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

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Julianna

A rush or adrenaline. A fresh drip of dopamine. Smell of sweat and something akin to lust. Surprise. Julianna herself was taken back by her brash behavior. She sas usually more composed. Calm and concise. But her need overpowered her judgment. A brief feeling of weightlessness, heavy breathing, a sensation on her neck that sent tingles down her spine. Was this really happening? How long had it been? How many lonely nights had she spent missing the touch of another person? Since HE left. Since before this apocalyptic mess started. The woman's mind raced with possibilities, noting every sensation as though she would never experience them again. The sound of the papers hitting the floor barely registered, and Julianna's painted lips (she still liked her makeup) parted as her voice caught, the faintest hint of sound escaping in a light exhale.

Then the other woman stopped, her gaze meeting her own. A moment of understanding as her mind came back to reality. They were still in the office, a barely private location that was available to several people at virtually any time. Not ideal for a late night rendezvous. This moment gave her a second to contemplate as the other woman spoke to her. Her mind again raced through many things. Answers, past experiences, vivid images of the woman in front of her. Julianna's hand rose to clutch Bella's, almost as if she was subconsciously making certain the contact was real. That she was real. Her mouth still slightly agape as though the pleasure centers of her brain were in shock, she simply nodded for a moment.

"Y-yeah, yeah, you're right. Uhm, probably best not to do it here. I can ask Binna, I don't think she'll mind watching Calliope for tonight." With that said she dropped down from the desk, straightening out her top that was now off kilter.

"I'll ask her, hold on." Julianna spoke softly, a little embarrassed about the state she was in and how much like a blushing school girl she must look.

In a hurry, she moved to the door, clearing her throat as she opened it up and stepped out. Surprisingly, she actually saw Binna pretty quickly. She was apparently in the middle of cleaning and now she was speaking with someone. One of the newcomers. Andrew, was it? She exhaled slowly as though she were rehearsing a speech in her head, moving over to her.

"Uhm, hey, Binna. Dr. Roberts, excuse me. Do you think you could watch Calliope for me tonight? Something has come up and I could use the uhm...the coverage." The words were fairly right, but her nervousness and undoubtedly the disheveled look were likely still fairly obvious.

Plus, Binna always had a way of reading her like a book. Julianna kind of hoped that she wouldn't this time on account of potential embarrassment, but then she also noticed Binna had the look of someone having a bad day. Binna was also a strong woman, so if something was up, it must have been big. Maybe it would be best to put this off? Or at least not bother Binna with it.

Josh Josh
 
Eddie was going stir crazy so he drove away from the base for an while, far enough that no human or walker could be drawn from the community from before using some tin cans for shooting practice. Bonus points for any walkers. After pulverizing the stuff he started to scavenge the downtown area finding some canned food.

He was on his way when he heard a familiar cackle. He dived behind a bust stop as a faded yellow taxi outfitted with sheet metal, metal spiked, and a turret sped past him. The microphone crackled and the driver said “ HELOOOO DOES ANYONE WANT A RIDE!” he knew the playing was too much for his gun to get through so he waited until the taxi sped right into his cover launching him into a wall and launching his gun in another direction. He felt and definitely a rib or two was broken but he was fine.

As the taxi backed out of the wreckage the voice cackled and said “HEEEYYY BESTIEEEEE I KNEW I WOULD FIND YOUUUU” Eddie got up and fired his pistol at the maniac who responded with more mad laughter. Eddie ran for the subway but the taxi almost rammed into him.

He turned back but slipped and fell flat on his ass. He scrambled to his feet and ran the opposite direction too his Jeep and after a minute he sped farther away from the base.
 
Josh said:
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.
Click to expand...
“I hope he feels better soon,” Andrew said, and he actually seemed to be sincere. He winced only slightly at the bandages, and retracted his hand.

“Look at me,” he said mournfully. “What a sad sight I am, with both hands out of commission.” He drew his balisong, and flicked it open with a practiced smoothness.

“I cut myself doing a trick,” he said. “And I didn’t lie. Lying is for certain kinds of people, and I would never let myself be like them.”

Andrew furrowed his brow, and carefully closed and put away his knife. He ran his bandaged hand over his eyes, brushing away any moisture.

“It’s way too late for this,” he muttered. “You looked just like her for a second.”
 
Faith Walls
Conrad
"I'd never." Conrad had replied when the man brought up not telling anyone about the relationship. But soon half-scoffed, half-chuckled at the comment about knowing what a man's thinking versus a woman. "Hah. If only it were that easy." He chimed in, letting his head lull back against the top of the chair as he slid down in it. Meanwhile he propped up his legs on the walls top, arms crossing over his chest as the man got more comfortable as Derek spoke about Carmen. Conrad shook his head lightly and smiled. "You don't owe me, or anyone for that matter, any kind of explanation. Your business is your business Derek, same for Carmen."

Conrad paused afterwards, a hand reaching up to scratch at his beard. The man letting out a soft breathy sigh, at that moment he'd resolved to do something in the back of his mind. "I'm probably going to ruffle some feathers at the next meeting." Offering the information as a heads up to Derek, eyes flicking to meet the other mans to gauge his expression. Conrad didn't attend most meetings given he didn't hold a position that would require him to, still he'd done so when asked or requested to sit in on a few as well. But he was already deadset on attending the next one, which likely wouldn't be long given how much was going on recently.

"I don't think Ray's fit to be running things anymore." His voice was determined but he still spoke softly so as not to have anyone overhear.

Josh Josh​
coded by reveriee.
 
Elaine watches the night sky. She couldn't sleep, there was no reason to. She wished to know more people, have more allies... more friends. She only had Jemma and Sister Carmen. Elaine has heard a boy named Nash was around, he was a grade ahead of her, she remembered.

"I'm sending the raven, black bird in the sky, sending a signal that I'm here, some sign of life," She sang softly, "I'm sending a message, of feathers and bone, just let me know I'm not forgotten out here alone..."

Josh Josh Selee-01 Selee-01 Zenterfold Zenterfold
 
Eddie sped down a highway while firing his assault rifle at the cabby whenever he got to close. He reached under his seat and tucked a flare gun into his waistband. Suddenly The Cabby slammed into him and Eddie spun out of control and crashed into a shop window. He crawled out and pulled out the flare gun But what if it attracts walkers or raiders he thought. Before he could make his mind the Cabby's turret opened fire on him. He managed to duck out of the way barely and fired the flare gun into the sky. He waited for a minute then popped out and fired at the turret disabling it temporarily.
 
Binna

A slight sigh left the Korean woman's lips when Andrew sounded concerned. "I hope I feel better too."

The boy seemed different than yesterday. Heck, he seemed more different than when she saw him this morning around the community.

"Both your hands aren't out pf commission," the doctor insisted. "Just no more knife tricks for a bit. Give this one a few days to heal."

Pausing to find the right words, the doctor corrected herself. "I'm not trying to call you a liar. Look, just come to the Nurse's office tomorrow, work the bow off for a few weeks. We'll be even. Besides, you might find a passion for medicine?"

It was then out of the corner of her eye that Binna noticed Julianna coming down the hall. "Hold on, Andrew," Binna said."

On first view, Binna knew something was up. Julianna was always, and Binna meant always, on point professionally. Maybe more so than anyone else, including the doctors. Julianna took her duty as nurse as one would a job back in normal society. She made sure she had her scrubs on, that her make-up always on point, and that her hair never faulted. Julianna was practically immaculate.

Except at this moment.

As Julianna walked closer, Binna counted this difference in Julianna's image, like looking for differences in an old "highlights" magazine as a kid. Her buttons were snapped in wrong, she was sweating, and she had what looked to be someone else's lipstick on her neck. Binna sad lips perked up in amusement.

Binna was well aware of Julianna's feelings for Bella. Julianna was never one to talk romance, but it was clear to the doctor in subtle ways.

Listening to the nurse, Binna was a rad frustrated, but did not show it. She loved Calliope like a niece. But, today was the worst day for Juli to ask. Binna just wanted to go to her room, put on a DVD, pull out an old bag of twizzlers, and cry all night. Binna just wanted to be alone.

Her mind was just so wrapped around the Dean issue, she didn't know how she was going to sleep. How was she possibly going to break up with him? Could she, with everything going on? He was injured, and it'd make her feel like shit to kick him while he was down. Other issues flooded into her worried mind. She wouldn't say she was afraid of Dean, but he was a hot-head. God knows how he would react! Dean had been getting more and more intense over time, what would happen when she told him? It genuinely scared her.

