✞ - 𝕴𝖙 𝕯𝖔𝖊𝖘𝖓'𝖙 𝕰𝖓𝖉 𝕳𝖊𝖗𝖊 O/A

[FluffyBirdie]

Kiren Stewart | Lead Doctor | Location: record shop, inside | Tags: Silver, Aisha, Riki

"Oh, sorry for making assumptions." Kiren replied at Riki's correction, dipping his head to echo his apology. "I'll be careful not to do that again." He paused, wanting to comment that he'll refer to them as ____ Renegade instead, but realized he didn't know a neutral version of Mr or Mrs. The moment passed, and Aisha took the cream with a quick smile. "That's really good to hear. I've got another one, so don't worry about using too much." He said, directing the second sentence more at Riki in case they felt nervous using someone else's' supplies. Saving for emergencies was good, but sometimes an item is more useful now then later.

Kiren watched as they hassled a pocket, speaking with a sarcastic tone that felt out-of-place with how polite and shy they were throughout this conversation. A little bat climbed his way out, looking half-awake, and he couldn't help but smile at how adorable the small animal was. The curses that came out of Riki's mouth surprised him out of thinking of what to say, again not expecting the reserved individual to speak so wildly. Their tone was clearly affectionate even if the words say otherwise, and Kiren wondered if their initial shyness would wear off with time, and he would later see Riki walking around hurling well-meaning swears at everyone in the group. He wouldn't mind that.

Silver approached, and he quickly glanced at her as he moved so he wouldn't obstruct anything. She looked to be over her shock and more willing to make connections, even as she continued to keep a wary edge around her. She may just like animals more than people, he thought after she said her first few words to Riki. She was interested in petting Aria, and now was curious about touching the small bat too. Though he couldn't blame her. Bug looked like a very fuzzy ball, and if he was allowed he'd like to see how his fur felt like too.

At the word 'breakfast' he felt hunger hit him, and he couldn't help but agree to her question. "Yes, I almost forgot about that. Most important meal of the day and all that. I can come with you, maybe we can bring Aria along so we can carry more? I can empty my bags out if we need them, and I have plastic bags too. The fewer trips we need to make to get everything, the better." Should he bring along his crowbar too? It was his makeshift weapon, though so far he'd been running before the zombies could even get near him. He couldn't do that now, not with a group who all depended on each other. He hoped the path to Aisha's hideout was clear, since the only defensive move he knew was to swing the metal bar around. And unless Aisha knew how to use Greyson's crossbow or gun, those are out of the picture too. He wasn't sure what the limits of Aisha's silencing power were, he might have to ask her about cancelling out Aria's footfalls later.

[☪ℓυηαя∂яσρ☪]

Rikimaru nodded to show Kiren that all was well with the pronoun situation. They appreciated his backpedaling- it let them know he was sincere. They smiled at 'Silver's' response to seeing Bug. "Yeah, he's a little neat freak about cleaning his fur. You can pet him if you want. It's nice to meet you too." Riki placed Bug down on the tattered arm of the chair, letting him sleep out in the open so the others could admire him. They reached a hand out to absentmindedly scratch his back with their pointer finger as they spoke.
Aisha had accepted their apology a lot better than Riki had expected- she looked a bit surprised at the confession, which Rikimaru took to mean that Aisha had not known about their role in blowing up the building. Despite that, she smiled and even came up with a pun that had Rikimaru deadpanning at them with an amused look and a shake of the head. "I just lit something on fire and shoved it into a fuel tank, nothing major." But Aisha went so far as to offer the burn cream to them, and Riki thought it over for a moment before gingerly taking the tube, plucking it out of the girl's hand without touching her reddened skin. "Thanks." Riki made sure to glance over at Kiren as well to make sure he knew the gratitude was aimed at him as well.
Rikimaru didn't feel right applying the cream right then and there, so they pocketed it with a quick murmur to Kiren that they would be sure to return it. They listened to Aisha as she proposed a plan for the next few hours, silently wondering if there really was anything left at Aisha's "previous hideout". The building itself may not have taken too much damage- the car they blew up wasn't close enough to the building for that. But the explosion, although killing many zombies, attracted more after the fact. The building was likely to be swarmed. If Aisha had left any food out, it was possible the infected had gotten to it by now. "Will there be anything left?"

