[IC] 🧚🏻‍♀️ The Walking Dead - Year 6 Part 1

[ONL]

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

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A strange day it indeed was, certainly a very difficult day for many of those gathered in the Auditorium. Alexander's senses caught the aftershock of Thalia's quacking incident quite late, seemingly being the last one to register that she had in fact made quite the ruckus in the periphery when Manny whispered something under his breath. The old veteran could barely hear what he had mumbled, nodding ever so slightly, slowly his head to his dentist buddy, as if to tell him "You're right about that." What a way to prelude today's big event. The trial.

Shuffling into a more comfortable position in the seat, he needed to find a good way of sitting with his prostethic leg unable to bend properly. Thankfully his efforts were a whole less noisy than Thalia's. He was growing impatient sitting in that large room surrounded by people, even though he was not the one being trialed that day. More than anything, it was the heavy atmosphere that made Alexander anxious, though Manny's presence by his side did help him to remain calm. That, and the realisation that his name WOULD be called out that day in front of the gathered crowd, ordered to step forth and answer whatever questions that'd as him. How should he answer, or even address the judge? And most importantly, what would be Hunter's fate be…

Suddenly Alexander became extremely aware of how the proceedings were just starting, his eyes locking onto the stage up front with the General standing up to speak. Aeron. Alexander had barely tought about his role in all of this, but it made sense. It also calmed his nerves, lowering his shoulders as today's events were explained. Methodical, in order and involving all parties associated with the troubled young soldier, well except for Wayne's piss-question, to which Alexander also had to hold his tongue. Yes, it was duly improper to ask such a ludicrous question in such a serious situation, and yet he couldn't help but imagine the same question being asked back in Boot Camp back in his youth before they were sent out for training. Alexander held his laughter back, his more serious tone taking hold of him as he waited for thing to continue. He had no questions to ask them, certainly not proper to ask then and there.

He was just glad he wasn't the one being court martialed that day.

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Nigel Cooper Location: Auditorium (M) Skills: N/A

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Even more people entered the Auditorium and began to take their seats after Nigel had sat down beside Ash, filling up the room and balcony above quite nicely. Nothing like the Flavian Amphitheatre - Yes, it's not called the Colosseum, get over it! - though the shear amount of people attending meant that these people were taking the Law serious inside those protective walls. All the better to the neo-Roman teacher, looking with favour upon the legacy of Roman law used in modern society. Well, what so far had survived the end of the world at least. And from how Volts explained today's proceedings to Nigel, he summarised that the trial would be conducted as professionally as possible. To that he nodded understandingly, breathing in deeply and awaiting the coming trial patiently.

To Ash's bodily response to the curious incident with the Hank just moments ago, Nigel too nodded in understanding to the mixed shrug-shake. He didn't need the usage of words to understand what Ash meant by it. Either way, Nigel thought he understood what the answer had been, and he couldn't agree more. When it came to Hank (and subsequently Wayne when the pair were together), ignorance was sometimes truly bliss compared to actually knowing what went on inside their minds. Nigel could only imagine what Siren madness drove both of them forward, and preferred to keep his assumptions just that. Nigel nodded back to Ash, sitting down and finding a comfortable position in the chair, and awaited the trial to begin.

While the offender himself was nowhere to be seen, the leader of the court stood up and explained how the trial would be conducted. It was none other than the General who informed the new-comers of how justice was done in CMB, to which Nigel payed close attention. When in Rome, do as Romans, as the saying went. He himself was seated down at the main section of seats, meaning he would be called forth to answer questions regardless of his wishes. What would he be asked about? Nigel had been with Hunter on several occasions, personally witnessing his less-than-fortunate interactions throughout their first week in the settlement, so he presumed they would ask about his assessment on Hunter's mental state. And to be honest, Nigel was unsure of what he thought on the matter. A troubled soul indeed, but a fool as well who did not take advice when given. It was one thing to be a fool once, but to not learn from one's mistakes? That was the folly of any man.

[Shoe Thief]

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

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And so it begins. The rules of the trial were set out before the crowd. Many here had an idea how they worked, others like himself, Alexander, and the rest of the newcomers were informed in detail for the first time. The rules seemed rather clean cut and simple. Manny still held his own concern for how things would run, but kept that reserved as he could trying to give the situation the benefit of the doubt. But every system that claimed to be the most fair, held it's own flaws. There was never a one solution for all problems, and every system no matter the case could be abused in some way shape or form. Manny had a couple trials where he could see the trail be blatantly abused in favor towards one side or another, but technically was 'Fair'. Though he had been apart of several true and proper trials, mostly for minor things growing up. He still had seen the system abused enough that experiencing a court system based off one he had never been apart of before made him uneasy, and despite it being explained, he still felt worried. But the community had been present for a while, and had experience with a functional court system based on a pre collapse one. So there was some reassurance in that regard.

He noticed Alexander shifting a couple times to get comfortable as things set into motion. When the crowd was asked if there was any questions, Wayne had spoken up about the restroom. At the response to his question, Manny half debated going up and using it now, but decided he'd be fine. Then, there were offers for more questions. Manny adjusted, almost standing up himself to ask a question about appeals, retrials. More specifically, the why. Why no appeals? Why when despite everything courts were a lot less likely to be accurate nowadays compared to before the collapse, and even then appeals and in some cases retrials were allowed due to the fact that there were still cases that messed up somewhere along the lines. He stopped himself though. Right as his ass left the seat, but not quite standing. His hands supporting his weight on his legs as he attempted to stand, but sat down again, the question snuffed out by the realization that had hit him.

Before the collapse, the resources and manpower existed to allow for correction of that margin of error. Now, less so. Back in those days, desperation and fear was under control enough that there was time and less risk to try and look at a case again. Now all of those factors were reversed. Before, it was better to let an guilty person go then it was to put an innocent person get punished. Now, the times had changed. Manny's group had been that way years ago when dealing with those who had likely stolen food or other supplies, they needed to take the safer bet no matter what when things were unsure. Now, the world they lived in didn't allow that margin of error, it was better if an innocent person faced the punishment, then risk a guilty person going on the loose again endangering others around them. There was no room for that risk anymore in the post collapse. So Manny sat down unable to make eye contact when that thought had entered his mind. He held his hands together with his fingers weaved together with the understanding that no matter how much better things got, things would never truly be like the old days. They could mimic it all they wanted, but no matter what was done, things would never return to the way they were. And so it Began.

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Hunter Monroe Location: CMB Streets --> Education Center (Back Stage) Skills:N/A

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The conversation had some up moments, and some down moments. Hunter did pause and think about Roy's comment about Hunter being able to take on Cage, and he shrugged and figured the man had a good point. There had been situations in the past where he had been proven wrong about this sort of thing in the past. "Point Taken." The ride continued, other comments were made. Some Hunter processed with some doubt, but he listened none the less. The coffee comment was responded to rather vaguely, but considering where he was going he more or less got the idea why. Hunter wouldn't remark to the lie detector responses. When he got to the reply to his more serious question, Hunter sighed, unsure what to think. "You wanted Honesty no? You want me to say that it hasn't crossed my mind a couple times? Or that there is still that little voice in the back of my head that is trying to tell me to get as far away from here as possible?" He felt stumped. Sure, he knew it wasn't the best thing to ask. But with how things had turned out, he still worried that the trial might end with an execution if things got out of hand. And the idea of getting out of the walls before that could happen was an idea that would stick in his mind until he knew for sure he wasn't at real risk. Mostly, he wanted to know if things had gotten so bad here that those in charge would decide if it was worth the resources to go after him once he got out. Roy responded with the answer he more or less expected. "Good to know." He responded as if learning a new bit of interesting information.

He took a deep breath, held it for a moment, then let it go thinking more on his situation. When they arrived at the Education center, Hunter stepped out and that voice went off in his head again. Realistically, a lot of the key people were inside there right now. Maybe even security. If there was a time to make a run for it, now would be it while it would take a moment to rally those inside to stop him. Sure, there would be guards not present, hell, he wasn't even sure if there were more then just those he could see now and those on the roster from earlier in there. But once inside, that chance was gone. Despite that little voice, he stepped in with only mild hesitation. Hunter had never been to any courts before, most of his knowledge came from TV and a couple games and he had trouble following in those moments too. Now? He was a defendant. He didn't acknowledge Cage when he mentioned going strait to the court other then a blank expression avoiding eye contact, and a simple. "uhuh."

Hunter snapped back into focus at the mention of a mirror. Though he didn't catch it at first, he got the idea when the statement was finished. He looked at Joaquin and eyed him a bit. "Hate to say it dude, you're in for a rather boring shift if that's your job. Despite all the fuck ups so far, that one isn't on the list." Though Hunter had a short verbal patience, and had a tendency to lash out, he had been mostly non violent since he had arrived. The two closest incidents being the about to smash a coffee cup for a makeshift weapon, and in his drunken rage getting ready to confront Bass. Though the latter was still fuzzy in his mind. "Though, if it does go there, hope your aim's good." He meant it as a joke to try and calm his own nerves, though he had little reason to think anyone else here would find it as amusing as he did. At the thought of dying, who wouldn't prefer a quick and clean death? Over some fucked up way to die, like being eaten by walking corpses. He had no plans to cause any harm though, so hopefully it wouldn't come to either in the near future.

[Lady Absinthia]

☠ 𝚃𝚆𝙳: 𝚈𝚎𝚊𝚛 𝟻 𝙿𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝟺 ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Location: Camp Mexico Beach 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 have begun, it is going to be interesting to see where this goes. Now, for the next couple of rounds let's try something. If you are dealing with any NPC's that you control or shelved characters - don't need to post for them until they are directly addressed, just be on the look out for that below. I am only going to be posting for characters that are actively speaking or reacting with something noteworthy. Trying to stream line this. Remember, the minimal required to post is only two paragraphs. So unless you are wanting something noted specifically you do not need to go into great detail of reflection. You of course can if you wish, especially if you are wanting to lay down the ground work for skills you may want to bump next round or add to your characters list.

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Mess Hall (C): Guy smiled and listened to Lisa as she spoke. When she mentioned no walkers at sea he had to stop moving his fork. One could see that he was struggling to swallow his last bite before actually responding to it. "UM, yeah, it's nice and naw, they can swim but..." Guy paused for a moment before letting out a long breath. "The ones that get built up with gas are floating about. Can be a bit of a surprise... They're kind of like jelly fish out there. Sometimes they're bobbing below the surface and ya don't know it. I wouldn't do swimming without a check that's fer sure..."

