notafuckingnut | [010] your stomach turns a slimy green and pus pours out like whipping cream

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[010] your stomach turns a slimy green and pus pours out like whipping cream

[Private to Graham, but....not so much at all.]

...There's something in my room.

THERE IS SOMETHING IN.MY.FUCKING.ROOM.

[Static]

-know, I know. It's old news, but. What the FUCK.

I'm not going in there. Even if it unlocks the door, I'm NOT fucking going in. There's something IN there.

...Fucking great.

[More unhelpful static]

-trying to fucking TALK to me.

[Feel free to either respond on the network or SPAM in the hallway outside his room, where he's currently pacing in an agitated fashion]

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[Her hands almost fly up to her mouth and she lets out something high not quite a gasp and slips a sidestep behind him before she remembers he's the one looking to her to keep them out of trouble. Oh yes, Richie, she saw it.]

Yes, I...

[She steps out from where she was and puts her hand on his arm, something to remind him that he doesn't have to be afraid, even if it's... whatever it was, something like a nightmare might look like if you pulled it out of your head.]

Maybe it's scared of us. [She tries to sound like she believes it.]

[He startles at the contact and almost pulls away before he registers that it's only her, and after that it seems to ease his worries some. Not entirely, it's still pretty obvious he doesn't want to be in here any longer, but enough that he won't stab anybody on impulse.

His grip on the cross doesn't relax so much as a hair though.]

...You think so?

[She shrugs one shoulder, like she can't think of any other explanation.]

Disappeared when you looked at it, right?

[She's not convinced, but she hopes he is.]

...Yeah...

But so does Freddy Krueger, that doesn't mean he's not a threat.

[So much for being convinced.]

[She's never heard of the guy, but it sounds like a monster under his bed.] That's just a story, though, right? You gotta worry about what you see in front of you.

...A movie, yeah. I'm not saying he's here, but it's the same idea, just 'cause you can't see it doesn't mean it's not a fucking problem.

[A pause]

Can we just go now?

[She catches that edge of a bored, impatient child in his voice, and when a guy like that's got nothing to do, all that happens is trouble. No one's giving him much to do right now.]

Yeah. We can get out of here. You can tell me about Freddy, all right?

[Nod nod; that works well enough for him, although he doesn't recognize the offer for what it is - he's been managed and manipulated his entire life, he barely notices anymore.

He backs towards the door, and once they're out in the hallway with the door closed behind them he seems to relax further.]

...What, have you never seen it or something?

[She shakes her head with a blank look like why would someone think she'd heard of it. He might be a while telling her, so she leans on her elbows against the wall as if she's settling in for a good story.]

...Okay. Well. It's about this guy who was killed by a bunch of parents 'cause he touched their kids. And then he came back to kill all the kids years later, only he did it in their sleep. With these knives attached to his fingers.

I mean, the movie was kinda...more fuckin' WEIRD than actually scary, but. It's creepy shit.

You liked it? Or it just scare you? [She tries to avoid giving an option, because why would you even watch that for fun.]

[Shrug]

It was alright. It's a horror movie, the point is to get scared a little. Or at least creeped out. It's the kinda creeped out you don't have to worry about later 'cause you know it's not real, so it's...fun, I guess. It was really more Seth's idea, but he said it was fun, so.

[THEREFORE, it was fun and he enjoyed it.]

But his knives are really fucking cool. He's got this glove and it's got the knives attached to the fingers? So he can just slash at you with his hand and spill your guts in one move. It's pretty fucking awesome.

[She bites her lip and plays at being a little more creeped out by the idea than she is. She's gone to some scary stuff, but nothing that sounds like that.] And you see it?

We saw it when it came out, yeah.

[No, he's not admitting that it kept him up for days afterwards; he was 17, it makes him sound like a wimp if he admits to that.]

...It's really not as bad as it sounds. It's just a movie, the blood wasn't even all that realistic.

Probably seen worse, right? [She has, but it's not fun to watch.]

