you and i are friends of empty graves

[assembles]

Who: Steve Rogers & OPEN 
When: Throughout September 
Where: Farhill Mining Camp; the Horizon 
What: Following his decision to perform some light sabotage on a military base, Steve has to do some jail time out at the mining camp.  
Warnings: Mention of child labor; will edit to add if anything else comes up! 

[ Open starters can be found below! Reach out to me on plurk at demonology or discord at demonology if you have any questions! ] 

Comments

[lightkeeping]

I'm all right.

[She's here to talk, though the offer is nice, and she pulls up a chair. She looks out of place, sitting at a relatively normal cafe in her leather armor, bow strapped across her back, and it seems like she doesn't quite know what to do with her hands, resting them on her thighs as she takes in her surroundings.

The Sunwing, having deposited its rider, takes off again, settling on one of the nearby buildings until it's needed again.]

I wanted to see how you were doing. How long do they have you in for?

[Even if it's not a cell, literally, Steve is still a prisoner.]

[assembles]

[ As much as Aloy might look a little out of place, it doesn't throw Steve off that much. He still remembers when six of them had wandered into a shawarma joint, most of them in full uniform. Most people who lived here wouldn't look twice at Aloy, if this were the real thing and not just his Horizon creation.

He takes a sip of his coffee and takes a second to watch the metallic beast flap up to the roof of one of the nearby buildings. Yeah, that's never going to get old. Only in the Horizon can you just casually park your mechanical dinosaur ride.

He glances back at Aloy's question and shrugs one shoulder. ] Sounds like it'll be about a month. They've got me doing manual labor in one of the mining camps, so it keeps me busy. I've been coming here on my off hours.

[ There's no hint of any kind of regret for what he did or the consequences that have been rendered. Steve gestures to Aloy with a sweep of one hand. ] Thank you again, by the way. Not sure we would have been as effective with bombing the place if it weren't for your input.

[lightkeeping]

[Aloy waits expectantly, something perhaps made more comical by the way she doesn't magic herself a coffee or a hot dog or whatever New York thing Steve is doing or eating. It's clear she's here on business, even if she's equally concerned with how he's holding up. The Thunderjaw was her responsibility, but since she couldn't physically get to the Free Cities to take care of it herself, this will have to do.

It doesn't mean she won't feel guilty about Steve's current predicament.]

Right, at least it's a...labor camp.

[So he has something to do, though it's not lost on her how unfair this is.]

I should have been there. I know we didn't have the luxury of time, but I would have come if I could.

[assembles]

[ If Steve didn't have a jail sentence that included something to do, he'd probably be climbing the walls right now, but it's worked out so far. He really isn't that bothered by how things turned out, and as far as he's concerned, it could have been a whole lot worse. Aloy seems to understand that.

In his experience, Aloy's always strictly business, and he doesn't really mind that. They worked together on this and he knows it must feel odd to her that she's not facing any of the consequences, but that's just how it goes when they're separated by such strict borders. ]

I know. [ He nods; he would feel the same way in her shoes. ] But I also don't know if it would have been worth you risking that to be there in person. Just having you on call gave us what we needed.

[ Besides, he and Jesper had a whole lot of tricks up their sleeves.

Though then Steve sighs and leans his forearms up on the cafe table. ]

Chances are they're just going to rebuild. But... I don't know, at least this way it felt like I did something.

[lightkeeping]

[She knows that it's not a practical thought, but at the same time all of Steve's efforts will only amount to a setback. If they know how to use the parts of the Thunderjaw, they'll continue to iterate and create worse weapons. She wants to put a stop to it for good, and she can't do that from where she is right now.]

Yeah, well. That's a choice I'll make, when it's time.

[If it's time. She can't help but think she needs to be more proactive. For now, however, the task is done.]

It's a setback for them. It counts.

[assembles]

I'm not about to stop you if you're really set on it.

[ Steve would never deign to do that, not when he's the sort of person who can't be deterred from something once he's made his mind up. He wouldn't be at all surprised if Aloy's the same way.

Most people wouldn't make a habit of fighting something like that Thunderjaw, after all.

What he did does count, and he's going to accept that it's the best he could do in the circumstances. But he can't help but wonder about what the future holds with the oncoming war. ]

I hear Solvunn's border now extends partially into the Badlands. I wonder how far you can push that.

[ He raises an eyebrow. May as well mention it, if Aloy's already thinking about it. ]

[lightkeeping]

[She shrugs, as if to say there's nothing to be done about it right now, not when Steve has dealt the Free Cities a fairly significant blow. Aloy has her own opinions about Thorne, and the war, and what Solvunn is doing to defend itself, but she knows that nothing good can come from her world's technology when it's utilized here.

What's important now is that she has more mobility. She'd told herself that she couldn't leave the commune because she needed to protect it, but it's become increasingly clear that Solvunn has the gods on its side. Whether she believes in it or not, it lessens her own responsibility, in the matter.]

I was thinking the same thing.

[That she could ride out into the Badlands. See how far she can get.]

Might go out soon, when things cool off.

[assembles]

Either way, I think it would be worth investigating just how far you can get before someone takes notice.

[ Steve's gone into the Badlands a few times himself. He's not as familiar as someone like Geralt, for instance, but he's definitely taken a look if only to satisfy his own curiosity.

The border between Thorne and the Cities is one thing. He can only imagine that's strictly patrolled.

Solvunn and the Cities, though... ]

It's hard to believe they have people patrolling the entire border, unless it's magically enforced somehow.

[ He folds his hands under his chin, elbows resting on the table, and raises both eyebrow at her.

Only one way to find out. ]

[lightkeeping]

Probably a good idea.

[No disagreements here. Despite Steve attempting to give her some plausible deniability, this has been Aloy's plan since Solvunn claimed that small part of the Badlands. It won't be without danger, but she's most at home in the wilderness.]

Magic makes more sense. I might run up against a wall sooner or later, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't try.

[assembles]

[ They're of the same mind about this, then. Steve twists one side of his mouth into a crooked smile. ]

I don't think a magical barrier is something any of us could easily take down, but we can't make a plan if we don't know what we're up against.

[ So Aloy could always think of the first trip out as a sort of recon mission.

He shoots Aloy a knowing look. ] If nothing else, I know there are a few pretty adept magic-users in Solvunn. [ Wanda. He means Wanda. If anyone could rip down a magical barrier, it would be her. ]

[lightkeeping]

I'll see what I can find.

[And report back. It's the least she can do, given the fact that she couldn't be physically present at the facility where they were keeping the Thunderjaw. Aloy puts her hands on her thighs, preparing to stand--she probably shouldn't keep him here, especially if he's being watched at the mining camp.

That said, she understands what he's implying.]

And I'll talk to Wanda. See what she has to say about it.

[assembles]

[ It's true that Steve shouldn't spend too much time in the Horizon. Not that he thinks anyone is going to come bother him in his little shack while he's meditating, but still, he also needs to get some real sleep before the next long day of hard labor.

Of course Aloy understands his meaning almost immediately. Steve nods, standing as Aloy does in some attempt at politeness, as if he's going to see her out from his domain. ]

She's definitely a good place to start.

[ As they walk out of the small cafe, he reaches out to give her a light pat on the shoulder. ]

Good luck out there.