[PQ] [RQ] Life is a road, don't know what's along the way

Raining on me so damn long, but that's relief to a man who calls a desert home

The wind tears over the awaiting space without resistance, rolling in patches of dust and eddies of fine salt, the various clouds of it kicking up in the distance and then settling as the breeze spends itself. The sun is in full splendor, burning away the evening's chill, a choice made for Thalassa, the downside being that the salt flats reflect the afternoon light more readily.

Colt squints at the waiting expanse, careful to keep her hat brim low over her face. She's waiting for the rest of the digging party to arrive, but she has set out their tools and is in the process of preparing right now. In her hands, she holds a small pot made from hollowed-out bone. She dips two fingers into the dark mud it contains, lifting them to her cheeks and smearing a thick line beneath each eye. An attempt to combat the ruthless glare of this place, because they could not do their work with their eyes closed.

She holds it out for those who arrive to do the same, and has additional hats if they need them. "Prepare yourselves so you don't go blind on me."

---

RQ req: A PQ collecting quartz in Hak Etme to be used to purify water with

1. Colt
2. Liam
3. Thalassa

Please have your character arriving and preparing for work in the Sea of Dreams.

Colt

Still gripping the shovel that got me here, fear if I let go I might disappear

- You think that you're the man. I think, therefore, I am. -

Wings flutter as she lands, stepping into the sunlight like a shifting shadow taking physical form - if a shadow could smile. She shoots Colt a wink, the warmth of midday looking much better on her than the chill of Deepfrost. From the color in her cheeks to the ease of her shoulders, she looks in infinitely better spirits. 

Thal accepts the hollowed out bone, raising a teasing brow as she looks to Colt's cheeks. "Do you have a thing against sunglasses?" She shakes her head, clicking her tongue as she dips her fingers into the tar. "Doesn't bode well for someone living in the desert." It doesn't stop her from following suit, smearing the substance beneath her eyes to block the brutality of the sunlight.

When she spots Liam, she passes the bone to him with a cordial nod before asking, "Where do we start?"

---

Thal arrives to help!

Thalassa

- I'm not your friend or anything, damn -

Liam

Why do you stay until you see blood?
Why does the weight fall upon us?

Liam arrived a moment later, and when he spotted Thalassa, he understood immediately why they were working in the middle of the day, when the sun was at its peak and the flats their most reflective. Nodding to Colt and then the Ancient, Liam accepted the hollowed-out bone and painted under his eyes to help with the brightness. "Thanks for this," he said, holding the bone back out to Colt. While he'd come prepared with his own hat, the dark mud would be invaluable as they worked today.

Twin dragons swooped down to flank Liam, peering curiously at his companions. Prim, in her usual way, chirped a greeting; Vale, more reserved, simply watched. They'd insisted on coming today, tired of being left behind, and Liam glanced down at the pair briefly, sending a silent reminder through the bond that they were to behave today. As Thalassa questioned where they would begin, Liam looked to the marshal, deferring to her leadership.

---

Liam arrives to help!

We're on the same side in the same war
Why stay 'til you see blood?

Raining on me so damn long, but that's relief to a man who calls a desert home

A smile bites into Colt's cheek as her gaze slides over to Thal, the usual ribbing starting in place of a greeting, evidence of how they've surpassed any pretense of niceties in their friendship for the sake of the much more real affection of incessant insulting. "Just the way they fog up with my breath when I'm also using a bandana to avoid inhaling fine grains of salt and dust." Case in point, as Thal takes the bone from her, Colt pulls up the patterned fabric around her neck, the fit snug up around her nose and shielding her mouth, the lines slanting down beneath the dark smears below her eyes. "Used these all the time in King's End during Longheat when the trails got dusty, but about live in them now." She fishes more sets out of her back pockets an proferrs them up to both Thal and Liam to also use, if desired, although she does her best to urge they highly consider it.

