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week 6
WEEK 6
!home, home on the range
Last week’s events have understandably driven the group off the intended course — so this week will be about righting your little forest-beach-detour.
However, it seems the rain that began at the tail end of last week hasn’t quite let up yet. Mercifully(?), the worst of the storm looks to be over, which means the party will only have to be mildly soggy instead of fighting for their lives against daunting sheets of rain.
Perhaps due to a combination of poor weather, overexertion, and lingering germs in any of the places everyone’s been traveling through, Leontuzzo Bellone and Mark Grayson come down with the flu.
Covering a wide area of land between the lighthouse and the next marked place on the map are a series of abandoned farms and vineyards. Fruit trees and grapevines have all been left to grow (and overgrow) naturally, and with the party passing through at the height of summer, there are plenty of fresh peaches and grapes to be plucked from the foliage on the way. The rain has made the ground muddy and sticky, which may lead to some unfortunate falls…but maybe it’s worth it for a tasty treat.
Also in the abandoned farms are, of course, farmhouses and barns. There are stray farm animals here and there who have happened to survive through sheer luck, though there are no human inhabitants. No living ones, anyway: there are only skeletons, telling the tale that people died here long ago, perhaps of natural causes. One can only hope they did not succumb to the virus as so many others have. There are medicine cabinets inside the houses that have standard things like painkillers, cough syrup, and things of that nature, so it might be a good time to stock up.
As characters linger in the farms, they’ll also notice another side effect of their bracelets: throughout the entire week, they’ll be empathically linked to the other survivors, being able to feel their emotions as strongly as they would feel their own.
However, it seems the rain that began at the tail end of last week hasn’t quite let up yet. Mercifully(?), the worst of the storm looks to be over, which means the party will only have to be mildly soggy instead of fighting for their lives against daunting sheets of rain.
Perhaps due to a combination of poor weather, overexertion, and lingering germs in any of the places everyone’s been traveling through, Leontuzzo Bellone and Mark Grayson come down with the flu.
Covering a wide area of land between the lighthouse and the next marked place on the map are a series of abandoned farms and vineyards. Fruit trees and grapevines have all been left to grow (and overgrow) naturally, and with the party passing through at the height of summer, there are plenty of fresh peaches and grapes to be plucked from the foliage on the way. The rain has made the ground muddy and sticky, which may lead to some unfortunate falls…but maybe it’s worth it for a tasty treat.
Also in the abandoned farms are, of course, farmhouses and barns. There are stray farm animals here and there who have happened to survive through sheer luck, though there are no human inhabitants. No living ones, anyway: there are only skeletons, telling the tale that people died here long ago, perhaps of natural causes. One can only hope they did not succumb to the virus as so many others have. There are medicine cabinets inside the houses that have standard things like painkillers, cough syrup, and things of that nature, so it might be a good time to stock up.
As characters linger in the farms, they’ll also notice another side effect of their bracelets: throughout the entire week, they’ll be empathically linked to the other survivors, being able to feel their emotions as strongly as they would feel their own.
city escape
Once the group passes through farm country, you’ve finally made it to the outskirts of your destination, San Francisco. The map seems to suggest that you should travel along the east outskirts of the town along the bay, rather than directly through it — similar to how the party had stayed to the edges of Los Angeles.
Hordes here are similar to the ones in LA, though with the added difficulty that San Francisco is very hilly. Groups of zombies will chase the survivors uphill and downhill: they seem to have limitless stamina, so running up the hills and hoping for the best isn’t the best strategy. Conversely, they run full speed down the steep declines of San Francisco roads, which can lead to them completely wiping and possibly knocking you down with them.
Several zombies are also special: of the zombies that attack downhill, a handful have retained enough intelligence to simply stand or sit on abandoned skateboards and bikes, which increases their speed greatly. Of the zombies that prefer to attack uphill, they’ve learned that throwing anything they can find at their prey may slow them down — pieces of glass, bricks, and even shoes might be thrown at the survivors.
Henry Townshend attracts the attention of zombies in these hilly zones, forcing the need for a City Escape™.
