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Aaron "Sullivan"

There is so much to say, and not enough time to say it."

0 · 1,021 views · located in The Wild West

a character in “A Handful of Dust Remake”, as played by Redred33mer

Description

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Aaron Sullivan

Role: Male 3
Age: Twenty-one
Occupation: Town Guard - "Someone needs to keep things in order, and I'm not the only one to do it."

Likes:
- Weapons - "That does not mean I'm trying to kill you. Shooting's just fun."
- Knowledge/Reading - "You can't do anything if you don't know anything."
- Hiking - "There's a lot in nature to be admired, and no one disturbs you when you're trying to think."
- Philosophy - "Figuring out how you want to live is important, figuring out why is even more so."
- Games - "One way to apply and use your skill. Everything is a game, some are more fun than others, and some are more serious than others. It's all about what moves you decide to make."
- Ultimate (Frisbee) - "The best sport ever invented. Wanna play?"
- Helping others - "Everyone needs help at one time or another, and I know that."

Dislikes:
- Reflecting - "Looking at myself after I do something makes me seem... horrendous to myself."
- The Human Condition - "I understand the imperfection of others, but when I realize my own imperfections and can't fix it... I hate it."
- Sleep - "There seems to be not enough time to do everything you want in a day, and sleeping just gets in the way."
- The Past - "How do I get over it?"
- Elitism - "There are just some people who think they have some sort of God-given right to tell you what to do, and it pisses me off."

Fears:
- The Disease - "How are you not scared of something that has destroyed entire societies?"
- The Future - "It's scary to look at myself then not know what's going to happen to me."

Dreams: "Dreams? How do you 'dream' after such atrocities?"

Personality: Aaron has a very analytical view of situations and scenarios presented to him, whether in theory or in reality. Often, he analyzes himself, and how he resolved an event. Sometimes he thinks he did great, other times he doesn't. Although he can be quite depressed, and hikes off to somewhere when he does, he can be quite sarcastic and tries to be humorous, though at times he can go too far with an idea. As a town guard, he tries to resolve verbal outbreaks between two people before it goes too far, and shows his analytical and rather caring side.

Having grown up with such a turbulent childhood, he can be rather touchy. Sometimes, he gets annoyed easily or doesn't have patience. Some days he exiles himself from the town to God only knows where.

Background: Aaron was found by survivors of the apocalyptic event that swept the lands. The people who found him, James and Kasey Sullivan, a young married couple who were in their mid-twenties, took him into their care and has raised him ever since. When he was young, they told Dust's authorities that they were all a family, they told them their story of being survivors, a rather ordinary one, and they were accepted into the town's limits.

At a rather young age, Aaron became interested with the past, how people got to where they were as a whole. Why was life so different then stories his "parents" would tell him of the past. His mother took care of him at home while his father worked as a laborer, moving crates of necessary goods from one place to the next, as at the time, stabilizing society was more important than developing it. Since the town was under the impression that James and Kasey were Aaron's parents, he didn't go through the system of being rotated from one family to the next. However, Kasey did get pregnant with her own child, and the Sullivans did participate in the fostering program of the town.

As Aaron progressed with his reading, he began reading more substantial things. When he was 10, he read Animal Farm by George Orwell, and began developing a view on how he thinks societies should run and how life should carry on. Soon after, his baby "brother" was born, Nick, and shortly after that his parents had a rather serious conversation with Aaron, where it was revealed to him that he was not in fact their child, and that he was found abandoned as an infant. Feeling like James and Kasey have been lying to him for 9 to 10 years, Aaron ran away from home, living on the streets of Dust and hiding from people as much as he could. He learned that Nick had died from a series of diseases and conditions, including diabetes, at a young age, with little medicine to go around. Kasey soon after committed suicide, and not able to handle it, James ran off to somewhere in the wilderness, and is presumed dead, having not been seen since years. Aaron was then sent unto the fostering system of the town.

Resenting how his life had progressed, Aaron grew up and still has a multitude of unaddressed problems. He did socialize, usually through activities. He learned to play ultimate, playing Frisbee with others, and in his different households learned different survival/living skills. He works now as a town guard, trying to give Dust something back because of what the town has given to him, and has grown up almost in the library, reading book after book trying to find answers to his unresolved life. On his days off, he is nowhere to be found. Aaron lives rather mysteriously now.

So begins...

Aaron "Sullivan"'s Story

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Evanne Luna Remmington Character Portrait: Juniper Jacobs Character Portrait: Noah Ripley Character Portrait: Rob Braddock Character Portrait: Pamela Clay Character Portrait: Dana Clay
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Evanne suspected that Juniper was off in her own little world but she came back to life when Evelyn was in her arms. They walked over to the store her mother owned, she was glad to see that her mother wasn't there. "Hey, Sam. How long is she going to be gone for?" She asked, already putting things in her basket. She only got things that she needed or that it was possible that the newcomers, her friends needed.

Evelyn laughed, clapping as Juni held her and talked to her. Juni was one of the few that could hold Evelyn and she wouldn't mind. She reached up and grabbed a strand of Juni's hair. She stroked it, staring at the pale golden hues.

Evanne sighed when Juniper mentioned the boots. "Yeah, she's just about done with those. But I can't find a bigger size boot for her that aren't huge. I have no idea where to find a pair. Any suggestions?" She asked her.

The blonde moved to the front of the store and paid for what she got. They piled it into as few bags as possible and began to out into the out air. She looked at Juni and gave her a soft smile. "Are you really okay with coming to see them with me? I know there's some... history there."

As they walked, Evanne's eyes couldn't help but search for Noah. Was he okay? Was he getting the wrath of Pamela because of what she said? She hated to think she caused him more trouble. She saw them over by the Town Hall. She couldn't help but wonder what they were talking about. Pam obviously didn't know her secret but she was sure she knew just about everyone else's.

Pam could be a cruel woman when she wanted to. Evanne hated that she had so much power. She always seemed to want to dictate everyone else's lives.

Evanne smiled at Noah and nodded her head as they walked past. Her heart skipped a beat. God, why did he have to make her feel things she shouldn't? She should just go back to Aaron. He would be a fine choice to settle down with.

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Ginny smiled as she watched her brother and Dana go around and around, messing with different parts of it. she didn't know everything they were doing but she sat where she had before and watched them. This was the closet thing she had to entertainment in a long time. She watched the way the two seemed to be connected as they worked. She wondered if this friendship could develop into something more.

She knew her brother loved Juni but if he couldn't admit that, could he have a relationship with this girl? She wished she knew all the facts. She wanted her brother to be happy. If it was Juniper that would be amazing, if it was with this girl who seemed to match him then that was fine as well.

"I think you two did amazing." Ginny said, carefully getting up. She followed Dana into the house. She laughed softly. "Ah... it looks like everyone is calling me that." she shook her head. She went into the cooler house and took a seat on the bed. Her feet throbbed in pain but she tried to ignore it.

She perked up when Dana found the Journal. But then Rob had to freak out again. Sometimes she wondered how he got so touchy about these things. They shared everything growing up. And now he shut everyone out."Robin..." She sighed, watching him leave to go fetch more water.

Ginny looked over at the brunette girl and smiled at him. "I'm sorry for him snapping. He's been through a lot... we all have." She ran a hand through her hair. She rested her hand on her large stomach. "You don't have to worry about him. Really, we're not bad people. He has a lot on his mind." She shook her head sadly.

Smiling, Ginny sat up a little more when she mentioned the baby. "Well, my husband and I haven't really decided on what we want to name the baby. It's hard when you don't even know what your having." She laughed softly as the baby started kicking. "I think the baby knows we're talking about them. Wanna feel the baby kick?"

