On The Road Again...

[seren1]

Three days. It had been three days since Emori and John had left Otan and Jaha after attempting to steal the backpack that was obviously so much more than a backpack. Emori didn’t know why they’d been so eager to recover it once it had been stolen; it was obviously a valuable piece of equipment, something that would have been able to sustain herself and Otan for quite a while if they’d sold it to the right customers. Which was why she was so confused by her brothers actions, never in her whole life had he threatened her and then out of nowhere he’d tried to take the backpack and held a knife to her throat. It wasn’t like him, John had tried to explain some of what he knew to her but she still found it confusing, she didn’t understand how somebody could control someone else like the way they had her brother. She still had every intention of finding him again; she’d pick up their trail eventually and get her brother back.

They’d docked the boat somewhere safe, in a place that she was sure it wouldn’t be found and stolen. Being on the boat was cool, it was a great way to travel and whilst on the water it was rare to come across anyone who might ask questions but once her feet hit solid ground again she felt truly comfortable. They’d been moving around the forest, never staying in one place for too long. Emori had introduced John to one of the many ways that herself and Otan scavenged for supplies. It wasn’t dissimilar to the way that she’d stolen from him when they’d first met. They killed a rabbit and smeared the blood over John’s face and neck to make him appear dead and in theory whoever came across the body in the middle of the road would be lured towards it, either to investigate further or to take possessions from the body. Somebody who is dead is no longer in need of anything they possess and many people had been known to steal from the dead. When their victim was in position, Emori would emerge silently from her hiding place and hold a knife to their throat, they’d then knock them out and proceed with stealing from them, taking anything that held any value or that they thought could be useful.

Not everyone was cut out for a life on the road; many people preferred the comfort and security of living in a village. Emori didn’t exactly have that option; her hand prevented her from being accepted by anyone. She was pleased to discover that John seemed to be faring relatively well with the lifestyle that she’d introduced him to and he was one of the few people who accepted her and weren’t repulsed by the hand that she kept covered most of the time. Right now she was carefully skinning the rabbit that they’d caught earlier that day, they didn’t have any way to preserve the meat when they were moving around so often so it was best to prepare the meat before it spoiled, the fur also had its uses but Emori wasn’t as concerned for the warmth that it could provide at that moment, the weather was good and they were more concerned with finding food at the moment than anything else. She didn’t really know what their next move was going to be, they’d been moving around the same area for a while now, she wanted to go find her brother when John was ready but he didn’t seem as eager about that idea as she was.

John Murphy

[John Murphy]

What had made him get on the boat with the others once he'd seen Emori, he wasn't quite certain. Sure he'd wanted off the island, but after what Jaha had done along with the chancellor's newfound appreciation for the bitch in the red dress and the incessant preaching of his dreamland, taking a rowing boat alone had seemed to be the better option. Sea monsters and all. But Emori had reappeared and something had made John board the boat. Now here he was on the road after taking the boat with Emori for a second journey, just the two of them this time. 

It had been a relief to put some distance between himself and Jaha, especially once Murphy learned the other had brought his new best friend along with them. He'd figured he had left behind at least one danger on the island for now, but no such luck. Despite past experience of their meeting and lingering reservations he had regarding Emori, Murphy felt more content with her for company than any of the others he'd left the island with... but trust her? Not yet. 

Still, the few days they'd been on the road had eased his concerns a little, finding himself fond of her company, even if she might not be the most trustworthy. Besides, their intentions aligned... survival. He already knew a thing or two about that, but Emori had taught him a few of her tricks in the short time time since they'd stepped off the boat, their hustle on the road working well so far. And taking from those who would themselves steal only made it easier. But necessity aside, John knew Emori held another goal in mind. Otan. 

Murphy got it. She wanted to find her brother, but they'd already discussed this after leaving the others though not at length, with Murphy explaining all that he knew of A.L.I.E., and although there were surely gaps in his knowledge, he had enough detail to know A.L.I.E. was a danger to them all. With Jaha and Otan doing her bidding that only made it worse, whatever their intentions. Murphy didn't care about their plans, only that he wasn't a part of them. To go in search would be a big mistake. Neglecting to bring it up again, he crouched down beside Emori as she skinned the rabbit, gesturing off in front of them. "We heading that way? Probably a good idea to put a little more distance behind us."

Tag: seren1

[seren1]

Emori looked up from her task when John crouched beside her, she glanced in the direction that he’d gestured and looked back down to the rabbit that she was skinning. He wanted to put as much distance between them and Jaha as possible, but the problem was that doing so would put distance between herself and Otan as well. That was something that she was reluctant to do, she wanted to find her brother, even if he was somehow being controlled by something that she could not understand. She was confident that she could persuade him to come with her and leave Jaha behind, she was his sister, his loyalty lay with her.

She knew that bringing up the issue of pursuing Otan with John would be difficult, he’d already made it clear that he had no intention of following Jaha and instead seemed eager to leave him behind. However, Emori could not simply leave her brother behind, he was young and could be foolish at times, but he was the only family she had left. It was just a matter of deciding when the best moment would be to go after him, it wouldn’t be the first time that she’d saved him from making a stupid decision. She nodded at John’s words “Sounds like our best option” she forced a smile, she knew that bringing up Otan in conversation would only lead to an argument and she wanted to avoid that.

Her concern was that Otan could come to some harm, she assumed that he was needed at that moment but what if he outlived his usefulness, she needed to find him before that happened because who knew what they would do with him once they had no use for him. She was his sister, it was her duty to make sure that he didn’t get himself killed “we should probably think of a plan, we can’t keep drifting” she told him as she paused in her task of skinning the rabbit so that she could speak to him properly without distraction “avoiding them isn’t a plan… Not a good one at least, we need something to go on” having a plan would enable them to think more clearly and give them a purpose. Emori’s purpose had been to steal tech to deliver to the island, but that was no longer an option, so it was time to form a new plan and find a new purpose.This time she could find a purpose with John, until she got her brother back and she would get him back.

John Murphy