Aberrant: Dead Rising - Chapter 3a: Regrouping

[Mr Fox]

((Just to be clear, Fox is using all his new socials on these guys, Commanding presence, persuader, and awe-inspiring.))

The Captain nodded as if he understood where they were coming from, he glanced over at Violet looking her up and down for the others to see. "Well, men, I suppose I can see where you might get notions like that. Violet is a fine woman, but whatever you think she might have been offering, stop for a second and look around. There's what 15 of you out here and there weren't anything but these two ladies before I arrived. I think Mrs Violet was just playing for time and looking for a way out if you know what I mean. Put yourself in her place, two rabbits surrounded by fifteen hounds? You'd say whatever it took too I think. But lets just put that aside for the moment. Mrs Violet runs a club in the base and she treats people right and sees that they have a good time, but don't go seeing any promises where none are given. If I let you folks back in, I am sure Mrs Violet will see you all have a drink on the house. Course, whether I let you back in remains to be seen."

He looked over to the man who had pointed out Jules. "You, come over here. I want to show you something." He also motioned for Jules to come to him as well.

"Jules, here was my brother's wife before he died. Show this man your arm Jules." If she does, Morgan will point out the bite marks and show him how many there were.

"You see that? Some of them marks are old enough to have nearly faded completely away. You think she is infected? You know anyone that took more than a single day to turn? Ever hear of such a thing?" He looked at the other men in turn, "Any of you ever hear of someone that took more than 24 hours to turn after they were bit?" Morgan nodded. "I didn't think so. Any of you fellows ever been bit by a dog when you were a kid, or your sister or something? Did the marks fade in a day or did the bruising last a while? I know when I get a bruise it lasts for days. Jules here was first bit months ago and she hasn't turned, and she won't ever turn."

He let that sink in for a minute then continued, "Now, I'm not doctor or scientist, but don't you fellows suppose it might be a good idea to have someone around that is immune to the sickness? If we ever do find a scientist it might just be a good idea to have her around, someone that's immune and all. Maybe her blood might be good for making a vaccine against the Zoms? Keep you from turning someday, you stop to think of that?"

He shook his head sadly, "I didn't think so, but this here is my base and I'm responsible for everyone's safety so I have to think of those things. Have to look ahead and not just at today. This here is a place of safety, at least as safe as it's possible to be these days, and I'm the one that made it that way. Now you fellows are going to have to help me keep it safe. I can forgive the fighting you boys were doing this once, but it's my responsibility to keep everyone inside those walls safe. Help me understand how it would be safer for everyone to let you all back inside those walls after all the grumbling I've been hearing about, and now this little display out here." He looked dead serious, "See, if I have any doubt in my mind at all that any of you might cause more trouble in the future, it would be my responsibility to send you on your way now rather than risk it."

He looked the man who had questioned his decision about letting Jules into the base, "You think I've made a mistake about this woman now that you know my reasons?"

[Priest]

"Well ... my bad could make sure we picked up something special for you next time out. Anything you particularly interested in? Something that could help your standing in this community, or maybe give you a leg up in your ... business?"

It wasn't much of an offer, but a it might do the trick. After all, everyone wanted something, and if they didn't have to risk their own hides getting it, so much the better.

[Venus]

Originally Posted By: Mr Fox

He looked the man who had questioned his decision about letting Jules into the base, "You think I've made a mistake about this woman now that you know my reasons?"

Violet walked over to Jules while the Captain held his speech. She wanted to give her some comfort and carefully laid an arm around her shoulders. At least the situation was contained for now but Violet feared that this will happen again if she exposed herself without being in company of James or the Captain. If she wanted to have a semblance of a normal life she would need to change back to Jennifer more often, even if that idea didn’t appeal to her a lot.

As she watched the men who were willing to fight over her just to be with her she realised just how desperate the times were in which they lived in. Women were scarce, true. Love was even rarer. She considered herself lucky – extremely lucky to have found James and the sisters. They were the only refuge she had.

