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Nomads [closed] - Printable Version

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Nomads [closed] - Kat - 07-05-2015

<img style="" src="http://i.imgur.com/tTpmSDa.png" style="max-width:100%;]
A 1x1 between Kat && Deific.
Feel free to read along.


Nomads [closed] - Kat - 07-05-2015

Half the scars she had were from picking scabs. Probably would have healed fine if it weren't for dirty nails finding their way to every slice, prick, and cut, breaking them back open just so they could seep and scab again. Kade guessed it was a nervous habit; some sort of coping mechanism brought upon by the setting. The stress of it. She noted dried blood under her nails as she pinched tobacco from the pouch, and when rolling the moist pinch into a cigarette, she wondered just which scab had fallen victim to absent picking. The tobacco was from the last caravan to cross her path, still green and still earthy, and she had traded an old set of history books for it. Probably wasn't worth it in the long run, but she was finished with them anyway, and the caravan head had been chatty and persuasive. The sort of person she tended to avoid, Kade didn't take time to try and strike up a better deal.

Rather than pout about it, she enjoyed the taste of smoke. One rarely forgot that burn when it crawled down the windpipe in a caustic, painful caress. The papers had been soaked in mint and honey, and dried over the course of a day, so the flavor helped her adjust to the unprocessed tobacco. Kade still smoked old packs of cigarettes when she had the luck to find them. Certainly wasn't often, and the things were probably a greater health hazard now than they were in their time period, but she didn't care. They gave her a head rush like standing up too fast, and they felt better between her lips. They even looked cooler, regardless there being no one else around to see her when she smoked them.

Sitting back on her heels, she perched with a clear view of the area. All cracked sand, ditches and dips in the foundation. Sometimes it was tiring to find herself in the middle of the desert where everything tended to look exactly the same, but the rest of the world wasn't much better off. Whispers said there were places far north where it still snowed, but Kade didn't believe a thing she didn't see with her own eyes. This was likely why she offloaded those history books when she did. At this point, everything prior to the fallout was fairy tales. Cute stories to spoon feed the little ones.

All those nice things, all those nice places, she saw them now. Saw the skyscrapers buckled and warped. Saw their streets bent and collapsed. Cars eroded and statues melted and payphones distorted. Kade saw the world the way it was, no more or less.

Her sister, however, saw things like they were in old magazines. Cosmetic ads and clothing stores and perfect white teeth. Maybe that was why she had ventured off to work in the bordello - men would pay for perfect white teeth. Curves like her sister's, Kade doubted Kismet missed a meal, or worried about where she was safe to sleep for the night. All it took was a name change and a new disposition, and presto! Perfect life.

Still, Kade didn't want to be tied down. Was always easier dragging just her bag around, and another person in the mix never struck her as helpful. What if they spoke too loudly when it was most dangerous? What if they didn't like sharing? What if they got lonely one night, and slipped into her bedroll? These were all very real and very avoidable possibilities. Having a desert to battle was enough on a good day, but another person as well? Fucking forget it.

Flicking the ash with a spring of her thumb, Kade took another long drag and held it in. It would dark soon and she still didn't have any clue what she was going to do for a camp. Likely close, but not in the open. She'd find a burrow and dig into it, make a foxhole setup, get cozy in the earth. Those were her favorite ways to make camp, dug in so she could feel the vibrations of the earth in the dirt. Always made keeping tabs on caravans easier, and it gave her plenty of leeway to kick out and get moving when bikers were coming.

A grin crossed her lips, cracking them so the smoke was free to slip through. This fucking place was wearing her out, but sunset still left an impression. Open sky canvas, the color of lilacs and sunflowers and grapes, slowly creeping towards the east. The horizon was devouring the last of the light, but she didn't fret. There were plenty of tumbleweeds to burn this far from the highway. Kade never was able to hurry without reason, and as far as the endless wastes seemed to attest, there wasn't anything worth rushing for.

Easing back up to her feet, Kade finished off her cigarette before snubbing out the last of the stub. The remainder was pocketed, as she wasn't one to waste what little she had, and given how infrequently she came across suppliers, it was best the woman not discard what could be the last of her bad habit too hastily. Give a little, get a little; she knew the game. All that hard work bartering meant every supply was more precious than gold, and though Kade didn't always seem concerned with what she carried, it was the entirety of her life. Everything she owned, solely hers, and there wasn't a soul alive who could claim she owed them anything more than the barest acknowledgement. Independence wasn't cheap- there was no freedom one simply stumbled upon. This world was a shell of it's former self, and rats nested in the core.

Kade made a living avoiding the vermin as best she could.

Dropping down her backpack to provoke a spell of dust into the air, Kade's goggles were raised so she could squint once more over her surroundings. Salt and sand, like a beach without the waves; a coast without a shore. Her nose twitched as now cleared vision dropped back to the bag, her gloved digits already busy rummaging through the contents while she stood in a half lean. This wasn't the best place to settle, but for now, she needed a drink, and one of her canteens was still able to oblige her needs. Living alone made her something of a mess, and even as she drank from the mouth of the container, it didn't seem to want to stay between her lips. A few slurps later, and her coat was covered in lost specks Kade would remain oblivious to as she repacked her gear.

The road was always quiet at night.

Old highways even ghosts had abandoned, void of all but cast shadows and tumbleweeds. Bikers favored the dunes, caravans typically disliked the open space, and nomads like Kade were few and far between. Sure, someone could have seen her trekking along as a covered figure wrapped in layers, but there was always doubt such things mattered in the dark. If anything, Kade was fast on her feet, and she could wield a knife well enough to rely on the skill should bad timing turn worse. Without a city in the general area, the most pressing issue was water, so the blonde didn't linger on other travelers coming into contact with her. Through the shroud, she sought road signs as steps echoed quietly through the evening, though conveniences were even rarer than pedestrians the farther north she headed. Kade would make it another five miles or so before she shuffled off the main road towards a large ditch, and settled herself down into the crevice, her backpack hugged to her chest.

Maybe a frown was present as she commented to literally no one, "Fuckin' stupid fuckin' desert."

Nomads [closed] - Kat - 09-19-2015

Kade didn't sleep long.

Not because she didn't wish to sleep longer. Actually, had she been asked her intentions while occupying that long since dried out ditch, Kade would have admitted thinking it was possible to get more than three hours hours slumbering in twilight silence with only the barest breaths escaping scarf covered nostrils. Unfortunately, as the woman had come to learn over the years, good things rarely lasted longer than the amount of time it took someone to realize their benevolence. Tonight was no exception, and with the lack of excluding qualities like township sovereignty and policing samaritans, rigid realization left her still as a corpse when a scream ripped through the dusky darkness. Azure oculars flickered with silent panic, tracing the clouds above as though reading otherwise uneventful signs in the shapes and translucency. How soon was dawn? Was there time to get away?

