Aberrant: Dead Rising - Dinner and a Decision

[Jasmine Gentian]

May 11th, 6:22 p.m.

Jasmine watched with an amused grin as Pumpkin laid the bowls carefully on the table between the silverware, like Jas had asked her to. She remembered the chore fondly from her own childhood, and she wanted to give Pumpkin a little normality whenever she could. She could think of nothing more normal than having the little girl set the table for their dinner guests.

It was almost six-thirty, and this time, with the number of people they were expecting, she'd set up outside instead of in the tent so there would be room. There were two folding tables flush against each other to form a table that seated six, and enough mismatched stools and folding chairs for each of them. Since they had depleted most of their bottled water stock for the women from Paradise, they were getting close to travel rations for water, which they didn't touch until they were back on the road, and a few leftover sodas and such. So Jas had gone to the cafeteria and gotten a couple pitchers of water, and used it to make good old fashioned sun tea through the afternoon while she'd been busy watching Pumpkin. She had the pitchers set up on the table along with a handful of miscellaneous sweetener and sugar packets she'd found stored in the glove compartment of the Hummer. She'd chilled the tea a little while in the mini-fridge, long enough that it would still be cool by the time guests arrived and started pouring their glasses.

Dinner was simmering inside the tent, and this time it was Jasmine who'd offered to cook while Bond dealt with other things. Instead of rabbit this time it was a more cajun-style stew, made with rice and canned goods - tomatoes, okra, and beans. It even smelled of southern cooking, like perhaps Jasmine had managed to acquire a container of creole spices to add to the flavor of the dish. And because the ingredients were all easily acquired, she'd made plenty of it for everyone to have seconds if they were really hungry.

She ran a hand through her hair and nodded. Everything looked ready, now all she had to do was wait for people to show up. Pumpkin laid the last bowl down, and hurried over to Jasmine, grabbing her hand and pulling her over.

"There, Azzy, all done! Where do I get to sit?"

"Anywhere you want, baby. You just pick a spot."

The precocious little girl considered the table for a long moment, and then walked over, climbing into the chair at the "head" of the table and sitting down. Jasmine laughed, and murmured quietly to herself.

"Shoulda' known..."

[Atomicweasel]

“Simon!” Hana started calling excitedly as she neared his tent. She jogged up and pushed the tent flap back, ducking under it and in her haste nearly knocking herself right into Simon’s chest. “I’m glad I found you,” Hana exclaimed excitedly, “Jasmine’s making dinner and they said you could come with me and we can all talk about maybe leaving the refuge together and—“

“Hana, Hana...slow down. I haven’t seen you for a whole day and now you come flying into my tent like a—” Simon frowned, put his hands on Hana’s shoulders, “Who is they? And why would we talk about leaving the refuge?”

Hana paused and blinked and opened her mouth and closed it again. Oops. “Um. James Bond and Jasmine are leaving the refuge,” Hana started carefully, speaking slowly, but as she went on, she began to speak faster and faster. “and they’re taking my cousin, Pumpkin—that’s her not real name, it’s just what her dad, my uncle Mike used to call her, he had dumb nicknames for everyone, but her real name is Betina—“ Hana saw the expression on Simon’s face and went on hurriedly before he could protest, “—and anyway, I met her yesterday and that’s why I couldn’t come see you yesterday, because Jasmine brought her to the infirmary and that’s where I was working cuz Dr. Myfwany gave me a job cleaning up and stuff and she pays me with food like instant noodles and bandages and stuff that maybe I can trade, but I mean I’ve only been working there one day so I haven’t gotten paid yet—“

“Your cousin is here?” Simon pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to make sense of Hana’s teen-speak deluge.

“Right, so like I was telling you, I spent like all day playing with Pumpkin and then I had dinner with them, and it was great cuz it’s like they’re a real family even though they just kinda adopted Pumpkin, and Jasmine made this awesome stew and then James Bond gave me a Snapple and I got to take Pumpkin’s too cuz she didn’t even hardly start hers and he walked me back home—“

“—Is that...is that a bruise?” Simon lifted Hana’s sunglasses but she turned her head away and lowered them back before he could get a very good look.

