Event | Turtle Dive | January 20 - 23 | Underwater zombies crave your briiiiiines

[ironwood]

Characters: Any and all PCs
Date: January 20th - 23rd
Location: All Sectors
Situation: Tu Vishan continues swimming along the ocean floor after his monumental dive, but it turns out there are a whole bunch of undead that want in on the party!
Warnings/Rating: Underwater situations, violence, potential gore; to be updated as noted.

>See the comments of this post for various situations and areas available for tagging.
>Each header will be set for a date and/or area.
>Feel free to start your own header for specific situations.
>The Palace subplot will be run in a separate log.
>Refer to the two OOC posts for further details. 01 | 02

Comments

[depicted]

[Dorian smiles then, and it is that perfect Prince Charming smile, the one Oscar described as full of all the frankness and passionate purity of youth.] In the very flesh. Now, care to accompany me to the bonfires? I hate walking through a Gothic fiction without any armaments.

[Dorian thinks he recognizes the voice, but he can't be certain. Might as well keep the costumed hero around to ascertain it.]

[usavatar]

[It's alarming to be the focus of that smile. Steve's forgotten at the moment - preoccupied as he is by other things - that the last time they met, he was wearing a mask. He drags a hand across his forehead, leaving a streak of dirt and probably other nastier things.] Mr. Gray, I don't think - even if you heal from the bite, these things could still hurt you.

[A pack of them could tear the man to pieces, and Steve isn't about to let that happen if he can convince Dorian to get somewhere safe.] There are barricades, and the palace is temporarily open to civilians.

[depicted]

Oh, you are sweet. [That, with the voice, confirms it.] But Captain Rogers, I'm not a civilian. You should know that, knowing who I am. What I am.

[Dorian gestures in the direction of the bonfires, and in the fog and horror, his voice is sweet.] Let me put a few good deeds in my ledger, won't you? The Devil knows I need them.

[usavatar]

Who. [It's quiet, but still firm. He addresses the jiangshi that attacked Dorian the first time again as it staggers back to its feet.]

Excuse me. [In spite of the politeness of the statement, there's an animal savagery when he goes into motion. He's been drilling obsessively with the kedan and any other fighter who will have him over the past half year, and it shows. Brawler's instincts have sharpened into a fighter's economical elegance of motion. He steps neatly around Dorian and strikes out with the broad side of the shield, impact throwing the corpse against a building across the street as a second creature loses its head entirely to one of Steve's combat boots. That doesn't stop it from clawing at his ankle, but he seizes it by one wrist and then the other, breaking its arms in three places and leaving the thing, if not harmless, at least hard-pressed to attack.

He continues the conversation as though nothing else has happened.] And I don't know how much of the book is true. All I really know is your name and how you've been with me, which is kind.

[Exhale. He's talking to Dorian Gray.] But I'll get you to the fires.

[depicted]

[Dorian steps back and watches Steve fight, impressed. Dorian has never been one for gore, but in combat there is a certain kind of beauty, and Steve has it.]

[When he is done, Dorian is quiet for a moment. That was the one complaint he has ever had about Oscar's book: when people realize that it really is him, they think they know everything about him. But Steve won't.]

Thank you, Captain. [He doesn't clarify. Instead, he starts moving.]

[usavatar]

This is what I do.

[He grins, then, his own smile unpracticed and all the more guileless for it.] Well, the zombies are new. But I've had aliens before.

[He's trying to get used to talking about these things the way Nita and Rikki and Steph all do, casual and comfortable, the disaster of the week.

Steve checks their perimeter and heads for the bonfires proper. There aren't many jiangshi in the immediate area - probably because there aren't many people left either.]

[depicted]

[Dorian has seen guileless smiles before, and yet in Steve there is something particular about his goodness. Dorian isn't able to name it.]

[But one of the jiangshi is within their line of sight. Dorian speaks very, very quietly.] Captain, I'd like to try something. Guard yourself, but don't help me.

[With that, Dorian walks out to meet the jiangshi. He pushes back its sleeve, and when it comes for him, he offers it a bite before it can start to tear him apart.]

[It hurts, but Dorian ignores that. The jiangshi has the same disgusted reaction. And now Dorian watches for what he really needs to know: whether or not it will leave him alone once it knows what he tastes like. The jiangshi is still.]

[Then it moves around Dorian, far too fast for Dorian to grab it, though he tries. It wants Steve now.]

Shit. Sorry!

[A+ planning from Dorian Gray.]

[usavatar]

[Steve plants himself, waits, and lashes out as soon as the jiangshi is in range of the shield. The corpse barrels on, headless, and crashes into a wall.

He picks his way around the head to Dorian's side.] Are you all right?

[depicted]

Yeah, I'm fine. [The wound is healing and the pain will go with it. Dorian is already moving back towards the bonfires.] I needed to confirm that while I had someone around to help, if it came to dismemberment. [Dorian, don't smile that cheerfully talking about dismemberment.]

[usavatar]

Confirm that you'll heal? [DORIAN Y U DO. Steve comes close enough to inspect the injury, though not so close that he'll draw any jiangshi to Dorian.] Or that it wouldn't bite twice?

[depicted]

[Dorian is already all healed up, as he knew he'd be.] That it won't bite twice. Living through anything doesn't feel like half as much as a gift when it means dying without relief. [dorian your sense of humour is no]