Looking for Love [OPEN]

[shambler]

Who| R [OPEN]
What| R takes it upon himself to ask for dating advice from whoever he bumps into (sometimes literally). This can be from advice to how to be the most romantic Romeo ever to the downright awful. To make intros easier, we can handwave R introducing himself and assume he’s already corraled them into this if you like.
Where|| Around the Training Center, the Tribute Tower, and the Speakeasy. Possibly the park.
When| | Before the Victor Crowning
Warnings/Notes|| Nothing so far.

R’s on a mission to acquire intel for How to Date; Revised for Zombies.

Oh, and for scrawny little guys like Howard. Although if you asked him, personally R believes Howard’s already got one step in the door just because he’s got a working heart. Don’t tell Howard he thought that.

The point is R’s motivated. It’s almost unicorn rare to know what he wants and how to get it. Motivation doesn’t come easy to zombies, R feeling the strain raking its claws across his brain folds as he takes his first stumbling step into today. His Escort turns to stare while she primps her hair, surprised that he’s going out on his own instead of having to be herded. He even remembers to groan something about “…prac-tice…for…Games”, just like the Helmsman coached him to, and R almost thinks that’s a mistake when his Escort’s face lights up. He made her day. She almost looks like she wants to drop everything, come along as if she knows how to tie nooses any better than he does. Luckily she settles for waving him good luck, so pleased she’d radiate sunshine if she could.

He lurches off before she changes her mind.

R’s mission is a multi-stage attack:

1). Find someone, anyone with a pulse.
2). Grill them on romance.
3). Hoard the advice.
4). …He’s still working on the next step. R’s lucky he got this far, to be totally honest.

For now R roams, a tall swaying zombie with a muzzle and a bad habit bumping his way into friends and strangers and wrangling them into his quest.

Comments

[amourtician]

Jay pats R's arm again and makes some vague -- entirely sincere -- sympathetic noises. R's skin is cold to the touch and that was startling, but Jay just vaguely assumes R must be amphibian. His skin looks more like the skin of vodniks -- water-dwelling mortals -- than the skin of the humans Jay's seen around the Capitol.

It also somewhat reminds him of corpse skin, of course, but he dismisses that possibility as soon as it occurs to him. Corpses aren't people, especially risen ones, who, in Jay's experience, were more like ambulant turnips. R is very definitely a people. He's asking for dating advice, for god's sake!

"It's hard, darling," he says. "Especially the very first time. Just ... ah. Don't do anything foolish. And ... well. Just be honest. And try to look good."

[shambler]

"Foolish...?" R repeats, the word slurring its way out of his ruined throat almost reluctantly. Might be kinda hard since he already made a bloody first impression on Julie. Literally. Somehow, insanely, she's still around and willing to give him the second chance no human in their right mind should. R doesn't want to blow it. "So...if...."

The zombie trails off, trying to figure out how he wants to approach this. He's not sure what to make of the vague almost cooing noises Jay makes - he guesses maybe it's supposed to be comforting and maybe it would, if R was still Alive. He mostly finds that warm touch distracting, his eyes drifting down to take in Jay's hand and staring a bit too long to be comfortable.

"So...tell her I ll....love? ...How to...look good?"

R finishes gasping, staring intently at Jay (for a zombie). He's tried brushing his brittle, straw-dry hair out of his eyes a few times but that was about as far as he's gone so far in the whole appearance department. Maybe dunking his face in a scummy puddle while M looked the other way. Everything else has been pretty much his Escort and team of stylists. If you ask him, Jay's gotten off a lot better - he looks dressed to the nines, his colors much better coordinated and making Jay look...sleek. Even the wash cloth matches!

[amourtician]

Jay blushes when R asks him to clarify "foolish" and decides to ignore the question. He's not about to explain contraception to someone, let alone in public. Plus, it's silly to assume that lecture's needed at such an early stage. Not everyone is him, after all.

Noticing R's stare, Jay removes his hand and blushes even harder, this time feeling genuinely awkward for having apparently overstepped social bounds. He's having a nice, civil conversation for once and he fucks up even there. Great. He hopes R at least got that his intent was to comfort, not to unnerve, but it's incredibly hard to tell. Why is R's face so ... immobile? Some sort of selective paralysis? Why, it almost looks like he's trying to talk through rigor morti--

Oh.

It finally dawns on Jay that he's talking to a risen corpse. A very lively and oddly personable and sweet risen corpse, but a risen corpse nonetheless. Wow. That certainly is different. Jay keeps his face as friendly as possible, however, and for the most part, does not slip up. He reaches out to brush R's fringe off his forehead, the coarse texture of his hair startling him a little.

