[VIDEO] post-event

[axemeaquestion]

Hey, so... whoa.

[A bruised and bandaged woman nearly drops her device.]

Shit, sorry. Still getting used to this thing.

[For anyone who met Rochelle before but missed her at the Archives event, she's finally out of her bloodstained clothes. The shirt she's wearing today was crisp white with CRYSTAL BEACH cut out of an iridescent square print in bold letters.

The video straightens out, and Ro attempts to recover gracefully as she sits on the floor and smiles. Her back is against a coffee table littered with history books and moonblessed-aimed welcome pamphlets.]

Name's Rochelle. You can call me Ro. Sorry if I'm still kind of a mess. Better than before, trust me. I worked in TV news before things kinda went to hell back in my... world? World. Shit, that's still weird to say.

I'm kind of coming out of what you'd call a... zombie apocalypse. [AWKWARD GRIN GOES HERE??] And now I'm on a whole other goddamn planet. Still... processing that part. Compared to my life before, though, this is actually... kind of normal. I mean, not REALLY, but seriously. Not looking over your shoulder every damn second of your life makes ANYTHING seem normal. Even getting turned into a mermaid by a hunk of screaming rock.

[That's a weird thing to call Osse, Ro, but okay.]

So I guess my point is... I wanna ask. What does a fresh-out-of-the-apocalypse girl do to adjust to semi-normal life around here? I'm looking into TV network sort of work around here, actually, but otherwise...? I'll give shit a shot.

[Then - she hesitates. The casual attitude disappears, and her smile fades. There's no smooth way of transitioning into this, but...]

And on a more serious note... if anyone here finds three guys going by Coach, Ellis, and Nick... let me know?

I know that's not much to go by, but uh... Coach is a big guy in an FHS school polo. Good guy... NEVER stops talking about food if you give him a chance, though. Ellis is a real yee-haw Georgia type boy. Should have a shirt that says "bullshifter." Don't ask me why. [She laughs weakly at that - then shakes her head.] And Nick... well. You'll know Nick if you meet him. He thought bringing a white suit to a zombie apocalypse was a GOOD idea.

Long story short, they're my friends. We survived a hell of a lot together, and I'm worried about them. I've been looking around everywhere, just in case, but. If you ever meet some guys that vaguely match that description, just... point them my way.

And if it helps... all three of them probably smell like shit.

Comments

[kayssistant]

It's nice to meet you, Ro! [She pauses. What do you say to a woman who seems to have walked straight out of a horror movie?] I'm Kay Faraday!

I think you'll like this place, it's zombie-free!

[axemeaquestion]

Under normal circumstances, I'd call that suspiciously specific denial... but I also literally just told you about the zombies.

[She grins, in case it's not obvious she's teasing.]

Hey, Kay. Good to meet you. Anyone ever told you that's a hell of an alliterative name?

[kayssistant]

Heh, it is, isn't it? I think it's pretty...o-Kay. [Sorry Ro. You'll never hear the end of this.]

[axemeaquestion]

Oh that's bad, girl.

[SHE'S GIGGLING ANYWAY.]

[kayssistant]

I know. It's terrible! [She pretends to be embarrassed but SHE REALLY HAS NO REGRETS.] It makes me wanna run... Fara-way.

[TRULY NO REGRETS.]

[axemeaquestion]

[PFFT.]

'Kay, Kay. You better stop before I run Fara-way from you.

[kayssistant]

[Kay bursts out laughing.]

You can run, but you can't hide! The bad puns will always find you!

[axemeaquestion]

Sweetie, trust me. I got PLENTY of puns under my own belt.

[kayssistant]

Oh yeah? Hit me!

[It's a dare. She's daring Rochelle to bring out the big guns - or rather, the big puns.]

[axemeaquestion]

Hmm.

[Ro taps a fingernail too her lips.

... then an idea hits her, and her eyes flash. Grinning, she shifts the camera around - just enough where a fireaxe is in view behind her, propped up next to a bedroom door.]

Maybe you should axe me a question first.

[kayssistant]

[At first, she's silent, then she breaks into peals of laughter.]

Oh wow, that was good one! That was...sharp!

[KAY WHY.]

[axemeaquestion]

[SNRK.]

You don't stop, do you?

[kayssistant]

Can't stop, won't stop! [Does that answer your question, Ro?]

Anyway, how did the zombie apocalypse start? What were the warning signs? [KAY, YOUR WORLD ISN'T GOING TO GET A ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE

Then again, it's weird enough that it's not impossible.]

[axemeaquestion]

That's a hell of a subject switch, girl.

[Like Ro's not the one that brought up zombies to begin with.]

Nobody really knows, but... it started in Pennsylvania. Everybody thought it was a flu for a while. Called it the Green Flu until... well, infected people started attacking and mutating.

[kayssistant]

[YEAH ROCHELLE THIS SUBJECT SWITCH IS YOUR FAULT ALL ALONG.]

Yikes. I bet no one saw that coming. I'm guessing there's...no cure? No vaccine?

[axemeaquestion]

Honey, if I knew, I probably wouldn't look as beat to hell as I am.

[She gestures to her bruises and bandages.]

But to answer your question... I really don't know yet.

[kayssistant]

[Rochelle has a point. Kay frowns in thought.]

Oh man...I hope you guys find one soon. It's one thing to watch this in a movie, but I can't imagine it getting THAT real.

[axemeaquestion]

Thanks, sweetie. Me too.

And yeah... they used to be just fiction for us too. All movies and comic books. Not anymore, now.

[kayssistant]

I could say the same for this world, since it's like something out of a psychedelic sci-fi movie, but...it's a whole lot better than the zombie apocalypse.