eumenis: (wistful)
Furiosa ([personal profile] eumenis) wrote in [personal profile] pirateangelbaby 2019-07-30 11:47 am (UTC)

Since the Winter and all the turmoil it brought, Furiosa has realized something fundamental about herself: she doesn't belong in the Nexus. It's not bad place to be, it's useful for trade and visiting and making friends and allies, but it isn't her place, and it never will be. There is too much leeway there, too much softness. She is a creature honed and sharpened by the ferocity of the world around her. This world.

Here, she is in her element.

Of course, in the lower level of the Citadel, there's no danger in particular other than the uncertainty that looms over the world as a whole. There is radiation, levels that are not exactly healthy but certainly not imminently lethal to any but the most delicate living things. The water table and the climate of this world is wildly unstable. Here it is utterly arid, no rain but the lightest of acidic showers. Somewhere else on the planet, further north or all the way to the south, there may be storms shredding apart whatever remains of the land. Like Thor himself, this is a world that has been struck with a blow that reshaped it forever, and it is still struggling for a new equilibrium.

Furiosa leads him up an aisle lit by oil lamps, where narrow chimneys divert the smoke upward through a ventilation system dug into the rock. There are men and women both working on the vehicles, and children scamper here and there with water and snacks, sometimes handing tools to the Blackthumbs wrist-deep in engines. They all look at Furiosa as she passes, some of them glancing at Thor with unsubtle curiosity. Many of the men offer some kind of salute as they pass, hands interlaced in front of their heads. Furiosa smiles at some of them, nods and hums wordless greetings, and pats children gently with her metal hand if they come close looking for touch. She's headed for the lift at the end of the room, though, a large jury-rigged industrial-sized platform, easily big enough for a car or truck.

"I think we should go straight up to the gardens," she tells Thor as they step onto it. "It's cooler and less crowded there, and you can see the land all around from the lower terrace."

The two individuals operating the lift platform look adolescent, wiry and lean rather than filled-out. The shorter of the two seems to vibrate with excitement as they step onto the lift. The taller looks amused and puts a hand on her companion's shoulder to settle her. "All the way up, Boss?" She asks.

"The Library terrace," Furiosa says after a moment's thought. "Thanks, pup. Thor, this is Argo, and little one's name is Hush. Thor is a guest from the Nexus, you two. Be your best."

Hush immediately demonstrates why she was given her name: "Like in the stories??"

"Some people don't want to talk about their stories all the time, pup," Furiosa tells her, glances at Thor as if to make sure he's all right, then suggests, "Why don't you tell him a story about you, instead of asking questions about him?"

The lift ride will take a few minutes, after all.

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