((Corey Esposito continued from Lying on the Streets.))
"Are you guys holding up okay?" Corey asked, looking back.
They had just exited the forest and reached the edge of a large field. There were a few buildings in the distance, as well as some buses at a nearby parking lot.
He began to walk through the field, hearing the long grass crunch under his feet. It reminded him of home, in an odd way, as he remembered how he would wander around the school during the lunch break and after school. Corey suddenly felt the gravity of the situation crash down upon him, even harder than when he heard that people had died on the announcements. He stopped momentarily.
A few tears threatened to escape through his eyes. He rubbed his eyes to clear them.
He stepped forward again, slowly, before returning to his usual pace. He reached the edge of the field and headed towards the cafeteria building.
Stand Your Ground(s)
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CondorTalon
- Posts: 450
- Joined: Wed Sep 05, 2018 6:17 am
((Timothy Abrams continued from Lying in the Streets))
Just keep moving forward. Step by step. Just a little longer and then they could find a place to hold up.
Timothy's legs burned as he walked, adjusting the straps of the flamethrower's backpack. He groaned. Why was he even carrying this thing around, anyway? He couldn't remember. Perhaps it was just comfortable to have around, the only reminder that he wasn't completely helpless. Whatever the reason, he couldn't just drop it now.
After what seemed like an eternity, he reached the abandoned cafeteria building. He took a brief stop to catch his breath before pushing open the musty doors and walking in.
It was funny. No matter how many little differences there were, the scene nevertheless engendered a sense of familiarity in Timothy. He set the flamethrower on the ground and took a quick stretch. It was nearly impossible to tell what the exact time was, but he assumed that it was around lunchtime, at least. Maybe they could sit down and eat, just for old time's sake.
Just keep moving forward. Step by step. Just a little longer and then they could find a place to hold up.
Timothy's legs burned as he walked, adjusting the straps of the flamethrower's backpack. He groaned. Why was he even carrying this thing around, anyway? He couldn't remember. Perhaps it was just comfortable to have around, the only reminder that he wasn't completely helpless. Whatever the reason, he couldn't just drop it now.
After what seemed like an eternity, he reached the abandoned cafeteria building. He took a brief stop to catch his breath before pushing open the musty doors and walking in.
It was funny. No matter how many little differences there were, the scene nevertheless engendered a sense of familiarity in Timothy. He set the flamethrower on the ground and took a quick stretch. It was nearly impossible to tell what the exact time was, but he assumed that it was around lunchtime, at least. Maybe they could sit down and eat, just for old time's sake.
((Rachael Langdon continued from Lying on the Streets))
Rachael continued to follow the boys, even though she hardly looked at where they were going. Her head hung low, her hands twirling her braid around her fingers. She had stopped crying a while ago, her eyes were still red from all the crying. She had the occasional sniffle, but beyond that, hadn't said much. She didn't feel like talking to any of the guys during the walk anyways. What could you really say when one of your best friends was dead? Rachael knew there wasn't anything that could really make the situation better, so she remained silent during the trek.
They had made their way to what looked like an old school building. Their quartet was close to what looked like the cafeteria. Rachael sighed.
Well, hopefully we can spend some time here in relative peace. I wonder if we'll ever feel that way again.
Rachael continued to follow the boys, even though she hardly looked at where they were going. Her head hung low, her hands twirling her braid around her fingers. She had stopped crying a while ago, her eyes were still red from all the crying. She had the occasional sniffle, but beyond that, hadn't said much. She didn't feel like talking to any of the guys during the walk anyways. What could you really say when one of your best friends was dead? Rachael knew there wasn't anything that could really make the situation better, so she remained silent during the trek.
They had made their way to what looked like an old school building. Their quartet was close to what looked like the cafeteria. Rachael sighed.
Well, hopefully we can spend some time here in relative peace. I wonder if we'll ever feel that way again.
((Adonis Alba continued from Ducks Love Fireworks))
Adonis Alba had not slept very well the previous night. This was mostly due to the fact that he had tried to sleep in the middle of the forest with no blankets or pillows to speak of. He woke up with back pain and a headache. Not really the way he liked to start his mornings. He had heard the announcements, and he had learned a couple things. First off, some poor bastard decided to kill himself on the first day. Second, and more important, was that the cowboy asshole had apparently showed up on the announcements. If Adonis heard right, then his name was Hansel, and he was one of the killers. Adonis wasn't really surprised. After almost getting robbed by the guy, he really didn't see him as the ethical type.
