Moving time!

Zack laughed, shaking his head at Lia and Seabay. "It's better to just handle surface stuff and let Josh do the rest of it. It wouldn't matter if you cleaned it anyway, Josh'd just reclean it. He's pretty particular about that kind of stuff." He considered what Seabay had said a moment, then asked, "How are you with the smell of bleach?"

"You should probably look at her feet if you have a minute, Miss Kait. They really did smell like rotting meat. Josh cleaned and dressed them a couple of times and put on antibiotic ointment, but I know he was still worried about them."

Josh slowly, reluctantly, opens his eyes as Kait addresses him. He nods, drawing a breath as he eyes the beds warily, clearly not looking forward to moving.

"What is it with you people and my feet?" Lia asked, exasperated. "You are all over-exaggerating the whole thing, and they did /not/ smell!" she protested. It was true they were still sore, but she /had/ been essentially walking for... well, who knew how long. It was only natural that they hadn't fully recovered yet.

The blonde then looked around the rooms, realizing for the first time that they would all be actually /sharing/. "So, um, who's getting what bed?" she asked. "I assume we want to keep Josh in here, just to keep from moving him?" she asked, looking at his stirring form worriedly.

Seabay let go of Marta's wheelchair and used the rod to find his way over to Kaitlyn and Josh, still limping a bit. He smiled at the pair. "Hey, I can help out with this, too. I may be Gimpy, but I still have some energy left. Just let me know where we're trying to move to... Though, Josh, you don't have to stand--the arms can be taken off most of these things... so we can just slide you over."

Energy for now, anyway... But he knew some about transferring someone in bad shape. After all that used to be him, needing a lot of help. It wasn't that long ago.

Even as they moved to get Josh in position, though, he answered Zack, cautiously, not wanting to reveal all to Kaitlyn, "I'm okay with it to a limited amount, now and then... and just keep the windows open then. Lysol, likewise. The fumes get kinda overwhelming otherwise."

Much as he liked Kaitlyn, he wasn't sure how far they could trust her, and he didn't want to let her know about his weaknesses in any great depth yet. Once she and this place proved out, sure, but not yet. Seabay knew that the fumes of harsh chemicals like bleach affected him sooner than most--and could hamper his already-limited breathing if he wasn't careful about it. He could scrub with it himself, but only in a place of good ventilation. The alternative was simply something akin to an asthma attack.

Sebastian liked breathing.

"Say, Lia, if you take the farthest bed in the other room, we can set up curtains or a divider or something, if you like. Josh and Zack can go here. Marta and I'll pile on the other by you. At least you don't have to worry about either of us peeking," the blind teen proposed.

.

"Once we get him settled I can haul up our things and maybe Lia can move the SUV. I'll get you that coffee Josh offered you, Miss Kait, if you'll wait a moment," offered Zack as he hurried to help turn down the bed and settle Josh in. As soon as Josh was laying down, he hurriedly removed his boots and covered him up. "Wait here... coffee's on it's way..."

Then he headed out, trusting them with his brother for a few moments while he got their belongings.

Josh shifted carefully from the chair to the bed, sighing deeply as he settled back. How long had it been since he'd actually lain in a real bed? Even before the bombs fell, he'd still slept on a bedroll in the corner of their little studio apartment, leaving the hide-a-bed for Zack. He swallowed hard, the shoulder going from sharp to screaming rather rapidly. At the word 'coffee' from his little brother's lips, however, he opened his eyes again. Man, he could use a cup...

Lia peered over at the other room and shrugged quickly. "Sure," she answered Sebastian's suggestion of taking the farther bed there. "I don't mind if Marta peeks, though, she's a girl. But I had better not find out this is all an act later, just so you can get a good eyeful," she teased, patting Sebastian on the shoulder playfully before he went over to help Kaitlyn move Josh over.

"Hey wait, I can..." she tried to protest, but it was clear when he actually started lifting that Seabay /did/ know what he was doing when it came to this, and she dropped the matter in favor of exploring their surroundings a little more as the others got Josh settled. Too many cooks and all that...

