I feel like I got hit with a Dracula by King Cole...

[onteamdyson]

Who: Galen and Kenzi
What: Just chillin
When: Day 66ish
Where: Upstairs hallway, House 20


It's not paranoia, it's called being cautious. Extra cautious. Okay, maybe she's a little paranoid, but she has a lot of reason to be! Kenzi had been in her room for a while, but she didn't like having that much distance when she knew they were both probably passed out. So she did what any other logical human being would do.

She grabbed the beaten-up baseball bat from under her bed and parked her butt in the hallway, slumped against the wall next to her door, facing the closed door of the spare room. Perfectly normal and not at all crazy. Cautious.

Party came back from the dead once. Just once. She's not taking any chances.

Comments

[gleans]

It's partially because he hears someone out in the hallway, and partially because he can't seem to sleep. Galen slips out of the cramped bed and heads for the door, sneaking out as quietly as he can. He peers down the hall as he does, looking for the source of -- oh.

He waits until the door is closed behind him, then keeps his voice down: "Kenzi?"

[onteamdyson]

"Yep, that's my name. Point for Hangover Howard." Excuse the sass, she is focused. The bat is resting across her lap, and she's sitting cross-legged, but she is totally prepared! Like some kind of angry tiger, ready to strike! With... a blunt object.

She looks up at him, squinting a little. "'Sup?"

[gleans]

"I already puked once, don't tempt me." A great reminder of why he doesn't like drinking. Galen shuffles a little closer, away from the door.

"What're you doing?"

[onteamdyson]

She smirks a teeny, tiny bit. Poor, Squishy. She should have stopped him, but who the hell is she to tell someone they can't get mind-numbingly drunk? Pot, meet kettle. Not happening.

"I am channeling the spirit of the Great Bambino to either help me put together a Cape Kore baseball league or answer all my important questions about what it was like to have a cameo in 'The Sandlot'." She's making the face. The sarcasm face. "What's it look like I'm doing? Security detail. Obvi."

[gleans]

Galen sniffs a laugh and carefully slides down the opposite wall to sit across from Kenzi. His head still hurts, and his stomach is still bothering him a little, but he feels a bit better after getting some more sleep -- and, of course, after getting Jesse back.

"You gonna trip them?" He's teasing. "I, um -- I think we're okay. Have you even slept?"

[onteamdyson]

"I'm gonna bust kneecaps." Not teasing. Maybe teasing? No, no she's totally serious. "Yeah, see, you think you're okay. But I know what's up. So just trust me on this, okay?"

Not answering the sleep question. Forget sleep! Sleep is terrible-- no it's not, she loves sleep. Just doesn't have time for it right now. Gotta make sure. Bluh. Sigh. She leans forward, stretching her arm out to touch his knee for a second before going back to her previous wall-leaning position.

"... How's he doing?"

[gleans]

If you say so. Galen leans his head back on the wall, for a moment, scratching at his arm, then lifts his head up again, looks at Kenzi. He really does look tired.

"Not... great," he sighs quietly, stretching one leg out to lean against Kenzi's knee. "He's really fucked up over what happenend, I've never seen him this bad before. I dunno what to do. I mean, he died." It's still so fucking unreal. Yesterday Jesse was dead, done, gone, like everyone to ever spend time on dad's table. His stomach flips uncomfortably again.

[onteamdyson]

Ugh, no, don't scratch. Don't look at the scratching. Don't-- aughghg. Stupid rash. So itchy. Lose epic vampire powers, receive the hideous, itchy, painful arm. Nice. She bites her lip, willing herself not to scratch. Focus! More important shit. Okay.

"Great, so it's like me not knowing what to do for you except only about a million times worse. Awesome." There isn't much they can do, other than be there for them, and they'd do that anyway. "It's not like he's gonna willingly talk about that shiz with anyone. If he did, I guess... Kobra." With supervision. No Ghoul. In the house. Where Kenzi can see the both of them. "He'd know what it's like... sort of."

But Jesse isn't exactly much of a talker.

"We'll figure something out." A beat. "How are you?"

[gleans]

Ugh, don't ask. Galen chews at his lip, feeling guilty -- he doesn't want his own crap to weigh on the things Kenzi already has to deal with, but they're friends. He'd do the same for her.

