Morning Coffee And Sweet Surprises (Closed to Poprockz)

[Drobabes]

Bowie had been wrapped up beneath Cora's feet, and partly under the passenger seat. When he had first loaded up in the car, he had tried to slither into his old carrying container, but found the space to be just a bit too cramped for his liking. Infact, he could barely get his whole body in without feeling like he couldn't breathe. Perhaps he would think about laying off the squirrels for a while.

In any case, it was a relief to stretch out in the open air and get a whiff of the fresh ai-

"Sseh!"

What came out of his mouth was a mix between a sneeze and a cough, the rotten stench of bloated and magoted flesh filling his poor senses. He instinctually knew what it was, and he also instinctually knew he needed to escape it. But how? Ah! The Sweet one.

Bowie slithered up behind Sayori's leg, letting out a few curious tongue flicks before he lifted his head and gently took hold of the bottom of her shorts in his mouth. He gave her two short tugs, and then let go so as to move his forehead to her calf and rub it against her skin, back and forth, like a cat might. The snake then pulled back and looked up at her face, lifting his head up in a little bob that almost seemed to say, 'up! Up!'.

"yeah, I think that's an excellent idea. Maybe we can find some hair dye and make-up for it."

"Getting a little bit ahead of yourself there Pretty Boy. The key is to blend in, not dress up like a clown. The more you try to change your appearance, the more off you're going to look-and people notice off. Subtle change is the key."

Cora had been wiping the water off of her face with the bottom of her dress, but the tone in Quint's voice made her brows furrow.

"Then again...maybe you're just trying to act like a clown" he said, bringing his arms up to rest on the top of the car as he leaned in a bit and glared over his sister.

"After all, you must have been pretty good at hiding in plain sight, right? Sayori isn't stupid, and I doubt your other victims were either. So maybe you don't need my advice after all."

A foot found his chest, and suddenly he was stumbling back, Cora having given him a good shove out of the car.

"That's enough Quint" she growled.

"You had your say; stop dragging it up and putting everyone on edge."

He 'tsked' and reached out to take Sayori's hand, his eyes only leaving Damien long enough to shoot Cora an angry scowl.

"Whatever. Keep your mutt on a leash or I'll put it down. Come on Sayori."

Delvin had gotten out of the car, his face relaxed and smiling at the way Sabastian was sitting on the roof, until he noticed the shift between the twins. He could have shut the car door, but instinct told him to leave it open incase he had to reach in and try to break up a fight.

He couldn't blame Quint for the way he was acting, but their safety was more at risk than it had ever been before. They really didn't have time for this.

 

[Poprockz]

Sayori was mostly focused on the squirt-gun fight when she felt the tug to her shorts. She flinched, not having seen anyone around her and thus not knowing what it was. Though when she saw Bowie rubbing his head against her, her body relaxed and her expression softened. Jeez, he was like a little kid sometimes, especially the way he seemed to be asking for a ride upward. It reminded her of a toddler with its arms outstretched.

With a smile, she knelt down and did her best to pick him up carefully, having never picked up a snake before. It felt natural to drape the snake around her shoulders, so she did just that. Bowie rested there, flicking his tongue out before turning and slithering loosely around her neck and upward. At that point he looked like an infinity scarf, his little head now nestled atop Sayori's hair. She could feel his tongue every now and again, tickling her forehead as he presumably got a feel for the parking lot.

----------------

All eyes focused on Quint and Cora as the tenseness of the conversation settled in, Sabastian frowning while Damien wasn't sure how to react.

Despite the fact that he was pretty sure Quint's comments were warranted, Sabastian was prepared to yank him out of the car if he wanted to start shit. It wasn't fair to Sayori or the other women to simply brush off what Damien had done, but fighting wasn't going to do shit for anyone. They were running from a sadistic psychopath for fuck's sake! At the very least their group needed to keep things civil.

Inside the car, Damien was struggling to say something back to Quint. At first he had almost thought Quint was being helpful (in his own way), but when he had added the bit about Sayori and the other women... he knew Quint was simply trying to put him down and provoke him. Just because he had heard worse comments from his mother didn't make anyone else's comments easier to hear, and every time he was reminded of the damage he had done, he felt his stomach twist with guilt.

Thus he didn't offer a response at first, watching as Cora shoved Quint away from the car. Quint had just called him a mutt, threatened to kill him if he stepped out of line, and yet he couldn't make a rebuttal. Instead, he simply undid his seatbelt and gave Cora a bit of a resigned nod before getting out of the car on the driver's side.

----------------

"Sayori isn't stupid, and I doubt your other victims were either. So maybe you don't need my advice after all."

She wasn't going to argue Quint's point, but it was fundamentally wrong. While Sayori was indeed intelligent, having dug up a bit of Damien's past, it wasn't that Damien was good at hiding, it was that he didn't need to. The man had enough power and influence to crush anyone who opposed him, to presumably silence any whispers, and to ruin anyone who thought they could have a go at him. He was in plain sight because he didn't need to fear any retribution.

That all being said, anything that made Damien uncomfortable was encouraged in her book, the woman allowing Quint to take her hand and start to lead her away. For a moment she looked at Damien with a coldness in her eyes that was chillier than the coldest winter.

-------------

It was then that Damien decided to speak. "Sayori, I haven't gotten a chance to apologize to you yet, so I wanted t-"

WHAP!

While her hand was dainty it only helped it move through the air with more speed before it made contact with Damien's face. It was a hard slap, one fueled by deep pain and anger. A pink hand-mark was left on his cheek, the man lifting his own and to gingerly touch it as though he wasn't quite sure what had happened.

She had moved very quickly, letting go of Quint's hand and striding over to Damien before anyone else could stop her. Not even Bowie had seen it coming, the serpent letting out a surprised hiss.

"Keep my name out of your mouth. Don't you EVER say my name again." Though her voice trembled, her tone was sharp with loathing.

"I'm... I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"

Sayori narrowed her eyes at him, "You're sorry? Oh, well then I suppose everything is fine, isn't it? How convenient for you that you are repentant now that you can't hide behind your money. I wonder if you truly feel remorse, or you're just adapting to your circumstances. Whatever it is, you stay away from me. Nothing you say will ever make things better, so just keep your shit-eating mouth shut." Every word dripped with venom, the woman then turning from him and stalking away, a glare on her face. Before she left though, she grabbed Quint's hand and dragged him off almost as if to say, 'now we can go."

 

[Drobabes]

No one moved to stop Sayori, not before the slap, nor after. Everyone felt it was justified, after all, though of the group Cora was possibly the most at war in her mind.

She stood next to the car, her hand on the window and her eyes downcast as her body froze. She didn't dare to say a word nor even so much as glance up at the little women as her pain and fury spewed forth. Cora knew it was only right, to let Sayori have this, but it didn't stop the small twinge that made her want to protect her lover. It didn't matter that he deserved it, she didn't want to see him hurt in any capacity. It was only her ability to fall back on her empathy and moral code that she was able to understand that this was necessary, and her emotions didn't have to be acted upon given the circumstances. It was one thing to tell Quint to back off, but he hadn't been a direct victim of Damien's actions.

After it was over though, and they were walking away, she had to put her loyalty to the test. It wasn't easy, but she forced her feet to walk to him, and then, letting out a breathe so that she wasn't shaking when she did it, she took his hand. Her lips remained shut, no words needing to be said between them.

From the car, Vin had simply stood back and observed, having seen the mistake the minute that Damien had started to talk. He could commend the man for trying while still recognizing that he had all the social talent of a child at a teenagers birthday party.

With a small exhalation, he looked up at Sabastian and gave him a bit of a tired look. He reached out with his arms, offering for the little blond to climb into his chest so that he could help him get down.
_________________________

Quint had no qualms about crossing his arms and letting a smug look seep into his facial features, watching with satisfaction as Sayori let him have it. There was no chance in hell that she would ever get this kind of revenge or closure with Kuznet, so she had to have any win that she could.

When she grabbed his hand, he was happily led away, waiting until they got into the building to give her a huge grin and wrap her up in a hug.

"You're the hero we don't deserve Sayori" he said with a little laugh, letting her go and letting his eyes wander to the front to observe the damage. There was no doubt that the army, and possibly any survivors, had probably wiped the place pretty clean of any good supplies. However, he still had hope that there was at least something they could salvage.

 

[Poprockz]

"Well damn..." Sabastian remarked absent-mindedly as he watched Sayori storm away with Quint in tow. He was of the same mind as Vin on this; it was great he was trying, but he was being a bit of a dumbass about it.

Vin's movement caught his attention out of the corner of his eye and he looked to see that the man was offering him a way down. It would have been child's play for him to literally get to his feet and jump over Vin to the ground, but why would he get down on his own when those two bear paws were offered so chivalrously?

Sabastian gave him a knowing smile, leaning forward and wrapping his arms around Vin's shoulders, waiting for him to take his waist and lower him to the pavement. "Maybe we could try to find some good clothes or something. The army look is okay, but I have to say it's kinda boring."

...

It was almost like Damien's mind had gone blank when Sayori had laid into him, the man utterly shocked that he had gotten that reaction. Of course given the situation it hadn't been lost on him that she might ignore him or glare, maybe even look away from him dismissively, but the fact that she had walked over and slapped him was beyond what he had ever expected. His cheek stung with her wrath, and he couldn't help but feel a bit lost.

Wasn't he supposed to apologize? It had seemed like a good opportunity now that the group had calmed down a bit from yesterday's events. They said that an apology was one of the first steps toward healing, so why had things turned out this way? Should he have simply avoided acknowledging her for the foreseeable future? What was he supposed to do now that a wall had been put up?

Lost in thought, he finally looked up when Cora took his hand. It was a reminder that despite his mistake, she was still there for him and he appreciated that immeasurably. Clearing his throat, he nodded at Cora and quietly said, "we should go inside as well."

-----------------

Sayori gladly accepted the hug and took a deep breath, trying to come down from the burning anger she felt. She was trembling slightly, and part of her wished she had giving Damien a few more slaps for good measure.

Shaking her hands out and exhaling, she too looked around at the deserted mall. "Whoo. I'm pretty sure I'm more like that guy from that one movie who can only turn invisible when no one is looking." A chuckle followed her sentence, her eyes scanning the scene.

The floor was actually pretty clean. It seemed as though all the zombies that had been taken out inside had been dragged and tossed into a pile and burned. That in of itself seemed a bit odd, but she figured they might have been trying to avoid anyone tripping, or simply not wanting the uncertainty of having a zombie unexpectedly grab someone's ankles if they hadn't been taken out properly.

Another thing that was somewhat odd was that it didn't smell rank. In actuality, it smelled faintly of perfume. Sayori wasn't going to complain though- she was full up on the smell of death, thank you.

"So... if we're not going to get hair dye and stuff, then how are we going to switch up our looks? Would just a change of clothes be enough?" She looked down at the outfit she had been in since yesterday. It was the cutesy overalls with the puffy shorts and she had to say that if she was given the opportunity to burn it, she absolutely would.

 

[Drobabes]

Though it was no secret how strong that little man was, Vin still handled him as if he were a precious treasure. Those big hands wrapped around his waist and under his legs in a soft caress, the smile on his own face radiating with warmth and happiness. Perhaps he was still a bit high on the feeling of having Sabastian in his arms once more, but those chocolate eyes wanted to convey to the little blond just how precious he was to the nomad, never wanting to lose sight of him again.

