The Fort Leader silently acknowledged the gesture of good faith embodied in Alex giving up any visible weapons. Toby was still figuring an opinion on the newcomer, knowing looks could be deceiving, but that the truth was often quite simple.

"I'm not discussing grand strategies with a stranger. You are welcome to stay and fight for us but if you do you follow our rules, you prove yourself, and then we can talk about strategy and make plans together." He'd been trying to hear Alex out but the man's level of fatigue caused the leader to speculate on the drifter's state of mind. He wasn't even going to touch the barb Alex lobbed at him concerning the integrity of his population.

"You are clearly exhausted, and I'd advise you to stay and get some rest. If you stay, your weapons will be deposited in our armory until there is need of them or until I trust you a bit more." Toby explained, his voice even, trying to be fair but demonstrate due diligence. "In any case its never good to have serious discussion when tired. We should talk later. You can stay in the Caravan Cabins for now." Toby's disposition was that of limited patience, but he was trying. "If there's anything else I need to know about my trade partners or hostiles in the area tell me now."
This message was last edited by the player at 21:18, Sun 30 Mar 2014.

"Yes, of course...perhaps I need a moment to think." leans back in the chair, looks at the ceiling and closes his eyes...just for a moment, then a few seconds, a minute...and with an abrupt snap, he's awake, at the same time reaching for a holster, which is now empty.

"Ahhh, sorry, must have dozed off." he gets up unsteadily and walks towards the door, leaving his weapons on the table..."Take care of those for me, thanks."

As he begins down the stairs, he turns back, "Toby, I'm not tired...my soul is tired." He goes down the stairs, walks over to his bike, pulls out an old worn-out blanket/tarp and curls up next to his engine enjoying it's small comfort of warmth, then he is asleep.


To Fort Dixie - (Exterior Scenes)>>>>
This message was last edited by the player at 21:03, Mon 31 Mar 2014.

Toby was still unsure about the newcomer, but without his weapons he wouldn't be as much of a wild card. It was likely true that after getting some shut eye Alex would be a bit calmer in mind. Outside the walls of the Fort time easily slipped away, and he privately wondered how long Alex had been solo without any company before meeting Colton Black-Rabbit.

"They'll be in the armory. Thank you. When you've rested up we'll speak again." He replied, walking Alex to the doorway, ready to see the man off before Alex's last comment.

It gave Toby a moment of thought, leaning in his cabin's door frame while watching Alex head down the steps to the main area of the compound where many of the other inhabitants still socialized.

"Interesting morning you've had." Anne-Marie walked out from the next room where she'd been sitting and into Toby's office. She came to a stop next to his desk and watched him standing in the doorway. "First that blonde woman with the SWAT badge, now this biker dude. What is everyone's problem with our security, bite checks aren't enough? Do we have to do the blood test from The Thing?"

She didn't mind that Toby didn't respond to her. He was always so serious, she tried to take things in stride. She knew Toby had a lot on his mind, so she moved on to business. "We're running short on our medical supplies, especially now after treating this new group. Also, we need to gather the required supplies to trade with the Amish. By the sounds of things Colton won't be getting through to us any time soon, so that buys us time. But of course without him, we don't have any food coming in...

What are you thinking?"

Toby listened closely, even if he was still looking out over the Fort. He appreciated Anne-Marie's council, finding her slightly sassy demeanor refreshing as well. Though his back was turned, he released a small grin as AM mentioned The Thing. The leader tried to be casual and friendly with the Fort, and by and large he was able to, but everyone was different in private than in public.

"We need our new friends to be strong and loyal. I think I can work with Cookie. I think wecan work with her." He turned inside, facing AM, "We're going on raid. Two groups, Caravan and Fort mixed together. Cookie leads one, myself the other." Toby casually moving to his desk, standing in front of it and surveying a map of the area. "I'm leaving you in command while I'm away.." Glancing up to Anne-Marie from the desk, a small smile lingering on his features from her earlier sarcasm, and because he wanted to reassure he had things well in hand.

"I need to speak with Cookie. I spotted her earlier down at the Stockade with Sam. I don't think they like each other, but I think they know each other."

She held Toby's gaze for a moment and smiled back, then stared down at her shoes. "I-uh-thank you, Toby. I won't let you down." Anne Marie said as she looked back up at Toby. She didn't want to tell him that she had never been in charge of anything before. She really didn't want to let him down.
Anne Marie was one of the first outsiders to arrive at Fort Dixie. It was Toby who convinced Francis, the first leader of Fort Dixie, to let her stay. She would make sure everything was alright while he was away.

"Hmm." Anne Marie laughed a little at Toby's comment about Sam and Cookie, and smiled at him again. "Yes, I'll go see what's up and bring Cookie back. Do you want Sam in on this one too?"
This message was last edited by the player at 06:16, Sun 06 Apr 2014.

