LOCATION: The entertainment room (On the first floor)
Grace Gibson
Grace didn't slow down, nor did she stop until she reached the first floor. There, she took a sharp turn to the left and headed to the end of the hallway. Walking through the last door on the right, she found herself standing amidst the entertainment room. It was only there that she stopped holding back and soon, she found herself collapsing onto a purple beanbag while tears flowed freely.
As always, the blinds of the entertainment room had been shut and the lights were off. Loud sobs filled the room and amidst the darkness, little of her could be seen but one of her shoes, which had light casted upon it from the hallway. She didn't care much about that though, instead embracing the darkness as it kept her red and puffy cheeks from showing. Her crying continued and she curled up on the beanbag, suddenly feeling very small and scared.
Jake was gone, Jack hadn't answered his phone and she hadn't seen Talia in days. Sasha was heading out into town and zombies or not, Grace knew there was no stopping her friend when it came down to it. Once Sasha made a decision, she became hard to argue with and her sense of duty would always win from caution. If Sasha didn't return, then all she had left were Levin and Brian. They weren't bad company but now Levin had that crazy girl and she didn't even know if Brian would care to stick around now that the group of survivors had appeared.
Maybe I should just stay here until the zombies find me...
The thought was scary but at the same time, it brought her a weird sense of peace. Jake was no longer alive and she didn't know what happened to Talia or Jack. Maybe they were gone too and if they were, death didn't look so bad. She'd be able to see her mother again, and her siblings too.
Wrapping her arms around her knees, her sobs got smothered and the room became near silent while memories of the past played in her head. One in particular of mere weeks before lingered, and for a blissful moment she imagined that Jake was still there and that they were still watching a comedy together in that very same room.
"Never again..." she muttered to herself and with her voice, her heart broke too.
James Ramirez
James followed the sound and the brief glimpses he got of the rushing woman, worry welling in his chest. He was human after all, he couldn't just let people who were panicked rush into a ambush of infected or other survivors. He heard the entertainment room door shut and paused to catch his breath as he leans on the wall, he was a engineer damnit not a athlete.
Approaching the room he slowed to a pause as he reached out for the door hearing sobbing inside just faintly, a worried expression filled his face as he began to open the door slowly. Stepping inside speaking in his southern draw and shotgun lowered "uh hello? Are yall OK in here?" He asked as he enters the room, the calculator watch on his right wrist glowing softly
Grace Gibson
Ginger curls were lifted from the bean bag and green eyes looked up at the doorway when the door opened. As she saw the lowered shotgun, she lowered her head onto the bean bag again and slumped onto it, making peace with the fate that had caught up to her.
Shoot me, at least it'll be over then she thought to herself. She squeezed her eyes shut while tears stained the fabric underneath her face and waited for the shot, it just never came.
Instead, a southern voice called for her attention and she turned once more, facing him and making out his frame against the light of the hallway.
"Y-yes." She answered in shaking voice, the word soon followed by another sob. "N....no" She then admitted and she sank to the floor, her back resting against the beanbag as she pulled her knees closer to her chest.
"He's dead... my friend is dead... they tore him apart." She said, her voice breaking as her tears continued to fall down her cheeks.
James Ramirez
Hearing the pain in her voice and then the reason for her crying caused James' heart to sink into his stomach, slowly holstering the shotgun in a large holster on the back of his vest near the waist below his backpack. He moved a hand up to brush his messy dark hair away from his eyes as he walks over and kneels across from her carefully.
His green and tan outfit combo matched ans while he had a decent vest on it looked like he had chosen to litter his pouches and the toolbag on his belt with wires ans scrap. The shotgun had a wooden grip that stuck out and seemed to be cut down recently as it was roughly done. "Oh no.." he said showing sympathy, not reaching out in fear he may set her off. "I'm so sorry.. my roommate just turned on me a few hours ago, im not sure how I can help but I do know sitting in a dark room sobbing won't help much.. it'll make ya a bigger target to infected" he said
Grace Gibson
She had expected for him to have shot her by now and when he holstered his gun, a mixture of both disappointment and relief overwhelmed her. Okay, so maybe she didn't exactly want to die nor was she ready, but it would've made things easier.
When he walked over her brows furrowed more and she looked up at him with newfound curiosity at the unexpected kindness. He was nearly a stranger that she recognized now that he got closer, but she was sure they'd only passed eachother in the hall and never exchanged a word.
"Jake... it's Jake. Our Jake... he'd just arrived and they attacked him." She muttered as she scanned his outfit. He seemed far more prepared for it than she was and as she sat in her leggings and a tank top she felt out of place in this world that seemed to quickly become more apocalyptic. Hell, she wasn't even wearing shoes and she pulled her feet, which were covered in polka dot socks closer to her as she became more aware of it.
As he spoke about his roommate, she tilted her head with wonder and concern, the stream of tears on her cheeks slowing down just a little. "Your roommate attacked you? Are you okay?" She asked, worry lining her voice and replacing her own sadness as she reached for him, a dumb attempt of trying to check him for injuries especially since his clothes covered him up.
James Ramirez
James noticed how unprepared this woman seemed to be for the apocalypse, well to be fair not many saw it coming and he himself was a prepper due to his family being similar in nature back home. He offered a kind smile as he moved to take the backpack off and offers it to her saying "here wear this across your front for now, it's got a plate in the back to protect against nine mil.. though its uncomfortable just a warning. I essentially just tapped the plate there" he said with a small smile.
As she reached out he didnt flinch away just let her do whatever since he didn't wanna freak her out, he didn't seem harmed at all minus the mental trauma he was holding back. His eyes giving off the face he was keeping it suppressed for the time being. "Yea im fine, managed to get the shotgun before he could infect me..." he spoke remembering the night before.
Grace Gibson
Confusion struck her and the expression on her face showed it when he gave her the backpack. "Protect against nine mil? Bullets?" She asked, not entirely sure what he meant with it. The thought of having to fear bullets hadn't crossed her mind yet and now that it did, it just added onto the confusion.
"They... they didn't use a gun... tore him apart with claws and teeth" She clarified, a sob stuck down her throat as she remembered how the first zombie had nearly ripped Jake's arm clean off. Still, she hesitantly took the backpack from him as something in his eyes seemed to tell her that it was a good idea to take any protection she could get.
As he recalled the events with his roommate, she slowly pulled back her hand as she heard he was fine. In her naïve thinking, she hadn't even considered that he could've been infected. All she'd been concerned about was whether or not he was hurt. The comment about getting to the shotgun got her brows shooting up though and she slowly pushed herself up, standing in front of him and having more than her upper body covered by the backpack as she was only 5'4" tall.
"You shoot? You're good at it?" She asked him.
James Ramirez
"Yea, people aren't all nice during most apocalypse movies. Its good to be prepared just in case, I've been sorta waiting for something like this to happen but I never imagined it would ans so quickly.." he said answering her first question before giving a sympathetic look.
"I'm sorry about your friend, it's a terrible way to go but we need to focus on either the US or a group. Small numbers in and out of a apocalypse are a good idea because we can split up" he said as he pulled the shotgun out of the holster now, glad she took the protection.
"Yes and no. I shoot shotguns so I have versatility in ammo but im not a great shot, I rely on the spread ot shell effect" he explained as he patted some of the loose shells on his vest.
Grace Gibson
The idea of having to fear other people and especially the thought of humans shooting eachother made her shiver. Then again, it wasn't too far out of the box considering people already shot eachother for stupid reasons. Surviving an apocalypse and attempting to steal resources would certainly give them a good one.
"There's other people... upstairs. Friends." She said as she looked up at him, questions laying in her eyes. She didn't really wish to leave Levin or Brian behind and not seeing Sasha again would wreck her completely. She wondered if he'd be willing to get to know them so they could stick together, even if she doubted it due to how he said that small numbers were a good idea.
"I care about them... I also have an older brother... he doesn't live here though. I can't reach him either..." She paused, partially because she felt she was oversharing, partially because she feared he'd say that Jack was probably dead. Deep down she knew it was possible but saying it out loud would make it too real.
To his last answer, she turned her gaze to the floor and softly placed her hand on his wrist, turning towards the door and intenting to leave the entertainment room.
"Come," She said, a request shining through in the word as she made her way out of the room and to the other side of the hallway. It was highly possible that he wouldn't follow her but she hoped he would and if not she'd go regardless unless he stopped her.
If he didn't stop her or chose to follow her, she'd reach for the doormat that was placed in front of the room that had black letters spelling "educator" on it and lift it. Underneath, she'd find a key which she'd use to unlock the door before slipping into the room.
James Ramirez
The hand on his wrist was a surprise but he didn't pull away from it, making a mental note of the name on the door before they slipled into the room. "If you care about them why are you down here? Lots of people are unsafe traveling together, raises possibilities of someone turning and not saying anything" he comments while following her.
As they were entering the room he kept a hand on his shotgun and the flashlight attached to the side of his helmet glanced around. The new knowledge of Jake being dead made him feel heavy that he couldn't have helped but he could help her.
"Hey slow down, we need to get you some proper gear and clothes, you're gonna freeze and you can't fight the apocalypse in polka dot socks." He said in that southern draw
Grace Gibson
Grace didn't slow down, nor did she stop until she reached the first floor. There, she took a sharp turn to the left and headed to the end of the hallway. Walking through the last door on the right, she found herself standing amidst the entertainment room. It was only there that she stopped holding back and soon, she found herself collapsing onto a purple beanbag while tears flowed freely.
As always, the blinds of the entertainment room had been shut and the lights were off. Loud sobs filled the room and amidst the darkness, little of her could be seen but one of her shoes, which had light casted upon it from the hallway. She didn't care much about that though, instead embracing the darkness as it kept her red and puffy cheeks from showing. Her crying continued and she curled up on the beanbag, suddenly feeling very small and scared.
Jake was gone, Jack hadn't answered his phone and she hadn't seen Talia in days. Sasha was heading out into town and zombies or not, Grace knew there was no stopping her friend when it came down to it. Once Sasha made a decision, she became hard to argue with and her sense of duty would always win from caution. If Sasha didn't return, then all she had left were Levin and Brian. They weren't bad company but now Levin had that crazy girl and she didn't even know if Brian would care to stick around now that the group of survivors had appeared.
Maybe I should just stay here until the zombies find me...
The thought was scary but at the same time, it brought her a weird sense of peace. Jake was no longer alive and she didn't know what happened to Talia or Jack. Maybe they were gone too and if they were, death didn't look so bad. She'd be able to see her mother again, and her siblings too.
Wrapping her arms around her knees, her sobs got smothered and the room became near silent while memories of the past played in her head. One in particular of mere weeks before lingered, and for a blissful moment she imagined that Jake was still there and that they were still watching a comedy together in that very same room.
"Never again..." she muttered to herself and with her voice, her heart broke too.
James Ramirez
James followed the sound and the brief glimpses he got of the rushing woman, worry welling in his chest. He was human after all, he couldn't just let people who were panicked rush into a ambush of infected or other survivors. He heard the entertainment room door shut and paused to catch his breath as he leans on the wall, he was a engineer damnit not a athlete.
Approaching the room he slowed to a pause as he reached out for the door hearing sobbing inside just faintly, a worried expression filled his face as he began to open the door slowly. Stepping inside speaking in his southern draw and shotgun lowered "uh hello? Are yall OK in here?" He asked as he enters the room, the calculator watch on his right wrist glowing softly
Grace Gibson
Ginger curls were lifted from the bean bag and green eyes looked up at the doorway when the door opened. As she saw the lowered shotgun, she lowered her head onto the bean bag again and slumped onto it, making peace with the fate that had caught up to her.
Shoot me, at least it'll be over then she thought to herself. She squeezed her eyes shut while tears stained the fabric underneath her face and waited for the shot, it just never came.
Instead, a southern voice called for her attention and she turned once more, facing him and making out his frame against the light of the hallway.
"Y-yes." She answered in shaking voice, the word soon followed by another sob. "N....no" She then admitted and she sank to the floor, her back resting against the beanbag as she pulled her knees closer to her chest.
"He's dead... my friend is dead... they tore him apart." She said, her voice breaking as her tears continued to fall down her cheeks.
James Ramirez
Hearing the pain in her voice and then the reason for her crying caused James' heart to sink into his stomach, slowly holstering the shotgun in a large holster on the back of his vest near the waist below his backpack. He moved a hand up to brush his messy dark hair away from his eyes as he walks over and kneels across from her carefully.
His green and tan outfit combo matched ans while he had a decent vest on it looked like he had chosen to litter his pouches and the toolbag on his belt with wires ans scrap. The shotgun had a wooden grip that stuck out and seemed to be cut down recently as it was roughly done. "Oh no.." he said showing sympathy, not reaching out in fear he may set her off. "I'm so sorry.. my roommate just turned on me a few hours ago, im not sure how I can help but I do know sitting in a dark room sobbing won't help much.. it'll make ya a bigger target to infected" he said
Grace Gibson
She had expected for him to have shot her by now and when he holstered his gun, a mixture of both disappointment and relief overwhelmed her. Okay, so maybe she didn't exactly want to die nor was she ready, but it would've made things easier.
When he walked over her brows furrowed more and she looked up at him with newfound curiosity at the unexpected kindness. He was nearly a stranger that she recognized now that he got closer, but she was sure they'd only passed eachother in the hall and never exchanged a word.
"Jake... it's Jake. Our Jake... he'd just arrived and they attacked him." She muttered as she scanned his outfit. He seemed far more prepared for it than she was and as she sat in her leggings and a tank top she felt out of place in this world that seemed to quickly become more apocalyptic. Hell, she wasn't even wearing shoes and she pulled her feet, which were covered in polka dot socks closer to her as she became more aware of it.
As he spoke about his roommate, she tilted her head with wonder and concern, the stream of tears on her cheeks slowing down just a little. "Your roommate attacked you? Are you okay?" She asked, worry lining her voice and replacing her own sadness as she reached for him, a dumb attempt of trying to check him for injuries especially since his clothes covered him up.
James Ramirez
James noticed how unprepared this woman seemed to be for the apocalypse, well to be fair not many saw it coming and he himself was a prepper due to his family being similar in nature back home. He offered a kind smile as he moved to take the backpack off and offers it to her saying "here wear this across your front for now, it's got a plate in the back to protect against nine mil.. though its uncomfortable just a warning. I essentially just tapped the plate there" he said with a small smile.
As she reached out he didnt flinch away just let her do whatever since he didn't wanna freak her out, he didn't seem harmed at all minus the mental trauma he was holding back. His eyes giving off the face he was keeping it suppressed for the time being. "Yea im fine, managed to get the shotgun before he could infect me..." he spoke remembering the night before.
Grace Gibson
Confusion struck her and the expression on her face showed it when he gave her the backpack. "Protect against nine mil? Bullets?" She asked, not entirely sure what he meant with it. The thought of having to fear bullets hadn't crossed her mind yet and now that it did, it just added onto the confusion.
"They... they didn't use a gun... tore him apart with claws and teeth" She clarified, a sob stuck down her throat as she remembered how the first zombie had nearly ripped Jake's arm clean off. Still, she hesitantly took the backpack from him as something in his eyes seemed to tell her that it was a good idea to take any protection she could get.
As he recalled the events with his roommate, she slowly pulled back her hand as she heard he was fine. In her naïve thinking, she hadn't even considered that he could've been infected. All she'd been concerned about was whether or not he was hurt. The comment about getting to the shotgun got her brows shooting up though and she slowly pushed herself up, standing in front of him and having more than her upper body covered by the backpack as she was only 5'4" tall.
"You shoot? You're good at it?" She asked him.
James Ramirez
"Yea, people aren't all nice during most apocalypse movies. Its good to be prepared just in case, I've been sorta waiting for something like this to happen but I never imagined it would ans so quickly.." he said answering her first question before giving a sympathetic look.
"I'm sorry about your friend, it's a terrible way to go but we need to focus on either the US or a group. Small numbers in and out of a apocalypse are a good idea because we can split up" he said as he pulled the shotgun out of the holster now, glad she took the protection.
"Yes and no. I shoot shotguns so I have versatility in ammo but im not a great shot, I rely on the spread ot shell effect" he explained as he patted some of the loose shells on his vest.
Grace Gibson
The idea of having to fear other people and especially the thought of humans shooting eachother made her shiver. Then again, it wasn't too far out of the box considering people already shot eachother for stupid reasons. Surviving an apocalypse and attempting to steal resources would certainly give them a good one.
"There's other people... upstairs. Friends." She said as she looked up at him, questions laying in her eyes. She didn't really wish to leave Levin or Brian behind and not seeing Sasha again would wreck her completely. She wondered if he'd be willing to get to know them so they could stick together, even if she doubted it due to how he said that small numbers were a good idea.
"I care about them... I also have an older brother... he doesn't live here though. I can't reach him either..." She paused, partially because she felt she was oversharing, partially because she feared he'd say that Jack was probably dead. Deep down she knew it was possible but saying it out loud would make it too real.
To his last answer, she turned her gaze to the floor and softly placed her hand on his wrist, turning towards the door and intenting to leave the entertainment room.
"Come," She said, a request shining through in the word as she made her way out of the room and to the other side of the hallway. It was highly possible that he wouldn't follow her but she hoped he would and if not she'd go regardless unless he stopped her.
If he didn't stop her or chose to follow her, she'd reach for the doormat that was placed in front of the room that had black letters spelling "educator" on it and lift it. Underneath, she'd find a key which she'd use to unlock the door before slipping into the room.
James Ramirez
The hand on his wrist was a surprise but he didn't pull away from it, making a mental note of the name on the door before they slipled into the room. "If you care about them why are you down here? Lots of people are unsafe traveling together, raises possibilities of someone turning and not saying anything" he comments while following her.
As they were entering the room he kept a hand on his shotgun and the flashlight attached to the side of his helmet glanced around. The new knowledge of Jake being dead made him feel heavy that he couldn't have helped but he could help her.
"Hey slow down, we need to get you some proper gear and clothes, you're gonna freeze and you can't fight the apocalypse in polka dot socks." He said in that southern draw
LOCATION: Educator Jake's apartment ~ Bedroom (On the first floor of the dorms)
SCENE: Gathering weapons
Grace Gibson
A small hint of relief was shown in her expression as she turned to him once they'd slipped into the room. She was glad that he had followed, even if what he was saying to her landed wrongly. She leaned in a bit, her arm reaching past his waist and slipping around it to close the door behind him before she reached for the light switch next to it. That light switch made sense of the darkness that was caused by heavy curtains being closed and now that the whole room lit up, it easily revealed it's mysteries.
The first area past the entrance was similar to that of Grace's apartment, holding a sitting area with 3 couches as well as a coffee table and a tv stand. The only difference was the furniture itself, includint a tv of much better quality that seemed to have a PS4 connected to it. Controllers were scattered on the coffee table which also held empty soda cans and an overflowing ashtray.
Further down the apartment was a massive and complete kitchen that held it's own stove and oven. It was something the student's apartments lacked and only the educator had. There was also a big dining room table with eight chairs and a big fridge and even a freezer, which were a far cry from the mini fridge that the apartments of the students had.
She passed through the areas and allowed her fingertips to slide over the wall as she spoke and finally answered James' question. Amidst her words, those fingertips found the frames of pictures, a few of them including her.
