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[stand_unshaken]

 

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[dog_eat_dog]

"I was thinking we could go for a hike in the Enclosure or something."

Not her usual fare, but that's why it's a peace offering.

[stand_unshaken]

He perks up a little and looks at her. He practically already has his hat on at the offer.

"You're right. That is quite the peace offering, miss. I got an idea for where we could go."

[dog_eat_dog]

Tess gives an amused little huff, straightening up again.

"Figured you would. Where are we off to?"

[stand_unshaken]

He gets up, grabs his belt, gun and hat, and goes to open the door.

"Same place we went last time, only now I want to see if you got a head for treasure huntin'."

[dog_eat_dog]

"Sounds like a regular day," she replies, following him. Little less fun when it's for bullets, scrap hardware and contraband, though. "You're an expert treasure hunter too, huh?"

[stand_unshaken]

"Expert? I wouldn't say so."

He locks the door, then makes his way to the Enclosure with her. "I just find maps, every now and then. Seems silly not to take 'em up on it."

[dog_eat_dog]

"Closest I've ever done to that is rifling through paperwork in old houses to find numbers for safes or keys for lockboxes," she replies. That is a little quaint to her, though –– treasure maps. It sounds like something out of a storybook, or a pirate movie.

[stand_unshaken]

"Well, that sounds familiar enough too. It ain't always good treasure to me, sometimes it's just stuff people left behind that was important to them."

[dog_eat_dog]

“So you just collect people’s old trinkets,” she replies, amused.

[stand_unshaken]

"Sure. Just, sometimes their 'trinkets' end up being valuable jewelry."

He points at his temple. He's no dummy.

[dog_eat_dog]

Oh, she likes that.

"Their fault for not keeping their shit secure."

[stand_unshaken]

"Knew I liked you for a reason."

He takes the steps down to the Enclosure's door and gives it the description. When he opens the door, the same pasture and river are there, familiar horses in the distance. But Arthur heads for the hills and the stone arches in the opposite direction.

[dog_eat_dog]

Tess is still not particularly fond of the outdoors, but the fresh air is always a welcome change, and she lingers a moment just to look out at the pastures before following him.

"This treasure you found before, or can the Enclosure actually surprise you?"

[stand_unshaken]

"Treasure I found before," he says, and then goes to a small rock that has a paper sticking out of it.

"So I'm guessing it's up to you." And he hands her the Jack Hall Gang treasure map. The rock formation is clear and right there before their eyes - she just has to figure out how to get the actual treasure, now.

"Did half the hard work for you."

[dog_eat_dog]

She takes the map and studies it, gaze flicking back and forth between the paper and the land beyond it. Doesn’t look too difficult. She starts off up the hill.

“And the rest looks easier than getting through collapsing houses.”

[stand_unshaken]

"Little higher up," he says, but gives her no more clues. Let her solve a little mystery.

[dog_eat_dog]

“Yeah, over the ridge,” she replies, still heading up, picking her way through the short scruffy grass towards the rockier bit. Weird, to walk on that kind of ground. “You know, it’s still strange being outside.”

[stand_unshaken]

"Yeah? I reckon it's gonna be a while before it stops being strange. You spent years in that place."

[dog_eat_dog]

“Probably,” she agrees, pausing to look around. Still higher, she guesses, to get up and over. “Nobody around for miles, being able to walk in any direction without hitting a fence or a building or a suburb.”

[stand_unshaken]

He follows her easily, though she likely already knew that he's an experienced hiker.

"I think I'd likely lose my mind within months, if put in a place like that. It ain't in my blood."

[dog_eat_dog]

“Nobody’s meant to live like that, but everyone wants in for a reason,” she replies, gesturing vaguely. “One of my business guys, Bill, he lives out there alone. He’s fucked up. Paranoid. My guys inside the walls at least know they can sleep with both eyes closed.”

[stand_unshaken]

"How smart are they? The, uh, the..."

What's the word, here? Creatures? He isn't sure.

[dog_eat_dog]

"Infected. They're not smart, but they're fast when they're only a couple years gone, and even one can overwhelm you quick."

She flicks the collar of her shirt, over the bite wound. Oops.

"They don't sleep, they don't even really eat. Literally their only drive is to spread."

[stand_unshaken]

"How the hell do they live that long?"

He does not blame her for having been bitten by one of those things. Hell, he doesn't know how he made it to thirty-six, and he lived in a normal world.

[dog_eat_dog]

"It's a fungus. It uses the body the way a mushroom grows on a rotting log. Eventually, when the body breaks down too far to use anymore, it just lets the body drop and it sends off spores. Little bits of itself on the air, hoping some person will walk through and breathe it in."

And there's a little spot that looks like it might be the way back down off the other side, like the map showed. Tess heads off down the incline.