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

Nikki stood there waiting for her reward for winning the pool game. A cheeky little grin playing on her lips. It was a good thing she had worked in CMB for a while now, she had smelled plenty of rotten things in her life so far. Between that and rotten corpses trying to eat your face a kid assplotion wasn't really anything to take note of, anyways her attention was Hunter. She managed to hold still, not leaning in as he did, simply waiting for him to pay up. Her eyes drifting close as their lips touched and pulsing gently against his. As he pulled back she stayed there and grinned before her eyes opened. "Mmm, not bad, I'll have to whoop you more often," she said with a bit of a wink. It wasn't a deep kiss or anything but it was nice and points for not trying to rob her of her gum as she started chewing again.

Checking her watch, the Major noted the time. "Time to turn in, tomorrow is a big day," she said motioning for people to start filing out for the night and head to their rooms.

"See ya tomorrow," Nikki with a grin before turning around. She started to walk towards the door to take her position but she did a little victory cabbage patch dance as she did, kicking up her skateboard from against the wall and tucking it under her shoulder.

Major just rolled her eyes and propped the door open. "Come on," she said as she took point and started to lead everyone out of the Conference Room. Nikki would take the read point and double check the doors once everyone was in their assigned rooms. Glancing over towards Thana and Ash she smirked. "Bow-chica-wow-wow," she teased. Mizrahi ruffled Nikki's hair as he walked by and into his room. Victor following close behind him. Locking their door, Nikki stuck her tongue out at Mizrahi right before she did and then moved on to the next.

(Alright, end of day peeps - tomorrow will start the new day, turn in and all that jazz.)

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Thana looked over towards Ash and snuggled a bit closer to him. "Sounds more like a reward fer ya than a job," she said as a smile tugged at the corner of her lips. Not to say it wouldn't be a reward for her as well, it would. Letting out a slow breath, Thana just took a moment to try to enjoy them being together like this. It was hard though, especially when Jack and Tatiana's spawn decided to blow out the back end of his diaper. Looking over at the couple as Wayne handed off the child, Thana looked up at Ash. There was a lot the two didn't know about each other, some very personal things that they really needed to talk about. Things she would have liked to talk about but they had never had the chance. Things she needed to tell him before tomorrow because it could make or break them. The biggest one being that even if he ever wanted to have kids or raise a child she would drop him like yesterdays walker no matter how much she loved him. Kids was the break deal for her and it was the very reason she hated her dead sister with the fire of a thousand suns. Anything else she would be willing to work through, kids she wouldn't. Not even someone elses. Protect people yes; raise a child, have a child, never. Many things in a persons past one could work through, somethings scared you deeper than anything and never left you.

Taking the food from Ash as he handed to her, she ate slowly. Pacing herself. "Trainin' keeps them strong, fightin' brought us together but honestly, they just need to fuck and get it over with," she said. Her voice started off quietly but it grew in volume as she spoke, a smirk growing on her lips as she did. Taking another bite she chewed and swallowed her food. The food was good but it was way better than it had a right to be, granted that was how things were. When you hadn't eaten in a while a can of dog food could taste like a five star meal. Sighing to herself she looked up at Ash as her thoughts went back to the fact they really needed to have one hell of a heart to heart. The Conference room wasn't the place but at least they would rooming together tonight, alone. Thana then said the three words most people dread. "We gotta talk." She left it at that for now.

When the Major said it was time to head to bed, she looked at Ash and wrapped her arms over his shoulders. "A'right, giddy up," she teased him. There was a playful look on her face. He didn't have to carry her, she was more than capable of walking on her own. That didn't mean she wanted to and that she was going to throw away a chance to be carried. Screw that. Especially if everything changed tonight, she wasn't about to throw away a chance to be in his arms. Looking over at Nikki as she spoke in their direction she rolled her eyes and gave the girl a look, it wasn't harsh but it did say don't push it. More like a big a sister would look at a little sister if she was caught wearing her sweater.

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Tatiana blew out a breath as Wayne came over and handed over Jamie to Jack. "Yes, your turn. Have fun," she teased as she held her nose. She was more than happy to let Jack change Jamies diaper. She had changed plenty of them when she was on the road alone. Staying out of the way she watched and thought back to some of the numerous diapers she had changed when she was alone. One stood out, when she had to perch up in a tree in the middle of winter when Jamie was a newborn. That was one she hoped she never had to repeat. It was a dark time but little did she know that times would get a lot darker for her and Jamie before they got better. They were better now though. They were here and hopefully they would stay here. There were some things that Tatiana didn't like about CMB but there was a lot she did like. Sure safety was never guaranteed but this place was the best place they had seen since Newnan had fallen. And if they had the resources to put Thana back together, it said a lot.

Looking over at the Major announced it was time to turn in for the evening she nodded and wait for Jack to finish changing Jamie before starting to head for their room. Last night. Tomorrow would be the deciding moment. She wondered how they would go about it. Would they just tell them if they were in or out, would there be a review, would it be public if there was, would they make them chose first and then let them know out of those that chose to stay if they were chosen? Would any of them know what the other said? And what about Thana? And the paper work that CMB now had from Newnan? How much of that would go with what everyone had said. Tatiana glanced around and wondered just how much what she had said would back fire on the others. In the end, she oddly found she didn't care. As long as Jamie was safe she would throw them all under a bus, herself included. Kissing Jack and Jamie Tatiana laid down in bed and went to sleep. Tomorrow was a new day and perhaps the start of a new life.

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"All yours daddio," Wayne said as he handed off Jamie to Jack. "Oh please, the Sox are fully displayed in that butt blow out," Wayne smirked as he walked away. "Only team worse, the Cubbies and even they can do better." Wayne chuckled as he looked over towards Hank. "Oh let him wipe the kids ass, being a Beaner he's gotta be used to it," Wayne added, poking fun. He wasn't malicious about it but the man had spoke out against the Yankees and well, a good New Yorker couldn't let that slide. Granted, had this been in a bar in the Bronx that would have gotten Jack a bottle upside the head but hey, they were at the beach and he was for lack of a better term - retired. So vocal pushes were about as much as he was going to do towards Jack. Though that really was more for Jamie and Tatiana. Jack put off a weird vibe to him, nothing bad but there was something going on there and he did like Tatiana and Jamie. So for them he played nice. Plus he didn't want Tatiana to kick his ass.

Looking over at the Major he grinned. "Sweet, clean air," he laughed as he began to stroll towards the door. Last day of quarantine tomorrow and he would find out if his seeing things would keep him out of the place. From what he could gather he didn't know but as far as he knew his interview went pretty good and it was a hell of a lot faster than most people's. He was actually surprised that no one had been tossed out already all things considered but hey, these people had a way about them and he did want to get to know that little dish known as Daytona a bit more. Who knew, maybe he could enjoy a long walk on the beach. Ugh, sand in his shoes. Now worries, it would wash off. Okay, bed, snore, tomorrow. Walking into his room he flopped down on the bed and was out fast. God love being an old man with emotional issues, made sleep come fast. At least he wasn't farting tonight.

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Amelia smiled to Riley and nodded at her comment and suggestion that they should speak about the important stuff later when they are in their room alone again. Following the surprise chemical warefare deployed by the tiny survivor, to Amelia there didn't seem to be much of anything special happening before the Major woman called for them that it was time to get back to the rooms and call it a night. Amelia was a little bit confused at first, but then realized that time must have slipped a lot faster than she had expected it to. In a blink of an eye it was already time to go to bed and tomorrow it was going to be the big scary day." Guess it's time to head back to the room." She said softly to Riley and threw her a glance, waiting for a moment, before standing up and slowly heading towards the room, making sure to not separate from her lover too much. This was great for her, especially since she wanted to return to the room for a little while now.

As they got to the room, she changed into what she was going to sleep with and just laid down on the bed without moving for a moment. She was tired both physically and mentally to a degree. While it wasn't the most stressful or the most filled with surprises days of her life, it still carried a lot of punch, especially with all the more negative experiences resurfacing. She closed her eyes for a moment and sighed. Then there was the fact about the big day tomorrow. Hell she felt like it was the first day of highschool all over again, only like 50 times worse.

Finally she gave Riley a good night kiss and then laid back down on the bed, relaxing, looking at her lover with a content smile." Good night, Riley." They were going to be fine... they had to be fine. She was going to be happy as long Riley was alive and well though, no matter what her own situation was. With those thoughts in mind she drifted off to sleep. Long day it had been and by the sounds of it tomorro was going to be even longer.

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Some people might have underestimated Thalia and thus had a great blow to their pride dealt - but not Beatrice. As Thalia knocked her knees out and sent her flying to the ground, Beatrice's self image remained intact. Thalia was a terrific fighter - the loss of a hand didn't change that. However, as Thalia growled and then came to be on top of her, Beatrice couldn't help but giggle slightly. As her friend shifted her aura from predatory to suggestive, Beatrice couldn't help but giggle and laugh even more. She wasn't normally the type to giggle when her friend was behaving like a dominatrix, but something about the situation just brought a genuine smile to Beatrice's face. She was about to make her next move, but it was time to turn in for the day. The spar would have to be resumed another time.

With Thalia still on her, Beatrice found herself saying the words before she could even really process them and decide whether or not that was a good move. "¿Qué tal en lugar de abrazarte, te follo?₁" Beatrice inquired, smirking slightly. She didn't know how Thalia would respond to that, but it had already been said. She couldn't take it back now. And there was a distinct chance that once quarantine was over, they'd never see each other again. Dying with regrets wasn't something she had in mind, so it was time to at least go for what she wanted. Besides, the last person she had slept with? Richard (Dick). Sleeping with Thalia would be a good palette cleanser.

Regardless of Thalia's answer though, once Thalia was off of her, she headed back to the room that they shared with Erica. And no, she wouldn't care if Erica was kept up all night by the two of them screwing. Beatrice had no shame.

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Jack tried not to look too grateful as Hank came over and offered help. It occurred to him that already, Hank had done more for Jack than Jack's father ever had. He tried not to dwell on that thought too much, nodding a bit. "Thanks, man," he said, looking a little bit relieved. Jamie had cooked up an excellent end of the day surprise for him and having someone to help him with it? That would always be welcomed. He rolled his eyes slightly at Wayne - Jack never had liked New Yorkers. Sure, the Yankees were horrible, but then the city was so large, sprawling, and cold. It wasn't the heart and soul of America's finest institution - Dunkin' Donuts! Hell, even the Rangers were terrible - Jack was a Bruins man, through and through.