[`silver]

SILVER BLACKWOOD | in the record shop | mentions: Bug, Kiba | tags: Aisha, Kiren, Rikimaru

Dark eyes momentarily burned into Aisha as Silver could nearly feel the amusement coming off the woman, a lash of heat whipping up her backside from what felt like embarrassment. Kiba acknowledged Aisha’s chin scratches willingly before taking his place beside Silver as the woman herself now paid attention to Rikimaru whom explained just what kind of companion Bug was. She watched as Bug was placed onto the arm of a nearby chair, reaching carefully to stroke at the top of his tiny head with her own pointer finger and lightly graze his fuzzy mane. It nearly felt like she was touching warm skin, similar maybe to when she’d petted a Sphinx cat once. Taking a moment to move away from Bug, Silver gave the creature another glance before looking to Aisha.

“Breakfast sounds good indeed. I’m sure the fort can be held down here if we all end up traveling together.” Silver skirted around the idea of saying that she merely wanted to protect them since none of them appeared to have weapons. “I’m sure if Aisha appears as healthy as she is now, there’s a well-kept stash of her belongings just out of reach of the zombies.” She added, looking now to the newest addition to their group, remembering the fact that they’d sparked an explosion that had attracted them to that general area in the first place. “It’s worth a shot. If anything, I could catch us something.” With that, Silver looked away almost as if she felt she had said too much, earning a hug from Kiba whom perched his head on top of hers as she propped it up with her fist again. It was weird talking to so many people at once again.

[lynettetan1]

Aisha Innez
Location: Record shop
Feeling: Rested, hopeful, tentative
Tagged: Kiren (Aria), Silver (Kiba), Riki (Bug)
Mentioned: None

A smile looked good on Riki. As the other gently took the tube out her hand, Aisha smiled, happy to see the other coming out their shell, at least a little. They definitely seemed a little better with a little more sleep.

Looking at Silver pet Bug, Aisha waited till the other was done to sneak a quick pet as well, having been kind of curious as to what the little critter actually felt like. He was soft, and Aisha had to fight the urge to coo adoringly at him the way she did with most of the animals here. She wouldn't trade Eve for anyone, but Eve wasn't especially furry nor warm which had her a little disappointed at the start (especially on colder days). Still, with this many others here, there were more furred animals than she had hands to pet them with, which was it's own kind of torture, but a good kind.

At the others' response, Aisha nodded, growing more excited at the idea. It had been a simple flippant remark, but at Kiren's suggestion to bring Aria, they would definitely be able to carry a lot more things. Riki's question had her thinking, though, and Aisha looked down for a second to consider the situation. "I had multiple stashes in lots of hiding places at the back, and the explosion only really affected the front of the store, so I think there will definitely be some stuff there. From what I can tell, the zombies don't seem especially drawn to food or any kind of smell, just noise, so I think they should have left most of the stuff-especially the ones in higher places-alone." That was the reason why she'd chosen so many hiding places, after all, or bothered to hoard quite so much. "There is the possibility that other animals might have gotten to it if we're unlucky, though." Though she didn't say so, Aisha had to admit that she had a bit of an ulterior motive.

She got attached to places easily, after all, so she kind of wanted to see if her hideout was doing alright. More than that, she wanted to check on everything, especially her bike. When Silver spoke of all of them traveling together, Aisha grinned brightly, having not even considered the idea of all of them going as a group.

If she'd been feeling reservations at the idea of fresh game before, that had all but disappeared after yesterday's meal (that had been quite delicious), and Aisha found herself just shy of drooling at the memory. Silver seemed to clam up a little after saying her piece, but Aisha nodded, enthusiastic. "That sounds really promising, and I feel like everyone kind of deserves good food and rest at this point, after everything we've all been through. I'm up for it if you guys are."

