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 Posted: Mon Oct 09, 2023 6:53 pm
Quote: The Hawkins Cemetery (10) - Between constant destruction and expansions, Destiny City is always changing–and yet, forgotten by time, something of an old world remains. An old, unfinished, eyesore of a building finally gave way and crumbled, and while the city was clearing debris, they found something strange–an old dirt path that led downwards. An exploration of the area led to an underground cavern, but the greater mystery is that there is an unmarked cemetery underneath Destiny City. An old metal gate marks this as the Hawkins Cemetery, and Destiny City is alive with questions. Articles have popped up online and in the papers, podcasts are aplenty, and even the local news is eagerly asking questions. The Hawkins Cemetery is not exactly open to the public, but it really isn’t too hard to sneak in. The City is quick to respond to disturbances, but as long as you aren’t making mischief, you’re mostly free to explore. There are no lights leading into the cemetery, or in the cemetery itself, but once you arrive it is impossible to miss the strange glow illuminating the area. Bioluminescent mushrooms grow all around, casting a soft white–and sometimes grey–glow about the room. It’s enough to make your way around, but if you want to see, you should come with your own lighting. There are rows of tombstones and statues, and even a few strange trees. You aren’t alone down here; if you keep to yourself, you’ll find that while this might be a cemetery, there’s still life all around you.
It was nice.
Of course…as things progressed and rumors began flying about a haunted cemetery or whatever, Luke…wanted to go explore it…but not with Jason. Not at first. Jason would most likely insist they go powered and have Luke run three miles in preparation just because...that…wasn’t fun. Or exciting.
He had permission from the school to have Julian spend the weekend at his house and as the sun began to sink lower in the sky he looked at his friend, grinning. “Okay, so I want to do something crazy and maybe a little spooky, but afterwards we can go out to this really great place for burgers and shakes if you want? I mean, it’s an amazing place and I think you’ll like it if you haven’t been before…but…do you wanna go and check out the Hawkins Cemetery with me? I’ve heard like, so many rumors and it might be fun?”
Luke watched Julian with an eager expression, shifting from his toes to his heels as he waited.
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Posted: Tue Oct 10, 2023 8:18 pm
Julian’s stomach churned at the idea of going to a cemetery. Much more at the idea of a haunted cemetery. He’d heard the rumors, of course–it was in his nature to keep an ear out when he was supposed to be some magical warrior.
Not that he was much of either. He certainly wasn’t brave enough to go explore on his own, but Luke had been talking about the cemetery and…
Julian had known it was coming. He knew eventually Luke was going to go, and he suspected that it was only a matter of time before he was invited to go with him.
Of course, Julian couldn’t just let him go alone. It could be dangerous. He’d made a few gentle comments to try and dissuade his interest before, but Luke was so excited and Julian wasn’t bold enough to press the matter.
Even though he’d known this was coming, he still didn’t really feel prepared.
Julian had been on his best behavior since he’d been invited over to Luke’s house, and to be honest his stomach had felt upside down and inside out for most of it. He was excited! But terrified. It was a strange combination. It wasn’t anywhere within his comfort zone.
“You don’t have to bribe me,” he insisted. His mouth felt like it was stuffed with cotton. He wasn’t saying no, how could he? He was just worried. He didn’t really see the appeal, but he really didn’t want to let Luke down. “Are you sure you want to go? I’ve only heard bad rumors. Aren’t you afraid it’ll be dangerous?”
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Posted: Fri Oct 13, 2023 12:58 pm
Luke knew that Julian wasn’t going to like this, but…he really didn’t want to go alone or with his brother…and right now, Julian was his best friend in the city. He supposed he could have asked Lena…but honestly, even though she was a Page like he was…he was more than a little wary of just…taking her into possibly dangerous situations. She was still his baby cousin, after all…
“It’s not…really bribing so much as it’s giving us both something to look forward to in the event that this is…more freaky than I am picturing it will be, and if it is dangerous.”
He looked at Julian and puffed out his chest slightly. “I’ll protect you. I promise. I’m pretty scrappy when I have to be, and have a few tricks up my sleeves…so…don’t worry. I’ve got your back and nothing bad will happen to either one of us. I promise!”
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Posted: Fri Oct 13, 2023 6:02 pm
Julian chanced a small smile, and there was a part of him that almost wanted to laugh. Luke was trying so hard to be brave and reassuring, and Julian did appreciate it, but…
Luke wouldn’t have to protect him if he wasn’t walking into danger.
