'it was the beginning of the end' if they could see her now, what would the handful of AO3 users that had commented on her fanfics think with as cheesy an opener as that?
[She wants to protest by shoving a magnifying glass in front of him, and maybe it would catch the sun just right and cause her to burst into flames so she can have an excuse to feel so warm and to sweat, ugh she's so damp? It's fine when she's moving around and exerting herself, but this was just dumb baby nerves getting more frayed by the second because she's thinking too much, it's not like he means he likes her when he says he likes her, don't worry so much, that's impossible so you don't have to worry about it, and definitely don't get carried away, even if that would really show him what she means about her being a weirdo freak that wants to smooch an undead guy -- oh, fuck, she's started to tighten her hug like he was just a pillow she could squeeze to herself for comfort. Better -- let him go now. Sorry! Sorry, sorry... Those aren't the words that come out, though.]
"Tell me I'm clever, Tell me I'm kind, Tell me I'm talented, Tell me I'm cute, Tell me I'm sensitive, Graceful and wise, Tell me I'm perfect -- But tell me the truth."
...I -- just don't normally, um... I like you a lot. And I keep -- touching you, or wanting, u-um... It's just weird.
[The poem is a little surprising, but at the same time, that's just Ryder, able to pull old words up like her mind is a library and she knows the contents inside and out. He listens to it, amused enough by the end to smile. He hears the trick to it. But at the same time...]
Isn't that... human...? To want to... be near...? Wanting just... to want... not to hurt...
[He wants to hurt. But he also wants this. He doesn't know where that puts him, what it makes him.]
You are... those things... by the way... Except maybe... graceful...
[Ryder's wondering if that's human and what that meant for her before all this enough that she's caught by surprise when he backtracks to her poem. Her laugh is half an exhale, amused, relieved, embarrassed. Maybe she can...believe it a little bit, since he ruled out the obvious outlier. Maybe he really believes it. All of it. Maybe...it's okay to at least feel this way, even if she's wrong to think about acting on it or wanting the same from him.]
Um. Anyway. [Ignore her! And how dumb she is!!] There's -- some time before we can -- do anything. A-about them, I mean. I don't think I can -- play anymore today, but we could -- stories, or if there's something fun I could do with you from here in the -- from here. Or, um, I don't know if you want -- to nap, or something...
[They'd end up being word games, anyway. Choppy bits of stories in their own right. She hums her agreement, though it's half a preamble for thought, before flopping down to lay on her back. She didn't take the time he'd given her to think of a story earlier, so it was time to pull from the past and bullshit when the blanks come up...]
Two sisters, Joanna and Gemma, stood at the world's beginning and wondered aloud what to do with the land laid out before them. Gemma took her sister's hand and gestured wide, telling her of the plentiful fields and rolling waves they could set free, but was interrupted long before she could finish painting her picture. She hadn't even gotten to complete the sketch.
"What of the music?" Joanna asked. "Is it enough to accept the rustle caused by the winds through our world?" So she added birdsong, making Gemma create birds, and rhythm, making Gemma create rattlesnakes, and the sweet unpredictability of voices, which Gemma answered with making people, all of which would live off the land she then built to accommodate them all...
[It's a story of different people with different priorities, and how one gets praised far more even if their contributions aren't always practical -- necessary, yes, because there can't be a world without people or music, but Joanna was prone to whimsy and the part of love that wanted to grant anything and everything someone else wanted. Gemma granted those same things out of love for her sister, but had to take care of other parts that weren't seen as fun or even nurturing in the eyes of the creatures she'd worked hard for. Gemma was run ragged for very little reward. Pride in her work could only get her so far when the sister she held so dear was come to be known as Beloved Joanna by all, any adoration going to her and...looking so much like her own that she wondered if it went unnoticed after a while.
Something a lot like Death asking why Life was celebrated, where they were feared and despised, in the end, but without much of a moral.]
