Lowering her binoculars, she looks over at Benji with a smile. The almost-tears from remembering their fathers have sunk deep into her stomach now, bottled up for later release. This is a cause for celebration, even if quiet. "I think," she says, imbued with a new sense of determination, "we can make that hike before it gets too dark."

It's a stupid idea and borderline immoral thinking about leaving Aiyla behind, but they're already split off enough as it is. And she was supposed to be back before nightfall today. "I know what you're thinking," Kisa says, "but... we can leave a note for her to see when she comes back. Tell her where we're headed. And you and I can go check out the station, see if it's worth anything. If not, we meet back up halfway or something and head another direction."

She takes another deep breath, this time through her nose. "This could be exactly what we need. I don't know if I want to waste another second."

he can tell the moment he sees her smile ( pasted on and polite ), that he's said the wrong thing. that trying to placate her ( while perhaps kind ) was not the correct move. the truth of the matter is, facing reality ( acknowledging that his parents and younger siblings are likely gone and never to return ) is not one he wants to face. sometimes, it's easier to lie to themselves than admit that he's the last rhodes. just like she's the last fujiwara. reaching out, he brushes his knuckle against the back of her hand and offers an almost apologetic smile.

"our fathers sure did love those fishing trips," he murmured. "maybe we'll end up having some better luck with getting a catch." it's a thought to tuck away. they'd been wandering without a real plan ( perhaps hoping they'd aimlessly stumble upon a family member if they stuck in a general area ) — but it was time they came up with some sort of plan. surely there had to be more to life than this nomadic style they'd been forced to take to.

startling as she suddenly grabs his shoulders and the exuberant expression on her face, benji blinks several times ( utterly confused at what exactly he's done to earn himself such praise ). it's only a moment later that his brain seems to catch up with exactly what the first part of her statement was ( and the man nearly short circuits because of it — kiss? them? the two of them kiss? that was... certainly a thought wasn't it? ).

the instruction to assist her is what knocks the man from his straying ( dangerous ) thoughts — benji scrambling to grab hold of the binoculars and climbing to his feet to stand beside her shortly after. "high up too," he murmurs, catching on to her train of thought. "keep us out of sight of walkers." the only down side would be the fact that they could just as easily be trapped up there, but that was a problem for later. the prospect of a home base ( a roof over their heads and the potential to start to thrive rather than survive ) was enough to send a zing of excitement through his bones.

his slow perusal of the greenery is drawn to an abrupt halt at the sight of a rather unnatural ( man made ) shape. "ah! there, i think. bit far away, but i think that's what we're looking for." removing the binoculars from his face, he offers them out to her and points in the direction he'd previously been facing. "opposite of where aiyla went and where we came from. looks like it might be partially hidden behind that hill. bit of a hike but i can't imagine it would take more than half a day at most." // @decayseason

[decayseason]

It's both Kisa's favorite thing about Benji and the thing she hates the most about him: the fact that he plays along with her delusions (she would have used a gentler word, but she's coming to grips with the fact that that's what they are). She gives him a look, a polite smile, one that's hiding something, mud-brown eyes going glassy. She knows better, after all this time, to hang on possibilities. But without them, what sort of hope will be left? Would it even exist?

She swallows back the threat of tears and tells him, "Right. My dad loved fishing. Even if we hardly caught anything whenever we were out there, he could still do it. All day." Her gaze falls to the left cuff of her jeans as she fiddles absentmindedly with it. The thick fabric feels hot and stuck to her legs, and often times she wants to take them off. To do that, though, would be to go against her own advice—keep sleeves and pant legs long in case of any poison ivy or other substances out in the wild. Still, sometimes she feels like she's so constricted.

Since she can't grow wings and fly far away, Kisa chooses to ground herself and give Benji a face more genuine. She doesn't have to say thank you out loud; she hopes that her eyes do the trick. Despite both of them knowing the truth, she appreciates him for allowing her to hold on to the hope that their families are still alive and well. Time and time again she finds that she'd have no clue what she'd be doing if it isn't for him.

Then he starts going on about the national parks more, and it gets her wheels turning. Kisa closes her eyes for a second, flipping through recent memories. What road signs had they seen coming into the woods? They'd sort of just walked in from the side of the road for cover from the sun, so there wasn't any telling which park they entered. But if she can remember...

Damn! Nothing's coming to her. But not another moment passes before her eyes flash open and she hits a revelation. She grins over at Benji and grabs his shoulders. "I could kiss you right now! Benji, you're a genius!"

