Shoe Thief

🧚🏻‍♀️ The Walking Dead - Year 6 Part 1

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Hunter Monroe Location: Auditorium Skills:N/A

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Hunter left under escort to use the restroom. Once inside he held his head over the toilet to hurl, but nothing came up other then some aggressive gagging. He wasn't sure if it was just a case of he wasn't actually sick enough for it, or if he didn't have enough contents in his stomach to throw up. He sat head over the toilet for what seemed like forever before he made his way back out. Once out of the restroom, it was hard to not think of taking a chance to make a break for it. He had two direct guards on him, and they were split up from each other. And both had guns he could utilize. Though he had no intentions on acting on that thought, but with everyone now spread out, and now the number of watchful eyes on him, it was temping. Though he wouldn't get Izibell, and he wouldn't easily replace the gear he was offered before. And that was assuming he made it out. He found a watchful eye as he used the restroom pretty unsettling, but he imagined the jail cell he was in the last week or so also kept an eye on him as well. He would follow Joaquin and Panama back to his spot on stage and continue the court martial looking a bit worse for wear.

Mizrahi was next to testify. Hunter noticed looks from the counsel and wasn't sure what to make of them at first. He wondered if it was more pity, but he found that annoying too. It was just another job, and he had found himself literally submerged in worse in recent years. Hunter did have to muffle his chuckle at the referring to civilians as privates. It wasn't too hard as he felt like shit still, but he thought the joke was funny none the less. Though bad time to laugh at it. Then came the next person to be questioned. Ashton. The man that Hunter had both attempted to joke with, insulted, and in a way felt inspired by.

Hunter took note how simple most of his answers were. And even the more "Complex" answers were not too defined either. Condescending made sense. Hunter had taken the man as being like the worst officers he had met while in the National Guard. Men who put considered themselves either better or more important then the enlisted ranks. He figured there was some logic to the importance, but with how badly things escalated on his deployment it was hard to not be bitter at every negative aspect of his former officers. Even the good ones. His own company's commanding officer, Lieutenant Anderson. Hunter saw the man as having little spine when it came to the immoral choices the officers above him made, and made his the remnants of his company do. Hunter knew he wasn't innocent in those regards either. But when the man had finally stood up to those who had led the Guard to a path of self destruction, it was already too late for the civilians they were supposed to protect, and the remaining fragments of his company. Lieutenant Anderson in his final moments had rallied those who could still fight, inspired them to do the right thing even if it cost them their lives so they could attempt to make up for the deeds they had done.

Ashton reminded him of the better qualities of Anderson, while still possessing a solid ability to lead his men outside of a combat situation. Hunter wondered why there weren't more officers like him when the world fell apart years ago. Then realized, all the ones in his state were probably sent to the big apple to assist that mess. That might explain the lack of Federal troops and air support in his part of the state. Ashton took the time to say a nice little compliment about Hunter near the end of his statement. And Hunter decided that should this end favorably for him he would need to thank a lot of people, apologize to more, and offer some people drinks. Maybe coffee or soda after what happened at the beach.

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

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Manny stood up and stretched a bit while there was some breathing room. Nothing too fancy, just making sure nothing got too stiff while waiting to see how this all played out. He then sat down comfortably as he could to continue his conversation with Alexander. Alexander had replied to his question with a rather strait forward answer. So far? So good. The worst charges were yet to come though. "From what I can tell, the boy has the social skills of a cactus in a balloon factory. And apart of me worries he either is only now realizing it, or worse it's a recent development." Hearing the details of what had gone on so far, and with the rest of the charges coming up, Manny found himself worried. The charges so far didn't seem too bad.