"Hey, how'd you guess?" Lia asked Kaitlyn, startled that the woman had figured out she was a dancer so easily. "Yeah, I'm a dancer... and I'm used to foot pain," she shrugged, "but if it'll get everyone to shut up, then fine, you can look at my feet. Once that's done I can go move the SUV, I guess," she agreed with Zack.

.

Lia blushed warmly at the Kaitlyn's explanation. "Oh, uh, thanks," she answered. She /thought/ it could be taken as a compliment, and it had been a long time since she had received one of those for mere grace. Most mutants she'd come across had hardly been enamored of the way she moved.

The dancer sighed at Kaitlyn's direction and rolled her eyes at Zack and Seabay, even if the latter couldn't see her. Were they really going to complain about a little smell?

"It really wasn't that bad," she said again, as she sat and began unlacing her boots. "Anyone's feet stink after being stuck in boots, hiking..." one boot came off, "and miles. You try sleeping in abandoned buildings and walking around by..." a second boot came off," yourself and not being able to stop for more than a few hours at a time and," two socks, now, "come out smelling roses."

She shrugged defensively as she removed the bandages Josh had put on her feet to reveal the raw flesh underneath. Indeed, it was obvious she had been walking in the too-big boots to begin with, and that they had chaffed and rubbed her skin raw, and that that skin sorely needed tending to.

.

While Kaitlyn tended to Lia's feet, and Zack had run off to get their packs (the blind teen could have sworn the kid took Josh's wheelchair as a means of carrying all the bags), Sebastian carefully guided Marta's wheelchair to his own bed, and helped the injured dog onto the bedspread.

He could hear Marta sigh with relief and content as she lay down there. It was the best they'd had in a while, surely.

Yanking on the seat of the wheelchair, Seabay folded it up, and he left it against the wall next to the door between the two rooms, then returned to his dog.

The blind teen set his guide-rod aside and removed his long trenchcoat, then the warm undercoat, tossing them on the foot of the bed. Without them, he looked thinner than ever, not that he'd notice...

Then, with a sigh, he flopped back cross-wise across the head of the bed, only to get licked on the cheek by Marta, who was right there. "Home sweet home," he breathed.

Seabay wasn't sure that he was happy or sad with these arrangements. Only that they would work.

Zack returned fairly quickly, pushing a wheelchair piled high with an assortment of packs and bags and, of all things, something that looked like a rocket launcher. "I think that's all of it," he said to the others. "I'll put on some coffee and get the rest of it all put away while you get the car moved. If you want, I can set some of the toiletry stuff and clean clothes Josh found into the bathroom for you guys so you can clean up and get comfy."

He glanced over at Josh. "I know he'd probably just about kill for a hot shower right about now..." he said quietly. "How long before you think he'll be able to do that?"

He fished out the coffee first and put on a pot, brewing it strong like his brother liked it. "He can have this, can't he?" he asked, suddenly realizing coffee might not be the beverage of choice for someone in Josh's condition.

The work Kaitlyn did on her feet made Lia grit her teeth as she struggled not to groan on even yelp out in pain for fear of disturbing Josh. She was vaguely aware as Sebastian went to the bed claimed as his and set Marta on it, though Kaitlyn's ministrations on her feet kept her from thinking too hard on that. "A little of everything," she answered the healer regarding what type of dancing she did. "Mostly ballet, but a little contemporary, too, and some hip-hop type," she elaborated, sucking her breath in sharply, her feet stinging.

"I'll do my best to go easy on the piggies, I promise. Scout's honor," she answered hastily after Kaitlyn's instructions. "These /were/ my different shoes," Lia sighed at the pair of boots Zack had given her earlier after listening to Kaitlyn's instructions, "But you're right, they still didn't fit quite right. I'll take a look at the shoes later, maybe when I'm done moving the SUV and stuff," she said, though after all the torture, the idea of putting the boots back on to do that was less than appealing. "Do I have to move the SUV right now?" she asked.

As she spoke, Zack returned and offered them some toiletries, which Lia quickly accepted. "Score!" she said happily, though her countenance fell when she realized she wouldn't be able to actually shower until the next day, when her feet could be unwrapped. "Thanks," she said, trying to keep the same enthusiasm she had had before. "Hey, you got some coffee for me, too?" she asked Zack. "I haven't had a decent cup of Joe in ages. I had some instant coffee awhile back, but that wasn't the same." She grimaced at the memory.

