◤ 𝑫𝑬𝑨𝑻𝑯 𝑰𝑺 𝑵𝑶𝑻 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑬𝑵𝑫 ◥ ۰۰ ✘

[འབྲོག་ཁྱི]

𝑰𝑽𝒀 𝑻𝑨𝑺𝑺𝑬 ──────────────────────────────────────────── 001.

─────────────────── location; east-side encampment ─ tagging; Kylian, Daniel ─ mentioned; MJ, Cass, Eva ───

The stream of Prickly Pear Creek flowed steady and gentle past the camp and the houses facing the riverbank.
After years of moving and running, the experience of having settled, of having a home, was almost dizzying if
Ivy spent too much time dwelling on that particular newfound reality. It may have only been home for a few
months, but ─ Ivy breathed a little laugh of disbelief, just to the lone drifting audience of the waters before
her ─ it was easily the longest she had spent in a single place since the war.
indentindentThe war. That, in turn, was an unpleasant reality. It was certainly something few of those who had
lived through it, who came to intimately know the drumbeat of death, wished to think about. Its marks were
everywhere, physical and psychological, which meant that it wasn't that difficult to be reminded, but the will
to forget could be a powerful force. Turning your eyes to the future, to rebuilding, was easier when you had
something you could tangibly do with your hands, and there was no shortage of work to be done at the camp.
They were still fighting to keep up with the demand for food and supplies, but Ivy had hope that their luck was
beginning to veer toward true self-sustainability.
indentindentHowever, it seemed that the will to forget and distraction alone weren't always enough for Ivy.
There were unoccupied moments, or scents, or sounds ─ sometimes sights, such as a raw, seared landscape
─ that brought to mind images of something that, here, on the porch of her house at the edge of the serene
river, seemed like scenes from a different life. In a way it must have been, because Ivy hardly ever felt like
that girl who had been pulled out of a college dorm with less than two years of theory under her belt to patch
up and stitch together soldiers in a war that was very real. Rarely, but not never. She wasn't certain what that
girl had passed on to her next life, beyond the tendency for her heart to race a little too fast at the sound of
a shout, or the strange, still image of the stained and tattered fabric of the medical tent's door whenever she
smelled just the right mixture of blood, smoke, and disinfectant.
indentindentIt had just been a long day. Nothing more.
indentindentThe sound of boots on gravel in the tempo of a run carried to the porch from the road that led
to the river. One of the soldiers rounded the corner of the house, and upon seeing Ivy on the porch, he came
to a halt so unplanned that his feet kicked up a cloud of dust. Kylian's been shot! came the yell, and for once,
Ivy was glad that she hadn't immediately put away her kit at the end of a long day. Coming to her had been a
smart choice, since her house was closer to the guardhouse than the main house. And besides, Mary Jane would
always have much better things to do than treat every single one of the scrapes that the soldiers managed to
sustain ─ unless it turned out to be something serious. But that's what nurses were for. Ivy yanked the strap
of her pack over her shoulder and took off after the soldier. Some wading bird singing in the shallows of the
creek heralded her departure.
indentindentBased on the complete lack of disarray surrounding the guardhouse upon their arrival, Ivy judged
that whatever bullet had grazed Kylian hadn't done that much damage. Slightly light-headed from her run across
the camp, she pushed the door open to find him perched at the edge of a cot with barely more than a scrape
on his shoulder. Ivy flashed him a look of resignation before tossing her pack onto the cot next to the one he
was sitting on and dragging it a little closer so she could see whether it had been worth even a fraction of the
fuss. It surely would have been quite embarrassing to be taken down by an infection originating from such a
little cut. Furthermore, if this was his idea of flirting, Ivy would tell him that his injuries were lethal. Kylian
flirted with everyone, as had quickly become apparent, and many of the girls in camp clearly had a thing for
him ─ but herself? Ivy wasn't sure. And if it was just meaningless flirting, maybe it wasn't supposed to make
her feel anything.
indentindentIvy glanced around the guardhouse. Everyone had already regained the air of business-as-usual,
and Ivy couldn't wait to hear the explanation of how this had transpired. Someone was digging through supplies
in one of the corners, another soldier was eating something vaguely resembling beans while staring into the
middle distance with a bored look. Yet what Ivy noticed the most was the absence of Cass. And how that, for
some reason, sent a dig of disappointment at her. Before Kylian could have the chance to get fidgety, Ivy
covered her momentary distraction by clearing her throat and probing the edge of the wound. Two stitches
tops and it would be fine. He could go right back to doing the ill-advised thing that had lead to this.
indentin"This really doesn't look like the result of anything smart," she teased, hopefully prompting him
to shed light on the events.
indentindentOnce Ivy was done with those quick two stitches, she secured the end of the gauze she had wrapped
around his arm and playfully patted Kylian on his bearded cheek.
indentin"I know you've got something against shirts, but now there's no medical reason keeping you
from putting one on."
indentindentIvy allowed herself to flop backwards onto the cot. She scrubbed a palm across her face before
folding her arms underneath her head. Frankly, she was exhausted from running around all day, but at least her
heart had kept its act together, because turning herself into a medical emergency in the middle of someone
else's medical emergency would surely have her put on some fun and challenging duty such as organizing supplies.
She grinned up at Kylian.
indentin"The next time this happens, because I know there's always a next time with you men, you
should let me know that it isn't serious so I can let you bleed for a little longer," she quipped, stifling a
yawn. "Do you think the owner of this cot would be mad if I just slept here?"
indentindentHowever, the flash of a familiar face through the open window of the guardhouse had Ivy shooting
back up from the cot. She crossed the room, then leaned out of the window.
indentin"Daniel!" she shouted with a wave before he could have a chance to wander out of earshot. "Where's
Amelia? Is she with Eva today?"

