[DRP] The Found (Al's family/visitors)

[Baneful]

"No he hasn't." Rep said. "Got a ******** job I mean. He's no welcome at the bar in an employee capacity anymore. You skip out on your job, you get fired, welcome to the real world."

He shook his head. "And your home definitely isnae with us or anything to do with us, it's wherever you made it after that. I only stopped by in case you were dying, to pay my last respects, but you aren't and I'm a busy ******** man."

Still, he leaned into the arm rub like a cat, looking away from Al and towards Harrison instead, as if seeking reassurance that he could leave.

 

[prolixity]

Returned

"Yeah, I've been there," Jordan commiserated. "At least we heal pretty fast." Something that had been bothering him a little made itself known, and he glanced around the room, noting that there were no signs that anyone was keeping Al company - no chair dragged in, no bag or items left behind to indicate presence. "How's Noah?" he asked, curious.

His eyebrows went up a little at the question. "I'm holding up okay," he said after a moment. "Keeping busy, like I said. Working on the training courses, helping out with whatever I can find. It's good to have distractions, right?" A small smile. "I've had to go raid bookstores a few times, I keep finishing my books."  

[Saliru]

Red in a Sea

He brightened at Harrison. "Good, I'm supposed to get these off today," he wiggled his legs almost imperceptibly. At the head tap though, he settled back down. "That though, I don't know... the men in white weren't very helpful and Nuru says there's other s**t he's trying to fix first like uh." He pointed at the bag of fluids hanging up by his bed. "He fixed my legs though," he assured again much more positively.

At Rep's comment, his slowly budding joy was quickly tamped down and now he just looked sad and confused. Rep was legitimately hard to read, let alone understand. Was it true he'd skipped out and deserted them before the accident? He couldn't even trust his memory enough to even try to argue that that wasn't what happened. How should he know? All he knew was that he seemed mad and was looking for reasons to stay that way. He shrugged at Rep and decided to just say what was on his mind, "I'm sorry you feel that way. I don't remember what I did or why, but I'm still sorry if the result was that you were hurt. I don't know why I'd hurt someone I care about."
 

[Saliru]

Returned

His gaze followed Jordan's and frankly he had been thinking the same thing as him for a while. It seemed like he was known, but no one stayed. He shrugged at Jordan, "Everyone keeps mentioning him but I don't think I've seen him."

He listened attentively to the few clues Jordan gave him, genuinely curious. Ah, an avid reader. "Do you have a favorite book?" He asked calmly. Trying to suppress anything he'd felt about the lack of guests that actually stayed.  

[prolixity]

Returned

"That seems strange," Jordan said, frowning a little. "You two are pretty close, aren't you? I'd think he'd have been here by now."

"You want me to pick just one?" he asked lightly.  

[Saliru]

Returned

He chose not to comment about any of that. He did not know the answers and felt upset even grasping for the plausible.

"Yes," he answered after a moment. "Just one."  

[prolixity]

Al got a slightly strange look for his lack of an answer to the question. Was there some kind of problem or friction that Jordan didn't know about? It was possible.

"Well, if I have to pick one, I guess I'd go with The Hobbit. Stick to the classics, right?" he said. "I'm pretty fond of classic fantasy."  

[Saliru]

Returned

Jordan got a strange look for the book he chose. It felt familiar somehow but he didn't remember reading it. Maybe it was a movie he saw? "Oh? It's about fantasy? Sounds nice." So he was a story man, specifically of the fantasy genre. "Do you like dragons?" he asked conversationally. "Dragons are my favorite."  

[prolixity]

Returned

"Oh, you haven't read it? It's good." Jordan smiled. "I do like dragons. The traditional kind and the not-so-traditional." His thumb rubbed over the ring on his right index finger.

I should hope so, Ferros put in, amused.  

[Saliru]

Returned

"Dragons are my favorite," Al confessed before gently mirroring the tender touch of Jordan moments ago but himself, directed at the dog collar around his wrist. "Nuru is just an exception to that rule," he smiled down at him and then up at Jordan. "It is nice seeing you by the way. I felt like I missed you quite a bit."
 

[prolixity]

Returned

"Of course." Jordan smiled at the mirrored gesture. It often seemed like too many hunters had impersonal or strained relationships with their weapons, and it was nice to see another bond that held the kind of affection he felt towards Ferros.

"Oh? I guess I'll have to come around more often then," he said, a little surprised. He'd been a little standoffish with Al, not wanting to get in the way of the younger man's friendship (or whatever it was) with Rep. But he liked Al well enough, and it was nice to find that he was liked in return.