✞ - 𝕴𝖙 𝕯𝖔𝖊𝖘𝖓'𝖙 𝕰𝖓𝖉 𝕳𝖊𝖗𝖊 O/A

[lynettetan1]

Aisha Innez
Location: Record shop
Feeling: Relieved, tad bit worried at the UNCONSCIOUS PERSON ON THE FLOOR WHAT WHY IS THIS GROUP ALL HALF DEAD
Tagged: Riki (Bug), Jackson, Grayson (Mazu), Kiren (Aria), Jasper, Silver (Kiba)

The stranger really didn't look that great. Her accent was slurred, and though the caution never really left their eyes, they were probably showing a lot more emotions than they usually would allow. Aisha pursed her lips at the other's answer. They looked about ready to fall over on their feet, and she didn't like the idea of leaving them alone, half tempted to bundle them up and just take her somewhere where she could at least keep a lookout.

But it was painfully obvious that company would make them a lot more comfortable, and they'd survived so far, right? She could follow them and be able to keep a lookout, but it didn't look like the other would rest particularly well with another around, and they'd already shown themselves to be on edge around Eve.

Aisha watched as they corrected themselves, trying to offer her some solace like they weren't a second from passing out somewhere. She couldn't help a fond smile. "You are very kind. I'm glad I ran into you, even with the circumstances." Aisha cast a glance at the group, one of them, the friendly one, who was talking about the state of the roads? She thought he'd seemed like the most uninjured, but who was to say? They were all tense and all some form of injured, herself included. It looked like she would do better with them. "Go, I'll see you tomorrow." Taking a deep breath to mask the unease she felt at letting someone go off alone when they were in such a state, Aisha unconsciously nodded to herself. This was the right thing to do. Probably. "If anything happens, you can come over immediately, okay? I'm quite sure we will help you." Well, at the very least, she knew she would, and the more outspoken male probably would too. That was at least two people.

Awkwardly doing a small hand wave of goodbye-she was still holding the deer after all, which made motions a little hard- she looked toward the wolf, who started moving the moment she'd looked over as if leading them to a certain place. That was definitely not wild animal behaviour, right?

As the friendly one introduced himself and his horse, Aisha nodded with a smile, committing his name to memory. From the group's general behaviour, it seemed like they didn't mean any harm, and some help was appreciated. It also helped in linking animal to the person. The leader had the cougar, from his words. Then was the wolf the cheerful one's? Kiren spoke about the things the fur could be used for, and Aisha nodded, running her (slightly too) sensitized fingers across the textured surface. "The bite marks make that a little hard, but if anyone is experienced in skinning, it would make a nice coat or blanket." Eve was especially susceptible to cold, all but unconscious during the winter period, so she often stocked up on blankets. Since he had a horse though, could they place the deer on it? No, Aisha corrected herself mentally, if he didn't offer there was probably a reason. It was also a bit of a macabre thing, making a herd animal carry another dead herbivore on it's back. Pushing the idea aside, she moved forward, speaking to him softly (her power was still out of commission for a while, after all)."I'm just happy we all came away from that without a fight."

But the wolf was moving faster, and she had to up her pace to keep up. As they drew nearer, however, Aisha found herself pausing, staring at the fried zombies scattered on the street. Were they... burned? They certainly smelled awful, and Aisha wondered whose power had done this. A potent one, for sure.

But then the cheerful one was calling for Kiren, and Aisha broke out her trance to squeeze past the gap in the door and maneuver the deer through. As her eyes slowly got used to the lack of light, she saw the man crouched over a woman who looked... lifeless. Was she okay? The wolf looked like it was hers, but even as it curled up next to her and the cheerful one shook her-quite vigorously too-she showed no signs of stirring or grimacing. Aisha had no real medical knowledge, but even she could tell that the girl had the worst condition of all of them. But there had to be a reason why he was calling for Kiren, right? Hopefully the other had some sort of background in first aid or something.

Looking to Kiren, she tilted toward the crowd with her head. "I'll handle things here. I don't want to get in the way." As she did, she noted how the cheerful one was definitely the opposite of what she had named him in her mind now. She wanted to ask if there was any way she could help, but he didn't really seem like he was in the mood to speak right now, or if it was, it certainly wouldn't be with a stranger. Currently, the injured leader he had been supporting had been with him, and the leader's cat still guarded the loner.

As such, she gently hefted the deer closer in so they all had space, before turning towards the loner so she had her eyes on both him and the storefront in case zombies decided to appear. Whilst she wasn't exactly aligned with the group, she generally wanted them all to survive with as little casualties as possible. Since it was the group's base, they were probably not going to try anything, whilst if the loner did make a loud noise to attract zombies and run, he would probably be able to escape, especially since no one had their attention on him. So that was going to change.