Vin knew he couldn't stand there all day, however, or carry him into the mall-though he was very tempted, so it was with great reluctance that he let Sabastian down. His hands lingered on each inch of skin and cloth that slid across his wounded callouses, not caring that it caused him a mild sting. The pain was simply a reminder of what they had gone through, and that it was real, not another nightmare.

"Maybe we could try to find some good clothes or something."

A small nod was given before he answered, a bit of deviousness leaking into his tone.

"We'll have find the dressing rooms, too. I would hate for you to be uncomfortable while we're travelling."
______________________________

The confusion was clear on his features, but right now was not the time to try and help him work through it. Later, though. Later, when they had a moment to themselves and a chance to be themselves, she would try to help him work through it.

"Yea" she answered just as quietly, bringing his hand up to her lips to lay a soft kiss on his knuckles before they went in.
________________________________

It was odd that the building didn't smell like rotting flesh, but after the stomach flipping stench from outside, the perfume was just a relief. Maybe when the army came through, they had let one of the survivors clean the place up a bit behind them, maybe in an attempt to not attract in more zombies? Although if that were the case, he wondered why they hadn't tried to make it smell more neutral, with chemical cleaners.

The way she shook her hands out brought his eyes back down to her, scanning over her face to see if she was truly alright. Perhaps putting a bit more distance between them would be good, so he started to walk forward, encouraging her to come along as he tried to keep an eye, and mental tingle, peeled for any rogue corpses running around the halls.

"Ah, yea, about that..." he chuckled, hunching his shoulders a little as he brought a hand up to push his hair.

"It might not be a bad idea to get some hair dye. I still don't think we should go crazy on the colors, but changing enough to throw the basic descriptions off will probably be good. If someone is looking for black hair, and they see a dark brown, it might be just subtle enough to through them off."

His blue jeweled eyes looked down at her, and he gave a bit of a displeased grimace.

"The bastard wasn't exactly wrong, I'm just loathe to let him feel like he's being helpful, or whatever the fuck game he's trying to play."

On top of Sayori's cute pixie crown, Bowie turned his head to look at Quint curiously, his little tongue coming out a bit slower, as if he were teetering on deciding if he wanted to agree, or argue, with his funny human. The serpent decided that neutrality was probably the best option at the moment, turning his eyes away to look around the mall.

 

[Poprockz]

"Ah, yea, about that... It might not be a bad idea to get some hair dye..."

Her eyes were distracted for a moment by the way his fingers slipped through his hair. It looked nice. Well, it always looked nice, but when he ruffled it like that, it gave him a slightly tussled look that she really liked. Kuznet may have preferred an extremely well-dressed and well-groomed Quinton, but Sayori simply couldn't decide. Both his gentlemanly and rugged looks were fetching, each of them enticing her into wanting to look at him for just a bit longer.

"...The bastard wasn't exactly wrong, I'm just loathe to let him feel like he's being helpful, or whatever the fuck game he's trying to play."

"Mhm." Trying to recover quickly, she nodded and put on a somewhat serious face. She couldn't blame him for the way he reacted to Damien; after all, Damien did tend to be full of himself and going along with whatever he said would be sure to boost his ego. If she had to guess, he probably considered himself the leader of the group at this point, though perhaps unofficially.

"Yeah, I get you on that. Whatever takes him down a few pegs," the lady replied, nodding with conviction before gazing around to get her bearings. If she wasn't mistaken, there should be...

"Oh hey, a map!" She quickly scampered on over to the mall map, studying it with interest. From a young age she had a decent sense of direction, and the layout of the place didn't seem too complicated. It had a ground floor and an upstairs, though most of the things upstairs were restaurants and furniture stores. A hair salon by the name of "Snip Sensation," caught her eye,

Sayori wasn't aware of it, but Quint could feel the distinct twinge at the back of his mind, the one that let him know that zombies were afoot. However, if he concentrated, he would find that there only about three at most, and they all seemed to be below them in different directions.

"Wanna go to the hair salon?" she asked, pointing at the map. The clothing stores were on the opposite side of the mall, whereas the majority of the rest of the shops were more toward the middle.

-----------------

"Hmm..." Sabastian cast a suspicious look toward his dark-eyed lover. It was obvious that there were going to be shenanigans going on based on his tone, though he wasn't sure what the big man was planning. He had said that they weren't going to be intimate for a while, but Vin did seem inclined to tease him when he got the chance. Was he planning on getting him riled up in there, or did he have something else in mind?

Did Vin merely want to watch him change? While the thought of Vin watching him dress made his spine tingle, he thought to himself that it would probably be pretty embarrassing as well. There was just something a bit revealing about undressing in front of someone, especially in the glaring light of a changing room. The only times he hadn't been exposed in dim light were in the auto-shop (where he was mostly clothed anyway), and the meadow. The passion of their sexual encounter in the meadow had eased his feelings of shyness at the time though.

It didn't seem like he would tell him either, so Sabastian quickly banished the thought of trying to get him to spill the beans.

"Yeah, I suppose so. It's not like we're going to shop for too long though." With that, he started walking toward the entrance, glancing behind him to make sure Vin was coming along. When they got to the doors of the mall, he held the door open for Vin, though he wrinkled his nose slightly at the smell of the perfume. He certainly preferred it over corpses but... not by too much.

----------------

Damien and Cora had entered just before the blonde zombie and the big bear, the grey-eyed man looking around. He too found it odd that the place looked to be cleaned up, scented even. Though a thought crossed his mind that if zombies were sensitive to smell, what happened when someone dumped perfume on them? Did they get a headache, or was it simply a bit uncomfortable? Were they like dogs who went nose-blind for a while after taking a deep whiff? In any case, the perfume didn't seem to be too recent or strong. It did remind him of his mother though, and he found his lips pursing at the thought.

He didn't dare approach the map Sayori and Quint seemed to be looking at yet, milling around under the pretense of studying the corpse-pile in order to avoid having to go over there. It would definitely be better for everyone if he and Quint kept their distance as much as possible.

One of the bodies made him cock his head slightly, looking at its hand. The pile of people had been burnt, and yet this one (like a couple others) seemed less burnt. That in of itself wasn't odd, but the fact that the finger was a bit discolored was. It was as though there had been a ring there that someone had removed once the flames subsided.

"Cora... does that look like it used to have a ring on it?" He pointed to the hand.

 

[Drobabes]

He watched her, a little smile coming to his face at the way she ran up to the map. There was something about the way that she moved that lifted his spirits and made him feel at ease. Maybe it was just funny to watch how cute she looked with Bowie atop her head, making what could almost be taken as an Egyptian hat in a way. Or perhaps it was just that her body was relaxed, uninhibited by the fears of a mad man and a dangerous world.

Quint found himself wondering, as he took mental catalog of the other zombies, if she were always so relaxed or if it was simply because she felt safe within his presence. Of course, he recognized that between himself, Sabastian, Bowie, his own sisters pistol skills, and perhaps the tattooed guitarist, there really wasn't a whole lot that would likely be messing with them, he still wistfully wanted to stroke his pride a bit. He wanted Sayori to feel safe with him, because he wanted to repair that connection, and he wanted...well, he wanted...

"Wanna go to the hair salon?"

"Huh? Ah, no, not yet."

Why did he have to clear his throat to answer? Come to think of it, why was he feeling flustered at all? Taking a quick scope behind his shoulders, he noticed the mutt, and then Sabastian.

Aha! That's what it was! He was feeling the blonds feeling for the burly man. That had to be it-what else could it be?

"Why don't we see if there's any pharmacies here? You know, for some medicine."
_______________________

Vin simply followed along, still quite exhausted from the past few days. What he wouldn't give to just find a good soft meadow, lay down a blanket under an old tree, and pull that cool little body against his own. He smiled, thinking to himself that he could spoon against that soft ass for possibly a full week before he felt the need to do anything about it; drifting in and out of long naps simply to tease the little man into full on erectionous melt downs.

The way Bastians nose crinkled caught his eye, though he didn't really smell it until they stepped in. His brows pinched slightly as his eyes took in the scene.

"What is that? 1980's Cougar Catcher?"
______________________________

She let Damien walk away as she took a slow look around, her arms crossing over her chest as an intense kenopsis settled over her mind. She didn't even really notice the smell of the perfume until Damien called her over to look at the bodies, at which point the realities of their surroundings took full control of her attention.

It took her a moment to steal herself and approach, her posture barely moving for a good long minute as she simply stared at the pile of bodies. It wasn't as if she had never seen a dead body before, but...well, it just hurt her very badly to have the knowledge that that thing lying on the ground, now only rotten flesh and bones, was once a person. It hurt more than looking at the zombies, because there was something much easier to let go of with the walking dead. They were sad, but still moving. Dead, but still animate enough to categorize as something less than a person.

Swallowing hard, she came over and knelt beside him. She couldn't bring herself to be able to reach out and touch it, but her eyes did the job just as well.

"Yea it does...looters, maybe?" she asked, her soft hazel eyes looking up to his own.

 

[Poprockz]

"Alright, let's go get some drugs!" She chuckled, having said the word like she assumed a Khajit would say it. At that she suddenly looked around as though keeping an eye out, making a show of it to the point where it looked highly suspicious. With that, she sidled close to Quint and put her arm around his shoulder, albeit with a little difficulty seeing as how he was taller than she was. She had to give him a conspiratory gesture of the hand to get him to lean down a bit.

When he was pulled closer, she gave one final look around before saying quietly into his ear: "Khajit has the skooma if you have the coin."

-----------

Sabastian couldn't help but smirk at Vin's joke, a little, "Heh." escaping his lips. "I don't know- it kinda smells like Damien's mom though, which fits the bill. She did love her perfume."

Though they weren't near the map, it didn't take a genius to deduce where most things were just by looking. He also noticed that there was a sign pointing down one of the halls that had several clothing shops listed on it. That was what they were there for, so everything else seemed pretty irrelevant.

The blonde glanced at Cora and Damien, then over at Quint and Sayori. Ideally, they didn't want to split the group too much. Having a zombie in each of the groups was probably best, though he wished he could just be alone with Vin.


-----------

"Why would they take a ring? Money doesn't mean anything anymore..." Of course Damien could be wrong, the looters taking it in the hopes that it would be valuable to someone, but the chances of that seemed slim. Right now, the most important things to people were safety, water, food, and weapons.

Perhaps he was being too oblivious though, maybe someone had a sentimental reason for taking the ring. He certainly wanted to get one for himself- he hadn't given up the hope of proposing to Cora, though at this point he wasn't sure about the timing. If he proposed to her any time soon, Quint would think he was just doing it as a show, and he didn't want anything to ruin that moment for them. As such, he figured he should probably sit on that aspiration for now.

"Why wait until after the body was burned?" He murmured absent-mindedly. The man seemed to space out, pondering the potential possibilities.

-----------------

"Hey Cora, Damien! Do you guys wanna come with me and Vin or are you good on your own? I can only feel about three zombies, but they're all below us. What do you think?" Sabastian secretly hoped they declined, trying to keep that from being evident on his face.

 

[Drobabes]

The way that she put the inflection in her voice and hit it just right made him smile and chuckle. He didn't full out laugh, wondering if she had caught what he actually meant, their original reason for stopping at the mall still being his top priority. However, the seriousness of that situation would be realized soon enough, so there was no reason to kill the mood between them until it was necessary.

"Khajit has the skooma if you have the coin."

