Maya looks closely at Addie. "I will not pretend to know how you feel, Addie, but I do have some advice that you can take or leave. Sometimes you can help more people by leaving. If you and others had stood up to him at the meeting, there might be more people here with us. But when the potential leadership caves to tyranny, those who are on the fence see no point to defying it, either. Some of us have made the point abundantly clear that we do not support him and are willing to leave rather than suffer his brand of despotism. I might be wrong, and in fact I truly hope that I am wrong, but my guess is that any real effort to defy Rick on anything, even by your rules group, will result in the group being disbanded or ignored. Working from within might help some of the kids, but you standing up and saying it directly would have had a bigger impact and probably could have saved more people now. It is your call, Addie. We will accept you among us if you change your mind. Follow the stream and you will find us."

She watches Addie for a bit then turns to lead her small band downstream to whatever lay there. The terrain at the stream was a bit easier to navigate than the surrounding ground and the group makes good time. Maya keeps an eye on the ground in the immediate vicinity, looking for sign of any wildlife using the stream for water. The lack of birds and wildlife is a bit troubling, but Maya believes that the chances of finding animals will improve the farther away from the hill they go. She watches the people carefully, gauging who might be having trouble on the trek and calls a welcome halt after a while. She asks everyone to remove their shoes so she can check for blisters. She had noted some herbs growing near the stream and picked them up to apply to the feet of anyone that showed evidence of a blister. She gives comforting words, especially to the younger kids and shows everyone a couple of plants that can be used for food, setting them off on a quick search of the nearby area to gather all that can be found. Once everyone is back, she looks at everyone and says, "I do not feel very qualified to be a leader, so if anyone else wants the job, please speak up. If you opt for me, I will do my best to guide all of us to a place where we can settle and survive. I hope that whoever put us here will come get us at some point, but there is no guarantee that will happen or when. I think it would be wise to describe what we can contribute, because all of us will need to contribute something. I can start. I have several years experience in surviving in remote and unforgiving lands. I know a bit about the food and medicinal value of plants and herbs and can cook. I have been trained to handle wild animals and can even train some, given the right circumstances, including some paracritters. I can navigate and track well and am pretty good at making useful things from what we can find."

Maya looks about at the others. "Would anyone else care to list what they can contribute to our survival?"

Dana sighed she might as well get it over with "I am a warrior and have trained my entire life in unarmed combat. I am also a capable spellcaster if anyone has problems with that I will go my own way, I do not want to force myself on you." .

Maya looks at Dana. "Warrior and spell slinger? That is a good and useful combination. Thank you for sharing and I see no reason why you should consider leaving us. Those skills might stand us in good stead. What sort of spells do you know? Perhaps you can summon us up some tents or start a fire? And I should have added that I, too, know some unarmed combat and am decent with a knife or bow, neither of which we have at the moment. However, I can make some if we find the right sort of wood."

Dana was embarrassed to share what she knew, when people hear that she can sling spell their image is usually that of omnipotence, I do not know many spells I am just learning the ropes, except the stuff I use for fighting, I can heal wounds, temporarily reshape people into animals and manipulate and reshape earth. I planned to learn more - but life happened. "

Rafferty smiled reassuringly at Dana, the expression making the faintly Asian cast of his features a bit more apparent. "For heaven's sake, don't apologize. Those sound like incredibly useful spells to me. And," he turned to Maya, "we actually do have a knife." He pulled the large blade from where he'd secreted it against his leg under the flats. "And funny enough, my idea had also been to use it to make a bow, though I'm less worried about wood than the proper string. Feathers would also be nice. Both really need wildlife. That blond girl's encounter with the snake gives me some hope - there must be more fauna about."

He paused, obviously thinking. "Could be nothing, but searching for clues as to why we're all in this slightly ridiculous situation is always in a part of my mind, and...Maya, you said you had all sorts of survival training, outdoor craft, and so on. Well, so do I. And you are a bowyer? Again, I as well. The odds? Dana, you trained all your life in unarmed combat? My mother's been" - there was the slightest pause in his speech - "training me since I could walk." He looked around at the others in their small group. "Anyone else? These commonalities of fairly rare skill sets make me think our selection for this, while admittedly demographically diverse, was anything but random."

Dana said "I do not believe it was random indeed, also consider the obvious that we are all very young. Had it truly be random they'd be some old people here."
She then said "Further away from this place there seem to be plenty of wildlife, Vincent have seen herds of animals from eagle perspective. Perhaps animals have fled this place sensing like me that something is wrong here, like rats that abandon a sinking ship. One thing for certain, magic do not work very well here - and you typically do not want to be in places where magic is weak, these are often polluted, toxic, places of natural activity or atrocities."

As the group gets moving again, Maya nods at Raf. "So is Raf short for anything and what do you want us to call you? And, Dana, does that shape earth spell make things last or is it only temporary? I am thinking that we can use that to make some shelters when we find a place. Better than tents. And who is Vincent?"

Dana said " At the end of the spell everything stays as I leave it, you can build shelters but if the structure cannot support itself it collapses.

(Vincent is Raider's character and since Raider has not posted in a while - I just assume that he is with us (?) Dana previously turned him into a bird and sent him scouting the nearby area.)

Maya shudders a bit. "Then we had best be careful, I suppose. Do you have any engineering skill to go with the spell so you can design places that stand up?

Dana say hesitantly "My makers never intended for me to be very smart but I did pick up the basics, I had to, I did not want to harm anyone. We should be fine as long as we do not try anything ambitious, walls are simple, windows maybe. Roof may be a bit trickier tough,We'll see."

"Common sense should serve us well. Strong walls for defense, but a thin layer above to keep out the rain. We could always lay some timbers across the tops of the walls before you work a thin layer of stone across the top. I should think as long as we don't try anything too fancy we should come off brilliantly. What an incredibly useful talent. And Rafferty, that's what Raf is short for. I answer to both."

