Superhell: Zelgadis

[polyglotti]

Comments

[hardrocklife]

[He follows her out to talk, but keeps some distance between them. When she gestures for her to sit, he shakes his head.]

I'll sit here.

[Across from her, and out of arm's reach. Close enough to talk, but that's it. And all the while, he's just studying her face with an expression that may be difficult to read. He wants to feel relieved, and he does, but it's more complicated than that.]

... Sorry.

[polyglotti]

[Now see, Zel is mysterious, but Tuuri isn't dumb. She saw the injuries, she saw the uniforms, and she sees the way Zel is acting. And she rolls her eyes.]

You have nothing to apologize for. You can't spread it by physical contact, dummy. Not at this stage, at least.

[hardrocklife]

What...?

[yeah she's

absolutely got his number.]

[polyglotti]

For the first month or so of infection, it can only be spread through the air. If someone was close enough and you breathed and then they breathed in that same air, they could catch it. But otherwise, you can't spread it.

That's why I have a mask. I don't really leave the safe zones, so my only worry is about breathing in contagion from someone who is infected but who hasn't progressed to the next stage yet. Though in a situation like here, it would be easier to give you four masks instead. It filters the air regardless.

[hardrocklife]

[he's listening... and even though it's definitely too little, too late, he pulls his scarf up over his mouth and nose.]

We don't have four masks.

[polyglotti]

[She watches him do that and laughs a little.]

It's alright. The disease hasn't progressed in me, so I don't think any of us can spread it anyway. Besides, it might go away in you, like how the memory loss eventually went away in me.

[hardrocklife]

Memory loss...?

[That didn't come up at the time. But it's true that his own memory loss went away before long.]

You're not worried?

[polyglotti]

[She smiles.]

I said it already, didn't I? 'The infection hasn't progressed in me since I've been here.'

[hardrocklife]

[He watches her carefully.]

... I know. That...

You've had it all along, haven't you?

[polyglotti]

Yeah. I have.

[Her voice is quiet when she admits that.]

So I can't really catch it again, right?

[hardrocklife]

Is that how it works? What if...

[His voice comes out dry and weak, and he swallows before continuing.]

If I caused you to be reinfected with the very thing that cost you your life...

[polyglotti]

What?

[She looks really confused.]

I didn't die from the Rash. I was just infected when I died.

[hardrocklife]

[...]


I'm sorry. I assumed...

[polyglotti]

It's alright. It was...a messy situation.

[She is not going to go into detail about that right now though. Instead, she's going to scoot a little closer.]

So it's fine for us to be next to each other. You took care of me when I was hurt, and I want to take care of you now.

[hardrocklife]

[...

He doesn't move away this time. He takes a moment to think about it. Tuuri is probably the one he can trust most on this matter, and besides...

He doesn't want to push her away, either.

So after a few moments, he also scoots closer. Closing the distance a little more.]

[polyglotti]

[Good! This is a start. When they're closer, Tuuri looks Zel over, trying to see where he is injured.]

What attacked you? If you can describe it, I should know what kind of troll it is.

[hardrocklife]

[His coat is badly tattered, especially the sleeves, with some stains around the tears, but the only blood seems to be splattered or smeared over the front. Underneath, she can see glimpses of blue-black rock, with patches of reddish discolouration.

Zelgadis looks upward as he thinks. He seems more relaxed now.]

Hmm... I didn't see its body clearly. It had long arms and fingers... just suddenly reached out from the darkness and grabbed me.

[polyglotti]

Coming out from the darkness...

[She'll try to gingerly take one of his arms in her hands so she can inspect it more carefully.]

Did it mimic voices?

[hardrocklife]

[He allows it. He's already let her in this close.]

Yeah. It called out to us in a voice one of us recognized.

[polyglotti]

That sounds like it was a vaettur. It must have been pretty desperate if it attacked all of you at once though. Usually they go for people who split off from a group.

[Tuuri is wearing gloves luckily, as she reaches out and touches one of the spots where the rash is.]

Hopefully this goes away and doesn't linger the whole time. I've heard they can be horribly itchy.

[hardrocklife]

[Zelgadis? Wander off on his own? He would never.]

I'll consider it a novelty, then. Haven't felt "itchy" in years.

[polyglotti]

Really?

[She glances up at him now.]

You can't feel anything there normally?

[hardrocklife]

I can feel some things. Pressure, mostly.

[polyglotti]

Is that just on the tougher, darker parts? Or all of you?

[She's looking at his hand now actually. Is it covered in rock? Or just patches here and there?]

[hardrocklife]

All of me. This whole layer of stone. It doesn't have the range of feeling that normal skin does.

[It's all rock! The darker protrusions don't start until around the wrist, though.]