The Sapphire Pass: All-Father

Ally

"Look, we'll talk about it later, after some danger has passed." he said sliding against one of the far walls. "Right now we need to stay quiet, rest and watch our surroundings for any guards who might have seen us escape"

"Fine," she said with an exasperated sigh, knowing he was right. "I'll take watch, get some rest, but  tab up first. We need to be out ASAP." he nodded, rummaging through his pack.

She heard the familiar snap of the tab book being opened and the sound of his drinking. She didn't think to check to make sure he'd done what he was told as she snuck from the building to get a better vantage point of their surroundings.

She scurried up a nearby barren tree,turning on the standard embedded sight enhancers. They worked as heat trackers as well as binoculars so she could check nearby and far areas. It allowed her to see all the heat signatures in the tall buildings of the city and made them look close enough to touch-though it was just shapes and outlines she could at least see enough to make sure nothing and no one would be sneaking up on them.

There were only a few grazing animals nearby, but the patrols were heavy along the immediate perimeter of the city. After scanning the area she zoomed into one particular hot spot. She stared at the figures, one with a hand the their head,facing her direction almost like whoever stood there could see her. There was probably a conversation going on. The first party was probably uninterested or in thought, while the other walked back and forth at a rapid pace. She wondered what they could be talking about and looking at. Maybe the still figure was staring up at the moon, or looking down on the garden. For some reason, it made her feel very vulnerable.

Before long the person who had been pacing wrapped their arms around the still figure in an embrace and she turned off her enhancers, but kept watch at the lights blinking off in the city until she was sure it was safe. She wasn't completely sure what she was watching earlier, but she felt uncomfortable to keep watching and even though her curiosity was peaked she kept her eyes off of the particular spot.

Only when she was sure it was relatively safe did she relax. The initial patrols that had gathered had given up the chase, though they were chasing ghosts in the wrong direction, though they had slightly increased the patrols along the walls. Nothing else really stood out.

She waited a few more hours until finally shimmying down the tree to wake Orion, crouching inside the small burned-out shelter.

"Hey," she said shaking him lightly. "Let's go."

She grabbed her pack and double checked all the straps to make sure it was secured. As Orion exited the building, keeping watch of their surroundings she took out her tab book, removing the one she should have gone through and was in the process of tossing them out when she notice a small pile in one of the corners.

Her mind stalled, that was out of place. She struggled to come up with possible scenarios of why they were just laying there. All she had to do was look at them to find out. Certainly they couldn't be the only ones to seek shelter here. A team simply could have lost some, or accidentally left some unused ones behind. There had to be other options.

Just look.

Orion was outside, and all she had to do was make sure they weren't stamped for her team. O2-B. It's that simple really.

She walked to the corner hesitating,hand hovering.

"Ophelia, looks like a patrol is headed this way," Orion said, sticking his head through one of broken windows.

Just like that, the momentary query was pushed aside and they circled around the back of the dilapidated structure, moving just inside of the dense tree line.