Whether or not Hank gave up on helping as Wayne suggested, Jack would do his best to clean up little Jamie. Once everything was good and normality was restored, he turned in with his wife and child, returning Tatiana's kiss. He was excited for the next day - but at the same time, terrified. He wanted more than anything to keep his family together. He didn't like the idea of leaving Jamie at Mexico Beach without at least one of his parents - Jamie needed someone to look out for him, to protect him, to make sure that he was safe and grew up loved and cared for. Of course, he didn't like the idea of not being with Tatiana either - but if push came to shove, he would leave if it meant Tatiana and Jamie could stay. Their survival was more important than his own.

"I love ya, solovey," he whispered, getting into bed himself.

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Riley leaned back a little bit as she rubbed the stubble on her head a little bit while looking over at Amelia and smiled softly towards her girlfriend, and then she heard the Major that they would be getting ready for bed now. She nodded slightly as she got up from where she was sitting with Amelia and started to file out with the others. Heading down the hallway and into their room, Riley started to take off her clothes and started to get changed for the night looking over towards Amelia and smiled softly towards her. She went to go and brush her teeth, and then got into the bed.

Riley leaned forward and returned the kiss to Amelia and smiled at her. "Sleep well Amelia, I love you." Riley said softly towards her, tomorrow was going to be a pretty long and busy day apparently as well. As she rolled over and turned off the light, Riley pulled the covers over herself again and started to close her eyes again and quickly started to fall asleep again. Feeling comfortable and safe within the room now as well as she slept contently now.

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Erica watched between Thalia and Beatrice as well as the movie for a moment, and then shook her head slightly, she'd have to spend the night with these two. And knowing that they were most likely going to be fucking all night long she groaned a little bit, and looked over towards Nigel for a moment. When she heard the Major's voice that it was bedtime now, she got up and stretched slightly and cracked her neck slightly. "See you tomorrow." Erica said towards Nigel and smiled a little bit as she started to head out towards the room she shared with Beatrice and Thalia. As she walked down the hallway she looked at the two of them for a moment and shook her head slightly as she got into the room.

Erica started to get changed as quickly as possible and stuck her head out of the bathroom slightly. "If you two start fucking, i'll lock myself up in the bathroom." Erica said as she got ready and brushed her teeth quickly and then made her way over towards the bed and plopped herself down on the bed. Erica then pulled the covers over her head as and buried her head under the pair of pillows as well as she quickly crashed for the night.

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Ash raised an eyebrow. It seemed like he was doing that a lot lately. In this case, it was about Thana's assessment of her two former traveling companions from the Eden Team. Being a military man, Ash understood the concept of training. It was more than just strength training, it was also one of the best ways to alleviate terminal boredom. More important than a lot of people considered in either a long-term deployment or a survival scenario. Keeping the mind active by keeping the body active. Ash himself trained for the purposes of keeping himself fit, most of the time. The last time he devoted himself to dedicated training was when he was prepping to launch an assault on their enemies in Eden. He understood. But that one girl? She was pushing herself like she was getting ready for all out war, and seemed to enjoying it. He would have put money that something was wrong with her, but when he remembered what her father's surname was, it made perfect sense.

Fighting? That brought everyone together these days. Or blew them apart. Whichever one depended on the circumstances. But that last part threw him for a loop. Of course, the way that Thana was raising her voice like that, intentionally so that they could hear her, made him thing that she might have been kidding. Wait, no, she wasn't. Okay, officially none of his business. Those two did remind him of two other women from a while ago.

The mention of needing to talk was ominous. In his experience, that was generally code for "bad news a'comin' your way", and for the life of him, he didn't have any idea what it might be. Did he commit some hideous sin over the past few hours? Did she, over the time that they had been separated, and now need to confess something? Considering the hovering, growling, protective nature of the tall Middle Easterner, did he have something to do with it? Even that could be worked through. It had been a very long time and they had all been through a lot. Finding comfort in someone else might be understandable, considering things. Especially taking into consideration that they had no idea the other was alive after a year and a half. But even that was blind, paranoid supposition. Whatever it was, Ash was sure they could work through it. It was miraculous that they survived long enough to find each other again after all this time.

So really, this wasn't a huge deal, no matter what it was. Ash did as he was asked with regards to her command to Giddy Up, with a smile and a playful, "Yes, ma'am!" hefting her with careful vigor and carrying her into their room for the evening. Being locked in wasn't exactly a picnic, but Ash couldn't think of a person he'd rather be locked in with than Thana.

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Usually, when Thalia started working violence on someone, they didn't laugh at her. It wasn't unsettling, but it was a little disarming. If she had the ability to give Beatrice the finger without assistance or without loosening her grip, she might have. But the more that her opponent/friend giggled at her, the more goofy she felt. Okay, Thalia had a nasty habit of taking these things a little seriously. More accurately, she sometimes lost herself in the throes of fighting or other intense physical activity. Then Beatrice had to say something really interesting.

Thalia appeared to consider the proposal for a second. Her eyes lit up and the grip she had on Beatrice's clavicle softened considerably, her thumb absently tracing the line of it on her skin. She looked like she wanted to say yes, because why the hell not? It's not like opportunities like this came up very often, if Bea was even being serious right then. Thalia moistened her lips and opened her mouth to respond, but halted. The thought occurred to her that they didn't exactly have a private room. It was being shared with that former cop lady that came in with the sarcastic older men. She sighed, looking a little disappointed.

"Nah, Bea. Bet was for a hug. I'll let ya know when's a good time. Come on," said Thalia, rising from Beatrice and offering her a hand up (especially generous since she's only got one). Tomorrow was going to see a lot of changes and it was possible that, to grow stronger and adapt, Thalia was probably going to enlist. Or whatever they called it here. They needed to get into their assigned room anyway as the woman everyone called Major was about to impose lockdown. With a heavy and regretful nod, Thalia began to unwind her shirt from her metal prosthetic and filed away to her bedroom.

Thalia was preparing to settle in and get some rest, but first she needed to clean up a bit. Erica had beaten her into the bathroom, so there was a moment or two where she had to stand and wait, which she used mostly to stare at the door. Occasionally, she glanced over at Beatrice. Considered a withdrawn woman by most who knew her, Thalia was really more careful with her feelings. They came out at some of the oddest times, however, and usually in the form of anger or grief, like when they were assaulting the Eden complex and the pent-up frustration of her dead friends and family was visited upon those bastards; Thalia's face was a tear-streaked skull painting for half of it, colored with controlled rage. But somehow, when Erica popped her head out of the bathroom door just to tell them that she was planning on sequestering herself away because she suspected that they were going to start rubbing naughty parts, something clicked in her. Thalia's face got that predatory look again, like when she was sparring just earlier.

When Erica exited the bathroom and hopped into bed, content and happy, Thalia stalked into the bathroom. She freshened up as best she could in the sink, which was actually good as she was already accustomed to a more nomadic lifestyle anyway, and slipped into the shirt she had set aside earlier. Thalia opened the door and leaned in the frame, looking over to Beatrice with a dark smile below mischievous eyes. No one tells her what she isn't going to do, when her decision not to in the first place was to spare her any discomfort. This wasn't Thalia's style, but her hand was forced on this one.

"Yah know Bea, I take back what I said befoah. You're right. We need to get this out of the way or both of us are going to regret it lateh. Friend benefiting friend, zero strings. I say we marathon out a hot, loud, multilingual lesbian experience, and that we defile this bathroom first before we move it back out here." Shame wasn't high on her priorities right then, either. She looked to Beatrice after glancing sidelong at Erica, and said in a more sultry but mildly satiric voice, "My only question is, do you prefer the arm on? Or off?" She smiled wickedly, a light flush coming to her face. Yes, she was serious about the proposition. And yes, she was also doing this partially to mess with Erica. Thalia moved slowly over to Beatrice, taking her by the hand. Up close, it was apparent that regardless of the motivation to initiate, her want was genuine. "Come ahn, we'll figure it out as we go."

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Hank figured that he might have overstepped something, offering to help with the kid's four-alarm assplosion, by the way that Wayne was going on about it. Not the kind of guy who gave a rat's ass about the social niceties, but dealing with a man's son is different. Nothing made lifelong enemies like overstepping bounds with someone's shiny new kid. When the man responded with an affirmation, Hank could have breathed a sigh of relief. "Ah, don't mind that guy," he said, motioning to Wayne, "He means well. I'm mostly sure he means well. Ok, he means well today. Eh, he's a good guy. Be honest, I don't really keep up with baseball anyway. Now hockey? There's a sport worth getting worked up about."

He related a story or two about hockey, and the legend of the great Bobby Orr, while the diapering was taking place. Not just to get the father to focus his mind on something other than being elbow deep in baby crap, but also so that little Jamie had something to listen to while it all went down. Be it a verbal or a visual distraction, Hank's experience was to keep the kid disoriented while flipping out the huggies, of bad things could happen. "Yeah, anytime there, sport," he quipped, hoping to find scalding hot water to wash his hands with after performing that particular diaper assist.

Bedtime now, another end to the day, hopefully the last day he would spend sitting, mostly. Hank did prefer to keep himself useful with practical labor. The idea of learning to fish properly was also nice, as was formal boat operation. Tomorrow had possibilities. It always seemed to, but this tomorrow was special. Hank lay back and relaxed, letting sleep take him as swiftly as it dared. At least Wayne wasn't farting tonight.

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The well-being of Manny was something Alexander took serious, knowing from personal experience that the curse of age rarely favoured one's physical attributes, and could equally waste away one's mental well-being as well as restore it. It all depended on how screwed up you'd become in your youth and how you dealt with it afterwards, in Alexander's personal opinion. One which he clearly wasn't ready to share with anyone in the room, but his care for Manny would be a showing of it, so to speak. Alexander leaned in close as Manny spoke in a hushed voice about his concerns, nodding to what he said. "Let us hope for the best, but prepare for the worst then. Not much else we can do at this point, really…I don't know Manny…" Alexander could only answer feebly, trying not to think too much about it. But should he? It was a possibility. "Let's pray that we all get clearance, and this week in quarantine has been the worst hurdle of our journey."

Alexander had leaned back at this point when he stopped to looked with a surprised look at Manny, and smiling a little. Manny, a fighter? "Trouble with your patients, Denist Newman?" Alexander had to chuckle at the idea, but seeing how Manny had survived with the group didn't put the thought of Manny as a fighter far off. Alexander didn't respond to him at first, however, noticing what was going on with little Jamie. At first he began to laugh, but his laughter subsided at Manny's words of not having children. He forced a smile, but inside the words stung.

