Realistic or Modern x A Fight for Survival x~Zombies Bite (IC)

[Bellz]

Chapter 1: It was just another day in Hell... ​

survival of the fittest; phrase of survival;
Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer. ;

✕✕✕

Character Protocol:

Thursday, November 16th 2017
Zero eight hundred hours
8:00a.m.

TUNES THAT'LL MAKE YOUR SKIN CRAWL HAHAHA GET IT? But seriously here is an inspirational play list if you are stuck ^.^ Any song recommendations I will add!

You make my skin crawl, a playlist by LexiM on Spotify


DA RULES
1. Respect GM and Co Gms
2. Be kind to everyone!
3. Keep Drama out of the OOC.
4. 2 paragraph minimum! (although I understand we all have those one paragraph days haha)
5. Character development is a serious must!
6. Try to be on at least once a day ^.^
7.Lets follow all RPN rules about adult content okay? PG 13
8. MUST be okay with lots of drama and action ahahahaha
9. HAVE FUN!

tags;
​

code by @spookie spook​

Chapters: ​

CHAPTER 1: It was just another day in Hell...​

 

[Bellz]

Bexley Withers​

The morning was quiet, as it usually was around here. Bexley kicked her boot against the small pebble in front of it, watching as it took off, bouncing sporadically a few times before resting. Clutching her shotgun to her chest, the woman’s eyes glanced up to check her surroundings, relaxed for once. Everything seemed to be going right, the last few days had been easy going as far as zombies and the East were concerned. The woman spotted her destination, the sheriff’s station that was in he middle of the small yet mighty civilization that was the West. Saloon wasn’t much, but Bex loved her faction and the people in it. The Sheriff station was one of the only buildings that they used above ground, the rest of their world took place underground, where it was safe.

The woman walked through the doors, not needing to lock up for there was no need. The East stuck to their side and the walkers never strayed out this far into the territory. Walking through the front, she walked past what would have been the front reception desk towards the back. The large generator in the building was used to keep charge of certain items, especially the medical equipment. Bexley looked over the supplies a moment before finding what she had been looking for, the last walkie. Picking it up from its charging station, she turned it on to the right channel before pressing the button to speak, ”This is Lone Ranger calling out to the scouts, hows it looking out there? I will be in route to your position shortly, over.” Releasing the button, she turned, strapping her shotgun to her back so she had another free hand, she made her way toward the exit of the building.

Looking around at the empty streets of the city, the silence could seem eery to some. To Bexley, it was comforting, the stiller it was around these parts, the better. Static suddenly broke the silence as one of the scouts had something to report, ”Scout to Lone Ranger, you might want to get here quick. We found someone.” This caused Bexley to halt in her steps, her heart kicked into overdrive as she thought about who this someone was. Her heart wanted to believe it but her head was telling her it wasn’t possible. Atticus was long gone. Her jaw clenched as she brought the walkie to her lips, ”Coordinates?” She asked. She was already walking towards the wall, having a feeling that this person would have appeared near there. Once the coordinates were given, the woman took off into a sprint.

***​

Bexley slowed to a jog as she saw her two scouts blocking the few of the person they had found. ”Who is-“ Bex stopped in her tracks when she saw it wasn’t her boy. The scouts held the mystery person at gun point and Bex pulled out her handgun from its holster around her hips, doing the same. She wondered why her scouts were so far away from the person when her eyes saw the faint paint line that indicated the border between the East and West. ”Fuck.” She hissed out as she looked passed their guest towards the trees, knowing the East scouts had seen them. ”The hippies will be here any second.” Bex muttered to her scouts before turning to bark at the newcomer, ”You! Where did you come from!?” Her eyes scanned the East side once more he expression looking irritated as the newcomer wasn’t answering her quick enough. They didn’t come across too many people as of lately, the last newcomer had arrived nearly 4 years ago.

The man looked to be in his late twenties, thinner but seemed to be in good shape for being supposedly alone. ”I came from Time Square.” The man answered in a deep voice, looking Bex up and down a bit nervously. The brunette’s eyes narrowed slightly as he watched the man, trying to get a good read on him. Before she could speak again, the sounds of multiple footsteps breaking up the fall leaves could be heard from the East.

(The Mystery man is a NPC for now until I make up his character sheet)

THE CAST​

Misty Gray Melanin-Gxdess Shireling Nightblade Folklord Walnutt Moka-chan (If you have not finished your character, you will not be allowed to post. Please finish your characters!)

 

[Misty Gray]

Michael "Mick" Wilson​

Michael had been awake since sunrise, initially tending to some of the planted seeds in one of the makeshift greenhouses. Despite any tensions between the groups, the seeds had been traded with the East in return for fish and it was Michael's main duty to tend to the West's agriculture. After, he spent some time working out and practising his knife-throwing skills, as he usually did throughout the day. He was always sure to keep long-range and short-range firearms on his person, but he much preferred using hunting knives, swords or homemade spears. He quite liked getting his hands dirty too and the feeling of a well thrown punch was what reminded him he was still alive. If he wasn't scratched or bruised at any point, he had to question if he were still alive.

As he walked towards the sheriff's station, he overheard the exchange between Bexley and the scout over his own walkie. He then watched as she rushed off in the distance to the coordinates the scout had given her. He quickened his own pace and followed in the woman's trail. His own speed wasn't quite so urgent, but he was generally able to maintain quite a relaxed state, even when he wasn't high! Once caught up to Bexley, he heard her mention the hippies and a smirk crossed his lips at the thought of those in the East. He stopped a little behind his leader, knowing she was the one calling the shots and asking the questions on this one. His eyes fixed on the stranger as the man informed them he was from Times Square. "Fuck me, they don't have food there?" he remarked, having noticed the man's thin build.

Michael's hand remained to the handle of hunter's knife at his hip as he heard footsteps approaching and anticipated they were being joined by those from the East. He expected some of their own group would join them soon too, if they'd managed to drag their pretty arses above ground yet. The specific behinds in question belonging to the ladies of the group; Vi and Jay.

