"He's been up there all night…" Sav whispered to her friend as she gazed up towards Sniper's nest. The night was clear, so there were quite a few visible stars peeping out through the sky. The air produced a pleasant breeze around them, temporarily blowing away the stagnant heat. "If I were you, I'd go keep him some company." She advised with an obvious tease in her voice, "He must get awfully lonely up there." Sav then walked off to the main headquarters, carrying a large smirk on her face.

Mary Palmer sighed in slight amusement. Her friend had been taunting her about the issue for about two weeks already. Her folded arms enveloped her lavender tank-top as she looked up at the tall, metal structure above. What could he possibly be doing up there all by himself? She couldn't help it, but she did worry about the man's constant isolation from the rest of the crew. I bet it wouldn't hurt if I… She brushed away her bangs, hoping to get a better glimpse of the faint light coming from the upper railing. She was hesitant. It was probably best to leave the situation as it always had been, with little to no disturbance. Still, she made a small step towards the ladder. Just to be sure he's alright.

If there was one quality about Mary Palmer that stood out the most, it was her compassion. Not a single lonely soul would go overlooked by her. If there was any problem to be had, she would be the first to know. In this case however, it was all out of mere curiosity. Not only did she feel a need to accompany the Sniper in whatever he was doing, but she genuinely wanted to know more about his character. How could someone spend so much of his time away from others for so long? Just what is it that makes him the way he is? Her small hands finally reached the cold metal of the first step. She took one more glance up at the top before gently proceeding.

It wasn't easy trying to get up there quietly; the steps were worn from frequent climbing and would creak at the slightest jerk. Nevertheless, Mary Palmer continued on, making slow but progressive movements up the ladder.

Once she finally reached the last rung, she quickly ducked under to avoid being seen. She felt her stomach drop for a brief second. What am I doing? She thought. I could have at least let him know I was coming up here somehow…it's a little too late for that. "C'mon, MP, get a grip!" She firmly whispered to herself. Taking slow, but shaky breaths, she slowly moved her hand up to one of the wooden planks that formed the floor of the nest. No sooner had she done so than had her left foot unexpectedly slipped from under her. Her knee slammed against the rung below her causing a considerably loud clang. A cold sweat ran along her forehead followed by the pain that ran up her leg, but she had no time to scream. She could hear the sound of a large knife being drawn out of its sheath. Oh no! She silently panicked.

"It's just me!" She instinctively yelped. Her hands clung tightly to the wooden floor of the nest. At once she heard footsteps coming towards the edge. It was then she saw his face, still partially covered by his trademark sunglasses. She smiled lightly as she caught a short glimpse of his eyes. They stared down with such alertness, but yet, they seemed so inviting.

"Mary Palmer…what are you doing up here?" Sniper immediately kneeled down and offered the girl his hand, though still shocked by what had just happened.

Mary Palmer reached forward. "I…well…." She took the hand and a new confidence took over. "I was just wondering what you were doing up here all alone." She felt herself being pulled up while regaining her footing. Once on the edge, she sat and dangled her legs over it. "I hope I'm not disturbing you or anything."

Sniper looked away and casually took a seat on a nearby crate. "No. Not really. I'm just polishing my ol' rifle here." He then picked up the weapon with a swiftness that made Mary Palmer almost shudder. "You can come sit over here if you want. It's not gonna hurt you." He playfully remarked.

Mary Palmer laughed a little and immediately turned around, brushing her white capris against the flooring. Her beaded flip-flops touched the boards as she walked towards him. He pulled up another crate from behind him towards her. She gladly sat down and began to relax a bit and took the time to glance at her surroundings.

The place had definitely been around for quite a while. Every board seemed to creak with the smallest movement. The wood floor had become smooth from the constant tread of shoes. The air inside smelled of dust and coffee. Humph. Coffee. She thought. It was probably how those jars of urine appeared on the crate behind her. Laughing under her breath, she recalled how Sav had told her about the concept of jarate and how she wasn't the slightest bit grossed out about it. In fact, she found it very interesting. Using jars of urine to put our fires was an idea she had never thought about before.

She turned her attention back to Sniper, who was now wiping down the scope lens of his weapon. She shifted her flip flops side to side. "So I guess this is where all the action happens." She spoke after about a minute of awkward silence.

Sniper didn't take his eyes off of his work. "Hehehe, I guess you could say that." He chuckled. "This little hideout can really be your best friend when it comes to the fights." He picked his rifle up, looking through the scope. "Gotta watch out for spies, though. They really know how to get around."

"I see." Mary Palmer replied, once again shifting her shoes around. She then thought it was a good time to start asking about his need for solitude. She took in a deep breath and spoke again. "So why do you like to stay up here all by yourself? Usually I see the rest of the guys acting completely crazy together. And you…well…you're different."

Sniper was surprised by the question. Nobody, not even Scout, had asked him why he chose to be alone most of the time. In fact, nobody really seemed to care. It wasn't that he cared if they did or not, but a little consideration is always needed on occasion. That's why he was actually glad someone like Mary Palmer came around. He thought carefully about his answer before responding.

"Well, Sheila, before I came here, I was once a tracker for large game out the Outback. Sometimes, I would spend months out there with nobody but the wildlife around. I seemed to like that feeling, though. Knowing that there's no one else to take care of but yourself is a huge weight off of your shoulders, believe me. It seemed to be that certain freedom that kept me going on. Out there, I could really take the time to figure out who I really was. Heh, well, turns out I'm a kind of antisocial if you will. Now it's not to say that I'm incapable of making friends, I just prefer to be alone. You don't have to rely on other people if you never miss, that's what I always say."

He paused. "There did come a point in time, however, where I would not say a single word to anyone. Not even my parents, believe it or not. That explains why I like to call them every chance I get. But…I don't know. It's like I had completely locked myself in a room for years. It really depressed me to think about what I had become. That's actually why I signed up for this." He motioned his hand downwards, indicating the battlefield below. "I felt I needed to get involved in team efforts and create a balance to myself. Hehehe. I guess that's what makes me the handsome rogue I am now!" He briefly took of his hat and clutched it to his chest in a dramatic fashion. Mary Palmer's cheeks turned a bright pink when he did so.

"Wow. I mean, what a touching story." She smiled. "That was actually more information than I really needed. But it was definitely intriguing."

"Heh. Well, I usually break out into a monologue when explaining things." He brought out his wristwatch. "I hope I didn't waste any of your time."

"Oh, no it's fine." Mary Palmer ensured. "I actually enjoyed it up here. It was really an experience getting to know you a little more."

"Well, it was indeed a pleasure to have you up here. It's not every day I get a visit from a kind young Sheila such as yourself." Mary Palmer blushed once again as Sniper proceeded to clean off his glasses with his shirt collar.

"They're green."

"What?"

"Your eyes."

Sniper placed his glasses down and looked up, making his eyes clearly visible. "Huh…yes they are."

"It's funny, but I never really knew what your eyes looked like until now."

Sniper leaned toward Mary Palmer a bit, a warm smile appeared on his face. "Now you know."

They sat there for a good minute, completely still. No pair of eyes turned away from the other. It was a kind of silent dance they formed together. Her silvery grey eyes against his. Both were in a trance that could not easily be snapped out of. By the time the moon rose to its highest point in the sky, none of them seemed to want to leave.