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Amelia Payne Location: Education Center (M) ->Mess Hall Skills: N/A

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After Amelia’s turn with talking, the few others who had yet to talk did and what Tatiana spoke about, was like a punch to the gut. Amelia grit her teeth a bit, but she admittedly had thought about that case too. She hadn’t known Hunter much, mostly because her own volition and his way of acting, however she wasn’t certain he was as bad a case as what was back in Newnan. That was a case of absolute madness that happened and it was a tragedy that could have been avoided if they had taken care of the problem early, yes. However was Hunter that much of a menace? Maybe, maybe not, she didn’t think he was right now. In any case, everything to be said was said. There was nothing left to do now.

Opinions were mixed and honestly she wasn’t sure what the outcome would be. They were eventually told that they could leave while they decided how to deal with the Doggo boy… no Hunter. She supposed she could at least have the decency to refer to him by his name even in her head, given he might be exiled or killed. When others started to leave, she squeezed Riley’s hand.” Let’s go… nothing left to do here.” She whispered quietly. Riley nodded and both of them stood up, heading for the door, paying little attention to the others around.

Being able to take a breath of fresh air outside after hours cooped up in Education, with the proceedings of the trial was such a joyous thing. The couple held hands as they made their way to Mess Hall. Neither talked much, it was a stressful and tiring day even if it was just sitting on heir bums for hours on end. Making their way across the street, they entered the Mess Hall, noting what was for dinner and after taking their portions. While the two were moving to an empty table they noted Lisa waving at them from a table some distance away. She had a friend there. They waved back in a greeting.

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Lisa Mason Location: Mess Hall Skills: N/a

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Lisa was enjoying her meal, but her mind was elsewhere right now. There were many different things going through her head at the same time. At moments she was remembering Lucy and at others she was remembering fairy tales. All in all it was a downright mess in her mindscape. She knew that the elated emotions would fade with time and soon it wouldn’t rouse as much powerful reaction from her, but for the moment, she allowed herself to feel as it brought it and luckily it was mostly positive despite their relatively short time knowing each other. All ended well… could be better, but could be way worse!

Suddenly a voice from around brought her attention back to the reality that was the mess hall right now. She rose her head and looked at the interloper that had brought himself and disrupted her wonderfully chaotic, but with a tinge of sadness thoughts. It was Guy, she gave him a small smile.

“Would never say no to company, you know.” She replied to him, gesturing to him to take seat at the table.” Why would I not want a company anyways?” She asked, wondering if he meant it because of what happened. It wouldn’t be surprising, she supposed. She looked at his small smile and added.” That’s the way, we gotta smile. Otherwise how will the ones departing be free to continue without worries? Besides, this may have been the best outcome for Lucy.” She added with somewhat quiet voice. At this point she noted Riley and Amelia making their way to a table and waved them. She chuckled when she recieved a wave in greeting back." Those two are adorable." She spoke with a chuckle.

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Emanuel "Manny" Newman Location: Education Center Skills: N/A

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It was clear the day was taking a toll of Alexander. It was on Manny, but hearing his testimony earlier it appeared that this was something personal to the old veteran. Manny wished he could understand it better, but there were probably a lot of deep memories that he couldn't even begin to understand with his fellow baby boomer. But he thought he had some understanding. Hunter was a troubled former soldier who had a long list of fuckups and appeared to have no ability to deal with the consequences of it afterwards. Either the direct effects, or the other people around them. His poor social edicate only made things worse from there. Alexander on the other hand? Other then knowing he had served years ago, and like many vets of the era they had faced backlash from the public, and were misused by their own governments on countless occasions during and after the war. Manny never being a soldier could never truly understand those struggles though. Only what he heard from those around him. Alexander though, saw a bit of himself in Hunter as the boy fumbled around making things worse for himself. But Manny could see the kind of man Alexander was now. If the man could see a bit of himself in Hunter that had to be a half decent sign right?

Manny turned to ask Alexander a question, only to be interrupted by a loud series of noises that could only be described as a Fuster Cluck. The thud and the string of swearing in a split second sentence pulled Manny's attention towards the back of the room, where a followup sound that could only be described defeat in its final form. Who at the center of it though, other then Thalia. The poor woman despite her best efforts found herself the center of attention yet again. After excusing herself and leaving in a justifiable hurry Manny could only mutter. "She seems to be having a rather rough day herself." Manny being the person he was wanted to help her, but he knew there was nothing he could do in this case other then to just pretend like it never happened. This was a case where acknowledging it only made it worse. He turned his head away attempting to put his thoughts back in place to where they were before the fuster cluck. He realized he was going to ask his fellow baby boomer a question but in the chaos of Thalia's exit, he had forgotten it. He hoped it wasn't anything important, but he didn't think it was.

Hunter was brought back onto the stage, and the trial was coming to a close. Guilty. Manny couldn't say he was surprised. The boy had fucked up on every single account. It was just the decision of how he should be treated for his crimes. The General explained the bind he was in, as despite the issues Hunter has presented for himself he hadn't gone into some breaking point yet of causing harm to another person. But it was still a risk of keeping him around. Manny did not envy the man's position but he did respect the man for taking that responsibility. He respected the man for not leaning towards the death penalty on the possibility of what Hunter might be, while acknowledging he was still a risk. The result though? He gave Hunter the choice. He knew the final decision would be a hard one but that was not something he had expected. Stay, but in the ward to be watched and reexamined. Or be banished, but sent so far away with both the Appalachian mountains and the Mississippi river as barriers. The river alone would be a barriar of it's own. With few bridges long enough to span it outside of cities which would be flooded with the undead, the river alone would prove nearly impossible for a single person to cross. And he had little reason to believe Hunter had the social skills to be able to cross with people who would not only have a boat, but have reason to cross. The choice was Hunter's to make though in the end.

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Hunter Monroe Location: Education Center Skills:N/A

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Hunter listened as Joaquin spoke. "I've... tried." He wasn't sure how else to put it. "It's..." He hesitated. He didn't want to give off the wrong message, or sound like he was brushing off what Joaquin said. "It's hard to know when to act, and when not too." Today's trial showed very well Hunter's ability to over react to problems. Over think himself to the point where he'd cling to a few words, and see that as the only reality. There had been a time when it had been the total opposite end of the spectrum. Where he'd stand back, let things happen until the damage was so catastrophic that there was no recovering from it. His mind kept going back towards Don and his group. How when given the chance to end things, stop the damage before it was made worse. He froze. Pistol drawn, aiming down the sights, the look of surprise on Don's face as he stared down the barrel of his pistol. Then the change of expression to anger as he stomped over taking his gun, and shoved him down. He wondered if faced with that situation now if he would have pulled the trigger before Don had the chance to turn around, let alone walk up to him.

He had no idea now. He didn't know for sure if what he was doing now was overcompensation for his lack of actions years ago or if his ability to face problems only showed itself when it was a none issue, or when he was backed into a corner he couldn't pull himself out of by ignoring the problem any longer. Either way it was a problem. A problem he couldn't avoid, nor face head on like he had with previous problems. The lack of a problem for him, was a problem in many ways. It felt like that meant there was one, but he couldn't see it. Except in this case, it turned out to be himself, dragging down everyone else with him. He thought back to Tatiana. How she wanted him dead. How in her eyes, he was to her, as Don was to him. The main difference being she knew when to keep quiet, and if given the chance, she seemed like she wouldn't hesitate. The time for dwelling was over though. It was time to return to face his final sentence. He hesitated again, stopping behind the door for a moment unable to leave the confines of the restroom and its relative safety from his consequences. He shook himself out of it and worked himself to face this. "...okaay..." He returned without another word. He glanced at Cage, wanted to take the chance to say something. But nothing in the end as he had no idea what to say to the man.

Guilty. Even he could have guessed that. He expected nothing less then that. What mattered was the consequences for his crimes. What also stuck with him was that there was no one to vouch for him. No one that knew him outside of the last few weeks he had been either in lock up or quarantine. It was the same the other direction for Hunter. Despite some people seeming trustworthy, how well did he know any of them? Granted, they weren't the ones who were in suspect for being a threat to the lives of everyone here. Not just the residents, but the newcomers as well. He wasn't a fan of being compared to a toddler, but he kept that to himself. The General seemed conflicted as he spoke. He had no idea what he expected of the man he had never talked to directly outside of this trial. He had heard what other's have had to say about him. The first thing being what Maddoc had told him while in quarantine. This man did not seem to fit that description. Or maybe he had a better poker face then Hunter gave him credit for. Or maybe Maddoc was trying to scare Hunter into submission before releasing him into the crowds? He had no way of knowing in this moment. But the man before him. The General made a point to say he wouldn't be executed. That was reassuring. Then his options were presented to him.

Hunter's face sunk when he heard the options. They saw him as a dangerous crazy person. So the idea was to lock him where they held the crazy people until they either got better. Or they didn't. And they never left. But like before, he was given an out. A much more restrictive out that put him in a situation he wouldn't know how to face. All he knew about the central states where they wanted to drop him off was that they were sparsely populated compared to much of the east coast. He had nothing that direction in terms of family, or places family might have gone towards if things went wrong. At least in the far north, there was at least his great uncle's property his father had talked about from time to time. But west was an empty start for him, and still no Izibell. But the fact that the man had brought her up made him question, was she still on the table? He wasn't a fan of either option. But the worst option was finally off the table. He let out a weak and strained nervous laughter for a few seconds. Then stopping when it appeared his tired state had hit exhaustion and had no more fumes left to run on. "Fuck nuggets..." He muttered to himself. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place. If he stayed, best case he'd be That guy that parents would warn their kids to stay away from, and people would go out of their way to avoid. But if he left, it would be a totally fresh start. No past to chase, nothing to hold him back other then his own thoughts. He had learned a lot about himself he needed to fix and work on while in his stay in the camp hopefully meaning he'd have a better idea of what to do next time he came across people. But he'd have to be lucky. Luckier then he had been so far to find people who wouldn't shoot him on sight. His luck was running out though.

He took a deep breath. "I'd like the chance to..." He was scared of fucking up his wording even more then he had already. If the situation wasn't as serious as he was, he imagined it would be a great argument to tell kids to stay in school and not to cheat on your ELA classes. "I'd like the chance to stay. and uh... improve and fix the wrongs I did." Ashton was right. It was a simple jester, but no one had any reason to believe he actually cared about the wrongs he did so far as he was mostly only outspoken about how he was wronged. He hoped he got his message across without it sounding like something he was trying to get by anyone, or as him trying to manipulate the things he had heard today. None of that was his goal. He wanted to do better, but as far as he could tell this was the only way that was happening.

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Nigel Cooper Location: Education Center (M) Skills: N/A

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Like Nigel had alluded to moments before, the die had been cast. Closing arguments had been given and the Plebian opinions headed, so now it was only a matter of time before the dice finally landed, revealing their divine judgement in the form of numbers. Would Hunter's lucky number show up, or those of dread? Nigel certainly didn't know, only familiar in such cases from Ancient Rome and judicial cases not of this world. He was a historian, not a lawyer after all!

He still found the whole drama breath-taking, himself firmly seated at the edge of his seat as listened intently to Thana's opinion. He slowly nodded alongside her words, the bobbing of his head following her slow, yet determined rythm of speech. "I support that sentiment. A simple execution might be efficient, but…it's not for me to say what is morally right for this community or not, just that it is not Death he deserves. Whatever it is, a fair sentence will not be a light one…" Nigel commented back to Thana, sharing his thoughts with Ash too as he was in the conversation as well. Hunter's crimes were in no terms light, and the punishment should match that…

Like how the thundering sound of collapsing limbs and the fall of Thalia the Amazon cracked through the thick air of suspense? Probably. Nigel turned his head and entire frame in search of the sound, quickly finding its source in Thalia's comedic failure to sneak out of the room. In the end she simply gave up trying, forcing Nigel to stiffle a chuckle out of respect for her. This was a situation not befitting a comedy, and certainly not for someone as skilled as her. Not with her glare of Death, it wasn't.

