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Post by Katherine "Kate" James on Jun 5, 2015 23:44:30 GMT
"Why won't... you... come... up..." Kate growled at the bar. Something sticky had obviously spilled across the surface and while she had gotten most of it up, she hadn't gotten all of it and this one spot... just this one spot... would not come up. It was driving her crazy.
Finally she cursed under her breath and abandoned the rag, letting it cover the spot. Maybe if no one moved the cloth, no one would notice the stain? Unlikely... but until fresh supplies came in, she didn't want to keep using soap on it when it clearly wasn't working. Stepping around the bar, she moved to the window and started opening the blinds. She even switched the 'closed' sign around to 'open' so that the citizens of Port Haven would know they were open for business. The Coyote was one of the only places to really sit down and eat. Most people didn't eat meat anymore due to theories that that was what had started the whole undead Apocalypse to begin with. So while they had meat, it typically went bad before it could be served. Kate thought that was all a load of crock, though. She'd rather take her chances with the meat. No point in NOT living.
With the sign flipped to open, she stepped back toward the bar and went back to polishing some of the glasses while waiting to see who the day would bring in.
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Post by Lani Matthews on Jun 6, 2015 0:30:21 GMT
She wasn't the only one not to subscribe to the meat theory- if there had been any merit to it, then there would be no vegetarian or vegan walkers... and whether they ate meat in life or not it didn't matter. The dead were persistent about not staying down! Still, when she glimpsed the sign flipping to open as she was walking past the Coyote on her way to get home? She couldn't resist and instead pushed the door open before slipping inside. She was still dressed from a fairly busy work day, but then again she wasn't exactly trying to impress anyone. Fingers lifted up to cover her mouth, a yawn bit back before she moved to head for the bar. A slight nod and smile offered over to the other woman, Kate, even as she moved to haul herself up onto a seat. "Recommend anything?" Hey, she had no life- she was kept pretty busy at work but aside from that her life revolved around survival and her family. So this stolen moment to sit there and relax, and yes get food and drink... was rare.
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John Leary
New Member
We're not the damned, folks, we're the categorically fucked
Posts: 19
Screen Name: TBA
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Post by John Leary on Jun 6, 2015 4:49:03 GMT
John wasn't far behind Lani. Before the door could even close behind her, his arm was extending to catch the edge and push it back open. He looked a little ragged, definitely like he needed a bath. Wasn't really his fault, though - was it? He'd been out for the past three days and yeah... he was glad as all hell to see that the Coyote was open. After being out in what was practically the desert, he needed something with a edge to knock back. The things he had seen... It was the kind of stuff nightmares were made out of.
"Hey, Kate." He called out, reaching down to his belt to unbuckle the gun that he kept on his person at all times. It was handed over the bar toward the brunette before he slid into one of the stools and offered her what could only be described as a smile given with effort. "Whiskey for now." He muttered, rubbing at his tired face. Through his fingers, he glanced side-ways at Lani. "Where's your brother? I didn't see him on the trail at all."
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Post by Katherine "Kate" James on Jun 6, 2015 5:01:17 GMT
"Thanks." She grinned, stretching her arm over to take the gun from John. It wasn't that she didn't trust him with a weapon, but rather it was more a house rule. Newcomers who came in were required to turn over the guns because... who could you really trust? People were sometimes more dangerous than the dead were. And while she trusted John, it didn't hurt to maintain order. "Whiskey coming up." Tapping the bar, she vanished underneath briefly to retrieve a bottle of whiskey. While pouring, dark brown eyes lifted toward Lani and a small shrug was given. "Meatless meatballs?" She flashed a devious little smile across toward the girl before sliding the glass toward John. "Seriously though. I thawed some beef last night. I could fix you up a burger. Wanna try that?"
