Athens

Shayna isn't the leader of this group. They have no leader truth be told, now that Martin had disappeared. She looks at the others and weighs their responses then says, "So we go. You've got a vehicle for us to drive I suppose? And a map? Kane said something along those lines. Could use a gun or two if you can spare them. "

Shayna has a sword now, a proper one, made out of better things than just a scalpel tied to a branch. She's not much for guns.

"Good, good, this is a plan then, sugah, we'll make this happen. Richard just needs to do a few situps and Billie-Faye needs some coffee."

"Uh-huh," Richard mumbles at Shayna. "I'll get right on those."

He hopes the police cruiser is reasonably reliable. He doesn't see himself crawling under a car in the near future.

When they go to the armory, Billie hangs back, not wanting to look Sue in the eye after what happened with Frank. "Owen," she says, grabbing the teen by the arm, "see if she'll hand out that old Winchester, the thirty-thirty."

When Shayna talks about coffee, the strung-out, hungover woman nods and makes a hungry sound in her throat. "Oh fuck yeah, darlin'. Hot coffee to go sounds righteous!"

Then, as they inspect the car, she says, "I could get the bike, fuel it up. Could take one on the back if they end up bein' on foot..."

Owen nods to Billie-Faye. "Il try."

When visiting Sue and her armory, he will ask for the Winchester for her, and for a handgun for himself.
He then looks at the weapons, finding that handling them makes him nervous, rather than reassure him.

He regroups with the others by the car.

Richard is approaching his old self again as he meets Sue and appraises her voluptuous curves without making it too obvious (he hopes).

That's me, yep. Richard. Nice to meet you, Susie. You don't mind if I call you Susie?" His eyes narrow though as he realizes there is no love lost between her and Billie-Faye. He still feels something for the woman, although he'd be damned to hell trying to figure out what it is. She's obviously not very particular in who she likes.

Once in the cruiser, he's all eyes and ears. It looks dangerous out there. All kinds of hiding places for walkers.

He looks at the depressing scenery outside the Athens compound fortifications. Inside it wasn't great, but out here...

He scans his companions in the car, while processing the Sue exchange. Billie-Faye was surely quick to build quite a reputation, in there... But still. That was a bit theatrical.

He looks at the ex stripper and the others, to read the room.

There was a time when Billie-Faye would have gone ape shit when someone talked to her that way. When she would have dropped that fat bitch with a bony-knuckled right hook and been on top of her, pounding, biting, gouging -- whatever it would take to win.

She wasn't the same woman lately, they all could see that -- even Richard, who was probably confused by the changes in her. But now, with a purpose, with a rifle in her hands and the open road soon to be ahead of them, Billie sparks, just a little. Loudly working the lever on the Winchester, she chambers a round... then lowers the hammer to a safe half-cock position.

"Hope you like what you see, Suze," she says as the other woman checks her out and then flips her off. "I know your man did."

Winking at Owen, then shooting Richard with a finger gun, the bedraggled blonde heads for her bike to figure out a way to mount the lever gun on one of the saddlebags.

---

Outside, astride her bike, the engine thumping lightly between her legs, Cooper looks even more her old self. Either her hangover's wearing off or she's had some hair of the dog, but dressed in a jean jacket with a spaghetti strap tank beneath and a pair of combat fatigues and her All-Stars, she looks ready to fuckin' roll. The axe and rifle sticking up from the back don't hurt, and nor does the big revolver tucked into the back of her pants, the gun metal cold against her tattoo of a valkyrie riding a dragon. She's had it worked on in Athens, extending it in directions and ways that Richard might find interesting to explore.

"You assholes all ready?" she calls over the sounds of the two engines. "Let's fuckin' go!"

Shayna is checking her bag for medical gear as the crew pick fights at the gate. She barely notices. After all, she's pretty sure she's seen all kinds of ninnery from damn fools and wise asses both. This is just more of the same, mice fighting over cheese.

As the car gets moving, she settles into her spot behind the wheel. "We're ready Billie-Faye," she says out the window, unsure of she's heard, so gives her the thumbs up. With everyone ready, she eases in the gas and the cruiser leads the way.

Sitting in the cruiser, Owen looks at Billie on the bike. He calls out.
"The bike ride will be good for you. Clear your head. Stay close, though..."

He thumbs her up through the scratched car window.

Shayna pulls over beside the hotel and turns the motor off. Windows rolled down, she listens for Billie-Faye to do the same then they can listen for walkers and marauders.

Quietly she says, "If it's clear we want to shimmy up top and hope it's clearer higher up?"

"Yeah, why not, except I won't exactly be shimmying," Richard replies in a low voice.

He had been nervous that Billie-Faye's bike would attract walkers. It wasn't exactly quiet. Not by a long stretch.

As the two-vehicle caravan gets underway, Billie offers Shayna a return thumbs-up, and gives Owen a smile and a wink as she pats her satchel -- where she keeps her radio. One of the radios they paid so dearly for. When they are rolling, she swings the bike around to Richard's side and cruises in close, rapping on the passenger window. When he rolls it down, she has to half-yell to be heard by the man over the engines.

"Glad you're not a fuckin' vegetable no more, Dick," she says, glancing at him before putting her eyes back on the road. She almost seems like her old self these last few minutes, and then she grins and drops a little cherry bomb before surging ahead on her bike.

"Just let me know when you want to go for a ride, Mr. Kant!"

---

When they spot the Hyatt and decide it's worth checkout out, if for no other reason than to get a better look at the surrounding area, Cooper follows the car and parks her bike next to it. Swinging her leg off the machine, she grabs her axe and checks out the area as she waits for the others to get out.

He looks at the tall structure, and at how the vegetation has made accessibility harder. Hopefully, both for us and for walkers...

"Richard's got a point. We won't be all able to climb high up... maybe we need to scout for an easy access for all? I mean, I don't expect to find working lifts, but..."

He proposes the others to send a scout ahead, maybe a team of two for better safety. "We could keep in touch via the radios... take them for a spin."