He had hid out for a few hours, having a small meal of bread and water to keep his strength up. Eventually, he got bored, and set out in search of shelter. He didn't want to have to spend another night outside, so anyplace indoors would be a big plus for him.
After venturing through the trees for a while, he emerged and found a large field and a cafeteria. He noticed a small group heading towards the cafeteria. He wondered for a moment if it would be a good idea to join them. While there was a chance they might attack him, he figured that he would have to have pretty bad luck to have three encounters in a row end in gunfire and fleeing. He decided to just bite the bullet and introduce himself. He ran towards the group and shouted at them.
"Hey! You got room for one more?"
Adonis Alba had not slept very well the previous night. This was mostly due to the fact that he had tried to sleep in the middle of the forest with no blankets or pillows to speak of. He woke up with back pain and a headache. Not really the way he liked to start his mornings. He had heard the announcements, and he had learned a couple things. First off, some poor bastard decided to kill himself on the first day. Second, and more important, was that the cowboy asshole had apparently showed up on the announcements. If Adonis heard right, then his name was Hansel, and he was one of the killers. Adonis wasn't really surprised. After almost getting robbed by the guy, he really didn't see him as the ethical type.
He had hid out for a few hours, having a small meal of bread and water to keep his strength up. Eventually, he got bored, and set out in search of shelter. He didn't want to have to spend another night outside, so anyplace indoors would be a big plus for him.
After venturing through the trees for a while, he emerged and found a large field and a cafeteria. He noticed a small group heading towards the cafeteria. He wondered for a moment if it would be a good idea to join them. While there was a chance they might attack him, he figured that he would have to have pretty bad luck to have three encounters in a row end in gunfire and fleeing. He decided to just bite the bullet and introduce himself. He ran towards the group and shouted at them.
"Hey! You got room for one more?"
((Michael Mitchellson: Continued from Lying on the Streets))
Walking. Walking is hate. Fuck walking.
Michael didn't really have anything against physical activity, but still. This was just boring as all hell. Walking through a forest sounds neat, but all it really is is trees. And more trees. And even more fucking trees. And trees with roots that make you trip in a decidedly uncool fashion. Also, surprisingly, a guest appearance by trees.
There wasn't even any conversation to liven things up a bit. Nobody had really said anything -at least, not to Michael- since they left the radioactive village place. Michael definitely couldn't blame him, since people they had known for pretty much their entire lives were dead. Even if he hadn't ever held a conversation with them, it was still pretty fuckin' weird to think that some of the familiar faces he passed in the halls every day were really gone forever.
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More plants that had gotten way too full of themselves. More putting one foot in front of the other in a stylish manner. Michael didn't have much to occupy his thoughts.
...Wonder what sort of trouble Daniel's getting himself into?
Whatever it was, at least he wouldn't have to deal with it alone. Dude had a shit ton of friends, after all. Michael half expected to find him holed up with the rest of the book club in the only library on the island, having spent the entire previous day reading. Even in this harsh modern world of theirs, bookworms always prospered.
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Finally, both the trees and the walking seemed to be at an end. Good. Less good was the fact that they had stumbled upon an abandoned school, which was just as if not more likely to kill their dumb asses than the abandoned hospital. Even less good was that some random asshole had just started running towards them.
Oh for the love of fuck, I am not in the mood for this shit.
After a moment's indecision, Michael readied his auto-fucking-matic shotgun, pointing it directly at the prick. The safety was on, his finger was nowhere near the trigger, but hopefully it'd scare the shit outta him anyway.
Walking. Walking is hate. Fuck walking.
Michael didn't really have anything against physical activity, but still. This was just boring as all hell. Walking through a forest sounds neat, but all it really is is trees. And more trees. And even more fucking trees. And trees with roots that make you trip in a decidedly uncool fashion. Also, surprisingly, a guest appearance by trees.