"Would it be too much to ask for an introduction?"

[FluffyBirdie]

Kiren Stewart | Lead Doctor | Location: Streets | Tags: Greyson, Jackson, Jasper, Aisha, Kiba, Silver

Kiren glanced briefly in the direction Aisha was looking towards, hearing a voice followed by Aisha's reply. Oh, that was the person he saw before! They didn't seem to be a part of Greyson's group, which was confusing. But then again, the day's events have been confusing. They blew up a car, if he assumed correctly, but Kiren didn't know why. Was the group stuck somewhere and needed a distraction? But then it was just Greyson he found outside. Did they split up? How did this stranger know a distraction was needed?

Aisha spoke again, this time to him, and he mentally shook himself and refocused. He really had to stop thinking about questions that had no answers, not until he asked Greyson and his group anyway. And it didn't really matter what happened today. He had found people, a group of people even, and now they had dinner and a place to sleep.

Kiren nodded to her comment about skinning, looking more closely at the animal he was carrying as Aisha ran her fingers through its fur. If anyone had experience in skinning an animal, it should be Greyson, he assumed. Or at least the guy had experience in gutting it. That must be such an interesting experience, living with a cougar. Who even has such a wild cat as a pet? Kiren nodded again at her next statement, adding, "Yeah, I'm quite happy that gun wasn't fired. I didn't think it would, but still. Thanks for defusing the situation, Aisha." As he spoke of the gun, he looked to Greyson again, approving of the way Jackson was leading him. It really was a good idea to just leave Greyson to someone who knew him better.

As they approached camp, the horrible smell of fried death drifted over, and he couldn't help but cringe at the scent. The mangled forms of zombies started to emerge from the gloom of the night, and the smell got worse. What a trip today was for his nose, he thought as he tried to turn his head away, however slightly that lessened the smell. Jackson suddenly shouted, panic loud and clear in his voice, before calling for him. Was this Silver injured?

The moment the deer was indoors, he lowered his half to the floor, making a quick sound of appreciation as Aisha moved away to make things easier. It was much darker in the enclosed environment, but he could already make out the shape of people crouched on the floor, and a patch of light fur that must be the wolf that was guiding them. He crouched by the two, lightly touching Jackson's shoulder in an attempt to calm him before looking over the woman. Her breathing was ragged and light, and she looked like death. Was it the lack of light or were her cheeks slightly sunken? Malnourishment? But Greyson and Jackson looked fine physically, so if Silver was with the group she should be decent as well, especially if they had predators as their animals. Was that why Greyson was so concerned about the deer? No time to think.

"She's not critical from a quick glance, I'll have to get something though. I think she pushed herself too far and passed out." He commented, getting up. He turned to Aria, only to notice the mare was still outside, not at all comfortable with squeezing through the door to get in. He'll have to deal with getting her in later. For now, he went back outside, rummaging through his bags to grab a small cloth package folded up with things related to an IV, and a packet of the actual fluid itself. He thanked his past self for obsessively organising as he went back in, and opened the package on the floor besides her. He had ditched the tourniquet, but a cloth tied around her upper arm should do it. Kiren gave the IV fluid to Jackson, thinking that giving the man something useful to do might calm him. "If you don't mind standing up and holding that, it'd be very helpful." He swabbed her forearm carefully, before pushing the needle in with similar care and securing it with a small piece of tape. His heart was racing all the while, with constant, concerned glances to the woman's face. "Do you know why she was like this? There might be some other issue that isn't visible." He asked, turning to Jackson both to direct the question and to check the liquid was actually going in.

[wildsight]

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21 y/o | male | general member | deflection | tags; survivor crew
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━━Oh, how he wished they'd go ahead and get this over with.

━━Jasper couldn't imagine how long he'd been standing there, but did know that these survivors were awfully slow. He let out a huff at the cat behind him, slowly moving forward but enough so that he didn't need to be encouraged to do so anymore. The one who seemed to be one of the groups so called 'leader', didn't seem like much of one, not with the way he seemed to tremble a bit as he walked, though he seemed confident enough in his own team and especially that over-sized cat of his. He glared at him for a moment, but thankfully his back was turned. Something seemed a little off as well, but he ignored it for the most part, rolling his eyes as others went to his side.