[FluffyBirdie]

Kiren Stewart | Lead Doctor | Location: record shop, inside | Tags: Silver, Aisha, Riki

Kiren nodded as Riki assured him that they would return the burn cream, though he didn't particularly care either way. If they were going to work together, then their resources would be shared too. As long as no one selfishly withholds something he didn't see an issue with people just taking things. And with how generous Aisha is with her own supplies and Silver and Riki injuring themselves to assist others, selfishness was a distant problem for the group. He watched as Silver gently stroked the sleeping bat on the armrest, wondering if sleeping upside down was just a requirement of being in caves. As the talk of breakfast continued, he thought through what he had, before remembering he opened something yesterday morning. "I have a bag of cornflakes, if anyone wants that. Its a bit stale though, and milk is probably a luxury we'll never get again."

Kiren couldn't help but be impressed at how carefully Aisha had planned out the hiding places and distributing it so she didn't have all her eggs in one basket. It had also been a day and night, and with the explosion nearby, he didn't think animals would ransack such a dangerous place so soon. And even if they did, there still would be a lot to salvage from whatever remained. Anything was useful at this point. "I'm up for it. Since this appears to be home base it would be good to have everything here sooner rather than later. And if we're all going together, I think it would be good to know each others powers?" He suggested, looking around to gauge their interest at answering something important so early into an introduction. A power could be someone's last resort, and he could understand wanting to keep that a secret. He didn't have qualms about sharing however, and it may encourage others to do the same, so he continued. "Mine is a lot more passive, and it isn't something I can control like Aisha expanding where sound is neutralized. I have a very very good sense of smell, and a lot of stamina. I think my record is a week without sleep where I felt absolutely fine, and I can probably run for a few days straight without resting, though I haven't tested the limit yet. Aria's the same, but I'm not sure if that's from the power or if its just a horse thing."

[☪ℓυηαя∂яσρ☪]

Rikimaru looked to watch the others pet Bug- not that they thought someone would try to randomly hurt Bug, but it couldn’t be helped, it was in Riki’s nature. Predictably, no one suddenly smacked, grabbed, or punched Bug for no reason. The little bat was fast asleep, his body slightly heaving with his breath. Rikimaru rubbed at one of their eyes, feeling a bit of sleepy crust at the corner and wiping it away. They yawned without opening their mouth, a technique they had learned after being scolded for yawning too much during class. It simply looked to an outside observer that they were taking a deep breath.
At Kiren’s questioning, Rikimaru looked up at him with keen eyes- interested but not overly so. He said his power was ‘passive’, and his enhanced smell was akin to Rikimaru’s enhanced hearing. All in all, relatively “normal” powers. Instantly, Rikimaru’s first thought was that they hoped they didn’t smell bad. Not just that good hygiene was something that was possible to maintain, but Riki had a nearly nonexistent sense of smell, so they would have had no idea if they had body odor or not. Rikimaru’s next thought was spoken aloud. “Wow… that’s awful. I can’t imagine the dead smell pleasant.” Perhaps their non-sense of smell was a blessing in disguise.
Rikimaru adjusted the brim of their cap to draw attention to themselves as they spoke. “I’ve noticed an exponential increase in my sense of hearing. I can tell you exactly how many people and animals are in this building, going off their heartbeats and sometimes their breathing. The dead don’t have heartbeats but they are plenty noisy. It’s surprisingly useful, to be honest, like having a radar of the nearby area. Though, that does also mean naturally loud noises are all the more disorienting…” Rikimaru cringed a little in memory of their pyrotechnics yesterday. It had been necessary and it got the job done, but that didn’t mean it didn’t sound like the world was blasting their brain out their ears.
They turned their head to look at Silver, wondering to themself what powers she might possess. How far did the scope of these powers even go? Could it go as far as to permit bodily changes like sprouting wings or shapeshifting? Summoning magic and fireballs? Sound-muting and enhanced senses were already impossible for average everyday humans, so who could say what was really within the realm of possibility here?

