InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Hell is other people in heaven"

Christopher "Chris" Perry Halliwell. (changethefuture) wrote in vas_captio_rpg,
@ 2009-10-10 15:57:00

Entry tags:

!active, chris halliwell, day 26, kimberly corman, location: forest

Who: Chris and OTA.
What: He can't stand to wait around for anything else bad to happen.
Where: Forest west of the gas station.
When: Day 26, around 8am.
Rating: PG.
Status: Active.

However many days it had been, Chris was already tired of this place. Physically and mentally wore out. The brief venture home had been nice, he supposed, though all it really did was remind him of his reasons for traveling to the past. It recharged his spirits to an extent, but couldn't do too much good as the moment he had fallen asleep the night before in the gym his mind was haunted by visions of Piper. Visions of the dead thing that had looked like his mother and he wasn't exactly convinced hadn't been.

Sleep was fitful and eventually he gave up, worried about waking up the others should he get too caught up in a nightmare. He remembered Wyatt threatening him one time, before the boys got separate rooms, if he wouldn't shut up while he slept. Chris thought about watching over the others, his whitelighter instincts wanted him to so the innocents could be kept safe from any threat, but then the back of his hand itched and he looked down to see the ink that marred his skin.

First came shock and surprise, which was likely anyone's reaction. Then came a deeper sort of worry and anxiety. Once upon a time those thought to practice witchcraft were marked. Branded so all would know who among their communities were pagans and should be watched. The Charmed Ones' power came from some who had been condemned at Salem after all; with how well he knew the sisters' history (his family's history, Chris sometimes had to remind himself) it could practically be expected that his thoughts would drift to such things at times. Anger was a good cover for such feelings, and that had filled his mind as he scribbled in his notebook before leaving the gym. Leaving those he was beginning to think of as friends.

The thrift store was his first stop, where he managed to find a pair of jeans that fit him a little better, as well as a decent-sized backpack. He grabbed a spare shirt while he was there, just in case, then orbed himself to the gas station to see what supplies were left. Since he was still recovering he needed to keep his strength up. Instinct also demanded he keep in mind those close to him. It was a relief to see the place appeared freshly stocked and he didn't bother to question it. A few bottles of water were tossed in the pack, as well as some candy and granola bars, enough for two or three days, depending on how much he shared. The last thing he grabbed was a pack of rags and a mini sewing kit he found in one of the back aisles. While he might lament there not being any sort of proper grocery store in the place -- though he would never expect it to be remotely fully stocked as giving them that much food would be far too nice -- Chris never appreciated the random assortment of things that could be found in a gas station until that morning.

An hour later found him deep in the forest, inspecting a small patch of blooming plants for anything he could use. One of the rags had already been made into a small pouch to hold herbs and tied shut, stowed away safely in one of the small pockets in the backpack. Chris had been there how many days now and had yet to even attempt making a potion? It was unacceptable. If he couldn't find a way to escape the least he could do was try to look after himself. And my friends. a quiet voice added in the back of his head. That, and looking for potion ingredients kept him busy so his mind had no time to stress him out further.

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cheatingdeath
2009-10-14 01:58 am UTC (link)

It was a scary thing for Kimberly, leaving her newly established 'home.' It was, she thought, asking too much of Connor to make him stay with her every minute of the day and he had mentioned that there was perhaps food in the gas station. So, having taken out her handy dandy map - of whose page she'd dog-eared so it would be easier to find when she needed it - Kimberly found that the gas station wasn't actually terribly far from where she was staying. Her watch said it was only a little after eight in the morning, but her stomach said it was chow time. Hopefully she'd find something non-parishable so that she wouldn't have to worry about food poisioning. The idea of that only made her shudder; that was the very last thing she needed.

