Aberrant: Dead Rising - 12h: Seeking Home

[LydaLynn]

Olivia sighed as she moved on to her next patient. She was almost done, then she could rejoin the others. For now, the infected gash on the hand of the young man in front of her took her attention.

[Anatoly]

Benedict nodded, the perpetual grin on his face returned as he arranged the cooking supplies from his pack. "I'm considering a rabbit stew - it will make more food than the meat that goes in would indicate. A southern variant on the Hazepepper, if you will."

With a stubby pencil, the big cook made a few notes in his thoroughly thumbed workbook, a short calculation on the amount of water and herbs needed. "It will be a small work of art, under the willing grace of whatever deity governs food and its preparation."

He hummed merrily as he began his preparations, mixing the herbs and spices for the marination of rabbit meat.

[Dawn OOC]

His ministrations drew attention. As Olivia cleaned and stitched up the gap, more and more people showed up. They were bringing Benedict food, more than he'd ever need - or want - for the stew. Some of it he had to dismiss for the stew - it wasn't going to work. But some he could use. The youngest took it as a challenge, to see who could find the most outrageous ingredient that he would still use.

It was an odd game, but it was good to see children playing.

[Anatoly]

At first, Benedict stood there with his lips pursed, as ingredients were passed to him which no one in his right mind would consider stew-material. Whether it'd be beets or chili peppers or unidentified plants of local repute, he looked at them funnily, then rearranged them according to what each ingredient would go well with.

While he used his hacknife to go to town on a cabbage, carefully removing the parts that were starting to look...less appetizing, he caught the children snickering over a package of sambal from the corners of his eyes. When they proceeded to stalk up to him, the food hidden behind their backs, he realized the nature of the game.

Benedict graciously accepted the package of sambal, standing at his table with the confused look of a person who entered a store for a salami and exited with ice cream.

For a second he considered stretching his creativity, seeing if he could indeed, make a combination appetizing with such a plethora of unlikely additions. But he quickly dismissed the idea - these people (aside of their games) needed nourishment and a hearty meal, not a bypass.

[Himiko]

Trying yet again to write this post. A note: I say that I have not found anyone living, but I wasn't looking that thoroughly for individuals or small groups, just keeping an eye out for compounds/large groups. I suspect Jules's line should be rewritten, as well, but I don't know her character that well.

Himiko approached the group, saying, "How are you planning on supplying all these people? I've been over half this island already, and while I haven't found anyone living to compete with, I've also found precious little in the way of non-perishables left."

Fox turned towards her, letting her feel for the first time the full force of his personality. He was so handsome, and as he began to speak, his words seemed to wash over her like a soothing balm. This was a man she could trust, surely.

Himiko suddenly noticed the course of her thoughts, prompting an immediate response that interrupted what ever Fox was trying to say. So suddenly that she didn't appear to have moved at all, she went from standing casually to having her assault rifle pointed directly at the man in front of her, safety off and firing selector flicked to full automatic.

"Cut it out!" Slowly backing up, she said, "Keep your mouth shut and don't move, and I'll let you live. Make one threatening move, and I include saying anything, and I'll find out if you're bulletproof."

Jules stepped into Himiko's side, sweeping the gun up and away from people while twisting her leg around behind Himiko's and pulling to knock her down. "What's your problem! He didn't do anything!"

"I trust him. I want to trust him, and I know better than to trust any stranger these days. Champions like him became whatever they were, only more so. I've yet to meet a Manipulator who was worth trusting. Maybe he isn't that bad, maybe he's good, but when they can mess with your mind, how can you be sure?" She sounds a bit desperate and lost near the end, but still resolved to get away from this man as fast as she safely could.

[LydaLynn]

Olivia, finally irritated beyond her normally quiet personality, "Seriously? What is with all you people and guns?! I just get finished pulling a bullet out of his shoulder and now you want to put more in? You're all nuts! How about this, how about NO ONE tries to kill ANYONE ELSE for a while! How about we pretend we're CAPABLE of reasonable interactions for a while! I mean really? It's not like there isn't enough pain and suffering and death going on that we need to look for more!"

Her face red with anger, Olivia throws down the bloody rag she had been using to clean the boy's wound before stitching it up. With a grunt of frustration, she turns and stalks over to the stew pot and stands staring at the concoction trying not to rip anything to shreds while she cools down.

