Thread: //.ghost/ECHO::Murphy_Was_Right:// [ClockworkCadence x Ryees]

A short, ugly laugh erupted from Lyra at Kirins ballsy jab at .GORGON , expecting her to either shoot an arrow through the back of his head when he wasnt looking or to visibly short-circuit with anger. Sadly, yet amusingly, only the latter occurred, the woman too willing to pretend like she was taking the moral high ground in front of her goons to retaliate. This was useful informationit might be worth testing the limits of her patience if it didnt mean the entire fort might turn on the pair. The man found a seat a comfortable distance from the woman that had avoided his gaze minutes before, but now was examining his face with amusement as he continued to bestow names to the raiders. This side of him was new. Fun. She shouldnt have entertained the notion of actually conversing with him, but he approached her in such a casual waytheir animosity was still apparent, but jarringly less so. Her mind seemed to make itself up about something in that moment. It seemed inevitable that she would acknowledge him as a humanbeing stuck here in this camp with him and having to pretend she was his friend left her no doubt in that fact. Resisting this only ended up with her embarrassing herselfso instead, why not just let it happen? Allowing this real friendship that might bud from the seed of their fake bond? It might make it a bit painful when the time finally came to kill her potentially newfound friend, but that was just a part of the job. She had to do what must be done. At least he might not expect her to backstab him later onshe could grace him with a painless death. The sight of a genuine smile vaguely caught her eye before she turned her attention towards the archers dutifully practicing. Definitely. She nodded at his suggestion as her gaze found the woman in question, practically a dead-ringer for the elf from the back. A snort of laughter rose from her throat as her finger jutted towards a dark-haired man, well-built with an intense focus on the task at hand. Counting Daryl purely for this guy. He looks more homeless than badass, though. That was how the rest of their morning went, just ridiculing the focused raiders and exchanging plenty of laughs. It was amazing they hadnt been thrown out of the fort. The jokes had paused during the transitioning time the group used to shift to the much more practical gun training, eyes meeting in genuine camaraderie that thinly veiled the distrust still within. The message was clear they could have a good time together, but when push came to shove, they would turn on one another in a heartbeat. She would dig a knife into his skull, while he would take any opportunity to escape and leave her mission unfulfilled, or maybe even finish her off before she could reach him. It was an odd blend of subtle animosity and somewhat uncomfortable friendliness that seemed to define their relationship as the days passed. Their conversations stayed light and short, just the way that Lyra preferredat least, only with Kirin. If she didnt have to form a friendship with him, she sure as hell wasnt going to actively try to create oneher decision was to stop resisting natural camaraderie that emerged between them, not to actually search for it. With several of the members of the fort that werent absolute meatheads, however, she was much more interested in showing her true colors of quick wit, dry humor, and thoughtful care, all wrapped in her own signature spice and fire. It was with a few of those people that she sat a few weeks after she first set foot here, enjoying some midday sparring until the still oh-so lovely .GORGON shed found out her name was actually Medaapproached, snakelike eyes still ever-disapproving as she beckoned Lyra over. Whatd ya do this time? Convince Eliana to let you sneak hot sauce into her food again? A tan, blonde-haired manKaidanchuckled, the aforementioned cook beside him shooting him a look before her attention shifted back over to Lyra. She doesnt seem upset, so thats good news. Well, any more peeved off than she usually does, anyway. Eliana piped up, trying to lighten the situation as her friend stood, shrugging casually. Guess theres only one way to find out. If shes finally had enough of me, just put my grave in her office in a place where shell always stub her toe on my headstone. The redhead followed after the wiry woman that had already begun her trek over to her tent, her footsteps crunching every once in a while as they fell into spots of snow. The cold wind slapped her back as she entered, promptly going to lounge in the chair as Meda nodded to her before walking back out. In a few moments, two figures emerged into the small space, familiar icy eyes greeting her vision as she turned to face her companions. As expected, Meda sauntered over to her position of authority and business behind her desk, leaning over it intensely, but the effect of the gesture was lost on Lyra. Shed become so bored of her intimidation tactics over the past few weeks that shed taken to just sort of drifting her attention to nowhere in particular until the woman finally decided to drop the act and start speakingthis time in particular, her eyes observed the fine but worn grain of the desk, tired from years of use. It was made of mahogany, she noted. Okay, I was gracious enough to give you two plenty of time to heal from your wounds. Now, its time for you to hold up your end of the bargain. Meda began, gaze shifting between the two as she tapped a finger on the edge of a paper on her desk impatiently. We have a squad waiting for you now. Youre to go with them and help them find the cache. Simple, direct, curtshe knew what she wanted done, and she wasnt about to hesitate to demand it. This was certainly much more preferable over something long-winded, at least. Almost respectable, if not for the air of over-inflated importance. With a nod of acknowledgement, Lyra turned and made her way towards the entrance of the fort, too eager to finally get out and enjoy some real exploration again to bother with talking to her companion. She'd hated healingmore than once her restlessness caused her to push her boundaries too far to the point where she opened up her wounds again. But today? Nothing was stopping her nowafter this, she could go back to more pressing matters, but for now, she focused on the task at hand. Her excitement led her into the fortified humvee, greeting the two that were accompanying them on this journey before they set off across the barren landscape towards the mountains. It felt like it took years before she finally stepped down onto the frozen soil below, checking through the equipment she'd thrown on impatiently during the ride as she gazed around her surroundings. Knife, check. Pistol, check. Vest, check. Her list ran down a few other objects as her mind took note of where they had ended up, trying to find familiar landmarks to discern their location. Soon enough, a flat, chalky rock came into view, a piece of it missing in a jagged pattern that looked as if a giant had bit into itthey were east of the main entrance that had been caved in. With a determined smile, she whirled around to face her companions, affixing each with a look before focusing on the path ahead. This way.