Bellz (Bexley)
Mentions: Melanin-Gxdess (Jylene) Moka-chan (Vivienne)

 

[Shireling]

Eli Cartwright
​

Normally, Theo or some other person who was an actual scout from Taurus would have been the first to meet the stranger at the border, but today it was Eli. Rummaging around in the ruins of an old department store, the plucky youth was looking for books for his brother and had already filled a knapsack full of them, along with other trinkets that he himself deemed of value. There were two packages of batteries, a flat Dr. Pepper, six packages of 100 tea candles (very important in Taurus's dark interiors), among other odds and ends. At the time, he was poking at a lacey bra, having never seen such an oddly decorated article of clothing. He was debating whether to take it and trade it when his radio began chirping. He realized that he was on the wrong band, so he began tuning it until he could hear voices. Rather than the voice of one of the Taurus scouts, he heard Bex's voice. He didn't know who she was, or which side she belonged to, having only the staticky voice on the radio to go by. He heard someone else give off a string of coordinates, and thought he might as well follow up on them. He unfolded a comically large map of New York City and began to place the coordinates on a particular street. With that bit of charting completed, he realized that the location was only about two blocks north so he carefully retraced his steps out of the department store and back to the street level, then started at a soft jog towards the coordinates.

When he arrived, he could see Bexley and Michael standing around with the first scout and a fourth person, although he had arrived too late to get the snippet of conversation they had exchanged, he trotted up nonetheless. He was a strapping lad for a teenager, shoulders large from lifting and carrying large weights. He wore a dusty set of farmer's overalls with a threadbare, patched wool coat and a flat cap. His shoes were held together with duct tape and scraps of leather, obviously not an official Taurus scout, but a scrounger with a radio nonetheless. Over one shoulder was swung a knapsack that was full of rectangular shapes poking out against the canvas. In his left hand he held a radio, a gun holstered at his hip and a knife on the opposite.

He smiled sheepishly as he approached. "Nobody shoot, I'm not a raider." He said, holding up his hands to signify he wasn't a threat. "Your friend there looks hungry. I've got a bit of bread he can have, if he thinks he can get it down." He said, taking a biscuit wrapped in foil from his coat pocket and extending it towards the man from Times Square.

Bellz Misty Gray

​

 

[Misty Gray]

Elizabeth Jefferson -&- Theodore Ashworth​

Beth sat on the windowsill on the 30th floor of the skyscraper which housed her home and the East's headquarters. She'd been on this floor since early on, watching the sunrise through the glass-free window. This floor of the building offered one of her favourite views, with some windows looking out over the West and another set allowing a view of the North. When the sun was rising, it allowed her for a time to forget the shit and scum that tainted the earth below. The way the sun turned the skies a fiery orange was one of the only beautiful sights Beth got to see these days.

Beth remembered a time when she was a child and would watch the sunrise with her family. Those days were long gone. Her mother had died early on into the zombie infestation - perhaps a good thing for the poor, sick woman. Any pleasant memories she'd had of her father were destroyed the day she learned of his part in creating the "Wonder Drug". As far as she was concerned, whoever had murdered that man deserved a medal. She felt sick at the mere thought of being related to him, considering the way the world was now. As for her brother, she only wished he was dead and it was quick, as she knows he wouldn't have left her alone if he had any choice in the matter. She hoped he was truly dead and not a damn Skin Crawler.

Now that daylight was fully present, the beauty faded and Beth peered down towards the ground. It was a long drop from where she was perched, but she had long ago stopped fearing heights. She'd stopped fearing many things some time back. Death and gore were a normal part of her life now, so the only thing to fear from heights was one's on stupidity at falling from them. Beth turned back towards the room and hopped down from the window. She headed out of the room and down the many stairs of the building, her intention to head outside. She reached the third floor when she saw Theodore heading towards her and apparently pleased to see her. She looked down to the bottom of the leg of his jeans to see the apparently fresh blood staining the denim. "Can you get to the medical room?" she simply asked, though she walked ahead of him believing he could walk the extra way without the assistance.

Theo nodded his head and walked with Beth to the medical room. "It's nothing serious. Just managed to slash my ankle when climbing for a higher vantage point. I just need to wrap it up and get back on duty," he assured the often quiet medic.

Beth shook her head at the man and pointed to the nearby wooden chair for him to sit on. "I'm sure it's nothing but how about you let me deal with it? There's plenty of infections for you to catch around here," she reminded him, not even referring to the zombies in her comment. She then set about cleaning the man's wound and applying the dressing. It was a deep cut but nothing at all serious. It was certainly something she was used to dealing quite frequently. She stood up and cleaned her hands, her back turned to the man as she did.

"Thank you, Beth," he cheerfully told her as he got back up onto his feet. He slung his shotgun over his shoulder and retrieved the other equipment he'd set down on the table. He knew he needed to get back to his security checks and checking in on their scouts, so couldn't stick around to talk to Beth even if she was the chatty type. "If you need me to get you anything--" he began.

"More medical supplies," she simply replied. Before the man left, she turned and sent him a friendly smile. "Replace the things you keep using up," she lightly teased.



((I'll get Theo to the border soon. I just want to give others a chance to get their posts in first.))

 

[Shireling]

Solomon Cartwright
​

The Market Floor of Taurus was bustling with activity, at least a hundred people were crammed into the area around Solomon in what had once been a fairly small office floor. Somewhere nearby, a minstrel for an eating establishment was playing an acoustic rendition of "Rocket Man" by Elton John, which was feint and barely articulate over the chattering of the crowd and the merchants. Despite the throng, Solomon didn't have a particularly hard time navigating the place as people were often polite enough to move out of the way. While he wanted more than anything to take his breakfast at one of the "private" restaurants, the eating establishments that ran for profit and traded in precious commodities, he could only eat at the colony eateries, which were the vendors that accepted the meal tickets his father handed out as payment for service to the colony - farming, scouting, pretty much any legitimate job. To have money for the private places, you needed to barter or else scavenge things of value. Most people weren't willing to take the risks, although scouts could make a decent living.

He navigated by way of hanging signs illuminated with battery or solar-powered lanterns and candles to a small kiosk marked "Umau's Noodles: We Accept Tickets!" This kiosk was within a fair range of the windows, so it got good sunlight in the mornings. Solomon settled down in a stool and was approached promptly by a man of questionable ancestry: perhaps Cantonese, perhaps Vietnamese, how could he guess? Umau was both a fixture of the community and a constant curiosity. The old Asian man smiled, "You take noodles, huh?"

"Do you sell anything else, Umau?"