[Jillian Johnson]

Jules stepped into Himiko's side, sweeping the gun up and away from people while twisting her leg around behind Himiko's and pulling to knock her down. "What's your problem! He didn't do anything!"

"I trust him. I want to trust him, and I know better than to trust any stranger these days. Champions like him became whatever they were, only more so. I've yet to meet a Manipulator who was worth trusting. Maybe he isn't that bad, maybe he's good, but when they can mess with your mind, how can you be sure?" She sounds a bit desperate and lost near the end, but still resolved to get away from this man as fast as she safely could.

Jill had remained silent and determined throughout the whole conflict trying to reinforce the impression that she was one of Jules and Fox's enforcers and willing to act if things went south. Although the situation seemed to be solved with the villagers the sudden appearance of the new stranger and her obviously hostile demeanour brought Jill back to full alertness. As she stepped next to Jules she left deep indentations on the floor cracking lose pebbles and debris with ease under her feet. Her entire skin seemed to be made of living steel, only her blonde mane remained 'natural' waving easily in the wind. She wasn't afraid of getting physical and one hand was clenched to a fist, ready to strike if this couldn't be settled peacefully.

As she listened to the woman she wondered how close to the truth she was. Violet did manipulate her and she couldn't remember when she succumbed to her alure. She still loved her but she had trouble trusting her own emotions. Jill's eyes wandered over to Fox as she reflected on this. He was a very handsome man and had an unusual commanding presence. She liked being around him, she trusted him - he was a good leader... or so she thought...

[Stargaizer]

Draconis' head turned and aimed at the newcomer, twin pillars of smoke rising from his nostrils. He was ready to incinerate anyone who hurt his team or friends. He didn't bend over or move closer, but he didn't have to, he knew his flame would reach from here.

Besides his aim, he didn't seem to respond to the new development that was going on below him.

[Dawn OOC]

"How about," Jules said as she continued to keep the gun up, "we all put away our weapons and talk. And before you decide Fox is a bad guy, why don't you give him a chance to show you he's not. Let's do as the doctor says and be rational people. We can get irrational later, if needed."

"I'd rather be judged by my own actions," Fox said, spreading his hands on the universal gesture of peaceful interaction, "than shot because you've met people who abused their powers."

[LydaLynn]

Olivia's breath came out in a gust of bottled frustration. Then she closed her eyes and counted to ten silently before taking another deep breath. Repeating the process a few times, she managed to calm herself. Rationally, she knew she had over reacted, but she accepted it as a response to the adrenalin from being shot at earlier.

She still wasn't comfortable around people, and she had been around alot of people lately. And out exploring in rather dangerous conditions didn't help calm her. This was not the worst experience she had been through, but she was having a stronger reaction to it. Maybe it was that she felt she was actually part of the group, or maybe it was that she felt there were others around capable of helping to protect the innocent. Whatever the reason, she needed to regain control of her emotions.

Once she felt centered again, Olivia turned back to the group with a muttered, "Sorry." She chewed on the side of her lip as she tried to simultaneously rejoin the group and keep outside of it. She hoped they would indeed continue to be able to talk and not fight.

[Himiko]

Himiko stayed on the ground, though she let herself huff out a breath in frustration. "You try having someone convince you to willingly let you be sacrificed to their god because your dad wasn't white, and see how you react to people who are too charismatic. If I was being irrational, I would have shot first," some of the members of the compound being treated glanced at each other uneasily after this comment. "Instead, all I asked was to be let to leave safely. The closest you came to being shot was when this lady," she gestures to the woman straddling her," knocked the gun up. My finger was on the trigger, the safety was off, and it was set to full automatic. You're lucky she didn't fill you full of holes with that action."

"Just, please, try to tone it down a little, and I will try to control my dislike of manipulative people. Most people I've met with abilities got things that meshed with who they were before, so I have trouble trusting anyone who was good enough at manipulating people for it to become a power. If you don't mind me asking again, though, how were you planning on supplying this many people? I'd estimate from what I've seen of this compound and this island that even without adding more people they had less than 6 months to live." She remains on the ground throughout this, willingly letting herself be subdued, and carefully not revealing that she had options not apparent to her captors. This had saved her life before, and it would take a lot more than a charismatic individual to get her to reveal them... such as a charismatic individual who knew just the right questions to ask. Before, she had only survived because they asked her to hand over all of her weapons and didn't ask if she had anything dangerous she couldn't surrender to them.

