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 Posted: Sun Aug 27, 2017 11:07 am
"I thought you were friends? Regardless of loyalty, it's not like you are the enemy. That would be silly. Roswell is his friend and his assistant, isn't he? And Lysander is his ...boss I suppose and his friend. I don't see why these things are two separate things and to have more than one assistant would somehow challenge this. Can't a boss handle more than one assistant, and wouldn't be benefit from having more? Would an assistant benefit from not having such a strong workload and also a colleague to work alongside? Considering Lysander, he seemed use to having many people work under him since he worked at a corporation, so he must be used to the lifestyle. Ah, but what do I know." He said, with a wave of his hand. "It benefits a hunter on many levels to have good friends after all. You live longer that way. No friends and you see your life span get that much shorter."
"Is the water not good? Not the brand you like?" He said, pointing to it.
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Posted: Sun Aug 27, 2017 11:23 am
Merric felt the color rising in his cheeks. "As I've said, we are friends, I'm not - I'm not trying to - take Roswell's place or anything, that's absurd. Roswell is perfectly capable of handling Lysander's work, and has been since before I knew them."
He wasn't sure why he was getting flustered. Merric cleared his throat, glanced down at the water bottle, and half wished it was whiskey or that chocolate liquor again. The panda pin was tucked away in his pocket so that Merric could shift the bundle of clothing around to undo the cap of the water bottle. He raised it to his lips and took a swallow, giving Melvin a look.
"Lysander doesn't need another assistant," said Merric, clearing his throat again. "And I would certainly never try to impose on what they've already established between them."
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Posted: Sun Aug 27, 2017 12:08 pm
"Oh, of course. Friends would never impose, though helping doesn't seem like such a negative. I don't see why you are so hung up on these little titles."
He smiled. "Well, whatever the case may be.." Cause it seems like Merric was just struggling to keep saying friends over and over, which meant that the trio was a whole basket of denial. "...I think it's good you guys are together. Being new to the island or not, having more people close to you to look out for each other is a good thing. We have had a lot of bad things happen, and now with the water golems and the recent horsemen attack, being close is even more valuable then our Fear shields and our weapons. It's why I want to also express that I never meant to harm Lysander and what he saw as assault was just me trying to get him to get his weapon and insure his safety after I helped him out of his pod. It makes me nervous when someone without a shield is walking on such a dangerous island, as they could get brutally harmed and injured when it could be prevented. I wanted him to have his weapon shield because, despite our viewpoints, I'm still a member of Life and don't want anyone hurt. That goes for you too."
He gestured to the bear rug on the ground. "As one example. If I didn't have friends to protect me and a Fear shield, a polar bear would have killed me during a mission in the Arctic. This is the gravity of the sort of things we deal with that can come out at you from left field. I've lost people in my life to these things."
He turned back to him and smiled again. "So please, I fully encourage stronger friendships like the one you, Roswell, and Lysander have."
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Posted: Sun Aug 27, 2017 12:16 pm
Merric's eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "I am not hung up on anything," he said, which was only half a lie, because while he was hung up on some things he was certainly not hung up on whatever Melvin was implying.
"We all work together well, if that's what you're suggesting."
He took another sip of water before screwing the cap back on, Merric clutching his bundle of clothing closer to himself. Something about the way Melvin was speaking was grating, though he couldn't quite figure out why that was; it was just slightly off enough that it was making him antsy.
"...yes, I suppose that's true," Merric said, after a moment, though he was still red in the face, annoyingly so. "It's nice to have allies in a place where the danger level is so high."
He glanced over at the polar bear rug, winced, and inched away from it as best as he could without actually seeming like he was inching away from it. The strange tone and the smile were back in Melvin's voice; Merric looked back at him, flustered.
"Why are you saying it like - like there's something wrong with it?" he asked, trying to keep his voice level. "I'm grateful to both of them and to Sam and to everyone else who's made me feel comfortable here, is there something wrong with that?"
