With the blessings of the woman whom he assumed was some form of faction head, Thomas decided he would indeed venture out and explore the area. He pushed back the make-shift curtains in the doorway to reveal quite a sight, the same one that stained in his mind before plunging into the depths. For most it would have looked like a slum, a place where the deprived and desperate reside. Thomas was of a different perspective, to him it looked like home. The smell was not that of sewage, the water collected there must be composed of rainwater. In fact, on closer examination, Thomas could see fish in the water. It was curious, as it was not salt water, so they could not have strayed from the nearby ocean. The water had a weak current to it, but no drainage grates could be spotted. Whatever the circumstance was, all that mattered was that Thomas saw fish and was simply amazed by it. He even attempted to catch one bare handed, which went unsuccessfully, but only barely. When his fun was over, he decided he'd explore a little bit. Walking one of the paths was Laurence, heading towards one of the shacks. Thomas decided he'd go over and ask for a tour. Now, he had been away from human interaction for quite some time, so his next action fell back on what he did know to do. Like a freaking ninja, Thomas crouched down and began running towards him, not a sound being made even on the creaky wooden planks. Thomas was quick to catch up with him and stayed to the shadows, which were numerous because of the dim torches that were spread about. Laurence arrived at the shack and climbed the stairs to the second level. Just as the nursery had, his quarters had only a thin sheet covering the doorway of the shack. He simply pushed it aside and turned right, taking of his worn boots and taking in a deep breath of home. As he turned to face the rest of the small area that made up his living space, he paused. In the room with him was a small two seater couch which faced the open window, a wooden rocking chair, and a doorway to a small bedroom. Casually, Laurence walked over the the bedroom doorway and reached his hand around, grabbing something on the other side of the wall. Without any hesitation, he snapped back 180 degrees, a shotgun in his hands and aimed at Thomas's head. Thomas jumped, staring down the barrel of the gun. Laurence held it for a moment and then smirked, pointing up the shotgun.
"You're quiet kid, though you may want to work on your breathing."
Laurence put the gun back in his bedroom before looking back to the kid.
"Now, is there something I can help you with? Are you still hungry?"
Thomas's eyes blinked while he processed what had just happened, leaving a moment of silence.
"Uhh, ya...ya I'm still hungry."
Laurence pointed to the ground beneath Thomas, telling him to stay put. Laurence walked out and returned minutes later with another bowl. He handed it to Thomas and and then headed to the bedroom.
"You're probably tired, so just sleep on the couch tonight. Don't touch anything, not that there is much to touch anyway."
Thomas could hear Laurence fall onto the bed in the other room, followed by loud snoring merely minutes later. After finishing the stew, Thomas put the bowl on the floor near the couch and laid down. It didn't take him long to pass out, but in the short time before he did, Thomas wondered if a bear had eaten Laurence and stolen his bed, because it sure as hell sounded like it.
