{Romantically Apocalyptic} Life at the End {Open RP}

The world was cold and dreary. Monochrome seemed to be the color scheme for what remained, the thick canopy of cloud cover overhead preventing any sort of sunlight to break through and heat up the planet for sufficient plant growth to thrive. Instead it was snowy and windy, with only the remains of once great cities - technological marvels of the day! - being the breeding grounds for all sorts of mutated cretins.

This was where a young woman could be found, hopping along and skipping through the rubble and debris. The broken down buildings served as a buffer to the winds though her long hair still tangled and snarled with each breeze.

Snow, as she had taken to calling herself, grunted as she landed, her knees bent and nearly landing straight on her butt. She remained in that position for but a moment before she straightened, skipping off to inspect some old mannequins that had frozen over or even broken in places.

"Well, hello there, dear sir, what might you be called?" she questioned one that still had what remained of a tattered suit on its frame.

A quiet pause followed suit and Snow nodded in response to whatever imagined answer she had been given. "I see and what of your lovely date? I hope you don't mind Snow's intrusion."

With that simple retort she hopped around in a new direction before taking off running. Behind the gas mask a smile was on her lips. If any other survivor, provided there were any, were to run across her they might think her insane. While there was merit in that thought this was rather a tactic of hers to keep from brooding too long and too hard on things that were unpleasant to her.

"You've been taking me in circles" Echo commented, clutching the bag at her side. "That's all it's been. Circles and more circles."

You have to trust me. A familiar voice whispered to her.

She was looking at someone, though, if any real people were alive, she knew they would be seeing nothing but air. No, this person was a figment of her imagination, something to ease her pain and loneliness. While she was fully aware this young man didn't exist, he still provided conversation. That luxury was something she lacked for many, many days. So long, she had forgotten how much time had really passed.

The world was dead, everyone who had been alive no longer lived, the plants and animals died as well. This left Echo on her own, to scavenge and continue living though, there was little to live for.

"Circles." She repeated, as if the figure would listen. "You're leading me...in...circles..."

She trailed off as the figure suddenly disappeared like a wisp. Where he had disappeared, she was left to gaze at a city, still partly in tact. This was where this illusion was taking her, it seemed; to this city.

She gripped the bag in both her arms, taking to a quick walk into the ruined city. Places like this were easy to scavenge. If items had survived, she'd use them; anything. She only hoped that the items she needed were here and nothing else.

Trouble came in big packages out here, after all. She didn't care to run into any trouble like that.

The hollow buildings that fenced the chunks of black stone that once had been a road echoed grimly with the harsh breeze. Broken bits falling from high above every now and again, reminding the silent world of it's presence and what it once stood for.

"Civilization. People."

A lone figure hesitates, standing completely still in the dirty gray snow and harsh wind. The echoes seem to grow louder as she stops and ponders her thoughts.

“People turn on other people, people do this.”

She spoke aloud, muffled by her breathing mask, but still with a feminine tone of voice. Her voice was startling in the dead air with nothing but the winds to answer.

Through sepia tinted goggles she scanned the snow and dead buildings. From the empty eye sockets that were once windows to the carcass of street covered in frost, this was not the old world she read about and longed for. This was not her elsewhere, this was the outcome of man and man alone.

This place was like a book to her by now, she's lurked so long in and out of it, why she knew it by heart. Every alleyway, every dead building, every lost tunnel of some forsaken creature. Landmarks fell together like fading text on a charred page.

The wind howled sadly and she kept walking, she didn’t like being alone in the world and alone in her thoughts. It’s better this way, she thinks, filling herself to the brim with hope and nostalgia for a world she never lived in. A beautiful world, an elsewhere, not the rotting exterior of a dead world and it’s people.

[[OOC: Just a heads up, Canned, I'm gonna play Mr. Snippy for Oki and Oki will play Pilot for you so if you could pick up Engie for me that'd be gold!]]

Snow kicked up some slushy snow listening to the sounds as it splattered back to the ground. Around her the sounds of the wind howling through the building could be heard creating a creating an atmosphere about the place.

The woman hummed to herself, picking her gaze up towards the sky. The gray looked red. Crimson red. If the mask lens was shades light she could have joked about wearing rose-colored glasses! Sadly that was not the case and she experienced the world in the shades of red she had grown accustomed to in the past months.

Nothing was never not red.

"Bloody red, a blood red snow~," she sang, taking note of the snowflakes that had begun to fall again. She danced, the fur of her coat rustling in the breeze as she moved and swayed and twirled, lost in her own little world.

