Morning Coffee And Sweet Surprises (Closed to Poprockz)

[Poprockz]

Angelique shrugged, "Quint would do anything to protect his sister, even things that would deeply hurt himself or those around him. Sabastian's priority is Vin and vice-versa. Cora is the other weaker member of the group and will only require more of Quint's attention due to Damien's departure. If it was her or you, he would chose her every time- it's only natural for family."

The woman's words made the smaller woman want to retort with some clever come-back, but her logic was sound and her words were slowly working their way past her defenses and into her insecurities. What did she offer the group? Emotional Support? They already had that covered while she had no other practical survival skills. She didn't have any value in most survival situations.

It was as though the zombie could sense her hesitance, her eyes flashing with excitement and her voice becoming more encouraging as she continued, "think of it though... here you could flourish! You would be needed and respected..." She leaned in and let the smooth side of her manicured nails rub up Sayori's cheek before her fingers slid into her sleek platinum hair.

It didn't take a genius to sus out that Angelique wanted to sleep with her, what with her posture and the look in her eye. Unlike Quint though, she wasn't going to let Angelique have her if there was any way to avoid it.

She reached up and disentangled the woman's hand from her hair and held it between her own. "I'll... think about it. I don't want to make any hasty decisions or anything."

The zombie smirked. "Of course, that would only be reasonable. Tell me though, out of curiosity, which zombie put their eggs in you?"
--------------------------

His eyebrows went up with interest when she mentioned that she used to work for a bank, and he seemed to appreciate the fact that she was empathizing with him. Now that she got a good look at him, she could tell that he was probably just a year or two younger than herself, his clothing being a similar uniform to Nathaniel's. The big difference was that where Nathaniel's was proper and crisp, this man's uniform was... somewhat sloppy. It was as though he couldn't be bothered to fully commit to the buttoned sleeves and tie, his shirt buttons not done up all the way. The papers were taken almost gingerly before he tucked them under his arm.

The zombie looked into her eyes, reached out, and shook her hand firmly in his own, but without any force behind it. It was a hand calloused by the frequent use of pens, but his long fingers and palm were otherwise soft. “Good to meet you, Crystal. That’s a… pretty name.” The last part was murmured quietly, almost as though he hadn’t even meant to say it. When he realized he had, he cleared his throat and withdrew his hand.

Seemingly to distract from his previous statement, he pretended it hadn't happened and struck up conversation again. "So, you must be one of the ones from the group who just arrived, otherwise I’m sure you would have been pointed in my direction with bank experience like that. My understanding is that you’re not staying though. Well, not all of you.”

———-

Sabastian shook his head, trying to find the right words. Just like in their shared dream, it was difficult to explain the nature of their relationship.

“He’s not… dangerous,” Sabastian started out slowly. “Not that I know of, anyway. A lot can change when it’s been so long. When I knew him, he was an asshole and a bully, but he never beat me up or anything. Our moms were friends so… we come into contact more than I would have liked.”

“As for whether we dated, no. He’s straight.”His mouth opened but he stopped, frowned, and turned away. It seemed that wound hadn’t fully healed for him. He could still remember the pain of his own vulnerability having been put through the shredder. At the time, Sabastian had been overwhelmed with such disappointment, shame, and self-hatred that he hadn’t been able to get out of bed for almost a week.

“I just… really don’t want to see him,” he added quietly. It would have almost been fine if it had just been himself alone at the hotel, but he had his friends and his lover there too. The sort of shit that fuck could share… it would absolutely humiliate him. A surge of apprehension went through him. He tried to shove it back down, but it kept slipping through.

 

[Drobabes]

She made sure to let her hand linger within his fingers for just a second longer than what was necessary. Her own hands were just the slightest bit calloused as well, but with the use of some good lotion, had managed to stay very soft as well.

"That’s a… pretty name."

Oh the poor man, Cora thought. She would have felt bad for what she was about to do if it wasn't for their lives being on the line here.

In response to his admittance, she graced him with a sweet smile. It was hollow, but she had so many years of practice behind it that she wasn't too worried about him picking up on that fact.

