Aberrant: Dead Rising - Chapter 10e: Chaos

[Mr Fox]

Fox clapped James on the shoulder. "Good man. Just give it till tomorrow or the next day before you try explaining, those women are on the edge right now. We'll get shelter set up for them as quick as possible. Probably use one of the buildings going up right now as a permanent dorm, maybe the school, it can server double duty. Tomorrow I'm thinking we'll raid Holiday World in Dallas and Houston. Tons of trailers and RVs that we could just pull straight through one of my gateways. Instant house comfortable accommodations. At the very least it would get people out of the tents and be better shelter. I'll need your help with that if you're up to it."

[Venus]

Violet watched the girls munching away their hunger. She hadn't expected how starved they were and for a short moment she was worried that she didn't make enough. She took the bottle of honey and closed it carefully while she wiped away a small drop that was about to fall down. The sweet taste made her smile but the outside observer would've thought that she was up to something. Her tongue licking the golden honey off her luscious lips...

The unearthly beauty with a body that was more out of a comic book sat down on the floor her long legs seeming to go forever while she reclined with her back against the door.

"Looks like you both approve of my cooking skills?", she said suppressing a little laugh as the teenage girls stuffed themselves and mumbled in agreement. It felt good to do something for the girls - the reward was immediate and she sensed how their worry and wariness dissipated giving way to more positive emotions like happiness and a sense of safety.

The impossibly curvacous succubus watched the girls for another while and found herself looking again and again at Kristin. The young girl(?) was breathtakingly beautiful but her eyes had a haunted look. Even now she seemed to be expecting the worst - as if this wasn't for real and just another cruel means of torture.

"You don't have to worry anymore, Kristin. This is my home - things are safe here and I think it's the best place to be short of the Captains own quarters.", she gave both girls another sisterly smile.

"How old are you? And don't lie to me, I can tell if you do that.", she winked at them.

[Atomicweasel]

"I already told you, remember?" Hana murmured. "Thirteen..." she glanced across the room at where Kristin had hidden herself in the corner. "...and a half."

Hana suspected Violet wasn't really listening though. Violet was interested in Kristin. That much was plain. So Hana quietly went back to eating her pancakes, one small mouthful at a time. She didn't rush them, even though her hunger was an acute pain that only seemed to grow worse with every bite, even though she wanted nothing more than to stuff her face as eagerly and ravenously as Kristin was doing.

Halfway through her pancakes, Hana paused and looked up at Violet, licking her fork clean. "Is there anything to drink?"

[Krysti-Lynn Magnussen]

Kristin was licking her the last of the honey off her plate when Violet asked her two young guests their age. The way those purple eyes kept looking at her made her think there was some nasty surprise in the pancakes - or maybe the honey - but her stunning smile eased her anxiety, and when she winked, Kristin wondered why she was ever worried that Violet might have been like Hornsbeck.

"Um..." Kristin answered hesitantly, as if she really had to think about how old she was. She had endured more in four months than any woman should have to endure in a lifetime. "I'm... fifteen... still. Until October."

Kristin carefully set the plate aside, then pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs, a slight look of discomfort on her face. She wasn't used to good food and it was sitting heavy in her stomach.

She shuddered at the thought of being kept in the Captain's quarters. Master Hornsbeck had made her call him Captain in some of his games, too. This room was okay, if there was another way out so she didn't have to cross the stripper room or whatever it was.

[Venus]

Didn't she say she was 14?, Violet raised an eyebrow at Hana and smiled again, "Of course you did... I just thought we should all know."

Then Kristin spoke up and for a moment Violet just stared. Just... fifteen? Godess... that means.... The buxom bombshell gasped briefly and then shook her head.

"I'm sorry... Sixteen in October? That's... I'll be 22 in October.", Violet wanted to add something more but then changed her mind - well she was busy casting away her more lusty thoughts. Blinking twice she forced images of her under the shower with Kristin, their bodies rubbing against each other or how small rivulets of sweat would path their way over Kristin's muscular and her ripe breasts.

Instead she focused on what all this actually meant. Kristin was a super without doubt. "So you... changed, too?", Violet asked her voice showing much compassion as the truth became apparent. Kristin's change was in some odd way similar to her own...

The ultra busty sexbomb crossed her arms under her breasts (across was futile anyway) and watched Kristin carefully, the former look gone and replaced by honest concern and compassion. This young teenager was special for her, more than she thought.

[Courier]

Although clearly thinking, James said, "OK" and left it at that.

Never make permanent decisions when you're depressed or hungry. Donating V's to the community falls under that heading I think. So... find a tent? Move to that house I found after the break up? Let's try a tent, at least for now. I'll take one of these trailers Fox is talking about tomorrow.

Right now... let's find Jo and tell her everything that's happened, including that tiff between me and Dan and how everyone else took it. I'll send her in after my stuff and tell her to look up Helen and Jan too.

[Mr Fox]

Seeing that James wasn't going to make waves Fox headed to Violet's unsure what the situation would be like in there. Rather than enter he knocked and waited for one of the ladies to answer. It was one of the refugees he was happy to see. "Excuse me. I need to speak to Violet, would you ask her to come down please?"

Standing outside the door and not entering made a good show of the club being 'safe' from men. Just one more small thing to help ease their tension.

[Atomicweasel]

Hana looked over at Violet. She might only have been a thirteen year old--who looked like a twelve year old at best--but Hana recognized sex when she saw it. She was staring straight at it right now. Violet was wearing it like a cheap perfume and it was coming off her in waves. Desire. Deep and naked. Violet wanted Kristin. Bad. Hana could see it in the way Violet held herself, back arched, legs planted just so. She could hear it in Violet's voice, the way it turned sweeter just for Kristin, dropped into a husky octave.

I might as well be invisible, Hana thought. She wasn't used to coming in second place. At school she had always been the prettiest. But around women like Violet and Kristin, supernaturally beautiful women, Hana barely rated a second glance. And she knew it.

