Chapter 1: Azure
Azure stares blankly into the fire, itching to draw the heat of the flames away and wrap it around himself, to cocoon his body in the warmth of the fire as he thinks about how tomorrow might go. Too bad that would terrify the children currently playing with his braid who think he's harmless, and probably their parents as well.
Stopping here wasn’t in his plans, nor was it something he should do. He avoids staying in one place for long or making connections with people who might implicate him down the road, but he couldn’t resist getting involved in starting a little chaos for their country and its authoritarian regime.
Besides, these people seem friendly or they were friendly enough when they found out he was willing to help them. Willing to take the lion’s share of the blame in case the government decides to retaliate.
His use as a scapegoat is probably the only reason they let him stay in their camp. These transients are a very tight knit group and their loyalty to no one makes them easy targets, so they tend to be wary of outsiders. Although their reasoning doesn’t matter to him because staying with them for a little while suits his purposes. He gets a chance to make trouble, a place to stay the night, and free food. There isn’t much of a downside.
Azure glances around the campsite. Its sequestered in the forest under the cover of trees and the space is clear of overgrowth with several fire pits dotting the open space where people are cooking. This must be a well used resting area for their people.
Seeing so many caravans surrounding the area is a rare sight. Within the city limits, public transportation is the main means of movement. Personal vehicles are cumbersome and prone to breaking. They never caught on in his home country of Haithen which means these vehicles have been driven all the way from whichever country the transients hail from.
All the vehicles look years old, but meticulously cared for. They have no choice, each vehicle is a family’s home. If one breaks, both their home and transportation are gone in one hit. They can’t shield themselves from the government’s watchful eye if they’re using the nation’s trains to get from one place to another.
Azure looks over to where the leader of this band of transients, Rolles, is essentially holding court. He's a tall, fair skinned man with dark brown eyes and hair without a commanding presence. Average, yet charismatic enough to lead the entire group. Several members are gathered around to listen to him talk and rehash tomorrow’s plan.
He’s not entirely sure why they’re choosing to do this when it will only cause trouble for them in the long run if they’re caught, but it’s not his position to question them. They have people to feed and if this is the best way for them to get more supplies, then who is he to stop them?
They’re a small group of no more than one hundred who travel from place to place in their vehicles, stopping for a while whenever they find somewhere interesting. They don’t have the numbers, power, or influence on their side, yet they’re willing to risk the might of Haithen’s army coming down on them in order to steal supplies. It's not only for material goods though, he can guess the theft is also in protest of the country’s authoritarian laws.
Admirable, but stupid.
If they’re captured and can’t use him as a scapegoat, all their third children will be taken, then they won’t feel quite so brave anymore.
Rolles breaks away from his attentive audience to bring him a plate from one of the firepits. Azure's surprised to see both meat and fresh vegetables. With their limited resources and non stationary lives, he’d assumed they would subsist on dried meat and anything that could be preserved. Foods that are easy to store and transport without taking up too much space.
He accepts the meal gratefully. Anything other than fish is a blessing to him. Throughout his childhood, he ate enough fish to last him until the end of time. Only one bite of flavorful meat makes it into his mouth before Rolles speaks.
“Azure, you won’t fail us, will you?” Rolles looks meaningfully down at the plate of food, as if one meal would change his mind if he was planning to betray them.
“Of course not. It’ll be ready and a perfect distraction. You can pillage to your heart’s content.”
Rolles frowns at him, “We’re not pillaging. We’re protesting the way this country is attempting to control everyone.”
“And also incidentally stealing food.”
“We have to survive somehow when it’s been made very apparent we’re not welcome anywhere.”
Azure gives a half smile, “Well, what do you expect? You won’t support Haithen and you won’t fight for them. If they’re intent on conquering all the nearby countries, of course they would take care of any internal dissidents first.”
“You seem completely content to wander around on your own when you know the danger as well,” Rolles counters.
He shrugs one shoulder, “We’re two very different people and I’m only me. You’re a large group, it’s much easier for me to avoid detection.”
Rolles nods thoughtfully before his gaze sharpens, “Why are you helping us then? You’re putting yourself on the line, what’s in it for you?”
“Does there have to be something?”
“I wouldn't trust anyone that did something for nothing.”
“I have my own personal reasons for helping you. I'm not the biggest supporter of our leader, let's leave it that.” Azure ends up the line of questioning by angling his body away and returning to his meal.
Rolles watches him silently before finally accepting that he's not giving up any more information. He sighs, “And where will you go afterwards? You won't be able to stay in the area after helping us. They’ll recognize you.”
“I never intended to stay here for long. I was only passing through when I saw your group.”
He sighs again, “Fine. It's probably best for everyone if I don't know.” Rolles gestures to a dark green caravan. “You can sleep there if you don't mind sharing with her son.”
Azure glances towards the caravan. He would rather sleep outside, but the humidity in the air lets him know rain is on the way. Waking up soaked through tomorrow would put him in a bad mood and it’s also hard to sabotage a base when you’re sick.
“Thank you.” He doesn’t miss the place where he grew up, but he does miss the many nights of falling asleep outside in the heavy air, thick with the sea salt smell of the ocean.
Rolles nods and heads back to where the others are watching them curiously. He hasn't made himself approachable to them and sees no reason to when he won't be around for long. It’s not in his best interest to get friendly with this group. They have a target on their backs that he doesn’t need to be associated with.
After finishing up his meal, he hands the plate off with his thanks and retires into the caravan. It’s cozy inside, the sleeping area stuffed to the brim with pillows and blankets. Azure settles into one side of the area and pulls his tablet from his satchel, skimming quickly through unimportant notifications and messages from his acquaintances back home that he doesn’t respond to.
There isn’t much information on anything outside of the country that’s accessible on Haithen’s tightly moderated interweb, but with a little tweaking, he can easily access the government’s internal sites to find the reports he’s looking for.