curious,  gentle  eyes  wandered  around  the  place,  absorbing  the  view,  the  clear  effort  nyla  and  her  co - worker  had  put  into  making  the  space  a  lively  one  bringing  joy  to  her  gesture.  she  observed  the  kids  quietly  after  a  moment,  a  pang  of  longing  hitting  her  chest,  leaving  her  breathless  for  a  second.   then,  nyla’s  voice  brought  her  back,  mercifully  ripping  her  from  her  ruminations.   a  warm  smile  that  didn’t  quite  reach  her  eyes  spread  on  her  face  when  her  attention  landed  on  the  young  woman.     “  oh,  i’m  doing  great,  just  wondering  how  you’re  holding  up  with  these  tiny  rascals,  ”     the  light  amusement  in  her  tone  gave  away  the  joking  nature  of  her  words.  next,  after  pursing  her  lips  to  avoid  their  minute  trembling  at  nyla’s  offering,  she  nodded.     “  i’d  like  that,  my  love.  as  long  as  i’m  not  intruding  or  adding  to  your  workload,  of  course.  ”     she  didn’t  think  she  would,  but  astoria  well  knew  sometimes  it  wasn’t  about  the  technicalities  or  the  physical  effort,  but  about  the  mind.     “  tell  me,  how  can  i  help ?  ”

some of the parents and guardians hang around once the children are dropped off or picked up, but besides that, nyla has grown used to her daily company being mainly kids. she has her coworker and nyla is grateful for their company, but sometimes responsibilities must be completed while the other watches over the daycare. there are days when she enjoys the spare time and days, like today, where she would prefer more company. " i'm good, thanks for asking ! everything has been going well today... but now that i've said that, i don't know if that will last. " there's a smile accompanied with her teasing. if she had to make bets, though, she would consider herself lucky. even the notion of intruding has nyla shaking her head immediately, already nodding toward the basket of fruit. " oh, you could never ! if you want, you could help hand out your gifts ? our problem biters have been good, so no worries there. "

the slight upturn of a grin he has disappears with the bartender's idea. he's not much of a jokester apart from his own humor that most do not share, but theo has done well to keep his mouth shut and make his intrusive thoughts stay in his head. an invitation of a joke from theo would consist either of something sexual or morbid - both of which he plans to avoid discussing because of the buzz he's already anticipating. " christ, can a smile and a good lookin' mug get you nothing ?? " half teasing, he pouts, tilting his head to the side. " can i just pay you already so we can speed this up ? "

a  bright,  warming  sun  uncharacteristic  for  boulder  this  time  of  year  shines  over  astoria’s  head,  making  the  dark  strands  of  her  hair  glow  under  the  beams.  her  step,  despite  being  calm  and  poised,  makes  the  basket  of  fresh  fruits  hanging  from  her  arm  swing  nonetheless  while  she  walks  her  way  to  the  school.  there  it  is  even  warmer,  and  the  simple  notion  of  the  heating  system  developed  a  few  years  ago  by  the  engineers  functioning  like  clockwork,  keeping  their  children  safe  from  the  biting  cold,  floors astoria  with  joy.  reaching the daycare’s wing,  only  a  gentle  knock  on  the  open  door  announces  her  before  she  speaks.    “ hello,  my  dear, ”     the  greeting  is  unavoidably  tender  — as  often  if  not  always  with  nyla —,  a  soft,  toothless  smile  skimming  over  her  features.     “ we  had  an  early  reaping  of  the  crops  at  the  farm  this  morning  and  i  have  …  around  ten  pounds  of  fresh  fruit  for  your  tiny ones. ”     gently,  astoria  deposits  the  basket  in  the  desk  and  takes  off  the  rug  covering  it  in  a  swift  motion.  while  she  waits  for  nyla’s  answer,  her eyes take  a  discreet  look  at  the  place,  shining  with  delight  at  how  teachers  always  do  their  best  to  give  the  kids  a  semblance  of  normalcy  in  this  devastated  world.

" hey, hey, no running ! " she shouts over the background noise of children who fill the daycare, just another typical day of watching over tiny humans who are incredibly accident prone. nyla watches them with excitement even amid her temporary panic, thankful they can have these memories without worrying about what's beyond the campus. her attention is shifted the moment astoria joins them and she gives a big grin followed by a singular clap. " look, we have a visitor ! " some wave, some say hello, and many go back to what they had been doing a moment before. she's immediately interested in the basket, following her new company's movements to gasp at the fruit revealed under the rug. " oh, astoria, thank you ! they look delicious, perfect for me and vivian to hand out at snack time. " nyla notices astoria's wandering gaze and shoves her hands in her pockets. " how are you ? would you like to hang around for snack time ? "

