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Beatrice looked on with interest as Thana took out a new set of files - considerably more worn than the ones that had been used for Thana's own recovery. She wasn't sure what to make of that at first, especially since she wasn't altogether certain what exactly was going on here. She had left Newnan with James and Ryan before the ensuing chaos had occurred, so she didn't know the entire situation - especially since those she traveled with after that point didn't have any connection to the former settlement. As Thana began, Beatrice noted with a bit of amusement the nickname given to their group - the Eden Squad. Their entire mission had been to destroy Eden. It was almost as if they had become the thing they wished to destroy. The fact that she had been left in charge was still a bit funny to hear stated. She never imagined becoming that sort of person.

The price confused Beatrice - what exactly had that been? Her first thought was prostitution, but she quickly dismissed that. Thana was family to these people - they wouldn't have asked that. However, it wasn't like she could have just paid them - money was meaningless these days. Had the stipulation been that Thana would join this community? That didn't seem like it as well. This community wasn't lacking in people. So what had it been? Beatrice didn't make a move to look at the photographs that were given to Ash. It wasn't that she didn't feel up to seeing them - she just didn't feel like she needed to. Whatever happened to Newnan after she cut ties with the community was their business, not hers.

However there was something that struck Beatrice - the records. She scarcely remembered her own intake process at Newnan. She had lied slightly on her questionnaire for Mexico Beach, all in order to not let onto the past she had in Justice. Her secrets were her business. Had they cross referenced the records from Newnan to see if people had lied? Had she made the same fibs when she entered Newnan? It wasn't like she could just go and ask, so she decided to wait and see.

She stiffened slightly, hearing that James and Ryan were buried here. She hadn't really cared about Gavin and Lola, more of working with them due to proximity. They hadn't been her friends. "Is the cemetery visitation still an option if you do not remain here?" Beatrice asked bluntly. She didn't know if she was going to remain here, even if allowed to. But she did want to say goodbye to them, if that was possible. However, her question likely had come too late as they were escorted back to the conference room. She took a slight breath, wanting to be alone for a while and not particularly wanting to talk to Thalia. She just needed solitude, something hard to get here.

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Jack's eyes were misty during Thana's presentation. Tears fell when the names of those he knew and loved were mentioned - hell, he even shed a tear for Ryan and he hadn't gotten along with him at all. He wished that Riley's sister had been recovered as well, knowing that Riley probably missed her twin like hell. He wished that Ray and Tiffany were buried here as well. He took a shallow breath in through his nose, bowing his head as he had a good quiet cry, unable to really hold the tears back. The hallucinations made sense, but all of this was just bringing up pain now. He knew that it was for closure, but it was like ripping the stitches off of a near fatal wound.

Jack dried his eyes on his sleeve. When they were escorted out of the conference room, the tears were still flowing. He missed James - his son's namesake. He couldn't help but wonder if James would have survived if Ash hadn't exiled him. They had made it out of Newnan - maybe James would have been able to do so. It was a good thing that Jamie was content and happy with Wayne when they got back, as Jack was having a hard time pulling it together. He didn't know why the tears were still coming, but at least they were quiet - quiet enough that others could go about their lives in peace there. He felt a little lost, standing in the conference room and he didn't know what exactly to do.

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Alexander shot the loud-mouthed Wayne a narrow smile upon hearing that little Jamie, "Little Kick Ass" was doing just fine. He hadn't had the faintest thought that such a sweet little creature would feel safe in the arms of a man like Wayne, but now that he was sitting with them watching TV, he had to admit it warmed his ol' veteran's heart. In all the madness, death and destruction that had wrecked the world beyond recognition, this…this put a good feeling in Alexander. Just like the war in Vietnam painted a monstreous picture of the world to a young grunt from Chicago, there were still brief vignettes that had made him smile. Made him hope.

Alexander waved back and smiled at Manny as he joined them in enjoying the couches and Mel Brooks movie, reading the unusal silence in his usually talkative fellow baby-boomer as a sign that he needed some space. At least he would have wanted that himself. When Manny wanted to talk, Alexander would be there. But until then, Alexander indulged in the mute viewing of the TV and let his brain dip into low-gear. As the others slowly began to trickle back into the Conference room, Alexander payed them only the briefest of attention. He wasn't going to ask questions, not now, and not to anyone. Only Beatrice and Thana, if and when the time was right. Now they wanted to be left alone, either with someone else or by themselves.

The only thing that really lit up in Alexander's mind in his moment of mental hibernation, was how long this was going to last? Would it last, and for who? Would he once again be of use for good ol' Uncle Sam and his previous brothers in arms, after all those years and bloodshed? Or was the prosthetic leg given to him a parting gift, out of charity or pity for a man who couldn't watch over himself? Once again the fear of his usefulness expired like an overdue can of peaches rang a chord in his mind, but he repressed it like so many times before. The reassuring face and voice of the General, Aeron, the Dragon, showed itself before his eyes…what age was he? Was it Aeron the young superior in 'Nam, or the gentle old man in Camp Mexico Beach?

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"It was worth a shot. I promise, give me time and I'll think of some good name you'll either laugh or shake your head at." Nigel told Erica with the same sort of slight smile she had given him. Nigel "Hadrian" had been a teacher, not a comedian or an actor. Coming up with witty nicknames was not something he'd studied in university, and even his own nickname he'd used for the better part of his adult life was not his own. Some of the more experienced reenactors of the Legion XIII Augusta had called him that, "Hadrian", and to this day Nigel had never really understood why, whether it was a compliment or an insult.

"And that would have frightened me, but somehow, I trust Wayne on this one." Nigel commented on Wayne taking care of little Jamie, as the other group of survivors person by person returned to the Conference room. It didn't get past him that neither James nor Tatiana went to get Jamie from Wayne, perhaps having full confidence that their friendly neighbourhood drug-addict was more than capable with kids. "The kid looks happy enough."

The question made Nigel turn his head and look at Erica with blushed cheeks and opened eyes. Him, with kids? He looked at her for a moment, speechless, before forcing a chuckle and smiling a little. "Not my first thought of priority, but sure, Erica. As long as they're never called that. Ever." He told her, half laughing and half getting tired of the whole Sportacus-thing. But kids? "Never thought about kids, honestly…Never enough time and, you know…"

Nigel and Erica was once again called on from the TV couch, this time by Hank. Nigel gave Hank a shake of his head at the repeated calling of "Sportacus" and "Apocalypse Barbie", not sure which one was worse. But in the end, he sighed and had to smile at Erica, nodding in the direction of the tv before slowly making his way towards the group. "Sure you don't want to join me? Seems those two miss us, and little Jamie is okay with them so."

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Thank god the briefing had more or less ended with the explanation from Thana. Amelia was really grateful to Riley as her love tried to comfort her, but this briefing brought to the surface too much painful things she was trying to avoid for a long while now, things she was struggling to deny or to never think about. As she was silently trembling a lil, she was recalling their faces, of those who vanished with that collapse and of those who vanished afterwards too. Amelia couldn't help, but recall Ray. The poor guy, she basically dragged him out of the ruins and yet he wasn't with them anymore because of a fickle play from fate... luck... karma? There was a saying that Karma was a bitch, she never understood the extent of it until the apocalypse came.

She quietly just followed Panama out of the Briefing and all the way back to the Conference Room, once inside she didn't go back to the tv. She didn't even bring her chair, instead just found herself a nice spot by the wall and kept quiet, emotions stirred a tad out of control for the moment, she needed to sort them out, but the memories weren't cooperating at all. Now that it's been stirred, she was recalling people...

She hugged her knees and hid her face into them, quiet. She was going to go visit Jame's grave when a chance presents itself, that much she made her mind on, that was the least she could do now that she knew for sure he was here, but how should she deal with these emotions that were stirred up? The sadness, the loss, the regret and the pain they had experience in the wake of Newnan's fall. Sometimes even now she could hear it all whenever she closes her eyes, or she would dream of it too. In her silence she contemplated if something would happen to this place also... a tsunami maybe? It was technically safer here than outside in the wild, but... was it really when it all came down to it? Was anywhere safe? Suddenly she kind of wished to go back to the bedrooms...

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Riley slowly started to get up, it was a lot to take in after all she just wished that her sister could have lived she really did miss Chloe quiet a bit as well. She started to follow Panama and the others back towards the conference room, as Riley looked around the room seeing that most of the others are settled sitting in front of the movie. Riley rubbed her head a little bit and made her way over and sat down next to Amelia seeing that her girlfriend needed to get comforted. She gently gave Amelia a friendly nudge and looked over at her for a moment she was worried about her right now as well. "Are you okay Amelia?" Riley asked her as she tried to cheer her up as best as she could.