However, Binna just gave her nurse a supportive smile. "You know I'd never mind," Binna insisted. "But just a fair warning, I'm putting you on call this week."

The medical team had a system. Everyone had their shifts. At night, they'd normally close for the day with either Doctor Hatch or Binna on call, with sister Carmen, not being an active member, being the agreed upon go-to. Bella was never on the on call list because the girl was rather new to the medical field, and Juli had Calliope. It might have seemed as a little harsh at first, however they had such few people as it was.

Having been looking down for a moment, Binna looked up so that her tear-dried eyes met with Julianna's. "Look, don't worry about a thing! Just have a good time! You two deserve it!" She put her hand on Julianna's shoulder at first, before moving it to brush the girl's hair out of her face.

Inside, Binna was a little worried. While Julianna was only two years older, the two girls were in two different stages. Bella just wanted to have fun. Especially after losing her boyfriend, she might just not be willing to settle down with anyone. Binna knew that Julianna craved stability and having a child didn't really allow one to be the fun-loving party type. Bella was like a sister to Binna, but Binna just knew she wasn't ready to step up as a parental figure. If they did date and get serous, Bella wouldn't just be getting a girlfriend, but also a daughter! Still, it wasn't Binna's job to worry about that. They were grown women! They could figure it out. Binna just hoped in the future, she wouldn't be needed to get involved.

"Go! Be safe, don't worry about Calliope, I'll get her dressed and motivated tomorrow. Just don't be late to work."

Turning back to the boy, it occurred to Binna that Andrew had referred to a her. "Excuse me?" Binna questioned. "Who?"

Selee-01 Selee-01 The Dapper Mog The Dapper Mog

Derek

Giving Conrad a playful push, Derek chuckled. "Thanks, brother "

Stretching his back, he listened closely to his friend's statement. Suddenly, his back straightened tightly, obviously caught off guard.

While Derek understood Conrad's concern and anger, Derek wasn't sure Ray was in the wrong. While in the moment he might have agreed, it hadn't been his place to question Ray's decision. It was dumb, risky, and could have gotten people killed, but in the end it had worked. Not perfectly, but it worked.

"The car thing pissed you off that much, huh?" Derek took a long moment, running a hand through his beard. "Look, I like Ray. People like Ray. This is risky for you. I don't think Ray would hold it against you, but it'd rub people the wrong way. Especially if they perceived his actions as selfless. But I'm just a soldier, I just take orders, what do I know?"

Truth was, even if all the seasoned soldiers and runners agreed it had been too risky, the average person sitting comfortable in their bed in Faith was very unlikely to see things the way they did.

"If you're serious, you can't just go to the next meeting unprepared, Conrad," Derek explained. "And I don't mean that in the sense you should watch your back, but you would need to make a stronger case for yourself. Look..." Derek's voice lowered. "Ray and Brooke run the place, they're not the only power in this place, you know."

Derek stared at Conrad. There was the barest hint of a proud smile on his face,

"Pop quiz, who was the person that spearheaded us fixing the movie theater? Who was the person who convinced Brooke to let Dr. Roberts to do that surgery on Ben? Who was the woman who, when Elyse needed more people to pull crops, started a whole campaign and schedule to get more people to help out?"

Derek let the sink in for the man. It wasn't till he started listing events that the picture became clear.

"If you want to make some kind of move, you have to talk to my fiancé. I know it might be hard to believe that she's more than she seems. Don't let the sweet sister acting fool you. She's slowly gotten herself in with most everybody around here. Like I said, she's complicated."

By telling Conrad this, Carmen wouldn't be too happy with him. However, he trusted Conrad and he trusted Carmen's judgement. If someone wanted to start a change, it was going to go through her one way or another.

"Of course, you maybe might want to sleep on it. As far as I'm aware, there's no meeting tomorrow at least. Brooke is going to go around tomorrow and tell people what happened today. I don't think what she plans to say is up for debate."

Crono Crono
 
Eddie ran for hsi jeep and after a second reckoned it was drivable. He got in and sped away after shooting the Cabby's tires with his good bullets. He arrived a few minutes later and ran into the medical area.
 
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Julianna

The raven haired woman would flash Binna a relieved smile, blushing a bit at some of her response. She clearly knew something about what was going on. Jeez, was she that obvious? The woman nervously adjusted her top a bit, following Binna's eyes and her collar to kind of hide her neck. Wow she must have been a mess or something. Still, it was very nice of Binna to cover for her. Her smile broadened and she nodded.

"Oh, thank you. And of course! That's fine, I don't mind being on call, and I appreciate you. I really need...you know, some time. To, uhm, myself. I'll make sure to pick up Calliope before work and I'll be there on time. Thank you."

Her blush only darkened when Binna brushed the hair from her face. Julianna hadn't realized that her ponytail had gotten a bit loose and some stray strands had fallen into her face. She hadn't really thought about it before, but Binna really was a beautiful woman. She had a grace to her that Julianna couldn't help but admire. A quiet dignity and respect. A wisdom that few people she had known possessed.

Julianna would have to admit that she was a little embarrassed about this situation, and she definitely felt guilty about asking this of her. Especially when she looked troubled herself. Still, she needed this, and looking the gift horse in the mouth just seemed a bad idea. With that, she turned and made her way back to the office, stepping inside and closing the door behind her before spinning to look at Bella, a wide smile crossing her lips.

"We're good. So...your place or mine?"

Josh Josh
 
Josh said:
A slight sigh left the Korean woman's lips when Andrew sounded concerned. "I hope I feel better too."

The boy seemed different than yesterday. Heck, he seemed more different than when she saw him this morning around the community.

"Both your hands aren't out pf commission," the doctor insisted. "Just no more knife tricks for a bit. Give this one a few days to heal."

Pausing to find the right words, the doctor corrected herself. "I'm not trying to call you a liar. Look, just come to the Nurse's office tomorrow, work the bow off for a few weeks. We'll be even. Besides, you might find a passion for medicine?"
Click to expand...
“Understood doc,” Andrew said, flexing his fingers slightly. “And I’ll be there. First thing in the morning"

Josh said:
Turning back to the boy, it occurred to Binna that Andrew had referred to a her. "Excuse me?" Binna questioned. "Who?"
Click to expand...
Andrew bit his lip before responding.

“When I was thirteen, this woman, Claire Harding, took me in for a while. She was a social worker, y’know? She liked helping the worst cases, giving them a place for a day or two. Maybe a week. Never for long, but she did her best. I stayed with her for a year, to the day. She wanted too...” Andrew took a deep breath, wondering if he was making a mistake spilling his guts like this, and plunging on.

“She was going to adopt me. Andrew Harding, she said."
 
Faith Walls
Conrad

"It didn't piss you off?" Conrad had answered with a question of his own during the pause. He understood that most people owed Ray and Brooke, they were a big part in why this place was still standing. But it didn't mean they could just as easily tear it down with those same good intentions. Ray's recklessness at the military camp was Conrad's wake-up call to that, and he wanted nothing more than to prevent it. The thought that he was the only one that thought Ray to be reckless hadn't really hit him until Derek's words made it sound like he was on the other end.

Opting to stay quiet and listen as Derek gave his opinion, as well as some pretty good advice. Said advice spurred some conflict within Conrad, because what Derek said made sense. If there was going to be any change from his argument he'd need more than to give his opinion. If nobody was of the same opinion, or willing to push back against the leadership duo, it would amount to nothing in the end. Yet, going to Carmen and possibly gaining a backing almost felt underhanded in a way, like he was actually plotting against Ray.

"I'll do that." Conrad stated in regards to sleeping on it. His words a little hoarsely, so the man cleared his throat. "Thanks Derek. You've given me a lot to think about." He smiled at the man and gave a light nod. It truly was a bit to think about. What he truly wanted to come from this, and more importantly how far he was willing to go to make it happen. He'd had the resolve, but resolve only means so much.

"Sorry to bring you down from whatever high your on from the engagement." The man added with a chuckle, knowing he'd sorta diverted to a heavy conversation.
Josh Josh​
coded by reveriee.
 
Eddie sat down at his desk, fixing his rifle. He realigned the sights and stood up. He bandaged the wounds from the fight and left his room.
 
Binna

As Julianna left to have "fun," Andrew's admission caught Binna off guard. Her jaw practically hit the floor.

Taking a deep breath, she searched for the right words. Binna was adopted herself when she was one. Her mother and father had always wanted a baby girl. Wanting to adopt a baby in need, they flew to Korea and met Binna's biological mother. Binna's mother had always told her that they couldn't have imagined their lives without Binna from the moment they saw her smile.

