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Aberrant: Dead Rising - Chapter 12a: Former Family


Dawn OOC

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"I'll give you a hand." Bond replied as he stepped out the driver's side, cool blue eyes evaluating the enclave with a gaze that missed little. Fenced rather than walled, no power source, male/female/child ratio of about 8:5:6, mended clothing, but dirty, which indicates not enough clean water for washing, mostly hunting guns, well maintained, only a couple of vehicles

out here... All these tidbits were filed away in the trader's agile mind as he helped Primal unload the large merchandise cases from atop the Falcon, flashing smiles at the onlookers as Mrigesh and Simon came up with the two younger girls.

He kept his superhuman strength concealed, as was his habit. Of their current company, only Jasmine knew of that particular gift of his. To all other observers, even the keenly-perceptive Primal, Bond still grunted and appeared to exert himself to lift the heavy containers down. At heart, Bond was the type of person who loved to have aces up his sleeve. This generally wasn't a problem unless one happened to be on the other side of the card table.

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People began to slowly gather around, eyeing the containers as each one was opened. To Bond's practiced eye, they were giving off the air of someone who felt they didn't have the depth of wallet to afford the treasures before them, or people who didn't control the wallet strings. They were like kids pressing their noses to the glass.

"What are you looking for in trade?" the same woman asked. There had been no introductions; no attempts to pump them for news. It was a little unusual and somewhat off-putting. The air here wasn't hostile, but it wasn't friendly, either.

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Jasmine stepped forward next to Jim, smiling a little and trying to appear encouraging.

"We're a little more flexible in that regard. Some communities need vitals, like food and water.. others have different needs, like clothing or tools. Some people are willing to trade for luxury items that others can't use anymore. Perhaps if there's anything you have that isn't necessarily useful to you, or that you do have a little more of than you need, you can show us. We may be willing to trade for them."

Jasmine glanced over at Mrigesh, who had been quietly encouraging Pumpkin not to introduce any of her friends just yet. She was convinced that the other little children here looked sad, and needed some cheering up, and Mrigesh was equally convinced that they might very well scare the other children senseless. But he glanced up in time to catch Jasmine's gaze, and she motioned him over. He squeezed the little girl's shoulder lightly, then stood up and walked over to Jasmine, standing next to her very properly.

"Also, this is Dr. Singh. While we can't leave you with surplus medical supplies unless you trade for them, he is more than willing to treat any injuries or illnesses you might be suffering from."

Mrigesh saw the hesitant expressions. He had encountered the same disbelief from many of the new arrivals at Fox's Refuge, and he pinpointed their concerns immediately with a quick shake of the head.

"There is no cost for any treatment, or for the supplies that are required." Part of Mrigesh's arrangement had been a request that a larger supply of any medical items they came across were allocated to him, to do with as he pleased - including using it for his new career as a traveling medical man. "It is my duty as a doctor, and why I have chosen to travel with my friends here. Please, do not hesitate. If there is anyone in need of medical assistance, I am here to help you."

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Hana had drifted away from Pumpkin’s side and stood off by herself, hands thrust deep into her hoodie pockets. Little beads of dark blood had already begun to scab on her scuffed knee. Her expression was inscrutable, almost reptilian, as she surveyed the small encampment and its inhabitants.

She thought of Grendel, a book her English teacher had given her to read. It was strange that she couldn’t remember his name, Hana thought, but she remembered the book and the author. John Gardner. And she remembered the story of the lonely monster who hated the men he wanted to love and be loved by, whose appetite for death was equaled only by his need for self-destruction, who died crying for his mother. Poor Grendel’s had an accident.

Only it wasn’t an accident. It was Grendel’s destiny. Destroy and be destroyed. Hana glanced sidelong at Primal, and then wandered around the edge of the crowd gathering to watch Bond unload the Hummer. There were children, wide-eyed and dirty, staring and whispering to each other. Pumpkin was already gravitating toward them, eager and shy, and Hana felt a sharp pang of jealousy. All alone. She imagined what it would be like to just let go and be done with it. Darkness spilling out of her eyes, flooding the camp in screams and death. Maybe when it was all done it would claim her too.

Poor Hana’s had an accident... She raised her hood over the long tumble of her straight black hair, looking for Simon, suddenly cold and afraid.

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With Bond hiding his super strength that left Primal with the big stuff, the large heavy container that usually took two people and a handful of cussing. Primal wasn't Bond, he didn't hide anything (much to Bond's dismay, like that one time in Carson City), with a quick grunt and a heft once he had the right leverage the container came down and rest on his shoulder.

"Yer gettin' soft Bond," He grumbled aloud, not making any attempts to keep his opinions a secret. "Free medical treatment? Are you serious? Since when did you start runnin' a charity? The quim has yer manhood in a choke hold, that's kinda sad, bro."

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She crouched on her perch in a tree high above the mostly pleasant exchanges going on between the newcomers and the enclave and wondered what exactly was going on. They had the coche, but there were far fewer of the newcomers than of the ones she'd found. As they pulled things out of their coche, she watched with a magpie's interest. These were different things than she'd seen before. New things.

The newcomers were different, too. Taller, for the most part, and some of them were much paler and some of them much darker. They made her curious...and curious had always made her less cautious than she often should be.

