VIII - Darkness and Firelight
With dusk, the gray pines seem to draw in, pulling close to one another, blocking out the pale glow of the moon and stars. At the overhang, where the posse has built their camp, the resulting darkness takes on an impenetrable quality. Beyond the amber glow of the campfire, all becomes uncertain, the details of the nearby trees, and anything that might linger among them, lost. A few insects buzz outside the boundary of the firelight, but the mountain is quiet otherwise, giving only an occasional, rattling whisper when the wind passes among the forest’s dry branches.
The first watch passes without incident. If Kearney finds Dr. Wayland strange, she gives no sign, her interest in his inventions and theories clearly genuine. She listens more than she speaks, but she does talk about some of her career as a law dog, and about some the wonders she witnessed during her last trip to New York. ”All these new discoveries...they’re sure changing up the world. Not sure I’ll recognize a lot of it ten years from now.”
The second watch is mostly still as well, though an occasional close rustling among the nearby trees draw both Castillo and Bauer’s attention. Bauer asks several questions about Castillo’s service as a scout with the Army, then goes on to confess that she’s given serious thought to leaving Lincoln soon. ”Might try my hand as a bounty hunter. Or a stage guard. Somethin’ that would let me wander a bit. I’d just like to get a taste of what some of the rest of the country is like.”
Kansas Kate snaps awake several minutes before she is to take her shift. Cooper, long accustomed to the discipline of the range, awakens only a few minutes later. The wind picks up as the pair join Castillo and Bauer at the fire, cracks sounding from the branches of the nearby trees, the flame of the campfire wavering uncertainly. The gust abates after a moment, leaving a fresh chill lingering in the space beneath the stone overhang.
OOC: Everyone who’s awake, kindly provide me a Notice roll.
