milliways_bar | (no subject)

Entry tags:

(no subject)

The door is thrown open as a man bolts inside. Something large clatters to the floor as he attempts-unsuccessfully-to lock it behind him. Scrambling back, he grabs for the crossbow and points it at the door shaking.

He's pale and shaky and lying on the floor-formerly immaculate clothes askew. He's dirty, grubbing on the floor like he's been used to it.

It's been a rough few days.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Data is sitting at a nearby table, but gets up to approach the man.

"Are you all right?" he asks, from a polite distance.

Ed's chest is heaving. The crossbow hasn't left his hands, "..."

Possibly, Data may be the only person to hear.

Data glances at the door.

"I suppose it would be possible," he says. "Are you worried that something specific will?"

Ed looks ready to cry, ""

The crossbow is still clutched in his hands, ""

He squeezes his eyes shut, hands clenched around the weapon.

That seems like a legitimate concern. Data does not know if it will help ease this man's mind any, but he positions himself between him and the door. He kneels down to his level.

"It is quite rare that more than one person comes through that door at a time," Data tells him. "Less than 3.7 percent, according to my observations. But perhaps you would feel safer if you found somewhere to hide here?"

Edited 2010-09-23 05:08 (UTC)

Ed's gaze jerks open and-

"ARGH!"

He points the crossbow, "You-open your mouth! open you're mouth!"

Yellow eyes, pale skin?

"Is kindness the new way you're recruiting?! I don't want to be food!"

It takes Data a moment to figure out why the man seems so frightened. Once he does realize it, though, he graciously opens his mouth to show two rows of normal teeth.

Normal teeth, but... is that some sort of circuit board on the roof of his mouth?

Ed scrambles back a bit before breathing heavily, "...You-you-re-you're not a vampire?"

He'll wait, "...you...you're some kind of robot?"

"That is correct," Data tells him. "I am an android."

After a pause, he cannot help asking, "Do I resemble a vampire in some way?"

Ed is slowly sounding normal, "Yellow eyes..pale skin...the only thing that's missing is the teeth..."

Data raises his eyebrows slightly. He was not aware that vampires had yellow eyes. Intriguing.

"I apologize for frightening you, in that case," he says, sincerely. "My name is Data. There are no vampires in my world, so I was not aware that I shared any of their attributes."

He offers a hand, both to shake and to help him up. He diverts some power to warm the surface temperature of the offered hand, but it probably will not be up to human standards by the time Ed takes it.

Ed manages not to flinch. He's sufficiently calmed down enough now to lower his crossbow and offer a far firmer grip then the man who came through last would have.

"...Ed Dalton. I've been hiding from them for almost a week. I shouldn't..." His voice trailed off, "I shouldn't have judged so quickly."

"That's what, you know, lack of water does to a guy."

Ahaha-joke.

The humor is lost on Data, but the apology is not. "It is all right," Data assures him. "Perhaps you should take a moment to rest, then."

"Well, shit," drawls the fellow in the blue and green sweater with the Marine Corps emblem on it. "That don't look good- you okay, fella?"

Ed is still shaking by the time he looks up, crossbow clanking in his hands, "...Be quiet." He hisses, "Interdimensional bar or not they still could probably hear you!"

This is a complete lie of course. All the same.

Shephard makes an indelicate noise. "Door don't work like that," he says. "And you best git that thing unloaded'n pointed the fuck away from people 'fore somebody gits hurt."

Ed hesitates, looking back at him, clearly someone unfamiliar with the workings of the device he's holding...not to mention the proper way to fight, "...You're sure?"

The crossbow still hasn't dropped from his hands.

"Damn straight I'm sure. Shit happens here'n you go back to the same time you left, there ain't time for nobody on the other side of that door to hear you," says Shephard. "Now put the fuckin' crossbow down or at least git your finger the fuck away from the trigger. You do not handle a loaded weapon that way in a no-fire zone and you do not get to fire that weapon in here."

Ed is reminded of his brother.

His brother before the Vampire Army, back when he joined the regular army, back when he was just a guy doing his duty and the sheer amount of pride Edward Dalton felt, standing in for his mom and dad, was enough to choke a horse.

It's that, that familiar tone coming from a human (GET OUT OF THE APARTMENT DOCTOR DALTON. YOU HAVE FAILED TO REGISTER WITHIN AN ACCEPTABLE TIME LIMIT.) which makes him slide his finger off the trigger as the crossbow falls to the floor.

He breathes, then breathes again as he tries to climb to his feet.

"Thank you."

Shephard steps over and scoops up the weapon with one hand, taking a moment to remove the bolt before putting it aside and offering a hand up to Ed. "No offense," he says, "but shit like that gives hunters a bad name even if we ain't the ones doin' it. You all right there?"

Edward accepts the hand, pulling himself to his feet. The denial and fear? Replaced by anger.

"Yeah. Fine. Just that the entire population of my apartment building decided that I was on the menu for an evening snack. Nothing like someone knocking on your door, then pounding on it, then Mr. and Mrs. Dubois's little girl running in screaming that she wanted to eat me."

Ed shakes his head, "'m just Dandy."

He practically falls into the nearest chair.

"Trade you? Pennsylvania woods full o' zombies'n only a pipe wrench'n nine bullets to my name?" Shephard offers. "Squeaky, git this man some proper liqor, would you?"

The rat looks offended, but goes to find the whisky anyway.

What what with What?

Ed stares at him like he's insane before remembering, "...Are you from one of those zombie movie universes?"

"Naw, alien invasion. There were parasite critters from another dimension makin' folks all zombied," Shephard says. "'Mong other problems but fuck, at the time I just knew I was usin' my pipe wrench for purposes God'n Craftsman Tools didn't never intend."

This is like talking to Frankie.

Which makes Ed's chest hurt. All the same however, he hesitates before a pack of cigarettes appears beside him.

He sighs, "...You wouldn't mind if I smoke?"

It's honestly less of a question and more of a statement.