Fandom The Farmhouse Dream { The Last of Us 1x1 with icedthemoon }

[icedthemoon]

Nathaniel Matthews, Carlos Price, Asher McCoy, Ezekiel Finch, Theophilus Sharpe, and Emmett Adler (and the Smith Clan)
Former Firefly, Aspiring Artist, Former Hunter, Former Seraphite, Former WLF, Former Firefly | 21, 25, 32, 29, 25, 24 | Current location ;; Wyoming

Carlos sat very still as Jordan joined him on the horse. “Oh, hello then,” he said as the arms wrapped around him. He placed his foot back in the stirrup and did as he was told. “See, I wasn’t too far off.” He headed towards the road and then decided he would be mildly adventurous. “So, how do we go a little faster? Do I press harder? Are there commands?”

“Take care of him for me?” Nate asked Cam as he winked at Alex. Then he turned around and left. He made it out of the stables and started to retrace his steps. Of course, he was the one who got lost very quickly, so it took very little time for him to find himself in the middle of a street and absolutely no idea where he was. Great. There were so many people. One of them could probably help him. Probably.

Asher nodded. “That’s about it. You’re new, so they’ll get you something. They gave us plenty to start off with, but that was before we were wary of new people.” He thought for a moment and tried again. “No one can do everything. I hunt. Mostly. Because cows are nice but sometimes we need more food. And by sometimes, I mean always. We are a growing community. So I go out and hunt and bring back deer and the like. I give it to him.” He pointed back to the butcher’s shop. “There’s not a lot I can do for her,” pointing to the clothing boutique, “but that doesn’t mean I don’t get clothes. It does mean that I learn that her favorite desert is a good Key Lime Pie and I figure out how to procure that from the bakery,” another gesture, “which could be a number of things. Sometimes it’s doing favors or fixing things. All sort of depends really.”
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Alexander Brennan, Kaleb Price, Jordan DeShay, Kaiden Lachlan, Elijah Lewis and Cameron Harris (and the Smith Clan)
Former Seraphite, Former FEDRA officer, Former Smuggler, Former WLF, Former Seraphite, Former Firefly | 19, 27, 30, 26, 27, 23 | Current location ;; Wyoming

Jordan chuckled as he heard that. “Okay speedy, let’s get out of the town first. Once you do, then we can go a little faster up the trail. You just need to press your heels in a little more and make a clicking noise with your mouth. Oh and hold on.” Jordan said as he held onto Carlos.

Cam grinned and nodded. “I will.” He said. Meanwhile, Jacob was headed through town after doing a house call on an older woman named Jane. He saw Nate in the center of town, looking lost. “Well. Hello there Nate. You need some help getting somewhere?” Jacob called out as he walked towards him.

Kaleb nodded as he thought about that. Hmm. Perhaps Kaleb could hunt, or he should just patrol. “I see. That makes sense. I bet Carlos could trade his art for stuff, he’s really good at it. As for me.. maybe you could show me how to hunt?” Kaleb asked, wanting to be a productive member of the community too.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Nathaniel Matthews, Carlos Price, Asher McCoy, Ezekiel Finch, Theophilus Sharpe, and Emmett Adler (and the Smith Clan)
Former Firefly, Aspiring Artist, Former Hunter, Former Seraphite, Former WLF, Former Firefly | 21, 25, 32, 29, 25, 24 | Current location ;; Wyoming

Carlos sat up straighter. “I am very speedy, thank you.” He moved them down the road and turned left towards the gate. “Hold on? I didn’t say we were going to go racing. Just like a nice.. quicker speed. A um… wait I know this.. um. Trot? Sure.” They made it through the gate and onto the path. Okay speedy time. He pressed in with his heels and clicked. There was a moment where he was thinking this was great, because yes they were moving faster, but then they were moving even faster, and instead of being reasonable, he panicked and constricted his limbs which in turn pressed even harder. Before he knew it, they were not trotted.

Wandering a town was not unusual for Nate. He wandered all the time. He was known for wandering. He got lost everywhere he went. He got lost in places that he knew. When Jacob appeared, Nate smiled. “Hi. Hello, yes, I am lost.” It was a statement that did not even make him worry anymore. “You’ll get used to this. Um, actually, I was coming to see you. If you aren’t busy? Or maybe when you are busy. I would like to be helpful, but my skills are not suited for horses.” He looked back in the direction of the stables. “I think I would like to be Medicine Man again.”

Asher had not really thought about Carlos’ art being something that he did. It was not necessarily the most practical use of time, which was why Asher was unaware of the option, but yeah, Kaleb was right. “He probably could even set up a little art shop down one of these strips. People would probably love to have more decorations. Or maybe even he could join some of the other artists? Not sure.” He pulled out of those thoughts as Kaleb considered what he might do. “I can, though it isn’t much different than what you already do. That’s why I hunt now. It is very similar to what I did when I… when…” he breathed. “When I was in Pittsburgh. Just using those skills for better reasons now.”
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Alexander Brennan, Kaleb Price, Jordan DeShay, Kaiden Lachlan, Elijah Lewis and Cameron Harris (and the Smith Clan)
Former Seraphite, Former FEDRA officer, Former Smuggler, Former WLF, Former Seraphite, Former Firefly | 19, 27, 30, 26, 27, 23 | Current location ;; Wyoming

Jordan laughed softly as he held onto Carlos. “Is that so?” He said as he rested his head on the other’s shoulders. As they left the town, Jordan heard the click and then Thunder moved faster into a trot, but then he was up to a canter and then faster. Jordan felt Carlos panic, he could feel the tension. With ease, Jordan slid his hands up Carlos’ arms to his hands and held them, pulling back on the reins with a sharp “Whoa!” And a second later he slid a hand up his arm and wrapped around his torso. “Carlos, breathe. Relax.”