It wasn’t like Julian could tell him that he was a Page so he was happy to let Luke prepare to be the heroic protector. Julian could just be backup. Hopefully it wouldn’t come to that, but he had a tendency to expect–and prepare for–the worst.
“I don’t want you to go on your own,” he cautioned, and with a bit of a sigh, he finally nodded. “So we can go. But you have to promise that if things get too weird we can leave, okay? I don’t want something to go wrong.”
He also didn’t want to be cursed or haunted or turned into a vampire or something.
Becoming a Lysithea page came with its perks, but he wasn’t a fan of the rejuvenated childhood fear of all things spooky now that he knew there was no telling what type of magic was actually real and worth being afraid of.
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Posted: Fri Oct 13, 2023 6:29 pm
“Well, okay good…because if we’re being totally honest, I don’t want to go on my own either, and I don’t really want to go with my brother so…you’re my best choice. My first choice, really. You’re the only one I’ve even shared the fact that I want to go investigate, and if you get scared, I don’t mind if you want to hold my hand or anything. I don’t get weird about stuff like that. It’s reassuring, I think.”
He gave a little nod and pulled on his light jacket. The nights were growing cooler and the windbreaker would be nice. “If you need a coat, I have extras! There’s a…” Leaning into his closet, he pulled out a light green one with little frog faces on the pockets. “...I used to really like this one but Jason likes to tease me about it. You’re welcome to borrow it, seriously! It’s chilly tonight.”
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Posted: Fri Oct 13, 2023 6:58 pm
Julian tilted his head just slightly. “You don’t want to go with your brother?”
He was rubbing his hands a bit anxiously; he wasn’t sure if he was the type to want to hold hands when he was scared, but maybe that was Luke’s way of saying that he needed someone to hold his hand if he got scared. Julian was sort of happy to just slip into the background and keep to himself, but he was still trying to navigate having a new friend.
But, oh–he was ready to go now, wasn’t he?
“I have–um, my sweater is okay.” It was a bit thin and it was tattered in places but it wasn’t too bad. He typically wasn’t outside at night, or in the wind, or underground in a cemetery…
He also wasn’t sure if he wanted to borrow a coat that got Luke teased, but…
It was cute, he didn’t have anything against it.
He wrung his hands together and looked at him nervously. “Would it really be okay? I don’t want to get it dirty…”
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Posted: Fri Oct 13, 2023 7:03 pm
“It’s fine, honestly…but, if you’d rather have that one I’ll take the frogs!” Luke shrugged off his coat and put it around Julian’s shoulders before slipping the frog coat on without a care in the world.
“Everything’s okay, I’m not going to offer something and take it back, I promise, I’m not that type of a person!”
…Even if he had just done that, hadn’t he but…oh well. He still offered the same…a coat was a coat but. “Jason would just make it some kind of enrichment activity and turn it into some kind of like…self betterment training or something like that…I just want to have fun. Everything for him lately has been training it…”
Luke sighed and held the bedroom door open for Julian. “It gets to be exhausting…”
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Posted: Fri Oct 13, 2023 7:32 pm
Julian meant to protest that he hadn’t intended to take Luke’s coat, but now that he had the warm one already draped over his shoulders, he pulled it close and snuggled in. He hadn’t had anything against the frogs! They were cute!
He was just afraid of damaging something that belonged to someone else. Especially if it was important to them.
“Oh, um…is he training for something important?”
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Posted: Fri Oct 13, 2023 7:40 pm
Luke gave a noncommittal grunt and shrugged. “Who knows. He thinks that he is but it’s…getting old. Like. I don’t know.”
He led Julian out of the house and began the walk towards the cemetery, his excitement growing as they walked.
“He just…I guess is adjusting to the new life. Needs to do new things to prove himself since we’re living here…I kind of get it but…I wish he’d leave me out of it. I don’t care. I’m going to do my own thing and do it the way that I want to…and running laps or joining the wrestling team just…isn’t my jam…at all.”
He was quiet for a moment and then laughed. “...Strawberry is actually my favorite kind of jam. Followed by blackberry.”
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Posted: Fri Oct 13, 2023 10:39 pm
Julian almost uttered a confused, ‘Huh?’ until it clicked how they had gotten from wrestling to strawberries.