Binna was lucky, she had a good family. She loved all her brothers, for the most part. Life had been good to her.

Still, she felt empathetic toward Andrew's cause. She wasn't going to spill her story, for this wasn't about her.

"What happened, Andrew?" Binna asked. "Why didn't she?"

Selee-01 Selee-01

Derek

Derek shrugged at Conrad's question. "I mean, I served more than enough tours. You'd be surprised how many times a professional in the military might do dumb shit like that in the fog of war." Derek was shrewd with his words. There was something on the edge of his tongue, but he held it for now. "Plus, since Ray is rarely on the field for a mission, I'm gonna grade on a curve, man."

Shaking his head, a frown appeared on his face. "This thing that got me more was that we just brought too many people. You, me, Dr. Roberts, Jasper, Danny, and Elliot. Maybe James. That's all we needed. I understand why we didn't, but I don't like herding cats when my life is on the line. Things is, I do trust Brooke and Ray a hell of a lot, but they don't have the kind of experience I do. I have my training, and kids like Elliot have been out there in the wild more than just about anyone living here."

Derek crossed his arms, getting into it now. "Also, because our team was so big, we had to take the bus. It hasn't even been cleared. Alastair said the bus could drive into herds, but that takes a certain set of skills. Maybe Jasper could have, but Paul was driving. It could have gone sideways quick.... Don't know if all that can all be put at the feet of Ray and Brooke."

After a moment of listening intently to Conrad, Derek nodded his head in agreement. "That might be best. If you still feel way about Ray, you have options. "

"Don't worry about it, I don't think the high has hit me yet," Derek admitted. "Still more in shock than anything."

Crono Crono

Bella

Taking a minute to just soak in Julianna's beauty, Bella wrapped her arms around the woman's waist.

"My room. The rooms next to me haven't been filled yet. I don't to worry about noise." Bella voice had a devilish tone. "Well, maybe they got filled with those new people today. Oh well." Grasping the woman's hand, Bella led Julianna out, closing nurse's office door as they left.

Going up to the next floor, Bella teased the girl, caressing and lightly kissing her. Making it to her room, the old classroom now looked like a college apartment. She had a rather large bed, with a medium sized couch against the window walls, a small table with hot plate on top, and a horde of clothing that Bella had seemed to be trying to organize into the classroom's closet before giving up. The medical staff had been afforded some special privileges.

As they closed the door behind them, Bella pounced on Julianna, throwing Julianna softly against a wall. Kissing her passionately, she slowly removed her own shirt, hoping her black bra would catch Julianna's eye. Letting go, Bella smirked, walking to her own bed.

"You gonna join me? Getting rather lonely..."

The Dapper Mog The Dapper Mog
 
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Josh said:
As Julianna left to have "fun," Andrew's admission caught Binna off guard. Her jaw practically hit the floor.

Taking a deep breath, she searched for the right words. Binna was adopted herself when she was one. Her mother and father had always wanted a baby girl. Wanting to adopt a baby in need, they flew to Korea and met Binna's biological mother. Binna's mother had always told her that they couldn't have imagined their lives without Binna from the moment they saw her smile.

Binna was lucky, she had a good family. She loved all her brothers, for the most part. Life had been good to her.

Still, she felt empathetic toward Andrew's cause. She wasn't going to spill her story, for this wasn't about her.

"What happened, Andrew?" Binna asked. "Why didn't she?"
Click to expand...
Andrew drew a deep breath.

“Picture the scene: little ol’ me, bloody nose and bloodied knuckles from a fight, freshly expelled from yet another school… and this woman gives me another chance. Says she wants to call me her son. I was scared.

“I ran. I ran, and I never went back.” Andrew rubbed his eyes, trying to avoid the inevitable.
 
Julianna

Once Bella was in her arms, for Julianna, all semblance of time just seemed to fade away. Gentle caresses, skin to skin, short exhalations of heavy breaths...etc...They made their way to Bella's room, not particularly successful about maintaining a professional distance along the way. Once inside and the door was closed, the gloves were off. Soon enough, more clothing followed. The kisses were rapidly shifting from soft and loving to firm and passionate, the touches more exploratory, clothing draping from their bodies before falling to the floor.

When the two separated briefly, Julianna's eyes scanned Bella, her brow arching as she took in every detail and curve of the other woman's body, noting her lovely choice of undergarments. Without saying a word, the raven haired woman took practiced steps toward her companion, pulling her own top off before reaching Bella, then playfully pushing her back onto her bed...

The night was likely to be lengthy, and with how pent up she had been feeling, it was great to have a chance to just let go and enjoy herself. Her efforts were rewarded as well, sweet sounds echoing throughout the room. Let it never be said the two women didn't know how to have a good time.

-----
Josh Josh
 
Eddie woke up at his desk. He had fallen asleep, he got up pulled the knife he had grown into a target made from a dented trash can that he had outfitted with plating to keep it in an intact condition. He sheathed the knife and walked torward a box. He fumbled with the rusty key and unlocked it. The contents where covered in dust. Inside were photographs, most showing either his family or his friends. He hadn’t fallen to them for a while before everything went to shit.

He finally reached a few keepsakes and small objects An obsidian arrowhead, crafts made by his sister, and finally a revolver. Dried blood still caked it. And a kitchen knife caked with even more. He dropped it as the memories hit him.
 
Cricket - Botanical Gardens > Faith > Makeshift Bedroom

Cricket nodded at Elaine with a small smile, before moving ahead near Jemma.

As they returned, things settled as the sun went down. Cricket moved to her and Kenji's small room- the man asleep in his own cot after filling himself with this night's portions. She gave a smile as she watched him snore for a moment, he always looked so peaceful while he slept.

Deciding she wanted some fresh air, Cricket started to walk down the hallway moving toward the exit. As she continued she noticed Binna and Andrew speaking. She didn't want to snoop, so she gently moved forward again inching closer to the pair.


Selee-01 Selee-01 Josh Josh Zenterfold Zenterfold
 
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Binna

Binna slowly wrapped her arms around Andrew. She didn't say a word. Her grip was tight but soothing, like wrapping yourself in a security blanket.

As she held him, he could feel her breath entering and exiting her lungs. After some time, she addressed him.

"I was adopted," Binna admitted. "I never knew my biological parents, but I'm not foolish enough not to realize how lucky I was."

Interlocking her fingers tightly, Binna sighed. "There was a man on your bus named Wally. I don't know if you've talked to him, but he's a bit of a goofball. Anyway, what you might not realize is he's my baby brother. I thought when the outbreak happened that he must have died. He was in Chicago and I was in Miami. I thought I'd never see him again."

Letting go, Binna looked Andrew in the eyes. "She still might be out there, you know? I bet she know you're out here too. You just have to push forward."

Her eyes were glistening with the barest amount of tears. She wanted to tell him about Danny, about how he found love in a found family. Perhaps that was a topic for another day, however.

"I have to get going," she said, her eyes moving slightly to see Cricket just barely out of sight. Binna didn't know why she might be listening in, but perhaps Andrew could find a friend in her.

"I'll see you tomorrow." With those words, Binna left.

Selee-01 Selee-01 Ghost_Candy Ghost_Candy

Alastair

Finishing a shower, Alastair went to the sink and trimmed up his beard. It had only been one real day since he got here, but part it already felt like home. Perhaps the mission today was really what he needed. Detangling his beard, it felt like letting go of the past, letting go of his mistakes.

After he finished, the red beard was still bushy, but in control. A smirk arrived on his faceas he admired his new look.

Cleaning up, he left the Y, walking back to the school. It was so peaceful. In the corner of his eye he could see Derek being greeted by Sister Carmen. As the two kissed, Alastair was dumbstruck. "Huh," he mumbled. "I was not expecting that."

Strolling down the hall, Alastair could see Binna, Wally's sister, sitting out of her room with the door to her room opened slightly. Her lab coat blended into the white brick wall as she sobbed softly, her knees close to her chest.

"Doctor?" Alastair called, scratching his clean beard. "Why are you out here? Are you okay?"

Startled, Binna eyes peered up to give Alastair a look of shame and sorrow that clouded her. "I just need a cry, and Calliope, Julianna's daughter, is a staying with me tonight, and..." An exhausted sigh drifted out of her body. "I didn't want to wake her."

Taking a seat next her, the man gave her a supportive smile. "That all checks out," he confirmed. "But is this about Wally? I talked to him and he's cool now..."

Binna rolled her eyes as her tears dried. "It's not about Wally."

Alastair thought for a moment. "Dean?"

