Darlington, Benedict, Galilee, Ro and Tempest attend the working lunch. During that time, Callie, Elodie, Jerry and Marcellus hang out in the lounge. Moonie shortly joins them after checking for Maverick in his room and everywhere else they can think of looking. Maverick rarely locks his room, so Moonie knows from going inside that he isn't there.

Tempest left him, still speechless, to go the lunch. She promised to get him when the working group came to a decision.

Benedict was the first to arrive. He saw the board and laughed at all the letters. He decides to draw a treble clef and write a whole note on the lowest space. His own F. Someone will get it, and they will smile just like he did.

During the lunch, the group makes plans. Ro brings in some old walkie-talkies used for cross rounds between buildings. There are only two, which doesn't make them particularly useful, but perhaps some of the other buildings have found theirs. The group might be able to establish communication.

Having taken stalk of their resources while he made his own meal, Darlington says they are going through food faster than he expected. They don't have any way to access the weather forecast, but he thinks they will be out of food by boxing day. Something must be done, so everyone is gathered for a vote, which is conducted immediately after the update on the walkie-talkies.

The proposition, written in a large, bolded font on Darlington's computer, poses a question to their staff team.

RATION OR SCAVENGE

The lunch group spent most of their lunch debating the precise nature of the phrasing. Ration was easy to agree upon. Some wanted to use the word collect, others steal, and so they agreed upon scavenge because it feels somewhere between. Their proposition is simple. Unlock the doors and take the non-perishables that the students left behind to eat.

"Isn't that stealing?" Moonie asks, looking over the at the computer screen.

"It's certainly against departmental policy," Marcellus agrees.

Ro crosses her arms, "leaving before noon on the twenty-third is against departmental policy, and now look where we are. The Super didn't even follow policy and stay."

"I don't think our students will care so much about the protein bars and ramen we take once they find out we were out of food," Elodie shrugs. Then again, she regularly uses one of her student's printers against departmental policy.

"We will mitigate risk by sending each floor pair to check every room so that no one takes anything other than food," Darlington offers. "It's either that or limit ourselves to three pancakes per day and one non-pancake snack."

"The Unit's going to have to pay for new toilets if all we eat is pancakes," Jerry jokes. "Bad for my stomach."

Several of the girls feel their faces contort at that comment.

With that, Darlington spurs a vote. He votes in favour of what he calls scavenging. Ro agrees with him, and so do Elodie and Benedict. Marcellus agrees as well, and that is enough for a majority. Even still, Jerry voices his approval as well.

From there, they divvy out the two sets of master keys. The first is sent up to the sixth floor with Jerry and Galilee, and the second is to go with Ro and Moonie as they explore the first. From there, the groups will go with their floor partner to search for dry goods, and then pass it up to the next group. In total, the group has to check 228 rooms.

Moonie and Ro make it to their floor first, since they are just above the office. Due to the entrance, they have fewer rooms to check. Ro wants to get the task done as quickly as possible, with no time for Moonie's dilly-dallying. Surprisingly, Moonie moves just as quickly.

"What's the Christmas tradition you are going to miss out on the most this year?" Moonie manages, while they throw some ramen into the bag Ro and Moonie are carrying around.

Ro shrugs. She's waiting at the door, barely watching Moonie. They aren't the kind of person to steal, so having the pair of them together is a bit redundant. Still, Ro breathes out. She's going to try, no matter how ridiculous it is.

"On Christmas Eve, in Argentina, we will set off fireworks," Ro offers. "I bet they'd look cool with the snow on the ground."

Moonie nods, "my sisters and I always liked to watch the violent scenes in Home Alone. Every other year I could get the twins to sit around for the rest of the story, but they looked forward to the chaos. I..." Moonie's voice nearly croaks. "I wish we were together."

"Maybe cell reception will return soon," Ro manages as Moonie leaves the room.

Ro is locking the door, not looking at Ro, when Moonie speaks, "that won't work."

"It'll be better than not talking to them," Ro says. "Give them a call."