Violet found herself in a conflict – it wasn’t that she needed another lover. She was glad with what she had and yet a part of her craved for more. There was this constant voice that seemed to urge her to tease and eventually go even further. She didn’t know what would happen if she was all alone and the opportunity arose to get some intimacy with a stranger. She couldn’t even tell if she considered it cheating on James or the sisters. She loved them but there was more that she needed. It was like an addiction and she would be safe as long she stayed with her lovers… but what if they were separated? What if?

“No!”, she exclaimed trying to swallow it done as she had to physically shake of the realm of thoughts she was entering. Hopefully no one noticed her predicament.

Click to reveal..

She is not screaming or anything. It’s more to herself and Jules and Fox should notice it. It’s up to Dawn to decide if any of the NPCs heard her I guess. I just wanted to point out that V is not yelling. It’s more like wanting to yell but biting it down but somehow it still came out – but more in her spoken voice

[Dawn OOC]

Morgan, Violet & Jules

The men looked in awe of him, like he'd done something amazing instead of just talking to them. Even the guy with the slick grin looked a bit dumbfounded in the face of Morgan's new-found abilities.

"Well," the guy with the slick grin said, looking a bit sheepish, "we didn't mean any harm, we're just trying to help protect the community. She looked bitten, and we know how that goes. It was an honest mistake, made from exhuberance, not malice. And the thing with Violet, that was a misunderstanding as well. We didn't mean her harm, but she couldn't have known that."

The other nodded, either recognizing the well-chosen words or just eager to attach themselves to the guy who was working on not getting thrown out.

Dan & Priest

"Well... I'll tell you what," Curt said. "I need some live traps. There aren't many domestic rabbits left but there are a lot of wild ones, and I'd like to start trapping them for breedin' stock. And I'd like you gentlemen to introduce me to some of the single young ladies running around - no one claimed of course, just the unattached ones. I can meet them myself, but it'll look better if you're doing it, you know? And for that, I'll tell you all I know."

"How about telling us what you know, and we'll see if it's worth all that," Dan offered, making the most casual of motions with his rifle. He didn't point it at anyone or make a threatening gesture, but it did draw attention to the fact that Priest and Dan had guns, and Curt had... rabbits.

"Sure," Curt said after a tense moment of silence. "If I only get one, I'd prefer the cages. Shouldn't be looking for a lady until I can support her, right? Make her the Rabbit Queen." He grinned, but it slipped when it became clear neither man was amused.

"So I hear people talking, and I'd be surprised if it was more," Curt said easily, reeking of confidence. "I mean, what are people going to do against you guys? But there's a lot of hard feelings about one man getting four women. It's like he can't share, you know? Not only offends those of us without none, but those of us who are good Christians. Violates the Bible, right? And him being one of ya'll only makes it worse, like he's getting special treatment. Don't matter that he's some kind of sex-stud - it's gonna cause problems.

"Add in the rumors that the Captain was real cozy with a bitten woman - well, a lot of us had to leave diseased family behind, but he gets to bring one in? Though, shit, I don't believe that rumor myself. Fox is a stone-cold fox, lemme tell you. I don't believe for a fuckin' second he'd let an infected woman in, even though she might be his mom."

Curt leaned back, his eyes glittering as he tucked his hands behind his head. "It's the haves and have-nots, only it isn't money or something that we can earn. You folks won the cosmic lottery and the rest of us poor fucks are just background color."

James

He landed in front of the club with a muffled thump and before the dust had settled, James was in the front door. "JoAnna?" he called, his stomach getting tight with anxiety as he scanned the room.

"Back here," she called, and he hurried to the back room, where he found his lady tending to the two doves she used for tricks. She looked alright and he relaxed, even as he stepped forward and kissed her.

She missed his mood and drew back, laughing a little. "Now? You're an animal." She looked past him. "Where's Violet? Isn't she joining us for a shower?"

[Dan Hawkins]

Dan nods. "I can find them, or barring that fabricate them easily enough."

He shrugs. "It ain't fair that James claims four women, but it isn't really my buisness what he does. Priest would probably me more your man to introduce you to the ladies, most of them here don't seem to like Marines like me."

