It looks like it affects "construction, installation, and logistics", whatever that cashes out to.

He talks with a few neighbors and some teenagers that approach, he's still not very happy but at least he has some sort of a plan now! They're going to try and organize forting up one or two specific houses. He starts gathering the neighbors and planning-

-That's when a runner arrives, a [Messenger Lv 2] carrying a flag that says "D.E.G.", and announces in a booming voice that the police, fire service, and the Board of Education are fortifying at a few select buildings in the area. As big buildings that are usually on open lots, they make a good spot to hole up in before the monsters get worse! Everyone is encouraged to make their way to one of the following places- Schools, churches, the Rogers Apartment Building, Main Street (Which is getting a huge barricade all around it), or the Meijer's store or Home Depot.

This is about when Nick comes back with a second family, having negotiated them down to only two bags each. Time to move again.

Good for him! Now she doesn't even have to argue with Dave that he's useful after all!

Onwards.

Back in the truck, she meows once to get the Pack Rats' attention, points at the each one, holds up eight fingers, and then moves her hands apart hesitantly?

Headtilt, then some hesitant nodding?

They make two groups of four.

Great, at the next stop with people who aren't joining Dave, she'll ask if they have Pack Rats already.

Oh. She should work out an agreement before then. Can she use a page of F'Wen's notebook, or is there any other paper?

Wynn will allow the use of her notebook, and also find where the Ratrophone has gotten to, and also throw in the tidbit that System says some Class Powers can create System Contracts- System-mediated agreements that reduce someone's stats if broken.

"I wonder just how smart these little guys are. And like, did they come from animals just - living in the ground? Or did System make them? But whatever, what are you trying to do, give 'em a good home?"

System Contracts: "Scary! But maybe useful if relations between groups break down badly enough..."

Pack Rats: "The System says they're 'Critters', which 'spawn' like monsters, so yeah, the System made them. Are you - suspicious of them because of that? I'm trying to give them a good home. I don't know how fast they spawn more, if there's already some with a good supply of loot and food and 'junk'. But if it's fast, then it's better for lots of groups to get a few now, and it doesn't cost us much to have four now instead of eight... They're really smart! They can... plan ahead, think about quantities, trade, communicate... I want to learn their language - it might not be a language like we have but it sure looks like their squeaks are representational."

She draws, compactly to conserve paper, and shows this to both groups of Pack Rats:

(Since the Razor Gulls, and learning that they have more ranged weapons than she thought, going out to pick up the loot seems more dangerous and killing monsters from behind the walls seems less dangerous, so she's willing to go half and half on this particular plan as originally proposed.)

She should prooobably ask Dave what he thinks about this.

"Honestly? Yeah, I'm kind of suspicious. I don't want to jump straight to stabbing, it's not like it's impossible for System to make friends as well as foes, but... Like I know what they're gonna do next? The uncertainty is unnerving. No offense, guys." (Slightly indignant squeak). "I'm sure you're nice, I guess, just. Steal stuff or hurt people? You lose the benefit of the doubt."

The Pack Rats nod in acceptance of this semi-ultimatum. They review the paper for a while, trying to make sense of it, and they seem to agree that this seems fair? They try to repeat the request for a separate rat-enclave inside a fortified area. And they draw lines between different rat-enclaves. Tunnels perhaps.

Rat enclaves with cat in them?

(She likes them! If people are going to be suspicious, if their tunnels are big enough for her, she can keep an eye on them - well, an ear and a nose. And sleeping in the warren gives her a reason to be away from Sam and John.)

...Rat enclave with cat in it seems to be a no. Visits would be okay?

Hey! Why don't they want her? What are they up to?

They can't actually stop the Pack Rats from digging their enclaves, so it might be better to just yield on this and keep the harmony... but one more thing to try: a drawing of Pack Rats building a pig-monster made of junk, which then kills cat/fox/Men. How do they react to that?

Noooo. Never. Why would she think that. They just want to have a safe place to sleep in private, and where nobody can take their [Junk]. The Talls have their safe place to sleep and they're not asking for Pack Rats in the Tall Nest! (Brownie seems to disagree, at least a bit, but not really care about this conversation thread- A different group of rats who seem to be the white one's friends is mostly carrying it at this point.)

Sorry, sorry! Pet pet pet (on the cheek, since they took that well before. She's not touching their storage fur.)

In her opinion, they can come to the Tall Nest whenever they like, but Dave might feel differently, and whoever takes in the other group of them. It's not worth the paper or time to work out a way to communicate this, if they even have that much theory of mind, so she doesn't say anything.

She's going to be keeping an eye on Brownie.

If Essence costs experience, it's a good deal for them to provide other services instead. But more coats of pockets would be nice. Will they trade an Essence gem for... three pieces of loot?