Manny sat and thought about the situation some more, trying to get a gauge on it, but outside of his own experience he had no idea what to expect. He had never served in any military, and he had never participated in these kinds of trials. "I worry. The gross insubordination is likely what the deciding factor will be. And seeing how the drunk and disorderly went..." Manny couldn't finish the sentence. He had gotten out of worse in his own court cases, but this was the military. Or at least a version of it. In a world for all intents and purposes was in marshal law. He worried what that would look like now. He wondered just what had this boy done to warrant that, and to justify everything going on today. With Ashton's testimony, it seemed that overall even though the boy was a pain socially, and had no people skills, he was little threat.An asshole maybe, but not a threat. They were both military but he didn't know much past the surface about it. But both being military and spending time together, maybe they had an understanding of one another that Manny didn't understand? Or maybe he was looking too into it. And this was another sad case of someone who hit their breaking point, and found it way too easy to go over the edge time and time again.

🧚🏻‍♀️ The Walking Dead - Year 6 Part 1

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Hunter Monroe Location: Auditorium Skills:N/A

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

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

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

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

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

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

🧚🏻‍♀️ The Walking Dead - Year 6 Part 1

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

🧚🏻‍♀️ The Walking Dead - Year 6 Part 1

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

🧚🏻‍♀️ The Walking Dead - Year 6 Part 1

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

🧚🏻‍♀️ The Walking Dead - Year 6 Part 1

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

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It appeared nearly everyone that needed to be at the trial had arrived. With the hush order, there wasn't much to say, so he kept quiet as he attempted to take in the situation. The stage was set both figuratively and literally to have a life changing choice made on the life of a young boy who probably didn't understand just how serious this was. Or worse, he knew completely and still felt the need to lash out at everything and everyone around him. Manny could really only take a guess as his time with Hunter was limited to a couple interactions in quarantine, and what little he has heard from the others in camp. What he could tell from quarantine though, Hunter acted like a cornered animal. Sometimes more relaxed when the pressure was taken off, but the moment it was reapplied he returned to a fight or flight mode with no way out.

Manny couldn't say he understood the feeling all too well. He grew up a lifestyle where the options were to prove you were the strongest, or be crushed by those who could prove it better. In his younger years he found it rather easy to prove himself as someone to not be fucked with, only to realize the problem with that life when pushing and shoving started to turn up bodies. Though he wouldn't learn from those lessons until well into his adulthood, he rarely let himself feel cornered generally taking arguably over aggressive actions to prevent this from happening. It wouldn't be until the world had ended where he found himself out of that mindset where he was in real danger. With the evacuation of his home he found himself stunned, and couldn't bring himself to initially pull the trigger on his gun. As time went on, he felt himself slowly returning to that more... Hostile mindset. One he spent decades pulling himself out of. He wondered if it was something like that for Hunter? He wondered what the boy was like before the world ended.

Manny's deep thought was interrupted with a sudden crashing noise. He turned to see Thalia rather frustrated with her seat, soon to realize the noise was not a crashing sound, but the sound of a chair in need of much care and maintenance. Manny struggled for a moment as he had to recall a language that for the longest time in his life he did what he could to forget it. He figured it might have been too far gone to recall passive conversation anymore as... Did she say something about ducks? No that must have been a mistake, and surely he was losing his mind or maybe his understanding of Spanish. Manny turned his head forward again, figuring Thalia probably didn't want the attention after something like that. "God what a strange day." Manny mumbled rather quietly. He turned to Alexander and gave him a look as if to say "Seems a lot of people are having a rough day".

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Hunter Monroe Location: CMB Streets Skills:N/A

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Hunter sitting in the golf cart stared out into the rain attempting to get a good look at the settlement as he passed. The streets were pretty empty by this point, and he found that unsettling. Like so many other settlements he had seen. Though he knew there were people out there, he found it unsettling. He had seen enough fallen settlements to start getting a good idea how they fell. There were easy signs, like a gap in the defenses that were forced down normally meant wiped out or overwhelmed. A well stocked one that was missing food or water implied their own. A well stocked one with whatever they called their medical ward crammed to the brim meaning mass disease and a total or near total wipe out. There were others, but not as easy to identify the cause for falling. Some that seemed rather well set up, but deserted with much of the supplies still in storage. Just... abandoned. Some where the defenses were still standing, but the inside was peppered with so many bullet holes, that it led him to believe maybe it was an internal problem. That's how Hunter's first Group went.

