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" Gotcha, shouldn't take me too long. Though there is probably a better way to do that mate." Damion said, popping the other fang out easily. The eyes, sadly, were ruined, two holes peircing the center of each. " but yeah, I think it's that way. We could just go back the way I came, it's a pretty straight line I think." He offered, trotting to get up next to Scarker, eyeing the rock with even more curiosity than before and holding the fangs in his right hand.

" Woah, wait." Almost forgot his snake skin. The islander ran back over to the strips of soon to be leather and collected them all up, rolling them into something that resembled a throw rug, and set it over his shoulder to carry, the rock that had started the entire mission set safely inside this rolled up mass.

Damion nodded, moving alittle ahead of his new friend, speeding up only once Scarker was running. He had a good sense of direction, so he wasn't afraid of getting lost out here. His feet caught the sand in just the right way that they didn't sink in, long strides with his feet hitting far apart from one another keeping him from slowing down. It felt good to run, get the blood flowing and all that.

" So, how're you lifting that thing anyways?" Damion asked on a gust of breath, sucking in oxygen after his question. Running and talking was difficult.

It's too damn hot.

It was always too damn hot.

He'd been out on the sands a good while and it'd been far too hot for him every hour the sun was up- after it went down it quickly got very cold, but he was much more pleased with that. He was built more for colder weather, as the small strip of burnt skin across his eyes would attest to. He'd managed to load up heavily and forced himself to stick to rationing- which he'd bumped up to allow himself to eat, and mostly drink, more than he'd planned on allowing. He was ******** if he got lost out here for days, but he wouldn't dehydrate himself and die a day's straight ride from his destination at least.

Kael blinked and looked up at the sky, letting his eyes slowly trail down to the horizon. His skin was mostly covered by the light clothes he'd picked up to wrap himself in, long bits of thin white fabric laid out to cover all his face except his eyes, a sort of make-shift cloak, and some loose pants of a light fabric he'd picked up to wear out here in place of jeans. So far it all worked well, and had been burnt to a sandy sort of color from its clean white by all the sand making its way into the fabrics. At least his skin was still fine, and his sword at his hip was, though he had a cloth thrown over the hilt sticking out of the sheath. With a pair of lighter leather gloves and his new-ish western style boots, also much lighter than his normal wear, which was packed away, parts of him were still baking, but if he had to handle his sword it wouldn't burn him at least, or the sand his feet if he had to walk. His hands were surprisingly tough thanks to all thick, scarred up skin on them, but he didn't want to risk that. If there was ever anything he'd need his sword for out here.

There's sand. And sun. And not much else, as usual.

Things seemed to clear out when he and Sapphire showed up. It was the hot time of day he was happier to nap through than wake through, but he was up and not feeling tired. He'd realized that since his companion could travel all day long and seemed to know the way by heart, he only had to wake and check their heading once in a while, and could just nap while in the saddle as needed. He'd only broken for camp twice, when she needed it, though she usually scrounged well enough as they went, just like he'd pick through rations and water while moving. He had lots of rations and many waterskins about.

"Looks like we're all alone babe. Just like always," he rasped in a dry throat. He drank plenty to keep his head from aching or any other signs of overheating, but the dry heat and sand still hurt his eyes and turned his throat to dust. In any case, Sapphire didn't reply. She never replied.

Girl makes surprisingly good company, and she's reliable, and tough. Still creepy as hell though.

She'd been available for the trek in the last town he'd found to stop at before heading through the desert for Strata, and so he'd hired her out as well as several maps despite plenty of assurances that she knew the way. Considering there was little place else to go out here, he was sure much of her life consisted of leading people into and out of the desert along exactly this route.

Creepy or not, I guess I'm glad they were right. She smells a lot better than a camel.

He had been very, very unsure about taking a giant beetle as his ride, but the people assured him it was the norm, that they made excellent desert steeds needing little care or expertise (these trained ones, anyway), and smelled better than camels. There also had been no camels available, which helped. So here he was riding Sapphire, a large female bug with a greenish tint and a stoicism beyond that of any other living thing he'd ever seen.