..

Zack nodded, not surprised by her answer. The fact that Josh hadn't stirred while the coffee brewed actually kind of told him that already. He passed around cups of the brew, then reached into the backpack and pulled out a large pack of fresh ground coffee, handing it to Kait, along with some filters. "Here you go. Payment for services, I guess." Zack smiled, catching her before she got out the door. "Rest well, okay?"

Seabay dragged himself off the comfortable bed to his feet, and used the rod and his nose to find his way over to the coffee, to get a cup from Zack. He smiled gratefully.

"Damn... any way you have it, this is a treat," he stated, breathing in the aroma blissfully. He knew he probably shouldn't drink it, but... hell, it had been so very long... "Thanks, Zack..."

"Thanks, Miss Kait," he called after the Healer, still cradling the mug in both hands to let it warm them. "We'll take care of the SUV later," he called after her.

She had been friendly enough... Perhaps, if her attitude was any indication towards the rest of the colony--perhaps they might stay, then. For good. But only time would tell if they'd stay, and if Seabay and Marta would dare stay with them. The blind man was still wary, knowing his secrets could get him in trouble--and his friends killed--if he wasn't careful. One could know a bit too much. If the wrong ears found out he knew... they would become prime targets just to get it out of him.

A few hot, savored mouthfuls later, he felt enough energy return to dare going to the pile of packs to sort out his from the stack. Seabay dragged them back to his bed and dresser, and set to making himself at home, at least somewhat.

Basic toiletries he set up in the bathroom (like toilet paper, and a hand towel and bar soap), before claiming one drawer for himself (shaver, comb, toothbrush, etc.) and chucking extra folded towels under the sink. Marta's water bowl he set up on the bedside table for if needed, collapsible food bowl beside that (and empty for now). Marta's blankets and his own are set in the dresser along with his own spare clean clothes, and he moved to hang his two coats on a couple hangers just within there. The leashes, harnesses, and other dog-related items (small first aid kit and spare rags) go on the floor of the dresser under his coats, and he kicks off his half-boots there as well. Personal items from his pockets are dumped in the top drawer of the bedside table on his side.

Then Seabay collected his coffee mug again, and used the rod to find the bed, set the cup on the bedside table, and collapse on the bed again with a contented sigh.

Marta echoed him after the initial shake of the mattress.

Lia shrugged at Kaitlyn's offer to move the SUV. It wasn't a matter of whether she trusted the woman or not, but rather, she felt the vehicle was hardly hers to do with as she pleased. If anyone could decide who was to drive it, it was Sebastian. Or even Josh. The point, however, seemed rather moot, as Kaitlyn moved to leave the room. She seemed half asleep on her feet; maybe driving wasn't the best idea for her right now either way.

"Hey, sponge bath is better than no bath," she answered at Kaitlyn's directions regarding her feet. Besides, she would likely still indulge in a /real/ bath that night. Her feet could always just hang over the edge of it, right?

"Good night, sleep tight, don't let the mutants bite," she called as Kaitlyn left the room. Lia turned her attention to the mouth-watering coffee, making herself a mug greedily. The first swig, however, made her sputter.

"What's in this, tar? Yeesh." She pouted at Zack. The stuff was like jet fuel - strong and bitter. "I wish I had creamer and sugar," she sighed, though she took another gulp. The taste was obviously not enough to completely deter her from drinking it.

She watched as Seabay began setting up essentials in the room they would share and realized she likely should do the same, though her "unpacking," took considerably less time than his. She only had one small backpack that held nothing more than a few bits of food, a change of clothes, her old stuffed bear, fuzzybutt along with a few more mementos, and her ballet slippers.

She really did need some new clothes. "I suppose I should go check out those clothes and shoes she mentioned sometime today. But first, a bath!" she announced, moving into the bathroom and delighting at the fact that this place had actual, hot, running water.

"No peeking!" she called out to both Sebastian and Zack before settling into the tub, feet dangling over the edge as she had promised silently.

Zack laughed at Lia's response to the coffee. "It's how Josh likes it," he told her as he fished around inside a moment, then withdrew both creamer (powdered, of course,) and sugar. "What flavor creamer do you like? I've got vanilla... cinnabon... caramel... and irish cream." He waited for her to make a selection before whispering conspiratorially, "I can't drink it straight either."

