Home in hell (invite)

[Pride]

Pride was outside of the stone cabin that they had built.  Simple but sturdy.  Previously they had tried wood, but with the monsters of fire and shadows the house was more problematic than safe.  Stone had the added benefit of not rotting from the draining of the lifeforce of the world.  Plus side, he had survived and he wasn't the only one.  So suck it Conqueror wanna be God dick head.  

"Yeah, I can feel it too.  Every day it gets stronger.  While everything fades it's shadow continues to expand."  He grinned at his reflection mirrored and distorted in the small creek they had found to settle next to.  It was a world of death, and the monster that shared his head couldn't have been more comfortable, or excited.

[Thorn Wyatt]

Thorn walks out from inside the cabin, rubbing his eyes. He had tried to make it a habit to go out at least once a day, if only to keep his eyes from becoming too sensitive to light.

He looks around, then spots one of the very... very few he still knew from before the world's end, and walks towards him. He doesn't say anything, not a word of greeting, instead just... stands there. Staring.

[Stigma Wyatt]

Stigma wasn't new to death and revival. When she awoke after their combined attack on the Conqueror had ended in a brilliant flash, she realized the stress of it had changed her physically. Recovery was longer, and her hair and eyes had lost pigmentation. She felt and looked like a ghost.

It had come as a big relief to find the others still lived. And though her world was being ravaged and drained, she wasn't there by herself.

As with most days, Stigma had gone out a bit to see what she could find for food. Living off very little wasn't new to her, and luckily the world wasn't completely devoid of vegetation or creatures. Sadly, short of a few vegan options, she hadn't been able to find anything....meaty.

She'd sigh softly, wandering over to her brother and Pride.

"I failed. I'm sorry."

She was disappointed, but at least she wasn't saying it nearly as self-deprecating as she used to.

[Joy]

Little remained of the forest that their cabin had been built near, the remains only an echo of what had once been some of the thickest area. One shadow broke away from the rest, Joy hauling an unreasonably large animal behind her with relative ease. The boar's blood left a trail behind her, clearly dead from what looked like massive claw marks.

The sight of home was a welcome one, pushing her to drag the boar towards the one spot of safety they had in the maddened world. The figures in the distance were familiar, especially now. her gaze flicked from one to the other, missing her brother's word.

"What?" it was not surprising that she was even more angry and reclusive as she felt the life drain from the land. Felt it, not just see it or sense it. The monster within was even more agitated, but she kept it in check as she always had, especially around the others.

[Pride]

"No, no. It's fine. I know. It's gonna happen either way, but we should enjoy it while we can." His face almost split in two as a grin overtook his features, glancing over to Thorn before clapping the other man on the back. "Ain't that right buddy?"

Letting out a deep exhale he just took in the stagnating air and the withering sight around them. lifting a hand up in greeting to Stigma as she approached with her findings, as small as they may be. Though it seemed Joy wasn't far behind with a boar, they were going to eat good tonight!

"H-ey! Looks like the ladies came through. Guess that means it's up to us to clean the kill and cook it. Can't let them have all the fun."

He said with a wink and chuckle.

[Thorn Wyatt]

"What are we enjoying?"

Thorn tilts his head, stepping forward slightly from the impact of the clap to his back. His brow furrows, then he turns his gaze upon the two females. He still wasn't used to Stigma's new look, it wasn't... familiar. But he still had the same comfort when she was around.

"Joy was successful with meat."

Thorn points out, helpfully.

He doesn't really think cooking and cleaning the kill is particularly fun, but Pride often knew more things than he did, so Thorn just nods and goes along with it.

[Stigma Wyatt]

Stigma had a look of relief when Joy returned, laughing sheepishly.

"It seems you picked the correct direction."

Still, what's a boar without a little seasoning, right? She had a few perfectly usable dried-out herbs and very safe mushrooms that would go well with it among other things. She would set her basket down and lets the boys handle the rest...though admittedly she was likely going to meddle with the cooking portion.

[Joy]

Joy nodded in agreement when Stigma mentioned picking the right directions, words the warrior would have used herself if they hadn't already been said. It was clear the other woman had tried, and she hadn't come back empty-handed for it.

"We need more than meat. You did good." She hoisted the creature in front of her brother with an expectant look, but he seemed to get what came next for them. She wasn't sure if Thorne would find any of it enjoyable, but it was something familiar enough to them. Coming from a hard life may this hellscape easier to deal with.

[Pride]

"Living for the time being."

He'd say to Thorn before moving forward to meet the girls, taking the boar from Joy with ease, slinging it over his shoulder as he looked over the clearing around their little cabin. They'd need a fire to cook the food obviously. Thorn could get the wood and handle that if he didn't want to clean the meat, or they could do it together and hang out, he didn't mind either way.

"I'll make sure to strip enough of it away to smoke and preserve what we can to make it last. Did you two find anything out of the ordinary while you were out?"

He'd ask making his way toward his little slaughtering ground, dumping the carcass onto the ground before reaching to his belt to draw a carving knife.

[Thorn Wyatt]

Without being told to do anything, Thorn seems content to just stand there and watch. He tilts his head, leaning in slightly in order to see what Pride is doing more clearly.

"Will this attract more dark flames?"

[Stigma Wyatt]

She blushes slightly at the praise from Joy!

"Nothing we haven't already seen." Stigma would say, trying to think back at her journey.

"I'm starting to wonder if other people still manage to exist here. Or if it's all just those things."

[Joy]

Joy shook her head at the mention of more creatures.

"Nothing is nearby." Attracting any sort of flame creatures was...troubling. Annoying, more like. She couldn't describe the taste it left in her mouth when she was even near one. The growl that started from her gut and climbed up until it was a scream of fury in her mind.

She stopped at the mention of other people, looking up at the sky and the strange sight it was now. Strange, but the new normal.

"Maybe."

[Pride]

"They do."

He said in response to Stigma's question. His focus on the boar as he'd plunge his knife into it's hide, splitting it down the middle before he began to carefully pull on the edges, prying it away from the muscle and connective tissue, the breeze taking the smell of it's carcass away from the group even as his bangs pushed and moved with the breeze revealing the marks of chaos that ran down half his face to his shoulder, the addition of red to the black was fairly recent, coming as the whispers became stronger and more insistent in their demands and ramblings.

"They might come. It would be wise to set up a watch rotation, like before we finished the dwelling. We still haven't seen an Alpha of them, no telling if they can organize or how big and powerful they can become."

Something his whispers warned him of in dreams. Horrors dancing around the cabin plotting and planning. Crooning with seductive promises of bringing the night, quenching the never ending thirst with his life blood pulsing out of his heart as they peeled his itching flesh from his bones like he did with the boar. It almost sent a shiver of anticipation down his spine.

[Thorn Wyatt]

"I can watch."

Thorn offers, standing straight again. He glances over to his sister, then shrugs.

"I like when Stigma cooks."

She'll make sure it's all good. He has faith.

[Stigma Wyatt]

"I can watch after Thorn." Stigma offers, taking a look at their surroundings without realizing as they spoke of the flame creatures.

Running into other people, should they still exist like Pride seemed sure of...that too caused her concern. Desperate people did desperate things. They were a lingering threat, just like the flame creatures. Just like any other monster.

She smiles at her brother, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly.

"I'll season the meat if you want..?"