... [Open]

[menkheperatum]

Characters: Atem menkheperatum and OPEN to YOU
Setting/Location: Outskirts of district 4
Date & Time: Day 0, late evening
Warnings: Nada
Summary: Moody pharaoh is moody? And also technologically challenged.

Comments

[moerines]

It's getting dark, and Shirley is alone again, and slightly lost.

It is a bad combination. For hours, Shirley had been distracted enough by the faces old and new and the technology (entirely new, and entirely confusing) that the Big Picture had almost escaped her notice. It was out there floating in the periphery of her mind: I'm not home. I don't know when I'm going to be home. I don't know anything about this place. There was a point at which these thoughts could no longer be pushed aside by the other, smaller thoughts, the ones along the lines of this little machine is very strange and oh, I'm starting to get hungry. There was a point at which you ran out of things to think about beyond: Where am I?

Every step Shirley takes is bringing her to that point. The outskirts of the village are lovely, but, even in the dark, it is impossible to pretend that they're leading her back to Werites Beacon.

Her head is full and her feet are sore, and it is getting very difficult to be strong.

She's so lost in thought that she nearly jumps out of her skin when the Junogam lands a few meters away from her feet. Shirley jerks her head around, taking in her surroundings, trying to pinpoint exactly where it had come from. She doesn't immediately notice the man lying on the ground some distance from her, and so she calls out:

"Wh-who's there?"

[menkheperatum]

Lying there in the soft grass, Atem's thoughts stray in a rather similar direction as Shirley's, jumbled self reflective queries that ultimately dance circles round his mind and leave him with no more answers than when he started.

It is not entirely the same however. He can't even be sure that home is what lies ahead for him and that is a terrible uncertainty to be faced with as an Egyptian. Probably as anyone actually. So instead of a "Where am I?" in rings much closer to "Where am I going?" and not without considerable reflection on what he left behind too.

He can take care of himself at least; he's not so concerned about that. Nevermind the fact that he's never had to spend much more than a minute without all the services and amenities that come with a cushy palace life. That will undoubtedly prove problematic in time but such a loss is the last thing on his mind right now. Besides, his strength is built of stronger stuff than that.

Which is probably a good thing because the voice that echoes out from the dark seems a bit unsettled. Looking up at the sound, the young pharaoh finds Shirley silhouetted in the hazy starlight, just a shadowy, featureless figure. He props himself up on his elbows, tilting his head slighty as though that will help him focus.

"Nothing to fear." He finally admits, knowing his personal time has been spoiled. "It was not my intention to startle anyone."

[moerines]

Shirley squints into the dark towards the voice, finally noticing the man in the grass, her attention drawn to him by his movement. There is something peaceful about his pose-reclining, gazing at the stars-but the fact that he'd thrown his "cellphone," or whatever it was called, gives away his true state of mind. For a moment, Shirley wonders idly to herself whether anyone in their situation really is at peace right now. It seems impossible-but then again, it seems that every type of person has been brought to this place. The only thing they have in common is that they're far from home, and that it looks like they'll all be remaining so for some time.

Her sore feet make it rather tempting to join him on the grass, but it looks like she's already intruded on a private moment, and so Shirley remains standing, unsure of what to say.

"It's all right. I'm sorry if I interrupted your thoughts."

[menkheperatum]

Atem can't make out all of Shirley's features but he does draw certain conclusions from voice alone. She seems polite, if a bit timid and the way she carries herself tells him that he's in better company than he's come to expect from this world. She shows no signs of leaving either, so the least he can do is waylay her concerns, shaking his head slowly. "They were not helping much anyway."

Sitting up straighter, he hesitates, then motions to a spot in the grass nearby, though it's still a respectable distance away from him. "Are you lost?" he inquires a bit dryly. It's either that or she's afraid or she was actually looking for some kind of companion. No matter what the reason, his conscience gets the better of him. This fate is shared by all of them and for that reason he cannot completely look down on the other waywards.