Ivy and Chrome PbP Forums

"I didn't see any sort of wildlife over there, not even bugs. And with this much food growing, something should have been eating it." Brad replies as he gazes back at the boulders, as he sets his load onto the ground. Looking over to the others he says, "What do you think? and should I warn Larry and his guys?"

Lysanthra was looking forward to the delicious meal but definitely starts to worry at Sam's sudden comments. She agrees that something isn't right. She begins more carefully scanning her surroundings too without walking around. She feels uneasy now. There seems to be a heaviness in the air that she couldn't sense before maybe because she wasn't really paying attention. Liz becomes very concerned and says "Something is definitely off here".

Frank looks over what was brought back before asking, "To clarify you're talking about the food they found not what we brought with us? I ask because people have been eating what I cooked. If you mean the stuff from the area, I'm fine with leaving it." He'll set aside what was scavenged. "And do I have time to clean up a little or is it we have to go now? It is easier to clean while everything is still hot." Frank will scan the area while he starts to pack up what's not in use while snacking on croutons.

Sam shrugs, uneasy. “I just… got this feeling. And I swear I heard something. I dunno.”

Steve snorts. “Uh‑huh. You a seer now?”

“No, I’m serious. Something’s off. I swear I heard…” He glances down at his own hands like they’ve betrayed him. “Megana…”

Maya folds her arms. “Even if the scavenged stuff is contaminated, if it’s radiation, the food we cooked should be fine as long as we don’t kick dirt into it.”

Johnny ignores the debate entirely, helping Frank finish up as the last of the meal comes together. Brad hovers nearby, clearly out of his depth. He knows almost nothing about radiation or how dangerous it actually is.

Larry approaches, holding an orange handheld device about the size of a radio. He passes it to Brad. “I’ve got a meter. We’re picking up levels close to dangerous. We should dish up, get moving, and eat on the way.”

Johnny groans. “But we made enough for seconds. How are we supposed to haul all this without it sloshing everywhere?”

"Yeah, you should have a few minutes," says Brad, I'm gonna go talk to Larry."

Brad trots over to where Larry and his crew are resting, "Hey Larry? we might have a problem."

He'll try to talk to Larry relatively privately if possible, laying out what he's noticed and what he suspects.
"Lys and I were foraging, and we found a lot of wild potatoes and herbs, but no signs of animals. Lots of food but nothing eating it, not even bugs. I'm worried this area might be hot, but none of us have a geiger counter. We're getting a bad feeling about this place."

OOC: Brad is half way to level 2

"Yeah, you should have a few minutes," says Brad, I'm gonna go talk to Larry."

Brad trots over to where Larry and his crew are resting, "Hey Larry? we might have a problem." He'll try to talk to Larry relatively privately if possible, laying out what he's noticed and what he suspects. "Lys and I were foraging, and we found a lot of wild potatoes and herbs, but no signs of animals. Lots of food but nothing eating it, not even bugs. I'm worried this area might be hot, but none of us have a Geiger counter. We're getting a bad feeling about this place."

"The readings show dangerous levels," Larry replies, holding up his orange reader. "Like I said, we need to dish up and get out of here. This is an old splash zone from the cataclysm..."

Meanwhile, Johnny and Frank begin dishing up bowls of potato soup, croutons and their new tasty meatball creation along with salted and seasoned squash chips.

Lysanthra is thankful that they can eat before heading out. It smells and looks great. She is thinking while eating, that it's probably not safe to keep what she harvested here. Thankfully she had kept it separate even though she put it away. She can dispose of it after eating. Liz enjoys her lunch but also keeps glancing around nervously. When her stomach is satisfied she goes to get rid of her haul from this area and helps pack back up.

Likewise, Brad eats, and then dumps out the potatoes and such he'd collected.

As everyone finishes up, he'll say, "make sure everything is tied down in the trailer," then he'll climb aboard his truck and add a note to their map that this area has dangerous radiation levels.

Lysanthra is thankful that they can eat before heading out. It smells and looks great. She thinks while eating that it's probably not safe to keep what she harvested here. Thankfully she had kept it separate even though she put it away. She can dispose of it after eating. Liz enjoys her lunch but also keeps glancing around nervously. When her stomach is satisfied she goes to get rid of her haul from this area and helps pack back up.

