Planning over Crackers and Water Who: Tayne and Andre Where: The kitchen When: Midday
Tayne was going to try to eat. For the first time since the morning before, he was going to try and put something in his stomach besides water. He wasn't sure if it was going to work, but dammit, he was going to try. After all, how could one get healthy if one had nothing to work with?
So he was poking around in the cupboards-- after washing his hands very thoroughly, just in case-- and looking for something simple. Saltine crackers. If he couldn't get that, he'd cut himself a slice or two of the bread he'd made a couple days ago. He just hoped someone used all that meat he and Joyce had brought in, before it went bad. It'd be a shame not to.
It was amazing the difference a little repair work made. With his leg back in peak condition, Andre actually felt like he was moving his normal speed for the first time in days. Lose a little weight, fat man and you'll be runnin' marathons, he thought as he entered the kitchen. If he was heading out, he'd need a little more fuel than cereal in his belly. He wondered if there was any meat left. He was in dire need of something resembling a hamburger.
Humming as he entered, he saw Tayne digging around in the cupboards. "Hey, tiger!" he said with a smile. "Find anything good yet? I think that one's pretty much empty, but that one had a few things left in it." He pointed to one a few feet away from where Tayne was currently standing.
Tayne heard the footsteps coming-- they sounded a little odd, but at the same time familiar: one of the legs wasn't a real leg. So he leaned back out of the cupboard, unsurprised, at the voice that came with them. "Tiger. Nice. Fitting, even, I like it." He offered Andre a wan sort of smile. "Don't suppose you know where some saltine crackers are, in here, do you? Or would a hotel restaurant not really have that kind of thing, you think?" He just needed something mild. Too bad there was no such thing as yogurt anymore, not without refrigeration....
"Yeah, at least there were some a couple days ago. Helped the one-armed girl open up a box." Andre was always horrible with names. He was very thankful his church had a name tag system, or he would've looked really bad to his congregation. Thinking a moment, he headed to the cabinet he thought he remembered them being in. He hoped people were courteous enough to put things back where they belonged. Opening the door, he smiled. "Yep, here they are," he said, taking the box and handing it towards Tayne. "You feelin' all right, kid?"
"Actually feeling kinda shitty," Tayne admitted apologetically, taking the crackers and taking care not to touch the guy in the process. "I wouldn't stand too close to me, if I were you. Got no idea whether I'm still cont-- cont-- still spreading it, but it don't hurt to be careful. Thanks, though." He held up the crackers, then fished one out, eying it with mild distaste.
Andre stepped back just a little. He had no desire to get sick himself, not now, that was for sure. "Well, uh, thanks for the warning, man." he said with a chuckle. He really hoped that it wasn't a second round of what had messed the world up before. The last thing he wanted to do was to put a bullet between a good kid's eyes.
"I'm just grabbin' me some lunch myself, before I head out on a supply run," he said, finding the bread for his "hamburger." "I was thinkin' about offering some gun training, if I could pick up some spare weapons and ammo. Maybe some paintball weapons, too, so we don't waste live ammo." He thought a moment. "Where would the meat be anyways? If there's any left?"
Looking a little more miserable at the knowledge that he was missing out on a trip out to get shit, Tayne said, "There's fresh stuff in the fridge. Dunno if it's been butchered yet, but Joyce killed it yesterday. We got back a couple air rifles, too, so no live ammo there. Think Joyce has one... Jas had the other." He didn't think they'd dropped either one on the two trips back.
"That sounds good, I'll check with them, see if I can borrow 'em. Every little bit helps." Andre headed to the fridge to see what was there. Sure enough, it was there, but hadn't been butchered yet, and Andre didn't have the faintest clue how to do that. "Rats," he said, closing the fridge back as quick as he could. "Too bad we ain't got a butcher that survived. Make life a lot easier." He shrugged his shoulders. "Guess I could stand to lose a little weight." He chuckled. "Gimme some of them crackers. Trade ya for a glass of water." He pulled out a couple of glasses and filled them with water. "So, what you got, just a cold or somethin? Been out huntin' in the rain?"
"I know how, but I don't wanna get the meat infected with whatever I've got," Tayne grunted unhappily. "Suppose I could scour my hands up to the elbow and wrap a handkerchief up, and take care of it...." And try really hard not to throw up as he worked. Ugh. "And then make sure people cook it really damn well before they eat it."