Road Block Back story

Hunter found himself pacing across the room as the girl he had learned to call June sat on the couch watching him impatiently. The small office they had decided to meet in wasn't the ideal place to do much of anything due to how crammed it was with the furniture inside of it, but it was private, and sound proof. "Are you done? You're giving me a migraine with your visible panicking." Hunter stopped mid step and looked at June, his hair a disheveled mess from running his hands through it over and over again. "You're talking killing them June. Not even counting the fact that there are like ten of them, but we are talking killing them June. Sure, they're shit bags. But they are still people dammit." The girl stood up from the couch and glared at Hunter dressed with his camouflage fatigued pants and a fall jacket with a simple hunting vest on over that. "We are talking thieves, killers, rapists, the literal lowest scum of the world. Or did you enjoy stealing from those people? Did you enjoy your little pillaging run with those fuckers?" Hunter froze, his expression in shock. "They would have killed me June if I didn't go with it." The audible snap noise his face made when her hand struck him was loud enough that Hunter for a moment worried that someone outside the office might hear them. "So that's it huh? Better them then us right? We are talking the literal lowest pieces of trash in the remaining world. You're a fucking soldier, act like it and do your fucking job. Protect people dammit!" Hunter threw his arms up to help emphasis his statement. "For three months! Three fucking months! And clearly not a good one at that!" Hunter got loud, not out of anger, but closer of fear of being misunderstood.

June shoved a finger in his face. "Don't you raise your voice at me. You saw what they did to Lucy. You see how broken up she is now because of what those fuckers did to her." Her eyes show pure hate, seeing Hunter as no better then those who she was plotting to kill. "Or is that not justification enough for you? You seemed more then fine when it was your brothers in arms?" She stood back, having made her point. Hunter stepped back too, leaning against the wall processing the information. "That was... different. They.. They we-" "Killers? Murderers? Selfish self destructing assholes?" Hunter found himself at a loss for words. June new just the right nerve to strike, and had hit it well. "...not all of them..." Her glare kept locked on Hunter's face. "But the ones who didn't have the balls to make up for the shitty things they did." Hunter went to protest, but stopped. She was right. There was Pete, who stayed with his unit until he was the last one left. There was Lieutenant Anderson, who rallied what was left of his company to buy time for those still alive to escape, there was the staff sergeant who's name he couldn't place who had dragged him and others back into the stadium to try and save as many people as possible. All at the cost of themselves and their lives for one last chance to do something right. Those who returned to the base, were those who chose to save themselves once things went south.

Hunter sighed. June had finally gotten through to him enough that morals wasn't an issue for him in this regard. She was right, and this was something that had to be done. "There's still only three of us, and ten of them." June relaxed, now it was down to the problem of how to deal with the fuckers instead of figuring out who was on her side. "Two. Lucy is barely responsive. And if we don't deal with them soon, they will likely just off her." Hunter stood up properly and ran his fingers through his hair again. "That's worse June. A lot worse." She shrugged with a look of contentment. "Defeat in detail." Hunter just looked at her still confused and concerned. "Uhh... Care to explain?" June seemed rather annoyed at Hunter. "Defeat in detail. Pick them off bit by bit until they are in manageable numbers." Hunter stood wide mouth but seemed to be finally getting it. "Kyle will be taking some guys out to check the police station for some more weapons and ammo. "Assuming you aren't going with him, we wipe out the fuckers who stay behind, and when Kyle returns, we fuck them up too. If we're smart, we can split them up even more. Make sense?" Hunter nodded. Defeat in detail. The idea made sense, and he was pretty sure he could take on any one of Don and his road block crew. The exception being Don himself, and Greg. Both men were significantly bigger then him, and stronger. Hunter had his brief training, and he was still rather strong himself. But in a fire fight, he held a pretty good advantage there. "When do they leave?" June smiled a rather toothy smile. As if the thought of putting the rest of the members of their group in the grave would be the most satisfying thing in the world. "Tonight." Hunter gulped. He'd be lying if he said June didn't scare him a bit. But for all intents and purposes, and for better or worse, she would be the one to push him to be less of a pushover from those who might cause harm.

