Location: Random Road in Georgia; Could be Mars, as far as he knows
Édouard grumbled slightly, his head spinning a bit after Svetlana's shove. He hadn't intended to grope her! That was something a taco obsessed woman from Pennsylvania would do. He had been raised properly, above all of those petty little things. Putting his nose in the air, he attempted to come up with some sort of righteous defense of himself. "C'était un petit accident!" Édouard protested, but he didn't apologize. He'd perhaps only apologized five times throughout his life. And as far as he could tell from the blush on her face, she must have a crush on him. Wagging his eyebrows a bit, a smug smirk graced his face, until his thoughts strayed to the ginger.
"Amélie," Édouard said, confirming her name. Had he been able to think up a French equivalent for Svetlana, he would have substituted that as well. Figuring that giving Amelia a proper name would help with her transition from a filthy American to a proper Frenchwoman, he couldn't help but grin with pride. He really was god's gift to the world--not that he believed in god, mind you.
Trudging along, Édouard eventually spotted the cars. He frowned slightly at the idea of Svetlana driving again. He didn't see her as being competent at all with that, especially given that she wrecked the car after only a minute. However, Édouard winced at Amelia's broken French. "Amélie, vous parlez français comme une vache espangole."
Glancing at Svetlana's charades, Édouard realized that there had to be a reason for her to refuse to speak in English. The few lessons he'd picked up about how to run his family business came back to him, but they were clouded from a lack of paying attention. Svetlana must have been hiding something from Amelia, not trusted her, or had been pretending to speak English earlier.
"Je peux conduire," Édouard explaining, miming the turning of a wheel and the pressing of the gas. If Svetlana didn't trust Amelia, fine. He certainly didn't trust her to drive, and driving happened to be one of his very few skills. It took him a bit, but eventually, he realized that Svetlana wanted to remove the battery. Cracking his wrists, his shoulder, his back, and somehow his knees, Édouard approached the car battery, exaggerating a bit of a limp. Frowning a bit at the prospect of having to do work, the distant sound of snarling got him to reach in, and yank out the car battery.
"J'ai fini?" Édouard asked hopefully. He was already eyeing the driver's seat of the car, and he'd love nothing more than to be able to relax and just drive until the gas tank ran empty. He'd even forgotten what happened to his last car already, the one he wrecked for no good reason. Car crashes seemed to be his aesthetic.
Pouting slightly at the realization he'd have to do more work now, Édouard put the battery in the truck with all of the enthusiasm of a six year old boy, in the middle of a video game, being asked to clean his room. If his leg hadn't been killing him with pain, he might have even let himself flop to the ground, in order to make a point.
"Svetlana, vous n'êtes pas forte à conduire," Édouard explained. "Je conduirai. D'accord?"
C'était un petit accident! = It was a little accident! Amélie, vous parlez français comme une vache espangole. = Amelia, you speak French like a Spanish cow. [Actual French expression. 10/10 would use again.] Je peux conduire = I can drive J'ai fini? = I'm done? Svetlana, vous n'êtes pas forte à conduire = Svetlana, you're bad at driving. Je conduirai. D'accord? = I'll drive. Agreed?
Jack Hudson
Location: Mess Hall ---> Rec Center
Jack kept Tatianna close to him, still mentally recovering from three years of constant "Sudden Death" mode in a video game. He still braced himself for a walker to come around each and every corner, and he chuckled wearily at himself. They always warned new officers coming onto the force that PTSD was possible, but he'd shrugged it off. And here he was, and as far as he could tell, he was definitely developing it. Still, he had his guiding light with him. He had his solovey.
Listening to Tatiana and Miss Sally, Jack felt as giddy as a school girl at the words your house. He was always the slightly feminine guy who wanted a family, the white picket fence, a dog, and 2.5 children. He craved a life of taking kids to school and mowing a lawn, in order to keep up with the HOA. He wanted to be involved in PTA, and all of those sort of mundane things. It was a bit of a paradox, especially considering how many joined the force in order to escape an average lifestyle, but Jack had had his fill of unorthodox living. He couldn't help but crave normalcy.
His heart dropped a bit as he watched her run off to their house, his fingers itching for him to grab a weapon, and cover her in case something came by. Taking a deep breath, Jack couldn't help but feel relieved as Tatiana came back. "Do I get to see a propah recital today?" Jack asked, grinning as he followed her inside of the Rec Center. A goof at heart, he couldn't help but wonder if they ever had dodgeball tournaments in Newnan. Jack always tended to get giddy about those. Perhaps a bit too giddy.
Leaning against the wall, Jack smiled, settling in to watching Tatiana. If he hadn't been trying to keep it a secret, he would've dashed back to their place and grabbed the knot-ring in progress. Instead, he contented himself for working on it while Tatiana slept that night. "You look amazin'" Jack commented, his usual goofy grin on his face. "You look happy."
Location: The Southern Gate, then Kris' Apartment.
"Thank you Niesha." Kristina said softly as she stood there letting Niesha inspect her foot, it hurt like hell as she watched her friend walking over and grabbed a shovel. Kristina held onto it shifting her weight onto her good foot, it was still embarrassing for her to end up falling into the manure. She stood there as Niesha walked over and grabbed a hose and held onto the shovel as she felt the cold water being sprayed on her soaking her clothes and hair completely until all of the animal shit was finally washed off of her Kristina looked towards Niesha. She trusted her enough, to go to the apartments and get it fixed up and then head to the infirmary to have Froggy to examine it some more. [color=cyan]"I think we can head back to the apartments get it bandaged up and then get it examined at the infirmary."[color] Kristina said softly. "I think that Pestilence will calm down in a bit. And the others might get him under control."
Kristina started limping alongside Niesha wincing slightly as she tried to keep as much weight off of her bad ankle as best as she could. Kris could hear the horse running around still some of the agriculture staff were still trying to calm the raging horse. "Well I guess I won't ever be riding a horse again, or at least for a very long time." Kristina said as she and Niesha entered the inner walls, she then remembered something that Sophia told her awhile ago. "So, how are things between you and Sophia?" Kristina asked, as she limped closer towards their assigned building.
Kris remembered first talking to Niesha while Froggy was out of the infirmary and Astrid had stepped out, it was a day after the attack and Sophia was still sleeping. Kristina spent the time getting to know Niesha a bit more, once they finally got to their assigned building Kristina went to her room and opened the door. "The first aid kit should be in the bathroom." Kris said as she went and sat down at the nearby table that was in there. Kristina could still smell herself and shuddered slightly at the stench, she wasn't sure what smelled worse animal shit, or Walkers though she would rather be in a pile of shit then be covered in human remains and Walker bits.
Sophia Harris
location: The Streets of Newnan, then The Rec Center.
Sophia watched as Meg started to finish up teaching the young ones for the day, she swiveled her chair around with her right hand to turn out the door. "Do you need some help?" Meg asked as Sophia looked up at her and shook her head slightly and gave a slight smile towards her, even though she was still recovering from last month. "Just give me a slight push through the door and i'll be fine after that." Sophia said, as she watched Meg opening the door, and gave her a light push over the bump to the entrance of the school. "Thanks." Sophia said as she gave Meg a little wave as Meg closed the door behind her.
Sophia brought up the bottle of water up to her lips and took a quick drink as she used her feet to push herself along the streets of Newnan. As Sophia pulled herself along the streets, she could see a glimpse of a couple, she certainly hadn't seen them before while spending her time in the infirmary the whole last month. She was a little bit curious as she moved herself along until she was up at the door.
She reached over for the door and wheeled herself in, Sophia looked around the empty room seeing the place reminded her a little bit like her old high school gym minus the bleachers, wax wooden floors, and the basketball markers along the floor. Sophia pushed herself in seeing woman on the floor and then looking over towards the man. She wasn't sure if she was intruding on their little moment together or not, and just by their reactions to the building she knew that they were new Sophia coughed slightly to get their attention. "Sorry, uh am I intruding?"
Raymond Mendoza
Location: The woods around Arnco Mills
Raymond looked over towards Tiffany who actually decided to follow him, he would smile slightly and shook his head he wouldn't kill anyone unless there were truly no other options left. "I'm not going to kill you or take your stuff. If I wanted to steal your stuff i'd have done it by now." Ray said calmly trying to catch his breath. He gave her a quick look over, he didn't trust to many people these days but he got the feeling that Tiffany wouldn't harm him unless he did something threatening to her. "The name is Raymond by the way." Ray said as he introduced himself.
Then out of nowhere a walker had snuck up behind Tiffany and grabbed onto her hair tightly, he wasn't going to let another person die today. Well the last guy he left to die because he wasn't moving when there were walkers nearby, he took out his machete once more and quickly tried to find an opening. The bush was in the way of both her and the walker, Ray quickly waited for an opportunity until it finally came. He brought his machete back and swung downwards at the elbow join, it landed but lodged itself slightly into the Walker's arm. Ray quickly pulled it back and then brought it down as hard and fast as he could severing the limb as the arm still held onto Tiffany's hair.
Raymond quickly went and slashed his machete into the walker that tried to take a bite out of Tiffany, the walker's body fell limp as he turned around seeing another walker. Ray smashed his machete into the Walker's skull, and then he kicked off the walker killing the second one. "Lets keep moving and pay close attention." Raymond hated going into the woods, there were just to many that could just jump out at you.
location: outside the inner wall, and then Kris's apartment.
Niesha helped Kris as best as she could, trying to support her weight as they walked. it was slow going, but it wasn't that hard. She didn't know if they'd be allowed into the infirmary, the smell was still strong. She hesitated as Kris asked about sophie, feeling terrible that she had just essentially abandoned Sophie. "things seem okay" She said softly, as they reached the apartments, helping Kris in. "She seems to be doing okay. I...okay. Things are awkward. She's great, and everything...and I'm just...me. She can't ever like me" Niesha's tone was nervous, her manor awkward as she grabbed the first aid kit, but set it aside.
