JANUARY TEST DRIVE MEME

[oasismods]

"-̭̫̜̩̪̑̈́̓̌̐-̞͓̘̩͖̿́͒͑͘░͙͈̥̦̼̌̊̒̾̅░̨̢̠͙̖̉͊̽͌͝░̫͔͎̤̘̀̑͋͛̾ȩ̨̬̙͛̐̋̀̕͜m̻̬͈̠͒̌͌̍͌͜ ̡̲͈̙̼̽̾͆̊̃f̖̟͉̲̪̈́̾̀̂̀ą̢̯̘̙́̇͑̈̋i̪̱̙̘̟͌́̄̊͘ļ̢̛̲͕̣͐̎̿͛u͕̣̥̘̳̓̃͗͠͝r͉̠̗͖̰̉̅͗̚͘ę̛̺̥̝̘̄͑̌̈́.̣̫͕̰̭̓͂̈́̓͊ ̟̗͔̟͋̿̒̚̚ͅA̠̫̬̼̣̒̇͛́̊l̫̬͎̤͈͑̀͂̐̆ë̡̧̝̺͖́̍̂͂͝r͙͍̱̫͕̆͊̾͐̕ţ͙̻̣̝͒́̄̈́͆!͕̫͓͉̹̌̍̽̂̓ ̧̛̲͎͖̳̌̆̾̏░͖̲̞̼̹̇̄̌̈́̊░̡͍͎͍̘̇̈́̕͝░̪͚̼̦̃̋͊̆͜͠è̛̞̬͙̠̖̊͌̂m͖̝̟̗̣̽̄̐̚͠ ̛̹̯͈̮̼̈́͊͌͠f̧̰̖͋̊̈̊̑͜͜ą̨͚͎̹̀̎̑͋́i̞̬͓̭̳̎́̓͘͠l̢͈̲͇͕̈́̆̐̌̈́ư̰̞͚̻̺̔͑̓̑ṛ͎̯͚̇̔̾̔̏͜ę̛̻̼̭͊͆̕͜͝.̯̖̫̣͔̔̋̔̽͠ ̺̼̟̲͌́͒̔̅ͅĄ̹̝̖̺̂̇̽̒͊ĺ̛̺̰̰̤͎̾͗͝e̛̗̭̻͕̹̓̔͆̆r̢̛͙͖̘̻̈̚̚͘t̰̲̠̖̻̉͂̆̓̇!̬̞̟͉̺̂͆̊͑͐"

You awaken to godawful static overlaying a female voice that's too monotone to be anything but a recording. The static makes it difficult to understand the warning, but it's clearly a warning if your surroundings tell you anything...

You're buckled into a sturdy seat bolted to the wall behind you. Around you, there are dozens of others like you, some awake and others still unconscious, but it seems most of the seats lining the walls are occupied. The lights are dim, likely auxiliary lighting, leaving you mostly in the dark. You smell smoke and hear the sizzling crackle of electrical systems popping and shorting out. Some of the seats were jarred off the wall, leaving the occupants either wounded or dead. Count yourself lucky all you have is a headache and various aches accounted to whiplash.

You appear to be in a drop ship or an escape vessel of some form but the pilot is dead and the hull bears a massive gash where it buckled under the impact and sheered off. Through the door-sized opening, you can see vegetation. The air that wafts in is heavy with a humid heat, but it's obviously breathable.

Once you make your way outside, you'll see greenery: Trees, grass, and shrubs tangled with vines that grow wildly and suffocate the trees they climb. In the distance, behind the ship, you can make out a sandy desert that seems to stretch on endlessly. Forward through the trees, however, you may see a crumbling wall, but more importantly, you'll see signs of civilisation. Buildings and other structures seem contained within those decrepit walls. Maybe the natives can fill you in on what's going on, because the last thing you remember isn't being in an escape shuttle. As a matter of fact, you don't remember much about your arrival or where you are. But it's going to be a bit of a hike, better get moving. Though you might want to grab the backpack of supplies under your seat before you go.