Hunter shifted uneasily as the cart continued through town. Looking at the weather, if he was going to make a break for it, it would be probably the hardest to track him in. Sure, he would have no idea where he was going. But he could figure that out after he lost those following him. "If I ran. Right now. Got out of the walls. Assuming no one was seriously hurt, would you and the people in charge give chase? Or would you count it as a lost cause." He couldn't make eye contact. But they wanted honesty, and it would be a lie to say he wasn't at least considering it.

🧚🏻‍♀️ The Walking Dead - Year 6 Part 1

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Emanuel "Manny" Newman Location: Apartment 1D --> Education Center Skills: N/A

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Manny chuckled at Alexander's joke. He tried to hold it back but when Alexander laughed as well Manny found himself enjoying the moment with as much expression as he could bring to bare. "We've made it this far, further then most. I don't think we would have made it this point if we weren't meant to do greater things." He thought about some of the things he had to do to get to this point. Those he had lost along the ways, those he chose to let die to save others, and those he held at gun point and pulled the trigger on. That last one hurt the most. Not because it was hard, but because each time he had done it he found it easy. But here? It seemed he was finally able to serve a purpose greater then just self preservation. And he had a good friend doing his part to do the same. And there was not a much better feeling then that.

Alexander needed to get into something a bit more dry before moving onto the trial. "Don't take too long. They may have questions for us. Or... want us to ask questions. I am honestly not sure but we'll see when we get there." Though some details have been shared, Manny was still wondering how things would end up working. He had been to his fair share of trials before the end of the world, and he wondered what they were like now. Seeing it today he'd know and he was both excited to see the differences, and scared about how things were likely adapted to fit the current needs of the post apocalypse. When Alexander returned he looked rather well cleaned up despite the lack of supplies for it and lack of time. "You clean up well." Little compliment, but the little ones tended to mean the most. "Sadly no umbrellas. Tried to see about them earlier, but seems it's in rather high demand and not enough supply as is. So let's make this quick." He said with a smile that showed he wasn't looking forward to being soaked, but was ready for it none the less.

The rain sucked to say the less. Manny was still a bit wet from before so not like he could get much worse? He noticed much of the town's foot traffic was heading to the education center too. It made sense for a few reasons. A lot of people had the day off, and for whatever today was, it was probably the most interesting thing going on today. Add that to the people who had to be there, and remove essential staff, that left much of the camp rather empty. Inside the education center was different as people made their way inside. Though many of the required people hadn't arrived yet, many others had started to arrive filling out the up stairs. Manny would find a seat near the middle close to the front so he could pay close attention to everything going on during the trial. It wasn't until he sat down he noticed Freeman a few rows in front of him. He debated getting up and moving to a new seat, but decided against it.

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Hunter Monroe Location: Jail (AA) Cell B --> CMB Streets Skills:N/A

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Hunter was taken back by Cage's reaction to Hunter's joke. He looked like Cage had just taken a shit on the floor and was still trying to understand what was happening. Hunter getting over his initial shock of the man that he had met on rather hostile terms also soon joined in the laughter. "If it makes ya feel better, not sure I could overpower you in my current state. Four, five years ago, sure. But now? hate to say it you're safe from me in that regard." He continued this fun little joke. But it was a truth, he couldn't strait up over power Cage. The thought had crossed his mind a few times in the week on how he would deal with Cage should it ever come to that. And he came more or less to the conclusion it would end with a rather bloody fight. Seeing the man now, the thought made him feel a bit about that. So for all intents and purposes, no realistic way to take on the man without taking rather extreme measures. "ooh yay, another locked room. Cool." His tone had energy to it, but it was hard to tell if it was overly sarcastic or just strait up disappointment. But he ended it with a shrug and would go with it.