"Because..." She said but silence followed. What could she even say to that? That she didn't really feel safe anywhere now? That she didn't know who to turn to? It wouldn't be a fair statement. Sasha had been there for her all these years and Brian and Levin had stuck by them since the soldiers had appeared. Didn't she owe them the say loyalty?
"Because, I'm stupid. I allowed my emotions to get the better of me and I ran off." She claimed. Not untrue, even if there was more to it.
As he claimed they needed to get her some gear and clothes, she nodded in agreement. The comment on her polka dot socks got him a giggle though, one that sounded genuine and lighthearted.
"You're right about that. I have everything upstairs so we can go get it in a moment... As for gear..." She said, brushing the last of her tears away before walking left around the corner in the apartment and heading to Jake's bedroom.
There, she turned on the lights too and opened his wardrobe, pushing his clothes aside to reveal the four guncases behind it. One in particular, a matte black one with silver engravement caught her attention and she pulled it out, holding it up with a victorious spark in her eyes.
"This... this was his baby. I want to learn how to shoot it."
James Ramirez
His eyes adjusted pretty quickly to the light change and he moved a hand up to turn his flashlight off, a bit red faced as she leaned around him to flip the switch that turned the lights on. When finally able to he studied the large room in awe, not realizing about just how much there was here as he began to follow her through the room toward the closet area.
"That can be troublesome.. but if you ran from them then that means they were doing something wrong yea? It ain't worth the mental trouble" he tells her his opinion on it. "Safer with smaller groups you get along with"
As he spoke he looked at all the photos and noticed her among many of them, a small frown of sadness across his face as he noticed how happy she seemed to be.
He blushed madly as she giggled and walked with her toward the closet, saying "a trip up there might be risking getting back involved with others, it would be easier to find something here" he said before going silent as she pulled out the gun case.
"What is it?" He asked as he stopped beside her and looked at the case. Glancing to the other two
Grace Gibson
"They... I mean... they're good people. Friends..." She tried again, a small frown on her face. The frown remained as they reaches the closet. He had a point and she understood the idea of small groups, her own brother had told her those were safest before and that big groups could be a liability. Still, Grace was a loyal person and to abandon her friends like that felt wrong to her.
She shook her head lightly as she took out a second guncase with similar engravings. Jake's other baby. Together they were his most cherished guns and even though she'd never intended to learn how to shoot one, now would be the best time to learn. If anything, she nearly felt that he'd wanted her to have them.
Opening the cases, she looked up to him with tilted head. What is it? That was an odd question coming from someone that had a shotgun. She shrugged it off though and if he meant what type of gun, she didn't realize that at all. In fact she knew little about it.
"Guns. They're guns. There's two more. You can take them." She said as she gestured to the other cases in the closet. Opening the ones she had, she revealed two chrome-like and colored Glocks to him. She knew them all too well and Jake had shown them to her a hundred times. He was so passionate about them that she hadn't managed to escape a few lessons of maintenance and guncare.
What guns the other two cases held? She had no idea. All she knew was that they too were handguns, and that there was a fifth case with a rifle on top of the closet. The rifle wasn't something she was interested in at all though, the handguns sounding dangerous enough to her.
James Ramirez
"I dont want to cause issues, just saying what I think is best for you" he says as he moved to grab another one of the cases, pulling it to the ground beside her and her box. He opened it and inside sat a M9A3 with wooden grips and a flashlight on it, the sights already night sights as standard issue for these models, three 18 round mags rested in the gun box as well which he quickly slipped into his vest and tucked the handgun in his harness carefully with the safety on. He needed to find ammo for it soon because it only seemed to have one full mag.
"I'll only take the one, let's split the ammo between us" he said as he motions to the boxes of ammunition, getting up to retrieve them as he starts to pass her the boxes.
He noticed the rifle but didn't take it as he already had his shotgun and the extra weight may prove too much for him. Looking back over at her he paused before saying "I can teach you how to shoot and handle it properly, glocks are pretty simple compared to most" he told her accepting her request. "Do you know any form?" He asked while securing what he had
Grace Gibson
"It's okay..." she said to him, giving him a small smile as she briefly looked up at him. It seemed like he meant well and really wanted what was best for her so she appreciated that. After all he hadn't met her friends so he had no idea what they were like. She'd do her best to change that, at least if given the chance.
She checked for ammo in the cases and found some, choosing to load one of the guns like Jake taught her while keeping the other unloaded and in it's case. Then, she reached for the boxes that he passed to her and for the backpack that sat next to Jake's bed. As expected, she found Jake's spare holster in there and she locked it's belt around her hips, pulling it through two loops of her jeans. The more rose-tinted gun that was still in it's case was placed inside of the backpack, together with the fourth case that James hadn't taken. She wasn't exactly sure what she'd find in there but maybe it'd be handy for Sasha or even Brian or Levin.
After splitting the ammo between them, they both had about 34 bullets aside from the ones that were loaded into their guns. She figured it wouldn't be enough, especially if she had to learrn how to shoot too but it'd be a start and maybe they could find more ammo later.
As he offered to teach her how to shoot, she looked up at him again with curiosity in her eyes. That meant that he wanted to keep her around, didn't it? Something she already thought when he'd said the things about the group and how it would be best to stick together with fewer people. Somehow though, she hadn't really registered it as such and only now it seemed to be made clear enough for her to respond to.
"You're willing to teach me?" She asked, voice laced with hope and gratitude. The small smile that had appeared on her face widened and she beamed at him briefly, even though her excitement simmered a little when he asked his next question.
"I... eh.... just a little?" She staggered her feet and placed her dominant one behind the other, pointing her leading foot at the wall as she pretended to prepare to shoot at it. She felt a bit silly doing so, foolish even but she pushed through, finding her balance and alligning her core for strength as she extended her arms in front of her just like she would if she was holding the gun.
"Something like... that. I know there's other ways to stand too, but this always felt the most natural to me." She claimed with a sheepish smile.
After that, she relaxed again and walked around him towards the closet. She pulled out a hoodie which was clearly oversized for her and pulled it over her tank top, revealing that it was the ideal length to cover up the belt and the holster. Then, she took the gun off of the bed and put it away in the holster, covering it up with the hoodie and placing a filled, spare mag in her pocket. The rest of her ammo, she placed in the backpack as well.
James Ramirez
Once she was ready to go he spoke "yea im happy to teach you, here's the proper way to get in the stance. Don't wanna keep your arms fully outstretched as it makes it harder to control recoil" he tells her, motioning for her to get back in her stance letting her hold his handgun as reference for now. He would have loaded the spare mags while she was packing up.
With a smile he stepped up beside her while also slightly behind her as he guided her arms to the proper position to hold the larger handgun, assuming she let him of course. "The stance is good, just be careful on the arms. Like I said sligbtly bent helps recoil and follow up shots" he told her as he reached over and carefully drops the mag while pulling back the slide to eject the chambered round. "Go ahead and practice how that feels on my gun"
Grace Gibson
As he motioned for her to resume the stance, she followed up on his request and confidently staggered her feet just like she had before. His gun was placed in her hands and she took it and held it as she had learned, holding it out in front of her but loosening up her arms a little.
As he stepped up beside her and positioned himself slightly behind her she tensed up briefly but that tension soon left her as he guided her arms to the right postion. She focused on her breath, keeping her arms steady where he positioned them.
The sound of his voice came through once more, this time much closer to her and as he reached over and dropped the mag to pull back the slide, she lost her concentration and dropped her arms with a shaky breath.
"Could you... I..." She paused, turning a bit to face him and look at him over her shoulder. Unable to bring out much more than that, she quickly recovered and raised the gun again, bringing her arms in the position he'd put them in before.
"Like this?" She asked to confirm, the gun feeling a bit odd in her hands. It was larger than the one's she'd claimed even if it wasn't uncomfortable.
James Ramirez
He paused as she started to say something then stopped, confused fornher stutter but also realizing the position making him a little flustered as well. "Y-yea. That works, just practice like that occasionally and it'll be second nature" he said as he began to step back still pretty flustered, he hadn't meant for that but he would roll with it as he smiled at her.
He waited until she was comfortable to take the gun back and push a mag into it before racking the slide to chamber a round. "So.. the hoodie is cute and hides the gun but we need shoes. I still don't like the idea of going back to the dorms, how close is yours?" He asked before he caught his slip up
Grace Gibson
She nodded as he said that she just needed to practice occasionally and as he stepped back, she repositioned herself to regular standing before she let him take the gun back from her. Feeling a little relieved that her freckles would hide most of the flustered hue on her cheeks, she dared to turn and face him and smiled at him.
"Thank you, it's nice of you that you're willing to teach me." She said while she watched him put the mag back into the gun. As he spoke again, she frowned little at the mention of him still not liking the idea of going back to the dorms but soon the comment about the hoodie sank in.
Cheeks flushing brighter red, she quickly turned away from him and back towards the closet, using the moment to close it as if she'd intented to all along. She grabbed the empty guncase of the gun she had holstered and placed it underneath the bed, pulling it's covers a little lower to keep it hidden. Why she did that wasn't clear as it was unlikely they'd come back to the room later but it somehow felt better to know it was less likely to get stolen.
"Jake's shoes won't fit me..." She said as she took the backpack and turned towards the door to make her way to the kitchen. "I'm on the third floor, like you. Maybe we could eat first and the group might have left by the time we're done? I don't mean to brag but I'm a pretty good cook." She suggested.
James Ramirez
"That sounds like a good plan, ive never been good at cooking so let's see just how good you are" he said with a smile, trying to hide his blush and play off as playful banter. "Until then just be careful and try not to sleep" he smiles as he starts to head toward the kitchen with her.
"Honestly I could use a break from wearing all this gear, its pretty heavy" he comments as he stayed near the entrance to the kitchen startetinf to pull off the vest he wore and the hardhat. He moved a little sluggishly as he was sore from carrying it all day, his hoodie relaxes and became a little baggie as the vest wasn't holding it in place anymore. Next was the handgun which he holstered on the vest itself followed by the dropleg pouch on his right thigh.
"I can make you something in return, im pretty good at building things"
SCENE: Gathering weapons
Grace Gibson
A small hint of relief was shown in her expression as she turned to him once they'd slipped into the room. She was glad that he had followed, even if what he was saying to her landed wrongly. She leaned in a bit, her arm reaching past his waist and slipping around it to close the door behind him before she reached for the light switch next to it. That light switch made sense of the darkness that was caused by heavy curtains being closed and now that the whole room lit up, it easily revealed it's mysteries.
The first area past the entrance was similar to that of Grace's apartment, holding a sitting area with 3 couches as well as a coffee table and a tv stand. The only difference was the furniture itself, includint a tv of much better quality that seemed to have a PS4 connected to it. Controllers were scattered on the coffee table which also held empty soda cans and an overflowing ashtray.
Further down the apartment was a massive and complete kitchen that held it's own stove and oven. It was something the student's apartments lacked and only the educator had. There was also a big dining room table with eight chairs and a big fridge and even a freezer, which were a far cry from the mini fridge that the apartments of the students had.
She passed through the areas and allowed her fingertips to slide over the wall as she spoke and finally answered James' question. Amidst her words, those fingertips found the frames of pictures, a few of them including her.
"Because..." She said but silence followed. What could she even say to that? That she didn't really feel safe anywhere now? That she didn't know who to turn to? It wouldn't be a fair statement. Sasha had been there for her all these years and Brian and Levin had stuck by them since the soldiers had appeared. Didn't she owe them the say loyalty?
"Because, I'm stupid. I allowed my emotions to get the better of me and I ran off." She claimed. Not untrue, even if there was more to it.
As he claimed they needed to get her some gear and clothes, she nodded in agreement. The comment on her polka dot socks got him a giggle though, one that sounded genuine and lighthearted.
"You're right about that. I have everything upstairs so we can go get it in a moment... As for gear..." She said, brushing the last of her tears away before walking left around the corner in the apartment and heading to Jake's bedroom.
There, she turned on the lights too and opened his wardrobe, pushing his clothes aside to reveal the four guncases behind it. One in particular, a matte black one with silver engravement caught her attention and she pulled it out, holding it up with a victorious spark in her eyes.
"This... this was his baby. I want to learn how to shoot it."
James Ramirez
His eyes adjusted pretty quickly to the light change and he moved a hand up to turn his flashlight off, a bit red faced as she leaned around him to flip the switch that turned the lights on. When finally able to he studied the large room in awe, not realizing about just how much there was here as he began to follow her through the room toward the closet area.
"That can be troublesome.. but if you ran from them then that means they were doing something wrong yea? It ain't worth the mental trouble" he tells her his opinion on it. "Safer with smaller groups you get along with"
As he spoke he looked at all the photos and noticed her among many of them, a small frown of sadness across his face as he noticed how happy she seemed to be.
He blushed madly as she giggled and walked with her toward the closet, saying "a trip up there might be risking getting back involved with others, it would be easier to find something here" he said before going silent as she pulled out the gun case.
"What is it?" He asked as he stopped beside her and looked at the case. Glancing to the other two
Grace Gibson
"They... I mean... they're good people. Friends..." She tried again, a small frown on her face. The frown remained as they reaches the closet. He had a point and she understood the idea of small groups, her own brother had told her those were safest before and that big groups could be a liability. Still, Grace was a loyal person and to abandon her friends like that felt wrong to her.
She shook her head lightly as she took out a second guncase with similar engravings. Jake's other baby. Together they were his most cherished guns and even though she'd never intended to learn how to shoot one, now would be the best time to learn. If anything, she nearly felt that he'd wanted her to have them.
Opening the cases, she looked up to him with tilted head. What is it? That was an odd question coming from someone that had a shotgun. She shrugged it off though and if he meant what type of gun, she didn't realize that at all. In fact she knew little about it.
"Guns. They're guns. There's two more. You can take them." She said as she gestured to the other cases in the closet. Opening the ones she had, she revealed two chrome-like and colored Glocks to him. She knew them all too well and Jake had shown them to her a hundred times. He was so passionate about them that she hadn't managed to escape a few lessons of maintenance and guncare.
What guns the other two cases held? She had no idea. All she knew was that they too were handguns, and that there was a fifth case with a rifle on top of the closet. The rifle wasn't something she was interested in at all though, the handguns sounding dangerous enough to her.
James Ramirez
"I dont want to cause issues, just saying what I think is best for you" he says as he moved to grab another one of the cases, pulling it to the ground beside her and her box. He opened it and inside sat a M9A3 with wooden grips and a flashlight on it, the sights already night sights as standard issue for these models, three 18 round mags rested in the gun box as well which he quickly slipped into his vest and tucked the handgun in his harness carefully with the safety on. He needed to find ammo for it soon because it only seemed to have one full mag.
"I'll only take the one, let's split the ammo between us" he said as he motions to the boxes of ammunition, getting up to retrieve them as he starts to pass her the boxes.
He noticed the rifle but didn't take it as he already had his shotgun and the extra weight may prove too much for him. Looking back over at her he paused before saying "I can teach you how to shoot and handle it properly, glocks are pretty simple compared to most" he told her accepting her request. "Do you know any form?" He asked while securing what he had
Grace Gibson
"It's okay..." she said to him, giving him a small smile as she briefly looked up at him. It seemed like he meant well and really wanted what was best for her so she appreciated that. After all he hadn't met her friends so he had no idea what they were like. She'd do her best to change that, at least if given the chance.
She checked for ammo in the cases and found some, choosing to load one of the guns like Jake taught her while keeping the other unloaded and in it's case. Then, she reached for the boxes that he passed to her and for the backpack that sat next to Jake's bed. As expected, she found Jake's spare holster in there and she locked it's belt around her hips, pulling it through two loops of her jeans. The more rose-tinted gun that was still in it's case was placed inside of the backpack, together with the fourth case that James hadn't taken. She wasn't exactly sure what she'd find in there but maybe it'd be handy for Sasha or even Brian or Levin.
After splitting the ammo between them, they both had about 34 bullets aside from the ones that were loaded into their guns. She figured it wouldn't be enough, especially if she had to learrn how to shoot too but it'd be a start and maybe they could find more ammo later.
As he offered to teach her how to shoot, she looked up at him again with curiosity in her eyes. That meant that he wanted to keep her around, didn't it? Something she already thought when he'd said the things about the group and how it would be best to stick together with fewer people. Somehow though, she hadn't really registered it as such and only now it seemed to be made clear enough for her to respond to.
"You're willing to teach me?" She asked, voice laced with hope and gratitude. The small smile that had appeared on her face widened and she beamed at him briefly, even though her excitement simmered a little when he asked his next question.
"I... eh.... just a little?" She staggered her feet and placed her dominant one behind the other, pointing her leading foot at the wall as she pretended to prepare to shoot at it. She felt a bit silly doing so, foolish even but she pushed through, finding her balance and alligning her core for strength as she extended her arms in front of her just like she would if she was holding the gun.
"Something like... that. I know there's other ways to stand too, but this always felt the most natural to me." She claimed with a sheepish smile.
After that, she relaxed again and walked around him towards the closet. She pulled out a hoodie which was clearly oversized for her and pulled it over her tank top, revealing that it was the ideal length to cover up the belt and the holster. Then, she took the gun off of the bed and put it away in the holster, covering it up with the hoodie and placing a filled, spare mag in her pocket. The rest of her ammo, she placed in the backpack as well.
James Ramirez
Once she was ready to go he spoke "yea im happy to teach you, here's the proper way to get in the stance. Don't wanna keep your arms fully outstretched as it makes it harder to control recoil" he tells her, motioning for her to get back in her stance letting her hold his handgun as reference for now. He would have loaded the spare mags while she was packing up.
With a smile he stepped up beside her while also slightly behind her as he guided her arms to the proper position to hold the larger handgun, assuming she let him of course. "The stance is good, just be careful on the arms. Like I said sligbtly bent helps recoil and follow up shots" he told her as he reached over and carefully drops the mag while pulling back the slide to eject the chambered round. "Go ahead and practice how that feels on my gun"
Grace Gibson
As he motioned for her to resume the stance, she followed up on his request and confidently staggered her feet just like she had before. His gun was placed in her hands and she took it and held it as she had learned, holding it out in front of her but loosening up her arms a little.
As he stepped up beside her and positioned himself slightly behind her she tensed up briefly but that tension soon left her as he guided her arms to the right postion. She focused on her breath, keeping her arms steady where he positioned them.
The sound of his voice came through once more, this time much closer to her and as he reached over and dropped the mag to pull back the slide, she lost her concentration and dropped her arms with a shaky breath.
"Could you... I..." She paused, turning a bit to face him and look at him over her shoulder. Unable to bring out much more than that, she quickly recovered and raised the gun again, bringing her arms in the position he'd put them in before.
"Like this?" She asked to confirm, the gun feeling a bit odd in her hands. It was larger than the one's she'd claimed even if it wasn't uncomfortable.
James Ramirez
He paused as she started to say something then stopped, confused fornher stutter but also realizing the position making him a little flustered as well. "Y-yea. That works, just practice like that occasionally and it'll be second nature" he said as he began to step back still pretty flustered, he hadn't meant for that but he would roll with it as he smiled at her.