Moonie swallows. The bag is heavy, and they were putting on a brave face, but the cans of Alphaghetti feel super heavy, "well, I will. I mean, if you find a Ouija board in a student's room then maybe."

Ro turns to look, but Moonie is pushing forward down the hallway, trying to make her hiccups sound like a laugh.

~~~

On the top floor, Jerry and Galilee move even more quietly than Moonie and Ro. They snake through, moving through door after door. They find more snacks than anything of actual substance for meals. It doesn't surprise them, since most of the students get their lunches and dinners from the on-campus dining hall run by the Food Services Unit. The best they find is an open box of instant rice. There are granola bars, a couple of bags of popcorn, and protein bars. Certainly, it will last them until the storm is over.

Galilee has noticed it's worse on the upper floor. At least, she hears the windows rattle. The sound reminds her of baby Afton and the toys that they've given him.

She goes to unlock the next door. Jerry grabs her hand, holding up the bandage. Red blood is seeping through. He takes her hand, staring at it.

"Come," he says.

He begins to head down to his end of the hallway. Galilee stares after him for a second too long. Then, she follows.

Inside Jerry's room, Galilee notices how clean it is. Actually, it's spotless. The broom from their lounge is propped up against his wall. Galilee has only occasionally seen inside his room, and usually, he has to walk across his room like he's walking through a ball pit.

Jerry walks into his bathroom and pulls out a first aid kit from under his sink. It's in a makeshift box that Maverick helped him put together last night. They both agreed it was good to have someone with bandages up near Galilee, and both weren't sure exactly how to mention it.

"Sit," Jerry says, when he re-enters the room.

Galilee takes a spot on his bed. He wheels over his desk chair, positioning himself across from him. Galilee's hand in his lap, he starts to peel off her bandages. She doesn't wince when he cleans it.

"You picked up the first aid training well," Galilee has a soft smile.

Jerry's touch is more delicate than she had imagined. He examines the wound.

"My Mom gets hurt sometimes," he explains. "She gets confused."

He doesn't add that her confusion usually results in her throwing all their electronics onto the front lawn, or duct-taping her bedroom door shut from the inside. Every once in a while, she will think she is being drugged by the government to be turned into a super soldier. He changed her burn bandages for two weeks after that incident.

"Well, you aren't just good at cleaning wounds," Galilee looks around. "Your room is spotless, Jerry."

He shrugs, not quite able to meet her eyes, "I wanted to have you and my other friends over."

~~~

Callie and Marcellus laugh the entire time they explore the rooms. They decide to race to see who can unlock their half of the rooms the fastest. Marcellus goes in three minutes, blaming the sticky keys for his failure toward the end. When it's Callie's turn, Marcellus pulls out his remote-controlled car to run interference and try to trip her.

"You're a total douchebag," she laughs.

"You're the one who decided to run in heels!" he shouts back.

Marcellus barely dodges out of the way when one of those heels goes flying at him. Callie has a worse time them him, abysmal really. Since he's one, Marcellus gets to play his music while they search the rooms, and Callie doesn't get to hear hers.

"Also," Marcellus says as they go through the rooms, "do you think they are going to put us on probation for this?"

"I almost guarantee that they'll have a lawsuit on their hands," Callie shakes her head. Her parents would be the kind of people to do that if they were involved in that way.

Marcellus shrugs, "maybe. I wonder if we are the only residence who broke in. I doubt the others have a nutcase amount of pancake mix stockpiled for the apocalypse."

"Maybe we'll get in contact with a Goldie," Callie smiles. "The not bitch one."

Although he rolls his eyes, Marcellus smiles.

Then, they come to the end of the hallway, and they decide to rematch over who can lock the doors. Callie is extra motivated this time, because the punishment is quite clear; the loser has to team up with Darlington, since he can't go alone. This time, Callie races first, clocking in at just under three minutes.

She boos him the entire time he runs. Marcellus clocks in ten seconds faster than her. He jeers at her as she rolls her eyes and makes her way upstairs.

Darlington is upstairs, waiting at the wrong end of the hallway. He and Callie meet in the middle, traipsing through together. Neither of them speaks a word to the other as they make their way through the hallway.

