ROLEPLAY HQ - hunters-almanac

Lara sat back in the large, leather chair in her fathers office... or what was once her fathers office... with her feet up on the chair. In her lap she had open a large book that she was scouring through. Alongside the open page there were laminated pieces of very old parchment and she compared them to the images she was viewing. Following a knock on the door, Lara looked up as her butler, Winston came on through. He was dressed in his usual suit with white gloves, and within them a neatly folded letter. "Madam? This letter just arrived for you." Lara nodded and brought down her feet, lifting the heavy book from her lap and placing it on the desk top alongside the preserved pages. She tool the letter, unfolding it curiously and scanning through it while the butler stood waiting, expectantly. It took her 3 read throughs before she would stop, putting the letter down and rubbing her head. She was deep in thought a moment, glancing around the room. It was sudden, like a lightbulp suddenly alighting, that she leapt up from her chair and darted over to the book-case. Grabbing a few books off she rushed back to the desk, opening and flicking through them quickly. "Seven seas, seven seas, seven seas..." she whispered under her breath, dragging her nail down a page before she found what she wanted. She did this multiple times across the books, laying them out on the desk one at a time. Stepping back, Lara looked over her handiwork. Each page from the seven books she had grabbed had a different treasure on it, from bejewelled golden skulls to large, rare gemstones. Within, she had applied sticking labels to sections with rumours of location and disappearance dates. Her hands came up to clasp infront of her lips as she looked them over one at a time... was the letter true? Had it been found? Could it be found... "Winston, I'm going to need to charter a flight immediately to Panama. I trust you can arrange that for me? I'll be at the airfield in half an hour." she comme

11:37 AM

nted, reaching to grab her bag and shoving a few notable pieces from the desktop within it. "You know the drill if anyone asks where I am." she smiled to him. The elderly butler nodded and moved out of the room swiftly. She felt blessed to have such a loyal supporter on her team. Swinging the backpack over her shoulder she rushed out the door to jump into her car, heading as fast as she could towards the nearest airfield. @Argeneau25

The sound of engines roared in the background as a letter was held in a hand. The words just being read over and over until Nathan finally look up with a bit of a grin "You sure about this Victor? It doesn't even have a return address on it. You really think that someone found it and needs help getting it?" He asked finding himself looking the letter over a bit more. The words were handwritten with delicate loops of cursive. He couldn't help but stare at it more and more thinking that he knew this writing but then again, he only wished. Nathan fold the paper once again and put it back in the envelope that once more just as his name Nathan Drake written on it. There was nothing else to say on where it came for or who for that matter. After putting the letter back into his bag he looked out the window just to the area below. It was a blanket of forest just like the letter said and the horizon that made it just look endless THE RAINFOREST. There were a wider grin of his face as he got up from his seat and went to the back hanger, putting on his parachute and with a small salute to the pilot, Nathan opened the door and jumped out. He waited until he was far enough from the plane for him to pull his parachute and glided down to an area that he had mapped out that was enough clearing for him to land, at least somewhere safely. He glided left and right before misjudge the last swing and headed right for the trees.

12:08 PM

Nathan yelled out "SHIT SHIT SHIT!!" before heading right for the tree. His parachute got stuck on a branch making him hit the trunk hard. With a moan he pushed from the tree looking around and then down. He was not that far from the ground but he will still height up. Slowly he unhooked himself from the harnass and stood on the branch just thinking about the best way that he could get down. With a deep breath he slowly hung down from the branch and dropped to the next down, so on and so forth until it was the last branch but just his luck that it was not a branch but a thick python. He let go with fear landing straight to his back in a puddle of mud staring up at the hole that he came through, just staring now at his parachute stuck. "Well I hope he doesn't need that back" He said to himself before getting up and started to trek through the thick jungle of the Amazon. @👯 Bunny Dancing through Life 👯

Following a long flight Lara had moved from her jet into a light propeller seaplace which assisted in getting her further into the jungle, dropping her off alongside the large, winding river that cut its way through the treeline. Once she had disembarked, she waved farewell to the crew that had flown her in, one hand covering her eyes as she watched them fly off into the distance. Turning towards the thick treeline she adjusted her pack on her back, reaching down for her bow and strapping her knife to her leg. Looking around, she took in the quiet of the surroundings, the sound of the river rushing past behind her and the birdsong echoing out from the jungle. It was a few hours that she was pushing her way through the tree's and thick ground cover, using her knife to cut through any vines that threatened to wrap around her arms and legs as she went, when she came across a rather unusual sight. Peering up into the tree's she could just about make out the canvas of a parachute trapped amongst the branches. It didn't look too and the state of the harness made it seem practically new. Who would dare venture this deep into the jungle though? Putting her knife back Lara switched to her bow, nocking an arrow ready and holding the string taught with two fingers. She circled slowly, aiming out into the thick brush of the jungle for any noise that was unusual. As she stepped, she stepped back into a dirty puddle of mud. Satisfied she wasn't about to be ambushed she turned around to look down at the ground, noticing that the puddle had been recently disturbed by something much larger than what would usually frequent the jungle floor. Looking closer, she could make-out the tracks leading even deeper into the Jungle. Curiously Lara started to quietly stalk after them, keeping her arrow at the ready as she followed whomever it could be deeper through the thicket.

12:30 PM

@Argeneau25

Finally finding an area that was to be another clearing Nathan looked around and took the letter from his bag, but he grumbled a bit with frustration as it was soaked with mud and the words were hard to make out. He sighed cruppling it up and tossed it to the side, not caring to much as it would either to be to the point of can't reading at all or some animal would take it away and make a nest of it or something, topping it off that he just didn't care to much about the letter now. He looked around and sighed just trying to think more about what the read had said, he had read it a few times to remember most of the words, but it was the way that they were put, was how the clue was given. With the canopy of dense trees, it was hard to really tell if it was night or day, or even just the time. For being a hunter, the sun was a key to what time it was and where they were, but the trees messed all that up. Nathan walked more going left and right around huge tree trunks before seeing a small river. He watched the way that it flowed, which looked like it was up hill, but that couldn't be true could it? He thought a bit to himself as he started to follow the river. Nathan did keep an ear out and his eyes on the move, just to watch out for anything that would be inhis way. There was something that was there, something that he didn't hear as it was in the branches that it was. A Jaguar, the eyes of yellow just following the movements before leaping from branch to branch staying a few feet above Nathan just following.

