PASSEROTTA CARUSA.

❛ girl WALKS, girl DROWNS, girl ( B R E A K S ), girl BURNS... but girl ( does not ) die. ❜ —ls! rory damiani. nineteen. patrol for the capitol. ...GIRL SURVIVES!

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NOAH:

     Noah was never built for the harsh words of others used to cut people down. In his past life, Noah was soft to the touch and you could DROWN in him. He was a man of respect and always treated people the way that he wanted to be treated. ( AND NOW? ) Things were different. He was still kind, still caring. But he no longer allowed others to walk all over him. Noah was stronger, better. He was now made of aluminum — hard & cold to the touch yet still malleable. Noah LONGED for the day where the cracks in his skin would heal and he would be even stronger. At the sight of Rory Dami-Whatever-The-Fuck-Her-Last-Name-Was, Noah couldn’t help but have these thoughts. With her, things were difficult. He missed the days when they had a snail farm, longed for that simplicity to come back. At her words, Noah let out a sigh, shaking his head in disgust. “Still glad to see that you’re acting like an immature five-year-old who just got put in a timeout. Surprised the real world hasn’t killed you yet.”

Did she always have the ability to be mean others? Sure, but Rory grew up soft. Even if it was her own actions that landed her ass in places girls her age shouldn’t be, she retained that same kindness... Though now, the years have passed and it became difficult to recall these memories. THANK GOD. Any more of it that pertained to Noah? She would be glad to have a raider force glass down her throat. Rory rolled her eyes at his retort. “An immature five-year-old who can pack a punch, I bet.” Maybe it was the weather — the winter soon began to make her into an even more intolerable and hideous person — but the more she opened her mouth to speak, the more unkind they became. “I’m too valuable of a person to die as of yet, ‘cause unlike you, I don’t lay around moping and whining and pouting about my shitty life. I’m not useless like some of us, I can assume.” How would she know that? She didn’t — it was just an idea that everybody left in this world was having a hard time, especially with the lack of what they needed to survive. “Though I could do us all a huge favour and put a bullet through your head right now. How about that idea? Isn’t it brilliant?” 

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VALEN:

RORY, RORY, RORY. A damn legend around the camp. All in high-spirits, of course. Rory was in and out, one never really caught much of her when she was around. Everyone knew her name, though; it was as though she was the celebrity of their little group. A spooky story to tell around the campfire. A myth. Every time Valen heard someone utter her name, he couldn’t help how his lips curved up into a smile of sorts. It was entertaining, it really was. The stories were incredible yet so stupid, Valen himself joining in on them from time to time. She was a firecracker, this one. But nonetheless, good company. He’d known her for eighteen years, now, and was initially pleased that she’d decided to join up with him, Ryann, Bailey and Reid when the idea of forming up a little group of sorts had floated through their little circle.

Things were good, today. What made it better was Rory slipping in; he’d been meaning to make mention of all of the conception about her, as he was sure she had no idea any of it was going on. It would be a laugh, wouldn’t it? He thought so. Either she would think they were stupid and pointless, or she would actually enjoy them. Hopefully, at least, it was the latter. There just so happened to be a small group splayed out among the couches, discussing her — probably some stupid story, he wasn’t paying them much mind — as he caught sight of her. “Rory,” he voiced, heading over in her direction. 

@rorydamiani

Did the woman have any idea of how many people consider her to be some kind of legend? Truthfully... no. A girl who grew up with barely a teaspoon’s worth of self-assurance could only hide behind a mask fashioned to make herself into some kind of god, an immortal whose weakness was for people to forget who she was or what she’s done. Rory was the last person to be looked up at as that sort of thing — but it came down to the cold and harsh truth, she’d embrace it. It was about time that her efforts to surviving, albeit disastrous and vicious they may seem, were acknowledged... even if she didn’t deserve it. 

Rory walked along their campsite, her loyal companion taking her time as she snuggled up to nearly every breathing thing she came across. It was frustrating but everyone here was good — if a threat had made their way in, they wouldn’t last that long. The mention of her name caught her off guard but she followed where it came from, brown eyes softening in their wake as she smiled. “Valen.” She walked up to him, “I’ve been meaning to see you. How are things?” It had nothing to do with Ryann — though... she hoped that that topic had been covered. “I hope you didn’t mind that Nymeria and I checked the perimeter. Nothing weird so that’s good.” 

