Morning Coffee And Sweet Surprises (Closed to Poprockz)

[Poprockz]

Glancing over at Cora and Laneesha for a moment, Sayori drifted over to where Quint was standing until she was positioned near enough to start a conversation.

"Hey, um Quint? You never mentioned having people out there who knew about... everything. I thought the only other person who knew was Sarah." Her tone was soft and curious, though not accusatory.

It wasn't as though she was particularly suspicious of him, but it did seem a bit odd that he had never mentioned anyone like that before. Though... come to think of it, he hadn't really gotten the chance to. If he had said anything in the dungeon or at the General's house, there was bound to be a camera or recorder to expose his allies. Quint seemed like the type who would try to handle it all by himself, too. After all, he had singlehandedly been protecting Cora for a long time, hadn't he?

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"You're welcome," Laneesha replied. Throughout Cora's response, Laneesha had regarded her carefully, possibly looking for hints to see if she was being disingenuous. After she was done though, it seemed as though the zombie believed that Cora was being honest and straightforward. She didn't let on what her opinions were regarding Kuznet or the man's words to them other than by a slight pinch of her eyebrows.

"Being that he is a General, I doubt it would have been allowed to happen without the paperwork passing across his desk, so I believe you in that regard. As for the cruelty of men..." Her eyes drifted toward the rest of the group and lingered on Damien and Vin, a hint of resentment within them." I don't believe there is no goodness, but it's hard to deny the excessive amount of cruelty and ignorance, especially that of humans."

"In any case." Laneesha flicked her eyes back to the other woman. "I need to get moving if I want to reach our next location soon, and you would be best advised to get as far away from here as possible if you are trying to avoid the General."

 

[Drobabes]

Johnathon watched her carefully as he stepped up before her and got down onto his knees in front of her. So she thought that he was her son, then? That was good. That was very good.

"Mother..." he said softly, testing the phrasing as he reached out to take hold of her hand where it was still tied down near the wrist. He was looking for confusion, or perhaps suspicion. If she wasn't used to being called 'mother', then it was a very easy adjustment to switch over to any of the other various phrasing.

"Where did you go?"

Another soft question. Soft prompts. Leave the options open, and let her take the reigns on the conversation. He would simply look for moments to prompt her in the right direction. He was a very patient man, and he had plenty of drugs to keep her high for days on end, if he needed.
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Tommy had been 'released' from the hospital earlier that morning. In all likelihood, he probably could have been released days ago, but Jameson had wanted to be cautious and make sure that his organs were working how they should. They had the report on the miracles of the...goo, but despite that, Jameson had insisted that they wait anyway. It was still something knew and there was no guarantee that every person would have the same reaction to it.

Now that he was out though, Tommy was eager to get back in the game. He had lost the hand that he fired his gun with and knew it was a major hit. Kuznet had probably done it specifically to teach some kind of lesson, taking away what he felt like was his best skill. It was too bad the evil bastard had a skewed sense of the human condition, because that wasn't going to stop him from overcoming this. The young man had learned in record time before, and he still had his eyes.

He saw Jesse entering the hospital, maybe to come see him, and it filled his chest with warmth. He couldn't wait to tell her his plan and to ask for her help in order to accomplish it, but first, he had to get her attention.

"Jesse!" he called out, his good arm waving in the air and his tone happy. But, instead of turning to greet him, it almost looked as if she had given him the cold shoulder. A pit started to form in his stomach as concern over took his good mood. Was she angry with him again? What had he done wrong now?

He started to jog across the dirt but quickly got winded.

"Damnit" he cussed, having to slow down to a quick walk as he tried to catch up with her. He was a ways away though, so by the time he got to the doors, she had already headed upstairs.

"Jesse?" he called again, panting slightly and taking a look around. When he didn't immediately see her, he headed up the stairs, knowing that was really the only place she could have gone.

Once at the top, he once again had to slow to catch his breath. On top of the anxiety, he was now feeling some frustration, quickly realizing that while his wounds may have healed, his overall health was going to take a bit longer to recover. Shaking it off with a frustrated grunt, he walked down the hall and stopped in front of the door, opening it slowly and carefully peering inside, like a puppy unsure if it was going to get a scolding.

"Jesse? You uh...you mad at me?"

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A slightly guilty look came to Jameson's eyes as he readjusted his cap back to the forward position.

"It wasn't my intention, but she's got to learn. I want you to start lifting her up to the same training as the rest of the squad-keeping her physical limitations in mind of course. Push her, but make she has the opportunity to get creative."

As he spoke, he did a quick walk to the far wall and took a look out the window, his back remaining to Stanley as he cleared his throat.

"And no. It could still happen any minute now, but we may need to be get ready. I told Zac to leave most of the supplies in the two warehouses on the south and north side, to make it easier this time. No need to jump the gun just yet, though..."

His chin turned down a bit and his head tilted to the side, and he looked over his shoulder at Stanley. He wasn't that old yet, if he were talking realistically, but the job was draining nonetheless. The compound, the supplies, training, staying out of sight while also being constantly vigilant, and working for Francisco to help bring the king down...momentarily he wondered if his second felt the same heavy weight. Though, even if he did, there was little else to be done but trudge on through the trenches until they either died from exhaustion or won the war.

"I need you to come out with me tonight. Roberts sick with something, so we won't be able to rely on him to keep a lookout. Do you have anyone that's up for overseeing everything, or do you want me to assign someone?"

Just because Jameson hadn't heard from Francisco didn't mean that the train stopped running. He still needed to meet up with his team and get the hit list. Without it, he would be running in blind.

Besides that, Francis had promised him a new resource and he needed a way to get a hold of them. A, 'private investigator' he had called him, although the tone in his voice had clued Jameson into the fact that this mystery persons job was much more important. He didn't know who it was yet, or what they would be doing together, but as usual he didn't ask questions. He could make some guesses, but he wouldn't know anything for sure until the time came.
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He wasn't expecting her to ask so soon, but it was fine.

"Sarah knew a lot.." he said calmly, pausing for a moment as both even the name of his former lover leaving his lips, and the sensitive information that he had to hide deep within himself, brought forth a wave of pain.

"She also had a lot of inherited money and friends in high places. It wasn't very hard to find a good private investigator to help me keep an eye on his movements, after he sent me a little present. Mhm."

He made a noise to clear his throat, his eyes blinking back the moisture that was fogging his vision.

"With stuff like that though, the less you know the safer you can be, so I ended up doing a lot of the leg work myself once I found where he was operating from."

Though his words were not flat out lies, as he had just stated, the less you knew the safer you could be. So he refrained from telling her just how involved his 'investigating' had actually been. Of course, Quint could lie, if he had to. As he had felt that he had needed to do with Cora. But he despised lying and tried his best to never do it unless it was absolutely necessary.

"We'll have to leave soon, Sayori. Let's get some clothes while we still can."

He hoped the change of subject would be enough for her to drop it, but if not, he was willing to entertain her a bit more as they walked. That was if she chose to accompany him back into the mall.

"I didn't get to grab what I needed," he called back to both Sabastian and Cora.

"I'll be quick about it, and I think there's enough of us here for a few more minutes to be safe. Go ahead and get the cars ready if you want."
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Cora gave her a nod in agreement, to both her points. There was no helping the prejudice that Laneesha felt, and honestly? It wasn't Cora's place to ask her to consider changing it any further than she already had for them, especially considering what had happened to her.

As they walked back and she heard what Quint said, she simply gave a little nod. She had dropped her own bag of supplies down on the ground before they had gone in to get Vin, so she went over to it now to pick it up, and then made her way over to Damien. Once by his side, she gave him a soft and loving look before her eyes turned over to Sabastian and Vin. Cora doubted they would want to go back into the mall to grab any supplies now, but if they really needed them, now would likely be their last chance for a while.

 

[Poprockz]

"Mother..."

She gave him a slightly hurt look, one that was mixed with guilt. "I know you're probably upset that I left, but please don't distance yourself from me Elias. You have to understand that everything I did was for you and your brothers. The woman sniffled slightly, seemingly very comforted by the officer's hand upon her own.

"Honey, I can't tell you where I went or you might try to come too. Just know that I went where I had to go, and that you'll always be taken care of because of it. I know your brothers are with Laneesha, but you'll tell them I love them when they get back, won't you?" Her eyes were pleading, as though it was the most important thing in the world to her that they got this message.

"I didn't want to, but I had to go."

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It wasn't that Jesse hadn't heard him- she had. But for some reason she simply hadn't been able to bring herself to stop and greet him, nor slow her ascent to chat with him. To her, it felt like if she stopped for him, she might end up breaking down and unloading on him. In truth, she hadn't expected for him to follow her all the way up there, so when the door opened, she flinched slightly.

"What...?" Why did he think she was mad at him? For a few moments her pale face only showed confusion, before she realized that he probably felt like she was giving him the cold shoulder earlier. She drew her knees closer to her chest and leaned over them with her arms resting on her knees. "Oh. No, I'm not mad at you. I just... wasn't feeling super good. How's your recovery going?" Her voice was quieter than usual, a bit more reserved.

She forced a half-hearted smile, part of her feeling a bit guilty that she didn't really care about his recovery at the moment. Jesse didn't care about much of anything at the moment, her mind still a bit numb and foggy. While she did care about his well-being and wanted him to get better, she wasn't really at her healthiest in a mental capacity right now.

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Stanley recognized that look of guilt and he sympathized. Sometimes even though they knew certain actions were necessary, it didn't make it easier to see a young woman or man go through the very traumas that would make them stronger. In the army, it was an unfortunate truth that one had to break down a man before he could build him back up.

He simply made a grunt of agreement at the other officer's orders regarding the girl's training, though he wondered why he was making the decision to put her on a faster track. The man didn't have to wonder long, as he soon got his answer. Jameson wasn't acting as though he was worried, but Stanley understood that not getting a message from their contact was very concerning, the man straightening up slightly and listening with a more serious expression. All of the proper preparations were being made just in case though, by the sound of it, so that at least was comforting.

"I need you to come out with me tonight. Roberts sick with something, so we won't be able to rely on him to keep a lookout. Do you have anyone that's up for overseeing everything, or do you want me to assign someone?"

"Oh shit, Robert's sick? I thought that guy had a stomach of steel. Anyway, I think Lopez has been itching to move into a position of more authority, and she's one of the most experienced of the bunch, so I would recommend her unless you had someone else in mind." The man stood up and stretched, leaning to the side for a moment before giving Jameson a bit of a shit-eating smile.

"Also... I call shotgun on the way there."

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While Quint gave her an explanation, Sayori could see how much he was struggling with it. His eyes seemed to be fogging up, and his throat moved conspicuously as though he was swallowing hard. It made her feel bad, knowing that she had brought up such a sensitive subject. It had probably been hard for him to bring them up in the first place, but she had made him dwell on it longer than necessary.

She wanted to say something, or maybe to apologize, but she wasn't able to think of what might help before he had effectively shut down the conversation by mentioning clothes and addressing the others. It was obvious that he simply didn't want to talk about it anymore, but didn't want to offend Sayori either. She looked down and rubbed one of her arms slightly as he turned to Cora, then joined him as he started walking toward the mall.

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Sabastian looked up at Quint's announcement and called back, "hey! can you guys grab the clothes I left in the changing room in the Navy Jeans store? If you could grab some clothes for Vin, that would also be cool too." Before coming out of that room, he had planned on taking all of the ones he had selected (except maybe one pair of skinny jeans that didn't quite compliment his butt as much). It was a good thing Quint was taking Sayori with him, as he assumed she was going to have to be the one to run into the perfumed store and grab them.