"I've been better," he admits, not that it's a surprise. "Just... even though I dunno how to fix it, really glad he's back." Galen shrugs, offers a small smile. "And I wanna say thanks for taking care of me. Y'know. I... really fucking hate being drunk."

[onteamdyson]

Kenzi would rather focus on his stuff than her stuff any day of the week, so it's not like some huge burden. They are friends. Best friends. That's what she's here for.

"Ditto." About being better. And about Jesse being back. Normality isn't something she ever thought she'd want or crave, but she misses how almost-normal it used to be around here. Galen being totally annoying in the mornings with his voice junk, waking her up, and Jesse yelling at her for leaving stuff around the house only for her to get a smile out of him seconds later. That kinda stuff. It's nice. It makes her miss Bo.

She stretches her legs out alongside his, setting the bat down beside her, and watches his expression. "It's no big, G-How. Taking care of you is kinda my job. And, I promise from now on to drink any and all booze headed for your mouth before it gets there. Scout's honour. Taking one for the team because I'm just that selfless." And possibly an alcoholic.

[gleans]

He snorts; that's pretty much what he's thinking, too: "Or maybe a little bit alcoholic, but hey. I appreciate it."

For a moment, Galen goes sleepily quiet, tapping his foot against Kenzi's leg, before something comes to mind: "Did your arm get all norn'd again?" She's been wearing long sleeves again, so he can't be sure.

[onteamdyson]

"Hey, shut up! I'm not an alcoholic, I'm just Russian-Canadian." She smirks, but it's brief. His question has her looking down at her lap, nodding. "Yeah. Not as bad as it was, but still all gross. Still don't know what it means."

Still doesn't know if it's gonna fall off or if she could die from it or what. "Doesn't matter."

[gleans]

"Of course it matters." He thunks her leg again with his foot. "That's why I asked, I'm worried. I know I'm not the only one with problems."

[onteamdyson]

"Dude, whatever, it's not a problem! I don't even care. Can we just focus on the fact that I have my two fave peeps in the entire cape back in one place with minimal physical damage, questionable amounts of psychological damage, and we haven't even celebrated yet!?" Seriously, it's a crime. And she does care, but she'd rather just push it away because there are way the hell more important things to worry about and everything sucks a little less, but it still kind of sucks, and--

Kenzi sighs, pushing herself forward again, but this time she crawls across the hall to sit beside Galen and bring her knees up to her chest and maybe curl into his side a little for no reason at all. Not worried. No big deal.

"Can you guys just stay out of trouble now? For like, five seconds, just no danger. Thrill seeking is off the table. Stupid moves, also off the table. Being a hero? Not happening. Just play it safe for the next little while so I don't have a heart attack before I even hit mid-twenties."

[gleans]

Galen shifts how he's seated to get an arm around Kenzi's shoulders, letting her curl up against him if she wants. He could use it, too; he really just wants to curl up with Jesse, but Jesse needs his space right now. Having someone close is nice.

"We'll try." He leans his cheek against her hair. "I think it'll be a little while before Jess is back to his usual reckless shit." A little smile.

[onteamdyson]

"No! Try not! Do. Or do not. There is no try." Getting all philosophical up in this bitch. "I'm sick of missing people. I really do not like missing you guys."

Hence the bat. Fuck anyone that tries to mess this up. "Team awesomesauce for the win. Respect. East side represent."

[gleans]

She can't see it, but he's smiling. Galen lifts his free hand for a fistbump, gives her shoulder a light squeeze.

"As long as we can help it, we're not going anywhere, alright? You're stuck with us. For better or for worse. We're practically married." At this point, that's amusingly true.

[onteamdyson]

Fistbump initiated. Fistbump complete! She's smiling, too. A lot, actually. They seriously do have a bond. More like family at this point than anything, and she wouldn't trade either one for all the free pizza in the universe or anything else. There's no one else she'd rather be stuck with.

Kenzi thinks of about a dozen witty comebacks to sappy statements that would deflect some of that loveyness and put some distance in before it settles, but she lets all of them go. She doesn't say a word. She just wraps an arm around his middle and enjoys the calm. Everything is okay right now and she just wants to bask in it for awhile. While they still can.