( INEVITABLE ) — open, arrival

[HAYLEY]

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hayley chase had no memories of her family. her earliest memory was of stumbling upon a campsite as a small child, and a kind woman with wrinkled features offering her some soup. exactly how old she was at the time was unclear; why she hadn't stayed with the wrinkled woman was also unclear. she'd spent half her life high on adrenaline in a fight for survival, and it was hard to remember things in that sort of state. truth be told, hayley had no idea if her name really was hayley chase, or if the birthdate on the dog tags was her own. but all her life, hayley had felt right on her ears, and all her life those dog tags had hung around her neck. so she claimed the name and the birthdate, and she prayed it was correct.

trudging through the snow, you wouldn't be able to tell that something wasn't right with the brunette. tall, skinny legs appeared beneath the thick, layered coats. her cheeks were strong and rose colored, thick russet curls were pulled into a hairtie at the nape of her neck, attentive hazel eyes watching the world around her as she resisted the urge to tremble. it was impossible to tell, just looking at her there, that beneath the coats and sweaters, a small bump of twelve weeks was beginning to distend, just barely, from the rest of her abdomen. she didn't know if it was a boy or a girl, or if it was an it or more than one its. all hayley knew was that there was someone else with her.

she'd never had a someone else. it was absolutely bizarre to think that a night with a man who's name she didn't catch could put her in this situation, but lo and behold, it had. she wasn't really sure why, but she felt a pull for this child. an innate sense of duty, of loyalty, to whoever it was. all she knew was that her life no longer mattered; everything she did would be for this baby. and right now, that meant finding it a home, someplace safe to grow up.

as she approached the lodge, looking dismal and dismayed, her heartstrings pulled a little. this wasn't what she'd been expecting, but it would do just fine. shotgun in one hand, she pulled at the door with the other, and opened it to find darkness. there hadn't been life here for some days, or so it seemed. no matter, though — these things had a habit of sorting themselves out. a group with a legacy like flintlodges, a stellar location, more people were bound to find there way here eventually. it was inevitable.

approaching a sofa, she set the gun down and tore her first few layers of coats off; left in two sweaters over her shirt, she pressed one hand against the still unseen bump of her stomach, sighing. ❝let's get a fire going little one.❞ she said quietly, speaking to the only being she thought would be around to listen, approaching a dark fire place and crouching before it.

[EDGAR]

[color=black]
Damian had been alone for quite some time now. His days were spent scavenging for food or other supplies, and nights were bitter and lonely. His only anchor had been his dog, Twitch. Had it not been for the day that muddy little Samoyed crawled out from the woods, he would've gone mad in isolation.

The cold here had proven itself more challenging as winter gradually made its way, making mundane tasks like gathering firewood harder and harder to accomplish. Damian had just been out, looking for anymore measly bits of wood he could bring back when very distant movement caught his eye.

Twitch let out a nervous yelp, pacing around in circles with his eyes locked on the distant silhouette of the lodge. Confusion overtook the man. Who could be out there? Especially in this weather.

Cautiously, Damian set down the wood he'd been carrying to begin the short walk over to the building. As he approached, his suspicious were only confirmed. There was definitely somebody in there.

He reached a hand out and opened the heavy door, peering in silently before Twitch suddenly burst inside with his tail wagging wildly. The dog pranced straight up to the young girl inside, much to his owners dismay. Well so much for a guard dog.

Damian set his thoughts aside and stared at Hayley in a shocked silence. It'd been ages since he'd talked to anyone. Even when he first got to Flintlock, it was pretty much just him. Save for a few travelers here and there that stopped for a night or so, it stayed that way. "Ah uhm, don't mind Twitch. He doesn't bite." The man chuckled nervously, searching his mind for something more productive to say.

"It's been awhile since I've seen anyone. Do you need help?"

His brows furrowed as he considered what hell she must've gone through to get here, and he didn't even know of her pregnancy. Damn she must have been determined.

