The Last of us RP: IC

[Kylantha]

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Woodrow Lynch | Aden Colliver | Sofia Lightell

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Woodrow was almost glad that the stranger didn't accept the whisky. Shrugging, he returned the flask where it belongs. As he walked ahead of the guy, the feeling of uneasiness slowly wore off. He chuckles, hearing the stranger's warning in case they were leading him into a trap. Woodrow knew nothing of the sort was in the works, and he shook his head dismissively. "Fair enough, mate." Sofia who was standing against one of the banisters seemed relieved of much tension herself. She was just glad that no one was hurt, although she did walk behind the two just to be sure.

Outside, Aden didn't actually go back to the car. He stood on the porch, peeking in through the windows to see who Woodrow found. His rifle now leaned against one of the windowsills as he cupped his hands against the dusty glass, watching Woodrow come down the stairs, then some stranger, then Sofia. Aden took his gun and stood aside as they stepped out, hiding behind Woodrow the moment he was close enough.

"So.." Woodrow said with a chuckle as he felt Aden grab handfuls of his shirt yet again. "What's your name, mate? I'm Woodrow, that's Sofia, and... This is Aden." he said, reaching back and putting his arm around Aden, who just stared at Diego from behind his brother, unsure about who the guy was, although he was curious.

[Corrian]

Electra Baxter
After some time, Electra had decided to head back in the direction of the gate, feeling suspicious about whatever was happening. It seemed like some of the others had stopped searching, so she got suspicious. When she started to head back, what she found was a few of them, Aden, Sofia, and Woodrow specifically, hanging out on one of the front porches of the houses, with someone she had never seen before. Presumably they had been here already, and they had found him. That explained why they had all disappeared, or mostly Woodrow, since he had apparently found someone that was already here. Of course, being Electra, she immediately wasn't very trusting, because apparently she trusted her people quickly, but nobody else. Well, it did take her a while to accept help, but still. She gripped her handgun and dagger tighter, though had it lowered. However, she was clearly ready to jump out and fight if she had to.

"Who is this?" Electra added with a clear hint of suspicion in her voice, her looking directly at Woodrow when she spoke, but nodding her head towards Diego, looking on edge even though there was clearly little to no threat at the moment.

Gatlin Delevingne
Gatlin didn't quite expect EVERYONE to start having a response to what she had said, where she pretty much just casually said that she would let the wind take her wherever it took her, and she at first simply responded with a playful roll of her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I'm sure that's exactly what they're doing" She said sarcastically, though her tone sounded like it was in good nature. She shook her head lightly, an amused grin on her face. "I wouldn't mind paintings of me to be honest" She joked, though she was half serious, half not. Because honestly she didn't really care either way if people want to idolize her or something. They could think or do what they wanted to do for all she cared. She just wanted to do her job to the best of her ability, and let the wind take her wherever it took her. Or, in this case, the scorching heat.

And then things started to get tense beyond talking about her, Alvarez happening to insult Li's mustache. Under her breath after having been nudged by Kapriva, she said "oh shit", but in a joking manner at the whole scenario. Though it was clear that the mood was tense now, despite them all finding it simply amusing. Things slowly descended into getting more physical, Li shoving Alvarez, and she again shook her head with a look of amusement, or more just looking like she was thinking "Boys...". Of course, others quickly interjected, to actually stop it before it did get ugly. Well, until they decided to have people make their beats on who would seemingly win. Deciding to have some fun, she put some of her own out, and put her bets on Alvarez, though it seemed to not be for entirely any specific reason. She shot a grin his way, then got more comfortable.

[Terintania]

Diego just kind of followed them out of the building. When he saw that Aden hadn't actually done what he's been instructed to do. He didn't know this 'kid' well, but from what he saw, it seemed like he was probably a bit of a pain for the group, never doing what he was instructed to do. Of course, he didn't know well enough to say that for sure. "Diego," He answered when asked his name, before looking toward another, rather suspicious voice. "You can ask me yourself," He said,"I'm Diego. Your friend here woke me up from a nice nap. Hear you're gonna make this your new home."

[Kylantha]

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Woodrow Lynch | Aden Colliver | Sofia Lightell

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The stranger had just introduced himself as Diego to the three when Electra came up and asked them, or more specifically Woodrow, who the guy was. Woodrow was just about to tell her, but Diego himself was ahead. At that point Woodrow just said nothing more. This time Aden moved to Woodrow's other side since he himself was a little bit scared of Electra.

