She shrugged, writing again. 'Without the flow of blood, all zombies would be paralyzed. I'm not sure how others' blood flows, but my heart beats weakly.' She wrote, rubbing her wrist where he had touched it. 'Do you have a fever, or is my skin just really cold?' she also wrote, nudging the paper over. She had noticed that where he had touched, there was a slight red mark, standing out against her pale, greenish skin. She showed him her wrist, worried.
Corbin shook his head in reply to Zelda’s writing. “Sure they have blood flow, but they never have a pronounced heartbeat. Not one that you could feel when taking a pulse, not one that steady,” he explained. He then took a look at Zelda’s wrist, a frown on his lips. “I don’t have a fever. Your skin is just cold. You’re closer to a corpse than anything else. Since your heart is beating and the blood is flowing better, you may get warmer…”
"Hm.." She said, looking at her wrist. she took the paper again. 'Maybe you shouldn't touch me without a double layer of gloves… just in case? Cause this hurts…' she wrote, glaring at her wrist. She tried holding it to her head, but it didn't help much. 'Do you have any ice?' She wrote as well, before sliding the paper back over.
“I agree,” Corbin replied with a nod of his head. He stood up, heading over to the kitchen. He took an ice pack out of the freezer before walking back over to Zelda. He set it in front of her, not wanting to risk touching and possibly hurting her more. “You should get some rest,” he said, standing over her at that point. A puzzled frown came onto his lips. That was yet another question to be asked and answered. “Do you even need to sleep?”
She thought about it, holding the ice to her wrist. then she shrugged, not knowing at all. "Maybe?" She said. "Seepy" She said, however, rubbing her eyes. "Res" (rest). She agreed, lying down on the couch without disturbing Orion. "I res here." She said, perfectly comfortable where she was.
Corbin didn’t know that zombies could be tired and need sleep, but that was probably yet another thing that was different about Zelda. He added that to his mental checklist. He called Orion to him, the dog jumping off the couch and going into a heel at his side. “That’s alright. He has to come with me, sorry,” he said. “I’ll be down the hall, first door on your left. Bathroom is the first door on the right, if you even need that.”
She nodded, huddling in on herself and retracting into the tattered clothes she was wearing. She didn't know either, it kinda seemed like her body used all of what she ate. But she might, so she made sure she could see the door, and could tell where it was. Then she waved goodnight to the other two, and closed her eyes. She didn't ever really fall asleep, but she was resting, and she could tell she needed it, although it was very boring, just laying there.
Corbin went to his bedroom, shutting the door. He clicked the lock on it, just in case. He slipped out of the clothes he wore, changing to wear a pair of boxers and sweatpants. He didn’t tend to wear much else when he slept, as he grew hot very easily. Orion hopped up into the bed, laying at the end of it. Corbin got into bed next, settling down with a sigh. It felt good to properly lay down and rest his hurting leg. He should have grabbed an ice pack for himself.
Corbin didn’t sleep much either, but for a completely different reason. He spent most of the night tossing and turning due to anxiety about the current situation he found himself in with Zelda. He had no idea what his plan of action would be, but he knew he not going to let Zelda leave the next day. She could be the key to something. What exactly that was, he wasn’t sure of.
In the morning, Zelda's leg felt a lot better, so she knocked lightly on Corbin's door, sliding a paper under it, reading 'May I take a shower in your bathroom?" It asked simply. She couldn't remember ever feeling so dirty. Of course, she didnt really remember much of anything, but still. She didn't want to intrude for longer than absolutely necessary, and she felt bad about accepting Corbin's kindness.
Corbin had fallen asleep after a few hours, but was woken up by the sound of knocking on the door. He groaned softly, rolling over in bed. Sunlight shown through his boarded up windows. He sat up slowly, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He got up slowly, leg aching as he did. He stumbled over to the door, picking up the piece of paper. As he read it, he opened up the door to find Zelda there waiting for him. He was still half clothed, but didn’t seem to care much, still feeling half asleep. “Go on ahead, across the hall. Help yourself to anything in there,” he replied, yawning after he spoke.
She smiled, happy and excited at the prospect of the shower. Zelda went to the bathroom, turning on the shower to a good temperature. After the shower, she dried herself off carefully and got dressed again. She looked around for a hairtie, but she couldn't find one, so she wrapped her hair in a towel and called it good. She walked back out to the couch, sitting patently.
