.Something's got to give, now.

[xαяку]

The flicker of a light above his head brought him back to awareness, as he licked his cracked lips and sighed, reaching up a hand to pull his glasses away and rub at his blood caked face, massaging his temples as a splitting headache wove it's way through his thoughts, making awareness nearly impossible to maintain. But he did it, and soon enough dull hazel eyes were peering between slender, blood soaked fingertips at the ceiling of the fort, his ashen face looking grim. He couldn't even remember anything besides attempting to patch up Ross, clean Evan's wounds and set the Major's hip back into place before he collapsed in the fort, numbly aware that he at least bandaged his split head, despite the blood that trailed down his temple.

Sebastian stretched and yawned, brushing russet strands from his eyes, their colour vivid with blood and darkened with brain fluids as he went about mentally checking every single ache and pain in his body. For a start he may have pulled a muscle in his arm, his shoulders and chest were littered with gashes and cuts, several opening as he stretched his arms and legs, having been curled into the corner of the worn, moth-bitten couch for god knows how long.
Breathing hurt like all hell, probably because he hit the side of the truck so hard, and his stomach and ribs ached from where he'd flung himself onto the railing. Oh and let's not forget the mild head trauma, shall we?

After several failed attempts to pull himself from the down the side of the couch, the young man finally got to his feet, shuffling over to the window to peer out across the island and to the ocean beyond. "And it's a beautiful day in Cadavernia," Sebastian murmured, listening to his voice echo around the room with a soft smile as he watched the sunrise. "Today looks to be a clear and sunny day with a mild chance of undead bastards trying to tear your throat out. Also they may be a storm later in the week." He added, before his humour was lost as he realized there wouldn't be a chance for any more zombie hunting, at least for today, anyway.

No, he had to run laps now, five of them around the island, simply because he went off and helped the new guy, Ross. Now while he wasn't nearly as open as Evan was about not liking his punishment, it didn't change the fact that he found it absolutely unfair. His lips twitched into the beginnings of a frown as he strummed his fingers over the windowsill, pressing his palms against it before sauntering back towards the couch, collapsing into it with his hands behind his back and his head lolled to the side, grimacing in discomfort as his scratches tore again. Well, good thing he was the medic, then, otherwise he'd be royally screwed. This morning he needed to get some more bandages, clean Ross's old ones (considering a lack of bandage production nowadays) and maybe get some for himself, depending if there was any more complaint from his own cuts. Oh and then he had to do his punishment, which Evan would no doubt take great enjoyment out of, the bastard.

Sebastian, at the thought of the older man, honestly couldn't help but grimace at what he'd say if he found him still sitting out here. The least he could do was be thankful, but of course he wasn't even sure that he knew the word, let alone put it into practice. And no matter how much work he did, he probably wouldn't get out of the Major's punishment, either.
Well at least Ross wouldn't judge him, right? The new guy wouldn't dislike him just because the others did?

For some reason he felt really insecure about that, and slumped back in his chair with a resigned sigh.

[psychromaniac]

"morning, son."

Major called out to Sebastian from behind the door too the rec room. Normally, the medic would be placed in the medical ward, with all the other patients. But Sebastian's diligence to keep treating Ross and Evan eventually exhausted him to the point where he collapsed. None of the three were capable of moving the medic, considering their injuries, so they laid him on the couch of the Fort's rec room.

Currently, Major was just outside the room, propping himself against the wall with his good leg as he took a drag from his cigarette. His leg was in an imobilizer to keep his hip from moving too much, but in turn prevented any movement from his functional leg. In conclusion, the two legs had been held together to make one, temporary leg while his hip healed. It was quite uncomfortable, but Major had gone through worse. The exhaustion from dashing around had also worn him down, but that wasn't as bad as his hip.

