Welcome to the Depths | A Deadsweep Roleplay

[Mi'Jette]

'Why did that fucker have to go and leave like that? Doesn't want to be a burden? Really?'
I continue to grumble to myself as I keep my head tilted downward, attempting to keep out as much dirt as possible.
Granted, a dragon's skull wasn't the best option to keep dirt out of my eyes, but at least my bandanna kept it out of my mouth.
That shit was just disgusting... Turned into mud and the like.
I kept my cloak wrapped around me as I trudged on, keeping in some sort of warmth, as well as covering up my attire.
Still... My mind continued to swirl around the reasons as to why Abigor left in such a rush. Sure, his injuries were healed, but why would he go out on his own like that?
A frown crawls onto my muzzle, despite spotting a town midst the heatwaves rolling across the horizon, and I bite my tongue a bit.
'Fate brought me to him when he needed me the most and yet he denied his fate, attempting to run from it.'
The utter confusion in my thoughts whirled around and my bones began to ache as I continued to think too much over the situation.
I needed to find him, and quickly, before fate caught up to the both of us and responded in a poor manner because we did not follow the path that was given to us.
Oddly enough, the air seemed to clear up once I entered the town's area limits and my body relaxes, letting me stand up straighter so I could look around.
The Celestials had pointed me into this direction the other night. Abigor had to be here, or at least having just been here briefly.
Regardless of the matter, it gave me a start and I had to trust their judgement.

[Benji]

I sit on the porch of one of the shantyhouses I'd stayed the night at, hood pulled low over my features- more to keep the dust out than anything.
'Dust in my ears is the worst...'
The bulk of clothes I wore helped keep the sand out of my fur as well. For the moment, I had my head down, pawing through the contents of my bag to ensure I hadn't been robbed in the night.
My boots, heavy, but worn from use, thumped audibly on the hollow wood as I shifted my pack to get a better angle.
I checked off inventory in my head.
'Water purifier... food..blanket..' I pat my waist, where my respirator was, and touch my throat where my goggles settled on the heavy, dark red scarf I'd picked up. I didn't expect my respirator to last much longer.
Though the horizon was warped with heat, I wasn't bothered by it yet. Everything I wore was an off white, beige color; I'd quickly discovered black was the worst color to have during the summer.
I snort and pat my chest, where my flask was.
'That's all of it...'
I survey the town one last moment. Well- more of a willing bandit outpost.
I didn't think I needed anything else. I'd spent too much on simply a safe place to sleep...
There were a few new individuals wandering in from the wastes. More people I'd glimpse today and never see again.

[Mi'Jette]

"Oh come now, Abigor... You can't have left this God forsaken place already," I mutter to myself after shifting away from the others coming into the town.
With a light grip on my mask, I shake my head to dislodge some of the dirt pile up in my hair and ears, returning my gaze to the buildings.
Already I knew I had caught some of the wanderers' attention and I disregarded the uneasy feeling that arose because of it.
I inhale steadily and turn on my heel slightly to the left before walking again, the fur on the back of my neck standing up briefly.
A darkly wrapped being caught my attention and my emerald gaze locks onto him long enough that my hopes flare up.
My armored boots carry me over to the shack at a quick pace and I almost start off with a flurry of curses, until I actually take in the sight of his face.
'Damn... It's not him.'
A mix of a snort and a sigh escapes my mouth and I swerve off in another direction, hoping the stranger hadn't actually taken notice of my screw up.
He couldn't have been important... I must have misread the Celestial's sign.
Momentary miscalculation on my part. I'll just have to collect myself and try again shortly.