While Rafferty was excited about Dana's talent others seemed wary about it. One boy even doubted wether Vincent or 'adept boy' was really coming back. Nora approached Maya and whispered "Perhaps we should ask the mage go? before she gets angry and turn us into frogs or somthing"

Maya feels a bit overwhelmed, realizing that the mantle of leadership is heavy indeed. She listens to Nora and bites off her immediate answer to take the time to think. "Nora, we cannot do that. I think that if she was going to turn people into frogs, she would have done that already. This group is about taking in everyone that wants a better society than what Rick offers. Dana has not given any indication that she will use her powers to hurt us and I prefer to not judge her, or anyone, until she does something wrong. At this point we need all of us working together. I ask that you give her a chance and do not let prejudices rule you."

She hopes that Nora and the others will not leave so soon, but now is better than later. She calls another small halt and gathers everyone into a group. "Please, I am not too experienced in this leadership thing, but I am getting more experience all the time. What I do know is that we all need to pull together and accept each other if we are going to survive. We will have rules and laws and all of us will contribute, but group acceptance is a must. We have different races and different nationalities and different backgrounds represented here." She points to several people, starting with herself. "A loner, a ganger, a mage, all of us. We are all different but we are all allied in opposition to Rick's tyranny. We will need to live together and it will take each of us and all of us doing this. Anything less will not be accepted. These are the first immutable rules, if you wish me to remain as leader. We all accept each other and we all contribute. I hope very much that all of you decide to stay with us, but here is your first chance to test your resolve. Rick is not too far back there if you have changed your mind."

"No time to wallow in self pity, or mourn what didn't happen. I need a more useful emotion. Not like I can be happy about the situation, but, hmmm, annoyed feels about right.". That thought felt reassuringly like what an Addison should be thinking in this situation.

And then Addie did her best to channel her annoyance into productivity. She checked on Dot, Pierre, and the scrappy looking human boy who hadn't given her his name yet. They were all staying with the larger group, at least for now, and Pierre assured her that she'd done all she could to keep the others with them. Dot said something about a parting of a fellowship, that Addie did not really understand; it seemed to have something to do with some book.

After that she faces up to dealing with Rick. His direct hangers on didn't impede her approach, at least not this time. " Rick, I owe you an apology. I didn't understand how unreasonable Maya is, and I thought some of that had to be on you. But clearly there was no way to get her to listen to anything. You really did handle her as fairly as you could. Sorry I said otherwise."

After finishing the apology conversation, she launches into logistics. "I'm no survival expert like Maya, but I know a bit. Rule one when lost is usually stay where people might expect to find you, else clearly mark where you are going, so they can find you easily."

"Obviously this isn't normal. But we could make an arrow showing the way we are heading, for searchers, or anyone who wandered away from the group, to be easier to find. On the other hand we could minimize our trail, maybe to make the group harder to track.". She looks around dubiously at the group and admits " although I doubt we could manag to be very hard to track."

"If you want I can get a crew to make a pointer arrow, or help get people to walk on rock or in the stream, o whatever."

Dana answered "I am glad you are enthusiastic about it, I hope it works, like I said magic here is a bit weaker than normal." For a moment things seemed to be getting off nicely, for a moment she felt accepted. Till she caught Nora and Dave whispering around Maya.

"She shared her shelter with me and now she wants me to leave?" Thought Dana and waited for Maya's verdict, apparently Maya did not kick her out of the team as some of the kids decided to switch sides. It was transparent that they did not want to be alone in the wilderness with a mage. Dana shrugged and heir hair turned bright crimson, it always acted hectic - when she was upset.

Being uncharacteristically confrontational she walks past Nora and tell her "Nora, suddenly you do not trust me? I fell a sleep in your arms yesterday. I was vulnerable with you, I trained you and your friends. " and her voice seems to barely hold its pitch.
Nora can barely look directly at Dana and say "I did not know that you were ... one of them".
"So go, be that way. Said Dana clearly upset and approached the stream to wash her face. "People will never accept me if I let them know what I really am" she thinks.

Rafferty witnessed the bitter parting and it was obvious how betrayed Dana felt.

He felt a bit silly consoling anyone so much older than himself, but it seemed he'd best try.

He took a step closer and said, "Quite frankly it amazes me that people can still be so ignorant. She might as well resent my education or Grok's physical strength. Sad for her, for them, really. But it leaves us that much leaner. I dare say we've make up in quality what we may lack in quantity. Let's get somewhere, set up a camp, and then decide how we're getting home!"

Dana ignored Raff for a short while, no matter how used she was to being seen as a freak she begun to think of friendship with Nora, perhaps more but it all ended once Nora learned who she was. It was okay when they trained, though even then it was obvious that Dana's reflexes are beyond what is possible without augmentations or magic. Then Nora could deny it, ignore it and move on. However, once Dana confessed it was too much - her freakishness was impossible to repress. Dana was on the run before and had very few people to trust - in these unusual surrounding Dana feared that she could not hide her nature for long, she needs to survive.

When she spoke she answered Raff but was also intending for Maya and Grok to hear "They understand strength or education, but would never be comfortable around me. We need to get going quickly though, I confessed too soon and once Rick discovers that Maya is taking a mage with her he might not be in such a generous victor as to let us leave."

Maya makes a stab at mending the tattered fence. "Nora, you and the others were fine with Dana when she was teaching you. Where you uncomfortable near her? Did she threaten you or demean you in any way? I think not. She has a gift, much like Grok's strength, or my outdoors skills. She has had to work hard to hone those skills and will be a tremendous help to us. You will be a tremendous help to us, as well. There is no reason for you to feel afraid of her just because she can cast spells. The way she has described them, her spells can be very useful. The choice is yours, but I would urge you to get past the fear and suspicion and allow yourself to grow to new friendships."

Nora looks at David and the other two and steps aside to confer with them. After two minutes of whispered discussion, she turns back and says, "We have decided to stay. You have convinced us that my.....our.....preconceived notions must change to fir a new social order." She turns to Dana. "I am sorry that I felt any suspicion. It is pretty much part of who we grew up and is hard to get past, but we will try. Will you accept my apology?"

