nexus_crossings | The Greater (Drunken) Good

The man in a drunken stupor may have not noticed the small woman who was sitting on the couch, a canteen of water in her hands that she was putting away back into her satchel. Her brows shot up and her eyes wide with surprise when the man landed ungracefully next to her. “Eh...Hello Strange-One.” Kasa mumbled, seemingly unsure how to handle the drunkard. Her sensitive nose scrunched up as she examined him. He smelled of alcohol. Kasa was herself enjoyed a good ale often enough. But this man seemed to reek of the alcohol that he held in his thin fingers.

Her ears twitched as she listened to his question. “Worst for good?” She abridged and repeated the question. She leaned back against the couch in thought. This guy was obviously very drunk. She could tell him of events in her life and he'd probably be none the wiser after. The longer she sat next to him the more the smell of the alcohol became enticing. She licked her lips subconsciously as she thought.

“Hm... This one has done bad things in past for her survival that she is not proud of...But in name of greater good...This one...” She seemed like she wanted to continue. This was the opportune time to get some some old guilt off her chest but she sat their frozen next to this drunken man. She wasn't sure how big of an event this man was having in mind in terms of 'greater good'. Her story wasn't a history changing event, but she suppose she did have an example. And was it a good idea to just blurt part of her history to him? These thoughts stormed her mind as she stared down at the drunk with light grey eyes.

Edited 2016-05-09 23:10 (UTC)

Jesse furrows his brow, looking at the lady with his jaw slightly agape. Trying to follow what she's little saying and not doing so good a job of it. "This one what. This-...Uh. This one time? Like-...Naw, naw, go 'head, I'm listenin'!" As if him interrupting was the problem here.

He takes another swig of whiskey in the meantime.

Her lips pull into a grin and she chuckled as she listens to the odd man speak. He sure did talk funny. She supposed it couldn't hurt to indulge him with a story. He seemed drunk enough that he wouldn't remember later anyway.

“This one and large group had been taken from refugee camp to another camp to do...unwanted work.” She began carefully, her smile faltering as she continued. “We had to farm food, assist guards and soldiers for practice or work mine for the people we were running from. Tired and hungry from being forced from our home we did not have choice but to do this work for what little food and shelter they offered.” She paused again, looking up to the ceiling to pull the details of her memory forward. Making sure she wasn't missing a detail.

“We were trapped for at least five winters. It felt longer. But she does remember at least that much time." She explained, going off topic for a moment, but quickly returning. "This one and another few people made plan for escape. On other side of the tall fence with spikes was the wilderness. Hot and unforgiving, but freedom was passed the heavily guarded fence. On night of escape we wait for change of guard and use items we collected to make ladder. It broke after first climber got over. Time was running out, she could hear the guard coming."

She paused and played with the fur of the wolf pelt that rested over her shoulders and down her back. Feeling her stomach knot up. "I grabbed one of the people of people in our group and pushed his body into the fence. He was one of the weaker ones and she knew he would not last far in the wilderness. So she just..." She made the motion of shoving someone back before resting her hands on her lap again. "But it did not kill him like she thought it would. He was alive and he made noises. The guards would be their quick. We used him to climb up to the rest of the ladder and escape before we were found, and left him behind." She fidgets in her seat uncomfortably and looks at him. "This one did terrible thing. But...It saved us. Even just a few of us."

She wanted to quickly change the subject and ask if he had to do something for the greater good. But she felt like her mouth was dry and she couldn't bring herself to speak again. Nervous to hear what this drunk man had to say about her story.

He listens, smiling for the first portion of it, not realizing he was smiling. But Jesse notices it eventually and realizes he needs to coach himself into looking more concerned. More serious. This is a serious story. There's some conscious effort to put on a frown, even if his eyes don't focus properly still.

"Shoot. Y'all-..." He's quiet for a moment, digesting the tale.

"...Y'all must be from Korea, huh. That essplains-...The-...North Korea. That's the bad one, right?"

Right.

Kasa's brow began to perk up slightly again as she studied the man who looked like death returned. She wasn't sure if he truly was enjoying the story or if he was just so inebriated that he couldn't stop himself from smiling; But what ever was going through his mind he eventually frowned and started to speak in his drunken slur.

"Ko...Korea?" She asked in a dumbfounded tone. She's never heard of such a place. She rubbed the scarred side of her neck as she responded. "This one had not heard of such place. But from sound of it, she never wishes to see it." She admitted with a bit of a chuckle, trying to return to her light-hearted self. "Eh...So...Does Strange-One have story for this one?"

