Day 1 - 15.54 pm
[https://i.imgur.com/FknXjVB.png]
After about 1/2 hour of traveling down the mountainous forest Odeon gets to a road, but it looks deserted, no vehicles to be seen anywhere. He keeps following the road towards the east.An hour later he arrives in the town of Chelsea, Michigan, before the apocalypse this was a stereotypical anglo-american suburbs. Some of the buildings seem damaged and are starting to fall apart, but as he keeps on getting closer to the center of the town the streets keep getting livelier. Still he hasn't seen any cars yet.Looking around, there's about 20 people in the surroundings, some of them reading a book, some of them carrying stuff around, two kids playing across the street. There's a Convenience Store, named Thompsons, a church and a Subways Restaurant (it's neon-lighting sign doesn't function properly anymore, the B is blinking, spelling SU WAY) with a huge parking lot in front of it where most of the people are inside, sitting.
Odeon enters and looks around the Subway, it got an awful lot of old wodden decorations, making it seem more an irish pub, seems like they refurbished it. The walls are made of wood too, there's several windows on every side of the building. Three tables with some stools around them are in here, around all of them there are people of all gender and ages sitting around, enjoying a beer or tea, even some families drinking hot chocolate with their kids. In the back of the room one can see a tall bald caucasian man in a white tanktop behind a bar counter that has a display with various bottles behind it. He looks pretty beefy, as if he was some sort of bodybuilder, his large hands, resembling bear paws are gently cleaning some dirty glasses with a towel. "Looks like this is the meeting place for locals" Odeon moves and slams the golden bracelet he took from the bandits in the cave on the counter "What's your name good man? Whatever this gets me please. A portable meal and some liquor please. Whiskey preferably." It's been a while since Odeon was involved in any barter, hopefully people still value this useless accessory.
The barkeeper stops cleaning the glasses and introduces himself "John" before picking up the bracelet, taking a closer look at it "Oh my, how friendly. Long time I've seen someone handing in real gold..." Odeon sees him thinking for a while, before John responds with an offer "I'll give you a whole bottle of Jack Daniels and two Cans of Corn as an extra." Odeon nods and the barkeeper stows away the bracelet behind the counter. "Hmph.. Could've bought half the bottles in the display for that thing some years ago" Odeon thinks to himself. Time to ask what he came for, he adresses barkeeper again "John, you're from around here right? How do I get to Manhattan?"
The man behind the counter picks up another dirty glass, continuing his duty "So you're looking for a way to get to Manhattan. Mhm. Hard to get a ride around here. I heard that some guys repaired the old train tracks of the 91 Line in Ann Arbor recently, about an hours walk east from here. Maybe you can get to Detroit from there and then continue. Also south from here there's a farm, they sell horses." he gives off a woeful sighs "Oh my never thought that selling horses would be a business again." before asking in a puzzled voice "What do you want to do in Manhattan anyway?! Last I heard on the Radio about New York, it became a gang infested rat hole, we barely get any news out here, I don't even know if the government is still keeping things in check... we're just trying to get by here too."
[Second Player Joins: Elori]
As he opens the door to the Subway, Elori spots the barkeeper yelling something about the situation in New York. That large bald guy seems to be in a heated discussion with some black-haired dude in a green-ish hunting poncho. New York? Something that doesn't bother him the least. He's as carefree as ever, Atiya guided him to this tavern, or maybe it was just his tastebuds longing for a flavourful drink. Anyway, now that he's here his godess would surely want him to order some red wine, a pinot noir maybe? "Doubt they still have imported products from back then..." he thinks for a moment, before continuing not to care "Whatever, I'll take whatever they got." He walks through the crowd and sits down next to the man in the green poncho, ordering a drink in the process "A simple red wine please." he puts the wooden staff he's carrying next to his stool, leaning it against the counter.
Odeon notices a guy sitting down next to him in the corner of his eyes, but he doesn't pay much attention, he's deep in his thoughts. Seems like there's no cars around here too, they've been disappearing the past years. Damn. And traveling by horse will take him forever and he'll be vulnerable to assaults. The guys with the train seem like the safest option... then again... can he really trust people? It should be fine as long as he doesn't tell them the specific reason for going to Manhattan.
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John then asks Odeon who's lost in thought again "So... Manhattan? Why?" while he pours Elori a glass of Séduction Cabernet "Cheers, Sir."
