Dragon Riding Field/Alex and Zero Pt. VI

## There's a 90% Chance You're Going to Die (10/3)

Alex Bellrose

She tilted her head, "what'd he say?" She asked.

Kye Hanbyeol

"Remember how Jude kept pointing out symptoms of TDC every time I got a migraine?"

Alex Bellrose

"Oh," she said, blinking, "does he think you have TDC?" She tilted her head when asking the question, nibbling on her cheek.

Kye Hanbyeol

"He's standing firm by the theory. I'm starting to believe him too," he croaked.

Alex Bellrose

"Didn't you want that though?" She asked, "like, to enter the dreamscape."

Kye Hanbyeol

"Well yes, but I don't even know why I'm going through TDC. I don't know any Dreamscape users..." *and the one person I stole an amulet from wasn't too keen on revealing her abilities...* "It's frightening because I have no idea what's happening and why it's happening."

Alex Bellrose

"You get it from the amulets, right?" She asked, "I did some reading around it the other night. I think you have to steal one to get the abilities. Have you become a thief in the past few months?"

Kye Hanbyeol

"No...? I think you've been around my boyfriend too much, Alex."

Alex Bellrose

She raised her brows. "*Boyfriend*?" She echoed, "I didn't realise you were dating someone. Is it Jude? It is, isn't it? Conniving bastard didn't tell me."

Kye Hanbyeol

"Er... I wasn't supposed to say anything yet. He won't mind... I guess. That's not the important thing here."

Alex Bellrose

"*Sure* it isn't. Where is he? Shouldn't the boyfriend be a good boyfriend and making sure you're not dying from TDC?" She asked,

Kye Hanbyeol

"He doesn't know I'm sick," he explained. "He went out early today to interrogate some people and stuff. I'd honestly like to keep it that way."

Alex Bellrose

Raising an eyebrow, she frowned. "You know...it's not good keeping secrets from your boyfriend, certainly not a week into it. And he'll find out eventually as well."

Kye Hanbyeol

"Eh, he'll freak out first and worry about me not telling him later. I'm not particularly worried."

Alex Bellrose

She was silent for a moment. "Alright," she said eventually, "if you're sure."

Kye Hanbyeol

"He's Jude. What do you think is the worst that could happen....?"

Alex Bellrose

She narrowed her eyes. "Nothing, I guess?"

Kye Hanbyeol

"Exactly." He coughed again, shrinking into the blankets again.

Alex Bellrose

"Did the soup work?" She asked, adjusting the blankets to cover him better. "You could try wearing a beanie or something? Warm up your head?"

Kye Hanbyeol

He made a sound that mimicked a dying whale and shrugged further into his blankets. "My head hurts," he complained.

Alex Bellrose

"....charming," she noted before rubbing the back of her neck, "are there any pills here? I'm sure there's something for this type of stuff."

Kye Hanbyeol

"I dunno," he moaned. His head pounded like there were a million drills in his head. "Go check."

Alex Bellrose

She stood up, walking through each bathroom, rifling through the dorm mates stash of medication, frowning when she founds Will's stash of other stuff, quickly putting it back. Finally she came out with a few pain killers that said they helped with Flu symptoms. "What about this?"

Kye Hanbyeol

"Anything is good as long as it gets rid of this fucking migraine," he snapped, not snarkily, more just unintentionally angry.

Alex Bellrose

She flinched away slightly but she popped two out to give him. "It might help," she said, giving him it with a glass of water. "Aren't there spells that could work?"

Kye Hanbyeol

"I've been trying every one of them I could think of. It isn't doing shit. If this really is TDC... then fucking hell this process is excruciating."

Alex Bellrose

She hesitated before bringing up her HC, searching for TDC. "Let's do some research..." she trailed off as she clicked on the first site she saw.

Kye Hanbyeol

He shifted around so he could see the screen too. It was as if HC only magnified his head ache.

Alex Bellrose

"Symptoms include..." she recited off the symptoms, "there are different stages, too."

Kye Hanbyeol

"Well I'm going to take a lucky guess and say this is Stage Three," he scowled.

Alex Bellrose

"You went through the migraines and everything for stage two," she conceded, "like that lunch..."

Kye Hanbyeol

"And now I'm supposed to suffer for three months through Stage Three...?" If I managed to live through Stage Three."

Alex Bellrose

"Is this the stage where you die? I thought that happened in stage four."

Kye Hanbyeol

"...Just go to class already," he muttered. "Either you're forgetful as hell or don't know shit." Zero sighed, his head throbbing. "Stage Four is supposedly an indication that you passed TDC by putting your body in a state of vegetation so the Sol can rewire your cognition to access the Dreamscape. It's almost impossible to be interrupted, and if it is, you die. Stage Three has a higher probability of death... since it's literally a deadly fever."