"You did fine work out there boy. The other docs said he wouldn't have made it if you weren't there." The officer was, of course, referring to Ross, who was currently in one of the medical beds down in the infirmary. Normally, Major would have gotten the bed, due to his higher rank, experience, and from just being the leader of the damn operation. But Ross was in a much worse state than he, so he surrendered the bed to him. After all, It wasn't as bad as that time Major had to crawl his way up a river for three months with a broken leg.

The mission had been declared as a successful disaster, in which one of the worst outcomes had occurred and the team responded in a way where they had all survived. In terms of the scavenged goods they were supposed to find, Ross more than made up for the preferred amount of goods they were supposed to secure. An extra hand around the Fort is worth more than a gas-stations-worth of fuel.

"Evan's down in the mess hall getting breakfast. I've asked a friend of mine to keep an eye on him to make sure he stays afterward to clean up." Clanking echoed through the hall as he made his awkward walk towards the mess hall before he stopped himself short. He turned back around and stood in front of the door again. "Oh. And you should get to work on those kids in the infirmary. I heard than an epidemic of the common-cold often passes through them this time of year, and usually lasts about a week."

Major continued to walk down the hall, wondering if the Medic had understood his replacement punishment.

[Indeh]

Ross looked up, somewhat dazed by the dim light hanging over his head. He hadn't seen artificial light in months, seeing as most of the power was knocked out where he stayed, and he had long since lost his flashlight. It was somewhat facinating. It sort of made it feel like, for just that moment, that everything was normal. But it wasn't.

He wandered along the hallway, his steps staggered from the injuries still yet to heal properly. He couldn't deny it still hurt like a bitch, even after it was attended to, but at least he felt safe. He was somewhere with walls and people, people much like himself who had all lost something, but came together as something of a family. It was a little odd; he hadn't even spoken to anyone but himself for months before being found, and suddenly he was surrounded by the chattering bustle of people, with guns. He had come to realize after a great amount of observation that everyone here had a job to do. With a sigh, he began to wonder over what sort of job he'd be assigned. He wasn't exactly sure that he could go back out there to fight zombies, not after that.

He winced slightly as he accidentally bumped into the wall, causing a stab of pain to rocket up his abdomen and into his ribcage. The good news was that most of his wounds had ceased to bleed, the flow of liquid safely dammed by the layering of bandages applied by Sebastian only a few hours earlier, along with a set of stitches. Truth be told, he was told not to move around at all, but his natural curiousity sent him travelling the halls of the main facility. He'd even had to sneak out of the medical ward, which he considered to be a very ninja feat in itself. Besides, other people needed that extra bed too, he was simply taking up space.

...Maybe that'd be part of his job, sneaking around like a ninja.

Ross turned the corner, wobbling slightly before steadying himself with one hand on the wall. As he passed a room, he recognized a familiar mop of russet hair. He paused, standing in front of the door.

"Hey, S'bastian," he said softly, pleased he had managed to retain the name of the younger man. He turned, watching Major as he began making his way down the hall. "Hullo, Major," he added, only catching small bits of their conversation. He paused, looking up at the Medic with a shy smile on his face. "T-thanks, for fix'n me up before..." he trailed off, leaning against the doorframe like Major had been doing. He looked at his feet awkwardly, unsure how to go on with the conversation. "I reckon I kinda' owe my life to you, and the others too," he exhaled, rubbing his eye with the back of his hand. "I coulda been..." he trailed off, a frown touching his lips as he was reminded his two sisters once more. He hadn't seen either of their remains littering the streets, so there was no evidence to tell him they weren't still alive. Hell, they were smarter than him! Maybe they were in the Fort at this very moment. But then he also could have seen them, but simply blocked out the memory because it hurt too much. He wasn't exactly sure, the time he had spent wandering on his own was practically a blur, he couldn't remember a single thing, save for... unicorns, of course.

[xαяку]

"morning, son."

