cape_kore | [ 01

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[ 01 | Video ]

Well, now. Think I finally got the hang of this thing.

[He gives the camera an easy smile as he settles in, seated in the room he's claimed for himself with his feet up on the table, legs crossed. Perfectly at home, despite the cold and potentially sterile environment. Sure beats Purgatory, anyway.]

Wonderin' if there's anyone I can talk to about gettin' some grub in this place. Not tryin' to be a princess or anything, but I've got some special dietary needs. Would sure appreciate anyone who could lend a hand.

[That said--]

Now. [His smile fades just a little bit, gaze growing just a touch more serious. Somber never quite fit him, but this will do.] I hear some of you have been to a little place called Purgatory. Y'all should give me a ring, when you've got the time. We may just have some friends in common.

[Translation: Dean, get on the horn now.]

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[Benny can't say he's not glad to see his guide from his first day here -- she was all kinds of helpful, as well as a number of other things it would probably be ungentlemanly of him to mention.]

Not quite, darlin', though I hear that's all the rage these days. It's funny, the kinds of things that change over the span of fifty years.

[More than he'd ever thought possible, really.]

Figure there's no use hidin' it so long as we're in close quarters. Ain't gonna stay a secret for long. I need blood.

[Back home, gluten allergies and intolerance are a thing of the past. She remembers mentions from when she was a teen, before the War, but genetic technology had taken care of any lingering problems, and the food process had been altered. Just like that, gluten allergies had come and gone. And there are all sorts of shots to treat other allergies that arise as a person grows, as long as you're a citizen of America or Imperium.]

Oh, I certainly don't mind being in close quarters.

[Like she's going to pass up a perfectly good chance to flirt.

Blood, though. She hadn't seen that one coming. Fortescue raises an eyebrow, looking surprised for only a second or two. This place has a way of throwing fast balls. You have to get used to it.]

Blood, mm? How much are we talking about?

Yeah, didn't think you would.

[He cracks a smile, though it fades as the conversation turns slightly more serious. Probably shouldn't be grinning too broadly while talking about blood, after all. Tends to put people on edge. Generally frowned upon.]

Depends. I can get by without it every day, but it's gotta be steady. Bag or two at a time? [If he's being conservative.] I'm guessin' they're not about to let me out of here to pay a late-night visit to the local blood bank, are they.

[Rude.]

No, I'm afraid none of us get any courtesy of the sort.

[But the others in the Center don't have to worry about getting something that specialized for sustenance. On the other hand, being let out every once in a while would be nice. It seems eons since she walked through the forest with the Doctor.

Who seems to have vanished, like many others, and she's trying not to think of him. Whoops.]

Unless you find some willing donors, you might find the supply around here a bit scarce, love. You don't sparkle, do you?

[She's joking. Well. Mostly. If he does sparkle, she might change her opinion of him.]

Thought as much. That makes things complicated.

[He narrows his eyes a little, questioning. The reference goes right over his head -- what kind of a question is that, anyway?]

'fraid not. What you see is what you get. Cute and cuddly, sure, but no sparkles.

[Thank whatever power was responsible for his existence. 'God' seemed unlikely.]

Tell me, this place got a med bay or a clinic of some kind? Might be able to scrounge up something there until I come up with a better solution, but-- I'll tell it to you straight, sweetheart. I might drink blood, but I don't drink people. Not anymore.

Edited (repetitive pet name, HAD TO FIX) 2014-06-18 16:37 (UTC)

[Fortescue just smiles at him, a bit of a twinkle in her eye. Maybe some time she'll clue him in, if they both get bored enough, but it seems really insulting — in this case — to explain the joke.]

You're loads of cute without them, don't worry.

[Oh, right. They're having a serious conversation.]

We have an infirmary. It might have blood. I've never looked, to be honest, and I only know of one doctor left here who might know. But you'll have to be careful, because Gate knows what you'd find there. The objects in this place, near as I can tell, are from all over the multiverse.

[You can bet he'll be following up on that explanation later, but the teasing at least gets a smile. Even when things the way they are, he can appreciate a compliment.]

Gonna spoil me with all the flattery, beautiful.

[Right. Blood. His smile fades; back to business.]

Bein' careful is the default here, seems to be. Used to that, at least. Situation like this, I've got no choice but to take the risk. You mind pointin' me in the good doctor's direction?

I'm not sure which corridor has Doctor Banner's room. The infirmary's in one of the lab clusters. [Because, as far as she can tell, it's basically just a medical lab. A scary medical lab where she's sure they used to study the residents. She might have been tied up there at one point.] But I suppose I could show you, if you'd like.

[She's not tipsy (yet), so she can walk in a straight line and everything.]

Lab clusters, eh? Sounds homey.

[He didn't care much for hospitals in life; he's sure he probably won't feel much better about anything resembling one in undeath, especially if there's anyone present who might be interested in seeing what makes a vampire tick -- but blood is blood, wherever it comes from, and he trusts Fortescue not to steer him towards someone who's sure to be unhelpful at the very least.]