Odeon braggadociously declares in a calm manner "I have important business there that could save the world."
Elori's curiousity gets the best of him "Interesting" he thinks and begins to listens intently, putting his glass down again just as he was about to take the first sip of his red wine.
"Save the world?" He begins to chuckle slowy, then loughs out loud "Mawahaha, have you heard this guys, this man wants to save the world! Ahaha, this is great!" The other people in the bar, which before were all silently talking to each other or listenting to the sound of the old juke box (Best of 90s-2000 Black Music) playing all stare at Odeon stunned and then simultaniously start to burst out in laughter."Ok ok!" he goes on "This is the best joke I've heard in years! Governments are crumbling, everyones off to themselves, even the animals are getting crazy and thugs are running around outside like bees on a hot summersday! And you tell me you want to save us all? Hah! Last time I heard this was like 3 years ago, some black guy in his mid thirties walked in and said the same thing! Nothing happened! Well I tell you the same as I told him 'Bonne Chance!'. May god be with you! Here's one on the house. Self-made, I don't serve it to everybody normally."John ducks behind the counter and pours two shot glasses of his finest household whiskey, one for him and one for the stranger that just announced he was going to save the world. He lifts the glass to Odeon and chugs it "Ahhhh!"
Odeon chuckles to himself "As I thought, they're not taking me seriously."
Elori, still leaveing his drink untouched, turns to Odeon, “He’s a bit animated, isn’t he?” he says pointedly.
Suprised someone is talking to him, Odeon looks up to Elori and laughs at the remark. "Well I think hell be the least of my problems, hes handing out free alcohol."
He musters the new arrival who's wearing a robe covering him from shoulders down to the knees closely. The garnment is coloured in a gradient design, starting with a scarlet-red from the shoulders and seemlessly flowing over to a white until it reaches the very bottom, some golden embroidery is lining the collar. Red-ish brown skin, but Odeon can't really tell what ethnicity he belongs to, judging by his face he's probably a tad younger than him, maybe in his early 20s, then again, the hair reaching to his neck, reminding him of a wildly styled Beatles haircut, tells a different story: It's got a grayish-silvery color. "This guy... really bothers dyeing his hair in a time like this... it looks oddly natural though" he thinks for a moment, before introducing himself. "Odeon." he lifts his glass and puts it down again in a gesture of greeting, meanwhile eyeing the large leather backpack on the strangers back... he's probably not a native to this town "And... What's your business?".
Elori flashes a quick smile because of Odeons comment and replies “Elori. Exploring and traveling the world, figured life is too short to settle down in one place for so long.” he doesn't want to bother explaining his whole philosophy to this stranger he just met. Better to keep it short, people wouldn't understand. He stirs a bit in his stool and adjust the bottom portion of his robe, “You’re trying to save the world, I heard? What’s does it have to be saved from?”
"This guy? Is he for real? Or maybe he's stoned to the point he doesn't even know anymore" Odeon thinks to himself before checking Eloris light-grey eyes "Nah. Looks clean. Oddball. But maybe a fellow traveller can help me out." before he starts explaining "Were living in a post-apocalyptic world now, remember when it wasnt just gangs and other dangers attacking each other and there was peace? I think I might know a way to bring the peace back." he taps on his head with his finger. "I know something that might lead to our salvation." he leans in closely to Elori. "How do I know that I can trust you?"
Staring off straight into the distance, Elori reflects for a moment, is this just another chance encounter or a nudge from Atiya to guide him on his path? Elori slowly says, “You don’t.. but it’s a risk you’re willing to take.” At least he can listen to what this peculiar guy called Odeon has to say.
Elori and Odeon both immersed in the conversation, suddendly get disturbed by the entrance door getting busted open and a woman with long golden perms running towards them wearing a beautiful, almost weeding-like looking, dress. It looks as if she's being chased by people in red hoods who are running over the parking lot in front of the subway, rushing towards it. Every step looks as if she's almost going to tumble, she seems to be in a real hurry and is screaming "HEEEEEEELP!!!".
"Damn. Not those guys in red again" Odeon thinks to himself "But this looks like the perfect trial, to see if I can trust this guy." He chugs his drink and gets up, slowly walking up to the girl and announces towards Elori "Prove it."
Elori smirks and gets up as well, trailing Odeon. Looks like he found someone still willing to fight for the cause, someone who's not just all talk.