Ghost and Aster Russo
Stoneview - Gus's residence
Collab with @TheQueensGuard
The farmhouse for the most part was in tact save for a few broken windows and rubble on the northside wall.
"He certainly always built things to last" Nissa murmured to herself as she walked towards the back door. It was the same way she had always walked into the homestead, forever trudging in with muddy boots and having to wash them off in the laundry before heading any further inside.slowly drawing the creaking door open with some hesitation, Nissa's eyes glanced to the top of the door frame and wondered for a moment if the place actually as structurally sound as she had assumed. Whistler barely waited for the door to open slightly before the hound nudged his way past Nissa's leg, nose to the ground as he padded into the laundry like had in the past. She couldn't be sure whether it was the fact that she was in an emotional moment of turmoil or simply because she was concussed but the way her stomach churned and legs turned to jelly had Nissa carefully using the old laundry bench at the back door for support. The surfaces were covered in dirt and dust, some no longer functional at all but it became the least of her issues when she heard the low snarls coming from Whistler after he disappeared from view.
The hound had smelt something and in his natural instinct had sought out the scent until he had moved into the doorway of the lounge. Letting off a snarl at the stranger he stood his ground as he barked loudly, sounding a warning for Nissa who paused in the hallway and winced as she immediately reached down for the gun in her boot only to find it missing.
Great she had thought to herself before instead grabbing a piece of wood from the floor and slowly standing back up. Things were quickly going to shit and by the time Nissa reached the doorway where she could see Whistler, she was beginning to wonder if she would make it at all. Peering her head just past the door frame as Whistler continued to bark, she spotted a young woman and the end of a barrel pointed in her direction.
Aster had her feet planted, her eyes locked on the doorway where the sound came from. She hadn't expected a dog to come around the corner and had expected a person instead of an animal. Surely the dog had an owner, it couldn't have survived by itself out here.
"Easy doggy, I'm not gonna hurt you…"
She eyed the dog warily, worried it would lunge at her. She licked her lips and glanced back towards the doorway, then back down to the dog. With the dog barking, it took away the element of surprise.
"I-I know you're there. I don't wanna shoot anyone, so just come out with your hands up."
It was a bluff, she couldn't shoot anyone even if she wanted too. She used up her ammo the day before when on the run from the troll. She didn't do well in hiding the lie either, her voice as shaky as her nerves. Her hands trembled and made it hard to keep the gun steady.
After a moment Nissa slowly stepped into the doorway knowing how royally screwed she was given this woman was armed with a pistol compared to the lump of wood. Still she didn't hold her hands up, instead holding herself steady as she lent against the wall.
"Easy..I'm not armed." Nissa announced before shrugging with a wince,
"Well not exactly threatening at least." she added as she tossed the lump of wood down before letting it rest on Whistlers back, "Good boy."
Aster eyed the woman as she leaned against the doorway. She was hurt by the looks of it. Aster hesitated and slowly lowered her pistol. She gave a slight nod and placed the pistol down on the table
"Good. I wasn't looking forward to fighting anyway." She didn't seem like a bandit, otherwise she would have sent her dog on her and came in guns firing. She kneeled down and reached for her bag, digging through it.
"Are you injured?"
She found her lantern and a bundle of bandages. Flicking the lantern on she rested it on the table and motioned for the other woman to come sit down.
"Come and sit down, I'm no doctor but I'll see what I can do about those wounds. She paused, glancing back at the dog.
"As long as your dog won't bite me.
The ease at which the woman lowered her weapon had Nissa calm significantly, figuring that neither one of them could be bothered putting up much of a fight as the other. It wasn't like Nissa to not stand her ground but in such a moment it was better to go with the flow than kick up a storm and end up in a worse condition. It didn't mean she would place complete trust in the stranger but as the woman sat down and offered her help, the friendly gesture was taken rather smoothly. A small smile raised at the mention of Whistler as Nissa stepped past him and took a seat on one of the old couches beside the coffee table in the lounge.
"He's fine, he is just protective," she answered as the dog sat still by the door.
"A tatzelwurm collided with the bike we were on and I came off second best," she told the woman
"I think it is just a couple of cracked ribs mainly."
[color= #ADD8E6]"Sounds like that'll leave a bruise, but it could be worse." [/color]Aster replied, glancing into her bag. She just had bandages and rubbing alcohol, nothing to help alleviate the pain ribs.[color= #ADD8E6] "I'm afraid I don't have anything for the pain."[/color] She took a seat beside the injured woman, giving her a curious look. [color= #ADD8E6]"What're you doing in Stoneview? I heard the city was vacant, save for some bandits."[/color] At the mention of bandits Aster scooted a little bit away from the woman, reminding herself that she was a stranger.
Nissa did her best to remove her torn and tattered jacket without causing herself more pain as the woman dug through her bag before querying the reason for Nissa being here. She could see the realisation dawning in the woman opposite her and in response she lightly put her hands up with palms exposed.
"I won't attack you, and I sure as hell ain't no bandit," Nissa tried to reassure the woman as she watched her, picking up on the providence tattoo under the woman's eye.
"Actually I've been on a search mission of sorts, finding people from your city." Nissa motioned.
"You can call me Ghost," she added shortly after figuring that the sooner they shared identities that perhaps the unsettled nervousness between them could be calmed somewhat.
"Believe me, I have too much of a headache for a fight right now. I am just here searching for a bunch of scientists on behalf of the Breez councillors," Nissa explained further. She rarely revealed so much information about herself but given her own condition and the fact that she had no firearm, a little detail was bound to get her much further.
