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 Posted: Fri May 13, 2011 11:25 pm
It'd been a while since Azzo had went to one particular Mexican restaurant in town, and well he was starting to miss his favorite Chili. Simply put he was craving cactus chile and some nacho's, unfortunately there was only one place he'd found so far that served it. Which was slightly out of his way, he shrugged softly as he was walking. He'd been to kickboxing and after he finished and cleaned up he was making a bee-line to the restaurant.
Waiting in line he seemed not to mind, swaying slightly to his Ipod. Which he was wearing one ear bud and left the other out so he could hear the waiter. It took a couple of minutes to be seated, and he wasn't far, from a group of guys. He hummed while waiting on the waitress, she eventually came over and asked if Azzo knew what he wanted. "Ah yes ma'am."
He paused and eyes scanned over the drinks for a second, "Lets see, I'll have Sweet tea with lemon. Nopalitos Con Chile, with Nachos. Also I'd like Salsa with that was well, and one of your taco salads." Azzo always ordered kind of big, he'd probably order more after that and a doggy bag, it was a habit here specially with the wonderful Chile.
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Posted: Sun May 15, 2011 7:54 am
It was nice to be almost done for the semester, and in celebration, Chris and some of the guys from the honors program decided to head out to grab lunch together since the girls decided they all wanted to do things like... get manicures and go to the mall. It was probably better, anyway, because most of their time together was talking about the girls. Well, other than talking about the topics for their summer research papers, of course. Seriously, who gave papers to do over the summer?
Chris noticed the boy with the black hair the moment he made his way into the restaurant, but not because he stuck out for any particular reason, but because he was almost one hundred percent certain that... he was seeing a ghost. The guy looked almost exactly like a guy he knew back before high school, but who had died. It was the strangest experience for him in a really long time, including the time his mother had him act as a manikin of sorts as she pinned up a dress she wanted to make for herself.
He was temped to get up and ask the guy if he was somehow related to his old friend, but how would that conversation start? "Hey, I knew this guy back in middle school, and you look just like him, so could you be one of his relatives? Oh, he's dead now, so if anyone in your family died..."? Yeah, he didn't think that would go over very well.
In fact, he was planning on not saying anything to him for the rest of his meal, but after their waitress came and they all got up after paying, he couldn't resist the curiosity any longer.
"Hey, I'll see you guys later, I saw someone I wanted to talk to," he quickly explained when his classmates gave him a strange look, but they shrugged and made their way out of the restaurant and to wherever they were planning on going next.
Christopher, instead, cautiously made his way over to the young man sitting by himself, glancing around awkwardly for a moment before speaking up. "Uh, excuse me... Sorry, but... you look really familiar..."
That was okay, right...?
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Posted: Sun May 15, 2011 1:29 pm
Azzo had been sitting there waiting for the waitress, glancing through a newspaper article when someone else approached him. His brow lofted as he looked over Chris. "Perhaps we do."
Azzo replied casually, he wasn't about to assume who Chris was without being sure himself. After all he'd been through a heck some of the people from his past were still Fuzzy in his head, the ones that he'd known for a while right up to the point he disappeared. That didn't stop Azzo from giving a grin, "Is there a particular name you have on your tongue? That is, one that you'd want to call me." It was something he'd picked up form his grandfather. Let them work it out for themselves and if they ask you then tell them.
Of course that only applied to people you thought you knew too but wasn't completely sure. Azzo offered the other a seat, he didn't mind having company stranger or not.
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Posted: Mon May 16, 2011 1:09 pm
Well, this was awkward...
Christopher stared at the young man, and then at the seat that was offered to him, not sure if he should take it, because if he was wrong, then... why bother someone he didn't know. Eventually, Chris gave a small shake of his head, deciding to remain standing for the moment. He would try and make it as quick and painless as possible, especially if he was wrong.
"Well, that's just it..." Chris started, trying to figure out the right words to use. "You look like a friend I had that, uh... passed away. But... you wouldn't happen to be related to the Crowleys would you...?" he asked, his cautious and slow, not wanting to rush through something that might end up being a painful memory, if the guy did happen to know his old friend.
He hadn't seen much of his friend since before high school, but he distinctly remember being told that he and several others had died. It wasn't a very pleasant experience, knowing that someone he had known had died, but that was how life worked, right...?
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Posted: Mon May 16, 2011 2:03 pm
Azzo paused, yup, that'd be him. He was looking at Chris trying to figure out what to say. Now would be a nice time for a distraction, Azzo was searching for a name he knew the boy, that much was obvious. It took what seemed like an eternity to him to find what he was looking for. "Have a seat Chris. You're either about to get really pissed off, or have your mind blown."