It was a good thing that they soon were told to head for their quarters, as Alexander's enjoyment of social interaction was rapidly declining. And he was tired, already so much had happened. Perhaps the briefing had drained him the most, or his new leg and adjusting to it? Alexander didn't want to dwell on that, and got up from his seat to make his way to his and Manny's room. There wasn't much Alexander wanted to say as he walked, except for a kind nod to Beatrice and Thalia as a sign of "good night girls", before he went to his bed. It was the same procedure as the nights before, now with the added prosthetic leg to take off. Soon Alexander knelt beside his bed, quietly praying once last time for the day as something he'd began doing again, before climbing back into bed. He wanted to sleep fast, he needed to. But before he closed his eyes and drifted off to another dream-filled sleep of past memories, Alexander said to Manny "Whatever happens tomorrow, whoever is allowed a place here or not, I think…I think we need to take it calmly, as God intends it. The decision probably already made, it's out of our hands. But I pray that whatever happens, it is for the best. For a better tomorrow…if He will's it. Good night, Manny."

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Nigel had to give Erika an impressed look at her defence of the importance of the Classical Mediterranean civilizations in Jamie's future curriculum, nodding both in agreement and approving of her words as he couldn't help but hold back a hushed laughter. Both of Erica and the little biological warfare Wayne was dealing with. "Then you can deal with the roudy kids at the start, and I can pick up where you left later on. Deal?" Nigel suggested jokingly to Erica, looking at her with a smile on his face as he saw she watched the tv, not him, and lowered his hand he had prepared to shake hers with. Still, it was quite amusing.

The gladiator duel that was taking place in the middle of the Conference room was still going on, with the one-handed lady being the clear winner of this first skirmish between friendly foes. Nigel "Hadrian" had to agree that it was probably a good idea for some training like that, and who knew? If he was accepted into Camp Mexico Beach, perhaps he could teach some the art of swordsmanship in return? Guns were good and all, but a good sword of steel would never let you down. Unless you were clumsy, like Nigel…For now Nigel didn't pick a fan favourite of the two fighting, perhaps next time.

When Hank left the couch surfers to be a dad, to Nigel's surprise, Nigel looked back at Mel Brooks movie still running on the tv. It was still okay, perhaps he really needed to unwind a little and not take it too seriously? Maybe. That would have to wait for the next day, as the Major ordered them all to their bunks for the night. Tomorrow, probably wouldn't be any unwinding then either way, regardless of what happened. Either they were all accepted and began their next step in integrating into the military society, or only some were and tensions would run high. Nigel looked back at Erica, giving her a smile back as she bid him farewell. "You too, Erica. Good night. In somnis veritas." Nigel said back to Erika, getting up on his feet and making his way to his and Hunter's room. On the way, he wondered what would be of the two fighting girls, Beatrice and Thalia was it? He hadn't payed much attention, but something was up…speaking of which, Nigel would ask Hunter as he got in his bed. "So, you've had a pretty decend day today, haven't you?" he asked the young soldier from his bed, closing his eyes and falling asleep while wondering about tomorrow. Not really worrying, but thinking of the possiblities, good or bad. On which side of the wall would Nigel end up on? The inside or outside? And would it be on his own accord, or against his wishes?

Tomorrow, the die would be cast.

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The day was over faster then Manny thought it could be. One moment, it felt like the day was dragging, worrying about who would stay and who would go, and now? It was over. Though he was glad that he was with his friend Alexander. He seemed to have a lot of good experience and knowledge, especially in areas where Manny might struggle. He reassured him that there was nothing that they could do right now, but no matter what happened, use their superior age and take things calmly and smart. No need to rush or make things worse. "Yeah, let's hope this week is the worst of it. Hopefully the world outside of here is as bright and cheery as we saw when we first came in." Though he imagined himself driving himself around in a golf cart, and he laughed at that. He never liked those things to begin with. Before the world fell, he figured either drive a car, bike, or walk. The golf carts seemed silly to him. Though maybe here they were more practical.

Manny noticed the surprise on Alexander's face when he mentioned he used to be a fighter, then asking about the context in a indirect way. "Nah, my patients were amazing. This was long ago in my youth. I was in something along the lines of... I guess a gang, something like a Greaser might be a good way to explain it." Looking back at those days, thinking how hard he thought those days were, then looking back now. He wondered which was worse still. Him and his people VS the world, or Him and his people VS the world VS the dead world? "To be honest, did some pretty fucked up shit back then. Part of the reason I became a doctor. There were good times back then though, but I am glad those days are over for me." It seemed that while he spoke Thalia had wont he match, though they were good sports about it. It was nice to see them having a good time with each other. Though he had a pretty good guess where things might go later tonight, at least he thought he did until there was some more conversation that Manny couldn't make out.

Heading back to their rooms Manny made his way to bed rather fast. He was an old man, so late nights and long days were not a thing he could handle as well as he used to. Alexander once they were settled into bed, gave Manny some words of reassurance, or as best as he could in this case. He was glad that no matter what seemed to happen, the old Vet would always be there to back him up in some way. Even though Manny wasn't a religious person, he respected what Alexander was saying. "Thank you." He said to his friend's words of wisdom. "Good night, tomorrow, is the big day we've all been waiting for." He went to sleep pretty soon afterwards, a nice calm dreamless night.

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Hunter wasn't sure what he expected. He wasn't normally someone that liked to get close to other people. He felt exposed, he felt weak, and with that, the kiss was brief. But like any other times he felt like getting close to someone, he felt weak, he felt exposed. The kiss was nice though, it was simple, and she seemed happy. Though she made a comment about how it needed work, and how she would win more from him. "Next time, we'll do something I actually have practice in." Ignoring the fact that he bragged about his days of mastering pool only moments before. The announcement came for them to go back to their rooms, time to go to bed, and then tomorrow, they got the news about who stayed and who had to go. He saw pros and cons to both, though not like he had much choice.

But if he did get a choice, he had to really think about it. Cons of staying in CMB, he had been threatened with being shot at least 3 or 4 times now, which he found odd as he still hasn't threatened anyone yet. Sure he blew up on the first day so there was some justification, but there were two times prior to that still. None of his questions have been answered yet, other then some minor clarifications in an interview, but nothing useful or relevant to questions he asked the first day. So another con, very one sided trust in his opinion. There were a lot of officers here, which normally wouldn't bug him but even with a battalion of 300 people, that seemed like a lot of officers, or at least high end of that. Plus one was a general. That rubbed him the wrong way. It all seemed off. He no longer was allowed to own any of the gear he fought, killed, and bled for. He found that frustrating. He wanted to be thankful for what they had so far, but the cons listed makes it hard to be thankful for all of this. It made him feel like a pawn, a peasant, an indentured servant to be replaced once he died. He wondered how much of his own person he would be once he joined, it was made clear that leaving if he didn't like the place in a week or two wasn't an option. So another con.

But the pros. He would get to eat again, something he struggled with for the last several months. His dog would get to eat, Izibell wouldn't be held back by him not being able to find something to eat. He'd have a roof over his head, something he didn't have many nights due to worn out and destroyed buildings struggling to keep up with the lack of maintenance. He would be able to get dry clothes from time to time, clothes without holes in them, clothes that didn't smell like shit. That would be nice. He looked up long enough to see Nikki leave. "See ya next time..." He said barely audible. Then there was Nikki, someone that he wanted to be able to trust. He missed that feeling. She was a pro he decided. No matter her intentions, or lack their of, she was a pro. He also stopped to consider his own issues with trust. Many people he struggled to trust because of how things went with his old unit, he wondered if a lot of his bias was because of that?

He barely noticed the walk back to his room. What he did notice was that no matter what he decided, someone else had probably already decided his fate, and he would get little if any say in the matter. Once back to his room, he was back with Nigel. The guy seemed nice enough, and Hunter liked him more then anyone else that came in with them. He gave him a chance, was polite to him, played pool with him, and had not threatened him or mocked his mother. Sure he knew he deserved some of it, but he liked the former teacher for not being apart of it. Once he laid down in bed the teacher asked him about his day. "Yeah, I'd say a good day. Better then any other days this week so far." He said with a laugh. Though not his sarcastic or sadistic laugh, a legitimate happy laugh. he stopped suddenly realizing that. It was something he wasn't use to. He liked it.

Temperature: 87F
Humidity: High (Around 83%) - No Rain
Wind Speed: 15 MPH
Cloud Coverage: Overcast

The last day of Quarantine. By the end of the day it would be over and people were either going to be settling into the camp itself or they were going to be shown the door.

Wake-up call for Ash and Thana came far earlier than anyone else, by hours. (It was still technically the middle of the night for them.) They were escorted by Major and Panama into the Conference room where Gunny was waiting on Thana. He had a large stack of paper work and one box. The box was filled with papers retrieved from Newnan. The stack was notes, blood work, personal records - all on the new comers. Thana was told to review all of these and give her recommendations. Her recommendation would go alongside others and presented to the General by 1200 hours for his final call on the matter. It was obvious that CMB didn't take lightly bringing in anyone new to the place.

Hours and hours later, the rest of the Quarantine group would be brought in by Nikki and Roy. Breakfast would be provided and then morning chores would happen. All four guards remained today; all armed. They hadn't been this watched over since they were brought in but it made sense. If things went south there needed to be more guards. If people got overly emotional, there needed to be more guards. Big changes usually meant that something could go wrong and there were 300 people outside of Quarantine that needed to be kept safe if anyone from this group decided to cause problems.

Mizrahi and Victor were brought in with the second group. Mizrahi looked over towards Thana as he came in, grabbing his breakfast and then going to check on her. "You okay?" he asked her as he pulled over a chair. Giving her space as she worked but wanting to be close enough if she wanted to talk. Victor on the other hand, grabbed his meal and went right back to where he had been sitting the night before. The man was placing more and more distance between himself and the others and seemed to be stressed.

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Thana let Ash carry her out of the room and back into conference. He wasn't originally going to be with her this early but he had offered and she could use an extra set of hands so she could let her leg rest. It was sore from having the pins removed yesterday. Things were tense between the two of them and Thana knew why. They had talked a lot of the night. About who they were, where they came from, things they would have gotten around to if Newnan hadn't fallen. Thana had to open up about one particular event that happened between herself and her sister when she was younger. It wasn't something she ever wanted to talk about, even now. It was something she couldn't bring herself to tell even her father until nearly ten years after it happened. It was something she hoped she would have to talk about again but last night, she had to tell Ash. He deserved to know, it would effect him and the choices he made.

Getting into the conference room, she looked over to the paper work and nodded. "Yes sir," she told her father as he handed over her side arm. She was on duty now. Sitting down she blew her hair out of her face and started going through the paper work. She handled it like she would any time she had in the past in the military. Promotion reviews happened every year. She had done this before and no matter her personal feelings she had to set them aside and do what was right for the community as a whole. Each one she went through one at a time, making notes in files as she went along. One stood out to her before anyone else arrived and she had to pull Ash in. "Seriously?" she said as she handed over the interview notes she was reading. It wasn't pretty and it would lead to a rather intense discussion in the process.

