Round 4 [Open Commentlog]

[helluvachin]

[He's been wearing the same clothing since he showed up here and taking shelter in a stables full of animals. Needless to say that both him and his clothing are getting a little ripe. Problem is that those hotsprings are way too public for him, last thing he wants is people seeing his scars, and he's not stepping foot inside those barracks if he

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[forthebothofus]

[Would you believe his partner in crime had a similar idea? Stretched out on the grass not thirty meters away is Abeni, the bulk of her own clothes laid out beside her while she waits for the not!sun to dry them off. Being covered in your own blood is never a fun thing.

At the sound of someone nearby, her senses skip from alert to kill mode, and keeping hidden, Abeni seeks out the source. When she spies Zachariah, relief sweeps over her. Standing up, she picks up her pants and starts to pull them on.]

Zack.

[It's all she says in way of greeting.]

[helluvachin]

[If he didn't before he certainly does now. In the middle of scrubbing down his pants he hears Abeni say his. Zachariah freezes, and looks over to find Abeni with her pants half on. His face is beyond beet red at this point. With the both of them half naked, well almost completely naked in his case, he does the most sensible thing in his mind. He dives into the frigid lake water. It doesn't take long for him to realize that this is a very bad idea and he surfaces with a lot of splashing.]

SON OF A BITCH!

[His teeth are chattering and he's wrapping his arms around himself, but he's not coming out.]

[forthebothofus]

[Abeni on the other hand merely arches and eyebrow, glances around and when she sees nothing coming, resumes buttoning up her pants. Her shirt is mostly dry, good enough to start pulling it over her head as she walks toward him.

She almost looks amused.]

Problem?

[helluvachin]

[At the moment nothing but his head is above water and he's trying to keep it that way.]

Oh I don't know. Maybe sneaking up on me when I'm almost naked might be a bad thing...or when you're almost naked.

[He tries to scowl but it's just too damn cold.]

[forthebothofus]

[She still can't see what the big deal is.]

What are we, twelve? I'm dressed. Get out of there before you freeze.

[Does she have to turn around or cover her eyes or something?]

[helluvachin]

[Zachariah might trust Abeni with his life but that still doesn't mean he wants her to see him nearly nude or the scary mess he's become.]

Needed to wash myself anyway.

[Couldn't hurt things.]

[forthebothofus]

[She's never really thought about what might bother him, at least not outside of deadworld. Any concern inside had been closely linked to keeping them both alive. A distracted or bothered Zachariah in a fight was of little use to either of them. Somewhere deep down, she knows she should probably feel bad for making him flail like this. She didn't.]

...You and me both.

[In a moment of kindness, Abeni turns her back to him. She doesn't move any further than that.]

[helluvachin]

Next time I really got to find a better spot.

[He really shouldn't be surprised this doesn't bother her, but they've got to have boundaries. They're not in Deadworld anymore. She doesn't have to watch him every second. Somehow he needs to help her relax while they're here.

Once her back is turned he takes a breath and ducks his head under the water before coming back to shore. He did want a bit of a wash after all. When he comes out he's drenched and shivering.]

Should have brought a towel.

Bluh sorry. Last tag didn't feel right. 6_9

[forthebothofus]

[Where he's had years to adjust, even a little, to not being in Deadworld, Abeni has had days. A frown finds it's way onto her face and, arms folded, she waits.]

You're bothered.

[And so is she. That distant shrub is so getting glared at.]

I heard noise, looked up and saw you.

[She hadn't come looking.]

s'alright <3

[helluvachin]

[Well, now he feels like an ass. He can tell he upset her. Even with looking at her face he knows she's glaring at him.]

Just...not used to people seeing me this exposed.

<3

[forthebothofus]

[She doesn't like the thought of leaving him alone in the open, but Abeni is well aware that she's intruding. Even from a glimpse it's evident that he kept fighting long after she was gone. Part of her wondered who did the patch ups without her.]

I've got scars too, Zachariah. You were there for a lot of them, just as I was for yours.

[Though she did notice that he's got quite a few more since she left him on his own in Deadworld. She exhales sharply, glare still fixed on that poor shrub.]

I'll go.

[helluvachin]

[Why himself of course. In fact several of those scars are burns from when he had to sear a wound closed.

Inwardly he swears at himself. He just got her back and he's chasing her off. There's no other person in this keep that he trusts more than her so why is he getting uptight around her now.]

I know. I just look like a chewed up piece of meat these days. You don't have to go just uh, just let me get something on.

[He looks down at his clothes. They're all still soaking wet, but then again so is he. With a sigh he starts pulling on his pants.]

[forthebothofus]

[She not so bugged by his having scars as she is by the fact that she was not there for them. The protective, partner side of her wants everyone responsible to of paid for what they've done. Hell, Abeni would gladly beat some heads in as payback for Riah being injured.

But she wasn't there, and for the most part he was alone.]

Scarred or not, you survived. Give yourself some credit for that.

[helluvachin]

Guess I did. Cost me more than I ever wanted to give though.

[Abeni, Priest, and his mother, he lost all of them because he wasn't good enough or smart enough to keep them alive. Zachariah does his best to kill that train of thought. It'll only take him to a place he doesn't want to go and he's got nothing to occupy his mind at the moment. Still, it continues to linger at the back of his mind.]

[forthebothofus]

[She pauses there. It's a long shot, and Abeni hopes that she's just reading the situation wrong, but if she was a part of that reference, then Zachariah needed to be set in line.

As far as she saw it, Zack was not to blame for her death. Abeni shoots him a quick glance over her shoulder, expression a mix of annoyance, confusion and concern.]

You better not be referring to me in all of that.

[helluvachin]

[He can lie to her and say he doesn't, but he knows she'll see right through that. Saying nothing would bee just as telling. His eyes meet her's and then he just looks away.]

Why wouldn't I?

[She was, is, one of his best friends and his partner. Losing her tore him apart.]