It hadn't taken Amber very long to get the camping trip all put together once the idea had been planted and accepted. As expected, Abyss had been happy to supply her with the money for all the supplies that were needed, although with the express instructions to stay with the group this time. Not that it was her fault that the last field trip she had gone on had gotten her kidnapped, but still it paid to be careful. Tents, food (including all the necessary ingredients for smores), sleeping bags, all were bought and brought to Sanctuary in preparation for her eminent departure. The address of the place was given to all relevant parties and instructions to make sure to bring enough changes of clothing, because it was messy camping in a forest. Once everything had been gathered and all arrangements had been made, there really wasn't anything else to do but wait.

Amber didn't have too many expectations going into the trip, except that it would be a good chance to bond with a few of her fellow mutants and to flee from the world, if only for a few days. Hopefully it would be a chance to recharge and become closer with people she actually liked and would probably enjoy being friends with. An added benefit would be getting her sister Aura out of Sanctuary in an activity that neither involved any sort of a mission or any of her proverbial dancing. Hunting, however, was a distinct possibility and she was looking forward to the opportunity to go hunting with her sister. It would be interesting to see how Aura hunted next to a Deinonychus. Aura was the one who would probably benefit most from the whole experience, or so Amber was hoping.

The actual path up to the chosen camping site was a long and winding gravel logging road, although when Amber flew over the area she made sure to check if the loggers were actually logging in that area and was pleased to confirm that they were not. It was the perfect place, almost entirely secluded meaning no risk from human encroachment and, if they wanted, there would be no risk in exercising their powers either. Plus, the greenery was rather beautiful. There was just something about the comfort of a natural habitat like a forest.

It was late afternoon when Amber got into the vehicle that was going to drive the four of them out to the forest. Aura was the first to be picked up and Amber waited for her sister to arrive before instruction the vehicle off to The Mansion in order to pick up Agnes and Andrew. They would be out of the city and into the big wide natural world in no time at all.

Amber had taken care of the majority of the supplies for the trip so Andrew had been able to pack light. His bag was pretty much just clothes, shave kit, soap, deodorant, and a few books he'd sneaked from the mansion library. What else would he need? He and Agnes were being picked up there at the mansion. Andrew was looking forward to the trip. He felt like he needed it, especially after that mess in the diner with Lori. Some time away from the city and its humans would do him a world of good.

He leaned against a wall in the entry hall as he waited for the car to arrive. Andrew was looking forward to seeing some woods besides Central Park and the various other attempts at nature in the city. Back in Kentucky you never had to go too far to get to a good stretch of woods. Aside from the major cities the state just wasn't that well developed. He looked around the foyer for Agnes. Once she arrived the mansion contingent of the trip would be ready to go.

Andrew didn't know Agnes all that well, having just met her. Of course that could be said of everyone that he was going on this trip with. Hopefully the same wouldn't hold true once the trip was over and they were back in the city. It couldn't hurt to know a few more people.

It was time for the camping trip. It was sufficient to say that Agnes was extremely excited about the whole concept. She had never really been camping before except as part of a Bible club that her parents had forced her to join. This though, this was different. She was going to get to go out with people whom she could possibly consider friends. And there would be none of that fire and brimstone talk, nor would she have to confess her “sins” to one of the many camp counselors. This was about fun, not saving her soul. At least that is what she hoped.

Standing in her room, Agnes sighed as she looked at her small duffle bag and the meager belongings that she had packed inside. There was just a few changes of clothes, toothbrush, other toiletries as well as her violin. She doubted there would be much opportunity for it, but if there was, she was definitely going to play a song or two. At least she could like to.

With a resolute nod that she was not forgetting anything, the runaway zipped up her bag, hefted it onto her shoulder and headed for the front door. It was time to head out and keep the rest of the group. Amber had said she would be coming by with her sister to pick up both herself and the boy she had met that night, Andrew. She hoped the wait would not be long. She was not good a small talk.

Dressed simply in a pair of jeans, a forest green blouse and a very light sweater over the rest of it, Agnes headed down the hall, down the stairs and headed for the foyer. It was simply better to meet at the front door for her young friend to arrive. It was as she was heading towards the front doors to the mansion that she spied the very tall young man already waiting there. Andrew was quiet and Agnes found it very hard to read his expression. She figured it was probably just better that she did not.