Riley would occasionally look over at the TV seeing that movie that they were all watching before they had gone to the briefing, still wondering what the final verdict if they would end up staying or having to leave once they were all cleared from Quarantine. Riley also looked back over towards Thana she was glad that she was alright, though all scared up and stuff she was still alive and well. And she was glad that Ashton would actually be happy he certainly did deserve it as well.

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Erica took a moment seeing Nigel blushing a little bit which made her smile a little bit, though she was really just joking in the first place about having kids. She took a moment and looked over at Jamie who had jumped down on Wayne's crotch which made her laugh a little bit, as she ran a hand through her hair when Hank offered for the two of them to join the others. Erica looked over at Nigel seeing him getting up to his feet and making his way over towards the couch asking if she wanted to join them as well. Erica smiled and nodded as she got up and stretched a little bit and nodded. "Sure why not." Erica said as she walked over and then decided to sit down on the arm of the couch to watch ignoring being called Apocalyptic Barbie.

Then she heard the door opening again as she watched the others who went to get the briefings from the members of the community, and wondered still what they were all talking about. Erica did want to try and find out, but she decided against it for now, it really wasn't her place to ask and find out anyway either as well. But she looked over towards Nigel and gave him a slight nudge as she looked towards Wayne and Hank. "Any idea what they were all being briefed about?" Erica asked softly to the three of them, while giving little Jamoie a friendly smile the kid was pretty damn cute.

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Ash looked up to Thana with a hair of confusion evident in his expression. What she had just told him seemed a little out of context for the sentiment he had put across, at least to his ears. The few words he spoke were about gratitude; past that note, they were about contributing to their community and the ways that those in charge felt they could, were they allowed to remain. Maybe it was his delivery. He was ever marked by his former occupation, tending to speak as a man with forward aptitude because it was generally had been required of him for everyone else's sake. The mention of promotion especially quirked a brow. What exactly was going on here that they were so nervous about? Perhaps he missed something in the subtext someplace. It would take a time to figure some of the nuances of this place and its people out, it seemed.

Panama began to lead the former Newnanites back into the Conference Room. Ash followed along behind Thana, giving the occasional glance down to her leg as if looking for something. Her recovery was remarkable. Most people would still be confined to a bed with a constant feed of medication, or nowadays just dead. Willpower and necessity made for medical rarities sometimes. Having something to live for did wonders that way, too.

Returning to the Conference Room, Ash didn't even consider looking around the room, nor speaking to anyone else. There was a lot of information briefed to them and it was a mammoth amount to process. The crisp and clear, factual, military method made it easier for him to swallow. The images and reports gave him an amount of closure as well. Still, a lot to process. He did have something that would help him process damn near anything thrown at him. It was a hand, extended toward him from a couch, inviting him to join the woman behind it. Ash accepted the invitation with a quiet smile. He didn't particularly feel like talking, either, just taking her hand and settling down beside Thana. He put his arm around her and pulled her close. Vaguely, he understood that there was something on the television nearby. Ash didn't care. He was looking into her eyes, oblivious to or uncaring of her scars, just taking her in. Ash had meant what he said before, when he saw her. He was home.

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Everybody else came filing back out. Thalia didn't know if she wanted to talk to someone to find out what was up, but as it turned out nobody wanted to volunteer in the first place. Beatrice brushed past like she didn't feel like speaking. Thalia could respect this. She could talk to Thana. They had a lot of catching up to do. No, that was also a bust, because she was soon cuddling on the couch with another person she might have spoken with, the Army Captain she had been training alongside. He had plenty of questions for the guy who somehow got four of the most stubborn she had known to do what he told them to do. At least in theory. But the bond between Navy and that guy was not something to challenge.

Everybody had somebody. Even the outcast kid was making eyes at the local girl, Checkmark. And the two old guys? Well ok, they were pretty inseparable from the get go. And now they had ballerina chick's baby boy to gawk at, or at least Wayne did. And lest we forget the two bald women who clung to one another. Thalia had half a mind to give a suggestive wink in their general direction and never let on which one she was aiming at, just to fuck with them. But nah, that's not who she was, unless she was really, really bored. And as far as women went, she had really only gone for two, ever. And she really wasn't looking to shop around, regardless of gender. She was already afraid that this kind of lifestyle might make her weak. The last thing she needed was another emotional attachment that could be exploited.

Instead, Thalia did what she had been doing best for almost the past week. While everyone else settled in with their perspective other halves and/or hetero lifemates, new friends, old friends, and people they were trying to score with, the one-armed angel went back to the area that had been using for exercise, hit the floor, and began pounding out knucklepoint pushups in rapid succession. If nothing else, she loved this shiny new metal arm for helping her get a fuller training regimen back.

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"Hey, gang's back together! Look at that," chided Hank, watching the other two from his group make their way over to the couches and such near the television. He reflected on their meeting a few months back. Hank wasn't in the mood to take on others into their party of two, and dear sweet and fuzzy angels in heaven was History Channel here annoying as all get out, but when it came down to it, they were some fairly stand-up people. It was a rough start. Now that they were all on the same page about things, if not exactly the same paragraph, this might be the last chance for everyone to just sit back and enjoy a fine family film like "History of the World, Part One", before they settled into something more workaday in this big, inviting settlement and ignored each other like neighbors who forgot to return an errant lawnmower or who heard some marital spat the night before from across the street.

Instead, he focused his energies to making commentary about the movie, such as getting baby Jamie's attention and pointing at the screen, saying, "Alright listen up, ya little ankle-biter: That guy is Gregory Hines. He tap dances real good, right? And they only have him doing one dance in this entire move. That's just not using your assets, right there." Or even speaking along with parts of the movie, such as, "He is a eunuch. He is a eunuch. He is dead," before looking back to the kid and assuring him, "Aw, don't worry. You'll get that when you're a little older. Or have your pops explain it to you." He looked a little uncertain for a second, before attempting to shift the focus elsewhere. "Hey look! Movie!" he said, nodding and pointing at the TV.

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It had seemed that everyone had returned to their little room now. Not seeing more people that were bloody or hurt, no outbursts by anyone today, and so little time until they were all free to leave this damn room, things were looking okay. He wondered what things would be like here, and he wondered what life would be like for those who wouldn't be able to make it here. According to the odds they were given on the bus, there was a decent chance that at least one of them would not be accepted in. What would that person do then? Would others follow them to make sure they got around alright? Would they just leave on their own alone? The thought scared Manny. Not knowing was an uneasy thing for a man who had been around for a long time, had a large variety of experiences, and had at least seen the answer to most of those situations. But this? The place was a new field for him.

If one of his group members was forced to leave, would he go with them? He sat on that thought. The pros to leaving if one of his members had to, he was a doctor, this place didn't need him as a doctor, he was damn good with a shotgun, having someone watching your back was always a plus, and he still has much of the world he would like to see. Things going against this, he was old, and getting older. He was slow, and getting slower. He was weak, and getting weaker. Outside of his skill with a shotgun, he had no real defensive skills going for him. Sure in his youth he was big enough, strong enough, and skilled enough to hold his own in a fist or knife fight, but now? He knew how to fight, but the other factors were a conflict with those skills. There was also the high probability he may die in his sleep at some point in the next year or two if something else didn't kill him. And probably the most important thing going against him, he may not be wanted. Sure he got along with his survivor group well enough, but it was a professional relationship. A close trust one, but still. He was a talkative old man, didn't really fit well with calm, quiet, and stealthy. He decided, if one of them here kicked out, he would check with them first if he could help. And insist if he had to. If he was kicked out, he was sure he could find somewhere calm, quiet, and remote to live out the rest of his days.

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Hunter was clearly not a people person. Anyone that didn't know that by now just needed to spend some one on one time with him. Most people would get that pretty fast then. He either shuts out people, or he goes over the top rather fast. When in ideal situations he found himself at an awkward in between. Case and point, Nikki, or Checkbook as she liked to be called. She was nice, so Hunter responded back positively with her. She kicked his ass in pool, so he tried and fucked that up. But he was enjoying himself. When she was about to take the shot to win the game Hunter froze. He wasn't much of a gambler. Most of his experience with gambling came from before the world broke, and most everyone he has gotten to know post breaking were.... less then great people. "To be honest, I'm not much a gambler." He stopped and thought about it, this girl seemed nice. She wouldn't push anything too far? She wouldn't take advantage of him right? Granted, he thought that of several people who did. "Plus, I don't own much other then the outfit your people gave me, and a bathrobe." He looked at the shot lined up. She would win this, its just a matter of what she wanted.