━━It seemed like everyone had come to an agreement that they'd be heading to wherever 'camp' was and that put a bad feeling at the pit of Jasper's stomach. Clearly outnumbered he wouldn't have any way to flee from the situation, unfortunately. So the only thing to do would be to roll with it, something he particularly hated doing. He glanced at the female stranger, who seemed to have a positive reaction upon the idea. A few others did as well, so hopefully that meant they wouldn't be too bad. Still, hopefully none of them were overly excitable - or excitable at all. The situation was bad enough, the last thing he wanted was them to throw some celebration. At least, if they did so he could potentially have a way to get out of this mess. The female stranger also had a deer with her, pres. He wasn't sure about having deer for dinner, so he was glad he had other things - even if it was only a few things. Besides, he wasn't sure he'd eat something that had been dragged along the ground for who knew how long. At least, one of them had gone to help carry the deer.

━━Another thing that he couldn't get out of his mind was the animals. A cougar, a horse, a jackal and a bat. He didn't understand why they were all here, but he wasn't about to ask. He'd figure it out later, but it would be best to play it safe. The last thing he needed was to get himself torn apart by a cougar. Anyway, it seemed like the group was on the move again, so he reluctantly followed after them. It wasn't very long before something else came into view.

━━Squinting, he saw that that something happened to be a creature. A wolf to be exact. Oh great, here comes another predator that would be all too happy to tear him apart on command. He let out a heavy breath, but continued forward nonetheless. However, after the wolf's appearance the group's demeanor quickly changed from that of being 'outright exhausted and ready to go to bed' to 'outright exhausted and ready to go to bed, with a side of intense worry over something.'

━━The wolf didn't stay for long, but rather looked the group over for a moment and bounded away. Well, good riddance. Unfortunately, it seemed to be that the group was following after the wolf - which was stupid in his opinion, but being stupid seemed like the way this particular group rolled, which unfortunately meant he had to follow. With a over-sized cat behind him, he didn't have much of a choice and followed after them.

━━The group finally ended up at some kind of shop - record shop, if he was right. Thankfully, it hadn't been very far but the smelled of charred and burnt zombies, was less than appealing. As the group made it to the shop, everyone basically had to squeeze through the small doorway. He inhaled sharply (only to regret doing so afterwards, due to that horrible aroma) and reluctantly went inside. He watched as the overly cheerful stranger went over to another person laying on the floor, where the wolf. The large brute was quietly whimpering over the other stranger, as if it belonged to them like a dog might with its owner. These people really were strange.

━━But. This was great. Everyone was distracted and now he could get past the cat and get out of here. Perfect. Slowly, he considered the cat for a moment, looking it over and wondering if he could potentially jump over it. No. Perhaps, he would wait until that so called leader called it off and then, he could easily make his way out. This was the thing - caring about others often led to pain and suffering, so avoiding it entirely was the best option in his case.

━━He was just about to try and make his daring escape, when suddenly a voice broke through his thoughts. Oh no. He inhaled and held the breath for a moment, before letting it out slowly. He slowly turned in the direction from where he had heard the voice. It happened to belong to the female stranger from earlier. His eyes narrowed slightly, but he didn't dare make any sudden movements. Everyone he had met had had some kind of animal. Who was to say that this person didn't either? He considered the thought for a moment. There was no way he was getting out of this it seemed. At every turn there would come a wall, pushing him back into a corner so he was locked in on all four sides.

━━The feeling was awful, it was like being stripped of the freedom to do what he wanted and what he wanted to do was get out of here. After being silent for a few moments, he ran his hand through his hair for a moment, before speaking. "Depends on who you ask. I'd normally say yes, but looking at my number of choices here..." He noted, his voice dripping with sarcasm. He was beginning to get angry - actually he was already angry with this, but whatever. "Name's Jasper, but you don't have to worry about remembering it, because I'll be gone before long." He stated, leaning against one of the walls of the shop, occasionally glancing at the large feline, before returning his gaze back to the stranger. "I'm not here to cause any trouble." He added. Hopefully, this stranger wasn't planning on pulling anything, but if she happened to he didn't have much to defend himself with besides the few things he had brought with him...

━━But hopefully, he could avoid it all together. Not to say, he wasn't ready in case anything did happen. Because, he most certainly was.

[hxenir]

𝐌𝐨𝐨𝐝: 𝐇𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐲/𝐓𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝. 𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐩. 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐬(𝐫𝐢𝐤𝐢)

Shuffling footsteps echoed off the buildings of the abandoned town, Grayson could hear others whispering and talking. He flinched at the sudden weight of someone's arm around him but he relaxed as he recognized Jackson's voice. The smile on the males face washed away as Jackson spoke about Kiba being alone. The immediate thought of Silver being hurt or possibly even dead made Grayson walk faster. He could tell Jackson had the same fear as he increased his pace as well. “Jackson whatever it is she’s gonna be ok” Graysons hand gently grabbed Jacksons.