12:47 PM

It was when Nathan desided to stop and get close to the small stream figure out on which way to go, the Jaguar took it chance. With a loud roar it lept from the branch claws in front, sharp and ready to just dig into the flesh, but with his sharp senses, Nathan jumped out of the way just in time. He rolled and backed away slightly, holding his hands infront of him as if that was going to do anything. "Woo Bad Kitty" He said looking around trying to figure out something to use to defend himself, as he really didn't carry anything like that on him when he was out hunting, which of course, yes stupid. As Nathan looked quickly behind him that is when the Jaguar lept again, it pinned him to the ground, claws digging deeply into his shoulder making him yll out in pain. A loud growl came from the Jaguar's throat as it opened its mouth getting read to just take a bite out of Nathan. @👯 Bunny Dancing through Life 👯

It wasn't long until Lara had found she had caught up with her 'prey' that she was stalking, barely making out the figure of a man through the tree's. She kept herself crouched down out of sight, moving from tree to tree as he went forwards. Glancing up, she could see the figure of the large cat mimicking her own actions as it tracked down the man in front of her. Lara's face screwed up as she watched, shit... she thought quietly, glancing to the guy and then the cat a few times over, he's going to get himself killed... As he screwed up and discarded some paper aside Lara sped up her pace, dropping down to quickly scoop up the letter before darting back out of sight behind the tree. She stayed put a moment, carefully unfolding the letter from its crumpled heap and scanning over it. Even in the mud-stained mess it was,s he could recognise the words and handwriting as that similar to the letter she had received herself. So whomever it had been dropping the clue for the treasure... they had brought more than one person running. Lara frowned, wondering who or what could of been informing them both... and what they could want with them. Her senses were even more alert now, and she shoved the crumpled copy of the letter into her pocket before moving out. Unfortunately, in the time that she had been reading, she realised she had lost sight of both the man and the large cat that was stalking him. She sped up her pace some, still careful of where she planted her feet with each step to avoid cracking any sticks that might attract attention. She could see the tree's thinning out a little as she moved towards the river side. Uncertain where he might have gone, Lara was about to turn back when she heard the roar of the Jaguar, just through a few more tree's near the sound of the rushing water. Wide eyed, she turned and ran in the direction, breaking through the treeline in just enough time to see the Jaguar with the man pinned beneath its large paws. Lifting the bow, Lar

12:58 PM

a took a deep breath to steady her aim, pulling the nocked arrow taut and holding it a mere moment as she felt the soft breeze. Adjusting the angle, Lara released the arrow, allowing it to fly through the air and meet its target. Percing through the large cats skin at the back of his neck, the head of the arrow would puncture out of its wide open mouth as it leaned over the man about to taste its next meal. It would take a moment before the cats body would drop as a dead weight atop him. Quickly grabbing a second arrow, Lara nocked it into her bow, aiming directly to the man on the ground as she approached him quickly. "Who are you!?" she demanded forcefully as she came into his sight, the arrow aimed directly for his head.

12:58 PM

@Argeneau25

Just as the Jaguar was going down for the kill, Nathan slammed his eyes close and turned his head away just ready to die if it be, but then it was nothing. Slowly he opened an eye and saw the arrow tip just inches from his face in shock. He stared at it before watching the animal fall to the side die. With was a sigh of relief but when he was about to move that was when the female got above him with another arrow pointed at him "Oh come on really?" He asked looking around before looking back at the female, as the fear started to go away and the look of charm came over his face. "Well hello there, now that you saved me from getting killed, can I repay you with a kiss" He said laughing a bit as he sat up slowly. Even though he had an arrow pointed at him, something told him that she was not going to shoot him without getting any answers from him. Nathan grunt in pain as he finally sat up and looked to both shoulder, seeing the darp wounds from the animal's claws, but they were not bleeding as bad, so must not have hit anything really major. "Well here is the thing doll, I think it goes ladies first?" He said another with a large grin, if not a wink trying to get the female to talk first before he would give any information to her about him. If it was one thing, it was that Nathan was more of a no one person, which was why he was in tunes to going on this trip more as the letter had his full name on the envelope.

1:13 PM

After a minute of sitting Nathan pushed himself to stand, still not worrying about the arrow pointing at him. He was taking in more and more of the female, just wondering more and more on who she is and why she was out in the middle of no where with a bow and an arrow no less. She couldn't be another hunter or maybe she wwas part of a village nearby to get food, which made him look to the Jaguar again "By the way thanks for that. I would have been Cat Chow if you didn't, you know, kill it" He said with some compassion as he never really liked the thought of killing things, even though it was the best thing to do in this predicament. @👯 Bunny Dancing through Life 👯

Lara furrowed her brow as she watched the guys reaction to her, frustrated she pulled the bow string tighter as he attempted to 'charm' her. She watched him sit up, she herself moving slightly back, standing firmly and ready to jump out the way if he attempted anything towards her. At his refusal to answer her question she narrowed her eyes some more. "Well you were the damsel in distress... so you first." She responds quickly, dropping the arrow aim and loosing it to swiftly stab into the ground right between his legs. She reached back to grab a 3rd arrow, Hitching it to the bow and redrawing her aim to him. Hopefully the proximity of her first to his manhood would have spooked him some more. "I'll try this again... who are you? And where did you get the letter about the treasure?" As he rose to his feet she found herself raising a little on her toes, trying to stand a little straighter so she wouldn't look so short in front of him. The limitations of her small frame unfortunately made her seem much less intimidating. Her gaze briefly glanced to the jaguar alongside them before looking back at him. "Don't mention it, I'm quickly starting to think I should have let it eat you." @Argeneau25

There was still a smile on Nathan's face as he stood there before he got to his feet, which in that moment the female pointed the arrow toward the ground and shot it in between his legs "Woo woo. Okay I get it. My name is Nathan Drake but as for your second question I have no clue what it is that you are talking about. What letter?" Quickly were his hands raised and he took a step back and away from the arrow on the ground, not liking it one bit on where it was between his legs. He watched the way the female seemed to try to make herself a bit bigger to shrink the height between then=m. But he was not going to say anything about it as she was pointing a weapon at hime and with the arrow in the ground, to show that she would use it. Nathan looked around and then back at the female with a sigh. "So now that I told you mind, do I get yours?" He said with a bit of a smirk, still not knowing his lesson of sweet talking her. But just as he was about to ask something else a sound came over head, another engine, but this time it was a small charter plane that was nothing to worry about, or at these he thought that. He looked up to watch it fly overhead before looking back at the female as he was not that stupid, or at least right now to move. @👯 Bunny Dancing through Life 👯