I don't -- know how to make it back -- around to what I wanted the characters to be... "Too Beloved" and "To Be Loved". Haven't, um, figured it out... But spoilers, th-that's their theme.
[He closes his eyes to the sound of her tale, letting the image paint itself into his mind. Gemma and Joanna. The hardest thing to picture is their faces because anything he projects he starts to wonder if he's seen and when he wonders the story being told in the moment starts to slip away.
So, for now, he lets the figures of Gemma and Joanna be just that. Gemma fades and fades, becoming grey, lost to a shadowy background while Joanna danced in the light.]
Too beloved... to be loved...
[He hums and ponders.]
We want... to be loved... Gemma too... Love from the people... or... her sister... Lack is... a familiar pain...
[And yet.]
Too beloved... Too much... An ego, perhaps...? But maybe... maybe something... else... Too beloved... idolized... a pedestal... too beloved but not... loved... Or maybe... just tired... tired of it... trapped... smothered... wanting to be... free...
[She hums, on leg propping up and wiggling back and forth to release some of her unused energy. She feels the tired soreness in them grumbling for her to stop that, fucking hell, but she needs to move, body. It's just how things are.]
It's all a lot, isn't it? Might -- be all of that at once. No matter what, it's -- a lot. [This time, her hum is a tune, just a faint, brief 'It's tough to be a god~' It's tough to be less than that, too.] Is the point just -- to say that? I dunno. I jus' think about them -- sometimes.
[All of that at once... placed up high and revelling in it so long that everyone's view of her becomes a smudged blur of perfection that she eventually can't hope to meet-- not when she relies so much on a sister to make what she wishes for. A sister who's no longer there.
He nods his head in agreement. It does seem like a lot.]
I think... I think it would be... the thing to... make her want... some change... to look... and find... her sister gone... but she hasn't... learned yet... what her sister... wants and needs... to be loved...
[She feels like curling up against him like a cat, soaking in his slow words and wheezing. Even pulling from old, thoughts, revamping the words as she needed, it's exhausting to tell her own stories out loud. Especially when they aren't complete. Her eyes have drifted shut so that she can better picture the way Joanna whisks through the scene, some kind of cloth or her hair flowing freely to really accentuate the way she looks around before turning. Smooth, but dramatic. A dawning realization moving into something that hasn't quite settled. It would be confusing. It would, eventually, be lonely. These days, there are plenty of things that make sure she knows what it is to be left without something that was always there, leaving an inexplicable void in its place. Like waking up to find your nose disappeared.
Ryder shifts so that she can't start drifting off before she realizes it, too focused on the figure in her imagination.]
But -- can't just make it her -- fault. Not fair to her... Um. I don't know what -- being a Joanna-type is like, but it's better for -- Gemma's to communicate. Even if they're not...good.
You're right... [He nods to further showcase his agreement.] She's jealous... and alone... and unhappy... but she's said nothing...
[He doesn't know that he's like either girl. He's not a Joanna, not beloved, but he doesn't know that he's a Gemma either. Not because he finds communication the easiest, but because he can't see himself being driven from that he loves, even if it meant being muffled and smothered to nothing. He doesn't know. He doesn't think he's any better than either.]
It will need... to be a story... of both... a journey... of two...
[The way her brain works, always so scattered, she feels like a story that follows the both of them should be easy…but she also knows by now that for all the different directions her thoughts go in, it was only ever one thing that would hold her focus. Would that thing be Joanna or Gemma…? Would it be “the sisters,”or even broader, “the story”? Be pretty funny if she couldn’t get her brain off the Beloved side of things, though. Very fitting. Very cruel.]
She’d do anything… [It’s just an absent murmur, nothing new or interesting. Her thoughts are crawling and swirling at the same time…like a drain. Whoosh.
Ugh. She’s not allowed to sleep! She needs to be awake for when Teo leads his spooky parade out, just in case!!] I hope they learn — they were alone together. Didn’t have to be. Even with different — problems.