Sofia just kind of leaned against the porch railings, holding her bow loosely in her left hand. She was just glad that nothing bad happened, and hoped that this guy was one to be trusted. Seeing his weapon she sort of wished he'd offer to give them a hand, too. But he would do that in his own time or not at all, and she decided to go deal with more important matters, now that the self-proclaimed leader of the group was around to handle the situation.

She pushed off the still sturdy modern-corinthian railings and made a gesture at Aden, calling his attention. Sofia figured it would be good to get him out of Woodrow's hands for now, since he was a bit of a distraction. "Come on," she said softly to him, "I found something I'm sure you'll like." Sofia pointed back to Sydnie, particularly at the duffel bag she'd put on the car's hood. Aden couldn't hear all too clearly and craned his head out from behind his adoptive brother to see what Sofia was pointing at. He didn't get the clue right away, but when he did, he slunk cautiously around Diego and then clung to Sofia with one hand.

Rolling her eyes, Sofia led the boy down the porch stairs and over to Sydnie. "Everything's alright. Your sister and this guy's brother should be fine." she told Liliana who was watching the scene from the car. Aden didn't take his eyes off of the three over at the house until Sofia called him again. She'd already brought out the hardcover books that she'd found. They were all plant related. As in, all of them. Books about poisonous North American plants, edible wild plants, herbs, and etc. Upon seeing them, Aden seemed to forget about what was on hand and began browsing through the titles.

"Yeah." Sofia nodded, stepping back and placing her hands on her hips. "I knew you'd like them. The house back there's got more books. They're all in this office with bookcases made out of plastic and rubber. Maybe to keep the stuff from rotting?" she shrugged. "So we're lucky to have stumbled on this place. Shame though, some of the books were used for a fire."

Aden glanced back every now and then, listening to Sofia speak. He would nod to let her know he was listening, but he was more interested about saffron, since he'd never seen it before. At one point he asked, "Did you see any books about orchids?"

Sofia wasn't sure. She didn't see anything, but then again, she didn't have time to look through every single bookcase. She shrugged. "I don't know. If Electra decides to stay here, maybe you can see for yourself." she tells Aden who frowns a little. He was really hoping Electra would settle with this place. It was really nice, after all. Looking around, Aden could already tell that he'd have much to work with and learn about, even though he hadn't seen everything yet.

[Corrian]

Electra Baxter
When Diego answered instead of Woodrow, she didn't really seem to care too much, simply jerking her head to face Diego instead of Woodrow. She looked satisfied, giving him a brief nod, and seeming oddly more relaxed with his reply and his casual talk of what he was doing and their plans. She didn't answer immediately, but nodded her head. "Yeah, that was the plan. But I guess we're not alone here" She said, looking at him. "I'm...not one to take someone else' home, though" She said, seemingly not wanting to invade his home if he lived here. "At least...not most of the time" Not really stating what she meant by that, ending up leaving it for interpretation. "Though I doubt you need all of these big houses to yourself...If you're alone, that is" She said. Despite the slight hostility in her voice at questioning if he was truly alone, she lowered her gun and knife and put them away. She didn't pay Aden nor Woodrow any mind at the moment.

Liliana Baxter
Liliana watched them come back, and seemed relieved, though she didn't immediately leave the gun. However, when Sofia confirmed that everything was fine, she let out a sigh and slipped off of the gun. She still wasn't sure what was going on, but it didn't seem like anything terrible or anything. So she just let them figure out whatever it was that was going on, and if things did get hectic, she was pretty sure she'd know, and could try to react appropriately. She simply watched Aden, and smiled a bit seeing him interested in the book and all. Because she had nothing better to do right now, she came up beside him, and glanced at the book with him. "So you like books, then?" She asked him, trying to strike up a conversation, despite her shyness. Mostly she just wanted something to talk about at the moment.

[Kylantha]

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Woodrow Lynch | Aden Colliver | Sofia Lightell | Cayden Terrell

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With Diego's curt but straightforward reply, Woodrow anticipated a hostile response from Electra, but then he found himself mistaken as Electra simply nodded her approval, although somewhat hesitantly. He appeared much more at ease after that and leaned against one of the posts that held the deck, now that Aden had been temporarily taken of his hands. Woodrow silently followed the young guy with his eyes as he ran off with Sofia, a confounded expression plastered upon his face.