"You should shower first, and change clothes. Might be best to just shower in the clothes to prewash them or something" She said, wandering through Kris's apartment for a clean set of clothes, returning to her shortly, and putting the clothes in easy reach. "Will you be okay to shower? She asked, not wanting Kris to fall or something and cause more damage.
Niesha felt torn in two, she wanted to go make sure Sophie was okay, but didn't want to leave Kris by herself. And it wasn't like she could push Sophie and help Kris walk. She hoped Sophie would be okay with Megna, "how does it feel now? A sprain can be just as bad, if not worse then a break, with all those tendons, ligments and muscles...So going to the infirmary would be good, if only to get a more experienced opinion. Before, i'd recommened a mild pain killer and maybe a cold pack, but I don't know what stuff there actually is...Still, the common treatment of rest, compression and elevating it should do good." She gave a shrug as she took out bandages, searching for one that would provide the best compression without cutting off circulation, merely talking for talking sake, and hoping Kris wouldn't focus on her just practically admitting she liked Sophie.
Location: The crash site and then a mile down the road.
Amelia was currently just slightly confused and quite shy towards Ed. She had seen him how the man groped Svetlana. She also understood why the woman reacted like that, but Amelia doubted she would be able to keep nearly as calm in such situation. The way he now said her name made her looked downwards and blush. What was with that man, acting so overly familiar…!?
While Ed was busy moving over the car battery, Amelia took the brief time to search around the vehicles that they weren’t going to use. Luckily for them, she found a few unopened water bottles and some jerky.” Look!” She called, running back to the truck, showing the findings to the others. She quickly threw them inside the truck, realizing one was going to have to be on the truck bed because there simply weren’t enough seats.
She took a gulp as she realized the walkers were getting closer. She quickly jumped in the truck’s bed.” Don’t argue, someone just drive!” She called in English before also saying in French.” Quelqu'un, juste conduire!” She added pointing at the wheel. Currently her survival instincts were with priority over her shyness.
Was that a response? That was a response. Eye flutter, light moan, something? Ok ok, he wasn't dead. Just knowing that triggered the sweet exhalation of relief that, up until a few seconds ago, was a half lungful of stagnant air choking with anxiety. Shoot a man in front of him, Ash could deal with it. He'd seen it enough to decently triage a person inflicted with such a wound; an inexact skill determined from the hit location, coupled with the size of the hole going in versus the size of the hole going out. It was not the first time since this emergency began that he thought of this. A routine medical emergency, though? Now he was out of his element.
For the Doctor, this might be a blessing in disguise. How many people, in this day and age, can it be said of them that they died of natural causes, with friends nearby? There were worse ways to go. Ash had witnessed a few. With certainty, so did Froggy. In all likelihood, Ashton's particular number would be punched by means of a bullet tearing away something vital, or the horrible, ripping death associated with the rotting abominations that now outnumbered the living by well over a thousand to one.
Just not this moment. Not today, damnit. He moved, and under his own power. Maybe he wasn't aware of it, but Froggy twitched. "Victor, it's Ash. Let me know that wasn't a fluke, huh? Open those eyes for us."
Bridgette Vinters
Location: Exterior Courthouse - Newnan
Bridgette was trying hard not to pay attention to the plucked lovebirds. Tried really hard. Checked and rechecked her gear on Cadence, hummed a little tune even. Considered shoving her fingers in her ears and intoning that most basic of Ignoring Incantations, "LaLaLaLaLaLa". In the end, the sounds of differing but both distinctly Southern accents faded away into whatever redneck corners they chose to withdraw. Bridgette was a bitch - this much was certain. She still didn't want to interfere or intrude into their, umm.. conversation? Yes, conversation, the drama of which she wanted no piece. Much like her Battle Sister, Zoie could take care of herself. Especially as it came to that whiny half-man, DICK. If ever there was a fitting name, Bridgette mused...
The verbal equivalent to chalkboard nails receding, Bridgette's mind drifted back to the song she was humming from earlier. She really hadn't thought about music for a very long time. She realized that she missed it. Greatly. Particularly her prized Scandinavian Heavy Metal, a musical style that she would likely never hear again live, ever. Damn near made her wistful.
Still facing Cadence, Bridgette's man drifted to the last time she saw one of her favorite bands, Tyr, live in concert. Hell of a trip to make it out that way, too. Good music, good booze, great beatdown in the parking lot after. They ended the concert with an encore of Blood of Heroes, the very song that swiftly found itself stuck in her head on repeat. Not that she minded. Hell, Bridgette even began to sing the chorus in their (more) native Norwegian.
Iron vil - kriger ferdigheter Og hvor langt unna de kjempet Sette oss fri - skjebne For blodet av helter kjøpt...
Granted, it didn't rhyme quite as well as in English, but it was really more the intent and feeling behind the words that moved the lady, whose own name in the Old Tongue described a period of ice and hardship. Hers was an untrained voice, but there was potential. A crystalline voice, forceful yet feminine. With the tutelage of someone skilled and capable of focusing her efforts toward a non-martial end, Bridgette would make an excellent singer. Not right then, though.
Enraptured by the memory of the concert and her own minor foray into song, she didn't notice the difficulty around the corner. She did notice the LOUD and aggravating voice of Dick, commanding her to do... something, in a rather imperative manner that jangled across a very raw nerve reserved for the man. Keeping in line with the language of the moment, Bridgette turned from her horse and began jogging toward the man, growling, "Denne gangen tar jeg den jævelen tenner..."
Then she saw Bryn whip around the corner with her crossbow at the ready. Pretense faded away as she stepped back into her more survivalist Valkyrie mode. Was there an intruder? Biter in the compound? She had metal covering her forearms and first set of knuckles, but beyond that only good looks and sarcasm to aid in her defense. Fears were confirmed as her changing field of vision included a prone Zoie just up the road, one of the elder Newnanites atop her trying like hell to take a bite.
Bryn's crossbow bolt did its work admirably, making her friend safe. If the taller woman hadn't been trying so hard to ignore Act Two of the play unfolding before her, she very likely would have caught this before Zoie went horizontal. This was partly her fault. At least Bosslady was safe, if shaken. Bryn's approach prompted her to speak. "Shit. Thanks, girl. That... no idea where that came from." After a second or two of awkward silence, "I'll get a shovel."
Iron vil - kriger ferdigheter = Iron will - warrior skill Og hvor langt unna de kjempet = And how far away they fought Sette oss fri - skjebne = Set us free - destiny For blodet av helter kjøpt... = For the blood of heroes bought...
Denne gangen tar jeg den jævelen tenner = This time, I'm taking the bastard's teeth.
Black James!
Location: Newnan, Inner Wall - Smoker
To recap James's day so far: He woke up, went to work, got diverted from work, began cooking a doe (a deer, a female deer?), and basically was forgotten about by any and everyone else while lot of interesting stuff kept happening. Wasn't all bad, though. The emergency bell wasn't ringing, so that was good. Or not bad, anyway.
The time working his smoker gave the jovial yet pragmatic man time to think. He was in charge of the city's Agriculture, and its development. They had plenty of land upon which to grow crops, maybe even a couple of luxury items. If, in their explorations of this brave new world, they should happen to come across another settlement (that wasn't trying to kill them), it would be nice to have stuff for trade. Or even more simply, variation of crops based upon need, want, and seasonality for home. The goal was sustainability, but to do that, they needed both staples and variation. Items that can be easily preserved, true, but also a few items solely for the purposes of keeping up morale. It's funny how easily foodstuffs could do that.
Yes, as soon as he was done here, he was going to hit some Chamber of Commerce records. There were places fairly nearby he wanted to visit. "BUT FIRST!" he exclaimed, "First, I'ma gonna to take these smoky, rendered fat drippings, make me some Gravy!" The talk with Ash could wait a few hours.
The horde following them continued to growl and grow as they ran through the thick woods. Both an advantage and disadvantage using the cover of the forrest, Tiffany continued to follow the man before they stopped. Grateful that he didn't seem like the type to kill her over her shoes, she took a minute to catch her breath. However, her senses didn't kick in when a walker quickly grabbed her hair and yanked.
She fought back and cursed herself for not tying her hair up properly to prevent this, she pushed as much as she could, hoping the teeth wouldn't sink in. She eyed the man pleadingly, and he responded in kind with the blade of the machete, quickly cutting the walker's arms off and allowing her more room to get away. She quickly pulled the walker's limb off of her hair, getting a few strands torn in the process before she stood up to unleash hell on the beast, only for it to be quickly taken down.
She took a deep breath in, "Much appreciated. I suggest we keep moving unless we want more of them in our hair." She hoped the joke would lighten the mood somewhat before she continued on her way, keeping an ever watchful eye as she moved.
Okay, please bear with me right now. I am laughing my ass off.... And I really shouldn't be. Why? because it is sad, it is just down right heart breaking even but seriously, LLA has the most twisted sense of humor. I mean really. We were doing so well, she was saving people and then she whipped her head around and...
She decided she was not only being too nice but to give us our second curse of the RP. We all know what the first curse is. Anyone that gets close to Ash in any way ends up on the chopping block. Well, it seems that now we have a new curse. What do I mean? Well you will see. I just ~keeps laughing~ can't, I just can't. Oh god, I'm going to hell for laughing. Forgive me....
@Nallore@FantasyChic - Normally I hold these for the last updates but seriously I can't. Nal, you are cursed woman, cursed. As you two are heading off Ray stumbles through what seems to be an old hole that was covered up with wood that has rotten away. It isn't too deep so Ray doesn't fall fully in and one foot hits the ground pretty quickly while his other didn't break through the wood and is wedged up; knee to chest. The big problem? There was a walker in there and Ray has been bit. Right through his pants and into his shin about six inches below the knee. (See what I mean by cursed?) Better work quick because this could just be another lost limb moment or it could be a death moment. God ~can't stop laughing~ I'm sorry I know I shouldn't but fuck! Three times???????