Jacob saw the smile on Nate’s face when he appeared. A chuckle came out as he nodded, hearing him. He reminded him of Logan, his twin was just as good at getting lost too. The only place he never got lost was at his work. Jacob was pulled from the past as he heard Nate saw he was looking for him. “I’m not busy, just got done with a house call. Come on, I can always use another medic.” Jacob said, smiling and turning to head towards the medical building.

Kaleb nodded as he smiled, hearing that. “He’d love doing something like that. Having a little shop for his art? He’d be ecstatic.” Kaleb said as he smiled, thinking of his partner. He looked over at Asher and sighed. “Well, it’s all I know, that and patrolling.” Kaleb said with a shrug of his shoulders. He didn’t have something that was his. Alex had the stables, Nate had medicine, and Carlos had his art. What did Kaleb have? A useless past of guarding a zone. How was that worth anything?​

 

[icedthemoon]

Nathaniel Matthews, Carlos Price, Asher McCoy, Ezekiel Finch, Theophilus Sharpe, and Emmett Adler (and the Smith Clan)
Former Firefly, Aspiring Artist, Former Hunter, Former Seraphite, Former WLF, Former Firefly | 21, 25, 32, 29, 25, 24 | Current location ;; Wyoming

Okay, so, he needed some practice with faster. As he tried to calm his breathing, he leaned back onto Jordan who just saved his life. Okay not really, but it felt that way in the moment. That was a lot. That was fast. Was that a controllable fast? That was crazy. “Thanks,” he muttered as he captured his breath back. “I’m a pro.” He smiled despite it all. He would be eventually. They could ride their horses together. If he could figure it out, he would take Kaleb out too. They could ride through the hills together. They could look at their community from up high and talk about everyone they saw. He let the horse move at a normally walking speed the rest of the way to the farmhouse where he stopped them to open the gate and move them in to close it again.

Nate happily followed Jacob. “Though,” he continued talking like he did now. He did miss talking like this. “I did think it would be interesting to apply my human skills to the horses since we apparently are going to be raising so many of them. That is for a later time though. I feel that using my actual and current skills for something will make me feel a little more useful than I have in a while.” When they arrived at the medical building, he nodded. “Right, right, yes this is where it was. Okay. I can remember that. I just have to make sure I come at it from the same direction every time.”

Asher could tell that Kaleb was having the same kind of struggle that he had when he first got there. “You want to know why I don’t patrol very often? Or didn’t until recently? Because it felt too close to what I used to do. They send teams out on pre established routes to get rid of any trespassing infected, set up ways to do so without them around, and document anything unusual.” He stared out at the hills and mountains around them. “That was too close to hunting people. But hunting people is all I’ve ever done. My skills literally are capturing and killing people.” Often slowly. “It wasn’t until the butcher and the tanner were saying that they wished more of those people would hunt game instead of infected that I even knew that was an option. I can use all of my skills that way. The hunting. The killing.” The flaying. “We just have to find how else you can use your skills. But if you wanted to hunt with me, I wouldn’t say no.” He smiled, because he really wouldn’t hate it. He didn’t work with anyone now, because he didn’t really like other people. But he liked Kaleb.
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Alexander Brennan, Kaleb Price, Jordan DeShay, Kaiden Lachlan, Elijah Lewis and Cameron Harris (and the Smith Clan)
Former Seraphite, Former FEDRA officer, Former Smuggler, Former WLF, Former Seraphite, Former Firefly | 19, 27, 30, 26, 27, 23 | Current location ;; Wyoming

Jordan heard that muttered thanks, the joy of being close to Carlos. He chuckled softly as he heard that. "You certainly are a pro." He said, resting his head on Carlos' shoulder as they walked the rest of the way to the farmhouse. Once they got through the gate and it was shut behind them, the pair made it to the farmhouse. Jordan slipped off and held Thunder's reins. "Alright beautiful, slip on off, I'm going to put him in with the sheep until we're ready to head back." Jordan said with a smile.

Jacob looked at Nate as they walked and he listened with a smile on his face. "It is similar for horses, but also not quite the same. We have people who know medical stuff for the animals, and I'm sure they'd be more than happy to help show you what they know." Jacob said as they made it to the medical building. "You remind me of Logan, my twin. He got lost often himself. He found a good way to get around would be to memorize different things around to get to wherever he had to go. Might not be a bad idea." Jacob commented as he opened the medical building door for Nate and shut it behind himself when he entered. "Hayden should be along soon. I've got a patient coming in who had a broken arm and I've been monitoring how it's healing. I reset it originally, and now it's just making sure it heals right by checking it every few days." Jacob said as he sat down at one of the chairs beside an exam table.

