World War Beg For Food: S3

[13:23] * Oxford changes topic to 'Caution: No vehicles beyond this point without military authorization'
[13:28] <@Oxford> Compared to Glasholme, the mainland feels still and warm. The journey south takes the girls past rolling coastal plains covered in green grass and wildflowers, and the fresh country air fills their lungs after too much time spent next to the sea.
[13:29] <@Oxford> Henriette only has to detour from the main highway twice: once to let a convoy of trucks past, and once when a bridge along the route was out due to bombing. As they approach the front, however, a sign warns that vehicles will not be permitted any closer to the fighting. The car has taken them as far as it can.
[13:34] <Lily_Blevins> Lily pops open the door and looks aournd a bit, scanning the scenery.
[13:36] <Naida> With a yawn, Naida drags herself from the car. She rubs her bleary eyes and considers just crawling back in for more sleep.
[13:49] <@Oxford> The area they've stopped in is at a crossroads. The main, paved road south is blocked by a sawhorse painted in red and white stripes. A dirt road intersecting it cuts east to west, and seems to form the border of the active military region.
[13:50] <Lily_Blevins> Any forests?  Things on the side?
[13:50] <@Oxford> West seems to lead in towards farmland, and flatter terrain, while to the east there seem to be larger hills with some areas of forest interspersed between the fields.
[13:56] <@Oxford> In both directions are farmhouses, though the ones to the east look to be easier to avoid. In either direction, they'll have to cross the dirt road, and when they do it would be best if they weren't seen.
[13:57] <Lily_Blevins> "We're going along the east hills, there's plenty of cover by trees there, and it seems to be less inhabited.  That sound good?"
[13:58] <Naida> "Yeeeaaaaawwwwwwn." That seems to have been an affirmative.
[14:06] <@Oxford> She turns left, onto the lumpy dirt road. The surface itself is dry and firm, if a bit bumpy, but small puddles in twin parallel ditches along their direction of travel show the signs of a recent passage by heavy transport vehicles. Their speed along this road will be slower, but they shouldn't have to travel far to find a suitable location.
[14:08] <Lily_Blevins> "Hmmm..."
[14:11] <Lily_Blevins> She just leads the others along the east hills, staying close to the trees, if the others have no objections.  She's makes it a point to move from tree to tree, having cover at all times in a heavy mlitary area is important
[14:19] <@Oxford> Though the trees are in fairly small patches, by combining them with the rolling hills Lily is able to keep the party out of sight from any observers to their south. The advantages of her penchant for the outdoors is apparent to the others: while she moves effortlessly through the underbrush, Naida and Henriette both find themselves struggling to avoid the branches and brambles.
[14:21] <Lily_Blevins> Lily goes a bit slower than she normally would, of course, to make sure she doesn't leave either of the other two behind.
[14:23] <Naida> After a few branches to the face, Naida wakes up properly. She grows more comfortable stalking through the foliage.
[14:27] <@Oxford> After walking for about a kilometre, they reach a steeper area of hills. A narrow valley runs south, too steep for farms but gradual enough for the trees, which grow thickest around a small creek at the bottom.
[14:28] <Lily_Blevins> "That looks like a good spot for a break.  It's running water, so it should be fine to drink, and I imagine there'll be fish we can catch or fruit we can gather."
[14:31] <Naida> "Suppose using magic to fish is overkill?" Naida smirks.
[14:31] <@Oxford> Come to think of it, she is getting pretty hungry. The small meal she had before they left was hours ago.
[14:31] * BigTentacruel is now known as Henriette
[14:39] <Henriette> Hunger is digging it's way into Henriette's stomach as well. Her face is a mesh of irritation and determination and probably a little exhaustion setting in. She's had to drive carefully, trying her best to avoid main roads where patrols would spot them. Would it be too much to steal from a farmhouse if they came across one?
[14:41] <@Oxford> That too is a possibility. They passed several as they walked, with Lily carefully keeping the forest or low hills between them and the homes. Most showed no sign of activity, and may have been exvacuated already to keep the civilians out of harm's way. The lack of activity in the farmland supports this conclusion.
