Morning Coffee And Sweet Surprises (Closed to Poprockz)

[Drobabes]

Cora was immensely relieved to hear he was back, knowing that he was now safe. She was also immediately near the door and almost the minute he stepped through, she couldn't help but ask him if he had heard anything about Damien.

"I did. Angelique let me have a visitation with him to assure us that he's safe and we're not being deceived. There's some other things we talked about that I'll need to go over, but I'm going to take a shower first."

"Didn't you just take a shower?-"

She stopped short when he gave her a look, and it clicked that he was very tense. With a bit of scrutiny, she took a closer look at him and realized at the same time that he had basically been avoiding all of their gazes as best he could; especially Sayori's and Sabastian's.Then her hazel eyes caught the hickey on his neck before they shot back up to meet his own with a look of shock on her face.

"It'll will just take me a few minutes. Can you find me a pair of dry clothes please?"

Quint didn't want to have to explain himself just yet, though he knew she was worried now. As far as Sabastian went, he had felt the shock but he misinterpreted it as Quint having had to go ahead and doing something rather distasteful with their host. And again, he really didn't want to talk about it while the sick smell of cum was still over his clothes, making him feel queasy and nervous. No matter how much work he had done over the years, the smell of cum would never not be a trigger for him and it took an exhausting amount of self control to keep it together.

"Yea, of course."

"Thank you" he said, before quickly darting by Sayori, and pointedly keeping his eyes down, in order to get into the bathroom before anyone else said anything.

For a moment, Cora could only stand there and stare at the bathroom door before she seemed to snap herself out of it when the sound of the water coming on broke the silence. Then she went to the closet to look for a change of clothing for her brother.
...

From the bed, Delvin sat and simply watched. He felt a sense of relief to know that Damien was safe at the very least, but now he was a bit nervous of what the plan was going to be.

 

[Poprockz]

Sayori had been hovering nearby, conveniently on the side of him that didn't have the hickey. As such, she merely got the signals that Quint was giving off as well as Cora's, imagining that the woman had made him uncomfortable or proposed something he couldn't stomach. It concerned her, and she wished she could get more information, but she wanted to respect his need to reset himself. The woman let him go, anxiously sitting on a nearby chair and waiting for him to come out and be ready to talk to them.

The blonde watched Quint flee to the bathroom, unsure of how to address his concern. He ran his hand through his blonde locks indecisively and finally decided that he didn't want to just wait in here for him. The man walked to the balcony and leaned forward with his arms on the railing. The sun was getting lower in the sky, but he could still feel its warm rays on his pale skin. It was going to be very uncomfortable confronting Quint about this, but he valued his friendship with Cora and if he didn't tell her what was really going on, then he would.

 

[Drobabes]

Cora tucked her hair behind her ear as she briefly glanced at Sayori before making her way over to the closet. Normally she would have looked to Sabastian for a bit of comfort, seeing as they were closer friends, but he had already left the room. And Delvin had been...quiet. She loved him dearly as her friend, but his subdued attitude reminded her a bit too much of when Sabastian had left them thinking he was turning into some kind of monster. The charismatic man, who was always laughing and jovial despite the circumstances they were in, had become nothing but a husk of himself. While he certainly wasn't acting nearly as glum and full of despair, it was too off-putting for Cora to handle right now.

Once she had an outfit ready, she made her way to the bathroom door and gave a brief knock before going in and shutting the door behind her. She saw Quint glance over towards her through the silhouette of the glass and fog of hot water, but he made no attempt to speak with her until she came over and sat just outside the shower door.

"I didn't fuck her if that's what you're worried about" he said, just loudly enough that she could hear him over the water.

"I just had to stay in character."

Cora nodded before she realized he probably couldn't see her, then said out-loud, "alright". She waited a moment longer, then stood up and gently opened the door to make him look into her eyes.

"I can tell when something triggered you Quinton. It's been a few years, but it still shows on your face."

He had his hands up on the shower wall and had been letting the water just run down his back, but he couldn't keep himself from looking over to her. The overpowering smell of shampoo in his hair was almost burning his nostrils, but it was better than the alternative.

"It was the smell" he said slowly, his eyes darting down for a minute as he tried to stall for time and think of how he could tell her without having to lie to her.

"There was cum-"

Cora's eyes widened in concern, so he quickly went on before she could make any connections.

"Just my nose is so sensitive now, Cora. I can pick up on everything, even when I don't want to. I..heh" he stopped, his eyes starting to well up with tears.

"I feel horrible for dogs now, ya know? I can't imagine what they have to go through."

"Hey, hey" she said, quickly setting the clothes down before turning back to him and reaching up to wipe the tears from his face. Then, not caring that she was going to get wet, she stepped halfway into the shower and brought his face down to her shoulder and let him get it out. His wet arms went around her tightly, and although his sobs were quiet, they were no less intense.

"Shh, shh. I got you Quint. I got you. You're not there anymore, you're with me" she whispered gently.

"You are safe, you are loved. You're warm, and you're going to wash away all those smells, okay?"

"O-okay..."

"Alright...shh, it's going to be okay."

...

It was a long five minutes before Cora finally came out of the bathroom, a few tissues in her hand and her shoulder and chest a bit wet. She didn't seem to notice though as she wiped at her face and blew her nose. And soon after the sound the of water shut off.

When came out, he looked fresher but his face was rugged and his eyes a bit purple around the rims. He was not looking forward to having to explain things, but he was ready.

"So" he started, sighing a bit and walking over to get himself a cup of water.

"I had to make a deal with our host..."

 

[Poprockz]

Sabastian had noticed Quint come out of the bathroom and come into the room himself with crossed arms and a bit of a frown on his face. The former blonde, now brunette, walked over to where Vin was sitting and sat next to him. While he would have liked to talk to Quint privately, he would have his chance after their group discussion. Sure, he could burst this man's bubble right then and there with everyone to witness, but he at least wanted to give Quint the chance to be a decent human being and fess up to it on his own. He didn't like the idea of a "deal" but he wasn't going to interrupt him.