A gust of wind hit Graysons face as the rooftop door was open, the male walked past the door and soon heard Jackson yelp. Unable to see what was happening Grayson felt a sense of panic hit him. “No Grayson, panicking won’t help.” Taking a deep breath Grayson gathered his thoughts and went over to where Jackson was. Grabbing Jackson’s shoulder Grayson knelt down next to him. Grayson put his ear near Silvers mouth, Silvers breathing was slow but not life threatening. Silver was exhausted, hungry, and overworked. Grayson rested his hand on Jackson’s. “Hey listen to me she’s gonna be ok she just passed out. Once Kiren gives her iv’s she’ll be fine.” The males tone of voice was soft and comforting, hoping it would help Jackson relax.

Hearing Kiren rush over and starting to work on Silver, Kiren asked Jackson for help and Grayson knew he would only get in the way if he stood there. Grayson stood up walking away from Silvers body. He decided working on the deer would be the best option. Grayson sat in the far end of the rooftop and whistled to call over Mazu. The large cougar walked over from guarding the male stranger, she stopped once she sat in front of Grayson. “Mazu, can you bring the deer? We should start skinning it.” The male extended his hand and he felt Mazu reach down and rubber the top of her head into his palm. A smile washed over Graysons face as he heard Mazu slowly walk away from him only to return minutes later. The feline set the deer down in front of Grayson. Reaching down for his pants he pulled out a knife, He set his hands on the deer. He began cutting it.

After a while he finished he separated what the animals would eat and what everyone else would. He began to build a fire in the center of the rooftop. The roof was made of cement so it would be safe to make a fire on, several sticks from nearby trees laid around. If that wasn’t enough there had to be something flammable down stairs in the record shop. As Grayson attempted to use his light he burned his hand. Even though Grayson had experienced being blind before and had grown capable of functioning he was at a huge disadvantage. A hiss left the males mouth followed by a chuckle. On his second attempt he was able to turn on the lighter, slowly the smell of smoke began hitting Graysons face which meant a fire was starting to form. Grayson began blowing and the heat from the flame began increasing. He knew he’d have to add on to the fire for it to become big enough to cook with.

[kalo.]

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𝐉𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐒𝐎𝐍 𝐌𝐀𝐁𝐄𝐑𝐑𝐘 ── 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐅𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐄𝐑
[ word count; 672 ] [ mood; oh... ] [ tags; the gang] [ location; record shop ]
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yuck
indentThe next few events happened in a blur to Jackson. The rush of footsteps coming towards him was relieving to him. It was Kiren. He sounded like he knew what he was doing so Jackson just opted to follow his orders. He stood up, shakily at first, before taking the IV bag and holding it. He bit the inside of his cheek before letting out a long sigh. She was going to be okay. This was fine. Jackson didn't have the ability to run his fingers through his hair due to the IV bag, so he opted to just shift his weight from foot to foot. Distract him from what was going on. He opted to just keep a small smile on his face. To keep his 'happy' and 'joking' personality.

indentJackson turned his gaze over to see what Grayson was doing. Was he,,, was he starting a fire? Jackson felt his eyebrows shoot to the top of his head in both terror and amazement. Grayson was capable of doing more things blind that Jackson was able to do with perfect sight. He didn't even know how to react besides just staring. He knew how to skin a deer and make a fire while blind. How many times would Jackson reiterate his point before settling down and accepting it? He was strong. Mentally and physically. He let his gaze linger on Gray for a minute more before turning his head back to Silver. She was going to be okay. Everything was fine.

indentThe sound of growling alerted Jackson, but he let out a sigh of relief when he turned his head to see Dog. The Jackal had his head down, ears back, and his fur was standing high up. He was alert and most likely uncomfortable for the number of strangers that were now in their camp. "It's okay Dog. They're with me. No need to get your tail in a knot." The canine, in response, only let out a soft growl and sat down. His eyes staring at each and every stranger that was now in his home. The only one Dog recognized was Silver. The rest were a threat to him and Jackson.

indentThe fighter shook his head at the dog's reaction before looking at the rest of the group. He let out a soft chuckle as he spoke, trying to lighten the mood. "Uh, sorry to say but I don't have a lot to offer here. I have some blanket and sleeping bags over by the edge of the roof. It's not much but it can keep most of us warm. I don't need one, I can just snuggle with Dog. The rest of you can fight over what you want." Jackson hoped that the group wouldn't mind. He wasn't expecting more than three people to come back with him tonight. Him, Grayson, Silver, and the stranger... who he didn't see. He took a moment to look around to try and locate them. But to no avail. He blinked in confusion before, again, looking around to try and locate them. It was just then he noticed that their bat was gone. Oh no. Did they leave?

indent"Has anyone seen the Stranger and their bat? I swear they were just with us." He let his voice trail off, getting lost into the void. before accepting defeat. They didn't want to stay. Maybe it was something he said. Maybe he scared them off. They just didn't like Jackson apparently. And he expected that. He knew he was a lot to take in most of the time. [Hence why he never was able to settle with a group. But that never stopped him from trying, but damn if he kept this up he'd get himself killed] He'd miss the stranger even if he just met them today. There was something about the stranger that made Jackson stop and think rationally for a moment. Even if it was just for a moment it was enough to stop him from doing something stupid.