[14:42] <Lily_Blevins> "Would you be okay with someone with raggedy clothes breaking into your house and stealing something you made?"
[14:43] <Henriette> "Most of the farms we've seen have been empty. We're still far from a populated area."
[14:44] <Lily_Blevins> "Personally, I'd rather not.  I'm sure there's enough food to go around if we get fish or squirrels or similar.  If we're lucky, we might even be able to get a deer and have some venison."
[14:45] <Naida> Speaking of, how much wildlife has there been?
[14:49] <Henriette> "...Do either of you know how to skin an animal?"
[14:49] <@Oxford> There have been fewer large animals than Naida is used to, compared to hunting she's done in the wilderness - this area has probably been hunted by the local population already. There are about as many squirrels as she would expect, however. From here, it's hard to judge the capacity of the stream, though it's size means they won't get any fish much larger than a finger, and perhaps some turtles.
[14:50] <Lily_Blevins> "I haven't done it often, but I'm capable of it."
[14:50] <Naida> "I used to hunt all the time with my dad. Though the area is looking pretty...sad. If we don't want to have to massacre a family of squirrels for enough to feed us all, we might wait at the stream to see if any deer are still around."
[14:54] <Henriette> "Very well. Though, I think any farms we pass with food still stored away aren't going to have it much longer. The war's going to outlast the mold."
[14:56] <Lily_Blevins> "...if we have to, then fine, but I don't want to do it heedlessly.  You never know who might be hanging around one of those places."
[14:59] <Henriette> They should have armed themselves. Henriette regrets not stealing a rifle when she had the chance. Maybe there might still be one on one of these farms, but probably not with all the soldiers having already passed through. It'll probably be easier to steal one from a patrol if they encounter one.
[14:59] <Naida> Shame the stream isn't bigger, she could probably simply bathe in it and all the fish near her would go into shock from the hallucinogens! "How about we spend an hour looking for live animals, and if we have nothing after that, we pop into a house?" Naida inspects the trees in the area, looking for something to build a basic bow with.
[15:02] <Henriette> "A good compromise," Henriette agrees. It's honestly kind of frustrating that her talents aren't really useful in the wilderness like this. She's better at sewing and sailing, not hunting and building fires.
[15:10] <@Oxford> In no time, Naida finds a long, straight sapling that will serve nicely. She doesn't have the materials on her to carve and wax it into a proper bow, but with a bit of twine for bowstring it will be suitable for a short-ranged shot at least. The arrows are trickier, but she gets five thin, straight branches together, sharpens the tips, and ties on strips of cloth for fletching.
[15:19] <@Oxford> However, even after an hour spent silently concealed by the stream, nothing larger than a squirrel has appeared. Naida knows she's done everything right, even sending the rest of the party back over the hill so that they won't disturb the game. If she waited all day, she might be able to get something, but it seems to be as she feared: the area has been hunted bare.
[15:20] <Henriette> "I... err... can I help somehow?" Henriette asks Naida in a hushed voice.
[15:25] <Naida> Naida returns to the group with a frown. "Doesn't look like we'll be able to get anything more than squirrel, and that will be quite time consuming for little reward." She looks to Henri. "Um...I tore my shirt while getting into position. So next time we stop, if you could mend it, that would be great!" She glances down at the sizable hole exposing her stomach.
[15:28] <Henriette> ...That seems a bit superficial, but she supposes it's better than doing nothing. "I can do that, mais... I meant more with finding food. I... I am not very good with animals, mais I know the land well." She sniffs the air. "Et I have a very good nose. I know when someone needs a bath," she jokes, ruffling Naida's hair.
[15:33] <Naida> "Hmmm...maybe you could help Lily try to find suitable vegetation? There really isn't much for animals."
[15:34] <@Oxford> Lily returns in time to see their exchange. She has about two handfuls of wild raspberries, tucked into the pouch made by holding up the hem of her shirt. Her, ahem, 'investigations' have shown the berries to be ripe and sweet, though there aren't many to go around.