"Of course," she says with more warmth to Liam, dropping the sting that she'd reserved for Thal. Not that Liam hadn't started to become a friend of sorts too, but she has as much honey as she does vinegar to offer, just some responded to one or the other better. Taking the little bone back, she seals its top back on and wraps it back in the leather for travel.

"Well, far as I can tell, this place should have some minerals buried beneath the top shell of salt and dried dirt." She nods to the tools she's gathered beside her, stuck in the ground, hauled here by some teams already out and working. "You can grab a shovel, a rake, or a pickaxe. The rake should lead, and we'll hear the tines catch on anything that the shovel and pickaxe can help dig out."

---

Grab your tool! Shove, pickaxe, or rake.

Colt

Still gripping the shovel that got me here, fear if I let go I might disappear

- You think that you're the man. I think, therefore, I am. -

The more Colt talks, the more Thal wrinkles her nose, still baffled that anyone would want to deal with this all the time. "Sounds miserable," she says, throwing the Sharpshot a teasing smirk as she snags a piece of cloth to tie around her mouth. It won't keep her from complaining, but at least she might have less to complain about. 

Dragons accompany Liam's arrival, and Thal begins to wonder if there was an influx in the creatures' reproduction with how many she's seen recently. Her eyes track their playful routes until Colt draws her attention back to the tools gathered along the ground, tools she never has a need for. 

Thal tilts her head, but doesn't move towards the equipment yet, letting the others go first as she says, "I'll take the pickaxe, but my claws would probably work better." An eyebrow raises to Colt in question, letting the leader choose whether it would be appropriate for the task. Even if she'd much prefer her own tools to those being offered, she's not the one in charge, and knowing what it feels like to have new responsibilities, Thal's trying to let the Marshal navigate her new role without stepping on toes. 

---

Thal claims a pickaxe but asks to use a shift instead.

Thalassa

- I'm not your friend or anything, damn -

Liam

Why do you stay until you see blood?
Why does the weight fall upon us?

Snagging the offered bandana, Liam nodded his thanks as he tied the fabric around his face, ensuring that his hat remained solidly in place. When he was done, he was certain he looked like some kind of sand bandit - but it kept the worst of the sun from his eyes and the dust from his nose and mouth, so it seemed like a fair enough trade. Hazel eyes flickered between the two women, weighing their relationship with a measured gaze. He'd never quite understood friendship that rankled, but it wasn't his business or his place to question, so he mentally shrugged it off and turned his attention to the task at hand.

Considering the options, Liam grabbed at the shovel. While he had no doubts about Colt's ability to handle the (arguably harder) task of shoveling, there was something gentlemanly in him, something that he didn't even quite recognize for himself, that refused to allow her to take on the extra work when she already had so much to shoulder. "I believe that leaves the rake for you," he commented, eyes crinkling as he smiled at Colt from beneath the bandana. "Lead the way."

---

Liam selects the shovel!

We're on the same side in the same war
Why stay 'til you see blood?

Raining on me so damn long, but that's relief to a man who calls a desert home

Grateful that both of them accept her offered bandanas, not skilled enough at healing to fix unpreparedness or stubbornness, Colt can rest easy knowing the Sea of Dreams won't be stealing anyone's vision today. Quite opposite its name, Colt finds it to be a rather unkind portion of the desert, which is perhaps an unsuitable description when the same could be said of all its areas. Different people might rank them in various orders, but for her, this one is at the top of her dislike list. One could say she's a bit salty about it. They all would be salty by the end of this.

A smirk cannot help but find its place on her lips at Thalassa 's offer. "Go for it sugar, I just assumed you'd complain about breaking a nail." There aren't many people she can think of who might complain about that less than Thal, but that's what makes it so damn amusing. Her attention slides back to Liam at his remark, shovel taken in his hand, and she nods with a quiet gratitude. "Guess so," she grins, no tease buried in it, just the general excitement of a day of hard work ahead leading to progress on their quest. She's anxious to be done before Longheat hits.

