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[Time for Wonderland's fifth annual Japanese KFC Christmas! The diner has been decorated just like everything else in the Mansion. Of course, like every year, Souji's made his own additions, with Minato's help. They've dragged out the Colonel (it took them several tries to get one that wasn't made of gingerbread) and in the background of the feed, Minato is stringing him with twinkling fairy lights.

Souji isn't helping. Sitting at the counter in front of a small army of strawberry Santas, he's holding one in one hand, looking at it from all angles, as though deciding which direction it's best to attack from. To the side are several undecorated Christmas cakes, which Minato will be tending to once he's finished helping the Colonel get dressed.

Realizing the device is recording, Souji sits up a bit straighter, because he totally wasn't slacking off.]

The diner's ready for anyone who wants to eat fried chicken. [He smiles a little. In the background, Minato waves to the camera.] We do this every year, but if you weren't here before, it's a tradition from home. In Japan--the Japan I'm from anyway--we eat fried chicken and Christmas cake each year.

We'll be making it from now until Christmas, as long as things stay like they are now.

[I.e. without too much ridiculous chaos going on.]

[Note: Both Minato and Souji will answer responses (separately from one another). Feel free to have Mirrors wander in as well. There is enough chicken and cake for everyone.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Hmm...well. I don't think eggnog goes great with fried chicken, so...

[ She settles in, thinking about it. ]

Soda? It's been a while since I've had a nicely carbonated beverage.

Yeah, sounds good. Make it two.

[ The staff nods as they jot their orders down, and politely asks them to wait for a while for it to be served. As they walk off, Mondo taps his finger against the table, trying to find a topic to lighten up the mood he brought down. ]

...What's eggnog?

[ Despite his appearance, he's been abiding by the law of underage drinking... though fails to do so with smoking. ]

Oh! It's a boozy holiday drink. Made out of eggs, milk, and rum, with some spices added in. I know it sounds like a disaster, but I swear it's amazing. I'd drink it all the time if liquor stores sold it during the rest of the year. I'm too lazy to make it myself.

[ She has to admit her shortcomings to be a better person. ]

It might be a very American drink. I'd never considered that, before.

[ That sounds... weird, mostly, but like every teenage boy, mention 'booze' and he'll be intrigued. He doesn't really like the concept of drinking yourself blind, because that means exposing yourself to threat, but a challenger nature within him sometimes wants to test his limit. ]

Hey, 's fair. Why make yourself when other people do it for you?

[ He'll be the last guy to judge you on that. The word 'discipline' only applies to him on very specific matters. ]

American, huh. [ Ohhh no, now he's sold. Anything American is cool. ] Maybe next time I could try it too. We can drink together.

[ Fuck underage drinking. It's not like there's a law here about that, right? ]

[ If people are old enough to get murdered here, then what the hell, the least they can do is be allowed to drink. ]

The best part is, we can get it any time thanks to the only good part about being stuck here.

[ Well, not the only good part - she has friends she'd never have met otherwise. Like present company! ]

[ Point. ]

Heh. So you're gonna show me the ropes or what?

[ He throws her a rather cheeky smirk.

...Which fades just a few moments after, as he mulls over things that she said earlier while they're still outside. ]

As much as I hate how things are like here, a part of me wish I could stay here... not forever, but, y'know. Long enough.

[ His first comment gets kind of lost in the second one, and she thinks about that. ]

Things are about to go to real crap at home. So...yeah. I mean, being here has been..not nice since I died, but. You know. Could be worse, I guess? It's been nice to not have to juggle zombie life with the different groups ready to go to war with each other. It's messy in Seattle. And it's messy here, too, but it's not my mess.

[ He can't even begin to imagine how Liv's life must be like back home. It makes him realise just how much about her he doesn't know yet, her life back home, how the people around her react about her being a zombie... everything, really. ]

Did the people back home know about you being... y'know?

[ Even if the diner's packed enough that no one probably could hear what they're talking about, they're still in public and he doesn't want to take chances. You'll never know who's listening in. ]

[ Liv looks down a little. ]

Some of them, yeah. I was engaged. To a really great guy. But then I died and came back a zombie and everything was...different. I called off the wedding because I didn't know what the hell was happening to me. I pulled away from everyone, I switched being a resident doctor to the assistant coroner. It wasn't until my boss caught me eating and he figured out what I was that I kind of...came out of my shell a little.

