week one | overflow

[showhost]

you're all animals


Embrace Space | Property Damage, etc
Truth Booth Voting | Match Ceremony Submissions

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no one saw me post this to the wrong toplevel

[newlugers]

Huh. Who would've guessed?

[ not Steve, apparently, who seems amused by the fact that those two were actually a match? He's happy for Ryuji, though. Wednesday... well, she's harder to read, but she doesn't seem mad. Good for them.

His happiness peters out pretty quickly once Ryuji randomly mentions that someone here is dead - and then goes on to specify who it is. It's not a secret, of course. That's why Ryuji knows it. But hearing it suddenly brought up and broadcast to everybody makes his stomach drop. As soon as he feels other people's eyes start going to him, he throws up his hands, then makes a hasty retreat from the room. ]

[singurarity]

[ Ritsuka on the "Track Down Those Who Exit Dramatically" committee...

Well, this could go better or worse than her experience with hunting down Akechi, and she's honestly kind of stunned by the reveal, but oh well. Steve gets a little bit of alone time and then!!

WHERE ARE YOU, PUNK. ]

[newlugers]

[ he is, in fact, in the bedroom, because it seems like the only sensible place to stalk off to and brood in even if it's shared. Ryuji and Wednesday coming back should buy him some time to get his head together, he thinks. It does, but not as much as he'd hoped. Steve's towards the back of the room, leaning against the wall with one hand; when he hears someone enter, he curls it into a fist and bangs the plaster. ]

I don't wanna talk about it, okay?

[singurarity]

[ The noise is loud, but she'd sort of expected some manner of lashing out, so Ritsuka doesn't do more than flinch initially in surprise. All the same, it isn't going to stop her from walking towards his voice. ]

Okay. I wasn't going to make you.

[ Not that she thinks she can, but. The point still stands. ]

[newlugers]

Ritsuka?

[ dammit - he should have looked to see who was coming before getting snippy. She doesn't deserve it. The Steve of a week ago wouldn't have even considered apologizing, but going through hell and then dying can change a man's outlook. He belatedly glances over his shoulder at her, but looks away just as soon, shaking his head. ]

Sorry.

[singurarity]

It's okay. That... sort of thing that we're definitely not going to talk about would have made anyone upset.

[ Nailed it. ]

I don't have to stay for very long, either, if you want to be alone. But I didn't want to just leave you alone without trying to see how you were doing.

[newlugers]

[ her clumsy avoidance of the topic would be enough to get a chuckle out of him if he wasn't in brooding mode. ]

'm fine, [ he mumbles. ] It's not like anything's changed.

[ he's just been continually trying to not think about this. ]

[singurarity]

Nothing, huh. I think if a bunch of people found out something about me I wasn't ready to talk about, I'd need to distance myself a little.

... Avoiding this is hard. [ A thoughtful pause. ]

Um, are you a dog or a cat person?

[newlugers]

What?

[ it's so out of left field that it actually gets him to look at her properly this time. ]

What's that got to do with anything?

[haircared]

[ while he did not join ritsuka in the tracking down akechi clan.... this is different, because he already knew something was wrong with Steve. It doesn't make sense that he's dead — he's still here, isn't he? Josuke has seen peop;e come back from worse, literally and figuratively. He's not giving up.

Josuke catches up with him easily with his long Joestar legs, stopping him with a hand on the shoulder even though Steve brushed him off last time. ]

Hey, man, slow down. I wanna talk to you.

[newlugers]

[ damn you and your secret joestar technique legs, josuke... It's been a few days, but Steve hasn't lost his edge from the Rockfort incident - he knows someone's behind him, and Josuke barely lands a hand on his shoulder before he whirls around to face him, slipping out from under his touch defiantly. ]

What, gonna tell me you feel bad for me? Just forget it, [ he snaps. ]

[haircared]

[ He doesn't take offense - he's expecting to be brushed off. But he got he wanted, which was for Steve to turn around. ]

No.

[ Bluntly. Steve won't appreciate being pitied, so Josuke intends to approach this from as neutral and objective as a standpoint as he can. ]

I want to know more about what happened to you. [ Might as well just be out with it, while keeping his voice hushed so no one else but them will hear: ] Because I know you're sick.

[newlugers]

You -- you what?

[ that little reveal is shocking enough to take the edge off his instinctive anger, although just barely. Steve winces. ]

I'm not -- [ no, what's the point in denying it? he might have died, but he knows very well that dying never stopped the infection before. ] How do you know that?

[haircared]

[ He knows Steve didn't see his Stand, so how is he supposed to explain this... he leans his weight to one side. ]

It's an ability I have, had it since I was a kid. [ Maybe saying he's had it a long time will make it seem more believable... and he knew Steve was sick, so that's something, right? ] I can heal things. I could tell you had some kind of virus when I touched you on the first day.

