Difference between revisions of "Alma Becomes a Parent"

Alma is home after biking heavily to help calm her down. Keys jingle and then the backdoor opens. She pulls in her bike to lean it against the wall and takes off her coat. She wipes her brow with her arm and heads inside to wash her face off.

When Alma gets home, the house is quiet. Silent. The only sound is a lone sparrow in one of the bird baths in the back yard. Nothing whatsoever going on in the house, until at that moment the refrigerator kicks on, which does nothing but reinforce how quiet it is.

Alma splashes water on her face from the kitchen sink then towels her face dry. The fridge hmms. She asks "Hello?" and then a little later, awkwardly, "Hola?". She walks towards the front of the house to see if Maria is in the reading nook.

<<DICE>> Alma rolls perception + alertness, difficulty 6 
<<DICE>> 3 successes (2 5 6 7 8, Specialty: No, Willpower: No)

The reading nook is empty. Alma can hear absolutely nothing of any kind that would sound like any noises Maria would be making. In fact, as she comes down from the biking, she realizes none of the little clues of Maria's presence are there: her coat, dishes drying, shoes.

Alma tries to remember if today is one of the days Maria stays after school for the literary magazine, or one of her other clubs

Alma texts Maria

text - Hi, should I order in tonight? when will you be home?

As Alma texts, an alert pops up on her phone. Flash Flood warning for Monroe county, heavy rain in southern Wayne county. Light rains expected for Dearborn, Detroit, and Windsor.

Maria does not reply. There's not even a <...> indicator.

Alma doesn't think Maria is home, but she knocks on her bedroom door anyway. "Maria? Maria?" and she pauses a little before trying the door.

The door is unlocked. The room is silent.

Alma checks Maria's room to see if Maria has been home from school. She walks over to the drafting table to check the art in progress. She looks at the skink to see if it has fresh water and food. She looks over at Maria's work desk to see if the laptop is in the docking station and if the wacom tablet is out. She walks over to the front dormer window to look out over the front yard and the top of the porch.

The skink was given extra this morning, set up to last the whole day. Maria clearly planned to leave. The laptop is gone, as are any spare batteries for anything she has. On the desk isn't art though. On it is a large, printed map of the region.

The map is not a regular road or political map though. That much is obvious.

Alma's fingers brush the drafting table and she examins the map closely.

Alma takes some time to read the map, and finds that it is a map highlighting parks and natural areas. In Maria's careful hand, every single wetland in the greater Detroit area is outlined in red. One by one, as she reads down the map, various wetlands are Xed off. The only one left that isn't? The Point Mouille State Game Area, south of Grosse Isle.

Alma dashes downstairs to pick up a candle from the mantlepiece, and then runs to the kitchen to get something anyway, a pastry brush. before she runs back the loft she skids to a stop and goes over to scoop up a bit of sand from the aquarium. She takes a calming breath, but then runs back upstairs.

Back at the map, Alma takes another calming breath. She sets the candle down on the drafting table and lights it. She rips a page from the notebook she keeps in her pocket and draws a spiral and closes it. She sprinkles sand all over the drafting table and map. Thinking of her brother and his wife and Maria, shes the pastry brush as though it were a paintbrush, and swirls the smoke around making eddies, as the note burns down to her fingers she goes ouch and drops the papers. using the brush she taps it against the table, like a tick, tock.

Action: Look at how this map has been used and moved and the sounds made around it. Theory: Existence is like life branching out infinite edges that can take many paths. every path exists for a while and we can seek to see or hear or feel what might have been or what was.

<<DICE>> Alma rolls arete, difficulty 5 
<<DICE>> 2 successes (6 7, Specialty: No, Willpower: No)

As Alma looks at the map, she's given a sensation of the time Maria has spent with the map, and the changes she has made to it. It started pristine and new, printed at the library on a large format printer. It was folded, brought home. REpeatedly folded and unfolded. When it came out, it was meticulously drawn on. Areas highlighted. Only after they were highlighted, did some get crossed off. The final one, the one not crossed out, has been re-circled many times.