Meanwhile Sayori had no such reservations.

"What do you mean 'deal?' I don't trust her and I doubt she'll hold up her end of whatever bargain you struck!" Sayori piped up. The look of his eyes made her nervous, her stomach in knots for him. Whatever the deal was, it couldn't be good.

And then she saw his hickey and her eyes widened. He wouldn't...

 

[Drobabes]

He downed the whole cup of water before answering her, suddenly finding his mouth and throat to be thick and dry, like he had been eating balls of cotton. Then he sat his cup down and looked out towards the wide open expanse the compound.

"I don't either Sayori, and yea, you're probably right. So I plan on getting us all out of here before our bargain is up."

He gave a small cough, almost tempted to reach for another cup of water but decided against it. Quint just wanted to get this talk over with so that he could catch Sabastian and talk with him in private, not wanting him to accidentally tell Cora that Damiens scent had been all over him. She was smart and Quint knew that she would quickly connect the dots.

"Anyway. The deal is that she wants us to play a game with her. She's going to hide Damien somewhere on her compound, and if we can find him before the sun goes down, he'll be released to us and all of us will be free to leave."

Cora took an involuntary step forward, her hands going up to cover her mouth and her eyes starting to water. But just as quickly as the relief spread, so too did the fear. The compound was huge, and they had absolutely no idea where to start.

"She gave us three rules" he continued, holding up a hand to emphasize the point as he put individual fingers up.

"We're not to break anything, we are not allowed to divulge what we are doing to any of her guests, and we are absolutely not allowed to go to the top floor of this building. The point of this scavenger hunt, as she put it, is to give me a first hand demonstration of how safe we would be here if she does not want someone found. She expects that I might be interested in hiding from Kuznet here... personally I think she's overconfident, but it doesn't matter anyway.

So, we can start looking for him as soon as the sun is up tomorrow."

Quint coughed again, this time his throat having tightened up a bit from catching the look on Sayori's face.

"The rules I gave her in return were: I want everyone accounted for while we are here, which means that none of us will be split up unless I know exactly where everyone is going to be and for how long,"

Vin couldn't help but make a bit of a face. It wasn't that he didn't agree with the idea of everyone not being split up, or anyone losing track of anyone else-infact he actually thought that was a very intelligent decision. What bothered him about it was how it seemed, at least on the surface, like Quint felt as if he just had the right to call all the shots here. Granted they were in a desperate situation and Quint did know the General much better than maybe anyone here...but this wasn't the general. And he wasn't their daddy.

He reached up and ran a hand along the side of his face, deciding to keep his mouth shut until Quint was done talking.

"The second is I requested that none of our real names be used around, or given, to any of the guests. I'm hoping by this time tomorrow, we'll be back on the road and it was like we were never here."

Quint stopped then, letting the third rule fade off, hoping no one would catch it before they started asking questions.

 

[Poprockz]

They waited a couple seconds before Sabastian spoke up, “alright, so Jigsaw wants to play a game. If we win, we get to scoop up our rich boy and scoot, and if she wins…?” He paused then shrugged in confusion, “she gets to show us that she can hide people? What’s in it for her? What does she even want?”

It didn’t really make sense to him. Sure, showing that she could hide them was good if she wanted Quint to feel confident in staying, but why did she even need him? Sure, his Healy-goop was impressive, but it wasn't like she needed him enough to risk pissing off the General if they were in cahoots.

The whole thing sounded fishy to Sayori. People like Angelique seemed like they would be sore losers if they weren't able to win the game, so she imagined the woman would simply use more forceful means to keep them there if they won. What was the purpose of all this? Was she stalling for time? That didn't seem to make much sense either since she could just hold onto Damien as long as she wanted.

Sayori interjected, "I'm interested in her motivations as well, and I think you forgot what your third rule is."

 

[Drobabes]

Quint leaned back against the counter, his hands hanging onto the edge as he looked between them both. He had played the role with Angelique to get out of that room,but now that he had a moment to think, Sabastian's question left him asking himself the same thing. Because Angelique obviously was powerful enough to go out and hunt herself someone else who had healing abilities as well. So why him specifically? It couldn't have just been dirt on the General... Did she want eggs from him?

Quint hadn't considered that in the moment, with Angelique practically trying to ride his dick right through hia pants, but now it seemed an obvious enough answer. He could be wrong of course, but even the possibility of it made him feel a little queasy. If they couldn't find Damien in time tomorrow...no. He wasn't even going to consider that an option.

"Well she's implying that she needs my healing gel, but I have my doubts to that being the only reason she's trying so hard to keep me. There must be some other reason as well. But, erm" he said, clearing his throat.

"If we 'lose'...she wants me to sleep with her... And I made my third rule, that that isn't going to happen until the game is officially over."

Well. There it was. And now everyone was staring at him.

 

[Poprockz]

His news was not received with smiles and nods of encouragement. Sabastian looked alarmed, his tentacles slipping out and twitching slightly. Was Quint really willing to go so far to promise himself for even the chance of freeing Damien? Was he in love with the man?! That could make things more complicated than if he just had some kind of hate-boner for him. Love could happen quickly, this he knew, but it had come so far out of left field that he didn’t know what to think.

“Quinten Bluefield. What. The. Fuck?!” An almost shrill voice broke the silence as Sayori stepped towards him. “Didn’t we literally just talk about this?! You can’t just be offering yourself up as a sacrificial lamb to be… fucked! What made you think that accepting such a deal was even an option?!” The woman seethed, though there was obviously panic in her voice as well.

There he went again, trying to shoulder the entire burden, as though he was responsible for the entire group’s wellbeing. It made her so frustrated and worried!