Kaleb looked over at Asher as he started talking and tilted his head a little listening to him. Oh. That would make sense as to why he didn't patrol often. "Oh." Kaleb said, it was all he could think to say. What else could he even think about saying to that. He listened more and nodded, hearing him. "I mean, I'm good with guarding, or patrolling, and probably hunting too. I never had time to do other things." Kaleb admitted, rubbing the back of his neck as they moved. "I mean, I would read and write in my off time but that's not real useful either. Unless there was somewhere I could use my reading or writing skills somewhere, I'm not real sure what to do. Although I'd be happy to join you in hunting as well."​

 

[icedthemoon]

Nathaniel Matthews, Carlos Price, Asher McCoy, Ezekiel Finch, Theophilus Sharpe, and Emmett Adler (and the Smith Clan)
Former Firefly, Aspiring Artist, Former Hunter, Former Seraphite, Former WLF, Former Firefly | 21, 25, 32, 29, 25, 24 | Current location ;; Wyoming

Carlos moved as directed, slowed, and eventually stopped Thunder. “Well, thank you for the lesson. Now that I am a pro, we can take this show on the road and make all the money that doesn’t exist and doesn’t make a whole lot of sense anyway, and we’ll never starve again.” He twisted around and kissed Jordan on the cheek before sliding off the horse. “I will be in the house waiting for you to come join me. Can’t promise I won’t be wildly distracted by the time you find me.” He sauntered away and into the house, taking a good moment to consider what it really meant that this was his home and then found his way into the art room. He was there a good several minutes before he ran up the stairs, grabbed all of his set supplies from his bag, and made his way back into the room. His family portrait was going to need a revision now.

“I didn’t know you had a twin. That is fascinating. You know, I’ve never known any twins I don’t think.” Nate walked through the building, now really taking the time to look at literally everything there. All the materials and supplies. All the tools. Everything. “This is like… like one of the doctor’s offices at the hospital.” He moved to Jacob’s side and then started looking at everything around him. “You’re like a doctor. I always wanted to be a doctor, but there really wasn’t a way to do that anymore. Not when I couldn’t learn what I needed to for that. I’ve read so many journals and texts though. Back in Boston, the very few times we actually stayed there, I had this collection of books that I would read through all night.” He stared at a wall like he could see them. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen those though.” He was silent a moment. “Can I watch? Or I guess observe?”

“Well I think there’s a bookshop somewhere around here. Or I guess it’s more like a library with the way it’s run. You could always go hang out there.” Asher slid his hand to Kaleb’s and swung them as they walked. “Or you could hunt with me. We could be quite some pair. Or… you could be a baker. It has nothing to do with what you just told me but who knows. It could be your secret passion. Or… maybe you could like fishing. We eat fish. I think.” He pointed to a man as they walked. “That’s Rodney. He fishes when the water isn’t frozen. Otherwise, I think he mostly plays the drums? Something like that.” Asher slowed to a stop in the middle of the street. “But you’ve got time to figure it out. We can figure out who you are that isn’t an officer. I needed that kind of help too.”
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Alexander Brennan, Kaleb Price, Jordan DeShay, Kaiden Lachlan, Elijah Lewis and Cameron Harris (and the Smith Clan)
Former Seraphite, Former FEDRA officer, Former Smuggler, Former WLF, Former Seraphite, Former Firefly | 19, 27, 30, 26, 27, 23 | Current location ;; Wyoming

Jordan chuckled as he looked at Carlos, and smiled at the kiss. He waited for Carlos to slip off and heard his words. "Don't get too distracted without me beautiful." Jordan called before he walked Thunder out back and undid his saddle and bridle, letting the horse roam with the sheep. "Behave boy." Jordan said before he moved out of the field and into the house through the back door. As he entered the house, he had a pretty good feeling he knew where Carlos was. Jordan made his way to the art room and leaned on the doorframe. "So I've been replaced with art? Well, I guess I'll just lay in my room, all alone. All sad."

At Nate's comment, Jacob looked away for a moment. It was clear something had happened to his twin but Jacob swallowed his feelings down. He'd always miss Logan, but he had accepted his death a long time ago. He watched Nate take in everything in the building, a smile forming on his face. He had to admit that Nate reminded him a lot of himself as a young adult, fresh out of college and beginning his residency. "You're close. I was an ER and Trauma Nurse back in Seattle in the old world. And yes, I know what you're thinking." Jacob said as he walked through the building. He'd started talking once Nate had finished. "Of course you can observe." He added as looked at Nate. "And once I'm done, I'll answer all your questions." Jacob added, the reputation of Seattle in Jackson was not good. He and the others were looked down on for a while since they came right around the same time as Abby. But they proved themselves. Though sometimes he wondered if some of the residents still looked at any of them badly. He also knew that the WLF had a bad reputation and he could only imagine what Nate was thinking considering he was here with Alex. He wasn't able to speak again as his patient showed up. "Jeb. How's the arm today?" He asked and Jeb smiled. "It's better than the last time Jacob, Oh! Hello there. I saw you in the cafeteria earlier, name's Jedidiah but I go by Jeb. It's a lot easier." He said as Jacob started undoing the wrap to massage and check the bone.

Kaleb looked at Asher and smiled as he nodded. "I'll have to check it out." He said as he felt Asher's hand slide to his and they swung. "I'd love to hunt with you. That sounds like a good use of skills. Though I don't know if I've got the patience for baking or fishing." Kaleb commented as he felt Asher slow to a stop. "And I've got all the help I need to figure out who I am."​

 

[icedthemoon]

Nathaniel Matthews, Carlos Price, Asher McCoy, Ezekiel Finch, Theophilus Sharpe, and Emmett Adler (and the Smith Clan)
Former Firefly, Aspiring Artist, Former Hunter, Former Seraphite, Former WLF, Former Firefly | 21, 25, 32, 29, 25, 24 | Current location ;; Wyoming

Drawing and painting could wait for now. He could do that later when he didn’t have a whole house to just him and Jordan. A whole house. That meant no one to feel weird about whatever it was that they did. No one to tell him to keep quiet or remember that families and children lived there too. He rolled his eyes at the memory. He raised a hand, walked backwards, and grabbed Jordan’s shirt. “Don’t you dare think about leaving me.” He tossed his pencil on the table and turned around, wrapping his hand around the back of Jordan’s neck and pressing a kiss to his lips. It only lasted a few seconds before he pulled away. “There will be no alone or sad while you’re with me.”