"Yeah, that was the plan. But I guess we're not alone here." Electra said to Diego, causing Woodrow to turn back to them, slightly tilting his head. "I'm... Not one to take someone else's home, though. At least... Not most of the time." she continued to say. At this, Woodrow found himself genuinely surprised. Electra seemed a bit more docile, though her usual demeanor remained most prevalent. Then, "Though I doubt you need all of these big houses to yourself... If you're alone, that is." said Electra, and Woodrow looked over at Diego. He was amused at how Electra subtly asked if Diego minded them staying here.

Back where the vehicles had been left, Aden leaned against the front of Sydnie the Riviera, leafing through the book he'd gotten from Sofia. Every so often he'd glance back to where Woodrow was, and only once did the two make eye contact. Aden stared at Woodrow who winked back, assuring Aden and making him grin and return to his book. Part of his thoughts were on whether Electra would like to stay in this subdivision. It was a pretty good place to settle since most of the structures were in good condition, and there were quite a lot of resources to work with. Also, books! So with his mind almost totally clouded, Aden didn't notice Sofia chucking her coat into the cab and telling him that she was going to check something out in one of the nearby homes.

Aden didn't seem to notice that Liliana was watching him, either. He now leaned on his elbow, casually flipping the pages with his index finger. It seemed that he had lost all feeling for the real world until Liliana addressed him, giving him a mild shock attack. "So you like books, then?" she'd said, and Aden reacted rather frenetically, giving a choked shriek and recoiling from her in fear. After realizing who it was though, Aden cleared his throat and looked towards the group who were confabulating among themselves at the moment. Seeing no one had noticed, he sighed with relief and picked himself up with a look of embarrassment on his face.

"Ehm..." he scratched his head, avoiding Liliana's eyes. "Y-Yes. I like books. Books, a-a-and flowers too." he stammered. It would have been clear by now that Aden was rather gauche himself, only becoming more sociable upon becoming comfortable with certain people. Right now that didn't seem the case as he fiddled with his fingers and tried desperately to avoid the girl's gaze.

[Corrian]

Colorado State Capitol Quarantine Zone
Today was pretty much just a normal day at the Quarantine Zone. Everyone was beginning to wake up for the usual day of activities, be it getting an education, guarding shifts, growing plants, cooking, building, and so on. Everyone had their job or duty to do every day, to make the Quarantine Zone the best that it could be, to their abilities. And with their generally new leader, Callandra, things had changed a bit as well. Though as far as it came to people working, things were about the same. Just the Quarantine laws had changed, and more people worked with security and guarding. It felt more...compressed for everyone, living under even more authority rule, but nonetheless, everyone went about their days, and just dealt with it, doing their chores and whatnot. Because if anyone simply stopped working, everything gets out of alignment, and that could have consequences for everyone there, if things weren't working efficiently.

The day itself was generally rather nice as well. Sunny day with no clouds in sight, and mild temperatures. Somewhere in the mild realm. A good day to work outside without getting soaking wet or anything like that. Or to get too overheated or too cold. Just a good day all around to do what was needed to be done to keep the gears running of the Colorado State Capitol Quarantine Zone.

Callandra Clyne
Callandra, like how she usually was, was inside the Colorado State Capitol Building it self, being the strangely young leader of the Quarantine Zone, that got mixed reactions from people. The youth seemed to like her in some ways with her law changes, but a lot of the older people questioned why she was in charge, and why it was deemed reasonable to give authority to a 15-year old girl who seemingly wouldn't have much leadership experience. But alas, here she was, sitting wherever the governor himself would have sat in a bygone era, pretending to write laws as if society was what it used to be, and making decisions for the quarantine zone in general. Be it where they went to scavenge, things for skirmishes inside of the quarantine zone itself, issues in general for the quarantine zone and troubling people, what they should do in the future, and so on and so forth, she was now in charge of it all. And at times, it could be quite a busy job. She usually had her adviser around as well, Jackson. Not always, but often enough, and he was very loyal to her, which made him a rather good asset to her.