Binna didn't respond.

Alastair felt this was an uneasy subject for him but he was here to help. "Is he... okay? Look, I don't know anything about you two, but I'm here to help if you want to share..."

"I don't love him," Binna blurted in a instant. "Heck, somedays I don't even like him! I've been telling myself, 'maybe you'll come around, Binna. Give it time.' But I'm just drained."

"Um... Well. You two aren't married, right? You can break things off with him. Unless..." Alastair's hands gripped his knees. He was prying slightly but he desperately hoped the situation wasn't as dire as that.

Looking Alastair in the eyes, Binna seemed shaken, like a storm was inside her. "I don't know how he'd react," she admitted. "He's never been abusive or anything. He's just intense."

That could have meant a few things, Alastair realized. "Oh, intense? I know. He was stabbing me with his eyes on the bus today. I was going to ask you to see if I was bleeding."

The doctor let out a giggle after a moment, pushing the man playfully. "Stop. Right now just doesn't seem like the right time to break up with him. He hurt his back. I can't kick someone when he's down."

Alastair didn't respond. He just listened. It was clear she was in a lot of pain. In the little time he'd known Binna, she met every expectation Wally had given of her. Alastair was surprised about how endeared he felt toward her. He was just afraid of misjudging a situation he knew very little about.

Binna released another guttural sigh. "Shoot! It's almost twelve! I gotta go to bed."

"Oh? Yeah?" Alastair had a touch of sadness in his voice.

"Yeah. Thank you for listening, Alastair." Binna went in for a hug as the red-head froze at first before joining her embrace. As they hugged, Binna placed her head on the man's shoulder. Her nose wiggled when she felt the tickle of his beard. "Oh." She pulled away to take in the sight of him. "Your beard looks amazing all trimmed!"

Alastair let out a small laugh. "Yeah. And... thanks! It means a lot."

As the two parted the hug, the two just stared at each other for a moment. Going for her door, Binna's eyes seemed for the first time in a while positive and glowing with hope . "Well, we'll talk tomorrow. 'Kay? Tell Wally I love him, please?"

Alastair shrugged playfully. "Of course on both. "

"Good night, Alastair," Binna said as the door closed behind her.

"Good night, Binna "
 
Josh said:
Binna

Binna slowly wrapped her arms around Andrew. She didn't say a word. Her grip was tight but soothing, like wrapping yourself in a security blanket.

As she held him, he could feel her breath entering and exiting her lungs. After some time, she addressed him.

"I was adopted," Binna admitted. "I never knew my biological parents, but I'm not foolish enough not to realize how lucky I was."

Interlocking her fingers tightly, Binna sighed. "There was a man on your bus named Wally. I don't know if you've talked to him, but he's a bit of a goofball. Anyway, what you might not realize is he's my baby brother. I thought when the outbreak happened that he must have died. He was in Chicago and I was in Miami. I thought I'd never see him again."

Letting go, Binna looked Andrew in the eyes. "She still might be out there, you know? I bet she know you're out here too. You just have to push forward."

Her eyes were glistening with the barest amount of tears. She wanted to tell him about Danny, about how he found love in a found family. Perhaps that was a topic for another day, however.

"I have to get going," she said, her eyes moving slightly to see Cricket just barely out of sight. Binna didn't know why she might be listening in, but perhaps Andrew could find a friend in her.

"I'll see you tomorrow." With those words, Binna left.
Click to expand...
He let Binna hug him with only a slight shiver, but his initial unease gradually faded. Andrew let his eyes slip shut, and felt his heartbeat slow as he listened to Binna’s words. He felt surprisingly at ease, more so than he had in a long time. It reminded him of Claire again.

When Binna looked him in the eyes, she could see tears in them. And Andrew contemplated the notion that Claire really was alive, somewhere out there, for the first time in his life. Maybe there was hope, alien and bitter as that was to him. Maybe.

“Goodnight,” Andrew said, blotting the tears out of his eyes. He stood to go, and almost ran straight into Cricket.

Ghost_Candy Ghost_Candy
Andrew cursed and lurched back in surprise.

“What’re you doing here?” He asked, not quite angrily.
 
Faith

A week had passed since the big supply run and the people of Faith had no shortage of things to talk about. So desperate everyone was for a shred of old-world normalcy that a secret love affair becoming a sudden marriage proposal had people gossiping as if there weren't undead lurking just outside their walls. For the two services that Father Craig held within the week, attendance had jumped up quite a bit. People wanted to not only talk to Carmen but to see each other and talk about relationships. There was even baby talk in the air when it became known that one of Dean's builders, Joe, was going to have a baby with his girlfriend, Winnie. Ray recovered from his injuries fairly quickly and his attendance at the services only served to give many the sense that their community was flourishing more than ever.

Not everyone was elated, however, as there were also grumblings about the new people to Faith. With Dean's back injury putting him out of commission, Wally Roberts was put in charge of the wall and apartment expansion. Brooke insisted to the builders that this was due solely to his past expertise, though some were sure it had come down to good old-fashioned nepotism. It didn't help that Brooke had held no formal meetings throughout the week, choosing only to meet privately with the likes of Ray, Ben, Binna, and Wally.

Despite some looking unfavorably upon Wally, he had put his entire heart into the project once he had been assigned to it. In just the week, he already had plans finalized, walls pre-made, and a hasty schedule ready to go for the upcoming week. By his estimation, they would have the expansion done in just another week, with only clean-up and fine touches to follow. People were excited for the expansion not just for having more space, but to have actual bedrooms that hadn't been retrofitted from classrooms or office spaces.

With rumors of distant gunfire the night of the supply run, Derek had kept a vigilant watch on Faith's perimeter. When not a soul or sound crossed his senses the whole week, he decided the gunfire had just been rumors after all.

Derek also did as he told Conrad he would and made sure their new bus was safe to use for further supply runs. Grabbing a couple of capable hands, Derek had the windows of the bus repaired and reinforced. They also fitted a heavy-duty wedge on to the front of the bus, ensuring that no horde would stop it now. As soon as the bus was finished, newcomer Sarah insisted they turn it into an art project for the kids. In the end, the new heavy-duty vehicle was covered in happy little clouds, rainbows, and crudely drawn animals.

It was a new morning when Brooke began doing the rounds, telling everyone she could find that they would be having a community meeting at noon. Everyone was to attend so that they could discuss what had been happening in Faith recently and the direction they were heading in. It was not often they did these kinds of meetings, but when everyone gathered in the center of the parking lot, it always was an exciting time.

It was a few hours before the meeting that Sean and Jasper returned to Faith after an early supply run. They had two new survivors with them who had been seeking out Faith after hearing the radio broadcast. People were starting to get used to new faces so there was far less fanfare than the previous week. When they were brought to see the doctors and have a meeting with Ray, the people of Faith had already forgotten about them amidst all the other excitement.

Crono Crono The Dapper Mog The Dapper Mog Gears Gears Charles Babel Charles Babel wowie wowie R U S T R U S T MapletheLeafEater MapletheLeafEater Peacemaker .45 Peacemaker .45 The_OverWatcher The_OverWatcher

***

Jemma - Church Cafeteria

In the past week, Jemma and her little crew had managed to go out once again, going a little further past the botanical gardens this time. No incident had happened like before, so it had been pretty good in terms of training. She was pretty pleased with herself for getting them all together. If her dad wasn't going to take her seriously, this was the sort of thing she would have to resort to.

Her dad had woken her up far too early today to inform her about the big meeting that was happening at noon. He told her he had a few things to do and that she should get ready. It took Jemma a bit to get out of bed, but the call of food won in the end.

Once at the cafeteria, Jemma brought her food over to where Maia and Tucker were already sitting. Just a week ago, those two would not have been caught dead together, but now they were on pretty friendly terms thanks to Jemma. She beckoned over Andrew, Cricket, Kenji, and Elaine whenever she saw them, hoping they would join.

"You guys hear about the big meeting?" Jemma asked. "I think if everyone is going to be there, we might have time to get out for a bit."

"That's exactly why we can't go out at that time," Tucker responded. His tone suggested he thought the idea was ridiculous. "If we're the only ones missing, everyone's going to catch on. Especially your dad."

"I guess that's true," Jemma said, rubbing at her neck. Whoops. Tucker did have a point there. "I'm just eager to get back out there. There's so much more going on now. And you're on wall building duty or whatever half the time."

"It's important work," Tucker said. To Jemma, he sounded proud. Knowing Tucker, Jemma figured he probably thought himself the most valuable worker they had. "The training can just wait until after, you know."