Grabbing up the rake, Colt steps out into the salt flats, positioning the tool behind her like some obscene tail. She keeps both hands on the handle, some pressure added down at the wrist, making her strides a bit shorter and more awkward than usual. Fine by her, because speed will not solve their problem today, but the thoroughness of attention. "Walk beside me, see if you notice anything glinting or hear anything hitting the tines," she advises them, and she's hoping she'll feel the catch of anything. Behind her might be better for noticing, but worse for the dust she'd kick up. She glances sidelong at Thal, nodding her chin at her. "Your claws might help in the same way now too."

---

Colt is raking as they walk - call out if you see or hear anything so we can stop and inspect! Thal could use her claws here similarly as a rake too.

Colt

Still gripping the shovel that got me here, fear if I let go I might disappear

Thalassa

Rolling her eyes so far back that they might have seen her horns, Thal lets out an overdramatic sigh. "I complain about the cold once and suddenly I'm a priss." The slant of her lips curl up in a teasing smirk that turns sharper with each second. Skin gives way to silvery metal and molten lava, claws digging into the dry earth beneath just to prove they're not some dainty manicured nails that'll snap under the weight of work. The claws of her lyvern shift might have proven the point better, but the wings would only be a hindrance for this task. 

With a flick of her tail, Thal stalks forward to trail Colt. For a playful moment, she lowers her body, head and eyes angled at the rancher like a predator prowling after wounded prey, just waiting for her to stumble. There's a dangerous glint, a feline grin that she slides towards Liam before finally scraping her paws across the ground. 

Although unable to speak, whenever she feels or spots anything that might be what they're looking for - and not another long-buried skeleton - she gives a low growl, clearing what dirt she can to make it easier for the other to access and collect. 

---

Thal uses her Molten Tiger shift to sift through dirt and dig up anything she finds.

Bite my tongue, bide my time
Wearing a warning sign

Liam

Why do you stay until you see blood?
Why does the weight fall upon us?

The relationship between Colt and Thalassa was entertaining, if nothing else, and Liam watched with some bemusement as they shot loaded barbs back and forth in a volley that somehow went clear over his head. How he’d ended up the third wheel on this venture, he wasn’t sure - but he wasn’t complaining. Everyone needed friendship, and he was glad to see that Thalassa seemed to have found some peace, given their own rocky history.

In any case, Thal shifted and off they went, searching the sand. Liam followed along, keeping his eyes and ears peeled for anything out of the ordinary, calling out when he heard the tines of the rake clang or clatter against something that wasn’t sand. Any time they stopped, he jumped in with the shovel to investigate further, working up a sweat as he shifted piles of sand out of the way for inspection.

—-

Liam calls out if he hears something and shovels sand out of the way to investigate!

We're on the same side in the same war
Why stay 'til you see blood?

Raining on me so damn long, but that's relief to a man who calls a desert home

Bearing down on the breath that threatens to become a laugh, Colt only offers back a shrug in response to Thalassa, as if she could not expect the results of her opinion to be anything less. As Thal shifts though, Colt's amusement falls away into the genuine appreciation afforded the sight of any impressive predator. The coil of muscle beneath molten hide is something she traces without meaning to, ever drawn to the beauty found within things that mean to devastate her.

All that approval sharply drops away the moment her eyes catch on the overly predatory roll of Thal's shoulders, eyes cut by something resembling a hunger that Colt fears might be too primal to resist. "Don't you dare," she threatens with no means to carry it out, none besides the sternness of her spine and the features to match, though her pace quickens just the same.

Getting into the work, they each stop and discover a whole lot of nothing a couple of times. Eventually though, Thalassa strikes true, and as her claws score the sand alongside Colt's pickaxe and Liam's shovel, the little nugget of quartz is unearthed. "That's it?" Colt wonders, crouching down to pick up the small crystal, holding it up into the Hak Etme sun. "I doubt this will be enough," she hufss after a moment of consideration, pocketing it within a bag that expects much larger supplies. "Hopefully we can find something much bigger."

A sign to continue searching with their tools again.

---

Thalassa found a smol bit of quartz! Colt says it's not enough and to keep at it with your tools.

