"Yeah. Now you can keep up." Howard doesn't expect that R will be the most adept survivor here, given that he spent the apocalypse in a state of undeath, but surely now that the hunger's been cleared from his mind (like cobwebs from an attic, Howard thinks, or like a fog off a windshield) R will be able to pull his weight.
In a way, Howard hopes he doesn't. Not because he wants a risk, but because Howard likes to imagine himself as R's guardian angel, and that's a difficult role to assume with someone who's actually competent.
This all means Howard is in charge, which isn't a role he's uncomfortable with. If there's one thing he trusts, it's his survival instincts, and he's been fine directing Orc and Eponine and Pruna in the past. "Stay quiet. Don't knock anything over. And do what I tell you."
Simple enough rules, although ones that will need constant modification. Howard wonders how much of R's brain has been rejuvenated and thus, how much R will be capable of retaining. Maybe R's normal human smart now, just needing to get caught up on reading and writing and all that jazz. Maybe he needs a little time to get his neurons all oiled up. Maybe some dead things don't come back.
Who knows?
Howard gestures with his hand that they should get up and head to the gift shop, remembering where some thermoses are in his head. So far the water's been easily available, but for all he knows they'll soon replace it with whatever burning liquid they put into the sprinklers. He's been filling up thermoses from the sink and stashing them inside the vents, preparing for when the proverbial dehydrated shit hits the fan.
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In a way, Howard hopes he doesn't. Not because he wants a risk, but because Howard likes to imagine himself as R's guardian angel, and that's a difficult role to assume with someone who's actually competent.
This all means Howard is in charge, which isn't a role he's uncomfortable with. If there's one thing he trusts, it's his survival instincts, and he's been fine directing Orc and Eponine and Pruna in the past. "Stay quiet. Don't knock anything over. And do what I tell you."
Simple enough rules, although ones that will need constant modification. Howard wonders how much of R's brain has been rejuvenated and thus, how much R will be capable of retaining. Maybe R's normal human smart now, just needing to get caught up on reading and writing and all that jazz. Maybe he needs a little time to get his neurons all oiled up. Maybe some dead things don't come back.
Who knows?
Howard gestures with his hand that they should get up and head to the gift shop, remembering where some thermoses are in his head. So far the water's been easily available, but for all he knows they'll soon replace it with whatever burning liquid they put into the sprinklers. He's been filling up thermoses from the sink and stashing them inside the vents, preparing for when the proverbial dehydrated shit hits the fan.
"You seen any of our people?"