A quick tuck of hair behind her ear and Agnes walked up to Andrew and gave him a quick, nervous smile.

“H-Hi,” she smiled and nodded to his bag. “All packed, huh? T-That’s good.” She sighed as she rested against the wall opposite him and glanced at the door. God she hoped Amber would hurry.

Aura liked the sound of camping over all it sounded like how she had lived much of what she still remembered. Forests made life pretty easy, you could hunt a verity of animals, you could hide or lay am ambush easily. Aura would make sure to learn the area somewhat before much else. SHe had been shot at in the woods quite often already, or at least shot at she mentally corrected herself. SLinging a pack over her shoulder, Aura took one last look, Her pet skunk sleapt lazily on the bed completely uninterested in going any ware.

Aura had no idea what she might do on the trip other then hunt though she was quite excited that their would be deer and other animals to take down though. Human pray with in many ways less of a challenge. Deer were quicker and heavier animals and could hurt someone which lacked protection. She soon found the vehicle they would be using and slipped into it by amber. Aura put her pack in the cargo Area, ajusting the hilt to lay flat on her sword.

"Like going home" Aura said thinking about the woods. She still thought of the forests in the north as her home, whaere she cad come from. Though she expected this forest to be far quiter then her old one and more excitingly to Aura, other mutants would be thare to talk with. Aura also liked the idea Amber would be surrounded by her brethren should anything happen. SHe was about to close the door when a famillyer black and white animal lept in and onto her lap. "Decided to come after all kitty?" she said petting the skunk with a smile.

The ride to the camp site, while long and bumpy, was uneventful. It was one of the disadvantages of camping at the end of a logging road; logging roads were far from the nice smooth paved roads of the city. While the rough ride didn't bother Amber particularly much, she knew that some others were not nearly so sanguine about such things. Once the vehicle stopped, she looked around to make sure that everyone was still ok.

"We w-will have to walk the rest of the way," Amber announced. They had come to the end of the little gravel road and now had about a km hike in front of them. "It shouldn't take too long, maybe half an hour. There's a trail." She had made sure of that much. One of the definite advantages of having multiple forms to shift into was that it was possible to scan the forest from above and then, when a closer look was needed, land on the ground and find some trails from below. Which is exactly what she had done.

"I c-can't carry it all so everyone will have to take some of the camping gear." As she spoke, Amber hoisted one of the backpacks onto her back and waited for the others to pick up the rest of the gear. They could probably hunt for a good portion of their food, but it still paid to have some on them just in case. Once everyone was ready, she lead the way to the little clearing she had found and decided was absolutely perfect. She could only hope the others agreed.

He smiled and nodded to Agnes when she appeared.

"Yeah, all packed."

The wait was quiet enough. Agnes didn't really seem to want to talk too much. That was fine since soon enough Amber had arrived. He loaded their gear into the car and they were off. Amber looked well enough but she had a guest with her that he hadn't been expecting. It was Aura and she had, of all things, a skunk with her. Since she was with them it meant he'd get to thank her in person for helping out during that debacle with Tasean and the human mob. He'd wait though. Agnes and Amber didn't need to know about it.

The ride seemed much shorter than he'd thought it would be and they were clambering out of the car and grabbing gear to haul to the camp site. A kilometer's walk wouldn't be too bad, even with gear. Andrew grabbed a substantial load. Being both a guy and capable of it he felt obliged to. If not by the girl's then by his upbringing at least. Amber led the way to the camp site she'd picked out. Andrew took the time to enjoy the fresh air as they walked. When they arrived at the camp site he smiled a little and nodded. It was a good spot. He immediately got to work with the gear he'd hauled. The sooner they got set up the sooner they could relax and enjoy the trip.

The ride to the wilderness was quick but it was much fun. There was little conversation between them but Agnes hoped that all that would change by the time that they got to the actual campsite. After all, they were going to be spending some very isolated time around one another and it was simply not going to do well for them to not say anything at all. They needed to communicate. Then again, they were all up here for basically the same reason, the escape the city. Maybe it was just better that they say little so that they could get to know what it was they needed to find out about themselves.

At least those were the thoughts that were prevalent in Agnes head the whole way up. Well…that and why the heck was the new woman petting a skunk?