Though it was settled before the rest came in. Looking up she nodded slightly towards Mizrahi as he went to get his breakfast. Thana had already taken a few minutes to eat in the middle of going through the papers. Rubbing her face she closed a file and took out a blank report paper. It was time for her to write up her personal recommendations. Her eyes went back to Mizrahi as he came over and asked if she was okay. "As well as can be expected," she said as she wrote. Checking her watch, she had about three hours to get this done. Breathing in deeply, Thana caught the whiff of coffee in the air and it reminded her she hadn't had a cup this morning yet. Leaning over slightly Thana placed a kiss on Ash's shoulder. "Can you get mea cup, please, with a little salt?" she asked him quietly.

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Tatiana looked over at the door as it opened and nodded. Time to get up. Last day of quarantine. Slipping out of bed, she took Jamie and changed him. Getting him dressed and such. Giving Jack time to get up and dressed while she did before she handed her son over to him so she could get ready. Once she was dressed she put her hair up. As best as she could. It still had some growing out to do but not as much as others did. "No matter vhat, ve do vhat is best for Jamie," she said softly but firmly to Jack before they left the room. It wasn't like it needed to be said, but she said it anyways. Before they left their room and were around other people. Giving Jack a kiss she smiled at him softly and then headed out towards the conference room.

Walking in she spotted Ash and Thana, Thana looked tense and had a lot of paper work in front of her. It seemed that Thana and Ash had been there for a while already. There was a lot of paper work there and Tatiana recognized some of the files. They were from Newnan. Some she had written herself. Seemed though something more was going on and it made her wonder just what all was going on. (Not that others would pick up on that, unless they got a roll.) Mizrahi went over to Thana, and then Victor went off alone. Yeah, that didn't seem to be changing. He had changed and not for the better. He acted like this place was out to get him. Paranoia, it destroyed more things than anything in her estimation. Granted she was pretty paranoid herself but she wasn't going to make herself a target by separating herself from everyone. Especially with four, no wait, five armed people in the room. Major, Roy, Panama, Nikki, and now Thana.

The place was playing it smart. Making sure there were enough guard to cover people if things turned south. Being the last day of quarantine she figured it could get tense and someone could get pushed over the edge. Walking to get her breakfast she let her eyes dart around the room, watching people more openly than she had been over the past week. If someone tried to do something stupid she wasn't past putting them down to keep Jamie safe, screw whatever punishment came her way. Oddly though, Tatiana didn't looked worried about things. She felt rather calm about today. Sitting down with a plate for her and Jamie and waiting for Jack to bring the baby over. Breakfast, chores, then who knew what else before they were told how this was going to go.

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Morning! "Today's the day, today's the fucking day!" Wayne seemed happy. Like oddly happy. Sitting up in bed he stretched his arms over his head and grunted, made some ugly faces, burped, farted, the usual as he scratched his chest and smacked his lips before he stood up and started getting dressed. "Wanna lay bets down on who get in and who gets shown the door? Or better yet, who freaks the fuck out?" Wayne laughed as he pulled his shirt on and tucked it into his pants. He had some ideas. Most of the people were pretty middle of the road. "Shit, I'm betting I get kicked or locked up. Coins toss," he admitted and he seemed fine with either. Wayne, Zero fucks given people. The man had a bit of a death wish anyways. Live, die, stay, go, it was all the same to him.

Rubbing his face before leaving the room he did make a bit of a confession to Hank. "Though, if I gotta go, I will miss little ass kicker." Bit of a confession? No, it was a hell of a confession. Wayne had grown rather attached to Jamie over the last week and enjoyed hanging out with Tatiana and Thalia and training, well making a fool of himself but those two women and that kid had given Wayne some grounding over the last week and he was acting more normal than he had in a while, well as normal as Wayne could be. Wayne was never fully normally, even more he went nuts and started swatting at a blue bucked-tooth flying unicorn. Which he did as he was walking down the hallway towards conference.

Stepping inside he looked around. "Whoa, paperwork survived the end of the world," he said looking at the stacks that Thana was going over off to the side and away from the others. Well minus Ash, the man was with her. He smirked as he whistled something out of a porn show as he strolled over to get his breakfast. He watched Mizrahi walk over and pull up a chair near the woman and Victor go off to a corner. "On today's episode of As CMB turns," he laughed as he got himself a plate and a cup of coffee. It was all like watching a soap opera and he was loving it. Walking over to his recliner he plopped down and started shoveling food into his mouth, just watching the show. Who needed tv? This was life!

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The night passed and come morning it was time to get up and have breakfast. Amelia opened her eyes, at first gazing at the other side of the bed, searching for Riley. With that done, she slowly rose up and rubbed her face for a moment in a sleepy manner before a hand ran to her head almost by habbit. No hair, her expression froze for a moment, but it didn't last too much now. She just sighed as she pulled her legs over the side of the bed and looked about." Guess it's breakfast time. Today's the last day... Let's do our best, Riley." She spoke out as she stood up and moved in to quickly get dressed for the day. In her mind there were many things that could go wrong, but she didn't think that eitehr of them would be thrown out. Well maybe herself, she didn't feel like she was very useful overall, but who knew. Given they spent quite a bit of resources on them over hte last week, she was hopeful that they planned to take in most of them. Once she was dressed up, she washed her face and afterwards waited for Riley to be done also, so they could head for the Conference room together.

Over at the conference room, things seemed to be mostly the usual, if it wasn't for the fact there was paperwork there. Wayne even commented on it. Amelia didn't pay too deep attention to it, she just thought it was stuff like the interview results and so on. Anyway she just walked over to get her breakfast and then took herself a seat somewhere to the side. There was something off and it didn't take much to spot it. The armed people were more than usual. Today being the last day of the quarantine when some people would be thrown out, probably meant that passions might get high here. On this front Amelia wasn't too worried. She wasn't going to cause a scene... well wasn't planning to. She would however protect Riley, in the case something does happen. Who knew if someone from the others, might attempt something if they weren't approved. Her money was on the dog guy Hunter.

Still it was almost over with. She threw a look around the room. It probably wouldn't be too long before the 'results' are given out. Who stays and who leaves, Amelia's only hoped the most best for Riley and after her the best for the rest of Newnan crew.

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While some were waking up a mess of nerves and anxiety, Beatrice felt more relaxed and at ease than she had been in a long time. Her activities with Thalia the night before had been a great source of relief to the building tension - and a proper way, she figured, to most likely say goodbye to her friend. She didn't imagine that she would be here much longer. All she wanted to do was pay her respects at the graves and then she would be on her way. Sure, she had changed from the lone wolf who was just out to survive during her time with Newnan and the Eden Squad, but she wasn't an entirely new person. If she was going to live her life, it was going to be on her terms. She would die by those terms as well.

Hiding in the safety of Mexico Beach? That was a move that Beatrice would have done when all of this started. But now, as much as she knew that her life likely would be quick and short if she left, departing still appealed to her restless nature. Living in security would only make her weak - she needed to go out, to travel, to live and fight and sure, maybe she would die but at least she would be doing more than just surviving. She figured that if anyone would understand her decision, it would be Thalia. Manny and Alex, they probably would think that she was crazy. Thana - the jury was out on her. Maybe she would understand Beatrice's feelings about whether or not to stay, maybe she wouldn't. But unlike previous times when she had left large groups behind, she wanted to leave on good terms now. She cared about these people. Live or die, she didn't want to end things with bad blood between them.

"¿Alguna apuesta sobre quién va a ser pateado en la acera, chica?₁" Beatrice asked Thalia with a smirk, once they were out of the conference room. She fixed herself a plate of food. "Apuesto a que se deshacen del viejo con los pedos, probablemente lo llaman medidas preventivas de salud o alguna mierda.₂"

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Jack had had a weird dream during the night. He wasn't really sure who he was or what he was doing, but he found himself in what could only be described as a futuristic yet medieval hamlet. Mixed in amongst stalls that sold crude weapons at what he took to be the marketplace were a pair of monks, singing blessings as they showed off their wards - these gorgeous, beautiful, gigantic flowers. He walked over towards them, only for the scene to shift. He was out in a bar, talking with... the guy who played Wolverine in X-Men? Jack couldn't remember his name, just staring at the once famous actor. There was a hushed silence though as the monks entered, holding... shotguns? Jack wasn't sure how they had gotten them. He was about to do something, only to discover that his hands were tied, as were everyone else's in the bar. The X-Men actor got up from his seat, and sighed, knocking back a thing of whiskey before shooting the monks dead.

And right before the dream ended and Jack woke up, the actor looked him dead in the eyes and said: "Only Hugh can stop florist friars."

He blinked, before groaning slightly. He wasn't sure what was worse - a nightmare or a dream centered around a bad pun. "Mornin', solovey," he greeted, giving her a peck on the cheek before he got himself dressed and ready to go as quickly as he could, so that way he could take Jamie from her and give her time to get ready. The pun gone from his mind, he was able to begin to stress about the events of that day. "Yes," he agreed with her, as she stipulated that they would do what was best for Jamie. A slight pinprick of discomfort in his stomach made him wonder if they would agree on what was best for Jamie in the worst case scenario - where Jamie was accepted into the community, but neither of his parents were. Her kiss brought a smile to his face, but his smile slipped away once they left the room and headed back to the conference area.

The number of guns surprised him at first - but then it made sense and he could have smacked himself for not noticing it. Compared to this place, Newnan had had no security at all. Mexico Beach was anticipating issues, whereas Newnan always seemed to be stuck in a game of catch up. Once Tatiana had her food and Jamie's food, Jack handed over Jamie to her, before going to get himself a plate and some coffee. He was going to miss coffee like hell if they didn't get to stay.

"Есть идеи, что будет дальше - после работы по дому?₁" Jack asked her quietly.

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It was early. Earlier than usual, anyway, when Ash got his wake-up call. The environment was still new enough that he awoke cleanly, like a stick snapping underfoot. His eyes opened to Thana, who was also coming back to the waking world. Ash smiled, carefully looking over to the other bed in the room. It lay there, lonely and unused, still made with tight, fitted sheets. Did they actually expect them to sleep apart? No, it seemed silly. Whomever had to tidy this room was going to have a relatively easy time of it. The older man, Hank? Ash thought he pulled that detail. Still, Ash got to experience waking up next to Thana. It was more than enough to have made the whole trek worthwhile.

The warm and fuzzy feelings were still present, but the growing awareness that waking up brings also reminded him that there were some serious issues that had been discussed, and still needed to be discussed. Tense was the word used in this occasion. Today was going to he a harder day than most. It might even cost him something precious. Still, he understood what had happened and what yet had to. One of those things that was going to happen was actually a higher point in the day. Ash gave Thana a supportive smile, leaned in and readily lifted her into his arms. The less time she spent on that leg the better, and it gave him an excuse to hold her close. He carried the Commander out into the Conference Room under escort (of course) and set her down at the table with Gunny, their paperwork, and a box that he came to find out had familiar documentation within.