───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── wc; 1,143

[Stargazer3000]

───────────────────────────── 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐲 𝐑𝐡𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐬 ─────────────────────────────
𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 main cabin, west-side perimeter 𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐝 people 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐝 mercer, gabe

Shadows began to lengthen in every corner of the room as the sun sank closer and closer the horizon, their golden rays illuminating dust particles that hung suspended in the air, giving the early evening a hazy, dream-like quality. Whatever inherent loveliness the scene held, however, was entirely lost on Grey as he pushed the last of the papers he had been scribbling on across his desk. Their edges were rough and crumbling - the result of the patchwork recycling process that the compound used to make their own paper - but they were the product of a solid day's work, every inch of their surface crammed with his scribbled handwriting, and so Grey treated them with care as he arranged them into a neat stack in the corner of his desk.

His day had been filled, like so many others, with the usual demands of keeping their operation running; a number of meetings, a few more physical projects like aiding in the completion of a small smokehouse, and the requisite endless recording, detailing, and planning for their continued survival. He'd spent the last few hours of the day stooped low over his desk slowly staining the sides of his hands with ink, but with his paperwork more or less done and with just a bit more time before evening settled in, Grey pushed himself to his feet, the callouses on his hands snagging on the well-worn leather of his gloves as he pulled them on while making his way towards the back exit in his room. He'd built a door into the back-wall of the building so he could exit directly from the house for evenings just like this one, evenings when the only thing he wanted was the cool stillness of the oncoming dark pressing in on him, filling his lungs as he walked the perimeter of their fort.

Around him the usual activity spun on, gradually lessening as he got closer to the edge of the compound, until at last Grey stood at the property's most southern point, his gaze flickering across the body of water to the new encampment that had emerged from the dark like a mushroom from the decaying husk of a fallen tree. His eyes narrowed as he stared across the water, unmoving as the sun finally slipped below the horizon reducing Grey to a silhouette among the river willows and reeds. When at last he turned to make his way back to the main house, his breath hung suspended before him, a reminder of the precious little time that they had before winter arrived in earnest.

As his destination came into focus, Grey caught sight of Mercer slipping into the backroom where the storerooms were, likely checking in on one of their newest members, Gabe. Grey hummed his quiet acknowledgment and continued on his way, thought not before making a mental note to check in with Mercer later about the rumors of stealing, and slightly dwindling supplies. If Gabe found anything to give the rumors credence, retribution would be swift - winter was too close, too deadly for anything other than a full storehouse.

[I'm done delete me.]

ᴊᴀᴍɪᴇ ʀɪᴠᴇʀᴀ xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
[ 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬: 699]

xxx [ 𝟑𝟎 ] [ 𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐞 ] [ 𝐰𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 - 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫 ] [ 𝐡𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐨 ] [ 𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐬: - | 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: -]
════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
Throughout the day, Jamie found himself in the warmth of the fire where he was creating shoes for the horses. It was hard to come by steel but Jamie found a way to melt down the old ones to make the new once more it was somewhat recycled the materials though it was hard to work with scrap metal along with them being well worn. He tended to the horses, himself covered in soot. His shirt was off and thrown over the nearby fence to try and keep it relatively clean. The redhead made his way over to a horse who was in dire need of new shoes, the horse he oversaw was missing one and it appeared two of them were also well worn. Taking his hand down the front of the horse's leg where he then crouched down and pulled his hoof up towards him with a firm grip. His hoof at on his leg then he began to work on the shoe. This was the last one he needed to do for this steed. "sàmhach a-nis chan eil feum air tàmh" He told the horse that he was almost done as he started to fuss, he spoke in his native tongue towards the beast as he nailed in the shoe.