"Hell, I ain't surprised. Ya always coming up with new idea to trap walkers I hear, like that old game I used to play as s kid, what was that, oh yeah, mouse trap. Takes some smarts and out the box thinkin' I'd say. Mary probably saw that too, figured ya be good at problem solvin' and well gotta think outside the box to figure out how to make them pills these day," he said with surety.

Then she mentioned going to beach and one could see color coming to his face. Guy was just a good'ol boy from Virginia. A little more behind in the times than most were, especially when it came to things like asking someone out. Not that this was a date, no but it was usually the guy, or in this case Guy specifically, that did that. Yet that didn't stop him from answering. "Oh hell yeah, I'd love to!" he said with a lot more enthusiasm than he'd intended. He could have back peddled and such, tried to say it again in a more calm fashion but it was already out there, so he just went with it. He was a bit embarrassed though, his cheeks warming a little more and when he smiled his dimples showed. "Love to get to know more 'bout ya, ya know, anythang yer willin' to share that is."

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The Court Martial Of Hunter Monroe Location: Education Center: Auditorium (M) Charges: Food Waste - 7.22.2012 | Drunken Disorderly - 7.22.2012 Failure To Report To Duty At Designated Time - 7.23.2012 | 10-886 Absence Without Leave - 7.23.2012 Failure To Administer Animal Sanitation - 7.23.2012 | Gross Insubordination - 7.23.2012

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Cage rubbed his temples. "Kid, we always figure when someone gets to this point they're thinkin' about making a break for it. There's a difference between honesty and digging your own grave..." he said before letting out a long breath. "Just don't go trying to get yourself killed, I mean unless that's what you want..." Cage didn't know what to do with Hunter. He had sat and had a long talk with Maddog. He understood why the guy did what he did but he was wondering at this point if it was even possible. Didn't matter right now, they were at the door and it was time to get the show started.

Joaquin looked at Hunter. There was a coldness to his dark eyes and as Hunter spoke, a sinister curl cam to the corner of his mouth. Cage found himself crossing his arms over his chest and then just resting his head in the palm of one of his hands. Roy looked at Joaquin and just as the man looked to about to turn into Tybalt right then and there, he laid a hand on Joaquins chest before addressing Hunter. "He is a good enough shot," Roy said. Cage coughed slightly. Joaquin just watched hunter. "Come on, let's move before you say anything else..." Roy said turning and leading the way, Cage took point in front of Hunter, Joaquin slipped behind him. They were moving to the auditorium. "Eta, 20 seconds," Joaquin radioed in.

Inside it seemed like no one else had any other smart ass remarked to say so the Professor took a seat. The radio in front of Rolodex crackled. it was turned low so only she could hear it. Looking over towards the council she nodded. It was time. A few moments later the doors opened. Roy entered first, Cage followed and he held the door open for Hunter and Joaquin. Heading up to the stage, Roy handed over the clipboard. "Monroe, Hunter - presented for Court Martial," he said as the General took it from him. After which Roy had a seat with the council.

Cage let the door shut once Hunter and Joaquin were in the room. Cage took point and lead Hunter up to onto the stage. "Just breath kid and stay calm," Cage sage as he pointed to a place in front of the council. Joaquin took place behind him and kept his eyes on Hunter and Hunter alone.

Aeron stood up and looked at the kid. Not with harshness, just with calm even understanding. "Son, you are here under the following charges. Food Waste, Drunken Disorderly, Failure To Report To Duty At Designated Time, Absence Without Leave, Failure To Administer Animal Sanitation, and Gross Insubordination. We will review the merits of each charge in a little while it is my job to inform you that you have a right to a fair trial and will be able to speak on your behalf when the time comes, as well as call any witnesses you wish, again when the time comes. At the end of this, all information and testimonies will be reviewed and a decision will be made in the best interest in the camp."

The General paused and looked at the other council members. They each gave a nod before Aeron looked back at Hunter. "We have never had a Court Martial for someone that was still on their 30 probation before. What we have encountered in the past is either you do not pass through Quarantine or it takes some months or years to get to this point. You are an anomaly. Being as such, the council as decided to give you an option before we begin. We will give you a choice. Proceed with the Court Martial, whatever the results are you would adhere to just as if it were any other court marital. Or... If you feel you cannot make a home here you may leave from the Camp right now, no trial. You would be taken, alone, far away from here and dropped off with one weeks worth of food supplies and no more weapons or ammunition than was one your original person when you entered with the understanding if any of our camp sees you again you will be shot onsight no questions asked. The choice is yours son. Shall we proceed or do you wish to leave now?"

[rivaan]

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Amelia Payne Location:Education Center(M)(L6) Skills: N/A

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It didn’t take long for Hunter to be brought. Amelia found herself a bit nervous as she squeezed her love’s hand, but otherwise kept a straight face and looked at the proceedings. The charges were laid bare and Amelia found herself swallowing in confusion, nerves and something else that she couldn’t put a hold on. Well now she was even more confused as of how all of THOSE happened in what… like one day? Half a day? Some of those were rather obvious, but still. Her opinion on him was negative to begin with, but that was mostly because of the dog… and the fact that she just didn’t mesh well with his way of acting so far. Still now she was mostly confused and slowly growing curious how it would turn out.

She listened as they proceeded to talk and explain things to hunter and suddenly bit the inside of her lip. This was a very crucial point made. A chance to just leave if he so wanted. Hell to be provided with gear too! If it was true, well this would indeed mean they were truthful about how they ran this place. Of course Amelia so far had seen many a proof that this indeed was a very good camp. A nice community to live and survive in, but for somebody with her mild paranoia, the more times proofs presented themselves, the better. All in all, she’d be fine with most punishments or results of this trial as long as Hunter wasn’t killed. She probably wasn’t one who had the right to express opinions because she had tried to kill people who endanger her survival in the past. A certain cabbage came to mind and she was still miffed she had missed that hit, now that she thought about it. Hunter hadn’t proven himself to be as much a danger to herself and Riley yet. So she was willing to be lenient in her mind.

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Lisa Mason Location: Mess Hall (M5) Skills: N/a

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Lisa’s eyebrow practically did a perfect ‘are you serious’ raised curve at Guy, when he explained about the floating zombies in the water. She kept the incredulous expression for a good 10 seconds.” Welp… now I’ve heard almost everything.” She stated with a sigh.” I mean… it’s sort of to be expected, but what would walkers be doing that far deep in open waters? This is just ridiculous at this point. Hopefully water will erode them eventually and they’d sink down… then again...” She grumbled, resuming her meal. Though the possibility that walkers were adapting and that they won’t just get completely decayed by the water with time, didn’t escape her mind. After all… under normal situations all the walkers should be barely held together by now from the decay. If land walkers weren’t ‘dying’ how they should be, what stopped them from surviving the same in the ocean.

“Yep that’s the one.” She nodded when the name ‘Mouse Trap’ was called.” Can’t say for certain, one day she just told me that I’m being moved. I still help with the cleaning when I have to, but at the lab it’s actually rather fun. Back on the traps topic though, currently working on this little idea to propose the bigwigs. Thinking of a competition for such contraptions, maybe for the kiddos. It will be a nice distraction for everybody and will get the kids interested in mechanics, physics and engineering. When I finish the sales pitch papers, I’m going to propose it.” She told him her own little idea she had and was working on.” I get my fun from seeing what the innocent children could cook up with their unhindered thinking and some departments might get potential new recruits in the future.”

She smiled at his enthusiasm about the suggestion for a walk out in town eventually. Yeah, it was amusing, seeing him like this. She appreciated this honest way of acting.” Well, we will have to wait and see then. Guess I wouldn’t mind talking about myself if you are willing to listen.” Lisa confirmed with a smile and looked at him in the eyes.” It’s set then! I suppose today the weather’s too appropriate for a walk around town, so what do you say maybe tomorrow if it let’s up? If not, well we can always grab an umbrella or two first.”

[Shoe Thief]

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Hunter Monroe Location: Education Center (Back Stage) --> Auditorium (Front and Center) Skills:N/A

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Hunter held a strained look on his face as Cage talked. A look that was a mix of confusion, frustration, and trying to keep it together. "I don't know that difference. And every attempt I have made to figure it out has only escalated things." He felt lost again, he tried to be open when things should be implied, he kept some information to himself when he thought he should, though the latter he still struggled with in both regards, and he felt it was a losing battle either way. What didn't help things was Joaquin's reaction to Hunter's comment. His guess, he struck a nerve with the man who was going to be watching his every move. The fact he gave, he wondered if that was what people saw in himself when his mind went off to rather dark places. If so, the some of the comments made towards him the last week were starting to make more sense. Roy intervened and got them moving.

Then they had arrived. Though Hunter was still having trouble grasping the idea of when and when not to speak while things were implied, Cage spoke up and reminded him to breath, and stay calm. The reminder helped as when he entered he started to feel overwhelmed. He found himself on a stage with a rather large audience made up of more people then he had seen in a single place since... He wasn't sure thinking about it. The last raised platform he was on, he couldn't recall if there was this many people, but he was the center of attention then and he remembered how that ended. Serving his punishment for his involvement with Don and his group of thugs. It was hard to not compare that event to now.

Hunter looked around the auditorium trying to take it in little by little to try and avoid the overwhelming feeling. Fist, he noticed some people were easier to pick out then others. A couple of the girls who had been removed due to bug infestations with him were easy to spot. Amelia, and Riley. Then, there was a lot of the old people. Some long time members, others who had come in with Hunter a couple weeks ago. Including one who had insulted his mother that he had been forced to bunk with for a few days. He spotted Ashton, the Captain that reminded him of his former commanding officer in the best ways. Surprisingly, he didn't notice the girl who he had hung out with after they left quarantine, who seemed to know everyone. There were ones easier to spot too, ones who had given him a real chance to become a functional person again and he blew it. Nigel, and Nikki. Both of whom had given him a chance, and had each given him another one after he fucked it up. He found it harder to look at them.

He snapped back to attention when one of the oldest addressed him. Hunter hadn't meant this person before, but between his rather old age compared to the other old people, and the way that he seemed to control the room around him, he wondered if this was the "General" he had heard so much about. The same one who had wanted him executed a little over a week ago. Looking at him now, it was hard to believe they could be the same person. He wondered if the man had a genuine change of heart or had a really good poker face. He then looked at the other people and wondered if one of them were the General, and the man before him was just head of internal affairs, or laws, or maybe human resources. He listed the charges to him, and though he felt a couple were redundant, another misleading, they were minor compared to the ones that he could more or less confirm. The last one, probably what would be the noose around his neck, he had definitely done.