[`silver]

SILVER BLACKWOOD | inside the record shop | tags: Kiren, Aisha, Jasper, Kiba // Jackson, Dog

The world seemed to fade all too quickly to an even deeper shade of darkness that Silver could only describe as the mere reality around her warping into a yawning pit that held no sign of light. It was if vertigo had not only swallowed her sight but also her entire body and now carried her to the depths of somewhere where her pain echoed louder than before now that there was nothing to keep her distracted. Her body itself never moved once, not a single flutter beneath her eyelids to signal life other than her ragged breaths. When Jackson gripped her cheeks, she could feel warmth from somewhere but also couldn’t pinpoint just who or what was providing it before it faded swiftly. She continued to fall—or maybe she was drifting—through whatever darkness had engulfed her to the point of fading into a sea of unconsciousness. Time seemed to come to a halt wherever she was, making it seem as if she were destined to just continue to be battered around in sightless agony for an eternity.

Kiba growled softly at Kiren upon his approach to Silver while Jackson stepped aside to gather his composure. He knew the man was here to help but with so many new humans to assess whether they were friend or foe and Silver injured, the wolf couldn’t help but remain on edge as his amber gaze stared unwaveringly at the brunette. He stuck close to the girl nonetheless; his loyalty untarnished even at Silver’s lowest points. His ears flicked at Kiren’s unanswered question that had been directed towards Jackson whom seemed to be lost in his thoughts as worry and anxiety reeked from him. Looking to the crouched brunette, he nosed Silver’s pocket and managed to uproot some crumbled pieces of what looked to be a granola bar before he pushed them towards him as if to signal ‘food’.

A nearly serene sigh exhaled from Silver once the effects of the IV washed over her body at an accelerated pace—most likely due to the strength her and everyone else with animal companions had acquired. Her body had yet to heal but with the hydration and electrolytes that the medicinal liquid offered, it would be enough to at least satiate her body until actual food was attained. Once the orangish-yellow lights of a fully kindled flame could be seen dancing along the walls of the inside of record shop, the darkly clad woman began to stir slowly. Her eyes opened to narrow, dazed slits that seemed to burn as brightly as Kiba’s as she began to awaken from what felt like an endless, somewhat helpful sleep. There were four in this room with her, no, five. The sound of a familiar little growl. The jackal. That meant Jackson was close. A blurred shape sat in front of her, more familiar warmth at her right flank as she caught sight of white fur in her peripherals. What she also saw was something wrapped around her upper arm before her eyes followed the length of her limb to sit on an odd shape. It looked like.. a tube was coming out of her and lifting up and away to somewhere else. The malevolent glint of metal in her forearm had her entire body seizing up as her eyes immediately darkened to their normal nearly pitch black brown until the arm that held the precious IV began shaking uncontrollably, her opposite hand lunging to tear the needle out of her as a wolffish growl sprang from her throat. Her vision cleared at the last moment which had her pausing mid-grab, staring at the tube that she now recognized as an IV attached to her arm that continued to tremble. Her heart was racing enough for her to hear it thudding irritably in her own ears.

She snapped her gaze away to lock onto Kiren’s and upon not recognizing him, she pressed back instinctively against the wall, her eyes flickering with amber-gold distrust and even a pang of fear shone through. Silver was horribly afraid of hypodermic needles and it showed with how she reacted like a trapped animal. She looked from Kiren to Aisha then to Jasper—all new faces she didn’t recognize and it only made her want to flee the scene. Kiba’s soft whine from beside her had her finally acknowledging him, Jackson and even the jackal’s presence which provided some form of comfort but not obvious enough for her guard to falter. Her eyes darted between the IV and Kiren as she breathed shakily, gathering up her own composure enough to speak without waver. “I assume you did this. Why? And who are you?” Silver’s quiet voice cut like cold steel and her gaze now swept across the crowd, her body remaining rigid as if she would get up at any given moment. “All of you.”