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Post by Lani Matthews on Jun 6, 2015 5:13:53 GMT
She slanted her gaze over at John when he commented on not seeing her brother, her shoulder rising and falling in a half shrug. "Trail is big and your not seeing him isn't cause for worry. I'm not expecting him in for a few more hours still." She offered a small smile to him, though she always worried when her brother was out- not that Evan couldn't take care of himself but things outside of Port Haven were particularly dangerous. "I've got to snag Izzie from the sitter in about an hour... when he gets in, I'll let him know you were asking about him." She wasn't unfriendly to John, not at all- even if his words added a slight flare to her already present worry.
She turned her attention back to Kate, having to shudder for a moment when she teased her about the faux meatballs. "Cholesterol in the general population is at an all time low... but is the price worth it? Hamburger, please." The fact that meat was available, she was going to go for that source of protein. She had other theories about why the dead kept rising, and not a single one of them had to do with something that once mooed.
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Post by Evan Matthews on Jun 6, 2015 5:31:35 GMT
He was actually going to make it back a few hours earlier than planned, sweat and god only knew what else staining his clothes as he made his way towards the Coyote. John hadn't been the only one to have a rough day, and if he was going to go home and be any sort of father to Iz, he needed to unwind for a few minutes before heading there. He'd pushed the door open and stepped in in time to be startled by Lani's voice saying please and amber eyes turned towards the bar even as he worked his holstered gun off. He had just reloaded it, and the fact he could still feel the heat emanating from it was disturbing. "Hey Kate, Lani. Whiskey, please." In spite of the exhaustion around his eyes, he cracked a grin. Then his gaze moved to John and he nodded, before grimacing. "I just returned from taking care of the Sullivans. His son froze out there and George...." He'd never allow Isabelle to become a hunter when she grew up, because when George's son Geoff had frozen... he'd been ripped into so savagely that he'd died even before he hit the ground. George had been taking him out to mentor him, something Evan had been against but the end result had been the same. He'd had to sit and wait until George had turned as well before putting his associate down with what dignity he could. Shit, there was no dignity in death- less so since the dead started walking.
With that news grimly given, he moved and took the seat on the other side of his sister at the bar.
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Trevor Baccus
New Member
Widowed
Posts: 11
Screen Name: vexingdisciple
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Post by Trevor Baccus on Jun 6, 2015 5:46:40 GMT
He'd spent quite a bit of time "interviewing" with some of the higher ranking officials within the community about his skill-set, and what he could do for the community if he were to stay. He hadn't committed to the idea of staying yet, however he didn't have any place to go in particular, so he was definitely entertaining it. After being released from the meeting, he had been urged to go explore the area, and see what there was to get used to.
He had walked by the Coyote earlier in the day, but it had been closed. He's assumed it was pretty much a novelty, and that it wasn't actually operational, but he'd caught someone walking in as he came back down the street. It took him a few moments before he'd made it back to the doorway, but sure enough, the sign said open. He stepped through the door and peered inside. There was a bartender across the bar, and a few others sitting on the customer side of things. Much like a lost person would, he walked slowly up to the bar, looking from side to side to take in the place. It wasn't pristine, but it was almost as if the scourge hadn't touched the place at all. It felt... home-y. He had a seat at the bar nodding to both Lani and John before his attention was turned to Kate. "Hello, I'm Trevor. What do you have here?"
He didn't expect a full service restaurant, he figured it was probably just a social morale booster where they could get a glass of water and congregate. A faux bar, if you wanted to call it that. Trevor didn't look like he'd missed too many meals. He actually looked quite healthy. They weren't at all a pleasure to eat, but if there was one thing you could say for M.R.E's it was that they contained all the nutrition that one needed. A set of free weights was all the soldiers had had to keep them busy, so they worked out daily. Physically he wore a sand colored tee shirt, stained all over the place with what looked like grease. His pants and boots were Army combat issue, very worn out, and similarly stained. His hair was slightly too long, and poorly cut, and his black greasy beard was a little longer than he would have liked.
