Realistic or Modern THE WALKING DEAD - Our Broken World [IC - Open]

[Josh]

Tucker

Tucker couldn't help but laugh at first. It was just the most perfect comedic moment. As he buckled over in laughter, he realized he hadn't laugh that hard in a long while. A really long while! God knew he needed it. Recovering after a few moments, the young man had to catch his breath his breath.

Then all hell broke loose.

Andrew got aggressive in his reaction to Cricket crashing into him. Uncomfortably so. "What the actual fuck?" Tucker barked in reaction.

Tucker moved toward the two, but by the time he got there, the scene had ended. Andrew had every right to feel startled, but he went too fucking far! You didn't get into a person's face like that, especially not a girl's face. "It was a fucking accident!" Tucker shouted.

Following Andrew, Tucker cut him off, towering slightly over the boy. Tucker was bigger than Andrew, and stronger too. Though perhaps surprisingly to some, Tucker didn't swing at him. He decided to extend an olive branch.

"Seriously, it was an accident." Tucker managed to reign in his tone and actually sounded understanding. "We're all on the same team, man." Tucker wasn't sure if his words would connect. You miss every shot you don't take, though. Leaning back slightly, Tucker lowered his guard. "Look, you can't have this 'fuck the world' attitude when you need the fucking world to survive now. You can't be a loner anymore. You need people! Nobody is saying you have to like us, but you need us. No one can be an island anymore, dude."

Tucker then looked at Cricket. "Maybe you should just say I'm sorry, Andrew. You overreacted. Then we can put this shit to bed."

Maia let a long sigh, looking disappointed. Jemma just had her arms crossed, watching the situation unfold.

Ghost_Candy Selee-01 Fluffy Cookies Zenterfold

 

[Selee-01]

Tucker

Tucker couldn't help but laugh at first. It was just the most perfect comedic moment. As he buckled over in laughter, he realized he hadn't laugh that hard in a long while. A really long while! God knew he needed it. Recovering after a few moments, the young man had to catch his breath his breath.

Then all hell broke loose.

Andrew got aggressive in his reaction to Cricket crashing into him. Uncomfortably so. "What the actual fuck?" Tucker barked in reaction.

Tucker moved toward the two, but by the time he got there, the scene had ended. Andrew had every right to feel startled, but he went too fucking far! You didn't get into a person's face like that, especially not a girl's face. "It was a fucking accident!" Tucker shouted.

Following Andrew, Tucker cut him off, towering slightly over the boy. Tucker was bigger than Andrew, and stronger too. Though perhaps surprisingly to some, Tucker didn't swing at him. He decided to extend an olive branch.

"Seriously, it was an accident." Tucker managed to reign in his tone and actually sounded understanding. "We're all on the same team, man." Tucker wasn't sure if his words would connect. You miss every shot you don't take, though. Leaning back slightly, Tucker lowered his guard. "Look, you can't have this 'fuck the world' attitude when you need the fucking world to survive now. You can't be a loner anymore. You need people! Nobody is saying you have to like us, but you need us. No one can be an island anymore, dude."

Tucker then looked at Cricket. "Maybe you should just say I'm sorry, Andrew. You overreacted. Then we can put this shit to bed."

Maia let a long sigh, looking disappointed. Jemma just had her arms crossed, watching the situation unfold.

Ghost_Candy Selee-01 Fluffy Cookies Zenterfold

Andrew shrank back from Tucker’s anger, eyes wide with what might have been fear. He didn’t lash out, but he gritted his teeth and steeled himself for possible violence, his good hand at his belt and the knife hidden there.

It was a good thing Tucker calmed down, or else things might’ve gotten worse. As it was, Andrew was still taut as a board, face white and stark as he listened to Tucker’s words. He’d heard stuff like that before, and he hadn’t believed it then. He wasn’t entirely sure he believed it now, but his intellectual side knew he needed to play fair. If he didn’t, these people wouldn’t be hospitable much longer. He took his hand off his knife.

Andrew took a deep, shuddering breath, and exhaled.

“I don’t need people,” he said, slowly and deliberately, but not angrily. “I’m not like you, where I crave the love and admiration of others. I survived on my own for a very, very long time, and one day I’ll be on my own again. But I will apologize. In the spirit of fairness."

Ghost_Candy
Andrew turned to Cricket.

“I am sorry,” he said. “I overreacted. Do not touch me again, please.” Instead of sounding sarcastic, it felt more like an actual request to her. His voice carried a slight hint of whatever inner turmoil had caused him to react as he had.

Andrew looked to the rest of the group.

“Can we go back now?"

 

[Ghost_Candy]

Kenji - Botanical Garden

Kenji let a small playful scoff as he noticed Cricket trip clumsily, but his face soon hardened as Andrew whipped around, Kenji's jaw clenched as the blond began yelling at her. Every bone in his body wanted to lose his shit- but he refrained. He was protective of her, he couldn't help it. But, he also knew she didn't need it, she handled her fair share of infected, as well as shitty people before the outbreak.


Cricket - Botanical Garden

As she scrambled to regain her balance, she was shouted at. As she looked in shock at Andrew, she noticed his eyes weren't just angry- they were scared.

Cricket opened her mouth to apologize, but she was cut off by Tucker. He shouted at the boy, as much as she was annoyed- she could deal with it herself. Tucker continued, she let him finish before she cut in as Andrew apologized.

"Hey, I didn't mean to- but I won't again," she started, before looking back at Kenji for a moment, his dark eyes filled with clear rage.


"Don't apologize for reacting, we've all gone through so much shit," Cricket finished before stepping away, following Jemma to the exit.


Zenterfold Josh Selee-01 Fluffy Cookies

 

[Gears]

Eddie emerged from the Jeep, he had hit a few things and after checking the damage he walked toward the bickering survivors keeping his pistol consealed in a holster he had taken from a gun-shop a week ago. He covered the holster with his duster and took off the goggles he had been wearing.

 

[Fluffy Cookies]

Elaine watched Cricket and followed.