It shouldn't be too far from here. But I can't see it, even out in this place...

The beetle's steady rhythm made his body shift in a manner it'd gotten used to quite quickly in the saddle, soothing. Unfortunately there was nothing to do but that and he was wide awake.

"Don't suppose you've got any stories you'd care to share today?"

She never did. Kael was always the one who had to share the stories. He wasn't very good at that sort of thing though, and he was just about out of them except for some more recent events he was keeping to himself. Sapphire was one lady he intended to give no excuse whatsoever to be unhappy with him right now, though he figured she might understand. She had work, and she did it. Animals generally seemed good with not getting too worked up about formalities and nicities anyway, as long as everything was cool.

"You should really talk more. Or you could just hum or something. You sing sometimes, don't you? Go ahead, it's okay to sing. Everyone does, and I could use something to listen to. I tell you, back where I don't have to worry about my electronics filling with sand or baking, I've got so much music..."

She felt guilty for leaving this way, but she really hadn't wanted to say goodbye. The day had been like a dream, and maybe she was afraid of thinking too heavily on it. He really was cute when he was sleeping She chuckled mentally as she looked through the equipment in the store.

"Can I help you find anything, Miss?"

She shook her head, "I talked to your boss earlier. I have a list of what I need, if you'd just fill up this saddle bags with it, I'd appreciate it." and she threw over two motorcycle saddlebags and the paper. And then she headed to the so called restaurant that was next to the supply shop.

"What'll you have darlin?" she smiled weakly as she glanced down to see that everything on her body was covered.

"I'm fine, Minny. Just a sweet tea, and maybe...a piece of lemon pie?" She grinned, hopeful as a child. She looked up at the older woman with a grin that looked more at place on a child than a woman who'd so recently sang seductively to an audience of men.

"Alrighty..." Minny slid a piece of pie over to her and went about preparing the tea the way she liked it. "So whatever happened to that stranger you took home the other night."

Damn that woman. To bring up something like that. Noisy small towns. Now she remembered why they were so frustrating. "He was a friend, Minny. He was on his way somewhere."

Minny hmmed like she knew exactly what the woman was thinking. "So where are you off to, anyways?"

Another grin in between bites. "Just a bit south." That got her a sharp look. "Just to Strata. Andy has a job and there haven't been many bites for the contractor."

The waitress c** landlady tsked but didn't say anything. She knew better than to try and stop the redhead from doing anything. "So earl is setting you up?" She finally managed to get out as she handed the green eyed woman her tea.

"No, Ray is. Earl is sleeping, I think. " She laughed and bit into her pie again.

"And I suppose you're not going to be sensible and use a camel if you're going deeper into the desert?"

"Nope. You know me. Jezebel can get me in where I'm going faster and easier than one of those things that smell so bad."

"Yes, and axle grease is such an attractive perfume."

That earned the woman a stuck out tongue. She did tend to rever to a child around these people she used to know. But Minny waved her apron at her and shooed her out of the half of the store. "Go get your stuff, Missy. At least you won't meet any guys out in the middle of the desert so I won't have to worry about your honor there."

Sam turned and looked at the woman, what an odd phrase. She wondered what she meant by it, But she took her tea and stepped onto the other half, where Ray was just putting her bag up on the counter again, filled with water, rations and the like. She slid a little card across the table and he slid it into the machine. Once it was tucked back into her own personal messenger style bag at her side, the saddle bags were slung over her shoulder and she handed him the now empty cup.

