Bull - Haywood/Infirmary Door - Shannon/Daniel/Katie
Bull stared at Emma, dumbfounded. For the life of him, he couldn't understand why this girl was speaking up for him. It boggled him that she was even there when he had last seen her locked in one of the cells. She had seen him there with her own eyes, which was even more evidence than that blonde girl had. Yet here she was, voting for him to stay. He wanted to to be happy, to feel grateful for her words, but he could not wrap his head around her actions. She had been kidnapped by his brothers, men who he knew would have done a lot more than rape her if they had had the chance.
Bull just didn't understand, because he just didn't feel very sorry for her.
When Emma walked back into the infirmary, Bull was the first to speak up. "Do you think I wanted to come here?" he asked, wiping at his wet eyes. "Come waltzin' on in, disturbin' you? My Lauren needs help and you're the only ones offering. I would do anything for her."
The blonde girl stepped forward. "Okay, she should get the medical help she needs. But are you really willing to do anything for her?"
Bull nodded profusely. "Yes. Yes."
"What's your name?"
"Bull-"
"Well then, Bull, you should be locked up for your stay here." Bull didn't respond, for he knew he had no room for negotiation. The girl continued, "We'll take care of the girl and your friend." She then turned on the man named Daniel. "The people here are going to hold a bigger grudge than I do. Tyler stole their wives and daughters away. Killed them. You let this guy walk around and it will cause problems. You're running this community now and that's what I think is best for the community."
Rudy - Outpost - Matt
Rudy considered what Matt said for a long moment while he meticulously chewed his food. Eventually, Rudy gave Matt a sly smile. "Maybe one day." With that, he got up from his seat, having finished most of his meal. "Have fun at that council meeting."
***
Rudy later found Elliot holed up in his cabin. His brother, Richard, answered the door and told Rudy that Elliot wasn't feeling well. Rudy rolled his eyes at that. "He's probably just being a big fuckin' baby. I want to ask him how the wall went." When Richard only stared at him, Rudy shrugged. "What?"
Richard sighed. "Someone started a fight with him over being deaf. Said he shouldn't be on the wall. Said he shouldn't be responsible for anything important." Richard's tone had adopted an air of irritation. Rudy looked into the man's blue eyes and couldn't believe how tired they looked. Elliot and his brother had gotten nothing but grief since they arrived in Outpost and Rudy was getting pretty fucking tired of it.
"Let me see him" he said. Richard hesitated, but eventually let him in. Rudy made a beeline for Elliot's room and found the boy laying face up on his bed. Elliot didn't hear him come in, obviously, so Rudy knocked harshly on the wall so Elliot would feel the vibrations. The boy sat up and stared at him. "Hey," Rudy said with a wave. Elliot quickly got up and closed the door behind Rudy, though Rudy wasn't sure why they needed privacy when they didn't need to talk out loud.
Immediately, Elliot broke into a series of signs that Rudy could barely discern. "Woah, woah," he said, holding up his hands. "You need to go slower, dude. You know I can't go that fucking fast."
Elliot nodded and sat down on his bed. "I... was on the wall... and everything was fine. Myriah told Blake that the wall needed good eyesight... not hearing." Elliot paused to make sure Rudy was getting all of this. Rudy nodded and gestured for him to continue. "So Blake didn't care, but some of the guys found it kind of weird. Joe was really annoyed... I could tell. He was being short with me all day. He eventually started a fight with me and got in my face... he wanted me to read his lips clearly. He said that you needed hearing on the wall... that if one of the guys called out, how would I hear them?"
"But you can still see," Rudy said, interrupting. "If people on the wall are reacting, then you can still see them."
Elliot nodded impatiently. "I know. I tried to say that, but he can't be bothered to try and figure out what I'm saying. They know I'm not comfortable with speaking." Elliot then hung his head. "Blake said he couldn't have fighting on the walls. Said it was best if I don't try anymore." Elliot let out an irritated noise and fell back onto his bed. "Hearing people suck."
Rudy's expression turned sour. "I'm hearing. Your brother is hearing."
Elliot glared at him. "It's not about you. If that comment annoys you then you don't get it." Elliot's signing cut into the air like knives. Rudy knew that starting a fight over this would not end well.
"I'm sorry, man. I'll talk to Myriah about it, but it's not going to be easy to change people's minds."
"It will be impossible. It always has been. Long before the biters arrived." Then Elliot sighed and closed his eyes. Rudy shook his head and let himself out.
Myriah - Outpost/Council Room - Matt/Council
Myriah smiled at each and every member of the council as they entered the deliberation room. She told them pleasantly that Macy had prepared snacks for the meeting, but that they were all out of coffee. They had recently run out and Myriah figured that Reggie's team would have to find some more quickly before a revolution started. She then walked over to the snack table and grabbed a cookie. It was rather plain, as Macy didn't have much to work with, but the woman was always baking for her, accosting Myriah at every opportunity to try her new recipes. Macy had tried to make due with the limited resources they had, but her first creations had been notoriously unpleasant.
Myriah nibbled at the cookie and sat down at her table. She eyed her notes and neatly arranged them at the table's corner. When everyone else was settled, Myriah began the meeting. "Welcome, everyone." she said in the warmest tone she could muster. "We haven't had a meeting in a while, have we? Well, Reggie felt that there were some recent issues that needed to be discussed, so we decided a meeting was long overdue." She smiled at each council member in turn. They were a mixed bag, comprised of different genders, races, and backgrounds. Yet despite their differences, here they all sat, all working toward the betterment of a single community. "Reggie would like to open the floor."
Reggie nodded graciously. "Thank you, Myriah. I want to bring the council's attention to some troubling news. Recently, we have found large groups of biters on the outskirts of the marshland. While this isn't particularly unusual, they tend to be roaming in herds toward the cities. These herds will cut through the forest and will likely hit Outpost before long. The marsh will spread a bunch of them out, but we need to prepare for an attack."
A male council member, Derick, raised his hand. "But what about the plans to expand the wall? We were going to start construction this week."
Reggie's expression was grim. "I don't think that's a good idea now. We will have to postpone the construction." A few of the council members shook their heads. The overcrowding problem in Outpost was becoming a major issue. "In fact, what we need to be focusing on is recruiting more people into the scout team. We need a real fighting force for these biter threats. We've managed to scrape through for this long, but we can't do it much longer. We don't know how the winter will effect things."
The room was silent for a moment. Eventually Rhonda spoke up, saying, "Outpost needs to focus on expansion. I know not everyone here was around before the wall, but we truly only started to live once it went up. Making our home secure and comfortable should be our top priority."
"I don't disagree," Reggie said. "Construction is very important, but we need to face facts. What if another group attacked us? There would be no way we could protect ourselves from other people. With guns. If we can't protect ourselves then we will have no home to expand upon." Reggie stared at Rhonda, but she couldn't think of a thing to say. Reggie continued, "After tomorrow's scouting, we're starting extended training sessions. At the meeting this evening, I want us to tell our people what I've told you now. We need new recruits and we need soldiers."
After a few moments of silence, Myriah spoke up. "Thank you, Reggie. We're going to be putting this to a vote, and then we can open the floor for anyone else to speak, as usual." Myriah cleared her throat. "Whoever is in favor of postponing the construction efforts in order to focus on our scouts, say aye."
Reggie was the first to raise his hand. "Aye." Other hands started to raise and Myriah waited patiently for everyone to vote. She personally didn't plan on raising her hand.