Aster relaxed some. Some of the weight lifted from her shoulders hearing that Nissa wasn't a bandit, though her head tilted in curiosity hearing that she was in the city looking for others from Providence. She smiled some hearing the strangers name. [color= #ADD8E6]Ghost.[/color] She said the name to herself, giggling internally. People beyond the wall had such strange names!
Her curiosity was piqued even further, hearing that Ghost was looking for her group. Her eyes lit up. People were there to save her and her group! Her eyes narrowed some, realizing she was sent here from Breez, not Providence. [color= #ADD8E6]"Breez? Where is the rest of your group? Is anyone from Providence with you?[/color] A million questions flowed through her mind, and she had to take a breath to steady herself. [color= #ADD8E6]"I'm Aster Russo, I'm a part of the group you're looking for. [/color]
There was silence for a moment as Nissa took a long breath in. The reason for this was perhaps lost in the middle of the questions posed to her though truthfully it was the name that had caused the hitch. This was her, this was Logan's daughter. Shit and buggery Nissa had thought,inwardly groaning at the fact that now she had to make a difficult choice on how to broach the topic. Or did she have to at all? Avoiding that was possibly her best choice made all day.
"I took lead to scout the way from Breez to Stoneview, I know stoneview well so it made sense for me to make sure all was clear," Nissa commented before stifling a small laugh.
"Evidently it wasn't all clear but you know...shit happens."
Caring little for time spent being self conscious Nissa pulled her shirt up and slowly over her head with a grunt and grumble, leaving her sitting with her bra and a visibly bruised torso as she dumped the shirt on top of the jacket remains upon the table. She sighed somewhat as she looked down at the purplish blue hues that marked her skin and the rash from having slid across the ground.
"Jason Kennedy asked a group of us to come along from Breez, we aren't all familiar with one another but I'm sure you could understand that not everyone is keen to get involved with Providence business outside of the city." Nissa commented with an underlying truth.
"Mr Kennedy was asked by a woman from Providence although we didn't have enough time to stick around and swap phone numbers for long walks on the beach." She answered sarcastically with well intentioned humour. Nissa stopped to steal a long gaze around the living room. It hurt to see the place this unkempt, her mother had always helped Gus to keep it tidy and organised.
She had heard the name Jason Kennedy before, and was seen as a sort of figure head of Breez. What this man, and the group he sent, had to gain from helping out people from Providence, she didn't know. Aster winced slightly at the bruises that covered Ghost's body. They looked painful, though she had seen worse at the Church in Providence when people from beyond the wall were brought in for healing.
"Well at least you and your dog are in one piece." Aster stood from the couch and walked around the room, looking at the dusty walls, now lit up from the lantern. She smiled as she took a peek outside from behind heavy, old curtains. Help was so close! She feared that going all the way back to Providence would take too much time, but it seemed the group was near. Why Providence didn't send a group from their city confused her, but she didn't care. This time tomorrow she would be helping a group of people that lived outside the walls track down her people. It was an adventure she'd been waiting for.
"So you lived in Stoneview when it was an actual city?" Aster asked, moving to a bookshelf where one of the shelves had collapsed.
"What was it like?"
Whistler had made himself comfortable on the floor beside the table, his eyes following Aster as she walked around the room. Beside him Nissa watched Aster as well, though inwardly she condemned herself for revealing that she had lived in Stoneview. She wanted to give this woman a bit of trust given Aster was Logan's daughter and he had so far proved to be an okay kind of guy. But the tattoo reminded her of Providence and every meaning behind that city. They were in her house but that didn't mean she was going to let Aster know that.
"It was beautiful, the community was lovely." She told her in short. Nissa felt a small sense of heaviness in her chest that had started to knot and in reaction she changed the subject.
"Look, I don't think it's wise to stay beyond the morning. We have cover here for the evening but I think it's best if we head out at dawn for the group."
Aster nodded in agreeance, a hopeful smile on her face.
"Then we should probably get some rest." Aster made a makeshift bed on the floor, laying on her jacket to cover the floor and used her backpack as a pillow. She stretched out and curled up on the floor, ready to get some rest. It wasn't until she laid down that she realizing how tired she was.
"Goodnight Ghost." She murmured sleepily, giggling at the name one last time before drifting to sleep.
The giggle prompted a small smile from Nissa as she watched Aster get comfortable and bid her goodnight.
"Night" she replied as Nissa set to work quietly taking the supplies Aster had pulled from her bag, cleaning what dirt she could from her skin before bandaging her ribs. All the while she kept a watchful eye on Aster Russo, making sure she was well and truly asleep before easing herself from the chair. Whistler lifted from the floor as Nissa took a step from the chair turning and pressing her finger to her lips before waving her hand down. Whistler did as he was told, his tail ceasing to wag as he sat down and let his front legs slide out in front of him until he was laid on the floor.
The house was quiet except for the occasional creak of a floorboard an the rattle of the wind against the remaining intact windows. Upstairs Nissa sat down on an old dust covered bed, room simply layered in several years of grime yet all of the furniture and objects were untouched until now. Her fingers ran delicately over an old hand stitched doll that resembled something between a cute children's toy and a voodoo statue. Her lips trembled as she clutched the simple toy, her eyes filling with tears as she looked up and around the room that was once her own piece of sanctuary. Oh how the world had changed since then.