"Me? Like-...Uh. OH." He just remembered what his initial question was. Jesse sighs and holds up the bottle, squinting one eye shut so he can look down the neck of it and see how much liquor he's got left. Only after he's taking another swig and lowered it does he remember he's also supposed to be talking.

"Right! Right, uhh. I dunno! I do a lotta bad shit! I do a whole goddamn lotta bad shit, miss." Wait, he just remembered: he doesn't swear in front of women! "STUFF. Whoooole lotta bad STUFF, I mean. I'm a-...Y'know, s'better that way, y'know? I'm the leader, I gotta-...Don't let my gang know what's goin' on. I gotta protect 'em. So if there's bad stuff that's gotta git done, I'm gonna-...It's gonna be me who's gotta pony up, right? Right!" Now for another drink.

Her silvery eyes watched with amusement, the corner of her lips pulling into a grin. She probably shouldn't be amused at how deliriously drunk this man was; But...It was sort of funny to watch him and listen to his funny speech. She let out a snicker before giving a hearty laughter as he caught his language, she calmed herself down to listen up. Nodding along to what he said. "This one understands. As a leader, one must do difficult things." She looked to his hat that was slightly off-kilter and she reached out to fix it with a bit of a smirk. "May this one try?" She asks and motions to the Jack Daniels. Sure, she had water but...Alcohol was calling her name more loudly.

"Huh? Oh, yeah! Yeah, abso-fuck-...lutely. Absolutely." If he didn't finish the word, it doesn't count as a cuss. He gladly hands over the bottle, a bit wobbly in the motion, but plenty eager to share! Drinking is more fun when you're doing it with others anyhow. They say if you do it alone, you're an alcoholic. And this moment of sharing should cancel out the past several hours he was alone in his room doing just that! Logic.

Kasa grins enthusiastically and takes a hold of the bottle. It was light, he probably went through most of it and some more before he arrived her. She tilted her head back and took a long savoring sip before returning it to the zed with a thankful grin. "Wado. Thank you, Uditahv." She looks to Jesse who is sprawled out over most of the length of the couch.

Huh...Why not join the party. She lays herself down, letting her feet dangle off the arm of the couch and her head resting by his. She tilts her head to look towards Jesse, trying to extend her hand towards him at the odd angle to shake his hand. "Also, this one is Kasa. What is Uditahv's name?"

He laughs at her thanks, mainly because it just sounds like babbling to him. She's probably saying something but he's too drunk to follow. It doesn't even occur to his sloshed brain that it wasn't english.

And then-...Oh. Hey. Whoa. "Gettin' a lil' cozy there, huh?" He smiles nervously, the expression lopsided and wobbly. Okay, she might not be human, but she's definitely living. He can feel her body heat, after all. And someone among the living getting this willingly close to UNliving? Even if he's completely, hugely smashed, this still sets off his usual self-imposed barriers. Don't touch the living, they don't like it!

This has manifested this whole time at him staring owlishly at Kasa, sometimes blinking, mostly looking surprised.

She rests her hands back on her stomach lazily, not receiving a hand shake. He gave no name for her to call him by either. Looks like Uditahv will be her name for him. Or maybe Masaw? That's a fitting name too...She'd decide on it later.

While this man may be undead, she respected the fact that he wasn't trying to bite into her like the usual variety. He wasn't showing it now from being under the influence, but the unnamed dead man had some form of intelligence. That was enough for her to treat him as her own unless he does something that makes her second guess herself.

Her ear twitched somewhat at how his voice sounded louder from being closer. She closed her eyes, ignoring the strong stench of alcohol in the air and gave a grinning-smirk. “Might as well, yes?” She responded casually to his question. Hearing the nervousness in his voice.

Silence. The drunk suddenly wasn't very talkative and she peaked over at him. He stared at her with wide, surprised eyes. Glassy, pale and white from being...Well...Dead. She laughed a bit at his expression. “Uditahv is curious to this one being cozy, yes?” She asked for confirmation. She scratched at the faded scar that ran diagonally across her forehead as she thought of how to explain herself. “Well. This one respects Uditahv for not attempting to eat this one like Undead she has met in past. Glad she does not have to stab pool que through you skull. Guess this his her way of showing thanks.” She explains with a smirk. Remembering her first run in with the hungry Undead.

In a nutshell; The creature stumbled into the tavern and tried to make a meal of her. She took a billiard cue to its head and dragged it into the fire to finish the job.

Good times.

