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Post by Caliber on May 27, 2011 20:43:29 GMT -5
` The Penthouse (on the top [14th] floor) of the complex contains popular contemporary loft design elements. Expensive furniture and appliances have been installed throughout the apartment from corner to corner. The total square footage of the apartment is just under 2600 sq. ft., expanding over two stories with vast and spacious rooms.
Upon entering the apartment through a sturdy, single front door at the end of a short hallway connected to an elevator and stairwell, the first room to be seen is the kitchen, which contains a lengthy island, a wine rack, and a bar with six stools. The kitchen seamlessly connects to one of three living areas in the house. A sectional sofa surrounds a glass coffee table, all facing an LCD television mounted on the wall adjacent to the kitchen. Various abstract paintings are hung throughout the room, and large picture windows line every wall from ceiling to floor. Two glass balcony doors connect the first living area to an expansive terrace, lined with outdoor furniture-- a sectional sofa, two authentic Chaise lounge chairs covered by two large black umbrellas, and a rectangular glass table covered by a large black canopy.
The first living area leads to a small transitional cornerway with two splitting paths. The first path is a staircase, which leads to the private living areas on the second floor, whereas the second path follows a short, curved doorway, leading into the second of three total living areas in the home (pictured above). The second living area contains two armless sectional sofas lined with pillows on opposite sides of a 7 foot-long glass coffee table, standing only two feet off the ground. In the front of the room, another LCD television is mounted onto wall, adjacent to the second staircase in the home, which also leads to the private living areas of the apartment, just as the last. At the back of the room, the same rectangular, vertical picture windows from the first living room line all walls allowing plenty of natural lighting into the living area during the day time. Three twelve-rack bookshelves are attached sturdily to the right-most wall of the room (pictured). Upon ascending either staircase of the apartment, two seperate balconies hang over the loft's public areas, the first hanging over the kitchen and first living area, the second hanging over the second living area (pictured).
On the second floor, the third and final living area spreads out across both balconies. Two more sectional sofas surround a single glass coffee table, facing eachother. This room also functions as a dining room, as a rectangular glass dining table, similar to the one on the terrace, sits at the far end of the room, next to a second, smaller bar with only four stools. A short hallway branches off from the second floor dining/living area to the private bedrooms and public restroom. At the end of the short halway, a single wooden door leads to the public restroom. Inside, a single sink embedded into a large vanity with thick marble countertops, a toilet, and a shower stall stand against their respective walls. At the end of the same hallway, and around the first corner, a single door with frosted glass paneling leads to the guest bedroom. Inside, a king-sized bed sits against a wall at the far end of the room. On the adjacent wall, tall picture windows allow natural light flow. Large, white oak dressers and two sliding door closets line the third wall, which is adjacent to the bedroom's door.
Even farther down the hall and around a final corner, two double doors with frosted glass paneling sit atop a platform raised a half foot of the ground, a single step connecting the ground to the higher platform. The doors swing inward into the master bedroom. At the far end of the room, a king-sized bed sits atop another platform. Three of four walls are lined with vertical picture windows that pivot outward in the middle to let fresh air in. To provide privacy, retracting vertical blinds cover every window. A private bathroom connects to the master bedroom via a door-less doorway. The master bathroom contains a large marble-top vanity with two seperate sinks. The toilet room is seperated from the rest of the bathroom by sliding glass doors. On the wall opposite to the toilet room, large glass doors pivot into an expansive shower with three seperate shower heads.
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Post by Winters on May 27, 2011 20:59:12 GMT -5
"...Well a little heads up wouldve been nice, Colonel... Yes, I understand that, but... No, its not a problem, didnt have much to begin with, I only just transferred fresh last month... Colonel, ive been living in burned down apartment buildings for years, and than Vegas... Its not a problem, I fit it all on a cart... So what are you saying, you dont trust me in the apartment alone?... Kevin was a soldier, I had no right going on that missing in the first place... You just brought it up, didnt think it mattered anymore really. Chinook is gone, theres nothing more we can do about it... You shouldve thought of that one before sending us back to Vegas undercover!.. Yeah, sure, whatever, ill talk to you another time!"