a  just  rolled - up  tobacco  swirled  distractedly  between  her  fingers  the  moment  she  made  her  presence  known  with  a  knock  on  the  guard  house,  entering  the  place  without  waiting  for  an  answer.  she  knew  theo  was  on  duty  tonight,  something  that  came  in  handy  when,  after  turning  and  tossing  in  bed  for  an  hour,  she  realized  sleep  wasn’t  coming  to  get  her  any  time  soon.    “  hello,  handsome,  ”     with  an  easy,  nonchalant  gesture,  jack  greeted  him,  flopping  down  on  the  available  chair  in  a  quite  unrefined  way  before  hooking  the  cigarette  in  her  fingers  behind  her  hear  to  extended  towards  him  what  she  carried  in  her  other  hand  —  a  forest  green  thermos  heavy  with  an  offer.     “  is  recently,  deliciously  brewed  coffee  and  a  case  full  of  cigs  enough  to  convince  you  to  let  me  stay  here  until  i  feel  sleepy  enough  to  go  to  bed ?  ”     she  prompted  then,  outstretched  hand  waiting  for  him  to  take  the  bribe.     “  i’m  bored  to  death,  and  you  know  how  …  dangerous  i  can  get  when  i  get  bored,  right ?  ”     the  pout  that  followed  her  words  was  broken  by  a  slow,  cheeky  smile,  the  characteristic  mischief  of  her  gaze  alive  in  the  brown  of  her  eyes.

he's leaned back in a chair, feet kicked up on an old rickety table as time ticks by. being in the watch tower is one of his favorite things to do, alone to do whatever he wants unless trouble comes their way, but boredom is in a large supply. the knock has him stumbling, not entirely panicked but not wanting to be seen as slacking, until theo glances up to spot that it's only jack. in truth, he would have let her stay without a bribe, but if he reveals that then perhaps his offers will dry up. " yeah, you've met my price, " he returns with a smirk, leaning forward to receive the gift and waste no time in taking a sip from the thermos. theo hums at the warmth and sudden burst of energy, giving jack a look with her inquiry. " uh huh... what are you thinkin' ? "

theo finds himself in the armory every now and again, whether it be for scheduled maintenance, a small repair, or more ammo. he's had fortunate luck with the firearms he's had equipped, hardly any lock ups or misfires, but he would hate that luck to go out the window with a missed routine check up. as much as he thinks he knows his way around a gun, theo would rather not take any chances. he's passed his pistol off to be taken apart and cleaned, something he could do but often doesn't, and sits down at one of the empty work stations. " uh... " not entirely sure how he's been roped into this one, but he at least tries to listen. " capable enough to do... what, steal ammo ? or the job ? cause i don't know, you look pretty capable of either. "

his brows lift at her words, though theo doesn't entirely believe her - he's amused all the same, however, and that keeps him cemented where he stands. part of him wonders if this song and dance is worth the time he's wasting without nicotine so sweetly in his veins. his patience wears thin by every second passed, yet he can't help the loud chuckle that erupts from her question. " hm, maybe so, " he shrugs, looking her up and down. " but don't we all deserve some joy, regardless of who agrees ? " theo asks in return, a growing smirk accompanying the serious eye contact he's giving his new company. " besides, can't blame a guy for indulging in one of his only joys - though, you could offer me another option for joy... "

it's not fair that he's down to his last three cigarettes and no one seems charitable enough to share their own. what's the fuckin' point of living in a community if no one wants to share their damn cigs ?? he'll annoy one of the scouts about it in the morning, but tonight, he's not going to worry about his draining supply - he's going to enjoy a quiet moment alone with his stick of joy. theo is careful to take it out of his nearly disintegrated carton, fumbling with the almost empty lighter in his other hand. his back is turned and he's huddled by himself, desperate to get a light with the wind blowing, but spins around once he hears someone speak. " uh, that's kinda fuckin' rude, " he grunts, cig clamped between his lips with a pout. " i'm just trying to have a small moment of happiness and you're making fun of me ? " his tone is serious though theo is entirely the opposite, trying not to crack a smile to get a rise out of his new company.

