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[h3][color=dc143c][i][b]Thalia Carmichael[/b][/i][/color][/h3][i][b][color=dc143c]Location:[/color][/b][/i] Assembly (P) -> Administration (A)
[i][b][color=dc143c]Skills:[/color][/b][/i] N/A
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[right][img]https://i.ibb.co/4MQGYbk/Thalia-Portrait-III.jpg[/img][/right]
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	Let no good deed go unpunished. One moment, Thalia was giving a reassuring squeeze to her friend's hand, and the next she was flung forward by the sudden cessation of the bus's forward momentum. She was not so lucky. Maybe if Thalia was sitting with her feet on the floor instead of curled up in a ball on the seat, this could have been avoided. But no, she had to cringe against air conditioning, of all things. She could drag her happy ass over to a hearth and build a fire from nothing after getting her arm cut off a few hours prior, but somehow, [i]air conditioning[/i] was too much of a distraction. None of that mattered after a quarter second or so following Daytona slamming the brakes, as Thalia chose this moment to hurtle forward, face slamming the back of the seat directly in front of her. 

	[color=dc143c]"¡Chingada [i]gahd damn[/i] madre!"[/color] 

	It was strange to hear perfectly inflected northern Mexico Spanish sandwiched around coastal Massachusetts, but somehow it worked for Thalia, representing the two differing halves of her parentage and upbringing. Parting the mists of the passage of time and shifting of eras, cultural linguistics researchers would come across home movies of a young Thalia Angelica Carmichael, seamlessly transitioning between English and Spanish, Monterrey and Boston, all in a confusing attempt to decide if the horrifyingly violent events of her quinceañera warranted another drink or the spilling of blood. More blood, anyway. Though these learned men and women of the future might try to hammer down her exact accent in this moment, it would all come to naught and plague their careers for years to come. Whomever they chose to play her in the movie adaptation would break down in fits of sobbing back in their trailer and ultimately quit, forcing the directors to go with their second choice that, while she might have been a bit young for the role, would go on to Oscar nomination for her performance. Not a win that year, but it's an honor just for the nod. 

	Back to the present, Thalia had managed to renew the flow of crimson from her cut face, thanks to the sudden blunt force applied to it. She took a little satisfaction from the fact that a few others also selected Spanish as their preferred language of vulgarity. It felt a little more like home. Still, she was pissed. As soon as she was allowed to depart, she did so at a quick pace, eager to get back to whatever the hell she needed to be doing, then to get food. 

	The blood was still oozing down her cheek as she came up to Thana, the irritated look persisting. She knew that Ash would be walking up behind her any second now, taking up Thana's time. And she had somewhere to be, anyway. [color=dc143c]"Hey, Navy,"[/color] she said in passing. [color=dc143c]"Your boyfriend's a hell of a storytellah. Gaht to run. Dinner?"[/color] She guessed not on dinner either, but wasn't going to seriously hold it against her. If she had someone she cared about that quested Galahad-style to find her, Thalia wouldn't have come up for air for a month. She continued past and walked into the Administration building. 

	Without regard for most of what was going on around, Thalia marched right up to Rolodex and announced plainly, [color=dc143c]"Need to check in with Gunny."[/color] She gave a look back to see if Alexander had caught up with her. Maybe she should have waited. But little distractions like getting a faceful of cheap upholstery in front of a group of people was, well, distracting. 




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[h3][color=4682b4][i][b]Ash Holloway[/b][/i][/color][/h3][i][b][color=4682b4]Location:[/color][/b][/i] Assembly (P) -> Administration (A, exterior)
[i][b][color=4682b4]Skills:[/color][/b][/i] N/A
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[right][img]https://i.ibb.co/YDbGSVd/Ash-Outstanding.gif[/img][/right]
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	Recently, it wasn't the best thing in the world for Ash to be left to his own thoughts. Despite the guy's default setting to try to be a Boy Scout, things frequently went to a darker part of his psyche. It was like he always planned for the worst case scenario, mentally. Recently, things had changed in that regard, but whether it was a temporary lull in his general brood or a marked change to his personality remained to be seen. The fact was, for an apocalypse, he wasn't too amazingly bad off. Even a funeral was a luxury, and one that gave closure, besides. He was feeling a little more like the soldier he was a long time ago. Maybe not as optimistic and socially ambitious, but a little more like a previous version of himself. Ash glanced around to the people in the bus yet another time, looking at those he called family and those with which he was not overly familiar. Nothing thusfar had given him any hope that this place was the final answer to all of their problems, forever. Like Newnan, or his caravan, or Virginia before that, or even Dobbins Air Force Base before [i]that[/i], everything could fall apart. It was all so fragile. Nowhere was truly, totally safe anymore. But here, in this place with these people, Ash was willing to try as best he could to make it that way. 

	Such were his thoughts as the bus pulled back into the settlement proper. A moment of drama came and left for Ash as the brakes slammed to the floor. He couldn't see what the matter was from his vantage, but instincts honed from years of riding around in jerky transports prompted him to slip his left foot out in front of him, into the aisle for support. While some of the others were forcefully introduced to the seat in front of theirs, Ash merely rocked forward an inch or two, a bit of tension on his leg telling the tale of a man bracing for a near miss. he gave a look around, wondering what the big deal with everyone else was. Maybe he missed something. Luckily, Ash knew a bit of Spanish and, like most people learning a second language, caught the swearing bits first. It gave a tiny bit of clarification. 

	Departing the bus, Ash could barely make out the Mechanic/Fabrication building from where the bus was parking in the Assembly area. He figured that he had plenty of time to check in with his boss for the day yet he wanted to get there with time to spare. It wasn't until he actually set foot on the steps that he noticed Thana standing nearby, staring in the direction of the bus. It almost made him not notice the sudden slamming of comparably oppressive heat as he set foot on the blacktop. Thank God for small favors. He glanced back in the direction of his worksite, and figured that he could definitely spare a moment for Thana. [color=4682b4]"Hey!"[/color] he called, giving a wave and quickening his pace to get over to her. Once Ash arrived, he looked very much like he wanted to sweep her up in a big, spinning hug, but restrained himself at the last second. [color=4682b4]"On duty,"[/color] he reminded himself. Thana had a position there and he wanted one, no secret there. No making her look unprofessional. No extenuating circumstances, just a funeral detail returning to base. And they were very much out in public. He clapped his hands to his sides, instead saying, [color=4682b4]"It's damn nice to see you, Thana. I have to check in but I couldn't [i]not[/i] say hello to you."[/color] His professional demeanor an obvious facade over the affection he wanted to show.