New Family Addition

[Ekurian]

Magpie

---

_{((Continued from here.))}

Puffing upon his cigarette like a steam engine, Magpie pocketed the rest and walked alongside Harrison, listening to his quick string of questions and comments. Not being one to poke his nose where it didn't belong, he didn't ask about this 'Brian' he just managed to catch at the end.

"You're right there- and I'm pretty sure there're a few gaps around too. All sorts can get in, could already be in," he agreed.

A child with a ball dashed across the street. Magpie and Harrison drew a few eyes, but they didn't stare for every long. They were simply the looks of the wary inhabitants, who were still used to keeping an eye out for anyone strange or dangerous. One or two waved to Magpie, who waved back and smiled. The onlookers had obviously judged that whoever this new person was, they were in Magpie's company, and therefore not bound to try and kill them.

"It isn't just shufflers and other zees we have to worry about though," Magpie continued, taking a few rapid drags on his quickly shrinking cigarette, "I don't suppose you passed by an old church on your way here? No, actually if you did, you'd be in Saul's company by now."

He dropped what was left of his cigarette on the floor and crushed it under the toe of his boot, pulled out the packet, and went to light another one.
"Saul's a right nasty piece of work. The leader of some nearby Outsider gang, and the main reason why we don't have many people to fix the place up. We used to have a few, but they all got slaughtered on a little group trip to try and get some more stuff to reinforce the gate with. All's we've got left now is Yoshimi, and she's not exactly careful."

As they walked, the road joined up with a few more. Ahead, they seemed to encircle a large piece of metal jutting out of the ground. Magpie gestured with a nod, "We're coming up on the middle of Haven. I can give you directions from there, or I can show you around and get you to meet our eclectic inhabitants. Your choice."

[Azerate]

Harrison

---

Harrison smoked a little bit more furiously as Saul's name was mentioned. "Yeah, I know about his freak show church and those psychopaths he commands. I've been living off the land outside long enough to know to avoid anyone who looks like they came from Mad Max."

Harrison couldn't believe his eyes as a child ran by, he had to blink twice; Children died daily out in the wastes to the point where people had given up repopulating. Toddlers wandered out of the hut and were snagged by shufflers, disintegrated by spitters and terrorized by stalkers. Babies died in the heat and frankly, the conditions out in the wastes were toxic and dangerous to healthy men, let alone pregnant women. Even Harrison didn't see the point in courting a lady when he knew getting her pregnant would eventually kill her and the child.

"I don't fear Saul. And neither should you, for that matter. I will kill him, his animals, his women and his men. I will steal his wares and his food, and then I will burn his church. At first my pace will be slow, but all will gradually pay for the misery they cause. I will make this a nice neighborhood to live in, come high water or the horde."

His blood was probably boiling from the way he felt about the outsider gangs. Sure, some were peaceful, but poorly protected and died because of it. Yet others were serial killers and small armies, bent on world destruction. Harrison and Brian lost many neighbors to Saul and men like Saul, they suffered ransacking and night attacks because of them. He smoked a bit more and coughed a hacking cough, which jolted him from his brief moment of hatred.

Resolution ringed clear as his to-do list ripened: Regain strength, start making soaps and explosives, rebuild the front gate and bring cold vengeance down on the outsider gang, for the deaths of the strong, crafty men of Haven. T'was a tall order, but Harrison was ambitious for the challenge.

"Actually, I want you to show me your leader, if you have one. I guess I'm the new sheriff in town and I'd like to prove my worth. Honestly I'm not very interested in meeting everyone until I know I can sleep at night."

He held up his sword, puffing on his half-gone cigarette. "You know, when I was an American citizen, I didn't know how to do things for myself. I fought with shower curtain rods and two by fours when I was first stranded here. Totally useless, I nearly starved to death my first year. I was dirtier than a pig and the un-dead horde fucked with my every move. But you know, we survived and rebuilt. I don't think I got smarter but I definitely got much more clever in the way that I live, and it is easier to do."

He turned his head and spit his cigarette a few feet away, lowering his sword to inspect the notches. "This is only the fifth weapon I've made, I use it only because I like the momentum in the swing and the weight. Imagine what we could accomplish with more iron and metals and fire."

[Ekurian]

Magpie

---

"I never met the guy myself, but I've heard and seen enough from people who have," he took a long drag on his second cigarette, "Like a mad dog, he is. If we had enough people and weapons, we'd clear him off, but so far I think it's a good idea to stay well away from him."

Flicking ash from his cigarette, Magpie coughed for a few moments and listened to the rest of what Harrison had to say. Well he's determined, he thought, I'll give him that.
"You're the first person I've come across that actually sounds like they have an idea of what to do. And hell, do we need someone like you. See, we don't have a leader. Ever since Parker- the guy who made the place- died, no one's really stepped up to the bat."