Callandra didn't leave the safety of the Colorado State Capitol Building much, but here and there she did go out and about, and mingle with her people. But mostly, she just governed from inside. Not just because it was safe or anything, but because it was her job. But every now and then, she went about outside, and talked to people, or hung out at some of the places that were keeping this place afloat. There was a bar as well, but sometimes it wasn't really optional when they didn't have supplies, though nowadays people made their own again. She felt that it gave her good will with the people, especially since her rise to leadership was a controversial one and a lot of people seemed unsure about her so far. Best to make them feel like she was someone you could trust, and it was about the people here the most. But a lot of the time, she still remained inside. She did however plan to also go on some of their missions they likely will go on in the future, though she wasn't actually that experienced in combat itself. Enough to survive, though, since she had managed to get here and all, but nothing too amazing, either.

Isobelle Rothstein Smith
"Cedric! Cedric! Get up!" Isobelle shouted at her brother while she fiercely shook him awake, as he had been once again sleeping in past the time when he should be waking up. "Get your lazy bum out of bed! We have to go to school soon!" She exclaimed, now tugging at his arm to try and drag him out of bed, so they could eat breakfast quickly and get going on their merry way to school today, and then likely on to some gardening. School wasn't really the same as it was in the original days, and tended to be much shorter than a typical 6 hour school day from way back when, so there was still time to do their gardening chores and whatnot, and for her to spend time with Lyle, the boy she had gained a liking towards. Of course, she pretended otherwise, but anyone with any sort of observant abilities could tell as easy as day that she liked him, as it was very clear simply from her reactions around him, and her manner of speaking. Anybody who payed attention would know easily that she had a rather big crush on him. However, it was unclear if he really thought the same back to her.

Isobelle herself looked up and ready to go, and even looked awake and perky. She had her hair back like she often times did, in a braid slung over her shoulder. And she had her book bag, which she usually used for school related stuff in general, slung over her shoulder as well. And she looked freshly washed, like she had done whatever she could to get herself clean before the upcoming day. She looked refreshed in general, since she was wide awake and ready to go. Now, she simply needed to get her brothers butt moving, which felt like a job in itself at times for her. And that was exactly what she had done.

Mackenzie Redford
Mackenzie of course was not enthusiastic about heading to school today, just like every day of her life she wasn't thrilled with the idea of heading to school and doing the boring routine and all that. So she didn't exactly hurry to get ready in the orphanage, deliberately procrastinating and appearing "lazy" to try and get out of it for as long as possible. But of course, as always, it eventually came to you anyway, and it was time for her to leave and head to school for the day inside of the Quarantine Zone, to learn mostly stupid pointless shit that didn't matter to her or anyone for anything nowadays, or really ever.

When the time came for her to leave, she figured that she could at least make it more interesting for herself for the brief time that she had while heading to the designated school, so of course she grabbed her skateboard and carried it out the door with her, and she put it out in front of her and hopped on it, then pushing herself off towards the school, trying to get some enjoyment in before she had to go crazy. She didn't wear a helmet, partially because helmets weren't something people really thought about nowadays, and most were probably old (But apparently skateboards are fine), but mostly because she was reckless anyway, as it wasn't like she ever had much regard for her own safety or anything. And that was currently what she was doing, cruising towards the school.

Vivian Iverson
Vivian was already up nice and early, playing her guitar somewhere that was the most public and active inside the Quarantine Zone. She was also singing a tune on top of it. This was pretty much her career at this point, being a daily entertainer at the quarantine zone. She did sometimes end up getting something out of it, so that was always beneficial. It kept peoples spirits up, being able to hear music and singing and all that, so it wasn't like her existence didn't serve a purpose. And she enjoyed it as well. It kept her entertained, and generally happy. It was fun as well. She chose to do it after all. It wasn't like she had no other options and chose it out of necessity. She legitimately liked it and did it because she wanted to do it. and as mentioned, a pretty girl singing pretty and playing pretty guitar sounds did tend to have its benefits, and she had some of the boys (and girls) here giving her stuff for her services, like one boy giving her medical stuff. She was pretty sure that some of the said boys wanted more than her music, but while she had no hesitation to play off of their desires to get her own benefit out of it, so far, despite her seemingly open nature about flirting and sexuality and all that, she was in fact still a virgin, and didn't go out of her way to take people up on offers for a casual sexual interaction. At least, not for a while. There was always the possibility that she would just get curious and try it someday. She had a habit of that, trying things. For better or worse. It didn't really matter what it was. Sex, drugs, drinking, she'd try it all at least once. Try different types of said things at least once. But again, never going out of her way for any of it.

And that was her existence right now, sitting on the ground with a guitar and singing as people passed by to head to their chores for the day, and were working about around her area.

