[b][indent]---Jean---[/b][/indent]

I watched as people slowly trickled up to the table, placing down an array of weapons. I tried to tell myself it should put me at ease, but then I would think about the knife in my boot. Just how many others still had weapons tucked into clever hiding places? The whole disarming thing was obviously meant to signal peace, but how can there be peace if nobody trusted the person standing next to them? Everyone's survival instincts were in play; and if you want to survive, that usually means you don't trust a group of complete strangers.

Of course, I made sure my expression revealed none of my unease. Instead, I leaned against the wall, twisting the end of my braid in my fingers. Akira sat patiently by my feet, but Roscoe was starting to become restless. He wagged his tail and barked playfully at the other dogs, then would quickly pull his ears against his head and look over his shoulder at me, waiting to be scolded. I let him be for the most part, so long as he wasn't running about and acting like an idiot.

He woofed excitedly and nudged my leg, wagging his tail as some guy walked towards us. I had noticed him reading on the other side of the room, and had briefly wondered how he could be so laid back about the whole situation, but hadn't given it any more thought then that. The guy was maybe just a little older then me, and around five or six inches taller, but that didn't bother me much. Besides, he looked relatively friendly. Maybe it was the glasses.

"Hi." The guy said simply, and I smiled. It seemed so weird, talking to people. I mean, the world was ending, probably over half of the people in the world were dead. Such a simple, friendly greeting just seemed so out of place it was almost funny. 

"Hi there. Nice weather we're having, huh?" She said with a hint of friendly sarcasm.