Seattle. Seattle as in the place they literally just came from with people who wanted to take and hurt and kill Alex and Kaleb. Seattle as in the place that seemed to be the worst place in the entire world. He had yet to meet anyone who did not agree. Seattle. He would be asking more as soon as this patient was gone. “Hi, Jeb, it’s wonderful to meet you!” He smiled because he was a smiley kind of guy. “I’m Nate. Nathaniel actually, but I don’t know why I keep telling people that when no one ever says it. Sounds long and pretentious.” He breathed. “Glad your arm is doing okay. Jacob is excellent at what he does. I think. I mean I’ve only seen like two things so…”

“Maybe you’re a hunter. It’s all the same skills, I promise.” Asher smiled at him for just a moment longer and then looked out at the town around them. “So I think I got distracted from our tour. It’s not really a big town. I mean it’s big but it’s not like Denver QZ big or Pittsburgh after the fall big. It’s..” he watched a couple of people walk by. “Nice. It’s nice.”
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Alexander Brennan, Kaleb Price, Jordan DeShay, Kaiden Lachlan, Elijah Lewis and Cameron Harris (and the Smith Clan)
Former Seraphite, Former FEDRA officer, Former Smuggler, Former WLF, Former Seraphite, Former Firefly | 19, 27, 30, 26, 27, 23 | Current location ;; Wyoming

Jordan simply chuckled as he saw Carlos raise a hand, walk backwards and then he felt the grip on his shirt. He saw him toss his pencil before turning around, hand on the back of Jordan’s neck and he smiled into the kiss. “Got it. No sad and alone with you. Now? Believe you said you wanted to show me things?” Jordan asked, pulling from Carlos’ grip and walking backwards with a crooked finger beckoning Carlos to follow him to his room.

Jacob chuckled as he felt the bone and muscle. “Alright Jeb. I think we can start using this arm. I want you to do simple and ordinary things with it. And the wrap can come off. But use this brace in case it gets tired or sore okay?” Jacob said, reaching down and grabbing a small sturdy arm brace he’d managed to get ahold of. The old hospital in the city nearby had, had a lot of supplies leftover. “Got it! Thanks Jacob. And Nate? Pleasure to meet you. You can learn a lot from him. See you two later.” Jeb said after he’d put the brace on. Now they were alone once more. “Okay. Now ask away. I’m an open book and I’ll answer any questions.”

Kaleb smiled as he too looked around the town. “It’s nice. I’ve never been anywhere with people that actually like their lives. And aren’t being put down. It’s pretty awesome.” Kaleb said as he looked to Asher. “But yes, I’d love to join your next hunt.”​

 

[icedthemoon]

Nathaniel Matthews, Carlos Price, Asher McCoy, Ezekiel Finch, Theophilus Sharpe, and Emmett Adler (and the Smith Clan)
Former Firefly, Aspiring Artist, Former Hunter, Former Seraphite, Former WLF, Former Firefly | 21, 25, 32, 29, 25, 24 | Current location ;; Wyoming

That beckoning figure was like a lure on a hook, and Carlos swam right after it, ready to bite. “I would ask to make sure that you and your cute hunter made up, but I heard that you did.” He smiled mischievously as he followed Jordan to the room. “And I would also ask to make sure that he’s okay with this, but I’ve met him and he’s definitely okay with this.” Carlos paused at the doorway. “Besides, he’s got my cutie with him. Just wish they’d get a room already. They’d feel so much better if they did.” He laughed. “Alright, beautiful. It’s my turn to teach you some things.” And he closed the door.

Nate waved as Jeb left like they had been friends for ages, and honestly, in a couple of weeks, it might feel that way. That was how Nate used to be with people. He used to make friends with anyone and everyone. Not like Carlos. Carlos had a charm that he had never seen before, and that was only because Jordan was not quite up to his standards for the majority of time that he had seen him. That would change. Nate sat in a chair and waited until they were alone and Jacob was prepared. “Seattle.” That wasn’t a question. That was a statement. “So you were WLF?” Now that they were away, he could remember all those things he learned when he still had his brothers. “Washington Liberation Front. Like Abby. And like the people who call him a scar?” He didn’t say this with malice. It was curiosity mostly. He learned through Kaleb that he could not immediately judge. He loved Kaleb too much to dismiss Jacob. “I didn’t guess that yesterday. I wouldn’t have guessed that today.”

Asher nodded. “It really is. I didn’t think it was real. Jordan brought me here, and we find Joel for him, and everything is just so good and nice and perfect. I thought it had to be an elaborate trap. It had been years since I was in Pittsburgh, and still I was thinking that this had to be a trap. I was actually kind of impressed, but I was living every day thinking that this was not real.” He shook his head. “But it really is.” He started walking again. “Come on. I think you should walk inside this old place.” He gestured to the bookshop. “I started reading more when I got here. For you actually. I wanted to see if it was really up to what you said.” He shrugged. “I guess it’s alright.”
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Alexander Brennan, Kaleb Price, Jordan DeShay, Kaiden Lachlan, Elijah Lewis and Cameron Harris (and the Smith Clan)
Former Seraphite, Former FEDRA officer, Former Smuggler, Former WLF, Former Seraphite, Former Firefly | 19, 27, 30, 26, 27, 23 | Current location ;; Wyoming

Jacob nodded as he looked at Nate. “I was WLF yes. I actually helped in its creation. Our initial goal was to be rid of FEDRA, and in fact my husband and Hayden’s were both FEDRA first. I was a medic in the WLF. Some of the things that Isaac did, we had no knowledge of. Until it was too late. We did not know of what went on in the apartments, only that our people were killed, disemboweled by Alex, Eli and Ezekiel’s people. And we were not much better I agree. Eventually we all left when Kaiden came forward with who he’d fallen in love with. Any other questions? I am not proud of my past but I am not afraid of it either. This town took us in, just before Abby arrived, and we have worked hard to prove ourselves.” Jacob said as he looked at Nate.

