✞ - 𝕴𝖙 𝕯𝖔𝖊𝖘𝖓'𝖙 𝕰𝖓𝖉 𝕳𝖊𝖗𝖊 O/A

[lynettetan1]

Aisha Innez
Location: Outside
Feeling: Rested, optimistic, hopeful
Tagged: Kiren (Aria), Silver (Kiba), Riki (Bug)
Mentioned: None

Oh, cereal.

Though a hand was preoccupied, Aisha couldn't help using her other hand to nick the box closer and take a handful, before pushing it back to the center, giving Kiren a grateful smile.

As they spoke about leaving, Aisha nodded, getting up quickly. Eve poked her head out her collar at Aisha's glee, and Aisha brought the hand with cereal up to the snake's head for a cursory inspection. Regarding the dried breakfast food carefully, Eve's forked tongue briefly brushed across the flakes. Silently, the snake turned to regard her, and her judgement could be felt even through the other's expressionless facade.

Aisha blushed defensively, cupping her hand to her mouth and inhaling the cereal. "It's good, I swear." She started, but Eve simply sunk back into her clothes without a word.

Letting out a huff, she looked back at the others, seeing Kiba standing closer at the mention of helping to carry things. Smiling, she brushed the crumbs off her now free hand, before running the back of it across the top of his head in thanks. "We can just bring some empty bags and cart the rest of it back later." Looking around, Aisha rifled in her bag, taking out a few smaller bags that she always kept with her, giving one to Kiba and handing out the rest to the others. One never knew when they might find something they might want to bring, after all. "I'm guessing that everyone is alive because they already know how to travel quietly and all that, but if anyone needs extra help with sound proofing come a little closer."

That done, she nodded, getting up and striding toward the door as she took another bite. Opening the door soundlessly, she looked out cautiously. When she'd confirmed that the street was clear, she walked out, stepping over a few of the dead bodies lying on the floor, courtesy of Silver, as she now knew.

Looking up, Aisha took a deep breath, looking around just to reorient herself for a moment before she nodded, looking at the others. "It's just a few streets down, so we should be good, but let's be careful just in case." Once she said that, she started heading toward her past hideout, still a little amazed that so much could happen in a single day.

[FluffyBirdie]

Kiren Stewart | Lead Doctor | Location: record shop, outside | Tags: Silver, Aisha, Riki

Silver looked at Aria as if she was hesitant to answer, and not wanting to rush decisions, Kiren went to where the bread and jam were, making a slice for himself. Although it was unsaid, he was fairly certain she was tentative due to worries over harming Aria, if her love for animals meant anything. "That's fine, I've never even touched horses until I met Aria. It might be a bit harder to stay on since there's no saddle or reins to hold on to but if you have a decent sense of balance nothing will happen." He reassured her. His slice of bread finished in a few hungry bites, he began to unpack some of his bags so that they could carry more from Aisha's base. The less trips the better. He kept extra plastic bags and rope with him in case there were more they wanted to take, and when Aisha came around offering another bag, he gratefully took that too. The mention of sound-proofing reminded him to check the cloth wrapped around her hooves as a rudimentary sound-muffling device. It had been some time since he replaced them, but none of the fabric pieces had holes in them yet.

With everything prepped, he grabbed the box of cereal for them to eat as they went, before carefully guiding Aria out the door. The mare shook her mane once outside, likely happy to be out of the confined building. The charred bodies, when he ignored his protesting sense of smell and looked closer, did seem to have electrical burns, and quite severe ones too. Silver was not one to mess with. Speaking of the stone-faced woman, he glanced around them, looking for something stepstool-like for her to hop on. "There's a bench there, if you want to jump on that, Silver." He directed, pointing at the object nearby. "I'll have Aria standing close to it, and you can climb on. It'd be like one of those pony rides at carnivals." He added, suddenly remembering it. Abandoned carnival buildings featured often in horror movies, but what he wouldn't give to just see something that brought back fun memories.

[☪ℓυηαя∂яσρ☪]

Rikimaru discreetly took a slice of bread, slathered it with jelly, and polished it off before standing up. Wiping their hands off, they stretched their back and rolled their neck, cracking it like a bunch of glowsticks. Taking a deep breath, they gently scooped Bug up and wrapped his arms around a small roll of cloth, hooking his thumbs and toes into the fabric. Once he was wrapped up, they tucked him into their coat pocket and headed out with the others, staying off to the side and in the back to keep an ear out and an eye on the group.
Casting a glance towards Kiren, they listened to him instruct Silver on how to approach Aria. Rikimaru had ridden horses bareback before, and they would not recommend it for long periods of time. They never found it difficult, but they practically grew up on a farm so it was a natural thing for them to be able to do. They took a moment to admire the horse, and blinked in mute surprise upon noticing her (relative) quietness while walking. Looking down at her hooves, Riki saw frayed and worn-out cloth wrapped around her hooves. Intrigued, Rikimaru slowed down slightly to stray further behind the group and watch from behind, seeing if any form of trail was left on the dusty pavement and if Aria's hoofprints were dulled on the ground. The heft of the hoofprints in the soil were not significantly different, but the outline certainly was- more resembling a mold of a boulder than a horse's foot. Rikimaru held the inside of their cheek between their teeth as they thought, trying to focus their mind solely on the footsteps on the people in front of them.
Aisha's steps weren't sloppy per say, but it was clear that she hadn't ever had the need to pay attention to her footsteps. Which was fair- after all, she could always mute her volume output whenever she wanted. Silver was likewise walking slightly to the side, but she was walking with the slightest sway in her step. But Rikimaru could hear her heartbeat, quicker than the others' but not beating out of control. It betrayed her anxiety, but Riki didn't comment on it. They simply kept on walking, listening and thinking to themself.

