Shoe Thief

🧚🏻‍♀️ The Walking Dead - Year 6 Part 1

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Emanuel "Manny" Newman

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Location: Quarantine
Skills: N/A

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The man who had been greeted with open arms on the first day, had been kicked out due to fears of being a violent problem. From what Manny had seen he was one of the last people he thought would fit that roll. There were fights already this week, out bursts, people who seemed less then stable. He was honestly worried about what Hunter would do when he was declined. But not only was he accepted in, he seemed to have agreed to stay. What he wasn't sure he was ready for, was Beatrice. He couldn't say it was unexpected. She was a strong leader, a good fighter, and someone who could take care of herself. And probably functioned best in those kinds of environments. By herself, watching her own back. She came over to him first to say goodbye. This, was another surprise. Yes, the two were close, closer then many family members, but other then being apart of the same survival team, there wasn't much between them. Though he would die for her, and he was sure she would for him. "You've done good so far, keep up the good work." He said shaking her hand in return. "If the command here will allow it, feel free to take whatever you want from my gear I brought in. Not sure if you'll find anything useful, but who knows right?" He said as she left. Sure, they may not let her, sure a lot of his gear worked well for Manny because of how he had evolved as a survivor, but maybe she'd find something useful if they let her rummage through it.

She said her goodbyes to the rest of their little band. It seemed to be progressively harder for her as she went. As she waved one last time, Manny couldn't help himself but to wave back. Sure, they already said goodbye, but goodbyes were hard... no matter the situation. She would do well out there, and the world would be smart if it stayed out of her way.

When Manny had let everything that had happened sink in, he took a moment to look at his new paper. The thing that surprised him on it, was Education. Medical made sense to him, it was his field his entire life. But through his entire life, he had never worked with kids, he had never had kids, and he didn't have any siblings, so he never even found himself to be an Uncle at any point in his life. He wondered how that might go and if that was something he would work well in. He figured what the hell was the harm in trying though. He considered it, decided there was some harm, but ignored it. Kids were easy enough. Keep them occupied, and they learned. Simple and easy. Ignoring his experiences as a kid, and what him and his friends were like growing up. Causing trouble every step of the way for everyone around them.

The news that Manny had been waiting for had finally arrived. They were leaving quarantine. They were going to get a chance to see the town, see their new world, and help it grow and thrive. He was sad that Beatrice wouldn't be here to see it in it's entirety, but she would probably do best on her own. For now at least. He hoped she would come back someday though. Hearing about the party tonight was something he hadn't expected though. Manny figured it would be a good chance to meet the locals, learn what the place was like. Maybe make some friends in this new town.

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Private Hunter James Monroe

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Location: Quarantine
Skills: N/A

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Hunter had a few scenarios planned out in his head. Though most didn't get past the guards. There were simply too many of them, and they had guns. Even though he had little reason to believe things would go that way, he felt better having a back up plan. But none worked in his head either. But the scenario he didn't expect... Was getting accepted. After how his interview went, he figured he was fucked. Meaning he'd lose Izibell, and would be back at square one. But that wasn't the concern now, he was in. All he had to do, was behave, go talk to the person he didn't want to talk to (Though he would), and not draw anymore unwanted attention. Would probably help to not blow up anything he wasn't supposed to. People were escorted out still. That surprised him even more, that someone did worse then him. But it fit the odds, 1 of 20. Sure they were not 20, but they were close. Escorted out by armed guards, and then the girl that about broke his arm was also leaving, but by her own choice. Shame. Hunter figured she seemed interesting, and he wouldn't get the chance to explain that he understood how that he fucked up. To her at least. Though, this is easier for him rather then trying to explain himself. Plus, she probably wouldn't care to listen to anything he had to say about it. He hoped she did well though, seemed interesting enough.

His note card was confusing to the former private. "Immature? Codependent?" He said in a hushed tone. The more he looked though the more it puzzled him. First, the immature comment. He was in his mid twenties at this point in his life, sure he struggled with some things, but everyone did didn't they? He was ignoring moments like when Lazy town came on and he got as excited to watch it as anyone in the intended audience age range, his inability to take many situations seriously, and his lack of people skills. The outburst made sense. It was very unlike Hunter for these outbursts, but it was unusual for Hunter to have to handle being in social situations. He was hoping that he could work on that. The last thing that got him thinking though... Codependent. "What the hell?" He spoke muffled again, not noticing he was speaking out loud. His biggest issue with the codependent comment, he had no idea what codependent meant. Since it was written simply, he figured it was one of those things that most people knew in some way. Because of this, he had no intentions on asking anyone what the word meant. He would probe around and see if he could figure it out. Maybe grab a dictionary at some point and see if he could look it up without anyone noticing. For jobs though, seemed they were looking to set him up with supply or with animal services. Both jobs were amusing to him. Animals for strait forward reason, they were cooler then people. Supply, seemed simple enough. Plus, Nikki worked supply. She seemed nice, and she also got to carry a gun. Both jobs seem nice.

The woman with the bad ass scars started talking again. The thing that Hunter had a feeling was directed to him, was the lying part. Sure, Hunter had lied. But it's not like everyone wanted to hear how badly he fucked up. He barely wanted to hear it. Though she explained ways to help improve some things, be truthful. Something Hunter struggled with because of his lack of ability to trust others. When she said that their possessions would be returned and that there was a beach party going on tonight, he wondered if that meant he would get Izibell back? If so would they be sharing the same bunk space or would they put her in a kennel at night? God he hoped not that... She liked confined spaces less then he did. Sure she could hide that fear well, but she was a survivor and had made it this far. He would do what he could to help her in those regards.

Something that surprised Hunter, was his slow reaction time to noticing the guards relaxing. When this meeting really kicked off, they were ready to take them all on it seemed. Now? They were relaxing as if it were any other Tuesday. Though today may not be Tuesday for all he knew. Normally things like this though he noticed a lot quicker. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not, but it was change none the less. He decided he needed to keep track of those changes.

