66; action/dictated

[gottaknockhard]

[Spike hasn't made a habit of checking the journal as soon as he gets up in the morning. If he had, he may have been able to avoid the scenario that took place as he reached for a coffee mug in the kitchen.

Somehow he doesn't notice until that exact moment that there is a telling purple bite mark wrapped around his wrist. He stares at it long enough for panic to set in.]

What the... [He didn't even feel it.] Just won't die, will you?

[What happens after can be heard all the way in the lobby. Determined to find what he knows is slithering around here somewhere, he begins shoving appliances off counters, emptying drawers, cabinets, throwing pots around, and finally... he starts the daunting task of taking apart the fridge. (Clearly his way of helping after the earthquake.)

That's when he remembers the journal.]

Hey, there's -- [A whole lot of chatter going on in there. He hesitates...] -- a mouse or something in the kitchen. You'll probably want to stay out for a while.

[He hasn't even noticed the blood running down one side of his face. That's what happens when you haven't had your coffee yet.]


ooc: open on journal/in the kitchen!

Comments

[bronwe]

[ But this hobbit is already by the kitchen for his second breakfast, now creepy by the entrance to see what all the racket is about. Spike's hair is helpfully distinctive though. ]

I don't think you would find a mouse that way.

[gottaknockhard]

[He's crouching and pulling food from the bottom drawers when he hears the hobbit. It causes him to pause without looking behind him, since yeah, the thing isn't likely to be in the head of lettuce he's holding -- which he tosses over his shoulder at the revelation.

Frodo, you don't know how screwed they are.]

Well, I don't have any traps.

[bronwe]

[ Well, he isn't afraid of no mouse in any case, so he goes to walk to another side of the kitchen and start peeking through the cabinets and other things to see where a mouse might hide. ]

We can wish for one and then just leave it. Mice don't like noise.

[gottaknockhard]

[He heaves a sigh and shoves the drawer shut.]

I guess you don't have a blowtorch with you.

[bronwe]

[ That just makes him wonder if this mouse is real or a figment of his paranoia... until he turns to look at Spike to judge and instead sees the blood running down his face. He gasps audibly and rushes over. ]

You're bleeding! Did the mouse hurt you?

[gottaknockhard]

[That completely throws him off, enough that he doesn't think to shove his hand into his pocket before Frodo comes over. Not noticing a huge blob biting your wrist is one thing, not noticing that he's bleeding...

He keeps carefully still, even if it's hard to hide how disturbing this is.]

Am I?

[bronwe]

[ Frodo thinks he's still awfully calm for someone bleeding so much, though the purple mark doesn't seem harmful enough to warrant attention now. He pulls out his handkerchief and offers it to Spike. What to do? ]

Over your eye, there! Does it hurt? I can call a doctor.

[onlyanapple]

A mouse.

Really?

[gottaknockhard]

[Yes, a mouse. No need to change his story unless he's sure he can't catch it before he passes out.]

That's what I'm calling it.

[onlyanapple]

And what is it actually?

[gottaknockhard]

I won't know until I find it.

[onlyanapple]

[He's almost interested enough to come and take a look, but he doesn't want Spike to see THOSE marks on him. So here he will stay]

Enjoy your possibly not-a-mouse hunt, then.

[gottaknockhard]

[Don't be a wuss, Crowley. -- But no, he's not getting away that easily.]

First you've heard of that?

[3nterprising]

[Spike isn't the only one who failed to check the journal this morning. She's blissfully unaware of anyone's problems, let alone Spike's dictation.

She pauses as she enters the kitchen, not entirely surprised, but wary of the mess when she sees who caused it.]

Do I even wanna know?

[gottaknockhard]

[Fortunately, his back is turned when she enters, and the curse that he lets out is mostly muted. He's serious considering banning himself from the kitchen.]

Be careful where you step.

[3nterprising]

[She looks down at the floor, noticing nothing out of the ordinary. Well, besides all the stuff he'd thrown.]

Why? There's nothing here.

[gottaknockhard]

[She'll know if she sees his wrist, so he's quick to slip it into his pocket.]

Would you believe a rabid mouse?

[3nterprising]

A rabid mouse?

[She's not buying it. But perhaps she would though, if she'd noticed the matching splotch on her calf.

If he turns to see her, the calf might be secondary to the strange dark markings on her face. Markings that would suggest she should invest in waterproof mascara.]

[gottaknockhard]

[Turning is overrated when he has a perfectly shiny metal pot in front of him. He notices something off, like everything else today, and half-turns towards her.]

Did I miss something?

[both_neither]

[This is the perfect time for Gren to find him of course. Honestly, he figured this would happen eventually, given the fact that he'd had to move back to the castle after the quake had at least temporarily put him out of home and work. He might have just turned on a heel and left, rather than tempt fate any further but...

Nope. Way too curious for that.]

You, uh...lose something?

[gottaknockhard]

[His mind, maybe. Everyone knows mutated lobster-aliens usually hide in the ventilation. Which isn't to say he's going to mention this to Gren.]

You come to help me look?

[both_neither]

[It doesn't help he missed most of that whole mess last year, simply by avoiding the castle entirely]

I came for lunch, actually...unless that's what you're missing.

[gottaknockhard]

[It's just as well that he wasn't. Spike put her in a coma for a week after that, all because he didn't want to talk about it. He still doesn't, so that shows how well he learned his lesson.]

That late already? [Casual as can be, but he's not turning around. Apparently he's transfixed on something that he didn't notice during his destructive frenzy. He really should have ordered room service today.]

[both_neither]

It's not like I keep that kind of thing on a schedule...

[And he doesn't. Or he isn't doing so at the moment, since all his reasons to time budget are gone. He arches a brow at Spike and edges around the counter to get a better look at whatever it is the guy is doing]

Whoa...hey...did you hit your head?

[gottaknockhard]

[If he were less confused, that comment may have warranted a side eye. Spike wasn't planning on showing him what that looks like again.

Unfortunately, he's in the more uncomfortable position of not knowing what the hell he did. There's no pain, so this could very well be a dream. Just replace the usual explosions with a microwave and a mutated lobster.]

Pretty convincing, isn't it?