Ash wasn't part of these people officially. And there was always the possibility that he wouldn't be, if they didn't like something about his past or about what they saw of him during his stay so far. Being there put him in an odd position. Prior to things getting underway, he quietly and politely asked of Thana, "Please let me know if I can help, or if I need to make myself scarce. Thanks." Otherwise he kept himself nearby and quiet, but not obtrusive, in the event either was necessary. Yeah, things were tense. And they were about to get even more tense.

He hadn't expected to actually be called over to help review some of the papers. Surprise and confusion, albeit mild, struck him. It didn't slow him down as he took a knee next to the table ad began looking over what Thana was just been reviewing. "This's ...damnit," he breathed. Echoing Thana's original spoken thought on it, "Seriously?" Black and white, peer reviewed, and they had no motivation Ash could think of to lie. He breathed out a long lungful of air. Yeah, that became a discussion.

Luck being with them, or a good sense of timing, it was finalized before the others were escorted in. Tension was clearly in the faces of both Ash and Thana, but not enough to prevent a tiny amount of camaraderie as Thana planted a light kiss on Ash's shoulder and made a request of him. "Sure, be right back," he said, making himself useful. He went and grabbed a cup of coffee and grabbed a portion of salt. Not fully aware of her preference on how much to add, he brought it back to observe. On the way back, he noticed Tatiana. He wanted to speak with her immediately about something pressing, but here's where it got fuzzy: Ash was privy to something the others weren't, even if he had no say in anything that went on. It would be a failing of ethic to be seen talking during, or immediately after, until he was told what if anything could be discussed. Instead, he gave a noncommittal smile and nod, a quick, "Mornin', Tati," add returned to Thana's side with her coffee. And salt. Navy thing, she had mentioned. Ash might never understand salted coffee.

Today was going to be eventful.

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Yeah, her and Beatrice were friends. It was hard to define things of that nature without some random jackass putting their own label on things, and Lord knew what Erica thought of them now after a post meridian lock-in involving a lack of modesty and Spanish yodeling, but for Thalia, friend seemed an appropriate enough title. Apparently, one with benefits. And while she felt a sense the weight of built up anxiety and frustration had lightened considerably, and several times, when she entered the Conference Room under armed escort, only to see even more guns in the room, the survival instincts of the young woman were beginning to flare.

Today was the day, wasn't it? The day to see if her attitude was welcome here, to see if her actions hadn't damned her. She probably didn't make the best impression that first day, grabbing a ton of food and retreating to a defensible location like an animal to hunch over and consume it, nursing the stump of a missing paw. Or the fact that air conditioning still made her uncomfortable. Or the threats. Maybe not the sparring session, people seemed to respond favorably. But all of that aside, Thalia was in a weakened position. She needed help, as much as it pained her to admit it.

Thalia would have rather been on her own, a lot of the time out there. Sometimes, it was best. Lately, the concept of a small unit appealed to her, but getting back to the majority of her post-Outbreak life? Alone. The hard lesson she learned was that sooner or later, we all need someone. It was the primary difference to the survival strategies of herself and Beatrice. Twice now, Thalia was laid low because of circumstances. The first time she was lucky enough to have been found by people to brought her back whole and made her stronger. Now, at this second time, she needed the same thing. She needed to become stronger or perish. Beatrice had made a couple of comments about not wanting to stay. Thalia understood, truly more than the others might. She didn't have to like it, though.

But again, today was the day, and Beatrice was making note of it. Thalia was heaping the breakfast on her own plate, as fit her heathen practice of eating whatever the hell she wanted and not gaining a noticeable ounce. She responded to her friend's query with North Mexican accented Spanish, "No sé, Killah Bea. Pero, apuesto a que nuestro compañero de cuarto quiere salir de aquí bastante mal, después de anoche,₁ huh?" She smiled and offered up her prosthetic for a quick fist bump. "Llámame loco, pero creo que el viejo va a entrar.₂ Seems okay. Mostly."

Joke as she might, today was going to be huge. She could look at the expression on Navy's face and see that something was up. What exactly was still a mystery, but something. Thana wasn't going anywhere, obviously. So overall, Thalia just hoped that her friend would stay. She gave Beatrice a knowing look, before nodding. She had no idea what was running through the woman's head, but trying to sway her to stick around a place where she wasn't comfortable would lead to resentment. That's not who they were. As for Thalia, maybe one day she'd Robinson Crusoe up a nice, fortified treehouse someplace and spend her autumn years in peace, or maybe she'd eventually make it back to her people in Mexico, but for now she needed to be here. Unless she didn't make the cut. That would definitely make today an interesting day. "C'mon Bea. Let's sit and wait for judgement." With a sly smile, she looked to their mutual roommate, "It's okay. You can come too, Erica. We don't bite." Of course, that wasn't entirely true.

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Hank was feeling a little more optimistic than his former detective counterpart. Not that Wayne didn't seem to be in good spirits, but his morale seemed to be rooted in a distinct lack of fuck-giving, while Hank's was more a general feeling that thing were going to work out okay for him. More than him, for them both. So yes, call him an optimist. Yes, he'd been grumbly and yes, he'd been a rude bastard a lot of the time he'd been in Mexico Beach. Hank was like that well before, and would be like that well after. But there was a sense of understanding that he (hoped) he got from his interview. Maybe everything really would be okay. And if it wasn't, then to hell with this place and everyone in it. Him and Wayne had done just fine before, they would do just fine after and be thankful for the week-long vacation.

"Ya know there, Maldonado, if this doesn't work out we can keep to the coast and head south. Fix up a car along the way, like we've been doing. Find us a nice piece of oceanfront property with a view that lasts for days. Hey, hey... what do you think about just taking one of the Florida Keys? You know, smaller one." It was a bit of padding, in case one or both of them were deemed unfit. Hank already decided that wherever goeth Wayne, so went him. So if he got the boot, Hank was packing his shit and following suit. But he caught a glimmer of something in the eyes of his interviewer. Hence, the relative optimism that was usually against his better judgement.

Wayne mentioned the baby again. He really liked that kid. Bonded a little, to look at the two of them together. "Yuh huh, with you there. A few decent people in this gaggle of assholes, and that kid's alright." This was Hank-speak for "I agree, and further wish to say that I like many of these fine people."

Returning to the Conference Room, he saw the beginnings of some shit a'brewing. It didn't take a psychologist to figure that out, though he did make an attempt to scan the room for telltale signs of where the shit might originate, were it to. The presence of many guns caught his attention, too. Or, more guns. He likewise got breakfast and a cup of coffee and joined his friend. Oh, there was going to be a show, all right. Hopefully, it wouldn't involve them.

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Riley slowly opened her eyes as she looked over towards Amelia and smiled towards her slightly, as she rubbed the back of her head feeling the stubble on the back of her neck. Sighing slightly she really did miss her hair a bit, but it was the choice she ended up making with Amelia and she didn't want to spend the last several days separated from her. Today was the day that they would end up being either kicked out or they would be apart of a new community. Riley slowly stood up and stretched slightly, as she made her way towards the bathroom to freshen up a little bit as well.

Whatever happens Riley would accept it, she just hoped that they wouldn't all get separated and having to be moved out for whatever reason, as she finished Riley tied the scarf she was given over her head like a bandanna. "Whatever happens we will stay together." Riley said towards Amelia as she leaned forward and gave her a loving kiss, before the door opened and they were being escorted out into the hallway and towards the conference room. Seeing that Ash and Thana were already in the room, seeing the bunch of paper work that was there made her wonder what was there. Riley made her way towards the table and started to grab herself a plate of breakfast and scooped whatever food there was and a cup of coffee. If it was going to be her last day here she was going to eat as much as she could as well, making her way over and sat down next to Amelia.

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Erica didn't really sleep well the night before since her roommates were pretty much fucking like rabbits the night before, she ended up locking herself up in the bathroom at one point as well. She eventually woke up and started to freshen herself up a little bit, as Erica made sure she was presentable somewhat. Whatever happens she would accept it, she had survived long enough on her own before meeting the boys. Erica walked out of the bathroom as soon as the door was opened and escorted towards the conference room Erica started to make herself a plate of food.

Erica noticed the bit of paperwork that was being set up and done by Ashton and Thana, though she didn't say anything as she looked over towards Thalia and Beatrice when she spoke to her. She shrugged slightly, might as well join them since they were roommates for the last few days. "Sure why not." Erica said as she walked over and sat down looking over at Thana and Ashton again wondering who would end up staying and who would end up going.

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Alexander dreamt something that night. At least he think he did, for it was something more alike a memory rather than simply his sleep-deprived brain making up on the spot in his sleep. Somewhere far off in his sleep, Alexander was kneeling down on the tall-grassed ground somewhere in the middle of nowhere in Vietnam. Bullets flew past him as fast as his own bullets were fired at whoever NVA unit was trying to wipe them out. The whole lot of them, but they couldn't. Huey's were circleing their LZ and giving the Vietnamese a taste of high calibre machine gun fire to keep their own boys safe. Both alive and wounded. Sergeant Jackson barked an order, and Alexander lept from his position and into the waiting helicopter. Evacuation. The rest of it was a blur, but something stuck out to the ol' veteran. As they flew away from the hellscape below them, he heard the medic onboard shout something over the noise of the rotors. The wounded soldier they had dragged onboard? He was going to be okay.

He was going to be okay. Whatever happened, regardless of the death and other sorrows that had followed Alexander, he was going to be okay. It was going to be okay.

It was an odd feeling to wake up from one of his 'Nam-dreams and not find himself in a pool of sweat or to his lungs gasping for air. Alexander woke up slowly and gently, rubbing his eyes as he tried to figure out just what was going on. Had he gotten a good night of sleep again? Alexander pushed uphimself up to the edge of the bed, getting his leg put to place before getting dressed. Today was a big day, for all of them. A part of Alexander wanted to think hard over who would be accepted and who wouldn't, himself included. But another part of him echoed his words of reassurance to Manny the night before, and his interview with Aeron. It had been more of a friendly conversation between two men really. Even if he was old, he was full of experience. He would make it whatever happened, be it inside or outside those walls. He was determined on that, refusing to become the crippled burden he feared he had been.

"Morning, Manny. You awake?" Alexander greeted Manny as it was time for them to head for the Conference room. Breakfast, a good start on a day that could turn out so badly. Making his way to the Conference room, he noticed the people already in there getting their food, and Thana sitting with stacks of paper and Ash going over to her. Papers, what were they for? Certainly had to be connected to today's big happening, but Alexander wasn't going to pry for information. Instead he nodded and smiled politely to those he passed on his way to get some breakfast of is own, after the week starting to remember their names and faces.