As the guy introduced himself, Lara perked a brow and peered at him. The name wasn't unheard of to her of course, other people had spoken of him in her vicinity previously though it had never sparked much of an interest for her to look him up. The guy in front of her though was... not how she had imagined him to be. Certainly she would have thought the fabled Nathan Drake wouldn't go wandering into a jungle unarmed at the very least but yet... here we were. Hearing him question the letter she rolled her eyes a moment, unwilling to drop the aimed arrow just yet in order to retrieve the letter as evidence. "You know what letter I mean, I was following you, you tossed it into the mud like you weren't walking through one of natures most beautiful regions and could just discard your trash wherever." she hissed to him a moment. Noting there had been a slight withdrawal from him following her loosed arrow she relaxed her arm a little, letting the bow string go back to resting position though the arrow would remain nocked and ready as she brought the weapon back down to her side. "You're Nathan Drake? Well... colour me surprised. The names Croft, Lara Croft. Whoever sent you that letter had a similar one delivered to myself..." she explained a moment, following his gaze up at the sky as another plane went overhead. She frowned a moment, peering to the river and the tree's, thinking through the map layout she had reviewed before leaving. After a second she would drop the bow, leaning down to swing her pack off her back and rooting through it, before pulling out the very map she was trying to remember. She followed the curvature of the river with her nail, dragging along until it shaped in a way that was familiar to their current standing point, and it seemed the correct distance from her own drop point several hours earlier. "This place isn't under any sort of flight path... wonder who that could of been..." @Argeneau25

Still holding his hands up he couldn't help but try to put on more of his charm, just trying to get out of the situation. But when she talked about he knew the letter and told on what he did with it, there with a suck in hiss "You, saw that huh....um well, there wasn't much to go with it, just words that made no sense really." He said playing it off a bit but in a way he felt like he upset the female more, now that she knew he threw it on the ground and just left it. When the female started to put her bow to a resting position, Nathan let out a sigh and put his hands down to his side, before moving them to sit on his hips looking around a bit more and then back at the female with a raised brow as the female reacted the way she did to his name. "Yeah, I am Nathan Drake" He said repeating as he was just confused on what the female was getting at, but it was when he heard the name, he couldn't help himself but laugh "Lara Croft, really?" He said bringing his hand to his head to rack his fingers through his hair and brought them back down "That is something that I was not ready for." "I really thought you would be....I don't know....A bit taller? Maybe more Tougher." He said trying to be subtle about his words but yet he let the words out, sounding so much like a jackass. When he listened about the letter being sent to her as well, Nathan brought his hand to his chin and started to pace back and forth, mumbling to himself on who it could have been and why them. Soon he heard the ruffling of paper, making him look over and move to the female's side, just looking at the map. He didn't care to much about what the female was looking at, as he was looking at something else.

10:08 AM

Nathan looked around and then back at Lara "Well since mine got covered with mud and can't read a single word on it, do you happen to have your letter as I wish to give it one more read on something." He said looking back at the map just seeing something on it that looked like it could be something but he just needed to make sure. @👯 Bunny Dancing through Life 👯

The comment about her being taller, tougher made her cast another glare in his direction. "I may be shorter than you but that won't stop me from driving a climbing pick through your skull if I need to, so I wouldn't dare question how 'tough' I am." she sighed, shaking her head before turning her own attention to what she was looking for, now entirely engrossed in her map reading. "You know, for someone whose supposed to be at least minorly competent in this sort of thing, you appear to have arrived entirely unprepared and unorganised. You what... just thought you'd pop out for a stroll in the Jungle for a few hours and it would all work out for you?" she sighed again to him, pausing what she was doing to rub her temples with her fingers lightly, closing her eyes. As he asked about the letter she let out a slight laugh, peering up at him from her position crouched down on the ground. "Ohhh you remember the letter now then do you? Glad I jogged your memory." standing up, she reached her hand into her pocket and pulled out the crumpled, muddy page that he had previously discarded and threw it in his direction. "Here, you can have yours back" she smirked, bending over to place her map back into her backpack before she would swing it back over her shoulder. "I don't have mine, no, and I'm not sure I would trust you with it if I did." she peered to him. "I burned it so no one could find it and follow me, it's committed to memory though, the safest place for it to be." Turning to face him she picked back up her bow, putting it back over her shoulder too before moving to retrieve her arrow from the ground, and after that one, the one from the back of the large cats head that was laying dead a metre or two away from them. "So.. what is it you wanted to check on it? Was it perhaps the mention of dangers that you obviously overlooked?" @Argeneau25

With waiting Lara seemed to put the map away and pulled out his letter, still covered with mud and it seemed to have gotten worst with him cruppling it up. He opened it slow enough so that it didn't rip. Nathan looked at Lara as she started to ramble off things that was a flaw to him right now and he only laughed shaking his head and went back to the letter. "Yeah okay I deserve that, but yes the dangers, but it is not in a way with real things, even though the real things are dangerous too. But the letter says 'They are clues' So I only thought deeper into the Jungle but then when I saw your map....If you can pull it out again?" He said with a grin, "I think I saw something that it might have been talking about." Nathan said looking at the letter again, just reading every word more carefully. But as he was to busy with that, he didn't hear anything else that Lara said nor was seeing what she was doing. "I mean yes burning would be right but then again, the words are more of the clues to where to get all of this working on OUR favor. I mean if it is that we are to work together. I mean as it stands now 80 / 20 would be the best cut, as I have more information then you do at the moment. I mean also I did get here before you and got much farther." He said rambling more on everything as he was just wanting to get more of the treasure then anyone right now. @👯 Bunny Dancing through Life 👯

