The Elbow Room

[Lachryma]

Lachryma pulls out a rat and tosses it to Leon's cat.

"True, I just walk down stairs, but dead ones no climb, so armed welcome is foolish, no?"

She glances at her rifle, then turns back to Murray.

"Is heat of moment, I is very sorry. It not happen again."

[Murray Jay Suskind]

"Meh, no worries. I think everyone's a bit wound lately. You know, zombies and all." He glanced around the room seeing a rather odd gathering of people. "Anyway, I'm Murray," he said thrusting out his hand. "I'm decent with a pistol, good at building barricades and can help you folks get some clean water if you need any." He eyed the zombie for a moment before looking back to Lachryma. "Although I supposed I could do anything if you have some food, booze and a place to sleep."

[Leon Silverblood]

"Alright, alright, I apologize, sort of. Just because he's human doesn't make him friendly. Admittedly, he means no harm, but how do we know that? You know there are plenty of crazies out there killing the living instead of the dead." Leon notes to himself how little sense it would make to say "killing the dead" if they weren't all in world of s**t they're in.

"Murray, even though I didn't know if you came well-meaning or not, I apologize for wanting to hack you up into tiny pieces just for tearing down some 'cades. I guess you didn't have much of a choice, eh? Have a drink on me."

Leon provides the bartender with an extra clip for the pistol he turned over earlier, and indicates Murray Jay.

[Lachryma]

Lachryma ignores Murray's outstretched hand, instead stretching forward her own hand, palm down, almost as if she expects to be treated as royalty.

After an awkward moment, she drops her hand.

"Booze is on barter system. Rats are good to trade, as is rocket launcher. Food is also traded for, but sleep is free."

She gestures at the bar.

"Please, get comfortable, tell story. I is writing book, need notes."

[Tovarisch Khrushchev]

From behind the bar came a loud noise, like metal sliding against wood. Glasses on the edge of the bar tumbled to the ground, shattering on impact as the bar shook subtly with the opening of a long sealed cellar once hidden under a small square of carpet.

"Alright you F#%!ING ZEDS! BARS CLOSED!"

Tovarisch waved his axe wildly through the air, holding in his other hand a half emptied bottle of Vodka, although being an optimist, he'd rather refer to it as half full. He stumbled a bit, catching himself on the side of the bar. Looking around, he noticed the footsteps and muffled chattering he had heard through the thick wooden floors of The Elbow Room were not zombies at all. The room was occupied by several shady survivors all huddled around various tables in close proximity of the bar.

"Oh...*hic* survivors." Tovarisch said, setting his axe onto the bar. "Well, *hic* how unclassy of me to *hic* not intro*hic*duce myself. I, am Tovarisch Kruschuuu...Kruscheeee...Kinta..."

Tovarisch thought for a bit on his name, as the room around him began to spin.

"Krushchev! *hic*"

The room went black, and Tovarisch slumped to the floor, mumbling to himself as he lay past out cradling his vodka.

[Murray Jay Suskind]

For a second Lachryma held out her hand to Murray as if she wanted him to kiss it, but before he could decide if that was wise, she pulled it back. The drunk guy with the axe at the end of the bar offered him a drink, and Murray thought it would be best to take him up on it. Looking at the girl behind the bar and back at Lachryma, Murray thought Huh, I thought all the good looking ones went early on. "Maker's Mark on the rocks. If you don't have it, Johnnie Walker. If you don't have that -- improvise." He nodded to the guy with the axe, "Thanks."

As he sat down with his watered down scotch and said, "My story? Oh, I don't know if it's all that different from anyone else here. You know, a lot of little things. I guess the strangest part of my story is that I was here from America for a week for an academic conference. You know, pretty mundane shit. That's why all I had to wear was shit like this," as he tugged on the tattered threads of his deep blue dress shirt. "I suppose I could help you more if I found out what your book was about, what your story is, you know."

[Lachryma]

Lachryma turns from Murray and runs to Krushchev.

" 'Tovarisch' is Russian word for 'comrade'!" she exclaims to the bar at large.

