Please write out kitchen-centric scenes here :)

-------> From Big House

Mortimer made his way to the Kitchen where he saw Loa taking stock and looked at the low stock of food but he didn't care. He needed food and looks to Loa who was facing the other direction. "Excuse me Loa. I hope I'm not intruding but I wanted to see when I-- I mean we were going to get our deserved meal. I haven't had anything for the past two days and deserve something today."

He had nothing against Loa as a person but did not like the position she had which stood in the way of his God-given right to a meal which seemed the best thing in this world. And his hunger seemed to be doing a lot of the talking at the moment.

Loa was cleaning, organising, trying to keep her mind busy and the area as sterile as possible. Something she learned in her veterinary practice, as most people and animals in care seemed to suffer from infection of some sort. With the limited food and water they had, as well as the little alcohol her and Dominic hid for medical purposes, she had to keep things clean, well tidied, and guarded from their own people. As she was busying herself, hungry as everyone else was, she heard someone enter the room behind her. She knew everyone well enough by now to recognize Mortimer's presence even before he spoke. The former veterinarian continued working at the counter, her back to Mortimer as the man spoke, keeping herself placid despite misgivings over the words 'deserve/d' regarding what little foodstuffs they had. What they did have was stowed away in a cupboard, a chain locked in a knot in and around the cupboard handles. Only she and a few others knew where the key was.

"I understand, Mortimer, I do." She replied as she turned to face him, her dark brown eyes unblinking and naturally kind in aura, yet there was a lace of world-weariness to her soulful gaze. She'd been cleaning off the serving counter with some clean, uninfected water they had set aside specifically for cleaning, not drinking. "We will divide up rations when the raiding party comes back. It should be later today, but if they are gone for a night we will divide rations by this evening. At the very least we must wait for Joe, Tom and the others to come back as well." Loa informed him as sweetly and patiently as she could. She was also two days short of eating, and had refrained from the insistence of Cauldershore and Dominic to give herself a share of their meager rations. Though she was important for her medical ability, she knew those who needed food just as much, like the young ones and the wounded, yet she understood the stress a lack of caloric sustenance could have on fully grown men. The Donner Party a couple hundred years ago had lost its men first when becoming stranded out on the pioneer trail. Men needed food, she understood, but there were realities they had to deal with.

"There are almost thirty of us here in the Caravan, and we only have enough to feed 7 people a day. I can't promise anything but I will speak with Mahmoud and see if we can get you something today, hun. " She'd ignored his tone when speaking with her, having been practiced in dealing with the stressed owners of her pet-patients before the apocalypse. Hopefully it would be enough to placate the man of God for the time being.

Mortimer shakes his head as Loa mentions that he would have to wait until evening for a possible meal. He didn't like the idea of it in the slightest and he speaks to Loa bluntly, "I get that food is scarce and we need to conserve it but should we really keep it away from people who need it the most? The water is practically gone too. I really would prefer not to dehydrate and starve to death."

Mortimer then tones it down realizing the anger in his voice and his facial features grow slightly sad, "I'm sorry. I just really need something to eat. I don't care if it takes talking someone out of their food I need something. If you convince Mahmoud to give me a share I would owe you one."

Observing Mortimer, Loa could tell that he still had his head straight but was declining fast, like many others, due to the strain. The human instinct to survive was fighting for control of the senses. She knew that she could easily give him something now, but there might be unintended consequences. What if others felt the same way. It was like plugging leaks in a dam, a new one appearing every time she stopped the last. As the anger rose in Mortimer's voice, she leaned back against the counter, her hand behind her, ready to grasp the knife on the ledge if need be, though the need never came and she left the weapon where it was. When  Mortimer became contrite, Loa sighed softly, leaving the counter and closing the distance between them with a couple steps. "I will see what I can do, okay? Just last until this evening, and we will work something out. Please, Mortimer. You're a strong man, all I ask is for a few hours." She rested her hand upon his forearm, squeezing a little, looking him in the eyes, hoping to calm him with her bedside manner, though insider her there was turmoil over the issue, feeling obliged to help, though the cost might be great. All depended on the success of the raid, or whether Joe and the others brought something back.

Mortimer returns Loa's eye contact and doesn't further resist or say anything stupid. He was hungry but he had to try to keep his cool just a little bit longer for the sake of security. "I can try to wait but no guarentees that I'll wait much longer. Hunger makes your head go crazy sometimes I guess. I really went too far though earlier. Shouldn't have raised my voice to you. Your just doing your job after all. Right?" He was curious if this was her choice or just business.

Loa remained as gentle in disposition as possible, all while remaining constant in her knowledge that men in their world were no longer easily placated when so much that was taken for granted was now terribly askew. She could sense his searching her countenance for some sense of where she stood, but almost like a poker player, the veterinarian guarded her thoughts while portraying the needed empathy that Mortimer might need.

"I'm just trying to do my best, Mortimer." She replied broadly, hoping he took it whatever way he needed to, while she played her cards close to the chest, figuring out what she needed to do to ensure he could be satiated later before the hunger drove him and others mad. "And don't worry about just now, I understand what hunger does. Its not the same but when I used to treat neglected animals they were often malnourished; hunger does things to any creature."
This message was last edited by the player at 03:26, Mon 11 May 2015.

Mortimer just sighs as Loa's answer is too broad to be taken either way. He then just considered she didn't want to answer the question and shrugs his shoulders, "Alright if it wasn't a problem then I'll see myself out."

To Big House------->