Snippet #1604253

An inaudible gasp left Adelaide’s mouth, as she swiveled and took two steps backwards. She hadn’t seen the man now occupying the doorway of the Terminus Hotel, and she reprimanded herself for not paying attention earlier. Despite her time spent in Australia with the BRM, she couldn’t pick out his Aussie lingo; instead, she stood there, dumbfounded, and questioning what to do. The first thing she noticed was that the man didn’t seem threatening, even though he had jumped out suddenly. The second thing was that he had a sort of rough aesthetic, as if somebody had taken sandpaper to The David. Although she didn’t know what he wanted, she noticed that he was eying her stack of paperwork, which gave her a clue. Maybe he was interested in research as well? No, he looked too scruffy to be a researcher. Part of a gang, perhaps? No, he was too friendly. Puzzled, she decided that she’d try to talk with him as best she could; that was why she was stationed in Australia, after all.

Stepping forward, then, she did a small curtsy with her over-sized rain jacket, and brushed the stray hairs off of her face.

“I don’t want any agro, and it looks like you don’t want any, either. You mind tellin’ me why you jumped me in the threshold? You don’t look to be the blackguard type,” she said cautiously, tilting her head slightly, “Is there anything I can do for ya?” Spots of her Irish accent shone through noticeably, just like the distinctive freckles on her face, even though she had picked up the Australian accent, for the most part.
Adelaide was still startled from the encounter, but put on a friendly face and grin. She eyed his strange facial markings with an inquisitive glance, and subsequently noted from his defined cheekbones that he must be dead hungry. She offered him an orange flavored candy from a small metal tin.

“This’s all I’ve got, sorry”.

Still, she wasn't pleased that she had not noticed the man before, and wondered how many others were waiting to jump out at her. She didn't know what she'd do if she came across someone who was armed; this thought bothered her, and she decided that it would probably be best if she ducked inside the hotel with the man. Standing outside, she was just a red-headed target and a sunburn waiting to happen.
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BRM- stands for the Blue Ribbon Movement, an organization created after the apocalypse, comparable to the Red Cross. They station volunteers in remote locations to help the refugees with supplies, rebuilding, and medical treatment.
Agro- aggression, picking a fight
Blackguard- a ne’er-do-well