between us — open, patrol

[ADDY.]

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— it was a nice change of pace to go on patrol around the outskirts of the district’s territory rather than heading outside of the district in search of supplies. the more the redhead came up empty-handed, the more frustrated he felt. not having to worry about bringing supplies into the district felt more like a breath of fresh air as they walked around the outskirts; a more relaxed patrol compared to others. people had finally started to relax almost completely after the raid, feeling certain there wouldn’t be a recent raid anytime soon. was addy as easily convinced? he wasn’t so sure. still, he didn’t seem tense at all as they walked just outside of the industrial area, glancing around absently.

as much as he liked the change of pace, he forgot how he could get so bored while on patrol. it was hard to stay entertained during daily rounds.

he kicked at a littered can on the ground, watching as it traveled a few feet ahead of them. “anyone have anything to say to make the time go by?” christ, sometimes he didn’t have the patience for patrol. turning his head over his shoulder he shrugged. “i don’t know... like a fucking- story time?” he must’ve been really desperate if he was asking people to tell a damn story, especially when he knew certain people in the district that could probably babble on for hours. guess he was willing to take his chances.

[GREENIE.]

[align=center][div style="width: 430px; text-align: justify; font-family: verdana; font-size: 6pt; letter-spacing: 2.5px; word-spacing: 0px; line-height: 12px; color: #000"]Sometimes, being proactive was simply unachievable. Returning empty-handed time after time whilst out on scavenging trips only demotivated Green, and that was a very dangerous position to have to be in. Green had so often been the optimism that inspired people to remain resilient; how could he preach to the masses when he could barely keep his hopes up himself? A patrol was helpful in breaking up the day so that hopefully there could be something to keep his hopes up. Even if it was as much as the assurance that no danger was on the border of the territory, then that would be victory enough for him.

Peering across at the stationary train carriage nearby, Green walked alongside the majority of the patrol group, soon glancing up ahead at Addy as he began to talk. ❝ I got a couple, if you’re willing to listen. ❞ Green huffed, picking up pace ever-so-slightly before he began. The eagerness in his voice had seemed to dwindle somewhat, at least compared to what he was so used to.

❝ Okay so... The thing I love the most about this place is that it reminds me of home. Well, the closest thing to home. I used to live in this fishing village where my dad would teach me how to repair broken sailboats so that we could go out fishing. The place was kind of a dump — they always said it was because of the blackout — but I’d go, as this little ten year old kid, scavenging around a place sorta like this industrial side of town for anything we could use to keep those boats in good enough condition. I feel like it helped me be more resourceful, but who knows. ❞

If only Green knew as much about scavenging for medicine as he was scavenging for seafaring supplies.

[ADDY.]

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— disappointment unfortunately wasn’t a new feeling for addy. it followed him from a very young age, starting with his dad leaving, his mother dying, and all of the horrible moments that happened between then and now. hell, if anything, he ought to be more prepared for disappointment whenever it reared its ugly head. yet, each time he felt such disappointment, the redhead’s mood noticeably dampened. there were certain things and feelings that couldn’t be prepared for; for addy, disappointment was one of them.

it was disappointing to be constantly scavenging for supplies and returning home with empty hands and empty pockets. nothing to show for all of the work they had done, all of the buildings and places they’d gone through. people could assure him that it was fine, though deep down the redhead felt as though he could see the lies through their teeth, and the dismay in their eyes. the district needed something to keep their minds off of their current state, keep their minds off of the heavy disappointment weighing on all of them.

hearing greenie, piping up about how he had stories he’d be willing to tell, somehow caused even more disappointment to fall on his shoulders. shoulders dramatically slumped as if to only prove that point, unimpressed eyes peering over towards green. “better be good ones.”

sighing, he looked absently around as green talked, pondering over his little story about scavenging for seaboat supplies as some little kid. “you really did that, huh?” maybe if green was as good at scavenging for medicines as he was at finding seafaring supplies, they wouldn’t be in this mess. though, maybe they could use the boats to go to other places, in search of the supplies they truly needed. “we could take those boats out pretty far, couldn’t we?” he seemed tempted to voice this thought, only to change his mind as he instead remarked, “so i could dump your ass on and island and leave you there.”

though the flat affect didn’t help prove how lighthearted his words were, the look he sent green must have said something. a few huffs from others on the patrol made his head feel a bit lighter. the district could use some humor after all; poor green just happened to be the one that was most relaxed about being the butt of the joke sometimes.