Being Stantionary Promises Death (MisterJ)

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Ooc; I'm going to let you direct this bit while I get a good feel on a npc to control lol I feel like this post may be pretty bad... Let me know if I should add something...or something xD

Ryan stared out the window to the faces that looked back at her with anticipation and nearly began bouncing in her seat. The more Leo spoke the more the child wanted to jump out of the vehicle and explore the entire compound; the garden, cafeteria, socializing. Once the car was stopped she wasted no time in bounding out and around to grab as much as her tin little hands could carry. Liam was close behind her taking what was left from the trunk and closed it before following Leo to where they claimed to keep the compound's resources. He watched Ryan struggle with the load she tried to take on and smiled to himself. He really was proud of the kid; in just the short amount of time they had been in the presence of these strangers she was doing her best to not only express her thanks at being saved but to also prove to them she was worth keeping.

He couldn't help but be glad he decided to take the child along with him, not that he would have passed her up. She could have been in a much different state being so young. She could have been broken, a shell of a child that can do nothing but shiver in fear and wait to be coddled or killed. Instead, this girl was doing her very best to survive, even with her tiny size and young age working against her already. Liam quickened his pace to catch up with her and take a bit of the load from her. She gratefully looked up at him and stood a little straighter. "Don't over load yourself too soon Super Woman," Ryan scrunched her nose at the nickname about said nothing and entered the cafeteria.
 
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The three made their way to the cafeteria, the school like tables were still all set up, some had been moved to the back and stacked up but a few of the longer ones were left out with the chairs. At said tables were a few people, eating different foods and talking to each other, laughing. There was a younger girl, in her early twenties with dark brown hair and next to her sat a dark skinned tall man who seemed to be in his late twenties. Across from them sat an older man, roughly in his forties, black hair streaked with white and a tired looking face.

At the other corner there was Harley, she seemed to be arguing with another man, a tall brown haired rather rough looking man. She stomped her foot at something he said then stormed off, glancing at the three of them on her way out of the room. Leo frowned a little bit but continued walking on, he placed the stuff he was holding onto on the table and looked over the Josh who was currently rubbing his face in the corner of her room. "Is everything alright? Harley looked pissed..." he said, just loud enough so it would reach the man. When Josh looked up he smiled at first then looked confused as his gaze moved over onto the other two who were with him.

"Who are they?" he asked with a blunt tone, not interested in any chit chat. After Leo explained the situation he sighed and nodded. "Alright I guess, they're your responsibility though. I have enough on my hands as it is." the man muttered before walking off, looking slightly annoyed. Leo shrugged to this before turning to the two that were with him. "You'll need to meet everyone soon, it is getting late though and to keep everyone safe we have a curfew so I'll show you to where you can stay tonight." he said with a smile.

The other three watched them while eating their food, puzzled looks on their faces. The older man called out with a small wave. "Who ya got there with ya Leo? Some fresh meat?" he asked with a laugh. The other two just rolled their eyes and continued to eat. "That there is Stan, the girl is Lily, she's the doctor, and the other guy is Andre our muscle. Stan says a lot of weird shit so just ignore him, he's just a senile old man." Leo chuckled, introducing the group to the two new comers. Stan laughed, throwing an empty bottle at Leo. "Old but not deaf!" he howled at him before flopping back down in his seat. The other two smiled at the youngsters and gave them a polite nod and wave.
 
The amount of people that were introduced to her in such a rapid succession was enough to make her head spin. Not every one of them had a smile on their face, but they weren't coming at her screaming with knives or guns or infected spit dripping from their mouths. She felt like that had somehow stumbled upon an oasis that really shouldn't exist anymore; she was so sure there weren't enough good people left in the world to create a place like this after what the pair had been through the last several weeks. The girl stuck close to Liam as they dropped the supplies where instructed and were led to meet the ones in the room. Liam chose to ignore the matter of fact that he and Ryan were someone else's responsibility, and swallowed the role with a grain of salt.

Ryan lifted a hand to wave at the others in the room, her mind immediately latching onto the idea of Lily being a doctor. The eleven year old's brain kicked into a brief overdrive as she formulated a plan to get close to the woman eventually to learn what she knew. 'I can finally get a useful skill.' Excitement sprouted in her for the first time in months. Liam gave an awkward wave as well, "I'm Liam, and the peanut over here is Ryan." He pat her on the top of the head, her face scrunching up again in disapproval at the ruffling of her already pretty messy hair.