🧚🏻‍♀️ The Walking Dead - Year 6 Part 1

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Emanuel "Manny" Newman

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Location: Quarantine
Skills: N/A

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Thana had a lot to say about how things would work for those who stayed here. Since the first day Manny had been conflicted on how he felt about this place. In some ways, it was great because it was safe, secure, and was thriving to get better. In other ways, it reminded him of the early days when the military was protecting himself and the other refugees of the Jacksonville area. But when Thana had finished explaining everything, it all made sense. Things were not the same as before, nor were they in the early days either.

There were several things that he didn't like to hear though. The first, they would be essentially starting over their adult lives until proven otherwise that they could work in other areas or openings became available. He was surprised that even though all the major stuff was fulfilled that there wasn't still a demand for more people in areas. Sure 300 was a lot, but only so much can be done with that number. But he was a dentist turned field medic. This place had no shortage of doctors, and he was in no shape to keep up with the soldiers in the field. Nor did he want or think he could be doing that kind of work anymore. He also worried that his age doing janitorial work. Though he wasn't against it, it was work that he had hoped to stop doing once he got into his field. He worried about his ability to work to get more then the minimal doing this kind of work as well. He wondered if he could get back into dentistry? Maybe make his living by creating a new position for high demand. Sure, this place had a full medical team, but there was always a need to clean teeth, or get them pulled when that time came.

The next thing that got him uneasy, no weapons for those not in specific positions. Manny knew, he wouldn't qualify for any of them. Not properly at least. Though he understood the reasoning, he had been apart of several communities that have fallen and the defense fell to those whoever could get their hands on a gun. Though Manny was limited in that regard too... He was still a decent shot with his shotgun. In the early days, when the refugee camp fell, the main reason he survived was because he was able to start blasting his way out. Though back then, he had a case filled with around two hundred 20 gauge shells. And after escaping he had less then forty. He trusted the ability for those here to protect CMB, but not having any ability to keep himself or those near him safe was... hard for him. It's not like he was still young and could just muscle his way past any foe using a blunt weapon or a pocket knife. Now... he was old, getting slow, and his endurance was struggling to do anything more then basics.

The last one, he wouldn't be allowed to leave these walls other then to leave for good. At this point in his life, Manny had accepted the fact that he was getting old. It scared him a bit, but he was able to work with it so far. But he also knew he had only a few years at best before his quality of life started to deteriorate. Or worse... months. Once that happened, he highly doubted he would be able to leave on his own ability. At that point, he would either find himself never leaving these walls again, or... dead. If he chose to stay... he may never be able to see the world around him outside of these walls... ever again. His life would consist of whatever these walls had to offer. He thought about his life before things fell. How he would jog or walk for miles every day to keep up his physical shape, go to work in the A.M. then go to a shooting range in the P.M. then to go home in the night, all in different parts of the city. He loved being able to travel so much, even if just across town. Even the ability to walk in the woods or the streets of the former towns just for the sake of getting out would be nice.

He stopped himself. He had to stop and realize some things. The world is not the same. Every few decades it seems there is a major change of some kind. Some bigger then others. This one... meant that he lost many of his former freedoms in one way or another. He had lived a long and happy life, and he had seen the world outside of these walls. It was... barren. Peaceful, but barren. But, maybe he could retire... Something he told himself he never wanted to do, but that was before as well... Could he even retire here? Could he even handle retirement? Or could he find a field to keep himself occupied without burning himself out in his age?

The choice was hard for him... There was apart of him that wanted to turn in the paper blank. Then he would say his goodbyes, grab his gear, and maybe make his way back home. Maybe he could set up shop again, despite the lack of clients. Sure there were some people, but not a lot. Maybe he could go home again. He figured it would be nice to go back home, and spend the rest of his days there. Could he even make a trip like that now? If he found a car, maybe. But he wouldn't be able to clear any roads. On foot... maybe... but it could take months at his pace, especially carrying gear. That might be too close. But here? He sat looking at his contract to be. No required therapy. He figured as much. But he figured that he probably wouldn't to be able to tell if he did need it. Here, he could rebuild some semblance of his former life, the life he was happy in. If he went on his own, he might be able to go home, and try and keep the ghost of his past life alive. But... Things were not the same now. Maybe staying was the better option. Alexander was most likely going to stay, Thana as well. Beatrice and Thalia were wild cards to him. But if they left, he had trouble believing that they would travel with him other then to make sure he didn't get himself killed, and then become a burden on them. Or they may stay anyways. He scratched out his name on the paper. At least the first few letters he committed himself to writing before stopping.

Manny eventually let out a quiet, yet deep sigh. He took the pen that was given, and signed his name. He would work his way through the probation period, and maybe he could try to rebuild some shell of his old life. Maybe build a better life for himself then before, even with his current restrictions. He handed the paper to Thana, signed, but in a slightly smaller font due to crossing out a partial signature on the same line. Maybe they would chalk it up to him not liking the way he signed his name, or maybe they would see his indecisiveness. Though, who would suspect a frail old man wanting to wander out on his own in the middle of all of this hell. He didn't say anything to Thana as he turned in the papers, just handed it in, and sat down waiting for whatever was to come next of the survivors.

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Private Hunter James Monroe

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Location: Quarantine
Skills: N/A

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Hunter's day was interesting to say the least. He had been offered to learn how to make a sword, and if the place allowed, cool. Swords were cool in their own sense. Sure he liked guns more, but sometimes a pointy piece of metal was fun to mess with. He would have thanks Nigel before moving on with his day. But what really sealed the deal, was the woman with the scars on her face that showed that she had cheated death, then laughed in his face for trying to call her out on it. Or as Hunter first realized her to be, the first non guard to walk in with a gun. Meaning, she probably fit his other description pretty well. The info dump was pretty big, enough that Hunter struggled to follow along at times, but he got the basics of it well enough.

