Welcome to Gaia! ::

It didn't take very long for Rodney to run from the pod room. It was still early, because the cafeteria opened early, and there was a lot of prep work that needed done, but right now Rodney couldn't think about any of that.

He skidded onto the tile, in the backroom among the hanging pans and utensils and steel, in time to see the kiss and feel the blood drain from his face.

There was no blood, no hands around Lawrence's neck, and that at least he could be thankful for, but even he could see Lawrence struggling, the golem defenseless.

He was afraid, of course he was afraid, but he still managed in normal (but loud for him) tones to say, "M-Melvin, let him go."

Something started to feel less exciting and more unsettling the moment Rodney actually did show up. Overall, he looked exactly like Rodney, spoke like Rodney, and acted like Rodney. Not dressed in pope's garbs, a powdered wig, and waving a gavel, it was a tip off that something wasn't right. Staring out at Rodney, he turned slowly back to the raver version of Lawr who was holding his hands out, chest heaving up and down bare to the florescent lighting above. It was enough to make him dismiss Rodney's dead-on appearance in his dream.

Leaning in just a bit, he stopped as Lawr's words.


Frozen, he looked back at the man.


No.


Golem.


It wasn't a fantasy he brought up to mind. Normally if he was going to imagine a double or even a triplet, they were real or other world. They were not golems. Golems were made of dirt and blood and Fear, all things that were in their basic level not the first thing he'd reach as desirable elements to a late-night, blood-pumping fantasy. Sure, it was a easy stretch, but not one he reached for.

Which meant something else.


His expression fell, blood draining all over as he stared back with tense, tight features. "What?" He tested, a tone on the verge of something.

Lawrence relaxed - as much as he was able given the situation he was in - breathless and shirtless.

"Oh thank goodness." he said. "Yes, it's a golem. I modified it to make it look younger. I erm. Wanted to show it off is all."

Rodney winced, not entirely sure if Melvin was serious or not, but seemed to breathe a little easier that he'd stepped back.

"It's just his most recent project. You...just- both were scheduled to be working in the kitchen, although you're right that he- I don't know. I guess he shouldn't be sharing his work with you, or anything, without context...but what happened? Why would you...attack him? No, I...I know the answer to that."

Rodney came over, checking on the golem and offering Lawrence his mission coat.

"Melvin, M-maybe you and I should switch assignments."

He glared at Rodney now as he moved over. "I didn't attack him. He barely even wanted it to stop. He acted the same as when we were together. But I guess that's how he wants it to look. Make himself look young and instead of testing it out, comes to meet me alone here dressed in those clothes. The way you talked to me when I showed up to - " He looked to the side, frustrated and angry that Lawr would drop so low as to set him up and - chicken out?

"And you knew about it? You let him leave the place looking like THAT and you KNEW about it?" He turned to Rodney. "You aren't even thinking for two minutes are you anymore? You knew we were together. You knew I was keeping my distance and not starting s**t with you, but it's like - What the ******** is wrong with the both of you? First the bar and now this?!"

He looked back at Lawr. "It's like you just want to poke at me now. To set me up. I helped you with everything before. I helped you quiz. I would have been interested in your work, but then you pull this s**t on me

"Maybe you just don't want me to see you? Is that it?" He said to Lawr. "You want Rodney to have more of a reason for us not to be friends or do you want to see what happens? Is this some sick test?"

"You did tell me how good you looked in your twenties plenty of times and then you didn't think I'd want to see all of that? We talked about it like that before. You should have know! You came in here looking like that and played with me. I can't believe you, Lawr. Knowing I'd trust you and come here and doing this to me. You didn't even try and say anything until Rodney showed up. You're such a ******** tease!"

Melvin was angry now? That made no sense at all frankly, if anyone had any right to be angry by all the social rules he’d learned over the years it was him! And he was going to take his rightful chance to be pissed off.

“Excuse me.” He said sharply, his voice cold, his posture rigid.

“There was only so much I could do against you, golems don’t have weapons. And in case you didn’t notice - because why would you with your limitless runic wealth- I cannot afford more debt. He hadn’t exactly wanted to take it somewhere violent to begin with because it would only escalate from there.

“At no point was I testing or teasing you!” He snarled “And the bar I’ll have you know was a mental effect, one which wholly negated my medication and edged me into murderous! It was like Rodney said, not a choice but it’s nice to get a look at how you feel about me I suppose. Sexually unsatisfactory, petty and a tease.”

He pointed sharply at the other man. “I didn’t do it to damage our friendship either! I came like this exactly because we were friends or I thought we were and I wanted to share something important with you. I wasn’t the one with my tongue down your throat so don’t you dare try and pin this on me just because you made a mistake and looked like a bit of an idiot.”

His cold eyes flashed with irritation and the watch on his wrist somewhere in a pod ticked over closer to the number marked /physical harm/ though he couldn’t do anything about it.

“I am /blameless/ here!” He said, raising his voice finally. “You assaulted me! Now admit it, acknowledge that I am intact now, calm down and we can cook breakfast for this island of ungrateful, stupid morons.”

He narrowed his eyes at Melvin and Rodney both. “The only people other than my children who matter are in this room and I wish it wouldn’t always come to this horrible tug o war for my time! I am not trying to seduce anyone, I just want to exist and for a small sliver of time..” and his voice cracked somewhat at this. “..not be ugly.”

"Kill," Rodney said awkwardly, "It's a thousand times worse, but those thoughts were...evil. I wasn't trying to interfere with you two."

He hadn't teased Nash either, but Lawrence certainly had.

"He's jealous of the attention," Rodney said, "but- you're right that he should leave Nash alone."

Something of what Lawrence had said got through to Melvin, but...their relationship...there was always something both angry and worshipful in their interactions.

"It's not a tug of war," Rodney said, in for him an unusually assertive it better not be kind of way.