@Caits@Nallore - You two are fine, it doesn't seem like anything else is going down. Kris is going to be sore and there is swelling but other than that okay. There is no ice or anything in the apartments, the only ice machine being in the Mess Hall currently. If you want ice you will need to speak with Miss Sally about that. Other than that, you are okay and safe for now.
@rivaan@Morose@Charnobylisk - Okay I know you all haven't finished your rotation yet but knew the counters were getting close so here is your next bit - You all rolled fine and can continue on your way right now without any additional issues other than previously stated. So you all are in the clear for now, keep moving.
Tatiana Korvo
Location: Rec Center
Tatiana glanced over towards Jack and smiled bashfully, a small blush flooding her cheeks. It wasn't the first time she had danced in front of him or warmed up even, but it was the first time she had the proper amount of room she really needed instead of being cramped in some living room hoping that nothing would hear her.
"Maybe one day," she said lightly as she turned and kept warming up until she felt limber enough to actually dance. Hearing Jack pipe up once again she stopped and giggled. "You make blush, stop that," she said playfully as she wagged her finger towards him.
Taking a deep breath she tried to clear her mind and keep from smiling too brightly but she couldn't help it. She was happy, deliriously so. Each point, each turn, each movement was crisper and cleaner than the last. Able to fully stretch and turn without worry. Letting her mind set into the movements without worry that a Walker might come out at any moment. Jack was there, they were behind walls, they were alone: or so she thought.
She didn't even notice when Sophia came into the rec center. She just danced, remembering movements and parts she hadn't been able to fully enjoy in years. Her hair spinning and fanning out around her. She was in her element. There was no fear, no timid little bird anymore. She looked strong and sure of herself as she moved along the floor. Spinning on toe over and over again as she went across it. It wasn't the best floor for such a dance but it was better than she had ever hoped to see again.
As she stopped her hands fluttering down to her sides she let out a long soothing breath, her eyes down cast before they came up to see Jack, and then another. Another was there? Swallowing slightly she clasped her hands in front of her and found herself swallowing slightly as she stood there, just looking at the girl for a moment before she came to her senses.
"Hello," she said timidly before stepping quickly over to Jack and slipping her arm through his. Her head tilting to the side a little as she half stood behind him. The little bird had reappeared.
Bryn gave Zoie a silent nod in return and watched as she led Richard away into her home. She wasn't sure what was going on with those two today. She was sure as hell that Richard was never going to win Zoie back but apparently he was doing something right for her. She had grown close to him over a short span of time but that was before she learned about his lack of respect for those he was supposed to care for. It's why she had stepped back from their friendship.
As Bridgette approached her, Bryn turned and smiled in response to her words. Then the awkward silence fell and before Bree could leave, she clasped a hand on Bridgette's shoulder as she heard her proposal. "I'll help." Walking towards the body of Miss Lilly, Bryn hooked her crossbow strap over her head and made to try and move the body. Another of the Newnan residents, one of Miss Lilly's neighbours, had came out once it was all said and done and helped Bryn move the body to the burial site where she would need to be moved to. Grabbing the walkie from her hip, Bryn prepared to talk into the thing for the first damn time.
"Miss Lilly is dead. Body is being prepared for burial. Orders, boss?" The radio crackled as she awaited the response from Ash.
Dr. Victor Bonheur
Location: Infirmary.
For the what felt like the second time today, Victor felt his eyelids fluttering. He felt a warm, all encompassing pressure and warmth on one of his hands and he glanced in the direction of it and followed the blurry hands up the blurry arms to the blurry face framed by golden braids and frizz. "...Astrid..?" His head was swimming and he felt completely out of sorts. He tried to sit up and found that he had no strength to do so. Another voice this time, masculine and familiar.
His head flopped over to find the source and a blurry face with short hair looked down on him. He had no idea who it was but that was just because he couldn't keep his eyes open fully just yet. He took some deep, ragged breaths and felt his eyelids becoming lighter and lighter as time ticked forward. What felt like hours was mere seconds and Victor's eyes fluttered open. He looked around and saw his infirmary at an unfamiliar angle. "Why am I in a patient's bed? My room is very close, you could have just plopped me down there for my nap..." He made a soft, stupid smile and then shut his eyes as he took a deep breath.
"'ow long was I out?"
Richard Johnson
Location: Outside Zoie's House >> Zoie's House
He hadn't expected her to rest against him again but he was glad when she did. He rested his arms around her and let her lean on him as much as she wanted but he didn't hold her tightly, not like earlier. He was giving her the choice to get out if he wanted to, he didn't want to make her feel forced to stay close to him at all. He was surprised when she kept hold of him as she turned to leave. He didn't want to fight against her so followed her lead.
She opened the door to her place and led him inside. He looked around and felt his jaw tensing as he realised that he'd thrown everything away because of a stupid mistake and bruised pride. He slowly let go of Zoie's grip and walked into the sitting room area. He felt very uncomfortable here, after all the time they'd spent fighting. Even if it had only been a couple weeks it felt like a lifetime in this world. Sighing lightly, he sat down on one of the chairs and kept his rear balanced on the edge of it as if he was about ready to bolt from there if things should turn South.
Slipping some fingers into his front vest pocket, he grabbed a cigarette and placed it between his lips before finding a matchstick and firing it up to light it. He only had a few left but this was definitely a requirement. He kept silent and subdued until she spoke to him. He didn't want to risk upsetting her or doing anything stupid. He did his best when he just kept his stupid mouth shut.
Svetlana Volkov
Location: On the road
Ignoring Ed as much as possible once he agreed to help with the battery (also a little before he agreed), Svetlana made a point to check out the cars. Amelia had had he same idea and managed to come away with some bottles of water and some jerky. Grumbling to herself about the untrustworthy chick finding all the good shit, Svetlana searched the busted up Sedan some more and found the most glorious of all holy grails - small snack sized snickers square. Her mouth began to salivate at the idea of sweet goodness.
Deciding that she deserved this treat all for herself, she slipped it into her pack and buried it deep inside so that it wouldn't fall out. Happy enough with her spectacular find she made her way back over and watched Ed finish up the hashing of work on the truck. She was ready to jump into the driver's seat but Ed's usual non-sensical bullshit caused her to stop before slipping into the driver's seat. She watched him with a confused look on her face and only looked away when she heard Amelia calling out. She turned and noticed the Walkers making their way down towards them. She figured Ed wanted to drive and, considering she had managed to blow out the tyre of their last ride and ruin her hard earned collection of gas maybe it wasn't a bad idea if she didn't drive for a change. Plus she could do with some shut eye.
Running around the front of the truck and into the passenger side since Amelia was in the bed. She didn't bother saying anything, she just stared at Ed expectantly and then rolled her eyes before pointing to the steering wheel, then to him and then to the walkers and finishing it off with a "hurry the fuck up" motion with her hands to try and speed him up. No doubt as soon as Ed got in and started drivnig they'd be able to put a good distance between them and the dead. Svetlana felt the patched up gash on her head and winced, that was most likely going to leave a scar. Her poor, beautiful, little angel face. She pouted slightly before slumping back in her chair.
Ash nodded, allowing himself to feel true relief when Froggy spoke out loud. "Ha! Good to have you back, Victor. You were out for a few minutes, but damn did you give us a scare. You can get to your bed in a little while, ok? Nothing for you today. Please, have Astrid give you a workup, find out what happened if you can. Next, you're taking it easy." Ash smiled from one side of his mouth, as if he were suppressing it. "That's an order."
His radio crackled, Bryn's voice unfamiliar coming through. So Lilly had passed. It put a gloom on the day, another one, but it was part of the whole Circle of Life that mankind had been shoved violently back into fully. She was an okay lady. "Understood. Make sure you get her brain. Same spot we bury all our dead. Umm... dig a hole, lay the body to rest. Anyone who wants to can come by, help fill it in. If it isn't covered by suppertime, take care of it after. You guys get to that Wall as soon as she's in the hole. Domestic will let people know."
Bridgette Vinters
Location: Exterior Courthouse, Burial Site
Bryn and the Newnanite seemed to have the body well under control. Bridgette mounted her Cadence and quickly set to the task of locating two shovels. By the time she had made it out to the burial plot near the school, Lilly's remains were already there, mostly wrapped up in bed linen. She handed her work partner and friend one of the shovels, set the blade of hers into the earth, and leaned hard into it with her right snakeboot pressing it underneath the grass ad dirt. Bridgette worked silently for a minute or two, before quietly saying, "Thanks, Batgirl."
She mostly kept quiet while she dug. It wouldn't be any massive length of time for this to be done, it's not like they were going for the full six feet here, the traditional depth for a job like this, either. Far enough down to be respectful and practical, not so far down as it dominated their morning. They all had jobs to do, despite the insistence of fate to delay hers. Perhaps with hindsight, deeper meaning could be put to the series of events of this morning. As usual, only time would tell.
Black James!
Location: Newnan, Inner Wall - Smoker
♫"You know, you got-ta got-ta got-ta, Thank GOD for the GRAVY!"♫
The Great Bazhooli
Location: Somewhere on the Norfolk Southern Railway System, headed Southeast
The railway handcar was in dire need of oil. Maybe graphite would do, but stopping long enough to shave down a buttload of pencil leads didn't seem like the best idea at the moment. At least, not until he found said buttload of pencils and someplace secure enough to hole up while he extracted their cores and ground them down to fine powder. For whatever reason, he hadn't been able to find oil for quite a while, either. Luckily, the handcar that formerly belonged to his troupe's locomotive was a sturdy means of conveyance. Not a whole lot of moving parts, the benefit of which being that there wasn't a lot to break. The fact that he strongly suspected it was an antique notwithstanding, it had been a serviceable means of getting from Point A to Point B that was faster than walking and carried a small amount of cargo.