"Are you okay? Like seriously... I don't like getting yelled at either..." She commented. She was curious.

Zenterfold Ghost_Candy Selee-01 Josh

 

[The Dapper Mog]

Julianna - Faith, Nurse's Office

Thus far the day had been pretty standard. Sure, it was a bit intense in regards to the team being sent out and the new people, but it still strongly beat out the earlier days of the apocalypse. The woman found herself in the Nurse's office, where she spent a fairly considerable amount of her time, going over her written reports. It was pretty well known the medical reports were usually kept well protected and private, but these days, with the newer health issues, she had to make sure her reports were readable by people without proper training. After all, the "leaders" would need to be able to make decisions based on those reports.

Her mind wandered rapidly through her past, focusing for brief moments on key sections of her history, then moving to another. The memories of Calliope were especially frequent. She was so thankful to Faith for helping make her daughter safe and welcome. A faint smile played across her lips as she finished up her latest report on the health of the newcomers as her mind focused briefly on the first few weeks after she brought her daughter home. She sometimes felt awful that her daughter was now living in such an awful world, but she couldn't bare to let her go.

Julianna was shaken from her thoughts when there was a knock at the door of the office. She could hear someone's voice coming through, and it took her a moment to recognize it as Wally, Binna's brother that had managed to find his way here, against all odds. With a practiced turn, she spun back from the desk and rose from her wheeled chair, moving to the door to open it up. Outside the door was Wally, as she had believed. He looked troubled, almost frantic. It only took a moment for her to notice the blood on his hand.

"Oh my god, Wally, what happened? Come in, sit down." Julianna's voice dripped with surprise and concern as she darted over to the supplies and picked up some gauze and medical tape to wrap the wound and some disinfectant.

She would then proceed to treat the wound, but would stay quiet unless he spoke to her. Thankfully the wound wasn't bad, it was very superficial damage, but it was definitely out of nowhere. Her eyes were focused on her work, but she was admittedly worried about him.

Josh

 

[Josh]

Derek

Considering that Ray was injured and Brooke was busy taking care of him, Derek felt he needed to take control. Looking at the group, he motioned toward the bus door. "Lionheart, you clear the front." He pointed out the front window to a cluster of walkers close to the bus' front. While there were a lot of them, Derek wasn't that worried. What worried him more was the man in the jeep who had actually followed them. Derek hopped out of the bus with Jasper following him. Jasper got busy with booting a biter back with his boot, knocking it into the herd. As for Derek, he approached the jeep man.

"You getting in, following us or... what?" Derek had a hand on his firearm. "I'm gonna ask only once!"
Charles Babel Gears

Alastair

Watching Binna treat Dean and Ray, a slight panic ran over him. This was definitely far more intense than anything he had been in the middle of before coming to Faith. Still, after a moment of practiced breathing, his panic vanished. From his vantage point he could see people in the shop. "I got two more, everyone," Alastair announced. "Listen... I watched Sarah drive through small herds before, it's not impossible. We don't have that much time."

Dean

Dean was in a lot of pain and it was crashing down on him in waves. He took up his own seat, laying stiff as a board. Binna was right next to him. In this moment, he realized how he shitty he had treated her these last few days. She could have left him, but she stood by him. Dean didn't have much reason to be such an asshole to everyone, but... there was something about these people. They were like aliens. He just couldn't wrap his head around their actions, he never could.

When Dean met Binna, he had been drawn to her like a moth to a flame. The two flirted here and there, but Dean knew she was mourning her boyfriend. Apparently he was a builder like Dean. She'd visit him daily, bring him food, or just chat about life, or bitch about Hatch.

Not too long later, they started a sexual relationship. After that, Dean knew he had to lock her down. While Dean knew they didn't have much in common, that didn't matter anymore. They had the most important thing in common: they were alive.

As Dean writhed in pain, he realized they were stopped. Soon, he saw a new face outside the bus. "Why are we fucking helping people?" he grunted. "Ray and I are fucking dying here!"

"Just hold on!" Paul replied, sounding stressed beyond hell.

Peacemaker .45 Zenterfold Crono MapletheLeafEater Doctor Voidsman Gears Charles Babel R U S T

Wally

As he joined the nurse, Wally had a ten-mile long stare planted in his face, almost not registering Julianna's presence. As she worked on his hands, the silence in the room was deafening. After a bit of time, he answered her question. "I lost a fight with a brick wall."

From yesterday, it was almost like he was a difference person. Right when he arrived, he had tons of energy, not unlike a big ol' dog. Sure he was a little much, but there was a sense of joy, of positivity, that had radiated from within him. However, the Wally in front of the nurse was a nothing of the sort today. He was lingering on past trauma. He didn't say much, just looked at Julianna once and a while.

Out of the blue, he said, "they didn't bring me with them. Alastair and Binna wanted me to stay. Don't get me wrong, I love it here, but I belong out there. I thrive out there. I'm not just Binna's screw-up brother." He wasn't sure who he was talking to, Julianna or himself.

Looking at the painted sun on the wall, Wally looked away in shame. "I left out some stuff yesterday. I mentioned a miracle that happened. I guess I never told you what it was." He put on a sad smile as he lowered his hat over his face. "So the day I met Alastair, I lured a bunch of shamblers to the wooded hill because I--" He froze. "I had a death wish. So I fought the fucks all day. And none of them fucks killed me. We're talkin' a whole herd here."

A long, deep breath exited Wally's lungs, as if he was rolling a boulder up a hill. "I pulled out my gun. I was going to end it. End it all. I put it to my head and I pulled the trigger. And it jammed." Another pause. This one was shorter. "I looked up, and I saw Alastair staring at me, mouth open like Christ had risin'. And now I'm here, gracing your presence."

He let out a soft groan. "... Why am I telling you this?"