[ Their sodas come and she lets him deal with ordering the chicken. Then, she continues. ]

I never told my mom or my little brother. It just seemed like a bad idea, you know? And then my brother was hurt and he needed a blood transfusion. I match him. Or I used to when I was alive. But if I'd given him my blood it would have...I couldn't turn him into a monster. So I refused. And now my mom and brother hate me, I haven't talked to or seen them in over a year, and...sometimes I feel pretty alone. But I'm not. That ex-fiance knows now, he's a zombie. Or he was, he's cured. My partner at the police department knows, my best friend. And I have zombie friends. But man, at the start, it was kind of rough. Really rough.

[ That's probably what he'd do in that kind of situation, too. Heck, it's what he did. Pulling away from people, keeping everything within himself, pretending everything was alright.

He settles their orders with the pause, and returns his attention back at her when she speaks again. His fingers run idly against the condensation on his glass, eyes fluttering between the drink and Liv. Despite their vastly different situation, he can somewhat relate to the feeling of being alone when you're surrounded by people. Especially when you hold onto a secret that no one else but you yourself know. He nods quietly, and falls silent in thought.

That's when Komo climbs up the table, crossing over towards Liv. ]

O, oi! What're you doin', Komo?

[ Mondo's ready to grab the pupper and put him back to where he's supposed to be, but halts when he realises what Komo's doing. The little one nuzzles his snout against her hand, looking at her with his puppy eyes. An attempt to comfort, maybe. ]

Komo...

[ He bites his lower lip, sighing in relief. ]

Sometimes... lettin' close ones know is the hardest.

[ Because you know that you'll let them down. Because you're afraid they'll leave you. ]

But it might be worth it. ...Maybe.

[ At least, he can say for sure that he's glad he's told the people he's told. Especially Ishimaru ー his 'brother', and his reason of wanting to make the most out of Wonderland. Eventually, when the timing is right, Mondo'd like Liv to know, too. It's something he's always kept at the back of his mind. ]

If your fiance can be cured... does that mean they can cure you too?

[ Liv's heart melts a little as she looks at Komo and reaches out to lightly scratch under his chin, leaning in to boop his nose with her own gently. ]

You're a good puppy.

[ She looks up at Mondo's question and nods a little. ]

Eventually. But it takes...so much time just to develop one cure. And it was either use our resources to try and find every zombie one by one and cure them or...innoculate the non-zombie population instead so no matter what happens, the zombie population will eventually die out in a generation or two and no one can ever get the virus again.

[ Komo seems so overflowingly happy at the return of affectionate gesture. He relaxes to the touch, eventually hops to Liv's side of sofa to curl up by her side when she releases him.

The sight before Mondo is killing him inside from warmth ー on one hand he's so proud of his little one, on the other he's really glad Liv genuinely enjoys the pup's company, it's simply a win-win situation. But it sadly is short-lived, because now he's having a mini internal panic from what Liv just said. Innoc... what? The hell's that? ]

You mean like, vaccination, right?

[ Right? Not eu... euthna... what was it again? The injection that can kill you? Not that, right? ]

Yep, exactly. So if someone got accidentally scratched, they wouldn't die and come back a zombie. They wouldn't die at all.

[ It's really too bad she doesn't know yet about the whole switch-a-roo to the vaccines to actually contain pure zombie virus. ]

Heeh...

[ An incredibly relieved sigh leave him as his hand reaches to the back of his own neck, rubbing. ]

Geez, you scared me for a sec there. Well, if that's the case, with so many people here, there bound ta be people who've got some... I dunno, advanced technology or somethin'. Maybe they can help you find a faster cure.

That would be fantastic. I mean, except for the whole 'forget everything you know about Wonderland when you leave Wonderland' part. So even if a cure did stick, I'd head home with no idea how I turned human again.

Huh?!

[ That's news for him. He thought he'd gotten all the basic knowledge down pat so far, but seems like there are still things he has yet to know. ]

You'd... huh...

[ Shit, this is hitting him harder than he thought. He scratches the back of his head. ]

Meaning you'd probably not realise you're back to human too? 's there a way to tell?