They grinned at one another. Solomon handed over his meal ticket and Umau disappeared behind the counter. In the back of the kiosk, an open flame was burning in a makeshift iron oven, with pipes running up to the ceiling and across to a large vent on the side of the building where the Builders had jury-rigged all the smoke to exit so as not to cover the inside of the Market Floor in soot and give the inhabitants black lung. Umau had several pots of boiling water running, into each one he plunked a package of Ramen noodles and began adding in a mixture of spices and herbs that were his specialty. Before long, he had served up a cup of noodles which Solomon took hungrily. After rubbing his chopsticks together to pick out any splinters, he began to eat.

"My little granddaughter love your class, Solomon. She think you very smart."

Solomon chuckled. "Amy is a very bright young lady. I have high hopes for her, maybe a poet," he looked back at the noodle man to see him wagging his fingers and grinned, "what, not a poet? Okay, perhaps a doctor." At this, Umau crossed his arms and smiled contentedly. After another few minutes of banter, he disappeared again to serve more noodles. Solomon slurped the rest of his Ramen greedily and left the cup and chopsticks to be washed and reused. As he walked away from the kiosk, he felt the familiar uncomfortable sensation of heartburn rising up from his stomach. He needed to tell Umau to go light on the spices next time, he thought, as he made his way down from the Market Floor to the floor that housed Taurus's clinic. As he walked in the darkened staircase, he was shoulder to shoulder with other colonists going to their work from eating breakfast. After a long trek, he reached the correct floor and came out onto the hallway that served as the central nerve for Taurus's medical services. As he entered, he saw Theo leaving with a newly bandaged leg. He nodded to Theo, acknowledging the man's existence, before approaching Beth.

"Good morning, Elizabeth," he said, not knowing her well enough to be on a 'Beth' basis, but also not completely unfamiliar with her as she was often called upon to help when children were sick or injured. "I have a bit of heartburn," he said, clutching his chest for emphasis, "do you happen to have any antacids? I know we were out yesterday."

Misty Gray

 

[Folklord]

GODFREY FINCH—

Godfrey walked through the halls of the skyscraper, leisurely making his way to the ground floor. He'd woken just little over twenty minutes ago and he wanted to get outside and get some fresh air, well as fresh as the air could be these days, before jumping into the day. The city was only a shell of what it used to be. He still remembers seeing cities like theme on t.v as a child. Beautiful buildings that stood proud in the sky, now a crumbling mess of steel and concrete was stood only as a reminder of what was before the world fell apart. He'd always wanted to live in the city and now here he was. Funny how life worked out. God it was way too early to be gettin' this deep.

Godfrey glanced out the window and saw that there were people gathered around the wall. He could't tell anything else from where he was, it may be nothing but when has that ever been the case in the last some odd years. He pat his hips checking for his sword and handgun and made his way to the wall quickly.

When he gets close enough to the commotion at the wall he can see some familiar faces gathered around an unknown figure. He decides to stay quiet for a moment to try and get a sense of what's going on. There seems to already be some sort of conversation going on anyway.

 

[Nightblade]

Nikolas Kasanov

​

Nik had finished his turn keeping watch as a Scout. The sun had come up and Nik was looking forward to food and sleep, or he would had he not spotted a body moving towards the border. He was about to respond but someone instead. "Eagle One, got eyes on the target" He announced, keeping his sniper trained on the unknown target. He watched as Bexley approached him. His gun trained on the stranger, not even shaking as they appeared to talk. Even after all this time, Nikolas had a naive hope that anyone unknown to them would possibly know something of his sister. Pulling himself from his thoughts, he remained focused on the strangers head. One sign that something was going wrong and he would be shot dead.

Nikolas' brain began to think of who this guy could be, he could see bodies coming out of the woodwork. Swearing to himself he spoke over the comm "Multiples inbound, Lone Ranger get out of there". It was not as much a command as a request, within an opinion. Despite the warning, Nikolas would not fire unless instructed, but they were fast running out of time. Giving up on taking a long range shot, Nikolas put his sniper away and climbed down from his perch to head towards the border. Fixing his jacket, Nikolas saw a few people heading in the same direction. Since he had been the scout closest to the border, Nikolas arrived first.

A light tap to Bexley's back was a subtle heads up that backup was on the way, Nikolas folded his arms and stared the stranger down, yet did not say anything opting for Bexley to be the one to speak. He found that standing and looking menacing was enough for him.The guy looked like he had seen better days, but experience made him cautious and not take things at face value. His stance made sure that this stranger knew that he was armed as well.

Mentions: Bellz (Bexley)

 

[Bellz]

Bexley Withers​

Jax Darby​

The brunette's eyebrows scrunched together as the thin man before her spoke of coming from Time Square, which was apart of her own territory. The women turned away from the mystery man to look at her scouts and Mick, who she noticed for the first time. "Name?" Bexley asked, as she continued to look on towards her familiar territory, that of Saloon. Jax smirked lightly and eyed the newcomers, "Jax" His voice was smooth, unfazed by the situation around him, despite the way he looked. Something about his tone bugged the Western leader, her teeth grinding together harshly. "Well Jax," Bexley turned on her heels, revealing another newcomer. The woman watched in slight awe as the man sheepishly approached them all, telling them not to shoot, that he wasn't a raider.

It was just like an Easterner, to give some sort of peace offering to what could be a potential threat. Bexley raised her free hand to the bridge of her nose, using her thumb and index finger to pinch it, letting out a long sigh. Closing her eyes, she forced herself to relax before she ended up lodging a bullet into someone's chest. During this time, Bexley was ignoring the noise coming from her walkie, ignoring those who opted for her to get out of the way up until someone tapped on her back. Her eyes snapped open and turned to face Nik. The exchange was wordless, and she understood that backup was there for her now. Regardless of who was there for her now, the entire faction would be hearing from Bexley later on, after she figured out what to do with this stranger, Jax. Turning her head back to Eli, she sighed again before nodding her head to Jax. "Guess you could feed him, might be the last time he eats."

Jax's eyebrows raised high as the woman claimed that this might be the last time he would be eating. When he had taken on this assignment, he had been informed that something like this may happen, the leader of the west was unpredictable. Jax wanted to roll his eyes as the miserable looking man offered him a piece of bread. Like that was going to do anything for him. It had been days since he had a decent meal, missing the meals that his home had to offer. Regardless of how he really felt, the man looked at the bread with wide, seemingly hungry eyes, causing Bexley to stare at him for a few moments. "Oh god. Just give him the fucking bread before I wipe that look off his face." She barked at Eli. Once the bread was given, Bexley took a few steps towards the East side, ready to step over the border to retrieve what she thought was rightfully the Wests. "Seeing as your Peaceful leader has failed to show up and that Jax here is from the West, I think its safe to say that Jax will be coming home with us for questioning." It was a bold move, trying to cross over the border. It had been years since either side had done such a thing and in doing so now, it would start a war.

