Welcome to Gaia! ::

"Thank you very much for the offer, Andrew." Avery said with a smile, "But Suri and Morgan are right, I'm here to negotiate." Smiling yet again, she thought that maybe these people weren't so intimidating after all, but she stood a cautionary ground just the same.

"We have very few things to offer." Avery wasn't too proud of not having much to offer, "But we do have maps. Up to date maps. And enough able-bodied people to dart in and out of places to collect things of need." She paused, deciding whether or not her people could benefit from being courriers, "Furthermore, we can and will definately be messengers between settlements."

Name: Sergei Barkov
Rank: Gypsy.
Colony of Origin: New St. Augustine, Tennessee.
Backstory: when the deep south and Florida flooded over, and Texas became fairly inhospitable, most folks from those regions moved northward. some went the the Midwest, and others headed to the Mountains. Sergei was of the latter.

mostly Floridians resettled in Tennessee, and so the Colony was named New St. Augustine, after the former home-city of the Chieftain. there was some infighting about whether to preserve the government style of the pre-apokolypse, or to favour the Cherokee model. in the end, the settlers decided on the latter, and dissenters moved on farther to found their own Colony.

Sergei spent 3 years in New St. Augustine, and was one of the busiest builders of the Colony. he loved the Colony very much, and was close friends with the neighboring Cherokee Chief. he still wished he could be a member of their Tribe, though they put a moratorium on entries.

when Sergei reached the age of 19, he left the Colony and joined a band of Hippies who were looking to live the Gypsy life. he traveled with them for over a year, before finally parting ways, not feeling as though they realy had the Gypsy Heart. he took his supplies -- being a Clydesdale, various types of seeds, and hand-made jewelry -- and soloed it.

after another several months, he found his way to Yellowstone, half-starved and exhausted.

There was an akward stillness about the group, and Avery felt s alsight breeze. She turned her head to face the lake, and her heart sank. "I think what I miss most," Avery spoke almost as if speaking at a funeral, and lightly caressed her belly, "Is fresh, clean water." The breeze brushed the little flyaways from her ponytail into her face. She allowed herself to think of her late husband, her family, her home, and took a deep sigh. She missed it all, but would not allow herself to hope for things to get better. They wouldn't.

Coming up the road, Sergei saw what appeared to be evidence of nearby civilization. it looked like it would be unusually big and bustling, from his vantage point. he hurried his pace.

when the village came into site, he wasn't at all dissapointed that it wasn't as large as he'd expected. the place seemed to be very stable, which was far more important. buildings and tools and machinery were scattered about, and the whole place seemed very industrial. that gave him hope.

he walked up closer, and saw that there were many sullen faces. his own smile didn't dissapear, but it faded to small lifted corner of the lip. he slowed down once he got into the main clearing, and looked for a place to tie up his horse without getting in anybody's way.

Morgan was vaguely aware of the newcomer, and she slowly brought herself around to the goings on as she realized she was dazing off. When everyone started to gather themselves to go for the council, she followed suit. Checking her bags fastidiously, she secured her travel gear. Everything felt so much heavier as she tried to lift it after her decent rest.

"I am going to have to get out of the library more often," she commented out loud to herself.

"Suri. Dr. Suri Reynolds." She held out her hand for a friendly shake. "I'm from the west coast. Lots of grapes and wheat, so if you need any alcohol, Old Florence is the place to go."

"Well, we just had the unofficial meet and greet," Suri replied, shaking hands firmly. "The counsel will have their own roll call, everyone will get a few minutes for a speech about their colony and what they have to offer. Then the master of ceremonies will get down to the business of recording everyone's most urgent concerns and we'll all discuss how and if we can to remedy them. We'll also be discussing the long term goals and effects of this council, whether it should be continued like an old-timy League of Nations or if we should postpone any unified rebuilding effort for any reason." She checked her pocket watch again. "We should get going if we want any good seats. This promises to be long and a little tedious, but ultimately beneficial. By the way, where are you from again? I don't think I recognize your accent."