----[x]----

He scowled beneath the mask, stumbling through another large snowdrift. He hated the cold, he hated the way things were... He especially hated how he was sent on ridiculous missions on behalf of Zee Captain. It didn't help that Pilot was always on his case about something, sabotaging him in some new way.

Mr. Snippy sighed wondering just what he had done in his life to deserve this. First he had been teased because he wasn't 'compatible' with the new technology in the world and now he had to deal with the likes of Captain and Pilot.

"Just my lucky stars this would be my life," he grumbled to himself, glaring about his surroundings. He had been sent off to find something Captain called a 'socket spry' - no doubt something from the man's own imagination.

And here Mr. Snippy had thought the man was acting sane for once and was about to ask for a socket wrench. That would show Mr. Snippy about believing in any sanity left in Captain's wretched brain!

So here he was in the ruins of a desolate city searching for something that didn't exist.

At least it netted him some peace and quiet, he reasoned.

The wind seemed to get worse with each step taken, soon snow was pelting Loki’s back, much to her displeasure. Never in her life had the wind startled her so much, whistling bitterly in the sky above. If it gets any worse, why it could knock bits from the buildings and crush her. Moving swiftly past the tall shells of buildings with their crumbling walls, she scanned the area for a place to sit this howling nightmare out.

Luckily, the exoskeleton of some old world car sat smack dab in the middle of the street. She walked briskly towards it and examined it’s roof and door. Caked with snow and rust, the roof was left with a sickening blood tint, a tint Loki did not see. The sepia tone of her goggles masked the frozen world in a lukewarm glow of the old world.

In the distance she heard the rumbling of plaster falling from some extreme height. The sound was like bones snapping and the silence afterward was terrifying. Sighing with relief, she sat down in the car, legs dangling out from the side. The wind howled, and she was lonelier than ever.

-{X}-

Deep within the tunnels of concrete and steel, a figure wrapped warmly in a jacket and face covered by a soft gold glow, made his way from one end of the city to the next. This was his domain, under the crumbling city and off gray snow, where he could get away from just about anything. Especially the mad man known as Zee Captain, who had ‘recruited’ him some time ago.

He paused, a loud thud echoed and shook the tunnels in which he wandered and dust came up from the way he came. Looks like he wasn’t getting back that way, not that he really wanted to anyway. Still, it was a burden to use the other tunnel systems. You never know what might be crawling down there and he’d rather not think of that right now.

Up ahead was a ladder system that could bring him back up to the city, from there on he can find the next tunnel. He paused once more and thought of his bunker, perhaps if he gets to it he can ignore the loons he’s met. Slowly, he ascended the rusted ladder and makes his way up top to the surface.

Echo spent a careful amount of time looking through items that littered the ground. Some fell apart as she touched them, others stayed in tact. Some were useful, some were junk, some were simple trinkets that she chose to keep.

These were how most of her days were spent. She had to find her next meal, a form of protection, and anything else she could use. This world was a harsh one and it held no form of mercy. If one didn't act quickly, they could die.

It was the one thing she still feared.

There was no one left who would remember her. She'd be forgotten, like the rest of the dead earth. She didn't matter. Than again, nothing did anymore.

She muttered to herself as she worked, simply to fill the silence around her. She tossed items about, moved carefully from one place to the next, and settled down again, searching out something different or useful.

Listening to the noises around her, she would only stop briefly until she confirmed it was safe. There were many noises in the ruined city; things that still fell apart despite standing tall for so long.

"Everything goes..." She muttered, going back to work. "Nothing lasts forever..."

It was a harsh truth but one she knew all too well. If there had been others in this world; she was sure they knew it too.

----[x]----

Pilot rummaged around for anything that would be useful to Zee Captain. Of course, Zee Captain had sent Mr. Snippy on another mission. Pilot didn't care for Snippy nor the fact that Zee Captain favored him for supply missions.

He would not, could not, stand for that! It was outrageous!

Pilot worked hard and the majority of the time, it might have only been to bring about Snippy's demise. Poor Mr. Snippy was too logically, too in tune with the world before, to really serve Zee Captain well.

Pilot had to be the only one to do so; therefore, Snippy had to go.

He skipped and spun, ignoring the cold around him. It was a thing to live with; this world. If one didn't get used to it, there was no point in living. He had to make peace with it, have as much fun as he could manage.

