rebel rebel.

A smile on her purple painted lips, Natalie glanced from the script in her lap to Tara as she read out her lines. "Shit, that was great," the tall girl said with a nod of her head. "When you accept your Oscar, can you thank me for helping you run lines?" Nat asked, exhaling a soft chuckle. Her eyes glancing back to the script, she stretched out on the bed, one long, pale leg dangling off of the mattress. "Wanna do it again, or are you feeling good about it?"

“Very true, sweetpea,” Nat said with a chuckle, setting the bottle down on the counter before she shrugged on the flannel. “Okay, so we can leave whenever we’re ready.” The brunette grabbed her gym bag and slung it across her body, picking up the water bottle. As she shuffled to towards the entrance, she looked over to Avery with a smile and asked, “You ready?”

She slung her sack around her back, nodding. “I’m ready, you?” She chuckled, knowing full well the answer. She grabbed her metal bat, swinging it around. Almost instantly, she busted through the door. “Let’s go. “

Quickly grabbing her gun and holster, Natalie followed Avery out of the club with a light chuckle leaving her lips. “No need to try to break the door before we leave,” the brunette teased, squinting as the sun hit her eyes - she missed having sunglasses. Once she adjusted to the brightness, Nat glanced around before turning right. “It’s about a mile this way.”

Natalie perked up at the girl’s major, her grin widening. “Seriously?” She said with a soft laugh. “That’s so cool. I, uh, was actually trying to make it as an actress.”

“Oh yeah?” Emerson smiled at Natalie. “Well, I don’t know about your acting skills, but you’ve definitely got the looks to be famous,” she admitted. “Who knows, maybe we’ll have another shot to do what we wanna do one day.”

Natalie couldn’t stop the wide smile spreading on her face at the girl’s compliment. “You know, it’s been a while since I’ve heard someone flirt with me, but I’m pretty sure you just did,” she teased. “Maybe, I hope so… What kind of movie would you make, if you could?”

Natalie kept her gaze on the brunette, a light smile gracing her lips. “Maybe a month, little longer?” Blue eyes glanced up in thought for a moment. “Dunno how long exactly, it’s been a while.” Not wanting to stop talking, she asked, “… What were you studying in college?”

Moving over to the stage, Emerson folded up her blanket to make a pillow and set it down in the spot she was going to sleep. “Oh, umm… Film,” she anwered after a moment, looking back at Natalie. “I wanted to be a director one day.”

Natalie perked up at the girl's major, her grin widening. "Seriously?" She said with a soft laugh. "That's so cool. I, uh, was actually trying to make it as an actress."

“I sleep on part of the stage, Avery sleeps in the back room most of the time. The stage is big enough where you can sleep on it, too. And, we keep our supplies behind the bar,” Nat replied, hopping off the counter and landed behind the bar. She held up her own gym bag with a small smile. “You can keep your shit back here, too. No one can see it from the door. And, if anyone tries to come in that isn’t me or Av, get behind it too.”

“Cool.” Em nodded, smiling a little. She moved around behind the bar and set down her backpack far enough away from the others so that it wouldn’t get mixed up with their things. “So, how long have you guys been hiding out here?” She asked as she opened up her bag and pulled out a small blanket. 

Natalie kept her gaze on the brunette, a light smile gracing her lips. “Maybe a month, little longer?” Blue eyes glanced up in thought for a moment. “Dunno how long exactly, it’s been a while.” Not wanting to stop talking, she asked, “… What were you studying in college?”

Natalie continued to eat the green beans as Avery left, leaving the empty can on top of the bar. She grabbed her bag and opened it up, rifling through it until she found her flannel. The brunette put it on, zipping up the bag. Hearing the redhead entering the room, she looked up, grabbing the water bottle. “Thanks,” she said with a smile, uncapping the bottle and taking a sip. “Do we need anything else, or nah?”

Shrugging on her leather jacket, the only thing she had left from her innocent days as a normal rebellious teen in a normal non-apocalyptic world, she grinned. “No problem, gotta keep you hydrated, don’t I, darling?” Their pet names were always something that the redhead loved. Nat was like a sister to her, even though it’d been only a couple months since their rather odd meeting. The pet names just added the cherry atop the icing for them. “I think we’re good.”

“Very true, sweetpea,” Nat said with a chuckle, setting the bottle down on the counter before she shrugged on the flannel. “Okay, so we can leave whenever we’re ready.” The brunette grabbed her gym bag and slung it across her body, picking up the water bottle. As she shuffled to towards the entrance, she looked over to Avery with a smile and asked, “You ready?”

“Food, hair ties, deodorant, and dry shampoo,” Nat said with a faint grin, liking the thought of how average their list of items they needed. “Might as well try to get our hands on a brush too, my comb broke when I tried to brush my hair last week,” she added with a grimace, recalling how long it took to get it out. “Awesome, sweetheart.”

