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

[agentdork]

Sure thing. I think this section's mostly clear. Touch base at home, yeah?

[ He's starting there on his own, missing the soft hum of Delta in his head but he's doing well enough without it, keeping to corners and walls for the time being. ]

[bothbarrels]

I'll be there soon.

[ On other occasions it has made him smile that York refers to 'home' as though North lives there with them--at times it seems he might as well, for as much time as he spends there. Right now he's quietly determined, not dreading what he has to say exactly, but knowing this topic will be difficult to broach.

He's at the residence inside of twenty minutes, taking up a position outside the door to wait on his friend. ]

[agentdork]

Sounds good.

[ York makes his way home with minimal trouble, easing up to the door with a careless little wave, unlocking it and letting them both in before securing it tightly. ]

Honestly, I was starting to feel useless, not doing something, though this isn't exactly what I wanted when I was feelin' that way.

You touch base with Kara, by the by? She was going out for a bit, we were gonna meet back here eventually.

[bothbarrels]

[ Nothing has come by in the time North has stationed himself there so when York approaches, he slings his rifle to his back and turns to follow him inside. Normally he would have answered to that first part, but small talk about what they'd encountered out there is now the furthest thing from his mind. He pulls his helmet off and pushes his hand through his hair before answering. ]

Yes, I did. I need to tell you about what happened when we met up.

[ Normally here he'd suggest they sit down, but that wasn't wise in their heavy suits of armor. Instead he sets his helmet down on the counter and approaches York to tell him face-to-face. ]

I can't sugarcoat this, Sean. You know Kara, she met everything head on. I don't know how she got into the situation she was in, but I saw that she was bitten. I didn't have any other choice but to do what I did. [ He set his gauntleted hand on the other man's arm, clasping it. ] I'm sorry, truly sorry, that I had to. I've seen what happens, she would have turned into one of them. From what I know of her, she wouldn't have wanted that fate.

[ For now he's sparing York details. He's already delivering harsh news, York doesn't need to hear about the grenade or the chunk that had been taken out of her arm right out of the gate. He'll let York absorb this, and York can ask questions later as he feels able. ]

[agentdork]

[ He's got a bad feeling just as soon as his helmet's off, staring North down, feeling something ugly gnawing at his stomach, settling heavy there as he stares. No.

No.

No, he's hearing this wrong, because they're safe here. They're already dead. They're already dead, and this is supposed to be some kind of bullshit break or something where they're not on the front lines, they're relaxing and some weird stuff happens but they make it, they survive.

York stares mutely for the longest time and then slowly steps back, until he's heading for the kitchen mechanically pouring himself a glass of water and swallowing it down. When he speaks again, his voice isn't even in the slightest. ]

You're sure.

[bothbarrels]

[ He sets his hands on the counter and just watches, giving York the space he needs. When York speaks he simply nods, slowly. ]

Yes. I am.

[agentdork]

[ He's not even sure how to begin processing this, simply staring, mute, at North, setting the glass down before it's dropped on the ground. ]

I -- I can't.

[ he doesn't even know what to say. It wasn't supposed to happen that way. We were safe, here. This isn't fair.

There's a million things that bubble up and he swallows them all down, pressing his hands to his face for a moment, ignoring the way they tremble. ]

[bothbarrels]

[ He was about to take his gauntlets off, but at that he doesn't spare the time, going to his friend and laying an arm protectively around his shoulder, giving him an opening to take it as a hug. ]

[agentdork]

Kind of -- kind of thought we were over this whole losing people schtick.

[ York leans into the touch but doesn't return it right away, staring at the chipped purple armor, and then slowly raising an arm to wind around North's waist. ]

Stupid, huh.

[bothbarrels]

I don't think that's stupid.

[ Because really, who could blame him? He lets his other arm go around York to pat his back. ]

Listen, let's get dressed and have something to drink, yeah?

[ He's not at all opposed to continuing to offer support to York in this manner if he needs it, but it's hard to do around armor. ]

[agentdork]

Kind of is, considerin'.

[ York waves a hand, eyes closing for a long moment, and then swallows. ]

I don't know if a drink is a good idea. I'm up for changing, though.

