Welcome to Gaia! ::

It was all well and good to go out and take down bits of the maniac metallic flight, but Brian felt like he wasn't really doing anything particularly helpful. These poor people had been fighting birds for days and, it seemed, there were still people stuck outside of what appeared to be the designated base of operations.

It would be stupid to go out alone, but Brian had watched a group come back with a weeping woman in tow and sprouted a determination to do some real good. He was a cop. It was sort of his thing.

A man rushed to see the people returning and seemed dejected. Brian approached. Had he lost someone too? Yes, he had, would Brian mind looking for them? Not at all, Sir, but he'd have to find a partner at the very least.

He wheeled around to try and spot anyone not immediately fighting birds, building barricades, or bleeding profusely. His eyes landed on a rather shorter man with somewhat wild hair and he waved to the stranger and then approached. They were all Chosen, so he figured that anyone was free game.

"Want to make a run out to see if we can find anyone?" It probably wasn't the most persuasive offer, but they had to be proactive.

HP: 47/47
wc: 219 total: 219

Smerdle

I guess I lied. LAME STARTER 4 U.

ShortGreen

Added! 8D

Despite clearly expecting a response from Brian, a completely different voice answered him. About as different as a voice could get, really, being light and a bit musical and quite feminine. It also came with a petite figure - almost as if apologizing to Zan for all of the tall people around him. "Anyone anyone but no one seems to know how many people were here in the first place."

Misha Durand stood beside the front door, buckler setting on the floor at her feet while she rested her hip against the wall. She had been peering outside through a small spy-hole but had turned in time to catch Brian and Zan's exchange. She reached up and pushed a hand through the dark waves of her hair, offering them a wry smile. "I've been asking," she admitted. "I tried figuring it out using the check-in book but... I guess this place hasn't been keeping good track of their records. Tsk. Three stars."

She pushed off the wall then and bent to pick up her buckler. "Would you mind one more going out with you? I don't want to go alone but..." She trailed off and shrugged. "Just thinking of anyone out there makes my skin crawl."

HP: 56/56
Word Count: 207

Part 1: Running through the birds

Each of you rolls 1d4. If anyone in the thread rolls a 3 or 4, you successfully make it through the swarm outside the hotel. If no one participating succeeds, you each take 3 damage and have to start over. Repeat until you succeed.
PASSED

- - -

Brian turned to the suddenly-appearing woman with her wry judgements of the hotel. He shook his head at the mention of a less-than-stellar guest book and then looked out the door. He could still see metal birds circling in the sky. Right. Three was probably better than two anyway.

"Alright. Anyone. Anyone hiding, frightened, or otherwise not in diabolic control of the copper birds, yeah?" Brian said. He wasn't particularly looking forward to meeting that person, if it even was a person. "Alright. Go!"

Hoping the others would follow, Brian burst out the door and started running down the grounds at a fair pace, an arrow nocked and ready to go.

HP: 47/47
wc: 113 total: 332

Misha grimaced as Brian took off at a fast pace but smiled brightly in response to Zan's quick smirk in her direction. Then she zipped up her coat more firmly and followed them out the door, quick-pace. It wasn't that she was keen on being out in the cold and face the birds again - because she still shuddered when she thought of the beating she had taken the moment she had stepped through the fire - but she had been telling the truth that the thought of others out there made her squirm.

The snow was deep and hampered her footsteps but she pushed through the drifts, keeping to the paths made by both Brian and Zan. The birds fluttered on their perches ominously. However, to her relief, they did not attack. The longer they went without a shrieking bird, the more she found herself relaxing and able to look around for stragglers.

"I'm not seeing any traces yet, guys. Are you?" She pitched her voice low and waited until she had gotten closer to both men before asking. Then she pointed. "Do you think we should go towards the trees and see if anyone is hiding in there?"

HP: 56/56
WC: 198, Total: 405

Part 2

Zan tried to stay as quiet as he could, listening for any response after Brian posed his question to the trees. He moved off in a random direction by himself after that, picking up speed when he heard a thump of falling snow on snow and a very faint voice.

"Hello?"

An older woman sat huddled near a wide trunk, her face pale and worried. A preteen boy was with her, standing protectively between her and Zan. The kid had been the one who'd spoken, and as Zan took another couple of steps, the kid held up his bony fists.

"I don't have any birds in my coat," Zan whispered in response. "We can get you somewhere safe. Come on."

Fists fell, and the kid said, "She's hurt. Can you help me?"

The three of them slowly made their way back toward the other Chosen, Zan on one side of the woman, the boy on the other.

"Here's two at the very least." It seemed lucky, but he had no idea how they were going to make it back without a shitton more.

Each of you rolls 1d4. If anyone in the thread rolls a 1, you're viciously attacked and your rescued civilian(s) runs off to hide again while you fend off the birds. You each take 3 damage and have to start over at Part 2. Otherwise, if everyone in the thread rolls a 2+, you successfully bring the civilian(s) back through the mob of birds and back into the safety of the hotel.

- - -

Brian hadn't heard the little voice, but he spotted Zan returning immediately, and he was not alone. A hunched figure limped beside him and a second, more lithe figure followed after. Could this be the man's wife? There was no way of knowing until they got back. He didn't remember the missing woman's name...

He smiled to the woman and missed Misha's glance.

"It'll be okay," he assured her. He could put her in a buddy-carry but that would probably only wear the poor dear out. He and Zan could probably get her back to the lodge between them, and if it really came down to it the woman didn't weigh much and he could definitely carry her. It would just slow them down a lot. Plus, only one of them had an open weapon at the moment.

"You're on the watch for birds," he said to Misha with a smile. "Come on, let's get back." No way was the old woman going to make it if they kept searching for the others.

HP: 47/47
wc: 184 total: 599 - word count reached

Part 2: Searching the mountain
Each of you rolls 1d8. If anyone in the thread rolls an 8, they find 2 people. If anyone in the thread rolls a 6 or 7, they find one person. Otherwise, you're mobbed by birds that force you back inside before you can find someone, each take 3 damage, and have to start over at Part 1.

- - -

Misha cursed loudly and impressively in fluent Arabic as she batted at the invading birds. "Kyle? Sweetie, please get her out of here. We'll come right back for you, okay?"

Not needing to be asked twice, the young man grabbed at the older woman and half-dragged her back to the tree-line. Misha angled herself to get between the birds and the retreating duo without a second thought. She stumbled a bit in the snow and almost went down on one knee. "Dammit," she hissed as she struggled back to her feet.

HP: 53/56