[She exhales and her body releases the remaining tension it had unconsciously been holding onto as she mentally fortified herself. Blindly, she reaches over to touch more of him and shuffle like he's a stuffed animal for her to draw comfort from in the night.]
That's no fun for you... Not fair. Shouldn't -- be tired.
[Her tone is a moody whine. Just because she pushed herself physically? Ridiculous! She should have been filled with energy from her amazing breakfast! Well, honestly that was probably why she'd been up for running around earlier, aches and all. But still, she sighs and murmurs a soft,] Safe together...
[What a spoiled girl, getting so accustomed to this (relatively) easy life.]
[She makes another noise that might be a protest, but it's obvious that she stops fighting it. Even as tired as she is, it takes longer than she'd like to make that switch from real world to dreamland...and before she knows it, she's awake again.
Ryder stretches out as much as possible, imagining herself as a jaguar that took those long steps and arched their back so satisfyingly. She'd look so rad with spots -- and damn, those claws and fangs. Unstoppable...! Unfortunately, as she goes lax again, she remembers that she's a human, and in this day, she's more prey than predator. But all the predators are caged up right now! And it's up to her and Teo to release them back into the wild!]
Mmmready...!
[Though her job is mostly to stay out of the way... She's determined to help! She can keep an eye out, as long as she's quiet about it, and if the survivors show up again, she can tell them to fuck off for their own good! Or something!
Back to making this a place where they can live their lives in as close to peace as you can get in the apocalypse.]
[He doesn't move until she wakes. He lets himself rest, but not sleep. He has seen all too often what happens when one assumes that the caged predators will stay in their cages. Hell, he's one too. He knows for a fact he died locked up, but he woke up in an open street.
Part of him marvels that she's going along with this plan. By all means, the smart thing to do would be to go down there and kill each and every last one of those undead. But, she sees him as more. And so, she's starting to see them as a little bit more too. He's grateful. He's grateful for so much with her.]
Guess it's... time then...
[He flashes a smile back at her and gets himself ready too, making sure his face is covered. It won't help much if he's caught walking the dead along, but it'll help him enough for each time he's got to wander back.]
I'm going to... open up... the doors down there... Be safe... Be ready... I will try to... finish up... fast as I can...
[He has more preparation to do than her, even if she does her due diligence to tighten laces, tuck away loose bits, keep less skin exposed, make sure she can move without issue... Backpack packed, doors checked, weapon ready. She gives him a thorough look over just to make sure, and quietly laments the fact that she didn't have binoculars or a bow of her own. She'd have to ask him to look for a sporting goods store or something... They should hit up a few different kinds of stores, actually. She wonders how much there is left behind after all this time, and how many undead still wandered...
Well. That's a future project. She has to focus on the task at hand, and she won't distract him by putting something else in the list.]
I won't have a lot of visibility from the window, but I don't want to risk the roof... [Too easy to get cornered. Ideally she'd be out there with him.] Anything I can get ready for you, if it goes sideways?
[He hums. She makes a good point. Even staying in this room like he'd originally imagined for her isn't actually the best for survival. Two exits if not more would be best. If anything came in through the door now, she'd have to beat back the lot or jump out the window. She might make the drop without dying, but she wouldn't manage it without breaking something and that meant an even slower, more painful death.
On the other hand, more exits meant more entrances too. That could be a problem. He lets out a rattling sigh.]
I'm not... an expert at... surviving... [Evidently.] But I will... be fine...so make sure... you're your first... priority... okay? If things go... sideways... you just... get yourself... safe... If you're... in danger... I'll take care... of it... If I... don't come back... follow... the standard... Short wait... Assume dead...
[The only who didn't leave someone behind at some point were the first ones to turn. He knew this.]
I might... leash them all... together... Make it... just one trip... But if I do... it'll be more obvious... something's off... with me...
