Fandom The Day The World Changed { The Last of Us 1x1 with icedthemoon }

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines and Soren Truelson
FEDRA Civilian, FEDRA Officer | 26, 37 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Soren was a little worried that being at the wedding would strike up some… negative feelings between Josh and Hayden. Hayden had not been subtle about his frustrations with Josh and the lack of any want to actually do this. Or perhaps he was not subtle when it was Jacob and Soren around. Soren treated himself like a mediator a lot of the time. He would hear from Hayden or Jacob and then he would try to relay concerns and thoughts in a less aggressive way. “It means a lot to me that you’d do that.” He took a moment to be a little giddy and then put himself back together. They were still on patrol after all. Everything was looking pretty normal so far.

Theo was back up as Kai fell so he slid in beside him and bopped his shoulder. “Tag!” He screamed and giggled as he popped back up and was running into the living room again. “I think going now is a perfect idea. We have a lot of places to search, of course. Besides, I think there’s only so much tag you can play in some of these places.” He opened up the front door. “Boys! Want to take this game outside?”​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua and Jacob Smith
FEDRA Commander, FEDRA Civilian | 26, 32 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Josh was determined to make this day happy for Soren. Did he worry that it would lead to another argument after between him and Hayden? Yeah, he did. But at the same time, he didn’t care either. This wasn’t for him, this was for Soren. “Of course my friend.” Josh said, patting his shoulder gently. He knew life was hard, and harder on his partner, but those feelings and emotions, he just tucked them into a corner of his mind and ignored them. He continued with the route, silent for now.

Kai felt the bop to the shoulder and laughed, giggling and making it to his feet as Theo ran into the living room. He skidded to a halt when he heard Hayden’s words. “Outside!” He cried, turning to run towards Hayden and Jacob. Jacob chuckled, nodding. “Alright, let’s get this party going yeah? Come on Theo!” Jacob called to the three year old.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines and Soren Truelson
FEDRA Civilian, FEDRA Officer | 26, 37 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Occasionally, the routes were a little boring. Patrolling was not his favorite part of his job. In fact, it was one of his least favorite parts. Though, when they came across situations that needed them to solve something and ended up making things better, it made it all worth it. Today, though, he did not mind a little bit of quiet. He was glad to have the moment to do nothing but think. He moved along with Josh, looking for anything out of the ordinary. He was not worried about what was left to get together for the wedding. He felt that Jacob and Hayden probably had that handled. He moved along in comfortable silence with his friend.

Theo was on the other side of the living room, crawling over a couch like getting the high ground was going to somehow give him an advantage in this game, when he paused as Jacob called his name. Everyone was moving out of the room and into the hall. Outside? “Okay!” He bounced off the couch and bounded past everyone else and into the hall. He was halfway down by the time that Hayden made it out there as well. “Don’t go down the stairs without us!” Theo had recently learned how to use the stairs, and one of his favorite games was to literally run up and down them for actual hours.​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua and Jacob Smith
FEDRA Commander, FEDRA Civilian | 26, 32 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Josh was silent in the outside, but his mind was just as turbulent as it has been for a while now. Days like today, that cage he shut his emotions in rattles. The lock threatens to break and he nails it back down again. Nights like last night linger in his mind, push at his psyche. Nights where he doesn't even speak to Hayden are the worst. They are the nights that push him, that have him wake up grumpy and angry. Upset and frustrated. So as they walked in silence, he was nailing that cage shut again. As they came around the courthouse, there wasn't anyone around, it was just.. them. And it made him jittery. He needed to run, but he didn't know what he was running from anymore. His relationship, this new world, or his job? The job he excelled at, the job that had him rising up ranks quickly. "So. It's in two days right? Or was it three? I can't keep track anymore." Josh finally broke the silence with his question.

