week 2

[biteys]

WEEK TWO

After allowing the party some time to rest at the stadium, it’s time to get a move on again. As per your mysterious benefactor’s (?) recommendation, the party will be splitting up into two groups, with one group traveling west to a hospital, and the other traveling east to a mall.

if you chose hospital...

To get to the hospital, characters will need to venture into more densely populated areas of Los Angeles – and that means they’ll be coming into contact with a higher amount of zombies. The hordes that roam here descend upon any living creature that makes too much noise, so you might witness an unlucky squirrel or cat get hunted down by these roaming threats. The bad news is that they’ll sprint full speed at you if they happen to catch sight – the good news is that they’re not very coordinated at pack hunting, and you may be able to outsmart them by weaving through the streets.

In a stroke of bad luck, Shoko Ieiri attracts the attention of a horde, forcing the party off considerably off course. Temporarily, hopefully. Detour!

Thankfully, there are several methods of getting to the front door of the location – parkouring atop or traversing inside connected buildings, for example. The zombies aren't the only thing that can kill you, though, if you're not careful; while traveling to the hospital, Auch Aubrey slips and falls to his death off a building. Remember Dr. Bei's warning, about not getting too far away from each other? The party will realize if they get too far away from his body (specifically the bracelet), it'll start feeling like their own bracelet is burning them at the wrist. Better go back — and either lug his body around, or lop off the bracelet somehow....

The area this group will travel through has many tourist attractions – antique stores, the Natural History Museum, old-school theaters, for example. For our sword wielders, there are some dated ones among the antique stores and museums; they're dusty, but they'll get the job done. There are other cool artifacts to "borrow" at these places, too, not to mention some history of what the world was like before all this happened.

And at the theaters? There's candy, DVDs, and cardboard cutouts from a variety of movies that were out when the fall of society came. Maybe there are minions there.

Once at the hospital, the party will find that there are a massive amount of zombies that have been trapped inside. Many are former patients or hospital staff, so several are wielding things like scalpels or crutches, and they are just smart enough to attack with them. To get around the facility to find the medical supplies you need, you’ll need to find a way to either distract the zombies, stealthily make your way around, or, you know, eliminate all of them.

As for scavenging, the hospital is surprisingly well stocked, as the high zombie count has made it hard to raid. Characters will be able to find bandages, medicine, surgical tools, and more, if they look close enough.

Of this group, Satoru Gojo and Mark Grayson are infected.

if you chose mall...

To get to the mall, characters will need to travel underground through the subway tunnels. None of the trains are in operation anymore, so they won’t be at risk of getting flattened – but the aged husks of the vehicles are still down here, rotting away. In some tunnels, it will be impossible to go around them, and you know the saying: sometimes the only way forward is through. Inside the trains, some doors that connect the cars are operational, while others are too rusted to move, forcing characters to climb atop the train to progress to the next car. It'll be a taxing trial, made worse by the fact that in these train cars, there are both regular corpses as well as zombified ones. The unpredictable nature of the functioning or non-functioning doors will making escaping the zombies difficult — characters will need to either stand their ground, or climb up to safety if they find themselves at a dead end.

Exiting the subways leaves one last test for this group: the stairs are collapsed! The light of outside shines through what is essentially a giant hole in the ceiling leading to street level. There's about a one story gap between the end point of the subways and the upper ground of the street, so characters will have to get creative with getting everyone up — using train cables? Throwing each other? Human pyramid?

Once at the mall just outside, the party will find that while there doesn’t seem to be a massive horde, there’s another problem: the first floor of the mall, which is below street level, is completely flooded. They’ll have to swim across the distance to the escalators, find a way to get across using debris, or some secret third thing. There are waterlogged zombies floating about in the water as well, who will swim violently towards you once they hear ripples in the water — they’re not subtle about going after you, and will thrash and splash and immediately let you know where they are. They're like people sized piranhas. Scary!

At one point, Sigewinne is pulled underwater by a zombie, and comes close to drowning.