He sighed and stared at what was left of his cigarette. This one hadn't lasted as long as the last. He flicked it away, his free hand subconsciously fiddling with the multitude of necklaces he wore.
"I mentioned Yoshi before; she's the handy woman. And there's Lesley, who does dash and grab missions out in the wastes for anything Haven might need. They're really the ones you need to see."
He now had the wing of a butterfly pendant between his teeth, the chain wrapped around his fingers. "As for me, I just go out and pick up anything that looks interesting or useful. I'm a sort of wandering trader. I don't live here really, I'm just a bringer of resources. I dragged half of the people who live here now all the way from the Midlands a few years back because they were dying out there and weren't doing anything about it."

He glanced around at the thrown together houses, the people trying to eke out some sort of life and coughed. "They don't know shit about what to do without someone telling them. Parker died, and they've started to give up."
Magpie let the butterfly drop form his mouth and looked at Harrison, "If you think you can make this place better, I say go for it. You'll want to meet Yoshi and Lesley- they're out in the wastes right now, but they'll be back."

[Azerate]

Harrison

---

Harrison nodded, committing the names to memory-- He supposed he should expect Yoshi to be an asian girl and for Lesley to be a blonde, both whom shouldn't be too hard to pick out in a crowd. After all, women were scarce in this new world. If he was to wait for the brave one and the crafty one to get home before he organized his crack team, so be it.

In the meantime, he would begin his collection of tools and supplies. If everyone gave up then they must have started at some point and the relics of the rebuilding period must be locked away somewhere.

"I'm sorry to hear about Parker." He was, really. A flock without a leader was just sad. He assumed a little ways up the path was the memorial, and if he dared to speak to someone about it he might get some understanding. Although he didn't want to officially volunteer his leadership skills quite yet, he could at least inspire the locals out of their entropy. His thoughts on Parker's death, however, were confused. It wasn't his business, but he needed to know if he be zombie or a dead man.

"One last thing before you leave, Magpie, since you seem to be such an adept finder. There is something I left out in the wasteland, a long time ago. There was once a prison I visited with my comrade Brian, and we left a piece of our past locked in a cell. A video camera and a bag, I think it's black. It could be worthless now, but it's something to look for if you ever find yourself out past Saul's disgusting church." He reached to his back and fiddled with a utility pouch for a moment until he procured a slightly tarnished key, and offered it to Magpie. "I have a funny feeling you go past the church to trade."

[Ekurian]

Magpie

---

Magpie hesitated for a moment, then took the key form Harrison's hand. "I'll keep an eye out for it,"
he said, slipping the key into a pocket on his jacket. "And yeah, I do go that way, quite often in fact. There's another settlement, called CaPa. They're living in an old car park, and compared to this place, it's a shit hole."

He coughed into his hand and gestured with the other, "Ahead's the Parker memorial, and you can get anywhere in Haven from there. If you keep going forward you'll get to the Common house, if you need a place to sleep, eat and stuff. You'll also be able to have a shower- or nearest to- there. As for me, I'm off to the river side."

Hitching his backpack up, as it had slipped of his shoulder a little, he turned a little, "If you're wondering about Parker's death, don't worry about him being a zombie. Saul killed him."
Magpie sighed, then smiled at Harrison, "If I see Lesley and Yoshi before you do, I'll send 'em your way. I'll see you later. Probably. And welcome to Haven, Harrison."

He performed a little salute with two fingers, before heading off towards the edge of the River Thames.

((as for what you can do now, it's up to you. I'll try and get Yoshi and Lesley back to Haven soon-ish~))

[Azerate]

Harrison

---

"And I'll be here." Harrison saluted back to Magpie, grateful for his help but at a loss for words. Once his friend was out of sight, he trudged off to the common house. A shower, maybe a bed, maybe some bread. That is, if they had discovered bread yet. He doubted there were any fields to be had, but perhaps there were a couple animals he could employ to do his work.

He trudged off to the common house, boots kicking up dust that had been kicked a dozen times before. So Saul was the scourge that was eating Haven alive. Saul was the cause of every miserable event. Saul was the reason why these people had given up. How depressing, where one man is crazy and dangerous enough to make zombies look harmless and cute in comparison. As a wastelander it was easy to find twenty foxholes to hide from the gangs, but now he was with a group, a large one with children. Outside the door he plunged his sword point down and rested his shield by it before he entered the dorms, ready for his shower and to drop immediately afterwards, in a long nap.

(( I suppose you can lock this, I was gonna have Harrison rest for a day/wait for the others before he started any projects. ))

[Ekurian]

((Righto c:))