After raising her voice, still trying to manuver the cart with one hand while talking on her cellphone with the other, Sherry closed it and than tossed it into a small basket. As she did so, there was a little kink in the carpet of the hallway on the top floor, and her cart than tipped over. Rushing over to its side, Sherry tried to catch it, but obviously couldnt lift the whole thing on her own. As all of her things came crashing to the floor, she backed away into he wall, and looked at the mess in the hallway. Everything she owned, all strewn across, wall to wall. With a fit of rage, she turned around, and threw a punch forward, but accidentally slammed it into a door that had been closed over. Pausing, she withdrew her hand, and then cursed to herself, scrambling to try and lift the cart back up its four wheels, and gather up her things...
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Post by Caliber on May 27, 2011 21:32:45 GMT -5
Izzie sat on the hardwood floor, legs crossed, arranging medical textbooks on the bottom shelf of the book case in the second living room area. She perked her head up when she heard a loud crashing, then rumbling noise from out in the hallway. Izzie immediately jumped to her feet and ran to the door. Being the only room on this entire floor, she knew whoever had made the noise must be her new room mate, as there was no other reason for anyone to visit the 12th story.
She approached the door, reset all three lock mechanisms, then opened the door inward. She stepped out into the hallway, feeling the cold carpet beneath her feet, wearing nothing but socks. She wasn't too used to being able to wind down and take off all the heavy gear, least of all boots. It was a nice change. She saw the faux red-haired woman gathering her things from the floor, loading the cart. It became clear that her cart had tipped over.
"I take it you're my new room mate?" Izzie asked, smiling, bending down on one knee. She began helping the woman load her things back onto the cart. Once everything was loaded, Izzie arose to her feet, extending her arm. "Dr. Wolf-- or Izzie if you prefer a less formal, civil greeting."
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Post by Winters on May 27, 2011 21:55:28 GMT -5
As the woman stepped out, Sherrys eyes opened, but she didnt really look at the new face. She just gathered up everything into the cart, still cursing to herself, most likely inside of her head. Once everything was in, the woman had wanted to shake her hand. At first, it was a little strange, as she couldnt have possibly known that she was her room mate. But seeing as this was in fact the only room on the floor, at least on this side of the building, it was pretty evident. "Uh, hi, im Sherry. Mind if we just get inside, im no really in the mood..." Sherry had still been pretty upset about the whole thing, and now moving out of her apartment, which she had set up before departing on her last mission, all she wanted to do was lay down and think about everything. She didnt mean to be unfriendly, but it was coming off like that, to most people its what usually came off.
Getting the cart inside the room, Sherry was almost amazed at the size of the place. Stopping it in the middle of the carpet on the hardwood floor, instinctively, she didnt want to roll it off in fear that it would ruin the surface. She hadnt seen anything this nice in years, literally years. "Ive... Only been living on the lower floors, the smaller, single apartments. Didnt know things were this big up here..." It seemed a little strange for one person to own this, not like she deserved it or anything, cold as it sounded in her own head. But maybe Sherry had been looking at this all wrong, and on that note, finished off her sentence with a more friendly tone than before, obviously seeing that things were getting better for her. "...Colonel told me you had this place set up for a newcomer, guess your stuck with me, huh?"
As the woman, Izzie, closed over the door and locked it behind her, Sherry spoke out again. "Okay, okay, sorry about before. I just got off the phone, and I tripped, and... Yeah... Just... Not in a good mood right now, didnt mean to take it out on you. Officer Paramore from the BSAA Recconissis Division."