One did well not to forget the sound of bones breaking, and as another scream pierced the veil of night, so too did Kade give up on her lingering assessments. Someone was being mauled, and by whatever distant details she could make out in her scramble to rise to a standing position, it wasn't far enough away to risk staying in the area. Shrinking away from the ideas as they bloomed as violent, despicable thoughts, the woman clambered out of the hole she had made her own, and bid it a dismissive farewell as her boots clapped the pavement of the highway. Even in layers, with her entirety tethered to her figure with accompanying weight of tools and weaponry of various levels of usefulness, Kade was capable of hastily covering ground. There weren't other options available in the moment; not unless she intended to attract whatever unwanted attention whomever else had just fallen prey to.

A bump in the night was just as deadly as a misstep in the ruins of the major cities.

From what the horizon's shapes offered, Kade was headed towards civilization of some sort, though there wasn't a metropolis anywhere within a day's journey, and on as little recovery time she had been able to earn, she could guarantee she wouldn't make the trip in one straight hike. Instead, she could steal a pause in the small town growing closer with each uneasy footfall, even if that was the last place she had in mind this late in the night. Despite the open of the archaic street leading into the remnants of a once populated town, it felt like a black corridor void of light- without humanity. While humans may dwell in the collapsed structures even then, they were no longer of her kind. Never trust a stranger. There were always rules to follow, and the life of a nomad was no different than that of a fugitive. Drifting meant utmost caution, and above all things, a suspicion towards those who crossed her path.

Kade had been threatened, beaten, and shot at by more individuals than she cared to recall. No one was entirely selfless. No one cared more for a stranger than they did for themselves, and if there was blood in the water of this cesspool, the sharks would quickly surface from their hiding places. Adjusting the straps of her backpack, the woman narrowed fatigued hues over the shells of cars at the edge of town, noting just how they sat in their melted rubber resting places. Untouched for decades, out of use and without purpose in a world repurposed, their once importance was laughable. Very rarely did she see a running vehicle, and it always led to more trouble than it was worth. Even caravans used mules for their trips through the sands, as gasoline was worth more to bikers and bandits than a handful of merchant's lives were. Trading in oil was the equivalent to bartering with blood on your hands- Kade didn't touch that business venture.

No. Kade wasn't a killer. She didn't have the heart or the emotional fortitude to commit heinous acts of that nature intentionally.

That said, the blonde was perfectly happy hightailing it when things became overwhelming. How many altercations had she abandoned without guilt? How many people suffered for her sins when they were left grasping at straws in the crossfire? Back to her initial admittance it went, back to the idea that company only caused more harm than good. Dead weight. Wasted obligations that caused concern and incited fear. Minds taxed over vain attempts at fleeting happiness that could otherwise be used for more pressing purposes. Teamwork meant a team, and Kade didn't want that. She didn't want to be responsible for more than her own well being, despite seeking shelter in the collectives on occasion. Barricaded sanctuaries were a comfort; a luxury. They could be used with minimal thought, and selectively, they were worth taking advantage of for the most basic of supplies. Water specifically, but work as well. Odd jobs to earn her keep for brief spells in the winter when the shrieking, moaning night winds were almost unbearable, and not worth traversing through.

And.. all powers that be, she needed a cigarette. Several, really. Bundled as the figure was, it was a longstanding habit not to draw attention to who or what she may have been. The wastes were especially cruel to the woman caught in their expanses. It wasn't that Kade couldn't fend for herself, but her appearance made matters more difficult than they might otherwise have been had she been a man. Women could be traded, sold, and sometimes, stolen from their claimed protectors. The cigarette would have to wait. There wasn't a chance in hell the scarf could be lowered at a time like this, and though she wore her hair long and tawny when she slept, her hood would be raised to block the imagery from plain sight. In passing, she was a nondescript body drifting through the ether. A spirit lost and solemn, without real destination outside the vague concept of safety.

Weary feet came to a pause near an auto parts store that had long before been ransacked for goods. A husk of it's former self, this implied scavengers had no real need or want to be in the area. Drowsiness made the decision a temporary one, even while she argued with herself over the benefits of a more enclosed location. Beyond the walls of the open garage, a howl echoed like a guttural warning, clear and precise as though honed on the woman. Tongue ran against her teeth, her brow heavy with worry, but she continued to poke around for the smallest, most enclosed crawl spaces in the building. Kade settled for huddling beneath a desk in the back, it's body still intact minus drawers having been ripped from the furniture piece in a messy search for last minute treasures. Cigarettes, more than likely. Perhaps cash, as that had once been a prominent focus to ancient society, and she assumed keeping it locked away in one's work environment wasn't a terrible idea in that time period.

Hard to question the old ways when she had never been part of them. Stories, like the magazines told. Lies. She could see the truth in the fallen cities. In the night that crawled with danger. This time, she didn't both laying down. Instead, scuffed knees were brought to rest against her chest while her bag of goods was situated on the innermost side of her hideaway. It wasn't even sleep she expected to get, but a quiet place to think. To stop moving for the time, as she had been active for so long, her muscles begged for a break in pace. That much could be managed, if only for a little while. Though during all this preparation, the howls didn't stop. In the passing moments, they rang true down the corridors of the town, echoing along alleys and through the buildings residing nearby. Instinctively, one of her hands groped at the handle of her knife where it hung sheathed at her belt loop. Pathetic piece of weaponry it was, but it could get the woman out of a bind. Hopefully. She hadn't been forced to use it yet, but with her nerves fried and her mind a sea of terrified thoughts, Kade didn't doubt her willingness.

If Kade wanted the easy life, she could find it. Unfortunately, nothing she wanted was meant to be attained easily.

Nomads [closed] - Kat - 09-19-2015

Kade had dozed off at some point with her hood up, and her features buried at the top of her knees. She looked like a bundled pile of laundry, with only the faintest snores leaving her snuggled position. In a perfect world, she would be safe as she was; prone where she napped. Unfortunately for the scavenger, nothing about this world was perfect, and most argued what remained was hardly liveable conditions. It didn't scream movie star status by any means, and this far from Oasis meant the inevitable worry that she would wake up with a knife to her throat, and a cock shoved between her legs. Kade was a light sleeper for a reason. The howling wasn't ignored, just subconsciously kept in the background of the woman's mind so when it seemed almost too close to be real, sea blue hues opened slowly. With no light in the automotive store, it took a moment for her vision to adjust over the shape across the room, though as it seemed to draw an outline of a seated figure similar to her own, Kade openly frowned.

