[hr][hr][center][h1][i][b][color=4682b4]Ash Holloway[/color][/b][/i][/h1][img]https://i.pinimg.com/736x/35/0f/76/350f76ae28d780981ca49ee77d09f286.jpg[/img][/center][hr][center][color=steelblue][b]Location:[/b][/color] The Bus
[color=4682b4][b]Skills:[/b][/color] N/A [/center][hr][hr]

	These people certainly seemed organized. The welcoming committee seemed to be equal parts showy and easygoing, probably designed to keep people calm while herding them all in the same direction. Being out in the greater world as he and the rest of them had been, Ash was still a little suspicious. He was supposed to meet someone here, but more and more he began to question that. The one detail that put him on the right track for trust came when the priest asked everyone for names. If something immediately nefarious was going to happen to them, he doubted that the offending parties were going to bother getting too acquainted and then sorting their clothing by whose corpse used to own it. 

	The moment that they pulled into the settlement proper, Ash felt a pang of emotional pain for his lost home, Newnan. They made that city into something great. Truly great, in a world full of ugliness. These people look to have done the same, except it was less of a [i]make[/i] and more of a [i]preserve[/i]. To the casual glance, anyway. There was no telling what these people might have engineered in the past five years. A few bright minds and maybe three dozen hard workers turned Newnan into a highly livable place in a lot less time. Mexico Beach? They had numbers and time. If they had the right people with the right education, there was so much that was possible. Of course, this begged the question: Were most of these people behind the walls for all this time, or did they have to fight everyday just to survive? 

	Regardless, the relative opulence of the town was duly impressive. Ash just couldn't show it on his face right then. It wasn't hard, he was already bracing himself for hard news about Thana. At word of a shower, his resolve almost broke. It wasn't like he didn't try to keep clean out in the world, but hasty cleanups in natural water sources on the extreme quick while someone else stood watch over you just wasn't the same as standing in a tub and letting heated, steamy bliss rain down upon you. But Ash held firm. 

	When Atticus announced his profession, the Captain instinctively repeated, [color=4682b4]"Chaplain..."[/color] It didn't occur to him that the settlement might cater to the religious, but that was silly. The military has employed Chaplains for as long as there was a military, and they specifically handled these little formalities. It made sense, so long as you stopped thinking like a desperate survivor and started thinking like a community administrator. It was something he used to be, not too long ago, among other things. 

	As the black-garbed man of God came upon him, Ash straightened and looked him dead in the eye. Habit, as well as a need to establish that he was fully cooperative to both this man and his own people motivated this, though he was no pushover. [color=4682b4]"Holloway, Ashton."[/color] He stopped himself before going into rank and MOS. The Ops Officer already got that, and they had his tags anyway. [color=4682b4]"If you're good at 'Methodist in Crisis', sir, I might pay a visit later."[/color] His tone was flat, but Ash still managed to project a hint of sarcasm. Acquiring his bag, Ash concluded with a succinct, [color=4682b4]"Thank you, Chaplain."[/color] He was cooperating. But he still wanted some quiet time with the rest of his group, regardless. 




[hr][hr][center][h1][b][i][color=dc143c]Thalia Carmichael[/color][/i][/b][/h1][img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/e5a2acd6-4a43-4fdf-81a0-ae19c80e184c.jpg[/img][hr][b][color=crimson]Location:[/color][/b] The Bus
[b][color=dc143c]Skills:[/color][/b] N/A [hr][hr][/center]

	A priest. A Catholic Priest in the middle of the Apocalypse. That was interesting. There even ran a not-unheard-of chance that he knew, or at least knew [i]of[/i], her father. He was likewise ordained in the Church. It was an understandable rarity for a priest to have a daughter (okay, to have a daughter [i]and still be a priest[/i]), but here she was. It very well might have gotten around in ecclesiastical circles. Thalia gave hard debate in the back of her mind as to whether she should mention something right to the man about it when he came up to her with that bag of bags. 