There wasn't even any conversation to liven things up a bit. Nobody had really said anything -at least, not to Michael- since they left the radioactive village place. Michael definitely couldn't blame him, since people they had known for pretty much their entire lives were dead. Even if he hadn't ever held a conversation with them, it was still pretty fuckin' weird to think that some of the familiar faces he passed in the halls every day were really gone forever.
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More plants that had gotten way too full of themselves. More putting one foot in front of the other in a stylish manner. Michael didn't have much to occupy his thoughts.
...Wonder what sort of trouble Daniel's getting himself into?
Whatever it was, at least he wouldn't have to deal with it alone. Dude had a shit ton of friends, after all. Michael half expected to find him holed up with the rest of the book club in the only library on the island, having spent the entire previous day reading. Even in this harsh modern world of theirs, bookworms always prospered.
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Finally, both the trees and the walking seemed to be at an end. Good. Less good was the fact that they had stumbled upon an abandoned school, which was just as if not more likely to kill their dumb asses than the abandoned hospital. Even less good was that some random asshole had just started running towards them.
Oh for the love of fuck, I am not in the mood for this shit.
After a moment's indecision, Michael readied his auto-fucking-matic shotgun, pointing it directly at the prick. The safety was on, his finger was nowhere near the trigger, but hopefully it'd scare the shit outta him anyway.
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CondorTalon
- Posts: 450
- Joined: Wed Sep 05, 2018 6:17 am
Corey had just made it to the cafeteria doors when he heard a voice making its presence known. Corey turned around and, upon seeing who it was, sneered.
Adonis. The asshole who had gotten Kyran and Gray in trouble near the end of the school year. Few things pissed Corey off, but messing with his friends was definitely one of them. And it was pretty high at the top of the list.
"What's up, Adonis? This is the cafeteria. You want to start something in here and get more of my friends in trouble? Huh?"
He saw Michael heft the shotgun up. Normally he would have stopped him, but right now he didn't care.
Corey wasn't why sure that incident was still getting on his nerves. He probably should have let it go. That was that, and this was this. But he couldn't. Perhaps it was the familiarity of the location that was affecting his mind.
"We barely have enough room for another person, let alone you AND your shitty attitude."
Adonis. The asshole who had gotten Kyran and Gray in trouble near the end of the school year. Few things pissed Corey off, but messing with his friends was definitely one of them. And it was pretty high at the top of the list.
"What's up, Adonis? This is the cafeteria. You want to start something in here and get more of my friends in trouble? Huh?"
He saw Michael heft the shotgun up. Normally he would have stopped him, but right now he didn't care.
Corey wasn't why sure that incident was still getting on his nerves. He probably should have let it go. That was that, and this was this. But he couldn't. Perhaps it was the familiarity of the location that was affecting his mind.
"We barely have enough room for another person, let alone you AND your shitty attitude."
Whoa. This was bad news. Timothy hadn't had the displeasure to personally interact with Adonis Alba before, but from the stories he heard, the guy was a real piece of work. There was no way that somebody like that would be good for their group's chances of survival.
Thankfully for Timothy, the rest of the group seemed to agree with him. However, provoking this armed and hefty athlete into a confrontation would probably not be a good idea at this juncture. He glanced at the faces of the boys around him. This was going downhill fast.
Picking up his "weapon", Timothy walked toward the rather large boy in front of them. His pulse was pounding. One wrong move, and he could end up a Timothy-coloured stain on the floor, or worse. After a moment of hesitation, Timothy cleared his throat and spoke in the calmest and most polite voice he could think of.
"Well, uh, sorry Adonis, but we don't have room for one more at the moment. You'd probably be best served looking for another group to join. Best of luck with your search though."
Timothy cringed as he finished speaking. He just hoped that Adonis would be able to listen to reason instead of lashing out with the violence that had come to characterise him in the stories everyone told.
Thankfully for Timothy, the rest of the group seemed to agree with him. However, provoking this armed and hefty athlete into a confrontation would probably not be a good idea at this juncture. He glanced at the faces of the boys around him. This was going downhill fast.
Picking up his "weapon", Timothy walked toward the rather large boy in front of them. His pulse was pounding. One wrong move, and he could end up a Timothy-coloured stain on the floor, or worse. After a moment of hesitation, Timothy cleared his throat and spoke in the calmest and most polite voice he could think of.