Raising her gun, she took another careful step forward until the tip of her boot was touching the dull white line that had been made many years ago, clearly showing the line between the two factions. The woman didn't look back to see if she was being followed by her own, making it clear that she was doing this on her own. Her reasonings were probably unclear to most, but to her, they were as clear as crystal. If there was more like Jax, then that meant that Atticus could be out there. She aimed the gun at Eli, hoping the man would back off now, not wanting to have to shoot the poor man.
With:
Eli Shireling ; Mick Misty Gray ; Nik Nightblade

 

[Misty Gray]

Elizabeth Jefferson​

Beth had started checking her rucksack containing the medical kit was fully stocked when she heard another voice address her. She turned to the door to get confirmation that the familiar voice did indeed belong to Solomon, the teacher on the East side. They'd spoken on occasions before, but usually on a professional basis on account that she'd tended to quite a few of the children who had been sick or injured. "Good morning, Solomon," she greeted him, zipping the large rucksack shut. She turned fully to face him directly and sent a small smile his way. "Is Maisie's wrist healing well?" she asked, referring to one of the children who had ended up with a sprain just a few days ago. "It won't if she doesn't rest it, but I saw her climbing, just yesterday"

When the man mentioned his heartburn, Beth's smile faded from her face. "I'm afraid we're still out. The guys managed to get me some new supplies but there weren't any antacids with them... But!" she began. She turned her back to him and walked over to one of the cupboards, pulling out a basket containing various small, round plastic contains. She retrieved one of the items and returned to hand it to Solomon. "I have baking soda. Just one teaspoon of this mixed into a glass of water and it should relieve it. It's not overly pleasant, but should do the job," she assured him. "Is everything else okay? she asked.


Shireling (Solomon)

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

Jylene Ferrea

Jay had an early morning appointment with one of the people in her group. Since she was the psychologist, people often came to her for advice or to be comforted. She was a confidant to anyone who needed it and knew to keep her mouth shut. Even if her patients told her it was okay to tell others, she would never. It wasn't just the doctor-patient confidentiality that she kept this a secret, but because that's what she always did. It never changed how she saw them, either, but made her understand people a little better.

Anyway, she'd been up since about 5:30 speaking to a girl who had had a mental breakdown. She felt like her world was crumbling and didn't want to go on living life. The outbreak had caused her to lose everything and then some and she was finally breaking down from it. The woman was in hysterics and Jay was trying to get her to stop crying before she could being to console her. She was using PMR, her arms around her patient tightly, but not too tight. Her loud cries were then turned into soft sobs as she slumped into Jay's arms. It took her a while to work her magic, longer than she expected actually. But she felt better when she was allowed to leave the woman on her own and not worry about a potential suicide.

It wasn't too much longer before she made her way to where the group was, having listened in on her radio. Her footsteps fell with a certain urgency to find out what was going on, her high ponytail swinging as she walked. Once she reached the spot everyone was gathered, she understood why there was such a fuss. There was an outsider on the other side of the line and Bex didn't at all look happy about it. Her hand rested on Mick's shoulder before nodding her head to the scene before her. "Hey Micky, what's going on?"

Mick ( Misty Gray ) Bex ( Bellz )​

 

[Shireling]

Eli Cartwright
​

For the longest time, Eli had always been confused as to why the people on the Western side of the city were so hostile. He had heard various theories: that they were naturally warlike, that they were envious of Taurus's prosperity, that they were originally a band of raiders that had settled down after killing off the old inhabitants of what they now called the Saloon. Eli wasn't particularly set at ease when the woman who led the scouts seemed individually displeased at him for offering up his food. But the food was handed over, and no sooner had he done so than the woman had pulled a gun on him! Eli started back at first, then unfolded his arms and scowled angrily. Eli had always been uncharacteristic of the Taurus colonists, easy to anger and willing to brawl.

"Look lady, I propose you stop pointing that gun at me unless you want trouble." He scanned the area around him, seeing if there was something to duck behind in case his bluff didn't work. He could sense that the strange fellow, who they called Jax, was some sort of agent of theirs and if that was the case Eli might be handsomely rewarded, assuming he wanted to return with him. "The scouts will be here in a minute, and you'd best not be stepping over the line bearing arms or you'll be the one to cause a feud." He let his hand hover over his pistol in the holster. "So just back up," he said, with a put-on air of courage and importance. He looked from Bex to her people and back to Bex, watching her finger, then her face. He knew that she had outdrew him, but some amount of teenage hormones and inexperience told him that he could watch for her tell before she pulled the trigger (doubtful, but nonetheless his idea).

Bellz Misty Gray Melanin-Gxdess Nightblade

Solomon Cartwright
​

Solomon nodded along as Beth initially talked about Maisie, one of the young girls he taught. He agreed in short verbalizations that the girl was doing well, and added that he would say something to her about using her wrist too much. His eyes moved lazily as he watched her go to the cupboard and come back with a can of baking soda. He quietly scanned the package, then smiled in his characteristic, subdued way which was not a toothy grin but not exactly a smirk. "Thank you. It doesn't need to be unpleasant, it just needs to work. Just about everything seems to be giving me heartburn these days."

He turned back to look at her when she asked if he needed anything else. He thought for a few moments, besides the heartburn he felt like he could never get restful sleep. No doubt, the bags under his eyes and general greyness of his face testified to an alarming lack of sleep. To speak truthfully, it was from a combination of factors, one of them being long hours archiving a copy of Shakespeare's completed works, an enormous tome that had taken the Bard twenty years to write and would take him, he thought bemusedly, at least half that to transfer word-for-word onto the tower's computer system. Then there was the wind, something foreboding that he felt in the back of his mind always. The only thing his mind could muster to explain the odd anxiety was, "the north wind" which was as cryptic as the sensation itself. Finally, he replied, "no, I'm quite alright."

