[OPEN]

[keephersafe]

Who: R and you~
Where: Outside around the grounds
When: 9/8
Rating: PG-13 (will edit if needed)
Summary: The zombie is exploring his surroundings properly, after his second event in Wonderland. Will match format. Please no headshots.
The Story:

When he had first found himself in this place, it had not been in the best of circumstances. Coming back to yourself surrounded by dead bodies is, as a zombie, not the most pleasant places to be. After that, making sure he kept away from the Living and didn't get shot in the head had taken priority while he took the time to process his new situation.

Someone kinder than he had come to expect had shown him how to use the phone he had, but most of the time it sat unused in the room he had set up a small, minimalist base in. It wasn't like him not to hoard things, but the suddenness of his situation and his concern with the constant, near-overpowering smell of Living people took far higher priority than snowglobes and 12" vinyls. For a while, he hadn't dared to venture out at all, but the second upheaval ('event'?) pushed him to realise that whether or not he wanted it, he was going to be drawn into being involved in this place.

It is that thought that has him in the gardens in the early morning, when the grass and flowers are still wet with dew. It's safer, he reasons, when people are less likely to be around and he doesn't have to battle against the Hunger that has only been growing more insistent with his loss of direction. He hasn't spoken to anyone in days now, and it's beginning to show.

His progress down the garden paths is deliberately slow, almost casual in its slowness but only to hide the occasional slide into shuffling. He's cleaner than he was, but a shower and a change of clothes do little to disguise what he really is if you get too close... or if you have former experience of zombies.

Comments

[mviw]

[Ford has made a point of going running at least once a day, preferably in the morning during the warmer months when wearing heavy trousers and boots is less than comfortable (to compromise with the weather, he's donned a tucked in dark red t-shirt that exposes fuzzy, muscled arms and wrists scarred by burns). His path has taken him across the grounds to the docks where his and Stan's boat is safely moored, close to the woods, then back up to the gardens. The route is refreshing and the still morning air helps him clear his head.

Normally the old physicist would make a point of avoiding eye contact with anyone on his path, but after catching sight of a shuffling young man he switches to a jog before stopping altogether. The thought of zombie admittedly crosses his mind, but he's well aware that an event isn't happening, and frankly he's seen enough teenagers to know that assuming someone is undead because they're pasty and slow-moving is probably very rude.

Nonetheless, he pulls himself to a stop about twenty feet away and catches his breath. He's evidently not threatened enough to reach for the blaster visibly holstered at his hip. In fact...]

Hey, kid. You new?

[keephersafe]

[After the last two 'events' in this place (what was it, 'Wonderland'?), R wouldn't have blamed anyone for being wary about zombies. In fact, in general terms, with a full awareness of what he is and what people like him do, he wouldn't blame anyone for being wary about zombies. The fact that some of the people here seem to come from places without zombies has not escaped his notice, however.

If he hadn't smelled the life on the man before he'd seen him, the heavy steps would have alerted him. He pauses mid-step, inwardly sighs at the sight of a weapon, and then registers that he had, in fact, been asked a question.

His first attempt at a syllable catches in his throat as something like a stunted, squeaky half-groan, and he pulls a face at his own lack of verbosity.]

I'm.. yeah.

[Nailed it, R.]

I'm new.

[mviw]

[In Ford's head this is basically what a teenager is, only this kid looks more ill than edgy.]

You okay? You look like death warmed over. Have you been given the whole spiel about Wonderland yet or am I talking nonsense?

[He pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose and grins, even after admitting he might sound off his rocker. If R looks carefully though, he'll notice this man has twelve fingers--Ford is no stranger to weird things, apparently.]

[keephersafe]

I'm fine.

['Death warmed over' has nothing on him. Really, he's lucky that he looks as good as he does. R has a few theories about why some zombies rot to nothing within a year and why some, like him and like M, persist in their strange facsimile of Life.