"A-ah, Major! Morning!" He responded, jumping from his seat and standing with his shoulders tensed, blinking behind his lenses in surprise. Sebastian couldn't help but feel ashamed and embarrassed for dropping like he had last night, even if he'd simply reached his limits. He'd caused an inconvenience, that was for sure. He opened his mouth to speak, to apologize for sleeping on the job as it was, but the older man beat him to it;

"You did fine work out there boy. The other docs said he wouldn't have made it if you weren't there."

The man was stunned, really, surprised that he'd managed to do such a remarkable job. He hadn't even been there a week, and already he had done something they approved of? He couldn't help the smile that played with his lips, nodding to Major with a feeling of mixed relief and anxiety over what might have happened if he didn't make it there sooner. His skin crawled at the idea that Ross wouldn't be there at all, and he felt rather sick to his stomach, visibly wincing at the thought. Sebastian peered up again as he mentioned Evan, trying to fight the grimace off his face and keep himself from rolling his eyes. Well, at least someone was keeping an eye on him. The, as Major mentioned the kids in infirmary, his looked pleasantly surprised once more, unable to speak until the officer had passed him and continued down the hall, raising a hand and calling after him. "Ah, t-hankyou, Sir! I'll get to work!" Then he let his hand drop, peering back to the window as his smile faded and his fists clenched on the sill, sighing through his teeth and shaking his head. Sure, he'd done a good job, the Major was proud of him, Ross was alive, but...he couldn't help but feel empty.

Would you be proud of me, Sam...?

Sebastian jumped as he heard a thump and a shuffle a little ways away, turning sharply to find himself staring at Ross, who had obviously sneaked out of bed in search of some sort of entertainment. Now, while he didn't blame him, he certainly didn't want him reversing all the work he'd done. So, when he greeted him, Sebastian grinned softly with his arms crossed over his chest, strumming his fingers on his arms. "And what do you think you're doing, mate?" He asked, his words lacking any sort of aggression and seeming only tired as he turned and walked over to him, his eyes glancing back and forth over Ross to make sure he wasn't doing too much damage to himself. When the older boy thanked him, Sebastian smiled and nodded back, not really used to the sudden thanks. Like him he'd been stuck on his own for months, talking to himself and having no one else for company. So to finally find himself part of a group, one that appreciated him, it was certainly...interesting.

"I reckon I kinda' owe my life to you, and the others too, I coulda been..."

The man's face fell as Ross's did in turn, a hand reaching out to gently rest on his shoulder. "We're doing everything we can for those two girls you're looking for...we'll find them, okay? They're...your sisters, aren't they?" Sebastian felt bad for prying, but still, he couldn't help but ask, knowing exactly how he might feel when it came to losing family.

[Indeh]

"Jus' adventurin' s'all," he answered matter-of-factly. "I'm fine, 'sides, they need more beds and I was just takin' up space," he continued, casting a glance down the hallway. "That elderly fellow, Major... They said he gave up that bed for me, he's an alright guy," Ross grinned, a playful twinkle in his eyes.

He smiled softly, a slight redness touching his cheeks. "I-I know, I should be back in that there in-fur-mah-ry, but..." he trailed off, looking rather determined. "There was adventurin' to be had! Duty calls, n' whatnot," he chuckled, entertained by his own thoughts. He paused, before his smile faded.

Soon his thoughts slipped back to a state of numbness, one glance into his mind giving him a sort of inward shock. It was like his whole being went rigid when he thought of those two girls, the ones so constantly plagueing his dreams before dissapearing without a word. He was sure he'd go insane with worry, though the worry had fallen into something of hopelessness as of a month ago.

The blonde-haired boy looked up at Sebastian, offering him a fractured yet genuine smile as he felt a hand touch his semi-numbed shoulder. "Yeah, thanks," he whispered, not realizing his voice had dropped so quickly. He paused, feeling as though the air had slowed its circulation around his lungs. "Y-yeah they're twins... They were with me before..." he visibly winced, the question striking a chord and easily reminding him of what their last moments had been like together. They had been running, both of them at his side as a snarling hoard rushed after them at their heels. He had made them run ahead, telling them he'd distract them into following him in the other direction before running them off and meeting up after at the old hotel building. The zombies had piled after him, following him down the alleyway, where they'd eventually caught up and given him a fair beating before he'd managed to escape. And that was the last time he'd seen their faces, as they ran off, looking over their shoulders with worried expressions.