[15:35] <Lily_Blevins> "Raaaaspberries~"
[15:35] <Lily_Blevins> "Not a lot, but it's something~"
[15:38] <Henriette> "Thank you, Lily."
[15:39] * TemporalMechanic ([email protected]) Quit (Ping timeout: 240 seconds)
[15:39] <Naida> "So...uh...it's been an hour and we don't really have all that much to show...so..."
[15:40] <Lily_Blevins> "...so long as it's only what we need."  She wipes some of the berry juice off of her dress, licking her fingers.
[15:43] <Henriette> "We'll still need protein. You can't fight on berries alone."
[15:43] <Lily_Blevins> "Yes, I know, it's fine, but only if we're cautious about it."
[15:43] <Lily_Blevins> "Getting things from farms, that is."  She sighes.
[15:43] <Naida> Naida crawls up one of the higher hills, keeping low. She takes a look around for a promising farmstead.
[15:43] <Lily_Blevins> She'd thought there'd be enough food, but that's only for her alone.
[15:54] <@Oxford> The nearest farmhouse they passed was a large one up on a hill, but it had a truck parked in the driveway. They could backtrack to that one, or push on south and check the next one they find.
[15:55] <Henriette> "I could check the last one alone and you two can press on ahead to see if there's more. It'll be easier if just one of us goes, after all."
[15:58] <Naida> "Hm...Lily, what do you think?"
[15:59] <Lily_Blevins> "Are you sure you want to check a farmhouse with a truck there?  You might get spotted, and if you're alone, we don't know what might happen to you."  Ugh.  She thinks about how much she wishes she could just be silly instead, but that won't help anything.
[16:02] <Henriette> "If I'm caught, I'll say I got lost and that I was just trying to make it home. If you have anything reflective on you, I will be able to talk to you." She smiles. "You are both good with the natural world in your own ways. Leave people to me."
[16:05] <Lily_Blevins> "...if you're really that confident..."
[16:06] <Naida> If only there were more shadows. "Well...alright then. Suppose the pendants are reflective enough. Just make sure to do it quickly if you're in trouble!"
[16:10] <Henriette> Nodding, Henriette slips away. She makes a beeline for the house, but she stops at the edge of the trees to get a good look at the land around the house. Is the truck still there? Has it moved? She's looking for any sign that people might be active inside.
[16:20] <@Oxford> The truck is right where it was before, and there isn't any smoke coming from the chimney. The windows are narrow and set high in the farmhouse's stone walls, almost like arrow slits in a castle, but they don't appear to have curtains in front of them.
[16:22] <Henriette> Henriette bunches up her skirts and makes her way slowly and quietly down to the back of the farmhouse, staying low and hiding behind whatever sort of brushes and haybales or whatever might be around.
[16:26] <@Oxford> She approaches quietly and confidently up to the farmhouse walls. Above her, she can see a narrow window, up a little too high for her to see in. The stones are cut smoothly enough that climbing them will be difficult, but she only needs a few extra feet to peak inside. She may be able to find something to stand on.
[16:27] <Henriette> Is there a stool? A bucket? Surely they have something.
[16:29] <@Oxford> A small wheelbarrow lays on its side next to the grape trellis. If she leans it up against the wall, she'll have more than enough height to see inside.
[16:30] <Henriette> Gonna try that then! She hefts the wheelbarrow and moves it carefully to make sure it doesn't creak before moving it. Wouldn't want to give anything away while she scouts the place out. Why are all these windows so damn high?
[16:35] <@Oxford> She gets the wheelbarrow leaned up against the wall, nice and steady, and climbs up to look inside. By putting her fingers just over the sill of the window and pulling herself up onto the tips of her toes, she gets a good view of the inside of the house.
[16:41] <@Oxford> Henriette finds herself looking down into a large dining room, with a simple wooden table at the center of it. There are places set for a half-dozen people, the flatware plain but clean on a plaid tablecloth. It appears the house is occupied.