"My understanding is that you’re not staying though. Well, not all of you."

"No...unfortunately not..." she said sadly, letting some real emotion leak into her voice as she briefly looked away, her eyes even starting to tear up a bit.

"My boyfriend is currently being held and will have to go to trial. I didn't even get much time to speak with him before he was taken away. Infact, I've barely had any time alone with before we got here. With everything that's been going on, it's hard not to feel alone even when you're with friends.."

Cora purposefully reached up and used the back of her knuckles to wipe the excess moisture from the corners of her eyes as she sniffed, and then shook her head.

"Ugh, I'm sorry. I don't mean to be a downer. It's just been a really hard week, you know?" she said, turning those soft hazel eyes back to the zombie in front of her and seemingly trying to perk up for him. She then rubbed her hands across her knees and stood up, before reaching down to offer her hand again.

"Here, let me help you up."

Once he was up, she gave him another sweet smile before reaching over and rubbing her thumb along his name tag.

"Frederick. I always thought that was a handsome name. I would have enjoyed hearing it come from your own lips, but I understand you were a little distracted" she giggled. Then, crossing her arms as if she were cold, she looked down the hall for a brief moment before looking back to him.

"You know, I hate to even ask this because I know you're busy, but do you think you could help me find somewhere to get a cup of coffee or hot chocolate? I just can't seem to get warm but I'm horrible with directions. And hey, maybe after I'm not shivering so much, I might be able to give you a hand?"

Cora stopped, as if she was suddenly realizing something.

"I mean, if that's allowed. I'm sorry, that was a bit rude of me to just assume. I just thought since you mentioned you thought I would have been pointed in your direction. anyway?"
______________________________

The confrontation that followed was heard very clearly by Delvin, as he hadn't managed to quite click the door shut behind him just a moment before when he was about to come back inside. The accusation by Sabastian was difficult for Vin to believe, having seen first hand how Damien acted with Cora and when she was first captured. He almost couldn't believe that he might have even considered cheating, but then again, there was a small doubt there. Without hearing the tapes and Damien's own confession, he would have vehemently denied the accusation that his fr-...that Damien, was a serial rapist. Still, when Quint bit back hard, it was a bit of a relief.

"As if I would ever even consider giving that piece of dog shit more than a passing glance after the things he's done, let alone betray my wife's memory like that!"

Vin didn't quite flinch, but he did glance back over his shoulder before going back to staring at the landscape. That was a harsh retort, though not only did the big man not blame Quint at all for it, (hadn't he acted even worse when he had learned the truth?), he actually felt a small bit of respect in that moment. Cora's brother was definitely a hot head, but he loved his late wife and that was very respectable in his book. After that though, he was a bit on edge during the silence that followed, unsure if he was going to have to get in there and break up a physical fight if one started.

"Angelique is the one that was fucking him all night. Our host is a trans women."

Vin once again looked back over his shoulder, but this time it was in shock. If lasted for a few seconds before a grim look of concern and anger settled on his face and he had to look away as his hands tightened on the balcony bar, the fresh callouses from his burns reminding him that they were there.

He felt guilty that he was feeling what he was, and yet, he couldn't help it. He didn't want to feel bad for Damien. He didn't want to feel a sick pit in his stomach, nor a spark of rage in his spine. Vin wanted to have the same conviction he had felt that first night, wanted to have the same bite of anger that Quint was now expressing. And yet...after knowing what he now knew of Damien's past, it wasn't that easy. It wasn't that simple. Try as hard as he might to rationalize it, to justify it, he couldn't bring himself to hate his ex friend anymore.

"When I knew him, he was an asshole and a bully, but he never beat me up or anything...I just… really don’t want to see him."

It was at that moment that Vin finally decided to remind the two that he was there. It had taken him a moment to get his own feelings in order but he had never stopped listening, and upon hearing the distress in Sabastian's voice his need to come to his lovers aid allowed him to set everything else aside. The door slid open and he immediately went to the other man's side, pulling him against his strong chest.