The next part stunned Hunter, and made a lot of his thoughts over the last few hours redundant at best. They offered to let him leave, with food, his weapons, and the ammo he walked in with. For a single person in a rather passive combat zone, a lot. The shot on sight part did draw him, but they were offering him a chance to leave, and if he did take it, he had no plans of being anywhere near this place afterwards. But he listened to how the man worded it. "I...uh..." He struggled on focus, the crowd and mass attention still a bit overwhelming even after taking a moment to take it in little by little. "I um..." Alone. That was the word that the man before him used. He eyed Maddoc, as just over a week ago the man had emphasized that too. He then looked back at the man leading the session. If given the chance to leave with Izibell, he would take it and go back North. Far away where no one here could ever find him again. He knew the Northern states better then here, and even parts of Canada. But he wouldn't be leaving with Izibell. She was, still his biggest priority. "no thank you." He struggled to speak up, but his annunciation was sharp enough for those closest to hear his words. He cleared his throat to speak up again. "Let's uh... continue please/" It was louder this time, a little more audible and easier for others to understand.

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

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The trial had begun. To say he found himself concerned was an understatement. He watched as Hunter stepped onto the stage not dressed in his camouflage fatigues he had worn during the beach party, or having that look as if he was preparing to face off against everyone in the room either one at a time or all at once. He looked so, young. He remembered as the boy scrubbed the grime off mentioning being in the National Guard, but that was about 6 years past now. He seemed too young to have been in any armed outfit by the time of the outbreak. It reminded him of stories he heard about the British army in the earliest part of the first world war, where 13 year olds joined the army and recruiters looked the other way to keep their numbers up. And it wasn't until those same 13 year olds saw the horrors of what was one of the most horrible war fronts in history were those young boys able to be sent home. He wondered if the boy in front of him on stage was a case like that, lied about his age, or found an exception to get in before he would otherwise legally old enough. He wondered if that was even a thing at the time of the outbreak. He hoped not, to the best of his information the militaries of the world had come a long way since the era of sending bodies into the enemy until they ran out of ammo. Or maybe he looked younger then he actually was. Another thing Manny had noticed while in quarantine with the boy, was how under weight he was. Though it wasn't as bad as other cases he had seen since the world ended, he still seemed too light for a boy his age. Even if he had lied about his age.

The boy looked around with wide eyes like a deer in headlights, with the only difference being he seemed to be looking at many of them all at once trying to understand the scope of his situation. The charges were listed, and an offer was made to him that Manny was almost certain he would take. A chance to leave, with the gear he came in with, and food to get himself started. Seemed fair enough, and it seemed Hunter was at least partially aware of the friction between him and those in charge. But he refuse Manny couldn't hear what he said at first, but after he cleared up he got the basics. He had refused? But why? Was it desperation? Fear of what was outside the walls? Someone outside the walls? Or maybe he had formed some kind of attachment towards someone inside the walls, and wanted to stick it out for them? He wasn't sure as he had spent nearly no personal time with the young boy other then watching him lose it in quarantine, the group shower talks, the young boy's drunken rants at the beach, and maybe the quick passing conversation here and there while in quarantine. So it seemed the trial would proceed as planned despite the offer.

[Sigil]

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

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It finally looked like the Court Martial was about to begin in earnest. There was a contrast to this trial and other military tribunals of its ilk, that being a decided presence of calmness, even compassion on the part of the General when dealing with Hunter. To Ash's experience, these matters were typically handled with a level of stoic detachment, an amount of dispassion necessary for all concerned to focus on what could be stated and proven conclusively during the proceedings, no more and no less. Not even witnesses of character spoke with much in the way of inflection designed to sway opinion. But sure enough, this guy was being handled in a way that reminded Ash of an interview, not a Court Martial.

It was a hell of a list of charges nonetheless. Drunk and Disorderly Conduct, in a setting more than five years ago, might be a career ender depending upon what transpired during. Six months in a stockade and pay forfeiture as a maximum didn't seem so bad at first but having this on your record destroyed any chance at promotion unless you could somehow mitigate it with a Bronze Star or better immediately following, which was perhaps why so many soldiers who weren't already in a forward position would request this after time spent in lockup. But the other charges stacked together like this? Yes, Hunter screwed up big. Of this there was no doubt. Had he not military experience himself and knowledge that he was entering an area controlled by military remnants, Ash might have called for some sort of leniency, even clemency based on the idea that Hunter didn't know what was expected of him. Not that his words bore the same kind of authority they once did. In a proceeding such as this, many voices might be heard nonetheless. It was a moot point overall; Hunter did have military experience, he did know what he was walking into, and he was given an opportunity to leave as soon as Quarantine was over. This was a path that he set himself upon.

Ash was curious, then, to see that Hunter had opted to remain when given the chance to leave without further incident, with supplies enough to give him a head start. Was he going to take his lumps and see this through, or was there a factor that Ash has not considered? He refused to allow himself to pass a judgement right at this moment, having keen interest in how this proceeding would go now that it was decided that all parties were intent on staying put. With the demeanor of a professional soldier, Ash sat straight in his chair and cast his eyes forward, awaiting the next phase of the tribunal.

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Thalia Carmichael Location: Education Center (M) Skills:

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It was hard to remove the woman that Thalia used to be from her completely. The last few years had changed her irrevocably, this was for certain. Yet despite this change, the moment that Hunter and those guarding him entered the room she felt her legs tensing, feet sliding beneath her to carry her weight upward. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that that Joaquin was with the group, taking the rear guard position with what was most certainly his "work face" activated. Her senses quickly tuned to the surroundings, this time regarding other details about the room than those specifically for personal survival. She swiftly scanned the exits again, this time to determine which would be the most likely means of egress if Hunter tried to make a break for it. Likewise, the readiness of the guards for response if called upon, which she figured was adequate. But more than that, Thalia gave fast acumen to what she might do in Hunter's position, if she was certain that it was going to go badly for her.

For starters, she sure as hell wouldn't have allowed herself to be led into a building. Enclosed walls limited survival options in this circumstance. But if it couldn't be helped, and she was unarmed, the first thing she might do would be to look for an improvised weapon. Something sharp would do if she couldn't get her hands (hand) on a pistol. In her state a revolver would have been preferable so that she might take a hostage with her blunt arm and quickly operate the weapon, but seeing as the accused had two working hands at his disposal a semiautomatic would suffice well enough. And from the look of the distance to the nearest exits, a hostage would be necessary. Not someone who was in a good position to defend themselves. Sadly, Aeron was the best target for this, if only he could be gotten to before others pounced. He would be able to recognize his situation, not freak out, and attempt to deescalate rather than directly attack. Well, she thought, anyway. Calculated risk.

Her thoughts might have gone farther, hypothetically delving into full escape plans from the community altogether, but actually attempting this was not her goal. Like a break-in artist hired to penetrate a secure facility to troubleshoot their defenses, this entire, four-second assessment was to establish what options that Hunter had were he to try an escape and subvert them before he could accomplish anything. It was her initial career training reasserting itself, coupled by the fact that another member of La Familia was in the mix here. A kneejerk reaction made her want to be involved. In fact, Thalia only came to her senses and stopped herself when she realized that she had raised slightly out of her seat. Between that and the scrutiny she had just given to key points of the environment, she hoped no one was paying too close of attention to her. Moving to join the security detail would have been extremely foolish.

The list of charges, protocol involved, and everything following seemed simple enough. Streamlined from what she was accustomed, again, and with a more personal touch from the man in charge. Thalia calmed herself and as before, merely tried to absorb the proceedings as they continued. She was sure that the detail here had everything under control and the kid seemed to be responding with calm enough deference. She took in a breath, let it out slowly, and settled back fully into her chair that thankfully did not give away their position again.

[ONL]

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

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The young Hunter was indeed a sorry sight to behold to the old veteran, with his thin frame and unfocused, almost confused look on his face as he was taken into the Auditorium. To Alexander, it seemed like the young boy didn't stand much of a chance at today's proceedings, though he didn't have anything to back up that except for bad memories he himself carried. As the charges were read aloud, Alexander eyed Aeron intensely for some reason, as if it was him who those charges were aimed at. "Keep yourself together, Al, hold it!" He demanded of himself mentally, his calm composure forced upon him as his found their way under his bum, as if their freedom would doom him for an eternity.

Perhaps they would.

Alexander's eyes finally broke free from their stare at his former top brass upon hearing the council's offer; leave and don't look back. It was an surprising offer for sure, one Alexander hadn't thought a military society would have given to the young Hunter. Then again, his worn out eyes did not forget who he'd looked at for a long moment. Aeron, the General, the Dragon had always been a good man like that. Would it prove kind enough that day? Alexander relaxed his tensed-up arms and he shuffled back into a comfortable position in the chair, still captivated by the scene unfolding.

Hunter decided to continue, to push through and keep the trial going, foregoing his chance of freedom. Alexander gave Manny a brief look, his face silently asking him for his opinion. On what? Alexander did not know. He simply wondered what the hell was going on inside of Hunter's head at that moment, while being frighteningly aware of whatever shit was storming inside of the kid. Was there hope, defiance or…nothing at all?

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Nigel Cooper Location: Auditorium (M) Skills: N/A

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To Nigel the judicial proceedings were taking place as well as one might have expected, all things considered. The world as they knew it had ended, effectively laying an ever-lasting siege upon their fortified settlement, and yet civilisation continued to run its due course. Man lived, and Man followed the rule of law. It just so happened that those enforcing the law were military men, not those of the politican or civilian nature. Like Nigel had thought to himself many a times since he joined the Camp, "When in Rome, do as Romans do."

If only the young Hunter had followed that proverb, perhaps this very trial had not been neccecary.

The neo-Roman noted the way Hunter looked out onto the audience attending the trial, like onlookers watching intently on the gladiators fighting for their enjoyment and the glory of Rome down in the arena. Something stuck out to him however, as Nigel's eyes met his. Their look was briefer, though it was only a gut-feeling of his. Why? Nigel couldn't help but think of what time he'd spent with Hunter, more specifically when he'd have to take care of the drunk fool of a soldier. Wine could make a fool out of any man, no matter his merits or honour, but Nigel had yet to meet anyone who's fate was so precurious as Hunter's was at that moment. He didn't feel guilty for the young boy's conduct, not at all. He'd done what he could, but he did feel sorry for him as the charges were read up. From minor faults to the greater misconducts of disobedience, Nigel started to place his money on the chariot which ran for freedom. No further consequences, only a new fresh trail ahead of him…

Which made his mouth open in disbelief once Hunter declined the offer for safe passage out of the Camp. Nigel looked briefly at Ash for answers, then to Thalia in his periphery, and finally back on the defiant Hunter up front. This Greek tragedy was taking an unexpected turn. Would it remain a tragedy, or would fortunes favour the misguided warrior and grant him a comedy?