"As for Fox and the newcomer he brought, yeah she's been bit. I think all of us "genetic lottery winners" have at some point. Back when I first became like this I know I got bit. I didn't know I could fly back then and there's only so far you can run on the ground before they get you by sheer numbers. Those like us seem to be immune to what turns people into deadheads."

"Trust me on this though. If she's really infected, Fox will do what's right. That's one of the reasons I come here, I trust the man."

[Priest]

Preist didn't say anything. For him, it was too soon to cleave to another woman, wasn't it? On the other hand, he had Rhonda, Bethany, and Leo in his little party. As far as he knew, none of them were sleeping with any other member of his posse. How long would that last? How long before there were sexual tensions coursing through a group that already had a razor-thin margins of error. Damn, that wasn't a good thought.

"I'll ... ask around, Curt. I can probably have you enginneered some traps by the end of next week. How does that sound? As for women ... I'm not a pimp, but I won't be shy in letting ladies know you are on the market, Rabbit King."

[Mr Fox]

Fox smiled at the man who spoke and walked over to shake his hand and looked at the other men in the big group, "I'm glad we have an understanding. Just you fellow know that I won't always be telling you my reasons for doing things. I've been a military man all my life and that 'Need to know' that was trained into me is usually a pretty damn good idea. People can't screw up and reveal things they don't know, and in case you boys hadn't noticed, there are still some pretty bad people out there that would like nothing better than to come in here and wipe us out and take the nice things we have. Thing is, I do have the best interest of this place at heart and even for family I wouldn't let an infected person in, remember that. Now if you boys think you can live with not always knowing my reasons and think you can trust me to do right by you, I just might be able to see my way clear to letting you all back in."

Fox suppressed a smile at how eager some of the men looked to agree and instead looked sternly at them, "There is a catch though. Even though you men were fighting because Mrs Violet put you up to it you were out here to make demands over things you had no business getting in the middle of. If you boys want to rejoin our little society, I want you all to spend a week working on the new walls. They are to protect us and the faster they get built the sooner we can breath easier. That there chain fence will keep a zombie or two out, but we need something that will keep a horde out. The more folks we get here the more deaders are going to come looking for lunch and I mean to not let that happen. What do you say, you men up for helping me make this place safer?"

Before his last little speech he had heard Violet give a little cry like something was wrong and he was in a hurry to find out what the problem was, but he just couldn't let this opportunity to straighten these men out pass. Doing it proper now would mean few repetitions of this sort of thing later.

"Now you men head over to the wall crew and volunteer your services and tonight after the work is complete you swing by Mrs Violet's club and I'll make sure you get a free drink. Now get going!" He said that last with a smile.

Assuming they leave Fox will wait for a moment before turning to Violet and Jules to see what was the matter. He was going to have to have a talk with James and his little harem about being more discreet.

[Venus]

Violet kept her voice low to avoid being heard by any of the other bystanders. "I'm so sorry about this, Captain... I, I think this is all my fault. People go crazy when I'm around, I should have known better."

She wanted to say more but that would've revealed too much. She didn't want the Captain to worry about her more than necessary.

"I think I should just stay with James or in the club. Going with you guys on this mission was one big mistake. I apologize for that. I didn't mean to cause any more trouble than we already have."

She gave Jules a little squeeze before she let go of her. "If you need anything, you're always welcome, Jules. The Captain is the next thing to a family I got and I gladly help him whenever I can." Aside from James and the sisters, of course.

"Would you mind calling James? I'd like him to pick me up." she gave the Captain a little smile holding back how much she trembled inside and how close she was to giving in to her frustration and let out her anger about what just happened. She needed a place to vent else she would unleash it right there where she was.

Click to reveal..

Spent 1 WP to stay calm and be patient

[Dawn OOC]

The men give agreements with various levels of enthuasism and shuffle away, looking less than happy about being cajoled into the job on the wall. It wasn't that they were feeling put upon; most of them seemed eager to be contributing to the settlement but weren't looking forward to the hard work of the wall. Which was precisely why Fox had assigned it to them.

