#rottenresolve

It was not unusual to see Vince at the music store, however… in this particular instance, he was there not to peruse vinyl albums or make a request for the DJ to play throughout the day. Not that he would either… what was the point of asking for a specific song when a vast majority of his time was spent on the roof checking if there were any incoming guests? However, out of every place within the mall - the music store was probably one of the liveliest places. Almost as if the world hasn't gone to shit and the dead didn't walk. There was always some catchy tune playing ( in this case was 'Believe' by Cher ), which in turn made the overall grumpy sniper somewhat… more tame than usual. "Scruffy?" His head poked from behind the albums, one hand hesitating for a moment before knocking on the door to the DJ booth while the other remained conspicuously hidden behind his back. Honestly, this was unlike him. Going out of his way to bring someone something that might liven things up… but how could he ignore it? During one of his detachments to keep the scavengers safe, he had found this little rubber ball with a belt inside. And it was bright orange - like his hair. Like Scruffy's cat… who was probably the only other thing inside that mall not of the human variety that Vince actually liked and enjoyed. Maybe because the cat was a chubby little thing or because it was as soulless as he was: recurring joke amidst gingers. "You in there?" His hand knocked on the door again, the other one gripping onto the rubber ball tighter so that the bell wouldn't give the present away. "Got something for you. Well, not you. Thomas. I want to… drop it here."

Leo pressed the diaphragm of the stethoscope flat against the heavy wood of the repurposed room Vincent used for an office, holding his breath as he strained to catch any movement from inside Vincent's apartment. He was only there for a few seconds when the door opened, and Leo froze, stethoscope still in hand. With an awkward smile, Leo lowered his eyes, examining the carpet at the foot of the door, looking down both ends of the hallway before he tapped his knuckles against the door.

"Yep, solid wood. That's some mighty good craftsmanship there..." Leo trailed off, nodding to himself before finally glancing back up. He waved his hand at Vincent. "Howdy! Got an appointment with you. For an examination? To make sure you're healthy? We do this once a month to make sure your body's still ticking and your ticker's still working, and I thought you might want to take this opportunity to show us how you're doing with yours. Yes? Maybe? You haven't been to the infirmary, the other nurses are scared you'll shoot them for bothering, we kind of drew straws and well..." Leo forced another awkward smile before shoving his stethoscope back into his coat. "I'm here to make sure you feel good. Wait, that didn't come out right."

"       and   here   i   thought   the   'do   not   disturb'   sign   i   hung   outside   the   door   was   enough   to   keep   people   out,       "                       ben   says   when   he   hears   the   door   behind   him   open.   his   eyes,   watchful   as   ever,   remain   trained   on   the   barricade   that   keeps   the   mall   safe—and   the   expanse   of   wreckage   and   ruin   in   the   world   outside.   well,   it's   not   like   this   is   his   personal   space,   but   he   has   grown   fond   of   the   silence   his   little   coop   affords   him,   and   all   he   wants   is   to   enjoy   it   as   much   as   he   can   for   the   day.

he   still   hasn't   looked   back   at   the   door.        "       i   still   have   six   hours   left   on   my   shift   here,   bud.   so   unless   you   brought   something   worthwhile,   i   really   just   want   to   finish   this   off.       "