Crypt Tonight (IC)

[Dr Archeville]

"Well, let's see how good an eye fer sizn' ya got," the Revoltin' Revenant said, chuckling. He had his shirt off before Erin had turned, and she averted her eyes just before he got his pants off.

[bg=#000000]Dude, that's gross, I don't wanna see-[/bg]

"Oh, get over yerself, kid. Ooooh-wee! Feel that night breeze!" he exclaimed. "Seriously, do ya feel one? There's no trees around, so I cain't tell."

After several moments of colorful commentary and idle chatter, Erin finally heard him say what she'd been waiting to hear: "So, how do I look?" Turning to see him, she'd see he was in the Claremont outfit, boot, and gloves, and the mask propped up on the top of his head.

[Electra]

Erin turned and looked at him, studying him fully for the first time that evening. The outfit covered the rotting flesh and jutting bones, leaving only his face showing. His face was still weird and pale and nearly skeletal, but it was dominated by those weird green burning eyes that were much different than anything she'd ever seen on a zombie. The sturdy impermeable uniform also held in a lot of the smell, at least for the moment. If she'd run into him for the first time now, she might not have made him for what he was. She let out a breath. "Better," she decided with a nod. "You look a lot better."

[Dr Archeville]

[bg=#000000]Those are some nice threads.[/bg]

"Eh, I dunno," he replied, though not directly to Erin. "Got anythin' in a different color? I'm more of an 'Autumn'. Though, fer what it's worth," he jerked a thumb back to an apparently empty spot behind him,

"tha kid seems ta like 'em."

He did a few stretches in the outfit, nothing too fancy but enough to get a feel for it. Well, as much a feel for it as he could get, considering his muted tactile senses.

And then his left hand fell off. It flopped awkwardly on the ground, trying to right itself, and when it did it moved slowly in the glove.

"Yeah, see, that ain't so good," he remarked, now looking fully at Erin. "I needs mah mobility. How'm I gonna throw the switch that'll stop some mad scientist's plans while strapped to his operatin' table, if I cain't get mah hands free to skitter over?"

[Electra]

Erin grimaced and looked away from the amputated hand attempting to worm its way along the ground. "How about not getting yourself tied to an operating table in the first place?" she suggested. "That works pretty well for most people. And if you're getting most of your clothes seventh-hand from dumpsters, I don't think you're probably that picky about colors. It's sturdy, that's what you need, isn't it?"

[Dr Archeville]

"Ya'd think it'd be easy t'avoid gettin' caught and strapped t'operatin' tables or sacrificial altars," he replied, "but you'd be wrong. Well, mebe it is easy fer you, yer tons stronger an' faster than I am. I'm stronger than I was when I was livin', but not 'snap handcuffs' strong. So, goin' t'pieces is how I get out."

"An' sturdy's good," he continued as the gloved hand tried climbing up his leg, "but I need mobility. Mebe somethin' with velcro, easy on/easy off? An'... well... " He chewed his lower lip a bit, a sight which made Erin quite uncomfortable, "the colors an' cut are important. I mean, I don't just throw on whatever I find in a dumpster, I do sort through things. Beggars may not afford t'be choosers, but I ain't no beggar, I don't need ta scrounge fer food or shelter or clothes. You know how many times I've run around naked as the day I was born?"

"An', it's a team outfit, right?" The hand finally made it up his leg and chest and went to scrabble down his arm to its wrist, but slid too far too fast and hit the ground again. ""So... wouldn't word start goin' 'round that I'm on tha team? No offense ta yer friends, but I don't really want that; I done mah time in high school already."

[Electra]

"It's not a team uniform, it's a practice uniform," Erin admitted, a little uncomfortably. Well, more uncomfortably. "Claremont students can use them when they're training until they get a uniform of their own. I'm the only one on Young Freedom or Next Gen who wears it to do actual hero work. It's pretty plain anyway, blue and yellow aren't exactly rare colors in hero uniforms. I really doubt anyone's going to think of it as a teenager costume." She let the rest of his complaints go unremarked.

[Dr Archeville]

"Right, right, gotcha," he said, nodding. Erin may have been concerned that his head was going to nod right off, but it did not.

"An' how 'bout the real reason yer so fired up ta get me in this suit? Are ya really interested in makin' me look like a 'respectable superhero,' or jes' in hidin' mah 'pearance so's you don't have ta look at me? 'Cuz if that's what this is, well...," he gave a slight shrug, "that's kinda goin' 'gainst doctor's orders, ain't it?"