He had to steady himself on the wall as his thoughts clouded into nothingness. "I miss 'em. I shouldn't'a left 'em alone," he muttered in a sudden bout of hysteria, fingernails agitatedly scratching at his forearms. "Everyone, they were all... gone," his voice grew soft again, referring to the twelve others that been apart of their small band of survivors. They had been so sure they could get through everything, so sure they could find sanctuary somewhere. And now it was just him, and he began to think of how many of those people deserved this more than he did. They were all kind, good people, he could remember every single one of their faces, he'd memorized every smile, every voice, every name. They had families, too, hell, they had all been family. And to think they could have been rescued a few months later. If only they could have lasted just a little longer. If they, no, if he had done a better job of watching for danger, they probably all would have been fine, and he would be here with fourteen other people.

[xαяку]

Seb couldn't help but chuckle as Ross mentioned exploring, rolling his eyes and shaking his head with a soft smile. It wasn't like he could force him to go back, of course, but he wasn't about to do any exploring without someone to keep an eye on him for a while. Just to keep an eye on his injuries, that's all. Which reminded him - He still hadn't patched himself up. He was brought back to the conversation at hand as Ross himself mentioned going back to the Infirmary.

"There was adventurin' to be had! Duty calls, n' whatnot"

"Duty or not, Ross," Sebastian responded quietly, a concerned edge to his tone as his grin widened. "All my work will be wasted if you wander around too much. Now I don't mind you wandering around, of course, just...don't do anything stupid, okay?" He added as his smile finally broke, the conversation returning to Ross's sisters. Seb grimaced, his expression pained as the other man winced, growing panicked. "I-I'm sorry Ross, I didn't mean to.."

"I miss 'em. I shouldn't'a left 'em alone,"

The words struck him like a dull knife to the chest, Sebastian blinking as if he'd just been hit as he turned to look at Ross again. His grip on his shoulder slackened as he let his hand fall, taking a step back and looking around before he leaned in again, his voice low and resigned. "I'm sorry," He breathed, his glassy gaze distant as he peered at the sun from the corner of his eye. "I know, though, how you feel..."

The smaller man pulled his glasses from his face, cleaning them on his shirt as he spoke, his shoulders hunched and head lowered as he recalled what had happened to him. "I've only been here at the fort for the past few days, Ross. It was Major and Evan who found me, pretty much like we found you. But, unlike you, I wouldn't fight them...the zombies I mean, I just...couldn't." Seb shuddered at the memory, pinned to a wall by seven stalkers, having chased him into a corner as they prepared to tear him limb from limb. That was when the Major and Evan had come into his life, taking them out with an ease he never thought possible. They were so...mortal, and yet they took them out like they were nothing.

"I'd come here with my older brother, Sam, celebrating after getting my doctor's degree back home in the Australian part of the world." Visions of a taller man with short, red hair and dark olive eyes flickered to his eyes, which he realized were closed as he scrunched them tighter in pain. A vision of standing in the street with Sam, listening to him as he told him to go and check on the people in the house next door, turning back to find him being bitten by the woman in his arms. "H-he was bitten by one of the infected, we didn't really know what they were then."

Collapsing on the couch beside them, Sebastian shook his head once more, his expression distant and agonized. "We hid, then, from the other infected and I tried to...to fix him. To heal him, make him better..but.." His head fell to his hands and he sighed shakily, his shoulders sagging in defeat. "Later that night...I-I thought he died..b-but.."