She picked out another tree with a sturdy branch nearer to the coche and coiled, jumping as quietly as she could to watch more closely. She'd almost been caught twice now when she'd taken something that caught her curiosity, but she didn't want to have to run before she had a chance to see the newcomers and their new things more clearly.

Click to reveal.. (Rolls)
Athletics Roll

Roll(7d10)+0:

4,2,10,8,10,3,7,+0

4 successes, so she can jump to a closer tree pretty easily.

Stealth RollRoll(7d10)+0:

6,9,1,1,5,8,5,+0

Two successes with a 1 suxx threshold, so one effective success.

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"All part of the plan." Bond replied easily to Primal, grinning at the larger man and not in the least ruffled by his friends manners. He stood back a little, arms crossed as he watched Jasmine and Mrigesh talk to the crowd. "The doctor provides free treatment where people desperately need it, and in return he helps open doors. Remember how many enclaves wanted nothing to do with us before? This way, we get to meet and talk to more people, and talking leads to trading. Of course, we have his expertise on hand when we need it, too." He nudged Primal and stepped forwards, hands spread as he looked at the woman who had addressed them.

"In your case, you seem to have a lot of fresh meat. We can take that: smoked and dried, of course. In exchange we can help you out with some clothing, extra medical supplies, weapons and ammunition. Plus, of course, on this visit we find out what you need, so that next time we come this way we'll think to bring it." Bond looked around, holding their attention as he let his voice rise and fall in his salesman's patter. "We also have some know-how in our band. For instance, I'm guessing you're fairly short on drinkable water here. Maybe we can help find a fresh source."

"Maybe you can." said the woman who'd spoken before, her eyes still wary. "But why would you?"

"We're traders." Bond explained with a grin as he walked back to the Falcon. "If we help you a little, then it makes things better for us too. There comes a time when we've got to decide whether we're going to scavenge and hoard and fight over what's left forever, or start to rebuild. We don't just carry goods, my friends. We carry news too. We carry messages for those that want to send them. And that service, people, is free." He stopped under a tree that was part-shading the hummer and looked up suddenly, blue eyes sparkling with amused curiousity and a wryly charming smile on his lips.

"And what would you be looking for, miss?" he asked the girl above him conversationally.

Click to reveal..

Perception + Awareness roll (1 Mega-Perception, mega rolled first)

1d10=10, 1d10=2, 1d10=4, 1d10=1, 1d10=7, 1d10=9, 1d10=2, 1d10=1

Popping 10 for Alert quality.

1d10=9

6 succs

I see you! laugh

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"People don't want to rebuild, they want to hoard and build their little pathetic empires, like that Fox guy." He rebutted, disbelieving Bond's grand illusion that one day all things would be right in the world; they were two sides of the same coin. Bond hid his virtues under his business man's demeanor, fighting for the little guy and keeping the thugs and warmongers in check. Primal liked the world how it was now; primal and chaotic where only the strong survived. "Chances are these people won't even be here the next time you come through. Raiders, or who knows what else is out there just waiting to pick em' off. This place is a waste of supplies."

Click to reveal..
Reflexive Perception Roll(8d10): [10,4] 8,10,10,3,9,8,

Total: 8 successes

Normally amid all the other scents of this place one more human didn't translate into much. When the scent came from above him how ever, he had to wonder why a human was playing monkey. Not that it mattered much, Primal wasn't about to cause a scene amid all this at the moment anyway, he filed the person away and simply went about his conversation with Bond. "And you can forget water, this place has been dry for months. All the water is deep underground and the earth is solid. You'll need some strong arms and excavating gear to get deep enough."

"And what would you be looking for, miss?" Bond asked the girl above them conversationally.

Bond glanced down from the lady for a moment to look at Primal's shovel like hands with claws that he knew could rend concrete and steel before returning his gaze back up to the girl in the tree. Primal folded his arms and looked up as well, trying to quietly argue with Bond as he did. "No. Oh no. Not happening, Bond."

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She hissed in irritation and alarm when one of the newcomers made noises in her direction. She'd been quiet...! She sidled around the tree among the branches, inhuman agility granting her bare feet purchase on the slender limbs. Those watching her could catch a glimpse of ragged black denim, and dusky skinned bare arms. She disappeared behind the trunk for several quiet moments before peeking out again, as if her momentary disappearance might make them forget she'd been there at all.

She watched Bond and Primal from narrowed eyes, unsure what to do next. She should leave, run until they couldn't follow her with the coche and come back later, but they weren't always here and she wanted to look at their things. Indecision kept her crouched in the tree, watching and waiting.

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Bond tilted his head to meet the strange girl's gaze as she peered out from behind the tree. He hadn't missed the more-than-human deftness of her movements, and his amusement became tinged with interest. Another wild super? Seems like it. Well-well.

"It's up to you, of course." he said quietly to Primal as he continued to watch the girl intently. "No-one can force you, and no-one can hold it against you if you say no. You're not a piece of construction machinery. But it would give these people a bit of hope, and they wouldn't have to drink rainwater... or whatever they're using. They could become four times more self-sufficient just from having some water."