Stung, Hana returned to her pancakes with a faint blush. The maple syrup was making her thirsty, but she wasn't a stranger to thirst. She'd already had a bottle of water today, that was better than most days, and she wasn't about to leave her pancakes...no matter how thirsty she felt.

Don't be ungrateful. Hana reasoned with herself. She gave me pancakes and a shower and a bed to sleep in. She doesn't owe me anything. Quietly, so as not to disturb Kristin and Violet's conversation, Hana slipped off the bed and padded out the door without so much as a whisper, her plate of pancakes held in her hands.

She took her plate of pancakes to the bar counter and pulled herself up on a stool, her bare feet swinging lightly back and forth over the floor as she resumed her meal.

[Krysti-Lynn Magnussen]

Hearing that Violet was only twenty-one didn't really surprise Kristin - what was the expected age for someone who looked impossible? But the way Violet looked at her when she found out she was only fifteen... It didn't make her feel uncomfortable, precisely, but Kristin had never been so acutely aware of just how much she had changed physically, beyond anything a teenager should have been capable of.

Her large boobs, which she had just come to accept, pressed heavily against her legs. Her defined physique possessed a muscular maturity that should have taken years of dedicated training to develop. A casual glance at herself revealed broad shoulders and strong arms, powerful thighs spreading the rents in her jeans wider.

For the first time in what felt like forever, she had seen her face in a mirror and barely recognized herself. She could tell it was supposed to be her face but... Once, Ashley had shown her an article in one of her girly magazines showing celebrities before and after they were made-up and airbrushed and all that stuff. Seeing herself had been like that, only like ten times more drastic and she wasn't even wearing make-up.

"Yeah, I changed, I guess," Kristin conceded a bit sadly, "But nothing like you." She gestured, indicating Violet's unreal measurements.

Kristin glanced away, barely managing to catch a glimpse of Hana as she left, and sighed, leaning head her back against the corner of the room, her eyes closed. I guess Hana didn't want to be around the freaks anymore. I wish she had stayed.

"It happened when I was looking for Chewwy, my pet goat, she continued after a moment, her voice distant with rememberance. "He'd wandered off and it was getting dark and I didn't see the murder of zombs before they were on me. They grabbed me, pulled me down, and started..."

Kristin gave a convulsive shudder, shaking that particular moment away. "Almost as soon as it started though, it stop hurting. Every time they hit me, it hurt less and less, and each second, I could feel myself growing stronger and stronger. In a blink, I was back on my feet and fighting them with skill I never had. I killed them all, and it was almost so easy, I wish there'd been more."

"It was only when I got back to camp after that I really noticed that I'd changed. I'd put on more than twenty pounds of pure muscle." Kristin opened her eyes, and flexed an arm, her bicep bulging into a solid ball of muscle, disproportionately powerful, threads snapping in her overtaxed shirt sleeves. Her bright green eyes clouded with sorrow.

"At first, I think the others were scared of me, but I felt great. Incredible. Special. I was, like, ten times stronger than any of my brothers, ten times tougher. I could run more than twice as fast as them, and Caleb had been to nationals for the hundred meter dash. I was able to fight as good as Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris combined, better even, and I can use an axe just as well. I bet you, if I had a sword, I would be able to use that too."

Kristin laughed and Violet's heart almost broke at the pain it held. "I thought, I really thought, I was a Slayer, just like Buffy, only you know, for zombies, and having some real muscles. Kristy the Zombie Slayer, that's me. How stupid is that?"

"I... I think I might have shown off too much. I did all the heavy lifting, ran the most patrols, killed the most zombies and I didn't even use a gun. My brother, Jacob... I killed..." Violet almost felt nauseous from the sudden waves of grief and self-recrimination emanating from the short, teenaged amazon as tears sprang to her eyes. "After... that, the others said they were going to look for supplies. Only Ashley stayed with me to guard the camp. But now... now I think, they were all afraid of... me. I should never have went looking for them. Maybe then... I'd - I'd never been to Paradise."

Kristin trembled violently, then broke down, burying her face in her hands, a crying as if her soul had been ripped out.

[Dawn OOC]

The woman who answered the door tried not to hide behind it. She was trying to be strong and sure. Her large, almond eyes and black hair caught the light, as did the faded bruises that ran down the left side of her face, neck and under her shirt. It looked like someone had tried to bruise every inch of her body on the left side, leaving the right pristine. At Fox's request, she nodded quickly and shut the door. A second later it opened again and she asked softly, "Who's Violet?"

"The purple-eyed lady," Fox said, politely not expanding on the description, since he felt like he'd be describing a blow-up doll. "Red-head?"

She nodded again and closed the door.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Violet and Kristin were very alone when reality intruded. As the unhuman beauty turned around, a scared woman with faded bruising cleared her throat. "Violet?" At the club-owner's nod, the woman said, "A man's at the door, he wants to talk to you."

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

"Hi." The soft voice jarred her out of her sulking and Hana turned to see a blond man smiling at her. There was something nice about him, something that put her at ease instantly. "Do you need a bed set up for you, miss?"

He was old, but he wasn't that old; maybe in his late twenties. A couple of blankets were folded over his arm, and Hana remembered seeing him spreading them around for the women before. Kristin's cousin, that Ashley girl, hovered nearby, as if waiting for him. But all his attention was on Hana; it was nice to have someone paying full attention to her.

[Atomicweasel]

"Oh, um..." Hana answered Simon's with a fetchingly demure little smile of her own. "I've got a room, already." the slender teen turned on her stool to gaze up into his blue-eyes. They weren't icy and hard like Daniel Craig's eyes, or as deeply blue as Hana's own eyes. Instead they were a soft sky blue, open and welcoming. Hana's feet had stopped kicking back and forth. Her pancakes lay momentarily forgotten.

"With, Kristin and um...and her cousin..." Hana spoke as if the girl wasn't there, not even sparing Ashley a glance.

She realized she was staring at Simon, ducked her head and hid her blush behind the black silky wet tumble of her hair. But she looked right back up a moment later, favoring Simon with an embarrassed grin. She didn't want the conversation to end there. She didn't want him to turn and walk away, so she hastened to add, "I'm Hana," and thrust her little hand out at him.