Before he completely turned away, the slick guy stepped forward and said, "Glad to be helping the community, Captain. By the way, my name is Matt Corder. I used to be a lobbyist in the Oklahoma legistature. If you need help, just let me know." Sensing that he was in a hurry, Matt didn't try to keep talking to him.

[z-Jules WhiteElk]

Originally Posted By: Violet

"Would you mind calling James? I'd like him to pick me up." she gave the Captain a little smile holding back how much she trembled inside and how close she was to giving in to her frustration and let out her anger about what just happened. She needed a place to vent else she would unleash it right there where she was.

Jules frowned. "We could drive you," she said softly. She looked back at the fire, which was largely burnt down. She seemed partially out of it, and she was still covered in dried blood and zombie ichor. "It's not a big deal. Right, Morgan?"

[Courier]

James felt relief and his stomach unclenched. As usual Jo looked great and all was right in the world again... except of course for the zoms and the up coming mutiny.

James replied, "She's ok, Jill too. V and I were with Fox when one of his people called in. Some people noticed they're on the bottom of the heap, and that there aren't many women and I have more than my share."

James paused to let that sink in then continued,

"It might just talk and blow over, or Fox might head it off, but someone might try to 'share the women wealth'. Love, I know you're armed but I think it's time to wear guns openly."

James gestured with belt he was carrying. He gave her a relieved wink and ran a finger along her scalp's hairline before brushing back her hair and continued,

"You can put a pocket or three in there too. Make bullets or scarfs appear or something."

[seduction On]

[Dawn OOC]

"C'mon, really?" JoAnna said, not quite stopping her smile. "You tell me that I have to watch out for an uncool version of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, you're trying to put the moves on me?" She laughed. "You should go get Violet," she added as she surrendered and put her arms around his neck. "I promised her a shower, so we should wait for her."

[Mr Fox]

Fox pulled the radio from his belt. "This is Fox. Security can stand down, the issue at the Scar is resolved." Switching to the private channel the mission folks had been on earlier he spoke again, "James you there?"

[Courier]

Originally Posted By: Dawn, OOC

"C'mon, really?" JoAnna said, not quite stopping her smile. "You tell me that I have to watch out for an uncool version of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, you're trying to put the moves on me?" She laughed. "You should go get Violet," she added as she surrendered and put her arms around his neck. "I promised her a shower, so we should wait for her."

James brought Jo in close and ran his hands down her back saying,

"Yes, we should shouldn't we?"

Just as he was about to kiss her, Fox rang.

Originally Posted By: Mr Fox

Fox pulled the radio from his belt. "This is Fox. Security can stand down, the issue at the Scar is resolved." Switching to the private channel the mission folks had been on earlier he spoke again, "James you there?"

James sighed and answered the call.

"James here. What's up Fox?"

[Mr Fox]

"I think I've diffused the situation for the moment, but Violet needs you out here asap. Reacting from a stressful day I think." He moved over and put a hand on Violet's arm while putting one arm around Jules' shoulders for comfort. He looked to the fire to where his nephew, that he'd never even had the chance to meet was turning to ash. The world hadn't been too great before the Zoms, but it sure was a hell of a rough place now. Someday he'd grieve. Someday.

[Courier]

James raised an eyebrow to JoAnna and responded, "Understood. You're at the scar, right?"

After getting an affirmative he continued, "I'll be right there. James out."

James kissed JoAnna deeply then broke to say, "I'll be right back."

Leaving her with her new belt he walked out, checked that there were no lynch mobs forming around Violet's, and then launched himself towards the Scar.

[Dan Hawkins]

Dan nods. "Anything else Curt? What I overheard at the Machine Shop this afternoon led me to believe that things were actively moving forward towards more hostile means."

[z-Jules WhiteElk]

Morgan's arm over her shoulder had been unexpected, but after a moment, Jules allowed herself to relax. But then it began to feel like Dan's arm, and it was messing with her. Crossing her arms, she looked up at Morgan, reminding herself who this was. Not her dead love, but his unknown brother, a near stranger.

She didn't feel like he was a stranger. She didn't know anything about him, but she felt like he did. Would he like honey-roasted pecans? Was his favorite color green? Was he ticklish on the back of his neck?

