The engine of the teams Buggy roars, the motor humming like a hissing cat, the wheels crunching against the mucked up highway. Maple trees pack tightly together, their branches tangling together as they blot out the setting sun, fighting to absorb all the light they can. Various woodland creatures dart in and out of Liv's vision: squirrels, foxes, deer, and elk alike. It was serene, a peace Liv could appreciate.

  One of the few bright spots in this new world is the old highway system. While in a stat of disrepair, its functionality remained unchanged over the decades. It was, and still is, the veins of the Initiatives beating heart. Though dangerous at times due to some claims from hostile groups, its accessibility and maneuverability was unparalleled.

  Donovan stops the car in a small clearing, the group piling out one by one, hefting their bags as they walk across the soft grass. Charlotte and Donovan had come to regret their hefty burdens, Anthony regretting his lighter packing. It only really consisted of a pots, pans, dried meats, and a few MRE's. Liv took some pride in her foresight, her pack slung around her shoulder as she stops in the center of the small clearing, her boots gliding across the grass as the melodic song of chirping grasshoppers drift into her ears. Shutterbugs flash before her eyes, lighting up the small clearing like stars on earth.

  Charlotte and Donovan set their bags down with a loud clatter, a groan escaping Donovan's lips as he shrugs his aching shoulders.

  "Jesus..." He starts, his eyes flickering closed as a cacophony of pops resound from his aching back. "I swear, this stupid bag's gonna break my back one of these days."

  "At least the campsite is within reach of the Buggy." Charlotte says, her eyes flitting back to the Buggy. It was, luckily, within eyesight of the clearing, and of the group.

  "Let me complain in peace..." Donovan mutters, flopping back onto the floor with a shudder, remembering their last parking spot. Not his greatest work, that was for sure.

  "This is your job, you know." Charlotte responds, squatting down to stretch her legs, her arms stretching above her head in kind.

  "And I'll complain about it till the day I die. It's my slacking way!"

  "You know, most people I know wouldn't willingly take the title of 'slacker'." Charlotte retorts.

  "I'm a special guy!" He snickers, his arms splaying out as he adds, "Can one of you get firewood?"

  A silence claims the group, the chirping of the grasshoppers the only noise between them. Just as Liv gears up to take it, Anthony suddenly speaks, his voice a bit more urgent than usual.

  "I can do it." He turns heel as he speaks, his large frame vanishing into the forest as he, presumably, goes to find firewood.

  "At least one of you isn't a slacker..." Charlotte murmurs under her breath.

  "Oi." Liv grunts. "I ain't a slacker."

  Charlotte raises her hands defensively, a smirk passing her own face. "Well, we'll see about that when we set up the tents."

  Liv looks on, her eyebrows furrowing as she looks back to their bags, two tents stored within. When she first tried, she managed to lose all the metal stakes used to anchor the tent to the ground, resulting in an hour of their time spent searching through tall grass. Liv shoots a glance to Charlotte, her tall friend understanding the unspoken request as she unzips her bag, extracting both tents before walking to take the spot next to Liv. As they begin to set it up, Charlotte speaks, a whimsical note in her tone.

  "Truly an interesting team you've put together, Liv." She slides the tent poles through the tent as she speaks, Liv holding the whole thing up. "Such an odd lineup. It's almost exciting." Her voice is of jovial merriment, a smile lighting up her face as she reaches for one of the stakes, hammering it into the floor. "One thing I cannot understand, though, is the choice of that Anthony boy. While I understand it to a political extent, I have to admit my own..." She stops, carefully considering her own words. Liv can see her expression shifting slightly, working the words in her mouth, feeling out the right decision before continuing, "...Disappointment with the decision. I looked into his score, and it was abysmal at best, completely disrespectful to the team you've formed at worst. You are my friend, and I appreciate your disconnect from everything, so I feel as if this is... A strange turn for you."

  Liv stares at her friend, a sweat building up on her back. She, of course, couldn't tell her the truth of the matter. How could she? If it meant risking her life, her team's life, and this dream she's just begun to grasp.

