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Posted: Mon Dec 28, 2009 8:46 pm
A cellphone would have been Jude's first plan too except a) he didn't have one and b) he vaguely recalled Larry scolding one of the other employees for bringing theirs to work. He hated to admit it, but he needed this job. The storage unit had a certain charm and feeling off flipping off authority (Jude loved that feeling) since he wasn't supposed to be using it as a home. Still, he wasn't proud of it; Hero wasn't proud of it.
Jude wanted her to be proud and love him.
There he went thinking about his girlfriend at work again.
"No, we're the only three until closing," he said before Barny could, along with: "Well, I guess we're screwed."
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Posted: Mon Dec 28, 2009 8:52 pm
Unfortunately for them all, it was not just a prank. Barnaby wasn't going to open the door and yell "Gotcha!" any time soon so they could all run out and warm themselves up. As it stood, they were probably going to be stuck here for a while at best. The redhead could only hope that the phone didn't ring while they were gone. Larry wouldn't be impressed if he learned they'd missed out on business because of a stupid mistake.
The cell phone was definitely a good plan, and the teen allowed himself a small amount of hope. Of course, that disappeared pretty quickly when Grayson announced that he had no reception. So much for that idea then. Jude answered Grayson's questions as well, Barnaby adding his own nod to confirm what the bluenette was saying. They were pretty screwed. Damn.
"Guess so. How long do you think it'll take before we freeze?" Did the freezer have some sort of internal controls? Might as well start looking for that. It would give him something to do. The thought of having to stay here for an unknown period of time was making him antsy. As he peeked around ice-covered shelves for a dial of any kind he asked, "Anyone got anything to pass the time?"
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Posted: Mon Dec 28, 2009 9:03 pm
After all that he'd been through, Grayson wasn't looking to freeze to death. As he slid his phone back into his pocket, he sighed a little, giving the door a long look. Apparently, the new guy wasn't proving to be any more brilliant than the two old guys. What could they expect, though? This was a pizza joint. It was his first job.
His arms went back up around himself, and he twisted a bit, uncomfortable. "I'm not going to freeze to death in here."
Well, that was bold statement for someone who had no idea how to get out.
"We could all try shoving on it at once?" He wasn't a bodybuilder by any means, but he could put some effort into it. He glanced at Jude, expression hopeful.
Yes, Jude. Apparently, once you saved his brother's life, you held all the answers, even when you didn't. Such was the faith Grayson now had in his comrade. It didn't occur to him that he would be disappointed.
This was, after all, Jude.
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Posted: Tue Dec 29, 2009 10:44 am
Grayson turned to him like he could save the world by himself if given the chance, and some switch got pushed up to on. The light of Alpha Male Mode shone in his eyes now, caused by the silent call for guidance and not the one who issued it. Any Zodiac could look at him that way and he'd have done his best.
He wanted to be a leader.
He wanted to be the kind of person who could save the world.
He wasn't, though, and he was far more aware of that than his all too easily ignorable idealist pipe dreams about being a hero and being loved and adored. Save the world? Ha. He couldn't save Barren Pines, let alone anything larger.
But just maybe he could save a trio of morons stuck in a freezer.
"Alright, let's try that." The three of them gathered around the door and pushed, shoved, hit, rammed. Nothing worked. He almost cursed Larry for having such a safety hazard until he took into account the man had probably assumed them to be smarter than this. That was an unfortunate compliment.
Jude leaned against the icy wall unwisely and pondered the situation. The inevitable dark thoughts popped up like corn fields during a season of harvest. Should they freeze, they would be restored, he and Graves. Barnaby Price would not, and Jude would be trapped in this cycle. His heir would die.
--No, no. An innocent person would die. That was the number one priority and the number one problem.
...Wasn't it?
Did he want to be this aforementioned hero more than he wanted to pass his title along to someone else, or was it the other way around?
"We're not going to freeze to death. I'll get us out." Barnaby had to learn this eventually, so why not now? If it saved him from an avoidable demise there was no better time to have him see his future than the direct present. Jude had not forgotten his pen today, and he reached for it, half-mumbling the henshin.
There was the light show, and following the beckoning call of his "attack" name, the jungle.
Jude was a senshi and there was damn jungle around them.
What would Barnaby do now?