[`silver]

SILVER BLACKWOOD | in the record shop | tags: Aisha, Kiren, Rikimaru

Silver had sat back in order to take in a deeper, silent breath due to the simple fact that she hadn’t had such dialogue in a while. She caught a glimpse of Aisha’s radiant reaction to her mentioning that it may be better for them to stick together as a group in order to retrieve her belongings, not thinking she’d have been so optimistic about the idea. She fought the warmth that threatened to color her cheeks by instead adjusting the collar of her top, listening to both Rikimaru’s and Kiren’s explanation of their powers. They both coincided with that of their animals in a way, unlike Aisha’s, she thought. The talk of food sparked a low rumble from her stomach. Much to her dismay, it didn’t seem like not going with them would be much of a choice either if they wanted to get what they needed to get done. More hands would be more efficient. Silver looked away from them all when it dawned on her that she had been the only one to remain silent about her powers. Kiren sounded like some sort of Captain America minus the strength, Aisha could hush entire spaces and Riki could hear down to the heartbeat. When she felt eyes on her, Silver was slow to meet the bright blue pair as she turned the possibility of saying nothing but rather showing them all when the time called for it instead. Technically, that had already occurred, hence the burnt bodies lining the street.

“I’m unsure of the full extent of my powers,” she started cautiously, “but so far I can manipulate electricity.” Silver lifted herself a bit from leaning back as if she were readying to get up, placing the water bottle she’d only drank a bit of to the side. “I can’t manifest it enough to throw it at someone, but with a conductor like metal or water I can shock them.” Her eyes flickered with amber-gold just as she stood and noted the distance between each of them before walking over to Aria. “If we are going to head out though, I’d suggest we use all the daylight we have while we can. Especially if there’s hunting to be done.” She offered her hand for the mare to take a whiff of in greeting before rubbing her muzzle gently, sparing a brief glance to the group. It was obvious she didn’t like—or at least wasn’t used to—being in a group just yet and that animals were her sort of reprieve for uncomfortable situations.

[lynettetan1]

Aisha Innez
Location: Record shop
Feeling: Rested, hopeful, tentative
Tagged: Kiren (Aria), Silver (Kiba), Riki (Bug)
Mentioned: None

Aisha got up, moving to her bag as Kiren talked about cornflakes. "That sounds good! I have a little bit of bread and jam if anyone needs anything a little more substantial." Rifling through her things and bringing out a small amount (taking out too much would probably just mean having to keep more things later) of the things, she set them down on a nearby glass case, deciding to use it as a makeshift table. Everyone seemed to be in agreement, and it seemed like she had more company than she'd even thought she'd be able to have in a while.

Stopping by the records, she paused to let a relatively indignant Eve slither up her arm, gently rubbing Eve's head in quiet apology for leaving the other for quite so long. Of course, Eve was able to move a lot faster than most thought, and she had been able to come over, but movement on her end was probably going to unsettle Riki. As Eve disappeared from sight under her jacket however, Aisha simply shrugged in thought. They would have to get used to it slowly, it seemed, as leaving Eve was not an option.

As she moved around, listening in on the conversation, she let out a short hum of surprise at Kiren's ability. For days? A week without sleep? For a second, Aisha felt awed by the other's powers-though Riki's comment did have her cringing. The dead probably did smell quite awful, especially the fried ones outside. Riki's comment had her tilting her head curiously, wondering what they meant, before remembering how loud the explosion was and cringing. No wonder they'd been in the shape they were when she'd found them yesterday.

Silver got up too, seeming to find solace by Aria as she spoke, perhaps signalling the end to that conversation. It did make sense, though. It would be good to make as much use of the daylight hours as possible, and Eve would probably enjoy getting to sun herself. "We can just finish this up quickly and head out. Aria would be a huge help." As she spoke, she flashed Kiren a grin. It'd definitely get a lot of the stuff transported at once, which meant less running back and forth.

Handing Silver a slice of bread with jam, she gestured to the rest of the loaves as she took one for herself, making it clear that they could all go ahead. "All of you have seen me use my powers, but like Kiren said, I can muffle sound. It's on almost constantly, so most of my movements are silent, but with a bit of effort I can push it out so it's like a dome that separates the two sound fields. Everything on the inside can hear each other but can't hear the outside, and vice versa." As she spoke, confusion briefly crossed her thoughts, and Aisha turned toward Riki. "Can you hear my heartbeat normally?" They probably couldn't, though they probably could during the periods when she turned her powers off to speak. Still, it was good to check.