[Dawn OOC]

"You weren't going to shot him, accidently or otherwise," Jules snapped. "I know my business."

"Let her go," Fox said. Jules grumbled about it, but she slowly rose and let Himiko get up. "Now, ma'am, we come in peace. If you're going to treat me like this because you've had bad experiences with someone like me in the past, you're welcome to take your prejudices and leave us alone. No spying on us, either – if you want us to interact with us, then do so openly. I am honest with others and honesty is what I expect in return.” His words could have been seen as harsh, but they were merely firm; he somehow took the sting out of them with his tone and smile.

With that, he turned to Martin. “I have an offer for you,” he told the man. “If you’ll make room for us here, we’ll help you survive and take care of your super problem. I know you’ll want to think about it for a bit, so let’s see to getting your people taken care of.”

[Stargaizer]

The situation diffused, Draconis imploded into the form of Draygo. It didn't take long, but it tended to be unsettling for those who saw it for the first time. Hopefully it didn't put anyone off too much. Draygo walked over to Fox and the group standing around him, leaving three toed, T-Rex like footprints in the dirt.

In his low and gravelly voice he addressed the group. "I can do any heavy lifting, electrical or construction work that they need. Or Draconis can take sentry. Whatever is needed or wanted the most."

[Himiko]

Getting up, Himiko responded to Fox, "I don't spy so much as observe. The biggest difference is that I don't use what I learn against you, I just try to make certain I come into things on the better side. There often isn't a right side, as so many problems get started by misunderstandings, but if I had gone by first impressions alone I would have guessed that your group of champions was attacking this compound, using a demonstration of force to get what you wanted. I observed you, and saw that it wasn't what it first appeared, but couldn't hear enough to know what it was.

"As for my prejudices, I'll admit that I'm probably too jumpy around people who are too charismatic to be true. The problem is that the only defense I've come up with is to analyze my behaviour and notice when I'm not acting logically, and trusting you that fast is not logical, not in this day."

ooc

Yes, OOC, I realize that if he <em>had</em> been using powers on me, I would never have realized it, but in character she is attempting to develop a defense against manipulation<br></p><p>

She brushes the dirt off of her back and pants as she says to Jules, "I know what I am doing, too, at least when I'm not distracted by a mild phobia. If your people and mine turn out to be compatible, I'd love a friendly spar to see who's better, but now is not the time for that."

Her attention turns briefly to Draygo, "Nice trick. That is not one I've seen before," before returning to Fox and the people of the compound.

"You seem to be the leader of this merry band. What super problem are you talking about? If you have a corrupted champion running around, then it is my duty to help. I'll need to know as much as possible about him or her. I've found that sometimes a champion doesn't go bad, they just get confused, especially if they Awakened through being infected. If this one has gone bad, I'll help take them down, but just as you don't want to be judged without a chance to defend yourself, so too does this person deserve a chance." With that, she stands and waits for a response.

[Anatoly]

Benedict deftly mesmerized the kids with sleight-of-hand using cooking utensils, flashy movements of the stewpot and other flamboyancy designed to distract them from the tension nearby. As he did, he slowly turned in such a way as to place himself between the eager-eyed onlookers and Himiko and his friends. If things do turn ugly, he thought to himself,at least they won't be in the way"

He didn't think it would be necessary, but the new arrival did seem to have her fair share of double standards and didn't seem to be playing well with others without some posing and friction. Pfaw, he chortled inside,that's what had gotten Humanity in the mess we're in in the first place."

[LydaLynn]

Olivia, seeing that people weren't likely to go back to shooting each other, sighed with some relief and looked around for something to sit on. This looked like it was going to take a while. And though there were things she could do to make the people of this place healthier, there wasn't anything she could do in one afternoon. So for now, she'd wait and see what was going to come of all this talk before moving to expend more resources and time. It might not be the most compassionate stance, but she had never been accused of being compassionate. Logical and practical, that was more her style. And it was much more logical to wait and see what would come of things than run around getting half started on things that only tired her out when she might be needed later.