As for scavenging, once they’ve scaled the escalator, they’ll find the second floor of the mall has definitely had its fair share of visitors, but there are still many useful things to find. There are electronic stores that have batteries and walkie talkies, clothing stores (like Hot Topic) that have some extra clothes lying about, and of course, the food court, where you’ll find canned and preserved foods from a variety of different cuisines.

Of this group, Suzuha Amane is infected.

rendezvous

After several days apart, characters will be able to meet back up at a spacious park in the northern part of the city. There are park ranger staff cabins that can be converted into temporary shelters with effort — and the area has a lightly wooded trail, which will make camping outside slightly more safe than if you were plain out in the open.

It’d be a good time to treat the wounded with the new medical supplies, and chow down on the food that’s been collected. Is there someone among the group who’s medical advice can be trusted? Is there someone who might be good at rationing or cooking the food? Everyone’s role in the party should start to become clearer.

There are probably a lot of things to discuss: what will you do with the infected? What's the deal with the bracelets? Reality of how dangerous this mission is will be setting in far too quickly.

Most annoyingly… after all that, some characters will find that moving north has caused their bracelets to inexplicably magnetize together at times, perhaps in response to everything that's happened. Due to this, you might need to help feed each other, or sleep next to a stranger. Hopefully you don't get stuck to someone you totally hate.

!

week two objectives

➤ scavenge for your assigned items!
➤ protect and fight for each other
➤ treat each others wounds
➤ eat tasty canned food

code

Comments

[titlecard]

[ He stiffens, sitting up straight at the sound of her voice. What was he saying out loud, how much did she hear, where did she even come from—

Mark looks back at her over his shoulder. Relaxes after a moment. It's just Hella, he knows Hella, Hella is great. She isn't sneaking up on him. He isn't doing anything stupid— It's not like it could get worse, could it? ]

Um. [ His throat bobs in another nervous swallow, whether directed at himself (it absolutely could get worse) or at her (hi, uh, didn't see you there). ] I mean I... always get better. I've been hurt pretty bad before, but I've always healed up. So... the same thing is going to happen here.

[ But there's a lack of focus in his eyes, like he both sees her and sees right past her at the same time. Is he trying to convince her? Himself? It probably doesn't matter, because he's going to overcome this, like he does everything. Yup. Yup, that's what's going to happen, as a shiver wracks his body. ]

[bicth]

[ Her eyes soften as he explains, recognizing the nervous and frantic look in his eyes. He reminds her of what Ninety-Nine looks like after she calms down from losing control — frightened, but trying to hold on. For a moment, she closes her eyes, then calmly comes to sit next to him, close enough that their shoulders almost brush. She's not scared, never has been of those infected with Mania, so why would this be any different? ]

You know, I'm like that, too. There's pretty much nothing I can't come back from.

[ She nods once in understanding, thinking that she understands what he's trying to get at. It's hard for him to understand that he's been hurt in a way he never has, right? She'd be afraid of it, too. But she wants to believe he'll get better — so that she can believe she would get better, as well.

After some silence that she lets hang in the air, staring off into the dark of the forest, she nudges him with her shoulder. ]

Wanna know my motto? What don't kill you makes you stronger, and since I can't die, I'm always getting stronger.

[ Usually, when she tells people her motto, is with an air of haughtiness and pride, but here, she wields it like a soft blanket, draping it over his shoulders in an attempt at comfort. If he always bounces back, then perhaps this is just going to make him stronger, in the end. ]

I'll graciously let you borrow it, until you're feeling better.

[ Which will happen, surely... it has to. ]

[titlecard]

[ He'd splintered off from the group, sequestered himself, but when Hella comes to sit next to him he lets out a low breath of relief. It's a realization that maybe he hadn't wanted to be as alone as he'd thought. That he still needs people, that he... really, really doesn't want to be alone.

And besides, it's Hella. She nudges him and he plays into it, swaying to the side before returning upright with a soft laugh. Nudging her back. ]

Thank you. I'll, um. I'll take good care of it.

[ He could sound a lot more certain than he actually does, but... No, it is scary. And even though he knows — he knows — he'll get over this, that this infection will pass and he'll be fine again sooner rather than later, there is that lingering what if.