[Dawn OOC]

His smile went from careful and comforting to completely charming. "I'm Simon," he replied and took the offered hand gently in his. He gave her a good shake, like adults gave each other, and Hana realized he was treating her like a grown-up. "This is Ashley. Now I must ask - where did you get those pancakes? I haven't seen pancakes in..." He stopped and seemed to count, then shrugged. "Too long."

[Atomicweasel]

By way of acknowledgment, Hana tilted her chin up at Ashley, the way she'd seen the jock kids at her junior high-school do. Simon's smile warmed her all the way to her toes. She looked at the pancakes. There was still at least a third of her original helping left, one and a half buttery browned maple syrup drowned pancakes. The fork still held the next morsel in its tines.

Hana looked again to Simon. "Violet made me these. She made some for Kristin, too." Sharing did not come easily to Hana. After spending nearly six months surviving on scraps, the pancakes on the plate before her were a precious treat indeed. The food at Marmac hadn't been too bad, but that abundance had been short-lived. Since then, every meal had been a blessing counted. Every resource Hana stumbled across, from a bag of Twinkies to the rainfall gathered in an empty soda can...everything she could get her hands on had been precious. Had meant another day she could draw breath. She might never again taste pancakes, because as she well knew, anything could happen in Z-land. And anything usually meant something bad.

But when she passed the plate of pancakes toward Simon, pushing it along the smooth marble counter, and when she said "You can have mine if you want. I was almost done anyway." she did so without a trace of regret, in a timid, accommodating tone, and with a sweet little smile upon her lips.

[Dawn OOC]

The surprise and delight in his expression made him look younger - More like my age! - and he reached for the plate. But he stopped before grabbing it and glanced around slyly. "A gift like this deserves a gift of equal value," he murmured softly. His hand snaked into his jacket pocket and came out with a Twix candy bar. "From me to you, for your kindness," he told her and gave it to her with a little bow.

[Atomicweasel]

Any remorse Hana may have felt over turning over her precious pancakes to buy Simon's smiles, quickly became an overwhelming sensation of glee. A candy bar. An honest to God candy bar. Not one of those shitty chalk-tasting power bars that Myfwany and Dan had given her. A Twix bar.

Hana's eyes went wide. Her breath caught in her throat, suddenly tight with anticipation. She reached out, took the Twix bar from Simon. She could already taste it. Milk chocolate drizzled over a caramel covered cookie crust. "Oh, sweet! Thanks!" she blurted at Simon. Hana then spent a difficult moment considering the candy bar in her hand. Save it. She felt her mouth water. Save it. Her eyes glassed over. SAVE IT. And then, remarkably, she tucked the candy bar into her pajama pant's pocket and smiled shyly at Simon. It was all she could do to keep herself from hugging him. "I'm gonna save it."

Half a power-bar, the canned fruits and a Twix bar. Hana quickly calculated. That could last her as much as six days if things went really bad. A whole week almost. If she was careful.

[Venus]

Originally Posted By: Kristin Mackenzie

Kristin laughed and Violet's heart almost broke at the pain it held. "I thought, I really thought, I was a Slayer, just like Buffy, only you know, for zombies, and having some real muscles. Kristy the Zombie Slayer, that's me. How stupid is that?"

"I... I think I might have shown off too much. I did all the heavy lifting, ran the most patrols, killed the most zombies and I didn't even use a gun. My brother, Jacob... I killed..." Violet almost felt nauseous from the sudden waves of grief and self-recrimination emanating from the short, teenaged amazon as tears sprang to her eyes. "After... that, the others said they were going to look for supplies. Only Ashley stayed with me to guard the camp. But now... now I think, they were all afraid of... me. I should never have went looking for them. Maybe then... I'd - I'd never been to Paradise."

Kristin trembled violently, then broke down, burying her face in her hands, a crying as if her soul had been ripped out.

Oh please... no., Krisin's pain and breakdown was almost too much for Violet which made her cry, too. Instantly her desire to touch Kristin and simply be with her got replaced by a deep sense of compassion. Now she just wanted to hold her and offer her some solace, some peace of mind.

Just before she was able to get closer to Kristin and draw her close into an embrace someone knocked on the door and a voice asked for Violet's presence downstairs.

Originally Posted By: Dawn, OOC NPCRM #3

Violet and Kristin were very alone when reality intruded. As the unhuman beauty turned around, a scared woman with faded bruising cleared her throat. "Violet?" At the club-owner's nod, the woman said, "A man's at the door, he wants to talk to you."

The messenger saw what was going on and quickly retreated - "I'll tell him you'll be there in a minute, ok?", another nod acknowledged the woman's suggestion and then door fell shut again.

"Listen honey... I got to... go. But I'll be back as fast as possible, I promise. I won't leave you alone, ok?", she tried to catch the young girls attention but she was too broken to even raise her head to nod or say anything.

Goddess... please..., "I'll be back, ok? Don't leave - I'll take care of you after I'm done downstairs, ok?"

Violet got up on her feet and quickly went to her room shuffling through her clothes for something that would be less revealing than her Kimono.

A tank-top/hotpants combination did the job to cover her but didn't do much to be less revealing - but she had given up on that anyway. No time for shoes - I'll go like this.

The buxom beauty in the shape of a blow-up-doll ran down the stairs, breasts bouncing violently making the top stretch to its limits. As she reached the door she squared her shoulders, pulled the top down (since it was riding up on her humongous breasts revealing parts of her abundancy) to "put it back in place" and opened the door by just a small gap. When she saw the Captain she opened the door a bit more filling out the gap with her outrageous body.

"Captain!?", she welcomed him sensing immediately that something was up. "I didn't do anything, I just offered them to stay here and then things got out of control. It wasn't me, honestly - it wasn't me.", she excused herself over and over again while the rest of her body seemed to invite him to come in and take a better look of her.

[Mr Fox]

Fox chuckled, "Easy Violet. No one is saying you did anything. I heard the story from Duchess and from James. It was a horrible misunderstanding. I smoothed things over with the women and I believe Duchess will be around tomorrow or the next day to apologize for what she did to you. Be forgiving if you can, they've been through a rough time."