Soldiers and guards got guns, no one else without express permissions. Limited movement outside walls, fair enough. She explained the housing situations well enough, as well as the currency and personal property thing. It was not was he understood it to be from Nikki. So he could keep his shit, other then the guns and weapons. He found that a shame, but he would work to get them back. Though they were all pretty standard things other then his shotgun. Sawed off with slam fire. Old as dirt, but the function was cool. As long as he could get a new slam fire at some point he figured he would be fine. Though he would need to be in that position again anyways. They may not let him... That would suck. But otherwise, this place was... actually kind of interesting to Hunter. Rules seemed harsh, but at least he had a line to know not to cross. But same threats, bullets to the head. Usual stuff.

The contracts were handed out, he saw his. Therapy required. "Fuck buckets..." He mumbled while reading it. Not realizing he mumbled out loud. Surely he wasn't bad enough to require therapy? Sure he had seen shit out here that scared him, but who hasn't? Surely he should fall lower priority to people that actually needed it? Plus, he wasn't some broken person who need to talk about his feelings to feel better. That emotional stuff was for weak people anyways. Sure he wasn't the strongest at times, but he wasn't weak enough to need this kind of help. Plus, it's only for crazy people... He wasn't crazy... "No... I can't be..." Plus... he figured he didn't need help. He was fine... He wasn't crazy... He didn't need help... That was all that kept going through his head.

Then he thought back to all those years ago... the first deployment. The day his Sergeant gave him the keys. 'Lock the doors, we've done all we can.' Those words, and the screams that followed prevented him from sleeping for weeks. There were hundreds of thousands in that building when they arrived... And he couldn't help but stop hearing the screams as the key turned in the lock. Watching the doors strain from the pounding on the other side, unsure if it was infected or other survivors... How many were still alive in there? He stopped to realize he was hyperventilating. Maybe... he did need help...

Hunter struggled to write his name on the paper. Outside of a few choice moments over the years, he hasn't done a lot of writing and his hands were not use to it anymore. Plus... the idea of talking to a total stranger about his problems was... not an easy thought. He would go and see was it was like at least. What could hurt from that? Hunter walked from his spot and handed the badass scar lady the paper, visibly tense, but he had signed it before handing it in without saying a word. Then promptly rushed back to his seat to sit before he found himself over whelmed. Outside of his nightmares, he hadn't really thought back to those days. And he normally did what he could to ignore those nightmares once he woke. It wasn't hard when awake, sleeping was harder though... he was so out of control while sleeping.

🧚🏻‍♀️ The Walking Dead - Year 6 Part 1

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Emanuel "Manny" Newman

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Location: Quarantine
Skills: N/A

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The morning went by smoothly for Manny. Sure he was stressed, but he figured he did pretty well to hide that. No matter what, it would be his last day in this damn room. That he was glad for. Though he wasn't worried about himself staying much, as his interview felt like a job interview awkwardly enough, but he wondered how those that he came in with would fair. Though he didn't see a reason they wouldn't be let in he still worried. They were his family, no matter how close or far they grew from each other, he would always do his best for them. Though... at his age, his best may be a liability more then anything else.

Manny went on with the day thinking to himself, 'This will be the last time I am doing *Insert random thing I am doing now* In quarantine like this'. Sure, he had loved much of what he had seen of CMB, and some things he had been less then pleased with, but these particular rooms he was looking forward to never seeing again. Though if he were to say that out loud, he could imagine jinxing himself and becoming the designated quarantine doctor. God he hoped that didn't happen. Though while washing dishes for the sixth day in a row being a doctor again seemed much more appealing.

Once back in the main room Manny grabbed himself a simple lunch and found a nice spot to sit. Once he finished his lunch he started pacing back and forth in the main room, not out of anxiety, but for the fact of he wanted to keep moving. He kept his quality of life this high for so many years by keeping active. Sure he was no navy seal doing 10,000 pull ups and push ups. But jogging or speed walking helped at his age. Weights were harder at his age now, but carrying gear seemed to do the trick. Though his endurance has started to struggle in recent years. Maybe he should consider trying weights again, even if light ones. He stopped after a while as he was starting to tire out, and yet again found a comfortable chair to sit in. But damn was he starting to hate chairs. He saw Thana with yet more papers, the poor girl must be drowning in all that damn paperwork. He gave a friendly wave, but she seemed busy so wouldn't push anything past that.

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Private Hunter James Monroe

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Location: Quarantine
Skills: N/A

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To say that Hunter felt like an ass, would be a very accurate statement. While in his stay at Camp Mexico beach he had lost his shit on a new mother, prepared himself to fight off the entirety of the camp (Even knowing he would lose trying), and left a feeling of paranoia where ever he went. He wanted to blame it all on the stress of being in an unfamiliar place, but he figured there was probably more to this then he wanted to admit. This world that he was getting thrown into was... too normal for him. He had heard of soldiers who had returned from war, and found that returning to civilian life was almost impossible for them as it was so drastically different for them compared to the war fronts. Was that something he was going through? He wasn't deployed long at all though... Or was he? Had he ever really left when his unit was killed? Had he ever left the mentality of being a soldier? He didn't know, and it confused and frustrated him. Sure these were thoughts he has had in the past, but not this deep. The closest he had gotten to a normal life before this place would be a couple random survivors who were somewhat nice to him before they were gone too.

His ignorance really showed to Hunter when Nigel and Nikki pointed out that these people were not likely to hold him at gun point like a prison camp if he was kicked out, not unless he caused trouble along the way. Though he felt he had some justification, much of the struggles he had faced since arriving were caused by his own paranoia and lack of ability to trust those around him. But hearing it from Nikki, the girl who was nice and did some maybe flirty things that Hunter still struggled to understand, and from Nigel the man who gave Hunter a chance to be a normal person and have a normal person conversation to help show his calm and collective side, it helped him understand that he needed to dial it back a notch or two. Or maybe remove the notch altogether. Though that would take more then a couple sentences from the two people here he was starting to believe he might be able to trust. Even that thought though reminded him of how far his paranoid thoughts had gotten him.