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Post by Katherine "Kate" James on Jun 6, 2015 17:34:24 GMT
"One burger coming up then." She said with a small laugh before shooting John a look that flat out said to shut up. The last thing Lani needed was a reason to worry about Evan, after all. Thankfully, she didn't have to worry long because just as Kate returned with the meat to start grilling up a few burgers, Evan walked through the doors. The news of the Sullivans, however, brought a frown to her lips. "What? Oh no..." She set the plate down, suddenly stricken with sadness for the family. Though she admired the Hunters, she could never be one. Going out and killing the undead, she understood that. It was survival. But she'd never be able to manage to put a bullet in someones head. She knew herself. She was to soft for that sort of thing. "Both of them?" She asked. Obviously it WAS both, but it was instinct to ask anyway. One last chance to find out if two friends were gone for good. It was a semi-big town, but small enough to where you knew just about everyone who lived there. "I'll see about starting a memorial this afternoon." Hunters were treated much like the Military had been before the epidemic. Those who took up arms to defend their own were heroes. They deserved a proper memorial at the very least. A funeral was out of the question, as surely Evan hadn't been able to save their bodies - but at least he had put them down and saved them from suffering a life of... well... whatever that undead life would have been.
With a soft sigh, she brushed back a strand of her hair and tucked it gingerly behind her ear. The burgers were NOT going to make themselves, so despite the urge to mourn for the lost lives - she forced herself to pound out a few patties. She didn't know if Evan or John would want one, but she was going to make enough for whoever did. It was a good distraction, at least for the time being.
The chime to the door caused her to look up and before she knew it, Trevor was standing at the bar - introducing himself. With her hands full of hamburger meat, she wasn't about to reach out to shake his hand... so instead she just nodded at him. "Trevor." The name was repeated for memory purposes. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Kate. This is Lani, John and Evan." She pointed to each in turn then motioned down to the burgers she was cooking up. "You want a burger? I can make you something non-meaty if you like. Mac and Cheese?" She shrugged. Some people were really funny about meat, others weren't. It was why she kept a decent stock of it. Worst case was she and her grandfather would stuff it all down to keep it from going bad.
"Passing through?"
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John Leary
New Member
We're not the damned, folks, we're the categorically fucked
Posts: 19
Screen Name: TBA
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Post by John Leary on Jun 6, 2015 17:40:27 GMT
His hands lifted at the slanted gaze. "Easy, tiger." He grunted. "Was just a question. I'm sure he's fine." Of course, as luck would have it, the door entered and Evan strolled in looking a little worse for wear... but still in one piece none the less. "See? He's fine. I was right and you owe me a beer. But later, I want whiskey now and I'm to classy an individual to mix them." He grinned down at Lani, but the grin soon faded when Evan explained what had happened out on the trail. A tsk was given underneath Johns breath, but he had a private moment of silence anyway to say a prayer for the dead. Some people said it was pointless to pray to a God who had obviously forsaken them - but John didn't think so. Prayer was a powerful thing. When you were out on that trail, you got spiritual real damn fast because you didn't have much else to cling to.
"Shame about them boys." He finally said, breaking his silence and looking across at Evan. "Kid was pretty young, too? Should have had him up on the wall first. Practice sniping. Too late now." He frowned. This sort of shit made him hate every single person who had ever once used the term "yolo" - granted he'd been a child when the epidemic really started, but he remembered enough to think all of those people were fucking idiots.
YOLO. Wonder what they'd say now? He thought.
With a shake of his head, his eyes cut sideways toward Trevor. One hand lifted in a half-assed wave, but that was all the guy got before John was back to downing his whiskey again.
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Post by Lani Matthews on Jun 6, 2015 18:00:01 GMT
Focusing too much on what her brother was doing out there was a guaranteed way to feel her heart leap into her throat. She'd already lost her sister in law, Evan had been a widower since not too long after Isabelle came into their lives... losing her brother was unthinkable. Still when John reacted to her look, she couldn't help but grin- because it was pretty well timed with Evan coming in. "No, you can buy me a beer and next time you need your skin stitched up I promise to use a sharp needle so it's almost painless." She gave a little bit more of a grin still before Evan's news about the Sullivans had her smile fading completely. Hannah Sullivan already wasn't well, the loss of her husband and son might be too much for her weak heart to handle. To have had to put George down as well... she just put her hand on her brother's arm and gently squeezed.