Lara tilted her hair to one side, watching Nathan curiously while he spoke about the letter and the clues within. She peered around their immediate error, still alert to any more threats like the large cat before swinging the bag off her shoulder again. Digging back out the map she opened it up again, turning her back to Nate so he could read the map over her shoulder. There wasn't too much detail on the map in regards to their immediate area, naturally given there wasn't exactly many landmarks within the jungles. "What exactly did you..." she started before hearing his comment about working together, laughing and quickly folding the map up and stepping away so he couldn't view it anymore "No no no... for starters, I don't even need your help with this, I'm quite capable of managing on my own. You on the other hand would already be dead if it wasn't for me and wouldn't have a hope in hell of making it to the treasure to even get a fraction of it. If you want my help, it's going to cost you, and I won't accept anything less that 70:30 split in my favour." She crossed her arms, raising a brow as she looked at him. "I am the one with the map after all. I'll gladly leave you stumbling around this place blind and unarmed, I'll be sure to send someone to retrieve your body once I get home, I'm sure it will cost me less than 30% of what this is all worth." @Argeneau25

((I am extremely sorry about the wait.)) Nathan was about to look to the area that saw, before the map was taken away from him. There was a heavy huff of annoyance as he was listening to the female. "Are you crazy? There is no way any close to even...but yeah you did save my life and I did offer you a kiss in return of that, BUT you turned it down so if anything at least flip it around." He said. They were not really getting anywhere with this, and the feel of the weather, it was getting colder which meant that it was getting darker. "UGH Fine. You can have the 70 but lets find a place to hid until morning." Nathan said putting everything away that was his and just started to walk. He moved around trees, keeping an eye out around them before looking to the sky again, just trying to see if there was anything else that he could see in the sky. After a few more miles, there is was a cave in some rocks. Nathan looked down to grab up branches so that they could make a fire when they got to the cave. Throwing the branches on the ground at the mouth of it before venturing inside to see if there was anything that was already there. The farther he got the darker it got, so he reached into his pocket taking out his lighter and tried to flick it on, but nothing happened "What the f--?" He started to say before seeing that his lighter was just drenched in the mud that he had fallen into before. Putting it back into his pocket he moved back to the mouth of the cave and started to get the branches in a pile to start a fire. "Well it looks like whatever was here is not now or was never here. I don't know but it it something to give us shelter for the time being." He said before grabbing two sticks and started to rub them together to get a fire going, since his lighter was useless. @👯 Bunny Dancing through Life 👯

(( not a problem at all, life happens! )) Lara rolls her eyes with an Audible 'eugh' at the refrerence to his offer, shaking her head to him. "Keep talking and I'll find a way to bring that Jaguar back to life and feed you to him." she sighs, reaching up to ruffle her hair with a slight huff. The cooler breeze blowing through along the river made her shiver a little, and she turned her gaze up to the darkening sky. Unfortunately, his suggestion for them to seek out shelter was admittedly a good one. Tucking her map back under her arm she re-fastens her backpack under her chest to keep it secure incase they need to climb anything. She picks back up her bow and ensures the arrows are securely holstered once more within reach. Happy to have gathered all her equipment she trudges after Nate back into the jungle, keeping the sound of the river to her right side to ensure they didn't get turned about. Occasionally on their march, she would slow and turn around, checking the treeline to ensure they weren't being followed. The fact that two of them had received the news about the treasure had put her on edge that there might be more... and they might not be so friendly. Not that she found Nate friendly, or had felt that way herself, but at least they weren't actively trying to murder each other at that point. The slog through the Jungle continued to get more difficult the darker it got. The air grew damp in the growing night, causing the dirt underfoot to grow slippery, mud clinging to her boots on every step. Reaching the mouth of the cave, Lara took it upon herself to scout the immediate surrounding area for any other life or dangers while Nate collected the branches and explored the cave. Once she had returned she climbed on inside, moving deeper into the Cave to find out where Nate had disappeared to. The further she went, the harder it got to see, and squinting ahead,s he watched as Nate's lighter was failing to light. Rolling her eyes she reached her left arm

11:21 AM

back, grunting awkwardly as she grasped for the torch she had attached to the side of her pack. She flicked the switch, and at first, nothing happened. Giving the torch a firm shake she manages to get the batteries back aligned, and the light immediately pierces through the dark ahead of them, illuminating the cave and revealing they had pretty much reached its depths. "Whatever was here may not be here anymore... but we gotta hope it's not going to return." she adds to him, snorting a little before she swings her pack off and throws it into the corner. "Once you got that fire going we should take shifts in keeping watch. The fire should deter any other large cats but it will attract the attention of anyone else looking for what we're here for." she moves back towards the entrance to the cave, leaning on the edge and watching the Jungle. As the darkness started to swallow it up, the heavens also opened and they were surrounded by the patter of rain hitting the leaves, the trees, and pouring like a veil across the entrance. "Guess we got inside just in time..." she looked back over at him with the sticks, watching curiously to see if the fire would ignite. "You... need a hand there?" she couldn't hold back her chuckle. @Argeneau25

@Argeneau25

((Sorry about the lateness. I was re-reading everything to make sure I was in the right mind set again)) Nathan was walking around before the light pierced his eyes. There was some discomfort but it didn't bother him to much. The light did show the once light blue shirt that he wore, was now covered over the back and some on the side, with the mub that he flopped into. Along with the red from blood where the Jaguar had pinned the claws into his shoulders. He walked around a bit more finding more branchs, twigs and anything that he could use to start a fire and put it on the pile. He was working his hardest to get something started. But when Lora asked about asking if he needed a hand, all he did was shake his head and put the branches down. Slowly he brought his hands to his shirt unbuttoning it and threw it to the side as he thought that taking it off would help, but it just showed the battered body that he had from everything that happen today. The marks fromt he claws of the Jagaur but it was now the deep bruise that was diangelly on his back from when he hit the tree after he landed. After a few more minutes Nathan had finally got a fire going, laying more and more branchs on it to keep it high and warm. But now with the high flame he saw more of the cave and seeing more of the banches and twigs that were inside. He moved more and more toward the fire to make sure that he was going to keep the fire high and warm through the rain, and to keep them safe if they were to take the time to rest up. @👯 Bunny Dancing through Life 👯