Attention flickered first to the bow, which seemed archaic while also looking like something she would steal, given the chance. She didn't know how to fire a bow, but she did know how to convince others to barter. How much could she get for a bow? Dragging her eyes upwards, the woman settled on the gaze that seemed to bore holes through her presence. This wasn't the first time someone had stared at her while she slept, but it was the first time Kade caught them at a distance; the hand at her hip shifted beneath the coat. Her other hand rose to cover her lips, perhaps to stifle the cough she made before asking, "Are ye gonna kill me?" That was the most pressing question; the one that determined her first choice of actions.

Tired lids blinked several times, still trying to peer through the low lighting of their occasionally quiet location. Kade sniffed the air in a peculiar manner before reburying her features in the oversized parka, trying to hide any feminine characteristics she possessed. "If ye do plan ta kill me, ye better do it quick, 'er that thing outsi' is gon' rip ye apart." Motioning over the other individual with a broad sweep, she commented, "Ye migh' got a bow, but ye'd do better with a pair ov shit kickers an' an iron stomach. Big dogs take a boot ta their face worse than an arrow ta their flank." Her accent wasn't unpleasant, though garbled, especially with her lips hidden in the neck of her coat. All that remained was a hint of blond hair peeking free from the hood, and watchful azure orbs that followed whatever movements the stranger made.

"Ye'd wanna kick it so hard, ye cave it's face in. Wanna break their nuzzle with yer heel- cracks tha upper jaw. Leaves 'em better than dead, 'cause they'll run away after, but they won' be able ta hunt, an' they'll get picked off by somethin'." To herself, she was smiling, even as what she described could be considered gruesome; Kade didn't seem to notice. "By an' by, I dun' got much fer stealin' if yer gonna rob me. 'm not worth eatin' either, so ye'd want that mutt if it's a meal yer after." Finally lowering her hood to expose a shadowed portrait, her free hand began to pat down her pockets. Eventually, roaming digits found her tobacco, as well as a half smoked spliff she had been wise to save. Tucking the nub between her lips, a lighter was produced with a snap of it's lid, then repocketed so no details could be made of the metal. Her cigarette was the only light source in the room for the time being.

Kade inhaled slowly, drawing hard where she sucked the end of the cigarette, though her attention was firm on the male. She had caught the barest hint of his appearance, but it was limited by the hour of their meeting... Also, by how unwilling she was to push the issue. Kade always thought that, if she were going to die, she wouldn't want to know who killed her. "So, didja watch me fer tha thrill ov it? Like, ye wanted me ta wake up an' panic 'cause ye were there?" A smile of sorts crept over the woman's lips as the cigarette was pulled back so she could release a hazy plume of smoke. "I dun' get too panicky about peckers, ye know. Bet'cher here ta rob me, an' i dun' blame ye, but I ain' got nothin' ye'd want." Kade refused to bring her gender into the conversation, especially as she puffed away at what could possibly be the last inhales of breath she made during her terribly short existence.

A loud wail outside the building alerted the pair that someone else had been found roaming the streets, and through a snarling scuffle, Kade was left to assume whoever had lurked behind the auto parts place was now a stain on the warped cement. Her expression didn't even change this time; her poker face a tried and true mask of false mirth. "See, bet they didn' 'ave no shit kickers on." One of her feet was slapped, the sound against the leather harsh in their otherwise silent approach to the meeting. "An' I bet ye aren' my size neither, so my pair wouldn' do ye no good. Maybe whoever was outside wore yer size?" Kade narrowed her gaze slightly, trying to size up the stranger. "What, yer tall, ye? Ye look kinda tall, bulky. Yer too quiet ta be too big though- ye don't smell like those dreg lepers, an' ye ain' no marauder or I'd already be dead..." Trailing off, the woman reclined with a small expel of smoke and uneasiness.

"Ye ain't gon' kill me." There was a finality to her words, like her mind had run circles over the topic enough by then to feel assured she was accurate with this statement. "So, what do ye want? A cig?"

Nomads [closed] - Kat - 09-19-2015

Kade's first response was to point out, "I dun' got a fuckin' problem, asshole! I didn' ask fer ye ta show up here, tellin' me I talk too much, so dun' bring it up like yer some fuckin' authority on who tha fuck gets ta talk!" After this quip, she was more than happy to just sit there in the dark, her cigarette being smoked despite the dangers that lurked beyond their pow wow in the auto-parts store. Kade didn't seek company typically, and with this stranger speaking so candidly, the woman was left to wonder whether there was some ulterior motive to his lecturing. Blues hues shielded by shadows narrowed, her assessment of the other being present was limited by the vague movements he made in the evening dim. If he was trying to make a point to Kade in this way, it was lost on the woman, given she was nothing particularly special. Just a human, unused to unlit conditions as most humans tended to be.

Finally, when it seemed the other person in the room was done rambling, the coated femme answered as directly as one could without actually being direct. "Look, boyo, I dun' give a shit. Tha' dog ain' gonna get up tha damn stairs to us because he ain' gonna have a chance ta get through the door." Kade paused, her lips popping before she chewed on the bottom most one. "Unless ye left it fuckin' open- didja live in a fuckin' barn in a past life, 'r somethin'? Fuck, I use'ta think dim boys were so cute, but if ye are as concerned as ye seem ta be, there's a reason. So, is the door open? Hm?"

Kade cleared her throat before a sharp hiss escaped the woman. Rising from the position she had been sleeping in, her immediate action was to rub her knee caps and kick her legs, cursing under her breath as blood returned to the appendages. Sore as she was, she limbered up quickly, and with a bent over display flashed towards Vale, Kade snagged her backpack out from under the desk she had used as makeshift shelter. Slipping out of her parka, the jacket was folded and finagled with until it could be crammed into the travel bag, leaving the woman's toned arms and scar covered shoulders in open view. Tugging down her tank top so it laid flat, the scarf returned to cover the old injuries, wrapped around a throat few were given a chance to see.

Goggles remained firmly seated around waves of golden locks crimped from her living conditions. "Tell ya what, stranger- I'll let ye kick my ass if we don't get outta here." Sucking hard at the sealed end of her cigarette, Kade expelled her amusement with a chime of laughter escaping amid the smoke. "Otherwise, yer thinkin' too much ov my ass when ye don't even know my name. Shame on you sorts, so fuckin' rude when yer tryin' ta impress a woman. First stormin' inta her campsite, then talkin' about how much ye know about the wild things roamin'. Like I ain' been here too..." Shaking her head with an almost disappointed sigh, her footsteps crossed feather light over the warped flooring of the upper level. "An' ye know, it ain' evil. Just a goddamn mutant like half tha' shit in this dustbowl. Don't tell me- yer one of those preach-y types?"

