[ RL with Apollo; I got to take myself a permanent vacation~ ]

[toxiccrown]

 How long had it been since he had last been to Haina? Fifteen years? Twenty? It was amazingly refreshing to be back. The pull of contamination could be felt everywhere, lead having soaked into a little bit of everything over the years. The water, the earth, the air....Lima and Aswan combined had nothing on the town.

They had dropped their

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[sine_sole_sileo]

It shocked Apollo how at ease he felt in Haina; he would have thought that having lived in ecologically sound paradises like Hawaii would have purged him more or less of the deep-seated ache he felt for decay and death. Ironically enough, being in the Caribbean Chernobyl was like a breath of fresh air -- he felt free, uninhibited by any responsibility aside from enjoying himself and Pollution alike.

He easily consented to the dragging, laughing as Pollution (whom he'd come to refer to "Polly" in his head, but he daren't say such things out loud) tugged at his arm like an excited child let loose in an amusement park. Apollo was completely unperturbed by the toxicity seeping into his bare skin -- shockingly, it was something of a comforting feeling, like a long-forgotten caress.

"Where do you want to go?" Apollo asked, sure he had an idea already, why else would he be so eager to go out and about? "We could explore the battery recycling center -- it was closed, rather recently, due to lead pollution."

[toxiccrown]

That's right, it had closed down, hadn't it? The horseman's demeanor faltered for half a beat at that realization. Dammit, he had forgotten all about that. And he had been so looking forward to taking Apollo to see the place at work, too....

Well. Not a problem. "Heh, am I really that easy to figure out?" There was another tug on the god's arm as Pollution pulled off the surprisingly crowded main road, taking the two of them into a more densely populated suburban area. It was very much like being lead along by a string, the way he allowed the feel of the pollution to pull him right back to the source.

"It's a shame they closed it. It was really fun to go and watch them work. Sometimes I'd even throw on a uniform and join them." He grinned brightly at the memory. No one had ever taken notice of the young boy working alongside them, even though he always seemed to be right in the middle of every accident the plant had experienced. "I could show you around, if you want! There's bound to be something in there that still works."

[sine_sole_sileo]

"You are," Apollo teased fondly, feeling far too jovial for what their destitute surroundings should have allowed. Listening to White talk, he noticed the echoing cadence of ramshackle doors, no more than sheets of corrugated plastic, slamming shut at their approach. Perhaps the locals were able to sense the unearthly nature of their guests, having known both the pollution of lead and the plague that followed so very intimately over the years.

"I would love a tour," he replied, coming back to the conversation and smiled, seeing the factory ahead, guarded by shoddy chain link gates and signs of condemnation. "Somehow, I am unsurprised that you worked here. It suits you."

[toxiccrown]

"I like getting involved," he chirped, eying the old factory with an almost calculating expression. "It's not enough to just sit back and watch things take course on their own." That may work all well and good for the other three, but he needed to dabble. Pick things apart and see how they worked. He could get the maximum potential out of anything, if he just knew how to manipulate it properly.

Pollution slipped away once they neared the gates, pale grey eyes sliding along the fencing. It had been too much to hope that there would be any ready made ways inside the compound. He chewed his lip thoughtfully, then turned to wander around to the front gate. The clinking of chains falling to the ground sounded a few moments later, the metal eaten away by what looked to be years of heavy rusting. Something that certainly hadn't been there just a minuet before. "A tour it is, then!"