"You're not usually this quiet," he manages to say once they've done their fifth room.

Callie unlocks the next door, "yes I am."

"No," Darlington corrects. "You're so quiet you're like a black hole of sound. You didn't speak once in either of the meetings today."

"Maybe you should worry about your own stuff," Callie rolls her eyes. "Galilee had to do your job this morning."

They check the next room and nothing. This floor feels to both of them like it is going to take forever. Callie hates to admit it, but she is glad Darlington is carrying a bag. If they found anything heavy, after she sprinted down her hallway twice, she might have to admit she feels tired. If it were most other people, it wouldn't be an issue, but it is Darlington.

"I thought Galilee did a fine job," Darlington shrugs.

"Well, aren't you supposed to be Mr. Perfect Leader who follows every rule and does everything for everyone?" Callie looks over at him, standing in the doorway together.

"You know, I think everyone finds that thing about me kind of insufferable," Darlington stares back at her. Only now does he notice that she, one of the tallest women on their staff team, is shorter than usual. She's not wearing heels. Actually, she's only wearing socks.

"It's absolutely insufferable," Callie agrees. "One of your best qualities is how insufferable you are, you know."

She heads into the room. Darlington stares after her, a bit of a smirk on his face.

~~~

After Benedict and Elodie finally get the keys from Galilee, they have a mostly awkward experience together. They move quietly, checking room after room as they go. Elodie makes a point to hurry past the disgusting room of the student from a few days ago, certain it's in a worse state now.

"Are we going to check that one?" Benedict asks.

Elodie tosses him the keys. He nearly fumbles when he catches them.

"Go ahead," she says, "warning, though, the room's a biohazard."

Benedict stares at the door, but then they continue on. They find two jars of peanut butter, but they can't remember if anyone is allergic, so they don't take it. There is something nice about being in the quiet together. At least, there is something peaceful to the whole thing.

The day has been long. Benedict just wants to curl up and read a book, or discuss a book, or do something with his mind that isn't thinking about the material reality of their situation. He doesn't want to plan a social to get everyone else enthused. For the first time in recent memory, he thinks about how he misses his parents and their small but quaint house.

Elodie misses her brothers so desperately. She misses her family, and her Dad, and some part of her is still the small child who misses her Mom and wonders why she isn't coming home.

Then, they are done with the floor, and they send the keys off to the next group.

~~~

It's terrible, but Maverick and Tempest aren't really up for searching rooms. In fact, they get their first set of keys, and don't start until their second set arrives.

Maverick isn't used to being in poor spirits. It isn't a state that he's supposed to be in. He forces himself down the hallway, carrying everything heavy to keep the weight away from Tempest. Perhaps she isn't far enough along to need his help, but it's an easy distraction. He would carry all the cans for everyone on the whole team if they would let him. Maverick is sure he could do it. He's tall, and strong. Maverick is the strong man Tempest doesn't have to rely on, and he's the big brother which Galilee doesn't have despite her near dozen of siblings, and he's the father to his sisters, and he's supposed to be the person who lifts up Moonie to help her tape streamers to the ceiling.

Literally, he is supposed to be the person who holds the moon in the air, helping to control the tides and saving all of humanity from flood and drought. It's a balance.

Tempest, on the other hand, only has to be strong enough for one person. Two, if she counts herself. She should get better at doing that.

"I shouldn't have told you," Tempest says, regretting her actions. It has been circling her mind for hours, the words she shared. She has done a deep and terrible betrayal.

"I'm glad you did," Maverick points out.

"But I shouldn't have," Tempest points out. "I shouldn't have said a word."

"Well, no use being upset about it," Maverick offers a trademarked grin. "Might as well move on."

~~~~~

Okay, let me just say for the group, this is the first time in a LONG time that I managed to pull it together and finish it without going way overboard on the word count. Anyway, I'm happy to release it out into the world. I feel like it puts everyone in at least a good spot for moving on.

Christmas Eve is coming soon! Anything in particular that you expect your characters to do or want to see? I'd love the feedback!