[Lady Absinthia]

☠ 𝚃𝚆𝙳: 𝚈𝚎𝚊𝚛 𝟻 𝙿𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝟺 ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Location: Camp Mexico Beach 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: As going through testimony is going to take time please feel free to combine multiple characters into one post. You will only be required to do a minimal of 2 well developed paragraphs even if you combine. This should make it easier to post. Only thing I ask beyond that is if your character is active (being questioned, ect.) to give me a bit more to work it.

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Mess Hall (C): Guy chuckled a little bit. "Yeah, it was a bit surprisin'," he admitted. "I mean I've run into water logged ones in the past, rivers and lakes but nuthin' like this. Could have used one of yer traps out there I think," he said with a shy smile as he continued to eat slowly between breaks in the conversation. "I'm not sure what they're doin' out there. Doubt they know either," he laughed. "Thinkin' they followed somethin' out in the water, then the noise they made splashing just got more to follow. Like any hoard. Once they were out there no control over where they went and just ended up floatin' with the tide," he guessed. He really had no idea but it made sense enough.

"Hey that's a good idea. Get the kids interested in buildin' thangs," Guy added to her idea. "Might wanna talk to what's their names, um over in mechanics... Volts and Tesla? Ain't they always buildin' somethan?" he asked. He had been in the camp a decent enough time but still there were a lot more people in Mexico Beach when compared to Newnan and he was out a lot recently. It was hard to keep up. "Oh um, ya know Bos..." he stopped himself. "I mean, Ash, one of the new guys. He was in the army, one of them engineers. Maybe he got some ideas," he suggested.

Taking a a drink from his glass, he set it down. It was nice to just sit and be able to talk to someone. Medic wasn't exactly known for being a conversationalist. The man knew things but he rarely shared. Guy would try talking but he would mostly be talking to himself and getting a head nod or a shrug from time to time. It got to be rather boring. There was a small blush that came to his cheeks. "Yeah, it's a date," he said before his eyes widened. "I mean, it sounds good. Not like a date date, like an appointment. Ugh... Not an appointment, a... a.. I got nuthin'," he stammered. "I um... well... yeah... tomorrow..." He was stumbling over himself and he knew it. Standing up he grabbed his tray. "Um, see ya later, tomorrow." He grinned sheepishly before making a hast retreat to bus his tray.

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The Court Martial Of Hunter Monroe Location: Education Center: Auditorium (M) Charges: Food Waste - 7.22.2012 | Drunken Disorderly - 7.22.2012 Failure To Report To Duty At Designated Time - 7.23.2012 | 10-886 Absence Without Leave - 7.23.2012 Failure To Administer Animal Sanitation - 7.23.2012 | Gross Insubordination - 7.23.2012

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The General sat there and nodded. He didn't know what choice Hunter would take. He had not met him directly or ever spoken to him directly. Macsen had put him under arrest, Maddoc had been the one to speak to him. The General had never said a direct word to him, only spoken to the group as a whole when they arrived, nothing more. The two he had spoken with directly were sitting there in the crowd that would have to give testimony, Ash and Alexander. "Very well, please have a seat and we will begin," Aeron said and nodded towards Joaquin. There was a seat on the stage reserved for Hunter and he was directed there. Once Hunter was seated the court martial began fully.

"We will go through the charges, one at a time. Testimony will be given for each," the Professor explained as she stood up. "You will be called as needed to testify. Note that you will be sworn in, if it is found you are misrepresenting any testimony you will end up in the same position as Mr. Monroe and be facing far worse punishment," she said as she glanced through the room. In other words if someone lied they were going to be in it deeper than Hunter was. "You may be called multiple times if you were witness to multiple situations. You will still under oath until the conclusion of this court martial." Meaning that just because they had a break in testimony didn't mean they could lie later and get away with it. "First Charges will be dealt with together as they seem to run hand in hand: Drunken Disorderly and Food Waste."

Pulling out a sheet of paper she glanced over it before looking over the top rim of her glasses and peering out into the crowd. "First witness: Nikola Warren." Nikki's eyes widened. She hadn't expected to be called first. She could feel eyes on her and it caused her to gulp and swallow her gum suddenly. "Come to the stand." Nikki nodded, placing her hand on the back of the chair in front of her and slowly rising from her place. She felt nervous, which was unlike her. She was usually rather fearless, to the point it caused her to write checks her ass couldn't cash. Walking forward though she found herself tugging slightly at her her shirt and rubbing her hands, which had become sweaty, down her pants legs as she walked up on stage. Her eyes went to Hunter and she seemed to give him a look that said she was sorry for what was about to happen. Stepping over to the witness chair, the Professor walked around from behind the table and held up her hand, Nikki did the same. There was no bible to swear on, many people didn't believe anymore. "Do you swear to tell the truth and understand that if you do not you will face Court Martial Charges and punishment that could be as far as exile or execution for misleading the court and your fellow townfolk?"

"I... Yes..." Nikki said before having a seat. She knew the question was coming. The town always made sure you know what went down if you broke the rules.

"Mr. Monroe has been charged with drunken disorderly and food waste. Where you witness to these?" The Professor asked. Nikki nodded. "Answer out loud please."

"Yes."

"Tell us what you saw."

"He was drunk, there, can I go?"

The Professor took a deep breath and continued. "No, tell us how you knew he was drunk."

"Stumbling and slurring his words, or well, was rambling."

"Give us an example." Nikki didn't like this. The guy was drunk at the time, he probably didn't even remember what he said, why bring it up? "Miss Warren, give us a detailed example of what you are referring."

Nikki grumbled and sat up more. "Fine, kept telling me I reminded him of Lucy." The Professor quirked a brow and motioned for her to continue. She wasn't letting up and it was making Nikki angry. "Oh fuck, fine. Asked if I was only pretending to like him, asked if it was because Maddog or the General told me to do it. Told me if that was a case it was good thing they took his weapons 'because who wants the psychopath armed and pissed about being lied and toyed with?'" (Start Of Hunters Drunkenness Reference) Nikki turned her head away from the Professor and eyed Hunter. "And for the record I don't ever fucking pretend to like someone, I hate liars."

"Did you witness anything else that night?"

"No, I spent the rest of the time dancing with Bass and trying to avoid Monroe," Nikki said as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Very well, you may step down, known you will be called again and that your swearing in is still in play," The Professor said before Nikki scrambled out of the witness seat and down back to her chair in the crowd. The Professor looked down at the paper she was holding. "Nigel Cooper, please come to the witness stand." Once Nigel was up there, she lifted her hand. "Please raise your right hand. "Do you swear to tell the truth and understand that if you do not you will face Court Martial Charges and punishment that could be as far as exile or execution for misleading the court and your fellow townfolk?" she asked and waited for an answer.

[Shoe Thief]

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Hunter Monroe Location: Auditorium (Front and Center) Skills:N/A

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To say things were not going well was an understatement. Things started off decently with the man before him offering him a seat, and staying rather polite the whole time as things continued. First witness to his drunken rampage? Nikki. His last few interactions with the girl had gone down poorly each time. She seemed about as nervous as he did, and he felt bad for the girl who now got to be the front and center of his problems for a moment. The punishments for lying here were worse then what he was facing for his issues, and she seemed to know that all too well. When she was pressured to give examples, his heart sunk. The horrors of what he had done only then setting in, the events of the next day making more sense as he learned what had happened that night on the beach. What he had done.

He felt sick for a moment. In his drunken fit he had unearthed a key piece of his past he was hoping to keep suppressed until the day he died. He had spoken a lot of his more self destructive thoughts in his drunken state. From what he understood, he was ready for a repeat of that night years ago. On the lesser note, his feelings towards Bass started to make sense. Seeing where things ended up, it seemed like it all didn't matter anymore in that regard. He leaned his elbows on his knees, and put his face in his hand as if rubbing his face would make this influx of information easier to handle. So much more of the following day made sense now, why Nikki was so mad at his stop gap apology, the looks that others passed to him from the reports, where other's patience has been spent on dealing with him.

Nikki was given permission to get off the stage, and something Cage had said to him while preparing for the trial went through his mind. If he was found guilty, there would be no times for goodbyes, no time for final words. If things went south, this was probably his only chance to get anything to say. He jumped up from his seat and began to speak. "Nikki..." He froze. He couldn't get the words out, he just looked at her with a look of shame on his face as he tried to force the words out. But nothing came of it. He wasn't sure if it was just from how many people were watching, the fact he had an armed guard to his back with a shoot to kill order, or the shame and realization of what just happened, but his words stopped working all together. He struggled on none the less, and spoke a single audible word. "...sorry..." He broke eye contact, and collapsed back into his chair unable to look at anyone around him. First charge, and first witness, and Hunter felt like it was already starting to get too much for himself. It didn't come to him until after he said it, Cage's other comment about out-bursts or trying anything funny. He wondered if his shitty attempt at action would end up getting him shot? Or if it would be another thing to add to his already long list of charges.

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

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Manny sat quietly and watched the trial at work. Overall, it seemed pretty strait forward. First to the stand? Nikki, their guard while they were all in quarantine. And someone who seemed to be getting along with Hunter until the beach party. Though he had been present, he did end up missing most of the stuff but he got the idea that the kid was probably just a drunken idiot. Maybe got handsy and needed to be pulled away from the party. Hearing what had actually gone down it came to the old dentist just how badly this boy had fucked himself. The boy had openly admitted to a would be witness that he was potentially violent, and already believed locals were already his enemy in some form. He sighed, realizing that the most minor of charges this boy had, was already looking pretty bad.

He pictured himself at Hunter's age, and how he would act when he found himself wasted. Including how he decided to deal with authority figures. Looking back, it was a miracle he wasn't shot sooner in life. As far as he knew, the boy hadn't been particularly violent, so maybe his best hope was he was all bark, no bite. His attempt to stand up to get Nikki's attention made him wonder that, especially when he fell down into his seat again. Then again, how long had he been alone out there? There was no way to survive a world like that being all bark, no bite. Especially on your own. He had regretted not learning more about the boy before now. As the only guesses he could make about him were based on his own experience at that age. With that in mind, the world wasn't full of walking corpses then, and there was a lot more room for leeway back then.