He listened to what Cage had to said, and he thought about it for a few moments. "You ever watch those documentaries about lie detectors? They're not perfect, and are flawed. Coincidentally, just like people. Heard they're not even allowed to be used for evidence, though I heard that from Zeke... And Zeke was... Hmm. A questionable source." He paused with that thought on his mind as he followed Cage. "I get your point though. I'll keep it in mind." It was easy to be honest about most things. But there were areas he struggled with. Some of it was shame of the things he did to survive to this point, some of it was lapse in memory. In other cases it was he would look back at a situation, and the same situation would play out different ways each time he thought about it. Though he could normally tell which one was the real one.

His rather short attention span jumped back to an earlier comment of much less importance. "Do you people grow your own coffee? Or have you just been good at finding the grinds?" He had noticed it a few times, and knew coffee beans couldn't grow up north where he was from. And he had been offered a few cups since he had arrived. Though he knew of a few places to find coffee that were commonly overlooked, this was a rather large settlement. And the amounts of coffee he could find even between all of those likely places wouldn't be enough for the usage here. Though if they had gotten control of the local supply of it really early on and or traded for the rest that might make sense.

Outside Roy was waiting with the golf cart. Hunter climbed into the back with Cage and held his hand on the frame for just that bit more personal security. "Sup." Was all he responded to Roy when he was addressed. He was outside again, and should he choose this was probably his best chance to escape with Izibel. His armed guards were sitting in a moving vehicle with no doors, and if he got one of their guns, he'd stand a fighting chance no matter how slim. Cage even had the keys. He had a few ideas on how he could get past the walls should that point come. But it would be a fight none the less. He let out a deep sigh. Though the thought crossed his mind to try and escape, he wouldn't go for it. He just had to get through today, and figure that out. Then he had to figure out tomorrow.

🧚🏻‍♀️ The Walking Dead - Year 6 Part 1

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Emanuel "Manny" Newman Location: Apartment 1D Skills: N/A

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To say Manny was surprised by what happened would be an understatement. Manny froze for a moment as Alexander hugged and embraced Manny. Manny found himself at a complete loss of words as he processed what was happening. After what seemed like an eternity, Alexander spoke up. Manny gave a slight chuckle when Alex mentioned he talked too much. Almost making a comment about it, he stopped himself seeing the irony in that. And simply replied "No problem." When Alexander thanked him. Manny returned the hug and embraced his fellow Baby Boomer and friend. He had trouble remembering the last time he hugged someone other then to say... Good bye. He thought it funny in a way how far their relationship had gone. Not too long ago, Manny was being held at gun point by the same man who he embraced now. Then soon after the two would act as the rear guard for the raiding party as everyone else pushed forward. Manny would later save the man's life, and Alexander being the man he was took his injury and made the most of it still being an experienced protector of the group. They had relied on each other, helped each other in areas they were weakest in, and emphasis their strong points. Despite the short time knowing each other, it felt like decades. And they had finally made it.

Manny held the man for what seemed like forever before finally letting go. "You're a good man Alexander Polawski. I don't know where I would be without you." He let out a relaxed sigh and smiled. He found himself very fortunate to have a friend like Alexander in his life. Despite the many complications Manny faced on his own he now had someone he could lean on in times of need. He hoped he could do the same thing for Alexander whenever he needed it. "The trial will be soon. I think we're both required to go, so we should probably get on that before it gets too late." He wasn't sure how much use he would be there. He barely knew the boy, and he didn't know how he would be relevant beyond maybe some of his own experiences around the boy's age. Even then, they didn't compare too well. Manny for all intents and purposes at his age wasn't much more then some street thug. The boy despite how he comes across, and his outbursts. He didn't come across as someone like that.