  Charlotte seems to catch on to her friend's lack of response, her smile shifting as her voice grows reassuring. "I think I understand. My apologies, I sometimes forget I am not your only friend anymore. I will not press the issue any further."

  As soon as it started, it just ended. Liv can only stare as Charlotte buries another stake into the floor with a focused intensity, a strange feeling of appreciation bubbling up inside her. No pressure to come up with a lie– just an understanding in a situation where there wasn't an understanding at all. She lets a smile spread across her face, her hand coming to rub the back of her head as the two focus on completing the first of the tents. After a moment or so, they finish, an exhale of pride escaping Liv's nose. The pride quickly dies as Charlotte picks up the next tent, dread replacing the tenuous relief she had felt just a moment before.

  Charlotte chuckles, a sound that makes Liv snap out of her dread. "My apologies," Charlotte says, soft, trilling giggles escaping her lips, "You just made a face, and I couldn't help but laugh. I haven't seen you with an expression like that since we used to play chess!"

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  Liv's expression seemed deepened, an action that prompts more giggles from the armored woman, her body nearly doubling over with the mad cackles as her face turns a bright, light red, tears pricking at the corner of her eyes.

  "Something funny?" Donovan calls from the floor, his arms spread out like a bird in flight. You could mistake him for a corpse with his stillness, his chest slowly rising and falling as he looks to the full night sky.

  "I dunno," Liv says, shrugging her shoulders. "She's just laughin' at my face."

  "How cruel." Donovan jokes, shaking his head. "Shame on you, Charlotte. Shame on you."

  Charlotte lets out a long, shaking sigh, laughter still bubbling from deep within her chest. "Shame on me? You're crueler than I. Especially when you're not helping with this burden." She gestures out to the tents, her other hand coming up to wipe the stray tears from her eyes.

  "I played my part." Donovan says, a wistful quality to his voice.

  "Oh?" Charlotte questions, her arms crossing. "What would this role be?"

  "I'm the smart, handsome brain of the operation." He says. Liv and Charlotte could hear the smug smile growing across his face by the tone of his voice.

  "Smart? Handsome?" Charlotte questions, a hum escaping her mouth as her own smirk grows. "That may be a bit presumptuous of you."

  "Hey." He says, a playful warning in his voice. "First Liv, now me? When will you be satisfied." He chuckles at his own joke as he continues, "Is Anthony next? You're gonna spread your unrealistic body standards everywhere?"

  "I haven't shamed anyone yet." Charlotte shoots back. "Though, I thought it was a man's duty to help a damsel in distress."

  "It is?" Liv questions, her head turning to Charlotte, a look of confusion painting her features.

  "Nope." Donovan says, one of his limp arms raising to waggle a finger disapprovingly. "That's sexist."

  "It etiquette. Perhaps you should learn it instead of being so boorish." Charlotte responds. Still, she doesn't make a further fuss as her and Liv work in concert to complete the next tent. It's a quick process, expedited by Charlotte's speed and precision. Had Liv sat out, she probably would've completed the whole ordeal quicker.

  The crunching of grass heralds Anthony's re-entrance, stacks of sticks topped high in his arms as he walks to the gathered group, dropping them in a mound on the floor.

  "T-there, I think that should be good." He says, his tone more unsure than one would like. Still, sure enough for Donovan as he reaches in his back, pulling out a matchbox.

  "See, Charlotte?" He says with a smug smile, his hand reaching into the matchbox, "I do stuff. It's called a role-."

  His voice is stopped by a small detonation, one that sounds more like a firecracker than anything. The group whips their head to the branches, Liv's still smoking gauntleted hands hanging over the fire, a calm expression on her features. The flame was nice, especially at this time of night. Embers flicker in the dark, dancing along the stray wind as they billow up into the air, free from the constraints of the earth. Liv only takes notice of the stares as Charlotte's soft chuckles peel out once more, an embarrassed flush on Donovan's face as he puts the matchbox back.

  "I think your 'role' has been filled." Charlotte teases, her finger coming out to poke Donovan on the side.