He looked around the room, specifically the guards, he thought back to that first day, and how things got out of control fast, how scared he felt, and how stupidly he reacted. "What would you even want anyways?" He asked, not really sure what to offer even. He had some old military gear, but it was some of the only things that made him feel safe. There was his shotgun? But that felt comfortable and also safe for Hunter. Knowing the raw stopping power from that thing combined with a slam fire mechanism meant he could do some harsh damage rather fast in a bad spot. "If you really want, I have a roll of twine in my shit they took from me?" It wasn't much, but he wasn't really sure what else she wanted. Though outside of his arson needs, what use do people have for twine? "Or something else. Twine is... twine." He was clueless as to what she would want from him.

Temperature: 83F (28C)
Humidity: High (Around 73%) - No Rain
Wind Speed: 12 MPH (19 KPH)
Cloud Coverage: Overcast
Mizrahi looked over towards the door as the second group was being escorted back into the room. Spotting Thana he gave her a once over as she wandered over to a couch and sat down, Ash seeming close behind her. Letting out a slow breath he stood up and walked over to what remained of the food that was set up. Making a plate and getting some water before walking over to the couch where Thana and Ash sat. Setting it down on the table he looked at Thana. "Eat," he said before looking at Ash. "It's been days," he added before walking back off and sitting back down, ever so often looking over at Thana to see if she was eating but he was listening half way to what was going on at the pool table and chuckled to himself. Checkbook was up to something.

And she was Nikki grinned as she sucked her gum back into her mouth after popping a bubble. "Wasn't talkin' about possessions, everything become common once you join the camp. So what's yours is mine and mine is yours type of thing." That was how a lot of places were even before the outbreak, at least it was a long time ago in smaller settlements. Everyone had to share everything, especially things that could be used to strengthen the group as a whole. Newnan hadn't been much different, sure people had their rooms or a couple had houses, you had some clothing and a few personal items but the rest - food, weapons, they were all stored together and people had access to what they needed if it was approved by the higher ups. She thoughts for a moment. "I miss, I'll do your chores tomorrow," she said before the grin on her lips grew. "I win, I get a kiss," she added with a wink. "So, you on?" she asked as she teased with the pool stick, acting as if she was going to take the shot but she didn't, she was still waiting to see if he agreed.

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As Ash sat down, Thana curled up against him. Then she decided that wasn't good enough. She was off duty, people knew they were together. It wasn't like they were a secret. Especially after what Wayne had said when she came into the conference room and Ash had just stood there looking proud as a peacock. Pulling his arms back slightly she crawled into his lap and draped her legs off to the side before curling back up against him. "Deal with it," she said quietly with a smirk on her lips as she rested her head down on his shoulder. Letting out a slow sigh she just lay there and took a moment to enjoy being close to him. Trying not to think about the work she would need to do in the morning, about the information she had just dumped on some of them, about what she needed to talk to Thalia about, about what she had been dealing with for the last few months. Right then she was just going to relax and be close to Ash.

And it lasted about all of five seconds as Mizrahi came over and dropped off a plate of food and a glass of water. She nodded but she didn't move. Her brow quirking as Mizrahi looked to Ash and informed him that she hadn't eaten in days. Oh great, now she had one man in her life telling another man in her life that she needed to eat. Shaking her head she could only chuckle slightly. "Nem 'akhi, hal satukhbar walidaya baed dhlk?" she asked in him before rolling her eyes. He meant well and he wasn't lying, it had been days since she had eaten. Since either of them had eaten but she figured he had at least eaten when she was in Briefing. Glancing over to where he was sitting and seeing the empty dirty plate in front of him her suspicion was confirmed. Well there went her leverage. Yes, she needed to eat, no she wasn't moving.

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Tatiana looked over to Jamie and smiled, he was doing fine and people were watching over him. These people weren't like the others that she had dealt with over the months being apart from her family. They were at least half way decent. So she was content to let them do some babysitting for her. Slowly her eyes went over to Jack and her brow went up. "Da hell," she said quietly to herself as she saw that he was crying. He was obviously having issues and she didn't need to know how to read people to see it. Yes, it had been a lot of information dumped on them about Newnan but it wasn't like it wasn't a lot they didn't already know. Okay, they hadn't known why Newnan had collapsed and why they were seeing or hearing things but the fact it was gone and people were dead, that was over a year ago. Sure it still hurt but they had lost almost everyone. If it hadn't been for her chasing that damn cat she would have died when her home collapsed into the ground and was swallowed up.

Standing up she rolled her shoulders back before walking over to Jack, picking up a paper towel from the food table as she passed it. Folding it over a few times she went to Jack and placed it in his hand before wrapping her arms around him and pulling him close. "It's okay. Death is not vorst thing, at peace nov. Ve go see vhen out of here," she assured Jack softly. There really wasn't much she could say. Okay, there was a lot she could say. Like suck it up, better them than us, and so forth, but none of those things would really help and most likely hurt him more. For Tatiana she felt better seeing the images and having answers. It checked off questions she had had that she never thought would have been answered. That was fine with her. Others it seemed weren't as cold about the situation as she was. Then again, before Newnan had fallen she would have cried to but that wasn't who she was anymore.

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Wayne looked over towards Erica and shrugged a bit. "Well the way they've been pairing off and came in when we first met, I'm betting it has something to do with where they came from and what happened to the song bird over there," he said motioning towards Thana curled up in Ash's lap. "Had something to do with here and now, we all would have been in on it. That or they've decided to kick us out and we don't need to know but they wouldn't do that would they little fella would they? Can't split up little Kick Ass from his Manny," Wayne said in a baby voice as he picked up Jamie and bounced him a few times. "Manny as in man nanny not old fella, well older than me, so that's fucking something," he chuckled.

Setting the kid back down in lap as Hank went into his little speech, Wayne could only laugh. "I want to be a fly on the wall for that fucking conversation. Ten to one, my bets on Momma Bear giving little kick ass here the talk," Wayne laughed quietly. Jack didn't seem to be doing to well and Wayne could only manage Jack tripping over himself trying to explain the birds and the bees to his son. He half pictured Tatiana sitting Jamie down with a bottle of Vodka and just spilling it all out there in the open and not beating around the bush. Either way he wanted to see that shit because it was going to be funny as hell either way. Those talks always were as long as you were just a spectator and not the one giving or receiving the talk. His own dad had only thrown him a magazine and said happy birthday. His mother talked about everything but the talk and walked out the room with a warning if he knocked anyone up she's kill him.

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It wasn't Alexander's right to pry the others for what was going on, what the matter with them was. He had never really been that type of guy either asking about people's feelings. Probably inherited it from his own father who only rarely asked little Alex' how he was. Not in the sense of "How are you? Let me tell you about my day and…". No, he meant in a geniune and loving way that a father could ask his only son. Alexander had only been asked that when his father wasn't sober, and he hadn't been honest.

How much he regretted that…perhaps then his father wouldn't have…

Alexander wouldn't ask anyone, but he did notice the two girls sitting together away from the rest. One of them were sad, Amelia he thought her name was. Why? Was it the briefing? His natural sense of curiosity was unsurprisingly peaked, but he wouldn't ask. He didn't want people asking questions if…when he had had his 'episode'. Why was he to treat others any other way? So Alexander was understandably dissapproving when the other group began to theorize about the briefing, audibly coughing at it. Without words, but it was not their business. In due time they would be told, or not at all.

So much hinged on people acting like that. Like Alexander hoped. There were many things the veteran didn't wanted to be asked, much more he did wish to answer.

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This time Erica did follow Nigel "Hadrian" over to the tv and their two crazy grandparents. Good, it would have been awkward for her to follow him after asking her twice, not to mention the possible ire of said grandparents who were sure to create more mocking content for the coming month. There wasn't much space left to sit it seemed, Erika taking up the arm of the couch and the rest having piled in other spots. Nigel looked around for a moment, eyes glancing over little Jamie as he was more than comfortable sitting and standing on Wayne, before catapulting the idea of sitting on either Hank or Erica as quick as it had crossed his mind. Bad idea. "Did you miss us, Hank?"

