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[h3][color=4682b4][i][b]Ash Holloway[/b][/i][/color][/h3][i][b][color=4682b4]Location:[/color][/b][/i] Quarantine (W)
[i][b][color=4682b4]Skills:[/color][/b][/i] N/A
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	The idea that Ash was feeling better due to Thana, referred to as "that Sparrow girl", gave Ash a flash of irritation that bordered on anger. Thankfully, it passed as quickly as it flared, fast enough that he was fairly sure that it didn't color his features. Ash assured himself that Guy meant nothing by it, and in fact that was how she was known here. Sparrow. A nickname that came with her from a lot longer ago than the time he'd known her. Then again, the concept that Ash was suddenly and miraculously better because of an incredibly unlikely chance meeting with Thana and the fact that they had a connection that blossomed was presumptuous, if understandable. It was a turning point of sorts for Ash. Not so much the next day, that being the destruction of all that Ash had worked so hard for over the course of years and much spent in the way of blood, but the change had started. New perspective from the old, that sort of thing. A reason beyond just seeing the next day. 

	Yet the fact that such an innocuous comment set him on edge, even for a fraction of a second, caught Ash with reflective amusement. He was a little protective of Thana. Yes, Ash knew that she was fully capable of taking care of herself. She still brought out that instinct within him, apparently. It was interesting to note how he had changed in that way. Quietly, he wondered what else about him had changed since Newnan. Ash allowed a little smile to return to his face, along with a nod that telegraphed the answer to Guy's question. [color=4682b4]"Yes. It's serious,"[/color] he said, a little more deadpan than intended. Bringing up Alicia and her father, Caesar, was not expected. He rolled with it, having come to an understanding of his feelings and, God willing, peace with it. There was no small amount of help from Tatiana with that point, even down to the furrow cut into Ash's face with her wedding ring the day they came into Quarantine. Trying to soften his voice with marginal results, Ash explained, [color=4682b4]"Alicia,"[/color] enunciating her name with the inflection of her Mexican heritage, [color=4682b4]"was and always will be important to me. When she passed, it brought a lot of feelings up that I suppressed, about a lot of things (related and not) that I didn't understand for a long while."[/color] Ash leaned forward a little, keeping his expression neutral but open. [color=4682b4]"I still miss her sometimes. Input on tactics, neutralizing a target on the horizon, or any time I got too serious, I could count on her. If I had five soldiers like her I could probably take over the world, as it sits today. But you're right, it wasn't love."[/color] Clearing his throat, he continued, [color=4682b4]"What I have [i]now[/i] is. And yeah, it makes all the difference."[/color] 

	It looked like he needed to get that out. Ash exhaled a big huff of air, seemingly dispelling whatever demons were clouding up his forebrain. More relaxed of demeanor and cheerier of voice, Ash remarked, [color=4682b4]"Sparrow Girl's the real deal, Guy. Had to be a damn Apocalypse to find her, though. Go figure."[/color] Noting that Riley gave a glance and a shrug to their table, Ash gave her a nod and nudged a chair with his foot, as to offer. Seeing her divert elsewhere, Ash gave a shrug of his own and returned to his cards. If she wanted to join later, he had no problem with it. They hadn't really spoken since coming to CMB; it would be nice to have a talk since settling into the community a little better. 

	Ash picked up what cards he was dealt and made a face of pessimistic consideration. [color=4682b4]"Hmm,"[/color] he said curtly. Shaking it off, he looked to Guy and hoped to continue the conversation in another direction, [color=4682b4]"Speaking of the Gonzalez family, though; the new girl with the metal hand? That's old man Caesar's niece. Small world. So, how about you? Seeing anyone special?"[/color] Change narrative, drop mild bombshell, redirect. It was like being in AIT again, except he got to catch up with an old friend in the interim.  



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[h3][color=dc143c][i][b]Thalia Carmichael[/b][/i][/color][/h3][i][b][color=dc143c]Location:[/color][/b][/i] Gymnasium (K7)
[i][b][color=dc143c]Skills:[/color][/b][/i] N/A
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	The gymnasium had the look of a hastily assembled spot, one birthed out of necessity and pragmatism rather than organic flowthrough. Thalia was just fine with that. Function over form was nothing to giggle at, especially in a world that lived and died by the hard and fast rules of basic survival - as with a finely crafted firearm, a chrome finish did absolutely nothing to help the hunk of iron push ammunition into the body of the person it was pointed at. Such was this place of physical betterment. In truth, Thalia was surprised as hell that she wasn't told that there was a [i]gym[/i] in walking distance, given that she'd been working her ass off to maintain her physicality since arriving. A perfect example of this was, upon receiving her new prosthetic, Thalia immediately incorporated pushups into her workout routine. Partly this was to test out the range of flexibility and ease of use, but mostly it was to make her exercise regimen more complete. Pushing herself was part and parcel of being Thalia. now that there was gym at her disposal, well... she might be spending a lot more time here. 

	The suggestion that she should take up running instead of holding out for a treadmill was met with a note of derision, even if it wasn't expressed audibly. Thalia had been running as soon as she was free to do so, up one side of the settlement and back down the other, plus most points in between. This is what she did; it was who she was. Self reliance was always her thing. To her, a good part of that was keeping as fit as possible. 

	Thalia might have been the only person in the room that was thankful the air conditioning wasn't running. She still hadn't gotten used to it like most everyone else seemed to have. The added measure of being in clothes made heavier by precipitation would have made it even more uncomfortable for her. This was comparatively nice. Likewise was the news that there was a separate changing room for women. Being the only woman in their group, this meant that she'd have a little privacy while she changed into the gym clothes provided. Thalia wasn't really the shy type as it pertained to changing clothes. She'd seen people with even fewer shits to give than herself on the subject, but generally, her portion of thankfulness for having an changing room to herself was because of that last qualifier: [i]herself[/i]. Solitude, not modesty, was the motivator. 

	On her way back, she gave a glance to Volt's back. That was a guy who had a story. Maybe one day when he felt like sharing, she might even know what that story was. Until then, Thalia didn't feel like it was any of her business, any more than her missing hand and forearm was his. She dismissed the thought and entered the room fully, intent on changing out and inspecting the weights, her primary reason for being here in the first place. It was a little tricky getting into and out of clothes with just the one fully functional hand. Luckily, she'd been getting a lot of practice in lately. Longer than she particularly liked, Thalia had changed and hung up her wet garments, then returned to the main area. If she managed to get into a scrapping session while she was there, great. But first, the Mestiza lady made her way over to the weights as initially intended and gave them a good look. Of course, it was going to be another clue/riddle/motivation for murder. But she had to see this through now. It was swiftly becoming personal.