Once his piece was said, he turned to Vin and asked, "hey, do you want to go to the car? Do you want me to carry you, or do you just want to lean on me?"

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A small exhalation of relief was made by Damien when she returned to him with that beautiful smile of hers. While he respected her autonomy He hadn't liked watching that private conversation between her and the zombie woman. He could have been mistaken, but it almost looked like she had threatened her with how serious Laneesha's face had been and the fact that Cora had tensed up. The fact that nothing came of it was a relief, and he was glad to have her close by once more.

He returned her smile and sighed. Maybe the weed wasn't working, as he didn't feel any different at the moment. She said that he would be asleep in about two to three hours, so he assumed he would be feeling at least a little bit of something by now, but there wasn't any noticeable change. Maybe it just wouldn't work on him. In any case, he wondered whether they should start heading out.

"Do you think we should accompany the other two to the cars? I don't think I'm in the mood for shopping since I already have clothes I can wear, but I did want to say that at some point we should consider getting a bigger car or a van maybe. It's getting a bit cramped as it is in there." Damien very carefully brought a leg around to the front, got on one knee, and used the force of his body to get himself into a standing position.

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Once they were at the mall doors, Sayori looked up at Quint and said, "I'm sorry for bringing up a conversation you probably didn't want to have. I know things are still hard for you right now, so I think I should have been a bit more sensitive." She followed it up with an apologetic smile, opening the door to the mall and holding it open for him.

 

[Drobabes]

Johnathon feigned a sad smile as he gave her hand a little squeeze. He would be careful not to add too much to the conversation, the information that he was already getting being very useful.

"I will Mom" he said softly, in return to her request. If she felt as if he was 'distancing' himself, then 'mother' was definitely the wrong phrasing. Letting his face fall into just a bit of a melancholy look, he decided to see if could use her earlier referencing to entice a bit more from her. She had said that someone promised not to harm him, which meant he was likely being held somewhere.

"Mom, I'm scared. I don't want to be here..."
______________________________

She's never this reserved, he thought.

He came into the room and shut the door behind him, and then came over to take a seat by her side.

"It's good. Jameson gave me the all clear this morning to get back to work. Jesse..."

Tommy hesitated for a moment, unsure if he should reach out and wrap and arm around her, lean against her, or even touch her at all. While they had gotten a bit more time to hang out, it still wasn't a whole lot, and they had certainly not spent that precious little time trying to comfort one another. More like, trying to see how far they could go before they both got pulled away for one things or another. For Jesse it was training, for Tommy it was more medical treatment or reports from bed.

Deciding it may be better to leave her with the option, he simply scooted a bit closer and laid his hand down on the ground between them. Maybe if she needed it, she would feel comfortable taking it if it was an open invitation.

"Did something happen? You're pale."
_______________________________

He chuckled at the stomach of steel comment, even though it was another concern on the ever growing list.

"No, I think Lopez is perfect. I've noticed her bringing her A-game to the table lately, so let's give her a shot."

"Also... I call shotgun on the way there."

Laughing, he came over to give the man a friendly clap on the shoulder.

"You don't have to call it, you'll always have that responsibility so long as you're still kicking. Let's go see what's for lunch; I saw Kyle bringing in some of the creamed corn and what was left of the bacon earlier, and I'm really hoping it's that same soup that he made last time. I could have eaten the whole pot if we didn't have anyone else to feed."
________________________________

Delvin looked down at Sabastian and immediately nodded to the suggestion of getting back to the car.

"Yea. I can walk, but I would appreciate the help."
________________________________

"Yea, let's go with them."

When he started to get up onto his feet, she reached down to gently take him by the arm, offering her support if he needed it though he seemed to have it on his own.

"We'll definitely have to ditch the cars soon" she sighed, letting his arm go after rubbing it affectionately for a moment. If she had her way, she would have been more than happy to crawl into some dark little room with him and sleep the stress of the day away.

"You're right that we need a bigger one, but also they'll be looking for those cars now. It's too dangerous to keep driving them. It's too bad, she sighed again.

"Your car is in such good condition."
___________________________

Quint had given Sabastian a little nod and a thumbs up as they headed in. When they got to the doors, he looked down at Sayori and tried to give her a smile.

"It's okay. I'm just glad we're out of there now and can talk openly. Couldn't even take a shit in that place without them fucking analyzing it" He laughed weakly, the sick humor of it being true tickling an especially fucked up part of his brain. After that, he was a little quiet as they walked, and though he tried to keep his mind focused on the current task, knowing full well that they needed to head out as soon as possible, a fissure had opened in the damn of his mind. Try as he might, he was finding it more and more difficult to choke back the emotions that even mentioning her name had brought up.

They were at least somewhat inside the doors now, away from the other group, before he really started struggling with it. It wasn't that he didn't want to cry, to mourn her loss, but it just felt as if the moment was not yet right. And yet, here he was trying in vain to swallow it down, clear his throat, and even readjust the large serpent so that Bowie was wrapped around his chest in a comforting hug. He shook his head a few times before he was forced to bring his hands up to his eyes to wipe the tears away. When that was seemingly not enough to hold it back, Quint finally had to stop and really try to clear his vision before he could see enough to walk.

Though he had cried back in the cells, it just didn't seem to be getting any easier to accept. He had never felt a pain like this, not even when his parents had died. While most may have described it as a hole being left, like something missing, he almost felt more as if it was something dark and poisonous, slowly eating away at what was left of him.

Both Sayori and Sabastian had been right about him in slightly different ways. He was always the one trying to hold it together, the one pushing it down or pushing it aside in the moment so that he could control himself enough to make sure that everything was handled. But that strength came at a cost, and with the knowledge that Sarah was now gone, he was finding it more and more difficult to simply roll with the punches. He had never been alone in the way that Cora had; had never felt the sickening anxiety of what it meant to face the day knowing that there would be no warmth, no sun... At least, this is the way it felt to him, though of course none of it could be expressed in such simple terms.

"Sorry" Quint sniffled, wiping his forearm across his eyes for the fifth time as his feet still tried in vain to keep him moving.

"I just keep expecting to see her popping her head around from some corner, or hanging over some railing" he said, taking a ragged breath as he looked up to gesture towards the upper floor.

"Saying 'it'll be okay Honey Bee, everything will be, will be fine!'"

His last words were barely choked out on a broken sob, no longer having the strength to hold it back, but feeling safe enough in Sayori's presence to know that he didn't need to.

 

[Poprockz]

Though she seemed relieved to hear that he would pass her words along to his siblings, the next moment she was crying again at his words. It took her a minute to become calm enough to reply to him, the woman unable to wipe her own tears.

With stained cheeks, she gave Jonathon a very tender look. "Honey... I know you're scared, but you have to be strong. You're different now, Elias. It's dangerous for you to be out in the world with how things are right now. You belong with people like you, people who can keep you safe." She nodded, reaffirming her words before sniffling once more. Then suddenly, a though occurred to her and she looked up at him sharply, a bit of panic in her eyes.

"They're not... using you are they?" The woman held her breath, her eyes almost bugging out with how intense her gaze was.

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

Jesse simply nodded at his words, not really all that invested in a conversation at the moment. Out of her peripheral, she saw him approach and sit down, his body close enough to touch if she decided She wasn't sure how to keep the conversation going, so she was simply quiet, the silence lingering until Tommy dispelled it.

"Jesse... Did something happen? You're pale."

She shrugged and curled up a bit more, "nothing I can't deal with. I'm sure I'll feel better in a while, I just..." Her throat was starting to feel a bit sore, like she had a lump in it, the woman swallowing while her eyes began to well up- it almost felt like her heart hurt.

One one hand she really wanted to talk to Tommy about it, but on the other hand she didn't know if she was just being overemotional. This was probably something the trainers did to recruits here and there, nothing out of the ordinary. If she didn't get a handle on it, then how was she supposed to command respect and trust by the other guys in the group? Was she going to cry every time something unexpected like this happened? She felt ashamed of taking it so hard, and yet...

All she wanted to do was to let loose with him. Her feelings culminated into a surge of need, a need for some compassion. It spilled over in the form of tears, her eyes unable to hold back the torrent of salty despair from running down her cheeks. Jesse looked at him with vulnerability in her face, a look that seemed to plead for his help. The next moment she reached out and took his arm, gently pulling it around herself before curling up against his side. It was then that she cried in earnest, sniffling and sobbing.

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"Oh yeah, that bacon concoction of his? If we weren't a cohesive unit, I think we'd have broken out into an all-out brawl for that stuff." Stanley grinned and started off toward the cafeteria with Jameson, both of the commanding men moving in sync. It was the type of walk where they moved effortlessly swiftly, purpose in their stride while still being laid back a bit.

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Sabastian merely smiled at Vin, continuing to keep his tentacle gently around the man's waist. If Vin were to lose his footing or strength, he wanted to be able to prevent him from falling at all costs. It was slow going, but they started their long trek to the cars. It was unfortunate how beat-up Vin was right now, and Sabastian kicked himself for not having had Quint look over him yet. Though Vin didn't really seem to want to say anything, Sabastian could feel him struggling, hear him making pained inhalations every now and then despite the fact that he tried to downplay it.

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"Yeah, it was." Damien also sighed, thinking about how that car had served him well. If they picked up some random car off the side of the road, there was no telling what kind of difficulties it might come with. The only car mechanic they knew was over at Vin's sister's house, so it wasn't as though they could have her run out to check whether their future new car was in good shape or not.

"Hm. Well, I'm sure we'll find something," this was followed up by a smile, "by the way, I'm pretty sure the weed isn't working. Should I take another one, or should we leave it alone. I would have thought something would happen within fifteen minutes, but I don't feel any different."

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"Mm." Was the response his little joke elicited. They both knew it wasn't really a joke, her lips twisting up into a bit of a bitter smile. They had been watching everything they did, trying to find every little weakness or spark of hope in order to crush them all the harder. It was only yesterday that the General had bathed her, fucked her, and promised that he was going to impregnate her. It was still so fresh, and yet it felt miles away at the same time. Maybe part of her didn't want to acknowledge or think about it yet, and that was just as well. She wasn't sure how to deal with all the feelings she had about the whole ordeal.

Lost in her own thoughts, it wasn't until she heard a harder breath and a sniffle that she turned to him and saw him stop. Her expression turned to one of concern as she froze, seeing him so obviously struggling. She hadn't seen him cry like this since the night he had defended her from Niles. In every tear she saw a physical representation of the pain in his heart for his lost love.

He obviously missed her a lot, that one person he thought he was going to be with forever. Sarah had been his irreplaceable partner in crime, and was someone he relied on when times were tough. She was important to him in many ways that Sayori could never be. It made her heart ache all the more for him, though she wondered why she would feel the need to compare herself. Of course she would never be as close to him as Sarah was, especially since they were only friends.

Speaking of, now was the time for her to really be a friend to him as he unfailingly did for her- it wasn't a time for self-doubt and rumination on feelings that felt vaguely selfish.

Stepping forward, Sayori reached out and rested her hand upon his shoulder, saying softly, "there's no need to be sorry, Quint. You've had to be strong for so long, and now the person you relied on for support isn't here anymore and that's hard." A pained expression came to her face, her empathy getting the better of her as the corners of her eyes moistened. "You've been through so much for so long, and even more after she passed. I know for a fact that she would be so proud of you for being so strong, for doing everything that you could, and for looking out for your sister. People always say that loved ones will always be in our hearts, and that's true, but... it doesn't change the fact that it hurts." The woman reached up and wiped her own eyes, getting a bit of control through a measured breath before looking back up at him.