“It’s not a big deal.”

“It is a big deal! Who hit you? Your lip too...” Simon took a half-step closer and tilted Hana’s chin up.

“Forget it, it’s okay. Lemme tell you about dinner.”

“Hana if someone’s been hitting you, I want to know about it.”

Hana sighed. “Remember how you said to be careful around the Paradise women?”

Simon nodded. “Yes...”

“Well, I wasn’t that careful I guess...anyway, Jasmine and Bond are leaving the refuge because they think it’s going to be attacked and Jasmine is pregnant and they’re taking Pumpkin so they were like, ‘you can come with us or we can leave Pumpkin with you, but we don’t want to do that’ and then after I had dinner with them and saw how nice they are to her, I didn’t want that either, and anyway I’m too young to take care of Pumpkin on my own and like, even if I had help, I’m scared about...well, you know, so I said ‘okay, I’ll go with you guys’ and they said they’d be leaving soon and then this morning I saw Bond again because he’s teaching me how to shoot and I asked them if you could come.” Hana finished breathlessly.

“You asked him if I could go with them?” Simon paused, confused, “But you didn’t think to ask me?”

“No! I mean, yeah! I was going to, but I’ve been way busy hanging out with Pumpkin and then I got into a fight and I didn’t wanna come see you right after cuz I figured you’d get all worried about it—“

“—I am worried about it.” Simon said sternly.

Hana reached out to take Simon’s hand. She smiled tenderly. “I know. It’s okay, I’m fine. And I controlled my nature.” She said consolingly. “Anyway,” Hana reluctantly let go of Simon and stuffed her hand back into her jeans pocket, “we’re having dinner with them all at six thirty and this doctor guy’s gonna be there too, they already said he could come cuz he’s a doctor but don’t worry because I said you were a cop and you knew how to fight and shoot a gun and everything.”

“Hana, this is all very sudden.” Simon protested weakly.

“But you’ll come, right?” Hana looked up at him pleadingly.

“I’ll come to dinner. Yes.” Simon relented.

******

“Azzy, Bana’s here!” Pumpkin shouted as she spied her cousin coming. She sprang out of the chair and rushed toward Hana. She stopped in her tracks as she caught sight of Simon, and considered him with a mix of timidity and suspicion. "Bana, who's that?" Pumpkin pointed right at Simon.

"That's my friend, Simon."

"How come you're wearing those stupid glasses?"

"Because."

"Cuz why?" Pumpkin insisted.

"Cuz they're not stupid, they're purple." Hana answered as Simon stepped over to introduce himself to Jasmine.

"I'm Simon. Pleasure to meet you, Miss...?" He extended his hand for Jasmine, smiling warmly.

"Just Jasmine." Jasmine hesitated a moment, then took his hand and shook it. She had her doubts and misgivings—Simon had been at Paradise after all—but there would be time for that later.

"What happened to your lip?" Pumpkin demanded of Hana next.

"I fell." Hana glanced side-long at Jasmine and Simon.

"Did it hurt a bunch? Did you cry?"

"No, I'm fine, Squirt. Eskimo kiss." Hana bent down, Pumpkin rose onto her tip-toes, and their noses touched.

Pumpkin finally allowed herself a pleased smile. She grabbed Hana's hand and hauled her cousin over to the table where she pointed imperiously at the seat next to hers. "You sit there, Bana!"

[Fox]

"I see that Pumpkin is taking her duties as hostess seriously." Bond's wry tone joined them as he entered, a bucket half-filled with cold water in one hand in which rested a number of bottles. Setting it down to one side within grabbing range of his chair, the well-built mercenary wiped his hands and turned to Simon.

"James Bond. Call me Jim." he introduced himself with a friendly smile as his pale eyes studied the other man curiously. Bond was dressed in jeans and t-shirt tonight, though his gun harness was worn over the shirt with his pistols in their usual places: one under the arm and the other in the small of his back. "We're just waiting on Dr Singh, who shouldn't be long. And then we can finally taste-test what Jasmine's been cooking for the last few hours. She threatened me with a wooden spoon last time I tried to sneak a taste." he mock-confided to Simon and Hana with a sly grin.

