canon is Jurassic World

[rexponsible]

[Claire takes a deep breath, brushes her red hair away from her eyes. She can't believe she's having this conversation.]

Don't you think that I've had enough excitement for one lifetime? Running all over the jungles of Costa Rica in heels was difficult enough -

And now you tell me I have to it all over again, except this time, there are zombies?

[Another deep breath. Stay calm, Claire. Everybody remain calm.]

I also cannot believe that you've decided that one of my shoes will "suffer a tragic hero's fate" by being eaten by a raptor.

[She's just so over it right now.]

Now, excuse me while I try to be productive. I do have things to sort out, you know.

Comments

[the_looser]

You don't get enough appreciation for being who you are, do you?

I know that feeling.

[rexponsible]

I think she does appreciate me. On the other hand, she's too excited to get me in trouble.

[the_looser]

That's what I mean - you're no good to these people unless they can get you in trouble. Just being who you are and staying dedicated to your work isn't invigorating enough for them.

[rexponsible]

[Her lips flattened to a thin line, and Claire glanced away. She wasn't going to divulge the uncertainty of her job to a random stranger, so instead she said:]

You're right, though I'm . . . on leave from work at the moment, so she's taking advantage of my free time to deposit me in all sorts of awkward situations.

[That's Claire's way of saying "nobody knows what the hell is going to happen to Jurassic World after this, or if I still even have a job".]

[the_looser]

You'd better hope such situations stay at "awkward."

Oh, and be sure to hang on tight to those shoes of yours'.

[rexponsible]

Until I have a suitable replacement, I certainly will. I don't plan to walk around barefoot. It's unhygienic and dangerous, and I won't be productive in post-apocalyptic situations - or in any situation, honestly - if all I'm worried about is losing my foot to an infection I received from running around without shoes.

You sound like you have experience with your writer on these matters.

[the_looser]

Not really. He's talked the talk, but barely got around to walking the walk. Pun unintended there.

[rexponsible]

You should consider yourself fortunate, then. You've been spared the trouble.

[the_looser]

Hmmm. Yeah, I suppose so.

[wingsoflight]

All things considered, at least you have enough experience running when you go up against zombies.

[rexponsible]

I'm not certain that anyone should be proud of gaining experience in such matters by running away from rampaging dinosaurs.

Regardless, I'll take whatever advantages I can get.

Do you have any experience with zombies?

[wingsoflight]

Dinosaurs are just a step bigger. [Never mind the fact that they can adapt, they're genetically modified, and you created a hybrid/monster that killed a lot of your other dinosaurs.]

Hardly, but from what I gather, simply shooting them in the head or decapitating them is a nice way to start.

[rexponsible]

[Water under the bridge, right?]

That is what I have gathered as well. I suppose being caught flat-footed on the ground is to be expected; I hardly paid attention to zombie horror movies in the past.

[Her tone is wry and sarcastic, but her disdain is not for him, but for the situation and how ridiculous it is.]

[wingsoflight]

[For now, anyway.

But he hums and smiles.] Flat-foot is better than wearing heels, at least.

Perhaps you'll get some tips if you watch The Walking Dead. [A joke, as evident by the teasing smile on his face.]

[rexponsible]

[She had expected the joke, if she was honest; a smile quirked on her lips.] It'll take some getting used to. After all, my heels have held up after all this time.

I haven't watched a TV show in years, and where I am, I don't think Netflix is accessible. I'll just have to learn as I go.

[wingsoflight]

Heels are quite the useful weapons, too.

Just be sure to have a blunt object with you, or some kind of useful weapon. Even an umbrella would do. [Don't be picky with weapons now. Anything is considered as such when you're running from a horde of zombies.]

[rexponsible]

I hope never to have to use them as such, but I'll keep it in mind.

I'll remember that as well, since I don't have a tranq gun on hand. [Another wry statement, but she also meant it. What she'd do to have a tranq gun. She didn't even know that they'd work against zombies, but it was better than nothing.]

[showmystar]

I think if you can handle the jungle in heels, you can handle pretty much anything, ma'am.

[his mun sure gushes about Claire often enough, anyway]

[rexponsible]

[So does Claire's writer!]

[A smile flickered on her lips.]

Thank you. That's nice of you to say, unlike a certain someone whose name I will not mention.

[showmystar]

[a weak chuckle] Don't get the appreciation you deserve, I take it?

[rexponsible]

Oh, it's alright. I proved him wrong.

[She lasted two whole days and escaped a T. rex in the process. Take that, Owen Grady.]

[Her smile was just a little smug.]

Still, thank you for your confidence.

I'm Claire. You are?

[showmystar]

Allen. [he extends a gloved hand to shake] Pleased to you meet you, Miss Claire.

Really, my confidence doesn't take much. A friend of mine fights in heels, and she's much faster than I am. [technically Lenalee's heels are her weapon, but saying that would take some explaining]

[rexponsible]

Likewise, Mr. Allen. [She shook his hand firmly.]