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DELILAH:

It was true, Delilah didn’t see Rory even near as much as she wanted to, or used to considering they had once been in the same camp. Part of her missed that but another part couldn’t ask for anything better than the home she had now. “I’ll have to see if Dom can watch Tallulah, but we can plan something.” She smiled at her friend. “I miss you too!” The blonde laughed before playfully scolding the girl for getting his name wrong. “Dominic. He can just be… a little protective is all.”

Rory nearly rolled her eyes — though it was all in the name of friendship and love for Delilah, she swore that on Nymeria’s life. It was only through an amused smirk that she could say, “Right... I forgot that was your kid’s name — since I’ve been calling her Tally since you told me about the name. Not your fault though but it’s pretty.” She leaned back against the doorframe, casual as she craned her neck to see if her husband? boyfriend? was around. God, she was a terrible friend for not knowing this. “Sorry, was it Donatello?” Rory laughed. “Oh, no... I totally get that. I would be even more upset if he wasn’t trying to protect you at all. How are you, though?” 

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RYANN:

Of course she had to tell him. Of course. That was even something stupid and petty to entertain. He was the light of her life and they’d been at each other’s sides since they were kids, they all were. They’d seen each other rise and fall and now Ryann was feeling lost and she reached out to the best person she could think of, who as she squeeze tight, a few tears falling from her eyes, death was mentioned. 

Surely, yes, definitely it was one of the thoughts running through her already chaotic mind. Death was always looming and it was always something they’d tried to avoid. She pulled back from the hug first, but still held Rory by the forearms close to her. “Please don’t let me die,” she whispered, taking a short eye break to look at the window where a scout patrolled by, unaware of what was happening behind the pure wood walls. “I just… Valen, Bailey, you.. the camp, the baby…” she pulled back briefly, letting her head rest back on the wall with a thunk. “Fuck… the baby..” 

DEATH — how stupid did she have to be that she’d let the word fall from her lips? Rory was the last person to reach out to when it came to things like this; she wasn’t someone you asked for advice in nurturing a child and certainly, the topic of LIVING was as foreign to her as the imperial system. A young girl whose memories were made up of waged wars between men? Of course, death would be the only thing she was confident in. 

She closed her eyes, frustrated in herself. Where was Bailey when you needed her? Perhaps the other woman would have a better chance at this than she was. “I’m not going to let you die. No one’s going to let you die. You’re — fuck, Ry — you’re too important of a person to leave us out here like that.” Though it was a possibility, wasn’t it? Things could go south, it could go awry and Rory would blame herself for all of it. “We need you here, with or without a baby.” SHIT. “We can handle another mouth to feed — we’ve been doing it since you made this group at the camp. We’ll survive this... and it’ll be ALL of us, alive.” 

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NAOMI:

To say that Gwen loved Rory as if she were her own wasn’t exactly true. Before Finn and Naomi, Rory was the very first PERSON that Gwen had felt maternal over ( and she knew Callum had always felt beholden to her as well ). Before meeting the eager girl, she never would’ve imagined herself capable of being the kind of mother she HOPED she’d become. Maybe that was how both she and Callum felt after having shared their shared experiences with painful mothers. If nothing else, Rory was the entire reason that the couple had been able to have and raise children at all as far as Gwen was concerned. Rory held a special place in her heart–both daughter AND sister. 

Gwen nodded at Rory’s request. “Yeah, I think that’s even better than if she went with me or her brother, don’t you?” Naomi rolled her eyes, but there was a HINT of a smile that suggested she wasn’t entirely disappointed. Afterall, Cool Aunt Rory could usually win out over Boring Mom. “You got away with WAY MORE SHIT than I do.” She glared pointedly at her mother as she spoke to Rory before nodding. Gwen smirked and let out a long sigh before thanking Rory and kissing Naomi on the forehead goodbye. “Tell me about it on our walk.”

It seemed like eons ago since Rory even had the ambition to think that she would have a family in the midst of everything that was going on. A long time has passed and still, she found herself somewhat astonished at the children that grew up and learned how to defend themselves before anything else. Rory waved Gwen a goodbye, the first humble smile to grace her features as a sign that there would be no harm done to her daughter. If danger ever crossed them, Rory would rather be the one who perished. She nudged Naomi gently as she moved to walk, Nymeria in tow as always. 

“Sure, I may have done that but it wasn’t like your mom didn’t find out about it sooner or later. I mean, she was the one of the only people I knew before who could stitch me up and consider me as one of her own. Your mom’s a good person, super hardcore.” Rory grinned. “When there used to be camps and we had working guns, I’d either stand outside on long hours or walk around and I’d use the walkers as target practice. You guys are lucky that you don’t have to deal with those shits anymore, they were tough.”