Agnes let her mind drift as she watched the city vanish behind her and listened to the gentle sounds of the humming vehicle. The road was smooth until they got closer to their destination. But even though, the runaway didn’t seem to mind the bobbing and weaving of the vehicle. Instead, she was just elated by the fact that she was going to see actual wilderness. Not the grimy, dirty, infested alleys of the city: real trees, real grass, real animals.

When they had finally pulled to a stop and she was told the rest of the way would be achieved through walking, Agnes nodded excitedly. She could not wait to get out there. Climbing out of the car, she began to gather her bags, as well as help carry what she could.

>> "I c-can't carry it all so everyone will have to take some of the camping gear."

“Of course,” Agnes smiled as she took what she can before Andrew, she guessed because he was the ‘man’, began to collect a good amount of it.

Slipping the strap of her duffle bag across her chest, Agnes sighed a bit contentedly as she grabbed what she could to carry and began to the rest. The whole way towards their campsite, Agnes kept getting distracted by the tall trees and the smell of the fresh woods around them. There were no annoying joggers, or screaming little kids, or the honking of car horns. It just all solitude, peace, and quiet. The songs of birds flitted through the air while the scurrying of unseen animals echoed out from the forest floor. And still, Agnes was excited by all of it.

When they finally reached their site, she nodded as she looked about. A perfect clearing for them with enough space for their tents. Setting the bags and camping gear down, Agnes immediately got to work setting up on the of the tents, even though she had never done it before. Thankfully, on the way up, she had snagged one of the instruction manuals and read it front and back. So she should know what she was doing….right?

Only way to find out was the try.

She then beamed and nodded to Amber. “This is a perfect spot.” She said as she began to pull one of the flexible poles required for the tent. It was a bit longer than she expected but she removed it, not realizing how much it was bending when she turned to Amber again. “This was a dreat ide–”

WHIIIIIIPPP!

SNAP!!

“Ow!” Agnes jumped as she spun around. Looking down saw that the pole she had been trying to set up had been bent too tight and snapped back, striking her across the rear. Sorely she rubbed the back of her jeans and sighed. “Man,” she mumbled as she got to work again, trying hard to maintain her dignity and not fall into a fit of giggles from her own stupidity. Maybe she read the instructions backwards…

Aura had wished their had been more talking on the ride, it would have saved her from brooding. As it was however the trip seemed to go by pretty quickly and they got out of the Car. Aura made sure she grabbed her bag as well as some of the camping equipment. SHe looked around and closed her eyes. Already she felt at peace with herself here though she could not force herself to think it was the old wood. This was natural plant life at it's best.

Aura's eyes scanned the woods as they walked. The walk to her was relatively short and easy. She was used to having to move by shadow, something this location made unneeded. Their were no humans out here and if their were....Aura glanced at her sister a brief second and sighed. Surprised by her bofys dietary choice, she matched pace with Amber. She had planned this trip out which was something Aura would not have thought possible back in the day."A good idea sister" she said with a smile.

Aura looked at the tent she had taken. The instructions asked for a hammer for the stakes, oh did she have a hammer. Aura unpacked all the tent supplies of the tent that was in her pack. Looking over the instructions she quickly got to work. She looke dup when the other girl yelped and could not supress a giggle. She had seen things like it happon before but it had been a long time. "Happons to the best of us" she said as she used the included hammer to pound ina stake.

Amber couldn't say that she was really expecting much out of the camping trip she had helped put together. Nothing beyond some simple relaxation, a chance to get closer with a few friends and the opportunity to escape from the world, if only for a little while. Still, those simple things seemed to be somehow essential and perhaps not only to herself. The life of a mutant was difficult in the best of times and this was to be a much needed chance to simply things. Sometimes simple was better.

The walk to the actual site that Amber had picked up turned out to be fairly easy and the site looked just as perfect with human eyes as it had with Deinonychus eyes. All around was a truly peaceful sort of silence that almost wasn't silence at all. There were no sounds of cars or planes or any of the usual city noises. Instead there were the sounds of crickets, frogs and bird calls. Even in the first moments of being out there, it brought her a sense of peace and calm that she couldn't remember ever having truly felt previously.

