[PRP] Embers (Buffel + Tevini)

[Doutei]

in night - as coals begin to die
for light - we look to the sky
the sight - beckons us to fly

it's bright - would you care to try?

 

[Doutei]

It was amazing how quiet the desert could be.

Looking across the sand, a girl admired the dark horizon. The dune was free of footprints and for all purposes looked unexplored- uncharted. Empty.

More than ever, Tevini was finding herself torn between her past and future. She wanted to stay alone, find more spaces free of other people. On the other hand, she needed them- whether for help or reasons she didn't fully understand. She felt obligated to protect them now. Yet how could she? She wasn't particularly strong.

That's why she'd had to call Buffel.

"Find anything else?" Snapping out of her thoughts, Tevini turned to look at her companion. They'd been out here for at least an hour or two now, scouring the desert for more scrap metal she could use. She was pleased with some of the pieces he'd uncovered and hoped to find at least two more. Already though, Tevini could feel the back of her legs begin to burn from climbing so many dunes. The redblood didn't spend as much time exercising her body as she did her mind.

tenaciousgadabout

you can assume tevini contacted him to come here as a job

 

[tenaciousgadabout]

The moons seemed to hang closer in the sky that night. Iridescent pink and green washed over the dunes of sand, with scattered shadows in the dips in between. Buffel trudged through, offering only the occasional short sentence to his companion. He didn't have to wear any gauze over the scars on the left side of his face, but each movement still caused him to wince slightly. In his arms were the necessary pieces of scrap the two had found.
Ahead of him, he could hear Tevini panting. He briefly reflected possibly having to carry her back if it got too close to sun-up. When she turned and asked for an update on fondings, he replied in kind.
”Nothin’. Might need to rest soon.”
Her her expression looked worried, but not how he'd remembered. When they first met, he understood her doubts to be concerned with the kind of figure he cut. This was a more far-off look, one of escape. She wanted to go to the stars, and they were lookin' a touch brighter to him these days too. That was one main reason for his accepting of the contract.


”Let’s do that now. you'll need rest for walking our way back before sun-up.”

Doutei

Time for some star gazing!

 

[Doutei]

"Alright. We can sit down over here." Tevini nodded, accepting the offer of a break. She was learning to pace herself, slowly. Sitting down, she hoped that she hadn't been pushing Buffel to work too hard as well. He was very professional in that he wasn't the type to complain or ask for things. Tevini understood that and how it'd made her nervous about speaking up whenever she truly needed something.

"Thank you, once again, for your help tonight. I still need a lot more parts." The redblood admitted. "If you ever find anything out here that you think I'd be interested, please let me know. I'd pay, of course." The engineer requested. She did her best to scour the desert and local areas but could always use another set of eyes!

"... it's colder than usual tonight, isn't it?" She mumbled after the conversation fell quiet and they sat awkwardly in silence. Tevini had never been good at small talk.

tenaciousgadabout

figured the cowboy should get the honor of starting the fire! : )

 

[tenaciousgadabout]

The yellowblood sat down and began unpacking. He had brought a small rucksack with him for storage, which hung on his shoulders under his trademark sarape. He put the scrap inside and removed some tinder. It was hard to come by out here, and packing a bit always helped. As the Redblood thanked him for his assistance, he offered a curt, ”Weren’t nothin’, don’t mention it.”
She went on to offer payment if he ever found anything of note to her. Upon this assertion, Buffel stopped unpacking to wave his hand at her dismissively.


”You ain’t gotta pay. I’ll be out here anyways, it won’t be no trouble.”


After that, a long silence followed. Buffel went about taking a look at what he’d left in the pack since he last went gadding about in the desert. Some expired scraps of food, a piece of flint, rope, a few untaken contracts, his harmonica, and some feed. He held the harmonica in his hand for a bit, mulling it over before pocketing it in his pants for later.
Tevini mentioned being cold, so he removed the flint and tinder as well. Not a few scratches later, a small flicker began to form. Buffel crouched against the wind, shielding it. His sarape was draped all across his shoulders like a blanket, and he motioned for Tevini to join him.


”Come on, it’ll be warmer if we sit together. Truth be told you don’t gotta pay me for this excursion. I needed a night out in the desert, and havin’ company that ain’t The Spirit is good every once in a while.”


He added more tinder to the fire slowly, taking care not to snuff it. The embers burned bright, but they paled in comparison to the stars in the sky. Out this far, ain’t no light pollution gettin’ in the way o’ that glorious canvas of shimmering color. The boy looked to the direction of the space towers. Chittentown’s stood, a dark spire in the bright sky. Just the one spire now.


”I’ve been starin’ at the sky more now. After all the hubub with the towers, you’d think I would be tearin’ off the idea of space, but it’s the opposite. Figured if anyone might know why, it’d be you.”

Doutei

Sad musing time!

 

[Doutei]

"Thank you, that's very kind of you." Tevini spoke softly as he refused payment. Despite being a mercenary for hire, Buffel was always nice to her about discounts and freebies. She felt bad for denying him a fair night's pay but didn't want to insult his pride. Supposed that he understood the kinship of being a lowblood, they needed to stick together. Highbloods rarely gave handouts.