[rivaan]

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Amelia Payne Location:Education Center(M)(L6) Skills: N/A

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Well the trial was officially a go as Hunter asked rather politely to proceed, curiously enough. Amelia held a breath as she tried to make herself look as calm as possible, but she herself knew that the results were average at best. Her brow raised at the first witness to be called. Of all people to start off with, it was Nikki. She wasn’t actually too surprised when she thought about it further and honestly, she was glad it wasn’t her to start with.

Amelia let out a tiny bit of a smile when the girl tried to bail as fast as possible with an answer as short as possible. It was funny and sadly it wasn’t accepted. Welp, there goes one possible way of dealing with the witness part quickly. She took a deep breath, listening to Nikki’s recounting of the events, she was asked for. Yeah the beach night was rather eventful for many reasons and she supposed Hunter putting his foot in his mouth was one of them. Not that she paid too much attention to him back then aside keeping away.

What followed was yet another reaction from Hunter that basically startled her, hands clenching for a moment at the sudden action, but biting her lip a bit, she allowed herself to calm down. He wasn’t going to cause trouble on purpose, she reminded herself. Even hunter wouldn’t be that suicidal and he seemed well enough behaved so far. Amelia supposed he wanted to say something to her new friend. In the end the next witness was called though. She suddenly had the feeling this would have felt like a really weirdly long and tiring day at the end.

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Lisa Mason Location: Mess Hall (M5) -> Medical(J4) Skills: N/a

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“That’s the most likely explanation, yes.” Lisa agreed with him and gave a nod.” I’m just thinking that sets a rather unpleasant precedent or rather fact since it’s no longer precedent by the sounds of it. If the deep waters aren’t really safe either, then we’ve got a real nasty problem. We should be looking out to check if they actually somehow start moving in the waters and not just freely float.” She sighed, walker biology and evolution wasn’t her forte, at most it would be a curious hobby since it pertained to trap making. Had to know your prey to trap them after all.” At least if they are floating via gasses, then harpoons should do the trick to dispose of them into sinking back down.” And like this, Lisa put her next project for after the competition one, she’d figure out something to do with such floaters.

“I will be talking to them, once I finish the basic sales pitch which will probably be tomorrow. It’s not overly complicated, but to properly do everything and do such competition, would require the help from the people at mechanics. Because I was thinking to have a jury from mechanics and education evaluate the possible application and chose the best ones and then if possible assemble working versions even be it scaled down ones. After all, both kids and adults would get a kick out of such contraptions.” She grinned. It was just the start of the plan and in the long run once she submits the idea to administration after running it through mechanics and education, it would be more or less out of her hands, after all it didn’t fall under her area of expertise. There were people better suited to organize it, she just had to make sure they see the value in it. Not like she did it for attention, she just wanted to do it because it would be fun for everybody.

“Yeah, until tomorrow, Guy!” She called after him as he amusingly more or less ran away. It was in a way adorable and made her chuckle. Still she her her own things to do now. She downed the last bits of her lunch and dropped off the tray before heading back out into the rain, running all the way back to Medical, shielding herself for the most part with her scrubs over the head. With a smile on her face, she headed to the place she had decided to go spend some time at earlier. Knocking softly on the door to Lucy’s room, she creaked it open.” Hey, how’s my most favorite patient in this entire place doing?” She asked with a smile.

[ONL]

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

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"The War Drags On" so to speak, that tug-of-war taking place inside the Auditorium. A war between those holding the reigns of Camp Mexico Beach and the power of truth, and the young soldier who'd seriously fucked up his chances at gently integrating into their military society. Again Alexander would have had little sympathy for Hunter, him and his wasteful ways that most youths were known for, had it not been for himself seeing himself in his combat boots. He dreaded the thought of being there, sitting in a chair reserved for the Guilty and having yourself spoken about like that, unable to defend yourself or simply walk away.

Walk away, something Ol' Mugsy had done many times before. If he'd taken Hunter's place, if he'd fucked up like that, would he have taken that offer and simply walked away? Run away from his problems, now that he was without anyone to support him? Maybe.

Alexander's forehead grew tense, a few beads of sweat forming and wiped away by his hand as the first witnesses were called up. First, the young lady who'd taken a special interest in Hunter it seemed. Alexander hadn't payed much attention to it, though now he could not help but listen to her side of the story. Seeing the other side had rarely been one of his strong suits…probably why he and his father rarely got along. If only…Clearly Hunter had spoken harshly to Nikki while drunk, claiming she lied. At this moment Alexander didn't see himself, but his own father, drunk as a skunk and making no sense except for hurt. The Devil's Drink did that to you…It was a shame, a real shame. As the next person, Nigel the Roman actor was called up, Alexander's tensed frown eased a little. What would Nigel be asked, and how would he answer? He, unlike others of the present company, had seemed more inclined to treat the boy fairer. Would that remain the same here?

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Nigel Cooper Location: Auditorium (M) Skills: N/A

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Nigel spent the first part of the hearing listening closely to every word uttered. Be it the General laying out the proceedings and charges, Hunter accepting the trial taking place and Nikki being the first to testify, Nigel felt it was his due duty to do his best. The Law was important to follow, for if not, how much better were any of them than bandits and raiders roaming the outside world, or the very Undead themself? Rome was built upon laws after all. Well, war and subjegation, but laws were just as important! So he payed attention to what everyone said, the consequences for lying under oath and et cetera. Like he'd said earlier, Give me the fact, and I will give you the law.

Listening to Nikki's statements about the condition and conduct of Hunter the Drunkard, Nigel found his face slowly fall deeper and deeper into the palm of his hand. It was all coming back to him, the night meant for celebrations, but ending up with him playing babysitter for Hunter. The prospect of transporting Hunter home in a wheelbarrow resurfaced, which in a less serious situation would have brought a chuckle to Nigel's lips. Right then and there it only reinforced what Nikki confessed up front; Hunter was drunk, let his tounge speak like a fool and ensure those around him found him a lesser man by the drink. It was a sad thing to admit that he too felt like this, a true folly of the young soldier.

Nigel's head rose up quickly as his name was called up. His turn? Well that was rather early…then again, besides Nikki it was probably Nigel who'd spent most time with Hunter that night. Nigel quietly sighed as he rose to his feet, mentally steeling himself as he walked with determination up to the witness stand, where the Professor asked him to tell the truth. A brief moment where Hunter rose to his feet broke his stride, unsure of how to proceed. In the end Nigel finished his march. It was too late, the die was cast.

This was the Rubicon.

Without hesitation, Nigel the ever-dutiful citizen of Rome held up his right hand, answering the oath he was about to take with a simple sentence. A sentence that might very well seal the fallen soldier's fate. "Yes, I understand the consequences and swear to tell the truth."

The Roman sent a brief look over to Hunter, a look of conflicted feelings in his eyes. Sorrow perhaps? More than anything, to Nigel it felt more akin to dissapointment, though not entirely for Hunter. The whole world, maybe.

[Sigil]

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

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Ash looked with curiosity as he realized that Hunter did not dispute the charges laid in front of him in any way. First he was given the option to leave if he wished, no harm, no foul, and rejected it. Now he did not even plead one way or another before witnesses were called. Or, the first witness, anyway. He was unclear as to the stage of a Court Martial they were in, though to be fair, a small, autonomous unit like Camp Mexico Beach couldn't exactly go by strict interpretation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. The setup seemed like a more compassionate form of a drumhead trial; that being a court martial put together in the field, usually in a warzone or during a state of emergency. Ash had read about these during his time at the Virginia Military Institute. They were covered in Military History and Theory classes, albeit briefly. Performed by most nations' military in one form or another, mostly in the nineteenth century, they were notorious for already having a verdict and sentencing ready before the actual trial was called to order. This one held a different feel, though. Certain allowances had to be made for the reality of the world they lived in, and being objective, everyone was constantly in a state of emergency. It was compelling to Ashton to view and process the protocol he saw unfold before him. With genuine interest, he continued to take in the CMB trial process, and what it meant for Hunter's future.

Meanwhile, Thalia was feeling a little exposed as she sitting in her seat off to the side. It was bad enough that she drew every piece of attention to herself when she sat down, even after doing her utmost to remain as unnoticed as a wisp of fog in a shadow. That part bothered her more than it really should have, giving it some reflection. She used to be a much quieter, stealthy person, and now... it was a blow to her reputation, now that she was in a place that was vaguely familiar with her background. Or her family's background, at least. It was irritating. On the plus side, it would serve as decent psychological fuel to get herself back to her sneaky, fighting best over the course of however long they would allow her to train in this place. This trial wasn't even a blip on her radar past the information is provided on how things worked here and the nature of those who were in charge. If called upon, Thalia would be a good girl and do as asked - truth, whole truth, nothing but - though for her this was an information gathering opportunity.

From somewhere in the back, Hank was also looking over the proceedings in earnest, though his interest was in getting a good, long look at the people as they spoke. He had a talent for reading the nuances and actions of others, and this was like an edgy, psychological smorgasbord to feast upon. In between people talking, he would play a random game of rock-paper-scissors with his hetero lifemate, Wayne. He did speak once, very quietly, to his friend during a transitional period in the proceedings as to not give even the appearance of interruption. It was a question unrelated to anything going on with the trial. "Hey buddy, you um, you remember that cat that came in with us?" he whispered, almost to soft to hear up close. "Have you seen it at all since quarantine? You think it's even still alive? You don't suppose..." His thoughts went back to a meal with a protein source he couldn't quite identify from a couple days ago. "Nah, couldn't be." He shook it off and returned to viewing the fun up front.

*Nothing to see here*

[Lady Absinthia]

☠ 𝚃𝚆𝙳: 𝚈𝚎𝚊𝚛 𝟻 𝙿𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝟺 ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Location: Camp Mexico Beach 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: Remember you can combine if you need to as we go. I am going to start trying to go through more than one witness at a time and see if we can move things a long a little bit. Still playing it by ear, if you have ideas or questions please make sure to ask.

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Hospital (B): The Hospital was quit. Not that it was ever really loud unless someone was being rushed in, but even now it was quieter than normal. Rain outside kept people from going out unless they had to and since all but the most basic staff had been given the day off because of the Court Martial, most were just sitting and doing their thing either in certain areas or at home. For the little girl Lucy, the Hospital was her home and she didn't have many people to talk to there in the hospital. There weren't any other kids around right then. It could be lonely, especially on days like this.

Lucy was a bright little girl though. Smart and happy despite everything she was going through. It was like she was a constant ray of sunshine even if she was in pain. It was uplifting in ways, to see someone so young going through so much in a world that had fallen apart still find the ability to smile or laugh showed the girl had amazing strength and spirit. Thing was, it was just as sad as it was uplifting. She was smart and she was strong, but not enough to beat this. There were truly horrible people in this world that were thriving without much issue, who didn't deserve to live, and yet she was the one that was slowly withering away each day little by little.