Snapping back to the world outside of his own head, Nigel had made a comment about Roman Democracy and comparing it to this place. Hunter could see it in a way. The reassurances helped too. "I think things will turn out alright too. One way or another. Things will be... Alright." It was hard to stay positive when every bone in his body wanted to say 'No something is wrong don't trust this place nothing can be this perfect'. He figured that voice would always be there, maybe with time he could fix it. Or at least suppress it enough to function normally. Or... Maybe he wont, and trying to will make it worse... He stopped himself once he noticed those thoughts creeping back in. This was going to be hard. And a problem that couldn't be shot, stabbed, or beaten with a wooden stick. Though a decent start, Nigel asked Hunter a question that he wasn't sure he could say no to. "A sword?" He said with a slight smile and a slight tone change. He turned, making eye contact, but barely full face. "Yeah, that would be pretty cool." He decided that Nigel could be someone to trust. He was nicer then most. Or maybe.... most were that nice, and he struggled to believe that. "I had a sister who was really into swords and things like that, though she was more into the middle ages and things like that. I'd imagine she'd get into the roman stuff too though." He smiled, though it was hard. Apart of him knew he would never see her or anyone else from his family again.

Over the next few hours, the guards kept making their rounds. Though by instinct part of him would keep track of it, he let it go for the most part. Sure, all the guns in play kept his mind working, but otherwise he did his best to just let it go. Chores went by with ease, cleaning wasn't hard when no one here had anything in their rooms, and lunch was lunch. He knew what to expect by this point. There was more activity from the CMB people, but he wouldn't say anything about it. He heard Izibell was doing good, and that made him happy. Part of his interview came back to him. Though not word for word, the concept was the important thing he remembered. If he was going to stay, and become a functioning member of this community, he was going to have to face the facts. They were dead. All of them. It's just a matter of where the corpses are at this point.

🧚🏻‍♀️ The Walking Dead - Year 6 Part 1

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Emanuel "Manny" Newman

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Location: Quarantine
Skills: N/A

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Morning started easy enough for Manny. He slept decent enough despite his fears for what was to come today, who would stay and who would go, and how they might react. Alexanders words the previous night did help though. Between the two of them, they had been alive many long years, with drastically different life experiences. He was pretty sure that between the two of them, their wasn't anything the two haven't experienced in some way shape or form. Though these people, The people of CMB, they were strict, and were not ready to take crap from anyone. Manny could respect that in some ways, but in others he worried they may have been too much and wondered if it had caused problems at times. "I'm awake, and ready to take on the day." He said in a rather blank tone for his usual self. He could think of at least one person who may not take being accepted well. Or may take it too well and cause other issues. He could think of others too that may not take it well, or others who may not take it well if someone they knew wasn't accepted.

It didn't take any special detective to realize what was going on when the survivors entered the conference room. More guards, and more guns. They were prepared to take action if needed, and Manny believed they were more then fine using that action. Thinking back over the last week, he was surprised that they guards were armed the way they were instead of like prison guards, with riot gear and things like that. Sure these people knew how to survive well enough, but they also did a good job at making a situation more uneasy then he felt it needed to be. He tried to factor in his own experience into this, knowing that he had never been to war, he had been in walls almost the entire post apocalypse, and that he had never needed to handle real security work. So for all he knew, he was being over paranoid.

The conference room felt.... Tense. But many were taking things well, and he liked that fact. He noticed Thana and a few others from the survivor group and Camp Mexico beach by some papers. Manny had a few guesses as to what those could be, but he couldn't be sure. Nor would he ask. His best guess, notes from the interviews. All compiled into something useful that all the key members could look at. Or for all he knew, maybe it was an inventory list of everything that the survivors had brought in with them. Sometimes Manny wished he was a proper detective. Then at least he would be able to figure out more about the things that were going on. Though, he would probably know soon enough.

Everyone was settling into the main room, breakfast was being served, and yet again, Coffee. Manny grabbed himself a cup of the glorious caffeinated goodness. He had realized he had pushed his openly conversationalist personality on a lot of people during the week, which had really made many uncomfortable. He saw Alexander, Thalia, Beatrice, as well as a girl who he still didn't know that well all sitting together. He was tempted to go sit by them as they were used to him, but he also knew that many of these people were not fans of fast growing crowds. With the main room still leaving him rather uncomfortable as he felt confined, imprisoned, he found a spot in a chair with his back to the wall by himself. With his back to the wall it helped him forget how small this room seemed at times. Though he didn't show it, the room made him anxious at this point. Out of all the things in his life, nothing was as scary as his time in Eden, and the small cell that they kept him in until they sent him to go fight to the death in some form of shitty arena. That time in his cell had changed him in a way that he wasn't sure he would really recover from the same way. He wondered what things would have been like if team Eden had arrived a couple days later, and he had been forced to fight. Would he have been killed? Or worse... would he have won...

Those times were over though. Now he just waited for the results and to see who would stay and be forced to leave. And those who may leave by their own choice. Manny was ready for it though, even if the stress was starting to get to him a bit.

