[hr][hr][center][h1][i][b][color=4682b4]Ash Holloway[/color][/b][/i][/h1][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/c6f0f86d13839f8542e4b754c251da73/tumblr_ojog8uNf9k1qdhps7o1_r1_500.gif[/img][/center][hr][center][color=steelblue][b]Location:[/b][/color] The Bus
[color=4682b4][b]Skills:[/b][/color] N/A [/center][hr][hr]

	Observing people was generally a good first step in feeling out a new situation, if it was feasible to do so. Seeing as he didn't have but the one person from Mexico Beach in the bus with them, Ash primarily looked to the rest of those who were searched and directed into the conveyance along with him. In addition to mainly pairing off, they mostly all seemed to keep their snatches of conversation to themselves. Ash would catch the occasional spoken thought from around the bus, file it away in the back of his brain, and keep at it. Personal insecurities seemed to be the order of the day, and he couldn't blame them in the least. This was a huge change for everyone, in a world when uncertainty was far more common than hope.  

	Most everyone looked tired. He must look the same way, he figured, or worse. Distantly, he tried to remember the last time he gave himself a shave that didn't involve a field knife. The thought carried as he saw the walls of what looked to be a massive settlement (or what was considered massive these days) ahead of them, growing larger as they approached. If he was very lucky, he might find Thana in there. He would return her tags, find out where things stood between them, and be a decent goddamned human being no matter what the situation was. What he wanted was secondary, at best, to what was best for his people. Though the question burned inside of him: Why wasn't she with the Eden group? Considering the mixed company on the bus, he hesitated to get into a discussion about her. Or at all, for that matter. 

	His question was partially answered by Beatrice. She was someone else with whom he was unsure of where he stood, but in very different context. She was close to being one of those "lone wolf" types that he wasn't overly fond of, yet here Beatrice was, seemingly calling the shots in a small group. Time and necessity did change people. Maybe there was something of a leader in there yet. [color=4682b4]"Thank you."[/color] he said, nodding thoughtfully at her. His Virginian accent, though slight, was making an appearance. It was an indicator that he must be tired. Or strained. Or both. Ash appealed to Beatrice's sense of solidarity, such as it was, [color=4682b4]"Been a while. We should keep our people together, as much as they'll let us. Things to catch up on. With me?"[/color] Intelligent eyes looked over the others in her group. The mystery girl of course, and two older men, one of which he couldn't place at all. 

	Ash went over the numbers in his head, curious as to how readily his mind wrapped around these concepts so readily. July 15th, 2012, 0915 hours. Community of 300. Five and a half years. 95% acceptance rate. Quantifying as much as possible gave the impression that things were orderly and could be navigated if handled properly. Maybe it was an illusion and maybe it wasn't, but this settlement was their best bet at surviving. This was how his people kept living for now. As the gate closed behind them, it settled upon Ash that this was their reality. Mexico Beach. For better or worse, they had arrived. If they had to leave, Ash didn't have a backup plan worked out just yet. They would have to wait and see.  






[hr][hr][center][h1][b][i][color=dc143c]Thalia Carmichael[/color][/i][/b][/h1][img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/d3b5fd39-04ec-401f-a25c-35f55d7ad76e.gif[/img][hr][b][color=crimson]Location:[/color][/b] The Bus
[b][color=dc143c]Skills:[/color][/b] N/A [hr][hr][/center]

	Thalia dug her shoulder into Beatrice's side at the twat-punching comment, though she couldn't help but smile. Heavy lids closed over hazel eyes and stayed they way for the majority of the bus ride in. Though she rested, actual sleep was beyond her. Maybe a survival instinct that kept her at least partially alert in the midst of an unfamiliar situation, or alternately it could have been a leftover piece of training from her earlier days. Reasons aside, she found that her eyes opened slightly every time somebody within earshot spoke. Oddly, the less they tried to keep quiet, the less she gave it attention. But every so often her lids would part and eyes would point in the appropriate direction, mentally cataloguing details about whomever was speaking if she were within line-of-sight. 

