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 Posted: Fri Jun 28, 2013 6:51 am
The silence was tense. Gale was glad he hadn't actually offered Thane his hand to shake, since he was pretty damn sure now that the dragon wouldn't actually have accepted it - or him, for that matter. It was difficult to gauge a proper expression when one's face was almost entirely a skull, dark black gouges the only indication of eyes.
Gale could feel Stormy move behind him, and he wanted to reach out to her, but at the same time he did not want her to feel weak in front of Thane, in front of her own weapon, though he could practically feel anxiety coming off of her in waves. Thane was staring at him again (at least, he thought so), Jinhai's tail feeling cold against Gale's ankle.
He arched a brow and lifted his chin again, smiling slightly. "Perhaps not," said Gale, and he heard Jinhai shift a little behind him, though the dragon stayed seated, arms folded loosely across his chest. "But I'm not here to supervise - well, I am, I suppose, but that's merely a formality. I'm mostly here to meet you and to provide support for my girlfriend."
Jinhai made a soft sound that could possibly have been a snort.
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Posted: Fri Jun 28, 2013 10:55 am
"Ah." Thane sounded almost amused by the notion. "Ghoulfriend," he oozed, drawing out the vowels distastefully. "Yes, I suppose you have been enjoying that saccharine state, haven't you, morsel." Joints popped as the dracolich approached step by step as casually as a walking skeleton could, his wings rustling as they folded up and his tail sliding against the floor. He stopped at the beginning of an uncomfortably close proximity and made a show of how much he had to lean his head down to view Gale.
"I laugh at your ignorance. You do not know the truly sweet things she hides," he said with that skeletal grin. "But perhaps you will see what you have decided to cage soon enough."
Stormy was tensed and her lips were pressed together. There were words, chastises and defensive arguments, but they would not come out for whatever reason; it was like the wall was up in her throat again, threatening to choke her. She was just about to unfold her arms and grasp Gale's coat when her partner turned to her next.
If it was possible for a skull's expression to soften, there it was. "You do not fear me," he insisted in a softer rattle. "You fear what I remind you of." A clawed hand was offered to her.
She didn't like not knowing his thoughts. But she supposed he was right...And thus Stormy took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, peeling an arm off her to take Thane's. "The first mission I was on was a little doozy," she explained as those claws gently curled around her fingers, dwarfing them. "I was following someone around trying not to mess up when a student came at me in his real form--another dracolich. And for days all I could remember were those jaws snapping at me, and those talons, and that fetid smell of dead flesh..." Even talking about it made Stormy feel a little sick.
Thane's hand was soothing and cold and very, very real. It was unsettling as much as it was a comfort to have those bones touching her.
But she still felt a small amount of uneasiness at the idea of Gale and Jinhai leaving.
"So, um...ready to talk?"
"No." It was easy to hear the eye rolling in his tone as he began to pull her away from the death hunter. "But I suppose I have no choice now."
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Posted: Fri Jun 28, 2013 6:58 pm
Thane was certainly a piece of work, that was for damn certain. Gale watched him with what he hoped was a calm expression, though he doubted it was actually coming across as such. Jinhai made a soft noise somewhat like a cat purring behind him, his tail flickering across his ankles, and Gale inwardly sighed, trying to stay steady.
The weapon was towering over him, the sound of bones clicking together ringing in his ears as loud as crashing cymbals. Gale leaned back, taking a sharp breath, though he kept his position, refusing to back away, his lips pressing together in a thin line.
I laugh at your ignorance.
What ignorance, Gale thought, trying not to show that this bothered him, and arched a brow, though he said nothing. He waited until Thane had backed down to breathe again, exhaling slowly, quietly. Gale turned to talk to Stormy -
- except she was taking Thane's hand, she was walking away from him. Gale bit back on the response he longed to make, bit back on the look of disappointment that he wanted to express. Instead he swallowed his pride and took a breath.