He waited until she was comfortable to take the gun back and push a mag into it before racking the slide to chamber a round. "So.. the hoodie is cute and hides the gun but we need shoes. I still don't like the idea of going back to the dorms, how close is yours?" He asked before he caught his slip up
Grace Gibson
She nodded as he said that she just needed to practice occasionally and as he stepped back, she repositioned herself to regular standing before she let him take the gun back from her. Feeling a little relieved that her freckles would hide most of the flustered hue on her cheeks, she dared to turn and face him and smiled at him.
"Thank you, it's nice of you that you're willing to teach me." She said while she watched him put the mag back into the gun. As he spoke again, she frowned little at the mention of him still not liking the idea of going back to the dorms but soon the comment about the hoodie sank in.
Cheeks flushing brighter red, she quickly turned away from him and back towards the closet, using the moment to close it as if she'd intented to all along. She grabbed the empty guncase of the gun she had holstered and placed it underneath the bed, pulling it's covers a little lower to keep it hidden. Why she did that wasn't clear as it was unlikely they'd come back to the room later but it somehow felt better to know it was less likely to get stolen.
"Jake's shoes won't fit me..." She said as she took the backpack and turned towards the door to make her way to the kitchen. "I'm on the third floor, like you. Maybe we could eat first and the group might have left by the time we're done? I don't mean to brag but I'm a pretty good cook." She suggested.
James Ramirez
"That sounds like a good plan, ive never been good at cooking so let's see just how good you are" he said with a smile, trying to hide his blush and play off as playful banter. "Until then just be careful and try not to sleep" he smiles as he starts to head toward the kitchen with her.
"Honestly I could use a break from wearing all this gear, its pretty heavy" he comments as he stayed near the entrance to the kitchen startetinf to pull off the vest he wore and the hardhat. He moved a little sluggishly as he was sore from carrying it all day, his hoodie relaxes and became a little baggie as the vest wasn't holding it in place anymore. Next was the handgun which he holstered on the vest itself followed by the dropleg pouch on his right thigh.
"I can make you something in return, im pretty good at building things"
LOCATION: Educator Jake's apartment ~ Kitchen & dining area (On the first floor of the dorms)
SCENE: Making and having lunch
Grace Gibson
"I will prove it to you." She said, a playful grin appearing on her lips as she reached the fridge. "Be careful though, you might want to keep me around after this as." She warned, easily joining in his playful banter. It felt rather natural to her to be in this kitchen and even though that was mostly due to having cooked for Jake often, having James around didn't feel too odd either.
"I ain't worried about falling asleep. Had some hours last night even if they were interrupted by the occasional explosion." She claimed. At his mention of a break from wearing all the gear she looked up at him, a frown appearing on her face as she recalled his story about his roommate attacking him.
"Have you slept at all? Maybe you should get some sleep. There's a perfectly good bed right there after all and since I'll be needing some time to prepare this meal you might as well make use of it." She suggested. Deep down she was a little unsure about whether or not he'd trust her enough to not ditch him and run off, or leave him to die in case of an attack but her expression didn't show any of that. All it showed was genuine concern and worry.
"Any allergies?" She asked to make sure while pulling multiple ingredients our of the fridge and the cabinets, gathering them on the counter to see what she could make with them.
At the mention of building, she looked at him with mild curiosity.
"Building things? Like what?"
James Ramirez
"I planned on sticking with ya anyway" hw teased back at her first comment as he sets his things down carefully against the side of the fridge out of the way but still close enough to reach, his shotgun holstered on the back of the vest. "Can't let you go gettin hurt now" he comments
"I got maybe an hour or two, I'll be fine for right now. I would rather sleep with a full stomach than an empty one and wake up grumpy" he said with a small wave off to show he was fine. He trusted her that she wouldn't try anything but that may have been because he was a sucker for redheads and he trusted them way too easily. She also seemed genuinely kind which was nice.
"No allergies as far as I'm aware" he answered before moving to pull a giant iPad from one of the pouches on his vest. It had a hard black case around it and he spoke "i mostly mess and deal with small electronics, its what got me into the school" he explained as he then grabs a little spider like bot from his toolbar. It appears to be in basic like one of those toys you could by at the store but it had a antenna sticking out the top and the camera was replaced with a different one than the cheap plastic one found on most of these toys.
Grace Gibson
"Oh really?" She asked teasingly, noticing she had enough on the counter to make her favorites. "You did?" She added, the second coming out as more of a hushed whisper. She then squatted down to reach the shelves underneath the counter and took out a cutting board and a sharp knife as well as some garlic and herb masher.
The meal she'd make was relatively simple for her but at the same time, perhaps a little bit excessive for an apocalypse. Then again, she realized that it could be the last time they could have a decent meal and even if it wasn't, there was no way of knowing which one it would be.
Taking a baguette that was on top of the fridge, she placed it near the rest of the items before turning to the sink and washing her hands. Then, she cleaned the garlic and cut it up in small bits so she could grind it in the herb masher.
"Fair enough," she started as he said he'd be fine. He was right, he could always choose to sleep a bit after their meal and it seemed that they'd be safe in Jake's appartment. The only concern in the back of her mind was that Sasha could be worried but she knew that her friend would be going out into the town and it could be hours before she even returned. The thought of him being grumpy caused for a glimpse of amusement to appear on Grace's face and she turned to him, her eyebrow raised. "Grumpy, eh? I wonder what that looks like" She said, her attention then turning back to the food prep.
"Good, you should be easy enough to cook for then." She followed up. That was a lie, people could be picky but she figured that of all the things she'd make, he'd like at least enough to be able to fill his stomach.
Soon enough, she scooped a bit of butter with the mashed garlic and mixed it up to create a makeshift garlic butter. She then cut the baguette open and spreaded it on before placing it in the oven.
As she looked up at him while he pulled out the giant iPad, she took a pan and a pot before filling the pot with water and putting some leftover garlic butter in the pan to start making the other dishes. Pasta soon found itself boiling in the water while mixed eggs were poured in the pan and her full attention shifted to him while she put the timer on.
"What's that?" She asked in curiosity while she pointed at the spider like device. He had certainly caught her interest with it and she watched it a bit more closely while she waited for her timer to go off.
James Ramirez
He would smile happily as he used the iPad to control the spider like drone having it crawl around the kitchen with a amused expression, he seemed to enjoy himself as he had the little bot do circles ans then attempt to climb the counter. "One of my first few bots, I was working on more I gotta work on now as we move. I have some parts in the bag I gave you to protect yourself, those parts will let me modify it more" he explained.
"And grumpy me aint fun, I get all snappy and irritated about little things. Don't want ya dealing with that" he said with a smirk. "Also yes, I did plan to stick around should you let me" he told her as he looked up and over at her, the drone projecting its vision on the iPad. It could be useful for searching areas without risking infecting someone or getting attacked
Grace Gibson
She continued to watch the drone-like spider and her amusement changed to her being amazed as it moved around. A small gasp left her lips when it attempted to climb the counter, her hand reaching for the spot underneath it to make sure it wouldn't fall.
"You made that?" She asked, her tone making it known that she was impressed. "Jake said that you were really good with technology, I just didn't expect anything like this" she added as she gestured at the spider.
"Aw..." She responded to his clarification about his grumpy self. She could imagine it and chuckled a little, a smile remaining on her face. "Sounds a lot like me in the mornings. I'm usually quite chipper but mornings ain't my jam" She admitted.
As he told her that he did plan to stick around, her smile widened a little. She intended to say something back, this time more genuine than teasing but as she parted her lips to speak she was loudly interrupted by the timer.
Turning her attention back to her cooking, she used a mint and pulled the tray out of the oven and placed it on the counter before pouring the water out of the pot and turning off the fire underneath it. The next things she did were simple and done quickly. Pesto was added to the pasta and she pulled sundried tomatoes out of the fridge to add them to it. She then diced a fresh tomato and some lunch meat to add onto the eggs, which she stirred until they were scrambled.
Within minutes, she had two big bowls and a rectangular platter that were filled with food. A pasta with pesto and sundried tomatoes was one of them. The other bowl held her signature scrambled eggs and had a pinch of salt, pepper and nutmeg added to it. Last but not least there was the freshly baked garlic bread, and she beamed with a hint of pride at the display in front of them.
"Well?" She asked as she gestured to the food. "You hungry?"
While she awaited his answer, she took two groups of cutlery and then lifted herself to her toes to be able to stretch as far as possible and reach the cabinet above her. In there, there were plates she could barely reach.
"Mind giving me a hand? I'm sorry, I'm rather short." She admitted, lightly emberassed by her inability to grab them. If she'd been alone, she would've just climbed on a chair but as he was standing near her, she figured it couldn't hurt to just ask.
James Ramirez
"I did thank you, I used the base of a toy for the model but the rest is my own modifications and add ons" he tells her with a smile as he had it climb the counter and then stop to charge its battery in the light. "Its not the best" he chuckles before getting up to help her.
He moved to reach up over her to grab the items she was trying to grab, grabbing two plates over her as he carefully brought them down to the counter with them. "I am hungry yes and I cant imagine you grumpy, so far you've been chipper and nice" he tells her as he smiles down at her, he wasnt too tall standing at around 5'9-5'10. His boots definitely helped him.
His watch lit up as the drone rested in the light, notifying him of the charge of all his tech. Closer look showed off a few more wires hanging off the side of the watch, most of his machines worked but they were very skeletal compared to fancier items.
He paused to smell the food commenting "smells delicious, im eager to have a good meal before we gotta start surviving off of smaller portions" he comments with a bright smile.
Grace Gibson
The way he managed to build things really was impressive to her and the way he downplayed it by saying it wasn't the best made her shake her head.
"Nonsense. I have never seen anything like this before." She spoke in honesty. She didn't even know it would be possible, although she'd seen the pure toy version of it before. It was clear that a lot of modifications had been used and for that, she found him rather talented.
He wasted no time in getting up to help her and as he reached up over, she casted a grateful smile in his direction as he placed them on the counter. From there, she placed the cutlery on them and took them in one hand while taking the platter of garlic bread in the other.
"Very well," She started as she headed to the large table and placed the plates and the platter on top of it. "Trust me... Like my brother always says, damned be the man that wakes up next to me. You'd think one has to fear my brother's wrath but no... it is my grumpiness that should truly be feared." She added. A wholehearted laugh followed the statement and she smirked at him when she reached the counter once more, this time casting a curious glance at the watch that lit up.
"If you need to charge any of your tech, I'm pretty sure there should be some adapters in this apartment. Don't ask where, Jake could be quite messy and I'm not sure if it'd be the right ones but I'm willing to help you look. Food first though." She informed him as she took out a big spoon for the scrambled eggs and another for the pasta.
"Do you drink wine?" She asked, holding the two spoons in hand and awaiting his response. If he turned the offer down then she'd get them a bottle of soda instead, but if this were to be their last decent meal then wine didn't sound so bad.
James Ramirez
"Well I dont think it could be any worse than being attacked by a infected roomate when waking up" he chuckles turning the trauma into a joke. "And my family said the same thing about my sister, I come from a big family so I think I'll handle myself" he said not thinking much on implications. They were bound to fall asleep close by if they traveled together.
"And my stuff charges in the light, I made it to be more convenient" he said with a smile as he taps the watch putting in a command with the numbers on the calculator watch which caused more bots to crawl out and up into the light to charge.
As he starts to make a big plate since he hasn't eaten in a few days and the food looked really inticing he would smile at her question saying "I do, I just turned twenty one a month ago. You tryna get me drunk?" He teased as he moved to find glasses for them to drink the wine from
Grace Gibson
As he compared waking up to a grumpy version of her to waking up to the attack of an infected roommate she laughed at the joke even though the sound was more hollow than her previous laughter had been. She could see in his eyes that the joke was a cover but she didn't wish to make their lighthearted meal darker than it needed to be. There was time for darkness later and if given the chance, she'd ask then.
For the same reason his mention of a big family was met with a friendly and warm smile. This one more genuine than the hollow laughter, though an observant eye would see pain behind it. She once had a big family too and while she missed their warmth, still having her older brother had made up for most of it. On these days though, there was uncertainty about it too.
"I don't doubt you can handle yourself, handling me though..." She chuckled, the teasing and playfulness in her voice returning. For a moment, his company made her feel like this was just another ordinary day and she briefly forgot about the sadness that morning had brought her, truly relaxing for the first time that day.
As he noted that his tech charged in the light, her brows shot up in sparked interest. "Really? Wow.... That's pretty amazing. You should be proud of your creations." She said. She meant it too and for a moment, she paused as she looked at him. "You have a lot of talent within you."
Grabbing the bowls, she moved them to the table too and she beamed in excitement as she watched him fill his plate to the brim. People enjoying the food she made made her happy and she hoped he'd like it as much as he thought he would.
"Hm, mayhaps." She replied as he asked her if she intended to get him drunk. It was a mere tease, one which the banter between the two of them had shown she could afford. "What if I am?" She added onto the tease while she found her way to the small cooler next to the fridge, where Jake kept his bottles of wine at just the right temperature.
Returning to the table with a wine opener, a bottle of red wine and a bottle of white muscat wine she placed them down in front of him once he had located the glasses.
"Pick your poison," She said, opening both bottles before taking a seat at the other side of the table and filling her plate as well.
James Ramirez
He felt bad as he heard ths shallow laughter and it briefly showed across his face before he tried to steel himself, smiling while he teased back "I guess we'll see then if your plan with this wine goes through" he teased as he picked up the red wine and began to pour a bottle before offering to pour some for her.
"Tryna get me drunk so you can steal all my brilliant ideas and get my to admit something dumb until we pass out" he replied jokingly as he gave a small wink, enjoying the calm atmosphere. He really liked this whole scenario and he had to admit there was something about grace that put him at ease.
"Call it talent, its a lot of hiding in my room" he joked
Grace Gibson
She chuckled at his teasing, any hint of the momentary darkness now vanished and replaced by a smile that was filled with amusement and joy. Feeling grateful for the offer of him pouring her some wine as much as for his company and this moment of near domestic actions combined with banter she offered his glass for him to fill. Once the wine was poured, she held up her glass for a small toast.
"To hopefully good food and even better company. May we not forget this day, no matter the chaos that comes to us." She said, gently pressing his glass against his before bringing it to her and taking a sip.
At his joke and the wink, she couldn't help but to chuckle again and she used the sharp knife she'd used to cut the Garlic to cut the baguette in slices, taking two and putting one on her plate as she held the other.
"Steal your ideas... hm, no. I'd never be able to bring them to reality like you do even if it'd like to hear all about them. Admitting something dumb though? You make me curious. Do you have a lot of dumb things to admit?" She asked. There was something about the casual banter and the teasing that managed to make her stay relaxed and she took a bite of the slice of garlic bread as she awaited his answer. Briefly, her eyes were closed as she savored the flavor of the butter that had melted due to the warmth of the bread.
"You shouldn't have hidden as often. Maybe we'd have met sooner and we'd have been watching movies across the hall together." She claimed.
James Ramirez
"To good food and company" he agreed as he taps his glass against hers carefully before bringing it to drink with a smile. The wine was something he wasnt use to but he was happy about
"Hmm I might, maybe get me drunk and ill tell you the scorpion story" he said giving a teaser to a past event, trying to spark that curiosity. He took the other slice of the baguette thsnkfully and began to eat the large meal that they had set out, the wine mixing well with the rest of the food.
He glanced at her as she seemed lost in the taste of the food, enjoying the moment himself before she spoke. "Maybe. It would have been nice wouldnt it? I mean maybe we can see what we can do tonight while we have this room and some wine?" He said while he kept optimistic, they had a palace as of the moment and his drones could stay watch for them.
Grace Gibson
"If I'm going to get you drunk, we're going to get drunk together and we're going to use the good stuff." She laughed as she gestured to the liquor cabinet behind her. It was mostly a joke, then again getting tipsy didn't sound like the worst idea in the world to her. For one night, one of the last times she could likely afford it without having her tipsy state of mind become a safety hazard.
She too continued to eat her food and savored every bite, promising herself that she'd think of it every time she'd have to have a quick meal that consisted of a much smaller portion.
"It would've been." She replied with a smile and as he mentioned that maybe they could do that tonight, her smile widened before briefly faltering into a frown.
"I guess we could. Jake has a nice collection in here and if they're not to your liking, there's more across the hallway." She replied, as her smile had returned. There was a reason she said your and not our though, and a feeling of guilt nearly overwhelmed her as she thought of having to choose between him and her friends.
In full truth, the choice seemed easy at first as loyalty mean a lot to Grace but now that they had found more survivors, she found herself willing to give anything for one last worry-free evening that would end in a far more peaceful night. Ideally, she wished that her friends would give into that too but deep down she felt they wouldn't... just as much as James wouldn't be willing to sit with a large group of survivors.
She attempted to shrug off the worries for the time being, focusing on the moment they were sharing. If anything, she'd have a few more hours before Sasha would make it back to the dorms, wouldn't she? And if that were the case, didn't that give her some time before she had to decide?
James Ramirez
"Well if you insist then I would be happy to, a night away to drink and watch a movie would be wonderful" he spoke with a smile as he wrapped up his meal and began to drink his wine so that could do just that. Who knew when they would have good alcohol again like this
"Why don't you set up the movie and I'll get drinks for us ready, im pretty open on films so please feel free to choose something you like as well" he said as he moved to the liquor cabinet, relaxing in his steps as he grew comfortable around her more.
He noticed the frown however and asked "still debating the other group? Look I dont want to stress you but you could at least take a night to relax, we all could. You seemed really upset when I found you earlier, i want to make sure you at least have fun tonight" he said as he pulled some svedka out from the cabinet.
Grace Gibson
The tornment inside continued and she didn't even manage to clear her plate entirely. Still, she wasn't exactly hungry anymore either so she she finished her glass of wine and emptied the table, carrying the plates and bowls to the kitchen and putting the leftovers of the bowls in the fridge.
SCENE: Making and having lunch
Grace Gibson
"I will prove it to you." She said, a playful grin appearing on her lips as she reached the fridge. "Be careful though, you might want to keep me around after this as." She warned, easily joining in his playful banter. It felt rather natural to her to be in this kitchen and even though that was mostly due to having cooked for Jake often, having James around didn't feel too odd either.
"I ain't worried about falling asleep. Had some hours last night even if they were interrupted by the occasional explosion." She claimed. At his mention of a break from wearing all the gear she looked up at him, a frown appearing on her face as she recalled his story about his roommate attacking him.
"Have you slept at all? Maybe you should get some sleep. There's a perfectly good bed right there after all and since I'll be needing some time to prepare this meal you might as well make use of it." She suggested. Deep down she was a little unsure about whether or not he'd trust her enough to not ditch him and run off, or leave him to die in case of an attack but her expression didn't show any of that. All it showed was genuine concern and worry.
"Any allergies?" She asked to make sure while pulling multiple ingredients our of the fridge and the cabinets, gathering them on the counter to see what she could make with them.
At the mention of building, she looked at him with mild curiosity.
"Building things? Like what?"
James Ramirez
"I planned on sticking with ya anyway" hw teased back at her first comment as he sets his things down carefully against the side of the fridge out of the way but still close enough to reach, his shotgun holstered on the back of the vest. "Can't let you go gettin hurt now" he comments
"I got maybe an hour or two, I'll be fine for right now. I would rather sleep with a full stomach than an empty one and wake up grumpy" he said with a small wave off to show he was fine. He trusted her that she wouldn't try anything but that may have been because he was a sucker for redheads and he trusted them way too easily. She also seemed genuinely kind which was nice.