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Posted: Tue Dec 29, 2009 4:52 pm
Oh, now there was an idea! Barnaby stopped his search so he could aid Grayson and Jude with the door. See, this was why the black-haired teen was nominated the idea man. He actually thought up logical solutions. Unfortunately, like Grayson's first and second ideas, this one too ended in failure, as the three of them combined could not force the door to budge. Damn. Well, it was the thought that counted, right?
The redhead made a face and ran his fingers through his bangs, encouraging the spikes to stand a little higher as he looked around again. Maybe there was something in here that they could use to pry open the door. Thus, he set off to start fishing around the piles of boxes, searching for anything that could be of use, like a crowbar or maybe something metal. The odds of a crowbar in a pizza freezer were negative at best, but Barnaby just wanted something to do. He was already drumming his fingers against his thigh in an effort to keep himself from losing his mind.
He had just stuck his head in one of the deeper boxes when a flash of light made him jump, hitting his head on the upper shelf in the process with a sharp clang. "Ow ow ow ooowwwiiiieholy shiiiiiit!"
It wasn't the most intelligent thing to say, but there weren't exactly any courses in school that prepared you for the sudden arrival of a jungle in a freezer."Uh… guys?" Had he really hit his head that hard?
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Posted: Tue Dec 29, 2009 5:06 pm
While Grayson was more than grateful that the chill of the freezer was replaced by the humid, heavy heat of the jungle, he nevertheless stared at Jude as though he'd suddenly grown a second head. In all the time he could recall, save for Barren Pines, Grayson had never revealed himself to be a senshi to anyone except for other members of the Zodiac Guard. To do so was suicide, in a sense; even if the person who found out didn't betray you deliberately, if the Negaverse knew that someone was privy to a senshi's civilian identity....
Well, torture was always an option.
Hell, his brother and his parents still had no idea that he was Sailor Leo. They never would, if he had his way about it. It would put them into unnecessary danger, and that wasn't something Grayson would tolerate.
So, he stared at Jude, mouth slightly agape. His hands dropped, and to the unknowing eye, he looked very much like the average Joe who had suddenly realized he was in the midst of a magical schoolboy. Except, his shock was for entirely different reasons.
He began to speak, then changed his mind, clamping his mouth shut and striding toward Barnaby. He couldn't do much about Jude outing himself, but...
"Is your head all right?" He lifted his hand, not waiting for an invitation to start shoving his hair around, looking for blood. "It doesn't look like you're bleeding."
Okay, so maybe an average Joe wouldn't be reacting so calmly to a jungle. There wasn't much he could do, though, except shoot Jude another incredulous look.
Really, Jude?
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Posted: Tue Dec 29, 2009 5:17 pm
Jude made his rounds starting first with Grayson. To him the gift of a shut your damn mouth death glare. What did it matter if anyone knew who he was? None of his family was within reach, and as long as he didn't give his Senshi name, they wouldn't put together him being in the Zodiac. Sure, it'd be different if he went around like all these frilly girls shouting: "In the name of Sagittarius, I will punish you!"
But he didn't, and never had. Obsidian had never heard his name.
All that aside, he had good reasons for his decision. (Including them not freezing to death, Graves, you ungrateful whiner.) "He isn't bleeding," Sagittarius announced without looking. Nice assumption there; true only by chance.
He marched over to Barny and pulled him up by the shirt in a demanding, but not harsh way. He would never intentionally hurt the keystone to freedom. "Price, look at this," he commanded in reference to his jungle. "And we'll need to talk more about it later."
Somewhere without a certain someone, that is.
"For right now, let's get out of the freezer." The walk was short, only a few steps in fact, and then the trees and fuku disappeared as fast as they'd shown up. Three young men--one frustrated, one impatient, one no doubt confused--were now back in the completely undamaged hallway.
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Posted: Tue Dec 29, 2009 5:33 pm
Barnaby was so busy staring at the change in scenery that he didn't even notice Grayson's approach until the other boy touched him. The redhead jumped for the second time in the span of several minutes, however looked slightly more relieved this time around. Getting checked over for injuries was definitely something he was used to dealing with, so the surprise was easier to get over.