"I ain' gonna listen ta ye goin' on abou' sinnin' if ya are. I'll sin all I goddamn want."

This thought earned Vale a squint through the dark, her focal point the figure with arrow in hand. "Alright, I'm gon' get us outta this. Us because ye showed up, otherwise it'd be jus' me, an' that has been the case fer as long as I care ta remember." Kade didn't like people who were uncomfortable talking, and figured that stoic attribute made it easier to spot the real sickos living in the wastes. Silent types didn't bode well with the nomadic female. Most of them had done nothing good, and of all the experiences she regretted, most seemed tied to a secretive soldier archetype who was really good at worming their way into her bed. Her grimace was directed at Vale, even if it wasn't meant for him specifically. Not yet anyway.

"Mm. Ye don't smoke, an' ye got a bow ye made yerself? I dunno if I wanna risk my life with ye..." Slipping away into the shadows, the sound of rummaging was realized through metal clanks and shuffling, though Kade reappeared within a moment or two carrying a clear bottle with it's label half peeled off. "So, ye ever hang with those slavs that roam in the junction? They got this alchemy shop they set up, eh? Not real alchemy- no magic or fuckin' gold or whatever, but they're hopped on chems an' they think they're fuckin' wizards. Anyway, so they got that little shop of theirs, an' one time I got to talkin' ta Hugo, an' he told me somethin' about a lot of tha stuff they were cookin'. Hugo said that most ov them were volatile, and with a match an' some testicular fortitude, ye could blow up a whole city block."

The expression she wore didn't seem to fit her next series of words, though for the most part, her science was correct. "So, I'm gonna blow that fuckin' dog up. First I was gonna stomp 'im, but ye seem ta think i'm some sorta flower 'r somethin', so I'll put yer mind at ease." Shrugging, Kade sashayed over the the window above where the beast roamed, and unceremoniously dropped the bottle towards the narrow passageway below them. The shattering of glass brought upon a vicious snarl from beast, and it charged the intruding splash of ethoxyethane with a rage unknown to most creatures. "Ye see, stranger, I ain' new ta this place." The last of her cigarette was cast out the window next, left to follow the ether down until it met the substance. A whoosh erupted through the alleyway, the ragged sounds of yelping compounded with a noise best associated with pulling duct tape free from it's roll.

The yelp distanced itself from the building, trailing a fiery silhouette off towards the heart of the town, and away from the two in their current location. "Now, if ye don' mind, I need ta get outta here before someone else notices I got rockin' tits an' all my teeth."

Nomads [closed] - Kat - 09-19-2015

"Was a good idea. Reckon yer jus' jealous ye didn' think ov it yerself."

Kade wore an unabashed smile, bright and clean, with all those neat incisors intact. If one traded in women, this one would earn a hefty stockpile of goods from all sorts of buyers. This wasn't lost on the blonde, with her free hand running digits through messy locks as her eyes stayed sharp on the other individual lingering in the room. "Is a wonder yer willin' ta stick aroun' me if 'm so stupid." Her lids narrowed slightly, lips shutting to purse as shifting attention flickered outwards towards the window where distant sounds continued blaring through the otherwise quiet night. The city was dead; a carcass. "Our position. Ye say it like I wanted ye here. Ye say it like I marched in on ya with a parade at ma back." A tattooed and tanned arm rose to point accusingly at the male. "No fuckin' way ye get ta be bitchy about how I handle things when ye camped out with me while I fuckin' slept."

Scoffing, Kade murmured under her breath, "Ye, our position... Rich stuff, pretty boy. Rich fuckin' stuff."

Oncoming reinforcements following up the quick end to the mongrel put a kibosh on her commentary for a moment, letting Vale fit in his spiel concerning her recklessness. Interest waned half way through the lecturing, though Kade perked slightly with his Princess quip. Even as she smirked, the woman made it clear, "You don' call me that, bud. I don't give any fucks if ye think it's a cute nickname, or yer jus' bein' a bastard. Name's Kade, an' ye can call me Kade. Not Princess. Not Darlin'. Not nothin' but Kade." With her gear firmly secured to her back with the packed bag loaded to the seams, she breezed her fingers under her neck scarf for a moment before adding quietly, "An' I ain' lookin' ta get fucked when there's things ta do. Got better shit ta do than play with strangers in ghost towns."

Part of Kade had meant what she said. There were things to do, and a desolate town they needed to leave. The part about having better things to do was bullshit though. Kade wandered like most of the nomads covering the desert landscape, and to pretend she had a schedule to adhere to was a waste of breath; not that Kade minded. "Whatever. Doesn't matter if it was yers or mine at this point. Ain' like either ov us should stick around with tha mutt pack movin' in." Shuffling steps led her to follow Vale's progress in the stairwell, though the woman was already searching for another cigarette as though nervous. Despite her bravado, it wouldn't have been entirely outlandish to presume she was feeling skeptical about listening to the male. After all, this was the savage badlands, not a theme park. One didn't simply make friends when everyone had a reason to want you dead.

Working together now just meant when the threat was gone, there would be new problems. Kade was as prepared as she could be, given this wasn't her first outing, and Vale wasn't the first man to try and play friendly with her. "Ye know, I feel like I met ye before. Ye ever been ta that one trading post out in the Sierra? Oasis- that's tha one. It uh, was a nice one, ye know. Lotsa people who were doin' work ta rebuild tha town next ta tha reservoir." When they were outside, and Vale had began tinkering with his trap, she continued on that train of thought with, "See, it was real long time ago now. Probably would've made ye young at tha time. I was like four or five. Dunno. Real goddamn young, an' me ma was tryin' ta sell salt rocks an' candles ta gangers... Anyway, I ended up gettin' caught up in tha crowd, an' I didn't know what my ma's name was or nothin', so every time someone would ask me who I belonged ta, I didn't have an answer."

Kade shrugged at his explanation of his system concerning the traps before commenting vaguely, "I don' mind climbin' but we'd be on tha roof, an' I dun' like dealin' with buzzards. Saw someone get their eyes gouged out once." Her lips formed a grimace, sandy brows knitting slightly towards the middle of her forehead. "Look, if ye know what yer doin', I'll tag along for a spell. I just dunno why ye want me comin' in tha first place. I could stab ye or somethin'. Ye don' even know me." As the taller figure rose to his full height once more, Kade sniffed the air to capture that strange mixture of chemical flames and searing flesh as though trying to place where it came from. Despite appearances, her intention was to remember the event, even if it meant searing her inner nostrils with the noxious fumes. Wavering sights directed down the street momentarily before her earlier story was expanded upon.