She doubted it and looked back to the fire. Quit messing around. Focus on Ben. She felt guilty, both for trying to resurrect Dan in this man and for thinking about anything other than her son as his body burned away. "I'm a bad mother," she sighed, unaware that she'd said it aloud.

[Dawn OOC]

Curt sighed. "A lot of talk about doing something other than sitting on our thumbs," he grunted. A sly look crossed his face and he added, "Well, it is for me. Would ya'll like me sniff around and make sure it's just talk? A man could stockpile bullets over time. Even with your system, he could claim one or two misses he never took, and pocket those. Over time, it'd add up.

"O' course, anything I find out can be traded to you folks, right? I'm sure I could make up a short list o' things I need."

[Priest]

Priest nods.

"Understand, you are working for Fox now. Everything you tell me or the Captian will go to him. This is his base and if neither the Captain or I are around, you go to Fox with anything ... important."

He looks around,

"Thanks for your time, Curt. We'll be back with those traps in a few days. You can count on it. And when I come back, I'll collect that bunny."

[Dan Hawkins]

Dan nods and waits until they're a ways away. "He may not like our little arrangemnt, and we need to start being even more careful. That bit about stockpiling ammo is very plausible, and rediculously dangerous."

[Priest]

"Problem is, everyone is used to be armed and, quite frankly needs to be armed when death can sneak up all around them. I don't think we are ready to be a state that puts security over safety."

"Of course, I look forward to not carrying twenty pounds of ordanence on me all the time to," he adds with a grin. "I would like my daughter to have a wedding were no one has to come armed. I," he really grins, "have a dream."

[Mr Fox]

Morgan shook his head at Jule's whispered words. He didn't say anything though, anything he said would be meaningless with her son's body turning slowly into ash as it burned. He just stood there solid for one woman hoping she could hold it together till her man arrived and doing his best to comfort another that he knew nothing about. Comforting wasn't what he was accustomed to, he was used to shooting things and giving orders. Guess it's never too late to learn a new skill.

[Courier]

James landed a few dozen meters away from the Scar with a thump and surveyed the situation.

A corpse was burning and Jule looked unhappy. No shock there.

Violet was here but looked out of sorts.

Morgan was here looking commanding and a little grim.

A dozen plus men were here looking beaten up.

James thought, *Hmm... there's a strong possibility I should be getting pissed right about now. Still, V looks ok, let's just ask.*

James shifted his stance just so and put what he hoped was a forceful expression on his face and said,

"So... is there something going on here that I need to get involved in?"

[seduction On: Violet]

[Venus]

"No honey.", said Violet shaking her head. "I just want to get out of here. Please take me back to the club, we can talk there."

Violet was really out of sorts but obviously happy that James was finally there. She gave him a short but intense kiss and turned to the Captain and Jules to wave good bye. "My offer stands, Jules. Anytime."

Then she slung her arms around James' neck and made a little hop fully trusting him to catch her and take her away. Everyone should see that she belonged to him.

[z-Jules WhiteElk]

Jules gave Violet and James a nod, wondering if she was really sincere, or if the sexpot wanted more. Jules wasn't sure what more could be, but some of the reactions she'd gotten since her improvment made her suspect that she was prettier than before. Violet was much prettier than her that Jules couldn't imagine that would be it.

And Morgan. What did he want from her?

Jules curled her lip. She hadn't been here an hour, and already she was assuming that they wanted things from her. Maybe you should just calm down and give them a chance to show you what they're about instead of assuming they're all like McGoven?

Involuntarily, she remembered what she'd seen in that "private room" in Gallup, and she couldn't stop the shudder that passed through her.

[Courier]

James effortlessly picked up Violet and leaped both of them up into the air. A few moments later they landed in front of "Violet's"... and James made no attempt to put her down and instead carried her into her club.

[Dawn OOC]

Later that night...

Darkness had fallen. The fires had leapt into existance, one twinkling red star after another, created both for the conservation of energy and for warmth. Women, all closely watched by the men tied to them, cooked over the dancing flames. The smell of roasted meats and stews began to fill the air. It would have been a traquil scene, save for the random bursts of gun fire that punctuated the night. Each shot was, hopefully, a zombie removed from the world.