She stands up and reaches for her rifle, imbued with a new sense of purpose, buzzing with excitement. Looking through the scope, she scouts the perimeter. Loblolly pines, live oaks, wax myrtles. Suddenly the trees look less like trees and more like roadways. "Why hadn't I thought of this before?" she mutters to herself. Still glued to the rifle, she gestures over at a pair of binoculars somewhere behind her by their things. "Grab some binoculars and help me find a ranger station. They're huge, huge towers. You can't miss 'em. Usually around them they'll have supply boxes and... well, the tower itself is bound to be a jackpot of stuff we need. If we find one, we can wait for Aiyla to get back and stay there for a long time!"

he wants to grimace at the sound that escapes her ( perhaps the words of their parents still ring in his ears from their youth when their families would get together — to look out for the girl ). there is guilt that all he can offer are the dandelions and a few scraped together cans they'd managed to jointly snag a handful of days back with aiyla ( and even that stash was beginning to dwindle ). maybe it would have been better to spend his time fixing up a car — at least then he could offer some temporary shelter from the elements and an option to move onwards to a potentially less picked through area.

the nudge knocks him from his own spiraling thoughts ( a dark path to tumble down these days because there is nothing but self doubt and a hint of unrelenting despair it seems ). lips quirking into a semblance of a smile before he's nudging her back just as gently, grateful that despite not being the best of friends prior to all of this that he still has her. she's kept him sane — grounded. there have been countless times he's looked at her and wanted to verbally express his gratitude that they've stuck together but the words always seem to evade him.

hues turn toward to sky ( the blue growing hazy as the sun creeps closer and closer to the horizon — soon, other colors will bleed up to join it before it grows inky black ). the smile vanishes in favor of a furrowed brow and small frown. "i'm sure she'll be back soon." he tries to reassure, but it doesn't stop the slight concern ( or is it doubt ) that creeps through the words. "if she isn't back by morning, we can pack up camp and head that direction. give the town a quick look through if you want. who knows, maybe she got delayed by trying to figure out what to bring back to us. could be a jackpot... we've found a few places before now that haven't been hit by others, right? maybe this is another."

his immediate instinct is to respond that he doesn't think their families went anywhere. that they, like so many others, were swept up into the chaos and either were mercifully killed early on or turned into the walking dead. he knows its a sensitive subject for them both, which is why he takes a harsh inhale of breath before a shoulder rises into a half, albeit weak, shrug. "i don't know where they would have gone." he admits eventually. "could have tried fortifying the house," which they both knew had not happened, "could have tried for our vacation home. outside of that? i imagine they'd try to find a place they wouldn't constantly struggle once the cans run out. a large lake or the ocean seems the best option i'd think." assumptions. all assumptions — but what else did he have to go on?

"when aiyla gets back, we'll ask if she found a map while rummaging around... or if there was a place back that way that might have had one. if not, maybe we move on a bit. if this is a national park, there's got to be a ranger station somewhere, doesn't there? we'll figure it out." // @decayseason

[decayseason]

As Benji speaks, Kisa scribbles a few notes—both because she missed the way a pen feels in her hand and is sort of trying to remember what it feels like to write, and also because she doesn't want to forget any of his observations. If she had it her way she would've been keeping a journal of all they've been through throughout the last... don't ask her about time. But it seems frivolous to want to keep a history of recent events when she's not certain they're going to make it that far. (And who'd want to read that, anyway? They're all going through the same thing.)

She nods, agreeing with his notion not to rush. Of course, there's excitement that they might finally have a breakthrough after so long of practically wandering around aimlessly. But she knows not to think too ahead of herself, even if finding this firetower is a victory in it of itself. "Right," she says. And confesses, "I hope Aiyla understands. I hope she forgets about being mad at us if we can make this place... good. Even for a while."

Capping her pen (worried it might dry out), Kisa stands up from her spot at the kitchen and stretches. Her gaze wanders over at the bed. Despite the tower being indeed occupied, the bed is made and looks as if no one's slept in it, or even sat on it, in a long time. A grave feeling tells her that its occupants never left their post, never felt enough peace to sleep. When she blinks, she sees Mason's body flicker at the table, before disappearing again. It would have scared her if this was all new to her.

Without saying anything quite yet, she walks over to the bed, hand brushing up against the soft sheets. It almost feels wrong, messing it up, getting her dirty clothes on it, since its occupant had kept it untouched for so long. To make peace with it, Kisa clears her throat and looks out at Benji.

"You should get some sleep, too," she says. She nods toward the small lantern near him, a wordless invitation to switch it off. "No one knows we're up here. And if they do, we'll hear them before they get up the stairs. It's important. For you to get rest." She swallows, suddenly a bit nervous at the implication. Musters up a smile so that she can hide it, if he hasn't already picked up on it. || @endingsfated

after determining they would need to stay at the firetower and return to grab aiyla the following morning, benji had taken to making himself busy. taking stock of the food in the kitchen probably ought to have been the priority, but the promise of getting his hands dirty and tinkering on something like old times had been too promising. he'd left kisa at the small dining table leaned over a local map ( he'd heard something about a garage at one point, but she'd fallen silent shortly after — when he'd turned to check in on her, the woman had been sprawled across the small table and even though he knew she'd be more comfortable in the bed, he hadn't the heart to wake her. not when sleep these days was so sporadic as it was — they needed to take what they could get ).

he didn't hear the soft gasp that escapes her as she wakens ( the man too busy grumbling beneath his breath, hunched over and eyes narrowed at the generator — the lack of light is making it difficult to diagnose ). the whispering of his name however, startles him ( head smacking against a shelf as he whips around — soft curse escaping him in the process even as fingers are blindly scrambling for the knife at his side — as if kisa is in danger rather than simply trying to get his attention ).