Alma checks her phone to check the flash flood warnings and compares the areas around the map with a map on her phone to give the county boundaries. Then she pulls navigatio to get an estimate for how long it would take to bike or drive to where that place is.

It takes some checking, but she does find Point Mouille State Game Area. It's a good distance south of Detroit, along the river. Driving, it would take nearly an hour. Walking, 9 hours. And yes, the game area is a wetland in Monroe County.

There's a warning attached to the directions: "Directions end at closest road to the destination."

Alma looks through her contacts for Maria's Math teacher and calls.

Brrrr. Brrr. "Jake Stetman."

Hi, Mr Stetman? This is Ms Hunter, Maria Hunter-Alvarado's aunt. Did she make it to school today?

The man sounds tired, and like he's driving. "Oh, glad to hear from you." Then a pause. "She told us she was taking today to visit the wildlife museum. Something about her parents."

Deeeeep breath. "Are any other students visiting hte museum with her?"

He stops at a light, turns down the radio. "No. She let us know Friday she would not be in today. Arranged to have done her work for tomorrow last week. Very responsible. We saw no reason to be concerned."

Alma tries to remember if Maria told her about this trip. She doesn't remember giving permission or discussing it. She tries to remember if Maria has said anything about trips to the other places.

Jake Stetman chimes in. "If there's anything I can do, let me know. She's a good student." *click*

But no, Maria never talked about any trips to any museums or wetlands.

Alma turns the map over and over while she thinks about this. She thinks of which of Maria's friends has a car. She thinks Joshua does, because they were at a competition together. He's a suburbanite kid. tap tap scroll tap. She looks for Joshua's information in her contacts

Alma is able to text Jake. Jake has a car, but doesn't know what Alma is talking about. Trip? Wasn't Alma going to a museum in Detroit? She's good at buses."

Alma texts back "no, the state park. ok"

Alma checks for transit directions to the state park, but she can't find any. she tries again

Alma texts jim - are you around? I have an emergency and could use a ride

Jim replies "Begging your pardon miss Alma, but I'm on US 69 in Oklahoma."

while waiting for Jim to reply, Alma looks at the map and considers how all of the marked up places might be related

They're all along the river. Natural areas. Wetlands.

Alma texts Zach, because of horrible things she learned about earlier. - My niece is missing. she still exists.

Zach - Missing how? Late home from school missing? Or actually AWOL?

Alma - awol, like she planned to go somewhere and skipped school. she planned ahead. I called her math teacher. she is going to a park? I don't know how. she doesn't have a car"

Zach - Do you know which park?

Alma texts Zach 'flash flood warning' and then 'Point Mouille State Game Area' and 'she's searchign for something'

Zach - I can bring wheels. If you need more than that, grab something that belongs to her, the more personally important it is the better. How old is she?

Alma texts zach - she is 16. I will bring the whole house if I can

Zach texts back: omw. Just a single item will do, the more she valued it the better, something she made is perfect. Same place I dropped you off?

Alma takes the map and goes downstairs to the land line

while she is waiting for texts on her phone, she calls the state park museum

Alma finds that there is no museum at the State Game Area.

Alma calls the general business number for the park

When Alma calls the general number for the park office, it rings, and rings and nobody answers.

Alma replies: yes

Alma checks Facebook and Instagram to see if Maria has posted anything

Alma starts scrolling through friend connections and sending messages

Alma checks the weather channel

Alma starts to think what to grab that Maria has made. She goes to Maria's door and takes the poster on the entrance to the Loft.

She goes back upstairs and looks around for any drawing that Maria has made of her parents

Alma is rushing back and forth and picking things up and setting them down.

The local weather channel is showing the storm battering Monroe County. The typical bold reporter is standing in a yellow coat, the wind and rain blowing as she shouts "It's really bad here on the Detroit River. Low lying areas are taking on a lot of water. Phone and power lines are coming down. Stay off the roads people, at least for the next 24 hours." Meanwhile, on Instagram, there's a photo of a bus. Very artfully taken. Novak's Bus Lines.