 

[Drobabes]

Cora's hand went to cover her mouth, worry very evident in her expression. She didn't like that he had made such a deal...but it was Quint. She was used to him pulling things like this and had never been able to tell him what to do, even if they fought for weeks about it. It wasn't that he wasn't considerate of her anxieties and wants, but he was thickheaded like no one else she had ever met, and he was going to do what he thought was right. Once Quint had it in his mind that he was going to do something, there was very little she, or anyone else, could do to stop him.

Both Vin and Quint's eyes turned to Sabastian the second his tentacles came out, the alarm evident. Vin, or course, was just worried about his partner, but Quint was a bit confused. It wasn't as if Sabastian hadn't seen the type of shit he had to deal with when they were back in the underground prison together, so why was this so alarming to him? Was there something else about the zombie woman that Quint didn't know? He didn't get a chance to ask.

"Quinten Bluefield. What. The. Fuck?!"

If his full name being used wasn't enough to make his stomach drop, the anger and alarm in her tone sure was. He turned his full attention back to Sayori, trying to back up but forgetting that there was nowhere to go with the counter right behind him.

"Sayori, if there had been any other option I would have taken it" he started, quickly jumping to defend himself, his own voice rising up to meet hers as he was feeling just a little cornered. He wasn't used to little women getting right up in his face like this, and barely even noticed that Delvin had suddenly stood up and made a beeline for the balcony doors, quickly stepping past Sabastian and onto the cool landing before shutting the door behind him.

"She was practically trying to rip my pants off before she even explained what the hell the game was going to be, and considering she's a lot stronger than I am, I don't think I really had much of a choice! Even if she had backed off, she would have just fu-"

Quint pulled himself up short, realizing he had almost just brought Damien into the conversation. Not that he cared if the rapist got raped. He shouldn't. No, he wouldn't. It was only because he didn't want Cora freaking out that he had to keep it down.

"She, might have" he corrected quickly, though he also caught the questioning look Cora gave him.

"Just tried to turn it on the rest of us. Or tried some shady shit later. I don't believe for a minute she's above it, working with Kuznet how she is..."

Why did he get the feeling he was just digging himself into a deeper grave here? Trying to clear his throat and speak a bit more quietly, he continued.

"And besides, I don't plan on going through with it. We're going to find Cora's mutt and then get the hell out of here before she even has a chance. I just...I just needed to get her off my damn lap, okay?!" he finished, exasperated.

 

[Poprockz]

Every word was listened to very closely by Sabastian, especially the point where his speech cut off. His eyes narrowed slightly, and he wondered why Quint had backpedalled like that. Was he... trying to protect Damien? Did he feel possessive over the man? It didn't sit well with him. No, it didn't sit well at all.

He glanced at Vin as he went out to the balcony, unsure about what had triggered him. It looked like he wanted to be alone for a moment though, so he held off on checking on him for now. Once he heard more information out of Quint, he would see if the big man was okay.

Sayori could see that he wanted to squirm away, but she wasn't going to let that happen. The woman put a hand on either side of him on the counter, blocking his ability to leave. Well, unless he climbed up and out like Doc Oc from Spiderman. Her eyes blazed as she responded to him.

"Why do you feel like you have to take that kind of deal?! You're trying to deal with issues that aren't here yet, and you're putting yourself in harm's way to do so! You can't just assume that she's going to flip out if you don't do what she wants- and you didn't even tell her that you'd think about it so you could discuss other options with us! That was an option."

The woman let out a frustrated huff and her eyes became more worried than angry, though there was still some spice there. "And what if we can't? What if we can't find him?! Then we have to choose between getting out of here and leaving him behind, or having you get fucked by that woman!"

 

[Drobabes]

He hadn't expected her to box him in, though at this point maybe he should have. And it wasn't necessarily that he couldn't handle being cornered against the counter, especially not from Sayori as he felt completely comfortable with her presence, but it was was she said that made him tense.

Staring down into her eyes, Quint was shocked into speechlessness for the first time in quite a while. Not a fear driven clamminess that left him biting back his words for fear of true consequences, but a genuine lack of anything to say back in response to her simple truth. She was right. She was absolutely right-why hadn't he asked for time to think about it? Why hadn't he tried to delay things, to weigh his options? Because sure, while he was nervous about Angelique being in his lap, it wasn't like he couldn't stay in character. It wasn't like he was panicking so hard as to actually be afraid of them flat out having sex right then and there. Yes, he was nervous of that, but he wasn't truly afraid of it happening that quickly. Was he slipping? Maybe Sarah's death was affecting him more than he realized, he thought again. And if that was the case, was he screwing up in other areas as well?

His jaw started tensing with concern, a wave of panic rushing through him at the thought of what kind of danger he could have possibly put them all in. It wasn't just his jaw that was reacting to his anxiety driven thoughts, but also his appendages, as Cora noticed not just two starting to slip out from beneath his shirt but all four.

Suddenly there was a hand on Sayori's shoulder, strong and firm as it purposefully pulled the little women back at a safe enough speed so as not to harm her or cause her to stumble. Cora's hazel eyes stared very intensely into Sayori's gaze then, her own emotions a mixture of concern, anger, but mostly a very serious disapproval that she rarely ever showed to anyone other than her brother. Not even Sabastian had yet to see this look from her.

"Sayori, I know you're upset but you need to give him some physical space" she said, her tone commanding and almost harsh. There was an edge, yes, but she wasn't about to chew Sayori out for how she was acting. Cora knew how much Sayori cared about her brother, but she also knew she was a taller than average women and therefor could, when she had to, throw her weight around. She rarely did though, as she personally did not like this side of herself and often kept it locked up tight. That being said...that was her brother. And no one, not even Sayori, was going to make him feel like that. Especially after he had had to gather himself enough to stop crying to be able to come out of the bathroom and talk to them all.

 

[Poprockz]

Cora's sternness had been unexpected, and it caught the smaller woman off-guard. Sayori glanced back at Quint, finally noticing how he was reacting to her rant. Obviously it was causing him a lot of distress, that fact sending a surge of guilt through her. He wasn’t normal in that he likely had a lot of triggers for past trauma. How many times had Kuznet used his body and voice to intimidate Quint?