"No allergies as far as I'm aware" he answered before moving to pull a giant iPad from one of the pouches on his vest. It had a hard black case around it and he spoke "i mostly mess and deal with small electronics, its what got me into the school" he explained as he then grabs a little spider like bot from his toolbar. It appears to be in basic like one of those toys you could by at the store but it had a antenna sticking out the top and the camera was replaced with a different one than the cheap plastic one found on most of these toys.
Grace Gibson
"Oh really?" She asked teasingly, noticing she had enough on the counter to make her favorites. "You did?" She added, the second coming out as more of a hushed whisper. She then squatted down to reach the shelves underneath the counter and took out a cutting board and a sharp knife as well as some garlic and herb masher.
The meal she'd make was relatively simple for her but at the same time, perhaps a little bit excessive for an apocalypse. Then again, she realized that it could be the last time they could have a decent meal and even if it wasn't, there was no way of knowing which one it would be.
Taking a baguette that was on top of the fridge, she placed it near the rest of the items before turning to the sink and washing her hands. Then, she cleaned the garlic and cut it up in small bits so she could grind it in the herb masher.
"Fair enough," she started as he said he'd be fine. He was right, he could always choose to sleep a bit after their meal and it seemed that they'd be safe in Jake's appartment. The only concern in the back of her mind was that Sasha could be worried but she knew that her friend would be going out into the town and it could be hours before she even returned. The thought of him being grumpy caused for a glimpse of amusement to appear on Grace's face and she turned to him, her eyebrow raised. "Grumpy, eh? I wonder what that looks like" She said, her attention then turning back to the food prep.
"Good, you should be easy enough to cook for then." She followed up. That was a lie, people could be picky but she figured that of all the things she'd make, he'd like at least enough to be able to fill his stomach.
Soon enough, she scooped a bit of butter with the mashed garlic and mixed it up to create a makeshift garlic butter. She then cut the baguette open and spreaded it on before placing it in the oven.
As she looked up at him while he pulled out the giant iPad, she took a pan and a pot before filling the pot with water and putting some leftover garlic butter in the pan to start making the other dishes. Pasta soon found itself boiling in the water while mixed eggs were poured in the pan and her full attention shifted to him while she put the timer on.
"What's that?" She asked in curiosity while she pointed at the spider like device. He had certainly caught her interest with it and she watched it a bit more closely while she waited for her timer to go off.
James Ramirez
He would smile happily as he used the iPad to control the spider like drone having it crawl around the kitchen with a amused expression, he seemed to enjoy himself as he had the little bot do circles ans then attempt to climb the counter. "One of my first few bots, I was working on more I gotta work on now as we move. I have some parts in the bag I gave you to protect yourself, those parts will let me modify it more" he explained.
"And grumpy me aint fun, I get all snappy and irritated about little things. Don't want ya dealing with that" he said with a smirk. "Also yes, I did plan to stick around should you let me" he told her as he looked up and over at her, the drone projecting its vision on the iPad. It could be useful for searching areas without risking infecting someone or getting attacked
Grace Gibson
She continued to watch the drone-like spider and her amusement changed to her being amazed as it moved around. A small gasp left her lips when it attempted to climb the counter, her hand reaching for the spot underneath it to make sure it wouldn't fall.
"You made that?" She asked, her tone making it known that she was impressed. "Jake said that you were really good with technology, I just didn't expect anything like this" she added as she gestured at the spider.
"Aw..." She responded to his clarification about his grumpy self. She could imagine it and chuckled a little, a smile remaining on her face. "Sounds a lot like me in the mornings. I'm usually quite chipper but mornings ain't my jam" She admitted.
As he told her that he did plan to stick around, her smile widened a little. She intended to say something back, this time more genuine than teasing but as she parted her lips to speak she was loudly interrupted by the timer.
Turning her attention back to her cooking, she used a mint and pulled the tray out of the oven and placed it on the counter before pouring the water out of the pot and turning off the fire underneath it. The next things she did were simple and done quickly. Pesto was added to the pasta and she pulled sundried tomatoes out of the fridge to add them to it. She then diced a fresh tomato and some lunch meat to add onto the eggs, which she stirred until they were scrambled.
Within minutes, she had two big bowls and a rectangular platter that were filled with food. A pasta with pesto and sundried tomatoes was one of them. The other bowl held her signature scrambled eggs and had a pinch of salt, pepper and nutmeg added to it. Last but not least there was the freshly baked garlic bread, and she beamed with a hint of pride at the display in front of them.
"Well?" She asked as she gestured to the food. "You hungry?"
While she awaited his answer, she took two groups of cutlery and then lifted herself to her toes to be able to stretch as far as possible and reach the cabinet above her. In there, there were plates she could barely reach.
"Mind giving me a hand? I'm sorry, I'm rather short." She admitted, lightly emberassed by her inability to grab them. If she'd been alone, she would've just climbed on a chair but as he was standing near her, she figured it couldn't hurt to just ask.
James Ramirez
"I did thank you, I used the base of a toy for the model but the rest is my own modifications and add ons" he tells her with a smile as he had it climb the counter and then stop to charge its battery in the light. "Its not the best" he chuckles before getting up to help her.
He moved to reach up over her to grab the items she was trying to grab, grabbing two plates over her as he carefully brought them down to the counter with them. "I am hungry yes and I cant imagine you grumpy, so far you've been chipper and nice" he tells her as he smiles down at her, he wasnt too tall standing at around 5'9-5'10. His boots definitely helped him.
His watch lit up as the drone rested in the light, notifying him of the charge of all his tech. Closer look showed off a few more wires hanging off the side of the watch, most of his machines worked but they were very skeletal compared to fancier items.
He paused to smell the food commenting "smells delicious, im eager to have a good meal before we gotta start surviving off of smaller portions" he comments with a bright smile.
Grace Gibson
The way he managed to build things really was impressive to her and the way he downplayed it by saying it wasn't the best made her shake her head.
"Nonsense. I have never seen anything like this before." She spoke in honesty. She didn't even know it would be possible, although she'd seen the pure toy version of it before. It was clear that a lot of modifications had been used and for that, she found him rather talented.
He wasted no time in getting up to help her and as he reached up over, she casted a grateful smile in his direction as he placed them on the counter. From there, she placed the cutlery on them and took them in one hand while taking the platter of garlic bread in the other.
"Very well," She started as she headed to the large table and placed the plates and the platter on top of it. "Trust me... Like my brother always says, damned be the man that wakes up next to me. You'd think one has to fear my brother's wrath but no... it is my grumpiness that should truly be feared." She added. A wholehearted laugh followed the statement and she smirked at him when she reached the counter once more, this time casting a curious glance at the watch that lit up.
"If you need to charge any of your tech, I'm pretty sure there should be some adapters in this apartment. Don't ask where, Jake could be quite messy and I'm not sure if it'd be the right ones but I'm willing to help you look. Food first though." She informed him as she took out a big spoon for the scrambled eggs and another for the pasta.
"Do you drink wine?" She asked, holding the two spoons in hand and awaiting his response. If he turned the offer down then she'd get them a bottle of soda instead, but if this were to be their last decent meal then wine didn't sound so bad.
James Ramirez
"Well I dont think it could be any worse than being attacked by a infected roomate when waking up" he chuckles turning the trauma into a joke. "And my family said the same thing about my sister, I come from a big family so I think I'll handle myself" he said not thinking much on implications. They were bound to fall asleep close by if they traveled together.
"And my stuff charges in the light, I made it to be more convenient" he said with a smile as he taps the watch putting in a command with the numbers on the calculator watch which caused more bots to crawl out and up into the light to charge.
As he starts to make a big plate since he hasn't eaten in a few days and the food looked really inticing he would smile at her question saying "I do, I just turned twenty one a month ago. You tryna get me drunk?" He teased as he moved to find glasses for them to drink the wine from
Grace Gibson
As he compared waking up to a grumpy version of her to waking up to the attack of an infected roommate she laughed at the joke even though the sound was more hollow than her previous laughter had been. She could see in his eyes that the joke was a cover but she didn't wish to make their lighthearted meal darker than it needed to be. There was time for darkness later and if given the chance, she'd ask then.
For the same reason his mention of a big family was met with a friendly and warm smile. This one more genuine than the hollow laughter, though an observant eye would see pain behind it. She once had a big family too and while she missed their warmth, still having her older brother had made up for most of it. On these days though, there was uncertainty about it too.
"I don't doubt you can handle yourself, handling me though..." She chuckled, the teasing and playfulness in her voice returning. For a moment, his company made her feel like this was just another ordinary day and she briefly forgot about the sadness that morning had brought her, truly relaxing for the first time that day.
As he noted that his tech charged in the light, her brows shot up in sparked interest. "Really? Wow.... That's pretty amazing. You should be proud of your creations." She said. She meant it too and for a moment, she paused as she looked at him. "You have a lot of talent within you."
Grabbing the bowls, she moved them to the table too and she beamed in excitement as she watched him fill his plate to the brim. People enjoying the food she made made her happy and she hoped he'd like it as much as he thought he would.
"Hm, mayhaps." She replied as he asked her if she intended to get him drunk. It was a mere tease, one which the banter between the two of them had shown she could afford. "What if I am?" She added onto the tease while she found her way to the small cooler next to the fridge, where Jake kept his bottles of wine at just the right temperature.
Returning to the table with a wine opener, a bottle of red wine and a bottle of white muscat wine she placed them down in front of him once he had located the glasses.
"Pick your poison," She said, opening both bottles before taking a seat at the other side of the table and filling her plate as well.
James Ramirez
He felt bad as he heard ths shallow laughter and it briefly showed across his face before he tried to steel himself, smiling while he teased back "I guess we'll see then if your plan with this wine goes through" he teased as he picked up the red wine and began to pour a bottle before offering to pour some for her.
"Tryna get me drunk so you can steal all my brilliant ideas and get my to admit something dumb until we pass out" he replied jokingly as he gave a small wink, enjoying the calm atmosphere. He really liked this whole scenario and he had to admit there was something about grace that put him at ease.
"Call it talent, its a lot of hiding in my room" he joked
Grace Gibson
She chuckled at his teasing, any hint of the momentary darkness now vanished and replaced by a smile that was filled with amusement and joy. Feeling grateful for the offer of him pouring her some wine as much as for his company and this moment of near domestic actions combined with banter she offered his glass for him to fill. Once the wine was poured, she held up her glass for a small toast.
"To hopefully good food and even better company. May we not forget this day, no matter the chaos that comes to us." She said, gently pressing his glass against his before bringing it to her and taking a sip.
At his joke and the wink, she couldn't help but to chuckle again and she used the sharp knife she'd used to cut the Garlic to cut the baguette in slices, taking two and putting one on her plate as she held the other.
"Steal your ideas... hm, no. I'd never be able to bring them to reality like you do even if it'd like to hear all about them. Admitting something dumb though? You make me curious. Do you have a lot of dumb things to admit?" She asked. There was something about the casual banter and the teasing that managed to make her stay relaxed and she took a bite of the slice of garlic bread as she awaited his answer. Briefly, her eyes were closed as she savored the flavor of the butter that had melted due to the warmth of the bread.
"You shouldn't have hidden as often. Maybe we'd have met sooner and we'd have been watching movies across the hall together." She claimed.
James Ramirez
"To good food and company" he agreed as he taps his glass against hers carefully before bringing it to drink with a smile. The wine was something he wasnt use to but he was happy about
"Hmm I might, maybe get me drunk and ill tell you the scorpion story" he said giving a teaser to a past event, trying to spark that curiosity. He took the other slice of the baguette thsnkfully and began to eat the large meal that they had set out, the wine mixing well with the rest of the food.
He glanced at her as she seemed lost in the taste of the food, enjoying the moment himself before she spoke. "Maybe. It would have been nice wouldnt it? I mean maybe we can see what we can do tonight while we have this room and some wine?" He said while he kept optimistic, they had a palace as of the moment and his drones could stay watch for them.
Grace Gibson
"If I'm going to get you drunk, we're going to get drunk together and we're going to use the good stuff." She laughed as she gestured to the liquor cabinet behind her. It was mostly a joke, then again getting tipsy didn't sound like the worst idea in the world to her. For one night, one of the last times she could likely afford it without having her tipsy state of mind become a safety hazard.
She too continued to eat her food and savored every bite, promising herself that she'd think of it every time she'd have to have a quick meal that consisted of a much smaller portion.
"It would've been." She replied with a smile and as he mentioned that maybe they could do that tonight, her smile widened before briefly faltering into a frown.
"I guess we could. Jake has a nice collection in here and if they're not to your liking, there's more across the hallway." She replied, as her smile had returned. There was a reason she said your and not our though, and a feeling of guilt nearly overwhelmed her as she thought of having to choose between him and her friends.
In full truth, the choice seemed easy at first as loyalty mean a lot to Grace but now that they had found more survivors, she found herself willing to give anything for one last worry-free evening that would end in a far more peaceful night. Ideally, she wished that her friends would give into that too but deep down she felt they wouldn't... just as much as James wouldn't be willing to sit with a large group of survivors.
She attempted to shrug off the worries for the time being, focusing on the moment they were sharing. If anything, she'd have a few more hours before Sasha would make it back to the dorms, wouldn't she? And if that were the case, didn't that give her some time before she had to decide?
James Ramirez
"Well if you insist then I would be happy to, a night away to drink and watch a movie would be wonderful" he spoke with a smile as he wrapped up his meal and began to drink his wine so that could do just that. Who knew when they would have good alcohol again like this
"Why don't you set up the movie and I'll get drinks for us ready, im pretty open on films so please feel free to choose something you like as well" he said as he moved to the liquor cabinet, relaxing in his steps as he grew comfortable around her more.
He noticed the frown however and asked "still debating the other group? Look I dont want to stress you but you could at least take a night to relax, we all could. You seemed really upset when I found you earlier, i want to make sure you at least have fun tonight" he said as he pulled some svedka out from the cabinet.
Grace Gibson
The tornment inside continued and she didn't even manage to clear her plate entirely. Still, she wasn't exactly hungry anymore either so she she finished her glass of wine and emptied the table, carrying the plates and bowls to the kitchen and putting the leftovers of the bowls in the fridge.
LOCATION: Educator Jake's apartment ~ Living room (On the first floor of the dorms)
SCENE: Watching a movie
Grace Gibson
Even as she made her way to Jake's movie collection she felt her heart sink into her chest but she did so anyways, taking out 3 movies that she absolutely adored. One of them was a musical, the second a romantic comedy and the third was an action movie. She put them on the coffee table as she turned the tv on, soon switching to the playstation so that they could watch their movie.
The big lights of the apartment were turned off and instead she turned on a red glowing neon bar that was placed behind the tv. A small chuckle left her lips as part of the room lit up in a soft red hue.
"I used to call his apartment a stripclub for this very reason," She grinned, meanwhile digging her phone out of her pocket to check the bars. Three bars, that had to mean she could be reached if need be right? She did put the phone on silent, making it that it would only vibrate if someone tried to reach her. Even as she wished to enjoy her evening, she didn't wish to make loud noises as they could attract things they didn't wish to attract.
Putting her phone on the table as well as her belt with the holster and the gun, she casted a last look at the door. Would she have to go tell them so that they wouldn't worry?, she wondered.
Instead, she put the key inside the door and locked it, leaving the key on on the inside so that nobody could attempt to enter. Slowly but surely, the strong feelings about making her friends worried seemed to fade and she promised herself that halfway through the movie she'd message them to let them know she was okay. As long as she'd go back before the night came it'd be okay, she thought.
"I'm okay... I know I wasn't present for a moment and I'm sorry but I'm okay" She said to him while she lifted one of the cushions of the largest couch to take a huge fluffy blanket out of storage space beneath it. Then, she placed the blanket on the couch and sat down next to it, pulling her legs up on it as well and making herself comfortable as she'd done a hundred times before.
Silence followed until he'd make his way over to the couches, which is when she'd gesture towards the movies.
"You can choose. I like all of these a lot." She said, giving him a warm smile before meeting his gaze. "I promise that I want to be here." She then added, hoping to take any of his worries away if he was uncertain about her choice.
James Ramirez
He would pour two glasses of vodka and made sure to use some of the club soda so they were too strong before bringing the bottle and the glasses to the other area where she was at, he had heard her go through the whole deal of locking the door and as the lights were replaced by the red glow he smiled more as he carefully holds the glasses in one hand to send out drones near the door to keep on watch followed by one in the room with them to alert them if there was any issues.
Smiling happily he sets the glasses down on the coffee table near the movies and offers her one of them while he selects the romantic comedy. "Action seems too exciting right now ans I was never much into musicals" he said with a smile as he starts to get the movie set into the ps4 so that they could start it up.
Feeling relaxed he unrolled the sleeves of the hoodie and moved to take a seat on the couch with her while sinking into the cushions. "Did you really call this place a strip club? Please tell me there was no dancers" he joked as he glanced over with a laugh to her earlier comment.
"And thank you, just for tonight at least let's relax before we deal with everything else" he says with a smile
Grace Gibson
Her gaze followed his small drones as they were scattered through the room to keep watch and she smiled, relaxing a tad more as she now knew for sure that nothing could come their way unexpectedly without them immediately knowing.
As he offered her a glass she took it from him and held it in her left hand while reaching for the remote of the tv with the right. She turned the volume down to 12, making it loud enough for them to hear the movie without too much effort without allerting the entire floor of their makeshift theatre.
"You're right about the action movie." She said and she beamed as he took place on the couch next to her, making the movie watching so much more cosy than if he'd chosen to sit on a separate couch. It felt rather natural too and she barely shifted on her spot, just enough to let her back rest against the couch as well.
"Yeah. I blame the red neon for making me think of one. We never had any dancers no, however we did have a few dance parties together. Nothing like stripclub dancing, luckily" She chuckled, the memory of them being something she loved looking back on.
Placing the tv remote down, she took the controller of the playstation instead to be able to play the movie and she then moved to take the blanket and unfold it.
"You can use it if you want to. There's only one of them after all. I know it's fun to cuddle up in it and it's big enough to fit you twice." She offered, handing the blanket to him.
James Ramirez
He would sip his glass as he takes the blanket carefully unfolding it as he got comfortable with the very comfortable fabric, laughing softly at her comment about the dancing. "Lucky indeed im sure the school would've had a fit about that" he said as he offered some of the blanket to her while he sips his drink enjoying the taste of the alcohol mixed with soda for flavoring.
While he did so he made sure she could equally get use from the blanket, letting the movie play out before them, his eyes studied the movie and the redhead beside him. It was weird, just this morning he had killed someone for the first time.. now he was sitting here beside someone who he was trying to help and in turn was more comfortable than he had been for a while.
He began to rest his feet carefully on the coffee table while he also leans slightly back, if she wanted to lean on him he wouldn't complain. The offer for the blanket had him move and arm around her briefly to which he took the relaxes pose back into the couch comfortably. "Thank you" he said quietly as the movie played
Grace Gibson
The thought of the school finding out about stripping in the dorms caused for her to laugh and she pulled her legs closer to her, nearly having them underneath her body. She too took small sips of her glass, feeling the liquor burn softly in her throat with every sip as she enjoyed the drink.