Edited 2016-05-14 06:28 (UTC)

"Aw, heck." He grimaces at the pointing out of the scar and the story that came with it. "Zed. Real zed. We're-... I'm! I'm Rotten. I ain't like that. I'm just, uh. I'm just a guy with a disease, right? I'm dead like the zed an' all, but I can still, uh. Y'know. Talk. An'-...An', an' think." And drink. Boy, can he drink. He's so thankful for that still. There's a few back in his basecamp who get nothing from it, their systems having fouled up enough inside that it doesn't intoxicate them any longer.

"Sorry y'all got messed up." Why does he feel the need to apologize for the actions of a mindless zombie? He just does. It's always better to be apologetic and sympathetic towards the living for their struggles with the zed he looks like. Leaves a good impression.

Kasa nodded silently, listening carefully as he explained the difference between a Zed and a Rotten. More than thankful for the explanation. She was sure that he must've had run ins with people who didn't know there was a difference and may have tried to cut him down because of that.

She couldn't help but grin at his apology. "Uditahv does not need to apologize for event that is not his doing. But this one does appreciate thought." She said with a chuckle. At this close of an angle, along with the faded scar that was on her forehead, there was a much more noticeable one that ran horizontally across the left side of her neck; And maybe even evidence of more scars on her shoulder that disappeared farther under her shirt.

"So Uditahv has said that he is leader? What does he do with his group?" She asked, tilting her head to face him somewhat as they spoke. It was polite to face the person you were speaking to after all.

"Uh. I'm not, uh. Not bragging! I ain't-...I ain't important. Or nothin'. Uhhhh. I'm just a gang leader. Not like-! Not like gang gang." A pause, as if keeping quiet for a bit will keep him from being caught in a lie. But then he outs himself anyway in a sigh. "Okay, yeah, like a gang. But the whole-...Entire whole west coast got 'em. S'all we got left to-to-to...to keep people safe 'n build communities again! An' ain't like no gang's gonna take in a zed who can talk so, uh."

A shrug and a look down at his bottle, wondering if and how he can still drink from it while being flopped like this. "Ssssso I made a gang."

Kasa continued to stare. Slowly dissecting his words and translating them in her mind so she could understand. Remaining oddly quiet even after he finished speaking before nodded to him. "This one understands. So, Uditahv made gang for protection." She tried to reason. Tilting her stare back to eye the bottle of Jack Daniels; That was some good stuff. Better than the cheap tavern ale she was used to buying. "So they are many 'Zeeds' like you self? Who can speak and think and...eh...stuff." She asked curiously and accidently mispronouncing Zed. But she was completely interested and somewhat amazed in the fact that she was having a conversation with a talking corpse. Something she didn't expect her day to turn towards.

Edited 2016-05-17 05:46 (UTC)

"Zed. Zed. Watch my mouth. Zed." He's not being smarmy, he's actually (drunkenly) trying to be helpful in teaching proper pronunciation to this friendly Korean woman. "An' uh...Naw. Naw. Not a whole buncha us. Just a lil over uhhh. I think 20? Last I checked. One died here in the Nexus! Demons. Whole buncha demons showed up and jus'-...Y'know, fucked shit up, like demons do. Poor Jimbo, got burned up to a crisp by 'em. But we got a memorial now here in the Nexus that we, uh, we Rotten take care of. I could show it to y'all."

He completely lost track of the subject halfway through there.

Kasa blinked with interest as the was given language lessons by the undead. Listening to the way he pronounced the word and watching the shape his mouth made when he did. She mumbled under her breath as she tried to mimic the sounds. "Zeed... Zid... Zied... Zed." She perked up as she got it, her eyes lighting up excitedly. "Zed!" She repeats again in triumph with a wide grin to match.

Soon the Zed continued to drunkenly speak on. Telling her about the size of his group and how he actually lost one recently to demons. Causing Kasa to frown somewhat with sympathy.

But hearing how they had a monument dedicated to the dead Zed helped her smile return, albeit a solemn one. "This one would be happy to pay her respects to the memorial of Uditahv's friend." She paused in thought. It sounder like this memorial was a big thing for the Zed, and understandably so. "Hey, if Uditahv ever need help taking care of monument. Let this one know. She has much free time after she hunts in the Wilds, she would be honored to lend hand, yes." She offered a good natured grin to the walkin-talkin corpse. He seemed to be a pretty good guy, even when hammered. It only seemed right to give him her respect.

"Aw, shoot. That's-...That's right kind of y'all. Ain't nothin', uh, y'know. Uh. Stoppin' y'all if yer out in the woods an' you grab a handful o' flowers. Drop 'em off. Shoot, what do y'all even hunt in there? I ain't ever gone. Prolly all weird shhhhtuff." Someone remembered too late that he's got a rule about cussing in front of women! "Everythin's weird here. In the Nexus."