His eyes scanned back towards Beth. He didn't know her very well, but he sensed the same kind of tension in her that he experienced in other people. He called it a type of tethered anxiety - a feeling of powerlessness mixed with hopefulness for something beyond one's control and beyond one's knowledge. He filed it away mentally, and turned to leave, but as he reached the doorway it suddenly became clear to him and he turned. His face softened a bit, and his eyes looked sad. "I know you miss him, Elizabeth," he said simply.

Misty Gray

 

[Misty Gray]

Michael "Mick" Wilson -&- Theodore Ashworth​

Mick rolled his eyes when Eli showed up on the East side and assured them he wasn't a danger. "Shoot him anyway," he very quietly muttered under his breath. He watched on as the men announced he could give the stranger some bread and then proceeded to bring the food into view. He couldn't help but smirk at the gesture. Typical Eastsider. He folded his arms and rocked back on his heels as he listened to the interaction between Bex, Jax and Eli.

When Bex took steps towards the border, Mick instinctively took a step forward, but stopped there as he was certain his leader was capable of looking after herself. Not that he wouldn't go ahead and shoot anyone he didn't trust, if needed. His eyes briefly shifted to Godfrey, who had appeared on the scene on the hippy side of the border. His attention soon shifted back to Bex as she aimed her gun at Eli, drawing a very feint smirk on Mick's lips.

Upon hearing a familiar voice and feeling a hand on his shoulder, Mick turned his head to see Jay. "Ah, so you finally decided to join us?" he teased. When she asked what was going on Mick motioned to the scene ahead of them. "Skinny guy there is Jax, from Times Square," he told her, lowering his voice slightly. "The hippy on the East offered to feed the twig some bread, but seems to want to overstep his boundaries and now Bex is giving him a better incentive to back the fuck off. Any questions?" he asked, flashing a smirk. Mick's attention was then drawn to another man making his way towards them from the East. "Ah, not this asshole..." he remarked, his voice now at an audible level for all to hear.

From a distance, Theo could see the group congregated at the border. Both Eli and Godfrey stood out to him first, before he realised Bex was the one aiming her gun at Eli. This caused Theo to quicken his pace as he approached the border. There wasn't much time to consider or prepare to speak with Bex as one of his own guys was presently being threatened. One thing he did get time to acknowledge was the high likelihood his ex was going to divert her gun's aim into his own direction. Still, he couldn't leave the teenager to take the heat - whatever the whole issue what about.

Theo took a moment to look Jax over, unsure of who the stranger was but assuming he was the reason for the present cross-border altercation. He also glanced to Mick, having caught the man's asshole comment. "Pleasure, as always," he remarked back to the man. Theo then forced his eyes to rest on Bex, the woman he had at one time loved and taken many risks to be with. The same woman who had broken up with him after assuming he was cheating on her. The endearing and loving glances she'd once shared with him were now perhaps ones of cold disdain. He took a deep breath before focusing on the matter at hand: the gun pointed at young Eli. "What's the problem here?" he asked. His question was aimed at anyone present. He just wanted some kind of explanation. "Mind pointing your gun away from him?" he asked Bex, cocking his head to Eli.


Bellz Melanin-Gxdess Nightblade Folklord Nightblade Shireling

 

[Folklord]

GODFREY FINCH—

Godfrey's glad Theo voiced the question that had been running through his mind as well. What indeed was going on? He'd been trying to piece together everything but Mick saved him the trouble, not that he would even hint at being grateful for the information to him.

He hadn't expected anyone would need to draw a weapon for a situation involving one stranger, who seemed to not even be armed. Even if he was there's no way this guy's dumb enough to pull it out with all these other people who he can assume are armed.

Godfrey watched Bexley nervously as she moved almost right on top of the line that separated them. He took a step closer his hand hovering above his gun. "If you're gonna point your gun at anyone it should be the new guy there." he nodded towards the stranger. For Eli's kindness he got a gun pointed in his face. The kid grew up in this world though so it's no surprise when he's not phased by the action.

"Why don't you put the gun down and take a few steps back so we can talk like somewhat civilized people about this whole thing and see where this Jax guys is goin', yeah?" This didn't have to escalate any further and he hoped that the West saw that and didn't push this too far. All this nonsense over what, some guy who appeared out here? Sure it's been a while since the last one but he doesn't remember it getting this stressful. Who the hell was this guy and how did he end up here? There's no way the West could just have him. There are too many questions that Godfrey, and probably most of the others, need answered and he's not sure how giving the West will feel about just telling them that information if they're the only ones who have it.

Misty Gray Bellz Shireling

 

[Bellz]

Bexley Withers​

Jax Darby​

Bex looked to Jax who remained where he was, not moving towards her or the side he belonged on. She hesitated on the West's side of the line, not having stepped on the East side in years. Her eyebrows shot up as Eli found a bold voice, telling her that if she didn't stop pointing her gun at him, there would be trouble. "Oh no, trouble? I certainly don't want any of that." Her voice was sarcastic as she made it clear with one step over the line that she didn't care much about trouble. Her gun didn't waver as Eli's hand waved over his own. "Nobody likes a hero." Bex said, dismissing him as she turned her attention to the others who were beginning to gather. She was pleased to see Jay in the mix, it was starting to look like a bit of a sausage fest. When her attention finally did turn back to Eli, she watched him with open amusement, knowing he was watching for the familiar twitch of her finger on the trigger. In her peripherals, she saw a figure walking towards the group, one she knew was all too familiar...

The woman took a step onto the line now, knowing Theodore would have more bite than Eli if she were to continue prancing around on their turf. Still she refused to lower the gun as he joined the growing group. "Actually I mind very much." Bex snapped at her ex. She hadn't even taken a chance to process his presence, finding it to be all too frustrating to think about at the moment and it wouldn't do well for poor Eli who was still staring down the barrel of her pistol. "Should tell your youngin' here to keep to himself, this man is being brought in for questioning." She let her wrist lax slightly, gesturing to Jax with her gun before returning it to Eli. "Although now that you're here..." The woman turned her gun on Theo. "Anything you got to say about the official business of the West, or can we take our man and leave." Bex knew it wasn't going to be that simple. Jax had crossed over onto the Easts side, which she was sure they were wanting to question him as to why.

The Co-head of the East...what was his name again?...Well fuck. Beard man it is, Beard man stepped onto the scene now, saying that she should be pointing her gun at Jax which caused her to let out a harsh snort, "Oh yea, like I'd take my eyes of you all for one second." Bex was silent as the man went on to speak of handling the situation as civilized people. As far as civilized was concerned, Bex hadn't shot the kid in the face...