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Private Hunter James Monroe

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Location: Quarantine
Skills: N/A

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Morning has never been Hunter's friend. Between the nightmares, the fear of being attacked in his sleep, and the fact that he rarely liked starting his day too early anyways, this time of day sucked for the former soldier. Though today was a special kind of sucky. His nightmares enough they were not as bad as usual still kept waking him up making actually starting the day an annoying pain in the ass. Thrown on top, the stress of today's decision was starting to wear him down. He knew what would happen if he didn't get accepted, and he didn't really like his options of staying either, but they seemed better then what would happen if he got kicked out. Nigel was nice enough though, seemed he also was worried about today but in his own way. He spoke a bit in a language that Hunter didn't understand, but he didn't mind. Figured it had something to do with the theme he kept trying to go for. Hunter made note to learn some of it if they both ended up staying. It would be nice to know a limited language. He knew some Russian, but he wasn't amazing at it, and seemed many people here knew as well. So it would do him little good if any. "Whatever may come, hopefully things to get out of hand today." He replied back to Nigel before leaving the room himself.

Nikki was their guard on their way to the conference room. He didn't say anything to her though along the way, stuck in his own thoughts, he realized how stupid he was for letting himself get so weak in front of everyone. She seemed nice enough, but getting close to her was still a weakness. He would be vulnerable, and that could be exploited. Plus, there was always the chance that she was just trying to make him let his guard down. He wouldn't ignore her, but he would refuse to let himself get close to her. Thrown on top, Maddoc had a point, Hunter got shot at a decent amount. Though he rarely got hit himself, those around him tended to a decent amount. Izibell was one thing, she was a natural survivor, and could get away from danger much better then a human being. On their way in, he would acknowledge her with a wave then proceed to get himself breakfast. Though getting food he realized he wasn't really hungry. He wasn't sure if that was because he had actually been eating more food this week then he had the last couple months, or if he was just too stressed from all the chaos of the week, and what was to come today. He decided just the coffee and he would find somewhere to sit.

It took Hunter longer to realize then he thought, but all the guards were in today. All well armed, and all ready to handle a situation. Like someone losing their shit because they got refused. Someone who might blow up at a moments notice. Something like what he had pulled the first day. He will admit, he fucked up that first day. He was tense, and he was stressed. And he wasn't in his own proper mindset that day. Now though? Was he any better? Could he handle losing his dog if it came to that? He wasn't sure honestly. Could he take more threats of being shot? Hard to say. In that case, context. He found Nigel sitting by himself eating his own breakfast. Hunter, not wanting to be the odd one out, sat by him and drank his liquid confidence. "Today's the big day huh." He spoke without making eye contact.

He struggled with regular conversations. But today, he was determined to not lose it. Normally that wasn't an issue, but the stress was hard on him, and he struggled to fight against it. "You think those they kick out they'll ask politely first? Or just start off the bat at gun point?" He asked it if it were any other casual conversation question. "Or maybe they have some other means to do so... Who knows." Though he spoke like it was a regular conversation, it didn't take much to tell he was uneasy. His right hand clenching and letting go where the holster for his sidearm used to be, the fact that his eyes kept looking back and forth between the several armed guards. Though he wouldn't admit it, he was scared to a small degree. In most encounters with groups he was on bad terms with, he was armed, so even when he knew he would die if a fight broke out, having the guns made him feel at ease. Or even something, but he felt naked while unarmed. He felt even more exposed, he felt... vulnerable. And if things didn't work out today he would lose what little he had left.

🧚🏻‍♀️ The Walking Dead - Year 6 Part 1

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Emanuel "Manny" Newman

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Location: Quarantine
Skills: N/A

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The day was over faster then Manny thought it could be. One moment, it felt like the day was dragging, worrying about who would stay and who would go, and now? It was over. Though he was glad that he was with his friend Alexander. He seemed to have a lot of good experience and knowledge, especially in areas where Manny might struggle. He reassured him that there was nothing that they could do right now, but no matter what happened, use their superior age and take things calmly and smart. No need to rush or make things worse. "Yeah, let's hope this week is the worst of it. Hopefully the world outside of here is as bright and cheery as we saw when we first came in." Though he imagined himself driving himself around in a golf cart, and he laughed at that. He never liked those things to begin with. Before the world fell, he figured either drive a car, bike, or walk. The golf carts seemed silly to him. Though maybe here they were more practical.

Manny noticed the surprise on Alexander's face when he mentioned he used to be a fighter, then asking about the context in a indirect way. "Nah, my patients were amazing. This was long ago in my youth. I was in something along the lines of... I guess a gang, something like a Greaser might be a good way to explain it." Looking back at those days, thinking how hard he thought those days were, then looking back now. He wondered which was worse still. Him and his people VS the world, or Him and his people VS the world VS the dead world? "To be honest, did some pretty fucked up shit back then. Part of the reason I became a doctor. There were good times back then though, but I am glad those days are over for me." It seemed that while he spoke Thalia had wont he match, though they were good sports about it. It was nice to see them having a good time with each other. Though he had a pretty good guess where things might go later tonight, at least he thought he did until there was some more conversation that Manny couldn't make out.

Heading back to their rooms Manny made his way to bed rather fast. He was an old man, so late nights and long days were not a thing he could handle as well as he used to. Alexander once they were settled into bed, gave Manny some words of reassurance, or as best as he could in this case. He was glad that no matter what seemed to happen, the old Vet would always be there to back him up in some way. Even though Manny wasn't a religious person, he respected what Alexander was saying. "Thank you." He said to his friend's words of wisdom. "Good night, tomorrow, is the big day we've all been waiting for." He went to sleep pretty soon afterwards, a nice calm dreamless night.

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Private Hunter James Monroe

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Location: Quarantine
Skills: N/A

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Hunter wasn't sure what he expected. He wasn't normally someone that liked to get close to other people. He felt exposed, he felt weak, and with that, the kiss was brief. But like any other times he felt like getting close to someone, he felt weak, he felt exposed. The kiss was nice though, it was simple, and she seemed happy. Though she made a comment about how it needed work, and how she would win more from him. "Next time, we'll do something I actually have practice in." Ignoring the fact that he bragged about his days of mastering pool only moments before. The announcement came for them to go back to their rooms, time to go to bed, and then tomorrow, they got the news about who stayed and who had to go. He saw pros and cons to both, though not like he had much choice.

