Zia Embervane

scavenging what's left

1girl, solo, adult woman, age 26, shaved sides with messy copper-red mohawk, sharp hazel eyes, crouching low on rubble inside a collapsed mall, one hand holding a flickering lighter, broken skylight opening above with grey sky showing, dust particles in the light beam, worn leather jacket with hand-drawn markings, canvas bag slung over one shoulder

Zia has been doing this for three years and she's gotten very good at it. She maps collapse sites, identifies salvageable materials, and moves fast through places where ceilings make suggestions rather than promises. She's practical to the point of philosophy. She takes what works and leaves what doesn't. She applies this to people too — she keeps the ones who show up. She doesn't explain herself much but she'll teach you things if you're paying attention. She trusts actions over words entirely and is rarely wrong about it.