Once arrived Amber encountered a sort of difficulty. "Um...d-does anyone know who to set this thing up?" She looked down at her still put away tent and the instructions in dismay. By the thwacking noise and the exclamation of wow that followed from Agnes' direction, she realized that she wasn't the only one experiencing difficulties. She offered her friend a sheepish grin. It couldn't be that difficult to put together, right?

"I'm glad you approve," Amber replied to her sister with a smile. Aura's approval meant a lot to her. "Do you know how t-to put on of these together?" She pointed down at her tent, knowing that if anyone could put one together it must surely be her sister. If she was alone it wouldn't have been necessary and she could have simply survived in Deinonychus form the whole time, but with others who didn't have the advantage of being able to shift, she felt a tent was probably for the best.

The general consensus appeared to be that it was time to set up the tents. Since Andrew had already been working on his that was fine with him. Of course he paid no attention to the instructions. Instead he favored a trial and error approached that netted him a couple of painful slaps from the tent poles but other than that his set up went well enough. Andrew helped out where he was wanted after that but mostly he focused on the surroundings. It was peaceful out here. He was staying mostly silent. A lack of things to say conspiring with various thoughts to keep him quiet.

Eventually Andrew stopped roaming about the campsite and found a spot in the middle of the clearing to sit down. If one of the girls needed his help they'd ask. Or they could give him an order. That was fine too.

>> "Happens to the best of us."

“Well, that makes me feel better,” she responded with a warm smile and continued to rub her sore rear.

Agnes cheeks flushed in embarrassment but she could not help laughing over what had just occurred. That pole had just gotten pretty fresh with her but she was going to make it submit. That’s what the instructions had told her to do after all. Another glance at the notes and Agnes began to follow them more closely. It really was not supposed to be all that complicated but whenever she saw something that needed to be connected with something else, she suddenly realized that she had already connected it! What the hell?

She sighed as she continued to work, receiving another firm thwack or two before since finally got the possessed beast to submit. A glance over at Andrew saw that he was also having the same issues. He was not asking for help so she was not going to volunteer. He was a nice guy but there was something about him that almost worried her a little. The whole ride up to the sight he seemed so…focused and intent on keeping everything to himself. She did not know what any of that really meant about his character, so that was why she was electing to simply keep an eye on him. If he talked, she would talk. But that would more than likely be the extent.

A glance to Amber and her sister and Agnes saw that they were doing their best with their own tents as well. It seemed that Amber was just as clueless when it came to setting up one of these things. Taking that into account, there was little wonder why Agnes began to believe that this forest was going to somehow be the reason that they all perished…

…but the feeling quickly passed.

This was going to be a good vacation. Deep down she knew that. They all just needed a break and to unwind from the world for a bit. This was the perfect place to do it, and she actually felt comfortable around all these fellow mutants. Though she still needed to really introduce herself to Amber’s sister. She had yet to really say much to the other mutant. Agnes really needed to work on her people skills.

As she drifted out of her thought, there was a finally clip sound and Agnes stepped back, wide-eyed. Her tent…it was complete! She felt so elated that she was able to do it, and by herself! With a sigh of thanks, Agnes patted her light green tent, unzipped the door and tossed her bag of clothes and gear inside.

Job well done, she thought to herself as she turned to see if anyone else needed help or anything else needed to be done.

She had finished her own tent without to much issue and moved on to help her sister with hers. "I use to do this quite a bit" she said as she looked around at the others. It was starnge to her she had watched so many people die in places just like this and yet she was able to shake off the feeling she might get shot at like a rabbit. Their were no humans around and more importantly most likely if ant did come they would not be shooting at them.

Aura had even decided to forgo her usual fitness regime in favor of trying to relax and sort things out in her mind. Looking around it looked like the tents were all set up and Aura was unsure what to do next. She leaned up against a tree and looked over the area, and taking in the local animal noises. It was peaceful out here. Aura watched as a few bee's landed nearby and smiled, their was had to be honey nearby, of all things Aura found she missed about living in the woods, hunney had somhow become a favorite snack.

Leaning against the tree, Aura opened her pack and her pet skunk walked out and sleepily looked around, then turned and walked back into the mostly empty pack to go back to sleep. "Cats" Aura said shaking her head. She had brought the skunk a separate pack to keep him comfortable. Though she figured the animal would simply hunt it's own food. "I am Aura" she offered trying to be friendly. Even as She did, She let her Aura become visable, though it stayed mostly transparent and looked more like an outline.

