Room 508, Tuesday Afternoon

[spin_kick_snap]

Kathy was hunched over her computer, muttering to herself. "Raven, what the hell? Don't wander off! No, get back--Dante, how do you have dysentery? Again?! No, I am not stopping this car, there are too many--Dammit, Ringo, how did you break your arm?! Were you AT-ing during the zom--DANTE YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO DIE, YOU JERK! Anders, you're a goddamn magic-user, heal somebody! OH MY GOD, DON'T MAKE ME TURN THIS CAR AROUND AND DRIVE BACK TO THE NUKES, SO HELP ME!" A moment of quiet and then, "Hey! Somebody stole my last battery!"

Someone had discovered Organ Trail on Facebook. And had foolishly decided to play using the names of her friends. And had nearly decided to give up on this carful of people and try again. Surely Kira and Ezra would be more sensible during the zombie apocalypse.

"Raven! I said not to wander off! Great! Now you're dead and I have to start over!" Kathy didn't believe in leaving anyone behind. Even in the pixelated apocalypse.

[Open! Link to the conversation with Dante]

Comments

[soniaroadsqueen]

"Were they zombie lice?" Ringo asked. "Is she going to turn into a zombie?"

[spin_kick_snap]

"No, normal lice," Kathy said. "Oh god, no one would survive if the zombie virus was spread by bugs. There are too many bugs in the world for humanity to make it. If she'd died infected the game would have said. It just says typhus, so..." She gave Ringo a small smile. "It's a random event that we weren't paying much attention to. They didn't actually program lice into the game."

Kathy just knew that because she was a nerd.

[soniaroadsqueen]

"So what you're saying," Ringo said slowly, "is that it was your fault." She shook her head. "And you were trying to take over leadership of the group."

Then she sighed and went to restart the game. Again.

This was hard!

[spin_kick_snap]

"Nope, it's still your fault," Kathy said. "As leader you should be paying attention, not letting yourself get distracted. Tsk tsk."

[soniaroadsqueen]

"I wouldn't have been distracted if someone had told me about their new tattoo earlier."

That's right, Kathy. Somehow this was all your fault!

[spin_kick_snap]

"If I'd known you were so easily distracted by some colored lines, I never would have let you be leader," Kathy 'comforted.' "I see my error now."

[soniaroadsqueen]

"Oh, colored lines is it?" Ringo rolled her eyes. "So you're telling me you're scared of telling your parents about some colored lines?" Hmm?

[spin_kick_snap]

"Absolutely," Kathy said. "My parents are way scarier than zombies."

[soniaroadsqueen]

"Well, that I believe," Ringo allowed with a grin and a shrug. "But if it's just some colored lines and shouldn't distract me, your parents shouldn't mind them either, right?"

[spin_kick_snap]

"That doesn't work at all," Kathy said. "Nice try, but no dice."

[soniaroadsqueen]

"But it's supposed to work on me?" Nice double standard, Kathy!

[spin_kick_snap]

"You're not my parents," Kathy pointed out. "That's why we're friends. And besides, if there were lives on the line, I'd judge my parents for letting people die so they could boggle at my tattoo, too."

[soniaroadsqueen]

"Well, I'm probably way cuter than your parents, at least." Ringo looked over and batted her eyelashes.

[spin_kick_snap]

Kathy frowned. "Did I never mention my mom was Miss South Korea, 1976?"

[soniaroadsqueen]

Ringo blinked. "Wait. You mean, like, she was a model?"

Huge sigh.

"I just can't win with you." It was totally not fair. "Though I suppose it explains why you're so pretty."

[spin_kick_snap]

Kathy laughed gently and shook her head. "I was teasing," she said, leaning over to give Ringo a hug. Because that had been a wonderful compliment and Kathy appreciated it. "My mom would never. I mean, she was really pretty as a young woman, but...not model pretty. You're cuter than both of them."

[soniaroadsqueen]

Ringo was torn. On the one hand, Kathy really deserved to get smacked for that. On the other hand, well, hugs were nice. So she leaned into Kathy and hugged back.

"You're terrible," she accused. An accusation that was probably undermined by the way she tried to make it through a giggle.

[spin_kick_snap]

It wasn't Kathy's fault Ringo had fallen for that! C'mon! Who believed that kind of thing!

(It was totally Kathy's fault.)

"You think I'm awesome anyway," Kathy said fondly.

[soniaroadsqueen]

"Maaaaaaybe." Ringo really need to work on her 'reluctant' tone.

Because, yeah, she did, and it was obvious.