Lt. Dan Got New Legs!

[DrifterUK]

''Whyre you following me? I haven''t got food.'' Simones muffled voice came from downstairs.

''Thats the plan, yes.'' Kara replied to Colton. ''We discussed it last night, and we're going to aim for the closest city. We should be there by evening.''

[Seloine]

Kemp didn't care, he just thought Simone was interesting.

Colton hesitated, chewing the insides of his lips, but nodded.

"I... O-okay," he said. "I umm... I-I'll get dressed then, and um... Th-then we'll go, I guess. I-I'm sorry if you were w-waiting for me..."

[DrifterUK]

Simone walked passed Morgaine and greeted her before pausing at the back door.
''I'm gonna have a wash before we head off. So... don't you or anyone else come out here unless I'm screaming, or I will end you.''
She hesitated for a moment.
''Fair warning'' she said casually before dissapearing out back.

Kara stood up.
''We've only just got up, it's still early. Just come downstairs when you're ready, but don't be too long.''
She started heading down the stairs.
''You'll miss breakfast.'' she called over her shoulder.

[Seloine]

Morgaine nodded.

"Of course," she said. "I'll keep an eye on the door for you."

She herself did rather want to wash, but her armour was nowhere near as heavy as Simone's so she wasn't too bad, and she'd already quietly rinsed the dirt from her lower legs where it had started to matt her fur, which had been one of the main things troubling her. Her tail she'd managed to brush the worst dirt out of, but she did crave a bath. However, she would wait.

"Oh... O-okay," Colton said, relaxing just a fraction, but he waited for Kara to leave the room and indeed let the door half close before he left the bed. He stayed wrapped in the blanket and shut the door properly before he started to get dressed, standing with his heel against the door so it couldn't be opened without him stopping it.

Wolfgang was in fact carefully toasting a few small bits of fish over the fire on - of all things - a few damaged crossbow bolts. He glanced up at Kara as she appeared. There were a couple of potatoes backing on the edges of the fire, in the ashes.

"Hope you're hungry," he said. "Best we eat a lot this morning - long day on our feet ahead and all. Full stomach'll make things a lot easier."

[DrifterUK]

''Agreed''
Kara moved into the kitchen and began to rummage through drawers and cupboards in the hopes of finding something useful, but only came up with a couple of sharp knives which she stowed in her pack.
She sat down and waited for Colton to come down before she would head upstairs and see if there was anything to salvage.

Simone returned after about fifteen minutes, looking cleaner, and quite cold, her wet hair falling loosely across her shoulders. She sat down as close to the fire as she could get without actually being in it in an attempt to warm up, and helped herself to a potato.

[Seloine]

Colton appeared a minute or two after Simone came back indoors, settling himself down within the warmth radius of the fire. Wolfgang offered him a smile and a potato with a few chunks of fish on the top, which the boy in fact fell on ravenously.

Morgaine had already almost finished her potato and had just stuck a knife into her last bit of fish, which she went on to eat with a surprising amount of delicacy.

"I can do an extra fish if anyone wants more," Wolfang said, licking the knife he'd been eating with clean. "Then... We head off, I guess?"

[DrifterUK]

Simone nodded, but refused more food, before getting up and going up stairs to put her armour on. Kara had a bit more fish before heading up too to see what she could salvage. She returned a while later carrying a few blankets and a tarpaulin.
''Should keep us warm, and dry, if it rains, if we have room for them.''

Simone came back downstairs after about twenty minutes, fully clad in her armour once more, and picked up her zweihander from by the door.
''Ready to move?''

[Seloine]

Again in Simone's absence, Wolfgang had been figuring stuff out - carefully distributing the newly found blankets and such so that everybody was carrying an amount that was fair. He shifted his pack up onto his back easily enough, then patted his leg to call Kemp to his side. Colton was trying to keep out of everybody's way, his own pack smaller than the others in keeping with his size and health.