The Dapper Mog

 

[Gears]

Eddie said “yea I will follow you, do you have any damage on your vehicle? Mechanics and such are my skill”

 

[The Dapper Mog]

Julianna

Vacant and quiet patients weren't a problem for Julianna, not since her first few days on the job. Some people were too distracted, for some the pain was too much to allow the focus of dialogue, and others still were in the process of their trauma. The stare and look on his face told her that it was likely the last one, and she knew better than to press the issue. Binding the wound and cleaning it was pretty simple, though she had to be careful, which made it take a little longer. But that was fine. It took her a bit of effort not to joke about him hitting a wall, but she managed, simply nodding in response. The quiet didn't bother her, but she would have to admit that the subject matter he brought up after did.

Wally's trauma was real and it was fresh. He had it hard out there, like everyone, and like many before him he wanted out. It wasn't exactly uncommon, even before the walkers. When he stopped speaking, she let out a slow breath, biting her lip as she contemplated on her words.

"There was a time I would have told you that there must be a reason for that. But nowadays, all I can really say is that I'm glad it happened how it did." Julianna's soft voice always had a bit of an opinionated edge to it in serious moments, but she was trying to be as kind as possible.

"It doesn't matter why, only that you are. Whatever you feel about them leaving you here today, whatever you feel about out there being the place for you...where you belong? It doesn't matter. Because this place, these people? We support each other. So long as you want it to be, this IS the place for you. Binna loves you. She talked about you, you know." Julianna offered him a supportive smile as she finished up wrapping his hand.

"Look, your life is your own, and no one can make those important decisions for you. However people choose to see you, just show them who you are. You're not Binna's brother, you're Wally, and I know we've very recently met, but I've always been pretty good at reading people. Take care of yourself, okay? You have a place here...if you want it."

Josh

 

[Josh]

Tucker

Tucker shook his head in disappointment. The fact that the kid had to go off about shit like not needing other people was, well, sad. It was clear to everyone how weak this came off, but the kid couldn't help how damaged he was.

Listening to Andrew rant, Tucker just shrugged. "Whatever, man. It's like I said earlier, what's the difference between you and the undead? I gotta say though, not even they can really survivor together. Even a biter needs another biter."

Nodding at Jemma, Tucker took in the greenery. The vines wrapping around walls, the bushes covering benches and signs... It was breathtaking. He'd probably find it breathtaking no matter how long he stood here. There was something just awestriking about nature reclaiming itself from man. It was here before them and nature would be here after them.

"Okay, I'm with Andrew. Let's get the fuck out of here."

Selee-01 Ghost_Candy Zenterfold Fluffy Cookies

Wally

A soft chuckle escaped Wally as he took in Julianna's words. The woman was earnest and honest, which were great traits for a person to have these days. Well, maybe those had always been great traits.

As the tall man listened to her soothing words, Wally just nodded a couple of time. He had been going back and forth on whether life had a "plan" when his gun jammed. It was more of an Alastair thought than Wally's. Somedays, Wally got the feeling the gun jamming meant more to Alastair than it even did Wally. Like it was the "light bulb" for his bearded friend. Wally couldn't take that from him, nor would he want to. That moment saved both of their lives in the long run.

"I know you're right. You're right about a lot of things." Despite the heavy subject matter, Wally managed a sigh and a smile. "Don't let that go to your head, though." A playful looked shone on his face.

"And I know I'm not just Binna's brother, ya know? It's just she's so..." Wally looked for the right words. "She's too damn perfect! She's good at everything, she knows everything, and..." He trailed off. As much as he loved his sister, her shadow had always loomed large.

They were the two youngest, even if they were six years apart. Binna was, in a lot of ways, a second mother as much as a sister. She always took care of him, watched over him, hell, she let him live with her rent free! Now, was there a point were Wally took advantage of her kindness? Yeah. Wally had always felt like he was just a duty to his sister.

"... It's hard to explain " Wally laughed softly, though he had a slight look of sadness about him. "You know how she is."

As Wally stood up, he realized he was feeling better. "So, we're good. And I assume everything I said here stays between you and me?"

The Dapper Mog

 

[Zenterfold]

Paul - Bus Outside Antique Store

Paul gripped the bus' steering wheel hard, feeling like everything around him was going just too fast to contemplate. Sam and Jasper were clearing out some of the walkers while Derek was busy trying to coax information out of the guy in the jeep. "We're gonna have damage after this," Derek said, his voice raised enough for Paul to hear him from outside the bus. "Just get in your vehicle and stick close to us. Don't do anything stupid, kid." Derek waited for the guy to get back into his vehicle before joining Jasper in thinning the herd.

Paul let out a breath he'd been holding when he saw smoke rising from the nearby shop. He feared the worst for whoever had been inside. "Jesus, we really gotta go," he croaked. He had always advocated for going out of their way for strangers in this world, but perhaps they could not possibly save everyone.

"Wait," Alastair commanded, his face up to one of the bus windows. "They're coming!"

As Derek and the others climbed back on to the bus with the two stragglers in tow, Paul whispered a prayer only to himself. His mom used to pray for him all the time. She used to call Paul up before a match and tell him she was praying for his safety. He just hoped it had the same power coming from his own lips.

Stepping on the gas, Paul, slammed through the herd.

***

Faith

Jemma and her group had gotten back to Faith before anyone had realized they were gone. Though the group of young adults and teens had gotten into a scuffle near the end, Jemma had been content with the mission's goal of getting people to bond. She planned to go out again with them sometime soon.

Though the supply run had ended with a bang, the arrival back at Faith was even more bombastic. Dean and Ray had been rushed to the medical, causing quite a stir among everyone that one of their leaders might be in big trouble. Then there was the integration of four new people into Faith, which also had people buzzing. They had just gotten so many other new people the day before, after all. With all the commotion, it took a while to perform entrance interviews on the newcomers, but before night fell, all four had been assessed and assigned rooms.

It was well past sundown by the time things calmed down. Dean and Ray were not in any serious condition but needed to rest for the next while. Brooke assured her people that everything was okay and that the run had been a major success. The supplies secured from the military camp were invaluable, with the medical supplies going to Binna and the other supplies going to Ben.

