thoughtformed | (no subject)

[Julie's already become used to R grabbing her hand to lead her out of danger, but this is different. Her fingers carefully lace through his and hold on, and his skin is cool but not clammy and.. actually warmer than she remembers.

She does regret leaving him behind, but it had been the best idea - the only idea - at the time. It seems that he forgives her, anyway. She's glad of that.. moreso than she thought she'd be.

While they walk, she rests her head against his shoulder.]

Have you found yourself a girl in all the time you've spent here by yourself?

[Teasing? Maybe a little.]

[ She's so comfortable with him right now. It's nerve-wracking. If he even has all his nerves working to be completely nerve-wracked. He supposes some of them are firing at least.

Nerve-wracking in a completely a-okay this is really really nice kind of way. ]

[ ---Girl? Julie, no. He's looking at his feet now and shrugging the shoulder her head isn't on up. He's got his dead un-beating heart stuck on one. ] No...

[Maybe people will stare at him less if he has a pretty normal-looking girl on his arm. Though, maybe they'll stare more because how the heck did a half-dead guy manage to get a girl at all?]

No? A good-looking guy like you?

[ 'Like you' would imply said good-looking guy was just as dead. That's a no. And good looking guy in general is a no.

He knows good looking guys here, sure. But we're probably not going to go linking arms with them and holding hands anytime soon. Or ever. ]

No. No. [ Julie pls. ]

[The girl laughs and lands a gentle punch on his arm. Who knew zombies could get flustered?]

Relax, R, I'm teasing you. Don't look so worried.

[ He knew that. Worried? Who's worried? Nobody's flustered here. He looks at his arm then ahead of them. ]

Oh.

[As they walk, Julie quiets down, paying more attention to the buildings and people they pass on the way. Distracted, she rubs her thumb over the softer part of R's hand and hums softly in the back of her throat.]

I don't remember ever seeing the world like this. [It's just so.. calm. Normal.] Everything was already falling apart when I was born. [She looks up at him with a faint, distant smile.] You know what my dad gave me for my tenth birthday? A twenty-gauge Mossberg Mini.

[She shakes her head. At the time it had been such a thoughtful gift she'd almost cried, but now, looking at this place...]

Things are really messed up, huh...

[ Julie deserves to see the world like this. He's staring at her, mindlessly leading them. It's etched into his head somewhere where everything is. He doesn't have to pay attention.

A gun for a birthday gift? He would. ]

Mmhm.

[ Can't argue with things being messed up. He eats people. That's pretty messed up to begin with and then you got all the other horrible things piled on top of that. ]

He wasn't always like that.

[She looks down, swinging their clasped hands gently between them.]

When I was younger - a lot younger, before it all really started - he was different. He used to laugh. Mom had videos of him singing and playing guitar. [Julie remembers those times. They're some of the memories she holds onto the most fiercely, because she has no other way of recording them.] After we left home.. I guess the army training just took over.. he wanted to keep us safe. Me and mom.

[ His eyes keep following the swinging hands.
Maybe he died inside.

He'd ever wonder this out loud. That's not even his thought. Blame Perry. Or not blame Perry. Jesus Christ, has that guy been quiet until now. Stop thinking about Perry. New topic.

Julie's dad can play guitar.
He doesn't think he would listen to any of his music. ]

After mom.. after she died, he.. [Though she's still talking it's coming more hesitantly now, stilted and quiet as if she wants to finish the story but doesn't, at the same time.

R's always been so easy to talk to.

He just listens.]

He changed. It was like.. he lost something, you know? Something more than just mom. Like something inside him just gave up.

[ She doesn't have to finish it but she does. Why did people give up like that? He thinks it's stupid and ridiculously hard to do with Julie there. She's worth it.

When you give up as a corpse, you just rot away and then you're gone forever. Give up as a human and you have options and you can do it without dying. It's probably worse than rotting because the corpse wouldn't put anyone in pain.

