InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Nine. Inches. Cut."

Dan Dreiberg aka Night Owl II (niteowlish) wrote in vas_captio_rpg,
@ 2009-09-10 22:56:00

Entry tags:

!shelved, dan dreiberg, day 22, location: gas station, rorschach

Day Twenty-Two, Late Afternoon
Who: Dan Dreiberg and Rorschach
What: Hello, Old Friend
Where: The Gas Station
When: Late Afternoon
Rating: R?
Status: Active

For the second time since he'd arrived the sun didn't come up, leaving Dan Dreiberg feeling uneasy and tense. Fighting gang members and taking down criminals was one thing, but fighting zombies of the Living Dead variety was something that he hadn't expected to faced with during his Nite Owl career. Not that he was Nite Owl here. Not without his costume, or Archie or the hundreds of gadgets that would've made life infinitely easier. As it was he could barely see what he was looking at when he tried to figure out how to operate the chainsaw he'd talked Ted into handing over. He sat at the back of the gas station, holding up a lighter he'd found and trying to work out the mechanics of the thing. It would've been much better if he had a manual to refer to, but the people in charge hadn't thought that was necessary.

It wasn't difficult to see how it worked. He hadn't really thought he'd have to use it the first day, but when he'd woken up to the darkness once again he had a sinking feeling that he should get to know his weapon better than he did. As a weapon of stealth it was pretty useless. If he did have to use it then the enemy, or in this case, zombies, would hear him coming from a mile away. It was a last resort. He had nothing against violence, especially when it was deserved, but cutting something's head off wasn't something that was exactly appealing to him.

He closed the lighter and set the chainsaw down on the ground, reaching for his polishing cloth and wiping at his glasses. It was more out of calming habit than necessity seeing as how his vision was limited in the darkness of the store. He wished he had his night goggles, but they were back in New York. His mind began to drift towards Laurie, making the usual circles around what might have happened to her when he'd disappeared. Was she safe? Was she hurt? Was she alive? He sighed and pushed his glasses on, getting to his feet and moving towards the front of the store where he stared out at the darkness beyond the window. Slowly his eyesight began to adjust without the aid of the tiny lighter flame and he was able to distinguish shapes. One of which was moving.

Dan froze, trying to make out if the thing headed towards the store was human or zombie.

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walters_journal
2009-09-12 06:23 pm UTC (link)

It was human, at least in literal terms. Rigid in his ways, Rorschach had stubbornly kept up his precious night watch, even though the sun hadn't risen for two days now and he was getting fairly tired. Still, he refused to drop what he perceived as a vital part of keeping Vas Captio safe. Never mind that people died or disappeared whether he kept watch over them or not... some things, Rorschach simply preferred not to think about.

Seeing a figure up ahead, he quieted his approach to be more stealthy, but the odds of that changing the course of the meeting were slim, as Rorschach could tell that he'd already been seen. However, as he drew nearer, he gasped quietly. "Daniel?"

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niteowlish
2009-09-13 04:56 am UTC (link)

Dan squinted into the darkness, moving to the door of the gas station and opening it before stepping tentatively outside to get a better view without the dirty glass of the window. He noted the difference in color between the head and the rest of the body, realizing after a second of staring that it wasn't ghostly pale skin but a mask that he knew well.

Daniel's heart jumped into his throat and he struggled to swallow it down as he stared at the approaching figure. The familiar, gravelly voice of his old friend sent a shiver through him and Dan's expression became pained.

"Rorschach?" He breathed. "But how?" He thought he might be sick and then another thought occurred to him. "You're not a zombie are you?" He asked, stepping forward regardless. The draw of the mask was too hard to ignore.

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walters_journal
2009-09-19 10:56 pm UTC (link)

Rorschach noted Dan's squeamish uneasiness in the darkness. Alone, without the aid of Archie or the others associated with the Watchmen, the man was understandably less confident. In the past, Rorschach had given Dan a hard time for what he considered a soft (and therefore weak) heart, and called him a coward... but in all honesty, Rorschach had missed both Dan and that aspect of his character. He nodded curtly when Dan said his name, glad that the man was moving forward and not backward but still slightly disappointed that his friend was not showing more caution.

"Has been a long time. Am not a zombie, but would be wiser to keep your distance until you were sure." he offered Dan his hand, using the other one to awkwardly pat the second Nite Owl on the shoulder.

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niteowlish
2009-09-23 05:54 am UTC (link)

Again the sound of Rorschach's voice sent a chill through Dan. He was dead. Dan had seen it happen with his own eyes. He'd seen the remains himself, a blood spot in the snow the only thing left of his friend. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out as his old partner held his hand and patted his shoulder.

Dan swallowed, reaching out and gripping Rorschach's hand with both of his. He might have hugged the other man if he didn't think that would cross unspoken barriers regardless of circumstances as amazing as these.

Dan's mouth was dry as he squinted at the mask, Rorschach's words just catching up to him. He couldn't even be annoyed at the gentle chastising. "I can't believe it's you," Dan said, letting go of Rorschach's hand. "How did you get here?"

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walters_journal
2009-11-23 12:04 am UTC (link)

"Can't believe it's me? Don't understand why not," Rorschach said gruffly. "Got here same way you got here. No warning, no expectation. No thanks to liberals and smooth-talkers. Very inconvenient." He released Dan's hand, shoving both of his in his pockets and hunching tensely.

"Is good to see you again. Didn't think I'd see any fraternity since Miss Jupiter II came and left this place."

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