prpl_assistant | Memo 004: Thank Yous and Loose Ends (Backtrack to day after zombie outbreak ends)

A. Phone (Filtered away from The Doctor, The Major and Schrodinger)

Thank you to everyone who came by the hospital and defended it. It wasn't easy, but we did it, and I'm really grateful for everyone's cooperation.

B. Phone (filtered to both the RED Spy and the BLU Spy)

Would it be possible for me to see the two of you today? Sometime before lunch?

C. Phone (filtered to the BLU Sniper, hackable)

Mr Mundy, I was wondering whether you'd like me to take you around town today? If it's not too much trouble, I can meet up with you after lunch.

D. Action (around 1337 Benny Road)

(Miss Pauling seems to be busy with something, being up early in the morning. It looks like she's baking...something. However, based on the annoyed look on her face, it doesn't seem to be working...there's a strong smell of cookies in the kitchen, with just a tinge of a burning smell. Anyone who happens to be awake at 8am in the morning and around 1337 Benny Road may just get a free sample cookie with some crumbly black bits.)

E. Action
(If anyone's around the neighborhoods, they'll see Miss Pauling holding a slip of paper as she navigates through all the houses in the hope of finding one. She's got a bag of something that's emitting a nice smell, if a bit burnt. Approach her?)

F. Action (726 Anderson Lane)

(With some help from the Spies, she found out where Miss Susan stays at. With a bag of cookies (only slightly burnt on the edges) she finds herself at the doorstep. She looks a bit anxious, but eventually she gets enough courage to knock on the door.)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Yes, she did. And I'm really thankful for it.

(She didn't know the boy. But she'd be willing to guess that he's another of one of those children with special abilities, from the way he carried himself.)

[Curious now, Slugger rises to his feet and rests his hands on the banister, a bent baseball bat tucked under one arm.]

Was it a zombie?

A few zombies, actually.

(The bent baseball bat catches her eye, but she makes no further comment about it.)

Drones?

I don't know. I wasn't really looking.

So what happened?

[Leaning forward on the banister. Story time, please?]

(She looks at him carefully. She still doesn't really trust him, and he might just go around telling others what happened. Still, maybe she could give him a condense version.)

I was hiding out at the hospital when a giant zombie decided to attack the place. He had an army of zombies with him as well. I panicked and called for help, and Miss Susan happened to answer. She came, and then she took care of him.

[His brow furrows beneath his cap. He may not look the part of a typical innocent youngster, but he seems genuinely interested.]

Giant zombie?

Yes. He was...well, he is a man known as The Doctor. I'd advise you to stay away from him. He tried to infect the hospital with some sort of zombie disease of his own.

[This sounded strangely like another "doctor" Slugger knows, though since she doesn't mention anything about lightning, he concludes that it isn't the Mage. He will commit this info to memory.]

Susan stopped him?

Yes, she did. But I think he'll probably be back in Mayfield by now, seeing as nobody ever truly dies here.

[So then, it sounded like Susan had killed him as well. Slugger straightens and nods once to the woman.]

Thanks.

No worries.

Can I ask for a name, please?

The people here call me Slugger.

[As if on cue, he takes the gold aluminum bat from beneath his arm and rests it over his shoulder.]

Slugger? I'm Miss Pauling. It's nice to meet you.

(She extends a hand.)

[Rather than take the hand immediately, Slugger eyes it with some hesitance before awkwardly reaching forward over the banister. His hand, when shaken, is limp and a bit pale.

He nods quietly again, aware that she's just being polite -- the only ones who are happy to "meet" him are the ones who are seeking escape.]

(Of course she's just being polite; there's just something about Slugger that seems a bit off. However, she notes his hesitance, and seeing that her hand didn't explode or anything when she touched him, maybe it was safe to just trust him a little bit more? If anything, she supposed that maybe she might have been a bit too paranoid herself.)

So Slugger, how long have you been in Mayfield?

A year and one month.

[He moves a few paces down the stairs before seating himself on a lower step where he's no longer looking down at her.]

That's a long time. It must've been difficult at the start to get used to everything here.

[His socks become the focal point of his attention.]

I don't like thinking about it...

[Or talking about it, or remembering it, or accepting that it happened. Worst experience ever.]

(Suddenly, Slugger looks less like a menacing threat, and more like an awkward teenage boy who just got caught doing something embarrassing.)

I'm sorry. I didn't mean to remind you of it.

(She does mean that. She actually feels pretty bad it. Hence why she will try to change the subject.)

Did you come from Miss Susan's world as well?

[Glad to have changed subjects, Slugger shakes his head and continues in his quiet voice.]

My home was Musashino, Tokyo.

(Tokyo? But which Tokyo? That was the Golden Question.)

That explains the baseball bat; baseball is a popular sport in Japan, isn't it? How long have you been playing, Slugger?

I never played... until I got here.

[His head is still bent and gaze directed down; however, the hint of a smile is evident at the corners of his lips. Perhaps he's amused by the irony of this. Perhaps it's something else... One could guess that a bat as heavily warped as his would be next to useless in a game of baseball.]

(Or it could be that he broke his bat. Which is more of what Miss Pauling suspects is the case, until Slugger points out that he never played till Mayfield.)

Do you know the BLU Scout then? He plays baseball a lot, I'm sure he'd be willing to have a few rounds with you.