Kupendazaer!

“Always? I know for a while back there I wasn’t the easiest person to deal with.” It’s something he’s well aware of, the way his life fell apart when Jill died - the refusal to grieve or accept it, knowing she was out there (he proved them right), throwing himself into working and working and working. Three years with no time for his sister, no time for his friends, just constant battles, the constant searching. The plane to Africa he’d lost his temper, he didn’t want another partner. Knowing he’d only let them down and they weren’t Jill.

He’s not ignorant enough to believe he didn’t let that seep through onto Sheva despite his efforts - but she fought as good as she gave, believed in him, put up with him - helped him. Saved his life over and over, saved Jill’s life (knows he couldn’t have done it alone). Remembers the feeling of her hand in his as she chased after the jet, seconds away from falling and again, mid-flight, dropping himself to catch her. I’m not losing you too.

He’s thought about it before, how to articulate his gratitude, his apology. Knows he couldn’t ever phrase it the right way and hopes she knows - friends are few and far between, and ones he can trust even fewer.

“If by spoil myself you mean go to the gym, then yeah.” He’s well aware of the jokes - moreso of Barry’s insistence (and everyone else’s) that he does something else.

“Besides, you know how it is. Always sending me off to do something.”

   “Good things don’t come easy, Chris. You and I both know that.” A simper of a smile, along with a playful cock of her brow. Besides, there had been far worse. He had his reasons, regardless of how he had chosen to handle them. Not that it was BLIND ADMIRATION alone or anything. Perhaps, she had just been fortunate enough to see enough that she would continue to see the man as a friend who was WORTH FAR MORE than he would give himself credit for. 

   One would naively think that you truly would become wiser with age. If only that were so. Not the EXHAUSTION and FEAR that she had seen creep up on so many people, over these years. Not that they could be blamed. And Sheva would never have expected herself to become such a form of support to the man himself, the moment she had decided to become his PARTNER for that mission 

   To dare look back on the year 2009 itself, for the HOPELESSNESS and FRUSTRATION they have felt. That instead have been drowned out by a mixture of DEDICATION and DESPERATION (Easy really, for one to guess which it was that she herself believed she was following through with). Jill had been saved, Chris was still here-- so were Josh and her. As she had continued looking on ahead, those were the very few things that she would dare think about, if her mind ever drifted back to that time.

   “... Theeere’s that.” She quipped, so long as the man was watching over his own health, that was one less thing to worry about. “Not that I could imagine the Chris Redfield spoiling himself with a shopping spree or anything-- but, tell me, is there anything else that you enjoy?” It was never too late to bring back things that he had once enjoyed.

                      The choking and gasping grew more violent, their appearances beginning to warp with their strange illness. Screams of anguish soon became screams of rage, skin cracked and bled like magma between stone.

Someone had done this to them intentionally.

“Sheva, this way!” Lars motioned to the dumpster in the adjacent alley, “I’ll boost you!”

If they got to higher ground, they’d have a better chance at controlling them that way. From the dumpster they’d be able to get up on the roof; hopefully the villagers didn’t retain their intelligence once that thing took hold of them.

   NOTHING MORE THAT THEY THEMSELVES COULD DO BY THIS STAGE. A single step taken back as her gaze stayed frozen upon the gruesome sight that had begun to unfold. These were her people, shrieks of terror and pain which would soon grow into that of anguish, if not a THIRST FOR BLOOD. Further confirmed, the moment they would stagger back onto their own feet. Distorted features remaining, as they commenced their approach upon the two of them. Now was definitely the time to make a run for it!

   With a small noise of affirmation barely escaping her (Far more focused on the task at hand of actually getting to safer grounds), Sheva’s pace hastened. Lithe form itself tightening in PREPARATION, before leaping forward onto the support that was offered to her then with a single foot. Hands grasping at the edges of the rooftop itself the moment she made that jump, as she climbed up on top of it. Before turning back around to help pull up her companion up there with her.