Kaleb listened to Asher, hearing his words. He nodded as he heard him. He couldn’t imagine living like everything wasn’t right. Like everything was a lie. Kaleb moved with him and he felt a smile cross his face. “You did? And it all depends on the book as to how you like it.” Kaleb said as he stepped inside the bookshop. His mouth opened a little in awe as he looked at all the books. His hand ran along some of the spines, reading them as he moved. “Wow.” He said softly as he looked around.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Nathaniel Matthews, Carlos Price, Asher McCoy, Ezekiel Finch, Theophilus Sharpe, and Emmett Adler (and the Smith Clan)
Former Firefly, Aspiring Artist, Former Hunter, Former Seraphite, Former WLF, Former Firefly | 21, 25, 32, 29, 25, 24 | Current location ;; Wyoming

The fact that Jacob was just going to answer him was already better than he thought this would go. He loved when people would say the words that they meant. It was always easier that way. He listened and he tried to understand. “The WLF were like the Fireflies then?” Because that did sound like what they wanted. Down with the oppression of FEDRA and up with a new and better life. “I understand that. My people didn’t always make the best decisions either. They… They killed a lot of people.” Nate hated that part of this. He hated the part where they really were like terrorists. “They killed Kaleb’s mom.” He looked down for a moment, gathering all of his thoughts. “Okay. So. You were a Seattle nurse before. In that hospital I assume? Were you there when it all went down? The very first? They tell me that Seattle had the worst of it.”

Asher followed him inside the bookshop, hands in his pockets as they moved. “Yeah, I think I read two or three. They did not keep my interest. Soren tells me that you have to find the right kind of book to share with someone else. I think he reads to Jacob, which is sweet and all, but Jordan is far too wiggly for that.” He looked up and waved to the owner of this little establishment. “Hey Emmett.” Emmett waved back. “Good ‘morrow!” He laughed a little. “Welcome to this humble establishment. If you see something you like, we can make a deal. Deal to keep or deal to borrow. All is welcome here.” Asher nodded. “I believe we all met Emmett earlier when we fortuitously realized that your Medicine Man knows Cam. It’s a small world.”
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Alexander Brennan, Kaleb Price, Jordan DeShay, Kaiden Lachlan, Elijah Lewis and Cameron Harris (and the Smith Clan)
Former Seraphite, Former FEDRA officer, Former Smuggler, Former WLF, Former Seraphite, Former Firefly | 19, 27, 30, 26, 27, 23 | Current location ;; Wyoming

“Our original intention was similar to the Fireflies yes. But once we brought down FEDRA, the Seraphites started fighting us for territory and it went downhill drastically. My people were not.. the best either. And many of them had vowed to not be like FEDRA, even though they were.” Jacob replied, a frown crossing his face. “Before we took down FEDRA, my brother.. was killed by them. During a fight between our growing organization and them. It was tough.” Jacob added as he swallowed hard. “Yes. I was on the front lines of the infection. It was actually how I met Soren. He.. saved me more than once that day and when nightmares came, because that hospital. All the stories you heard? They’re all true. It was horrible. I still have nightmares every so often. I watched my mother turn and go after me.” Jacob paused, allowing himself to recollect. “There is a very good reason they called Seattle Ground Zero.”

Kaleb looked at Asher and smiled as he browsed before he heard him. “I completely agree and if you’d like, you can read to me if you like.” Kaleb offered as he looked over at Emmett. “Nice to see you again Emmett.” Kaleb said as he nodded. “Thank you! If I see something, I’ll come over.” He added.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Nathaniel Matthews, Carlos Price, Asher McCoy, Ezekiel Finch, Theophilus Sharpe, and Emmett Adler (and the Smith Clan)
Former Firefly, Aspiring Artist, Former Hunter, Former Seraphite, Former WLF, Former Firefly | 21, 25, 32, 29, 25, 24 | Current location ;; Wyoming

This was why it was important not to judge so harshly on first meeting. Would Nate have been able to do this yesterday? Maybe. Would he had been able to the day before? He was not so sure. He certainly could not have when they made it to Seattle. He would have never been able to even be in the same room. It was not Jacob’s fault that other people made decisions that were not their favorite. “Okay. Okay that makes sense.” He sat there silently for a moment, taking it all in. Feeling it. “I watched my brothers start to turn too. I dream about them sometimes.” He had a thought, one that he never really thought about before. “You know how that Abby girl came and killed Joel? He killed my mama. I never told Jordan that. I don’t think I want to. It’s not Jordan’s fault. There’s a whole lot of people in this world who are hurting for a lot of different reasons. A lot of people trying to protect someone else or dealing with their emotions in the worst ways. Can I say something strange?” He smiled as he looked at Jacob. “I know it seems kind of silly, but I just wanted you to know that I don’t blame you. You are a nurse and a medic and a good person even if you were part of something that you believed in once.” “What about me?” Nate turned his attention to the front door where Hayden appeared. He did not wear the smile that Nate saw before, but Nate nodded anyway. “I think we can all use a little forgiveness. That’s how we save the world.”