"Thane," he said. "You may be Stormy's weapon, her partner, and I respect that. But just know that I'm not going anywhere anytime soon."Ol-j-man sorry for taking forever, rl drama OTL
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Posted: Fri Jun 28, 2013 7:26 pm
To her credit, Stormy did try and linger--but Thane's pull was slow and insistent, much like his metaphysical hold was, and she did not want to cause a scene by refusing him. Gale's arm was given a light touch just as she was sucked away completely into the dracolich's personal space; he was giving off a subtle but satisfied aura. "We're dating now, so please accept that," Stormy added as she was tucked under Thane's arm, marveling like she had with Jinhai at how very real her partner felt. And how very, very chilly he was as well; she couldn't help but shiver.
Again Thane's glowing coals for eyes trained once again on Gale as he cocked his head. "Is that so," he answered them both in a flat tone. "I do so hope you live up to your coat's colors now, morsel, as thus far I have been unimpressed. Was that fight on the ship your first in which you were on the front lines for once? This distraction is detrimental to you both if that is how you will be behaving."
His claws tightened on Stormy's hand, making her wince. Shield or not, the pressure was uncomfortable.
"But what can I as a weapon do," Thane sighed, "except to advise and observe?"
kurotomato babbyyyyyyy ;; /holds I hope it turned out okay!
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Posted: Fri Jun 28, 2013 8:49 pm
Gale opened his mouth to say something and then promptly shut it again, swallowing whatever reply he'd been about to say. For the first time, anger flushed through him, swooping low in his stomach, curling like hot wax. He wanted to retort, to say something to the contrary, because Thane was just like them, just like the ones who had told him that he couldn't be a hunter because he was too young, because he was too short, too this, too that, too everything, nothing good enough.
He'd already had to deal with some of the older hunters implying he wasn't good enough, he didn't need his girlfriend's weapon doing the same exact thing.
Jinhai's voice was almost audible in his head - he could practically hear the Gale. Calm down. The dragon's tail was still around his leg, Jinhai reclining backwards in his seat almost lazily. His presence was reassuring, though Gale almost wished he had his thoughts in his head again, if only to have some semblance of normalcy again.
For the first time he had small, quietly vague doubts.
"Yeah, well," said Gale. "Your advice, especially in regards to me, is not needed, thanks. Observe all you want, but I'm still here."
He couldn't look at Stormy.
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Posted: Fri Jun 28, 2013 9:06 pm
"I might have called that a fluke but, as I have said, I have been observant. I believe I understand why your existence has been allowed in the world."
"Thane, that's not--"
"I am under the impression," Thane spoke over her, "that your weapon is so utterly useless in close combat that you enjoy your little perches in the back, do you not? That was your set up in the Sahara, I recall, with a headset your means of communication." The glowing coals for eyes seemed to narrow as he leered. "How did you enjoy watching her die from afar?"
Something cold stabbed Stormy in the gut. "That isn't a fair question," she put forth with a frown, though in comparison to the dracolich's voice she was small and feeble. His claws were still a little dug into her skin.
"Is that what they teach you in your division: that as a Death hunter, your purpose is to lay low and let others stand there and be animals to the slaughter while you do your work? Or is that already in your nature to stay behind, professing that you can protect with little more than luck to reinforce your words?" Thane inclined his head, his teeth outlined sharply by the glow coming from within. "Let the Suns and Moons do what they will--they are willing little sacrifices to all. But to me, morsel, you are not able to back up your promises of protection. You can barely shoulder the responsibility for yourself."
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Posted: Fri Jun 28, 2013 9:22 pm
Gale arched a brow.
"Whatever gave you that impression?" he asked mildly, while Jinhai stretched and stood, wandering over to stand behind him. "I do tend to prefer long-range combat, as that is what my weapon is prepared for, obviously. It's a sniper rifle. It shoots things," he added, as though speaking to a very slow child. "That means it works better long range. However, I've found some very useful abilities for it regarding close-combat as well, so I wouldn't get your knickers in a twist over that."
He couldn't believe he was having this conversation. The anger was still there, boiling beneath the surface, though Gale was doing everything in his power to stay calm, to keep things under control, because losing it did nothing; getting angry served no purpose except to make things messier, less organized, and he did not want that to happen.
"If you thought I enjoyed watching her die," said Gale, very quietly. "Then you really don't know me at all."
He wanted to get out of the room, but didn't at the same time. Jinhai stood silently beside him, his pose relaxed, confident even, a vague, disinterested expression on the golem's face, though Gale knew it was quite the opposite.
