Miasma

Chapter 13

They left a week later.

Shouldering the duffel-which was considerably heavier than it had been the last time they'd left a destination-Genesis glanced back at the circumvallate of pods behind them. It was hard to make them out in the dark of the wee morning hours, but the glint of moonlight off metal was just enough to allow him to tuck the memory away for later use. Ahead of him, Sephiroth was scouting out their path with a practiced eye...green irises glowing dully in the low light. Before them, the terrain swept Northwards in a sea of temperate coniferous forest. Here and there the occasional odd deciduous tree sported gaudy, bright fall colors like those around the lake at their backs, but for the most part, the tree trunks before them were a haze of fuzzy green. A deer path was apparent just a few feet ahead and they intended to follow it as long as they could. Any trail was better than no trail, even if the way wasn't necessarily man-made.

It was hard to leave.

The people of Saluberhafen had been good to them. Genesis didn't necessarily enjoy the tasks he had to mete out on a day-to-day basis, but it was easy work that kept his mind somewhat preoccupied. He was a poor hunter and his trapping skills were better served for catching insurgents. But the simplicity of it was like the lull before the storm. Athir was always encouraging, whether he came back with anything or not, and if he didn't feel like looking for food there were other things to do like split wood or haul brush. So much of the community was reliant on natural factors to keep them afloat. It was strange to live with people who didn't put much faith in technology or industry but at the same time, it was comforting to know that such people existed. The scarlet-haired ex-soldier couldn't rightly say that it was a lifestyle he preferred, but he respected it...admired it even. Maybe a long time ago, when he was unattached and unexpecting, he might have enjoyed the concept of the nomadic lifestyle more. But he missed having a comm he could use without worrying about getting traced by the Turks and he missed watching television. He also missed hot baths and spa days and drinking but that was beside the point...he just missed modern living.

They were given a warm send-off.

It was obvious that Mati didn't want them to go. She practically begged them not to go, her eyes flitting frantically to Sephiroth every five seconds while she tried to talk them out of it. At the same time, there was the acknowledgment that if they stayed...they would have a lot of explaining to do. Sephiroth could not-without reasonable doubt-give birth there. It would raise too many questions, and their ambiguity would only take them so far. There was also the fact that they were putting everyone in considerable danger simply by existing in close proximity. The idea of the kind-hearted people they'd spent so much time with being led away for questioning or imprisonment was so painful Genesis couldn't think about it for longer than a few minutes. Everyone knew who they were...they simply weren't saying anything. So when Athir stepped in to calm his wife and wish them well, the matriarch of the village burst into tears but acquiesced nevertheless.

It was a bittersweet thing, to see the people they'd gotten to know over the past few weeks prepare food so they could travel reasonably far without having to worry about going hungry. According to the men in the village, water was fairly abundant in the form of rivers and streams and the risk of contamination was near to none. They were given two thick, hand-woven blankets that would keep out the cold and some of the younger women had taken the time to fashion them bedrolls...something they did not have. Clothes were somewhat a scarcity in Saluberhafen regardless, but the few seamstresses there had pulled together to fashion them an extra set each; when they were given over to them a part of Genesis wondered at the fact that something seemingly so insignificant before could now be worth more than several thousand Gil. The children had taken the time to pound out some tin water canteens from whatever scraps they could find and it was with a sincere amount of tightness in his chest that he watched Sephiroth kneel down-despite the now somewhat-considerable effort it took him to do so-to let the little boy who handed them over hug him before he walked away with his head hanging low.