There's just another small shrug to that. R doesn't think it was Chase's fault that Ellie flipped out, but he sure doesn't have the speech ability to start debating with him about it.
"Mmh." The fact R isn't much of a talker due to obvious speech impediments has probably made itself clear by now. "That's okay."
And Chase is going to keep nudging him to talk, too. Sorry, dude. "What's your cabin like?" he asks. "Mine's basically a bedroom with attached bathroom. We're going to have to keep to one or the other until this flood's over." He has no idea what a thinking-type zombie's cabin would look like. Does he sleep?
Chase can, unfortunately, be a bit likely to stick with his own thoughts until he's corrected. At least he's not judging R's character for it? There are vampires and werewolves and witches, he can be friendly with other forms of undead, no problem. Or as friendly as he ever gets.
"Do you need to get anything from yours? We should swing by at least." And he can see if the place is horrible and offer to fix it, if it is.
It doesn't look like he's intending to head in that direction either, with that stated. The cabin is... fine. Fit enough for purpose. R really doesn't need all that much.
"Eating it is, then." He's gonna see that cabin eventually, buddy.
Still, food. Which means... stopping. Because they had just left the dining hall. He doesn't have any food squirreled away in his own cabin right now, so that's the only real place to go. "So can I ask what exactly... happened to you? To make Ellie think you're going to start biting people." He pauses, as he's turning back, and adds, "You can say no, if you want. You don't owe me anything."
There is a very good chance he will not, in fact, see the cabin... though mostly because R doesn't really have any feelings about it.
The question, such as it is, is a fair one and is answered with a small shrug.
"I was... Dead, f-for a while." He's still not sure exactly how long. About ten years, by what he's been able to work out. "Some people... they can s-see it." A sigh. "I'm not Dead now."
"That's awesome. Not being dead is great." He still looks kind of dead, so it's not really "some people", but maybe that kind of thing lingers. He opens the door to the dining hall, which has thankfully cleared out some now in the wake of the Admiral's announcement. "I'll make sure Ellie knows to leave you alone," he adds, holding the door for R. "I'm guessing she's got people who are dead in her world who're dangerous."
Only a little dead! More like 'death warmed over' than an actual walking corpse, though people more sensitive to the possibilities of the walking dead might not really note the difference.
"'S fine." Another shrug. He does do a lot of that. "I'm not... angry at her."
Technically, Chase's magic leans as much into necromancy as it does into telekinetics, maybe that's why it seems so obvious to him.
"Then you're a way better person than me, because I'd be angry," Chase comments. "Sitting there doing nothing and random kid lunges at me with a knife? Then you got thrown into the air by some weirdo? I'd be pissed off."
He isn't ignorant of the fact that said weirdo is currently talking with him and he's going to be stuck with the guy for the next few days. That could be interesting, for sure...
"Already h-happened. So... why be angry." Shrug. "S-she was scared."
"Like I said, better person than me. And I've been scared before and didn't immediately launch into stabbing a guy." Of course, that was a long time ago. Maybe he'd be different now. If he was scared of anything.
He turns to the counter and the food options. "So what are you thinking? I already had lunch, while I was waiting for the announcement, but I can definitely have dessert."
Generally speaking, R is not fussy about food. It's not because he doesn't need it - he does, as much as any living person does - but because he can't really taste it all that much and so it's really only a matter of eating because it's necessary to do so.
He casts his eyes over what's available and just picks up a plain sandwich.
He wasn't honestly expecting any brain requirements. R seemed pretty adamant about not hurting people. He considers the sandwich without much judgement, but he does grab a pair of cupcakes from one of Steve Rogers' many baking blitzes. One for each of them. "And dessert," he says, satisfied. "Let's find somewhere to sit. Maybe you can tell me a little about yourself, besides the formerly-dead part."
As much as there's not really much to tell, given his complete lack of memory about much of anything before he met Julie. He... supposes he could talk about her. Chase seems like the sort of person who would love to hear about a girl back home.
Once they're seated, he doesn't immediately start to eat.
"I don't know. What you like to do, where you're from, how long you've been here, that sort of thing. Or I guess you could tell me how you went from formerly-dead to what you are now," he muses. Chase would definitely like to know that sort of thing, but he doubts it would really help with his dead parent problem. He's just curious.
He takes a breath. Okay. Though, he can't really say if anything he's got to tell Chase will be enough to satisfy him.
"Haven't been here long." If he's quiet, if he concentrates, the words are easier. He looks at the table.
"The enclave is in... South Cascadia." Washington, or thereabouts. State lines don't really matter that much anymore. But the rest of it... He frowns a little bit.
"We don't know why the... the cure happened. It just... did."
Chase has no idea where South Cascadia is. Is it related to the Cascades? Or maybe it's from a whole different world than Earth. He supposes it doesn't really matter. "What was it like?" he asks curiously. "Going from being dead to not-dead." That might tell them something about the "cure" or it might just be a way to get to know R better. Or, really, both.
He trails off, not because he runs out of energy to speak but because he doesn't know how to explain it to someone who hasn't had the experience. How does he even put it into words?
Yeah, that's not particularly helpful. Maybe it was some kind of external effort, something someone else did to him. "Are you the only one? Who came back from being dead? Or are there other people, too?"
He thinks. He's pretty sure he was the first one, because if he wasn't then who else? But the spread of it, for sure, started with him and Julie.
"But there's more. It doesn't... always work." A pause. He muses on how to explain for a moment. "While I was d-dead I... wasn't injured. I was still i-in one piece? Some Dead aren't."