Azzo wasn't use to telling about the mix up in such a populated place, but it'd have to do. He certainly wasn't walking out on his order, and he didn't want to be rude and ask for a doggy bag so soon. The waitress came out with his order as soon as he started to think how to explain things. "Thank you miss." He said as he watched the items be placed down, looking over to Chris, "Want any of the Nopalitos Con Chile?" He asked curiously.
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Posted: Tue May 17, 2011 11:29 am
Chris watched the other young man, feeling even more awkward as he stood there, waiting to see what the other guy had to say. Of course, when he said his name, Chris blinked in confusion, and glanced around for a moment before taking a seat. Well, this was strange. Apparently this guy knew who he was? Or maybe he just didn't remember him...? Usually he was pretty good with faces and names, but at the moment... he couldn't, for the life of him, figure out who this guy was... other than the fact that he looked like his dead, old friend.
"No, thank you," he declined the offer to share food, still not really knowing what to expect from this meeting, but he watched the other young man curiously, especially if he thought he was going to be pissed off or have his mind blown.
"You know something that I don't..." he guessed, glancing down at the food on the table, before back up at the darker haired teen, still trying to figure out why he looked so familiar and why it seemed as though he knew him. Maybe they went to school together...? Maybe Azzo had had some long lost twin brother...? No, that would be ridiculous...
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Posted: Tue May 17, 2011 1:16 pm
Azzo shrugged as he took a bite of the chile, "You're loss."
He sighed, with a shake of his head, "I am Azzo." He said after a second watching Chris for a reaction, since if he remembered correctly even Chris thought he was dead. He took another bite of Chile on one of his chips.
There was a serious look in his eyes that meant he wasn't kidding either.
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Posted: Wed May 18, 2011 10:47 pm
Chris felt himself blink once, and then twice, before his eyes narrowed lightly, suspiciously, at the young man sitting across from him at a typical Mexican restaurant in the city.
"No s**t?" was all he could say as he sat back in his chair, his arms crossing over his chest while his right hand lifted to lightly rest his knuckles against his chin. He stared at Azzo, looking him up and down for a few long moments before deciding he would give him the benefit of the doubt. Did he think he should believe him? No, but what else was he going to do? Have him pull out his driver's license or other form of identification in order to prove that he was his friend from middle school that he'd been told had died??
"What the hell happened, then?" he couldn't help but wonder. "I was told you died..." He didn't remember the details of the story he'd been told... only the fact that Azzo Crowley had been one of the victims... So, he would have to excuse him for being thoroughly confused and a bit skeptical, at the moment.
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Posted: Wed May 18, 2011 11:12 pm
Azzo figured as much, he sighed softly as he dipped another chip into his Chile, "Yeah. Everyone was under that impression. My folks, my grandmother, and apparently anyone else I knew."
He sighed, "Conway wasn't happy to find out I was alive. His only disappointment of a son, can't say as I blame him."
Azzo shook his head, "What happened was somehow the hospital... maybe hospitals.... managed to lose a lot of us, and we ended in an organ trafficking ring." He gave a soft shrug as he continued to eat.
"They felt right real funny when they had to take back the fact we were dead. Of course not all of us came out of that alive, and well I ended up coming out of it with broken ribs to say the least."
He paused, "Does your aunt and uncle still live in the country?"
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Posted: Wed May 18, 2011 11:44 pm
Chris continued to watch the other young man, his eyes still narrowed, as he explained what happened, not really sure if he should ask more about it, or if it was a painful subject to bring up. And, of course, it sounded kind of crazy, but again, what was he going to do? Call him out to be a liar, only to make himself out to be an idiot when he finds out that he really had gone though all that.
His arms relaxed a little, his hand moving away from his face and just resting against the table now. He couldn't see how the guy could talk about organ trafficking and still eat like he was. Well, he supposed it didn't help that he'd just finished eating...
When his aunt and uncle were brought up, though, he blinked again, still staring across the table. "Uh, yeah, they do..."
He paused for a moment before admitting, "Jeez, you really are Azzo." What the hell? So everything he was saying was true?? Organ trafficking and faked deaths and... wow. What the hell?? "What have you been doing all this time, then?! Are you done with high school now??" he asked, feeling very out of the loop now that his old friend was back from the dead, apparently. A call would have been nice...
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Posted: Thu May 19, 2011 12:53 pm
Azzo grinned, when Chris realized it was him. "Ah, I was wondering how to contact you. Grams wasn't even sure if they still lived out there. So..."
