[center][b]Tony[/b][/center]

[i]Code names?[/i] That seemed a little odd. As “Cat” continued to explain, Tony became increasingly sympathetic to the pair, which in turn unnerved him even further. Should he really be feeling sympathy for them? Would anyone else? [i]No one else has bothered to talk to them, though[/i], he reminded himself. It struck him that he might ask if they wanted to have normal names, yet he neglected to ask upon realising that perhaps the twins didn't want to be normal.

Dog proved his theory only seconds after her thought it up. Following that, they maybe unknowingly mocked his own name. The twins were fast-paced even when they weren't moving and spoke softly, Tony's thoughts bounced from one theory to the next but never came up with a successful explanation for the two. Like a cell signal darting about to avoid tracking systems. What did he come up to the attic for, again?

[b]“Heeeeey buddy could you do me a huge favor? Could you watch Cat here while I get some water?”[/b]

His eyes shot back to the girl in front of him, widening at the mere mention of being left alone with the spookier twin. He started to protest, but all that came out were “ums” and “ahs” as the girl went on, rambling about her brother. The beaten infected dog flashed to the forefront of his mind, and he shuddered. Dog looked at him like... well, like a dog, a really cute one, and before he knew what he was doing, Tony nodded.

He slid his attention over to Cat, finding his mouth dry. Desperately meaning to say something and distract the man from whatever thoughts were running through his mind, Tony mumbled out, “Electronics.”

---

[center][b]Chris[/b][/center]

Chris elected not to dwell on Mercy's response to the first question. Fortunately, the other woman changed the subject before a blush could arise. The horse must have sensed the need for a distraction, too, for he snorted water at the pair of them. Instinctively, Chris raised an arm to cover her face, but the horse managed to leave droplets along her other arm. Suppressing a snicker, she wiped her arms dry. Bandit was cool, she decided. [i]Grandpa would've liked him, too.[/i]

It grew harder not to laugh when the horse snatched up a mouthful of hay and promptly turned his head back towards them for more petting. Chris didn't notice the smile that crept onto her features, though she felt a flicker of her former self rise out of the place she'd buried it. She knew spending a prolonged time at the farm, where their worries shifted from the undead to how much food they had, and they needn't be moving constantly, she would see more of that person. But who she was now kept her and Tony safe. She could not afford to lose that.

Mercy's words snapped her out of her thoughts, the request surprising her. Someone asking for her company felt... weird, after so long. Even stranger was Mercy's demeanour when she asked; did she look nervous or had Chris' imagination taken the blushing and ran with it? 

“Yeah, sure. I'll come,” she said, giving the horse a final few strokes. Mercy was the least convincing person Chris had ever met; her smile screamed her true intentions, if her eyes hadn't already managed to get the message across. Chris couldn't blame her, though, in this new world of little freedom, getting to ride a horse again would be as thrilling as a rollercoaster in the old world. She took Bandit back to his stall – at least she hoped it was his, she guessed – with a fistful of hay. “Later, Bandit.”

Returning to Mercy, Chris gestured to the barn entrance and jogged out. Though she still wasn't exactly sure how long she slept, she remembered roughly the layout of the farm. Out of habit, she look in every direction as she walked the short way to the chicken coop. Chris crouched outside the heavy duty mesh and peered in. The healthy flock clucked and peeped around the coop until they saw her there, then hobbled over, apparently recognising humans as food-givers. “Do people bother naming chickens when there's so many?” she wondered aloud, before remembering she wasn't alone and looking around for Mercy.