theroadwarrior | IC Contact for etraya

[Max is not a talker.

That much is clear in the slow, careful way he speaks, how no word is poorly spent. He doesn't veer off conversation, and only very occasionally seems to lose his train of thought — looks at something to her distant left or right, though nothing will ever be there if she sneaks a glance. Not there to her, anyway.

These little spells come and go, and he never so much as apologizes or mentions them. Instead, calloused hands gesture from one spot to the next, carefully detailing Solmara: old hospital with the AI system is located within tall, guarded gates, two ways in and out, but there could be other openings he's unfamiliar with.

One major deterrent for the bridge area: the whirlpool that seems to want to consume anything near it, and the lake that is poisonous and plentiful in unkind wildlife. He taps his finger over the little radiation sign he'd drawn.]

Water's no good there. Full of predatory creatures.

Good defense for the base, bad for anyone trying to sneak around the bridge.

[Every word is duly noted, written down in Caitlyn's scrawled handwriting, labels and notes and little things that pop into her head as he speaks that might come in useful later. As she's writing, she glances up when he seems to trail off or drift, catching him looking at seemingly nothing. She looks every time, curious, and every time there's nothing there. It does make her wonder, ever so slightly, whether his information is entirely reliable or whether he might have a tendency to see or hear things that aren't there, but every single thing is written down nonetheless.]

Is the water itself dangerous? Is it poisonous, or... polluted? Anything like that? Or is it only what's in the water?

Mm. Undrinkable. Could be polluted by the creatures, could naturally ahhm... tainted. Wouldn't recommend drinking it. AI doesn't bother on any upkeep in the city, so nothing gets purified or fixed these days.

[He taps his finger on the water droplet symbols.]

Take your own water, but if you need more — these are places we collect from.

Main base has a water system, but... obviously not accessible for outsiders.

[Caitlyn nods along, scribbling down everything he says and making particular note of the water sources; she's not planning to be there terribly long, if she can figure out how to get there at all, but they'll almost certainly need more water than they can easily carry.]

Thank you. For all of this.

[She finally finishes copying the map and making notes.]

Can I come to you in the future, should I have any further questions?

[Folding the paper gingerly with hands sporting a few somewhat crooked fingers, he hums his approval. Quite frankly, he's not used to being thanked — for anything, really. Or if he is, it doesn't usually last all that long.]

Mm. Will answer the best I can.

[Which is no easy feat to be offered such things from him, Caitlyn.

He just appreciates being willing to step foot in that mess of a city.

Speaking of which, more seriously:]

Just don't get caught by her.

[Caitlyn nods, just as serious as he is.]

I won't.

[She takes note of his crooked fingers, the care with which he folds the map, the jittery way he looks around... It all speaks to someone who has suffered something traumatic, whether in his world or in Solmara, if not both.

As Caitlyn stands to leave, she reaches out in what she intends to be a kind gesture, intending to lay a hand on his shoulder.]

[Max's body tenses under her hand.

An instinctive reaction, one born from years of both enduring and using violence. In another headspace, at another point in his life, his response could've -- would've -- been a messier affair... but he just bites the inside of his cheek and sees the gesture for what it is.

He offers a slight nod.

Maybe it's a sign he's not hopeless, after all.]

IC Contact for etraya

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