"Well, uh, sorry Adonis, but we don't have room for one more at the moment. You'd probably be best served looking for another group to join. Best of luck with your search though."
Timothy cringed as he finished speaking. He just hoped that Adonis would be able to listen to reason instead of lashing out with the violence that had come to characterise him in the stories everyone told.
Rachael looked inside the cafeteria. It hadn't been used in years, and there wasn't a chance they were going to find any fresh food inside. Still, it had chairs, and they could probably hide from the window or barricade themselves inside. She began to wonder how long they'd be able to keep this arrangement.
Before they could do anything, a voice called out to Rachael and the boys. She turned and froze. Adonis Alba. The guy who hit on her in the cafeteria before that food fight began. She heard Adonis and Kyran got banned from Prom and Gray was given cleaning duties because of the incident. All Rachael lost because of the incident was being able to read A Storm of Swords on white paper. She was able to save the book, but it was stained forever with marinara sauce.
Now Adonis was running towards them. The guys were all taking arms at the sight of Adonis. Rachael didn't understand their decision to immediately feel threatened by him. Did he kill someone? All Rachael knew was that Daniel was killed by Hansel, and she never bothered to ask if anyone else had died. Sure, she knew Adonis Alba was a jerk back in Seattle, but was he really such a bother here?
Rachael didn't understand what was happening. Adonis didn't look armed, and he spoke to them in hopes of looking for a group to join. The whole thing made her begin to shake and keep her hands clasped.
"W-w-w-wait!" she quickly shouted, her voice wavering. "Why's everyone freaking out? Did he do something?"
Rachael bit her lip. Was this the effect the game had on students? They learn that their friends are dying, and suddenly everyone outside their group is a danger? If so, she hated it.
Before they could do anything, a voice called out to Rachael and the boys. She turned and froze. Adonis Alba. The guy who hit on her in the cafeteria before that food fight began. She heard Adonis and Kyran got banned from Prom and Gray was given cleaning duties because of the incident. All Rachael lost because of the incident was being able to read A Storm of Swords on white paper. She was able to save the book, but it was stained forever with marinara sauce.
Now Adonis was running towards them. The guys were all taking arms at the sight of Adonis. Rachael didn't understand their decision to immediately feel threatened by him. Did he kill someone? All Rachael knew was that Daniel was killed by Hansel, and she never bothered to ask if anyone else had died. Sure, she knew Adonis Alba was a jerk back in Seattle, but was he really such a bother here?
Rachael didn't understand what was happening. Adonis didn't look armed, and he spoke to them in hopes of looking for a group to join. The whole thing made her begin to shake and keep her hands clasped.
"W-w-w-wait!" she quickly shouted, her voice wavering. "Why's everyone freaking out? Did he do something?"
Rachael bit her lip. Was this the effect the game had on students? They learn that their friends are dying, and suddenly everyone outside their group is a danger? If so, she hated it.
For some reason, everything seemed to go to shit once Adonis opened his mouth. The formerly friendly-seeming group were now glaring at him. Some guy came right the hell out of nowhere and pointed a gun at him, another dude pointed a... whatever the hell he was holding at him, and a third guy started sassing him and talking about the cafeteria fight that had gotten him banned from prom. Seriously, was it really necessary to bring that up now?
Man, what did I do to deserve this...
At least one person didn't think that he deserved to die for the crime and starting a conversation. He thought she looked kind of familiar, but he could figure that out once he didn't have three guys looking at him like they wanted to put him through a paper shredder. Adonis decided to try to use the opening provided by the girl's reasoning to dig himself out of this mess.
"Hey, listen to her! I haven't done anything!" There was a noticeable quiver in his voice, clearly caused by the weapons pointed at him. "Besides, I've had a really shitty past couple days, so can't you guys just have a heart and let me in?"
Man, what did I do to deserve this...
At least one person didn't think that he deserved to die for the crime and starting a conversation. He thought she looked kind of familiar, but he could figure that out once he didn't have three guys looking at him like they wanted to put him through a paper shredder. Adonis decided to try to use the opening provided by the girl's reasoning to dig himself out of this mess.
"Hey, listen to her! I haven't done anything!" There was a noticeable quiver in his voice, clearly caused by the weapons pointed at him. "Besides, I've had a really shitty past couple days, so can't you guys just have a heart and let me in?"