[FluffyBirdie]

Kiren Stewart | Lead Doctor | Location: Inside the record shop | Tags: Jackson, Silver

Kiren followed Jackson's gaze, curious about what had caught the other's attention so fully. He had completely blocked out everything besides Silver and the task he had to do, so for all he knew zombies were at the door. As his senses trickled back into normality, he smelt smoke first before anything, and briefly dismissed it before doing a double-take. Was Greyson starting a fire while blind? What kind of super-human was he? As Kiren pondered the skills and experience needed (how many hours of practice did doing something blind take? He couldn't even leave his room in the dark without slamming his ankles into something), another animal appeared, upset at the number of strangers. From the way Jackson behaved, it was his animal, named...Dog? Maybe he misheard. But as Jackson spoke about the sleeping situation, he confirmed that the jackal's name was indeed Dog. Well, to each their own style, he supposed.

"I have some sheets of cloth and stuffing, which makes for an okay blanket and pillow." He offered, adding to Jackson's comment. The other person was already focused on someone else though, and Kiren kept quiet as he wasn't sure who exactly the stranger is. If it was indeed the person Aisha was talking to earlier, then she can probably confirm. Regardless, although Jackson didn't answer his question about Silver, he replied indirectly. The fact that he was now worrying about sleep and someone else must mean Silver was fine and the biggest obstacle was over. The man was so freaked out on seeing Silver on the floor, so if he was more relaxed, Kiren could be too.

He turned back to Silver, planning to check her over once more before thinking about where to put the IV. He couldn't have Jackson hold that indefinitely, although Kiren personally wouldn't mind taking on that role if he had to. And only now did he realise her wolf had been observing him intently, his bright gaze alert. He could feel his heart rate increase a little as he suddenly thought of what might had happened. He really had to pay more attention to his surroundings regardless of what he was focusing on. He was aware of Mazu earlier with Greyson's medical crisis, but as Silver was more critical he had erased everything that wasn't essential to the issue. But the wolf might have lunged at him for getting so close as a stranger, regardless of his intentions. He watched as the pale-furred animal moved her clothing, unsure whether to be wary or not, before noticing the crumbs that fell from a pocket. Kiren smiled as the wolf pushed the crumbs towards him, touched at the closeness between Silver and her animal. He wanted to give a pat in return, though he decided against it; they were still strangers after all, and patting a wolf was not alike patting a horse. Aria could bite, but a chomp from a canine would likely ruin his fingers. He instead picked up the crumbled granola bar as best he could, thinking to just hold it or store it somewhere until she woke.

On cue, a soft sigh escaped her mouth, and he looked up, alert. Was she awake already? He expected her to be out until tomorrow morning. She shifted and opened her eyes slightly, causing Kiren to turn to Jackson, his mouth already in the process of smiling and telling him she was awake and potentially okay if she could eat too. A primal growl and sudden lunge surprised him out of the action, and he flinched, his head snapping back to Silver as he saw her arm tremble violently and the other hand in process of pulling out the IV. He reached over, unconsciously planning to stop her from touching the needle, but she stopped herself, and he likewise paused, before jerking back in shock again as she pulled away quickly from him. Fear was obvious in her gaze as she glanced at him and at the people around him. Kiren relaxed his body language, rocking back on his heels to give her more room, and waited for her to compose herself and talk before speaking himself. She must be in quite the state, waking up to so many strangers and a needle in her arm. He was impressed at how she spoke so steadily after a few seconds of silence, and so firmly as well. He hadn't seen a patient like that.

"Yes I was the one who administered the IV, because you were unconscious and Jackson was extremely concerned." He replied, tiling his head towards the mentioned person and clear bag he held in his heads. Hopefully seeing someone she trusted holding the bag would reassure her, somewhat. "My name is Kiren. We all sort of...came across Greyson as he tried to bring the deer back." He paused, before holding out the hand with the granola crumbs. "You should really eat something. This is from your pocket and your wolf gave it to me," he added, pointing with his other hand to the remaining specks that he couldn't pick up, "so it isn't poisoned or anything. Please eat."

[lynettetan1]

Aisha Innez
Location: Record shop
Feeling: Cautious, friendly
Tagged: Riki (Bug), Jackson (Dog), Grayson (Mazu), Kiren (Aria), Jasper, Silver (Kiba)

Kiren thanked her, and Aisha gave him a small smile in response, though defusing the situation was something that depended on everyone agreeing, so it wasn't exactly something she could claim credit for. Still, he seemed pretty friendly, at least, which was one out of the many here that probably wouldn't mind some company. The three that already were in a group clearly showed that they could work in a team if they wanted to, so there was more that pointed toward a community than not, which was immensely exciting. Compared to the zero from yesterday, four was a large jump. Five, if she counted the shy stranger, and she definitely did. It was all quite an exciting prospect.

So when the man next to her made a point of emphasizing his anger and annoyance (wasn't everyone stressed, though? From her point of view, she was happy to just be alive, though he did seem more the independent sort), Aisha did find herself in a more tolerant mood, simply nodding and letting him get it out. He was definitely the prickly, everyone for himself sort. It seemed she was rewarded, however, because he then introduced himself as Jasper, before emphasizing that he wasn't here to cause trouble, though the pricklyness didn't really fade.