  Donovan's eyebrow twitches, a tight smile spreading across his face as he swats her hand away derisively. "You're talking a lot of shit for someone who supposedly tried to find books on how demons reproduce."

  Liv blinks, turning to face her friend. Charlotte's pale face has gone a stark red color, crimson flush cascading across her usually cream colored complexion.

  "Ya did... What?" Liv questions.

  "I HAD BELIEVED IT AN INTERESTING WAY TO ATTACK DEMONS." Charlotte practically yells, the words tumbling over themselves. She turns her ire filled gaze back to Donovan, his own expression far happier than before. "And I believe I told that to you in confidence!"

  "Aye," He chuckles, shrugging his shoulders. "Don't dish what you can't take."

  "Oh?" She questions, her teeth clenched. "Shall I divulge your secrets?"

  "Let's not be hasty." He pushes out, a nervous smile arcing across his face. He quickly pivots, turning to Liv with a smile. "So," he starts. "I don't know a lot about you yet. Spill. What's the haps with you?"

  Liv cocks her head, a hum escaping her mouth. "I dunno what yer talkin' 'bout."

  "Y'know," Donovan starts. "Hobbies? Stuff you like? Ooooh!" A radiant smile passes across his face, barely getting his words out through fits of snickers. "How about some past stories?"

  "You wish to know their past?" Charlotte questions, shooting a concerned glance to Liv. Liv doesn't seem to notice, lost in her own mind. "Are you sure?"

  "What?" Donovan questions. "Is it bad?"

  "Nah." Liv says. "I ain't do a lot. Mostly diggin' if I'm honest."

  "Yeah, your workout routine." He snickers again. "But, like, what for?"

  "Whaddya mean?"

  Donovan furrows his brow, his smile faltering as he leans forward a touch. "Like, what were you digging for. Treasure? Food? Fun?"

  "Uh..." Liv murmurs. "Treasure I guess. I dunno though."

  "What do you mean you don't know?" Anthony pipes up, a befuddled look crossing his face. His nervousness is forgotten for that single moment, though it flares back in full when everyone turns to look at him.

  Liv shrugs again, deeper this time, a nagging frustration worming its way right into the back of her mind. "I just dunno. My boss wanted me to dig, and I ain't a debater."

  "They just wanted you to dig? That's quite odd." Charlotte murmurs, her clasped hands pressed up to her nose. Her eyebrows furrow, genuine confusion warring with the overbearing interest gnawing at her heart. "Wh-."

  "Aye, Anthony." Donovan calls, cutting Charlotte off before she can continue. "You've been pretty quiet! You wanna share?"

  Anthony whips his head back up, his eyes ping ponging between the three of his teammates as his finger slowly points to himself, a dumbfounded look etching into his features.

  "Yeah, you!" Donovan says. "C'mon, share somethin' juicy!"

  "Uh..." He mutters. For a moment, Liv wonders if he'll tell them the secret. Once he speaks again, her concerns are dashed. "I was an initiate before. You all knew that, though. Uh... I like games? I worked in an arcade for a bit before I came back. That's where I met..." He gestures generally to Liv. "And, uh, I got the lowest rank with a fat zero."

  Donovan nods, stroking his chin, trying his hardest to ignore Anthony's position on the rankings. "A job at an arcade, eh? I would've thought you'd be set since you got one of the Branch Wardens as a mom. Is she not paying for your housing or something?"

  "She tried..." Anthony mutters under his breath, his face knitting up as he watches the water reach a boil. Not much could be prodded out of their larger teammate after that. His eyes stay locked on the pot. Liv stares into the stars, lost looking into the nebulae above. Out here, away from the Beta, everything was visible. They were when she first saw them... But she never truly looked so close. It was almost magical with the flame crackling and grasshoppers chirping.

  The four eat, conversation mostly pertaining to the before getting their rest, the tents divided between men and women. The sleeping bags weren't as comfortable as the beds Liv had gotten accustom to, but she's dealt with worse sleeping conditions. A single thought overwhelmed her mind at this very moment, however.

  "I wonder what the people're like in this new town."