If Alexander decided now was a good time to leave, Manny would go with him. Or if he wanted to go somewhere else first, he would stay with him and help him however he could. Hell, at this point if Alexander didn't want to go at all, Manny would go with him and do everything in his power to get him out of trouble later. Though there was apart of him hoping he wouldn't. Manny wasn't the biggest fan of getting in trouble.

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Hunter Monroe Location: Jail (AA) Cell B Skills:N/A

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Despite how pointless some of Hunter's worried banter was, Cage still went along with it. It was a small thing, but Hunter seemed to relax a little. At the very least, it showed that there wasn't a total disregard for his concerns. He felt acknowledged. He did find the Halloween comment pretty funny none the less. He wasn't sure if it was meant as a joke or not, but he found it funny none the less. Cage also before leaving with the trays explained to Hunter the situation. His smile more or less died at that point. After Cage left, he simply moved tot he floor and would find a nice spot to lay down. Izibell came over like old habits and would find lay down right next to him. "Good girl." He rubbed her gently as she rested. She rested a lot, even before they arrived at camp. Yes, she still could run for hours and would go hunting, playing, and overall be active. But she rested a lot even on days she didn't do as much. Granted, it could just be she was easily satisfied with life and was ready to relax and enjoy the good life now that the two of them weren't fighting for their lives.

Cage returned soon enough with both trays and their leftovers. Offering them to his best friend, Izibell would have herself a rather great lunch. She soon lost interest in chill time with Hunter as she went after and devoured the food. Hunter chuckled with a lite smile at Cage's comment. "That would be a pretty funny report." He chuckled at the thought again. ""Well after the 100 pound dweeb over powered me..."" He spoke with a mock tone before standing up. "Though I haven't figured out how to get over my allergies to bullets inside of me... So we'll save that report for later." He had a thinking face on, as if he was debating the seriousness of the idea to himself. On the plus side though, no cuffs.

Hunter walked out of the cell without any additional fuss. On his way out giving Izibell a friendly rub trying to avoid showing any more sign of worry towards her. "Good girl." Letting her go he left the cell and waited for Cage to lock the it behind him. He was ready to get this and everything it entailed over.

🧚🏻‍♀️ The Walking Dead - Year 6 Part 1

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Emanuel "Manny" Newman Location: Apartment 1D Skills: N/A

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Manny now refreshed as he could be stood up, posture straitened, and figured it was time to set the day back on track. On his to do list now, the court martial for sure, a proper apology to Alexander, and if time allowed, lunch would be decent. If not, he would see what he could grab after the trial. He may just have to wait for dinner, which wouldn't be the end of the world. He then paused, realizing the irony of that thought.

He froze for a moment, hearing the sound of the door unlocking and opening. At first he was confused, had Alexander or one of his other roommates already returned? He supposed it wasn't too far out of the question, stopping by before the trial was to take place. Or maybe returning to avoid it all together. He turned to face those entering, only to be stunned seeing Alexander and Freeman. Giving it a moment's thought, he realized it wasn't too far out. Though Freeman seemed like his heart was in the right place, so it made sense he helped Alexander get back to his housing. Manny said nothing at first, letting them finish up what they were saying this time. And he waited for Freeman to exit before turning to Alexander.

It took a moment for Manny to gather his thoughts, but eventually he composed himself enough to speak. "I wanted to apologize for earlier. I don't know what happened, a lapse in judgement or... god forbid old age catching up to me. But, I messed up earlier. And I wanted to say sorry. If... you want to keep talking with Freeman, I can leave? And maybe you guys can talk here where it may be more comfortable? The recliners do seem pretty comfortable." It was a serious offer. Manny messed up earlier, and wanted to help however he could. "If it would be easier, I could run after him and you could take a moment to sit down? Or... Just sitting works. If quiet would be better right now." Even though Manny still struggled with it, he understood that sometimes a quiet moment helped more then talking it out. Sometimes a quiet moment alone did better.

