Bite of the Frost [Retuo/Rosario]

Wheeze.

This day was one of those that simply decided to not pull any punches. The Highrise was an area Retuo would under normal circumstances approach carefully, as it tended to be a little too cold to his liking, and he had no desire to accidentally overstep his own boundaries and let himself get chilled so hard that it would leave some lasting damage. Unfortunately, this time around he found himself in the area in part not out of his own volition, as he had been forced to veer into the section in order to narrowly avoid getting smacked about by particularly nasty looking roaming demon which he knew would have been a bad idea to try and engage in any way. Despite his skill with weapons, he was not about to take a risk that was not calculated in any way. Though it could also be said that coming into this freezing place after getting himself all out of breath and mildly tired was hardly a good replacement.

The tall man found himself half-leaning against what appeared to be deformed remains of a former bench that had been long frozen over, an exasperated sigh leaving his lips as he took notice of his somewhat messed up bangs trying to freeze themselves to his face thanks to the sweat from his earlier exertion. He really wasn't having a fun day, huh? Well, there didn't appear to be imminent danger around at the very least, so perhaps once his temperature shock wore off some, he could get himself out of here and survey how close to frostbite he managed to get then....

For now, he could only mutter to himself, his tone a mildly dejected one.

"Perhaps I ought to have stayed put today..."

Rosario was used to this circus by now. Get out of the hotel, sneak into the nearest apartment complex and start searching for things they could use. While everything here was practically frozen, sometimes you got lucky, and found things that could be of some use, be it tools, old cans of frozen beans, and other such things, that his people needed to survive. He knew they were living on borrowed time, and that they couldn't stay here forever. Eventually the Generator would run out and then... well, he'd rather not think about it. So in his search for anything of use, Rosario took the opportunity to scout the area for potential, safe escape routes which his people could take once their time here was up. The goal was to find another Vault, and see if they could take them in. Surviving on only old, frozen but still edible cans of beans wasn't exactly what you'd call a pleasant life. While he and Armando had been to the surface once before, the rest hadn't. The vast majority of Lemuria's population had only known the comforts of their Vault, and hadn't even asked themselves on what was on the outside. Rosario and Armando had both been curious, and well... the reality that awaited outside was a rather unwelcome one.

He figured most of Paris looked the same. Frozen over, demons hovering unceremonously above the cityscape like birds. Here, it was important to stay hidden. Sure, he could defend himself by now, he had Armando's gun after all. But if more than one of them found him... well, he'd be in trouble. Once on one of the balconies of a smaller aparment complex, Rosario opened up his binoculars, and scouted over the park ahead. As much as he didn't want to... He had to get across there. No other way about it. Not with the collapsed buildings to the east, and the northen part had already been looted by him and Armando a few days ago. He first turned his attention to the sky above, to see if the coast was clear. With no demons in sight, Rosario turned his attention back to the park... Only to see someone. And that... that was no demon. Another survivor? No way...



The small, communications headpiece crackled to life in his ear. "Wait, what? Are you serious?" Armando's suprize, and joy was tangible, even through the static noise. "Looks like it yeah. I don't recognize him though. Must be from another vault." The voice on the other end paused, as if in deep thought. "This could be a trap, you know..." "I know, Armando. I know." A deep sigh followed. "Well, do what you have to. Just... be careful. Don't end up like Nooks." Rosario closed communications, and headed back down to ground level, going straight for the park. "Hey! Heyyy!" He called out, waving. "Are you doing alright?"

Ah...

Retuo hadn't anticipated to come across anyone here, in all honesty. He was aware that there were survivors hiding out all over the place, but this frozen land was hardly a pleasant one to stay around. Then again, that was perhaps colored by his own perception, which thanks to his state of being was a pinch less of a positive one. How unseemly of him to be in this kind of situation when meeting with someone. It didn't particularly please him, but he didn't appear to have a choice...well, unless that was just a clever demon in disguise but he doubted they'd be that good. At the very least, he was glad he wore the layers today, so that he was decently protected against the cold trying to gnaw at him. Less chance of truly freezing here.