[16:42] <@Oxford> She shifts her eyes to the left, toward what looks like the entrance to the kitchen, and is suddenly looking eye to eye with a young girl in a bonnet. The girl screams and drops the dishes she was holding, shattering them. Yes, definitely occupied.
[16:43] <Henriette> Henriette jumps down and comes around to the front of the house, arms raised, face guilty. A family. Why weren't they evacuated? They're so close to the fighting, aren't they?
[16:45] <Henriette> Her mind races as she invents her cover story. Luckily, she's very well read, and she's wearing clothing any normal person would mistake as Hispalian garb. She's confident.
[16:46] <Henriette> "I am unarmed," she calls. "I did not know anyone would be here... Please don't hurt me."
[16:46] <@Oxford> Before she can reach the door, it flies open, and a man with thinning sandy-blonde hair and a bristly mustache comes through, holding a rifle to his shoulder. "Who goes there?" he shouts in Cimbrian, either not hearing or not understanding her words.
[16:49] <Henriette> Err... Well... In rather broken Cimbrian, she tries to answer, "My name is Abene Zubiri. My... my sisters and I are lost, and I was trying to find them food. We've been running from the war for days. Please do not hurt me."
[16:54] <@Oxford> She's confident of about one word in five, and she's certain the grammar is atrocious. The look of anger on the farmer's face disappears, but it is replaced with uncomfortable confusion rather than sympathy. "Mene pois. Emme voi auttaa sinua," he says, and after she doesn't move he adds, louder and with exaggerated ennunciation: "Mene pois!"
[16:58] <Henriette> Uhh... "Mina en ymmarra! Ole hyva. Please." Basically the only phrases she knows well.
[16:59] <Henriette> "V-vanhemmat err... kuolema. Nalka. Ole hyva." Tears well up in her eyes.
[17:03] <@Oxford> His frown deepens further. The man sets back a step toward the door and says something low and fast to someone out of sight in the room beyond. His rifle stays pointed squarely at Henriette's chest.
[17:07] <Henriette> He wouldn't kill her, would he? Not in front of his kids, surely! She takes a step back and pats at a pocket. "On rahaa. Vahan."
[17:08] <@Oxford> A few moments later, a small hand passes something about the size of a fist to the man. He takes it in his right hand and quickly throws it at Henriette, trying to get his hand back on the trigger as quickly as possible. "Mene pois. Ole hyva."
[17:10] <@Oxford> The object falls a little bit short, and bounces on the short grass toward Henriette's feet. When it stops, she can see that it is a small brown roll, with a hard outer crust.
[17:11] <Henriette> She catches it and looks up at him. One more phrase jumps to mind, a Cimbrian saying she's heard once or twice. "Kiitos. Jumalan valo. Turvassa."
[17:15] <@Oxford> "Joo. Turvassa," he says, and waves his right hand in a peculiarly ritual way. The barrel of the gun also waves, back toward the way she came. It seems he wants to watch her leave before going back inside.
[17:17] <Henriette> She wanders off that direction, looking back over her shoulder at the horizon beyond the little farm. The skies are darker closer to the ground. It looks that way on all sides. It seems more and more like the only safe place is up.
[17:21] <@Oxford> Meanwhile, down in the valley, Naida and Lily have just spotted the roof of a cabin of some kind through a clearing in the trees. The roof is a traditional evergreen-bough style, and the walls are whole cedar logs stacked lengthwise. No smoke comes from the rough stone chimney.
[17:22] <Lily_Blevins> "Hmmmm...let's look for windows to peek in to."
[17:28] <Naida> Naida nods and scans the cabin's surroundings, looking for signs of life.
[17:28] <@Oxford> They circle around the cabin, but each of the walls seem to be solid wood. At one point, Naida puts a foot wrong, and a branch breaks beneath her foot with a snap that seems as loud as a gunshot to them. Both girls freeze instantly, holding their breathes, but a long minute passes and nothing moves in the cabin.