 

[Drobabes]

"They're not... using you are they?"

While she had just given him quite a bit of useful information, she was becoming more upset than he would like her to be. Johnathon was curious of what she could mean by using, in this context, but he couldn't have her falling apart just yet. Deciding to back her up a bit, he reached out and squeezed her hand again, offering her a gentle smile.

"No, I'm okay Mom."

After that he went quiet, letting a bit of silence sit in the air to see if she would divulge anything further, or if he needed to give her a bit of a break and come back in an hour or two.
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That look paralyzed him, the young man being unable to do anything more than let his arm be guided around her. It sent his heart into a hard knock against his chest, reminding him a bit too much of when he had saved her and Randy from the bathroom just after Jameson blew the research lab to nothing more than a pile of burnt debris. Recovering quickly, Tommy sat himself up a bit more and pulled her against his side, swallowing hard as he held her close.

"Hey, hey" he said nervously, trying to comfort her but not yet knowing what was wrong.

"I told you I would keep you safe, I won't let anything happen to you. Tell me what happened Jesse, please."

Was her dad sick? Was she having some PTSD? Did...did Kuznet find her?!

The last though only made both of his arms go around her more tightly, his eyes suddenly looking up and away. Not to the door, but to the dark corners of the room, where monsters liked to lurk...
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Stanley had earned a laugh for his joke, the two men finishing their lunch before returning to work. They agreed to meet at the garage at 3 AM, Jameson's mission needing to be done in the dead of night.
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For the most part Delvin's injuries seemed to be more of a culmination from shock and fatigue than any major damage, his legs feeling solid beneath him for the most part. He had taken a good hit against the wall but he also had old injuries from cracked ribs, and a history of smoking, so he wasn't particularly worried about that himself. Right now, he simply wanted nothing more than to sit down, and his feet seemed to reflect that goal, his steps almost seeming to stubbornly try to pick up the pace whenever he was able.

Of course, it was never good to self diagnose when one was in such bad shape, and by the time they actually got to the car, Vin was leaning against Sabastian a bit more heavily and having to blink back a bit of dizziness. Letting go of Sabastian to reach out and lean on the car for a change, he looked down at the little man and tried to reassure him with a tired grin.

"I probably need some water" he breathed.

"Probably...be a good time to quit smoking, too."

It was intended as a joke, but it came out more serious than not. It wasn't that he hadn't tried to quit before, but he had never had quite such a kick to the ass as really feeling the toll of not being able to get enough air. Or rather, getting enough, but feeling like little was actually taken out of it and put to use.

...

Cora followed their companions back, staying next to Damien's side in case he needed help. He seemed to be in better shape than Vin, though, the man's steps obviously determined, but making her brows knit with concern as she watched them walk ahead of them.

"by the way, I'm pretty sure the weed isn't working... I would have thought something would happen within fifteen minutes, but I don't feel any different."

Her hazel eyes looked up at him, fatigue and worry obvious in her gaze though she tried to put on a brave face.

"You won't feel anything for at least two hours unless you have an insane metabolism" she chuckled.

"It might even be three hours before you really feel the full strength of it, and then you should get pretty tired by then. If you need another one after three hours, I'll give you one more."

She gave his back an affectionate rub before she got the car keys out for them, walking closer to unlock the doors.

"Cora, how many of those gummies do you have?" Vin asked as she came closer.

"Quite a few; do you want a couple?"

Her hand reached in her pocket, not even hesitating as he asked. It was understandable that he would want something to help with not just the pain, but the stress of it all.

"Yea" he answered, nodding when he felt like he couldn't quite get his voice out loud enough. Still leaning against the car, he reached out and took the two that she dropped into his hand.
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Though he was still trying in vain to wipe the tears away, he managed to at least sniffle and get his breaths under control to look down at her when she patted his shoulder.

"You've been through so much for so long... I know for a fact that she would be so proud of you for being so strong, for doing everything that you could... it doesn't change the fact that it hurts."

Pulling his arm up again, another shuddering sob left him as he wiped his eyes and nodded his head. Words were not coming to him as easily as they usually did, so instead, he bends down and gives Sayori a soft hug, holding onto her for a long moment as he takes a few stabilizing breathes. When he's finally able, he pulls away, but leaves one arm around her shoulders, hoping that she would not mind if he stayed near.

"Thank you" he said quietly and sighing heavily.

"Will you walk with me?" he whispered, his voice still pained.

 

[Poprockz]

"Thank goodness..." Janet breathed, smiling affectionately at him as though his words had brought her a great deal of peace. "Then it was all worth it. If anything happens, I want you to run away. Don't go to the base, and don't go to that woman's place- it's not safe there for you. Go out on your own and try to find a good life with you and your brothers. Promise me?" The woman's voice had become a bit more tired, the concoction taking a bit of a toll on her mentally.

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

"It's so stupid," the young woman replied, a bit of shame in her voice. "I was sparring with Officer Stanley and he was giving me a lesson on using your surroundings to win. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't even hit him!" A couple sobs wracked her before she was able to continue, her body pressing tightly against Tommy's.

"There were just boxes! Just lots of boxes and I didn't know what the fuck he wanted. I tried putting them in between us, but he would just hop over them. I hid behind them, but he'd find me so fucking fast even if he turned away when I hid. I'm not sure why I tried that though... I'm not sure what hiding would even help me d-do. I was just s-so angry and..." She sniffled, grateful that no one else was there to see her like this. At this point, she knew her face was red and her eyes were a bit bloodshot. Her father had always said that she was beautiful even when she cried, but she figured that was a very dad thing to say. In all likelihood, she just looked red and puffy. Not to mention a bit pitiful.

"He-he said something that hurt my feelings, and I was about to try to hit him again b-but.." She swallowed and had to let out a couple breaths. However, just when she was calm again, the surge of emotions she was feeling just put her right back into crying. For a couple minutes, she continued, intermittently trying to calm down but failing until she was finally able to at least speak once more.

"I never even knew it, but Jameson was there too. H-he came up behind me and stabbed me in my back, m-my ribs, and he cut my throat. Of course his knife wasn't actually out, b-but I thought for a second that-that..." Jesse sobbed and buried her face against Tommy's chest, her hands gripping his shirt. It was as if the pent-up fear and stress was being released and now that the floodgates had opened, there was no stopping them.

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

The grin did put Sabastian a bit at ease, but only a little. He needed to get some Quint-juice in him before he was going to be able to relax and know that Vin was okay. In the movies, there were people who walked away from gunshot wounds and ended up fine, but this wasn't the movies. In real life, shit could get bad fast regardless of what kind of injury it was, especially considering the fact that there weren't any hospitals anymore. Still, he seemed in good enough shape to wait, so he wasn't going to freak out or anything.

"I think that would probably help. I mean, I would like if you stopped smoking, but that's mostly because I care about your body." Sabastian said it in a matter-of-fact way, but doubled back when he realized the connotation of what he had just said. "I mean, like your health. You know." The blonde crossed his arms and looked away, the slightest pink on his cheeks. Technically speaking, he did care about both- the man's health and his... vigor.

..............

Damien nodded but didn't offer any further comment. It seemed as though he was simply being impatient in this case, though at the same time he would be lying if he said he wasn't just a bit nervous. Did people normally take weed to sleep? Is that why it was inadvisable to drive while intoxicated with it? At the very least, he imagined it would relax him like alcohol did, and that was what kept him in a mostly positive mindset.

Both he and Sabastian watched the exchange of gummies, Damien wondering if Vin was also planning on sleeping during the car ride. Vin looked to be the sort of guy who would have smoked at some point, so perhaps he wouldn't sleep, having already built up a bit of resistance to it.

Sabastian sniffed and wrinkled his nose, "ugh. Weed. You know that shit is like tranquilizer for zombies. I mean, kinda. I only got the oil given to me, but it basically makes me weak again."

"When did you get weed oil?" Damien asked, a bit confused. In all of this, he hadn't actually had a conversation with Sabastian about his own capture, being the one who was largely left out of the loop on that subject.

The blonde's eyebrows scrunched together a bit, "dude. When I was being held at the General's little dungeon. Didn't you know that?"

"What..? No, I didn't..." Damien replied, feeling a bit foolish and embarrassed for having asked. Did Cora already know? He looked over at her to see her reaction, a bit of a question in his eyes.

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

Quint's hug was accepted, the woman wrapping her own arms around him and simply holding him for as long as he needed. It always felt very comforting, being in his arms, so she hoped he felt the same comfort from her. Though she could never comfort him like Sarah could, at the very least she could stand in as a friend until he was on better footing. Part of her wondered if the pain she felt in her heart was from seeing him in such turmoil, or whether it was something deeper within herself. She hoped it was the former, as she had no idea what her feelings would even mean otherwise.


"Thank you... Will you walk with me?"

She smiled and put her own arm around his side, lazily resting her forearm on his hip. "Only if you'll walk with me." With that, she began to move forward with him, the two of them heading back to the clothing stores from whence they came.

 

[Drobabes]

That women? Hmm...

Johnathon gave her a small nod in agreement, following it up with a quiet, "I will mom. I promise."

He let go of her hand then and stood up, then slowly turned his back to her and made his way towards the door. She needed a break, and a chance for them to shuts the lights off completely, though if she had any adverse reactions to him leaving he would deal with it swiftly.
________________

Throughout her speaking and crying, he only held her and let her go. Tommy wanted to ask her if it was The General, but she was so upset that he couldn't quite seem to find a long enough break to do it. It was only when she finally got to the part about Jameson being there that his worries were finally quelled.

"I never even knew it, but Jameson was there too. H-he came up behind me and stabbed me in my back, m-my ribs, and he cut my throat. Of course his knife wasn't actually out, b-but I thought for a second that-that..."

For just one second, Tommy's body stiffened as tightly as a bowstring, before it suddenly, almost forcefully, relaxed and he pulled her even closer to his chest. After that, he started to rock her and stroke her arm, murmuring soft "shh's" and, "it's okay's", knowing that she was in a high state of shock from what had just happened.

He of course understood what Jameson had done, and why he had done it, but it still did not stop the sudden and sickening amount of anger that boiled the blood in his veins. This was his girlfriend, and though Jameson had not actually physically harmed her, she was still sitting here sobbing her eyes out and Tommy had to really focus and mentally tell himself not to jump to her defense. Not to get up and stomp down stairs and attempt to chew his commander out.

As he waited for her to work it out and calm down, continuing to hold her and speak softly when he could, his own thoughts started becoming somber. Tommy was careful not to let it come across in his voice, and he was even more careful not to try and say something along the lines of, "I told you so", but what Jameson had just done to her in only a mock situation was the exact thing that the young man had so deeply feared could have happened to her back at the base if he hadn't have gotten her out. It could still be argued whether or not he was justified in doing that to her, sending her away without her say in the matter, but this was still at the core of the matter. What if Kuznet had sent Niles or Johnathon to simply get rid of her if he thought she was too distracting to him? Or if they at all suspected anything? It would have been very simple to blame it on a bite.

The young girl went on one of the scouting missions, he could hear him say.

I'm so sorry Tommy, but something happened...casualties...

Laying his cheek down on her hair suddenly, he rubbed up her back and shoulder and swallowed hard.
______________________

"I mean, like your health. You know."

A softer smile came to his face, the big man nodding in understanding and reaching out to stroke the side of his neck and top of his shoulder. Sabastian was a large part of the reason he had survived what he just did, and if it would make the little man feel better to quit smoking, then it only solidified the plan in his mind.