Well, I mean. Suddenly having a skin color again and a heartbeat, needing to breathe. Probably big clues. But I wouldn't know why or how. And that'd probably lead to a lot of false conclusions in trying to come up with a cure. Because there's no way I'd know to count Wonderland as a factor.

[ So, even if she could be cured, it probably wouldn't be worth the risk of going home and still being that way. She'd never be able to help anyone else. ]

[ Those are valid points. He'd definitely try to come up with his own rationalisation himself if he were her. ]

...Guess expecting to come back with somethin' from here 's too much to ask, eh.

[ After all, they're here for Wonderland to feed on their memories or something, isn't it? ]

I'd hate returnin' back without rememberin' shit.

I hate the idea of that, too, but then again, we wouldn't know what we don't know, right?

[ That's kind of the way she's looking at it. And then their fried chicken dinner comes and Liv grins, immediately reaching for the hot sauce. The entire bottle goes onto the chicken, a nice, Carolina reaper sauce that would probably incapacitate a grown man. When she takes a big bite, she closes her eyes and nods. ]

Oh, man. This is good chicken.

[ Ah, that actually made him smile a bit. ]

Heh. You're strong.

[ And she just proves his point further with her actions the moment the fried chicken came for them. What the flipping hell. ]

Are ya eatin' the sauce or the chicken?!

[ His eyes dilate while he watches her munching it without a problem, but then snorts a little. ]

Try it without the sauce too, it's real good shit.

Oh, well here's the thing.

[ Liv wipes at her mouth before speaking again. ]

Heat is the only thing that makes food actually taste amazing when it's not. You know.

[ She gestures to her own head for 'brain.' ]

It's the only thing I can actually taste, so I have to add it to things to bring out the flavor, make it noticeable. I have no idea why this is a zombie thing.

Huh. I see...

[ He remembered her saying something about having to improvise a little when eating, but not in this way. Shit, losing your sense of tasting don't sound fun, man. He sure hopes she can enjoy this at least, though. ]

So that's why you collect hot stuff. ...Can I try?

[ He asks, but doesn't wait for an answer as he reaches for the sauce, squeezing a small portion on his chicken just to see how hot it is. It's weirdly challenging, somehow, but he can't help feeling curious. Bringing it closer to his mouth, his gaze toggle between Liv and the chicken. ]

I'm goin' for it.

[ He can smell the hot sauce the closer it gets, and the slower he takes to open his mouth. Damn. This smells fucking spicy. Slowly, slowly, he opens his mouth. ]

Mondo. Dude. If you do that I can't promise you that it won't be the most painful thing you've ever done to yourself. And that pain will continue. In the bathroom.

[ Plenty of dude bros do it though, she's watched them, so she's not going to stop him if he's that into the idea. ]

Just don't say I didn't warn you.

That bad?

[ He's listening to the warning, at least, but if it's just a liiittle tiny bit, it shouldn't be so bad, right? ...Should it? After a short pause, he takes a small bite on the side where he's squeezed some sauce on. ]

Hey, this ain't so ba-- uhgk?!

[ The spiciness finally hits him and he's sent on a major coughing fit (thankfully he's not facing Liv's way so nothing's gonna be flying towards her), sucking in as much soda as he can to his system hoping it'll help but... soda and spicy stuff don't really mix that great. At least not doing anything to heal his burning tongue. ]

What the fu-- cough cough cough!!

[ After twenty or thirty coughs later, he finally regains his neutral state, though his eyes are watery and face is pretty darned red. His breathing is deep and long, and he's all weary like someone just violated him in many ways. He only had a small bit?! What the flipping hell, she wasn't joking when that'd be the most painful thing that he'd ever do to himself. ]

...I should've listened to you. [ He says, still with tears in his eyes, staring grudgingly at the sauce, and then pathetically at Liv. ] This could kill a monster, I bet.

I know, everyone should always listen to me. I told you! Nothing is going to help. Milk and ice cream, it's all lies. This stuff has caused people to go to the hospital, man.

[ She looks at him pointedly. ]

Please don't text me when you have to deal with the other end of things. Just remember me saying 'I told you so.'

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fade this one here?