Finding herself getting lost in the movie, she reached for her phone rather soon and shot a quick message to Sasha, letting her know not to worry and that everything was okay but that she needed some time away from everything.
After putting her phone back down, she crawled back further on the couch and let out a relieved sigh, knowing that she could now let go of all of her worries for real. Of course they'd still be there in the morning but it didn't matter, in that moment nothing really did. They had that evening to make it all go away and forget about everything for a little while.
Her fingers absentmindedly brushed over the soft edge of the blanket while she allowed for the movie to capture her attention again and soon enough, she found herself relaxing more and curling up on the couch like she always had, her head nearly sinking against James' chest.
At the uncommon smell of his clothes and soaps that hit her nose, she briefly widened her eyes and looked up at him in mild concern, a little worried that her habit would make him uncomfortable. Her gaze lingered on his fave momentarily and traced it in search for any sign of discomfort but it found none, and so she turned her attention back to the screen.
She allowed herself to place her head against his chest after that, making her able to hear his heartbeat while she watched the movie. It felt comfortable and familiar in an odd way, as if they hadn't spoken for the first time that morning.
As he quietly thanked her and his arm moved around her briefly she scooted a bit closer to him, her arm getting wrapped over his waist while she cuddled up to him just a bit more.
James Ramirez
He would blush a little more as she cuddles into him some more, deciding to roll with it he would cuddle her back and leans his head back into the comfortable couch as he watched the film and finished off his drink. Feeling a small buzz
He would be calm down a lot enjoying the atmosphere. It was like they've been friends for a while instead of just meeting that morning, it felt just right to a sense
His drones remained on edge as the movie went on and he himself felt like he was drifting off into sleep without meaning, it all just sorta catching up to him with the adrenaline of the morning and everything after.
Grace Gibson
As he decided to return the cuddle she'd let out a pleased little huff before wrapping her arm over his waist just a tad more, her fingertips gently stroking his side as they dangled against it.
She too felt pleasantly tipsy yet still alert enough as she finished her glass and she moved softly, placing both of their emptied glasses on the table before returning to her former position, her head resting against him once more.
On a few occasions, she found herself chuckling softly when something funny happened in the movie and as she slowly forgot about the drones that were roaming around, she eventually ended up closing her eyes as well and drifting into a nap. The end of the movie she missed entirely and as the credits of the movie rolled down the screen, she remained cuddled up and asleep against his chest.
SCENE: Watching a movie
Grace Gibson
Even as she made her way to Jake's movie collection she felt her heart sink into her chest but she did so anyways, taking out 3 movies that she absolutely adored. One of them was a musical, the second a romantic comedy and the third was an action movie. She put them on the coffee table as she turned the tv on, soon switching to the playstation so that they could watch their movie.
The big lights of the apartment were turned off and instead she turned on a red glowing neon bar that was placed behind the tv. A small chuckle left her lips as part of the room lit up in a soft red hue.
"I used to call his apartment a stripclub for this very reason," She grinned, meanwhile digging her phone out of her pocket to check the bars. Three bars, that had to mean she could be reached if need be right? She did put the phone on silent, making it that it would only vibrate if someone tried to reach her. Even as she wished to enjoy her evening, she didn't wish to make loud noises as they could attract things they didn't wish to attract.
Putting her phone on the table as well as her belt with the holster and the gun, she casted a last look at the door. Would she have to go tell them so that they wouldn't worry?, she wondered.
Instead, she put the key inside the door and locked it, leaving the key on on the inside so that nobody could attempt to enter. Slowly but surely, the strong feelings about making her friends worried seemed to fade and she promised herself that halfway through the movie she'd message them to let them know she was okay. As long as she'd go back before the night came it'd be okay, she thought.
"I'm okay... I know I wasn't present for a moment and I'm sorry but I'm okay" She said to him while she lifted one of the cushions of the largest couch to take a huge fluffy blanket out of storage space beneath it. Then, she placed the blanket on the couch and sat down next to it, pulling her legs up on it as well and making herself comfortable as she'd done a hundred times before.
Silence followed until he'd make his way over to the couches, which is when she'd gesture towards the movies.
"You can choose. I like all of these a lot." She said, giving him a warm smile before meeting his gaze. "I promise that I want to be here." She then added, hoping to take any of his worries away if he was uncertain about her choice.
James Ramirez
He would pour two glasses of vodka and made sure to use some of the club soda so they were too strong before bringing the bottle and the glasses to the other area where she was at, he had heard her go through the whole deal of locking the door and as the lights were replaced by the red glow he smiled more as he carefully holds the glasses in one hand to send out drones near the door to keep on watch followed by one in the room with them to alert them if there was any issues.
Smiling happily he sets the glasses down on the coffee table near the movies and offers her one of them while he selects the romantic comedy. "Action seems too exciting right now ans I was never much into musicals" he said with a smile as he starts to get the movie set into the ps4 so that they could start it up.
Feeling relaxed he unrolled the sleeves of the hoodie and moved to take a seat on the couch with her while sinking into the cushions. "Did you really call this place a strip club? Please tell me there was no dancers" he joked as he glanced over with a laugh to her earlier comment.
"And thank you, just for tonight at least let's relax before we deal with everything else" he says with a smile
Grace Gibson
Her gaze followed his small drones as they were scattered through the room to keep watch and she smiled, relaxing a tad more as she now knew for sure that nothing could come their way unexpectedly without them immediately knowing.
As he offered her a glass she took it from him and held it in her left hand while reaching for the remote of the tv with the right. She turned the volume down to 12, making it loud enough for them to hear the movie without too much effort without allerting the entire floor of their makeshift theatre.
"You're right about the action movie." She said and she beamed as he took place on the couch next to her, making the movie watching so much more cosy than if he'd chosen to sit on a separate couch. It felt rather natural too and she barely shifted on her spot, just enough to let her back rest against the couch as well.
"Yeah. I blame the red neon for making me think of one. We never had any dancers no, however we did have a few dance parties together. Nothing like stripclub dancing, luckily" She chuckled, the memory of them being something she loved looking back on.
Placing the tv remote down, she took the controller of the playstation instead to be able to play the movie and she then moved to take the blanket and unfold it.
"You can use it if you want to. There's only one of them after all. I know it's fun to cuddle up in it and it's big enough to fit you twice." She offered, handing the blanket to him.
James Ramirez
He would sip his glass as he takes the blanket carefully unfolding it as he got comfortable with the very comfortable fabric, laughing softly at her comment about the dancing. "Lucky indeed im sure the school would've had a fit about that" he said as he offered some of the blanket to her while he sips his drink enjoying the taste of the alcohol mixed with soda for flavoring.
While he did so he made sure she could equally get use from the blanket, letting the movie play out before them, his eyes studied the movie and the redhead beside him. It was weird, just this morning he had killed someone for the first time.. now he was sitting here beside someone who he was trying to help and in turn was more comfortable than he had been for a while.
He began to rest his feet carefully on the coffee table while he also leans slightly back, if she wanted to lean on him he wouldn't complain. The offer for the blanket had him move and arm around her briefly to which he took the relaxes pose back into the couch comfortably. "Thank you" he said quietly as the movie played
Grace Gibson
The thought of the school finding out about stripping in the dorms caused for her to laugh and she pulled her legs closer to her, nearly having them underneath her body. She too took small sips of her glass, feeling the liquor burn softly in her throat with every sip as she enjoyed the drink.
Finding herself getting lost in the movie, she reached for her phone rather soon and shot a quick message to Sasha, letting her know not to worry and that everything was okay but that she needed some time away from everything.
After putting her phone back down, she crawled back further on the couch and let out a relieved sigh, knowing that she could now let go of all of her worries for real. Of course they'd still be there in the morning but it didn't matter, in that moment nothing really did. They had that evening to make it all go away and forget about everything for a little while.
Her fingers absentmindedly brushed over the soft edge of the blanket while she allowed for the movie to capture her attention again and soon enough, she found herself relaxing more and curling up on the couch like she always had, her head nearly sinking against James' chest.
At the uncommon smell of his clothes and soaps that hit her nose, she briefly widened her eyes and looked up at him in mild concern, a little worried that her habit would make him uncomfortable. Her gaze lingered on his fave momentarily and traced it in search for any sign of discomfort but it found none, and so she turned her attention back to the screen.
She allowed herself to place her head against his chest after that, making her able to hear his heartbeat while she watched the movie. It felt comfortable and familiar in an odd way, as if they hadn't spoken for the first time that morning.
As he quietly thanked her and his arm moved around her briefly she scooted a bit closer to him, her arm getting wrapped over his waist while she cuddled up to him just a bit more.
James Ramirez
He would blush a little more as she cuddles into him some more, deciding to roll with it he would cuddle her back and leans his head back into the comfortable couch as he watched the film and finished off his drink. Feeling a small buzz
He would be calm down a lot enjoying the atmosphere. It was like they've been friends for a while instead of just meeting that morning, it felt just right to a sense
His drones remained on edge as the movie went on and he himself felt like he was drifting off into sleep without meaning, it all just sorta catching up to him with the adrenaline of the morning and everything after.
Grace Gibson
As he decided to return the cuddle she'd let out a pleased little huff before wrapping her arm over his waist just a tad more, her fingertips gently stroking his side as they dangled against it.
She too felt pleasantly tipsy yet still alert enough as she finished her glass and she moved softly, placing both of their emptied glasses on the table before returning to her former position, her head resting against him once more.
On a few occasions, she found herself chuckling softly when something funny happened in the movie and as she slowly forgot about the drones that were roaming around, she eventually ended up closing her eyes as well and drifting into a nap. The end of the movie she missed entirely and as the credits of the movie rolled down the screen, she remained cuddled up and asleep against his chest.
LOCATION: Educator Jake's apartment ~ Living room (On the first floor of the dorms)
SCENE: After a nap
James Ramirez
By the time the afternoon rolled around the spider drones had remained active and alert, pinging for james to wake up by giving his watch a vibrate and had it let out a ping noise to alert him ot movement which turned out to be a rat but they were just motion sensing after all.
With a tired and slightly hungover groan he opened his eyes as the red lights above reflected down on him and natural sunlight was creeping into the room, some drones already moving toward the natural light to charge. He would look around taking in his surroundings with a yawn before glancing down at the weight on his chest and felt his cheeks flush bright red at the redhead passed out cuddled against him. His arms still wrapped around her upper ane lower back with thr blanket overtop
Grace Gibson
At the sound of the ping and the following groan of the man on who's chest she had fallen asleep, Grace stirred a little. Becoming aware that she had cuddled up to him more in her sleep, her flustered cheeks gave away her embarassment over the action while she blinked, trying to wake up properly.
She left her arm over his waist but turned her head to face him, some of her ginger waves falling back as they were dragged down by gravity to reveal a small and relaxed smile. Her fingertips made small circles on his side and she shifted in his arms a little, turning her body away from the tv and towards him.
"Hey you" She said in sleepy voice as she used her free hand to reach up and rub the sleep out of her eyes. "Need me to move?"
James Ramirez
He shivers a bit and looked at her tiredly as she greeted him, barely registering in his tired state what she said before it came to him and he smiles back kindly. "Good morning" he said in a soft voice as he carefully moved some of the red hair from her face.
He enjoyed the gentle circles on his side and began to massage her shoulders as she turned to face him, relaxinf into the couch saying "nah I'm good here for now.. though its afternoon. We should probably get up in like an hour" he said with a soft chuckle as the drones moved to charge in the light.
Grace Gibson
Her gaze briefly wandered towards the drones as she watched them move to the light but within moments she found herself turning her attention back to him.
"Did you have a good nap?" She asked with a widening smile as she now wrapped her other arm around him too, this one reaching around his other side so that her hand could rest on his back.
His reply made her even more comfortable in her position as he didn't seem to prefer for her to scoot away from him and as she realized that it was indeed just afternoon that smile became a little brighter. They had a lot of time left before the night would fall and it made her glad to know the dread of the following morning was still far away.
"I can deal with that as long as I get one more hour like this." She replied. The hand on his back started moving too, it's fingertips following the example of the ones against his side.
"Tell me something about you that few people know. I still want to hear that scorpion story too, by the way." She smirked.
James Ramirez
"I did. Did you?" He asked while answering her first question as he massaged her shoulders gently, still a little groggy from that nap wakeup. Sliding his hand down as he mimicked her motions, greatly enjoying the peaceful atmosphere.
"And we can stay like this for a while longer if you want, im fine with another nap" he said with smile as he glanced up a bit in this position.
"Oh gkod the scorpion story.." he mumbles before laughing quietly. "Made a littlw robotic scorpion for fun, and while drinking with a buddy totally legaly we decided to go hunt down a scorpion to get its venom for the robot" he said admitting he had drank before he was 21
Grace Gibson
"Mmmh yes, it was a good nap." She said with a little chuckle. "You make a soft and warm pillow." She added, her smile causing for light dimples to appear in her cheeks.
"Oh, if you want another nap we can have one. I like talking to you too, though." She admitted, having noticed how naturally their conversations and banter flowed and how she had felt comfortable around him rather quickly.
At his explanation of what the scorpion story was about she threw her head back in laughter and looked at him, her eyes lighting up in amusement. "That's liquor for you, giving you the best ideas, at least until you reflect on them when you eventually sober up." She chuckled.
"What happened next? I take it you found one and it didn't end too pleasantly?" She asked curiously.
James Ramirez
"Mm we can talk till we eventually pass out" he said with a happy smile as he also took note of how well they seemed to get along and grow this comfortable. Still running circles and lines on her back as he only smiled more when she laughed while throwing her head back.
"Well we found a whole nest actually and in out drunken excitement totally forgot about gloves, you can probably guess how that went" he said laughing. "I got stung by a bigger one so thankfully the venom wasn't bad, just like a bad acid trip that was painful. My buddy however managed to grab one and get its stinger" he grinned. "Im fact I still have that drone"
He told her as he motions to the bag she had been given the day before. "Hes hidden away for in case I get in a bad scenario. I can have him sting for me"
Grace Gibson
"Sounds like a deal to me." She agreed as she gently moved her hands towards eachother, making her arms actually wrapped around him entirely now as she let her head sink a bit lower, resting it on his lap instead so she could look up at him more easily.
"A whole nest? Oh no." She claimed with widened eyes as she listened to his story. With him comparing the venom's effects to a bad acid trip, she laughed again and needed a moment to catch her breath, the laughter nearly hurting her.
"Sounds like it was worth it then, even if I wouldn't recommend repeating it. I'm glad you survived but you shouldn't tempt fate like that." She decided with a little grin. In all fairness, she thought that having a small drone like that was pretty badass.
"Do you make cute drones too? Or only creepy crawlies?" She asked.
James Ramirez
He paused to let her laugh as he himself burst into laughter, grinning eae to ear at the memory. He still had a scar on his right hand from the event but it was covered by his glove mostly.
"And it was fun, tempting fate can be amusing at times' he says as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer while adjusting the blanket in the still semi dark room with the movie main menu on
"I can make something cute, what do you have in mind?" He asked as he glanced down at her, a hand coming to carefully mess with her red hair giving himself something to do.
Grace Gibson
She figured he had a point there. Tempting fate did sound amusing, at least he made it sound that way and as long as it was just tempting and you got to walk away alive and in one piece then it wouldn’t be that bad.
As he pulled her closer she scooted a little to let him, becoming very aware of the fact that she was partially draped over his lap and had her head laying on one of his thighs while having her shoulderblade on the other. There was something about the safety and warmth she felt when he wrapped her in his arms that made her forget about every lingering worry that had remained in the back of her mind.
“Hmm, good question.” She said as he asked what she had in mind. “Maybe something like a fairy or a kitten? I realize that they would be easier to spot than a scorpion or a spider for other humans, but I doubt a zombie would care much about them.” She said before shaking her head lightly. “It probably sounds silly, I just always wanted a cat and never had one so this could as well be the closest thing to having a real one I might ever experience. The fairies is just because I think we could all use a little magic in life.”
As he messed with her hair she let him without issue, only leaning more into his touch on occasion.
James Ramirez
"Hm a fairy would be hard but I can do a cat" he smiles as he pets her hair softly enjoying the calm before the storm, saying "you never had a pet cat before? We had a few growing up" he spoke as he began look down at her.
"And well you wanted to know something a lot of people didn't, well would you believe that my first creation was a rat I made to eat my homework so the school couldn't get mad at me for not doing it" he began to snicker at the memory.
"Now what about you? Tell me about yourself Red" he said in refrence to her hair, smiling down at her
Grace Gibson
Her eyes lit up in joy as he said he could do a cat. She liked all kinds of cute things and had a great love for animals even if she never had any.
“I’m afraid not. My mom promised me I’d get one for my 12th birthday but she never made it that far. I asked my dad later, but to be honest he couldn’t even take care of us or of himself so it was probably for the best that he said no.” The story was sad but the answer sounded casual, without being wrapped in emotion except for a certain fondness she felt when speaking of her mom.
“Now that I’m an adult, I planned to get a cat once I graduated but it seems like life has different plans.” She added, a small smile appearing on her face.
As he told her something few people knew about him like she’d asked, the amusement on her face seemed to return and she chuckled at the idea of a rat that ate homework.
“That sounds amazing. I bet your teacher didn’t find it as funny though.” She laughed.
When he asked about her, she thought of all kinds of things she could tell him and eventually settled on one, even if she wasn’t sure if it was the best one.
“You have probably realized by now that I am someone that likes teasing people and that I’m no stranger to flirting. Most people seem to pick up on that and whenever I go out for drinks with Sasha, I tend to be the target of people’s flirtation. It’s not a well kept secret at all...” she said, glancing up at him to see his reaction to that before she continued. “Something few people know is that I rarely have genuine enjoyable banter with someone and that those flirtations never led anywhere.”
Another pause as she doubted on whether or not telling him this was a good decision. Maybe he thought less of her when he knew. Still, she decided to bite the bullet and reveal one of her best kept secrets.
“I have never dated anyone. I’ve never had a boyfriend or anything. I never even kissed someone.” She admitted, turning a bit to avoid his gaze. “That might make me sound lame”
James Ramirez
He listened and gave a concerned frown as she starts to speak about her mother who he assumed was deceased by how she spoke, pausing briefly with his hair petting before continuing and saying "I'm sorry to hear it was rough" as he looked at her
He did offer a kind chuckle as she laugbed at his rat invention, speaking "they were not as amused" as he looked down at her
However he seemed curious and worried as she began to open up to him, watching as sbe seemed to have an internal conflict about what she was saying Looking worried briefly before easing up and saying "yknow, that doesn't sound lame at all. I never had a relationship either, I spent all my time inside so I never did" he said as he blushed a bit.
"But im curious if you enjoy our banter and flirting" he spoke as he glanced at her to read her face
Grace Gibson
"It's okay, it was a long time ago." She said, a small smile remaining on her face while he continued to play with her hair.
Her gaze remained anywhere but on him until he spoke and told her how he felt. At the notion that it didn't sound lame she looked back up at him, her eyebrows raising in curiosity. Even if he'd been nothing but kind and she'd felt comfortable with him, she hadn't expected for him to reassure her on this topic. Even less, she'd expected for him to not have been together with anyone either.
