Dance-Off on the Prairie

[Caporacolo*]

He listened, silently, everything they all had to say.
Maybe they were right, or maybe he was right, but nobody could know that at the moment.

He then took his eyes on Tania, raising a little smile.

"You see...I can understand what you said, and I would agree with all of you if this was a different situation, but..." he took a deep breath "are you sure everybody else is going to be so calm, so rational, to settle down and make a plan? As I said, I already met some people in the town, and the first girl I saw was on her knees, desperate, and when you are desperate, you don't think rational."

He was sure he had a point to think what he was going to say, and he was pointing it out again.

"I would like to have hope in a beautiful ending for this, but do you know how stressful can be all of this? I'm not sure if anybody else can keep this burden, and personally, I'm not even sure if I can, but I'd like to."

Luckily, no mood change still occurred for Tito, and all he wanted to do was to avoid that. The only way he could do that, at least for some time, was not thinking about it, but how much time would be able to stop the nightmare in his mind?

"Anyway, my only desire is to not join a big group for now, and we are four, so we could split into two group if this is going to convince you that I'm not going to play this game. Don't you think that smaller groups can last longer?"

Fine words, and he actually believed in that, but how long would that last? He didn't have any idea about it, and playing the game wasn't even passing through his mind.

"We just need to decide what our paths will be..."

So he brought the map again to the attention of the group.

"Just say how we can split up and what areas every group will cover."

He stopped for now, waiting for answers, keeping his new wooden pole stuck in the ground and his bag around his right shoulder.

[Fiori]

Whilst Anton was glad to hear that Mike and Tania felt the same way about their survival odds, Tito's bleak cynicism was still something of a downer.

When it really came down to it, Anton didn't know that much about Tito. Sure, they shared the same school and everything, but the two of them never really hung out or particularly knew one another. That said, whilst they were far from friends, Anton never had any reason to dislike him either. And whilst he would have personally preferred it if they all stuck together, if Tito was so deadset about them splitting up into smaller groups, who was Anton to argue against it.

"Hmm, well, me and Mike could go check out the ghost town. You said there were more people there, right? Seems like a good place to start."

He took another look at the map, trying to figure out where would be the best place for Tito to go.

"The chapel is just north of the ghost town, which unless i'm mistaken is roughly west from where we're standing. Now, there's a river just north of here that eventually leads to a creek in the upper corner of the map, south of which is the chapel. Maybe you can follow along the river, then head south when you reach the creek to meet us at the chapel?"

It then suddenly occurred to Anton that he'd failed to consider Tania, and quickly turned his attention to her.

"What about you Tania? You wanna stick with Tito, or come with me and Mike to the town to see if we can find anyone?"

[Cake]

Big Mike listened, with crossed arms as the others spoke plans, with the occasional yawn thrown in.

He did appreciate the fact that Tito seemed to mellow down, arguing his point a little better, even if it was something Mike disagreed with, but he could see what he was saying at least.

Anton agreed to split up the group, suggesting that Mike and himself should go to the town, which sounded pretty good to Mike. Towns meant shade and protection from the dust and sun tarnishing his good clothes. He also suggested for Tito to search north of the river and then finally asking Tania where she wanted to go.

For the now, Mike was just going to keep his big mouth shut, until they decide where and what they wanted to do.

[Lord_Shadow]

"Oh um..." Tania was unsure what to do. Mike and Anton seemed nice enough, and they shared her outlook on this whole mess. But Tito was the first person she had met here, and he didn't seem to want to be optimistic. She knew, of course, that he was probably right at some level. But to throw away all chance of people staying the same, of not giving in to hopelessness was reckless. Abandon hope and you abandon on of the very things that make you human.

She was reasonably sure some kind of great philosopher had made a similar point sometime in the past. Maybe. She usually knew for sure but with everything going on at the moment she couldn't focus. Tania shook her head. "I'm sorry, Anton. I just can't leave Tito alone. It's best if we stay in pairs, right? That way we can look out for each other. I hope you understand."

She wasn't completely sure this was what she wanted to do. But over-thinking things was something she couldn't afford to do right now. Now demanded action. So she was going to take an action. "We'll meet up at the chapel like we agreed on. For now, please try to find some others and get them all to gather up. The more of us in one place the more minds we have to figure out a way to keep from the people who did go crazy."