Well, if you're offering...

[He flashes her another smile. She's heard about the fangs and she's still game? He has to respect that.]

Don't think I could ask for a better escort.

You could, but you might hurt my feelings. [She winks, to show that she's joking. There are people who know the infirmary better than her, but they may or may not be around. That's somewhat of the peril involved with this place. Sometimes it's very good at hiding people away. Fortescue's stitched up a few of her wounds in the infirmary — hellhound-inflicted — and she knows the basics of where things are kept.

Fortescue's also relatively certain that any doctors around here would be ecstatic that Benny is going the bagged route to his diet, rather than the violent way. Even if they might also be a little disturbed by it.

She might also need to stock up on the supplies that she keeps in her own room for emergency's sake. Might as well kill two birds with one stone, in the words of an old friend. It does, however, mean that she has to put on shoes. But some sacrifices must be made.]

I'll meet you outside, shall I?

[Depending on which corridor they're both on, on any particular day, but she can wander a little if she doesn't see him.]

Wouldn't want to do that now, would I?

[Not when she's certainly been the most welcoming person since he got here, barring Dean. Sam seemed to be warming up to him, but there would always be some tensions there. Fortescue, for her part, seemed like a good humanizing influence -- and if she wasn't shying away from helping him now, that was as good a sign as any that she wasn't about to go running in the opposite direction anytime soon.]

I'll see you there -- whatever that's worth with hallways like these.

[Fortescue ends the call with a quiet laugh — the weird is the relatively mundane, now, but she can still appreciate how odd everything is in the Center. She pulls on her boots, otherwise wearing the jeans and white button shirt that the Center had given her. It's nice to have a change of clothes, seeing as her dress isn't what she'd like to be in during a crisis.

Funny how she'd been wearing it during her biggest crisis, but she prefers not to think about that as she heads out into the corridor, Jazz darting at her heels. Practiced hands run through her hair, tying it up simply, as she looks to see how much of a hide-and-seek game this particular day is going to be.]

[Benny hasn't changed much in appearance since their first encounter, on the other hand, still wearing that coat of his despite the fact that there's not much threat of direct sunlight here on the inside. Even if there was, it doesn't worry him much these days -- long sleeves and a carefully-positioned hat usually do the trick, though he's left the hat behind for the time being.

He doesn't meander too far, figuring she'll find him a hell of a lot easier if he stays close to what's become his home base, and it's only a matter of minutes before he takes a peek and turns the nearest corner to see her moving towards him. He smiles, hands deep in his coat pockets.]

You offer yourself as a tour guide to everyone who comes through these parts, then?

[Or is he just special?]

Sometimes. It can be quite difficult to give a tour. But I'll be nice and waive my usual fee.

[She winks. Perhaps this is a good sign that the Center isn't feeling as sadistic as it sometimes is. It does seem to like her, probably because she wants to stay here. Unlike most people.]

We also have a library in this direction. And a basement, but our basement's just a... rather creepy, empty pool. Not very interesting.

[Jazz sometimes loves to run around down there, just because of all the space, but she doesn't make a habit of visiting.]

Mighty generous of you, sweetheart.

[That wink is met with a broad smile, one that's truly appreciative as well as a little something else -- if he's going to be stuck here, he might as well enjoy himself, right? Can't blame him for being friendly, not when he's in such good company that seems to think the same way.]

Library sounds useful. Empty basement seems like an awful waste of space. Nobody's tried makin' use of it some other way?

[Of course, if it's that creepy, he imagines most people wouldn't want to spend more time down there than they have to.]

Not that they've made any sort of announcement for. [Maybe someone uses it to run laps. The idea is a bit odd, but still.] It's strange, that's all. Everything except the equipment disappeared with the scientists, and the basement's empty. Even of water. Makes you wonder what they were doing down there.

[Or perhaps she's over-thinking things. That does happen. But Fortescue never over-thinks flirting with an attractive gentleman, especially one who seems interested when she bats her eyelashes at him. Even if they're on a finding mission because said gentleman drinks blood.]

But if you can think of a use for it, it's all yours.

[...the basement. Yes.]

Not even sure what good it'd be, just seems like if we've got all this space here for the taking, might as well find some use for it all, seeing as we're stuck here for the time being.

[And really, he's not so sure that's a bad thing. What's he got to go back to, anyway? No friends left back home, no family. Endless trees and combat 24/7. It's easy, sure, something he knows how to survive-- but this place has both the potential to be something decent right along with the same pitfalls being topside had presented him with. Could be good, could be bad. No telling yet.

That particular flirtation seems to go over his head -- maybe because he likes to consider himself a gentleman, but he gives her a smile all the same.]

What else you recommend around here for a sightseer like me?

[Speaking of space, they come up to a junction and Fortescue has to make a judgment as far as where the infirmary may have scuttled to. But she does vaguely remember this route. Maybe things haven't changed too much in the past 24 hours.

She can hope, anyway, as she turns them to the right.]

Not much else to see that isn't white paint. Lots of labs. [She waves a hand at a door they're passing.] Full of strange and unknown equipment that would make my country drool.