"It's not about the training," Jemma admitted. "I, uh... when we went out last time, I could have sworn I saw someone. Probably like a kid. Couldn't be older than fifteen but it was hard to tell."

"A kid?" Maia questioned, surprised. "Just out there by themselves?"

"Why haven't you told anyone about this?" Tucker questioned.

Jemma scoffed. "Then I'd reveal we've been sneaking out! If there is someone out there, it'd have to be us that finds them."

Tucker was about to respond when someone new approached the table. Nash, a guy about Tucker's age. He was another teen who'd kept to himself up until recently. Jemma had let him in on their runs a few days ago, but he had yet been able to join them. "Hey guys," he said with a bit of a shy smile. "Sorry if I interrupted."

"It's okay," Tucker said. "You just missed Jemma admitting to abandoning a kid to walkers."

"No!" Jemma exclaimed with a roll of her eyes. "I want to go out and help the kid obviously. We just have to be careful about it!"

Selee-01 Selee-01 Ghost_Candy Ghost_Candy Fluffy Cookies Fluffy Cookies

Elliot - Workout Room

The past week had been just about business as usual for Elliot. His days had become pretty routine since he had come to Faith. He woke up, had a quick meal, exercised (Danny only bothered to join him half the time), showered, ate again, did his usual post on one of the watchtowers for a couple of hours, practiced his shooting, one final meal, then retired for the day. It had become so routine that Elliot hadn't even made a variation in weeks. He was so utterly focused on getting through one day at a time that it didn't really matter to him it was the same every day. He once had Danny, Bella, and Binna all in his business about letting himself have a bit of fun, but they all learned to stop bothering eventually.

But in the week proceeding the big supply run, Elliot had found himself mildly distracted from this established routine. Even if Danny didn't join him in the morning to work out, Elliot usually ran into Bella there. Not only was she present a few less days in the workout room, she only smiled and waved at Elliot when she saw him. She usually was pretty eager to talk to him. It was the same too for his watchtower shifts. Bella sometimes chose to spend her time off keeping Elliot company, but this week she never showed up once. Even more distractedly, whenever Elliot had a meal in the cafeteria, Bella never sat with him. In fact, she was spending every meal with Juli, the two of them seeming to be a lot more playful and intimate than usual.

It took Elliot about four days to realize what was probably going on. He wasn't exactly surprised by the development or even upset. He just wasn't sure what to think exactly. Maybe he had taken for granted Bella's crush on him. It had always been a thing he'd been too... himself to do much about. He wasn't even sure if he liked her like that. Or, he knew he did like her like that but it was a bit more complicated than just that. Now it was a strange aberration in Elliot's life that he did not know how to deal with. He needed his routine to not have complications.

A few more days passed and Elliot decided to just bite the bullet. He found Bella in the workout room in the morning and made her stop to talk. "Can we go sit down and talk about something?" he signed to her.

When they were settled, Elliot took a long moment to gather himself. "I have noticed the past week that things seem to have changed a bit between us." That seemed diplomatic enough. Elliot watched Bella's expression intently. "And I might have noticed some things. Are you and Juli... together now?"

He really just needed to know for sure.

Josh Josh

Ray - Ray's Office

After his injuries on the mission, Ray had been eager to get back to his duties. He was letting Brooke handle the big-picture stuff for now while he kept his feet on the ground and tried to deal with his people on a human level. He was back to attending services and hearing out every idea that his people had for Faith. He wanted to lift them up, give them what they wanted and make them feel special. It was why Ray had made every effort to entertain Alastair's radio show idea. Those kinds of ideas were perfect for growing Faith.

When he heard that two new people had been brought in that morning, Ray made sure he was the one to talk to him. He liked being able to get a read on new faces. Plus, who knew the next time they got more people would be?

The older woman before him, Birdie, was grandmother to the younger one, apparently called Cinder. Aside from the general wear and tear that this world had on most folk, Doctor Hatch had told Ray that both women seemed perfectly healthy for their respective ages. They definitely appeared to be an odd pair, but the outbreak tended to make odd pairings.

"So, anything I can get you two?" Ray asked. He was sitting casually, his two hands clasped before him on the desk separating them. "We've managed to our community into a pretty hospitable place. Running water, electricity... coffee. I can get you anything you want."

He paused for them to answer, reaching to grab his notebook. "Also, did you two have any firearms when you came in? Haven't had a moment to talk with the runners, they were supposed to confiscate any of your guns. For safety."

Patience Patience

Sarah - Radio Room

The last week had been taxing on Sarah, to say the least. The structure of her life had been so different in the last year that being behind Faith's walls felt like being on a whole different planet and that everyone around her were some kind of alien. Of course, they probably felt the same way about her. She was the one who drove a busload of people to their doorstep, after all. It was just that they were so unlike her, having spent almost all of this apocalypse with each other and behind walls. Sarah was overjoyed at being around so many people but she could just not shake the feeling that something was fundamentally off about them.

She took some solace in her old bus crew. She hadn't exactly been friends with all of them but it was sure fun to see them all running around as if they had been a part of Faith for months instead of days. She was still closest with Alastair who, in the past week, had taken it upon himself to reinvigorate the radio broadcast the community had been sending out. Sarah didn't really get it but Alastair seemed to not mind speaking out into the void, not knowing if anyone was hearing him. According to him, people would be more inclined to come to Faith if there was a touch of personality to their broadcast. Sarah tried to tell him he could pre-record a few of them and have an actual life though it fell on deaf ears.

Sarah figured Alastair definitely would not have time at all once his second little initiative was complete. He wanted to start a radio show for the people of Faith. Ray had seemed to love this idea and was already handing out radios to each family in preparation. Sarah figured they must have raided a RadioShack at some point.

Alastair's new base of operations was in the same building as the security office, just sectioned off in its own private space. Sarah knew she would find him there in the early morning, pouring over his equipment. He was so absorbed in it that he didn't notice her walk in until she made a point to knock on his desk. He jumped slightly, eyes widening when he saw her.

"Ah-- Sorry," he said, shaking his head. He wheeled his office chair out of the way of the radio equipment to get a better look at her. "I've been..."

"Busy?" Sarah offered, dropping into the chair on the opposite side of the desk. She took in the room again, noticing that everything seemed to be sort of haphazardly placed around Alastair. He must still be in the middle of arranging everything. Sarah could even see that he already had half of one wall fitted for sound reduction. "My god, where do you people find the energy?"

"I think once I realized this was something I could make happen here, I really jumped on it," Alastair responded. He started taking in the room himself, absentmindedly stroking his beard. "It'll just be my own little radio show. That's so cool, don't you think?"

Perhaps Alastair's definition of cool differed from most. Sarah offered him a smile. "I'm really glad you found this for yourself. Wally too. I don't think he's spent a moment not working on that whole expansion thing."

"Mmhm, he and I have barely got to talk this week," he said a bit glumly. "But it's awesome when you think about it. Faith really was the place for us."

"Yeah." Sarah looked down for a moment. She had not exactly taken to Faith as well as her friends seemed to have. It was still really early, but it was hard not to compare herself to them.

Alastair leaned back in his chair and raised a brow. "Okay, now why are you sad? Didn't you want to be surrounded by people?"

"I did," Sarah insisted. "I do. Just wasn't the transition I expected. I mean, look at you guys. You're practically new people here. They get Sam doing runs and I don't think I've seen that Cricket girl or her friend not surrounded by a little group of teens. Hell, Andrew's already doing target practice even with those arms of his. And I'm just... painting buses."

"There's nothing wrong with that, Sarah," Alastair said with a smile.

"Well, no. But that's not all." She leaned forward suddenly, looking Alastair in the eyes. "These people here look at us suspiciously. Not a lot of them but some of them do. I don't really understand why. They're the ones who put out a broadcast in the first place."

Alastair broke eye contact with Sarah, looking away. She could see him start rubbing his arm nervously. "It's just bad timing. You didn't hear this from me but a source told me that they started missing supplies just about the time we all arrived. Believe me, I've gotten the looks too and I'm pretty sure I know the origin of them."

"Uh..." Sarah waited for Alastair to continue. "And are you gonna tell me who?"

A long pause followed. "No," Alastair said with a sigh. "It's too complicated right now. And I think we need to be focusing on ourselves and not other people."

"That is so frustrating. You can't just not tell me after saying all that."

"Once you start integrating yourself into this place, you'll get less of those looks. Once people think, hey, she's one of us, none of that other stuff will matter."

Sarah groaned and buried her head in her hands. Why was this conversation suddenly feeling like a talk with her dad? "So what, I gotta find my thing?"

