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 Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2011 9:41 pm
Robert didn't usually knock on Petra's door. He had a key, he could have easily used it, just like he always did. The mere fact that he was knocking on her door could have told her something was wrong. But the way he knocked.. it sounded like he was slamming his head against the door, slowly.
Bam.
Bam.
Bam.
"Sunshiiiine.." He whispered at the door, as if the door itself was Petra. He turned, and his entire body slammed against the door, sliding down until his rear hit the bottom.
Then the door opened, because she had left it open for him, and his head hit the floor with a resounding thud. His face looked like he'd been crying for days, when really it had only been a few minutes that had shredded him up this bad.
"I need a drink."
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Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2011 10:59 pm
When the knocking first started reverberating off the bare white walls of her room, Petra did not immediately look up from the paperwork stacked on her desk, pen curled in her fingers scritching at the same unchanging pace. There were a few reasons for this, the first of which being that becoming a hunter had done wonders for her ability to prioritize. Barely escaping near-death situations had a way of suddenly putting things into perspective, what was important and what wasn't, what could wait and what couldn't. A knock at her door could wait, as any of her superiors wouldn't have bothered to walk down to see her in the first place. Considering their moods and tendencies to torture trainees, paperwork for those same superiors could not. The second reason, one only slightly less important, was that Robert didn't need to knock. Phoenix would, and she would certainly offer an apology for the momentary wait as she finished her statement, but her fiance had the key, and had used it on many occasions. So she stayed seated where she was at the desk, the continuously-overcast environment spilling dull grey light onto the paper as she wrote, back to the desk.
She had just finished when the pounding stopped, her pen already having been set on the wood, body mid-motion to rise when she heard Robert's voice filter through the door, her eyes snapping up in surprise. Although it had been whispered, the room and hallway in general had been nearly silent, and the familiar hunter's voice had been easily distinguished, even despite his familiar term of endearment for her. For a second she paused, thoroughly startled, confusion starting to etch the corners of her eyes -- why would he not just walk in? The whisper in itself was disturbing, even without his lack of immediate entrance, and she quickly was in motion again, starting for the door. Something was clearly wrong. And for once, she was certain it had nothing to do with a mission.
A monster, certainly, but that realization would come later.
She didn't even make it to the door before it swung open suddenly, and Robert spilled into the room, his body making a heavy, meaty sound as it hit the ground that indicated he hadn't tried to slow the fall at all. Immediately her body jerked to a stop, a mere few steps away from where he was now sprawled, looking him over with a growing sense of distress, taking in the faint stain of red of his cheeks, as if raw from rubbing at his eyes. Petra didn't curse, but she looked like she wanted to as she spanned the distance between them in a few short steps, dropping to her knees by his shoulders. Although there was a distinct feeling of uneasiness in her gut, her movements were slow as she reached down to calmly run her fingers through his hair, keeping her expression and voice level, although softer than her usual monotone.
"I'm not sure Caelius knows what alcohol is, much less stocks it for trainees," she replied gently, brushing his hair out of his eyes so she could meet them, "What's wrong, Bobby?"
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Interesting Conversationalist
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Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2011 11:22 pm
Robert looked up at his angel, bloodshot eyes cringing as he prepared to tell her news that he knew she would not want to hear.
"Roberta woke up." He answered simply. He hadn't tried to soften the blow, or stall. Not with Petra. It was the truth, from now on, or nothing at all. "And she's a biiiiitch." The last word was said at a slightly higher pitch, almost sing-songing the phrase in sarcastic, and it made him start to sit up off the floor. Even the weak little joking tone he'd just taken sobered up quickly enough when he looked his fiance in the eye.
He was waiting. He wanted to see Petra's face when she took in the info. He wanted to read her eyes, in case she tried to hold back. He wanted to know - he needed to know how she felt about this. So he stopped talking, and watched, and he waited.
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Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2011 11:44 pm
Even when her dark-haired fiance looked up, Petra didn't drop her arms from his hair, brushing it away from his face idly, more soothing than likely anyone in this place had ever seen her. The growing sense of dread, of something wrong, rose further in her belly as she tilted her head down to meet his eyes, but she kept her gaze calm and clear as she met his own bloodshot ones, sliding forward a little to rest his head in her lap. Even despite her resolution to keep calm in the face of his uncharacteristic distress, the mounting uneasiness built visibly with each passing second, starting to crack her perfect emotionless mask. The pause between her words and his spanned into a pregnant silence although it lasted but a few seconds, heavy with something foreboding.