"You seem to be very misinformed about what it is that I do here," said Gale. "Either that, or you're just very ignorant. But I feel no need to justify my actions or my thoughts to you, and I certainly don't have to resort to intimidation to try and gain power over another."
"Besides," said Gale, and there was a hint of a smile on his face, his voice almost sounding amused, almost bitter.
"You don't think I hear all this from Caelius on a daily basis?"
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Posted: Fri Jun 28, 2013 9:44 pm
The rattle that escaped him this time was the closest to laughter Thane could manage, the sound of bones clattering together and of chains rattling metalically. "I have a hunch the only one you could ever intimidate is yourself, morsel," he replied with an invisible shrug. "But perhaps I am misinformed. Perhaps you do hear this from your superior more often than anything else--and perhaps that is well-deserved." His hand left Stormy's as his arm curled around her shoulders, idly drawing a talon across her skin in an odd motion of intimacy.
And still she remained silent, words and words and words locked behind her lips as she gave Gale an apologetic look.
"It is fair to warn you, however, that like it or not I will learn about you through her. Every doting glance, every passing smile, every little naive little whimsy that passes her mind--there I will lie in wait. She has chosen to ignore me on this matter, but eventually you will fail her. My hatchling has always been a beacon for trouble, hasn't she," he crooned over her, one of his horns pressed into her hair as he leaned towards her and stroked her face tenderly. There was a moment of silence, of a small exchange between them that required no voice.
"But you may be rest assured that what you lack, morsel, I can give. What you will not say, I will enforce. What you believe is right is wrong." Thane's eyes turned from Stormy to Gale, his skull still leaned against hers.
"While you might have touched her heart, her mind is mine," he hissed.
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Posted: Fri Jun 28, 2013 10:06 pm
Jinhai made a soft purring sound. "My my, you are quite the creature, aren't you?" he said mildly, rolling the golem's neck as he passed an idle gaze towards Thane. "You remind me of someone, except much less fun and more serious."
He wasn't going to rise to the bait. He wasn't going to rise to the bait. Rising to the bait would only add fuel to Thane's obvious fire, and Gale could not afford to antagonize Stormy's weapon, nor did he have any desire to. They were bonded together - there was no way of separating, and they had already formed their pact, Gale of all people understanding what that meant.
What he didn't understand was the lack of defense from Stormy, the way she remained silent in Thane's clutches, because even if Gale and Jinhai had the same sort of irrefutable bond that all weapons and their owners had, he did not understand this.
His heart hurt. And his head throbbed painfully.
It was not supposed to have turned out this way.
"That's not your decision."
Standing beside him, Jinhai still remained silent, idly picking at a stray thread on his golem's clothes. Gale leveled a gaze not towards Stormy, but towards Thane, feeling caught, stuck, trapped in this thing that he hadn't ever wanted to happen.
A scenario that he himself had instigated, which means that whatever happened was a direct result of his ignorance and stupidity because he'd been too cocky, he'd believed himself to be smart enough to handle it, and he'd wanted to show off a little to Stormy.
"It's not your decision," said Gale again, and his voice was tight. He couldn't look at her, couldn't let her see the look in his eyes. "It's hers. I won't choose for her, but it shouldn't even have to be a choice. Whether I fail is my own business, and maybe I will fail. But it has nothing to do with you."
"And she's not yours," he added, in a much quieter tone. "She's her own person. She doesn't belong to anyone, least of all me or you."
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Posted: Fri Jun 28, 2013 10:36 pm
The dracolich's tail flicked at Jinhai's decision to add his voice to the conversation at last, though once again he went ignored as Thane found little interest in responding to something so vague. "You are correct, morsel: I do not associate myself with failures. Would that she had followed a similar philosophy."
A talon continued to stroke her chin. Her silence continued to stretch.
"But you are also incorrect. This one is mine, little boil, and was mine before you laid eyes on her. And in these months since, I have come to know her more than she even knows herself." He lifted his head from hers and arched forward in a motion that bared his teeth more, his eyes gleaming with cold delight. "You will never be as close. You may grasp and hold and press your disgusting mouth where you please, but her heart lies in a cold cage of bone and her mind is my domain."