[Jasmine Gentian]

"And you know I'd carry through, too. Have a seat and make yourself comfortable, Simon. There's tea and soda if you want to help yourself while it's cold."

She disappeared into the tent for a moment and came back out with two bowls, one filled with miscellaneous crackers and the other filled with salsa for dipping. It was jar salsa of course, but she'd put it in the bowl for a nice touch and to give people something to snack on before the actual meal. She sat them both down in the middle of the table, flashing Jim a playful grin.

"So that you don't die of starvation or anything."

With that, she picked up one of the plastic cups and poured herself a glass of the cold tea, sitting down on the unoccupied side of the table and tearing off the top of a single sugar package to mix into it. The fare so far was simple, and the plastic tablewear was mismatched from different sets - but it fit, like they were at someone's house having a summer picnic dinner. Jasmine had managed to create something comfortable and familiar to almost everyone, even in the midst of all the discomfort around them - and it seemed to have as much to do with her attitude as with what she'd managed to scrounge up for dinner.

[Dawn OOC]

"Simon, but I think you know that already," Simon replied to Bond. "It's nice to formally meet you."

Jasmine's offer brought a smile to his face. "Thank you," Simon said, moving to the cooler and taking out a root beer. He popped the top and drank with pure pleasure, smiling. "That's nice. Thank you."

"You're welcome," Jasmine said, nodding.

Simon took the seat next to Hana and put his drink at his setting. He gave her a smile and nudged her with an elbow, in a gently friendly way.

A gentle knock on the support pole brought everyone's attention to Dr. Singh, who hovered in the doorway. "Good evening," he said in his soft voice. He held out a box of dinner crackers. "I hope this is something you will all enjoy."

[Jasmine Gentian]

Jasmine smiled warmly at him, and stood up, motioning him over and taking the dinner crackers. She sat the box on the table with the others, and motioned to the empty seat remaining at the table.

"Thank you so much - these are perfect, we only had a couple handfuls left of the other crackers, and these are still sealed so they'll be nice and fresh. Would you like soda or tea, Mrigesh?"

"Tea, thank you."

He sat down quietly as Jasmine poured him a plastic tumbler of the tea, and handed it to him. It had a bit of a chill to it, as if it had been refrigerated - it was a pleasant surprise, and he found himself wondering how many more surprises traveling with Bond and Jasmine might bring. She offered the bowl of sweeteners to him, but he politely declined.

"No, thank you very much. But if you have milk..."

Jasmine disappeared into their tent and came out a couple moments later. She wasn't holding milk, but she did have something in her hand that she placed on the table next to him, a handful of little plastic restaurant liquid creamer packs.

"I'm afraid we're a bit short on milk at the moment, but hopefully these might suffice. I used our last can of the evaporated stuff the other day."

That comment seemed to strike a thought in her, and she glanced over at Jim, a bit of a scowl flickering across her lips.

"That's what we should raid - some health food stores. For now everyone's living on all this boxed stuff, but until people really start growing fruits and vegetables again, they need vitamins. People are going to start getting deficiencies.. calcium, Vitamin C, that kind of thing. I don't think any of these refuges need to be dealing with scurvy on top of it all. Maybe some of those energy bars and protein powders too, to help the food stretch a bit more."

She pulled a small paper pad and a pen out of her back pocket, and jotted it down. She'd been doing that lately, whenever she thought of things they should try and find, things that weren't obvious and people hadn't thought of much yet. Briefly she wondered if she needed to take pre-natals or anything - just because she didn't need to eat didn't mean she was getting the proper nutrition. How could anyone know for sure? It wasn't like anyone had done blood tests. Perhaps she would ask Mrigesh or Myfwany before they left. Or maybe she'd just take some - what harm could it do?

