Night 43: Main Hallway, 1-West

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Even distracted as he was, Suzaku remembered to stay on his guard as he passed into the main hallway. He would only be here for a moment, but there could still be a monster lurking in the darkness. And it was so quiet and deserted just now that he would make easy prey.

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There were people walking around here and there, so it was a little easier to will herself to relax and listen for him. And Alkaid thought she recognized the sound of that shuffle and the smell of that cigarette - it had only been a day since they'd seen each other, to her. And she was opening her mouth to say something to him in greeting --- when his hands did the greeting for them both.

Alkaid found herself shaking in her slippers a little bit, and a hot, sickening feeling in her stomach when his hand lingered there for a second. What the hell did he think he was doing?

At least he took his hand away and was making some retardedly illogical claim. Like always. "What the hell is wrong with you? Do you have a fetish for groping people?! Why don't you leave your light on so you can see where you're going, idiot? I didn't need mine, because I was already here!!!"

She didn't hit him, but she was seriously pondering it. And there was the thing about wanting to devour his delicious human flesh. Her face was burning from the shock, still, so she flicked her light on, shining it at the floor.

"With failures like that, I'm surprised you made it this long without me."

[cigarettes_plz]

"Because shut up." Badou shot back, fully expecting a hit that never came. That was a perfectly logical defense by his standards. Alkaid's boobs had it out for him. It was kind of funny that they met like this again - the first time might have been a mistake, but the second was definitely cannibalism.

"Well it's not like I had a choice," He replied dryly. "I'm not following anyone into the afterlife."

He flicked on his own flashlight anyway, shining it at the ground so there was more than enough light to see by without being totally blinded. He felt like he should be having some kind of epiphany, seeing someone who he'd pretty much given up for dead. It didn't happen, right? People didn't come back? Man, he was a dumbass. He didn't sigh, but there was a quick, sharp exhalation that might have been a laugh. "At least you sound healthy enough. What happened to your arm?"

Not that he was in much better shape. His own left arm was bandaged stiffly. Coupled with the makeshift satchel/butchered pillow case strapped over his shoulder, he looked a lot like like a gently abused hobo.

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Alkaid didn't really want to touch Badou at all, to be quite honest. Not her boobs, not her manly fists, not anything that would bring her closer to him, which could drive her to.. try to eat him or something. She normally had no problem grabbing someone's hand and marching off into the adventure-filled sunset, but this time it was different.

"Hmph. L-like I could die! Yeah right! I'm in my prime and only getting better!" She spoke with overconfidence, even though it had come damn close to happening twice before, now. And she'd been powerless every single time, having to leave it up to other people to follow up for her... But she wouldn't burden someone she just met a few days ago with something like this, would she? "You're a strong man, so -- I wouldn't expect you to go looking for me in hell."

When he asked about the injury on her arm, she immediately covered it with her other hand. "Oh, it's - it's nothing! I'm in fighting shape! I just got a little bite last night, but it's not like I want to eat your brains or anything! Definitely not, okay?!"

Which was so a lie. But this was a risk Alkaid was gonna take. She could have locked herself in her room all night if she felt like being a bed potato.

She turned away from him, partially so he wouldn't be able to see her uneasy expression. And so she wouldn't think about ripping those bandages off his arm like a candy wrapper and sinking her teeth into the goodness within.

[cigarettes_plz]

Badou was about to argue something about saggy boobs, but his eyebrows shot right up at being called 'a strong man.' Sure, he'd bitch about his manliness going unrecognized but he'd seen, well, mirrors.

"Don't be stupid. I can't bring the dead back to life or anything, so why would I follow anyone to hell?" If Haine was here - and if he remembered Badou's godamn dramatic past after the first three times he'd heard it - he would be laughing right now. Yeah fucking right. If he was being honest, he'd say he was just too busy following someone else to hell. He scratched the back of his neck, blowing smoke away from Alkaid. "It's a different thing if you're alive. Then I'll find you, or try, anyway. Vampire's ok too as long as you don't bite me. I'm not into necro."

Wait wait wait. She'd gotten herself bitten? Oh fuck his life. Even if he hadn't seen the confirmation on the bulletin, he knew rule #1 of a good zombie movie: the hot chick ate you at the end because she got a little scratch. He'd just have to take comfort in the zombies sucking ass so far.

"...If you try to bite me I'm putting a muzzle on you I swear to god." He held out his hand expectantly. "Lemme see your arm."

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Alkaid didn't catch his eyebrow raise, but she had her own very concrete reasons for thinking he was a strong man, even if he was a little scrawny. She was glad that he didn't ask further on that particular line of thought, 'cause she didn't want to pad his stupid idiot ego more than she already had.

"I don't know! But if I died, you can bet they'd be remodeling hell within a week. Too bad any visitors would be permanent, cause the place'd be a resort after I got done with it." She grinned knowingly. "But that's if I die, not when." Like she would be caught dead dying! Not in a place like this, no way. The idea was ludicrous, and it still had to be shown whether or not she could actually die in this body. She kept cheating death one way or another, it looked like.

When he demanded to see her arm, holding a hand out to look at it, she stammered, "I-- I'm not a zombie, dammit!! I got bit by a vampire too, and I'm not a vampire! Your ass would have been pointy-toothed a week ago if I was!!"

Still, Alkaid held her arm away from him, trying her best to hide the rot that was peeking out under the bandage. "Don't look at it! Don't touch me!! There's nothing to see there anyway; let's just go on an adventure!" She put on her bravest smile, hoping he'd fall for it. Never mind that she was the worst liar ever.

[cigarettes_plz]

Of course she'd be remodeling hell. Badou would like to see the devil try and stop Alkaid from doing what she wanted. When he got down there they'd probably share sympathetic looks or something.