Jacob watched as Theo crawled over the couch and chuckled as he paused, and watching him bounce off the couch and out into the hall. Kaiden took off after him well, until he heard Hayden's yell. "Theo! Wait!" He said, grabbing hold of Theo's arm so he didn't go down the stairs. Jacob followed after the two, shaking his head with a chuckle. Once he got to the two little ones, he took Theo's hand. "Remember we don't go down stairs without an adult present."​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines and Soren Truelson
FEDRA Civilian, FEDRA Officer | 26, 37 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

In the quiet, Soren was not always sure what he needed to do. Let the silence stay there or find a reason to interrupt it. He wished that he could see into Josh’s mind. All he wanted was to help, and that was very difficult. It wasn’t Josh’s fault or at least not all his fault. Thankfully, Josh interrupted on his own. “Two days. I don’t think I could wait that extra day.” He really did not like not being married anymore. Since they talked about it, it was all he could think about. He never thought he would be that guy. In another life, he would have waited maybe three months to ask. Maybe. That would have only been because Cap would have told him three months was a little soon. He was sure it would have been something about first relationship, especially with a man. How was he supposed to know blah blah blah. Three months. Max. The ever changing disaster of the world made that longer.

Theo skidded to a stop when Kai took his arm. It wasn’t that he didn’t listen. He really was trying, but his body moved way faster than his brain. Or maybe his brain moved so fast that it was having to keep up with itself. His ears were kind of slow. He threw his arms out to the side as a counterbalance. “Down!” He tugged on Kaleb’s hand and pointed to the stairs. “Down! Down!” He was so ready to run. Hayden was there as fast as Jacob. “We are here now. Ready to go down the stairs?” He held out a hand of Kai wanted it, but he also knew that sometimes being four meant going down some of those steps alone. But not too many.​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua and Jacob Smith
FEDRA Commander, FEDRA Civilian | 26, 32 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Josh knew that if the world hadn't broken like it did, he probably would've been like that too. Maybe a few months after asking, and then have the wedding. Now? He wasn't even sure if they were still getting married themselves. He was always busy with something FEDRA related, between patrolling and getting new officers trained properly, he was so busy. And he didn't think that Hayden wanted to marry him either, not after the mess that was the last two years. He nodded as he heard Soren's words. "Okay. I suppose I should find a suit somewhere huh? Can't go showing up to your wedding in uniform can I?"

Kaiden looked at Theo, taking hold of his arm as they managed to stop just before the stairs. He heard his best friend's words, and felt the tug on his hand, but Kai remained still as stone. "No! Wait!" Kai said stubbornly, looking back at Jacob when he finally walked over, and he saw the hand held out by Hayden. Kai took it, as Jacob nodded. "Alright, time to go down." Jacob said, leading the way with the excited three year old. Kai was a little slower as he started to go down the stairs.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines and Soren Truelson
FEDRA Civilian, FEDRA Officer | 26, 37 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

The suits were never important to Soren. What they wore while getting married was second to the actual wedding. “I dunno, you look good in your uniform. We could probably find one of the military ball uniforms that the military used to have officers wear way back when. I actually had one of those at one time.” He never really cared about those either, though he would not have minded wearing one now. “Or we could always find you a suit somewhere. Or you could just wear whatever. It doesn’t matter to me. I just want you there with me.” Though, if they found him a suit worth being a part of a wedding, maybe he could use it again for his own wedding. If Josh and Hayden ever did that.

Theo had very little patience, so waiting for Jacob and Hayden was probably the most difficult thing in the world. Once he finally could run down, he did. Well, he tried but he was being held back by Jacob. He huffed but was overall too excited to be cranky. Instead he changed “down! Down! Down!” with each step that they descended. Hayden was happy to go at whatever pace Kai wanted to do. He liked Theo a lot, but Kai was his. In a weird way. They were bonded. “We’re going all the way down, boys.”​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua and Jacob Smith
FEDRA Commander, FEDRA Civilian | 26, 32 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Josh listened to Soren as they walked, and he thought about it. He had his normal uniform that he wore everyday. "If we find a suit then I'll wear it, but if we don't in two days' time then I'll use the uniform." He agreed as he walked. "Seems quiet today." Josh said, looking around the abandoned streets of the Zone. Quiet was good, or bad. He just wasn't sure. "Do we know if the rations are running low again?" He asked, because the quiet could be the build-up before a fight to storm the ration center. Could be, but not always.

