Long Walk (open)

[Gambat]

Cloudy and cold. "Always the same." He muttered and thought to himself as he looked out the window. Time itself had frozen for him while he had slept.The dust heavy and thick through his home and place of work. The closed sign sat on the doors of his restaurant as he slid between the cracks of the doors out into the streets.
The cherry blazed with a crimson glow of his last smoke as he stuck the lighter back into his pocket. Ocean blue shades covered his icy blue orbs as he began to walk. Sounds of the city never changed, always alive. One thing he was lacking for some time now. His pride and strapped to his chest, for he never traveled without his colt.
"First things first I`m gunna need me another pack." He headed in the direction of the closest store he could remember.

[Cristiana]

After a long nap she stretched out seeing the cat was off on another adventure in this forsaken town. She pushed the blanket off setting a goal to her purse. She reached in the pack only to find it empty. Crumbling the paper in her hand she threw it in the open top garbage can earning her 5 silent points. She threw her hands up in victory, thankfully no one was here to see that embarassing moment. Quick as she could, she headed out of her apartment in the building, not the penthouse apartment but her smaller apartment on the third floor. She rarely used the penthouse anymore. It was too large and no family to share it made it unbareable. Now, she stuck to the third floor.

On the ground floor she headed out onto the street, there was a gas station near by, just a few blocks away that sold cigarettes. She needed one pretty badly. As she passed someone smoking on the street, she asked them for one offering a five spot for a spare one. Seeing as that was only one bill less than a whole pack the man took her offering, and even offered to assist lighting it for her. She gladly accepted closing her eyes in delight as she inhaled and exhaled the pure bliss of the first cigarette after waking up. "Thanks" She mustered handing him the money and setting off to get her own brand, instead of his much cheaper brand. She needed her own.

As she rounded the corner someone else held the door open for her, for her to enter into the gas station. She didn't bother to look up and mustered out a "Thank you," that was just audiable enough for him to hear. Her mind and eyes were set on the prize. She got in line behind the man who held the door open. She had taken a moment to grab a chocolate bar as well. I mean why go in and not grab something sweet. She waiting for the line, looking at the back in front of her. She was pretty sure she knew the person even though she had been asleep for ages, so it was probably just a memory and not someone she knew. Oh blessed cigarette, the one she had to smash outside was not her normal brand and though it was bliss to inhale, it was not hers and therefore not euphoric in the inhale.

[Gambat]

A small smirk crossed his lip as the little woman rushed into the store, voice with such a soft ton to his ears. He knew her instantly but kept his mouth shut for the moment. He headed to the cooler grabbing a 12oz Redbull. 'She always did have a thing for sweets.' He though to himself.
The old man stunk of cheap whiskey behind the counter, but still handled the money like a blood hound hunting. John could feel the eyes peering at him. " Camel menthol, Please." He paid the man and moved on.
Leaning against the wall outside the door he rapped the pack against his hand. He had one lite before she came outside.
"Boo." The only thing said.

[Cristiana]

She was quite accustomed to being in her own head at almost all times. The best show to describe it would be scrubs, if this was a medical thing. But it wasn’t, it was life. That show was so accurate though, it’s like the writers seen into her head and took out the moments where she seen and talked to herself inside her own head. Of course it was a sign of insanity, she wasn’t seeing people that weren’t there. She just played different scenarios in her head. This was definitely one she could not predict.

The butt of the cigarette of the menthol Marlboro cigarette touched her lip, she heard the one word. Instead of lighting the end she took it out of her mouth and turned to him, “Boo back.” Was her reply to him, along with the smirk. Finally she put the cigarette back and lit it up. Inhaling she looked him up and down. Same guy but there was something different behind his eyes. She blew the smoke out, slow and steadily it exhaled from her mouth. When her eyes met him she nodded, as any friend would. He was accounted for, parts wise anyway. Mentally she didn’t know about, but she didn’t know if she was either. Things in town were different now, everyone was either gone or asleep, she barely woke up herself. She had a while back and tried to stir people, but no one roused from their slumber. Maybe now, there was a change in the air.

