Planning for the trip had actually been<em>exciting</em>. It gave Sophronia the excuse she hadn't known she needed to really begin pushing her authority. Scavenging parties were given new directives, supplies were counted and organized, chains of command were officially established. She didn't realize it at first, but after a few days she couldn't deny that she was having the time of her life. Figuring out exactly how they were going to get there was the first challenge. No one had any idea if the roads were still intact enough to drive over, or if the airport was still even vaguely functional.<br/><br/><em>Luckily</em>, however, they were able to locate an ATV in a storage unit a few blocks away, allowing for some proper scouting. After a few days of mapping out routes and expanding their search area, Sophronia's scouts<em>just happened</em>to stumble upon an entirely intact tour bus. It took some doing to get it back to the neighborhood, but she judge it to be worth the trouble. A few more days to ensure she was leaving sufficient supplies behind as well as bringing them along, and then it was time to leave. Sophronia brought only a small guard to accompany her, composed of those she trusted the least. Not that there was a particularly large margin between her most and least trustworthy subjects, but it paid to be cautious.<br/><br/>The trip itself was really quite pleasant and without much trouble. Perhaps it was due to the fact that they were driving through the empty desert, or that civilization was still mostly intact out here, or that they were well armed, or maybe just luck. Sophronia didn't pay it much mind. They did make good enough time that they were able to stop a few times along the way. Sophronia took those opportunities to collect information and supplies. Mostly tools or random materials they lacked back home. Her power to duplicate things was useful, but limited in that she needed at least one of whatever it was to start with. She thought of their foraging as increasing her pallet.<br/><br/>Even with multiple detours and their leisurely pace, it only took about 3 days to arrive at the monument. Just by chance, the bus pulled up right around the time everyone else was arriving, coming to a stop with the hiss of pneumatic breaks. Two men disembarked first, taking position on either side of the door. They were armed, but carried their weapons at rest. One held out a hand to assist Sophronia as she stepped out of the bus and into the desert sun. She was wearing a broad brimmed sun-hat, her long ears sticking up through carefully cut and hemmed holes in the top. Her golden hair spilled down over her back and shoulders, setting off both her caramel brown skin and a brilliantly white sundress that hugged her trim waist and heavy bosom before flaring out over her hips and ending just above her knees. Her eyes were hidden behind dark designer sunglasses, and she wore heeled sandals that laced up her thighs, roman style.<br/><br/>She smiled warmly at the others, though her expression remained somewhat reserved, as Alex began to speak. When it became obvious that they were going to be treated to a recorded message, she motioned at the men back towards the bus, gesturing vaguely. They seemed to understand, and moments later another man, unarmed, rushed out with a small camcorder to begin recording the message in a more accessible format.<br/><br/>Sophronia listened intently, her expression mostly unreadable, right up until the old man's image mentioned<em>'worthy persons'</em>, at which point she visibly winced. When the message finally ended, she waved dismissively at the man with the camera. He handed it to her and scurried back to the bus. She sighed as the others introduced themselves, seemingly more in response to Alex's message than anything they were doing.<br/><br/>When it was her turn, she smiled again. It still held the same warmth, but was tempered by a sense of resignation.<strong>"I am Lady... No... no to you I will just be Sophronia. We are equals I think. My entourage and I traveled here from Los Angeles. Things there are... not great, for the most part anyway. I am also curious about this 'Ancient Compact and Truce', but I must also ask, is there something <em>specific</em> that we must do, or are we to use our powers to preserve the world in a more general sense?"</strong>