Hordes here are similar to the ones in LA, though with the added difficulty that San Francisco is very hilly. Groups of zombies will chase the survivors uphill and downhill: they seem to have limitless stamina, so running up the hills and hoping for the best isn’t the best strategy. Conversely, they run full speed down the steep declines of San Francisco roads, which can lead to them completely wiping and possibly knocking you down with them.
Several zombies are also special: of the zombies that attack downhill, a handful have retained enough intelligence to simply stand or sit on abandoned skateboards and bikes, which increases their speed greatly. Of the zombies that prefer to attack uphill, they’ve learned that throwing anything they can find at their prey may slow them down — pieces of glass, bricks, and even shoes might be thrown at the survivors.
Henry Townshend attracts the attention of zombies in these hilly zones, forcing the need for a City Escape™.
fisherman's wharf + pier 39
Towards the end of the week, as characters continue taking the long way around San Francisco, they’ll eventually end up at the northeastern section of the city. More specifically, Pier 39, and the harbors it borders.
Here, after all the rain and gloom, the weather is a bit clearer, allowing characters to look out into the bay and see some marine wildlife that has kept away from the virus; there are hundreds of sea lions and seagulls here, though because they stay down on the rocks below the pier, the sounds of waves crashing drown out their incessant barking.
There are a number of abandoned shops here, and similar to the mall the group traversed weeks ago, many of the stores seem to be looted, but there are still goodies to be found here and there. With the wide variety of goods, from music boxes to candy to jewelry, there’s sure to be something that tugs on the heartstrings you’re all sharing this week.
Take a look around, find a souvenir, and maybe pick what store you’re going to be camping out in for the night?
This week, Ninety-Nine is infected.
Here, after all the rain and gloom, the weather is a bit clearer, allowing characters to look out into the bay and see some marine wildlife that has kept away from the virus; there are hundreds of sea lions and seagulls here, though because they stay down on the rocks below the pier, the sounds of waves crashing drown out their incessant barking.
There are a number of abandoned shops here, and similar to the mall the group traversed weeks ago, many of the stores seem to be looted, but there are still goodies to be found here and there. With the wide variety of goods, from music boxes to candy to jewelry, there’s sure to be something that tugs on the heartstrings you’re all sharing this week.
Take a look around, find a souvenir, and maybe pick what store you’re going to be camping out in for the night?
This week, Ninety-Nine is infected.
no subject
So in the end, he'll take her hard to carefully steady himself, though he tries to keep most of his weight on his own two feet for the sake of her injuries. ]
no subject
There should be some medical supplies once we make it back up the hill. In the event that you might need anything.
[ She can't quite just check to see if he has a fever or anything, that's rude. ]
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He hesitates, an unfamiliar unease roiling around in his stomach as he struggles to decide just how much he wants to admit to Haru. ]
I didn't seem to injure anything in my fall.
no subject
I know there are painkillers, but if you don't have to use them, all the better.
[ But cold medicine, maybe? He looks a bit like he's coming down with something.
... He wasn't bitten, right? Surely someone would have noted that, if he had. ]
no subject
It just wasn't from a zombie.
He tries to force a smile, even as his head swims. ]
Lets save them for someone who needs them more then. It's not like we have an endless supply.
no subject
Pardon me.
[ She was worried about being rude, but there's just something off about his expression, so she's using her free hand to nudge his bangs up and press her cooler hand against his forehead. ]
no subject
... So he's been found out, huh? No point in lying now. She'll feel the heat radiating off of him for sure. ]
As far as I know, I haven't been bitten, and I think I would remember something like that.
[ But...
But....................... ]
no subject
But-- ]
Then it must be a more common illness. When you think about it, we got rained on quite a bit and we haven't really been able to bolster our immune systems. I'm actually surprised none of us came down with any actual sickness before now. But I'm certain there are also fever reducers among the medical supplies.
no subject
The possibility in this world wasn't zero though, and it was something he did have to be concerned about. ]
It's possible...
[ He doesn't sound convinced, but there is the smallest amount of hope still sitting in his words.