Setting

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Character Portrait: Aaron "Sullivan"
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Aaron "Sullivan"


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When Aaron arose in the early morning, it the sun had barely come over the horizon. The sky was hardly a pale blue, and it was silent, not because it was early, but because this was the last of Aaron's three days off. He was in the mountains, camping on his own.

Aaron sat up in his small, one person tent. It had just enough room for him in his sleeping bag and his tattered blue hiking backpack. He unzipped the flap of a door and pushed his backpack out, crawling out of his sleeping bag and synching his boots up. He didn't bother to change his dirty cargo pants or t-shirt; he had grown used to smelling his dank odor after not bathing for days and hiking about the wilderness. It wasn't like anyone else had to deal with Aaron, and even then, most people still would care less.

It took Aaron a few minutes to disassemble his tent and stick it between the straps of his backpack. He then had to reclaim his bear bag; it was bag hung high from a tree branch two hundred feet away from his tent that kept his food, soap, mess kit, and his two small propane tanks for his portable stove. That way, any lurking animals wouldn't be tempted to rip open his tent if they were hungry.

The last thing he wanted to do before he left camp was gather his firewood in one bundle. Residents of Dust protested Aaron's frequent expeditions into the wilderness. The rule was newcomers weren't allowed in, and if he's leaving and returning all the time, isn't he repeatedly breaking that rule? Instead of giving up something he liked to do, he decided he'd bring firewood from the mountains for people to cook and make fires with. The highlands varied vastly from the arid desert below, allowing all sorts of different wildlife to flourish below the treeline. For about a half hour, he wandered the mountain, gathering sizable tree branches and logs. Luckily, today he only had to drag the pile seven miles.

With his stock of firewood laid over a rope, Aaron tied a timber hitch around it than proceeded to wrap one end of the long rope around his waist, tying a slip knot so he'd have a loop to drag the wood. There was an inherent risk; if he were to slip down a slope he'd have hundreds of pounds of timber trailing after him ready to crash into him. Then again, coming out to the wilderness was always a risk. Something about taking a risk and being in control appealed to Aaron. But even so, there were plenty of other reasons Aaron liked his adventures.

Finally, Aaron put his hat on, a hunter's hat. The desert had an unforgiving sun, and being under it for many hours straight was asking for an unforgettable burn. His arms would be okay; he did have some ability to tan, but hit face an neck were two things he was not willing to endanger. So, packed up and ready, he hoisted his backpack up on his shoulders, clipped it around his waist, and began the hike back to Dust with his pile of timber.




Between the town and the mountain were shrubs and sand. That's about it.

For hours, Aaron trudged forward across the flatland of dunes. The only thing that kept him on track were the pillars of rock placed every fifty feet or so that were used as trail markers. He had to remind himself to drink and keep hydrated; he took three liters of water off the mountain with him and he'd need every bit of it to make it back to Dust.

By now, the sky was a familiar light blue. It was almost getting to be noon, if it wasn't already, and Aaron did not want to exert himself like this during the hottest part of the day. He could see the town's low skyline from where he was; it was still an hour or two away. Stopping to think, he unclipped a water bottle dangling from a chain of carabiners in front of him to take a sip. Now would be a good time to stop.

Aaron then took off his backpack and dropped the rope that secured his sandy firewood. He took his tent out and retrieved the rain-fly, setting it up on two poles he had so he could hang and stake the rain-fly, and he'd have somewhere to eat lunch and take a nap.




Aaron awoke, again, on his own under the nylon canvas of his rain-fly. It was still hot out, but it was certainly past midday. He yawned, took a sip of water, and got himself up. His muscles were still a little tired and stiff, but no one else was there to prompt him or take down his rain-fly or pack up his bag for him. That's one thing he didn't like about his journeys into the wilderness; he was the only one there. He didn't have anyone close to him, he didn't have anyone to be a friend with. More often than not, he found himself sitting in silence on some log or just the plain dirt.

But then again, personal relationships made his job as the town guard difficult. He remembered when he was in a relationship with Evanne; he was glad she left Dust on her own. He wasn't sure if he was going to be incredibly easy with her about keeping the peace with her or unreasonably brash. It gave him time to get over everything that had happened, but that daughter of hers still troubled him. Who was the father?

Eventually, Aaron had his gear together, packed up, and ready to head onwards towards Dust. He put his last full water bottle on the carabiner that hung in front of him, and grabbed the rope to drag the timber.




It was some hours into the afternoon when Aaron finally arrived at the entrance to Dust. People were going about their business just fine; a couple looked disapprovingly upon Aaron's dirty figure.

"Hey Aaron," a middle aged man greeted.

"Hey Mr. Smith," Aaron replied; he was still young, and called many older adults by mister and such.

"Back from another one of your, uh, expeditions?" the man asked.

"Yeah, brought something back for everyone though," Aaron said, gesturing to his pile of wood.

"I'm sure there are some needy folk who could use some of that. I gotta get going to the Mech Hall, I'll see ya around Aaron."

"Yeah, and hopefully I'm not getting paid for it either," Aaron told Mr. Smith, "take care." The two parted ways.

Aaron dragged his timber to the central intersection of Dust, dropping the rope, and killing whatever water he had. He took a deep breath, and finished off the last few drops in his water, taking his pack off and sitting atop his pile of firewood. It was hot and he needed a break after dragging that pile all the way he did.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Evanne Luna Remmington Character Portrait: Juniper Jacobs Character Portrait: Noah Ripley Character Portrait: Rob Braddock Character Portrait: Pamela Clay Character Portrait: Dana Clay
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Evanne pushed open the door, surprised to see Dana there even when Ginny had told her. "Hey, everyone!" She smiled at them. She grinned when she saw Ginny and Dana sitting on the bed, Dana touching her large stomach. She had spent most of her pregnancy alone. She couldn't imagine what it was like to actually have support throughout a pregnancy. She really only had it towards the end when she ran into Juniper, Owen, Robin, and Ginny.

She had been very fortunate to find them. They helped her through the end of her pregnancy and the delivery of Evelyn. She hadn't known if she would make it so she wrote down the name of Evelyn's father in case she didn't make it so Juni could take Evelyn to him if something happened to her. Luckily, Juniper never had to open that letter so she didn't have to worry about anyone knowing the true identity of Evelyn's father. Whose business but hers was it anyway?

She grinned at Robin as he came over. She wrapped her arms around him as he gave her a hugs, she still was holding the bags. "Hey Robin. It's great to see you." She said with a grin. She nodded, when he pointed out Evelyn. "Yeah, you haven't seen her since she was like... two or three months?" She said with a smile.

And then more awkwardness came. Juni and Rob. How did she not see this coming? Well, that was a lie. She saw it coming. She excused herself into the kitchen area and because to put away the food from her. She was just looking up out the window when she felt her heart stop.

Aaron. There he was dragging in some lumber like he always did after his camping trips. She ducked back into the other room so he wouldn't see her. Things were too awkward with him. She took Evelyn from Juniper so her daughter wouldn't get caught in the crossfire.

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Ginny laughed at what her brother said about the little nickname for the people of the town. She smiled at her brother when he walked into the room. Yeah, things were about to get weird but he had to face Juniper at some point. She took the mug from him, thanking him.

Sipping her drink, she reminded herself that she had to keep hydrating. The worse thing she could do for her baby was not hydrate or eat. "Hey, thank you for coming!" Ginny greeted her friends. She smiled at the sight of Evelyn. She didn't care if she had a boy or girl. All she wanted was to have a healthy baby. She knew her husband probably secretly wanted a little boy.