Another image, one of a dark room as he rolled over to the sound of hissing, sputtering breaths, shaky groans at his ear. He'd been asleep on the other side of the room, having simply fallen into a pit of self loathing and depression when Sam stopped breathing. Sebastian remembered getting up, calling out to his brother, before he saw him in the corner, crumpled over on himself and taking hissing gasps for air. It was a miracle, really, and Sebastian moved to his side to ask him if he was okay.

Seb jumped as an image of his brother turning and lunging towards him evaporated, giving Ross an apologetic smile as he turned to look at his hands once more. "He wasn't..dead..Sam got infected and..." A hand reached up to his cheek, unsurprised to feel the tracks of saltwater that rolled on down his chin, his lip curling into a look of torment and hurt as he peered down at the table, at the crowbar that lay there feigning innocence. "...I had to get rid of him. My own brother, Sam. My Mum'd never speak to me again if she were alive." He added quietly, body trembling as he pulled himself back to his feet, picking up the crowbar along with the small first aid kit he had left with him. "A-anyway, I should look over your bandages, shouldn't I?" Seb choked, smiling a cracked and broken smile as he tried to look past his tears at Ross, as if in an attempt to move on.

[Indeh]

"Yessir," he smirked, saluting the younger man. "I promise not to go'n break myself, a'right?" Ross affirmed, beginning to fiddle mindlessly with a bit of loose bandaging on his arm."S'not like there's much I can do anyway, 'cept jump off of stuff, I guess," at this, he frowned slightly, as if actually concerned he would not be able to control himself if confronted with something to leap off of.

His heart gave a twist as images of his family floated through his mind once more, shattering his cheerful moment bluntly. He looked up at Sebastian desperately, noting he had quickly apologized, looking fretful. "N-no, it's...s'alright," he murmured stiffly, pulling away slightly as he fought the tears springing around the corners of his eyes.

He felt as if his heart had broken as he listened to Sebastian quietly explain his own story. He almost felt some gratitude that it had never had to come to that, that he never had to end the life of someone close to him. He hung his head, a flurry of images coursing through his mind as he thought about Sebastian's brother. "I'm sorry too," he breathed, biting his lip. "I'm real... sorry, 'bout your brother, he sounded like a real good guy..." he began to find it difficult to speak, like his airways had closed on him. "You're real brave, y'know," he finally said, after a long moment of painful silence.

And then Sebastian quickly changed the subject, after another prolonged silence between the pair. He simply gave a shaky nod, still inwardly broken up over how fondly the Medic seemed to speak of his brother. It struck him that they must have been the close sort of brothers, the kind that was hard to come by.

Shakily sidling over to the moth-bitten couch, he let himself gently fall onto the less-than comfortable cushions.

"You don't look so good yourself... I think you're the one who needs someone lookin' after you," he offered a nervous smile, showing his bandaged arm to the Medic to examine. The cloth had held surprisingly well, managing to hold the blood in his arm, where it belonged. As for his chest, well, his "adventuring" had opened a few small cuts that had been stitched. The southerner paused with a fretful look, turning back to the russet-haired boy with a frown.

"Why'd this have to happen, S'bastian?" he asked softly, in a manner that mirrored a child with too much innocence to comprehend the world. "Everything was fine...'was simple," he trailed off, mind wandering to happy memories that beckoned to him, causing a sense of reminiscence. "I'm from Loo-ee-siana. I always told myself that I'd do anythin' to get out of that right awful town, but I think I'd take shit from that angry old coot down the road 'nstead of this any-day," he rambled, scenes of blissful countryside rolling through his mind like tumbleweeds. Ross turned his attention back to the medic, smiling lightly. "What's Aw'stray'liuh like? I hear they got... Ah... Kangaroos n' Koh'alas n' stuff," he mused, his cheerful mood swiftly returning to him. "If I ever see that son-ova-gun old man I used'ta work for again, I'mma be bashin' his head in," he laughed, his playful humour wrapping around what would usually be rather serious and not quite acceptable to joke about.

As it was, being out in the post-apocalyptic world made one develop something of a sick sense of humour. Zombie humour.

