(no subject)

[patientia-est.insanejournal.com]

Who: Patience (maybe Temperance can jump in)
When: early Nov 1
Where: crawling out of a cemetery
Warnings: ZOMBIE!VIRTUE


Patience finally got tired of waiting and woke up.

There was water running down his neck and he was freezing cold and mud seeped in all around him. The water was rising slowly. He had no idea what was going on outside, but if he didn't make a push for escape now, he'd drown in mud and nobody would ever find his worm-eaten corpse. He kicked upwards. It took a few attempts before he heard a crack, and he tried pushing his shoulder against the lid. The wood splintered again. It was poor quality and warped with the excessive moisture. Patience held his breath and shoved upwards, dragging the dirt in around him and shoving his hands upwards.

For once, he thanked the gods for the laziness of his burier. The mud was thin, barely a foot thick, and slick with water. He managed to get a grasp on a tuft of grass and slowly, agonisingly dragged himself upwards. He gasped as his face broke through. There had been barely any air left in the coffin. He was freezing, wet, and exhausted, and lay on the ground for a few minutes, his legs still in the grave, to pull himself together for the final escape from the grave. His joints creaked as he came up, cramping and stiff from lying down for so long. Then, with slow, painful movements, Patience pulled himself up using the gravestone for support, and started to walk away.

There were a few people on the sidewalk when he emerged from the cemetery. They stared at him. He was grey from dehydration and lack of sunlight and oxygen, covered in mud, staggering with his stiff muscles, and when he tried to speak it came out as a breathy moan, as his vocal chords were dry and unused. Someone asked if it was a delayed Halloween prank, which seemed to calm a couple of people and make the more superstitious even more afraid. Patience ignored them and kept walking, a clod of earth and a worm falling out of his trouser leg. He sneezed and a slug flew out of his nose.

He wasn't sure where he was going. He just knew he was dying for a hot bath and a long sleep in a soft bed, and that everyone on the street was giving him an extremely wide berth. When he paused to ask for directions, suddenly nobody was close enough to ask.

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[middle-path.insanejournal.com]

Temperance wasn't fond of this holiday. It, like the rest of them had become entirely commercial. Halloween especially poked at the wrong nerves for her. She was glad to see it over.

Between the flooding and the city-wide idiots traipsing around and hung over from the night before Temperance was losing her cool. She had thought for a long time that something had happened to Patience, she knew the Sins were in on it.

A figure staggered from a distance, her heart leaping a little at it's shadow. It was Patience! But as she came closer he looked awful.

"Patience?" she asked mildly, reaching out a hand to see if he could remember her.

[patientia-est.insanejournal.com]

When the hand reached in front of him Patience stopped and blinked. Then he turned is gaze to see who it was.

"Tempe," he tried to say, cracked lips mouthing the word. "Water." He staggered dizzily.

[middle-path.insanejournal.com]

"Shuuush," she waved her free hand around using the other to take hold of his. "Don't try to talk, not yet. Come with me." She softly urged him to follow her away from the street and into a nearby shop. She urgently got him a few bottles of water and other items. A jacket as well. It was cold out.

"Sit," she instructed him with a motherly tone, sliding out a chair from an outside patio of a nearby restaurant.

[patientia-est.insanejournal.com]

He'd gone beyond shivering, he was that cold. He sat down when directed, reaching for a bottle and trying to open it. His fingers wouldn't undo the lid.

"I've... been... waiting," he gasped out, flexing his fingers and trying again.

[middle-path.insanejournal.com]

Temperance settled the jacket over his shoulders. She needed to get him out of here and somewhere safe. She'd have to take him home with her, it was as simple as that.

"Slowly Patience," she took the bottle from him twisting the cap open and handing it back.

[patientia-est.insanejournal.com]

Patience took the bottle and swallowed some long gulps, then had to stop and cough as some went the wrong way in his desperation. As soon as he could get some air in his lungs again, he gulped down more water. He knew he must smell terrible, but he didn't know how to do anything about that. He rubbed a hand over his wet mouth, smearing mud across his cheek.