Except that he really had no cargo anymore. And though he definitely had a Point A, the idea of Point B was as demolished a concept as pulling his handcar around a drive-thru for a quick burger and fries. Dear and smiley God, could he go for a burger and fries. Maybe one of those artisan dealies with a brioche bun and pepperjack, topped with a liberal helping of lightly vinegared, shredded cabbage and fresh cracked pepper, with a thick, medium grilled angus patty sprinkled with tiny amounts of mustard powder and cumin...
Ok, now he was torturing himself. He hadn't seen a burger in years. Years. The last of his own, less-than-gourmet stuff was consumed the previous day, late morning. Scraps really, and even that he shared with his diminutive, orange companion. Yes, somewhere along the way, he picked up a cat. Took to calling it Schrodinger, for reasons that were utterly hilarious to himself at the time. It stuck. He saw the cat, once or twice a day as he squeaked along on the railroad tracks; it was clearly following him. He could not ascertain why, for the life of him. Sometimes the little guy would curl up on the handcar and sleep for hours at a time, only to disappear from under his nose without so much as a polite "...meow..."
Whatever the situation of his semi-adopted feline, the man himself was perilously low on supplies. Zero food, little ammunition. The only thing he had in abundance was knives. Sharp, pointy implements designed to be hurled and/or inserted into people and/or things. Next to his rifle on the handcar lay what appeared to be a bundle of thick, grey-brown fur. One hoped it was for wearing. Being as the fur would be a near psychotic choice to wear for any period of time in the middle of a Georgia summer, his present choice of clothing was somewhat more sane - black cargo pants, well patched from years of abuse at the knees, heavy black boots, and a muted red vest. He wore a thick and formidable moustache, possibly his best identifying feature.
The odd man's face was a mix of emotions common to survivors of this perilous time: Sorrow, fear, regret. Yet despite it all, a clear light burned in his eyes, conveying a sense of determination and cautious optimism. A piece of Hope had not yet been cut away by the years of the Apocalypse. Not yet. The spark of whatever remained of him from Before kept dragging him forward. In this instance, it was dragging him on to the rhythmic creak of restored, 19th century railroad steel.
A breathy groan caught his attention from the side of the tracks. It was a woman, or rather used to be. Mostly naked and very legless, it was dragging itself across the gravel piled up on either side of the tracks. Just the one, for now. Too slow to cause him any harm, no reason for him to stop. The animated corpse pawed impotently up at the handcar as he passed by. Not even a shudder of revulsion anymore, at the sight of it. When all this started, he had the natural human responses of fear and disgust - plenty of both - but now? Now it didn't even register to him anymore unless they posed an immediate threat. Such was the adaptability of humankind in the face of true horror.
Now, he had been up this set of tracks before, a long time ago. Around the time all this crap started, worldwide. He was skirting a little close to the Atlanta Metro area for his liking, being as he was alone. Higher chance of Returned crossing your path, also higher chance of meeting people. As he very well knew, it wasn't always a good thing, meeting people. Were it not for people, he would still have his friends, supplies, and an ambulatory train from which he could live and work. He didn't like being alone. It was dangerous, now more than ever. More than dangerous, it was lonely.
Being as he had been down these tracks just before dead people stood back up and made a meal of the living, it came as something of a surprise when he saw a Wall constructed in the distance. It was still morning, so he had no desire to find a spot to settle into for the coming night, despite the residences that were coming with more and more frequency. He was sorely tempted to stop for an hour maybe, enough time to try and scavenge, but that WALL caught his curiosity with both hands. Did someone build a settlement here? Were they still alive? Would they swarm out from behind their defenses and cut him to pieces? Or would they just shoot him out of jealousy birthed of his very fine facial hair? It was a mad world, these days. He had to know. The pumping of the handcar's lever quickened, pushing him forward with marginally greater velocity.
Coming closer, no trap was sprung. No mass of Returned flooded from behind the treeline to rip him asunder and chew upon his eyeballs. But there were people along that wall. Not all along it, but in regular intervals. And speaking into radios. And looking down upon him with great confusion. The earthen banks around him suddenly shifted up, accounting for the construction of a roadway overpass leading into what looked like a great gate along this manned wall. The people inside knew he was there. Might as well introduce himself.
The colorful man gathered his meager belongings and climbed up the far bank, away from the gate. In truth, all he had left was that lump of fur and his rifle, a standard Remington 750, but he swept up both of them and made them ready. As it turns out, the big grey lump of fur was a well crafted and rustic looking bear fur coat, in a style that could only be described as "vintage", along with a darker fur Cossack hat, an accessory that looked quite stereotypical for a man of his parentage. He slung his rifle on his back, careful to put his hands nowhere near the trigger in the process. The last thing he needed was to get shot because of some jumpy sentry.
When he reached the top, the odd moustachioed man walked across the overpass bridge with his hands out to his sides. He very well could have made the climb on the closer side, but he wanted the people to observe him for a little bit before he introduced himself. When he reached the nearer side of the bridge, he unslung his Remington and leaned it against the side of the guardrail. His coat followed, hanging upon the barrel of the weapon. His hat remained upon his head, purely for ambiance. The large knives on his person stayed in plain view, just to start. He walked a few short steps onto a grassy spot, and stayed quiet for a few seconds so that they could observe him further.
That is, until he began to give his peculiar salutations.
"Naiboleye otlichnoye utro, Damy i Gospoda!" he began in flawless Russian, then made an exaggerated wave as if to atone for choice of language. "Apologies," he began again with a thick, if ever so slightly muddled Russian accent, "I vill start again."
He turned to the side, head still facing up at the Gatekeeper, Jim, and flashed a great, showy smile. A flourish with each of his hands somehow produced two large daggers; a solid feat considering that he had no sleeves in which to hide them. His smile grew just a little wider, and tossed one into the air in a graceful arc, quickly replacing it with another knife from his belt.
"Ladies and Gentlemen please, I vish you a wvery excellent morning." A fourth knife joined the trio he juggled before himself, and he began switching out catching them from both in front and behind his back. Continuing to seamlessly hurl them skyward in controlled movements, he spoke again. "If you vould direct attention to center ring, you vill see amazing feats of Cutlery Prestidigitation, performed by The Great Bazhooli, formerly with assist of Russian Bazhooli Sem'ya."
The speed of the knife juggling increased, almost to a blur for the people manning the southern section of the Outer Wall. Two more knives joined the existing four, making a dangerous half dozen spinning blades moving in vertical orbit around the strange performer's face. Without warning, he jostled his head to either side, dislodging his Cossack Hat from firm fit upon his cranium. The bulky fur thing sat at a rakish angle, threatening to tumble away, until a quick jerk of his head backwards shifted the headgear forward, partially onto his face. It covered his eyes and nose, quite effectively robbing him of his sight, and held in place intentionally by his teeth.
The swift and coordinated movements of his hands ceased abruptly. He held two blades in his hands, the remaining four descending perilously close to his restricted eyes and heaving torso. Instead of impaling him, they landed, blade first in the grass, all grouped within a few inches of one another by his feet. The Great Bazhooli tossed the two in his hands up and forward simultaneously, the blades rotating slowly in the air. A quarter second later, the spry performer leapt over his earthbound knives and flipped once - catching his two aerial blades and shoulder rolling forward. At the end of this maneuver, his hat deftly covered the four knives behind him (spinning about just a little on their hilts), and he was on one knee in a deep bow, arms outstretched beside him, each holding a large pointy implement as if they were always there. Truly, he was a performer of no small ability.
"Had Great Bazhooli but time to show you the best part of act: The long range hatchetry and precision throw-stabbing, I assure you would be moving. Moving perhaps, enough to invite The Great Bazhooli inside to discuss his Amazing Feats of Amazingness, vozmozhno? And maybe snack?"
From out of nowhere, a fuzzy orange blur streaked unerringly toward his head, attaching to it with the precision and grace of a feline, crossed with a belligerent, drunken bowler. It began yowling a truly awful sound that could have been taken as either a playful bit of cat-ry or a declaration of war. The fuzzy, orange blur began moving in the same manner of the contents of a blender on frappe, except around his very dignified noggin.
The Great Bazhooli immediately dropped his knives and clasped his hands to his face, rolling around on the grass beneath him and sharing his thoughts on the matter. "Schrodinger! You bastard! Why? Oy-oy-oy OW! I eat you! I fucking eat you vhen I get chance! ArrrrRrRRRrgh!"
***
From atop his position at the main gate to Newnan, Jim stood with his rifle at the ready and his mouth agape. Maybe he didn't get a lot of sleep the night before. Maybe the utter randomness of the situation put a strain on his mind. Maybe it was a combination of these things, but he didn't have the slightest fucking clue what he was looking at, nor what the poor bastard being assaulted by a cat was saying. Not a word. Without so much as a glance away from the action, he picked up his radio, and addressed anyone else who had one tuned to their standard channel.
"Um... This is, ah, Jim? Yeah, Jim at the South Gate. Ah... Look, you guys have to see this one. And anyone who speaks Russian? Please. I wash my hands of this."
Naiboleye otlichnoye utro = A most excellent morning Damy i Gospoda = Ladies and Gentlemen Sem'ya = Family Vozmozhno = Perhaps Oy = Ouch (or nearabouts)
"Mon dieu!" Édouard exclaimed, seeing the jerky and the water. It was infinitely better than the dented cans of mush he'd been living off of for ages, though he couldn't help but give Amelia a bit of a slant eye. There was no reason for her to share the food with him. He certainly wouldn't have wanted to share with her. For a mere moment, he considered chucking the car battery at her, and taking the supplies... But if he was being honest with himself, that'd take a lot of effort. He'd have to keep on walking, he wouldn't have Svetlana to follow him around and kiss the ground he walked on, and he couldn't use Amelia as a minion to gather supplies. She'd have to stay, for now.