Looking up from the piece of paper she was putting a yellow crayon to, Lucy giggled and smiled brightly as she held her arms out to Lisa for a hug. It was how she greeted everyone that came to see her, even if it was only to change her IV's or empty her trash can. "Lisa! I'm doing great! Look what I drew!" she said in an excited voice. On the paper was a simple daisy she had drawn, she was half way through coloring the petals. "Don't have any flowers round here so I figured I'd draw my own and hang them up, make my room a garden," she said proudly.

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The Court Martial Of Hunter Monroe Location: Education Center: Auditorium (M) Charges: Food Waste - 7.22.2012 | Drunken Disorderly - 7.22.2012 Failure To Report To Duty At Designated Time - 7.23.2012 | 10-886 Absence Without Leave - 7.23.2012 Failure To Administer Animal Sanitation - 7.23.2012 | Gross Insubordination - 7.23.2012

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As Hunter jumped up all eyes went to him. Wayne sitting up quickly in his seat as he figured the kid was about to get his head blown off. Thana leaned forward more in her seat, a worried look coming over her face. "Kid don't be stupid..." she muttered under her breath. Axel standing there, his eyes went to Joaquin. Joaquin, who was Hunters mirror right then didn't move. His eyes were on the kid but his hands were still clasped before him. He simply watched him, detached from any emotions, void in his emotions, but he didn't move. What Hunter had done hadn't been enough for him to make a move. Nikki stopped and looked at Hunter, she just nodded slightly, her bottom lip trembling before making sure to rush back to her seat and slide as far down in it as possible. Sure the guy had pissed her off but she didn't want him dead.

Once the little drama stopped unfolding, the Court Martial continued. The Professor stood there and nodded as Nigel agreed to the terms of the testimony and acknowledged that he understood the consequences. "Yes, Mr. Cooper,"

"coughsportacuscough," Wayne fake coughed.

The Major shot him a look but the Professor paid him no mind and continued. ""Mr. Monroe has been charged with drunken disorderly and food waste. Where you witness to these?" she asked just like she had with Nikki. After Nigel answered she went on with the rest of the questions. "What did you see?" "What happened next?" "You were the one to escort him away from the beach?" "Where did you take him when you left?" "Did anything else happen?" "Very well you may take your seat, you will be called again."

After Nigel was done Adelaide was called over. She was sworn in. Her testimony didn't take long. She confirmed she had served him, told them what she had served him, that she witnessed him palming oatmeal into his mouth after spilling it. Before her testimony was over she did add one more thing. "Listen, he may have drank all that but I was the one that was supposed to monitor how much people had. I didn't realize he was such a light weight, part of his actions are on me."

The Professor nodded, "noted." After Adelaide was Macsen, whos name was on the report. His was dry delivery in testimony. "Simple waste of food and drunken conduct," Macsen said.

Cook was up after him. She said the same as Macsen did but with more caring in her voice. "I really think the kid was just havin' a bad night, he's just a kid."

Morales followed, like others before him, he just said quickly what he saw and didn't add in much until the end. "Hey, we've all had a bad drunk, especially after being out on the road. Seemed to be beating himself up about not being able to fit in. He was trying, failing but trying."

A few random others were called up that had been there but this seemed to be a more random pooling of people that had been at the beach party but hadn't interacted with Hunter. The general consensus was they really hadn't noticed Hunter at all until he started getting really loud with his fuck nuggeting.

"Right, we will take a ten minute break and move onto to those working in Mechanics next. Mr. Maldonado, if you have to tinkle you might want to go now, take a bathroom buddy if you need help," the Professor said dryly before hitting a gavel and letting people do ahead.

Joaquin looked at Hunter as Panama came over to Hunter. "Need to take a whiz kid?" he asked real fast.

[ONL]

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

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Forehead wrinkled up with his well-worn frown and sweaty hands firmly placed underneath his bum, Alexander did his best to not attract any attention towards himself. Not that he liked being the center of attention anymore since before the joyous days of the late 60's and early 70's, said attention back then either existing in the form of either NVA/VC ambushes and AK47 gunfire, or war protesters looking upon their fellow countrymen as baby killers and war criminals. God, he was barely in his 20's - how the fuck was he supposed to know it would be that bad? No, Alexander preferred the leave the spotlight for those who revelled in it.

Well, not that Hunter and the others enjoyed it much themselves. This was not a day of celebrating their survival, after all. Most days Alexander had found a sense of purpose, especially sorting through the military archive Aeron had set up. Now with ol Mugsy's help, it was getting sorted out - even his own thoughts, so to speak. The contrast to what Alexander then felt sitting there, feeling uncomfortable attending the trial, was tangiable.

No, keep breathing. Like Tatiana had told him, like Judith had told him…keep breathing, and you'll get through this you son of a bitch…Yes Sergeant Jackson, Sir!

Alexander's attention snapped to the Roman actor, teacher…toothpick fellow who'd taken the stand and begun to answer the questions like the dutiful schoolboy he was.

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Nigel Cooper Location: Auditorium (M) Skills: N/A

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If a look could kill, Nigel would have sent a volley of pilas through Wayne's fake cough, clearly not out of reach of the dynamic duo's verbal tormenting even in a court of law. Nigel sighed quietly, taking a deep breath as he had to stay focused on the matters of law, justice and truth to the best of his abilities. The neo-Roman looked at the Professor as she read up the charges once again pressed against Hunter, directing the line of questioning towards his involvement on that night's events. Nigel took another breath as he tried to formulate his testimony as best he could, knowing the oath he was under.

"Yes, I was present for said actions that night." He answered, refraining from bringing up his usual Latin jargon, even for how much he would have liked to speak precisely about the events. It felt like an entire year had passed since that night, and yet it was a mere week ago. Funny how the wheels of time spun in such mysterious ways. "Well, I was by his side for some parts of that night. I remember him speaking with Nikki after getting said drinks, though I cannot tell what words were spoken. At this point I approached Hunter and suggested he eat something instead of drinking more, though said drink was spilled over him at this point." Nigel answered, closing his eyes for a moment and thinking hard about their conversation that had.

"Hunter was…concerned about her, Nikki that is. About her lying to him, though his was in a drunken state at this point - Feeling that, in his own words, 'Society is eff-ing harder than I thought it wold be.' While Cook and Moralez brought us something for Hunter to, as they put it 'Soak up the booze', I attempted to talk him down, suggest he apologize for his behaviour in the morning. To this Hunter agreed, and for me to get him to bed after eating aforementioned oatmeal and toast from Moralez…" Nigel stopped for a moment, pursing his lips as he recalled part of the episode that had brought them all this far - the moment Hunter dropped his food, like a stubborn toddler, only bigger and drunk.

"…which he held out for me to hold, I presume, though not long enough for me to catch it, before Hunter stumbled off towards the stage, falling to the side and giving up on whatever he had intended to do over there. Hunter had only eaten half of it, the rest smeared across his palm, face and the sand. It was at this point he agreed my assistance in getting him to bed. I supported Hunter back to his dwellings at the Condo, watching him enter after locking himself in and thanking me. That was the last time I saw Hunter that night, before I went back to my room myself."

Nigel was glad when he was finally asked to return to his seat, giving the Professor a respectful nod as he got up and walked back to Ash. It was done, his part of this play had been testamented and he would be called up again later. For the same charges, or for the other one? Whatever it was, Nigel had done his best to elaborate and be truthful, knowing Justice could only live under those circumstances. The Truth was meant to set you free, but would that ring true for Hunter as well?

[rivaan]

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Amelia Payne Location:Education Center(M)(L6) Skills: N/A

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The situation at the court was about as stable as Amelia could honestly hope for. It wasn’t chaotic, tempers weren’t flaring and people were being called one by one to answer questions. That didn’t put her mind too much at ease since she kinda dreaded her turn on the improptu stand, but overall it wasn’t a bad proceeding. Indeed not too much different from what she had seen once on the TV. If there was something she had to consider more seriously, it was the general opinion towards hunter. At first seeing it was brought to a proper court martial case, she had expected a lot greater wave of negativity, but in general it seemed like most people weren’t holding too harsh opinions.

She knew her own was biased negative a bit, but still, this was good to hear. Even with her not liking him, it didn’t mean she wanted him dead, though she was still currently on the fence if she preferred him out of the camp. In general his presence didn’t bother her too much beyond his general attitude and the dog. However him leaving didn’t mean the dog was going to leave for certain. All that considered, she reached the quiet understanding that she’d prefer him to live. No matter what he had survived the shithole that was the world and he didn’t seem to have done anything that bad. She recalled some the people who she had met up along the way. Besides if he did stay in the camp, she could just ignore him for the better part of things, aside the obligatory events, they’d likely only ever cross paths maybe at the dinners and lunches.

Finally after what seemed like an eternity, the first break was called. She relaxed down in her seat somewhat, leaning her head on Riley’s shoulder, closing her eyes. Just a little bit more, once her turn was over, she wouldn’t have to stress about it anymore. Amelia couldn’t wait to get to leave the Auditorium and maybe return to her room, spending the rest of the day writing D&D character trivia.

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Lisa Mason Location: Hospital(B)(J4) Skills: N/a

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“Hey kiddo.” She greeted back at the child’s emotional reaction to her arrival and gave her the hug that was requested by the adorable act. Lisa smiled, looking at the child. As sad and tragic as the situation was, she couldn’t help, but smile for her also. Ever the optimist, she tried to look at it as Lucy getting more out of life despite everything. Granted, the pure grim reality was impossible to ignore and the fact that it was a losing battle, wasn’t lost on the newly assigned pharmacist. She dreaded the day it was going to happen, but for now made herself ignore it. The glass was half full… hopefully.

“Glad to hear it, I was getting worried, since I got reassigned to proper duties and I don’t get to spend as much time wandering the halls cleaning the place anymore.” She smiled at Lucy and looked at the picture.” Ohh, you drew this? It’s great!” She stated, giving the child a smile, studying the picture more.” You know, you do draw some great flowers there. I’m tempted to keep this one for myself!” Lisa proclaimed, but then shook her head.” No, I shouldn’t, this is the beginning of the garden, isn’t it? It has to stay.” She added with a confident nod.

“Well, I’m looking forward to seeing the garden completed, Lucy. I hope you send me an official invitation card when it’s done.” Lisa smiled and gave the child an expectant looking, pulling herself a chair to sit by her.” So, seeing as the day is kinda slow because of the fiasco at the Auditorium, what do you want to do today in this fine atmosphere of a rainy day. Maybe read you a nice book of stories and tell you stories in general?”