"W̞͓̝͓̓̀̍̒͘͜ȃ̢̗̪̤͇̔̃̚͝░̟͙̯̳̱̈͂̈́̈́͠n̬̘̬̤̠͛̅̈́͋͝i͓̟͈͎͙̐̆̈́̔̓n̡̟̤̟̤̑͐͋͐̚g̩̱͖͉̻͌͛̈͆̈́!̧̪̰͇̦̓̂̆̌͝ ̢͔̣̠̗̾̉́̌̒C̢̥̟͍͊͊͑̀̚ͅr̛͙̪̙̟͐̽̓̅͜i̫͖̻̣̘̽̑͂̾̎t̩͇̦̬̞͊̌̑̈́͝i̡̳̠̞̐̿̍̎̀͜c̡͕͙͕͕̓̊̌̾͘å̼̯͍̙̲̍̏̚͝l̢̥͉̮̙̋̆͐̆́ ̢̰̞͕̯̋̈́̈́̋͌f͇͔̟̻̈̽͌̒̉ͅa̳̰̠͉͔͒̑̈̈͘i̟̭̦̺͎̍̾̽̈́̐░͕̣̥̭͛̿̓̽̐ͅ░̰̪̠͇͍̆͛̀͝͝░̘̱̩̳̘͆̈́̆̀̚e̛̻͈̳̳̺̊̔̚̕.͙̟̳̼̾̀̅͊͊ͅ"

With that, the power dies, leaving the drop ship in the dark, crackling and groaning as the hull cools from its catastrophic re-entry.

---

[MOD NOTES: TDM threads may be used as game canon.]

Comments

[dirtyredneck]

"Keep the light," he said, taking the batteries and handing the torch back to her. He just wanted the extra because he knew he'd be using them when he went to scout out the ruins and check the snares at night. The ones he was going to set once he found something thin enough and long enough to use. The rope they'd been given was just too thick for his taste. It could work in a pinch, but a lot of the smaller animals, rabbits and the like, they'd be able to pull their heads out before it tightened enough. Not all of them, but most of them.

As her new question, he held her eyes for a second, then let them drop as he shuffled the items in his pack around so it would sit better on his shoulder, "Ain't met many people yet. But if'n they don't know how to use it, then thems the ones that shouldn't have it. Why? You think you see someone you wouldn't want having one?"

[pinner]

"I'm not sure yet." Which was a lot to admit, since she prided herself on always being able to offer input to any given situation. But it was difficult this time around, without a clear knowledge of who everyone was.

"But in a group this large, some people are bound to be dangerous." It was just simple statistics. Even with the dead bodies around, she had spotted enough survivors that there were likely a bad egg or two among the group.

She leaned forward to grab hold of the flashlight she had tried giving to him, and put it back into the backpack. She was sure she would find a use for it eventually.

[dirtyredneck]

Daryl gave her a look that clearly said she was stating the obvious. But not having someone picked out yet was a failing on her part.

"Lesson one," he said, pulling his pack on over one shoulder and standing up. "It's Us and Them. If they ain't an Us, they're a Them. Until Them becomes an Us, they're always a threat. Figure out who your Us is gonna be, and everyone else is a Them."

[pinner]

In all her years of existing, she had never heard this sort of mindset explained to her before. Her creator had a similar manner of thinking at the very root of his desire to have her recruit others to his cause but he hadn't ever put it so simply. So she stared for a moment before copying his actions and standing up, pulling her backpack over a shoulder.

"I didn't know it was that complicated." Apparently she had a lot to learn. That made her dip her head and look momentarily worried. She understood that it would be difficult for her, since other people would look at her and instantly assume she was weak and a burden.

"I'll stick with you, if you don't mind."

[dirtyredneck]

Daryl pulled his bottom lip in under his teeth and cocked his head to the side, looking down at her. Assessing her. When he let go of his lip, he brought a hand up so he could chew at a thumb.

"You gotta pull your own weight," he said after a long moment. "And we ain't an Us just cause you're with me. Gotta earn it." Which was totally a lie. If she was with him, she was part of his Us. But he didn't want her thinking she could just get away with doing nothing to earn that trust.

[pinner]

"Of course I'll pull my own weight!" She promises him with a smile, laughing at the thought of not doing so. "I'm small enough that no one else will notice me grabbing more bags of supplies." It was the first thing she could offer doing, an immediate way to prove herself useful. She couldn't just outright say she was stronger than she seemed, she could tell he was the kind of man that you had to prove such things to.

"I can find a safe way out, too. So we have the advantage of assessing our surroundings first."

[dirtyredneck]

Daryl shook his head, snorting derisively, "Lesson two. Never assume what anyone will or will not notice about you. You're small, but everyone knows the packs got supplies in them and there are people already making their own claims. They'll notice you grabbing more than your fair share cause they've been doing the same and they're watching for it."