"Give this back to Minny." He nodded, and she walked out the door.

~~~~~~

She was grateful for this bike's fuel reserve, and absolutely amazing mpg. That meant that the two large fuels bags that were safely stuffed into her bag that had a portable hole in it would be enough. She wasn't always comfortable with magic, hell she was never really comfortable with it, truth be told, but her grandmother had given it to her and told her that it was every woman's right to have a bag that could hold anything. And that it did.

"Come on, Jezebel. Or else Andy and whoever our employer is will be mad." She patted the bike and swept through the sand of the country as she tore through the sand. There was a form fitting helmet on her head, just in case she took a dive, that covered her from steam to stern. Or in this case from her neck up. She didn't even have to lift the hood of the helmet if she didn't wish to. And plenty of firepower; between the rifle across her back, and the shot gun at her thigh and back, as well as the knife in her boot, to make sure they kept their distance. Even under the helmet, her face was mostly covered by a bandanna to keep the dust that did filter through from getting in her mouth and throat.

But there was nothing but empty space, she thought as she drove through the endless miles of sand on the custom bike.

Endless miles in which to think...

Day 2

She had one side trip to make before she could begin her trip in earnest. The Oasis. It was a long side trip, but one that was still doable in a little over a day. Crack of dawn until the middle of the next day. But it was something she'd wanted to get herself and see if it was real. She hadn't expected to actually be able to do it without a full scale expedition, but when Andy had come up with this mission, she'd figured why not.

And it was beautiful.

Something I'd like to share with you. she sighed, it was no use thinking of things like that. People came, and people went. She wasn't even really sure who she was thinking of. Him, or...him. Still so much confusion. She was glad things had left they way they had. Numbers could be lost, and lives could be blamed. But it'd still be a sweet memory...

...just like this place.

She stripped out of her entire outfit, and slathered her body with sunscreen and pulled on the bathing suit she'd brought for the occasion and threw one of the saddle bags over her shoulder.

She double checked every line as she repelled back down the steep slopes to the actual oasis. She pulled her bags free, and filled each of the multiple canteens with the sweet water while she dangled from the line, then tying the bags to the other line, began hauling them back up through a pulley system that was working quite well.

Once all of that was secure, she dove into the crisp waters, and headed down as far as she dared, heading towards that temple, curious if she could find anything, but as the day began to fade, she eventually gave up and climbed the rope back out of the wonderful pool of water. The water loaded, and her naked body finally dry, she slipped back into the jeans, underwear and cotton shirt and then finally the chaps and put the gun back over her shoulder, as well as the other weapons on her body, and began the next part of her trip. So she could begin the real trip.

Day 3

She really should start driving at night. That was her first thought that morning as she woke and readied herself for another day of driving. And it was rare that something would come out and attack something that was moving as fast as the bike was as well as loud. She simply needed to reset her schedule...

She'd do it...tomorrow, she promised.

But she also had another mission. As she passed the volcano, she stopped and picked up some of the ash. A friend back home wanted some of it for some...experiment or another, and she promised she'd get him some. One of the few people who had an inkling of where she even was. A look down at her cellphone made her smile. Still no coverage. No one could bother her out here. She placed the ash in a bottle, and dropped it into her purse, and kicked off again.

Day 4

Sam straddled the bike, looking at the sun and then down at the map. She thought she'd make better time, but the bike wasn't doing as well as she'd hoped on the sand. It was just too loose, and that slowed her down. Although thankfully, the gas mileage was still wonderful. She'd have to defintely give the guys in R&D a bonus.

A hand lifted to shield her visor before she finally decided on a direction, and kicked the bike stand off and was roaring away....

...several hours later, she was where she'd planned to stop for the night; her clothing was dusty, she wasn't sunburned...yet. And she was tired. She'd never had such a hard time staying on her bike. But the wavering heat was pretty darned intense.

But she reached into her bag, pulled out a roll, and laid down to sleep as best she could in the desert day. She'd only get a few hours of sleep, before she'd start driving again, like she should this time. At night.


Night 4

Sam found she could actually see the path she'd been told to follow to Strata a hell of a lot easier when it wasn't waving in front of her like a mirage from the heat.

She was kinda surprised there wasn't raiders of one type or another. She'd been told that this was the ONLY path to Strata. And it would seem perfect for such a thing, but she hadn't even seen a single soul. Then again, she might have just thought them a mirage if she did, she finally realized with a laugh.