There was a moment before Sayori deflated, nodding and making her way over to the bed to sit down. “I’m sorry, that was… out of line.”

It wasn’t as though they could go back to change anything- that conversation was long since over. Yelling at Quint wasn’t appropriate when it merely allowed her to vent her frustrations to a man who thought he had no other choice.

He was locked into this bet now, and as much as Sayori wished they could leave for his sake, she doubted that would be happening. The only recourse they had would be to find Damien. How were they supposed to do that though? They didn’t have any hints, nor did they know where to start looking.

It was in that moment that Sayori decided that she was going to try to get some information out of one of the resort zombies. If Quint was allowed to make his own decisions, then so was she. He wasn't the only one who could put themselves on the line to protect them, and he shouldn't have to be.

She sighed. “What’s done is done. We just need to focus on finding him then. I’m going to look around the resort to see if I can find any clues. She won’t do anything to us the day before the game- I’m confident about that.”

"And I suppose you're going to go alone? Didn't we just say agree that it was a bad idea?" Sabastian pointed out. He was trying his best not to let Quint's anxiety get to him, but it was quite difficult.

"Angelique invited us to joint her this evening at the hot springs- If I'm caught, I can always say that I was looking for one of them to inquire about a bathing suit, and that I got lost." Sayori replied. That would actually be ideal, since it would mean that one of the zombies would be coming to her, which would give her an opportunity to ask questions.

 

[Drobabes]

Cora didn't respond with immediate warmth, her own hackles still a bit raised in defense, but she did at least nod in acknowledgement and approval as she too backed off. And with a bit more room to breath, Quint was able to get a hold of himself. One hand came up to cover and rub his face in a tired manner as his appendages withered and hung loose upon the counter behind him, like sad looking roots of a plant that had gone too long without water and proper nourishment. He took a deep breath and sighed, his eyes having closed until he heard Sayori's plan to head out and start looking for clues early.

"Sabastian's right" came his tired voice, staring at her through parted fingers.

"It's not a good idea to go alone, especially when the game hasn't started and I don't have the benefit of the rules I sat in place. If you go missing, she's under no obligation to tell me where you are."

Cora saw an opportunity here, and riding on Sayori's plan, gripped it with desperate fingers.

"I can go with her. It will make more sense if the girls go together, and her story of looking for a bathing suit is legitimate."

"Cory..." he grumbled, only his eyes panning over to her.

"I'll take Bowie with us. If anything happens, you'll both know immediately, and we'll have to be back in time for the hot springs anyway. Or even before that, for dinner."

Her man was on the line here, and she knew there was something that Quint wasn't telling her. Something he couldn't tell her, and she only had herself to blame for his hesitance.

"...I'm not going to be able to stop you both, am I?"

She only glanced at him before stooping down to pick Bowie up and wrap him around her shoulders, the large reptile having heard his name and knew he was being summoned.

"Nope. And I know, we have to be completely tight lipped about looking for clues. Trust me, I'm not going to risk the game being lost before we even start it."

She looked at Sayori then, wondering if their companion was going to strongly disapprove of her tagging along.

 

[Poprockz]

Sayori narrowed her eyes at Cora slightly. Taking her along would impede her plans to approach one of the zombies and try to seduce them. Though she wasn't sure how good she was going to be at the seducing, she was still going to see whether she could pull it off. Or suck it off as the case may be.

At the same time... Quint seemed to be in a no-nonsense mood and she doubted he would stand by while she went out alone. She didn't think he would try to physically stop her, but at the moment she wouldn't put it past him if he thought he was doing it for her safety. It aggravated her that he felt like he was the one who could police everyone else's well-being. She knew it came from a good place, but they weren't locked in a dungeon anymore- she had to have her own autonomy now.

Once she and Cora were out of the room, she could ditch her one way or another as Cora certainly wouldn't be able to drag her back the same way Quint could. What was she going to do? Run back and tattle? Cora didn't seem to be the type to do so. With Bowie on her shoulders, she also wouldn't feel guilty about leaving her on her own in the resort.

She sighed, "that's fine with me." With that, she got back to her feet and made her way toward the door, looking back at Quint only to say a quick, "we'll be back!" before leaving.

The woman didn’t say a word as they walked down the hall together. Her mind was preoccupied with how best to leave Cora so she could do her own thing.

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

Once the door clicked shut, Quint would find Sabastian fixing a deeply disapproving look on him. The man crossed his arms and got up from the bed, though he didn't approach. After Sayori gave him a piece of her mind, he didn't want him clamming up before he got an explanation.

"I can smell him all over you, and you know exactly what I fucking mean so don't give me any bullshit. I had my suspicions when you got all turned on when setting his arm, but now I'm almost positive you guys have been boning." He was glaring at this point. "So I need an answer from you or I'm going to have to go straight to Cora, seeing as she's my friend and she doesn't deserve her brother of all people to be doing this behind her back. Frankly, I'm really disappointed in you."

 

[Drobabes]

Cora was just as silent as they walked, her steps stiff and tense as she stared down the hall. Her own thoughts were running wild as well, wondering just how the hell they were going to pull this off, and pull it off in a way that wouldn't leave Quint absolutely shutting them both down in the future from attempting anything like this again. They needed to be smart...but it was so hard to think.

What was happening to Damien? She felt a bit selfish that it was all she could think about, considering her twin and her friends lives where hanging in the balance here. All equally as important to her, all equally as at risk. And yet, she knew where they were and therefor what was happening with them. Cora didn't know what was happening to Damien, and it only left her to ponder all the horrible possibilities. Finally she spoke, not being able to take the silence any longer.

"I think it might be best if you took Bowie with you, if we end up separated for some reason."

She glanced down at Sayori, catching her eye.

