hadriel_logs | Event Log: Dead Men Walking

Who: Everyone participating in the event!
What: The event log for the Dead Men Walking event!
Where: All around the city
When: September 14th-September 20th
Warnings: Zombies. Walkers. The Infected. Zeds. The undead. Risen.

Everything seems more or less normal in Hadriel on the 14th - at least at first. But wait, who's that over there? Why are they walking so weird? Are they feeling okay? Wow, did they just try to bite you? Oh shit, you might've seen a movie like this before. That was definitely a zombie.

But hey, it's no big deal. A few zombies here and there are pretty easy to avoid, especially when you can outrun them without too much trouble. They're only really dangerous if they're fast or if there are a lot of them, and they sure aren't fast! Only - well, before long, there are a lot of them. You can hardly go outside without running into one, and mobs form quickly. Went out for supplies? Let's hope they didn't follow you - you might get stuck in that shop, mobile corpses pounding on the door. Oh, and don't stand too close to the windows of your house. They'll be more than happy to smash the glass trying to get you.

Don't worry, though! A hard blow to the head will take these zombies out, and you'll be sitting pretty, as long as none of them bite you. None of them bit you... right? Wow, what a relief. We're all glad you're not concealing a life-threatening zombie bite from your friends! Who would do that, anyway? Now if you can manage that until the 20th, you'll be safe and sound as the zombies shamble out of the city. Hopefully you won't be shambling with them.

► This log covers September 14th-September 20th.
► Feel free to make your own logs, as well
► Please tag headers of threads with content warnings where they apply
► Please put your character's name and open/closed in the subject line of your starters!
► If you join the zombie party, please let us know here!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Sorry, the sound was her. Jean's ended up crushing a couple of zombies with a heavy cabinet, and the sound the zombies had made were sickening -- things she wished she would never need to experience again. But she's headed in Jack's direction, having sensed his thoughts in her periphery.

She's strapped a knife to her belt, as well as a few supplies in a backpack she'd picked up along the way. It's just me, she sends a message to him silently, moments before she turns up around the corner, harried but not much worse for wear. Jack is a sight for sore eyes, and the bow and arrow he wields is a curious thing, but practical in this particular climate. ]

Hey.

You're out here.

[He shouldn't be surprised. Jean is a gentle girl, sometimes nervous, but she's not a coward. Her powers are a good match for the zombies, she shouldn't be forced to cower in her apartment.]

You should've called me.

[Jack would've came for her, escorted her, whatever she needed.]

There are people who need help.

[ Jean offers by way of explanation, but she's happy to see him unhurt; the whole zombies thing is unsettling, but even so, his offer makes her smile and shake her head.

She knows what he would have done, it's all written right there -- and she likes him all the more for it. ]

I didn't want to trouble you. Where are you planning to go?

You could never, princess.

[He gives her the name without sarcasm, without patronizing. Jack is rediscovering all the roles that he's capable of in the cave, and her knight is one of them. she hardly needs it, but it's still one of the things that's driving him to master everything.]

I'm sticking to the main streets, trying to keep them clear so that people can come for supplies as they need them. [Jack notes her backpack.] Is there anything that you're still looking for?

[ Jean reads his intentions, understanding his motivations. Jack is a survivor, and this is him forging another way forward on his own. His grit is commendable, no matter the mistakes made along the way, and she would be his princess for as long as it takes. ]

You're very kind.

[ Her heart warms at his words, the kindness inherent in them, and her smile widens as she shrugs her backpack off a shoulder, opening the zipper to show him the food she'd packed in it. It's half empty now, she's been giving it away. She fishes a wrapped bun out and hands it over to him. ]

I've been giving these things out to anyone I can find. It's not much, but I hope it helps. Here. [ She stirs at the sound of shuffling and low groans drawing near, a small knot of zombies shuffling past, seemingly having not noticed them yet. ]

[He's not kind. Kind men do their service out of courage, goodness. Jack does it because he owes a debt, because he's been a certain way for most of his life and now he wants to be another. He does it because he's good at it.

Being close to her makes him more aware of all of that, but he doesn't want distance between them.]

A picnic? [Jack smiles at her, unwrapping the bun but offering it for her to take the first bite. Meanwhile his eyes have shifted to watch the small pack. He takes a bite, an arm sliding around Jean's shoulders.] We can go somewhere else if you want.

[ There are worse people to be, Jack Benjamin. Jean would know; she's met a couple of them. It's impressive that he's fighting so hard to be a different way, picking himself up after having fallen, and she feels her heart skip a beat when he puts an arm around her.

She knows he doesn't mean anything by it, that his heart is not for her to have, no matter how charming and sweet he is to her, while he struggles to swim in this brand new world, but Jean smiles anyway. He's a friend, and he's not afraid of her, and that should be enough. She declines his offering and shakes her head, wondering if he knows the effect he has on the girls he charms. Surely he does; he doesn't need his title to do that particular job for him. ]

Let's go and see if anyone needs help. [ Can he see her blush? She hopes he can't, and as for the zombies that near but haven't picked up the scent -- she taps the side of her head and closes her eyes. It's unnerving, being in the zombies' heads; it's like being buried in grave dirt, or standing in cold, clammy water. They don't have thoughts save for the basest instincts and intense savagery, a drive that powers them that she can't quite grasp yet, but she gently manipulates it, the threads that hold their instincts and what passes for a thought process, sending them away from where she and Jack stand. ]

[He knows, or at least he did when he was a prince. He abused it. He just doesn't think it has quite the same effect that it had when girls could dream of becoming royalty.

Jean is a beautiful girl, inside and out. Someday she'll find her true prince, and Jack will be there to size him up - or end him if he turns back into a toad.]

I guess I have to share you. [Jack sighs dramatically, but he watches her as she drives the zombies away. She's a miracle, no matter what anyone else might say about her.] The armory, the clinic, the bar. There's sure to be people at each of those places.

[ (Well, you know, Scott Summers...)

Jean knows his thoughts, knows that he doesn't think of her that way, and she takes it in stride -- he is no less compelling, and she makes a silent promise to keep an eye on him, to help protect him (amidst others) the best way she knows how.

She looks over at him curiously, quietly pleased that he's not afraid (most people are; because they don't understand -- and to be honest sometimes neither does she). ]

No, let's go somewhere else. Round up the people who are still scattered around.

There's going to be more of them.

[The zombies. Jack states it quietly, concerned for her, knowing what it must do to her mind to be in the midst of such chaos and violence, without a bit of rhyme or reason to it.]

Don't push yourself. You don't have to do any of this alone.

No. [ Jean's answer is firm as she pauses, meeting his gaze with determination. Jean might be soft, but she's not weak, not where it counts. She knows his intentions, his kindness and his protectiveness, but without the Professor here, she has to be the one to help, and to help, she has to become better than she was before.

She softens a little, quietly wistful. ]

Someone once told me -- the people with the greatest power should protect the ones without. [ A beat, then a flicker of a smile, a glint in her eyes. ] Besides, every knight needs a princess to watch his back. What use are princesses otherwise?

And someone once told me it's better to teach a man to fish than give him one.

[What happens if something happens to the people with the greatest power? But Jack can tell that she won't be swayed. He returns that little smile.]

They unite kingdoms. They inspire. They break hearts...

[Jack adds that last one with a gentle shake of his head and a click of his tongue.]

They do anything they set their mind to.

[He tips his head towards the path.]

We should get moving.

Event Log: Dead Men Walking

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