"You shouldn't thank me, its a hapless position..But you'll do just fine." Turning away from Anne-Marie the Fort Leader turned his attention to his open doorway, hearing some spike in noise down in the courtyard. Looking down at the mess area he didn't immediately do anything, he had people down there to handle things for now.

"Just Cookie for now." He answered her question, not elaborating on his reasoning, but trusting her to carry things out to the letter as AM usually did.

"Alright" she said as she walked to the door. Anne Marie could see Toby's attention had turned elsewhere, to the courtyard. "I'll be back with Cookie right away..."


To Stockade/Prison ==>

=> From Exterior

Anne Marie threw open the door of the cabin where Toby's office was. "Toby! Cookie is , um, you should see..."

"Got it." Toby was curt and understood entirely. He'd been watching events and it was time to set some things straight.

-to Fort Exterior

--> From Stockade

"There she goes." Anne Marie watched out the office window as Karen walked from the jail cell to the door of the fort. "What a bitch." If she ran, Gabe had orders to shoot her. She didn't run though, so that was good. Anne Marie thought Karen was a very peculiar woman. She had the strangest sense, after their little talk, that it was inevitable that they became close friends or mortal enemies. Anne Marie wasn't sure which.

The dead sound of the afternoon was cut by the unmistakable tremble of a truck. Anne Marie watched the reaction of the people in the courtyard, and up on the wall. That confirmed it, someone was coming. "Oh great, more fucking strangers."

To Exterior-->   

-from Fort Exterior

Luke led the trio of strangers up to the hillbound steps to the Commanders Cabin, where a hundred and fifty odd years ago a crusty white crab of a leader sat and plotted. Now it belonged to a Latino who used to be a plumber, or something.. This day is belonged to Anne-Marie, however, the number two of what Fortress Dixie. Refuge for them all for many months, since the Z-bomb went off and the creepers came out.

"Alright fellas, be cool." His hipster mustache twitched as he closed the door and waited or Anne-Marie to begin. She'd tell him to buzz off if she wanted privacy, she knew how to handle herself as she'd displayed over the last few months.

Standing in front of an oval Robert E. Lee portrait in the corner of the office, Anne Marie turned and welcomed the three newcomers. "Come in, come in." There were chairs arranged for each to sit on. She walked around the Civil War era desk and sat in the chair behind it.

"So I suppose if you're here you passed the bite checks." Anne Marie said flashing a witty smile, her attempt at humor. She glanced at Luke for confirmation. You can never be too careful, she thought.

"There are some things we need to talk about. Questions I want to ask you. Let's start with something easy."

"What are your names?"

Be cool, what did this guy expect them to do? Go through the trouble of brining their man back just to fight their way out? Hank was too tired to do anything besides plop in a chair, the coolness refreshing against his bare back. He had wrapped his shirt back around Tom's neck after the check. If these people were going to try anything there wasn't really anything he could do at this point. Rubbing his forehead he sighed, realizing how simple things were when all they had to worry about were the zombies.

I'm Hank, this is Tom He said simply, patting his brother on the knee. He'd let the other guy do his own introductions.

The older man stood neutrally with his arms at his sides, fingers closed slightly, not aggressive but perhaps a bit standoffish. He'd wanted the shelter of the Fort, but he had no idea what would become of them. Playing nice wasn't his strong suit, though he could at least try and watch his tongue, and play along rather than spend the night out with the undead. Still, he was almost regretting his decision to help the boys and the man he'd met on the road. He should have kept moving, but instead he had to involve himself, again.

My name aint any of your fuckin business. Is what the stranger thought, but didn't say. Instead he answered, last among them, in a gravelly, cautious tone. "Joe." His body language made it iffy as to whether he was being truthful, but who knew anyone's real name anymore. Few carried ID's anymore, those who did were usually pining for the past.

There was an urgent knock upon the old cabin door, one that demanded immediate attention. Without much of a moment of reflection the large stoic Caravan member Hector let himself inside. Luke had enough self preservation instinct to simply step aside, weapon lowered harmlessly as he read the body language of the man who had stepped inside. A look of apology over his lack of action was shot towards Anne-Marie, almost as if to say "Sorry! But hey, its just Hector." Luke was self absorbed but amiable with most, Hector being a surprise acquaintance in that he and Luke got along especially well. Luke did most of the talking of course.

"Gabe wants you on the wall." The typically terse Caravan fighter told AM. He was no messenger boy, but he was trying to do his part and make things work so Aishe and himself would be able to pull through even more. He and his friend had been taken in as hostages by the Caravan weeks ago, but had not caused any sufficient trouble to warrant suspicion. They had also proved themselves useful in the fight, and in other ways as well. Though Hector wasn't part of the inner circle of the Caravan, its much reduced population had brought him to the forefront as an excellent fighter, albeit one not well known.

As he awaited action, he shared a knowing look to Luke before glancing over the other arrivals. "Hello, I'm Hector."
This message was last edited by the player at 04:37, Thu 23 Oct 2014.