"I have the sibling trump card against stubborn Asshat back there. But I think if you got left alone, even if it was only for a few minutes, without any protection, he might never leave us without some kind of guard again. What do you think?"

______________________________

Quint let his hand come down and hang loosely by his side as he watched the women leave, even staring at the door during the silence that followed as he contemplated if it was really such a good idea to let them go wandering like this. So many things could go wrong. Just as he started to think better of it, and move to chase after them, Sabastian stood and started talking. Vin meanwhile, had heard the conversation calm down and the girls leaving. He was just turning to come back inside, but upon hearing the bite in his lovers tone, he swiftly did a one eighty and went right back to the edge of the balcony, wishing he had a cig to puff on.

"I had my suspicions when you got all turned on when setting his arm, but now I'm almost positive you guys have been boning."

There was a stretch of silence that followed in which it was so quiet, the two of them could actually hear some guests laughing down the hall in their own rooms. He couldn't do anything for a moment but just stare in disbelief; literal disbelief. Where was he? Had they stepped into the twilight zone?

"What the hell, dude?"

His tone wasn't joking in the slightest, and while his voice hadn't raised, a sudden anger, no, fury, did. It came bubbling up from deep inside of him and for a moment it almost seemed as if Quint last gasket was about to be blown, and he might actually come across that room to attempt to punch Sabastian for saying such an offensive thing to him.

"Boning him? Are you fucking kidding me?"

He stood up from the counter, his fists looking as if they wanted to clench and his brows pinching hard together in disgust as the feeling rolled out from him and through their link.

"When I was setting his arm? You mean when you were off playing with your boyfriend? Yea, did you forget that I can't shut your feelings out of my head?!" Quint almost yelled, just barely keeping control of himself.

For the first time he consciously realized it, he knew there was some real resentment there. It felt as if he hadn't had control of his own feelings, as if someone else was trying to impose their will on him. Trying to twist him away from himself and who he was. And while it certainly wasn't Sabastian's fault this was happening, it was no less triggering and explained a lot of why he kept having this undercurrent of hostility and anger that wasn't tied to just the situation they were all in, or the mutts disgusting deeds. Speaking of which...

"How dare you accuse me of something so fucking foul. 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!" he spit, starting to shake. His glare pierced right down into Sabastian's, his breathes coming hot and heavy through his nose as he actively had to fight to get himself under control again. After a few seconds, he abruptly turned his back on the little man and gripped that damn cup of water again, taking a moment to just breathe.

It wasn't just Sabastian. It was everything. The situation they were in, what he felt like he had to do, his sudden loneliness in this new and hostile world without his partner or his best friend Brandon by his side. And now what felt like another blow-Sabastian accusing him of something so disgusting. He thought they were friends. It felt like a betrayal of his character, a side of himself that he rarely showed but had chosen to show to Sabastian because Quint trusted him.

It hurt.

"Angelique is the one that was fucking him all night" he said, still refusing to face him.

"Our host is a trans women. I was going to ask for your help in keeping it from Cora so she didn't have a damn break down" he finished, his voice a bit tight and strained as a tear rolled down his cheek and he aggressively rubbed it away like a bug that was pestering him.

 

[Poprockz]

Sayori shook her head. "No, I would prefer that Bowie stay with you. Quint doesn't have to let us do anything. You and I are adults who can do as we please as long as it doesn't endanger the group as a whole."

She sighed, "honestly, he is so stubborn sometimes, feeling as though he has to police what we do in order to protect us. Do you ever get tired of it?"
--------------------------------

The pure rage that emanated from Quint almost felt physically painful to him, and he had to take a step back. He had expected Quint to deny it or give it to him straight, but he hadn't expected the utter contempt he was getting.

Angelique was... The realization of what Quint said hit him like a ton of bricks. Damien had been raped, likely dozens of times by how pungent the smell had been on Quint's clothes. Unlike Quint, he didn't feel any satisfaction from the news, only horror. No, that was certainly not something that Cora could know for now... It would absolutely break her heart.

"I..." Sabastian fumbled for the words, opening his mouth just to close it again. What the fuck could he say? He looked down away from Quint with guilt in his heart. In times like these, the best thing to do was to speak honestly, and so he did.

"I'm sorry for accusing you," he began quietly, "I should have just asked instead of jumping to weird conclusions. Your feelings at the arm-setting, the way it seemed like you were trying to protect him, and the smell on you, it all just pointed to a conclusion that I didn't fully think through. These days it's hard to know what someone would or wouldn't do, but I recognize that you're not the sort of person who would do that so... I'm really sorry."

It was up to Sabastian to admit when he was wrong, and it was also up to Quint as to whether he would accept that apology. His tentacles, which he hadn't realized had come out during Quint's wrathful response, wrapped around himself in a self-soothing manner and he continued, his tone becoming more firm.

"What I won't apologize for is feeling how I feel about Vin. I get that it sucks- I do," he said bitterly. "You think I want you to feel my feelings too? You don't think that it's fucking humiliating for me to know that every time I'm turned on, you're the first person to know about it? It's like being naked in front of someone that I know doesn't want to see me naked. I'm not going to stop being physically intimate with him, but that doesn't mean that I don't feel guilty and embarrassed. I don't want to share, I want that sort of thing to be private. But it's not and I don't know what the fuck to do about it either!" By the end of his words his voice was raw with emotion. Those furrowed brows and glistening brown eyes of his had focused back on Quint.

 

[Drobabes]

Cora couldn't help but smile, finding Sayori's rebellion and bite to be quite admirable and humorous. Oh but she had no idea how far Quinton was willing to go, even if Sayori had a perfectly good and valid point.

"Do you ever get tired of it?"

The taller women let out a little snort before shaking her head, the smile remaining.

"Oh you have nooo idea" she said, putting some extra emphasis on her words. Then her smile dropped and her face shifted to a more sad and uncomfortable position.