So... what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. She drapes it over him, and he secures it over his person, holding onto it for dear life. ]

I'm not dead yet, right? [ But I can die. ] I mean, I've been beaten really badly before. Like... really badly. [ It isn't funny, but there's a little smile on his lips as he says it. Maybe it is kind of funny? Everything he's been through, and he's still here. ] I guess I am stronger because of it. Otherwise why would I still be here? Why else would I have been chosen?

[ He's defended Dr. Bei from the beginning, and even now... They've gotta get the job done. They've gotta. ]

I'll let you know when you can have your motto back... Should only take a couple of days. A week tops.

[ That's how it has to be. It just has to, even as he shivers again. ]

[bicth]

[ Him nudging her back bolsters her confidence, and she smiles wickedly, winking. He smiles, so she thinks it's okay to laugh a bit at what he said, letting out a quiet pfft. ]

You are stronger because of it. I've probably been beat worse than you, and I'm still here thanks to my fucking self. [ She points a thumb at her chest proudly, emanating confidence and hoping some of it sticks on to him. Maybe it'll distract him a bit if she jokingly tries to one-up him on which one of them has been beaten more to a pulp. ] So, don't give up yet.

[ Because Hella genuinely believes having the intense will to live is part of what had saved her. If she'd stopped believing for even a second that she would one day be free again, maybe she would have never awakened as a Sinner, or gained the regenerative abilities she has. If Mark is anything like her, then she has to believe it's a part of this infection, too. Moreover, in her world.... being infected isn't a death sentence, not necessarily. Ninety-Nine's on her way to becoming a Corruptor, and she's still —

She's still alive and able to see the sun. That's what matters. So, Hella will choose to believe this time, in the case it has even the slightest positive effect towards his suffering. ]

Besides, you gotta make it back so you can get back to superhero-ing, right? I still need your autograph so I can sell it....

[titlecard]

[ His heart still isn't totally in it, but he can't help but laugh again, a little louder this time. ]

You know, I don't think I've ever actually signed an autograph before. It hasn't really come up. I don't know if anyone would even want one from me? [ Even though Hella literally just said she did. For financial purposes, sure, but still. ] It's kinda complicated...

[ His smile fades, and Mark turns to look back out into the woods. Hears that little telltale click of their bracelets connecting, and sighs. ]

I don't want to give up. I know I can't. It's just that you're proud of who you are, right? [ And oh, he says that with admiration for her. He wishes he could be more like her, even as his voice dips into something pensive. ] And I don't know if I can be, even if that's what'll save me.

[bicth]

[ That's odd — she always expected superheroes to be super proud and haughty about their status, even if they're good. Wouldn't they be proud to do what they do? Wouldn't they sort of be like celebrities?

The surprise is evident on her face, pale eyes widening and head tilting as their wrists get secured together. ]

How come?

[ She keeps her question simple, using her free hand to prop up her face — it seems like they're gonna be stuck here for a while, might as well get comfortable. ]

[titlecard]

[ He takes a moment longer to stare out into the woods, leaving her question hanging between the two of them before turning back to her, pensive. ]

I got my powers from my dad. And um, we got into a fight, and he... didn't just wipe the floor with me, but a lot of people died as a result.

[ He dips his head a little, brows furrowing together, frustrated not at the hand he's just been dealt, but all of it. Everything from the past year, longer than that. ]

I know there are people back home who like me, and look up to me, but that doesn't change the fact that he's still a part of me, right? And he could kill people like they were nothing, [ his voice grows quieter. Fearful, ] so what does that make me?

[bicth]

[ Hella was orphaned at young age, and has spent the majority of her life in the presence of other orphans — that, or literal experiments who might have been grown in vats. Her understanding of the relationship between a parent and their child is, for lack of a better term, unusual and perhaps understated, so his question gives her pause, like she has to solve what he's really asking before she can utter a sound.

Quietly, she lets out a blow of air through pursed lips, lifting her hand that's connected to him to tap him in the shoulder. And, well, force him to tap his own shoulder too, on the way. ]

Doesn't that just make you "Mark?"