[xαяку]

Sebastian seemed to ignore his comment about breaking himself, seeming to occupied by his own thoughts, his initial smile lost in his misery. He'd never told anyone what had happened before, not really planning to tell the Major or Evan was quite some time. But he felt as if Ross were trustworthy enough, considering he was missing his siblings as well.

"I'm real... sorry, 'bout your brother, he sounded like a real good guy..."

"He was," Sebastian responded quietly, closing his eyes and sighing softly. "He was a cop, and one of the nicest guys you could ever meet." He added as he leaned down and began to sort out new bandages, upon finding a roll his fist clenching until his knuckles went white. "...And I killed him. Honestly, I really didn't think I could trust myself with someone's life again, not since failing him." The man breathed out, his golden eyes turning to look up at Ross with a sort of grateful, saddened expression. "Then of course you came along and got me back up and running, now didn't you?"

"You're real brave, y'know,"

Sebastian couldn't help the look of surprise on his face, taken aback by his comment. Him, brave? Was that even possible? It wasn't like he prided himself on it or anything, but Seb was damn sure he was scared of pretty much everything that wasn't the people of the fort, and even they frightened him a little. There was silence then, as he went about unwrapping the bandages of Ross's arm and replacing them with new ones, his eyes set on his task and his expression unreadable.

"You don't look so good yourself... I think you're the one who needs someone lookin' after you"

Sebastian looked up then, smiling and shaking his head. "I've got too much work to do to be lying around, being a medic and all. I'll just replace my bandages later, I'll be fine." He whispered dismissively, brushing his hair out of his eyes and turning to look at Ross's chest. "And you've torn a couple of cuts open by the looks of things." The man sighed softly, before grinning. "...I won't tell anyone you're out of bed if you don't." He said finally, his words followed by silence once more.

"Why'd this have to happen, S'bastian?"
The Australian man sighed and bowed his head, reaching up to rub a palm against his temple as he listened, shrugging his shoulders with the air of someone who'd just given up on the world. "I honestly don't know, Ross.." Speaking in hushed tones as he went on to explain where he came from, and to reminisce life before the fort. However, it was when Ross turned and spoke directly to him that he looked up, grinning as he was asked about his home country. "It's...different. Hot, most of it's desert. It got pretty cold where I lived, though. And yes, we have Koalas and Kangaroos. Wombats and Platypus and heaps of other weird things too, it's pretty interesting." He murmured, his smiling brightening still as he caught on to Ross's cheerful mood, laughing when he mentioned the man he used to work for. "Hope he doesn't try to bite you first, Ross, otherwise I'll be patching you up again."

[Indeh]

Ross was about to continue, but wisely decided to end the conversation there, as going on would probably just end up causing both of them more damage than they could afford to take. They couldn't afford to break up, they couldn't afford tearing at the seams now. He'd be damned if he didn't make sure Sebastian stayed happy. In fact, he'd make it his official job. He already considered the red-haired boy a friend of his, especially after their momentary heart-to-heart. He was honestly a little surprised to be entrusted with the information as it was, so he'd do the best he could to be a good friend.

Sebastian had begun attending to his wounds by now, causing Ross to blink out of his brief zone-out. He shrugged slightly, a slight wince touching his lips as the bandages brushed over the cut. "Well, just don't go n' wear yourself out too much, a'right? We need you 'round for a little more," he grinned in a playful manner, brushing a few strands of sandy hair across his brow.

"An adventurer's work ain't never done, sometimes you gotta take a few cuts and bruises," he explained, gingerly touching a particularly painful cut across his chest. He looked up at the younger boy, an intrigued look taking over his previously concentrated expression.

"We don't got anythin' interesting like that back in the south," he intoned thoughtfully, unable to think of any unusual animal worth mentioning. Ross frowned, still trying to put the image together of how Australia might look. Deserts, he knew of; he'd been stranded in one for weeks before finding a city to hide in. Did Australia have cactuses?