Alma starts taking notes. She writes down the time of the instagram post and looks up the buslines to check which bus that would have been.

Alma was lucky that Maria took a picture of the intercity bus she was taking. She can see it goes to a number of cities. Detroit, Lansing, Battle Creek, Flint. Simon and GArfunkel didn't need to hichhike from Saginaw on the way to America. They could have taken Novak. Anyway, Maria sees there are busses to Rockwood, the nearest town to the Game Area.

Alma is twiddling with a pencil so hard that it flies out of her hand. She goes to pick it up and starts twiddling with it again. She's reading through the bus schedule trying to see if Maria is currently on a bus or if it already reached Rockwood.

Zach will text ahead of his arrival: So. My friend Maya was around when I got your texts and she apparently knows you? Anyway she's worried and wants to help. Can I send her your way?

Alma texts back - I remember her. yes

Alma paces some mroe and then goes to sit on the bench next to the big aquarium. she's tapping her pencil on the bench. taptaptaptap

Zach brings the Jeep. When you say 'forest' and 'flash flooding' you better believe he brings the Jeep. The top is up, the the windows zipped as tight as they can. It's still not a comfortable ride in bad weather, but it's got insane ground clearance and four wheel drive so... win. He dashes to the door and knocks to signal his arrival.

Maya's with him, her hair rather drenched, cheeks blotchy from wind and weather. Her expression's tight with worry.

Alma jumps to her feat when she hears the knocking and runs to open the door. She stands in front of you holding a poster, a map, a notepad and the crucifix from Maria's door. "She took a bus! I don't know where it is. She took it at this time" Alma holds her phone out to show the instagram post. Alma shoves the phone into the hands of ht eperson closest to her and then opens the map to show the circled and crossed out places with the one remaining area not crossed off. The map has some smudges and bits of sand falling off of it.

The Instagram post is of a regional intercity bus line, Novak Lines. The map is a map of natural parks and preserves, with various Detroit River wetlands meticulously outlined. All but the Point Mouille Game Area are crossed out.

Zach is happy to let Maya work with the phone and its information, the remainder of the items has his interest and he studies them as if not entirely certain which is which. "Which one is hers?" Zach asks of Alma. He's not... unkind, though his bedside manner probably leaves much to be desired. But rather, he's right to business.

Maya takes a glove from her pocket (quickly) and pulls it on before even taking the phone. She blinks at the name of the bus line, startled, and then her brow furrows a bit as she looks over Alma's shoulder. Her eyes, though, shift to Zach after only a brief look at the map.

Alma is holding a poster that Maria created for the outside of her bedroom door and the map that Maria marked up. "They are both hers, she printed up this map at the lbirary and planned something I don't knwo what. All I got was that she had meticulous plans." Alma sounds upset and frustrated. "She drew this, it's a poster for her room" Alma holds out a poster that has been lettered in different style. Text in a gothic style reads, "ABANDON ALL HOPE YE WHO ARE NOT" and then in a whimisical style "a thing with feathers". In the corner of the sign someone else drew a picture of a goofy elf holding up a sign that says "Mellon". "This is the crucifix from her door, it's important but she didn't make it. I don't knwo what she's thinking. Her parents her dad her dad studied wetlands you know but not everything here"

She printed this at the library. She drew this poster. It's her art.

Zach nods once and takes the map from Alma gently, "This will be perfect, then. Normally I'd go with the art, definitely bring that too, but she took the action to make this map happen and it's therefore linked to her current intentions. So." He carefully folds it up to keep it safe from the weather as he makes the dash that's about to follow. "Let's get on the road, we've got a bus to catch. The chariot awaits," he gestures with a sweep of his arm towards the Jeep on the curb with its hazards blinking, and then he's making his way back to it with a quickness that isn't just about avoiding the rain.

Fortunately the rain is hitting Detroit pretty lightly. The storm is slamming Monroe County, but only southern Wayne County is only getting anything that would really be considered rain. It's just a misting up here.