"I'm okay, just a bonk on the head," he replied, gently brushing away the hands that were performing the check-up. There wasn't much time to say more, as a strangely dressed bluenette had marched over and pulled him up. Barnaby continued to goggle, now both at the jungle and Robin Hood, Men in Tights V.2. Where the hell had this guy come from? And how did he know his name? He cast Grayson a "am I totally losing it?" look over one shoulder, not sure how he was supposed to react. The other teen hadn't said anything like "Did I miss the memo about the Renaissance Fair being today?", which seemed to point to the fact that he had either a) been expecting something like this or b) seen it before. Of course there was always c) he was just going with the flow, but Barnaby wanted to at least pretend somebody knew what was going on.
Since there didn't seem much else to do, the redhead followed Mr. Leggings through the jungle and out into the… hallway? And then, all of a sudden, Mr. Leggings was no longer Mr. Leggings, he was Jude, and they were all standing together, out of the freezer. Maybe he had hit his head harder than he thought.
Barnaby gave a sort of nervous cough, breaking the Three Second Rule by staring at Jude in what he hoped was only a casually curious look instead of a "omg did I just walk in on you doing unspeakable things with my sister" stare.
"Well… that was uh… pretty whack."
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Posted: Tue Dec 29, 2009 6:08 pm
Grayson was satisfied that Barnaby wasn't going to bleed out and die, so he met Jude's severe look with a slightly raised brow, neither challenge nor submission. It was a considering look, one that Jude had been graced with in the past, but not very often. It meant Grayson was reserving judgment; as quickly as it came, it was past.
Jude's business was Jude's business, for the most part. If Jude trusted Barnaby, then Grayson wasn't going to speak up. He wouldn't even tell Hero, which he had the niggling sensation he really ought to, unless it looked like Jude's decision was going to put either of them in considerable danger.
Still, it didn't stop him from looking exasperated. Then he remembered that Jude had outed himself, not and Grayson, so he quickly stopped the hand that was en route to his forehead, and instead asked, "What was that, Jude?"
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Posted: Tue Dec 29, 2009 6:19 pm
Figured right then the phone would ring.
Thing is, they stood there in silence for a good four or five minutes. Jude didn't realize that, so to him it looked as though they'd stepped out of the jungle and right into the command of some bratty sounding girl who needed three large pizzas with extra cheese, mushrooms on one side, black olives on the other and they had better be kept separated unlike last time or else she'd call the manager.
Please.
Jude reminded himself as he was prone to doing no matter what this was a lady, and, ugh, a customer. So he answered the phone and followed protocol perfectly:
Greeting.
Punch in the order.
Confirm the order.
Estimate delivery time.
Thank them.
Hang up.
Recite the order and address like gospel to the guy who got stuck cooking, aka Barnaby. (How was he to know Grayson could cook them without being shown?)
"Get on it, Price. My gas is almost out so you'll have to go. We'll talk about this later. Just do your job for now." Truthfully it was almost out, but mostly he just didn't like the idea of leaving them alone together. Who knew what ideas Grayson could put in his head while he was gone.
Speaking of, he and Leo needed to discuss this while their co-worker was out.
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Posted: Tue Dec 29, 2009 6:39 pm
For once in his life, Barnaby was actually glad that Jude answered the phone. He didn't think he'd be able to answer it properly, too busy still trying to digest the fact that his friend could magically change his clothing and summon jungles to help them get out of sticky situations. Not that it wasn't helpful, but it was just really, really weird.
He gave a sort of automatic nod when Jude said the order and the address, getting to work on the pizzas while casting the occasional glances at his co-workers. The redhead half expected another jungle just to pop out of nowhere whenever his hand got a little too close to the cook-top or he dropped a couple of olives on the floor. After the freezer incident, it was hard to know what to expect.
The pizzas seemed to take ten times longer to cook than usual, though whether that because he was waiting for another tropical paradise or just expecting to see another flash of brown leggings it was hard to say. He tried to compensate by boxing the pizzas faster, all but stuffing them into the heated carrying bag before he could drop them on the floor.
"You two, play nice. Or at least clean up any blood, okay?" Barnaby glanced between them again, before pulling his motorcycle keys out of his pocket and heading out to his bike. Hopefully when he came back the building wouldn't be on fire.