Thalia and Beatrice had already gotten their breakfast and were joined by one of the small group's members, Erica was her name, right? Perhaps out of the habit of it all, Alexander walked more comfortable on his new leg over to the trio of girls and smiled at them. "Morning. I'll just grab a spot here with you three, if you don't mind? And Erica, was it?"

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Whatever would happen that day, whoever would be given citizenship to this little military society the General was managing to make work down at the coast, Nigel "Hadrian" was preparing himself for either option. As he woke up from his slumber and slowly got dressed and ready for their first meal of the day, he went through the possibilities presented before him. In all honesty he felt there was a good chance that he'd be allowed to stay in Camp Mexico Beach, at least for some of his skills. Blacksmiths were in short supply, if they weren't interested in more fighters or teachers to bolster their ranks. So then either he was one of everyone that were accepted as fellow members of the camp, or one of few.

Then again they could have no real use for him, a Roman reenactor with no prior military experience who looked like a sore thumb amongst the group. That was a real possibility, one which he wasn't neccecarily afraid of. He had been on the outside before, both with fellow survivors or all by himself. He didn't like the thought of it, not least now that he had gotten to know some of these people, but if he had to…Nigel "Hadrian" Cooper would survive, whatever the cost may be.

Even if he would be heartbroken to leave his friends.

"Quo fata ferunt. Where the fates bear us to. I hope we'll all be all right, Hunter." Nigel said quietly to Hunter before leaving for the conference room, contemplating his future. Their future. If there were anyone he had any doubts qualified, it would have to be either Wayne or Hunter, perhaps the Victor-guy who was isolating himself more and more. Wayne was just bat-shit crazy and Hunter didn't make a stellar first-impression on their first day, but they had improved! Hadn't they? The Conference room was already filling up with people, least not the guards who were now armed. As if they anticepated the worst them too. People were getting breakfast, to which Nigel too would do. Nothing fancy or gluttoness, but he would enjoy it nonetheless.

This time Nigel wouldn't sit down with Erica. She was already acquainting herself with several others of the survivors, Thalia, Beatrice and Alexander the old one-legged guy. He felt perhaps a little out of place, and decided to sit alone at a table this time. Get a little space from Wayne and Hank and whatever they were going to do. And what at the end of the day? Who would he have to sit and eat with if he wasn't accepted? If Erica wasn't accepted? He would miss having someone to talk to, both his perhaps eccentric interest of Rome but also the little things…he would probably miss her, perhaps even Caligula and Shovel Knight…

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Morning started easy enough for Manny. He slept decent enough despite his fears for what was to come today, who would stay and who would go, and how they might react. Alexanders words the previous night did help though. Between the two of them, they had been alive many long years, with drastically different life experiences. He was pretty sure that between the two of them, their wasn't anything the two haven't experienced in some way shape or form. Though these people, The people of CMB, they were strict, and were not ready to take crap from anyone. Manny could respect that in some ways, but in others he worried they may have been too much and wondered if it had caused problems at times. "I'm awake, and ready to take on the day." He said in a rather blank tone for his usual self. He could think of at least one person who may not take being accepted well. Or may take it too well and cause other issues. He could think of others too that may not take it well, or others who may not take it well if someone they knew wasn't accepted.

It didn't take any special detective to realize what was going on when the survivors entered the conference room. More guards, and more guns. They were prepared to take action if needed, and Manny believed they were more then fine using that action. Thinking back over the last week, he was surprised that they guards were armed the way they were instead of like prison guards, with riot gear and things like that. Sure these people knew how to survive well enough, but they also did a good job at making a situation more uneasy then he felt it needed to be. He tried to factor in his own experience into this, knowing that he had never been to war, he had been in walls almost the entire post apocalypse, and that he had never needed to handle real security work. So for all he knew, he was being over paranoid.

The conference room felt.... Tense. But many were taking things well, and he liked that fact. He noticed Thana and a few others from the survivor group and Camp Mexico beach by some papers. Manny had a few guesses as to what those could be, but he couldn't be sure. Nor would he ask. His best guess, notes from the interviews. All compiled into something useful that all the key members could look at. Or for all he knew, maybe it was an inventory list of everything that the survivors had brought in with them. Sometimes Manny wished he was a proper detective. Then at least he would be able to figure out more about the things that were going on. Though, he would probably know soon enough.

Everyone was settling into the main room, breakfast was being served, and yet again, Coffee. Manny grabbed himself a cup of the glorious caffeinated goodness. He had realized he had pushed his openly conversationalist personality on a lot of people during the week, which had really made many uncomfortable. He saw Alexander, Thalia, Beatrice, as well as a girl who he still didn't know that well all sitting together. He was tempted to go sit by them as they were used to him, but he also knew that many of these people were not fans of fast growing crowds. With the main room still leaving him rather uncomfortable as he felt confined, imprisoned, he found a spot in a chair with his back to the wall by himself. With his back to the wall it helped him forget how small this room seemed at times. Though he didn't show it, the room made him anxious at this point. Out of all the things in his life, nothing was as scary as his time in Eden, and the small cell that they kept him in until they sent him to go fight to the death in some form of shitty arena. That time in his cell had changed him in a way that he wasn't sure he would really recover from the same way. He wondered what things would have been like if team Eden had arrived a couple days later, and he had been forced to fight. Would he have been killed? Or worse... would he have won...

Those times were over though. Now he just waited for the results and to see who would stay and be forced to leave. And those who may leave by their own choice. Manny was ready for it though, even if the stress was starting to get to him a bit.

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Morning has never been Hunter's friend. Between the nightmares, the fear of being attacked in his sleep, and the fact that he rarely liked starting his day too early anyways, this time of day sucked for the former soldier. Though today was a special kind of sucky. His nightmares enough they were not as bad as usual still kept waking him up making actually starting the day an annoying pain in the ass. Thrown on top, the stress of today's decision was starting to wear him down. He knew what would happen if he didn't get accepted, and he didn't really like his options of staying either, but they seemed better then what would happen if he got kicked out. Nigel was nice enough though, seemed he also was worried about today but in his own way. He spoke a bit in a language that Hunter didn't understand, but he didn't mind. Figured it had something to do with the theme he kept trying to go for. Hunter made note to learn some of it if they both ended up staying. It would be nice to know a limited language. He knew some Russian, but he wasn't amazing at it, and seemed many people here knew as well. So it would do him little good if any. "Whatever may come, hopefully things to get out of hand today." He replied back to Nigel before leaving the room himself.

Nikki was their guard on their way to the conference room. He didn't say anything to her though along the way, stuck in his own thoughts, he realized how stupid he was for letting himself get so weak in front of everyone. She seemed nice enough, but getting close to her was still a weakness. He would be vulnerable, and that could be exploited. Plus, there was always the chance that she was just trying to make him let his guard down. He wouldn't ignore her, but he would refuse to let himself get close to her. Thrown on top, Maddoc had a point, Hunter got shot at a decent amount. Though he rarely got hit himself, those around him tended to a decent amount. Izibell was one thing, she was a natural survivor, and could get away from danger much better then a human being. On their way in, he would acknowledge her with a wave then proceed to get himself breakfast. Though getting food he realized he wasn't really hungry. He wasn't sure if that was because he had actually been eating more food this week then he had the last couple months, or if he was just too stressed from all the chaos of the week, and what was to come today. He decided just the coffee and he would find somewhere to sit.

It took Hunter longer to realize then he thought, but all the guards were in today. All well armed, and all ready to handle a situation. Like someone losing their shit because they got refused. Someone who might blow up at a moments notice. Something like what he had pulled the first day. He will admit, he fucked up that first day. He was tense, and he was stressed. And he wasn't in his own proper mindset that day. Now though? Was he any better? Could he handle losing his dog if it came to that? He wasn't sure honestly. Could he take more threats of being shot? Hard to say. In that case, context. He found Nigel sitting by himself eating his own breakfast. Hunter, not wanting to be the odd one out, sat by him and drank his liquid confidence. "Today's the big day huh." He spoke without making eye contact.

He struggled with regular conversations. But today, he was determined to not lose it. Normally that wasn't an issue, but the stress was hard on him, and he struggled to fight against it. "You think those they kick out they'll ask politely first? Or just start off the bat at gun point?" He asked it if it were any other casual conversation question. "Or maybe they have some other means to do so... Who knows." Though he spoke like it was a regular conversation, it didn't take much to tell he was uneasy. His right hand clenching and letting go where the holster for his sidearm used to be, the fact that his eyes kept looking back and forth between the several armed guards. Though he wouldn't admit it, he was scared to a small degree. In most encounters with groups he was on bad terms with, he was armed, so even when he knew he would die if a fight broke out, having the guns made him feel at ease. Or even something, but he felt naked while unarmed. He felt even more exposed, he felt... vulnerable. And if things didn't work out today he would lose what little he had left.

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Thana kept writing, she was zoned in on what she needed to do. There was something calming about doing the paper work to her. It was like a trip back to how things were before the world went to hell in a hand basket. Just focus on the paper work, go through things logically. Remove emotions, remove feelings. Paperwork is paperwork. Sure she knew that what she was writing would be used, alongside many other things, to help determine who would stay and who would go. But to her, this was more like what she would need to do before the promotions board would meet. It wasn't her final say. She just needed to state the facts. Nothing more, nothing less. She wasn't a people reader like her father. She didn't look at what someone was and try to see what they could be. No, she took things at face value. What was right before her. She did the equations in her head. Two plus two equals four. That was how she decided things. Hell that was even how things started with Ash in her mind. And in the end, it would be her determining factor if they continued.

Looking over as Ash came back she took the coffee and salt. "Thanks," she said as she put a pinch into the coffee and swirled it around. It was just something that Navy people did, went back to being on ships and in submarines. It just kind of stuck. It was like the paperwork now. A throwback to times soon forgotten by the rest of the world. The Commander downed about half of the cup before setting it down and going back to writing. She was quick about things. She had to be. Her father needed these to review and then they would go to the General. By the time Gunny came in to pick them up she was closing the final file. Cracking her knuckles after she did and tucking a loose piece of hair behind her ear. Leaning back on the couch, she picked up her coffee cup and downed the other half of the contents. That was done, now just to wait.

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Tatiana took Jamie from Jack and set him down on the floor, letting the baby feed himself as best he could. It was messy and smeared around more than actually eaten but he needed to work on fine motor skills, doing things for himself. Sure he was baby but that didn't mean she had to coddle him. Tatiana was all for letting him learn on his own as much as he could. And since she was right there, there was no real harm. Sure some food fell on the floor. Sure he shoved it into his mouth anyways. The boy would need to form an iron stomach by the time he grew up. There were far worse things to have to eat in this world than something within the five second rule. Or hell even ten or twenty second rule. Tatiana remembered eating far worse when she was little, and that was before the outbreak. Back when she was a refugee. Things hadn't changed that much. Instead of war, it was Walkers. They were all refugees.