She pulled the canteen out of her purse for a long drink and sighed. She -should- only have two, perhaps three days to Strata.


Day 5

The day was long, and she was beginning to lose track of what day it was. At least she'd called Char before she left and told him to keep Danielle a few extra days. She was probably supposed to be back by now, but she needed this. Maybe it was her own way to find herself. No one to mess with her hormones, or her head.

Then again, this was the desert.

This desert heat was ridiculous. Maybe she was just too much a city girl.

"HA!"

That made her laugh as she removed the helmet. It was only the middle of the day, but she was damned tired. She'd broken her own rule and continued driving even after the sun was high. She wanted to get to Strata soon. People would be really nice. But she was only human, and she had her limits. She parked her bike beside a tall outcropping of rocks, hidden safely from view and climbed off, digging into her bag for some snacks to keep her energy up. She was sure the tip of her nose was sunburned by this point.

Once her hunger was satisfied, she pulled the bandanna over the lower portion of her face, before taking one of the bags of water and literally pouring it over her entire body in one fell swoop, drenching her from head to toe. It was the quickest way she could think of to cool down, even if it was a waste of water. It was getting too heavy for the bike anyways.

She then dug her grandfather's old cowboy hat out of her saddle bag and slipped it over her face and took refuge beside the rock that shielded her bike, and leaned against it, her back quickly heating up from the stored energy. She faced the road, so she'd see anything coming. But she curled up and tried to sleep. She wouldn't drive so long tomorrow. That was for sure. Intelligent life, that's not so much to ask for , is it?, she thought as she drifted off more from the heat than even the exhaustion.

"Too damn hot in general, y'ask me."

He reached up an scratched at the starts of a beard- just long enough to need a trim and full except for where the scars running down the left side of his face interrupted it. A clear sign that he hadn't shaved at all since he'd entered Barthavos, and a fairly poor disguise, but it was something. People who knew him would probably catch him in a second, but maybe for people who'd just seen him on TV and weren't looking...

"And likely to be all the rest the way to Strata."

Otherwise, under the desert gear he'd never had reason to touch, it was very much the Kael who'd been all over the broadcast, the concerned look he'd had as the guy was thrown off his camel changed to something mildly exasperated as he got up from it fine.

He raised one eyebrow and just barely caught himself before he licked his lips, watching the man lower the canteen after downing an amount of water that at this point was making Kael jealous. And then he had two more camels...

"Light traveler, aren't'cha?"

It's a desert...

He wasn't sure if he was amused or put to silence by his sudden traveling partner's little checking of the sky for signs of the weather.

...I don't think it does "cool and climate".

"-seriously?" His calm cut out a bit as the man offered him water and he grabbed it up before Reyin had a chance to answer. He didn't waste time about unscrewing the cap or starting on it either. "Helluva lot nicer-" One more long swig, sating himself, before he handed it back with only a faint sloshing in its bottom. He didn't feel too bad about helping himself after he'd been offered it. "-'n having to ration."

He stretched and smacked his lips, savoring the moment. Despite that he hated the extreme heat.

"Certainly not for the scenery," he went ahead and noted sarcastically, adjusting the hat to help keep some shade on his face. "Got a job with a fella from that way, from a board up North. I've been needing the work for a while. I seem to have bad luck with extended periods, so quick jobs work best."

The heat must've gotten to her. That was her first thought at the sound of the silence that precluded the chittering. But it had been the silence that had woken her from her nap. Silence, in a place like this, was never good. She lifted her hat, tugged the bandanna into place, and took the few steps it would take to get to her bike.

...And the first thing she did then, was sling the rifle over her shoulder once more, and check the firearms at her thigh, and back. Definitely not something to take for granted. It was late enough, and she had a nap, so she should be good for a while yet. Damnit, Strata was a port city, meant for markers, why in the hell didn't they have reasonable transportation in and out, she wondered, not for the last time, as she straddled her bike, and readjusted the rifle.

She'd look about her, not sure what was going on, but getting an extremely uneasy feeling about the whole matter.

Click

The bike would turn over, and Sam was grateful that she'd paid for the mods that made this a wonderful desert tracker bike. Strata wasn't too much further. Surely the closer she got to the city, the better. She didn't rev the bike, but simply started it, and began to walk it for a foot or two before hitting the road, jack.