	When the gate parted and they rolled into the town proper, Thalia took in a breath. This place was beautiful. Well planned. And the people seemed to be going about their lives like they didn't have to worry things like killing their next meal quietly or lighting a fire in a hole so they didn't draw the attention of Zeds. Or random assholes. On the other hand, three hundred people? She used to pass that many people walking halfway to her favorite bakery, just up from her old office in Boston. Before the Outbreak, of course. More recent years had made Thalia wary of crowds. Anymore, lots of people all in one spot tended to make her nervous. Time and circumstance undeniably changed her.

	Mention of fabrication facilities and the acquisition of new, serviceable limbs for herself and Mugsy did give her a feeling of anxious hope. Thalia looked to Alexander and gave him an encouraging nod. They could both use something more sturdy and permanent to replace their missing limbs. She had an idea of what she would need, too. Nothing amazingly elaborate, just a prosthetic that withstood shock well and would allow her to effectively grip her shield or maybe a katar. Hell, a steel gauntlet with a bayonet fitting might suffice. Even look badassed. Thalia let her mind wander with possibilities until the priest came up to her in turn. She gave him a second of quiet study, looking to see if maybe she had seen the guy in any of her or her family's old stomping grounds. 

	Lacking the memory one way or the other, Thalia decided that there was really no harm in asking, after the task at hand. [color=dc143c]"Thalia. Um, Thalia [i]Carmichael[/i]. Mi Familia always called me 'Angel', though. Did you know a Father Benicio Gonzalez?"[/color] Regardless of outcome, Thalia was more than happy to take the bag, though it meant uncovering her partially missing arm. She was still a little self-conscious about it. 




[hr][hr][center][h1][b][i][color=deb887]Hank Wright[/color][/i][/b][/h1][img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/25dc70d0-947b-4919-85bb-ee43b1508a14.gif[/img][hr][b][color=burlywood]Location:[/color][/b] The Bus
[b][color=deb887]Skills:[/color][/b] N/A [hr][hr][/center]

	Throughout all of this, the big reveal of the settlement and the news of a shower (okay, that was an awesome thing to look forward to), not to mention a solid meal, the thing that got his attention more than anything else was the fact that Wayne actually said, [i]and out loud[/i], that this place was his 'Hotel California'. But first things first: [color=deb887]"Nope. Nope to the nopenope there, Wayne. I'm seeing it, too."[/color] That statement could be taken with a grain of salt, seeing as he did have a history of seeing things that weren't there. Nothing this grand in scope, and nothing since the very [i]start[/i] of the end of the world, so he was pretty reliable that way. And of course, Hank tended to be significantly more stable than his counterpart, so he was a good first choice at a second opinion on the reality of a situation in front of them. 

	The mention of the song, "Hotel California", gave Hank a chuckle. One popular interpretation of the old Eagles song put it as an analogy for a State Mental Hospital in SoCal, a point which he jumped on. [color=deb887]"You know, that would be damn poetic. No really, it makes sense - seeing as we started this bullshit out in an asylum, it'd be fitting to retire in one now. Good call, man."[/color] 

	Hank was very forthcoming when Atticus asked his name. [color=deb887]"Hank Wright. That's Wright with a 'W', yeah that's the one..."[/color] He leaned forward, presumably to make sure that the man was spelling his last name correctly. Instead, he motioned downward with his head twice, and lowered the volume of his voice significantly. He spoke clearly but quietly, necessity being that he made his point with haste. [sub][color=deb887]"You see that guy over there? No, there, with the... [i]that guy[/i]."[/color][/sub] Hank made small movements with his hand, pointing out the person specific to his intent. [sub][color=deb887]"His name is Nigel, but I will owe you a small favor if you pencil him in there as [i]Sportacus[/i]. No, really. That's [i]Sport[/i], followed by a-c-u-s. [i]Sportacus[/i]. You're a pal there, Man In Black. Won't forget this."[/color][/sub] Hank received his bag, after which he clered his throat loudly and finished off with, [color=deb887]"Ah, yes sir! I in fact [i]am[/i] a Johnny Cash fan, too. We'll talk later!"[/color] 

	He gave the man a thumbs-up while clicking his tongue twice, then settled back in his seat fully. [color=deb887]"Yeah Wayne, I might just like it here."[/color]