Mystery Meat // Open To All
flipping--fallxn:
It was another day. Tension in the air was still thick, but it seemed to be a standstill. Fallon wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing, but she wasn’t complaining. It hadn’t boiled over yet, except for the yelling match Richard and Henry had gotten into. It was hard to ignore, and frankly, she was just waiting for something to give. It was only a matter of time. The group was split the last time they voted–she wondered if people’s minds had changed with the second death or if things were still the same, and that’s why nothing was happening.
Fallon had tripled checked her bag, when she heard the loud rumbling of her stomach reminding her of the last time she had put food in her stomach–last lunch. She was trying to be selfless, save food for the rest of everyone. She knew they hadn’t been getting any new meat anyway, and she wasn’t very hungry, so she skipped dinner and opted for a workout. Now her body begged to have something.
She walked down the hallway to the kitchen, where Maya was waiting. Maya was one of Fallon’s favorite people. She was always welcoming, and reminded her of a younger version of her grandmother. As usual, she gave Fallon a soft smile as she scraped up a bowl, filling it with the only hot meal of the day.
Small steps walked into the living room, looking up and seeing Henry. He doesn’t turn, and she swallows softly, taking curt steps to a lone chair. The stew was still hot, and while sitting in silence didn’t bother her, she felt it rude to not even acknowledge Henry, so she finally cleared her throat. “Hey. How’s it going?”
It could have been someone worse sitting down beside him. It could have been Richard or Cam. Lord knows he doesn’t want to see either of them right now for completely different reasons. But Fallon’s harmless, and doesn’t bother him like she could. She stays out of the way and keeps her head down, which is perhaps the best thing anyone can do at base camp.
“It’s going,” Henry mumbles in between bites, not up for small talk. Fallon seems nice enough, and Henry doesn’t have any issues with her. He just tends to be someone who keeps to himself whenever possible. Small talk has never really been his forte, and his time overseas just made it worse. Henry existed in a world where small talk, especially on patrols and outside of base camp, could get you killed. His stew is nearly halfway empty, but he’s still hungry. Working outside all day had Henry feeling lightheaded. A warm meal is the best meal, but soups and stews always leave him feeling hungry. Their food is rationed, though, and Henry won’t take anything extra when no one else is allowed to. He’ll survive.
“How’ve you been settling in?” Henry tries, slowing his pace so he has more time inside. As soon as he finishes, he should head back out to get work done. Fallon’s been awfully quiet around camp. Henry doesn’t spend much time inside or really around the house, but he still figures he should have seen more of her by now. She says she has combat skills, but she hasn’t really volunteered or asked to be put on patrols. Henry realizes he has no idea what she’s been doing around the house, and he doesn’t like that. Everyone pulls their weight, no matter what age, and he wants to make sure she is as well.