He stopped and shook his head sadly, "That's the understatement of the century. Anyway, some of the women will be taking you up on your hospitality, and James will be sleeping elsewhere for now. I'd appreciate it if you'd keep the club off limits to men for the next couple days until the ladies can be more at ease around us, that means Dan and Simon too if you don't mind."

"I'd like to give the ladies a chance to get accustomed to men who aren't rapists a little more gently than just throwing them into the middle of the refuge and telling them to 'deal' with it. But that's only the first thing I wanted to ask you. I'd also appreciate it if you could use your gifts, subtly of course, to help them adjust. No drastic mood swings or anything just a lessening of tension if you can. I don't know exactly how your gift works, but I think you can do that right?"

[Venus]

Violet nodded eagerly and sighed with relief. He wasn't blaming her for what happened and the women were even going to apologize. That was a good thing and it made her smile.

"I can partially relate to what happened to them... I was just... some of it was just too much and I guess I took a wrong turn when I talked to them. I was only trying to apeace them. I'll take care of the women here - if they accept me and I'm not sure about that. They look at me and see a hooker - a first class whore with fake tits.", she looked briefly down at her own cleavage and sighed again. Then something what the Captain just said caught her attention.

"Did you just say you want me to... use my powers? I mean actively use them to ease some of the pain and tension? Can I get that on paper?", she half joked but she was actually being serious.

"I mean, sure, I can do that - but I'd feel much safer if you'd sent Jules around to 'supervise' me, else people start complaining again or someone claims that I'm trying to do something evil... She could... you know tell them what I can do and then they decide if they want help or not? Is that ok?", she was trying to think ahead and avoid trouble, Fox could tell that but above all she really wanted to help.

[Mr Fox]

Fox nodded, "I'll ask Jules to do that if I can find her, but to be honest, she might not be up to it at the moment. And I'm not asking you to manipulate their emotions just act as a dose of Valium, you know, take the edge off the pain, with their permission of course. In fact, if you feel you need Jules or someone to supervise, then it might be best if you were to find her. Her emotions are pretty raw right now after Paradise and she might not want to see me just now. Might be best if you got someone else like Reverend Hoffany's wife to be your chaperon."

[Venus]

"Oh...", Violet realized. "I... I haven't seen her since...", the ultrabuxom succubus swallowed hard as the imagination what Jules went through made her mouth dry.

"I can't be at two places at the same time and I'd rather not leave the building again... at least not rigt now. If you'd be so kind and organise some volunteers - female of course to help us out here? I'm ok if Hoffany's wife does the supervising if she is even willing to set a foot in my place.", Violet glanced briefly back into the room watching the women trying to settle down. This is going to be a long night... and poor Kristin needs my attention, too.

"Maybe someone should get Jules here so I can have a look at her - of course only if she wants. I'll be here anyway but you must excuse me now, I just had to leave that young super you picked up when you called out for me. She is having a nervous breakdown... so please. Can you organise what I asked for? And we're going to need food and water, too. I wasn't really prepared for this.", Violet almost wanted to give the Captain a little kiss on his cheek but stopped herself as she realized what she was about to do. She smiled at him instead putting one hand casually on the end of her low cut tank top, giving him another good look at her oversized bosom.

"I've really got to go now.", she insisted and slowly retreated giving the Captain one last chance to say something before she was gone.

[Mr Fox]

"I'll see about getting the Reverend's wife over here if she's willing, if not I'll send you some aide as soon as I can."

It took will to not look down at Violet's cleavage as she moved her hand there to draw attention. It was always an effort of will around her, but he had too much responsibility to deal with and nothing good could come from ever falling into that trap. Besides people needed him right now and Jules was one of them... he hoped she didn't hate him now.

Fox turned and headed back to his place in the center of the compound and took his place directing the efforts again, but sent a runner to find the Reverend's wife. Hopefully, she'd be willing to assist and organize some people to work with Violet.

[Venus]

Violet gave Morgan another seductive smile and closed the door. Turning around she made a short mental list.

Gotta take care of that young man first... what was his name again? It was easy to pick him out since he was the only male around and Violet had a failsafe radar when it came to find men...

He was talking to Hana... the little sneaker... but that had to end now. Violet walked over to the bar announcing herself by clearing her throat. "Excuse me... I hate to interrupt your little chat but it has been brought to my attention that the women don't feel all too comfortable having a man around here so... I have to kindly ask you to leave. I know you're trying to help but right now the best thing you can do is leave. Should we need your help you'll be the first on my list, ok?"

Violet's voice had that honeysweet singsang quality again which made it kinda hard to resist her.

Click to reveal..

Charisma+Subterfuge to persuade Simon. First Dice is Mega. (9d10.hits(7)=5) 5 Suxx - minus 1 (social penalty) = 4 Suxx

She hoped he wouldn't make any trouble, she still had Kristin on her mind and she didn't want to leave the young teenager alone for too long. Then she had an idea - Hana!

"Hana - could you please go upstairs and check on Kristin? When I left her she was crying... I can't... I can't be with her right now, you understand? I'll check on both of you as soon as I can. But I have to take care of the women here first, ok?"

[Atomicweasel]

Hana felt Violet's voice like a string tugging at her spine from the inside. She found herself slipping off the stool, bare feet settling onto the floor before Violet had even finished speaking. Violet's purple colored eyes bored into her, made Hana feel naked and exposed.

She didn't want to go upstairs to check on Kristin. She wanted to stay right where she was. She'd been slowly working up her courage to ask Simon whether he liked dancing. She had planned how it would go. He was going to smile and say 'sure, I do' and look hopeful that she meant right now--which was exactly what she'd have meant--and then she was going to walk over to the jukebox and click the Steppenwolf song like she'd wanted to do before Kristin had her umpteenth nervous breakdown and then Simon was going to laugh and then she was going to laugh and they'd dance together and maybe he'd want to hold her hip and she'd totally let him. She'd had it all worked out in her head.