Alex Bellrose

"It's the former," she said, "and, oh, so yeah, this is stage three....when you say 'higher' probability, is that like a high chance of dying? Or just higher than stage four."

Kye Hanbyeol

"There's an extremely high chance of dying, like 89%," came his monotone response.

Alex Bellrose

"Oh, great," she said, "yeah, you have to tell Brooklyn about this. And if you die on her, I will kill you."

Kye Hanbyeol

"...Why does everyone want to kill me after I die?"

Alex Bellrose

"It's a figure of speech," she said.

Kye Hanbyeol

"Of course... anything else there I should worry about that I can't remember about TDC?"

OOC: is there? OOC: you could mention the personality changes

Alex Bellrose

"Your personality changes," she offered, "though you probably already know that. How much do you reckon you'll change? Maybe you'll come out with a love of singing."

Kye Hanbyeol

His eye twitched, and then he erupted into another coughing fit. "I hope not... I hate singing."

Alex Bellrose

"You might not if your personality changes," she joked, leaning away slightly from the coughing, wincing, "and, remind me, I'm terrible with magic and that area, how exactly do you even get TDC? Tell me it's not contagious like the flu."

Kye Hanbyeol

He shook his head. "It's not... it's a very specific disease that only attacks someone who steals an amulet of a Dreamscape user or murders them and claims their ghost amulet if they even choose to revive as a ghost. It's not contagious since it's only meant to target a specific person."

Alex Bellrose

"So whose amulet did you steal?"

Kye Hanbyeol

Expertly, he lied. "I don't know. I can't remember stealing anyone's amulet. Maybe someone put it around my neck while I was sleeping or something."

Alex Bellrose

"Why would anyone slip an amulet over your neck? To try and kill you?"

Kye Hanbyeol

"Possibly... I'm not..." he took a shaky breath. "...the most likable person by many people's standards... It doesn't help my father practically rules the economic scene... I'm not surprised if someone *is* or *was* trying to kill me."

Alex Bellrose

"There is one person who I can put the word 'unlikable' on and I don't want to kill her," she said, "and, huh, you'd think there'd be easier ways to do it, though."

Kye Hanbyeol

"I must have avoided them, and they got frustrated so they resorted to more subtle yet lower probabilities to kill me."

Alex Bellrose

"If they had the opportunity to slip a necklace on, wouldn't they just stab you in the back?" She asked before shrugging. "I don't know, maybe they find it fun to draw it out. I don't have the mind of a serial killer."

Kye Hanbyeol

"Seeing me in misery must be particularly entertaining," he muttered.

Alex Bellrose

"Hey!" She said with a grin, "at least you can take me on the list of suspects. I am not finding you in misery entertaining."

Kye Hanbyeol

"...Sure."

Alex Bellrose

She rolled her eyes, "it was a joke."

Kye Hanbyeol

"You're terrible at making me laugh."

Alex Bellrose

She raised her eyebrow at him. "Sure," she said.

Kye Hanbyeol

"Oh go sass me somewhere else," he grumbled.

Alex Bellrose

"Nope, this is a common room and I can stay here for however long I want," she said with a grin, "where *is* Brooklyn, though?"

Kye Hanbyeol

"Does it matter? I'm dying."

Alex Bellrose

"There's no cure for it, either, is there?" She asked, tilting her head, "should you go back to hospital?"

Kye Hanbyeol

"No. Either you survive or you don't. Ah... I didn't want to die by sickness but oh well."

Alex Bellrose

"How'd you want to die?" She asked, curious, "old age?"

Kye Hanbyeol

"Quick and painless. Like a gun to the head. I don't intend to die old. By then too many people would've become attached to me, and me dying would devastate them. I don't want that."

Alex Bellrose

"Most people view dying of old age natural and most people that are attached to them were expecting it," she said, "it's probably the least devastating way to die."

Kye Hanbyeol

"Well then maybe I just want all of you to suffer," he snorted.

Alex Bellrose

"How cruel," she said, narrowing her eyes, "I still mean it when I say I'll kill you if die in some dramatic way."

Kye Hanbyeol

"Good luck," he snickered, shrugging deeper into his blankets.

Alex Bellrose

She smiled slightly before pausing, as her eyes watched him, her mind automatically imagining how she'd, well, paint him. Bad habit, she supposed, but she'd had it since she was young. "Say...Zero...you know how you always ask me about my art?"

Kye Hanbyeol

"Yeah?" was his muffled reply. He shifted around so he could see Alex again.

Alex Bellrose

"Want me to draw you?" She offered, "with whatever medium."