Ginny couldn't help but look in between Juniper and Robin. The tension was building in their little shack. She almost thought it could explode from it. She watched as Evanne escaped into the kitchen area. 'Traitor,' she thought. Of course they all wanted to run and hide, but Evanne was the only one who could do it.

Then again Dana seemed to have the same thing on her mind. 'I am not gonna be left alone with them.' She tightened her grip on Dana's wrist when she thought she was about to run. She whispered so only she could hear, "I don't know what's going through your mind right now but you don't want to get involved in any of that. Just sit and try not to get hit in their crossfire."

Ginny gave her another smile, hoping to ease Dana's panic.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Juniper Jacobs Character Portrait: Aaron "Sullivan"
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Juniper was on her hands and knees looking for Chip. Instead of going through town to the hiding spot, she took the long way around to avoid suspicion. She also needed some time to just be without anyone looking at her. Her blonde strands were a mess, yes, but her heart strings even more tangled. On her way to the spot she had experienced a flood of overwhelming emotion. She had tried her best to just shake it off and suppress whatever was left over, but she couldn't. Whilst in motion she had managed to break a toe kicking a 10 gallon milk can and tore down an old canopy in her irrational pain.

Now, with no sign of Chip and no sign of him ever coming to the fort, Juniper was just mad. Juni let out a huff of air as she stood up from the make shift fort behind the old Harvey farm. She ran a hurried hand through her hair. Where was he? Juniper looked around for a moment, using what tracking skills she had to see if she could see any little foot prints. Nothing. She thought he was smarter than this. Either he was actually helping Mrs. Crawley or he had gotten into trouble.

Quickly she found herself in the center of town. She saw no sign of Chip. Juniper put her hands on her hips, still searching for that little messy head of brunette hair. Her eyes didn't find Chip's head of hair, but they did find Aaron's. "Hey!" She called out to him before trotting up to him. The worry that she felt for Chip was distracted.

"How was it out there?" Juniper asked, like it were some kind of weather check. When Juniper came back from the wilderness she didn't want to talk about it to anyone. She associated everything out there with Robin and hated it. After her adventure into the woods Juniper had a hard time telling anyone what had happened. And she was right not to tell anyone, once she told one person, quite a few of the Dusties knew vaguely about Juni and Robin. When she came home she should have left her trap closed and kept all of her secrets to herself.

Juniper reminded Aaron of her goal, "next time I'm coming out there with you." She looked at the stock pile he was sitting on, "don't worry though, I'll help with all that." She smiled, trying to rid herself of this awful mood brought on her. Juniper spoke in an artificial manner, she was trying too hard to make everything okay. Finicky, still worried, and uneasy, she fidgeted. She played stupidly with her hair and looked around. "Have you seen Chip?"

She knew that once she found Chip she wouldn't have to think about Robin anymore. Her motherly instinct would kick in and she would only care about making sure the little boy was healthy, happy, and full of food.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Risalda Enudo Character Portrait: Evanne Luna Remmington Character Portrait: Owen Thompkins Character Portrait: Juniper Jacobs Character Portrait: Noah Ripley Character Portrait: Rob Braddock
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Evanne remained quiet standing near the door separating the kitchen area from the small bedroom. She watched the exchange between Rob and Juniper just like the others. She didn’t exactly know what their history was but even when she came across them in the wilderness, there was definitely something going on.

Her cheeks turned bright red when she say Noah enter the shack. He didn’t notice her in the dark corner. When his eyes didn’t immediately find hers, her heart sunk a little. She frowned when Robin introduced Noah. She heard Ginny chuckle from the bed. She guessed it must be some sort of inside joke. She stepped forward as Noah shook hands with Ginny. She watched their exchanged. She couldn’t help but wonder if it would be better if she and Noah didn’t now each other. What if they had a fresh start? Sure, it wasn’t possible but sometimes she thought it would be better that way… almost. She decided to make her presence known.

"Hey, so I guess you managed to pry yourself away from Pam?" She smirked at him. ”I hope I didn’t get you into any trouble with her. Her tone was playful, almost as if she didn’t mind causing him a little bit of trouble every now and again.

Evelyn clapped and cheered, making her mother laugh. She reached out for Noah to take her. "No, no, baby, Noah can't hold you." She told her. She tickled her daughter’s sides causing the most adorable giggles from Evelyn. She squirmed. The sounds of laughter were short lived as a screamed pierced the dry air.

Evanne immediately jumped into action, passing Evelyn off to Noah who was now closest to her. She moved around Robin and Dana to kneel beside Ginny who was grimacing in pain. ”Breathe Ginny.” She told her friend in a calm voice.

The one thing Evanne could always be credited with was being calm in the most extreme circumstances. The only time she broke was when she was in labor. She took Ginny’s hand, helping her sit up. The blankets and mattress was wet from Ginny’s water breaking. ”You and your baby are gonna be just fine. We’ll get you to Dr. Enudo.”

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Evanne was finally back, just in time to grab her daughter before the knock on the door. Noah was someone she had never seen before. She smiled at him. "Hello, Mr. Ripley. It's great to finally meet you. Feel free to call me Ginny." She held out her hand so he could shake it.

She glared at her brother’s joke. ”Ha. Ha. Very funny.” She grabbed Owen’s pillow and threw it at her brother with as much force as she could manage. That was a mistake. She didn’t exactly know what happened next but she knew something was wrong.

She felt wet. Did her water just break? No, no it couldn’t have. They needed to wait until the vote. The baby could wait until then. She didn’t hear the exchanges around her after that. She knew something was wrong.

Then the worst pain imaginable ripped through her body. She heard the scream just like everyone else but she didn’t realize it came from herself until she saw everyone looking at her. And then Evanne was by her side. Ginny didn’t want to move but she let her sit her up. She didn’t hear her words. The only thing was pain. So much pain.

”Something’s wrong… I can tell.” She cried out, staring into Evanne’s eyes.

Evanne shook her head. ”No, everything is just fine, I promise. It’s just labor. You can do it. Now let’s get you up and walking. It’ll help it go faster.”

Ginny couldn’t say no to that. She let Evanne pull her too her feet even though it hurt so much. Her mother had told her about how long labor could take. If moving around made it go by faster, she’d do whatever to make it not last as long. Soon she would be staring at their child. The only thing that matter was the child.

"I need Owen."

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Juniper Jacobs Character Portrait: Aaron "Sullivan"
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Aaron "Sullivan"


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Sitting out on one of his logs, Aaron spotted Juniper approaching him as she shouted to him. Juniper was a friend of his; he liked her in more ways than one. She bugged him about going with him out into the wilderness and getting away from Dust just for a short time, but he had not the trust that she'd be able to handle it. It gets lonely in the mountains, and if she wanted to go back out there, she would've done it already. Something happened in the wilderness when Juniper went out there, and he wasn't sure he wanted to find out.

Juniper came, smiling happily as she came to a stop.

"How was it out there?" she asked.

"It was hot, dry, and a bit lonely. Though I did get to practice ancient dark magic rituals with them injuns," he said, slurring the last bit. "There a shy folk, you gotta know how to talk to them." Aaron was racially insensitive; he didn't use people's skin color as a way to judge them but had no problem making a racist joke.

"Next time I'm coming out there with you." The comment made him shift a bit.

"There's probably nothing out there you haven't seen. And besides, you're needed here, you have kids to raise," Aaron told Juniper. He said that, though she didn't have any of her own kids. He stood up and looked at the pile of timber he had dragged into town.

"Don't worry, I'll help with that," Juniper said.