Coming to a halt, Pilot ran into a building with little regard of it's structure of what would be hiding inside. No, if it was for Zee Captain, he'd stare death in the face. This was no different. And he still needed to find a new way to sabotage Mr. Snippy.

In this new building; he might just find it. He couldn't wait.

The car creaked with every whip of wind, the buildings moaned and the world cried out. Loki’s eyes strained to make out her surroundings from her perch inside the car. The street looked familiar enough, but something was off. Something in the air was wrong, all wrong.

The uneasy feeling quickly spread as she watched the surrounding buildings. She swore she saw lights, lights of the dead dancing around through each crack of the wall.

“This is silly.”

She whispered, wrapping her arms around herself in an attempt to feel secure.

“You’re imagining things.”

She pulled her legs further into the car, her back pressed against the opposite door. She was silent, listening to the world around her, terrified and curious. Curiosity would the death of her, as she watched the buildings in the harsh breeze. The lights still danced, the souls of the dead here to haunt their world.

-{X}-

The wind whipped the fur from Alex’s coat as he stood on the surface. Soft ember glow to meet the off gray snow and dark blue gray clouds. He stood still, letting the wind hit him as he scanned the area. The last thing he would want is to capture the attention of some twisted creature.

With slow, calculated steps, he began to retrace his steps in hope of discovering another bunker to dwell in. After his last one was found by cancer, he had a mild fear of finding a new one. To find his own personal utopia only to have it ruined by some cretin squatting in it and attacking him.

Then again, a new bunker meant no Captain, at this point, that was good enough for him. The city lay ahead of him, gray buildings standing tall and crooked with it’s off colored snow and things that creep and crawl. He paused on it’s outskirts and sighed, against his better judgment, he continued in hopes of finding his utopia.

Instead of actively searching out the strange little device that Zee Captain had cooked up this time Mr. Snippy took his time to enjoy being away from the lunatics. He had wandered the streets, ignoring any cold chills that ran down his spine whenever he was hit by a particularly strong gust.

As he meandered through the streets, thinking about nothing in particular, his rifle strapped to his back, he began to hear the whisperings of something movement. This caused Mr. Snippy to freeze, straining his ears to catch it again.

There! It sounded as if something had been moved then tossed aside. It was faint but it didn't sound like anything he had heard from the mutated creatures running about.

He took his rifle in his hands, just in case. While he was sure it wasn't a monster he could never be too safe. Better safe than sorry, after all. He walked slowly, crouched low and using the falling snow and it's lack of proper visibility to his advantage. Maybe he could sneak up on whatever was making the sound.

----[x]----

She was traversing the surface streets at her leisure, still kicking up great piles of snow like a little child as she went. Her hair twisted and snarled in the air as the breezes continued to grow stronger. Was there a storm coming?

Snow frowned at this. She didn't particularly care for the blizzards that forced her into cover. It left her restless and antsy to go find some new adventure. It was especially horrible if the storms lasted for days!

The woman stopped suddenly, spotting movement from the corner of her eye. She turned, waiting to see if it was just a trick of the mind or not - some shadows playing mind games or something live? She had to know.

Snow shifted closer, leaning as if to regard whatever was moving in a better way without walking nearer to it. Her eyes widened a fraction at the sight of a person, someone stepping up from some hidden hole in the ground. He was dressed in dark colors, fur lining the hood that was drawn up over his head. She couldn't be sure of the color of his goggles due to the color of hers.

A brilliant smile light up her face at this. Real or imagined it was someone to play with! She began to walk closer, her beige and white clothes no doubt helping to blend her in with the snow, the city's building serving as the backdrop to make her stand out.

"Hey~!" she called out. "Where are you heading, Mr. Stranger~?"

Alex froze, breath hitching and a new sense of alertness sent through him. Like millions of red hot fire ants biting his skin to tell him he wasn’t alone. Up ahead was a figure standing in the snow and wind, hair tangling with every gust. A bright red light was admitted from her face, and that’s all he could make out, it was startling against the off gray snow and dingy buildings.

“Think back, did you get hit by debris in the tunnel? No, no you didn’t…”

Alex’s thoughts trailed off as he watched the figure come closer. It was obvious now by the way it carried itself that it was feminine in nature, the long hair just furthered his conclusion. But that wasn’t really important now, what was important was this mysterious stranger was real. And waltzing up to greet him.

This was risky situation, for all he knew this was some mad women who might try to kill him for his supplies. Not that he has much on him, but she doesn’t know that. Or, if she’s a perfectly sane individual in this world of mad men, maybe he could get her to help him lose Zee Captain. He has to show that he isn’t much of a threat, and fast.