[She could probably fashion something out of a sheet that could help with a window escape, but that's assuming she has time... Barricading the place would be easier, she thinks. Do her fire axe thing. The plan she really doesn't like is this "assume dead" junk, and it's more than evident on her face. Don't even talk like that? Awful man.]
Mmm...
[Yeah, that would definitely...be a problem... Plus she can't imagine a zombie chain being all that wieldy. Ryder chews at her lip, knowing that what she's about to say isn't something he'll like any more than she likes this "if I don't come back, leave me behind" shit.]
We could...bait them out -- instead. Scout a route, then lead them through using sound cues. You -- stay with them just in case, and I have different stations I can go to and -- throw something to get their attention in that general direction. [She rubs the back of her neck with her free hand, glancing away.] ...I m-mean...there's no point sticking around here if you -- aren't with me... We should do -- things together.
[He frowns right back at her, even though she can't see it. Those are apocalypse survival rules don't go judging him!
Or do, so he can go ahead and judge right back, his expression once again hidden and so his displeasure remains unclear until he speaks low and in disbelief.]
You want... to be... live bait...?
[That is a bad idea. That is an idea that goes wrong to worse. No matter how effective it would be to get the dead out.]
How do you... lose an entire... small hoard...? And then... not gain... any more stragglers... from outside...?
[She grimaces at him calling it what it is -- or what she'd be, maybe? That's probably more accurate. Thinking about this is definitely helping, and not at all just avoiding the problem.]
You say it like -- I'm planning on running five feet ahead of 'em all. [Even she's not that dumb! Admittedly, she didn't think about the part where she might attract the whole city. She's not used to attracting anything! Ba dum tshh, okay, no, focus. Ryder crosses her arms and sighs through her nose, trying to...make this sound sane.] I just meant -- stations? Um, when it's a race or hike, and -- points you stop at. Big mountain...climbing. They're set up that way. [Whatever those are!!] Go -- to a spot and -- I don't know, throw a baseball at a gong, so it makes -- noise. When they're over there, sneak to the next one. You keep them together in between... I've moved them around before using sounds, it's not -- stupid.
[She shifts her weight and kicks her toes at the floor, still closed off. It takes her a little bit to answer.]
No. I mean... I'm scared, too. It's not a -- good idea.
[But it's an idea, and a way for her to help. She wants to be able to have more days like this, where they can cook, play around, and nap whenever they feel like it. She got to laze around with him today, and it was fun. If they don't get the other hotel roomies out, they don't get to have that. If Teo runs into trouble, they don't have that. If Ryder gets caught, they don't have that.
She sighs and runs her hand through her bangs, pulling them down over her eyes. Ughh.]
Well... Um. [Hm!!] What -- about if you play the survivor? You know how far ahead you need to be, and what -- will get their attention... You don't have -- trouble walking through them, so when you stop, they'll -- just let you go... Right? You can go back to shepherding...
[Except her eyes lock to his sleeve, where she knows the bite to be. He'd had a scare already, and even if it wouldn't have killed him, it put him back to where he was when he died. That's not fair to him.]
I just -- don't know what I can do to keep you safe. Especially with what we have.
[He nods his head slow-- only to stop and get strangled on a laugh.]
Fireworks... would be great...
[Set them off somewhere far and then go right back here. The dead would rush to the sound. He could literally stand there and hold the door for them. But, unfortunately, they don't have those and he doesn't want to postpone this for too long.]
But... playing bait... myself... might work... Except that... I smell like--
[He stops, head lifting, gaze sliding back to Ryder. It's risky for a whole other reason but--]
I need to... smell like you... at least... from a distance... and you... [They didn't get around to laundry yet. He starts to pull off his jacket.] What do you have... that I can borrow...? Preferably... bloody or smelly... [His sweater follows, revealing the torn black tee beneath layered over the stripey shirt that's missing a chunk at his arm.]