Morgaine had a substantial amount to carry, but she shouldered it easily enough - an act that looked a little odd under her glamour - and she nodded to Simone.

"We're good to go," she said. "We've got everything, yes?"

[DrifterUK]

''If we haven't, then tough s**t.'' Simone opened the door and headed out in to the side street that lead to the main road. ''Must admit, I'm reluctant to leave this place. Who knows when we'll find shelter that secure again.''

''Hopefully in the next town'' said Kara, before pulling her scarf over her face.

The group headed out and made it to the main road easily enough. The sky was overcast, but it wasn't a particularly unpleasant morning. A few fresher sets of tracks had appeared in the ash over night, most likely ghoul tracks, but nothing more. Nothing bigger.

''Which way to the gate, Morgaine?'' Kara asked, looking around again. A few birds wheeled overhead, giving the impression the world may not yet be beyond hope.

[Seloine]

Morgaine was just glad the mist was gone. Humidity was not comfortable for her with her thick curly hair.

"The gate's this way," she said, gesturing down the road. "Shouldn't be far. Come on, the sooner we're out of here, the better I'll feel - we should be alright, but everybody should keep their wits about them. Colton, stay in the middle of the group, Simone, if you could keep watch on our tail?"

[DrifterUK]

Simone fell to the back of the group and trailed about twenty feet behind everyone, enjoying having a bit of space to herself for the first time in a while.
The group reached the main gate after about forty five minutes or so.

The main gate was closed and barred shut, and the entire area was deserted. The tall stone gatehouse towers stretched up either side of the gate, untouched by the flames that had ravaged the district. There were a few signs of fighting in the area, damaged doors, a few broken barricades and so on, but nothing close to what there had been in the Simone's garrison building. Whatever happened here had been over quickly.
From where the group stood, they couldn't see any bodies, human or otherwise, which was at least mildly encouraging.

Kara let out a sigh.
''I suppose it would have been too easy to just be able to walk out after finding some guards here.''

[Seloine]

Morgaine stood, surveying the gates with a slightly wrinkled nose.

"Indeed," she said, shifting her weight from foot to foot. "It'll be interesting trying to clear the gate... Simone, is there a mechanism for opening it, or is it just a matter of pushing?"

Colton was quiet and while he had still wheezed as they walked, he hadn't struggled as much as he had the day before, indeed having benefitted from a night of relative comfort. He looked up at the blank faces of the towers and shivered slightly.

"I... Why couldn't there be anyone here?" he murmured. "Just once... Something good, some luck..."

[DrifterUK]

''Outer gates like these ae usually counterweighted and barred. We can remove the bar by hand, and the counterweight release should be in one of the towers.''

She moved towards the gate.
''Morgaine,help with me with the bar. Wolfgang, Kara, go inside and trigger the counter weights. ''Colton... just wait here, I guess.''

Kara and Wolfgang headed to the door of the closest tower, and Kara pushed the door open. The hall was empty, although a torch burned dimly in the bracket on the wall. It looked like it had almost burnt itself out now.

[Seloine]

Morgaine nodded and went straight to the bar, dropping her bag onto the floor just to one side so that she could lift better.

"Kemp, stay," Wolfgang murmured, gesturing the dog to Colton. The dog, surprisingly enough, sat down beside the boy and stayed perfectly in place as his master headed indoors after Kara. Sighing, he grabbed the torch.

"Hopefully this holds out," he said, pulling a face. "I don't think the windows in this place are much good."

[DrifterUK]

''It's heavy, careful.'' Simone said, bracing herself on the bar. ''Count of three... one, two, threeeee.''
The pair managed to lift the beam out before dropping it on the ground with a loud thud.

''Yeah, we can hope.'' Kara said, cautiously proceeding inside. ''Hopefully nothing much is in here waiting for us.''
The pair went further in, and found they had to ascend a ladder to reach the counterweight mechanism.
Kara took hold of the lever and pulled,but had difficulty moving it owing to her small size.