"Yeah, well I think I'm just going to leave it here, and just take my rope. Whoever wants it can have it; when the town is presented with resources, it should be able to figure out what to do with it," Aaron explained. He just stared at the firewood, thinking about how he may spend the rest of the day before walking around Dust making sure no one was killing each other or stealing anyone else's stuff. Luckily, with Dust being the small town it is, it wasn't too hard to keep everything in order. It's why Dust had few town guards.

He looked up at Juniper, about to say something, but she looked around in something of a desperation when she finally asked if he had seen Chip.

"No, I haven't," he answered, "but I wouldn't worry about it. He knows where you live, and I'd be surprised if he doesn't turn up. If I see him, I'll send him back to you, but I wouldn't think much of it. No murderous lunatics I can think of that are around."

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Pamela Clay Character Portrait: Aaron "Sullivan"
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Juniper shifted from one foot to the next, listening to Aaron speak mundanely about the wilderness. She had always had a deep love for the freedom and danger that came with the wilderness, even when her heart was broken up. The way that Aaron spoke so casually and uninterestedly about the outside was beginning to set Juni on edge again. She felt like she needed to defend the greatness that came with surviving in the wilderness but she just didn't have the will power. Too much had happened out there, and quite honestly, she was still healing.

Her face contorted when he made the comment about indians. Racism was not something that people generally dealt with in these days. Everyone was a person and every person could do their share of work. Skin color didn't divide anyone in Dust. Attitude and hard work was what set people aside in this world. Racism was a learned habit and Juniper didn't really understand it, but she also didn't want to get excited about the whole thing. She supposed Aaron had a half decent reason for saying such things. Juniper continued talking without a beat.

He too hadn't seen the little bugger, Chip. Juniper let out a soft sigh before her attention was ripped away from Aaron. Just down the road Robin and Evanne were supporting the moaning Ginny. A dark feeling hit her in the pit of her stomach. She thought about being that pregnant and how terrifying it must be. Juniper couldn't imagine going though such an experience without someone there to support her. Juni's mind flashed back to the night that Robin left, then it raced forward a week and remembered everything tall and terrible that happened in the cold starlight. Her blue orbs watched intently, completely vexed by the situation. Juniper kept her eyes on them as her body wanted to move forward and help them while her mind pushed her back into a strangers position. Juniper had been so engrossed in the situation happening down the street that she had completely lost any kind of conversation with Aaron.

Then she realized. Juniper clapped her hands suddenly. "I'm so sorry," she said, "but I've got to go." Without stopping to hear his response she ran past the hysterical group of baby lovers and made her way to the Mech Hall. She had a hunch that Chip would be here, but really she wanted to talk to Patrick. Whenever she felt like she needed real fatherly advise she would ask him. Most of her childhood Juniper felt like the estranged daughter of Patrick Clay. Oh course she supposed that a lot of young orphaned people felt that way toward him. Approaching the Mech Hall she crossed her arms across her chest. Entering she saw Chip, excited as ever, Pamela, who looked embarrassed somehow, and Patrick, who was still the same mischievous old man.

Juniper waved at Chip who delightfully waved back at her, jumping around with an armful of arrows in a quiver. "Hello, Pamela." Juniper said with just enough sweetness to pass as friendly. "Can you excuse us for a minute, please?" This time her voice was more stern, trying not to show the urgency she felt inside. "You too Chip." Then she looked at Patrick with those tired eyes and knew he understood.

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Character Portrait: Juniper Jacobs Character Portrait: Aaron "Sullivan"
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Aaron "Sullivan"


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Aaron and Juniper hardly had a conversation before something overwhelmingly conquered Juni's focus. Then she ran off as if she knew where Chip would be. He was left sitting on the pile of logs he dragged into town, only now it was time to get up and do something.

He began to untie the rope that kept the logs bundled up together. Pulling it out from under the logs, he coiled the rope up and tucked it away in his backpack. Aaron needed to shower; he could smell himself. Maybe he'd clean himself up and grab a handgun from the small police station they had next to the town hall. Maybe he'd spend the night watching people drink tonight, indulging himself with a bit of alcohol as well.

Hoisting his backpack onto his shoulders, Aaron proceeded to the police station Dust had. It was the only place Aaron slept, showered, and brushed his teeth in for the past year or so; since Evanne left. The pile of timber was just left behind him for anyone to have grabs at.

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The day had come; Dust was supposedly going to decide whether the new arrivals would stay or not. Supposedly, Aaron thought, because Noah Ripley was really the one who had final say on any of this. The votes didn't really matter, they were really a courtesy. If Noah wanted to, he could invoke the three rules of Dust and say that Ginny, Robin and Owen had to scram or else. But, if the votes supporting the newcomer's staying was more than a simple majority, than it was like that they'd stay; if tensions in Dust would be too high based off the vote, Noah may not allow them to stay.

That's what Aaron guessed at. That didn't stop him though from getting up at sunrise and getting himself prepared for the day. He made sure to have his badge, handgun, a wide brimmed hat for shade, and water with him as he walked out of the guards' station of Dust. He stood around the polling booth making sure that all remained civil during the booth's set up, and more importantly during voting. When the heat of day started beaming down on the desert that was, Aaron positioned himself between Patrick Clay and the podium Noah would eventually use for some kind of address or speech. So far, the crowd kept itself contained. There had been some loud arguments that quickly diffused when Aaron or one of the other guards approached, but that was it.

Aaron kept himself at least at arm's length from everyone. For awhile now, he'd just been standing and waiting. Standing and waiting, he thought, was something he was becoming too good at lately. Maybe life was just this boring, or maybe he wasn't really living.

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Character Portrait: Evanne Luna Remmington Character Portrait: Owen Thompkins Character Portrait: Rob Braddock Character Portrait: Ginny Thompkins Character Portrait: Aaron "Sullivan"
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Evanne had a very busy day. Not only was she one of the first to the polls that morning, the petite blonde had been all around the town, checking in on people who were unable to make it in to see Risalda. She even stopped at the Mech Tent to make sure things were going right. Today, she had decided to take her daughter around with her. Her mother had tried picking her daughter up from the daycare the day before. Evanne had not been happy about that at all.

She made sure that the guards and Patrick Clay had plenty of water throughout the day. Though she had given Aaron water, she hadn't really spoken to him too much. She check on Patrick regularly to see how he was doing.

Evelyn had a good time, playing with Patrick and running around in the dirt. Evanne sat and ate dinner with her daughter before she left for the announcement with her daughter. She brought more water, knowing the water would have been depleted now. She doubted if anyone else had bothered to bring more. Evelyn clung to her mother's bag that she had slung over her shoulder.

She paused to scoop up her daughter, even though she was already carrying a heavy pale of water. She brought it to the front where the podium was. She made Patrick a glass. She smiled at him. "How are you feeling, Mr. Clay?" She asked him with a smile.

Her daughter was shy in large crowds so she clung to her mother and hid her face. She smiled, looking down at her. "She can be so shy." She laughed softly.

Evanne shook her head and looked around. That's when she noticed Aaron. She had been avoiding him since she been back. She bit her lip. It wasn't far of her to do that to him. He hadn't been in the wrong when she left. She made a cup of water for him and brought it over to him. "Hey Aaron... uh you looked thirsty so I thought you could use a drink." She said nervously as she handed over the cup.

Pushing her hair behind her ear, Evanne shifted so she was holding Evelyn on her other hip. She knew that the Thompkins and Robin would mostly be kicked out. She couldn't let them go out there alone with no healthcare for the babies. The baby girl especially could have medical problems due to her birth. She figured if she would leave with them, then she at least needed to make things right with the people she hurt.

"I just wanted to say, I'm sorry... about how I left things between us." She said softly so only he could hear in this crowd. Evelyn peeked her head out to look at Aaron.