After the last two days Faith had experienced, it was nice to have another calm night.

Josh Selee-01 Ghost_Candy Charles Babel Doctor Voidsman The Dapper Mog Fluffy Cookies R U S T MapletheLeafEater Peacemaker .45 Crono wowie The_OverWatcher Gears

 

[Gears]

Eddie had followed barley managing to conceal his poor driving skills but making it in one piece. He sat their wondering if this was a trap but he knew he had no option but to follow them, his last camp was toast so he has to hope they weren’t cannibals or worse: Working for the stupid fucking psycho taxi guy.

He loaded his supplies into his room and couldn’t sleep so he repaired his assault rifle the majority of the knife. A fall from a building had ruined the sights and damaged the silencer but after he was done it was in working order.

 

[wowie]

Jet
As he climbs the fire escape's metal rungs, noise from the ensuing chaos reach him far before the sight. However, the car crash almost prepared Jet's nerves resulting in only momentary pauses to process rather than debilitating spasms. Once reaching the building's roof he assesses the situation: what was once a measly handful of walkers quickly was amassing into a horde as a bus of survivors attempted to pass over them. Heart hammering in his chest, Jet realized that they were his best chance to survive the horde. Dashing any reservations about trusting others, Jet decides to take a risk and concocts a plan to help save both parties.

'God I hope they understand.' Praying they catch his cue, Jet decides to set up a diversion to hopefully disperse the crowd of walkers. Practically flying back down the fire escape, Jet sprints to the store once more and pulls out a box of matches. Recalling earlier Jet distinctly remembers the car crash drawing walkers initially with the explosion, not the passenger inside. Aiming to recreate this he starts constructing a haphazard pire in the middle of the store using its merchandise, old wooden chairs layered on top of moth eaten garments. Turning to William he explains quickly, "I'm drawing them here to make a break for the bus outside. Get clear of the store and wait to run." Turning back to his work, Jet quickly finishes the stack and strikes a match. "Now."

Setting it ablaze he tugs William out of the building as it catches ablaze and, praying it lures enough away, begins an approach around the alleyway to the bus.

Zenterfold The_OverWatcher

 

[The_OverWatcher]

Jet
As he climbs the fire escape's metal rungs, noise from the ensuing chaos reach him far before the sight. However, the car crash almost prepared Jet's nerves resulting in only momentary pauses to process rather than debilitating spasms. Once reaching the building's roof he assesses the situation: what was once a measly handful of walkers quickly was amassing into a horde as a bus of survivors attempted to pass over them. Heart hammering in his chest, Jet realized that they were his best chance to survive the horde. Dashing any reservations about trusting others, Jet decides to take a risk and concocts a plan to help save both parties.

'God I hope they understand.' Praying they catch his cue, Jet decides to set up a diversion to hopefully disperse the crowd of walkers. Practically flying back down the fire escape, Jet sprints to the store once more and pulls out a box of matches. Recalling earlier Jet distinctly remembers the car crash drawing walkers initially with the explosion, not the passenger inside. Aiming to recreate this he starts constructing a haphazard pire in the middle of the store using its merchandise, old wooden chairs layered on top of moth eaten garments. Turning to William he explains quickly, "I'm drawing them here to make a break for the bus outside. Get clear of the store and wait to run." Turning back to his work, Jet quickly finishes the stack and strikes a match. "Now."

Setting it ablaze he tugs William out of the building as it catches ablaze and, praying it lures enough away, begins an approach around the alleyway to the bus.

Zenterfold The_OverWatcher

William

William started shooting trough the broken glass,getting headsot here and there,he was going to follow the mysterious guy when a bus pulled up and some of the walkers turned towards it, William was thinking of ways to escape this building figuring that his mysterious partner had already de so when the guy can bolting in grabbed flammable stuff ad told him that he was going to make a distraction and then hauled William out of the building before putting it lames,William baffled for a second,got ha bearings and climbed up the fire escape and took a running start jumps and landed on the roof of the bus ,the h bent down and oped the roof access and jumps in receiving confused and terror stricken face expressions,which he ignored went to a seat in the back and played in it soon he fell asleep.

Zenterfold
Zenterfold

 

[Josh]

Carmen

"The lord is my shepherd..."

Kneeling at the base altar at the church, Sister Carmen clutched her rosary beads, holding them tightly. As she recited the lords prayer, she felt emotionally conflict.

After Derek and the group left, a few members of the community had noticed the new engagement right on the sister's finger. She, of course, had told them about Derek and herself, explaining to them why they had hidden their relationship and why she had lied. Some understood, though some did not. That wasn't what bugged her however.

As much as she knew she had done the right thing, part of her felt she had betrayed God. Carmen was willing to justify anything, using logic or faith to do so, but she could not deny there was no out for her here. Catholic bylaws were clear. You couldn't call yourself a sister and treat your vow as some fragile thing to break. Well, she could do that, for no one here would stop her. The church? Please. Vatican City was probably long gone now. Who even knew who the pope was now.

Still, as she chanted over and over, Carmen knew her choice meant she was violating the spirit of the vow. Being a sister was all she ever wanted, and yes, she had broken aspects of her vows before. Still, this was different.

Hearing the door behind her open, she was a shadowy figure knelt before the alter. Not turning her body, Carmen addressed the man who entered.

"I assume the little birds told you the news, Father."

Zenterfold

Bella

Bella had been watching Julianna's daughter most of the day, but she gave the girl over to Ben when the bus pulled in. Duty called it seemed.

When it became clear they had injured, the medical team sprung into action. To the new members, the team seemed like a well-oiled machine. "All medical team members are needed. This is not a drill!" Dr. Gus Hatch shouted.

