Moving time!

"It's pretty fancy," Zack answered, though he knew Seabay had probably stayed in nicer places. "Heck, we even all get real beds here."

He shrugged at the thought of some 'cute girl'. He'd sort of already met one... even if she didn't seem to notice him that way yet.

He went to check on Josh again, noting when his eyes flew open. He waited a moment, until his brother seemed fully in the present before reaching for the still warm broth, sitting on the edge of the bed, and putting the cup to his brother's lips. Josh sipped a little then drew away.

"No, that's not enough," Zack argued his unspoken objection. "Not even close. Come on. Slow is okay, but you need to finish the cup." Rolling his eyes Josh seemed to sigh before forcing himself to swallow a bit more. Zack nodded, setting the cup back on the bedside table as Josh stared tiredly at the ceiling.

"I don't know--plenty of irregular girls can't handle the pressure, either, and have mental breakdowns or end up into drugs," Seabay quipped as he felt his way along the wall to the bathroom. "It's all about inner strength when you're a microbe on the microscope slide, or so my dad put it once. Who knows--maybe you'd have been good at it. Dancers are often in the limelight, too, after all."

The blind teen winced as he accidentally bumped into the lip of the doorway. Yeah, that'd leave a mark tomorrow.

"How's Josh, Zack?" he called, pausing before entering. He thought he heard Zack murmuring in the next room... and, well, they were all worried about Josh. He wanted to know before the shower's noise cut off all his perceptions outside the bathroom's walls. "Yeah, for this new era, this is luxury, I'm sure. I doubt you'll find running water, let alone hot water, in most places still."

Lia smiled at Sebastian's vote of confidence in her ability to handle pressure... and his suggestion that perhaps in some other life, they might have been compatible. Perhaps in this life they were. "Aw, you think I'm strong," she said teasingly. "Thanks!"

Her attention was curtailed by Zack's ministrations over Josh as Seabay inquired after him. "He's awake?" she asked, coming to their side of the room and sitting on the bed opposite the patient in question. She watched as he ingested a bit of broth, then laid back down.

"Say, Josh," she said quietly, "it's okay if you rest some more. I promise we'll take good care of Zack here until you feel up to moving around." She controlled her impulse to add a joking comment about not taking him to strip clubs or letting him drink any vodka, knowing that in this state, even a small negative reaction to such a jest could be catastrophic.

"Besides, I think we're all still exhausted. It might be time for all of us to get some extra rest in, too," she suggested. She hated admitting it, but even after all the rest they had gotten in the infirmary, Lia could feel that months of traveling, being in a constant state of high-alert and having poor nutrition had worn down her reserves. She had been running on fumes, and it was a wonder she hadn't simply keeled over and died. She thought it might be awhile yet before any of them were back to any real workable state.

Besides, her wounds itched and her feet stung where Kaitlyn had removed the necrotic skin.

((OOC: we wrapping up this thread?))

"He's awake," Zack answered Seabay, not willing to commit to much more than that just yet. "Save me some hot water, okay?" He wasn't sure he wanted to leave Josh without someone watching him, but he really did need a shower if he could get one.

Remembering the antibiotics Kaitlyn had left. He figured quickly when he'd last taken one, then got one for him now. "Here," he said, offering Josh the pill and the mug of broth again.

Josh frowned, but, lacking the strength to argue, swallowed it then sighed. He looked around, his hands flitting around almost frantically in his lap. He needed to be doing something. He was tired, but wasn't sure sleeping was the best idea right now. He had to DO something.

Zack sighed in relief when Lia came over and joined them. "She's right," he offered. "Just relax, okay? I'm gonna grab a shower when Seabay's done, then sleep a little more, too." He looked over at Lia. "See if you can get him to finish that while I shower? I'll hurry, I promise."

"Sure!" Seabay called to Zack.

The blind teen ventured back into the bathroom, counting paces and feeling his way around. Occasionally one could hear his counting to himself, almost like learning the tempo of a dance--only for it to be broken by the sound of a stumble or collision and a curse.

Finally, he stripped down out of his dirty clothes, and got into the warm water... His groan of relief was unmistakable. And the fresh bar of soap, the luxury of shampoo and conditioner were heavenly... Sebastian hadn't felt clean like this since the bombs fell.

When Seabay emerged from the bathroom, clean ad combed and wet, he felt like a new man. The wet towel he'd used on his body stayed draped on his shoulders to keep his soaked long hair from dripping everywhere--he didn't bother with a shirt or shoes, only shorts and barefoot. In this state, he came out to call, "Your turn, Zack!"

Still, he was pale-skinned and skinny enough that his bones showed a bit prominently... formerly in good shape before this, however. A few scars marked him well, though--one at the base of his throat above his collarbones, a couple lines criss-crossing his left arm and right ankle, more along his left hip and thigh above and below the shorts.

The blind teen brought his stuff back to his bedside, to sort out laundry into a pile and set his boots aside for cleaning in the morning...

Sebastian also drew out his gun-cleaning kit, and frowned slightly at his bed. With Marta resting on it, there wasn't much room to deal with taking his handgun apart an cleaning it, not without disturbing her... which he was loath to do. He sighed.

(OOC--Lia can suggest Josh help Seb with that, if only to keep Josh's hands busy. Right now, Seb doesn't know where Lia is, and certainly not about Josh's agitation, and won't until she speaks.)

Lia watched Sebastian curiously as he emerged from the bathroom only half-clad, his hair wet and towel draped over his shoulder. He was skinny, too skinny (who wasn't these days), and still the girl's eyes trailed there a bit longer than strictly necessary. Her attention returned to Josh as Zack asked her to feed Josh, which she obliged quickly as the younger of the brothers went for his own shower.

"Easy there," she said quietly to Josh as she offered him another spoonful of the broth. "I know I can't exactly use my sexy nurse routine on you," she said with a raised eyebrow, "but maybe you'll let me feed you this just so that Zack'll calm down?" she requested. She'd quickly learned that the way to one brother was through the other, though she would only use that knowledge for good.

Time ticked away in their quietude and Lia helped Josh with the broth as best she could, before returning to the side of the door she shared with Seabay. Again, she watched him work quietly before she finally found that her eyelids were getting heavy.

"Think I'm out for the count again," she informed them as she crawled under the blankets and into the most comfortable bed she had slept in in months. She was asleep almost immediately.

((ooc: moving threads, then. ))