Now Violet had spoiled it. But when her mouth opened to protest, instead of stubbornly declaring 'no', Hana heard herself meekly reply, "Okay." She turned to go, then turned back to Simon. "Maybe we can..." she started, stammered, blushed and finally untied the knot in her tongue to lamely conclude, "talk later."

Then, blushing brighter still, she raced up the stairs to find Kristin.

[Krysti-Lynn Magnussen]

Entering their room on whispering feet, Hana found a silent Kristin curled up in an almost painfully tight ball, her face pressed into the corner, and her stuffed elephant locked in her grasp. With each deep breath, Kristin's tight green shirt strained across her strong and shapely back, powerful sinews rippling visibly beneath cotton and flesh. If Kristin was aware of someone sharing her desolate solitude, she made no acknowledgment of it.

The quietude stretched, broken only by the faint sound of Kristin's deep, agitated breathing echoing off the wall. Hana approached her muscular, damaged room mate with hesitant steps, still rather wanting to talk with Simon than dealing with her problems. But Violet had asked, and to earn another of her glorious smiles, Hana was willing to do a lot, even postpone asking Simon if he liked to dance.

Just as Hana reached out a hand, to offer Kristin some comfort or something - a maybe just a little vaguely curious to what muscles like hers felt like - Kristin spoke, her voice oddly even, drained. Lost.

"I should have looked for Chewwy when I went back to camp." Hana's hand paused at that - to her - completely nonsensical statement.

[Atomicweasel]

"Chewbacca's not really real, Kristin" Hana says gently. She touched her hand to the bunched muscles of Kristin's back, felt the girl flinch and tense up even harder, and quickly pulled her hand back.

"I know that," Kristin pushed her face harder into her stuffed elephant. "Chewwy's my goat. My pet goat."

Hana nibbled her lower lip as she looked down at Kristin uncertainly. "Um...okay." Pet goat? Hana carefully sat down on the edge of the bed, next to Kristin. What would Amanda do? Amanda had always been the one to console her, or Jamie, whenever they were upset. And Amanda herself was never upset. Always positive. Deep dimples in her cheeks from smiling so much.

"Hey, it's gonna be okay," Hana said in her best Amanda voice, quietly sincere. She scootched up to the head of the bed, sitting with her back against the wall and her ankles crossed. "It feels real bad right now," Hana invoked Amanda's script, reaching out to gently run a hand through Kristin's golden hair. "but it won't always feel like that." She couldn't remember the rest of it...besides, Kristin's situation was a little different than getting stood up for some stupid school dance by Matt Sanders. While she thought of what else to say, Hana went on lazily and lightly stroking her fingers through the soft shiny locks of Kristin's hair.

"Was he...a nice goat?"

[Dawn OOC]

Simon had turned to look at Violet. To her absolute shock, his eyes met hers and stayed there. "Alright," he said easily, nodding to her.

"Thank you again, Hana," Simon said to her, raising his fork in tribute. "I'll catch up to you later."

After she'd disappeared, he turned to the teen hovering nearby. "Ash, you should follow her. I think Kristin might need you." The girl beamed at Simon and nodded, then followed Hana.

Simon watched her go, then turned her Violet. "I'm Simon, Ms. Violet," he remarked in an easy voice, his eyes still on hers. His smile was charming with a hint of childlike hopefulness as he added, "Can I please finish my pancakes first, ma'am?"

[Krysti-Lynn Magnussen]

Hana could feel some of the tension flow out of Kristin as her fingers glided through the blonde's silky tresses, but apprehension remained. Kristin tilted her head back, pressing against Hana's fingers, craving the gentle touch, yet still fearing that it portended something sinister. She glanced at the dark-haired teen out of the corner of her jade eyes, mouth quirked with a faint, hesitant grin.

"Chewwy is a great goat. They make good pets, y'know, if you have the space and they can eat almost anything. Chewwy's friendly, playful, has a little headbutt for me when I need it, and is a surprisingly easy to talk to. He's so cute, grey and white, and the way he hops, with his ears flopping up and down. He does wander sometimes, so I have to keep an eye on him, and he likes nibbling - you really gotta watch your shoelaces around him."

Kristin's tiny, crooked grin bloomed into a true smile and she sat up with fluid ease, golden mane sliding through Hana's fingers. She still sat in the corner, legs crossed, but Lellphant rested lightly on her lap and she scrubbed the dried tears from her eyes with the heel of her hand.

"Hana, do you think if I asked all nice like, they'd take me back to my old camp again to look for Chewwy? He's a resourceful little guy, a survivor. He could still be fine, right? There's... someone I have to say good-bye to there, anyway." Though her smile grew melancholy, there was such hope in Kristin's voice, Hana forced herself to resist telling her, No, he's not alright, he's zombie food.

Ashley made it back to their room, smiling to see the grin on her cousin's face, even if there still was the shadow of Paradise cast over her features and demeanor. She will get over her Hell, she just needs time. Her smile froze in place as her eyes fell on the raven-haired tramp that had been throwing herself at Simon.

"Oh, Kristy, you feeling better now?" Ashley moved up and gave Hana a grateful squeeze - maybe a little to hard - on the shoulder before sitting at the foot of the bed. "Thanks, Hana, really. I didn't think I'd see my cousin smiling already." The words were genuine, but there was something to her tone that made Hana sit up and notice.

[Atomicweasel]

Kristin nodded, flipping Lellphant idly, back and forth over her lap.

"It's no big deal," Hana answered Ashley in turn. She tucked her knees up to her chest, leaving more room for Kristin's cousin on the bed the three of them now shared. Hana glanced sidelong at Kristin. When the green-eyed girl smiled, she became more beautiful still. And it was hard for Hana not to answer the contagious warmth of Kristin's smile with one of her own.

"You're kinda goofy, Kristy." Hana told the gorgeous teen through a wry grin.

"I am not! How am I goofy?"

"Ok, cuz how bout you have a pet goat?" Hana giggle-snorted and Ashley stifled a short laugh.

"That is pretty weird, Cuz."