As Thana had prophesied, the verdic was a foregone conclusion; Guilty. Nigel's rubbing hands indicated he knew that before anyone had told them. Some things simply weren't a surprise. What was a surprise were the options the General gave Hunter. To put it plainly, here there were no "Virtus in media stat." No middle path laid forth with golden bricks, leading to a happy life. Forced rehabilitation or banishment. Nigel held his breath for what felt like years as he waited for Hunter's response, knowing neither option would be pleasent for the young soldier.

In the end though, he let out a sigh of weighted relief at his choice: Six months of getting help. It was no easy path to walk, but in the end perhaps that would finally gift upon him that much needed sense of catharsis? "And so begins Hunter's Odyssey begins…"

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Alexander Polawski Location: Education Center (M) Skills: N/A

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The waiting for numbing all of Alexander's senses at this point, the lack of any further deliberations or testimonies creating a vaste void inside the hall used as the court room. Had it not been for the severity of the situation, not to mention the safe presence of Manny still at his side, Alexander wouldn't know how to cope with the void that was slowly consuming him; the uncertainty of what were to happen to Hunter.

To his younger self, now taken out for whatever reasons ol' Mugsy hadn't caught in all the storms that rolled over him. What would his fate be? His heart begged, pleaded and prayed for a sentence that could be considered lenient, or in the very least merciful, but his head and gut? No, just his gut, for that he could trust more than anything else in life after so many years - his gut wasn't so optimistic.

Alexander was shaken out of his daze by the loud crashing somewhere in the room. In an instant the old veteran rose to his feet, ready to proclaim his innocence for…for…the shooting? Alexander stood dazed once again, confusion washing over his face as he saw clearer what had caused those noises. Not booming noises, but simple crashing; Thalia the not-so-stealthy. What she lacked in stealth, not comparable to her slick movements back in Eden, she made up for with her Bostonian attitude, owning the situation like any cool cat would. Manny put it better than he himself could have. "Seems so…we all do probably. Whatever's happened today, everyone's been through something rough…Poor Angel."

The old veteran's hushed response was drowned out by the return to order as the trial went into its last phase; Guilty. Alexander felt his heart break into a thousand pieces, the blackness consuming it slowly but menacingly. To him this was a failure, just one of many he had created and not been able to fix. Choked up and fighting the growing urge to pray for Hunter's fate, it took a few moments for him to realise what happened next.

Aeron gave him a choice.

What? Alexander's watery eyes blinked forcefully, as if trying to blink away the mirrage before him. The option Hunter chose made the feeling all the better, if bittersweet. Redemption, at least a shot at it. For six months Hunter would be kept locked up, evaluated and treated. Alexander slowly found a smile forming on his lips, his gaze wandering from staring relieved at Hunter at his choice, to Aeron with gratitude in his silent thanks, to Manny for a weighed joy, and finally back at Hunter again.

Hunter had taken the option Alexander wouldn't have taken himself, the one he needed but didn't deserve. Now the road through Perdition began, of which Alexander would pray for Hunter's safe passage through each day. Salvation was still an option, for both of them.

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Ash Holloway Location: Education Center (M) Skills: N/A

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It was a steady series of nods which came from Ashton, as he heard and agreed with what Thana was saying. He had seen proceedings like this before. One might argue that it could be described as a "drumhead" trial, seeing as a guilty verdict was assured from the get-go. This was more about showing the community how things worked. The main difference between this and an actual drumhead, as the expression went, was that the sentence was not already decided. Nor was that sentence necessarily going to be capital, though apparently it was on the table. It was an odd feeling, being able to openly discuss the possibility of exile and/or execution, after the last year and a half of being on the road, fighting for survival, keeping his group together as best he could while conducting an epic quest for both Tatiana and Thana. He thought that such an ordeal might have changed him back into someone more prone to view each life he encountered as uncompromisingly valuable. It had not. Instead, now that he was back in civilization, it made him wish to maintain said civilization for the greater good of the most people possible while looking out for individual freedom within the ruleset of the governing body. In short, living away from society made him more protective of it. He was probably always going to be the officer he once was. Curse or blessing was yet to be decided. So, Thana's words made perfect sense to him. "Ten minutes," he mused. "Can't wait." A touch of sarcasm perhaps. Nevertheless, he had come this far and was genuinely curious as to how this would proceed.

Further conversation was waylaid by the distracting noise coming from behind them all. Thana's commentary was noted, also agreed with, and looked upon with some element of horror. "Yeah. I thought she was some kind of, ah... assassin type." Not to say Ash believed that she was a professional contract killer; more like an edgy, stealth using, melee enthusiast. At least one of those qualities was NOT on display that evening.

Instead of continuing to give attention to the one armed train wreck, Ash turned back and addressed the comment which Nigel had made just a moment before. "No execution is simple. Trust me there. Sets a precedent that's difficult to walk back from. Any death like that has to have practical and symbolic purpose." He was thinking back to how Leann McCormick ran things prior to her death. It wasn't how he ran things, but Ash had to admit that she had made a compelling point about it sometimes. Hunter, if his death were to occur at the hands of the Council, might require solid reasoning behind it. Or take place away from the knowledge of the rest of the community. So again, Ash's thoughts went toward the only question that made sense to him - was what was best for the individual also what was best for Camp Mexico Beach? To supplement, which was more important? Hopefully, they might find another path which fulfilled the needs of both without stressing their resources. Or toss aside all pretense and commit to Tatiana's course of action. It would wrap things up in a nice, tidy package, but at what cost to themselves? He had his own ideas. All they could do now was wait.

And as it turned out, they did not have to wait very long. A touch of surprise took Ash as he realized what was happening. The General was showing him mercy. More, Ash reasoned, than he might have personally shown in his position. Whether or not it was a mistake on the part of the General, the die had been cast. Presented with the option to stay in the settlement under observation and restriction or leave for parts unknown and distant, Hunter chose to stay. Ash did not personally object; this was the ruling of the governing body, ran by protocol of American military remnants, handed down by a man with decades more leadership experience than himself. Also, Thana's grandfather.

Despite not being total agreement with the decision, ego was not a factor. This was the call, and Ash would support it. Maybe things would work out for the best, and for all parties concerned. If not, summary judgement was still an option. He could respect the show of compassion to Hunter as it was a path he might have chosen only a couple of years earlier. Ash's personal philosophy may have changed due to circumstances. His sense of ethic had not, and it clearly pointed him to the command structure and measured decision thereof.

Ash leaned closer to Thana, quietly speaking to her, "This chapter's done. Let's get back to putting our lives together. What do you say?" He was wearing an expression that, while slight, might have been considered disarming.

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Thalia Carmichael Location: Mess Hall Skills: Stealth

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That was embarrassing. More than embarrassing, that was an utter and public reversal of Thalia's best asset, aside from a sense of moral flexibility that had served her well over the past few years. A very open demonstration of how far she had fallen since losing her arm. It angered Thalia. More than angered, it brought a plethora of emotions bubbling just underneath the surface of her skin. There was only one thing which might offset this piece of self-deprecating torture. Well, two. Okay, three, but as she didn't know anybody well enough to know if she could pursue quick-and-dirty physical intimacy with them, that was out. The application of violence somehow wasn't appropriate, given the trial and the lack of people that probably deserved a decent asskicking. That she was personally aware of, anyway. This left option C.

Option C was food. And why not? Thalia was a fan, be it a squirrel stabbed with a pointed stick and seared with a scavenged blowtorch or delicate cuts of sushi grade ocean fish (the memory of which was genuinely invoking something primal, even animalistic within her). So when she graced the Mess Hall with her presence, it was done so with certain predatory instincts. It was like a switch clicked on in the more feral recesses of her psyche, and certain survival traits asserted themselves. Her eyes darted this way and that, perceiving as much of her environment as possible. She took in a deep breath, mentally separating the aromas of the food distribution site so as to determine what might be on the menu. It seemed muted this evening. Like fire was not utilized in the production of the meal to come.

Carefully, Thalia wove her way about the room, ever nearing the food line. She did not take a straight path, instead keeping her profile low and almost mingling with small groups of people, the intent being to remain out of the line of sight of the majority of people in the room at any given time. For every failure, both minor and massive, that Thalia had undergone in the application of her stealth, the cobwebs seemed to have been cleared away and she practically glided from one knot of people to another, keeping her head down and senses open. Her footfalls matched those of the people immediately around her, giving camouflage to even the slight sound of her clothes rustling or shoes touching the floor. In short, Thalia was a figurative shadow, contributing little that drew the eye and even less that might pick her out from a crowd.

Thalia acquired a collection of things which she might wish to consume; sliced vegetables, fruit, and a sandwich of indeterminate ingredients. She gathered them for herself and used similar sneaky maneuvering to weave her way to an open seat at a table. Naturally, she wasted no time in shoving half of her sandwich into her face along the way. A final target was in mind (though truly not for anything nefarious, it was a "just because" scenario), so long as her luck was holding out. And indeed it did. Unobserved by the population of the Mess Hall at CMB in any substantial way, Thalia slid into position directly next to Lisa. The last thing she heard before virtually materializing in the chair next to her was the declaration that "those two are adorable". While the chuckle following the statement subsided, Thalia announced her presence, finally, by speaking smoothly into her ear, "What'd I miss, townie?" The sound of a carrot meeting its demise between her molars cracked in sharp contrast.

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Amelia Payne Location: Mess Hall Skills: N/A

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With the two of them having given Lisa their distant greeting with waves, they headed down to the table they chose, took seats next to each other and started their meal, not really paying too much attention to the surroundings as people were now filling in the Mess Hall. Their time was enjoyable, spend eating and talking about pleasant topics. Stuff like how they will be spending their free time from now on. Amelia suggested Riley getting back into music to a proper degree now that they had a stable enough home once more. She loved listening to her lover singing.

In return she even got to talk a little to Riley about the D&D group she was going to be joining to play with. Amelia didn’t really talk too deeply into it, but described the general setup of how it’s played. Stuff like what dice they are and that it’s really technically a bit of like acting in a really nerdy amateurish way for the most part. Still she had fun in the past with it so she hoped this was a nice way to experience something she hadn’t in many years now. Honestly she much preferring listening to Riley talk about music and singing. Now THAT was something magical.

“Should we call it an early night after meal?” Amelia asked after a bit, resting her head on Riley’s shoulder.” Honestly tonight I just want to lay down and not move anymore. I had enough stress for a few days over with this court case.” She added. She was never comfortable with being in too great groups and the court room was filled with people, add to that having to speak to all those people present and she was just about done with the day and all it’s stress. Well maybe they’d wait for Chase and see if she want’s to walk home with them.

“We could, if you want to. I don’t mind.” Riley replied softly.” Been a long day.”

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Lisa Mason Location: Mess Hall Skills: N/a

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“Understandable, however as I said, I recognize today’s happenings as the probable best course this entire thing could have taken short of a miracle.” She told him softly, looking at the food for a moment before looking at him.” It will be alright and don’t worry about me. Still your presence is great to have, I enjoy company at all times and yours is quite enjoyable to have. Now let’s move onto lighter topics.” She replied to him with a grin.

“Mmm, they are indeed adorable enough, glad to hear it’s not a new thing. They are both rather pleasant folk, I personally am glad they are here, given my interactions with them so far.” She nodded.” Their adorable puppy love is quite the entertaining distraction.” Lisa grinned and looked at Guy once more.” People change, especially with the world we live in and usually for the worse. What caused her to change, I don’t know, but she survived. We do everything we need to survive if we’ve got a reason to.” The woman pointed out calmly, unperturbed by the topic in the least.

Lisa couldn’t contain the laugh when he asked her for her favorite animal and his reason for doing so. She probably would have choked on her food if she hadn’t decided to not take that bit in the last moment.” Good plan, it does get kind of annoying, yes.” She nodded in agreement.” As for my favorite animal… if I really have to say one… humans.” She replied with completely serious face.” Nothing beats the absurdity we humans can cause and experience. I can watch us mankind failing and stumbling for eternity without getting bored. Guess I’m a fan of comedy as portrayed by the fact that in the root of all comedy is tragedy.” She grinned and sighed.” Still if you mean only actual animal kinds, I think it would be hedgehogs. Great little things, very adorable and they eat snakes. What’s not to love?”