             "Yeah, until he decided to change direction,“ Lars reloaded his pistol, "that will at least slow him down.”

He wasn’t very enthused by this game of cat and mouse, but at least now they were drawing closer to it’s end.

“He talks big, but ran with his tail between his legs the moment he saw our faces. We should get moving so we don’t lose his trail, he couldn’t have gone far—”

Lars was interrupted by the sound of screaming villagers, their cries soon accompanied by the fleeing people they belonged to. Several of them tumbled onto the dirt, grasping at their throats or chests, as though they had been afflicted by something.

“What the hell??”

   “He was refusing to cooperate, it had to be done.” 

   CERTAINLY MORE THAN A LITTLE FRUSTRATING, it was a chase that had dragged on for far too long. It was understandable, seeing the man be more than a little infuriated, right then. 

   RESPITE WAS BUT CUT SHORT, the moment those noises have caught their attention. With no chance of her even having the time to respond to what he had just said. Her grip having long since returned to her weapon, as she and her companion turned towards the direction of that very commotion. Eyes wide at the sight of the several villagers that have fallen to the ground, writhing and twisted away in SHEER AGONY from god knows what-- It couldn’t be...

UNDENIABLY,   IT   MATTERS   NOT   how frequent hands tremble     (     SO EXCEEDINGLY SO THAT A PORTION OF HER MIND MUST RETAIN A CERTAIN HOLD ON MAINTAINING GRIP OF THE FIREARM,   LEST IT ABANDON HER UNDER CIRCUMSTANCES WHERE HEARING IS THE ENEMY'S EXTRAORDINARY COMPANION     )     nor does it necessarily matter how much her mind and soul utterly loathe it.   She cannot deny its valuable usability in prior moments of desperation,   and she establishes no effort in protesting otherwise.   In a way,   too,   she cannot claim to feel any fear in utilizing it.   No,   for what lingering sensations remain is the sole reaction she exhibited when the first shot fired.   Emptiness,   akin to a drone with no emotion.

Never again does she want to experience that.

    ❝     I don’t know if I can shoot another one of those things.   It’s bad enough we’re stuck in this HELLHOLE   ;   why does there have to be a bunch of creepy fucks too ?     ❞     It’s the island all over again.     ❝     Just                                           let’s go.   We need to find a way out.     ❞

   PERHAPS IT WAS A SELFISH REQUEST, her hoping that the other would maintain a secure enough hold upon her own FIREARM. After all that she had just seen, and the considerations that were to be made that she herself didn’t necessarily possess the E X P E R I E N  C E that is so needed. A blessing perhaps, that a WAVE OF NAUSEA hadn’t hit the younger female, just yet. Especially with all that had just taken place.

CERTAINLY   A   MOMENT   in which the seemingly impossible becomes the possible,   the solely conceivable amidst a grimy,   dilapidated warehouse.   A solitary glance at the panel beside him receives no initial prospect of operating in their favor,   but he will keep these innermost UNCERTAINTIES to himself     (     FOR NOW     )     .   For the dreadful circumstances before them provides more than enough stress,   that much is an indisputable verity.

The superficially insufficient handgun,   courtesy of his father,   shifts to exposed doorways and yet to be shattered windows.   This is going to be gruesome.

    ❝     They’ll be here any second !     ❞

@forourfallenbrothers   ♥

   THIS WAS NOT THE TIME TO WORRY, CONSIDER TIME WASTED IF THEY WERE TO FOCUS MERELY ON THEIR DOUBTS, RIGHT THEN. His companion can say whatever he so wishes, once they have made it out of there ALIVE. Eyes glaring daggers into the panel itself, as he worked furiously away at the controls. There is a brief grit of his teeth, as a part of him can only hope might be able to shoot down a few hostiles if needed. He would need just a tiny bit more time, really.

