Ziel roamed silently in the battlegrounds as she contemplated her past few years…
The thin dust floating in the dry battlefield stung the Spy’s nose a bit, but he didn’t care. Coming back to this old, godforsaken place was something that he had always wanted to do, but Alex had never managed to find the motivation to actually get there.
Kicking a few rocks around while glancing at the building around him, he noticed a red silhouette in the distance, doing the same thing than him… wait, red? As in, RED team?
Gasping in surprise, he quickly retreated behind a building, finding himself catching his breath in his panic. He had thought these battlegrounds had been abandoned long, long ago… And it had to be someone from the opposite team… these long gone teams too. Or… were they really gone?
He risked a peek from round the corner, trying to get a better view of the unknown individual standing meters away from him.
Like waves, the thoughts and memories came and went. Some pleasant, some heartwarming and some bitter but most left a trace of melancholy as they passed and Ziel could not do much than to observe, feel and keep walking the now almost abandoned battle grounds.
As deep in thought as she were there was something that made those waves to cease and to bring her awareness to the present moment… She saw something. Something that could be best described as a humanoid silhouette in the dark.
For a moment she froze in her tracks and contemplated the direction in which she saw the vision. Ready to fight if attacked… She breathed deeply and steadily as she considered walking towards the sighting. Maybe it was a wild animal, maybe it was her imagination or perhaps there was indeed someone else at that place.
There was no way to know for sure unless she investigated. And with that in mind she cautiously resumed walking but now for a specific destination.
He could almost feel his heart skip a beat when he saw the human figure change direction. Had they really seen him? How could he have been so distracted?
For a moment he regretted having locked his Spy equipment back home. Even regretted having cut all ties with Mann Co, because it was the reason he had banished this equipment in the first place… Oh, how he wished he could’ve turned invisible and fled the scene. Now he still had the fighting knowledge, but his only weapon was his body. What if the person’s motive was to kill everything on sight? What if they had a weapon? He would stand no chance.
His only considerable option was to keep hiding and wait… With a bit of luck, they didn’t recognize him, they didn’t clearly see his figure. Maybe he could use the element of surprise to his advantage.
Once she was near she slowed her pace a little and actually considered if following a humanoid form in the dark night was a good idea. If they were hostile she would have to get physical and use anything on the sorroundings to her advantage. A rock, dirt, a piece of woof, her fists, anything. Being unarmed wasn’t the brightest choice although… Who would feel the need to arm themselves when they were visiting a place once called home?
Once there she stopped to observe and listen for any hint of a living being hiding. It was calm and silent but she waited. She was certain there was something or someone… It couldn’t have been her imagination.
After a few seconds of nothing she breathed and chuckled softly to herself. Ziel was a little more relaxed and resumed roaming around again. But it wasn’t long when she let herself sit on the ground to stare at the vast openness that was the sky.
He waited. He kept waiting. However, it was getting clear that the figure, no matter who or what they were, had lost interest because after several minutes, no one had come to find him.
He risked a peek on the battleground again only to find someone sitting in the middle of it. Sitting? He started doubting about whether the person meant any harm or not. Plus, he could use someone to talk to... and it’s not anyone who would come back to this place, a place filled with either nightmares or memories, depending on your past.
Carefully, he stepped out of his hiding spot, his gaze locked onto the sitting figure, ready to react at any sign of aggressivity.
