Dust floats in the sunbeam slicing through the cracked storefront window. The apartment shelter is quiet now, with empty shelves, bundled blankets, and a salvaged radio laid out like a little workbench.
Leo
Buster, can you help me send something to my parents? Just let them know I am safe.
Leo holds up the scavenged electronics, careful and hopeful. Mara looks over from the corner, already checking the wires and connectors with a practical eye.
Mara
I can make the rig behave. Buster, you just need to keep the place steady while I patch it together.
Buster Jones
The adapter is cracked, but the battery pack still has charge.
Buster settles near the window, a quiet wall of muscle and pale skin in the warm light. Outside, the city stays distant and calm, while inside the room slowly loosens its breath.
Leo
If they hear my voice, maybe they will stop worrying.
Mara
Then let us give them that chance. After this, maybe we all sit for a minute and listen to the static together.
✓ Quest Accepted
Keep the shelter steady while Leo sends the message
✓ Quest Accepted
Protect Leo's safety
“I brace my back against the door to keep us hidden while Mara works.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Strength, rolled +1)
Buster plants both boots and leans his back into the warped door, making the frame stop shivering. The latch holds, and the storefront falls into a tighter, safer hush.
Mara glances up once, then turns back to the transmitter guts. Her fingers move faster now that the wall is steady.
Buster Jones
The door is holding. The floorboards are not shifting.
Leo
Okay, okay, I have a clean line. Sending now.
Leo lowers their voice to the radio and taps the handset with a careful thumb. A thin burst of static answers from the speaker.
Mara
Keep that pressure there, Buster. If the frame twists, the signal may jump.
Buster keeps the door pinned as Leo speaks into the set. Outside, the wind rattles the broken glass, but inside the shelter stays hidden and still.
Quest Complete
Keep the shelter steady while Leo sends the message
Quest Complete
Protect Leo's safety