"I must help!" She carefully removes her fur collar and puts it under Krushchev's head. "There, is comfortable now."

She strolls back to Murray.

"Um...book, yes. Is about Malton and..." she's clearly thinking fast, "and inhabitants! Stories of loss, sadness...cheerfulness, and booze. Will be lovely."

She glances at her nails for a moment, then coyly says "My story is simple. I is tourist, bad things happen, and medics is needed. So, I get airdropped into city."

[Leon Silverblood]

Leon nods at Murray Jay and sways as he waves a thumbs up, then looks down at Tovarisch, and then back at his own bottle of vodka. "Whoa...." He kicks Tova until he gets a response, then holds the bottle in front of his eyes and reads it out loud for him "Tovarisch Kruschev brand Vodka. Distilled by the C4NT underground distillery, New Malton Colossus.
YOU are theTovarisch?!"


((

leonsilverblood said:

...drinking directly from a bottle of Tovarisch brand 100 proof vodka that he got at the same place as his Malon Ranger brand Spam.

))

[Tovarisch Khrushchev]

"Thats right kid! *hic*" Tovarisch said, hefting himself up. "I took the sewers all the way here into the cellar, and I've been *hic* sitting in that cellar for about two *hic* weeks now."

Tovarisch snatched the bottle from Leon's hands and took a swig.

"AH! Care for a *hic* drink?"

[Murray Jay Suskind]

At that point Murray was wondering if he was seeing things. Exhaustion has been known to do strange things to the human mind. People in Malton always claimed that they never slept, but Murray didn't buy it for one second. He had gotten around three to four hours of sleep a day since it all started and he still thought he was going crazy. Most people wouldn't last more than a few days without any sleep at all.

He decided he might as well go with the flow. See if he could steal a full nights rest later. "Well, I guess my story is fairly simple as well. I have a few useful skills because of my time in Venautu with the Peace Corps. I didn't lose anyone too close to me. But it was hard seeing people I met over the week dropping so quickly or coming after me to kill me. I mean, most of these people were bloated, rotting corpses to start with, you know, academics with beards, guts and pasty wrinkly skin with jowls hanging off their face. I remember one guy it was impossible to tell until he was literally inches away from my face lunging at me."

He slid a pack of Camel Lights out of his bag and lit one up. "As far as sadness goes... look around us. I mean, people need to work together to take this city back, but all we do is bitch at each other and fight and talk about who's got the biggest and most durable 'gun.'" He sipped at his scotch for a second. "As far as the cheerfulness and booze go, they're hand in hand. I can't stand warm-ass British beer. Gimme a cold Leinenkugel's or a Rogue any day." He laughed for a second as he dragged on his smoke. "So, whenever I can, I just grab a bottle of whiskey or scotch and go with it. You know, to cope and all."

He stared at her martini for a second and said, "A vodka martini? Isn't that a tad cliche for someone like yourself?"

[Lachryma]

Lachryma leans over Krushchev.

"You run hidden distillery? Is rewarding work?"

Lachryma then turns and gives a cold glare to Murray.

"Is bought by friend," she gestures at Leon, "and you no can mock my drink. Anyway, I use most drinks to light dead ones on fire."

[Tovarisch Khrushchev]

"Rewarding? You better believe it!" Tovarisch said as he began to sober up. "You should see the place! Its huge! Ron hid it under Ridleybank to help supply us battered bastards at the time with enough booze to keep us entertained. Theres a whine cave spanning half the suburb filled with nothing but Scotch! I myself claimed the section on the border of the Village down south."

[Lachryma]

Lachryma looks skeptical.

"You dig large cave, across whole suburb, with two men? Then you fill with booze you make yourself?"

She laughs softly.

"And I suppose dead walk too, no?"

[Tovarisch Khrushchev]

Tovarisch stroked his goatee as he pondered the question.

"Yes, last time I checked!"

[Lachryma]

Lachryma rolls her eyes.

"And how long it take to dig cave?"

She adjusts her hair slightly as the sound of moans carry through the bar.