Working on Ray, it was clear he had a concussion. Bella's late boyfriend, Kevin, had been a football player, and a damn good one. He had been the center for LSU. If the world hadn't fallen apart, he would have been putting himself into the NFL draft. That had been his dream. The two had been a couple for a long time, and Bella had seen him suffer a rough concussion a time or two. They were no joke. Heck, she wondered if maybe that's what led to him snapping when life went to hell. Though she couldn't dwell on that

When things had calmed down, Bella decided to wash everything down. First she went down to the Y, where they had Dean laying in the trainer's rooms. After that, she shuffled herself into the nurse's office across the parking lot.

As she entered the nurse's office, Bella noticed Julianna was there. "Hey, you!" she giggled. "Ben's got Calli in bed by now, don't worry."

"Tell me you washed everything down already," Bella begged. "It'd make my life a lot easier! Oh, and did you see the new girl in the camo? Kind of a cutie, if you ask me."

The Dapper Mog

Binna

"You happy now, Dean?" Doctor Roberts asked, sitting by her boyfriend. "You're in your own room now." Dean wasn't looking at her as he adjusted uncomfortably in bed. Bella and Binna had looked him over when the bus pulled in. After his accident, Binna had assumed the worst.

The back (and the spine in general) was a complicated set of nerves and vertebra. If it was the worst case scenario? She didn't want to think about it. She had performed and been present for many back surgeries, so she knew that one false move could mean everything. You cut the wrong nerve and suddenly every nerve ending was poring out like angel hair pasta. Gave her a headache just thinking about it.

However, Dean was lucky. She wasn't sure what exactly the issue was, but nothing felt out of line. She could not exactly say this out loud without sounding crass, but if anyone knew how Dean's back felt, it was her. When she had felt his spine, she could feel his body recoil, jolting as she pushed down on his lower back. He was tender, really tender.

That being said, safety first. He needed to be on bed rest for a while. A much as Dean was a headache, as much as sometimes her heart wasn't in it, there was a part of her that was.

Laying on the bed, Dean was still in a lot of pain, however the pain was lessening thanks to the medication. His head whipped back towards his lover. A slight grimace on his face said it all. "Oh, I'm fucking peachy!" he snarked.

"Don't get huffy with me, Dean," Binna pushed back in a soft tone. "You're lucky it's not worse."

"Yeah," Dean said despondently. "Whatever you say."

Grasping his hand, she tried to sooth him. "So, the good news is, as far as I can see? Nothing is broken."

"Thank christ." A wave of release came over Dean.

"Don't get too happy, Dean. I'm still putting you on bed rest for at least two weeks."

You could hear a pin could drop. "... Excuse me?"

The doctor gripped his hand tighter. "Dean, I know you feel the need to be active--"

"Don't patronize me, Binna!" Dean yelled. His anger and shame boiled over, giving him enough energy to ignore the pain. "I'm not weak, okay? This place needs me. With all these new fucking people, I need to get the apartment expansion ready! Not that I wanted all these fucking people anyway. But hey, if we're letting any mother fucker in who we see, we better get more goddamn room! But now look at me. Look at me! Who else is gonna build the fucking wall? Paul? Can barely look after his daughter! Alastair? God, he just screams soft. Sean? I've lived with Sean for a fucking year, and that motherfucker doesn't talk to anyone! You expect him to rally the troops? So please, please tell me who. For someone who has a fucking doctorate, you sure have no sense sometimes."

Binna just sat there, taking in his wrath. She could see where he was coming from. Dean had done a lot for Faith, and he was right that sometimes, he didn't get respect he deserved. People didn't listen to him when they should. Binna also know, half that was because of Dean! He was such a force to deal with! He had no people skills. Dean was never one to kiss ass or even give someone credit when they deserved it. If you can't be friendly, you couldn't expect to make any friends.

"Don't take this out on me, Dean! I'm looking out for you! If you don't rest, it's going to get worse! We can't afford to make your situation worse! You can't afford it either!"

Dean just looked away. "This place is just going to fucking fall apart without me," he stated. "And I hate sitting in one spot." He knew she was right but he was emotionally wounded and his pride was shattered.

Binna sighed. "I got work to do, Dean. Paul's gonna come up and bring one of the TVs and DVD players for you. Just rest. "

As Binna shoes started clicking away, Dean called to her.

"Wait, Bi."

"Yes?"

Dean eyed her over. "Your gonna take care of me, right? You know? It's why you're with me, right?"

Binna didn't know what to say. He was trying to open himself up emotionally, but that statement just rubbed her the wrong way. "Oh course, Dean," she lied.

As Binna smiled and left, she softly closed the door. In that moment, she realized their relationship was over. As much as she wanted to love him, the dream was over.

Tears softly fell from her face as she went back to her job.

 

[The Dapper Mog]

Julianna

The night had been busy. Thanks to Bella, Julianna didn't have to worry about Calliope much tonight, so it gave her plenty of time to get things done and catch up on some more time consuming tasks. Presently, she was sitting at her desk, going over some last minute adjustments to her reports on everyone's health. It was important to monitor everyone's health closely and individually. With the influx of new people and then the return from the latest mission into the city, there was a lot to go over. It didn't take her long to get exhausted. With a heavy sigh she finished the last sheet, putting it into the right drawer on her desk as she leaned forward and rested her head in her hands.

It was then that Bella popped in, full of energy as she usually was. Julianna would have to admit that her energy was infectious. In fact, aside from how cute she was, it was her favorite aspect of Bella. She herself was often just tired these days, but Bella had that energy that just seeped into others and brought them up. The cute giggles helped, and Julianna managed a smile as the other woman addressed her.

"Hey, Bell." Julianna replied softly, watching her come in.

"Thank you again for watching her. I got a lot of work done, and yes, I did all the cleaning already." Julianna replied while sitting up and leaning back to stretch, her form fitting top adjusting to the flex of her musculature.

The remark about the newcomer didn't really stick in her head. After all, if there were anyone in this town worth her attention, it was someone else. Julianna sighed again, letting her arms cross in front of her chest, exhaling slowly, revealing her obvious exhaustion.