He knocked his fingers on her shoulder and pointed to the hole in the hull, "Take a look outside. There's some ruins of some sort not far from here. People been making their way over already. Need you to follow the most walked path there and back. Tell me what you see when you get there, and tell me what you notice about the woods along that path when you get back."

[pinner]

Trust was something Athena gave everyone readily. His request made her uneasy despite this. It wasn't that she was afraid, it was the fact that she didn't want to come back with a disappointing answer. She made her way over to the hull to peer out, nodding to show she understood his instruction.

Moving away, she took the time to adjust her backpack so it could be more easily worn on both shoulders. If she was going to be moving quickly to and from the ruins, she would need it to be balanced.

"In case we're separated," she paused, glancing up at him, "My name is Athena."

[dirtyredneck]

"Daryl." Trading his name in exchange for hers. Was fair enough and not something he thought worth guarding. Before she was out the hole, he pulled the knife he'd been given by James out of the sheath hidden on his back and held it out to her. "You know how to use one?"

[pinner]

"I know enough."

She hadn't exactly been properly taught, but she understood the basics of self-defense well enough that she could fend for herself against someone if it was needed.

"You can teach me more than just enough later. We're already up to lesson three." She smirked as she spoke, amused by the fact that she was able to learn so many things in just one day.

[dirtyredneck]

He grabbed her wrist and put it in her hand. Folded her fingers firmly over the handle. More for his own sake of making sure she had it in a proper grip than for hers. "Don't let anyone take it from you. That thing's worth more'n gold right now. More'n water, even."

When Daryl let go of her, he tapped her on the back, just above where the pack sat on her shoulders, "Go on. Get."

[pinner]

She realized then that despite his gruff nature, he was a good man and that he wanted to make sure she was safe while also pushing her to hold her own weight. He wanted to make sure she was fit to survive in a place like this. It was a very sweet gesture, one that had her smiling as she gripped firmly hold of the knife.

"I won't let anyone take it. I promise." And then, since she felt the need to offer him the same sort of protective sentiment, "Stay safe until I get back, Daryl. It won't take me long."

She knew that she didn't need to tell him to wait for her, because he was likely the sort of man who would do just that. So she moved to climb out of the hole, hopping out to land flat footed on the other side. She only spared him a final parting glance, smiling and waving before setting off with a determined look on her face.

[dirtyredneck]

He watched her long enough to see her disappear into the tree line. Stood there trying to look like he didn't care if she came back or not. Put on a face of indifference for anyone who might have caught them talking. When she was gone, he turned back to his self-imposed task of trying to salvage what he could and get supplies put on one of the hull panels James had torn off for him. The water and dry foods, as well as another large pile of backpacks long since sorted through, torn up seat cushions, twisted lengths of metal, and some wiring that wasn't quite long enough yet. It was his group's supplies and what he'd be carrying to the ruins now that most of those still living were moving off and away from the crash site.

Athena was part of that group, now. He could probably sneak a couple more boxes of the non-perishable food without anyone stirring up a fuss over his hoarding. He was planning rationing for at least three people now. Maybe four if that guy he'd seen James with was one of them.

[pinner]

She returned hours later, wearing a thoughtful frown on her face and leaves in her hair. She had obviously been climbing trees while she was away. The knife he had given her was still held firmly in hand, since there wasn't anywhere appropriate to hide it with the dress she was wearing. Her backpack was shifted off, and without prompting she launched into her findings.

"There's sign of civilization, but it's going to take a day's walk to get there. Possibly longer, depending on the pace set. Luckily, the path through the trees seems safe. All wildlife I encountered was harmless, but the walk can be strenuous for people who aren't used to hiking. I thought I should come back and get you before going all the way there. I can point out the poisonous plants versus the edible ones as we travel, if you'd like."

He would need food, and potentially something better than what was in the supply rations. She wanted to show him she was useful beyond scouting a route to the ruins, and food seemed like a good place to start.

[dirtyredneck]

When she came back, he stood from his work, which was long since done but he'd been checking and re-checking the make-shift bindings he'd knotted together out of the rope since it was the first time he'd ever really made a sled like that. He wiped his hands on his jeans and otherwise gave her his full attention. Scanned over her appearance and made note of the leaves in her hair.