After fitting the horse's shoes he led the horse back to its stall. Soon dinner will be made and Jamie was feeling rather famished after his chores. Easing the horse into its stall "thig a-nis socraich" he said to the horse as he settled in his clean bed. His father always told him he had a good eye for horses and trained them well. Jamie always had a passion for horses perhaps it was because they didn't talk back or it was their personalities to which he liked. Some were stubborn, some were sassy he liked them all and he always liked a challenge with horses.

After feeding the horses with their grain he made sure their waters were good along with their hay. Several nights he had slept in the barn just encase the east side tried to steal the horses he had noticed them stealing quite a handful of time at the moment although he hadn't caught sight of them himself. With his arm, he wipes his brow as he walked back into where he was making the shoes for the horses he washed his face in the clean bucket of water before throwing it over the fire pit where he had been making the shoes. He then grabbed his shirt and slipped it on making his way towards the main house hoping to grab something to eat. However, he wasn't going to stop and talk to anyone whilst he was there quick in and out and he'll find his place to settle for the night most likely the barn.

The curly-haired man was also in need of a shower, although he washed his face he needed to get the soot off his hair that was again covered making his hair looking not so red as it was. Furthermore, the rest of his body was filthy after spending the day making shoes for the mounts.

Whilst walking to the main house he found some new faces around the camp, some he knew had been only here for a couple of months but Jamie hadn't found himself to introduce himself nor did he know the new people's names. It didn't bother him in the slightest. There wasn't much for him here only protection from what was outside this camp. He had his horse and that's what he cared for. He wished to find his family but his hopes of finding them were fading day by day as there were no signs of much human life around these lands. Jamie had travelled far on horseback trying to find his family but he had settled down in the west side group for some time now, two years to be exact. It was only meant to be a quick stop here and move on but he found himself a home here though to the others he wasn't sure what they thought about him and nor did he care.

[nocturna.]

──────. 𝐎 𝐖 𝐄 𝐍 . 𝐖 𝐇 𝐈 𝐓 𝐓 𝐀 𝐊 𝐄 𝐑 .─────────────────────
- - male | 30 yrs | hetero | west side general | location; main house | mentions; shannon, grey, gabe | tags; sera, mercer

The past twenty four hours had been another inevitable day added to the already countless aggravating days dealing with the aftermath of Shannon Vukovic. If it had been completely up to Owen, he'd have had the woman exiled months ago. That however, was never going to happen. Mercer and Grey both admired the woman's fighting skills, but her interpersonal ones were a whole other matter. She was a ticking time bomb and not to be fully trusted in his opinion. As the group's elected General, Owen had command over the groups soldiers; and in any other situation, he'd have had Shannon reduced to the lowest level security detail. The fact she was allowed to carry one of the compound's heavy weapons still made the man uneasy. He should be used to this by now... Owen told himself as he trudged in the direction of the main house. Truth was, he and Shannon knew each other from before the whole world went to hell. It was their shared past that kept the man lenient when it came to Shannon's... "unorthodox methods". The woman had knowledge of his past transgressions that Owen very much intended on keeping secret. Because of this the pair held an unspoken truce - he'd turn a blind eye, and she'd forget.

The current 'Shannon-tastropy' still needed to be dealt with. The thought her being on night duty surveillance would have been the best option, seemed even a wrong one. Wherever she was placed, trouble followed. Owen's patience had all but worn thin, fed up with her blatant disregard for Mercer's orders. What could he even do? His hands were tied. But the ruse had to be kept up if Owen wanted to keep his station. Here he had safety, had one less thing to worry about in a world of constant worries. The weight of his situation constantly there, straining the man's already buckling shoulders. He'd find Mercer and debrief him on the current state of affairs, they'd discuss the very few ways of dealing with Shannon, circle back to an option they hadn't used in a while and then Owen would 'inform' Shannon of her new assignment. It was routine as usual. Or perhaps he'd check in on the fellow Shannon had knocked out first? If the man was awake, Owen would interview him to discover his intentions. Owen hoped it wasn't going to be a long night and actually prayed the man still be unconscious. That way he could drift off to sleep in the bottom on a bottle a heck of a lot quicker than yesterday.