[Mememeisters]

Ryan Lopez, Outside CSQZ
the convoy was comprised of three vehicles, about medium sized in this day and aged with one Humvee constructed by the military after the outbreak and scavenged taking up the position of lead vehicle and a pair of large trucks pulling up the rear. The Larson Brothers were a three man trading caravan that took goods across the states, and those trucks had seen more miles of road in their lives than most people ever would. The three men in the front however were there purely for hired security, trusted guns the Brothers had accumulated over the past few months to brave the rougher groups on the routes. Ryan was riding shotgun, scanning the horizon and treeline to either side with his arms resting on his rifle, the men inside occasionally spoke up to identify possible threats in the distance however for the most part the conversation was simple chit-chat of lifelong fighters who knew little about one another. Ryan had faded into a tertiary role in the conversation before he suddenly piped up, triggering the convoy radio "Settlement ahead" the conversation stopped abruptly as everyone's attention suddenly focused forwards at the remnants of Denver, their eyes focusing towards the Capitol building. they knew it was their ultimate destination yet there was a lot of urban ground between them and the Capitol, a lot of room for an ambush. "I heard about this place a few months back, apparently they've got a teenager running things up there" one of the men said, another giving a "You've got to be shitting me! Anyone been there before?" Ryan simply nodded and spoke up "I was stationed here for a bit almost 25 years ago, back when it was still under military occupation. Fat chance of that still being the case" there was a chorus of non-worded agreement, all the men in the truck remembering stability under the military and conveniently forgetting the rampant corruption and oppression that were part of the deal. The group pulled up to the roadside so Ryan could find a vantage point and take a route through the city, after a tense trip through the suburbs they were in QZ territory.

The group surrendered their weapons and docked the Humvee at the entrance, the eldest Larson approached Ryan and gave him a wad of bills "Think this covers us for the work you've done so far, if you want to hire on with us again we're going on to the Great Lakes next, there's always cannibals and such around those parts and we could always use a good hand." Ryan thought for a moment before answering "I'll get back to you by the time you leave, think I'll stick around here for a while though." and walked away, wandering into one of the more active areas in the QZ. Things in the settlement were just starting up and everyone was moving this way and that, he heard a young woman playing a guitar and singing, and gave her a bill before sitting down on the next bench along, burying his face in his hands. He was feeling wrung out, he had to settle down for a while and here felt like the right spot to do it. He quietly nodded to himself and sat back, enjoying the morning and the singing, for now he could just relax.

[Corrian]

Colorado State Capitol Quarantine Zone
Some of the guards at the gate tensed up as soon as Ryan and the others had arrived, but quickly relaxed themselves when they realized what it all meant, understanding what a trading caravan set up looked like, and how they acted. However, they still confirmed it with all of them explaining themselves, and then they all simply got let it, because there was little to no reason to distrust them. And at that point, they were free to do and go wherever they wanted to, so they presumably did.

That was when Ryan ended up around where Vivian was playing guitar and singing to the morning crowds, and he gave her a bill as he passed, and then sat down on a bench nearby. She gave him a smile and a nod when he gave her the money, while continuing to sing and play, and kept on playing through the song that she had been playing, finishing it up before stopping and putting her guitar back into its case for the moment, deciding to strike up a conversation instead of playing at the moment, since Ryan appeared to be relaxing and watching her play.

Being the observant sort to some degree, especially playing like this, she knew most, if not all of the faces of the people here at the Quarantine Zone, and she did not immediately recognize the man near her, so that was a good way to start up a conversation. And based off of his worn out demeanor, she got the distinct feeling that he had been outside of the walls for quite some time, and getting here finally made him feel like he could relax, and it was all catching up with him.

"You've been outside a while, haven't you? Well, things have changed a bit since you've been gone, if so" Vivian said, mostly referring to their new leader being a young teenage girl and all, compared to the old middle aged man who had stepped down, for whatever reason or other.

Electra's Group
Liliana Baxter
Liliana looked a little shocked herself at Aden's response to what she had said, but quickly realized that she had apparently startled him. "Sorry!" She exclaimed at his reaction, responding in the only way that she knew how to, which was to apologize, even if she didn't really know any way that she could have avoided doing that. But apology was the best that she could do, given the circumstances. It seemed that he was embarrassed about it anyway, as he avoided eye contact with her afterwards, like he felt ashamed about his reaction. She tilted her head at him lightly, though she seemed to get his reaction. She had social issues, after all, especially now.