Alex put his hand up, hoping it will be perceived as a friendly expression and not a challenging one. The last thing he’d want would be to fight a lunatic, especially by himself. With a hesitant step, he moved slowly back to the entrance to the tunnel, just in case this meeting turns rotten.

-{X}-

Eyes wide under the sepia tinted goggles of her breathing mask, Loki continued to watch her surroundings. Ever vigilant to any and every sound and movement, even if it was just the screaming wind and weight of the frozen snow. As she watched each warm snowflake fall and dance in the wind, the heavier her eyes felt.

It was still very cold, but her coat and the windbreaker of the car kept her comfortable. Almost a little too comfortable, nothing is even this calm.

“This is the calm before the storm.” She whispered, pulling her turtle neck a little bit higher, unaware of the numbness of her fingers.

The faux sense of security was melting with the warm nostalgia tint of her goggles, even the cold felt a little bit warmer. Curled up, knees brought to her chest, Loki closed her eyes and started to drift away.

But the wind continued to howl outside, and the snow seemed to get worse.

Echo lifted her head, taking note of the snow steadily falling. This wasn't something odd in this world; snow seemed to always fall. It was endless; had no start and never seemed to stop. But the wind that was blowing, wiping up the air.

Echo got to her feet, her gaze glancing about. Her limbs complained slightly from the sudden movement but she didn't seemed to mind. A storm was blowing in. She needed to find cover or risk freezing to death. She would have to leave her scavenging for another day.

She turned on her heel, ready to head toward an abandoned building. Even if the buildings were old, it would be the only place she could get to quickly to provide some form of shelter.

There was no time to linger; she had to move. She didn't take much notice to anyone watching. In fact, even if she had, she wouldn't have cared.

No one lived in this world anymore.

They were all illusions, created by her mind to relieve her loneliness.

So she wouldn't have cared; there wasn't anyone left anyways.

----[x]----

Pilot tilted his head to the side, watching the snow and the wind. No doubt, there would be a storm. But what would he do? He had to get back to Zee Captain soon. There was little time left and he didn't care to leave his captain alone for long.

So he took to walking out of the building. He didn't find much inside anyways. Instead, he'd take the road, see if he could find anything there before the snow got worse.

There was always something laying about after all; something that was entertaining or could be used. He only hoped the snow would hold up; there was no time to be delayed.

With a bump in his step, he began exploring old, wheeled cars left on the roads. If he found anything aside from skeletons inside, he'd be happy. Anything he could take back to Zee Captain to make him proud; that would leave him ecstatic.

“Hello?” He spoke confidently as he stood inches away from the sanctuary of his tunnel systems.

The figure seemed to skip closer and closer to him, harsh red light burning a hole in his eyelids every time he blinked.

There was nothing scarier then meeting someone so human and have to face the facts that they might be insane and try to kill you. It’s man devouring man in this forsaken city now.

-{X}-

Loki could feel her body get colder, with hesitant movements, she tried to make herself a little bit more comfortable in the car. The motion of her body in the old metal frame sent some snow off of the roof. It crashed to the ground with a sickening slurry sound. As if someone was wadding through dirty, melted snow.

She began to feel uncomfortable sitting in the car all alone, in the middle of the street like she was. She sat up right in the car sighing, and began digging in her bag for something to calm her down.

Her fingers brushed against the tattered books in her bag as she dug deeper for her prized possession. Feeling a hard object, she felt herself smile as she pulled out the small, rusted piece of jewelry. Once upon a time a gem would have still been in it, and the silver would be shinning, now the necklace chain was merely something she ran through her hands to calm herself.

When she had gotten close enough to the stranger, taking not that his form did not wave or disappear, or even that he still moved Snow's expression brightened. She couldn't recall the last time she had spoken to anyone living and able to speak back to her. She grabbed at his gloved hands with her own as if to reassure herself that he was living, that he threw off body heat and that it was not just an elaborate illusion the mind had conjured.

"Don't seem so wary, Mr. Stranger," Snow beamed up at him as if unaware that the mask hid most of her expression from the world. Around them the wind was blowing harder, snow being dragged up from the drifts it had settled in even as more fell.

"Tell me, Mr. Stranger, where are you going~?" Her voice had a playful tone to it, as it usually did. Whether she was aware of how cautious this man was being was anyone's guess.