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Ginny felt so blessed to have gotten two beautiful babies, even though they were like alarms going off around the clock and it had been very hard to get any sleep. She thanked God for Owen and Robin to help her take care of them. With their help, they all managed to get some sleep. But today was the day of the vote. She stayed in with the twins, letting Robin and Owen doing whatever they'd like. Finally, they couldn't wait any longer so she got the twins ready and left with Owen to go to the meeting place. She found a seat and held the cranky Wren. "Shhh... it's okay." She tried to soothe her daughter but that was impossible since there were so many noisy people. She doubted either of the twins would be able to sleep through this.

She looked over at her husband, worried for the outcome. "What will we do if they don't let us stay?" She asked him softly. The three of them had managed outside Dust but she wouldn't call that living. They always had trouble. And she had had many health problems out there. How could they keep their newborns alive out there? She chewed on her lower lip, looking at Micah in Owen's arms. He didn't seem to be as cranky as his sister.

Ginny lifted her daughter to her chest and held her against her chest. She bounced her up and down gently. "Shhh... just go to sleep." She cooed to her daughter. Perhaps Wren was reacting to her mother's nerves. "Do you see Robin? I thought he was going to come and find us?" She said to Owen, looking around for her brother. Maybe putting on a solid front and looking like a happy tired family they might get some sort of sympathy. She had one purposed and that was to make sure that Micah and Wren had a future, a long and happy life. She prayed that this community would accept them.

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Character Portrait: Risalda Enudo Character Portrait: Evanne Luna Remmington Character Portrait: Owen Thompkins Character Portrait: Juniper Jacobs Character Portrait: Noah Ripley Character Portrait: Rob Braddock
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Noah stared at the tally marks on the paper, his frown deepening. His fingers carded through his short curls, the light coat of sweat from the heat sticking them up in wild directions. His eyes scrunched shut as his mind raced through a million different thoughts at once.

Evanne's eyes as she told him, "We can't let them leave… They’ll need us… we need them too." Noah didn't know what she meant by Dust needing the newcomers, but he knew she would always protect those in need.

The cries of the newborns and their tiny, wrinkly pink bodies.

The panic in their mother's eyes when the second one didn't cry at first.

The new father's look of pure gratitude as he clasped Noah's hand and thanked him.

The numbers were clear, but that didn't make Noah's decision any easier. He'd been in that delivery room, pointedly looking away from the birth. At Evelynn. Evelynn, who was living proof of this family's good deeds. They had taken care of both Evanne and her child. How could he turn them away when they needed help?

But he could hardly thrust another family on the people of Dust. Five more mouths to feed, three more adults without jobs and without so much as a garden. They would have to be trained and assimilated. Noah's eyes burned, the tallies seared into his retinas. His mind drifted again, this time to Risalda and his harsh words to her. The first time he had spoken to her in over a month, and the words were cold and angry.

But she deserved it, he thought bitterly, and then: Focus.

Going against the vote would upset some people when they inevitably figured it out, but he realized that he had made his decision as soon as the babies were born. He stood up from his desk and stepped out into the town hall proper. The podium was set up there in front of Dust's entire population.

Noah swallowed and tried to smooth his hair down to very little effect. Aligning himself with the podium, he plastered on his best politician's smile and cleared his throat. The dull roar of the crowd settled into a hushed silence within seconds as all eyes burned into Noah's skin.

"Today, we are faced with a difficult choice," he began. "After marking all of your votes and weighing all the possible outcomes, there is only one possible way for this to be decided." He chose each word carefully, making sure not to use "I" or "me." He needed the people to feel that this was their choice, even if it really wasn't.

"The newcomers will be allowed to stay for two months on a probationary basis. After two months have gone by, if they have not caused any trouble, they will become official citizens of Dust."

Chaos erupted. Nearly everyone was out of their seat, yelling or arguing or screaming, and Noah recoiled from the mob. Suddenly, a near-deafening crack rang out, and a sharp pain pierced Noah's right shoulder. Looking up, he saw Bobby Kentwood's handgun still pointed straight at him. His hand reached up to the pain in his shoulder and came away tinged with red. He stumbled backwards, his surprise landing him on the ground.

"Fuck," he breathed, his eyes locked on his bullet wound.

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Character Portrait: Risalda Enudo Character Portrait: Evanne Luna Remmington Character Portrait: Owen Thompkins Character Portrait: Juniper Jacobs Character Portrait: Noah Ripley Character Portrait: Rob Braddock
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Evanne quieted down when she saw Noah come out. She gave Aaron a small smile, hoping he would accept her apology. She turned to look at Noah, chewing on her lip. It all came down to Noah. Even if the town voted against keeping them, Noah could still give that family a chance. If she trusted anyone to help them, it most certainly was Noah.

'Please, Noah, please let them stay.' She pleaded silently.

"Today, we are faced with a difficult choice. After making all of your votes and weighing all the possible outcomes, there is only one possible way for this to be decided." Noah said calmly.

Evanne held her breathe. Had she been in his situation, she wouldn't be able to speak. He finally continued.

"The newcomers will be allowed to stay for two months on a probationary basis. After two months have gone by, if they have not caused any trouble, they will become official citizens of Dust."

'They did it... they're staying.' Evanne grinned, even though there was chaos going all around. Evelyn clung to her mother as she made her way to the front to speak with Noah, completely forgetting about wanting to speak with Aaron. The blast made her jump and come to a stop. She didn't understand what happened. All she saw was the red colored liquid spreading out on his shirt. Evelyn was crying. Her gaze followed Noah's until she say Bobby Kentwood holding a gun.

By the time her eyes went back to Noah, he was on the ground. The world seemed to stand still. Memories of Noah started coming to her mind.

Evanne and Noah in the playground, only about seven years old. She held his hand as they played Red Rover. They held tight as his brother Luke ran at them, trying to break their grip but they never let go.

And then they were in their teens, Evanne listening as Noah gave a speech in school. She smiled and stuck her tongue between her teeth, giving him a thumbs up from the front row. He always had a way with words.

Then Noah sat across the table from her, crying. He just found out that Risalda had been cheating on him with his own brother. She reached out and held his hand. She could smell the whiskey on his breathe but she didn't pull away as he laid his head on her shoulder. Instead, she cradled and stroked his head.

And just like that Evanne was running through the screaming crowd. She climbed up to where Noah was. She set her daughter down as she ripped off her plaid over shirt and bundled it up, pressing it into the open wound. She didn't even realize tears were running down her cheeks until she saw them fall on his face. There was so much blood. This was possibly the one time panic could take over her usual steady demeanor when working on patients.

"Noah, look at me. I can't loose you." Evanne said, her voice cracking as she put more pressure on the wound.

She couldn't tell if he was actually listening. Could he hear her? Was he aware enough to really understand her? She glanced away from him to see Evelyn running over to Patrick Clay and crying into his dirty pant leg. She looked at the old, sick man for just a moment before she leaned down so her mouth was right next to his ear.

"You have to hold on, Noah. I need you... Evelyn needs you... You are her father, Noah. She can't grow up without her father. Please don't leave us." She sat up, staring into his eyes trying to see if there was any recognition. She looked away again. "Risalda!" She screamed, looking around for her. She couldn't do this on her own.

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Character Portrait: Evanne Luna Remmington Character Portrait: Noah Ripley Character Portrait: Aaron "Sullivan"
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Aaron "Sullivan"


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Aaron went about his business, standing and waiting. Evanne had come and gone once when she decided to approach him again; there was an obvious tense air when the two were around each other.

"Hey Aaron... uh you looked thirsty so I thought you could use a drink," Evanne said to him.