Hank, Tom and Joe. The first two were young and seemed harmless enough, but the old man was visibly on edge, after only being asked his name. That didn't strike Anne Marie as harmless.

"Alright, so my next question-" she said as the door opened and Hector walked in.

"He what? Oh." Anne Marie would have to get used to this. Obviously there was some new problem, and she had to deal with it. She was ok with that. Working for Southwest Airlines, she enjoyed managing the team of flight attendants, even in the most chaotic situations. Anne Marie thrived on chaos. She could get used to this.

There was the problem of the current guests in her office. Or rather Toby's office.
"Excuse me." She said rising from her chair. She walked over to Luke, and spoke to him in a hushed tone. "Take them and show them around. Find out what happened to Brady. Don't let me down."

She left Luke with the three newcomers and spoke with Hector as they walked to the wall. "OK, what's going on Hector?"

To Exterior->
This message was last edited by the player at 05:06, Thu 23 Oct 2014.

Hector and Luke would exchange another seemingly too-familiar look just before Hector departed with Anne-Marie, effectively casting a shadow over the woman, ready to assist, ever particular with his wording. Clearly he'd been in tense situations before, and could blend into a leadership or support role with ease.

-to Exterior

Luke was not entirely pleased to be put on interrogator duties. He wanted to please AM but he wasn't like Sam or Cookie, he wasn't going to get answers a rough way, it just wasn't his style. The newbies seemed harmless enough except for the old guy, but he hadn't given much trouble yet. Still, he kept one hand on his rifle just in case gandalf decided to try anything crazy. That said, the two younger guys seemed legit, brothers and such. They looked like they just needed a place.

"Sorry about all the formality, we're just trying to be careful. Alot of trouble lately with all the migrants coming down south, I'm sure you've seen more biters out there too." He mentioned, managing what he hoped was a small, reassuring smile. "Uh, Hank, and Tom, right? And uh, Joe, you all hungry? We have a little food, and if you feel anything like I did when I first came here, you probably want some nice cold water, eh?" If anything he wanted to allay the youngest one's possible fears. Clearly something had happened out in the wilds with Brady.

Hank didn't look up as the woman was summoned, focusing on what felt like was going be a mother of a headache. Too much, too fucking much for one day. I'll pass on the food, but water would be divine. He sighed, not wanting to owe these people more then necessary. Besides, depending on how bad this headache turned out he didn't want to waste whatever they could spare. Looking up he turned to face Luke. Your ah, man, Brady, was actually the second living person me and Tom have seen in...longer then I care to remember.

Tom fidgeted as he sat, glancing around as if he was expecting something at any moment. Video games and surviving this long taught you rooms with one door were usually the safest place to be, or a death trap depending on the circumstances. He let Hank do the talking, while he tried not to scratch at the wound on his neck. Just knowing it was there made him want to pick at it, just like any other cut or scrape he'd ever gotten. Tom knew he was lucky a cut, and the nightmare he was sure would come, were the worst things he'd taken away from the incident. Glancing over to Joe he made a mental note to thank him. At the mention of food and water he looked to Hank before turning to Luke. Um, waters fine. Though the slight growl from his stomach said otherwise.

"Suit yourselves. Water is one of the few things we have alot of, actually. Have an old well in the middle of the Fortress. The food part is whats been ailing us with winter coming." He replied, amiable as usual, one hand idly fiddling with the pointing tip of one side of his elaborate hipster mustache.

"That's pretty screwy, dude. I've been here for two months, now I can't imagine being out on my own.." The young Fort-ian let the thought hang, suddenly a bit more sympathetic to the new folks as he remembered his own circumstances before coming to the Fort. He'd barely made it out on his own, being in a small group before finding Dixie.

"Follow me." He waved the three of them after him, opening the door and letting himself out of the cabin, expecting them to follow. Water was awesome after all.

-to Fort Dixie Exterior

Ya, well...sometimes it's easier when all you have to worry about is being eaten by the dead. Hank shrugged, stretching as he stood. Of course finding a safe, at least semi-permanent group had been always been at the back of his mind, but you could never be sure just what the living were thinking. Come on. he directed to Tom, gently guiding him after Luke.

When can we get our bags back? He asked, stepping outside. Ignoring the headache the best he could he took a better look at his surroundings.

---->To exterior

It was lucky that Luke didn't try to engage Joe in too much conversation, for it was becoming increasingly clear that the old guy was in a defensive mood. Though he did nothing to give Luke cause to worry for safety, the older man was conspicuous by his silence. He'd go along with things for the time being, he told himself, feeling some obligation to the younger folks he'd assisted against drifters. While he was appreciative of the shelter the Fort provided he was still evaluating whether that benefit would come at the cost of his life. Normally suited to a life of independence, it was an effort to let himself be guided along, with his cherished bow taken from him, even for a short time.

"Yea, I want my stuff back. I aint no harm to anyone here." He added to Hank's own request, keeping his tone level and civil as he could manage so as to not get them into any trouble.


-to Exterior