"I haven't always been the best sister to him. Haven't always acted like the adult I should have. With me at least, I really have no right to bite back as much. I haven't earned that yet, not with how he's had to take care of me in the past..."

She let out a little sigh and then looked down at Sayori, trying to shake it off with a halfhearted smirk.

"But you're on equal ground with him. And honestly I really respect you for not putting up with his bullshit. Sometimes he needs that little reality dose, but he'll only take it from someone who he considers to be on equal ground with him."
___________________________

"Your feelings at the arm-setting, the way it seemed like you were trying to protect him, and the smell on you, it all just pointed to a conclusion that I didn't fully think through."

Old habits told him to bite back, to keep his guard up and say something like, 'yea, you should have thought it through dumbass', but he didn't. Partly because he was just too angry to talk, and partly because he could feel the sincerity in Sabastian's voice even if they hadn't had their link and it soothed the wound.

"What I won't apologize for is feeling how I feel about Vin. I get that it sucks- I do,"

Quint turned his face to the side so that he could look back at Sabastian as he spoke. By the time he was done, Quint had completely deflated and was staring down at the floor, choosing to take a few seconds before answering.

"I don't want you to apologize for that. You can't control that anymore than I can choose to shut you out. And I don't want you to not be physical with your partner, either; that's not a fair ask."

He sat his cup down and stared at the counter for a few seconds more, pondering on Sabastian's own admission of how uncomfortable this all was. Then he turned his head again, but this time fully giving Sabastian his gaze.

"I'm sorry I snapped. You didn't deserve that, and I can see how you got to that conclusion. I don't know, maybe I should have taken some time to come talk to you about what's been eating at me. I respect you and your input, but I haven't been doing a very good job of showing it."

 

[Poprockz]

She blinked. Cora thought she didn't deserve to have her own autonomy?

"Honestly, I'm surprised that he considers me to be on equal ground, considering how helpless I was. Though I suppose I wouldn't accept it if he didn't. What he did for me when we were both imprisoned will make me forever grateful to him, but now that we're out I need to take care of myself, make my own decisions, and do what I can to help. Quint can't keep me safe by keeping me tethered- that's just a different kind of cage." Her lips went into a thin line as she remembered her cage back in the dungeons. Kuznet's little birdcage where he could visit his bird whenever he liked.

Her attention turned back to Cora and she smiled softly, "I suppose it can be difficult to reign in your overprotectiveness when it's the person you love most who might be in danger. I'm just a new friend, but you're part of him. At the same time, you're not the person you used to be. Perhaps in the present you can pay him back for what he's done not by obeying, but by doing your best to help as the stronger woman you currently are."

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

"I appreciate that, but I get it..." Sabastian put a hand on his hip and scratched the back of his head with a cringe. "I know I can be really... reactive. I'm not known for "calmly and maturely" addressing issues, and that's something I've gotta work on. If I were you, I think I would have punched me in the face for saying something so fucked up." There was a pause. "Thank you for not doing that, by the way."

He shrugged. "It's really weird, this bond you and I have. It's like some kind of fucking mind-meld or some shit sometimes. And the dreams..." His tentacles squeezed himself tighter. "I don't know about you, but it scares me a bit. There are things I don't want to show anyone, like stuff to do with that last dream with that ginger fuck, Artemis. Or like things with my piece-of-shit dad or... Margaret." There was a shudder. Yes, there were many things he'd rather not have Quint peeping into, but he supposed that went both ways. Some of the things he'd seen from Quint were objectively horrifying, so he assumed Quint could identify with what he was saying.

"Anyway, I guess what I'm saying is that we're both going to have to trust each other if we're going to keep sharing stuff. I'll... work on that more." The thing about it was that he did trust Quint- trusted him with his life. That being said, Sabastian had a hard time being a good judge of character, and that sometimes gave him doubts. Especially when he had made mistakes like that in the past.

 

[Drobabes]

"Quint can't keep me safe by keeping me tethered- that's just a different kind of cage."

She nodded, agreeing with what Sayori had to say fully. And truly she didn't believe Quint would continue to act the way he currently was, once, or if ever, they were all out of Kuznet's claws. That was a future that was fuzzy and far away, though. Difficult to see and even more difficult to grasp so she didn't bother to linger on the thought. It was more important to her, right now, to be sharp and think. The next move, the next step. Sayori would be going one way, and she would have to go another, and get a leg up on their host however she could.

"At the same time, you're not the person you used to be...by doing your best to help as the stronger woman you currently are."
Cora stared down at Sayori for a long few seconds before suddenly smiling. It was a gentle, almost shy smile, and full of genuine fondness for what she had said.

"I hope so" she answered simply, looking away down the hall, and then back behind them once to make sure they were not being followed.

"You're a very brave person Sayori, and smart. I haven't had as much time to get to know you as Quint has, but I can see why he bonded with you so quickly. I think that given a little more time, and maybe a few knocks over the had, he'll come around and stop feeling like he has to carry everything on his shoulders."

Cora gave her another smile, petting Bowie idly as her eyes then scanned the hallway with new determination.

"I think we were supposed to have dinner before the hot springs, right? Should we meet back at our room when we're done?"

________________

"I know I can be really... reactive. "

Quint could only smile and snurk, thinking, you and me both as his own tentacles folded just below his folded arms. Though it was true that he had perhaps had more time to work on his anger, he was well aware his top could get flipped easy, especially if he had been drinking. His go-to reaction was usually to punch first and ask questions later. Though it had been some years since he had done any serious damage to someone, his punches almost always being pulled. Most of the time he just wanted to tell the other dude he was being a little bitch. With his fist.

"There are things I don't want to show anyone, like stuff to do with that last dream with that ginger fuck, Artemis."

Yea, he definitely understood. There was so much in his mind that shouldn't have been seen, so much that was just twisted and wrong. Sick. Sometimes he feared for Sabastian's mental wellbeing, sometimes on edge when he awoke after they shared a night of slumber wondering if the smaller man was truly alri-

"Wait, Artemis?"