Looking over at Jack, Tatiana scanned the room. "₁Они решают, кто останется, но что-то еще," she said motioning towards Ash as she placed her fork down. She could tell by the way he was looking at her, the way that things seemed tense over where Ash and Thana were sitting. She could read something was off. "₂Смотреть Джейми," she added as she stood up with her cup of coffee and started walking over to where Ash and Thana were sitting, the new guy sitting near them. Drumming her fingers along the side of her cup, she took a sip as she came over to them and tilted her head to the side. "₃Хорошо, что происходит?" she asked towards Ash as she motioned for him to come with her for a walk to a more private area of the room. Turning, she didn't wait for an answer, she just had this look on her face that clearly read if you have something to say you might as well spill it now as she walked over to the back of the room. Away from ear shot of the others as she sipped her coffee.

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Looking over towards Hank, Wayne chuckled a bit and nodded. "Big one, little one, don't care. We'll figure it out. We've gotten this far. Not worried. We'll either make it or we won't No point is stressing shit. Just leads to worry lines and like hell I am messing up this beautiful mug of mine. I mean it's too late for you but hey, we can't all be as smexy as me," Wayne said with a smug look on his face. Grinning like an idiot as he struck a few facial poses fit to break any camera. Wayne didn't care really about living or dying. That much was clear to anyone that had known the man more than five seconds. He ran head long into any situation where he might die. He'd read this story about some crazy British Officer once that kept trying to die. The man didn't want to die, he just wanted to die right. Wayne was like that. Okay, well maybe he was a little after death, like he had a crush on it but over the last week it was more like if he died so be it but he wasn't chasing it as much. The kid had had a positive effect on him.

Wayne sat there, eating and looking around the room. Noting how many guns there were, how many people.The kid was shoving food into his mouth off the floor and Wayne chuckled. Reminded him of himself when he was drunk. Or at least the times he was drunk enough to be drunk but not so drunk to drown out all memory. Swatting at the air before taking another bite he quirked a brow as he heard Hunter talking. The kid wasn't exactly trying to be quiet in the room. Not that he was shouting but the room was small and the kid just seemed to want to put people on edge. Yet Wayne didn't waste his time trying to read the boy, didn't exactly need people reading skills to know that kid had just as many screws loose as Wayne did. Shaking his head he watched Tati walked over to Ash and Thana, say a few things in Russian, and then walk off. Oh now she had something on her mind. Sure he didn't speak Russian but the look on her face spoke wonders to him.


Temperature: 87F
Humidity: High (Around 83%) - No Rain
Wind Speed: 15 MPH
Cloud Coverage: Overcast

Nikki looked over to Hunter and waved back. She was about to go over to him and try to talk to him but Major put a hand on her shoulder and shook her head. "Don't," was all the Major said and Nikki grumbled under her breath but she nodded and did what she was told. Or in this case, didn't do what she wanted to do and just took a post. Though when she heard Hunter talking she tilted her head to the side. "Only people that deserve to have a gun pointed at them get one in their direction," Nikki quipped as she stood there and crossed her arms over her chest. Chewing her gum she popped a bubble and kept chewing as she sucked it back into her mouth.

Mizrahi turned his head in the direction of Nikki's voice. His brow going up as he turned his head turned when he heard the door. Then the doors opened and Gunny walked in with another pushing an empty cart behind him. The man looked to be in his early to mid twenties, mixed race with bright green eyes, 6'2" in height and probably around 170lbs. He was built well, cut but didn't look military that was for sure. He wore jeans and a tank top; which showed off a heavy amount of tattoos that spanned from his neck to over both hands. Ears and brow were pierced and his hair was closely shaved. "Bass, collect the files," Gunny said as he walked over to his daughter.

"Sure thang boss," the man said. It was rather clear why he was called Bass (pronounced like the instrument, not the fish). The mans voice was deep, like smooth molasses, with a heavy southern twang. Walking over he started picking up the files and loading them onto the cart. "Ma'am," he said towards Thana with a nod. Gunny took the file that Thana had been writing, opening it and looking over it as Bass loaded everything up. "Sir," he added with a nod towards Mizrahi.

"Bass," Mizrahi said with a returned head nod.

"Same recommendations as Maddoc," Gunny said towards his daughter and nodded. "Will get these to the General. Thank you Commander," he said as Bass finished loading up the files. With that Gunny and Bass left the room.

Over the next couple of hours there was a lot of coming and going. Guards being brought out and brought back in. Preacher came in and did a prayer with those that wanted it. Chores were taken care of. The second meal came in. Doc came in and let Thana and Mizrahi their blood work was clear and they were cleared of Quarantine now. Word that the cat got out after attacking Daytona but they were looking was there as well. The Dog was fine and adjusting well. Mizrahi left as soon as he was cleared, after having a few private words with Thana. She shooed him out. She was fine without him it seemed, she had Ash close by if she needed someone to help her get around.

It was a little after 1300 hours (1:00P.M. for civilians) when Gunny came back in and handed over to file to Thana. "You're up," he said as he handed it over to her. Pulling out a handful of pens, he handed them over as well. Once Thana had taken them he walked to the back of the room and leaned against the wall with Major. All during this time, Hank would be able to read these people like 1st grade See Jane Run book.

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As time passed, it was clear that today was different from the ones until now. The atmosphere was not the same, the guards were constantly doing something, moving in and away, but all were armed non the less. As much as she was calm about her interviews, the situation did affect her to a degree as they proceeded all to do their daily tasks, be it cleaning or else. As such time passed sometimes fast, sometimes slow, but soon enough it had already passed noon and was nearing 1 pm.

Until now, whenever they weren't doing chores, Amelia took care to be near Riley, but she was starting to get a little concerned now. They were told that they would be told if they are staying or leaving today, but if the 'ceremony' happened too late in the day, it was already going to be dark outside by the time they start showing them where they would be living from now on? Well at least under the presumption that they would be staying of course. There was no way of knowing who was chosen and who wasn't, unless Ash was told something about it, but he hadn't mentioned anything as far as she was aware.

Never the less something was happening since Gunny showed up yet again, handing a file to Thana. Nothing much was being said, so she didn't really know what it was. So she was spending the time with Riley still. Earlier her partner had said that they will be staying together no matter what. This made her feel both good and bad because she was wondering if Riley will follow her should she get tossed away. It wasn't the nicest train of thoughts she had, but she was concerned about it. The more time passed today, the harder it seemed to be to be staying completely calm about it. If she got tossed away, but Riley was accepted, Amelia was trying to make up her mind on what to do exactly. She was repeatedly telling herself that she'd convince Riley to stay, but at the same time she realized that she also wanted to be with the woman, so she was fighting her own emotions on this." How long will it be until they say the results, you think?" Amelia asked quietly. It's already been half a day.

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Beatrice chuckled slightly. She honestly didn't really care what Erica thought about their activities from the previous night. She returned Thalia's fist bump though with a slight smirk. "Probablemente se arrepienta de no haber pensado en unirse. No me hubiera importado un tercio₁" she commented. Sex didn't come with emotional feelings and desire for Beatrice. It was a physical act, a release of tension. Sure, she did have.... feelings... for Thalia but even if she hadn't, she still would have slept with her. The fact that she did have feelings for Thalia actually made things more complicated for Beatrice. If things proceeded as she expected, this would be the last day that she would see the Latina warrior. She hadn't really said a proper goodbye to Thalia yet. Goodbyes were never her style but...

She would make an exception here.

"You ever been arrested, Thalia?" Beatrice asked curiously as she took a seat next to her friend, holding onto her own portion of food. It was the phrasing - judgment - that brought the question to mind. Her eyes flickered over towards Thalia, holding her gaze for a moment. She didn't know if Thalia would answer that question - and if she did, Beatrice doubted she would tell the truth. Spanish wasn't even much of a safe language to converse in here, given that so many people in the southern U.S. spoke the tongue. But still, it would be interesting to see how Thalia responded all the same. "What about you, chica?" she then asked Erica.

"Morning, Alex," Beatrice greeted. She would miss him. He was one of her favorite people - ever.

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"Hey, he's somehow a messieh eateh than his dad," Jack joked, his eyes on Jamie as the adorable little slugger tried to feed himself. His success rate was above zero percent - and that was what primarily mattered to Jack. They weren't in a situation where they would need to stress about the slight waste of food and rations, as he would have been worrying before out on the road. But at the same time, he might have gone for it all the same - just in case one day, if no one was around to feed Jamie, Jamie might be able to figure it out for himself. His heart clenched slightly at the thought of his baby boy out there in the world with no one to protect him. It was natural that he wanted a better world for his son and here at Mexico Beach, there was the best chance Jamie had for a normal, safe, and happy childhood. He just hoped it would include Tatiana and himself.

He followed Tatiana's gaze over towards Thana and Ash, but he wasn't as savvy as Tatiana when it came to people reading. "Может быть, это будет неуклюжим и напряженным для Эша, так как, может быть, не все из Ньюнана собираются пройти?₁" Jack pondered softly. He was surprised that Ash seemed to have some sort of role in this process. Everything he had seen before more or less indicated that even though Ash had been a leader in Newnan, that wasn't going to be the case here. He wasn't sure what to make of it, as he doubted that Ash would receive special treatment due to his relationship with Thana but... He couldn't think of another explanation. It made him feel a bit uncomfortable, to say the least. "Понял₂" Jack acknowledged, nodding a bit as Tatiana went over to talk to Ash.

His stomach felt like it was rapidly knotting itself. He hated the tension in the air. Every time the door opened and someone came in, Jack wondered is this it? He wanted to rip off the band-aid, to just find out already who was going to be allowed to stay and who was going to be asked to leave. He hoped to god that Jamie would be allowed to stay. He didn't know what he would do if he got in and Tatiana was kicked, but he knew that if Tatiana was accepted and he was rejected.... He would tell Tatiana to stay here with Jamie. Jamie needed her more than Jack did at the end of the day.

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So, just a pinch of salt would suffice. Mental note on that. It was the little things that made life worthwhile, especially in this period of human history. You just couldn't count on the big things anymore. So, when you found simple joys or preferences, you settle back and enjoy them. For Thana, apparently, it was a dash of salt in her coffee. For Ash, it was being next to Thana. Then again, that wasn't a fair comparison. You break into the nearest abandoned diner or shell of a fast food place and you could get a packet of salt. Being with Thana was at the end of a year and a half long knightly quest for love, and to keep a promise. Ash gave that due consideration, especially after what he had consulted on a little bit earlier. He had fulfilled his promise. Now it was time to act upon the best interests of those he cared about and looked after for as long as he did. Part of that might hurt.