For a moment Stormy's mouth opened, a protest finally forming on her lips because this was insane, this was not what she had wanted--but the part that the dracolich resided even when away in a golem gave her pause. The corner of fear and doubt and self-loathing. The shadowy little niche she had wished could be dusted away.
This was her fault. She shouldn't have dragged Gale into this when she knew Thane disapproved. But she had been frightened and needy and weak-willed, and now all she could think to do was let her consequence run its course.
I'm sorry.
"She is mine because I chose her when no-one else would. Does your soft skull understand that?" Thane sneered.
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Posted: Fri Jun 28, 2013 10:58 pm
He'd gotten himself into this mess with his arrogance, and now he wished he had just let it be, because although he'd imagined that Thane would not approve of him, he had not ever thought that the sheer possessiveness of the dragon would create a barrier.
And there was a barrier, both a visible and invisible one. Thane's disgust at him, the sharp talons of the golem. Thane could not hurt him physically, but mentally barring him was an entirely different story, one that Gale had little desire to read. He might have fought against it, too, had it not been for Stormy's silence that stretched out between them like a wire, thin and tense and ready to snap at any moment.
Except it wouldn't snap, she was too ensnared. The hurt sank into him like a stone, like water through his veins.
Maybe I was wrong. Maybe I can't do this.
Maybe she doesn't want to do this.
He couldn't get his heart to settle. He wanted to get out of here, get away from Thane and his poison, his sleek, icy words that shattered any delusions Gale might have been harboring about it actually working out with Stormy.
Jinhai put a hand on his shoulder, softly reassuring, and Gale closed his eyes briefly, for just a moment.
"I understand," said Gale finally, quietly.
"But you're wrong."
He reached out, took Jinhai's wrist, pulling the weapon towards the pods where he would be turned back into his weapon, the dragon following along amicably, silently obedient. Gale stopped just before he reached them, turning back to look at Thane.
"I chose her," he said softly. "Even if she didn't choose me."
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Posted: Fri Jun 28, 2013 11:38 pm
Previously, Thane had exuded a subtle aura of satisfaction; now he was utterly oozing smug triumph as Gale turned away with his stick of a partner. The damage had been done, it seemed.
Stormy watched and felt like a sack of bricks had hit her: she found it hard to breathe, hard to ignore the impulse to crumple forward into the ground, hard to stop shaking and feeling like there was a burning pain in her stomach. It was like she had been sucked into her nightmares again, that there was darkness behind her and light before, but that try as she might she couldn't reach it, couldn't move, couldn't open her mouth to cry for help, couldn't stop herself from sinking as he took the sun with him.
"If he cannot accept me, he cannot accept all of you," Thane intoned in her ear.
But this was Gale, this was Gale, why was he saying she hadn't chosen him when she had, when she had confided her doubts and opened her world to let him in, when she held his hand and hugged him close in times she would let no-one else--was that not enough? Did he need more? She could give more, she could because he--
"I warned you, Hatchling: he is weak."
Her heart was rising from the molten pits of her stomach, burned and aching and thumping madly away in her chest, her throat, her mouth, and Thane's chilly aura was barely felt because Stormy found herself no longer numb, no longer meek and afraid of his presence, but gripped in a familiar and yet foreign storm of emotion. Of annoyance. Of anger.
"Would you place your trust in a boil that walks away rather than stand and defend you?"
Her answer was quick and decisive.
"Shut up, Thane."
There was an odd pause between them as both parties were surprised to hear that coming from her mouth. More came after.
"Just . . . shut up for once." Stormy turned her gaze up to him, her eyes narrowed. "I wanted you out of my head so I could think, but if this is how you're going to act, then just sit in the pod and wait for me to take you back. I'd rather keep you in there if you have nothing good to say."
Her fist was shaking with nerves at her side.
Thane raised an invisible brow at her but obeyed after a moent. His arm slid away from her like a reluctant snake, and he stepped back towards the pods without so much as a word, his tail flicking once more like a cat's.
It was still hard to breathe, but Stormy forced herself to take a gulp of her air and exhale, to will herself not to combust with emotion, the anger of letting Thane get away with what he had and what he instigated in her, the guilt of thinking this had ever been a good idea, the ache of seeing Gale back away, the fear that he thought she didn't want this. They had collected like steel balls in her stomach, heated by the flare of anger and burning her from within.