Quint's smile had grown to a reserved grin as she looked around, and he had more than willingly leaned down with her, putting his own arm around her shoulder and listening intently. When she delivered her line, he really had to fight off a hard laugh, though his torso shaking and the muffled 'pft-fft' were easily caught by anyone paying attention to two mischievous faye like beings.

"Thief has the coin, but,"

He looked over his shoulder, narrowing his eyes towards Damien for a mere second before turning back to her.

"Perhaps the cover of darkness is a better place to speak of such matters."
________________________________

The mention of that terrible women took Vin's eyes away from his lover and over to Damien, his thoughts wandering for a moment until he noticed that the couple were looking at something on one of the bodies. His eyes focused a bit, trying to figure out what they were staring at, and just before he could, Quint's laugh broke his concentration. He looked away again, now noticing how Sayori and Quint were leaning against each other.

Cora had said that Sara had been Quint's wife, and he doubted that her brother would have been so quick to move on, but there was definitely something between those two. Perhaps the stress of what they had been put through under Kuznet's cruel grasp had brought them together in bond that wasn't romantic, but was obviously more than just friends.
_______________________________________

Cora pondered his words in silence, her eyes both trying to take in the details of what he was looking at, while simultaneously pushing out anything specific that might harm her. It wasn't too hard for a practiced veteran.

"Why wait until after the body was burned?"

"Trophy," she said, her voice a bit quiet as she brought a hand up to her lips to chew on her knuckle. After a pause, her eyes lifted up to meet Damien's, and she quickly tried to correct herself.

"I'm sorry, that's a little dark. I was just thinking, serial killers take 'trophies'. That's...probably not what happened here. Eh..."

She cleared her throat and rubbed her hand on her dress, itching her shoulder in a nervous manner and remembering how badly she wanted out of the humiliating material.

"It's still fresh on my mind, is all. Can we go get some clothes now?"

Her voice was almost pleading, her mind not making the connections that it was indeed strange. After all, the army had already come through here. Obviously they were the ones to clean up, killing a large amount of the undead, and hell, it might have been Kuznet himself who took that ring.
__________________________________

"Hey Cora, Damien!"

She looked up, and at the same time, so did Quint. Cora was a bit unsure, though she felt safe with her lover, but Quint had an idea. His blue eyes looked down, meeting Bowies, and he nodded his chin towards his sister.

"Why don't you go with mom, Bowie? Keep her safe."

 

[Poprockz]

"Trophy."

He shook his head disapprovingly, not to discount her response, but to merely comment on how perverse that was. To think that someone had taken a ring so they could revisit the sick sense of superiority and the thrill of death made him sick. Hopefully they wouldn't be running into anyone like that anytime soon, and that this was just a fluke. It was truly terrifying what people were capable of when all law and order was thrown out the window.

"Can we go get some clothes now?"

So wrapped up in his own thoughts was he that he hadn't seen the body language indicating that she was uncomfortable and impatient. Though when she spoke, he heard something in her tone that made him look up, finally realizing that she really didn't want to be over by the pile of bodies. Of course she didn't- he should have been a bit more considerate considering that she had just escaped a madman. The death and carnage wasn't something anyone could get used to so quickly.

He quickly got to his feet and straightened up, giving her an apologetic look. "Yes, let's get you into something more practical."

------------

Sayori merely grinned and nodded at Quint, none the wiser to why they were truly there. He had a way of putting her at ease and for the moment she wasn't focused on the fact that an unholy spawn could be growing inside her.

Bowie's little head bobbed up and down in understanding, the little snake moving from Sayori's head to her arms, and finally to the floor when Sayori got the message that he wanted down. After she had bent down and let him slip to the floor from her outstretched hands, the noodle slithered quickly over to Cora and Damien. Though instead of asking to be let up, he simply took the initiative and curled around Damien's leg much like he had at the lake.

The one with stone eyes didn't mind, after all. Every time he had been playful with the tall human, he hadn't seemed to mind. Though it took a second to find the opening, Bowie found a way into Damien's shirt and slithered around his chest where it was warm. The snake seemed to be largely hidden save for the fact that his little head poked out of of one of the openings between the upper buttons, resting his chin on the little hammock the lower button created.

Damien merely allowed him to do what he wanted, standing still to aid in the snake's progress. It was a bit touching that the snake liked him enough to want to hang out in his shirt. Perhaps his actions at the base were part of it as well. He hoped that the fact that Bowie had essentially talked him out of doing something terrible counted for something, or perhaps it was because of his collapse that Bowie tended to want to keep an eye on him.

In any case, his eyes glanced at Sabastian and Vin, nodding to them before nodding to Quint and turning in the direction of a few clothing stores he could see down the hall. Though, he paused and looked at Cora, giving her a soft smile and offering his arm to her as though escorting her to a party.

---------------

Satisfied that Damien and Cora had an escort, Sabastian's smile became more relaxed and he started walking to the clothing stores. "Come on, Vin. I'm dying for clothes that actually fit me right." The shirt he was wearing was a bit baggy for his taste, while his pants were a bit tighter than he wanted.

Making sure Vin was coming along for the ride, they moved down the hall, briefly glancing at a few stores such as a nail salon, a jewelry store, a questionable clothing store (that looked to have more suggestive things in the back), and finally the store Sabastian decided on. It had some good styles based on the windows. His style was more casual, so his needs weren't too extravagant.

Pointing to the store called "Navy Jean is not my Lover," he took Vin's hand and started leading him inside.

-----------------

Meanwhile, Sayori turned her back to the rest of the group and started off toward the pharmacy. As she went, she let herself look around wistfully, wondering to herself if the world would ever truly recover.

When they reached the pharmacy, there was a faint glow in the back room, as though a light was on, and the sound of a hushed conversation could be heard if one moved closer.

 

[Drobabes]

Delvin walked quietly alongside Sabastian, finding the silence of the mall to be simultaneously peaceful and eerie. He was tempted to whistle, just to hear something besides the sound of their boots softly padding against the hard floor, but something about the place kept him silent. A nervous tension kept his shoulders tight, and his eyes kept glancing up at the roof, expecting to see someone trying to drop more drugs on them.

That humongous bastard wouldn't be that stupid again, would he? Then again, he didn't necessarily need to drug them. Vin imagined a sniper dot trained on his chest or forehead would be enough to keep Sabastian in line.

A cool hand wrapping around his hot flesh brought his attention back to the matter at hand, and soon he found himself standing amongst some racks of clothes. He had heard what Quint said about not wanting to change their looks up too much, but he personally disagreed. At the very least, he was going to pull his hair up tight under a hat, and look for some makeup to cover the more visible tattoos that might peek out under a shirt sleeve. He had been careful to never tattoo his face, neck, hands, or anywhere that couldn't be covered up really, but summer was still in full blaze, and it would be odd for him to be heavily layered.

"I love you" he said randomly, surprising even himself at the sudden choice of words. It didn't really seem appropriate for the moment, but then again, he had regretted every passing second that he hadn't told the little blond, when he had had the chance. Trying to recover a bit, he gave Sabastian a smile, not quite feeling the full, jovial, toothy grin that he had before.
___________________________________________________

Watching her snake choose to go to Damien rather than her made her feel good, the gesture being not only sweet, but just a little bit of a return to normalcy. It also felt as if by having Bowie's approval, she had a bit of an ally in her support for the steely eyed man.

The way he held out his arm was rewarded with a genuinely warm smile, her own hand reaching out and placing itself gently in place upon his skin. Her posture shifted to become more proper, remembering her 'manners' from when Kuznet wanted to use her as tool to garner favours. A pretty little flower planted delicately by his side. Those were some of the few times that she got to go out, however, so the memories were not completely tainted.

At her core, she was still a fragile girl, as easily swayed by sweet gestures of affection and kindness as any other. The mall was no grand stage, nor a secluded and romantic balcony, and yet she got the same butterflies in the pit of her stomach when she met Damien's eyes as she did when she was sixteen and watched with awe as the ballerinas danced their way onstage to perform the Christmas classic, The Nutcracker.
_______________________________________________

Damien's nod was purposefully ignored, the zombie man trying not to glare.

Hadn't he said 'protect her'? And yet Bowie had gone straight over to that rapist bastard and slithered on up like they were best pals. Two real peas in a pod right there. Though upon further thought, it was probably the best place for the snake to be. Quint had seen firsthand what those zombie animals were capable of, and they weren't quite as turned as Bowie was. Damien wouldn't be able to do anything.

He was just starting to turn to leave with Sayori when he caught movement from the corner of his eye, turning his eyes back just in time to see Damien raise his arm for Cora. He had a little tingle, a sense of deja vu, as he saw the smile that came onto his sisters face. He had seen her smile like that before, though at the moment, he couldn't remember when. It didn't really matter, either, because he really didn't like it.

Furrowing his brows, he tried to concentrate, his eyes trying to meet Bowies. He let some of his anger and hatred for the man pour into their connection, trying to spur the snake into biting him, or perhaps squeezing him just enough to flinch and take his arm back. Instead of doing either of those things, however, he suddenly lost the feeling of the link, like the wifi dropping on the computer that was his mind.

"What the hell?" he said quietly, the look on his face turning disgruntled as he came to the realization that Bowie had basically just shut him out. Well fine then, he didn't care. Let the little bastard try to curl up with him later when they went to bed. Crossing his arms, he turned and followed after his friend.
...

Once they were at the pharmacy, Quint had started off towards the isle that held birthcontrol and condoms, hoping to find a test and a plan B pill for Sayori, but the light near the back caught his eye.

Pausing, he took a long look, standing still and holding his breathe when he thought he heard voices. He reached his hand up behind him, putting his palm up as a warning as he glanced back at her. He made a 'shh' motion with his other hand, and then he turned his attention back.

Quint let his breath out, making sure to push as much of the air out as he could, and then he slowly took in a long whiff of air, trying to catch the scent of what, or who, was back there. And though his body wasn't necessarily tense, every hair across his skin was standing on end.

 

[Poprockz]

The blonde had been looking through a few different choices of skinny jeans when he heard Vin speak up. A light blush came to his cheeks from that unexpected proclamation of affection. He had been a bit quiet on the way over as though lost in thought, so while Sabastian was touched at his words, it also left him feeling a bit worried. It made him feel like there was something on Vin's mind, or perhaps something he wasn't telling him.

"I love you too." The jeans he had been looking at were then draped over his arm, the man taking a step or two until he was closer to Vin. It felt like Vin needed his full attention, so he was more than willing to give it to him.

"Are... you okay though? You look kinda..." Sabastian cocked his head to the side a bit as he tried to find the right word. "Uneasy." His own worry came through his mis-matched gaze, his head tilted up to make up for the height difference.

------------------

With his lovely lady now on his arm, Damien started off in the direction Sabastian and Vin went, though they walked on the opposite side of the hallway more toward the women's clothing stores. He might end up grabbing himself something at some point, but he had to agree that getting Cora into some decent clothe took priority. Even though she did look beautiful in her dress, it wasn't a comfortable beauty. It wasn't the beauty one could have when they felt comfortable and proud in what they themselves had chosen.

They ended up at a large store with various departments ranging from outdoor attire to, to sports wear, to casual wear. He wasn't sure what she wanted to go for, so he liked having options. In addition, they also seemed to have a nice selection of underwear, the man's gaze lingering on them as they passed one of the displays. He could just imagine how nice that red thong would look nestled into her cheeks.