Worn canvas boots kicked up small clouds of dust as Owen came to the main house's porch. Before making it to the door, he happened upon the group's doctor Sera, relaxing against the porch railing. "Evening doc.." Barely two words had escaped his lips when the bane of his existence suddenly seemed to appear before he and the doctor. An annoyed grumble growled from deep within the man's chest as he made eye contact with the wild blonde woman. Owen turned, stepping up and into the doorway. He made a note to check in with the doc to discuss the new man's injuries' later. His footfalls were heavy, seeming to echo off the walls as he wandered through the house. Voices grew louder as he neared the supply room. Mercer was conversing with the newer members; Gabriel was it? "Excuse me, didn't mean to interrupt." Owen flippantly remarked, half out of courtesy the other half informing the young man organizing that superiors were speaking now. Owen tilted his full attention to Mercer. "I wanted to update you on last night's... incident."

[azhefa.]

xxxx
𝑺𝑬𝑹𝑨𝑷𝑯𝑰𝑵𝑨
───────────────────────────────────────
sera, doc ● 30 ● female ● west-side ● doctor - trauma specialist ● heterosex/rom ● single

location; main house
tags; shannon, owen [briefly]

it felt nice to just relax for a minute even if it was only for such a brief moment. the tension and stress wasn't anything like before the chaos when she was just a surgeon. sure, people's lives were in her hands then, but this was just different now. she has no computers to see past medical histories, no blood typing, no donor matching, and most of all, hardly any supplies. sera remembers a time before the chaos when her hospital went through some serious shortages, but this was many times worse. being short a few gauze pads was nothing compared to having none and having to bandaging stab wounds or gunshots with less than sterile strips of old bedding.

sera runs a hand over her tired face and sighs for the tenth time in five minutes. what she wouldn't give for a shot of whiskey right now. she hasn't drank a drop of liquor in years, even before the chaos, but sometimes the thirst was there. like now when she hears the shuffling of feet in the house behind her and the creak of the front door to her left. seems her time of relaxation has come to an end.

her attention briefly jumps to owen as the man climbs the front steps and greets her before disappearing into the house, clearly not wanting to be around the person who was exiting said house and sera can't really blame him.

of course, the face that appears from the opened door was none other than the one person she doesn't want to deal with at the moment. sera gives the soldier a rather unamused look as she gets to her feet. she stretches for a second before shaking her head and heading inside, brushing past the other woman as she continues to blabber on.

"unfortunately, my papers were destroyed along with the hospital that was at max capacity it had been hung up in," she all but snaps back to the irritating woman. it always irked her when people forget all the lives that had been lost when things went to hell.

since the victim of shannon's temper was in the recovery room and she doesn't want the surgery to be contaminated, sera leads the blonde soldier to the dining room table and motions to a chair for her to sit in before heading to the other room to grab her medical kit. sera returns and drops the beat up duffle on the table before holding a hand out for shannon's injured one.

"i highly doubt you broke your hand, you lot are trained how to throw a proper punch," she sighs while examining the injured appendage, careful in her handling of it but not as careful as she would be to someone else she actually likes.

there was indeed swelling and discoloration, but nothing to indicate a break or fracture. though one of her knuckles seemed oddly placed compared to the others. sera internally smiles at her luck, a dislocated finger was an easy fix. not to mention a rather painful one.

"not broke, but..." sera tells the blonde before quickly snatching the dislocated finger and giving it a sharp yank to put it back into it's proper position.

"there, back in place." she chirps with a smile while using a popsicle stick and some tape to straighten and immobilize the previously injured finger.

sera grabs her medical duffle off the table and returns it to its place in the other room before waving shannon away like a lingering child.

"now go bother someone else, try to keep that finger straight and don't use it for at least a few days to let the ligaments heal back into place."

with the blonde taken care of, sera heads into the recovery room and checks on the poor stranger that had taken the brunt of the soldier's temper. she's going to have a chat with mercer about the tempermental soldier, but right now she needs to do her job.

xxxx
𝑮𝑨𝑩𝑹𝑰𝑬𝑳
───────────────────────────────────────
gabe ● 27 ● male ● west-side ● domestic - cooking/organizing ● closet gay ● single

location; rear main house [supply room] > main house [kitchen]
tags; mercer, owen > open
for the most part, gabe remembers his daily counts and doesn't have to write anything down, but lately he's been jotting notes in a little notepad just to make sure his memory wasn't messing up. at first he had thought he'd forgotten something or miscounted or even double counted some items, but no, there was just stuff missing. and it was mind boggling. who would need to steal in their group when they had enough for everyone? sure winter was on the way and times get harder, but they lived through winter before they can do it again. just not like this.

gabriel sighs and makes a few more notes in his little notepad, but pauses when he hears the door to the storage room give a groan as someone enters. the young man looks up with a bit of a squint as more light pours into the area and blinds him for a moment, but he is able to recognize alby when the shepherd comes to sniff at his shoes so he was pretty positive the person entering was mercer. his hunch was proven correct as his eyes adjust and the second in command is made visible.

as the shepherd leaves for more interesting pursuits, gabe gives mercer a nod in greeting which turns into a bit of a shake as mercer questions him.