After the gummies were handed to him, Vin put them under his tongue to let them melt. He didn't know if they would be absorbed anymore quickly that way, but he didn't feel like he had the energy to chew, and the taste was pleasant to him.

The conversation that followed between the two was a little tense, and though Vin looked concerned for Sabastian, Cora simply stared for a moment before blinking and looking away as she opened the car door.

"Can't have weed, huh?" she asked, just the smallest hint of a smile coming to her face.

"Quint's gonna hate that. Can't smoke, can't have weed; we'll have to load up the squirt guns with something foul to keep him from bitching constantly..."

Cora had been reaching into the back seat to grab the bag that held a bunch of small water bottles, recently filled from the river, as she spoke. When she turned around to hand them out, she gave one to Sabastian first and tried to give him a weak grin, hoping that the slight change of subject would humor him. In truth, though, she really had no more idea about the extent of the things that had been tested on them as anyone else did. She had watched from her window as Johnathon took his kit of vials and liquids down each day, but she had not been told what was in them, and she had only heard a bit of how Quint's body was different from talking with Sayori.

"I didn't see him much when we were there together" she said quietly after.

"And he didn't tell me about anything last night when we were sitting together. We were mostly just swapping old stories."
___________________

He looked down at her and smiled before pulling her a little closer and giving her a shoulder a squeeze.

From there, the two ended up at the department store once more. Quint let Sayori go in to retrieve the bag, not being able to get close enough, but he stayed within her line of sight. After she had grabbed it, he walked quickly with her to a different store and snagged a large bag and grabbed the first few shirts, jackets, pants, and under garments that he could see. On the way out, he did peek into the other departments as they walked by, and one in particular, (some kind of comic book/gothic/anime hybrid) caught his eye. Not wanting to waste too much more time in the mall, he walked near it and used his tentacles to extend the bag inside one isle that had clothing and in particular, and a few baseball style black hats, and shoved a few things down into the bag before moving on. One of the hats was brought to his waiting hands, where he removed the cardboard piece and gave the bill a nice curve before he pulled it down onto his head.

"That's better" he sighed, sounding very satisfied.

"I felt so naked walking around without a hat."

 

[Poprockz]

"Good. You make me so proud." Janet smiled as he got up to leave, her hand twitching as though she wanted to reach out to him one last time. This was the last time she would likely see him before she died, so she savored his presence until the door shut. She then sighed and hung her head a bit, waiting to be led to the great beyond. The room went dark, and the next thing she knew, her consciousness faded into a blissful sleep.

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

When Jesse wound down a bit, she closed her eyes and sighed, grateful for the support he had given her. He hadn't judged her or said anything to blame her for her own inability; he had just sat there and given her love and understanding. The hand upon her back was so tender, while his voice was so soft and reassuring. It helped to ease her pain and fear, the young woman knowing that she indeed was safe in those compassionate arms of his.

Her voice was calmer now, more tired and quiet. "I know why he did it... He wanted to teach me to be more aware of my surroundings, and that this sort of shit can happen in the blink of an eye without any warning, but it was just... It was just really scary Tommy. He came out of nowhere." Reaching up, she rubbed the remainder of her tears out of her eyes and sighed once more.

"I feel stuck. I'm basically the weakest one in the regimen, which is why they teach me separately. I can't even figure out what they want me to do, and I can't lay a single hit on Stanley even when it's obvious that it's kids play for him. I... sometimes wonder if maybe I'm not cut out for this. I want to get stronger so badly, but it feels like it's just not happening." It was then that she looked up at Tommy from her position against his chest. Her eyes had that same vulnerable look about them and her voice broke slightly as she asked, "Tommy, what am I supposed to do?"

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

As Cora explained her own side of things, it clicked for Damien that while she might know some of it, she hadn't been completely informed either. That made him feel a little less like an idiot, seeing as he wasn't the only one who was missing bits and pieces of information. They had only just reunited yesterday as well, so he thought to himself that at some point they should all have a sit-down and give their own recount of what had happened during their time apart. Perhaps there would be some useful information like Sabastian had just shared.

"Can't have weed, huh? Quint's gonna hate that... we'll have to load up the squirt guns with something foul to keep him from bitching constantly..."

That elicited a bit of a smirk from Sabastian. It was a shame that Quint couldn't smoke anymore, but he had to admit that the idea of squirting him every time he complained got Sabastian into better spirits. Upon being handed the water, he looked at it before realizing that Vin was actually super thirsty at the moment. The blonde smiled and undid the cap, holding the bottle up for Vin to take, though he did glance at Cora when she mentioned just trading stories with her brother.

"We should all talk about what happened when we have time, just so we're on the same page," Damien suggested, looking around at each of them until his eyes landed on Cora. "At least the parts we want to share." He gave her a soft smile, knowing that she probably didn't want to talk about every detail of her captivity. It would be a tall order to ask her to relive that even by just recounting it, so he didn't want her to feel like she had to.

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

The perfume in that one store Sabastian was in was awful, the strength of it making her eyes water as she darted in and out very quickly. If she was close to gagging, she could only imagine how bad it must be for the zombies. When they finally got to the department stores, she too grabbed some clothes for herself. While she also hurried, she already knew her own style and what would look good on her so quickly picked out a few things deliberately. That was what they were there for, after all. God, it would be so good to be out of the doll clothes.

The small woman curiously watched as his tentacle went into the shop as though it had a mind of its own. The milky-white thing seemed to be on the hunt for hats, Sayori appraising the ones he grabbed for only a second before they were deposited into the bag. It was kind of funny how relieved he looked to have his head covered by a crisp new hat, the expression on his face naturally making her smile.

"Yeah, I felt the same way about it. If I was a cop, I would have had to give you a citation for indecent exposure. And if you resisted arrest..." Sayori sighed in an exaggerated way, as though feeling pity for his rebellious soul. "I would have had to handcuff you and shove you into the back of my squad car." He was given a grin before she flicked the bill of his cap up a bit. "It's a good thing I'm not a cop."

 

[Drobabes]

"It was just really scary Tommy. He came out of nowhere."

"I know Jesse; it is. It's terrifying how quick someone can move."

The young man had underestimated how quickly Kuznet could move as well, despite having thought that he had seen the General in action.

"I... sometimes wonder if maybe I'm not cut out for this."

"What?" he said, surprise in his voice as he moved his face to look down at the top of her head.

"No Jesse, don't say that..."

"Tommy, what am I supposed to do?"

God that look crumbled him. She was so vulnerable in his arms and all he wanted to do was protect her, even knowing that he might not always be able to. With a small sigh, he reached up and petted her hair back from her face.

"You're not supposed to give up. Even if you don't join the squad, or accompany us on any missions, I don't want you to give up Jesse. We're...Well, we're vulnerable now. I want you to keep trying, even if you struggle to get it. I don't ever want you to feel so vulnerable again."

Tommy's grey blue eyes looked down into her own, searching her face for a moment before he bent down to give her a soft kiss on the lips, and then another on her cheek before he hugged her close and laid his chin down on her shoulder.

"Keep going Jesse," he said softly, his warm breath blowing against her neck.

"Just keep going until you know you've reached your limit, because I know you have more in you."
__________________

"We should all talk about what happened when we have time, just so we're on the same page,"

Delvin nodded, agreeing with the plan before he turned away and climbed into the back seat, sitting with his legs still outside of the door as he waited for everyone. When the water bottle was offered to him, he took it gratefully and downed the whole thing.

"At least the parts we want to share."

Cora had moved over out of Vin's way as she twisted the top off of her own bottle, taking a small sip before she answered.

"Yea, that sounds good."

She didn't know how much she really had to share, her own time in that house not having earned her any new information. However, she was curious to know what Quint had to say, especially concerning how he had kept them out of Kuznet's claws this whole time.

Her brows knitted a bit as her hazel eyes looked towards the mall, her gaze concerned as she drank her water.
_________________

"Yeah, I felt the same way about it. If I was a cop, I would have had to give you a citation for indecent exposure."

At first he had looked down at her curiously, not sure if she actually didn't like the way he looked without a hat on. Not that it really mattered, it was just a bit of a surprising statement, until she led into the joke and then he cracked a grin. Well, he started to at least.

"And if you resisted arrest..I would have had to handcuff you and shove you into the back of my squad car."

Something stirred down in his belly and he had to force the grin to stay on his lips a moment longer. The next second he was quite happy that she had reached up and messed with his hat, so that he had an excuse to reach up and adjust it back down, his hands hiding the fact that he needed to swallow to wet his mouth a little. The thought of any women handcuffing him and roughing him up a bit was enough to make his legs feel a little weak, though of course his guilt was riding right there behind his horny thoughts, biting at his heels and making him for awful for even having had the thought at all.

He let out an easy laugh and let his hands fall down, turning his face away from Bowie's curious tongue flicks that were tickling his cheek. He knew the snake was sensing the inner turmoil, but he didn't think that he could, nor did he want to, try and explain it to the serpent.

"Yea, it is a good thing you're not a cop..." he said, letting a pause hang in the air as he put his hands down into his pockets, his tentacle holding the bags behind him.

"You're way too cute to ever be taken seriously."

Quint's eyes looked down at her with mischief, a cheeky grin on his lips as he got ready to take off running away from her if she happened to get offended like he thought she might. Of course, his joke had been done as a good-natured jab, knowing full well that Sayori had risen above those unruly bangs and her short stature on many an occasion.

 

[Poprockz]

It made her heart flutter when Tommy said the part about not wanting her to feel vulnerable. The fact that he was thinking about how she felt, as well as wanting the best for her was very touching. He wasn't telling her to quit like her dad might, nor was he letting her self-doubt get the best of her. This was why she was with him- this. He had such a good heart, and he respected what was important to her. He knew that if she gave up, she would never be able to forgive herself, even if she did feel like a weakling at the moment.

She stared back into his eyes, leaning forward as though drawn to him by some unknown force until their lips met. His were so warm and comforting, those soft lips that only craved her own. Though when he pulled back (as she had no intention of doing so), the kiss to her cheek was equally sweet. It made her sigh, her shoulders starting to become less tense as the tension started to leave her body. Crying on one's own was helpful, but there was something about crying with someone and being truly heard that made her heart so much more free of fear and doubt.

"Keep going Jesse. Just keep going until you know you've reached your limit, because I know you have more in you."

"Thank you," she whispered, blinking back a few tears. These tears weren't the same though, more brought on by how moved she was from his support. How could someone so genuine exist in this world? It was all she could do for a moment to not break down once more, Jesse taking another breath to calm herself.

"What did I do to deserve such a good guy?" She chuckled slightly, snuggling against him in a more relaxed way. "It's like you somehow know what to say to make me feel better. I'm... sorry for blowing you off earlier. I just... was kind of wrapped up in my own stuff. " Reaching over, she took his hand in hers, interlocking their fingers and resting them against the man's leg as they sat together.

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

"Yeah, sure..." Sabastian answered absent-mindedly as he glanced over at Vin, watching him down that entire bottle of water. The way his throat bobbed as he gulped it all down made him look like a rugged actor in a beer commercial or something, and he couldn't help but let his eyes linger until he was able to finally pry them away at the sound of giggling in the distance.

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


The fact that he could have meant “cute” as attractive as well went right over head in light of how triggered she was from the word itself. For a moment she stared at him with a playfully offended look on her face, her mouth slightly open in surprise. Her eyebrow twitched slightly as her brain sputtered for a comeback. That was indeed one of her sore spots, being underestimated because of her short stature and youthful demeanor. She knew Quint was just teasing but she still couldn’t stifle the urge to correct that statement.

