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 Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2013 8:45 pm
A week slips away quickly, filled with a bit of this and that -- with Ever busy, naturally, but not so busy that he can't take a few minutes to stew over jittery young men who disappear into the night again. He's not possessive by nature, nor is he devoted by nature. It's less the fact that Zac has disappeared that annoys him, so much as the perceived fear behind that disappearance.
Well. That plus a healthy dose of alcohol. Alcohol helps.
In any case, tonight -- well, this morning, as midnight has come and gone -- he has already angered three of Zac's young classmates into cursing him out, rocks thrown at the wrong window, angry looks and insults tossed down on him. Ever doesn't know which window belongs to his young conquest, so he's been picking them at random, and has moved onto another now.
The stone, small, tinks against the glass of Zac's window. From below, there is a faint sound, hard to hear. Only if he opens it will he realize that Ever, on the street below, is making chicken sounds at him -- and gestures, half-dancing, to go along with it.
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Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2013 9:01 pm
For a long moment, he’s baffled by the noises, let alone the little ‘dance’ that goes with it, then shock and consternation follow, his jaw dropping at the not quite unspoken accusation.
“Stop it!” He hissed, as though it could be clearly audible. He waved his hands trying to emphasize his hiss before surrendering to the idea that he’ll have to go down to silence Ever.
He starts from the room and then hastily doubles back to scoop up the stone totem he’s been carrying about like it was his own soul.
It took a few minutes to make his way out, tugging his jacket on and making another sweeping motion at Ever. “What are you…DOING?” He said half a hiss. He thought that Ever wouldn’t –dare- come to the school of all places, and it has yet to register that he’s rather rudely, fell completely out of contact for the better part of a week…no, make that a whole week.
“What on earth are you, why… I am not a coward!”
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Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2013 9:12 pm
It takes long enough for Zac to come down that Ever has stopped -- drunk enough that it's hard to stay stable, instead he's settled back against the building across the way, sunk down into a crouch with a fresh cigarette. The smoke plumes around him, and he peers out of it as a grumpy Zac approaches.
"What are you doing?" Drunk enough that it's hard to stay stable, yes, but the words come out crystal clear as he takes Zac in. "You hiding out? Sacrificing libations in the name of good sons everywhere?"
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Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2013 9:24 pm
“Hid… No!” He shakes his head. “I…what are you –talking- about?” He sounds baffled. Sacrificing libations? He wasn’t the one who smelled like a liquor cabinet though.
“I was in Oldcastle!” He said waving his hand vaguely towards the direction of the old town. “I… I just needed to.” He started to explain before realizing it would just sound like he’d run away. “I wasn’t running!” He protested, the heat rising in his cheeks. “It had nothing to do with that! I just, I –had- to go to Oldcastle, and then I got lost in the woods, and…” he waved “just…look ok?” He fumbled and pulled out the stone deer and held it cradled in his hands.
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Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2013 9:42 pm
Let Zac stammer out helplessly, as someone above likely watches out the window and forms their opinion as to what exactly is going on between the two young men. Ever draws more smoke into his lungs, sighing and staying where he is, with his mouth at least closed.
When Zac offers the totem, it makes him pause, uncertain. He's heard about the wolves, about the awakenings, about the people taking pilgrimages out to see them and touch them and be reassured by their presence. Ever, however, is a skeptic. A cynic, if you'd prefer. He's not sure the Guardians really like exist...
So. He takes it. Slowly. Cigarette still burning down in his other hand. "...okay?"
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Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2013 10:04 pm
Zac is almost instantly more on edge than before, shifting from foot to foot as someone else handles –his- treasure. Oblivious for the time being it seemed that they were being observed. Given how nervous he’s been about keeping quiet about his preferences it’s odd.
He curses quietly and looks away trying hard to be casual. “T…there was a whole tree of them, it –glowed, I know I sound crazy… but that’s where I was.”
“I stayed there because someone said I should see someone there, talk to her about these things, and she’s so young, but she has…she has a guardian.”
He rubbed his arm and glances back towards the school, the rooms of his fellow students and stiffens to see someone watching them, a muttered curse followed.