"well i was actually about to go find you," he says with a sigh, a hand raising to rake his fingers through the black mop of curls on his head. one of his tells that show he a bit concerned or overwhelmed.

"with all my counting, i can't seem to figure out why i'm coming up short on a few things," he explains while moving off to the side where the troublesome items should be stocked. "you know how everyone signs stuff out, right? well none of this was signed out and it's not stocked wrong somewhere else cause i checked each spot five times."

gabe waved a hand towards the other shelves and boxes that hold other food and items as he spoke and then just shrugs as he looks to mercer. hopefully the second had some idea as to what's going on and it wasn't just him loosing his mind.

a few moments later, footsteps are heard and when the door opens this time, owen appears. gabe knew as soon as the general entered the storage room that his presence was no longer needed. the younger man gives owen a nod before doing the same to mercer and leaving the storage room to go do something else while they spoke. he can talk with the second later when he wasn't having to deal with whatever owen had to speak to him about.

gabe heads over to the main house and goes straight for the kitchen. a lot of those in the group tend to make their own food at their own buildings or at campfires dotted around the compound. though there are still several who can't cook to save their lives or just don't have time to make anything. gabe actually enjoys cooking and often takes it upon himself to cook up something for those who are unable to make their own dinner. tonight, he starts cooking up some chicken since a few had been culled the day before to keep the flock strong.

xxxx
𝑬𝑽𝑨𝑵𝑮𝑬𝑳𝑰𝑵𝑨 & 𝑬𝒁𝑬𝑲𝑰𝑬𝑳
───────────────────────────────────────
eva, sunshine ● 28 ● female ● east-side ● domestic - animal care ● heterosex/panrom ● single mother
zeke ● 2 months ● male ● east-side ● infant ● eva's son

location; animal pens
tags; amelia, others [mentioned]
it had to have been sheer luck that the group had found the few animals they had, the sheep, goats, and cows. even the couple of chickens they had were a lucky find. it's a good thing the other large group across the water hadn't grabbed up all that was on this side of the creek. they seemed to have grabbed a lot of items but not the animals, perhaps it's harder to get a cow on a boat than a load of canned goods.

eva murmurs soothing words to her son as she checks the chicken coop for eggs. she had already done so that morning, but not all of the hens had laid so there's bound to be at least a few. with one hand on her son where he was snug in his sling, eva checks all the brooding boxes and only finds a half dozen eggs left to be picked up. one of the hens though was determined to staying in her box so eva does some sweet talking and is able to move the bird just enough to peek underneath. it wasn't necessarily the right time for a brood, but to her happy amazement, not one but two eggs were sitting snuggly under the hen. she must have missed the first one the other day, but in any case, eva leaves them be. it'll be tough trying to raise chicks once the snow starts, but at least the flock is growing.

as she leaves the chicken coop, eva automatically looks for amelia where she had sent the young girl off to collect a bucket of water for the chickens. the young girl was just returning and eva gives her a proud smile as she takes the bucket from her and carefully fills the water dispenser.

"great job, amelia, now the chickens have all the water they want," she tells the child with a smile before taking her hand and leading her away towards the main house so she could scrounge up some dinner for her. she can always cook later for herself, but she wants to make sure amelia is fed first. it's a good thing zeke is still nursing that way he was easily fed and eva doesn't have to worry about a lack of baby food.

xxxx
𝑲𝒀𝑳𝑰𝑨𝑵
───────────────────────────────────────
luca, none ● 29 ● male ● east-side ● soldier - scouting ● pansex/rom ● single

location; guard house
tags; ivy
it seems the day just kept getting better and better. first, he slept terribly. second, he had to have patrol with one of the stupidest people. and last but not least, he got shot by said stupid person. kylian wasn't overly surprised it happened considering the person had only had a rifle for only two days. needless to say, their gun was taken away and they've been moved to domestic work.

the italian sits calmly on the bed cot where the former soldier had panickily placed him, thinking his injury was life threatening and he was going to die, but he already knew a few stitches will fix it right up. he would have done it himself too, but no one listened and one rushed off to get a nurse instead so he just sits and waits. kylian sighs as he pulls off his shirt and looks over to where the graze was on his arm. luckily he's been shot before and was able to tolerate the pain of something much less traumatic.

when he hears the running of feet outside, kylian looks up and grins when he sees ivy come through the door. of course, it'd be just his luck to get the cute nurse. the man chuckles at the look on her face as she makes her way over to him and shrugs.

