While with the thoughts and doubts weighing him down, Alexander did his best to carry them like he had hauled an overly heavy radio strapped to his back on so many patrols in his younger years. It was heavy, yes, but it was a burden he kept on carrying. That wasn't the concern. It was how long he could carry it, and how much he could ignore it while looking at the beautiful scenery that surrounded them. For as Alexander followed Aeron through the streets of CMB, those sights made an impression on the old veteran. The sun setting in its organge glory, children enjoying life to the fullest and...Alexander couldn't put his finger on it.
Somehow he kept on putting on the load, and kept going.
Alexander reached the Education Center still at the side of Aeron, nodding silently to the backstory of their beloved Father Atticus. While he, having told himself this countless times over the last decades, had trouble believing anyone aside from himself and his former brothers in arms could understand, Alexander wanted to believe Aeron's words. A battle priest, soldier of Uncle Sam and sheppard of God. Yes, he wanted to believe that anyone could understand his actions. Understand and forgive. Could God?
"Now that sounds like quite the collection then. If I find an old advertisement for any of my old radio sets or a Ford Granada. Yeah, that's something for the youngsters to be taught. Though I suspect and so I've heard that you teach the new generations far more...'practical' skills these days. Stuff we only learned in Boot Camp." Alexander said to Aeron as they reached the doors of the Education Center, glad to have a topic he could talk about without feeling weighed down by those doubts of his. Inside he gave a friendly wave to those milling about their own business, still following Aeron into this unknown territory.
The library sent old images across Alexander's vision, back to the days he spent time reading books and not hiding from the Undead underneath crumbling bookshelves. Not that he recognized any of the titles, though he wasn't looking for anything special. He was looking forward to what Aeron was going to show him, so the books could wait. "As old and sensitive as us two old geezers then? Sounds like the red-light room Judith kept in the basement of my shop back home. Don't want to ruin what you can keep, right? Has Edna kept the basement as organized as the library then? I thought you said something about needing a new pair of eyes to sort things out.
The sun was setting, the air was getting gently cooler by the minute, the waves washed up on the shore and...Nigel took in a deep breath, smelling the salty air in his lungs and trying not to feel too much about his current predicament. The world was serene at that moment, the universe in an orderly balance which had not been felt by this relatively large safehaven of humanity for what felt like a lifetime. It was easy to look at and feel like all was all right, and yet Nigel, when stepping onto the sandy shore of CMB, felt immensly insignificant in the grand scheme of things.
Insignificant and wandering, lost before the waves of the Gulf of Mexico.
Nigel sighed again, noticing a pair of people further up the coast from him. If his eyes didn't decieve him, it looked like Thana and Ashton, deep in conversation. He had to chuckle to himself quietly, looking away and down at the setting Chariot of Appollo as the realm of night advanced steadily. He turned and started walking in the other direction, heading up the coast towards where he thought they had been shown the Chapel. Why? If Nigel knew for sure, he wasn't sure he would tell you. That feeling that had penetrated his defences earlier remained persistant in his mind.
Nigel sighed once again, keeping a slow but steady pace up the shoreline. Yes, loneliness was a constant companion of Man. Many a piece of poetry had been written about its titanic weight that rested upon the shoulders of even the strongest of Men, and how it could break them down. He himself would not admit it, but he could not escape the truth that ever since Erika, Hell, since he had parted ways with his three friends earlier, he had felt something missing. Or rather, someone.
He probably was not alone in having lost those he cared for, and really they were still around there in Camp Mexico Beach. Yet he did not have the strength to go seek them out. Was it lack of strength, or lack of courage. Cowardice was severely punished in the Roman Legions, but loneliness? What was that? A weakness, or a curse?
Weather Forecast: Dawn at 5:57 A.M. - Dusk at 7:41 P.M. - High: 87F, Low: 72F - Winds SW at 4mph - Gusting to 10mph - No rain - Cloud Cover: 26% - Visibility: 9miles.
Notes: Alright peeps, things have been getting hectic for everyone. We are going to take a break. I think we all could use it. I will freeze counters as of today, they will start again come next Wednesday when I make the next update. If you get a post in between now and then your counter will drop to 1 when I restart counters. So take a deep breath and don't worry. Next update will also be wrap up for the day. Figured it was a good time to move things forward. So again, counters are now frozen, they will start back up on Wednesday October 14th when I post the next update.
βββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ Date: July 23rd, 2012 βββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ
Streets of CMB: Over on the west end of the camp, alone on a loop street was a one way sign. The one way sign that Thalia had been searching for. It really didn't seem like anything special or different about it from any other street sign in the camp, save for one thing, on the back side was a piece of paper folded up and wedged in the space between the sign and the pole it was attached to. On inspection the note read the following: You will know where to begin when you solve this riddle: What heavy seven letter word can you take two away from and be left with eight.
There is a bit of a disturbance on the streets but refer to below for more details.
Beaches of CMB: Things on the beach are calm. There are a few people laid out down the beach nearest to the chapel with a bonfire going. Bass, Cheers, and Dusty, among others are hanging out and just taking in some down time now that dinner and the day is pretty much over. The time is getting later and they all will be turning in soon as with each day in Camp, it starts bright and early unless you are a late worker. "Who's that?" Cheers asked as she leaned back in the sand.
Dusty glanced over. "Oh one of the new guys."
"No shit..." Cheers said rolling her eyes.
"Nigel," Bass said as he had done some of the security for the quarantine.
"Oh right!" Dusty said before holding up a hand. "Hey Nigel!" he yelled.
Chase is coming off the pier, another last check done before heading back to her apartment. Other than that, only a few people are walking up and down the beach and a couple of teens are messing around at the waters edge near the Vets office.
Education Center (M6): Aeron smiled and nodded. "It is but then again being in the middle of a town that was mostly made up of retirees did help us get a good start," he said as he chuckled and turned on the lights. Heading down the stairs carefully, a bit slower than most perhaps considering his self administered pain medications were wearing off. "And yes, she keeps is very organized," he added as he got to the bottom and pointed around. Shelves and shelves lined with papers and books and boxes, all labeled and tagged.
"And that lies the problem...." Sighing he stepped forward and glanced around slowly. "Edna has a good eye but she organizes like a librarian, not someone who as served. She doesn't have the background knowledge to be able to know the difference between things like Vietnam Era and Korean Era uniforms, the small differences in weapons, ect. So much is mislabled or just placed in more general areas leaving us large gaps. Myself and others have tried but with our other jobs this has been pushed to the back burner as you would say. You being here, well I believe you could help with this."
General Housing (X): In Apartment 1 over in General Housing, things were quiet. The place was in order and seemed to be set up as an older bachelor pad. Recliners and other comfortable seating was the main focus of the shared living area. Books, cards, and boardgames were shoved on a shelf under the coffee table. There was even an older television set with a vcr player hooked up to it. All in all not a bad place to hold up. The door to one of the apartments bedrooms opened up and Sheers came out, waddling slightly in jeans, a bowling shirt, and fuzzy slippers. "Well I'll be, thought it was Morales back early," he chuckled as he headed over to another recliner and sat down, rocking back and pulling the handle so it tossed his feet up comically. "How was your first day in Camp?" he asked as he laced his fingers together and placed them on his large belly.
Chase heads into her shared apartment with Riley and Amelia. Beelining it for the shower, she strips down and gets the days sweat and sand off her quickly. Once cleaned up and out of the shower, she heads into her bedroom, the door closing a little heavier than perhaps it should have but not in an angry manner. More of one of those flinging the door shut behind you with more force than she had intended since you were really not paying attention moments. It was only a few minutes later when Chase came back out and flopped down on the couch with a folder of papers, a calculator, and map of the gulf in hand. Spreading things out she started crunching the numbers.
Jail (AA): Down in the jail cell itself, it was quiet and sadly enough when one is alone with their own thoughts time can inch by much slower than one wishes. At least with work it makes time go by faster but in the time between stopping and sleeping, it can seem to slow to a crawl, even more so when one is locked in cage.
A knock came to the door and Cage got up, heading to the door and opening it. "Roy?" he asked a bit confused.
"Replacement has a fever," he started but didn't get to finish.
"No! I need someone tonight! Not another night.." he started raging before Roy pushed him to the side and stepped in. "You? Fuck, fine," he said shutting the door.
"Keys," Roy said and Cage turned them over. "Delivery yet?"
"What? Oh, not yet," Cage said working through it.
"Go sleep, I have this," Roy said before walking over to the door leading to the basement and unlocking it. Cage shrugged and headed upstairs to his room. Roy headed down the stairs, but not before shutting the door behind him and locking it. Walking down the stairs he came around the corner and glanced towards where Hunter was laying.
Sitting there Thana could remember doing this for hours when she was younger. Her mother and sister off doing whatever it was they were doing and she just sitting with her feet in the sand. Thana remember wandering the shore, picking up different things that washed up on the shore: sand dollars, seaweed, digging up clams from the sand, and then just sitting there looking at whatever she found. IT was usually the calmest time of the year for her. She loved being down at the beach. Sure she loved the woods more, but when at home, she'd usually end up having a problem or two with her sister following her or getting into trouble coming back covered in dirt and her clothing in a mess from climbing trees or getting caught on briars.
Now, she was back in a childhood favorite spot and she was enjoying the quiet time even if she wasn't collecting things from the beach. Sitting there with Ash and just taking in the salt air was calming in another way, a way she desperately needed right then. Everything, every moment, since Newnan fell, had been like being stuck in fifth gear and not being able to downshift. Always on guard, always vigilant, recovering, trying to regain her strength, or searching. Since getting back to Camp Mexico Beach she had been working, reviewing files, and now a court martial was coming up from what she knew. Things were not going to be calm for sometime. Yet right then she had a moment to breath, just breath and enjoy the quiet next to Ash. She could have stayed like that all evening.
Yet it seemed that Ash had other ideas. He pulled away and she felt a chill even if the air was warm. Looking up at him she quirked a brow as she watched him. Why was he taking his shirt off? This was not the place to get jiggy with it. Then he made his intentions clear and she chuckled. Reaching out she took his hand and stood up. "How about no." Sighing she glanced towards the pier. She needed to explain. "I spent hours in the water earlier with Nigel as we took care of the underwater experimental garden. I'm a bit water logged already and well..." she explained as she looked down and rubbed her thigh a bit. "Honestly a bit worn out and sore." The last part was hard to admit. Thana didn't like admitting she was tired or in pain but she was. Ash had seen just two days ago rods being pulled out of her leg, he'd heard her screams, held her as she trembled and her knuckles went white. She was tired, so very tired.
"I think I'm just gonna go home," she said quietly. She didn't blame him for asking. She had acted like she was fine with the run earlier but in truth it hurt. She'd just wanted some quiet time sitting on the beach. That moment was gone now. He'd pulled away and wanted to do something else. She just didn't have it in her right then. "Yer more than welcome to go fer a swim," she said with a small smile before turning and picking up her boots. It had been a long hard year and it had finally caught up with her. Walking slowly, the limp evident as her hair fell over the scarred side of her face, Thana headed barefooted up the sands towards the road.
Heading outside, Nikki did what she had to do. The first thing was making sure that Izi got a bathroom break. How she had wished that had been a quick and easy affair but no. "Izi... don't even..." she muttered after hearing the dog growl a bit and taking a look around as to what on earth she could have been growling about. First thought was a walker or someone that shouldn't be there. This got the hair on the back of Nikki's neck to stand on end. In the end it was neither of those. It was worse, so much worse.
A cat... A cat that had once been orange but that was now shaved hairless was standing there and hissed at Izi. The two animals stood there, like it was high noon at the not ok coral. Nikki tightened her grip on Izi's leash but it didn't matter. A bark, a hiss, and they were off. The cat tore off and Izi was fast behind her.
"God damn it! Out of the way! Move! Look out! Izi! Fucking cat! Ahhh! Shit! Sorry! Stop! Ugh! Dodge! Dip! Duck! Dive! Dodge!" Nikki was hollering as she tore behind the dog, her arm feeling like it was going to get yanked out of its socket as she chased after the cat like a bat out of hell. Even though the streets were calm and mostly empty it still had people out in it. Nikki was jumping, weaving, trying not to hit anyone as the cat, then dog, then her weaved through the camp. She tripped a few people, nearly knocked a lady out of her walker and had to jump over a kid just trying to play kick ball. It was all too much, and god she hated running.
Eventually though Izi lost track of the cat, to which Nikki was grateful. She finally had a moment to look around and see where they were. "Fuck... that... was... a run..." she huffed and puffed as she noticed they were just north of the Fuel building on the otherside of the camp. "Would... you just use the damn bathroom now?" she grumbled towards the dog. Reaching into her pocket she pulled out a baggie and waited. Fingers crossed this would pass quickly.
A little confused; perhaps a little crestfallen at first, Ash began to understand the picture that Thana had been painting with her words and admissions. Any disappointment that he might have felt, be it but momentary and minuscule, was obliterated in short order as she explained herself. Giving it a hair's breadth of consideration, Thana really didn't need to explain anything aside from her decision not to join him and it would suffice completely. The additional information just served to provide an insightful yet unnecessary why. That she was worn out and sore invoked a nod of understanding on Ash's part, along with a slightly drawn out, "Yeah..." This day was as much an end as it was a beginning; the end of things generally brings weariness upon the mind and body of those enduring it. From all that Ash had been told and witnessed personally, Thana had been through more than he had.
At the announcement that Thana was going home, Ash felt suddenly like he had inadvertently done something horribly misplaced. It was reinforced by the permission she gave him to swim, if he still felt like it. Seeing as the point was to spend some quality time with her, that put the desire to enter the water at a resounding minimum. Ash threw his shirt over his shoulder and picked up his boots from the sand next to him, eager to take a place by Thana's side. He too remained barefoot, giving it a moderate jog along the beach to catch up with her. When he did, Ash spoke one of the cheesier proclamations of his years, "Hey, I'm sorry. I'd rather swim in the blue of your eyes than the Gulf anyday, Thawna." Perhaps the layers of cheddar could be parted by someone astute enough to more accurately reveal his intentions, those being a desire to spend time with her and not divert himself with frivolity all by his lonesome. And a little embarrassment at the fact that he didn't pick up on her preference to relax rather than do something else active.
Thinking about it, Ash didn't mind that idea either. The day had been long for him, too. Longer than he had initially thought, but now the edges of weariness started to erode into his thoughts. And he didn't like the look of that limp on Thana, either. He was supposed to be her method of transportation, barring other methods, while she took it easy during her recovery. Thinking more to her needs, Ash suggested, "I'm right here if you want a shoulder to lean on," he said, following it up with, "Hell, I'll carry you, if you like." It wasn't like he hadn't before, and he didn't mind a bit. "Let's go home. I'll give you a shoulder rub. Or a foot rub. Or wherever else you're feeling tense." He was being sincere, even supportive; that much was evident.