As she got no verbal response to her offer of assistance with the fire Lara sighed heavily and rolled her eyes, walking through to the back of the cave to place down her pack from her back. Reaching up, she untied her hair and shook it loose down around her shoulders, a small wave in her hair from where the hairtye had been tight. Sitting down on the hard rock floor she reaches down to untie her mud-laden boots, sliding them off one at a time and wincing a little, reaching to rub her sore feet. As the fire crackled to life, Lara looked back over in Nate's direction, only just noting that he had disrobed his shirt while prepping the fire. The view caused her to perk an eyebrow very briefly, glancing over his physique and the various scratches and bruises he had picked up in the last 24 hours. Catching herself staring, she quickly turned her gaze to the side. Now that the fire was humming and warming the damp cave she unzipped her waterproof Jacket, shrugging it off and putting it the side. She peered over her bare arms now exposed in her tank top, a number of different bruises also glowing against her skin from the various branches and such she had bumped against so far. Reaching down, she unbuckled her belt and slipped it and all her accessories off, finally comfortable in the cave. She did, however, retrieve her blade holster from the belt and tuck it and blade into the back of her cargo pants, lifting her tank top over the top of it to keep it hidden from now. It was good to have it to hand in case any wild animals decided to also take shelter, plus she didn't exactly have all that much trust in Nate either. Standing up she wandered back over closer to the fireplace and the warmth, hearing the thundering of the rain suddenly coming down outside of their cave, gesturing to the fire she nodded to Nate. "Good job." she commented, before moving to sit alongside it. "We should take the chance to get some rest... I can take first watch if you want, you look like you

4:04 AM

've had a rougher day than I have." she nodded to his chest, unable to help a smirk on her lips again. "I have some anti-septic wipes too if you need them... last thing you want is to be getting an infection and dying in the jungle so soon." @Argeneau25

Nathan was just finding himself staring at the flames just in thought more about the letter and to who could have given it to them. He was so quick to jump on his plane and get here that he didn't really think about it. But it mind soon clamed when he looked up to Lora sitting on the other side of the flames and talking about taking the time to rest and then went to talk about how he looked. Finally looking over himself Nathan just gave a bit of a chuckle. "You concerned about me now. That is sweet. You know that kiss is still an offer on the table if you want it." He said with a wink before standing up with a moan of discomfort and moved toward the back of the cave a bit to stay out of danger, but he also stayed close enough to keep himself warm. As he sat there he couldn't help but look at Lora a bit, the way that she sat there, the glow of the flame just dancing over her figure. It made Nathan blush but he quickly looking away wondering what was getting into him. He knew what was happening but on the other hand, they were not even apart of one another's life, why was he even thinking about it. Nathan moaned to himself as he sat there, back against the side of the cave and his head leaning back to look up to the ceiling with thought. The more and more he sat there, he eyes started to close, not even knowing he was that tired, but then again, like Lora said he was worst for wear with everything that happened to him today. With the few moments that his eyes were closed, he had fallen into a light sleep, heavy breath escaping his lung, before turning into soft snoring sounds.

4:20 AM

------ On the other side of the Jungle the sound of chopping echoed a bit through the rain as someone was making their way deeper into the RainForest. The swinging of a machette going through the thick vines, getting them out of the way. A man moved around the large trees, a flaming torch in the other, lighting the way through the area. Heavy footesteps were made in the mud as the rain was just making everything damp and hard to move in but soon this man had found a place of his own to hide in, another cave farther from the others, closer to the area that the treasure could be. The male soon had fallen asleep himself the flaming torch going out, sleeping to wait out the rain. @👯 Bunny Dancing through Life 👯

As Nate retreated himself to the back of the Cave Lara shifted herself so she could lean back against a wall too, twisted slightly towards the entrance with her arms wrapped around her waist, fingerips brushing on the handle of the blade tucked in the back of her pants, ready to grab it if needed. She thought more back to the letter that had lead her here, her research she had done on the plane. She realised all her focus had been on the treasures and their history, she hadn't taken any time to look into the authenticity or source of the letter. Now, stuck alone with Nate in the cave, she couldn't help but wonder if maybe there was an ulterior motive behind getting her there, and whether he had anything to do with it. As the hours passed by, Lara found herself dozing off, her head lulling forwards onto her chest causing her to jolt herself awake. The continuous pattering of the rain had been a little too relaxing. In an attempt to wake up, Lara brought herself to her feet, shaking out her arms and legs and pacing up to the entrance to peer out into the darkness. The wind rustled the leaves of the trees, but aside from that and the rain, she couldn't make out anything else. Returning to the fireplace that was beginning to dwindle to embers she added some fresh wood, carefully breathing on the sparks to re-ignite the flames. She knew she couldn't keep herself awake for too much longer and would need an hour or two sleep before they continued their treck at sunrise. Heading to the back of the cave where Nate was asleep she stopped standing over him, peering at him a moment. "Hey..." she muttered quietly to him, before sighing and leanign down, reaching out to place her hand on his bare arm and give him a little shake. "Hey, it's your watch." @Argeneau25

The dream that he had was not something that was normal but of the letter, the trip, the thought of just what was all going on. His mind was playing out what ifs, until he felt the shake. It made his body jerk and his hand reach up grabbing hold of the wrist of the hand that was on him. Nathan's focus formed to see Lora standing there. With a moan he let her wrist go and moved, but not without letting out a hiss of some pain. He heard the words and only gave a bit of a nod as he was waking up. Slowly he pushed himself to stand up, all the joints of his body cracking as he streched out his body. He said no words, as his mind was seeing to still wake up but his body at the full alert. When getting to the opening of the cave Nathan took in the deepest of breath and stuck his head out to have the rain water drunch him, the coldness waking him up fully. He stood there folding his arms over his chest, his back to Lora, showing the bruises got a bit deeper with color, but they still didn't seem to bother him to much as he just stood there. After a moment he moved to the side of the save, still standing e leaned his back against the wall looking outside, eyes moving around to keep an eye out for any moment. But even though he was keeping his eye outside, he couldn't help but find his eyes going back to Lora and thinking more about her. He had heard stories about everything that she had fun, the trouble that she came across on the travel but the most was the beauty that the words were no where near, the truth of what he was seeing. It had been to long since he had tried to settle down. To try to get to know anyone. He was a hunter first and formost, but he did think of stopping at some point and settling down. Nathan took in a breath seeing that he was staring to much and looked back outside waiting to see if the rain was going at least slow down enough for them to move from this place. @👯 Bunny Dancing through Life 👯