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( @noahashbury ) 

Fighting was engrained in her blood and she couldn’t deny it. Be with her fists or her words, there was nearly nothing that could stop Rory from stepping forward and doing what she deemed to be the best idea out of the many that lurked at the back of her mind. One such idea came up once her eyes settled on a familiar man. What it was? ‘ Perhaps things would go much better if you apologized to him for the shit that you’ve done ’ — pretty stupid if you asked her. The smile on her face was pulled taut on her face ; vindictive but people around have gotten used to seeing it. “Well, well, well. What do we have here?” Rory taunted and at her feet was her beloved husky, a low growl as she bared her teeth slightly. “Are you looking for more ways to get smacked in the face, Ashbury? Your own ladies won’t do it for you?” 

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MARISSA:

     Jo glared at Rory, nodding her head slowly, “Impressionnant…”

     “Okay, enough on the French and Italian, I have absolutely no idea what you guys are saying. At least with Blair he translates!” Marissa shook her head, “Blair better not mind or he’s sleeping on the couch! Like I’ve said a billion times before, Rory: you’re always welcome here. If anything, I’d give you the guest room so you could stay with us!”

     “God, please don’t do that, mom!” Jo pleaded. “She’ll prank me everyday! Do you want that for me?!”

     Marissa rolled her eyes laughing, “You and Rory would get along great if you two didn’t act so sarcastic towards each other. You happen to have a lot in common!” Jo arched an eyebrow at her mother, surprised she’d even say that. How in the world would she ever be friends with Rory?!

     Jo rolled her eyes, “Would you want me to bow down to you and beg for you to let me play with you dog? Is that what will change your mind?”

Rory laughed, a genuinely happy kind of laugh that she thought she had lost a long time ago. Regardless of whether or not Joanna annoyed her, there was something about this kid that Rory loved. She wouldn’t admit it but their friendship was a reminder that she didn’t need to be pretend all the time, that she wasn’t a liar but someone who loved to be in the company of other people. She smiled at Marissa, “Thank you. You’ve always been super nice to me — and I’m grateful for it.” 

“Oh my god, Jo. I’m staying for one night.” She shook her head in disbelief — did this kid really hate her guts so much? It was amusing nonetheless. “But you’re giving me a ton of inspiration right now, though. I think I might be able to stay here for a whole week —” Rory wiggled her eyebrows playfully, containing her smile. “Imagine all the fun we could do! As for the dog thing? ...Maybe.” 

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RYANN:

The years had taught Ryann to be hard. Death and life were both two things very far between, but held together by a tiny string that could snap at any moment. She was taught to expect the unexpected and not to take anything for granted, so the voice of her life long friend saying she’d help, that she’d be there, that giving up on this wasn’t the right decision… 

Her legs crossed and she leaned forward, propping her elbows on her knees and raking her fingers along her scalp, only after burring her face in her hands for a moment. She sighed, looking at her older friend with tears framing her eyes and clinging to her lashes. “When do you think I should tell Valen?” she whispered, still avoiding eye contact, “what am I going to tell him?” she said immediately after, anxiety visibly tightened in her chest. “There’s so much to do ‘round ‘ere, I can’t just sit ‘round and do nothin’.. she said growing frantic, “do I tell Valen at all?”

She had never seen Ryann this worried before. There were times in which the stress got too much, overwhelming the both of them — but not even that one time in which Rory told Valen that Ryann liked him would compare with this moment. The older woman felt terrible. It took her a minute until she saw the tears in her friend’s eyes before she walked up to her, wrapping her arms around Ryann as she held her close. “I know... I know this is all too much for you right now, I know that it’s... it’s hard but...” Would telling Valen only make it worse? What if he didn’t want the kid? What if he did? 

She sighed, “You have to tell him.” He was the father of the child, after all. Rory couldn’t even comprehend the idea of hiding that away from him. “He... he has the right to know and knowing Valen, he’d be more than happy to help you get through this. As he should.” Rory rubbed the other woman’s back gently, “It’s going to be okay... I... I can’t promise you anything but it’s going to be okay. Worse comes to worse, we bury... someone. But we have time... you have time.” 