"I know what's safe to eat and not," was the first thing out of his mouth after she was finished. His jaw worked a bit before he crossed his arms, fingers curling into the arm-holes of his vest, which was worn over his long-sleeve coat. Far too warm of dress for the environment, but it was his and he was used to being over-dressed just to keep his belongings on him.

"Didn't I tell you to stay on the path?" Daryl asked once he was done chewing his thoughts around in his head. "What part of staying on it had you going off and prancing through the bushes?"

[pinner]

An eyebrow arched at that, and she gave a simple shake of her head. "I climbed. To try and see how far the walk would be. I didn't realize you had given a command." Not that she always did well with commands, but she generally tried to follow them.

She smoothed down the sides of her pale blue dress before reaching up to fix her hair. Finding the leaves there, she removed them and cast them aside. "It was more practical than walking the entire way there and back to time it. I would've been gone for days."

Her arm extended, so she could give the knife back to him. She didn't need it any longer and knew he would want it back.

[dirtyredneck]

"No? What did you think it was? A polite suggestion?" Daryl asked, head cocking to the side as he made no effort to take that knife back. She didn't know it, but he'd been given another already. He was set. He could tell her that after they established the pecking order.

"Let's get some ground rules in right now, then," he said, meeting her eyes. His tone was a little condescending, but it was the same as he'd address any adult who'd done the same as her. Well, maybe not exactly the same. He was actually more patient with her than he would be with an adult.

Daryl took a few steps closer to her so he could effectively tower over her for a moment. Then he knelt down so he was at eye level and unfolded his arms to hold up three fingers, "Lesson Three. You cain't do anything without people no more. Until they know they can trust you to save their asses, you gotta work with 'em and do what's asked of you. You're the one that asked to run with me, so you gotta do the work here. I tell you to do something, you do it. As close to the letter as you can.

"I tell you to stick to a path, you stick to a path. You think you shouldn't, you come back and you tell me," he paused to make sure that she understood he wasn't actually mad she'd gone and done the smart thing. "Then we decide, together, how we're gonna proceed. Deviating from the plan like you did only happens if you don't got the option of talking out a new one. Not until I know you can protect yourself the way you're gonna need to. You got that?"

[pinner]

She was used to David Nix telling her what to do. He had created her, he was obligated to give her a purpose and direction. She had become aware and unique enough to begin creatively interpreting his orders, and often was like any other teenage girl in that she did what she wanted when she felt the situation warranted free will. Daryl didn't seem like he was needlessly bossing her around. It seemed, based on his tone and the way he was looking at her, that he wanted her to follow orders so she would be safe.

It was almost a concept foreign to her that she found herself smiling as she nodded in response to his question. "I came back." She agreed with him on the fact that she had done the smart thing, nodding eagerly as she crouched down to grab hold of her backpack. The knife couldn't be stored properly under her dress, so she needed to hide it there. People would be frightened if someone who looked as young as she did was running around with a weapon.

"Now we should make a plan on what to do next. Together." She held her head high and looked him in the eye, not apologizing for the fact she had deviated from his plan when she went off on her own. She wasn't sorry for doing it, since it had saved time. And he didn't seem to actually be cross with her, just worried she was going to do something to get one or the both of them killed.

[dirtyredneck]

Girl was too spunky and happy for her own good. She was gonna be the death of Daryl, he could tell already. And there weren't a thing he could do about it, neither. He'd already gone and made her his in his head.

He couldn't complain that she was too smart, though. Well, he could, but it would be about as stupid as letting himself care about her. And since he'd already gone and done that one stupid thing, he didn't need to be doing another.

"Need to get you some new clothes," he muttered, standing up and turning to his sled of supplies. "Make you some, maybe. That dress ain't practical. For now, we're gonna go to the ruins." Daryl pointed down a different path than the one she'd take, "That way. Seen some people getting to another part of the ruins that's a little closer. Shorter walk. Just a few hours far as I can tell. Walls aren't as high, though. So it's harder to see unless you get the right angle on it from the roof of the ship here. Don't know how connected to the other ruins it is, could just be an outbuilding. Could be something bigger. But it's closer and that's the important part right now."

He pointed at his sled, the ropes to drag it gathered in his hand, "Hop on. We can check out the ruins you were looking at in the morning."

[pinner]

"There's likely clothes my size where we're headed." She was partial to her blue dress, but clothes were only clothes. They weren't that important in the end. What was important was blending in with the others and being able to move about freely. So she wouldn't argue against the necessity of other clothes, but she did have an argument against his pulling her around.