"You won't have to. And if for some reason we do run into him, you're going to have me right by your side. Trust me, those days are behind you now and I'm not going to let anyone give you shit."

 

[Poprockz]

"Was it Quint or Sabastian?"

There was a chuckle at Sayori's shocked expression before the woman added, "I can smell it on you. Egg-mothers have a particular scent they omit even after the pheremones wear off that makes them more enticing than normal people, though between the other zombies and myself, only I seem to be able to consciously smell it." She took another puff of her pipe. "I can smell it on Sabastian as well."

Sayori stared at her as her mind raced for an answer. It wasn't as though she could say that Sabastian had been forced to do so by the General, or she might get herself and Sabastian thrown into a prison with Damien to be shipped off as well. He also was obviously in a committed relationship with Vin and wasn't attracted to women, so normally that sort of thing would never happen. Thus, the only logical explanation was- "It was Quint!" she said, her tone a bit more high-pitched. "I would prefer not to talk about it."

Now that was interesting... Angelique had been about to take another puff from her pipe, but her hand froze. Well well well... If she had been impregnated by Quint and he had been in the General's custody until recently, that could only mean that she was a test subject, perhaps even the one he was fucking that day she visited. It seemed that Quint wasn't the only one who had slipped from the General's grasp. Perhaps he took this woman with him when he escaped. Perhaps he really had worked for Kuznet, but decided to run away out of pity for this girl. What a delicious piece of information.

If she were to keep Sayori here, she would have to hide her from Kuznet... Or not. She did seem to be just his type: small, bright-eyed, hopeful. Perhaps it would depend on whether the group stayed or not.

Angelique's pipe resumed its movement and she took a puff before slowly blowing out the mint-scented smoke. All the while, her sharp violet eyes watched Sayori. "Hmm... If you had to pick an animal for yourself, what would it be?"

----------------------------
Frederick listened, a look of conflicted concern on his face as she spoke about Damien and her own struggles. He had shifted on his knees as though uncomfortable with the situation, likely thinking about the simple truth that they both knew: that Damien was about to be shipped off to the base and there was nothing either of them could do about it.

When her hand had been offered, he had taken it tentatively, standing up and looking at her as though he was struggling with some inner conflict. His eyes kept glancing at her lips before darting elsewhere and then back to her eyes. The man shifted his papers to his other arm and tucked them, looking down towards her chest as she mentioned how cold and shivery she was. He caught himself though and looked away once more before addressing her.

"I'm... sure it couldn't hurt if you came to my office. I have an electric kettle and a variety of hot drinks. I also have a blanket, but I'm not sure if you would want that- I usually just use it when I need to sleep at my desk." The unkempt zombie offered her a little smile, "and I would have to look over the documents before and after you worked on them, but I would welcome any help you could offer."

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

Sabastian actually jumped in surprise when the glass door opened. Embarrassingly, he had completely forgotten that Vin was out on the balcony. Shit! How long had he been out there now? How much had he heard? It wasn't as though he had said anything particularly bad, but now he was second-guessing himself.

However, as soon as he felt Vin's chest against his face, his arms around him, and heard that strong voice filled with words of reassurance, Sabastian's body relaxed against him and he sighed. He was still worried of course, but it was as though Vin was sapping him of the tension his body had started to tighten into. God, he was so good. He made the zombie's chest overflow with warmth and affection, like a warm blanket on a rainy day.

He looked up at Vin and smiled gratefully, "thanks. At the very least, shit's gonna be awkward. We didn't part on good terms."

 

[Drobabes]

Cora's usually bashful way of looking at people was nowhere to be found as she watched Frederick's every little motion. When his came to her lips, she made sure to pout ever so slightly, and when her chest was being almost involuntarily studied didn't slouch that was for sure. She wasn't the most busty of women but her heavier C cups were nothing to be scoffed at, and she knew that with her taller than average frame, they were just the perfect compliment to her slender chest. Especially when her arms wrapped just a bit tighter over her rib cage, thrusting her cleavage up and through the neckline of her shirt.

