16:41, Today: Sean Anderton failed (no successes) using 4d6 with the Target Number system with a target of 6 with rolls of 5,3,4,5.  Scouting. Zero successes.

"Don't take a teammates equipment without asking, unless it's an emergency. And if you have to, take mine" Rebecca says sternly to Zoe. "That's two strikes, Zoe. I don't want to send you back to the boat, but I will if I have to. We all make mistakes but sorry won't cut it if someone gets hurt." She nods when Zoe says she'll look for the truck but Rebecca adds, her voice now soft and kind "It's a good plan, but don't go too far."

Rebecca hands Sean's walkie-talkie back to him but looks annoyed at his criticism. Undermining her authority like this isn't help things any. "I did address it, I told her what she'd done wrong, and I did it without cursing at her. Zoe's my responsibility, if you have a problem with her, bring it to me. And if someone needs to risk their life to rescue her, I'll do it."

Rebecca moves around towards the rear of the building, rifle at the ready. She talks quietly so that Zoe can't hear what she's saying to Sean. "What would you have me do, Sean, ground her?  Dock her allowance? There's nowhere to go. Look, I know I'm not doing the best job stepping in for my mother and being a mother for Zoe, but nobody ever taught me how to be a post-apocalyptic parent when I'm nineteen. She's my only living family and I happen to love her quite a lot, I'm not going to go Gunnery Sergeant Hartman here. I chide her when she does wrong and I reinforce how much I love her when she shows contrition. What more can I do?" She stays alert and searching even as they talk, although her tough external actions didn't quite make up for revealing some of her internal insecurities.

14:19, Today: Rebecca Saroyan failed (no successes) using 1d6 with the Target Number system with a target of 6 with rolls of 2.  Stress die.
14:18, Today: Rebecca Saroyan rolled 1 success using 6d6 with the Target Number system with a target of 6 with rolls of 4,6,4,3,4,3.  Push: Scouting.
14:13, Today: Rebecca Saroyan failed (no successes) using 6d6 with the Target Number system with a target of 6 with rolls of 4,5,5,1,4,5.  Scouting+gear bonus.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:23, Sat 27 Apr.

Zoe's heart sank as Sean's words pierced through her, a pang of guilt and frustration knotting in her stomach. Once again, she had stumbled, and Sean's reprimand stung deeper than she anticipated.

"Sorry," she muttered softly, unable to meet their eyes, the weight of disappointment settling heavily on her shoulders. It felt awful, like she was constantly falling short of their expectations, failing to meet their standards.

As Rebecca and Sean walked away, Zoe's mind buzzed with a whirlwind of emotions. She appreciated her sister's unwavering support, yet deep down, she knew they were right. They always seemed to be, just like Mom, teachers, social workers—grown-ups.

With a heavy sigh, Zoe refocused on scanning the area for a suitable vehicle. She had to prove herself, to demonstrate that she belonged with the crew. But amidst the turmoil of her thoughts, all she could think about was how badly she had messed up and the urgent need to make things right.

Once Zoe apologizes, I nod to her and speak with a tone of affirmation. "Thank you."

Hearing Ryder's voice brought a sense of relief to me from the tense atmosphere that had developed while looking for fuel reserves.

"Spelunking? That sounds like a nice, leisurely activity. We're still working on locating obtaining fuel." I respond back to him through the walkie talkie, glancing back up at the building. "Zoe spotted several barrels up on the top level of this building, but it's covered with Ghouls soaked in fuel. We'll report back soon."

I clip the device back to my belt and follow Rebecca around to the back of the building. A hand rests on the hilt of my knife as we walk through the debris and rubble of the surrounding areas. My eyes flicker to Rebecca as she speaks honestly on her situation. In all reality, Rebecca is just a kid too. Sure, she might have enlisted in the Army and learned how to kill people, but that doesn't automatically bestow adulthood on someone. The time to grow-up should be a natural progression and not something you're thrusted into. So many young armed forces personnel were thrusted into awful situations before they had the chance to grow-up to experience life. That's a tragedy, really.

"Listen, I am truly sorry that your relationship with Zoe has changed from siblings to one of parent-sibling. I can't imagine how that would weigh on someone and those learning curves are taxing, no doubt. She's lucky to have you as an older sister. That doesn't alter the fact that her actions can have ripple effects with other people, though. As you know, this isn't like we're at some summer camp and can get away from one another when we need a break. All of us need breaks at one point or another while at the same time, we have to live and survive together. We have to know that our fellow teammate can be dependable and reliable, not irrational with brash behavior."