"You'll tire faster if you're pulling my weight." She clearly felt uncomfortable with the idea of causing him to drain his energy faster, but due to his telling her that she had to do exactly what he told her she was already moving to stand on the edge of his makeshift sled.

"If I walked, we'd get to the ruins faster. Before nightfall." She stressed that point, because she didn't want him out in an unfamiliar area when it was dark. Even with flashlights, it sounded like a dangerous course of action.

[dirtyredneck]

"Fine, then don't hop on," he snapped back belligerently. "Ain't no skin off my nose if you wanna tire yourself out like that."

Because he was perfectly fine tiring himself out. If he had to. But he had plans to ask James for help with the hauling if he could find the man before they got too far. Guy was strong enough he could take an hour or two shift without breaking a sweat. Needed to introduce him to Athena, too. Make sure he knew who was with them.

[pinner]

She gave a startled jump at his snapping at her, and was unsure of how to proceed. She didn't want to make him angry at her, but she also didn't want him wearing down because of her. So she quickly made a compromise in her head and spoke it aloud so they could be on the same page.

"I'll ride. Until you need help pulling." It was an unspoken desire to help him pull, although she knew that he wouldn't think she would be able to do it. But in her mind, if they were going to work as a team, she had to quickly prove she could pull her weight before he tired of watching after her.

She sat down, taking a moment to smooth out her dress so she could sit prim and properly. There was a brief moment in which she glanced up at Daryl with a warm smile but her eyes were quickly on what lied ahead. They had a big adventure ahead of them, and she was excited for every second of it.

[dirtyredneck]

Her utter tolerance of his grousing was disarming in a big way. He was used to people cringing and tucking their proverbial tails between their legs. Or barking back and getting in his face so he had an excuse to keep yelling, let out the frustration and anger and worry he had in a relatively healthy exchange of screams before he did his level best to apologize. Something he wasn't exactly good at, but he tried. Basically, she wasn't feeding into either expectations he had for creating himself an emotional outlet. Left him on unstable footing, as it were.

Daryl didn't answer her, but his lack of argument on her helping him eventually could easily be taken as an acceptance. If he couldn't find James on the way up, then he'd need the help even if it was coming from a girl who couldn't be more than 12 or 13. 14 on the outside. Wasn't like he hadn't trusted other kids her same age. Though when it came Carl, he'd seen the kid grow up fast and knew what he was capable of. He was still having to learn with her.

"There's a guy. Name of James," he said after they'd started off and been walking for a bit. "Shaggy dark hair, metal arm he keeps mostly covered with a red shirt. He's one of us."

[pinner]

"James. Shaggy dark hair, metal arm. Understood." She gave a firm nod of her head and committed that information to memory. She realized that likely seemed like an odd answer for someone who was supposed to be a child to give, so she tried explaining without giving too much away. She had become good at selective truth telling in the company of Frank Walker.

"I recruited people back home. I can find him." If he was one of their people, it was her job to make sure she kept a lookout for him. Daryl was going to be pulling the supplies, and wouldn't be able to focus on watching others around them. That was her self-imposed job.

She rose up to sit on her knees, so she could perch high enough to look around and see others more clearly. She was eager to get to get a chance to see some of the others that were here. There was just one thing that put doubt in her mind. "Are you sure he won't mind my being around?"

[dirtyredneck]

A recruiter? Maybe she wasn't as sheltered as he'd thought at first. Maybe she just had more people to rely on to keep her safe.

"Not his call to make," Daryl answered easily, grunting a little at the effort of pulling as she shifted her weight. "He ain't lived through this shit. Been isolated. He gets a say in people he knew from before getting dropped here. Anyone else, that's my choice."

Daryl was taking charge of the group he was making. Taking responsibility for them. It wasn't big, but it didn't have to be. Just as long as he could rely on them to watch his ass and keep him alive. Then they could rely on him to do the same. The group came first. And until they were big enough to need to delegate, really delegate, he was going to take a page from Rick's book.

"Ain't a democracy yet, girl," he said, glancing over his shoulder at her. "Best remember that."

The 'yet' he left in because he did believe the council method worked better in a larger community. But as small as they were, with so much unknown, there needed to be a clear line of command. People needed rules. Something to give them a sense of structure when survival was so uncertain.