[Still can't quite shake the sarcasm as she says my country. They lost the right to call her their own, but still, it's not like she defected. She's a reluctant Imperian all the same.]

Some of them aren't so terrible, I suppose. We do have the hydroponics lab where a few people have been growing things. It's nice to go into when you need to breathe in the smell of actual vegetation. I'm not much for stale air in long stretches.

[Unfortunately, for the time being, options are limited as far as fresh air.]

If they're gonna trap people here, least they could do is make the scenery a little more interesting. Give us a splash of color here and there, yeah?

[Not that he's a whiz himself when it comes to interior decorating, but come on. This place is just depressing as is.

He raises an eyebrow at her in question, even as one side of his mouth quirks upwards.]

Take it your country of origin's big into research and development. Not necessarily in a good way.

[Context clues. He picks them up here and there.]

They won't let us crack a window or three in this place?

You'll have to find a window first, darling. And then hope it stays there long enough for a breeze to come through.

[Not always an easy measure. Sometimes Fortescue doesn't see one for days, and they don't appear in her room. She'd give anything to wake up with a forest view, just the once.

Luckily, though, the Center isn't playing a huge game of keep-away for the moment and she recognizes the door of the infirmary. It always looks a bit more damaged than the others, and she really doesn't want to know which resident had managed that when they'd been restrained and poked at. Or maybe they hadn't been restrained at all.

She opens the door, making note of the fact that the infirmary is, for the moment, empty of other people.]

Looks like we have the place to ourselves. [Fortescue considers the room and how much a caster from Imperium would drool about it. In some ways, it's just as advanced. But some of the devices would make a caster squeal. It's almost a shame they don't have one in the Center; they'd be able to help make heads or tails of the place.] ...my country of origin is a lot like this place, I suppose. Taking things from other places to see what makes them tick. No people, though. I suppose that's something in their favor.

Sounds like you don't have much else good to say about 'em.

[An observation, rather than a criticism. He raises an eyebrow as they enter the infirmary, taking a good look around while subtly waiting for the scent of blood to hit him -- it's in here somewhere, cold and bitter as it may be. Better than biting into someone living.]

Not a sore spot for me to be askin' about it, is it, sweetheart?

[She gives an easy sort of shrug, in response, picking up a wrapped up wad of gauze — and then thumbing it, to make sure it is gauze. It's enough that it'll replenish the supply in her room, but there are so many strange things in labs that it pays to be certain. Dressing a wound with something harmful would be wholly counter-productive.]

I'm rather biased, I'll admit. [There's a good reason for that, not that it's casual conversation. She'll play it off as simple disgruntlement, as she usually does.] But there isn't exactly anyone else you could ask. Sometimes this place plucks one person from a world, and sometimes it grabs a lot of them. So far it's just been me.

[Needless to say, it really likes Benny's world.]

S'pose folks from my neck of the woods oughta consider themselves lucky, huh?

[Good luck or bad luck, doesn't seem to matter much. Much like home, this place seems to be six of one, half a dozen of the other. Life isn't exactly easy back there, as difficult as things are supposed to be here. He can't say which is better. A part of him thinks he'd be better off in Purgatory where he's a danger to nobody but those who'd dare stand against him. Here, he might be asking for a rerun of what had happened topside--

Except Dean was here and in close quarters. It would be hard for them to ignore each other. Meant maybe Benny would have someone to hold himself accountable to for the long haul -- not to mention Fortescue was already becoming someone he considered a friend.

Wouldn't it be nice if he could look to her as an anchor, too. The more people to live for, the better. Helped keep him on track.]

I'll let you give me the details over dinner sometime. Seems like raiding the clinic for blood bags ain't exactly the best time to be sharin' histories.

[See what he did there, Fort? He smirks vaguely before he starts snooping around, locating the cooling unit. Popping the door open, he finds exactly what he's looking for -- though some of the bags there smell distinctly not human, he's pretty sure he can pick out what's relatively safe.]

Jackpot.

[A smile is flashed in his direction.]

I think I could be persuaded.

[She chuckles, locating a small bottle of anti-septic to clean wounds and sliding it into one of her pockets. The basics are covered. Fortescue's worked with a lot less, and who knows if the Center will even let her keep these things in a crisis. Hopefully it will.

When did her life become thinking about a building as a vaguely malevolent, living entity? Benny's comment draws her attention away from her thoughts.]

Find something that will work?

I'll keep that in mind.

[He smirks to himself as he retrieves what he came for -- he can't remember the last time he was so happy to see bagged blood.]

Smells human. This one does, anyway.

[He holds up one of the blood bags on display before pulling its fellows out of the cooler. No reason to be shy, right? Usually one or two would do it, but he's gone a few days without, and Purgatory hadn't been kind to him. Still had a few wounds that could use some helping along, just to get them closed for good.]

Ain't so sure about the rest. Doesn't exactly seem like I should take it on faith and give 'em a whirl, not in this place. Stick to what I know.

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