"I usually just use it when I need to sleep at my desk."

She laughed as if he had been attempting a joke, and reached out to give him a 'slap', that was really more of a light tap of her hand, against his shoulder.

"No! You sleep at your desk? Really? Well my goodness it must be very comfortable if you're able to work and sleep there."

Her arms were given a sudden fierce rub as she faked a shiver and looked up and down the hall, trying to see where his office might be before turning back to him.

"It would be my pleasure, and I could use a good distraction" she said, giving a little wink.

"Should we go? I don't want to hold you up any longer."
_________________________________________

What Quint was picking up was that this Artemis guy wasn't a psycho or a killer, but probably at least worth keeping a good eye on. He was a half zombie like the both of them, and Quint knew little yet of what gave them all their particular unique abilities. He knew of Robert, through Francisco giving him the scoop, and obviously that the last half zombie Kuznet had also had some healing capabilities such as himself. But, Kuznet hadn't had her long enough to fully understand what she was capable of before the base labs were destroyed. Then, there was Sabastian and the others they had met in the mall, one of them of which seemed capable of some reality breaking speed. So this fellow could have any one of those abilities or even something they didn't know of yet, and he was working for Angelique. For the time being, then, Quint moved him to the 'neutral until further notice' spot in his mind.

"Trust me, those days are behind you now and I'm not going to let anyone give you shit."

Quint stared at Vin for a few seconds before turning his gaze away to the door. He hadn't forgotten the man was out on the balcony and now that the heat had settled between him and Sabastian, he suspiciously wondered why Delvin hadn't come into the room sooner. It couldn't have been that awkward for him, especially as he seemed to be the type that thought he was tough and could 'take on' anyone who might dare to insult his lover. Still, he was settling Sabastian's nerves and for that at least he was grateful.

"We didn't part on good terms."

Vin shrugged and smiled down, giving Sabastian's arms a little rub before letting him go to stand on his own now that he knew he was more relaxed.

"If it gets too awkward you just turn to me. Let him see how good you got it now" he said, giving his old toothy smile and a little wink. It was dropped pretty quickly though when Quint brought the girls up, his foot having started tapping without any decent rhythm as his tanzanite eyes bore even holes into the room door.

"I don't know if it was really a good idea to let them go out there on their own."

"Well, it's a bit late now" Vin said, trying to ease the tension with what he felt was a lighthearted statement and chuckle. Quint didn't seem as easy going as his sister though, at least to Vin, as no smile was given or even really an acknowledgement of what had been said. And just as Vin was about to say something about them all trying to pass the time, Quint moved away from the counter with such erratic suddenness that Vin felt his heart-rate jump, thinking they were under attack.

"They couldn't have made it that far down the hall" Quint said, suddenly determined to go grab the girls and drag them back.

 

[Poprockz]

"Um... I suppose I like birds in general," she replied curiously.

"Ah, a woman of discerning tastes, I see." Their host seemed pleased at her answer, her smile having become more broad.

Sayori watched as Angelique rose to her feet fluidly and went to a nearby cabinet. There was some rustling before she came back with the item she had retrieved: a beautiful and ornate bird mask. It was obviously a raven, one with crimson jewels and golden accents. Sayori had to admit that she liked it very much.

“Take this mask and meet me tomorrow night at midnight. If you do, I’ll show you something very interesting.” The tall zombie approached and handed her the mask. “Be sure to come alone though… this will be an opportunity for you and I to have a girls night out."

The mask was received and Sayori looked at it appreciatively, nodding at Angelique to acknowledge her statement. The whole situation was giving her "west wing medical" vibes, and she suspected that Angelique was trying to lure her into some sort of trap. She seemed awfully confident that they would still be here when the clock struck twelve, and that was disquieting. Hopefully they would find that pervert and go, but if not... this might be an opportunity to see if they could turn the tables on her trap.

"Thank you..." she murmured, "it's beautiful."

The next moment she found her chin being tilted up by Angelique, the woman's fingers feeling rather tepid against her own warm skin. "A beautiful mask for a beautiful woman..."