Clearing his throat and smiling at Cora, he gestured around the store. "What do you want to look at first?"
------------------

Sayori had drifted behind Quint, curious as to what he wanted to pick up. When she saw the birth control on the shelf, the realization was almost instantaneous. A wave of nausea rolled through her and her face scrunched up in discomfort. So that was why Quint wanted to come to the mall- to get her some plan B and a test. It would be great to know whether she was pregnant or not, but what if it still happened against all odds?

She had to concentrate and take a few deep breaths to calm herself. Thinking about the future wasn't going to help her right now, and these thoughts were not productive. Though her heart rate had picked up, she was starting to get her body back into a more relaxed state by the time she noticed Quint gesturing. She froze near Quint and listened, now picking up the conversation in the back.

In the back room, Quint could make out the scent of humans. The men smelled like sweat, cigarettes, with a hint of booze (whiskey to be exact), likely not having been able to bathe much more than pouring water on themselves every few days. Other than that, the metallic smell of pistol rounds could be smelled, indicating that at some point one or more of them had fired their guns, though it didn't seem like it was particularly fresh.

They sounded to be in their mid-thirties, and though they tried to keep their voices down, it was obvious they were struggling to keep from raising their voices. It sounded like there were about three or four of them in there, all arguing about something the group was a bit split on.

"...-for fucks sake!"

"We can't just leave. It's too fucking weird, you know? He's gotta be somewhere in here."

"He fuckin' ran off! What about that is so hard to get through your thick skull?"

"He wouldn't just split like that! Where the fuck would he go? He doesn't even got the car keys to take any supplies or anything. Besides, there was no bad blood or anything. I'm telling you, we can't leave him."

"Uh huh. Yeah. And where do you suggest we look, huh? We've been here for days and nothin!"

 

[Drobabes]

Vin let out a small sigh before stepping over and wrapping Sabastian up in a gentle hug, his eyes still open and weary even as he tried to calm himself. He didn't want to worry the little man.

"I am a little uneasy" he said softly, his hand rubbing Sabastian's shoulder for a moment before he lets it down and steps back far enough to meet his eyes.

"It's been a hard week, but," he brings his hand up to brush a few stray blond strands back from those beautiful eyes.

"I'll be alright. Here, finish shopping."

There it was, that full grin showing those beautiful pearly whites just before he bent down to give Sabastian a lingering kiss. He pulled back, planting another one on his forehead for good measure before taking a step back.

"I think I saw some hats over in the left corner, behind that rack of T-shirts. I need to find one that can keep my hair up tightly."
___________________________________________________

Cora's mind was a bit preoccupied as they walked, wondering if her brother would remember to try to look for the medicine she needed, or if she might need to double back and look herself. She still had a good amount of it, but she was becoming more and more aware of how fickle materials things could be, and how much time she had thought she would have to study at the library, but hadn't. It would be put off once more, however, as the moment they walked into the store, she felt the overwhelming urge to get the hell out of that dress.

"What do you want to look at first?"

"Hmm..."

Her eyes look around, and her hand let's go of Damien's arm so that she can reach out and pick up a cloth bag. Giving him a playful grin, the first thing she does is all but jog back over to the underwear, quickly grabbing a fresh pair of black cotton panties to change into. They were new, and clean, and would be like taking a cleansing shower without the need for water-though she planned on finding the bathroom to change. Her hazel eyes look up, briefly glancing over to catch Damien's steel gaze before she mischievously turns her back to him and blocks his view of what she shoves in the bag. She knew once she was feeling more herself, that she was going to want some of these. Something that she had chosen, for herself, and for the man she loved.

When she was done, she turned and came back, giving him another smile as she moved towards the back, finding the women's clothing section.

Quint had been both right, and wrong, about not changing the way they looked too much. Of course they didn't want to look weird or clown-ish; like, duh, but to not use any hair dye or anything like that was a bit stupid, she thought. Although...what was she going to use? Hmm...something, just a little different...ah! There was some!

She grabbed her supplies quickly, stuffing them in the bag, and then finally turning to the clothing. The first few outfits she looked through caught her eye, especially the tank top and blue jacket with the blue jeans, and she did end up putting that outfit in her bag, but she knew what Ray was going to be looking for. He was going to be looking for soft, demure, and victimized body language. Well, with her freedom back in her hands, her man by her side once more, and now equipped with the knowledge of what she could expect as far as her mad captor went, she wasn't going to give him that. Cora was going to change herself and play the role of the women that Damien made her feel like she was. Beautiful. Confident. Strong.

"I'm going to use bathrooms back here to change" she called out, holding a little box of bleaching hair dye up, and some black material over her arm. She waved the box back and forth a few times and gave Damien a big grin.

"Quint can suck it" she laughs, turning away and putting the items in her bag so that she can grab some lipstick and a pair of sunglasses from the corner isle and then walk back.

After taking a moment to scope it out and make sure no one was hiding in the stall, she turned to the mirror and took a good long look at her face, trying to figure out the best way to do this. She couldn't do anything about her soft cheeks, but maybe with a twist of the lipstick, and the thick sunglasses, Cora thought she might be able to sharpen them up a bit from a first glance. Especially if she held her chin high if they came across anyone else.

Letting out a little breath, she quickly wetted her hair just enough to start the bleaching process. She made sure to only leave it in for a few moments, no more than five, so as not to leave any obvious blond streaks. She just needed it a few shades lighter, after all. When it was time, she used an unnecessary amount of soap, wanting to make sure no bleach lingered, and then she used almost a full roll of paper towels to dry it out. She then quickly stripped down, changed her underwear with a satisfied sigh, and pulled on the two piece outfit she had picked out with some black boots. She then leaned over the counter and carefully applied some pink lipstick, the same shade as her lips, so that she could merely mold them to a shape she needed to draw attention away from her cheeks. The last step was the sunglasses, and with a little nod to her new self, she puts her shoulders back and steps out.

"So, what do you think?" she asks, making sure to keep her posture straight, her hand coming up to brush her bangs up and over to the right side of her face.
___________________________________________________________

The smells were easy to discern, some of them more familiar than others, though that wasn't the important information. It was a group of men with guns, looking for someone, and possibly drunk. Those were the key bits.

Though Quint knew he was strong, he was not any faster than any other man, and he certainly wasn't bullet proof. Neither was Sayori. He had strength and extra limbs on his side, along with some street smarts and basic hand to hand, including a few moves that Fran had taught him if he had to get up close. However, the first lesson in self defense was alway to not even get in a fight in the first place. Be prepared for it if you must, but the best defence was simply not having to defend yourself.

Of course, there was the chance that these people were good people, perhaps looking for someone they had lost from their party, but that was a chance that Quint was not willing to take. Those people were sitting in a room, safe, with the luxury of weapons and booze, and there were no zombies nearby. They would be fine.

He needed to back them both out, and get them out of there, but he also wanted a plan B. Taking a quick look down at himself, he felt relief to see that he was relatively dirty-still smeared with soot, and dirt from the forest. His hair was also a bit greasy and unkempt, only aiding to the look that he had in mind.

Turning to look at the isle, he reached out and quickly, but quietly, grabbed two pairs of sunglasses. He handed one to Sayori and gestured for her to put them on. As she did so, he put his own pair on and then peeled his shirt off. He made another "shush" signal before quickly forcing his shirt over her head and pulling her arms through the sleeves. Yanking it down, he was relieved to find that it covered most of her outfit except for a small portion of her shorts. Working quickly, he then reached up and scruffed her hair to the side, making the spiky bits stick out in a certain direction and giving her a very distinctive disheveled look. As soon as he was done, he gently pushed her towards the door, urging her to move fast, his own feet following closely behind as he looked down and loosened his belt, leaving it unhooked like he had just left the bathroom and was too tired to remember to make himself proper again.

 

[Poprockz]

Either Vin was being truthful, or he was an amazing actor. His warm actions and infectious smile put Sabastian at ease, the smaller man leaning into the kiss he was given. It was possible Vin was trying to bribe him into dropping it with those soft lips of his, but he figured it couldn't hurt to let Vin have his way this time. He would let it go for now, but just in case, he resolved to keep an eye on Vin in the next couple days just to be sure he was alright.

He sighed with a smile and nodded, "Alright. Just lemme know if you need to braid it again, okay? I'm going to try a couple things on." With that, he put a couple more pairs of pants on his arms, as well as a few shirts and made his way into the dressing rooms. Just to sate his own paranoia, he made sure none of the other stalls had people in them, and once he was assured, he returned to his own near the entrance.

Sabastian tried a couple of the outfits, and most of them fit just fine.

In the shop, after Vin had made his way over to the baseball caps, he was unaware that someone had been watching them. Silent was the man who crept through the store in all-black clothing (perhaps thinking it helped with hiding himself). When Vin's back was turned, he pulled out what looked like an odd gun, pulling the trigger and letting it loose. It was a high-powered taser, hitting Vin in the back and immediately forcing him to to floor.

No sooner was he on the floor when the stranger jumped forward and pulled a clothe out of a fanny pack, the clothe doused in something. It was held against Vin's face hard, and soon it was obvious that the liquid in question had been chloroform.

----------------

He couldn't deny that he felt a bit of excitement when she approached the underwear, a smirk meeting her smile as she grabbed a pair. Though he tried to lean to the side to catch a glimpse, she was too quick for him and he found that he would have to find out later what kind of kinky fabric she had stowed away for them. Part of him really wanted to know, wishing he could steal a glimpse in her bag, but the larger part of him relished the fact that someday, out of nowhere, Cora might allow him a very naughty show.

Perhaps he might even remove them with his teeth one of these days.

Damien then went from place to place with her, looking over the clothing and other items with interest. He didn't comment yet, as she seemed to be in the zone- a woman on a mission. The way she strode with confidence was sexy as hell, the store hers to pilfer as she wished.

"I'm going to use bathrooms back here to change... Quint can suck it!"

A surprised look came to him, though her comment about Quint made him try to stifle a laugh.

He had expected the clothes, but hadn't taken a good look at the box. Now that she held it up for him, he took a closer look and saw that it was bleach. Damien hadn't ever dyed his hair, so he was intrigued about how much of a change this might make for her. Was she going to come out as a platinum blonde? Or perhaps it would be honey-colored? Who knew? It was actually a bit exciting, the man taking a seat outside the bathroom to wait for her.

At the moment Cora came out, he had been staring at a mannequin, wondering how it was that they dressed them without stretching the clothes. Surely they came apart, right? Did one need tools for that?

Anyway, the sound of the door caused him to stand up and appraise her, giving her a slow, full-body once over. "Wow." He said slightly breathlessly, awed by the transformation.

"You look amazing. I mean..." He took his time walking over to her and reached up, moving her sunglasses up so that they rested on top of her head. His hand came to her hair, running his fingers through the now-lighter strands as his expression changed. A little smirk came to his lips while his eyes got a bit hungry.

"Are you sure it's okay for you to wear an outfit like this? I may not be able to keep my hands off you at this rate." The man started playfully sauntering forward, backing her up as he continued, "I would have no choice but to take all of your clothes off and take you right in this store. Hours would go by and the rest of them would eventually have to leave without us. We would just keep going, over and over and it would be entirely your fault for being so irresistible."

By that time they reached a wall, Damien playfully raising his eyebrow at her. "What would your brother think?"

--------------

Quint wasn't the only one who had heard the conversation in the back room, nor was he the only one who thought it would be better to retreat. While obviously the group of men seemed to have goals that were above board, they were still strangers and that made them dangerous. It was better to regroup at the very least so that their numbers would even out a bit.