However, a dopey grin appeared on his face the instant he realized Svetlana and Amelia were going to let him drive. He cracked his knuckles, bounced up and down a bit on his feet, and tilted his head in both directions. Mentally ready to go, Édouard climbed into the front seat, only to bash his knee--the injured leg's one, mind you--against the door. "Merde! Merde! Brûle en l’enfer!" Rubbing his knee, Édouard slammed the door shut, and got the car running.
Slamming his foot on the gas pedal, the car lurched forward, and Édouard moved over to the right side of the road. Despite it being the end of the world, old habits die hard. In France, he'd learned to drive on the right side, only drifting over to the left in order to give his tutor a heart attack.
Most of his tutors ended up having heart attacks, funnily enough.
"Où est-ce que nous allons?" Édouard asked, pushing the gas pedal harder and harder. He almost got a giddy joy out of seeing obstacles on the road, taking it as a challenge of his prowess as a driver. Of course, he wasn't entirely stupid. As much as he wanted to go as fast as the car could, he knew it just wouldn't do. The main issue? He was reading his speed in KHM, rather than MPH. He frowned to himself, noticing that the speedometer appeared to be off. It told him that he was going 30, but to him, it felt more about 40.
"Ça ne marche pas!" Édouard whined, whacking at the speedometer with his free hand, keeping the other on the wheel. First his thermometer didn't work, and now this? In one day, he had lost faith in any American measurement device. It must've been a side effect of their uncultured upbringing amongst an obesity epidemic.
Mon dieu! = My god! Merde! Merde! Brûle en l’enfer! = Shit! Shit! Burn in hell! Où est-ce que nous allons? = Where are we going? Ça ne marche pas! = It doesn't work!
Jack Hudson
Location: Rec Center
"No can do," Jack replied, grinning like the cat that ate the canary. "Job description. Boyfriends gotta tease." But of course, he complied with her request, and merely watched her in silence. Most, he figured, would've been bored with ballet, finding it to be useless. But to him, it was the most valuable thing in the world. The little things, art and games, those were the things that kept them human. Otherwise, they weren't any different from those dead sons of bitches.
In the midst of Tatiana's routine, a girl wheeled herself into the Rec Center. Jack tensed up slightly, still adjusting to seeing all of the new faces. However, he'd never met someone in a wheelchair who caused too much trouble. He relaxed slightly at her friendly greeting, glancing over at Tatiana briefly, still absorbed in her own routine. "Nah, you're not an intrudah...Unless, 'course, you went intru-dah-window...." He grinned widely, waiting for her to crack up at his pun.
He held Tatiana close to him with his left hand, extending his right hand for the amputee. His warm, boyish smile on his face, the same one he had used with the victims he'd find and rescue as an officer. "Name's Jack Hudson. And this here is Tatiana Kovo," he introduced, butchering his girlfriend's last name. "Pleasah to meet you."
Location: The Southern Gate, then Kris' Apartment.
Kristina nodded as she slowly got up from where she was sitting and made her way towards the shower. "It hurts like hell, but i'll manage after a visit to the infirmary." Kristina said as she winced moving her way towards the shower, Kristina started to take off her clothes she would wash them later. "I get the feeling that you like her, why not just tell her how you feel?" Kristina said as she hopped over and turned on the shower, she was going to just take a quick shower and get out. "I'd rather let someone know how I feel now then spending the rest of my life not knowing if someone does like me or not." Kristina told her as she slowly climbed into the shower feeling the cool water on her skin Kristina started scrubbing herself from the manure that didn't get washed away from the hose.
Five minutes later Kristina climbed out of the shower and made her way back into the room looking at Niesha for a moment and gave her a slight smile. "It won't hurt just to take a leap of faith, you never know Sophia might actually like you as well." Kristina said as she went to put on the clean set of clothes, and tied her hair up into a pony tail. "After you wrap it up, mind helping me over to the infirmary?" Kristina asked softly as she put on her shirt and extended her injured ankle towards Niesha so that she could wrap it up.
Sophia Harris
location: The Streets of Newnan, then The Rec Center.
Sophia leaned back in her seat and watched as Tatiana started to do her dance she watched her for a good while, growing up she didn't do ballet. She remembered her cousins used to do that whenever she visited them, or they came over to her house when Tatiana finished her dance Tatiana finally noticed her as she quickly went over towards Jack and clung to him like she was a timid little child. Sophia would smile at the ballerina and then turned to look up at Jack and gave him a smile as she reached over for her right hand and gave him a firm handshake. "It's nice to meet the two of you." Sophia said brightly, the couple in front of her were really cute, she laughed slightly at Jack's comment. "I don't think i'd make a good intruder."
"I'm Sophia Harris, actually I've been in the infirmary for the last month finally got discharged this morning. So I've just been trying to find my way around this place." Sophia she was curious about them as she looked at the couple in front of her, they didn't seem like bad people at all so far which was a good thing. "So where are you two from originally where did you two meet if you don't mind me asking?" Sophia asked as she shifted slightly in her wheel chair. "I was born and raised in Colorado Springs."
Raymond Mendoza
Location: The woods around Arnco Mills
"Don't mention it. You might want to get a haircut or something." Raymond joked with a slight smile as he looked over his shoulder at the group of walkers behind them, luckily they were slowed down by the trees. He started to run forward again as he made a few feet forward from their brief little break. Raymond stepped onto some rotted wood, all he heard was the snapping of the wood and his foot breaking through the hole. Ray groaned as he felt the air from his chest was knocked out of him, then he felt something grab onto his leg then a sudden and sharp pain shot through his leg causing Ray to yell out in pain.
He quickly pulled himself out of the hole as the walker temporarily let go of his leg, he rolled to the side Raymond looked down at his leg seeing the whole in his pants and then the blood coming from it. He looked up at Tiffany and then down at the bite, karma must have bit him in the ass for leaving Pants Shitter to die. He knew that if he didn't get his leg removed as soon as possible then he would end up turning, but with the herd of walkers behind them it wouldn't be a safe place to even do it.
Zoie let her fingers slowly slip from Richard as she just stood there looking off to basically nothing. Things were happening and her mind was swimming. Was Froggy okay? Now Miss Lilly was dead and nearly tried to kill her, Richard had apologized finally after a month. All three happening back to back of each other without giving her a chance to process even a single event. Taking a deep breath she looked over to him as he lit up a cigarette in her house. Her house, it would have been their home. They would have shared it over these last weeks. Pushing the depressing thought out of her mind she looked down at herself. She was a mess from the attack and she could feel the light burn of torn and scraped skin on the back of her thighs, some sand and gravel still ticking to her skin.
Turning she walked slowly over to Richard as she wrapped her arms around herself, rubbing them lightly with the palms of her hands. "Is needs to get cleaned up. Could ya stays? You knows, just a little shoken up. Feel like a damn British Nanny just tried to shake mes to death," she admitted as she held her hand out, it was shaking even as she tried to steady it. So unlike Zoie, she usually had nerves of steel. Biting her bottom lip she reached out and ran her fingers through his hair, the tremble still able to be felt as she did. Leaning down slowly, hesitantly almost before she placed a soft kiss to his lips, still tasting like honeysuckle as she always had. Please."
She didn't wait for an answer, simply turning and heading down the hall to her bedroom to get some clothes to change into and a towel so she could shower quickly. If he left, she didn't want to see it. Finding what she needed she stepped over to the bathroom, laying the towel down and turning the water on so it could warm up. Resting her clothing out on her bed as she moved back into her bedroom she found her mind wandering this way and that. She didn't want to think right then, she just wanted to get cleaned up. Reaching over to her Cd player she turned it on and placed the disk changer on random before hopping into the shower, the song playing as she let the water wash away the dirt, grime and blood.
As the water poured over her she stopped as she heard the lyrics and swallowed hard, letting out a long breath as she pushed the stream of water off her face. Lowering her head she let the sounds of the shower drown out everything around her as she started to wash. She had wanted the music and now wished the damn thing was off. She worked quickly but the song was over by the time she was wrapping a towel around herself. She hit the off button hard on the player, not wanting another one to queue up. Drying up and getting dressed she stepped back out of her room and down the hall, figuring Richard would have bolted out of the house as soon as it started playing.
Astrid Hansen
Location: The Infirmary
"Welcome back Victor," Astrid said in a cool voice as she squeezed his hand gently, glad to see the doctor was starting to come to his sense. She smiled faintly as she looked at him, reaching up and feeling his forehead a bit before looking over at Ash who seemed to actually be rambling a bit over the fact that Froggy was awake. She couldn't exactly blame him, she was just as excited about seeing the man open his eyes even if she didn't show it.
"Only out long enough for Zoie to deck Dick," she said, with a slight chuckle even before she turned and grabbed a blanket. Shaking it out she pulled it over him up to his chest and nodded towards Ash. "He won't be getting out of bed," she assured him and gave Victor a rather stern look. If he wanted out of bed he'd have to best her and that just wasn't happening, not on her watch.
Hearing the radio crackle she sighed. Miss Lilly had been old and sick for sometime. It wasn't anything the city had to worry about, an old disease that nothing could be done for it. It was bound to happen and Astrid had honestly been counting the days down, she didn't think the woman had had much time left. She was surprised she had lasted as long as she had. The pair had wanted her to stay in the infirmary but she was stubborn and wanted to live before she died. Who were they to say otherwise? Especially in this day and age.
"I will do a full work up once I am sure he won't be blacking out on me again."
Tatiana Korvo
Location: Rec Center
Tatiana leaned against Jack, her arms slipping around his waist as she rested her head in the crook of his shoulder and looked at Sophia. Her clasped hands unfolding for a brief moment as she gave a small wave before her fingers laced once again. Biting her bottom lip she looked around, speaking about her past was not an easy thing, even recent past. She just wasn't one to open up to someone she had never met before. It took weeks of being around Jack basically twenty-four hours a day in seclusion to really even start being relaxed enough with him to open up in the slightest.