Is that so? I applaud her. It isn't easy. She fights, you say?

[oneoffive]

If the worst casualty of it all is your shoes, I'd say your safe. What's a raptor any way and why do they eat shoes?

[rexponsible]

They're dinosaurs, and they don't really eat shoes. They prefer meat. I, on the other hand, would prefer to keep my limbs.

[oneoffive]

Dinosaurs? [Apocalyptic youth, so deprived of his planet's history before the war.]

Meat eater, most creatures are. It seems she is taking a nicer route then if she is only letting it steal your shoes. Loss of a limb is a lot harder to recover from.

[rexponsible]

Dinosaurs. Huge animals that roamed the earth before us.

I consider it a small blessing. Infections are hard to deal with. My writer should know this, since she's in the medical field; she agrees that it's preferable to run around in heels than to be bare-footed, though she's done the latter through car parks, apparently.

[oneoffive]

They never taught us about them. We didn't learn much history before the war.

Infections are the biggest risk in any survival situation. If you have the right material you can make footwear, it's not hard. Depending the terrain you'll be in.

[rexponsible]

War? What war?

Those are exactly my thoughts. Where my writer's shipped me off to, we have a finite amount of medical supplies. I'd rather not use them up because I lost my shoes, but it was also a choice between a shoe or my entire leg.

[A raptor was hot on her heels. Pun . . . intended by the writer, at least.]

[She wanted to make a sarcastic comment about how she missed shoe-making 101, but she bit it down.]

What footwear do you know how to make?

[oneoffive]

The Blood War. [Aptly named, seventy percent of America was barren, the land scarred a deep red as if it were bleeding. The contagion released during the war caused the Bleeds. In the end, the color of war was blood and this one had been fraught with it.

Beautiful pun, at least from this writer's standpoint.

He may have missed the sarcasm, may not. In the end, he had learned the basic survival skill at a young age, to him it was natural to know these things.]


Leather is preferable, you can dry it to the shape of the foot and it needs less knotting or tying. Wood can suffice, it takes a good while to work with. Leaves are a good temporary solution if you can find ones with the right density. Any form of cloth can be cut and tied to make coverings, if you're willing to sacrifice enough of your clothing to make it work.

[rexponsible]

The Blood War? When did that happen? How did it happen?

[Claire was beginning to meet people who were from different places, different realities - it still boggled her, but there was no going around it. She had to open her mind.]

I'll keep that in mind. I wish I could research on those things where I am. I'll add it to my to-do list.

[Yes, even in a zombie apocalypse, she has a to-do list.]

[oneoffive]

America 2015 to 2017, we know other countries were not hit as hard as us but we did send their soldiers home with the Bleeds, I doubt much of their populations remain all these years later. It happened because the wrong people made the decisions when our country was attacked. It became catastrophic.

[As was Aden, it was a relief to him to know of places where war and disease had not altered the fate of humanity for a few greedy people to survive.]

It would be good to learn about all the plant life and available resources, everything has at least two uses, survival can depend on knowing them.

[Aden would not find this odd, he may only be eighteen but he was a soldier and the tactician of his squad. Organization was key.]

[rexponsible]

Oh, I'm -

[Claire was momentarily at a loss for words. The deaths that happened at Jurassic World seemed small compared to this. A life was a life, of course, but multitudes and populations lost in one fell swoop . . .]

I'm sorry to hear that.

I'll remember that and I'll read up when I can. Thank you, Mr. . . .?

[oneoffive]

[Days ago Aden would have thought she was from another country and jumped on hope that there were more humans left alive. Ones who were hopefully not out to destroy his country any further. Now, he knows that people come from places and times before the war. In fact, he seems to be the only one who knows of the war.]

Your words are kind but you didn't detonate the bombs or create the disease. You have no reason to apologize.

[Aden nods, eyes shadowed with pain and worry he still offers a smile.]

Aden Montgomery and your welcome. [He holds his hand out to shake.]

[rexponsible]

Regardless.

[She was learning how to feel and understand life once again. It was sad how a position could numb someone to what was important.]

Mr. Montgomery. [She shook his hand.] I'm Claire Dearing.

[oneoffive]

It's appreciated.

[Aden gave her a smile and a nod of his head.]

It's been a pleasure Ms. Dearing.

[thefamouszarayoung]

Is there you anything you require of me, Ms. Dearing?

[rexponsible]

No, uh -

[Her writer had graciously filled her in on what had happened to Zara, and Claire was honestly green around the gills thinking about it.]

You do what you think is best, Zara. I can handle myself.

[thefamouszarayoung]

[Zara gives an affirmative nod, though if she had less restraint she would have said "Yes, like I thought taking a few moments off duty to plan my wedding was best, that worked out so well for me."]

[Yes, she is forever bitter.]