It could be said that one of the motivating factors that moved Ash along was a deep desire to avoid losing people he cared about. Loved ones were precious. It was always that way. Loss, as a whole, had a few more shades of nuance in some ways these days, and a few less in others. Still, when inaction resulted in the definite loss of one, action had to occur. Even if that meant he might lose another.

Tatiana could tell that he had something on his mind. She was good at reading people. Especially him, it seemed. Not to say that she was perfect, by any stretch of the imagination. There were many a time that she got him dead wrong but continued to move forward on her assumptions; however she was assuredly reliable enough to tell when something was weighing on him, like she could circumvent the face of stoicism he wore almost constantly. She was good.

Ash looked to Thana as she sat and drank her coffee, doing her paperwork. She really was lovely. A goddamn vision. So far as he was concerned, the scars couldn't mar that. Ash was lost in her for just a moment when he heard a line spoken to him in Russian. His grasp on the language was tenuous at best, but she used simple words and simple phrasing, then backed it up with the use of hend gestures. He looked to Thana again and nodded with an understanding look, as if to indicate that something predetermined was about to happen. He knew what he could and could not discuss. Besides, what he could discuss was going to be matter enough for the day, without having to look into the rest of the events lined up.

Cautiously, Ash stood and followed the petite ballerina to a quieter part of the Conference Room. They had done so many times over the course of their stay in CMB's quarantine, running off to hide like siblings sharing a secret. It wasn't so far from the truth, either. She was very much like a sister to him. That was why the next few moments were going to be stressful. Away from the rest of the group, And lowered his voice and began to talk to Tatiana. He was very careful to make sure he was not overheard, and braced for what was to follow.

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Thalia took a moment's break chuckling with Beatrice to notice that Alexander was coming up to them. They hadn't spoken a lot since getting into Quarantine. Everyone seemed to have paired off, otherwise insulating themselves from one another, with her being no exception. If Thalia wasn't alone, which was a lot of that time, she was training. Admittedly, that took up the majority of her time, period. But she had paired off with Beatrice at the end, there. Something about a fistfight that got the blood moving. But back to the point, she hadn't associated with Alexander for a while, which was kind of silly in hindsight. "Yah, sure Mugsy. Grab you a piece of table." She kept it lighthearted. Though they had a rocky beginning, Thalia genuinely liked the old soldier. It was also possible that this was the last day they'd see each other. And they were amputee buddies.

Following that, she reacted to Beatrice's touch of smartassery, if indeed it actually was that. "Aw, quizás la próxima vez, Abeja₁." Truth was, she might have gone along with it just to make her happy, but for her to actually want to be involved physically with another woman, there had to be something there. Romantic, relationship building courtship, no. Wasn't her. But there had to be some quality present. It was hard for her to explain. Maybe the fact that either of them wanted that, but still remained friends, and both were emotionally isolated with tendencies toward violence. Whatever. Thalia doubted that their roommate fit any of those qualifications, even if he fully knew what they were, herself. "Es su perdida₂. Maybe one of us should ask, huh?" She didn't actually expect a follow-up, last day of Quarantine and all that meant, coming up soon.

The sudden change in topic struck Thalia as being a little off. Like it was a setup for something. "Huh?" Not the most eloquent of responses. Well, nothing to be lost for answering. "Arrested? Um, yeah, when I was a kid. Fighting. Nothing ever came of it." Being a mixed-race American kid in Mexico back in the day had its share of social repercussions, and so did getting involved in not-quite-legal boxing matches because of your own emotional hangups, including a pretty big chip on her shoulder. Released without so much as a court date, which was probably out of respect to her family. She spent a small amount of time in holding before being released. Not the "hardened criminal" story that most people wanted to hear about when that question was asked; sadly in the adventure that was Thalia's life, disputes with the local authority and subsequent incarceration was not part of it in any substantial way.

Thalia was almost relieved when the question was put to Erica. It gave her a chance to attack her breakfast. Left-handed, of course.

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Hank gave a little chuckle at his hetero lifemate, going through his best GQ poses that were obviously tinged with a lack of fuckgiving about what his address was going to be tomorrow. "Yeah, yeah. You're a great looking guy there, Maldonado. Real handsome man. Tell you though - I'm not worried either. Here's why:" Hank sat up a little in his seat and leaned over to Wayne, dropping his voice a little as he spoke. "I've been watching these people. Picked up on some patterns. Check this out...

Nodding his head over in the direction of various people in turn, around the Conference Room, he began to make character observations. "Okay, those two have had their heads stuck so far up peach other's asses that they have virtually zero idea what's really going on. Long as they're up there, they should really scan for polyps on the quick. Now... Captain America there looks like he's in the middle of some serious drama, but he's handling himself and a few of the muckety-mucks are taking note of that. Navy Girl, too. All professional but the affection she's showing isn't the affection she wants to show. Now, happy couple over there are going to need counseling soon, but it's nothing that's going to cause an uproar. They'll probably be fine, by the way."

Observations getting back to the point, Hank continued, "As unpleasant as we can be, most of the locals with guns are ignoring us entirely, like they don't consider us a threat any more than most of the people in this room. See what they're doing, though? Eyes regularly go to the big man over there like they're waiting on a signal, but look at where his eyes go when he's in thought." Hank gave him a moment to see before nodding, and whispering, "That's where the problem is going to come from. You and me? Only people give a crap about us are the guys we all came in with, and their votes don't count." Hank glossed over the details of a few more of them, just observations like, "Those two got laid last night. Oh! So did they. Lucky bastards. Everyone's seeing action but me. Hmm... He kind of liked this game. Maybe he should play it more often. He was probably good for now, having assessed the people he felt he needed to with the growing tension in the room.

Hank leaned back in his seat. "Wait, one more. The kid over there? Right now, he couldn't recognize a good thing if it was sitting on his face. Seriously. Oh, I've got a million of 'em."

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Riley just spent most of the morning and afternoon with Amelia after she had done the chores that she had been assigned to since day one here, looking over at Amelia as she held her a little bit closely. She wasn't sure if they would be accepted here or not, and she wasn't Riley would accept it. Though she wanted to make sure Amelia would be accepted as she spent sometime eating the food that was provided, when someone new came into the room. Riley looked towards the new guy she wasn't sure what to make of him really either, as he went to talk to Gunny and took the papers that they were working on away.

Riley turned to look at Amelia when she asked her a question and shrugged slightly, she wasn't sure how much longer it would be either honestly. "Soon probably I guess?" Riley answered shrugging slightly as she leaned back a little bit and sighed rubbing her bald head a little bit. She really did miss having her hair, but didn't regret getting it cut since she would basically be separated from everyone else here as well and she didn't want to be separated from Amelia either.

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Erica looked over towards Nigel and gave her friend a friendly smile and nodded towards him, and looked towards both Beatrice and Thalia as they both spoke in Spanish which she did know as well. But she didn't really say anything about it either as Beatrice then asked her if she had ever been arrested. "I did more of the arresting, but no never been in jail growing up if that's what you were wondering." Erica said, she had been a cop, and then promoted to detective after a few years on the force. Sighing slightly she remembered her partner back then, knowing that he has been dead for awhile now.

Erica continued to watch the room, watching as a new guy came in and took the papers in, and she went to continue doing her usual stuff and whatever chores there were as well. Erica didn't approach preacher either she hadn't been really religious since the whole outbreak had happened. Erica was starting to wonder when they would actually find out who was going to be accepted and who would end up getting the boot, as she noticed the guards had been rotating throughout the entire day so far.

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It felt good to be accepted around the table as Thalia gave her fellow amputee permission to sit with them. He wasn't and would never force himself into their company, but he did miss talking to them a bit. Especially Beatrice, or perhaps more fitting the time they spent together without uttering a single word. Was that true friendship? Just sitting the two of you in a room, in a car or out walking in the autumn breeze, in total silence? It was moments like those he enjoyed most spending with Judith after all, so perhaps yes? Giving Beatrice a soft smile, Alexander returned the greeting. "Morning, Bea."

To Thalia, Alexander only shook his head and grinned, grabbing his side of the table and getting started with his breakfast. It was simple, fitting a man of his age and religion, as he quickly whispered a prayer to the Big Man up above. If this was his last day here, he was going to enjoy it in a simple way. He wasn't a rowdy youngster anymore, as the General had reminded him, but age brought joy to the smaller things. Like this. Like a normal family dinner, he missed those…really.

The Spanish flew past the ol' Veteran faster than a Huey evac'ing the wounded, but he caught into the latter part of the conversation. Arrested? Alexander had to chuckle at the thought of Thalia being arrested. It was probably true, she was one firery Angel after all. Was this how Manny had been in his youth, like he told earlier? Maybe. Alexander would probably have still liked him back then, even if his younger self was a very different kid. "Never arrested me either, only pulled over by a rookie cop or sent home as a youngster. It was a different time, the 60's and 70's you know? Could you imagine me with long hair?"

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Sitting by himself was perhaps not such a bad move after all, as Nigel got a few moments to enjoy his breakfast in peace. Erica was clearly engaged in conversation with the two women and the old guy, and Nigel knew better than to waltz in and interrupt whatever they were talking about. He'd walked in on far too many conversations between his students to know that asking "So what are you talking about?" was a more solid way to sink the conversation than Greek fire. Still, Nigel sent the occational glanze over to Erica, just in time to catch her smile and nod to him. Smiling back at her, Nigel also nodded, as if in silent code telling her that he saw her and hoped she was doing okay. He really did, as she was by far the nicest person he'd spent time with in the Afterworld.

It was about this time that his Roman defensive fort on the banks of the Rhine was reenforced by Hunter, like his usual self clutching a cup of coffee as he spoke to Nigel. "The big day, capital T." Nigel idly replied back to the young soldier, noticing the lack of eye-contact but putting it down to Hunter's usual self. He had a long way to go, but Nigel thought he was making progress, so he would give young Hunter a little faith. "If not politely, then they will ask. They've been quite up-front with us from the start, I think, and nobody's waved their guns at us yet. If they're a civilized, if militarized society, they'll ask. Even Rome used diplomacy, you know."

Nigel took his own sip of his coffee, briefly looking at Hunter before letting his eyes wander around the room like so many times before. He hoped for the best, but prepared for the worst to come. As long as he'd be reunited with his gladius and other equiptment, Nigel would be fine. One way or another. Nigel "Hadrian" turned back to Hunter, continuing the conversation. "Don't worry, Hunter, it will all turn out okay somehow. Dum vita est, spes est." Nigel really hoped so himself. If anything, he was more afraid of being alone than anything else. His new-found companionship with the others had re-ignited the social side of him, after so long in isolation. Was this the same thought-process Hunter was going through? "Say, Hunter, want to learn how to forge your own sword?" Perhaps Hunter would enjoy his ramblings about Rome as much as Erica had?

He just wished he could continue to ramble on to Erica about that. Who else would listen to him?