Maya takes a moment to pocket the smartphone, giving Zach a slightly frustrated glance as he leads the charge. She puts a hand on Alma's shoulder and gives it a squeeze. "Breathe," she says. "We can do this." Then she lets Alma precede her out of the house.

Alma puts the crucifix in one of her pockets and rolls up the poster and shelters it in her arms. She follows Zach to his jeep.

Once at the Jeep and inside the driver's side, Zach forces the passenger front seat to rock forward so that someone can get into the back. He then focuses on getting the motor running and getting belted so that he can study the map for a moment, helping move the heavy front seat back into position for whoever is riding shotgun. "When did that bus leave Detroit?" He asks as he glances at the map in his hand.

The instagram photo shows that she left Detroit around noon.

Maya digs out the phone. "Um, noon?"

With a glance to Alma, Maya clambers into the back, putting herself behind the passenger seat.

Alma scrambles in to the passenger seat. Turning to Maya, "I think so. I checked and it stops at different cities but I don't know when it reached Rockwood or if it's already there"

"Okay," Zach says. "So she's there already, has been for a couple of hours." Which is enough that he hands the map to Maya, or Alma, or whoever will take it so that he can shift the Jeep into first gear and start moving out. "I'm assuming, Alma, you don't know how to track remotely?" No judgement, just a question to get him more of the lay of the land right now. "The park's about an hour from here, so I figure I'll start a track from there, and focus on driving, but we've got four points of synnergy right now - the map, the poster, the cross, and Alma herself. If someone wants to start that trace." He's in third gear by the time he's done speaking. The Jeep may not have much of a top speed, but Zach's gonna get it there as fast as he can.

Unfortunately Zach is driving in the direction of rush hour traffic. But Detroit is a smaller city than it used to be, and it is getting later in the evening, so traffic isn't so bad.

Maya shoots her cuff as if to check her watch, looking down at her wrist for the space of a few breaths as the others talk. She sets a hand gingerly on Alma's shoulder, then. "Breathe, okay? Just focus on that for a bit. Try to focus on your breathing." She looks to Zach, still leaning forward a bit. "I don't think I can, by myself," she says quietly. "But I can try to hook into Alma and find a vector for us." Her voice stays calm. "Alma, is it okay for me to try to connect to her through you?"

"I think so? Is it okay if I talk? I don't know how to track. You can try to connect. Why didn't she ask me about this?"

takes a deep breath

Zach shrugs as he drives. "I mean, that's what I'm planning to do. We're gonna get close enough once we're at the park that the distance involved can't be that much." This is what he says to Maya. To Alma, however, he's actually got the time to take over some of the bedside manner. "She's a teenager? I don't know about you, but I wasn't in the habit of consulting /my/ folks when I made big plans at that age. They still don't know half the shit I was up to as a kid, and it's just as well."

And to the left is glorious Zug Island. As Zach barrels down 75 south, traffic starts to open up a bit. And the rain rain rain came down down down, harder and harder.

"What's her name?" Maya murmurs, as she leans back into the back seat and starts rummaging a bit in that ever-present messenger bag. She starts getting things out, and adds, "I'm gonna keep this hand on your shoulder, aright?"

"Maria Lucia Hunter-Alvarado and she 16 and likes to write and draw and math and she is. so. organized. and she did her classwork this week last week! I found out! when I called her teacher! She talked to them about it" She directs that last bit at Zach. "Like I would have told her not to do whatever this is? She did all her homework this week last week? What the hell"

<<DICE>> Maya rolls perception+empathy+1, difficulty 6 
<<DICE>> 4 successes (3 3 4 6 7 8 8, Specialty: Yes, Willpower: No)

Zach grimaces at the weather and the way the rain rattles on the stiff canvas top (like rain on a tent fly, but louder), this does not bode well for a walk in the woods. All the same, this just means he's focused on the road. "Shit." He mutters. He doesn't expand further, just shakes his head like he forgot to lock the door, or left a light on or something. Whatever it is, nothing for it now. He's got wet roads to contend with. At least he's got good tires.