"Sure." Alastair laughed. "Your thing."
 
Eddie exited his apartment for the first time Vince the Incident. He had buried himself in his projects including The firework crossbow. Building weapons to help his new community and researching only emerging for coffee or exercise at the gym. He had decided that he would look for a proper job in the community. But first he reckoned he should change from the oil stained outfit and take a shower so no one confused him for a walker. Once he finished he decided too look for the bus people.
 
Sam had kept mostly to himself during the week after the faithed supply run, only stepping out for random assortment of food as he let himself heal. Doing some sit-ups and stretches in his room the Lionheart stepped out into the sun with not as aching joints as before.

Sam recalled that there was a meeting coming up so he decided to take a little stroll through the compound just to get a proper mental note of the area in case things didn't continue as calmly as they had.
 
Ace Davis

"How you doing this morning, mama? Have you felt the baby? It ain't making you sick?"

In the dining room, nine-years-old Ace ate his breakfast next to a woman he called mama, even though she might not have looked the part. The woman was native american, in her late 20s, with long hair black down to her back. She had old jean shorts on and a maroon shirt that hung loosely on her frame. The woman glowed as she wrapped her arms around him tightly.

"No to both questions, Ace. They've behaved this morning. Gotta say, if you don't finish that oatmeal, I'll take it." The woman had a playful tone, going in for a tickle as Ace chuckled loudly.

"Winnie! There you are, babe."

A large muscular man, smiling ear to ear, entered the dining room. He was older than Winnie, at least by a decade. With him was another boy, Ace's brother Mattie. He was two years older than Ace, but looked at least four years older. He seemed to be bouncing off the wall slightly, his eyes darting.

Ace's father, Joe, rubbed Ace's head, before swooping in and kissing Winnie. The two kids around them stared. Joe wasn't normally like this. He had a reputation as a hard ass. A bit of a dick. However, everyone knew he loved his kids and adored Winnie, worshipping the ground she walked on. He also, surprisingly, had a good relationship with Jemma. Often she would watch Ace, and sometimes they would be seen talking around the wall, but nobody knew what.

As the family all joined the table, Ace felt normal. When they were out there, before coming to Faith and after they left their mom, things were rough. Ace's father, brother and himself were like a unit, fighting the undead with the skills they learned. Then his dad met Winnie. In Ace's opinion, she was the best! Kind, sweet, everything a good mom should be. Everything his old mom was before the change.

Drinking his water, he saw Mattie was in one of his 'moods.' Ace and his brother's eyes locked, before Ace quickly looked away. Something was different about Mattie. Ace just didn't know what.

Putting down his spoon, he turned to his parents "I finished my breakfast! Can I go find Calliope? I made her a promise we'd color today. She's been in the mood since she helped miss Sarah on the bus."

Winnie looked at Joe, and Joe smirked at Ace. "Go. Be safe, and stay out of the adult's way, 'Kay Ace? I know you love learning, but it's rude to hover over Doctor Roberts or Mr. Conrad all the time." Joe's tone was soft, but firm. He was known around town as a yeller, but he never really yelled at his boys. Joe admired how much his youngest loved to learn, and it was kind of the adults to humor him. Still, if the boy was always in the way, one way or another he was going to get trampled on, more likely emotionally than physical.

"I promise." And Ace was gone in mere seconds, off to find his best friend.


Bella

"It's about time we had this talk!" Bella signed, giving him a knowing look. "I've been waiting forever!"

The week since Julianna and Bella's tryst had been a whirlwind. The two girls had been having the time of their lives after the initial event. The two were often first with each other, but people had started to notice a difference.

Julianna was a sweet, amazing person. The two spent a lot of time together, even more than they did before.

However, Bella was getting restless. Julianna wanted Bella to spend more time with her or Calliope, and as much as she loved Calliope, Bella wasn't ready to settle down with her.

Then, there was the Elliot of it all.

Bella's heart held a special place for Elliot for months. After Kevin's death, the two had a a bond. She, well, even killed Kevin to save Elliot's life after all. She still wasn't exactly sure what that meant to Elliot to this day.

Ever since they got here, Elliot had acted like nothing had changed. As much as people loved him and accepted him, he hadn't let go of the outside. He was still out there.

Breathing shallowly, Bella's eyes twinkled. "Juli and I are just seeing how things go," Bella signed. "We're not a couple. Believe me, I'm not Binna. I'm not gonna shackle myself to the first person who tells me I'm pretty." Bella knew how Binna was. It was almost insane how quickly her and Dean got together. Bella and Elliot had talked about this before. Part of Binna was just trying to fill the 'Greg-sized' hole in her heart. Greg was a seven foot tall man, so it was a rather large hole.

"I've been waiting for you, Elliot. You know that. I just thought you weren't into me."

A slight frown. "Look, as friend, not to be a broken record, you need to stop a smell the roses. I care for you, I still do. I just don't want you to miss living because you want to survive."

Zenterfold Zenterfold

Carmen

Ever since the engagement with Derek became public, Sister Carmen had felt like a weight lifted off her shoulders, like she could finally exhale. While she did worry about breaking her vows, Carmen had fasted and prayed about the issue, gaining some peace on the matter.

Carmen had two close friends, Sibel, the town cook, and Winnie Sizemore. The three were close, and they were some of only people Carmen told about Derek. Carmen did have other female friends, but they were not exactly within her inner circle. While she did consider Brooke a friend, Carmen mostly hung out with her to keep an eye on how things were being run. There was also Julianna, who she originally worked with as a nurse. The two were once as close as sisters. Things change, though. It wasn't on Carmen who started drifting. However, if she was going to get married to Derek, her conscious told her she needed and wanted Juli there.

So, the Sister of Mercy had been spending her week planning a small ceremony, however, that wasn't everything. Derek had let Carmen know about Conrad's feelings. She had to admit that at first she was caught off guard. She just assumed everyone loved Ray and Brooke. She had never felt a real need to usurp the pair before so had never done much digging into if people were actually into them as leaders. This of course meant Carmen needed to see if Conrad was the only one.

After just a few days of talking around and digging, shockingly, Conrad wasn't alone. While nobody seemingly wanted to remove the two gone from power, there were cracks forming in their public opinion.

Ray and Brooke had a close circle which included Ben, Elyse, Binna, and some others. People got the feeling favoritism was involved. It also didn't help that some actions in the past hurt people's opinions on them, unfortunately mostly on Brooke. While some of it was just pure sexism, a very public argument Brooke had with Winnie about who ran the crops, that led into a bigger fight between her and Joe really bugged some people. Joe could be an ass, everybody knew that. However, the majority thought Brooke was in the wrong. The ladies did make peace, however Brooke never made it right with the people. A strategic no-no.

Walking around Faith, Carmen knew the meeting was almost around the corner. She could start to feel the tension build. Carmen decided that she had time to put her engagement aside and focus on a few other things. She asked around to find Conrad's whereabouts and approached him.

"Conrad, how are you? Derek was telling me the other day about a conversation you two had..."

Crono Crono

Binna

Binna's week had its ups and downs. Dealing with Dean had been better than she thought. As much she knew the relationship was dead, she put on a brave face and was supportive. Dean, the first few days, was surprisingly calm, docile even. The doctor thought Dean enjoyed the time off. However that changed when he found out Wally was helping with the wall. Dean let everybody who'd listen that he was not a fan of how Wally was running things, and that rushing the apartments expansion when they have 'other issues' was a dumb move. His little inner circle of builder friends had been coming in and out of Dean's room constantly, buzzing around and gossiping as if they were women.

While not "Dean" sitting, she was "Calliope" sitting. Binna agreed to watch the girl another night for Julianna. Binna was happy for her friends. However, when Bella started to pull away, Binna was not shocked. Binna wanted to sit down and have a "talk" with Julianna, but she wasn't her mother. If this kept up though? The doctor would have no choice.

Then there was Wally and Alastair. Her brother and herself spent time catching up. It was amazing. They talked about Donald's phone calls before the grid went down. How he lied to Wally. Binna was not surprised her older brother lied to Wally. Donald never liked Binna. Donald, in retrospect, was a calmer, more likeable and manipulating version of Dean. Ugh, she felt like an idiot.

As for Alastair, the two spent a lot of time together. She was one of the first people to help him with his little radio station. 'Faith public radio' was a great idea, she thought. The two, when Binna wasn't in the office, would go out for small runs to find music records. Or working smart phones that he could use. The two just jelled. He was such an amazing listener, and he was more than willing to share back. Alastair was special. He was a calming presence she didn't know she needed.

