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 Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 5:55 pm
He simply gave up trying to get her off his hand. She wasn't going to stop until he had fingers again though she would hopefully stop if she ever managed to see what might happen. Though that begged the question if she'd just start all over again if she took notice of his fingers missing again the next time they met. He merely nodded as she spoke of her hair and her new clothing in a manner that suggested he might not be listening. Whatever suggestion was conveyed would likely be false, as he was listening and merely waiting for her to ask about his father.
With the silence he slowly looked up to her and she beat him only barely, where he would have likely changed the subject entirely. He smiled a bit and gave a half shrug, "Last I saw he was doing pretty good. He tossed his keys to the damned Public Relations officer and went on vacation. Crotchety old b*****d is nearly as bad as my old man, but he actually does his job. Can you believe that? Its been at least two years since I killed anyone AND I've been paying to rebuild the GPD whenever it gets blown up, and still he wants them to arrest me. You think he'd be more grateful."
He shook his head and sighed, "I've been keeping tabs on him in case he does something stupid, but he seems to just be taking time off from the world. Its like he wishes he could just escape from things every few days like he used to and relax. See a friendly face that doesn't want something from him. He just wants to step away from our world and... breathe."
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Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 6:37 pm
"Escape... you mean? Like-" It sounded so much like Torment was referring to the Brink. To escape from things every few days, just like Cora used to when she was under the stress of the Omegaforce. To relax, and see a friendly face was all she ever wanted in those days. It was all she ever wanted still.
But could that have been the same thing for Tacitus? And if it was, how long had it been since he'd shown up here. Maybe it was years to her memory, but there was no telling. To him, he have only seen her yesterday.
Cora wore a look that attempted to hide her concern and confusion, but she was the last person who'd ever learn how to deceive. "Where's he trying to escape to...? Or rather, what from? Is everything alright with him?"
But she shut her mouth then. It wouldn't do to let on she missed anyone so much, especially him.
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Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 8:29 pm
While Cora may not have skills in hiding her reactions to any serious degree it was something Torment had lived on for many years. He thrived upon deception and despite having no real need for it anymore with every person he met he spread his lies, if only by speaking his name. It was subtle, or maybe not really all that subtle, but he caught onto her feelings, greatly aided by the fact that the last time he had seen her she was saying goodbye to a dying man, for the most part. His expression remained much the same as he spoke, "Well, the most obvious answers would be that he is trying to escape to a quiet place, escape from the stress of his job as a police commissioner in a corrupt world with no true government and thus no true laws, and I'd say that he's probably doing rather well. Last I checked he hadn't taken a vacation in four years. However..." He leaned in close, "You've probably already guessed what my answers would be from only my more detailed knowledge of the both of you, unique in that no one else perhaps maybe the Fae comes close to understanding the both of you in anywhere near equal amounts."
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Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 7:47 am
Cora's expression turned unsure as Torment began to give his explination, but when he leaned in and began to hint at the truth between the lines, she swallowed a gulp. He worded it so strangely, she thought there had to still be a good amount of language barrier in between them, but his tone and his manner suggested that he meant something different from what he was saying.
"The- ... who is the Fae? And, I- I don't know what you mean..." She could at least claim a little innocence there.
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Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 3:27 pm
He leaned back and allowed a small laugh to escape his lips, "Come now Cora, you're smarter than that. And while I grant you that you may have not heard her refer to herself as a fae, or fairy, or however she pronounces it, Mystina is the only one to have spent time with him outside this place besides the two of us." He paused to snatch up his fingers with his left hand and point the tips of them at her. He used them to gesture without thinking much of it while cleaning off some of the dried blood as he spoke, "The answer, my dear, is you. While at first the single word of 'You' may not fit properly into all three of your questions it is rather fitting as it would exemplify the confusion and stress within him. You, you, and you." He stopped fiddling with his fingers for a moment and stared at her with an impish grin, "The true question is whether or not this mere word still fulfills the solution."
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Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 5:33 pm
Her expression turned to one of confusion, though it retained the level of confusion she wore only a moment ago, or perhaps even intensified with it.
"Me? After all this time, Tacitus still wants to see me? I can't imagine-" She cut herself off and put her hands on her hips. Something in her was starting to feel defensive and she couldn't understand why. "I- I hurt him. And he hurt me, and... that makes no sense. Honestly." Cora paused and shook her head absentmindedly. He has a whole world of his own out there, why doesn't he just find something better? This is just a dead end..."
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Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 6:39 pm
He paused to blink and looked up as if seeking guidance from a higher power, though he knew there to be none above these parts, "There is a religion in our time, and perhaps you know of it, and though Tacitus does not subscribe to it directly it has influenced the society he awakened in during his eighth life and sought to maintain in his ninth. In this tenth shade of the former being he hopes to steer our world back to that place. A world of forgiveness. Redemption. A world where the scars of our tarnished past might be cleansed." He looked back down to her with a sigh, "It is said that time heals all wounds. Are the two of you not entitled to healing? Do you want to hurt the rest of your life? Do you think he wanted to hurt you? Is that beyond forgiveness? Is he beyond redemption?"
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Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 6:53 pm
To the lengthy response, Cora could only manage a sigh, and plop onto the seat closest to her. Her eyes lowered to the bar top and it made her realize that she could really use a drink.
Standing up again, she rubbed at the bridge of her nose. "Torment... I've had a lot of time to myself here, as you can imagine." Cora dropped her hand away from her face and gave him a look of doubt. "Its very hard to hold grudges, and I- I'm sure I've forgiven him for lying to me by now. But..." Her mind raced trying to find words to make her confession less of an impact. "But that doesn't mean I could ever feel the same way about him again. He must know that."
And with that, she walked around the bar and began fishing for a good bottle of wine.
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Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 7:13 pm
He sighed and nodded, "Understandable, but you underestimate his stubbornness. Where do you think I got it from?" He looked to her with a smile, "And I never said you had to love him again. He has no way to know that you have forgiven him and no means by which to come to terms with how he hurt you. Redemption does not necessarily equate to a complete return to one's height, but at least some level where one can be satisfied. You may have forgiven him, but can the two of you mend your friendship?"
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