"So...since I took care of the cleaning, it's just a matter of relaxing now. Which is good, I'm tired and my body aches." Julianna added with a quiet groan, her eyes again moving to Bella.

It didn't occur to her until just now how...well, pent up, she had been feeling of late. All the work, stress, and excitement was really getting to her. Plus, having to watch Calliope was always important and present on her mind. Those things weren't something she could really talk with people about either. Bella was always willing to listen, but for the most part Julianna hesitated to talk to her about her own needs and wants because the friendship they had was important to her. Sure, they would playfully flirt with each other, but no matter how much Julianna in her addled state of mind could want to try and make a move, she stopped herself, unable to do it.

Julianna spun in her hair so she was perpendicular to the desk, leaning on her right arm to support her head, her eyes still on the beautiful Bella, mind wandering to possibilities that threatened to make her shift in her chair. What was her problem? Was now REALLY the time to be thinking such things? Was ever? Inner turmoil aside, she was still happy that her friend was there.

"You know, Bella, there are more important things to be doing than scoping "cuties", right?" Julianna spoke with an obviously false chiding tone, raising her brow playfully as her lips formed a smirk.

Josh

 

[Selee-01]

Andrew couldn’t sleep.

He’d polished his balisong six times already in his small room- more of a closet, really- by the dim light of a battery-powered lamp. It was positively glowing, the blade a spear of flame in the warm electric light. He could see a sliver of his own face in the metal if he turned it just so.

Andrew had practiced opening and closing his blade for years now- even before the walkers had come. He didn’t have the same balisong that he’d started out on, but it was close. When the dead had started rising, Andrew had little better to do than practice when he wasn’t scavenging for food and water, or sleeping. He ran through some simple flips, the blade dancing around his fingers in a whirling dervish of silver.

Tucker’s words ground into his brain like a wrench in the gears and cogs of a machine. The usual soothing of the balisong didn’t help tonight.

“What's the difference between you and the undead? I gotta say though, not even they can really survive alone. Even a biter needs another biter."

He wasn’t a biter. He was a person. Wasn’t that obvious?

But Andrew knew that wasn’t what he’d been saying. Humans were pack animals. People clumped together, organized, lived their lives as a community. Except for him, that is. He’d never sought out community- had avoided it, actually. Andrew had many chances to join up with some other group during the past year. It wasn’t for lack of opportunity he’d remained alone. He’d remained isolated because he wanted to.

No, not because he wanted to. Because he was scared. He was always scared. Too scared that something would go wrong and he’d end up hurt again. Because that was his life before this, and the dead rising up hadn’t erased the past.

The silver flashed around his fingers, and he saw his minute error just before the blade bit his finger. It was so sharp he didn’t feel the pain at first, but then red welled from the cut.

He hissed a curse, and carefully cleaned and sheathed his blade. Fuck, he thought, as he sucked his finger. It wasn’t a dangerous cut, but it would need a bandage. And it was the middle of the night.

He flicked off the light, and carefully slid out of his little closet to search for bandages. He’d try the nurse’s office, grab one, and then head to bed. He was tired.

 

[Crono]

Faith Walls

Conrad

Conrad was sat in a beaten up old lawn chair looking out over one of Faith's walls, while not officially on duty he had nothing else to do. He'd already tried going to bed, but he was still too worked up on adrenaline. The man was in thought about the nights events, how it had gone south so quickly. It all circled back around to Ray's stunt with the car, something he still couldn't wrap his head around. It was a miracle they all made it out alive, yet not without injuries. Not to mention all the supplies they had to leave behind.

With a huff of frustration he let his head fall back over the top of the chair, eyes now looking up at the starts. His mind wouldn't let the events go, couldn't even. He liked Ray, he did. But it was hard to imagine what he'd been thinking with that car. Eventually however, his mind would wander away from the topic. Staring up at the stars, Conrad got to thinking about his family as per usual. He was always a big outdoorsy guy, rock climbing and pitching a tent to campout in his downtime. He'd find himself looking up at the starts while out in whatever wilderness he was in, happy to be alone in the quiet, but still thinking on his family back home. So his mind always went this direction when staring at the stars, even now in the days of not knowing if any of them were still alive.

coded by reveriee.

 

[Charles Babel]

Sam was laying in bed trying his best to go to sleep, but the pain was keeping him awake.

He shouldn't have gone out there like he did, he wasn't 20 anymore. He had one foot in the grave and was held together by duct tape and spite. He clenched and released his fist a few times as he stared towards the ceiling. It had been awhile since he had laid in an actual bed so he couldn't complain too much. Sam however needed to think of something he could do as a thank you for letting him in.

The one guy had talked about giving them some training but...what was his training really good for? Maybe there was some disengaging training he could give them if they were near one of those freaks? A way to quickly drop them to the ground? With a groan he put the pillow over his head and tried to get back to sleep. He could think about it tomorrow.

 

[Josh]

Bella

Bella rolled her eyes playfully at Julianna. Juli was always at her cutest when she was frustrated. "Speak for yourself, girl. The world is over and pretty much every day is a struggle. God forbid anyone wanting to let off some steam. I'm not exactly looking for love and everything, but I definitely am looking." Bella let out a small laugh and smirked devilishly. "And don't get all holier than thou with me! I know what you're about! I've seen the way you look at sister Carmen when she walks away." Bella stifled a large giggle as she thought of her next comment. "God's gift, huh?" Her smirk hung higher.

"Look, no one knows how much time any of us have. You should get out there."

Taking a seat, Bella kicked her feet up. "I know you're not much of a 'guy' girl, but these men here? You probably could have them eating your hand." Bella thought for a moment. "And probably some of the women too." Though Julianna preferred women over men, she was bisexual, which was one of the things Bella had bonded with her over.

"There's at least..." Bella took a moment, counting off fingers on her hand. "... four guys here into you." Bella's feet hit the floor. "It's like you're living on an apple tree farm, but you're craving oranges! Don't get me wrong, oranges are sweeter, but apples are good too." A laugh escaped her lips. She often joked like this with Julianna, though there was always a bit of truth to what she was saying.