Currently in the office, Andrew had just left, going of to hang with the other kids. Andrew was a good boy, and the two had become close, well, as close as he'd let her. There was also a certain girl with a heart condition that Binna had been worrying about, but she'd been quiet for awhile, needed time to adjust. The doctor did adore her, however. Binna had reassured the girl they had enough medicine for her until at least October. Plenty of time to look for more.

Sitting at her desk, Calliope played with dolls on the floor.

"Juli! I'm doing some backlogging. Do you know why we haven't hit that family medicinal center in town? It's weird. Is it empty or full of walkers? I started having Danny give me side reports because Brooke just lets the runners log their finds any way they want and that is simply infuriating. Thing is, Danny's report says it's not been searched while I have another so-signed by Paul and Brooke that's clear. Do you know?" Binna absentmindedly tapped on the desk with her pen, looking over her papers. "Whether it's clear or not, maybe we need to establish a secondary medical camp for us to use out there."

The Dapper Mog The Dapper Mog
 
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Charles Babel said:
Sam had kept mostly to himself during the week after the faithed supply run, only stepping out for random assortment of food as he let himself heal. Doing some sit-ups and stretches in his room the Lionheart stepped out into the sun with not as aching joints as before.

Sam recalled that there was a meeting coming up so he decided to take a little stroll through the compound just to get a proper mental note of the area in case things didn't continue as calmly as they had.
Click to expand...

Zenterfold said:
Faith

A week had passed since the big supply run and the people of Faith had no shortage of things to talk about. So desperate everyone was for a shred of old-world normalcy that a secret love affair becoming a sudden marriage proposal had people gossiping as if there weren't undead lurking just outside their walls. For the two services that Father Craig held within the week, attendance had jumped up quite a bit. People wanted to not only talk to Carmen but to see each other and talk about relationships. There was even baby talk in the air when it became known that one of Dean's builders, Joe, was going to have a baby with his girlfriend, Winnie. Ray recovered from his injuries fairly quickly and his attendance at the services only served to give many the sense that their community was flourishing more than ever.

Not everyone was elated, however, as there were also grumblings about the new people to Faith. With Dean's back injury putting him out of commission, Wally Roberts was put in charge of the wall and apartment expansion. Brooke insisted to the builders that this was due solely to his past expertise, though some were sure it had come down to good old-fashioned nepotism. It didn't help that Brooke had held no formal meetings throughout the week, choosing only to meet privately with the likes of Ray, Ben, Binna, and Wally.

Despite some looking unfavorably upon Wally, he had put his entire heart into the project once he had been assigned to it. In just the week, he already had plans finalized, walls pre-made, and a hasty schedule ready to go for the upcoming week. By his estimation, they would have the expansion done in just another week, with only clean-up and fine touches to follow. People were excited for the expansion not just for having more space, but to have actual bedrooms that hadn't been retrofitted from classrooms or office spaces.

With rumors of distant gunfire the night of the supply run, Derek had kept a vigilant watch on Faith's perimeter. When not a soul or sound crossed his senses the whole week, he decided the gunfire had just been rumors after all.

Derek also did as he told Conrad he would and made sure their new bus was safe to use for further supply runs. Grabbing a couple of capable hands, Derek had the windows of the bus repaired and reinforced. They also fitted a heavy-duty wedge on to the front of the bus, ensuring that no horde would stop it now. As soon as the bus was finished, newcomer Sarah insisted they turn it into an art project for the kids. In the end, the new heavy-duty vehicle was covered in happy little clouds, rainbows, and crudely drawn animals.

It was a new morning when Brooke began doing the rounds, telling everyone she could find that they would be having a community meeting at noon. Everyone was to attend so that they could discuss what had been happening in Faith recently and the direction they were heading in. It was not often they did these kinds of meetings, but when everyone gathered in the center of the parking lot, it always was an exciting time.

It was a few hours before the meeting that Sean and Jasper returned to Faith after an early supply run. They had two new survivors with them who had been seeking out Faith after hearing the radio broadcast. People were starting to get used to new faces so there was far less fanfare than the previous week. When they were brought to see the doctors and have a meeting with Ray, the people of Faith had already forgotten about them amidst all the other excitement.

Crono Crono The Dapper Mog The Dapper Mog Gears Gears Charles Babel Charles Babel wowie wowie R U S T R U S T MapletheLeafEater MapletheLeafEater Peacemaker .45 Peacemaker .45 The_OverWatcher The_OverWatcher

***

Jemma - Church Cafeteria

In the past week, Jemma and her little crew had managed to go out once again, going a little further past the botanical gardens this time. No incident had happened like before, so it had been pretty good in terms of training. She was pretty pleased with herself for getting them all together. If her dad wasn't going to take her seriously, this was the sort of thing she would have to resort to.

Her dad had woken her up far too early today to inform her about the big meeting that was happening at noon. He told her he had a few things to do and that she should get ready. It took Jemma a bit to get out of bed, but the call of food won in the end.

Once at the cafeteria, Jemma brought her food over to where Maia and Tucker were already sitting. Just a week ago, those two would not have been caught dead together, but now they were on pretty friendly terms thanks to Jemma. She beckoned over Andrew, Cricket, Kenji, and Elaine whenever she saw them, hoping they would join.

"You guys hear about the big meeting?" Jemma asked. "I think if everyone is going to be there, we might have time to get out for a bit."

"That's exactly why we can't go out at that time," Tucker responded. His tone suggested he thought the idea was ridiculous. "If we're the only ones missing, everyone's going to catch on. Especially your dad."

"I guess that's true," Jemma said, rubbing at her neck. Whoops. Tucker did have a point there. "I'm just eager to get back out there. There's so much more going on now. And you're on wall building duty or whatever half the time."

"It's important work," Tucker said. To Jemma, he sounded proud. Knowing Tucker, Jemma figured he probably thought himself the most valuable worker they had. "The training can just wait until after, you know."

"It's not about the training," Jemma admitted. "I, uh... when we went out last time, I could have sworn I saw someone. Probably like a kid. Couldn't be older than fifteen but it was hard to tell."

"A kid?" Maia questioned, surprised. "Just out there by themselves?"

"Why haven't you told anyone about this?" Tucker questioned.

Jemma scoffed. "Then I'd reveal we've been sneaking out! If there is someone out there, it'd have to be us that finds them."

Tucker was about to respond when someone new approached the table. Nash, a guy about Tucker's age. He was another teen who'd kept to himself up until recently. Jemma had let him in on their runs a few days ago, but he had yet been able to join them. "Hey guys," he said with a bit of a shy smile. "Sorry if I interrupted."

"It's okay," Tucker said. "You just missed Jemma admitting to abandoning a kid to walkers."

"No!" Jemma exclaimed with a roll of her eyes. "I want to go out and help the kid obviously. We just have to be careful about it!"

Selee-01 Selee-01 Ghost_Candy Ghost_Candy Fluffy Cookies Fluffy Cookies

Elliot - Workout Room

The past week had been just about business as usual for Elliot. His days had become pretty routine since he had come to Faith. He woke up, had a quick meal, exercised (Danny only bothered to join him half the time), showered, ate again, did his usual post on one of the watchtowers for a couple of hours, practiced his shooting, one final meal, then retired for the day. It had become so routine that Elliot hadn't even made a variation in weeks. He was so utterly focused on getting through one day at a time that it didn't really matter to him it was the same every day. He once had Danny, Bella, and Binna all in his business about letting himself have a bit of fun, but they all learned to stop bothering eventually.

But in the week proceeding the big supply run, Elliot had found himself mildly distracted from this established routine. Even if Danny didn't join him in the morning to work out, Elliot usually ran into Bella there. Not only was she present a few less days in the workout room, she only smiled and waved at Elliot when she saw him. She usually was pretty eager to talk to him. It was the same too for his watchtower shifts. Bella sometimes chose to spend her time off keeping Elliot company, but this week she never showed up once. Even more distractedly, whenever Elliot had a meal in the cafeteria, Bella never sat with him. In fact, she was spending every meal with Juli, the two of them seeming to be a lot more playful and intimate than usual.

It took Elliot about four days to realize what was probably going on. He wasn't exactly surprised by the development or even upset. He just wasn't sure what to think exactly. Maybe he had taken for granted Bella's crush on him. It had always been a thing he'd been too... himself to do much about. He wasn't even sure if he liked her like that. Or, he knew he did like her like that but it was a bit more complicated than just that. Now it was a strange aberration in Elliot's life that he did not know how to deal with. He needed his routine to not have complications.

