Hidden Veils (Clade)

She sighed quietly to herself, the feel of the wind in her hair no relief from the hot weather that surrounded her. She had long ago discarded her jacket to the back of her Dune Rider, preferring the feel of the sun burning her arms instead of overheating them. She angled the sail slightly, the marker of metal she had placed down before in a conspicuous area glinting in the sunlight. Knowing that she was closer to her destination made her lip curl at the corner in an uneven smile.

Her Rider bumped over a sudden ledge and it took some yanking and directing to get the small speed racer once again under control. Letting out a sigh as it slowed to a crawl, she jumped off, landing gracefully before jogging over to the medium length dagger she had placed so she wouldn't get too lost. Pulling it easily from the sand and rocks she had placed around it, she collected the stones and made her way back to the Dune Rider who had stopped moving in front of a large cavern.

Tossing the rocks carelessly into the box she had built onto it, the blonde Wanderer set the dagger into a holster and slowly began pulling the Rider into a deep cavern that was located under the ledge she had previously jumped over. When it was a reasonable distance into the dark hole, Dyane let out a relieved sigh as her eyes looked around without pain.

Usually, she wouldn't be so stupid as the move around in the day, but after killing a shiner that someone asked her to murder she had to run, and this was the closest "Spot of Operations", as she liked to call it. Grinning at the flicker of her payment in the back of the Rider, she knew the slight... or extreme pain of her eyes was worth it. Besides that, she also gained a pair of sunglasses that were pretty strongly ray protected, so that helped a bit but not too much.

Walking toward the back of the cave, she picked up a cover of sorts and made her way to the front of the cavern once again. Scaling the ledge, she reached the top and placed a corner of the cover on top of it before reaching into her hair and withdrawing a needle of metal that she stabbed through the ruined stone, a small chiseled out place already there. Moving to the next top she did the same and then slowly climbed down, the top of the cover inserted. Grabbing the bottom, she folded it under and slowly went back into the cavern, holding the strange fabric taunt so that the wind couldn't catch it. Placing a knife in a metal linked hole on the cover she held it in place before digging more needles that were in her hair all along the part, making the cavern look like it wasn't even there.

The cover was created when she first found the cave and knew she needed a place to hide in. She had many hideouts all over the plains and countries and because of her job they were indeed very useful. Sighing as she looked around, Dyane grabbed her leather jacket and shoved her arms into it before zipping it up and retrieving a blanket that she had previously left there. It curled around her shoulders as she sat, the warmth much needed in the dark and cold cave. She couldn't risk a fire, just in case it was seen through the thick fabric.

Closing her eyes, she willed her tired body to sleep and it didn't make too much of a fuss, depleted from 38 hours of constant running and travel. Shifting into a more comfortable position in the sand she almost dozed off until she heard the approach of another Dune Rider. Shooting up she withdrew a throwing knife.

Clade approached their meeting place, unsure of how to use this strange object, and gracefully crashed into a rock where he was supposed to park his rider. "Thanks for the dune rider" he said, in what seemed to be sarcasm "But I prefer my feet," He wasn't sure if she could here him, but she smelt close enough to, so he carried on talking "I'm sorry I'm lat bu-" he looked up noticing she'd only just got into the cavern. He repeated what he'd said, in case she'd not heard.
Smelling metal, he raised his arms and moved the pointed skull that rested on his head so she could see his face "It's me, nice to see you too" he said impishly.
He followed her through into the cloth and smiled "Nice and cold here, isn't it!" he did a little cartwheel and jumped up. He took off his clock and camera hanging down form his neck and looked at the girl, who didn't seem to like the cold.

"The mother of saints, Clade; I was about to take your head off!" She snapped out, viciously, replacing the knife back into its holster. Shooting him a glare that would have scared anyone who didn't know her, she moved forward until she was right in front of him. Hissing from between her teeth she let out an almost animal like growl before hitting him across the head; the movement, swift and hard creating a WACK that echoed off the walls of the cold cavern. The open palm hit was a restrained use of her strength, but she still knew it hurt.

Glad that the anger was out of her system, she leaned forward and gave the boy a peck on the cheek before placing his hair in a better fashion then before she had hit him across the head. Dyane denied that she had any paternal instincts but around the younger boy, she couldn't help but feel responsible for him and sometimes acted like a mother hen... which she said she didn't, seeing as she was clearly embarrassed by it. However, she did act protective and knew at times Clade got annoyed by it.

Grinning slightly, she rechecked the cover to make sure it was in place before sitting down once again against the cold wall and drew the blanket over her, hiding the arsenal of weapons that she kept on her person. Letting out a quiet sigh she waved the young man over, speaking quietly as she shut her violet eyes. "The Dune Rider was so you wouldn't be wandering around like an idiot and get yourself killed, not to mention; its faster than your feet," she said with an amused tone underlying her stern voice, "But its a pity you crashed it."

Breathing slowly, her multi-colored hair strewn around her wildly she spoke again, "There's some dried meat along with some canned rations in the box of the Dune Rider. Water's in there as well." Pausing for a moment she added, "I hope you slept last night or this morning."