Through the very obvious anger and frustration at his situation, however, he was clearly trying to go for evasion more than aggression-though that might be due to caution. As such, when he added that he didn't want to start anything, Aisha found herself believing him. Smiling, she nodded. "Neither am I."

She thought about introducing herself, or asking how he happened to stumble upon the group of three, but Aisha felt that he might clamp up forever. It was strange. She was quite sure he was almost twice her mass, but she felt like she was approaching a hissing creature.

He very clearly didn't want to be here. And yet, unlike the stranger, he did not look at the group with fear and apprehension. With the stranger with the bat, it had been clear that company stressed them out. With Jasper, it wasn't particularly that company was a stressing factor, but more something bothersome, something that he wasn't necessarily afraid of, and he was obviously comfortable enough to handle it, even if he wasn't at ease. "Look, I didn't mean to restrict you, but this is the first hope of a rest I've gotten a while ago, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't harm it. If you're going to leave quietly, I won't stop you."

"Still, we've come all the way here, and no one knows each other anyway. If you're going to sneak away, why not have some food and drink first? They're clearly going to have some after this, and are pretty open to sharing as long as you aren't being a pain. Eating your own stuff and supplies would just mean you'd have to come back into town to restock sooner. And if they decide to make base here, they might all be in better condition in a few days, and then they might not be in the most forgiving of moods. Why not spend a night to get a clearer idea of what everyone's like? It'll ease future interactions, or the avoidance of such, either way." Shrugging, Aisha took a step back, making it clear that she wasn't particularly going to stop him. If he was going to make noise, she could try to utilize her power, and if it was really intense or dangerous, Eve could strike, though that was most definitely a last resort.

Strangely enough, the cat shifted, moving away to the leader, confirming that it was most definitely bonded to him in some sort of way. "Well. Looks like your prison guard is gone, Sir." Aisha noted, amused as she waited. What would he chose to do now? It did seem like a great part of his frustration was due to his lack of freedom (though she was quite sure that his snide remarks at the group were entirely meant as well), so she was a little interested in what his eventual choice would be.

But then the cat came back once more, and Aisha made a slight sound of concern, shifting to the side when it seemed like it was moving straight toward her with purpose. But when it grabbed the deer and left, she let out a soft sigh of relief. She did not want to be on the cougar's bad side-not in the least because it was actually really furry.

But then there was growling, and Aisha turned, seeing yet another canine. Were furred predators the norm? She was starting to feel a little antsy for Aria, and she wasn't even in the horse's position. At least, she hoped she wasn't. Humans didn't taste that good, right? Judging from it's behaviour, it was the cheerful guy's companion that currently glared at everyone, and Aisha crouched down slightly to give it a little wave, though she fully expected the feeling to not be reciprocated. This wasn't exactly a situation to let down one's guard.

But the cheerful one was clearly trying, and Aisha felt her smile widening at his attempt, nodding at him to try and relieve the stress that was emanating from him pretty strongly. "I have a sleeping bag and a blanket as well, so there's no need to worry about me. You have more than enough on your plate, you can relax, I'm quite sure everyone will make do." When he asked about the stranger, Aisha cocked her head slightly in confusion. Had they not heard their conversation? She'd expected that everyone had been listening, as was the unfortunate truth of every private conversation held in a group setting. "They're a bit uncomfortable in group settings, I think, so they said they'd handle themselves for the night and come to see us the next day."

Taking a few steps forward-though paying attention to the jackal to make sure she didn't cross any boundaries-Aisha gave the other a comforting smile, seeing how he was so obviously dejected. "Hey, they can definitely handle themselves. And if they haven't come to find us by tomorrow afternoon, I'll can go with you to look for them."

But then there was a clatter and quick movement, and when Aisha looked over, the unconscious girl was awake. Aisha stared in mute amazement. She'd definitely thought that the girl was in danger just a moment before, and had hoped that she would recover, but this was way too fast for any normal person. It seemed like Kiren thought the same as well, astonishment on his features, but as far as surprises went, this seemed like a pretty good one.

Still, it was clear that the presence of multiple strangers wasn't helping things. It seemed like Aisha was dealing with many wary spirits today. For having just woken up, the other sounded strong, like she was able and willing to start brawling right now. It was a recurring theme, and Aisha would have thought that it was just a requirement for people nowadays if not for the fact that she did not have this skill. Did she just miss the memo? Still, where the leader's had come across as aggressive and Jasper's as mocking, hers came as quiet but sturdy, the way a gentle draft could slip through a crack but still fill a room.