It was only with Aura's help that Amber managed to actually get her tent upright and in the correct position, but once done she had a strange sense of accomplishment. So what if it was only a tent, it was a tent that she had helped to erect. Back in the orphanage she didn't exactly have many responsibilities other than a handful of chores and it was only since coming into Abyss and Aura's family that she had begun to learn something of the outside world and of her independent role within it. Even something as simple as erecting a tent was a testament to how much she had grown as a person in the last year.

Once completed, a glance around confirmed for Amber that the others had also managed to put their tents up correctly. Amber wasn't at all surprised to discover that her sister had brought her skunk along for the trip. What the others must think of such a thing she had no idea, but by now she was used to it. Mostly, at any rate. It was only when Aura introduced herself that she realized she had neglected to make the introduction earlier and her cheeks reddened with embarrassment. "I'm sorry. Aura is m-my sister. I thought she could use a little time away from Sanctuary."

Thinking back to movies and books she had read about camping, Amber figured that the next thing to do was to make a fire and some food. "Should we m-maybe collect up some firewood?" Hopefully someone had the expertise to actually start and maintain a proper fire. Luckily she had remembered to bring a lighter, knowing that none of the mutants there could start fires with their minds and not knowing if any of them would have the knowledge to start a fire with a couple of sticks.

The tents were all set up and Amber introduced Aura. Having already met her, Andrew gave a nod to Aura but didn't really respond. Once they had the camp set up he'd thank her for the help at Tasean's office. For now it was off into the woods to collect dry wood for the fire. Andrew gave another nod, stood up, and headed into the woods around the campsite. He wouldn't be able to do a thing about getting it lit but he could haul firewood. This was a trip with just him and three girls so he felt obligated to do as much of the work as he could. Not that he didn't think they could do it. He just felt that it was his duty to do so and spare them the effort.

Andrew reflected on the three girls he'd be spending the next few days with. He didn't really know any of them. He'd met Amber once before in the park but he'd been a lot different then. He knew very little about her as a whole, though from what he remembered she was nice enough. Then there was Agnes. Again he'd only met her the once. She seemed nice but very shy. Probably a product of what her parents had done to her. Just thinking about it made him angry. They were probably some of the few people he'd contemplate killing just on general purposes. No one that could do that to a child deserved to live.

Lastly was Aura. He was immensely grateful to her for her help at the agency. However, like the others she was a near stranger. In fact, he'd basically gone off and packed up for a trip with three strangers. The only thing that really tied them together was a few meetings and the fact that they were mutants. It was enough for him but he suspected things would be pretty quiet until they all got comfortable with each other.

>> "I am Aura"

>> "I'm sorry. Aura is m-my sister. I thought she could use a little time away from Sanctuary…"

Agnes smiled and nodded at the other two who had just spoken. Amber seemed to be a little embarrassed at having not introduced her sister earlier, but Agnes had a pretty good idea that’s who the young woman was when they met at the car. She did remember Amber telling her back in the kitchen that she was thinking of inviting her sister so having Aura around was not a complete surprise!

Well…that was until she saw that bright, transparent outline of pink that surrounded her body. Agnes took a step back as she watched the bright aura and immediately wondered exactly what it was that the young woman could do with it. Sure it was pretty but did it have a use other than that? Agnes didn’t really know but she was not about to question her. She looked as if she had some strength or power behind her eyes that the runaway simply could not comprehend of just yet. It was impressive to say the least. In many ways, it made her wish that she had inner strength like that. But she knew that she didn’t Maybe one day she would…

“I’m Agnes,” she said a little shyly but loud enough to not be unheard either. “It’s very nice to meet you.”

>> Should we m-maybe collect up some firewood?"

Agnes nodded and turned to start collecting some, but before she could, all she saw was a nod from Andrew and then saw as he disappeared into the tree line to start collecting stuff. Her eyes narrowed slightly. Was he just doing all this because he was the boy and felt obligated? Whatever the case, Agnes did not like being treated as if she could not do things for herself. So, watching him disappear, Agnes slipped into the tree line as well and began to pick up whatever sticks, twigs, and branches she felt would be appropriate.

“No giant, mutant boy is going to show me up,” she muttered as she began to collect more and more.