[Mission 002] Video/Action - Joint for Sam and Simon

[voiceinthedark]

[Sam switches on the camera and tries to set it up so it’s not horribly blurry and smiles at the camera when he thinks he’s got it right.]

God it feels weird to not be telling someone to raise the gates.

Uh... hi? So, I’ve been in Luceti a week now. Maybe a bit more and I was just wondering about, well, the houses are nice but they’re not very secure and I wanted to know if anyone knows how I’d go about finding stuff like fencing, barbed wire, concrete....

[A voice interrupts from the background as Simon starts to protest.] What? Oh no. No, you are not concreting up my damn windows, Sam. I’m putting my foot down. No. N-O.

It’s a weak point, Simon! Points of entry, that’s what Janine always says. You need as few as possible.

[The journal is jostled a moment before Simon’s exasperated face appears in the feed, giving Sam a Look.] Which is great. Awesome. Janine’s the voice of annoying reason as always, but I’m sure we can think of a better way of securing them in case of emergency that still allows us to enjoy the fresh air and actual sunlight when it’s, y’know, not.

[Which has his attention turning to the journal feed and giving it an apologetic look.] Please excuse him, he doesn’t get out much.

[Sam positively glares at him, a look of long time exasperation and why does he have to deal with this idiot?]

I get out plenty! Well, I mean, not at home obviously because oh yeah, apocalypse! I’m pretty sure a lot more people would be alive if they’d had concreted windows before the end of the world.

Oooor we might have all mutated into some strange sort of psychotic mole-men instead. [Simon rolls his eyes.] The point is, we’re looking to secure the house a little bit better than it currently is and if anyone has any suggestions on where to get the materials to do that, we’d appreciate it.

Mol- do you ever listen to the stuff that comes out of your mouth?

Never. [Simon’s grin is cheeky and unrepentant.] Speaking of houses, we should have a party here, since we’ve now got an actual one and we’re not likely to end up on the menu. How’s tonight sound? Good? Good! Open invitation to a grill-out on the lawn of House 33. Swing by, bring beer or food if you like, it’ll be all casual-like.

What? You- you can’t just spring a party on people! This is the first I’ve heard about it!

That’s because I just made it up. And sure I can. Be spontaneous, Sam! Live a little! 5 o’clock sounds good, right?

Oh god, this is gonna be like a couple of weeks ago in New Canton isn’t it? With the hula hoops.

[Simon’s smirk takes on a wicked edge for a moment as he flicks a glance sideways at Sam.] Nope. It’ll be even better. I need to go get things.

[And with that, he vanishes abruptly out of the feed.]

[Sam sighs, rubs his forehead and gives the video a pleading look.]

Please don’t encourage him? He’s good enough at doing that himself. Although I suppose it has been a while since I’ve been to a proper party.

But yeah... security. Thanks for any help.

[He pauses for a moment, looking like he’s trying to think of what to say, because ‘Stay Safe’ is Jack and Eugene’s thing and ‘welcome home’ just doesn't work so he settles for another smile and then cuts the feed.]


Action
[Simon and (grudgingly) Sam can be found around the village for the rest of the afternoon, collecting food and drinks for their impromptu party. And later on they can be found on the lawn of House 33, where the burgers are cooked and the booze flows freely and there are not yet fences and barbed wire and sealed up windows.]

Comments

[250mhzwabl]

[Jack is so tempted to just grab a pork chop by the bone and eat it. But no, that would he uncivilized. So he does the clearly mannerly thing, and grabs the bone with a paper towel.]

Hah, I know that feeling. Has Eugene told you about the pies?

[voiceinthedark]

Pies? [He raises an eyebrow at that.]

No. He didn't. What about pies?

[250mhzwabl]

We arrived in November, right as it was getting cold. [He pauses to enjoy some more pork chop, nodding before going on.] We hit some awful weather right at the same time it really sank in that we weren't going to run out of food, and we hit this sort of, I don't know, day-long pie-making frenzy. Must have made almost twenty.

[voiceinthedark]

[He has to laugh at that, but it's tinged with an odd sort of relief and shock.]

Oh my god! That sounds- it sounds pretty amazing actually and... we don't have to worry about the cold weather! Jack, we don't have to cut rations or worry about sending people out in ice and snow!

[250mhzwabl]

We don't! [Jack hadn't thought of it that way, and he gives a half-surprised noise of delight as he agrees.] And hey, even if you turn an ankle, there's always the- actually, wait, has anyone told you about the magic?

[voiceinthedark]

We could have a proper Christmas meal or something. I mean, yeah, it's July now. Apparently. But... yeah.

Magic? Well, it was mentioned but... been trying not to think about it.