"But yeah, this kid was like eight or nine at tha time, but older than me. Blonde kid, tall fer his age. I remember that much. Big lug picked me up right from the mess in tha streets and carried me back ta my mother like he was sent ta save me. Anyway, ye reminded me ov him, I guess. Big blonde that ye are." Kade waved a hand as though waving away the idea, a chime of laughter escaping her throat. "Vale then, I guess. I can follow ye up ta the roofs an' head outta this shithole if ye'd like, but I ain' promisin' nothin' else. Boys like you are bad news fer girls like me, ye know. Even if ye ain' lookin' ta sell me off, ye might be lookin' ta keep me fer yerself-" Kade popped her lips before wiggling her brows playfully. "I ain' much ov a keeper. Reckon ye figured that out fer yerself already. Imagine if I'd thrown that shit at ye instead ov tha dog, eh?"

Kade quite shamelessly offered in conclusion, "I'm fuckin' crazy. Yer goddamn in tha right ta tell me ta fuck off, an' I'll skip my happy ass outta yer life. Ye haven' hurt me yet though, an' we can keep it tha way. I'd prefer we do."

Nomads [closed] - Kat - 09-23-2015

Princess.

Kade didn't want that to stick. That nickname, if it could be considered such a thing (rather than an insult), didn't bode well with the buxom blond. Her lips pursed as though she were mid thought, though her expression seemed stuck this way for several long moments while traps were being set, and Vale was answering her previous inquiries. The cogs churned, her mind a messy hodge podge of wayward thoughts many wouldn't linger on; Kade couldn't help it. Her brain never seemed to cease with it's work, and even when exhausted, the wheels of her mind spun on to continue their work through the fatigued haze. "Ye know, I ain' gonna say nothin' abou' whether I'm busy or not, 'cause ye would just shoot me down. So, consider me free fer now, an' when all this is said an' done, ye can decide whatever." Tongue sliding against her neat incisors, she paused over her canine with the tip to give it an assessing prod.

"What? Ye don't like bein' called pretty?" Kade practically scoffed as a wrapped hand waved Vale off dismissively. "Fine, fine. I'll just call ye a brute from now on. That work better? Fuck, can't please no one out here. Reckon it's a goddamn crime ta flatter someone if there's trouble afoot- but let's get real here, hot shot. There's always some fuckin' trouble ta be found out here. You an' I both know it, an' I swear on all those graves out there an' that guy who got chewed up in the alley, I'm probably happier runnin' than I am sittin' idle. Reckon it keeps me in shape, ye know?" Undeterred by his mention of her story being unrelated to him, the woman released a pleased sigh. "Ya know, it was just a fuckin' point made towards yer merits. Good traits, ye know. If I thought ye were him, I'd have ta tell ye about that goddamn crush I had fer fuckin' eva- an' trust me, I thought I was gonna marry that bastard until I was damn near an adult. So it goes, yeah?"

Vision following the direction of the male's hand, Kade looked up towards the rooftop with a visible mark of disdain plastering her soot smudged features. Paused, she nibbled at her bottom lip before straightening her posture with an exaggerated sigh. "Fiiiiiiiiine. If ye think we'll be safe up there, I'll trust ye. This time, this once- I'll trust ye." Re-shouldering her bag roughly, Kade moved to follow her companion as closely as she felt was necessary (which wasn't close enough to put him in arm's reach), her thoughts a brand new spill of questioning. "Didja say the forest? Like uh, with a lot ov trees an' such? Never been nowhere like that, but I reckon it sounds nice. Ye know, lots ov shade and what have ye." Hounds howling in the distance didn't seem to jar her any more than him cutting his arm had, and while she was mindful of his injury and the reasoning for it, she didn't bother bringing it up. Heaven forbid she seemed to care anymore for his well being, otherwise she might earn another nickname she didn't want.

Fuckin' Princess.

Their building of choice was insulated so the night had been tolerable, but as soon as the sun had risen and the dunes started to warm, it was an oven of solid walls and small windows. Inconvenience seemed to follow Kade. She was almost positive this was a sign from god, or some higher power of a similar persuasion, that she should have followed her sister's lifestyle choices- If only to save herself a great deal of scars and scary stories. Nodding to herself, Kade's travels halted when the pair had reached Vale's destination, and she was left to watch as he ducked through the open window and monkey man'd his way up onto the roof. Brows knit, she listened to what was said without verifying whether or not his assumptions were more factual than fiction. A lady never tells, after all. As Vale reappeared in an upside down fashion, Kade's first instinct was to crack a quick laugh, though after it was out of her system, realization kicked in that the stranger was serious.

"Wait- ye want me ta trust ye ta lift me up onto that roof?" Letting her lids narrow suspiciously, Kade motioned to where Vale was with an idle twirl of her bandaged digits. "I just met'cha. Which started with, uh, I woke up ta ye strokin' yer bow in my general direction. Now, I dunno if that was yer way ov makin' friends or not, but ye've been good company so far. I jus' dun' think I trust ye ta hold my life in yer hands. No hard feelings, boyo." Waving him off again, Kade waited until he moved back up to the roof before she attempted to make the climb for herself, and though it was likely less graceful than his actions had been, she did it all on her own. Cursing under her breath as she tumbled onto the tarmac, the blond immediately shielded her eyes from the sun and made quick work of returning to her feet. Once back to standing, she peered cautiously down to the streets below with increasing interest in the roving pack Vale had been so adamant to avoid before. "Reckon we could've found some rat kill ta do 'em in, if we had poked around."

Breezing a palm over her features, the woman blinked a few times as the area below was studied, and then shifted her gaze back to Vale. It wasn't difficult to meet his eyes, though she didn't do it for very long, preferring to linger on his figure between the incessant spew of conversation she seemed constantly absorbed by. "So, what now? We gonna camp out here fer a while, or we gonna hoof it as far as the roof'll take us." Glancing away to estimate the distance they had of attainable roof walkway, Kade added, "I reckon we could, mm... Could probably get far enough away ta scramble out ov here. What, couple ov blocks, if we're feelin' extra industrious? Jus' dunno who else is usin' this town ta squat in. It's got a lot ov nifty stuff. Wouldn't surprise me ta stumble across a nest ov dregs."

Nomads [closed] - Kat - 09-29-2015

"Aye, Imma goddamn riot, don'cha know?"