"i told them i could stitched it up, but they ignored me," he chuckles, motioning towards the others in the room who were acting as if they were unaware of what's going on.

when she comments about the injury, kylian gives a heavy snort and shakes his head before then nodding in agreement.

"definitely not smart," he scoffs a bit as he speaks, clearly not happy with what had transpired that led to his current state. "that idiot, phillip, was put on patrol with me and someone decided it was a good idea to give him a gun. we split up for a second while i went to investigate some tracks and he spooked when i was coming back and shot at me. thankfully he's a terrible shot, as you can see."

he explains the events as she gives him the two simple stitches and gives her a crooked smile when she finishes and pats his cheek. it was so easy to flirt with ivy, she was pretty and so pure at heart. whoever locks her down is going to be one lucky person. for a moment, kylian feels a flare of disappointment and jealousy, but then that fear creeps in and he is once again happy for her to find someone else. he chuckles at her mention of not wearing a shirt and he opens his mouth to make a joke, but then she flops down on the nearby cot and jokes about letting him bleed a little longer.

"next time i get shot, it better kill me," he says with a shake of his head, he was getting real tired of getting shot, perhaps he can change jobs and go work in the fields instead.

a few beats later, ivy sits up and darts to the window where she starts yelling at daniel as he walks past. kylian stands as well and joins her at the window, mostly to get an eyeful of the handsome man. oh how he hopes the fellow soldier was into dudes, but won't push if he wasn't. it's always the cute ones that are either straight or taken.

[Crono]

𝒜 𝐿 𝐸 𝒳 𝒜 𝒩 𝒟 𝐸 𝑅
Male ~ Thirty-One ~ Nurse ~ West Side ~ Profile
Location: West Main House ~ (Tags: Grey) (Mentions: Seraphina, Shannon)

Alexander had woken up uncomfortably warm around noon, he'd regretted leaving his clothes on when he'd fallen asleep. Having had spent the night before as the person running the medical room and only headed to bed early in the morning when Sera had shown up. From his bed he could hear people going about their day outside, with a little groan he sat up and rubbed at his face to try and rid himself of any lingering sleep. The man hadn't lingered long before moving out of the building he shared with a few others of their little society, once outside he'd had the stretch of his life with arms overhead and back switching from side to side with satisfying pops. There was nothing like a night shift in this day and age to really make you feel old.

Admittedly he'd taken it easy for the last few hours. Sitting on the porch of the home, reading from a medical textbook titled Critical Care. Learning from text wasn't entirely his strong suit so he had to usually take it slow then have a break and soak in what he could, luckily Seraphina was around to help him understand things on a more 3D plain so to speak. She'd been a blessing to his learning, that was for sure. Speaking of, he wondered how their new patient courtesy of Shannon was. It would be his luck to be the one on duty when the soldier slugs it out with some random person at their gate. Alex had done what he could and filled Seraphina in the next morning as she'd taken over for him.

Glancing up Alex spotted the camps leader strolling by, as of late he and the man had not seen eye to eye on some topics. Specifically Alex being allowed outside their walls when they left for any purpose. He'd all but been grounded, told he wasn't to join any of the missions. That didn't sit right with Alex, even if a part of him knew why and understood, it should still be his own choice. The man considered letting it go for today, but the thoughts started nagging at him and eventually he gave in. Shutting the book he hooked it under one arm and walked quickly down the steps of the porch to follow after the other man. Alex wasn't in a particular rush but he kept his pace faster than Grey's so eventually he'd catch up to the man. Once it was clear their destination was the main house he knew he wouldn't have to worry. Eventually near the entrance to the building his pace allowed him to catch up and approach the man and fall in step with him, "Grey." He'd offered in greeting with a nod before getting to the topic at hand that no doubt the leader already knew was coming. "Free to talk? Or should I come back later?" It wasn't so much of a threat as it was a promise he'd return if Grey blew him off now. Letting this topic go wasn't in his current plans.

[Stargazer3000]

───────────────────────────── 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐲 𝐑𝐡𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐬 ─────────────────────────────
𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 main cabin, west-side perimeter 𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐝 alex 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐝 owen

As Grey grew continually closer to the main house he became dimly aware that someone had begun to trail behind him, though he did not alter his pace, certain that if they wanted to talk to him, they'd soon catch up. In moments, this theory was proven right as Alex fell into step beside him and Grey silently dipped his head by way of acknowledgment, mirroring the small movement from the other man. At the medic's questions, something dangerously similar to exasperation flickered through Grey's eyes - even as the barest hint of amusement curled the corner of his lip up - though the emotion was gone as quickly as it had come, all but unnoticeable in the descending dusk. The leader cast a glance around them, noting the occupied porch of the main house in the periphery of his gaze, and choosing instead to come to a halt in order to give the pair time to talk before reaching his place of residence.