[ She says it like it's the simplest thing in the world; she'd had this revelation recently with a friend of hers, who believed she could never change from how she was raised, or what went into cultivating her into the person (weapon) she was. Mark doesn't seem so different from that. Anyone can turn away from what they come from, Hella really believes that, perhaps because she puts so much stock in personal freedom. ]

You might have gotten your powers from him, and I dunno if this asshole also has the nerve to call himself a superhero, but... you get to choose on your own, everyday, what kind of hero you want to be. It's not like it's predetermined.

[ She doesn't avert her eyes from him, seeming earnest and genuine despite the coarse packaging the words come in. Even though she knows the answer, she asks him flatly, raising a brow: ]

Do you think people are nothing?

[titlecard]

What? No!

[ Before he can really process what she's said — the way she's brought both their hands up to pat him, everything she's detailed, isn't he simply Mark — he answers that last question; an automatic, forceful response within seconds. As if she wasn't making a point, as if it was a real question that needed to be answered — and maybe, judging by how he'd zeroed in on it immediately, it was.

Mark had sat bolt upright at that, staring at Hella with wide, disbelieving eyes; at least until her words really settle in. As he really understands what she's saying, and then Mark's gaze dips to their hands, embarrassed. To a patch of grass, more embarrassed. His skin is a bit paler now with the onset of infection — that his body is working to fight off, he reminds himself, it has to be — but there is that flush of colour as a result.

He holds it for a moment before looking back up at her, wary. ]

I know I get to choose who to be every day. [ Did he? Maybe he does now that she's said it. ] It's just... what if I choose wrong? I, ahhh. I killed someone just before I was brought here. I had to, but I still lost control, and I did it. And the zombies back at the hospital... They were people too, and I still killed a bunch of them.

[ He stares at his hands, shuts his eyes. Nope. Bad idea; he's used those to kill. ]

I don't think I get to be just "Mark". Not with what I can do. And lately it's just... all the wrong things. [ Opens his eyes again. Meets Hella's gaze again, pleading, like she knows exactly how to get past all of this. ] I think I'm more terrified of that than anything else.

[bicth]

[ Much as she wishes she could tease and prod at him for getting so embarrassed, maybe even pull at his cheeks for extra effect, the topic he brings up is one that's very near and dear to Hella's heart. Sinners can be volatile, unpredictable people; their Mania infection can cause them to similarly lose control and wreak havoc unintentionally. Or, intentionally, in some cases, but that's not the point.

Hella's lost count of the times Ninety-Nine has lost control and bitten her, or beat her within an inch of her regenerative life while lost in the throes of Mania. Never once has Hella held that against her or thought of her any different. Ninety-Nine can't change what was done to her, or what she was cruelly forced to become, not any more than Mark can. What matters is that she knows Ninety-Nine is like Mark; she wants to do the right thing, wants to help others, at the deepest part of her soul. There's effort and thought there to turn away from her makings. ]

Losing control doesn't make you a monster.

[ Such words might've been offered as a comfort by anyone else, but coming from Hella, it sounds like a stubborn declaration. Stern and forceful, leaving no room for pushback. She'd never think (or let anyone dare say) Ninety-Nine is a monster for the way she is, so why would she let Mark think anything similar? It's clear enough that he feels shame for losing his grip on his abilities and ending someone's life, even if he had to. Not to mention the lives of the zombies, too. But him thinking and saying all that is just more proof that his heart is strong and pure at the core. ]

I'm not saying it's no big deal and you shouldn't care, but... you know there are other people who lose control or hurt others and don't give a shit, right? People like your dad. If you were like that, then people would actually have a reason to be scared of you.

[ But as it stands, there's not really any reason to be frightened, at least as far as Hella can see. Her expression eases, leaning her head dramatically into the hand that's holding it up — and she keeps her gaze forward into the trees, rather than at him directly. For as profound as the conversation topic is, Hella has a casualness about her, treating this all with a light, down to earth hand. ]

I think... it's pretty normal to be scared of what you're capable of. Whether you're an alien or a Sinner or anything else. [ She lowers their hands back down to the space between them, leaning back. ] That you feel that way at all tells me what you're really like. More than the fact that you've made mistakes recently or have a fucked up dad.