She shook her head for a moment before murmuring "I'll get Iz from the sitter's and get her ready for her schooling, so you can help with the memorial." She'd intended to sleep after getting her niece off to the afternoon session of pre-school because she'd worked all night, and she was on shift again tonight. However now she felt the need to check on Hannah Sullivan as well as make sure her brother was fine. It couldn't be easy putting a friend and assosciate down.
She looked to Trevor as introductions were made, and in spite of the sad news she smiled at the introduction before going back to waiting for her hamburger.
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Post by Evan Matthews on Jun 6, 2015 18:16:05 GMT
He nodded slightly to confirm that both of the Sullivans were put down after they'd died the first time. He was of the same belief as John, however when George had chosen to mentor his own son rather than have one of the other hunters initiate him into the ways...George had chosen wrong. Geoff hadn't been ready and they'd paid dearly for it. As he sat down next to Lani, he slid his gun and holster across the bar so that Kate could take it when she came back from working on the burgers. He wouldn't pass one up- cooking wasn't something he was particularly good at, and from the tired way his sister looked he doubted she was going to go home and start cooking unless it meant scrambling a quick egg for Iz before pre-school.
He didn't really want to help with the memorial, those were for saying goodbye and he'd had to say his goodbyes already twice. He exhaled but nodded, he'd help out because it wasn't for him. The memorials were for Hannah and everyone else who loved the Sullivans. Still, he appreciated his sister's help with Iz and all. "Welcome to Port Haven." was what he said in response to the introduction of Trevor. His attention moving to the unknown male as he visually appraised him, wondering the same thing as Kate... was he here for the long haul or passing on through?
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John Leary
New Member
We're not the damned, folks, we're the categorically fucked
Posts: 19
Screen Name: TBA
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Post by John Leary on Jun 7, 2015 3:56:43 GMT
When Lani pointed out that she'd pick up Evan's daughter so that he could help out with the memorial, John cast a sideways glance toward the man to silently judge his reaction, though he didn't even need to read the guys expression to know he wasn't going to want to plan a memorial. Sure, it wasn't about them. It was about the loved ones left behind, the memories and the ones lost themselves. But they still had to figure out how many different ways they could say goodbye to someone, when they were the one who said goodbye first. It wasn't easy, John knew that. More than once, he had had to put down his own friends. Shit, he'd put down his own brother. Now THAT hadn't been easy... but what the fuck was he -really- supposed to do? It would have been more of a dishonor to just leave him.
Casually, he brought the bottle to his mouth and took a sip before swerving on his stool and reaching out to motion towards Lani. He wasn't trying to be an ass. He just wanted to get her attention. "Tell you what, guys. Evan, you go home. Catch some sleep. Lani, you take care of the kid. I'll handle the arrangements. Geoff and I weren't exactly close.... but.." He shrugged. They all shared one thing in common. It was their job to keep the citizens of Port Haven safe.
He did, however, cast a look toward Evan. It was a silent expression. One that said: I understand if you need to sit this out.
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Trevor Baccus
New Member
Widowed
Posts: 11
Screen Name: vexingdisciple
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Post by Trevor Baccus on Jun 7, 2015 4:41:47 GMT
Once he'd sat down at the bar, he took a moment to look at each of their faces for a moment, their own sorrow being mirrored in his eyes. His face remained still and emotionless as he scanned each of them for only a second. "I'm sorry to hear about your fellow citizens, it's never easy losing part of your group."
His voice would suggest that he may have lost plenty over the years. They weren't always a 12 man militia, they'd started out with citizens, just like Port Haven, even if they were more nomadic in nature at the time. "Does it happen often?"