She made herself move forward after the pair, stiff from keeping herself in check, but only for a few steps. "Gale," she called, hating how uncertain she sounded. "let me just get my weapon back and . . . and we can talk?"
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Posted: Fri Jun 28, 2013 11:54 pm
Gale leaned his forehead against the pod door, trying to breathe normally, trying not to overreact because he was used to this, he was used to people disregarding him, belittling him, treating him as though he were not worthwhile. It was a distinct part of his life, something that had become ingrained within his mind, so finely attuned to the insults and the arrogance that stemmed from certain people.
But somehow this was harder. Somehow this was worse, and he knew why - because it was Stormy, because it was his girlfriend, the first girlfriend he'd ever had, the girl he wanted to protect with his life.
He was being stupid. He couldn't think straight, not with Thane's smug insults still ringing in his ears.
Jinhai leaned out of the pod, his tail a soothing coolness on Gale's ankle as he leaned closer. "Don't be too hard on either of them, little soldier," he said lightly, his voice lowered so the conversation would stay between them. The dragon's gaze flickered to the two behind them, then back to Gale. "It's difficult, I can see, and so can you. Don't let it get to you."
"Easier said than done," Gale muttered, and Jinhai laughed softly, reaching out to ruffle some of Gale's hair.
Stormy's voice, quiet and hesitant, cut into his thoughts. Gale turned around slowly, his heart in his throat, trying to breathe, trying to not let this get to him, even though it already had, even though there was nothing he could do about it, because this was Stormy's weapon, and the bond could not be broken.
He took a breath, sharp and painful.
"Yeah," he said quietly. "Yeah, all right."
Then he pushed Jinhai into the pod quickly, stepping into one himself and stepping out a moment later with a familiar voice in his head - familiar and welcoming and reassuring.
<< Well that was certainly interesting. >>
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Posted: Sat Jun 29, 2013 12:54 am
His quiet tone hurt like a needle, thin and small yet still painful, but Stormy gave him a weak and grateful smile nevertheless. There was a lot to digest from that conversation, and she'd grown to be quite a gabber when it suited . . . Better to talk it than to let it stew and fester and ruin something she had wanted to be pure and simple. The thought of Gale taking Thane's words to heart made her ache and spurred her footsteps faster towards the pods.
She said nothing to Thane as she passed by, only rubbed her cheek and chin to erase the feeling of his claws there. It took effort not to cry when she thought about how what could have been something wonderful and interesting turned sour and twisted instead, and how Thane had purposefully revealed the sort of relationship they had--one dominant, the other submissive--with, most likely, the hopes of driving Gale away in disgust.
Her thoughts were validated a moment later when the dracolich was once more curled about her mind. Not one exchange, mentally or emotionally, occurred. Thane seemed to have taken her words literally.
She knew better than to think him chastised, but respecting her wants was a small relief after what felt like an everlasting moment of verbal torment.
Stormy didn't know what to do with her left over anger, as if was proving difficult to bottle back up now that it was out. She pocketed her fists into her pants as she shuffled over to Gale, willing herself to calm down and taking a deep breath. Thane's totem ring never felt so tight around her finger. "That, um . . . was something," she mildly said to Gale, unknowingly echoing Jinhai's thoughts. She bit the inside of her lip before extending one of her arms for him to take, hoping he didn't grow withdrawn in the short span of time. "D'you wanna walk, or sit, or . . .?"
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Posted: Sat Jun 29, 2013 10:44 am
I hate this.
<< I know. >>
Jinhai's voice was slightly tired, as though he had worn himself out in the golem, but it was somewhat of a relief to hear anyway. Gale had gotten so used to having the voice in his head that it now felt distinctly odd, strangely wrong not to have it.
<< I told you - go easy on her. It's a partnership, a bond, like the one you and I have. >>
It is not like the one you and I have. Ours is symbiotic, respectful. Theirs is...
He couldn't finish the thought, but he didn't need to. Jinhai understood without saying. Gale rubbed his forehead, trying to dispel some of the pain that had started to form behind his eyes. He looked up at Stormy and took a breath, trying to keep calm because getting frustrated was stupid, it was useless.
He reached out, quietly sliding his fingers through hers.
"Let's go for a walk."
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