[Benji]

I tense up when one of the newcomers sees me and makes a beeline.
'What could they possibly want? Are they a faction recruiter?'
My eyes are cold copper and I'm ready to make a cutting response to some propaganda when she- I catch sight of her features, delicate, but with some hidden iron in them- seems to realize something and turns away.
'Was she looking for someone?'
I chew on my tongue a moment before standing, swinging my pack over my shoulder and stepping out into the dust to follow her.
I'd only glimpsed her. Something in her face made me want to know more.
Who was she looking for? Why did I look like them? Or, atleast.. similar enough for her to approach me.
"Hey!" I call after her retreating form, the first really interested word I'd spoken to someone in a long time.
"Why're you leaving so fast? We only just met!"

[Mi'Jette]

I had scurried away as quickly as I could without looking ridiculous, yet I heard the stranger speak and I felt a sigh from within.
The fact that he had spotted me wasn't what I had planned and I tried to ignore him at first, though I knew it was rude.
I wanted to be rude, but he hadn't actually done anything to deserve such attitude from me.
My footsteps slow before my movement ceases, knowing I needed to find Abigor instead of talking to a stranger.
With a slow turn of my body so I could see him properly, I blink a few times to take in his form since I retreated so quickly beforehand.
I knew my face was still mainly covered by the large skull on my head, but I could see him just fine.
"I have somewhere to be. Or at least, someone to retrieve. It is time sensitive," I respond easily, the mask distorting my voice a little from it bouncing around in the bone.
My voice sounded odd to me because I hadn't spoken in a while and I rarely had a reason to.
The lack of company made it easy for me not to require vocal interaction.

[Benji]

The skull over her face. Of course I'd seen it earlier- but the first thing I'd seen was her eyes, not the mask.
'She's from the tribes on the edges of the wastes. Why the hell would she come this far into occupied territory?'
At least, this was what I deduced by her attire.
I was surprised when she spoke to me. Her word choice was strange- like she didn't talk often. Had she traveled that far, or..?
Curiosity was burning a hole in my stomach.
My face must have looked conflicted as I stood there.
I wanted to know more, but I knew she'd turn away soon...
"Let- let me help you look for them." is what ends up coming out of my mouth.
I immediately wince.
'But where else do you have to go? To dig around in the wastes for food? HAH.'
"I uhm... I have.." I gesture at my face. "Cat.. eyes."
'Good work.'
"They.. see at night."
'Nailed it.'
I stand there, awkwardly awaiting a reply, hoping she wouldn't just turn away again. I'd keep following her. I wasn't sure why, but something was telling me if I didn't, I'd regret it for the rest of my life.

[Mi'Jette]

His awkward reply makes my head tilt to the side while I listen to him speak.
Someone offering to help with cat eyes...
Well that was just utterly confusing to me and that's about all I could think at the moment.
I reach up and pull the mask off my head before shaking out my hair and ears, brushing the extra dirt off by hand.
"I am basically a feline... In some aspects," I comment after being satisfied with the smaller amount of dirt on my head.
I wasn't sure as to why he seemed to adamant about wanting to follow along, though it wouldn't hurt to have an extra pair of eyes on my side.
Then again, I didn't know the guy and I was unsure if he was to be trusted.

[Benji]

I swallow hard and try to focus on recovering my usually confident demeanor.
"Yea, in some aspects." I follow up, before giving her a grin.
"You could use the whole package." As I offer a gloved paw, I continue;
"Benji. Traveling merc. No faction strings attached."
My eyes glow slightly in the dark of my hood, though more with enthusiasm than bad intentions.

[Mi'Jette]

"The whole package..." I repeat oddly, completely missing the possible innuendo.
'Benji. Doesn't sound like a guy that would rip me apart in my sleep. But who knows...?'
The glow of his eyes immediately made me think predator, but then I thought about how I looked to others and reconsidered it.
"Well... Aside from your useful feline traits, why do you wish to travel with me?"

[Benji]

I didn't think it odd for her to ignore my paw. I cross my arms instead.
I tilt my head a little at her question.
"You look like interesting things happen around you." I answer honestly.
"And.. I've never seen one of the tribals this close to faction territory." I shrug.
'She's pretty under the skull. Could have some fun if it gets cold one night.'
Of course, I don't verbalize this last part.