"How far is it to your house?" he croaked, able to talk a little better. "I need a bath."

[middle-path.insanejournal.com]

"I'm glad you asked because I wasn't going to give you an option." Once he'd had enough water she extended her hand again as if she had to lead a little child across the street. He was in such a horrible condition, she would make it better.

"Not far at all." She was glad to see him though, he didn't realize just how much. She'd been worried for weeks.

[patientia-est.insanejournal.com]

Patience nodded and let Temperance lead him to her house, ignoring the looks they got from people on the street. He was walking in a daze by the time they got there. Patience kicked off his filthy shoes at the door, then went straight to the bathroom to turn on the shower and stand directly under the warm water, clothes and all. Mud and dirt slaked off him and he started to slowly undress as the warmth started coming back into his skin.

"Could you run the bath?" he asked Temperance, nudging his sweater out of the way of the plug hole in the shower. "I just need to rinse." He wasn't really bothered if Tempe saw him naked. He was just so tired and he'd been alone for so long.

[middle-path.insanejournal.com]

Temperance took his rags for clothes and dumped them into the trash. There was no salvaging them. "Here," she pulled the sweater out between her fingers and threw it into the trash as well.

She started the bath, intent on not leaving him. "Sit," she pressed him gently into the tub into a seated position, taking the sprayer of warm water and gently letting it trickle down starting with his head. Temperance was the motherly type, she liked taking care of things, in the way she decided. Patience needed assistance, she just wanted him to relax so she could know what happened. Then whoever had caused this, she would confront them.

"Is that better?" she rubbed her hand through his hair getting all the mud, dirt, and bugs out.

[patientia-est.insanejournal.com]

Patience nodded, closing his eyes. The warmth felt heavenly and his bones felt less chilled already. He felt like he was slowly coming back to life.

After a few minutes, he rubbed a hand over his eyes and sighed, "I was buried. Because you're wondering. In a cemetery. Someone called for help down an alley, and..." He trailed off, his fingers going to the back of his head where the scabs still clung to his hair. His immortal body had healed itself, but the area still felt a little sensitive.

[middle-path.insanejournal.com]

Her fingers massaged his scalp with soap, careful though hr had no wounds to show. She calmly stated her agitation. "Then the same should be done to the one who dared hurt you." Justice would be given. "Who buried you Patience? Was it a Sin?" She had her suspicions. She would get to the bottom of this.

She lathered the soap through his hair vertigo rid of all the grime.

[patientia-est.insanejournal.com]

"I don't know. I didn't see." Patience shrugged. "A young man's voice called to me, then I was hit from behind. After that, I don't know. I woke up in the coffin. I pounded and called for a little while, but nobody came so I decided to wait." The grime was finally all coming away. He was enjoying soaking in the warm water rather more now.

[middle-path.insanejournal.com]

"I'm pretty sure the Sins were in on it. Greed was spouting off some questionable things not too long ago. I will get to the bottom of this. Don't you worry."

She took the sprayer from him, rinsing out the dirty, soapy water. He already looked more flush. "You're here now, that's what matters." She squeezed his shoulders lightly. "I'm glad you're back."

[patientia-est.insanejournal.com]

"It could have been." Patience frowned. "I was with the mortal girl he's claimed just before this happened." He exhaled and lifted his head to look at Tempe properly, giving her a small smile. "I am glad to be free of that hole in the ground. What happened while I was gone? The city is a mess."

[middle-path.insanejournal.com]

Her hands stopped, resting on his shoulders with a heavier tone in her voice. "What? Greed has a what?" No, that just wouldn't do. That wasn't possible, and that poor girl. She needed to be saved from this injustice. He would kill her.

"A hurricane swept through the city just a few days ago. There's so many lives lost, Patience. So many still that need help."