[250mhzwabl]

What-? [Jack grins incredulously, and also demands that Sam tell him why, until an even better idea occurs to him. He reaches for Sam's free hand with his own, making to inspect it, searching for one of the reasonably common little bumps or scuffs.] Here, do you have any paper cuts? Bruises? Something like that?

[voiceinthedark]

Well, it's weird enough adjusting to being here.

[Without having to accept that magic was real and awesome but still weird.]

Uh... I caught myself on the grill earlier. [He holds up his other hand, showing off a small burn on his wrist.]

[250mhzwabl]

Perfect!

[Jack sets down his pork chop hurriedly and with a plotting smile, dusting off his hands and taking Sam's wrist in both hands, around but not actually touching the burn. He sets his right thumb alongside the glossy line of pink and watches with a soft concentration, murmuring as his eyes unfocus and he tunes himself to the right frequency.]

Hold still.

[It's the only warning he gives, before he catches his lip in his teeth and lets Nala show him how to untangle the mess of pain and wound into sensation and sound flesh.]

[voiceinthedark]

Okay...

[He's not sure what Jack's expecting, or what he's expecting honestly, but he lets Jack take his wrist, his fingers warm against his skin.

And then he feels it, or kind of doesn't feel it is probably more accurate, the pain and ache of the burn seeping away, the soreness subsiding.]

What- it feels better. What did you do?

[250mhzwabl]

I'm healing it. I just . . . haven't handled many burns yet. And I always hit the pain first.

[Jack's voice is preoccupied, and he barely moves as he replies, finishing calming nerves and moving on to healing the skin itself. He can feel the flush of warmth as capillaries dilate and blood pulses through the skin, nourishing rapidly healing cells as the burn lightens to a thin slough to be rubbed free. Then Jack sighs deeply and leans back once the job is done, a thin sheen of sweat on his cheeks and forehead, eyes gleaming with accomplishment.]

Ta-da~! Magic.

[voiceinthedark]

[Healing it like it was really magic. Like something from a video game. But the proof was there in the way the hurt flesh loses the soreness, the burnt skin rubbing off easily.]

That's amazing. Does this mean you'll be playing a White Mage or something in our next D&D campaign?

[250mhzwabl]

Oh, God. [Jack tries to groan, but it really comes out as more of a tumbling laugh, as he reaches for his pork chop again.] I should have known you'd want to rope us into another campaign.

[voiceinthedark]

It was fun! And my rule books showed up in the item shop. Just need to decide if we stay on book or stick with the house rules for the undead.

[250mhzwabl]

I vote we go by the book across the board. Otherwise we'll he house-ruling everything eventually, with all the stuff that happens around here.

[voiceinthedark]

Is it really that weird here? People keep saying that.

[250mhzwabl]

Sam. [Jack looks him in the eyes as he replies, responding slowly and emphatically, as if he is perhaps simple. Or very innocent.] They let. Me buy. Eugene. A leg.

[voiceinthedark]

... [Alright. Jack might just have a point there. Sam isn't sure that it's quite sunk in yet. All of it. The food and the leg and the lack of the shambling hordes of the undead.]

Okay, it is pretty weird. I guess I just keep expecting to wake up in the comms shack with Janine glaring at me.

[250mhzwabl]

Oh, no-! Not the It Was All A Dream ending!

[Jack is legitimately dismayed by this idea - of all the cliches for Sam to siese onto, he had to pick that one? Really?]

Sam!

[voiceinthedark]

What? What would you prefer? We're all actually zombies and this is our minds' attempt to protect us as we shamble around the English countryside?

...sorry, that's a bit morbid, isn't it?

[250mhzwabl]

Maybe, but at least it's not a cliche so tired it's practically undead itself.

[This calls for another beer. A thinking beer. Jack leads them to the cooler.]

And not as offensive as the 'all vividly hallucinating nutters in an insane asylum' one.

[voiceinthedark]

I dunno, that one episode of Buffy used it pretty well and...

[He trails off with an awkward cough, looking away.]

Does bad mushrooms in today's stew count towards the 'dream' trope?

[250mhzwabl]

[Jack snorts, popping the cap off his beer and having a swig. Ah, Buffy. Classic Sam Yao.]

Sort of. Gains points for creativity, but loses a few of those for inaccuracy. I mean, I never- [had a trip even close to this, he doesn't say, stopping himself both just in time and far, far too late.]

-ah. I mean . . .

[voiceinthedark]

[Sam just raises an eyebrow, smirking faintly at him.]

Jack, I'm twenty three. I do know that people take drugs for recreational purposes.

[250mhzwabl]

Well, yeah, some people. But, I mean . . . [He can't do it, he just can't. His voice is crackling into laughter before he can get any farther, weight rocking onto his heels as he nearly doubles the glee of being so nonchalantly caught.]

Oh, hell, all right. Yeah. First time I saw a zom I was pretty convinced I was still coming down, right up until Eugene staved its head in.