"Just ... ah, I don't know what your world is like, but wear something ironed and pressed and matching. Just ... I mean, I realise not everyone enjoys being as colourful as I am, but looking clean and like you made an effort goes a very long way, darling!"

He wonders if he should share the story of how Raimut wooed him, but decides most people aren't death cultists, even the undead, and would not appreciate skulls.

[shambler]

R watches as Jay’s cheeks darken. Did he say something wrong? Is love a touchy subject? Maybe it is, but at the same time, R’s glad he asked. Someone with experience, personal experience, will probably know what it’s like to have your heart feel like it’s stuttering in place, clenching so tight it almost feels alive again. What he doesn’t expect is for Jay to lean over and brush his hair away from his eyes, revealing more old, bloodless scars.

The zombie stares back, a question in his face as he tries to work out what he wants to ask.

“No more…” R struggles to remember the term. They haven’t had these in a long time. It’s one of the useless little obsolete facts R remember about Life Before. “Dry…cleaners. Could you…help color…coord…inate?”

R likes the colors Jay has, if that’s all things he picked out. It’s attractive but easier on the eyes than the typical Capitol fashions. R’s only just met the guy but he thinks he trusts his color judgment more than his stylist team. Ironed and matching. Clean. R’s a cleaner corpse than he’s ever been in his life but there’s only so far they can go before they start scrubbing off skin. He assumes that’s clean enough.

A glass of water materializes at Jay’s elbow, a fresh folded little towel joining it, one of the Avoxes slipping in and out silently without having to be asked. R follows the Avox’s gliding progress away before his head lolls back to stare at Jay. The way he speaks doesn’t bother him the same way it does with his Escort. They both sling around “darlings”, sure. The way Jay does it makes him think he sees him as a person, not another body to stick into clothes that don’t fit quite right. R decides he doesn’t mind the patting or the hair brushing. In a way, it’s kind of nice. Someone touching him and not seeming like they’re disgusted.

Too bad he can’t get Jay as his stylist. R thinks he’d be a lot more willing to go along if they could swap.

[amourtician]

Jay blinks in surprise, then beams, his blush intensifying. He's ecstatic to find out R thinks he's well-dressed enough to ask for help on such a matter. R, despite his pecularity (Jay's already thinking of it as something akin to having a third, actually-sighted, eye in the middle of one's forehead or another similarly prominent spirit-heritage feature -- i.e. odd but not an impediment), seems so sincere in his efforts to please his crush and so generally earnest that Jay's incredibly touched and endeared.

"Of course!" he chirps. "Of course I'll help you! I mean ... ah. Do you think we could arrange to sneak off to some of the fashion boutiques? Without Stylists supervising? My one does have excellent taste, but ... ah. My style wouldn't suit you, I don't think."

For one thing, you're dead and we should downplay that, he thinks but wisely does not say. He doesn't want to insult R at all, which is a somewhat new feeling for him. It's been a while since he sincerely felt so friendly towards someone. Figures that it'd be a corpse.

Think this could be a good stopping place?

[shambler]

Jay's enthusiasm threatens to spread like the best kind of infection, R actually creaking out a dentist's nightmare of a smile.

"Could...try. I trust...your judg - ju..." R trails off. Damn. He tries again, setting his bar lower, forcing his blackened mouth to form carefully around each consonant and vowel. "I trust you."

There we go. Even got it out without pausing. R's proud of himself. For a second there he thinks he sounded almost normal. The important thing is he's in good hands and he could show Julie that he's capable of branching out, being anything aside from the same old Dead boy in the same old hoodie. Without asking, R reaches out and lays his hand on Jay's wrist, copying what he saw him do earlier. He wants to say thanks, that hopefully with Jay's help he'll learn about good impressions and what it means to finally be able to come clean with Julie. The words are rattling around in his skull as he searches Jay's face, meeting those bright blue-green eyes of his, trying to bridge that gap between his brain and his mouth.

R grunts awkwardly. He pats away probably longer than he should and then pulls his cold hand back, staring at his lap. Maybe another time? Seems like something he'd need to work at, if he wanted to get it out the right way. He thinks Jay would understand.

sure! sorry for the wait between tags

[amourtician]

Jay smiles, a true hundred-watt, delighted smile, and jumps to his feet so he can lean in and grasp R's shoulder. He decides against patting his face -- that's too brotherly a gesture, something he might have done to his twin sister. He and R just met and while Jay's overfamiliar, he's not completely lacking an understanding of personal space.

"I'm glad!" he says. "Believe me, darling, I'll make sure your trust is deserved. I shall see you later, then, yes?"

Jay's truly besides himself with joy. It seems he made a friend. A peculiar friend, yes, but hell, he's not exactly commonplace himself.

Maybe life in the Capitol could be made tolerable, after all.