----[x]----

The storm was brewing steadily. Mr. Snippy couldn't stay out much longer, not in this weather. No, he would have to find cover soon even as the movement he had been hearing and had been going to inspecting had vanished behind the sound of the roaring wind around them.

It was times like this that Mr. Snippy rather liked his gas mask. The blue lens helped to cut down on completely snow blindness. He could at least keep his eyes open for longer, to not be fully blinded and not have to worry about tears gathering at his eyes at all of the white.

Nearby he could see a building. Perhaps he'd take cover there, Mr. Snippy decided. There was no way he could just keep outside for much longer.

With a nod to himself Mr. Snippy hurried as best he could through the snowdrifts about the streets and past all the rubble, tripping up a few times. He'd take shelter in that building, come what may.

The snow was falling steadily now. Pilot often glanced up, gazing at the sky. A bump remained in his step as he pried open the doors to idle cars, no longer able to move. The movements kept him warmer, leaving him rather pleased despite the wind that buffeted him.

This patterned repeated for quite some time. He'd only stop when he saw a car that particularly caught his interest before he'd pry open the door. Some were easy but others, they refused to give. It often left the usually cheerful Pilot pondering what was so important inside that the car door would not give way.

Eventually, Pilot gave up on these cars. If he recalled them one day, he would get around the mystery.

From one to the next, he went. He stopped at one more, glancing inside. It wasn't so uncommon to see things remaining inside these cars. Some were even company to him. But they did not move. At least, not that he could recall. So why had this one.

Skipping toward the car, he moved to the passengers seat and, without hesitation, pried to door open. Pilot stuck his head in, studying the figure inside. He remained silent for quite some time, watching this figure, this living person that he had stumbled upon; a book clutched in her hands.

Quietly, he moved inside as well, seating himself in the passengers seat and even strapping the seat belt on as if he belonged there. He gazed out the window for a few more beats before his looked at the figure again.

"Are we there yet?" He inquired, waiting anxiously for this person to reply.

----[x]----

Echo found a place to settle, watching as the snow began to steadily fall. The building creaked and complained as wind buffed it but did not show any threats of falling. It was strange how so many of these buildings remained despite how old they were.

She glanced upward, floors still partly in tack, usable. She wouldn't attempt to traverse them, finding no need to. Unless she scoped out for supplies, she would remain sitting, knees pulled to her chest to conserve what warmth she could manage.

It was quiet for quite some time. Echo fought out any voice or lingering thought that she might see someone, something. These thoughts often found her when she was idle and alone. They descended upon her and tormented her, some distant hope that she was no alone in this world.

Illusions had been her friends and now, she even shunned them.

So when she heard a noise, even footsteps, she only believed them to be in her mind. Her gaze lifted, catching a faint blue glow. Echo shook her head, muttering to herself.

"It's not real," she mumbled. "There are no more people."

Something in her, something that she quash, didn't want to believe that however. Despite herself, her gaze lifted again, glancing at the blue light. She remained there, watching, momentarily forgetting about the cold air.

It was something, though, something real or illusion, she could not be sure.

Alex was shocked by the bizarre figure before him, she still held his hands as he stared in disbelief at the harsh red lens of her mask. Her eyes were barley visible in the glow of lava, but he could tell that she was smiling from the way the bent.

Finally, registering what she had said, he pulled his hands back and put a safe distance between himself and her. Just because she hadn't made any dangerous moves yet, didn't mean she was sane and not planning to hurt him. Although, given the size difference, Alex believed he could easily defend himself.

"Nowhere in-particular," He finally admitted, both to himself and this odd girl. He regarded how unfazed she seemed to be to meeting another person in this wasteland. Surely, she must be a little surprised at seeing someone in this endless field of terror and snow.

"Who are you?"

---{X}---

Hearing a voice rather then wind in the rusted old car made Loki jump. She had been so enthralled with her novel in hand that she hadn't even noticed the person seated besides her. Frightened, she let out a screech that could only match the wind and scrambled towards the door closest to her, heart beating faster when she was unable to open it.

She turned back towards the man, noticing his gas mask glowed a vivid green in the otherwise dead world. The symbolism alone peaked her interest, but she found herself at a lose for words. The wind howled and the man seemed just as spooked as she was, perhaps screaming wasn't her boldest move.

"Are we where yet?" She finally questioned tilting her head slightly. An old habit that had never really left her.