He tugs her hand very lightly and keeps them swinging. ]

[Julie lifts her head up and smiles bravely, squeezing his fingers in response to his tugging.]

It's funny, though.. Sometimes it feels like you're more alive than he is.

[ The dead guy shouldn't be more alive than the alive guy.

Okay. Let's smile back for Julie. ...No, that probably looks like you're going to eat her. Stop smiling.

Look. Store. ]

[Maybe it does, a little, but she smiles back anyway.

Right until she's abruptly distracted by the store.

A real store, not a broken down looted mess with all the windows broken in and everything ransacked. A real store with real people and--!

She lets out a little sound of excitement and her next few steps almost seem to bounce.]

[ Someone's excited. Okay, he does go in here at ridiculous hours when the real people are pretty sparse. This is awkward. Look how busy you are during the day. All well. Worth it. Nobody seems to care about him around here anyway. Oddly.

He sticks his free hand in his pocket and produces a wad of cash and sticks it in Julie's hand. Here you go. Use that. He has no idea how much that is but it's probably a decent amount. It's not like he actually buys things ever. ]

[For a moment she just gawps at him, looking at the money he pushes into her hand, and her fingers close around it. She rubs her thumb over the crisp paper, and it hits her just how long it's been since she's seen real money.

Since money actually had worth.

She straightens the notes and folds them over, then smiles gratefully over at R and puts her arms around him again, hesitating only briefly before she plants a kiss on his cheek.]

Thanks, R... you're just looking out for me all over again, huh.

[Less dangerous this time, though. At least there's.. relatively little chance of her being eaten here.]

You're w..eh...-

[ he ends up making 'welcome' more of an incredibly muttered 'lahmahmahmah' when that kiss got planted on him. Oh come on. He was doing so well. 'Welcome' is not a hard word, is it? Crap. Don't embarrass yourself now. He stares at his feet for a moment before pulling her along again and closing the distance between store and right here where he's horribly embarrassing himself in front of this girl he likes. ]

[She chuckles, a quiet sound of amusement in the back of her throat, but it's not an unkind noise and she smiles again as he starts tugging her towards the store.

Honestly, it's a little strange to see him surrounded by.. well, not-dead people. She can't say he doesn't stand out.]

Hey. [Julie tugs gently on his hand as they enter the store.] Do you want to pick something out for me?

[ And into the store we go. His eyes scan the place then focus on her. Pick something for Julie?

Pick something for Julie. What would Julie like? He's not even going to attempt picking clothes out that requires a whole lot of expertise he doesn't have. He stands there for a second like he's buffering the question in his head before he tugs her and starts heading towards a place in the store without looking at anything else. Yeah, he knows where it is. ]

[She honestly expected him to stumble over the request and insist she pick her own clothes, or at least awkwardly stare at her for long enough that she got that impression, so it's a pleasant surprise when he actually starts leading her somewhere.

Now she really has to wonder what he has in mind...]

[ Leading her somewhere completely unrelated to clothes at all. We're going to the cameras, Julie.

He stops once they're in the section and then expectantly stares at her. He can really only pick this far. You'd have to test them out or something. He kind of picked something out? Kind of. ]

[She sees where they're going but she can't quite believe he remembers that. Julie looks over the cameras, mouth slightly agape, then to her companion.]

Cameras? R, I don't have this kind of money, I just got here.

[Surely you're not expecting her to just let you buy one of these for her, Mr Friendly Zombie.]

[ What? He put a hand on his chest and just raised his eyebrows at her slightly. Wasn't he buying whatever he picked out? He thought that was the point. He's been here for ... however long. He really needs to grasp a concept of time.

Yes. He's expecting to let him buy one of these for her. ]

... Oh.

[She smiles hesitantly, looking along the row of cameras.]

If you're sure... [Julie moves from one to the next, leaning to look at the specifications on each one. It doesn't take long for her to find one she likes, and she picks up the sample model, turning it over in her hands.]

What do you think?

(no subject)

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