[Dawn OOC]

"This is more than enough, thank you," Mrigesh said, nodding. He took his creamers and sat down, stirring one into his tea. "You are a gracious hostess."

"Yes, you are," Simon added, nodding. "I see why Hana's so fond of you guys." His blue eyes twinkled as he have Jasmine a warm smile. Unlike Mrigesh, who seemed tense and eager to not cause offense, Simon was relaxed and casual.

[Atomicweasel]

Hana beamed proudly at Simon. She nudged him back, poking her elbow into his ribs under the table, and when he turned to grin at her, she pointed her chin at the pitcher of tea. She waited while Simon filled her cup and passed it back to her.

"This is really good tea, Jasmine." Hana said, shyly polite. She took another sip and set the cup down in front of her. She stole a glance at Mrigesh and then caught Pumpkin scowling at her.

"What's wrong, Squirt?" Hana asked, leaning away from Simon toward her cousin.

"Nuthin'" Pumpkin grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You sure?" Hana quietly pressed.

Pumpkin hesitated, then blurted "You were gonna play with me today you said so."

"We will, I promise. I just didn't have time to come see you right away." Hana explained in her most mollifying voice.

"Cuz you were too busy playin' with him!" Pumpkin pointed at Simon.

Hana gave Simon a mortified look and blushed scarlet.

"An' I was s'posed to pour the tea!" Pumpkin added peevishly.

[Fox]

"Could you pour some for me?" Bond asked the child affably, passing his cup to her. Peevishness was immediately forgotten, or at least shoved to the back of the cupboard as Pumpkin picked up a jug in two hands and, eyes tight with concentration, poured whilst Bond looked over at Jasmine. "Not a bad plan, raiding the health stores. They stocked dried lentils and pulses, too. Plenty of food potential there."

"Want some sugar?" Pumpkin asked, enthusiastically reaching over and grabbing a small handful of sweetening packets. Bond shook his head, smiling.

"No thanks. I'm sweet enough." Pumpkin giggled quietly and passed his cup back, and Bond took a sip, then nodded at her. "Perfect. It's the way it's poured, I'm certain." he told her with deadpan seriousness. Satisfied, Pumpkin busied herself with the crackers and salsa. Bond glanced at Jasmine and winked before relaxing back, cup held idly in one hand while the other rested on the arm of his folding chair. Simon found himself coming under the scrutiny of pale blue eyes set in a friendly poker face that redefined the term 'inscrutable'.

"Hana seems fond of you too." he said with an amiable smile. "Which, as she may or may not have told you, is why she dragged you here tonight." He spared the young teen an amused glance, then looked back at Simon. "We were planning to leave the Refuge for a bit after the opening salvo of the great democratic experiment..." Jasmine lightly poked Bond in the shoulder at his sardonic tone. He crossed his eyes at her for a moment before looking back at Simon again. "Sorry, I meant after the constitutional convention a few days hence. The main purposes are to see how the other enclaves are doing, bring news to them of Fox's Refuge, and to restock our supplies. The liberation of the prison has pretty much cleaned out our medical and food supplies. And a lot more people need guns and ammunition now, too." He nodded at Mrigesh.

"Doctor Singh wants to come along with us, and Hana wishes to as well. She also wants you to come along." Bond shrugged with a sly grin. "I understand you used to be in law enforcement, so I've little fear that you won't be able to pull your weight. Really, the only question is 'Do you want to?'" He helped himself to a cracker off Pumpkin's plate, causing the young Super to squeak and glower at him, then dump a double handful from the bowl onto his plate so he wouldn't steal hers. Bond smiled and ate another cracker.

"There's no need to answer right away, of course. But that's the proposal on the table." he said as he finished.

[Dawn OOC]

"I see," Simon said after a moment. "I have a few questions about said proposal. First, is this a business arrangement, or am I going to be part of the Bond Protectorate. And by that," he added quickly, "I mean am I to be feed and protected in exchange for pulling my weight, or am I getting a share of loot, more like a partner than a ward?"