"I grew up on a farm!" Kristin protested, smiling through her blush. "Farms have goats." Kristin informed Hana.

"Yeah, but..."

"At least it wasn't a pet pig." Ashley came to her cousin's defense. She and Hana looked at each other. Almost as one they croaked, "Willlbuuurrr..."

The three of them burst into a peel of giggling, tilted towards each other on the bed. Ashley had one hand on Hana's shoulder, the other on Kristin's knee...and for a moment Hana felt like she had taken a step back in time, like she was back in California with her friends, part of a pure unbroken circle, laughing about nothing, floating through the sweet emptiness of a summer day. She laughed and she felt free of the nightmare, free of reality.

The girls laughed until their ribs hurt. Hana was wiping her eyes when Kristin said, "We could all go."

"Go where, Cuz?" Ashley asked.

"Back to the camp. To look for Chewwy."

Ashley looked to Hana who had fallen silent. Hana pushed her hair out of her face, smoothed it back behind her ears...only to have a long errant strand of hair tumble back out of place. Her expression had become strangely unreadable.

"I don't think that's such a great idea." Hana finally said in a muted voice.

Kristin gave her a long look and Hana could feel the other girl growing tense, sad again. The muscular teen seemed about to say something, but Hana spoke first. "We just got here. We're safe here. We've got enough food and water too. Electricity. Showers." She looked from Kristin to Ashley and back again, concluding with a little shrug of her slender tan shoulders. "It's not worth it."

[Venus]

Originally Posted By: Dawn, OOC NPCRM #3

Simon had turned to look at Violet. To her absolute shock, his eyes met hers and stayed there. "Alright," he said easily, nodding to her.

Violet was confused for a moment not quiet sure if Simon was able to resist her or if it was something else. Maybe he was one of the few men who reacted that way instead of staring at the obvious.

Originally Posted By: Dawn, OOC NPCRM #3

Simon watched her go, then turned her Violet. "I'm Simon, Ms. Violet," he remarked in an easy voice, his eyes still on hers. His smile was charming with a hint of childlike hopefulness as he added, "Can I please finish my pancakes first, ma'am?"

"Sure", she said but actually wanting to say Those are Hana's pancakes, aren't they?. Her eyes remained on his waiting for the normal 'peek' most men would do but Simon did not.

"You've been helping with the blankets, right?", she tried to change the subject and get back to being in charge instead of wondering why Simon didn't give her at least one look over. Wasn't she the most beautiful woman he has ever seen? Wasn't her body the most breathtaking his eyes have ever set upon? He didn't even look once. It was hard for her not to be bothered but she was. Violet strode over to the blankets, hips swaying seductively giving Simon a good show of her 'goods'. He had to be impressed... or he was gay. Probably gay..., she concluded and picked up the blankets.

[Dawn OOC]

"I have been helping with the blankets," he replied, his blue eyes still meeting hers. He looked at her intently; it was unsettling how his gaze seemed to peel back the layers of her and see deeper than any man had before. "I imagine, Ms. Violet," he said softly, "that you have men fawning over you all the time. But have any of them ever wanted you for who you were? I mean inside? Have any of them bothered to look past this wanton shell of sex and lust to see the woman inside? Has anyone ever liked you for you, not because of how you can make them feel?"

He'd laid bare all her fears and stripped her naked in just a few sentances. Violet couldn't speak; her tongue was tied by just how close he'd hit home. His blue eyes held hers for a long moment; then he put the last bit of pancake in his mouth. Smiling, he pushed his plate away and said, "It was good to meet you, ma'am. I hope you have a restful night after all this chaos."

Still smiling, he turned to go.

[Venus]

Violet had a hard time breathing and her throat felt like she was about to choke. She wanted to answer Simon, wanted to defend herself but anxiety and a dreaded sense of panic overcame her. Deep inside something snapped in her and Violet wanted to run away - needed to flee.

She looked around trying to find somewhere to go but there was no place she could run. The blankets in her arms got heavy - unusually heavy and then she felt it. She was turning back into Jennifer. Violet had fled the scene to leave her - bare and naked behind. It had been too much this day. Too much emotions that she had to fend off, too much stress put on her - she wasn't prepared for this kind of trouble. Jennifer saw it all in her minds eye - the mudthrowing women, Kristin, Hana - all the wounded women... James and Dan... the whole cardhouse collapsed and with it her powers drained away.

Oh no... please... no, she led the blankets fall and headed for the stairs to her room - maybe she could make it before she had completely transformed back. Her purple eyes were already replaced by Jennifers brown eyes and she felt cramps in her legs and stomach. She was shrinking, getting smaller and smaller with each passing second.

Jennifer agonized herself up the stairs and with an extreme effort of willpower made it to her room locking herself up before she slowly slid to the floor. Her once mighty breasts had already deflated and her hair had lost it's vibrant auburn color. The lowcut top now hung loose over her much smaller frame and her skin lost its perfect complexion as tiny freckles covered the lower part of her arms and most likely around her nose again, too. Jennifer managed to let out a gasp as the transformation was complete and suddenly she felt completely naked and defenseless. She felt like crying but forced herself not to.

Gathering her willpower once more she got up and walked to the full length mirror in her room and faced herself. What she saw was Jennifer - plain old Jennifer. She was still breathing heavily, as if she had just run the marathon and her heart was beating fast. Common, you can do this..., she looked at the mirror and tried to focus. Change back... change back... please.

But nothing happened. Violet was still there - but she was just beyond Jennifer's reach. Slowly she started crying, hating the reflection in the mirror and for a short moment she wanted to hurl something at it so she wouldn't have to see her imperfect self. She turned away, not looking into the mirror anymore and let herself fall into her bed - then she cried bitterly.

[Krysti-Lynn Magnussen]

"You're wrong, Hana."

Hana had expected a raging denial or a tearful rebuttal, not the calm certitude emanating from the preternaturally fit teen. Clear jade green eyes met depthless blues with unflinching directness. Hana could see the hidden will residing with the unnaturally developed blond girl, a strength that had nothing to do with the size and tone of her muscles. Kristin had endured the worst that men could do, on behalf of her cousin and dearest friend, and though she didn't leave unscathed, scarred down to the roots of her soul with what had been done to her, she still stood, alive and hopeful.