Things would be different this time. She was going to make a valid effort to stay awake. Even valid efforts needed a little help, people to keep her interested. There was so much that needed doing, and with christmas right around the corner, it would be interesting. She loved Christmas, and made a wonderful Mrs. Claus but there no longer was a Mr. Claus, yet her heart was a shell to be awoken by someone special. She knew what she wanted, just a matter of if she was wanted in return. Christmas was going to be here sooner than she thought, but it was only one thing to look forward to.

“How you doing stranger?” She asked on another exhale of smoke, blown softly away from him.

[Gambat]

"Sorry love haven`t actually figured that out yet." Fate had tempted the two to cross strings once more. He took a sip of his can holding it by the rim. The other hand held down against the wall as the smoke raised around his jacket sleeve. It had been a very long time since he had been last awake. The last time he was didn't end very well for him. To much blood on his hands for him to ever tread easy anymore.
"You can smell the blood in the air. It`s heavy and untamed on the wild. The city stinks of rot. What happened to this place Darlin." It had been sometime since he called anyone that. He flicked his butt onto the street and bounced off the wall. There was somewhat of a hop to his new position as he looked the fine woman up and down.
"Lets walk and talk love fill me in."

[Cristiana]

“As much as I would love to fill you in, I don’t rightly know what happened to the city.” She shrugged and went along with him for a walk. She didn’t have anywhere to be at the moment, unless well work called but her thralls had the day to day covered. “I just awoke to this mess too. After my husband left me, Quoth, I kind of just either stayed away on extended business trips or when I was here in town, slept. It was a messy split that I much rather now looking back blame myself and him for rather then Simon who I was blaming.”

She inhaled and exhaled till the cigarette burned down to the filter, so she relit another one and kept smoking. “I can tell you about that. Honestly, it is stupid and petty. But I awoke to this city being … well dead. And I tried to find some of the older people to hang out with but no one seems to be around anymore. So I fell asleep again, and just woke up after a short nap from that. I mean the barricades, and the legions of armies here in town. I swear, it’s like they plan to blow up the town.” She shrugged again. “What of you? What happened in your end of the woods?”

[Gambat]

"I remember being shot, That`s about it. I guess in my line of work it seems to happen a lot but for some reason this last one really did a number on me. I went to sleep to recover and here I am." His tone was lax for someone admitting he was a hazard to his own health. Truth was he his last deal went south, turned him sour toward the humans and his wife disappeared on him. He was bitter and violent only masked by a friendly face. His life was never a dull one.
"Armies and plans to blow up the city huh. Its a shame about you and your ex doesn't know what he`s missing does he love?" His kind words spoken to ease her pain that he could hear in the words spoken to him. He was a savage but a gentleman at that. He tossed his can into a trash bin they had walked passed after taking the last sip.
"Do you have a clue as to who`s running things around here? There`s always someone."

[Cristiana]

“I seem to have forgotten what it is you do for a living. While I seem like I have money, most of my money is tied into my assets. So I am modest, for the moment but it is slow season for weddings in this dead town. I have no more of the shadier side of things running,” She shrugged about losing some of the business ventures she had gained capitol in. However, there was a few new ones around the corner like the talk of the health clinics and charity. She could open a few houses to the homeless or people with children that need a place to stay. But she needed funding and aid in that… which was why Alaric seemed keen on being a business partner.

“He doesn’t miss anything. I will forever be the ***** who betrayed and didn’t confide in him. I am no angel in this you know. I mean I did what I do best, I withdrew but I put up with a lot as well. See…. he … No, no.. I am not going into it. Not again! What is done is done. He left me. I could have waited but you know what, I am not beating a dead horse, he left and didn’t even want to try to fix things. So it’s over and done with.” She said with a final nod. “Besides, I don’t think it was meant to be because well… it was forced, not flowing naturally from inside. You know.. I mean there is someone I flow with, it’s easy and fun… don’t get me wrong we have our hang ups and fights but …. Overall it just feels… right.” She shut her mouth trying hard to keep the smile from creeping up on her features, and failing.

Her head shook from side to side, “I don’t know. Right now I am pretty sure no one is. I’ve not heard even whispers from the underground. All my connections are gone though, at least I think they are. Keep your eyes and ears open.” Who was the one running things around here as of late?