seeking a friend for the end of the world

[ostavil]

( The world is a shithole. Actually, that's putting it mildly, really, but Bucky's trying to be optimistic these days since there's nothing to be optimistic about anymore. As soon as the virus started spreading, he got his gear together and headed straight to the woods. Anything like this, you need to be as far from people as possible and he wasn't going to depend on his enhanced immune system to defend him from something like this. It changes people, rewrites them from the inside-out, and he's not sure that super serum can protect a person from that.

He tries to only go into populated areas for supplies and since he can hunt pretty well and survive on his own, supplies usually constitute bullets. On his last run, he'd gotten a compound bow out of a shelled-out sporting goods store and he's been looking for arrows ever since because what he can make in the woods isn't going to be strong enough for the draw on the thing. It's a white elephant right now but he's loathe to part with it. He does his runs at night when he can exploit the weaknesses of the totalitarian government that came into place after society disintegrated; dealing with scared soldiers with shoot-to-kill orders is not his idea of a good time.

It's a good run until he sees someone else and he touches his hand to the hilt of his knife just in case. Smaller person, doesn't move like one of the infected, clearly not military. An idiot. Fantastic. He tries to get the drop on them from behind. )

Either you've already gotten infected and aren't showing symptoms or you're a complete idiot. What are you doing out here? It's not safe.

( It's an understatement, really, the lack of safety and he almost laughs about it; two years ago, he might have been talking about a teenager sneaking out of their house at night and now it's not safe for anyone at any time of day. For this person to have survived this long, they're not completely stupid. He's closer now and he can see that it's a woman. )

I could have killed you or one of the patrols could have shot you without asking questions. What's worth those two outcomes?

Comments

[ostavil]

I can actually go without sleep for longer than you. Plenty of time for me to sleep tonight while you do a watch for me. I don't need that much if I have to go without. Winter Soldier special.

( Bucky rifles through their supplies again and gives her a protein bar. It's not the best but it's portable and he wants to get them moving as quickly as he can. )

Setting traps and gathering today. When the weather turns, we'll lose the berries and mushrooms, so we better get them now while they're still out there. I like to keep a store up of the useful shit to dry out too. Not that Willow Bark does much for me but if I was dying of a fever and we had nothing else, we'd be glad for it. You can tell me as much as you can about what's going on inside that QZ. I only sneak in at night but I haven't heard any of the gossip.

[chuju]

[ No, the protein bar isn't the best with its chalky cocoa flavor and dry yet chewy texture, but it's better than nothing. She might have her preferences, but Daisy learned not to be picky a long time ago.

Carefully chewing a bit of the bar, she listens to Bucky explain the basics of what it's like here, the details she'll need to remember if she's going to survive. When he comes to the mention of talking about things inside the QZ, though, she nearly flinches. She'd really rather not talk about things back there, but it would probably seem ungrateful and more than a little suspicious to tell him that. ]

I've never done anything like this, I grew up in cities, but I'm a quick learner and I can pull my own weight.

[ostavil]

Didn't think you'd be an anchor on me. Don't worry about it. If it's anything to you, I'm so damn lonely that as long as you didn't lead anyone back here, I'd let you stay for free. But I think you're not that kind of person so I'm really not worried about it.

( Bucky wipes at his left hand with his t-shirt, one of his very few tics, and gives her a look from under hooded lashes. )

You'll pick it up fast. It's just rote and repetition.

[chuju]

[ Holding the protein bar with her teeth, she leans over to tug on her boots, the only thing she'd done to get more comfortable last night for sleeping. They'd been left right within reach in case she needed to get up fast, but without any frantic need pulling her into action, she's able to take a moment to lace them up properly. She takes another bite of the bar as she straightens up again, talking around the tough mix of oats, nuts, and who knows what else while she grabs her bag. ]

I'll take your word for that and hope you're right.

[ Maybe it's overkill to take her bag with her, but out here, she's willing to lean into those slightly paranoid instincts for a while longer. She pulls to tighten the shoulder straps and then nods. ]

Okay, teach. Let's go.

[ostavil]

First thing I do every morning is check my trip wires. Now, we'd know if someone actually triggered them because they'd yell about being strung up in a tree but you want to make sure your ropes are tight and aren't frayed. I'll show you where you can walk to avoid them, too, so you're not the one getting strung up.

( Bucky merely jumps down from the top of the treehouse but he knows that Daisy may or may not be able to do that. )

Jump it if you can and spare yourself the climbing. I only put the ladders in to go up, not down.

[chuju]

[ Daisy watches him go, that super soldier serum making it look as easy as breathing, never mind that they're a good ways up. Eyeballing the distance, she decides it's better not to risk a broken leg just to show off, so she jumps with both hands out at her sides, sending out the slightest ripple of vibration to catch herself. There's a mild rumble as she lands, her knees bending with the impact, but it's not enough to be felt more than a few years away in any direction. ]

I can go up without a ladder too if I need to. [ She says with a shrug like it's no big deal. ]

[ostavil]

Neat trick. Could come in handy sometime. Let's check these trip lines. Of course, we already know nothing tripped them since we didn't get woken up by them but good to make sure they're sturdy anyway.

( Bucky goes over to the first one, hidden well in the grass and fallen leaves and soon to be buried under snow. )

See, the line's still taut and not frayed. I'm gonna climb that tree and make sure squirrels haven't chewed my net.

[chuju]

[ The snow isn't something she's looking forward to. Everything will become harder then, from finding food to just walking around. And if she's worried about her nightmares now... But it's inevitable, and the changing seasons aren't a problem she can outrun.

Carefully following Bucky's steps, she watches him closely. ]

Climbing trees. Yeah, okay.

[ That's one thing she's definitely never done before. She can jump over trees, but climbing them is going to require a totally different skill set. ]

[ostavil]

( Climbing trees is nothing he learned as a child and is really just a lateral transition of skill from climbing a rope or a cliffside and just making his handholds bark instead of niches in rock. Trees don't tend to be as dangerous but there's danger in anything and he can't get complacent.

Bucky shimmies his way up the tree and perches on the sturdy branch that is connected to his tripline and it seems like the squirrels haven't gotten to it. Yet, anyway. )

This one's clear. I check them every other day. It's a waste of time to do it daily but you want to look at it more than once a week or you run the risk of getting caught by nasty surprise. There's a hive up here. You think you can vibrate in a way to make these bees come out and abandon it?

[chuju]

[ In an attempt at learning something, she watches him make his way up the tree, trying to spot what he's grabbing hold of along the way and how he's leveraging his weight. It's a ridiculous exercise, though — the man's a supersoldier, he can probably bench press a car, so of course he can haul himself up into a tree.

His question takes her by surprise and she has to really consider her answer. Obviously, he's not allergic, but it would still hurt like hell to be stung. And if she's the one up there... ]

I'm not sure. Maybe? But you probably don't want to be up there while I try.

[ostavil]

Fair enough. Let me get back down to the ground and see if we can do it from there. If we can get them to swarm and abandon the hive, I can go back up there and get it. Seems a waste not to since it's on our doorstep.

( Normally he'd go through the pain of smoking them out but he thinks Daisy might be able to help him with this and he wants her to feel useful too, like she's contributing something other than good company for him. He makes his way back down the tree and hits the ground boots first. )

Showtime, I guess.