The sudden words spoken out from next of her, caused her to raise an eyebrow and her head to turn around.” Hey, Thalia. Just talking about the adorable couple there and of my favorite animal apparently.” She shrugged in amusement, completely not minding the fact somebody sneaked up on her. It was great in execution.” What about you? We haven’t really spoken since the Great Wild Fuck Hunt discussion. All good?” She grinned.

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Emanuel "Manny" Newman Location: Education Center --> Streets outside education Skills: N/A

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What a rather hectic trial. Today Manny had learned a lot about the community he was now calling home, he learned a lot about Hunter, he learned what he thought was quite a bit about how legal procedures were handled, and he learned a surprising amount of details about himself and those around him. It seemed that the set of events had even helped those close to him learn about his own life and how it compared to their own. In the end though, the troubled boy known as Hunter was staying despite the protests of many. Looking back on the final count it seemed many more preferred him gone or dead. He wondered what Dr. Freedman would learn about the boy? Was he a real danger or just some kind who had no understanding of the real world or the people in it? Somewhere in the middle maybe? Manny with his limited understanding in that specific medical field had no answer to it other then the most obvious option. PTSD. But even then, Manny's understanding of it didn't go much further then the title of itself. But who didn't suffer some degree of it nowadays? Then again, it might not be as many people as he thought. Or maybe most were better at handling the effects of it? That wasn't for him to figure out though. That would be up to the ward staff to decide.

Manny took a moment to notice Alexander. The trial had taken a toll on the old veteran on a personal level. To Alexander, the boy represented a side of himself that Manny couldn't even get close to understanding. Manny had never served in the military, he had never had to deal with a troubled past the same way Alexander did. Where as Hunter might of, but Manny had no way of knowing for sure. Sure, Manny had his own complications growing up, even in his adult life. But they were in an entirely different playing field. All Manny could guess at was from what little Alexander had cared to show during the trial. "Hey." He spoke in a calming quieter tone. "He's going to be fine. He's going to take the time and effort to recover. And he is going to do good." Manny had no idea if that was true. From the days reports it seemed he could put in a lot of effort when motivated, but spiraled out of control rather fast. And when he did, he did so causing as much damage as a person could cause to himself. But Alexander seemed like he needed some hope in his life at the moment. "Let's go outside, get some air, and get ourselves some space from this for a moment. Then from there, we can go get some dinner. I'm sure it's something great tonight." His tone got progressively more cheerful as he spoke trying to avoid sounding over positive from the start, but leaving enough that Alexander could latch on if he so wanted too. He figured it was likely fish again, but Manny had been enjoying it more and more as the weeks have gone by. Maybe it was because it was a prepared meal, and having prepared meals for the course of several weeks was a great improvement compared to having beans and peas out of a can with a fork/spoon/fork/screw driver or god forbids his hands. And he didn't have to do it with his shotgun on his lap or by his side. Though he'd be lying if he said he didn't miss having it close just in case. Even though the place was safe, it was a nice assurance to have by his side that at least if all else failed he still had some ability to do something.

Manny stepped outside leaving Alexander the choice to follow or take some breathing time on his own if h so chose too. Once outside he took a moment to appreciate the fact that the rain had stopped. Though he didn't mind it too much, it was nice to step outside and not be soaking wet. Though the sun wasn't visible, it felt nice to be able to stand and enjoy the fresh air of the streets without a downpour making him question his enjoyment of the outdoors. Despite his fears of old age creeping up on him, he still had a lot of time left to try and do some good in this world. Maybe he'd get back into his old trades, help teach those in the next generations who were interested in learning about them the trades so that it wouldn't be lost. Dolittle had explained that there was no longer an acting dentist outside of broadly related fields crossing over and some books substituting the gaps. Despite his fears, that in his mind made him feel valued again. It was going to be an interesting few months to say the least.

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Hunter Monroe Location: Education Center --> Streets Skills:N/A

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So it was done. He was going to be locked into a ward for six months to be determined just how much of a problem he was. The only way he'd be out sooner then that would be if he fucked up, and they kicked him out sending him somewhere he had never been before, and had no idea how things worked out there either. He was about to spend another six months alone. With the exception of the staff who were there to monitor him, and watch him under guard to make sure he didn't fuck it up even more. He wondered if he had made the right choice, but he had no way of really knowing. It wasn't anything he was looking forward towards, but if it worked out maybe something decent would come out of it. He wondered if agreeing to this lock up was in a way admitting he was crazy? He wondered if that's how everyone else saw him? Some crazy person who needs to be locked up, shot, or sent as far away as humanly possible? At this point maybe. But admitting that to himself wasn't something he was ready to do yet. He had no idea what the next few months would entail, or what to expect on the other side of it all.

His security detail came, and took him away. Once outside, that urge had returned to Hunter. The urge to run while he had the chance. The urge to seize was little control of the situation he could despite the odds of him ending up dead for trying. It wasn't strong, but with every few steps he found himself noticing it. It wasn't strong enough to act on it, nor react to it in any physical manner. But it was present, and a feeling that would likely never leave him the longer he felt trapped. As he walked, he would on occasion turn in a circle looking around as if taking in the sights around him. Apart of it was an old habit of attempting to process the visual information around him, that had converted itself to a survival instinct when the world had ended. This time there was more to it though. This time was likely the last time he would see anything like this for a very long time. Best case was on good terms in six months. Any sooner and he was likely being taken out to be dropped off as far away as feasibly possible. He knew he wasn't in the best mindset at the moment. But the idea of going into a locked up ward scared him. He had no idea what to expect either from the place, or himself. And he had no idea what kind of person he'd discover he was, or the kind of person he'd leave the place as.

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Nigel Cooper Location: Education Center (M) -> Streets of CMB Skills: N/A

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And so it was written. Signed, sealed and delivered - less in the sense of a certain Stevie Wonder song and more akin to a Roman decree that announced the beginning of several wars. It had been decided. Hunter would stay, under guard and evaluation for the passage of six moons, but he would be staying. Again Nigel let out a deep sigh, though whether or not it was of relief, he couldn't quite tell. Honestly he'd take most sentences handed out to Hunter, save from his certain death. He would nod in agreement with Ashton's words of wisdom, one he knew all too well from where he perviously called home.

It set a precedent, one not easily changeable. Nigel couldn't recall how many people they'd turned away from the safety of their walls, simply because "If they let in one, then they'd be flooded in a matter of weeks…" It wasn't shame he felt, it was pure survival after all. No, it was melancholy if anything. Like Ash said, it was never simple. Thankfully Hunter's fate would be of that, not yet.

Nigel rose up from his seat, Thana's set of rules echoing in his mind as he decided to leave the pair alone. He read the writing on the wall, as the trial was effectively over now. There were no reason for him to stay there. No one needed a Roman educator or Legionaire now, which slowly dawned on him as he took one step after another towards the exit. Perhaps in time they would come to find his presence invaluable, even pleasent, but now? Nigel tried to hold these thoughts at arm's length, attempting to stay focused on where he wanted himself to be.

Stay focused, do your best to teach, train and prove your worth with the blade, and perhaps one day he too would find a home in Camp Mexico Beach. Not simply a settlement or shelter, but a true home, in both body and spirit. Perhaps this was Nigel's way of experiencing loneliness. If he did, he kept it to himself, the anti-social figure he already was.

Passing the two older survivors on his way out, Nigel kept moving, unable to miss his old reenactment friends and even Erica. Hopefully she would still be there for him. Perhaps even new friends were an option? Only time would tell.

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Alexander Polawski Location: Education Center (M) - Out in the streets of CMB Skills: N/A

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The only things Alexander managed to do before the whole trial was over, closed and moved on, were to give two people long and thoughtful looks, before they moved on. To Hunter the old veteran gave a reassuring nod, as if to tell him the best of luck and to put faith into those who would handle him, like he himself had done with Freedman and Aeron. Speaking of which, Alexander gave the last look to the former Dragon, now General and the simple Aeron. This one was different, weighed down not by mere emotions or hopes for the future, but coloured by years of toil. If Alexander had uttered any words to his fellow old soldier, it might have been something akin to "Let us hope there is indeed hope left for men like him, and like us."

Alexander shook himself out of that stupor upon hearing the familiar voice of Manny, per usual dragging him away from his deep thoughts and back to the reality he found himself escaping from every so often. With a slow nod and deep sigh, Alexander turned to Manny and spoke back to him in a struggling voice. "I really hope so, Manny. I really do hope that, for all our sakes…" His darkened past lingered in the back of Alexander's mind, but the reassuring tone in Manny's voice gave him the lifeline he needed to move on. It was moments like this he wished he'd met Manny many years before.

Our ol' beloved Mugsy took in one long and final breath, straightening himself up as he got on his feet and followed Manny's lead. He was glad Manny had good ideas like this, for it was easier to follow him than doing it himself. A smile and weight lifted later, Alexander nodded to Manny and slowly followed his fellow Baby Boomer outside. "Sounds like a good idea. These old bones aren't used to sitting down like they were before. Not to mention I'm starving. What were they serving today again? More cassarole? If so, sign my up."

Out onto the streets of CMB, Alexander wondered for a moment why Manny had stopped as they were passed by the Roman actor…teacher, whatever he was. A moment away from asking why, he too felt lack of rain pouring down on him. It was a pleasent change, one that brought a genuine smile to his face as he stood there with his friend. Friend. Even that put an even broader smile on his old face. He deep breath and his shoulders lowered down, Alexander planted his hand onto Manny's shoulder, telling him he was there. "Almost makes life worth living, doesn't it? Come on, let's get some grub while I bother you with my sailor's tales. Ever been to Bermuda before, Manny?"

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Amelia Payne Location: Mess Hall→General Housing Skills: N/A

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In the end Riley and Amelia continued their meal in peace, not minding the chatter of the people that had more than gathered by this point. They didn’t dally too much and ate a bit fast, but it wasn’t rushed. They talked a bit about what they expected from their life in the camp from now on, given today’s events at the trial. A few points were made that a place with running legal system was a rather huge deal. Law could be said to be the greatest of human inventions in a way. Though in Amelia’s silent humble opinion, the ways to abuse laws was way more ingrained in humanity’s mentality.

“So, what do you think will happen to him now? After all, I know we will learn for certain later, but still.” Amelia asked Riley, as she was eating her food rapidly. She was hungry and wanted out of the gathered crowd.

“Well… they wouldn’t kill him… I don’t think they will anyways.” Riley replied.” I hope it’s exile or basically observation. Though whichever is chosen, I mostly hope it doesn't come back to bite us in the ass.” She replied.

“I know, I was for keeping him around and even now I feel off agreeing with that opinion, but it felt like the right thing to do.” Amelia quietly replied, receiving a hug. The two then continued their chatter for a bit more before finishing their food in haste and proceeding to put the trays away. It was a very quick meal, but with Amelia already having her fill of crowds today, it was probably better to leave early. In the end once outside, they headed to their new home, walking side by side and holding hands. All Amlia could think off while they walked on the peaceful street was the hope that this was peaceful living would continue for a long long while.

“Home sweet home.” Amelia said quietly once they entered their place.

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Lisa Mason Location: Mess Hall Skills: N/a

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“Indeed. Probably the one animal I’d love to have as a pet. Besides their quills make for excellent prank materials. Ever sat on one?” She asked with a huge grin.” Nearly the same as sitting on a spiky cactus… well not that I’ve experienced it, but on hand observations of others who have, collaborate with the theory.” She chuckled.” I should really talk with the expedition groups to keep an eye out for one if we could get one around here by some sheer miracle. Would be great to have around if for nothing else but as a nice communal pet for the kiddies. I doubt they’ve seen a live one.”