Dana looks at Nora and approach her silently until she is really close to her, she embraces= the teenage girl and whispers in her ear "You are right to be afraid, I come from the middle east and I can kill a with a single punch. " satisfied Dana breaks away and walks silently with her thoughts. They would never accept her - so she might as well keep them terrified of her. At least that way they will do what she asks.

Maya watches as Dana and Nora appear to embrace, and is very puzzled when Nora jerks away, looking scared. She almost stumbles as she backs off from the girl walking away. Maya moves to catch her, saying, "Are you alright, Nora."

The other girl shakes her head. "No. No. Definitely not alright. I am sorry, Maya, but I really don't think we should stay with........with her about. Sorry."

Nora gathers David and the other two and leaves for back up the hill and Rick's camp. Maya and Grok look after her in surprise then turn to look at Dana. "Dana, what did you say to her?"

Dana feels a combination of amusement and embarrassment with the clear shift of attitudes from the boys. She tries to be friendly as much as she can - but what can she possibly say to them? She is dangerous and her powers are indeed difficult to control. Dana is still struggling with them have taken life due to lack of control before; a year ago Ya'acov Miller was killed by an accident, he touched Dana in a way nobody did before and as her body gave in to temptation she could not keep her energies inside. She exploded with passion and the man died from too many volts of electricity rushing through his system. His third degree burns were horrifying and they still hunt Dana till this very day.

True, that incident was a year ago, true Nora is unlikely to ever excite Dana in that particular manner - but can Dana truly confirm that she is of no risk to Nora? to the others? The best case she can possibly make is that being alone in the wilderness they need her, that her talent is worth the danger because circumstances are so extreme.

Another cause for guilt and self doubt was Vincent. He took an unusually long time to go back, so long that Dana has begun questioning her judgement by sending him to fly over the nearby area. Did she take advantage of the naivety of a much younger boy and placed him at a risk he could not handle?
True, eagles have no natural predators, but there was nothing natural about their situation - perhaps he met some unnatural predator? Perhaps Dana is just as dangerous being kind than she was when she tried to push people away from her.

Dana answers "I made a cynical remark about my ethnic heritage, I brought it to her attention that I come from the middle east and that I can kill with my bear hands. What can I say I am an embodiment of the stigma, but she already knew all that information.

I thought that if she view me as a martial artist rather than as the wicked witch she'd fear me less and understand me more. I am dangerous - just like you Grok. I have dedicated my entire life overcoming the physical limitations of my delicate elven form."

Lindsey isn't strong enough to really help out much in packing up the camp or transporting it down the slope, but she makes her presence felt with a suggestion here and a bit of chiding there. Along with the more vocal leadership of Rick and Simon, the rabble of kids manages to cobble together a reasonable caravan of the remainder of the supplies. When everything was just about ready to go, she notices the Addie girl had made it back to camp at some point and was talking to Rick. Not long after he tasked a pair of boys to help her assemble what started to look like a giant arrow. At about the same time, a small group of kids approached from the direction that the ugly girl and her friends had fled in.

With the work basically done, everyone turns to watch the returning kids as Rick steps over to block their path. "What do you fraggers think you're doing? You don't show up after the work is done and expect to tag along," he snarls. Lindsey snidely comments from the side, "That ugly girl probably didn't want to share all that food they took." The crowd of kids murmurs angrily. Nora obviously cringes, then in a quavering voice, "Please let us come with you, we couldn't stay with Maya and her friends. That mage with them is just too scary!" The kids nearest to the confrontation all step back and there are audible gasps.

Maya shakes her head. "You may have less leadership ability than I do, Dana. That comment cost us four people. Now we are five and our chances of survival have diminished. I wish that you had not said that to her. Oh well, nothing for it now. But she will be telling the other group that you are a mage and they might be coming after us." She looks around at Summer, Raf, and Grok. "We should be moving. We will be OK, even with only five."

As the group follows the stream, they come to a small valley that would be great for a place to live. The stream settles into a small lake before tumbling out the far side and continuing downhill and there is more than enough space to locate a good place to live. Suddenly, Maya remembers Rick's words and freezes. "We cannot remain here. I think we have found Rick's valley. We left before they could, but I would expect his people to be here shortly. Push on quickly." Suiting her words, Maya moves off around the lake at a good clip, headed for the stream flowing out of it and the woods beyond. Soon they are well beyond the valley and still headed away. She finally calls a halt before it gets dark and finds a good place to camp. She sets about making a small fire with her small bow and stick device, using a flat rock to heat up the various plants and tubers the group has gathered as they walked. "We will continue on in the morning and find a better place that we can remain in and begin making a home for ourselves. We might find sign of animals and more of these tubers. Dana, can you try to set up some sort of barrier for us? That will serve to keep the heat of the fire close and also help protect us from the wind if it picks up any more. I think all of you are very brave to put your trust in me in this way and I will do my best to not let you down." She numbers off the five people. "We should keep a watch during the night. Each of us will stay awake in turn and wake the next person. If anyone has a functioning chronometer, we should share that, but the best measure is to wake someone when you feel too tired to remain awake on watch. I recommend a good night's sleep for all of us as tomorrow is bound to be another tough day."

Addie really doesn’t want to get involved in the inevitable bickering. Rick is leading, let him deal with the problems! She really wants to save her focus for the things that Rick doesn’t have time for because he has to deal with the bickering and general people being people.

But she can’t help paying attention when she hears the word ‘food.’ She had been too busy working out ‘plan A’ to get any food when it was on offer, and her hunger is getting hard to ignore – since her stomach got fixed so that she could eat almost anything she really hasn’t been in the habit of skipping meals, no matter what suggestions her mother had made.

She listens to the loud comments, and take notes of the complainers. Always best to keep track of trouble makers. Turning to the three helping her with the arrow – the dwarf Pierre, an oriental looking human boy whose name sounded something like ‘Dewie’ but probably wasn’t spelled that way, and a jocular orc who went by Jugalo – she commented “Always someone who is more suspicious than smart. We saw Maya and those others leave empty handed, we saw the group that Rick sent to Maya’s old camp come back with the supplies from there -- if they left with anything it is what they could carry in their pockets. I think that the kids that are complaining don’t have enough honest work to do.”