Asher snorted out a laugh. “I don’t even know what I would read to you. I tried reading remember? It didn’t go well.” He sighed as he looked at all of these books. They never spoke to him like they did to Kaleb. “You’ll have to tell me what is actually any good since I seem to be terrible at figuring that out. They all look the same. How do you even know?”
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Alexander Brennan, Kaleb Price, Jordan DeShay, Kaiden Lachlan, Elijah Lewis and Cameron Harris (and the Smith Clan)
Former Seraphite, Former FEDRA officer, Former Smuggler, Former WLF, Former Seraphite, Former Firefly | 19, 27, 30, 26, 27, 23 | Current location ;; Wyoming

Jacob looked at Nate and smiled as he heard him, and he frowned hearing that. "It definitely scarred me." Jacob commented as he heard him. Oh. He knew Joel wasn't a great person but he wasn't one to judge. He knew better than to do that. "I see. I'm sorry to hear that." Jacob told him before he cocked his head curiously. Then his eyes widened a little as he heard that with a warm smile. He was about to say something when he looked over and saw Hayden in the doorway. "You know what Nate? You're very right. We can all use a little forgiveness." Jacob smiled as he waved Hayden in. "No matter what we've done, or who we've belonged to, we all deserve it." Jacob said as another voice echoed around them. "You're very wise, must be that old age." "Oh you're very funny, what did you do?" Jacob had turned to see Josh stepping as well, a good sized gash from the top of his shoulder down his arm. "Fencing. I fell off Kindle and found some old barbed fencing." Josh said before he smiled. "Now as for forgiveness, I agree completely." Josh added as he sat down, where Jacob moved over and started with cleaning his wound.

Kaleb chuckled as he heard that snorted laugh. "Well, how about I find a book I think you'll like and you can try reading it to me. Maybe that's the difference." Kaleb commented as he looked at the books. "This one's good. It's about a vampire falling in love with a human." Kaleb said, pulling it out and showing it to Asher. "Perhaps you'd like this one?"​

 

[icedthemoon]

Nathaniel Matthews, Carlos Price, Asher McCoy, Ezekiel Finch, Theophilus Sharpe, and Emmett Adler (and the Smith Clan)
Former Firefly, Aspiring Artist, Former Hunter, Former Seraphite, Former WLF, Former Firefly | 21, 25, 32, 29, 25, 24 | Current location ;; Wyoming

“I like him.” Hayden moved inside to stand by his husband as Jacob took a look at his arm. Nate was also taking a look at it, because that was who he was. “Thank you,” he replied as he stared at the gash. “So what did you do to feel like you are unforgiveable?” He asked. If they were sharing grievances, then they should share grievances. He would share too. This was how they he learned about people. They should know it all now. Hayden was not expecting such a question. He was not there for the first part of the conversation. “Plenty of things,” he answered as he leaned against Josh. “Ran my son and my husband off. Caused more than my fair share of uproars in the entirety of the WLF. Blamed everyone else for all of my problems. Never addressed my demons.” Nate, still watching Jacob, pointed at him. “I killed my brothers when they were bitten. I didn’t address that for a long time. Alex had to do that for me. I judge too many too quickly. I trust everyone all the time and then one person shows up and tells me he used to be in FEDRA, and I am a whole new person. I can’t fix that as much as I try.” He pointed to Josh. “Your turn. You can’t not do it. You’re being held captive.” He pointed to the arm.

Asher joined Kaleb and looked at the book. “Oh, I’m into supernatural romance? Alright, not what I would have chosen, but I trust you? Of course, I don’t remember what I tried last time. Em, do you remember what I tried to read before?” Emmett did in fact know, because this is what he did. “Animal Farm, which I think is brilliant but you disliked very much. And Ender’s Game. You didn’t agree with his strategies.” Asher nodded. “Right. Well, supernatural romance could work?” Asher had absolutely no idea.
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Alexander Brennan, Kaleb Price, Jordan DeShay, Kaiden Lachlan, Elijah Lewis and Cameron Harris (and the Smith Clan)
Former Seraphite, Former FEDRA officer, Former Smuggler, Former WLF, Former Seraphite, Former Firefly | 19, 27, 30, 26, 27, 23 | Current location ;; Wyoming

Josh looked at Hayden when he felt him lean against him as Jacob worked on his arm. He looked over at Nate when he heard that question, and then heard Hayden's response. Joshua and Jacob both listened to Nate's response as well and then Josh looked down for a moment as he heard that it was his turn. "Well. To start I killed my father, Hayden's mother and sister, our neighbors, and several innocents when I was in FEDRA, along with upholding their rules and regulations, eventually making it up to General. I joined the WLF after I fought against my husband, causing him to not walk properly anymore, and then I almost lost my son more than once during patrols or when he was run off." Josh said, looking down at his hand as he sighed heavily. Jacob started stitching up his arm and bit his lip as he listened.

