DATE: August 22, 2003 CAST: Holly and Walter Holly's Chamber This is Holly's chamber. Perhaps a less than pleasant place for her to call home ever sense she's was found to be causing the colony significant trouble involving slavers, then in part stayed against her will due to threats from them if found. It contains a few of the necessities of life, such as a table and two chairs, along with a bed, a desk for writing or other possible creative endeavors, and a couple of mushrooms for lighting. She spends most of her off-hour work time here, since she isn't the most social ant, nor do too many come by to visit her. Resting idly on her leaf and twig hewn bed, Holly lies in a loosely curled ball, with eyes closed. The last couple of days she's been having trouble sleeping. For what reason is not clear, but it's not uncommon to her to lie awake at night, then have the need to obtain additional rest during the middle of day. But in this case, it's probably due to hopes centered on that ant with whom she spent some time as a lookout in the tree's knothole. 'Walter', she remembered. If he could help her as he stated well. To her it would be the first bits of 'freedom' in some time. Slowly her thorax rises and falls in conjunction with the soft sounds of her steady breathing. Ants can often be heard as they pass through the residential tunnel just outside, coming and going from their respective chambers. But one set of footsteps draws near and stops just in front of the leaf door covering Holly's chamber. There's a sharp rapping sound, stone striking stone. Then a slight thud, heralding a small rock that rolls into the chamber, disturbing the leaf door in its wake. An unintelligable sound of frustration from the one who just knocked follows. Dark green eyes suddenly blink open at the sharp banking of rocks making contact, then echo throughout her chamber. Sounds going around the colony aren't unusual, and for a moment she very nearly closes her eyes to drift back into sleep, but that other thud, clearly coming from insider her domicile causes her attention to focus on the leaf door. "Hello?" She calls out in a slightly cloggy voice, and clears it softly, "One one moment," then grumbles a few choice words to herself about who would be disturbing her rest and why. Outside, Walter nurses his injured finger, a result from using a small rock to knock on one of the larger stones lining the entrance to Holly's chamber... and not aiming exactly right. He sighs quietly and waits, holding a rolled-up leaf in his other hand. After getting a little more clarity of mind, the medium blue tinted ant gets to her feet and heads toward the door, just stepping over the fallen rock unaware of it's presence as she rubs her eyes. With a few more eyeblinks, she reaches out and pulls the door open. "It's you. Oh come in Please, come in." Left hand holds open the door, allowing her visitor to enter the room. Walter stops administering attention to his hand as soon as he perceives movement from the door. After a quick glance over his shoulder, he accepts Holly's invitation and steps inside. "I did my research," he states simply. He's not really looking at her, though; he allows his gaze to wander about the chamber before it settles on one of the paintings, that of an ant. A few paintings, created by Holly herself adorn the walls of her chamber. Most of them are of nature scenes, but one is of an ant. This individual is not seen on here at the colony, but dwells elsewhere. Holly has yet to talk about this individual, as it creates a strong degree of pain to do so. Holly allows the door to swing shut as soon as Walter enters the room. Her expression changes somewhat as he speaks, but manages to keep her enthusiasm in check. 'Be my luck if he didn't find anything helpful,' she states to herself despairingly, but keeps her attention focused upon his words. Walter begins to unroll the leaf he carries with him, but instead of elaborating on the results of his research he inquires, "Your work?" He glances again at the paintings. Holly is a little taken aback as Walter asks her if she is the creator of her paintings. "Um yeah. My work," She states, then pulls her lips together a little. "That's a recreation of a friend of mine in my old colony, 'Morning Dew'." She becomes a little anxious to find out what he's discovered, if anything. "So did you have any luck? Colony wise?" The female ant gently bites down on her lower lip to suppress a bit of anxiety. Walter nods neutrally at Holly's response, and fixes his attention on the leaf. He unrolls it completely and lays it flat on the table. It appears to be a crude map, with Ant Island somewhere in the center. "First off: Bug City. Most well-known, west of Ant Island." He looks at the other ant pointedly. "No research required; I've lived there before. I assure you that you don't want to go there. That leaves you with two choices." He traces his finger down a line that runs southward. "West River Colony and East River Colony." The female ant takes an attentive position on Walter's right as he unravels the map then points out and describes the locations. A very firm and sympathetic nod is given to the comments about Bug City. But in her position, it's the last place she wants to go, in case the slavers that stuck her in the job of a 'pied piper' got to her. Something about being fed to an ant lion, sold into slavery herself, or who knows what. "What do you know of the two colonies to the South?" Walter rubs the nape of his