But then they hear about the mage, and Duy says worriedly “But they took a wicked wiz with them!” his city-speak accent is so thick that it took a moment to figure out what he’d said.

Addie then shrugs “Powerful? Maybe, I mean magic can be pretty amazing. But at our sort of age I bet that she isn’t more than half-trained, and from what I’ve heard half-trained mages can be as much danger to themselves as to anyone else. Still, if anyone was thinking of chasing after them to attack them -- just because they are few and we are many --maybe this will put aside that sort of nonsense.” In her own thoughts she is less sanguine “Dana, I bet it is her. She was way too fast! And she knew how to fight quite well, like she had been trained by someone. If she is some sort of combat mage, that could be trouble if they ever decide to come after us for supplies.”

After a moment she accesses her commlink to add “Figure out how to deal with magic” to the ‘to-do’ list she’d started earlier in the day. She let’s out a small “oh” of surprise at the notification that almost two hours ago it had shaken hands with another matrix-enabled device. Not caring how odd she looks as she focuses inward she quickly has it send out a message “Hi, this is Addie, one of the stranded kids. Are you one of us two? If so, let’s talk with our comms! If not, please send help!” Maybe not the best thought out message ever, and she doesn’t even know if the other device is in range anymore, but it will have to do for now. Although she adds “Figure out how comm links work better” to her to-do file as well.

@Rick’s Group, mid-afternoon, Day 2

Rick frowns, clearly measuring the information from the newcomers. He beacons Addie over from her organising so that she is included too…

“So, she’s scared off half her group already, it’s a shame really, they might have lasted a little while. Her loss…provided this scary mage doesn’t come looking for trouble they are better off out of it. You get a pass on the work this time, but we all have to shift here if we are going to get on…and don’t fret, if the mage does try anything we’ve got Sim over there who can give us fair warning.

Addie, good work on the marker, I think we’re done here, let’s go and see if any of the scouting parties have managed to find any more supplies.

Everyone, move out!”

@Addie

Almost immediately in response to your hail you get a message back

<<Hello Addie. Sorry, I can’t get help, I’m stuck here with you. My name’s Aria, I’m the little one, at least as far as I can tell. I’ve spoken to a couple of others with implanted links like you and I’ve linked them in here…>>

@Maya’s Group, late evening, Day 2

After the departure of nearly half your group the wilderness feels just that little bit lonelier… as dusk falls and you are down in the valley you realise that the insect noise you have been missing has returned. It’s muted but at least it’s a greater sign of life than the burbling stream. Your camp isn’t quite as robust as last night given the limited time you’ve had to construct it but Dana’s skills have proved invaluable…

In the end they’d mostly formed the arrow with leaf or needle covered branches, letting the foliage give the darkness that they wanted. Of course, lacking useful tools they’d had to rip those off of bushes and small trees one at a time, which had been uncomfortable and tiring. At least Pierre had had the idea of gathering up discarded ration pack wrappers, layering them several thick, and using that to protect their hands somewhat. By the time the arrow was done Addie was tired, sweating heavily, speckled with vegetation, sap, and dirt, but her hands were only moderately scratched up so she was willing to call it a win.

Although Rick got the main group heading out, she diverted her foursome to the stream to clean off their hands and faces and clothes as best they could, and to drink deeply before they chased down the main pack. Once they were done with that and were heading back out they passed a small fir tree that was oozing tar from where they’d earlier torn off branches, and Addie had an idea of what to do about another item on her 'to-do' list.

Although her arms are already tired she managed to tear off a few more small leafy branches from some of the nearby bushes, and then roughly interleaves their twigs to make a shallow cone shape. Then she pulled off thin twigs from some of the smaller plants along the stream, and wove those through the other array to hold it together a bit better. Finally she took food wrappers, dabbed their corners in the pine tar and did her best to attach those over the bigger holes in her cone.

When she stepped back to admire her handy-work, she found the others looking at it, puzzled.

“What iz dat?” inquires Pierre.

“A sun hat!”

A dubious silence reigned over the small group briefly, then Addie snatched up her hat and balanced it on her head. She had to admit that it wasn’t exactly comfortable, or overly stable, and that it tended to fall down in front of her eyes a bit, but … it shaded her head quite well.

“Maybe the rest of you are immune to sunburn, but I’m not. Hopefully this is in time to keep me from peeling.”

‘Dewie’ looks at Pierre and quipped “Chummer izza pikina lobsta.” Pierre looked puzzled before Addie added in “I think pikina is supposed to mean ‘small’, at least that is what it means in Spanish.” The dwarf managed to turn deeper red before calming himself and admitting “Yah, I burn, I should make one of those ugly things too. Addie is quick to offer “I can help, second effort should be better than the first, right?”

In the end they made one for Dewey too, only the swarthy Jugalo declining, with a laughing “Nah, one of us has to look normal so that they don’t think the worst guerilla warriors ever are attacking when we rejoin the main group.”

That the street bred orc spoke far better English than did the more refined looking Dewie was just one of those small human mysteries that Addie knew she should start sorting out. She resolved to get to know these three even better as they caught up with the main pack, and then to start working her way through the rest.

Dana answers "I think it is for the best, everyone here is comfortable being here. We do not need many to survive a small group can cover more distance and has less ecological impact. Less mouths to feed and less people to keep alive, if you prefer me to leave I will understand."

When it is time to make camp Dana uses her magic to create a defensive barrier and a simple shelter. A perfectly shaped circular wall. The walls are decorated with small shark engravings as tribute to her mentor and magical patron, the shark. It takes some time but she manages to get it right eventually.
Once done Dana say "Tada... now it is time for me to feedl" . She turns her back to the rest and take off her clothes. Dana seems to be comfortable in her own skin, as if she has done that many time before. She walks naked a few steps until she becomes a gray owl, using her keen senses she spends some time looking for a possible prey.