Snow blinked, taking a moment to register that the stranger had taken his hands out of hers, stepping back and keeping some distance between them. She hummed at this, clicking her tongue soon after though she did or said nothing over the matter. If Mr. Stranger felt safer with this distance she supposed she could accommodate... for now.

Her hands found their way to her hips, looking just a little affronted behind her gas mask at the question. A huff escaped her and she shook her head.

"How rude! Don't you know you should give your own name before asking someone her name?" She harrumphed again, another shake of the head following after. Her long hair swayed and twined in the wind that past by though she paid it no mind.

A moment or two passed before she placed a hand at her chest, a smile back in place behind her face albeit a confident one. Snow was not one to be fazed for too long with such things. In fact her moods always changed as quickly as they came and it left people put off and confused.

"Snow is cold! Snow is always cold so she is Snow!" she answered despite her earlier agitation. "And who is Mr. Stranger who is wandering neither here nor there?"

----[x]----

Mr. Snippy couldn't be sure how long he followed after the sounds he had originally heard. They weren't anything that could be associated with the mutated monstrosities, that was for sure. No, it seemed to him as if they had grown softer, more infrequent as it was. It made it far harder to track whatever was making the noises.

Follow he did, however. Mr. Snippy would be damned if he would give up. He'd rather not have Captain chewing him out for something stupid if he went back already as it was. To a building and inside he followed, even as the snow began to fall in larger and wetter clumps. The wet snow was the closest they ever got to rain.

He inspected the inside of the desolated and abandoned building carefully. At one point he tripped, causing a strange, almost reptilian-looking rodent to scamper away after it hissed disdainfully at him.

Hesitantly he finally called out, his hand itching towards his rifle just as a precaution. "Hello? Is anybody around here?"

He waited, holding his breath and wondering what his words might bring with them.

Pilot flinched slightly, his hands flying up as if to make a makeshift shield when the woman screamed. It wasn't a sound that was quite pleasant. Oh no, that was a sound of terror. He was left at a loss of what he had done to scare the woman. He'd only asked for their destination, after all. There was no harm in that, was there?

He blinked, though it would go unnoticed by this strange woman. He never would have thought there would be someone who reacted strangely to him. Than again, his companions had been stuffed animals and mutated beings as well as the Captain.

Pilot eventually lowered his hands when she seemed to calm, if only a little. She studied him and in turn, he did the same, tilting his head to one side lightly. He eventually lifted his index finger to where his lips would be.

"Shhhhh!" he started, throwing his hands into the air suddenly. "Or the monsters might find you!"

His hands fell back into his lap not a few moments after. Pilot leaned forward slightly, as if trying to get a 'closer look' at this woman. The space in between them was already cramped enough but Pilot seemed to disregard this anyways.

All at once, he pulled back when she finally spoke. Joy erupted in him, whether it was because someone actually spoke back to him or that he had gotten the woman to speak, he couldn't say for sure. Regardless, he found himself rather happy.

"We're going to places unknown! We're gonna fly!" Pilot shouted cheerily.

Whether the girl flinched at the loudness in his tone or not, it went unnoticed. Pilot was merely concerned with the moment, despite the dreary conditions outside. He wanted the stranger to feel the same way, less alarmed, if that was even possible.

----[x]----

Echo's head jerked in the direction of the noise. Again, another one, a voice rang out. She resisted a frustrated shout. How many more voices or noises would she have to suffer through until it just went away? She didn't want any more false hopes, didn't want to be hurt again.

She pushed herself to her feet, hugging around her waist. Echo began to pace, not seeming to care how loud her footsteps were. She had dealt with the creatures in this wasteland before. She would do it again, if she had to.

She blinked, lifting her head as the voice rang out again. A scowl remained on her lips though, it was hidden behind her mask. She halted, shifting her weight as if debating on what to do. She glanced in the direction the voice had come. She could make out some movement in the shadows, a distinct blue glowing in the distance.

Echo warred with herself. She couldn't trust this, not when so many others were simple tricks of her mind. It was driving her insane slowly. What made this instance any different then the others? Lifting her head, she glanced at the 'person' again. They kept their distance, waiting her out. Perhaps they thought she was a danger or even not real.

But she was. Echo knew that she was real. Everyone else was fake. That's how it had always been, right? It had always been this way, right?

She took a step forward, then another, slowly approaching the 'person', gazing at them curiously. Echo hated the thought of this one being fake, like all the others. She didn't want to approach. Yet she felt compelled to.

"Just one more try," she muttered to herself. "One more time."