The girl was still watching them with wary curiousity. Bond squatted on his haunches in the dust and reached into one of the dull camo pouches of his webbing, producing a stick of beef jerky. He took a bite, tearing some of the dried meat free of the stick, then looked up and offered it to the strange creature as he chewed.

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Simon stopped by Hana, the motion casual, as if he'd just happened to stop there. But the teen knew, knew that he was showing her concern. “Lots of new people,” he said calmly, “lots of things to get used to.” He glanced down at her. “They can be a little overwhelming.” It was his blue eyes that asked without words, “Are you ok?”

Mrigesh had already circulated to the people who were lining up for treatment. His manner relaxed as he stepped into his preferred role. As such, he missed the ongoing concern over by the new super.

The woman Bond had been talking to hadn’t missed her. “Madre de Dios! It’s her! I bet she is our thief!”

“Thief?” Bond asked.

“Yes, for weeks we have had our belongs and supplies stolen!” The woman bent down and picked up a rock. “She’s even stolen children’s toys!”

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She flinched once they others started shouting, leaping down from the tree after the first rock was thrown and back-peddling away from them. Her clothes were ragged, the black sports-bra and jeans ripped and studded with leaves and bits of branch and sticker seeds. Her hair was tangled and dirty, natural dreadlocks forming in the mess; dirt streaked her skin, but she was a young and healthy woman underneath the filth.

She bared her teeth at the woman that had thrown the rock, anger at the attack warring with self-preservation. She glared at the newcomers for getting rocks thrown at her, but couldn't quite take her eyes off of whatever it was one of them was eating. She pointed at the food imperiously and then at the ground between the two of them.

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Sure, he was a hard ass, and a bit of a dick too, but there were certain things that still pulled on the heart strings of the loving father and husband turned lion-man.

An orange sized rock spiraled through the air, until there was a loud 'thap' that seemed to echo over the voices. The girl had already braced for the impact, but it never came. A low, angry growl followed by a soft roar rose up any left speaking. It carried with it a weight that demanded all eyes went to him. Bond took note, seeing as he knew Primal better than anyone, that the beast-man had not bared his fangs (which grew longer when he poised to lash out), and the claws upon his hands did not grow to their full, combat ready, size. Primal was trying very hard to not kill someone just to make an example.

Perhaps he'd give the big lug a banana sticker later.

The rock was cupped tightly in his fist, the large man having placed himself between her and the mob. Indeed throwing rocks at her would mean throwing them at him too. "You see? This is your world, Bond. People are a selfish lot, not interested in saving this world, only hording what they have so none others may benefit from it. Your charity is wasted."

There he stood, in nothing but his rags, challenging the people to throw a single stone at him. "Now would be a good time to start talking, Romeo." He said to Bond. "My knack for diplomacy only goes so far..."

Which was true. The very fact that the man who threw the rock Primal was holding hadn't already found a 'return to sender', rock shaped, hole in his chest was an act of God in and of itself.

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"Not entirely wasted." Bond grinned at his friend. "Every now and then, you find someone who catches the rock." He half-turned, still crouching, and looked at the crowd.

"Please, don't do that. This girl is obviously not normal, and throwing rocks at her could be dangerous even if my friend here wasn't in the way." He spoke calmly, appealing to their better natures. "She won't be stealing anything from you while we're around... Probably because she'll be trying to steal from us instead." He grinned, and a few of the watching people chuckled, smiling despite their anger. "She's obviously half-wild. So let's try to be kind, okay? Give the poor girl a chance."

He turned back to the girl and stood, moving to the halfway point she had indicated some distance from the others. There he squatted again, holding out the stick of jerky.

"No one will hurt you." he said to her quietly, his tone warm. "And this is good." He took another bite of the stick, and offered it to her. There was nothing of fear or tension in his manner or voice, and his lips were curved in a half-smile as he watched her.

Click to reveal..

Using Natural Agitator to calm the crowd down

1d10=10, 1d10=10, 1d10=2, 1d10=9, 1d10=6

popping 10's for Charming quality

1d10=4, 1d10=6

5 succs

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Things seemed calmer so Primal stepped aside, trusting in the good will of the people to behave themselves. He quietly walked away, although every step still seemed to 'thump' when his bare feet hit the ground. He glanced down at the rock and tossed it up and down in his palm a few times.

He went back to the Hummer and feigned like he was actually unsecuring or securing something.

"Not entirely wasted. Every now and then, you find someone who catches the rock." Bond voice replayed. Finally he just stopped and stood there, staring blankly into space for a few seconds, lost in his own world and for a time, the man he was lingered on the surface. His eyes were calm and relaxed, his muscles loose and his instincts quiet.

He hated when Bond was right. Bond was always right.

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She watched the two larger newcomers, moving a bit away as they came closer. She watched the one with the food come to where she had pointed, but she frowned and pointed at the ground again when he kept hold of the food. He shook his head and smiled, which was returned with another bared teeth and low growl from the girl; she pointed at the ground again, more forcefully. A tense moment later she edged nearer to him, still pointing imperiously at the ground but wanting the food enough to move closer to the stranger.