Sighing to himself, he'd push himself off of the object he was leaning against to straighten his posture more as he squinted towards the person heading his way. "Hello..." His attempt would be interrupted by a few coughs as the cold air made for an unpleasant sting in the lungs. He really did prefer avoiding this area normally, so he wasn't used to it. He wasn't sure whether his body would allow him to get fully adapted to this kind of climate regardless. Nevertheless, he would regain his composure in a few moments, focusing back on the person and even going as far as to offer the man a somewhat stiff bow gesture, his tone a calm one as he spoke. "I'm...relatively fine. A little cold, but you needn't truly worry about that, since it's a normal reaction for me....Ah, it is a pleasure to meet someone here though, I had not expected to come across company." Neither expected, nor intended. He would deal with it now that it was reality however.

That was a relief to hear. Had this been a demon in disguise, it probably would've attacked him by now, or worse yet, called for reinforcements. The Ice and Snow absorbed most of the noise they made rather well, so there was no immediate danger of them being discovered, that is, unless a demon decided to round the corner of a building. "First time I see someone new here on the surface. It's usually just me, or Armando. But man, it's nice to see another friendly face." Rosario smiled at Retuo, offering a handshake. "Name's Rosario Galeas, currently chief of a group of survivors not far from here." He explained. "Our Vault was attacked about a week ago now. I, along with Armando and a few others, are all that's left. We're currently holed up in a building not too far from here." He smiled warmly.

"But what about you? What brings you out here? Looking for food? Shelter? I'm afraid most of it is already been either looted, or its not edible due to being frozen, and as far as shelter goes, well... the place is full of it. Just be careful. Some buildings aren't exactly stable."

He'd take the offered handshake with a light nod. "Retuo Sylvain. I mostly strike out solo." Perhaps had he been apart of a group from the very start, things would have been different. The way his life had gone however led him to be a mostly solitary wanderer and it was something he was far too used to at this point, so he never stuck with the groups scattered around too long when he came across any. Besides, it wasn't like him to impose on strangers he didn't know for long. Most probably didn't have enough resources to take care of more people on demand, and he didn't wish to stress people out just by his existence.


"I know there are others wandering around...but perhaps this area doesn't get as many stragglers due to the conditions. I personally don't come here often as the extreme cold doesn't agree with me. I unfortunately had to take a roundabout trip here to avoid a strong looking demon this time around though." Some days, luck just wasn't on your side. "I don't wish to ask anything of you, in all honesty. I know it can be tough to make it out here at times, and I don't doubt the first few weeks are not fun...although, I could probably do with finding a warmer place to stay at for a while." He'd frown a little as he attempted to pull away the strands of hair that were trying to freeze themselves to his face. It would be nice to not assault his body more than it was absolutely necessary. "I wonder however...more Vaults taking a fall sounds like the demons might be getting stronger." Well, he understood that some things were simply a natural order, it was nevertheless a bit concerning for the people who cared about their survival.

"The Pleasure is all mine, Retuo." Rosario smiled at the other survivor. He was rather happy to have found someone new out here. "I take it you've been out here for a while then. We've only been out here for a week, so we haven't really had much of an opportunity to explore all of Paris yet. In fact, with a group as big as ours, moving around would pose quite the risk. So right now, Me and Armando are currently on the lookout for a way to safely get the rest of the survivors out of this place... Maybe find another one of the Vaults. One that hasn't fallen yet." He didn't exactly sound too enthusiastic about leaving. "Right now, we have a warm place to stay and rest. I can't really say for how long it's going to last. I managed to kickstart an old generator that a hotel used in case of blackouts back in the day. For now it keeps us warm and dry... But once it runs out of fuel, well... We have to move elsewhere."

"Well, I could certainly use a bit of help. Right now, we're in need of some more food. I was planning to check the out the supermarket on the other side of the park for anything edible, or usable for that matter. Having another one helping out would be appreciated. In turn, I'll take you to our camp. Get you some warm food and a needed rest. How does that sound?" Rosario flashed a toothy grin. "What do you say? You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours?"

"Mm." The dark-haired man would offer a contemplative hum in return as he processed the information given. "Can't argue that. Moving a group larger distances is definitely a whole lot more difficult. I don't doubt I wouldn't be able to move as much as I do were I not alone." Guess that was one benefit of being a lone traveler, if nothing else. "Unfortunately, none of the lands are the most pleasant to live in, but I suppose freezing to death would indeed be one of the worse ways to perish. I've been out here for years honestly, so I kind of just take it as a fact these days, I suppose..." It was harder on the body to live in challenging environments, especially with the lack of supplies that added onto it all.