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CALLUM:

–“Dad!! Dad, come here.” The urgency had Callum running towards his son’s voice, long legs reaching him in only a matter of seconds. There, sitting against the wall, was a survivor with an incredibly large open wound on their calf. Callum approached them carefully, with Finn only a few feet behind him. Finn, much like him and his mother, was a careful teenager. He didn’t run blindly into a situation, unlike his twin sister who’s face would be right beside the definition of ‘impulsive’. “What happened?” Callum asked, Finn now bending to his knees to further inspect the wound. “I can fix it. I know you can do it too but I’m better than you.” Callum got a good chuckle out of that, glancing quickly at Finn with an amused expression on his face before turning to the survivor.

“He’s right. We can get you patched up.” Finn moved closer then, letting his backpack fall to the floor as he opened it, now grabbing out a few of the supplies. “Can I?”

How could she have been so careless? The simple answer: she was careless all her life and it just so happened that luck had always been on her side, until now. The wound wasn’t all THAT bad ( though how could she be a judge of it? ) and she saw it as a learning experience — maybe next time, she wouldn’t provoke a rather cruel and violent brawny young man ever again ( but she had her reasons! ) . Though Rory never listened ; not even if it was herself giving out the damn warnings. As the familiar voice — two of them, to make it worse — came closer, Nymeria began to bark with aggression as if to keep them away, as Rory pressed on the wound with difficulty. It didn’t work, not when the Saxons came to clear view. “’Meria, sit.” 

The woman winced as slight laughter came, “Someone’s a little proud. That’s not exactly a good sign, isn’t it? Can I really trust you in patching me up?” Rory was stalling — not because she was humiliated, she was far from that. If anything, she had pride as well ; pride that was hard to swallow as she looked back down at the blood and begrudgingly nodded her head. “...Fine... But if I wince and scream, I’m letting your dad do it.” 

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DELILAH:

Visitors were not such a rare thing these days – her kind and accommodating nature had gained her quite a few friends and allies. Which was just great if you asked her; it meant she would never be lonely as often as she used to be. Delilah even had a beautiful man on her arm most of the time, and she couldn’t really ask for better. The blonde was already halfway to the door as soon as the knock had begun, momentarily leaving their five-year-old in their bed to answer. Her expression was neutral as she asked politely, “Hello! What can I do for you?”

When was the last time that Rory had seen her best friend? She had sneaked out of her camp with the Laurents’ but she never found the time to visit Delilah — it made her a shitty friend, even more so when she felt as though coming around so erratically like this was an inconvenience. It was but for the first time, she didn’t feel so bad. “A girl’s night out, maybe.” She smiled, “I missed you a lot and I feel like Dominique or whatever his name is isn’t letting you hang out with me more often and I'm a little offended.” 

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MARISSA:

     “I’m not disappointing! I’m awesome! I can speak French and I’m amazing when it comes to math,” Jo quickly explained, waving her hands around. “I bet you’re not good at math!”

     Marissa rolled her eyes at her daughter, she could easily see why most immediately knew she was Blair’s daughter. She was stubborn and sarcastic, and when flustered she’d come up with decent (mostly bad) comebacks. But, she loved her, and would constantly tease her.

     “Then you’re defiantly hungry! We were waiting for Blair to get back, but who knows when that’ll be. It’s okay though, he’ll understand,” Marissa grinned, grabbing a bowl and pouring some soup into it before handing it to Rory. “The silverware is in the cupboard to the left of you,” Marissa informed kindly. 

     “It’s Joanna. And I don’t know, you’d probably tell me I can’t. I’d imagine she’s better company than you seeing as she’s adorable and fluffy, but I guess I’ll never know.”

To smirk smugly was a tempting thing to do as she walked towards where the silverware were. Being fluent in French and being good in math? Rory didn’t think there would be similarities between the two. “Faux. Le mathématique est ma meilleur sujet dans l’école en fait — je suis un mathlete gagnant pour quatre année... quand nous avons les écoles.” It was to be said that Rory TRIED very hard to keep her mouth shut and to stop herself from giggling afterwards. “Oh, io parlo italiano pure.” 

The woman looked towards Marissa with a much kinder smile. She dipped her spoon into the bowl of soup as soon as she took it from the mother, whispering a thanks in her direction. Rory took a taste of the soup, nodding in approval. “I’m always going to stay impressed on how well you make soup in this day and age — hm, do you think Blair would mind if I stayed with you guys for the night? Only tonight, I promise. Nymeria doesn’t exactly have night vision glasses and I’d like to see the Saxons tomorrow too. If that’s okay with you, of course.”