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storywalks) wrote2021-11-17 08:42 pm
no subject
[He repeats that as amused as is bewildered.]
When have you... been selfish...?
[Did he miss something? Was he not paying attention? He shakes his head.]
I'm... the selfish one... and besides... I don't think... you're too weird... at all... I like you...
no subject
"Tell me I'm clever,
Tell me I'm kind,
Tell me I'm talented,
Tell me I'm cute,
Tell me I'm sensitive,
Graceful and wise,
Tell me I'm perfect --
But tell me the truth."
...I -- just don't normally, um... I like you a lot. And I keep -- touching you, or wanting, u-um... It's just weird.
no subject
Isn't that... human...? To want to... be near...? Wanting just... to want... not to hurt...
[He wants to hurt. But he also wants this. He doesn't know where that puts him, what it makes him.]
You are... those things... by the way... Except maybe... graceful...
no subject
Um. Anyway. [Ignore her! And how dumb she is!!] There's -- some time before we can -- do anything. A-about them, I mean. I don't think I can -- play anymore today, but we could -- stories, or if there's something fun I could do with you from here in the -- from here. Or, um, I don't know if you want -- to nap, or something...
no subject
Stories... would be nice... I don't know... what games to play...
[He could nap, but he doesn't need it. He's not sure he could nap until the dead are taken care of anyway. He'd worry too much.]
no subject
Two sisters, Joanna and Gemma, stood at the world's beginning and wondered aloud what to do with the land laid out before them. Gemma took her sister's hand and gestured wide, telling her of the plentiful fields and rolling waves they could set free, but was interrupted long before she could finish painting her picture. She hadn't even gotten to complete the sketch.
"What of the music?" Joanna asked. "Is it enough to accept the rustle caused by the winds through our world?" So she added birdsong, making Gemma create birds, and rhythm, making Gemma create rattlesnakes, and the sweet unpredictability of voices, which Gemma answered with making people, all of which would live off the land she then built to accommodate them all...
[It's a story of different people with different priorities, and how one gets praised far more even if their contributions aren't always practical -- necessary, yes, because there can't be a world without people or music, but Joanna was prone to whimsy and the part of love that wanted to grant anything and everything someone else wanted. Gemma granted those same things out of love for her sister, but had to take care of other parts that weren't seen as fun or even nurturing in the eyes of the creatures she'd worked hard for. Gemma was run ragged for very little reward. Pride in her work could only get her so far when the sister she held so dear was come to be known as Beloved Joanna by all, any adoration going to her and...looking so much like her own that she wondered if it went unnoticed after a while.
Something a lot like Death asking why Life was celebrated, where they were feared and despised, in the end, but without much of a moral.]
I don't -- know how to make it back -- around to what I wanted the characters to be... "Too Beloved" and "To Be Loved". Haven't, um, figured it out... But spoilers, th-that's their theme.
no subject
So, for now, he lets the figures of Gemma and Joanna be just that. Gemma fades and fades, becoming grey, lost to a shadowy background while Joanna danced in the light.]
Too beloved... to be loved...
[He hums and ponders.]
We want... to be loved... Gemma too... Love from the people... or... her sister... Lack is... a familiar pain...
[And yet.]
Too beloved... Too much... An ego, perhaps...? But maybe... maybe something... else... Too beloved... idolized... a pedestal... too beloved but not... loved... Or maybe... just tired... tired of it... trapped... smothered... wanting to be... free...
no subject
It's all a lot, isn't it? Might -- be all of that at once. No matter what, it's -- a lot. [This time, her hum is a tune, just a faint, brief 'It's tough to be a god~' It's tough to be less than that, too.] Is the point just -- to say that? I dunno. I jus' think about them -- sometimes.
no subject
He nods his head in agreement. It does seem like a lot.]
I think... I think it would be... the thing to... make her want... some change... to look... and find... her sister gone... but she hasn't... learned yet... what her sister... wants and needs... to be loved...
no subject
Ryder shifts so that she can't start drifting off before she realizes it, too focused on the figure in her imagination.]