Following Leo out of the cafeteria, Liam sticking close to Leo's side while Ryan skipped along behind them taking in the sights of the put-together town like it was her first time to Disneyland, the older of the pair had to keep reminding himself that they weren't in any real danger, that this really could be a new home for them. It didn't take long for them to cross the length of the compound to where Leo apparently had enough confidence to allow the pair to stay alone, unguarded, in a small trailer that rested not far from the school building. Turning to Leo, Ryan stood straight and squared her shoulders, doing her best to act older than she clearly was, "Thank you for everything Leo. I know Harley doesn't like us very much," she paused, looking passed Leo for any signs of the red-head and failing. Liam nearly laughed at her attempt at being an adult and thanking the man properly for everything he had done for them, instead his cheesy grin was plastered on his face and he nodded in agreement. 'Look at Little Peanut,' Pride swelled in his chest for the girl, 'eleven going on twenty-eight.'
 
Leo chuckled lightly as the little one and nodded. "It's not that she doesn't like you, she's just..... hard to get close to. After what she went through though it's understandable, it's hard for her to be empathetic for others, but that's what I'm here for." he said with a smile, shoving his hands into his pockets. He looked around the little area they were in, they trailer had been laying empty for a while, a couple of the survivors arrived in it but they were moved into the main building soon after. Since they had no other space right now this seemed like the most fitting. It'll give them some privacy and it'll put the others at ease till they can get to know each other better.


He opened up the trailer then looked towards them with an apologetic smile. "It's not been cleaned in a while so it'll be a bit messy in there, sorry." with that he began walking towards the building, stopping after a few paces. "You should get some rest now, breakfast is at 9 am in the canteen, meet me there tomorrow and I'll show you around properly. And make sure you stay near the trailer during curfew, I don't want the look out to mistake you for a unwanted guest." he said over his shoulder before walking back to the main building of the school, disappearing into the main doors. Once inside he headed down towards the gym. All the equipment was still intact when they got here which was very useful especially with training some of the more inexperienced people.

He stopped in the door way, his eyes glancing over the room before locking onto a figure, relentlessly training in one of the corners. Leo smiled, leaning against the door frame. "I thought I'd find you here." he muttered, his greeting met with a irritated groan. Harley was currently on the ground doing push ups, her body was soaked with sweat which was a clear indication to Leo that she'd been here for a while. He sighed as he walked in, taking a seat on a bench next to her training area. "You know things are just gonna get more tense now right? Bringing in two extra mouths to feed... We're barely getting enough food in now." Harley growled in between her heavy breathing. Leo rolled his eyes and just watched her waiting for her to finish. Once the red head stopped and stood up he handed her a towel which she snatched from him. "Just..spit it out already, what do you want?" she snapped at him, grabbing her bottle of water and gulping from it. "Alright alright, there's no hiding anything from you is there?" Leo chuckled, looking at her. "Well since you're in charge or training I was wondering if you could asses the two of them tomorrow, see what they can do, maybe help the girl get her grip on things a bit?" He asked, trying to sound as nice as he could. "It's important for everyone here to have the basics down at least...in case of the worst."

Harley sighed deeply, wiping the sweat from her forehead before answering. "Fine, but I'm not doing it because you asked, I'm doing it because it's my job." she said coldly before throwing the sweat covered towel back at Leo and heading towards the showers. Leo decided to just leave it at that and headed to his room to retire for the night. Harley went into the shower room, she had brought a couple of buckets of water with her before her work out to use. After cleaning herself off she decided to go for a walk around the grounds, she threw her red hoodie on over her work out clothes and headed out. She knew Sarah would be on night duty and Sarah knew Harley liked to ignore the curfew rules and stroll about at night so she didn't have to worry about getting accidentally shot.