He'd give the man a nod and a faint polite smile. "Naturally, a fair exchange is the way to go." He was perfectly fine with that. "While this weather does not suit me well, I can offer my assistance to the best of my ability. I know my way around weapons if need be." He would highly prefer not to fight while sluggish due to the cold, but he wasn't going to let it stop him entirely. Not that those creatures were easy to try to fight even with weapons on hand anyway.

"Wait, so not everything is frozen over?" Rosario looked confused. You really couldn't see much further than a few blocks out, and the snow made visibility quite bad on most days. And outside the city rested the Glacial Zone, which... he didn't dare go explore. The Blizzards alone looked unrelenting. "Either way, I planned on getting everyone out somehow before or when the Generator eventually dies on us. I think we might just split into 2 groups. The fewer people we have moving together, the harder it'll be for flying demons to detect us. That's at least the plan for now. We actually have to find a good route out first. Seeing as you have a bit of knowledge as to what everything else is like..." Rosario looked thoughtful for a moment, before turning his gaze toward Retuo again. "Mind telling me about the world outside of here? Just so we don't go from out of the frying pan and into the fire, so to speak." He just wanted what was best for his people... and that meant getting out of here.

"Well, we aren't going to accomplish much by just talking here. Supermarket's north of here. We should be able to reach it by crossing the park, and go through those buildings there." He pointed towards another aparment complex on the other side of the park. Tall buildings that were iconic to the Highrise, even so near the end of days. "Here. Use this." Rosario handed Retuo a small, white earpiece, with a green, glowing light on the side. "It's a communication device. I don't know how exactly they work, as Armando can just make them, but they come in handy. Allows us to stay in touch in case we get separated. He made me an extra pair, just in case I found more survivors." He said, smiling at Retuo. "Now lets get moving, before any demons figure out we're here."

Hmmm...

The man's amber gaze would briefly flicker to look towards the snow-encased lands around them. "That could be a good strategy, as long as you have someone capable of defending in each group in case something happened to go down." It was by all means a safer bet than one big group which would easily draw attention though, that much was for certain. "...but yes, some of the other areas are different, but I wouldn't say any of them are a perfect spot to live in, and demons roam everywhere regardless. A few of the places are rather hot instead, which is not an improvement because water sources can sometimes be scarce. The sector with poisonous air is basically uninhabitable unless you were to wear gas masks all day long, and the area with the river tends to be filled with thick fog that greatly obscures vision. If it were my choice...that one place which is full of crystal formations up north from here might be the least hazardous one to stay at long-term, perhaps. Nothing is ever guaranteed however. The best way to keep everyone safe would for sure be to find a Vault that would accept you inside. There still are a few, as far as I'm aware. I cannot tell you much about them unfortunately, as I have reasons to mostly stay away. They might not like me, and I'm already used to living like this either way." Wherever one went in these desolate lands, there was always some form of danger lurking about, thus it was hard to make a claim as to where a good place to settle would even be.

"Ah, fair enough." Standing around without moving too long didn't help him feel any warmer either, so he couldn't complain about getting a move on. He'd blink a couple times as he was suddenly being handed a gift, but would nevertheless take it, nodding at the man before doing his best to put it on. "Thank you. That is quite a smart strategy to employ. It sounds like your people are in good hands, at the very least." There was never a downside to being prepared, and he could certainly appreciate the mindset. "Very well then, let's get going. It would be a shame to get frozen to the spot after all." Assuming nothing else happened to hold them up, he'd start walking in the previously mentioned direction, doing his best to ignore the slight protest his cold muscles gave at that, as well as keep an eye on the surroundings.

"Well... that'd be me and Armando. So long as we don't get overwhelmed, I think we should be alright. I am understandably a bit worried though. I mean, this move was entirely my idea. If people were to die..." Rosario frowned, clutching his right fist hard enough that his knuckles whitened. "They are all the family I have left. I cannot fail them, no matter what." The stakes were indeed high, especially for someone fresh out of a vault with limited experience of the surface world. Sure, he had survived this for a week, but sooner or later his luck would eventually run out. For now, he prayed for that luck to last them long enough to reach a Vault. If the survivors made it to safety, that's what truly mattered. If they made it, he could die in peace, knowing he would've made his father proud.