But -- can't just make it her -- fault. Not fair to her... Um. I don't know what -- being a Joanna-type is like, but it's better for -- Gemma's to communicate. Even if they're not...good.
no subject
[He doesn't know that he's like either girl. He's not a Joanna, not beloved, but he doesn't know that he's a Gemma either. Not because he finds communication the easiest, but because he can't see himself being driven from that he loves, even if it meant being muffled and smothered to nothing. He doesn't know. He doesn't think he's any better than either.]
It will need... to be a story... of both... a journey... of two...
no subject
[The way her brain works, always so scattered, she feels like a story that follows the both of them should be easy…but she also knows by now that for all the different directions her thoughts go in, it was only ever one thing that would hold her focus. Would that thing be Joanna or Gemma…? Would it be “the sisters,”or even broader, “the story”? Be pretty funny if she couldn’t get her brain off the Beloved side of things, though. Very fitting. Very cruel.]
She’d do anything… [It’s just an absent murmur, nothing new or interesting. Her thoughts are crawling and swirling at the same time…like a drain. Whoosh.
Ugh. She’s not allowed to sleep! She needs to be awake for when Teo leads his spooky parade out, just in case!!] I hope they learn — they were alone together. Didn’t have to be. Even with different — problems.
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[He can hear the way she's drifting. He can feel her weight pressing against him, more and more slack with each moment. He smiles.]
You should... rest... little goose... We're together... and you're safe... rest now...
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That's no fun for you... Not fair. Shouldn't -- be tired.
[Her tone is a moody whine. Just because she pushed herself physically? Ridiculous! She should have been filled with energy from her amazing breakfast! Well, honestly that was probably why she'd been up for running around earlier, aches and all. But still, she sighs and murmurs a soft,] Safe together...
[What a spoiled girl, getting so accustomed to this (relatively) easy life.]
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He laughs softly.]
I'm okay... I have... quite a night ahead... Fine to rest...
[And being safe together with someone is such a novelty, even for him. Especially for him. He repeats;]
Rest...
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Ryder stretches out as much as possible, imagining herself as a jaguar that took those long steps and arched their back so satisfyingly. She'd look so rad with spots -- and damn, those claws and fangs. Unstoppable...! Unfortunately, as she goes lax again, she remembers that she's a human, and in this day, she's more prey than predator. But all the predators are caged up right now! And it's up to her and Teo to release them back into the wild!]
Mmmready...!
[Though her job is mostly to stay out of the way... She's determined to help! She can keep an eye out, as long as she's quiet about it, and if the survivors show up again, she can tell them to fuck off for their own good! Or something!
Back to making this a place where they can live their lives in as close to peace as you can get in the apocalypse.]
no subject
Part of him marvels that she's going along with this plan. By all means, the smart thing to do would be to go down there and kill each and every last one of those undead. But, she sees him as more. And so, she's starting to see them as a little bit more too. He's grateful. He's grateful for so much with her.]
Guess it's... time then...
[He flashes a smile back at her and gets himself ready too, making sure his face is covered. It won't help much if he's caught walking the dead along, but it'll help him enough for each time he's got to wander back.]
I'm going to... open up... the doors down there... Be safe... Be ready... I will try to... finish up... fast as I can...
no subject
Well. That's a future project. She has to focus on the task at hand, and she won't distract him by putting something else in the list.]
I won't have a lot of visibility from the window, but I don't want to risk the roof... [Too easy to get cornered. Ideally she'd be out there with him.] Anything I can get ready for you, if it goes sideways?
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On the other hand, more exits meant more entrances too. That could be a problem. He lets out a rattling sigh.]
I'm not... an expert at... surviving... [Evidently.] But I will... be fine...so make sure... you're your first... priority... okay? If things go... sideways... you just... get yourself... safe... If you're... in danger... I'll take care... of it... If I... don't come back... follow... the standard... Short wait... Assume dead...
