|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sat Dec 22, 2012 10:57 am
Out of the Infirmary and into a warm set of clothes, Melvin was ready as ever to get off the Rock know as Deus Ex. He had pinged a text to Rin that morning after his shower and got dressed. He was still tender, but at least he wasn't hindered anymore or on any medication. What should have taken a few weeks to recover was healed up in a few days. Despite knowing the fast recovering time when doing Infirmary duty, he couldn't help but be blown away when he saw how fast it worked on himself.
Dressed in jeans, a button up shirt, and a certain home-made Christmas sweater, Melvin grabbed his jacket, fished out his wallet from his duffel, and headed off to the lighthouse portals. The walk there was magical with the crunch of snow and the loveliness of white all around the island. Amazing.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 22, 2012 11:59 am
Rin got the text and deftly dressed for the occasion. She was already wearing a very comfortable sweater(made with love) but threw her coat and scarf on over it and put on ear muffs... and a glove. She then attempted to text the information on to Rep to see if he'd come too before making the long trek to the light house on her own. Waving at Melvin as she approached.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 22, 2012 12:41 pm
Rep showed up at the portal a little late, it had taken him a bit of time to decide what to wear, most of his clothing was getting progressively more washed out, with holes along seams and general wear and tear. It was depressing. He ended up resorting for a t shirt, denims and one of his own surplus Christmas sweaters. He felt naked without his coat.
He wasn't sure whether to be dismayed or flattered that the others were also wearing sweaters when he got there. This would be the most nerdy outing in history.
"We look like the ******** griswalds."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 22, 2012 12:46 pm
Melvin smiled at Rin, waving at her as he was in the middle of making a snowball for the sake of just playing in the snow. It would be in poor taste to throw it for now. The way back after shopping though...
When he saw Rep, he was surprised and looked to Rin. Did the Sun just show up or...
From how Rep talked, it seemed like an invite. Knowing how sensitive the man was, he decided pointing out he was surprised would be like stepping on a land mine and decided to wave it off. He was okay with Rep on most days, though their last talk had been rather tense.
"Well, it's not like we're impressing anyone at the stores or going to ever meet them again. It's also festive for this sort of shopping." He said, dropping the snowball to examine his own sweater through his open jacket. It had been the jacket he wore when he left college and felt weird to be wearing it again.
"Going Christmas shopping too, Rep?" He asked, but glanced at Rin to wonder if she invited him.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 22, 2012 1:02 pm
Rin smiled warmly at Melvin in greeting before noticing Rep rounding up the back, "God you move fast." She winked at him, "I'm not sure who the Griswalds are but we look ready for a nice shopping trip in the cold. Anyone have a favorite shopping place in mind? I'm hopeful for somewhere that sells Aero's so I can replenish my stock while we're out."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 22, 2012 1:16 pm
Rep dropped the jokey pretence suspiciously at Melvin's reaction to him, instantly going from grudging compliance to thinly veiled excitement to a lot more anxious and irritable tension. He didn't miss the subtle surprise and the way the man kept looking at Rin either.
"I don't know. Am I?" he snarled, feeling suddenly unwelcome. "Or did Rin just accidentally invite me on a date?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 22, 2012 1:23 pm
The tone meant trouble and Melvin waved it off. "She said someone was coming and I said I was fine with it. I was just surprised because I thought you'd spend time with your guys. At least you're not Otto or Jake." He turned and gestured to the stairs, already moving to get away from this little topic.
"I don't know where to go. This is the first time I've had leave here. Rep, care to help? Do you know of any good places we can go?" Not only did Rep know more about leave - or so he hoped, but making him seem vital and needed usually helped considering the Sun felt he wasn't wanted.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 22, 2012 1:59 pm
Rin went from tensed to relieved. Looking at Melvin with a hint of gratefulness. Saved her a**. It didn't really even occur to her it'd be a problem.. or a date. She hoped it wasn't a date and it would be awkward as a result. She shook her head and moved to Rep's side giving him a hearty pat on the shoulder, "All I know is I hope there's snow there. I think I like this stuff."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 22, 2012 2:53 pm
Rep didn't look very placated by Melvin's excuse, he was in all out touchy and self concious mode and the simply resigned better-than-otto verdict on him being there was hardly heartwarming, nor was he really convinced by the fact he'd thought he'd be with the guys. It wasn't as if somehow they meant he ignored everyone else he knew.