Comforted, she took a seat next to him.

"The space ladders, you mean? It's horrible what happened in Civisect." Tevini's voice was serious and somber. She was lucky to have been spared that. Sure her experience in Chittentown hadn't gone flawlessly either but it was one thing to have a bomb threaten to explode. It was another for it to actually do it.

"... are you looking to space as a means of escape?" She asked after taking a few quiet minutes to mull his words over. Buffel was not the kind of troll (from what she'd seen) to run and hide from things- this was a different side she didn't expect. It made her curious and concerned. Tevini had developed in interest in space out of fear- was Buffel the same? Or was it something else?

A pair of twinkling eyes flickered in her mind. Destinations. It'd taken a remarkable troll to change her way of thinking about space.

"I don't mean to accuse you or say that's bad. It's just important to think about these kinds of things. What our intentions are."

tenaciousgadabout

super sorry about the wait! gonna try to be more on top of reply times for the remainder of the event!

 

[tenaciousgadabout]

As Tevini sat, he held the sarape out for her to join under. The flames were growing larger now, licking the boot he’d positioned closest to it. The warmth helped greatly in the face of the strong night winds. The kindling had been packed neatly and closely, assuring a long-burning fire as long as they shielded it from too much wind. The yellowblood snapped from his stupor.
”No, I ain’t runnin’ or nothin’. I’d just...like to have a place away from all this. I got people to protect, and I wanna make sure they’re all safe.”
He pondered just how much that list had been growing lately. He didn’t like it.
The more people ya care for, the harder it gets to protect ‘em all.


He looked up from the fire, back to Tevini. ”You always seem to be lookin’ skyward, I don’t think I ever asked you what really makes ya so keen on the place?”

Doutei

 

[Doutei]

"I... feel like you're not telling me the full story." Tevini frowned, picking her words carefully. She didn't understand Buffel's words but didn't want to sound like she was attacking him. He said he wasn't running but yet he wanted a place away from everything? She thought that was what escaping meant. Whether that included other people or not didn't change the definition.

"Space isn't safe, to be honest." The redblood glanced over at her companion apologetically. She didn't want to shatter any hopes he'd had- just to educate him a little. Hopefully he wouldn't take her words to sound harsh or condescending- especially not judgemental.

"I became interested in space because I was afraid. I wanted to get out of here." After these words, the teen slowed down. She didn't like to talk about herself much and was a very private person. Realizing she didn't know much about Buffel's thoughts on the hemospectrum or loyalties, the girl started thinking over what to say that wouldn't admit to anything that could endanger her if he turned out to be aligned with the crown.

"I know where I stand on this planet. But maybe out there... well, I'd either be free or dead."

tenaciousgadabout

 

[tenaciousgadabout]

”"Not much a full story to give, to be candid with ya. I gots people who I need safe, you got a safe place fer me to take 'em. Iff'n they want to go, that is.” He dropped the sarape when she showed no sign of needing it. He stroked a finger in the sand as she talked, weaving a pattern back and forth.

”"Space is safer'n here is all I can tell. Royalty ain't gonna find us out in the great black yonder.”

He stopped to admire his pattern for a moment before rubbing his hand all across it, erasing it. He turned to Tevini, a serious look on his face. he held it for all of a couple seconds before flashing his teeth, grinning ear to ear as he boasted,

”Well that's not likely! You won't be dead if everyone's with ya, you can be sure o' that!”

He patted his pistol reassuringly as he so often did.

”I'm not lettin' anymore friends get hurt while I can stop it. I'll jump in first if that's what it takes!”

Doutei

Sorry this took so long! I had animation tests for companies spring up but they're all done now so I'm ready to get back to regular tagging!

 

[Doutei]

"I see." Tevini nodded in response to Buffel's words. His determination was clear and she appreciated his straightforwardness. She was a secretive person who couldn't so easily open up about these kinds of things. Nor was she usually very inclined to help protect others. Tevini was not very strong and didn't have confidence in her ability to save anyone. It was something she was working on.

If she built a spaceship, would she be able to save everyone? Not likely, when she considered the amount of trolls the rebels would expect her to fly as well as the reach of the queen's lusus. Tevini feared that even if they did get off this miserable planet, what defenses would they be able to build against that? Nothing seemed like it would work. But that was neither here or now, she needed to stop scaring herself out of things.

"You do that. I'm sure they'll appreciate it." The redblood smiled at Buffel's proclamation. It was admirable of him to protect his friends. Lucky trolls, whoever they were. Spirit and drive was all he'd need to go far and it looked like he had plenty of both. She'd borrow a little from this tonight for herself.

"I'm sure somehow, you and your friends will make it. But for now, we should head back to town. It's starting to get light." Standing up and dusting herself off, the mechanic glanced at the sky once more. There was still a lot to do and it wasn't going to be easy. When it got hard, she'd just have to learn to rely on trolls like this to help keep her on her feet.

tenaciousgadabout

finished! thanks for the rp! go forth buffel and conquer! here's hoping i can get my stuff together to set up another rp with you soon!