Closing her eyes and holding her hands up to gesture for emphasis, she said with a slight edge in her tone, “I’ll have you know that I, Sayori Nakamura, was once the proud owner and manager of a bar, mister. I’ve had to diffuse several fights and I can be pretty intimidating when I want to.” She turned her nose up slightly and peeked at him. Though it seemed as though the look in his eyes had only intensified as though he was teasingly saying that he didn't believe a word.

"You know what? Come here and I'll-" she had just huffed and reached for him when he sqeaked and darted forward, running away from her grasp. He looked like some kind of imp, giggling and high-tailing it out of there with his bag swinging comically behind him.

"Wha-Come back here, Quint! Qui~int! ... Quinton!" The woman gave chase, the sounds of their quick footsteps echoing through the mall.

There was something fun and exhilarating about chasing him, the woman unable to keep herself from letting out a little giggle as she turned a corner and continued after the man.

 

[Drobabes]

"What did I do to deserve such a good guy?"

He smiled and let out a little breathe against her skin, finding her comment amusing though he didn't quite know why. Perhaps it was just from the fact that he didn't understand what made him such a good guy, in comparison to someone else. It was all part of that naive innocence that was still largely who he was. Tommy had good friends, good family, and he had yet to see, besides the evil that the General displayed, how shitty some people could be on just a daily basis.

"It's like you somehow know what to say to make me feel better. I'm... sorry for blowing you off earlier. I just... was kind of wrapped up in my own stuff."

He pulled back and smiled at her, looking down at where their hands were clasped together as a bit of a sheepish grin formed on his face.

"I'm glad I could help. It's not as if I have a little handbook on 'What to Say When You're Girlfriend's Upset', heh, so I'm glad I don't fumble it too much..."

When he looked back up to her, it was if the confident soldier was melting away under her warmth, only to be replaced by that shy boy once more. Maybe it was partly the mood, too, the both of them sitting alone in a bit of a dark room, hidden away from the rest of the world for their own little moment of peace.

"And it's okay, after what just happened I don't blame you. I was coming to ask for your help with something, but it can wait for a better time."
___________________

It was similar to back in cells, where Quint's mind and spirit were constantly on the lookout for anything funny, anything uplifting, that could relieve from the stress of how hard life could be. When moments like this were so few and far between, and precious, then he simply had to latch onto them whenever he could and enjoy them for as long as possible because he never knew when the next one would come. If it may ever come again at all.

He was still jogging, only briefly glancing back over his shoulders (and getting a strange sense of deja vu), before he rounded the corner and saw the group staring at him like a puppy that had just tore up the house plant while they were away. His sisters eyes, especially, were scalding and he immediately clamped his mouth shut and put his head down just a bit.

"If I knew you were just going to dick around in there-"

"I wasn't Cory!"

"I would have gotten the cars started and pulled around."

A scowl formed on his face as he finished the walk over with a bit of a stomp in his step, pulling the bag around to his front.

"Just because I was laughing doesn't mean I was wasting time, Cora."

"Whatever, it's fine" she said grouchily, walking up to take the bag from him to put it in the trunk.

"Can you help with Vin's wounds so we can go-"

"It's fine, let's just go" Vin said, quickly interrupting her before she could finish. His tone wasn't angry, but there was definitely a nervous quality to it. With a bit of shock and concern on her face, she looked down at him and spoke softly.

"Delvin...you're really banged up. It won't take very long to at least clean that cut and-"

"No, it's fine" he said, interrupting her again as he brought his feet up inside the car and shut the door. The window had been rolled down slightly to help with the heat, so he looked over at her as he spoke.

"We can clean it on the road, let's just go okay?"

Cora wasn't sure what to do, looking over at Sabastian for a brief second with a bit of guilt, but ultimately just nodding. It wasn't like they couldn't stop if they needed to, but the way he was talking put a bit of a pit in her stomach.

"Yea. Alright, we can...do that."

While that little exchange happened, Quint stood there a bit awkwardly, not feeling familiar enough with him to argue that he take the medical treatment. He wasn't bleeding from any major cuts, and while he was banged up, he seemed okay enough for a minute. Why the guy was so against treating the cut though, Quint didn't know.

Putting his hands back into his pockets, he turned his torso a bit and looked down at Sayori.

"I want you to go with Cora and Sabastian. Me and the mutt are going to ride up front, in the Ferrari for a while."

He looked over at Cora then, and then over to Sabastian.

"There's somewhere I want to stop at, before we figure out where we're going to go. It's a place that has some good maps; the kinds of maps you don't usually find in a tourist shop."

Cora gave him a suspicious look, but otherwise didn't say anything. They were all going to have a good talk later and she would have plenty of time to ask questions then.

 

[Poprockz]

"I'm glad I could help. It's not as if I have a little handbook on 'What to Say When You're Girlfriend's Upset', heh, so I'm glad I don't fumble it too much..."

That got a little chuckle out of Jesse, the amused sound giving way to a warm smile. She could almost imagine Tommy flipping through such a book frantically, reading down a page as his lips mouthed the words silently. Though he might be a bit shy here and there, it didn't keep him from speaking earnestly from the heart, and that was where the "book" truly was. He just didn't know how good he was.

At the mention of getting her help, Jesse straightened up a bit and looked at him curiously. "No, now's as good a time as any if you need help. It can't just be you helping all the time, saving me from zombies, saving me from a mental breakdown... I think it'd be nice if I could do something for you for a change." She rubbed his thumb gently with her own. It was a bit amusing that his hands were slightly sweaty, but she really didn't care whether they were or not. It did kind of flatter her though. To think that he was still nervous and wanted to impress her made her feel important and desirable.

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

Though it wasn't particularly a surprise, Damien agreed with his lover's sentiments, doing his beset to keep a somewhat neutral look on his face when regarding Quint. One could still see that he disapproved though, his own eyebrows slightly pinched. How in the world was a man like this able to keep them safe for so many years? He seemed so temperamental, laughing and giggling as just another goofy guy one moment, and being serious and threatening the next. Was the giggling an act, or was the dangerous vibe more of a front? Were they both part of him equally? He didn't care to try to figure Quint out at the moment, but at the end of the day, he too felt slightly annoyed that they were fucking off in the mall rather than letting them get back onto the road.

Trailing not that far behind him, Sayori also soon came into view with a flushed, happy look on her face. Though that quickly changed when she realized that the vibe in the room wasn't the greatest. Clearing her throat, she looked away and caught her breath, her expression changing to one of slight embarrassment when she realized that they might have been holding up the group.

Sabastian didn't really care as much that Quint was fucking off. Rather, he was only a bit irritated that it meant he might have taken longer to get back and give Vin some of his goo. Speaking of which, to say he was shocked when Vin turned down the treatment was an understatement. He knew the muscled man wanted to get back on the road in a hurry, but he could have internal injuries for all they knew! The blonde had just opened his mouth to interject into the conversation when Vin shut the door and effectively shut down the conversation. He stared for a moment, not sure whether he was more concerned, pissed, or anxious.

He too glanced at Cora before looking back at him and seeing that look on his face. Vin needed to leave to feel safe enough to allow anything, so he figured he might just give in to Vin's wishes this time.

After letting out a resigned huff of frustration, Sabastian also nodded. "Sure."

Upon the mention of maps, Sabastian just looked at Quint as though it didn't mean anything to him, though his thoughts ruminating a bit. This was probably a base for people who were plotting against Kuznet, though it wasn't as though Quint could say as much. As they had previously discussed, Cora could never know for her own safety. "Yeah, whatever. But if something happens with Vin and he needs medical stuff, I'll give you a signal and you need to pull over." With that, he too walked around the car and plopped himself in the backseat, closing the door and crossing his arms.

"You better let me know if you end up being in pain..." he grumbled.

Outside the car, Damien had nodded leaning over to Cora and planting a kiss on her cheek before smiling and saying, "I'll see you when we pull over." He didn't want to be too affectionate with her in front of Quint, but he did at least want to show her a little warmth. He was honestly a bit nervous about the weed and about being alone with Quint, but he just had to remind himself that he just had to get through it, and that Cora would be on the other side of the tunnel, metaphorically speaking.

 

[Drobabes]

Tommy looked like he wanted to tell her no for a moment, his worry about her mental health being at the forefront of her mind. However, what he had in mind would help them both be better equipped in the longrun, so with a little noise in the back of his throat, he simply nodded.

"If you're sure you're okay..."

He gave her hand a little squeeze, almost feeling a flutter in his own chest though he tried to push it down. This was something that had been on his mind since he really understood that his hand was gone, and as far as he knew, he wasn't getting a good replacement for it.

"So, I can shoot with my right hand, but I'm a sniper first and foremost, and" he said, raising up the still wrapped stump of what was once his left hand.

"I used to pull the trigger the best with this hand. I don't think I can get my speed back to what it was with my right, and even if I could, it would still be difficult to hold the gun. So my idea was...heh, don't laugh at me, but you see...I want to use my feet..."

He looked away for a moment, a bit of a blush coming to his cheeks.

"I've seen people who are dexterous get good enough to damn near write with their toes. I've got the drive to practice, and the flexibility, but it's the time I worry about. I want to get back to what I was, as soon as possible."

Tommy looked down at her then, worried that she might think his idea was stupid.
_________________

"But if something happens with Vin and he needs medical stuff, I'll give you a signal and you need to pull over."

"Got it" he said, giving him a serious nod. Without access to a hospital, they would have to deal with things with what they had on hand, but also as quickly as they could. He wouldn't hesitate to pull over and get out to help get him stabilized.

Though he couldn't quite pick up what Sabastian was thinking, as it wasn't being projected out towards him, he figured he knew what he meant, although, likely not the details. Unfortunately, there would be no one else where they were going, and if anything serious did happen to Delvin, then they would likely have to double back and seek Laneesha's help to keep him alive. Quint planned on getting a hold of some old contacts as soon and Fran let him know where they were, but until then, they were on their own...

Delvin looked over at Sabastian when he got in the back seat with him, but instead of answering him right away, he gingerly reached out and pulled the little man next to his side. From there, he wrapped his arms around him and laid his head down on top of his, simply breathing in his scent for a moment before he was finally able to close his eyes and let out a sigh.

"I will Bastian, just...just let me breathe for a while. And then you can do what you need to do."

That soft kiss to her cheek instantly melted her foul mood, and she returned his smile with a tender gaze.

"I know" she said gently, as if there was no doubt.

Quint unsurprisingly made a sour face to Damien kissing his sister, but he kept his mouth shut for now, not wanting to hold everyone up any longer than he already had. Once Sayori and Cora we're loaded up in the car-Cora taking the drivers seat, he turned to Damien with a cold stare. Instead of saying anything, though, he simply reached up and started to unwind Bowie from around his chest as he made his way to the sporty car and deposited the large serpent in the small back seat. He didn't bother to look at Damien as he got in, waiting until he had gotten the top lifted on the car so as to keep the noise down. He then glanced at him briefly as he looked over his shoulder and out the rear window to back up, and once they were on the road, he took them down further past the mall and off the beaten path, so to say.

It was about a full two minutes before he finally looked over at the tall man sitting beside him, his eyes lingering for a long second with a neutral gaze before turning back to the road. Adjusting himself in his seat a bit, he sat up more and let out a small sigh.

"Alright, go ahead and start. If you're not sure where to start," he said calmly, making sure not to let his tone betray anything besides patience.