	When Beatrice spoke, she assumed to Ash, Thalia could tell that she was speaking about Thana. She missed that uptight bitch, though if she was alive, well, and nearby? Oh, she had some explaining to do. Surreptitiously, she moved her hand over to Bea's knee (a phrase which she would later use to torment the woman, she vowed) and gave it a light, reassuring squeeze. She likely felt the same way about their Navy girl. Thalia noted that Beatrice kept things as vague as possible. Her statement was technically correct, but it provoked a series of other, related questions that thankfully Ash didn't ask right then. He was playing it cool too, else he was trying to save himself some emotional baggage until he could better handle it. Whatever worked for him, she didn't so much care. 

	It did strike her as curious that he wanted to see if their groups would buddy up when they got inside. Yeah, they should probably exchange information. After all, they were originally supposed to be two parts of the same group, each with a different objective in the same mission. The plan [i]was[/i] to meet back up and regroup together after they were done, heading south to exactly this place eventually. Obviously the plan got screwed over somewhere. And it seemed so long ago. Were they [i]still[/i] the same group? Sure, Thalia agreed to follow Thana's lead and complete the mission, which they did (at heavy cost, too), but she wasn't part of anything related to Newnan until just that afternoon. Oh, she had plenty of questions for the man, and fully intended to ask them. Maybe that was all he meant. If nothing else, they did need to compare notes and debrief each other. But damn, he reminded her of Navy, right down to her presumption of authority. Good thing she liked Thana. 

	As the bus entered the staging area, Thalia gave up any pretense at rest. She opened her eyes fully, stretched, and waited for the next part of this transition to manifest. 




[hr][hr][center][h1][b][i][color=deb887]Hank Wright[/color][/i][/b][/h1][img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/c8c5d962-6833-4611-be6b-8b3b5e8f6784.gif[/img][hr][b][color=burlywood]Location:[/color][/b] The Bus
[b][color=deb887]Skills:[/color][/b] N/A [hr][hr][/center]

	[color=deb887]"Yeah, I know what you're thinking, Wayne. With three hundred people, at least one of them had [i]got[/i] to be a bartender. We're saved. Right there, buddy? Huh?"[/color] Hank shook his head, his generally cynical nature getting the better of his earlier assertion, [color=deb887]"...knowing our luck, that would be a solid 'Nuh-Uh, fellas' and any beer they recovered is gonna be that fruity Canadian pisswater."[/color] he shrugged. Of course, he was speaking in the hopes of engaging Wayne in light, diverting conversation. The whole talk about a 95% acceptance rate got him thinking about Amish Country again. They were asked to leave [i]Amish Country[/i], for crap's sake. What would a military run community think of the pair of them? Okay, let's be honest: What would they think of [i]Wayne[/i]? Hank wasn't going to abandon his friend because of some bullshit technicality, nor because he was a man with some difficulties that, while not really his fault in the first place, might deny him a place here in the "Apocalypse Lane Suburban Gated Community", probably complete with some bullshit HOA to tell them they couldn't keep pink, plastic flamingos on their lawns nor build a freestanding doghouse. 

	To hell with them [i]and[/i] their probably totally fictional Home Owners Association. If Wayne was given the heave-ho, Hank was with him all the way. It was Florida, for crap's sake. Nothing said they couldn't find some old fishing boat and hang a line or two off the side to catch supper, like old guys do. But to say something uncharacteristically reassuring to the man, [color=deb887]"Don't sweat it, Wayne. They need us. 'Sheriff Wright & Detective Maldonado'. Come on, it sounds great. Comic book title kind of great. And, ah, if they [i]don't[/i], we're going to pack up our gigantic brass balls and leave them in the rearview. Me and you, guy. I mean that."[/color] 

	Once the bus was secure behind a gate, Hank gave a sigh of relief. They got there. First part down. Now they had to see if both of them could stay. [color=deb887]"We got this."[/color] he whispered to his friend confidently.