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Post by Caliber on May 27, 2011 22:25:34 GMT -5
"Yeah," Izzie began. "I was surprised that they gave me this place. Well, more along the lines of insisted that I take it. I'm glad to have a room mate, actually. It feels a little weird having all this space to myself. I wouldn't exactly consider myself 'set up' for a guest though, much less even for myself. I've been here less than two days and I barely know where the bathroom is," she laughed as she closed the door behind the woman. "Truth is," she started again. "I'm pretty sure the only reason they gave me this place is because I'm Major of an entire devision of S.T.A.R.S. back in Seattle, and captain of one of the squads. It's not like I command anyone anymore, though. The squads are mostly broken up across the continent, and my squad is situated in Raccoon City. Hell, pretty sure I'm the only soldier, officer, captain, or otherwise in all of Florida. All I know is that they said I was their guest, and that this room used to belong to someone important who wouldn't be using it anymore. Honestly, it's all a little too much."
Izzie listened as Sherry apologized for her mood.
"It's alright," Izzie told her. "I'm rarely in much of a good mood, myself. I'm just trying to keep it as friendly as I can. Don't worry about it."
Izzie walked into the kitchen and popped open the fridge door, reaching in.
"There's soda in here, wine on the rack over there, and I think there's some whiskey up top, if you're thirsty. None of it really belongs to me, I suppose. So feel free," Isobel told Sherry, gesturing around the kitchen with her hands.
"If you wanna lay down, there's a couple hundred couches lying around," she laughed. "And there's the guest bedroom upstairs, second door down the hallway."
Izzie walked into the first living room, letting herself fall back onto one of the couches. She stared out the window at the night sky, focusing on the bright stars.
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Post by Winters on May 28, 2011 3:54:58 GMT -5
Laying against the trolly cart, Sherry had been listening to Izzie speak, very friendly. It was good that they seemed to get along, most of the time that was the hardest part. At this point in life, especially considering the outbreak had just started up again, Sherry knew the rules. It wasnt the infected that bothered her anymore, they were a manageable threat. It was the people that slowed her down, that almost get her killed. So listening to Izzie was nice, good to know that she was welcome her, or at least she definitly felt that she was welcomed. "Thank you, very much, honestly. Really though, its more than what I was expecting, what im used to..." Not bothering to unpack any of her stuff, she just lay down on the nearest couch, and than put her feet up for the first time since the mission ended.
"I grew into the 1998 outbreak, kept myself out of deaths plan by staying inside Las Vegas. Didnt last too long when I joined the BSAA. I too am a member of STARS, used to be a captain. Maybe thats why they transferred me here with you, to work with a new partner. Well, theres no other way to put it, not that I dont think your a nice enough person or anything, just, I know your a well respected agent, thats all..." Sherry tried keeping her mouth closed after that, she was just on the verge of making a fool of herself. Izzie was a fine agent, for the soul reason that shes still alive right now. Thats how it worked.
"...When I was in Vegas, I was the one on the front lines, leaving the city to search for food and supplies. In the midst of it all, out there killing as many infected as I possible could, while bringing back whatever I could. It was people like us that helped keep Vegas up and running for as long as the entire outbreak, and keep it from turning into a gangsters paradise. Theres lots of shady things happening, people just dont fear zombies like that used to, I guess. If you know what im talking about..." Of course she feared the zombies, but not quite like Sherry did years before.
As she got up from the couch, Sherry walked over to her trolly, and started digging through some of the plastic baskets. As she lifted up one of her personal boxes, her .357 Python Magnum had fallen onto the floor, along with a box of ammunition for it. Quickly going for it to at least try and keep it out of sight, Sherry picked it up and put it in the back of her jeans, and than quickly gathered up the small amount of bullets. "Ah, sh*t, you didnt see that... I know were not suppose to carry around weapons, especially unregistered BSAA equipment, and certainly not in a ceasefire zone like here. I just cant let go of it, it needs to be near me at all times, otherwise I cant feel safe enough... I hope you understand, just dont tell the Colonel, please..."
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Post by Caliber on May 28, 2011 7:38:18 GMT -5
"No kidding," Izzie commented humorously after Sherry's first sentence. "You're welcome."
Izzie listened to Sherry explain, nodding in silence. After the first break, Izzie cut in to comment.
"You must've been young when the outbreak began-- still in high school?"
She listened to Sherry continue speaking, up until she broke off again and stood up, heading for the trolly.