Lisa chuckled loudly at the ninja comment towards Thalia. That she was for some weird reason. The followup choking up at food brought her attention back to Guy with a raised eyebrow. Took her a moment to realize it was about the fabled Great Fuck Hunt. She started laughing aloud at this point.” Ohh yes, I forgot, sorry. No boys were present at the girls’ chat back then. It’s a girls’ only topic.” She found his expression incredibly amusing and kid of adorable, so innocent.” Alright, alright, it’s nothing too big, just a bit of an inside joke now.” She grinned.” Well… mostly anyways.” She added in teasing voice and narrowed her eyes on Guy in predatory manner.

“Hmm, you might just learn the meaning of the inside joke eventually at this rate.” She quipped and returned to finishing her meal with a very pleased and amused expression on her face. She closed her eyes and thought about the happenings from today, a more gentle smile graced her lips.

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Ash Holloway Location: Education Center (M) Skills: N/A

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Maybe Thana didn't realize it, but she had generally agreed with Ash's synopsis of executions, public or otherwise. He smiled to her when she gave the terms upon which she would inert a bullet into the back of his head. Or the front, whichever worked best. But mostly, his smile was because he heard her mention aloud and in public that she loved him. Even if it was followed up by threat of imminent death. "If I intentionally screwed over the community, then my execution would have a practical purpose. If you handled it, it'd also be one hell of a symbol," he remarked, referencing what he had said just earlier.

There was an element of pride that Thana likewise took community over individual, objectively speaking. Ash was positive that he would have a harder time making the same call if it came to a question of Thana over Camp Mexico Beach. He suspected that Thana's own objectivity would have her partaking in a heaping spoonful of self-sacrifice in the event of this and Ash would have to go along, respecting her wishes on the matter. It didn't make the idea any easier to swallow. But like she said, this was if she broke the trust of the people. In whatever hypothetical scenario this occurred, a lingering shadow remained in the back of Ash's psyche of the intertwined dichotomy of Ash as a man and Ash as a soldier. That separation which sometimes spoke to him and kept him alive, and on task. He could be just as objective. It was a curse and a blessing.

Ash rose as Thana rose and nodded to Nigel as he left. It looked like the man was mulling over events and he couldn't blame the guy. He glanced to Thana as she popped her neck, slightly impressed at the demonstration. Like her, Ash did not agree with the decision and like her, he was going to continue along without disrupting anything. He agreed to live by the rulings of this community and he would do just that, until he or they decided that he wasn't suited to remain. It would be a shame either way as Ash had fought hard to get here, and to Thana. This is where he wanted to be. Moreover, he genuinely wanted to be an active, involved part of this community. He was a soldier, officer, and engineer, and remembered very clearly the words spoken to him about involvement in their administration, so long as he worked toward it and the governing body gave a nod. He'd do his part and make himself useful.

"I love you too, Thawna," Ash said in a direct, optimistic manner, responding to the beginning of her sentence which ended in his brains being hypothetically sprayed across the landscape. His Virginian twang sounded more than he realized as it was coming out.

Ash watched Hunter being led away and breathed out a sigh. Ash hoped that this was going to work out okay, even so far as to pose the hypothetical question of whether there was something he could do to help him. Or even if that was appropriate. Maybe he'd see in six months. When the door closed behind the security detail transporting Hunter, Ash looked back to Thana. "Would you do me the honor of having dinner with me?" It was time to move on. It was also time to clock out, as much as anyone really could anymore. Ash had a feeling that the next six months in civilization would change them almost as much as the last year and a half out in the world had.

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Thalia Carmichael Location: Mess Hall Skills: N/A

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Let it never be said that Thalia's decision to attempt socialization was a good one. Ever. Granted, her initial approach was less than stellar for making friends, and this might even be the last time that she would give it the "old college try" for at least six months, she figured, barring something significant. It was a conservative estimate, to her thoughts. In any case, this had to have been one of the stranger personal interactions since coming into town.

To recap: From Thalia's point of view, she got a rousing success being quiet and sneaky, making her way through an occupied room with open lighting undetected. She needed that boost to her confidence. Something about losing more of her arm than with which she was comfortable, having skills which came naturally to her get backtracked a decade or so, getting abandoned by the one person she let herself get close to physically in a few years, and finally make an utter fool of herself in the Education Center's theater, was making her feel measurably less-than-useful and a little vulnerable. So, making friends seemed in order. Or at least opening a casual dialogue with someone with no expectations past it. Thalia's social skills were never great. Even at her best, she was a tool to be pointed in a direction that didn't have enough fear or chaos in it and/or had an overabundance of breathing people, all of which she stood a good chance of being rectified by her presence. So walking up to practical strangers and saying, "Hi," was kind of a big deal for her. Was she actually feeling lonely? That might have been odd.

What she got was a rather generic yet completely acceptable conversation opener about staring at a lesbian couple and someone's favorite animal. This sounded like it was begging for context and was, again to Thalia's thinking, pretty damn grade-school vanilla. It could be worse. Still willing to work with it. Guy made the corner of her mouth twist to a smile. She took the ninja comment as a compliment. It was something she was shooting for. Thalia even responded to Lisa's question, not giving much thought to the free and easy reference of The Great Fuck Hunt. "Yah, doing great." A little gruff. Conversationally, she was definitely not in her element. But maybe this was how people spoke who weren't eternally in some life or death drama. Though Thalia felt out of place, she told herself that she would adjust. Like a normal person. She shoved the other half of her sandwich in her mouth and destroyed it a little too efficiently to be a novice at the craft. It didn't even have time to scream for help, if it had the ability to do so. She then turned her voracious attentions to whatever remained as whatever conversation was going to develop, developed.

Mid-chew, Thalia stopped and began to stare at Lisa, who had taken the nigh wholesome if a but simple conversation and squeezed it through some kind of a singles-club wringer. Seconds. Literally seconds later; few enough for her to count on one hand (which was convenient as she only had the one), Lisa began eye-humping Guy and making what sounded like open flirtations to him. Thalia knew that look. She gave it to Roy not too long ago. Just a quick sizing up to make him a little nervous. Maybe think about things. He was one of a few to whom she might give consideration, so far as pure stress relief was concerned. In any case, Thalia was staring at Lisa with mild incredulity. The sudden conversational schizophrenia was effective in making her a fifth wheel and she was already done with it. Her hand felt around on her tray, settling on the metal fork thereupon.

Eyes on Lisa, Thalia intentionally hucked the fork onto the floor a few meters away. With deadpan sarcasm, she declared, "Oops. I seem to have dropped my fork. Excuse me." She grabbed up her tray, locking the edge of it down in her metal prosthesis and noped the hell away from the table, pausing only long enough to snatch up her fork from the floor. Thalia didn't look back.

After busing her tray, Thalia made solidly for the door. She thought she might still have time to get back to the Education Center before judgement was passed. Unfortunately, she caught sight of a number of people who were previously there making their way to the Mess Hall. Well, she'd just find out what happened with everybody else. Right then, catching sight of Shears making his way up for supper, Thalia suddenly had bigger fish to fry. She very unsubtly made her way over to the man, stepping around the occasional person like an obstacle to he dodged until she was right in front of the man. A quick, regarding head tilt later, she spoke to him with a sense of directness, "Hey Sheahs. You got something for me." It was not a question, and it was not phrased like one. Whether this was the end of the clue hunt or just another step, Shears was in her sights. The game continued.

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Emanuel "Manny" Newman Location: Camp Mexico Beach's Beach Skills: N/A

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Manny stood eyes closed facing the cooling ocean breeze as the busy season ended. Over the winter he had gotten back into dentistry work only to take note that despite their best efforts there were still people who had weakened enamel either from poor dental care or just wear and tear from grinding or the foods they had been eating. Some people had cavities that were manageable, some needed a lot more help, but thankfully not nearly as much teeth pulling as he thought he would have to do. And no cases that were at serious risk of being life threatening. What he hadn't expected was how much he enjoyed teaching. He had never been in a teaching roll before, and he had never worked with kids who weren't already nearing adulthood. It was an experience he didn't think he would enjoy as much as he did, and something he for the longest time wasn't even sure was possible.

Though many of his teachings had been to prepare students who were preparing to be interns at the hospital, he had made it an effort to make sure that most if not all of his students had a solid understanding of basic medical and first aid. In the world they lived in now, there would be countless moments where a trained professional wouldn't be able to immediately tend to a serious injury and the person would need to be stabilized until they could retrieve proper help. Or in the worst case, they may someday be stuck in a situation where there wasn't anyone with proper medical training, and the basic first aid they learned may be the only thing that could someday save the life of someone else. Every now and again something more obscure his knowledge in would come to help in education. He had spent years in higher education and he did pick up some things here or there that he could attempt to remind himself on if the time came, though most of the primary teachings were still left to Professor Edna. He was more there for support and some more specialized tasks and teachings.

Today was one of the first real days he has had to relax in recent times. Though he did enjoy both of his jobs to rather high glee, he did find himself enjoying the nice sun, the cool breeze, and just being able to relax. Manny strode his way over towards the Professor cane in hand. Though it wasn't something that he was dependent on for motion, he found himself standing for long periods of time every day tiring, and it was nice to have something to lean on in the later hours of the day. When teaching it also acted as a nice tool to point at various objects and displays. He still went for the occasional jogs, and really only tended to use the cane when he found himself standing for hours on end. He was also getting older, and he'd be lying if he said that didn't scare him. He would be turning 73 in almost a month to the day. Though he did what he could to fight it there was only so much that could be done to withstand it. Others in the camp were starting to struggle with similar cases. Some have been for longer.

Standing next to the Professor he finally spoke up. "They're doing good. Few students struggling here and there, but even they are pulling off the semester well. I guess that can be expected. Some of the stuff they have learned were things I had to learn in post education." He chuckled a little. "It's almost medieval in a way. Having to learn trade skills at a younger age because that's what's needed. Then we have moments like today. Moment where for a moment everything seems so... Normal." Though the camp did what it could to replicate a normal world, it had limitations due to the choices needed to survive. If one were to look left or right in this moment, the edges of the concrete wall that kept them safe from the outside world could be seen. Meals were still done mostly in the mess hall with the rare exception like today with the picnic. The ridged work schedules were also a reminder in their own ways. Though it was a comfortable life style at times, there were always subtle reminders that this was still a safe zone in a world still trying to recover from a disaster. Today was a special day though. "Any updates on the midterm grades? Anyone that's going to need a little more attention to get them through the year?" Though Manny wasn't the primary educator in the school, he was still very well educated and if any of his students needed help understanding something he would be there to help. And if it was something he didn't know, he would figure out what he could about the subject. Should that not be enough, the camp had enough specialists he should be able to find someone who could give either him or the student some pointers to send them in the right direction.

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Hunter Monroe Location: Third Floor Medical (3rd floor restroom --> Common room) Skills:N/A

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Hunter leaned over the bathroom sink preparing himself to puke. The toilet would have been better, but the sink was closer, and the literal fist fulls of water from time to time seemed to help. Today was the day. The day where he'd he judged to see if he was a safe person that could be thrown back into society, or if he was deemed too unsafe and too much of a risk to keep around. Though Hunter had shown a lot of improvement the last few months he still had issues. The biggest thing was now he was better aware of them, how they effected those around him, and he had picked up better ways to deal with those problems before they became problems. He had a lot of damage to fix though, and he wasn't even sure where to begin with that. Splashing water on his face he took a moment to think on it and decided the first step would be to show he meant it when he said he wanted to fix his wrongs.

Pulling his head up to look into the mirror he could get a better look at himself. His hair had grown out a bit over the winter, though not nearly as long or messy as it was when he arrived. He wore the nicest outfit he felt comfortable in. A pair of cargo pants with a tucked in white shirt, and a cheap store brand button up. A leftover habit from his life before the world ended. The t-shirt and pants once worn down would make great work clothes, and the button down would only need casual use from time to time, but was cheap and was easy to look decent in as long as whoever you were trying to impress wasn't worried about fancy material or form fitting suits. Though a lot of those aspects were null and void with most of the clothes he had provided for short term usage anyways. He had requested a nicer set of clothes a while ago so he could at least pass as presentable. He was fortunate that he could get his hands on something he found comfortable and presentable.