[FluffyBirdie]

Kiren Stewart | Lead Doctor | Location: record shop, inside | Tags: Silver, Aisha, Riki

"Bread, jam, cereal. This is quite the normal breakfast." Kiren commented, following Aisha's lead by getting up and heading towards Aria and his bags. He found the crumbled plastic packaging quickly enough, and looked through the cornflakes for a moment to make sure mold didn't develop since opening it yesterday morning. Food poisoning and getting sick in general was not something anyone wanted now. Only now did he realize he didn't have any bowls or the like for the others to eat out of. There was no point to plates when you eat alone, though now that there's a group they might have to look for those. Kiren shrugged internally, returning to where the others sat with the cereal. He was sure no one would really mind passing the bag around to grab a handful, and fancy things like kitchenware would be a low priority.

Kiren set the bag of cereal in the center of their little circle, so whoever wanted some could reach out and take the bag. He sat back down, and shrugged at Riki's comment about his power. "Yeah the dead smell worse than the stuffiest gym. Med school at least might have prepped me a bit since some people had real nasty infections." He couldn't help but throw up his eyebrows, impressed, on hearing Riki's power. Hearing down to the heartbeat, maybe even through walls? No wonder they were able to move so quietly, and sneak in without anyone noticing a thing until they were right next to the group.

Silver began to share her own power too, though halfway through she got up and stood by Aria. Kiren wondered if he should offer her a ride on Aria as they headed towards Aisha's base, since at this point the mare was quite comfortable around the reserved woman and likely wouldn't mind. Well, no harm in asking. "Hey Silver, do you want to ride Aria on the way there? She wouldn't mind the change of pace and both of you seem chill with each other." There were always cars and other solid objects around to use as a stepstool, so once they're outside getting on wouldn't be too much of a problem. The thought was pushed to the back of his mind however when Silver explained what she can do with electricity, replaced with amazement. Sound cancelling, enhanced senses, controlling electricity, and if he remembered correctly Greyson had powers related to the mind. Was there any limit to what humans can do now?

The discussion about what to do next brought him back to earth, and he threw a thumbs up at Aisha when she commented on Aria. "It's a win either way, Aria wouldn't be too happy with me leaving her in an enclosed area. About finishing quickly, maybe we can eat as we walk there? We just need to carry empty bags to your place, so having one hand occupied with bread should be fine. The cereal wouldn't be too much trouble too."

[`silver]

SILVER BLACKWOOD | the record shop | tags: Aisha, Kiren, Rikimaru | mentions: Kiba

Once the possibility of a negative reaction to her explaining her powers to the group passed, Silver seemed to relax a little bit but still didn’t leave Aria’s side as she stroked the mare’s muzzle gently. It was mostly to soothe her own inner anxiety that had emerged but nonetheless, she was silently relieved that no fear or anger seemed to be coming off them. When Aisha came to wordlessly hand her a slice of bread with jam spread across its surface, she wanted to say she wasn’t hungry and to save it for someone else that needed it more but the back of her mind told her that Aisha probably wouldn’t take no for an answer considering how perceptive she was already. She munched on the slice, surprised at the energy it seemed to provide despite its scant quantity. It reminded her of how someone had once told her it was better to eat a bit than none at all. At the mention of a gym, Silver wondered how things had turned out back in her home town after the human world had fallen into ruin, but was quickly distracted by Kiren’s offer.

“Ride Aria...?” She trailed off quietly, looking to the mare as if for some type of approval. A bit of nervousness nearly had her declining his question but her steely expression never faltered no matter how many emotions fought beneath its surface. The idea of being able to ride a horse was exciting but she also feared harming the mare above all else and this alone stoked fear in her heart. “I’ve never ridden a horse before but sure. Kiba could carry a few things as well.” Silver nodded to them all, Kiba already moving ahead and standing close to Aisha now as if waiting expectantly for him to be given a bag or two to help with. “Rikimaru and Aisha know the hideout location the best I’d assume.” Silver moved a bit to the side so that they could head out first whilst she’d probably follow at a distance with Kiba meandering between pairs in case any danger would need to be taken down. She could only hope that her body would quit acting up now that she’d had more food than she’d had in the past week to fuel any offense efforts she made.