She was slowly falling into a light sleep, but knew she could fight it off until she was sure her little bear cub was alright.

Clade rubbed his head, it didn't hurt that much. "Sorry for worrying you," he smiled, his hair changing colour as she fixed it. Taking his skull off too, he picked it up, and cradled it like a teddy. His large wolf ears poked out from his matted hair, twitching at every noise.

But it was true, he was a little bad with directions, he inspected the dune rider. It was only the tip that had been broken. "It can still go, can't it?" He asked, it was only a small part that broke off. "We'll be riding in the same one anyway," he smiled, when they were together they usually did. It was a waste for two people to use a whole big dune rider.

He jumped back onto the large machine at the first mention of food, his tail wagging slightly as he took out a can, opening it and eating a small amount when he jumped back down and sat on the floor. He looked up at Dyane when she asked him if she slept.

"Me?" he asked "Are you mad? Of course I slept! You look like you haven't, go to bed!" he scolded her, he didn't like to admit it, but he also saw Dyane as a mother. he didn't want her to be unhappy and tired. Sud He gave her a wolfish grin.
"But before you do...."

He sat a strange object in the middle of the floor, he made sure, she didn't look at it directly, since he didn't know hoe sensitive her eyes were, he stepped behind it, and touched a small back circle on it-but nothing happened. He growled slightly, then touched it again. Suddenly the room was filled with a brilliant white light, and Clade jumped away from it, his tail wagging. The object's light only lasted a second. Clade looked at her, "is it old tech?" he asked.

((if you haven't worked it out already, it's a camera))

She grimaced as the bright flash reached her eyes, regretting the fact that she had opened them completely when Clade said he had found something. She didn't announce her pain out loud, but she closed them completely, scrunching up her face as she tried to fight the sharp stinging that was causing her eyes to water. After a moment of teeth clenching and eye squeezing, she reopened them and looked at the item; her vision blurred. cursing under her breath this time, Dyane reached toward the object and picked it up, turning it over and around so she could get a better look and examine it.

"It seems so," she murmured, turning it around again, "I'm not too sure what it is, but it seems it gets jammed from what happened earlier. Oh!" The blonde exclaimed quietly as she opened an unknown compartment in the camera. Fiddling with it, she tried to find other parts that opened and closed, hoping that something could give her an answer on what exactly was in her hands.

However, the lack of sleep was getting to her and she felt her eye lids droop and vision blur even more. Setting the technology down she leaned once again against the wall, eyes closing fully. On the brink between dreams and reality she whispered quietly to Clade, her voice husky with sleep, "Keep watch... We don't... want a sneak a...ttack."

Finally, she gave in to her body, and was out like a light.

keep watch? thought the boy, his ears perking up slightly. before he did, he sat a stool (the closest thing they had to a chair)below her and wrapped a blanket over her.
"G'night," said Clade, sitting on the floor by the sleeping woman. Oh yeah! he remembered, she'd told him to keep guard.

He sat outside the small hideout, looking at the damaged dune ship, and the other one. Taking a large sniff, he concluded that the closest person here was on the other side of the Atlantik, heading in a different direction. There was another person, who smelt dead, so Clade wasn't very worried about him.

He thought of the rainmakers, wondering how his family was getting on. Scratching his moon shaped birth mark, he absently took out the picture of his mother, a tear falling from his face. He wondered if she was thinking of him, and stared off into the desert.....



Clade was still sat in the place he'd first been in when taking guard, right where the cover was that hid them, looking thought it. By Now, it was almost nightfall. He peeked back at Dyane, who would most probably wake up soon.

Hopefully, they'd be traveling soon.

((you post, then we'll end topic, then we can travel in another topic if you want, and meet other people!! YAY (= ))

She blinked blearily before sitting up, the blanket that had been draped across her falling to her lap. Letting out a quiet yawn she stretched her back and smiled absentmindedly as she heard a few bones popping themselves back into place. Looking down at the blanket, she smiled softly at it, knowing that her little chick had done it. Getting to her feet, the blanket over an arm, she folded it carefully before placing it at the back of the cavern where it was before.

Dyane slowly made her way to the front once again, placing a small, elegant hand on Clade's shoulder and leaning down to place a kiss on his hair, "Good morning," she murmured, still not awake fully. The blonde had never been one to wake up like the snap of fingers, and although they were moving on, this made no difference. Rubbing her violet eyes, she leaned down and began taking the pins out of the sand with a practiced hand, moving swiftly. She replaced each one in her hair and the dagger back into the holster. Keeping a hold on the tarp as the wind began to catch it, she motioned for her little mutate boy to grab the end as she climbed the top once again, removing the metal needle.

When she was finished, she grabbed the end and brought it down, folding it into a neat rectangle and placing it with the blanket at the back of the cave. Letting out a sigh, she pulled the Dune rider out and into the cool night air and then pulled the crashed one into the back. Wiping her hands on her pants, she slipped the metal knuckled gloves onto her elegant hand and fingers then hopped onto the Rider. "Com'on boy, I wanna get out of the Atlantik in 3 days!"

[End of Thread]