It's Time To Be Brave (Orion & Amaranthine)

[Orion]

Alison had lived through almost two years of hell when she first came across the Sanctuary, and in the beginning it had felt like it deserved the name. Shelter, water, food, everything she needed to keep surviving - and all she had to do was earn her own way. Everyone needed to, it was the only way that the world could survive now that it had fallen to bits. That changed quickly, though. Rations were barely enough to keep the workers fed and their rights were stripped from them - they did as they were told. It's better than being on the outside, her brother had told her. At least we get to eat. At least we have somewhere to sleep. At least there are other people here.

There were so many at leasts, but Colton's insistence that the Sanctuary was worth the trouble ended the day that Ali got to watch Negan grab her brother by the shirt and threaten to throw him in to a furnace all because he'd grabbed a little too much food. That was the day she'd offered herself to the leader, let her will be stripped from her even further to keep the last piece of her humanity alive. That was also the day that Colton had started to plan their escape.

After months, they had finally broken free two days ago only to almost immediately be found. In order to survive, they'd had to split up. Luckily, they had been prepared for this and come up with a meeting spot. Alison was exhausted as she reached the small diner on the highway that they had talked about rendezvousing at if they were split up. Desperate she searched for him but to no avail. Left in tears, the blonde crumbled to her knees in a back room and only silenced her own sobs once the ding of the front door rang out to let her know that someone (or something) was here.

 

[Amaranthine]

Tara Chambler was on a mission - it had now been three weeks since she left home on the night of the outpost take over, which meant it had been over a week since she was supposed to get back. The mission had been a failure, to say the least - there wasn't anything left in this world that wasn't hidden amazingly well... too well for her to find it. It didn't help that Heath and her had been split up, and she had found herself at a small oceanside community consisting only of woman. They'd told her of what Negan had done to them and she'd promised them that would no longer be a problem - swore on her own life, hated that she knew (or thought she knew) that she was right.

The only reason that she was able to get out of that community was because one of the young women, Cyndie, had played a hand in it - while the others aimed to kill her lest they risk their secret location be revealed, the girl seemed to have a kind of compassion and understanding. Now she was growing weary and evening was beginning to settle in. Without her map on hand, she had no idea how long it would take for her to get to Alexandria from where she was along the highway. Upon seeing a small diner at the side of the road she made her way in with her knife out, saving her last bullet for if she really needed it.

Then, room by room, the brunette started to make her way through the building to see if anyone or anything happened to be inside.

 

[Orion]

Alison was unarmed, so she stood no hope if this was one of the Sanctuary members trying to retrieve her and bring her back "home" - that was all she could think about as the footsteps moved nearer and nearer with every passing second. It was too smooth to be one of the dead, so it hadto be someone from the Sanctuary - that was the only option. Her fate was sealed. As she wiped the tears from her eyes she balled her hands in to fists, prepared to be able to punch whoever was on the other side of the door as soon as it opened. At best it would give her a small chance at escaping, but she still stayed backed in to the corner of the room so that she had as much space to move as possible.

Hopefully, and god was she hoping, this was just Colton. Her big brother had showed up like planned and everything was going to be okay. (Ali knew deep in her heart that was not at all the case, as much as she desperately wanted to have her brother back at her side.)

 

[Amaranthine]

Tara was clueless that there was anyone even in the building - her sweep had come up clear for 90% of the place and she was sure that would stay the same even as she pulled the door to the storage room open. Just like with every door so far she paused and put her ear against it, listening for any signs of something inside - when there was nothing she twisted the handle and then pushed it open slowly. Once it was beyond a few inches wide and nothing seemed to be roused, she used the heel of her boot to kick it open even further. Her knife was still raised and ready to be used as she looked around.

Quickly she caught sight of the disheveled blonde form that stood prepared to punch as far away from the door as possible. Obviously, the woman was unarmed if she held her fists like that. Tara took two steps back and raised her hands above her head to let the girl know that she was safe. "Hey, I'm not going to hurt you," she got out pretty quickly, not wanting anyone to get hurt if it wasn't truly needed. "I'm Tara - have you been here a while?"

 

[Orion]

There was a short moment while all was quiet that Alison had hoped for the best - whoever it was would turn away. That didn't happen, though. Seconds later the door opened and she pulled her fists up towards her face - and even as the intruder, a brunette with an unfamiliar face (had she ever been so happy to see a stranger before?) raised her hands and stepped away, Ali had a hard time backing off herself. Obviously, it would not be an even fight even if she tried, so backing off was the best call. Her hands lowered slowly to their side but stayed balled to fists, muscles tensed in case she had to raise them again. Truly letting her guard down was not an option.

"Just got here a little while before you did, actually," she said - though it was a fight to even speak at all. "Why are you here?"