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Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2013 9:54 am
Ever turns the totem over, slowly, to consider the glowing lines -- but to him, it mostly just seems like a lifeless chunk of petrified wood. Interesting, certainly, and it has a certain creativity to its believable movements, but --
"You're a weird man." He straightens, finally, offering the totem back to Zac and swaying a bit where he stands. He is completely oblivious to whoever might be watching them, to the fact that everyone, tomorrow, will have seen Zac talking to some strange drunkard. Ever taps off the cigarette. "You went all the way to Oldcastle?"
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Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2013 10:19 am
“I am not the person who was doing a dance like a chicken outside of a school window!” he protested in answer to the accusation of strangeness, grabbing the totem and holding it close.
“And yes, I went to Oldcastle, I was…I don’t know, curious, and stupid, I got lost in the woods, I found a glowing tree, I found …this.” He stared at Ever where he swayed on his feet, and groaned. “You know you can’t stay here, right?” He said perhaps a little desperately. He’d be hearing about this if nothing else, “can you make it back safely, now that, hopefully we have established I am not a coward?”
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Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2013 12:05 pm
"Have we?" It's an immediate answer, unhesitating, and then second it's out Ever realizes how unfair it is. He draws on the stubby cigarette again before stomping it out, spilling smoke, and shaking his head at Zac. He doesn't want a reply to that. He should, honestly, expect a bit of cowardice out of rich aristocrat's sons. He's had worse. Much worse.
So he just considers the other question, squinting down the street back toward home, and struggles to square his shoulders. "...maybe you should walk me."
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Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2013 12:19 pm
He looks shocked for a moment, wide eyed and jarred by the idea that he hasn’t yet proved himself. But it also triggers self-doubt, isn’t he a little afraid? Maybe even a lot afraid. He’s even ‘afraid’ to tell his own father about the totem for fear he’ll say it’s a woman’s superstition or the like, but perhaps like Ever he’ll just assume he’s mad.
He hesitates a moment, thinking what people will say, or do if they see him walk –out- with Ever, but then nods. “Probably better.” He replies quietly. He offers an arm like he should to a lady, jutting his chin slightly, determined, proud maybe, while he squeezes the totem in his other hand.
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Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2013 1:06 pm
In no world, in no one's eyes, is Ever a lady. Never will he be a lady. So the arm makes him pause and then grin, slowly, finally relaxing, head rolling on his shoulders. Maybe Zac really didn't run off, maybe it wasn't fear.
He'l find out in a moment, when instead of taking the arm as expected, he drapes his own in over Zac's shoulders and turns him in the right direction. The poor young man probably isn't well dressed for a trek through the city at night. That's his problem, not Ever's. "I can't picture you in the woods."
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Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2013 1:23 pm
“I can’t picture me in the woods either.” He admitted and winced. “I have no idea what I was thinking, or not thinking…perhaps there is something to ‘temporary insanity’, because I had no business trekking around the woods in my school clothes.” He shivered at the thought, so many things creeping under the leaves, strange animals making terrible sounds.
Actually he’s questioning a lot of his decisions right now, walking out of the school after hours with Ever’s arm draped over his shoulder, in shoes that will likely give him blisters again.
“If you don’t see me again, perhaps I’ve been committed, I’m not sure I’d blame anyone right now.”
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Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2013 1:52 pm
"What compelled you to go out there, then?" And here there is still just a hint of an edge behind it -- because deep down, maybe Ever still believes he had some hand in it. He asked with his chin up and his eyes turned down to the side, watching Zac without really looking at him.
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Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2013 2:03 pm
The edge to the question earns him a look, and Zac hesitates before he answers. “I don’t know.” He admitted, his shoulders sagging. “I just kept walking, I saw it was getting dark and I didn’t even think about turning around. I just knew I had to get…somewhere.”
He sighed, his shoulders sagging under Ever’s arm. “And you likely don’t believe me. I suppose I wouldn’t either.”
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Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2013 3:20 pm
"You don't know what you want." And here, at least, Ever is sure; it comes out of him without thinking, eyes turned upward to the darkened sky above them. Just a few more hours and it will start to lighten, dawn not too far off. Zac isn't likely to sleep much tonight. Tomorrow will be uncomfortable.
"You're not sure. It's problematic." But understandable. He looks back down to Zac, eyes narrowed. "Did your father fund the trip?"
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