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Hunter Monroe Location: Jail (AA) Cell B Skills:N/A

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Hunter ate his food in silence as he contemplated his situation some more. He found himself stuck with the same thoughts. What he would do if he lost Izibell. What he would do if he stayed, or how he could even hope to recover from the damage that had been done. Stuck with the same thoughts of how he could even hope to function as a member of society if there was even a place for him in it. He thought about his first day working, and wondered if a day like that was what he had to look forward to for the rest of his life. With Izibell, he could pull it off. How long would that be though? She was getting older now, though she didn't show it as obviously as many other older dogs there were signs here and there. The first being, she had been rather well trained long before she arrived to Hunter. She didn't have that same energy you get with young dogs either. The constant playing, the constant chewing. Her definition of play consisted of the occasional run, the even more rare tug of war, and playful chewing from time to time.

He looked at her and rubbed her head a bit. After downing her food she had made her way onto the bed again and started to rest. Though she was still rather active, she was still very much for her naps and rest. Rubbing her, it wasn't too hard to notice the few hairs starting to grey. Not a lot, and barely noticeable unless you're looking for it. He wondered what age that put her at? He had dogs growing up who were well over 10 years old with much more noticeable greying fur, and some on his family property that even at six years old didn't show any greying fur. So seven? Maybe eight? He wondered how much time that gave her if that was the case. It didn't help his problem solving that he didn't know if Izibell was pure breed or if one of her parents were. Realistically, he had seen dogs live up to 15 years if not a little older if they were well taken care of. He thought about that. Cleaning toilets and other public buildings until then. He figured that is something he could do. Then he'd figure out his next step when that time came, assuming he made it that far.

Cage returned at some point, but Hunter deep in his thoughts didn't notice the man at first. It wasn't until he spoke that Hunter nearly jumped off the bed in surprise fork in hand. Stopping himself part way up he sat back down looking at his warden. "Uhh... About yeah." Hunter took his fork and instead of using it as a potential weapon, used it to finish off his food. Once done, he put his items back on the tray and slide it out to Cage. Then. froze for a moment with more thoughts on his mind. "Anything else I gotta know before we go? Like... uh..." He froze. He knew little about trials, laws, or anything in those regards other then what high school history classes showed him. And most of that just focused on the constitution itself as well as specific laws. Here? He had little hope that would help. "Should I wear a suit or something?" He spoke it like it was a joke, but there was a look in his face where he was clearly wondering if that was the case if he should be wearing one. His expression died for a moment thought as he thought about that. "wait... I don't own a suit. Fuck." He thought about his uniform, the closest to a suit he owned. One of the few things he still owned actually. He figured it wouldn't work like that. But he was stressed and clinging to what little threads of control he thought he had left to try and keep himself calm. It was little help, but a huge choice was about to be made about his life, and he felt powerless to effect it.

🧚🏻‍♀️ The Walking Dead - Year 6 Part 1

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Emanuel "Manny" Newman Location: Apartment 1D Skills: N/A

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Manny found himself in his room alone with his thoughts. He had had the chance to calm down, and was thankful for not lashing out. Years ago, even now at times, he found he had issues showing restraint in many cases. He wondered if apart of it was built of anger, or had something to do with how he used to let out Anger. How in his teenage years, and in his early twenties he would take his anger out physically on people who would cross his path. But there were other moments, little blips here and there of his slip ups of when he had started to lose his temper. Or worse, had lost it. He had snapped on the way to the funeral, but thankfully not to an extreme degree. Then there were those extreme moments, ones where he had enough and was willing to go rather far. The people that had wiped out his old settlement. The Edenites who had locked him in a cage. The men who jumped him while he was in medical school. The drunk who threatened his home.