Rick's comment about Sim providing warning should the mage in the other group try anything is enlightening to Lindsey. "So that confirms Sim is a mage and he must have been casting a spell on the fire last night and that's why his pattern matched that of the fire!" No sooner had she thought that than she heard Eris in the back of her mind, "I was wondering how long it would take you to figure that out. Just 'cause you've never seen a real mage before doesn't mean you shouldn't have been able to figure that out without being told!" "Frag off! You could have just told me!" A faint chuckle is all she hears in response, and then Eris is gone.

Frowning, Lindsey turns and joins the march with the other kids who are too small to effectively help with carrying the supplies. Deciding she might as well put her new knowledge to use, she starts studying the other kids around her in order to figure out if any others seem to have the same patterned quality Sim does. It's different from the emotions she's used to reading, more of a structured overlay on top of and defining it. Her concentration is such that she stumbles more than once, scraping her knees up, but she's not the only kid doing so and no one pays any real attention to her. By the time they reach the new camp location Rick's scouts found, she's pretty sure she's taken a look at everyone in the group.

Rafferty had been whittling some suitable sticks he'd collected into straight shafts when a movement caught his eye and he saw Dana from behind as she stepped out of her flats. He supposed she was just being practical, but he instantly averted his gaze nonetheless.

And managed not to cut himself.

With her sharpen senses and the relative abundance of wildlife, after an hour or two Dana finds her pray and with a wild instinct she dives toward it and lift it with her claws. It was a small rodent - probably not enough for a teenage girl with an active life style such as herself. one that walked a long distance so far - but it was something and something was better than nothing.

Dana returns to camp with the the now killed rodent, changes back and dresses her clothing, when she returns she feels suddenly embarrassed by the two boys in the group, she quickly wears her flats and makes her way to the small group. In a way it is easier that there are not so many of them. She brings the rodent to Maya and say - "I brought Food... not enough for all of us but something. We need to figure out a more efficient way to feed ourselves, crate food will not last for long."

Maya nods. "Indeed it will not, but thank you for bringing it back to share. I will add it to the tubers we have collected. I have already noticed that the sound of insects is louder now and I am sure that we are getting closer to where we can find larger game. I am thinking that Dana's skill can turn into a major asset. Can you use it to change to something that can fly around maybe find other animals, like deer? Also, I have used a lot of pit traps to capture wild animals and we can do the same. If Dana makes the pit, we can cover it with branches and brush. A few sharpened stakes in the bottom can help, since we are not really looking to capture anything right now. I also have some twine that I salvaged from the crates and can use that to build some snares. I think that we are not far enough away from the mountain top to find anything really useful, but perhaps tomorrow."

She looks pointedly at Dana, then to each of the others. "OK, I think we need to talk about the beast that Dana might have unleashed here. I am sure that it has always been here, but after her show there is no denying it exists. We are a group of young people and will develop needs, perhaps even have them already. Sex is something we need to talk about and bring out into the open. In this environment, none of us are children any longer because we have to grow up and be adults. Dana is apparently very comfortable in her skin. The men have noticed your body, Dana. They have probably noticed Summer and me as well. These flats do not do much to hide our figures, even mine. And I have to admit personally that both of the men are easy on the eyes. So, what do we do about it? I think we need to at least open a dialogue on the issue. I will start with me. I am not a virgin, as amusing as that might sound. I have had sex exactly five times in my life and cannot claim any great knowledge. I am not averse to trying it again, but have to warn any potential partner that I am inexperienced and that my torso is scarred even worse than my face, which has scared off several sex partners." She looks about. "Anyone next?"

Dana is leggy with long muscular and beautifully curved legs. Legs that are a bit too long for human proportions. She is slender, moves with grace and is clearly strong. Her muscles are visible and are beautifully curved just like in anatomy books. The only body part that Dana is not confident about is her recently blossoming breasts. These break her otherwise tomboy-ish look she had going for herself. Do not be mistaken however, Dana is especially attractive when she is silent. That illusion break as she is confrontational and direct. Most guys may be intimidated by her as she is not lady-like in any way. Dana also appears to be unaware of the effect her body may have on others. She is still a virgin and is terrified of exploring her sexuality. Terrified of hurting her partner again.

With apparent confidence that masks a a lot of embarrassment Dana says "If you must know, I am still a virgin and I intend to stay like that until I am married. The rest of you can go fuck each other, I do not mind it."

Maya nods at Dana. "That is understandable and entirely your choice. I think that you have made your choice clear and the rest of us will abide by that. Anyone else?"

@Rick’s Group, late evening, Day 2

Between tents and Sim’s fire making skills this camp looks like it will be decidedly more comfortable than the night before. The tents are simple bell tents with discrete Aztechnology branding, easy to erect and comfortably sleeping ten or so…so it will be a bit of a squeeze to get you all in to the three tents and out of the cold but that will only serve to preserve heat better!

Rick organises a rudimentary watch, with at least one metahuman paired with another to capitalise on the broader visual spectrum. He even takes the first watch himself, watching proprietarily as the group settle in for the night. The mood is more sombre despite the improvements…it seems reality is finally beginning to dawn that this situation might last for a bit…

@Maya’s Group, late evening, Day 2

Summer smiles at the question about sex and doesn’t seem particularly embarrassed… “My life is chaotic enough without thinking about sex too…so no, I haven’t done it yet. Not sure here is the place and time either but we’ll see…”

Grok on the other hand looks distinctly uncomfortable “Scars don’t bother me…and yeah, I’s had sex”

With Grok having answered, the only one left in the enclosure - which was starting to feel a lot smaller - was Rafferty. All eyes turned to the twelve-year-old.

"A gentleman doesn't discuss such things in mixed company." He tried to soften his tone with his best disarming smile. "But my own general view is that such things are best held sacred between a man and his wife. And since I don't anticipate wedlock anytime in the foreseeable future...."