"From Russia," she said in a mouse like voice in response to the questions before going quiet again. Her thick accent was probably more than enough to tell people where she was from without even telling them; that was if she spoke. A crackle through the radio pinned to the wall came through; all the radios on the general station were on in each of the main buildings as an alert system to people over all since there was not enough of them to go around to each person outside of the leads.
Hearing Jim's words Tatiana looked up to Jack slowly, swallowing hard. She spoke Russian, it was her mother tongue. Taking a deep breath she looked around nervously, she doubted that they had another in the walls that did. It wasn't like speaking Russian was a common thing even before the outbreak in this country, now far less likely. She had run into plenty who spoke only Spanish or only English but other than her friend Davi, who apparently hadn't made it here, she hadn't run into a single Russian speaker in the last three years. Wait, what if it was Davi?
"Think Davi?" Tatiana pipped in as her eyes widened. She had to know, she had to check. The woman had been her only friend and constant companion for three years. If Davi was outside the walls she had to do whatever it took to get her inside and safe with her and Jack. "Have to knov, have check," she said as she bit her bottom lip.
With the supplies safely inside the truck and she ‘safely’ on the back of the truck, Amelia seemingly like Svetlana had the ‘Just get going’ kind of look. She wanted to go before the walkers reached them and she felt her heart skip a beat in joy as they started to go. She then tried to find as good place to grip at so she doesn’t rock left and right in case of turns.
“Juste conduire, nous allons trouver quelque chose par la suite.” She said rather loud, but realized they probably couldn’t hear her from inside the truck. That was rather unfortunate as she realized when the truck started to speed up rather more than she was used to.” Slow down!” She called, but knew full well they won’t hear her.
That’s why without much other choice, she sat down at the middle, leaning onto the main part of the truck and still holding onto the edges in fear Ed might try to do some random turn.
‘So far so good. At least they haven’t tried to kill or/and rape me yet....’ She thought shuddering at the mere thoughts of those memories. Ed and Svetlana seemed like okey people. Sveltana seemed like a very capable woman and while she was constantly giving her the evil eye of suspicion, Amelia kind of felt at least somewhat okey in her company. Ed was a whole other story though, he was completely strange and bizarre for Amelia. She couldn’t figure out what he was thinking or why he was acting that way.’ Maybe it’s because he’s French?’ She thought and pulled a water bottle from her backpack to drink a little.
Juste conduire, nous allons trouver quelque chose par la suite.= Just drive, we will find something eventually.
Niesha gave a soft sigh, contemplating going to get some ice while Kristina was in the shower, but she didn't want to leave her alone, in case she got into a bit of trouble. She listened as kristina spoke, squirming slightly. For Niesha, the prospect of telling anyone she liked them was a hard one. It wasn't something she had ever really done before. She always came up with excuses, always figured that the person didn't like her like that, and what was the point of risking heart ache and embarrassment?
"In my experience, sometimes the knowing is worse" Niesha said softly, remembering her troubled teen years. She seemed to drift off for a minute, unable to stop the memories that she'd rather just fade away, but were as sharp as if they had just happened. She shook her head, as if she could wipe it as easily as an etch a sketch.
As Kristina hoped about, Niesha watched her, ready to help if the other girl needed it. Sitting down with the bandages, Niesha gently, but tight enough to provide support, wrapped Kristina's ankle, doing so to provide the ability to still bend her ankle, while keeping it supported. It was really a simple bandage, and Niesha was doing in mere moments, checking the perfusion by pressing Kristina's toe nails, and watched the white rapidly turn to back to red. She did the same above and below the banddage, a little over the top but Niesha wanted to make sure it was okay. "I haven't exactly had good experiences with telling someone I liked them. The only relationship I had kinda just...faded back into friendship, and that relationship only happened because she wouldn't just let me be" Niesha had gone to college, mute and a troubled individual that had trouble with emotions and explaining herself, and come out little better at emotions, although she spoke more often.
College was easier to dwell on then high school and her childhood, but still those times were over. "I'd rather have friendship with Sophie, then nothing. Sometimes the risk is too great. And...and I can't protect her. I couldn't protect my community, how can I protect her? I let her get bitten. I should have been watching. I'm too...unworthy" Checking the blood flow once more, Niesha was satisfied and she stood up, "I'll help you to the infirmary, I'm not going to let you hop down there" She said, managing a small smile. "I don't know if there's any pain killers, but Ice will do you well. I can try and get some from the mess hall. Miss Sally will hopefully give us some. But I'll get you to the infirmary, first" She had hoped to avoid the infirmary now, but Kristina was more important to her then her own pride. She offered a hand to Kristina, and said "You can use me as a crutch. I won't collpase" she promised, managing another smile.
It took but a moment for Tiffany to realize the intensity of the situation when Raymond fell into the hole. After the two joked around, it was only a matter of seconds for the shit to hit the fan. If the sharp cry didn't say the problem, the Walker was easily identifiable. She lifted her bow and cracked an arrow into the skull. She didn't go retrieve the arrow though, there were bigger concerns.
Many thoughts began to run through her head. Should she run away now and leave Raymond to fend for himself? The man helped save her life, but it was survival out here. Should she bandage the wound? She saw bites before and watched people die from them, but perhaps years of this meant that survival odds were better? She didn't know.
Raymond looked up at her and then down at his bite, and the recognition on his face said it all. She took a deep breath and took off her hoodie and took off her shirt. After a brief moment of embarrassment she put her hoodie back on and began carving her shirt into strands. She didn't like this chain of events, but if he had any hope for survival, it had to be done. "For the record, I don't know what I am doing and we need to do this quickly. I would find something to bite down on, your shirt or something, and we'll get this done." She didn't want to do it out in the open like this, but they had little choice. After she made her makeshift bandages, she motioned for Raymond to hand her his machete. After he did so, she took another deep breath and looked into his eyes one last time, as if to say she was sorry. She waited until he gave the all clear before she made the first cut.
Brutal isn't the right word for what she was doing, but it fit. She continued to cut through skin and bone, hoping Raymond had the inner strength to hold out since they had no antibiotics or pain killers. She continued to "help" get his leg taken care of. When all was said and done she quickly took the strands and began wrapping them tightly around the leg to prevent further bleeding. Once that was done they could get going and find a safe shelter for a bit and fully take care of things, but they didn't have the luxury of time at this moment. She did the best she could wrapping up the wound before she stood up and helped Raymond to his feet, "I am sorry, scream in pain later, but we need to keep moving. When we find shelter I'll be able to better take care of it." She helped Raymond and put his arm over her shoulder and the two began walking, or limping, along.
"And if the accent didn't tip you off, I'm from Boston," Jack answered. "Well, Boylston, but nobody evah knows 'bout Boylston." He couldn't help but be impressed my her firm handshake, especially given her lack of another arm. He'd been living in the same world as her, but he'd never seen someone amputated in order to avoid turning. Newnan seemed to get better with each and every moment, and Jack's head turned, hearing the crackle of the radio. Subconsciously, he expected a police dispatch report, a request for all available units to go to a location. He reached for where his own radio would've been on his belt three years ago, only to grab air.
Jack hesitated slightly, thinking over it all carefully. As much as he wanted Tatiana to find her friend, he couldn't help but feel that wherever Davi was, she wasn't Davi anymore. "Could be," Jack agreed, settling on a more positive outlook. "We ahen't supposed to just wandah around yet, could ask Miss Sally to take us to the wall to see. 'Least we can do, since you speak Russian, solovey."
He nodded at her, squeezing her slightly as a show of confidence and faith. Even if it wasn't Davi, he figured, Tatiana would be able to translate, probably be a show of good will for those in Newnan. On the other hand, he couldn't help but be slightly suspicious. What were the odds that two Russian speakers would show up in Newnan on the same day? He glanced down at Sophia, feeling a bit rude for them getting ready to leave as soon as they met her. "Do you know where Tati can go an' see if this is a friend of hers?" Jack inquired.
For the first time since he started producing a feast from the recently truck-bludgeoned deer, Black James received a message through his walkie. It was cryptic, kinda. Definitely a thing which would pique one's curiosity. The words of their main Gatekeeper, Jim, sounding through the black, composite plastic box attached to his hip:
"Um... This is, ah, Jim? Yeah, Jim at the South Gate. Ah... Look, you guys have to see this one. And anyone who speaks Russian? Please. I wash my hands of this."
Now THAT sounded like an interesting turn of events. Something worth taking a look at, if he spoke Russian or was part of the Security team. Another new guy! Someone else to meet and greet, learn about, teach in the Ways of Newnan. After a lengthy assessment of their trustworthiness and capabilities, of course. Jim's words seemed a little exasperated, perhaps, but nothing along the lines of an emergency. If the fellow (or fellows) at the gate were hostile, a very different kind of message would have been given. The alarm bells would have sounded, something. This was benign in nature.
Too bad it wasn't his concern whatsoever. I mean, it was a concern for the community, but unless specifically called for, there were people that handled things of this nature. James was the guy you talked to about growing many and varied things suitable for human use and consumption, proper care, feeding, hunt, and slaughter of porcine livestock, and just maybe a colorful anecdote every once and again. Hey, you need someone shot, he's a more than capable marksman. Hell of a gun for it, too. But this situation? Nothing he could contribute.
Yet more interesting stuff going down in a town he was helping to make prosperous that he either knew nothing about or could not help with. Ah, well. But this time in front of the smoker with minimal distraction did give him time to think. He had talked to Ash about his little writing projects over the past month. They seemed a little morbid to him, like he was preparing for his own death. In truth, he half-expected the Captain to eat a bullet after he was through. But he didn't. Listening to the pop of slow burning wood and the occasional sizzle of liquefying fat striking the bottom of the hot smoker, he drew into a kind of meditative lull. A realization dawned on him - Ash wasn't preparing for himself for death. He was preparing Newnan for it.