Mrigesh looked a little surprised; it was clear he hadn't considered this. Simon added, "I only want to know exactly what you are offering me." His blue eyes remained intently on Bond as he waited for the man to speak.

[Atomicweasel]

Hana looked at least as surprised as Mrigesh did. She shot a glance up at Simon and then quickly turned to watch Jasmine and Bond for their reaction. Share of the loot? That didn't sound like Simon. But the more she thought about it, as she sipped delicately from her plastic cup, the more it made sense to Hana. Bond and Jasmine were good people...but why should they get to dole out the rewards while the rest of them stood around like little kids with their hands out. Going out on the road was dangerous. Anything could happen, and Hana was risking the safety of the Refuge to help them look after Pumpkin and take care of things while they were gone, and she had brought Simon to them too...so why shouldn't she have a little piece of their pie?

"What about me?" Hana asked in a small voice. "Do I get a share, too?"

"I wanna share!" Pumpkin cried excitedly.

[Jasmine Gentian]

Jasmine studied them quietly for a moment, exchanging one of those inscrutable "couples" glances with Jim briefly before she shrugged slightly.

"Well, I suppose that depends on what you mean by a share, or by loot for that matter. As traders, our business is going to be the gathering of items that can be traded with people at refuges - things they might not have the time or the ability to acquire themselves. But it also means that as traders - the people putting our own necks on the line - we're going to take care of our needs first. I mean, if you're talking about luxury items we want for ourselves, I don't see why there'd be a problem just going ahead and acquiring them while we're doing our raiding, unless of course it's a really hard to acquire item. We're going to keep ourselves equipped with the proper gear and ammunition before we trade away the rest, and we're going to make sure we have enough gas to keep us going before we offer any to the refuges. In short, we're going to make sure that our needs are taken care of first. If we don't do that, we can't be efficient traders anyway."

She took a sip of her tea, then sat it down quietly and continued, keeping her voice rather matter-of-fact and non-judgmental. Whether she approved or disapproved of Simon's outlook was fairly hard to read - it seemed she'd been learning a bit watching Bond and his trading methods too, for he noticed the young woman wasn't quite as easy to read when interacting with Simon as she had been in the past, or as she was when she was around people she felt comfortable with.

"Other than that, I'm not sure what you mean precisely. Jim and I aren't necessarily looking to settle permanently at any particular place unless a reason arises to do so - there are reasons that we feel being on the move is safer than staying with a refuge. So a nomadic existence is part of the deal, to a certain extent, which limits what we can carry with us. Money is, of course, useless at this point. So, we make sure our needs are provided for first, we have the luxury of acquiring whatever items we desire for personal reasons - within reason based on size or availability of course, which probably places our standard of living far above those living at the refuge. And we have the added benefit of not being sitting ducks for anyone who feels like coming along and blasting us into a crater. Are you looking for something more than that?"

She kept her expression passive, waiting to see what the man's response was and what else he might be looking for. A small part of her was bothered by the fact that greed was his instinctive reaction, but at the same time he'd just spent the last several months with people who were essentially the scum of the earth, so she could understand a fair amount of cynicism too. He had no idea that they weren't there to screw him, just like so many people these days seemed willing to do. Tragedy really did bring out the best and the worst in people.

[Fox]

Bond was quiet while Jasmine spoke, his gaze somewhere between the middle and far-off distance. When she'd finished, he glanced at her, then at Simon, Mrigesh, Hana and Pumpkin. Slowly, and somewhat worryingly, Bond broke into a grin.

"So you'd like shares?" he asked rhetorically, his china-blue stare interrogating each in turn. Apparently satisfied with what he saw, he looked at Simon. "I don't run a protectorate. And I'm glad that someone saw fit to question that." He leaned back in his seat and smiled at them all. "The point is a good one. When it was just going to be myself and the three ladies, the question of shares wasn't really an issue. Jasmine was my partner, and Hana and Pumpkin would be taken care of. However..." He took a swallow of tea and shrugged. "Things change. So here is the situation as I see it."

