We have to WALK? (DaftDeviant)

[Anonymous]

"The issue is that I can't actually feel my legs. And that there's a new dress in here for you."

There was a pause, followed by another splash and another groan. The brief image of Crimson had involved him not being fully in the tub, but rather half-in and half-out.

"Oh, yeah, and I think the wound in my side reopened. I'm still somewhat clothed, so if you can tolerate to see a three quaters of a naked pirated, I'd actually appreciate some medical---OW! The soap in this water stings!"

[Anonymous]

April spun around as she heard him, before sighing, making her way back into the bathroom to see the sight of Crimson fighting to get into the bath.

“If you had waited until I woke up, I would have helped you! It was silly of you to try and have no feeling in your legs. Wait…why can’t you feel your legs?� She asked, as she moved forward, helping him to fully get into the bath, shaking her head as he commented on the soap in the water.

“Well, the soap will help clean the wound, if it has opened. Just suck it up.� She teased, and if she had succeeded in helping him into the bath, she would go and grab the dress, snatching it into her arms and sighing. Like any girl, she did love pretty things.

“Are you alright?� She asked as she moved to a closet or whatever room there happened to be in the bathroom that had a door. If there was one, she would slip inside and change into the new dress. After savoring the feeling of clean fabric, she would walk back into the bathroom, running her fingers through her tangled, but relatively clean hair. She would get around to bathing later, but for now she needed to help Crimson, and fight away sleep.

[Anonymous]

"I wouldn't have minded you changing where I could see ya. I mean...y'know...makin' sure the whole rest of me works too."

He smiled a familar, somewhat lecherous smile before lifting one of his legs above the soapy water, examining it. The sores had dwindled to healing marks--that vaccine worked very fast, but...

"I'm just hopin' its some sort 'o side-effect, but me legs are number than 'ell. You do look loverly in that there dress though--if I may interrupt meself to say so."

He sighed, leaning back in the water and closing his eyes.

"Odd that ye get changed prior to cleanin' up..."

Another rougish grin passed his features.

"There's room in here for two...and I be certain some positive physical attention would get me legs workin'..."

[Anonymous]

April scowled over to him, waving a hand towards him.

“I’m sure the whole rest of you works fine. If it wasn’t, I would have heard a complaint by now.� She replied back to him with a grin, glad to see that smile on him once more. When he lifted the leg from the water, she couldn’t help but give a sigh of relief at the healing sores.

“I’m sure Crowly will be able to explain the leg numbness, and it’ll be gone soon. And thank you. I feel much more lovely in it, rather than that rag I had been wearing.� She gave a look of disgust towards the dress she had set down.

“I’m too tired to get cleaned now, and you’re in there.� She spoke out, before he seemed to have figured that problem out. She laughed and continued to brush her fingers through her hair as she walked towards him, or, near the tub.

“Yes, it looks like there’s plenty of room in there, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to dive in to make sure your poor legs work. Nice try though, Mr. Iscariot, nice try.�

[Anonymous]

He smiled, placing a hand on the side of the tub, grinning ruefully at her.

"Well, you could spare to stay and keep a crusty-ole pirate company, eh? Suffice to say, methinks I'm feelin' much better than I 'ave in years! And it's all thanks to you--and yer friend. Oh, you wouldn't mind edjucatin' me on where exactly we are, eh?"

[Anonymous]

April sighed as if she had to really think on it, before she moved into the bedroom and grabbed the chair she had fallen asleep on, and dragged it to set it beside the tub, where she soon settled herself.

“There, the crusty pirate has company now.� She replied to him with a grin, pushing her hair from her face as he asked their whereabouts.

“Truthfully, I couldn’t begin to tell you exactly where we are. Me and Simon walked into this door and this silver staircase. There were these bright lights, but we kept walking down to this big, black thing. When we walked into it, we ended up in this white room, and there was Crowly, the man that saved you, I suppose. We went to this large mansion, which is where we are now. We got here on this platform. That’s all I can really say, but if you are looking for the name of a country or city, I’m afraid I can’t give you one.� She finally ended with a defeated sigh, resting her chin within her palm.

[Anonymous]

"My goodness, sure seems that you be findin' all sorts 'o crazy adventure whilst I sleep. How is is that some simple noblewoman can get all the fun 'n excitment naow, eh?"

He chuckled to himself, shifting in the tub so he could lean closer to her.

"So, you seem a wee bit cheerier than before, back at the lake. An uncerimonious exit I did make back then--do hope you forgive me on that sort."

[Anonymous]

April rolled her eyes and pointed towards him with her index finger.

“I can blame all of this on you, good sir.� She replied to him with narrowed eyes and a mock scowl. When he shifted in the tub, she simply continued to watch him, before hearing what he said. She turned to look away, before back at him with the hints of a smile.