She stood outside the building for what seemed like a long while trying to consider whether or not she dared go inside. It looked just as ramshackle on the outside as the other buildings in the place that she'd passed so far and the rusty, old gas pumps outside made her nervous. A mental image passed through her of Clear backhanding that punk kid outside the gas station who'd been getting ready to light up a cigarette while passing one of the pumps they'd been standing at. "I'm thinkin' why don't you suck on my junk, bitch?" he'd replied when Clear had asked what the fuck he'd been thinking. Yeah, friggen punk.

Finally, Kimberly let out a shriek of anger. It was beyond frustrating having to tiptoe around life and fear everything in her path. Any number of things in- or outside that stupid building in front of her could be fatal. The gas pump could have a leak or could spontaneously explode. The building looked about half-ready to collapse in on itself. The food inside could be stale, bad, or just plain poisoned. "Grow up," she snapped at herself and her eyes moved toward the woods. Which was the bigger risk? Natural growing fruit in a giant death trap...or potentially spoiled man-made food in a smaller but somehow more intimidating death trap?

With that thought in mind and a sigh passing her lips, Kimberly started toward the forest. At least if she thought something bad was going to happen in the woods, she could get out sooner. She wouldn't have to worry about doors or dodging shelves and the like, that was. "Please God..." she muttered under her breath as she passed through the treeline.

Kimberly hadn't made it that far into the woods before the sound of snapping twigs had her stopped in her tracks. Her eyes widened slightly as she froze in place and looked very carefully around her periphery without moving. The slightest movement could set off a chain reaction of potentially fatal things, after all. This was a stupid idea, for sure. "Hello?" she called out reluctantly. "Somebody out there?" Then, she paused and with a note of hope in her voice that she was only partially ashamed of, she asked, "...Connor?"

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changethefuture
2009-10-14 10:12 am UTC (link)

Chris didn't really expect to come across anyone else that morning. Far as he could tell everyone kept to the town proper, which he did understand. But he wasn't going to be afraid of the nature that they were lucky enough to have surround them. Call it wiccan instinct, or simply him finally realizing how much the rundown buildings reminded him of the world he came to know regretfully well. All that was missing was the threat of his brother and more demon activity and hey, it'd be just like home.

The sound of a voice pulled him from his task, and his thoughts, and Chris immediately straightened to look toward where the voice seemed to come from. He didn't recognize it, although that wasn't saying much. His brows furrowed slightly when the female voice called his friend's name, and curiosity easily had him moving toward the voice. If he were back home he might have worried about a demon putting on some sort of rouse, or even a warlock, and there was a voice in the back of his head nagging him about needing to be more cautious.

It wasn't but a few moments before she came into view and his whitelighter instincts kicked in almost against his will. The girl practically screamed 'innocent'. "Hey, are you alright? Looking for someone?" Chris asked in a friendly-but-concerned tone, the second question tacked on as he wondered if she was someone Connor had met while he'd been recovering from the zombie bite.

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cheatingdeath
2009-10-14 07:16 pm UTC (link)

The sounds of the breaking twigs and crunching leaves was coming closer and Kimberly felt her heart skip, her stomach twist, and her chest tighten with that gut reaction of sheer terror at not knowing what was coming around the bend. If it was Connor, he'd have said by now, she was sure of it. But then the source of the sound appeared and Kimberly's breath caught for a split second before she tried to relax.

"Hi, uh...yeah I'm okay," she said uneasily. Kimberly tipped her head slightly to the side to look at him. Was everyone here as concerned and caring as Connor was - with the exception of the people with whom she woke up in the woods - or...was she just lucky? "I'm looking for my friend. Except, I'm not, really...I just was looking for food that isn't processed. I thought maybe apples or berries or something. When I heard the sound of something moving, I guess it was just wishful thinking that it was Connor, sorry," she replied.

Then, she held out a hand. "I'm Kimberly. I didn't mean to disturb or interrupt you or anything..." she added apologetically.