[The only who didn't leave someone behind at some point were the first ones to turn. He knew this.]
I might... leash them all... together... Make it... just one trip... But if I do... it'll be more obvious... something's off... with me...
no subject
Mmm...
[Yeah, that would definitely...be a problem... Plus she can't imagine a zombie chain being all that wieldy. Ryder chews at her lip, knowing that what she's about to say isn't something he'll like any more than she likes this "if I don't come back, leave me behind" shit.]
We could...bait them out -- instead. Scout a route, then lead them through using sound cues. You -- stay with them just in case, and I have different stations I can go to and -- throw something to get their attention in that general direction. [She rubs the back of her neck with her free hand, glancing away.] ...I m-mean...there's no point sticking around here if you -- aren't with me... We should do -- things together.
no subject
Or do, so he can go ahead and judge right back, his expression once again hidden and so his displeasure remains unclear until he speaks low and in disbelief.]
You want... to be... live bait...?
[That is a bad idea. That is an idea that goes wrong to worse. No matter how effective it would be to get the dead out.]
How do you... lose an entire... small hoard...? And then... not gain... any more stragglers... from outside...?
no subject
You say it like -- I'm planning on running five feet ahead of 'em all. [Even she's not that dumb! Admittedly, she didn't think about the part where she might attract the whole city. She's not used to attracting anything! Ba dum tshh, okay, no, focus. Ryder crosses her arms and sighs through her nose, trying to...make this sound sane.] I just meant -- stations? Um, when it's a race or hike, and -- points you stop at. Big mountain...climbing. They're set up that way. [Whatever those are!!] Go -- to a spot and -- I don't know, throw a baseball at a gong, so it makes -- noise. When they're over there, sneak to the next one. You keep them together in between... I've moved them around before using sounds, it's not -- stupid.
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I know you're... not stupid... [She wouldn't have gotten this far if she was.]
I'm just... [He folds his arms too, though more to hug himself than to make himself seem certain.] I'm scared... I don't want to... put you at risk...
[But she wants to do things together. A team. He doesn't know what to do.]
Are you... really sure... about this?
no subject
No. I mean... I'm scared, too. It's not a -- good idea.
[But it's an idea, and a way for her to help. She wants to be able to have more days like this, where they can cook, play around, and nap whenever they feel like it. She got to laze around with him today, and it was fun. If they don't get the other hotel roomies out, they don't get to have that. If Teo runs into trouble, they don't have that. If Ryder gets caught, they don't have that.
She sighs and runs her hand through her bangs, pulling them down over her eyes. Ughh.]
Well... Um. [Hm!!] What -- about if you play the survivor? You know how far ahead you need to be, and what -- will get their attention... You don't have -- trouble walking through them, so when you stop, they'll -- just let you go... Right? You can go back to shepherding...
[Except her eyes lock to his sleeve, where she knows the bite to be. He'd had a scare already, and even if it wouldn't have killed him, it put him back to where he was when he died. That's not fair to him.]
I just -- don't know what I can do to keep you safe. Especially with what we have.
[...]
We need fireworks.
[She sounds miserable.]
no subject
Fireworks... would be great...
[Set them off somewhere far and then go right back here. The dead would rush to the sound. He could literally stand there and hold the door for them. But, unfortunately, they don't have those and he doesn't want to postpone this for too long.]
But... playing bait... myself... might work... Except that... I smell like--
[He stops, head lifting, gaze sliding back to Ryder. It's risky for a whole other reason but--]
I need to... smell like you... at least... from a distance... and you... [They didn't get around to laundry yet. He starts to pull off his jacket.] What do you have... that I can borrow...? Preferably... bloody or smelly... [His sweater follows, revealing the torn black tee beneath layered over the stripey shirt that's missing a chunk at his arm.]
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