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Posted: Sun Aug 27, 2017 12:43 pm
Melvin rose his hands up quickly as he frowned. "Whoa. No....there isn't. I was just saying how good it was. I don't know what tone you are even talking about?" He said, appearing confused.
"I'm sorry. Is something bothering you? I haven't done anything and you act like I'm about to attack you." The frown settled back on his face, looking hurt.
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Posted: Sun Aug 27, 2017 1:22 pm
Merric stared at him.
"Nothing - nothing is bothering me," he said, feeling the sense of flustered confusion begin to spread, along with the redness on his face. "I'm not - there's nothing to be attacked over, I'm just not quite certain why you keep insinuating...whatever it is that you're trying to insinuate. If you even are trying to insinuate anything."
He was now confusing himself in the process.
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Posted: Sun Aug 27, 2017 1:44 pm
He set a hand gently as he possibly could on Merric's shoulder. "Are you okay? I think you need to sit down a moment. You look a bit red." He moved the hand gently against his back to try and lead him over to a chair.
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Posted: Sun Aug 27, 2017 1:47 pm
"I'm - fine - "
Or at least, he was trying to be. It wasn't working very well, and Melvin was not helping. Merric gave him a brief, uncertain look before allowing himself to be guided over to a chair, arms tight around the bundle of clothing still in his arms, fingers clutching the water bottle.
"I'm fine. Really."
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Posted: Sun Aug 27, 2017 1:50 pm
He moved a chair over and took a seat. "You have been saying you are fine and everything is fine over and over again. You keep trailing off too. I'm also worried you might pass out with how red you are getting. How about some deep breathes. It's okay. People come to me a lot to talk and get advice."
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Posted: Sun Aug 27, 2017 1:57 pm
"I am not going to pass out," said Merric indignantly, because while he was almost unbearably flustered right now, he at least had the frame of mind to understand that he wasn't going to pass out.
Melvin was given a suspicious look. "What sort of advice are you implying?"
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Posted: Sun Aug 27, 2017 2:07 pm
"Well, I can't just list it all. Life advice if you want to cover everything under one umbrella. If anything I can listen, and if I feel I can put things in perspective or offer anything then I will try. Some people come to talk to me about who they are with, their relationships, their work, their friends and coworkers, and even just when they go through bad times. I'm in no way a licensed professional, but I an a concerned hunter open to hearing people out even if it's just to let them talk." He said, working to make his voice soft and even in tone. His game of emphasis on words had not gone over well with Merric, so he pulled back for now.
"You can ask me anything of course too. This is a two way street, and you can leave at any time. I certainly don't want you feeling like you feel trapped and jump out of a window because you are uncomfortable." He said with a strained laugh.
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Posted: Sun Aug 27, 2017 2:48 pm
He did not like feeling as though he had lost control of a situation, because it meant that, somehow, he was wrong. It was an unpleasant sensation; Merric studiously ignored Rinzler's snort of disapproval in his head; it was a rather crude and dispiriting noise that he wanted nothing to do with, even less the weapon itself.
He gave Melvin a somewhat scandalized look. "I'm not going to jump out of a window. I'm just - "
Merric took a breath and tried to calm himself. "What did you mean, by all of that? By telling me that it was good that I had that sort of relationship with Lysander and Roswell?"
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Posted: Sun Aug 27, 2017 3:05 pm
He leaned back and took a breath. "Were you paying attention to other people during the dare night? About what dares were going on in different friend groups?" He asked, setting his hands in his lap as he watched Merric.
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Posted: Sun Aug 27, 2017 3:12 pm
"I was," protested Merric, except that wasn't entirely true. "I paid attention to Sam, I sang to her and that other young lady who she was with. And I..."
He struggled to come up with an answer that was not no.
"...I..."
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Posted: Sun Aug 27, 2017 3:49 pm
"How many people did you see stripping and making out?" He followed up, giving up on letting Merric have too much time to trail off into the void. They were both very busy colleagues after all.
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