Kaleb shrugged as he chuckled and nodded. "Maybe you are." He said as he looked over at Emmett, before the door opened. In walked Cameron and Alex. Alex had come with him because he was curious about the book shop and they were done at the stables. "Hey babe." Cam said, walking over to Emmett with a smile. "Oh, hey guys!" Alex said as he noticed Kaleb and Asher. Kaleb smiled and waved at Alex. "Hey!"​

 

[icedthemoon]

Nathaniel Matthews, Carlos Price, Asher McCoy, Ezekiel Finch, Theophilus Sharpe, and Emmett Adler (and the Smith Clan)
Former Firefly, Aspiring Artist, Former Hunter, Former Seraphite, Former WLF, Former Firefly | 21, 25, 32, 29, 25, 24 | Current location ;; Wyoming

Nate did not know the weight of everyone’s mistakes, nor did he know if these were bad memories. What he did know was that it did not matter. “I almost got my mama killed once,” he said as he watched how Jacob stitched up the arm. His technique was better than Nate’s. That must have been the difference between being an actually trained nurse and being a mostly self-taught medic. “Or actually numerous times. Like genuinely almost died and it was my fault several times. I have also caused more than one ambush because I didn’t kill someone. And apparently I never learn.” He sat back and looked at each of the older men around him. “Where’s your partner? I thought you were both patrolling? I wanted to ask him about his dead bodies he’s hiding too. Nevermind, it’s fine.” He looked at them all inquisitively a moment. “Thank you for sharing. Thank you, Jacob, for letting me watch. Thank you, Josh, for being so honest. Thank you, Hayden, for sharing your demons.” He reached out and touched the ring that Hayden spun. “Your wounds do not define you.” And then he got real up and personal with his leg, because Nate was comfortable and forgot how personal space worked. “How long has it been like this?”

Asher plucked the book from Kaleb’s hand and walked himself over to Emmett. “I’m taking this one. What do you want for it?” Emmett was about to answer when the other two came in. He eyed Cam and then looked at Asher. Asher nodded almost imperceptibly. “Just don’t ruin it and bring it back when you’re finished. You know the doors are open pretty much always. Until I have gone to bed. And then they are closed and locked.” Asher thanked him and moved back to Kaleb. “You guys have fun with the stalls?”
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Alexander Brennan, Kaleb Price, Jordan DeShay, Kaiden Lachlan, Elijah Lewis and Cameron Harris (and the Smith Clan)
Former Seraphite, Former FEDRA officer, Former Smuggler, Former WLF, Former Seraphite, Former Firefly | 19, 27, 30, 26, 27, 23 | Current location ;; Wyoming

Jacob and Josh both looked at Nate when he spoke and they looked at each other. Josh looked at Nate and then at Jacob. "He's putting the horses away, told me to get my arm checked out. Our route was quick today with very little infected." Josh said as he smiled. Jacob nodded with a big grin. "Anytime Nate, I'm more than happy to have someone to help out around here if you'd like to work here more often." Jacob said while Josh simply nodded. "I've learned from personal experience to always be honest." Josh admitted as he moved away from Jacob and his attention went on Hayden when Nate went to his leg. Curiosity echoed in Josh's face as he looked at him.

Kaleb chuckled as he felt the book plucked from his hands. He watched as Asher talked to Emmett about the book while Alex was busy checking out the books around him. "Wow." Alex whispered before he heard Asher's question. "Stalls went great, Alex was a huge help." Cam said as he leaned against a shelving unit, looking at Asher and then glanced over at Emmett with a smile.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Nathaniel Matthews, Carlos Price, Asher McCoy, Ezekiel Finch, Theophilus Sharpe, and Emmett Adler (and the Smith Clan)
Former Firefly, Aspiring Artist, Former Hunter, Former Seraphite, Former WLF, Former Firefly | 21, 25, 32, 29, 25, 24 | Current location ;; Wyoming

Hayden thought about this question as the others spoke. What was the best way to answer that? “Over ten years.” Nate touched the leg with both hands, feeling the muscles inside. “Because of a fight?” Hayden paused a beat. “Yes.” Nate nodded. “One leg or both?” It was easier to answer now that they were going. “Primarily one. Sometimes both.” Nate nodded again. “You broke it, didn’t you?” He had literally zero personal space at this point, though Hayden didn’t seem to mind. He had a science brain too. “I did. It was entirely out of place. It looked like I put it on top of the other one.” Nate ran a hand over the top of his leg near his hip. “Did they screw it back in place?” Hayden wasn’t sure to be honest. “They did what they could.” Nate looked over to Josh and Jacob. “Do you guys remember? It changes things. I read plenty on breaks in the medical journals. Not saying you don’t know,” he added for Jacob, “but if you were a nurse, you didn’t do surgeries, right?” And if you were newly forming your anti-FEDRA militia, you may not have had surgery capabilities.” His eyes seemed to light up. “Oh oh oh I have thoughts. I will wait for those thoughts for answers to questions I have already asked.” He breathed in deep. Breathe Nate breathe.

Asher smiled at Alex. “Does that mean you’ve found where you belong? That was quick.” He looked at Kaleb. “Some of us were not that quick.” He gave him that little smile like they had an inside joke. Maybe they did now. “Alright, so what is everyone’s plans for the rest of the day?”
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Alexander Brennan, Kaleb Price, Jordan DeShay, Kaiden Lachlan, Elijah Lewis and Cameron Harris (and the Smith Clan)
Former Seraphite, Former FEDRA officer, Former Smuggler, Former WLF, Former Seraphite, Former Firefly | 19, 27, 30, 26, 27, 23 | Current location ;; Wyoming

Josh listened to Hayden explain his leg injury and it felt like he was taken back in time to when it happened again. It had been the worst battle he'd ever taken part in and it was in that moment he left FEDRA and went to the WLF. Jacob looked at Nate and sighed heavily. "We did what we could, like Hayden said. We were still building our medical tents and, no. It wasn't screwed into place, we shifted the bones back into place, stinted it with an outside stint and compression wrap, and let it heal." Jacob explained as Josh was too busy looking at his hands in his lap. That was one thing he wished that he could take back. It was him that had caused the injury. It had been an accident but Josh never let himself forget it.