“Oh, is it actually?” Was Rory purposely calling her the wrong name? Maybe but she winked at her beloved husky before grinning at Jo. “Ding, ding, ding! That’s the first time you got something right, Joanne! If only there was a way that that could change, huh?” 

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WES:

“Hey,” Wes’ smirk faded and he pet the dog one last time, “Come on, I was just kidding around,” He tried remaining serious but it proved difficult and, in a joking tone he added, “I mean you obviously didn’t need me there,” He stopped abruptly at her words I want you to stop. Harsh, piercing. Whatever, he tried to convince himself.  “Sure, go home. Doesn’t look like this one wants to leave without me though. At least someone’s grateful,” he retorted, he tried to sound just as harsh, but this didn’t work since his eyes were all over the woman’s dog. He hadn’t seen one as cute as this in ages. “Fine. I’ll stop. I won’t even help anyone anymore, can’t get as much as a thank you nowadays.”

If looks could kill then Rory wouldn’t stop herself from glaring at the other with a far-fetched wish in her mind that asked for his disappearance. She scoffed at what she thought to be an excuse — a flimsy one but she bit her tongue, though any efforts in doing so meant nothing when she snapped back at him. “See — that’s the kind of shit that makes me wish that you weren’t there. I’ve been in worse situations... uh...? What was your name again?” Oh, that was RUDE wasn’t it? “I’m saying that I’ve been in worse situations and I got out of it alive so.” 

It was frustrating to have that dog with her around sometimes ; people, especially those who haven’t seen one in such a long time were compelled to befriend her in order to play with Nymeria. In this case, all the man did was exist and it was all over him. “Stop giving her attention, will you? She’s not grateful —” Who was she to speak on behalf of the creature? “She’s just in need of... care — as if I haven’t been giving her that in years.” Rory rolled her eyes at him, sarcastic as she feigned distress. “Oh god, what would the world become if you didn’t help other people? I can’t even imagine it.” 

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MARISSA:

     “No, I do enjoy visitors, just not you,” Jo shot back. “And for your information, a lot of people come and visit. Most of the time it may be to talk to dad, but they come! I swear!”

     Marissa laughed, shaking her head, “Be nice you two, especially you Jo. Rory’s our guest, and you know how we’re supposed to act in front of guests?”

     Jo groaned, earning herself a glare from Marissa before she finally answered: “’We’re respectful and kind until they’re out of earshot.’”

     Marissa nodded in approval, nudging her daughter’s shoulder jokingly before turning back towards Rory. “It’s fine, don’t be sorry. The doors always open for you, Rory. Are you hungry? I just finished up some soup, it’s fresh and hot!”

“Are you kidding? I’m great company to be around — and I have a pretty charming smile. Your taste in visitors must be disappointing. Though...” Rory crossed the kitchen, a lackadaisical reaction to a stellar comeback if anything. Jo would never hear about it because Rory wouldn’t dare compliment her, not now. “I’m guessing a lot of things in your life are disappointing. I would say not to worry but by the looks of it, you’re gonna stay disappointing forever.” She grinned though she couldn’t help but laugh at the mother and daughter’s conversation. 

She sighed as she leaned forward to see what Marissa had been cooking, nodding ever so humbly despite how rude she was to Jo. “Just a little bit — I was eating a granola bar on the way here but Nymeria wanted the rest so...” She turned to look at Nymeria then at Jo, “She’s a bit tired. Joanne, would you like to play with her?” Even if she said yes, Rory knew it would remain a no from her. All in good fun, she swore. 

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RYANN:

This whole thing made Ryann nervous, she’d always been so open with Rory, but this time she wanted to go and curl up somewhere and never have this be an issue ever again. But, now, she was an adult, if they were going to put down roots here she couldn’t run away from her problems anymore, nobody was going to save her from this, now it was her time to step up and take on what she did, even if it was scary. 

“I know it hasn’t ever been, you know… regular..” she said… biting her lip and avoiding eye contact at any cost. There were a lot of questions being asked that frankly, she didn’t know how to answer. “I…I don’t know…” she choked, falling into a pit of silence, “I just… I don’t know… should I… you know?” The question was painful, it was so hard for her to even think about killing the child that may, or may not, be growing inside of her. She’d heard of people dying in child birth, and from losing a child even before the outbreak however many years ago… how would one survive in the outbreak.

“What’re we gonna do?” she said, trying to hold in the trillions of thoughts running through her head.