"Now that the mystery is gone, now that there are no more unanswered questions about them, the infected have just become obstacles, minor inconveniences. People underestimate the danger a crowd of infected can bring. Sure, one zombie? That's no problem-- that is the exact mindset that these kids who were born during, after, or shortly before the original apocalypse have. What they don't understand is that an entire fortification like this could be brought down with one person sneaking through with a bite, then turning into one of them. Everyone in this entire building could be dead just like that," she said, snapping her fingers a single time, loudly, while simultaneous finishing the sentence.
Just as she snapped her fingers on the word 'that', a few things from Sherry's trolly came crashing down-- a revolver, a small box of .357 ammunition, and a few loose rounds. Izzie couldn't help but chuckle at how Sherry rambled, trying to make an excuse as if she was about to be arrested.
Izzie reached down to her leg holster, retrieving her own revolver. She spun it a single time on her middle finger before setting it carefully on the glass table in between her and Sherry.
"Never leave home without it, right?" Izzie laughed. "Even though this is home, I suppose. I think it goes without saying that your secret is safe with me."
She continued, "The rest of my junk is in the other room. They cleared me to bring this stuff up here, so long as I didn't go flashing it around, but as I was saying before-- anything can happen at any time, and I never walk around unarmed."
Izzie thought for a moment, then added, "Plus, with the B.S.A.A/S.T.A.R.S merger, I guess I outrank half the people here."
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Post by Winters on May 28, 2011 23:31:09 GMT -5
Sherry listened to Izzie, and the whole time, she had been losing her mind on the inside. Everythings was coming from her new friends mouth, but the words werent coming into her mind. Sherry was bottling up her regret, everything that made her scare, make her cringe on the inside. It was only a few seconds after the conversation that she spoke up, and in a tone she couldnt prevent. "I need to go, umm.... Just need to leave, please...." With that said, Sherry had left all of her stuff in the room, and then opened up the front door, and exited without letting Izzie ask any questions. Least none that could be herd.
This was the one thing that always took over the red head. She could kill thousands of infected, all without a shed of emotion. But the second that one conversation was brought up, she couldnt handle it, couldnt listen to it again, couldnt get it all out of her head. The door opened up not thirty seconds after she had left, and Sherry knew it was Izzie, more than likely coming to her after she heard the crying. But as Izzie came through the door into the hallway, Sherry looked up at her, and than spoke out in a more audible tone. "Just one person... One person gets through... Everythings over..." When Sherry rang this paused sentence out, it was obvious that she was talking about the Las Vegas Massacre of 2002. "One person got through, and everything changed. Everything ended. We couldnt stop it, only cut it off, with gunfire, upon all the civilians."
Sherry was traumatized by this, and only being fairly young when it happened, things were even worse for her. However, this was the first time that she had broken out into tears while somebody else was around. Nobody knew it was hurting inside her, nobody now accept Izzie.
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Post by Caliber on May 29, 2011 0:22:47 GMT -5
When Izzie finished speaking, Sherry immediately walked out the front door, it slamming shut behind her. Izzie sat in silence for a moment, wondering if she had said something wrong. Faint whimpering and sniffling could be heard from the hallway, and Izzie knew Sherry was crying. She contemplated for a moment whether she should just let her alone, or go out and try to comfort her. She decided to try and help the poor girl. Standing up, Izzie headed for the door, opening it softly.
She walked out into the cold hallway, yet again. The only sound to be heard, aside from the hushed whimpering from Sherry, was the violent thunderstorm that was taking place out in the night sky. Frowning with sympathy, Izzie approached her. Now looking up, Sherry spoke to Izzie, sniffling in between sentence breaks. Izzie sat down against the wall, next to Sherry.
"You did what was necessary," Izzie told her, reassuringly. "I'm sure you had to, and that there was no other choice."
