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."
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."
BDRP Admin. Writer. Villain. Personal Blog.
I tried running from the memory and the mourning.
I tried running from the memory and the mourning.
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Nomads [closed] - by Kat - 07-05-2015, 06:32 PM
Nomads [closed] - by Kat - 07-05-2015, 07:23 PM
Nomads [closed] - by Kat - 09-19-2015, 02:27 AM
Nomads [closed] - by Kat - 09-19-2015, 02:29 AM
Nomads [closed] - by Kat - 09-19-2015, 02:32 AM
Nomads [closed] - by Kat - 09-19-2015, 02:33 AM
Nomads [closed] - by Kat - 09-23-2015, 09:42 AM
Nomads [closed] - by Kat - 09-29-2015, 11:48 AM
RE: Nomads [closed] - by Kat - 11-13-2015, 01:39 PM
RE: Nomads [closed] - by Kat - 01-12-2016, 08:19 AM
RE: Nomads [closed] - by Kat - 05-22-2016, 01:59 AM