Rebecca manages to find an opening in the burned building, as part of the wall collapsed. This allows the three of them to enter to loading dock area. Once there, Zoe finds a truck that seems only mildly burnt. As they have now slipped inside, they should be able to get to the elevator shaft while avoiding the staff area-which has all the walkers.

The problem is 1) getting the truck out of the loading dock-which means the gate will have to rise. As there is no electricity, it will have pulled up unless an alternate source of power could be found. Ether way, the gate rising will make noise.

2) Getting to the elevator shaft is possible, as it was for loading and unloading barrels of fuel. However, it also has no power, so doors on the loading dock area need to be opened.

Zoe spots the truck, its slightly charred frame promising a ride out of this mess. She shoots a grin at Rebecca and Sean.
"Score! Check it out, guys, we've got wheels!"

Checking out the truck, she asks "So, uh, how are we gonna get this thing out of here? And what's the plan for those doors? Think we can jimmy them open somehow?"

She leans against the truck, hands tucked in her pockets.

Rebecca is touched when Sean says that Zoe is lucky to have her as an older sister. "Our mother was a working single mother, so looking after Zoe isn't entirely new, but it's very different now. But really, I'm the one who is lucky. Zoe is special." There was more that she wanted to say in response, but she didn't want to argue with Sean here, so she simply nods. There were things she felt he was overlooking, but others he was surprisingly insightful on.
"Good work!" she praises her sister after Zoe finds the truck. "Who will be driving when the time comes?"
Rebecca swings her rifle this way and that as she analyzes the area. "We'll need to pry the elevator doors open... and secure any other doors so the walkers don't come after us on this level. That's if we decide that we can lure them down the elevator shaft."

In reply to Rebecca Saroyan (msg # 51):

OOC-It will be a force roll to try and open the elevator doors. Alternatively you could use tech, but then you will have to find a power source to do so. Tools will help both rolls. FYI-Elevator is has two doors-one leading to the loading dock, the others linked to each floor for transporting fuel down to loading dock or from loading dock.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:32, Thu 02 May.

Zoe beams at Rebecca's praise, feeling kinda proud of herself. "Thanks, Becca! I got an eye for these things. And I can totally drive this bad boy, no sweat." Zoe's quick to throw her hat in the ring. "Plus, I've been practicing with Rusty, so we're, like, a dream team behind the wheel." She gives Rusty a quick kiss.

Then she looks over at the elevator with a concerned look. "Wait, seriously? We’re gonna have to power that thing up. How else are we gonna get the barrels down from the third floor?"

"And, yeah! I've got my multitool too, just in case we need to MacGyver our way through any tricky spots and juice the elevator up." She pats her backpack with a grin.

OOC:
Do we hear the gunfire?

In reply to Zoe Saroyan (msg # 53):

OOC-Scout roll.

OOC:
16:02, Today: Zoe Saroyan rolled 1 success using 5d6 with the Target Number system with a target of 6 with rolls of 6,2,4,2,1.  Scout.
1 success 1 walker

In reply to Zoe Saroyan (msg # 55):

Zoe hears something from the outside-clearly gunfire. However, the noise is overcome by groaning and moans of excited walkers. As a result she cannot pinpoint the location.

Zoe's heart skipped a beat. "Did you hear that?" she whispered urgently to Rebecca and Sean. "It sounded like gunfire!" Her eyes darted around, searching for any signs of danger.

"I'm sure you can. Sorry, I'm sure you two can" she said of Zoe and Rusty driving. "But Sean might have to drive since you and I may need to cover him with our guns. We'll see."

"Lacking a generator, we'll need to force it open, I think. Maybe we should get Ryder over here." Rebecca said, holding back a groan. This kind of technical stuff wasn't her forte. "We can lower the barrels down with a rope... if the elevator isn't in the way."

She snaps to alertness when Zoe reports the gunfire. "Private Saroyan here, talk to me. We hear gunfire, what's going on?" she says into her radio as she scans around for possible threats. Her voice is audible but soft to keep the local walkers from reacting.

In reply to Rebecca Saroyan (msg # 58):

The radio responds.