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Posted: Tue Dec 29, 2009 7:03 pm
Once Barnaby was off, Grayson leaned against the counter, stance very casual. He didn't know what kind of game Jude was playing, but he was interested in finding out, if only because it would help him understand his fellow Zodiac better. Hopefully, but he wouldn't go to the bank with the idea.
The door closed, and they were plunged into silence again. Grayson wasn't uneasy, but he was curious. How long had Jude known Barnaby? He clearly trusted him a great deal, something that a part of Gray would have resented if he hadn't carefully stomped that part of himself into submission some time ago. Clearly Barnaby was worthy of trust; this was based entirely on the fact that Jude had already given it to him, and had nothing to do with whether or not Barnaby was actually trustworthy.
"That was..." He trailed off, taking his lower lip into his mouth and chewing a moment, before lifting his shoulders in a shrug. "... interesting, Jude."
After a moment, almost as a grateful afterthought, he added, "Thank you."
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Posted: Tue Dec 29, 2009 7:21 pm
"Nothing I do is for thanks." But that didn't mean he didn't enjoy the praise, and there may have been a small glimmer of appreciation for it in him somewhere. Sagittarius' was a thankless job. He'd heard Hero say "please" before--in the jungle, that is--but never "thank you" except for when he was shoving flowers at her. Rarely did anyone tell either version of him any form of praise; Tristan was a typical rescue for him.
The people he helped the most were too beaten down to remember how to show any form of affection, no matter how slight.
The thankless job of a Robin Hood Senshi. Lord, how he loved and tired of it.
"It wasn't interesting, it was necessary." The only one he feared knowing of his plans was Hero--the first person to know. Funny how things worked out sometimes. (Okay, not really.) "Barnaby Price is my next-in-line for Sagittarius' place, so don't go trying to get all buddy buddy with him until I'm finished with his training."
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Posted: Tue Dec 29, 2009 7:37 pm
It went from interesting to troubling in a matter of moments.
Grayson's brows drew together, his lips thinned marginally in an expression of suspicious consideration. The next in line for Sagittarius? He could remember, easily and clearly, the night Jude had shoved his henshin pen into Grayson's hand, had tried to rid himself of the gift and the burden. Was he still thinking along those lines?
Clearly, he was already out scouting for a replacement. Could they do that? Could they even do that? It seemed so wrong. Leo was as much a part of him as Grayson Graves was; in the end, it was his one soul, expressed in two separate but hauntingly similar forms. To say that Barnaby would be Sagittarius was like saying that Barnaby would inherit Jude's soul.
It was wrong. It made his skin crawl, a little. Barnaby had his own soul, and so did Jude. Barnaby wasn't Sagittarius, could never be Sagittarius. It was just... wrong.
His troubled thoughts showed in his eyes, the way his shoulders had suddenly tensed, his breathing had slowed. After that speech - after everything, Jude was going to stand there and say that he'd already picked his own replacement? Act as though he was someone that could simply be replaced by anyone he so chose, as though he weren't as vital and necessary to all of them as Princess Chronos herself?
It offended him.
"Really, Jude."
It wasn't a question. There was something like disappointment now, a whisper of it in the look in his eye, the dip of his voice.
He brought his shoulder in a little, upper body angling away just slightly. He gazed out the window. "Barnaby Price."
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Posted: Tue Dec 29, 2009 7:49 pm
"Barnaby Price," Jude echoed in devoted sanction. Hero had not spoken of it since he'd told her, and he had no intention of bringing it up knowing it would only upset her. Upset her so bad she'd agree to love him like he wanted out of guilt. One of the things he tried to his best to dodge thinking of was the conviction their Captain loved him for the same reason the Zodiac kept him around: they had to. A waste of her energy and time if so, it seemed. He was still going to train his star student.
Defense was Taurus, not Sagittarius. Let Leo be to think what he would, crucify him if need be. Jude didn't need to explain himself to anyone, let alone argue his decisions as the right choices to be making. How could he if he wanted to? They were the wrong ones in the end. He knew that.
Grayson had been at Barren Pines with him, shot himself in the head, had hostages die and, Jude was sure, anything he could use as a shield could be matched by a stronger one. Nothing he'd gone through at this point had the other not overcome. Leo was just better than him, plain and simple.
And so was Barnaby. They'd know that one day.
"You'll get used to it."
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