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

"Oh! Yes, that's right. Let's get you warmed up then, follow me." The zombie led the way quickly down the hall. He moved at a brisk pace, glancing at her every now and then to make sure that she was still with him and that he wasn't going too fast. Perhaps he still felt a little socially awkward, as he didn't strike up any conversation with her on the way over, mostly focusing on his goal of getting her to a warmer place.

The three of them arrived at the elevators and he took them up to the third highest floor, scanning his fingerprint in order for them to be allowed in such a place.

With a pleasant Ding! the elevator let them off at their desired floor, this floor looking quite lavish, though with more of a formal undertone. It seemed like the sort of floor fancy businessmen would frequent as some sort of work-bonding retreat. Cora was led down the hall and then to a door on the left, which the zombie keyed in a code for. While doing so, he subtly hid the lock from view so she wouldn't see the numbers he was typing. The door clicked, and then he ushered her inside.

It was an office, of course. Just as he had said. There was a large wooden desk with piles of papers, several filing cabinets, and a few computer monitors on a separate desk that sat against the wall with a printer. The leather rolling chair of the main desk had a soft, dark-blue blanket draped over it, presumably the one he covered himself with when the exhaustion overtook him.

Being that the room was quite large, it also had a sitting area with several comfortable wing-back chairs, a small sofa, and an oak coffee table. Nearby, there was not only a liquor cabinet, but also an electric kettle, a small sink, and various hot and cold drink options. A fireplace emitted heat near the chairs, though it was truly just a screen and a sophisticated heat system. Being a zombie, he had turned off the setting that had it display flames, and instead simply had it glow a slight orange-red. It gave the room pleasant lighting when coupled with the several lamps he had there.

"This is my office," The zombie spoke up somewhat nervously, leading her over to the chairs. "You wanted something hot, right? I have hot chocolate, tea, coffee- whatever you think will warm you up the most. I can even throw in some rum if you'd like. I have to warn you though: sometimes I get fainting spells, so if I suddenly go down, please don't be alarmed." He offered her a smile that clearly said that he was trying very hard not to be awkward.

---------------------
Vin's reassurance put an equally big grin on Sabastian's face before Quint started getting antsy again. It was as though the zombie couldn't stand not being able to have both women within his line of sight at all times, like some sort of helicopter parent.

A tentacle whipped out across Quint's chest, effectively blocking him from moving forward. Sabastian's body followed until he could put an arm around his shoulders to turn him around and then lead the worry-wart away from the door.

"Woah, woah, woah! First off, those two women are going to be PISSED at you if you try to follow them and drag them back here. Secondly, you might blow their cover and then you'll all be in hot water. They have Bowie with them, so he'll at least be able to buy some time before we can run to help if something happens. Relax Quint. They're both smart girls." He hoped that was enough to keep Quint from tracking them down and throwing them both over his shoulders like sacks of potatoes. They deserved a bit of autonomy, especially if they were using the buddy system.

 

[Drobabes]

She felt relief flood her as they began down the hall. She was in, but now the hard part was going to begin. How exactly was she going to earn this guys trust, enough that she could get a leg up on their competition? He definitely seemed interested in her body, but was light teasing going to be enough? Cora didn't want to think of what she might have to do if it wasn't and she didn't believe she would have enough time to pursue another lead.

Bowie must have smelled her anxiety, because suddenly she found his now black head burrowing gently into the crook of her neck and his body wrapping up gently over her chest and shoulders. The reptile didn't have arms, but he certainly knew how to communicate a hug. It was very comforting and Cora found herself taking a silent deep breath, tucking her chin against his head as she reached up to stroke his smooth scales for a moment. When Frederick glanced back at her, she would simply smile, still keeping pace just fine with the man.

It was too bad that he had hidden the lock code from her, but she was still satisfied with what she had learned simply from the walk up here. The third floor appeared to be employee access only, requiring fingerprints, and Frederick's office specifically was on the left. If they were to search for information when the game officially began then she needed to memorize here way here, and now, while she was in his office, if it would even be worth coming back to. He might only be handling the finances and nothing more, and if that was the case, then she really needed to wring him for who would have the information she needed.