[titlecard]

[ Mark watches her. The easy way she details all of this, like it's obvious. (Shouldn't it be?) That he'd been silently begging her to show him the way past all of this, and maybe she has.

It's just... kind of difficult to digest all at once. Hella stares out at the world before them, and Mark stares at Hella, like she's some sort of reverent figure he needs to work to understand, and then he can be better for it. ]

... I try. [ It comes out in an exhale, an honest admission that just needs more force put into it. ] I don't want to be like him, I just keep thinking about how I did what he did. He beat the shit out of me, and I survived, because I can do that. I beat the shit out of someone else, and he didn't survive, because he couldn't do that. And I can't take that back. And I can try to be better in the future, and I can keep trying, but if the mistakes keep piling up and I become indifferent to them, like him...

[ And it doesn't even register for him that he's talking about long-term stuff now. That he'll get through this world ultimately unscathed, and go on to live a long life worried about the day he stops trying. He just...

Turns to look at their hands, side by side, on the grass and unbothered, all things considered. ]

Have you ever been through anything like that?

[ Whether you're an alien or a Sinner. That's the two of them. So... maybe she does know how to get past it. He grew up in a stable home environment, wanted for nothing but his powers to kick in. They've lived two very different lives as far as he can tell, so maybe she really is speaking from experience — maybe she already knows it's possible to come out the other side. ]

[bicth]

Maybe not exactly like you, but...

[ She trails off, looking back at him. ]

You know Ninety-Nine, right? She's in our camp. [ She gives a quick nod of her head back towards that direction. ] The two of us aren't like other Sinners; we were made into them by researchers. Ninety-Nine was their magnum opus, their perfect weapon, and I was the punching bag they used to strengthen her.

[ There's a flippancy to the way she speaks about it, no clear resent or fear still lingering in her words, not towards the doctors nor towards Ninety-Nine. Most of this is their secret, and a lot of this is Ninety-Nine's story to tell, so she doesn't want to get too deep into the details... but she does want to give Mark hope that he's not the only person to ever feel like this. ]

People hear that and assume she's a monster. They assume I must hate and fear her for hurting me. To this day, there's still times where she loses control and might bite me or attack me...

[ To put it the way they were just talking about it, there are still times when Ninety-Nine "makes mistakes." But Hella has never stopped believing in her or in the good of her heart — it's why she can feel so certain that even if Mark continues to make mistakes, so long as he keeps struggling, keeps striving towards being better, he'll always remain a good person in Hella's eyes. And while it doesn't sound like he flies into the type of uncontrollable rampage that Ninety-Nine does... the fact that Ninety-Nine has maintained such a hold on herself gives her the utmost confidence that Mark can too, so long as he puts effort into it. ]

But I don't feel scared of her becoming indifferent. After all this time, she's never come out of that state careless or cruel. Actually, hehe... she's just like you — scared of hurting others.

[ Which she says entirely fondly. Teasingly, she reaches up with her free hand to poke him squarely in the forehead, the poke forceful and strong, because she knows he can take it. That, and she can be something of an affectionate bully, enjoying provoking people who are in a funk if it means it'll help them get out of it. ]

If her mind can be that tough after everything she's been through, I know yours can too, dumbass.

[titlecard]

[ At the first mention of Ninety-Nine, he nods. He's met her, and was immediately kind of afraid of her — intense, strong, somebody to not get on the wrong side of. And maybe he'd succeeded in that, but... man.

So as he learns more about the why of her — of Hella, too, Mark sucking in a breath as she explains how she was made to be a punching bag — the more he relents. His tense body relaxes; his expression softens. That Ninety-Nine will always try, despite everything. The love Hella clearly has for her, despite everything— ]

Ow.

[ It's something to say more than any real indication of pain as Hella jabs him in the forehead, Mark leaning back from it, using his free hand to catch himself from falling over and taking her down with him (not that it wouldn't be deserved in this moment, but).