"Damn, yeah, that'd do it," Chase can guess. He remembers clearly the Dead from that one port where he was a necromancer banishing them. They were pretty gross sometimes. "Harder to wake up whatever life is left in you if you'd wind up with a gaping wound or being down an arm or leg."
Still doesn't really explain how it happened, but. "I bet it freaked people out, with you being the first one."
He shakes his head, though not at the comment about freaking people out - because it definitely did. The one before it, about 'waking up'.
"Any Dead can come back," he says, quietly. It seems like his stammer is easier to manage with less people, when he's less stressed, and when he's not raising his voice. "But... the Gleam, it doesn't h-heal the damage."
So... when they come back, with gaping wounds or missing limbs... Chase can probably put it together from that.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2025-06-27 12:48 am (UTC)"Mmh." The fact R isn't much of a talker due to obvious speech impediments has probably made itself clear by now. "That's okay."
Feeling more sorry for you, honestly, buddy.
no subject
Date: 2025-06-27 01:06 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-06-27 01:12 am (UTC)"N-nothing s... special."
And Chase is going to have to shake off the idea that he's a zombie pretty quick, too... Along with a few other people, it seems like.
He's not particularly attached to his cabin as of yet. There isn't much in there to make it his. He does sleep, though.
"Yours is fine."
no subject
Date: 2025-06-27 01:16 am (UTC)"Do you need to get anything from yours? We should swing by at least." And he can see if the place is horrible and offer to fix it, if it is.
no subject
Date: 2025-06-27 01:25 am (UTC)"No, nothing."
It doesn't look like he's intending to head in that direction either, with that stated. The cabin is... fine. Fit enough for purpose. R really doesn't need all that much.
Sigh...
"I could eat."
Might be a little hungry, actually.
no subject
Date: 2025-06-27 02:07 am (UTC)Still, food. Which means... stopping. Because they had just left the dining hall. He doesn't have any food squirreled away in his own cabin right now, so that's the only real place to go. "So can I ask what exactly... happened to you? To make Ellie think you're going to start biting people." He pauses, as he's turning back, and adds, "You can say no, if you want. You don't owe me anything."
no subject
Date: 2025-06-28 06:49 pm (UTC)The question, such as it is, is a fair one and is answered with a small shrug.
"I was... Dead, f-for a while." He's still not sure exactly how long. About ten years, by what he's been able to work out. "Some people... they can s-see it." A sigh. "I'm not Dead now."
no subject
Date: 2025-06-28 07:03 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-06-29 08:14 pm (UTC)"'S fine." Another shrug. He does do a lot of that. "I'm not... angry at her."
no subject
Date: 2025-06-30 04:46 am (UTC)"Then you're a way better person than me, because I'd be angry," Chase comments. "Sitting there doing nothing and random kid lunges at me with a knife? Then you got thrown into the air by some weirdo? I'd be pissed off."
no subject
Date: 2025-06-30 05:04 pm (UTC)He isn't ignorant of the fact that said weirdo is currently talking with him and he's going to be stuck with the guy for the next few days. That could be interesting, for sure...
"Already h-happened. So... why be angry." Shrug. "S-she was scared."
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Date: 2025-07-01 09:08 pm (UTC)He turns to the counter and the food options. "So what are you thinking? I already had lunch, while I was waiting for the announcement, but I can definitely have dessert."
no subject
Date: 2025-07-09 07:00 pm (UTC)He casts his eyes over what's available and just picks up a plain sandwich.
"This is fine."
No brains or cannibalism necessary.
no subject
Date: 2025-07-10 02:59 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-07-17 01:34 pm (UTC)As much as there's not really much to tell, given his complete lack of memory about much of anything before he met Julie. He... supposes he could talk about her. Chase seems like the sort of person who would love to hear about a girl back home.
Once they're seated, he doesn't immediately start to eat.
"Wh... what d-do you want... to know?"
no subject
Date: 2025-07-20 04:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-07-24 07:41 am (UTC)"Haven't been here long." If he's quiet, if he concentrates, the words are easier. He looks at the table.
"The enclave is in... South Cascadia." Washington, or thereabouts. State lines don't really matter that much anymore. But the rest of it... He frowns a little bit.
"We don't know why the... the cure happened. It just... did."
no subject
Date: 2025-07-25 03:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-07-25 09:45 am (UTC)He trails off, not because he runs out of energy to speak but because he doesn't know how to explain it to someone who hasn't had the experience. How does he even put it into words?
"Like... Like turning on a light."
no subject
Date: 2025-07-27 08:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-07-31 12:17 pm (UTC)He thinks. He's pretty sure he was the first one, because if he wasn't then who else? But the spread of it, for sure, started with him and Julie.
"But there's more. It doesn't... always work." A pause. He muses on how to explain for a moment. "While I was d-dead I... wasn't injured. I was still i-in one piece? Some Dead aren't."
no subject
Date: 2025-08-01 03:03 am (UTC)Still doesn't really explain how it happened, but. "I bet it freaked people out, with you being the first one."
no subject
Date: 2025-08-04 09:41 pm (UTC)"Any Dead can come back," he says, quietly. It seems like his stammer is easier to manage with less people, when he's less stressed, and when he's not raising his voice. "But... the Gleam, it doesn't h-heal the damage."
So... when they come back, with gaping wounds or missing limbs... Chase can probably put it together from that.
no subject
Date: 2025-08-05 02:53 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-08-05 02:59 am (UTC)Oh, he did, didn't he.
"The... the people trying t-to help, in- in the infirmary. They call it that. Because it--"
He pauses, making a vague gesture.
"You can see it. L-like a... gold flash."
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