Some Life This Is - Kate the Chaser X Hoodie

12

Somehow, watching his coworker and friend stalk a buck through the woods is one of the most mesmerizing things he's seen in a long time. He's not partaking, not at the moment, just watching and thumbing the hand-strap of his camera and occasionally loosing sight of her from his vantage point in a tree. He slides down the trunk to follow her, to low-key herd them toward the only good (and official) lookout this park has. It takes some work, as he has to turn them all the way around, but quickly they hit the river. Kate corners the beast, then looks over at Hoodie before laughing and wrestling the animal. He watches, laughing, as she's thrown into the river by the buck- flung backwards over its head on its antlers.

That's his queue to jump into the foray himself, getting rammed into a tree the moment the buck has the ability to. It smarts like hell- he doesn't understand her joy in the activity, mostly because of the pain, but he'll do it with her if it cheers her up after her day out. He looks over to watch her shake off the water like a dog as she steps out of the river, right as he dodges the stomping hooves of the buck. He pushes the buck away, grabbing it by the antlers and bracing against the tree.

Something's wrong, all the sudden.

The buck seems to spaz, then sprints away. It only makes it 100 yards until it just drops. In the water, Kate is still as a corpse, staring northward. She shifts and changes as he stares at her, his own mind filling with static as she elongates into the unrecognizable. She's back to normal when he blinks, and he rushes over as she laughs, well,  screams, and falls over into the water. He drags her to the edge, fighting the static as much as he can, so she doesn't fall in and get swept off or pinned to the bottom.

He, at that point, gives in. His back straightens, his eyes focus, he sees him in the distance as Kate gives in as well and stands back up, silent. And, of course, they do at that point what they do best. They follow His orders, and pray to uncaring gods that they forget.

He shifts their minds to be The Chaser and the true Hoodie as he leads them deeper in the woods, his puppets and dogs, to an unauthorized camp far past their home, northward to the heart of the forest where his influence is stifling. Vaguely, Hoodie can feel his mask damp with his own blood, his nose bleeding. Kate, alternatively, shakes and jolts, looking more and more every second like one of the creatures of old.

Hoodie doesn't remember the rest. He doubts Kate does either. The camera never forgets, though. Never forgets the iced look in Kate's eyes when one of the victims knocked her mask off, the blood splattered to his own hoodie as a gunshot rang out. How efficient they were in taking out the trespassing group. Something, still, is missing from tape and memory, and it's probably for best that it shouldn't reappear.

Of course, they 'wake up' at home, in the bedroom, in the sun. She's crouched up on the dresser, he's in the shadows of the closet. He puts his camera down and steps out, groaning, before he pulls his mask up to wipe his face. Kate softly steps down, then silently leaves the room. He locks the door behind her and slides down it as he pulls his mask off fully. He looks at it, then the blood on his hoodie as he pulls the hood down. As he hears water hitting tile as the shower turns on in the other room as he looks at himself in the mirror, eying his dulled amber hair, his dark haunted eyes and the bags under them, before chucking his hoodie and mask at the main light in the room. He looks disgusting from how grey he is- don't they all?

Maybe not Tim. Somehow he manages to make the 100% disheveled look work. Maybe that's why Alex put him as the romantic side character.

He turns off the light and leans against the door to stop anybody coming in while he watches the video and cleans his camera.

Kate leaves the shower and changes into some new clothes, gritting her teeth against the texture on her skin as she leaves the room and goes to find Toby. She itches her sides, damnit, she's sure she's told Tim to stop using the detergent provided at the laundromats. She spots said man in the kitchen alongside the one she was looking for. Toby's arm twitches towards the bowl of salt, and Tim's hand shoots out in response to move the bowl so it doesn't get flung across the room.

She clears her throat, unsure of how her voice is going to sound. "Hey guys." She winces and rubs her throat, sounding higher than normal. They both turn around and wave her over, Toby downright giddy as he just starts talking to her. Tim nudges her slightly as he grabs a large mug and scoops some hash into it.

"Then after you and Hoodie disappeared Rogue took a nap then went back into town to stalk. Where is our fuck our beige bitch bitch bitch bitch anyways?" Toby rambles, sitting down very close to Kate when she sits down to eat, cramming his whole noodley body onto the seat of one chair.

"Pretty sure Tim wears beige, Tobes." She reaches over and squeezes his kneecap, causing him to make a zap noise and seize up a little before laughing and squealing, "That felt fucking weird, do it again!"

She laughs and grabs at his kneecap again, getting the same reaction before he puts her in a headlock. Tim rolls his eyes, though a whisper of a smile is visible on his face as he puts the  nearby breakable things away and moves to the bedroom door. As he knocks, then silently slips in, Toby and Kate are wrestling like cats.

He'll make them fix everything later, but right now he needs to talk to his friend.