Bella pushed forward in her seat, getting a bit closer toward Julianna. "Or, is it when I showed up, I ruined all other people in your eyes? That, ah... no other apple or orange will do?"

Bella had to admit, Julianna was breathtaking. Though Bella talked a lot about the men in their community, definitely none of the other women held a candle to Julianna. "Don't tell me it's my imagination. Those looks you give me. You do say a lot how tense you are when it's just you and I..." Bella wanted to pull back and just say she was joking like usual. She really wasn't, though. Maybe it had been her imagination; seeing looks that weren't there might have just been her own wishes in disguise.

The Dapper Mog

Derek

Derek was glad to be home. All he wanted to do now was decompress and, most of all, speak with Carmen. He still was in shock she made their relationship public. He was worried it had been shitty of him to give her an ultimatum but he had been at the end of his rope. He had been exhausted with seeing her in secret, even if he understood how important her vows were to her. Truthfully, he never thought she would choose him over her vows. As much as he was happy she did choose him, he still felt shitty.

As he went around the camp checking in on his people, a few members of the community stopped him to give their congratulations. Not just for the successful mission, but because of his engagement. Derek had to admit, he did love this part. It almost felt unreal. He eagerly explained their love story (leaving out a few of the unsavory details) and ended up finding it to be a lot of fun.

Unfortunately for Derek, with all the talking and running around he was doing, he had little time to decompress or talk to his new fiancé. It had just turned dark when Derek ended up seeing Conrad. James might have been Derek's right hand man, but Conrad could always be trusted. If something happened to him, Conrad should get the "big seat."

Climbing up to get to the man, Derek waved to him. "How you feeling?" Derek asked. "We got lucky with that camp, man. Went tits up for a bit, but could have been worse for sure."

Crono

Binna

As she mopped around the halls, Doctor Roberts saw a familiar face.
"If you're going to the Nurse's office, you're twelve hours too late," the woman's voice cracked, trying to catch Andrew's attention. She realized she sounded sad. The doctor had all but forgotten about Andrew until this moment. For no real reason, the sight of him just made her annoyed. She was already upset, and the boy was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Pacing toward him, she lectured, "all I asked for you wad to keep--"

Binna had finally made it to the boy, freezing when she saw his hand. "Jesus, what happened?" Binna immediately dropped her slightly annoyed tone as she reached into her medical bag.

As she looked at Andrew, she tried to wipe the dried tears off her face with her free hand. They reflected the lights of the building like light off a pool of water. "I can clean and patch it up here, just to be wrapped. What did you do?"

Selee-01

 

[Selee-01]

As she mopped around the halls, Doctor Roberts saw a familiar face.
"If you're going to the Nurse's office, you're twelve hours too late," the woman's voice cracked, trying to catch Andrew's attention. She realized she sounded sad. The doctor had all but forgotten about Andrew until this moment. For no real reason, the sight of him just made her annoyed. She was already upset, and the boy was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Pacing toward him, she lectured, "all I asked for you wad to keep--"

Binna had finally made it to the boy, freezing when she saw his hand. "Jesus, what happened?" Binna immediately dropped her slightly annoyed tone as she reached into her medical bag.

As she looked at Andrew, she tried to wipe the dried tears off her face with her free hand. They reflected the lights of the building like light off a pool of water. "I can clean and patch it up here, just to be wrapped. What did you do?"

Andrew was startled to see Binna in the halls, but quickly regained his composure. He was startled again to see tears on her cheeks, and as Binna collected her medical supplies he replied.

“I’ll show you how I cut my finger, if you tell me why you’re crying. I don’t think you harbor a secret hatred of mopping.” He was clearly joking, but he also had a quizzical tilt to his head and furrowed brows.

 

[The Dapper Mog]

Julianna

The giggles always made her stomach feel a little light and fluttery. Bella had such a cute laugh that matched her natural beauty perfectly, and it was always a pleasant sound that Julianna appreciated whenever she had the chance to hear it. The woman's eyes remained fixed on the other's, watching her as she moved about. A faint blush coated her cheeks for a moment when Carmen was mentioned. It was no secret that she was an attractive woman, and the old adage about forbidden fruit was certainly an accurate one.

"Oh, stop it. You know as well as I do that it's crazy when good looking people join the clergy." Julianna joked back, shakining her head as she moved in the chair while Bella continued.

"Okay, your analogy is sloppy, but I get what you're saying. But, I'll play along. I'm too busy watering the seedlings and tending to the orchard to enjoy the fruit." Julianna replied with a soft laugh at the clumsy metaphor and her attempt to use it.

When Julianna was going to remark on just a general disinterest in the guys of Faith, when Bella caught her with the proverbial cross up. The way she leaned in, made a joke about her spoiling Julianna for the rest of the bunch, the look on her face, the scent of her floating over...it took her by surprise. The woman's cheeks flushed and she had to think for a moment how to respond as her heart fluttered.

"I...uhm, I mean...maybe?" Was all she could manage.

The woman's body suddenly felt heavy, and that sort of burning in her core was growing more potent as she leaned forward in her chair, eyes glued to Bella.

"Of course I get tense when we're alone, look at you! You're beautiful and your so light and charming, but we're friends and...and we're so busy, and I..." Julianna realized then how flustered she was getting. These feelings she'd been harboring were right their, just under the surface, suppressed by only a thin layer of desire to preserve a friendship in fear of it being ruined.

But those needs demanded to be met. Those feelings were no longer willing to wait beneath the surface. The way Bella was looking at her now, alone in this room, close enough that she could make out the perspiration on her forehead, and her scent, that intoxicating scent...something had to give. And give it did.

Unable to hold herself back, Julianna slowly moved upward from her chair, leaning over the other woman as she pressed her lips to her's in a soft kiss. The touch was gentle, but the impact of the act, the tension of the moment for her melted away on contact. The time for being careful was past, and the levy of doubt broken. She could only hope this wouldn't backfire.

