[ORP] The Village Proper

[Emelyn]

She breathed deeply. "How strong is your power of smell, now?"  

[Labmouse 5ive]

"Very." That, at least, was something he had full confidence in. "Why?"  

[Emelyn]

"I was just wondering how hard it'd be to hide from you for the next couple days." She sighed.  

[Labmouse 5ive]

"Impossible." He grinned half-heartedly, chuckling softly and trailing off with a sigh. "Are you really that against it?"  

[Emelyn]

"Does it matter?" She reached out and touched him- gently, and slowly- in case his transformation didn't take for much human contact. "I'll help you if I can."  

[Labmouse 5ive]

Had the gesture caught him by surprise, the cobra would have undoubtably shied away. However, trust allowed for contact, and right now, Emelyn was perhaps the person he trusted the most on the island. He offered a smile and nodded slightly in response. "Thank you." There wasn't much left to be said.  

[Emelyn]

"You're welcome, for what it's worth." She felt a little dirty for being thanked for something that might irrevocably damage him. It was rather surreal.  

[Labmouse 5ive]

"It's worth a good deal." He smiled, then nodded back towards the village. "I'll walk you. We still 'aven't played twenty questions."  

[Emelyn]

She nodded and took his lead, walking back towards the village. "Ask away, sir." She went along, picking through the underbrush and wondering again whether she'd come to regret her decision.  

[Labmouse 5ive]

What to ask, what to ask... He didn't want to dwell on the impending 'war' any longer, but at the same time. "Do you anyone who recently lost an eye?"  

[Emelyn]

Her feet stopped- but her mind worked overtime. Not that it needed to. Even if she'd not just come from Lucas' duplex, she'd not need a split-second to register the question.

"Lucas."  

[Labmouse 5ive]

He hadn't actually expected a reply. Lucas? He knew that name... The dog guy from the construction site? "Zach's carryin' around his eye. He tried to scare me with it not long ago. He might want to know."  

[Emelyn]

"Oh god. ...I just came from his duplex. I've been keeping him company recently- but I never asked what had happened, beyond being really vague. I mean, I didn't want to upset him. You think he doesn't know?" She put her fingers to her lips.  

[Labmouse 5ive]

"I've no idea," he admitted, shrugging slightly and starting once more for the village. "Zach wouldn't even tell me who it was, he told me to find out for myself. Apparently Lucas sliced up one of Zach's eyes pretty well. An' Zach went cryin' to Duvert, I'm sure. Duvert likes his twisted punishments."  

[Emelyn]

"Oh Jesus." Emelyn put her hands to her face and rubbed away some of the ire there behind her eyes, an itchy rawness caused by stress and the unbelievable- two commodities never in short supply on Hell Island. "I didn't want to ask Lucas what happened."