The tiny hair of optimism that dared show itself in Thalia's features as she neared the One Way sign dried up, only to be replaced by a scowl of impatience and some measure of indignation. While she hadn't truly expected to catch the wild goose at the end of this chase, it might have been nice. Anything else might have been nice, too, other than a folded piece of paper to be dug out of the moorings of a traffic sign. "Dorah The Explorah bullshit," she muttered, reaching up to snatch out what she now presumed to be the next clue. But after that, what? Another clue? And another? Maybe it'll end with a simple note with "HA HA" scrawled in crayon, wrapped around a steaming pile of dogshit for her trouble. Someone had to be laughing at her behind a window somewhere too, she was about 60% convinced. Were they suicidal, these hypothetical people? Were they not briefed about her the second she showed up? Before? Thalia could easily, and indeed had, slit throats after breakfast and sleep completely untroubled throughout the following evening. If this was some game at her expense by the powers-that-be here, she was not amused.
Yet, Thalia was compelled to continue. If nothing else, this was giving her an okay lay of the land. And an excuse to poke around, familiarizing herself with the ins and outs of this settlement with a perfect cover story. She might as well take advantage of it while she could. Thalia looked around her, taking in detail as best she could while holding the paper before her. She looked at whatever people might be about and which directions they were headed. Likewise, she took in possible routes of escape with armed assailants in mind, followed by unarmed, followed yet again by Zeds. Stick to habits that kept her alive out there. And finally, options she might take if she didn't wish to be noticed. That last one especially. Her tabs checked off, Thalia gave herself permission to read the note:
"You will know where to begin when you solve this riddle: What heavy seven letter word can you take two away from and be left with eight?"
"Gahd fucking damnit," she growled through clenched teeth, though it rose to a highly annoyed rasp of, "Are you kidding me?" She tried to calm herself and just figure out the clue, move on to the next one, and get this done. The clue itself was pretty straightforward. It was a play on words, kind of. Or at least she thought. Eight had five letters, add two letters and that was seven, so it was a word that contained the letters E-I-G-H-T in order that contained two more letters which had association with something heavy. Weighty came to mind first, Weights came second. Third? Well, third, Thalia wanted to punch somebody really, really hard. It wasn't so much that she had anyone in mind, just that there was some aggression and frustration present in this clue-to-clue search, likely with something at the end of all this that would make her want to punch someone anyway, she figured, so this was just getting a jump on things to come.
Then a calmer, more Namaste-esque train of thought settled on her psyche, if only for a fraction of a second. Thalia was just tense. Too tense. Pent, even. This was like a level of Crash Bandicoot, where you knew that you weren't accomplishing anything but you just HAD to get to the end of the level anyway, regardless of whether or not the floating tiki was staring down at you. This had to be seen through to the bitter, screaming end, and damnit, Thalia was going to do it. So the one-winged Angel took in a deep breath, let it out, and stuffed the paper into a pocket. This was a clue she would sleep on, and not just go with her baser instincts. Bad day for it anyway. Thalia could have gone for a stiff drink and some sort of more personal attention, anyway. The thought went through her mind to come across the first person she didn't think was hideous and simply scream out, "Hey! Yeah, you! Give up the dick, NOW!", just to see how far she might get with that tactic. A sputtering laugh later at her foolishness and Thalia started back in the general direction of her and Joaquin's condo. She needed to speak with her brother anyway.
But just to keep up practice in the things that mattered, Thalia concentrated on moving unseen from her Point A to Point B. There was no sense getting too comfortable. That was how people got themselves killed. Maybe later she could find about weights or weighty things, or whatever the hell that clue was supposed to mean. She kept up her stealth until she was in sight of General Housing, looming before her in the night.
Manny was enjoying finally relaxing after a long days work. Out of habit though, the moment he heard the door from within the apartment open up he leaned up ready to jump into action. Old habits of preparing for a lurking corpse were not going to fade fast, but he relaxed when he saw it was Sheers. He leaned back into his chair a bit more calm then the moment before. "No just little old me." Manny said with a bit of a chuckle, but he was sore and ready for the day to be done. "The first day was good, but it reminded me why I hired interns all those years ago. I'm getting too old for labor and cleaning jobs." He said it like a joke, but the rather constant use of muscles all day he hasn't been using like this in years was catching up to him. And it required enough effort that it did wear him out. Not as bad as he had seen it effect other people his age, but he knew that time may come sooner then he would like.
Age was creeping up on the old dentist. Even in the years since the old world stopped working he had noticed it. In the early days he could hold a good jogging pace with his pack and gun for a decent amount of time. But even a week ago when he did the same to catch up to the helicopter he found himself struggling to keep pace and not run out of breath as he ran. He'd be lying if he said age wasn't something that concerned him. "Overall? Good day though. Got to see a lot of the place, and got to meet a lot of people. Did you have a decent day?" He didn't know sheers too well, but he remembered a brief conversation with the man back in quarantine. Though he didn't remember much about it.
Hunter sat in his cell with his fork deep in thought. He had nothing on hand to offer over in terms of material, and his skill would have been useful in some regards had things not turned sour so fast. Even assuming the old stockpiles he had established in the early days were intact, few had things that would be value from across the country. And the close ones were small things that he decided were useful to have if he needed them, but were not worth carrying at the time. He found himself stuck for options. He had little to make himself inexpendable, and he had even less to offer that he would be trusted with now. And it was made clear he wouldn't be leaving with his dog even with terms were better.
He found himself turning at the sound of the door opening. His first reaction was to reach for his trusted fork, but he found himself relaxing a bit once he saw Roy. More out of confusion then anything else he sat on the bed facing him the fork still in his hand but now in a more relaxed posture. "Am I in trouble for something else?" Not paying attention to the fork in hand, he found himself fidgeting with it as he processed the situation unsure what to think of this new man who wasn't his warden or anyone he knew that would either want to talk to him or ream him out. "Or are you here for some other reason?" It wasn't long since Hunter had seen Cage. He wondered what would bring Roy down here.
Going outside for a quick before bed walk, felt like a good idea. Amelia just needed more time to spend with Riley before calling it a day. They noted Chase arriving and get a shower while they were preparing for go out.β Hi, Chase.β Amelia greeted with a smile, followed by a greeting from Riley.β We will be out for a lil while.β She explained as they bid her goodbyes and left their shared Condo.
Just a tad shyly Amelia took Rileyβs hand as they headed towards the beach. In a way Amelia thought this place reminded her of a holiday resort tonight. Like they were just a few minutes walk away from the beach, they practically lived on the beachline and after the hectic day people were everywhere enjoying quiet time and relaxation in games, sports or anything they might fancy. Actually the βCampβ part of the placeβs name was pretty fitting. Granted it was partly because of what it was before the whole zombie apocalypse thing, she supposed. Well it was good like this!
Walking towards the shore, Amelia paid attention around them as only somebody who never thought they are completely save would. She was somewhat better with her ptsd, but it never left her completely. Even in the safe confines of the camp, she still felt completely vulnerable without a weapon and every shadow felt like possible walker waiting to jump out and bite her jugular or something. Her loverβs presence helped, god it helped so much! So did staying busy during the day and having people around. Strength in the numbers and all that. She leaned into Riley as they walked, it made her feel safer and calmer. It also allowed her to more easily push the other out of the harmβs way if any of those shadows she constantly kept vigil on truly proved to be a danger of some kind. You never bloody knew. Her first priority was to earn a weapon of some kind! Amelia was determined to check what would be required to do so.
Lisa was currently chilling at home, swinging a leg back and forth over the edge of the sofa, pondering at the things she was writing down on the paper in her hands. She had a lot of things to figure out with this. She sighed loudly and lowered the writing implements, looking out a window. It was such a hassle to arrange things at times. She now really wanted to organize this competition thing as a step up point for the bigger desire to setup traps for walkers.
βMmhhhhβ¦.β She made a thinking sound, eyes returning to the paper. First thingβs first, there were rules to think of. Administration, engineering and education would probably do a arm wrestle over any rules she put in place and set them however they saw fit if any of those even remotely felt something could be potentially dangerous even if it was mouse hunting.
βSchematics?β Lisa mumbled and wrote the word down with a question mark in the end.β Yeahβ¦ that seems most probable.β She concluded, drawing a circle around the word. Best way for anything of the sort of such competition to happen was for it to be either a design on paper one or at best something done in controlled enviroment, under the observation and control of the engineers. Yeah that might work, she concluded. A filtering round of sorts, they get as big a idea pile as possible and then get a jury to shift through and select the maybe top 10 best for each age group. Then they can get the mechanics and engineers to work together with the contestants to make those traps to the most faithful to the design way possible and they test those in live scenarios with test mice or rats. This way everybody would have fun! She was writing down the ideas, making flow charts, and notes.
βWhat would be a good reward for such a competition though? They would never go overboard with rewards for this if at allβ¦ maybe some small amount of credit and a certificate?β She thought aloud, tapping the paper with the pen.
Alexander diligently kept up Aeron's arguably slow pace down the stairs, making sure not to force up his speed by seeming inpatient. Taking life slow and easy, it had been one of the things marriage taught him. Really, it was Judith who tamed the unruly hound, traumatized from years of abuse and turned into a joyal dog of a friend. With help for sorting his many thoughts, taking a breath and slowing down was possible, and so he took his time with Aeron, a generation his senior, a lifetime older.
"Ah, I see where you're coming from then. Sorted like a quartermaster right out of school, not one baptised in fire yet. I guess the same goes for anyone not experienced. I'll see what I can do to make orderly chaos." Alexander replied to Aeron's predicatment, leaning on the wall with his hand as they made their way down, the wall cool to the touch. Memories of the recent past and a certain incident involving cleaning agent, a hard floor and his butt passed him, but he waved them away in embarrasment. Aeron needed his help, and how much help could he be if he felt sorry for himself?
More than he usually did, of course.
"About Edna, she won't have our heads for up-ending her immaculate system? I hope not, if our work can help teach the kids some valuable lessons about the Warβ¦and how they're lucky not to having been there, even all things considered. Even I'm not sure where I'd want to be; 'Nam or hereβ¦I'm really not sure, Aeron."
Nigel wasn't a religious man. Never had been one really, not even in his youth, and even in his self-imposed persona of a Roman legionaire he wasn't serious about talking of the 'Gods'. Jupiter, Apollo, Athena, he believed in none of them, though he found some comfort in invoking their powers of domains. If he'd lived over 2000 years ago, perhaps he'd been more pious? Who knows, there were plenty of atheists back then too. So when he approached the Chapel, he did not do so seeking divine guidance or Olympian strenght.
Perhaps that's what he should have done, he wondered. Robert, the wandering preacher, had invoked the name of God and shown kindness almost unknown to Nigel. Then again he was dead, so what good could God have been for them? Nigel did not known, and it bothered him greatly.
He would have continued in this existantial crisis of the very existence of being, when he heard his own name invoked by an unknown voice. Looking up from his sandy feet, he spotted the source. It was the driver from earlier, the man who'd driven them around the Camp and shown them all the important locations. The name evaded him for the moment, so did the two others standing resting by a bonfire, but they called on him. Nigel looked at them in brief confusion, before raising his hand, waving at them, and approached them.
Perhaps his contemplations in loneliness had born fruit?
Nigel came walking up to the trio of CMB-ers, giving them a friendly wave as he did. "Hey, good evening, all of you. Let me just think for a momentβ¦Cheers I remember, and you two as well, but your names escape me. Dusty was it? Aaandβ¦" Nigel attempted to initiate conversation, failing at remembering the name of Cheers, but putting on a friendly, brave face as he tried not to fall into his old habits of being akward. If he was lonely, only he could fight those waves and brave the sea of being social. "So, what is up? Taking in the scenery as well? In all the realms of Hades I've been through, this truly is a view to live in."
Weather Forecast: Dawn at 5:57 A.M. - Dusk at 7:41 P.M. - High: 87F, Low: 72F - Winds SW at 4mph - Gusting to 10mph - No rain - Cloud Cover: 26% - Visibility: 9miles.
Notes: Alright, this is an end of day post. So use this round to wrap up as you wish. Don't worry about amount of ground to cover to get your character back to their respective quarters. That won't be an issue this round. Next post will be a new day, I am not sure just how far ahead I am jumping but it will at least be a couple of days. We will see. It won't be more than a week, so don't worry. Unless otherwise notified by you, we will assume that each character goes along with their dailies, speaking to their therapists as they are assigned, need, or want. If anyone wants to collab out a small scene to help them wrap up the day, please let me know.
βββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ Date: July 23rd, 2012 βββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ
Streets of CMB: The streets are becoming clearer and clearer as the minutes tick by. It is clear that now that the days work was done and meals had been had people were heading back to their own homes to get some much needed rest. If Camp Mexico Beach was good at anything it was making sure everyone was worn out at the end of the day. Not a bad type of being worn away but putting in a good days work and not letting worry take over. Sure there was worry, there always would be most likely at this point but within the walls it helped. It wasn't constant. People were fed, clothed, and allowed to rest in ways they couldn't outside of the walls. It might have taken a lot to keep the community going but at the end of the day it was a welcome tiredness as a opposed to an exhaustion. There was reason for this even if some people perhaps didn't need to work as hard as others, idle hands lead to problems. Boredom leads people to do things they normally wouldn't, just as much as desperation.
Beaches of CMB: Cheers nodded as Nigel remembered her name. "Yes, well Adelaide but yeah everyone calls me Cheers."
Dusty chuckled. "Bartender and all," he said before holding out a hand and shaking Nigels. "Dusty's right."
"Yeah since he's always a mess," Cheers said with a smirk.
Bass stood up and dusted his hands off before holding out a hand to Nigel. "Ray, Ray Adaway sir, but people call me Bass," he said in a deep voice, it was more than obvious why they called him that. His voice was nearly as deep as Mufasa's and he was still very young compared to many in the camp. Not as young as Nikki but still younger than the majority of people in the camp.
"Yeah, mostly just hanging out for a few before we turn in later," Dusty said as he sat there messing around with the sand.
"He's just to lazy to walk home, he'll probably pass out here on the beach," Cheers snarled.
"I could go home with you."
"Um... hell no..." Cheers said and scooted further away from him.
Bass shook his head. "Yes sir, we all work mid day shift. Start a couple of hours later than others, so we have a little more time in the night before we're ready to turn in," Bass explained. "Your first day go alright? You were with Sparrow right?"
Education Center (M6): Aeron nodded. "Ah, yes. Very well put. Thankfully I believe you will have a much better hand at this than most would," Aeron said as he glanced around. "She knows what I am doing here. Upstairs is the main library and I have promised not to touch that. This, this is for those of action, action perhaps we wished we hadn't had to see," he added with a small sigh. Taking a step, the man felt the day weighing on him, that and much more.