[ And he could tell again just now — it's something that's as instinctive to Josuke as breathing, now, having had this skill for so long. ]

Don't freak out, I won't tell anyone. I just want to help if I can.

[newlugers]

[ So that's what that was; he'd just thought Josuke was touchy. Maybe he would have questioned the existence of such a power before, but at this point, Steve just accepts it - he's seen stranger. Great. He would have been more helpful to have around before he died. ]

Damn it! [ he puts his hands on his head, stressed. ] I'm not gonna infect anyone, okay? Besides, it's not active, or I wouldn't be talking to you. Just -- forget about it.

[haircared]

[ listen sometimes you are cuddly AND you have to do health check ups on people by patting them

Josuke has a long fuse for most matters not related to his hair - this is no different. He'd be reasonably freaked out in Steve's situation too, it's nothing to take personally. Bluntly: ]

Sorry, but I can't forget about it.

Ryuji said you were dead, [ Josuke muses, treading on carefully. ] But I don't think that can be true.

[ He knows what it feels like when his Stand touches someone truly dead, much as he is unwilling to accept it at the time. As far as he can tell, Steve is still... well, he's still here. So, he can't leave it alone, even if asked. ]

I'm not worried about you infecting someone else — I'm thinking it could get worse for you. I bet I could slow it down, or keep it from growing, if you'd let me.

[newlugers]

[ he sure is here...

Steve wants to tell him it is true, but he honestly has no idea what's going on, either. All he knows is that he remembers starting his last conversation before he came here, but not finishing it. If what Josuke says is true, maybe he really is alive. Does he trust this guy enough to believe what he says? Not really -- but he can't deny it gives him a shred of hope. ]

I - I don't know. People don't come back from this. [ and what if it goes wrong, and Josuke trying to heal him heals the virus instead? Reactivates it? He doesn't want to imagine it; his face pinches. ] How do you heal people?

[titlecard]

[ Zombies, Steve had brought up to him, and between that and Ryuji's words things click together very fast.

And — okay, he barely knows the guy. It's none of his business. Mark has to weigh it in his head: would he want to be left alone, or would he want company? And it doesn't take him too long to figure out the answer: he'd want to be left alone, but he'd need company.

Company for Steve it's going to have to be. Not too long later, he looks around for him — and when he finds him, immediately has no idea what to say. ]

Um... [ Are you okay sounds like a stupid question, and I'm sorry sounds pointless.

nailing this. ]

[newlugers]

[ while Steve sadly doesn't have a discman and the latest papa roach CD to drown his sorrows in, he's retreated to his room regardless - or, well, everyone's room. Fortunately, everyone's still mingling with the winners in the viewing room, so he figured he'd have some time to himself to put his feelings together.

Less time than he'd thought, it seems. The sound of a voice gets him to look up from standing by his bunk and gripping the bedpost until his knuckles turn white. This guy? ]

I'm fine! Leave me alone.

[titlecard]

[ Yeah... this guy.

On the one hand, Mark should leave him alone; he doesn't miss the white-knuckled grip. But on the other hand, that goes against his Steve needs company theory. He hesitates for a second. ]

Okay.

[ His voice is soft, before he... leans against the door frame, still inside the room, his eyes on Steve a little longer before he looks down to examine his fingernails, or something.

Technically, he's leaving him alone. ]

[newlugers]

[ he huffs and turns his back again, assuming incorrectly that Mark will actually leave; Steve thought he came off pretty meek in their previous interaction, so surely he'd get the message. He remains there for a few more moments, lost in his thoughts, before releasing his grip and letting his hand fall to his side. What he really needs is a distraction. The golden lugers are sitting at the end of his bed, hidden under some laundry; with a sigh, he reaches down to pick one up, glancing it over as he turns to sit on the covers --

only to see a figure in the doorway. ]

Wah! [ a very manly yelp. Fortunately, he recognizes it to be Mark pretty quickly. ] Dammit -- w-why are you still here?

[titlecard]

[ Mark looks up sharply at Steve's cry, almost ready to spring into action until he realizes he's the cause of it. He relaxes then, exhaling a sigh of relief — but still doesn't move. ]

I thought you could use some company. [ A simple answer, accompanied by shrug. ] You want to be left alone, fine, I can do that. I just... didn't think you should be alone, is all.

[newlugers]

[ cynical Steve rolls his eyes at that. ]

I don't see how your company's gonna help.

[ i'm sorry mark ]

[titlecard]

[ don't be, he needs to told off sometimes

so he can remain undeterred. sorry steve ]

Like having nobody around is going to help instead?

[newlugers]

It's sure not gonna make me feel worse.

[ which he can't say of everyone else here - maybe even of most of them. He sits down on the bottom bunk as previously intended, flopping onto his back and spinning the gun around one finger by the trigger guard. ]