"What myself and Jasmine have right now is ours. The Falcon, the guns, food and equipment. These are effectively loaned, indefinitely, to the people that travel with us. But we are going to be scrounging supplies, trading services whether as guns for hire or Mrigesh's medical skills, and acquiring goods as a team. So it is only fair that we share those proceeds as a team, isn't it?"

"I therefore propose an arrangement similar to the traditional pirate charter: everyone on the crew gets a share, with a share also going into the ship's coffers. The 'ship' in this instance is our little company here around the table, and anyone else that might join on the way. Shares are divided up at the end of a 'cruise', or when someone decides to leave." Bond thought for a few seconds. "The question of officers isn't an issue with a group this small, so we can all be equal in the shares we receive. Bear in mind that the 'ships share' stays with the company, even if someone leaves. So as things stand, we all receive one equal share, with two shares going to 'Bond & Co'. That means all loot and profits get divided up eight ways." Bond refilled his tea and flashed a smile at them all, his eyes coming to rest on Simon once more.

"How does that sound?"

[Jasmine Gentian]

Jasmine listed quietly to Bond, then she stood up and pushed in her chair.

"You know what? I think this is going to be the start of a pretty in-depth conversation. So let's not let the food get cold while we're waiting, okay?"

She disappeared for a moment into the tent, and emerged a second later with a large pot of the evening's dinner. She sat it on the table and placed a spoon in it, taking a moment to dish out a portion for Pumpkin onto her plate, and then passing the spoon off to the doctor next, so that it could go around the table from there. Then she sat down and waited for her turn, and as people began to spoon out their dinner for the evening, she spoke - mainly to Bond, although certainly for everyone to hear and consider.

"You know I'm traveling with you no matter what, Jim, so for me it isn't as much of an issue. But I do have some concerns about the arrangement, only as far as practicality intrudes. For the most part it seems a fair arrangement for everyone involved, and it certainly gives us a certain amount of security, should anyone wish to leave the group at any point or if we hit a rough spot. The first is that, unlike pirates, we're not necessarily dealing with non-perishable items like silks, spices, or gold. I mean, some of the items we're dealing with are, but even things like vitamins have an expiration date. And there's no real currency system at this point, other than stocking things that would be worth trading in the future I suppose. The other concern is storage - it takes gas to run large vehicles, so if people are creating some sort of stockpile or cashe of their items, where is it going to be stored? We can't guarantee any kind of security if we were to pick a storage location - any group of scavengers could break in to where we leave items for safekeeping, if that was the route we take. I assume by the ship's coffers you mean the mass of inventory we're looking at using for bartering or trading with other refuges or individuals, right? So since our "loot" isn't necessarily easily liquidated in exchange for money, how are we going to deal with all that? I like the idea of having people receive their fair share, but I don't like the idea of perishable items going to waste in a warehouse somewhere.. and a lot of perishable items are going to be what's in demand and therefore what we should probably be raiding for, at least for awhile."

[Dawn OOC]

"I just wanted to have a clear idea of what was expected of me, and what I should expect of you," Simon said. "I know it seems materialistic, but I've never had to depend on another for anything. I've never had to have charity." He plucked at his shirt. "Now, everything I have save one set of clothing comes from someone else, and I didn't earn it. I want to start earning for myself again. I was looking around the Refuge, but your offer is very generous."

He looked to Jasmine. "I'd be more than willing to take most of my shares in luxuries and non-perishables. No point in keeping things from people when they need them right now." He grinned. "I miss my occasional cigar treat, and wouldn't mind getting some of those - things like that."

Hana was almost bouncing with glee. "Does that mean you're coming?" she asked.

His smile faded a bit. "Possibly. First, though, I'd like to get to know everyone here better. I'd like to know whom I'm traveling with, before we start this journey."

[Jasmine Gentian]

She smiled warmly at him then, shaking her head slightly in protest. She seemed relieved somehow, as if something in his statement had eased some concern that she was trying to conceal. She spooned some salsa onto her plate and picked up a few crackers as the dipping spoon made it's rounds, but kept her attention on Simon.