"Thanks." Aaron was curt; she had nothing to say to him before she left and he would have nothing to say to her now. Though he certainly pondered about their whole situation whenever he had nothing else to think about. All he did for now was gulp the water down and hold it in his hand with his arms crossed.

"I just wanted to say, I'm sorry... about how I left things between us."

As it turned out, however, Evanne did have something to say. Inside, Aaron felt a sort of malignant but righteous curiosity to pursue the issue. But in a public setting, with the decision about to be announced, it was like Evanne was just trying to clear her conscience without a real conversation, because that would make her uncomfortable. So, Aaron wouldn't acknowledge her apology this moment; they needed to talk about this another time. His brow furrowed in disapproval as he stared into Evanne's eyes.

"You want to talk about this now? Noah's about to talk; we can meet later tonight about this. Why don't you take this back, join your friends in the crowd." Aaron was cold and direct; he was usually direct, but nothing ever happened to him to make him so cold and angry in his own mind like Evanne leaving. He told her to join her friends in the crowd but she probably had few or none in Dust. Either way, he needed to keep his eyes on the crowd; things would probably be in an uproar the moment Noah began his announcement.

"... After marking all of your votes and weighing all the possible outcomes, there is only one possible way for this to be decided."

The crowd was silent, everything seemed still for a moment. For the moment, Aaron's mind reinforced the idea that the whole voting thing was a sham as Noah was to make the decision; as told by the last statement.

"The newcomers will be allowed to stay for two months on a probationary basis. After two months have gone by, if they have not caused any trouble, they will become official citizens of Dust."

Immediately the crowd was on the brink of a riot. And the few guards there were were not equipped or trained to deal with crowd control; never had a setting like this been presented to them. Almost instantly, a man jumped out of the crowd and shot at Noah; it was Bobby Kentwood. Luckily for Aaron, Bobby was in arm's reach. Quickly, Aaron stepped towards the gunman, grabbed the hand holding the handgun and twisted his arm. Subsequently, Aaron punched his face then pinched a vein in Bobby's neck. A shrill scream sounded and Aaron shouted for Bobby to drop the weapon, which Bobby naturally did. With swiftness, Aaron turned Bobby over and handcuffed him, then with the assistance of another guard, hauled him out of the crowd.

"Take him, I'm gonna stay here," Aaron told the other guard, who manhandled Bobby towards the guards' station. Looking around, his eyes fell near the podium where Noah was shot and Evanne was kneeling; it seemed like she was crying. His jaw dropped.

In that moment, nothing else mattered except this suspicion Aaron had. Coolly, he turned his back on the crowd and walked to stand in front of Evanne. He crouched down and tried to look into her eyes; she was crying alright. The urgency of Noah's possible death and the violent crowd before them made no impression on Aaron. Aaron knew Evanne well enough that she wouldn't be in this state unless Noah meant something to her; he was the father.

Aaron looked down; his eyes fell upon the paper Noah dropped. He picked it up, reading that the votes favored the newcomers were staying; why Noah didn't say this in the first place made no sense to Aaron. Aaron dropped the paper; he had the answers he needed. He looked back up at Evanne.

"You whore," he accused Evanne loudly; surely everyone around heard him. Without another word, he stood up. Aaron decided he was no longer fit to do his job as town guard, and began to walk towards the guards' station; he was going to turn himself in. And then what? Maybe all of this would go away if he just left.

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Character Portrait: Risalda Enudo Character Portrait: Evanne Luna Remmington Character Portrait: Noah Ripley Character Portrait: Luke Ripley Character Portrait: Aaron "Sullivan"
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Luke didn't move at first.

He couldn't.

He just stared.

The whole room had fallen silent at the crack of the gun and everyone was simply staring, like him. Everyone had known the two sides of the debate on the newcomers were passionate and neither would go down without a fight, particularly the opposition. But he didn't think anyone expected a shooting, especially not of their very own leader. For a few moments, Luke felt guilty, in some way, for voting against them. If this was the side he had joined, then he wanted to change his vote.

He watched as Evanne fell all over his brother and a commotion with Aaron begun. He wasn't sure what over, or why Evanne was suddenly so attached to Noah. Luke didn't know anything any more, except that it was his big brother lying there with a bullet in him. And suddenly, he had never felt more afraid in his life.

He saw Risalda join Evanne with his brother and that was when he knew, no matter he and his brother's differences, he had to be there. These women, they were all just extras, people who had come into Noah's life. They didn't belong there, not in the way Luke did. He was Noah's only family. He should be there with his brother. Noah needed him, and in truth, Luke needed Noah too.

Luke was never doubted that he'd get a chance to repair things with his brother. Sure, he hated him now, and what Luke did was unforgivable. But they were family, they lived crammed together in this tiny tight-knit town. He was sure their chance for reconciliation would come one day. It wasn't to say Luke was desperate to make up with Noah, he still resented him and looked down on him for a whole host of reasons. But he didn't hate him and he was always so sure that they would die as brothers, that their fight wouldn't last forever. But now Noah was there, right in front of him, bleeding out. And Luke wasn't sure that he ever would get his chance. any more. Without another thought, Luke pushed his way forward, through the crowd of people, shoving them out of the way without a care for who they were.

As he reached the group Luke overheard Risalda's voice. "We need to get him to the Med Hut." He saw her put a hand under Noah's head, trying to lift him.

"Ris," he said, his voice full of emotion, putting a hand on her arm that was under Noah's body and removing it gently but firmly from him, "I've got him." With that, Luke lifted the weight of his brother clear off the floor and into his arms. But he didn't dare look in his eyes. He carried Noah the two doors down to the Med Hut and laid him on the table. With that, he pulled away from his brother, further back into the room, to watch from a distance.

But, as he did, he caught Risalda's hand and took it in his own. "Please help him, Ris," he said, his eyes meeting hers.

In that single look, Luke felt as though he had conveyed it all to her. All the years of childhood competition and inferiority, the pain he had caused his brother with their betrayal, and all the subsequent years of fighting and hatred. And this moment, right here and now, and the fear of losing his brother, with whom Luke still hadn't made his peace. And when Risalda's eyes met his, he knew she was the only other person that could understand this whole mess, the only one who had been as personally involved as Luke himself.

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Character Portrait: Evanne Luna Remmington Character Portrait: Owen Thompkins Character Portrait: Noah Ripley Character Portrait: Rob Braddock Character Portrait: Ginny Thompkins Character Portrait: Aaron "Sullivan"
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Entry:
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It was an understatement to say that their lives hadn't been changed by much since the birth of the twins. The midnight feeds and changes, which he had to help facilitate now that his brother-in-law, consistently working himself to the ground trying to establish a proper reputation for him and his new family, was often sound asleep were by far the worst they had to endure aside from the looming problem of not having enough to eat but he couldn't complain. If they didn't put in the necessary effort, Wren and Micah hardly stood a chance of surviving in a world as inhospitable as this—not without immense amounts of support from their family. Even then, they stood a chance of losing them. As such, he often agreed to help Ginny with the parenting duties despite Owen's protests.

Every so often, he reminded himself of his and Ginny's predicament. Of Juniper's. Of quite a lot of people he had come across while in the wilderness, and he took this burden upon him heavily. The only way he was able to vent this anger at everyone, everything, and himself was to work, and relief he found at Mech Hall. He took whatever scraps of work they could throw at him, tried to be of more use to Old Pat by volunteering to carry out errands, and tried to learn as best as he could from the older workers. This same routine of playing uncle and working carried on until the day of the vote.

Why they had to carry it out in the sweltering heat and direct sunlight was beyond him but they supposed they had no choice. Open-air was far better than holding it in a stuffy building, and he supposed none of the ones in Dust were big enough to hold that much of a crowd, anyway. He wiped his sweat clear with the red rag he brought with him and slung it over his shoulder, watching the crowd gathered there.

