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 Posted: Sat Jul 11, 2015 9:08 pm
Arorangi gave Oliver a pointed look and put a hand on the top of his head.
"Do not sound so unsure of yourself, little bird," he said sternly. "You do not know if would be able to figure things out myself, you are sitting here helping me, and you should be proud of that."
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Posted: Sun Jul 12, 2015 3:32 pm
"Y-you are making too much out of it," Oliver insisted rather bashfully. His head bowed under the weight, but he just knew what sort of expression Arorangi would be making had he looked up. "A-anyway, I'm just doing what I can too, it's not often you have to rely on me for advice you know."
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Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2015 2:06 pm
"I am not," said Arorangi, reaching out to ruffle Oliver's hair again. He was, well, the perfect target to do such a thing to. "You are making someone's life better and you are fully capable of helping when you can."
He slung an arm around his friend's shoulders and yanked Oliver into a hug.
"Thank you for being the best friend to me," said Arorangi brightly.
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Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2015 9:20 pm
Oliver still wouldn't agree, but all protests were cut short by the sudden hug. He laughed just a little, and it was a rare and elusive sound not often heard from the kid. "I'm glad you didn't, um, let me get scared off," he replied with a smile. It would have been a most unlikely friendship had Arorangi not been so openly friendly and enthusiastic.
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Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2015 10:24 pm
Oliver had laughed. Arorangi could have yelled with happiness, but out of respect for Oliver and a desire not to make the other boy run away from him so quickly, he didn't say anything, just grinned as he pulled back away from him.
"I am not that scary," Arorangi protested.
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Posted: Tue Jul 14, 2015 6:35 am
"Maybe not now," Oliver replied, still smiling, and pleasantly unaware of how well-taken his laugh had been taken. "But I was terrified when you woke up. Tall, muscular guys with tattoos and dreadlocks can be very intimidating, you know?" The kid idly pulled a couple candies out of a pocket and offered one to Arorangi. "It would be scary to see you really angry, I think."
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Posted: Tue Jul 14, 2015 12:21 pm
Arorangi did not see himself as even remotely intimidating. Most of the people in New Zealand were larger in stature, after all, and he felt comfortable and normal in his own body. But Oliver was so much smaller, which was probably where everything stemmed from, even though Arorangi thought if Oliver just stopped hunching he'd be stronger.
He plucked a candy from his friend's hand, a laugh booming out of him.
"I have not yet found anything to be angry about," Arorangi admitted. "But I do not doubt that such a time will come, eventually."
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Posted: Tue Jul 14, 2015 5:38 pm
"I'm sure it will be terrifying," Oliver replied with an easy smile. He unwrapped the other candy and tossed it in his mouth. His expression became a bit more solemn. "I don't get angry very often either. I did recently though, and kinda argued with someone. On Twitter. I just... lashed out I think, I couldn't just let things continue the way they were going." It still made him feel a bit angry inside, and even though he had been able to show a little spine for once, he wished he were stronger. There was so little he could do, even when strengthened by that unfamiliar emotion.
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Posted: Tue Jul 14, 2015 10:17 pm
Arorangi slowly unwrapped the candy and popped it into his mouth, a smile on his face. It faded a little, however, as he glanced at Oliver, and he brushed his dreads away from his face, frowning slightly.
"Lashed out in what way?" he asked, unfamiliar with Twitter.
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Posted: Wed Jul 15, 2015 8:46 am
"Um... this one hunter has been giving a friend a hard time for awhile... A-and I kinda told her nobody will take her advice if she keeps treating them like crap, and the least she could do is leave it alone and stop making things worse..." Oliver's shoulders slumped, and he began looking a little guilty. He could have described it more accurately as standing up for his friend, but it was so uncharacteristic of him, he almost expected it to backfire and bring a world of hurt down on his head any day now.
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Posted: Wed Jul 15, 2015 9:51 pm
He was quiet for a moment, contemplating this, and then reached out and put a bracing hand on Oliver's shoulder, giving him a little squeeze.
"You did good," said Arorangi said firmly. "You stood up for your friend, you should feel proud of yourself."
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Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2015 6:07 pm
Oliver let out another little laugh, this time it came out nervous and self-depreciative. "I was afraid I would get murdered in my sleep after it all, even though I know that's completely ridiculous." It still stirred up some anxiety just mentioning it, and the boy was pretty sure he was crossing the line into babbling. "But she said a lot of awful things, about how I could have done better, a-about how I should have done better... And then maybe the situation wouldn't exist in the first place..." The kid sighed, perhaps that had more to do with his guilty feeling than merely talking back. "I can't do much, but I do the best I can... It might not be all I can do, but sometimes delicate things break when you push too hard... yeah?"
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Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2015 10:12 pm
He recognize the style of that laugh. Arorangi narrowed his eyes a little suspiciously at Oliver, but he let it go. "If someone comes after you, little bird, just call me," he said firmly. "And if someone harms you for such a petty reason, then that it is pathetic."
He could understand, however, what Oliver was saying, even if he wanted to do what he could to make the other feel confident.
"Oliver," said Arorangi gently. "You did the best you could, and you did what you thought was right, did you not? That is a good thing."
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Posted: Sat Jul 18, 2015 11:56 am
"I'm not going to put you in the path of a full hunter," Oliver said with a hint of amusement, that honest smile returning. "I have to protect you every now and again too you know." He felt better, maybe not entirely free of that guilt, but it was better. Both of them had to make peace with what they couldn't accomplish, but that didn't mean they should stop trying. He was silent for a second. "Do you think they would let me back in the labs now?"
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Posted: Sat Jul 18, 2015 1:53 pm
He let out a booming laugh, clapping a hand to Oliver's shoulder again.
"You are a good friend, little bird," said Arorangi, grinning brightly at him. "The best friend that I have ever had, and I am very glad to know you, even if I think you still need a bit of confidence every now and then."
He turned his head to give Oliver a quizzical look.
"I do not see why not. Though I still think you should not sleep there."
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