[hr][hr][center][h1][i][b][color=4682b4]Ash Holloway[/color][/b][/i][/h1][img]https://i.ibb.co/Wnnd0Wm/Ash-FC-5.jpg[/img][/center][hr][center][color=steelblue][b]Location:[/b][/color] M12 (Beach) -> M7
[color=4682b4][b]Skills:[/b][/color] N/A [/center][hr][hr]

	The kiss on his cheek was sweet. A rare, tiny piece of innocence in a world that destroyed innocence outright. Ash gave another smile and hugged her closer for a moment. It occurred to him that if they got any closer, the two of them would have to learn how to eat while sitting in each others' laps. Giving it some thought, that wasn't really so unpleasant a prospect. Hell, he might insist on it before too long. Ash shook his head slightly and returned to his meal. It was amazing how one could absently consume a meal without consciously being aware of it. Such was it with Ash, who looked down to a mostly empty plate that he fully remembered eating in hindsight but which still gave him a microsecond of surprise. Tilting back the last two tiny, round potatoes, Ash rose alongside Thana, agreeing wholeheartedly with her suggestion for the remainder of the evening. [i]Get this put up, carry her ass to bed.[/i] [color=4682b4]"Sounds good to me,"[/color] he said, readying for Step One of the overall plan. 

	Ash did have his concerns about Thana using her leg after sitting down like they both were for a while. She didn't seem to mind very much. Even punctuated this concept by sticking her tongue out at him. Yeah, she was fine. But the second that Step Two of Thana's master plan came into play, he was snatching her up like a Black Friday toaster oven and hauling ass. 

	Getting back to the compost bin and dish tub brought the pair in line of sight with the stage. Now, Ash was never really an N'Sync fan. Music of any kind these days was a blessing, no doubt about it, but this was a special case. Looking at these men, these really tough guys, performing particularly bad choreography to a hit from the boy band era, Ash realized that he probably didn't have that kind of courage. Facing down hordes of animated corpses that wanted to gnaw his face off, sure. Fighting off cultists, or cannibals, or bandits, yeah. Gathering his people together after their home collapses into a sinkhole and embarking upon a year and a half (plus change) long quest to find a woman he met and fell in love with, goes without saying. But to somehow draw from within him the courage to do [i]that[/i]? Not unless the upper management of Camp Mexico Beach profoundly upped the drink limits for these soirees. 

	All that was left, with the exception of staring oddly at the stage for a moment or so longer, was to do as told and get Thana the hell out of there. A look of mischief took Ash. It was time for Step Two. [color=4682b4]"As the Commander requests,"[/color] he said with a nod of his head, and swept Thana up in his arms. She did say carry her to bed. Confident steps brought them away from the beach en route to Officer's Housing. He noted that others were likewise on their way back to their quarters or wherever beckoned them at this hour of the evening. That was their business. The only business that mattered to Ash was in his arms, her form comfortably pressed against him as he walked along, careful not to aggravate her not-quite-fully healed leg. 




[hr][hr][center][h1][b][i][color=dc143c]Thalia Carmichael[/color][/i][/b][/h1][img]https://i.ibb.co/XfPtqqX/Thalia-Image3.jpg[/img][hr][b][color=crimson]Location:[/color][/b] M7 (Condo, 17B)
[b][color=dc143c]Skills:[/color][/b] N/A [hr][hr][/center]

	A lot to take in. A lot to adjust to. Trust was still not an easy thing to come by. Being inside of walls and living by someone else's code of conduct was also not particularly easy for her. If this place wasn't run by Thana's people she might have more of an issue than she did. And of course the cincher was that she had actual blood family here as well; a brother through their father, though they had different mothers. That was not the kind of thing that she could just walk away from. Shiny metal arm that she had to learn how to use, not to mention the necessity of using her left for detail work now. Though that was not something brought about by this place. It happened because she got sloppy. So, fine. This was home now. The idea of getting some time to herself in the woods or the hills, fire hardening a stout sapling or straight branch into a spear was not going to happen for a while yet. Maybe it was for the best. Thalia had so much to relearn. She felt like such a novice.  

	Thalia was already walking off by the time the last song of the night began. In contrast to the ones which had come before it, this one wasn't live. It was enough to make Thalia turn around in the sand and give the stage a quick peek. Not because she liked the song any more than the rest of them, but because it was different. Different, out in the world, usually meant "pay attention, dumbass", otherwise she wouldn't have bothered. What she saw was seared into her retinas so badly that after closing her eyes and shaking her head a few times, [i]she could still see it[/i]. No, no this was a good time to slip away before anyone noticed. [color=dc143c]"What the hell kind of place did I wander into?"[/color] she whispered to herself. The man from whom she would hopefully be taking military training was up there, gyrating away. Thalia moved away slowly until she felt comfortable putting her back to it, then left it behind her. It wasn't until after she cleared the scene and was halfway back to her assigned bunk (with Joaquin, which was kind of nice) that she started to laugh at what she saw. It felt like the first time in a while. 

	Dodging people and letting the children have a wide berth in front of her, Thalia finally made it back to her quarters. She would deal with this treasure hunt, or whatever it was, when it was convenient to do so. It was time for sleep. Check that; it was time to sit someplace, uncomfortable in semi-civilized surroundings and making security sweeps of her assigned room, until she could turn off her more cautious senses enough to slip into a state of rest. She expected that starting tomorrow, things would get busy.