[`silver]

Silver Blackwood | on the way to Aisha's hideout | Tags: Aisha, Kiren, Rikimaru

Bright amber orbs snapped onto the movement that shimmered from beneath Aisha's collar as the white wolf's attention was caught. He didn't really know what to make of the branch-like, shiny thing that occasionally revealed itself from beneath the shadows of Aisha's clothing. Nonetheless, he huffed softly in acknowledgement when he was offered a stroke and a pack to carry with which he held gently despite the bone-crushing maw he wielded. Silver on the other hand was a bit taken aback at Kiren's honesty, watching briefly as he sifted through his belongings after making quick work of the bread and jam that'd been offered. "If you say so." She murmured, not sounding too convinced as she fell into line with the rest of them.

Sparing a glance over her shoulder, Silver caught sight of Rikimaru taking a place at the furthermost part of the group and thus keeping Silver on a bit of an edge after feeling their icy gaze bore into her until their attention focused elsewhere. Charred remnants of enemies still laid on the unmaintained pavement beneath their hushed footsteps, Silver narrowing her eyes as she looked over the gouges of blackened bits where she’d impacted them the longest before it branched out like an infestation of fissures. She could barely remember even fighting them, let alone how much power she’d even used. There were obvious limits to her human body but what about the power that was apparently lancing through her? To what extent could she use it without it overwhelming her entirely? Dejections of doing such a thing uproared in Aisha and Kiren’s voices’, earning a quiet scoff of amusement from her as she tore herself from her thoughts. Kiren soon directed her to a nearby bench and her feet easily cleared the short height, her gaze now directed towards the ground where she finally acquired a good look at the makeshift sound dampeners fashioned onto Aria’s hooves. It was smart, but would it chafe her at all?

“Pony rides at carnivals?” Silver echoed as her eyes cut to his with genuine curiosity, “I don’t think I’ve been to that kind of place before. They didn’t really have those where I lived.” Once Aria was to shuffle closer, she’d touch the mare’s side lightly in order to distribute her weight and go to push herself onto the subtle dip in her backside--or so she wanted to do so. In reality, Silver went rigid after touching Aria as she overthought the entire process, unable to recognize just how nervous she was. “Perhaps you should show me how to do this before I make a fool of myself.” It was her way of asking for help.

[lynettetan1]

Aisha Innez
Location: Outside
Feeling:
Tagged: Kiren (Aria), Silver (Kiba), Riki (Bug)
Mentioned: None

Hearing Kiren and Silver discuss the logistics of how to get on Aria was strangely comforting, and Aisha couldn't quite help the small smile that started to form on her lips. Whilst it was in no way a conversation she would have heard at any real time before the apocalypse, the casual nature of it and the general conversational tone made Aisha feel almost normal.

They'd fallen into a sort of rhythm, with her leading the point back to the hideout, and Riki bringing up the back, with Silver in the center where she could go to any part of the group more quickly.

She hadn't situated her hideout too far, and without having zombies surging around the streets, they actually reached it quite quickly. There were dead zombies littered around, courtesy fo them gathering at the shop because of the noise, even as their bodies burned. Pausing and looking to the others for a second, Aisha gestured to the shop, shattered windows and all, remembering to quell her powers before she spoke. "Welcome to my humble abode, guys."

Looking at all the glass, she thought for a second, before quickly holding up her hand to tell them to wait for a moment. Letting her powers snap back into place for a second, she went into the shop, the glass crunching under her boots. That probably wouldn't be very safe for the animals, nor very good for moving soundlessly. It would suck if Kiba got a cut on his paws or anything like that. She got a broom and dustpan, quickly dusting all the glass shards into a corner of the shop nearer the front where didn't she store anything. When she'd done all that as quickly and accurately as she good, she popped out once more, shifting the broom to the side. "I think that should do, there are supplies, food and blankets in the side shelves and the back, but I haven't cased out the back yet so just move carefully in case there's a zombie in there or something."

As she said that, she found her eyes wandering to the side, where she saw her bike, a little worse for the wear and charred, but it looked pretty functional. She'd brought the key with her, but there were too many zombies to bring the actual bike. Perhaps she could go check it out in a second, too.