He watched her unpack her few items and realized they'd need to get her a few things. He began fishing through the packs again for the tee shirts and shorts they'd collected at tourist stands during their travels, certain they had to have something she could wear, even if just to sleep in.

At her warning, he laughingly called back, "As if," though he stuck his arm in the door, dropping a tee shirt and shorts in what he hoped was the right size on the counter, along with another clean pair of socks.

"Yeah, yeah," Seabay called back at Lia's concerns about peeking, waving a hand in the air dismissively. "Not a problem..."

But after she'd been in the bathroom a while, splashing around, he rose and shrugged, and used the wall to reach the bathroom... then walked right in, counting his steps over to the sink silently.

"Don't mind me," he murmured casually, not even glancing her way.

The blind man rummaged in his own drawer for toothbrush and toothpaste, and set to scrubbing his teeth, enjoying it. Amazing what you miss while on the road... clean teeth being one of them.

Gargling and rinsing, he set his brush in a cup to dry, then wiped his mouth.

Looking up in the mirror, burgundy eyes focused unseeingly well past the glass, Sebastian grinned mischievously. "I 'see' youuuuuuu!" he chuckled roughly.

Lia growled indignantly first as Zack reached into the bathroom. "Hey! I said no peeking!" she warned, though she quickly ate her words when he dropped clothing onto the counter. "Oh... Uh, thanks!" she called after him.

The dancer sighed contentedly, settling again in her bath. She was scrubbed clean, and that was enough to bring the grin to her face, but the fact that she could merely lounge in a bath with warm water like this... "This is heaven," she murmured, leaning her head back against the tile and closing her eyes.

She was so relaxed she nearly jumped when Sebastian walked in as though it was nothing. "Hey! Have you no respect for my privacy?" she yelped, splashing him with some water. She blew a raspberry at him as he brushed his teeth, making a mental note of doing the same once she was done in here.

"I knew it!" she answered, splashing him again as he claimed to see her in the nude. "It's all just an act! And here I thought it was Zack I had to worry about," she teased in return. In contradiction to what she was saying, however, she pushed herself up and out of the tub, careful not to get her bandaged feet wet, and stood a few moments next to Sebastian, naked as a jay bird and obviously not too concerned by it.

"Can you hand me that towel on your right?" she requested as she bent to drain the tub. "Wow," she added absently as she did so. "My mom would have a fit if she knew I'd just moved in with three guys. I feel like such a rebel."

Zack watched, cringing as Josh's eyes flew open, filled with pain and obvious terror. He waited until his brother came back to here and now, then moved to get him a glass of water and something for pain, nodding absently. Holding the glass for him, he shook his head as if in response to some unasked question, then nodded toward the kitchen area in Lia's room. "Unpacking the food and stuff now. Do you want to try anything?" At the shake of Josh's head, he sighed. "Broth it is, then."

He ignored Josh's slight shake of the head that time, knowing his brother needed to regain his strength, and that water alone wouldn't do it. "I wish we had some Gatorade or Pedialyte or something like that," he muttered to himself, frowning at the lack even as he heated the chicken broth and poured it into Josh's cup, carrying it back only to find his brother had drifted off again. He fought off a wave of panic as he reached out, assuring himself that Josh was still breathing... his heart still beating.

Reluctantly, he moved away from Josh and went back to putting things away, glancing toward the bathroom door and wondering what exactly two people did in a bathroom together for that long...

Seabay jumped as his leg got splashed, and turned. "Hey! Careful--I can't exactly step around messes you make, you know!" He waved a hand in front of his eyes to demonstrate, not blinking in the least. "Blind--remember?"

Then he turned back to rummaging in his drawer, and pulled out a hair elastic, using it to tie back his long mane into a loose ponytail, tendrils still running loose around his face.

Lia wrote:

"Can you hand me that towel on your right?" she requested as she bent to drain the tub. "Wow," she added absently as she did so. "My mom would have a fit if she knew I'd just moved in with three guys. I feel like such a rebel."