For this reason, she was a bit confused about him giving her the glasses. Nevertheless, she trusted him implicitly and put them on, readjusting them after the shirt was pulled down past her face as well. Perhaps he wanted to shield his eyes and cover her up so that they didn't know he was a zombie, and wouldn't take notice of her get-up. She was wearing an unusual outfit geared to be cute and a bit sexy, so she had no qualms about hiding under his shirt.

It smelt like him, the fabric cool against her skin, but it was his chest to which her eyes gravitated. It was lean and yet had some strength behind it, and she could almost remember exactly what it had felt like to touch. She hadn't seen it since... Sayori swallowed, directing her eyes more downward as she was ushered to turn around and start creeping out of the pharmacy.

"Fuck you guys! I'm not leavin' him!" One of the men stormed out of the backroom and stopped dead in his tracks as he saw the two of them, his hand slowing going toward the pistol on his hip. Though instead of grabbing it, he hovered his hand nearby as though unsure of whether he needed to defend himself or not. He looked a bit surprised and confused, his dark blue eyes zipping back and forth between Quint and Sayori.

He was a tall man, built. His hair was buzz-cut and he had bronze skin, courtesy of a fake tan. Granted, it wasn't a terrible tan though, likely from a tanning bed rather than a bottle. His neck was thick and all around it seemed like weight-lifting was probably a hobby of his.

Sayori simply stared back at the man, unsure of how to proceed.

 

[Drobabes]

A pinch, on the left side of his spine and just below his shoulder. It was the first thing he registered, thinking that perhaps a bug had just bit him, though he didn't have much more time to ponder anything as his every muscle suddenly seized and pulled so tightly that he would have screamed if he were able to. There was nothing for him to do but fall flat to his face, and by the time that the pain had subsided enough for his mind to catch up, someone was on him.

Panic shot through him; fast and hot and fueling his body to get up, to fight. But he couldn't. The second he tried to raise his hand to grab at whoever it was, he felt his muscles seize once more. He was down, unable to do a damn thing but feel a sense of anger and unfairness at the situation. He hadn't even got to hold Sabastian once more for more than a few hours, and between the strange smell filling his nose and his vision blurring, the last clear thought that he had was that he hoped they simply killed him this time. Vin didn't want to be used as a tool to torture his lover, ever again...

The big man stopped moving, his muscled body relaxing under his attacker.
______________________________________________________

She giggled at his response, smiling at the way he strode up to her, though soon enough his light touches and close proximity melted away her humour and replaced it with a burning, heart pounding, desire for the man. She found her hands reaching out to touch him, her fingers lighting upon his waist and her chest pushing towards him like a gravitational pull even as he moved them back. Her breath quickened and she found that she couldn't look away from those steely eyes.

"Well," she breathed

"I think that, I may deserve every inch that I get, but..."

Her hands moved away from his waist to light upon his chest, just above where Bowie was resting, so she could feel the warmth of his skin through the fabric.

"We definitely can't let my brother find out... He's kind of a buzz kill" she laughed, before standing up on her toes to bring her lips closer to his own. She paused a breath away, here eyes looking up into those soft grey pools as if asking for permission to slake the desert of her thirst.
______________________________________________________

"Fuck you guys! I'm not leavin' him!"

Quint let out his own 'fuck!', realizing that the time to run and hide had passed. Before he turned around to face whoever was coming out the door, he quickly bent down and whispered to Sayori.

"Try not to talk unless you have to.."

With that said, he whipped himself around and laid eyes on the man.

Just as he had assumed, they had guns, though he had been hoping that if one of them did catch them sneaking out, they wouldn't have been the one to carry it. If this guy hadn't been, Quint might have taken the chance to knock them out and try to get away. But that idea was off the list now, so what he does instead is put his arms out wide in an attempt to get the attention off of his companion and onto himself.

"Woah!" he says, almost too loudly, as he drops his head down a bit and angles it towards the side. Behind the sunglasses, his eyes dart back and forth; first to the gun, and then to the ground, and then to the isle next to him, and then back. They seem to move sporadically-never really landing on one thing for too long, and avoiding looking at the man's face.

"Haha! Easy there killer! We we, we were just, mm! We were lookin for some stuff man, you know?"

Quint had a contact back in the day, by the name of Benny, who kept an eye on certain things for him. Mostly things going on with the underground life, but some things to do with activities that Kuznet preferred. He was an ex pimp and drug dealer who was trying to 'turn over' a new leaf, but not by his own choice, but rather by the threat of the chair if he didn't do as he was asked. One might have thought that death row was a bit much for an ex drug dealer who partook a bit too much in his own product, but after Francis had found out what he did with the girls who couldn't meet his quota, Quint thought it would have been a merciful slap on the wrist.

Besides for being a good contact, because who better to keep an eye on things than the nosiest rats of the streets?, Benny was also an excellent study case on how to act if you wanted to come off like a man who dropped one too many hits of backyard heroine. Drug addicts were sad and sometimes in desperate need of help, but they were rarely ever wanted around. Quint was hoping that by mimicking Benny's irritating twitches and lack of social etiquette, he could make himself and Sayori appear to be not only more trouble than they were worth, but also possibly dangerous to keep around.

"Some of that, that that that stuff! They use to kill the dragon, you know what I'm sayin man? Haha!"

His laugh was forced, only made to try to appease the other person. It came off as desperate for approval, and he made sure to bring his hands down to his belt in a nervous twitch when he was done, trying and fumbling to get it buckled.

"Got a little dragon here, a, ah-ah-a, a little demon spawn, mm, we gotta kill."

His fingers suddenly stopped fidgeting with his belt, quickly pulling them up and away like the metal had just shocked him, and then he crosses his arms over his chest and starts to tap his foot with agitation.

 

[Poprockz]

Vin would find his vision blurry as he awoke, though off the bat what he would find most disturbing was the fact that he was in only his underwear and tied down securely on a gurney of some sort. To his right, shaky breathing and a soft intermittent groan could be heard from a man who looked to be in his late fifties, also strapped down. If one was observant, they would see that the man was missing three of his limbs, only his left arm still attached to his torso. The rest of him looked as though someone had haphazardly chopped off his extremities and cauterized them clumsily.

Every now and then a little "clink" from a chain would be heard, and if Vin looked to his right, he could see that a zombie wearing a cute floral dress had been chained to the wall. There was also a chain necklace with a wedding ring on it, the slightly worn thing hanging down near her cleavage. It didn't have either of its arms, though it retained its legs. What used to be a very attractive and shapely woman now groaned as all the undead did, pulling at the chain around its neck listlessly. It had absolutely no teeth, all of them having been plucked out to leave a row of gums. She was still rather beautiful, if a bit sparse in the hair department and lacking in the pallor of a human.

The air was musty and tangy at the same time, and there were no windows to be found. Dark concrete walls surrounded them, the room itself being fairly sparse. All there was in there were the two men on gurneys, the attractive zombie on a dirty mattress, a shelf with cans of food and books, and a little red wagon with bungee cords in it.

The room connected to another one, though there weren't doors in the traditional sense. It was as though there was a crawlspace between the rooms, another square door presumably leading out of the room as well. Based on the dimensions, If Vin were to somehow get free (unlikely as the straps were tight), he would have to crawl through a dark passageway to get elsewhere.

There was no one else in the room at the moment, though if one concentrated, they could hear the slight sound of scuffling from the other room as though someone was doing something in there.

-----------------------

Ah yes, here was an outfit worthy of showing off- it was a white t-shirt with inky black designs on it, like ink drops in water. Sabastian also had on a pair of black skinny-jeans, the man straightening out his shirt before reaching toward the door and opening it.

"Hey Vin- Heugh" Sabastian gagged, losing balance and falling forward through the open door. His eyes watered and his nose started running, the blonde having to reach up for a moment to make sure he didn't have a nosebleed. It was as though the very air itself was made of perfume, the stuff almost choking him as he struggled to breathe without gagging. Usually he wouldn't have such a reaction to even less than pleasant smells, but it seemed like someone had literally poured a gallon of strong perfume right in the middle of the store.

It hurt! It burned! It felt like his head was throbbing! He couldn't think, only act. Only knowing that he needed to escape, he crawled forward a few paces before shakily getting to his feet. His feet were unsteady, but he managed to stumble/jog out of the store where there was more untainted air. Oh god, it was so much better outside, the blonde taking a deep breath before sniffling and shuddering. He hugged himself, trying to figure out what the hell was going on.

"Vin?" His voice called out hoarsely, his eyes searching the store. Through the display windows, he couldn't see any sign of the big man, not even by the baseball caps where he said he would be. Vin wouldn't have just run off to another store, would he? It was possible if Vin was trying to do something sweet or surprise him, but it just didn't add up with the aromatic warfare that had been implemented against him. Vin knew how sensitive he was, so he would never knowingly do something like this, and even if he did spill perfume he would have owned up to it.

His heart beat started to pick up, panic settling in his gut as he came to the possibility that something might have happened to him. "VIN?!"

-----------------------

"Hmm..." Damien doesn't move, allowing their proximity to remain unchanged. It was true that if they ended up doing anything in that store, likely Quint would be able to smell it on them, the end result being an angry brother with a chip on his shoulder jumping to conclusions. At best it meant that he would be scolded, at worst it meant being knocked around. He... hoped that Quint wouldn't just jump straight to murder, but at this point all bets were off.

His hands end up reaching for her waist, the man starting to rub them slightly, pulling them a bit closer with the pressure and them pushing them back just the same.

"If he can smell us... That doesn't leave us with much recourse. I mean, we could both wash off in the sink afterward, but there would still be the possibility of being caught." He chuckled, "I feel like a teenager sneaking in and out of your room to avoid the wrath of your dad."

With that, he leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers, his hands moving around to her back so he could pull her a bit closer. She smelled a bit like hair product and make-up, the lipstick itself tasting vaguely of vanilla. It was so comforting to hold her like this, and it occurred to him that it had only been a day since she had escaped with them. A mere day ago, she had been pawed at by that heartless bastard. That man who only sought to cause her pain, the man who had imprisoned her for most of her life.

That thought only made him squeeze her to him a bit more tightly, as if he thought that as long as she was secure in his arms, she would never be forced to go back to that madman. He hadn't noticed, but as her lipstick was fairly fresh, it was also rubbing off on his lips during this exchange.

------------------------

Behind him, Sayori had merely stood there quietly as requested. She leaned to the side slightly and scratched her head awkwardly; it was a simple gesture, but it was simply meant to make it look like she just wanted to grab the drugs and get out of there. It was true though, she really did want to get as far away as possible since they had already gotten the things they needed.

The man's brow furrowed slightly, a look of barely-concealed distaste starting to show. It looked as though he didn't really like Quint off the bat, probably not a fan of his twitchiness. Still, he thought for a moment and seemed to come to an idea.

"Sure... the hard stuff's in the back. I can get you some, but you gotta do something for me. You know, you ain't gettin' something for nothin'." The man reached into his pocket and took out his wallet, digging through until he found a picture of himself with two other guys. One of the other guys had a birthmark that looked like a splotch on his left cheek. After he slowly approached and held out the picture, it was that man who he tapped with his finger.

"You seen him anywhere?" He showed the picture to both Quint and Sayori. He still seemed to be treating them with caution, but at least he seemed to figure that they were fairly harmless.

 

[Drobabes]

What....