Nigel "Hadrian" decided to slowly slide down onto the floor, leaning his shoulder and head against the couch arm that Erica had occupied, trying not to get in her way too much. Nigel smiled at Erica as he sat down, hoping she wouldn't mind. Looking at the tv-screen, he couldn't honestly say he'd watched the movie. It was clear to him it was 'inspired' by historical events and periods, as much as later European empires were inspired by Rome. While he waited for the imminent siege of Roman referances from Hank and Wayne, Erika posed the question he wondered about too; What had the largest group been briefed about? Wayne had is own idea of what they had talked about, something which actually made some mad sort of sense. Hell, even a broken clock was right two times a day.

"Whatever it is they talked about, I'm sure we either won't be told at all or when they find it fitting." Nigel threw his opinion into the conversation, looking at each of his little group of survivors. Perhaps Wayne was right, and their group were thrown out? With Wayne being around them, he wouldn't be surprised. Angry yes, but not entirely surprised. They had watched each other's backs before, and Nigel "Hadrian" would do it again. Even if he didn't like two-thirds of his companions. Turning back to Hank and his commenting, Nigel took the bait. "Anything you want me to tell the little man? Or would it ruin the movie for you?"

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"Yes... no..." Amelia mumbled out, as Riley asked how she was. She herself wasn't sure how she felt right now to be honest. Every time she comforted herself that she would be alright, something happens and stuff she thought that she burried deep enough to not matter anymore resurface again." Just... bad memories, I didn't want to remember and things I've been trying not to think about." She added, leaning slightly to Riley." We... should go visit the graves when an opportunity shows itself." She eventually added out in quiet voice. There was no more avoid the subject or the issue. Maybe, just maybe by facing those graves and saying her goodbye with those who fell, she might be able to finally start slowly settling those memories. The people from back then were dead, at least they were so for good.

This was the only comfort in this situation, that the ones who had died, were no longer shuffling around in eternal torment. For the first time in forever she suddenly thought of her own parents. It's been so long since she had last seen them, the start of this nightmare to be precise, all those years ago. Back then she never found a trace of them when she was still close to her hometown. For all she knew they were either dead or were turned into a zombie long time ago, but she would never know. At least knowing the people from Newnan didn't suffer the same fate, gave her the feeling of relief.

Her eyes wandered around the room again, seeing everyone doing their own thing, it lingered on Ash and Thana for a moment there. They were acting pretty lovey-dovey there. It was nice seeing it, especially after the long time of seeing Ash alone during their journey here. She still quickly looked away and at Riley, though." We will be alright... we have to be." She mumbled quietly. Too much had gone wrong already for it to continue to go bad. Eventually at some point stuff had to go in a better direction. This should be that better direction!

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Beatrice found herself walking over to where Thalia was without even really realizing it. As much as she told herself she wanted to be alone and have some solitude, perhaps that wasn't really the case. "Think they'll mind if we spar?" she asked her friend. She doubted that the guards would care - they hadn't done much when Tatiana decked Ash after all. And unlike in that scenario, this would just be a friendly match between... well, whatever the hell they were to each other. She admired Thalia's form as she was doing the pushups, her eyes briefly drifting over her butt before returning to her face. "If you win, you get the O's," Beatrice added, producing the can that Thana have given her in the conference room to make things a little more interesting.

She waited to see what Thalia would offer if Beatrice won the competition. Of course, this was all assuming that Thalia was up for a spar. She very well could be turned down and then, well, Beatrice wasn't sure what she would entertain herself with. She could always go over to where people were watching a movie with the little kid, but she didn't really like children. The last child she had felt a slight connection to had been essentially a walking case of asthma back at Newnan. Though she had to wonder if Tatiana and Jack were going to share their clearly legendary genes with the world again and produce another kid. If they kept it up, they could repopulate the South, one kid at a time.

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Jack wasn't ashamed of his emotions. He never wanted to become that type of person who had to strengthen his masculinity by pretending to be unaffected by the world around him. He took the paper towel from Tatiana and dried his eyes, the tears having mostly stopped by now. While some people weren't as swayed as much by hearing all of that, he had been able to live a bit in denial until they received that information. He could imagine in the back of his head a happy ending for all of those who were no longer with them, but there weren't happy endings here. Well, at least, there weren't too many of them to go around - this new settlement seemed to be the closest thing to a happy ending they would get.

"We can intraduce Jamie to the rest of his family," Jack told Tatiana quietly, referring to those buried here at Camp Mexico Beach. He took another breath, managing to pull himself together and he glanced over at his son, seeing that Jamie seemed to be having fun with the people here. Jack couldn't help but smile. Maybe they had lost their Newnan family, but here was another community that they could potentially join. He could see himself and Tatiana growing old here, with Jamie growing up and having as normal a childhood as possible. Maybe Ash and Thana would have a kid of their own - and hell, he didn't know where it came from but he got the mental image of their kids growing old and marrying each other. It made him laugh a little bit. "So uh... Where were we with that dance?" he then asked.

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People were back, things seemed settled, overall things looked okay. He took note of the baby from the one couple seeming to have the time of his life with Wayne. Manny found him interesting, he was patient with Manny as he recovered from having a regular steady diet, and he was very correct about Manny being tired of everyone's shit on the first day. It was nice to see the gentle side of the man, though it seemed that this was going on for a bit now. Manny had been so deep in his own thoughts, he missed that bundle of cuteness having the time of his life. Manny figured what snapped him out of that self thought, was Man Nanny. Or Manny for the nickname. But he found that cute in the context used.

He noticed Alexander who also seemed deep in his thoughts. "Hey, you doing alright there?" There was apart of him that wanted to ask what he was thinking about, but over the last few months, he had gotten the idea that there were a lot of things that Alexander didn't want to answer. A simple yes or no question normally seemed to be one of the better ways to check up on the old veteran. Even though Manny was a very outgoing and talkative person, he understood the need to keep quiet about some things. He had his own past he didn't talk about much. Though people seemed to not ask a lot of questions when you gave them what seemed like a lot of information. Almost like an open book, but used as a front for a slight misdirection. It wasn't a malicious thing, but his youth years were harsh for him. Though he was sure that Alexander had seem some pretty fucked up shit around that same age as well.

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The cluelessness continued for Hunter as he struggled to understand what it meant to be a regular human being. His lack of being able to make decent conversation at times never helped him either. In many cases when he struggled he would reply with something along the lines of 'Huh" or 'Uhuh' as they were vague and could buy him some time to think of something better to say, or maybe brush off the conversation entirely. Hearing that Camp Mexico Beach no one seemed to hold personal possessions or gear was strange for Hunter. He had been apart of a rather small group that tried that once. It ended with a knife to a neck. He had been in groups that were the complete opposite, also ended with a knife to the neck. Though the more he thought about it, both cases may have been the people and not the method. So hearing that Camp Mexico Beach would be sharing his gear, Hunter replied the best way he knew how. "Huh." He spoke like he completely understood and grasped the concept when ignoring the actual word itself. He figured it made sense why some groups did it, rationing concepts and all. Though this group seemed to be very well set? He struggled to understand why he wasn't allowed to keep owning at least some of his gear? Sure most of it had no sentimental value to him. But some things just felt right to have available all the time to him. He wondered if that was something he would get used to or would struggle with. He could picture his father yelling something about "Communist Scum!" and going on a rather large rant. He did chuckle to that though.

Though, what she wanted did make sense thinking back to the whole conversation. To Hunter's surprise, this was what people called 'Flirting'. If she made the shot, she would want a kiss from him. If she missed, she would do his chores, and he would be even more bored. He wasn't really sure which was harder for him. First, he didn't want to be bored out of his mind even more. Chores were the only break up in his dull time in this damn room. Next, he hasn't been close to anyone in a long time, and he remembered that last relationship ending rather poorly. Though thinking back, it didn't start great either. But there was a lot he didn't know when that relationship started. So at first, all he could figure to say to the bet offer was "Huh..." He said like he knew what he was saying, but this time with a slight bit more thought in it. As if thinking deeply about the offer.

After thinking about it for a bit, he wasn't completely sure what to do. He had seemed to stare off blankly into space for almost a minute before replying to Nikki. "I uh... Sure... i guess yeah... sure." The awkward boy that Hunter was deep down was showing again. When faced with a problem that can't be solved by shooting, stabbing, or blunt force, he was stuck. And he resorted back to the socially awkward boy he was back in highschool before joining the National Guard. "I uh... yeah you're on I guess. Its a deal." He said unsure of himself. Finally understanding that she was flirting with him, he got scared. What if she wasn't as nice as she seemed? What if this was some sick trick from this settlement? What if things were as they seemed and she saw Hunter for the creature he has become in the years since the apocalypse? None of those options were good for Hunter.