Michael didn't really know what the fuck was going on, but Corey and Tim seemed to share his distaste towards the random asshole who had thought it was a good idea to run at a group containing the most stylish automatic shotgun carrier of all. Michael had no idea who the fuck this dude was, but he looked like an asshole.
Corey, you may have escaped it, but the Asshole name has been passed down the douchebag family line for generations. We've met the next carrier of the title.
Rachael seemed incredibly nervous, and Asshole froze in his tracks under the combined weaponry and manly glares aimed in his direction. He didn't look like he was gonna suddenly become suicidal and start charging at the group with a knife, so Michael simply kept his auto-
Wait for it...
-fucking-matic shotgun pointed at him until the situation resolved itself.
Corey, you may have escaped it, but the Asshole name has been passed down the douchebag family line for generations. We've met the next carrier of the title.
Rachael seemed incredibly nervous, and Asshole froze in his tracks under the combined weaponry and manly glares aimed in his direction. He didn't look like he was gonna suddenly become suicidal and start charging at the group with a knife, so Michael simply kept his auto-
Wait for it...
-fucking-matic shotgun pointed at him until the situation resolved itself.
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CondorTalon
- Posts: 450
- Joined: Wed Sep 05, 2018 6:17 am
Corey let out an exasperated sigh.
"I don't fucking care anymore," he said, ending the conversation at that and pushing into the cafeteria.
The building itself, for what it was worth, wasn't as badly dilapidated as the building they'd stayed in last night. He sat down at one of the benches, gazing at one of the many fliers around the walls for an Easter egg hunt.
Corey gripped his makeshift weapon tight. He hadn't really though about it until Adonis showed up, but he realized that his friends were here with him, too. Not just Kyran and Gray, but Sean, Claire, and Alex, to name only a few.
He wanted to find them.
His gaze snapped away from the wall, to the entrance, and back to the wall. Whenever Corey ever felt nervous or stressed, it became a habit of his to start humming a song he knew.
His voice, barely audible over whatever background noise was surrounding them, began to play out a hopeful, happy melody.
"I don't fucking care anymore," he said, ending the conversation at that and pushing into the cafeteria.
The building itself, for what it was worth, wasn't as badly dilapidated as the building they'd stayed in last night. He sat down at one of the benches, gazing at one of the many fliers around the walls for an Easter egg hunt.
Corey gripped his makeshift weapon tight. He hadn't really though about it until Adonis showed up, but he realized that his friends were here with him, too. Not just Kyran and Gray, but Sean, Claire, and Alex, to name only a few.
He wanted to find them.
His gaze snapped away from the wall, to the entrance, and back to the wall. Whenever Corey ever felt nervous or stressed, it became a habit of his to start humming a song he knew.
His voice, barely audible over whatever background noise was surrounding them, began to play out a hopeful, happy melody.
((GMing Approved))
Timothy tried to give a sympathetic look to the large boy in front of him.
"Sorry."
Really, that was all he could do. Adonis was probably smart enough to realise that there was no way for him to force himself into a group that didn't want him. If he couldn't accept that, then nothing Timothy could say would persuade him otherwise.
He turned to Rachael and took her aside, leading her by the arm. Bringing his face close to her ear, he tried to whisper an explanation. Hopefully Corey's humming would prevent Adonis from hearing what they were saying.
"I know it sucks, but we can't just let anyone come with us. This guy has a lot of enemies, who might come and attack him, hurting us by extension. We have to look out for ourselves here too. It's not that we're abandoning everyone but ourselves, but Adonis is too much of a risk to our survival."
Timothy paused, taking a deep breath. Now, time for the big guns.
"We need to stay alive, for Daniel's sake. He wouldn't want his closest friends to die here, would he? We just need to keep ourselves safe until help arrives. We can't just throw our lives away like this. We're not killing anyone, but we're just trying to honour our friend's memory by keeping ourselves alive."
He swallowed. Hopefully this could convince her. They just needed to get out of here and leave Adonis behind. Nobody had to get hurt.
Timothy tried to give a sympathetic look to the large boy in front of him.
"Sorry."