"I will leave you to it if you don't mind. Just turn off the light when you leave, oh and," he pulled out a small key. "This locks the door," he said with a smile. There was a look of trust there. "Just work on it when you can or feel like it, it isn't required but it is a help." Turning he headed back for the door. Stopping he looked back at Alexander. "Thank you Alexander, for the help and the friendship," he said gratefully before heading up the stairs slowly. Right then he needed a joint and some sleep.
General Housing (X): Over in Condo 17, Joaquin stood in his room, the door open and rubbed the back of his neck. Today had been longer than he had thought it was going to be. Coming out to his sister had gone better than he had imagined. All that worry for nothing. He chuckled a bit over it as he slipped off his shoulder holster and rested it on the back of a chair. Sitting on the edge of his bed he pulled off his boots and set them off to the side. It put his face on eye level with his nightstand. On it was a simple lamp and an old photo album. Picking it up he flipped it open. Old pictures, the one thing he had managed to keep intact over the years. Most of the photos were old, worn, damaged, but to him it didn't matter. He could still see the faces. Slipping out one, he thumbed it a few times before getting up off his bed. Walking over to his sisters room, he wedged the corner of it in the door. It was a picture of him, her, and their father leaning against an old El Camino outside of their uncles place down in Mexico. They were young then, and all of them looked as if they didn't want to be in the picture.
In Apartment 1 Sheers laughed. "Ain't that the truth, we're really too old for some of this shit," he chuckled and hissed from behind his teeth. "Though think it will get easier for ya as you get used to it. Know anytime I was on somethang new in these parts it took me a good week to at least get used to it and not feel like my knees were going to revolt every time I sat down," he admitted. Lacing his fingers together on top of his pot belly he shrugged. "Ain't half bad. Being the barber in these parts ain't hard. Few people a day and then mostly just tending to the shop. Get more naps than most but not as many as I want," he added a chuckle and a shrug with the last bit. "General won't let me put a recliner in the shop but I'll make due with my barbers chair," he grinned and winked.
Sitting on the couch in Condo 14, Chase looked up from her paper work as Amelia spoke to her. She looked a bit dazed and out of sort for a moment. Her eyes peering out through her reading glasses and her mouth agape as her blonde bangs fells over her face. Reaching up she brushed them away. "Oh right, have fun," she said before looking back down and going back to work. It wasn't long after Amelia and Riley left that Chase gathered up her things and headed into her room. Laying down on her bed, she killed the light and closed her eyes. She had an earlier day than most in the camp, needing to take readings and check on predictions before the morning announcements meant she needed to be up long before the night security crew passed the baton to the day crew.
Jail (AA): Roy quirked a brow. "Kid, you really got to stop starting every conversation with hostility," Roy said as he strolled over towards the bars, pulling a chair behind him and taking a seat. "Just doing my checks but looks like you need to vent, go on," he said as he crossed his ankle over his thigh and laced his arms over themselves against his chest. He brow went up slightly as he settled in. Spotting the fork his brow went up even more. "Not used to Cage letting a utensil slip like that." It looked like he was contemplating whether or not he was going to ask for it back.
Cage heard the knocking on the door and headed down the stairs. Opening the door he spotted Nikki and the dog. Reaching out he took the dogs leash and got her inside, and then shut the door in Nikki's face. He wasn't about to deal with her and her antics right then. He had other matters to attend to. Taking a deep breath he looked down at the dog. This was unheard of but he had a gut feeling and went for it. He was surprised that Gunny agreed but it was rare he asked for something, especially like this. He was sure he just cashed in all his good boy gold stars with this, not that he had many.
Walking to the door that lead down to the jail, he lead the dog down the steps and came around the corner. Roy, turned and looked confused as hell. Cage just motioned for Roy to leave. Shrugging, he did, but not before pulling his chair back away from the jail cell and tucking it against the far wall. Izi seemed happy to see Hunter. "Don't make me regret this kid," Cage finally said as he unlocked the jail cell and let Izi in. Locking it back he tucked his keys on his belt. "You will walk her and clean up after her in the morning and afternoon, under armed guard, now, um, get some sleep," he said before turning and heading up the stairs. It had been a long day.
Waiting for him at the top of the stairs was Roy, who was eying Cage. "What are you doing?"
"No fucking clue at this point," Cage admitted before heading upstairs as Roy locked the door to the basement. Hopefully it would be an uneventful night.
While the layer of cheese was thick with the way Ash spoke as he came up to Thana, she couldn't help but smile. Not so much as to laugh at him or try to hold back one but it was sweet. He was trying and while he was obviously out of practice when it came to complimenting a woman or flirting she didn't mind. It was the effort and time these days that meant far more than the actual execution. At least when it came to things like this. If he was ever this rusty when it came to killing walkers then maybe he would be in real trouble. For now she simply blushed a little. She was just as rusty at accepting compliments.
Stopping at the edge of the beach she looked at the road ahead and then slowly turned her head towards him. Her eyes drifting over to the man and quirking a brow. "Now that you mention it, ain't ya supposed to be my mode?" she taunted. Earlier in the day she had got quite the piggyback ride from Ash so she didn't have to walk, or was that the day before? It was hard to remember right then. She was more tired than she imagined. More mentally fatigued than physically even if her leg was aching and her muscles sore.
Tying the laces of her boots together she slung them over her shoulder. "A'right, come on, give a girl a lift," she chuckled. She wasn't sure if he would go for it or if he did how he would carry her. Piggy back? Bridal? Slung over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes? She didn't care. But he had offered so like hell she was letting him get out of it now. His Virginia Hamminess of an ass was going to carry her. Resting her hands on her hips she smirked. "Ain't letting ya get out of it now."
~Thana's post and end of day will be wrapped up in Ash's post as collab~
Now that Izi was done taking care of her business, Nikki headed towards the Jail once again. She hadn't figured she would have gone back after the whole thing with Hunter earlier but she was under orders by both Gunny and Cage right then. Rolling her eyes at the thought she quickly made her way to the front door of the jail and knocked. Waiting for the door to open she figured she would be dealing with Roy. He was supposed to be taking over for Cage, so when Cage opened the door it took her by surprise. He didn't say anything, just reaching out, taking what she was too deliver and shutting the door in her face. What was done was done. Another eye roll and a huff, and a popping of a bubblegum bubble and she turned around. She was not getting in the middle of this as much as she wanted to. Something told her to keep her mouth shut for once. She was all out of checks and her ass wasn't about to cash something she couldn't cover tonight. Maybe tomorrow.
Nikki still wasn't sure what to think about everything that had happened but she was not about stick around. She was tired and it had been a long day. She hadn't even had supper yet. Thinking on it though she really wasn't hungry. She was more tired of having her arm yanked nearly off each time she had taken Izi out for a walk or went to put her up. Meals weren't mandatory and everyone skipped one once in a while. She figured considering how late it was getting she probably would have missed out anyways. Not that if she went in there they wouldn't fix her something but she just wanted a shower. So much damn running today.
Now that she was sans dog she hopped on her skateboard and high tailed it away from the Jail. With it being later and the streets clearing out it made it pretty simple for her to make quick time and not play bob and dodge with people. It wasn't long before she was kicking her board up and tucking it under her arm as she walked up to her apartment. Pulling her keys out of her pocket and unlocked the door. Stepping inside she rested her board against the wall near the door and shut the door behind her. Looking around she spotted Lisa. "Hey, what ya up too?" she asked as she reached up and pulled a stick and a few blades of grass out of her hair. She did look like she had taken a tumble or two in the grass.
It was nice to talk to another person around his age, as well as someone who had experience in what he was going through. "So do you mainly do hair stuff or do you do you get jobs done in other areas?" Thinking about it, Manny did wonder if his hair could use some work on it. He had done some basic cutting jobs while on the road, but nothing that great. Mostly cut jobs to keep his hair short enough so he wouldn't have to braid it, or so it wouldn't block his eyes. "I do hope you're right on the getting easier part. I was kind of hoping my time on the road would have kept me in shape to handle something like this still but... I seem to have been wrong." Who knows, maybe Manny had longer then he thought for himself before his age put him in a hard place? He really did hope shears was correct in those regards. He had seen was age had done to his older friends, those who had found themselves in nursing homes or those who had to be taken care of by spouses and children. That wasn't a life he wanted. He didn't want himself to fall so low.
It did make him think of what things could be like if he were allowed to set up shop. How many people would he see in a day? What other tasks would he end up with on top of his general tasks as a dentist? At his age would he need to take on an apprentice? It left him with many questions. Part of him wondered if it would be like one of those old street shops where his place of work would be on the first floor and his home would be on the floor above or if he would be grouped in with the medical team as well. Those would all have to be things figured out in time. Manny would continue some banter with shears for a while more before getting up to grab a book from the book shelf. "It's getting late. Let's find a better time to chat some more, the conversation was nice." The day had clearly worn out the old dentist. Even though he made it to his room fine, he had set himself up to read the random book he selected, and found himself crashing rather fast barely getting a couple pages into his new book.
Hunter found himself unsure of how to take the following series of events. He still felt cornered in his cell, but he didn't feel as threatened as he had before. "Sorry... wasn't my intention." Hunter was actually curious if he had messed up somewhere else, half expecting it to be the fork in his hand. He noticed Roy taking a look at his fork every now and again. And he debated what he would do if Ray had asked Hunter give it up. On one hand, it made him a target and a potential threat. On the other hand, it was his last line of defense if everything went to shit. Thankfully, Roy didn't ask and Hunter didn't have to make that choice yet. What really got him, was Roy asking him to open up. This clear hit Hunter in a way he wasn't ready to face. Clearly confused he sat back on his bed a little messing with his fork like an anxious kid with a pencil. "I..." Hunter found himself surprisingly at a loss for words. He hesitated for what seemed like forever to think of the words. He considered what was worth saying, if this was someone he could trust opening up too, and what kind of person he was, and how he would react to some of it. "I'm... tired." His posture shifted from a hesitant and anxious towards defeated and on his last legs. "I'm just... tired man. I'm tired, of being scared of the people around me." His breathing shifted now too, it went from quiet short bursts, and had moved onto more audible deeper breaths.
Hunter stayed sitting on the bed, but shifted enough to gently set the fork down by his side and bring his hands back to his lap. "I am tired of being used for someone else's gains. I am tired of having a gun to the back of my head, and every time I finally get one off there's another one to take its place! And each time it's from people who are supposed to be on my fucking side and it just keeps happening! It happened when the army tore itself apart as we fucking butchered each other, it happened with Don and his band of shitholes, and it happened with..." He stopped. He found himself locking the fingers of his hands together as he calmed himself down a bit. He felt like he started getting into territory he wasn't ready to share yet. And information that others likely would never want to hear. "So... so many of those red flags the army started showing in those final days are visible here. And I can't tell if that is my mistrust, or the mistrust of those in charge. And that is fucking terrifying." He slowed his breathing to a quieter tone breaking eye contact with Roy. "And it's tiring. And I am just ready for it to stop. I just want it... to stop. I want to be able to relax, and not have to suspect that every person is trying to do something shitty or horrible but that feeling never fucking stops and I don't know how to fucking stop it." He wasn't sure what had gotten to him. He didn't know Roy, not really. And here? Shy of the details, he had just caved the list of things going on in his mind that had been pressuring him to keep going step by step. Maybe it was because Roy was strait forward, or maybe it was because he had already found himself worn down and looking for an out. Or maybe that chat with Ashton, someone who actually had an idea what he went through in those early days had done more for Hunter then he realized. But even now, even though he felt defeated, he felt some of those walls wearing away inside his mind.
He felt weak for a bit there, and felt like he was burnt out now. Cage had made his way down the stairs, and seeing with him.. Izibell? Hunter's heart started racing. His first thought raced towards some kind of trick, but what trick could be up here? His mind went to worst case scenario, but he blocked that out when Cage asked Roy to leave. Hunter turned towards Roy to say something, but he couldn't think of what to say beyond a simple "bye.". He choked a little, then Cage opened the cell to let Izibell in. He got off his bed and to his knees to hug the big furry ball of muscle and fur as she found herself happy to see her friend. She even found herself patient with his rather aggressive hugging and put up with it even though she wasn't a clear fan. He let go to find her licking his face. "I know I know I'm sorry I'm sorry." He smiled as he playfully pushed her head away and she kept turning back to lick and play chew his face. "God you're so gross." He said it with a laugh as he looked up to Cage, clearly confused by the man. Part of Hunter wanted to stop what he was doing and thank the man. Cage listed off how things would work with Izibell until further noticed, and Hunter found himself shy on words again. When he finished, Hunter was only able to bring up a couple words. "Thank you..." His tone was quiet, almost as if he feared being too loud.
He'd rough up his dogs fur a little more after Cage left, and before going to bed. He grabbed the fork before laying down, and would set it off to the side and out of the way so that he nor Izibell would accidentally land on it in their sleep. he also attempted to have Izibell sleep at his feet during the night, but she decided to shift herself during the night between the wall, and himself pushing him to the near edge. He found himself having to adjust more then once in the night, but the nightmares were less severe tonight. A few harsher moments, but none lasting as like many harsher nights Izibell would help him out of it. First step down, now to sort out his own problems.
Amelia walked mostly quietly with her partner down the street towards the beach in the rather enjoyably calm night. Shadows might have been jumping at the corners of her vision, but nothing dangerous appeared, just kept her on edge. Time was progressing fast though, despite the resemblance of the old world in this place, at the end of the day it was not. They couldnβt wander the night freely.
With the pair reaching the end of the street and the view of the dark waters of the beach, Amelia actually felt content enough. With every moment more and more people were vanishing from the streets, returning to their homes. It was honestly just enough to spend a few minutes with Riley holding hands in the nightβs ocean breeze. After a while they agreed it was time to return for the night. They could spend a bit more time talking back home and so they locked hands and fingers and walked back.
By the time they returned to the Condo, Chase was already at her room. Amelia made sure to check if the door was locked behind them and when the place was secured as she could wish for, they took turns getting some quick showers to get rid of the sweat and grime before going to bed, with Amelia dragging the most convenient makeshift weapon she could find next to the bed β The Chair! The long distant cousin to the lion taming stools. Only with something for self defense at armβs reach did she relax completely and drifted of to the land of dreams with her loved one by her side.
Brainstorming was hard work, especially after hard dayβs work too. She grinned to her musings, writing random words trying to decide on rewards. The only real solution Lisa could indeed think of that would satisfy everybody was credits of sorts. Yeah sheβd need to run this by administration. Impossible to organize a competition like this without their approval anyways.
She was interrupted by her regularly scheduled musings by a wild Nikki anthat returned suddenly. She gave a raised eyebrow at the blades of grass.β Hey Nikki, taking tumbles in the grass? Well canβt call you out on it, I took tumbles in the dirt today too.β She chuckled, looking around with raised questioning eyebrow.β Whereβs the doggo? Got another home or something?β She asked, curious and somewhat concerned.