But if he did get a choice, he had to really think about it. Cons of staying in CMB, he had been threatened with being shot at least 3 or 4 times now, which he found odd as he still hasn't threatened anyone yet. Sure he blew up on the first day so there was some justification, but there were two times prior to that still. None of his questions have been answered yet, other then some minor clarifications in an interview, but nothing useful or relevant to questions he asked the first day. So another con, very one sided trust in his opinion. There were a lot of officers here, which normally wouldn't bug him but even with a battalion of 300 people, that seemed like a lot of officers, or at least high end of that. Plus one was a general. That rubbed him the wrong way. It all seemed off. He no longer was allowed to own any of the gear he fought, killed, and bled for. He found that frustrating. He wanted to be thankful for what they had so far, but the cons listed makes it hard to be thankful for all of this. It made him feel like a pawn, a peasant, an indentured servant to be replaced once he died. He wondered how much of his own person he would be once he joined, it was made clear that leaving if he didn't like the place in a week or two wasn't an option. So another con.

But the pros. He would get to eat again, something he struggled with for the last several months. His dog would get to eat, Izibell wouldn't be held back by him not being able to find something to eat. He'd have a roof over his head, something he didn't have many nights due to worn out and destroyed buildings struggling to keep up with the lack of maintenance. He would be able to get dry clothes from time to time, clothes without holes in them, clothes that didn't smell like shit. That would be nice. He looked up long enough to see Nikki leave. "See ya next time..." He said barely audible. Then there was Nikki, someone that he wanted to be able to trust. He missed that feeling. She was a pro he decided. No matter her intentions, or lack their of, she was a pro. He also stopped to consider his own issues with trust. Many people he struggled to trust because of how things went with his old unit, he wondered if a lot of his bias was because of that?

He barely noticed the walk back to his room. What he did notice was that no matter what he decided, someone else had probably already decided his fate, and he would get little if any say in the matter. Once back to his room, he was back with Nigel. The guy seemed nice enough, and Hunter liked him more then anyone else that came in with them. He gave him a chance, was polite to him, played pool with him, and had not threatened him or mocked his mother. Sure he knew he deserved some of it, but he liked the former teacher for not being apart of it. Once he laid down in bed the teacher asked him about his day. "Yeah, I'd say a good day. Better then any other days this week so far." He said with a laugh. Though not his sarcastic or sadistic laugh, a legitimate happy laugh. he stopped suddenly realizing that. It was something he wasn't use to. He liked it.

🧚🏻‍♀️ The Walking Dead - Year 6 Part 1

@Lady Amalthea Got a post in before the break ended!

🧚🏻‍♀️ The Walking Dead - Year 6 Part 1

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Emanuel "Manny" Newman

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Location: Quarantine
Skills: N/A

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Manny was glad to hear his friend was doing well. Out of everyone here Manny figured he worried most about Alexander. Not because he saw him as weak, but because he was a strong man who had seen some pretty fucked up shit even before all of this started, and like many people Manny had known who had returned from that war, they all struggled with how they felt. So they put on strong faces until they couldn't take it anymore. "I'm glad to hear that." He said with a smile on his face. When his fellow baby boomer returned the question to him Manny wasn't really sure what to respond at first. "I'll be fine. Mostly just worried about what happens if someone doesn't get accepted here. Then I have to wonder, how should I react to that? What if it's someone we know? Or... Someone who wont make it far on their own? And if everyone here does get in, then what? Just from what I have seen this week, it seems that some of these people are going to have more trouble fitting in then others." He spoke just loud enough for his friend to hear, he didn't want to let too many of his concerns be shared out in the open for all to hear. But he figured Alexander would probably have a better understanding then many in here.

When the topic moved to something a little more pleasant Manny relaxed more. Beatrice and Thalia seemed like they were having a good time with one another. "If you need a sparing partner, I am afraid you may have to look elsewhere. Those days for me ended long before either of them were born." Manny motioning towards Beatrice and Thalia. "Didn't change the fact that those fights were fun as a youth." He spoke with a chuckle. He did leave out that some of those sparing fights for him as a youth were more then just sparing when he was younger. Sometimes they were more then that, sometimes people got hurt. Though that thought upset him, there were fun moments back then he found fun. "There seem to be plenty of former military here and others of the sorts, maybe one or two of them can spar with you? I'm sure that some of them would be up for it." Manny's moment of solidarity of his friend is a more positive state and him looking back on positive memories was ended with the smell and explosion of the little baby's diaper exploding in Wayne's hands on his way to the parents. "Dear god, now I remember why I never had kids." He said with a pained laugh. Though it wasn't the actual reason, it was definitely a supporting factor.

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Private Hunter James Monroe

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Location: Quarantine
Skills: N/A

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She made the shot, perfectly. Hunter expected as much, but he didn't feel as ready for it as he would have liked. Nikki was nice, and sweet to him, and still fairly competitive. It was little things, but she reminded him of someone he used to love. He was scared to commit at this point, but what else could he do? When she stood on her heals waiting for her prize for winning he froze for a bit, a face of blank confusion on his face. What if this was a trick? Something to catch him while he was weak or emotionally vulnerable? What if this was something that Maddoc set up? Or the General guy? What if this was all a ruse to make him speak up about things he lied about, things he might share if he decided he could trust Nikki? Could she really be that devoted to this place?

In the end, that didn't stop him. He leaned in awkwardly at first, slowly trying to figure out if this was just a quick little kiss, or if it was something more? He decided to keep it safe though. He leaned down just enough so that he could give her a kiss. He did a light kiss on her lips, debating if it should be something more then that. Hunter didn't even notice the foul mess that had happened in their small room. Though he found himself holding the kiss longer then he meant to though thinking about how to react now to Checkbook. He eventually pulled back, calm and slow, and found himself looking into her eyes.