"Talk about a piece of work." Jax mumbled under his breath, looking to Eli with a wide smirk on his face. "Thanks for the bread, kid." He told the young man before slowly standing to his feet, causing the others around to draw their guns now. "Woah! Woah! Can't a guy stretch?" He asked. Bexley's aim turned to Jax now that he was up and moving and her eyes looked to...Beard man (Godfrey). "I propose he comes back with us for questioning. I'm sure all you would do is welcome him in with open arms."
With:
Eli Shireling ; Mick + Theo Misty Gray ; Nik Nightblade ; Godfrey Folklord ; Jay Melanin-Gxdess

 

[Nightblade]

Nikolas Kasanov

​

Nikolas watched the exchange silently, his hands twitching slightly waiting for the first sign of a fight so he would pull out his guns. Things were starting to get tense with people from the East showing up, this could turn ugly really quick. Letting his hands rest on his guns, This was fast building towards a gun fight. He listened as Bex confirmed what the East would probably do with the stranger if they took him. They needed to find out what he knew and what was going on further outside.

Shaking his head slightly to stop that flow of thought, he held his guns out waiting. Nik was not blood thirsty by any means but he never hesitated to shoot if he had too. He was starting to get fed up with the back and forth, they had to bring this guy in and that was that. Raising his guns to point at the strangers forehead, he spoke for the first time at this mexican standoff " Here are the choices, he comes with us or he gets a quick marriage to the bullet thats going through his head"" Lazily waving a gun at the stranger, while his other pistol was honed in with no sign of a waiver.This guys carefree attitude was beginning to get on his nerves if he was being honest. He wanted more than anything to take the butt of his pistol and knock him while they debated his future. He saw no sign of frustration on Bex's part so he remained where he was.

With:
Bellz : Bex
Misty Gray : Mick & Theo
Shireling : Eli
Folklord : Godfrey
Melanin-Gxdess : Jay

 

[Shireling]

Eli Cartwright
​

Nothing put Eli more at ease when Theo showed up to help out. Even with him and Godfrey, they were still outnumbered and pistols were still being pointed here there and everywhere. When Bex turned her gun from him to Theo, he was relieved but at the same time his interest was peaked. The sheer ire that the woman seemed to have for Theodore made Eli remember a story he had heard about a dalliance between two border scouts not too long ago. Theo and Bex fit the bill for the rumor, so he immediately assumed them to be the objects of the story. Theo must be kicking himself over losing that little number, despite her apparent homicidal tendencies. This elicited a small snicker from the youth, before he finally relaxed. Bringing Jax in to see what the West was up to would have been valuable, but perhaps it wasn't worth the argument. He turned to Theo:

"I dunno, maybe we should just let him go with them. As cool as it would be to have a bonafide Western agent or whatever the fellow is, it's probably not worth the snark." He glanced back to Bex. "If we hand him over will you just mosey on out of here, little lady?" He said with a chuckle, obviously riffing off of their faction's "wild west" cowboy motif.

Bellz Misty Gray Nightblade Folklord Melanin-Gxdess

 

[Misty Gray]

Theodore Ashworth​

Theo had to consciously stop himself from rolling his eyes when Bex snapped at him. The woman was hard work, that was for sure. She went on to suggest Eli needed to keep to himself, but the fact Jax was on the East side of the border meant this was their business whether Bex liked it or not. Soon enough, his ex turned her gun on him instead. Whilst he wasn't surprised, he still felt annoyed by the move. Or was it something else? Theo had once loved Bex and through no fault of his own, she was now aiming her gun at him and now displayed what he could only conclude was hate. It was frustrating to know she would never be willing to listen to reason, both on his supposed cheating and now on these 'political' disputes.

Theo didn't immediately respond to whether he thought this was the West's business or that they could take Jax. Instead, Jax spoke up and stretched, causing Bex to redirect the barrel of her gun to the stranger instead. Eli then turned to Theo and suggested they let the West take Jax as he wasn't worth their trouble. The teenager then finished off by referring to Bex as "little lady", causing Theo to quickly shake his head in disapproval, fully doubting Bex would take too kindly to his tone and phrase. Deciding to take the heat away from Eli, Theo cleared his throat. "No, I disagree. The guy's on our side of the border, therefore he's our business." He looked Bex in the eyes. "I don't agree with your proposal and I don't believe he should be handed over to you. But..." he went on, turning to Godfrey, who was the East's co-head and therefore could overrule Theo, "what do you think, Godfrey?" he asked.


Shireling Bellz Nightblade Folklord Melanin-Gxdess

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

Jylene Ferrea

Jay silently watched the interaction between the two sides with much amusement. A part of her had always hated the fued between the two of them, but she knew that's just how things were. She would always be loyal to the West even if she did find it all stupid. There were guns out in full force everywhere, and Jay was using her skills to try and calm down the situation. Just when she had come up with something, she heard Eli's western comment and pinched the bridge of her nose. Nothing annoyed her more than when people compared her faction to that of some old western. Turning to Mick, she shook her head. "Why do people always-," she cut herself off and turned to the rest of the group, mostly to Eli. "That is inaccurate and the most annoying assumption to make. If you don't want to get shot, I suggest you not make stupid comments like that." Really her reaction was more of a rant than anything else and when she realized this, she cleared her throat and crossed her arms.

Now was time to decide what was going to happen to this mystery man. Theo and Bex's arguing was always something Jay enjoyed witnessing. As a psychologist, she could see and understand much of the tension between them. Was it healthy overall? Definitely not but it sure was healthy for their current situation. If they were going to keep things peaceful at the moment, then she needed to make sure no one got shot. There was a part of Jay that figured Bex would have no problem shooting any one of the Easterners right now. "Ooookay. How about this? The guy was headed this way, we intercepted which means we question him. We're not savages," she said implying the other side were more of the type, "So, we're not going to kill him." She glanced at Bex, to confirm they weren't going to do such a thing. "When we're done, you can have him. Or, if it's okay with Bex of course, you guys can come with us while he's interrogated. Obviously, you'll wait outside the room and away from hearing, but you'll be around." Being as Bex was their leader, she wasn't going to state a solution without first leaving it up to her. Jay was simply trying to find the most peaceful solution so no one got shot. Today at least.