When Nate grabbed her wrist, Lara froze in place, raising both her brows at him until he had stirred awake fully and realised she wasn't a threat to him. Released, Lara pulled her hand back to herself, rubbing her wrist where he had grabbed her and stepping back to give him some time to wake up and get himself sorted. She heard the wincing and hissing of pain as she turned her back to him, watching the flames growing as they ate through more of the fresh wood she had added to the pile. Once Nate had moved to walk past her and head up to the entrance of the cave Lara turned back to head to near where he had been laying. Grabbing her pack she positioned it in such a place she could use it as a pillow, laying her jacket down on the ground so she wouldn't be rubbing her arms against the sharp rocky floor, before laying herself down. She laid on her back, staring up at the dancing shadows on the cieling of the cave a moment before turning her head to the side, looking and watching Nate as he shook the water out from his hair. She could't help but laugh a little at the view, before narrowing her eyes and peering at the deepening bruise on his back. There was nothing she could do about that though, and instead she settled herself down and closed her eyes. "Wake me when it starts to get light." she called up to him at the mouth of the cave before allowing herself to drift to sleep, shifting from laying on her back to laying on her side curled up, her hand up under the bag beneath her head as her breathing calmed to a soft hum, signifying she was deep in slumber. @Argeneau25

Not knowing on how much time went past Nathan finally saw light poking through and the rain letting up. He looked back to let Lora sleep just a bit more. Staring back out to the trees and the rest of the forest that was around them, the sun was getting brighter and brighter, finding a place to poke through the treeline. Just a bit more he let her sleep before moving over and got down, balancing on the balls of his feet and reached a hand out, laying softly on Lora's shoulder. He remembered on the reaction that he had with her so he was making sure to be soft and caring with waking her up, not know on how she was going to react to him. "Hey Princess...suns awake" He said softly, giving Lora another soft shake, still keeping his balance on the ball of his feet. But Nathan did find himself staring at her face, the way that she splet was peaceful and in a way her beauty just playing with him more. The thought of bending down and giving her a kiss on her cheek was playing on his mind but he wasn't going to do that, as he was giving enough risk just shaking her awake. What was going to happen if he kissed her? He laughed at his own thought before getting up to just stand over her, not wanting to risk shaking her a third time. @👯 Bunny Dancing through Life 👯

The first nudge hardly stirred her, having just gone into a deeper stage of sleep. Instead, it caused a mere groan and grumble from her as she wiggled a little in her sleep. The second shake however, combined with Nate's voice beckoning her awake seemed to do the job and she began to stir, letting out a heavy sigh first before blinking her eyes open. It took a moment for her sight to adjust and she could just about make-out the silhouette of Nathan standing in front of her, backed by the sunlight flooding into the cave from the entrance. Gradually she leaned herself up onto her elbows, her hair having become a tangled mess atop her head standing in various directions as she peered around the cave. Everything else seemed to be as it was before she slept. Reaching behind her, she checked the blade was still in place before sitting up properly. "What time is it? Looks like the suns been up for a while." she muttered quietly, squinting up at Nathan as she had heard his quiet laugh and trying to work out just what that was about. Taking a deep breath Lara rolled over onto her knees, reaching up to run her hands through her hair, loosening the tangles and tying it back up into her classic ponytail. Leaning forwards she grabbed her pack and opened it up, pulling out her map and unfolding it open onto the cave floor, peering over it and finding the river they had been by the day prior. She traced her fingers slowly the route they had taken before locating a spot that appeared like it might just be where they were now. "So we should probably look to head west today... If we can find out way through to this river..." she tapped her finger to show exactly where she meant. "We can probably follow it upstream to the waterfall here. We'll need to scale up the cliffside to get up here..." her finger continued to trace as she spoke. "and that should give us a good vantage point. According to my research, there should be a tree slightly taller than the rest thats foliage glows a

5:33 AM

soft amber at sunset. The side of the tree that lights up is the direction we then need to take." She wasn't sure why she was now talking to Nate like a partner in all this rather than an adversary as she had done the night before. Maybe it was the rest that had put her in a better mood, or maybe it was the mere fact she had appreciated he had kept look-out while she was in a more fragile position of being asleep without doing anything to suggest he was untrustworthy. Either way, she definitely seemed to be coming across warmer. Finishing speaking she reaches over to her boots she had put to the side and pulled them back onto her feet, lacing them up. @Argeneau25

((I am working on this reply today, sorry about the lateness yet again))

((OMFG I didn't know that it didn't post FUCKIN HELL. Here is the re-write not as good as the first but damn discord))

11:27 AM

As the female was finally waking up Nathan cleared his throat to stop himself from all of his thoughts before looking out at the sun and then back at her, when the questions were asked "I know it is early, maybe 8-9am" He said raising up a hand to line it up with the sun knowing a bit of a trick when it comes to telling the time of day or night. When Lara was moving he looked over just to watch a bit, but he was quick to look away when their eyes met and he stared at her for awhile. Nathan moved a bit closer to sit on the ground next to her as she was pulling out a map and was looking at it. He was looking a bit more at the map for himself, just thinking about the letter again, along with the words but also listening to what the female was saying about what direction that they were going to go. "You seem to have this all figured out with just a sleep. What did you do get a vision or something about where everything is?" He laugh just thinking more to him about everything. With him being close to her, he had forget that he still hadn't put his shirt back on. So slowly he moved away and stood up grabbing his shirt to but it on, with a slight groan. He was still in pain with everything but it was not as back as yesterday. Nathan took in a breath, getting himself all fixed up again and looked over. The way that she sat there on the ground putting her own self back together for the trip it was hard not to stare. What was going on with him? He liked working with people but it was hard to think that he was working with HER the real Lara Croft. He heard the way that she got things done and did it with haste but this was something different. It was now two of them going on the same adventure. But with the thought of the plane the day before, could there be more that would go look for this treasure or was asked to do so, he didn't know but soon they were going to go find out.

