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[h3][color=4682b4][i][b]Ash Holloway[/b][/i][/color][/h3][i][b][color=4682b4]Location:[/color][/b][/i] Mess Hall (C) -> Mechanics (K)
[i][b][color=4682b4]Skills:[/color][/b][/i] N/A
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[right][img]https://i.ibb.co/Wnnd0Wm/Ash-FC-5.jpg[/img][/right]
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	Admittedly, as lunches went, this was one of the more memorable ones. Were Ash the diary keeping type, he would have definitely given this one its own page. Maybe even with diagrams in the margin and little stick figure images demonstrating the positions of the key players in the very memorable lunch, each accounting for the change of personnel as work shifts picked back up. Right at that moment, he was looking back to the withdrawing form of Thalia who, despite the difference in accent and skin tone, was beginning to remind him very much of her cousin. Or her uncle. It was a little eerie, actually. Having now met a few members of their family, Ash was both impressed and disturbed. They were all cut from very similar cloth. 

	At least, that's the impression that he had until Joaquin started to speak again. Nope, here was one who, to outside appearances, had very little in common with his people's overall demeanor. But to hell with it. He seemed happy and wasn't hurting anybody. Far be it for Ash to pass judgement. He was in too good of a mood, himself. Certainly not because of the job he had to get back to (though it was within his philosophy that every job was important and aided in the survival of those within the community), but in the overall way that things worked out for himself and a number of people close to him. With that in mind, he [i]did[/i] have a job to get back to. 

	The military man in him remembered that he could make short work of the food in front of him, like back in basic training, and even in a way that gave the appearance of manners. And while he might have liked to stick around for a bit longer and socialize, Ash's attentions were mostly for Thana at that point, enamored with the idea of getting back a loved one who he thought he had lost. Plus, he wanted to keep a positive impression with the people in charge of the settlement. So after Thana and the comparatively light-skinned Gonzalez left, along with Alexander and the others with the previous lunch shift, Ash made note of it and finished off his Tuna Casserole with haste. To a lesser extent, it seemed a shame to rush such a dish. Maybe he was biased by the vastly lesser quality of food he had to settle for while on the road for all of that time, but Ash figured that were he incarcerated for an extended period of time, memories of said casserole would might be one of the things which sustained him on particularly lonely nights. (TUNA CASSEROLE!)

	But next time, he was getting the salad.

	In any case, after his plate was clear, Ash rose and addressed the table. [color=4682b4]"If you all will excuse me,"[/color] he said, nodding. It was a touch more formal than the occasion probably deserved. His mind was halfway elsewhere and the gaps were filled in with his officer-y default settings. [color=4682b4]"See you for supper."[/color] He turned and moved to bus his tray, then exited the Mess Hall. Were his mind fully in the here and now, he might have overheard a discussion about Thana being asked to make a run outside the walls, but that moment was lost to him for the present. In any case, Ash wanted to get back to Mechanics as quickly as possible. He didn't want the looming trip to the gravesites to affect his productivity any more than it had to. Hence the hurried meal and early return to work. 

	Stepping into the garage, Ash looked to Mizrahi. The guy seemed to be a man of few words. Whether this was because he was a quiet man generally, or his grasp on English was competent but marginal, not unlike Ash's grasp of Spanish, was up for debate. [color=4682b4]"Unless you need me on something different, I'll get back to that bathroom,"[/color] he intoned. Work was work. No sense in putting it off. 




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[h3][color=dc143c][i][b]Thalia Carmichael[/b][/i][/color][/h3][i][b][color=dc143c]Location:[/color][/b][/i] Administration (A)
[i][b][color=dc143c]Skills:[/color][/b][/i] N/A
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	Cleaning and organizing, separating recyclables, etc. Then again, just about everything was recyclable these days. Either repurposed, used to build something else, or turned into compost. Still, it wasn't a thing that she was used to doing, except for the occasional bit of scavenging for useful odds and ends. Her job today looked like an extension of exactly that. It was still tedious, and to be frank, prevented her from doing the things she was really wanting to do. It was different in Fairburn, when she was hooked up with the reenactors and survivalists. The tasks she did there helped her learn and develop skills that were essential to her survival in the new world. This? Well, someone had to do it. Maybe she does this well and gets a better job. Or the training she desperately needed. Like life outside the walls, you had to put in to get anything out. This more community based application of it was something she would have to get used to if she wanted to stay here with Thana and Joaquin. Fine, and Alexander too, as well as the rest of this collection of misfits and assholes. 

	But speaking of Alexander, Thalia's thoughts were interrupted by his voice. Yeah, she should wait up for him. [color=dc143c]"Yah, okay,"[/color] she mumbled. Cripples had to stick together, right? It was a cynical thought, but probably very true. She didn't say much at first, just listening to him begin converation, and didn't really say much after, either. Point of fact, when he mentioned an "odd fella", Thalia was pretty convinced that he meant her brother. So when he clarified that he meant Nigel, Thalia was a little surprised. [color=dc143c]"Roman guy, yah,"[/color] she responded. [color=dc143c]"No idea. Trying to get sparring time with him."[/color] The man knew how to fight with a weapon and shield, and now that her own abilities in that regard were severely abbreviated by her injury, she needed to train.  

	The mild surprise that she felt during the conversation was revisited with interest when she returned to the basement in Administration. The old man in charge of CMB was there. The final authority figure, and while he had been nothing but a respectable, soft spoken man, Thalia's first instinct was to tense and give a quick glance around her surroundings, doing what she might have to ascertain threats and determine points of exit. Survival mode, slipped back on like an old leather coat; comfortable and protective. Side note, Thalia missed the hell out of her leather jacket. Another thing useful that was lost, kind of like her right hand. She had no idea what the General was talking about at first, but putting two and the square root of four together, things clicked into place a little. Communications. People who know about such things. Thalia and Alexander. 

	Thalia went to college to be an Electronics Engineer for her uncle's security company, but that wound up being the set of skills that she had used the least since she had acquired them, and barely at all after the Outbreak. Truth was, she was fair at best with them. Competent for everyday work, but hardly an innovator. The biggest claim to fame she had was an amazing stroke of luck rebuilding a satellite phone that would up leading her to the people from Newnan. As for Alex, to the best of her knowledge, he was trained by the Army as a comm guy. This looked a lot more like his cup of tea than hers. And moreover, did that mean that she'd be staying behind as [i]support[/i], in a basement she wasn't fond of being in to begin with? A trickle of annoyance was balance by resignation, the latter born of the painful truth that she wouldn't be back at her best for a while. She swallowed this truth whole and nodded, trying to keep the expression off of her face. [color=dc143c]"Just let me know where I can help,"[/color] she said in an even voice. 

	After the General left, Thalia looked to Alexander. This probably suited him perfectly, and she was actually happy for the man. It couldn't have been easy, losing a leg. And it might be a blessing to feel useful again, if he had been feeling those kind of doubts. [color=dc143c]"Ahright Mugsy,"[/color] she began, returning to the piles to sort, [color=dc143c]"Let's get back at it."[/color] As she started to pick through the items in front of her, Thalia gave a lingering thought to lunch. Sushi was something she could definitely get used to, living behind walls.