[Electra]

"He said he wanted me to be sure I could tell you apart from the zombies I've seen before," Erin said with a shrug. "When you're dressed like that, and your arms aren't falling off, anyway, you don't look like a zombie. It doesn't bother me as much to have to deal with you. If we were in a fight together, I wouldn't be distracted by trying not to see you as one of the bad guys, so I think that's pretty good. I mean, it's not like I'm the only one to make that mistake, right? I know you've gotten into a fight with another hero at least once and probably more over a misunderstanding. Put on the uniform, and maybe you won't have to deal with that anymore."

[Dr Archeville]

"Or ya could jes', y'know, listen fer mah voice," he replied with his own shrug. "Like thea factr I'd be tha only one talkin', sayin' something other than br- er, well, ya know. Ya said yerself that when ya don't see me, I sound like anyone else... though if that's true, you must know a lot'a smokers, heh heh."

"Point I'm tryin' t'make is, does yer doc want ya ta be sure ya can tell me from other zombies by dressin' me up in bright primary colors an' makin' me look like yer friends, or by facin' yer fears an' gettin' ta know me?"

[Electra]

"As long as it keeps me from taking your head off, when you don't deserve it anyway, what do you care?" Erin asked. "You're the one who said nobody ever gives you anything or is nice to you because you're creepy and gross. Well, here you go. I gave you something, and now you're at least fifty percent less creepy, probably more when you put your hand back on. Put the mask on, you're probably hardly creepy at all. That should make things easier for you, right?"

[Dr Archeville]

The zombie stared at her for a long moment. A very long moment. a very uncomfortably long moment.

"You constantly wantin' t'take my head off is yer problem, not mine. I can recover -- can you?"

"And you must'a been talkin' t'some other zombie, 'cuz I ain't never said no one's nice t'me or ever gives me anythin'. 'Member that vampire I mentioned earlier? He's offered me plenty'a clothes -- contemporary stuff, too, not jes' ol' poofy, lacy Victorian stuff -- but I hardly ever take 'im up on it. Y'know th' real reason why I wear what I wear?" He took the mask off its perch at the to of his head and placed it gently on the ground. "It ain't just 'cuz I ain't got a job -- it's 'cuz they're still perfectly good clothin'! You people are far too quick t'throw things away an' ferget about 'em, an' remindin' folks that jes' 'cause somethin's out'a sight don't mean it's gone is kinda what I do."

[Electra]

"Look, you said you'd wear it if I gave it to you," Erin said irritably. "If you don't want it, I'll go... I dunno, put it in an incinerator or something. I was trying to do something nice for you, which is a lot more than you deserve. Some people don't want to be reminded of things, and you don't have any right to go around digging those things out and tossing them in peoples' faces." She held out a hand. "Just give it back and I'll leave."

[Dr Archeville]

"I got all the rights anyone'd ever need to do exactly that," it said as it peeled off the top of the uniform, "an' if ya weren't so blasted stubborn an' close-minded, ya'd realize what a service I provide ta folks. Dead folks, sure, but why shouldn't they get their final wishes fulfilled, their last words passed on?"

It began to undo the uniform's pants, "heck, if anythin' I'd think you'd be happy ta meet someone what could put tha dead ta final rest. Wouldn't ya want all that howlin' on yer world ta stop?"

[Electra]

Something dangerous flashed into Erin's eyes for a moment, and she reached towards her belt for something that wasn't there. The small gesture reminded her of why she was here, and she forced herself calm. "You're a very small creature," she told him in a voice that was almost mechanically flat, "you just don't realize how small because you've never been really alone. You could spend eternity on my world and never finish your job, because nothing is ever going to give them peace. And if you ever talk to me about my world again, I will see to it that you don't talk anymore, whatever consequences that means for me. My world not for you or anyone to toss around." She kept her arm out and her eyes on him, watching without a blush this time.

[Dr Archeville]

"Now who's the one refusin' an offer'a hel-" it began, then suddenly stopped.

The skyclad zombie calmly picked up the clothing it had been wearing earlier, then slowly walked off. The fact it did stop to pick up its clothes probably meant is had not suddenly come under the control of some outside force which was calling tit to do horrible things... right?

She don't want help, and I ain't gonna press it. Person's gotta want t'be helped, nothin' ya can do otherwise.

[Electra]

Erin nearly just turned and bounded away, but she could just hear Dr Marquez, much less the headmaster, if she told them she'd just left a school uniform laying around unattended, even one that no one in their right mind would ever get near. She was already probably going to get hell from Dr. Marquez about not understanding the zombie anyway. After this, it would probably be a whole nother round of stupid zombie movies. Erin kept an eye on the zombie until it had shambled a distance away, then retrieved the soiled uniform, trying to touch as little of it as possible. All she really wanted at this point was to get back to her room where it was safe and clean and everyone was alive.

Even so, as she bounded away, Erin couldn't help replaying some of the conversation in her head. His name is Bert, and he wasn't that much older than me. It wasn't really something she wanted to think about.