Colt

Still gripping the shovel that got me here, fear if I let go I might disappear

Thalassa

Her feline lips curl into an unmistakable grin, followed by a stuttering purr that can only be interpreted as a laugh. Maybe if they weren't busy, she'd play with Colt a little more, maybe pounce or tease her like an overlarge cat with an overlarge mouse. But alas, they have work to do, and Thal throws a final playful look to the rancher before relaxing the coil of her muscles, the flick of her tail immensely smug as she rakes her claws through the ground. 

Time passes with much disappointment, her claws finding nothing more than a few tough clots of dirt. She lets out a huff of breath every time it proves not to be quartz, the force of it kicking up a small cloud while she moves onto the next spot. 

Finally, Thal feels the solid resistance of something, her silver tail raising to signal when she hunkers down, relieved to find that their efforts aren't completely wasted. Careful not to put her paws in front of any sharp tools, she scrapes away the dirt around it until a small piece of opaque rock glints up at them. She steps aside to let Colt grab it, narrowing her gaze when it's labeled not enough. 

Growling more to herself than them, she turns to the next section with a little more force, digging her claws into the dirt like it's offended her. 

---

Thal keeps searching.

Bite my tongue, bide my time
Wearing a warning sign

Liam

Why do you stay until you see blood?
Why does the weight fall upon us?

Liam stopped to dig a few times, but their efforts unearthed a whole lot of nothing. He was on the verge of asking if they were sure that the quartz they were searching for existed when they finally struck a metaphorical piece of gold - but only a small piece, which was quickly deemed not enough by their esteemed leader. Liam watched as the rock was deposited in a bag that dwarfed it, then straightened the hat on his head and got back to work.

It was a backbreaking effort; the sand was difficult to traverse at the best of times, much less when laden with tools and half-stooping to search for rocks. Still, Liam kept at it without complaint - though he did keep one eye on Thalassa’s lithe feline form, just in case she got any ideas about toying with the two humans. As Colt led the way, Liam continued to follow along behind, searching for any sign or semblance of quartz that he could assist in digging up.

—-

Liam continues to search.

We're on the same side in the same war
Why stay 'til you see blood?

Raining on me so damn long, but that's relief to a man who calls a desert home

The Sea of Dreams is still a cruelly bright place even with all the wardrobe worn just to combat the glare. It's managable, but Colt's gaze still averts suddenly at times when it glints harsher than she expects. Everyone is ready to depart from here, and she doesn't blame them one bit. "It's a good sign that we found this one," she murmurs encouragement as everyone gets back into it, herself included with the rake dragging behindd her again. "Deposits usually cluster together."

Once again, it's Liam's notice of something caught on tines that alerts them to a possibility. Between their finding efforts and then the digging, they make short work of unearthing another small bit of quartz from the desert's body. "We're close," Colt breathes, holding up the but of mineral and blowing off the remaining sand from it. The sun catches brilliantly in its facets, and approvingly she tucks away the small bit once more. "Still need more though," she sighs, bringing her rake back around with a weary motion. "Let's really dig into this area though, might find something a bit deeper is what we need."

---

Liam helped them find another small bit of quartz, so Colt says let's stay here and more thoroughly dig, hope for something bigger.

Last round!

Colt

Still gripping the shovel that got me here, fear if I let go I might disappear

Thalassa

Silver ears perk when Liam finds something. She pads closer, her paws starting to sting from the digging - after all, they were built for slashing muscle, not sifting dirt. But she doesn't complain (yet), helping to unearth the larger section of quartz for Colt to collect. The faster they collect this stuff, the faster she can be done. 

And yet, her ears flatten against her head when she hears that they need more. 

Shooting the rancher a subtle glare that could have easily been from the sunlight, Thal circles the immediate proximity. The playfulness is gone, but she doesn't shy from the work. Her claws scrape through sand and silt, searching for that resistance that will tell her their task is complete. 

---

Thal keeps digging!

Bite my tongue, bide my time
Wearing a warning sign