"Just pick something bad that happened to you and talk about it. It doesn't matter what it is, or when it happened."

 

[Poprockz]

"I'm sure," she said softly, giving him an encouraging smile. She had no idea what he wanted to talk about, but perhaps it had something to do with getting back in shape.

Jesse blinked at him in surprise once he had his plans out in the open. So he wanted to use his feet... to hold a gun and shoot it? Her expression turned a bit puzzled as she tried to imagine it, Tommy practically curled into a ball trying to shoot one of his sniper rifles. It was a bit of a funny image, but she could see he was serious and feeling a bit vulnerable about it, so she didn't allow herself to make a face or giggle. That would just hurt his pride and self esteem.

Instead, she carefully asked, "well... I have to admit that sounds a bit unorthodox, but I suppose it could work with training. My concern would be that you would have to have your shoes off, which would mean that you could easily hurt your feet if you needed to run away fast." She looked down at his feet, still in their shoes and wondered what his feet looked like. Come to think of it, she didn't think she had ever seen them. He had always either been wearing shoes or socks around her. Were his toes long enough to act as effective fingers?

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

Sabastian let his body be pulled over next to Vin, ending up nestled against the bear of the man with those large arms around him and a soft breath in his hair. He honestly couldn't blame him for being tired and just wanting a bit of comfort, so he sighed and relaxed, resting one of his hands on the man's thigh affectionately.

"Alright. Just know that I'm here and... that you can talk to me whenever it's the right time." He wasn't sure if it would ever be the right time per se, as Vin seemed to keep these kinds of things closer to the vest, but he wanted the offer to be on the table without expectation or pressure. Being forced to eat human meat among other things was really traumatic, so he could definitely empathize with his possible feelings of shame and self-loathing.

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

Sayori also tried not to make a face, but ended up doing so anyway. It was a bit of a side-eyed look, indicating that she was still largely suspicious of him and his "sweet" actions. However, she didn't say anything, simply getting in the passenger seat and buckling up her seatbelt.

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

The tension between the two men was palpable. It was obvious from the silence and the looks he was getting that Quint likely resented the fact that he had to spend time with Damien. Even though Quint was the one who had proposed these therapy sessions, it didn't mean that he wanted to be around Damien, nor did he like that they had to have such an intimate chat. If it was up to both of their personal desires, they would be riding in separate cars as per normal.

He certainly wasn't going to break the silence if he didn't have to, the grey-eyed man simply looking out the window as they went. Perhaps Quint would wait a while and then forget- that would be nice.

"Alright, go ahead and start. If you're not sure where to start. Just pick something bad that happened to you and talk about it. It doesn't matter what it is, or when it happened."

Damien simply looked at Quint with a neutral expression before looking forward in the car, silence ensuing. What was a good thing to talk about? He wasn't sure. There were so many bad things he could choose from that It actually took him a thoughtful minute to be able to find something that might work. Quint wanted bad memories that he could analyze, so why not give him one of the worse ones? After all, it would be a good test to see if Quint was truly intent on keeping these chats to themselves, and whether he would help Damien even after hearing what he had to say.

"I can snap a man's neck, killing them on the spot. Of course I can't really do that now with how my arms are, but I've been able to do this since I was in my teens." He paused, glancing at Quint before looking away once more. "My father... was not a good man. He was usually gone most of the time, but he would come home on weekends, or a couple days here and there since he traveled a lot."

"One night, he found me in one of the maid's closets. I wasn't doing anything weird in there, I just thought it was a place he wouldn't think to look. Even if he thought I was there, I didn't think he would enter her room. I was unfortunately wrong." Damien pursed his lips, a look in his eyes as though he was recounting the memory.

"He took me down into the basement and there was someone sitting in a chair. There was a bag on their head, and I couldn't see their face. I... never ended up seeing their face. Sometimes I wonder who it was. I'm not sure if would have mattered though..." His voice drifted off quietly, the man feeling his stomach clench. This was more difficult to talk about than he had thought. Perhaps he hadn't repressed all the feelings he had at the time- maybe they were locked within the memory itself.

 

[Drobabes]

He almost breathed a sigh of relief when she didn't shoot him down, but at her concerns, he started to get a bit excited.

"Right, I thought of that too, so I talked to Zac and he said we have some of those barefoot shoes. I'm not sure if you've seen them, but they're like the rubber version of those toe socks."

Sitting back a bit away from her, he pushed his legs out straight and then bent down forward over them, almost looking as if he was trying to stretch. And while he definitely did get a good stretch in, he only did it for a brief few seconds to show her that he was a lot more flexible than most people were.

"I can bend like that a lot" he said, huffing just a little as he sat back up.

"And I'll still have the use of my other hand to aid in holding the gun. But think about it Jesse, if I can get this down, I might be able to actually basically gain an extra hand, if I can get control of both my feet. So not only could I get my speed back, I might be better at close combat than I was before."
__________________________

Vin had nodded in agreement before sitting back for the ride, letting his eyes close as Cora took them down the road.
__________________________

There was an equal chance that Damien was lying, or trying to intimidate Quint, with the first thing he had decided to tell him, but neither of those options mattered at the moment. It was a waste of Quint's energy to question the motives behind the words, as the truth would come out eventually, and the blue eyed man would deal with it then. For now, his only job was to treat this as what he had originally stated-therapy. Not for Damien, really, and not for himself, but for Cora. At a bare minimum, if nothing came of this and Damien really could not be rehabbed, Quint would at the very least understand his enemy enough to outwit him.

The glance over was met with a neutral gaze and a little nod, as if to say, "keep going". His posture remained somewhat relaxed, not clenching the steering wheel or giving Damien any sideways looks. He had seen necks broken before; not often, but enough to understand what it took to do it and how difficult it actually was to do it right. If it wasn't implemented with the right amount of force and at the right angle, then the result was often similar to a...well, it twisted his gut to think of it, but if anyone had ever ran over a squirrel in their life and looked in the rear view mirror, then they might understand the imagery of someone falling to the ground and clenching at their neck with clawed hands while their body kicked or twisted wildly from a state of shock and pain. It also happened on occasion when a gun shot went wrong.

"He took me down into the basement and there was someone sitting in a chair...Sometimes I wonder who it was. I'm not sure if would have mattered though..."

He let the silence sit for a moment, giving Damien the opportunity to continue. When it seemed as if he couldn't, or wouldn't, then he decided to speak.

"What was expected of you?"

Most therapy he had been in, the therapists had often asked him things such as, "and then what happened?", "do you need a break?", or, "we can come back to that", but unlike most therapists, Quint knew this wasn't a "go on" type of moment. He had lived with a man who had forced him to do heinous things, and he knew that if he was taken somewhere, something was expected of him. He was aware that this could all be a cleverly fabricated lie, possibly based off of Cora maybe oversharing and giving him ideas to earn fabricated sympathy, but as stated before, Quint didn't have the time to waist on that. It was either true or a lie, and if the truth was merely mixed up in the lie, then the same goal would still need to be reached.

 

[Poprockz]

It was kind of adorable how excited Tommy got when going talking about his new idea. No, scratch that. It was absolutely too adorable. Jesse couldn't help but get a very affectionate smile, watching him stretch and contort a bit. She had to admit, he was pretty flexible. Even though she was in good, she didn't think she could get into the position he was in by a long shot. It made her think that maybe there was a possibility that it might actually work. That would be interesting, Tommy running around, sniping and fighting with his feet.

Jesse chuckled and rested her elbows on her knees, letting her chin rest on her hands. "You are super flexible. That looked almost like a Kama Sutra pose or something. That's yoga, right?" She had heard people talking about it before and remarking about how flexible it made them, so it had to be some kind of yoga routine, she figured, having not bothered to look it up.

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

"What was expected of you?"

It seemed as though that small cue to continue allowed him to gather his thoughts a bit, the man nodding.

"My father told me in no uncertain terms that my job that night, was to snap the man's neck. I didn't want to of course, but he said that if I didn't, then the man would be made to suffer something much worse. He promised that he would wish that I had given him that way out." Damien tried to breathe evenly, but it was becoming a bit difficult, his heart rate starting to pick up a bit as his mind touched upon the scene of his past. Despite this, his voice remained fairly even as he continued. He wasn't sure why he was trying to act calm, but perhaps it was that he didn't want Quint to think he was weak, or that he was trying to garner sympathy.

"So... I asked my dad how to do it. He explained it to me, but of course theory and practice are two different things. I went up to him and..." Damien paused and it seemed as though he was struggling to continue, the words simply not wanting to come out. It was as though by speaking them, all the pain from that night would come flooding back to him, and he wasn't sure if he was prepared or not. His mouth was so dry, so he had to wet his mouth several times before he was able speak.

"I tried to snap his neck. I put my hands on either side of his head, and I yanked to the side hard. He... he screamed. He screamed and screamed and... screamed." His voice broke and he had to clear his throat, unwilling to meet Quint's eye at this point. "My Dad just looked at me with disappointment and left, locking me in for the night. I begged him to let me out, to make it stop, but he didn't let me out until the next day. The screaming never stopped, and I was too much of a coward to try again."

A shaky hand went up to comb through his hair before going restlessly back to his leg. "This happened several times until I was able to do it right. After a while, the screams didn't sound like screams anymore, they just sounded like... nothing." There was a bit of a haunted look in Damien's misty eyes, as though he could hear it at that moment. Sometimes it was shrill, sometimes it was more like a bellow or a wail, but it all eventually faded into the background. He wasn't sure at what point it happened, but it started not to bother him as much, little by little, as though a wall was being put up in his mind to keep him safe.

"And that's it," he finished quickly, "that's one of my more painful memories." He thought that it would be a good place to stop, and only hoped that Quint didn't have any questions. Damien was trying very hard to keep it together, blinking in order to keep from outright crying. It had been fine when he was with Cora, but here, he didn't feel comfortable letting Quint see that side of him. A tear started down his right cheek, so he quickly wiped it away as though it was never there.

 

[Drobabes]

"That's yoga, right?"

"What? Oh, yea...I think."

Whatever he had been thinking of telling her next seemed to slip away as the little lady came over and leaned herself down onto his legs like that. She wasn't aware of it, it seemed, but from this position he had a perfect view right down her tank top, and the way her hair looked almost disheveled, was distracting him something fierce. Oh man, how was he going to get any training in when she looked that good?!

"Um...so, uh, what do you think?"
_____________________________

"I didn't want to of course, but he said that if I didn't, then the man would be made to suffer something much worse."

...If you don't do it to her Quinton, then I will...

He blinked and pushed it down, taking one hand off of the steering wheel to scratch his knee. This wasn't the time for his own traumas to be rearing their ugly head; he had a job to do. Still, despite knowing that, and despite knowing full well that Damien could be pulling his strings, his string was pulled nonetheless.

Quiet. Keep it to yourself. Watch your body language.

"This happened several times until I was able to do it right. After a while, the screams didn't sound like screams anymore, they just sounded like... nothing."

That was likely shock or dissociation, though Quint didn't say it out loud. Instead he remained stoic, simply glancing over whenever Damien would move. The shaky hand and tear actually surprised him. While not impossible to fake that, or redirect it from some other source of guilt or shame, it was very difficult to accomplish...very difficult. He made a mental note of it.

Bowie, come up here and get in his lap.

He waited until the serpent had climbed up from the back seat and curled over Damien's legs, finally coming to rest with his head laying over the man's shoulder. It was still a little unnerving to see the large bulge in his stomach, but Quint figured he would get over that quick enough. Now came his job, the job of trying to guide and work him back from the edge a bit.