“I need to be cheery. I’d have gone mad by now if I didn’t at least try to be cheery Crimson.� She shrugged her shoulders, before waving her hand at him. “No, no it was fine. You were sick, really, really sick. What you did then is completely forgiven.� And she included everything in that, including what he had done just before he had passed out, figuring that had been part of some delirium, or he wasn’t in his right mind when he had, well, when he had done what he did.

[Anonymous]

He smiled, and began to push himself up from the tub, water sloshing as he moved his body. He spoke with a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Well, if I'm forgiven for my past sins...I'd best make a few more."

He leaned forward and kissed her--this time for real. It wasn't neccessarily the best kiss she'd ever had--it's hard for anybody to kiss anybody with any degree of skill when you have to hold your body up with arms that were, until recently, ready to fall off.

[Anonymous]

April moved slightly as he began to slosh water about, trying not to get her own dress wet.

“Crimson, you’re getting water everywhere!� She scowled, looking up as he spoke. She blinked a moment, before he leaned forward, and she felt his lips along her own. Just as before she was shocked, and wasn’t exactly sure how to respond. He wasn’t sick now…but she could still blame it on this whole ‘needing comfort’ thing.

After a few moments of allowing this, whatever it was, to go on, she pulled back and turned her head to the side. However much she may have needed that, wanted to have stayed in that very position, she pulled back. She stared at the tiling as her tongue brushed along her lips.

“Come on, get cleaned up. I’m sure there are some clean clothes around here somewhere for you.� The best thing to do was simply avoid it, at least she didn’t have to ask questions and think about it that way.

[Anonymous]

The door in the adjoining bedroom suddenly burst in, and heavy footsteps preluded the arrival of a rather pale-looking Simon. He rushed into the bathroom, panting, and said in a very fast, breathless voice,

"Shit going down! Get...outside...f...ah...follow me!"

He turned around again and bolted back out the door--just as the entire building shook and lurched hard to the left. A few pictures fell off the wall in the previous room, Crimson was being sloshed back and forth by the movement.

"Yaaar....I'm...gettin'....a wee bit 'o sea-sickness 'ere..."

[Anonymous]

April jumped up as Simon rushed in, spinning to face him. Her lips parted, but nothing came out as she heard him. What was going down? When the building lurched and things started to fall, she stumbled and braced her hands against the side of the tub.

“Sea sick? You’re a pirate for gods sake.� She retorted back to Crimson, before looking around. “How’re we going to do this? Can you feel your legs yet?� She asked him, wincing as the building shook, but she didn’t move as she waited for him to respond.

“I swear Crimson Iscariot, you need more saving then a damsel in distress. Come on.� She waved, moving towards the edge of the tub to help him out if needed. She was going to kill Crowly for not mentioning Crimson was going to lose the feeling in his legs.

[Anonymous]

"Coming from an actual damnsel in distress, you would know wouldn't ya!"

Crowly grabbed onto her shoulders and pulled himself into a piggy-back position--not particularly comfortable, but at least he was out of the tub--and getting her new dress wet. He clung to her tightly as the building began to shake again, rumbling now.

Simon's voice rang out from the hallway, mixed with irritation and some degree of fear.

"Come ON already! Grab your asses and run!"

[Anonymous]

“At least I haven’t been passed out and carried around this entire time! I’ve actually been doing something!� She snapped back to him, before she stumbled forward as she felt him on her back, and her dress getting wet…again.

“I can’t manage to stay clean around you! Bloody pirate.� She mumbled before hearing Simon from the hallway. Simon! He could carry Crimson, because she certainly wasn’t going to get far.

“Working on it Simon! Maybe a little bit of help. I’m not exactly the strongest person here!� She yelled into the hallway, before making her way forward. At least Crimson wasn’t a huge man, or she’d have a problem even getting them to the hallway. Once she did, if Simon was still there, she would try and get him to take Crimson. He’d managed to take him across the grass plains, so he could probably carry him out of this house.

[Anonymous]

The hallway, once she got into it, posed a problem for Simon to help carry Crimson. Specifically, it was because the hallway had a very large HOLE in the middle of it, which was growing larger and larger as the side of the house that April was on was being slowly torn away from the rest. Simon stood somewhat helplessly on the other end of the chasm, staring down into the pale fog and emptiness below.

"Son of a bitch..."

He looked up, his eyes narrowing. This was perfect...

"April! We're under attack--it's something from Arca, Crowley said. It's very large, and very dangerous--and it's after Crimson. Crowley was babbling, but the gist of it goes that this thing is VERY powerful. I have an idea, but I'll need you help."

He offered out a hand.

"Crimson's bandana. It's wrapped around his arm--toss it to me, and I'll give you time to get out of here. Whatever happens, you have to get to the center of the house! Crowley's there, and he might know what to do!"

