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 Posted: Sat Dec 10, 2011 4:15 pm
Another night of sleeplessness. Roch stared at the wall of his room blankly for a moment before getting to his feet and heading out the door. He didn't care where he went--didn't even care that it was jackin' FREEZING outside, and he was still sleeveless, he had to get out of his room.
He'd been out until ten, working on his graffiti, but the boogies were watching after that--making sure they came in at certain times, went to their dorm rooms like good boils and ghouls. The boogies sucked, he thought as he took off at a jog. Maybe he would find someplace to play, or work on his shadow step--jack, why not do it now?
He took another step, then disappeared entirely, leaving a poof of unseen smoke behind him. Only problem? When he pulled to a stop he found himself right at the demon dorm. He looked up at it, his eyes widening with a hint of shock--when had he--why had he--
Why HERE of all places?
It wasn't Danny that was coming to his mind as he stared up at the building like a trapped rat. It wasn't Edel or Lizzy or Riyo or Barth or Claire--
Xiu was there. And--and--
Man was he pathetic. He had stood there too long, too, because he was busy being a moron, and it was probably catching attention. The punk boil turned his back to the building and ran a hand over his face. Jack he hadn't slept in so long... He stepped forward, slowly starting to walk away.
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Posted: Sat Dec 10, 2011 5:20 pm
She knew Roch had told her to leave him be...but was it surprising that the baku was concerned about the reaper? Considering everything that had happened lately, could you really blame her?
Already, Xiu had checked up on a few of her friends, but the nagging and motherly baku would not allow herself to finally relax until she knew that all of her friends were alright, both physically and mentally. She had gone down her mental list of people to visit, and now...
Now there was only one person left. To be honest, Xiu had been putting this off, and she was still in the midst of arguing with herself. He told you he needed some space. Probably because...because... Because it was hard being friends with her? Was it just...too awkward? Maybe she really shouldn't visit him--
But what if he does need help? You should at least check! And there was the other side of her mind, encouraging her to drop in unannounced, even if only for a few seconds. Xiu let out a frustrated sigh.
Eventually, she decided that a walk would help her clear her mind. What she hadn't been expecting was to see a very familiar figure walking down the path of the demon dorms. The baku froze, and had been about to whirl around and rush back in when she stopped herself. This was her chance.
"R..Roch!"
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Posted: Sat Dec 10, 2011 5:24 pm
Roch went perfectly still. For a second he checked his mental clock, counting how long it had been since he shadowstepped last--not long enough. He had another minute before he could do it again, and running was...
"Hi," he said quietly, slowly turning to face her. Maybe it would be easier if he knew he could run at any second. "I... um..."
The light from the moon was blocked by a cloud for a second, sending the reaper into darkness before returning. He looked strained. There were shadows under his eyes and a slight paleness to his face. "I accidentally... y'know, shadowstepped."
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Posted: Sat Dec 10, 2011 5:43 pm
Jack, he looked...
For a moment, Xiu said nothing, and then she suddenly blurted out an apology. There was a second of silence, and then it was like a dam broke. "I know you said you needed some space and I respected that--a-and I still do!--but I've been worried, y-you know? I mean, I've checked up on the others--Mitsu, aniki, and Vaith among them--and they're...all okay, I think. I hope. But then I realized that I didn't know you were doing and even though you said I should leave you alone I wanted to check up on you first and...and..."
Falling silent, she glanced around awkwardly, looking everywhere but Roch. Finally, she let her gaze flicker nervously to his face, trying to gauge his reaction. "S-sorry. And...um. Hi."
This feeling of discomfort was exactly what Xiu had been afraid of when she rejected the reaper. Everyone she had talked to insisted that they could still be friends, but this...
Didn't this kind of imply otherwise?
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Posted: Sat Dec 10, 2011 5:51 pm
"Vaith," he said quietly. "Yeah, him," he went on, a sigh escaping him. "I'm glad they're okay," he said. "So am I." He gave her a little smile, one that didn't reach his eyes. "But Taryn yelled at me for what I said to you," he added. "So I gotta... I dunno... sorry," he said with a shrug. "I gotta say sorry."