“Pretty good list to me.” She sent her friend a small smile. At the mention of a brush, she winced. “God, I haven’t used a brush in forever.” Her hands immediately went to the rats nest atop her head that was wrapped in her final hair tie. “Okay, I’ll go get my stuff and we can head out soon.” She took anther bite of her peas, the last of what was in the can, and dashed back to the back room. She grabbed her bag and jacket, returning to the main room and tossing her friend a bottled water.

Natalie continued to eat the green beans as Avery left, leaving the empty can on top of the bar. She grabbed her bag and opened it up, rifling through it until she found her flannel. The brunette put it on, zipping up the bag. Hearing the redhead entering the room, she looked up, grabbing the water bottle. “Thanks,” she said with a smile, uncapping the bottle and taking a sip. “Do we need anything else, or nah?”

Her smile faltered at the girl’s comment, clearing her throat. “Yeah, about that…” she let out a nervous chuckle. “I’m not as good as you think,” Nat said, her gaze dropping to her lap before glancing to Em. “But know I won’t kill you or take your stuff.”

“Well, it makes you a better person than most,” Em replied, smiling a little bit. “So, where do you guys sleep?” She asked, trying to move the conversation along. “Or umm… Where can I put my stuff?”

“I sleep on part of the stage, Avery sleeps in the back room most of the time. The stage is big enough where you can sleep on it, too. And, we keep our supplies behind the bar,” Nat replied, hopping off the counter and landed behind the bar. She held up her own gym bag with a small smile. “You can keep your shit back here, too. No one can see it from the door. And, if anyone tries to come in that isn’t me or Av, get behind it too.”

Natalie tossed Avery over the peas, popping open the can of green beans - not her favorite whatsoever, but in the midst of the apocalypse, she didn’t have the option of be picky. “If you wanna find a cute boy, you’ll need the deodorant first,” she said with a short laugh, plucking a green bean from the can and popping it in her mouth. “But I agree, I’m in some serious need of deodorant. And some dry shampoo, I’m feeling kind of greasy. I think I saw a Target about a mile or two away, maybe we can go check it out.”

Avery glared at the older girl playfully, but as she caught a whiff of her underarms, she gagged. “Yeah, might need to do that.” She laughed a bit herself, taking a scoop of the peas and letting them roll down her throat. As she thought about what they were in need of, she popped up. “hey, start looking for hair ties, too. I’m on my last one and I really don’t want to go back to using vines and string.” She winced. remembering all the ripped hair. “Sounds good to me, cutie.”

"Food, hair ties, deodorant, and dry shampoo," Nat said with a faint grin, liking the thought of how average their list of items they needed. "Might as well try to get our hands on a brush too, my comb broke when I tried to brush my hair last week," she added with a grimace, recalling how long it took to get it out. "Awesome, sweetheart."

Natalie’s smile widened for a moment at Emerson’s gratitude, shrugging her shoulders in reply. “You’re welcome. You seem… good,” she said after a beat. “Which is a hard thing to find nowadays.”

“Well, I wouldn’t say I was good, but I’m definitely not bad,” Em replied. “Like, I won’t hurt you if you don’t hurt me.” She shrugged. “But I feel like you’re probably the same way. It is nice, though. Finding someone who doesn’t just wanna kill you and take your stuff.”

Her smile faltered at the girl’s comment, clearing her throat. “Yeah, about that…” she let out a nervous chuckle. “I’m not as good as you think,” Nat said, her gaze dropping to her lap before glancing to Em. “But know I won’t kill you or take your stuff.”

Having left Avery alone at their camp(If a long-forgotten strip club could be considered a camp), Natalie walked by herself. However, at the sound of someone screaming for help, the brunette went running towards it. About twenty feet away, she spotted it. Three walkers trying to get a girl in a tree. Call it a weakness, but Natalie had a soft spot for people in need of help. Without a second thought, the brunette grabbed her gun and her knife out of their holster and whistled. Loud. The zombies looked to her, losing their attention on whoever was in the tree. “Over here, fuckers!” Nat shouted, the walkers getting closer. She fired. One zombie fell to the ground. She ran at another, her knife driving into its skull. The brunette turned to the last one shooting it. Aim off, the bullet only hit its shoulder. Wasted bullet. Pulling the knife out of one, Natalie charged the remaining one, stabbing it in the neck. It toppled to the ground, the brunette turning it on its stomach and pressing her boot into its back. She ripped the knife out of its neck and rammed it into its skull. For a moment, Nat forgot about the person in the tree, her breathing ragged as she regained her composure.