βAs for a reply to your question, Iβve been brainstorming. Got talking with others at dinner today and figured I might as well start the ball rolling on the trap competition soon. Got talked down from doing a walker trap competition though, will be going for the good old Mouse Trap deal. Thinking of setting it up as educational and recreational competition. Get people to submit ideas in different age and or profession groups. Then manage to get a small jury going and choose the best ones to actually build for real to test.β She explained.β If this goes well, I hope I can pitch the walker trap idea for real eventually. Still baby steps. Got any ideas for how to handle prizes aside from credits?β Lisa asked her younger roomie.
Ash's smile broadened. "Yes," he agreed, slowly nodding once. "I am exactly your 'mode', Thawna." She seemed to show a touch of favor when the accent of his upbringing colored her name. In turn, it gave him a jolt of satisfaction to see her happy. He took to a knee in the street with his back facing her, explaining over his shoulder, "Wouldn't dream of getting let out of it. Hop on." Apparently, piggy-back was in vogue this season. "Home, or do you have a waypoint between there and here?" Ash was more than happy to play the role of Human Taxi. If nothing else, it helped Thana out during the tail end of her recovery period and allowed her to be very close to him, out in public no less.
The way Ash said her name, drawing out the southern accent, for some odd reason made her melt inside a little. She didn't know why, she hadn't ever been a big fan of her name. It was an odd name and it meant Death but Ash made her enjoy it a bit more. As he knelt down she laced her arms over his shoulders and waited for him to start standing to tuck her knees against his ribs. Resting her chin on his shoulder she smiled slightly. "Naw, let's just go home Ash. A shower and a bed is all I want tonight, well as long as yer there," she said with surety as she waited for him to take them home.
As soon as Ash could feel Thana's weight fully rest upon him, he carefully rose and faced in the direction of the Officer's Barracks. A bed and a shower sounded amazing, he had to admit. Better than a swim in the Gulf with Thana, that was for sure. Before he took to putting one foot in front of the other, he made the observation, "Long as I'm there... we have to make sure not to waste water. Civic Duty." It would be easier to do so if they were both using the water simultaneously. Fringe benefit, too. He gave a smile and started on his way, giving only slight hesitance as he hadn't quite memorized the route yet. He remembered that, if one used the pier as a landmark, one could straight shot it to both Officers' and Enlisted housing. So that was exactly what he did. Ash gave thought to (among other, more present things) his and Thana's future here in CMB as he walked. He wanted to get involved in their military program, get into what the higher-ups were saying when they arrived. But not immediately. Ash had some quality catching-up time to spend with Thana, continuing on the immediate. He didn't even set her down until they were right in front of the building, and it was with a little reluctance.
Though Ash might not have set Thana down, she set herself down. Loosening her knees from against his ribs and sliding down. She needed to get the keys out to the building. It wasn't exactly one that was left open for anyone, especially at night. Sure Ash had a key now as well but she was quicker. Pulling the key out she unlocked the door and smiled over to him. "Come on, let's get home," she said as she headed in. She wasn't about to let him carry her up the stairs. She could walk that, plus it was safer. Once she reached the apartment door she unlocked it as well and stepped in, tossing her boots near the wall so they were out of the way before going and opening the rooms window to let in a fresh breeze, even with the air conditioning it felt a little stuffy in there.
Even though they had just come from the outside, the breeze felt good on Ash's skin. He stood there for a moment, letting the evening air gently brush across him, even so far as to close his eyes and take in a slow breath. His two of three seconds of tranquility refreshing him as much as it may, Ash followed Thana's example, removing his boots and setting them to the side. "Feels good, having a home with you," he shared, then turned to the bathroom. "Give me just a minute to set the shower and come join me, if you would, please," he said with a smile. It was the ending of the first official day of his citizenship in Camp Mexico Beach, and it had been eventful. Already, several possibilities revealed themselves to Ashton, many to the positive and a few which might bear as warning. But none of those had any hold on his attention in that moment. It was a shower and then bed for the two of them; Ash couldn't think of a better way they could wrap up the day.
Maybe stepping into the apartment that she had been assigned (a thought which made her involuntarily growl a little; being assigned her place to sleep) with a touch of aggravation wasn't the best thing in the world for Thalia right then. If she lived alone it wouldn't have mattered, but lodging with Joaquin had its own, very specific circumstances that made her angst counterproductive. Especially now that she had to have a talk with him. Maybe she didn't have to, speaking strictly, but she felt she owed him this.
Thalia fumbled the keys into the lock, making more noise than she would have liked. There was no practical reason for her to continue honing her stealthy ways, being that she was both welcome and expected here. Still, there was no way she was getting out of practice if she didn't have to. Her left hand wasn't up to par with her missing right, a thing which she was reminded of several times just today, once at the cost of some blood from the side of her face. Once the lock yielded to her intentions, Thalia slipped through and inside of her apartment.
Her perceptive eyes caught something out of place - not that anything in here was fully comfortable or committed to memory as of yet - though something wedged in the door to the room provided for her stood out. Ignoring most everything else in the area as unimportant or benign, Thalia beelined toward the object and snatched it from its perch. When she saw it, she gasped.
The sharp intake of breath was the prelude to a silent emotional reaction. Tears welled up in Thalia's eyes as she looked over the image of her youth. This picture was taken not too long after she was in Preparatoria1 Catolica2, and couldn't be older than 16 at the time. She had gotten into her first initiated, outnumbered knife fight not a year prior, coincidentally falling near to her highly eventful QuinceaΓ±era3, a thing which was spoken of in shudders and hushed tones only. Even among her father's people. This photograph was a piece of her past that she had forgotten up until this very moment. It's continued existence at all was miraculous.
Emotion of a positive note quickly turned to guilt. Horrible, reaching guilt that threatened to drag her down with as much surety as the loss of her arm almost did many months ago. She needed to talk to Joaquin NOW. The picture still between her fingers, she stalked over to the man. Thalia's tears had spilled from her eyes, rolling hotly down her cheeks and stinging the still raw wound on her face. She paid it no mind. Still able to enunciate around her mounting stresses, Thalia forced her voice into something direct and addressed her brother. But first, the image of their youth found its way onto the nearest flat surface to them both. There was no way she wanted to damage it.
Thalia spoke to Joaquin, a man with whom she shared a father but only a little in the way of familial feature, and opened up to him. The words spilled out as plainly as she could make them, without giving excuse or softening the story. This was about Gavin Comfort, a man she met the day that he died, and unbeknownst to her, Joaquin's once-partner when they were Texas Rangers. Every so often her words came out in Spanish, befitting a fluctuating level of solidity on her part, and sometimes her Boston accent took her words to amazing reaches of diffused culture. Such was the nature of her mixed heritage and emotional state at the time. But she was open with her tale, regardless of what it might mean for her later. Joaquin deserved to know, and she needed to get it off of her chest to someone.
First, she spoke of the attack on Eden. Why they went and the plans they had. Her part in this. How she stepped into the role of an assassin masquerading as a soldier, under Thana's lead. The use of blade and bullet, stealth and fortitude, and the body count she racked up which easily surpassed anything she had done previously or since. She spoke of the feeling of cold righteousness as she took life after life, her own injuries serving only as fuel in her pursuit of ending them once and for all. Then she spoke to the meat of the discussion: Gavin. How he acted as a hero, preventing Thana from dying in a hail of gunfire by taking it himself. His body, still clinging to precious seconds of life and sucking in ragged, bloody breaths as he fell to his knees. And then, Thalia's biggest regret of the battle: When she used his dying, kneeling form as cover to maneuver into position, then as a human shield when she returned fire and took the Edenite defenders out.
The last thing Gavin experienced was a Mestiza chick he didn't know use him to gain a temporary advantage in a firefight; moreover propping him up in kneeling position with her boot to his back while she fired two 9mm pistols on either side of his head while he continued to take more bullets, himself. Thalia didn't know how long Gavin was alive during this piece of combat opportunism, only that he was gone before she was able to drag Thana out of the hallway after the bad guys had been put down. "The thing is, hermano, I know this is something I'd do again. Without hesitation. I did it without thinking or batting a fucking eyelash 'cause shit was going down hahd and heavy, I saw an opportunity to win, and I took it." Thalia learned a lot about herself in this battle, and not all of it was shiny and noble. Some parts of her were downright chilling. "It's just... I'm sorry, Joaquin. And I'm sorry about your friend, I guess is most of it. I know theah's something dahk in me. I didn't want you to think I was hiding something from you. This is who I am now. Prahbably always was. But... I thought you deserved to know." Thalia wasn't soulless, but she had a sense of brutal and unforgiving practicality as it came to the application of violence.
She hadn't even gotten to the part yet where she kicked a bucket of eyeballs, and hard, for use as a distraction before making the air in front of her perilous with spent ammunition. Thalia still remembered the mesmerizing way they flew about, bouncing off of walls and the floor, some still trailing bits of optic nerve like macabre streamers. Another time, maybe.
Shaking this off, she wrapped things up by saying, "I know it's a laht, bro. If you want me to find a different place to live, I'll put in for it first thing tomorrow. Anyways, thanks for showing me that picture. I'm going to try to get some rest now. Love you, man." It was a hell of a day. It might be a hell of a day tomorrow, too. But for now, sleep, if she even could now.
1 = Mexican equivalent to an American High School, grades 10 to 12. 2 = Catholic, in this case identifying a Catholic School 3 = A young lady's presentation party to the community as a marriageable woman on her 15th birthday. Usually a big deal. Google this or something. It's huge.
Alexander would have a good hand with this that most others would. In a time where complimants were a rare commodity, one that sadly didn't put food on your plate, this was one that warmed Alexander deep inside. Alexander had to pull the side of his mouth into a smile, feeling that pleasent feeling warm his cold, wounded heart in a way only a friend could. He would cherish that feeling for many weeks to come, feeling useful, even more so than others.
He was about to thank Aeron for that compliment, choosing to not linger on what else he said about action being seen unwantedly. Like he had said himself, the war had been hard on not just the two veterans standing in the cool basement, but to countless other lives. Lives neither of them had met and would never meet, not even considering those who's very homes had become the battlefields of a ideological war between two superpowers. As so many words had been written in ink and blood about the war, speeches spoken and movies made, Alexander had no more words to describe it after what he had said; He didn't know if 'Nam or the end of the world was worse.
Alexander looked in honest surprise at Aeron, or more specifically at the key he held out for him. In a military society like the one they had built up in Camp Mexico Beach, to be offered a key was an exercise in trust. Alexander looked at the key for a long moment, unsure of what to say to Aeron before he was to leave him alone. In the end, as Alexander accepted the key and watched Aeron hobble his way out, he only managed to quietly say something along the lines of "Thank you too, Aeron, for everythingβ¦This we'll defend."
The room was cool and empty, and for a moment Alexander was too awestruck to even move the smallest muscle. This was a tremendous task for him, not in sense of scale but in honour. Slowly Alexander made his way over to a random stack of boxes, pocketing the key and peaking inside of a box labelled "Uniforms #2." Alexander understood what Aeron meant. This was not just a uniform, they came in different shades and forms according to the period, theatre and branch. Alexander, standing alone and holding up a beige coloured uniform, fought back the urge to let loose the dam of emotions balled up in him.
It was that battle he fought as he locked the basement door behind him, walked out of the Education Center and headed straight home. It was that battle between him and himself that raged on as he went straight to his quarters and made himself ready for bed. Leg popped off, shirt folded neatly on the side and rosary gently placed at his bedside table, he couldn't help but mouth the words in silence. The words that once again haunted him with memories, good or bad. Mostly the latter.
Nigel stood around shaking the hands of Dusty and Bass, doing his outmost to commit their names to memory as so many of these callsigns had been thrown around his first week in CMB. Thankfully they were all friendly enough, bantering amongst themselves like Greek cities attending the Olympics in the golden days. While shaking the hand of Dusty, Nigel held back a chuckle as he was told the origin of his name. "I see, and am I too bold to wonder if and when us newcomers would get such names as well? Are we allowed to choose ourselves?" Nigel posed the question, thinking quietly to himself his wishes not to be known as "Sportacus" by the entire camp.
He would prefer "Hadrian", "Romulus" or "Mars", anything but "Sportacus".
The name of Bass came as no surprise to Nigel, the handshake of his measured to his deep voice. Names from what characterized their roles on this grand stage that was the theatre of life. Cheers for cheering while drinking, Dusty for the dust from his work, and Bass from his voice. What then did they see in him? That question would remain unanswered as the banter continued between the three people at the beach, now Nigel included.
"That makes sense, though what is it that you work on then, since you start later than the rest of us? And yes, my first day went quite wellβ¦swimmingly, one could say." Nigel answered Bass, attempting to pull of one of those things he was never really good at; puns. When the joke fell flat on the beach like a dead fish, Nigel cleared his throat and continued. "Ehm, I mean, yes I was with Sparrow, Thana today. I suppose she was thankful for my help, what with her leg and all. She impressed me greatly with that Hanging Gardens of Babylon you have. Quite the Wonder. "
Though soon the night drew heavy on Nigel, who bid farewell to Dusty, Cheers and Bass to find his way home. Home, the first time in many years he could call someplace home. Time flew as he walked through the emptied streets of CMB, into his sleeping quarters and onto his bed. Did he say good night to those he passed? In his drousy state, he couldn't tell. All he knew was that today had been a hard, but good day. As he fell asleep, he hoped that tomorrow would be just as good to him, of Fortuna herself allowed it.
Weather Forecast: Dawn at 5:53 A.M. - Dusk at 8:13 P.M. - High: 91F, Low: 80F - Winds SW at 4mph - Gusting to 14mph - Rain In The AM - Cloud Cover: 100% - Visibility: 9miles.
Notes: We have moved ahead a little more than a week, nine days to be exact. We are opening on the day of the Court Martial. Feel free to summarize how things went over that week, at least mentally with how your characters are adjusting. I will lay out the opening for the day below and we will go from there. Nothing big happened over the week for the camp itself, so there are no major incidents. Each character will assumed to have gone through their duties, learning their jobs, been around the block a few times now, and are used to the daily grind by now.
Those that are required to have therapy will have been attending, and basically just been giving small run downs for about an hour each time of their lives BEFORE the outbreak. General warm up for therapy, nothing deep really. I will introduce the therapist below. Those that signed up for extra curricular activities and lessons have been informed those will be waiting until after the court martial.
βββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ Date: August 1st, 2012 βββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ
A little summary for the end of day previous: Sheers was glad for the talk but agreed with Manny it was time to get some rest. Cage simply nodded to Hunter when he said thanks before heading out for the night. Chase was out cold in her room when Amelia and Riley returned. Nikki explained to Lisa that Cage had the dog moved to Hunter while he was locked up, she didn't have any ideas about prizes but man did she run her mouth going on and on about how the dog nearly took her arm off, she didn't mention talking to Hunter. Thana showered and spent the evening with Ash before getting some much needed sleep. Joaquin just sat there, the usually talkative man went silent when Thalia confessed to what happened with Gavin. It was a little bit before he spoke again but did so the next morning. No fancy talk, just a simple "We're good, you're staying, see you tonight." Aeron nodded towards Alexander and headed back to what he called home. Dusty is the talkative one down on the beach, "naw, the names just kind of come over time and if they stick they stick. Teds been here a while and never had one, Goliath got his on the first day, fucking tall dude..." After a bit they all turned in. Camp Mexico Beach had had a hell of a first day.
It had been a week, more than a week since the new comers of Camp Mexico Beach had been given their assignments and had started their new lives within the walls. It was a lot to take in. The way that the camp handled things was very structured, especially when compared to life in the wild. There were rules and regulations and paper work, enough to choke a horse on. For the most part this type of structure paid off but every so often there was one that was allowed to join the community that had more than the usual growing pains. For this group, it was a young man by the name of Hunter Monroe. He got off on the wrong foot and then ended up sticking his other foot in his mouth. Because of this he was arrested and things had to go from there.
A week passed, slowly for some and quickly for others. For the most part it was just people getting used to how things were done. Practice by repetition. Normally after the first week or two people were changed over to a different supervisor so they could get better acquainted with the place and to allow them to meet more people. Due to the fact that many of the leads and the council itself had to deal with the upcoming Court Martial, things were being delayed. The upside to this, it gave the new comers longer to get used to things before things changing again.
There were some of the new recruits as it were that were required to go to therapy on set days during the week. There were others that were recommended to do as such. Others were just open for group sessions if they wanted even if it wasn't recommended. Each evening Atticus, aka The Padre, held group sessions in the Church itself. Five to ten people would show up each evening, some only once, others seemed to be long term. Bass stopped by one night, Ted another. Roy was there every evening he wasn't working but never said anything, just sat there looking like he needed to but never spoke up.
Those that had to go to actual therapy got to meet the illustrious Dr. Freeman, or at least that was his callsign. He was named after the shrink on MASH, partly because he was the resident Headshrink and partly because he was a little looser with his practice and a bit more jovial than most. Real name? Dean Morrison. He wasn't a doctor by any stretch of the imagination. He was a former lifer that had escaped prison shortly after the outbreak had begun. What did he do? Murder, cold blooded murder. That he would let his patients know. Why or who he killed? He didn't say. Thing was, his work time for more than two decades was with the prison psychologist. Working in the office, doing paperwork, sessions. Two decades lead to a lot of learning. So while not a doctor he knew what he was doing.
It is just past breakfast now and it is already hot as hell. And it is wet. The rain is coming down, it's over 80 degrees, and the humidity is off the charts. The Court Martial is scheduled to take place after lunch. Most of the camp has been given the day off. Only those needed to maintain base operations are working today: Security, Safety, Main Medical, Mess, and Admin. Of those only cleared workers are allowed to work, new comers in those divisions have been given the day off. Therapy has been canceled for the day but Atticus is letting Freeman use the upstairs if people want to talk. Court Martials are open to the entire community if they wish to attend. No one but those that are called to testify and the Council are required to be there. That morning a list was posted, it had the names of all that are required to be there.
Required Court Martial Appearance:
All Persons In Quarantine with Hunter Monroe (Ash, Riley, Amelia, Alexander, Thalia, Erica, Nigel, and Manny as well as Jack, Tatiana, Hank, and Wayne)
All in Mechanics and Fabrication date of July 25th, 2012 (Tesla, Volts, Mizrahi, Ted)
All in Safety and Security that have been in Contact with Hunter Monroe or filed complaint (Bass, Nikki, Cage, Dolittle, Daytona)
The Council (General, Gunny, Maddog, Major, Doc, Roy, Rivets, Padre, Professor, Cook, Auntie, Panama)
Breakfast has been over for about an hour. Most people are sticking to the indoors thanks to the weather. Both the heat and the rain have made it a miserable start to the day. The Education Center is closed currently, the building is being used by the Council currently to prepare for the Court Martial. Atticus has opened the church for people to use more than usual. The basement is being used by many of the kids to play. The Quarantine building has also been reopened. It has a good supply of things to do so many of the community has headed there to watch movies or play pool. Yet the majority are just finding their friends and picking and choosing which home to hang out in for the day. A few have headed down to the beach and don't care about the rain but the water is off limits today due to the rough waters.
Hospital (B): Doc has been managing the longer term patients, getting his rounds done earlier than normal before leaving the place in the hands of S.B. while he heads to the Education Center since he is on the council. Since S.B. is having to pick up the slack she has put Lisa in charge of making sure that peoples files are checked and meds are given out today. It is something S.B. usually takes care of but now that Lisa is learning how to make the meds now and has clearance to be around them S.B. can let her handle it.
Mess (C): Once breakfast was finished, which was a nice change after a week of fish, (It was eggs, grits, toast, and tomatoes) Cook headed over to the Education Center and left Thana in control of making sure things were together. A few others were there to help and Morales stayed behind to give a hand even though he was part of the Chaplin section. The man seemed to find himself in the kitchen more than anything else. Cook left some notes for the day that Thana would need to go over.
Jail (AA): Bass had worked the night shift and was relieved by Cage midway through breakfast when he returned from the Mess and brought Hunters tray. Bass went to take a nap after eating since he was required to be there for the Court Martial. With everything going and only having a skeleton crew active in the camp that day, Cage had to take Izi out for her walk that morning. Rain plus lack of people to keep guard made it simpler. Granted Cage was not happy about it, wet dog never smelled good. He brought her back in and grabbed a towel, leaving Izi with Hunter to dry off.
*And there we have it. This is our opening setting for the day of the Court Martial. What you choose to do, how you choose your characters to interact and respond to people and surroundings is going to heavily determine how this day goes. Let me know if your character is going to head to any area so I can let you know who is where when it comes to the NPCS
Today was the day, the day of the Court Martial. Thana knew she wasn't required to be there. Yes she had been in Quarantine with Hunter but not the whole time. It had been deemed that she hadn't been around him with enough interaction to give testimony. Yet she planned on being there that afternoon and had already spoke to Morales and cook about it. She wanted to be there for Ash and she wanted to see how these procedures were actually handled. She wasn't a lead, or in charge. Sure she was now running the gardens but that was a division of the Mess, so that put Cook in the drivers seat for this. Still, Thana planned on being there unless something happened in the Mess.
Looking around as people were cleaning up from Breakfast, Thana wasn't sure what exactly she was supposed to be doing. She, in all her years of Military Service, had never once worked the Mess. Never done food service. She knew how to cook well enough to just not burn a meal but this was not her wheel house. Rubbing the back of her neck she looked down at the notes that Cook left her. Grunting she didn't like them. They were not exactly a manual on how to handle the Mess Hall or the food. The woman had far more faith in her than she really should have. This was going to be a disaster. Thankfully it looked like the actual Mess Hall staff knew what to do.
Seeing a different note Thana's brow went up slightly. It seemed that Lunch would be different today. It wouldn't be in a rotation. It would be open like it was for Breakfast and Dinner since so many things were shut down or with minimal staff today. People would be coming into eat when they chose during a two hour window between 11:00 A.M. and 1:00 P.M. before the Mess would be closed again for dinner preparations. That knowledge had been put out with the morning announcement, which Rolodex had handled instead of the General this morning.
Letting out a short breath she glanced at the door. She would have rather been spending the morning with Ash but she had a job to do. It was nice waking next to him that morning even if she had to get up earlier than normal so she could get to the Mess this morning. She had seen him when he came in for Breakfast but she hadn't gotten a chance to really speak to him, other than telling him she would do what she could to be at the Court Martial later today. Setting down the papers she went over to Morales. "A'right, run me through this," she said as she rolled her sleeves up. It was time to get to work.
Nikki lay on her bed and stared at the ceiling. She had gone for breakfast, gotten soaked on the way there and the way back. She was off for the day, at least until the Court Martial. She knew she'd end up having to testify but it was odd to see her name on the list. She had never testified in one of these before. This group had been the first she had actually worked Safety yet she wondered if that was the real reason she had been told to be there. She seemed to be one of the few that actually talked to Hunter, maybe that was why. Well if they wanted a read on the man they were speaking to the wrong person. Nikki didn't like reading books, much less people. It just wasn't something she did. Sure sometimes it might have been good so she knew how to stay away from but part of it seemed like a cheat to her.
Groaning she sat up on her bed. She was in dry clothing now, her other clothing she had worn to breakfast was hanging up in the bathroom to dry. Her hair was still wet slightly. Standing up she glanced around. She was board. She couldn't believe she was thinking this but she thought it would be better to actually be working in Supply with Auntie yelling at her right then than sitting around with nothing to do. Well there were things to do but nothing that really got her interest, she wanted to swim or skateboard or train. No, that was off. It was raining. There was a court martial. That left few options for someone that had a hard time standing still.
Pacing back and forth around her bedroom, out into the living room, back again, looking out the window, seeing the rain, and then repeating the process Nikki tried to think of something to do. She could go the Church, kids were probably playing. No, long haul in the rain. Supply wasn't far, Auntie would probably be there. Wait, no, she was on the Council, she would be with them. So that left one of the old maids in charge. Nix that idea. Maybe just say fuck it and go play in the rain. Maybe she would end up over by the Jail. Pass the distillery. Okay that was a bad idea, she was jonsing for something to do which usually got her in trouble. Wait, she was part of supply which meant she could go most places as long as she was working. Maybe the Hospital needed some help? Sure, cleaning wasn't her thing but he, at least she could pop by and see Lisa. It was the best she had so far.
Ash was never a huge fan of rain. That being said, he was fast becoming a fan of waking up next to Thana. The rain served as sleepy, background ambience. Less pleasant was the feeling of her leaving early for her duties. It didn't make it easier that he knew to expect this, either. He was obviously smitten. He was also obviously awake now. The feeling of proximal emptiness that came of Thana's absence was enough to keep him from getting back to restful slumber, so he might as well haul himself up. As not to throw off Thana's morning routine, he kept to the bed until she was ready to go.
Stepping out onto the balcony, Ash took in the sight of rain pattering down on the canal. Not for the first or last time, he gave silent thanks that he passed a night in relative certainty of safety; from the living as well as the dead thanks to those walls. He leaned against the railings, peering across the canal and to the walls themselves. It was a point of interest for him, among others. Mechanics was another, though mostly he pushed a broom and did busy work, keeping the place tidy. It was honest enough work. And of course, Distillation was something he thought toward every so often. It was part and parcel with his background that stretched back before he joined the Army. Hell, his name was on a liquor bottle that was once distributed to the public at large. But more than this now, Ash looked to the walls.
Newnan had decent walls, be it that they required constant upkeep. He heard from the Fairburn people (and later saw when they visited the abandoned community to salvage supplies) that their walls were essentially a series of vertical logs supported on the inside with traversable framework. They fell to disease, not besieged by the Dead nor attacked by the living. This place, however, from an Engineer's standpoint, had accomplished something interesting, putting up a complex barrier with little personnel while basically in hostile territory. Ash wanted to know more.
He figured it was unlikely that it would happen today. In truth, his thoughts would be better put toward the Court Martial. He knew that it was that day, bit didn't know if he needed to be there until he went to see the lists at breakfast. He might have attended anyway, just to see how they handled it. His name written on the board cemented his presence, turning that "might" into a glaring affirmative. He took some brightness with the fact that Thana was going to be in attendance as well even though she didn't have to. it was a shame that she was busy now, seeing as Ash wasn't expected to be at his detail today. He wasn't sure how to handle this unexpected free time. Come to think of it, this might be the first occasion in a while (quarantine notwithstanding) that he had free time. As a man generally accustomed to having something to do in a professional capacity, he was at a loss. The individuals from his group from Newnan were settling into their lives rather readily, from the look of things. His attention had been on Thana since her arrival. Maybe he might have taken some time to get to know the people around him better, or reconnect with his survival buddies now that they weren't fighting and hiding and scavenging in the hopes of seeing another dawn. Now that this wasn't an everyday factor, Ash simply had no idea what to do with himself.
In the end, after much consideration, Ash decided to try to lighten up. It was hard for him and he likely wouldn't be very good at it, but worth the attempt at the very least. As Quarantine was the place he started things in CMB and it was open to the general public now as a recreational area, he figured that it might be a good place to socialize for a little while, just to see what might transpire. It felt strange not having a plan. Hell, it felt strange not packing a sidearm and approving planned supply runs or drafting construction specs. It wasn't long before Ash found himself back in Quarantine, looking about to see if anyone was interested in a game or two of pool.
The street pounded back up against Thalia's footfalls in a repeating pattern, each making a wet, punching sound that sounded somewhat angrier than it generally might if anyone else was running. It was still dark and she was out early, but the rain but notably up even earlier. Being on D roster meant that she was getting more physical exercise in and might eventually get herself some training in soldiery, which was he goal, though it lacked the comforting feeling of solitude that Thalia sometimes required. This morning, her desire to be alone and outside was helped along by a conversation she had with her brother just over a week ago. It stuck with her, enough so that she withdrew a little more than usual. No flash, no prose, just a short and sweet series of words that didn't go extremely far toward giving her comfort. It's not like she was actively seeking to get herself off of the emotional hook in the first place. Still, the reaction was unexpected.
She let herself think her thoughts and kept putting one foot in front of the other. It was good to process, and really, it was a decent enough excuse to go running in the weather. Thalia was oddly nostalgic about being out in the world. She hadn't even reacclimated to air conditioning yet. For that matter, the past couple of nights were spent sleeping out on the apartment's balcony because she lacked the personal comfort of roof access, or barring that, bushcraft accommodation. Sometimes, she felt like a fox that was taken in as a pet but still longed to run among the trees and pinestraw. Maybe throttle the occasional chicken for supper. More thoughts to flash through her brain. More steps to pound out. So many more before she was through.
This early in the day, Thalia thought that she saw Thana out in the street, but it was a block over from where she was and just the briefest of glances before her friend disappeared behind a building. The interruption to Thalia's run was enough to snap her out of the near-hypnotism she was under, courtesy of the white noise of the rain, her rhythmic running stride, and a swirl of thoughts that consumed her. She had been running longer and harder than intended and it all caught up to her at once. Thalia dropped to a knee, endeavoring to push and pull air from her lungs as precipitation streaked down from her hair in hot rivulets. After a minute or two, feet found their way under her again and she started back to her apartment.