After a moment of complete silence, Izzie continued. "I took refuge in an underground office building back in 'o six. There were dozens-- maybe even a hundred other survivors down there. I lived with those people for three years. One morning I woke up to my only living friend that I brought to the shelter with me devouring our roommate. I killed her, killed our half-devoured roommate, then fought my way through six stories of people I previously to call my friends. In order to ascend to the surface, I had to take the elevator. I headed for the shaft, but I was overwhelmed... very quickly. The crowd of infected was dense, and I couldn't tell which faces were alive-- and which were undead. In order to get to the elevator, I fired blindly into the crowd, killing nearly every single moving creature in that hallway. I knew I had just murdered otherwise doomed people-- and it was that fact that kept me going, that they were doomed either way. The elevator was stuck at the third floor, and the power was out, so I climbed the service elevator to the second floor, then fought my way through the remaining five stories of infected. I killed a lot of people that day, the majority infected... but there were the few that weren't-- and that eventually did come to haunt me. I was the only living person who made it out of that shelter. Truth is, it never really goes away. The only way I keep myself going is by repeating to myself the fact that there was nothing else I could've done."
Izzie handed a tissue to Sherry. They sat in silence for a moment.
"Come on, let's go sit by the fire, it's freezing out here," Izzie said, standing up.
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Post by Winters on May 29, 2011 0:43:19 GMT -5
Standing up with her, Sherry followed Izzie back into the room. There was one thing that kept her mind on track, and that was a mission. At this point, she didnt want to go another day doing nothing, she wanted to do something. The BSAA had been a right place for her, a safe haven, a way to help out others. But it always felt that it was chaining her, as well, not being able to just go when she needed to. She shot in the firing range for days on end, waiting for something to come up, when all she really wanted to do was get out in the world and do something worth her time. Maybe thats why Chinook had been against joining the BSAA in the first place. He was more happy roaming. He found what made him happy, Sherry hadnt.
As they got into the room by the fire, it was interesting to see a good fireplace set up, something she hadnt seen in a long time. Taking a seat on the couch, she had placed her hands on her knees, and than breathed in deeply. After and exhale, Sherry wiped her eyes, and it was evident that she was calm now. Almost as if she felt the need to explain herself, she spoke out to Izzie, feeling that she could be a good friend to talk to, and strange enough as they just met. "Ive been sixteen for a long time. A very long time. I have no education after than, had no family to cling to, no way to know what it was like to be older. The outbreak just cut off my childhood there. Its strange being 30 years old, but only having the mind of a scared 16 year old girl. It just messes up your mind, turns you into somebody whos emotionally stressed a lot of the time. The only thing I wanna do is help people, so they dont have to turn out like me. Thats why I joined the BSAA in the first place."
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Post by Caliber on May 29, 2011 1:33:11 GMT -5
Izzie and Sherry sat down on the sectional sofa beside the fireplace. Izzie listened intently as Sherry spoke.
"That's noble," Izzie told her. "I can tell you're a good person, you shouldn't beat yourself up for whatever happened in Vegas. You know what they say about Vegas, after all," she chuckled. "It must have been difficult-- during the outbreak, I mean, being only a child. I was 25 when the outbreak began. I was an adult, my own person. I had just begun my second year of surgical residency-- I was an independant person. I can't even imagine what it would have been like for you."
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Post by Winters on May 29, 2011 1:46:33 GMT -5
"...Its okay, im fine now. Its just hard when it gets brought up, im still not over the whole thing. You didnt know I was sensitive to it, is not your fault. Im the only one to blame, I need to be stronger about it. Bout time I grow up for real, not just live my life mission to mission." However, the two of them were placed in the same room, now, so they were doing to be partners in the future, there was no question about that. Izzie seemed like the kind of person that Sherry wanted around, somebody to look up to, like a big sister she never had growing up. There was no way she was going to be looking at Sherry like an adult now, not even her herself could think of her as one, she was still just a teenager trapped inside a womans body.