Quint's eyes widened, and he looked over at Sabastian.

"You said ginger?"

He didn't quite remember everything from the dream, but hadn't that guard in the hallway been called Artemis? And he was a redhead.

 

[Poprockz]

Sayori raised her eyebrows in surprise, then smirked with the realization that Cora had never intended to truly use the buddy system. There was an appreciative gleam in her eye as she nodded, “yes, we’ll meet back here at 5 then. Let’s get to it!”

With that, Sayori went down a separate hall, looking around for clues or guests. Perhaps anything that might catch her eye. A small smile was planted on her lips as she thought about what Cora said. Maybe they were more similar than she had thought.

——————

“Uh, yeah? Do you have something against gingers?” Sabastian asked, confused.

 

[Drobabes]

In response to the look, Cora gave an actual grin. Sure, she was slightly concerned with the other women not taking Bowie, but she also had a deep suspicion that Angelique wouldn't risk losing Quint's trust right now and therefore truly felt they would be alright.

"Got it!"

It was relief to have a solid time. If one of them showed up to their room before other, and came in alone, their cover might be blown and then they would really get it. So feeling a bit more confident, Cora picked up the pace to get to the end of that long hallway, not knowing exactly what she was going to do just yet. She was confident though, and because she had to be.
__________

"What? No" he closed his eyes for a brief second as he shook his head and came a away from the counter, his tentacles then falling down and starting to stiffen up slightly.

"The guard that was watching Damien's door was a redhead, and I thought the the butler said his name was Artemis."

 

[Poprockz]

Sayori made her way downward, keeping an eye out for things that seemed suspicious. It was made all the more difficult by the fact that the place just seemed like what it pretended to be: a resort. She wasn't bold enough to poke her head into rooms or anything, so she wasn't opening any doors. As such, she figured it might be a good idea to search for one of the zombies. If she met the butler, or maybe even the mousy one, she might be able to wheedle some info out of them.

She was just about to see if there were any open lounges when-

"Oh my, if it isn't one of our new guests!"

Ah, of course. It was exactly the person she didn't want to run into at the moment.

Angelique smiled at her magnanimously and approached. "I actually wanted to catch you alone, to have a little chat." The zombie paused before letting out an amused chuckle at Sayori's unintentionally nervous face. "Don't worry, douce petit fraise, I'm not going to gobble you up- I just want to talk. Come! I'll get you something hot to drink."

Sayori had no choice but to follow their host, wondering what it was that she wanted to talk about.

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

Cora, in the meantime, had just rounded a corner when SMACK! She ran into someone who had also been speed-walking. There was a flurry of papers going every which-way, the other person losing their balance and falling over.

Upon looking, Cora would find herself face-to-face with yet another zombie. This one had long brown hair that went just past his chin, glasses, and a face that said that no amount of coffee could save his soul. There were dark circles under his eyes and a lankiness to him that didn't help his overall look of being tired as hell. She could tell he was a mind-zombie from the half-spheres of his eyes being dark brown while the other half was purple.

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

“Ha!” Sabastian then chuckled, albeit with a nervous touch to it, “there’s no way it could have been him.” There was a brief silence as he began to look as though he was doubting his previous statement.

It didn’t take long before he relented. The man huffed and closed his eyes, gesturing at Quint with a “come on” gesture. “It’s probably not the same person, but show me anyway.”

 

[Drobabes]

So focused on her own thoughts, she didn't even consider the possibility that someone else could be coming around the same corner at the same time, and so smacked into the stranger with just as much force. Fortunately for her though, Bowie was draped mostly over her back and managed to correct their fall by pushing them back to a stable position. Then, along with his human, he stared down in surprise at this new zombie man before them.

"Oh! I'm sorry!" Cora said, snapping out of the spell and realizing the sudden opportunity that was before her. Quickly she bent down and started trying to 'help', gathering up as many of the papers as she could while scanning each piece. She let her eyes drift as she piled them together, not daring to be called out for snooping.

"I didn't even hear you coming around the corner..."

Bowie looked away from the man and down to what Cora was doing, and after a little head bob, he slithered down her shoulder and delicately picked up a piece of paper in his mouth and held it before her waiting hands.
__________________

Giving a short nod, Quint closed his eyes and concentrated on remembering as much detail as he could. The walk down towards the door, and then focusing on the image of the man sitting in the chair and reading a book before suddenly snapping it shut and telling them "about fucking time" before getting up. Then he honed in on the other man's one amber and one violet eye as he passed them by.

After the image went through across their link, Quint opened his eyes and looked to Sabastian. Up until this point, he hadn't thought much about it. During their dreams, Quint had always been focused on the goal that was Cora's mutt. He hadn't stopped to question who this Artemis person was, outside of seemingly just being a bad ex or something like that. But even that was really none of his business, and it felt wrong even knowing that much when it was not information that Sabastian had volunteered on his own.

 

[Poprockz]

Sayori was offered coffee, tea, or hot chocolate, so she decided to go with a lovely green tea with notes of mango. Their host decided to go with Earl Grey with some cream in it, the two of them settling down in one of Angelique's lounge rooms. There were also buttery cookies offered, which Sayori accepted.

The two of them chatted about mundane things for a while, mostly about Sayori's life before the apocalypse, as well as Angelique's opinions on how things had devolved the way they had. Since she had gotten advanced warning, she had been able to prepare more, but she was under no illusions that eventually either they would run out of a lot of different things, or that society would be reestablished.

"So... Sayori, was it?" Angelique took a puff of her pipe and blew it out the side of her mouth elegantly. "What do you think of my resort?"

"It's very nice. I think I would have loved to stay here on vacation. But, yeah. It looks like there are a lot of resources and such."

"I'm glad to hear that your impression is a good one, especially since I wanted to make a proposal to you. What would you think about staying here when the rest of your group leaves?"