Jacob moved with the three year old, making sure he kept upright and didn't tumble down the stairs on accident. "Yes Theo, we're going all the way down." Jacob said, as Kai giggled, watching Theo. "Down! Outside!" He said, picking up pace a little bit. He was much better at the stairs when he was two years ago. He also wanted to run in the fresh air, it wasn't often that he got to go outside, but he enjoyed it immensely when he did.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines and Soren Truelson
FEDRA Civilian, FEDRA Officer | 26, 37 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Really, Soren did not mind if Josh showed up in some jeans and a t-shirt. The idea of getting Josh there at all was enough to make Soren feel a lot better. If he could take the time out of his utterly busy schedule for this meant that it was important to Josh too. He turned his attention to the quiet of the route. “I’m not sure, but I have a bad feeling about this,” he answered, narrowing his eyes to the world around them. Very rarely did this kind of quiet mean anything good. He doubted that suddenly everyone was going to be happy and willing to live the FEDRA life when they fought against them what felt like every day. Not everything was perfect, but at least this was better than how it could have been.

Theo’s chants almost sounded like some sort of strange song as he screamed them to the world. Everyone on all of the floors could probably hear him. His giggles filled the stairwell. From somewhere below, he could hear the laugh of someone who must have also been traveling down them. This made him laugh even more and say more. By the time they reached the bottom of the stairs, he was so thoroughly entertained that he was almost sad that the stairs were ending. “When we go out there, remember, you can’t run too far from us. We don’t want you to get hurt or lost.” As he peered at the two little ones, three words came through his mind, and his entire being wanted to freeze. Stay with me. He could see her pleading eyes and broken voice. He blinked away the memory, trying to save himself from what came next, but it was too late.​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua and Jacob Smith
FEDRA Commander, FEDRA Civilian | 26, 32 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Josh knew he'd get chewed out by Jacob if he didn't go. He was still on rocky ground with his older brother for having pushed off the wedding for two years. He'd fought with his brother more than once. But none of it sunk in, every word from Jacob just went in one ear and out the other during these arguments. He looked over at Soren and then he heard it. The sound of arguing near the ration center. "Soren." His tone was curt as he simply said his name, turning to head towards the center. Arguing, especially there, usually turned into fighting.

Jacob really enjoyed Theo and his constant energy, most of the time. Some days he just couldn't handle it, and while they had generators, most things didn't come as easily. Like coffee for one. Jacob missed coffee, every so often he could manage to get some beans and make a cup, but that was rare. As they got to the bottom of the stairs, Jacob heard Hayden's words and nodded. "Come on you two." He said, opening the outside door and stepping out into the Zone. The soldier's housing was gated off from the rest of the Zone, as it also had a base of operations near it. Sure they used the Stadium for pretty much everything, but they'd kept the original HQ to have a back up area. Kaiden giggled and nodded, looking up at Hayden as he pulled on his hand. "Outside!"​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines and Soren Truelson
FEDRA Civilian, FEDRA Officer | 26, 37 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

In a perfect rebuild of the world after the outbreak, they would have plenty of food for everyone. When he thought about this once, he considered that there were a whole lot less people now, which meant there should have been more food for everyone. That was not the case. The rations were a problem. There never truly seemed enough of them, and though they were trying their best, that was also not good enough for a lot of people. He did not say anything else after Josh said his name. He attempted to hear the words in the argument, but they were muffled. If only he could tell what was going on. It was likely nothing good. He picked up his pace so that they could get to the center faster.

“Out! Out! Out!” Theo cried as he pulled away from Jacob and ran forward about ten feet and then turned around to run back at them just to turn around again to run around in a circle with about a ten-foot diameter. The day he learned to walk, his mother nearly cried, because he never stopped after that. His father hardly ever had time to be with him, so he never seemed to have many opinions. Jacob and Hayden were around far more often than his parents. His cries became indistinguishable sounds of excitement. Hayden laughed as they made it outside. He followed Kai wherever he wanted to go at least for this first part. “Alright, outside! It is everything you could ever want and more.” Which was not at all true, though for these little ones, it might have been.​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua and Jacob Smith
FEDRA Commander, FEDRA Civilian | 26, 32 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Josh knew they didn't have enough rations, even with over half of Seattle gone, it just wasn't enough. Officers and civilians all got ration cards, though officers and their families got two more than the civilians. Their decision on that was they had to keep themselves fed so they could protect others. He picked up his pace with Soren as he tried to hear the words. When they came around, they saw two of their unit, Justin and Paul, arguing with an older man who demanded he get his rations now. The line didn't open for another three hours. "What's going on here?"