Day One - Early Morning - West of the Camps
Personality: Blank

While the others make their travels below, Blank scouts from the ridge silently for a long spell. He takes great care in mapping the terrain in his mind, in studying the details as one might study fine art. He is keenly aware that he cannot remain on the rise, or in the area. He needs to press on, to move forward. He cannot do this without first rejuvenating his body. The supply crates and his raid on the larger camp have provided him with enough resources for several days - more if he is prudent - but he still needs rest. Shortly before the sun finds its peak he scouts out a crag in the rock, one which will provide shade, and he secures the mylar blanket inside out to reflect the heat of the day. With some care to cover the reflective surface with salvaged brush and dirt he has himself a simple shelter to satisfy his needs. He moves some distance away from the stand, both to ensure it is not easily spotted and to evacuate himself away from where he intends to sleep, and then he returns by a circular route to scout one last time before he hydrates and settles into the small crag. He sets a mental prompt - one born of old conditioning rather than augmentation - to wake in eight hours, and settles in for the afternoon to move by night, when things are not so hot.

"At least now we know who is going to be fucking who... " She laughs, "how about we play Truth or dare? Might take our mind of the cold... Literally break the ice." Dana says as she gets closer to the fire trying to shake the chill out of her bones. Getting naked in this weather is indeed an act of stamina and of all embarrassing things about that day were the inappropriate clothes and nipples that refused to return to their soft state before it is warmer, appearing half naked in the middle of the wilderness sure had its awkward quirks.

"Well, truth or dare might not be the best game to play with me," said Rafferty as he continued his whittling. "The large sociopath that I got this knife from covenanted me to report to him anything I observed whenever he asked. So since I don't expect I've seen the last of him, you might not want to tell me anything you wouldn't want anyone else to hear."

Addie’s endurance was better than most, but she had to admit that by the time the tents were up she yearned to just lie down and sleep. It was times like this where the combination of a sleep regulator and a conscience were annoying; she knew that there was no way she’d actually be able to get to sleep despite the day she’d had.

And what a day it had been. There had been the emotional stress of the meeting that morning followed by the physically taxing work to make the giant arrow. Then on the march down to their new camp she’d been busy circulating amongst the kids, helping those who were interested in making their own crude sun hats, getting to know names, where they were from, what skills and knowledges they considered themselves to have, all while trying to get a feel for their temperaments. And then they’d gotten here and set up camp; the tents had been easy enough but she’d helped dig a latrine trench downhill from the site, wanting to prove that she didn’t shy away from dirty work.

All the time, she’d been making notes in her implanted link. It seemed to have been fully erased, but she’d recreated the template she’d used when running for Junior High Vice President at Emerald Glen Academy: name, gender, race, physical description, background, languages, likes and dislikes, strengths, weaknesses, and personality & temperament notes.

Not that she ever expected to get it all fully populated for every kid in their group, or that she wouldn’t just know most of the information by the time she had gotten the file mostly filled in, but the exercise still served some purposes. It reminded her what she didn’t know about people, it prodded her to chat with those who were not easy to talk to, and it could even help her remember certain facts that might otherwise slip her mind. If she’d had an image link and a camera in her eyes she could have skipped doing a physical description, or if she’d had mnemonic enhancers she might have been able to remember every detail without writing it into her link -- but those sort of implants had been deemed best delayed until she was eighteen and mentally more fully developed.

Too bad the world hadn’t waited until then to give her a challenge that required every possible edge.

+ + + + + + + + +

When they’d gotten the three tents set up Addie had been quick to proclaim what should have been obvious to everyone: “One tent for the girls, boys can sort themselves out in the other two.” Rick had raised an eyebrow at her, as if to ask “Do you really think all of the girls are going to agree to this?” but when some of the guys grumbled he silenced them with “Let’s just get some sleep tonight; nobody frag around or you’ll regret it.”

Under her breath Addie muttered “Dingleberr …. Drek!” while thinking “What Mom can’t hear she can’t complain about, and being all euphemistic is just going to get me laughed at in this place.” Rick hadn’t mentioned the rules council or what to do with the boy awaiting punishment. The proposed council was four currently and needed a fifth, or should it drop down to three? She needed to spend a couple of minutes thinking of plans A and B this time before she tried to make this work in the new circumstances.

But before she could think about that there was another disruption. A few girls, two human and one elf, were staring at Dot, and complaining that she would take up too much room in the tent. Addie opened her mouth to defend the troll, then shut it again. The troll made the other girls look tiny in comparison, and had to be as big as any two of them put together, maybe closer to all three given how small a couple of them were.

Addie looked more closely at the trio. Niyaf had seemed almost shy when Addie had talked to her earlier, but the slight Moroccan girl now looked defiant, and a bit petulant. The slightly chubby Nora looked uncertain, but was standing with the others so far -- which matched up with Addie’s feeling that the girl wanted to be braver than she really was. And the elf ‘Gem’ with her fluorescent tattoos contrasting with her ebony skin, and her hard mouth contrasting with her mesmerizing eyes, well she was one that Addie hadn’t had much success in talking with yet, having rebuffed attempts at friendly chit-chat.

How was it that her ‘to do’ list was growing faster than it was shrinking, no matter how hard she worked?

“Why don’t we all crawl in and see how we can arrange ourselves, maybe we can make everyone fit?” Addie hated that she didn’t sound more confident about it, but she honestly had some doubts about squeezing in the troll along with a dozen other girls.

“No,” said Dot softly, “Because I’m bigger I don’t get cold as easily. If I’m next to the tent so that I’m out of the wind I’ll be OK. Maybe I can sleep across the entrance, and help guard you all, like guards used to do for royalty?” Despite Dot’s words, Addie felt that there was pain in Dot’s eyes, but an old pain, well worn into ruts with long practice.

Gem whispered with the human girls for a moment then Nora blurted out “But what if we need to get out of the tent in the night and tripped on you, you might think you were being attacked and …” she stopped, looking abashed at what she hadn’t said but everyone understood her to mean.

Dot seemed to deflate as she said “Yah, best that I not be near the tent, I don’t want to hurt anyone.”

+ + + + + + + + +

Addie vacillated. She didn’t feel that Dot was being treated fairly, but she could understand the other girls’ fears. Was it too late to try and convince the others to accept Dot in the tent? Would it be wiser to court the favour of the three rather than the one?

She thought back to last night with three of them curled up next to Dot in the hollow, sharing their warmth as Dot told a story. It had been emotionally cozy, even if the night had still been cold. In a way it reminded Addie of the best part of the Scout camps she’d been forced to go on even when she hadn’t been as healthy – sitting around a campfire telling ghost stories. There was something about sharing stories that seemed to pull people together, something about fires too.