Sayori looked at her side-long, a bit surprised and wary of the offer. "Um, I don't know. I think they probably still need me around."

"Do they?"

Sayori frowned and Angelique waved her hand, "my apologies. I don't mean to be blunt, but it seems as though you don't hold any position within your group. Quint, Sabastian, and Vin seem to be able to defend themselves without problem, while Cora plays a role of medic in a sense, and she is blood-related to Quint. You, on the other hand, are petite and inexperienced in fighting for your life. Don't get me wrong, I'm not implying that you're any less skilled than the rest, but it doesn't seem like your skillset matches their needs."

"You are a talented violinist, musician, and performer. You have managerial experience, and know how to budget well. I could use someone with those talents in this community, and I think Frederick would welcome some help in managing this place. When you are part of a small, nomadic group, survival and strength is most important. But when you're in a firmly planted, large community that already has defenses, art and inspiration are equally as important. One must be inspired to continue living, no?"

The woman's dark hand reached out and landed just above Sayori's knee, her deep violet eyes looking into hers with a somewhat sympathetic look. "Trust me. You would be better off here. What will happen when you slow the group down in a crucial moment or get captured and used as a way to blackmail them into giving up their supplies... or worse. While I'm sure they are fond of you, there may come a time when they have to leave you behind to ensure their survival. It is survival of the fittest out there beyond the walls, and I would hate for such talent to be wasted."

This made Sayori recoil, brushing her hand off of her leg as politely as she could manage it. "They would never abandon me like that," she responded firmly.

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

The first sheet of paper Cora looked at seemed to be an inventory, as did several other pages she found. It was mostly food and resources, but the "heroin" might have caught Cora's eye. If it did, she would find that one of the papers she looked at was a list of drugs. And based on the numbers... Angelique had quite the selection and excess. It wasn't the sort of stash that one would get on a whim at the first sniff of the apocalypse- it was the type of collection where one intended to distribute or manufacture. One might make the leap that Kuznet had gotten the cocaine he had dosed Sabastian with from her, and likely his aphrodisiacs as well.

Another page was a plan for what they were going to do with the windmill and solar panels, as well as where they were going to acquire said panels. Apparently there was a place in a city nearby that had sold them, so she was going to gather them from there. The windmill itself had a delivery date later in the week, presumably the day she expected one of the officers to come. Thus, it was implied that Kuznet was supplying her with more practical items. At the bottom of the page was a small note that said: "Eggs- 30%"

There was a big sigh from the zombie on the floor, and he almost looked tempted not to get back up. "No, no. I should have been paying more attention." He glanced at Bowie, seemingly unfazed by the large reptile. It was as though his mind was simply too exhausted to give much energy to being surprised.

The zombie shifted himself onto his knees and started picking up the papers as well, frowning briefly at the fact that now there were all out of order, which ultimately meant more work. "Thank you. I appreciate the help." One of the papers was picked up and reviewed with another sigh. "One might assume that running a society is straightforward, but the paperwork, calculations, and planning never ends."

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

He kept his mind open for Quint's images, and was soon receiving them. When he received the images of Artemis though, his stomach dropped. The man was older and more built, but that was definitely him. It shocked him to see his high-school bully after so long, though of course it hadn't been as simple as that. A lot of conflicting emotions went through him including nervousness, relief, fear, attraction, embarrassment, and most of all: pain.

Sabastian opened his eyes and put his face in his hands with a drawn-out groan of frustration. "Fuuuuuck. Why the fuck does this sort of shit have to happen?! I thought I'd never have to see that guy after Margaret gave him the boot." Maybe he wouldn't recognize him? Sabastian had changed his hair and eye-color after all, and if he wore a hoody or something and made his face less visible, it was unlikely that he would know it was him. Yeah, that could work. Maybe.

 

[Drobabes]

Just the fact that Angelique was working with Kuznet at all made all of this information irrelevant to Cora, if not outright boring evening. The heroine was no surprise, nor was the mention of a thirty percent of eggs, which she assumed was the percentage traded for supplies. If she were being honest, she didn't even want to think about what Kuznet was doing with those eggs, nor what he was finding out. Though the line about a delivery being made later in the week did set her a bit more at ease. They had a few days, at least...

"Thank you. I appreciate the help. One might assume that running a society is straightforward, but the paperwork, calculations, and planning never ends."

Cora continued to pick up the scattered documents, but now her eyes were more focused on the man before her, for here was her golden ticket. If he was entrusted with this level of information of what was going on behind the scenes, then surely he must know more about the areas of the resort that the average visitor or tenant was not allowed to wander.

"Oh I can imagine" she said, giving him a soft smile as her eyes tried to find his gaze.

"I used to have a job with my local bank before all of this. If just a regular nine-to-five was stressful for a girl like me, I can't even imagine how much of a headache this must be for you."

She offered her own stack of papers, now neatly shuffled in a clean pile, back to him before holding her hand out for a proper greeting.

"My name is Crystal, by the way. And you are?"

She hadn't spent a whole lot of time thinking of a fake name, but it also wasn't one that was completely unfamiliar either. Crystal had been a...well, as close to what a shut in such as herself considered to be a friend, but mostly just a coworker that she shared an occasional drink with after a rough shift. She was a good gal, soft though quick witted, and a bit ruthless when it came to promotions. But other than having a taste for a finer life, Cora and her had gotten along well enough, and it was pleasant to have another women to talk with once in a while.

Cora hadn't thought of her until now though. Not that she didn't care if she was alive and well, but more it was telling of how shallow the friendship had been.
____________________________________

Quint felt a vague sense of all the emotions Sabastian went through and he had to take a deep breath to get back to his own. After that small hiccup, he frowned and with concern, poked the elephant in the room.

"I'm assuming a bad break up? Or was it worse? If he's dangerous then it's probably best you give me at least the gist of what he did. I don't want to pry into your personal life, but it's obviously got you bothered he's here."