Eventually she strayed close enough to snatch the stick of beef jerky and beat a hasty retreat back along the road and towards the trees. She sniffed at it, making a face at the strange sticky-sweet smell of what she was pretty sure was some kind of animal. She tasted it hesitantly, frowned again, but took another bite; after a moment she decided it was safe to eat and retreated a little father. She jumped straight up from the ground to land on a thick branch halfway up a tree and keep watching the others. She wasn't trying to hid now, just keep her distance while she waited to see what would happen.

If she'd understood anything Bond or Primal had said, she gave no indication.

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The mountainous man rummaged in the back of the Hummer for a moment, a bit irritated that everything was re-arranged from how he remembered it and of course, it was Jasmine's fault (whether she was actually responsible or not was irrelevant).

He approached the girl, and his thunderous steps echoed in her ears she took a few steps away. It was to be expected, Primal knew, as he looked at her and her petite yet athletic frame compared to his own wide and powerful frame. Instinctualy her mind told her that she should remain on terms best suited to her natural attributes and in this case that meant far away with plenty of room to move.

She smelled different than the others here, even Bond and other mutants. She smelled like him, a wild and feral predator. He kept this to himself for now, curious to know now if was not the only one like him.

Several shredded and dirty bath towels went into making the loin cloth he wore, which comprised the sole piece of his wardrobe at the moment. Every muscle he had was chiseled to near perfection, only a slight bit of fat, in case he needed to go without food for a long period, indeed nature had designed Primal to be a perfect example of what a hunter could become under her guidance. His shadow nearly swallowed her up as he stood close to her, as close she'd allow him.

"C'mere kid." He said to her, crouching down to rest on the pads of his feet. His toenails were blackened and sharp, like overly large nails on his hands, which she just assumed were claws. He held out a unlabeled plastic bottle of water and held it out to her. "That's convenient store jerky kid. That crap's way to salty, you gotta be thirsty."

She tried, momentarily to convince Primal to set it down and leave it for her. Primal gave her a sarcastic snigger and tilted his head to one side. "Kid, do I look like I'm good at games? You're scared, I get that. If I wanted to hurt you, I'd have done it by now and I certainly wouldn't be offering you a last drink before I did it. Now c'mon, cut the fraidy-cat games and come and talk with me. I knwo I look scary, butI'm not here to hurt anyone."

He looked at he man who threw the rock at her a few moments ago. "No matter how much they might deserve it." The man swallowed hard as he met Primal's glare. He swallowed hard and thought it best to walk away inconspicuously. "Yeah, I figured you'd hear that," He taunted the man. "Keep walkin', hero."

The large man fell backward from the balls of his feet till his butt thumped to the ground. He crossed his legs, still holding the bottle out to her. "They call me, 'Primal'. You?"

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She watched him, instinct and curiosity waging its usual war inside of her. When he finally sat down, she darted to the water and then back away again, though not as far as she'd started. She looked the bottle over, studying the cap he'd taken off as if she'd just had some revelation, then downed the water while keeping her eyes on him.

Sunlight glinted off the silver chain her wrist. It was longer than a bracelet but shorter than a necklace; she'd looped it twice around to fit it on her wrist. The charms were heart shaped and the half near the center were stamped with gold and red international medical symbols and a word engraved on the back side. The other charms were slightly larger and had more words engraved, and the charm in the center was the largest and had the most engraving, though it was still small enough to need a close look to read whatever had been etched into the metal.

She didn't say anything to his words, just looked at him expectantly, her head tilted slightly to the side. Then she grinned and held up the bottle, proclaiming in rather poorly pronounced Spanish, "Gilipollas!"

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Primal quirked blond eyebrow at her. "Right. Figures." Using the tips of his claws he rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Kid, I don't speak Chinese, so we got a problem."

He thumbed his chest. "Primal." He thumbed to Bond. "Bond."

"Speaking of," He mumbled, slightly irritated. "Bond, you're up pretty boy. This one speaks mandarin or some shit, I dunno. She's all yours."

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Jasmine had been observing casually from her position near Mrigesh, where she was still standing in case he needed any help translating. So far, he hadn't, but he was inspecting the infected cut of his first patient, and little conversation was necessary thus far. When the accusations of theft were made, and the rock went sailing, the maternal young nova had made two quick steps - their quickness observed only by one or two of those closer who weren't engrossed in either medical endeavors or the happenings nearer the vehicles - towards the situation, ready to intervene. But as the primitive man reached up and caught the rock smoothly, she relaxed.. if only slightly. Her attention remained focused intently on the situation though.

It was only at the woman's comment that Jasmine finally reacted, a small laugh slipping out before she could stop it. Primal shot her a brief glare, and Bond glanced over at her, a slight smirk playing at his lips, and she shrugged back in return, trying (but mostly failing) to look contrite instead of amused.

"The, um.. attitude doesn't seem to match the sentiment. Maybe she's confused?"

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"Probably something she's heard, used out of context. I doubt anyone's that fast a judge of character. Maybe it's her special power." Bond deadpanned, then grinned at Primal as the huge mutant shifted his tawny gaze to him.

"Yeah? Well "Gilipollas!" to you too, chucklehead." Primal growled, one black-taloned finger stabbing skywards as he flipped the Brit off. Bond laughed lightly and came to squat beside the huge man, gazing intently at the girl who was watching them with equal interest, cut with suspicion.