ooc - this reply turned out longer than expected, sorry x-x
 
Ooc; Don't even worry about the length! I love the long ones ;) Giggidy lmao

The trailer might as well have been a five star hotel. A visible weight seemed to be lifted off both Liam and Ryan's shoulders once they stepped inside. The carpet was old, stained from years of use and possibly housing children younger than Ryan at some point in its lifetime; the curtains looked like they were made from old '70's floral print and dust. Tucked in the corner was a small uncomfortable looking couch with a twin sized bed not far from the center, an end table was between to two and looked like it served a dual purpose of a coffee table. At the far end of the trailer was a small kitchen lined with linoleum floors, wooden cabinets and a tiny sink to match it all. Down a small hallway he could see the door that must have led to the bathroom, and was proved right when Ryan threw the door open to reveal a shower, toilet, a small storage cabinet that must have been there for towels and such and a sink with a somewhat cloudy mirror hanging above it. "It's small, but its way better than sleeping on dusty floors." The girl called over her shoulder as she surveyed the size of the bathroom. Backpedaling, she re-entered the main living area to see Liam fall face first into the mattress, a small plume of dust erupting from his sides at the contact. "I can taste it in the back of my throat…" His muffled voice fought its way through the old sheets and out into the open air, "I love it." Ryan was sure she could hear the grin in his town and mirrored it with one of her own.

Finally she dropped her faded pink school backpack on the ground at her feet and took a deep breath, taking notice it didn't have an undertone of blood and death. "How long do you think we will stay here?" Her question wasn't an unsuspected one, but it did come sooner than Liam had anticipated. He rolled to his side and sat up to look at her. He pat the spot next to him, calling her over and waited for her to sit before he spoke. "Well, Peanut, I couldn't tell you for sure. What I can tell you is, if you like it here we can try and stay for as long as we are allowed." The cheese-ball grin was plastered on his face, doing its best to convince the girl that they really were safe for the time being. Ryan leaned into Liam's side and closed her eyes, soaking up the moment of serenity and calm.

Liam couldn't stop the yawn that pushed its way out of his mouth, and fell backwards onto the twin mattress, causing Ryan to nearly fall over. She glanced back and forth between Liam's closed eyes and the sad looking couch. She really didn't want to sleep on that thing the first night here, but looking at Liam, she may not have a choice. Ryan yawned herself and mentally began preparing herself for a night on the couch, but before she could actually make the move to it a chuckle made her look to Liam again. "Do you really think I'd let you sleep on that thing the first night? I like you too much." He rose from the mattress, the springs groaning at the release of his weight and grinned at the silent thank you he received as the girl crawled up the top of the mattress and quickly fell asleep. Obviously she was more exhausted than she let on.

A quick glance to the darkened window told him it was late, but not yet to curfew, so Liam took the opportunity to take a quick walk around the inner perimeter to better acquaint himself with the compound. The door to the trailer shut with a quick 'click; and in moments he was out on the streets. He stopped at the end of the walkway that led to his and Ryan's little 'home' and pondered which way to start at. The decision was made when a violent red hoodie made an appearance as the only other person that seemed to not be on a type of watch and he made his way over to it. In a quick jog he managed to catch up with the vibrant color and wasn't exactly sure he was relieved to find out who was underneath. "I'm not surprised to see you out here. You seemed to be the type to break the rules." He took a chance and threw a smile her way, but immediately throwing his hands up in a defensive gesture, "Not to worry, I have at least an hour. Leo told me." That's all he needed, was for the red-head to think he was here to do whatever the hell he wanted. Judging by the reaction of the man she spoke to when they arrived, she obviously had an angry reputation to uphold. "Peanut tapped out for the night so I thought I'd scope the place out a bit before I start whatever work you had for us tomorrow." He winked at Harley, thinking the comment about work the following day was a good touch.
 
Harley was making her way around the old school grounds, her hands deep in the pockets of her old hoodie. She was letting the events of today sink in, they didn't find that much food, some ammo and fresh clothing but it wasn't that great a trip. And to top it off they brought back two more mouths to feed. She knew they couldn't just leave them there but it still didn't sit right with her.

This was her favourite time of the day, she could be alone with her thoughts without anyone bothering her. Or so she thought. She heard footsteps behind her so she slowed down a bit before turning to face whoever it was trying to catch up to her. Harley frowned slightly but her face quickly went back to its blank state. She wasn't really bothered about the curfew but she knew he was right, technically he was still allowed to wonder. "Just make sure you're back in time. Wouldn't want you getting shot on your first night here.." she said casually before starting to walk on, she figured he'd follow on and ask whatever questions he wanted to ask.