Echo halted, just a little ways from this form, eyeing the 'person' carefully. She could spy a weapon slung over her shoulder and stiffened a little. There were others out there who carried such thing and had hurt her. If this was a person, someone that wasn't created from the depths of her mind, she hoped they weren't out to hurt her.

"Who...who are you?" she finally asked, hesitant as it was.

Alex couldn't help but gawk at such a bizarre remark. In a sense it was poetic, even thought provoking but in the other, more rational, sense it was just madness.

And just a little bit too familiar. Alex shifted his weight and regarded her through his amber lens. Even her mannerism and quick shift of mood was bizarre, even eccentric. But, unfortunately not strange to him. This 'Snow' as she called herself seemed to be no saner than Zee Captain.

Here's hoping she won't be as demanding.

As his amber stare continued to watch her, he began to relax a bit. Or perhaps it was the freezing wind and snow that was numbing his body. Which ever it was, he was grateful for it. From what he's learned from watching Snippy and Zee Captain, the best way to deal with the insane is to play their game. Whether one wanted to, or not.

"They call me Engie where I'm from."

Couldn't really go wrong with aliases at this point. In fact Alex would have been more surprised if Snow had given him a real name.

The wind picked up, and the pure white snow danced in the air before lofting slowly onto the icy ground. He was reminded of the never ending cold around him and felt a shiver start up. He couldn't help but wonder how cold Snow might be.

Figuratively and realistically of course.

---{X}---

Loki flinched at the sudden volume in the mans voice. Thankfully he wasn't as close as he was before, that was a little unnerving. The green glow of his gas mask still left a vivid hue on her face, lighting up her features.

She leaned forward a bit, pulling her legs to her chest and resting her arms on them. She certainly surprised herself with that scream, in fact it was rather embarrassing. She always held herself in high regard for her ability to be so silent while exploring, this was unlike her!

Loki desperately wished she had a full faced mask, what she wouldn't give to hide her face from the glow and the man. She pursed her lips slightly, squinting through her own tinted goggles.

"Fly?" She finally questioned, a whimsical hint to her tone.

The concept was inviting. Flying far away from this place, going anywhere else in the whole world. Like the people from the old world, flying anywhere their hearts desired!

A smile broke out on her face that reached her eyes and made them crinkle in delight. Why if she could fly like the people from the old world maybe she could find somewhere, anywhere, not in ruins like here. Anywhere but here seemed like a dream.

Loki was so deep in thought of flying and wandering that she didn't really notice her hand twisting and twirling her short hair into a little matted strand.

"Who are you?" She finally asked, dragging herself from her thoughts and tilting her head once more.

Snow delighted in the fact that this man, the one named Engie, answered more favorably. A brilliant grin lit up her face, half of it hidden from Engie's view. That didn't stop Snow from grinning, however.

Rocking forward and back on her feet she took to watching him for a moment. The way he relaxed a few seconds after didn't escape Snow's notice though she didn't comment on it. There wasn't any need to. Either he felt one way or another and no amount of pointing it out did anyone any good.

A startled sound escaped her as the wind picked up, brief as it was. She'd hunched down on herself, hair trailing along with the wind. A violent shiver wracked down her spine a moment later before she straightened and smiled again, looking as if she'd never stopped.

"And what does an Engie do when he is away from prying eyes?" she prodded lightly, curiosity bubbling up inside her.

As if bored with rocking on her heels she stopped abruptly. Instead she took to bouncing on the balls of her feet, small attempts to keep warm in some matter. Snow was always moving, always striving for warmth now-a-days.

----[x]----

Snippy had to stop, blinking at the young woman that had seemingly appeared before him. He had been staring around, trying to pinpoint the source of the noise — or rather, where it had gone off to. At least this way he was assured in some way. There was no monster that would lunge out at him, not today at least.

"I suppose I'm Snippy," he answered hesitantly. A frown lined his lips behind his gas mask.

It was difficult to tell the sort of person she was. Her blond mop of hair stuck out from behind her own gas mask but there was still too much distance to see the top half of her face through it. It was shrouded, hidden away from him.

Snippy shook his head. There was no need to get frustrated over that just yet. It wasn't like everything else that had gotten weirder and weirder in the last few days. Snowflakes and mugs and ladybugs... He still had no clue what was going on, despite Engie's insistence that he need to settle down.

"And you are...?" he prodded the young woman, unwilling to think about those instances for the time being. They'd just leave him frustrated.