"Really? What the hell did they do to Paris...?" Rosario sounded naturally shocked to hear about the of Paris as a whole. He knew it was bad, but for things to be this varied was a scary thought. What could've brought about such change? "You have no idea why it's like this, do you, Ret?" He looked troubled. His mission to save everything he had left just went from being difficult to perhaps nigh impossible. "Have you ever been... y'know, to the Outside? Outside of Paris I mean? Think that's a solution?" If all else failed, they could at least try to escape. Anywhere would be better than this hellhole. It had to be.

"Haha, yeah. Armando has a good head on his shoulders. I honestly don't know what we'd do without him and his abilities. We'd probably be dead, or our numbers wouldn't be what they are now." He replied, sounding rather proud of his friend. "I can't say I'm too fond of depending on him so much recently. I want to pull my own weight too. Prevent furhter disasters like the one that happened to me." He wasn't quite sure how to go about it though. Despite being a capable leader, he felt hamstringed by the lack of strength that Armando Possessed. Jealousy? Maybe. Although it was more akin to a drive... a means to achieve his ultimate goal of getting his people to safety.

The two walked together to the other side of the park, near a collapsed highrise building, which they had to get through to reach the Supermarket. "Alright, Ret. Let me boost you." Rosario smiled, and made a footstand out of his hands, kneeling down somewhat to boost Retuo up to one of the windows. "Ready?"

Retuo would just hum under his breath faintly with a shake of his head. "Carrying all the responsibility on one's own shoulders is not always possible. If you wait too long, people could die. If you take the risk, it could happen as well. In times like these, we can simply do the best we can and hope as few casualties occur as possible." He understood the man's desire quite well, but the fact that reality was harsh was impossible to completely deny. No one could know what the best way to ensure survival was at any moment.

The dark-haired man would frown, his brows furrowing a bit. "I...unfortunately do not know. I am not old enough to have witnessed what had happened, nor do I know what is on the outside...but on the basis of a logical deduction, I would wager to guess that it's not as simple as just leaving. Had that been the solution all along, people would have packed up and left long ago, especially those who have the resources from the Vaults. We do not know how far this destruction reaches, and it could be everywhere for all we know. We could try to be optimistic of course...but that's about it." People were still around and suffering these messed up lands. That in itself pointed towards the likelihood of it not being all that easy to just leave and go to a place that was not ruined.

Offering the other a faint smile, Retuo would chuckle lightly. "I think that the fact that you're trying hard is already commendable enough. We all do what is within our capabilities after all. I'm sure the people are grateful for what you do for them as is." It was by all means better than a defeatist attitude of doing nothing because you didn't think you were useful to begin with. Every attempt counted in its own way out here, probably.

In any case, they would make their way to their target soon enough. Giving the building a quick glance over, Retuo would then nod at his companion. "Alright then." He could have come up with some other way to get up there, but he wasn't going to refuse the offer this time around at least. Assuming nothing went wrong and he managed to get up there safely, he'd take a moment to turn his head and look down at the man. "Do you have a way of getting up yourself?"

"I never asked for any of this... People just looked to me for help, and I just took charge. Wasn't much more to it. I haven't even had the chance to grieve. None of us have." Rosario looked rather troubled. He had lost so much in that attack, yet he had been so busy keeping everyone alive that he couldn't dedicate any time for himself. His people came first. "I know there's no use in quantifying the amount I do... I just feel like it'll never be enough. It's worked out so far. I don't think this luck will carry on for much longer. At least Armando can keep people safe. He should've been the leader. Not me."

Rosario frowned. "I expected as much, but that's troubling. We have no clue how any of this happened, and even less on a way to reverse it, if that's even possible at this point. And I guess you'd be right. I mean, I've seen the border here. We tried to leave through the southern end of the Highrise but... No. The cold's even worse there. You couldn't possibly make it out of there without turning into a Human Popsicle." He paused for a moment. "We really are trapped huh...?"

"Here." Rosario threw Retuo a thick, sturdy rope. "Find somewhere sturdy to secure this. I'll just climb up." He smiled at his newfound friend. Having someone else around sure made this a lot easier than it would've been otherwise. Perhaps this was his lucky day. Had Retuo not been there, he would've had to take the long way around.