Jacob felt Theo pull away from him as he ran forward, and then ran back, and did it again. He shook his head, chuckling softly at the three year old. Kai broke from Hayden's hand the moment they were out those doors. He ran to Theo, before he giggled and tagged his friend. "Tag!" He called, before he turned and ran in a circle, away from him and he circled behind the adults legs. "Just stay close to us guys." Jacob said as he watched the two. That wasn't really a problem most of the time, the two little ones didn't go very far from the adults.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines and Soren Truelson
FEDRA Civilian, FEDRA Officer | 26, 37 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Of course there was an issue with the ration cards. There was always an issue. The quiet around this area only meant that there were more people like this old man near. While Josh demanded to know what was going on, Soren took the time to survey the area. Two other men from their group were standing close but not part of the argument. One had his hand on his weapon and ready to draw if it came to that. Soren thought that was a little extreme, though understood their caution. There was not a whole lot else around… no. There. Two people were talking under their breaths a little ways out. One was gesturing angrily towards the argument. That meant there were definitely more around. He took a couple of steps that way but made it look like he was watching the argument and not the other people.

Theo screamed and giggled as he turned his little legs to run after Kai. Hayden smiled. This was not the best circumstances, but it was still amazing. He had no idea that having these two little ones around would make his life so much better. Specifically Kaiden. He could transform the day by his very existence. Hayden felt extremely lucky to have him. “Boys. Bring your game this way down the street.” He was trying to think of all the places they could go. It had been two years since the world fell apart, but they were still in Seattle. There were plenty of places to get suits. “Oh, well need to get them suits as well. I’m sure we can find a place.” Within the QZ, there were several old department stores. Some had been raided but not all. Actually, a lot of those stores were converted and therefore all that stuff got shoved. They had to expand to several different warehouses to fit it all. Why FEDRA refused to just disseminate things to the people, Hayden could never understand. To be honest, he understood very little about the organization. It made more sense when Soren explained things, but it only made him angrier when it came to Josh. No, it did not make sense that he had to be out AGAIN. Soren was the same rank and he was home far more often. He still acted like a decent person. He still felt like he loved those at home. Hayden but his cheek as he thought that. He focused on anything else. ​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua and Jacob Smith
FEDRA Commander, FEDRA Civilian | 26, 32 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Josh crossed his arms over his chest as he looked at the old man. He trusted Soren and their group enough that he didn't keep his hands free to grab his pistol. "I want my rations now! There is no reason we can only get them at certain times of the stupid day!" The old man, Jericho, snapped as he glared at Josh. "We have specific times to allow us to disperse rations appropriately. Now please, step back and wait for the line to open." Josh's voice was cold and hard as the man shook his head. "You mean to control us and keep us like docile sheep." He snipped as Josh took a step forward, arms uncrossing, hand going towards his weapon. "Leave the area now, or I'll pull your ration cards for the day."

Kai giggled as he ducked around and tried to avoid Theo. He heard Hayden and ran that way, knowing Theo would follow him. He shrieked and laughed as he ran around his friend. Jacob looked at Hayden and sighed, shaking his head at the two. "Sure we'll need them but can you imagine trying to wrangle these two into suits?" Jacob asked with a grin as they passed into the civilian side of the Zone. Away from the soldier housing. "Isn't the mall still got a lot of stuff left in it?" He asked, looking at Hayden as they moved.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines and Soren Truelson
FEDRA Civilian, FEDRA Officer | 26, 37 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Soren did not think that pulling someone’s rations for the day was the best way to handle this situation, but it was regulation. To enforce order, there had to be consequences. He stepped a little closer to the other people who looked like they were talking to someone else from behind. He took a couple of steps closer, hoping that they would not notice. Several of their group drew their guns, but they did not raise them yet. “Sir,” said one of them, “please leave or we will be forced to-“ “To what?” The loud words came from a woman not too far from Soren. She reached into her coat, but Soren was close enough to step in front of her and grab at her arm. He didn’t know what she had, but he did not want to know. The man with her yelled, “They try to squash our free will!”

