09-10-2013, 11:19 AM
Some disturbance called Aeva's attention while she was trying to show one of the women (nationality and language unknown) how to fix some old baby clothes another of the refugees had passed on to her.
Folk were busy avoiding a well-dressed man and sometimes scurrying away when he tried to talk to them. It was NOT promising; he stood out a mile simply by being well-dressed and to one side, Aeva could see some of the men and one or two women gathering - some of the more aggressive and defensive members of their little commune.
With none of his teeth, only half his sight and perhaps missing a few of his marbles, old Chan was still capable of throwing a man twice his own weight clean across the tunnel when attacked. They were not sure 'Chan' was actually his name, but it was something he kept saying so it had stuck, and he didn't seem to mind. So Aeva wondered why he had let this one just walk in. If anything had happened, Darryl, Chan's usual guard-partner, would have come running and certainly they would have heard any commotion; people fighting over the contents of dead men's pockets, at least.
"Can I help you?" she asked. His head turned towards her, probably recognising his own language in the clash of tongues around him. "You'll be welcome to join our community," she continued. "We have three 'rules' if you can call them that. Everyone contributes, however little or much they're able; harm no-one; and we all help each other."
When he asked whether she was the one in charge, Aeva actually laughed for the first time in months.
Folk were busy avoiding a well-dressed man and sometimes scurrying away when he tried to talk to them. It was NOT promising; he stood out a mile simply by being well-dressed and to one side, Aeva could see some of the men and one or two women gathering - some of the more aggressive and defensive members of their little commune.
With none of his teeth, only half his sight and perhaps missing a few of his marbles, old Chan was still capable of throwing a man twice his own weight clean across the tunnel when attacked. They were not sure 'Chan' was actually his name, but it was something he kept saying so it had stuck, and he didn't seem to mind. So Aeva wondered why he had let this one just walk in. If anything had happened, Darryl, Chan's usual guard-partner, would have come running and certainly they would have heard any commotion; people fighting over the contents of dead men's pockets, at least.
"Can I help you?" she asked. His head turned towards her, probably recognising his own language in the clash of tongues around him. "You'll be welcome to join our community," she continued. "We have three 'rules' if you can call them that. Everyone contributes, however little or much they're able; harm no-one; and we all help each other."
When he asked whether she was the one in charge, Aeva actually laughed for the first time in months.