He smiles slightly, a bit crooked, but visibly falters as his eyes fall on one of Ford's hands.. then the other. That he counts is obvious, as is the puzzled expression that flashes over his face.

Twelve fingers. Huh.]

... Thanks.. for asking, though.

[mviw]

[He notices the look that's easy to follow. He's seen it thousands of times. It doesn't seem to bother him though, and he raises both his hands palm outward and rolls his fingers.]

Postaxial polydacyly. And yes, I also have twelve toes. --But uh, yes! Good, so you're all caught up.

I'm Dr. Stanford Pines, by the way. If you ever need anything from lasers to holographic chessboards I'm the guy you want to talk to.

[choosetruth]

[Georgia is sitting in the garden, sunglasses dangling from her hand, enjoying the sunshine. Nothing like a very literal trip down memory lane to make her appreciate her factory-fresh brand new eyes. A part of her still pangs for her familiar limits and abilities. That weekend had sucked, but she'd felt more like herself than she has in months. And slept better too, which is honestly hilarious, all things considered. But sitting outside in the sun without her head feeling like it's going to explode? That's pretty nice. She can appreciate that much, even if all her other feelings are a jumbled mess.

The thing about Wonderland, though, about going so many months, almost a year, without an outbreak outside of events, is it's made her start to let down her guard. Not entirely, of course. You can't grow up the way she did and even know how to let down your guard entirely. But enough that she's actually relaxing.

Right up until opens her eyes and sees a zombie slowly shuffling down the path.]

Fuck!

[She slams her sunglasses back onto her face and reaches for her gun, cursing herself for carelessness. As she positions herself, her mind does start to register some inconsistencies. Why is the zombie moving so slowly? Why hasn't he attacked?

No matter. She's not getting eaten today anyway, She steadies herself and raises her gun to line up the headshot.]

[keephersafe]

[It happens quickly. He sees her there - he smells her long before he sees her - but he decides on attempting to just pass by. The gun that flashes into view tells him that might have been a bad idea. A gunshot won't kill him, unless it damages his brain enough, but that doesn't mean he wants any extra holes in his body.

She swears, and he stops, swaying back as his foot fails to fall mid-step. Her weapon comes up and his eyes follow it, widening slightly (he realises then that he very much does not want to be shot, and is somewhat surprised by the misplaced sense of self-preservation). His hands come up, fingers loose, and he deliberately clears his throat.]

D--- Don't shoot.

[The words feel like sandpaper in his throat. He wonders if he should talk to himself when he's not talking to other people, just to keep his vocal cords loose. In his experience, Living people don't tend to handle the whole groaning thing too well, and on the whole he's pretty proud of those two syllables.

He would really like to not be shot.]

[choosetruth]

[She has the shot lined up, but her finger freezes on the trigger. Zombies don't talk. They don't hold their hands up and ask you nicely not to shoot. But it adds up with the other things that don't quite make sense. This zombie somehow still has his cognitive reasoning abilities.

She'd say it's impossible, but well. It's Wonderland. She's seen invisible zombies. Talking zombies aren't that much of a stretch, even if it's impossible in her world.

She doesn't lower the gun. She also doesn't take her finger off the trigger.]

If so much as twitch in a way I don't like I will. How the fuck are you talking?

[keephersafe]

[Her reaction is completely understandable, he reasons, though he is slightly surprised that she hasn't shot him yet. Julie was surprised to hear him talk, too. Maybe that has something to do with it?

He isn't sure if taking his hands down is going to be the kind of twitch she doesn't like, but he does it slowly, subconsciously straightening his shoulders as he does. R watches her warily, frowning slightly before he answers.]

The same way.. that you do.

[You think, and words come out. That's how it is, isn't it? He glances away, another thought occurring to him.]

Just slower. Like... [Here, he makes the tiniest motion of a shrug. How do you explain stalls in thought processes that you don't even understand?] Some words get.. lost. On the way out.

[choosetruth]

You shouldn't be cognizant enough to make words. Your brain is not supposed to function that way.