Weaving in and out the adults as well as the street made it harder to catch Kai, which was fine by Theo. He loved the chase just as much. He also loved whenever they got to come outside. It was so big and magical. Hayden was pulled out of his unpleasant thoughts by Jacob. “Oh, I didn’t even think about the mall. The last time I went…” was a long time ago when the world was not so bad. “There’s bound to be some suits there.” He looked at the two little boys. “I am determined to find them some. They will be the most dapper little men in the whole world.”​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua and Jacob Smith
FEDRA Commander, FEDRA Civilian | 26, 32 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Josh was doing as he'd been trained. Sure he'd come in during the outbreak, but that had also changed and shifted once Martial Law was put into place. He heard the people near them and looked at the women who was near Soren, saw him grab her arm. "We're doing what we need to in order to keep everyone safe. Now, everyone please disperse or we'll have to force you." Josh said, pulling his weapon out and holding it at his side. "As for you. You started this, I know it. Cards. Now." Josh said, looking at the old man. He shook his head and Josh gritted his teeth. "Justin." His words snapped and Justin nodded, grabbing the man's wrists and holding them behind his back as Josh used his hand to snag the ration cards he could see in the man's jacket pocket. "Let go of him!" Another guy yelled, this one was close to Soren and he pulled out a knife, pointing it at Josh.

Kai giggled as he ran, looking back at Theo. He wasn't paying any attention and he ran into someone's leg, full force, and fell back on his bottom. Brown eyes watered as he looked up at the soldier he'd run into. "Watch where you're going kid." He snapped, glaring down at Kai. Jacob was talking to Hayden, nodding. "They absolutely would look like the most handsome men." He agreed before he heard a sniffle from Kai who scrambled back a little in the dirt covered street, tears falling down his face, scared and sniffling. Close to crying.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines and Soren Truelson
FEDRA Civilian, FEDRA Officer | 26, 37 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

The woman struggled against Soren, snarling insults at him. “Ma’am, this is not the way to protest-“ She spit at him, and he sighed. “I am going to have to-“ “Use force?” She interrupted. “Of course you are. Just like him. All of you people are the same. Scum and villains!” Soren turned to look at Josh and Justin. He sighed but knew this was the way that they were supposed to do things. His eyes flicked to the yelling man and the knife. As the other men who gathered around drew and pointed their guns, Soren let go of the woman and moved swiftly to the man, aiming to knock out the knife in his hand. The woman took this chance and pulled out her own knife and charged at Soren from behind.

Theo skidded to a halt as he saw the big scary guy who was mean to Kai. He ran straight back to Jacob and Hayden, pulling on Jacob’s pants. “Hurt! Hurt!” Hayden looked at Theo first, and it dawned on him that he did not know where Kai was. He was looking out at some of the other people and lost him. Was Kai hurt? He rushed forward and saw the little one on the ground, scrambling away from a soldier. Fury flooded his veins as he rushed forward and scooped up Kai, holding him close to his chest and rubbing his hair and back. When he looked at the soldier, all he could see was everything that he hated about the new world. Every horrible person that made their lives miserable. “Do not speak to him like that. He is a child.” He tried to have respect for soldiers, and he did. But not for this one. Not for someone who would be like that.​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua and Jacob Smith
FEDRA Commander, FEDRA Civilian | 26, 32 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Josh was busy snagging the ration cards from the old man, once he had those, he looked at the one who'd taken a step forward with his own knife. Justin dropped the old man's hands once he saw that he'd had the cards. Josh's eyes went to the woman who was charging at Soren from behind. Not going to happen. He moved just as fast towards the woman, taking hold of her wrist with the knife and wrenched it to the side hoping to bring it behind her back to stop her attack.

Kai whimpered as he looked at the man, the one that looked so cold and mean. Jacob felt the pull on his pants and he moved with Hayden, searching for Kaiden. When he saw him on the ground and the soldier in front of him, he picked Theo up in his arms. "It's okay buddy. We've got him. Good job." He said, watching the scene in front of him. Kai buried his face into Hayden's chest when he was scooped up and felt him rub his hair and back. Kai sniffled and whimpered slightly. The solider glared at Hayden. "Then he should've been watching where he was going." He said, his tone cold and harsh. "Keep a better handle on your little brat or else."​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines and Soren Truelson
FEDRA Civilian, FEDRA Officer | 26, 37 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

“Let me go!” The woman yelled as she tried to pull away from Josh. “Unhand me. You are nothing but a power-hungry monster!” She jolted back in the hopes of getting enough room to stomp at his foot. Soren put a firm hand against the man with the knife. This had gone too far. “That’s enough!” He bellowed with the voice Cap taught him years ago. “I understand that you are hungry and unhappy. I am sorry. We cannot get you anymore rations right now. There are not enough to get to everyone whenever you want. We are working as hard as we can to get more food to everyone. But you have to help us. You have to have patience.” There were murmurs through the growing crowd.