"Unfortunately these times don't appear to be easy on anyone..." Well, perhaps some were luckier than others, but it would be a stretch to say that anyone who found themselves outside of the Vaults had a pleasant day to day life. "I would take the guess that your people chose you for a reason though. Perhaps you simply have leadership capabilities that you just can't see in yourself. It's always easier to assess other people than it is ourselves." Wouldn't it be a lot easier if one could have themselves perfectly figured out and thus know exactly how to better themselves?

"Hm." Retuo would sigh with a shake of his head. "There certainly seems to be something going on that makes it very hard to just leave. Perhaps one day we'll find a solution though." The one silver lining in the situation was the fact that at least it wasn't so bad it wiped all the population out. People were still making it through, whether in the Vaults or outside of them, meaning there was always a chance that the status quo would shift at some point in time. It was bleak, but also not as bleak as it could be in the worst possible scenario.

"Can do." Taking hold of the rope, Retuo would briefly duck inside of the window opening to find something to tie it around, eventually settling on a piece of pole sticking out from the floor of the room. Whatever it originally was, it seemed to be rooted in place well enough to support someone's weight just fine upon a quick test. With that done, he'd come back around to the window to toss the other end of the rope down back to Rosario. "Should be good."

"You can say that again. No rest for the wicked..." Rosario sighed, sounding rather tired. He hadn't even gotten a proper bout of sleep since the attack. The few times he tried was just haunted by nightmares. And who could blame him, after seeing his home defiled by the demons in such a vile fashion? "I... I suppose you're right. Besides, I'd let them all down if I start doubting myself, y'know. Can't be doing that. Not now when we've gotten so far." A vague smile crossed the spaniards lips, as he dragged himself up with the rope.

"Retuo... Thank you." Self-doubt could be suffocating, especially in times like these. He had to trust himself and his abilities more. While he didn't have powers like Armando, he could still do things for his people. "Well, I sure hope that's rather soon. I don't want to spend the rest of my life inside this god-forsaken wasteland..." Their future rested somewhere underground. As much as he didn't like going back down into a Vault again, it was better than living up above, freezing to death. "So you're from a Vault too, right? What was it like, if you can remember anything of it, that is?" Rosario had never really bothered with the Social Media that the Halcyon Collective had crafted to keep the Vaults connected. Wasn't his thing. He'd rather keep his personal life away from prying eyes. "As much as I hated feeling trapped in there... it was miles better than what we have now."

Rosario clambered over the edge, and dusted himself off, before untying the rope, and stuffing it away inside his coat. "Alright then. Off to the supermarket we go. After you, Retuo. I'll watch your back." He made a gesture for Retuo to lead the way, pulling out his flashlight, and Armando's Side-Arm. If anything waited for them inside the building, they'd be ready for it.

"Mm." Retuo would watch his breath form into frozen mist absentmindedly as he spoke. "At least we're still alive, so it is not as bad as it could be." While it would be overly optimistic to be convinced that a great way out of the mess existed, there was nothing wrong with appreciating the fact that it at least wasn't even worse than this, right? "No need to thank me. It's simply the right thing to do." In all fairness, he was a bit of an odd case at times, because his kindness while genuine wasn't always because he was just that friendly and nice of a person, but because he believed in doing the right thing, and most of the time that meant being useful and/or encouraging towards people. Then again, it would come down to everyone's individual perspective as to whether they counted that as niceness or not.

"I suppose nobody does." He would hum lightly. "Although, it is possible to get used to it over time. Not the most desirable way to live, but passable." In a sense. "I'm...well, I did come from one yes, but that was long ago. The last time I've been at a Vault was when I was about 5 or 6 years old. I'm not sure my opinion would be of much use, as it would be based on my impression as a child. The life was by all means more comfortable inside, I can say that much." At that age, he didn't have a lot of experience with how everything was ran, so he couldn't truly speak on that.

Nodding, he would take the lead in their progress forwards, keeping a careful eye on the surroundings they were passing through. "Very well. Let's hope this goes well." Unlike his companion, he wouldn't pull out a weapon unless something did happen, because it would be awkward to explain how that worked. Besides, carrying a large weapon at all times was not an effective way of going about things.