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[handleyourshit]

  


This is Rosita.  I'll hit you back when I can.

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[hippie_ninja]

It lights up his face, shifts his demeanor entirely.

"Really? That soon? I'll talk to Drake about having some of my wages wired to you."

[handleyourshit]

It makes her smile, a different expression from her more common one; softer. Warmer. She likes seeing her people happy.

"I think sooner is better in this case," she admits. There's also the sinking certainty that she's somehow both running out of time to get ahead of a serious situation and the need for somewhere familiar, somewhere private to hole up.

"So why not? Spring should be starting soon and we can get moving early."

[hippie_ninja]

"We can get some seeds in," he says, because he's already been planning ahead. "And I should be able to help with the roof soon. Or there's a company here, but... I can help."

He'd rather they do it all but it's up to her. She is, as she noted, being set up to be the leader.

[handleyourshit]

But she shakes her head the moment he mentions outsiders.

"I know how to do everything we need to do, it's just a matter of time, materials, and priorities," she answers confidently. She's been planning too.

"Roof, security, water. If we get stalled on one of those we can get some seed down, but we can manage food other ways if we have to, and I want to set the crops up right."

[hippie_ninja]

"All right. So we get started next month?" He's thinking, hearing Maggie's voice in his head. The things they need first, the things they can do before the first hit of spring.

[handleyourshit]

"The moment I have the title in hand," she agrees. Storing things they can grab and move somewhere else is one thing. Burning calories working on a place they might have to abandon is another.

Although: "I've been clearing debris sometimes when I'm out there. We have a burn pile already. How much do you know about construction?"

[hippie_ninja]

"A lot, now. We had to build everything in the Hilltop from scratch. What do you need built? Or are you just looking for repairs?" He doesn't know how far her vision goes but he plans to nudge it along.

[handleyourshit]

"Just repairs for right now. Get the main house back into defendable shape." Which will in turn make it livable.

"Eventually we can build more structures. I don't know what Carver is going to want for security, but it'll be his to work on unless he surprises me with construction skills."

There's only three of them and she feels vulnerable not having a defensible position; they need to not waste time overlapping if there are unique skills among them.

[hippie_ninja]

"I think he's best for security," Jesus agrees. "I already asked him his thoughts when I took him out there before. He thinks it's a good place."

[handleyourshit]

"You and me on the house then," she agrees.

"Hopefully once the roof is ready to hold the weight of panels, we'll have enough to buy them. I can fix them, I can install them, but I can't make them."

[hippie_ninja]

"Aren't you glad I work sixty hour weeks?" He smirks, washing the cups and then leading her to the back to put them into the sanitizer.

[handleyourshit]

"Do you know how mad I am that I have to worry about money again?" she mutters, following.

"What do you want to do with it?"

[hippie_ninja]

"Same thing you do, I thought," he shrugs. The glasses go into the cleaner, and he goes to gather the till. "I want a place we can go to if this place goes to hell. I also want a place we can all work on together, even if this place lasts. Something that's ours."

[handleyourshit]

"Not that," she says, but she smiles when she does. It's a nice story. A nice idea, a nice - future.

The smile fades because life is not a place for nice stories, but she's shaking her head.

"I meant what part of it do you want to do?"

[hippie_ninja]

That's a hard thing to answer. His real calling, the thing he's best at, isn't exactly needed.

"I want to make sure we have enough supplies." So he can go out, steal if he has to, barter if he can.

[handleyourshit]

She nods.

"Okay." She trusts him where she would trust few others to do that, to bring in enough and of the right things; it's easier here in ways it never was before. It's harder the same way.

"Anyone else I need to know about?"

[hippie_ninja]

He hums, thinking. "I told you about K and Drake, you know about Carver. Jacob and Dinah are up to you," although he'll push for Dinah a little bit. "I told you Vrenille gave me a key. I'm going to offer him one, too. Other than that? Nope."

[handleyourshit]

She nods, hesitating only a moment over the addition of Vrenille's name. But he's been good to them. She still doesn't count him as among their number, but he's definitely an ally. She can extend that much of a hand.

But: "Just the three of us to start. Until we know what we're working with." She needs a stretch to breathe before they start adding people. Needs to know it can actually work. Needs to know everyone is all in until it's real.

"Hopefully the three of us. Two if it has to be."

[hippie_ninja]

"When I asked Carver he seemed all in. He seemed glad." Which has Jesus thinking Carver needs this as much as Rosita and Jesus do.

[handleyourshit]

"I think so too," she admits. On both counts.

But - "He might be more attached to Grayson than to us. And you might not like the answers I get."

She cares about Carver more than she's willing to admit, but that's not all that matters in the end.

[hippie_ninja]

He nods. He knows; he's thought of that, too. It's possible that it doesn't even matter anymore who Carver is more attached to; vampires can control people.

"We'll handle it when we come to it."

[handleyourshit]

She rubs at the corner of her eye while she breathes out; she hates thinking about it. Hates that that has to be the answer, but she nods.

"Anyway. Point stands. Us, then we add people."

[hippie_ninja]

"Okay." The first sign, really, that he'll follow her lead even when he wants to do something else. But she has a good point, and anyway, it's not like they need a refuge set up right away. They can take their time.

[handleyourshit]

She nods.

Okay.

"I'll talk to Carver in the morning. We'll see what shakes out." She glances at Jesus.

"We good, J?"

[hippie_ninja]

It's not the first time they've ever argued, but before, they had Maggie or Rick making the decisions that one or the other had to abide by. Here, for the first time, it's just them.

He looks at her, calm but for a little touch of wariness that maybe he was too quick to relax. "Are we?"