[DRP] Annabel Lee (Horace + others)

[The Semblance of Unity]

Guardian

The bright smile abruptly dropped off of his face. "You think I don't know that? Lawrence Weiman. I know his 'name', and the places he's lived and exactly how many languages he speaks and how he reads slowly as though he could absorb the pages if he concentrated hard enough," Horace hissed, trying to jerk his hand from Peyton's. "I know. He preferred Jan and I respected that preference." A muscle ticked along his jaw. Horace was tired of everyone treating him as though he were stupid instead of trusting. Instead of forgiving.

"If you don't know, who should I ask - America? Taym? Dwight? Who, sugarspun?" His voice was hard.

beejoux

 

[Grey Dragon]

Jello or Candy?

All pretenses were wasted on Oliver. When one was as naturally anxious about everything in the world, it came with an acute attention to little details, miniscule things that might mean the difference between 'okay' and 'ohmygodrunaway'. When not applied to life or death situations, it made him extremely sensitive to the state of his friends. The amount of wrongness in that little enclosed area practically screamed at him.

He stepped inside, letting the curtains fall closed behind him. At first it was hard to find his voice. What could he say that would lighten the weight that lay heavily upon his friend?

"You look... like it hurts a lot..." Oliver finally said, his voice small. He was not so good at hiding his emotions, and tried to find a distraction in finding and pulling things out of his pockets and setting them on the small table near the bed. Jello cups. A red one followed by an orange, then another red, a green, and even a purple one. One by one set in a straight line.

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

Guardian

"Then maybe you should've left me. I didn't ask you to stay." Out of the three, Peyton was probably the only one of his rescuers who had been concerned with him. It didn't matter. Even she thought he was stupid, an idiot, willfully uninformed. If he'd stayed, yes, Jan would've killed him, but maybe he would've understood why. And he knew it was beyond ******** up to think that, but Horace couldn't help it. He shoved his good hand through his hair.

"It doesn't matter. I'll ask someone else." He needed to talk to Jan, to find out the whys the hows, to figure out how he himself felt. Find out what good enough meant. He'd be lying to himself if he said a part of him didn't still love Jan. Horace couldn't shake it, but he knew if he mentioned it to anyone, they wouldn't understand. He didn't even understand. Closing his eyes, he laid down fully and rolled over, facing away from her.

beejoux

 

[Saliru]

Drugs and Alcohol

Even if they weren't the best of friends - or really even got along most of the time - Al couldn't help his need to check on the familiar man when word reached. He had wondered why Horace hadn't been by to harass him at the bar so he decided to bring some of the bar to him. Well, not actually the bar, more like a couple cans of beer he purchased on his last leave. One with a red bow duct taped to the top, the other in hand and thrust out for Horace as he pushed through his curtains.

"You can drink right?"  

[prolixity]

Pick-me-up

It took a little longer for Jordan to hear, but once he did, he stopped by the infirmary room long enough to leave a thermos on the table. "Coffee in here sucks if they even give you any," he explained, "hope you don't have to be stuck in here too long." He wasn't sure why Horace was in here, but he suspected, from the forlorn and dead-eyed look on the kid's face, that he didn't care to talk about it.

The Semblance of Unity

 

[Bittiface]

The Semblance of Unity

BROMANCE

Interpersonal? Someone had attacked him here on Deus? To this extent? "But... don't the dampeners on the training field prevent that sort of thing?" He asked with concern, not knowing how fragile the ice was in Horace's mind.

He gave a teasing smile, undeterred by Horace's flat tone. The man was obviously in pain, and likely very tired. Perhaps even on sedatives. "You don't? You sure? Smutbot?" He laughed aloud, grinning like a child.

His smile fell into a more careful sort, starting to realize that the teen was hurting more on the inside than he was on the outside.

"If not lovers, how about friends?" His head tilted, trying to meet Horace's eyes, his smile unfaltering and kind. "Well, I saw you here when I was filling a shift. Moon and Life duties sometimes intermingle."  

[lizbot]

Awkward offerings

New options began to appear in Horace's meals. Fresh fruit smoothies, simple cookies, something suspiciously like homemade soup. No explanation was given.  

[Enoh Love]

SCREECH

He hissed but didn't flinch or turn away. To her this was a good sign - or as good of a sign as it could possibly be. When he turned into her, her fingers pressed just a little harder into him, her arms tightening to welcome it as much as she had invited it.

