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 Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2012 10:43 am
Rep sidled over to slink a grateful arm around Harrison's waist, well aware how much of a struggle handing over hard earned cash was for the other man. The tech didn't even look up, too busy counting his profits. "Pick them up tomorrow." he grunted once he was satisfied it was all present and correct, tapping it into a neat pile on the desk.
"Right. Ta." He wanted to say don't break it, but was wary of patronising the guy and provoking him into spitefully doing it on purpose. "Tommorow."
Letting go of Harrison's hip, he slipped his hand free, heading to the door, anxious and vaguely upset at leaving the artifact behind. He'd be back he told himself, no question.
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Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2012 11:26 am
Harrison relaxed marginally at the touch, and grumbled as he replaced his wallet. He accepted the numbered receipts for both items, trying to clamp down on the same clench of separation anxiety.
He thought about it the rest of the day, even doing his rounds on the training fields, and on into getting ready for bed.
B0nez was hoping it would give him some some increased specs, and Harrison didn't know what the hell to think. He started to wonder if he'd wasted his money.
He dreamed of the moon.
Serene, calm, full, enormous, like it was right next to the Earth. It was bright, but didn't hurt to look at, even though it soaked everything around him in Moonlight. Hours passed, but he didn't get tired of watching.
When he woke up, he felt rested.
After his morning routine, he kissed Jordan (always groggy in the mornings) and went out to exercise and do rounds. The training field was empty, dew still on the grass, and he wiled away time before sending a text to Rep a little after noon.
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Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2012 12:25 pm
Rep needed to take his mind off the precious vial currently in the grubby hands of some untrustworthy tech. So he did what seemed entirely natural.
He went swimming.
The cliffs were familiar and homey, and the little cavern he'd told Harrison about was exactly how he remembered it.
When he came to bed, even after a shower he smelled faintly of fresh air and salt. He couldn't remember what he dreamed, just a lingering sensation of the blackest darkness he could imagine, a place that strangled light. Tracey remembered it too, and yearned for it.
Still restless, he couldn't think of anything else, breakfast half eaten when he finally got out of bed to the cafeteria, the buzz of Harrison's text jarring him out of a daze he hadn't noticed he had slipped into. He texted back.
It wasn't long before he made his way back to the life labs and the place they'd been yesterday. Their oh so friendly tech was nowhere to be seen, but had left their items with a gawky intern type. There was no instructions with them at all and the guy who had been told to hand them over didn't look like he could tie his shoes, let alone describe a complicated runic item.
Rep picked up the earring carefully. It glowed brightly with runic energy, even the water within seeming to sparkle with power. It was impressive, it no longer just felt powerful in the distant way it had the day before, it looked powerful too.
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Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2012 3:26 pm
The binoculars, too, gleamed with cold white runes, silvery and sleek. Uncomplicated. The phases of the moon were still etched into the casing. It was smaller than the spyglass had been. There was something beautiful in the utility.
Harrison liberated them from the intern, feeling the weight.
He looked through the lenses, adjusting until a distant cliff out a window on the far side of the room came into sharp focus. He scrutinized the details, testing the range, then brought them back to the window itself. He'd still need to test them in the dark.
Harrison felt satisfied. He'd have to get a pouch from the quartermaster, but for now he safely pocketed them.
"Yours okay?" Harrison asked Rep.
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Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2012 3:46 pm
"Aye. Looks more than intact. Better. I owe you." He still had no idea at all what the item actually did, but there would be plenty of time for him and the earring to get to know one another more intimately. If he was new on the island he might have worried about the runic nature of the modifications, the volatile things that runic energy could do. These days he cared a lot less. Runic energy stood between him and death more often than not.
Without even a flinch he took the hook of the earring and shoved it though his left earlobe with a callousness that made the intern physically wince.
my ear William.>
<>
He didn't argue. Harrison got an impressed brow raise at his fancy binoculars, the guy had actually been a professional about his work, it was good to know. "Those look ******** sweet too. Worth the heartache."
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Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2012 4:57 pm
"Haha, isn't that Tracey's ear?" Harrison asked, moving close to gently touch the bottom of the crystal vial.
"And you definitely owe me something for getting you a 300 dollar earring," he said, but the sentence was pleased instead of irritated.
He took the binoculars out again as they left the life labs, offering them to Rep. "Figured I could take it on mission. See things coming when I'm on guard duty, or like, if I've got to find somebody. Hell, if it doesn't do anything other than that, at least I can get some use out of it."
Harrison paused in the stairwell. "...Mind if we stop by the quartermaster?"
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Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2012 5:16 pm
"Yep, he got all whiny about it too. I was like, it's just an ear, and he's at the top. I dunno what he's complaining about, its like, now his ear's even prettier than it was before." He regretted using the word "prettier" out loud the moment he uttered it. He wasn't sure when his standards of masculinity started slipping, but he was really ******** going down the drain at this point.