[FluffyBirdie]

Kiren Stewart | Lead Doctor | Location: Aisha's hideout | Tags: Silver, Aisha, Riki

Kiren hovered by the bench, giving Silver time to assess just how she would climb up. It was quite different from climbing up with a saddle, he presumed, as the stirrup gave another 'step' in between standing on the floor and sitting on a horse. He was a bit startled to see her interest at his off-hand comment about pony rides, but happily moved to add more details. God, how long had it been since he had a random conversation about nothing important? "Yeah, there would be a little ring with some ponies in it, and a worker would help kids sit on them before leading a short walk around the ring. That's about it I think, although I don't know first hand as young me was a lot more interested in roller-coasters than tiny horses." He watched Silver gently place a hand on Aria, expecting her to continue the movement and be seated in a blink of an eye, but she froze up instead. And was that her asking for help? Selfless, Stoic Silver?

Well of course. He thought, giving himself a mental facepalm. He had given her zero instructions on how to actually get up, somehow assuming she knew everything even when she mentioned never riding a horse before. Kiren hopped onto the bench besides her, before providing instructions, demonstrating as he did so. "You should put both your hands on her back, and then push yourself up with your arms and legs. And while you have some momentum, try to swing your other leg over her lower back, so you end up straddling her." He did a little flourish at the end with his hands, now sitting on Aria, before offering one to Silver with an encouraging smile. "I can help pull you up if you want? And I'll climb off once you're settled in."

The walk to Aisha's hideout was quite relaxing somehow, with only dead zombies in sight and the exciting goal of getting more supplies. He wasn't sure how Silver felt about riding the way there, though he did walk next to the mare in case she lost balance. Not that he was confident catching someone while they were falling, and the fact that if she fell the other direction there wasn't much he could do.

As they waited for Aisha to return from her scouting, he looked around for another bench, although there seemed to be less in supply here. "Would you be okay with getting off without a bench?" He said to Silver, still searching for something suitable. "Its the reverse of how to mount, though the landing could put some strain in your ankles."

[`silver]

Silver Blackwood | Aisha's hideout | Tags: Kiren, Aria, Aisha

Kiren's eyes seemed to widen for a moment when Silver indulged in his conversation about the pony rides he spoke of, a ghost of a grin threatening to twitch onto her lips when she realized this. None of them had interacted with people in quite some time, it looked like, and having a string of exchanged dialogue that wasn't about what they were going to eat or where there was a safe place to stay in was almost...refreshing. The mention of rollercoasters added to her pause against Aria's flank as memories upwelled from depths she didn't know she even remembered. The rush of air whisking past as the ride she had once sat in multiple times raced at breakneck speeds, the hush in the air when it teetered at the peak of the metal rails until it fell forward. How many years had passed?

Blinking the memories away, she briefly caught the renewed surprise in Kiren's eyes before he began instructing her on how to hoist herself onto the patient mare. For a moment she felt small as he took the space on the bench beside her, easily hopping onto Aria like he'd done countless times, she'd thought. "Swing, huh?" She murmured lowly, looking away when he offered her his hand and a smile. He was.. brighter, cheery even. Silver almost grimaced out of embarrassment, clasping his hand after a few reluctant heartbeats. She shuffled forward once he'd expertly slipped off the mare, keeping her hands flat in front of her in case she needed to launch herself off quickly for any reason. Aria's gait was a gentle pace but even so Silver couldn't hide the fact that she was still a bit nervous with nothing to really grasp onto. Despite this, she tried her best to radiate calm and sat up straight while they all advanced forward, focusing on the more exciting fact that she was taking the opportunity to ride a horse for the first time.

With no active zombies in sight, Silver felt her shoulders loosen up a bit as she watched Aisha welcoming them to her makeshift home. It wasn't particularly far from the record shop but it was still a ways away. Kiba sat when Aisha raised her hand, looking back at Silver to which she nodded at him from her perch. The quiet sound of glass scraping followed by a few bursts of dust signaled Aisha tidying up her little abode. They wouldn't be here for long, she assumed, but it was good to know she was hospitable.

"I think I'll be okay. Don't worry about it." Silver waved her hand dismissively, although after noting the distance between her and the ground, it probably would've been better to find something with some height to land onto. She mentally shrugged before beginning to slowly maneuver her way off of Aria's back. She managed to get into a sitting position where her legs dangled off the mare's side, tilting her head a bit to note the distance between her and the ground again before pushing herself off. There was an audible thud against the asphalt where she landed, taking a few swift steps forward to lighten her own fall, but Kiren was right when he said it could put a strain. Her body wasn't used to the hard tarmac surfaces of urban areas anymore. A jolt of weird pain shot up her legs, feeling more like pins and needles than a sprain which confused her for a moment but she brushed it off in silence and instead adjusted her trenchcoat.

Silver moved to stroke Aria's muzzle in a quiet appreciation, her eyes soon landing on the nearby bike that leaned somewhat haphazardly against the concrete wall of the shop. "I'll stay out here for now, if that's alright." It may be better for only one other person to go in with Aisha so that they still had eyes out here in case of any zombies or perhaps people looking for a place to raid. "How much do you need to grab? Silver looked to Aisha now, Kiba pricking his ears at the question as he looked to her as well.

[☪ℓυηαя∂яσρ☪]

Rikimaru asked who is next to post. They were supposed to do a long silly post for April Fool's but they forgot.