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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) -> Beach (L11)
[i][b][color=4682b4]Skills:[/color][/b][/i] N/A
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	[i]"All I gotta do is outrun you."[/i] Oh, she was kidding. Ash knew she was kidding. She was kidding, right? It was true, though. Out in the world, those who were fleet of foot, constitute, and knew how to get out of sight survived. Pondering over this tiny point of worldly wisdom, Ash barely noticed that Thana, hurt previously and at a point where Doc had advised her to take it easy, instead darted off at a sprint. 

	Call it at a point of mild paranoia, but after the declaration of her intent to survive the onslaught of a rampaging, iron-armed Gonzalez lady followed by a sudden dash in any direction away from the Mess Hall, Ash's first impulse was to glance behind them to make sure that no danger was urgently present, barrelling down upon them. As he looked, his feet reflexively began to tap the pavement beneath him, carrying him forward, and more importantly, away. It was after a couple of steps that his brain registered with him that nothing was coming to get them. She was running for fun. And [i]that[/i] concept struck him even harder. Running was for survival. No one did this for fun anymore. Was this place that safe? Well, that didn't matter right that second either. Even though Thana wasn't at her best, Ash still had to pour on the speed to catch up with her after her head start.

	It must have been an interesting sight, the two of them running along the settlement's streets toward the beach. It took Ash a few paces, but he started to genuinely enjoy chasing after Thana. It was like they were kids, playing some game to disguise the fact that they were crushing hard on each other. Though Ash could only speak for himself, it was highly appropriate from his end. 

	At the beach, a destination that they reached far to quickly for Ash's preferences, he sat heavily down next to her. He was about to suggest something when she began to speak, herself. And what she said made him look at Thana with adoration and wonder. It was probably the first time that someone had described his eyes like this before; probably the only time anyone had bothered to pick out the exact color - including himself. And to have it compared to something as powerful, timeless, and beautiful as the ocean made his sense of modesty creep up more than a little. Even moreso was her description of how the similarity, and her note of it was enough to make her pick back up from this place of safety and go find him. To say it was touching was an understatement. 

	Following Thana's example as she spoke, he removed his boots and let his feet explore the sand a bit. He was rapt with attention to what she was saying, which was apparent by his expression and the way his eyes never left her, even as he was finagling with his footwear. Proper words of response were not coming to his lips with any formal bidding. How could he hope to match that? Instead, Ash shuffled up closer to her and wrapped an arm around her huddling form. [color=4682b4]"That's a beautiful thing to have said, Thawna,"[/color] he said softly. [color=4682b4]"I promised you well over a year ago I'd make it here. I'd do it all over again if I had to, if it meant coming back to you."[/color] Gently, Ash pulled Thana into a supportive embrace, feeling the warmth and strength of her in both of his arms. He sighed contentedly, continuing, [color=4682b4]"Wherever you are is home."[/color] He might have said this once previously, but the sincerity of the statement was apparent. 





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[h3][color=dc143c][i][b]Thalia Carmichael[/b][/i][/color][/h3][i][b][color=dc143c]Location:[/color][/b][/i] Mess Hall (C)
[i][b][color=dc143c]Skills:[/color][/b][/i] N/A
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	So... was [i]this[/i] the psych evaluation? More than that, was this lady trying to pry something from Thalia in a room full of people? The point that she had given an answer that pleased the Russian lady was a positive thing, she supposed, but what was that supposed to mean as far as her getting onto D Roster was concerned? Or was that just the Major shooting the shit after a full day of silently telling people to fuck off with her eyes? Thalia was not exactly a lady of social skills, nor presence of any diplomatic sort, so she knew that trying to figure this one out at first sitting like this was bound to be a fruitless exercise. Not her wheelhouse. No, her wheelhouse had something to do with moving quietly and stabbing things, then disappearing into the woods for an extended period of time while people tried to figure out what the hell just happened. And [i]that[/i] wasn't going to help anyone right now. 

	It did strike her as pointed that the first thing the Major wanted to speak about when Thalia had brought up the possibility of a psychological evaluation involved her thoughts and feelings about offing people. Not how she handled stresses of daily life, not questions to figure out if she had some martyr complex, but to the issue of her kill rate. Specifically, and by context, her kills on warm, living targets. Probably everyone had to snuff a dead guy every now and again, but she had a lot of blood on her hands. So again, Thalia was glad that the answer she gave was satisfactory to her. 


	But to the topic of Eden - maybe she had said too much. Not volunteering information, and not leading up to anything on her chest as her plan was to unload that on Joaquin later on, Thalia was confident enough to meet the Major's gaze and answer honestly, [color=dc143c]"No. Knowing Navy, I'm sure the report's thorough."[/color] She couldn't help but notice the increase on intensity of gaze that the Major lay upon her. If the point of this impromptu talk was to study for a reaction on Thalia's features, attempting to do so by asking a direct yes/no question concerning something both violent and personal was a good place to start. Kudos to the Major. But while Thalia was an emotionally open person, she did not have a lot of shame nor insecurity bubbling to the surface about Eden. The only regrets that she had were about losing Lola and the level of opportunistic brutality she turned on and off like a switch. 

        All the same, the silent interrogation, if that's what it was, did not constitute a reason to ignore her meal. Placing a piece of fishy goodness into her mouth, she chewed, savoring the fresh tuna with a satisfied, [color=dc143c]"Mmm,"[/color] and a small chuckle. She did enjoy good food. Taking a more serious expression, she did confide one thing to the Major, meeting her gaze once again, [color=dc143c]"The attack was personal for me as much as it was sound tactic. Right thing to do awl around. The reason I asked is this is the first time we talked evah, and out of the gate the question's about me killing people. Makes a girl curious."[/color] Thalia considered making some show of indignation, give a harsh stare, something, but not only would that be counterproductive, she didn't think the Major would be very affected by her usual methods of asserting her presence. Strategically unsound, even. So she turned her attention back to what remained of her food. It softened her features immediately. She even smiled at the lady a little. It was a little unsettling to those who might know her. 

	Overall, Thalia had the impression that she might like the Major.