Theo also began to whimper as he listened to the angry man after seeing how sad and scared Kai looked. He held onto Jacob but never stopped watching. Hayden would have backed down if he were alone. Actually, he probably would not have said anything if this had not been about Kai. A lot of things changed when he met the little one. “Were you able to watch where you were going when you were four?” He was fuming. For the sake of showing respect, that he certainly did not have, he added, “Sir..” He specifically made a show of finding the soldier’s name on his uniform. “It certainly would be unfair to judge, don’t you think? Or should I take this up with your commanding officer? Or maybe with the General? I think I will be seeing him in a few days anyway. He wouldn’t want to miss the wedding.” Hayden was banking on the fact that the wedding was a spectacle and therefore everyone knew about it. This soldier could extrapolate from there. If he wanted. ​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua and Jacob Smith
FEDRA Commander, FEDRA Civilian | 26, 32 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Josh heard her words and felt her try and pull away from him. He held on until she jolted back and he lost his grip. The moment her foot stomped at his, he glared at her and grabbed her arm. "Try that again and rations will be the last thing you'll be concerned about." He growled low. Josh heard Soren's voice and he dropped his hand from her and stepped back. His pistol went back to it's holster. He moved over towards Soren and crossed his arms. "We need to get them to disperse before we can continue this patrol." He told Soren quietly.

Jacob made soft shushing noises and bounced Theo gently. "It's okay, I know." He said, watching the two men. Kai had his face pressed against Hayden's chest as he tried not to cry loudly. The tears stained his shirt and Hayden's. The solider crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes at the man. "Are you threatening me?" He said, his voice rough yet held disbelief and a little amusement. "I doubt you know them. Just like I doubt you'd be invited to the wedding. You're not important enough." The soldier spat as Jacob's eyes flashed, and he stepped up so he was shoulder to shoulder with Hayden. "I'm sure my fiancé would love to hear your opinions on his family. I'll be letting him know how unimportant you think the brother of the groom is." He added as the soldier's eyes widened. "I'm sorry to bother you two." He said, taking a step back. "I hope he's okay. H- Have a nice day." He stammered out, and moved around them to carry on his route.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines and Soren Truelson
FEDRA Civilian, FEDRA Commander | 26, 37 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

The woman spat again as Josh let her go and rushed back to the others who were crowding. “They don’t want us to speak our minds!” She screamed as she stomped over to the other people. They were regrouping and none of them looked happy. “They took his ration cards! They want us to starve!” Soren groaned. He hated when this happened. His diplomatic approach very rarely worked anymore, and it was becoming a struggle. He thought he would try once more otherwise they would have to do this by the book. “Please go back to your homes and work. We will begin dispersing rations as soon as it is time. We do not want to take other measures. This does not make any of us happy. If you leave now, we will not have any additional problems.”

Hayden was so angry that he could not think straight. He whipped around to watch the man go, taking that name down for a mental note later. He did not talk to General Fontaine often, but he knew him well enough that if he wanted to, he really could cause some trouble for that soldier. Since the General had such great respect for Josh and Soren, he had respect for their families. Would he do that though? Maybe. If the General were to walk by in that moment, yes. He absolutely would. Later though? Maybe not. Probably not. But only probably. Finally he softened himself and lifted Kai up. “Hey, little one. You’re okay. The mean man is gone now. Shh, it’s okay.” He gently bounced him. Theo was not okay and was now starting to cry. There were so many angry voices, and he didn’t like them. He was not a quiet crier either. He was the kind that would have a full fit in very little time if not stopped.​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua and Jacob Smith
FEDRA Commander, FEDRA Civilian | 26, 32 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Josh groaned as she spat and rushed back to the others, his eyes on the group that clearly did not look happy. He shook his head, listening to them and he crossed his arms over his chest. "Why should we?! If we have to work before we eat we could pass out during the job!" The man yelled glaring at them. "They want to keep us weak and starving so we will be easy to control." Another man spoke up, his voice even though it was filled with hatred. "Everyone, please leave the area." Josh added, looking at the group. This was not going well at all.