He locked eyes with himself in the mirror with a strained smile on his face. "I hope you're ready for this mate because I sure as hell am not." He chuckled thinking that joking to his own reflection would definitely not help the "I'm not crazy I swear" thing he was going for. Hunter made his way towards the common room of the wing, part of his hair and shirts still damp. He was fidgeting with his wrist as he awaited what was to come next.

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Amelia Payne Location: Camp Mexico Beach's Beach Skills: N/A

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Six moths, how time flied when one was living a regular life after what felt like an eternity on the apocalyptic roads out there. Amelia could barely believe it’s been over half a year now since the day, they first arrived at this place. It was a bit of a struggle and took some time to adapt and get used to it. Her paranoia gradually lessened some after she got used to the place and while she still finds herself jumping at shadows at times, it’s a lot less than before and she got more used to the people as well now that she had half a year to get to know a number of them. Between her and Riley everything seemed to progress rather nicely actually. Sometimes it felt like they were an old married couple from a sitcom, but she enjoyed every moment of it and to Amelia’s absolute glee, Riley got back into music! Teaching kids how to sing and play the guitar while also leading the choir. It took no effort for Amelia to admit that she loved hearing her sing and seeing the joy in Riley of working with music once more.

Amelia also found herself teaching kids funnily enough. It was a rather curious experience for her. She always had thought she got along better with older people, a curious quirk of her social awkwardness when it came to interacting with people, but it appeared that it was about people that weren’t in her age group more than anything, because she actually got along with the kids rather well. They can be playful, loud and sometimes little daredevils, but their joy and innocence, brought always joy to her. She enjoyed her work as a teacher. She taught two age groups, one more of a side thing than the other, but it was fine. Amelia enjoyed the time she spend every day with them.

Initially early in their stay and plans for the future in the camp, she had wondered and considered the possibility of going for the away teams outside the walls, but after a rather serious discussion with Riley, the two of them decided to not risk it. For once since their nightmare at Newnan, they had a good thing going and even if it was bound to end eventually, they wanted to enjoy it to the fullest as long as possible. So both of them focused on their lives and newfound careers. Well it was weird to call it a career when there was no money really involved. It was more like ways of life and general goals.

And such is the reason why she was today here at the beach, overlooking a group of kids that were having their first real outing since the start of the rainy season a while back due to the mild winter so far south. Dealing with kids, that were growling restless from basically cabin fever, was not an easy ordeal. Now that the exams were over with, the decision to have an outing for everybody from education and the kids by the ocean was a nice change of pace and with the advent of the good weather, it couldn’t have come at better time.

Looking around, she could see many of her new colleagues. Manny was also here since they were colleagues too, with him teaching medicine. She looked at her other colleagues for a moment as well, before returning her attention to the kids. Kids on the beach? It was a recipe for trouble, they had to pay constant attention on the little ones and watch over them with an eagle’s gaze! So she stopped thinking for random things and returned her focus on the little ones and their games.

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Lisa Mason Location: Medical Skills: N/a

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Lisa covered her mouth with her hand, looking through some medical documents for the patients they had right now. It was an early morning for her and maybe she should have gone to bed earlier as well. Still, opening her eyes and doing a bit of a stretch with her arms and a few other small stretching exercises, brought her back to state of proper awareness as she returned to her job and categorized mentally the different antibiotics and medications she would be working on later on, making mental and then paper notes on what was used and when.

The last six months were rather eventful for many of the camp, she imagined. The new arrivals rapidly were getting sorted around the place, being put to work into their own niches and she herself wasn’t an exception. From the moment all those months back when Mary told her she was being reassigned till now, Lisa had been rather busy. Her lessons had resumed with new intensity and she was doing rather well when it came to the pharmaceutical side of them. Many of the new antibiotics had been made under her care. She had also moved to work directly under Mary in other aspects of Medical too. She was now a nurse, following a rather gradual on hand training with Hunter’s needs and exams over his sentence. Lisa was slowly put to do more and more of the nurse work when it came to him and she didn’t mind it. She enjoyed the challenge and the gratification from the job. On a side note she had gotten to deliver him status reports on his favorite dog, since she lived with her and Nikki now. It was a nice Animal even if she noted that Amelia seemed horrified of it, poor girl. Still Lisa actually enjoyed the canine’s presence immensely when she returns home from a long and arduous day.

Aside working and studying she hadn’t done much over the last few months actually. Her schedule was as close as filled to the brim as it could be. She had managed to almost finish the manuscript on the eastern fairy tales. The initial mania over writing fast gradually lessened as she calmed down and began writing slower and thinking more on everything she wore and the wordings. She still wasn’t an poet or a novel writer, but with careful thinking and wording she was recounting the stories in as close as possible to the originals manner. There was also the topic of the teams venturing outside the walls. Lisa wasn’t really planning on joining them. For a meriad of reasons, but mainly she rather enjoyed her life in the camp and the fact that her position in Medical was rather important. She wasn’t stupid, there was a good deal of investment that went into her to reach her current point, if she ventured out and did something stupid and got herself killed, all that training and time spend teaching her would be wasted. So she didn’t want to do so. If they needed her on one of the teams, she’d go, but she wasn’t going to stupidly risk it all.

Now on her personal life, her relationship with Guy was almost a thing, however because of her busy schedule she never really openly stated it, so that was the plan for today. Find the guy, she snickered, and get him to figure out if he wanted them to give this whole proper dating thing a try. Maybe kiss him silly. They’ve been dancing around it for a while now and she wanted to try for more. She might have felt a bit bad about leaving him waiting so long, however it wasn’t like she wasn’t openly flirting with him during the time. She felt it’s time to try a more serious relationship. Who knows, maybe her hunt was about to end.

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Alexander Polawski Location: Admnistration/Communications -> The General's Office Skills: N/A

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"I told you, keep the wire bundled up and dry. You never know when you're gonna need more wire for these radios, even more in this climate where it rusts faster than a baseball heading for the sky. I'll write it down and hope we can request more, but I sweat to God…"

Six months. Six months of change and rediscovering ones place in the new life of Camp Mexico Beach. Six months of battling through his own personal Hell, then transforming into arguably the most redeeming six months of Alexander "Mugsy" Polawski's life, all things considered. With all that had happened and was continuing to happen, the past half-year had brought purpose to Alexander's life in the form of two shapes; one of Freedman and The General, and another in a radio-set.

Well, one of many radio-sets. The passing six months had shown that Alexander was to be promoted to Head of Communications of CMB. It really shouldn't have come as a surprise when one thought about his past experience as a radio-man in the US Army, including how to properly communicate over the radio-waves and how to fix the sets when they broke down. One could think this was Alexander's reward for marching out on patrol with a radio tower strapped to his back without being killed, or a worthy semi-retirement for an old veteran of Uncle Sam.

Whatever it was, Alexander was happy to be handed this responsibility, jumping at the opportunity to show he still knew how to work a radio. That included berating those who could talk sternly to about the importance of regular mantainance. Alexander shook his head in annoyance, but only in a professional sense as he wrote down yet another item on his list of requisitions for the Communications Center. Fresh wiring was underrated, especially in the Floridian climate that reminded ol' Mugsy all too much of 'Nam.

Alexander checked the clock on the wall, recognizing that the time approached the allocated meeting he had with Aeron. The General, as he attempted to call his old superior from days of both their youths. Old habits were hard to change, right? With a quick pen stroke on his notes, Alexander excused himself from Communications and made his way out of the room he and Thalia had cleared out half a year earlier, making his way upstairs and towards the office of a certain General.

Aeron. The Dragon.

Freedman's session with the old veteran had done a hell of a lot to…what was the word? It wasn't "Fix", as Alexander's memories continued to haunt still. As he walked effortlessy down the hallway and ending up at Aeron's office door, the word came to him. "Distract", that was it. Knocking on the door and waiting for the usual voice to summon him, he found himself replaying a memory he was fonder over. Nothing special, but it did involve himself and a few others fishing out on the pier in peace.

Memories of good times, resembling the good old days. A fragile hope he held that he could spend his coming birthday just like that. Fishing. It did help to drown out the sounds of mortar shells falling.

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Nigel Cooper Location: Camp Mexico Beach (Beach) Skills: N/A

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"We might be done with the Midterms, young alumnus, but that does not mean I won't be appraising your competence outside of class. I've got my eyes on you…but have fun."

Nigel's words harkened back to a distant past, one in which his role inside of CMB was theatrically similar to the one he inhabited back in his old life. Even his intonation revealed that deep inside of his soul and mind, he was a teacher at heart, though now one wielding a sword and pen as a matter of life and death, not mere wages. Nigel let one of the pupils run along down to the beach where a group of others awaited him, following him with his gaze for a moment before shaking his head with a surrendered chuckle. No need in taking his harsh words to heart. Kids would be kids.

He just hoped he'd done his job well enough.

Nigel walked calmly down to the beach, sighting Manny making conversation with the Professor as the celebration picnic for the end of the Midterms unfolded. While Nigel hadn't had much time to get to know the old dentist/doctor before they became integrated parts of CMB, they'd grown to speaking terms while they both worked under Education. At least the less-than-expected time Nigel spent inside actual classrooms teaching the camp's pupils, as he'd been assigned to teach the more adult members in the arts of War. More specifically, the ways of the Romans and Greeks, as he knew best. No longer was he frowned upon when orating about the sword, shield and superiour formations of his adopted forebearers. Certainly to himself he liked to think he was seen as more of a Mars, rather than a Sportacus. (Not that the lable ever left him, sadly…)

It wasn't the neo-Roman's intentions to evesdrop on what Manny and the Professor conversed about, partly concealed by the soft breeze of Neptune himself greeting Nigel's arrival at the shores of his domain. He did however overhear the word "Medieval", learning skills at a young age and inquiries into the state of the Midterms. Making his presence known and respectfully placing himself by Manny's side, Nigel let his eyes sail out onto the open seas, his ears listening to whatever was spoken. "The sooner they learn the skills we can teach them, the better. Some skills and feats cannot be learned from a book, sadly, so the Medieval-label is quite spot on, Manny. Ipsa scienta potestas est."

Breathing in the fresh, salty sea air, Nigel let his head turn towards his two fellow educators. One had a clear view into his mind, while the other had one of his mouth, and he wasn't sure which one he dreaded the most. Further away from them however, was one he feared not in the slighest. Amelia, the newly-divined teacher for the younglings stood watch over the little barbarians that they were. In the best of sense, of course, as they could be made into good Romans after all. A fellow teacher now, and a steady cliff who Nigel held onto as he had dived head-first into the game of Dungeons & Dragons! She cared for the young kids, so he settled with giving her a big wave and keeping to the two others.

"Thank you, Manny, for your check-up on my teeth by the way. I was fearing I was going to pull it out myself…again, but you did it…well enough. Anyway, their grades? Nihil novi - Nothing new under the Sun. Some have done their work as expected, and some are in need of more assistance…which goes for both the young and old, but you did not hear that from me."

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Ash Holloway Location: P6, empty lot next to Enlisted Housing (O) Skills: N/A

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In a stark contrast to the last few years, Ashton's life was idyllic. Not to mean ideal, as not being in the state of existential perfection. That might have been impossible even in the years preceding dead folks eating live ones. But idyllic, as his present life inspired a level of contentment and simplicity that Ash honestly did not think he would experience again. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew that it would not last forever. Things never did. This was life now. It didn't mean that he would let this inevitability ruin things.

Ash wasn't in charge now, but he did have responsibilities he took seriously. It felt good to more actively ply his skills on a more personal, manual level. There were things which he would always be - distiller, engineer, soldier - though in this instance his experience as a mechanic were called into service. There was even a sense of satisfaction meeting up with Thana after her duties or at mealtimes, streaked with an errant line of grease he had somehow neglected to remove. Simple things. Small things. Things which were worthwhile. Ash was in the best mental health and frame of mind that he had been in for a long while. Having love, purpose, friends and those which he considered family (bloodlines be damned) was highly fulfilling for the grizzled, erstwhile Captain.