In an attempt to swing her legs up to the tree, Carina found herself to be weaker than she thought she was and only ended up loosening her entire grip on the branch. But then —- like a vulgar voice from the heavens —- a shout from afar had slowly but surely distracted the rotting, hungry corpses below. A gun shot and some struggling, and then a moment of silence to follow. It was then that the blonde decided to peak down to see the three walkers were taken out and the girl who had saved her was a bit out of breath. Unable to really hold on any longer, Carina willingly let herself slip off and land with a thud in the moist leaves below. Boosting herself up, she offered a shy yet nervous smile to the stranger, her hand coming up to the opposite shoulder to pick at her tank top. “…thank you,” she uttered, bright blue eyes attached to the other like a deer in the headlights.

Natalie was only reminded of the girl she saved when she heard a delicate voice, slowly turning around to face it. Pretty, blonde, maybe a little scared. Not a threat. The brunette holstered her gun and tucked the knife back into its hiding spot in her boot. She wouldn’t need to use weapons on the blonde, she seemed innocent enough. “You’re welcome,” she answered with a faint grin, before her gaze shifted from the blonde to the corpses on the ground. “You all good?” She looked up to the tree, brow furrowing slightly. “Hurt from the fall, or…?”

Nat let out a light laugh, taking a quick glance around the club. “Yeah, I actually do like it in here, despite the shitty lighting situation,” she replied with a smile. “It’s not like I’m going tomorrow… and, a base could be more crowded, but they might have decent supplies. Doesn’t hurt to find out, y'know? Besides, if a military base is a bust, I’ll find another strip club,” she added the last part as a half-joke, chuckling once again.

“Well, I doubt there’s a shortage of good strip clubs to live in,” Em laughed. “So if the military base doesn’t work out, I think that’s a solid back up. By the way… Thanks for letting me hang out here for the night, I appreciate it.”

Natalie’s smile widened for a moment at Emerson’s gratitude, shrugging her shoulders in reply. “You’re welcome. You seem… good,” she said after a beat. “Which is a hard thing to find nowadays.”

Natalie nodded, giving the stranger a soft smile. She didn’t want to say what she was thinking, how it would impossible to make it there. Instead, she said, “I hope you can find your family one day.” Nat cleared her throat, gaze dropping to her lap. “I’m actually planning on going down to San Diego,” she added, looking back to Emerson. “There’s a shit ton of military bases down, so maybe there’s something safe there.”

“Thanks,” Emerson replied, smiling faintly. “San Diego sounds like a good place to go, but you also have something pretty nice here,” she said with a bit of a laugh, looking around. “Less crowded than a military base would probably be, too.”

Nat let out a light laugh, taking a quick glance around the club. "Yeah, I actually do like it in here, despite the shitty lighting situation," she replied with a smile. "It's not like I'm going tomorrow... and, a base could be more crowded, but they might have decent supplies. Doesn't hurt to find out, y'know? Besides, if a military base is a bust, I'll find another strip club," she added the last part as a half-joke, chuckling once again.

Natalie paused at Emerson’s question, simply shrugging her shoulders before replying, “I, uh, actually haven’t thought of it. I only had my mom, but she’s tough. I like to think that she’s still alive.” She remained quiet for a moment; she loved her mom, but she didn’t want to go on a long journey, either to find out she was dead or never find her. “What about you? Anyone in New York you wanna look for?”

“Yeah,” Em admitted, nodding her head. “But umm… not in New York. In Philly. When I came here, my sister went to live with my aunt and cousin in Philly.” She felt silly saying it out loud– she knew actually getting to Philadelphia would be nearly impossible.   

Natalie nodded, giving the stranger a soft smile. She didn't want to say what she was thinking, how it would impossible to make it there. Instead, she said, "I hope you can find your family one day." Nat cleared her throat, gaze dropping to her lap. "I'm actually planning on going down to San Diego," she added, looking back to Emerson. "There's a shit ton of military bases down, so maybe there's something safe there."

Nat hopped onto the counter top, her legs crisscrossing as she got comfortable. “New York? That’s fucking cool,” she said with a faint smile, keeping her gaze on Emerson. “I’m from Vegas. Moved here for work,” she said with a nod of her head. “I never liked the idea of working in a casino or as a showgirl.”

“Yeah, I guess so,” Em replied, smiling a little as her gaze fell to the ground. “Vegas is pretty cool too, though.” She looked back up at Natalie. “Have you ever thought about going back there? You know… to look for family, or something?”

Natalie paused at Emerson’s question, simply shrugging her shoulders before replying, “I, uh, actually haven’t thought of it. I only had my mom, but she’s tough. I like to think that she’s still alive.” She remained quiet for a moment; she loved her mom, but she didn’t want to go on a long journey, either to find out she was dead or never find her. “What about you? Anyone in New York you wanna look for?”