It was obvious that this had once been a wonderful home, even by western standards. The place actually managed to have a bit of size to it, and there had to be enough space so that sharing wasn't always neccessary. There was a solidity to it, and he could almost imagine the history of the house.
But it was obvious that the Machine had reached here, just like everywhere else. Potmarks were dug into the retaining wall, windows were broken, and debris from broken walls littered what he could see. Opening the gate and going inside settled upon him just how much he'd been hoping that his old friend would come out and greet him with a big hug even as he stared at pieces stuck into the ground.
Despite the fact that he fully knew that his friend could have been gone since the first strikes, he wanted to find the man and help him, not because of the promise. They had gone through years of hell together, learning under a sensei who's methods were brutal, as they grew as close as brothers. He didn't want to give up believing that his old friend was gone until he actually saw something that he couldn't refute.
And Soun was not the only one, as he knew that somewhere out there, his wife had been all alone during this time. His friend's house had been closer, but he promised himself that he would still seek her out. He might not be able to deal with her... ideas on occassion, but she was a woman living by herself when all this began, and he wanted to at least know what had happened to her.
So he crept through what had once been a rather well kept house. Other than the damage done by the attacks, and the wearing down from the elements, it was in pretty good shape. So long as one didn't try to do anything that could alert the Machine's forces, a person could stay there. It wasn't going to be much in the way of ammenities, but it was shelter, and at the very least it'd make a good bolt hole.
There was the appearance of things that made him think that they had been caught unawares like everyone else. Food had been left out, laundry was still on the line, and an old news paper litter the floor. He could tell that at one time, this had been a place of life and vitality.
Now it was only a shell echoing the voices of the past, and what could have been.
Taking a moment to imagine what might have happened had the machine not attacked, Genma allowed himself to relax in fantasies of weddings and retirement. In them, there was no running for one's life, trying to fight to stay alive or keeping spirits up in a dark existance. It was easy to wish that things had gone that way, and he gave a half smile.
Then he shook it off, heading around to search for signs of what had happened to his friend when he discovered evidence that told him that:
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(Posted Tue, 22 Jun 2004 17:23)
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