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Riley looked towards Amelia as she held her girlfriend closely and gently rubbed Amelia's shoulder to try and comfort her as best as she could and leaned in and gave her a kiss. It was true that it was a lot to take in all at once, but she was glad to hear it even if the news wasn't even the best. "You know you can talk to me about them though right?" Riley whispered towards Amelia she wanted to comfort her as best as she could, they had lost so many people in the last few years and there was always a breaking point somewhere along the way as well.

Riley rubbed the back of her neck slightly and nodded towards Amelia whenever they would be allowed to go from Quarantine they should go and see the sites of their former friends. "If they allow us sometime to i'd like to go with you." Riley whispered towards Amelia and gave her a slight smile and slightly nudged her as well. "So, should we join the others and watch the movie or did you want to stay here?" Riley asked Amelia wondering what she wanted to do as well.

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Erica looked towards Hank and smiled slightly, though they never really did leave they did do their own things but they were still a group anyway. She watched the little baby and looked over towards his mother for a moment, Erica was curious about their little group that they were all from. But she didn't want to pry or anything and nodded towards Wayne it wasn't really any of her business anyway as well but she did want to try and find out anyway. It was still really hard to see Wayne not acting weird or insane in front of the little guy, and was at least acting normal by the looks of it.

"I think the little guy should have the ending of the movie being spoiled or anything." Erica finally said as she leaned back a little bit as she ran a hand through her hair, she was really curious what CMB had in store for them for the remainder of their time while in Quarantine. She did just want to see if they were even going to be accepted in the group or not, she then turned back to watching the movie for a little bit longer. "You are pretty damn good with the kid by the way." Erica said looking over at Wayne once more.

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"Deal with it", huh? Oh yes, Ash could very much deal with it. There was a nigh epic amount of dealing that he was doing with the situation, starting with wrapping his arms around Thana as she climbed into his lap and settled in. It was a highly satisfying feeling, just holding her after so long a time without her, and more recently being absolutely certain that she was dead. Yeah, this was as good as a miracle, so far as he was concerned. Tiny moments of bliss were few and far between.

Their miracle even lasted for a painfully short time before they were interrupted by the imposing presence of Mizrahi and his insistence that Thana eat something. Curiously though, he spoke to Ash, telling him that it had been days since her last meal. This made him quirk a brow. Was Mizrahi letting him know this to be helpful, perhaps to get someone on his side to also suggest that Thana eat? Was it an attempt to keep them from being so close together? He did seem a little jealous to Ash, or maybe possessive. At the very least, he seemed not to trust Ash. All of that would have to be a later conversation. He could see this becoming a man to man talk sometime down the road. Or possibly a fistfight. He didn't know the guy, and the guy obviously did not know him.

The fact remained that, pushy though he was, Mizrahi made a point. Hopefully, whatever Thana said to him in Arabic was also a point, though he wouldn't have known it. His knowledge of Arabic was limited to his time in the Middle East with the Army, and all he picked up there was how to recognize that it was being spoken, and there was just about where it ended. Ash did know that Thana was a grown woman, capable of making her own decisions about how to take care of herself, and if she wanted to rest her head on his shoulder and spend a quiet moment with him instead of eating, that was her call.

"I'm glad you had someone watching your back out there," said Ash softly. It was a true statement, even though the tall man seemed determined to dislike Ash. He continued in a low, gentle voice, "I'm not going anywhere if you feel like eating. Even grab it for you if you don't want to move. I'll hold you like this all day if you let me, Thana." The information dump would have been fresh on his mind, as well as the pictures and reports he saw in Briefing, but her presence allowed him to put it, and potentially the weight of responsibility, in the back of his mind for a little while. But more than that, taking everything else away, Ash just wanted her close.

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This workout just got a little more interesting. Thalia stopped at the apex of her pushup and slowly gathered a foot underneath her, rising with muscles tensed and predatory gaze as if contemplating lunging at Beatrice immediately. Thalia had a sheen of perspiration on her skin, though her breathing was still even. A small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth that began to show teeth. She looked positively devious.

Thalia didn't say anything for a while, contemplating the offer. She took in a deep breath and blew it out, reviewing her situation. She was getting stronger. Not exactly her old self as recovery could take a while and, among other traumas, she had lost her dominant hand and almost half her arm. But the looked to Thana as a beacon of inspiration in that regard. The woman had gone through intense trauma, died even, and was back up and kicking in record time. One could aspire. One had to. Hence, the extensive, hard-hitting training she had been subjecting herself to since arrival.

She began to nod, popping the fingers on her left hand individually with her thumb before wrapping her hand around and returning her thumb the favor. It was a tiny concession made for losing a limb. Thalia then held her prosthetic hand in front of her, manually extending each of the digits and then closing them back with soft, metallic clacking sounds. Like the arm itself it was artificial, but an eerily fitting representation of cracking her knuckles. It brought a single chuckle to the already present grin, which soon faded. Okay. Get serious.

Tactically speaking, she was at a disadvantage in the regard that she had always been a manual dexterity monster, and being deprived of one of her "manuals" made that harder. However, she had a spanking new arm to compensate, at least for balance. Any dexterity had to be planned out days in advance. On the other hand, the arm couldn't feel and was essentially a painful blunt weapon mounted on the end of her stump. Also, recent years had given her more options than agile hands. Thalia had always been an improvisational fighter, and the Valkyries taught her combat options that relied more on her physicality. If there was any real problem, it was that if she sparred with Beatrice, she'd be swinging a steel club at her face. Thalia liked Bea's face. It would be a shame to damage it. Okay, choice made.

"Alright, Killah Bea. You're on." She eyed the can of yummy pasta, but shook her head to the negative. "But it's naht gonna be for that. Let's bring the stakes up some." She had intended to decline respectfully. Opening her mouth, the words came out with a lot more spontaneous honesty than she had intended. Thalia loved to spar. She was a fighter, if she was going to learn how to fight with her new, amended body, she needed to start here. Beatrice knew the risks. Holding back with her would just be insulting. They might not be the best of ...whatever they were to each other, but there was always respect there.

"If I win, you have to give me a hug. A good one. In front of people." She had plans for those Os that didn't involve mere acquisition. That would deprive her of her fun. "If you win... hmm. Open to suggestions." Thalia slipped out of her shirt and began wrapping it around her metal hand. It was something, at least. Thalia stood there in jeans and a sports bra, her skin glowing from her warm-up and a determined look in her eyes. "Yah know, I really don't care about stakes. I just want to mix it up." It had been a while. And it would do her good to see Beatrice sweat.

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Did he miss him? What an odd question. Hank copped a half surprised, half revolted face, as if Nigel had asked him out to the prom. It looked a little like he might be exaggerating it for effect, or just faking it altogether, but that didn't stop the stiff lean away from the man. "Just grab you a seat there, Sportacus, and we will never speak of this again." Hank nodded somberly, "Oooookay?" Quarantine was almost over, and even though he had been antisocial to the extreme for the vast majority of their time in there, he didn't really have any hard feelings for the people in that room. Maybe watching this movie, a crowd favorite if ever he saw one, would be the one thing that he could look back on as something they all did together. Even if it mostly involved sitting and looking in he same direction, commentary optional.

After the Roman fellow took is seat on the floor, Hank gave a quick verbal nudge to get his attention, "Psst... Hey, you're alright, alright? Alright. Movie now." That was about as warm and fuzzy as he really felt like being. Nigel and Erica were their companions on the last leg of their journey down to this place, and while they could have gotten there okay as a duo, it wasn't all bad having extra bodies around. Especially when they made themselves useful.

Touching moment (or reasonable facsimile thereof) aside, Hank caught a snatch of conversation from somewhere off to the side. He turned his head slowly, trying not to draw attention to himself as he, well, tried to eavesdrop. It was the young slip of a woman who put soldierboy on his ass and the one-armed girl with the pixie cut who had been pushing herself like racehorse all week. "Oh thank you, sweet mother of God..." he said at a whisper. "Hey Maldonado? Chick Fight." Hank really wished he had a bag of popcorn right then.

Temperature: 83F (28C)
Humidity: High (Around 73%) - No Rain
Wind Speed: 12 MPH (19 KPH)
Cloud Coverage: Overcast

Mizrahi looked over and watched Thana for a moment before turning his attention to the rest of the room and letting his eyes wander. He seemed to hold the same expression towards the rest of the room as he did Ash, there was no difference. Save the small smirk when he got to Checkbook and her little wager going on. A few thoughts going through his head but Mizrahi wasn't a big talker, so he kept his mouth shut. The kid seemed to be taking her up on the bet. Major stood there watching, it was the day before the Quarantine was over, everyone would be going to bed shortly. Tomorrow would be busy. Victor was sitting there, he had been in the room when the information had been dumped about Newnan. (Forgot about him earlier but yeah he was there since he was a member of Newnan.) He looked more distraught after hearing they had files from the city. Left the question - just what was he worried about? Whatever it was, it didn't seem it was something he was talking about.