Ryder:

"Just lightin' up some Irenes. Between Gloria Gaynor, some ladders, and a little old-fashioned whup ass, we got it in hand. ... Haven't been able to recover shit, though. Found plenty of stuff, but sorting it and getting it out will take ropes, pulleys, and flashlights. None of which we have. How are you guys fixed over there?"

"Yeah, we're having a similar issue. The barrels are on the upper floor and we're going to have to get some unpowered doors open with a lot of work, and lower them down even if we can get rid of the walkers" she says into her radio.

I give Zoe a nod of approval regarding the truck. "Well, that's better than a two-handed dolly. I really don't want to push 55-gallon containers of fuel back to the Nancy."

"I can drive, though going through this hellish nightmare of a landscape will be a new experience for me," I reply with an uneasy chuckle. As Rebecca and Ryder communicate through the radios, I look upward to the top of the gate and from at the lack of manual means to open the damn thing. No pully chains, nothing. If this door hand a chain, we could easily (and slowly) bring the door open, but without that option, we'll need to bring power which means drawing unwanted attention.

The Radio replies:

Rebecca blushes at Ryder's words on the radio. "I, Um, understood. I'll tell him. Do you want us to meet you there?" she responds on the radio, slightly flustered by his teasing. In person, she speaks to Sean and Zoe "Sean, Ryder says the others are meeting on the shore by the dinghies, re-organizing and planning." she says officially. Less officially she adds "And apparently he thinks I'm cute in the uniform."

"Sure, let's go back and debrief. The fuel odors are starting to bother my head, anyway." My eyes linger on the service door that's prohibiting us from commandeering the scorched truck before I turn and head out of the facility. Chuckling, I reply to Rebecca with a grin. She's young but she has other options aside from Ryder back on the Nancy that might be less complicated and messy. "Ryder's quite the flirt, isn't he?"

"Okay. Zoe, stick close. I'll take point" Rebecca says when they resolve to join the others. She moves with a purpose, swiveling her rifle to cover the nearby rooftops in case of attack.

"Ryder certainly is. He's handsome, but he's got two girls already. Harem girl hasn't really been a viable career field since the Ottoman Empire collapsed. I'm just surprised he likes soldiers, I would think his taste would run more towards sexy cop" she says lightly, although her attention is still on possible threats. She leads the three from cover to cover, moving cautiously back towards the boat.

Zoe sticks close to Rebecca as they make their way back to the boat, feeling safer with her big sis leading the way.

"Yeah, totally," Zoe chimes in, scanning their surroundings for any signs of danger. "He's got that whole charming thing going on, but yeah, two's company, three's a crowd, right, and what is four?" She flashes a small smile, trying to play it cool, but inside, she can't shake off the unease of Ryder's flirting with her sister.

As they move cautiously she's glad they're heading back to the boat but she can't help but wonder if maybe she's just being too sensitive about the whole thing. After all, Becca can handle herself, right?

OCC:
11:02, Today: Zoe Saroyan rolled 1 success using 6d6 with the Target Number system with a target of 6 with rolls of 6,3,3,4,1,3.  Scout.
(+1 from Rusty) No walkers.

"Well, I think people have to adapt to live in this new world. Things change, including our habits and outlooks, right? I mean, I never thought I'd be scouting around for boat fuel in a Hellish landscape either, but here I am," I say with a sigh as I follow Rebecca's lead, alongside Zoe and Rusty. I am crouching while I walk alongside broken-down, burnt vehicles and large pieces of debris, all of which takes extra time to traverse through and around. "Either way, it is nice to receive a little bit of attention in the form of flirting, isn't it?"

As we proceed towards the Nancy, I turn my head back and look the tall building with the fuel canisters to catch a glimpse of the Ghouls aimlessly staggering about through the openings. How many are really in there? And is all of this worth the risk of putting everyone in danger? I'm not sure. I'm not sure the Nancy is worth it.

The team makes it back to the boat from the Nancy Foster easily enough. The various sounds, and shots, seems to have 'riled up' the local walkers. However, the sounds where not constant enough to keep their interest. After the noises end, eventually the groups of walkers return to their random shuffling.

"If three's a crowd, four is a... flock. Or a fireteam" Rebecca responds cheerily to Zoe's words.

Rebecca smiles shyly as Sean asks if it's nice to receive attention through flirting. "It is nice to know that even after I can't get makeup I still look cute. I've got a small stockpile of makeup but I save it for special occasions."
"If it's any consolation, I think you make a good hell-world scout."