"You mentioned he was usually gone; when he was gone, did you have any moments of peace?"

 

[Poprockz]

"I think it's a good idea in theory, but I would be cautious about your expectations, you know? It's going to be hard to work with your feet, so it might be a bit frustrating at first." By the end of her sentence, she noticed that his gaze wasn't being directed at her face, but rather a bit lower. That and the fact that he looked a bit flushed led her to believe that he was probably looking down her shirt... not that she minded. In fact, she liked the idea of him getting a bit of a peek at her boobs.

"Maybe I could help a bit. I could give you a foot massage or something to get you loosened up. I'm pretty good with my hands, you know." He was given a bit of a flirty half-smile, the girl ever-so-slightly squeezing her elbows slightly inward to make the crease of her boobs more noticeable.

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

In the brief silence that had followed his speech, he had been lost in his own thoughts. He wanted Cora to be there, to hold him like she had done when he had told her about Toby. She was the person he could go to when his feelings became too much for him to handle, but she wasn't there right now. That made him feel so alone, sitting in a car with someone who hated him while his lover felt so far away. Part of it made him feel somewhat ashamed of it, that childish need for her to be there and make everything okay. It felt like he shouldn't need someone else in order to get a handle on himself. The fact remained though that he felt an almost suffocating need for her comfort.

The next thing he knew though, he felt a comforting weight on his lap and he looked down to find that it was Bowie. He wasn't sure the degree to which Bowie understood the conversation, but it seemed the snake had sensed his distress in his tone and perhaps his body language. That was... rather touching, that the snake would seek him out in order to see if he was okay. Those glistening, unblinking eyes seemed to have an understanding gaze that was soft and bereft of judgement.

He supposed it didn't matter whether the snake understood or not. What mattered was that somewhere in that small snake heart of his, he cared about Damien in whatever capacity the snake could. With a small smile, he reached up and stroked those smooth scales, so very grateful for the physical comfort Bowie was providing. He felt a bit like a child finding comfort in a teddy bear, but it wasn't as though Quint could fault him for having affection for the snake.

"You mentioned he was usually gone; when he was gone, did you have any moments of peace?"

Ah, so it wasn't over. Damien pursed his lips and let out a heavy sight. He didn't want to keep talking, but it seemed that Quint wasn't done with him yet. At that point, it was just better to get it over with.

"I don't... Cooking. I think I had moments of peace when I cooked, or maybe also when I worked out. Otherwise, I can't think of any at the moment. I didn't really have friends, and the staff at the manor largely avoided me because of my mother. Other than that, my schedule was largely occupied by schoolwork, other areas of study, or familial obligations." He recalled that his times cooking were often the most rewarding times. To see what he had made with his own hands, to taste it and know that he had done something good had been a good feeling. It was one of the few things that hadn't been taken from him.

 

[Drobabes]

"Right, it probably will be..." he said, trying to be polite and not stare. Well, stare where he wasn't supposed to be staring, anyway. His mother had always told him to be a respectable boy. Look a lady in the eyes when he was speaking with her, and don't act like a dog. Of course, the minute she had walked away, his sister was quick to whisper, with a devilish grin, that he was going to have a real hard time with that when those pretty girls gave him a smile. She was right.

"Maybe I could help a bit...I'm pretty good with my hands, you know."

His big blue eyes had widened a bit and he had to swallow hard before he could respond, the memory of their last little romp in the hospital room making the blood pulse hard in his veins and...down further.

"Oh I remember" he said on a heavy breathe, his eyes inevitably having been compelled to move lower once more, drawn to the allure of her soft skin and cleavage. He wanted so bad to touch her, to forget all about whatever the hell they were talking about two seconds ago, and just pull her body on top of his. With another hard swallow, his eyes moved up to meet hers, his look smoldering and full of want for the little rocker.

"Jesse..." he whispered, leaning forward slowly, his eyes moving down to her soft pink lips.
____________________

Quint didn't bother a glance when the tall man sighed, simply acting as if it hadn't even happened. He could take a few guesses as to why Damien had let out the long breath, but it was just too damn bad for him. They had only been talking for a few minutes, maybe fifteen at most, when most therapy sessions lasted anywhere from half an hour to a good hour and a half if it was needed. He needed to keep going for a bit longer, and he needed to get used to it being more than just a few minutes of recanting some old memories. Being able to reflect was all well and good, but the hard work would come in finding the flaws of the way the mind could twist and poison a persons actions going forward. Damien was obviously already fouled, likely seeing no harm in the actions he took against people, or not caring even if he understood, so Quint had to find a way to not only give him different tools to change his way of thinking, but also make him care enough to use those tools. Of course, he had no idea that most of the hardwork on his part was already done, the zombie man not knowing of the love and support that had already begun to heal Damien, or the earth shattering realization that the tape had shown to him. If he had known of it, if he had seen the look on Damien's face when it had happened, it may have changed things a bit.

Seeing a little donut shop called 'Twisted Sensations', Quint slowed the car a bit and turned the left blinker on to let Cora know that he would be turning at the next stop. It was really only ingrained habit that he slowed down for the sign, the remaining symbol of humanities's society. He had seen it when they were being tossed up into the air, and what he estimated was three or four miles beyond it, his real destination, so he had made it his landmark to let him know when he needed to turn. As he did so, he gave Damien a bit of a break to collect himself, not saying another word for at least another block until they had to slow down to a crawl to get around a small crash in the road. He took his time, not wanting to damage the car or get them stuck in any debris, and feeling confident that there were no zombies nearby. When they were just about around it, Quint cleared his throat a bit, and gave Damien a brief glance.

"Why cooking? You lived in a mansion, right? Why not just have someone else cook for you?"

His tone was lacking in emotion or accusation, seemingly just genuinely asking the question from curiosity, or to further the conversation without taking it down anything too dark again. And while that was partly true, Quint was also doing a bit of prodding to see if anything smelled fishy. After all, why wouldn't Damien just let someone else cook for him? He had taken women and used them for his own pleasure with no regard to what they wanted, so it went to say that he likely wasn't the type to get his own hands dirty when he could easily have someone else do the work for him. Or, on the other hand, it could also reveal something about his personality.

Kuznet had liked things to be clean. Immaculate. Perfect. Flaws were not tolerated, so more often than not, when he was in his own home, he wanted complete control over the show. Quint himself was a pretty above average cook partly because when he was allowed in the kitchen, it was more often than not because Kuznet wanted to stand over him and make him work, and learn how the big bastard wanted things done.

Lessons. Lessons and lessons, and lessons. In comparison to everything else that was done to them it was very tame, but it was still stressful. Still...Quint ended up 'volunteering' for it more often than not. Not only did it give him the opportunity to put a bit of love, a bit of humanity, into the cooking, but it gave him a chance to learn more than just the recipes.

Keep your friends close, your enemies closer, and the psycho where you could study him.

 

[Poprockz]

Maybe it was the stress of what had happened earlier, or the frustrations she had been made to deal lately. Whatever it was, it made her just want to let loose a bit. He had supported her and heard her out, being there for her when she needed him most, and that made her feel super connected to him. She wanted to be closer to him, close enough to feel the heat of his breath in her mouth, and the softness of his hand as it explored with curiosity. Of course, Jesse had planned on making a big event of his first time, but sometimes the moment was simply right. She decided to herself that if that's where things were going at the moment, she wouldn't mind that at all.

In fact, the thought made her pulse race and she could feel a bit of heat between her legs for the handsome soldier. As he drew nearer to her lips, she too leaned in to get a taste of him. However, right before she was close to him, she hesitated and slowly tilted her head down. Her cheeks went slightly pink as she realized that she probably had a bit of a sweaty smell, having just worked out. She hadn't showered yet, so he might end up being a bit turned off once their clothes came off, if that happened.

"I was sparring earlier and I didn't get a shower yet. I... probably don't smell all that great." Jesse felt a tad embarrassed to admit it, the girl feeling a bit awkward about saying it out loud.

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

Damien, focused as he was on petting Bowie and getting his own emotions in check, didn't question where they were going, trusting Quint to get them to the map shop he mentioned earlier, though he too wondered how he came to know about it.

Upon hearing his question, Damien shrugged and immediately regretted it. The man winced, having forgotten that his arm wasn't in the best shape to be moving for even commonplace gestures.

"MM. Oh, well chicken, asparagus, pickled beats, and mashed potatoes. That was the meal the staff was instructed to make for me if I was hungry. It didn't matter if it was breakfast, a holiday, my birthday... it was always that same meal cooked exactly the same way. Granted, if someone were to come to the dinner table and sit in on dinner, they would have been able to vouch for the quality of the meal, but... eating the same thing over and over wasn't something I wanted to do. None of the staff were able to go against my mother's orders, so they weren't going to be willing to accommodate me even if I asked. She wasn't someone you wanted to cross, and she was very invested in most aspects of my life... as well as Sabastian's for that matter." The man glanced in the rearview mirror, looking at the car behind them.

"So, I ended up going to the kitchen and making my food myself." He smiled slightly, remembering the first time he had gone in there, and the shocked looks on the chefs' faces. They simply avoided him and let him do what he wanted, not giving him a helping hand either. Still, it had allowed him to grow and get a new skill, a hobby that he loved. For once, it had been a good thing that they didn't want to involve themselves in his actions.

"When my mother found out, she thought it was hilarious. I thought she might stop me, but she ended up allowing me to continue. She always used to joke about how picky I was, and how I must really have been born with a silver spoon in my mouth." He pursed his lips, a sour look on his face. While it was true that there were some things about the wealthy life that he took for granted, he hadn't been able to enjoy all the benefits like most assumed he would.

 

[Drobabes]

He had closed his eyes, his own heart racing right along with hers from the close proximity, so it took him a few seconds to realize she had turned her face down. Opening them slowly, he looked down at her with a bit of concern, but also longing. His nose lingered near her cheek, almost begging for her to turn back and kiss him, though what she had to say made him chuckle softly.

"I understand" he said softly, and in turn, he could almost feel his dick and balls plotting their revenge on his damn good boy nature.

"Do you..." he leaned in a bit closer, unable to help himself, and kissed the corner of her mouth...her soft cheek...god, she was so soft.

"..mm, want to go shower, and come back here?" he breathed, his breath smelling of cinnamon.
___________________

"That was the meal the staff was instructed to make for me if I was hungry. It didn't matter if it was breakfast, a holiday, my birthday... it was always that same meal cooked exactly the same way."

Quint's face scrunched up a bit and he actually did look over at Damien that time, a bit of disgusted shock in his eyes before he turned back to the road. He didn't say anything right away, instead allowing Damien to continue, looking over at him again when he heard the shift in his tone as he talked about his mother, and catching the look on his face. Once more he was reminded of the fight with Cora last night, and while it had shocked him very badly at the time, he still wasn't sure if he could believe that. He needed to meet up with Francisco, ask him what he had found on Damien's family...

"Jesus" he said, showing the first hint of any emotion, though whether the disgust was geared towards his mothers cruelty, or the crime against food, was unclear.

"How long did you have to eat that?"

Damien looked pretty healthy for only having one kind of meal, so it was another subtle poke. Was it weeks? Months? Years? If it was closer to years, then he would have to go digging for more information. Was that diet rounded enough to not cause serious harm? And from Damien, he would have to find out if he had been given vitamin gummies or something.

Seeing as they had cleared the wreckage, and Cora was now close behind them once more, he took another turn and got on a straighter path that began to lead them towards the edge of town and towards a dirty looking river. Off in the distance, structures began to quickly come into view.