While the two were here she figured she might as well ask some questions too. "So you look like you know your way around a weapon, where did you learn?" she asked, looking ahead at the old worn down empty playground that was coming up. Harley always thought it looked particularly eerie at night.
 
Liam stuffed his hands into the front pockets of his jeans as he fell into step with Harley. She seemed a bit more relaxed compared to earlier in the day, allowing Liam to ease up himself. He looked straight ahead, eyes falling on to the deserted playground not far in the distance. He couldn't help but wonder how many kids have seen the playground in the year or so the world collapsed; how many kids were even in the compound; fuck, how many kids in general were left? The swings looked like they were swaying with the weight of an invisible child, but in reality they were just swinging in the light breeze of the deepening night. His imagination placed the images of children where he thought they ought to have been, but it seemed wrong in his head now and he let the breeze sweep the images from his head. The closer they got to the giant faded toys, the more the rust and lack of use became apparent. Kids in play were as rare as fresh milk.

The palm of his right hand itched to reach for the blade when Harley mentioned his weapon. It was secured in its little home at his waist. He tore his eyes away from the approaching playground and looked sideways at her, "You noticed that?" It wasn't often a stranger noticed how he held his weapon, how he handled it with a knowledge previously instilled in him. Liam shrugged slightly, "I was training to become a UFC fighter; since I was six. My dad was a Champion Boxer back in his day, a real hard-ass actually, he totally fit the stereotype. One day I saw a spider in my room, freaked out like a little girl and the next week I was sent off to live with my Uncle up-state where I learned Jiu-jitsu. I was told I needed a side hobby and chose to learn how to fight with knives. I did that until I was twelve. From there I went back to my parents and started entering competitions, where I was pretty good; I was told I had real potential. I'm kind of a badass." He half laughed at his bad attempt at a joke at the end, but trailed off when he didn't get much of a response from Harley. "Good thing I didn't get to choose what I got to do when I was older, it came in handy."

By the time he shut his mouth his feet were at the beginning of probably the saddest place in the entire compound. The faded blue and red flooring that was used to create a type of cushion was cracked from the sun and lack of upkeep, nearly all of its spring gone from the material. He let his feet carry him to the swings that gentle swayed a few inches in either direction, his hand reached out to still the moving chains, stopping the swing's motion. "This little section is pretty eerie, isn't it?" He looked back to Harley, before plopping down on the swing and pushing himself forward. "I feel like a little girl again." He joked again, a grin on his face at the attempt to make the red-head smile. "Tell me, where did you learn to recognize when someone knew what they were doing out there?" A brow lifted, the conversation becoming slightly more interesting than roaming around the compound alone.
 
Harley listened to him, a small smile appearing on her face when listening to his story but it disappeared as quickly as it appeared. She walked along the faded cracked flooring of the playground, kicking a stray can to the side. She nodded to his question, even though this wasn't the nicest of places it was pretty much always empty so Harley spent a large amount of time here, she came to like it and found it's appearance strangely comforting. When Liam asked how she could tell he knew what he was doing she smirked a little, shrugging as she sat down on the swing next to him, looking down at her feet.

"Well, I guess I could say I come from a similar background as you, in terms of fighting. Except I didn't start that early.. I began training when I entered high school, started off with Judo and soon progressed to other types. Sort of cliche story of got tired of being weak and felt like kicking some ass, nothing as dramatic as your story I'm afraid." she spoke softly, gently pushing her feet off the ground, the rusted chains of the swing creaking painfully as it moved back with great effort. "My daddy was a hunter, he taught me how to handle a weapon. I mean, your stance was a bit off but at least you had one. After you get the shit beat out of you so much you learn how to read others first to know what you're dealing with. No point in getting in over your head if it's gonna get you killed, y'know?" Harley went on, gently swinging back and forth, her head tilted back looking at the dark night sky. It was a clear night and the stars were shining in abundance, a full moon gently lighting up the playground from up high.
 