[ He nods to his room, and gives North a once-over, clearly holding it together at the seams. ]

Need pants?

[bothbarrels]

[ He lets York go, nodding at the comment about the drinks, and steps back to turn around and head to the room he stayed in whenever he was here. ]

I have some stuff here. I'll stay here, all right, just so you know. However long you need me to.

[agentdork]

[ He's not sure if he wants to be alone or not - the gut reaction is he does, but last time, it was him and Delta and that was still too lonely so he'd be a fool to turn this down.

York heads to his room, and not long after he's back in the kitchen, taking one of the bottles down and pouring himself a shot, knocking it back, so much for not drinking. ]

[bothbarrels]

[ He returns in time to see that, but doesn't say anything about it. As much as he's been holding himself together for York's sake, he's still haunted by what he was forced to do, can still see the moment when the grenade landed at her feet and he bolted. Killing may be the life of a soldier, but this was different.

He walks into the kitchen, the strain of it likely showing on his face. ]

Got one of those for me?

[agentdork]

[ He doesn't doubt that North's just as haunted - doing missions, doing their jobs isn't the same as this, isn't the same as having to take someone out after a mistake.

He pours North a glass, and pretends like his hand is entirely steady, offering it out. ]

Got a whole bottle with our names on it.

[bothbarrels]

[ He accepts the shot glass and swallows it back, only wincing slightly at the burn of it. ]

I hope you weren't saving it for a special occasion.

SORRY KARA HE'LL GET YOU MORE.

[agentdork]

[ O-ouch. York gives him a quick look before his shoulders slump. ]

Hah. It's-- hers. Guess it's not a huge deal since--

[ oh look guess who needs another shot. ]

WHOOPS NORTH HOW DOES THAT FOOT TASTE

[bothbarrels]

[ He put his glass back on the counter and once he had it refilled it raised it as in a toast. ]

We're honoring her with it.

AHAHA

[agentdork]

[ He laughs, a soft, uneven, rough thing that catches awkwardly in his throat, and knocks his shot against North's gently. ]

Probably the only way she'd let us.

[bothbarrels]

[ He musters a ghost of a smile and knocks the shot back. There's a slight warmth beginning to make itself known and he's glad to to notice the drink taking effect. Maybe it'll help them to relax, release some of the tension around this. It's not easy having to tell your best friend you just killed his girlfriend, no matter how much it was to save her from something worse. ]

You want to take this to the couch?

[agentdork]

Probably best.

[ York sips his next one and makes his way to the couch, and presses his shoulder tight to North's when he settles in, pouring them new glasses but not drinking right away. ]

I don't-- think it's hit yet.

[bothbarrels]

It takes time.

[ The image still runs through his mind and he closes his eyes briefly, a short huff of breath issuing from his nose, as he passes his hand over his hair. There's a hesitation before he reaches for his glass, just holding it for now, holding it at the ready for his next drink. ]

[agentdork]

It's-- weird, though.

[ York isn't sure if he's talking at North or to him, curling around his glass. ]

D and I couldn't do anything after everything that happened - even with Carolina, I got--

[ No. No, articulating this just isn't a good idea.

York takes another drink, coughing faintly as it burns the whole way down, and drags a hand over his face. ]

[bothbarrels]

[ Everything seems to go back to the breakdown of the Project with them. He drinks when York does, eyeing his glass, turning it to swirl the dregs around the borders. ]

No, I-- I understand. Even though I got South out of there, sometimes it--sometimes...

[ what is he supposed to say, that South was a burden to him? That he had to stick his neck out for her time and again even more than he'd ever had to before? He shook his head, almost more of a twitch. Tonight was about someone else, another situation altogether. ]

Kara died helping someone. That's-- that's what's important.

[agentdork]

[ Like it or not - and often not as it came, everything came back to the project because it was such a huge part of his life. It was his career when it boiled down to it, even if it was a shit idea at the end. ]

That feels awfully shitty.

[ York cuts North a look, downing his shot and repouring. ]

It feels shitty because I don't know that person, and the knee-jerk is I'd still rather have her.