He shrugged like a huffy teenager and grunted. "No. Wherever."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 22, 2012 3:21 pm
Well, that worked out great. Neither of them knew where to go, and Melvin had been relying on them to help him figure out how this all worked. It wasn't like that would stop him though, and he was still excited as hell to get away from here. "We'll ask a portal tech then." He was sure they got asked things like that all the time from trainees like him.
Going up the steps, he asked a tech who then pointed him to the right portal where leave was taken. Once there, he went to the techs by the portal and asked if they could be sent to the place most people went shopping at, and if it was somewhere not near the equator (they wanted snow after all).
The techs looked tired about asking, now having to actually work the leave portals out and probably exhausted by all the hunters leaving, but pointed them in the right direction. He walked the few feet back to them. "They're setting up. Ah, right." He noticed the portal hum to life.
"I just asked them to take us where most people go shopping and asked if it would have snow. They don''t know about that last part, Rin, but they said it's not tropical or anything."
Not even waiting on them (or Rep's grumpy attitude), he stepped through.
When he arrived on the other side, it was still cold but snowing more heavily than back at Deus.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 22, 2012 3:58 pm
Rin smiled brightly before heading on after Melvin, happy wherever they got out at. The snow actually falling before her eyes on the other side seemed to startle Rin. She followed close behind Melvin, "M-Melvin... it's... it's actually... like... coming down." She Ran a hand up his back to clutch the back of his scarf with her gloved hand. Not afraid, but certainly startled by it. Not sure what to do about that much snow coming down at once, "Is this a blizzard?" It was nowhere close to a blizzard.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 22, 2012 5:58 pm
Rep had a good idea how to set up a portal by this point, but didn't volunteer to correct Melvin as he got the tech to sort them out. He'd have suggested Scotland as a destination if he hadn't been in such a bad mood and found himself almost sad it had been left up to some b*****d life tech - they were all bastards by default - where they went shopping.
He followed into the portal and out into brisk snow, feeling decidedly gloomy despite the prospect of shopping. Mister third wheel. Rin got a nonplussed look as she got all touchy - or what he classed as touchy - with the normally contact aversive man.
"Its no a ******** blizzard." he growled.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 22, 2012 6:04 pm
Melvin felt the tug on his scarf and turned to see Rin looking up, seeming to be both amazed and - scared? The fact she even considered a blizzard had him placing a hand over his mouth a moment to stiff a quick laugh before he dropped it and smiled at her. "Aww. You think THIS is a blizzard. That's cute, Rin." He said in the most patronizing tone he could.
"Nah. This isn't anything. The snowflakes are just big. It's just light flurries." He did look up at the sky. "Might get a bit heavier - hopefully." He loved thick blankets of snow and always felt a deal of satisfaction when he walked indoors and could stomp his shoes and dust off his shoulders.
The portal had placed them in a alleyway that, once walking out, showed signs for a local mall down the block. It was a large plaza that was a series of stores you could either enter from the outside or go in and walk the entire length, making up 2 floors with plenty of wings and escalators going up and down.
"I thought you liked the cold, Rep. Why so glum?" He prodded, not wanting the red-head to be sour the entire trip. He knew very well why Rep was huffy, but he wanted to call him out on his pouting. "Do I need to buy you a hot chocolate? Is that it?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 22, 2012 6:28 pm
Rin looked stung between Rep's snarling and Melvin's patronizing. Her hand dropped from his scarf and she was left feeling rather... stupid really. Now she was sulking too, falling back a little from their group. She mirrored the gesture of looking up, now that she knew it wasn't a blizzard it wasn't nearly as scary. But still. It was a marvel in and of itself. The startled fear of before replaced with wonder, it was all sort of magical. Even if she was stupid and didn't understand it. Not like she had childhood memories.
The group had her attention again at the mention of hot cocoa. She wanted in on this deal.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 22, 2012 6:54 pm
Rep gave Melvin a nonplussed look. "I'm not ******** five. You don't just buy me sweeties and then I'm happy and all that." He wanted to buy so many more things in addition to what he'd already had, just stock up on booze.
He wondered for a moment how easy it would be to get hold of drugs off-island. And then immediately doubted it would go down well at all. He was stuck with dealing with s**t whether he liked it or not without an easy escape. He wasn't touching his booze stash for a while either.
"I'm glum" he snarled "Because I feel like I'm surplus to requirements and that I could be using my leave somewhere where I'm not getting in the way."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
