Sleep was always a bit of a cluster fuck at outpost seven. Getting a bed was a maybe, sleeping in the courtyard forced you to listen to every conversation and every noise that happened in the general vicinity. In the past he’d tried to sleep in the small office he had as head scavenger, but after experiencing the freedom of the jungle, it felt claustrophobic to lock himself in the tiny room. When another loud clang sounded throughout the courtyard, Nasir finally called it quits. Only his familiarity with the layout of the courtyard and the Outpost allowed him to make his way through the building despite the fact that the sun had yet to rise. In a small book, that was locked in a drawer in his desk, there was a list of all the supplies collected by his scavengers and what had been requested. With efficient, but sloppy, handwriting he copied it down and tucked it into an inside coat pocked for safe keeping, before making his way outside the protective walls of outpost seven.
On his early morning journey, outpost six was his first destination. Every so often food or flashlights or other supplies would be left behind for emergencies, and with practiced ease, he broke into the mostly abandoned building. It was probably too early for any guards to be lurking, and with this outpost already abandoned, it was unlikely anybody had stayed there overnight. Still though, he worked silently as he looted what little supplies had been left behind, and he slipped out just as quietly as he arrived. The next logical stop would be outpost three. It was farther away, but five rarely had anything of use and four was commonly guarded. By the time he made it there the sun was lighting up the sky, making the jungle much easier to navigate. Without too much trouble, he did to outpost three what he had done to five. Any supplies left behind were shoved into Nasir’s duffle bag, and checked off the list he had copied down earlier.
It was amazing that barely used outposts could be more comfortable than the one he lived in, but alas, such was the luck of life. Still though, he saw no reason to rush his departure. If nothing else the outpost was silent, something he desperately missed while he was in camp. After a quick moment of contemplation, he found a corner in which he could quickly escape from if need be, folded up his jacket, and dozed off for a quick nap. It was only noise of guards, who were notoriously loud, that woke him up hours later. Looking out from one of the windows, he saw the small patrol move on from outpost three, much to his confusion. That’s when a familiar voice rang out. The next question was: is Owen alone? He observed the other man as he cautiously made his way through the outpost, only approaching when he deemed that yes, Owen was alone. “Mon ami, I didn’t expect to see you here.” Fearlessly, Nasir walked out of his hiding place, draping himself around Owen’s back and shoulders, “What a lucky day it is for me.” He then slid off, moving until he was in front of the guard.
Owen wasn’t sure what he expected. There weren’t many Outsiders he’d’ve liked to become acquainted with- some had a hatred for Alia Terra he couldn’t comprehend- but if he were to run into any colony teenagers it would’ve ruined his day. Having to drag them back, report them to Yates... it’d’ve been such a hassle, that it added to the relief that he found when a familiar face came ‘round the corner. He hadn’t even bothered pulling out his gun- call it recklessness, or faith in the fact he held some sort of authority. Most Outsiders probably wouldn’t waste a bullet on him, that much he was certain of (that is, if they carried a gun) and even so, it’d just lead to some awkward relinquishing of resources as per Owen’s orders. Do not engage. If only Yates knew the extent of some of those forbidden engagements guards had.
He didn’t even realize how much he’d actually wanted to be touched until it was happening, and he felt his bad mood melting of, his eyes shutting momentarily. Axel had always promoted ”having fun”, and while this might not have been what the man would’ve approved of, Owen couldn’t help but feel responsible for keeping his spirit alive. And that meant breaking a few rules for the sake of wondering why they were even in place. It meant stopping thinking about the consequences all the time.
“You here to make my job harder?” No matter how serious he’d meant to sound, he couldn’t stop the corners of his mouth from rising into a small smirk.”Can’t really restock if you’re here-” he cut himself off “and what if it hadn’t been just me?” What would Nasir have done it one of the less compassionate guards had stayed behind? Or if he wasn’t alone? No doubt they’d’ve still entered the outpost to do their job... This whole circumstance could’ve been much worse had specific decisions, completely unplanned for this occasion, hadn’t been made. Maybe it was kismet- or maybe a bullet had barely been dodged. Perhaps literally, as well as figuratively. Still, with Nasir right in front of him, Owen couldn’t help but be hyper aware of how alone they were, how alone he both did and didn’t want to feel. Assuming, of course, Nasir hadn’t brought any other Outsiders with him. Owen couldn’t know that yet.
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