"Hey, its okay Aden. You don't need to be embarrassed" Liliana smiled at him, trying to make him feel more comfortable. "I haven't read many books, but I could start" She said, seemingly just trying to start a conversation with him about...something, she just wasn't very good at starting it, either.

[Mememeisters]

Ryan Lopez, CSCQZ
Ryan shook himself from his with a slight jump reverie as the song finished and Vivian packed up her guitar without seemingly getting up, and calmed down as he saw nothing was wrong. Damn, he was getting paranoid in his old age when slight motions were enough to give him a fright. in a way he was even more surprised when Vivian struck up a conversation and spoke, between his rough appearance, drawn out nature and the hoodie-cap combo he wasn't the first person people talked to unless they were more observant then most. As he looked over at Vivian he got the first proper look at her he'd taken. She was pretty to be sure, almost suspiciously so with hard lives youngsters lived, however her hands (dainty enough to play the guitar, sure enough) had callusing consistent with hand-to-hand fighting. She had some training and experience in hitting things to be sure, or maybe she'd just done some field work at some point. As she'd packed away her guitar Ryan had spotted some sheet music and recognized it from younger days when the Corps still had a band, it was unusual for someone to know how to read it these days, someone must've taught her at some point. Ryan smiled briefly at her not-inaccurate yet still imprecise statement and responded "You could say I've been gone a while, just came in with the traders, before that I was on my own for a bit. I've heard talk they put a kid in office, that true? hell, what's been going on in general? You guys seem to be doing well for yourselves. I'm Ryan, by the way" Ryan looked out over the city, came upon a spot in the skyline that wasn't there anymore, vaguely remembered it becoming infected with spores and enacting a controlled demolition to take the building out properly. Then he remembered the charred corpses of infected as his team and the EODs checked the rubble, and quickly thought about somewhere else.

[Kylantha]

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Aden Colliver

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Because he was looking away, Aden didn't really see any of Liliana's expressions after his little shock attack. He was all red in the face and having trouble thinking straight. She apologized for having startled him, to which he simply shook his head dismissively. Then, trying to pick up from where he left off, Aden extended an ever so slightly quivering hand to the book and turned the page. Ah, nettles. he thought while looking at the assortment of plants and the snippets of red text. He was getting a bit more comfortable now, looking slightly sideways towards Liliana.

At some point Aden glanced long enough to see Liliana smile. "Hey, its okay Aden. You don't need to be embarrassed." she told him, her voice quite possibly even softer than his. "I haven't read many books, but I could start." she continued, and Aden just stared, his head only half turned to face her. The stare lasted for a moment, but Aden was not aware that it was awkward. Then he just smiled back as if he didn't just jump in fright earlier. He slid some of the books over the hood to her. "Here, see these. I don't know what men... Menopause is, but you could check it out." And indeed there was a book about menopause, which Sofia had put in with the pile for whatever reason. Perhaps it was because of the misleading book cover which showed a woman walking beside a row of potted plants... Then Aden went and slid some other books over to Liliana.

"If you don't like it then you can put it back." he smiled again, looking at the titles and seeing what he might like to read first before going back to his own book. Then after a moment, he leaned on his elbow again. Short term memory, maybe?

Even later, he suddenly spoke, staring at a picture of a person's arm having been injured from touching a stinging nettle. "Have you ever touched a nettle?" he asked Liliana without looking at her.

[Terintania]

"I don't live here. Just stayed here for a few nights," Diego replied to Electra's words. He put his gun so the muzzle was on the ground, then kind of leaned on it. "If I weren't alone, you probably woulda found the others by now," He said,"I haven't been a part of a group ina long time." He then just kind of stayed there, watching them. While they couldn't see his eyes, or the expression in them, it wasn't hard to guess that he was waiting to see what they planned to do next, with him.

[Corrian]

Electra Baxter
"...True" Electra replied quietly, and letting out a quiet sigh. She seemed tired, and worn down in general. She could really just use a long break for a while. Just a week of nothing but chilling, or something. Okay, she couldn't do that anymore, not as leader, and not while trying to help keep this group afloat. But something other than stress and desperation at finding her sister. She had her sister now. Now it was time to rest. "So...We can probably join each other. At least for now" She said in response to the awkward silence, saying it to Diego. "I don't see any reason to distrust you, so yeah" She said, almost seeming socially awkward, but it was mostly that she was not used to being diplomatic anymore, so she didn't really know how to exactly go about this without sounding awkward.