The smell was what hit him first, as he was trying to blink away some of the blurriness to his eyes. He couldn't, at first, remember the last thing that happened, but that smell was so familiar that it threw his heart into an adrenaline fueled attack.

After the beating he had taken at the feet of Kuznet's men, they had loaded him up and taken him to an underground room. He had been in and out of consciousness at first, his vision blurred from the blood and his head pounding hard, but when they had strapped him down to that chair, he had remembered that musty smell. It had filled his nostrils as his panicked breaths came quickly, and shallowly.

Was he back in that room? Would he be subjected to those tortures once more? They had done much more than beaten him...

Hours. It had gone on for hours, each little twist of pain or burn, each time they strapped that mask over his face and filled his lungs with CO2, just to watch him squirm... Those bastards. And all the while, that fucker with the glasses stood in the back, smoking his cigarette and preparing more of whatever they shot into his veins to keep him alive. He kept staring at him...staring, through him, down into his soul...

"Nnghh..."

The groan drew his attention, his eyes trying to blink away the bleariness as he moved his arms, trying to sit up and letting out his own groan of frustration and fear when he found that he couldn't. When he looked over and saw the, what would have been a beautiful women were she alive, he let out another noise of fear. What the fuck was this?! Where was he?!

His head turned the other way, trying to take in as much detail as his waking mind could, though when he saw the man lying next to him on the other gurney he wished he hadn't.

"What the fuck?! Ah, what the hell!" he cried, his body naturally jerking away at the horrifying sight. Though a second later, he was lifting his head and looking down at his own body, terrified that he may be in similar shape. To his relief, he found that he still had all his limbs and digits, though he wondered for how long.

Breathing hard, he started to tug and yank at his restraints, trying to break free. If Kuznet had caught him once more, he didn't think he could stand to be at the mercy of those insane Officers once again. They had threatened that what they were doing to him was 'tame', and though at the time he didn't exactly doubt them, this merely confirmed it. He had to get the hell out of there.
_____________________________________

Cora stood there, her heart racing even faster as the tension between them built. When she felt his fingers pull her waist closer, she instinctually brought her hands up to his chest, her fingers splaying out slightly against his warm skin. During her capture, she had dreamed of moments like this, where she would be in his arms once more. Safe and warm, and in their kiss, lifetimes away from where Kuznet could ever touch her again. But his kiss didn't come, and as he pushed her back, she found her brows knitting in confusion and worry.

"If he can smell us... That doesn't leave us with much recourse...I feel like a teenager sneaking in and out of your room to avoid the wrath of your dad."

She honestly hadn't thought of that. Then again, it's not like they had had a whole lot of time to think about much of anything besides escaping. But was that going to be something she was going to have to be worried about? It's not like Damien was forcing her, far from it, but if Quint was so dead set on seeing him for that type of person, would he just assume? She didn't know if she could handle another incident like last night.

Those warm lips meeting her own brought her back to the present, unable to resist his charms. It was honestly a bit dangerous, to be kissing him like this...if Quinton did walk in...

Moving her hands from his chest, she lets them dance around to his back and up to the back of his neck. One hand lays there gently, while the other winds up into his hair, tugging just a bit gently just as she feels him pull her closer. There was no way she was going to ask him to stop, so if they were going to get caught, she wanted it to be very clear that she was a willing participant. Cora didn't want there to be any confusion as to whether or not he had forced her, if Damien had "backed her into a corner", or any other such thing.

"VIN?!"

The sound of Sabastian's startled cry was so shocking that Cora's whole body jumped and jerked with the suddenness of it. She let go of Damien quickly, though she didn't move away from his side. Instead, her wide eyes merely jerked towards the direction of where she had heard his voice echo, and without realizing that she had said it out loud, Cora let out an almost defeated "no...not yet..."

He hadn't found them so quickly, had he?! They hadn't even had time to change how they looked... No! It wasn't fair! They had escaped! They had drove so far, how?!

A twin trail of tears suddenly spilled from the corners of her wide, hazel eyes, and for just the briefest second, Cora actually considered grabbing Damien's hand and simply running away. Later, she would feel horribly guilty about even entertaining the thought of abandoning her friends, but for just that brief moment her instincts almost took over. But just as before, and perhaps just as she always would, instead...she moved.

Her hand grabbed Damien's in a tight grip and then she moved towards the exit of the store, her shoes clacking against the linoleum and having little hope of remaining stealthy.
_________________________________________

At the mention of "the hard stuff", Quint let his demeanor perk up a bit. He 'tried' to stop his twitchiness and gave an awkward smile and quick nod.

"Yea, sure sure. Whatever you need Killer! Haha!"

When the picture was held up before him, Quint actually did take a good look at it. He kept his feet planted where they were on the ground, not wanting to either moving back from the man, nor near him, but he wasn't heartless. If there was a chance that the man in the photo was in real danger, and if Quinton came across him, he would do what he could to help him out. If, and only if, it didn't put everyone else at risk.

"Mm! No, haven't seen that one" he said with a little twitch of his shoulder, bringing his hand up erratically to scratch behind his ear. His chin then tilted to the side a bit, his eyes looking past the man and towards 'the back'.

"But, mm! Maybe we could look for ya, yea? Favours for favours. Just need a little of that good stuff first, that real dragon slayer shit!"

Quint was starting to feel a panic rise in his mind, though he seemed to have the situation under control. Still, the feeling was strong and it was starting to make him sweat and itch for real, his hand going down to scratch his ribs as an overwhelming sense of dread filled his mind.

What the fuck was going on? Was Sabastian in trouble? No, that wasn't it...

A tattooed image suddenly filled his mind, a dragon tattoo, and though he didn't know where it came from, he immediately knew that it belonged to Sabastian's lover.

His back and shoulder muscles started to tighten up unconsciously, and he had to fight to keep his tentacles inside of his body. They needed to get out of there-now.

 

[Poprockz]

Vin's loud exclamation and struggle prompted the other man on the gurney to flinch, the man coughing before turning his head to look at Vin. There was a look of surprise, then one of pain immeasurable in his eyes, his body trembling ever-so-slightly. Based on his chest and the arm that was left, it looked like he might have been a body-builder or something similar. At the very least, it looked like he worked out religiously.

A few tears slowly spilled over in his eyes and he opened his mouth, his jaw trembling as though he wanted to say something. It took him a moment, the man closing his mouth and swallowing before trying again. "You gotta get outta here, man. My name is Jersey, and my brother might still be in the mall. You gotta tell him what happened to me. He's only taken three of my limbs so far, so you might still be able to-"

*CLUNK*

The door to the room opened and a bent-over man scuffled through. When he straightened up, one could tell that he hadn't shaved since the apocalypse started, his face covered in scraggly black hairs. He was wearing a dark green jumpsuit, and smelled like sweat and BO. His black hair was unkempt, greasy, and was several inches long. His dark eyes looked from one of them to the other before he approached the other man.

"It's about that time both of you woke up," the man reached over and ran a cinnamon-brown finger over the birthmark on the muscled-man's face, the very action causing him to shake like a leaf.

--------------

With Cora's body against his, Damien was about to see if he might slip his hands into her pants to get a better feel of that ass of hers, but suddenly he heard something from the direction of the store's entrance.

"VIN?!"

He too jumped, recognizing immediately that something was amiss. Kuznet couldn't have caught up to them so quickly, could he? They had been taking a risk by stopping, but he hand't thought the jig would be up so soon. Still, he would be damned if he was going to let that bastard cart Cora off to his house to continue his vile treatment of her.

Damien felt Bowie squeeze his chest slightly as though he were agitated, the man taking that to mean he could feel something through their link. His eyes went to Cora's and he noticed her tears, the man making a worried expression as her hand took his. This couldn't be easy for her, having just tasted freedom before having it taken away, like a starving child that had been given a single, tiny bite of steak.

Squeezing her hand firmly, he moved with her and soon they were at the entrance of the shop.

A little ways away, Sabastian was standing in the hallway with red eyes and tears streaming down his face. He looked like someone had tear-gassed him, though instead of resting he was looking into one of the shops as though trying to find Vin. When Damien and Cora approached, the smell of perfume got stronger. Though it was bearable, it seemed like there had been an ungodly amount of it dumped somewhere nearby.

"Sabastian, hey!"

The Blonde zombie looked over to them and sniffled, "H-he's gone!" Stumbling over to them, he grabbed Cora's shoulders and spoke frantically. "I didn't even hear anything, and there wasn't any kind of note! He's just gone! We need to find him! Cora, we've got to find him!" It was clear that the tears from his eyes were not only from the perfume,

---------------

Leaning forward, Sayori also looked at the man in the picture. She wondered how they ended up being separated, especially since the mall was seemingly cleared of any zombies. Ultimately though, she nodded when Quint said he hadn’t seen him, the woman stealing a side-ways glance at her friend. He seemed super twitchy and jumpy- truly selling the whole “druggie” act. She was truly impressed by his acting skills.

From the back of the store, Two heads poked out from around the corner. One of them looked similar to the muscly man in front of them, probably another gym-buddy. However, the other didn't look quite the same. He was tall and lean, though he still looked like he could hold his own in a fight. He had on a skater-outfit complete with a beanie. His brown hair was a bit greasy, almost looking black from the strands that were visible. The man had a nose-ring and hazel eyes that leaned more toward copper.

He spoke up and jutted his chin up slightly in their direction as he asked. "Who are these guys?"

"Just some tweakers looking for a high." The guy grumbled as he folded up the picture of his brother and carefully put it back in his wallet, obviously disappointed that neither of the strangers knew anything.

"Oh, you want some of that good shit, do you?" The man with the beanie grinned and sauntered over to them, carefully eyeing them both, though his eyes lingered slightly on Sayori. Though he didn't seem necessarily intimidating, one got the feeling that there was more intelligence behind his gaze than one might assume. Or perhaps it was something else entirely. Whatever it was, he made Sayori feel tense and wary, the woman shuffling her feet slightly.

"Well, There's more than this guy here who you have to satisfy before we give you the goods you know. But, I don't think I'm going to be asking for too much. All I want, is three little kisses, right..." he moved his arms in a playful manner so that he could use both hands to point to the same spot from opposite directions. "Here."

The spot in question was his cheek, the man leaning toward Sayori slightly with a smirk.

Obviously he was insinuating that he wanted her to kiss him, though she wholeheartedly didn't want to do so. He wasn't asking for a kiss on the lips or anything dirty, but that didn't mean it wouldn't feel awkward and humiliating. Though at the same time she didn't want to put them in any danger by not complying.

"Why that?" she asked guardedly, "wouldn't you like some canned soup or something?"

"Well, I'm really starved for affection, you see. Don't worry, it'll be strictly platonic. Come on, don't you want to fly on big pharma's dime?" He moved one of his arms to his side and tapped his cheek with his other hand, his eyes studying her as he did so.

The man who had questioned them about his brother looked slightly annoyed, as though he didn't approve of the man's actions, but that he wasn't going to say anything about it. On the other hand, the other guy seemed interested as to how it would play out.

 

[Drobabes]

Delvin could only stare at the man in horror and pain, his face a twisted grimace of guilt. What the fuck had happened to him? Who had done this? Soon enough he got his answer, a figure stepping out from the other room.

"It's about that time both of you woke up,"

Dear god he stank. In that enclosed space, with no windows or likely even a draft, it became all encompassing; filling his nose and mouth and forcing him to fight back a stagnant gag. He looked more dirtier than he smelled, the very thought of that seeming like an impossibility, but it wasn't until he reached out with that filthy finger that Vin really felt a chill go up his spine.