After punching a street sign or two and change of clothes later, Thalia had a fast breakfast in a corner by herself, intentionally avoiding speaking to people. Her thoughts went to her Sunday therapy session during this time. She hadn't said much. She didn't have to. She was a woman who stood out, with the irony being that one of her strengths was not being noticed. It was hard to miss the new girl with the scarred face and painful-looking metal arm. So a brief introduction and a lot of sitting. Her eyes found Roy, likewise sitting and saying nothing. She noticed this but did not comment. From the looks of him, it was likely that she would be comfortable speaking to the group long before him.
Thalia shook off the thought. There was time to kill, yet, before she had to attend that Court Martial (though why the hell they wanted her input was beyond her) and needed to occupy her mind in the interim. Aside from the feeling of thankfulness for eggs and fresh tomatoes, which was significant despite her outward lack of social inclination.
Slowly, she reached into a pocket and retrieved a wrinkled scrap of paper. It was the clue from before. She had put it out of her mind for a while, trying to convince herself that it was foolishness and there were more important things to do with her time, which might have been accurate. Her curiosity was getting the better of her though, which manifested in a growing need to find the next piece of the puzzle. Rather then jump into someone's workspace while the place was gearing up for its next chunk of drama, into which she was being involuntarily thrust. So, Quarantine it was. Nice social place she was familiar with, maybe another round of Pac-Man if she was feeling it, and more importantly it would serve as a gathering place (that wasn't the Mess Hall) where she might ask a couple of subtle questions.
Walking into the common room of Quarantine, Thalia shoved subtlety to the side and just asked aloud, "Anyone know wheah I can find some weights, huh?" The simple approach. Expedient, but left her as an even bigger point of attention.
Manny spent his morning rather simply. Saying good morning to each of his roommates as they arose from their slumber with a smile on his face as if he had just finished his first cup of coffee and was ready to take on the day. As many of the people he was now sharing space would come to find out, Manny was a very much an early to rise person. He could function on rather few hours of sleep which he figured was one of the few benefits of getting older and having to survive as a light sleeper on the road. Taking the extra time to say good morning to Alexander though. Even though Manny had really gotten to like his new roommates he still held a strong personal connection to Alexander. They have been cornered back to back for months on end, and had helped each other countless times to get through past.
Over the week Manny had conformed to many of his old habits. He got up early, walked to breakfast, Though this time she was able to spot Thana and give her a friendly good morning, did a jog for as long as time would allow, and then went to work. With having the day off, he decided to extend his jog to last longer then it usually would. He figured, fuck it, age is just as much a mentality as it is a physical condition. He spent his whole time from breakfast on wards jogging the perimeter of the camp taking care to try his best to avoid areas he wasn't allowed in. Though would find himself poking in a little more then he probably should of, but never more then street view. He found himself getting a bit soaked from his long jog in the rain, but it wasn't something he couldn't handle. When supply was better staffed he would have to make time to get himself a rain jacket and better jogging equipment. sweat pants, or athletic shorts, a good rain jacket maybe? He could kill for a half decent water bottle too but he had little idea what was in good supply and what was high demand.
He made sure to give a nice friendly wave to those he passed, stopped with those who wanted to chat, and felt relaxed. Today he had all the time in the world to stop chat, jog, and explore what he could. Many people could easily find themselves struggling with boredom, but Manny as long as he had space to run would hold a good pace and be able to enjoy a comfortable afternoon once he wore himself out a little. He wondered if that was yet another one of the benefits to aging, it did not take much to be satisfied with his time. In his teens or twenties a morning jogging and exploring with an afternoon of reading would have driven him mad with insanity. What made it better now as well, he didn't have to do his relaxing job with a shotgun and a box of shells on his person which was the bare minimum he needed a few weeks ago if he wanted to try something like this. As he jogged though he found himself stopping a few times to catch his breath, sometimes struggling more then he would willingly admit. He hoped that was something he could work out over time, get his body more used to this relaxing jog.
He found himself ending this segment of jogging where the road met the beach. Behind him, the chapel with some foot traffic going in and out. The beach with some locals attempting to enjoy the view despite the rain. A few kids running around enjoying the rain many likely at their parents protests. He smiled at these thoughts, this was a life he could get used too again. If he wanted to get nit picky there would always be things he would not enjoy, but as a whole, this was a place he figured he could call home. "God I missed this." He spoke as if he had finally relaxed after a crazy week of emergency operations, and someone had just told him that it was all over. We did it, and the big problems we worried about are over. It was back to facing the little problems again.
Hunter found himself laying on the cement floor face first with Izibell licking his face repetitively. "I'm up, I'm up." He spoke as he continued to lay down on the floor. Izibell calling his bullshit continued to lick his face until he stirred awake. "Urg... Okay fine you win." He sat up Izibell still hounding him for attention. He had woken up earlier in the morning for breakfast, and then attempted to try some exercise. How that he had Izibell, he had to start sorting out his next few steps. And right now? That included getting himself into shape to either head out on his own again, or to have the strength to get more then the minimum done here. Both of which would be a challenge, and his time to work on that was almost up. This morning after breakfast he attempted some simple stretches and pushups, and at some point he fell back asleep face first into the floor. His body despite it's current condition was at least used to carrying around his gear however excessive it was. But much past that his body was struggling.
Izibell continued her relentless attacks of licks and playful chewing attempting to get her human's attention. "Oh my god you fucking attention whore." He spoke with a playful expression on his face and a smile as he turned to rub and push his dog around a bit in their playful banter. Their space was limited though, and the two of them could only play around so much. During walks he had more room to goof off with her, but today that had to get canceled. Hunter attempted to protest it, but he didn't push it far. He let her go eventually without fuss, and when she returned he gave her a hug which she replied a simple series of licks implying she was done with the hug.
His main concern today, was his court martial. This was the day where everything would be decided and he would have to start sorting out his life yet again. He found himself struggling with that thought. If he was kicked out, Maddoc made it clear he would lose Izibell. She had been his companion for nearly a year now, and he couldn't imagine a world where she wasn't apart of his life anymore. Then came the issues of if he stayed. He had little hope that even if he stayed, today would be the last of it. He pictured what things would be like after this. How guards might eye him as a potential threat, how his supervisors would likely perceive him as a problem before he arrived after reading his reports.
Not to mention, he had concerns about the court martial itself. Some fears were more valid then others though. Hunter was not looking forward to a potential audience he would have to be in front of. He figured it was something along the lines of stage fright, but that didn't even seem right. He also had no idea what to expect from how laws and punishments were carried out here. He had no idea if the system was geared in favor of the accused, in favor off the prosecution, something with an partial deciding factor, or what he feared the worst of it to be. A "Just Us" system. He feared that one the most. Many settlements have turned towards that one as one, it was easier, and two, it was the people's homes where they could do what they wanted. It made sense many settlements would turn to that one now. But he knew how little he was liked, and how a system like that would very much not be in his favor right now.
All and all, he wasn't a fan of where his situation had landed. And he had little hope of where it was going as well. He held nothing to offer these people either that they didn't already have, or that they would never let him handle. "Let the Show begin." He said in a low voice as he sat down on his bed.
Amelia quietly sighed as she looked out the window at the rain. Itβs been a sort of unpleasant start of the day. Normally to the north rain was a good thing, but here it was just a nightmare. So much humidity. She frowned, today there wasnβt any work to be done for her because of the trial. Court Martial trial that is. So until that began, Amelia was quietly spending the time until then at home. Riley had left to do something or other so she was alone.
Thinking about the trial, she wondered why her presence of all was mandatory. Itβs not like she had much interaction with the guy and his dog. She kept as far away from him as possible throughout the entire stay in quarantine! It was weird, but on the plus side at least no work, though she didnβt mind the work honestly. It was refreshing so far! She got mostly used to the places around town and also start working on a character sheet for D&D on the side. Wasnβt sure when sheβd join in a game though. She hoped sooner rather than later. Amelia planned to finalize it soon!
βBut pushing carts in the rain would be a pain...β She mumbled to herself with a chuckle, looking at the rain again. Yeah, it was a marvelous 9 days so far. Sure she wasnβt quite sure on the therapy, but she went for it. Amelia didnβt want to cause problems for Riley and the others around her and she knew that sooner or later it would happen. She could deny it all she wanted, but she still caught herself jumping at shadows at times. Or maybe fighting the desire to run for cover at the slightest weird noise made in the fear the ground itself would rupture open and swallow her. Still the initial sessions were interesting, she wasnβt sure what to think of the guy running them. Name was supposedly Freeman, but she wasnβt quite so sure.
Pushing thoughts of suspicious doctors aside, she pondered the incoming event for the day. Weather was unpleasant and she hoped the trial itself wouldnβt be quite as badβ¦ or worse. Her optimism was rather a thing to respect until her more realistic side showed itβs calm head and reminded her that chances for it to pass without issues were slim. Nothing ever seemed to be simple or happen simple. And her pessimistic side made her wonder what would go wrong.β Whateverβ¦ at least the rain is pretty. Even if it makes the place humid as hell.β She sighed and grumbled. Rocking back and forth a few times, before finally pulling away from the window and heading over to where she kept the character sheet and notes to deal with that. She had the free time until the trial came so might as well make use of it. Dog boy wasnβt really somebody she was close with or cared about beside possible simple loss of unrelated life.β Now what were the throwing weapon rules again...β She mumbled, rummaging about the notes she wrote down about the rules she needed.
Last nine days were a nice change of pace after a while of routine for Lisa. New job came with new tasks and challenges. She enjoyed learning the new things she was required to and give her best effort in her tasks and her only complain was this whole Court Marital business, but nothing she could really do about that one. She understood the need for it, just wasnβt sure if they werenβt blowing it out of proportions on the grandure side of things. Honestly she was quite surprised how they just didnβt do it the next morning with a bare minimal number of jury or something like that and be ready and over with.
Still overall the nine days passed fine, going to work, relaxing afterwards, meeting the folks and of course meeting the new folks from time to time as well. She saw Amelia and Riley a few times, then Manny at work and so on. Life continued as normal in the camp, just with the new additions she supposed.
Now of course today was the day of the first Court Marital session and to her decent luck, Medical was one of the things that was working today and she was one of the ones working. It wasnβt actually a bad thing, she could use the work time and all that. She didnβt mind working, she in fact liked it. There was also the fact that Medical was in her opinion likely the best place to be considering the humidity outside. She looked at the stack of files in her hands. S.B. had given her a new task to do, check patient files, ensure right medicine gets to those that needed it. Previously sheβd never be allowed to it, but not anymore!
She only somewhat regretted not being there for the trial today . She was honestly curious about how it was going to go, but sadly was going to have to get the second hand rendition of the events after the fact. Shame really, it was going to be educational. Ohh well, she had her duties to attend to, so dismissing thoughts of amusement that would have been the equivalent of a tv show about court rooms, she focused on the files again.β Letβs seeβ¦ who getβs what today.β She mused. There was probably a bad drugs jokes in there somewhere, but she couldnβt recall it off the top of her head. Still she suspected it would be a slow day at medical since most would be occupied elsewhere. Well at least as slow as it could be in the world of an zombie apocalypse.
It was not the downpour of rain that stuck out to Alexander from that week now passed. Not even when the raindrop dripped ceasessly down his face, hair and fingers, warm to the touch contrary to what most people home in Chicago had been used to. No, this kind of weather was all to familiar to Ol' Mugsy, as he walked carefully, yet determined through the rainy streets of Camp Mexico Beach. He'd been out in this kind of ran far too many times to count, even if he'd tried.
Neither was it the tremendous change of pace that really stuck with him, now that he and the others had spent close to two weeks inside the safe walls of CMB. It had been a less than easy change, more of an upheavel the first days of his stay. He couldn't speak for the others, though he felt he probably wasn't alone in that line of thinking. Yes, it had been one turn of a dime to stop fighting for your every living minute and then start a life of routines. It still didn't feel like an integral part of his life to wake up, eat breakfast, work, eat lunch, work some more, eat dinner, help Aeron in the basement, socialize or talking to Atticus, but it was getting there.
Hell, it wasn't even the fact that for a solid week now he'd been able to walk normal on his one good leg and his prostethic one. As normal as one could, mind you - the rain made his footing less ideal, but with a slow and steady pace it was just like trudging down a muddy trail somewhere in south-east Asia. The leg had been good to him, being that one small part that helped him feel less of a burden. So no, it was not that.
What stuck to him, just like the rain made his clothes do as he kept on walking down the street, his body focused on reaching the Chapel where he'd visited several times over the past week, was how much of his past life crept out from the darkness. With the rain, heat, military-styled routines and ever presence of the Army all around him, that morning's reveal that his presence was required at the coming court martial-trial, he felt as if hunted by the Storm behind him, Riders chasing the rainy clouds ahead of them.
South Vietnam Sometime early 1970's
"You ever think it's gonna stop?"
They'd been out on patrol all morning, just around local villages and smaller hamlets, on their way to a friendly US Marine Corps camp further east. Alexander was in the back of the column, doing his best to not step over his two own feet as they got heavier and heavier from all the mud accumilating on his boots. Boots which, contrary to his own complains to the quartermaster, "It's not the boots that don't fit your feet, it's your feet than don't fit the boots!"
"What are you talking about, Al? The rain?" Came the question straight back at him, sent with love from the L.A. surferboy, Mason, who'd probably never seen such a long period of rain before. Hell, he probably never imagined it was possible, save from the 40 days of rain in the Bible.
"No, Shawn, I'm talking about knuckleheads still liking the Kinks or the Beach Boys. Yeah, of coure I'm talking about the rain! Jesus H. Christ, I thought God was done with this bullshit after Noah. My feet are getting wetβ¦"
"Well you know what they told us back in boot camp, it'll end eventually. It's just a short drizzle, and the proud soldiers Uncle's Sams Armed Forces don't care one bit about rainβ¦" Mason sighed at his parody of the drill sergeants trying to toughen them up. They kept on telling them they needed to be prepared for combat in any and all climates, be it the plains of West Germany or the snowy hills of Norway, wherever that was. Clearly they'd forgotten about Vietnam.
"Well my second pair of socks and I do care. If it isn't Charlie in the trees, it's the booby traps they leave. If it isn't the traps, it's the snakes and spidersβ¦and now the rainβ¦the fucking rainβ¦"
The fucking rain bothered him less than before, or else he pushed the sense of liquid dread past him as he approached the Chapel as intended. The court martial was due later that day, and before he would attend he'd need to get his thoughts set straight. What would he say, what would they ask and what would they say about Hunter? How would he himself deal with it, whatever the outcome? What would have happened to him if he was in the young boy's shoes. Christ, he was just a kid. That'd never stopped them before though, had it? The best place he could found that kind of solace was the Chapel. Whether he would be alone or not, it would be a nice place to collect his thoughts.
Fortune favoured the bold it had been once said. The Latin phrasing of it would have gone something the lines of "Nil sine labore" or "Sine labore non erit panis in ore", in essence nothing without labour and no bread without labour. This would have been befitting Nigel to use as a motto for his family crest over the past week, amongst many other phrases he'd memorized over the years. The past week had been one of hard work from his side, helping Thana with whatever she had needed of Atlas to carry. It had been hard work, but if anything Nigel was a workhorse, if not a stubborn mule.