[Mi'Jette]

I place a paw on my hip and set my weight on that side, making a dissatisfied expression at the mention of being around others.
We were so antisocial that even everyone else knew how antisocial we were, yet not enough to be invisible apparently.
My stance had opened up my cloak a bit and my tail was flicking around my legs while I sat in my head.
The bone would occasionally cause a light clink whenever it came into contact with my armor and I disregarded it because of its familiarity.
"You wish to travel with me because you're fascinated by my rare appearance around a highly populated area?"
"Or simply because it is... Something different?"
I still can't get over how strange it is to speak to a breathing being for more than three sentences.

[Benji]

The way she does that is incredibly attractive, and I can't help but smirk at her, even despite her expression.
The bone tail catches my eye, and I blink at her in the way cats sometimes do when they find something both interesting and puzzling.
Her question gets another blink, though this one is more bemused.
"I'm not sure how those are different." My ear twitches. "But.. you are something different. Can you blame me? How long do any of us have out here anyways?" I shrug. "I can spend my days destroying traveling families and couples for their supplies, holed up in different places depending on the traffic, or... I can do that sometimes and do interesting things other times."
Though I smile, my answer isn't a jest.
I reflexively stretch my claws from their sheathes- kind of like how any other species would crack their knuckles.

[Mi'Jette]

'I am something different... I suppose that's true.'
As I listen to what he says, I feel my ear twitch occasionally as I realize what his lifestyle is compared to those I've run into before.
I typically ran into groups that were traveling for trading purposes or simply to raid and move on, for no real reason.
Instead, he chose to stay by himself.
'Until now anyway.'
My eyes flicker over him as I take in every lil movement that he does, simply out of habit that occurred once I did start interacting with others.
"I live in caves, not commandeered housing," I say, almost randomly.
"Though, if you insist on following along..."

[Benji]

I snort quietly.
"Maybe that's easy for you. For most of the people out here, though.. living is kill or be killed. Or, join a faction and kill or be killed." My mouth twists down in a grimace.
"There's really no difference."
I don't know why I felt the need to justify myself to her judgy attitude.
My grin is back at her last sentence.
"Certainly. Do I get to know your name, before we set off?"

[Mi'Jette]

"I believe in other powers, not others," I point out, basically explaining why I avoid oxygen-suckers.
The moment his grin comes back onto his face I had a weird feeling that showed up in my chest, even though it was unknown to me.
His inquiry about my name makes me hesitate and I glance off to the side for a moment.
"You can refer to me as Grim. It is what I typically hear anyway."
I wasn't wrong, especially since Abigor was the only one to actually call me by my name.
Perhaps at some other time Benji would know my first name.

[Benji]

I shake my head.
"You're weird." I tell her, adjusting my pack and brushing past her to trudge out into the awaiting Wasteland.
It feels like walking into the arms of an old lover.
I glimpse back at her only a moment, grinning wider; "I like it."
I begin whistling a tune to myself, only pausing to call back to her.
"C'mon, Grim, the sun's sitting there burning up while we talk."
'Wonder who her friend is? Maybe we can talk more tonight.'

[Mi'Jette]

I nearly snort at being called weird, but then go silent at his following comment.
The feeling I was experiencing because of him was weird and I wasn't sure how to respond to it.
I shrug and catch up to him, a bit surprised that he was going in the right direction.
He hadn't asked who I was looking for and I didn't feel the need to explain just yet.
The entire situation of having to venture out of my comfort zone was overwhelming enough, and now I had a companion somehow.
I slip my mask back onto my head and tuck my cloak back over my shoulders to feel more safe by being covered.
'Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.'

[Benji]

We walk awhile in silence, the wind quickly swallowing sight and sound of the bandit encampment behind us.
The wind dies down as we approach a natural canyon.
"So, tell me more about your friend."
I break the silence, claws at the knife by my belt. I mistrusted canyons. Too much chance for ambush. I immediately alter the course a little to take us around it.. though we were still too close for comfort.