Kai was crying softly as he felt Hayden lift him up and he blinked watery eyes and whimpered softly. He didn't like the mean man, and he was very upset by the events that took place. Jacob heard Theo crying and he pulled him away from his chest so he could look at him. "Hey buddy, it's okay. Shh. Look at me, see?" He said, gently bouncing the three year old. He was so angry at this soldier for causing problems, and he was tempted to mention his name to Soren, maybe his fiancé would know who his commanding officer was, not that he thought it would do much but it couldn't hurt.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines and Soren Truelson
FEDRA Civilian, FEDRA Commander | 26, 37 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

No, this situation really was not going well. There was no way to satisfy them. They wanted more food, and Soren could not get them more food. Even if he broke some rules, that would only be rewarding this kind of behavior. It would keep happening again and again. He stepped forward, using all of the authority that he could muster. He was no longer the good soldier who tried to make friends and find peace. He was now a leader. He stepped too close to the group for a lot of them to feel comfortable. Several scrambled back though others stayed where they were, clearly ready to pull out weapons. “This is your last warning. I am asking you to leave before this becomes out of hand. It will not be a fight. Instead, we will not only take the ration cards for the day but we will also take you into solitary confinement. You are correct in thinking that there are many of you. Yes, we will overpower you. Yes, we do have enough space to put you in a confined space without anyone else.” He looked at each of them in the eyes as he spoke. “You say we want to keep you weak to control you. That is incorrect. If we had more rations, we would give you more rations. Do not be the person that ruins this for everyone else. Be a team player.” He narrowed his eyes. “Or you will not have a team.” The woman wavered and several others did too. She did not leave but she also did not say anything else in response.

Hayden hated that these soldiers treated civilians like this. A child! Who could look at a four year old and think that was okay? He hated that he had to stoop to their level to get them to stop. Everything about this made him so angry. And when he was angry, he thought about Josh. Because Josh was one of them. He was more and more one of them every day. But would he do that to a child? To Kai? He shot Kyra. It was unfair of him to think about that. She was infected. He understood that better now. It did not make the experience any less traumatic. It did not make him question everything he thought he knew about his fiancé. Theo was just starting to cry louder when Jacob made him look at him. He stuck out his little lip and pouted so hard that it hurt him. His eyes always looked bigger and shinier when they were wet with the tears. “How about we go find those suits now?” Hayden suggested, trying to sound happier. He turned Kai so that the little ones could more easily see each other. “I want to see how handsome you two are going to be.”​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua and Jacob Smith
FEDRA Commander, FEDRA Civilian | 26, 32 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Josh looked at Soren as he stepped forward, listening to him. And it was like he was brought back in time to when he'd first started with Soren two years ago. That leadership. He watched the group, several scrambling back as he heard him speak. The men looked at each other as they watched the man. "Fine. You win this round." One growled out, looking at the others before he headed off. Several went with him. Josh let out a low sigh, shaking his head as he watched them disperse. "That could've gone worse. But it certainly didn't go good." He said, shaking his head. There wasn't much they could do, and they couldn't magically make more rations appear anyway.

Kaiden looked at Hayden, and then at Theo when he turned him. "Theo? Okay?" Kai asked, stretching a hand out to the other little one. Jacob saw that lip stick out and pout from Theo, and sighed softly, a hand rubbing his back. He turned Theo so he could look at Kai and smiled. "Let's go check out the mall. Maybe we can play some tag there too." Jacob said as Kai giggled, though he still sniffled a little bit through the giggles. Jacob hated how these soldiers acted like they were better than everyone else, and to do that to Kai. It made him upset and even a little angry.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines and Soren Truelson
FEDRA Civilian, FEDRA Commander | 26, 37 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

The woman glared at them both but realized that the majority of their group had lost the will to keep going. She huffed, swiveled around, and stomped away. The rest of them left with her. Soren let out a deep breath that he had been holding. He hated having to be that person. It did not bring him joy to be that commander. He preferred to let Josh be that guy really. He was better at it than Soren. It did not seem to haunt him as much. “They’re getting bolder, because they are getting restless. I wish that there was something more that we could do to help them. I know this is not the life that they would choose to have if they could.” He turned away and closed his eyes. Some days were easier than others. “Come on. Let’s finish the route.”

Theo was not okay quite yet, but seeing Kai and hearing him did make it better. He nodded even though he was still pouting. That pout would probably stay there for a while. Hayden sighed and then turned off the rest of his anger for the little ones. “There will be so much space for tag! Though you’ll have to stay around us and pay attention.” He started walking towards the mall once more. He would let Kai down if he asked. Otherwise he would just carry him. Theo likely would want to be carried for a while longer. ​