Theo, Mick ( Misty Gray ) Bex ( Bellz ) Eli ( Shireling )
​

 

[Folklord]

GODFREY FINCH—

All the back and forth between the two sides going on was all a little heated. Though no on had been shot yet so this dispute could be going worse. When Theo refereed to him about the whole thing Godfrey took a moment to really think about it. This whole thing was already out of hand and the West had shown that they're not afraid to get get violent about who goes where. Giving him up would be the easiest decision here in terms of de-escalating the situation but he knew it wasn't the right decision. Theo was right. This guys was on their side and if the West thought they could just come over and grab this guys what'll stop them from coming over and thinking they can always take what they want. No, they had to stand their ground on this one. They'd just have to play it carefully as not to step on any toes too hard.

He looks to Theo "I think you said it best"He turns looking Bexley dead in the eyes " He's on our side so he's our business meaning he's gonna come with us, non negotiable. I don't think any of us want this to get worse than it already is" he nods to Bexley's feet and the line of the border and let's his hand drop to the handle of the gun in his waistband. He knew he wouldn't be able to draw it in time if she did decided to shoot him but it was more of a warning than anything. He wasn't afraid to use it if he needed to. This wasn't a matter they were going to roll over on.

"Now why don't you put the gun away and step back from our side" His voice hard and unwavering.

Misty Gray Bellz Shireling

 

[Bellz]

Bexley Withers​

Jax Darby​

Bex looked around a moment and saw Nik move towards Jax. When he was in position with the gun to the man's forehead, Bex held up her hand. "Nik.." The woman said in a low warning, though if she was being honest, Jax's sarcasm was irritating. Upon hearing Eli's words, Bex's head snapped back towards the young man and growl escaped her as he dared to taunt her with some hick accent that mocked the West. She wanted to shoot the little fucker right between the eyes but she couldn't bring herself to move her gun away from Theodore, not trusting the man for a second...and with seemingly good reason. "Unless you want a bullet up your ass..." She warned Eli just as Theo cleared his throat, catching Bex's attention. The man disagreed, which caused a hard scoff from Bexley. Clearly, he was delusion. Remaining silently, Bexley looked to Godfrey.

Jax shuffled on knee to knee uncomfortably as a gun was pointed at his forehead. He cleared his own throat, causing Bex to look to the man for only a second. "Let's not do anything too crazy..." Jax said to Nik, moving to hold up his hands. "Don't I get a say in where I end up?" This question went unanswered for a moment as Jay spoke.

The Western leader turned her head to look at Jay, knowing that the woman was only trying to help but also knowing that the East were not going to listen to such reason. When confirming that they were not going to kill Jax, Bexley hesitated before finally nodding her head once. Everything that Jay was saying was a little far fetched for Bexley. There was no way in her that she would allow the Easterners onto her side. They were far too nosy. Regardless, she let her finish speaking. Bexley opened her mouth to speak, letting the East know that she wouldn't allow such things to happen when Godfrey spoke up first, his voice harsh, unwavering and causing Bexley's heart to spike as her blood boiled with rage.

The man dared defy her? She was deathly silent as Godfrey finished speaking, not following his orders to put the gun away and to step back. A small smirk formed on her lips, challenging the East Co leader. "May I remind you, he is from our territory. Time Square has been explored by most of my scouts and no humans were found..." She looked to Jax again, her eyes practically staring holes into his skull, trying to figure him out. "Would you agree that for the wellbeing of both factions, it would be wise to take him to midtown for an interrogation, from both sides? " It had been years since the East and the West had worked side by side for the wellbeing of all. This risk that the leader of the West was taking was a big one but in order to get what she wanted, she would have to compromise
With:
Eli Shireling ; Mick Misty Gray ; Nik Nightblade ; Jay Melanin-Gxdess

 

[Nightblade]

Nikolas Kasanov

Nik lowered his gun with a frustrated huff. This guy was starting to ware thin on his already fragile patience. Standing next to Bex, he drummed his fingers against the butt of his pistol. Things were only getting worse at the border and if it did not come to an agreement soon then bullets and fists would fly. Bex had a point that this guy had come from their territory so they had first right to interrogate him. Bex was about to flip out and when she suggested a joint interrogation in midtown.

Looking thoughtful, he put his pistols away before adding his thoughts to the idea "It makes sense, none of us knows where he came from. It would benefit us all to find out what he knows" Nik said trying not to sound eager at the thought of finding out about if he had come across other people, maybe even his sister. Keeping his face neutral, he knew Bex would be able to follow his train of thought without even looking at him. His teeth began to grind at he looked between Bex and the eastern leaders.

Nik looked to the group and then to Bex, his eyes saying everything. Please Bex, I can tell them why if I have too

Mentions: Bellz - Bex​

 

[Folklord]

GODFREY FINCH—

He drops his hand from the handle of his gun. Godfrey was shocked. He didn't think anyone would be able to get to a fair agreement with her let alone to have her be the one to suggest it. Maybe she realized this wasn't a battle that would end the way she wanted. Obviously it's not out of the pure kindness of her heart, no. She's getting something she wants out of it, whatever that may be. He looks to the man beside her as he agrees. Maybe everyone could get on board with this plan. And if not everyone than enough people for a majority.

Godfrey nodded. "That sounds like the best option here. If we can all agree on that then I think we've got a deal."If everyone else agrees then they're actually gonna be doing this. He looked around at all the westerners. God, he doesn't trust any of them as far as he can throw 'em and he imagines that sentiment goes both ways.
He chuckles softly. He has no clue how any of this is gonna play out but it's sure as hell bound to be interesting.

Bellz Nightblade

 

[Misty Gray]

Michael "Mick" Wilson -&- Theodore Ashworth​

For a change, Mick remained relatively quiet as the back and forth between the West and East went on. He didn't need to do anything to keep the current drama alive. Still, the minute the other side made a wrong move or started to get too cocky, he'd be inclined to speak up. Jay seemed annoyed at the way Eli had disrespected the West and she confirmed so by speaking up to berate the lad for his disrespectful comment. "Ah, they're just trying to think of a comeback to beat the fact they're a bunch of obnoxious hippies," he assured the lady. She then went on to say they wouldn't kill Jax. Presently, she was correct, but if the skinny guy happened to keep running his mouth off, Mick wasn't sure if he could keep from wanting to hurt the guy.

