[Audio/Commentlog]

[doctoral_bird]

[The audio flicks on, but is silent for a few moments. There's the noise of sheets rustling and faint confused mumbles growing louder until they sound as if whatever is making them has picked up the journal. Then there's a disappointed sigh as Malkus can't help but feel as if he has been in this situation before, though much less bloody. His memory

Comments

[halfbrokenwings]

[Likely curious themselves, or headed to the kitchens and in need of stretching their legs, one troll and a bard are making their way through the hall.

Movement out of the corner of her eyes caught her attention and she turned to look.

Isabella was not expecting the sight she saw upon the stairs. He stood like a ghost, ripped and torn and bloody and it shocked her to see it. This was not the countenance of the fellow she met at the springs or the one she danced with at the party or helped dig worms up from the ground.

She makes a step toward him, clearly concerned.]

M-malkus?

[thii2ii22tupiid]

*Woah, that guy has a lot of random crap in his room. Sollux makes to follow, so he can nose around, but stops as Malkus asks to change alone. He shrugs and steps back; maybe he'll get to look inside later.*

((yeah, you can go back to skipping but i mentioned 'until at malk's room' so figured might as well just in case))

[halfbrokenwings]

[She smiles. She can not help it. He is sounding a bit like his old self. She only nods at him when goes to change and steps away from the door.

When it shuts she turns to Sollux and speaks quietly.]

There is one blessing in this Keep. I can't say I miss death being permanent when things like this transpire.

Avandra's luck we were not infected.

[doctoral_bird]

[Moments later, the doctor opens the door dressed in a shabby and grey tunic a few sizes too large for him and some pants he seems to have scrapped together from the same material as the tunic. He obviously didn't intend to wear this very much and it seems as if they might be something he'd consider to be pajamas.]

Certainly feels more clean. I must mend my robes soon... Would you like to step in for a moment. Perhaps inform me about my surroundings until I remember...

[thii2ii22tupiid]

...Yeah.

*Sollux has no idea who Avandra is, but its pretty lucky neither of them were infected before people knew this was going around.
He shrugs at Malkus when he exits.*

Yeah, sure.

[halfbrokenwings]

[She wasn't expecting the p.j's and it's kind of adorable on him. Like a kid with their old sibling's things on.]

Alright. We can try.

[She'll follow them into Malkus' room. That's a whole lot of dirt there...]

[doctoral_bird]

[He rolls his robes up into a smaller heap and sets them on the corner of his bed before brushing the chair in front of a makeshift desk clean for one of his guests.]

Looked in the um... journal. Seems I am not the only one a bit off right now... What has happened?

[He pulls the clean, or at least dirt-free chair out before moving to organize a few scattered pages of paper near his bed. One of the more noticeable papers being a large diagram of the human body hanging on the wall. It's obviously incorrect as it illustrates a strange humor system, circling certain areas that are labeled "Black Bile" "Yellow Bile" "Phlegm" and "Blood"]

[thii2ii22tupiid]

Zombies happened.

*Sollux will be quiet and let Isa explain, though, since she's probably a lot better at it than him. Instead of starts looking over the jars and papers.*

[halfbrokenwings]

[Sollux is good at explaining! That was it pretty much there, for the short and sweet version of it.]

A lot of people got sick with a pretty terrible illness. This place, it is different than most other places....

[She pauses.]

A lot of people died. It seems the cause of making you a 'bit off', as you put it.

[doctoral_bird]

Zombies?

[He turns his attention towards Sollux for a moment, not really minding the whole shifting through papers thing. It'd be hard to make more of a mess than there already is.]

Ah-...Well I suppose I understand that much. I don't believe I'd have been given another chance at living anywhere else.. At least as far as I remember..

[He sits down on the edge of his bed, rubbing his mask as he focuses back on Isabella.]

So it was the cause of my death then? I was infected?

[thii2ii22tupiid]

*Sollux is only paying half attention to Malkus. He's moved on to study the human diagram, having no reason to beliieve its wrong.*

You probably were, I think most of the people out there were somehow.

sorry so long guys :/

[halfbrokenwings]

What do you remember of the places you were before?

[She can't help the look around the room at all of the jars and papers and things he has. Did he come here with it all?]

S'okaay

[doctoral_bird]

Oh... Well-... Let's hope for the best for them as well, hm? Hopefully that's the last of any zombies here... I don't really remember all that much, to be honest. I do get the strongest urge not to let go of this, though..

[He motions to his mask when he speaks.]

Even if I get the feeling it did not quite serve its purpose very well...

[Malkus begins to glance around, too. This is all as new to him as it is to anyone else, at the moment.]

<3!

[halfbrokenwings]

[Isabella nods and smiles at him.]

I haven't seen you take the mask off yet, so perhaps it holds some significance for you?

[She tilts her head to the side, purpose?]

What purpose does it have? Do you remember it?

<3 :D

[doctoral_bird]

I think it might... I do not remember many moments where I am without it.

[His eyes are caught on that smile, unblinking. It takes a moment before he snaps to his senses, giving the smallest laugh.]

The first thing that comes to mind is protection. A barrier against the air... There is more but I can't...put very much into words, yet. My apologies.

[halfbrokenwings]

[She's pretty sure Malkus is staring at something, the mask didn't move for a moment. Until he gives a little laugh. It was an encouraging sound to Isa. The smile never waivers.

At least it seems to be safe topics they are exploring so far...]

When were you without it?

[Another thought occurs to her. If something was wrong with the air-]

Did other people wear a mask such as yours?