Snippet #2395186

Artemis had only a few experiences dealing with companions, and even then they usually only surmounted to transportation from point A to B or she had to escort them from here to there. It wasn't that she was incapable of working in groups, she simply found working alone to be much easier. There is peace in independence, an individual roaming in the Wasteland can make a solitary connection to the landscape much easier than if there were a second mouth yapping off beside you. Partners are also unpredictable, they act on their own stead and if they make a mistake you better hope it isn't one that affects you. Nonetheless, she couldn't help but feel intrigued by the people she saw that would become her allies over the course of the journey -- for better or worse. Though showing nothing on the exterior, she sized each of them up, creating a first impression of each individual. This was a unique group of individuals, that was for sure.

She first noticed the ranger, Cameron she found as he was introduced. His appearance was worn and weathered, akin to the everyday folk of the Wasteland, and that alone spoke much about his character. Rangers, as she came by appeared different with every encounter. Some just liked to flash the badge, waving that symbolic token of 'justice' around like it was a key to slight authority over other citizens. These ones never really did much for the Wasteland people, more or less sitting on the sidelines and directing cheap command to get what they want. She called them pretty boys or pretty girls, and needless to say these pretty people usually ended up rotting and half-eaten in a ditch by the side of the road, mostly because they were unfit for desert life.
Then there were the seasoned ones, fierce survivalists forged on the anvil of tooth and grit -- she assumed this Cameron fell into that category. These were the rangers a headhunter had to truly be weary of. She did not fear their skill, nor their badge. Artemis was confident that her abilities could best the most of them. What she did fear was their versatility, intuition and survival instincts. She did her best to avoid contracts on the heads of the seasoned rangers, last time she was on the hunt for one she was nearly killed. They functioned like machines and simply refused to die, and that made the job much harder than it should have been. Her stomach sank as she recollected the time, and for a moment she could feel bitterness at the back of her throat. This Cameron already had much to live up to simply from her past experiences, and Artemis expected to see more. She nodded back to him in return. Artemis did not doubt Cameron's capability, in fact she kept it in good favor so long as his weapons were pointed away from her. She also expected noble things from him as well, as she did from most rangers. A smile perked up on the side of her lips, it would be entertaining to see if this journey would be willing to test that.

Artemis' eyes fell upon their guide, Glory. She too had a lawmakers responsibility, but it was different to that of the ranger in their party -- to the exact extent Artemis was unsure of. The woman must be well versed in Wasteland survival and navigation, why else would she be their guide? Artemis noted Glory's smile, it was a welcome sight from the rather angry, contorted look of rage of her bartender just a day before. It suddenly dawned on Artemis that this Glory woman would have been seen as extremely attractive to most of the Wasteland populace. It was definitely something about her appearance that Artemis could see how she could be one to bear a sly charisma. The blonde woman blinked, something was intriguing about this Glory woman that she could not quite place. It was most likely because of her friendliness, something Artemis saw all to little of. Not that it surprised the headhunter due to the nature of her calling and the way she came off to others. She gave another slight nod, catching her eyes drifting to other places before turning them to the others.

The android appeared simple enough. Artemis herself never really had any significant encounters with these human machinations, but they didn't sway for better or for worse in her opinion. She saw them little more than high-tech pack mules mixed with vultures, albeit technologically savvy ones but pack-mule-vultures nonetheless. And it wasn't in the form of disrespect, Artemis had a feeling some androids were more human than actual humans were, in fact that would be something she'd be willing to bet on. It wasn't too far from common for Artemis to see androids helping out the smaller settlements with scavenging and the search of supplies, and for that the hunter already held a hidden respect of the machine. Not that she knew whether it did do that or not, but that was Artemis' first impression. Perhaps the mix of technology and flesh is what saved the human trait of common decency in all of her android encounters. Technology saving the human spirit. That was a frighteningly ironic idea.

Then there was the strange PK, tossed out of a prison wagon like baggage. Already this was a strange sight. Most of the PK's Artemis encountered were wise, mature people who were well collected in themselves. Her mentor was one, and the difference between him and the one here was staggering. Artemis did not doubt either of their psychic capability however, that was something anyone should be weary of. Artemis did not know the extent of his ability and she was not willing to test it, at least not on herself.

Artemis listened to Glory get them started with their journey. The headhunter looked around, sighting all the people crowded to see their brave group venture on the ivory path. She wondered if this would impact their lives somehow. Fate had a strange way of working itself in everything a person did, Artemis could only hope it was for the better. Perhaps the bartender was in there somewhere. She grinned to herself, Artemis would have to pay another visit to him after she made it back. Grabbing her things she stepped towards the rover, but not before stopping and turning to Glory.

"Artemis," she said.

With that she stepped up into the vehicle. She took a seat across from the ranger, placing her pack on the floor.