For all intents and purposes, it looked like Jason had been puking up old blood for a few hours. Which he had-- it just wasn't here. "I fucked up," he said, voice cracking. "I really fucked up. I just needed to see if it was still. I have a problem, man."
He kicked at the stupid fucking Steve Newlin book that had been his only company the last couple days.
Rupert had absolutely no idea what Jason was talking about, but he'd be damned if he was going to just go.
"Not without you, I shouldn't. Come on," he said, catching Jason's arm and giving the book a second, thoughtless kick for good measure. He started hauling the other man for the door, slinging an arm around his back.
"You're not well. I'm getting you to the clinic. Come on."
The reality was that Jason was too weak to fight it, even if he'd really wanted to, at this point. "I'm gonna get you all gross," he muttered, trying not to throw up again out of pure shame. His stomach was still roiling around inside of him, ready to explode again at any moment.
Frowning, Rupert started them out the door and across the sand, cutting directly toward the thick of the jungle.
"Don't worry, mate," he said. "We'll keep off the boardwalk." Rupert was about as stealthy as a torch in a pitch dark cellar, but he at least knew how to move down paths less traveled.
Rupert didn't respond right away, because it was a tricky subject for even an intelligent person, which he was not. Vampires were to be abhorred and, if possible, staked. Certainly not socialized with or married. Mind altering substances were for the poor, unless it was extremely expensive. Rupert had never actually participated in the use of various tonics form Klatch that had landed some of his fellows at the Assassin's Guild up on the roof1, but had certainly gotten so monstrously inebriated as to land him other places he would not otherwise be.
He didn't know what Crack was, but it didn't sound good.
"And you've, what," he asked, trying to piece together what vampire blood would do on the island other than warm up, "had too much of it?"
1Or rather, landed them on the cobblestones below the roof.
"Well, back at home I did, and I kinda... okay, when you let your crazy girlfriend convince you it's okay to kidnap one and keep it in your basement, I guess you're a fucking addict, huh?" Jason snorted weakly, concentrating on making his legs work.
"Tried to do the right thing, and it all got taken away. I, uh, I wanted to see if the stuff still worked."
"Good Gods, man," Rupert muttered. It didn't make a lot of sense- how Not On the Disc Jason had managed to kidnap a vampire, Rupert could scarcely begin to guess. They were incredibly powerful dark creatures, even if they were of course automatically inferior by the fact that they were undead. What the hell sort of stuff had that girlfriend of his got him up to?
"Doesn't seem to have. It'll be all right, come on," he said, bolstering Jason's arm a little higher against his shoulders, "the doctors will fix you."
Jason nodded, a little frenetically, and tried to gather himself up, just like for the last play of a game, finding some last reserve of energy and strength. "They're gonna-- aw, fuck, I'm gonna have to go to therapy or some shit. Maybe that scary chick with AA...."
"You don't have to do anything," Rupert said firmly, with the conviction of someone who was used to the things they said being true by default of their having said it.
"There's no laws here, they can't make you do anything, and if they try to, well, I'm here."
"Have you met Kara Thrace?" Jason said, a laugh bubbling up in his raw throat. "Good to have you lookin' out for me all the same. If you're secretly a serial killer or something, now's the time to say."
"No, man, it means...." At least trying to explain shit would help take his mind off being such a dumbass. "It means they killed a bunch of people. Like, they're serious business. A serial killer."
After a couple seconds, he added, "And she's scary, but hot."
"Oi, Stackhouse! You're an Ameriwhatsit, yeah?"
As a total afterthought, which was misleading since there wasn't actually any thought involved, he rapped the door frame with the back of his hand.
"Jason?"
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Not that he wasn't happy, in some tiny fucked up way, that it was Rupert. Because damn, at least Rupert really got him.
"Hey," he said weakly, "come in."
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"What the hells is... Gods, man," he said, striding in, not bothering to hide the repugnance on his face at the smell and the mess.
"What's going on here?" he demanded, aghast, turning back to Jason to clasp the other man by the shoulder, eyes wide.
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He kicked at the stupid fucking Steve Newlin book that had been his only company the last couple days.
"Shit, you should go."
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"Not without you, I shouldn't. Come on," he said, catching Jason's arm and giving the book a second, thoughtless kick for good measure. He started hauling the other man for the door, slinging an arm around his back.
"You're not well. I'm getting you to the clinic. Come on."
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"Don't let-- I don't want no one to see."
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"Don't worry, mate," he said. "We'll keep off the boardwalk." Rupert was about as stealthy as a torch in a pitch dark cellar, but he at least knew how to move down paths less traveled.
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His cheeks felt like they were on fire, like that time Gran had caught him drinking her gin.
"It's a drug, back there. Their blood is like the baddest kind of crack."
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He didn't know what Crack was, but it didn't sound good.
"And you've, what," he asked, trying to piece together what vampire blood would do on the island other than warm up, "had too much of it?"
1Or rather, landed them on the cobblestones below the roof.
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"Tried to do the right thing, and it all got taken away. I, uh, I wanted to see if the stuff still worked."
Apparently it just made you barf.
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"Doesn't seem to have. It'll be all right, come on," he said, bolstering Jason's arm a little higher against his shoulders, "the doctors will fix you."
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"There's no laws here, they can't make you do anything, and if they try to, well, I'm here."
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"Why would I care about cereal enough to murder it?"
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After a couple seconds, he added, "And she's scary, but hot."
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