In his low voice, slightly tinted with the hint of accent, Grey murmured, "I'm free to talk Alex, but if this is about what I think it is," he paused to catch the other man's eyes, "Then you already know what I'm going to say."

Grey knew full well that grounding Alex was never going to sit well with the medic, though he hadn't anticipated just how persistent the former firefighter would be when he made the call a few weeks back. Since the very start, Grey had been pragmatic about the teams that were built to go outside the compound walls, and while the majority of the planning fell on Owen's shoulders, Grey had occasionally stepped in to make changes. He’d never liked sending medics out of the walls – after all, they were vital for the continued survival of the group, of the entire species - but they were instrumental in the field for keeping teams out as long as possible, and so despite it being a risk to send them directly into harm's way, it was a necessary risk. However, when Grey learned that Alex had a bad knee, the leader had chosen to keep Alex grounded in the walls of their community - if something happened, and Alex was incapacitated in the field then he'd be a liability for the team, so like it or not, Grey wasn't about to send him out any time soon.

[I'm done delete me.]

ᴀʟᴇxɪᴀ ʀɪᴠᴇʀᴀ xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
[ 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬: 602 ]

xxx [ 𝟐𝟒 ] [ 𝐟𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐞 ] [ 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 - 𝐝𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜 ] [ 𝐡𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐨 ] [ 𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐬: 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫 | 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: - ]
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Alex had picked the crops from what had grown the rest still needed time. There wasn't a lot left from what she could see and she was certain they would suffer this winter. Whilst she placed the vegetable she managed to grab it into a basket it distracted her from the thoughts of what the group was going through. This whole apocalypse thing they were withstanding and they have done for the past five years. She appeared rather a at peace whilst she harvested what they had grown. Though it didn't help that they had already anything to harvest this year. Perhaps they could find a better way of producing these crops like the west side was doing. Yes, they had more people than themselves, but how were they doing so well? It would be great to get some tips from them however it seemed they had rivalry towards them.

To speak to them she was asking for trouble and the east side was to blame for their actions of stealing. She didn't like the fact they were stealing their hard work but from her perspective perhaps we were being greedy maybe we had forgotten how to communicate with others outside the group? Goes to show how mankind had adapted to this way of life. Although back in the day if you were caught stealing you're most likely go to jail. Nowadays this wasn't possible. Why couldn't we make friends with the west side? She couldn't understand that but she had chosen to stay out of it and not speak out about it, Alex was holding her tongue on this one. But she had plenty to say.

After pulling the crops up from the earth she watered the rest with what water was left in the watering can. She would need to fill it up in the morning. With a heavy sigh, she placed her basket of crops under her arm and wiped her brow with her other hand only to manage to get her forehead dirt from the soil she had been plucking the vegetables from, she managed to also get some on her cheek. There Conner appeared she was startled by him "christ ye scared me, Conner" her Scottish accent coming through after jumping a little out of her skin. He went on to ask if she needed any help. "Thank you but I've pretty much done here, I'm about to head back to the hoose if you want tae join me?" She asked with a smirk appearing in the corner of her lip. Her basket of crops swung from under her arm to her abdomen as she grasped it in both her arms. "Come on," she told the lad with the blonde hair as she started to make her way out of the farming area.

She made her way back to the main house with her dog trailing behind the two. "We need tae find a wey tae graw more crops this winter, ah don't think we are going tae have much this season... Ye ken?" She asked looking at him and making conversation with the lad that walked with her back to the house to make dinner for the group trying to decide what she could make for everyone though she was unsure whether someone had already started dinner whilst she was picking crops. "Ah think most fowk ken this season we are going tae struggle but don't ken if anythin' is being dane about it?" She told him her tone slightly worried to the fact that they maybe in trouble this season and nothing was being done.

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𝑻𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒔𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏: ye = you | hoose = house | tae = the | wey = way | graw = grow | ah = I | ken = know | fowk = people | dane = done |

[Fawnie]

[Male] - [He/Him] - [24 Years Old] - [East Side Nurse] - [Pansexual] - [Single] - [Location: East Side Camp, Boat House] - [Tagging: Open!] - [Mentions: Open!]
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▛▘⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝▝▜
Nikolai was alone in his small study room he had set up. Lucky for him, no one came out here, so he liked to spend his hours in the house studying. The soft sound of the wind whispered against the sides of it, leaving the air a little chilly. He still somehow had his cardigan though, so he pulled it around himself tighter. His pale skin looked almost purple, almost blue, like the darkening sky.