With indigo oculars seeking Vale, Kade thought herself encouraging as she motioned over the canvas covering the male provided with a nod. "Ye did good in a snap, so I reckon I owe ye thanks. Lots ov things ta thank ya for, but I'm really diggin' this tent ov yers." Back to touching her face, Kade ran her palm tentatively downwards, swiping over remnants of dust sticking to her cheeks and forehead. "My pack ain' so interestin', 'm 'fraid. Figure one day, when someone sticks me in tha gut fer loot, they'll be awful disappointed in what they end up findin'." A shrug was issued, perhaps to disregard her meager earnings, before she lowered onto her hands and knees to crawl beneath the overhang.

"Oh, so now I'm good lookin', eh?" Scoffing, Kade rolled lazily onto her stomach and sprawled there with her bag still attached to her back. Her arms branched outwards for a moment in savored stretch before they folded and were tucked beneath her cheeks to act as a brace of sorts against the tarmac. "I dun' think yer tryin' ta butter me up though, so thanks again. There it is. Another reason ta be thankin' ye." A smile was flashed quickly as her visage descended to hide in her arms, the scarf still bundled around her neck giving a skirting effect over her hiding. Partially muffled, Kade continued in her usual way, her voice only slightly less clear because of the layers of argot. "Not that I blame ye- about gettin' married. I ain' seen a preacher in a spell, and tha last one I crossed paths with was a ragin' alcoholic. Used ta get piss drunk, an' stand out of quiet nights screamin' about how all this was God's fault."

A pause followed before Kade said plainly, "This ain' no doin' ov God's."

Tired of the current position picked, the blonde crouched back onto her hands and knees long enough sit back on booted heels, her hands quick to slip out of the straps of her backpack to it wouldn't impede on however she decided to rest. "I could see gettin' married though, given tha time an' place were right. There're still places ta go for people lookin' ta be... people, I guess. I dunno. Was born a few years before the fallout, so I ain' one ta know what it used ta be like. Only what I pick up in books, ya know? Like yer forest, and how ye explain it- that's all news ta me. Ma was from a city up north, an' she used ta tell me she only got out alive because my dad had been pretty insistent on keepin' his gun at tha house. Anyway, he didn't make it. Figure it's probably fer the best. Made Ma less worried knowin' he was dead, because tryin' ta find my aunt was a goddamn hassle 'til the day she died."

"God rest her soul, aye?"

Kade craned her neck, hovering as she recalled aloud, "An' 'm glad she died when she did, shitty as that is ta say. My sister, trainwreck ov a girl, got picked up by one ov those bordello set ups closer ta tha Oasis- so, ye know, she's a goddamn whore. Ma would've killed her fer doin' that, but like I said... Good timing on her death." A flash of despair was quickly overridden as Kade moved the topic along. "I like tha sound ov the forest. Was it just in one place, or was it like tha desert? Like... Yeah, I get that ye came from the forest, but are there more? Anywhere?" Fidgeting hands grasped vaguely at the air as sandy brows furrowed over her questioning. "Heard there's place that didn' get hit all that hard. Lots ov folks migrated to those parts, an' ye know, I could see there bein more than desert. Trees make air, right? So, we still go air everywhere- so there must be a whole helluva lot ov trees somewhere."

Allowing her expression to brighten as she finished, her bag was placed behind her so she could lay opposite of the way Vale was positioned, her ankles cross so her boots weren't all that obtrusive to his personal space. "But yeah, we can wait it out, I s'pose. Busy as I am, it ain' like I wanna go runnin' back through town with a pack ov mongrels tryin' ta rip me apart." Tugging off her scarf, the series of scars lacing her jugular were more noticeable in the daytime. Old scars, knit together like a macabre tapestry of old pain, that Kade paid no real mind to. Everyone in this world had their burdens to bear, and even Kade had a few old pains to swallow down so life could continue according to plan. Who's plan? She didn't know. She wanted to know, but as things often were explained to those who weren't around before the great war, she didn't need to worry about it.

What was done was done, and not a soul alive could rewind time. This world, and all the ghosts still haunting it's surface, was counting down days until the very end. Kade was just along for the ride. As cigarettes were passed her way, the woman noticeably perked before pointing out, "These're not cheap ta come by, ye know. I mean, not that I'll turn ye down. Either doomed ta cancer this way, or from tha radiation. Guess it doesn' matter all that much which takes me- one ov 'em will if somethin' sooner doesn't first." Slipping the pack right between her cleavage, Kade made a mental note to look for something of equal value to give Vale before the two parted ways. It was the least she could do, and Kade wasn't a leech if she could help it.

"Mm. Guess I ain' runnin' now 'cause ov tha dogs. I mean, without tha dogs, I'd have run the second I woke up ta ye watchin' me. Shit's creepy, eh? I mean, imagine I had found ye sleepin', so I just settled in an' watched 'til ye woke up. Ov course, ye got a bow, an' I got a knife. Bet'cha would've shot me in my goddamn face if the tables had been turned." The thought gave her a good chuckle, her hands wrapping the scarf around their respective knuckles until the fabric was pulled in a tight, albeit short, swath of material. Easing up her head, she looked to Vale as the garb was tied into a makeshift bandanna. "Ye ain' a dreg, an' yer not bad company. I dunno. Yer probably not tha boy I met before, but ye do got a certain... uh, personality? Yeah, that. Ye don' scare me, Vale, so I ain' too concerned with leavin' just yet."

As the distant trap snapped shut on one of the canines down on the street, Kade grimaced slightly before easing back against her pack. "Now, do ye think ye'll get 'em all? I dunno... Still worried about birds an' shit."

RE: Nomads [closed] - Kat - 11-13-2015

Kade often wore a look of apparent disinterest, her brows knitting towards the middle of their ridge every time Vale issued a compliment she didn't approve of. Kade wasn't cute. Kade was a survivor of the desolate wastes, a daughter of the swallowing sands; a creature bred to survive in the most extreme environments. Breaking the gaze she had been adamantly keeping on her company, cobalt blues tracked across the stretch of cityscape beyond their rooftop hideout. Listening was easy. For every story she had digested through the years, there was always room in the gullet of her mind for more. Lives she would never live, people she would never meet, and places she would never have the chance to go- those were where she ventured when the journey was tiresome, and her body wouldn't allow any more abuse. "Ye wouldn' want ta marry me anyhow. Ain' that sorta woman. Ye got too much heart fer a girl like me."