 

[Amaranthine]

Okay - it made sense that this place wasn't someone's home. This girl was moving along, just like Tara herself was. Did she have a home? Despite the initial hostility, a given in this world, one of Tara's first thoughts was that the girl may be in need of a home. She looked tired and ratty - homeless. As long as she was willing, Tara was going to offer her a place to go.

"I'm just on my way home," Tara explained as she slowly lowered her arms from above her head. "I'm part of a community like... half a day away from here. It's just getting late and I needed a place to stay. Can I? Stay here for the night? And what's your name?"

 

[Orion]

Alison was reluctant to answer any of the brunette's questions. She was reluctant to even lower her fists, lest this be a trick. For all she knew this woman could just be someone she had never laid eyes on back at the Sanctuary, a secret weapon come to bring her "home". Despite her worries, the woman did seem... genuine? Not much had been said, but Ali was starting to have an inkling of a feeling that she could trust her.

"Alison," she replied sharply - quick and to the point. She didn't dance around her answer, at least there, but she needed a moment more in order to decide how she felt about the other question at hand. It was getting late, and she did know that the place itself was safe. Would she be if she put her faith in this stranger, though? In the end she relented, cautiously so. "Stay here, yeah. We both should. You're part of a community?"

 

[Amaranthine]

Tara could tell that the woman in front of her, Alison, was being wary, but as the blonde lowered her fists Tara stepped in to the back room that she had been hiding in. It was dark and growing darker with each minute that passed, but none of that mattered too much. Tara was naturally a trusting person, even in this kind of a world. At times it was her weakness, but right now she had a feeling that it wasn't. The girl looked a little scared and possibly lost, but not dangerous unless provoked.

Tara took a seat on the ground after closing the door behind her. The shelves were bare of anything that would be of use, no surprise, so all she had left to go off of was a salted fish she had been given back at the oceanside colony and half a bottle of water. She was hungry, though, and thirsty - with only half a day's trip left she could afford to take a snack. Being casually friendly she reached in to her bag, pulled out her stuff, and then reached an arm out towards Alison to offer her a piece of her meal. "Yeah, we have a community - Alexandria. It's a really good place, and we're always looking for new people to help build it stronger. Are you from anywhere?"

 

[Orion]

Are you from anywhere? Yes, no, maybe so - Alison didn't consider herself "from anywhere" now, but to outright say she'd been wandering for the entirety of the end of the world would be a blatant lie. Less than forty eight hours ago she'd had a "home" even if it was one that she would kill for in order to be able to forget.

"I was, once upon a time." She settled for a mid point as she leaned in to grab the snack from Tara, who had appropriately sat a little bit away from her. While she didn't deny the Sanctuary's role in her life, she also wasn't going to give it any credit. "Shit went bad and I had to leave - not too long ago actually. I got seperated from my brother along he way, and ended up here. We'd agreed to meet here if we got split up."

 

[Amaranthine]

The way that Alison worded it made it sound like she may have planned on sticking around that little diner for a while, which got in the way of what Tara was about to do: offer her a place to stay. She was a little more hesitant to now, though. Tara herself couldn't stick around long - she had been due back home almost a week ago now and she had people waiting on her. Heath, hopefully - and Denise. She'd missed her girlfriend to death over the last few weeks and was excited to get back home and see the beautiful woman again.

"How long have you been waiting?" Tara asked the question so quietly, fearing the worst - that Alison was waiting for a dead man. She wasn't about to say that out loud, though - she figured that she would have already considered that possibility and didn't need to hear it out loud.

 

[Orion]

"I got here about... six hours ago, probably?" Alison said, trying her best to estimate time. Basically, she hadn't been here long at all. "But it's been two days almost since we got split up. I'm trying not to get ahead of myself." She didn't want to admit it out loud, but Ali was very sure that Colton was either dead or, more likely, back at the Sanctuary. He'd ran off with one of Negan's wives, after all - that sadistic fuck would much rather make an example out of someone who did that than have them killed.

"He's probably not coming though, Tara. I hate to say it, but it's true." Tara could picture whatever she wanted for an explanation to that - but Alison was hoping that she would simply assume walkers got between them.

 

[Amaranthine]

Yeah, that was a hard reality to have to face. The longer it was since you last saw someone, the lower your chances of ever seeing them again now that they lived in this shit world. As much as it seemed like Alison was at least aware of that, Tara still hated knowing that someone was losing their last real person. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to lose Denise, after all - a bright ray of hope after a string of losses in her life that had put a but of a damper on her bright outlook after a while.

"Yeah, you're probably right. You can't give up hope, though. Maybe he'll show up in the morning." Tara would still be here in the morning, and hopefully so would the woman's brother. "If not.... you don't want to stay here, do you? You could always leave a note somewhere here and we could come back in a few days to see if he'd found it and stuck around."