Zach's definitely going to have to focus on the weather. As they go by Lincoln Park (got the radio on?), Southgate, and Woodhaven, it's a pretty bad storm now. Even on the well paved highway road, the water is a torrent. the South Huron Drive exit is coming up though, a few miles out.

Maya keeps her voice steady and soothing. "Okay, Alma... I want you to hold onto the cross and the other stuff of hers," Maya says softly. "And think about her. Not the fact that she's gone, just think about *her*, how you feel about her, the relationship between you. Who she is, to you. Keep breathing..." Her touch is gone for just a moment as she nicks her palm with a small knife; then her hand returns to the woman's shoulder. "Just breath. In, and out. And think of her. Maria. Maria Hunter-Alvarado. Maria Lucia Hunter-Alvarado. Maria..." Soft, trancelike, her voice turns the names into a mantra. "Maria Lucia. Maria Lucia Hunter-Alvarado."

<<DICE>> Maya rolls arete, difficulty 3 
<<DICE>> 3 successes (2 5 5, Specialty: No, Willpower: Yes)
[POOL] Maya spends 1 points of Willpower. Reason: Automatic Success

Alma thinks of Maria and how funny she is and how much liked that reference to Note on the poster. She's thoughtful and acerbic and witty and knows so much. She's angry and judgemental and passionate. Breathe in. Breathe out. Say her name.

Maya gets a sense of Maria's location. It's hard to tell at first, since it's so similar. There's the loud rapping of rain on fabric. Only... it's a tent. In a wetland. It's cold, it's humid, but she's okay. She's in the game area, but she's okay.

In her bloodied hand, Maya holds something. Probably a crystal, or a rock, or some other new-agey talisman. She syncs her breathing to Alma's. When she stops repeating the name, it's so she can say something else. "She's okay, Alma. I'm gonna ask for some help finding her. Can I see the map?" Another squeeze to Alma's shoulder. "She's camping, somewhere that has a wildlife area. She's in her tent, so she's out of the rain. Just keep breathing. She's okay."

Alma nods her head and breathes in. breathes out. and hands the map to Maya. "Is the water rising? Can you tell her to go to safety?"

Zach gets to the exit, and makes his way off the highway to the road. As he approaches the game area (the signs give clear directions), apparently we're now playing Oregon trail. The road is a little bit flooded.

The Dreamspeaker takes the map and leans back, studying it, digging out a compass to get a clearer idea of their direction. Shaking her head, Maya murmurs, "I can't speak to her mind, no," she says. "But you said she's smart. She would have picked a good spot for her tent." She's silent for a moment, thinking.

"Red," Maya says quietly, as she looks over the map. Then she starts talking in that bizarre language, one with way too many hard consonants and palatalized consonants and glottal stops. <Where are you? We're going out of the city, now. To a place where the veil-between-worlds will be thinner. Will you find me and follow us, to help us find this girl?>

"The water," Zach says, thinking perhaps that Alma was asking him about it, "Is only gonna come up near rivers and the lakeshores for now. We'll get there soon though." He has to half-shout because of how loud the roadnoise and patter of the rain on the roof is but he's making his way all the same.

Alma is still trying to breathe and remain calm

Zach stops the vehicle and studies the flooded road ahead. "I'm gonna see how deep this flooding is," he informs the women in the cabin, "I'll be right back." He engages the parking break and hops out of the cabin, keeping the door open for as brief a time as possible. "Be right back!" He calls as he steps towards the active flood, heedless - truly - of how wet he's gonna get right now.

It's a few feet. It's enough to be concerned about, but nothing he can't handle, being practically a professional.