What little of her background Harley did tell, it immediately explained her entire demeanor since he had been in her presence. He watched her swing gently back and forth beside him, ignoring the creaking of the rusty chains and soaking up her voice in its entirety. He should have known she was some sort of fighter; she sure as hell had the outer attitude of one. He pictured Leo to be a sort of Baker before everything; an overly nice man that loved to make pastries and breads. Liam fought the grin that wanted to come to his lips and tucked away the image of Leo in a chef's hat. "That's a good strategy to have." He decided not to push the subject of their pasts any further in fear of telling any more than he already had. Andrea, his gentle baby sister, was still a fresh wound against his heart; it had barely stopped bleeding since running into Ryan and speaking of her now would only reopen those blood-vessels.

Liam slowed his swinging down to a stop, "Well Miss Harley, I think it's time I head back to Peanut." He rose from the swing and began walking back the way they had come, stuffing his hands in his pockets again. "Don't wanna break curfew," He winked at her before turning away and leaving the playground. He couldn't help himself from looking up at the stars as he walked, barely paying any attention to where he was going. For some reason, Harley staring up at them made them just a touch more interesting than they had been the night before. It was possible it was due to being in a safe compound after nearly being chased down and killed, or maybe it was just the red-head in the sad playground for lost children. Whatever had caused him to notice the blinking stars now, he wasn't objecting.
 
Harley didn't look up from the floor as he bid his goodbye. She simply nodded a little before responding with a simply "Bye." She felt a sense of relief once she was alone again, hearing his footsteps fading into the darkness that was the school grounds. Even though this place was enclosed very well and walker couldn't get it, it was still eerie at night when the moon light gave barely any clues about what lies ahead. They kept all the lights off at night, no point in lighting a beacon in the dark for everyone to see. The red head looked up, being able to vaguely make out the shape of the large school building that lay ahead on the hilltop. Anything smaller that was around disappeared into the shadows.

She didn't envy those on watch at night, her own eyes could barely make out anything in this light yet those guys had hawk like eye sight, picking up on even the smallest of movements within the tree line that surrounded most of the fence. With a soft sigh she got up from the swing, the rusted metal chains groaning with relief as her weight was lifted off them. She decided to just finish off her usual walk round the grounds and go to bed, she was pretty exhausted after all the events of today.

As she walked round, everything seemed very peaceful, the leaves of the trees rustled lightly with the chilly night breeze and the moonlight lit up the area around her just enough for her to see where she was going. That's when she heard a sharp snapping of branches and some rustling outside of the fence. Her attention turned to the source of the sound immediately, her eyes squinted at the darkness that covered the forest. For a split second she thought she was a human figure disappear behind one of the tree trunks. That could have just been the shadows playing with her though, or simply a reanimated corpse. She huffed a little, leaning against the fence, the chain links rubbing against each other lightly as her weight was pressed against them. She decided to call out, if it was a walker it would grab its attention and put her mind at ease. However there was no answer.

Harley no longer felt at ease, her heart sped up rapidly. Was there someone there? She turned her back to the fence and began walking back towards the main building, repeatedly telling herself it was just her imagination. Just her brain playing tricks on her. There definitely wasn't anyone there. It was too late thought, her mind was already making up the worst scenarios, eating away at itself and filling her with doubt. Were they followed? Is someone scouting out their camp? Did they find her? All the questions swirling around her head made her feel nauseous. She pick up the pace from a walk to a run, running all the way back to her room that was located on the first floor, a re-purposed old classroom. Once in her safe space again she collapsed onto her bed, shoving her face into the pillow as unwanted memories flooded back to her.

By the time morning came she had managed to somehow fall asleep, rapid knocking on her door waking her. Harley jumped out of her bed, still in last nights clothes, her eyes wide open as her brain struggled to grasp what was happening. As soon as she realised where she was she groaned, looking to the door with an annoyed expression. "What?!" she shouted upon which the door opened. Leo met her with a grin and a small wave.

"You've overslept, it's already half nine. That's not like you, so I came to check up on you." he said, leaning in the doorway. "We got a lot to do today Harv, breakfast is in 10. I'm gonna go grab the kids and I'll meet you there, alright?" he grinned, turning around and walking down the corridor before she had a chance to protest. He heard the door slam after a few second and chuckled to himself, completely oblivious. He made his way down and out of the building, heading towards the little trailer where he last left the new comers in. For the first time in a while he was actually looking forward to something. Leo knew he was gonna be responsible for them, for every time they mess up but the idea of that was the very opposite of daunting. It was obvious Josh thought this would be a lesson to him, not to be bringing in more people but Leo didn't have a single regret.