A minute had passed. He could shadowstep away, leave her behind, run away from this entire jackin' problem just like he had from the beginning--
"I... miss you," he said quietly, almost too quietly to be heard.
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Posted: Sat Dec 10, 2011 6:45 pm
The strange emphasis on her noise boil friend made the baku frown in confusion, but she gave a little nod of her head. "I'm glad that they're fine too. And...oh?" Apology? "For...er, for what?" Xiu looked genuinely confused, but then she gave a quick shake of her head, expression growing concerned.
"Taryn. How's Taryn?" She hadn't seen the chimera that day, but that being said, she had been a little distracted in that net. Jack, she hoped that the poor ghoul--her new friend!--hadn't been caught up in that fire as well...
As for the quiet confession? Xiu looked at him in surprise, her ears drooping. "I...miss you too." She had to stop herself from adding: does this mean we can be friends again? Was it so easy? Though that being said, had they stopped being friends?
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Posted: Sat Dec 10, 2011 6:51 pm
"I was tryin' to get over this stupid crush," he said, sounding frustrated. "So I can BE your friend, without gettin' jealous over stupid s**t and worrying about--about stupid things," he said. "But all I managed to do was get more jealous and more worried that while I was gone I'd be even easier to replace, and then you wouldn't even remember my name, and I would DESERVE that."
He muttered something dark, looking away from her for a moment. "I don't want replaced," he said, pouting like a child. "But you can. Hell, you probably should," he admitted. "I really suck as a friend, much less something more. And--and Taryn's fine. She didn't--she wasn't there."
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Posted: Sat Dec 10, 2011 7:57 pm
And now Xiu actually looked mad.
"Hold on a second, Roch. What do you mean replace?" Did he...did he really think that he or any of the people she cared about could be replaced? That all that time she had spent with them, helping them, laughing with them--all of that could just be thrown out in an instant when someone new came along?
"Like it or not, Roch, you are a good friend of mine, and I will never see you as anything less than that. Even if I become friend with another reaper, that doesn't change anything. Even if I become friends with another punk reaper who likes music and who has purple hair, I'm not going to suddenly forget about you."
Her voice might have raised a few pitches by the end of that speech, and she took a deep breath to settle down.
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Posted: Sat Dec 10, 2011 8:06 pm
"Hell, I'd want to be friends with another punk reaper that likes music--" Whoops, totally distracted there... Roch frowned, trying to think of a better reply before she hit him. First Taryn had almost burnt him to a crisp, now Xiu was mad at him, and--
"I..." he said slowly. "I had a talk with Mitsu," he told her. "And she asked me what we should do, and I told her... she had a guy, she should love him. She had friends she should talk to them. And I... you know," he said slowly. "We only have so much time. Things could happen--things HAVE happened, almost, the end is just around the corner, sometimes. And sure we can't die, but we can be pulled apart. And I don't want to stop liking you just because you don't feel the same way. I want to keep liking you, Xiu. I only have so much time, and even if you're dating another guy, I should at least have SOMETHING I feel strongly about."
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Posted: Sat Dec 10, 2011 9:07 pm
...What was she supposed to say to this? It would be so easy to say sure, they should date, that they should get together and just solve all of this...and hell, she had actually tried to convince herself many times that she liked--or could like--Roch as something more than a friend, but it never felt right. The times she had had the most fun with him were when they were only friends, and now...
She couldn't very well encourage him to continue liking her, even if he knew that it was one-sided right now. Wouldn't he just be more hurt if she never reciprocated his feelings? And if she actually did start dating someone else in the future, then what?
Xiu took care to speak carefully. "And you...don't feel strongly towards your friends? Taryn, Danny...I'm your friend too."