After each had eaten, the leaders of this community gathered together to discuss the next steps. Everyone agreed that they needed to raid the armory in Lawton. Even if they didn't need the firepower right now, there would come a time when they would, and taking it now meant they didn't have to risk it falling into another's hands. So it was time to make plans and prepare.

Click to reveal.. (OOC Chatter)

Feel free to state what you did between the end of your last post and this one. Feel free to get into as much or as little detail as needed. Courier, I'm setting up a thread for Violet's stuff, so you can detail stuff there, if you want.

Long, Lorraine hasn't turned into a zombie. Also, you and Priest have had a chance to talk to Fox about what you learned, if you wish. Or you can bring it up here, ICly, and let it all be discussed.

Fox, I assume you set Jules up somewhere; let me know the details, please.

[Dan Hawkins]

Dan makes the effort to corner Fox on the other issue that's plaguing the camp, the Armory.

"Fox, we need to go back after that armory. I figure we take a smaller team, and not all "specials" like us. Some of us have to stay here at the base to keep order. Ostensibly I'd like to take Priest and his detachment with me and James. We get in fast and then out as fast. I'll fly overwatch to avoid the stopsticks again. With any luck we can handle this with the smaller crew."

He waits patiently to hear Fox's response. He knows they need the supplies, but with matters currently as they are, Dan felt he needed to stay on base. Doing it this way Fox has deniability and the responsibility rests more on Dan and Priest. With James being part of the team no one can say he at least isn't doing his part for the community.

[Courier]

James looked tired but relaxed and happy, it probably wouldn't be a good thing to ask him what he'd been up to. He said,

"If people are starting to go after my ladies then I should be here to deal with that. We might be hitting the point where I need to make an example of someone."

"On that subject Violet has an idea on how to defuse all this community tension that's around. I assume she's going to need my help to implement it."

[z-Jules WhiteElk]

A knock sounded at the door and then Jules poked her head in. "Hi," she said softly, looking around the room. "Can I join you guys? I want to go back to Lawton when you go."

She looked tired, but her black eyes were steady and she seemed determined. She also looked a lot better; she'd showered and was wearing clean clothing. Now it was possible to see that she was fairly pretty, although she looked just a little too malnurished. Unaware of the image she was creating, she patiently waited for someone to allow her to stay or tell her to go.

[Venus]

Violet was at James' side looking even more breathtaking then ever.

Click to reveal..

She just had her M-App raised from 1 to 2

It was only a matter of time when that topic would be raised and she decided to let James do the talking first before she started to answer any questions. She was leaning against him obviously enjoying his half embrace in which she was cradled in. Violet watched the reaction of the men taking in the overall mood and intentions while she tried herself to appear as genuine and sincere as she could - if that was even remotely possible.

Click to reveal..

Emp. Man. active in scan mode. Should hostile intentions or a general foul mood because of her or James make the round she would try to intervene

[Courier]

Originally Posted By: Jules WhiteElk

A knock sounded at the door and then Jules poked her head in. "Hi," she said softly, looking around the room. "Can I join you guys? I want to go back to Lawton when you go."

James gave a tired half wave and said,

"Come on in. You're local to the area and one of us as well."

[Mr Fox]

Fox listened to what the others had to say and they were preaching to the choir. There was no way in hades he was going to let an armory like that sit around to be picked up by someone else. Especially not when that someone else could be hostile. Then Jules knocked on the door. He smiled at her as she stood looking unsure. "Come in Jules. You are always welcome among us." He was glad to see that she had gotten cleaned up. When he had taken her down into the base earlier and to the launch control dome, which he considered his personal quarters, he wasn't sure if she would take care of herself or sit in the dark mourning her son. Not that she didn't have the right to mourn, just that he was afraid it might have all been too much for her. He had been alone too much in his own life to have true empathy for her, but intellectually he could imagine what she must be feeling and if there was anything he could do to ease her hurt he would. Besides she was like family, or maybe she was family. He would have to ask someday whether or not she and his brother had ever actually married.