Life and Hope, with those, there was a chance for.... Anything.

"Friends are always worth it, Hana," Kristin asserted, patting Ashley's hand on her knee and giving her a fierce grin, before turning her riveting green eyes back on Hana. "When you have nothing else, you still have them, and they can give you a strength you never knew you had. I know Chewwy is only a goat, but he's still my firend."

Kristin rolled her shoulders with eerie smoothness, taut muscles rippling, jutting breasts bouncing, then cocked her head, the swath of golden hair obscuring a portion of her face falling away to reveal it entirely in its immaculate, youthful beauty.

"We did just get here, so I guess you're right about that. We should spend a few days recovering from... our... whatever." The shadow of remembered pain flashed across Kristin's face, then she tightened her jaw and continued firmly. "But then I'm going back to look for Chewwy and to say good-bye to Jacob, even if I have to go alone, even if I have to walk. I owe him - all of them - that, at least."

Her shoulders slumped slightly with the melancholy thought of her brother, and a hesitancy entered her eyes, breaking through the determination of a minute ago, as Kristin looked at the two girls sharing the bed with her.

"I hope that... that I don't have to go alone," she asked softly.

"Of course not, Kristy. Jacob was my cousin too, and I'll help you find Chewwy too," Ashley offered, kneading Kristin's knee comfortingly, feeling the steely thews beneath the bronzed flesh. I'll have to ask Simon about this. He'll know what to do.

Kristin was watching Hana expectantly when her eyes widened as she saw someone in the hall through the open door over Hana's shoulder. The woman rushed down the hall, moaning, then entered the room opposite theirs. There was the click of the lock being turned, then after a moment, the sound of that most were well acquainted with since Z-Day, the sound of tears.

"Was that Violet? She looked... not well," Kristin said, looking at the two others girls, eyebrow arched in question, before glancing at the door again. "She was being nice to us. We should see if she's okay - or well, if she needs to talk or something. And if a guy hurt her..." Kristin's green eyes grew hard as steel and her hands clenched into fists, arms tensing ominously, "Well, I can hurt him back, now."

Kristin stood up and somersaulted off the bed in a single fluid movement, then glided across the hall and tapped on Violet's door.

"Um, Violet? Are you okay? Me and the girls, we can listen if you want to say anything or just want some company. It's the least we can do to repay you for your hospitality." Kristin tried to sound sympathetic, but there was a tentativeness to her tone, as if she was unsure she was doing it right.

Ashley glanced at Hana, forgetting for a moment that she wasn't sure if she even liked the dark-haired girl, then nodded at her cousin in question. With a shrug, Ashley got up and followed her cousin to see if the real life Jessica Rabbit needed a shoulder to cry or just a sympathetic ear.

[Dawn OOC]

Outside the whore house, Simon leaned against the wall and let his shoulders sag. He was alone for the first time in months, and he let himself relax for once.

His tongue ran over his lips, finding the last traces of syrup and pancakes. That smile that had so quickly dismantled Violet returned as he caught an echo of that sweetness again. "Didn't expect that," he murmured softly to himself.

After a moment he shook of the moment and pushed off the wall. He had some work to do.

[Atomicweasel]

Okay, that was weird. Hana reflected on Kristin's need to somersault off the bed. That girl was so strange. One minute she was bawling and curled up like a baby all needy and vulnerable and the next she was showing off by somersaulting off of beds and making vague threats. Plus, she was willing to risk everything to go find a stupid goat. She has been through a lot, though, Hana reminded herself. And anyway, Kristin and her cousin were the only kids her age Hana had seen at the Refuge, so far at least. She could almost hear her dad saying it, beggars can't be choosers. Something like that.

Hana slid gently off the bed, pushed her thumbs into the waistband of her pajama pants and strolled unhurriedly to the door. She stepped out of the room, leaned jauntily against the wall and watched and waited to see what all the fuss was about.

[Dawn OOC]

Inside Violet's room, a sudden breeze brushed over her back. Jennifer didn't think about it, not until there was a stronger breeze. Her window was open, her curtain billowing in and out in the spring breeze.

The window was quickly forgotten as her eyes fell on the red rose next to her on her pillow. Gasping, she reached out to touch it; she hadn't seen anything like this since Z-day. It was beautiful, perfect, at the peak of its bloom.

The note attached only said, I see who you are.

There was a tapping at her door. "Um, Violet? Are you okay? Me and the girls, we can listen if you want to say anything or just want some company. It's the least we can do to repay you for your hospitality." Kristin sounded sympathetic, but unsure.

[Venus]

Jennifer stared at the note for a short moment wiping away tears of frustration and pure angst. I see who you are..., she read to herself again and quickly went to the window peeking carefully outside.

Originally Posted By: Kristin Mackenzie

"Um, Violet? Are you okay? Me and the girls, we can listen if you want to say anything or just want some company. It's the least we can do to repay you for your hospitality." Kristin tried to sound sympathetic, but there was a tentativeness to her tone, as if she was unsure she was doing it right.

Krisin's voice jerked her out of her short reverie and Jennifer quickly shut the window putting the rose back where it was. I see who you are..., it was hard to shake that off. Could've Simon come through the window? But how did he?....

There wasn't much time for explanations, though. "One second please.", she excused herself and sighed feeling some of the tension ease of but there were still questions and self doubt. She picked out another silken bathrobe and put it lazily on then she went to the door and opened it.

Her eyes were still red from the crying and she totally forgot that she wasn't Violet which got even more evident when she saw Kristin. "Um...", she obviously stared at the teenager with the body of an amazon and amazing breasts.

"I'm sorry...", she explained her voice trailing off. Is she more attractive than I?, she asked herself, More attractive than Violet?

Click to reveal..

ooc info: Jennifer doesn't look like Violet at all. There isn't a single feature they share. They look like two different people. Although Jennifer doesn't realize herself, she still is rather good looking having a natural Appearance of 5. Her figure is a bit on the slim side though, like most catwalk models do.