neck and hesitates for a moment. "From the sound of it, they're bigger than this one, and they have better defenses. And, they're at war with each other. I haven't been able to verify it, but I don't think slavers molest these colonies. They like preying on small, weak ones." He taps the fingers of his left hand on the table for a moment. "West River is slightly more well known. Thousands of ants live there. The route was also described in some detail by the scouts who came here." He glances at Holly from askance. "But I doubt you want to go there either." Holly nods a few more times as Walter makes comments about the various advantages and aspects of the two colonies. Being at war isn't exactly what she had in mind, but she still wouldn't be known there. Upon hearing his suggestion of not wanting to go to the west colony, she tilts her head upward to look at the muddy lavender with slightly widened eyes, and a bit of irritation in her voice, she calls out, "Why not?" It seems that this whole idea is quickly running out of options, and becoming of no help to her. Walter extends an index finger. "One: It was West River that initiated contact with Ant Island, and it's only through West River that we know a thing about East River. I don't know how West River handles newcomers or what they do with them, but if an official finds out you're from Ant Island..." he shrugs, then extends another finger, introducing his second point. "Two: It's Basil's home colony." The blue female ant's countenance calms down a bit as Walter explains the drawbacks to West River. That first part doesn't sound like it would be too much of a risk, but when Holly is told that it's 'Basil's home', the idea is pitched like bad grain. "Oh yeah. So much for that 'new start," she states evenly and even clinches her teeth and inhales a little. "So that leaves 'East River Colony.'" She manages to produce a small smile. "Any word on that one?" Walter states point-blank, "Absolutely nothing." He indicates the eastern side of the river on the map-- there are absolutely no details here, whereas the western side shows more geographical features and an approximation of how long the journey to West River takes. Holly nods one last time. For several seconds she appears to be lost in thought. Mulling around in her head the pros and cons of what /could/ happen. She looks up from the map, and toward the exit of the door of her chamber. She's looked at that leaf door more times than she's cared to know. Not just a leaf, but more of a prison door. With a tight-lipped expression, she inhales deeply and exhales. "Then to East River, I shall go. Tomorrow, just before sunrise." Walter looks at Holly intently for a long moment. "The details of the route are unknown, as is the temperament of this colony. You're risking your life." Although it sounds like an argument against going, his tone is very matter-of-fact. "That's what you want?" "I could sit here, for the rest of my life, with this colony never fully trusting me. With your sister, who will never forgive me, and 'who knows' what she might say. But to me, if I never try, I'll always wonder, 'what if'." A very intent gaze is given to Walter, to reinforce her decision. "Please, don't tell anyone I'm gone. At least not until I have enough time so they can't find me?" To Holly, the risks are certainly worth the desire for freedom; to find that 'new start' she might never get anywhere else. "Thanks for your help and your concern," she states and manages a smile. "Well then. It's your choice." Walter gingerly rolls up the leaf. "And I won't. If I told anyone about all this, I'll have completely wasted my time." His seeming detachment to the whole thing suddenly falters, and he looks about uncertainly for a moment. Finally, whatever he was going to say comes out instead as "Don't mention it." Holly herself would have to admit to at least the smallest amount of anxiety pressing on her mind. She too is aware enough of the dangers of traveling from colony to colony, but she feels that if she gives into her fears, this may never happen. She then walks over to the door to see Walter out. "I'd love to have you stay and chat, but I've got a lot of stuff to do, and not a lot of time to do it in." She pauses, knowing this will probably be the last time she sees him. "Thanks, Walter. And... best of luck to you." Walter comes to the same realization...and possibly a distorted sense of deja vu. He looks long and hard at the ant he barely knows and will likely never meet again. "Same to you. Goodbye, Holly." His grip on the leaf-map tightens almost imperceptibly as he turns and walks out to the residential tunnel. After awaiting for Walter to go through the doorway, she allows the door to swing back into its place. She then takes a look around the room, and quickly sets to work in her mind, and in action what she needs to do to get underway-- Supplies and a backpack to carry them in. She takes a look at her chamber, trying to decide if any of the pictures Walter pointed out would be worth taking, but decides against it. "I should leave /something/ behind for this colony to remember me," she states with a wry smile. "Besides... I can make others." It's only now that she notices the rock sitting on the floor, gives it enough of a nudge with her right foot so that it's not a tripping hazard, then pushes aside the leaf door and quickly goes to get what supplies she needs in her travel. [END LOG]

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