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 Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2012 7:11 pm
Mort hadn't known what a salve was prior to now, but by Jack he'd never felt something so nice on his skin that wasn't a ghoul's lips. Against burnt skin, well -
- It was heavenly. "Where can get?" he asked Taryn, rubbing just a little more in (just in case), enjoying the cooling sensation. "N, er . . . Thanks 'gain. Is really good fire tricks," He mimicked holding a ball of fire in his hands, a la a certain anime with a certain Kamehameha attack. "Was taught?"
Meanwhile, his right hand continued to twitch sporadically, as it had been for almost fifteen minutes now.
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Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2012 7:44 pm
"This? This is all my grandmother's invention. It's good, right?" Taryn smiled broadly, turning the little unmarked jar in her hands. She'd have to get more, for certain, with the frequency people got burned at Amityville. At Mort's second question, she colored a little. "Ah... no. I'm the only one in the family with this kind of control, so it was just... practice. Very hit-or-miss. If it weren't for Yaya I'd be covered in scars. Amityville's helped, too. You don't really get a choice here."
She closed the jar and smiled at the zomboil, taking his hand and inspecting it again. The ghoul shook away a sudden shock (static or more? it was impolite to ask) and then went right back for it. She didn't like this shaking.
"So you said something about homework?" she asked then, packing away her mishmash of first aid supplies in her closet again.
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Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2012 7:50 pm
His hand briefly curled a loose grip around her thumb before letting go, and not of his own volition. "Really don't, nah. But is what school for, even if . . . weird like this one." What would his life have been like if he'd gone to a different one, Mort wondered. Mama had been on the fence about sending him to something so prestigious, but the day before deadlines she'd mysteriously acquiesced, despite being vocal about money issues. Come to think of it, he hadn't heard from his mama in a while . . .
But thoughts of homework clouded this over, and he briskly nodded, clearly eager. "Y-Yes, homework! First time am happy for it." Mort headed to the door, pausing when he touched the doorknob to glance at her. "Er . . . will need bathing suit n' towel for."
Not at all awkward.
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Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2012 8:01 pm
Taryn wondered the same thing sometimes. If she had gone simply achademically, like her own mana had suggested, what would she be now? Certainly not pierced and hanging out with boils. Maybe she would still be so shut-down... but in the end, the prestige of the school had won out. She liked the outcome.
...wait.
...wait, what?
The chimera had not gone swimming since her arrival, and wasn't even sure she'd packed her suit. Goats were not fantastic swimmers, and while snakes might make up some of the headway, lions destroyed it all.
Taryn did not enjoy swimming.
"I, um. I..." Deeper color rose in the ghoul's cheeks. "Should I... should I change, or...?"
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Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2012 8:10 pm
Had Mort the capability to blush, he would as well, if only because he relayed about five seconds later how blunt that was. And how weird it sounded. And the implications. "Er, if'n can swim that is, can come, n-not need to if can't, know how is, p-promise do know, don't need change now," he blabbered, also belatedly wondering if chimeras could swim. Maybe he should've thought some more before asking. But the need to make sure things were alright, even with assurances, was overwhelming - plus, when his hand gave a mighty jerk out of nowhere, he didn't feel, well, wholesome to begin with.
Was there a class on how to think before speaking yet? That would've been handy.
"Is, er . . . Is new place n' Amity," Mort explained after an awkward pause, wrangling his hand to stop its movements. "Homework i-is showing someone not n' class, see how they like. W-Wasn't sure if you'd want take swim . . . Lotta people seemed like, though."
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Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2012 8:14 pm
Taryn looked down at her hooves and lifted each in turn, listening to them click against the wooden floor. Maybe it wouldn't be too deep. Maybe she wouldn't have to flounder around like a beached sea serpent. With a mighty sigh, the ghoul mustered another smile and shook her head.
"I'd love to go. It's about time I got back in the water. Let me just grab my... um." Color returned to her cheeks. "My things, and... and I'll be right there, okay? We can meet back here."
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Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2012 8:57 pm
"Kay. Yeah. Will wait. Er, outside. O-Outside Undead dorms. Front outside door."
And he exited. Fled, almost. Mort had been getting better about his movement speed ever since he took the lightning road challenge, lightly jogging back towards the familiar Victorian-themed dormitories. It was only fair, after all, to grab some swim trunks himself.
Ho boil, fire and water in one day? He really must've short-circuited his brain in that battle.
A bag slung over his shoulder housing the trunks and a towel, the zomboil shuffled out back front to meet Taryn, forcibly pocketing his unruly right hand as the door closed behind him. This . . . was going to be interesting.
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Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2012 9:01 pm
The ghoul arrived outside the undead dorms less quickly, having had to search every nook and cranny for her bathing suit. She arrived in a dress, a canvas bag over her shoulder and clearly overstuffed with a large towel. Her hair was pulled up into a tight, messy bun.
She felt stupid as heck.
"Hey, Mort," she re-greeted the boil, shifting her bag nervous and pushing a lock of hair that didn't exist behind her ear. "Where are we going...?"
Just talk! Talk and cover the awkward!
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Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2012 9:09 pm
"Haihai." Graaaa, why was this so awkward? Because neither of them liked swimming? No wait, probably because it was coming off the heels of a somewhat emotional scene. Or did she think this was a date? Was this a date? He couldn't just ask if she thought so, because that was even more awkward, but it would probably bother him for the rest of the time and his hand wouldn't stop moving in his pocket what the Jack.