Kye Hanbyeol

"Um..." It was an odd and unexpected request, to begin with, but it's not like he minded. "Sure...?" he eventually answered, hesitantly.

Alex Bellrose

She grinned, "don't worry, I'll be nice with it," she said.

Kye Hanbyeol

"I hope so..." His eyes passed Alex to look at the time hovering above the television... on a hologram. Like everything else at this point. "I want Jude," he pouted. "Jude is warm."

Alex Bellrose

"Have you gone on any dates?" She asked, "you have, right? I want to know about them."

Kye Hanbyeol

"Nosy," he whined. "I don't ask what you and Brooke do holed up in your room twenty-four seven."

Alex Bellrose

Her ears turned red and she opened her mouth before closing it. "We...we do nothing but sleep or talk. Plus...Brooke's out and about usually so it's not 24/7. I mean... we kiss sometimes."

Kye Hanbyeol

"I bet you it's not as awkward as our kisses are," he said, managing to grin for awhile.

Alex Bellrose

She tilted her head. "What do you mean 'awkward'?" She asked.

Kye Hanbyeol

"Half of the time it seems like Jude is scared of me kissing him. Like it's cute that he gets all nervous and stuff... but most of the time he's too shocked to kiss back."

Alex Bellrose

She was silent for a moment before breaking into laughter, covering her mouth to try and smother it.

Kye Hanbyeol

He gave her a blank look and turned away before breaking into another coughing fit.

Alex Bellrose

"Sorry...sorry," she said, stifling the laughing, "not helping."

Kye Hanbyeol

"Gee, what gave it away?" he grumbled.

Alex Bellrose

"You're both so...awkward," she said, "have any of you actually been in a proper relationship before? I know Brooklyn hasn't. I don't think Will has either."

Kye Hanbyeol

He remained silent, not because he hadn't, it was because they weren't normal or healthy relationships. After a while said, "...Let's talk about something else."

Alex Bellrose

She watched him, tilting her head, "...huh," she said, "fine, what do you want to talk about?"

Kye Hanbyeol

"You choose."

Alex Bellrose

"No, you choose," she said, "as you were the one who asked to change subject, it's your responsibility."

Kye Hanbyeol

"Alex just choose something. I'm not in the mood."

Alex Bellrose

She made a face at him. "Well, I don't know, I'm not good under pressure."

Kye Hanbyeol

"Gee... I wonder why," he retorted sarcastically.

Alex Bellrose

"I'm thinking genetics," she responded.

Kye Hanbyeol

"...That explains a lot," he snorted, almost snarkily.

Alex Bellrose

She raised an eyebrow at him, her muscles slightly tensing. "What's that meant to mean?"

Kye Hanbyeol

"Nothing, if you don't think about it."

Alex Bellrose

She was silent for a moment, staring at him with an impassive expression, her brow still raised before shaking her head, standing up. "Well, I hope you get better," she said, moving around the couch.

Kye Hanbyeol

"..." He shifted uncomfortably, but didn't attempt to get Alex to come back.

Alex Bellrose

She paused for a second before moving back to her room to grab a coat before going straight to the front door, swinging it open gently to leave.

OOC: timeskip?
Ooc: you want to start? OOC: lol no
OOC: come on, i've started every other timeskip
OOC: do you

do you really
OOC: I have spent an hour going through each rp i can think of and this is what i have:

how many you times you've done timeskips: five

How many times I have: 12

i dont want to do another one

OOC: you could've used that time to write a timeskip :)
OOC: i swear to god, you're doing the next one, fairs fair. How much are we jumping?

## Timeskip

Alex Bellrose

She was sitting on the couch, the T.V playing a show (of course, it was the flash but she wasn't really focussing on it), her feet pressed against the edge of the table. She was leaning forward, painting her toenails a dark red. She usually did this in her room but she was alone in the place, or so she thought anyway.

Kye Hanbyeol

Still convinced he had suddenly moved to the Island of Hades without knowing it, Zero was wrapped in a thick sweater, drinking a cup of hot chocolate as he stiffly entered the lounge.

Alex Bellrose

The oblivious person that she was, her ears were deaf to the intrusion and didn't notice Zero as a consequence. She cursed, quite loudly, in French when she accidentally got some of the paint onto her skin and she dapped at it tentatively, careful not to get any of the paper onto the nail or else she'd screw that up as well.

Kye Hanbyeol

He stopped, a bit startled and took a sip of chocolate. "I don't think I've ever heard you curse."

Alex Bellrose

She paused, the paint brush hovering in the air and a bit dropped onto her leg and she blinked at it. "I...uh...don't usually," she said, using a tissue to clean it up, "I forced myself to stop years ago. Sorry about that, I didn't think I had company."