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The door to Matador's room opened and out stepped Boggles, her solemn face looking down at the floor, not wanting to even glance at the other HEPs waiting for her. She walked out of the room slowly, closing the door behind her as if she wanted nothing more than to stay there for another second.
Garbo started to fiddle with his jacket,"Well? Are they going to be okay?”
“They… uh,” Boggles paused, looking back into the room where Matador laid prone, barely breathing anymore. She grimaced before finally shutting the door,” The uh- Doc said that they're…”
She paused again
Then smiled bigger than anyone has ever seen
“THEY AIN'T GONNA MAKE IT!”
Instant cheering
Boggles’ eyes widened and she held a finger to her lips and started to whisper-yell,“SHHHHSHHSH- SHUT UP! Save that for when they flatline,” she ordered, her eyes darting to look at Matador through the small window to make sure that they were still down
“Sorry, sorry!,” Garbo squeaked out,”What- uh- what should we do with their stuff?”
Diablo let out a huff to gain the others attention before signing,”Sell”
Boggles wrapped an arm around him,”This is why you're my favorite, I was thinking the EXACT same thing. How many spools do you think we'd get from it?-”
Garbo quickly spoke up,”Wwwwhy sell it?! I mean- there's probably some cool things in there liiiike… uh”
She rolled her eyes,”I doubt they'd have toys in their room”
“THEY'RE FIGURINES!”
“Bet they won't have that either”
“Half of their things are probably too burnt to be sold,” Mari-anna mumbled, staring at Matador through the large window, her tentacles gripping the sill
Boggles released Diablo just to cling onto Mari-anna, the force making her turn away from Matador,”Bet it won't. Let's check it out”
“You know anything you do, I can't, SaFel will have my head”
“And anything Matador does- sorry- DID, I'd get punished 10x worse”
“That's why I don't think ANY of us should even try to mess with their things”
Boggles waved dismissively,”I'll think about it,” knowing she in fact, won't think about it
“You won't. Just please don't attach my name to this”
Garbo slid in between the two, her arms wrapping around them both,“You knoooow with Matador gone… I was thinking that I'd be leader,” if Garbo had a mouth she would be grinning ear to ear
Mari-anna carefully removed Garbo's hand as if it had cooties,”There aren't really any leaders…”
Garbo rolled his now free hand,”Yeah, but you know what I mean! I wanna be seen as the big strong authority around here!”
“Big?,” Boggles looked down at Garbo
“...Strong?,” Mari-anna asked
“Yeah!”
Boggles and Mari-anna stared at each other
Another huff to gain the groups attention, Diablo signed,”I think I should be leader, I've been on the most missions”
“No you haven't!,” Boggles frowned,”Last month's reports said that I did the most!”
Diablo leaned towards her, raising an eyebrow,”And how many spools did you get?”
She stuttered,”E-Enough! I earned enough! You know I was out for half the month because YOU beat me senseless trying to get the literal SCRAP I had! Do you have any idea how hard it is to regenerate organs?!”
“I was strapped that month”
“WE COULD'VE SPLIT 5/95!”
Diablo let out a whinny
Garbo and Mari-anna stared as the two argued.
“I think I should be leader,” Mari-anna proposed
“Thought you didn't want to be involved in this, Mari,” Garbo put his hands on his hips, narrowing her eyes at the other girl
“Better me than ANY of you”
Days passed and Matador only seemed to get worse, barely able to speak anymore. SaFel, believing that Matador was basically dead, cleared out their room, selling whatever the other HEPs didn't already get their hands on.
Then, Matador just got up, groggy, in pain, and confused, but very much alive. They stumbled out of their hospital room and down the hall, using the wall to keep themselves steady.
Just as they were about to round the corner, Diablo rounded from the other side, nearly bumping into them.
“Morning, Matador,” Diablo signed lazily, having just ‘woken’ up from charging
“Morn…ing, Bog- er- Diablo?,” Matador mumbled
As the two passed each other, Matador could hear as Diablo's footsteps suddenly stopped… before hearing running coming up from behind them.
Matador was spun around and grabbed by their shoulders and shaken. Diablo's eyes wide. Matador felt sicker.
Matador could only make a sound that was between a wheeze and a groan barely registering that Diablo had stopped shaking them and started signing.
“ALIVE —-- HOW? —-- OKAY?,” Matador barely made out
“Ghhhh… I dunnoooo”
Diablo ran off, leaving Matador to try and continue their trudge… somewhere.
Not even a few seconds later, they heard several pairs of footsteps behind them and they were once again turned around, now facing Garbo.
“YOU'RE ALIVE?!”
“ew…”
Garbo was shoved out of the way and Boggles took her place,”We thought you actually DIED! What did The Doctor do?!”
“Hhhhhhh”
“That device is probably keeping them alive,” Mari-anna stated, rolling her tentacles together anxiously,”Either that or their will”
Boggles snapped her head towards Mari-anna, “They're 80! What will do they have left?!,” She faced Matador again,”Even SAFEL thought you were dead!”
“imnot”
“I CAN SEE THAT”
“They're probably hyped up on whatever The Doctor has on her,” Mari-anna said
“Fent?,” Diablo signed
“What?”
“She seems more like a codeine girl to me,” Garbo commented before tapping her chin,”or maybe morphine…”
“What… are you saying?”
“Guys…,” Boggles called out, her voice weaker and more shaky
“...We gotta get Matador’s shit back”