He sighed, finally took a tentative bite of the cracker, and chewed it down when his stomach didn't immediately rebel. "More like a stomach flu, I think. And no, no rain. Not much, anyhow." Fucking rain. He was never going out in that again. "Figure I just got it from being out, period. Just me and Dhav have it, that I know of, and Dhav prolly got it from me."
"Tell ya what, when I get back, if no one's done it yet, you can talk me through it, how's that sound?" Andre figured it wouldn't hurt to learn how to do something like that. "We could always use some skill redundancy around here, just in case, right?" He took a sip of his water and leaned back against the counter, making a mental list of things to get. He was glad his leg was back in decent working order, although the kid had told him it probably needed more extensive maintenance at some point. Maybe his prothetist's office was still standing... "Which one's Dave, anyways?" He thought he remembered hearing the name at some point, but wasn't sure. There were so many people he still hadn't met.
"He's, uh, the guy in the wheelchair. He's down here on the main level, only in what's basically a big storage closet, poor guy." Tayne shook his head a little, and ate another cracker. Slowly and carefully. "Since there's no actual rooms down here. He seems to be doin' okay, though. Aside from the stomach flu thing. Ugh. Lucky, though, he doesn't really eat anymore? That's his gift, or whatever these things are, that he doesn't eat. So he didn't have anything to throw up. Bastard."
"Oh yeah," Andre said, remembering his conversation with Charity about him the other day. He made a mental note that he should go see the man at some point. If nothing else, they might have to compare notes. "Well, I'll see if I can pick up any extra stomach medicine while I'm out, too. Anything else you can think of?"
"Plants," Tayne answered immediately. "Live plants, mostly ones with fruit-- tomato or somethin' would be best, but small lemon trees or the like. We need fresh fruit, but even a flowering plant would make th'place less dreary. Was gonna go out and get some, myself, but...." He sighed. "Got sick. It's what I'm doin' soon's I'm better and can get a truck movin', anyhow." He bit into another cracker, then added, "Even if you can find seeds, or even just mark down where some stores are on a map... that'd help."
"Plants," Andre said, making a mental note. This was turning into a bigger trip than he'd planned. Still, with his repaired leg and his strength, he figured he'd be able to handle quite a bit. "I'll do what I can." He chuckled. "Man, a fresh apple sure would taste good right about now." He turned back to Tayne. "By the way, never got the chance to thank you for givin' me a hand the other day. Both with that monster and gettin' me in here. Even bein' invisible, I have a feelin' my number would've been up sooner or later out there. 'Specially once my leg went."
"Hey, it's no problem," Tayne told him with a smile, figuring it was what anyone would have done, rather than something special. "It was the least I could do, right? For a fellow survivor who wasn't out to take from other folk. And now you've got a whole group to stick with, instead'a bein' on your own. Much better, doncha think?" Besides, he found really kinda liked the guy. He seemed optimistic and capable all rolled into one, which was a good combination these days.
"Definitely," Andre said with a smile. "Still, I know there's some folk out there who'd much rather shoot a brother than share. So at least I found the right ones." He finished off the glass of water. "Never appreciated water so much as I do now." He suddenly remembered another thing he'd been meaning to ask. "Hey, I signed up on that note askin about patrols and hunting... that Terry guy, he's kind of in charge, huh? Y'all choose him or did he just kinda take charge?" Not that he minded if someone just "took charge". Sometimes it was needed, but he'd feel a little better if everyone was behind him.
"He got voted in about--" Tayne paused to try and count the days, but his mind was too fuzzy. "A little while ago. Joyce and Landon are kind of his second-in-commands. I got security. If, you know, I weren't such a slacker...." Between the sick, and Dhaval, and dealing with the meat and the girls, and the lack of any clues whatsoever where that damn gang with the monsters had gone, he just hadn't gotten much done. And he felt awful for it. "I did see you'd signed-- I got your name down on mine now, too. Tryin' to figure out best way to get it all in order to actually work... don't work to well when your head's fuzzy, y'know?"
"Yeah, I read ya," Andre said, taking a good look at Tayne. He didn't look too bad, but it was obvious he was really under the weather. "Well, listen, if you need some help, like a deputy or whatever, I'll gladly give ya hand. Shepherd's gotta watch over his flock, you know." He liked this kid, and had a feeling he was the type who would take on way too much responsibility without asking for help until he was swamped. "I mean, if I'm not oversteppin' any bounds or anything."