A small frown appeared on her face and she was about to question why when he explained, saying that it was due to spending all his time in side. At that, she seemed to feel a tad relieved even if she attempted to hide it.
"I do," She spoke, her tone soft as he questioned how she felt about their banter and flirting. It was clear that he wasn't asking her directing but he seemed curious nonetheless and she wanted for him to know. "I genuinely enjoy it. It isn't forced or uncomfortable, nor do I seem to get tired of it." She said, a warm smile on her face while she moved one of her hands, that hand reaching for the strings of his hoodie and wrapping them around her finger repeatedly.
James Ramirez
He didnt mind her messing with his hoodie strings and he spoke "I'm glad, it doesnt feel forced for me at all. I quite happe that I came out of my room to check on the noises I heard" he said smiling softly.
"I heard you run past my dorm crying and got scared so I came to check on the noise, finding you crying in the other room. I was worried you were infected and were gonna lash out at me but im happy you didn't" he said while moving his hand away briefly to guy remove his gloves showing off the scar on his right hand from the scorpion tail and his hands were a little rough from working on machines constantly
He then returned to what he was doing, starting to play with her hair as he absent-mindedly began to braid her hair
Grace Gibson
She proceeded to play with the strings as he spoke, her smile widening as he didn't feel forced either. She shared the same feeling when it came to his decision to check up on her although gratitude was blended in for her. Grateful because he cared and decided to follow but even more grateful for the day they'd been spending together and the day wasn't over yet.
"I'm sorry for scaring you. I didn't expect for anyone to come to check on me. At least not that soon. I know my friends would've looked for me eventually but they are dealing with things too and have worries of their own, especially now that more people were found."
As he revealed the scar from the scorpion attack, she stopped playing with the strings of his sweater and moved her hand to his, gently taking it and moving her thumb over the scar. She then turned his hand in hers a little, enough to run her fingers over the rough spots. His skin was much harder than that of her hand and appeared to be more damaged too.
After briefly inspecting it she let go of it again, moving her hand back to the sweater strings. His own hand moved back to her hair and she could feel how he was braiding while seemingly being lost in thoughts.
"Do you have sisters?" She asked, the question being sparked by his ability to braid. Most men that knew how to knew because of having younger siblings.
James Ramirez
He would smile and blush as she suddenly took his hand and studied it, the rough texture of his skin a contrast to hers he found amusing. "Its alright, im just glad things are working out" he said happily as he let go to toy with his hoodie strings again.
"I do yes, two older sisters who taught me, when I grew my hair out long" he chuckles as he began carefully tie her hair up unless she said something about it for him to stop. "I was sick of the loose afro look so i tried braids, didn't look as good" he laughs thinking back on the experience
"Im the youngest of ten, my family came over from out of the country but won't tell me where exactly. I was born on us soil so I'm a citizen not that it matters much now"
Grace Gibson
She listened as he spoke about his family, his heritage and how he had changed up his hair once but prefered this look. It made her chuckle a little and the thought of having such a big family warmed her heart. She wished she still had hers, but in that moment she was just grateful for having someone she could talk to so easily.
"Sounds like you have a loving family. They must mean a lot to you." She said, slowly removing the strings from her fingers. "I think that family is important and we tend to take them from granted." She added, the knowledge that he was probably worried sick about his too resting on her lips unspoken.
"I like your hair." She then said, her hand moving and reaching out to gently capture the end of his curls in it's grip. They were soft and had an unfamiliar texture but she liked how they looked on him a lot. They fit him too. Running her hand through them softly, she frowned a tiny bit as he said it didn't matter much now.
"It wouldn't have mattered to me either way, I like you just the way you are."
It was an attempt to reassure him and she only caught herself on speaking the truth when she'd already spoken it. Cheeks flushing bright red, she released his hair and hid her face by pushing it against his hoodie.
In a failed attempt to play it off like nothing happened she moved just enough to mumble something, something he'd probably only catch if he tried his very best to hear.
"I mean, citizen or not you're still friendly and talented and funny and..." she paused, realizing she was just digging her hole deeper.
James Ramirez
"Family is one of the most important things to me, I'm big on keeping good relationships with all of them when I can.. though this apocolypse does hinder my own family plans" he chuckles as he thought a little about how worried he was, though he trusted his brothers.
Her next words and actions as she held the end of his curly hair made him blush as she admitted to liking him as he was and then turned even more red as she attempted to hide by pressing her face into his hoodie. He hadnt heard her initial mumble but smiled as she continued to ramble about what she liked about it.
"So I'm guessing you like me then Red" he comments with a slight smirk before saying "I like you do.. im a sucker for red hair especially if the person is extremely kind and really good company.." he said as he looked as t her with a blush growing brighter red. "You're also just really cute when you get flustered.. and earlier when we woke up.."
Grace Gibson
When he voiced his thoughts she felt caught red-handed, barely daring to look up at him now that she knew he was on to her. He had it figured out and of course she hadn't made it all too difficult so now that he knew, Grace felt shy.
It was rare and almost uncharacteristic how she changed into this bright red cheeked woman that squirmed in her unability to bring out another word. That squirming only stopped abruptly when he spoke again and told her he liked her too.
Her eyes shot open wide and she tilted her head to stare at him, just in time to hear him continue and call her cute. At that, she briefly covered her face with her hands and let out a sound that came closer to a squeak.
"I...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything but I do." She tried, feeling like she'd just made things awkward and possibly even uncomfortable. She hoped she hadn't and she looked at him again as she pushed herself up a little, enough for her to sit up with her hip resting against his thigh and her hand supporting her body by getting placed between his knees.
James Ramirez
He blushed even more at both how she hid behind her hands and blushes madly but also the position, reaching up to gently push some of her hair aside as he says "w-well its worked out hasnt it? I mean its better now than it is to wait for a bad scenario yknow?" He said as he felt his heart pick up a bit, he was nervous but also embarrassed.
"That squeak was cute though, hopefully its not the last time I hear it by embarrassing you" he said the last half joking as he moved to try and get her to look at him while smiling. His face a lobster red almost
"I think I'll stick around with you no matter where you go.. though I'm nervous about groups I just want to make sure you're safe" he says
Grace Gibson
"You're right about that, I guess it has worked out." She said, chuckling softly in relief as she no longer bothered to hide her face. Her cheeks remained flustered and had her small dimples in them as she smiled widely. He had a point, it was indeed better to have said it now than to have to say it on a moment of great despair. Still, she knew that she was standing on the edge of something dangerous and that having one more person she found herself caring about wasn't good news at the beginning of an apocalypse.
In truth, there was little she could do to stop herself from feeling how she felt. The only thing she could possibly do was running away from it and that meant running away from him too. She didn't want to, the thought of having to leave behind the genuine connection that had instantly formed between them hurting in her chest. Maybe she was foolish for feeling that way so soon but she had always been naive and it just felt right to be around him.
Her thoughts carried her futher, reminding her that when the sun would go to sleep she'd have to make a choice. Staying or going, her friends or this man that seemed to stir something deep inside of her. It was a heartbreaking choice and as she was very loyal, it would prove to ask her to do the impossible.
She was pulled away from those thoughts when he commented on the squeak that had escaped her lips, the comment nearly causing for another one to rise out of her. She chuckled at his joking tone and playfully swatted his arm.
"You sir, are a horrible tease." She laughed and as he moved to make her look at him she did, lights of joy in her eyes. At the sight of his own red cheeks she reached for one of them and framed that side of his face with her hand, cupping his cheek in it to the best of her ability and stroking it with her thumb.
He spoke again and her breath got caught in her throat, her eyes scanning his face before her gaze held his and searched for the truth in his eyes. He was serious, she could tell and her heartbeat started racing while the stroking of his cheek was paused.
"Do you really mean that?" Deep down she felt he did but she needed to hear him say it. She needed the reassurance that only he could offer her, the confirmation that she wouldn't have to choose and that she didn't have to let him go.
James Ramirez
He laughs softly as she called him a horrible tease, a smile across his face as he rests his head in her hands as she cupped his face before stroking his cheek with her thumb. It felt a little odd at first but he eased into it, not use to such treatment. "Im not the tease here" he mutters with a chuckle
Then she asked if he was serious and he saw just how much she locked up. Internally he was torn about the whole situation, here was someone he connected with instantly which made him happy but also scared since it was the start of the apocalypse, any number of things could happen.. and she wanted to travel with a large group which only put his mind more on edge. He read enough zombie genre books and watched enough movies in his mind to warrant worry about bigger groups of people, they couldn't all be trusted..
"I do.. I still don't trust big groups but if it means making sure you're safe personally I'll deal with it" he said as he let his emotional side win over his logical. The best way to ensure she would be ok was to be with her even if she traveled with a large group, he would just have to step up his survaliance and make sure to have a drone with her at all times in case trouble started.
Grace Gibson
While she awaited his answer, her movement picked up again even if it were more slowly and carefully, as if she was hesitant and afraid that he'd break if she wasn't gentle enough. With her gaze stuck on his eyes she looked into them, finding a certain warmth and comfort there before he spoke.
His response made her emotional and she had to blink away the tears that formed in her eyes. She shook her head lightly and gently moved her hand up to run her fingers through his hair.
"It's not your job to take care of me or keep me safe." She said, a little frown appearing on her face. It was a solid mix of emotions that soared through her body and made her feel conflicted. "I don't want you to think that you have to do that for some reason." She added.
She shook her head once more, this time out of her own stupidity as she realized that her saying this could make him feel like she was pushing him away. It was the last thing she wanted to do.
"James, I.... Don't get me wrong..." A pause in which a deep breath was taken followed before she continued. "I want you with me. I want you around and near me." She admitted, the very hint of a smile pulling on the corners of her lips. "But if you come, I want it to be because you want to be around me too. I don't want you to feel forced to keep me safe out of some misplaced sense of duty."
James Ramirez
He barely picked up the extra movement, the feeling of being cared for calming him down entirely as he gave a soft smile up st her. He did look worried briefly at her first few comments, worried he had said the wrong thing and had upset her.
Then she started to blink away tears and he felt more guilty as he reached up to gently place his hands over hers, gently squeezing his hand on hers. "Me wanting to keep you safe is how I show that I care. I want to be around you and that's my way of showing it" he responds to her comment
He smiles a bit more and gently ran his hands up her arms to pull her into a tight hug. His hood was comfortable and soft with the smell of all the mechanical wires he was around constantly.
"I dont see it as misplaced duty but more my own mindset"
Grace Gibson
For a moment she had worried that he'd pull away from her and change his mind. That him taking care of her was his way of doing what was right. Concern had rushed through her body mixed with a bit of fear and a lot of sadness. As he spoke, those emotions left her and she looked at him, her smile returning slowly while the corners of her lips curled up.
He squeezed her hands and she rubbed her thumbs over his, gently moving her arm away from between his thighs and shuffling closer until her legs were under her and she sat on her knees instead.
"Okay, as long as you're sure. Only if you're sure." She replied, her voice a near whisper while she focussed on how he ran his hands up her arms. To his action of pulling her closer for a hug, she moved as well and placed her left knee on the other site of his lap before sitting down on it right above his knees and leaning in to hug him back just as tightly.
Once she had her arms wrapped around him, she allowed herself to sink further into his embrace and placed her head against his shoulder, her nose getting pressed against the warmth of his hoodie at the bottom of his neck. There, she stayed if he'd let her, closing her eyes and holding onto him as if he'd vanish if she were to let go.
James Ramirez
"I'm sure, hopefully they'll accept me and my weird contraptions" he spoke as he gently wrapped his arms further around her leaning his head against her softly as he shuts his eyes enjoying the close proximity of the others, his breathing steady.
He wasnt as afraid of her vanishing but he was worried of her walking off if the group didn't approve of him. He was never good at social situations and with the apocalypse having people on edge he didn't trust that they wouldn't try anything with him.
Grace Gibson
She looked up at him as he questioned whether or not the rest of her group would accept him. In full truth, she wasn't entirely sure of that especially now that her group appeared to be growing. Many of the newly joined, she hadn't even seen before and while she'd spend the last few days in her apartment with Brian and Levin she didn't know enough about them to know how they'd respond to James.
Her only hope was Sasha and even though she figured they'd probably get along, she also knew her friend was protective over her. Maybe that would make her friend more weary but perhaps it also caused for her to accept James more easily, even if it was only because he mattered to Grace.
Unable to give him a solid response that would put his worries to sleep she just smiled at him and gently ran her fingers through his curls. She hoped the gesture would soothe him even though her words couldn't.
"If they don't accept you then they don't respect my wish to have you close to me." She said and she moved her head a bit, tilting it upwards to be able to softly place her lips against his cheek. She kissed it carefully then, allowing her kiss to linger for a moment before she rewrapped her arms around his waist and gave him a little squeeze.
"I can't believe I'm saying this, given the situation that we're in... but I think we'll be okay. Even if I don't make it out of this madness, I'll still be grateful for getting to know you." She concluded, her voice tamed by an emotional softness.
James Ramirez
Her words and actions helped ease only a little bit of his worry and he shuts his eyes for a moment before opening them to return the soft kiss, breaking it after a moment. "I'll be on my best behavior I promise, maybe I can show them im not a bad guy when they come around finally. Or when we leave this room" he says while giving her a squeeze in return.
"We'll make it out I promise, just don't talk like that or let it get to your head ok?" He said as he starts to lean his head against hers. "We should probably get that other nap in so we can catch up with the others, did they respond to your message?"
Grace Gibson
Grace nodded to his words. He didn't seem like a bad guy at all and she hoped the others would see that too. Especially Sasha, who she considered her best friend. Her approval would matter most but regardless of whether or not they'd get it, the last thing she wanted to do was part ways. He made her feel hopeful and maybe hope was dangerous in times like these but it didn't matter, she still wanted to be around him.
It was hard to not let the worries take over and she knew that in the following days, those fears would get in her head. At that moment though, they vanished like the snow under the first rays of sunshine and she simply smiled, burying her face in his sweater.
"Okay..." She agreed and for a moment she remained silent and took a deep breath, taking in the feeling of the embrace and the way he smelled before she let go of him, albeit with a bit of hesitation. Had they answered? She didn't know and she turned on his lap to reach for her phone on the table so she could check. After that, she was going to get another nap with him like he suggested. They'd likely need all the rest they could get, after all.
James Ramirez
James would smile and let her check her phone as he himself carefully moved back a little and grabbed the blanket that they had fallen asleep beneath before. He waited for her to finish checking her phone before wrapping his arms around her and laying down as he held her, shutting his eyes as he lets out a soft breath saying "I'll set the bots up, just gimme a sec" he mumbles as he reached across her to grab the ipad off the table so that he could start setting the spider drones back up
Grace Gibson
Once she picked up her phone, she was about to put it back as it showzd no new notifications. She sighed a bit, fearing that her most beloved friend would be upset with her. Her heart fastened when it vibrated in her hand and her screen lit up, showing the notification of a new message from Sasha.
"All good, no worries. Why don't you stay on the first floor, that way, when I get back you can give me a hand?"
A wide smile spread across her face and she lit up visibly as she beamed at James. She was relieved that her friend wasn't mad at her and that she'd just see her later. Hope came to her as she wished for the two of them to get along and her fingers moved over the screen rapidly, tapping letters to form a reply.
"That's great. I have some food leftovers from lunch that we can have later. I figured having a nice meal would be good now that we still can. I'm in Jake's appartment, give the door a knock when you get back and I'll help you out. Stay safe! Xoxo"
"My friend will come when she gets back," She said as she turned to James while hitting send before putting the phone back on the table. "Don't worry, she might seem intimidating and a bit scary especially when she's angry but she's really really sweet." She added. She watched as he set up the bots and waited for him to finish before wrapping her arms around him in return and relaxing in his embrace.
James Ramirez
"Well let's hope she doesn't see this and get angry" James said with a soft chuckle as he wrapped his arms around her and held her close while shutting his eyes and getting comfortable to sleep again. The drones would get set up and wait as they watch the door prepared to alert the two of trouble ahead of time.
Grace Gibson
Grace couldn't help but to let out a soft yet short chuckle when James expressed his hope. It was hard to imagine Sasha getting angry over the way they were laying on the couch but she could see it surprise her. Shaking her head to make it clear he had nothing to worry about as she chuckled along, she too closed her eyes to get comfortable.
Silence fell over the room and soon all that was heard was the soft zooming of drones that made their way to their positions and slowly, Grace too fell into a slumber once more. It was easy to take that second nap there, in the safety of the apartment and even more so in the warmth of James' arms.
SCENE: After a nap
James Ramirez
By the time the afternoon rolled around the spider drones had remained active and alert, pinging for james to wake up by giving his watch a vibrate and had it let out a ping noise to alert him ot movement which turned out to be a rat but they were just motion sensing after all.
With a tired and slightly hungover groan he opened his eyes as the red lights above reflected down on him and natural sunlight was creeping into the room, some drones already moving toward the natural light to charge. He would look around taking in his surroundings with a yawn before glancing down at the weight on his chest and felt his cheeks flush bright red at the redhead passed out cuddled against him. His arms still wrapped around her upper ane lower back with thr blanket overtop
Grace Gibson
At the sound of the ping and the following groan of the man on who's chest she had fallen asleep, Grace stirred a little. Becoming aware that she had cuddled up to him more in her sleep, her flustered cheeks gave away her embarassment over the action while she blinked, trying to wake up properly.
She left her arm over his waist but turned her head to face him, some of her ginger waves falling back as they were dragged down by gravity to reveal a small and relaxed smile. Her fingertips made small circles on his side and she shifted in his arms a little, turning her body away from the tv and towards him.
"Hey you" She said in sleepy voice as she used her free hand to reach up and rub the sleep out of her eyes. "Need me to move?"
James Ramirez
He shivers a bit and looked at her tiredly as she greeted him, barely registering in his tired state what she said before it came to him and he smiles back kindly. "Good morning" he said in a soft voice as he carefully moved some of the red hair from her face.
He enjoyed the gentle circles on his side and began to massage her shoulders as she turned to face him, relaxinf into the couch saying "nah I'm good here for now.. though its afternoon. We should probably get up in like an hour" he said with a soft chuckle as the drones moved to charge in the light.
Grace Gibson
Her gaze briefly wandered towards the drones as she watched them move to the light but within moments she found herself turning her attention back to him.
"Did you have a good nap?" She asked with a widening smile as she now wrapped her other arm around him too, this one reaching around his other side so that her hand could rest on his back.
His reply made her even more comfortable in her position as he didn't seem to prefer for her to scoot away from him and as she realized that it was indeed just afternoon that smile became a little brighter. They had a lot of time left before the night would fall and it made her glad to know the dread of the following morning was still far away.
"I can deal with that as long as I get one more hour like this." She replied. The hand on his back started moving too, it's fingertips following the example of the ones against his side.
"Tell me something about you that few people know. I still want to hear that scorpion story too, by the way." She smirked.
James Ramirez
"I did. Did you?" He asked while answering her first question as he massaged her shoulders gently, still a little groggy from that nap wakeup. Sliding his hand down as he mimicked her motions, greatly enjoying the peaceful atmosphere.
