GRAVEDIGGER ━━━ leon s. kennedy

four.

Coming up behind Vera and closing the library spade door behind him, a delighted and equally stunned, "Claire?!" left Leon after he saw the reason why Marvin had called them back. He took a couple steps forward, elation emitting from him like sunshine rays, so full of ebullience that it bubbled over.

Vera's gaze skipped from him to the newest addition to the group.

The ponytailed brunette in the red leather jacket with "Made in Heaven" written on the back underneath the winged and horned lady hugging a giant rifle was crouched in front of the sofa Marvin was sprawled on, she turned around to look at the source of the voice, and stood up, smiling charmingly with a hint of awkwardness in there.

It showed in her face that she was thinking about how the dead rising from the oblivion crisis was pulling all the pretty people in like moths to flame.

Without hesitation, Leon shoved his gun back into its leg holster and jogged up to her, looking between the fatigued, harshly breathing Marvin and her. "I knew you'd make it! Are you okay?"

"You know, doing fine, the same old," the girl said, sheepish, if there was a door sill, she'd probably put her arm on it and lean in. "Just surviving."

Leon chuckled, relief written all over his body language, his wide back to Vera was visibly lax despite being concealed by the protective vest. "That's good." Snapping awake from some spell he was under, he spun backwards to face Vera, prettily abashed yet happy all the same — the boy within shadowing over his face. "This is Claire, I forgot to say. I came into town with her."

Vera was staying behind and observing, not caring all that much about how the two knew each other and letting it be known, before she had to skitter up to Marvin, attention taken away by a particularly harsh jerk and hiss from him. She put a hand on his shoulder, a chill going up her wrist at the cold and moist sensation from the damp material from him rapidly sweating, and gently nudged him backwards. "You need to lay down."

"I lay down all the damn time," he grumbled behind gritted teeth, Vera could feel the eyes on them.

She helped him settle without putting much pressure on the tear in his side, covering him with the white sheet. "And? You'll continue laying down until we're finished getting that passageway open."

Marvin was displeased, but he'd live.

Vera heard shuffling right behind her. When she looked back, Leon was offering her something, and the girl named Claire was glancing on with sorrow in her ocean blues, obviously lost and not sure what to do — the slight baby fat on her face pulled on Vera's heartstrings.

"I've got some herbs. Green and red. You said red intensified the effect." Leon uttered, voice low and reverent as if Marvin was sleeping and it would wake him up.

"Yeah that's right," she said, letting him place the herbs in her hands, their fingers brushed. She nodded, grateful. "Appreciate it."

He studied his superior, dejection straining his eyebrows. "You're welcome." Backing off, he caught Claire's eyes, and motioned back to the reception desk with Vera's station with a bob of his head. "We'll be at the front, come on Claire."

Claire said, "Okay," but her worried gaze stalled, hesitating to follow Leon for a short while, then she stopped. "Is there anything I can do?"

"No," Marvin asserted, pained but firm.

He was about to follow it up with some foreshadowing, ominous bullshit like, 'There's nothing anyone can do,' and Vera dismissed that before he could open his mouth, jibing at him. "Yes, yes, we get it, you've become a parrot at this point." She put the herbs right under his nose. "Make better use of your mouth and eat your greens."