Hunter had many skills in combat, guns, and other things to really put fear into the hearts of his enemies when left unchecked. But this... was harder. Much harder. Did he mess this up? Did he make things awkward? Did he just let himself get close to someone when there was a high chance that he was going to get kicked out himself by tomorrow? All alone... But then if he stayed, what did that mean for... them. Were they going to be friends? Something more? God he hated trying to figure this out. This girl here, Nikki, was one of the few people he had met since all of this started that had been nice to him, or haven't tried to manipulate him. And he wasn't sure how to react. In that moment for that kiss, he completely forgot his fears about this being a trap. "Huh." He said with a soft look on his face. The confusion seemed gone, the fear seemed gone, he felt, relaxed. He felt... Safe.

🧚🏻‍♀️ The Walking Dead - Year 6 Part 1

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Emanuel "Manny" Newman

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Location: Quarantine
Skills: N/A

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People were back, things seemed settled, overall things looked okay. He took note of the baby from the one couple seeming to have the time of his life with Wayne. Manny found him interesting, he was patient with Manny as he recovered from having a regular steady diet, and he was very correct about Manny being tired of everyone's shit on the first day. It was nice to see the gentle side of the man, though it seemed that this was going on for a bit now. Manny had been so deep in his own thoughts, he missed that bundle of cuteness having the time of his life. Manny figured what snapped him out of that self thought, was Man Nanny. Or Manny for the nickname. But he found that cute in the context used.

He noticed Alexander who also seemed deep in his thoughts. "Hey, you doing alright there?" There was apart of him that wanted to ask what he was thinking about, but over the last few months, he had gotten the idea that there were a lot of things that Alexander didn't want to answer. A simple yes or no question normally seemed to be one of the better ways to check up on the old veteran. Even though Manny was a very outgoing and talkative person, he understood the need to keep quiet about some things. He had his own past he didn't talk about much. Though people seemed to not ask a lot of questions when you gave them what seemed like a lot of information. Almost like an open book, but used as a front for a slight misdirection. It wasn't a malicious thing, but his youth years were harsh for him. Though he was sure that Alexander had seem some pretty fucked up shit around that same age as well.

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Private Hunter James Monroe

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Location: Quarantine
Skills: N/A

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The cluelessness continued for Hunter as he struggled to understand what it meant to be a regular human being. His lack of being able to make decent conversation at times never helped him either. In many cases when he struggled he would reply with something along the lines of 'Huh" or 'Uhuh' as they were vague and could buy him some time to think of something better to say, or maybe brush off the conversation entirely. Hearing that Camp Mexico Beach no one seemed to hold personal possessions or gear was strange for Hunter. He had been apart of a rather small group that tried that once. It ended with a knife to a neck. He had been in groups that were the complete opposite, also ended with a knife to the neck. Though the more he thought about it, both cases may have been the people and not the method. So hearing that Camp Mexico Beach would be sharing his gear, Hunter replied the best way he knew how. "Huh." He spoke like he completely understood and grasped the concept when ignoring the actual word itself. He figured it made sense why some groups did it, rationing concepts and all. Though this group seemed to be very well set? He struggled to understand why he wasn't allowed to keep owning at least some of his gear? Sure most of it had no sentimental value to him. But some things just felt right to have available all the time to him. He wondered if that was something he would get used to or would struggle with. He could picture his father yelling something about "Communist Scum!" and going on a rather large rant. He did chuckle to that though.

Though, what she wanted did make sense thinking back to the whole conversation. To Hunter's surprise, this was what people called 'Flirting'. If she made the shot, she would want a kiss from him. If she missed, she would do his chores, and he would be even more bored. He wasn't really sure which was harder for him. First, he didn't want to be bored out of his mind even more. Chores were the only break up in his dull time in this damn room. Next, he hasn't been close to anyone in a long time, and he remembered that last relationship ending rather poorly. Though thinking back, it didn't start great either. But there was a lot he didn't know when that relationship started. So at first, all he could figure to say to the bet offer was "Huh..." He said like he knew what he was saying, but this time with a slight bit more thought in it. As if thinking deeply about the offer.

After thinking about it for a bit, he wasn't completely sure what to do. He had seemed to stare off blankly into space for almost a minute before replying to Nikki. "I uh... Sure... i guess yeah... sure." The awkward boy that Hunter was deep down was showing again. When faced with a problem that can't be solved by shooting, stabbing, or blunt force, he was stuck. And he resorted back to the socially awkward boy he was back in highschool before joining the National Guard. "I uh... yeah you're on I guess. Its a deal." He said unsure of himself. Finally understanding that she was flirting with him, he got scared. What if she wasn't as nice as she seemed? What if this was some sick trick from this settlement? What if things were as they seemed and she saw Hunter for the creature he has become in the years since the apocalypse? None of those options were good for Hunter.

🧚🏻‍♀️ The Walking Dead - Year 6 Part 1

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Emanuel "Manny" Newman

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Location: Quarantine
Skills: N/A

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It had seemed that everyone had returned to their little room now. Not seeing more people that were bloody or hurt, no outbursts by anyone today, and so little time until they were all free to leave this damn room, things were looking okay. He wondered what things would be like here, and he wondered what life would be like for those who wouldn't be able to make it here. According to the odds they were given on the bus, there was a decent chance that at least one of them would not be accepted in. What would that person do then? Would others follow them to make sure they got around alright? Would they just leave on their own alone? The thought scared Manny. Not knowing was an uneasy thing for a man who had been around for a long time, had a large variety of experiences, and had at least seen the answer to most of those situations. But this? The place was a new field for him.