He paused, "Granted I've been sorta busy trying to figure out what the hell happened myself, plus catch up with the school work I missed and all that Jazz. I didn't really have time to try to contact anyone else to go 'hey I'm alive.'"
He frowned, "I've been trying to organize a puppet show but it seems like anytime I get anywhere with it, something ends up happening. Like I broke my arm a few months ago."
He shrugged softly, "Pretty well done with it. I think they expect me to come to Graduation since I went half the year though."
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Posted: Thu May 19, 2011 10:24 pm
Of course he realized who Azzo was! He had the exact same hairstyle he had when they were younger. He was actually surprised that he hadn't realized it was him before but... the whole being dead thing had thrown him off.
"Yeah, I can imagine," Chris said slowly, still trying to get over the fact that it was Azzo sitting in front of him. And not only that, but he was talking as though there was nothing but normal life going on around them. Puppet shows and classes and graduation... It was kind of surreal.
"Where are you going now...? And what are your plans after you graduate...? Do you have any plans for college, or are you going to skip that...?" he wondered, figuring there was no point in dwelling in the past and just... trying to figure out what was going on with his friend's life, now. Were they still friends?? He wasn't sure... It had been so long and people change. Nah, it was Azzo... he couldn't have changed all that much, right?
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Posted: Thu May 19, 2011 10:44 pm
Azzo listened to Chris, "Already Graduated technically. They held me back half a year." He took another bite of his chile. "I was thinking about taking some time off because it was pretty frustrating to deal with all that, then start taking some classes in psychology."
He sighed, "Granted it won't be the same without Gramps showing me what he knows but eh, we get by with what we can." He said giving a soft nod.
He paused, "Besides that I've become one of the most insane people you've probably ever met." He grinned at himself, "I monster hunt, for fun of course..." He polished off his chile before finishing the Salsa and moving to the taco salad. Watching as the waitress filed up his glass.
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Posted: Sat May 21, 2011 6:34 pm
Okay, so running into an old friend was really awesome, but as Christopher stared, golden eyes wide, at Azzo as he sat across the table and ate his lunch, he was beginning to wonder if he should have just let himself be curious about everything, rather than actually approach him...? Not that there was anything wrong with the guy! Maybe Chris had been the one to change over the years they'd spent apart, but... he wasn't sure...
The guy had been assumed dead. But he really wasn't dead. Instead, he was stuck at an organ harvesting ring or something... and then he was just held back half a year, but already graduated. And now he was taking psychology classes.
Okay, that was pretty normal, but now he was starting to get really candid comments about Azzo's... Gramp...? Did... something happen...? Did he die...? He hadn't heard anything from his aunt and uncle about them, but he also didn't want to come out and ask Azzo what was up since... that was kind of rude. It was personal information and if he wanted to share it, he would have. Or maybe he was fishing for returned questions...? Chris wasn't really sure, but he kept his mouth shut.
See, and all that was decently normal, too. But now that Azzo was telling him that he was one of the most insane people he'd ever meet...?
That was when Chris ran through a list of ways to excuse himself from this conversation he'd kind of trapped himself in. Maybe he could say he was late to baseball practice? Or that he had to walk his dog? He just didn't want to seem rude to someone he used to be friends with! He wasn't even sure if Azzo still considered them friends or not, but he also couldn't tell if he was pulling his leg or being serious.
"Monsters..." he repeated slowly, trying not to sound too disbelieving as he, his eyes still wider than usual, stared down at the now finished chile, before up at Azzo, and then awkwardly off to somewhere in the distance, as though he was looking at something else that had gained his attention. "I see... Okay... Um..." Chris stuttered lightly, really not sure how he should respond to something like that. Sure, he was fine with people having eccentric hobbies, but how was he supposed to take monster hunting? Especially when Azzo had already told him that he was insane.
Yeah, he knew he didn't have much of a response, but he really didn't know what to say without the chance of sounding like he was feeling as though he was being taken for a fool.
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Posted: Sat May 21, 2011 8:36 pm
Azzo watched Chris, he was curious how his old friend would react. He sighed when it seemed Chris didn't remember Gramps, "You do remember going to Gramps funeral don't you?" he asked with a frown, his brows knitted.
"We found him another pocket watch to the replace the one he gave me." The boy watched his middle school friend curiously. Did he really forget? Eh, it was forgivable.
Azzo chuckled, "You know those terrorist right?" He asked curiously if Chris wondering if Chris kept up with the news. "It's not as crazy when you actually see what's going on... It just sounds bizarre." There was a shrug. "You should hang out with me at kick boxing one night. If you're interested, I can show you what I'm talking about."
He paused, "All of it would actually make for a really good puppet show or play if I could get enough information."
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