Continuing with this train of thought, the grim sumbitch knew things that no one else in town did. He'd been making plans with Leann long before Eden invaded, same day as the walls were breached and the dead FLEW IN by means of tornado stowaway. Those plans hit a hiccup, no doubt, but all that death... if both he and Leann had died, Newnan would have been without direction, nor the planning to develop as a community. James didn't know how much was lost due to the original Commanding Officer's death, and was sure that they were just winging it with some things.
What if James himself died? He was the only guy who was making plans, and damned good ones, about the agricultural future of his new home. The people working under him were goodly folk, no doubt, and knew their way around shovel and seed, but simply lacked the foresight and experience to really blossom Newnan into what it could be. It was time to make plans. Years in advance kind of plans, and write it all down. He could die just as easily as anyone else, and he also knew things that no one else in Newnan did. At least, not as well as he.
Well, that was that. He was going to pen his plans, both short and long term. Shouldn't take long, there was plenty of reference material on the actual planting aspect of it all. Following that, he was going to approach Newnan's new leaders and request to lead a team to execute those plans. Of course, for everything to work out, they would need people to explore outward, look for more people. The base of recruiters may have to expand.
But these were all plans that would occur after this delectable bit of flesh was done accepting the appropriate levels of heat, smoke, and time necessary to bring it to culinary perfection. And to Hell with the drama elsewhere. They don't want to talk to him, he'll concentrate on what he does best. Now, to the Gravy.
Ash Holloway
Location: Interior Courthouse, Southern Gate
When it rains, it pours. The whole of the apocalypse reminded him of sentry duty, during his early military career. Hours upon hours, days upon days of absolutely nothing but the rigid discipline and rituals thereof; the waiting, saluting, speaking the proper words in the proper tone to your superiors and relief - and then the times when something happened, few as they were, the shit really hit the fan.
Today was going to be one of those days. Almost a full month of rebuilding, reorganizing, and setting in new additions to their community. Relative quiet, really. Growing of crops, construction of gates, establishing wells, putting up fences. The Valkyries were especially happy about the last two points, not that you could tell unless you looked closely. Their little stronghold just outside the Inner Wall was an excellent regrouping point, with its own water source and rough hewn wood fencing. James had done a wonderful job getting their crops back on track, even instituted something involving "companion planting" and "crop/livestock rotation", or something like that. Zoie was training the hell out of the Newnan folk, now that it was apparent that they had definitive enemies. They had been coming together and growing stronger, quietly, for a while now. Today just had to happen eventually.
Today looked like it was going to continue in a manner of escalation, or at least consistent of questionable events. This feeling was confirmed by the next radio transmission from Jim, the Gatekeeper:
"...Ah... Look, you guys have to see this one..."
Froggy was ok, at least well enough for now. No one else had come on the line for a few seconds, meaning that Zoie was either indisposed or without her walkie. Ash responded in her stead, "Received, Jim. I'll be along shortly, and I think we have one person who speaks Russian, arrived today. One minute."
One Minute Later
"Jim. You understand that, when you took this job, you would be the first to observe and evaluate new people." He voice was understanding but slightly impatient. "I understand your hesitation, but you really can't give me a "wash my hands of it" explanation."
Ash sighed. He got it, the guy certainly seemed colorful. Add to it a thick accent and a moustache that could probably signal a rescue chopper... it had been a strange day. Looked to get overwhelming if they didn't stay on top of it. "So what's his deal?"
The Great Bazhooli
Location: Outside Newnan's Southern Gate
Okay. The Great Bazhooli hadn't been let in immediately. This was not ideal. On the other hand, he hadn't been shot, either. Not ideal, but not the worst way to kick off a meet & greet, by anyone's standards. Perhaps the reason for his lack of instantaneous welcome came due to the unfortunate and unexpected attack of his semi-adopted feline, Schrodinger. The fuzzy orange bastard had never really seen him pull off a routine, and acted like a kitty possessed.
The truth of the matter, from the cat's point of view, was that the big, strange human had decided to play. He seemed nice enough, giving him food every now and again and allowing him to enjoy his warmth when it got colder at night, but he never wanted to do anything fun. Now that he had discovered other humans, he seemed to want to play. This was good! Playing was good. Though he seemed ever so put out when the nimble tomcat pounced in honest joviality. Humans were strange. Schrodinger decided it would take more time to figure them out.
Meanwhile, The Great Bazhooli had moved to recover his knives, hat, and coat. He kept the rifle where it leaned, still wary of these people and hoping not to make a threatening first impression. He then remained standing, adopting various histrionic circusy poses as the (now) two men stood atop the Wall post, discussing his fate. It was when the freshly arrived man posed a question, "So what's his deal?" that he decided to cut in, leading the way with his girthy Russian accent:
"Deal is, good comrade, dat you have honor to vitness The Great Bazhooli, alive and in flesh! Da, internationally recognized Great Bazhooli, Master of Impalement Arts and..."
From bushes nearby, one could hear an attention grabbing "...meow..."
"..and... and his faithful Cat, Schrodinger! Eh... chert voz'mi. Look, I level with, okay? I am Great Bazhooli. My circus train, assault by peoples. Then Returned, afterward. Dead and scatter-ed, all of. I look for them, I look for place too, yes?" His accent softened just a touch with his next sentence. "I'm not good with Alone, anymore."
"Meow!", as if on cue.
"Except for Schrody! Yes! I have the Schrodinger, who I have decided not to eat today..." he added, looking in the direction of the now emerging feline as if in warning. "I could use thing to eat, and kitty can use milk, or mouse, nyet raznitsy. Uh, I vork! Vork if need. Vork for Schrody, too. Is handful, but good kitty."
da = yes chert voz'mi = damnit nyet raznitsy = no difference (used as "whatever" colloquially) Vork = Work (if it wasn't clear from dialogue)
On hearing what had happened between Zoie and Richard, Victor laughed before coughing from the laughter and then wincing from the effort of both these actions together. "Oh merde! Bad idea, very bad idea. Merdermerdemerde, zut!" He could feel his heart rate spiking but managed to calm it enough to a reasonable level where it didn't hurt anymore after a few seconds of uneven breathing. He held a hand up towards Astrid and smiled through it. "I'm okay, I'm okay."
Victor slowly raised a hand and patted Ash on the forearm as he spoke to him. "Not to worry, I'll be 'ere and listening to médecin mademoiselle dans la formation." He glanced over to Astrid and gave her a warm, albeit weak, smile. "I will take the bed rest 'appily right now. I promise I won't be difficult."
Victor was unused to seeing Captain Ash making jokes and it was a nice change even if it was only happening due to his inability to remain conscious for a reason that may not actually be as illusive as believed. Victor heard the crackling of Ash's radio and looked at it in confusion while blinking rapidly. "More oddballs for the pot called Newnan?" He waved farewell to Ash as he left to see to his duties and then turned his head back to Astrid, a pleased smile on his face and a twinkle in his previously unresponsive eyes.
"So, where do you start with this situation? Remember, there are no wrong answers." He was never one to miss a learning opportunity.
Richard Johnson
Location: Zoie's House
Richard glanced up as she spoke and he still chose to keep his trap shut. He nodded as she asked him to stay but he could barely even look at her. He felt like absolute shit but he wasn't so much of an asshole that he'd leave her in her time of nee-- It was odd having her kiss him again. He wasn't complaining, she tasted just as nice as she always did. Sweetness on sweetness but he still didn't feel like he deserved it. As she pulled away, he rose a hand up to his lips and felt where hers had just pressed. He was out of it for a second before he realised he'd missed something.
Did she just say please? He watched after her as she turned on heel and walked down the hallway. She was nice as could be and polite in her own way but never in such an open and obvious way as to say please. What was wrong with her? It couldn't just be on him and the shit he'd put her through, could it? If it was Richard had a hell of a lot more self-punishment to inflict before he'd feel worth her time again.
Standing up and pacing back and forth in the sitting room, Richard savoured his cigarette and then realised that he was stinking Zoie's place up with the smoke. "Shiiit..." He walked over to the front window and opened it up, pulling the curtains away from the frame as much as possible and then slung a leg over the ledge and sat on it with the cigarette hanging from the outside arm. Each time he drew from it he made sure to blow the smoke outside to try and keep her house not smelling like his sorry ass. His right leg swung back and forth as it dangled down the front of the building and he looked out onto the street at the spot where Zoie had been laying beneath Miss Lilly's corpse.
Shuddering and closing his eyes as he leaned his head backwards on the frame of the window, Richard sighed and tried to clear his head. As he stopped moving and focusing, he could hear the music that was playing while Zoie showered and he frowned while his eyes were shut and listened to the lyrics of the song. He half figured she'd put it on on purpose but then realised that their music choices were fairly fucking limited so she probably hadn't chosen it on purpose.
The thought crossed his mind about just swinging his other leg over and leaving rather than listening to the damn song but the way that Zoie had asked him to stick around? He couldn't do that to her. He kept his perch on the windowsill and was glad for the music being switched off. He physically felt the tension leaving his chest but the knots in his back and shoulders remained. Fuck. This wasn't going to be easy.
Agnes Brynja Johannsson
Location: Cemetery
After relaying the message, despite her discomfort in doing so, Bryn hipped the walkie and then quietly thanked the Newnanite for helping her move the body for burial. Glancing back over to her new sister, Bryn grabbed the other shovel and began to help Bridgette dig in silence. The two of them working together would make fairly short work on this and then they could get back to work on the wall. The silence was nothing new for Bryn but with Bridgette being so silent it was a new experience.