If one of his group members was forced to leave, would he go with them? He sat on that thought. The pros to leaving if one of his members had to, he was a doctor, this place didn't need him as a doctor, he was damn good with a shotgun, having someone watching your back was always a plus, and he still has much of the world he would like to see. Things going against this, he was old, and getting older. He was slow, and getting slower. He was weak, and getting weaker. Outside of his skill with a shotgun, he had no real defensive skills going for him. Sure in his youth he was big enough, strong enough, and skilled enough to hold his own in a fist or knife fight, but now? He knew how to fight, but the other factors were a conflict with those skills. There was also the high probability he may die in his sleep at some point in the next year or two if something else didn't kill him. And probably the most important thing going against him, he may not be wanted. Sure he got along with his survivor group well enough, but it was a professional relationship. A close trust one, but still. He was a talkative old man, didn't really fit well with calm, quiet, and stealthy. He decided, if one of them here kicked out, he would check with them first if he could help. And insist if he had to. If he was kicked out, he was sure he could find somewhere calm, quiet, and remote to live out the rest of his days.

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Private Hunter James Monroe

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Location: Quarantine
Skills: N/A

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Hunter was clearly not a people person. Anyone that didn't know that by now just needed to spend some one on one time with him. Most people would get that pretty fast then. He either shuts out people, or he goes over the top rather fast. When in ideal situations he found himself at an awkward in between. Case and point, Nikki, or Checkbook as she liked to be called. She was nice, so Hunter responded back positively with her. She kicked his ass in pool, so he tried and fucked that up. But he was enjoying himself. When she was about to take the shot to win the game Hunter froze. He wasn't much of a gambler. Most of his experience with gambling came from before the world broke, and most everyone he has gotten to know post breaking were.... less then great people. "To be honest, I'm not much a gambler." He stopped and thought about it, this girl seemed nice. She wouldn't push anything too far? She wouldn't take advantage of him right? Granted, he thought that of several people who did. "Plus, I don't own much other then the outfit your people gave me, and a bathrobe." He looked at the shot lined up. She would win this, its just a matter of what she wanted.

He looked around the room, specifically the guards, he thought back to that first day, and how things got out of control fast, how scared he felt, and how stupidly he reacted. "What would you even want anyways?" He asked, not really sure what to offer even. He had some old military gear, but it was some of the only things that made him feel safe. There was his shotgun? But that felt comfortable and also safe for Hunter. Knowing the raw stopping power from that thing combined with a slam fire mechanism meant he could do some harsh damage rather fast in a bad spot. "If you really want, I have a roll of twine in my shit they took from me?" It wasn't much, but he wasn't really sure what else she wanted. Though outside of his arson needs, what use do people have for twine? "Or something else. Twine is... twine." He was clueless as to what she would want from him.

🧚🏻‍♀️ The Walking Dead - Year 6 Part 1

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Emanuel "Manny" Newman

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Location: Briefing --> Quarantine
Skills: N/A

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Manny wondered what Thana was talking about when it came to the other survivors. Though he did take note it wasn't all of them, but many of them. He decided not to focus on it too much, if she wanted him to know, she would tell him. Manny found himself a chair and sat down, nothing fancy, but the lack of doing regular jogs and walks was hard on him. He couldn't wait to get out of quarantine. He couldn't wait to go outside and see the sun, he couldn't wait to do something more productive. He couldn't wait until they told them who was going to stay, and who was going to get kicked out. Manny didn't see a reason that he would be kicked out, but he wasn't worried about that to begin with. At this point, he was more worried about this confined space then being outside of the walls of any community.

Even though this place is a lot better then Eden, he was still restricted to a single room that felt more and more crammed every day. The coffee helped, the friendly faces helped, seeing the others here have a good time helped. There were reminders everywhere to show him this place was okay. He had no reason to think otherwise, but he felt like a prisoner. He did his best to hide it, and overall did okay. But the stress of this room was starting to get to him. TO help calm himself down he got up and looked for the book he started on the first day. Sure he read it already, but something seemed better then nothing. No luck though.

Deciding that he needed something to keep his mind occupied, he figured a little mind rotting would be okay. He made his way over to the television and the people by it with a smile on his face. He noticed Alexander there, but he wasn't really sure what to say, or if he should say anything. But he did do a little wave and a smile, before finding a seat in view of television. He could understand why people thought this form of media was entertaining, but Manny rarely found anything he enjoyed on television. It all felt too... easy to consume. Though he did find some elements of it funny. So he gave the TV a point.

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Private Hunter James Monroe

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Location: Quarantine
Skills: N/A

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Hunter wished playing pool was as easy and sending hundreds of bullets of many different calibers off at some poor bastard. This, required precision, patience, and to not hit all these balls as hard as he could. Or even hit his own balls as hard as they could. Last thing he needed was to knock them clean off the table. Unfortunately for Hunter, Checkbook was a lot better at hitting her balls then Hunter was. She had one left, plus the eight ball. Thankfully, Hunter wasn't far behind, and was pretty sure he could finish things up without a problem. He lined up his shot, and he would be dammed if he couldn't hit his balls with some harsh skills.

Outside of the realm of pool though, Hunter was enjoying the conversation. "I don't know the book either, a lot of guys in my unit knew the book, and read it. Never did so... Who knows. Maybe Greyjoy is a total epic badass who isn't threatened by death at every corner." He was disappointed about the lack of MREs. He really liked those, mostly because others hated them, but they were cool to Hunter. And Hunter liked the ability to be able to just eat food from a can because It's probably safe to eat like this? as he would eat any and all foods in recent years right from the package. "SO other then guarding assholes like me do you have other jobs you do here?" He asked in a very casual tone.

Hunter hit his shot on the table. A few of his balls went in, and before he knew it, he had only the eight left. He grinned, an evil grin. He lined up his shot and took aim, he would be forced to bounce the ball off the wall to make a corner shot. Not too hard, but something he needed to be careful with none then less. He took his shot, and the white ball bounced missing the 8 entirely. "Mother Fuckbuckets." Precision wasn't a strong skill for Hunter.