The people of CMB even managed to locate and return his Hordebuster, be it in a state of mild disrepair from the bullet holes and almost year of neglect in the elements. One could tell that it needed some love even besides the cracked engine block which was impossible to repair without a facility (or a lot of time that they simply didn't have). Ash had regretted abandoning it. His people were more important. All the same, it was like being reunited with a family member. The Holloways had owned the vehicle since well before the Outbreak, where it served their business needs well, running fine distilled products of ancestral recipe and serving as a home away from home on long hauls. It had immense sentimental value. Certain that he would never see it again, Ash had removed the gear shift knob and carried it with him ever since. It was no surprise that Ash, upon seeing its careworn, utilitarian blue form entering Mexico Beach, he immediately made a dash for his quarters. Ash snatched the knob from its resting place therein and took off at a run, determined to place it where it belonged. If the leadership of CMB did this for the purpose of solidifying Ash's loyalty to the community, they succeeded. Not like they needed to. This was gravy on top. Ash had his Hordebuster back. It even still bore the name "Holloway" on the sides.

Between his appointed tasks, overhauls, maintenance, etc., for CMB's fleet of vehicles, he took to making little repairs and improvements to the Hordebuster, sanctioned, of course. It could be argued that after fixing an engine block everything was a little repair. In this case, touching up paint or knocking out dents, sanding out oxidation and treating it with priming compounds, replacing the seal around the cab's roof hatch, re-establishing base rainwater collection, reinforcing the massive, road-clearing wedge on the front, etc. Small things. Ash wasn't sure if it counted as extra work hours so far as his superiors were concerned, but he really didn't care. So long as his work got done and he had time with Thana, life was good. There was much that he wanted to do. CMB's resources were objectively put to better use in other areas.

One such area was the construction of a (dare he imagine it?) third vehicle, spawned from the original specifications of his Hordebuster. The first such truck was constructed out of necessity, made to save lives and get a convoy of people out of a bad situation. THE Hordebuster. The second was built by CMB based off of his designs which were recovered from the ruins of Newnan. This would be a third vehicle, built for the specific purpose of being bigger, nastier, and more painful. This was not a home, like the original. This was not a supply vehicle. No, this was supposed to be a instrument of intimidation and power; one for which he was asked to be on the build team. Suffice it to say, Ash had ideas. He also had questions.

"Scratch build or existing vehicle modification?" He gathered various drawing utensils and paper lay them down on a large, flat space. Engineering specs were kind of his thing.

"Fire engine base is ideal. Most powerful diesel engine shy of a tank, civilian use. Decent fuel economy, too." He might be able to do something with a personnel transport truck, owing to a greater amount of off-road capability. He kept designing, scribbling notes on margins, and the like. Ash knew that he wasn't in charge of this build, but he was a valuable source of information about the concept and wished to present various possibilities. But one might be able to discern from his very "engineer-y" handwriting a selection of footnotes, including optimal vehicles which did not require a ground-up build:

"M728 Combat Engineer Vehicle, mine plow,"
"M1132 Engineer Squad Vehicle, front blade, dragging trailer,"
"Engineering Purposed Abrams, breach configuration,"
"Terrier Combat Tractor, excavator model, extended track base,"
"Belaz 75710, exterior modification,"

It was a wishlist. It couldn't be anything else. That didn't stop him from wishing, though. Additional designs were in draft form, stacked, with rough notations. Pros, cons, availability of parts, fuel options, and many more considerations were committed to paper. More realistic to his estimation, they were mainly variations of semi-truck and fire engine builds. From the speed of which he was able to put these designs out and the detail presented, one could tell that he had been thinking about this for a long time. He showed his notes, all of them, to both Rosie and Mizrahi, also outlining his full thoughts on the matter. Ash was a Combat Engineer. He was handed requests or obstacles, and gave back practical methods of overcoming them. Then he moved to execute said methods when cleared to do so.

Whatever build they went for, be it one of his or another applicable design from another source, Ash delved into it wholeheartedly.


That morning, Ash smiled briefly to the instantly warming sensation of Thana giving him a kiss. In a different life, such fraternization might have led to very negative consequences in their careers. It was a silver lining of the apocalypse, he supposed, that two military professionals could have an active personal life in addition to their assigned responsibilities. And he did have his own duties to perform. The thought that the would be available for each other that evening just gave him something to look forward to. Ash looked about the room as he more hastily wolfed down what remained of his meal, taking note of the people present. This was his new home.

Ash's presence in Transportation been covered, owing to his plans to take a military position within the community. He had taken part in the requirements thusfar and was determined to see it through, regain his rank in the eyes of CMB, and continue serving in the manner he intended to when he took his oath, years ago.

After he bused his tray and walked outside of the Mess Hall, it momentarily occurred to Ash that he had a birthday in a couple of weeks. He felt it was odd that it crept up on him like that. Priorities had a way of shifting. He dismissed it with a head shake and started off at a jog, moving away from where the vast majority of everyone else was headed. It was a short time later when he found himself in front of Enlisted Housing. Ash slowed to a walk and crossed the road. Wayne was there, commonly known to him as the big fellow who sees imaginary things. To each their own, he supposed, as long as Wayne wasn't a threat.

But Wayne wasn't the person he was here to see. Ash crossed the ground, giving the guy a courteous nod in greeting, and continued on to Maddoc. Ash gave him an appropriate salute, given the circumstances, and gave an almost protocol declaration of, "Ashton Holloway. Reporting for military review, sir." He was sure that the formalities weren't necessary, but he wanted the right foot to be put forward. After anything resembling confirmation of his presence, Ash mentioned, "I'm interested to sign on for teams later on, sir. Commitments just now." It might or might not have been common knowledge that he was part of the massive build team working out of Transportation. Likely that, even if it was restricted knowledge, this guy would know anyway. "Though I stand ready if called upon." The last part trailed out with more of his Virginian accent than he had intended.

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Thalia Carmichael Location: P6, empty lot next to Enlisted Housing (O) Skills: N/A

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Thalia's life, on the other hand, was neither ideal nor idyllic. The sudden increase of people around her on a daily basis served to make her feel more isolated. Much of that was her fault. Thalia had a tendency to pull away from crowds of people unless she was using the crowd to camouflage her movements. This, combined with the situation that these people were getting lives of their own now, no longer relying on each other for basic survival, her feelings of usefulness were starting to plummet. Out there, beyond the walls, she had a clearer (if grimmer) purpose. Then again, she also had two working hands for most of that time. Thalia had worn away much of her social skills, what few she possessed in the first place, out in the world scrambling to keep herself fed and sheltered with highly primitive means. Like everyone else, Thalia had killed to survive. Unlike them, she was certain that she was a killer. The distinction there was important. She had remained in CMB because she needed to. Moreover, it was made crystal clear to Thalia that CMB did not need her in the slightest. It also didn't help matters that the one person with whom she made a physical connection had abandoned her, for no reason other than she didn't want to bother trying to live there. Even temporarily.

These realizations didn't come all at once, either. It slowly crept into her soul over the first couple of weeks after Hunter's trial. Having extended down time wherein she didn't have to cover her own ass or the collective asses of her team gave her painful time to turn her thoughts inward. Did she prefer to be alone because it was easier? Better yet, did she deserve to be around people in the first place? Thalia was certain that yes, she was a killer. She did so without remorse during nor with regret later. Nurtured toward this sense of moral ambiguity from the age of ten. It made her strong, yes, but at what cost? Was her soul truly damaged? Was this what others saw when they looked at her? Did this actually bother her, or was it her disconnection from it all? For mercy's sake, she claimed to follow Catholicism but put prayers to a cultural folk saint that was the colorful embodiment of Death. Thalia worshiped Death. Had killed in the name of revenge and cleansing the world of human filth with Dama de la Muerte's mark painted across her face.

Thalia stayed because she was weak. She was sure of this now.

Lucky for her, Thalia possessed the barest sense of introspection that let her know that she was damaged somehow. Her mind wasn't right. While she had no requirement to attend therapy sessions, it was a good idea if she did. Weekly group meetings had open attendance, and damnit, she was going to attend. Maybe she wouldn't share everything, and she shared absolutely nothing the first few of them, but eventually she started to talk. Some of the things she said were shocking. Every time she spoke, Thalia did so with the idea that this might get her restricted in the community or kicked out altogether. And maybe part of her was even aiming for exactly that conclusion. But they never did toss her out.

This did not mean that she didn't participate in some more colorful and benign forms of self-destructive behavior. When she found out that someone in Camp Mexico Beach was a decent enough artist and had access to tattooing equipment, she pulled a few extra hours every now and again to trade out for some ink. Her body was scarred up enough as it was. A little voluntary decoration wouldn't hurt matters any. Like many people who got bitten by the tat bug, she didn't stop at just one.

Owing to a secret like of My Little Pony from when she was a small child (which she might or might not take to the grave), she got her hips tatted with a cutie mark of a black dahlia flower. A flower which marked permanence, commitment, and honesty, yet also carried with it negative connotations including the promise of eventual death. Certain folk tales also described the flower blooming its most beautifully when seeded from a corpse. Also, it was a generous statement to say that they were marked on her hips. Phrasing was important. Thalia's back now bore additional markings as well. Two tattoos were prominently placed, making their way down her shoulder blades; marks which looked very much like she had angelic wings once but they were removed forcibly, leaving the stitched remains of the trauma to attest to her former status. It was an interesting play on the nickname her father had given her. To give more of a thematic image, just below these on the right side was the image of a single feather, inked in such a way as to appear falling from the wounds above.

Yet she did her job. Thalia did so without complaint, or even comment the vast majority of the time. She trained as hard as she could, she took her meals when and where she was directed to, and she kept doing what she did best - surviving in whatever environment she was placed. Thalia continued, if she wasn't sure exactly what the overall purpose was anymore. There were a few interesting spots in the six months since the trial, to be fair. The first such one was from Shears, actually. Thalia had cornered him, having been directed there by the string of notes in some maddening Wild Goose Chase/Worst Scavenger Hunt Ever. This was the last one, and whatever the end result was to be lay in the possession or knowledge of the resident barber. She got her answer. Slowly, carefully, Thalia accepted a cylindrical object and gazed at it for a long moment. Shears had the good sense to begin putting some distance between himself and the uncertain woman in front of him. She didn't notice. In fact, Thalia noticed only two things then. First, it was the object itself. A can. Unswollen, unrusted, but with a little fading on the label, which boldly held the letters spelling out "SpaghettiOs". The other thing she noticed was a note affixed to the back of the can:


Birds scattered into the skies. Small children looked to the safety of their mothers. The world took in a tense breath and waited for what might happen next as Thalia stood there outside of the Mess Hall and declared, possibly for the first time ever with volume heretofore unobserved in the woman who prided herself on guile, stealth, and a survivalist's mentality, "That ...BITCH!!!" The words echoed from the very walls and brought with it afterward a profound stillness. Thana would get hers. Oh yes, she would get hers. It might take time, but it would be implemented in such a way that, much like Thana, she would not even have to be present to know it happened.

Another interesting event for Thalia during this time was, despite her seemingly oppressively solitary existence, she had made a friend, of sorts - Tatiana. Not that they spoke really. Or at all, most of the time. It was more accurate perhaps to say that they had an understanding wherein they didn't ask much of each other past their presence. The ballet lessons notwithstanding, as Thalia took to this as much as her other physical training. It was nice, though. In fact, this reminded Thalia very much of the relationship between the two older men who came in the same day her group did; two damaged individuals who associated with each other, passing no judgement about the other's level of bent. Tatiana had her own demons. They weren't Thalia's business unless Tati felt like sharing.

Thalia's personal difficulties, while rarely showing up in public except for a tendency to keep to herself, did explode in private. Many an evening she might hypothetically be found ranting to herself, venting frustrations as if she was speaking to someone while alone in her room. The truth of it was that she was addressing the one thing she was allowed to keep upon entering CMB, a yellow rubber duckie in good condition. Thalia would talk to it in a highly accusatory manner, then respond as if it had something pointed to say about it.

"Oh, and don't look at me ahll high and mighty, like you gaht any room to judge. Fucking hypocrite."

"Don't say a fucking word, duck. You didn't even show up until we were almost heah."