She took a seat in one of the comfortable chairs as her eyes roamed the office as casually as she could manage. There was a very real chance there was hidden cameras in here, considering how much paperwork there was, but nonetheless Cora was feeling hopeful. She had a secret weapon...

"sometimes I get fainting spells, so if I suddenly go down, please don't be alarmed."

Her heart-rate kicked up, not believing her luck. Or, at least, the possibility of a good dice roll. If he actually did go down for a little unexpected snooze, she knew exactly what she was going to. Or rather, what Bowie was going to do for her.

"A little rum in some coffee sounds lovely" she responded, looking at him sweetly. Nothing better than a small shot of liquid courage to sip on to calm her nerves.

"And don't worry, I give you my word I won't find the nearest sharpie and write a little heart on your cheek. Unless you want me to" she said, giving him a wink.
____________________________________________

Quint actually bent over the purple appendage slightly, not having expected it at all, before he stood straight and irritation made him furrow his brow. Sabastian was able to turn him around and march him back for the simple reason that Quint knew if he really tried to put up a fight, there was a more than point zero percent chance that the smaller man would just pick Quint up and hold him over the balcony until the fresh air cleared his head. And today did not feel like a good day to die via humiliation.

"Secondly, you might blow their cover and then you'll all be in hot water."

He hated that he was right. Especially when he was right on every point. With a small sigh Quint made his way over to the bed and sat down, starting to rub his eyebrows with both his thumbs as if he were trying to get rid of a headache, though truthfully he just didn't want to come off as pouting.

"Right. You're right" he conceded, letting out another sigh and forcing his shoulders to relax.

"Bowie will let us know if anything is up."

Quint folded his hands and leaned over, resting on his knees as he looked out the balcony window and was quiet for a moment. Then he glanced back up at both Vin and Sabastian.

"I think I need some sleep. You guys mind?.." he trailed off, assuming they would get the message that he wanted the room to himself for a while, since they both had their own room they could return to.

 

[Poprockz]

"Oh, c-coffee? I- well, I mean that's an excellent choice." By the way he said it, one got the feeling that he rather wished that she hadn't chosen the coffee but was too polite to say so. Why though, was anyone's guess. While putting the grounds in the two-serving coffee maker, he leaned back slightly as though the grounds were rancid meat that stunk to high heaven. They didn't of course. They looked and smelled like normal (if high-quality) coffee grounds.

Her little joke earned her a slight blush and a nervous chuckle, the man grabbing her a mug from a mug tree on the counter. "That's very thoughtful of you, but I think I like my face sharpie-free. If it does happen and I'm out for more than thirty minutes, you can go into the hall and wave at one of the cameras outside my office. Someone would be by to pick you up, as the elevator doesn't go down without a thumbprint either. It's rather unpredictable, I'm afraid. Sometimes it's several hours, and sometimes it's ten minutes. Angelique checks on me frequently, so I don't have to worry about hurting myself or anything."

By that time, he had poured about a shot of rum in her mug, the coffee-maker starting to make those familiar gurgling noises everyone knew meant that it was about to spit out the bean juice. He swallowed, looking at the coffee as though expecting something to happen.

And then it did.

The smell of hot, delicious coffee permeated the room, and the zombie slumped against the counter.

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

"Oh, yeah sure." Sabastian responded, jerking his head at the door to Vin before starting to drift in that direction himself. "Let us know if you start getting a wild hair again though. You said it yourself: it's not safe to go alone, and one of us has to stay behind for when the girls get back."

That was really all that needed to be said, so he left Quint to his ruminations. A nap would help him pass the time and keep his mind off the two wanderers... hopefully. Quint was rather obsessive when it came to protecting people, so it was going to be quite difficult for him to relax enough to drift into slumber.

The door clicked shut behind Sabastian and Vin, the zombie sighing before he shrugged at his partner, "well, should we take a nap too, or do you want to watch a movie or something?"