[Sigil]

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Ash & Thalia Location: Education Center (M) Skills: N/A, Stealth

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The tiny elements of a trial were where the only parts that made it interesting, in Ash's opinion. The rest were solid and established protocols for the establishment of jurisprudence, necessary to ensure the closest possible thing to a fair and impartial outcome. Was it perfect? No. Ash noted some details about which he might have gone a different direction, were he in charge. Though giving it some thought, the now-dead settlement of Newnan was run in the fashion of a benevolent military dictatorship with him at the helm following the death of Lt. Colonel McCormick. He alone passed judgement over those living within Newnan's walls. Considering some of Ash's personal issues during this time, perhaps this trial system was better than the summary judgement of a Commanding Officer in the field, as he had done, even if he did not fully agree with every aspect of it. Established order was likely fairer than the whim of a single man, regardless of the apparent decency of that man. With this in mind, Ash remained seated and relatively stone-faced as Hunter rose to his feet, confident that the people of CMB had this under control. It did not stop him from placing a hand on the arm of his chair and tensing, as if to leap to action if necessary, though this was suppressed like many other things about him, his observations of the court officials assuaging his feelings of urgency.

Continued testimony went with far less in the way of drama (except for a cough from the back of the room). This was more ideal. Drama in courtrooms was for primetime television. When they called for a short recess, Ash remained as he was. He had no immediate need to visit the facilities, and was had to admit a sense of curiosity in how things were handled in the room between sessions. Added security? Lax? Sealed room? Or merely people twiddling their thumbs, waiting for the trial to resume?

Thalia, on the other hand, had her own, evolving agenda. Aside from the fact that she had to be there due to the post-apocalyptic equivalent of a court summons, she had her own reasons for wanting to be there. A desire to see what passed for a trial here was one. Now, seeing how the security team worked was another. Hunter's sudden movement, and the reactions of everyone around him, were fairly entertaining. Moreso was her brother's reaction. The cold, unyielding stare of a man who she knew from personal experience was calmly contemplating killing the guy in front of him if this developed much farther. She couldn't help but smile a little. One observing her might even feel a little unnerved at the expression, considering the simple, direct, possibly bloody course of events which might follow. She did not smile because of the potential for looming death, as many might think of her. Her views on the application of violence were cold and utilitarian in its application. Dispassionate about the actual stabbing and shooting, if not the reasons behind it. Joaquin's reaction reminded her very much of their uncle. Less growling, but like the old man himself. It was strangely nostalgic. The flamboyant man was definitely Familia.

Another portion of her agenda was rooted in the idea that she needed to be out and active to better regain her sense of personal spatial perception, what with the loss of her hand. It had affected her more than she wanted to admit out loud. Using and relearning the subtleties of her more dexterity and athletic based skillset was paramount. And what better way to practice than out and around people? For starters, she made her attempt to move unnoticed with the crowd of people departing the room. Unfortunately, her chair had other ideas. The drawn out rrrnsqueeeeeeaky that came of her removing her weight from the seat completely obliterated her chances of doing that. As did the unintended clack of her steel hand against the chair back as she rose. Keeping her shit together as best she might despite the rising irritation threatening to color her face, Thalia immediately vowed to change her plans for being here in Camp Mexico Beach. To hell with learning new skills. She was surviving fine without them. She needed to bolster and relearn the ones she already had, starting with hitting, stabbing, and stealth. She was a goddamned shadow, once upon a time. This was embarrassing.

In the back of the room, a breathy, quiet chuckle sounded immediately following the very innocent and hardly noticeable fit of coughing coming from the venerable gentleman with the imaginary friend. The chuckle did not come from the man himself, rather, but the man sitting next to him. Hank was a man who took matters of civil court proceedings seriously, and was a little annoyed that Wayne did that, but he wasn't about to pass up an opportunity to get a little mirth in. And he was a touch upset that he didn't think to do it first. In any case, he wasn't the grudge holding type today, so he simply rose from his seat when they called for a recess, citing, "Taking a piss there, Maldonado." and exited, to return shortly thereafter with a more relieved look on his face.

[Shoe Thief]

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Hunter Monroe Location: Auditorium Skills:N/A

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As the night was replayed out to Hunter through verbal testimony he sunk in his chair in a mix of shame and horror. Some parts came back to him, others that he had known but had little context on were starting to make sense. And the reactions of those towards him started making sense. Nikki had stopped, and had turned to face him. Nothing was said, she simply nodded, and seemed to want this over as much as he did. He wished he had taken more time to apologize sooner before things had gotten this far, he wished he knew just how badly he had fucked up so that he could have at least stopped the bleeding before making it worse later. That was the past now, he had fucked up, and continued as if nothing major had happened assuming nothing had, and it had only made things worse.

Nigel explained how Hunter admitted how much he was struggling, and just how much he needed to be taken care of when he had collapsed on himself that night. It was hard to listen and hear just how far he had fallen during the beach party. He watched Nigel as he spoke, but the more he talked, the less he could stay focused on the man. When Nigel was sent off stage Hunter wanted to speak again, but didn't have it in him to stand again. His fuckups were coming to light the first time to himself and the realization was taking it's toll on the boy. He felt sick as more and more people came up to the stage to explain what he had done. Some tried to take part of the blame for what he did, making him feel worse for it. Some were pretty strait forward about the night in the most simple terms. Some took pity. The pity felt almost as bad as being a target. Maybe some of it was sympathy? But much of the trail had started to pass by him as he tried to process what was happening. He would have laughed at the "fuck nugget" comments if he wasn't struggling to keep up with this influx of information.

Hunter didn't notice the announcement for a break until he was spoken towards. "I... uhh..." He nodded struggling with the words again. He didn't really need to use the restroom in the traditional sense, but he felt like he was getting sicker and sicker as the trial went on. If he was going to toss up breakfast he'd rather do it with some privacy. As well, a private moment to collect his thoughts was something that sounded rather nice about now. "yeah." He'd follow Panama and Joaquin plus what other security details were used.

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

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Manny waited, and waited. But the sound of the gunshot never came. As things continued, he sighed in relief letting his heart catch up to the situation at hand. He took time to notice Nikki's hesitation, and her to turn to face the boy. But he couldn't see her face, or even get a remote guess at what she was thinking. There was visible tension in the room as Hunter stood though. People who stiffened, others eyeing guards, but nothing came of it. Nigel walked his way up to the stage, and explained his point of view for the night. Much of it matched what he already knew about the night, but the additional details helped fill in the night. The boy was wasted, and had either way too much to drink, or a really shitty alcohol tolerance. Maybe a mix of both? Maybe he drank it too fast or his body simply wasn't used to being intoxicated? Manny wondered if maybe by some chance he was a recovering alcoholic? He had met people who had gotten hooked at a young age, and adding an apocalyptic event is one sure fire way to go cold turkey. And maybe the night was a relapse of some kind gone out of control? But at his age, he had no idea how it might effect him. He had seen others he knew react poorly to trying to sober up and even more so cutting it off abruptly.

More people came up and gave their opinions and statements. General thoughts? Things went down hill for the boy somewhere between inept social skills, and booze. He clearly seemed to understand he had some lack, and maybe attempted to use booze to substitute it? The plan was terrible, though this was also coming from Manny's many years of experience. And as others had so well put it, he was a kid. Break was announced, and Manny let out a sigh of relief as things had gone rather smoothly despite a couple moments where he tensed up. Manny was tempted to stand up, go outside, and get some air. The reminder of the poor weather stopped him as he noticed the water under him from earlier, and from the other soaked people. Inside seemed more then fine at the moment. He took a moment to turn towards Alexander to get an input from his fellow and trusted baby boomer. "What do you think about all of this?" He didn't speak too loudly. He didn't want the whole auditorium listening in on the conversation. Though he wouldn't mind some additional input. He would follow up with another question for his fellow baby boomer. "You think he stands any chance?" He hoped for Mercy, though it was hard to say where things would go as the lesser of the charges already made things look pretty bad.

[Lady Absinthia]

☠ 𝚃𝚆𝙳: 𝚈𝚎𝚊𝚛 𝟻 𝙿𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝟺 ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Location: Camp Mexico Beach 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: And we continue. I wish we could do these as collabs but considering everyone has things going on, and currently I am lucky to have computer access one day a week due to the kids work loads in school, that is impossible. If there is anything you have questions over or want to do, feel free to message me about it. I will try to get back to you as soon as I can. We are going to continue with the ~call multiple people~ thing for a bit longer and see how that plays out.

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Hospital (B): Lucy beamed up at Lisa as she commented on her flower and the mention of her garden. She nodded enthusiastically. "Hey! I have an idea!" she exclaimed as she put the paper back down and wrote a little note at the top of her picture: Lisa's Flower. "There, now it's your flower but in my garden, now you can come visit more! You have to come see your flower!" she giggled, rather proud of herself about the entire idea.

Setting it back down she nodded slowly. "It's okay, people get busy, I'm used to it," she said sweetly. She had been in the hospital long enough now to know there were things to do and people couldn't just sit with her. It was hard but she still smiled. It just meant when people did come by it was even more fun for her. She soaked it up as much as she could.

Pulling out another flower drawing she showed it to Lisa, it was of a sunflower. "Ain't it pretty! Did you know if there is no light, sunflowers will turn to face each other? Doc told me, that's so cool!" she giggled as she picked up another flower picture and made them face each other. "Flowers kissing, it's so sweet!"

At the mention of a book or story her eyes lit up. "Yes! Story! I would love a story! Please!" she asked excitedly as she put her crayon down and put her elbows on the tray table positioned across her lap, resting her head in her hands as she waited. "Can it have a prince in it?" she asked sweetly.

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The Court Martial Of Hunter Monroe Location: Education Center: Auditorium (M) Charges: Food Waste - 7.22.2012 | Drunken Disorderly - 7.22.2012 Failure To Report To Duty At Designated Time - 7.23.2012 | 10-886 Absence Without Leave - 7.23.2012 Failure To Administer Animal Sanitation - 7.23.2012 | Gross Insubordination - 7.23.2012

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The Professor nodded slightly to Nigel as his questioning finished. As she did with others. This seemed to be going smooth enough so far, save for Hunters little outburst at the start towards Nikki. Not that it was a bad outburst but she knew if it hadn't been Joaquin watching the kid he might have been shot. Joaquin was the one usually in his position. Not because he could read people, but because he always waited until the last moment to shoot and was quick enough to be able to do so. Granted if Hunter did try something, she wondered just how much trouble he could really be right then. He hadn't exactly been in town long enough to be able to get any real weight put on him. Then again, when someone had nothing left to lose they were capable of so much more than people thought. She knew this first hand.