Alma is maintaining calm. breathing

Maya takes a deep breath, and mutters something that sounds like a curse word for sure. "Thanks," she murmurs. Then in Salish, <I don't know if I can find *you*, but... maybe if you come to us and I look across to your side... can you try to lead us in the general direction? There might not be roads on your side, but we will try to follow as best we can, bit by bit, yes?>

Zach returns after a moment studying the flooding and testing depth with his foot here and there. When he comes back to the driver's seat, he's drenched, having spent some time near each of the front wheels. When he's in and buckled in, he throws the second shifter all the way forward - this takes a fair bit of force. "Here we go," he annoucnes as he rolls forward to attempt a fording of the flooded area. "If we get stuck nobody panic, it'll just take a bit longer."

The Jeep, piloted and adjusted by Zach, is able to handle the roads. Driving carefully, he's able to get all the way to the end of the road, which is the entrance to the park. But yeah, the road ends, not going into the game area itself.

Alma is calmer now that she knows Maria was in a tent and alive. She looks at the water pouring off Zach and listens to the mechanism of the jeep and the clunking and wheels and sounds. Trying to soak everything in and accept things and move along

Maya chews on her lower lip. "Um... Alma? Does she have, like, a boyfriend?"

"End of the road," Zach announces, once he's run out of obviously cleared road. "I can start offroading it, or we can get wet - the latter is gonna possibly be easier to maneuver in, but we're all gonna need some cocoa when we're done." When Maya asks that question though, he pinches the bridge of his nose. Somebody gonna be grounded until the heat death of the universe if that theory pans out.

"I don't... know? I didn't think so. I mean, early on I gave her a box of condoms and explained that when she has sex with a boy she should be demanding and have agency and make sure she's comfortable and is enjoying herself and then she shut me up really fast... maybe that's not? but she said ew."

"I'm good with whatever," Maya says quietly. "It's not like I can see Red from in here anyway. I've asked him to help." She gives Alma a quick look. "We can do him some favors, later. Do some things for Hawk's children, maybe."

The rain lets up a little. No, really, it does. It's raining hard now, rather than a crazy storm. The 'floods' begin to recede a bit.

The Game Area would probably be driveable normally. But it's pretty dang swampy, and you'd reasonably worry that you'd drive right off into 10 feet of water before you knew it, in these conditions.

"I don't like the light, and I've never driven this park before, so let's hoof it." He's not thrilled about the prospect, but whatever. It's better than rolling the Jeep in the dark. He kills the motor, pockets the keys and pops open the glovebox. Hello snub-nosed revolver in the glovebox, holstered at least. Also? Maglite, which is what Zach grabs before he closes the thing up again. Click-CLICK, the light comes on. "Anyone need this?" He asks of the women in the cabin with him.

Maya gives Zach a *look* when he leans over to get the gun, her eyebrows going WAY up--though it's likely to go unnoticed. She then rummages in her bag while Alma gets out. "I'm good," she says, when she comes up with a little light of her own.

"I'll take a light." Alma says.

<<DICE>> Maya rolls perception + survival + 1, difficulty 6 
<<DICE>> 5 successes (4 5 6 7 8 8 8, Specialty: No, Willpower: No)
<<DICE>> Alma rolls perception + survival, difficulty 6 
<<DICE>> 2 successes (2 3 5 7 9, Specialty: No, Willpower: No)

Maya is able to take the lead if she wants. She starts to get a real gut feeling for where the paths are, water everywhere or not. And there it is, a tent. IT's brightly lit, and large. People are definitely inside.

Maya clambers out of the vehicle, and looks around as she slings the messenger bag into place. Beaded leather tribal heirloom, in the rain... but then, it looks like it's been through the wars. She leads the way, then, until they find the light and head toward it.

Zach nods and hands the Maglite back to Alma, "Here ya go," he says. It's not the massive model that most people know, the one that can double as a club - but it's a hefty piece of durable light-shedding hardware all the same. With the light dispensed, Zach hops himself out of the Jeep and follows along with Maya. He takes a moment, in the darkness, to steady himself, get his bearings, and attune his vision to low light conditions before following along accordingly.

Alma looks around. "Hey. hey stop for a second." She touches Zach and Maya's arm. As they get closer, they can see there are definitely at least two people in the tent. Not standing, but seated? Lying down? Hard to hear anything, since it's still raining.