[Mi'Jette]

I look up at him once he speaks, having been a bit entranced by the silence as they traveled.
"His name is Abigor... I saved his life and I need to find him before he is revoked," I tell him, briefly assuming he wouldn't understand what I meant.
"I found him in the land of the Barbarians. He told me that he had lived there for years and believed he had died."
The memory of seeing Abigor stained with blood as his foggy eyes stared through me had actually given me nightmares, regardless of sleep.
It was haunting for me and I never quite understood why because I was used to death.
Everyone that lived in this place was used to death, but that memory constantly made my head ache.

[Benji]

Much of what she said didn't make any sense to me.
"I'm not sure what 'revoked' is.." I say, my paw easing off my knife as we pass the canyon.
"..or the land of the Barbarians, for that matter." I glance at the sky. We still had a lot of ground we could cover before night.
"Do you wanna.. elaborate?" I didn't know if the terms she used were simply her terms, or if they were universal and I'd just never heard of them.
"It'd help me help you better." I add.

[Mi'Jette]

I bite my bottom lip momentarily as I take note of the fact that he hadn't understood anything I said.
"Revoked... We are not following fate's path. His life was given back to him as a second chance. He is defying what was meant to be."
"He called himself a Gladiator, if that makes sense."
Explaining to strangers what I believed in was never an easy task for me and it usually ended up in frustration on my part.
I had believed that I found Abigor because the Celestials wanted me to find him.
"There was no other reason for me to be around others that day because I had followed what they told me to do."
"Abigor is alive now because they wanted me to save him."

[Benji]

All of her 'others' talk made me groan inwardly, though I try to remain a little open minded.
Her remark about him being a gladiator makes me come to a full stop, wherein I turn and gawk at her.
"Wow. Wait a second. You went as far as Ram Territory to save a Gladiator?"
The Tribals were noted for their experience in surviving in the Wastes.. as well as for their strange rituals.. but she suddenly seemed incredibly naive to me.
"Gladiator's entire lives are bloodshed for sport. I know, I'm a merc, I can't talk much, but... this Abigor guy is a Ram."
I'd heard horror stories of families going to the Rams for shelter and being put through that meat grinder of an Arena against Gladiators, never to be seen again.
"How the Hell is he worth saving.. or even finding to you? How do you know he didn't just go back to the Rams?"
'I'm sure as hell not following her to them.'

[Mi'Jette]

His sudden bewilderment towards what I had said was more confusing to me than anything.
"Well, yes... He had mentioned something about Rams when we spoke. I don't see the importance of living with a specific animal."
"He never seemed enthralled about killing others when he explained everything to me. All I could see in him was pain and regret."
The more he spoke, the more I began to question why he was worth bringing along.
I told myself that outsiders would never grasp my understanding of things, but I was still confused at his reaction.
"I need to find him. It's utterly important. Also, I'm fairly certain the land of the Barbarians is the other direction. He went this way."
I pause for a moment before wrinkling my nose.
"And I never saw a Ram there. That name makes no sense."

[Benji]

My fur is ruffled in moderate alarm, though she wouldn't be able to see it.
"I'll- I'll keep travelling with you. But we seriously need to sit down and talk tonight." I tell her, concerned about what I was getting myself into.
"For future reference.. The Blood Rams are one of the factions here. One of them that controls a huge amount of territory. They make the tribes look small."
I glance off to the side, mouth stuck in a thoughtful frown, before I pull my scarf up and goggles down and continue walking.
'Holy christ.. I knew she was a tribal, but I thought.. with how much she'd traveled....' I shake my head at my thoughts.
'It's probably a good thing I decided to follow her.'
I'd probably come off as blunt and rude. Politeness wasn't a huge issue to me. If she dismissed me, I'd follow her anyways, just farther behind..