[Anonymous]

April skid to a stop and threw a hand out to rest against the wall, seeing the large hole. She took a step back from the hole, and stared at Simon across the large, scary hole.

“You are one pain in the ass damsel in distress, Crimson, lemme tell you that.� She sighed as she heard what the hole was, and what exactly was happening. A powerful, dangerous thing. Terrific. Just what all of them needed, more problems.

April nodded as she heard Simon, and she maneuvered herself and Crimson, so that he was pressed against the wall, and whether he liked it or not, she was taking his bandana. After getting it off, she pushed Crimson to the wall so he couldn’t slip down, and turned to throw it towards Simon.

“Center of the house? Okay.� She said, inhaling heavily, before exhaling. Getting Crimson to the center of the house wouldn’t be easy. “Crowly should come to us.� She grumbled out, before once more shifting so Crimson could get into the position he had been in before.

[Anonymous]

Simon caught the bandana, wrapping it around his head and taking off his jacket. It tossed it over to April after taking a final cigarette out of it and lighting it. A curling wisp of smoke rose out of the tip of the cigarette, and he took a very, very long drag. The house continued to shudder and shake, but when Simon spoke, his voice was audible, even with the din.

"Well, miss Vasquez, looks like you're on your own now. Don't think that Crowley can be trusted. You'll have to start making your own decisions--living your own life. We have seperate battles to fight, seperate lives to lead. For your sake, and for Crimson's and for Arca's, don't live in the past. This world ill-needs to live on its mistakes. The future is what you need to worry about. Trust me--I know all too well what living in the past can do to you."

He smiled sadly, staring down at the huge abyss below. A dark shadow could be seen underfoot--part of an even bigger creature. Swirling winds and a huge mass of flesh briefly swung into view as the building shuddered and shook again. Simon stared down at the beast below, taking the cigarette out of his mouth and regarding it.

"Y'know, these things will kill me one of these days."

He tossed it aside, grinning a strange grin.

"I can't fucking wait."

He leapt off the edge of the hole, and April felt the ground underneath her move--the wooden platform on which she was standing shot forward, colliding with the other side and sending both April and Crimson safely across. If she looked, April could see Simon plummeting down below, a blur of black and red. Whatever was attacking them saw the color and the shuddering stopped. A mass of teeth and claws and pulsing skin slid into view, opening into an enormous mouth.

Simon fell and fell and fell, straight into the huge opening. He vanished within, and the mouth closed with a deadly finality. The shuddering briefly halted. Everything was calm again. April and Crimson stood in that hall.

Alone.

[Anonymous]

April stood there and watched Simon was he spoke, really listening to what he was saying to her. Everything he was telling her was easily said than done, but then she remembered what he had lost, and she made herself nod. If Simon could move on and live in the future after what had happened to him, then she could too.

A part of her knew exactly what he was going to do the minute he stared down into that hole. She didn’t even notice the building move again, she simply stared at Simon, giving a sad laugh as she heard him talk about the cigarettes.

When Simon leapt into the hole, she shut her eyes before seconds later they flew open as the platform shot forward to the other side. She grabbed onto Crimson, making sure he wouldn’t fall, before turning to look down, seeing only the blur of the man that had taken her and Crimson there. She had to thank him for their lives, but thank you seemed to small.

She stood there for a few moments, the silence weighing heavier on her shoulders than Crimson. It became very, very obvious to her that she was alone with a pirate who couldn’t even walk. She just wanted it to all stop, she wanted to sit down in the middle of the hallway and just…rest. Not a single part of her wanted to take another step forward to find Crowly. How could she? This place was massive, monsters were beneath it looking for the very pirate she was trying to help.

“Come on…� She finally got out, and began to move down the hallway, one agonizing step after another.

[Anonymous]

She was back in the portrait gallery now, the blood stains from Crimson's earlier episode still wet on the ground. Heavy metal shutters had closed around the various pictures, and the doors too were blocked by obstructions. The only object not uncovered was that black, charred painting.

The painting was not, in fact, charred--a closer examination would indicate that it was very well-painted to look as such. At very bottom, in tiny print, were the words "Ask and ye shall receive". The words were a deep, rich red--mirroring the blood on the clean marble floor.

[Anonymous]

April stopped as she returned to a room she was familiar with, a little bit too familiar with. She made sure to divert her eyes from the blood in the middle of the room, and looked around, staring. She moved towards the charred painting and stared at it with dull, blue eyes. She read the writing at the bottom and laughed softly, looking around. After a moment, she knelt down and set Crimson on the ground, before standing up herself.

“Crowly!� She yelled, her voice ragged as it left her mouth. She pushed her hair from her face.

“Crowly! Where the hell are you?� She asked, clenching her jaw as the screams made her head pound. Wonderful. What better way to run from monsters beneath a house and carry a pirate around, than with a headache?