paradisalogs | Lay me down on a bed of roses

Entry tags:

!intro,
ben paul

Lay me down on a bed of roses

Who: Ben and YOU!
What: Arriving in Paradisa
When: 28th
Where: Lobby
Rating: PG13 kid has a mouth. Here be your spoiler warning for the game.

[Ben had never really thought much about how fast it takes for a bullet to do its work. Not until he needed it to, anyway. He'd heard the shot, but after that, nothing. It went fast, really fast. There was a vague feeling of gratitude as Kenny pulled the trigger, giving him a mercy he knew he didn't deserve from the man. He'd surrendered to the blackness willingly, no longer a burden to the ever smaller mish-mash of humanity that was their group.

The blackness doesn't last, and that's when he appears on the floor of the lobby of Paradisa, his letterman jacket covered in blood. His blood. Walker's blood. It's a mix, really. He takes in a panicked gasp, scrabbling at the floor and looking around in sheer panic. The alleyway is gone. The walkers are gone. So are Kenny and Lee. ...The pain too.

He glances down at his stomach, the metal that had been sticking out there, a final, horrible promise that he wasn't getting out of that alley is missing. His hand automatically goes to his head, his hair matted with blood (definitely all his own this time) but no hole. Did Kenny miss? He couldn't have. He brings his hand back down to stare at the blood for a moment, before turning to glance around him again, looking for any signs of life.

He's definitely not in Georgia any more]

What the fuck is going on?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Clem appreciates honesty. This may work out for you yet, Ben.]

I'm fine. This isn't where he took me... it's not Georgia. It's Paradisa. Magic brought us here.

[Most importantly...]

Walkers aren't here. Not even one.

[Nooo he needs to be able to lie it's like the one thing he's vaguely good at damnit]

Magic.

[He says that word carefully, rubbing his forehead and smearing blood on it in the process. He wants to believe her, and she has no need to not tell him the truth. But...]

That sounds super weird, Clem. [But hey good news] You're sure there aren't any walkers here?

[She nods. Magic! Duh, Ben. But maybe she can explain that later, once he's clean. He smells.]

Super sure. It's safe.

[Kinda.]

You can walk, right?

I didn't think anywhere was safe any more.

[He'll nod, the pain in his stomach has gone, it's all gone and it's weird and worrying. But it at least means he can MOVE]

Yeah. I'm pretty sure I can.

Everyone gets a room here, with beds and showers. [She's excited about that, even still, but keeps it down for Ben's sake. She points.]

There's a kitchen, too. It's never empty. It has everything.

[She's not sure if he wants a bath or a giant hamburger first, so she'll let Ben decide.]

Sounds like a paradise. [But so did the farm. And the RV. And the boat. Paradise is something that consistently falls through for them.

Still, he IS hungry. He hasn't eaten since Chuck gave them that candy, and that feels like a lifetime ago]

And the food's...safe? [Anyone passing might assume he means it's not gone rotten, but that is NOT what he's getting at, not even a little. Gotta watch your meat nowadays, too]

It's Paradisa. So, yeah. [It does sound like paradise.

... and Ben, pls. Clementine's small smile is wiped off her face completely--thanks for reminding her of that--before she shakes her head.]

It's fine. Lee and I eat it all the time.

[He winces a little as her smile fades. Good going, genius]

...I am pretty hungry.

[But hey, this is good information] Lee's here?

[At least talking about Lee gets her smiling again.]

He is. We can get him after we go to the kitchen.

[Here, Ben, she'll even take your hand to lead you.]

[Lee is a good subject matter to get her smiles going again. He'll let her take his hand and lead him off with no grumbling. She clearly knows her way around this place, and he gave up on holding onto any remnants of teenage dignity a while ago.

As they go, he'll cast her a concerned look]

Have you been okay? We've all been real worried about you.

I've been fine. [Maybe better than fine, compared to at home. She looks at Ben, frowning.]

I'm sorry.

[She shouldn't have listened to the man on the walkie. Whatever happened to everyone, to Lee... it happened because she lied.]

[His mouth twitches in an attempt of a smile]

Hey, it's okay. I'm the last person to judge anyone for doing something they probably shouldn't. So long as you're okay, that's what's important.

[That's what they all wanted]

[He's got a point, but Clem squeezes his hand tightly as they head into the kitchen.]

Lee was by himself when he got me.

[That can't be right] But Christa and Omid were still with him.

[Unless something happened to them, too. Shit. He casts her a sad little glance]

We all went with him, y'know? We all wanted to get you back.

I miss them. Maybe they'll come here too, if you and Lee did.

[Dead people can come back here, they said. And in a good way.]

I'm glad you're here.

[Lee could use a friend, even if it's... Ben.]

Maybe. If this place is as safe as you say it is, they'd probably welcome it.

[As awkward as this new found safety feels. It'll probably take him a while to settle, if he can at all. It's such a shift in emotional states. He arches an eyebrow at her comment]

Really? [He's pretty certain she's the only person in he group who ever actually wanted him around, but even hearing her say it makes him a little incredulous. There are far more able people to want to have around, after all]

[She leads him to a table, where they can sit.]

Really really.

[He'll sit his lanky self down, taking in the room around him, making note of all the escape routes even if he doesn't need to. That habit is going to be hard as hell to break. Still, her answer does manage to get a small smile out of him]

...Thanks, Clem. That means a lot.

[He'll never understand exactly what he did to earn her faith in him. He's not exactly been best buddy of the year to her]

[She kicks her feet a little. They don't quite reach the floor.]

What do you want to eat?

Right now? I think I could eat a whole McDonalds out of business. What sort of food do they have here?

Everything. I haven't asked for McDonalds, though.

And here's me thinking they were everywhere.

[He casts a look to the fridge]

Looks kinda small to hold 'everything', Clementine. [Okay he's being pedantic, but come on Clem, nowhere does everything]

It does! It'll have whatever you want. Or the ghosts that are here will give it to you.

Ooookaaay.

[He'll get up to check out that fridge...huh. That sure is a lot of food. He considers for a moment, before pulling out an armful of everything closest to him, heading back to the table with his bounty. If anyone's going to miss it, it's just too bad.

He slides a packets of cheese and crackers across to Clem before digging in, taking a few delicious mouthfuls of food (oh dear god he missed FOOD) before fully processing what she'd said]

Ghosts? As in...see throat floating ghosts?

[... really, Ben? That's like hotel food, and Clem isn't fond of it anymore. Still, she takes it, watching him carefully.]

I ate too much when I got here. I got sick. [Because so much real food after so long without does not make a body happy.]

Mmhmm. Like that, but they're nice. They do the cleaning and bring us stuff.

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