 

[Orion]

That didn't sound like a completely terrible idea. Find somewhere more safe to stay and come back in a couple days, right? At the same time Alison felt rather reluctant to agree. What if he showed up right after they left? If that happened he would have to wait on her for a while. At the same time she knew the odds. Not only would Colton likely not show up, the longer that she stuck around the more likely that the saviors were to find her as well and she would rather die than have to return to that place.

"Yeah," she finally agreed after a prolonged moment of thought. Even if she left with Tara in the morning, they would still be able to hold out a little bit longer. "Yeah, I think that would work. Where is this place of yours anyways?"

 

[Amaranthine]

"It's not too far from here, actually," Tara explained. As much as she wanted to be able to hold out here with the girl forever... well, no - she didn't. Tara desperately wanted to be back home with her own family. Therefore, the girl's acceptance made things easier. As much as Tara didn't want to have to leave her behind once morning came, she also didn't want to stick it out here indefinitely. "It's called Alexandria - we have steel walls and gates, nothing gets in without our say so. I've been there a while now and it's a really good place." Of course she thought it was really good place - she'd met the girl who was possibly the love of her life there.

 

[Orion]

Walls and gates and it's a "really good place" - no surprise, that reminded her of what she had been told about the Sanctuary before she knew the truth. Alison felt like she could have some faith in this girl, though. She didn't know why, but Tara gave off a naturally trustworthy vibe. On top of that, she seemed so delighted about her home. No one had ever seemed that way about the Sanctuary - people were grateful for a roof over their heads and food in their stomachs, but very few considered it a "really good place".

Alison was getting tired, though. She had spent most of the day on the move and exhaustion was wearing her down. Had Tara not shown up, she likely already would have been asleep. "It does sound like a good place," the blonde agreed. "But we should probably go to sleep. I can take first watch if you want?" No one slept without there being someone on guard these days, especially in unsecured places like this. As much as Ali wanted to be able to pass out now, she would at least offer to stay up first.

 

[Amaranthine]

Yeah, sleep was probably a good call. Tara was going to decline the girl's offer to stay up first, though. As much as she was tired, Tara didn't feel nearly as worn out as Alison looked to be. The brunette leaned back against a wall and then shrugged her button down off of her shoulders so that she was left in a tank top, which would be much more bearable to rest in. "Hey, no - you go to sleep," she said out loud, doing her best to smile so that the blonde knew that it genuinely was okay for her to go to sleep first if she needed to. "I don't mind staying up a little bit longer, so go to sleep. I can wake you up in a few hours and we can switch."

 

[Orion]

Alison was actually incredibly appreciative that Tara offered to take the first watch shift. She hadn't slept the night before, and had been on the move for nearly two days straight now. To say that she was exhausted would be an understatement. Ali let herself relax a bit more - Tara shrugged one of her shirts off so she put some faith in pushing her bag to the side. It wasn't like she even had anything worth stealing, but when one had so little every bit mattered.

"... Thank you," she finally muttered as she scooted over towards a corner. With her back against one wall, she was able to lean her head against the other. It wasn't the most comfortable position, but it was something. "Don't let me sleep too long. You deserve your chance to as well."

 

[Amaranthine]

"Just go to bed already," Tara said in a playful tone as the woman nestled herself in to a corner and prepared to sleep. She really didn't mind spending the first shift awake, and after Alison had finally fallen asleep she got to her feet and walked out of the little room. Luckily she hadn't closed to the door behind her when she first walked in, so there was no creaking to rouse the sleeping beauty. However, there still wasn't much to actually do - especially after dark. As much as she had a flashlight, she didn't want to actually use it. She waited a few hours - and then waited another hour or so for good measure just because Alison had looked completely exhausted. After it was time to switch things up, she fell asleep pretty easily - that was a blessing.

Morning came, and Tara wasn't quite "well rested", but by the time that the sun shining in to her eyes roused her from her slumber, she was at least rested enough that she would be able to make it back home and back to her own bed. She groaned as she stretched her body and looked around, recalling the previous night. What were the chances that Alison's brother had shown up already?

 

[Orion]

Alison had no way to know that Tara had given her extra sleeping time, but it did feel like too short of time had passed before the sun rose. That left the blonde with sneaking suspicions, but she wouldn't say anything. As soon as the sun was up she had walked out of the diner to get some fresh air. The roads in front of her were empty, as they had found themselves in what seemed to be ghost town. It seemed that not even the dead lived here any more.

She hadn't only gone outside for fresh air, though. Her green eyes watched the distance like a hawk as she hoped and prayed for her brother's familiar form to appear. Even though that moment didn't come, Alison didn't stop hoping. Eventually she did wander back in side so that she could see if Tara had awoken yet. If so, she hoped that she would be able to talk the brunette in to sticking around just a little bit longer.

