Location : Abendblume Community<br/><br/>Kennedy McLaughlin had woken up to what he thought would be a usual morning. There would be breakfast with everyone and then people would break off to do their regular jobs. The winter had seemed long, but with spring in full swing now, people felt lighter and more optimistic. They were no longer the ragtag group of strangers that had coalesced at Abendblume. They had survived, come to terms with living in the new world, and looked forward to crossing the threshold of barely making it to becoming a genuinely working community. He along with a handful of others had helped make plans for a prosperous season.<br/><br/>He had worked closely with Carla Goodman, a local homesteader who'd come into the Abendblume community some months after its formation. She wasn't great with people, but Kennedy was and together they'd formed and presented a solid plan to make Abendblume a more self-sustaining community. That morning he joined her for breakfast as he often did and like an old auntie, he loved shooting the breeze with her and laughing at her irreverent wit and sarcasm.<br/><br/>That was the last thing that was usual about that morning. Before everyone headed off for their regular day, they were settled back down for an announcement by Mr. Hale. Kennedy had little love for the man but had, over time, felt that he and the other voluntary 'community council' members had found an understanding with him. The old man was set in many of his ways, stubborn, and slow to take to new ideas, but it felt they were able to move beyond that in the interest of everyone. He had seemed reasonably on board with the ideas that had been brought to him to better the community and as Mr. Hale opened his address to everyone, Kennedy felt the optimism rise; not only in himself but in everyone in the room.<br/><br/>That was short-lived as talk about growth and prosperity smoothly drifted in to talk about other possibilities, capacity, and careful deliberation. Kennedy's mouth gaped open as Hale continued and produced a list of names of people who would be culled and exiled beyond the walls and safety of Abendblume. Established families. It wasn't hard to see through the thin veneer of what that meant. The murmur and confusion in the room were disregarded and Hale's careful deliberated decision was executed without further delay leaving those listed with scant minutes to process their demise.<br/><br/>"You can't do this!" he shot up from his seat, the chair making a cringing screech as it scraped across the floor. "This is insane! These are good people, people who have given their all to help this place succeed!" He looked around frantically to see people plucked and escorted away. Some of them were older, some had infirmities, and others hadn't been the most model citizens before the fall, but all of them were people, people worth saving in Kennedy's eyes because people had become a scarce resource. Some were going with shock and fear and others put up a fight. It didn't matter, all were being taken away. "Don't throw the game in the last quarter, we're almost there!"<br/><br/>A guard looked to Armando who then looked to Hale. Hale nodded and pointed further down the list. Armondo nodded back to the guard. The guards grunted as they seized Kennedy. "We were saving you for last because we knew you'd throw god damned fit." Kennedy was quickly beset on and dragged away struggling and still yelling his protests until they faded away beyond the conference hall.<br/><br/><br/><div class="bbImageWrapper bbImageAligned--left js-lbImage" data-lb-caption-extra-html="" data-lb-sidebar-href="" data-single-image="1" data-src="https://blackdahliaroleplaying.com/attachments/0-carla-jpeg.120886/" title="0 carla.jpeg">
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</div>Thirty-three people were removed. Carla Goodman shook her head, eyes set hard on the man who'd orchestrated it all. She stood up slowly, calmly, her head still shaking. She hadn't been on the list and she knew perfectly well why; she knew how to work the land and firearms. "You're a fuckin' idiot, Hale."<br/><br/>Did he honestly think she'd stand for his bullshit? Did he still not have a clue about people? She never thought his skin would grow so thin as to fall back on his bean-counting ways. People weren't beans. They could grow beans, but he'd have a hard time with that because she wasn't staying around to play indentured farmer to him and his<i>established families. </i>With no intention of helping 'the man', she walked out slowly commenting in disappointment, "Hope you all realize what just happened."