Liliana Baxter
Liliana looked back at Aden curiously when all he did was just...stare for a moment. She didn't really say anything, she just found it strange. But she preferred to just not say anything at all. She looked at the books he pushed over to her, and looked at them curiously. She didn't know what menopause was either, because she didn't exactly grow up in a world where she easily knew about those sorts of things. She smiled at him in response to him saying that she could put them back if she didn't like them, and quietly said "Okay, I will". As she flipped through the book, she realized what exactly this whole menopause thing meant, and had a weird face on her face, and just simply said "Oh...", closing the book and pushing it aside, turning a little red. She didn't entirely know that was a thing that happened, but it wasn't exactly surprising to her.

After that, she said nothing at all, until Aden asked her a question out of nowhere without even looking at her. "A what?" She asked, confused, clearly having never heard of such a thing.

Vivian Iverson
Vivian listened to his response to her, up until he had asked her a question, which she responded to of course. "Oh yes, that is true. I know, weird, right? She can't be any older than 16" She explained, shaking her head. She had always found the circumstances around how and why a young girl like Callandra had managed to get in power. It was rare enough for a woman to be in charge. And one so young? It just felt...suspicious, and weird, but she couldn't figure out what could have happened for this to take place. "It all seemed kind of fishy if you ask me, but eh, who knows. The world is strange, so" She shrugged her shoulders, seemingly finding it to not be something to think or worry about too much right now. She seemed like a fine ruler, so whatever. She had already done some controversial things, sure, enacting laws that favored young teens here, but it wasn't exactly something she protested. Teens would find a way to do said things somehow anyway, laws or not, so why did it matter? "On what has been going on in general, not much, really. Just the usual, besides a new transition of power." She explained. When he mentioned his name, she smiled. "Vivan" She replied, and if they hadn't been too far from each other, she would have shaken his hand, but just gave a nod that seemed like a nod greeting.

[Kylantha]

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Aden Colliver

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"A what?" addledly said Liliana in response to Aden's question. He raised his head, his face exhibiting a slightly less puzzled look. Obviously the answer was no. It was obvious that she had never even seen one. "Hm." Aden raised a corner of his mouth, slowly glancing at the pages, then leveling his gaze with Liliana's. "A nettle. It's a kind of plant with lots of tiny little hairs all over it. If you touch the hairs, you get a real nasty rash like this one here." he turns one page back and shows Liliana the exhibit. "I've never touched one, and neither have you.. But we should keep an eye out for them." Aden presses his finger against a photograph of a stinging nettle. "There. That's what they look like. You need to be careful not to touch them unless you have gloves or something like that."

[Corrian]

Liliana Baxter
Liliana let Aden explain to her what a stinging nettle was, and him pointing things out. She of course responded when appropriate, with appropriate faces, like cringing a bit at the rash. It didn't even sound like a pleasant plant to look at. All she could think of was: Did they exist here? "Do they exist in Colorado?" She asked curiously, frowning lightly. She definitely would prefer not to deal with them. She also wasn't sure why she had asked him that exactly. It wasn't like he knew any better than her. But alas, she asked anyway.

[The Knockout Gun Gals]

Colorado State Capitol Quarantine Zone
Today was pretty much just a normal day at the Quarantine Zone. Everyone was beginning to wake up for the usual day of activities, be it getting an education, guarding shifts, growing plants, cooking, building, and so on. Everyone had their job or duty to do every day, to make the Quarantine Zone the best that it could be, to their abilities. And with their generally new leader, Callandra, things had changed a bit as well. Though as far as it came to people working, things were about the same. Just the Quarantine laws had changed, and more people worked with security and guarding. It felt more...compressed for everyone, living under even more authority rule, but nonetheless, everyone went about their days, and just dealt with it, doing their chores and whatnot. Because if anyone simply stopped working, everything gets out of alignment, and that could have consequences for everyone there, if things weren't working efficiently.

The day itself was generally rather nice as well. Sunny day with no clouds in sight, and mild temperatures. Somewhere in the mild realm. A good day to work outside without getting soaking wet or anything like that. Or to get too overheated or too cold. Just a good day all around to do what was needed to be done to keep the gears running of the Colorado State Capitol Quarantine Zone.