11:28 AM

@👯 Bunny Dancing through Life 👯

Lara hardly looked up from her map when Nate approached, not until he had taken a seat next to her to look over at it. It briefly threw her off her explanation, realising he wasn't fully dressed that she hadn't noticed when he was sillouhetted against the light streaming in. "You believe 9am is early? I'm surprised you ever got anything done" She would comment briefly with a slight chuckle, the comment had brought back some of her sass but didn't quite have the tone of animosity towards him she had the day before. After having mapped out their route for the day, Lara continued to look over the map a moment, doing her best to memorise it as much as she could so they wouldn't risk losing it while they were out. "I didn't come up with it in my sleep... this was always my plan, and if I wasn't having to save someone from being eaten by a jaguar I would have probably made it to the ridge before nightfall." And with that comment she would fold the map back up, back into her pack where it would be safe. Routing through she would find the flask of water she had with her, taking a deep drink to set her up for the day before peering to Nate, slowly offering the flask over to him. "We probably want to find a fresh water source too... I probably don't have enough to last the both of us through today." She didn't bother asking if he had any with him, he had proven himself unprepared and disorganised already - she just hoped he might be able to be more help than a hindrance as they ventured deeper into the jungle that day, she wasn't keen on having to watch his back as well as her own and it just reminded her why she often preferred to travel alone. "Do you think you're OK to travel? It's going to be quite the trek today with the climb too... and I think we need to be a little more alert, if the two of us got the same letter there's a chance there were more out there... and from my experience not everyone looking for fabled lost treasures are friendly..." Standing final

12:06 PM

ly, Lara would scoop up her jacket from the cave floor and put it back on. The jungle was hot and humid, but the jacket at least stopped her from getting sunburn or big bites for the most part. Her pack, once she had returned the water flash to it, would be swung over her shoulders and strapped back in place. Fishing her blade she would hold it ready, turning to watch Nate a moment, carefully, trying to figure out just how bad his injury would be. "Are you ready?"

12:06 PM

@Argeneau25

((EXTREMELY SORRY FOR MAKING YOU WAIT))

10:02 AM

With the words, he didn't say much as he shook his head "I get buy with what I got but we should be off before we waste more time here. That plane had to have others on board. You might be right on if there are more here to get this treasure but if we work together then we can get there faster and do a better job then the others could have done." the words that came out of his mouth were more calmer then before, and made the best of sense. It could have been the sleep or the realization about Lara being right with everything. He was always so quick to get out and get the things that called him, but he needed to do better, show that he was not as much as a fail that the female thought of him as at the moment. As he looked out the cave to the horizon he didn't notice the flask, till he finally looked back to Lara. There was a moment or two that his eyes went from the flask to Lara and then back to the flask. Slowly he grabbed it feeling how much was inside before taking a drink make sure to not take to much, as they were sharing it for now on. Nate handed it back to Lara and sighed when she said about finding fresh water. "Well if I remember if we go straight North there is a waterfall, we can see how fresh the water is there first." Using a finger to point North for a moment. Soon confusion came to his face and he turned back at the words of her asking if he was alright to continue. "I am still alive thanks to you back there, but how is this if we get to a point that you think that we need to rest, we do so and think of plans of attack as we get closer to what we were instructed to." He said with a smile and held out his hand. Nate had changed his whole language with Lara, again he didn't know why he did really, but he did have a feeling growing inside of him for her in a way. It was not unheard of for him to go after the woman on his adventures but this one was all to different in a way. Let's go." @👯 Bunny Dancing through Life 👯

Taking back the flask, she would give a small shake to get an idea of just how much was left for the two of them, thinking carefully through how much they should be drinking each hour given the humidity of the jungle and the effort it was going to take for them to get through. It wouldn't last until nightfall again, that much was for sure. Sealing the cap she would carefully tilt the flask, holding a palm out flat beneath to make sure nothing was leaking before she would return it to her pack. As he mentioned about the waterfall, Lara's face would crease, trying to picture the route on the map. It was a slight detour from where they were needing to go, but a waterfall offered the prospect of more than just a refill of her flasks as she found herself craving an opportunity to get washed off. They hadn't been in the jungle more than 24 hours, but that time, combined with the sweat and longevity of the flight she had taken to get there, made her feel grimey and not too pleasant beneath her clothing layers. "Okay, so North we go for now to this waterfall. We can think through the next steps once we are there and a little more hydrated." Lara would confirm finally, giving him a short smile. It was unusual for her to allow a companion to have much say in the plan for the day - but this one, at least, she had to concede was a required one. Lifting her pack she would pull it back on over her shoulders, fastening it in front of her before hiking her way up to the entrance of the crave, peering out into the light streaming through the tree's before them. Glancing once more to Nate, she found herself staring at him a little longer than necessary, before declining the offered hand held towards her. "The waterfall will be good to clean out some of your cuts a little better too and give us a good look at what we're dealing with. You'll need to accept though that if it's too bad, it might be best for you to head out to the nearest town than continue. We can't risk having anyt

1:53 PM

hing slowing us down... especially if others are out here looking for the same thing. If they find us... find you... injured, they might not be as hospitable as I was." She knew the statement itself could be seen as amusing, as her attitude towards Nate had probably been a little less than... hospitable. But at least she hadn't attempted to kill him. Checking the sun position again, Lara would push herself out of the cave entrance and turn immediately towards the North, intending to lead the way as she reached back for her knife she kept within reach, unholstering it ready to cut through any vines and branches that may impede on their journey ahead. As she walked though, she would occasionally look back to Nate, to make sure he was following ok and not in too much discomfort.

1:53 PM

@Argeneau25

When Lara had got up by herself and got everything ready for the trek, Nate took his hand back and started to get himself ready. He shivered a bit as he put his mud soaked shirt back on and grabbed everything. He stopped here and there to look at Lara as she was talking about what roads they were going to go and the things that would happen. There was a sigh as he looked over himself and then back at Lara with a smirk and slight laugh "Yeah a good clean up will do us both good I think. But as for if you have to worry about me, I have been through worst. This is just nothing more to worry about really." He said leaving the cave as he followed Lara. As they walked the route did get a bit rough, forcing NAte to push his body just a bit more. There were moans of discomfort here and there but nothing that was to the point of slowing him down. ---- On the other side of the forest a male was finding his way through the trees, stopping here and there at every moment that he could to just make sure that one he was going the right way and two that he was not going to run into any creatures that could kill him. He did stop fully at one point to look at his own map, seeing if he was still going in the right direction but as he was doing so, a creautre was sithering its way around the male's feet. When he finally put the map away and looked down, he jumped taking the gun from his holster and shot at it, killing it right away as it went right through its head "I can stand anything else this place has, but god damn snakes are the cut off." He yelled to himself with a huff and put the gun away not thinking about if anyone was around or if anything else dangerous could come around with the sound of the gun fire. @👯 Bunny Dancing through Life 👯