Thus the lack of work that day was a tumbling stone for him. Upon reading the list put up on the board of notice, it had been abundantly clear to the neo-Roman soldier that this legion would set sail for new, unknown frontiers of the empire. A teacher and then a soldier, he had been called up for the service of the law of Camp Mexico Beach. At first Nigel was surprised to be on said list, though he could guess why he qualified to be there. He'd been with Hunter during Quarantine, not to mention kept watch over him that night he crossed the Rubicon and utterly failed the die.
Nigel, without any tasks for that day other than the court martial and mentally preparing for whatever he would be asked to testify later on, thus made his way over to Quarantine. What else could he do? The outdoors showed more hostility than Roman taunting the parade of prisoners carted down the streets of Rome, while he had few hopes for getting to practice his melee that day.
Running as fast as he could safely through the rain pouring down, Nigel made his way to Quarantine to pass the time. If alone, at least it was dry and with books, perhaps something to enlighten his jury-prepared mind. It was with a mixed surprise that he found their former isolation quarters occupied by two fellow newcomers; Ashton the soldier and Thalia the one-armed Amazon. Clearly he'd entered just as Thalia had posed a question, him having missed it by a moment or two. While he could't answer her, he greeted both of them in his usual static style.
"Sautem amicus, good morning. Thalia, Ash. I see I was not alone in being drawn back to this room, awaiting for the court martial? I won't bother you if you are busy, unless Thalia would be able to provide a safe duel of sorts?"
Weather Forecast: Dawn at 5:53 A.M. - Dusk at 8:13 P.M. - High: 91F, Low: 80F - Winds SW at 4mph - Gusting to 14mph - Rain In The AM - Cloud Cover: 100% - Visibility: 9miles.
Notes: Now that we are done with the start of the new day we are moving forward with today. The Court Martial will begin after lunch, how long it takes us to get there will depend on the usual factors. Now that your characters have been out and about in the town itself for more than a week we can assume they know where all the basic stuff is. If you don't remember where something is or where someone might be, feel free to hit me up in chat. (Do so not too long after I post so you aren't waiting to post for me to get back to you. Sooner the better since it makes things easier.)
βββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ Date: August 1st, 2012 βββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ
Streets Of CMB: Its hot, wet, and sticky outside. Rain in the fall or spring is nice. In the summer it is down right miserable. One could wish for it to pass but from what Chase had in the morning announcements it was going to be like this for at least today. Small chance of it clearing out tomorrow but it was August in Florida so even if the rain cleared out the humidity and the heat weren't going anywhere for at least another month. This was the hottest month of the year and the month had only just begun, it was going to be a long next few weeks.
Those that are outside really are just trying to stay out of the rain, running if they have to go somewhere, sitting and avoiding the rain if they didn't. Those working Security and Safety seem to be the only ones with rain gear. It makes sense, they have to be out in it. There is talk that there used to be umbrella's around the camp but they broke quickly. High winds were not kind to umbrella's and they were not exactly on the top of anyone's need list when runs were made. Sure the fabrication department was more than capable to make an umbrella or twenty but resources were looked at as more long term need than immediate these days. Rain would pass, clothes would dry, colds were not caught when one got caught in the rain.
Down on the beach Ted, along with some of the older teens that were studying in the Education center the week before are hanging out on the beach. Swim trunks and bathing suits even if they can't get in the water. They walk the edge of the water and shuffle through the seaweed and debris that washes up along the shore. Collecting shells, sand dollars, and the like as they do. Whatever washes up. It seems to be a way to pass the time and maybe find something neat tangled up kelp.
Those that notice Manny wave as he jogs by, people are friendly enough in the town even if they seem a little down in spirits today. Weather plus an impending Court Martial has left a more serious feel to the town today. For those out and about, there are towels placed inside buildings that are open for people to dry off with and a place to put their shoes so they don't track.
Hospital (B): The hospital was less busy today than it had been. Even during this time people tried not to bother with hospitals unless they had to and since Doc was dealing with the whole Court Martial any tests or yearly check ups had been rescheduled for a later date. That meant only long term care patients and people who were really hurt or sick were in there outside of the skeleton crew. No major injuries had happened recently so Mary took care of discharging the few injured out and arranging for cart rids back to their place. There were a couple of were sick with what looked like the first flu cases of the season. They weren't sick enough to actually need to be in the hospital but they were quarantined off, the town tried to keep any sickness from spreading like wild fire if they could.
The long term patients, that was different. Most were older and this was a type of hospice care for those with dementia or Alzheimer's. They usually didn't remember where they were or thought it was many decades back than it actually was. Most were sweet enough but if thrown off too much they could get aggressive. There were one or two mental patients that were held since they were not so much a danger to themselves but others. Only Doc or SB or Freeman delt with them as they were locked up in a wing of the hospital away from the others. Then there was little Lucy, the only child long term patient in the hospital. They didn't know how old she was, found on the streets a couple of years ago when she was about five, just wandering. They didn't know anything about her. Now she was what they figured to be seven and she sat in a bed, sick, it was cancer, there was not much they could do for her besides try to make her comfortable. She enjoy coloring and her meds were mostly for pain.
Mess (C): The team in the Mess Hall knew what to do and what was up and they didn't seem to happy with Thana being left in charge of the place right then. They didn't need some new comer to the camp watching their every move. As far as they were concerned she would just slow them down and they didn't hide their disdain for this. Thana had gone through the ropes, she had done the work, put in her time, but she was still newer than they would have liked and the fact she was related to the General and his sons hadn't gone unnoticed. There were whispers she was only there because of who she was related to. It didn't matter if it was true or not. People liked to talk and if they could they preferred to point fingers.
Morales wasn't bad though, he didn't care. He was a happy go lucky man who just liked being around people, joking around, being himself. Because of this he stuck closer to Than than he probably needed to, talking, and doing so loudly. It kept eyes on him instead of on her. He didn't think Thana had a big problem with her scars but people did stare, especially at the one eye that was far lighter than the other, it stood out more than the scars. The scars weren't something easy to miss though, they were still new, bright, and hard against her skin. They'd probably fade over the years but she would never be the beauty she probably once had been. Scars and being the boss of the minute made others in the kitchen stand offish, Morales was doing his best to level the playing field. He felt sorry for the woman.
"Hey, how about you start putting together the lunch packs for council since they won't be breaking before the court martial," Morales suggested. There were two reasons for this. It was bottom level work which meant that the others wouldn't feel so overlorded. And two, it meant she would spend a heavy amount of time in the walkin getting things together and he could have a talk with the others without her hearing.
Chapel (V): The church was pretty much empty right now. It seems that people don't want to trudge down to it in the rain, especially since Atticus isn't there. However there are two, up in second story pews overlooking the main area of the church is Atticus and Bass. Bass is sitting there with his hat rolled up in one hand as he rests the other draped over the edge of the balcony. "What I am saying is that this is something you need to look inward on. I can't tell you what the right path is. You have to pick that for yourself. You've been through a lot but you're young. You still don't know near as much as you think you do. You talk about love but sound like you're quoting a book. Ever woke up next to a woman and felt completely happy? Looked at her and been fully vulnerable? With a look she could level you or lift you? Know that she could rescue you from the depths of hell with a smile or take you there as you watch her wither away while you hold her hand in a hospital. Never leaving her side for months because the doctors know by the look in your eyes that visiting hours don't apply to you. You haven't known real loss because you haven't fully loved yet. That only happens when you love someone more than yourself. Fully. You know war, we're there now. You've held your best friend and watched him take his last breath but you need to stop looking for the romance novel and see the reality in front of you. The romance, it's a nice get away from now but it isn't long lasting and right now, small things are good but we need more, if we are going to live instead of just survive. Once you do that, know that, then you'll know what to do. And then comes the hard choice, are you willing to lay it out there or not. If not, walk away."
Bass nodded and blew out a long breath. Voices carried in here. Turning his head he spotted Alexander and stood up slowly. "Thanks," he said before putting his hat on and heading out of sight. Freeman nodded and stood up, watching him leave before looking down below.
"Good Morning," he said as he rested his hands on the banister. "Here to talk to me or to him?" he asked as he pointed up and motioned a bit to the heavens."
Quarantine (W): The building is just like it was back when everyone was in Quarantine, save for the fact that the doors to where the rooms are is now locked up tight. The place is open to the main room where meals where taken and people hung out during the day, and the bathrooms. The air conditioning is on to help keep it from being oppressive in there. Inside of the main room Volts and Tesla are playing a game of pool. They have a white board pulled over near the table and are keeping score. Tesla is three games up and Volts is looking annoyed. Guy and Medic from the old Newnan Safe Zone are sitting across from each other on the floor with the coffee table between them. They look to be playing cards. Wayne is in there as well, relaxing in the recliner he claimed during quarantine, he has baby James in his lap. Tatiana and Jack aren't anywhere to be seen. There are a few others in the room reading or playing dominos. The music player is on, seems it is the greatest hits of the 80's playing, or some compilation like that.
Looking over as Ash walked in Guy got Medics attention and then motioned towards the doorway. Medic glanced over and nodded towards Ash. Guy waved and waved Ash over. "Want us to deal you in?" Guy asked.
"Yeah, can't be any worse than him," Medic commented under his breath.
"Hey! I just keep getting dealt shit hands," Guy laughed and shrugged.
Volts leaned against his pool que while he waited for Tesla to take his shot when Thalia came in. The sound of the balls clicking sounded as Tesla took his shot and sunk the eight ball. "God damn it, I'm done, you run the fucking table," Volts grumbled as he tossed his stick onto the table. Looking over at Thalia and then Nigel he nodded. "Yeah, we got a gym," he said as Tesla stood there chuckling and putting another score mark on the board for himself.
"Spoil sport," Tesla grinned.
"Eat my ass," Volts grumbled before looking back at Thalia. "I can show you, get me the hell away from him before I stick that stick up his ass."
"Have to catch me first," Tesla laughed.
Medic stood up and dusted his rear end off. "Actually I need to stretch my legs, take my place," he said to Ash before looking over to Nigel. "I could spar," he said looking over at Nigel.
General Housing (X): Things over in general housing seem pretty calm. People have mostly already decided where they were going to do for the day and made their way their quickly. Chase had headed out early that day to make sure to take care of weather readings. She mentioned something about how weather like this could mean an incoming hurricane. She doubted it but she wanted to double check. If a hurricane was coming through it could mean they had to evacuate north for a while until it passed or hunker down hard just in case. Either way, neither was something she wanted to do unless they had to. After checking her readings and turning in her report she came back to her shared apartment. No hurricane. At least not that she could tell. It wasn't like they had a enough gas and a plane to do check long distance in the gulf.
Chase wasn't the friendly type, at least not openly. She wasn't rude, she was just quiet, usually having her nose buried in her reports and numbers from sun up to sun down. She hadn't always been like that. Rumor had it she used to chase tornado's out in the midwest before the world went to hell. Dusty was part of her team back then. There were others but like most groups they lost a lot of people over the years. As far as they knew Dusty and her were the only two left, that and Cook. Cook was Chase's aunt. Not part of the team but like hell she was leaving her aunt behind when they were bugging out.
Stepping out of her bedroom, Chase glanced around before going and settling down on the couch. "Hey," she said quietly before opening the book in her hand. Where the Red Fern Grows was the title on the well worn paper back. Crossing her legs she hunched over and flipped to the first page of chapter one. She had her nose buried once again but this time it wasn't in any reports, it was in a book. The book was never a best seller but it was required reading for most kids growing up in the United States for decades. It was a sad story and a kids book, so it was probably odd that a grown woman would be sitting there reading it right in the middle of the Apocalypse.
Jail (AA): After a bit past the time for breakfast, Cage opened the door to the basement and pulled it closed behind him before heading down the stairs. He had a stack of files tucked under his arm, two mugs in his hand, and a rut sack on his shoulder as he came around the corner. The familiar scent of coffee wafted from the mugs as Cage set them down on a table. Cage wasn't much of a talker, at least he didn't seem to usually try to strike up a conversation, and when he did talk he came off as more than abrasive. So during this time as he pulled the table away from the wall, set up a couple of chairs, put the rut sack and files on the table, etc. he remained quiet.
After a bit, once it appeared he had everything set up the way he wanted them he pulled his keys out of his pocket and stepped over to the cell. "We're gonna start prepping you for later. Behave and we can do this civilly. Act like an ass and it's back in the cell and another thing in your fucking file," Cage warned before unlocking the cell door and motioning to one of the chairs. Backing up he plopped himself down in the other.
Opening he rut sack he rummaged through it a moment before pulling out something in a waxy white wrapper. It wasn't until he tossed it next to Hunters coffee cup that it was clear what it was: Twin pack of Twinkies. The old joke of Twinkies surviving the Apocalypse was true, they were still there and still eatable. "Warning, they'll be sweeter than you remember," Cage said as he pulled over the files. It was true, people weren't exactly consuming large amounts of sugar these days so what someone once thought of as sweet wasn't the same anymore. "Why the coffee, helps cut it. Unless you like your teeth fucking hurting."
Picking up the file, Cage flipped through it for a moment before stopping. "Okay kid, first thing. This won't be like a normal court where you have one side trying to prove your guilty and one side trying to prove your innocent. Think you'd just plead guilty and pray for mercy if that was the damn case. The council will ask questions of a list of people," he said before handing over the list of people that were required to be there. "Anyone else that shows up will be allowed to ask any of these people anything else once they are done. Anyone not required to be there will also be allowed to say something as long as they have actively been around you. If they haven't their opinion in the matter doesn't count for shit. Too bad the dog can't testify," he said motioning to Izi. Shrugging he looked back at Hunter. "Oh, and do you want to talk at the hearing? You have that right, you also have the right to not say anything. Also have the right not to answer. I don't usually tell people to not talk but you have a way of sticking your foot in your mouth so I don't fucking know, with you it's a toss up."
While Thana hadn't exactly gotten used to the looks or the way people spoke in low whispers from time to time when she was around, she did understand it on some level. She looked very different than she had. Scars weren't usually a big thing. Most people had them these days. Thalia and Alexander had lost whole limbs. Thing was, on the face was a different story. First impressions and all that. It made people stop and stare more than they would perhaps with others. When Thana looked in the mirror these days her scars didn't hurt her ego but she wasn't happy about them. She knew it could be worse, that she could be dead, and she was grateful to be alive. Especially now that she had Ash. It didn't make it hurt any less when people whispered. She wore it well and it didn't show it really bothered her but some of it did get to her. It couldn't be helped. She was human after all. It was almost ironic. She had never put much into her looks when she was younger. In fact it bothered her back then. People saw a pretty face instead of her mind. People underestimated her because of it. Now, they stared. One couldn't win it seemed.