"And we can stay like this for a while longer if you want, im fine with another nap" he said with smile as he glanced up a bit in this position.
"Oh gkod the scorpion story.." he mumbles before laughing quietly. "Made a littlw robotic scorpion for fun, and while drinking with a buddy totally legaly we decided to go hunt down a scorpion to get its venom for the robot" he said admitting he had drank before he was 21
Grace Gibson
"Mmmh yes, it was a good nap." She said with a little chuckle. "You make a soft and warm pillow." She added, her smile causing for light dimples to appear in her cheeks.
"Oh, if you want another nap we can have one. I like talking to you too, though." She admitted, having noticed how naturally their conversations and banter flowed and how she had felt comfortable around him rather quickly.
At his explanation of what the scorpion story was about she threw her head back in laughter and looked at him, her eyes lighting up in amusement. "That's liquor for you, giving you the best ideas, at least until you reflect on them when you eventually sober up." She chuckled.
"What happened next? I take it you found one and it didn't end too pleasantly?" She asked curiously.
James Ramirez
"Mm we can talk till we eventually pass out" he said with a happy smile as he also took note of how well they seemed to get along and grow this comfortable. Still running circles and lines on her back as he only smiled more when she laughed while throwing her head back.
"Well we found a whole nest actually and in out drunken excitement totally forgot about gloves, you can probably guess how that went" he said laughing. "I got stung by a bigger one so thankfully the venom wasn't bad, just like a bad acid trip that was painful. My buddy however managed to grab one and get its stinger" he grinned. "Im fact I still have that drone"
He told her as he motions to the bag she had been given the day before. "Hes hidden away for in case I get in a bad scenario. I can have him sting for me"
Grace Gibson
"Sounds like a deal to me." She agreed as she gently moved her hands towards eachother, making her arms actually wrapped around him entirely now as she let her head sink a bit lower, resting it on his lap instead so she could look up at him more easily.
"A whole nest? Oh no." She claimed with widened eyes as she listened to his story. With him comparing the venom's effects to a bad acid trip, she laughed again and needed a moment to catch her breath, the laughter nearly hurting her.
"Sounds like it was worth it then, even if I wouldn't recommend repeating it. I'm glad you survived but you shouldn't tempt fate like that." She decided with a little grin. In all fairness, she thought that having a small drone like that was pretty badass.
"Do you make cute drones too? Or only creepy crawlies?" She asked.
James Ramirez
He paused to let her laugh as he himself burst into laughter, grinning eae to ear at the memory. He still had a scar on his right hand from the event but it was covered by his glove mostly.
"And it was fun, tempting fate can be amusing at times' he says as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer while adjusting the blanket in the still semi dark room with the movie main menu on
"I can make something cute, what do you have in mind?" He asked as he glanced down at her, a hand coming to carefully mess with her red hair giving himself something to do.
Grace Gibson
She figured he had a point there. Tempting fate did sound amusing, at least he made it sound that way and as long as it was just tempting and you got to walk away alive and in one piece then it wouldn’t be that bad.
As he pulled her closer she scooted a little to let him, becoming very aware of the fact that she was partially draped over his lap and had her head laying on one of his thighs while having her shoulderblade on the other. There was something about the safety and warmth she felt when he wrapped her in his arms that made her forget about every lingering worry that had remained in the back of her mind.
“Hmm, good question.” She said as he asked what she had in mind. “Maybe something like a fairy or a kitten? I realize that they would be easier to spot than a scorpion or a spider for other humans, but I doubt a zombie would care much about them.” She said before shaking her head lightly. “It probably sounds silly, I just always wanted a cat and never had one so this could as well be the closest thing to having a real one I might ever experience. The fairies is just because I think we could all use a little magic in life.”
As he messed with her hair she let him without issue, only leaning more into his touch on occasion.
James Ramirez
"Hm a fairy would be hard but I can do a cat" he smiles as he pets her hair softly enjoying the calm before the storm, saying "you never had a pet cat before? We had a few growing up" he spoke as he began look down at her.
"And well you wanted to know something a lot of people didn't, well would you believe that my first creation was a rat I made to eat my homework so the school couldn't get mad at me for not doing it" he began to snicker at the memory.
"Now what about you? Tell me about yourself Red" he said in refrence to her hair, smiling down at her
Grace Gibson
Her eyes lit up in joy as he said he could do a cat. She liked all kinds of cute things and had a great love for animals even if she never had any.
“I’m afraid not. My mom promised me I’d get one for my 12th birthday but she never made it that far. I asked my dad later, but to be honest he couldn’t even take care of us or of himself so it was probably for the best that he said no.” The story was sad but the answer sounded casual, without being wrapped in emotion except for a certain fondness she felt when speaking of her mom.
“Now that I’m an adult, I planned to get a cat once I graduated but it seems like life has different plans.” She added, a small smile appearing on her face.
As he told her something few people knew about him like she’d asked, the amusement on her face seemed to return and she chuckled at the idea of a rat that ate homework.
“That sounds amazing. I bet your teacher didn’t find it as funny though.” She laughed.
When he asked about her, she thought of all kinds of things she could tell him and eventually settled on one, even if she wasn’t sure if it was the best one.
“You have probably realized by now that I am someone that likes teasing people and that I’m no stranger to flirting. Most people seem to pick up on that and whenever I go out for drinks with Sasha, I tend to be the target of people’s flirtation. It’s not a well kept secret at all...” she said, glancing up at him to see his reaction to that before she continued. “Something few people know is that I rarely have genuine enjoyable banter with someone and that those flirtations never led anywhere.”
Another pause as she doubted on whether or not telling him this was a good decision. Maybe he thought less of her when he knew. Still, she decided to bite the bullet and reveal one of her best kept secrets.
“I have never dated anyone. I’ve never had a boyfriend or anything. I never even kissed someone.” She admitted, turning a bit to avoid his gaze. “That might make me sound lame”
James Ramirez
He listened and gave a concerned frown as she starts to speak about her mother who he assumed was deceased by how she spoke, pausing briefly with his hair petting before continuing and saying "I'm sorry to hear it was rough" as he looked at her
He did offer a kind chuckle as she laugbed at his rat invention, speaking "they were not as amused" as he looked down at her
However he seemed curious and worried as she began to open up to him, watching as sbe seemed to have an internal conflict about what she was saying Looking worried briefly before easing up and saying "yknow, that doesn't sound lame at all. I never had a relationship either, I spent all my time inside so I never did" he said as he blushed a bit.
"But im curious if you enjoy our banter and flirting" he spoke as he glanced at her to read her face
Grace Gibson
"It's okay, it was a long time ago." She said, a small smile remaining on her face while he continued to play with her hair.
Her gaze remained anywhere but on him until he spoke and told her how he felt. At the notion that it didn't sound lame she looked back up at him, her eyebrows raising in curiosity. Even if he'd been nothing but kind and she'd felt comfortable with him, she hadn't expected for him to reassure her on this topic. Even less, she'd expected for him to not have been together with anyone either.
A small frown appeared on her face and she was about to question why when he explained, saying that it was due to spending all his time in side. At that, she seemed to feel a tad relieved even if she attempted to hide it.
"I do," She spoke, her tone soft as he questioned how she felt about their banter and flirting. It was clear that he wasn't asking her directing but he seemed curious nonetheless and she wanted for him to know. "I genuinely enjoy it. It isn't forced or uncomfortable, nor do I seem to get tired of it." She said, a warm smile on her face while she moved one of her hands, that hand reaching for the strings of his hoodie and wrapping them around her finger repeatedly.
James Ramirez
He didnt mind her messing with his hoodie strings and he spoke "I'm glad, it doesnt feel forced for me at all. I quite happe that I came out of my room to check on the noises I heard" he said smiling softly.
"I heard you run past my dorm crying and got scared so I came to check on the noise, finding you crying in the other room. I was worried you were infected and were gonna lash out at me but im happy you didn't" he said while moving his hand away briefly to guy remove his gloves showing off the scar on his right hand from the scorpion tail and his hands were a little rough from working on machines constantly
He then returned to what he was doing, starting to play with her hair as he absent-mindedly began to braid her hair
Grace Gibson
She proceeded to play with the strings as he spoke, her smile widening as he didn't feel forced either. She shared the same feeling when it came to his decision to check up on her although gratitude was blended in for her. Grateful because he cared and decided to follow but even more grateful for the day they'd been spending together and the day wasn't over yet.
"I'm sorry for scaring you. I didn't expect for anyone to come to check on me. At least not that soon. I know my friends would've looked for me eventually but they are dealing with things too and have worries of their own, especially now that more people were found."
As he revealed the scar from the scorpion attack, she stopped playing with the strings of his sweater and moved her hand to his, gently taking it and moving her thumb over the scar. She then turned his hand in hers a little, enough to run her fingers over the rough spots. His skin was much harder than that of her hand and appeared to be more damaged too.
After briefly inspecting it she let go of it again, moving her hand back to the sweater strings. His own hand moved back to her hair and she could feel how he was braiding while seemingly being lost in thoughts.
"Do you have sisters?" She asked, the question being sparked by his ability to braid. Most men that knew how to knew because of having younger siblings.
James Ramirez
He would smile and blush as she suddenly took his hand and studied it, the rough texture of his skin a contrast to hers he found amusing. "Its alright, im just glad things are working out" he said happily as he let go to toy with his hoodie strings again.
"I do yes, two older sisters who taught me, when I grew my hair out long" he chuckles as he began carefully tie her hair up unless she said something about it for him to stop. "I was sick of the loose afro look so i tried braids, didn't look as good" he laughs thinking back on the experience
"Im the youngest of ten, my family came over from out of the country but won't tell me where exactly. I was born on us soil so I'm a citizen not that it matters much now"
Grace Gibson
She listened as he spoke about his family, his heritage and how he had changed up his hair once but prefered this look. It made her chuckle a little and the thought of having such a big family warmed her heart. She wished she still had hers, but in that moment she was just grateful for having someone she could talk to so easily.
"Sounds like you have a loving family. They must mean a lot to you." She said, slowly removing the strings from her fingers. "I think that family is important and we tend to take them from granted." She added, the knowledge that he was probably worried sick about his too resting on her lips unspoken.
"I like your hair." She then said, her hand moving and reaching out to gently capture the end of his curls in it's grip. They were soft and had an unfamiliar texture but she liked how they looked on him a lot. They fit him too. Running her hand through them softly, she frowned a tiny bit as he said it didn't matter much now.
"It wouldn't have mattered to me either way, I like you just the way you are."
It was an attempt to reassure him and she only caught herself on speaking the truth when she'd already spoken it. Cheeks flushing bright red, she released his hair and hid her face by pushing it against his hoodie.
In a failed attempt to play it off like nothing happened she moved just enough to mumble something, something he'd probably only catch if he tried his very best to hear.
"I mean, citizen or not you're still friendly and talented and funny and..." she paused, realizing she was just digging her hole deeper.
James Ramirez
"Family is one of the most important things to me, I'm big on keeping good relationships with all of them when I can.. though this apocolypse does hinder my own family plans" he chuckles as he thought a little about how worried he was, though he trusted his brothers.
Her next words and actions as she held the end of his curly hair made him blush as she admitted to liking him as he was and then turned even more red as she attempted to hide by pressing her face into his hoodie. He hadnt heard her initial mumble but smiled as she continued to ramble about what she liked about it.
"So I'm guessing you like me then Red" he comments with a slight smirk before saying "I like you do.. im a sucker for red hair especially if the person is extremely kind and really good company.." he said as he looked as t her with a blush growing brighter red. "You're also just really cute when you get flustered.. and earlier when we woke up.."
Grace Gibson
When he voiced his thoughts she felt caught red-handed, barely daring to look up at him now that she knew he was on to her. He had it figured out and of course she hadn't made it all too difficult so now that he knew, Grace felt shy.
It was rare and almost uncharacteristic how she changed into this bright red cheeked woman that squirmed in her unability to bring out another word. That squirming only stopped abruptly when he spoke again and told her he liked her too.
Her eyes shot open wide and she tilted her head to stare at him, just in time to hear him continue and call her cute. At that, she briefly covered her face with her hands and let out a sound that came closer to a squeak.
"I...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything but I do." She tried, feeling like she'd just made things awkward and possibly even uncomfortable. She hoped she hadn't and she looked at him again as she pushed herself up a little, enough for her to sit up with her hip resting against his thigh and her hand supporting her body by getting placed between his knees.
James Ramirez
He blushed even more at both how she hid behind her hands and blushes madly but also the position, reaching up to gently push some of her hair aside as he says "w-well its worked out hasnt it? I mean its better now than it is to wait for a bad scenario yknow?" He said as he felt his heart pick up a bit, he was nervous but also embarrassed.
"That squeak was cute though, hopefully its not the last time I hear it by embarrassing you" he said the last half joking as he moved to try and get her to look at him while smiling. His face a lobster red almost
"I think I'll stick around with you no matter where you go.. though I'm nervous about groups I just want to make sure you're safe" he says
Grace Gibson
"You're right about that, I guess it has worked out." She said, chuckling softly in relief as she no longer bothered to hide her face. Her cheeks remained flustered and had her small dimples in them as she smiled widely. He had a point, it was indeed better to have said it now than to have to say it on a moment of great despair. Still, she knew that she was standing on the edge of something dangerous and that having one more person she found herself caring about wasn't good news at the beginning of an apocalypse.
In truth, there was little she could do to stop herself from feeling how she felt. The only thing she could possibly do was running away from it and that meant running away from him too. She didn't want to, the thought of having to leave behind the genuine connection that had instantly formed between them hurting in her chest. Maybe she was foolish for feeling that way so soon but she had always been naive and it just felt right to be around him.
Her thoughts carried her futher, reminding her that when the sun would go to sleep she'd have to make a choice. Staying or going, her friends or this man that seemed to stir something deep inside of her. It was a heartbreaking choice and as she was very loyal, it would prove to ask her to do the impossible.
She was pulled away from those thoughts when he commented on the squeak that had escaped her lips, the comment nearly causing for another one to rise out of her. She chuckled at his joking tone and playfully swatted his arm.
"You sir, are a horrible tease." She laughed and as he moved to make her look at him she did, lights of joy in her eyes. At the sight of his own red cheeks she reached for one of them and framed that side of his face with her hand, cupping his cheek in it to the best of her ability and stroking it with her thumb.
He spoke again and her breath got caught in her throat, her eyes scanning his face before her gaze held his and searched for the truth in his eyes. He was serious, she could tell and her heartbeat started racing while the stroking of his cheek was paused.
"Do you really mean that?" Deep down she felt he did but she needed to hear him say it. She needed the reassurance that only he could offer her, the confirmation that she wouldn't have to choose and that she didn't have to let him go.
James Ramirez
He laughs softly as she called him a horrible tease, a smile across his face as he rests his head in her hands as she cupped his face before stroking his cheek with her thumb. It felt a little odd at first but he eased into it, not use to such treatment. "Im not the tease here" he mutters with a chuckle
Then she asked if he was serious and he saw just how much she locked up. Internally he was torn about the whole situation, here was someone he connected with instantly which made him happy but also scared since it was the start of the apocalypse, any number of things could happen.. and she wanted to travel with a large group which only put his mind more on edge. He read enough zombie genre books and watched enough movies in his mind to warrant worry about bigger groups of people, they couldn't all be trusted..
"I do.. I still don't trust big groups but if it means making sure you're safe personally I'll deal with it" he said as he let his emotional side win over his logical. The best way to ensure she would be ok was to be with her even if she traveled with a large group, he would just have to step up his survaliance and make sure to have a drone with her at all times in case trouble started.
Grace Gibson
While she awaited his answer, her movement picked up again even if it were more slowly and carefully, as if she was hesitant and afraid that he'd break if she wasn't gentle enough. With her gaze stuck on his eyes she looked into them, finding a certain warmth and comfort there before he spoke.
His response made her emotional and she had to blink away the tears that formed in her eyes. She shook her head lightly and gently moved her hand up to run her fingers through his hair.
"It's not your job to take care of me or keep me safe." She said, a little frown appearing on her face. It was a solid mix of emotions that soared through her body and made her feel conflicted. "I don't want you to think that you have to do that for some reason." She added.
She shook her head once more, this time out of her own stupidity as she realized that her saying this could make him feel like she was pushing him away. It was the last thing she wanted to do.
"James, I.... Don't get me wrong..." A pause in which a deep breath was taken followed before she continued. "I want you with me. I want you around and near me." She admitted, the very hint of a smile pulling on the corners of her lips. "But if you come, I want it to be because you want to be around me too. I don't want you to feel forced to keep me safe out of some misplaced sense of duty."
James Ramirez
He barely picked up the extra movement, the feeling of being cared for calming him down entirely as he gave a soft smile up st her. He did look worried briefly at her first few comments, worried he had said the wrong thing and had upset her.
Then she started to blink away tears and he felt more guilty as he reached up to gently place his hands over hers, gently squeezing his hand on hers. "Me wanting to keep you safe is how I show that I care. I want to be around you and that's my way of showing it" he responds to her comment
He smiles a bit more and gently ran his hands up her arms to pull her into a tight hug. His hood was comfortable and soft with the smell of all the mechanical wires he was around constantly.
"I dont see it as misplaced duty but more my own mindset"
Grace Gibson
For a moment she had worried that he'd pull away from her and change his mind. That him taking care of her was his way of doing what was right. Concern had rushed through her body mixed with a bit of fear and a lot of sadness. As he spoke, those emotions left her and she looked at him, her smile returning slowly while the corners of her lips curled up.
He squeezed her hands and she rubbed her thumbs over his, gently moving her arm away from between his thighs and shuffling closer until her legs were under her and she sat on her knees instead.
"Okay, as long as you're sure. Only if you're sure." She replied, her voice a near whisper while she focussed on how he ran his hands up her arms. To his action of pulling her closer for a hug, she moved as well and placed her left knee on the other site of his lap before sitting down on it right above his knees and leaning in to hug him back just as tightly.
Once she had her arms wrapped around him, she allowed herself to sink further into his embrace and placed her head against his shoulder, her nose getting pressed against the warmth of his hoodie at the bottom of his neck. There, she stayed if he'd let her, closing her eyes and holding onto him as if he'd vanish if she were to let go.
James Ramirez
"I'm sure, hopefully they'll accept me and my weird contraptions" he spoke as he gently wrapped his arms further around her leaning his head against her softly as he shuts his eyes enjoying the close proximity of the others, his breathing steady.
He wasnt as afraid of her vanishing but he was worried of her walking off if the group didn't approve of him. He was never good at social situations and with the apocalypse having people on edge he didn't trust that they wouldn't try anything with him.
Grace Gibson
She looked up at him as he questioned whether or not the rest of her group would accept him. In full truth, she wasn't entirely sure of that especially now that her group appeared to be growing. Many of the newly joined, she hadn't even seen before and while she'd spend the last few days in her apartment with Brian and Levin she didn't know enough about them to know how they'd respond to James.
Her only hope was Sasha and even though she figured they'd probably get along, she also knew her friend was protective over her. Maybe that would make her friend more weary but perhaps it also caused for her to accept James more easily, even if it was only because he mattered to Grace.
Unable to give him a solid response that would put his worries to sleep she just smiled at him and gently ran her fingers through his curls. She hoped the gesture would soothe him even though her words couldn't.