He paused, eyes widening as he leaned over, as if he was about to pass on a very important secret. "Do Australi'uns really wrestle crocs?" He whispered, dead serious with his question. "'Cos I saw it on TV this one time, with this guy with an accent kinda like your's, and he was like 'CRIKEY MATE' and then he started messin' with them croc'diles," Ross went on, making hand gestures in order to emphasize. He looked back at Sebastian innocently, very much believing he had made a legitament prediction about Australians. If they were fighting crocodiles, who knew what other exciting shit went down over there? He almost wished he had been able to visit it, that is, before the world went and ended.

"Well, if I'm in this here zombie-bashin' business, I figure I'mma need a whole lot of medical attention," Ross replied, nodding knowingly. Suddenly, the idea of killing zombies appeared much more appealing, as it seemed like something of a game. If it was a game, it wasn't so scary, it was like an adventure, like in those action movies.

[xαяку]

"Well, just don't go n' wear yourself out too much, a'right? We need you 'round for a little more,"

"Underst-stood," Seb responded, quickly raising his hand to his mouth as he yawned mid-word, letting it drop and giving Ross another weak smile as he finally leaned back, tossing the bloodied bandages into another pocket of his bag before turning to look over at Ross once more. As he mentioned being an adventurer, Sebastian couldn't help but look skeptical, fighting to keep the smile on his face so it didn't become something more negative. How the man could stay so positive in this situation he had no idea, not that he was about to complain - anything to brighten to the mood around here.

He sat down beside him with an exhausted grunt, allowing his bag to fall beside him with a soft thump as he looked back at him, rubbing a thumb over a particularly bad smudge on his lenses as the conversation turned to Australia again. "I'm sure there's heaps of interesting things in Louisiana, Ross, considering I haven't seen heaps of American animals...in fact," Seb paused, raising a finger as if making a point as he declared, almost with pride in his tone; "I've never seen a squirrel before!"
Of course, then he noticed Ross was off in his own little world again, and his shoulders slumped, as if he gave up on trying to converse with him if it weren't seconds after he spoke.

Oh, but there he was again, leaning in to whisper in his ear. And what he said made him reel backwards, scoffing and laughing as a palm smacked across his face and rendered him blind, fighting down his laughter until he could speak again. "Yes, Ross, I've wrestled crocs since I was a kid, starting with one hiding in the bathroom at my family's home when I was six." He replied, his voice dripping with good humour and sarcasm as he mentioned the man on the TV, snorting and shaking his head. "That'd be Steve. Steve Irwin, we called him The Crocodile Hunter. He owned a Zoo up in North East Queensland, at...the Glasshouse mountains, I believe. Anyway, he died." The man balled his hand into a fist, motion to his heart like someone stabbing. "Stingray barb through the chest, freak accident too. Shame, really."

"Well, if I'm in this here zombie-bashin' business, I figure I'mma need a whole lot of medical attention,"

Another quick topic change, and still Sebastian didn't give way to his doubts and misery as he smirked, nodding thoughtfully. "Well then I'll be here to patch you up, promise." The man murmured, before holding out a hand for him to shake, as if fully intent to make a binding promise to the older American. The look on Ross's face made him think of someone playing a game, which he had quite a knowledge on for that matter, and he couldn't help but roll his eyes and continue to beam at him. "But don't think about it as a game - yes, I can see that look on your face - because you'll end up dead or worse, you hear me?"

[Indeh]

"Wha- you ain't never seen a squirrel?" He asked, awestruck. "They ain't much to look at anyway. One time mah great aunt Tess got one in 'er hair, don't ask how it happened, but she was wailin', so we had to tell 'er to stop-drop-n'-roll. Anyway, it turned out an acorn 'ad fallen in 'er hair when she was walkin'," he explained, entertaining himself with the thought of his aunt running back and forth with a rodent on her head; he'd never much liked her anyway. She was the sort of aunt that gave slobbery kisses and made awful fruit cake. Oh, and gave you bad cat-covered sweaters for Christmas.

