Chapter 1.5 - All

"Well you're welcome to stay as long as you need to," the woman says to Napoleon her English is remarkably good, "we don't have much but what we have is yours."

Helen and Buford both accept some water from Napoleon and Helen thanks him, Donvan simply waves his hand. "I'm good for now mate."

The native woman looks seriously at Nathaniel, "What you see of us is all that is left, there was a time when the rains fell here more often and we had gardens atop the bluff, now we live day to day and move from refuge to refuge looking for a safe place where we can live peacefully and get back to farming the land."

The blanket covering the door pulls back and Hector comes back with Ruby. Ruby smiles, "She's resting comfortably, the lady they call mother figures she'll pull through without infection."

"How often do the trains come by?" Helen asks.

Hector grunts, "One goes West at sundown and one goes East at the hottest part of the day."

"It's probably best if you don't mention you met us to the railway men if you decide to go and meet them in the morning," the woman says, "they will blame us for this and drive us from this refuge."

"She will undoubtably come down here to see you when she’s done," the woman on the loom says as she continues weaving.

Buford sits down, back against a wall and shift his hat down over his eyes and begins to snore almost immediately.

"That," Hector remarks, "is a uniquely useful talent."

Helen sits on the floor, pulls a notebook out of her bag and begins to write in it with a black fountain pen.

A while later the door opens and an ancient woman in robes wanders in, Hector and the young woman stand up and bow respectfully. "Mother." They both say.

The old woman grunts and frowns at them, she looks at the rest of you, "Your friend will be all right, she is currently sleeping."

She eyes you carefully, "You make a lot of noise, shook the foundations of my house, woke me up from my rest."

"Oh for the love of Pete sit down and my name is Mary," the old woman say irritably, "I keep telling them but they won't listen hopefully you will."

Buford chuckles but still appears to be sleeping.

"That one gets it," Mary says.

There's a knock on the door and the other young man you met with Hector comes in, he exchanges a few words with Mary and Hector and then heads out.

Hector looks at the others, "He says the airship is flying off, headed West. dawn is only a couple hours off so Lucas figures they must be heading for a safe place."

Mary nods, "Probably a good time to get some rest, you're safe enough for now." She heads out the door, "Of course you're all young and foolish so if you want to stay up all night be my guest just don't be cranky about it in the morning."

Hector shrugs, "There's the canyon over that way, the winds get pretty high in there. Maybe they found what they were looking for and headed to somewhere else. There's a lot of land to the West, even before you get to the ocean there's a lot of land."

New thread btw. Sorry should have said something.