As Harrison mentioned the money, Rep couldn't help but edge a little nearer to him, dropping his volume and looking him over. "Aye, I know, I don't forget a favour. You'll see."
Without another word about what he meant, he took the binoculars and eyed them thoughtfully. They were even more impressive in the flesh, heavy with efficiency and attractive in the modular way most runic items were. And of course being Rep, the first thing he did after looking in them the right way, was flip them around and look in the wrong end.
"No problem. Always keen to visit that guy, he has like, the best job on the island man, giving out endless stuff to people. Master of stuff."
He handed the binoculars back carefully, pleased that everything did indeed look smaller from the wrong side and bigger from the right one. Reaching up to unhook his earring, he eyed it critically. "Mine isn't really useful I guess. It's just got this ******** watery s**t in it."
He paused mid stride to unscrew the cap. The tech had fitted it such that he could turn it just enough to allow a few drops to drip from a small hole in the lid, resealable with a twist. He wasn't sure why. He twisted the whole thing off.
The explosion of water that resulted , aimed mostly directly at Rep's inquisitive gaze, was enough to completely drench them both, and most of the area around them.
At least they were outside.
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Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2012 6:41 pm
The look and low promises definitely got a reaction out of Harrison.
Rep took the binoculars.
"I'll keep an eye out," Harrison told him, the desire uncoiling into something lighter.
He watched as Rep looked it over. Rep would know if something was wrong with it better than he would- binoculars fell close to the techy side of things.
"Standard issue s**t, anyhow." No rare and ancient artifacts. "Wonder what Division that's under."
Could be any of them. He wasn't sure who the budgeting division was either, but he suspected each branch handled their own.
He took the binoculars back, and watched again as Rep gave his earring the same examination.
"Naw, we just don't know what-" The spray of water hit Harrison
"What- what the hell just happened." Harrison sputtered, trying to clear his eyes and mouth. "Oh s**t. Ohhhh s**t, is it acid? Are we poisoned?"
Nope, B0nez said, unless you've developed a human allergy to water.
"Oh s**t," Harrison whispered, still shocked and wet, "It's water, B0nez says it's water, I think I got it up my nose."
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Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2012 6:54 pm
Rep's reaction wasn't so different from Harrison's, he gave the fluid a few moments, tense and helpless, expecting it to burn or sear, to die horribly because he couldn't help but take the damn lid off the vial. But nothing happened, and as Harrison relayed B0nez' response to it, he finally dared to breathe, licking some of it off of his hand just to be sure. It was indeed water, void of any sort of strange taste or smell. Cold, clean water.
he held up the vial and put the lid back on. It lit up again, this time only a small amount of glowing fluid pooled at the bottom. He put it back on his ear. "I guess, that's probably me wasted my whole ******** artifact. So you'd better enjoy that nose-water cause apparently my thing was just some sort of titan skooshy gun."
He shook water off his jacket before just taking it off entirely, skin dried quicker than wet fabric. "Er. Sorry. I like... I didn't expect it to be so violent."
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Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2012 7:17 pm
Harrison shot a snot rocket into the soaked ground. He shook his arms. He'd been knocked clear off his feet.
"Enjoy it my a**. This better be immortality water. s**t."
He shook off his own artifact.
"Glad I asked for it to be waterproof." He waved Rep's apology off, and shook off B0nez too. "Ahh, could be worse."
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Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2012 7:23 pm
"Aye it could be worse man, it could have like, done anything. We could be back to ******** like, hormonal women or some s**t, or like less horrible alternatives, like dead. Water's the least of our ******** worries." He ran a hand though his hair, sweeping every last one of his bangs out of his face so he could see. It rendered his hair even more of a disaster than usual.
"....yeah that waterproof thing was a good call. You'd maybe need to pay another grand to get it fixed and then I don't know how the s**t I'd pay that off. I don't think I'm even worth a grand in terms of ******** going rates." He seemed to calculate something on his fingers. "I'd have to pay you back like.. eight times or something."
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Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2012 7:27 pm
Harrison grinned in spite of himself.
He squeezed his pantlegs, and emptied his shoes and socks.
"So that's two times you owe me now? ...Help me up, will you."
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Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2012 7:33 pm
Rep sighed in the most childish way, though there was nothing but playfulness in his tone. "I didn't think I'd end up in ******** debt. You should be ashamed, I practically work for you now."
He chuckled, leaning down to take his hand and heft him to his feet, if he got away with it, pulling him in close with an arm around his waist. He leaned in and for a moment looked like he was going to say something seductive.
"I'll trade you a ukulele"
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Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2012 8:38 pm
They were both wet. But Rep, at least, wasn't cold and wet.
Harrison brushed some of that wet hair behind Rep's shoulders, and pressed against him, whispering,
"Now what the hell would I do with a ukulele."
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Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2012 8:50 pm
Rep couldn't fight the teasing smile that set up camp on his features. "You could serenade me with it."
"Or you could just bribe something else off of Jerry, I dunno. It's of equal value to what you'd be trading me for, I swear"
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