Not even Robert's attempt to lighten the news altered the look of pure, unadulterated shock, her eyes widening as she stared down at him.
"She's... awake?"
Her voice was soft, breathless, as if no air had entered her lungs since her last breath. She couldn't say anything else. There was nothing else -- no fast, thoughtful dart of her eyes as she processed the information, no tears of joy, no sudden ache of pain in her chest. No, that would come later; if her mind could have been likened to a computer, analytical and methodical, it would not have been unreasonable to say it had crashed.
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Interesting Conversationalist
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Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2011 12:02 am
He'd heard her, but his eyebrows furrowed as he was still waiting for some kind of reaction, and couldn't read her to save his life. Finally, he let out a sigh of frustration and nodded. "Oh, she's awake all right. Alive and kicking, me, mostly. I think she ripped some of my hair out!" He bent his head forward, so that she could see some of his scalp, but his eyes were still trained on her even though they had to strain to look up at her.
"Tell me the truth, sunshine." He murmured in a very serious tone. "Is there a bald spot?"
When in doubt, don't take anything seriously.
He bent his head back and ducked it forward, his hand coming up to catch her chin between his thumb and pointer, tilting her head up to him. The thumb rose just slightly, brushing against her lower lip. God, he silently prayed, distracted from the severeness of the situation. She's way too good for me.
"Sunshine?" He breathed out in worry, waiting for some kind of reaction. Anything, really.
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Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2011 12:38 am
There was pause that spanned two breaths, her eyes focused and yet unfocused on his before she slowly slid them closed, her head shaking just a little back and forth before they reopened. When they did, her expression was less shocked, still startled but certainly recovering, whatever gears in her mind slowly groaning into motion again. Her eyebrows were still lifted a little in concerned surprise as her gaze darted around the room, focusing on nothing in particular as she processed the information, what it meant, how she felt. All of which were complicated, conflicting and swirling like a whirlpool of emotions she'd suddenly found herself sucked into, unsure of whether the hands reaching for her were to intended to rescue or drown. The sound of Robert's voice, rising up in a low, smooth, innately musical tone, was what drew her attention back, and she focused on him with a decidedly bewildered look as he tilted his head down, asking her to check his hair for any missing locks. The female hunter in training didn't reply, although her hand lifted to weakly, almost dazedly run her fingers through it again, lifting them to draw her hand back a few inches as he lifted his head again.
'Sunshine?'
Roberta was alive.
The corners of her lips curled a little in a small, almost uncertain smile as he tilted her chin, one that Robert would not have seen since they'd lived together, back before the hunters and the island. She let him, lifting her head a little without letting her eyes leave his face, so concerned. The pad of his thumb slid up over her lower lip, soft and gentle, and she let the hand still lingering there in the air by his hair rise to his hand, resting gently against it to press herself towards him, looking away only to let her eyes close again.
"I can't... she didn't die. She's ok," she said, still no louder than a whisper, the faintest hint of relief in her voice. Relief, and something else, something harder to place, something she pushed away firmly. Opening her eyes again, it was only then that she really processed the intent behind the words, giving him a curious look, despite not needing to. She wasn't surprised by Robert's accusations -- although she hadn't seen Roberta in years, it was very distinctly Roberta.
"What happened?"
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Interesting Conversationalist
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Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2011 1:03 am
Robert tingled when he saw that tiny smile, and his eyes narrowed in faint victory. See, Roberta? See, you stubborn little b***h? If you just gave them a chance-
There would be time to revel in his victory later.
Petra's tiny little smile made one blossom on Robert's that crossed his entire face, opening into a grin. It was so small, and so precious. It was just perfect.
Her question made him roll his eyes, and he collected Petra up in his arms, standing up with her crooked in his arms. A harsh laugh prefaced his answer. "It was unbelievable. You know your sister, the moment she saw me she tried to run. She was screaming some bullshit about being a different person, and wanting nothing to do with us, and blah blah blah, all that s**t that she gets in her head when she thinks the world is just a tiny bit difficult and the answer is to run."
There was a deep hurt in his eyes, even as he joked about it, and he couldn't have hid it even if he wanted to. "She is different, but only for the worse. She's gotten.. crueler. I mean, maybe she's just cold-hearted from being frozen in that pod too long? Got some freezer burn, y'know?" His chuckle was weak, and his heart wasn't in it.
"All I know is, she hates me. Flat out hates me, and ain't even gonna give me a chance to make anything right, for any of us. So I had to stop trying." He shrugged pathetically. "Maybe you'll have better luck when you see her."