Josh

 

[Gears]

Eddie got out of his bed and after a moment he slung his rifle over his back and exited his room. He couldn't be the only one awake so he might as well meet his fellow survivors. He walked out of the building and looked for any movement showing any fellow community members.

 

[Crono]

Faith Walls

Conrad

Lost in his own world, Conrad didn't hear Derek making his way up the wall until the other man spoke. Conrad raised his head up then sat a little more upright now that he had company. Derek's words echoed a portion of Conrad's own thoughts and he flashed the man a smile in greeting, "Yeah, no kidding." His eyes flicked back to the opposite side of the wall, "Did I hear something about you getting engaged?" He asked with a wry smile. People liked to talk in Faith, and while he hadn't been a part of any said conversation Conrad had still heard something about the topic as he passed. Though he wasn't much for gossip, it wasn't difficult to imagine that Derek and Sister Carmen were closer than they let on. He was happy for them if it was the case, he truly was.

"I don't imagine it was an easy decision for her. Well, because you know." Conrad's hands were moving in an attempt to help elaborate, but landed back in his lap lazily. He wasn't one for religion, ironic really given where he'd ended up. He was more agnostic than anything, but he understood some of the vows a Sister makes on some basic level. But you take the joy when you can in this new world, because there's far too much tragedy and hurt. Derek was one of the people who'd saved his life and brought him to Faith to begin with, so if there was anyone he wished happiness on. The head of security was surely one of them.

Josh

coded by reveriee.

 

[Josh]

Binna

"That's not how this works," Binna informed Andrew, her fingers working on his hand. Lifting her head, her expression showed how drained she was. She was, and looked, just so so tired.

A sigh left her lips. Her hands moved furiously but she was barely looking at them. She was looking for the right words, practicing what she was going to say.

"I just came from Dean's-- our head builder's room," Binna said. "He hurt his back in the mission. That's all you need to know." She took a moment to blow a slight lock of hair out of her face.

Looking around the boy, Binna was putting the finishing touches his bandages. "I assume this injury wasn't because of my crossbow, right?" Binna gave him the look of a disappointment teacher. "Did you forget, or was it a lie you told me yesterday?" She seemed more hurt than angry. It was easy for the boy to pick up her tone.

Selee-01

Bella

Goosebumps ran down Bella's body when the two touched lips. God, such a relief! Bella resisted the urge to pull away out of fear. She was nervous, but that was quickly starting to fade.

Kissing Julianna's neck at first, she stopped as she lightly picked Julianna up by the legs. Bella was surprisingly strong, strong enough to at least get Juli's waist on the desk. There was both an air of thick tension and a bolt of fun permeating the room as paper was knocked carelessly off the desk,

It'd been awhile since Bella had been with a woman. She still remembered Erin, the first person she had ever been in a relationship with. Erin had been a top student at their school, with beautiful blonde hair and baby blue eyes. When the two discovered each other, they fell fast.

Coming out at a young age had been risky, but Bella never regretted it. Her parents took some time to accept it, but they came around eventually.

The relationship with Erin lasted years. However, the break up was messy. Very messy. Erin said some very hurtful things. Erin found out Bella was dating a man months after they broke up, which seemed to upset her on some personal level. Lines had been verbally crossed on both sides and Bella had been left feeling partly shameful of her bisexuality.

But this was a new world. Bella had no reason to be ashamed.

"I can tell how much you want this. I don't blame you. I want it too." In control, Bella leaned in, kissing the short woman again. Her hand started playing with Julianna's shirt when suddenly she stopped. Bella's eye turned toward the door.

As much as she wanted to the deed right here, right now, there were multiple people injured, and it was probably going to bring some activity. Maybe from Brooke, maybe Binna, or god forbid, Hatch.

The Nurse's office was large for a school nurse's office. There was a couch by the door with a few desks on either side. There was a room for people to rest and it was closed off, with a door that had a see-through window. That's where they had put Ray before he got moved to his room.

Looking down at Julianna, Bella panted, wrapping her hand around the other woman's. A deep sigh was uttered as Bella motioned at the door. "Okay sexy, what you want do? Besides me, of course." She giggled softly and he caressed Julianna's face. "You wanna... risk it? Do it right here? Or, we could get Binna to watch Calli tonight. I know she'd agree to it. She's easier to handle than Dean." Bella gave Juli a wink.

The Dapper Mog

Derek

"Thanks man," Derek said awkwardly, rubbing at his neck. He was still not used to this reality. His cheeks blushed red like roses.

When Derek first found Conrad, he had been a sight for sore eyes. He still wasn't sure how Conrad had ended up in that situation, but he had been lucky Derek found him when he did. "I hope you don't take it personally I never told you. Believe me. I never told a soul."

As Conrad asked about Carmen, Derek's face contorted. Where should he even begin with Carmen?

Looking at the vast, decrepit land, Derek let out a sad chuckle. "Brother, you have no idea how right you are," Derek informed him. "She struggled for months. The original plan was to tell people a week after we got here. Then a week turned into a month and..." Derek motioned with his hands. "You get my point."

Casually, Derek began putting his hands against his head in order to crack his knuckles. Perhaps he was more nervous talking about Carmen than he realized. "You know, you're lucky. At least you know how guys think when you're into one, women are like a whole different animal. I mean, right?" Derek looked away for a moment. While Conrad never came out to him, it wasn't like the man was hiding or lying about who he was into. It's not something they had ever spoken about before, so Derek didn't want to offend him or anything.

"Anyway, Carmen's... complicated. Between you and me, and I know she wouldn't mind me telling you this, she's been through more than you can imagine. She doesn't look it, but she's seen stuff before everything went to shit that even would have struggled to survive against." He paused, shook his head, and glanced back toward Conrad. "Her faith has always been like her life preserver. And you know? I didn't want to be the guy to pop it."

"It's not like I was trying to seduce her. It was just us on the road when we left our old group. It happens "

Crono