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changethefuture
2009-10-15 03:51 am UTC (link)

He raised his brows slightly at her words. Did she have some sort of allergy perhaps? That would be like the people in charge to do such a thing. "I haven't found any berries or anything yet, but I haven't been out here looking long." Chris offered a smile and took her hand. "Chris, and it's okay, you just surprised me a little. Most people seem to stick to the buildings."

"So you've met Connor huh? He's a good guy. If you are, or whenever you are, looking for him he's usually around the gym. At least lately." Of course, that was probably just because I asked him over there while I was on my deathbed. Chris absently thought, but pushed such dark thoughts from his mind. Or at least attempted to. "Are you new to this place, or have you been stuck here awhile?" He was leaning toward new -- just a feeling, no other reason -- but he knew he hardly had met everyone who got stuck here before he arrived.

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cheatingdeath
2009-10-15 08:56 pm UTC (link)

Shaking Chris's hand, Kimberly smiled. Oh, my God, he was gorgeous! "Uh, well, I just got out here, so hopefully there's something. Sorry to have surprised you. I didn't think anyone would be out here, because yeah, I get that...but the buildings are just as big a threat as the woods, so far as I can see, so..." She gave him a shrug and a sheepish grin as she let go of his hand.

"YOu know Connor, too?" she asked, looking slightly surprised. Her cheeks went a little pink and she looked down. "I mean, he's sort of staying with me right now?" she asked more than said, "but I kind of left in search of food because I'll feel like a jerk if I ask him to get my food for me, on top of everything else you know?" she replied. Then, she shook her head. No, he didn't know. At least, he probably didn't. Open mouth, Kimberly, and insert foot.

When Chris asked how long she'd been there, Kimberly gave him a smirk. "That obvious, huh?" she asked. "I've only been here a couple of days," she added. It then occurred to Kimberly that she was taking up this poor guy's time and it was probably unwelcome. "Oh, hey, you know, I can just leave you to it and mind my own if I'm interrupting. I'm really sorry, if that's the case; I didn't mean to," she said quickly.

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changethefuture
2009-10-16 12:37 am UTC (link)

"I'm with you there. When I first got here I kept waiting for one of the buildings to start caving in. Some of them are definitely not as sturdy as they could be." He was nodding with her words, but couldn't help but grin a bit when she seemed to blush talking about Connor. "Yeah, he and I arrived in this place on the same day. We're kinda friends." Which was admittedly somewhat strange for Chris to say, considering he'd never really had that many friends. There was no time for friends when one was always under the threat of attack, or trying to keep others safe.

It did make his whitelighter instincts settle a bit to hear that Connor was looking after her. She was in good hands. "Nah, not obvious. I've been sick and out of it for a few days, so I didn't want to assume you've been here awhile and I just hadn't met you yet." he clarified with a smile. Though at his mention of being sick he had to shake off the urge to itch at his neck. He'd have to stop by the thrift shop again later, see if he could find a hoodie or something that might cover up the bandage more than the shirt he was currently wearing. Hell, Chris hadn't even looked at the wound himself yet, but he was in no hurry to when he knew it would only bring unwelcome memories.

"You're not interrupting, I promise. Looking for fruit is a good idea, actually. Never know when the food supply is going to dry up, especially with more people arriving all the time." Part of him had found it a slight interruption, but it wasn't as if he didn't have plenty of time to search for potion ingredients. He couldn't in good faith leave her alone, not when he couldn't be certain that she'd be safe. Chris brightened his smile, and canted his head toward the way he had come. "Shall we? Surely the two of us will stand a better shot at finding anything than on our own."

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cheatingdeath
2009-10-16 10:46 pm UTC (link)

At Chris's words, Kimberly's stomach twisted and churned with nervousness. Somehow, she doubted he had been as close to death as often as she had been and doubted that he was as big a star on Death's List as she was, so the fact that Chris was worried about the buildings caving in made Kimberly herself that much more worried. She tried to push that fear away when Chris went on talking about Connor and how they'd arrived together. Suddenly, she felt a bit envious. Chris had been lucky enough to wake up with someone normal, meanwhile she'd woken up with a skeeze and a batshit crazy bitch. How the hell was that fair? "Cool," was all she could come up with. "He's a cool guy. I like him," she added as casually as she could manage.