Nikki smiled before blowing a bubble with her gum and popping it. Sucking the gum back into her mouth she lined up her shot. Pulling back on the stick, she took her shot finally. Cueball went forward, hitting the eight-ball, and there went the eight-ball into the pocket. The cueball rolled but stopped before going in. Game was Nikki's. Righting herself she leaned against the pool stick and grinned. "I win," she said with a small smile before resting the stick on the table and strolling over to Hunter. Pulling her hands behind her back, she laced her fingers and bounced slightly on the balls of her feet. "Pay up," she added as she looked up at him. Being as Nikki was only five foot four inches tall, Hunter stood a good half a foot taller than she did.

A few minutes later Atticus came in and looked around, spotting Thana and Mizrahi. He headed towards Mizrahi first and the two exchanged some quiet words. A gesture was made in the direction of Victor. "You'll be with him tonight," he said and Mizrahi nodded. Moving over to Thana and Ash he grinned like a cat that had just caught a mouse. "Hey, Holloway your things have been moved to Room 8," he said towards Ash before turning his attention to Thana. "Your in room eight as well. I have been told to remind you two of the doctors orders," he said chuckling before walking off and heading towards the door. (We will end day and start the final day in Quarantine next round!)

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Curling up more fully against Ash, Thana rested her head on his shoulder and nestled her brow against the side of his neck. People were talking, watching movies, and other things in the room but Thana wasn't paying attention to them. Her fingers lightly going up and down Ash's forearm, watching the way the hairs moved. It was just a small thing but she was soaking it in. As Ash spoke to her she nodded. "Yeah me too. Wasn't for him, I'd have been out there alone," she said softly. Her brow perked a bit and she smirked. "Might just make you carry me e'erywhere for the next week," she teased about his comment to hold her all day. "Ain't movin', I'm all weak and injured." The first part she had said seriously, she wasn't moving. The last part she tried to say with a straight face but failed and snort chuckled. Yeah, she was injured, but she was hardly too weak to reach over and pick up her own damn meal. She just wasn't doing it.

Thana's eyes went over to Atticus as he came into the room, watching him go over to Mizrahi first. "Must be about room assignments," she said quietly. She was right as Atticus came over to them next. Lifting her head her brow perked a bit. Ash's things were moved? Then she understood why. He was moved from wherever he had been sleeping into a new room, one she was apparently sharing with him. Her lips tightened as Atticus reminded them of the doctors orders. "Last time Doc gave me an order I ended up pullin' an IV out of my arm and got out of bed," she muttered under her breath as she rested her head back down on Ash's shoulder. She wasn't lying. Doc had been adamant about her staying in bed a lot longer than she had to recover. Martins were good about following the chain of command, they weren't good about following doctors orders. "Hand me my food please, I'm gonna need energy," she said with a smirk.

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Tatiana looked over towards Jack and nodded, reaching up and running her fingers through his hair lightly. "Da, is good idea," she said quietly before leaning in and kissing her husbands cheek. She agreed it would be good for Jamie to at least visit the grave, and she thought more than once would be good. Over the years if it was possible. Jamie was named after James for a reason. The man had meant a lot to the both of them, to a lot of people. Ash ran Newnan sure, and Miss Sally was the glue that kept things together but James, James had kind of been the spirit of Newnan. There were few people he didn't get along with and even those he didn't it was never anything bad. Well that was until the entire Richard thing. Okay, so there was one person that James had major issues with. More than Major. Huge, epic. At least Richard wasn't buried her. She could see Ash and Jack sneaking out of CMB to dig up that grave and dump his ass in a sewer. She'd probably have helped. Not that she ever had a major issue with Richard back then, she was one of the few that had gotten along with the man but she was a different person back then. She'd have helped because if they have been caught digging up a body she was better at lying than they were.

Smiling she took her husbands hands and placed them on her waist. "Right about here," she said as she draped her arms over his shoulders. She did still want to dance with him but something close and slow right now would do. She felt he needed the comfort and warmth right then and she could use it as well. As strong as she was and as able as she could be to lock down a lot of emotions, she still needed comfort just as others did. Jamie was fine right then, Wayne was doing a hell of a job watching the kid. The man seemed to be like a pitbull with Jamie. Sure, Wayne would probably have no problem ripping someones throat out, probably with his own teeth if need be, but with Jamie he was a cuddly as a bear. Thank god not a love bear, but like a cozy teddy bear. Pulling herself closer she rested her head against Jacks shoulder and danced slowly with him. "I love you," she said. It had been a while since she had said the words out loud.

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Well, well, well. Look at all the couples around. One couple dancing, one snuggling, others doing other things, and some really awkward youngsters by the pool table. Ain't it sweet. Almost enough to make a man gag if he wasn't already dealing with an overly drooly baby in his lap. "Look at all the yucky stuff your ass has to look forward too when you grow the fuck up," Wayne said towards Jamie in baby talk. What was it about babies? They could turn the toughest most mentally deranged people into babbling idiots. Wayne was a prime example. "Don't you dare try to school this damn kid yet. Rome fell, let it go," Wayne chuckled as he bounced Jamie on his knee now that the drool was temporarily taken care of, it would be back, it would always be back as long as the kid was teething. The camp better stock up on towels because it was going to get messy. At least the boy didn't seem like he was in any pain right now.

Wayne looked over towards Erica and smirked. "Yeah, little bugger ain't difficult. Just like a drunk. Keep 'em clean, make sure they don't knock themselves out. Then when they gotta eat and crap turn them back over to their parents. Ain't that right? That's right. You shit you're daddies problem again." Wayne nodded and Jamie laughed as the stupid way that Wayne was talking, not like the kid understood what was being said but Wayne was rather animated in his baby babble. Looking over to Hank he quirked a brow. "Where?" he asked before looking around. Then he spotted Beatrice and Thalia. "My money's on the One Armed Valkyrie."

Wayne would have said more but then there was a noise and his eyes widened in horror. Jamies face started turning red. "Oh fuck..." Wayne said quietly as he gripped the child under each arm. Leaning forward he stood up slowly. Jamie's lips pursed and there was another gurgling noise but it wasn't coming from the kids mouth. It was coming from much further south. Jamies knees came up as Wayne carefully started walking towards Jack and Tatiana. "Hold it little Kick Ass, just five more..." Wayne said, he would have finished with seconds but it was too late. Jamies face contorted more and he Kamehameda'ed but rectally. One could head the force at which it hit the diaper. Thing was, it was soo much and so hard and so fast the diaper couldn't contain it and it went in the only direction it could go. "Mother of GOD!" Wayne yelled as he ran over to Jack and Tatiana and held the kid out to them. The back of Jamies white onsie was quickly turning green and brown and muddy but oh man it didn't smell like mud. It smelled like raw sewage. "Your turn!"

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"Yes, I know." Amelia replied to Riley with a small content smile as she enjoyed the calming presence of the other woman." But... I didn't want to think about it until now." She added quietly, her eyes closed as she did so." It stirred too much emotions I didn't want to think about... now... we can slowly talk about it." Amelia added, deciding to take some baby steps with it. She nodded when Riley agreed that they should visit the graveyard when they got the chance. It was currently the only way to get some proper closure right now. Though she supposed it was still a little early to form too grand a plan since, well they weren't yet told who's staying here and who wasn't.

Then she simply kept a quiet, snuggling against Riley, listening to the noise about the Conference room. People each were doing their thing." Nah... Let's just stay here... Already missed most of the movie anyways. Will take the chance to rewatch it another time." She added, before she noted that some bigger movement was happening and opened her eyes, only to spot Wayne moving away form the movie with Jamie in his hands as if holding a bomb." Hm?" She made a sound as she heard what Wayne talking and then moments later an explosion did happen. Amelia barely stifflied a giggle at the scene of Wayne hurrying with Jamie towards the kid's parents. More laundry to do later it seemed. Heavy duty loundry at that. Her nose slightly wrinked at the smell and she looked at Riley slightly amused." Can't say I expected this to happen today."

It wasn't every day you saw a diaper fail at it's creator given duty quite so spectacularly after all! The spectacular nature of this event didn't retract from the raw sewage smell though.