Maya pauses, keeping her light down so as not to spoil Zach's vision.

Zach shakes his head, when Maya moves her light for his benefit, "It's fine," he says. When Alma holds him up, though, he obliges squinting ahead. "Two people, it looks like? Tent looks big enough for more." He looks Maya's way, "You still tracking? That her? Or someone else?" He's speaking at a volume that can be heard - which is louder than a whisper for sure, but the rain is also drowning him out nearly... which would hopefully continue to apply much furtehr away, only moreso.

Alma looks at Zach and Maya trying to think who looks more like a park ranger. "I don't know if it's her, can you figure out from here? Maybe if the rain is stopping I should jus tlet her go"

"I think this is the right place," Maya says, staying very quiet. She looks over to Alma, her expression one of sympathy. "You're the parent."

Zach nods, once, when Maya confirms her suspicions. He also echoes Maya's sentiment to Alma, "Yeah if you're the parent here, and she bailed on you like this? Totally fair game for you to call her on it, at least have a conversation with her about like... giving you a heads up or something so that you're not freaking out. After what she's put you through? Interrupting her camping trip so that she knows that is fair, to say the least."

Alma looks Zach and Maya over, and decides neither of them look like a park ranger and having a stranger come up to one's tent in the pouring rain could be terrifying and of the two she'd rather go with potentially mortifying.

Taking a deep breath, she turns on the mag lite and swings it around at the tent to make it obvious someone is walking up. <<hello, are you ok?>>

Whoever's inside the tent sits up. The scratching can be heard. More than one person. When she opens up the tent, she sees... a family of three, and Maria. They were apparently singing. Maria freezes in particular when she sees who it is. All of the stress, and worry, and everything in Alma's face comes pouring through to Maria, and she just breaks down, getting on her knees to crawl over and bring Alma in for a hug.

Maya takes a breath and lets it out slowly, before stepping closer to Zach and lacing her fingers into his for a moment. She doesn't speak as she watches.

Zach gives Maya's hand a squeeze when she comes over to him. He's... apparently perfectly comfortable to stand in the rain in the woods in the dark in April. Maya, at least, knows he's been in worse. He lets the scene unfold in front of him for now.

Alma clings to Maria for a bit, petting her hair. She's holding a poster in one hand, it's wet and ruined. "I ruined your poster." She sniffs and wipes her face. She looks around the tent and at the family. "Introduce me?"

The family can tell what's going on, and they just watch. Wel, it feels rude, but what else is there to do? It's only a tent. They have nowhere else to go. So it's awkward silence from them.

Maria is able to speak after a few moments. Quickly, between sniffles, in Spanish as well. <<I'm sorry. The storm came, it was too strong. It washed out the cell tower, and the road, and I couldn't get a ride back to the bus depot... The storm ruined everything, I'm sorry.>> She then sits up, kneeling in the tent, making room for Alma to enter. She doens't know others are outside. "These are the Johanssons. They saw me and invited me in. They're very nice." That in English. "This is my aunt Alma."

At that, the father raises a hand. "Welcome. You have a very polite niece. We were glad to help her out. You're welcome to join us, but we don't blame you if you want to take her home right away."

She shakes the father's raised hand. "Thank you." To Maria, "would you like to go home?"

The father goes quiet, as he prepares a warm beverage for Alma, in case she's going to stay. Maria inhales, sniffs, and nods. "Yes please. I'm so sorry." The teenager seems not to be stressed about the adventure in the rain, but rather at seeing Alma a complete wreck, and thinking about what these hours must have been like for her. "How did you get here?" she then asks, in sudden confusion.

"I got.. a ride" Alma says. She's a lot calmer now. She's afraid of frightening her niece away and is maintaining a very calm and steady voice. There are still signs that she's upset, like her fingers are drumming against the maglite. "I'll introduce you." She holds out her hand to Maria.

The family gives quiet waves goodbye to the pair. The little kid is a little sad at the teen leaving, but mommy distracts him with some mini marshmallows.