Throwing the unruly appendage a frown, Mort beckoned for her to follow as he shuffled down the steps and began to lead her around the back of the dorms. "Is new place, l-like said. In cave." After about a minute or so traipsing through a wooded area, he pointed out the looming maw ahead as they approached. "Adventuring 101, Moira class said you miss." The zomboil looked about to see if more mutant rats were about, a little relieved to see that the exploded guts and brain matter had been cleaned up since class time - not that it would have bothered him specifically, but he didn't want to make things even more uncomfortable between them.
"Is, ah, is h-hotsprings," he explained, crossing the threshold into the cave. "Not far in, think remember way . . ."
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Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2012 9:17 pm
The fact that it was in a cave was reassuring. Other students were less likely to see them if they were in a cave, not to mention Taryn's genetic predisposition to feel comfortable in a cave. The shy ghoul nodded and admired their surroundings as they entered. Stalagmites, stalactites, all kinds of wonderful natural structures and-- oh no. Were there going to be changing rooms? Everything seemed so untouched by civilization. It was kind of alluring, though. Kind of... romantic?
No, no, not like that. Never like that. She touched a damp cave wall and smiled. Romantic, mysterious-- she could get used to this.
"Hotsprings!" Her excitement was apparent. She had never seen one in person, let alone gone in one. Mort was just full of all-new experiences! "I think I need to start taking this class."
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Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2012 9:25 pm
He laughed a little, the sound echoing softly. "Was kinda fun, h-had tame big mutant rats for getting in," he said. "Sticks had funny stuff, m-made 'em . . . made googly-eyed n' happy. But sometimes saw rats 'splode n'stead. Cleaned u-up since t'least." >w>; He hazarded a glance up, saw a particularly large stalagmite stare him down, and hastened them onward.
Eventually, the air grew damper and warmer until they were graced with the site of multiple pools - and not just water he realized. While indeed the typical hot springs greeted them first, Mort was now able to see that there was also a lava pool, some sort of foul-smelling pool, and even a pool that had some frost around the edges. He pointed out to Taryn tunnels off to either side. "Teacher s-say basic clothes changing n' showers both ways. Can pick whichever p-pool wanting."
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Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2012 7:36 pm
Big mutant rats? That certainly sounded like Amityville's groove, especially having students clear them out. It was all a part of the charm. Taryn nodded and followed Mort deeper into the cave, mostly trusting that he wasn't leading her into a trap. She also wouldn't put it past Amityville to lead students into danger, and assign them to drag others in with him.
Luckily, come the hotsprings things looked promising. Sure, a leap into any of the altered pools would lead to a hasty death, but there was some normalcy. The ghoul nodded and pointed off to the east.
"I'll be right back." Without really waiting for a response, Taryn turned down the east tunnel and tried to hide herself behind a corner as best she could. It felt strange to be changing in the relative open, and she did so quickly. Her bathing suit was modest, black and orange, and she emerged wrapped in her beach towel to wait for Mort. The poor boil, he had to be mostly naked throughout.
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Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2012 7:49 pm
When she got back, Taryn might have noted that Mort hadn't really moved from his position. His shirt was half off, head poking through the folds as the shirt was about to slide over his glasses. Upon spying Taryn coming back, however, he quickly covered his face, slid the shirt off, and put it in front of him as if he were ashamed. "Errr . . ."
In all honesty, he was wondering if he should really try swimming too. What if something went wrong? The "glitchy" hand grasped the shirt tightly, shaking, and sheepishly he turned and began to head towards the pool she'd indicated before. Had he really taken so long to think about this? Mrrrr . . .
He stared into the depths of the warm water and swallowed. "I-It looks . . . nice . . . ?" He was trembling a little all over.
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Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2012 7:56 pm
It had crossed Taryn's mind that electricity and water didn't always mix, but the decision was left to Mort. It was assumed that he'd know his own limits and whether or not he should be setting off shocks in the pool. She'd felt that ribboning electricity, and she hadn't liked it very much. As if in response, Abigail dipped down and tested the water with her snout.
"They must be natural, down here," the ghoul said finally, unwrapping her towel to reveal a set of hairy, digitigrade goat legs. She blushed deeply, feeling for all the world like putting on a pair of pants, and slowly slid into the spring onto a submerged stone. "It is nice. Like a hot tub."
Taryn had never been in a hot tub. It was an educated assumption.
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Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2012 8:16 pm
"Yeah . . . Dunno how can have all pools n' one place, though." Twitch. Twitchtwitchtwitch, went the hand. "Tried asking others, d-didn't get real answer . . ." Twitchtwitchtwitchtwitch-
With a small growl of frustration, Mort suddenly grasped the stitches above his right wrist and gave a mighty tug, tearing his own hand off before tossing it off to the side forcefully - a small thunk was heard as it slapped the wall and fell in a heap . . . into the shirt.
Exposed, Mort was for the most part very skinny: some bony-ness was to be expected, especially near the sockets for his shoulders and collar bone, but it was most evident in the hole on his left side around the lower part of his ribcage, which gave Taryn a view right through to some of the deflated and rotten organs still laid. Part of his right arm were also meat-less, but not to the same degree.
With a little yelp, Mort pulled open his bag and covered himself shamefully with a towel, clearly flustered; it was a bit hard going with only one functional hand, but he went forth with the effort anyway. It was clear enough that he was conscious about his body, especially in the presence of a ghoul - a ghoul in a tight swimsuit no less. "Graaa, d-d-didn't mean - s-sorry . . ." Like he had to apologize for making her see such a horrid state of flesh.
And all he could think at the moment was This was a bad idea this was a bad idea this was a bad idea -
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