the  silence  filling  the  daycare  is  one  that  ali  considers  with  bated  breath,  well  aware  that  this  moment  in  time  could  be  fleeting  with  how  rambunctious  the  kid  are.  they  very  well  could  start  up  again  with  one  giggle  turning  to  two  turning  to  so  on  and  so  forth.  the  thought  is  one  that  dampers  his  mood  only  so  slightly  with  the  possibility  of  having  to  resort  to  the  last  ibuprofen  he  has  stashed  in  his  bag.  ali  doesn’t  realize  his  eyes  are  closed  as  he  leans  back  into  his  seat  until  nyla’s  voice  appears  right  near  him  when  he  swears  she  was  on  the  other  side  of  the  room,  and  blue  hues  blink  open.  ❝  if  i’m  to  be  honest,  you  just  saved  me  from  dozing  off  right  then  and  there,  ❞  ali  muses,  lolling  his  head  to  the  side  to  get  a  look  at  the  other  with  a  languid  grin.  ❝  i  won’t  tell  if  you  wanna  take  shifts.  ❞

some days, working within the daycare almost feels like playing an eternal game of the floor is lava... but more in the sense that her feet must barely make contact with the floor as she crosses the room. her footsteps are as light as physically possible and still, some of the kids seem to have supersonic hearing. today is a good day and she hopes they remain asleep, giving herself and alistair a moment ( if not two ) to relax. she stays glued to the office chair, finding it is quicker and much quieter along the floor. " oh, sorry, did i startle you ? " she questions, flashing a smile and glancing back at those bright blue eyes. nyla admittedly enjoys his company and though she does enjoy watching the kids, alistair is a definite bonus. " i might have to take you up on that... if i can even manage to fall asleep. i'm exhausted and yet, wide awake. "

the older kids would eventually need some more vigorous entertainment though , and this would usually result in noah play - fighting ( against their better judgement ) . it's only when he glances up after dodging a kick to the face that he sees nyla's eyes on him , expressionless . ❛❛ listen . no judgement , okay . . . they need to let off steam and i'm happy to help !  ❞

she's watching a little too long by the time noah notices her and nyla can't help but laugh. any chance for any of them to experience a moment of happiness, regardless of how short, she was onboard. " hey, no judgement at all... they definitely need to let off steam, just make sure they don't actually kick your butt. they're pretty strong. " she responds with a giggle.

in truth, theo is essentially unaffected by their venture. he had always seen the outcome as poor and now that everything has settled successfully, everything is back to normal for him. the slip in routine was a welcome one and while he doesn't mind his position at uec, he would be lying to say he didn't enjoy beating up on the coalition. while he finished what he started, he's sure there were others too cowardly to do the same - meaning there are still active threats that will now want revenge. years ago, he wouldn't have cared about uec's fate and while their demise would force him to adapt to the world again, he doesn't want that. if there is a future where he can comfortably enjoy a whiskey sour every evening for the rest of his existence then yeah, he'll fight until there's a winner. " i, uh... " he hadn't expected anyone to be there or he wouldn't have thought to grab something for himself to eat. " i was just getting some space. do you want me to fuck off ? oh, wait, could i bum a cig ? used the rest of my pack out there... "

sleep evades him most nights, his temper enough to give him stamina throughout the day... and after the long trip back, theo doesn't know if he's ever been so exhausted. of course, he'd had a hell of a time and barely had any bruises or scratches to show, but his back ached for a warm bath - or massage from any welcomed company. for now, though, he was hankering for an ice cold whiskey sour to wash away any remaining unease. " was already planning on the bar, " he grins, wasting no time to seat himself on a stool. " why am i here ? is this not a bar ? " theo takes a glance around, eyes resting back on lina. " i'll take a whiskey sour. "

" if that'd make me feel better ? " his face contorts and he nearly scoffs, taken aback by how... compassionate lucky is. the last thing he wants to do is say something that makes her upset at such a fragile moment, so theo bites his tongue. " i'm giving you advice for your suicidal plan, lucky, who cares about feelings ? your death is more than just about you. "

In the next minute, all that could be heard from his little coffee station was him mixing the instant coffee, the sugar and the hot water like a madman, working at it until it was more like a foam consistency, and surely enough in a few minutes (more like five or ten minutes), after pouring milk over it, Danny set two glasses of coffee down in front of Nyla, still somewhat breathless and his hand shaking a little. "Order up!"

it doesn't take long for danny to return with the promised best coffee of her life ( she's never been a big fan ). " thank you, " nyla nods at him and takes one of the glasses, an anxious sip taken after a moment. " mmm, " eyes lift to look back at danny, she's pleasantly surprised. " okay, yeah, it's pretty good. "

with a quick roll of his eyes, he quiets, genuinely listening to lucky's idea. he knows he's not someone anyone is looking to for advice or decision making, but theo will give his judgement when it comes to the possible loss of life... some of them he'd hate to lose. if it were entirely up to him, perhaps he'd use a weak link as bait - but as lucky reveals her plan, that's almost what it sounds like. his brows furrow and creases reveal themselves across his forehead, face twisted in an attempt to understand. " on the off chance they don't see through your idea, as they did just kidnap one of our members, that's an incredibly risky first play. " maybe if they truly need a distraction, but he's actually considering lucky's safety. " besides, nick might shoot you the second he sees you - we're all enemies now. "