"If they don't accept you then they don't respect my wish to have you close to me." She said and she moved her head a bit, tilting it upwards to be able to softly place her lips against his cheek. She kissed it carefully then, allowing her kiss to linger for a moment before she rewrapped her arms around his waist and gave him a little squeeze.
"I can't believe I'm saying this, given the situation that we're in... but I think we'll be okay. Even if I don't make it out of this madness, I'll still be grateful for getting to know you." She concluded, her voice tamed by an emotional softness.
James Ramirez
Her words and actions helped ease only a little bit of his worry and he shuts his eyes for a moment before opening them to return the soft kiss, breaking it after a moment. "I'll be on my best behavior I promise, maybe I can show them im not a bad guy when they come around finally. Or when we leave this room" he says while giving her a squeeze in return.
"We'll make it out I promise, just don't talk like that or let it get to your head ok?" He said as he starts to lean his head against hers. "We should probably get that other nap in so we can catch up with the others, did they respond to your message?"
Grace Gibson
Grace nodded to his words. He didn't seem like a bad guy at all and she hoped the others would see that too. Especially Sasha, who she considered her best friend. Her approval would matter most but regardless of whether or not they'd get it, the last thing she wanted to do was part ways. He made her feel hopeful and maybe hope was dangerous in times like these but it didn't matter, she still wanted to be around him.
It was hard to not let the worries take over and she knew that in the following days, those fears would get in her head. At that moment though, they vanished like the snow under the first rays of sunshine and she simply smiled, burying her face in his sweater.
"Okay..." She agreed and for a moment she remained silent and took a deep breath, taking in the feeling of the embrace and the way he smelled before she let go of him, albeit with a bit of hesitation. Had they answered? She didn't know and she turned on his lap to reach for her phone on the table so she could check. After that, she was going to get another nap with him like he suggested. They'd likely need all the rest they could get, after all.
James Ramirez
James would smile and let her check her phone as he himself carefully moved back a little and grabbed the blanket that they had fallen asleep beneath before. He waited for her to finish checking her phone before wrapping his arms around her and laying down as he held her, shutting his eyes as he lets out a soft breath saying "I'll set the bots up, just gimme a sec" he mumbles as he reached across her to grab the ipad off the table so that he could start setting the spider drones back up
Grace Gibson
Once she picked up her phone, she was about to put it back as it showzd no new notifications. She sighed a bit, fearing that her most beloved friend would be upset with her. Her heart fastened when it vibrated in her hand and her screen lit up, showing the notification of a new message from Sasha.
"All good, no worries. Why don't you stay on the first floor, that way, when I get back you can give me a hand?"
A wide smile spread across her face and she lit up visibly as she beamed at James. She was relieved that her friend wasn't mad at her and that she'd just see her later. Hope came to her as she wished for the two of them to get along and her fingers moved over the screen rapidly, tapping letters to form a reply.
"That's great. I have some food leftovers from lunch that we can have later. I figured having a nice meal would be good now that we still can. I'm in Jake's appartment, give the door a knock when you get back and I'll help you out. Stay safe! Xoxo"
"My friend will come when she gets back," She said as she turned to James while hitting send before putting the phone back on the table. "Don't worry, she might seem intimidating and a bit scary especially when she's angry but she's really really sweet." She added. She watched as he set up the bots and waited for him to finish before wrapping her arms around him in return and relaxing in his embrace.
James Ramirez
"Well let's hope she doesn't see this and get angry" James said with a soft chuckle as he wrapped his arms around her and held her close while shutting his eyes and getting comfortable to sleep again. The drones would get set up and wait as they watch the door prepared to alert the two of trouble ahead of time.
Grace Gibson
Grace couldn't help but to let out a soft yet short chuckle when James expressed his hope. It was hard to imagine Sasha getting angry over the way they were laying on the couch but she could see it surprise her. Shaking her head to make it clear he had nothing to worry about as she chuckled along, she too closed her eyes to get comfortable.
Silence fell over the room and soon all that was heard was the soft zooming of drones that made their way to their positions and slowly, Grace too fell into a slumber once more. It was easy to take that second nap there, in the safety of the apartment and even more so in the warmth of James' arms.
About an hour after they'd fallen back to sleep, Grace stirred gently against James. She blinked once, no twice before her eyes remained open and scanned the room. It seemed like everything was the way they'd left it, except for the rays of afternoon sun which sneaked past the sides of the curtain and seemed to have dimmed. It was getting late.
She let out a yawn, sat up and stretched before she grabbed her phone to check it for messages. There were none and there hadn't been any knocking, which meant that Sasha hadn't returned yet. It seemed that her friend had found many survivors... at least that was what Grace hoped as she pushed the very thought of Sasha meeting any sort of grim demise out of her head harshly. No, Sasha could handle herself and Grace had to have faith in her friend.
She reached for her glass on the table next and got up to walk to the kitchen, where she briefly cleaned the glass with a bit of water before filling it with soda from the fridge. The glass was empty again moments later and as she set it down on the counter, she looked at the clock and moved back to James.
Coffee. She needed coffee and knowing Jake's love for the small coffee bar on campus, she wouldn't be able to find any of it in his appartment. It meant that she'd have to go get it, and as much as she would normally just go out and get it as a surprise for James, she didn't exactly know which flavor was his favorite and in all honesty, was quite nervous about going outside on her own. Sasha had urged for her to stay inside after all, but maybe if she didn't go alone and went with someone that knew how to shoot she'd be relatively safe. At the very least, he did make her feel safe.
"James, wake up please." She whispered to him as she slumped back down next to him, gently nudging his arm and running her thumb over his cheek. "I really really want to get coffee and it's getting late." She added, a tiny bit louder as she softly squeezed his arm to try and get his attention.
She let out a yawn, sat up and stretched before she grabbed her phone to check it for messages. There were none and there hadn't been any knocking, which meant that Sasha hadn't returned yet. It seemed that her friend had found many survivors... at least that was what Grace hoped as she pushed the very thought of Sasha meeting any sort of grim demise out of her head harshly. No, Sasha could handle herself and Grace had to have faith in her friend.
She reached for her glass on the table next and got up to walk to the kitchen, where she briefly cleaned the glass with a bit of water before filling it with soda from the fridge. The glass was empty again moments later and as she set it down on the counter, she looked at the clock and moved back to James.
Coffee. She needed coffee and knowing Jake's love for the small coffee bar on campus, she wouldn't be able to find any of it in his appartment. It meant that she'd have to go get it, and as much as she would normally just go out and get it as a surprise for James, she didn't exactly know which flavor was his favorite and in all honesty, was quite nervous about going outside on her own. Sasha had urged for her to stay inside after all, but maybe if she didn't go alone and went with someone that knew how to shoot she'd be relatively safe. At the very least, he did make her feel safe.
"James, wake up please." She whispered to him as she slumped back down next to him, gently nudging his arm and running her thumb over his cheek. "I really really want to get coffee and it's getting late." She added, a tiny bit louder as she softly squeezed his arm to try and get his attention.
James Ramirez
James was.. sorta a heavy sleeper, he didnt get sleep much and had conditioned himself to wake up to certain noises like soda opening or the noises of his drones/alarms. The light nudging made him groooooaaaan as he tries to pull grace back down into a hug but it could be easily escaped. His drones watching them would beep and record all movement and when it seemed like she was getting urgent they let out a series of quick high pitched rings in patterns of three.
The noise launched James awake who woke up startled and still groggy as hell, his hand coming up to his face as he looked around confused before noticing grace. "Wmyea?" He mumbles tiredly seeing what she needed, his words slurring together a little bit. His hair was more of a mess than normal and he was waking up slowly, the alarms around them shutting off as the drones began to stutter down the walls and moved to climb into his vest/backpack beside the couch.
James was.. sorta a heavy sleeper, he didnt get sleep much and had conditioned himself to wake up to certain noises like soda opening or the noises of his drones/alarms. The light nudging made him groooooaaaan as he tries to pull grace back down into a hug but it could be easily escaped. His drones watching them would beep and record all movement and when it seemed like she was getting urgent they let out a series of quick high pitched rings in patterns of three.
The noise launched James awake who woke up startled and still groggy as hell, his hand coming up to his face as he looked around confused before noticing grace. "Wmyea?" He mumbles tiredly seeing what she needed, his words slurring together a little bit. His hair was more of a mess than normal and he was waking up slowly, the alarms around them shutting off as the drones began to stutter down the walls and moved to climb into his vest/backpack beside the couch.
She couldn't help but to chuckle as she heard him groan. Grace herself was a grumpy person in the morning and seeing his sleepy response to things made her laugh. As he tried to pull her back down into a hug, she complied because she couldn't possibly deny him a hug. Not attempting to escape his embrace, she gently allowed herself to fall back into his lap but kept her thumb on his cheek, softly rubbing it now as she kept trying to wake him up.
She didn't expect the drones to ring in response to her attempts of waking him up and when she heard them, she turned around to look at the door as she was startled by the high pitch. Was something going on? Worry came to her but faded quickly as the door seemed to be closed and the bots seemed more focused on her than on whatever was going on outside.
James bolted up too and mumbled tiredly at her, his words slurring which made her chuckle once more. She softly moved her hand from his cheek to his hair, trying to fix it the best she could by running her fingers through it.
"I'm sorry, I meant to wake you up gently. I didn't think they would do that." She said to him as she tilted her head to look at his hair, which had gotten a bit better but still didn't look all too decent.
"I was going to ask if you want to get coffee, but based on how you look right now I'd say you need it even if you don't want to." She smiled.
She didn't expect the drones to ring in response to her attempts of waking him up and when she heard them, she turned around to look at the door as she was startled by the high pitch. Was something going on? Worry came to her but faded quickly as the door seemed to be closed and the bots seemed more focused on her than on whatever was going on outside.
James bolted up too and mumbled tiredly at her, his words slurring which made her chuckle once more. She softly moved her hand from his cheek to his hair, trying to fix it the best she could by running her fingers through it.
"I'm sorry, I meant to wake you up gently. I didn't think they would do that." She said to him as she tilted her head to look at his hair, which had gotten a bit better but still didn't look all too decent.
"I was going to ask if you want to get coffee, but based on how you look right now I'd say you need it even if you don't want to." She smiled.
James Ramirez
He leaned into her hand as she stroked his cheek and made him mumble out incoherently before yawning, nodding at the mention of coffee. "Coffee works. I like coffee" he spoke before pulling away slowly to get ready, sliding his vest on and grabbing his shotgun as he prepared himself to leave the safety of the room.
Trurhfully he didnt like the idea of going out but he would suffer through it if she wanted coffee, he could use some as well since that was the only sleep he had gotten in a few days.
He leaned into her hand as she stroked his cheek and made him mumble out incoherently before yawning, nodding at the mention of coffee. "Coffee works. I like coffee" he spoke before pulling away slowly to get ready, sliding his vest on and grabbing his shotgun as he prepared himself to leave the safety of the room.
Trurhfully he didnt like the idea of going out but he would suffer through it if she wanted coffee, he could use some as well since that was the only sleep he had gotten in a few days.
Her smile widened as he nodded and agreed with her. She was glad that she could get coffee and didn't have to go alone. More importantly, she was happy that he would keep her company. Sure, maybe she'd be even safer if she was going out with Sasha instead but knowing Sasha, she'd refuse to let Grace tag along with everything going on outside and it wasn't hard to be safer if you didn't go out at all. At least, that's what Grace thought.
"Great, the coffee shop here is amazing, have you been?" She asked as she moved away to let him through so that he too could get ready. She personally chose to grab a jacket out of the closet and threw it over Jake's oversized sweater, both items of clothing drowning her tiny self in fabric. At least she was dressed warmly and could go outside.
She strapped the holster of the gun around her underneath the sweater and loaded it before putting it in there. It was still a new experience for her, carrying a gun and she felt a little nervous at the thought. She knew she'd learn but she also knew that things could go wrong and that it could harm her and those around her as much as it could hurt the enemy. "Guns know no bias." She whispered to herself, one of Jake's rules that he had taught her when she first expressed interest in his guns. She'd take that advice to heart and tried her best to not give into the false sense of safety the weapon tried to give her.
As she walked back to the kitchen and wanted to claim she was ready to go, she suddenly became very aware of the fact that she could feel the floor against her feet throughout the thin layer of socks she was wearing.
"Shit, I forgot about that." She said to him, giving him an apologetic glance as she now remembered that she still needed to get herself some shoes. "Think I can run upstairs really quick to go get some?" She asked him as she gestured towards her socks and wiggled her toes in them.
"Great, the coffee shop here is amazing, have you been?" She asked as she moved away to let him through so that he too could get ready. She personally chose to grab a jacket out of the closet and threw it over Jake's oversized sweater, both items of clothing drowning her tiny self in fabric. At least she was dressed warmly and could go outside.
She strapped the holster of the gun around her underneath the sweater and loaded it before putting it in there. It was still a new experience for her, carrying a gun and she felt a little nervous at the thought. She knew she'd learn but she also knew that things could go wrong and that it could harm her and those around her as much as it could hurt the enemy. "Guns know no bias." She whispered to herself, one of Jake's rules that he had taught her when she first expressed interest in his guns. She'd take that advice to heart and tried her best to not give into the false sense of safety the weapon tried to give her.
As she walked back to the kitchen and wanted to claim she was ready to go, she suddenly became very aware of the fact that she could feel the floor against her feet throughout the thin layer of socks she was wearing.
"Shit, I forgot about that." She said to him, giving him an apologetic glance as she now remembered that she still needed to get herself some shoes. "Think I can run upstairs really quick to go get some?" She asked him as she gestured towards her socks and wiggled her toes in them.
James Ramirez
James pulled his boots back on cuffing his pants in the surplus combat boots, his thick clothes were good for the winter and he would just let her wonder around getting ready herself. He didnt even seem to remember she was in socks before he heard her call to him and do the little feel motion. "Oh uh sure, we can grab some. Probably best anyway" he said as he stood up and slid his vest on over his hoodie before adjusting the strap tight, the vest he wore was covered in pouches and had a radio on the left side which had some wires hooked to the antenna over his left shoulder to boost the range.
He smiles at her as he stood up and grabbed his shotgun, checking the safety he began to head toward ths door to wait for her. His handgun rested in its holdter on his thigh and he had put on his tool belt.
James pulled his boots back on cuffing his pants in the surplus combat boots, his thick clothes were good for the winter and he would just let her wonder around getting ready herself. He didnt even seem to remember she was in socks before he heard her call to him and do the little feel motion. "Oh uh sure, we can grab some. Probably best anyway" he said as he stood up and slid his vest on over his hoodie before adjusting the strap tight, the vest he wore was covered in pouches and had a radio on the left side which had some wires hooked to the antenna over his left shoulder to boost the range.
He smiles at her as he stood up and grabbed his shotgun, checking the safety he began to head toward ths door to wait for her. His handgun rested in its holdter on his thigh and he had put on his tool belt.
Her apologetic glance remained for a while and she felt rather silly. Who in their right mind would run out of their apartment in socks, especially after seeing someone getting eaten outside right before leaving? If James thought she was being silly, he didn't show it and he was just as nice as he had been to her before, saying that they could go grab some without making a fool of her. Her heart hammered in her chest and it initially didn't seem to want to calm down but as she watched him stand up and smile, it seemed to slow down a little.
She followed him to the door, only pausing at the coffee table to grab her phone. She wasn't exactly worried about leaving anything behind in the apartment, figuring that she'd just be able to come get it later. She was the only one that had the key after all. Remembering to turn off the lights, she reached the door and placed her ear against it to make sure there weren't any noises coming from the other side. It seemed like the coast was clear, and she gave him a little nod.
"Ready?" She asked, preparing to head out and upstairs to her own apartment.
She followed him to the door, only pausing at the coffee table to grab her phone. She wasn't exactly worried about leaving anything behind in the apartment, figuring that she'd just be able to come get it later. She was the only one that had the key after all. Remembering to turn off the lights, she reached the door and placed her ear against it to make sure there weren't any noises coming from the other side. It seemed like the coast was clear, and she gave him a little nod.
"Ready?" She asked, preparing to head out and upstairs to her own apartment.
James Ramirez
"Ready when you are" James confirmed with a smile as he lifted the shotgun and pulled open the door aiming the barrel outside, he moved to be the first out while two of his spider drones dropped off his bag ans scurried ahead of them to act as little cameras. The hand not holding thr shotgun was lifted up to support the weapon as he held his phone in the other hand to watch the cameras. "Stay close ok? If you see something I don't warn me."
"Ready when you are" James confirmed with a smile as he lifted the shotgun and pulled open the door aiming the barrel outside, he moved to be the first out while two of his spider drones dropped off his bag ans scurried ahead of them to act as little cameras. The hand not holding thr shotgun was lifted up to support the weapon as he held his phone in the other hand to watch the cameras. "Stay close ok? If you see something I don't warn me."
As the two left the apartment together, Grace turned once she closed the door behind her and locked the door with the key before placing the key around her neck and tucking it underneath the sweater. It'd be safe there and with the door locked, she could ensure that nobody would get in there easily. She moved with him as he walked and walked next to him, doubting on whether or not she had to grab her gun and have it ready as well. At that moment, she didn't see the need for it yet. The bots would alert the two of them if they spotted something and as he was already holding his gun, she not holding hers could work as an advantage if they met other students or survivors. After all, it would help make it clear that they weren't a threat to anything that was still living.
"Alright, I will." She said to James and she gave him a small smile as she moved a little bit closer. It was good that he told her to stay close as while she didn't necessarily plan to leave him behind, she would've had the tendency to run up the stairs without second guessing her safety if it came down to her being on her own.
Soon enough they reached the stairs and as the bots didn't show them anything they had to worry about yet, she turned to walk upstairs and allowed her gaze to scan the steps for anything out of the ordinary. As long as she didn't find any traces of blood, she proceeded slowly but steadily while keeping a close eye on James.
"Alright, I will." She said to James and she gave him a small smile as she moved a little bit closer. It was good that he told her to stay close as while she didn't necessarily plan to leave him behind, she would've had the tendency to run up the stairs without second guessing her safety if it came down to her being on her own.
Soon enough they reached the stairs and as the bots didn't show them anything they had to worry about yet, she turned to walk upstairs and allowed her gaze to scan the steps for anything out of the ordinary. As long as she didn't find any traces of blood, she proceeded slowly but steadily while keeping a close eye on James.
James Ramirez
James would study the surrounding stairs and kept the shotgun at ready, taking careful steps as he sent the bots up the walls to continue acting as warnings. While he was still in the lead he got a little up the stairs before a stopping her and motioning to the iPad he held where the drones had sightlines of some movement
James would study the surrounding stairs and kept the shotgun at ready, taking careful steps as he sent the bots up the walls to continue acting as warnings. While he was still in the lead he got a little up the stairs before a stopping her and motioning to the iPad he held where the drones had sightlines of some movement
At first she hadn't even noticed he was going to stop her and as she walked with her gaze remaining on the steps to look for blood, she tilted her head and stared wide eyed at a step in front of her, which had a bloody footprint. More of them were ahead and she remained focused on them until she walked against James' arm, who used it to stop her before he motioned at the iPad.
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