[IC] Sewer Rats

[BubblegumQueen]

We’ve got a feisty Latina, dark and foreign, a kid, the homely one, and… possibly the quiet but strong type? Huh.

Personally, she thought that the idea to have this new man enter the premises was a good idea. Sure, a bit risky but… she wasn’t an idiot. There was strength in numbers and more numbers, the more people that could have out scavenging or have around to defend. Those creatures? They aren’t the first to make their way into the sewers and they won’t be the last. It’d be better to have more people around to defend.

He seemed like a good fighter, if a bit nervous. Then again, the man was greeted with implied violence/death so… she couldn’t necessarily fault him for that.

When everyone was inside, she’d immediately scanned the outside for any more approaching baddies but was glad to see the coast clear. She would prefer to close the door and maybe have a breather. But, there was still the manner of the stranger.

With a soundless sigh, she closed the door quietly before moving a bit more into the room. Her eyes flickered to the kid and she felt a bit of tension leave her at seeing the girl safe. Regardless of the apocalypse, she’d prefer to keep the kid out of it as much as possible. Maybe we could have her do some jobs around the base to keep it up to date…? She mused, mind already whirring with ideas.

But, she was brought from them when the Latina mentioned needing parts. A car shop was nearby, she’d added. Lavender’s eyes drifted to the side in thought. From what she could remember, the closest manhole cover (and the only way out in the area.) was on Bedford Avenue. And on the same street was a car shop. It would take roughly… 3 minutes to walk there from the top? It would be easy… as long as there were no surface creatures.

Nodding partly to herself and the Latina. “It would be about a 3 minute trip… It’s… close by on the topside…” She’d said to her, a small smile to prove that she was for the idea.

But, alas, there were more pressing matters.

She returned her attention to the man-oh, right. Elijah- who’d asked if he could stay with them. She already had her mind set. But, this wasn’t some dictatorship, it wasn’t just her decision.

She turned to the others, giving a nod to those that met her eye, letting them know that she was a firm vote in him staying.

[mercenarius]

Aviel watched as the stranger pushed back his coat; her eyes caught on the cord and lingered there, perhaps longer than they should have. It surprised her; it was the first time she had seen the tzitzit after leaving her previous group. And although she rationally knew that she and her neighbours likely weren't the only surviving Hebrews in New York (and certainly not in the entire world), it still caught her off guard to meet another so soon.

Her eyes turned back to his face as she tucked her gun into her waist. Did she know him? ...no, definitely a stranger. All the better. Her gaze passed over each face in turn as they spoke; the tall girl was nodding and subtly motioning toward the man. The child was back to her own work; the space woman was still fussing with her suit. Aviel took a deep breath and, for the first time, turned her entire body to face the man.

"At medaberet ‘ivrit?" She demanded. Do you speak Hebrew? It was the first time speaking her preferred language in front of this group, for no other reason than that this was the first time she was hopeful that she might be understood.

[Infamous Empath]

"Ani medaber kzat 'ivrit," Elijah replied, trying to ignore her demanding tone, though it had an effect, due to his hypersensitivity to others' emotions. He was clearly nervous as he struggled both with maintaining eye contact and the words. "I'm sorry, I'm Hebrew by choice, not birth. I was trying to teach myself the language before, and then after the apocalypse I spent some time with two Hebrews for almost six months, but we, uh, had very little progress due to apocalyptic-related things happening." He nodded and smiled, trying to find a bit of warmth to show her. "But I would love to continue learning it."

He returned his watchful gaze to the others in the group, purposefully keeping his gloved hands in plain sight, clasped in front of him. Though he was still evidently nervous, he was also just as evidently glad that the woman he had suspected of being Hebrew actually was. But he knew he could not think too far ahead, not in this time. Elijah was always one who looked to the future, for better or for worse, not particularly caring to stick to the present. The so-called end of the world had forced him to start thinking more in term of the "here and now", particularly in the case of survival. But that was not natural to him. So he hybridized his mindset; being able to work in the now while considering what tomorrow might bring had its benefits. Unfortunately, after a couple years this had made him very depressed, as he could not see an end to the misery in sight.

So he further altered his mindset, to work in the present but hope for a better future, which might be ten, twenty, or even fifty years down the road. This brought him peace, as he was not only able to help people survive, but also plan for a progeny and a world even better than the one he'd seen destroyed.

[mercenarius]

The stranger's response was... not what Aviel was hoping for. He returned her language just long enough to confirm that he wasn't fluent (what the hell kind of accent was that?) before switching back to English. His nerves bled into his words, shaking his voice as he spoke. She strained to follow what he was saying, but quickly got lost; the only thing she was sure she understood was "by choice, not birth."

... well, that would explain the accent.

She hesitated a moment, not breaking eye contact, as she tried to puzzle together the rest of what was said. He was smiling and nodding to her, as if trying to be friendly. Probably because of their shared beliefs. Common ground is common ground, she supposed, although she personally thought it was unsteady ground to begin with. Ten years of hiding in sewers to escape nightmare creatures will shake the beliefs in even the purest of hearts. Aviel, of all people, knew this. Still, the stranger seemed genuinely happy; and, making a small concession to herself, she had to admit it was nice to find him as well.

Aviel turned to the tall girl and nodded, as if to signal her approval, before locking eyes once more with the stranger. "Speak. Slowly." She was careful to sound out each syllable, for fear that she might be misunderstood if she didn't. "Ha anglit sheli garua meod." My English is poor. She spoke the Hebrew slowly and deliberately, hoping that he would catch more words that way. Obviously he couldn't act as a perfect translator, but at the very least she could communicate her inability to communicate.

[Infamous Empath]

"Aah," said Eli, thoroughly embarrassed. He had not expected to meet a Hebrew in New York who did not speak hardly any English. "I'm - sorry," he said, barely understanding her language more than she understood his.

Eli gave her a smile, one as warm as he could muster in a time like this. He then gestured to himself and said, "Elijah." Then he asked her, "Ma shimkha?"

He knew that the other girl would probably be waiting on him, and that the others were probably waiting on the two of them to finish their conversation before making their decision regarding him staying. But he could already tell by the looks on most of their faces that they were for it.

Elijah removed the one can from his otherwise empty backpack and offered it to the teenage girl. "A peace offering," he said with a smile.