"That looks like a medical indicator bracelet." he said quietly. "The sort of thing someone might give their kid if she had some kind of long-term condition. If we could look at it, it'd help, but short of chasing her down and scaring the crap out of her, we're not going to be at that point anytime soon." He smiled a little at the wild girl. "Let see if she knows any other words."

">Hello. Is that water good?<" he said in good Spanish, keeping the words slow as one might with a child, gesturing towards the bottle. ">I'm Bond, this is Primal. The woman over there is Jasmine, and the girls are Hana and Pumpkin. The other two men are Simon and Doctor Mrigesh.<" He pointed them all out, keeping his eyes on the girl, then gestured towards her again slowly. He kept his tone calm and friendly, and his eyes examined her for any sign she understood him at all.

">We're happy to meet you. What's your name?<"

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She skitted away some when Bond approached, but stayed within talking distance. At his first question she hugged the mostly empty water bottle to her chest and added, "L'eau, mien!" She followed his gestures as he introduced everyone, but the final question brought a blank stare and then a mumbled, "Mien."

This close they could also see a ridge of scar tissue along her left forearm, a ragged crescent that looked like an unholy over-sized bite mark. She frowned at Bond, but gave a tentative "Bond. Primal." while pointing to each of them.

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"That's right kid, I'm Primal." He replied, hardly considering how true that statement really was as more than just his name. "Whelp..." Primal stood up, grunting slightly as he did. "Looks like this kitten's all yours, I don't speak Vietnamese."

He took a few steps back and leaned against the hummer, arms folded, close by where Jasmine and company was. He leaned down to her a bit. "What attitude? That was honesty. It's not like I threw it at her head and said 'here, drink up'. See, you try and help someone, give them water and food, try and be kind, and what do you get for it? 'Asshole'. Kids these days, I swear."

He was still where he could participate in the exchange if need be, or even chase her down and mangle her if need be, but for now he just sat back and let Bond work his magic.

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The woman flowed to her feet when Primal did, her stance ready to bolt but still unsure enough to stay put. "Galipollas." She pointed to the two men, then to Jasmine, "Chica!" Then she pointed at the girls, "Niñas!"

She waited for a moment, then jumped back into the trees from where she was standing, an impossible leap for any human. The trees rustled for several minutes before the woman returned, landing roughly where she'd jumped from with two small stuffed animals, a rabbit and a cat, tucked under her arm. She stepped up to Primal and held the toys out, "Niñas!"

The water bottle was long gone, presumably now wherever she'd kept the toys.

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"Sweet strokin' Jesus," He mumbled as she approached. "It likes me."

"Well, she's got us pegged," He said to Bond, referring to her once again calling them assholes. "That's right kitten, men are assholes." He looked to Bond and shrugged a bit as if to say 'I've no idea what to with this thing'. Bond was as helpful as ever by grinning and letting the big man stew in the moment a bit.

With a reluctant sigh she looked down and decided to play along for a moment. "What do you have there?" He asked. "Ninas?" He repeated. "Kid, I've no idea what that means."

Uncrossing his arms he pointed to the rabbit. "Rabbit." And then the cat. "Cat."

"I think she wants you to have them." Jasmine said softly, stifling her amusement at the situation.

Sighing once again he took them from her, as gently as he could manage. Certain tasks were a bit more difficult for Primal, gripping things was one of them, as the length of his claws adjusted how he had to hold things. Gripping something carefully while they were extended was nearly impossible for him. As he took them, his massive hands nearly swallowed hers, his blackened claws gently grazed her skin as collected the stuffed animals from her. "Uh, thanks kid."

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“Yeah. I guess.” Hana finally answered Simon. She wanted to say more, but the words were stuck inside of her. She chewed her lower lip broodingly, her face shadowed by the hood she wore. “What is it with Jasmine and Bond giving away all our food to thieves?” the girl whispered up at the former cop. “And now the manimal’s doing it too.” She let out an irritated sigh and kicked at a rock with her Adidas sneaker, sending it skittering across the dusty ground. “And what kind of name is ‘Primal’ anyway? Who calls themselves that? I am literally driving around the waste-land with Daniel Craig and his seventeen year old baby-mama and now...” one of Hana’s hands emerged from her hoodie to wave indistinctly at nothing in particular. “Liono. And his crotch towels. Seriously, those are towels, right? I mean, I'm not saying he should be wearing Tommy or whatever, but really?” Hana gazed up at Simon again, but she didn’t wait for him to answer. In her rushed whisper-speak she added, “and now some random tree girl shows up and they give away the shop. A couple of months ago I would have killed for a piece of beef jerky and a water bottle. Mrigesh isn’t even charging for his medicine or anything...how are we supposed to come out ahead? Oh, wait...we get stuffed animals. Sweet.” Hana concluded sulkily.

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“Well, from conversations I’ve had with Mrigesh, he won’t charge for his services. I suppose if he were hungry, he’d ask for food,” Simon observed. “Look, Hana, they’re thinking differently from you and me. Jasmine was sick before this, which makes her very compassionate. I doubt Bond or Primal have had to scrounge for food, which makes it easy to live easy-come, easy-go. I’m sure neither one has done something terrible just to survive – other than self-defense.