The truth was, Kimberly liked Connor a lot; as much as she liked to pretend it was because he was being so helpful and nice, deep down Kimberly had a feeling it was because she was already developing a crush on Hero, as it were. Her nose wrinkled a little as she thought about how pathetic that seemed in her own head; getting a crush on some guy she'd just met just because he was willing and able to help her feel safer in a dangerous, scary place.

"Oh man, I'm sorry," Kimberly said quickly when Chris said that he'd been sick. "That sucks. It's bad enough being sick, period, but being sick away from home is worse. I hope you feel better, now," she added. She noticed that there was a shift in the vibe in the air after he mentioned feeling sick and Kimberly decided it was probably better not to ask why. For one thing, it was none of her business. For another, maybe he didn't want her to have noticed. Or, maybe she was imagining things entirely.

When Chris said she wasn't interrupting, Kimberly relaxed a little, relieved. "Yeah? Do you know if there is any? I'd hate to not only waste your time but also my own if there isn't..." she said quietly, tucking her hair behind her ears. He didn't seem bothered, though, whether there was, wasn't, or if he had no idea, so she nodded when he canted his head and she started a few steps in that direction. "Good point. Thanks," she replied with a smile.

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changethefuture
2009-10-28 08:57 am UTC (link)

"Yeah, it's definitely a lot easier to be sick at home than here." he replied with a chuckle. Granted, 'sick' was really more like 'dying' or 'mortally wounded' when it came to him, but Leo healed it all equally. And Chris really didn't think mentioning his recent sickness was caused by a zombie bite would be the best of ideas. The girl seemed stressed enough, he wasn't about to add anything to it. Besides, the zombies were gone, so there was really no reason to mention them. There were enough things that were hard to believe in this place. "But I definitely feel a lot better, thanks."

When she asked if he knew whether there actually was anything edible growing Chris had to shrug his shoulders, beginning to walk with her. "I'd like to assume there's fruit to be found somewhere, or even other edible plants, but I don't know for sure. I haven't had much chance to explore the forest, to be honest." After a few paces he glanced over at her, keeping the conversation going. Some might have found it safer to walk in relative silence, when they didn't know fully what to expect, but Chris felt that would be more eerie. That, and he felt fairly confident that nothing could sneak up on them. If it did? Well, it was just reflex to throw himself in harm's way so the possibility wasn't really worth worrying about. "So, how are you holding up? Other than probably wishing you were anywhere but here." Chris added with a slight smile.

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cheatingdeath
2009-10-30 12:12 am UTC (link)

Another sympathetic glance crossed Kimberly's face as she looked over at Chris. Part of her wanted to ask what exactly he was sick with or how long he'd been stuck feeling that way, but she thought maybe that'd be a bit nosy, if not a lot rude. "Probably anything is easier at home than here," she muttered, a weak smile ghosting over her lips in spite of herself. "Glad to hear it," she added when he said he was feeling better.

"I wouldn't even know what to look for when it comes to edible plants," Kimberly admitted. "Would you?" she asked hopefully, looking over at him. Then Kimberly looked around a little, staying close to Chris as she did so, because she felt a lot safer knowing someone was there - especially a friend of Connor's - than if she'd have been alone.

When Chris spoke again, she looked back at him and gave him a small smile. "You know, it's funny...but I kind of don't feel that way. I mean, I'm not really safe anywhere I go, so...it doesn't really matter. At least here..." her voice trailed off and she gave him a sheepish smile. "Okay, it sucks here. It totally sucks. But there's Connor and he's cool. And there's you, and so far you're cool," she pointed out. "Can't be too terrible, right? I mean, in the grand scheme." She hadn't quite grasped the concept of what this place really and truly was, yet. Almost certainly, once she did, she would be singing a very different tune.

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