"Shhh... it's okay. What will we do if they don't let us stay?"

"Shhh... just go to sleep. Do you see Robin? I thought he was going to come and find us?"

"Right behind you," he muttered, gesturing a bit of hard plastic in his hands. "I looked for something to keep these two kiddos cool."

He stood beside his brother-in-law, keeping close watch on the tiny newborns in their arms. Each twin had a turn being fanned and to keep them from fussing too much in their parents' arms.

He stiffened as soon as Noah spoke.

"Today, we are faced with a difficult choice. After marking all of your votes and weighing all the possible outcomes, there is only one possible way for this to be decided. The newcomers will be allowed to stay for two months on a probationary basis. After two months have gone by, if they have not caused any trouble, they will become official citizens of Dust."

And just like that, it was as if the crowd had mirrored his own reaction.

"Fucking great. Probationary. We get fucking probationary." His fist clenched around the hard plastic, fanning harder. "Is that what we get? Is that what these fucking kids dese—"

Then Noah was thrown backwards and he immediately dropped the plastic to rush forward only to be one-upped by Evanne, followed by a young man who strongly resembled Noah. Of course, it was her duty as nurse to treat him, but why she had come forward so suddenly—and with little Evelyn—was beyond him. His attention turned toward the commotion between the gunman and what he assumed to be the town guard. There was little left for him to do but to find cover. He approached the crouched couple and pat them.

"You two, right there, quick," he said, gesturing toward a stack of wooden boxes nearby and running with them to hide until the coast was clear.

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Character Portrait: Risalda Enudo Character Portrait: Evanne Luna Remmington Character Portrait: Owen Thompkins Character Portrait: Juniper Jacobs Character Portrait: Noah Ripley Character Portrait: Rob Braddock
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Evanne had dealt with a lot since she had gotten back. She ignored the whispers and the name calling. She never thought being called a whore again would ever hurt her again. She was wrong. Because when Aaron called her that, she felt like a piece of her heart had been ripped from her.

"A-aaron." She gasped, staring at him through her tears. But he was already running away.

As soon as Risalda took her place by Noah, Evanne moved to sit at his head. She stroked his head, looking at Risalda as she worked. "Evanne, we need to get him to the Med Hut." The doctor said to her. She nodded to her. "Yes, okay." She was slipping her hand over his other shoulder when Luke came up. She looked up at him. "I've got him."

That did make the most sense. She moved back and wiped her bloody hands on her already ruined white shirt. She got up and scooped up Evelyn. She followed Luke and Risalda to the Med Hut. Evelyn cried into her shoulder. She bounced her up and down, trying to soothe her. Too many questions swirled around in her head all she knew was that she needed to help Noah, that wasn't something she could do while holding Evelyn.

Evanne let out a sigh when she saw Juniper. Juniper was someone she could not only trust with the safety of Evelyn but someone Evelyn knew and loved. "Can you hold her so I can help?" She asked her friend. Evelyn was already reaching out for Juniper.

"Oh fuck off." Came Noah's ragged breath. She turned to look up at him as he tried to stand up. Evelyn already had her hands around Juni's neck. She sighed, relinquishing her hold to Juniper. "Let's see you take a bullet for near strangers."

She hurried over to Noah's side and pushed him back on the gurney gently. "Hey, you need to lay down."[color] She was already opening his shirt and cut it away from his wound so she and Risalda could work on him. She looked over at Risalda.

[color=orchid]"I've never had to deal with a gunshot wound this bad off. Just tell me what you need me to do."
She told Risalda.

"Make sure he stays conscious. That's the only thing that separating him from death."

Evanne nodded, looking at Noah and smiling at him. "Hey, you remember why I told you you have to stay? You need to hold on to that and you can yell at me all you want when you're better, okay?" She told him. She helped where she could as she and Ris went to work.

"If at any time he doesn't want to be seen, then tell them it's doctor's orders he needs rest."

Evanne smiled and nodded to Ris. "You got it." She sighed, looking at Noah. She took his hand. "How ya feeling? You gave me quite a scare." She asked him.

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Ginny looked back and smiled at her brother. She smiled at him. It was comforting for him to be there. But then just like that, all of her attention went to where Noah had begun to speak. She couldn't help but give a gasp when they heard the verdict. She smiled, looking at her husband. "We have a chance." She rolled her eyes at her brother.

But then all hell broke loose. She dropped to the ground, keeping her child against her bosom. She leaned towards Owen, looking around them for any dangers. How could such good news bring such chaos?

"Let's get out of here, before something worse happens." Owen said.

Ginny nodded in agreement, "But not without Robin." She said.

She let herself relax only a small bit when she laid eyes on Robin. He gestured for a hidden spot for them to run to. She knew too much about Robin and his need for swift exits so she didn't question him.

She stood, still hunched and protecting Wren. Once she reached the wooden boxes, she crouched down behind them. Her daughter started crying in her arms. "Shh, it's okay. We have to be quiet." She tried to soothe her. She looked over at her husband. "What do we do?"

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A year long relationship crushed, an affair behind his back, lies and deceit exposed, and this deep twisted mixture of emotions and impulses. Aaron had retreated to inside the guards' station of Dust, slamming the door behind him. The guard handling Bobby had just finished putting Bobby into a room with three walls and a cage facing the rest of the interior. The guard looked at Aaron, confused at his presence and upset at his apparent shirking.

"The whole town's 'bout to riot! The hell are you doing, Aaron?" the guard asked, following Aaron. Aaron walked into the guards' quarters; six bunk beds were neatly made and lockers lined the wall. Three windows let dim sunlight in, illuminating the room.

"I'm quitting," Aaron answered bluntly; his jaws were clenched as well as his fist. He put his backpack on a bed and opened his locker, beginning to pack things and leave appropriated town equipment on the bed.

"Quitting? Now!? Maybe you didn't see the mobs out there-"

"Jim!" Aaron interrupted sharply; he was shouting, and turned towards the pursuant guard. "I'm quitting because I can't do my job anymore! And I will not be able to for a very long time! Now I'm asking you nicely; get the hell out of here and do your fucking job!"

"Aaron..." Jim took a few steps closer; his tone was more solemn. He was a tall guy, middle aged, had a wife and two kids; he had the aura of a western cowboy with his hat, boots and jeans. "What's got you upset right now-"

"Jim... I'm about to do something irrational..." Aaron's voice was low, trying to repress his anger, "and I'm not sure what that thing is. But if I do, you'd best not be there."

For a moment, Jim simply stared at Aaron. Finally, Jim snapped back into reality and left Aaron alone in the quarters of the guards' post. Sighing, Aaron returned to packing his things.

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Character Portrait: Risalda Enudo Character Portrait: Evanne Luna Remmington Character Portrait: Juniper Jacobs Character Portrait: Noah Ripley Character Portrait: Luke Ripley Character Portrait: Aaron "Sullivan"
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"You meant that about Evelynn. I'm really her father. And you waited until now to tell me." Noah said flatly.

Panic set in. Evanne opened her mouth to respond but she didn't know how to respond. She had so many reasons for not telling him. How could she even begin to explain. She shook her head, tears forming in her eyes. She let go of her hand.

"I never really had the chance..." She finally said. She started pacing unable to look at him. She ran her hand across her forehead, leaving a streak of his blood there. "God, Noah. Do you realise I've loved you since we were kids?" She asked him, shaking her hand. "What was I supposed to do? Walk in to town with Evelyn in my arms and tell you in front of the whole god damned town or when Pamela was bossing you around?" She asked, turning to look at him.