That said, we’re not going to starve,” Simon added. “They might not be hording food or charging out the nose for it, but if they felt a shortage, they’d cut off the welfare act and go right into survival mode. And you and Pumpkin won't starve while I'm around.” Simon gave her a reassuring smile.

“Those are our toys,” the woman who had been watching said. “I know them. They were stolen from our children by her. Now you know why we throw rocks – so she will not steal from our children anymore.” Despite her statement of ownership, she made no move to get the toys away from Primal. She finished with a glare at the wild-woman.

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Jasmine placed a gentle hand on the woman's shoulder, and tilted her head thoughtfully. Her expression was sympathetic, and she nodded slightly.

"I understand your concerns - I wouldn't be happy to have someone stealing from my children, either - I'm sure they were upset when their things were taken. But it's obvious that something's different about the girl.. I doubt she knows she's doing anything wrong. I'll tell you what. Since she seems to be offering some of those things to Primal, why don't your kids pick out a few items of ours? It will give them something new to play with, and since we're getting something too, it seems like a fair trade to me."

Jasmine chose her words carefully, for she'd encountered more than one person by now who resented anything that reeked of charity. Early in the trip, they had let Pumpkin select a few toys that were hers to keep, and promised her that unless she wanted to switch them out for something, they would never be offered for trade. Hana had received the same treatment, although in the older girl's case it was more age-appropriate things, like books, CDs that she could listen to, or a handheld game system. (Somewhere along the line Bond had commissioned a solar-powered charger with several different types of plugs, meant for hand-held games, cell phones, and other small, battery-powered items. When Jasmine had realized what it was, she had commissioned it for the group, and figured out a way to adhere it to the outside of the Hummer whenever they needed to charge something. It was stored in the glovebox during bad weather, or when not in use.) Aside from those items, they still had several stuffed animals, games, and other various entertainment oddities that were reserved for trade, and she felt fairly confident that it would rectify the current predicament.

What to do about this girl in the long run was a different story, however, and Jasmine was at a loss, trying to figure out how to get a girl who didn't seem to comprehend the idea of theft to stop stealing from these people. She was also concerned that, since this girl seemed to be another super of some sort (based on that jump she'd just witnessed), if the villagers tried to treat her violently, they might suffer for it.

"Have you figured out a way to lock up your items? Is she stealing them when the kids have them out playing with them, maybe when their backs are turned?"

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She grinned widely at him after he'd taken the toys, pointing at each one and repeating the words he'd told her back to him. Having apparently decided that this exchange made the newcomers less of a threat than before, the woman deftly sidestepped the giant man and padded over to the hummers.

Her gaze seemed to slide over the others as she approached, taking them in, assessing them, and then setting them somewhere below 'threat' and above 'prey' in her mental organization of the world. She jumped easily onto the roof of one of the cars, peering into the windows curiously to see what was there.

"Coche, coche, coche," she murmured to herself. She tried to reach in through the window and frowned when her hand encountered the glass. She slid her fingers over the unnaturally smooth surface, then looked back at 'her' newcomer. "Primal? Coche?"

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"I bet you five bucks Coche means car." Hana muttered at Simon as she watched the wild girl jump about and paw at the Hummer. Under all the grime and dirt, the messy tangle of hair, it was hard to tell how old the strange girl was.

"Let's make it a hundred dollars." Simon dead-panned.

"A thousand." Hana upped the ante.

"Done. Deal. What are you going to do with your new-found wealth?"

"Um." Hana thought about it, stretching out her hoodie pockets with her hands. "I'm going to get a super expensive hotel room and I'm going to spend half the day in a spa bath and half the day in bed. And I'm gonna watch TV and eat all the little pretzels and peanuts and cookies in the mini-bar thingy."

"All of them?"

"Yep." Hana vowed.

"I don't think you would." Hana glanced up at him owlishly. "You always pack a little bit away." Simon looked back at her, smiling slyly. "For a rainy day."

"Do not." Hana blushed and pulled her hood closed tighter.

"I know you." Simon insisted, casually poking his pinky finger into Hana's ribs.

A girlish giggle escaped from Hana's hood and she twisted away from Simon. "You think you know me."

Simon chuckled. "And where would this hotel be?"

"Hawaii." Hana answered without hesitation. "It would be in Hawaii and there would be a balcony so I could watch the ocean and throw shit down at the Zees."

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Coche. Coach. Car. Primal was strong, and big and gruff, but he was far from stupid. Language barriers were a pain in the ass, sure, but most languages had certain phrases and words in common. "Coche?" he asked her as she tapped the glass.

"Good call, Kitten." A grin widened across his face and if those who didn't know him knew any better, they'd think she was starting to grow on the snarling behemoth (not that they'd openly point that out to him). "Car." He tapped the vehicle with a blackened claw.

His eyes narrowed as he peered at the bracelet of charms on her wrist. It jangled and tapped the glass as she moved her hand about it, trying to figure some alternate method around the clear shield that impeded her curiosity. "Hey," he said bluntly. "Lemme take a look at that..."