"It doesn't seem materialistic, it shows a desire for self-sufficiency, and that's an asset, not a liability. And those are still details we need to figure out. But we have a lot of time for that later too, and I'm sure it'll change as time goes on and the needs of people at the refuges change. But you're right - we should get to know each other a bit, too."

She looked ready to continue talking, but then for a moment she paused, her gaze moving down to her plate for a second, and a touch of sadness seemed to flicker across the young woman's face. So much of who she was was tied up in tragedy, but Jasmine had never liked to focus on the depressing parts of her life.. it was too easy to let that consume you, it was the reason so many people who became sick lost hope, and gave up. She'd hadn't tried to tell someone about herself really.. not since then. After a moment, her gaze moved back up, and she smiled at him again, intent once more on focusing on what she had instead of what she'd lost.

"So what do you want to know? Like I said earlier, I'm Jasmine. I've been at the refuge about a month now, before that I was mostly on my own since Z-Day. I'm one of what people call the "supers", I guess. I'm pretty durable, I took to fighting the zombies pretty quickly - and I'm very fast. Before that I was just a high school kid, I guess. I'm eighteen now.. I just had a birthday, actually. I kind of forgot.. I haven't paid attention to the date for quite awhile, you know?"

She smiled and shrugged a little self-consciously then continued as the spoon got passed to her and she scooped out a small serving of the meal before passing the spoon off to Bond.

"I come from a big family.. so it'll be nice to have people around again, it's what I'm used to. And you should know before you decide one way or another that Jim and I are together, and.. expecting. I don't know if that'll affect your decision or not, but it might affect things a big later, so I figured I should mention it now."

[Fox]

He blinked and looked at Jasmine for maybe three seconds as she finished. He didn't gawk, gape, or double-take. He didn't appear to be surprised at all... except to Jasmine. That blink and short stare were all the signs the young woman needed that she'd just achieved the near-impossible.

For a moment, just one fleeting moment, she'd caught Bond flat-footed.

"It is a factor that people should take into account." Bond nodded in agreement as he served himself, then passed the spoon round to Hana, glancing at Jasmine with a lopsided smile before looking at the others. "It's strange, how some things seem less important until we focus on them." He glanced at Jasmine again, then added wryly "Or until someone brings them to our attention."

With a chuckle, he leaned over at kissed Jasmine on the cheek with a disarming lack of self-consciousness. "You should have told me." he murmured with a gentle smile. "It probably wouldn't have changed much, but I'd have liked to know." Straightening up, he smiled at the others around the table.

"As for me, my name really is James Bond. Blame my parents. As for my appearance, I can only assume that when I changed to become a Super, some inner fever-dream caused by the virus and what was on tv at the time resulted in this. As for my abilities... Well, my 'powers' seem to be mostly internal, particularly focused on speed and acuity of thought and reflex. Which is one reason you all don't have to rinse tea out of your hair after Jasmine's little bombshell just now." He poked her in the ribs gently.

"Jasmine carrying our child is one reason we're going on the road. To be blunt, I have more confidence in my ability to defend my family and friends on the road than stuck here with the unstable social situation."

[Jasmine Gentian]

Jasmine's cheeks turned a pale, dusky shade of rose, and she tried to hide the expression of embarrassment that flickered across her face. In truth, she hadn't even given the matter much thought.. and it had certainly been the last thing on her mind at the point that it was relevant, anyway. Besides, she'd always been told that she looked her age or younger, and it hadn't really dawned on her that it had been an effect of her illness more than a natural inclination towards youthfulness.

Originally Posted By: Bond

With a chuckle, he leaned over at kissed Jasmine on the cheek with a disarming lack of self-consciousness. "You should have told me." he murmured with a gentle smile. "It probably wouldn't have changed much, but I'd have liked to know."

She murmured back quietly as he was leaning back up, still looking a touch embarrassed.

"Sorry.. I didn't realize it wasn't obvious."

She ran a hand through her hair and smiled a little self-consciously, letting him finish his own history and explanation for their desire to leave and tried not to look sheepish at the slightly humiliating situation.