Likewise, Brad eats, and then dumps out the potatoes and such he'd collected. As everyone finishes up, he says, "Make sure everything is tied down in the trailer," then he'll climb aboard his truck and add a note to their map that this area has dangerous radiation levels.

Johnny smirks. “Yes, boss.”

The meal turns out to be some of the best the group has ever had; easily rivaling, maybe even surpassing, the Bison Stampede. Steve wolfs his portion down first, while Sam only pretends to eat, nudging pieces around his plate without ever actually taking a bite. When no one’s looking, he slips bits of food into the snow, tucks some behind gear, and finally tosses a handful straight into the fire while Johnny and Frank scrub dishes.

Steve catches him. “If you’re too chicken‑shit to eat it, hand it over.” He snatches the plate and devours Sam’s leftovers in three massive bites, chugs the rest of the soup, and wanders off to pee like nothing happened.

Brad and Liz quietly dump their hard‑won forage off to the side, annoyed at the waste of effort. Once the dishes are done, Maya, Sam, and Steve help Brad and Liz tie down the last of the gear. Everyone pulls their weight this time, eager to escape the invisible threat.

The convoy rolls out, crossing the boulder‑strewn plains and eventually slipping into thicker trees groves and rising mountains. By the time night settles in, they crest a broad hilltop just flat enough for Larry’s haulers to form a loose circle around a potential campsite.

An old picnic table lies collapsed in the clearing, half‑rotted into the dirt. Larry checks his Geiger counter: normal readings. Steve, Johnny, and Sam help Frank unload the cooking gear again.

“You gonna eat your food this time?” Steve needles.

“What are you, my mom?” Sam fires back.

“No, but she makes the best pancakes in the morning.” Steve grins. It takes Sam a moment to register the jab. His face flashes with irritation, then he actually laughs, which is a rare sound these days. Not since the Festival has he laughed much. Most of his recent drawings are of Megana: riding horses, smiling, or peacefully asleep. He won’t sell a single one.

Maya watches him quietly. “Are you okay?”

“I can’t picture her face anymore,” he mutters, turning away as he digs through his pack for tomorrow’s clothes.

“Just wear the same outer layers,” Steve says. “We didn’t do anything to get ’em dirty.”

“That’s gross, Steve,” Maya groans, "You're armors are going to stink!"

“He’s not wrong,” Johnny adds. “They don’t stink and we weren’t in armor long enough to sweat.”

“Johnny, I meant an extra day or two… not a month,” Steve shoots back. Maya stomps off, disgusted by the boys.

“Oh, go eat d‑bee dick.” Johnny laughs anyway, maybe because there’s a little truth in it. He heads over to Frank to help with the setup. “What’s for supper?”

Lysanthra chuckles at the guys ribbing each other. Then she follows after Maya. "Us girls gotta stick together right?" she smiles and asks her. "Let's find a spot to pee and maybe some fresh water to wash our hands and faces," she suggests adding they won't wander too far from the group. She makes an effort to chat with Maya in hopes of getting to know her better.

Lysanthra chuckles at the guys ribbing each other. Then she follows after Maya. "Us girls gotta stick together right?" she smiles and asks her. "Let's find a spot to pee and maybe some fresh water to wash our hands and faces," she suggests adding they won't wander too far from the group. She makes an effort to chat with Maya in hopes of getting to know her better.

"Umm, maybe we can pee later," she walks to the edge of the camp and stares out over the valley ahead. As the sun sets behind them, the darkness make the ley lines more visible, Two of them cross each about half a mile away. "It's pretty, isn't it?" She asks with an absence in her tone, "Strange to think how dangerous those are..."

Liz agrees with Maya, "Yes very beautiful and kinda scary at the same time. What do you know about them?" She's looking into the distance admiring the view. She's curious to hear what Maya thinks about the ley lines. Lysanthra genuinely wants to know the people in her group better and she loves to learn new opinions or facts that she doesn't know. To her, knowledge is power and it's always better to ask questions than to assume you know everything.

Brad pulls his Mountaineer into the parking circle with Larry's haulers. Then helps Frank set up his cooking gear. When he gets a moment he'll mark this place on his map as a decent stopover location.

He shakes his head and chuckles at the byplay between Steve and Johnny.