Snippy waited then, unsure of what he might be dealing with. She seemed hesitant, unwilling to rush forward with anything. Perhaps it was just because he had appeared, perhaps she'd even thought herself alone in the world. Before Zee Captain, Snippy had thought the same thing, after all.

Pilot blinked, watching as this woman seemed to calm down, change positions. Outside, snow was falling thicker though, it went unnoticed by him. For the moment, he was focused on the survivor he had 'run into'.

He stared ahead himself, wondering what she was seeing. Silence seemed to rule for quite a few moments. He'd glance back, take note of her expression. It switched from curiosity to a smile. He could tell by the way her eyes squinted when she looked at him.

She toyed and twirled her own hair, glancing back at him. Pilot waited for her to speak up. When she did, he felt excitement rush through him.

"My name is Pilot!" He boated. "I am an agent to the great Captain!"

He leaned toward her a little, as if closely studying her again. Pilot did this for a long moment before pulling away. He pointed to her a moment later.

"Who are you?" He shot back, anxiously awaiting for her to speak up again.

He felt so much excitement rush through him, he nearly started bouncing in his seat. It had been a long while since he felt this much joy rushing through him. He quite liked the boost and hoped it would stick around.

----[x]----

Echo watched this male from a distance for a short time, taking him in. He didn't look like the others. Most didn't have the masks that they both wore. For the longest time, she had wondered how those people had survived. That was until she figured out they were not real at all.

They weren't, right? And neither was he? Right?

She took a couple of cautious steps forward, her hands clasped, brought to her chest, as if trying to create some makeshift shield. It didn't appear that he was going to harm her, real or not.

His 'name' came soon after. One that didn't really sound like it. Most had adopted nicknames since the world came to an end. It seemed he wasn't much different.

"I...don't remember my name," she started carefully. "They've called me 'Echo' for a long time."

Echo took the time to glance him over again, noticing the red around his neck. If it was a bother to this man named 'Snippy', he didn't make mention of it. It seemed the least of his worries, after all.

Whether he was studying her as well, she could only assume. His mask was not the same as hers, covering his face and eyes. All she could assume was that he was watching her, mulling over what to say next.

As the wind picked up, the fur circling Alex's head whipped harshly one way. The small void of exposed flesh along the bridge of his nose and cheeks was getting redder and redder with each freezing gust. He could feel a shiver coming along and just as his body was about to react to the weather, Snow made him jump.

She cringed forward, knees in her chest and head down, a yelp of a scream that matched the wind buzzing in his ears echoed around the two. A twitch of a shiver seemed to race down her hunched form.

Her hair whipped along side the wind and quickly fell as it did. His reaction went unnoticed by her, the glow of her goggles indicated that her eyes were on her feet and the crushed snow beneath them.

As startling and bizarre as her little display had been, she looked back at him. If fact, she seemed to act like nothing had happened at all. With an even, and even curious, tone Snow asked what it was that he did. Away from 'Prying Eyes'.

Alex gave this some thought. True, when he was away from that maniac Zee Captain and his band of merry madmen's prying eyes, he took to the sewers and tunnels of the frozen city. He supposed he didn't do much, simply explore.

"Explore mostly."

Alex answered honestly, noticing the odd way Snow moved. Almost like she had to use the restroom or had a leg fall asleep. Maybe she was just cold, he knew he certainly was, and he was dressed far warmer than she.

---{X}---

A million questions raced through Loki's mind. What kind of a name is Pilot besides an acting title? And who was the great Captain? If memory served, a Captain was someone with authority over an area or unit of people. Could the man in the glowing green mask be a soldier of some sorts? He certainly had the build for it.

Loki swatted that thought as quickly as she could. Now is not the time to think of such things, she scolded herself, you barely know this guy!

Arguing with herself was something she learned to do to pass the time. It gets so lonely wandering as she did and after awhile she makes up scenarios and stories in her head. It really captivated her.

She was so deep in though she didn't hear his question right away. Or notice how the snow seemed to fall at a harsh angle. Or how cold it was starting to get. A storm must be brewing.

"Oh, well," She drawled on a little sheepishly, "I suppose I'm Loki."

The name was picked from a long forgotten God of Norse mythology that she happened to read about in a book. The name sounded pretty enough and she decided to keep it. For some reason, she couldn't recall her own name no matter how long she tried.

"Who is the great Captain, Pilot?"

» Romantically Apocalyptic Character Sheet: Echo
» Romantically Apocalyptic Character Sheet: Snow
» Romantically Apocalyptic Character Sheet: Loki
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