Maybe if she could get Dot to tell a story tonight, other’s would warm up to her? But it looked like most just wanted to crawl into a tent as badly as she did herself, to have a roof over their head again. That was when the idea hit her: a lean-to.

“Dot, come with me please, we’ve got something to do.” She leaned on Jugalo to get his hands on the small saw and to come help them, then they headed out to the bush. The orc and troll were worried about her as the sun faded, but she assured them she was good until it got really dark, and this shouldn’t take that long. Indeed with the muscle of the metas it was quick work to saw five small and one modestly larger pine tree. They dragged them back to camp just as Addie’s eyes began to fail her, but around the fire there was plenty of light to work with.

Cutting off branches took some time, and left them sticky, “Sticky again” pointed out Jugalo, but he was laughing as he said it so Addie hoped that he didn’t really mind. But by what Addie estimated to be before 11pm they had managed to plant two upright posts with enough branch left to put a long cross pole between them. The three remaining smaller tree trunks were leaned against one side of that cross bar, and served as a base for laying branches on top. It was pretty patchy for now, and needed more work once they had sunlight and some time, but with the open side facing the improbably strong fire it blocked most of the wind and captured some of the warmth.

Addie was planning on talking to Rick, who was still keeping watch, but while sitting with Addie and enjoying their handiwork she slipped into a shallow sleep, then rapidly into the deep slumber that was the downside of her sleep regulator. Dot, no less tired, carefully stretched herself out then managed to get Addie out of a sitting position and lying down beside her, and finally they were settled for the night.

Rafferty's words kind of killed the buzz, a spy reporting to a sociopath? was not what she had in mind... no she wanted to learn more about Maya's partners perhaps about Grok's. Dana shrugs "Are you sure he is a sociopath? Perhaps he is simply one of the people responsible for this experiment? He gave you a knife and asked you to be a spy. We talk about sex and stuff while he seems to be on the clock. It is for the best tough, the great outdoors offer an amazing opportunities for a warrior, and Maya is both sexually experienced and an outdoors woman. I bet we will be having a barbeque this time tomorrow." Dana laid back on her back and placed her head in Maya's lap. Closer to the ground was warmer. She asked "Did you ever had a boyfriend Maya?"

When the group finally arrives at the new camp Rick sets to work tasking groups of kids to set up tents in a triangle around the cache of supplies. Included in one of the tent groups, Lindsey considers the people she identified on the walk over as having different auras from the others. They were all different, but there were some certain similarities in common between different pairs. "Maybe that somehow indicates what they're able to do?" she thinks. Of course, Eris remains silent. "Thanks for nothing!"

The tents set up and the fire going, most of the group settles into a vague circle, similar to that of the previous camp, and the buzz of conversation fills the afternoon. Unsurprisingly, the majority of it deals with their predicament, why they're in it, and how they can get out of it. As best Lindsey can overhear, no one really has any good ideas and some of the guesses are so outlandish that she almost can keep from laughing. She does hear one group speculating about Maya and her merry band of exiles and, curious, Lindsey asks her friend to look in the direction they went to see where they ended up tonight. Not long before sunset she gets a message back indicating that they had actually gone past this camp and ended up even further down the valley and have set up with a shelter somehow composed of solid earth. "Ah, if Sim can work with fire, the mage with her must be able to work with earth. I wonder if they can do both?" Thanking her friend as he fades away, Lindsey turns her attention back to the camp just in time to hear Addie's proclamation about same sex tents. Having seen her mingling through the camp all afternoon crossing between the different subgroups to make introductions, Lindsey can't help but wonder what her game is. "Why is she such a prude?" she mutters rhetorically, just loud enough for the kids around her to hear, setting off a small wave of titters.

Once the sun disappears behind the trees the camp shuts down pretty quickly after the hard day's work. After relieving herself, Lindsey is one of the first to head to the girl's tent, wanting to get a good spot away from the tent opening. It doesn't take long for it to fill up and it seems like all the human and elven females are crammed in there with the exception of Addie. Nora comments defensively, "See! She wouldn't have fit. I wasn't being racist!" Lindsey responds dismissively, "No, it makes sense. Their kind is more used to sleeping in the wild and that sort of thing. She even said it herself. Plus she's got her best chummer Addie to sleep with anyway." Then, self-deprecatingly, "I don't think I could have even stepped over her lying the the doorway!" There is a smattering of laughs and head nods. Taking a bit of control, she continues, "Now lets get some sleep. Let the boys keep watch, we need to be ready to face whatever strangeness occurs tomorrow. And to handle the guys." She grins knowingly and the older girls laugh harder while the youngest ones look a little confused until some quick whispers have them smiling along as well, if still a little puzzled.

With a lighter air and a burgeoning sense of fellowship, the tent mates all settle in and light snores start to float on the air. With everything seemingly resolved for the night, Lindsey calls up one of her night time friends and asks him to watch over the tent, prevent anyone who isn't already in it currently from coming all the way in, and wake her before he leaves at dawn. Security handled, she smiles and lets herself drift off to sleep.

Maya is a bit surprised when Dana puts her head in her lap, but does not move away. She snorts at the question. "Boyfriend? No, I have never had a boyfriend. Do you know what the term coyote ugly means? It is when the guy gets drunk or stoned and has sex with a girl that is so ugly that in the morning he would rather gnaw his arm off than move it to leave and take a chance on waking the girl who has fallen asleep on it. Well, I was called coyote ugly more than once. I said I have had sex exactly five times in my life. I never had a repeat experience with any of the boys. I was too nervous, too shy, too ugly. I know that the first guy was scoring virgins and had to get drunk before doing me and at least two of the others did it because they lost some sort of bet. One boy was nice, but he never asked me again. No, my love life and sex life have been pretty unimpressive." I admire that you are waiting, but I was just too much in need of some sort of acceptance that I just did it. The act itself was actually quite pleasant but the boys were not. I would try it again if the time was right and the boy was right, or at least if I thought the boy was right."