Theo shook his head upon hearing Jay's suggestion. He didn't trust the West and he wasn't about to just hand Jax over to them. Soon enough, the East suggested both sides took the newcomer to midtown for questioning and Theo thought over that idea. It seemed like the most reasonable option so far, with just the fact Bex had been behind it causing a level of uncertainty. Bex wasn't known to be reasonable or to encourage compromise, in Theo's experience. When Godfrey agreed to Bex's proposal, Theo nodded his head. He would support his co-head on this one, especially given that it had so far been the only solution both sides could meet in the middle on. It didn't mean he trusted the West one bit, but he'd just have to make sure he didn't let his guard down for one second. "I'm on board," he vocalised his agreement. As he nodded his head, his eyes fixed on Bex for a short time. It had been a long time since they'd been civil or cooperative with each other. Whilst he missed what they'd once had, the woman's coldness and distrust of him had soured those good memories.

 

[Shireling]

Eli Cartwright
​

Eli took Bex's intense annoyance with his comment as confirmation that he had touched a nerve, and smiled smugly. The young man, always a believer in laughing at oneself, was intensely amused by Jylene's consternation with his jester-like antics. He tipped his hat to Jylene, obviously not a scout and seeming more of the egghead type, stooping to bow and scrape for comic effect, "My lady, I would never mock the fair Western colonies." He said with a barely-suppressed smile. He gave up his antics when he realized that the conversation had moved on to more serious topics, namely what to do with the Western agent. The other side's leader agreed to have him interrogated by both sides in Midtown, which seemed a reasonable compromise to Eli. He glanced to Theo, who also assented to the agreement. He glanced between Theo and Bex for a solid few seconds, before falling in behind them to wherever they were going. He wasn't a scout in an official capacity, but since Theodore or Godfrey hadn't objected to his presence he felt that he would push his luck a bit more and see how far he could go.

Bellz Misty Gray Melanin-Gxdess Nightblade Folklord

David Cartwright
​

"Your coffee, sir," the valet murmured, taking the scalding hot kettle off of the hand-wrought iron stove that sat on the interior corner of the Eastern leader's penthouse palace. The large apartment had once been an open floor-plan modern office for the CEO of Taurus Industries, but was now filled with odd furnishings that gave it a more Victorian feng shui. The interior walls sported the aforementioned iron stove with a roaring fire going in the bowels of the oven that radiated heat to the two cooking eyes at the top. Metal piping carried the smoke and excess heat to the roof, where it was given off as exhaust. Canvas partitions with muted flower-petal designs on wooden frames broke the roughly L-shaped room into a kitchen, an office, and a bedroom with a bathroom adjoining that afforded plumbing but no lights except when the emergency power could be on for a few days, usually after a storm. Sconces mounted on the wall held candles which gave the room a yellow glow, although as the sun rose higher they would be inclined to throw back the curtains and let in natural light.

Hector, the valet, brought the kettle across the kitchen to the table where David was seated with a stack of papers in his hand. His employer was dressed in his robe, having just arisen from bed, spectacles on and chewing on the stem of his pipe which had burned off all its tobacco. The air was thick and hazy, and smelled of smoke. Hector, a man older than David by about ten years, enjoyed serving the man after a decade of miserable manual labor to build the colony. He wore the typical clothing of high-end servants in the east, a demure black suit with a high collar and no tie that drew out the age and careworn features of his kindly, dark face.

David scooted his coffee cup across the table and the servant filled it to the brim with black coffee before withdrawing to make the bed. The Eastern leader took the cup and blew on it tentatively, then set it down to cool while picking up a stack of reports and other printed material from the colonists. Scouting reports gave him an idea of what resources they were acquiring and what they were still lacking so he could issue Scavenging Missives for certain goods. He could see they would need more medicines in the future, and was thinking of looking into herbal remedies for minor ailments so they might grow their own medicine. But he needed a skilled doctor for that, a visit to medical was in order. Builders reported lack of materials for some of their projects on the border outposts and for walls to protect the farms. Security officials assured him that Taurus was as secure as it could possibly be owing to his own clever traps and inventions. He turned then to non-state issues by brushing up on the Taurus Tribune, an irregularly-circulated newspaper of the colony that mostly covered what resources were being rationed and the actions of the colony's scouts. The Scouts were, David supposed, the new version of chivalric knights running about with quests to do and dragons to slay. He could understand why everyone seemed to like them, and why his foolish boy wanted to be one.

Nevermind that. He turned as Hector reentered the room, and motioned with his hand for the valet to sit and drink with him. "Very kind, sir," the servant said with a slight bow and poured himself a cup of his own well-brewed coffee. David reclined in his stiff backed chair as much as he could and drank heartily of the pitch-black liquid. "Have you seen my boy about?" He asked the servant.

"I do believe I've seen Elijah just Tuesday carrying a sow-pig to--"

"Not that one, the other one."

Hector screwed up his face in thought and consternation. "Oh yes, well, Solomon is very insular. It's rare to see him about."

David nodded, then after a pause he switched the gears of the conversation, "I suppose you know that I intend for Solomon to take my place, Hector."

Hector hesitated, "Why, yes, sir, I suppose so, sir."

David sipped his coffee, "This world is bleak and broken. Who knows how many hordes of the living dead lay just beyond the Hudson. If we are to survive we must recover our...our..."

"Our gentility, sir," Hector supplied.

"Yes," David grunted affirmatively, "we must recover a sense of gentility. A sense of moral resolve. The Westerners, they trundle about with their guns and their bravado, but we both know that the future of humanity lies in practicality, in building up our defenses, and in fortifying our own characters. To do that, well, you said it."

Hector nodded. "I have done the state some service, sir, and I tell you as both a friend and a valet that I have the utmost confidence in your family."

"I don't," David countered bluntly, "Elijah is temperamentally unfit for leadership. Brash, brazen, crude. He is a tool, at best. But Solomon... He shows potential. The problem with Solomon is that he lives entirely in forms and ideas. There is no concreteness to the man. You've seen him, he looks like a ghost. He bears himself like a scholar and a holy man, and what is the one thing holy men do not do?"

Hector was silent, puzzled and unsure of the question. David helpfully filled in the blanks. "Procreate, man. Produce heirs." He set the empty cup down on the saucer. "Send word to the guard to fetch me Solomon. I desire his audience at once." He paused, "And while you're at it, send for a medical representative. I want to ask them about the feasibility of procuring some marigold for cultivation."

"At once, sir."