In these types of situations, his charisma went right out the door. There was no chance that he could try and talk his way out of this situation, nor did he even know if it was safe to try. With his head jerking over towards the zombie once more, fresh fear pumping through his veins at her limbless torso, and back over to the other man, he could only stare in shock for a long few seconds as he tried to find his voice.

"Wha...why?" he finally managed to force out. He doubted there was any pleading that the other man hadn't already tried, and when....Kuznet had visited him for his little video recording sessions, he seemed to like to have his ego stroked.
__________________________________________________

The smell of the perfume was overwhelming, even to her. Her nose crinkled in disgust as her eyes looked around frantically, trying to spot any signs of one of Kuznet's men.

"I didn't even hear anything, and there wasn't any kind of note!...Cora, we've got to find him!"

Her arms went around him instinctually, pulling him into a comforting hug. Though a second later, she was pulling them farther out into the hall and away from that awful stench.

"Sabastian, breathe!" she said, her tone harsh, but still kind.

"Get a breathe of fresh air and think. What happened? Did you hear anything?" she asked, pushing him away just far enough so that her hands could go to either side of his face and she could stare down into his eyes intensely.

"Do you smell anything? Do you...smell anything familiar?"

Her eyes went up to Damien's then, and though she was trying to be strong for Sabastian, it was written all over her face that she was terrified.
____________________________________________________

The agitation in his body was growing more palpable by the moment. The fear was a difficult emotion to fight back, but it was only when the degenerate piece of human trash stepped out and started talking to Sayori, was he able to push back and replace it by righteous anger.

He let it wash over his mind and body, his back straightening up slowly and his hands coming down to form fists by his sides. It was only through sheer will power that he was able to keep the signs of inhuman change in his anatomy from making it's presence known, but he did have to exert some of that anger through something.

"Come on, don't you want to fly on big pharma's dime?"

Without even having to tilt his head to see where it was, Quint's hand suddenly shot out and grabbed a bottle of shampoo from the counter. With little time between his fingers wrapping around the hard plastic, and his arm muscles bunching in preparation, he threw it down on the ground in front of the skinny bastard. The smell that exploded out from the bottle, along with the slippery and soapy contents, was enough to almost make him gag, his nostrils flaring. It wasn't as overwhelming as straight perfume might have been, but it was still too much for his sensitive nose.

"You can fly on my fat fucking cock if you think you're gonna get your dick wet tonight, you fuckin' scrawny sack of cat shit!"

There was no longer a need to act up his 'addiction', as his body was naturally wet from a cold sweat; his muscles tightening and bunching just below the skin, getting ready for a throw down if the boys were ready to rumble. In the back of his mind, he knew he might be taking it a bit too far, but it was already too late. He couldn't block out Sabastian anymore than Sabastian was likely blocking out his overwhelming anger. All Quint could do now was use it to his advantage, the best he could, and hope the other one holding the photo told them to scram.

 

[Poprockz]

"Wha-why?"

The scraggly man donned a slightly sympathetic face and sighed, scratching the back of his head before wiping his hand on his clothes, leaving his powdery dandruff upon the fabric.

"Elizabeth has to eat too, you know. I don't want to be doing this to you, but it has to be human, and it has to be fresh. She won't eat anything else. Besides... I'm actually helping you ascend."

"You're fucking crazy!" The other man spat, jerking up against his restraints in a show of anger. It was useless, of course, but it was more an expression of his hatred. While the man was clearly afraid of him, it was obvious that even if he escaped, he probably would have been able to last long, especially if his brother had already left.

-----------------

The blonde found himself being taken further and further away from the shop and while he really wanted to stay nearby the last place he had seen Vin, he couldn't deny that the easier it was to breathe, the more he was going to be able to get it together.

"Sabastian, breathe! Get a breathe of fresh air and think. What happened? Did you hear anything?Do you smell anything? Do you...smell anything familiar?"

His eyes were a bit frantic and unfocused for a moment until she grabbed his face and forced him to look at her. Though one might not think so, the gesture was calming, allowing him to take a few deep breaths. Once he was a bit more level-headed, he answered in a frustrated tone.

"I can't smell anything! All I smell is perfume!" Sabastian gagged and shuddered, still feeling the affects of the powerful scent. "I told you, I didn't hear anything. I went into the dressing room while Vin went to look at the hats and stuff. When I came out, he was gone, and the smell was fucking everywhere! I had to get out, I didn't even get to search the store for him!"

Damien nodded, having given Cora an equally concerned look before putting a hand on her shoulder. With his other hand, he took out his silenced pistol. It made sense that they would try to divide and conquer, grabbing Vin first while he was defenseless, then using perfume to incapacitate the zombie. Why hadn't they made a move, then? The opportune moment to strike would have been when Sabastian first came out of the store, panicked and disoriented.

"I could go in and look to see if there are any signs or clues?" The grey-eyed man was posing this question more toward Cora, not wanting to leave her if she was uncomfortable with it. After all, they didn't know when someone would come out of the woodwork to attack.

--------------------

No one in the room had expected that reaction, and as such, most of them jumped when he threw the bottle down, including Sayori. She wasn't sure what was going on, but Quint looked legitimately peeved and it was then that she noticed the sweat on his forehead. Regardless of how good of an actor one might be, there was no way he could summon sweat from his body on a whim. Therefore, something was legitimately bothering him. He had been starting to sweat before the man propositioned her, so it couldn't have been that entirely. Something was wrong.

The man in the beanie hadn't jumped, but he did look a bit surprised and amused. "Hey, hey, hey," he said, lifting up his hands as a neutral gesture, "I didn't know she was your Thanksgiving Stuffin', and I definitely wasn't asking to fuck her. I think you're flying off the handle a bit, my dude. I just want us all to get along." His voice was smooth with a touch of condescension, as though he was almost trying to provoke Quint.

Before anything else could happen though, the bigger man with the picture cut in, holding his arm out between Quint and the other guy. "Come on, quit playin' around Jarvis. The dude's obviously bugging out." His comment only made Jarvis roll his eyes, though he did take a step back and cross his arms.

The large man then nodded at Quint and told him to wait a moment, turning to head for the back, disappearing into the back room where the rattle of bottles could be heard.

 

[Drobabes]

"Ascend? What the fuck are you talking about! And who's..."

His eyes widened in sudden realization, his head jerking over to the zombie. No. No way...

"She won't stay like that!" he yelled, jerking his head back and trying to catch his eye. Honestly, Vin had no idea how these things worked, and doubting that they were truly zombies in the first place. After all, whatever it was had affected people in different ways, some of them merely changing without completely losing themselves. But if this guy was as completely crazy as he seemed to be, maybe Vin could bluff him? He didn't have much to hope for, but knowing that this didn't seem to be one of Kuznet's men gave him a bit more courage. Perhaps he could buy enough time for Sabastian and the rest of them to realize he was gone.

"Zombies bodies rot, you know that right? She's going to rot away, probably sooner than later. Put her to rest man; help her...ascend."
__________________________________________________

Cora took a step back from Sabastian after he had calmed down a bit, noticing that he seemed to be getting angry. It was understandable, given the circumstances.

At Damien's suggestion, she swallowed hard and gave a small nod as she reached out for Bowie, letting him crawl out of his shirt and onto her arms. Once he was there, she held him close to her chest. He seemed to be agitated too, not quite wanting to ball up like he usually did, and perhaps it was the agitation, or maybe he had gotten bigger, but she found herself having to heft him over her shoulder in order to keep a stable grip on him.

"Please be careful" she said, swallowing fearfully as she looked up into his steel eyes.

"If you can get the perfume cleaned up, we can go get Quint, and then we can all look together. I don't think it's safe to be split up anymore."

That being said, she bent down and picked up the bag that she had dropped down on the floor. From it, she procured a stylish black fanny pack, of which was currently holding her own pistol that she had brought in with them-just incase. She pulled it around her waist, securing it tightly before taking her pistol out and switching the safety off. She hoped she wouldn't have to use it, considering that she didn't have a silencer for it, but circumstances being what they were...
_________________________________________________

Quint's chest was moving rapidly with the shallow breathes he was breathing, trying not to take too much of that perfumy scented soap in. Normally it might have smelt of coconuts and flowers to him, but now, it seemed as if the liquid were merely made of chemicals. Chemicals that reminded him of Johnny's filthy equipment...

The very memory of that weasel eyed bastard made him twitch, his foot taking a step towards the smug, beanie wearing bastard. Who wore beanies in this type of weather? Even in the coolness of the mall, it was still too hot. It was stupid! And he wanted to grab the back of his head and slam it onto the floor, wiping that look off his face with that soap.

Quint was losing it, he was aware, every second and look the man gave him pushing him to fight; to react. But to react right now might get Sayori hurt....that's right. She was right there behind him, all he had to do was turn around. But, he didn't want to take his eyes off the guy...

Forcing himself to unball his fist, he reached back behind him, trying to find her hand. He just needed something, someone to ground him a bit.

 

[Poprockz]

The man shook his head as though pitying Vin, walking around Jersey's gurney so that he could stand to Vin's other side. He leaned over, his dark eyes meeting Vin's as he spoke.

"No, no. You don't understand. She-" he pointed over to "Elizabeth" "-already ascended, that's why she's like that. It took me a while, but eventually I understood that the rapture has happened. The lord has called back his people, all those who were worthy of him. They left their earthly possessions, even their bodies."

A frustrated sigh left the mutilated man beside Vin, likely borne from having to have heard this speech before. This only caused their captor to glance at him for a moment before returning his gaze to Vin. "You weren't chosen- none of us were. We're the ones that remain, but there's still a chance for you to move on. By becoming part of her, her vessel will send you to the beyond!" His eyes were wide with conviction, as though he was desperately trying to make Vin understand the gravity of the situation.

---------------------

"Please be careful. If you can get the perfume cleaned up, we can go get Quint, and then we can all look together. I don't think it's safe to be split up anymore."

Damien sighed and looked at the store before looking back to her. "I agree, I'll be right back." With that, he walked a bit closer to the shop, looking in and cringing at the over-powering smell of perfume. Unfortunately, the store was carpeted, and it seemed like it had already soaked up the liquid. Even so, he scanned the shop from the entrance, not noting anything out of place from where he was.

When he returned, he simply shrugged and shook his head, "the floor soaked it all up, so there's no hope of going in there as a group unless the zombies plug their noses or something."

Sabastian gritted his teeth and sniffled again. He was so goddamn tired of sniffling, hating the fact that there didn't seem to be any immediate solution to finding Vin. They didn't have any leads and God knew what was happening to Vin while he was away. He was probably alone and scared, praying that they would come and find him. And yet here they were, failing him.

He started to stomp toward the shop, trying to make it closer through sheer willpower. Though he only got so far before he started gagging and stumbling backward again.

"FUCK!" He snarled, his tentacles coming out of his sides and writhing in distress.

---------------------

There was a tense silence as the man in the back attempted to find a good bottle of narcotics. It was then broken by the man in the beanie, the guy's smirk only growing once he glanced down at Quint's pants.

"So... you guys are knockin' boots, huh? Cool. I see you have a baby-test there... God, I hope you're not knocked up, lady. I doubt your dude is up for it in these times. If you wanted, I could-"

"Actually," Sayori cut him off, "I'm quite satisfied with what I have, thanks. Even if I am pregnant, I know I'll have a good partner to support me- some people are just reliable like that."