Maria will take Alma's hand, and follow on out. Ready to face her consequences. Thought he rain is unpleasant, even though she's dressed for adventure: jacket, jeans, boots, flannel shirt under the jacket.

"Everything okay?" Maya says, looking both of them over.

<<DICE>> Maya rolls perception+empathy, difficulty 6 
<<DICE>> 2 successes (1 2 2 6 6 9, Specialty: No, Willpower: No)

Alma leads Maria up to Zach and Maya. "I think things are okay. Maria, this is Zach and Maya. Zach gave us a ride here. I met him and Maya while working in the city." Alma is almost stunned speechless, for a change.

Maria rubs her eyes, between the crying and the rain. It doesn't really help. "How do you do," she croaks out to Maya and Zach. Squeezing Alma's hand tighter, looking to her.

Zach echoes Maya's sentiment, though wordlessly. <<Hey there, nice to meet you.>> Zach's Spanish is probably not the sort that Alma and Maria are used to - it's Catalan, in particular, though very clean. "I've got an emergency blanket in the Jeep," he says, "If you're cold." Maria's probably been out in the rain more than the rest, but it's an offer for anyone who needs it.

Maya looks over to Zach with a raised eyebrow, and then just gives Maria a wry smile. "Hey. I'm Maya, good to meet you."

Alma is trembling a little but it's mroe to do with emotion than cold. "We'll take it" she says. Fully planning on wrapping Maria up in it. "Will we all fit?" She asks Zach.

Maria will nod quietly to the adults and follow along. She feels incredibly guilty and it shows so deeply on her face.

"I can put the tool bag in the back. Just need to keep an eye on it while we're on the bumpier parts." He's not worried about putting four in the Jeep. He starts back the way they'd come.

Maya nods, adding, "No prob." She gives Maria a look. "Just glad everything's okay."

Alma continues to hold Maria's hand, still not over being completely freaked out, though she doesn't watn to show it. "You were really organized." She tells Maria. "I was impressed by how you worked out your school work in advance." After a few more steps. "I wish you woul dhave worked it out with me in advance. Would I have said no?"

Maria will lean against Alma the whole ride back. The rain really has cleared up by now, fortunately. She apologizes every 30 seconds at first. Apparently the plan was supposed to be perfect, and Alma would never know. Except for the storm. So why is she at a wetland so far from home? Well...

The excitable mind of the teenager got the idea in her head that the accident that killed her parents wasn't an accident. She became absolutely sure that some wetland her father was studying must have been threatened by a corporation. By a process of elimination she decided this particular wetland was the one her father was studying. Why? The other person associated with the accident worked for a business headquartered nearby. Small world, right?

Turns out he was a greenskeeper for a golf course nearby. And there was absolutely nothing to it at all. So she was walking in the park, feeling let down, foolish, when the storm hit. This family of bird watchers saw her looking so pathetic and took her in. She tried to call for a ride, but absolutely could not as the storm got worse. And then Alma appeared.

Zach is gonna drive and relish in the number of teenagers he knows who develop complex plans to pull of big investigative coups and that this number is only growing. Aaaand keep most of that musing to himself.

Alma tell's Maria about the anvil in the Jeep. "There's an anvil! and lots of stuff. I got to see him change the drive...thing and then we drove through water. and your lizard is okay"

Maya's quiet all the way home, sending a text or two and looking over to Zach now and then.

Alma invites you all for something hot to drink

Zach tilts his head when Alma makes that introduction. "Are you wanting the company," he wonders aloud, firmly looking the gift horse in the mouth, "or are you being polite because we helped?" In case it's not obvious why he asks, "If you and Maria need some time, Maya and I can scoot. I'm happy to have been able to help." He includes Maria in that last bit, by eye contact.

Maya glances over her shoulder, and nods. "What he said. I'm good either way, I figure you guys probably need to talk.

Alma goes to hug Zach and Maya. "Thank you. We'll be good then. Go and get something warm to drink."