Large metal towers and structures, and with something that almost looked like it was meant to hold water, though it was difficult to tell from the distance. Soon enough they were close enough to read the sign out front, saying 'PGE and Electric'. Quint was apparently taking them to a power plant, though it didn't look nuclear in nature

 

[Poprockz]

In truth, she didn't want to move from that spot. What she would rather do was simply throw herself at him until they were a tangled, panting mess. However, his response gave her a bit of pause. It was possible he was just being considerate of her concerns, but at the same time it was also possible that he was suggesting it because it was a preference of his that she be clean. He hadn't tried to convince her to stay, so she couldn't help the underlying worry that perhaps he thought it would be better if she washed herself off first.

It was probably better that way, seeing as though even if he had encouraged her to stay, she might still feel self-conscious about her body. If he was going to be touching and seeing everything for the first time... she wanted it to be in the best condition.

That little kiss almost broke her resolve, but she held fast, pulling away and giving him a look of frustrated lust before sighing and smiling. "Yeah. I think I should wash up first. You stay here, and I'll be back in like fifteen minutes, tops!" With that, she swooped in and kissed his cheek before hopping up, giving him one last lingering look before literally running out the door. Her eyes looked as though they had been promising him something very worthwhile, should he be good and stay in that spot.

....

To say Jesse ran to the showers quickly was an understatement. She basically sprinted to them, threw off her clothes, and did her best to get in a quick shower. Despite her need for speed she was thorough, making sure that she was clean all over, especially in her sweatier zones. All the while, her heart beat quickly as she fantasized about what they might do when she got back. Was he going to take the lead, or would she show him the ropes? Would he cum super fast like a lot of new guys did, or was he going to be able to hold back at all?

Those thoughts only got her more moist, the Luke-warm water of the shower tantalizing her body as the rivulets ran down the curves of her body.

When she was done with the shower, she put on the lingerie she had been saving for just this occasion. At the very least, if they weren't going to do it like she planned, she wanted him to be able to see her in something sexy. A little dab of perfume was also put onto her neck and wrists in the hopes that the smell would make things a bit more erotic. Once that was done, she put on her normal military clothes over them, so no one would suspect a thing. By the grace of some higher power, no one stopped her or crossed her path on the way back to him. If there was something worse than having to leave him there for an indefinite amount of time, she couldn't think of it at the moment.

Finally, the door opened once more and there was a slightly out-of-breath Jesse. Her cheeks were flushed with excitement, the woman closing and locking the door behind her before turning back to face him.

"I didn't take too long, did I?"

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

That little exclamation fo Quint's surprised him a bit, Damien looking at him almost as though to check that he had heard right. There was no way that Quint actually sympathized with him, but he was very convincing at making it sound like he did. Perhaps that's what made him a good therapy figure- the ability to act as though he was impartial to what Damien was saying, presenting himself even as a reliable confidante.

"Hm... Oh, it wasn't that bad, it only lasted for about six months before I started cooking for myself. As a kid, they had fed me normally, but around the time when-" he had seemed as though he was about to say something before his speech halted. He was talking to Quint, here, not Cora, so he really didn't want to go into Toby's story at the moment. He didn't think he could handle that memory on top of the one he had already shared. So, the man quickly corrected the direction of his sentence before going on, "when I was about nine or ten, my mother wasn't feeling particularly charitable toward me."

After the incident with Toby, his mother had been cold to him for a while. Even though he had done as they asked, it was as though her jealousy and discontent hadn't been sated with that resolution alone. It was as though she wanted to hammer home that he shouldn't dare try to form connections with those she didn't deem worthy.

He decided to leave it at that, looking out the window and squinting slightly. Didn't Cora's brother say they were going to a map store? They looked to be going toward a power plant of some sort, and he very much doubted that there was a store of any kind around, so he was clueless as to what Quint was actually doing.

 

[Drobabes]

That look that she had given him before running out the door had left him feeling lightheaded. The blood was already having a hard enough time competing for where it had to be, so when she shot him such an enticing little smile, he almost saw dark spots in his vision. It even took him almost a full minute to recover, but when he did, he suddenly jumped up off the ground and started pacing.

She was coming back up here. She was coming back up here, after she showered. Fuck!

Fuck in the good way, but also, fuck, FUCK, in the bad way as well. He had never had sex before! Of course, she knew that, but still? What if he came too fast? God, he had barely held on when she had gotten him to come in the hospital room, but now this was...oh man, this was so different. What if they went all the way, right now... Did he even have any condemns?

He had been looking down at the ground, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand, but when that thought crossed him mind, he froze and went as white as a ghost. Not a second later, both of his limbs flew towards his pocket, forgetting all together that he only had one hand now, and made his mad searching all the more frustrating. When he started coming up empty, he became even more panicked, almost whining with his need to find one, just one.

And then it happened. By some fucking miracle, he reached into the furthest part of his pants pocket, almost touching his still hard dick through the soft cloth, and felt something poke his finger. When he gripped it and pulled it out, he actually discovered that it was a folded envelope. Opening it, he found four condemns and a note, reading,

"I knew you were going to forget you airhead. Don't worry, I won't tell Kyle."

-Zac

"Ah! Hah!" he breathed, actually clutching at his chest with relief.

"God, damnit I owe you, you big lop."

...

When Jesse came in the door, she would find Tommy sitting on the bed, looking almost like he had just got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. His jacket was taken off and folded, set on the end of the bed, along with his army hat which was placed neatly on top. Underneath, he was wearing a khaki T-shirt that accentuated the tight, army built muscles on his arms and chest, and his shorter, neatly cut black hair.

His light blue eyes went up to meet her own, and all that nervousness he had been feeling seemed to melt away. Getting up off the bed, he came to her and gave her a very affectionate smile as he reached up to cup her face and bend down, speaking softly.

"No, you didn't. But even if you had, I wouldn't have minded."

Those soft lips were so alluring, pulling his own down until they were meeting once more. He took his time kissing her, wanting to do this right, even if his heart was pounding and racing, spurring him on to just go for it.
______________

He was already fully listening as Damien spoke more on the matter, but when he seemed to stop and correct his speech, Quint payed a little more attention. It was a cue Quint had been looking for, though the shift to his mother not feeling charitable with him was not what he had been expecting to hear. Not that it was surprising, it just didn't fit into the narrative of Damien being a lying, manipulative, rapist piece of shit.

So around nine or ten? The age of a small boy. A boy who had had to make a choice...

"Unless you want to continue, I think that's enough for today."

His voice was still neutral, but something about it made Bowie lift his little head up off of Damien's shoulder and look over at Quint. The reptile then bent his head towards the zombie man, his tongue flicking out in quick, rapid, movement's. When it was close enough to tickle, Quint ended up reaching up to gently push the snakes head away.

"Don't do that while I'm driving Bowie" he said gently, turning his gaze right as the road took a turn, and soon they were in front of a locked gate. He pulled up close and put it in park, and then put the top down before taking the keys out of the ignition and getting out. Not a few seconds later, Cora pulled the car up behind them and put it in park as well.

She got out, her hazel eyes immediately going to Damien and scanning him quickly before she looked at the gates.

"I thought you said we were getting a map?"

"We are."

"Quint for once can you just explain what you're doing? You're going to have to start bringing me into the loop."

Cora gave him a bit of a grouchy look, crossing her arms over her chest and popping her hip out to the side just slightly.

"God, fiine."

He rolled his eyes as he started to turn away from her and back to the Ferrari, which made Cora squint her own in anger, and he pulled the map that Laneesha had given him out of the center console. Once it was in his hands, he began to open it up and walk over to her, stopping to stand by her side.

"Alright, look, you see how this map shows all the roads in town, and some of the major shops on this more localized section?"

"Uh-huh."

"And then you move up here where it expands a bit, and you start getting the landmarks for the roads, the highway, the towns in between, etc."

"Right."

"Well this map," he says, giving it a tap with the back of his fingers.

"Doesn't show you every road."

"What do you mean?" she asks, looking up into his eyes.

"It has to show you every road, it's this towns and the county map."

"Mm-mm, no. It has to you show you every city road. What it doesn't have to show you, is every, single, road, whether residential or otherwise, that has powerlines on it. Every, single, backroad Cory."

He paused then, waiting for it to sink in for her.

 

[Poprockz]

His words were very sweet, just as sweet as those lips of his. Jesse kissed him back softly, thinking to herself that he was actually fairly decent at kissing at this point. Tommy seemed to be a quick study, taking in information and applying it with ease. Though to be fair, even if his kisses were awkward, she would have still enjoyed them. Either way, his mouth moved with an earnestness and a need to convey his feelings for her. It made he feel a bit breathless, her heart feeling like it was going to beat out of her chest.

Jesse had been waiting for this moment ever since she had given him a hand-job, as she thought that was the turning point at which their relationship got more serious. It wasn't necessarily the hand job itself, but the argument they had resolved before it. It had reinforced for her all the things that made her want to be with him, and she had decided that she really did want this to be a long-term relationship with her wholesome soldier.

While they kissed, she let her hands wander, sliding from his shoulders, down to his hips, her hands then holding him gently. Her body was curved slightly so she could be pressed up against him, the young woman able to feel his boner through his pants. It didn't surprise her that he was already hard. After all, in high school most of her boyfriends would get boners even at school dances when they slow danced. Instead of drawing away from it though, she continued to let her body rest against his, as though letting him know that she wasn't going to shy away from what was to come.

"Mm..." Slowly but surely, she started backing him up toward the bed, guiding them to the place where Tommy would finally get a taste of what it was like to be inside her.

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

"Thank you, I think that's all for now," Damien replied, sighing and nodding with relief. It was good that it was all over. All in all, the session hadn't been as bad as he had been expecting. Not to say it was fun, but Quint hadn't brow-beat him, nor had he cut into Damien with any sharp words. He had been braced for something like that, expecting it with almost certainty. Maybe Quint did have at least an ounce of self control.

When he felt the weight lifted from his shoulder, he watched curiously as Bowie leaned over to Quint, his little tongue flicking at him. It almost looked like the snake was trying to tickle him. No, upon further observation, the snake was trying to tickle him. Seeing that scene of Bowie sneaking up to tongue-tickle Quint made Damien smile with affection, it just being such a wholesome and adorable scene. Though when Quint pushed Bowie away, it almost looked as though the snake was pouting, it's tongue flicking slowly up and down as it stared at Quint for a moment. This prompted a little amused, "Pf." from Damien before he could help himself, though immediately after he was looking out the window as if it hadn't happened.
....

After they arrived, Damien got out and wished he could stretch. That felt like it would be a nice thing to do, but alas. His arms were still not in working orders. On the bright side, he saw Cora getting out of the other car and smiled when their eyes met. He imagined she might be concerned that her brother had abused him in there, but against all odds he had come out of that no worse for wear.

The blonde had fallen asleep against Vin's side, lulled into slumber by the smoothness with which Cora drove. He had to admit that the woman could handle a car like she was born in a carseat. Meanwhile, Sayori simply rolled down her window, leaning on it and listening in on the conversation.

Quint's explanation didn't really make all that much sense to Damien, but he thought to himself that he could possibly have driven them there in order to fill out the map in its entirety. All the power lines would be coming from the power plant, so it would be a logical train of thought to start at the powerplant to get a handle on what the surrounding roads looked like. He didn't say any of this though, deciding to keep to himself. The man merely looked at Quint, knowing that he would probably be mocked if he spoke up, and that Quint was going to reveal his thoughts eventually in any case.