[Unless he's from another world. Or unless science has just missed this.

She hopes not. She isn't anymore willing to let someone eat her than she was before, but she'd rather not have that much blood of thinking people on her hands. She prefers fighting with words rather than bullets, but that's not possible with zombies.

It can't be possible with zombies.]

[screwedontight]

Some people just didn't look right. Seth learned that before Wonderland, even long before his life revealed there was more than humans, animals, and bacteria on the planet. Some just weren't wired right, and others were messed up in the head.

And then he learned about the undead.

The ones in his world were vampire-like, but Wonderland has definitely cleared Seth up on what zombies were, how to kill them, and what to even look for. Thankfully it hasn't really shown him a singular figure not quite shuffling through the gardens.

That doesn't make him not quite off though.

So Seth paused, leaning against the outside wall of the hedge maze as if its the main wall of a garden, watching the other man.

"You doing okay, Buddy?"

Because he's betting the answer is not, not even close, and the idea he might have some kind of illness - fuck you memories of Kellis-Amberlee - really puts Seth on guard.

[keephersafe]

If he had come out here in the middle of the night, he doesn't doubt that he would have bumped into someone. At least in the daylight - pale and hazy as it is - he has the advantage of not just looking like some shambling figure in the dark. He feels himself cringe inwardly the moment he's questioned, and attempting to look casual just doesn't sit right on the shoulders of someone who doesn't quite have the posture for it.

"I'm fine," he says, inwardly pleased by how quickly and smoothly it comes out, though not so impressed with how rough his voice sounds. Rigor mortis setting in on the vocal cords will do that to a guy.

'Some kind of illness' really doesn't quite cut it.

[screwedontight]

"Yeah, you seem totally fine," he says, nodding, not looking at all convinced. Not even close. Doesn't sound like it either.

Just kind of starting at the other man, looking him overly slowly. A paranoid man by nature, Wonderland hasn't done a damn thing to help those fears and concerns.

"I don't think I've seen you here before. Wonderland just gotcha?" And he's wondering if anyone has ever been brought back with an event.

[keephersafe]

"Yeah." R nods, carefully, feeling himself inwardly squirming under the appraising look he's being given. If he has to explain what he is to one more person, he's going to... do nothing, actually. He'll keep explaining, because it's kind of nice to be given the opportunity to explain and to communicate, instead of just being shot in the head.

"Still.. finding my way.. around."

It hasn't been easy, either, with all the curveballs this place has been throwing at him. He needs a little more time than he's been given to get used to a situation like this one.

"It's not easy."

[screwedontight]

"Yeah it has it's charm," he says with a snort, rolling his eyes. "Be careful if you go into the maze,' he says, gesturing to the hedge behind him. "Some set off explosions in there," he admits. Not adding that he's one of them that has a habit of blowing up shit in there.

"Least right now it's normal, but give it a day or two and who knows where we'll be." Something about the last event though is niggling Seth's mind. The man locked up with the hotdog cart. "Your name isn't Sans or something like that, is it?"

[geekorthodox]

[ Patterson is trying to get into some sort of rhythm here. As weird and maybe impossible as that may be. She's determined to find or create her own normalcy here. They've all been taken far away from everything they know, but that doesn't mean they've lost all power and control to make a little home here. To the best of their abilities. For Patterson, it feels like a small act of defiance to just make the best of it, so she's even more determined in that regard.

She's wearing a light coat, hands stuffed into her pockets as she walks. Happening to notice someone who seems...a little off-kilter, she frowns in slight concern, moving closer. ]

Uh. Hey there? Are you...okay?

[keephersafe]

[It's pleasant enough out here. He doesn't need to breathe, but when he does the air feels clean, nothing like the atmosphere around the airport and in the city itself. The world will take a long time to recover from what people did to it before the plague came along to cut the 'dominant race' down to size.

He's lost enough inside his own head that he doesn't notice her until she speaks. The wind is taking the scent of her away from him, and he looks up quickly.]