He's going to look real foolish when those fever reducers and some bed rest does actually do the trick for him. ]
no subject
Then let's make our way back up, slowly. Once you're cleaned up and you've taken something, I think getting some sleep would do more help than harm at this point.
no subject
His sigh is heavy, and there's genuine embarrassment on his face as his ears press back flatter. ]
It's not as if I'm being much help at the moment anyway.
no subject
[ And she does say this sincerely, though she's aware it's going to sound a little trite to pretty much anyone. ]
And that means quite a bit to me. It really wasn't that long ago that I didn't have friends at all.
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It doesn't make him feel pathetic at the moment, though he does force a smile at Haru's attempt to console him. ]
That's hard to imagine.
[ She might be an absolutely terrifying driver, but Haru is such a genuinely pleasant person to be around when she's not behind the wheel of a car. ]
no subject
I appreciate that, but it's true. My father was very strict with who I interacted with in public, and anyone who tried to befriend me back then ultimately just did so because I came from an affluential family.
So gradually, I kept more and more to myself, because I didn't know who I could trust.
no subject
To only have those sort of flies buzz around you... I'm sorry. It sounds lonely.
[ Leontuzzo was lucky in that he was spared that fate by two important childhood friends. One like an older sister, one more of a sworn brother closer to his age, both of them genuinely his friends and his companions.
... It made what he had to do to the second so much worse, but in the end his two most cherished friends held ideals that were entirely at odds with one another, and Leon was left in a position where he could only choose one.
In the end though, he still had that one. ]
no subject
[ There's no denying that. Haru's spent the majority of her life trying to have some semblance of companionship, and most of the people who had kept her company were older friends of her father's. Mariko, at least, had never talked down to her, simply had expected her to get to her feet each and every time and learn from the experience.
But someone her age? Even close to it? That hadn't happened until she'd met the talking cat. ]
But it's different now, thankfully. I have people I can trust now... both back home and here, I'm coming to realize. At the very least, I'd like to believe that.
no subject
For all the horrible things they'd done in the past, he still missed his old friends.
He missed Demetri...
Weirdly though there was something comforting, uplifting even about hearing someone have the opposite experience from him. Someone able to appreciate friendship and trust now instead. A small smile, barely perceivable, twitches at the corner of his lips. ]
I'm glad to hear the change, and even though it's good you can trust us, it might be nice to see you get back to those ones from home soon.
[ Soon... just a few more weeks now if they can hold on.
If he still has the time... ]
no subject
[ But for now... ]
... But I'll focus on what's in front of me for now. It still feels as though we've got quite a ways ahead of us.
[ She has no idea. ]
no subject
More than halfway done if the doctor is to be believed. Still, best to focus on the immediate.
[ It's all he can consider doing if he wants to keep his head on straight. ]
Which I suppose I my case means sitting down for a bit, since even picking peaches seems beyond me right now.
no subject
[ So yes, she agrees. ]
I'll stay with you for a bit longer, if you don't mind.
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Besides, if he's being honest he thinks from what he's seen that Haru would be perfectly capable of taking care of him all on her own if he did start to slip...
So even though he takes a few seconds too long to think about it, he will finally respond in a hushed tone. ]
I think I'd like that.
[ Because being alone, even if he was trying to be helpful, was causing his thoughts to eat away at him all the more. ]
no subject
I'd like that, too. Come on, then. We're almost there.
[ TO NURSE A SICKIE BACK TO HEALTH. ]
no subject
But there were always people that he could let some of that mask slip with before. To an extent he could do that in front of Demetri, though his friend still expected some degree of strength from Leon, and he'd since lost that shoulder to lean on anyways. Lavinia was another who was fine with Leon showing weakness in front of her, and once he got back from all of this (if he got back from this), she was certainly going to have to deal with him being particularly pathetic for a bit.
People he didn't know well were harder to let these sides of himself show, but at this moment, at this particular nadir, he's tired of keeping up the act. So he won't put any more fight as Haru rushes him along to indeed nurse the sickie back to health.
Boy will he look like a bit of a fool when he shortly realizes this is all just a flu. ]