Waiting to Die

*Because she's now staring at the leaves, I guess, she only notices when Schreiber stands up.*
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*Meanwhile, the other group notices snow flurries beginning to fight their way through the canopy.*

*Tirea nods, then they presumably head off that way*
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*Eve blinks and stands up when she sees Scheiber stand up*

Astarte hesitated on reaching the cabin, not wanting to go in but unable to just ask Tirea to go in first.

*What Astarte doesn't seem to realize is that, by the time they get back, they'll see Lilith & Vanessa dicking around by the door. Presumably now that she's taken her eyes off of the dirt, Eve also sees this. Lilith glares coldly at Schreiber, who starts heading around the bushes. The snow begins to pick up.*

Astarte was unhappy to see either of them, and took no action.

*After a moment, Eve follows. Tirea opens the door to the cabin*

Eve:<Lilith...I thought Ira...got you. He sent me a picture with a strand of your hair...Vanessa, I'm glad to see you're still with us.>

V"Yeah, I bet."

L"That's not impressive. I have a lot of hair. It falls out sometimes. Can't believe you were fooled by that."

*After turning to Eve, she notices Astarte.*

L"Oh, you made it. Well, there's always next time."

Schreiber<Take it easy, we're going to have to get along if we want to survive this.>

*Lilith's gaze darts to the professor, her eyes narrowed.*

L"Yeah, funny you should say that, I noticed that, somehow, you always stay just out of danger. We still don't know how you ran into these freaks in the first place, but you seem to have no problem surrounding yourself with fresh meat. I find it unlikely we were the first ones to get dragged into your problem."

*Eve looks down in shame*

Eve:<...I suppose everything that's happened has turned me into a pessimist when in comes to survival.>

Tirea:<Seriously, let's have this argument inside.>

*After looking around to make sure there aren't any monsters inside, Tirea heads in*

"Nobody took any notice when I said that," Astarte mumbled, skirting past Lilith to get inside.

*Lilith pointedly steps in Astarte's way & stares at her like a gross insect she's considering stomping into a nasty greenish paste.*

L"Yeah--let's all just head inside, where we can keep an eye on each other."

*And so she does just that. Vanessa, per her usual MO, shoves Astarte out of the way & heads inside.*

V"Move it, it's freezing out here."

Astarte shoved Vanessa forwards into the cabin as she passed, "Watch your step."

*Eve attempts to skirt around what is soon to become a fight to get inside. Tirea sits on one of the couches*

*Vanessa bumps into Lilith, & turns to shoves Astarte back, assisted by Lilith shoving her in the back. Vanessa then turns & tries to shove Lilith, but the latter jumps back. Schreiber crosses her arms & taps her foot.*

Schreiber<Would you girls like to stop being 12 long enough for me to enter the building? I'm too old to be standing out in the snow.>

Astarte entered the cabin and found a seat on a couch with the hint of a smile.

*Eve is sitting on the couch, silently judging this shit. Tirea looks down at her lap*

*So they sit around in silence as the snow begins to pick up, depositing a fine layer outside as the wind howls, shakes the siding, & seeps in through the ancient, shitty insulation.*

Schreiber<We never did find anything to eat, but judging from the clanging in your backpack, you 2 girls already have that covered. Assuming you are willing to share.>

L"Much as I'd love to keep the food under lock & key so you can't steal it & run off, I don't see how that would be feasible. So, I guess you can have some."

Eve:<...Can you fill us in on what happened after we separated? We just went through the tunnels and came out here.>

"How and where did you manage to get together?"

L"Tried following the shadow. Lost it in the basement. That's when I decided to tell you exactly how I felt."

V"It almost got me in the woods outside Roatha's place, but this bus came along, & I guess it decided to wait. When I got to campus, there was some big police investigation, so I skipped it & came straight for the woods. That's when this psycho found me, though I don't know how."

L"Schreiber said she'd be going through the tunnels. Was easy enough to figure out where to go. The cops weren't checking the other buildings, so I just took the long way around."

Schreiber<Wait, I think you're skipping a few parts, how'd you get out of the labs?>

L"I guess it couldn't hurt to tell you. When I got down there, that thing was still stomping around, but it managed to get itself lost in the halls. So I went after your little supply & got my own little charm to ward off the Shadow. That's when Ira tried to jump me. I'd been using my phone as a flashlight, so I dropped it. While he was doing his little show & tell, he was distracted. So I snuck up on him, stabbed him, took it back, & ran."

Schreiber<...I don't suppose he's-->

L"No. Even wounded, he's still stronger than the average man. Plus his yell brought the beast & the Shadow running. I just barely got away."

V"Then I just tried to find my way back here, since I've been here before. And that's it."

"Impressive," Astarte glanced around the room and hugged herself. "But if you 'barely got away', isn't there a good chance you were followed here?"

L"Well, maybe you should've thought of that before you ditched me."

"Would you have risked your life for Hector?" Astarte asked, with more curiosity than venom.

Tirea:<...What about Monu?>

*Eve looks between Vanessa, Lilith and Astarte*

Eve:<Lilith...>

L"Once upon a time. Now the only thing that matters is killing Ira."

V"What about your friend?"

L"We both knew what had to be done since we found out. I held out hope because that's what Thiera wanted, but you said it yourself, that naivety is what got her killed. Or worse."

"Hey, we're finally on the same page," Astarte found herself smiling ironically despite herself. She felt a twitch of shame and looked away, drooping.