Kasa smiled warmly and nodded. Glad to see that the Zed seemed to appreciate her offer. And she was more than happy to help with the monument! "This one will definitely bring in wild flowers for Uditahv's gangs' monument."

She paused to listen to the second half of his question, she grinned, happy to answer the Zed's questions. "This one mostly hunts for food. But she uses as much of animal for supplies, clothes, and weapons. This one has been trying to find bear for its pelt. This one can be scary as wolf..." She says as she motions to the pelt she wore as a cape, "But this one can really show her skills as yonva! Eh...Bear." She corrects herself with a smirk. Going off on a tangent to gush over her favorite pelt. "Oh, but eh...Yes. Wilds do have some odd things. This one tries to focus on game she is familiar with. "

Edited 2016-05-20 17:54 (UTC)

"Shoot, does that-...Does that work? Huntin'? There's the whole dang, the-...Anti-Violence! Got that thing what doesn't let us hurt one another. But maybe it, like, it...Uh. It realizes yer huntin' fer survival or not meanin' no real harm. Ain't doin' it fer sport or cuz yer mean. Just gotta eat like everyone else..."

His expression goes blank for several seconds, perhaps reminded of something at the mention of needing to eat. And then he takes several more seconds to navigate the bottle to his lips and tilts back a swig with enough finesse that he doesn't just dump it onto his face.

"Shit ain't failsafe, though. The Nexus and the field an' shit, I mean. Stuff. Nexus and stuff. I mean, demons somehow got through it. Hurt a whoooole buncha people. Killed some too. So don't-..." Hiccup. "Don't ever take it fer granted, okay. Ain't always gonna be around to keep y'all safe."

Kasa blinks with in confusion. Anti-Violence field? She hadn't tried to hurt someone for the sake of violence or blood lust, so she wouldn't know. She nods in agreement with the undead man. "Perhaps; This one is thankful she can hunt though. Makes getting food more easy." She said while he paused to think and sip from his bottle. She kicked her lips, wishing for another drink. Instead of bothering him for another sip of his Jack Daniels, she took out her canteen of water and took a sip, capping the canteen and putting it into her bag.

She nodded in understanding when he said the field wasn't full proof. Telling a quick summery of the demons that attacked him and killed one of his gang members.

Poor Uditahv.

She gave him a small, warm grin. "This one will be sure to be on guard. In case anything strange happens...Hey Uditahv?" She called to him and tiled her head to look at him better. "Could this one pay visit to gang one day? Seem like he has interesting group."

Edited 2016-05-22 00:53 (UTC)

"Huh? I mean...Yeah, maybe I could swing that fer you. My gang's kinda-...Shoot, what's the-...Cagey. That's it. Livin' folk. Livin' folk bein' in our turf is always kinda." He rocks a hand back and forth, making a small 'ehh' noise. Kinda iffy! "But they know Nexus folk, they're good. They're real good. Always kin trust a Nexus person. Well, I mean not ALL o' 'em. Ain't no goddamn demon I'm gonna trust, sure as shootin'. But, I mean. Blaze is good. Harrowheart's good. Jim's real good too! Whole lotta good."

Kasa nodded a bit as he said that trying to pull that would be iffy. She reached to give his cowboy-hatted head a bit of a pat. "If it is too much trouble, do not worry about, yes." She said with a bit of a chuckle then rested her hand back on her stomach.

She listened closely as went over who to trust, and then kinda backpedaled on that statement. She made note of the names that he listed. Blaze, Harrowheart, and Jim. Names she would have to keep an ear out for the future. "Hm...This one has not been here very long. But she has met eh...Steve Rogers, Jesiah, and very few others...Hm...This one should probably visit city more." She concludes with a bit of a laugh.

"Yeah! Yeah, talk to all kindsa folks if y'can. That's-That's like...That's the whole charm of this place, right? Talkin'. Learnin'. Seein' all kindsa people..." He reaches up and pulls down his hat, nudging the brim of it over his eyes.

"Findin' the Nexus is the best thing s'ever happened to us."

Kasa nodded, giving a small hum of acknowledgement. He did have a point, it was nice to be in a place where one could live in relative safety. And learning of all the strange and interesting people that are dropped into this place was fun. Never would she imagine she'd be laying on a couch next to a drunk undead man, chatting about things. Thinking about this caused her to chuckle to herself.

"Yeah. This place is good. This one has never felt so...Relaxed." She said, trying to find the right words. She peaked over to him as he dipped his hat over his eyes and smiled somewhat. "Does Uditahv ever feel tired?"

The Greater (Drunken) Good

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