And then she calls him a dumbass, and he stares blankly at her. And then smiles. And laughs a little, because she's right. ]

Okay, okay. [ He's a dumbass. Mark pushes himself to sit upright again, his grin at her broadening as he does. ] I can't argue with that. I just...

[ ... just what? He wants to make sure they're okay? Obviously, but the way Hella talks about all of this, he doesn't think pressing the matter is something she really needs, and he doesn't know Ninety-Nine well enough to inquire about her. So he just... ]

... This is all pretty new to me. I've only had powers for a little over a year; I never knew I'd have to worry about stuff like this. I really thought I'd just be flying around and saving people, not... all of this. [ Worrying about killing them. A beat. ] It's been kind of a shitty year.

[ His smile fades some, but there's still a warm friendliness in his eyes. He just. Appreciates this; appreciates her; probably appreciates Ninety-Nine now, too. That she's someone so strong despite where she came from. That she shows that it's maybe possible, as far as he can tell. ]

You know you're a really good person, though? Staying by her side like that. And helping me with all of this. So I gotta thank you for that,

[ as a shiver wracks his body again, a reminder that he should maybe be a bit more worried about the near future rather than hypothetical far-off moral dilemmas. A reminder that he is choosing to ignore, shaking his head, looking back at Hella with a new optimism, ]

and when this is all over, just knowing that things will be okay.

[ For all of them. Because he's going to heal, and he's going to keep his head on straight, and he has to believe that there'll be good out there for Hella and Ninety-Nine, too. ]

[bicth]

Only had powers for a year? Haha, so, you're basically a newb. No wonder you're so nervous.

[ Don't mind her as she laughs at this revelation, making fun of his inexperience as if she knows anything about what having powers is like in his world. Mark is just too easy to tease, so she can't help herself from keeping her foot firmly on the gas of poking and prodding.

Does he deserve this after praising her like this? Probably not, but Hella takes the praise are further signs that playing with him like this is totally fine; it's the way she shows affection and treats all the other Sinners she's locked up with, anyway. She has more to say on the topic of Ninety-Nine, wanting him to understand that though she is afraid of hurting the people she's close to, her resistance to such things is never going to be equitable to his, just based on unchangeable, biological facts about her. Her losing control of herself stems less from inexperience or accidents and more from the fact that she was designed, trained, and created to be that way — a wild killing machine.

But she ultimately decides against it, always feeling nervous and protective about sharing more information than is strictly necessary about Ninety-Nine — too many times have people abused that knowledge to lock her up, hurt her, or convince everyone to be afraid of her. So long as they're here, Hella just wants Ninety-Nine to be free and treated normally like she deserves. Ninety-Nine has been quite stable aside from the beginning of this trip, and Hella will be by her side the entire time, so if anything goes amiss, surely no one will need more information because Hella will be there to handle it and bring her back to stability, right....smashcut to that not working out one week from now 🤡 Subtly, she subconsciously shakes her head, closing the topic off for now.

Instead, she puts on her best smirk, holding out an open palm. ]

But I accept rewards in cash, if you really want to thank the generous and kind Hella....

[ She sing songs, looking way too pleased with herself and not entirely like she's kidding. Someone's money-hungry... ]

[titlecard]

[ HEY,

yeah. Yeah, he's basically a newb. Not that a lot hasn't happened since he got his powers — way too much, by his standards — but he really hasn't had to face the prospect of just what it is he can do, the grievous harm he can single-handedly cause, until all too recently. So Mark's suddenly too-straight posture, eyes wide in offence, deflates pretty quickly, both because Hella has helped him out big time and because he cannot argue.

What he can do is shift his gaze to stare down at her open hand.

Pause.

Meets her gaze again. ]

Um, I don't have any money on me here. [ Do... do any of them?? Sheepishly, ] How about an IOU instead?

[ A problem for future Mark, and surely the only one he's going to have, ]

[bicth]

Of course you don't have any now, but don't forget I'll be coming to collect later! You promised!

[ he literally didn't, but she might as well say this to set it in stone. She doesn't pick up on his offence to her calling him a newbie since he drops it pretty quickly, but she does notice he felt Some type of way about, even if she doesn't really understand what. ]

I should be able to sell your autograph for a few grand too, heh... what did you say your superhero name was, again?