Victoria Hume

Victoria, or Vic, as the residents began to called her that, opened up her smith shop early this day. She had heard of the new leader, at 15! Such young age, such burdens, she thought to herself as she cleaned off the dust and dirtiness at her shop. Her adopted father had died and now she took the job. She took it pretty good, but not the best. Then again, so with her father. She smithed everything. Knives, kitchen utensils, weapons, as long as the materials are available. If not, she has to go scavenge with few of the residents, to combat the bandits and/or the...death ones.

She didn't like it a bit, but that has to be done. Sometimes she scoured outside to hunting for extra food for herself, or leather. Now, now she sat down on her chair and waited for customers, saying "hi" and "hello" to passer-by.

[Kylantha]

Liliana Baxter
Liliana let Aden explain to her what a stinging nettle was, and him pointing things out. She of course responded when appropriate, with appropriate faces, like cringing a bit at the rash. It didn't even sound like a pleasant plant to look at. All she could think of was: Did they exist here? "Do they exist in Colorado?" She asked curiously, frowning lightly. She definitely would prefer not to deal with them. She also wasn't sure why she had asked him that exactly. It wasn't like he knew any better than her. But alas, she asked anyway.

---

Aden Colliver

---

Aden shrugged at the question first. "I don't really know. Maybe they do. Plants grow everywhere." And that was true. So there was a possibility that stinging nettles were present, but it was unlikely for them to be a very common plant to encounter. Not knowing this however, Aden felt a little embarrassed. All he knew was what not to do if ever they ran into nettles, and he thought it fit to remind Liliana again. "So if you ever see one looking like that," he points to the picture in the old book, "be careful not to just reach out and touch it." After that he said nothing more and continued to look around through squinted eyes. He seemed interested by the fact that this place didn't seem so bad, despite its being overrun with shrubs and whatnot.

Electra Baxter
"...True" Electra replied quietly, and letting out a quiet sigh. She seemed tired, and worn down in general. She could really just use a long break for a while. Just a week of nothing but chilling, or something. Okay, she couldn't do that anymore, not as leader, and not while trying to help keep this group afloat. But something other than stress and desperation at finding her sister. She had her sister now. Now it was time to rest. "So...We can probably join each other. At least for now" She said in response to the awkward silence, saying it to Diego. "I don't see any reason to distrust you, so yeah" She said, almost seeming socially awkward, but it was mostly that she was not used to being diplomatic anymore, so she didn't really know how to exactly go about this without sounding awkward.

---

Woodrow Lynch

---

Hearing Electra as she decided on what to do with Diego amused Woodrow. She had been exposed to so much needless violence, he guessed, that she was pretty much desensitized from the possibility of there being peaceful resolutions. He gave Diego a crooked smile and a shrug as he pushed himself off the deck support and looked over at Aden. "Tha's nice." he says, addressing both Electra and Diego before stretching slightly backwards. "Nice ta have some peace an' quiet every now and then, eh?" he chuckles, thinking about what else there was to do while they were here. Then he says to Electra, "Bloody 'ell. Looks like there's a good lot o' work ta be done 'round 'ere, eh?"

Isobelle Rothstein Smith
"Cedric! Cedric! Get up!" Isobelle shouted at her brother while she fiercely shook him awake, as he had been once again sleeping in past the time when he should be waking up. "Get your lazy bum out of bed! We have to go to school soon!" She exclaimed, now tugging at his arm to try and drag him out of bed, so they could eat breakfast quickly and get going on their merry way to school today, and then likely on to some gardening. School wasn't really the same as it was in the original days, and tended to be much shorter than a typical 6 hour school day from way back when, so there was still time to do their gardening chores and whatnot, and for her to spend time with Lyle, the boy she had gained a liking towards. Of course, she pretended otherwise, but anyone with any sort of observant abilities could tell as easy as day that she liked him, as it was very clear simply from her reactions around him, and her manner of speaking. Anybody who payed attention would know easily that she had a rather big crush on him. However, it was unclear if he really thought the same back to her.

Isobelle herself looked up and ready to go, and even looked awake and perky. She had her hair back like she often times did, in a braid slung over her shoulder. And she had her book bag, which she usually used for school related stuff in general, slung over her shoulder as well. And she looked freshly washed, like she had done whatever she could to get herself clean before the upcoming day. She looked refreshed in general, since she was wide awake and ready to go. Now, she simply needed to get her brothers butt moving, which felt like a job in itself at times for her. And that was exactly what she had done.

---

Cedric Rothstein Smith

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[WIP]