Wayne smirked a bit and go up out of his chair as he was called out about using the bathroom. "Thanks teach, fucking prostate," he said with a shit eating grin before waltzing down the isle and out the door at the back of the room and headed down the hall a bit to the little boys room. "Right behind ya, and two urinals to the left," Wayne chuckled as he came into the bathroom.

Thana leaned forward a bit, she didn't need to go the bathroom right then. Her eyes went over the room and watched as Jack shifted in his seat some as Tatiana leaned in and whispered something against her husbands ear. Security seemed to stay where they were, save for Joaquin and Panama. Both of them moved from their position. Panama leading Hunter out of the room with Joaquin following as the mans shadow. They didn't go into the same bathroom as the others were using. Instead going down another hall to a different one. Panama waited outside of the bathroom to ensure others wouldn't enter. Joaquin followed Hunter into the bathroom and stood point, keeping an eye on him.

Things seemed alright and people came back from the restroom break. As long as nothing went down Joaquin and Hunter came back in with Hunter and returned him to his seat on the stage with the others. Once everyone was done and back in their seats, Rolodex stood up and double checked to make sure that everyone that was required to be there was. Giving a nod to The Professor, they continued. She started with Mizrahi. "Yes, was late," he said when asked if Hunter returned to his shift late from lunch as he was the person that wrote him up. (Start of Late Return) "Made clean Rosie's bathroom alone." That got a couple of pity looks to Hunter from the Council, Rosie looked at them as if to ask what the big deal was.

"Anything else?" The Professor asked.

"No, left with Volts, see Gunny," Mizrahi said in his thick accent and broken English.

"Any problems before the lunch break?"

"No write up before lunch."

"Very well, you may step down."

Volts was called up next. "Wasn't there, just took him to see Gunny. Want those details?"

"Not yet, wait until you are called for that. Anything else?"

"Unless you want to get into him referring to civilians as Privates then nope, not a chargable offense."

"Step down Volts," The Professor said before looking at Tesla. "Anything to add to that or were you not there really either?"

Leaning back in his seat from where the rest were waiting to testify he shook his head. "Nope, really didn't interact with him, can I go now?"

"No."

Tesla shrugged and closed his eyes, intending to take a nap since he really didn't have much to add testimony wise. Rosie gave her quick testimony even though she barely saw the kid, which she stated as much. The Professor looked at her list of people to question. "Ashton Holloway." That got Thana's direct attention. She had been listening but not overly so. Now that Ash was on the block her eyes stayed on him.

"Where you working in Mechanics that day?" "Did you see the defendant return from lunch?" "Was he late?" "You were working with him before lunch correct?" "Was anything said or done that would be considered dangerous or confrontational?" Ash had worked alone with Hunter during this time, so it seemed that Ash was going to get a bit more drilled than the other three had.

[Sigil]

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

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Ash had to admit a twinge of something akin to loss when his name was called. It was a Court Martial; an official military tribunal, such as it was. He had been to a few of them. Every time, when addressed by court officials, it was done so with his rank leading the sentence. Admittedly, it was Lieutenant back then. He hadn't the occasion to be involved in a trial since making Captain. His promotion came with the start of the outbreak which led the shambling, hungry dead to vastly outnumber the living. The continuation of his military organization and discipline was what kept him moving in the direction of survival, even when that direction had him deferring to other, more experienced persons. It was part of who he was and the removal of it felt a little hollow. Nevertheless, it was just a title. One he worked hard to earn over the course of years, but a title nonetheless. The lessons of it, and the code he swore to uphold, could not be stripped away as readily.

So Ash rose, his demeanor bearing the respect and dignity that the event warranted, and took his place as witness. He risked a subtle glance in Thana's direction and felt better for her presence. With this reassurance cemented in his brain, Ash put full attention to the proceedings. The questions seemed easy and evident enough, though sometimes it felt like the events in question happened a year ago. There were a lot of changes which took place in their lives recently which tended to drive memories to the side. Ash had been thinking about the day in question recently, reviewing them mentally like he was studying printed words, and so felt confident that he might be able to provide an accurate accounting. Sitting with rapt and attentive posture, Ash listened to the Professor and responded appropriately.

"Where you working in Mechanics that day?"

"Yes ma'am," he responded succinctly.

"Did you see the defendant return from lunch?"

"Yes ma'am." Again, a yes or no question without circumstance surrounding required a short answer.

"Was he late?"

"Yes, he was late, ma'am." Not by much, but late nonetheless. Maybe if it wasn't stacked with other things, this wouldn't have been as big an issue. This was not his decision to make; Ash's duty was to answer and let supporting questioning to and from others color the implications of the truth.

"You were working with him before lunch correct?"

"Yes. All morning, ma'am."

"Was anything said or done that would be considered dangerous or confrontational?"

Here is where the tiniest amount of grey trickled into the situation. "No ma'am." Referring to him as "Private" wasn't the best impression to make, but it was hardly something worth getting too upset over. Nor would he consider the game plan of cleaning the bathroom confrontational either, even if the presentation did seem to make the assumption that he'd never had perform manual labor in his life. "Enthusiastic at first. A little condescending. Nothing dangerous and nothing confrontational, ma'am."

When given the go ahead to step down, Ash rose, posture erect and attentive. Turn, walk, turn, resume as he made his way back to his seat from earlier. He locked eyes with Thana, up on the balcony still, and permitted a little smile to come across his features. Provided the public portion of the court martial that day was handled relatively early, he wouldn't mind seeing what the two of them might do together.

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Thalia Carmichael Location: Education Center (M) Skills: N/A

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For starters, fuck that chair. That chair could smoke a donkey turd in hell for all Thalia cared, and if there weren't people around she might have bashed the thing to kindling, just for the purpose of using it as such and setting it on fire right in the middle of the room. Thalia was willing to bet that the fire suppression system in the building was a thing of the past, and even if it wasn't, this was a risk she was willing to take just to teach the rest of the sitting apparatuses around her a lesson in not giving away her position, especially if it meant murdering said chair and defiling its corpse with fire. That chair could kiss her ass and die. The moment she got back to the apartment and she had a moment in her room (that she still didn't feel altogether comfortable in), Thalia was going to blame that gahd damn duck for everything and give it a stern talking to. To recap: Fuck that chair, and fuck that duck, too.

Thalia selected another chair nearby. Thankfully, this one didn't have the same issue as her first selection. But of course that made sense; she wasn't trying to remain unnoticed, and so the environment was working with her. Or rather, not working against her. So much for brushing up on an old skills that particular hour. She would have her time. She would rise to prominent greatness, making the badlands of North and Central America fear and respect the very whisper of her name. Oh yes, the One Winged Angel would no longer be associated with some video game populated by emo-goth Japanese child heroes, but the running and stabbing and shadowy force of Thalia Angelica Carmichael, daughter of Father Benicio Gonzalez of the Catholic Church, and Seguidora de la Dama de la Muerte Inmaculada. But first.... a Court Martial stood in the way of her completing her next objective.

So there she sat. Thalia might have even thought it interesting seeing Navy's boyfriend take the stand, except that he was predictably straightforward in his answers and practically screamed former military with every action he took, including breathing. Yeah, those two were a match. But until she was personally called upon, Thalia was just going to sit here and mind her own business. For now.

[ONL]

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

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The testemony from Nigel the Roman actor-teacher had refreshed Mugsy's memory of that night. Yes, now he did remember the short tidbits of what he'd seen and heard of Hunter, mostly heard. A drunk, young soldier on leave for the first time in ages after a long and difficult patrol…no wait, that was himself. Alexander shook his head in the confusion, getting a hold of himself and continuing to listen to how young Hunter had…well, been a drunk fool that night. Nothing terribly bad so far, but quite embarrasing, especially when the military was in charge.

He didn't envy the young boy, not in the least.

A break was called and people started to shuffle around, clearly prepared to stretch their legs. Speaking of which, Alexander stood up and got a good stretch of his old back, letting out a good yawn as he did. Not a second later Manny had already begun to talk to him, like the chatterbox he was. But he was Alexander's chatterbox, and he appriciated the question. "So far? We're talking disorderly conduct and drunken behaviour, but that happens in the army all the time. So far he's got a chance…it's the other charges I'm more worried about, if you're asking me…poor kid." Alexander answered in an equally hushed tone, feeling his gaze drift over to Hunter being taken to the side, probably for a trip to Mother Nature. Did he himself need to take a leak? Not really, the old grumpy man as he was. "What about you? What are your thoughts?"

It didn't take long for the break to end and the proceedings to commence once again. At this point Alexander had walked a bit back and forth, getting his body up and running again after sitting down, anxious and tense like a spring about to break. As soon as they started again, Alexander was seated firmly in his seat, halfway paying attention to the questions and halfway unable to drift down into his own thoughts…only catching brief answers of what Ash gave up front in a very military-styled speech.

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Nigel Cooper Location: Auditorium (M) Skills: N/A

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Nigel couldn't help but overhear the old-fashioned banter between his two previous companions, Wayne and Hank, clearly finding the proceedings either gruellingly boring or amusing to the point of needed a piss. He shook his head in annoyance, unable to escape their everlasting presence, one way or another. Would he ever be really free from their cruel mockery, or would they forever stand by his side in what was quickly becoming a comedy which was his life?

Either way, Nigel attempted to push their words out of his head and get a overview of the Auditorium, now that a break had been called. Most importantly, watching Hunter being taken away and wondering what was going on with Thalia over in the distance, doing…something. It was a mystery to him, clearly a mystery not meant to be solved in the near future. Nigel valued his life still too much for that. Back to Hunter, the neo-Roman teacher hoped he did not find his testimony an insult to his character, for what else was he meant to say? That Hunter had done nothing wrong that night? No, Nigel told the truth the best he could…perhaps this was even a lesson for Hunter, a sense of catharsis even, something he needed to get through in order to come out the hero of this story.

Nigel didn't leave the Auditorium during the break, having sweated out most during the fight with Thalia earlier. So when the proceedings started up again, Nigel was already seated and awaiting the next witness on the stand, which turned out to be Ash. A brief and concise witness, speaking of details Nigel had not heard about. How should he? He hadn't been working with Hunter the following day, having been Ash's lady friend's assistant in the Gardens of Babylon. Honestly, to Nigel it sounded like nothing exceptional, even for his late arrival. Something in his gut told him that they had yet to hear the big, deciding battle for Hunter's fate.