"An' this one time, there was a squirrel in th'house and my ma ended up shootin' ten holes in the ceilin' before she figured out it wasn't there no more," at this he chuckled, though his eyes appeared somewhat saddened upon thinking about his mother. But his mood quickly changed again, as it always did when crocodiles jumped back into the conversation. That was the beauty with him, he was so easily sidetracked that he was barely ever upset for too long.

His mouth was gaping in awe at this point as Sebastian discussed crocodiles. He seemed to disregard the fact that the russet-haired boy was laughing as he continued, too intrigued by the very idea of a young Sebastian meeting a reptile in his bathroom. "D'they... crawl out the toilets n' stuff?," he asked in a hushed voice. He'd seen a movie about that one time, and the idea of crocodiles in a sewage system seemed like a highly plausible assumption in his mind. His fingers ran through his hair absent mindedly, and returned dappled with blood. The southerner grimaced, but ignored it, knowing it was an old injury that would heal up eventually.

As Sebastian went on to talk about Steve Irwin, he only gave a short nod. "Yeah! Thassit, the Crocodile Hunter!" He exclaimed. "I didn' know he died..." Ross murmured, frowning. He leaned back, looking perplexed. "That's ironic," he commented.

Ross nodded in approval shaking the other man's hand swiftly. "Good thing, too, 'cos you're one fine doctor," he said, grinning. As the medic began to reel out a short lecture, he simply laughed. "I'm pretty invincible, I reckon. I mean, I didn't die now, when I was all hacked up n' everything. Zombies don't got shit on me," he answered, letting his fingers draw lines across the sofa arm. He looked up with a determined expression, very much believing in his own immortality. All he had to worry about was getting bitten--which he wouldn't be doing. All he needed was a crowbar and he was set to go bash some skulls in. What was the worst that could happen?

[xαяку]

Sebastian sat and listened to Ross's stories in entertained awe, smiling at the story of Aunt Tess and shuddering at the story about his mother, the idea of someone blasting apart their roof just for an animal pretty much unheard of for the Australian medic. Of course then he was smiling again as Ross gaped at him in awe, hoping that the older boy didn't actually take him seriously. The idea of himself as a kid wandering around wrestling crocodiles was a humorous image in itself, made doubly so by the fact that Ross seemed to actually believe him, as if he were actually imagining the same thing.

"D'they... crawl out the toilets n' stuff?"

"O-Oh, of course they do! That's how my friend's cousin went. He went to the bathroom and got eaten by a croc." Sebastian nodded knowingly, rubbing his chin and grinning back at Ross. "They come out at night and eat people, pretty much like the Zombies do. That's why I fight zombies as well as play doctor, because I have the experience." The man chuckled, still extremely sarcastic with his words and all the while worrying that Ross may take his words to heart.

However the conversation turned once more, this time to Steve Irwin, and all Sebastian offered in response was a faint nod, the two falling into a saddened silence, which was swiftly broken as Ross shook his hand. Rather roughly, too, and Seb couldn't help but smile and laugh at his comment about being a good doctor. Being actually praised for his work was still totally new to him, so it felt good for someone to call him a good doctor rather than the bad medic certain people made him out to be.

"I'm pretty invincible, I reckon. I mean, I didn't die now, when I was all hacked up n' everything. Zombies don't got shit on me,"

Sebastian looked back at him, his smile fading and eyes narrowing as he shook his head, allowing him to stand again and brush his hands on his shirt. "That's stupid talk, Ross. If you keep thinking that you really are going to end up dead. We're not superhuman, and those Zombies can and will kill us." He whispered, leaning down only to pick up his bag and peer back and forth as he walked around the couch. "I'd better get to work on those kids in the Infirmary. Evan's in the mess hall if you want to see him. I'll...talk to you later." Seb responded finally, his shoulders bent and head lowered as he stepped to the door, sighing softly.