[17:30] <@Oxford> They reach the front of the small structure, and see a door and a single round window in the awning above it. This wall faces due south. The door is made of roughly-cut planks, but seems sturdy and secure.
[17:30] * Lily_Blevins tiptoes up to try and see out of that round window.
[17:33] <@Oxford> The round window is higher up, under the peak of the roof, where an attic would normally be. The roof extends about two metres beyond the wall with the door in it, supported by posts, to form a small deck or patio.
[17:34] <Lily_Blevins> Oh, scratch that then.  She tries to see if there are any windows on the sides.
[17:38] <@Oxford> No windows on the back or east wall of the cabin as they approached, and a quick check of the west reveals another blank log wall. Most likely, the lack of windows is to keep the heat in during the winter, with the single south-facing window there to let in light and vent hot air during the summer.
[17:39] <Lily_Blevins> She takes a deep breath when she gets to the front with Naida.  "Okay.  Here's what we're gonna' do."
[17:40] <Lily_Blevins> "I'm gonna' transform, and if anyone is in there I'm going to bind them and run."
[17:41] <Naida> "That it?"
[17:41] <Lily_Blevins> "What, you wanna' kill them?"
[17:41] <Naida> "What, no I meant...got it, just go."
[17:42] <Lily_Blevins> "Okay."  She first tries pendantlessly transforming...
[17:43] <Lily_Blevins> And it doesn't work, so she just uses the pendant to go.
[17:46] <Lily_Blevins> And then pops the door open
[17:47] <@Oxford> There is a flash of light as they transform, but no motion comes from the cabin. The door's sturdy handle is carved from local wood, and when she touches it the door swings inward easily. It wasn't even latched.
[17:49] <Lily_Blevins> STILL could be a trap or something.  Lily moves in slowly, cautiously.  She floats slightly above the ground so that she doesn't make audible footsteps.
[17:50] <Naida> Naida keeps watch outside the cabin.
[17:51] <@Oxford> The inside of the cabin is a single large room. A fireplace dominates the back wall, with the chimney running up the entire length. A pair of couches face each other across a low table. Behind her, on the same wall as the door, there's a set of hooks for coats on one side and a ladder on the other.
[17:51] <Lily_Blevins> Well, nothing so far, but there was some kind of attic, right?
[17:56] <@Oxford> Probably up the ladder. Above the main room, the sloped roof is open, giving it a surprisingly roomy feel for such a small space. The area above the front porch seems to form a sort of loft, accessible by a ladder nailed to the wall. A good amount of light enters through the round window, shining on the chimney at the back of the cabin.
[17:57] <Lily_Blevins> Hmmmm.  Seems to be all clear, then.  She heads on down and detransforms, before going over to Naida and letting her know it's empty.
[17:58] <Naida> Naida nods and enters the cabin. She looks around, trying to get a feel for how recently it was occupied.
[18:06] <@Oxford> Going up the ladder again, Lily catches a whiff of something coming from a small chest by the window. Opening it up, she finds the hunter's rations: a few dozen small biscuits, baked hard and flat. Below her, Naida finds the real treasure: several pounds of cured meat, cut into thin strips and wrapped in cloth in a pantry by the fireplace.
[18:08] <Naida> "HA!" Naida gives up on the notion of stealth as she discovers her prize.
[18:09] <Lily_Blevins> "This'll keep us going a little while."
[18:16] <@Oxford> There is enough food left here for almost a week, as long as they're careful with it and don't go overboard. Through the round window, the sun is getting lower above the hills. There are a few more hours of daylight left, but they might not find a better place to stay before nightfall.
[18:25] <@Oxford> They prepare the food, waiting for Henriette to return from the other farmhouse. The biscuits are hard, but are better soaked, and the meat is positively mouth-watering. It seems strange for an outdoorsman to leave so much food in the cabin before evacuating, and despite their good fortune dark thoughts manage to creep in. What fate befell that man? And what fate would meet them on the frontlines?
[18:26] <@Oxford> /session