"People might love and respect you but people like Pamela are just waiting for you to fuck up. They could turn on you in a second, like Bobby did tonight!" The blonde continued to shake her head. She couldn't stop herself. She was shaking. She couldn't stop. "I came back here because Evelyn needed to be here to survive... I thought... maybe one day when we were alone I would tell you... I thought maybe I wouldn't still feel something for you... I thought maybe you'd see me as something more than a one night stand."

Tears rolled down her red cheeks. She didn't bother trying to hide them. "I know that we made a mistake... We were both hurting. I thought Aaron had just broken up with me... but he hadn't. That was my mistake. I should have made sure. He came over like everything was fine and... I just had to run... I swear I didn't know I was pregnant." She told him.

Evanne took a step back. "I'm sorry... I-I can't do this right now and you need to rest." She told him. She turned away before he could say anything to stop her. She hurried out and stopped to look at Juniper. "I... I'll be back okay? I need some air." She didn't know if Luke, Juniper, or Risalda had heard anything but she couldn't stay.

She hurried outside into the chaos. That was what was going on around her. She didn't know where she was going. She didn't know what she was doing. But soon she found herself walking up the familiar stairs of the guard's quarters. She didn't look at Bobby in the jail cell or listen to Jim as he tried to stop her from going back to where Aaron was. She deserved everything he had to say to her.

Evanne shut and locked the door behind her. If he was going to humiliate her, she'd rather it be in private. She stared at his back as he packed. She could only imagine what he was thinking. He had to know she was there. She knew he hated her.

"You were the one person I thought... I thought you of all people wouldn't call me that." Evanne shook her head. "I'll tell you everything... anything you want to know. You deserve that."

She moved across from him and sat down on one of the beds, still looking at his back. She let her gaze fall to her hands. She tried wiping off the dried blood on her jean shorts. It didn't help. She felt queasy looking at it. She had never been disgusted by blood before. "I know it doesn't make it okay but I thought we were over... You remember that fight we had? I had stupidly thought I was pregnant..." She tried to remind him.

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Character Portrait: Evanne Luna Remmington Character Portrait: Aaron "Sullivan"
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Aaron "Sullivan"


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When Aaron was left in the quarters, when silence enveloped the room, everything seemed still. For a moment, he felt he had complete rational control over himself. It gave him the time to think; he should leave the town for a couple days. Like he does when he goes into the mountains. But this time, he should bring Juniper; he could use the company right now, even if he didn't talk about anything related to his ex.

He took a deep breath. Footsteps sounded, and at a quick glance, he recognized Evanne going to sit on the bed behind him. He looked down at his pack while she began to talk; her presence and voice made his muscles want to pulverize rock into dust.

"You were the one person I thought... I thought you of all people wouldn't call me that." She meant when he called her a whore.

"Me too," he said, his voice weak. He wasn't sure what he wanted to say right now, and he waited for her to go on.

"I'll tell you everything... anything you want to know. You deserve that." There was another pause with a tense noiselessness. "I know it doesn't make it okay but I thought we were over... You remember that fight we had? I had stupidly thought I was pregnant..."

"No, you know what?" Aaron interjected sharply, turning to face Evanne, "I'll be damned if you have the audacity try to put the least bit of this on me. I don't need you to tell me a goddamn thing because I know one thing: of all my short comings and screw ups, I sure as hell did not deserve this. And you're right, nothing you can say or do will make what you did okay."

Aaron's voice was loud; some people may have thought he was shouting. But his voice didn't sound ruptured like when people scream. If he wanted to shout, the town would know about it. His eyes fixated on her blood-stained figure.

"In fact, rather than you tell me a bunch of bullshit, let me tell you how things have gone since we 'broke up.' I was scared out of my mind that you weren't prepared to live outside the town. I was scared that maybe you were going to find some ditch to crawl into and die, because you could've been pregnant and no one wanted to hear it. I didn't know what to think or do because you wouldn't talk to me. You never said, 'hey, I'm seeing other people now,' or 'hey, this isn't working out,' or anything! You just left!"

Aaron stopped for a moment, collecting his thoughts. Now he was shouting.

"Do you want to know why I go out into the mountains now? And wander the desert? It's because when you left I hoped that you didn't go too far! I hoped I'd find you somewhere, and if luck was on my side I wouldn't find your corpse! You were gone a whole year, and at some point I had accepted that you were dead! And for all I knew, you had my child too! Well it's good to know you had someone's child. Waited some ungodly long time to tell anyone that. And the best part was when you came back, still didn't talk to me, and flaunted your child around like it was some trophy."

Turning back to his backpack, Aaron stuffed some food into the top and zipped it up. Hoisting it over his shoulder, he faced Evanne once more.

"I won't ever... be able to understand," Aaron began to say, a deep seriousness overtaking his tone, "how you could ever do something so twisted. Now... if you know what's best for your little family now, you'd run off to your boyfriend, keep him out of my sight, and take care of your bastard child."

With that, Aaron started to walk out of the room.

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Character Portrait: Pamela Clay Character Portrait: Aaron "Sullivan"
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Chip was a natural at the bow when they started training in the wilderness and now in some ways he was surpassing Pamela. He was hitting moving targets square in the "sweet spot" for a quick death, because nothing was more heart wrenching than a small animal crying in pain. Pamela and Chip spent most of the last two weeks in the wilderness and she loved it. Pamela didn't have to deal with her dad dying, her mom being a tyrant, or any of the town's remedial shit. Her only job was to keep this young boy on a good path. In a way Pamela was getting the family of her own that she always dreamed about. But Pamela was well aware of the rules in Dust about adoption: a child can only be adopted by a stable family, a stable family being defined as two parents. Chip would never be hers unless she found a man she didn't want to kill. There was really only one man in the entire town of Dust that she could see herself with. Pamela told him a few months ago of her feelings for him but he was in a bad place and didn't/couldn't/wouldn't reciprocate. It was embarrassing and it broke her spirit. You can say that Pamela wouldn't be the tyrannical duplicate of her mother if it wasn't for that. Even though Pamela was always more demanding and like her mother, Dana and Pamela were a lot more similar back in the day. Chip brought her back to that. She needed that little brat. She didn't want a son but Chip needed a parent figure and she could adopt him as a little brother...right? She had so many questions that she did not know the answers to.

It was the sound of a gunshot that brought her back to reality.

"Was that a-"
"Yes, Chip," Pamela instinctually held the ten year old closer to her, "it was...which means someone is mad, someone is in trouble, and Noah may be dead." Chip seem to only own a handful of expressions. It was quite hilarious really but now he showed one that even Pamela has never seen...it was fear. He wore every emotion he had right on his face. Pamela knew that was something she would have to teach out of him because in Dust your emotions may get you killed. "We need to go," Pamela took Chip's hand and they made their way back to Dust.




Pamela stopped walking when they reached the town an turned to face Chip. "I want you to go to my house and stay with my mother," Pamela rustled her fingers through his dark hair, "she is pretty scary at first....and at second...but she loves children so tell her I sent you." Chip nodded his little head, gave Pamela a hug that might have been too long for normal people, and scurried off to the Clay household. Once Chip was out of her sight Pamela felt the old her returning. Noah decided to let the newcomers stay and someone shot him for it; that much she could guess. Pamela made her way to the guard quarters because one of them would be able to tell her the full story. When she arrived she saw him leaving. He didn't see her because he was preoccupied and seemed out of it. Pamela, in that moment, forgot why she was going to the guards to begin with and ran up to Aaron Sullivan, the only man in Dust she did not want to kill.

"Sully," Pamela stopped in front of him, looking him square in the eye sockets, "I need your help with something."