Alex looked at Asher and nodded as he looked over at the other two. "Yeah. I did." Alex agreed before he saw that smile like Kaleb and Asher had an inside joke. He was glad that Kaleb had Asher back, he could see how those two worked well together. "I'm going to go see Nate, I'll see you guys later." Alex waved as he turned and headed for the medical building. Kaleb looked at Asher and smiled. "Perhaps we can check out this new book of yours, I'm sure there is a quiet place for us to do that, that isn't the farmhouse where our men are."​

 

[icedthemoon]

Nathaniel Matthews, Carlos Price, Asher McCoy, Ezekiel Finch, Theophilus Sharpe, and Emmett Adler (and the Smith Clan)
Former Firefly, Aspiring Artist, Former Hunter, Former Seraphite, Former WLF, Former Firefly | 21, 25, 32, 29, 25, 24 | Current location ;; Wyoming

Hayden reached for Josh’s hands and squeezed every finger he could grab. That was a long time ago, and he had forgiven Josh. It took a lot of heartache to get there, but they had done it. They found a way to finally have true peace between them. It was hard. It was unbelievably hard. It took everything they had to make this work, and it was work. He pressed against Josh to remind him that this was not something that was between them. Not anymore. “So what are you thinking we do about it?” He asked, still looking at only Josh. Nate grinned, because this was what he loved the most. Working with bodies and making them do what they were supposed to do again. Making people feel better. Saving people. “You did an excellent job,” he told Jacob as he backed away. “I think we should break it again.”

What Asher had decided was that Alex was cute. He could see why Kaleb and Carlos kept him around. He had not made a decision about Nate yet, but he got Alex. He waved at him as he left and turned back to Kaleb. “I think that’s a perfect idea. You’re right though. The farmhouse absolutely is not quiet right now. We could always go back to our old house. I didn’t actually bring anything over, though I planned on having Jordan come with me. Hmm. There’s bound to be somewhere else we can go.” Emmett raised his hand to grab their attention. “The town’s kind of a busy place with everyone all together. You want somewhere quiet? You can always take him outside of Jackson proper. We have plenty of places out there that aren’t too far out but far enough that no one will bother you.” He shrugged. “‘Course, we also have that little gazebo a couple of streets over. It’s closer and less dangerous.”
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Alexander Brennan, Kaleb Price, Jordan DeShay, Kaiden Lachlan, Elijah Lewis and Cameron Harris (and the Smith Clan)
Former Seraphite, Former FEDRA officer, Former Smuggler, Former WLF, Former Seraphite, Former Firefly | 19, 27, 30, 26, 27, 23 | Current location ;; Wyoming

Josh looked at Hayden, feeling those hands take his fingers and squeeze. A smile on his face grew as he felt his husband press against him. He knew that Hayden had forgiven him, but it still haunted him sometimes. It always would, a demon of his own that he couldn't get rid of completely. Jacob and Josh both looked at Nate when heard his answer. Josh blinked at that. "What? No. How would breaking it do anything but give Hayden more pain?" Josh asked in disbelief while Jacob thought about it. "I see. If we rebreak it, we can set it better and screw it into place. We've got better equipment here then we did back then." Jacob said, nodding his head. "That's not a bad idea Nate." Jacob added, while Josh seemed incredibly uncomfortable with that. "What do you think about that dear?" Josh asked, looking at Hayden. As they were talking, Alex slipped in and walked over, sitting down a few feet away, observing the others curiously.

Kaleb looked at Asher after he'd waved at Alex when he left. He listened to Asher before looking at Emmett when he spoke. "I'm both curious and intrigued about places outside of the town, but I did not think we were allowed, so perhaps the gazebo would be a smarter choice." Kaleb said as he thought about what both of them said.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Nathaniel Matthews, Carlos Price, Asher McCoy, Ezekiel Finch, Theophilus Sharpe, and Emmett Adler (and the Smith Clan)
Former Firefly, Aspiring Artist, Former Hunter, Former Seraphite, Former WLF, Former Firefly | 21, 25, 32, 29, 25, 24 | Current location ;; Wyoming

Nate knew this sounded crazy. He knew that breaking it sounded like the opposite of what they needed to do. But wasn’t it cool when that was sometimes the answer? “So there’s this window of time that you have between after you’ve set it back in place, anything that breaks or is displaced or whatever, and also after you don’t need the immobilizing brace of some sort anymore and when it’s kind of done healing and everything is set where it thinks it wants to be. May I?” He held onto Hayden’s leg. Hayden held onto Josh. “In that period of time, which is finite and limited for sure, you can work it back into doing what it should be. But if you don’t get it back to full range in time, the only way to get it back is to do a whole surgery again. You struggle here. And here? And here.” Hayden nodded a bit impressed. “Right. Because you never got it back where it needed to go because you couldn’t. I’m impressed with both you and him for getting it here. Most people just lose their limbs when they have this. Good on you. Anyway, so if we break it again, we start over the process. I don’t know what we have here, but in theory, if we can set it better, screw the bone in, and really work on telling those muscles and ligaments that we’re serious about being a functioning leg again, we could do it.” He was grinning like a little kid. “So what do you think?” Hayden wasn’t sure what to think honestly. Could that really work? He looked at Josh with just a little bit of hope.

Asher shrugged. “It’s not since you probationary, and I’m your parole officer. Come on.” He took Kaleb’s hand and pulled him out of the little building. “Bye guys. Thanks for the advice!” As soon as they were out, he started leading them down the street. “He doesn’t know your on probation of course, but also, it’s a little early to start sneaking out. We can do that later.”
​