The push through the jungle was tougher than Lara had predicted, the rains from the night before having left the ground a sludgy, muddy mess that made every step heavy and energy draining. It added at least an extra hour, if not more, to the track towards the waterfall that they were taking. Occasionally Lara would stop and double check the sun position with the direction they were going to ensure they weren’t turning back on themselves, and for brief water breaks, offering the flask Nate’s way each time despite there being little left. The sun was probably just past its peak, indicating an early afternoon settling in when they finally heard the sound of thunderous water ahead. The cliffs were growing larger to their side and the river they were following along becoming even more aggravated, rushing past them at an increased rate. It was a few more minutes before she would find herself finally cutting through into the clearing, a large waterfall ahead of them tumbling into a rather calm looking lake before it found its way to the River opening. Giving a sigh of relief, Lara headed towards a set of rocks nearby the waters edge, immediately pulling the pack off her back and throwing it down with a groan. Rolling her shoulders she would look back towards Nate. “We might need to find somewhere a little closer than what I had in mind to camp tonight…” She would utter quietly, before leaning on the rock and reaching to take off her boots and socks. The water was clear and inviting, the air cooler near the waters edge than the humid and sticky heat of the jungle they had just fought their way through. As she unbuttoned her pants there was the sudden shriek of birds somewhere further ahead of them. Looking around, Lara watched as droves of birds launched to the sky, obviously disturbed by something loud and sudden in the jungle. “What the…” She muttered quietly, freezing a second as she watched before looking to Nate questioningly, wondering if he’d heard what could

2:10 PM

of caused it. Sliding the fabric of her pants down her legs he would turn to step into the water, taking a few steps into the depths so the water was up around her mid thighs and giving a soft sigh to the cold water cooling her sore feet and legs. @Argeneau25

Mud, there was always had to be mud around him. Nate was getting to the point of just turning around and heading back home, but that seemed more work then what they were doing now. He followed Lara, cant helping himself but finding his eyes looking her up and down before looking away when she would turn to check on him. When he was handed the flask, he did take drinks of it but small ones as he could feel that they were running low on it. He followed her more and more as she seemed had a better understanding of where they were going then him. Yes, on many missions he would get lost or kidnapped but in the end he always found where he was suppose to go. But it was this time he had a partner to help him through this. When Nate saw the river that they were following, get faster and stronger there was a bit of a grin that came to his lips. But it was the view of the waterfall that they ran into that took his breath away. He looked around before looking back to Lara as she made a comment of finding a closer place to rest then she planned on. It was fine by him. He was running low on energy and without really showing it either, his body was sore and he felt the claw marks on his shoulder getting a bit hot and irritated really. HE grinned watching her a bit more before backing up into tree trunk and slide down to sit, just watching. But it was the sound that shocked him a bit looking up at the sky and then to Lara as she asked on what it was, but he also felt that she thought it was him for a moment, which of course couldn't be. "Could be locals getting food?" HE said with a bit of a joke as he leaned more against the trunk, leaning his head back to look at the sky a bit more, now in his own thought of what could have really been, as he thought it sounded like a gun more then anything, and the locals didn't really use them or so he thought. @👯 Bunny Dancing through Life 👯

Lara would look out into the depths of the pool, admiring how clear the water was a moment as she enjoyed the way it soothed and cooled her aching legs and feet from the hike already. It was moments like this that certainly made exploring worthwhile… the beauty out in the world, hidden away from view that she could enjoy alone… Or not so alone as she looked back over to Nate at the tree trunk, giving a heavy sigh. Her head shook side to side to his suggestion about the noise being locals, creasing her nose a little and looking back in the direction the noise had come from. “I very much doubt it would be the locals… they have a profound respect for nature and certainly wouldn’t use anything that would cause such a disturbance.” Not that her explanation provided much more information on what it could have been that caused the noise. She stared out that way again, thinking carefully a moment about the possible distance of the source to them and whether she was still safe to bathe or it would be better to push forwards instead. Coming to the conclusion the noise was likely an hour away at least and whomever had caused it wouldn’t be stumbling upon them immediately she would turn her attention back to the water. There was a pause as she weighed up whether she wanted to walk with a wet shirt for the rest of the day or not before finally deciding it wouldn’t be worth it. Keeping her back to Nate, she would carefully lift the fabric of her shirt up over her head, tossing it aside onto the embankment before bending her knees briefly, launching and diving into the deeper water in front of her. There would be a few seconds before she would rise back to the surface, breaking through with a gasp for air before she started to swim ahead towards the waterfall.

11:40 AM

@Argeneau25

Nate just leaned against the tree loking up at the sky, not really paying any mind to the other. BUt as he felt himself getting a bit uncomfortable, he went to move to sit up a bit more, but it only sent pain through his whole body. He tried to make no sound in pain as he moved but he thought just to look over himself just as he heard the splash of the female. She was swimming around and he had a feeling that she couldn't hear him so much even he did make a sound. With a deeper breath he moved more, sending more pain through himself as he unbutton his shirt to look at himself finally. HE looked to the marks that the claws left, they were not as deep as he thought they were but they were red in color, he only thought that it was from initation then anything else. BUt when he looked down to the buised from when he rammed into the tree at his landing it bhad gotten worst. The bruise was deep purple, and black in places, and when he would try to breath in deep it was where he was feeling the most pain. His hands dropped from his shirt just laying in his lap and shook his head "So much for being the protecter." He said a bit to himself. His head leaned back again against the tree, trying hard to take in deep breaths, but when he tried to take in the deepest one is when hsis body went into a coughing, feeling like he was going to puke from the pain that shot from his side up his back, almost to his head. He didn't know why the pain was hitting sp far there, but he didn't care. It was not looking good at the moment.

3:42 PM

When the coughing fit stopped Nate took his hand from his mouth to see the like pink color mixed with his salva. It was so light, it took a mimute to really see it, but it was there and it was not a good sign either. Nate laughed to himself lightly "Well seems like I over did it, the most this time." He said looking up at the sky now in a bit of thought of what he was going to do now. HE could just tell Lora to go without him, which she might and just leave him hear to get capture or even die. There were not too many options right now, or as least any that he could think of. @👯 Bunny Dancing through Life 👯