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[h3][color=4682b4][i][b]Ash Holloway[/b][/i][/color][/h3][i][b][color=4682b4]Location:[/color][/b][/i] Jail (AA)
[i][b][color=4682b4]Skills:[/color][/b][/i] N/A
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[right][img]https://i.ibb.co/6Hdr7Rp/Holloway2.gif[/img][/right]
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	The interesting, nigh therapeutic conversation hadn't thrown off Ash's sense of timing as it came to cleanup. This was supposed to be a simple job, or as the man who was working security, Ray, had said: [i]"...knock it out real fast."[/i] Conversation notwithstanding, that was exactly what they did. Working while talking was possible, especially if information had to be dumped int he middle of a job. Ash was once a Sapper, prone to accomplishing feats of military engineering in the field and oft teaching new men under his command on the job, in real time. So a little heart-to-heart while mopping up human gore was fully within his wheelhouse. Of course, finding out now that it was ultimately a fruitless endeavor because the guy in charge of the location (for whatever reason, legitimate or no) had no difficulty leaving when he knew there was a work detail locked inside. And if Ted was correct in his assumption, it was so the man could go have his dinner in comfort. Ash's face grew stern, though he said nothing. 

	What that meant was that Ash wasn't going to make it to his next appointment in camp that day. It was not the impression that he wanted to make on his first day. And to be more on the selfish side, he wanted to get that handled so that he might have some quality time with Thana. Ash didn't take Ted's advice and get comfortable immediately. He leaned his head over to one side until a soft popping sound emitted from his neck, squared his jaw, and leaned against the wall nearby. His mask of stone hid the beginnings of profound irritation. 

	A deep breath in was held for a second or two, then slowly pushed out. Okay, this was the way it was. They were locked in a building that was designed to keep people inside of it. Ash contemplated poking around a bit, using his skills as an engineer to determine if they could get out using a less conventional method of egress, but decided against it on grounds of practicality. This was not something he needed to do on his first day. Or was it? It might even show dedication to his responsibilities and willingness to go to great lengths to fulfill his duties. It was fairly presumptuous of him, however. Before he got to that level of motivation, Ash reminded himself that such acts on his part were better served with tools and/or explosives, things which he did not have access to, and he doubted that the cleaning products were set up to allow for the creation of something truly BOOMworthy. And the more obvious - just because the one guy was an ass didn't mean he had to be, too. Best to leave it alone. It was a fleeting fancy at best. 

	So far as Hunter's personal revelations went, Ash listened quietly, nodding every now and again as he shared a bit of his history. There were differences. It made sense. People might act differently depending upon their circumstances, and while he wasn't one hundred percent right with his insights, Ash was still surprised to find out that there were enough similarities to keep the heart of his point valid. Concerning the tactless voicing of Hunter's opinion of the jailer, Ash said nothing. He might have put it differently, and he definitely wasn't going to add to it himself, but right at that moment he didn't disagree. 

	Eyeing the door for a moment, Ash shared a little of his experience, highlighting how it differed. [color=4682b4]"Before Atlanta fell, our C.O. got himself killed. We got overrun, pulled back to Dobbins Air Force Base. Civilian contractors, Corps of Engineers people, Air Force (of course), regular Army, Atlanta PD, Feds, a few scattered Marines. Everyone thought they had jurisdiction. Fun fact: Combat Engineers can't be ordered off assignment unless it's by the President. So I wasn't listening too hard to everyone else, either."[/color] He shrugged. That might or might not have been a mistake on his part, hindsight being what it was. But he and others might not have survived if he did defer to outside authority. He'd never know now. [color=4682b4]"After a [i]real[/i] short time, everyone just started thinking about what was best for just the soldiers under their command. Factioning. No higher orders coming in. Everyone started to compete for resources. I saw what was shaping up. Me and whoever wanted to follow blew town with a truck and as much supplies as we could carry, made for Virginia."[/color] Ash nodded grimly. He stopped speaking abruptly after that. It was cruising into personal territory for him, and as much as he wanted to understand what the younger man was going through, it needn't involve what came after. Just as he didn't explain what came before, which was a keystone moment for him. [color=4682b4]"I guess the world fell apart in slightly different ways for us all, Hunter. Yet here we are."[/color] Yes, here they were. Stuck in a jail whether they were supposed to be or not. [color=4682b4]"How 'bout you, Ted? What were you Before?"[/color] It seemed rude to ignore the man, seeing as they were probably going to be stuck down there for a while. He might as well try to get to know his new neighbors a little. 




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[h3][color=dc143c][i][b]Thalia Carmichael[/b][/i][/color][/h3][i][b][color=dc143c]Location:[/color][/b][/i] Education (M)
[i][b][color=dc143c]Skills:[/color][/b][/i] N/A
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	Having to slow down didn't make Thalia happy. Having to wait on someone else didn't make her happy, either. Come to think of it, apart from seeing Thana alive again, the only thing that made her happy was that clam chowder her first day in Quarantine, and even then it was tempered by good, old-fashioned survivalist's paranoia. To be fair, seeing her brother alive again was nice, too. But she was pissed that the bastard kept himself away for days before telling her that he was even alive. As she gave it some thought, pretty much everything that had made her happy over the course of her time here was tinged with something that pissed her off. Such was life. Hers, anyway. 

	It was a small relief to know that the subject of her search was just through the door, even if she couldn't pop in immediately. Fine. She could wait a few minutes. Might be nice to have a few minutes to shoot the breeze with Thana, even if their relationship wasn't so much of an "ooh, girl time!" one. Thinking about it, maybe it should be a little. A lifetime ago, Thalia was a Boston girl who got her hair done professionally and had a favorite color of lipstick. So, she carried a tactical automatic knife on her most days and had a 9mm Glock issued to her at work, but damnit, she used to be more feminine. For crap's sake, she still had a thing for [i]My Little Pony[/i]. Thalia shook off the thought and narrowed her eyes a little as she mulled over Thana's question, ultimately figuring that it wasn't really a secret in the first place. In fact, she had talked about it openly before. After a moment, she responded, [color=dc143c]"Nah, it's fine. He sent me in here to get put on 'D Rostah'. I need to get strongeh than this."[/color] Her accent was flaring a bit, as it often did when she felt a little emotional. The more helpless feeling of going from a covert, shadowy, dexterity monster that was hell with a short blade to someone who needed to relearn how to peel an orange was not something she wore well. [color=dc143c]"Unless you know something bettah, this is my only shot."[/color] One could just see the start of her eyes misting over, which she tried initially to blot away with her right hand. Unfortunately, that was her metal one. She learned this lesson at the beach party, and stopped short of breaking her nose or putting another fresh wound on her face (the first one was just clotting properly again). Her left took over, dotting one eye and then the other. [color=dc143c]"Sorry. Been a shitty last five years."[/color] 

	But Thana would know all about that. Thalia looked at Thana's scars, then to her own metal hand which replaced the one she was born with. They had been through some trials, that was for sure. It showed on them more than most. But in Thalia's opinion, it [i]did[/i] look pretty badassed on both of them. [color=dc143c]"Yah know Navy, the apocalypse versions of us would make bitchin' action figures. Just saying."[/color]