As for being dead in any sense of the word right now - he was pretty sure she wasn't even without her failed protests. (Also there was a brief and terrible mental image of his ass with fangs in there somewhere.) "Don't use language like that. It doesn't suit you." Badou scolded, offhand. He wasn't really focused on what he was saying. He was trying to get a good look at her arm.

"If there's nothing to see, let me see it and stop freaking out." He was still frowning. He tried tugging her arm lightly to accentuate his point. It wasn't like he was going to force her. There wasn't much he could do anyway if something was wrong with it. Was that black patch..? "...Jesus fucking christ."

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"I..." She paused, a little flustered. Didn't suit her? What... was he implying? That she wasn't brash enough to use strong language? What, did he consider her a lady or something? That couldn't be further from the truth, right? There was something wrong with that.

Anyway, Alkaid's stunned pause at Badou's scolding was enough to let him tug her arm, and without her realizing he had caught a glimpse of the disgusting, painful rot that was climbing up and down it.

She swallowed, her throat uncomfortably dry. Would he.. still want to travel with her after this? Not meeting his eye, she mumbled, "...Now you know, okay? I've got a zombie arm and it hurts like hell. So... please don't get too close to me tonight. It's gotten better since last night, but let's not take chances. We should just go."

Alkaid's voice was softer and sadder than she meant to let it come across. She was a massive failure at controlling her emotions, and sometimes this happened.

[cigarettes_plz]

Badou let her arm go and realized rather abruptly that he'd burned his cigarette almost down to the filter. He didn't speak again until he'd managed to light another. No wonder she was so freaked out. He'd seen those things last night.

"The rot must be spreading to your brain, because you're a dumbass." Badou's sympathetic side was truly something to behold. "Why didn't you get a healer to look at it? If that thing gets any worse tonight we're going up to the chapel so you can tell god to stop fucking your shit up right the hell now. Tomorrow - and don't bitch at me because I don't care - tomorrow you're going to find a healer and make them fix it. Ok? Good."

He took a drag of his cigarette, a hand placed firmly on his hip in a very manly and imposing fashion. "So is there somewhere you want to go tonight, living dead girl?"

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"Like a healer could help me!! I have a healing spell too, ya know! But I can't even get to my i-" Alkaid stopped herself, realizing that if she continued with what she was gonna say, item screen, Badou would probably think she was really, really crazy. Spock had believed her confession, but that guy would probably believe any damn thing because he was just so... trusting.

"My... um, magical power," she finished kinda lamely, still not really knowing what to say. "Uh! But you should stop worrying about me! I'm A-okay!" She flexed her bandaged left arm, doing her best not to grimace, and winked. "I'll find someone tomorrow, so shut your trap."

And then he was smoking another one; it was a little worrying. Cancer sticks couldn't be that good, could they? He was probably just addicted, but Alkaid knew guys at her school who smoked and never did it like that. The stuff was kind of gross, and it made him smell funny, but the smoke in the darkness, illuminated by the little glow, looked kind of cool.

Not that Badou himself would ever be cool. Not in a zillion years.

But.

"Well, I dunno. There's still a whole wide world out here that I haven't seen yet. Should we try the upstairs? I mean, in a week, you've probably already seen mosta this place anyway, so if we can tread into uncharted territory or something, that couldn't be beat, right?"

[cigarettes_plz]

Badou was about to protest further before he realized she'd actually agreed with him. Ok, fine. They'd pick up with a healer tomorrow sometime - preferably one who wouldn't need to cut her arm off to stop the rot.

"Well, me an' Alle have been trying to hit patient possessions forever. That's upstairs."

He tucked his flashlight under his arm and fished out a corked vial, offering it to her. "Acid. Try not to get it on your hands. We're hoping to load it into some water guns so it'll be easier to use, and anyway we might find something good up there."

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Alkaid was never one to deny healing. Discretion was the better part of valor, after all, and she wouldn't have gotten far in the arena rankings, much less topped them, had she not known the value of stuff like that. The reality was that she didn't know that other people had healing spells. That made everything sooo much better. And it also made her a little envious that other people had been able to keep their own powers.

"Patient possessions? Like our equipped items?" Her eyes widened. "Okay, we gotta go there." If she could score a healing potion or even an antidote item, that would be perfect. Such a thing could possibly even cure her wounds, if something like that existed IRL! Which it didn't, but... if people had healing powers, then it could be possible, right? Of course, would they keep stuff that her character had on her before she went off to the great wild halls of Landel's?

She inspected the vial of acid, smiling as he described his plans. "Depending on the strength of the solution, you could dilute something like this so it could be used for a super long time! Wow, maybe you're not useless after all!" She had no pockets, so she just popped it down her cleavage. Makeshift pocket.

She smiled through her pain, then twirled the bat around, some her old competitive spirit back. "But if you're sayin' I've got competition for 'most useful partner'? Then you just gotta tell me how to get there and we can arrive in no time. I can mow this place down like no one's business. Those monsters will be running away."

[cigarettes_plz]

"...Equipped what now?" Badou's eyebrows were going to make a permanent home somewhere in his hairline if he kept talking to Alkaid. And to think people told him he was a little weird sometimes.

"I was never useless." He shared his hard earned pity gift hard earned pity weapons like that and this was the thanks he got? Just because she happened to have a far more useful weapon on hand and he had pretty much nothing of the sort after a week of searching? He had needs. Needs that sometimes temporarily superseded his other need to not get eaten by monsters. It was hard to keep up with that scale of addiction when there weren't any cigarettes readily available. His life was very difficult.

"I'd be running away too if a zombie-vampire chick was after me. Let's just get to the stairs." Badou took his flashlight in hand again and started off.

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