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Posted: Sun Nov 20, 2011 3:23 pm
She didn't know her sister. That little smile faltered at Robert's words, the corners of her mouth twitching as she tried to hold onto it, hold onto the feeling of simplicity, of the life they had had before... this. But even as she tried to smile, she knew it was fruitless -- even before the island, things hadn't been as perfect as she wanted to remember them. Petra wanted to hold onto the feeling of warm skin and crisp sheets, sunshine through a window and gentle kisses along her neck. Not the sounds of screams and plates smashing against the wall, that dull, painful ache at the way Robert had always looked at Roberta. Laughing mirthlessly a little under her breath, the moon hunter let the dying smile fade completely. Even before the island, she hadn't known her sister. She hadn't known her for ten years. That's the way Roberta had wanted it, and what Roberta wanted, Roberta got. One way or another.
Shifting a little in her fiance's arms, Petra rested her hand lightly on his shoulder as he stood, allowing him to pick her up in his strong, capable arms. Her relief had faded a little in her expression, leaving more of the flat, non-expressiveness to her eyes as he continued, relaying their meeting. Although she had made sure to be far less vulnerable, now that she had cast her lot with the hunters, there was a distinct tightening in her expression as he paused, not failing to miss the pain in his own. "She didn't want anything to do with us?" she echoed, obviously not expecting an answer.
There was a distinct sting to it. A rejection. And by the hard look she gave the life hunter in response, she wasn't taking it well. Fingers tightening on Robert's shoulder, Petra's midnight-blue eyes narrowed a little, muscles of her shoulders coiling beneath her skin.
"She has no reason to hate you. You did everything for her. You would have--" There was a jarring silence as she stopped mid-sentence, sucking in a short, quick breath, as if realizing what she'd been about to say. The tension in the air rose a little, tensing in his arms for a few long seconds before she smiled again, coolly, her eyes blank and frigid.
"If she doesn't want to see me, fine."
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Interesting Conversationalist
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Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2011 12:05 am
Petra felt cold in his arms.
Robert tugged her closer, squeezed her tighter, but he could tell that she wasn't taking this news well. He pulled her away just enough to look her in the eye, and cringed at what he saw there.
"No you don't, baby. I already got done listening to one sister talk s**t, I won't hear this coming from you, either. You and me, we gotta wear her down. She's family now - I mean, she was always family to you, but now she's gonna be like.. my sister too. Like sister-in-law 'n s**t. You know? And that's all we've got here."
His face pinched in determination. "You know I want you to see her. Talk to her. Try .. something. Anything, baby. She can't just walk around actin' like she don't know us. It's. It's. Well it just ain't right."
He bent down and kissed the top of her head. "We gotta try to talk some sense into her. Maybe beat it into her. Maybe both."
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Posted: Sat Nov 26, 2011 2:35 am
The dark haired girl let the love of her life pull her smaller body tighter against his, feeling the warmth and comfort in them even when she didn't want to. Even when she wanted to be hurt, wanted to throw her own tantrum for once, ignore his low, gentle voice and sweet talk, she relaxed marginally in his arms, already feeling her resolve weakening. When he pulled away just enough to look at her face, she turned a little to face him fully, making sure to try to give him her an uncaring, unyielding look Zeta Eight would have given, knowing somehow that the ache in her chest was reflecting in her eyes as he looked at her. She could only stare at him like that for so long, however -- when he spoke up again, in that same tone that made her melt each and every time, the moon hunter turned her head away to stare off towards her desk, towards the paperwork she hadn't completed, focusing on it with a supreme lack of interest in the actual pieces of paper. When he kissed the top of her head, only then did she turn back to give him a pained look, her mask of indifference cracking as tears started to well up in her eyes.
"She never wanted to see me, Bobby. Never."
She didn't say what she was thinking.
'And neither did you until she left.'
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Interesting Conversationalist
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Posted: Sat Nov 26, 2011 3:39 pm
Those words cut like a knife, and he didn't want to believe them. Petra's relationship with her sister had always been.. something he never wanted to think too hard on. He didn't want to duel on how he blamed himself for it. Both of them had tried to assure him that it had nothing to do with him, but he never believed it. Not even now.
"Well, she's an idiot. And I don't care what she wants, she's gotta grow up and realize that family's all we got here."
These words were growled, low and angrily, but once they'd been uttered, his demeanor began to fade. He was exhausted, both mentally and physically, and he slumped even as he held her, practically melting against her.