[Caporacolo*]

It was obvious that nobody there shared his points of view, anyway, Tania still wanted to follow him.

"No, I'm sorry Tania, but I can't let you come with me...nothing personal, it's just for myself." He said calmly.

"I teamed up with you, because you were alone in that house, but now you're not alone anymore, you are safe." That's some strange words and acting from Tito.
Since the beginning of the game, he wanted to live, no matter what he would have needed to do, but maybe he's too good. He couldn't attack Tania in any way.

"So, I'm going alone, and I'm heading to the river now, and I don't want to be followed." He said, looking into Anton's eyes. Then he stared Tania's eyes, and just continued saying "We'll meet at the chapel then...see ya".

His last words to the group and again, he's leaving from a group of people. Madness somebody would say, but not for him. He packed well his bag and took his wooden staff.
Nothing more said to the group. Tito turned around and in few seconds, map in the hand, was running to the river. No looks back, no more thoughts about the situation, he only needed to find people.

[To be continued in Let's Get Rocked]

[Fiori]

Despite Tania's desire to stay with Tito, he seemed determined to head off on his own, and left before she could get the chance to try and convince him to let her tag along.

"Yeah, seeya... Just watch your back out there, aight?"

Despite Anton's optimism, a small tingling sensation at the back of his neck couldn't help but feel like this would be the last time they met. After all, even if none of their classmates were going to play, the American mid-west was a pretty dangerous place to be if you didn't know how to look after yourself. Snakes, unforgiving heat and dehydration probably killed more people every year than any chainsaw-wielding psychopath. Then again, Tito struck Anton as the kind of guy who could look after himself, so things will probably be fine.

No. Things WILL be fine.

"Well, what are we doing standing around here for? Lets go!" Anton said before beginning their long trek towards the abandoned town.

Subconsciously, Anton couldn't help but fumble the crucifix that hung around his neck as he trudged on at a steady pace. Keep it together man. Things will be alright, you'll see...

((Anton Chevalier continued in Anyone out there?))

[Cake]

Big Mike watched as Tito left the group. He thought for a moment about trying to stop him, but decided to let him go off into the desert alone.

Tito can take care of himself. I know he's gonna make it.

Mike looked to his remaining teammates. Tania looked pretty upset about Tito leaving the group. She wanted to go off with him, but Tito insisted that she stay with the group. Safety in numbers, and all that jazz. Anton, on the other hand, seemed ready to plan their next move. Natural leader, that kid. Mike knew that they could make it with him calling the shots.

"Well, what are we doing standing around here for? Let's go!"

Mike nodded at the team leader's command. "Right behind ya, bossman!" He walked down the plains, following Anton's lead. He was ready for this game. Anything that this "Sheriff" throws at them wouldn't be enough. Him, Anton, and Tania were an unstoppable team, and once Tito comes back, they would only be that much more unstoppable.

They could beat the system and save everyone, and Big Mike would do everything in his power to make sure that they did.

(BIG MIKE Gibraltar continued elsewhere...)

[Lord_Shadow]

Tito ran off, so sure of himself. There was no changing his mind. He was so intent on doing things his way. Tania still felt uneasy about letting him go off like that. She wanted to go after him, wanted to make sure he would be alright. Anton and Mike started their way into town, going in the direction Tania and Tito had come from. "Oh, okay." Tania said, starting her way on as well. She took a few steps behind them, and stopped.

It wasn't what she wanted. She felt so bad, leaving him alone. Tania was sure Tito really wanted someone to come after him, to make sure he'd be alright. She was sure. So sure. They'd forgive her, they had to. "I-I'm sorry!" she yelled out, before turning around and running after Tito. "Wait! Hold on!" He was so far away, he probably hadn't heard her. But she wasn't going to let him go.

He was the first person she had met here, and she knew, she just knew that she had to make sure he wouldn't succumb to hopelessness. He was so sure of himself, and yet so sad. Tania had to change his way of thinking. She had to.

She put one leg in front of the other, again and again, as fast as she could.

((Tania Chell continued in Assessment.))