She looks around at the others. "OK, so we have determined that Summer, Raf, and Dana are not interested in sex. I could be and Grok never really said, but he looked uncomfortable when I asked. I guess that means that we might not have any problems, which is good. Now, tomorrow. I think we can break camp and continue on downstream. Dana, can you fly ahead and perhaps guide us to a good place to call home? Preferable some water with fish and perhaps some deer in the vicinity. I think that the chances are good that we will be able to find something tomorrow. Then we start working on shelters, pits, and snares. I have seen Raf already working on what might be good arrows and it would be a big help if we could find some good wood to make a couple of bows and some birds to provide feathers for arrows. Hey, Dana? If you were to turn into a bird, would it be possible for us to take a few tail feathers from you before you turned back? Or would that harm your real self when you changed?"

After hearing Maya's story Dana says " שֶׁקֶר הַחֵן, וְהֶבֶל הַיֹּפִי: אִשָּׁה יִרְאַת-יְהוָה, הִיא תִתְהַלָּל." and then translates " Grace is deceitful, and beauty is vain; but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised." She stretches luxuriously and say "You are not as ugly as you feel a boy should not be drunk to like you this is absurd. There is nothing to admire about me waiting, I wait for the same reasons you did not wait. This is the common practice where I come from, doing it differently would have been absurd. I was told that it is incredible and creates a strong emotional connection and this is why I need to be careful with it."


Maya: Now, tomorrow. I think we can break camp and continue on downstream. Dana, can you fly ahead and perhaps guide us to a good place to call home? Preferable some water with fish and perhaps some deer in the vicinity.

Dana smiles "Can't wait for getting me out of my clothes again? The last person I sent flying during the day has never returned. I am not sure if it is because he found civilization, or because something nasty happened, I should have never sent him alone he was just a kid."

Maya: "Hey, Dana? If you were to turn into a bird, would it be possible for us to take a few tail feathers from you before you turned back? Or would that harm your real self when you changed?"

Dana laughs softly "What happens when the spell wears off? Your feathers turn into skin flakes or worse, and I will not be able to sit on my cute ass for a few days, the thing with magic is that it is temporary. The stable state for us is to be people not birds, mana always wants to be in its stable state."

Dana closed her eyes and enjoyed the heat, she could see herself falling a sleep just like that, hearing Maya planning for the future made her feel safe. She whispered
"We'll do all these things tomorrow, I will also look for Vincent and try to figure out why he never came back, I feel so terrible about it.", and then tried to sleep - at least until Maya decides to move. Hopefully not by chewing her own leg off.

Maya laughs softly. "Not to cast any aspersions on your faith at all, but God and I have not been on a good relationship for a long time. I thank you for wanting to help find Vincent and for offering to fly about and helping us find a place to live tomorrow. I did not know about the spells, so thank you for telling me. As for you and your clothes, I did not really get enough of a look to make any judgement earlier."

She looks around and nods at Grok, who assigns the watch rotation, taking the first himself, followed by Summer, Raf. Maya, and Dana. Some extra wood is placed on the small fire and the earthen walls serve as a means to keep much of the heat in without needing a large blaze. Maya finds the head on her lap to be comfortable and does not attempt to move it as she lays down to try to fall asleep.

Dana smiled "According to my tradition you are only obligated to seven commandments that summarize to do not steal, do not murder and basically do not be a jerk. You do not even need to be in good terms with God. You are one of the righteous in my book, you actually care about the rest of us, I could not say the same about myself I just want to be a warrior." Sleep came quickly and felt good and fulfilling.

@Rick’s Group, Addie, early hours, Day 3

Your regulator rouses you feeling refreshed into the cool of the diminishing night. The muted sounds of sleep fill the camp and nothing seems to be amiss. Pacing around the perimeter of the camp you can see Rick, who probably should be sleeping…

@Maya’s Group, early hours, Day 3

Maya and Dana wake with a start and almost simultaneously, your brains struggling through foggy sleep to tell you that something is wrong…far more of the night seems to have passed than should have, in fact there is almost a flush of dawn in the air…and Grok…Grok hasn’t woken anyone for their watch, probably because he is no longer with you…!

Maya quickly rouses the others, asking if anyone knows where Grok has gone to. She takes the few minutes to coax some of the embers in the dying fire to life and adds more tinder until the fire is once again warming the small earthen enclosure. Then she turns to everyone. "I do not think that Grok would have just left us. Dana, can you please change into something that can help us look for him? I am good at tracking so will start looking about. Does anyone else have that skill? If not, I would ask that the rest of us stay here for a bit."

She feels the loss of her first friend here very much and hopes that he is safe. Leaving the small camp she begins casting about for signs of where he might have gone.

@Maya

The darkness and the rocky surface hamper your search but you do find signs of Grok’s tracks leading towards the area set aside for the latrine… heading that way you find signs of a struggle, and a dark metallic substance…blood, so much blood…of Grok there is no sign

@Dana

In your shifted form the world is more vibrant than your natural senses, despite the twisted mana hampering your abilities…the blood scent is clear, and something else, musk, maybe cat scent? It’s difficult to be sure, it’s unlike anything you’ve smelt before…

Rafferty cursed himself for not having woken on his own for his turn at watch. Now one of their dwindling number was missing, and the trail doubtless cold.

He was a skilled tracker, and most of his experience being with stag and fox, he was certain he could follow the trail of someone like Grok. He was about to offer to assist Maya when, seeing Dana change into animal form again, he realized that would mean leaving Summer - still sleeping - alone.

He watched over the camp silently in the pre-dawn chill.

Addie feels a surge of excitement at the chance to catch Rick on his own, but then she realizes he has either been up all night, or has been roused after just a few hours of sleep. Either way, that sounds bad. She looks around at the quiet of the camp, and makes a decision: no matter what she wants, what Rick probably needs is a friend, someone who isn't a threat to his leadership, but who isn't looking to be taken care of by him.

She approaches the orc slowly, deliberately casual in her body language. "hoi, up early or up late? Either way, want to talk about it -- while doing stuff, if that helps."