[Atomicweasel]

Hana took the serving spoon from Bond and raised up one knee to lean forward over the table. She carefully ladled herself a steaming serving of stew from the pot, pouring it into her bowl, and then sat back down with one leg still folded under her. A look of anticipation lit up Hana's pretty features as she inhaled the scent of her food. She dipped her spoon into the bowl, took her first taste of it and closed her eyes, her knees tapping against each other under the table.

"This is really good, Jasmine." Hana shyly praised.

"Ith kinda thpicy..." Pumpkin protested, opening her mouth and fanning her tongue theatrically.

Hana poked her tongue out at Pumpkin and savored another spoonful.

[Dawn OOC]

Not realizing that Jasmine expected more from Bond, Mrigesh spoke next. "I am Mrigesh Singh. I was a resident in Washington University's School of Medicine on z-day. I found myself here after ganging up with several other people from WashU. I am from Mumbai, and that is where my family is." He didn't add the obvious next statement was that was where they had been, though he didn't say that.

"That is my story," he finished with cute awkwardness. He didn't like talking about himself; it made him nervous.

[Fox]

Bond nodded at Mrigesh as he finished a mouthful of the stew, smiling faintly at Pumpkin and Hana before turning his gaze to the others.

"The upcoming town meeting Fox is throwing is going to affect a lot of changes, I imagine. Even if the changes are primarily in peoples views on the Refuge. There's a lot of resentment here, justified or not, and it's directed primarily at the local Supers." He looked at Mrigesh, Hana and Simon, curiousity in his eyes. "I'm wondering, seeing as it might come up... How do you three feel about enhanced folks?" He smiled faintly and took another sip of tea as he waited.

[Dawn OOC]

"I like enhanced folks," Simon said. His lips quirked in a smile. "They're great fun at parties." He grew serious. "They're people, honestly. They're good, bad... and everything in between. We had a super at the prison, before he fought with Josh... Hornsbeck, and took off on his own. Just as well. He was an asshole, just like most of the rest."

"I too feel that people are people, be they supers or not," Mrigesh replied softly. He took a drink of his soda before adding, "I enjoy working with Dr. Shattuck; she is a great doctor, aside from her abilities."

[Atomicweasel]

Hana was the last to answer. She took another spoonful of her rice and bean stew and for a moment it seemed as if she might not answer at all. But then she set her spoon down and wiped her napkin across her lips and turned to look seriously at Bond.

"I think people with powers are dangerous." She said, speaking quietly. "I think...I think there's something dark about the powers people get, and I think the more powerful they are, the less human they become." She shot a guilty glance at Pumpkin, but went on. "People with powers forget what they were and who they were the more they use their powers. They don't know what it's like to be scared or hungry or hurt. And then they don't know what it's like to be a person anymore..."

Hana paused, her hands folded neatly in her lap. "And then one day they wake up and they're not one. They're something else." Her eyes flicked from Bond to Jasmine and then back to her bowl. "If they're not careful, I mean..." she dipped her spoon back into the stew. "...really careful."

[Jasmine Gentian]

The table was silent for a long moment as everyone digested that answer. Hana glanced up nervously after a couple more bites at Bond and Jasmine, but neither of them seemed angry at her answer. Bond was, as always, inscrutable. And the sober expression on Jasmine's face made it appear that the dark-skinned super had taken Hana's statement seriously.

Finally, she sat her fork down and glanced back at Hana, gazing at her thoughtfully for a quiet moment.

"What's that saying? 'All power tends to corrupt - absolute power corrupts absolutely.' At least none of the supers I've met have absolute power. We all still seem to have our weaknesses. But.. you're probably not far off, Hana. I think it's easy for people to get.. carried away. To forget that just because we can do something doesn't mean we should."

She looked distant for a brief moment, as if Hana's warning had triggered some memory. Then she shook her head and forced a small smile to break the still-tense silence.

"Then again.. maybe that's a more human affliction than you realize. But you're right. We'll have to be very careful. I'm sure.. I'm sure it's a slippery slope."