No Sanctuary For Old Men [18+] |Negan| ✔️ Complete

X • Arat

Daphne gawked at the smattering of equipment all over Colin's makeshift office, amazed at how much technology had been salvaged.

"Sorry for the mess," the stout bespectacled man said while rummaging through a box in the corner.

"My assistant used to say 'a messy desk is the sign of a genius'," Daphne replied, walking along a work bench covered in lenses and tools.

"I like that," Colin said, "it's a good excuse."

"She thought so." She turned, looking over a bunch of fresh pictures clothespinned to string on the far wall. There were some family portraits, but also some more artsy shots.

She smirked at a beautifully lit photo of a petite blonde draped over a plush red couch, wearing nothing but a set of familiar looking black lingerie.

"Nice boudoir pic," Daphne said.

"Not my speciality, but the Big Boss had faith in my skills." Colin shoved a bin out of the way. Her eyes widened at the contents.

"Holy shit." She reached down and picked up a shiny white iPhone. "Do these still work?"

"There should be a charger or two in there," he replied. "They obviously don't make calls, but you can take pictures. That's why I was collecting them, but we haven't yet found any working compatible computers. You didn't happen to ever work in IT, did you?"

"No." Daphne laughed, and turned the phone over in her hand. "It's really weird holding this," she admitted.

"It would be great if we could build a home network somehow- ah, there you are!" He finally found the pencil he'd dropped when she'd entered his office, and straightened up, dark curly hair askew. "That was an ordeal."

She found a white charger hiding in the bin. "Do you mind if I borrow this?" She held up the phone.

"You can have it." He waved her off, retrieving a clipboard. "As payment for your future interview." He handed her the clipboard and pencil, and she raised an eyebrow at the neatly handwritten questionnaire.

"Future?"

"Talia seems to think you'll pass your probation but I like to be sure before using up the paper." Colin leaned against his desk and crossed his arms. "This is just a questionnaire. I like to have records of everyone that comes through here whether they stay or not."

Daphne scribbled away at the page, filling out her basic personal information. "You're going to have one hell of a book someday."

He adjusted his glasses. "That's the plan. Though I'd love a transcriber and a working computer lab first."

"I'll keep a lookout for computer nerds and send them your way." She handed the clipboard back with a smile. "I should get to lunch."

"Thanks for helping Talia while her family was away," Colin said, cutting off her retreat. "She never asks for help, but she needs it sometimes."

"It was my pleasure," Daphne said, surprised to find that she meant it.

Cheers broke out across the mess hall and Daphne looked up from her lentil stew to see a group of tough looking men and women heading towards the kitchen.

The woman in front had an impressively-sized doe slung over her shoulders and one of the cooks pushed a stainless steel table out to her.

"Venison tonight, boys!" Simon hollered, stepping forward to clap the woman on the back.

"Who's that?" Daphne asked, and Paula tugged on her arm, standing up.

"Someone I'd like you to meet,"  she replied, and led her over to the group.

The dark haired woman smiled brightly and pulled Paula into a tight hug.

"That's what was taking you so long," the redhead teased.

"Yeah, we were tracking a buck for a few days, slippery bastard." The hunter had a slight middle eastern accent, and Daphne admired her thick black curls. "Dead ones got him, but then we found his wife," the woman continued, waving at the carcass as the chefs wheeled it away.

"Arat, this is Daphne, a new recruit." Paula motioned to the blonde, who extended her hand. "Daphne, Arat."

"Ah, the fashion designer," Arat smirked and shook the proffered hand.

The blonde raised an eyebrow. "You've heard of me?"

"When we rolled in, Fat Joey was blathering about this new chick making sexy shit for the wives," came the reply, "and Dwight looked annoyed, so I started asking questions to piss him off."

Paula laughed. "You're such a bitch," she said, shaking her head.

Arat shrugged innocently, and Daphne decided that she liked her. Based on the way the others moved around her, and her aura of authority, she could tell that she would be a powerful friend to have in this place.