Really, that was all he could do. Adonis was probably smart enough to realise that there was no way for him to force himself into a group that didn't want him. If he couldn't accept that, then nothing Timothy could say would persuade him otherwise.
He turned to Rachael and took her aside, leading her by the arm. Bringing his face close to her ear, he tried to whisper an explanation. Hopefully Corey's humming would prevent Adonis from hearing what they were saying.
"I know it sucks, but we can't just let anyone come with us. This guy has a lot of enemies, who might come and attack him, hurting us by extension. We have to look out for ourselves here too. It's not that we're abandoning everyone but ourselves, but Adonis is too much of a risk to our survival."
Timothy paused, taking a deep breath. Now, time for the big guns.
"We need to stay alive, for Daniel's sake. He wouldn't want his closest friends to die here, would he? We just need to keep ourselves safe until help arrives. We can't just throw our lives away like this. We're not killing anyone, but we're just trying to honour our friend's memory by keeping ourselves alive."
He swallowed. Hopefully this could convince her. They just needed to get out of here and leave Adonis behind. Nobody had to get hurt.
((GMing approved))
Rachael remained in place as Adonis tried to convince the group to let him join. He seemed to be pretty desperate, as much as they probably were at the moment, and they were already being hostile to him. None of it made any sense.
She then noticed Corey going into the cafeteria. Before she knew it, Tim was guiding her away and leaning close. She felt a shiver down her spy as Tim whispered into her ear. He informed her that Adonis is a threat to their own safety due to his reputation. No one is going to trust him, and that could put the rest of them in danger. He wanted her to believe that Daniel would want them to stay alive and that Adonis was somehow a threat to all of that.
"I, I know," she whispered back, "but it just...."
Rachael swallowed quickly.
"It seems cruel..."
Rachael remained in place as Adonis tried to convince the group to let him join. He seemed to be pretty desperate, as much as they probably were at the moment, and they were already being hostile to him. None of it made any sense.
She then noticed Corey going into the cafeteria. Before she knew it, Tim was guiding her away and leaning close. She felt a shiver down her spy as Tim whispered into her ear. He informed her that Adonis is a threat to their own safety due to his reputation. No one is going to trust him, and that could put the rest of them in danger. He wanted her to believe that Daniel would want them to stay alive and that Adonis was somehow a threat to all of that.
"I, I know," she whispered back, "but it just...."
Rachael swallowed quickly.
"It seems cruel..."
Adonis stood there dumbfounded as everyone except the guy with the shotgun started filing into the cafeteria. They were totally ignoring him! They were completely willing to just leave him to die out there! He threw up his hands and called out one more time in a last-ditch effort to get some shelter.
"Come on! I already had to deal with Hansel the cowboy and a guy with a gun bigger than I am! Then you guys have to point guns at me and shut me out? Come on, I just need someplace to calm down and hide out for a while. Is that too much to ask?"
He continued to stand in front of the cafeteria doors, in hopes that someone would have a change of heart and let him in.
"Come on! I already had to deal with Hansel the cowboy and a guy with a gun bigger than I am! Then you guys have to point guns at me and shut me out? Come on, I just need someplace to calm down and hide out for a while. Is that too much to ask?"
He continued to stand in front of the cafeteria doors, in hopes that someone would have a change of heart and let him in.
And now we're just leaving? Okay?
Not that Michael really cared what happened to Asshole, but the dude did look sorta pitiful just standing there, displaying the universal body language of "What the fuck, guys?" Michael gave him an apologetic shrug then turned around and followed the others into the cafeteria.
The others probably had some good reason to shun the dude. Asshole was probably a legit asshole, as opposed to "I have no idea who the fuck you are so your placeholder name is Asshole" Corey, and seeing as how he had just casually charged at an armed group he didn't seem too bright, either. Michael would trust their judgement.
Not that Michael really cared what happened to Asshole, but the dude did look sorta pitiful just standing there, displaying the universal body language of "What the fuck, guys?" Michael gave him an apologetic shrug then turned around and followed the others into the cafeteria.
The others probably had some good reason to shun the dude. Asshole was probably a legit asshole, as opposed to "I have no idea who the fuck you are so your placeholder name is Asshole" Corey, and seeing as how he had just casually charged at an armed group he didn't seem too bright, either. Michael would trust their judgement.