Without thinking he made room on the seat next to himself for Jules to sit if she wished then faced the others. "I'm in complete agreement on the Armory. Even if I didn't want those weapons for defense of this base, I certainly don't want them in the hands of someone that might prove hostile to us. There is also the matter of that one zomb that we dealt with that wasn't just your run of the mill deadhead. It seemed almost intelligent and I'd really like to have some big guns on the towers once the wall is built. We can go tomorrow if you want, in fact if we are taking a smaller group we could even do like we did the other day when we investigated that compound, we could fly over to Lawton carrying folks and once there we could grab some vehicles and drive them back rather than taking our own. The armory should have some decent military transport trucks in good repair."

[z-Jules WhiteElk]

James' welcome was nice, but Jules did look to Morgan before taking the seat he'd offered her. She was glad to be sitting next to him - he was her only real connection here, and she was going to rely heavily on that connection with her next request.

Jules nodded. "Actually, that's what I wanted to ask to do. While you guys are making your raid, I want to go back and get the body of that thing. It was very weird, and I want to know what it was." I want to know what killed my son. She glanced at Morgan. "I think I can find my way back there." She wasn't at all sure, but she'd try. She had to know.

"In exchange, I'll help you get there and back, and I'll help with the raid when I'm not on my side mission. I'm a fair shot and a good fighter." She kept her hopeful eyes on Morgan, knowing that Dan would have understood why she wanted to do this, and hoping Morgan was more like his brother than not. Of course, Dan would know that if he said no, she'd sneak off and do it anyway. Morgan would just have to learn that the hard way, just like Dan had to learn.

[Priest]

"It will be good to have you along, Jules," Priest says.

Turning to Fox,

"This reminds me of something else. In the loot from the last raid, I came across some artifacts from a Scavanger crew I know. No way this guy would trade his ring for anything, so I'm assuming he was killed. Now his stomping grounds were north and east of here. He was well armed and equipped and careful. I don't like it. Someone took them out and then traded their gear to the goons in Lawton, or something like that. You need to be careful incase there is a human band raiding settlements, especially if there are people like us in them - like the person James came across."

[Mr Fox]

Morgan considered her request and nodded. "That sounds like a damn good idea actually. It would help to know if we might be facing some kind of new mutated strain of deader or if that was just a freak and one of a kind. You won't be going alone though. We'll hit the armory first and get things started, get folks loading up the weapons onto the trucks then you and I and maybe one other can go look for that body. We won't be bringing it into the base here though. It will have to remain outside dead or not, I don't want to take any chances."

[Mr Fox]

The captain didn't look pleased at Priest's news. "That's all we need, scum killing survivors and looting them. Yeah, we'll watch out for that. Thanks for the warning."

[Venus]

Originally Posted By: Jules WhiteElk

She kept her hopeful eyes on Morgan, knowing that Dan would have understood why she wanted to do this, and hoping Morgan was more like his brother than not. Of course, Dan would know that if he said no, she'd sneak off and do it anyway. Morgan would just have to learn that the hard way, just like Dan had to learn.

Violet watched Jules carefully and leaned closer to James whispering to his ear, "She really wants to get back to that place. I think she is up to something stupid, can't tell for sure though. Her grief is...", she paused searching for the right word, "so aggravated it's barely tolerable. You should keep an eye on her if you go with them."

Violet resumed her position in James' arm, glad that the topic about them doesn't seem to be top priority.

[z-Jules WhiteElk]

Jules let out her held breath and relaxed when Morgan didn't argue with her. He agreed with her. He was even going to go with her and take more help! She gave him a smile before tucking her hair behind her ear and sitting back in her chair for the first time since arriving.

"What's the plan?" she asked. "I assume we're not walking in blind." Dan repeated his idea and Jules nodded. "A spotter with binocs on the first vehicle could spot something, being at a different angle. But the flying ahead is a good idea." She chuckled, and even those with the ability to sense emotions could tell she was just going through the motions of the laugh. "Having to consider flight as a viable tactic is going to take some getting used to."