He turned his attention to Kate now, looking down at the raw meat on the tray. He'd eaten an MRE right before going into the meetings, but he'd had nothing but those same MREs for a decade now. He'd forgotten what real food and drink tasted like. There was a fire in his gaze as he stared at the meat for a moment, longing for something freshly made almost as much as a crazed vampire would a fresh wound. He was able to compose himself rather quickly however, eyes glancing up to look at Kate. "Don't make anything special for me, but if you have leftovers, I won't let it go to waste. I would be interested in a little of that Whiskey however, assuming I heard him correct..."
He wasn't even sure which of the guys he had heard ask for Whiskey, but he was pretty sure one of them had. "I didn't even know this place was here until I encountered one of your Hunting parties, right now I'm just weighing all my options. My previous group decided to disband almost two weeks ago. I've been roaming since."
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Post by Katherine "Kate" James on Jun 7, 2015 5:02:00 GMT
"Don't take this the wrong way, Lone Ranger..." She began, her eyes flickering up toward Trevor's face. "But people don't last long on their own out there. You should find somewhere to settle down, even if its just temporary." The words were followed up by a firm nod. She'd seen men get torn apart out there by themselves. Even the strongest of the strong rarely went out with anyone guarding them. The only one stupid enough to try that shit was John and it wasn't like he was alive because he was particularly skilled. Kate was convinced he was just flat out lucky as hell. No doubt he'd be rolling his eyes soon. He'd heard this lecture more than enough, after all.
Sweeping more of her hair, which was long and kept falling into her face, behind her ear... she waved her hand across at Trevor, dismissing his comments. "Sit down. I'll fix you a burger. You're looking at this ground beef the way I'm pretty sure most women want to be looked at on their honeymoons." She teased. It wasn't easy to stay upbeat, but she made a point to stay as friendly as possible. Still, the death of the hunters was flickering back and forth in her mind only to be brought flaring up to the surface with Trevor's question. She shook her head. "Happens more than it should because none of this should be happening... but... it happens less than it did when Port Haven and most of the other towns were in the process of building or brand new. So I can safely say, we've come a long way."
While she spoke, she pour Evan's drink - only to set it down in front of him as well as a plate of fries. The first burger was set on for him. He could not eat it... and give it to Lani, but she figured he was smart enough to NOT buy into those rumors. "Eat up, Evan. You gotta be starving huh? Don't worry, everyone's burger is on the way." She promised, quickly making plate after plate and setting them patiently onto the bar before handing the last plate out to Trevor. "Leftovers." She said with a smile, even though the burger was the same exact size as all of the others.
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Post by Nathan (Nate) Winters on Jun 7, 2015 6:12:02 GMT
If he had to hear anymore about meat theory then he had heard from his in his own words impressionable little sister he might have screamed... he prayed she'd drop it.... personally he figured hell got backed up... though he wasn't even entirely sure that was the reason still it seemed like the theory his grandfather, a war vet and southern baptist minister... well in life... would approve of... the theory had it's problems too. Nate, his sister, and their Aunt had lived in the town about a year and his butt could be found in a church pew bright and early every Sunday morning rain or shine... Weather it was because he still held on to his faith in this chaos or if it was because it was comforting and how he grew up was anyone's guess he didn't talk much... most of the time and he certainly didn't enjoy a rousing religious debate... truth was he believed it was that simple and debating it didn't do much to test his faith as much as it tested his self control not to punch someone in the mouth... still a carved wooden on a string of leather hung from his neck whenever it wasn't tucked into his shirt. The rest of the week he made himself useful on the trade route... and at the end of a day out in the hot sun or rain or what ever elements came... he wanted meat... and occasionally a beer or a shot if available. He sat down at the bar and nodded to Kate he looked like he'd had a long day "Anything worth drinking?" he's typical order was a burger if he didn't mention otherwise and he came in offend enough. His forearms met the top of the bar and hands folded.
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