[HAYLEY]

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in her twenty-three and a half long years alive, hayley had never once desired a pet. perhaps it was a side effect of her abandonment issues; no one had ever bothered to care for her, show her love and tenderness, so naturally the brunette wasn't sure she was capable of reciprocating. alas, she'd learned recently that she was capable of love after all — to a degree that almost frightened her. she had no doubt that, in regards to the baby, she'd do anything, anything to see to their well being. perhaps, with this revelation, she ought to reconsider her capacity of loving another being, and whether or not an animal could fit into all of that.

but with the surprise of a dog, she young woman grabbed for her gun, knowing a dog couldn't open those doors and an owner must not be far behind. she held the gun close to her body, more like a shield than a weapon, eyes staring at the stranger in silence as he spoke, wary of his intentions. he seemed kind, and perhaps the pregnancy was making her more trusting, or more adept at reading others, but she promptly deduced that the shotgun wouldn't be necessary in this situation, lowering it so the tip might rest against the ground and resting her hand on the butt of it, as though the weapon was a cane. her other hand remained pressed against her stomach, some form of connection with the baby putting her at ease.

❝yeah, same here,❞ she'd respond in reference to the lack of company, exhaling a breath she hadn't intended to hold. ❝the wood in the fireplace has hardly been burned, but i think i misplaced my matches. do you have any?❞ she was hopeful; the small bag she'd been carrying, that now rested on the sofa, was barren of a fire starter and she was certainly chilly.

❝i'm hayley, by the way.❞ she'd say, bending over just a bit to offer her hand to the dog to smell, interested eyes observing the canine.

[EDGAR]

[color=black]
Almost immediately, Damian felt his eyes draw down to the glimmer of a gun. Unarmed himself, he kept his presence as friendly as possible to not stir any reaction. Not that the girl seemed that wiry anyway.

Twitch circled Hayley, pushing his head into her hand in a demand to be pet. He had already began to trust her, as dogs typically do.

Damian nodded at her request and dug into the pockets of his thick coat. Out he pulled the packet of matches that he'd snaked from a bunch of MRE packets. When hunting and trapping failed, they were his only meal. He walked over to the fireplace, kneeling beside it as he lightly adjusted the wood to burn better.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Damian, and that's Twitch. We're pretty much the only ones you'll find out here. Save for a few stragglers that wander through."

He opened up the damper and grabbed a few pieces of crumbled newspaper. The articles dated back to times before the blackout, making him grimace slightly as he tossed them inside.

"So, where do you come from? You had to of traveled pretty far. Must be tired."

Damian lit a match and set the kindling aflame, prodding his work with a poker before backing away.

"Would you like something to eat or drink?"

He was still in a bit of shock at the sudden presence of another person, so he struggled awkwardly at being a good host.

"Haha, I'm sorry. Not used to this." He sheepishly apologized for his manner. It'd been awhile since he'd done this.

[HAYLEY]

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he approached the fireplace and began starting a fire, and she took a step back to give him his space, arms crossing low on her frame, as if hugging herself. “you too,” she said in response to the nice to meet you, glancing at the dog, twitch, and reaching out to run thin fingers through his coat, smiling at the animal that mate her innately happy.

as the flame took hold, she’d move her hands to hold them out over the fire, appreciating the heat it gave off. “all over i guess. i’ve been a wanderer, you could say, never sticking anywhere too long. but now i’m... looking for a place to call home.” hands moved to the seam of her sweater, pulling it up and over her head. it was damp from the snow, and the area around her was warming up, so she figured she might as well let it dry. left only in the black crew neck tee shirt, it was fitted just a bit, enough to show the contours of her shape and the small distention of her stomach. she was twelve weeks along, but a naturally thin frame made her look another month along than she was.

“i can’t raise a kid the way i was living. i grew up like that, and i want them to be able to call some place home, to have some idea of normalcy. i was kind of hoping for flintlock to be more... alive then this, but i don’t really mind the quiet.” she returned a hand to her stomach out of habit, watching the fire as she spoke before turning her eyes back to damian. “would you mind if i joined you and twitch? i promise i make good company, and i’m a great cook.”

she paused for a moment, going back to his earlier offer, and offering him a small grin. “but i’m okay right now, it’s a little too early for me to eat. before high noon and it’ll just come back up.”

[ rushed af ]