"And I'll tell you another gahd damn thing - trying to trip me up at the last minute was a bitch move. Bitch move. You weren't exactly the vision of good decision making, either."

"NO, it was naht for my own good. You don't know what I was doing."

There were evenings where Thalia cried in private. there were other evenings where she seriously contemplated hopping the wall and getting as far away from Mexico Beach as possible. A silly J-pop or J-rock song from an anime, or at least a translation of it, kept popping into her mind. It stuck with her in these months, and sometimes she might be seen humming it as she went along with training or doing her work. The song was "Bad Apple". Thalia didn't particularly like it, but one line among the others made her think: "Will there ever be a place for the broken in the Light?"

Somewhere in her troubled mind, a core of stability remained. She knew that all of these things were long coming, and that she could only hold them back for so long before they had top be addressed. Thalia also knew that, though she was feeling worse, this was a sign that she was getting better. And things did get better. It just took a while.

One of the funniest things that she experienced during those months was when she was selected to be part of Safety. They sent her to the armory and had her pick out a firearm, as duties required it. All of this was happening, and they gave her a gun. They gave her a gun before they gave Thana's Army boyfriend a gun. Before Tati's husband, the former cop. And before Alexander, another soldier who seemed to be in good with the man who ran this camp. To her, this was goddamned hilarious. They had more faith in her than she had in herself right then. But even this was changing. CMB was right to wait. Thalia had a lot of stuff to process. When the time came, she chose a reliable 9mm with good ammo capacity that she could operate with one hand. She had even refined her system for one handed reloading and chambering. It still wasn't as fast as having two working hands, but it was pretty impressive nonetheless.

She was still a girl who appreciated melee stabbing as a preference, if she had her druthers on the subject. This led her over to Tesla during a free moment, where the conversation was short and open-ended, culminating in a request. "You ever watch Fullmetal Alchemist?" The raise of her prosthetic to emphasize her point was a granted gesture. "Tahlk later, okay?" An attachment of the sort would help turn her liability into an asset for the community. This is what Thalia was good for. She might as well own it and be the best she could be. Now that she was on Safety, there was cause.

There was another benefit to being assigned to Safety, and that was her trainer. Now, nothing came of anything to date, but it was interesting as hell to Thalia that Roy was stuck showing her the ropes. Did he request the assignment, or was this just the whim of the dice, as it were? Her brother Joaquin might have just as easily trained her. But no, the guy who she had sized up like she was appraising a steak when she first came to town is now assigned to her, in a supervisory capacity. Again, nothing came of this at first, seeing as she was much more of a mess, but as things began to stabilize, she did finally decide it was a good time to say something. Her extremely direct nature probably worked against her here. With a neutral, almost annoyed tone and a look that was as much inquisitive as anything, Thalia addressed Roy. She waited for an opportunity away from other people.

"Look, I'm naht good at flirting." Admit limitations. Good start. Continue. "And I sure as hell don't want commitment." Ah, a bold, declarative statement to show assertiveness. Capital idea. "But if you'ah interested, and discreet, I'm available." Thalia narrowed her eyes and studied any reaction he might have, tilting her head slightly to one side as if to size him up again. After a moment, she focused on the job at hand. "Ahright, let's get back to it. Station check?" Thalia's actions following were as if she hadn't said anything at all. But she had. It hung in the air, waiting. Overbearing, even.

Eventually, as weeks rolled into months and seasons passed, the darkened Angel got a better bearing of herself. She did not miraculously change the core of her being. That core kept her alive. This was realization and acceptance on a fuller scale. Thalia continued to go to group therapy when she didn't have other things which were more pressing. It was helping. She was getting better.


Thalia and Tatiana had grown to have similarities. Which one of them started in CMB with the traits originally was up for grabs. Regardless, the two of them sat that morning, consuming their meal and keeping an eye on the people around them. Tati's stare might have been to make observations about the people, but Thalia's intent was the same as it usually was, plotting for unspeakable and highly improbable contingencies which generally involved the hypothetical application of violence. Thalia was eating a little slower than she usually did that day, due to some dental issues. Her teeth were fine enough; the issue involved the painful truth that there were some tasks that her left hand simply hadn't adapted to. Put a short blade in her hand and she was fine. A pistol, too. Much of her early training was broad in nature, allowing her to establish a form of weapon ambidexterity common to practitioners of the stabby arts. Adapting to that was not a big issue. But ask her to write something, or in this instance brush her teeth? One unexplained noise on the outside of the window and a head turn later, you'd think she tried to commit suicide with a dental hygiene implement and some baking soda. She might have laughed, but, ow.

The two women still didn't feel the need to say much to one another. Thalia knew where she was going after breakfast, and she was going there with mostly the same intent as Tatiana. The roguish Miss Carmichael figured that she could do more good for herself and Mexico Beach going on runs outside of the walls. Moreover, she needed to step things up by enlisting in their military program. Thalia was not a ready and experienced leader. It just wasn't her. Being given some freedom of movement with goals to accomplish and a wide margin to implement said goals was more her speed. Small unit tactics, mobility, quiet work; these were her strengths. She might make a fine Specialist, Corporal, or even Sergeant sooner or later, but that was it. Hopefully, the people in charge would feel the same way.

After busing her tray, Thalia looked to Tati and nodded her head in the general direction of Enlisted Housing. More specifically, she intended the lot to one side of it. Thalia's day was open past this as she was working the night shift at the Jail, so if she was lucky she could get whatever needed to be done here handled and grab a nap before reporting in. She would know better if this was a possibility only after this was underway, and so made her way from the Mess Hall, up the street, and over to the empty lot to speak to Maddoc.

Thalia expected to see Ashton there. And she knew she was reporting to Navy's uncle to sign up. What surprised her was Wayne. Sure. Why not? Thalia had cleared a lot of cobwebs out over the last six months, why not him, too? All the same, she did retain a healthy amount of reservation and kept her opinion (and potential options) open until information led her in a specific direction about the man. Well, Thalia wasn't here to make personal critiques, she reasoned. Giving her friend a nod, she blew out a breath and walked up to Maddoc. Best to get this done and see what happened after. "Signing for both." It was a simple statement. Military review and teams for assignments outside of the walls. It was time to start pulling that weight.

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Emanuel "Manny" Newman Location: Camp Mexico Beach's Beach --> Jail Skills: N/A

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Things were going well as more of the education staff had made their way in explaining their side of things. "You're not wrong. Many skills can only be learned by experience. And many of those skills may be lost forever now." He wondered what trade skills could be lost forever and would have to be relearned from scratch. What medical practices couldn't be practiced due to either the rarity of the conditions the practices were needed for or because of the lack of donated bodies to the medical field. He highly doubted that a walker corpse even a relatively recent one would do what is needed. Plus it was a high risk of infection as an added risk. He did take note of Nigel's Latin. Though he could tell it was Latin he couldn't make a word of it. "What does that mean if you don't mine me asking? I'm afraid my Latin is a bit lacking at the moment."

Nigel took a moment to thank Manny for some dental work a while back, Manny appreciated the words as most people seemed not to be a fan of having to go to the dentist prior to the end of the world. "It's not a problem, just make sure you keep it your remaining teeth clean. Floss makes a huge difference. If you can't get your hands on floss check supply out for nylon rope bits that are too short to be used and the small strands on those should work. Just make sure they are very clean. It wont do you any good if you give yourself an infection cutting corners that don't have to be." That was the way things were. Though the camp was well equipped, there were just some things that were hard to come across or produce nowadays that needed to be replace with a less then ideal supplement. Biofuel for diesel, nylon string fragments for dental floss, someday probably bows and arrows for guns and bullets when those resources weren't sustainable for regular use.

Both gave their explanations on the situation of their students. Nigel explaining a healthy mix of some who needed attention, the Professor not worried about most of her students with the exception of Nikki. She was failing a few of her subjects rather harshly. "I'll have a talk with her and see if there's something I can do to help." He looked over the papers. Though he was not the main educator for these things he still had gone though several years of advanced schooling and had a pretty good grasp on education. Be it a few years outdated maybe. He also had a pretty good understanding of trouble youth being one himself growing up.

He organized the papers in his hands and got ready to leave. "Anything else going on I should know about before I head over?" Could be Nikki related, or anything going on with other students. The way he saw it he was always on the clock as long as his assistance was needed somewhere. "Nigel, care to join me?" He had grown fond of the time he spent with his fellow teachers. If the man wanted to stay on the beach he wouldn't blame him, but company was always nice. Manny took note of Amelia as he left the beach and gave her a friendly wave. The girl seemed shy but she worked well with the younger kids in a way Manny couldn't even begin to understand. After waving he continued his walk towards the jail. With his cane in one hand as he walked and the papers in the other he began to wonder if it was better to carry some kind of suit case, but decided for now it wasn't worth it. Supply likely didn't keep a huge supply of them and even from there they were likely prioritized for more important documents then a student's failing test scores. Arriving at the Jail Manny gave a pleasant knocking pattern and waited with the paper nicely rolled up and his cane centered in front of his person.

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Hunter Monroe Location: Third Floor Medical Skills:N/A

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Hunter had a habit of over thinking himself into problems, and being unable to get himself of out these new problems. And when things got worse, he would react in kind and begin making problems worse. And the cycle would repeat until they hit a breaking point. Before the world ended it was easier to catch himself in problem situations before they became that. With the collapse of what structure was in his life and the world around it Hunter had become more impulsive on his worst thoughts. Though he had gotten better in recent months, and having a structure that didn't stress stress him out as often, he still had rough days from time to time. The medication helped a little when he finally accepted to using it. He was still uncomfortable at times, and it showed. Though conditions have been good, there were still days he felt trapped and it showed. He had gotten better, a lot better, but he still had struggles. It would be impossible to hide them. Today was to show that he was better at handling those struggles. Showing he had an idea of how to deal with his struggles, and that he was in control of them and not the other way around.

Doctor Freedman walked in while Hunter was deep in thought, and spoke some simple yet effective words of wisdom. "I..." He froze. He still struggled with stuttering when he got stressed. "...thanks..." Neither of them knew that for sure. Anything could go wrong and he could find himself in a much worse position then he was a few months ago. The optimism was appreciated though. Hunter took the doctor's advice and took a few deep breaths. Over the last few months he had begun to trust the doctor a decent amount, though still hadn't shared everything with him. He had attempted to explain portions of his family relationship, his time with Lucy, and a few other things from primarily the post apocalyptic world. He did take effort to cooperate with the doctor, but he did avoid talking about his rather short military career and the things that immediately followed it. Outside of these areas Hunter had shared whatever he had been asked too, but these topics were harder to touch on compared to the others.

Hunter gave a short wave towards Lisa, Mary, and Roy while Doctor Freedman explained how the day was going to work. Decision day. Hunter wore the best clothes he could both get his hands on, and that he was still semi comfortable in. Hunter did take note of Roy pointing to his cuffs, something he really wasn't looking forward too. He sighed a heavy sigh of relief with a light chuckle at hearing he wouldn't have to be wearing them. He made a quick glance towards Mary and Lisa. Both of whom had helped Hunter from time to time as he stayed in the ward. Lisa had taken most of those roles herself, and was also Hunter's main source of information about Izibell. Hunter was given forms to sign and answer and looked it over. "Thanks." He spoke quietly as he started reading it over. It seemed pretty strait forward. He began wrote down his answers and signatures as follows The treatment was good, place was clean, no abuse. He debating adding a note how the isolation was getting to him at times. That was the roughest part. He had struggled with isolation prior to entering camp on a much worse scale, but even the levels he experienced the last few months were difficult on him. It led to a few weeks in the middle of his sentence where found himself only responding verbally to the bare minimum and it was the period he was probably the least cooperative. Not necessarily because of the lack of people, but seeing only the same 5-6 people when there were hundreds outside, many of whom were just under his feet, and most of the people he saw on a daily basis he only saw because they had to be there. As he began trusting Dr. Freedman more he found better ways to cope with the isolation of the ward. He had gone through worse isolation prior to entering camp, and between that and the trust he was forming he found himself able to work past it.