"Y'know what, though." He whispered. "I think I need a break from thinking about this. It's starting to hurt too much. Maybe we'll deal with it later. Right now, I just want to hold you, and forget she exists."
His head buried into her neck, and he sighed quietly, the ache in his heart keeping him from truly enjoying the moment.
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Posted: Sun Dec 11, 2011 8:57 pm
The distress was apparent in Robert's eyes, in the way that he spoke, that low angry growl slipping into a whisper which turned into a sigh. He wasn't the most clever at hiding his feelings -- he thrived off emotions, poured his soul into everything he did or said with a passion that shook you to your very core. Every laugh that boomed from his well-toned chest brought echos of laughter from the rest of the room, every snarl of anger could silence silenced it just as quickly, and when he got very quiet, you knew something was wrong. Every word practically dripped 'Robert,' every response echoing who he was. She, as everyone he had ever met did, drank it in, always secretly wondering if maybe perhaps there were some things he shared with only her, that he could lie to fool the others, but never lie to her. Staring up at him, it was this thought that passed through her mind, a vibrant mixture of hope and heartache echoing in her chest, the emotion strong as only he could make her feel.
The tears that had gathered in her eyes fell as she blinked them closed, her arms snaking up around his neck to hold him close as he buried his face against her neck. His breath was warm, almost hot where he sighed against her skin, his lips so close she could feel them brush against her neck when he moved. Sliding her hand up a little, Petra gently fingered the hair at the nape of his neck, not knowing what to say but feeling another little clench in her stomach when he said it was starting to hurt too much. Instead, as usual, she stayed silent as he tried to forget, relying instead on doing instead of saying. With gentle motions she uncurled her legs from his waist, sliding her feet to the floor without letting him go, standing a minute on her toes to just hold him for a minute before slowly started to lean a little more insistently against him. Pressing him backwards, she backed him gently towards the bed, waiting until the backs of his knees hit the mattress before reluctantly uncurling her arms from his neck, pressing them to his chest to coax him down.
It had always been Robert comforting her. When they walked in the dark, he laughed away the shadows and monsters which loomed in the dark, chased away the nightmares with a kiss and strong arms around her. Things had changed a little, since they'd gotten to the island, and it seemed that this fact was becoming even more prominent as Roberta had reappeared. She relied on him, in more ways than he could ever imagine, but no longer did she stand back, in her sky-blue dress, letting it all come -- she could protect him too.
Slipping onto the bed next to him, Petra stretched out gingerly next to him, her body pressed so close she was half on top of him, one hand resting on his chest. She lifted it as soon as she was settled, brushing her fingers over his cheek to cup it gently before leaning a little further over him, waiting for him to close his eyes before placing a gentle kiss on one eyelid. She did this for both, kissing them closed before tilting her head back down. A gentle kiss on the lips followed, just barely brushing her mouth against his before leaning down further, touching them to the hollow of his throat.
'She was an idiot.'
"I'll talk to her," she murmured, barely a whisper she almost hoped he wouldn't hear. Not because she didn't want him to know, but because she didn't want him to hurt again.
'She gave up you.'
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Interesting Conversationalist
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Posted: Sun Dec 11, 2011 10:19 pm
Robert had to wonder if Petra had any idea just how good she was at making him feel right again. His heart had been cracked, torn in two, when he walked through this door - and every brush of her fingers felt like a soothing salve against his skin. His eyes remained heavy and half-lidded as he moved, loose and pliant to her whim, until he crumpled on the bed at her insistence. His arms were already open, waiting for her to climb into them, when she draped herself against his body.
And in her arms, in her comfort, he found the newly created cracks in his heart sealing themselves up and healing already.
Robert sighed, very heavily, and closed one eye as she kissed it. Then he closed the other when she changed, but his first eye opened. It was as if he refused to lose the sight of her, and did what he could to keep her in his line of vision. His lips puckered insistently when she left a kiss on them and pulled away, but it was forgotten as soon as he felt her lips on his throat. His head leaned back, letting out a low, uninhibited groan.
She had no idea what tremendous power she held over him.
Petra's words were exactly what Robert had hoped to hear. As soon as she'd said it, every worry about Roberta vanished in the wind - she was no longer his problem. Petra would find the right time to talk to her sister, and he could only hope for the best for them.
But as he pulled her close, and his hand picked up her chin with his thumb, his eyes turned hungry and warm. He placed a kiss on her lips, but it was no soft affair, and it refused to end.
Roberta was the last thing on his mind, anymore.
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