[Krysti-Lynn Magnussen]

Kristin's mouth parted in surprise at the woman who opened the door. She was slender and gorgeous, and was obviously not the superhumanly voluptuous Violet. Her eyes were red from crying, but Kristin didn't recognize the woman from Paradise, though really, other than pain and degradation, she didn't remember much from there anyway. Still, Kristin thought she would have noticed this woman.

The woman was also staring at her strangely, making her feel very self-conscious and a little uncomfortable. Kristin glanced over her shoulder and saw both Ashley and Hana watching. After all her crying earlier, Kristin didn't want to back down in front of them so soon, so she straightened her broad shoulders and forced a smile on her face, then nodded at the woman.

"Erm, no, we're sorry. We thought Vi- someone else had run in here and then we heard the crying and we wanted to see if she was alright, so we came over and knocked and you answered the door and I guess we made a mistake and... well, are you okay?"

[Amarant]

Walker was still helping transfer medical supplies to where they were needed when Ger found him.

"Walker", the Security Head said by way of greeting, doing a pretty good job of hiding any nervousness he felt around the strange, four-armed super.

"Ger", answered Walker, looking (staring) at the 'normal' man in his typically inscrutable and alien way.

Ger cleared his throat and then said, "Listen, no one's seen Jules since everyone got back, but a few of the guards say they saw her walk out through the main gates..."

Walker's head tilted just slightly to one side while his unblinking eyes continued to stare at Ger. After a moment, he completed the other man's sentence for him. "You want me to find her." It was a statement, not a question.

Ger nodded. "Yeah."

"Sure", Walker muttered, his inhuman gaze already shifting away from Ger as he began to focus on his new task. Without another word, he turned and disappeared into the milling crowds of refugees. Ger watched him go for a moment before returning to the business of keeping the order within the Refuge.

It only took Walker a short time to locate Jules once he got outside the compound itself, but the scene he stumbled on when he found her came as a big surprise. She was weeping openly, and looked as though she were trying to melt right into earth beneath her. Walker felt more out of placed and more like an unwelcome intruder than he had at almost any other time since arriving at the Refuge.

He retreated from the Scar to a respectful distance, while he kept an eye on the surrounding area for zombies, but after several minutes of waiting Jules still hadn't calmed down. Finally, cautiously, and awkwardly, Walker approached the distraught woman. When he had come to within a few feet of her, Walker cleared his throat as gently as he could manage and then choked out, "Hey. Sorry to int'rupt, but they're lookin' for ya inside."

After another moment of respectful silence, Walker added, "Ain't safe out here, either."

[Venus]

Originally Posted By: Kristin Mackenzie

The woman was also staring at her strangely, making her feel very self-conscious and a little uncomfortable. Kristin glanced over her shoulder and saw both Ashley and Hana watching. After all her crying earlier, Kristin didn't want to back down in front of them so soon, so she straightened her broad shoulders and forced a smile on her face, then nodded at the woman.

"Erm, no, we're sorry. We thought Vi- someone else had run in here and then we heard the crying and we wanted to see if she was alright, so we came over and knocked and you answered the door and I guess we made a mistake and... well, are you okay?"

It took a few seconds for Jennifer to actually say something. She tried two or three times before she managed to say something without stuttering.

"I'm... I mean - come in please, you're welcome. I'd like some company actually.", she sighed heavily wrapping the bathrobe closer around her slim body.

"I've got some water here and a boiler. I can offer some tea if you want.", she went to the small kitchenette and shuffled through the cupboard. The way she moved implied that she was familiar with Violet's place as if she was living there.

"I hope you like your room? We built it in fairly short time and there wasn't much choice in terms of decoration and stuff...", Jennifer tried to distract herself by having smalltalk. What she didn't realize was that the girls have never seen her before and she forgot to introduce herself. Jennifer's thoughts were still dwelling on Simon and the rose and everything that had led to this point. She couldn't stop thinking it over and over again. Self doubts nagged at her and she really wished Dan was here right now.

But maybe he's keeping himself a door open? He didn't sleep with you, yet - maybe he doesn't find me attractive and was just being polite. He resisted Violet's powers once and I guess he can do that again... what if he changes his mind? And James won't take me back, I hurt him too much..., she glanced sideways to where the rose was laying and sighed again. I see who you are..., she even heard it in Simon's voice in her head...

[Krysti-Lynn Magnussen]

"Uh, okay. Tea's fine." Kristin chewed her lip, a little vexed. She hadn't meant to get involved with hearing the problems of some woman she had never seen before, and she'd never had tea before either, but she had offered concern and it would've been rude to just leave now. Violet and Hana had listened to her, and they didn't even know her, so she could at least give a compassionate ear to this stranger, even though, if she hadn't been in Paradise, Kristin couldn't perceive had bad things could have been for her.

When Jennifer shifted around to walk deeper in the room, Kristin quickly turned to her companions, the three teen girls having an elaborately silent conversation consisting of shrugs, raised eyebrows, rolling eyes, and mouths quirked in a variety of ways. Having reached a consensus, they followed the odd, troubled stranger into the room.

Kristin took a seat at the small table, feet bouncing nervously on the floor. She crossed her strong arms defensively, unaware that it emphasized her attributes, and looked around the room to politely avoid Jennifer's eyes.

"No, no, the room is more than fine," Kristin assured her, "After... after before, this place seems like luxury." Kristin's curious glance noted the lived in atmosphere of the room: clothes scattered here and there, that must have belonged to more than one woman; several books on an endtable, one open with a bookmark; some dirty dishes in the sink; an incongruous rose resting on the bed next to the pillow; the smell of inhabiting bodies.

"Um, do you live here, too? With Violet, I mean," Kristin asked with naive suspicion. Her tanned cheeks deepened with her blush as she shared an embarrassed grin with the other girls.

Her shoulders tightened with sudden misgiving. The way Violet was looking at me, what if she wants to....be with me? Kristin shivered, slightly ill at the thought of anyone wanting to touch her like that again.