"don't apologize. i would have moved you to the bed but i was worried i'd wake you." he notes, though his interest is piqued at the mention of the garage once more ( for he's confident anything left behind is something he could get up and running with the right supplies and some gasoline ). "would probably have to be more suitable for off road terrain too, to be able to get out here. i didn't see a road and anything that would have passed as one was bumpy as hell. would be a jeep or a truck maybe." transportation though would change everything. even if they only used it periodically, at least the means to get around would be there.

"don't worry too much about finding it tonight. we'll bring aiyla back here in the morning and come up with a game plan in the afternoon. no rush in getting to the garage right away and what we have here for food will last us a bit anyways. go get some proper sleep in the bed — i'm done tinkering for now anyways. i'll take first watch, yeah?"

[decayseason]

She lays her rifle down on its side as she sits more comfortably, settling on a pretzel position to alleviate some pressure off her back. Nothing's gonna fix how hard the dirt feels, though. How long had she been surveying that deer for? Too long, far too long, for her not to have gotten it. Kisa looks up at the hat that's offered her way and sighs, an actual sound leaving her chest as she goes through the motion, reaching for a handful of dandelions. Pops them in her mouth like popcorn.

"You know I only offer fine dining and nothing else," she shoots back. At least the dandelions are honey-sweet; she isn't sure she can stomach another pot of boiled mushrooms. Still, it all tastes earthy and provides little to no nutrients. She's craving food from home, or at least, the home that once was—her father's beef bulgogi, her mother's kimchi noodles, her sisters' salmon bowls, and her own rushed rolls of veggie kimbap. Anything sounds good right now.

She watches as Benji takes the spot beside of her, and subconsciously, she nudges him with her shoulder. A welcome breeze blows through the trees and she listens, for a second, to the birds. "Yeah, maybe." A beat. "It's been a while since she left, right? It's only going to get darker. Whatever it is... I hope she comes back soon."

Sure, the three of them are no world-end superteam, but they've got each other—and Kisa has to hold onto that or she has nothing else. Her heart pangs; she's thinking again about her family. Where they could be right now if they're alive. That restless feeling crawls back into her stomach that she should be looking for them, not wasting time like this. She glances over at Benji to ground herself, and as if they're communicating telepathically, he brings up the subject she's pondering.

Her gaze remains steady on him despite the way he hides his face. "Do you think that's where everyone went?" As in, their family. "You think they're thinking the same thing?" Because she can't accept the fact that he's bringing this up as a means to say they should give up on looking, and move on without them. She doesn't wait for his answers before adding, "We could try. If we can confirm what national park we're in right now, then that'll help me locate any rivers or big lakes nearby... and we can decide where to go from there." || @endingsfated

benji isn't incredibly thrilled by their choice camp — being out in the open these days makes him a touch skittish ( it might be easier to run, but in the darkness anything can creep up on you ). it's only the potential promise of real food ( of fresh meat at that ) instead of their lingering cans or worse still, more mushrooms or dandelions, that keeps him from kicking up a fuss. if kisa isn't successful, they'll move on and try their luck elsewhere in another day or two ( it seemed they were always moving, just like the undead ).

when aiyla had departed that morning with the promise of returning with supplies, he'd admittedly watched her leave with a hint of skepticism ( how many people had he assumed he'd see again, only to be left in the dark on whether they were still alive or just... reanimated? ). he did contemplate going to the nearest road and trying his luck with one of the cars that were scattered about. siphon some of the gas and see if he couldn't get one started. at least then, they could consider really moving about. where, however, always remained a bit of a question. the duo ( now trio ) were like a ship without its captain — drifting without a destination or plan.

as tempting as the idea of a car was however, benji had stuck near camp — not wanting to leave kisa alone ( not after they'd both lost everyone else — something he was almost certain was fact at this point ). he'd busied himself for a while, wandering within shouting distance behind her ( plucking the few edible flora that was about — careful to select the correct mushrooms this time around ; that was a mistake he'd only make once after the ribbing he'd received for the massive mistake ).

coming to an end of his foraging, the man climbed back up the hill and cringed when his foot caught a loose branch ( the snap of it apparently lost on the woman before him given her statement ). "i'm sure you'll have another chance," he assures with a mutter once he's approached. the hat he's taken off his head to fill with the few handfuls of edible flora is offered out in her direction. "dandelions and beans for dinner? you spoiled me kis." he quips before plopping beside her with a huff. "maybe aiyla got lucky in town and found a bit more of a selection?" what he was hoping for is a bit of a mystery. canned anything was beginning to all taste the same at this point.

"i know we've talked about continuing to look for the others but..." drifting off, benji ran a hand over his face ( a gesture that was a mix of frustrated and purely exhausted ). "maybe we could consider heading to the coast after this... we might have a more consistent food source — try for fish or something, you know?" // @decayseason