Tayne shot him a little grin. "Everybody needs help, man. So yeah, I app-- app-- I'm glad for th'offer-- 'specially somebody else who knows military, and knows tactics and such." He contemplated another cracker, then decided against it. "So if you really wanna help security-wise, while you're out, be on the lookout for signs of a larger g-group, like us. Centered somewhere near the old grocery store, and allied with a bunch of monsters, somehow. Since I can't be out right now, finding c-clues, myself."
"Sure thing," Andre said. While they were relatively safe inside the hotel, all it would take was one concentrated attack by the monsters or another group to breach that security. Best to know the area as well as possible to be able to defend it and, if necessary, make a quick retreat. Although with some of the people they had around here, a quick retreat was asking quite a lot. "I better make a list and take some paper to take some notes while I'm out." And bring plenty of guns, he thought. "Too bad they can still smell me when I'm invisible, or it'd be perfect. That one nearly cost me a couple times."
"It's still better than nothing," Tayne said, then paused to think of how to explain what he wanted, and advised, "Just try and stay downwind much's possible-- if you see or hear one, make sure the wind is blowing from it to you. That'll keep it from smelling you. And if the wind ain't blowing at all, or there's a really strong smell around, they won't likely notice yours at all." He was going from his own experience with his intensified sense of smell, there, and assuming it would translate to the monsters.
"I'll keep that in mind," Andre said, making another mental note. A lot of what Tayne had said he'd been taught in the military, but it never hurt to repeat a lesson now and again. Especially with so much on the line. "Say, where are all the extra bags at anyways? Like laundry bags or whatever? As much as I'm gonna be pickin' up, I'm gonna need a hand carryin' it all."
"Uh. I've mostly been usin' a backpack I scrounged up and my motorcycle saddlebags...." Tayne squinted a bit, trying to think where he'd heard there were more bags. "There's a storage room, with a bunch of extra clothes an' stuff... might be some in there." He pushed up from the counter he'd been leaning against. "Here. I'll show you where. Easier than trying to remember where it is well enough to tell you how t'get there." He took the saltines with him, though. He might not want more now, but he might be able to stomach a few more later....
Andre nodded. He vaguely remembered the bags Tayne had had when they'd met up. He'd heard someone mention the extra clothing room, but he really didn't expect to find much in his size, so he hadn't bothered, preferring to save them for people who were really in need. If worse came to worse, he could always go back home and get some more. "You don't gotta do that," he said, waving Tayne off. "I'm sure I can find it myself. You should probably get your butt to bed if you're sick. Besides, it can't be that hard to find. Hotel ain't that big."
"I been in bed all morning," Tayne chuckled a bit. "Sick or not, I can't sleep anymore.... Might find somewhere to sit down a bit, though." Somewhere with some sun. Sun sounded nice. "But if you can find it on your own, go for it. Figured I should prob'ly head that way, myself, so I don't spend more time cont-- cont-- spreading my germs 'round the place where people eat, and shit." Though he had washed his hands really well. "It's on the bottom floor. Same hall as th'gym."
Andre smiled. Tayne was a good kid, language aside, and he needed to be in top form if he was in charge of security. "You go do that. Like I said, I should be fine, and if I don't find it, well, I'm a big boy. I can improvise." He chuckled a bit. He went to pat Tayne on the shoulder, then decided better of it, just in case. "I'll see if I can find some Pepto or Alka-seltzer or somethin' for you and your buddy. Whatever I do, I'll let ya know if I find anything new, okay?"
"You're awesome, man. Thanks." Tayne himself settled for a wan grin and a quick thumbs up. "I'll track you down tomorrow. Or you can track me down. Room one-oh-one. We can talk info and maybe stomach drugs." Because he didn't know if those'd help someone who had some strain of the flu, but he'd try anything if this wasn't gone soon. "Good luck on your trip out. Wish I was with ya."
"No problem. I kinda wish you were too. Never hurts to have someone you can trust watchin' your back. Then again, hopefully, won't be nobody seein' my back while I'm out there," Andre added with a slight chuckle. "One oh One. Got it. I'll check in with ya." Probably tomorrow, 'less I find some good meds. he thought. He hoped Tayne would be resting quietly and not be disturbed. "Just take care of yourself." He nodded and headed down the hall towards where he thought the gym and, by extension, the storage room were.