Another drawing: four Pack Rats in a circle; Rat sleeping; Rat sleeping; five Rats in a circle. Point at sleeping Rat, point at next sleeping Rat with another finger, extend more fingers three four five six?

They like the cheek-petting! Three pieces of loot- Maybe if it's really good loot but that's probably not enough! They were generous so far as a gesture of goodwill, making Essence is - not quite painful, but definitely aversive. ......More pack rats if they have a good nest? Yes. Also stronger pack rats if they have a nest and lots of junk.

How many pieces of loot? Out of curiosity, does the loot go to the individual Rat who makes the Essence or to the nest?

More Rats is good. (It was possible they only spawn in certain areas.) She was trying to ask how long it would take but it's not important to have a number, and they might not even know, or be able to count abstract things like days...

Stronger Pack Rats? Ooh! Can they go faster, store more, fight monsters, be sneakier?

Junk mostly goes into the nest. They don't have a clear answer for how many pieces of loot.

Yes! And they can make junk tools! And they can make a catrat!

They can make furs?!

From scratch or from an existing Pack Rat?

It would take a while but a Pack Rat can turn into a Tall Rat if they really want and get strong enough. They probably will go for Big Rat or Fast Rat or Crafting Rat instead though.

They have their own Classes? Awesome!

Lookout Rat? She wants to ask if being a Tall Rat and having Tall-average intelligence go together, hm, Rats in a stack on top of each other to open a door, is that separate? Healing Rat?

(If there's a Big Rat, its presence will ensure that she can fit into the Pack Rats' tunnels, that's probably good? Might make the Rats vulnerable to other invaders, though.)

Will a Crafting Rat accept a piece of loot in exchange for doing a crafting job with provided materials?

Yeah! Not having to go get materials would be great! Just give a little extra. Lookout rat, maybe. Probably. Healing rat, probably not.

Okay! Pet pet pet.

And now she really should talk to Dave about the loot sharing plan and the other trades they discussed. "...but they'll let me visit, and they were really upset when I asked if they were up to something nefarious, so I think it's fine to let them have their privacy, sir." She's not saying that she's suspicious of Brownie, because she's not sure at all and might have totally misunderstood the hesitancy, and if Brownie is a problem later, she'd rather blame a single Pack Rat then, than their entire species now.

"The big thing is that they pull their weight and don't put us in danger. That coat is valuable- Scouting and gathering is valuable too, I don't deny that. And everyone has their little quirks. If we have trash and junk we can't use, it only makes sense to give it to someone who can. I've known animals a lot more loyal and trustworthy than any human, so I'm not judging you all on that account," he nods at the rats. "If you don't want us in your nest, we'll need to do some extra fortifying. The only thing I'm not sure about is the loot distribution- Because not all enemies are equally dangerous, and not all loot is equally valuable."

They can't just try to be nice and deal fairly with each other? Sigh.

(Obviously furs are more loyal and trustworthy than Men! Maybe that's different here, though, where they have so many Men who have to work together, and the furs are all fugitives.)

"We could keep a record of how many pieces of loot they get, and then at the end of the day, or when a group returns to the workyard, the Pack Rats and us take turns picking pieces of loot until they have the right number?"

"No, what happens if we have exactly one level twenty super helmet or something, and then a bunch of low-tier trash? Maybe some kind of auction or points or something... If we don't figure this out early, it's gonna linger like a bad stench. I'm also not sure about that fifty-fifty. We'll have to see what it looks like in practice- I already have two guys with renewable ammo, and Sam's Mason stuff can apparently build turrets like the ones on this truck, powered by magic, so maybe it'll end up looking like gunners standing on the wall mowing everything down and Pack Rats daring the waste to bring back loot, and if it does, then that works. But maybe not. So, all this looks about right but no promises long term, basically." He crosses his arms and sighs. "C'Esther, right? John said you're not from around here, is that right?"

Oh, he's a numbers guy.

The Talls could have first pick, she doesn't say, because she doesn't want to be having this conversation at all. "I see, sir. I await your instructions."

Of course there are going to be arguments. That's what happens in relationships, if one party isn't able to impose their will on the other. What matters is how you respond, your reputation for honesty and generosity, and actually doing the work of negotiating when you would rather hide and pretend the problem doesn't exist.

If the Pack Rats can't understand the auction or whatever ritual of legitimacy Dave and his numbers guy advisors come up with, she'll represent them, even if that means her food and gear are restricted to what the Pack Rats allot to her, and she has to go running beyond the walls dodging monsters and bullets.

(Until they have a Tall Rat of their own?)

"I'm from the city, yes, sir. Oh! I meant to ask you: I'm considering taking a Class Power called Enthralling Performance, which forcefully distracts people. I'm not sure if it works on monsters. Have you heard of any similar powers, sir?"