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Baneful rolled 1 100-sided dice:
38
Total: 38 (1-100)
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 Posted: Fri Jun 03, 2016 12:11 pm
Being chased was a primal sort of satisfaction, not quite fear but something akin to it, adrenaline and its cascading bodily responses spurring him to greater and greater heights. He wasn't overly fit, restricted to a short period of nightly training and his body complained about his cruel use of it, his shield dealing with any number of scrapes and gouges from branches and foliage around him as he went.
The river loomed closer as they went but he began to lose his sense of direction and where they were, scrambling up hills and down again, avoiding the leg breaking raised roots and treacherous tough dead vines.
It was only much too late that he stumbled upon the river as it reached out to the sea, coming out on an overhang from the cluster of trees and falling straight down, sinking his talons into the bank in panic but not able to halt his descent as he hit the water in what ranked as one of his worst nightmares.
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Posted: Sat Jun 04, 2016 2:03 pm
Melvin never chased anyone like this since he was a teenager and even still, it felt foreign and strang ego be chasing anyone with such a sole drove as catching them as an adult. Part of it felt ridiculous thinking about the basics of it, but another part was saying he had to win, that there was something more important yet playful at stake. Serious but not devoid of fun in such a childhood game of catch. The more he ran, the more he lost sight of Lawr to catch a glimpse of him later only made the feelings more intense and while his shield cracked with trees and he tripped over shoes not made for this terrain, he couldn't think of anything but to keep going.
He heard water. Smelled it, and wondered what game Lawr was playing now. If he expected to out swim him, he was laughably wrong.
Pushing on, he slid down the terrain only to jerk and see Lawr scramble and fall. It was not a intended dive as he saw his claws flail. Momentum still pushing him he also dived in legs first and dropped in, falling beside Lawr and reaching out for him. Paniced, he grabbed out for Lawr to haul him back up.
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Posted: Sat Jun 04, 2016 2:39 pm
Lawrence would never ever have put himself down as someone to have a phobia. He assumed it simply wasn't possible for someone who didn't experience fear with the same intensity or depth as other people, he assumed it was something which happened to weak individuals. He had never really reckoned the sheer power of the brain to write an experience into itself as one which would get it killed and to react accordingly when that experience was encountered. It had to be like food, he had estimated, where food poisoning could make a particular food unpalatable for many years as the brain fought to preserve itself.
His brain had decided that water was the thing which would kill them and it meant that these days whenever he found himself slipping below the cold surface of water that everything went into overdrive, his pulse picked up, his thoughts became unfocused and irrational and he started to lash out to try to save his life, reliving with every stroke the time when his life had depended on it.
It meant that despite being a very good swimmer by training, he did not make good decisions and had lost the surface in the attempt. It also didn't help that he was wearing heavy gauntlets and hadn't thought to desummon them. When he was hauled to the surface by Melvin, he twisted to hold onto him like a fearful cat and only thought to desummon his weapon when he couldn't get traction to do so.
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Posted: Sat Jun 04, 2016 2:43 pm
Melvin heaved Lawr up, which would have been easier considering Lawr's weight if not for the weapon, which pretty much just evened him out to everyone else. The water was cool and refreshing, great after a run, and he held onto Lawr as he held him close and aloft, kicking out and away from the shore for now as he looked at him.
"Hey. Hey. Lawr. It's fine. I've got you. We're good." And he couldn't help but smile at holding his victory in his arms.
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Posted: Sat Jun 04, 2016 2:50 pm
Lawr didn't actually want to open his eyes, and didn't, but seemed to stop struggling and to be in no danger of re-summoning his weapon as he relaxed against Melvin, still out of breath from the run and just reorienting himself.
"Okay." he said, calmly, even while his body was not. "If we are good, why are we still in the water?"
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Posted: Sat Jun 04, 2016 2:58 pm
"Think of it more as being in my arms." He corrected as he kissed his neck before whispering. "I won."
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Posted: Sat Jun 04, 2016 3:05 pm
It was remarkable how being in the water seemed to calm the normally irritable and snappish man, the sheer aversion to dealing with the bodily panic being out in open water brought enough to keep him from picking too much of a fight.
He still didn't open his eyes, because it helped not to, but sighed faintly at the kiss and leaned more against Melvin, the more he could feel the warmth of the other man's body the less the water felt like it was wild and open.
"Oh did you now?" he said. "Wouldn't me falling into the river be considered a reason to call it off and forfeit the competition? Surely you wouldn't claim victory on the back of that?"