“Oh, right,” he said, and nodded quickly. He usually kept a bit of distance from others, but he walked a bit closer to Luke now than he might have if it weren’t cold and dark and on the way to a cemetery.
“I think I like, um. Well, all of them are good. I think blackberry is my favorite. But I like strawberry, and grape, too. Actually, I’m not really picky.”
He wanted to ask a bit more about what all this was with his brother but he didn’t want to seem too pushy. He didn’t even know him, really. “What, um. What is your jam?” he asked. “Like, you know. In terms of the sort of things you want to be doing, I mean.”
...He hoped 'visiting cemeteries' wasn't his new favorite hobby. Please let this be a one time thing.
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Posted: Sat Oct 14, 2023 7:30 am
“Playing my music and painting miniatures for tabletop games. I think that’s my favorite thing to do…it’s not very…useful since I don’t really even play any tabletop games, but my cousin Lena enjoys when I paint things for her…and it’s fun to watch the little pieces of plastic and metal come to life when I’m painting them…not like, literally but…they get so much personality when they’re not just…boring and gray.”
He shrugged and continued walking, pleased that the cemetery wasn’t that far from his house…it was almost too cold to be out here with such a light jacket…maybe he should have gotten and offered something heavier.
“What about you? I know you said that you play the violin, but what else do you like to do? We’re so stifled at the school…it’s like we’re not allowed to even have personalities…so, what does Julian like…obviously, visiting possibly haunted places isn’t very high on your list, and I do appreciate you coming with me.”
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Posted: Sat Oct 14, 2023 10:06 am
Julian laughed a bit nervously and pulled Luke’s jacket a bit closer. Maybe it was from the cold, but he was also the type to try and pull into himself to take up as little space as possible.
“I’m still figuring all that out, I think. I’m a little nervous to try new things. I like to explore, I guess. But nothing too exciting, I don’t want to get in trouble. I like visiting new places.” Not cemeteries. “I like meeting new people and seeing new things. Um. I know I don’t seem very social. But that’s not it, really. I like being around people. I just don’t always know what to say.”
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Posted: Sat Oct 14, 2023 10:28 am
“For what it’s worth, I think you’re doing a really good job, Julian. Like, you might not know what to say, but what you do say is always really nice, and interesting too. I like talking with you, and getting to have you come out of your shell little bits at a time makes me really happy…I’m glad that we’re friends! I think I really got the best person in the whole school as my roommate, and that makes things a lot easier. I was honestly terrified to go to Hillworth…but you’ve made it enjoyable, for as much as the school can be enjoyable.”
As he turned them onto the path that would lead down in to the cemetery, Luke pulled two flashlights out of the small backpack he wore. “Here! Figured we’d need these! I know the rumors all say that it glows but…figured it would be better safe than blind!”
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Posted: Sat Oct 14, 2023 1:59 pm
Julian’s face felt very warm but he flashed a quick smile. He’d have tucked some of his hair behind an ear if he wasn’t sure it would just draw attention to how flushed his face must be right now. Even in the coolness of the evening, his face felt warm.
It was all a bit embarrassing but Luke was a good sport about things at least.
He didn’t think as highly of himself as it sounded like Luke thought of him but he was happy to hear that Luke liked having him around. He eyed the flashlight and nodded. “That was good planning.”
Although, it might have been nice if it was so dark they couldn't have investigated, but…
“Hillworth isn’t so scary once you settle in,” he said, but coming from Julian it was impossible to tell if he believed that or was just trying to stay optimistic. “I like that you can visit home on the weekends. I hope it makes the bad days at school a little easier.”
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Posted: Sat Oct 14, 2023 2:21 pm
“I like that fact too, being able to go home is my favorite part, and mom did say that you’re welcome anytime, so…you’re welcome anytime. Like, every weekend if you want. No need to stay in that place when you don’t have to.”
Luke grinned and shrugged, turning his flashlight on and walking down into the darkness, looking around rather eagerly and keeping the flashlight pointed at the ground so that they didn’t trip when they walked.
“Shoot, it really is glowing isn’t it? That’s kind of pretty. What do you think’s doing it?”
Falling quiet for a moment, he looked to Julian with sudden inspiration. “If it’s something tangible, do you think we could bring it to biology and get extra credit for it?”
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