#tfh.starter

location : bar area

He felt like a kid, seriously what the fudge was happening? Go take care of the bar they said. Harry didn't even try to make them doubt their decision, he just went for it. A bit lost but happy, the bartender was busy trying to find his feet behind the counter when a customer arrived. Maybe customer wasn't the best word to use, but hey, baby steps. "Hi." He greeted. "What can I get you?" Seriously, the hell was happening? When was the last time he served someone? Probably four years ago? It couldn't help it, it just felt funny, so he tried very hard to stay professional and not laugh. Don't be weirdo on your first day he said to Frank, maybe following his own advises was an idea.

open starter

Frank had a feeling of being in a movie or a dream, or eve in another dimension. He watched as people were just living in a community , civilisation. A sense of normalcy. His life had always been marked by conflicts or accidents, it was in chaos that he healed people or helped them cross. But this, the chatter, the laughter, the smells of foods and crafts. It reminded him of what they had all left behind in order to make sense of this new brave world.

The man took a deep breath. People had pointed him to the community center if he wanted to drop things or meet people. He looked at his bag, and entered. "Excuse me, you got a minute ? My name's Frank, this is the community center yeah ? "

location: near the redwood forest (inside Redwood)

"Hey! You! Sorry, could you, uh, help me for a moment?" At least it was quiet out here, so Ares didn't have to yell too loud to hopefully get attention from the passerby. With his arm half wrapped around a tree to keep himself upright, Ares sighed with relief as he was noticed.

"I kinda accidentally dropped my cane down there. Could you get it for me, maybe?" Ares gestured at the ridge in the ground right in front of them. A surprisingly steep drop right in the forest ground, probably a former creek that had cut through the uneven ground at it's bottom. Getting down an incline like that would've normally not been an issue, he'd been running down these things when he was a kid, but right now, his injured body wasn't quite in the state for it. Hence the cane.

Location: Community Center/Gym

Working out was one of the few things Orion actually enjoyed. Something about the feeling of pushing his body to it's very limit and beyond that, seeing what he was capable of and expanding on it made him feel good. And it helped take his mind off of things he didn't want to think about. It had been the same way on the farm too, where he was at his happiest working on the fields in the scorching summer heat.

Admittedly, without the Mighty Hawks to hold his attention and keep him busy, Jake felt more than a little lost. For the night, the Hawks had been taken care of, freeing Jake up so he could have some fun at the community wide shindig for Sol and Ginny's trip out of Redwood. But now he was here at the party, without his kiddos, he wasn't quite sure what to do with himself.

This party was nothing like the parties he used to attend back before the virus. In one way, he missed those old parties since he understood how those parties worked and what the social protocol was for them. And if he did anything that might damage his image, his publicist could take care of that for him. He didn't have a publicist anymore and honestly, he had no idea what might happen to him if he upset everyone. It probably would impact the Mighty Hawks negatively and he couldn't let that happen.

How many months had it been since he had arrived in Redwood? Keeping track of time wasn't ever Clint's strong suit even before the world ended but the ever increasing temperature told him that it must have been somewhere around mid summer. Part of him wanted to continue with just keeping to himself, keep his head down, do what he needed to and keep his distance. But the other part knew he needed to start making connections, get to know others before he was actually labeled a hermit, without any sort of connection his place here was shaky at best and he had seen how quickly the tables turned with one accusation or another targeted at the loner. Not to mention there was another part of him that missed interacting with people, it had almost been a year since it was just him and Luna, and to be completely honest she didn't always hold the best conversation. He was visible enough with his position as outside security, doing his rounds near the outer walls, making sure everything was secure, he could tell people were still wary of him, as much as he shared the sentiment it was going to be expected that he make the first move.

Meandering to the sink, he splashed his face with water and did his best to slick his hair out of his face before he started out the door, beckoning the dog with a "C'mon" and a jerk of his head towards the door.

The two made their way down the long path that wound through the trees and opened up to a clearing that opened up and lead to the center of the little town that was established. As he walked, kicking up dirt with his boots, he thought of where he should go, maybe he should become familiar with the area first, see what was around. When he was first accepted in, his main priority was getting the old cabin repaired to a state where it could actually be lived, everything else came second and exploring the area was something he definitely let fall by the wayside.

He thought the community center would be too crowded, too many people meant he had no hope on focusing on one over the other, the junkyard was also where people worked, he was sure he would get plenty of side-eyes just wandering in there. Coming into the community square the garden caught his attention. There were a couple people scattered around, tending to the garden beds, he was actually quite impressed with how well it seemed to be doing and found himself walking towards it. Coming across a plot he knelt down and noticed some tiny white strawberries laying in the dirt, nearby were some herbs including rosemary. He brushed his hands against the flexible branches and smelled his hand to catch the familiar aroma.

It had started as a general exhaustion, which Lucien had attributed to doing a little more heavy lifting than usual in the library, rearranging some shelves to make space for new arrivals. Then there was a cough, a runny nose- a stupid cold, that's what he told himself, nothing some rest and three cups of tea a day couldn't fix.

He couldn't say exactly when it got out of control, but soon enough he was almost bedridden, the fits of cough shaking his whole body, his fever spiking and falling and leaving him sweaty and out of breath. Pneumonia, the people at the clinic had said, and despite his slipping in an out of a deep slumber, he was aware enough to notice the worried looks on their faces.

It took endless hours of sleep and a mix of antibiotics and whatever alternative remedy Mayra brought to him and just when he was getting hopeless, his symptoms started getting easier to manage. It was almost a month later when he managed to get out of the house again, walking having turned even harder than usual, having to stop right outside the community center to cough- it was softer, less painful, but he had a feeling it would take a while for him to get rid of it.

Even though he usually enjoyed his solitude, he was elated to see people again, to be reminded that life went on outside the bed he had spent so many hours in.

"Can I sit here?" he asked, limping over to the first available table, the need to take a break strong even after such a short walk.

"How are you feeling?" She offered an empathetic smile, feeling the mix of emotions in the air, curious to parse them out. Any community event was bound to get her out of the house, hoping to strike up a conversation with the first person she could see. Even now, the novelty had not worn off, as she found herself eager to engage with the first person who she'd made eye contact with. "I just couldn't resist a game of cards."