"What?" Harley's voice had taken on an almost breathless squeak; He did this? This was his fault? She tried to think of the ways what he could have possibly put himself in this infirmary; had he done it himself? Unlikely, as she couldn't pin him as the type to do such drastic self-harm. Had he gotten involved with one of the 'dangerous' sorts on the island - the ones that everyone mentioned in passing, but never told her their names? Likely, perhaps...but she also couldn't imagine him as the confrontational sort. He was too easy going and kind for that. Unless the Horace she knew was a lie, she simply could imagine this to be anything remotely his fault. Even if Halloween were involved. Maybe someone else had gotten killed in the Haunted House?

She wasn't sure. Not entirely.

"Everything?" She parroted, her voice shaking softly as she attempted to not cry right alongside him. "Th-that's a pretty tall order, my friend! You can't be responsible for everything~" Her joke was a terrible one, and she knew her delivery was much too flat to pull it off with any success. "You didn't make me stub my toe the other day." She added, trying to hard to put a cheery face into it all. It was the only way she knew how to cope.

But he leaned against her as best as he could, and he broke down.

She sat for a moment, stunned, and finally leaned her head against his, holding him as securely as she could while he sobbed against her, thinking nothing of it beyond the desperate need to make it all better. To make the pain go away.

"It's okay." She whispered to him, her lips ghosting against his temple as she lowered her face closer to his. "It'll be okay, I promise. I promise - I'm not going anywhere, alright? I'll stay here - right here - for as long as you need me." She pressed her lips against his temple, leaving behind a kiss. He was hurting so much, and she didn't even know where to start; his cries seemed to vibrate through her entire being, shaking her heart with each painful sob. She hurt for him; she hated to see her friend - especially one so dear to her - like this. Blue eyes began to well with tears of her own, held at bay by the occasional rapid blinking.

"What happened?" She asked again after a few minutes have passed, having needed that time to gather her courage and steady her words. Her voice was soft, the edges trembling with the effort it took to keep them together. "Why are you telling yourself such terrible things?"

the semblance of unity

oops word vomit

 

[Huni Pi]

Late

She'd been in the kitchen when she heard the news. Well, less "news" and more "rumor" by the time it reached Joy's ears. Horace was hurt bad. Probably dying as we speak but you didn't hear it from me. She would have left her station then and there to rush to the infirmary but her shift wasn't over, and though Joy gave the impression of rushing into things without thinking, she took her duties very seriously. It was a Herculean feat to stay put until the end of her shift, her stomach knotted and skin clammy with sweat but she but had the presence of mind to snag a dessert or two.

The moment her shift ended, the apron, the rubber gloves, the hairnet were quickly tossed off and the moon trainee was rushing down the halls. "Oh my god, Horace don't die, please be aliiiiiive!" half-wail half-sob all begging as she stumbled into the infirmary.  

[The Semblance of Unity]

Jello or Candy?

"Yeah, hurts a bit." A bit was an understatement, but he was healing. "I'll have a scar - we can be scar buddies. Did you have duty in the infirmary?" For the sake of Oliver's anxiety, Horace tried to perk up a bit, but it was hard. Everything just felt like far too much effort. He turned to watch Oliver set out some sort of jell-o cups.

"There's a purple flavor?"

grey dragon

 

[Grey Dragon]

Jello or Candy?

Oliver shook his head, his eyes growing watery. "N-not that..."

He didn't elaborate, not with the weight he felt in his own chest. Lots of hunters understood physical pain, and could tolerate it, work with it, even laugh about it, but the infirmary had no medication that would help the kind of pain Oliver was referring to. He hadn't been told what happened, and wasn't about to ask when Horace had probably recited events over and over again at every stage of treatment. He just didn't want to see Horace so... hollow.

Oliver picked up the purple jello cup, trying to be casual. "Nah, I-I was in the lab today... b-but I just happened to, uh, have something... um... very important over... here. To do. So um... yeah. Grape, I think? O-or I have some chocolate, i-it's probably a lot better than the jello anyway."

The kid pulled a handful of Hershey Kisses out of yet another pocket and offered them without a second thought.

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

Drugs and Alcohol

Horace startled slightly as an arm pushed through the curtains. He rise up on his elbows... tried to. Instead, he huffed and rolled onto his good side before sitting up.

"Probably not," he said wanly. "But when has that ever stopped me?" He took the can from Al and popped the top, taking a gulp. And promptly coughing. He bent over as pain arched across his chest. ********. Alright, no coughing, ever.

"Thanks, though. I guess word gets around quick."

saliru