Once at his destination he knocked on the trailer door, awaiting a response. "Morningggggg, it's time to get up." he said loudly enough to be heard by the two of them. "Breakfast here goes lightning fast, if you're hungry I'd suggest hurrying." Leo added, leaning his back against the trailer and looking out towards the main building, the sun slowly rising up over it.
 
It took no time at all for Liam to get back to his newly assigned trailer home. The flimsy, but somehow durable little stairs that led to the door creaked at his weight, objecting to basically their job. He did his best to open the door silently, but it too was set on announcing his arrival and he winced when the door screamed out to Ryan, then closed with a gentle click. The inside of the trailer was bathed in total black and he found it slightly difficult trying to make his way to the couch that he could swear was literally calling out his name. When the old cushions collided with his tired muscles, he ignored how uncomfortable it was and allowed himself to sink into it regardless. It took mere moments for Liam to fall asleep and begin softly snoring.

The morning came with a violent start of sunshine that so conveniently fell directly across Liam's eyes. He frowned and rolled off the couch before opening his eyes and looking to the yawning young girl sitting cross-legged on the bed spread. "I didn't want to wake you. You looked comfortable." She smiled down at him on the floor from her perch. Liam responded with a thumb up and a yawn of his own. Ryan jumped at the sound of knocking at the thin door, and a broad smile spread across her face at the mention of a real breakfast. Liam's own stomach allowed a gnarly sound to erupt. "Well, it looks like it's time to get moving." Before Liam was up off the floor, Ryan was already springing from her seat on the neatly made bed and running down to their little bathroom. Within ten minutes the two of them were refreshed and more than ready to eat.

No longer taking Liam by the hand, Ryan strode next to him towards the cafeteria they had been shown to the night before. She had resolved in being an entirely new person, a more self-sufficient person that didn't need constant babysitting. She may have only been a child to these people, but she would be damned if she would let them think she needn't to be coddled anymore. That, and she didn't want to be the reason her and Liam weren't allowed to stay here. Her mind was going a mile a minute as they walked towards the large building, joining others as they made their way to the same place. Maybe now that Liam wouldn't be so distracted by protecting them both Ryan had hoped he would be able to focus his attentions as best he could to teaching her to fight like him. The way he moved always took her breath away if it didn't frighten her just a little bit. She remembered the first time Liam was forced to use his fighting skills; a single man in his late forties it looked like, came at them with a double barrel shotgun, half insane at the loss of his family and pets and half crazed with a touch of pre-existing mental illnesses that had been enhanced with the forced isolation. Her brother used to watch similar fights on t.v. before everything went to hell, and Ryan remembered being overly lucky and grateful she had been found by someone with what she assumed to be the same skills.

Entering the cafeteria proved to be a little show all its own. A neat line had been formed to gather together breakfast and Ryan wasted no time in running ahead and claiming their own place. Liam, on the other hand, took his time in catching up to the girl and took in the scene they had entered. If it weren't for the adults and dirty clothing, you'd think this place was a fully functioning school and they were just there for an after school activity. The overall image brought a memory of his senior high school 'sleep-over' night. The entire graduating class would come back to the campus after hours for an over-night stay in the gymnasium with minimal access to the rest of the campus. It was considered rather fun given the games and activities that would be provided with minimal supervision. Liam recalled having to skip out halfway through attending his own Senior Sleep-Over due to his father suddenly deciding that training for the upcoming fight was more important than being a teenager for just a night.
 
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Once at the cafeteria, Leo greeted a bunch of people, then led the two to the line. "You guys stay here, get some grub and make sure you fill up, you got a hell of a day ahead of you. Come find me once you're done, I will be here for a bit then gonna head out to the garden." Leo said, pointing to the double doors at the corner of the room. "It's just outside there, gonna give you two some jobs to do. Gotta do your bit after, all right?" He grinned and turned around walking off to one of the tables where a few people sat already. He sat down with them, two women and a man who seemed very pleased to see Leo, giving him a hard pat on the back and offering him a sandwich. The group began conversing, Leo mainly being questioned about his supply run and time spent with Harley.

