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[stand_unshaken]

 

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[stand_unshaken]

"So even knowing he's here, and he ain't infected, you still think you're gonna react the same way. I got that right?"

He doesn't judge her for it, but if they're going to solve this somehow, they need to know how bad it is to begin with.

[dog_eat_dog]

“Maybe, I don’t know,” she replies. “I don’t even know if he’s telling the truth, for all I know he was just talking out his ass about ‘radiation’ to not get shot. They all do that. I hid my bite too.”

Wouldn’t explain how far along he looks while still being able to control his own body, but nothing about this makes sense anyway.

[stand_unshaken]

On Sat, Feb 27, 2021 at 6:43 PM dog_eat_dog - DW Comment < dw_null@dreamwidth.org> wrote:

[stand_unshaken]

"They can still talk sense when they look like he does?"

[dog_eat_dog]

"Not really, they can just make noise, croaking, that kind of stuff," she replies. "But sometimes early on you can tell they're still aware. I've seen them crying before, or refuse to attack, even if they can't control themselves otherwise..."

She trails off for a second and then redirects herself:

"Maybe there are more people who have some resistance to it, it's just different from person to person."

[stand_unshaken]

"Are you still not completely sure, bein' away from it now, that he's not infected?"

[dog_eat_dog]

Tess pauses. Edward's situation doesn't track with most of the past twenty years. He'd flinched taking the bullet. He could talk. He could reason. And even if there are ways she could explain those things away, she doesn't have proof. Just a feeling, crawling and itchy under her skin.

She watches Arthur for a moment and then shakes her head.

"I'm not going to rule it out completely," she says, finally. "Not yet."

[stand_unshaken]

"Alright," he says, taking that in. It doesn't have to be rational, but if it isn't, he doesn't know if there's anything they can do to take away her unease. Even if she's saying 'yet'.

"So is there something we can do to rule it out completely?"

[dog_eat_dog]

Kill him just to be sure, comes to mind immediately, but she knows it won’t matter if he’ll just come back.

She folds her arms uncomfortably against her ribs.

“I don’t know. I guess he’s not going to get worse over time here even if he is.”

[stand_unshaken]

"Yeah, that's right. I wasn't getting sicker while I was here, before Goodsir gave me the cure. You want me to get in touch with the fella?"

[dog_eat_dog]

There’s a flicker of a grimace. There’s no cure for this one. Not yet, maybe not ever. Not without her, at least. But how the fuck is she supposed to graduate when this place insists on making it hard, anyway?

But Tess nods.

“I guess you have to, before some asshole shows up looking to march me to Zero or something.”

[stand_unshaken]

"Alright. Just- stick around, lemme see if he picks up."

They're not leaving here anytime soon.

[dog_eat_dog]

“Sure,” she says, and she sighs and sits down to wait.

[stand_unshaken]

He finishes up the text conversation before tucking his communicator away again.

"If he's telling the truth, he ain't told anyone and will make sure Larry won't, either. He ain't makin' a fuss so far. Figure I oughta drop by his place and see what he's got goin' on."

[dog_eat_dog]

Tess grimaces. If he’s telling the truth is her exact concern, no matter how perfectly ideal that response is at face value.

“Go armed,” she replies. She doesn’t really need to say it, but it makes her feel better to. “Just in case. Nobody is reasonable about getting shot.”

[stand_unshaken]

He pats his hip holster; he's always armed, no matter where he's going. No one on the Barge ha stopped him from doing so, yet.

"Lemme get you back to your cabin first, huh?"

[dog_eat_dog]

"Alright," she agrees, moving to the door.

She knows she'll want to hunker down for a few days, and she can't stay in the spa for that. It's either her cabin or the Brew, and her cabin is better supplied.

[stand_unshaken]

He doesn't touch her when they walk back, but he sticks close. He smokes a cigarette and keeps his head down, hiding behind the wide brim of his hat a little as they walk.

When they get there, and the door is closed, he asks her: "You wanna have a drink together when I get back from his?"

[dog_eat_dog]

“Sure,” she says. Company’s good no matter what, but she decides she’ll be easy on the alcohol. No good risking being even tipsy if more shit crops up. “Tell me if you’re going to be long, yeah? I don’t want to sit here wondering if he took it out on you.”

[stand_unshaken]

"I'll let you know," he promises, with a squeeze to her shoulder.

"Hey - it's a good thing you called me. Okay?"

[dog_eat_dog]

She nods. It’s too early to feel relieved — god knows the maybe-infected guy will have his own version of the story, but she trusts that Arthur will understand even if it sounds bad. It always sounds bad when you’ve shot someone.

“Okay. I’m glad I did.”

Otherwise... well, her way of handling problems has never been wholly graceful.

[stand_unshaken]

"He scared the shit outta you. You coulda - just hidden away. But you reached out."

He squeezes her shoulder again.

[dog_eat_dog]

“Was planning to at first,” she admits. “Nobody‘s going to understand this. Larry’s going to be pissed, probably.”

He probably looks like that under those bandages, too, if it really is some radiation thing.

[stand_unshaken]

"Fuck Larry," Arthur says. He doesn't know Larry that well. "Let him be pissed."

[dog_eat_dog]

Tess just shakes her head. Larry likes wardens, and that makes him a risk.

"I don't need more enemies here, nor do I need him spreading around my business," Tess remarks. No way to avoid that now, though, and she'll deal with it the same way she'll deal with anything else. "We'll just have to see what happens."