Hey.

[Smooth. At this rate you might convince someone you're Living some time in the next five years.]

I'm okay. Thanks.. for asking.

[geekorthodox]

[ The gardens are lovely here, Patterson has to admit. There's a pleasant aroma from the blooming flowers, and it just makes everything around them feel so relaxing, peaceful. She's surprised there aren't more people out here, but right now it's just the two of them. ]

Just enjoying the view? It's really peaceful out here.

[ She's still a little concerned because something just seems really off about him, but...she can't put her finger on it at the moment. ]

[keephersafe]

[The flowers might smell good, but she's close enough now that all he can smell is her. The scent of a Living person isn't something he could explain in words, even if he had the required verbosity to do so. How do you describe what life smells like?

It tries to grip him, the sharp edges of fingers digging into the ever-present, roiling empty hunger in the pit of his stomach, but he shakes it off vigorously.]

Yeah, it is...

[He only chose to come out early because there would be less people around, but the aesthetics of it aren't lost on him.]

I haven't b.. been out here much..

[geekorthodox]

[ There's still nothing to indicate to Patterson outwardly that the young man before her could be much sicker than she could possibly imagine. So, she's more than happy to just keep talking to him. ]

You just got here, right? It seems like most newcomers have that same kind of look. I remember feeling that way not too long ago when I first got here.

You definitely need to check out the beach if you haven't yet.

[backpacking]

[ He doesn't look like Infected, it's true, but their recent trip to Alexandria has given her firsthand experience with actual "zombies." That's why a stint wandering around the grounds of the mansion has her stopping in her tracks, catching sight of someone - or something - ambling slowly along. ]

Oh, shit. [ Ellie ducks behind some bushes for a minute to catch her breath, mind racing. What the fuck do I do? She has her pistol, but that'll just attract others, if this is another outbreak. She has her switchblade... and that seems like the move. Ellie knows she should get in touch with Joel, should wait it out here and not be reckless... and she isn't, for once. That same trip to Alexandria had taught her a lesson, for however long. So, she peeks up over at R, heart leaping when they make eye contact. ]

Fuck. [ And she darts down again, readying her knife, just in case. ]

[keephersafe]

[.. Ah?

She's not so fast. He sees her long before notices he's there, and he knows exactly why she hides. But... it's a child? He knows not to underestimate the young, but he doesn't want to scare her, either.

He stops walking and thinks for a moment, then - a little stiffly - he sits down on the edge of the path. When she peeks up at him again, he gives her a curious look in return and lifts one hand in a small wave.]

... Didn't mean t.. to scare you.

[backpacking]

[ The next time she peeks around the hedge at him, she's in for a surprise. ]

- the fuck? [ It talks, and she has to wonder if that's normal for... whatever type of zombie this is. Still, something about the way it looks at her, sits and waves and speaks, makes her pause. She'd been about to shoot Joel a message, but... ]

What are you? [ She demands, now rising and aiming her pistol at him. At the very least, she can maybe get some answers from the... guy. ] How can you talk if you look like that?

[keephersafe]

You're.. pointing a gun at me.

[He nods his head towards it, using the small pause as an opportunity to gather his thoughts together.] You know.. what I am.. don't you?

[R is more surprised by the people who don't immediately know him for a zombie. The girl's reaction is not an unexpected one. He does, though, understand why his reaction is. She's probably thinking, why is he sitting there, why isn't he tearing at my throat, why is he speaking.

Julie probably thought the same things. He remembers the way her eyes cleared when she realised he wasn't going to hurt her. Faintly, he smiles.]

.. Do I really look.. that bad?

[backpacking]

You look like a damn zombie. [ beat ] Why am I even talking to you?

[ This is clearly a trap, something Wonderland dreamed up to get them killed. She keeps the gun trained on R, maintaining her distance. ]

How can you talk? [ Ellie demands, voice sharp, maybe a little unnerved. ]