After a little bit of time passed Harley groggily turned up at the doorway to the cafeteria. She groaned, running her hand through her red hair, the bags under her eyes more obvious than usually hinting that she didn't sleep well. And everyone knew a Harley on bad sleep was a Harley you did not want to get in the way of. She walked towards the line of people, walking past them all and slamming her hand down on the final counter. The blonde behind the counter that was serving food smiled at the redhead and gave her a warm greeting which was not returned at all. She knew it was not personal though and quickly filled up a tray with food and a cup with hot fresh coffee then handed it to Harley who walked off to an empty corner to eat on her own. The blonde simply giggled watching this then got back to serving the rest of the people in the queue who were used to Harley's behavior by now.

Leo finished up his breakfast and bid farewell to his companions, heading out to the garden. He shouted over to Harley before leaving but she just flipped him off so he decided to give her some more time, mainly more time for the caffeine to start working. He walked out into the sunlight, squinting a little as his eyes adjusted to the bright light. The man walked into the little makeshift garden, walking amongst the thriving plants. He knelt by the tomatoes and began tending to the vines and leaves, making sure to remove any weeds in the soil as well.

Harley joined him after she finished up her coffee and began feeling better, she was always very grumpy before her morning coffee, the lovely rush of caffeine helped her deal with everyone in a more friendly manner, if you can call it that. She walked up behind him, sending her foot to his back. Her kick almost making his loose his balance and go face first into the plants. Leo was half expecting a greeting like this though so he braved himself as soon as he heard someone walking up behind him, managing not to damage the plants. "Morning to you too Harv." He chuckled, picking a couple of dried leaves from the plant stalk.

"Where are the newbies?" she asked, sitting down on a bench made from some old wooden boxes. "They'll join us after they eat, I wanted to give them a little bit of time to have breakfast and maybe talk to some of the people there," Leo answered, not turning around to look at her. Harley took the opportunity to lean over and grab a nice ripe looking tomato from the vine, biting into it and letting out a pleased "Mmmmmmm.." Leo sighed at this but didn't comment, just got on with his work.
 
Ryan was damn near vibrating with excitement to prove her worth, a smile beaming on her face at already being given jobs to do. Ryan wasted no time in introducing herself to the man just in front of her in line, abandoning Liam momentarily by turning away from him and only mentioning him in the conversation instead of involving him in it. He couldn't help but smile at her newly discovered outgoing nature and didn't mind the shift in the child attention. A blast of red tore his attention from the babbling girl next to him and to the front of the line. Somehow he wasn't surprised to see Harley walk right up to the front of the line then walk off to eat alone. A quick glance around the room told Liam this was something of the norm and he went back to watching the red-head. She remained alone throughout her entire meal and an idea came to his head. Tomorrow morning he would sit with her. He smiled to himself at the idea, something told him Harley wouldn't enjoy it, but that walking block of ice needed to melt a bit. The middle finger she flashed to Leo only cemented the idea, and ensured the fact that she wouldn't like it, but he'd do it anyway. At least until she tried to stab him in the eye with a fork.

While Liam ate through his meal at a relatively slow pace, Ryan on the other hand plowed through breakfast so fast he was waiting to save her from choking. Instead, he was left impressed by her new skill at becoming a human vacuum. Within what seemed like seconds Ryan was waiting for him with a look of impatience. "Jeez kid, if I eat like you I'd for sure choke. It was magic that you didn't," He chuckled to himself. The rest of breakfast passed in about fifteen minutes that were filled with introductions and small talk about their life before Leo and Harley stumbled upon them. Of course, Ryan did most of the talking, excitement at so many people being friendly almost overwhelming for her. By the end of it Ryan knew the name of every person in the cafeteria while Liam could barely remember the names of the people he shared a table with. He was just short of shoved out the door when the empty dishes were put away and the time for work had come.

Ryan ran ahead of Liam and met up with the crouching Leo, mimicking his posture. Liam strode up to stand next to Harvey, "A good group of people you got here." His eyes scanning the garden around him before looking at Harley with the bright red tomato in her hand, "Liam and Ryan at your apparent gardening services." He made a solute motion, clicked his heels together and grinned down at her. "Direct as needed."
 
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