Hunter filled out the rest of the form leaving out his comments on how the isolation became rather difficult at times. Should the ward see active use again or have any other long term residents it may be something to bring up. He reviewed it one final time and took note his hand writing was still a mess, and chuckled on the proof read thinking about hos his middle school teacher would probably have had a few choice words for letting his hand writing get so bad. "Just because the world ends doesn't mean you can neglect your ELA work Hunter". He'd imagine the words would sound better coming from her. He signed when he was assured it was still readable and handed it back towards Lisa. Then the realization hit him. If today didn't go well, he'd likely not see Izibell again. And infront of him was the only person who could give him any updates on her. "Hey uhm... How's Izibell doing? Does she seem healthy? Uh..." He hesitated a moment. "Happy?" He'd have to leave after that to be evaluated. But he hoped she was doing okay. She had been doing decent so far, but his worry would never stop for Izibell.

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Amelia Payne Location: Camp Mexico Beach's Beach Skills: N/A

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The kids were being their usual childish selves as they should be and enjoying their wild games at the beach by the waterside. She was smiling, watching over them. It was a gratifying experience, she supposed. Seeing these young people live their life and play a part in their growing up. Keeping an eye on the area, a wide and energetic movement caught her attention as she spotted Nigel waving at her. She smiled and waved back too. He was a good man, a bit odder than normal, but not really out of it. His fascination and adaptation to act with Roman Empire era mannerisms was a bit curious at first, but gradually she got used to it. Besides he was useful to have for D&D with his wealth of historical facts of that very important for humanity era.

She noted there appeared to be some kind of impromptu beach teacher conference going on, judging by the gathering of people close to one another, including Manny and Nigel. Well she was busy watching over the kids, so she wasn’t quite with them. The older kids and youths didn’t require as much babysitting, however there were also a number of younger ones that she really needed to pay attention to.

“Miss Amelia, Miss Amelia, play with us!” A young boy roughly the age of 6 called out to her as he and his friends were trying to build a very big sand castle.

“Alright, Zack.” She replied and walked over to where the group was, making sure she sat at such an angle that she had better view of where most the other kids were playing at.” A sand castle? Hmmm, very well! Let’s start with the main tower or the keep!” She proclaimed and gradually started helping the kiddies make the most impressive castle possible.” Also don’t forget, a moat is always good for defense! … unless there be dragons attacking you, then you might consider jumping into the moats yourself!” She quipped, earning a few giggles as she made her best dragon impression and joke roared at the kids around the sand castle. While playing the dragon, she spotted Manny waving at her and she waved back, before returning to her dragon impression.

“RAWR, what a fine castle in the making! I will make it my lair and hide all the princesses and gold inside!” She growled in fake deep voice.” Woe are all the silly heroes and knights in their quests to stop me! Are there any heroes here? If so, I will just add their stuff to my hoard!” She added with a grin. Playing and interacting with children was easier than with adults. Children were innocent and didn’t carry the social norms and expectations...

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Lisa Mason Location: Medical Skills: N/a

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“How time flies. It feels like only yesterday when he arrived.” Lisa mused when Freedman confirmed Mary’s question about it being the day that Hunter was being allowed to go free. Well as free as one could be given they were inside what was basically a fortified commune with a good chunk of military or former military presence in it. It wasn’t bad here, not bad by any stretch, but even she knew that some people won’t enjoy it easily, especially if they were used to the freedom of the wilds nowdays. Adapting was always a task that took time. Still Hunter had performed it surprisingly well over the last few months.

She let out a chuckle.” Hey, look on it from the bright side, at least it means we can help them if we are letting them go.” She pointed out the positive in it with a grin. It could be way worse after all. Still she nodded at Mary.” Got it. I can do it.” She confirmed and followed Freedman and Mary towards where Hunter was. It was good to see him prepared to leave, maybe he will get Izi back eventually too.” Here you go, Mr Monroe. No problem.” She said in polite almost official voice, the almost part because it carried slight tinges of teasing in it. She hadn’t called him Dog Boy or anything of the like since she started working as his nurse. She handed over the paperwork so he could start filling it out.” Thank you.” Lisa eventually said, taking back the paperwork and quickly giving it a look over to confirm everything was properly filled up and signed.

“Don’t worry, Hunter.” She finally said with friendly voice, dropping the formality as she secured the papers away.” Izi’s fine, she’s rather energetic actually. I make sure shes’ well taken care of even when Nikki’s busy or distracted.” She reassured the younger man with a smile.” She’s being well kept and gets the required scheduled and unscheduled vet visits. Izi’s one healthy and happy dog. So now chin up, face forward and do that interview properly without fear. You’ve done a marvelous job so far, just keep it up, I’m sure she will enjoy seeing you again.” She told him as he was moving away with Roy and Freedman.

Once Hunter was gone, she followed Mary back to the second floor, putting on a mask on her face, so they can start working once more with the Flu patients. She was really grateful it didn’t seem to be the worst possible scenario, the flu spread was rather small all things considering and she hoped it was going to stay this way. After a few patients she looked at Mary.” So today’s the day of the expeditions right? Any final word on exactly how many people we sending out?” She asked, curious as she returned her gaze back to the work on hand.

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Alexander Polawski Location: The General's Office Skills: N/A

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Standing still and waiting had become second nature to Alexander at this point. One thing was remaining frozen on the spot, making as little noise as humanly possible as you listened to the shuffling steps of a Walker horde passing outside the window of the ruin you took shelter in. Hell, he'd done his fair share of waiting patiently back in his Army days. There was nothing akin to standing (or in more cases than not, leaning half-dazed and baked under the Southeast-Asian sun, up again the embankment defences of their firing position) for hours, even days on end looking for Charlie.

It was another thing to sit quietly, seated in a decently comfortable chair and tinkering with an old radio-set older than most on the base, sipping contently on a cup of coffee. That had turned the "standing still and waiting" routine into something different. Not as shit, one would say.

Alexander stretched his good leg and prostethic leg, feeling age slowly but surely catching up to him. The good food, rest and medical check-ups had improved the old soldier's health considerable since living outside the walls, but there was only so much it could do to the bane of all Man; Time. A sore joint there and a painful movement there, Alexander saw the writing on the wall. And to be honest, he wasn't too bothered about it, not when he finally felt like a productive member of CMB.

No, what bothered him wasn't his own mortality. That he reserved for his old friend.

"Areon! Glad you're awake. Thank you, I'll be quick." Alexander's words were sincere as he saw his old friend peaking through the gab, following his invitation in and finding his usual spot in Aeron's office. While Aeron took his seat on the coach, Alexander reached for an office chair that he'd laid claim to. No reason for it, other than it allowed himself to lean back comfortably and stretch out his back. As if he was the one in pain…

He still remembered it as clear as day, every single syllable and every movement in the General's face as they had spoken that day. Six months had passed, and it didn't escape his thoughts for a day since then, certainly not when he spoke with Aeron like today. The secret he'd carried with him, kept from those who stood Aeron the closest. And as Alexander sat down to both hear and see the effects it had on Aeron, he felt that word pass through his mind again.

Cancer.

Alexander first gave Aeron a puzzled look, a brief hint of uncertainty at the General's question. Had it not been he who requested Alexaneder's presence? The piece of paper tucked into ol' Mugsy's pocket betrayed his confusion however, his earlier rant a reminder of what he discussed with the old, withered man coughing blood. Alexander pulled out the note, reading the bullet points he'd noted down for later…

*Copper wire
*Replacement screws
*LED-replacements
*Rechargeable batteries
*Expanding radio training for his staff
*Request for contact with old settlement
*…

and all Alexander could muster to ask Aeron, was "You can tell me how you are holding up, my friend. I can see there's no saving you from it, but…does Doc have any idea how long you have?"

Of all the troubles he had down in the Radio room as of lately, nothing was more important to him than Aeron in this moment. The copper and screws could wait. Aeron could not.

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Nigel Cooper Location: Camp Mexico Beach (Beach) -> Training Grounds Skills: N/A

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It would seem that it wasn't only Nigel who thought some of the pupils weren't performing as well as they all hoped for, taking in the Professor's solemn worries about Nikki's scores in English and math. Nigel only got a brief glance at them as Manny became the message-bearer for their new quest to find the source of these scholarly troubles, though he would have to agree with the Professor's assessment - no pun intended. She was no Shakespear or Sir Isaac Newton, that was for sure. Nigel sighed at these troubling news, more so with the feeling how much Nikki stood out from the rest of their pupils.

The neo-Roman turned to Manny, with his old wisdom and worn eyes who took the mantle to find out about Nikki's troubles, giving him a respectful nod as a form of blessing on this quest. "Good luck and the Speed of gods on your side, Manny. I'm certain you may uncover some clarity and find a way. I'll do my best when I can, though it may be best for not too many people involved in this at the same time." Nigel said back to both Manny and the Professor, knowing all too well how his own students sometimes reacted when they were flooded with well-intended assistance. Too many people at the same time, and one closes down like a castle under siege.

For this siege they may need more than onagers and ladders. Much more…subtle, diplomatic.

Nigel focused on Manny's invitation to accompany him on his way, setting of a reminding thought about what else he should be doing that day. "Certainly, at least part of the way. I've got to be at the Training Grounds soon, so I'll follow you until then. Farewell Professor, and may…Jeremy! Stop that right this instance! That's a stick, not a sword, and certainly not when Brian is unarmed…" Nigel sighed at the sight just down at the edge of the beach, two boys about to fight. One armed with a stick and another unarmed, not as Nigel had taught them. One day he would teach them properly how to fight like proper little Romans, but fighting with tiny sticks would only occur over his dead body.

He shook his head and turned back to Manny leaving, waving goodbye to those pupils paying attention and following his last dentist up from the beach. There were topics he'd yet to reply to Manny, including a certain phrase. "Ipsa scientia potestas est. Knowledge itself is power. Not many in the civilised world learned that tongue for the past decade, least of now. But to me it still holds power, brings me closer to that old world of great civilisations, ideas and heroes, as silly as it sounds. Perhaps it's of less use that your wisdom of nylon and teeth…" Nigel mused as they walked down the streets of CMB, being oddly reflective of his own strangeness. Perhaps his time amongst 'normal' people had soothed his Roman ego? Nigel sighed again, looking up at Manny with a half-smile. "You surely find me strange, Manny. Forgive my eccentric nature, but let is be thankful we both make this place a better place…anyway, see you later. I wish you Fortuna with Nikki. Oh! If you happen to see Hunter…tell him Nigel looks forward to see him again. "

And with that Nigel hurried of, on his way to the Training Grounds to fulfill the second nature of his being. For half a year he'd been the scholar, teaching others what he knew and trying to improve the lives of others. As he arrived at the slowly growing gathering of people, including Thalia the Amazon, Ashton the Soldier, Tatiana the Mother and Wayne the…something, Nigel longed back to that other part of him. For did not the senators of Rome swap their place in the fields of politics and knowledge, for the fields of war when they were called? The duality of Roman society called on Nigel, giving him a reinforced belief in what he was about to embark on.

"Nigel Cooper, Education. Signing up for teams for assignment." Nigel reported to Maddoc, standing as tall and proudly as he could in front of the man, attempting to ignore the bantering in the background. Mostly Wayne, who's voice still shrieked like the storming seas past the Pillars of Hercules. When and if noted down, Nigel took his place and listened intently to Maddoc's briefing of what was to happen. It was orderly and frank enough, noting the seriousness that still lingered over a 'simple' test. Outside of the walls, nothing was simple.

Nigel followed the group into the recently arrived bus, giving a polite nod to Hank at least as he entered and found a seat. He wasn't doing this to be social, though he did not mind it if he could find more common ground with Ash and Thalia than as then. No, he was doing it for CMB and himself. He needed to remain sharp and strong, and helping the settlement on the outside did just that. Still, Nigel turned over his seat and waiting for the arrival of Thalia, to which he would comment "Hello Thalia, good to see you. Let us hope our exchange of fists and swords have prepared us for today. Though I assume we will be tested on our skill with firearms as well? That must be Ash's speciality then, at least better than me. "