The warmth of the fire place felt soothing, it was almost as if that night never happened. She didnt want to put her things away, not tonight, all Sherry wanted to do was lay back and enjoy the feeling of being safe. Being with somebody else in a room made her feel safe. It was really strange how a person can meet somebody for the first time, and instantly feel safe around them, it wasnt something that happened in the last fourteen years. Everybody always had that part of them that knew the person they were making friends with would potentially get them killed. But here in the BSAA Living Quarters, things were fine, back like they were before the outbreak. Maybe thats actually whats been keeping her sane, holding onto the last bit of humanity inside the apartment. Take advantage of the freedom and security. "We need to sign up for a mission sometime, just something small to start out, as partners. If thats okay with you, I mean..."
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Post by Caliber on May 29, 2011 19:50:14 GMT -5
Izzie listened intently. Once Sherry had finished speaking, Izzie assured her it was no problem.
"Don't worry, we all have our quirks. It's understandable to be sensitive about it. Any sane person would be, in fact. So long as you keep looking forward, you'll be perfectly fine," Izzie said with a smile.
She stood up and walked for the kitchen bar. Behind the counter, Izzie grabbed several things from the refridgerator and surrounding cabinents, then set a deep pot on the front burner of the stove, flicking on the heat. As she did this, Sherry spoke again.
"A mission?" Izzie responded, rhetorically. "Sure, how about tomorrow? You have anything in mind?"
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Post by Winters on May 30, 2011 15:08:37 GMT -5
Seeing Izzie work about with the items she had gathered, Sherry wondered what she was doing exactly. Being patient though, however, she remained on the couch, and responded to her question. "Well, maybe not tomorrow, but sometime soon. Id rather take a break, I was already out in the field for over twenty four hours as it is. Dont like it out there anymore. It would be good if I could just get some rest here tonight, maybe think things over by myself, and than tomorrow we can talk to the Colonel about an operation, see if theres anything thats available with just two people. Im not one for working with a handful of people, id rather be stationed somewhere on my own, or on the field with just one other. Still havent got passed the trust barrier of putting my life in the hands of others, least if you accidentally drop it im not entirely-"
Cutting herself off, Sherry knew that she had been sounding more rude as she spoke on the topic, and quickly stopped herself from continuing with what she was about to say. People around her werent very trustworthy, whether it was because she didnt know them well enough, or shed rather depend on nobody except herself. Her last partner, Kevin, she could trust, but only because he tried so hard to show her that people could become good partners. For Izzie to do the same, it would take a little more than just dedication, she would have to prove to Sherry that the two could make good partners, otherwise the mission could fail more easily. "...Im just not used to working with people closely, not trying to make it personal. The important part of good partnership is knowing your partners instinct before they even make them. Cooperation can work its fastest that way."
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Post by Caliber on May 30, 2011 15:55:13 GMT -5
Izzie cracked open two cans of chicken broth and poured them into the deep pot, then sprinkled pepper and other spices into the mixture. She began rolling pastry dough into small clumps while Sherry was speaking. Once she was done rolling the dough, she dropped the small balls into the liquid mixture in the deep pot, then turned up the heat on the stove. She placed a frying pan on another burner, then grabbed a bag of frozen chicken breast out of the freezer, taking two large pieces before returning the bag. At a cutting board, Izzie sliced the chicken breast into small strips, then tossed them into the frying pan. She seasoned the chicken slices with onion powder and pepper, then flicked on the timer next to the temperature dials. Sherry paused, but Izzie kept cooking, then listened up again once Sherry continued. After stirring the mixture in the pot, Izzie added in a package of thin, flat noodles. After stiring the noodles into the mixture, Izzie flipped over the chicken cooking in the frying pan, then reapplied seasoning.
Sherry finished speaking, and Izzie stepped away from the stove, turning around to face her.
"I like the way you think," she laughed. "You remind me of me. I knew there was something different about you, glad I didn't get stuck with some overly-enthusiastic F-N-G. Don't get me wrong, enthusiasm is good, but it sure can get on your nerves," she told her. "Alright," she began. "We'll take it easy, then talk to the Colonel when we're ready."
The stove timer went off. Izzie turned around and took the frying pan off of the stove. Using a large fork, Izzie dropped each slice of chicken into the broth mixture, then turned the heat to 'low' and began stirring slowly.
"You hungry?" Izzie called over her shoulder.
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