Reaching for the side rack, Sebastian blindly patted around until he found the thick towel, then held it out in her direction as requested. "Here... Yeah, if it makes you feel any better, my parents would probably have a stroke if they knew, too... well, about me sharing with a guy and a kid, anyway. You, they'd approve of, probably, but not that. I mean, Zack's not even legal age, right?"

Shrugging, Seabay turned back to the mirror to floss--a habit, not a necessity. Once he finished, he added, "Privacy's something I gave up on long ago. You get poked and prodded enough in a hospital, that after a bit, you just don't care anymore. After all, every doctor, nurse, and their cousin already saw you... and the anatomy's pretty much the same, they say. You get used to it, I guess."

Then the blind man grinned mischievously. "Hey... did you leave any soap for me?"

Lia laughed as she began towel drying herself, starting with her legs and moving upward.

"Modesty isn't one of my major sticking points either," she chuckled as she hung the towel onto a towel rack, now as naked as a jaybird and reaching around Sebastian for the clothes Zack had put there. "We had to change in communal areas, etcetera, so we hardly had time to worry about what other people saw. Besides, it's not like leotards are really all that good at hiding anything," she added, pulling the t-shirt over her head, then pulling on the shorts. The ensemble was slightly too big, but it would do.

"And there's plenty of soap in the shower, as long as you don't mind sharing," she finally answered, taking up her wet towel and swatting it at Sebastian quickly before wrapping it around her wet hair. "I mean, girls have cooties and all, I know," she teased, opening the door to the bathroom now to let in some of the cooler air from the room.

"Though... the girls you /did/ date... I bet they had to be good at handling a lot of pressure, you being the heir to such a huge company and all?" she asked, waving quickly at a sullen Zack that he was welcomed to join them as she passed by the connecting door. Josh seemed to still be asleep.

Zack rose reluctantly and headed after the others, supposing it was better to let Josh rest, though he was afraid of straying to far. "I put the food away," he told the others somewhat unnecessarily, as it was more than obvious by the empty packs and "lived in" appearance of the rooms now that everything had been put into some semblance of order.

"Hey!" Seabay jumped at her towel-swat, blushing hotly, batting where it was with a hand and finding nothing. "No fair!"

The blind man felt along the wall, following Lia out of the bathroom before heading for his own things, to get a change of clothes: fresh boxers, socks, shirt and pants. He was glad all his clothes matched each other, regardless of combinations--after all, he couldn't see colors. Heaven only knew what he'll happen when he replaced these, however. Maybe Lia or Zack could help him avoid ending up looking like a scarecrow.

"What do you think of this place so far, Zack?" he asked, curious of the boy's assessment... and vicariously through him, likely Josh's, too, even as he sorted his clothes in preparation of getting a bath. "It seems okay to me... so far."

He snorted at Lia's question wryly. "Not much choice. Public places were... damn public, and the pressure was always on, even with servants around. I was almost never alone, so anyone with me would be the same. Everyone watches, you know--they want to see what I'm up to, and who I'm with, and if that person'd be a problem or a help for their own plans, how such a person might influence me, what that person's own agenda might be... It's vicious in the corporate world, and our moves held more power than many countries' did... Well... It used to be that way, anyway. Now... now that's pretty much gone."

Sebastian couldn't tell for the life of him if that was a good thing or a bad one.

Sighing, he turned back to getting his clothes and a dry towel, before heading back towards the bathroom. He wanted a good soak... badly... hot water for his usual aches, a luxury he hadn't had in over a week.

"Sounds dandy," Lia answered Sebastian's explanation wryly. "I guess that would explain why you'd date a famous model, like, say Kaylee." The dancer smiled at Zack as he entered the room. "I suppose a regular girl like me could never handle that pressure," she grinned. "Though I can understand the need to watch you closely, and /them/. I bet you got a lot of gold diggers."

At Zack's announcement of having put away the food items, Lia patted him on the back. "Cool. Thanks, Pip. Guess that's less work for us to do and a step forward in making this place feel like a home," she smiled. "If we decide it's /going/ to be home, that is," she added thoughtfully. "Hey, who knows, maybe there are some cute girls for you around here," she suggested.

"I guess that would be a reason to like this place, no?" she asked him, grinning as a follow-up to Sebastian's question about how he liked these new surroundings.