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 Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 12:44 am
Straightening his glasses, Jerry's mouth twisted into the first genuine smile in a long time and he suddenly laughed. "Robert? Has anyone ever told you you were ridiculous?" He was sounding more like himself, at least, guiding the cup from his hand with the same amount of exaggerated care. "Easy now, don't want to blow up the mess hall."
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Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 12:47 am
Robert looked up at Jerry suddenly, his eyebrows shooting up in surprise, but then he remembered what he was doing and IMMEDIATELY went back to staring at the cup until it was safely in the other man's hands. Then he dropped his arms, waited a full three seconds, took in a deep breath, and started talking as if he hadn't been moving a coffee cup with the Jaws of Life.
"Now why would you say somethin' like that? It ain't ridiculous, just careful."
He was careful not to answer the question directly, because the answer, just like before, would have been an embarrassing yes.
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Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 12:52 am
"I bet you're a hoot in the labs," He concentrated on not spilling the cup himself as he limped his way to a table to sit, setting the hot drink down before unslinging his guitar, pausing a moment to stare at the blue-glowing cracks in it's body. "You're ah... learning a lot, though? Enough to keep my guitar together I notice, but I mean... m-making things? Have you done any of that?"
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Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 1:52 am
Robert took that as a compliment, and nodded just once, as his mood considerably lightened. He was a hoot, after all.
He turned to get his own cup, and groaned audibly. "Uuuuuuuugh, don't get me started on how much learning they've got us doing. H was a ******** moron to have put me in Life. It's like a science class 24/7 over there. Did nobody read my profile? I failed biology twelve times." He grunted as he sat down beside Jerry, and took a long sip of the coffee. Then he immediately spit it out. "God DAMN that's nasty."
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Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 1:56 am
"Have you thought about switching?" It had always slightly worried and baffled him, having Robert in charge of the bandages on a mission. But if he was serious about his division...
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Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 2:13 am
The fingers around Robert's cup tightened just slightly, and the coffee swirled dangerously inside. "I.. no. Never. I would never leave Clarice like that." His hushed tone sounded ominously serious, full of some kind of thick, dark emotion that borderlined on obsession. "I might have considered it in the beginning, if I'd known, but... no. Just no."
He stared down at his cup, and the fingers released enough to stop the coffee from being so dangerously close to the edge. Then he put the cup down on a table, because he wasn't going to take another sip of that swill.
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Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 2:18 am
"W-well..." He really aught to be asking someone like Sasha about this.
But he trusted Robert. And he had gotten his guitar fixed, hadn't he? He stirred the creamer into his coffee a bit, watching Robert carefully. "If... if you were up for a challenge," not that it would be that complicated, he hoped, but this was Robert he was considering, "I ah... my... my leg. It's... it's mostly the knee. This stupid brace is what they had handy at short notice but... maybe you could look into something um... more practical for me?" Practical being the key word. He didn't need something Robert made strapped to his leg when it inevitably exploded from mismanaged Runes. But someone in the life labs would have better access to medical supplies, right?
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Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 2:22 am
Robert's eyes flickered down to Jerry's covered knee, then back up to the man, and so on for quite a few times. With each flicker, his eyes grew increasingly frantic.
"Nnnnno, Jerry," He finally managed to mutter hesitantly. "You.. really don't wanna trust me with a job like that. I am completely unqualified to do you any good. I mean hell, I had help with the guitar and that was just an easy patchup. Something for your body? You'll.. you'll end up worse off than you already are."
He shook his head, and looked down at his big, bumbling hands. "No. It's not a good idea to trust me with a job like that."
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Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 2:27 am
"You couldn't figure out how to order like... a supportive sports brace or something?" Jerry raised his eyebrows, "I keep expecting my guitar to fall apart at any moment or like... explode or something, I don't know if I'd trust *any* runes near an already tender area, ahahaha..." He wasn't even sure if it would do what he needed.
When things calmed down a bit more and returned to what constituted as normal around there, maybe he should speak to Clarice or someone. The depression was back in his face as he took a sip of coffee, "Thought it was worth a shot, anyway."
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Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 2:36 am
Robert perked up considerably. "Oh. Well yeah, of course I can order anything you want, I thought you.. like.. wanted me to make you one. So you could have it right now. But nah I could totally order you a brace. Someone else will make it, but I can put in the order easy peasy mac'n'cheesy." He flicked his hands out dramatically as he spoke. "Not a problem."
He gave the guitar a wary eye, and shrugged. "Like I said, I had help, so I.. think it's safe." Think was the operative word.
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Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 6:16 pm
"It's worth a shot, right?" He offered Robert an assuring smile before frowning, "Half my limp I think is this bulky thing." He poked at his coffee, "Robert, do you think..." He shook his head, "Never mind."
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Posted: Wed May 30, 2012 2:02 am
"I try not to." Jerry's hesitance left an opening for the joke, and Robert took it. But he was already standing up to head over to the infirmary and talk to someone about the brace, when Jerry's voice had stopped him. "Nah, but seriously. What?"
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Posted: Wed May 30, 2012 2:05 am
"Forget it," Jerry mumbled, finishing his coffee in a heated guzzle before staring down at the table when Robert had stood abruptly to leave.
Just ride out the insanity. It was all in his head. Shake it off.
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Posted: Wed May 30, 2012 2:07 am
No one had to tell Robert twice. "All right. Forgotten. I'll get your brace soon as I can. Try not to walk on that thing for as long as you can 'till I do. You dig, Cosmo?"
He leaned down and punched Jerry - very gently - on the head, then let out a breath of laughter and headed away.
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Posted: Wed May 30, 2012 2:11 am
Jerry took the punch with a light, forced laugh that didn't reach his eyes.
He stared down deep into the bottom of his empty cup, alone at the table. Easy come, easy go, everyone busy busy busy. It had been nice having company for a short while at least.
Now there was only him and thoughts he couldn't trust.
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