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Beatrice stared for a slight moment as Thalia took off her shirt, considering what her end of the bet would be. "Alright, but we might need to define people at some point," she quipped. There were a few ideas bouncing around in her head as to what she would want from Thalia if she were to win, but Beatrice wasn't going to just go out and say that. Instead, something more harmless and amusing came to mind. "If I win, every time someone enters or leaves the room for the rest of the week, you have to do five seconds of jazz hands," Beatrice wagered. She stretched her neck slightly, before deciding there was little point in just waiting around for Thalia to start the match. It was time to just get straight to it.

She had set the O's aside and moved forward, managing to get a hand on Thalia. Her intention was to flip her and pin her to the mat, similar to what she had done to Hunter the other day. Everything was going according to plan, her technique was fine - that was, until halfway through the flip her arms gave out. At least the stakes on this spar weren't too high and she knew it was far from over, just from a botched move. The point of this really was to kill time and get her energy out anyways. And if her skin ended up pressed up against Thalia's? Well... she wouldn't complain. Though she wouldn't admit to anything more than that.

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Jack didn't complain at all as Tatiana positioned his hands - it was probably for the best. Knowing him, he'd go way too low or way too high and somehow, his hands would end up tied into a knot. He had the dancing skills of a drunk flying pig. As he slow danced with his wife gently, Jack couldn't help but smile as Tatiana put her head on his chest and told him that she loved him. It had been a while since she had said those words aloud, but he didn't think that meant she had fallen out of love with him or anything. She had been shy and skittish when they first met. Then she had become fearless. And now, she was a phoenix - life was all about change, Tatiana never really was going to stay the exact same no matter the circumstances. "I love ya too," he said with a grin.

He had been about to make a joke that he loved her more than coffee, only for his nostrils to be assaulted as Wayne ran over with Jamie. Thank goodness they were somewhere that Jack would be able to take his time changing the kid - that was one of the best perks of the settlement they were in. He could do proper diaper care without worrying about the undead coming after him, attracted by the poo scented to-go burrito Jamie had made himself into. "Yeah, my turn," he said with a chuckle, pulling away from Tatiana and taking the stinky little guy. "Ya know who ya remind me of when ya stink like that, Jamie?" he asked his son, not expecting an answer. "That's right - the Yankees!"

He gave Tatiana a quick smile. "Back in a sec," he said, not looking forward to cleaning Jamie but hey, someone had to do it and Jack wanted to give Tatiana a break.

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People were taking care of each other, Alexander thought as his eyes once again wandered around their little Paradise, locked behind guarded doors. The two young women took to their own, one comforting the other it looked like. Ashton and Thana Blue were having some private time with themselves over in a couch, both he couldn't think anything but that they probably deserved it. He didn't know about Ashton and what he had been dealing with, what he was still dealing with now, but he didn't need to speculate. He found himself in the proud and most certainly experienced soldier, seeing himself. Only that he didn't have anyone's warm embrace to comfort him when he came back home…

Thalia and Beatrice were doing their own thing, something…The O's? Alexander had to chuckle at the sight, his thoughts immiedatly drawn back to Eden and that cabinet they found weapons, ammo and cans of spaghetti soup. And the rest were tending to their own, which they should. Alexander returned his attention back to his little group of people and the one of them he knew best. Manny had asked him if he was all right, and Alexander nodded. Without saying anything at first, Alexander turned to Manny and placed his hand on his shoulder, just as a sign that he was there. "Yeah, I'm good. Just been a long day and week in general, but I've seen worse." Alexander reassured his fellow Baby Boomer, letting his answer sink in before he returned the question. "You? How are you holding up?"

There was something going on back on the floor…was Thalia and Beatrice fighting? Alexander looked in confused shock at first, looking back and forth between them two and Manny at his side, before slowly realizing they were only sparring. Nobody were going to intervene, so apparently everyone was okay with this. And looking at the two of them have that friendly fight, Alexander was okay with it too. As long as they didn't get too badly hurt. "Haven't seen a good practice fight for a while, or been in one. Used to practice close-quarters like that way back when…Perhaps I need some practice?"

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"Don't think I could spoil a movie like that, even if I wanted to. Spoil him how? Tell him how we ended up here in the present?" Nigel "Hadrian" replied to Erica as the group had that more or less serious conversation about the movie, little Jamie and themselves. As mentioned, he hadn't seen this one, so spoiling it would be pretty hard. Even if he had a degree in Ancient History and knew more about the subject than everyone combined in that room. Perhaps not the entire settlement, but close.

Nigel had to agree with Erica, Wayne was damn good with the kid. Like young Alexander of Macedon, who tamed the wild horse nobody else could, it was a sure surprise to behold. Nigel thought back to his earlier assumption of Wayne, wondering how their modern Caligua had been as a 'normal' person. Who were his family? But Nigel let the thought wander off, seeing Hank's revolted face and rolling his eyes while smiling. Hmm, perhaps Nigel "Hadrian" was starting to get to his unwanted rival too? Or perhaps they weren't so bad? Nigel didn't expect Hank telling him so, and nodded back to him. "Let it be so, then."

Finally Wayne made contact with Nigel "Hadrian", and he did not fail to impress him. "We'll see, Wayne. Someone's eventually got to teach him about the cornerstones of Western Civilization and swinging swords, you know?" Nigel defended himself, switching between watching the movie and little Jamie. He noticed the fighting as well, but like earlier none of their guards intervened, and so he let it drop. He wasn't going to object orally this time, 'less things turned bad. Which they did, but not for Beatrice or Thalia. Nigel watched as Wayne rushed over to Jamie's mother and father while the equvalant of Mount Vesuvius erupted. "And that's why I taught highschool kids."

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Manny was glad to hear his friend was doing well. Out of everyone here Manny figured he worried most about Alexander. Not because he saw him as weak, but because he was a strong man who had seen some pretty fucked up shit even before all of this started, and like many people Manny had known who had returned from that war, they all struggled with how they felt. So they put on strong faces until they couldn't take it anymore. "I'm glad to hear that." He said with a smile on his face. When his fellow baby boomer returned the question to him Manny wasn't really sure what to respond at first. "I'll be fine. Mostly just worried about what happens if someone doesn't get accepted here. Then I have to wonder, how should I react to that? What if it's someone we know? Or... Someone who wont make it far on their own? And if everyone here does get in, then what? Just from what I have seen this week, it seems that some of these people are going to have more trouble fitting in then others." He spoke just loud enough for his friend to hear, he didn't want to let too many of his concerns be shared out in the open for all to hear. But he figured Alexander would probably have a better understanding then many in here.

When the topic moved to something a little more pleasant Manny relaxed more. Beatrice and Thalia seemed like they were having a good time with one another. "If you need a sparing partner, I am afraid you may have to look elsewhere. Those days for me ended long before either of them were born." Manny motioning towards Beatrice and Thalia. "Didn't change the fact that those fights were fun as a youth." He spoke with a chuckle. He did leave out that some of those sparing fights for him as a youth were more then just sparing when he was younger. Sometimes they were more then that, sometimes people got hurt. Though that thought upset him, there were fun moments back then he found fun. "There seem to be plenty of former military here and others of the sorts, maybe one or two of them can spar with you? I'm sure that some of them would be up for it." Manny's moment of solidarity of his friend is a more positive state and him looking back on positive memories was ended with the smell and explosion of the little baby's diaper exploding in Wayne's hands on his way to the parents. "Dear god, now I remember why I never had kids." He said with a pained laugh. Though it wasn't the actual reason, it was definitely a supporting factor.

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She made the shot, perfectly. Hunter expected as much, but he didn't feel as ready for it as he would have liked. Nikki was nice, and sweet to him, and still fairly competitive. It was little things, but she reminded him of someone he used to love. He was scared to commit at this point, but what else could he do? When she stood on her heals waiting for her prize for winning he froze for a bit, a face of blank confusion on his face. What if this was a trick? Something to catch him while he was weak or emotionally vulnerable? What if this was something that Maddoc set up? Or the General guy? What if this was all a ruse to make him speak up about things he lied about, things he might share if he decided he could trust Nikki? Could she really be that devoted to this place?

In the end, that didn't stop him. He leaned in awkwardly at first, slowly trying to figure out if this was just a quick little kiss, or if it was something more? He decided to keep it safe though. He leaned down just enough so that he could give her a kiss. He did a light kiss on her lips, debating if it should be something more then that. Hunter didn't even notice the foul mess that had happened in their small room. Though he found himself holding the kiss longer then he meant to though thinking about how to react now to Checkbook. He eventually pulled back, calm and slow, and found himself looking into her eyes.