[titlecard]

[ He... is pretty sure he didn't promise, but he did just promise her an IOU, so... maybe he did? This took a turn, and it's all Mark can do for a second but blink and stare as Hella asserts her will over his.

But it's all harmless, so he's good to just roll with it. ]

Invincible. [ He grins. Not entirely confident, but that's because the fever is getting to him, so he doesn't feel all that invincible right now — but he's still him, and this zombie bite is not going to get to him, so it's alright. He's still Invincible in the long run. ] I can sign something for you right now, if you've got anything.

[ Kind of a new one for him, but hey! He'd promised her something, apparently, right? And this is something he can follow through on... even though he's not sure how much his autograph will actually be worth in a different world. ]

[bicth]

[ She snickers, mischievous and light-hearted. ]

The undefeatable Invincible, huh... hehe, everyone's going to believe this!

[ This is just like the time she convinced everyone in the Bureau that her hat was lucky, thus prompting her to make a hefty profit by selling copies of it. If there's coin to be made, Hella can spin a fraud to do it, and she has great plans for this little autograph. ]

It'd be better if I had a picture of you in costume, but... I'll just have to draw you later.

[ With her hand that's not currently magnetized to him, she digs through her pocket for the notepad she pilfered from the mall, and then after that, a sharpie — which she pulls the cap off of with her teeth. With it still in her mouth, muffling her words slightly: ]

You can sign with the other hand, right? Or should I help you?

[ She holds the pen out to him, flicking her eyes between both his hands to see which one he'll reach out with. ]

[titlecard]

[ And as she holds out the pen to him, he automatically lifts the hand connected to hers to take it, muscle memory from it being the dominant one.

... Shit. Mark gives a little cough, totally out of embarrassment and nothing more, and looks back at her. ]

... Should I give you an autograph later? [ He is even less certain that a probably illegible scrawl is going to be worth anything.

A beat. ] Wait, you can draw?

[ That's so cool if she can! The prior embarrassment has been forgotten, replaced with an almost starry-eyed sort of admiration. ]

[bicth]

I won't let you forget.

[ She sneers, twirling the pen in her fingers now that she's spit the cap out. ]

But yeah. I'm better at drawing than writing... [ Her tone dips into something almost meek, like this is something she's embarrassed about, even though he seems to be showing interest in it. Her illiteracy is a point of shame, for her. ] Not like we could go to school or anything in Syndicate, you know?

[titlecard]

[ It takes the kid who grew up in the suburbs a moment to recognize what she's alluding to. At first his brow is just furrowed in confusion, but then his expression morphs into understanding, his mouth forming a little o before he figures out what to say.

It probably takes him a moment too long, but there isn't a whole lot he can do about that. ]

Well, lots of people can't draw. So I think that's pretty cool.

[ A beat. Should he say more? He's going to say more. ]

Besides, I ended up skipping a lot of class when I got my powers to go help people, so maybe school's overrated, anyway.

[bicth]

[ It's rare for Hella to feel self-conscious about anything, so on this topic alone, she starts feeling nervous when it takes him a bit to get it. Her immediate worry is that he might look down on her, but he nips that in the bud quickly, mercifully. ]

Maybe it's overrated... but I am trying to study and get better.

[ She does want to read and write!! And she wants him to know it's not as if she's blown it off, it's something she's putting effort into. Maybe she wants him to think of her not as someone who never was given a chance and decided to flip education the bird, but as someone who's trying to make up for the things she was denied solely on account of poverty. ]

Not that there's any damn time to practice while we're out here. Or any books, anyway.

[titlecard]

[ Ah... yeah... He rubs at the back of his head awkwardly with his free hand. ]

I guess studying out here would be hard, huh. [ A beat as he thinks it over. ] There's always after, right? When we've all gone back home.

[ There's absolutely no reason Hella couldn't learn then, right? He sees no problems with that, nevermind any member of the group's mortality or the world Hella came from or whatever. There's always after. ]