She studied the strange woman as she sat. After her experience with Venus, Olivia could fully understand Himiko's distaste for the overly personable Mutated. Thinking back over the last week of her interaction with the compound, Olivia couldn't think of any way in which Fox had unduly used his influence. Granted, Olivia wasn't particularly comfortable around the attractive man, but she was uncomfortable around anyone attractive. Scratch that, Olivia could admit to herself that she was more or less uncomfortable around people, period. The attractive were just more difficult for her to deal with.

[Anatoly]

Gradually Benedict came up to speed, as if he had discovered the most optimal places to stand and paths to take for each bubbling pan and boiling pot. From cutting to carving and stirring to tasting his bulky form seemed to...almost float, rather than walk, with a precision and grace that seemed to be unsettingly out of place for a person his size.

With a twist of his arm he poured out bowls of a hearty, steaming stew - each laden with an exactly equal amount of vegetables, meat and potatoe bits.

I don't think a hearty stew warrants a roll, but if you want me to I will

While doing so, his eyes kept darting to and fro the forest on occasion. For some reason, he felt eerily watched, this moment of peace and tranquility the most opportune moment for the unknown Super out there to respond to intrustions in "his domain".

[Dawn OOC]

"Actually," Fox told Himiko calmly, "we can handle the super. I have no doubt that our group can manage things. And since you've already pulled a gun on me and judged me, I'm not inclined to have you at my back in a fight. I'm sure you understand that we don't have the level of trust needed to work together. If your enclave is nearby, then I'd be happy to start building that trust. But not with hunting a possibly rogue super together, not yet." Fox's expression was not bitter or mean; he was speaking with complete frankness.

Meanwhile, people were lining up for Benedict's delicious stew. Where Fox's words had softened their fears, and Olivia's work had allayed them completely, Benedict's won them over. People started to talk to him - not just thank him but ask about him and his friends. It seemed that the way to someone's heart was through a hearty meal!

[Himiko]

She had tried being calm and reasonable with this man, once she had recovered from his doing the equivalent, in her opinion, of brandishing a pistol at her, but her words weren't getting through. Maybe a bit of bluntness would convey what she meant better.

"Would you have kicked me out for pointing my gun at you after you had threatened me with a physical weapon? To me, the way I can feel your words is every bit as a much of a threat as if you held a blade at my neck, only it is a blade I can do nothing about except seek distance. I offered you peace in the form of just asking for enough space to feel safe; if you don't understand that, then you don't understand the effect you have on others, and are well on your way to becoming the threat I suspected you might be. I admit that I overreacted a little, but this is not a double standard, this is an attempt on my part to develop a reasonable standard for an entirely new kind of weapon, one that can kill you before you even know it is there.

"As for your rogue super, I want to be involved for his sake more than yours. I have learned some things about what makes some of us go crazy, and a lot of those things can be handled safely for both them and us. You accuse me of spying and hold that against me, but I didn't survive two years in an active combat zone before this whole mess started without learning the value of reconnaissance. Spying would be me coming in here under false pretenses to learn your defenses before taking advantage of them, while all I was trying to learn was if this compound was stable and sane enough to open relations, or if they should be marked as off limits to future patrols. I rushed in because I heard gunfire--I don't leave anyone to random violence, not if I can help it.

"I offered to spend more time with you because I wanted to know which you were: ramen, or varelse; potential ally, or enemy." Himiko then turned to the other people standing there. "It has become apparent to me that you and these people are not one group. Would you please tell me about your problem and what he has been doing? I might be able to help both you and him in ways this fool would not consider." Turning her back on Fox and Friends, Himiko left with one of the representatives of the compound to discuss their problem. Maybe later they could come to some agreement, but today had just been a big screw up all around for meeting the others.

[LydaLynn]

Olivia sighed and after making sure all her patients were fed, particularly the man with the broken ankle, she moved over to where Benedict worked. Silently, she handed him bowls and the people spoons. It wasn't much help, but it made things go a little more quickly, a little more smoothly. For just a moment she wished there had been an oven. She remembered the bread her mother had always made when they had stew, or the cornbread when they had chili. It was the only time her parents ever really sat down in the same room with her, the rare Sunday evening dinners. For the lack of a little fresh bread Olivia bit back tears. Then she looked into the faces of those being fed. Heard the voices as they spoke with the masterful chief. Warmed inside, Olivia realized this was worth saving. If nothing else of civilization survived, a hearty stew and friendly people to share it with was a memory she would carry with her as she fought to find a way to stop the spread of the infected.