She seemed to have the same habit of ordering people around when they'd just met, but Aisha had given passes to so many people at this point that it would just be unfair if she started caring about it now. Plus, she'd just woken up, so Aisha would give her the benefit of the doubt.

Kiren didn't seem all that bothered as he introduced himself, even looking a bit impressed, telling her that she really needed to eat. Was this why they'd gotten an entire deer? Still, Aisha brightened at the news. If it was a problem that could be solved with food, that was something she could help with. "I'm Aisha. It's great to see that you're awake. What's your name?"

[☪ℓυηαя∂яσρ☪]

Rikimaru was relieved the girl (no, Aisha) seemed to understand. With a small flash of a weak smile, they turned to disappear into the dark of the night. Their feet soundlessly carried them across cracked pavement and eventually brought them to a familiar mound of broken concrete and tiles leaning against the side of a building. Ducking down, Rikimaru dug out the loose bit of dirt that one of the broken concrete slabs lay atop of, and got their fingers into that space to grip their makeshift door.
Working their fingers into place, Riki took a deep breath and heaved, pulling the piece out just far enough so that they would be able to squeeze behind it. Shaking their hands free, Rikimaru slipped into their little hidey hole and found it just as they had left it. Good. They pulled the concrete back into place, leaving only a palm-sized gap open near the top for Bug to come in when he returned in the morning. Rikimaru dusted their hands off and looked up at the tiny hole. It would have been nice to have an animal companion like the wolf or something that you could cuddle to sleep, but they wouldn't trade Bug for anything. He did cuddle with them when they slept, as Riki had been keeping a nocturnal schedule lately as well, but he wasn't as encompassing as a big fluffy dog.
With another yawn, Riki clambered onto the den of blankets and pillows they had gathered over time, the whole thing looking more like a huge bird's nest in shape than any bed or mattress. Practically dropping into the mass of blankets, Rikimaru slung their hat off with two fingers lifting the brim and slinging it off to the side about half a foot away. Riki could feel their muscles weep with soreness, like the pain was just seeping through. Burrowing under the covers, Rikimaru tossed and turned until they resembled nothing more than a lump in the pile of linens and cloths. Only their hair, which was strewn about every which way, was visible. They closed their eyes and waited to drift off to sleep, hoping it would last.

[hxenir]

𝐌𝐨𝐨𝐝: 𝐇𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐲/𝐓𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝. 𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐩. 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐬(𝐫𝐢𝐤𝐢)

The harsh scent of burning wood and smoke lingered through the air. Grayson grabbed and rubbed his hands, learning to function while blind took lots of practice but even know he always managed to get hurt. Small cuts, burns, and bruises covered the males hands and knuckles. Non of them where dangerous, but they could be painful while doing certain tasks. Feeling the cuts sting Grayson couldn't help but flinch but after a few minuets the male relaxed his body starting to ignore the jolts.

Resting his hand's on the concrete next to him Grayson leaned back, his back rested up against ledge of the rooftop. Small lights and shadows started forming in front of Grayson. A smile crept onto his face as he realized his vision was starting to come back. The flames of the fire he made had now become visible, they where higher then he expected but he knew he still needed stuff to burn. A soft purr approached him and the comforting presence of Mazu curled up next to Grayson. The felines head resting on Grayson's thigh. "Hey girl, it's been a long day hasn't it?" The males hand gently rested on the cougars head. "Were both gonna have to start being social." A small chuckle left the males mouth as he ran his hands through Mazu's fur. "I know your tired but lets go look downstairs for some stuff to burn." Slowly Gray began to stand up, he held onto Mazu's fur and he walked to the door and made his way down the stairs and into the record shop. Grayson knew it was foolish to go down by himself but he doubted there'd be anything bad. If zombies where down here Jackson was bound to have noticed and warned everyone prior. Stepping foot into the record shop was odd as he could only picture it. It sounded like glass and several objects where thrown all over the ground. Using his spare hand Grayson looked around for anything useful. His hand landed on some records that's where all kept in wooden crates. (geez grayson is lucky rn). Grabbing 2 of them the male made his way back upstairs.

The fire began rising and light filled the rooftop. Now being at 60% of his vision Grayson could mostly tell what was going on. Smaller objects, and details where still hard to spot but it was no where as disabling as being fully blind. The deer was half way through being cooked, the heat radiating from the flames along with the green hoodie hugging graysons upper body where the only things keeping Grayson warm. The wind was harsh and chilly a very thin coat of frost began to cover exposed surfaces. Grayson knew keeping the fire lit overnight could be dangerous but considering the weather he deemed the risk to be worth it.

Grayson looked up and squinted his eyes. He could make out the movement of people, a smile washed over him. It had been a long time since Grayson went to be knowing there was someone else around.