[Yet another shrug. If he were compelled to tell the truth he would admit that yes, that's probably true, and from a fairly personal perspective too, and proceed to outline a few instances.

As it is, he elects to keep that to himself.]

Yeah, I guess so. What, you mean like in other movies, or...?

I guess. [She knows he knows she knows about him, unless he's forgotten already.] Closest I saw back home was Dracula.

Doesn't sound the same, though.

[Not so much forgotten as pretending it didn't happen. He won't mention it unless she does. Mostly.]

...That's the one where the chick screws a werewolf, right?

[wait what.]

Not quite... It's, well... Dracula, right?

Even though he says the movies aren't how it happened.

Well yeah. He turned into a man-wolf and screwed her in the woods or something. I saw the movie.

What d'you mean?

[She somehow wants to know more but the idea of Richie explaining... not someone she'd want to ask.] ...they're probably different ones. Think a lot came out between you and me, right?

He said they were made up or don't tell the whole story.

...I'm not sure when you're from but. Maybe. [He's starting to accept the whole "different timeline" thing, but it's a fight.]

It's just a story in the first place, what do you mean, it's not the whole story? That doesn't make any sense.

[it's hard to understand, Richie. She gets it, but let's try to break it down for you.] You know how you tell a story, but leave some of it out that makes you look bad, or you add something that makes you look good? That's what it's like if you've got a book about you or something like a couple people here do.

[Tiiiny bit defensive, but only because his words are a lie and he refuses to admit it.] I don't do that.

[Pause, pause, and he fidgets as the conversation lags before finally bursting out with:]

...So you didn't mean what you said.

[No context, no explanation; he seems to expect her to find it on her own, to just instinctively know what he means. He sounds almost...relieved about it though, not annoyed or frustrated like how the words usually come out. And why shouldn't he? She had said she wouldn't hang out with him alone anymore, and yet here she is, she'd come as soon as she could.]

Didn't mean you like you. [Her hand lightly waves in his direction.] Meant it like "people", you know?

[But that, and the outburst... something's wrong, isn't it. What is it?] 'bout what, Richie?

Well...yeah, but. I'm included in "people", right? And I'm just saying. I don't do that.

[Wrong? Nah, he's just confused because people never seem to mean what they say around here. Or they DO, but they change their minds later.]

You said you weren't gonna hang out with me by yourself anymore. 'Cause of some of the stuff I said before.

[She nods and looks at him reassuringly like it's okay, Richie, she didn't mean you do that, even though she's sure you do. He's not going to get it if she lies to him and tell her that she changed her mind, even though most guys would; he needs as much to stay the same as possible so he can know what's going to happen next, not be so scared.] Didn't mean like right now - a long time, somewhere quiet. You know... where someone would try to make it, if they weren't you and me.

[If he's going to get what she means, she has to say it straight out.]

...Oh. [A frown, a questioning look because he understands the words easily enough but they lose meaning when strung together. There's an "if", so it doesn't apply, but the implication's still there, the vow still in place despite the qualifier that says it's not needed. It's more confusion, but then this whole place is.]

But...I wouldn't try anything. So. Why does it matter?

[She can't tell him she's a little afraid of him when he gets like this, it'll kill all the trust he has in her and that would be the worst thing that's happened to him on this boat. He needs someone looking out for him, or he'll be the guy he is when Seth isn't around.] ...don't want someone else to think you might. Got some people here who worry about me a little too much.

[She smiles at that last - isn't that ridiculous, Richie? She'll be all right here.]

[Well that only serves to pique his curiosity. Not that he doubts the sincerity of her words, but. Now he's wondering if he's got people he has to worry about.]

...Like who? I swear, I'm not gonna fucking try anything, it's okay.

[SUCH an innocent face; how could anyone think him capable of anything bad?]

You know my warden. [He knows not to try anything with her ever, right?]

...The scary chick, right? Yeah. [Nod nod; SOOOO not trying anything with her. EVER in this history of ever.]

...she's good at getting the wrong idea. [At least that much is true.]

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