Left vague, Kade didn't often find ambiguous statements helpful, but there were times to get into personal details, and there were days spent with surface level chatter one needn't feel overwhelmed by. Twisting where she lay in continued attempts to get comfortable, the woman cleared her throat with a short cough. "I would've crawled through hell ta get my family out, but I never had that much ta speak ov, so I guess I always felt obligated ta do as much as possible fer their sake." With a face like hers, it was difficult to decipher pain from apathy, and an uneasy smile lingered over pursed lips momentarily while Kade wrangled something loose from her backpack. "Been meanin' ta see my sister again, but the oasis is a trek, an' I ain' too sure how I'm gonna explain just showin' up."

Progress below was slow, but it was enough to allow Kade peace of mind, if only for the hours the two had to spend in one another's presence. Now with canteen in hand, the lid was twisted off slowly while thoughts were gathered concerning his question. How had she gotten her scars? "Got caught." Kade began slowly, brows back to furrowing while her eyelids narrowed at Vale. "Was up ta somethin', I guess, an' I got caught. They didn't know I was a girl at first, so they were happy ta take a bat ta me an' leave me fer dead... When they found out, it got worse. Ain' all that many women in the sands, ya know. Men can get crazy when they come across one." Sipping at the contents of her canteen, her eyes strayed from Vale's once more, out towards the landscape beyond their perch.

"I ain' really too sure when people found me. Real nice folks in a caravan picked me up, thinkin' I was dead. When i wasn't, they kept me around an' got me back on my feet. Stayed with them for a while 'til I was 19, an' then I was wanderin' again, because that's what there is ta do." Chuckling darkly, Kade added, "I probably should've stayed with tha caravan, ye know? Ain' a bad life, tradin' an' travelin' with merchants. I think about that some times- about what it would've been like ta not scrape by alone..." She cut herself short with another long swallow before resealing the container and tucking it back into her bag. Instinctively, her fingers moved to play at the outlines of the scars, gentle where they traced while the woman subconsciously reassured herself they were old wounds. They certainly didn't hurt anymore, so why did she feel like crying?

"Anyway, if ye wanna stay here the night, I'll stay with ye." Propped against her backpack, the woman motioned over Vale with a slow gesture. "You got a lot of scars, Vale? Must've been hard ta get caught up like that, ye know. Ain' sure I've ever had much ov an issue with marauders, but I've been spendin' most ov my life headed in the opposite direction of em' when I catch wind ov a camp. Ma always said there was an evil out there, an' if I were ta see it, I'd never be the same. Ye ever think about that? About what sorta evil it would take ta change ye?" Finally, the fingers at her throat subsided their reminiscing so both the woman's hands could meet atop her stomach, and intertwine in a loose steeple of bandaged digits. "Maybe I just got too much time ta think about shit no one else is too concerned for. Reckon havin' too much time ta think can really drag ye down if ye let it."

Humming through the pause that followed, the afternoon heat was almost forgotten through the fog of conversation, though a warm roseate had risen to cover the woman's cheeks. Flushed, Kade closed her eyes and expelled a tired sigh before admitting, "As long as ye don' got nothing against me ramblin', then I can tag along for a spell. Like I said before, Oasis is a ways away, an' it's easier havin' someone with me, even if it's only for a little while. Where were ye headed, Vale? Before all this, where didja plan on going? Figure ye were combing this place for salvageable stuff, but did you have any destination in mind after ye were done?" Her features tilted away from Vale, her eyes remaining shut as though she were having issues staying awake. The heat made her sleepy, and the stillness of their set up was cozy enough to remind Kade she was running on fumes.

"Mind ya, if yer goin' in the opposite direction ov me, I'll leave ya to it. Friendly as ye are, there's no reason fer me to go east. I do appreciate it though, lettin' me stay under yer tarp while ye take care ov those mutts... Damn mutts. Almost as much ov an issue as the gangs an' the trappers an' the sellers... This place is probably that evil my ma was talkin' about. Sure feels it."

RE: Nomads [closed] - Kat - 01-12-2016

Kade had put a lot of thought into what her companion had said, though she could tell by how his voice deepened into a rumble of fatigue that he wasn't in the mood to speak any further. That made the choice to sleep unanimous, allowing the woman to ease slowly into her makeshift bed with straw shaded locks tousled among the rest of her unkempt appearance. Her thoughts reflected on where she could be by the end of the week, rather than the location the two chose to roost in. A sunset forgotten, the darkness cloaked their rooftop camp minutes before the woman realized there was no more to follow westward. Even if, in passing, she had considered leaving Vale to his own devices while she tried her hand at sneaking around the predators below- there was no longer an opportunity for such things.

A hand branched outwards towards Vale, curious, and she danced smooth digits against the hair of his forearm. Just once, in a steady line, before her hand returned to her side of the tarmac camp. How long had it been since she had traveled with anyone? A decent amount of time. How long since she was with someone of the opposite gender? Longer. Much longer. Good memories or otherwise, the recollections faded with each full moon; the imagery was hazy as she did her best not to forget completely. No two times were the same though, and when it was so long between each encounter, the collective of instances all trickled together to become a splash of what she thought it should be.

His scent was foreign. Exotic. Not at all like anyone else she had met, though this wasn't because she hadn't been surrounded by men of all varieties in the past. No, Vale just had a certain appeal to his persona that set him slightly above others she could recall. He just didn't smell like anyone else- He didn't act like anyone else, either. That much had been noticed from their earlier meeting, and with him assumed to be sleeping, she could reminisce about the scene as though reflecting on something humorous. Her lips betrayed her mood as a wide smile stole her visage, even while she remained as quiet as a church mouse. She could think about how he smiled as well, and that odd quirk his eyebrow made when he seemed puzzled by what she said. Kade felt like a goldfish with how bad her memory could be at times, but in the dim of the deserted city, she did her best to keep all that information she had gathered about Vale prominent in the forefront of her mind.

Sounds below had lessened, and even the scraping of paws against pavement seemed to cease in the wake of the traps. Perhaps, if Vale had been correct, they served as the best course of action to scare off the predators. Kade liked how knowledgeable Vale came across over the course of their day together, and while she didn't hold a candle to the male in that regard, he had yet to ditch her over the side of the building as if she were dead weight. That was a start, right? Lids growing heavy, the woman closed her eyes and brought her bare arm up to cover them further, protective of her sight above all things. A scavenger could manage missing fingers or toes, but eyes were essential.

Had she dreamed, it would have been about Vale. Of course, Kade never dreamed much, and she certainly didn't sleep for extended periods of time.