He sighed, closed his eyes and took a breath. Slowly he reached for her wrist and rephrased his request. "Kitten, can I look at your bracelet?"

As gently as the giant was able to he turned the bracelet over in his claws and read what he could. She looked at him, puzzled, but strangely enough she didn't attempt to stop him. "Hey, guys..." Primal declared suddenly, almost enough to startle her away but when he seemed more engrossed in her charms than her, she hesitated, giving the large man a benefit of the doubt.

"Her name, if this is hers, is Celeste... Nirani... Chevalier. If this is to be trusted, I think I know why she's so lost..." Primal looked to the group now and folded his arms. "She's only 3 years old."

"Coche?" She asked him one more time a small smile forming across her adorable, disheveled features.

He sighed and remembered how much he hated children. "And allergic to penicillin."

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Jasmine's eyes widened at Primal's announcement, and she drew in a deep breath. The young woman standing in front of them looked at least Jasmine's age, if not older. She thought, perhaps, that she had experienced some sort of trauma and lost her memories or something.. but three years old?!

"You're kidding me."

The young super bit her lip, mulling the facts over in her mind. The collection of toys, the limited vocabulary, the personality and mannerisms. They were like that of a young child, if you ignored the body.

Kristin. Violet. James. Jim. Their appearances all changed, somehow. Kristin's body looks like that of a woman at least five years her senior. I suppose it just could be possible, but...

"That would mean she was less than three years old when everything happened..."

Jasmine shrieked in fear as she felt small but terrible teeth sink into her legs, almost like piranhas pooling about her feet. She kicked, instinctively, and then watched in horror as the tiny dead thing flew across the hallway under the force of impact, and slammed into the wall. But without any hesitation, it stood back up and started moving towards her. Behind her, a couple of her rescued charges were crying, though whether it was because of the zombies or because of her, she didn't know. She grabbed a nearby IV stand and hefted it, ready to start swinging at the small, toddler-sized fiends that were approaching, even as she swallowed back the urge to throw up at the very thought of harming innocent children.

"Run! Just run, I'll hold them off!!"

When she spoke again, her voice was quieter, and she looked as if she were trying to suppress some unpleasant thought or memory.

"Then again.. it's not as if the children were spared."

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"Not in the least." Bond said quietly as he moved to the other side of the hummer's hood. Celeste's eyes watched him carefully, but without alarm as he leaned on the vehicle and smiled at her. "Three years old." He turned and looked at Jasmine, who was already looking at him expectantly. An invisible, silent communication passed between them, and Bond turned to exchange a similar glance with Primal, who was likewise staring at him with tawny eyes. The large mutant nodded once, grumbling under his breath, knowing he wasn't fooling Bond one iota.

"Pickin' up more strays..."

"Assuming she agrees to come with us." Bond said mildly as he looked back up at Celesta. "She seems to know French. I picked up a rudimentary sentence there. Perhaps that's her first language."

"I suppose you know it." Primal snorted.

">But of course<." Bond replied in the language with a smile before addressing the girl. ">Hey there, Celeste. Do you understand me now?<"

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She ducked behind her newcomer, then slowly peered around one bicep at the blue-eyed newcomer that had given her the strange food. "Bond," she pointed to him, then tapped Primal on the shoulder. "Primal." She tapped her own chest, "'Leste. Je m'appelle Celeste."

She said the last carefully, each word strung together with care, but that seemed to be the end of her interest in the language lesson. She tapped her fingers on the glass again, frowning at the things inside she couldn't get to. "Bond...coche?"

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"Bond's coche." Bond confirmed with a nod as he tapped the Falcon, then indicated himself. The girl peered through the bullet-proof windows and then back at him expectantly. "I see. You want to see inside?" He looked at Jasmine and nodded towards the woman who appeared to be speaking for this settlement. "While our new friend is distracted, get those toys back to their rightful owners." he suggested in a low voice, then moved around to the door.

"Come on, Celeste." he said to the wild girl as he opened the driver's side door. The Falcon was immobilised, and would remain so without the keys in Bond's pocket that fit the hidden control lock on the dashboard. Without the keys, the button that usually turned over the military vehicle's engine would simply click impotently. Sure, it took a few seconds more to get the engine going, but on the plus side it had prevented the Falcon being stolen at least four times by enterprising types. It was one of a few refinements that Bond's inveterate tinkering had placed in the vehicle. He mused that one of these days he'd get around to the other one, too.

He opened up the door, then reached through and opened up the passenger side door as well, so the girl wouldn't feel trapped. Straightening, he smiled at Celeste and motioned for her to have a closer look. "Do you mind keeping an eye on her?" he asked Primal softly, regarding his friend. "She seems to trust you."

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Jasmine nodded, waiting until Celeste was fully distracted before gathering up the toys quickly. She carried them back to the other woman and handed them to her.

"There - was that all she'd taken, or was there more?"

"There was more - little items, mostly."

Jasmine nodded sympathetically, and motioned her over to the other Hummer. The woman hesitated for a moment, then passed the two large stuffed animals off to one of the other woman standing nearby, with quick instructions to get them back to the kids who they belonged to before the woman - girl - whatever she was, noticed they were gone. Then she followed Jasmine, who had opened up the back of the other Hummer to expose some of the tradable items available.