At this point, she glared at him through her glasses, moving close to Quint and putting her arms around his waist and leaning on him as though they were an intimate couple. His words were super annoying and arrogant, lacking in any tact. While they weren't truly a couple, she found major issue with his accusations regarding how dependable Quint was. He didn't know them, only trying to stir up trouble for the fuck of it.

The man raised his eyebrow and smirked, "reliable? Yeah, sure. That's why he's shaking for his next dose. Anyway, my honest advice would be to stick with us. We're a bigger group, so we'd probably be able to keep you safer. Besides, I bet it's tough being with a man you have to ask "is it in?" The man snickered.

While she was still a bit scared, her irritation emboldened her more, the lady openly letting her tone drip with hostility as she instantly struck back with, "Are you sure you're not talking about yourself? I can assure you that it's me keeping him around. I don't think anyone else could ever make me feel so good, especially with what he's packing. So don't think for a minute you could ever hold a candle to him."

 

[Drobabes]

He didn't know what to say to the man's ramblings, finding his moral reasoning to be twisted and perverse. Delvin had not believed in a god in a long time, not since his son had been taken from him, and this lunatics justification of his cruel deeds spurred him no further towards the faith. Still...

What choice did they have but to tell him what he wanted to hear? The man lying next to him was as good as dead, unless perhaps they could escape from here and get Quint's help in healing him. Whether or not Jersey decided to go on after being patched up was a personal decision, but he wouldn't have choice at all if they both got fed to the corpse flower on the wall.

"I...understand" he said slowly, his eyes widening to match the deep abyss of madness that was staring down at him, and his breath moving as shallowly as possible in order to avoid pulling anymore of that putrid smell into his lungs. What could he say that got him to back off? What could he say to distract him? And then something came to him, though it was a longshot at best.

"I want to ascend too, but you don't have the proper materials here to guide me...for, Elizabeth, to guide me over."

His sister had gone through a real intense phase at one point, when they were in their early twenties; even more than she was now. Demmaris had gone completely into witches and gods, Wiccan and star charts, and the divine mother earth. Anything and everything that she thought would have brought her closer to the great heart of nature that she so loved. Personally, Vin thought she was just having a mental detachment from the loss of their mother, but whatever the start of it was, she had really got her shit down. He had never believed in ouija boards, or placing hexes on people, until he watched her run a whole group of bikers out of town with seemingly no more than some home made candles and a few bundles of herbs.

"I don't see any of the necessary ingredients, or the candles. Or even any rendered deer fat. How," he said, looking around as his voice shook.

"are you going to guide my soul properly, if you have nothing to bind it to? No herbs to bless the room for the ascent?"

Would this work? Buy him some time? At the very least, I might be able to die smelling something pleasant, he thought darkly.
__________________________________

The whole situation was nerve wracking, of course, but as each second passed a part of Cora calmed down.

This didn't really fit the way that Kuznet liked to do things. Sure, grabbing one of them would mean that he could get them all scared and mostly at the mercy of his whim, but he would have gone for someone else. He would have taken Sabastian, knowing he was the strongest and likeliest to be the most threat, or he would have taken Quint or Damien, knowing that it would have crippled her to the point of basically being useless to her friends. Taking Vin just to control Sabastian wasn't completely off the table, but it was a gamble, and Kuznet wasn't stupid enough to gamble. He either had enough pieces to win, or he poisoned his enemy before the game even began.

"Sabastian!" she called out sternly, a bit shocked to see his tentacles coming out. She knew he was angry, and she was sure that this was likely giving him flashbacks to the last time that they had seen the base blow up, but he needed to calm down if they were going to think clearly.

"It hasn't been that long-Vin's got to still be in the building. We just have to find him, ok?"

Where was her brother? Quinton hadn't told her where they were going exactly, and although it was only one building, it was still a pretty good walk across the mall.

"He's strong, and he's smart. We'll find him, but I think we need to get everyone together so no one else goes missing."
____________________________

He was itching to make him eat those words, and maybe the shit winds they got carried on too. Fucking smug bastard needed to get knocked down a peg or two, but the fear of what was going on at the other end of the mall was his priority. Maybe he could throw something else, though. Surely if he checked his strength enough, it wouldn't kill the pompous prick.

When Sayori spoke up to defend him, his eyes widened and he looked down at her with a mixed expression. He was too on edge to do anything like blush, though he honestly might have were the situation a bit different. The testament to his character was flattering to say the least, even if it was only spoken out of a need to shut the guy up, and the way she leaned against him was comforting. He let his arm rest around her shoulders, feeling a bit of warmth bloom somewhere deep inside, behind all the anger and fear.

"I don't think anyone else could ever make me feel so good, especially with what he's packing. So don't think for a minute you could ever hold a candle to him."

Had Quint not been gritting his teeth so hard, his jaw would have dropped in shock. Instead, his eyes widened for a moment, a loud and hardy laugh worked up through his chest, and then his head jerked over to look at the man before him. His lips twisted into the biggest shit-eating grin he could muster, and then his hand came up to give him a good show of the bird.

 

[Poprockz]

The man cocked his head and looked a bit confused for a moment before he reached up and scratched his chin, a bit of flaky skin peppering his scruff. "No no... You don't need fat and herbs to ascend. This isn't some pagan ritual." Though after he said that, he seemed to be lost in thought, his eyes drifting over to Jersey as though pondering whether there really was something he needed. Though insane, it did seem as though he was actually legitimately considering Vin's suggestions.

"But... I think you're right about the candles. Churches have candles, so it would probably help." He straightened up and walked around them again, bending over and getting on his hands and knees to scuffle through one of the doors again. One could hear that it was imply just another room-he hadn't gone far. By the sound of it, he was rummaging around a bit, looking for said candles.

"Bro... He's fucking nuts. All I've had for days is bread and wine. The fucker says its the blood and body of christ." The man on the other gurney let out a scornful chuckle, "Christ..."

--------------------

"Sabastian!

The zombie looked over to her, still breathing hard through gritted teeth. Her tone had been enough to at least get him focused on her voice, his tentacles twitching a little less as he listened.

"It hasn't been that long-Vin's got to still be in the building. We just have to find him, ok? He's strong, and he's smart. We'll find him, but I think we need to get everyone together so no one else goes missing."

He started to calm down at her words, the man closing his eyes and taking a deep breath before letting it out slowly. She was right- Vin was a resourceful guy. He had even survived a military base that was on fire while zombies and terrified citizens stampeded through the place. He had survived the church, and his encounter at the diner.

Damien spoke up as well, hoping that his own logic would aid things. "Sabastian, I would bet that he's still relatively safe. If someone really wanted him dead, they could have killed him when he was ambushed. I can't say for sure, but it seems like he was kidnapped for something. I couldn't see any blood in there, so they likely needed him alive." It was an extremely morbid thought, but at the very least it might help calm Sabastian down.

"Shut up, Damien." The blonde's eyes opened to glare at him for a minute before he focused on breathing once again. The logic was sound- and he had to agree. He hadn't heard any gunshots or anything, so they had probably jumped him and taken him at gunpoint. Whoever it was hadn't needed to take him alive, and yet they had. If only he could follow the trail to see where they went, but his nose was shot.

Looking up, Sabastian was much more calm, his tentacles retreating into him before he gestured with his head for them to follow him. "I think you're right, Cora. I can't..." He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "I can't smell shit right now, but Quint can. If we had him, we might be able to track him down."

--------------------

"Whatever. It's not my problem if you prefer limp dicks," The guy's face had soured slightly, glowering at the bird that flew his way.

From the back, the big guy came out with a little pharmacy baggie, a couple bottles inside it. If one were to look, they were all labelled with a white strip and a crude note in sharpy labeling each bottle as a hard narcotic. He walked up beside the guy with the beanie and gently tossed Quint the bag, nodding at it, "there you go. Just don't do anything stupid."

He looked at Sayori and scratched the back of his neck as though he wanted to say more, an expression on his face as though he were debating saying anything before he spoke up.

"You sure you don't want to join us...?" He glanced at Quint and then looked back at Sayori. Unlike the man in the beanie, it was obvious that he was more concerned about the fact that Quint appeared to be a druggie, possibly assuming that she hadn't had the opportunity to get away from him.

At this genuine show of concern, Sayori's face softened slightly and she squeezed Quint affectionately before letting him go. "Yeah, I'm sure. I'm where I want to be. Really." While her face was obscured by her glasses, her voice was soft and reassuring, not an ounce of doubt in it.

 

[Drobabes]

The second the guy was even a foot away, Vin let out a gust of air and greedily sucked another one in. He felt the back of his throat and tongue give the tell tale signs that he was going to gag, but he managed to swallow and get it choked back at the last second, waiting until the crazed man left the room before he started testing the bonds on all his limbs, looking for any weaknesses or wiggle room to get free.

"Bro... He's fucking nuts. All I've had for days is bread and wine."

Delvin's eyes looked over once more, slowing down long enough to stare at him with a cold soberness, really seeing the state he was in for the first time. He looked like shit, and though Vin didn't know him well enough to truly mourn what the man had lost, he still felt awful for what he had gone through, and what he would go through still. If they survived this.

"How much can you still move?" Vin asked, his brows furrowing a little bit. He gave his restraints another good tug, trying to fight the urge that was pushing him to panic.

"You think you can still fight if you got a good weapon in your hand?"
___________________________________________________________

Well, it seemed to have helped a bit. At least he was taking a breathe to stop and think.

"...can't say for sure, but it seems like he was kidnapped...so they likely needed him alive."

It was a morbid thought, but none of them were exactly ignorant of what someone with ill intentions could be capable of. They didn't have time to worry about what was being done to him, only how they were going to find him.

"I can't smell shit right now, but Quint can."

She nodded sternly, adjusting Bowie around her shoulder a bit and taking Damien's hand before starting to walk across the mall.

"Let's go get him then. He didn't tell me which store he was heading to, though, and I'm too scared to call out to him."
___________________________________________________________

Quint caught it easily, making a show of opening it up and looking inside before he rolled the paper back down and forcibly stuffed the whole thing into his other pocket. Of course, he wouldn't even be thinking of touching any of those drugs-even if they weren't hardcore stuff. A basic aspirin had messed with him, hard, as had everything else they had tried to test on him, and he knew that Kuznet hadn't wanted to risk anything too dangerous. Those drugs had all been injected into the regular zombies before Johnathon was allowed to put anything into his veins before interrogating him for information.

"Yeah, I'm sure. I'm where I want to be."

He glanced down at her briefly, started to look back up, but then quickly looked down once more, his face betraying a little bit of shock as she squeezed him and then stepped away.

Did she really mean that? She wasn't just staying with him out of some sense of obligation, guilt, or because she was scared? He almost felt like a bit of an imposter, like he had lulled her back into a false sense of security with their friendship. Sure, they had escaped Kuznet, but he had still betrayed her. Whether or not he deserved her trust back, who was to say he wouldn't do it again? He had done it once, after all.

Shaking it off, he started to turn and walk away, wanting to get them out of there as fast as he could. Just before he turned his back on them, however, he looked over at the bigger guy.

"Don't worry, we'll keep each other safe."

His voice was a bit more sober, and serious, but he believed it to be true. Yes, he saw himself as capable of protecting Sayori, but she was also just as capable of keeping him safe. She had saved him more times down in those cells, and in that house, then she probably knew.