Rory was afraid — and she wasn’t even the one with the baby inside of her. She couldn’t even IMAGINE such a thing ; in this world and in the state she was in, it would be impossible for her to house a child in her womb and take care of it right after. She thought of how Ryann was feeling at the moment and she realized that there might be nothing around them that could comfort her now. Her presence, Nymeria’s as she sat in a corner as if she sensed the disturbance in the atmosphere — nothing. How were they meant to continue on knowing this? There were so many questions and the person who knew more of it wasn’t even here. 

“I’ll... I could ask Gwen for you, I’m sure she’s got plenty of tips on this. She’s got three children.” A shitty attempt at a joke but what else was she supposed to do? Then Ryann’s words were a ring of a bell that echoed in her ears and when silence fell, the vibrations could still be felt and Rory was uneasy. Was she... was she suggesting abortion? “No.” It was quick ; this wasn’t a decision from an engrained and nearly forgotten faith but it seemed like it. “I mean — I mean... if that’s what you want but if you think that’s the only way then I need to tell you something... We’re not... we’re not going to do what I think you’re thinking.” The look on her face, the weight of her words... it was all too much. “I... I don’t know, Ry.” 

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MARISSA:

[ @rorydamiani ]

     Marissa stirred the the pot of food in front of her. It was much, but it was enough to feed her family. Jo was seated on the counter, helping Marissa here and there, while Blair was off at work. The two expected him to be home in the next hour, knowing that running a community was hard work.

     The sound of the front door opening, met the two females ears, causing them to turn their heads in curiosity. Marissa wasn’t expecting anyone, especially at this hour, but she always had her door open if someone needed help. “We’re in the kitchen!” Marissa called, turning back to the check the food.

     “You,” Jo spoke up, her tone bitter. Her eyes squinting at the person that just enter their kitchen.

Marissa did always tell her that she was welcomed into the Blackwoods community whenever she came by — and Rory, as much as she took it to heart and nodded like the good girl she was, had always been afraid of turning into a bother. But Rory had no other place to go, not now when the dark had blanketed the whole of Cheyenne. She followed Marissa’s voice, whistling for her furry companion to come along. “Hello! I’m sorry that I’m coming in so la —” 

Ah, Joanne. If there was another teenager around here that Rory was sure that she could beat in a fight, it would be this kid. What stopped her was the fact that her daddy was Blair Blackwood of all people.  “What? You don’t like having visitors around? I figured nobody would like to visit anyways since your attitude hasn’t yet improved.” Would she be scolded for her own impudent behaviour? Hopefully not ; but Rory smiled regardless. 

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( @augcstus ) 

How many times has she checked herself out in the shitty excuse of a mirror she owned? Plenty times — but it didn’t seem to be enough ; how could she get rid of the aura of death and violence lingering on her? Perhaps today wasn’t the best time to visit Augustus and the daycare but in times like these, there had to be someone she talked to regardless of how ICKY she felt about it. Nymeria tailed after Rory as the woman came upon Augustus, a warm smile on her face. “Hello... I know I may not look as presentable as you’d expect but I wanted to visit and ask how you’re doing — and the daycare too. Is there anything ‘Meria and I can help with, maybe? You know how much we both love helping out... well, she does. The attention and all. I missed you.” It hasn’t been that long ; perhaps a couple days ; but she meant every word. 

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GWENDOLYN:

“Alright, alright, Naomi.” Gwen sighed as her daughter begged to take Thorn along the perimeter for a walk. The HARDEST part of parenting had been letting their babies ( they were still that, no matter how many years of SURVIVAL they had under their belts ) have the independence they needed to live without her and Callum someday. “But you’re taking someone else with you. It doesn’t have to be Finn, but it does have to be SOMEONE.” 

The girl rolled her eyes at the approaching survivor. “Please tell my mom that she’s being RIDICULOUS. It’s just a WALK.”

The past eighteen years had thrown so many surprises at her and it was all somewhat difficult to keep up. It seemed as though more than eighteen even passed, especially when both Gwen and Marissa had their own families now — and what had to be done with Rory? She had to adjust and she did... somewhat. Naomi’s plea was met with soft laughter and a nod. “Hey, look. I’ll go with her and I’ll be with her the whole time.” She told Gwen, a smile on her face downright deceiving. “Thorn won’t be lonely because Nymeria’s here and if anything happens, you know Naomi and I have it handled. It’ll be fine.” Rory nudged the young girl playfully, “Right, kiddo? I’m sure by now your mom can let you kick some ass — she let me, so.”