"Well, we don't have a lot of small toys, but perhaps a couple games and books that the rest of the children could play with and share might make up for it - as a gesture of good faith. I do apologize, though - a lot of it is in English, though once we realized we'd be traveling to Mexico, we picked up a few items in Spanish."

"Why are you in Mexico? Aren't there people to trade with in the USA? What brings you here?"

Jasmine's expression softened, though it gained a more hesitant look to it.

"We.. well, we're looking for my family. Jim - we're together.." She motioned briefly to Bond in the other vehicle, and to Primal, who were both busy with Celeste at the moment. "..and Primal, they were traveling around before I met them, as traders and such. Dr. Mrigesh, Pumpkin, Hana, Simon and I all joined up with Jim in Oklahoma, and Primal just now rejoined us. And.. well, there's people who need medical help, and things to scavenge and trade everywhere, so I've been setting our course, mostly. I was split up from my family when this whole zombie thing happened, and I've been tracking them - trying to find them. My.. my Dad is dead, and my brother Denali. I don't know where my oldest brother is - he was away at college when all this happened. But I found a message from my Mom that her and my aunt and two little siblings are headed to Mexico City. They heard that there was wild food and vegetables growing, and that someone had killed a lot of the zombies in the area to make it safer. So that's where we're headed."

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The girl scrambled into the car, then looked around, nearly panicked, and scrambled back out. After a couple of seconds debating the car, she climbed back into the front seat, reaching into the back to pull up the bags and trade goods. She sifted through them quickly, touching each thing, sniffing most of them, then moving on. Some things, things that smelled good or looked pretty like the dark bars or the flat, shiny squares filled with others like the newcomers, they got put aside. Once a small collection had been gathered, Celeste pulled a swath of ragged, indeterminable dark blue cloth and piled the assortment of items into it. She rolled the cloth around it, then tied it around her waist and back out of the car again.

She stepped up to Primal, grinning, and pulled out a small bright-orange button. "Coche! Bouton! Mien!"

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“Hey…” Hana pulled away from Simon’s side, her smile replaced by a frown. “She’s messing with our stuff,” the little teen murmured as she watched Celeste clamber through the Hummer and then begin to rummage through bags and supplies. “Hey!” Hana started forward. Through the window Hana could see the wild girl rooting through a battered backpack, reaching into it with grubby fingers, pulling something out. “HEY!” Hana’s voice rose with alarm.

“Hana wait—“ Simon tried to caution, but Hana had already broken into a quick jog.

She reached Primal and Celeste just as the latter was shoving an orange button at the former and proclaiming, "Coche! Bouton! Mien!"

“What did you take out of my bag?” Hana demanded, flipping her hood back from her head to better confront Celeste.

“Mien!” Celeste pointed at Hana “Niña! Gilipollas!”

“Give it back.” Hana reached for Celeste, who started back and ducked around Primal, hissing at Hana from behind the giant man-beast’s arm. Hana looked sharply up at Primal, appraising the roadblock set in her way. With an irritated scowl she feigned left and lurched right. Celeste half shrieked, half hissed, and leapt smoothly to the top of the Hummer.

“Hey now,” Primal grumbled as Hana raced around him after her quarry. It took the slender teen three jumps, bumper, hood, roof, to match Celeste’s long leap. As fast and surefooted as she was, Hana was too slow to catch Celeste. The primitive girl launched herself off the Hummer a moment before Hana could get to her, snagging a tree branch and curling up neatly to dangle from it by her legs—safely out of reach. Celeste’s tangled hair hung down in front of her dirty face as she regarded Hana and smiled her triumph.

“You fucking tree monkey!” Hana shouted, stomping on the Hummer’s roof. “Give it back!”

“MIEN!”

“Oooh, Azzy, Bana said a bad word!” Pumpkin adroitly observed.

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Primal took the little button from her as she offered. "Thanks Kitten."

When Hana approached and the fireworks began the feline behemoth couldn't have been more over joyed. He hated children, but he loved them when they acted like this. Hana had every right to be angry although he knew in his heart of hearts that Celeste didn't know any better, some lessons had to be learned the hard way. Even babies needed a spanking once in awhile to tell them to 'keep that out of their mouth' or 'put that down' or 'your little brother is not autopsy practice for med-school'. These things happened, it was called life.

Hana didn't seem to have any fear of Primal (which he kinda digged about the little scamp) and if she did, she didn't seem to show it (which he kinda digged too). She did give him a slight glance from her position on the roof as if to 'if I start this fight, are in her corner?' since she Celeste did seem a little warm on the big lug.

Primal just tilted his head in Celeste's direction as if to say 'have at it kid'.

"A general rule about stealing something, Kitten." Primal said in gruff, growling English. "If you take it, make sure you can hold on to it."

He looked up to Hana and said as quiet as he could manage but still loud enough for Jasmine and Bond to hear. "You going to just let her take yer stuff like that kid? Man, I'd be right pissed." He walked off to the rear of the Hummer, grinning. "Might even do some damage."

"Hey Bond, yer kids are acting up." He chuckled to himself as he left Hana and Celeste to handle their feud. "You still got a bag of my clothes in this thing?"

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