Though there was justification in every case, he always wondered if he had gone too far. He looked at his reflection against the rain strewn window, and looking at his face he came to a bit of a realization. He was not the man he was all of those years ago. He had to learn a lot of lessons the hard way, and many still to learn. Sure, he could handle a medical unit rather well, but his temper still flared up from time to time. Socially, he had adjusted poorly to what most people had gotten used to nowadays. And even by many standards of the old world he was starting to struggle with, likely due to lack of social exposure beyond his small group of survivors. A mini tribe almost. Sure, he wasn't perfect at it, but he had his place then. He was getting the idea of how his people needed their attention, and when to give a break. But he had a lot to get used too again. Sure, he would have easier times adjusting then others, but he still had adjustment to do anyways. He continued to look at himself in the reflected window. He had fucked up, but he was ready to move on with the day and fix it up. When he had more time later, he would need to give Alexander a better apology. He stepped back into the main room of the apartment and straitened his collar, ready to take on the day yet again.

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Hunter Monroe Location: Jail (AA) Cell B Skills:N/A

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Hunter opened his fingers independently, and closed them all independently as he listened to Cage. His warden had explained a lot and Hunter was slow to process a lot of it. Worried he missed some as he spoke, he tried to pace his thoughts, but it seemed to do little to help. But he listened to Cage and thought about his situation. It was hard for Hunter despite the last two weeks to not compare this place to the shambled remains of the army in those last days, it was hard to not compare this place to how friendly Don and his crew was at first too. Things were rough, but they seemed so... Nice. Even when they weren't. When the National Guard tore itself apart, Lieutenant Anderson did his best to make a final difference. And the men who took his place wasted it. When Hunter felt alone and abandoned, he was taken in by a band of raiders who would later show their true colors to him. And later face all of their punishments. Though a lot of what Cage made sense, they had been good to him and Izibell. Even if rather strict and strange. But it was hard not to see every single suspicious thing as a red flag. Every off comment, every subtle armed guard, everyone he didn't know eyeing him, every threat, every friendly face.

Mostly. He turned his attention over to Izibell who had made herself comfortable ass end on his pillow. He wondered what it said about him when the person he trusted most was the dog who was currently using the place he put his head at night as an ass pillow. He let out a deep sigh. These people were far from perfect, and far from ideal of what he would call a utopia. But they had little reason to be seen as a threat. Despite it all, he was taken care of. And given time to adjust to things again, maybe he could leave on good terms and find a place he fits in better. Or maybe he'd learn to adjust? It was all a weird thought. He wasn't even sure what he thought an ideal settlement or home would be. He had seen countless settlements, but nothing of their lifestyles. Just... their empty husks. Outside of Don's crew, and the settlements he had gotten into conflict with, Hunter hadn't experienced much of any settlements outside what the ones that had fallen left behind. He wondered if that was something to add to his to do list, figure out what kind of home he actually wants. Would help if he remembered much of the list, but trying to memorize things by thinking it over and over had helped little.

Cage returned with the food, and Hunter did his best to hide the mixed feelings of stress and deep thought. He dropped off food for both himself, and Izibell. He took the moment to utter a simple "thank you" Before Cage left. He had about 20 minutes to decide what he might need before the trial. He found himself unsure. The most complicated thing he needed before he entered camp was decent lighting while attempting to read a first aid book to treat nearly ruined fingers, while passing out from the pain nearly every time he tried something. But after that? He found bullets were enough to solve his problems for the most part. Then he thought of how he must have looked coming in. How underweight he was wouldn't show through the layers he was wearing despite the heat, but he was armed to the teeth ready or any kind of fight. Over a hundred rounds of mixed ammunition, an M4 carbine that even though it needed some attention, did the job well enough. The visible grip of the sawed off shotgun for easy reach "Just in case". A sidearm to add to it, and a decent quality axe if somehow all that failed. But not one bit of food, no more spare water. Surviving off gutter scraps, little raw meat Izibell could sometimes bring, and the ever so rare looted food that wasn't picked clean. He was ready for any fight, but was losing none the less. He had no idea what he needed then, and he was worried he didn't now.