Hunter had many skills in combat, guns, and other things to really put fear into the hearts of his enemies when left unchecked. But this... was harder. Much harder. Did he mess this up? Did he make things awkward? Did he just let himself get close to someone when there was a high chance that he was going to get kicked out himself by tomorrow? All alone... But then if he stayed, what did that mean for... them. Were they going to be friends? Something more? God he hated trying to figure this out. This girl here, Nikki, was one of the few people he had met since all of this started that had been nice to him, or haven't tried to manipulate him. And he wasn't sure how to react. In that moment for that kiss, he completely forgot his fears about this being a trap. "Huh." He said with a soft look on his face. The confusion seemed gone, the fear seemed gone, he felt, relaxed. He felt... Safe.

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Riley looked towards Amelia and nodded towards her and just curled up next to Amelia for a moment while she looked towards the TV screen while the movie played. It was a lot to take in all at once, and it was their home for awhile she just wished that there were more people that came out from it all as well. It was only just them that had survived since Newnan fell, as she watched Wayne for a moment as he held little Jamie which was still surprising since the man did seem to be pretty unstable since being in quarantine this whole time. But it was good that the baby seemed to trust him well enough as well.

Then Wayne seemed to get up and started to run over towards Tatiana and Jack, and couldn't help but laugh slightly as he went to hand the baby over. And then a few seconds later the baby started to shit, and the makeshift diaper started to fail which made her laugh a little bit. She was glad that she didn't really have to worry about cleaning babies diapers either as she leaned back a little bit and looked over towards Amelia. "That was kind of entertaining actually." Riley said softly towards her, and gave Amelia a slight nod they would be able to go to see the gravesites as soon as they could get out of here. "We can talk later tonight then if you'd like as well." Riley said softly towards Amelia.

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Erica looked towards Beatrice and Thalia for a moment when Hank mentioned a cat fat, it looked like it was more just friendly sparing to her which was just as fine. "My money is on the one who pinned the kid down on day one." Erica said smirking slightly as she leaned back and turned her attention back towards the movie as it continued to play, when Wayne got her attention. She shrugged slightly she had raised a baby in the past, she didn't really think his analogy fit well, and shrugged slightly. "You do know that Rome and Greek culture is pretty much everywhere right? Like D.C. a lot of the monuments have Roman architecture." Erica said pointing out towards Wayne as he baby talked to little Jamie.

Then she noticed the all knowing look that Jamie was about to take a huge number two and started to laugh slightly as Wayne got up and started to make his way towards Tatiana and Jack as he tried to hand him off like a radioactive football. She turned her attention over towards Nigel when he pointed out why he taught high schoolers than kindergartners. "I'd rather deal with roudy kids then rebellious teens in my opinion though." Erica said with a slight shrug as she turned her attention back towards the movie.

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There was a lot going on. Most of the activity was clustered around the television, which was one of the most normal things that Ash had seen in a long time. It was so normal, in fact, that it might have thrown him off like a giant red flag. The truth was that he didn't care about flags right then. Ash had been the guy responsible for everyone else for a while now. After the interviews and the briefings, the shock of all of them both positive and negative, he really didn't care anymore. So much to process. And he would do it soon enough, as befit the more resolute, responsible elements of the man. Maybe he'd even let a thought or two ricochet around in the back of his brain in the interim, but Ash's primary focus remained with Thana. He caught her witticism about being weak and injured, even joining her with a small chuckle. Yeah, she probably had to take it easy for a while. No, he didn't expect that she would because someone told her to. If she wasn't moving, it was because she flat out didn't want to. "So that carrying you around... Is that an official job offer?" he remarked with a smile, holding her gently and close.

Their embrace did shift a little as Atticus entered the room. Room assignments. That made sense, considering that both Thana and Mizrahi had only just arrived officially and, like the rest of them, probably wanted someplace to rest. What raised an eyebrow at first was the news that his things had been moved from his assigned room. Granted, most everything that he possessed at that time was on loan from Mexico Beach, but it was the principle of things. Room 8. When he learned that the room was also assigned to Thana, and not an additional third, his other eyebrow elevated to join the first. Ash's faith in a higher power had been tested with the events of the past year and a half. This was another very recent thing that helped to restore it.

Sadly yes, he remembered the Doctor's Orders. Ash listened to Thana mumble her opinion on the subject of the imperative statements of medical professionals but declined to comment, simply content that she lay her had back on his shoulder. Taking things easy was important sometimes. It seemed like none of them had many opportunities to do that as of late.

When Thana finally relented and politely asked for Ash to get her food, he tried to do so in a way that kept her as close to him as possible. One arm cradled her to him as he leaned forward, carefully grabbing the plate in front of them and returning to repose. He held the plate in front of Thana in such a way that she had to move as minimally as possible to eat, if she so desired. As he kept it steady, Ash casually inquired, "Those two usually that scrappy?" concerning the other women of Team Eden, now engaged in fisticuffs. He shrugged. "Yeah, staying out of that one. You eat up, I'll hold it steady for you." Ash looked at Thana and smiled warmly. Sometimes, life handed you a good day. This was one of them.

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A hint of a grin formed on Thalia's face. It might have turned into something a little more toothy given the opportunity, but Beatrice was fast. Of course, Thalia knew this as well as anyone. It was a solid plan to snatch her up unaware and slam her to the ground, getting a pin in without a prolonged fight; especially considering that the young mestiza had spent a good portion of her energy in training that day. She might have gotten that pin, too, except that something slipped.

Maybe if Beatrice didn't have that one instant of falter, things would have gone differently. Far be it for Thalia to not seize the opportunity presented; be it only a sparring session, her instinct and philosophy was to go for the kill as presented. When the flip began to err, Thalia shifted her body weight to land on her feet. Inertia carried her down to a crouch where she shifted her balance outward. Thalia's steel, prosthetic arm hooked out, connecting solidly with the back of Beatrice's knees, taking her legs out from under her and sending her parallel to the ground before she landed.

Growling in a manner common to her familia, Thalia leapt. She was on top of Beatrice in an instant, sitting on top of her supine form with a predatory glare, as if her mind had switched to a more primal, purer survival mentality. Thalia's fully functional left hand arced its fingers, gripping Beatrice's collarbone while her shirt-wrapped metal hand poised above her as if ready to break larger objects into smaller ones.

The growl was soon replaced with a suggestive smile as Thalia sat atop Beatrice, panting slightly, with a sheen of perspiration from her earlier workout. Her arm remained above, ready to strike. She knew full well that Beatrice would exploit any opportunity available. Even respected her for it. So Thalia wasn't going to move until someone called it. It didn't stop her from giving a little wink to the woman she was straddling, though.

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So much of loving, touching humanity going on around them, and Hank's big eye-grabber was off to the side of everyone else, attempting to hurl one another to the floor. In sports bras. There wasn't quite as much hair whipping about as those campy 1980's movies led Hank to believe; of course, there never was. But it still drew his eye anyway. It was a sort of battle between the works of Mel Brooks and the chick fight, both vying for Hank's undivided attention. He waved away the sentiment of the moment, torn between his admiration of the film and he desire to see the Apocalypse Edition of Foxy Boxing. Wayne mentioned his pick for the big throwdown, Erica disagreed. Hank was verily poised with a lack of caring as to who came out on top, just so long as it looked good in the meantime.

Suddenly, and out of the blue, a wild card snatched up the breath of the room. It was Wayne - or not specifically Wayne, persay, but the giggling bundle of "Oh dear GOD is that the ankle-biter?"

The ability to concentrate on either of the fun and entertaining things going on in the room was diverted by the shitsplosion from little Jamie. Wayne had no problems handing him back off to his father, and no one could blame him. The whole ordeal reminded Hank of an occasion or two from back when he was a father... which opened up an ugly psychological door for him. There were occasions that the only way out was through, like his dream from earlier. Shovel Knight. Yeah, that was an arrow in his chest. That and the baby. And the girl playing pool that would have been about his daughter's age with that similar hair. And every damn body seemed to be in love anymore. Yeah, he didn't need to be around this right now. He really didn't.

Rising fully from his recliner, Hank made his way over the a goofy but well-meaning guy who the baby would one day begin to look an awful lot like. "Yeah, hey there, um... Jack, right? Okay Sport, once upon a time I was a fairly okay father. Lemme give you a hand with this while the little lady (oh um, Hi there ma'am) cools her heels. I gotta get used to being around ...tiny people... again anyway. Community, right?"