Corbin took his time getting ready. He changed into an army green colored t-shirt and a pair of black sweat pants. He really needed some coffee, still feeling exhausted. He opened the door to his room, allowing Orion to run out ahead of him. The dog ran straight to Zelda, tail wagging as he put his front paws up on the couch by her. He greeted her with happy demeanor.
He watched the exchange briefly before speaking up. “Would you like any coffee? If you drink that at all,” he offered. His dark circles were apparent. He glanced Zelda over, seeing she was much more clean. Still in the tattered clothing, but clean. “We’ll need to get you some better clothes. You can borrow some of mine in the meantime. They’ll be big but better than what you have now.”
She shook her head to the coffee, snuggling and playing with Orion. She nodded when he mentioned the clothes, glancing down and the tattered scraps that could only barely be considered clothes. She pet Orion, standing up and walking over to Corbin. She wasn't too hungry now, and she could walk steadily on her leg, although it hurt, so she smiled. "I ma foo?" (I make food?) She asked, wanting to be helpful.
Orion was more than happy to have Zelda's attention. He went to fetch a tennis ball, promptly dropping it at her feet. He bowed down in a play bounce, back end moving as he wagged his tail happily. Corbin smiled as he looked down at Orion, glad to see that he had someone who could really play with him. He could play fetch with Orion, but not much else due to his own injury.
When Zelda offered to make herself some food, Corbin appeared unsure. "I don't know, do you know how to use things like an oven?" he asked. The last thing he wanted was for a fire or something else to happen that would cause him to lose his home. His shelter was extremely important to him during this time. He knew that due to his injury, he most likely would not be able to last too long outside. He was confident in his shooting abilities and survival skills, but he would have nowhere to rest and that would be what finished things for him.
She furrowed her brow, walking into the kitchen to take a look at the type of oven and stovetop he had. then she shook her head. she had no idea how to use them. She smiled when Orion dropped the tennis ball, and she picked it up, gently tossing it for him to catch. "Uh-uh." She said, pointing to the stove. ""Orry-" (sorry)
Orion went chasing after the tennis ball as Corbin followed Zelda into the kitchen. "So, it's probably not the best idea to have you cook. What do you want? I can make something up," he said as he went over to the counter where a coffee maker was. He pressed a button on it and put the coffee grounds into the top, it beginning to brew. He thought of himself to be a decent cook. In the Navy, he was the only one in his ranks that could use a stove properly. He had his mother to thank for that. She taught him how to cook growing up, lecturing him about how he needed to learn in order to be able to find a wife in the future.
She shrugged, not caring what she ate, as long as she could eat it. Meat, maybe eggs and milk, she could tell that things with protein would be easier to eat, but… plants and honey would probably sustain her as well, she thought. She sat down on the floor near the doorway, wanting to watch him cook.
Corbin was going to tell Xelda that she could sit at the kitchen table, but Orion beat him to it. Orion, thinking she must have fallen and was unable to get up, walked over and nudged her. He wanted her to put her hands on his back and use his body to help her stand up. Corbin shook his head, a small smile on his lips as he turned away from the zombie and his dog. He decided to cook bacon and eggs, deciding that was a simple enough breakfast that they couldn't possibly go wrong with. He turned on the gas stove, allowing it to heat as he pulled the ingredients from where they were stored away in the fridge.
Zelda giggled with Orion came over. she patted him, hugged him, and pet him, loving him. She stood up looking for the tennis ball to toss again. She smiled, looking happy. She hadn't felt happy in a long time… she still couldn't remember her life before, but she did remember that she rarely ever felt happy. She felt a connection to the dog, and to Corbin. one she couldn't explain.
(At work so replies will be slow for a while)
Corbin unpackaged the bacon and tossed it onto a pan that was on the stove. It began to sizzle fairly quickly, the smell of it traveling into the air. He cracked open a few eggs on a separate pan. He was planning on making them scrambled since it was the easiest thing for him to do, so he hoped that Zelda wouldn’t mind. While the food cooked, he leaned against the counter to watch Zelda and Orion. “Do you remember how old you are?” he thought to ask.
(Have a cold, and school, so same-) She sighed at the smell, it smelled amazing, she was excited for the food. She continued playing with Orion, loving the dog, having a vague impression she never really got to see any in her life. She thought about her age, when Corbin asked. "Hmm… i remember im more en" She held up her fingers, showing a ten, then an eight. She was legally an adult, she knew that much.