A few hours later, the drifter sat upright in the pile of her belongings, and began her brief search for a cigarette. Wedged between some gauze and an old toothpick, her tobacco pouch waited, though her first worry was what Vale might say to her lighting a cigarette. Last time, he hadn't been so keen on her addiction, so Kade offered a quiet heads up towards the resting male. "Eh, 'm gonna smoke." Good enough. With her vision lowered towards her lap, practiced fingers worked the tobacco against the small square of paper she intended to use, and rolled the contents neatly so not to spill any of the fibers. It hadn't come cheap, and she much preferred not to run out mid trip because of clumsiness or disregard. Satisfied with the work done, the finished product slipped between her lips while the search continued for a lighter.

Matches worked well enough, and one was floating at the bottom of her backpack, accompanied by a layer of filtered sand she never quite got around to cleaning out. "Vale," Kade asked as the carcinogen met the flame, and brought a bout of warm smoke into her deprived lungs, "do you think tha dogs're gone now? I dun' hear 'em anymore." Not wanting to shoot herself in the foot, Kade wasn't entirely ready to peer over the side of the building to ensure her hunch was a correct one. Instead, she sought a second opinion on this, as she tended to do with many things. It was better to accept that others might be correct than to blindly follow her own intuition. After all, Vale had been the one to set up traps, thus he would be the one most likely to know if the traps actually worked as intended.

At times, she was incredibly dense - but Kade wasn't stupid. A fool with a naive streak like no other, but she somehow managed to progress through the desert landscape mostly unscathed, and that was a feat unto itself. Mid inhale of unfiltered smoke, her stomach growled beneath her dusty tank top, and instinctively, her free arm hugged her midsection. Where had she eaten last? At this point, almost two days earlier. The fact her body continued to cooperate was impressive, though the stores of energy would dwindle quickly if she didn't take care of the issue. "Vale," she said aloud towards where he was still laying, "I'm hungry." Kade had no issue implying this was as much his concern as it was hers, though if he were to tell her off for it, she would manage as she always had. Just, now he was here, and the easiest means to obtain what she wanted might possibly be to rely on Vale's guidance.

Knowledge was power, after all.

RE: Nomads [closed] - Kat - 05-22-2016

It was strange getting to know a new individual, and traveling with them was stranger still, given their unique circumstances. Kade Samson had been a pick-pocketing thief and a shameless scavenger, her priorities solely settled on where she might end up at the end of the day. Never once had she mistaken herself for a friend or a partner in crime to someone because that sort of person hadn't existed in a long term sense. In a world plagued by hazardous and harsh landscapes, one couldn't rely too heavily on their fellow man, and in such, Kade had consistently done without assistance in hope of avoiding reliance. Hadn't the idea been to kill or be killed? Live at the cost of others? She had heard this preached by the masses and by the few, and lessons have been learned through experience, time and time again. Worn digits brought themselves back to her throat, all scarred with a mesh of pale tissue against contrasting tan flesh, and she hummed almost disapprovingly.

In a lapse of her better judgement, Kade provoked involvement between herself and Vale, though one couldn't possibly place the blame only on her shoulders. On the contrary, she knew that within the hiding place chosen in the abandoned automotive store, he had stumbled upon the woman bundled in her layers of dusty argot, smelling faintly of burned tobacco and sweat. Surely that meant he was partially to blame? Sniffing the air where smoke now wafted, the blonde moved her head side to side before lowering her azure hues towards the dusky plains extending past the ghost of a town. This had to be the right choice, she assured herself in the silence. What other choice did she really have?

"Ye don' say." Extending her arms out slightly to flick a clump of accumulated ash, her cigarette was made short work of, and the last of the carcinogen was snuffed against the cement. "Dun' know the last time I ate, an' I ain' too sure it was real food. Been known to just make due with hare, but only when I can catch it." Flickering a curious gaze to her company, the roguish femme wiggled her eyebrows before asking, "Am I gonna owe ya anything?" It seemed like the right thing to ask, though she could only imagine being left in the dark in terms of what Vale's real motives might have been. Knowledge of a situation was what inevitably guided such, and though Kade could understand good intentions when she saw them, she didn't truly know if there was such a thing as a free hand out anymore.

It was best not to assume at this point.

Slowly, the hand that had been grazing scars was held out towards the offering. Not too quick to take the jerky, Kade knew slow movements were likely more appreciated. Desert folk could be jumpy at times. Hell, Kade was jumpier than she cared to admit, so damn scared of anything that was bolder or louder than she was, it only made sense that Vale might be in the same boat. A level headed man he might have been, but this wasn't the sort of chance she was willing to risk. For all this ginger etiquette and caution on her part, it didn't matter in the end as the jerky was set right where her pants crumpled at her waistline. Held in an almost accurate fabric bowl, Kade stared apathetically at the contents before releasing a sigh of relief. "Welp, I 'ppreciate it, Vale. Dunno how I'm s'posed to thank you." Perhaps the saddest part was how honest a response this was, and briefly, Kade felt a warmth encroaching over her now blushing cheeks.

How grateful she was for the darkness, because nothing seemed more embarrassing than to be so clueless in matters relating to hospitality. mentally berating herself for her awkwardness, Kade drew her knees closer to her torso, and brought a piece of jerky to her lips. "Yeah..." Mumbled between bites of the preserved meat, the nomad counted herself fortunate to not be intimidating in appearance, otherwise Vale might have taken her bouts of silence as threatening. She wasn't plotting; she was just pouting. Pouting over what she was left to mull over, and more so, over how ill prepared she was to talk about it at any length. Unable to articulate herself hadn't always been an issue, but months alone in the desert made her social skills noticeably lacking, and were she to chatter one, it would be less than witty commentary he probably wasn't awake enough to appreciate.

Vision rising to the water as it was extended her way, a shallow swallow was had, then it was ushered back to Vale's possession. "I'll do my best on that front, ye? I wouldn' be doin' anyone any good by collapsin'. Thanks again, Vale." Stuffing the remainder of the jerky into her mouth, Kade nearly choked as she consumed it far too quickly, though ended the action of chewing with a refreshing gulp of air. "Together, eh? Yeah, guess so. S'not so bad, is it? I'm feeling like a bunch ov extra weight to yer load, but ye got broad shoulders, boyo." Clapping her hands together lightly to clear any residual crumbs, the blonde stretched to clear her thoughts and to get blood circulating once more. "Ye got a plan then? Ta wait 'em out?" Of all the things concerning their pair, Kade seemed least clear on what the two were going to do now that they were awake once more.

Sitting where they had been, they were safe from most things, but Kade still had an uneasiness in the pit of her stomach that refused to settle. "I just dun' like bein' out in the open, ye know? Ain' too good with nothing to the sides, or over my head. Ain' too... I dunno, Vale. I dunno how to say it." Admitting this, she fell silent once more; both palms meeting her temples as a sign of internal defeat.