A few more days passed and Elliot decided to just bite the bullet. He found Bella in the workout room in the morning and made her stop to talk. "Can we go sit down and talk about something?" he signed to her.

When they were settled, Elliot took a long moment to gather himself. "I have noticed the past week that things seem to have changed a bit between us." That seemed diplomatic enough. Elliot watched Bella's expression intently. "And I might have noticed some things. Are you and Juli... together now?"

He really just needed to know for sure.

Josh Josh

Ray - Ray's Office

After his injuries on the mission, Ray had been eager to get back to his duties. He was letting Brooke handle the big-picture stuff for now while he kept his feet on the ground and tried to deal with his people on a human level. He was back to attending services and hearing out every idea that his people had for Faith. He wanted to lift them up, give them what they wanted and make them feel special. It was why Ray had made every effort to entertain Alastair's radio show idea. Those kinds of ideas were perfect for growing Faith.

When he heard that two new people had been brought in that morning, Ray made sure he was the one to talk to him. He liked being able to get a read on new faces. Plus, who knew the next time they got more people would be?

The older woman before him, Birdie, was grandmother to the younger one, apparently called Cinder. Aside from the general wear and tear that this world had on most folk, Doctor Hatch had told Ray that both women seemed perfectly healthy for their respective ages. They definitely appeared to be an odd pair, but the outbreak tended to make odd pairings.

"So, anything I can get you two?" Ray asked. He was sitting casually, his two hands clasped before him on the desk separating them. "We've managed to our community into a pretty hospitable place. Running water, electricity... coffee. I can get you anything you want."

He paused for them to answer, reaching to grab his notebook. "Also, did you two have any firearms when you came in? Haven't had a moment to talk with the runners, they were supposed to confiscate any of your guns. For safety."

Patience Patience

Sarah - Radio Room

The last week had been taxing on Sarah, to say the least. The structure of her life had been so different in the last year that being behind Faith's walls felt like being on a whole different planet and that everyone around her were some kind of alien. Of course, they probably felt the same way about her. She was the one who drove a busload of people to their doorstep, after all. It was just that they were so unlike her, having spent almost all of this apocalypse with each other and behind walls. Sarah was overjoyed at being around so many people but she could just not shake the feeling that something was fundamentally off about them.

She took some solace in her old bus crew. She hadn't exactly been friends with all of them but it was sure fun to see them all running around as if they had been a part of Faith for months instead of days. She was still closest with Alastair who, in the past week, had taken it upon himself to reinvigorate the radio broadcast the community had been sending out. Sarah didn't really get it but Alastair seemed to not mind speaking out into the void, not knowing if anyone was hearing him. According to him, people would be more inclined to come to Faith if there was a touch of personality to their broadcast. Sarah tried to tell him he could pre-record a few of them and have an actual life though it fell on deaf ears.

Sarah figured Alastair definitely would not have time at all once his second little initiative was complete. He wanted to start a radio show for the people of Faith. Ray had seemed to love this idea and was already handing out radios to each family in preparation. Sarah figured they must have raided a RadioShack at some point.

Alastair's new base of operations was in the same building as the security office, just sectioned off in its own private space. Sarah knew she would find him there in the early morning, pouring over his equipment. He was so absorbed in it that he didn't notice her walk in until she made a point to knock on his desk. He jumped slightly, eyes widening when he saw her.

"Ah-- Sorry," he said, shaking his head. He wheeled his office chair out of the way of the radio equipment to get a better look at her. "I've been..."

"Busy?" Sarah offered, dropping into the chair on the opposite side of the desk. She took in the room again, noticing that everything seemed to be sort of haphazardly placed around Alastair. He must still be in the middle of arranging everything. Sarah could even see that he already had half of one wall fitted for sound reduction. "My god, where do you people find the energy?"

"I think once I realized this was something I could make happen here, I really jumped on it," Alastair responded. He started taking in the room himself, absentmindedly stroking his beard. "It'll just be my own little radio show. That's so cool, don't you think?"

Perhaps Alastair's definition of cool differed from most. Sarah offered him a smile. "I'm really glad you found this for yourself. Wally too. I don't think he's spent a moment not working on that whole expansion thing."

"Mmhm, he and I have barely got to talk this week," he said a bit glumly. "But it's awesome when you think about it. Faith really was the place for us."

"Yeah." Sarah looked down for a moment. She had not exactly taken to Faith as well as her friends seemed to have. It was still really early, but it was hard not to compare herself to them.

Alastair leaned back in his chair and raised a brow. "Okay, now why are you sad? Didn't you want to be surrounded by people?"

"I did," Sarah insisted. "I do. Just wasn't the transition I expected. I mean, look at you guys. You're practically new people here. They get Sam doing runs and I don't think I've seen that Cricket girl or her friend not surrounded by a little group of teens. Hell, Andrew's already doing target practice even with those arms of his. And I'm just... painting buses."

"There's nothing wrong with that, Sarah," Alastair said with a smile.

"Well, no. But that's not all." She leaned forward suddenly, looking Alastair in the eyes. "These people here look at us suspiciously. Not a lot of them but some of them do. I don't really understand why. They're the ones who put out a broadcast in the first place."

Alastair broke eye contact with Sarah, looking away. She could see him start rubbing his arm nervously. "It's just bad timing. You didn't hear this from me but a source told me that they started missing supplies just about the time we all arrived. Believe me, I've gotten the looks too and I'm pretty sure I know the origin of them."

"Uh..." Sarah waited for Alastair to continue. "And are you gonna tell me who?"

A long pause followed. "No," Alastair said with a sigh. "It's too complicated right now. And I think we need to be focusing on ourselves and not other people."

"That is so frustrating. You can't just not tell me after saying all that."

"Once you start integrating yourself into this place, you'll get less of those looks. Once people think, hey, she's one of us, none of that other stuff will matter."

Sarah groaned and buried her head in her hands. Why was this conversation suddenly feeling like a talk with her dad? "So what, I gotta find my thing?"

"Sure." Alastair laughed. "Your thing."
Click to expand...
William, Faith church walls

{William is almost always in 1 of 3 places, either he's in the cafeteria or his room or the church wall he is always grumbling he dislikes being around so many as it draws attention to him and the others but ofc what choice did he have when the herd was closing in on him,besides the love fest and the Christians milling about nothing else really annoys him though its not like he's an atheist he more of a agnostic and doesn't say there is no god but he says its possible for a god or many to exist but he chooses not to choose any faith and so he justs sits on the wall turning the dead into charcoal then retiring for the night in his room all the while grbling about the circumstances}
 
9518653da204e3d62aa72bc2ebf71d89.jpg
Birdie pulled out a red cigarette lighter from her shirt pocket and placed it on the desk between them, patting it a few times. "Well, I gave up smoking a year ago and I still think that was the biggest danger to my safety." She cackled, her voice raspy from a long life of smoking and drinking. "Guns?" Her face turned from a jovial wrinkled grin-fest to an intense stare into Ray's dark eyes. "I had me a Winchester 42," she tapped the desk as she listed each item, as if to add importance. "My pappy's revolver, a dang baseball bat and my trusty huntin' and skinnin' knife 'Dundee', but I'll have a cow if 'ur friends snatched 'em up in all the ruckus." She leaned back in the chair and scratched her chin. "We had a slim chance of gettin' out of that nonsense if not for 'ur friends. We was mindin' our own business, drivin' down the road, to come here none the less!" She gestured wildly as she spoke. "There was a couple rotters on the road, so I floored it!" She cackled before clapping her hands together loudly. "SMACK! Got em all! But, poor ol' Betsy, she wasn't havin' none of it! Rolled to a stop and shut down right then and there, that's when I knew we was in hot water. You know 'em rotters, they get back up and don't give two shits whether or not you hit 'em with 'ur dang car..."

Cinder's face flushed, obviously still a little rattled by their car being swarmed by walkers.
a937f5add0639dd71152a21a5291c0ae.jpg
"We are very grateful for the rescue..." she said quietly and sheepishly. Birdies junk jewlery jingled as she patted her granddaughters leg to comfort her. "To be honest with you son, I thought that was the end of the road for us, we ain't never been but a few minutes away from our farm and ain't never seen more than 1 of these things at a time." She lifted her hand across the desk to shake Ray's. "Y'all already done give us hope over the radio, rollin' up to save our damn lives was more than we coulda' ever asked for. I should be the one askin' if there's anything y'all need from us." Cinder nodded her head, hoping they could make up for the save and transport into Faith. "We can stay here..... Right?" Muttered Cinder softly.


 
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