As Bridgette's voice sounded out in a smaller than normal method, Bryn stopped digging and glanced up to her and smiled. "Don't mention it." They continued digging until the hole was completed. Bryn moved over and picked up the upper end of Miss Lilly's body and nodded towards the legs and watched Bridgette. "We'll get started on the wall as soon as we're done. We can just eat outside instead of the mess hall." She wasn't one to talk normally but it seemed like Bridgette needed something to focus on that wasn't the deceased body of one of the Newnanites. It was particularly strange for her motormouth to be out of fuel and it made Bryn uneasy if truth be told.
Svetlana Volkov
Location: On the road
As the car fired forward, Svetlana gripped the sides of the truck and felt her eyes widening so much she was genuinely surprised that they didn't burst out of her head. She wondered how she could communicate to him to slow the fuck down when he clearly didn't understand her. Glancing over at the back of the truck, Svetlana saw Amelia pretty much reacting the same way as she was. She looked over to Ed and heard him speaking to her and she just looked at him with incredulousness at how stupid he was. They had yet been able to communicate with his language and yet he continued to speak it towards her despite him knowing she was unable to speak it. What an asshole.
As he drove faster and faster, Svetlana couldn't bite her tongue anymore and decided to call out in Spanish. "¡¡¡Ve más despacio!!!" Hopefully his minor understanding of the Spanish language would allow him to know what she was screaming at him otherwise this was going to look an awful lot like a car jacking or a kidnapping. As soon as she got the chance she was going to slap him senseless. She was really starting to regret not shooting him...
@Nallore@FantasyChic - Tiffany manages to get the leg hacked off but it is rough and there are pieces of skin dangling from trying to saw with a machete. She manages to get the rags around but they are soaked through instantly and the blood is pouring out as she helps Raymond to his "Foot" - they pain is more than anything he could imagine, there is no holding in screams and he doesn't pass out during the amputation. It isn't until his face goes pale from the blood loss of having his leg unparallel or elevated in the slightest that he finally slumps and passes out. There is no holding him up. Even though he now weighs less than Tiffany because he just lost some weight dead lifting someone who weighs nearly the same for someone that is untrained ain't gonna happen. Do you leave him there and try to elevate the leg? Try to stop the bleeding? Or just say fuck it and run? Those screams will have been heard.
@Caits@Nallore - Yup, you two are still safe in the apartment, up to you where to go now.
@rivaan@Morose@Charnobylisk - Congrats Ed, you just fucked up. Driving that fast, down a road, with shit that can happen. Yeah, you just blew a fucking tire, more than one, when you ran over a row of spike that were in the road. What the fuck are those doing there? Doesn't matter. 4 flats. The truck doesn't flip but it bounces and Ed has knocked the fuck out of his head on the roof of the truck before he is able to slam the breaks on and come to a stop. I wonder how many languages he is going to get cursed out in.
@Charnobylisk@Sigil - Well you two are on burial detail. Once you get a hold of Ms. Lilly, moving her isn't bad. The kids are still in school so they don't have to see another dead body. Once you start digging, it isn't too bad. That is until a rotten spot on Bryns shovel gives way as it strikes the ground. The handle breaks, causing Bryn to go off balance a bit and ram herself in the chin with the handle.
Tatiana Korvo
Location: Building 7(Rec Center) - Outer Front Wall
Tatiana had to know if it was Davi, she had to know. Looking at Sophia she tried to give a thin lipped smile. She hated to run off but this was her friend she was thinking of. "Sorry, must go," was all she said before she darted off. Running as quickly as she could over to the Mess Hall where Miss Sally was. Asking her quickly about the new arrival. Miss Sally informed her that she would need to go to the outer front gate and speak to Jim, noting that it was where she had come into the city earlier that day.
Nodding and thanking Miss Sally she was out the front door this time and down the main street. She didn't even looked back to see if Jack was following her, she kept hoping that it was Davi out there. At the inner gate she was held up a bit as she tried to explain in her broken thick accented English that she needed to get to the outer gate. They didn't under stand her at first.
"Russian!" she said pointing to herself, the gate keeper finally got what she was getting at and opened the gate for her. Tearing off along the road until she spotted the man who had let her and Jack in up on a post with the man that had interviewed her and Jack earlier. Racing up the steps she called out. "Menya! Menya!" she said as she came up to them and looked over top of the gate. Her face sunk as she spotted the man there instead of who she had hoped it was.
Taking a deep breath she sighed and bit her bottom lip. Would she ever see Davi again? Looking at Ash she gave him a thin lipped looked. "Sorry, vas hoping vas friend. Not friend..." she said before looking back over the wall towards the man and the cat. "Chto ty khochesh'?" she asked him as she called out.
Menya - Me Chto ty khochesh' - What do you want?
Zoie Crawford
Location: Building B(Zoie's House)
Zoie rubbed her towel along the back of her hair as she stepped down the hallway, she had figured that Richard had already left but when she turned the corner to peer into her sitting room she was met with a bit of a surprise as she saw him sitting there in the window smoking a cigarette. He was still there. She was cleaned up now, a little bit of a cut on her cheek and some scratches on the back of her legs but other than that she was physically fine. She wore a light yellow babydoll dress with a pair of spandex shorts underneath since it was so short. Still in her work boots with the white socks peeking out of the top and her belt over the dress with her guns and knife at either side of her hips. She looked like a walking stereotype of southern backwoods girls.
Draping the towel over the back of a chair she stepped over to Richard, tucking a few damp blonde curls behind her ear as she sat down across from him in the window sill, propping her feet up in the sill as she drew her knees to her chest and rested her chin on them. Wrapping her arms around her bent legs she looked out of the window and took a short breath. She wasn't exactly sure what to say. It wasn't like she and he had really spoken since that night.
Right then though, she forgave him. That was how Zoie was. She didn't hold grudges, she moved on. He had finally apologized and for her it was over and done with; as long as he didn't pull the same shit again but in her mind since it had taken so long for him to say anything he had no want to be with her. Not anymore at least. Looking way she watched the leaves rustle in the trees as she wind blew a soft gust between the houses. "You dos knows I forgives ya right Honkey Tonk?" she asked him quietly before looking back over to him. She wanted him to know that she did, even if perhaps it wasn't needed or maybe he didn't want to hear it but she wanted him to know it.
Astrid Hansen
Location: Building 1(The Infirmary)
Astrid nodded towards Ash as he left to deal with who or whatever was out at the front gate. Turning back towards Victor as the door swung shut she pulled up a chair and sat down next to him. He was testing her as he always did, she knew that. She wished he wouldn't right then because if he passed back out she wanted to go ahead and have a clue of what to do but it appeared that that wasn't going to happened right then.
"I have taken your vitals, I have the monitors hooked up. I have checked for any signs that what could have caused you to black out to have been caused by external sources. The next step is blood work. I must draw a minimal of four vials of blood and see if anything can be deduced from them. Before blood is drawn from your vein though, I can run a simple sugar test with a little prick to make sure it wasn't just low sugar. After that though, I will need to look more closely at your blood to see if we can determine why the sudden. We have your symptoms but because they are so few it could be anything from a simple fainting spell, over heating, dropped sugar level, heart condition, or more."
It was rare that the woman spoke so much but she was giving a list of steps and probabilities. This was not conversation, this was education. She knew if she was short with her answers that Victor would prod her for more, it was better to answer once than to answer the same thing while expanding on it each time, multiple times.
Completely oblivious to Amelia's frantic shouting behind him, Édouard continued to whack at the speedometer. Truthfully, he knew that Svetlana couldn't understand him--but he didn't think playing charades while driving was a particularly good idea. Even he wasn't that reckless. Instead, he continued to prattle on, not once regretting his decision to skip his English lessons as a child. The language was la merde des cochons. At least with Italian, he could take a boat over to Italy for the week, and amuse himself however he liked. Everyone had to bend to his will, it was the way he was raised. No one ever told Édouard Gautier Riviere no...Aside from his parents and his sisters, of course. Alisanne in particular enjoyed chewing him out, while Darcey didn't even have the patience to deal with him.
He frowned at Svetlana, attempting to work through the words. Ve más despacio? Slowly, his mind attempted to come up with a translation for it, relying on similar sounds and words. V....mass...un....? He shrugged helplessly at Svetlana, taking his eyes away from the road. The speedometer continued to tell him he was going 30, no matter how much he sped up or slowed down. Letting out a sigh of frustration, he couldn't believe it. The apocalypse wasn't supposed to involve broken speedometers--he hadn't signed up for that!
"It...iz...mal..." Édouard explained, hitting the thing again. He had picked up a small bit of English, but even that simple phrase took a lot of effort. He couldn't help but grin slightly as he felt the car shake and bounce, assuming that the speedometer had corrected itself. That was, of course, until his head hit the ceiling repeatedly. Each crash caused his vision to spin, disorienting him beyond the ability to complain. Reflexes took over and Édouard hit the breaks, bringing the car to a halt.
Glancing around, Édouard braced himself, prepared for Svetlana to beat him. But it wasn't his fault that the speedometer was faulty! He peered at it, prepared to defend himself, before he noticed something peculiar. "M....P....H?" Édouard said slowly, before his eyes widened with comprehension. It wasn't broken after all! He laughed slightly at himself, rubbing his own head. "Ce n'est pas en kilomètre à l'heure!" Édouard exclaimed, acting like he'd just won the bloody Noble Prize. He opened the door of the truck and hoped out, admiring the damage caused. It wasn't nearly as bad as what Svetlana did, and his pride swelled.
"Amélie!" Édouard called out, realizing the girl had been in the back. He awkwardly limped over to her, his leg bothering him still from the previous car crash. "Tu es en bonne santé?" he asked, rubbing the back of his head. He then glanced down at the spikes in the road behind them, frowning slightly. "Qu'est-ce que c'est?" he pondered, glancing between the spikes and Amelia.
Dans la rue = In the road la merde des cochons = pig shit mal = bad, evil Ce n'est pas en kilomètre à l'heure! = It's not in kilometers per hour! Tu es en bonne santé? = Are you in good health? (Are you okay?) Qu'est-ce que c'est? = What is that?