The talk about her getting to where she was because she was related to the higher ups, that got to her more than her face did though. She put in time, hours, so many hours. No eight hour shifts when she got out of the hospital. She put in twelve hours, sixteen hours, some days more. Helped the town get a hold of resources from what was left of Newnan and its safe houses. She had done her part, put in the hours, put in the work. So for people to get snarky with her over who shared genetics with her made her blood boil. She didn't say anything but she did narrow her eyes. This got to her more than the rest did.
So when Morales offered her to do the delivery meal for the Council she jumped on it. Well, she nodded slightly before taking the order paper and heading to the walk in. Closing the door behind her she started gathering what she needed for the meal. Sandwiches mostly, they would need to be wrapped well and protected from the elements when they were transported. It reminded her of the picnic lunches she would be made to put together for her family before they headed to the beach. Her mother was above that and her sister was never made to do anything. They would usually complain she didn't put enough mayonnaise on them, or that she put too much, or they wanted mustard instead. Didn't matter what they did those two always found a problem. Her dad, when he could join them, never complained. Just thanked her. She wished he had been more vocal about what they did but that was in the past. Nothing to change it now. Only thing to do was to find side of ham on the list and considering she had never worked in the kitchen before it was going to take a while. She didn't know their shelving system. At least it was cool in there, her face still burned from time to time.
"Well fuck..." Nikki muttered to herself as she opened the front door to her apartment. She knew it was still raining. She knew it would be raining for most of the day. Thing was, she had already changed once today and now she was about to go head first back into the rain and trudge across the camp to the hospital. At this rate she was going to end up going through half a dozen outfits today and then have to hear Auntie bitch about it. Granted she wouldn't turn in more clothes. She'd let them dry inside the apartment and rewear them. So it wasn't anymore work for Auntie, it just gave the woman something to bitch about. She was sure that Auntie liked to bitch. Like it fueled her some how the same way food fueled everyone else. Maybe she was a bitchpire. Draining from people as she bitched instead of biting their necks and drinking their blood. The tough made her chuckle.
The chuckle didn't last long as she finally stepped out of the apartment and locked it up. It was hot and humid and just down right sucked. Grumbling she ran full out towards the hospital. She hated running. She hated running even more in the rain. Still, she ran, figuring that if she hoofed it over there she would at least be back out of the rain and into the hospital faster. It did, but she was still soaked by the time she stepped inside. Her ponytail matted to the back of her neck and her shirt clinging to her. "I hate the fucking weather around here..." she groaned as she stood there and pulled her shirt forward slightly. It made a sucking sound as it released from her skin.
Sitting down by the towels she took one and pulled her shoes off, setting to them to the side with others. At least her socks where okay. They were wet but not soaking. Clumping up parts of her clothing in the towel she squeezed and did what she could to get dry. A shiver ran down her spine. It was cold. Perhaps not really cold but she had just come inside. It was hot and wet out there. The Air Conditioning was on in the hospital and it was dry. The quick change with the combination of wet clothes made her feel like she had taken a dip in an ice covered pond, like those fuckers in the polar bear club she had read about in one of those Highlight Magazines at her pediatricians office when she was younger.
Manny had gotten his jog in, had enjoyed the southern rains, and had gotten to see a bunch of the community without a harsh time table on his back. So far, good day. Now the rain was starting to get to him though, especially with the humidity. He figured now was a good time to call it quits for his jog before the weather made him hate being outside. He took a few steps and looked at the chapel and debated going in. Manny had poor memories involving local religious groups both growing up and once he had tried to settle down for his life. Though those days were over, and the people here seemed better then those he had the misfortune living near, it was still something that he found himself being slow to accept.
Finally working past those thoughts, he decided to enter hoping to see how things have changed since he used to go himself. The first thing he noticed when entering compared to the last time he was in one, was how quiet it was. There was no yelling, there was no cursing, there was no one being threatening. It was quiet shy of a couple conversations going on here and there. He grabbed one of the towels and dried himself off, returning it to let it dry off.
He caught the tail end of a conversation, but not enough to make out what it was. Not until the conversation shifted to a more familiar voice did Manny start understanding what was going on. He found Alexander and Freeman in conversation, and deciding not to interrupt he found himself a seat out of the way a bit giving Alexander and Freeman their own separate waves and sat down in a pew up front and held his hands together thinking something along the lines of "I have no idea what I am doing..." He found himself unsure if he was here because he was just curious, or if he felt the need to pray.
The basement door opened to Hunter's surprise and Izibell's excitement. Hunter stood up half expecting a pair of guards armed with shotguns ready to escort him towards wherever his trial would take place. Instead, it was Cage with a rather large mix of things in his hands. And... Was that Coffee? Hunter watched in silence as Cage set himself up. Then, Cage did the unexpected, unlocked the cell. Sure, it had happened when he walked Izibell, but not for long. And never seemed as.... Casual. Izibell took the chance to leave the cell the moment it came. Even if it wasn't much more room it was still more space she wasn't usually allowed in. Hunter took his steps a bit more cautiously as he stood out a bit, then sat in the offered chair. Hunter eyed the waxed paper with suspicion mostly out of habit then even suspicion of Cage himself. At this point in time Hunter held little reason to believe Cage to be a threat. At least physically. But Hunter in his untrusting ways continued carefully none the less. When he saw the treat inside he found himself confused for probably the hundredth time in the last two weeks. "I... uh..." He froze for a moment, trying to think to the last time he had found sweets like this. Best guess, the movie theater he raided just as winter started to kick off. Those questionably safe M&Ms were nowhere near as good condition as the twinkies before him. "Thank you...." He spoke unable to make eye contact with Cage as he said so. "But uh..." He stumbled for the question he wanted to ask here. It could be summed up simply as "Why? aren't I in trouble?" It seemed like a weird thing to get while in jail, and it made no sense to Hunter. But he would accept it none the less.
The coffee, the treat, even the newish environment had thrown Hunter off so much he was barely able to process what the purpose of this meeting was. The Trial. He thanked for the coffee too, and attempted to follow Cage along with what he was sharing with him. Cage did a pretty decent job explaining how this would go, Hunter had his own list of concerns but if it all worked like Cage was explaining he figured he had a chance at least. "You'd be surprised. Izibell is quite expressive when she wants to be." It was an attempt at some simple humor, but at this point Hunter's stress about the situation hid any tone that would have implied that. He did give the list a glance and had a sinking gut feeling. The bulk majority of the people in this list were people he had either 1) hadn't taken the time to get to know past maybe a name. And some not even that. 2) Had been an ass towards. 3) had pushed them away through his actions.
Hunter thinking the list over, realized most of the people would have less then great things to say about him, would have next to nothing to say about him other then brief, but most likely poor interactions, then there were the few exceptions. Nigel maybe, but he had pushed him off more then he meant too as well. Would Ashton be a help in his case or would his fuck ups in quarantine come back to bite him in the ass? Sure, their last interaction seemed to end on a more positive note. But what had to happen to get up to that point? Hunter mouthed a simple "fuck me" giving it only a little more breath then his normal breathing, but still not quite speaking. Cage got to the point involving Hunter's personal option in the trial. Hunter had to think about it for a while, there was apart of him that felt like if he didn't speak he'd be fucked, and there was apart of him that knew just how that had gone so far being here. "Do I have to decide now? or is that a... like... in the moment thing?" He realized after speaking it may not have even been a question. But as Cage put it, Hunter speaking up was a toss up more then anything else.
It took Amelia a little while to get back into the mood for creativity after everything that had happened, but over a week later and interaction with people in non constant survival situation, plus there was the whole having an actual home more or less, made her calmer and allowed her to feel more inline with her inner writer that hadnβt appeared in a very long time. She still felt odd about it though, finding herself double checking certain terms and words in her mind.
Now though, she was happily writing down a backstory and character sheet details. It was a nice bit of creative fiction to write, numbers to check and probabilities to calculate! She was somebody who rather enjoyed her math and the game presented a very curious case. It was a game of dice, dice affected by modifiers. As such it allowed for a great deal of customization if you knew what rules to use. She was NOT minmaxing⦠maybe she was picking a specific theme in mind and just going with it, but she intentionally kept some viable weaknesses!
Eventually Chase returned and gave a greeting.β Hey, Chase. No hurricane I hope?β She greeted the other woman in return, noting that she had a book and was reading and ask for just a quick confirmation on the results of the weather check. She was sure they'd announce it if anything serious was on the horizon, but didn't hurt to confirm. Weather aside, Chase had a curious choice of reading, Amelia wasnβt certain it would be her own choice for this time, but to everybody their own thing. She wasnβt going to judge, in fact she actually respected and like Chase well enough. Even the current silence that the two of them could be found in was much to Ameliaβs like. She herself was a shy book loving girl, so just having a company in silence while each was doing their own thing was perfectly fine for her. It was a perfectly fine way to spend a morning while waiting for the bloody trial to begin.
Lisaβs initial guess had turned true, much to her amusement. The place was certainly less busy than usual. Not that she was against it after all. A less busy hospital was a good thing as everybody could attest to. Still the rain outside gave a rather nice ambiance, seen out the windows. Made the task for paperwork rather relaxing, though said relaxation didnβt last long as she started reading the names and the medicines. The relaxation and enjoyment was quickly replaced by fatigue and sadness. Much so especially when she reached the mention of their youngest long term guest.
βI should bring her some coloring implements later. Must be boring to be in that room so much.β Lisa mumbled, turning her head to look out the window again. Poor Lucy, it was such a badβ¦ sick joke of the world. It seemed that even with the dead walking the streets, some cosmic powers that be didnβt forget to throw even this to children. After a moment of such thinking, Lisa berated herself silently. There was no point in blaming anyone or anything. She wasnβt really pious, so she just would do her job now and try to visit that room with a smile on her face. Lisa knew that she could at least try to make the girlβs stay more pleasant after all. Maybe she could rope in some of the better artists in the camp to draw in some new sketches for the kid to color later. After all today for the most part itβs a no work day. Sheβd have to talk with people at lunch.
Eventually in the midst of her planning and silent evaluating of the files as a whole, some mild commotion from the entrance pulled her attention. Somebody had arrived in the rain by the looks of it. After a quick check, it turned out it was Nikki.β Hey, what are you doing running around in the rain, not that Iβm complaining. Can use the company in a nice rainy day like this one.β She asked in amused manner, studying the girl.β Wana see if I can get you a labcoat or something to wear while you dry up? Donβt want you getting the sniffles because of the rain and the AC.β
While the intent to get a game of pool going was the first thing to cross his mind, it was just one possibility for him to see and be seen socially. For him to see Guy and Medic at a table playing poker was a welcome thing, pulling a warm smile from his face. Astute observers might have even caught a glimpse of ivory in his expression. Thinking back on it, Ash was surprised to see the two of them, both Newnan survivors, here in Mexico Beach. Ash hadn't spoken to them of his plans to come here. Not that he wouldn't have, he simply didn't have time to speak with anyone who wasn't already on scene when the plan was laid, and their radio quickly became useless thereafter. The plan was Zebulon, GA and decide what to do from that point. This plan never came to fruition, making their presence here near miraculous to Ash.
Taking an element of sarcasm to the front of his thoughts, he responded to the back-and-forth between Guy and Medic with faux consideration, "Shit hands, huh? How am I supposed to pass that up?" Ash gave a single, rare chuckle, and took took the seat vacated by Medic. There was a brief interruption to his intended conversation openers with his fellow poker players as another entered after him - the Gonzalez lady who wasn't a Gonzalez, or something like that, followed by the Romanesque fellow that came in at the same time as his group did. "Morning," he responded, his words (or word, as the case was) a little more terse, more Ash-like than his mannerisms with the men who up until very recently were playing cards. It wasn't birthed of intended discourtesy so much as a lack of familiarity with the man, causing a less relaxed, more disciplined version of himself to manifest. "Yes sir," he began, answering the assumption that he was killing time until the Court Martial. This application of sir, by his tone, was not one given to a superior officer more than it was simply the polite intonation of a Virginia boy addressing someone he didn't know very well in a respectful manner. "Getting my head right before we address the Court." Because poker would do that? Probably not. But doing something away from the lady that captivated his thoughts (much as he wasn't as big a fan of that part), reconnecting with old friends, engaging in an activity that had nothing to do with work or survival for a little while? That made more sense.
Ash turned back to the table, his attitude softening back just a bit. Speaking to Guy, "It's Goliath now? Not bad. My luck, they're going to saddle me with something awful." Callsigns, or the process of acquiring them here, was beyond him. Thinking back to some of the things he was called back in the Army or, God forbid, more recently in Newnan, he shuddered internally. There was a lot to work with. But cards! Playing a few hands was a good way to put his mind in the present and not worry about peripheral distractions, such as the metal-armed lady also in the room with them who was being addressed by both Nigel and Volts. Popular girl, despite what appeared to be her best efforts otherwise.
Before getting to either of the persons speaking to her, Thalia gave a long look at the side of Ash's head while he had his own pieces of discourse with those in the Quarantine building. She wasn't sure yet whether she was going to like or despise the man. She let out a sigh and focused her attention elsewhere. At first, it was Nigel who spoke to her, and she gave his request some favorable consideration. Not having been allowed near training weapons outside of her "D Roster" exercises, that might make things a little difficult for getting a good practice duel in. There were other ways of passing the time with similar pursuits. Piercing hazel eyes locked with Nigel's as Thalia involuntarily flexed her left hand from fully extended to a hard fist and back a couple of times, giving him a look that was equal parts predatory and glee. Her eyes sparkled with the growing excitement of impending (if tamed) violence. It was such that she had quite forgotten the unpleasant effect of air conditioning on rain-spattered clothes.
"Yah, okay..." she started, nodding slowly. The buttons of her shirt parted as she slipped her thumb behind them, freeing the hem to be tied into what appeared to be a sports bra with rolled up long sleeves. It might have been a hell of a process for a one armed lady, but she had become quite adept at clutching the hem of the opposing side of her shirt with her metal hand and using her left to form a simple knot. Much as a swordsman might slide only one sleeve of a coat off and cinch up the midsection in preparation of a duel, Thalia was obviously doing this for similar purpose and not as a demonstration of promiscuity. "Pool cues? Or yah want to fistfight in the pouring rain?" That last option seemed to appeal to her more, bringing a little grin to her face.
Thalia's grin slipped to annoyance when Volts offered to show her the gymnasium. Yes, that was the reason she came here. And damnit, it felt like the worst time to advance her goal for the day. Giving a quiet, growling sigh, she turned to Volts and snapped to direct certainty of attitude. "Ahsome. Lead the way." She stepped to one side, as to allow Volts unfettered access to the building's egress, but looked to Nigel once more. "Rain check, Praetorian. We'ah doing this." Just not now. She had a chain of clues to track down.