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Posted: Sat Dec 10, 2011 9:16 pm
He thought about it. "So... basically you're saying you're just another ghoul, like I was trying to convince myself you were," he said after a moment. "Look, Xiu," he said. "I already figure you ain't gonna like me back. DON'T worry about it, okay? Because sooner or later I'll probably start collecting ghoulfriends like my granddad or something--hell, I already have a handful that I hang out with. You'll just be... I dunno, the one I couldn't get."
Did he really feel that way? On some level? "Besides, it isn't just the feelings that I was tryin' to stop. You make me feel jackin' vulnerable, and I can't STAND that. You know my past, you know s**t I'll never tell people EVER. You... you know," he said abruptly. "Maybe this separation WAS good for me after all."
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Posted: Sun Dec 11, 2011 12:03 am
"Collecting ghoulfriends? Roch, no." Xiu sounded alarmed as she reached out, closing her fingers around his wrist. No no no, this wasn't her friend that she knew and loved. "Listen to me, Roch. You're a good person, and you...you'll find that one ghoul who you really, really like someday--one who will...will like you as much as you like her."
Did she feel guilty? Yes. However, she also firmly believed in what she was saying--he couldn't just make a decision like this out of the blue! No, she obviously didn't have a right to intrude on his life, but the baku still wanted to be there with his other friends to give him pushes in the right direction.
Sighing, she let go of him to toy with the end of her braid. "Honestly, everyone feels vulnerable sometimes, and that's fine. I...I'm sorry I make you feel like that, but I promise you that I'll never tell anyone what I know about you or your past." There was a brief pause and without warning, she reached out to hug him. "I...feel like you won't take me up on this offer anymore, but I'm always here to listen, Roch."
Sighing, she drew back and walked up the steps of the dorm, glancing over her shoulder. "Did you...want to come in? If you would like some tea or something to help with your sleep..." She traced her finger beneath her eye, indicating the dark shadows that were under Roch's.
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Posted: Sun Dec 11, 2011 6:29 am
"No," he said with a little grin. There was a strange expression on his face, a look of relief that lit up his eyes. "I've just figured somethin out, Xiu, I think I'll be just fine. But there is one thing I want before I go," he said, moving closer. "You know, I really would have given you everything I had, hell, probably things I didn't have, either. I would have played by your rules, not touching unless asked, not saying things you didn't want to hear, all this s**t that, frankly, isn't me."
He reached up, touching her cheek gently. "I want you to promise me something, Xiu. Something I know will be hard for you, but I want this, above all else. Stay. The. Jack. out of my dreams, darklin," he said before leaning down and pressing a kiss full on her lips. It was gentle, and quick, and he pulled away, looking at her with a little grin. "Or I'll do something like that," he told her.
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Posted: Sun Dec 11, 2011 2:41 pm
What just...
Did he...?
He didn't.
No, he did.
Xiu's eyes were wide, a hand coming up to clasp over her mouth in shock. That was....Roch, did you really just steal her first kiss? H-hey, she had been saving that for...well, she wasn't sure who, but still!
Red-faced, she slowly lowered her hand as she tried to regain her dignity (or what little dignity she had). The baku was pouting a little as she nodded. "I...I will." That was, unless she was ever worried about him and he refused to let her or anyone else know what was wrong...
"But then you have to promise me no ghoulfriend collecting."
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Posted: Sun Dec 11, 2011 3:20 pm
"Hmmm, possibly," he teased evilly. "Maybe I'll just date people and not worry about the titles deal," he decided. "Now that I know where that cinnamon roll place is, I'll have to find at LEAST one ghoul to drag around with me regularly--er, hmmm, Taryn likes sweets. Or I could take Chuppi sometime, and Lark would bring Ben! Jackin' LOVE Ben," he said, grinning widely. "Then there's Amrita, but I don't think she eats much--shame Mitsu's taken..."
Then he blinked. "Hell, I should probably go talk to Lil now that Rikki's dumped her..."
Wait... so basically nothing was changing?
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