He had zoned out for a moment, shaking his head to come back down to Earth, this absolutely hellish Earth. He turned the page on his old medical textbook. It was probably the only thing he had left from his time as a college student. He missed it. He was supposed to go home afterward. But now, he likely never would. Greece was likely just as much in ruins as it was here. He tried not to think about it. Tears weren't something he could waste. He flipped the page.

This chapter was about broken bones. Open, Transverse, Oblique, Greenstick, and Comminunated. He knew this book like the back of his hand. But you never know when someone was going to come in with a broken arm, broken toe, broken finger, anything like that. You have to put the bone back in place and seal it with a cast for anywhere between 4 and 12 weeks. It really depends on where...

Nikolai scribbled down some notes on the side of the page and moved on.

He let out a long sigh and rubbed his eyes. He had to prolong his vision in any case now. Staying up late, drinking massive amounts of coffee, smoking when they had cigarettes, and most of the time not sleeping until the early morning. He knew it would kill him early at any rate.

He stood, stretching his arms out in front of him and cracking his fingers. He then stretched his back, hearing a small pop in a few spots. He should probably get that looked at. But he wouldn't, It was his usual tone of self-loathing. He walked over to the door of the small ward and leaned against the door frame. He should head to the main house before it got too dark and cold in the ward alone. But for now, he was enjoying his usual quiet time. He had grown comfortable on the east side in the past few months he's been here. He liked everyone, he respected everyone above him, the usual. And he hoped no one on the West Side hated them enough to attack or anything. And he hoped that no one on the East Side was planning anything either.

▙▖⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝⬝▗▟

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[nocturna.]

──────. 𝐂 𝐎 𝐍 𝐍 𝐎 𝐑 . 𝐎 ❜ 𝐁 𝐑 𝐈 𝐄 𝐍 .─────────────────────
- - male | 28 yrs | questioning | east side domestic | location; gardens -> main house | mentions; - | tags; alexia, eva

Having spent most of the day to himself, Connor figured he might as well show himself and offer to help someone. He hadn't really been given a permanent assignment yet, but that was fine with him. Connor was a very curious person and enjoyed learning just about anything. Having the option to help out wherever he was needed made him feel at least a little useful. Unlike most of the group, Connor lacked certain skills that made a person valuable in this new world. He'd never worked on machinery or was in the military, nor had he any medical knowledge. Hell, Connor lacked even the most basic survival skills. How he managed to live this long was nothing short of a miracle. Knowing he would be considered a liability to the group, weighed heavy on the man's conscious. He was more than grateful for being accepted into the group but knew full well there wasn't much he could offer to them. These thoughts were often whispered in the back of Connor's mind. It was the main thing that made the man hard on himself, always wondering when the group would change their mind and decide he'd worn out his welcome.

Feeling down again, he figured at least walking around the camp looking for something to do or someone to help would be better than wallowing in his self pity. Shoving his hands into the pockets of his worn out black jeans, Connor walked around for a few minutes before spotting people near the garden and animal pens. He soon recognized the bright red hair belonging to Alexia, who was working her way through the rows of produce. A slight smile formed on the corner of his lips as he made the decision to go and offer assistance.

He was just about to open the gate when Alexia turned, jumping suddenly. "Woah, easy. I was just wondering if you needed help picking?" He couldn't help the chuckle that followed. After explaining she'd finished for the evening, he agreed to join her on the walk back towards the main house. Connor noted the rather empty basket Alex carried as they both began to head back. Which must have brought the worry Alex voiced next. "I agree." Connor kicked a rock ahead of them, pondering what they could do to better prepare for the coming cold weather. "Seems like crop yield has been steadily getting worse... " The pair arrived at the main house when a final thought occurred to the man. "What if we clipped some stems to start a small indoor stock? We could turn a spare room into a mini greenhouse? That is... if we can keep it warm enough all winter..." The one thing Connor did know was planting and maintaining healthy crops. Maybe his previous 'occupation' would help the group's success after-all. The man's mind began wandering about how he'd set up an indoor garden, ideas suddenly flowing. It felt good to not only be potentially be useful, but to get back into one of the hobbies that made him happy. Well, now it wasn't just for fun. People were depending on the availability of fresh produce in order to survive. His mind was too busy spinning with ideas for an indoor set up to say anything else yet. But the giggle of a child caught his attention. Amelia was skipping their way, with Eva and little Zeke following near the young girl. Connor smiled, lifting his arm to give a happy wave to their fellow friend.