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Posted: Sat Jun 04, 2016 3:21 pm
"If you broke a leg or had a heat stroke, then no. But seeing as you are very much alive and unharmed, yes. Yes I would." He moved to kiss his neck again as he swam back into the cool water as it ripples around them.
"You are very impressive climbing and running like that. Color me amazed. If only you were as nimble and quick in the water."
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Posted: Sat Jun 04, 2016 3:35 pm
"Fine, fine." he said with a shrug, not seeming too upset by losing the chase, rather enjoying the attention it earned him and slowly forgetting how distressed he was about being in the river.
"When you have a line of work like mine sometimes, you need to be able to run away." he said. "And I was a good swimmer once. Before my hand and before other things. Maybe I still am, when it counts." He finally opened his eyes, giving Melvin a lazy cat-like slow blink.
"I don't know why I still tolerate you." he said.
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Posted: Sat Jun 04, 2016 3:54 pm
"I could always let you go.." He kissed his jaw. "...and we can test and see." He said, and slowly pulled away but still keeping hold.
"I don't know why. Maybe it's because I'm incredibly charming."
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Posted: Sat Jun 04, 2016 4:04 pm
Held out at arm's length Lawrence physically tensed up, the warm comfortable space between them both suddenly invaded by starker colder water, water what wrapped its claws around him and made even breathing seem harder to do. His pupils dilated as adrenaline took him again and he seized hold of Melvin's arm with his good hand with a ferocity and need that was not normal for the indifferent man.
"No." he said. "Don't let go."
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Posted: Sat Jun 04, 2016 4:14 pm
"Then I won't." He said, still holding him out at arm's length but not letting go. Lawr's grip told him that there was general worry there, and he wondered if Lawr really through he would die now because he only had one hand, but also taking in the look of concern and flickering fear at something so natural and simple. Moments like this he took in, wanting to see these sides he rarely saw. The white-haired Lifer rarely let himself slip out of a look of confidence or some play drama which didn't give Melvin much of a chance to see him in more vulnerable situations. Even when Jan had gotten sick with alcohol and thrown up, he had been upset that Melvin was there to see something anyone was capable of succumbing too.
Anyone who was human. He kept himself from pointing this out in relation to Lawr's goal of god-dom.
Instead, he let themselves drift in the water, just the two of them, the summer sky above, and the rustling of the trees. At no point did he look away from him, watching him softly as they floated in the river.
He slid his hand a little always now, just now so that his fingertips intertwined with Lawr's one hand and the other onto the sleeve of his other shirt. "I'm sure you could do well without me."
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Posted: Sat Jun 04, 2016 4:33 pm
Lawrence was not happy about being so far from Melvin and he was very, very reluctant to slacken his grip. He kicked out, staying in place out of an older instinct than fear and simply keeping himself up above the surface. When he found himself at simply fingertips with Melvin, he was slightly more anxious, but there was nothing he could do about it. He was more or less at the other man's whims.
"I can always survive on my own." he said. "I prefer not to."
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Posted: Sat Jun 04, 2016 4:38 pm
"You like being comfortable." He said, kicking out to keep himself afloat but not needing to focus as much.
Prefer. Preference. Not a need. Not so much a want. It was like having basic furniture, but preferring a footrest and an end table. You could make do without them, but it was nicer to have these things.
Had Lawr ever called out for him before?
"Let's see then." And he released his grip and kicked away from him.
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Posted: Sat Jun 04, 2016 4:55 pm
He did like being comfortable and he saw no reason to contest that fact, he didn't really need anyone to survive, at his age he had learned how to do it on his own and to rely on himself for survival and to prosper. With so many siblings and as the youngest, he'd never really had all that much attention lavished on him and getting by day to day was a very easy thing to pick up. It didn't seem to be the answer Melvin was looking for though.
When he was let go, immediately once again the panic set in, worse than before because for just a moment he had trusted that Melvin would keep his word and not let him go. Useless and overblown phobia-fuelled survival instincts kicked in again and he summoned Butch in surprise, immediately sinking like a stone as he tried to seize for the other man and a cold and furious sense of betrayal taking the place of the relieved fondness of moments before.
He should have frankly known better than to trust anyone, to take someone's word that they would do as they said, why should he when he was untrustworthy himself? It was stupid and it was a mistake that led to him inhaling in surprise on the way to the surface and being very sure that he was probably going to drown this time and that Melvin was going to let it happen.
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