13 | Visual | Give me all your poison

[goodluck_kobra]

When the tablet flickers on it shows Kobra, looking even worse than before. The shadows under his eyes almost resemble bruises, his breathing is obviously strained and his skin clammy. He barely slept because he can't breathe if he lies down. He doesn't let any of that on though, his face as guarded as ever, stance tense

Comments

[visual]

[troublescleaner]

Dwight's confusion isn't hard to see, even on his normally stone-faced visage. He brings a hand up to tap the screen to give a visual of himself, hunkered down in Central Sanctuary, and keeps the hand up for a few seconds.

"Got no idea what you just said, kid, but what's got you so riled up there's a damn X through that poster?"

[Audio]

[smecker]

"Yes, that's kind of the problem," Smecker's voice answers, boredly irritated. He's more than sure this'll descend into an insult match soon enough but what the hell, he's busy scrubbing a 30-foot high mural of Beethoven off a wall, he has the time to respond.

"You are decidedly in town, you guys have been in town with a vengeance since you showed up, thinking you're going to turn the city upside down and that everyone's going to sit up and clap.

"Here's what I actually did, Melodrama Queen: I told the city Party stole from me. Which he did. And you want to equate that to it being the same as a world that forcibly drugged your guys' behavior? Cute.

"Speaking from someone who's known my share of true martyrs who knew what the fuck they were doing--

"Grow up."

[Audio]

[goodluck_kobra]

Paul is the last person Kobra wants to talk to. He doesn't have the energy for arguments like this, but he isn't going to let this sit on him.

"You fucking listen to me." If there was anything to smash close by, Kobra would do so. "I never expected anything from anyone because that's just how it is. People are never gonna help you." Not in the world Kobra comes from. That's why he only ever sticks to his family. "I never equated your act of crying on everyone's shoulders to being drugged. That's an association you made on your own. And I never want or intend to be a fucking martyr." Paul and what he said to them was just the last drop, making Kobra topple over. He's homesick, he's miserable and so's his brother. This entire city sucks.

Hell, it's getting hard to breathe now and Kobra takes a second, struggling for air.

"Know what? I'm never going to grow up," he scoffs. Party and Kobra were never allowed a childhood, so he doesn't need to be told to grow up.

[Audio]

[smecker]

Paul listens. Mostly because he has nothing better to do AND NO MUSIC TO LISTEN TO INSTEAD THANK YOU PARTY. He lets the kid get his bit out, uses the spray bottle to get some Chlorox on the wall, takes the brush, starts scrubbing...

"yeah, that's obvious," he mutters to himself at Kobra's last.

More loudly, he mimics the kid's starting line-- Paul's not a bad impressionist, even if he won't win any awards. "Guess all cities are the same Dracs after all. Implying I, and the other people here, are the same as the people where you're from

[Audio]

[goodluck_kobra]

Oh for fucks sake, where is Party and his big mouth when Kobra needs him? He's not the talkative one of their group. Party and Jet always handle the talking.

"See, that's where you're wrong again and you're feeling like I'm not talking about you, which is your fault, not mine. There's fucking aliens here turning us into their puppets," Kobra points out, teeth gritted. It scares him, the things they do, the glitches, the amount of control they have over everyone. "That's what I'm talking about, mastermind." Kobra rubs his temples and pats down his pockets, trying to find his cigarettes

[visual]

[jamesholmes]

Kobra what are you doing? James's confusion is only there for a moment when he remembers the previous days talks over the tablet. But that's nothing compared to the concern on his face that follows shortly after.

"While I realize your brother is important, perhaps you should look at taking care of yourself first. You will do him no good if you are ill."

And just maybe he can figure out whats going on if he gets the man help. Which is why he's ignoring that poster, because that would just tip him into detective mode and he has a feeling Kobra would not appreciate that.

[visual]

[goodluck_kobra]

Kobra had thought about ignoring the tablet when a visual transmission came in, but when he saw that it was James his expression softened a little. The man had always been nice to him.

"I'm all right, tumbleweed. Don't worry," he mumbles, shrugging. Party needs him and Kobra doesn't know what to do with himself anyway. "I'll be fine, I'll just go sleep or something."

[visual]

[jamesholmes]

"You are not well," which meant he would worry. Honestly this was not how these boys should be spending their time, but convincing them of that was like convincing Helen he didn't need to be fussed over.

"Do you at least have somewhere inside to sleep? Enclosed with heating?" So he's not left to worry. Paul wouldn't get his things back after all if both boys died of pneumonia because they were stubborn. And his face is still showing that concern, and he did lean forward slightly to try and show how serious he was about the issue.

[visual]

[goodluck_kobra]

"It's just a cold, doc. Won't dust me, I'll get over it," Kobra assures him again, then nods. "Yeah." Well, if James knew that by enclosed with heating Kobra meant 'Party's car' he probably wouldn't be too happy.

"See, I told you, it's all good." Kobra attempts a smile. "Have you talked to Briar yet? He's got a tree." This, clearly, is much more exciting.

[tin_hearts]

Part of Cain had hoped that he'd go to sleep after the accidental feed from a while back, and that by the time he'd woken up it would all have been a very weird, very easily resolved misunderstanding

[location]

[goodluck_kobra]

For once Kobra's not actually at the forest. It's really fucking cold and he's completely miserable, sick in too many different ways. But he doesn't want to be inside either, feeling locked up and like he's chocking.

So he's walking through the city, hands under his armpits to keep the tips of his fingers warm, shoulders hunched up. There is nowhere he really wants to be, but in the end Kobra walks back to the beach and settled in against one of the stone walls where he's got the most protection from the wind. It isn't much warmer here, but the sand underneath him feels a little bit like home.

Leaning his head back against the stone Kobra just looks at the ocean for a while, until something at the edge of his vision grabs his attention. Turning his head he squints, trying to make out the figure walking closer. Oh well. Not like he's allowed some peace.

[location]

[tin_hearts]

"Hey."

Yes, that's all he's going to get; Cain isn't in a talking mood.

[location]

[goodluck_kobra]

Kobra lifts his fingers in a vague wave before his hand falls down into the sand again.

"Hi," he says, squinting at Cain from behind his sunglasses. "Watcha got to say then?"

[tothelightshown]

Although DG had no intention of chastising Kobra for his brother's mistake, she wasn't sure what she did intend to say to him when they next until she saw how awful he looked when he switched on the tablet.

"Where are you, Kobra?" she asked, her concern palpable. "Don't do anything stupid, ok? You don't have anything to prove."

And he was clearly a lot sicker than he'd been when they'd last spoke. A lot sicker than he'd ever admit.

[goodluck_kobra]

Kobra's expression softens the tiniest bit when DG appears on the tablet. He still trusts her and she doesn't seem intend on giving him another speech.

"I know I don't. Don't worry 'bout me, motorbaby," he says, trying to sound unconcerned and like his usual self.

[tothelightshown]

"I've already told you that friends worry about each other," she pointed out, frowning slightly. And now she was worried about his health as well as the trouble he was almost certainly going to get into in the wake of what Paul had said. "You should have said something. You're getting sicker!"

[goodluck_kobra]

"I'm not getting sicker," Kobra protested. "It's just a cold, I'm not used to these temperatures," he tried to assure her. "Really. You don't have to worry, tumbleweed. It's all good. How is your bass playing coming along?"