When she walked in to the back room they had used as a sleeping chamber, she noticed Tara's eyes were open. "Hey," she said. Alison had her arms loosely crossed beneath her chest, and she had put her long hair up using an elastic that she had found back in the kitchen.

 

[Amaranthine]

"Hey," the brunette said back as the young woman walked in to the room, her eyes only half opened and her voice still low and tired. She rolled her head back and then cocked it to each side before extending her arms out in front of her as far as she could, stretching her body before she dared to finally stand up. By this point she had only been awake for a few minutes and normally she would have liked some more down time, but given that her new travelling partner had come in, Tara felt like it was only right to clamber to her feet. She groaned as she did so, and almost stumbled on the way up.

"Have you seen anything so far?" She asked, trying to be hopeful that the blonde had caught sight of who she was looking for already. She figured that given no one else was in sight that hadn't happened, but she still hoped that there could be a yet attached to that sentence. Tara's heart hurt at the thought of anyone having to give up hope on a loved one.

 

[Orion]

Alison had nothing good to report. Even though she had been up for hours and watching for any signs of life since sunrise, she had seen nothing at all. The worst part was that she knew that she had taken a longer than expected amount of time to get here. If anything, Colton should have been here before her. It was time to face the facts, it seemed. As much as she wanted to stick around indefinitely, she just couldn't afford to. She would get hungry and she would get tired before long.

So, in turn, the blonde let out a sigh. "I haven't," she told Tara as she tucked her hands in to the pockets of her jeans. "I'm guessing that you will want to get going soon?" Ali figured that was a safe bet - Tara had family back home and no supplies out here, after all. Perhaps a new home could be the start of a new life, though she would mourn the loss of her brother as if she had seen him die in front of her.

 

[Amaranthine]

Unfortunate - Tara really had been hoping that Alison's brother would have shown up. With a sad frown on her lips the brunette took a few steps in towards the blonde, resting her hand on Alison's shoulder for a second. She gave the girl an apologetic squeeze and then her limb fall away from the other's body - she hadn't thought until after that perhaps touch might be unwanted. Tara herself was naturally touchy - clingy eve. As much as she could handle her own space, she was happier when in closeness with others. Naturally, she had a tendency to assume that others would feel the same way - and hopefully Ali wouldn't think she was crossing a line with the soft, apologetic gesture.

"I know that you would probably like to stick around... but I need to be back home." She hated having to say that she wanted to go, but that was true. "If you want to stick around for breakfast we can, though."

 

[Orion]

"That would be nice, thank you." Alison spared the other woman a smile smile, but that was all she could muster given the harsh circumstances. She was about to leave behind hope, after all. At least there was something to move on to, though. At least there was a new potential home. Ali wasn't going to get her hopes up and believe that this "Alexandria" would be perfect, but she would give it a chance. It was better than having nothing at all, or at least she hoped that was true.

During the early hours of the morning, she had given the place a thorough look over and found a couple snack bars that had been carelessly left behind. It wasn't much, but it would be a good breakfast. After Tara mentioned eating before they left, she pulled them out and handed one to the brunette. "I found these a little while ago and figured we should make use of them. We can leave after they're done, I know you want to get back home."

 

[Amaranthine]

"You can always come back to see if he showed up," Tara reminded the blonde as she took the snack bar, happy to find out that they had a genuine treat to eat rather than the sparse remains of the fish she had left the oceanside village with. She simply did not have enough left to fuel even one of them, let alone the both - but had Alison not offered up something to eat, Tara's tender heart would have willed her to share.

"Thank you," she made sure to say as she pulled the wrapper off the snack bar. Tara took her time eating, not wanting to rush simply because she wanted to give Alison ample time to wait a little longer. Eventually they had both finished up, though, and at that point Tara pulled her bag over her shoulders and looked to the blonde. "You ready to go?" She asked as she started to give the storage room they had slept in a final look over.

 

[Orion]

Yes, they did have to go eventually. While the wait may have been fruitless, Alison was grateful for the few extra minutes it had afforded her. The blonde's appreciation was obvious in her pale green eyes - she looked softer than usual - kind, thankful. She could still spare no more than a slight smile, for now that would have to do. Just as Tara grabbed her bag, Alison grabbed her own near-empty one and slung it over just one shoulder before walking out of the opened door. Once in the hallway she turned back to look to Tara.

"Yeah I'm ready - take the lead." She wasn't near ready, but she was the closest that she would get. Though Alison felt like she could have some faith in Tara, it was hard for her to trust that she was going somewhere safe after her last adventure in to "somewhere safe". At worst, she would have to stay on guard and get out of there at the first sign of trouble - at best, she would possibly find a real home.