   THE DAMN THING wasn’t in the best of shapes, but he will make it work. A frantic SLAM of his fist to the surface itself-- Ah, so it would seem that someone up there was willing to offer just a little pity upon the two of them-- Just then, the REVVING OF A CHAINSAW could be heard not too far off. A foreign curse hissed out beneath his breath, before he was quick to offer just the tiniest bit of assurance.

Sentence Meme [ Leverage: Season 1 Edition ]

   “It is all we have, and so we will MAKE it work!”

   THERE WAS NO TIME FOR HESITATION, NO TIME FOR DOUBTS. Should this fail, then it was all over for them. Pushing that possibility to the very back of his mind, however, fingers typed itself furiously away at the control panel that was keeping them away from their ONLY WAY OUT. The sound of less-than-friendly SHOUTS and HOWLS not too far off from them.

   “Can you cover me for a moment?                    Here’s hoping that this will only take a few seconds!”

Sentence Meme [ Leverage: Season 1 Edition ]

   “Went a little off target there then, didn’t you? But, thank you…” A relieved smile would grace young features as she looked over to her unexpected backup. Gloved palm pressing briefly over to a perspiring forehead, before returning once more to the foregrip of her SMG, “It looks like we might have to track him down from here on out, though I honestly hadn’t expected him to run off the way he did.”

   ❝   I don’t fucking know anymore!   It was going after us and next thing I know I   .   .   .   I had to do it.   ❞

   SHE DIDN’T SEEM ANY OLDER than she was, but the urge was there all the same. SISTERLY INSTINCTS long since making itself known, even as she herself needed that minute to take a deep breath. To allow the present situation itself to properly sink in. A hand eventually reached out to rest upon her shoulder, shaking, s h u d d e r i n g with each breath that she struggled to keep under control.

                         “It’s only a bit of water. Water is nice. It never used to rain where I’m from.” The sprinkles of rain fall down softly. She kicks at a puddle in his direction so flecks of water hit him. A honey like laugh escapes her lips.

   A GENUINELY UNTROUBLED LAUGH that would wash over him like a TIDAL WAVE-- And that, might have actually been romantic in some other lifetime, if they weren’t already getting as DRENCHED as they were, right then.

   And then there’s him.

Nowadays, it’s far easier for his mind to wander. Never on purpose, never out of habit - just something he has to live with now his head’s been knocked one too many time. Thinks, as they walk, of all the things he has trouble remembering, of all the times he’d said we’d talk about it later knowing there may well not be a later. Thinks, too, that he should have made more of an effort. His excuses, as genuine as some of them are, don’t hold up. It’s been three years since China. Longer since Kijuju.

Hopes that they’ll forgive him at the very least.

“Yeah, to the end, and I always keep my promises.” Words he’d spoken many, many times to his sister, and he meant them no less now to Sheva. He trusted her, and Josh, with his own life - knew Jill did too. The people he can trust grows shorter and shorter, but they’re at the top of his list, no question.

“You say that like I ever get the chance to eat anywhere but on base. C’mon then, there’s a decent steak place around here - or, there used to be at least. Guess nows a better time than any to see if it’s still there.”

   It was certainly something that hadn’t gone unnoticed by her. Attentive gaze almost always upon him as they walked alongside one another. Almost DAZED, a near permanent state from being viciously thrown around-- but always, ALWAYS scrambling back up onto his HEELS immediately after, no matter what. Not that she could blame him for being this way, not when she reminded herself of absolutely E V E R Y T H I N G that he himself had gone through-- with most of them, being all on his own. 

   You were just lucky that you had gotten such a PATIENT partner, to begin with.

   “Heh, I always knew I could count on you.” A playful nudge into the man’s side as she offered an all too ASSURING smile along with it. To hold up to one’s PROMISES, no matter how long it would take, and LYING-- never could she imagine the man to ever commit the latter, never in a million years. He needed time, not necessarily something that she herself could freely offer, but something she would do her very best to give for his sake.