Limelight

Paizley and Izabelle: Research

(Happy Bonzo Day! Here's a Limelight featuring Bonzo and the autistic BGZ~ This is one is set a year or so before the movie, it leads on from the Helping Hack and Runs In The Family one-shots from Beyond the Barrier

There'll be another Limelight coming a little bit later for Rozeira~)

_____________________________________

Izabelle and Bonzo had been trying to find more on autism but it was proving to be hard; a lot of websites were blocked in Zombie Town and beyond that, it was difficult to get a decent internet connection at all. And to top it all off, very few zombies had working computers. Eliza had lent Bonzo hers for a short time but soon demanded it back. He didn't blame her, it was her most prized possession, but it didn't change the fact that they were pretty much lost without it. There was even less hope of finding any books on the subject, considering how little the humans cared for zombie mental health and therefore didn't really make anything of use to them available. And neither of them were willing to go to the containment facility of their own accord for any reason.

"What about Zora? She's got a computer," Izabelle suggested but Bonzo just shook his head.

"Gograll. Agru briz." I asked her. She's using it.

Izabelle scoffed and rolled her eyes, "Zadie could pick her lock for us, I can just take i-"

"Zon!" her cousin glared sharply at her and she held up her hands in defeat.

"I don't see you coming up with anything!"

Bonzo huffed and turned away, thinking. After a moment, his eyes widened and he perked up, "Paizka!"

Izabelle closed her eyes, slowly inhaled, exhaled, and opened her eyes again. Paizley... irritated her, "Alright."

– LIMELIGHT –

"Sorry, guys, I kinda took it apart."

"... You what?" Izabelle said through gritted teeth. She and Bonzo were standing on the Reilig family's porch with Paizley leaning against the open front door.

Paizley barely even noticed her anger, "It's called reverse engineering! You take something apart so you c-"

Izabelle groaned loudly enough to shut her up, Bonzo stopping her before she could even reach out her hands towards Paizley's neck. He pulled her back and she folded her arms with a pout. Paizley cocked her head.

"Why'd you want a computer anyway?"

"Zrudge. Agz zrag zreene grozig." Research. We need to find something out.

"Hmm..." Paizley looked up, twisting her face in thought, "Come on inside, maybe we've got a book on whatever you need." She gestured for them to follow her as she headed in. In the living room was a tall bookshelf piled high with books of every size, all old and worn. From the recycling plant her parents worked at, they guessed, or maybe even the dump, "What are you looking for...?" Paizley asked as she walked up to it.

"Doubt you'll have anything, Paiz, it's not too Seabrook."

Paizley just shot her a teasing smile, "Try me. What is it?"

Bonzo tapped his head, "Garzedd bragan."

Nodding, Paizley ran a finger along a line of books, "Mental health. May not be Seabrook's thing, but they did have books on that stuff once upon a time..." she kept scanning as she talked, "In fact, they only really started banning literature on it a few years ago. You want anything specific?"

Izabelle shared a look of surprise with Bonzo then raised an eyebrow, "... Autism?"

For some reason, Paizley let out an excited laugh and grabbed a book off the shelf with such certainty that Bonzo and Izabelle were both taken aback as she flicked through it in search of particular page.

"OK, let me guess," she grinned up at them briefly as she went, "You guys are thinking you're autistic too?"

"What do you mean 'too'?" Izabelle frowned but Bonzo's face lit up.

"Ru, zet, Paizka?"

"Yup! My parents always knew I was kind of a weird kid, everybody did, but we never knew why," she shrugged, "Then my mom found this at work when I was like, 9 or something and things just started to click. It's a little outdated but it's got all the technical stuff about diagnosis and all that. It's good enough..." she stopped flipping, "Found i- Hey!"

Izabelle had already snatched the book out of her hands before she could finish. Bonzo rolled his eyes.

"Abraz'agru." Sorry about her.

Paizley didn't seem to hear him. She walked up to Izabelle, took the book back and held it up out of reach, "If you want it, you gotta trade for it."

"What?" Izabelle snapped and Bonzo placed a hand on her shoulder to keep her from potentially attacking Paizley, "We're not gonna keep it! We just need to borrow it, you'll get it back."

But Paizley just held the book higher and shook her head, "Still gonna need some collateral for borrowing."

"Collateral? What exactly do you think we've got to give you? What are you even gonna want for just a day or two?"

"I dunno, but you better come up with something."

Bonzo was already digging through his art case, though, and quickly pulled out a small box of sculpting tools.

"Grodge?" Good enough?

"That should do it."

She took the box from him and handed over the book, still making sure it was out of reach of Izabelle. Bonzo placed it carefully in the case and smiled at her while Izabelle stood off to one side, grumbling bitterly to herself. The two of them couldn't hide their giggles.

"Geh, Izaka, zo." Come on, Iza, let's go. "Gazar, Paizka!" Thanks, Paiz!

"No problem!"