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 Posted: Sun Jul 28, 2013 7:47 pm
He didn't say anything. Honestly, he couldn't. There was too much to process--it sounded like a particularly gruesome Scooby Doo episode, which made it seem fake, which made him wonder if it was: if it was a joke, pulling his leg, trip out the new guy. Except that hitch in her voice. Except the sudden shift in tone. That didn't seem fake at all. Monsters weren't scary. He hadn't experienced them except as what he'd thought were hallucinations before Deus had found him and started asking questions; they were real but they weren't concrete, so they weren't scary. Only people were scary. Dying wasn't scary either. Pain was scary, but dying wasn't. "Do you know the word 'bathos'?" He asked. But he didn't give her time to answer. The application was a stretch, anyway. "Just went back to eating." Of all the things to focus on, that was apparently what had grabbed his attention. And it seemed like that troubled him more than anything else she'd said. "It sounds..." but he came up blank. Not having the right word was more irritating to him than to most people, and he lifted his hands away from his brow to watch her warily. "Two months, huh? What are they gonna do at three? Dragon slaying?"
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Posted: Sun Jul 28, 2013 7:48 pm
Story finished, she drew her legs up, wrapping her arms around them before resting her chin on her knees. "Apparently a giant fog Dragon, thing attacked the houses on the island." Another shrug. I t was a rumor she'd heard, but couldn't remember whom who. She wasn't sure how much to believe it.
"What's bathos mean?" Things were getting too serious, she needed someway to break the quite tension that was building in the room. Redundant questions about his unique vocabulary fit the bill nicely.
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Posted: Sun Jul 28, 2013 7:50 pm
He wasn't used to that. He was used to people knowing him well enough to ignore him when he said things like that. It startled him, made him forget whatever snarky comment he'd been building up to about dragon slaying, and backtrack. "It's sort of..." he paused. "It's like when something is really dramatic and prosey and then it's suddenly really banal. Mundane," he corrected, wondering if she knew "banal" either. "Like... everyday." That was probably over-correction, but better safe than sorry. "Like if you've ever read any Douglas Adams, he has the textbook example of bathos. 'The ships hung in the sky exactly the way that bricks don't,' or something like that." He looked uncomfortable, unaccustomed to having to actually define anything he said, remembering that it was a habit most people found irritating that he nonetheless couldn't stifle. So maybe she'd asked for a reason. Maybe a change in subject would be wise. "What's up with these?" he asked, reaching into one of his pockets and procuring the Island-issue cellphone. "You get like... four AM 'all hands on deck' calls or what?"
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Posted: Sun Jul 28, 2013 8:10 pm
She was happy for the subject change, relieved, and she sat quietly and listened to him explain the meaning of the fancy words. Filing away the knowledge for later. Also the author name, cause even with just that one line, whatever he wrote sounded interesting. It wasn't like she had music, or tv to occupy her time at the moment, a book would be a welcome distraction at bed time.
She blinked as he pulled out the cell phone, lips twitching up in a small smile as she extracted her own. "No, at least it hasn't happened since I've been here. We do get messages, and mission summons through them though." She paused, then grinned. "And there's Twitter. Well, we can't reach out to anyone off the island, but we've got our own network, or something, I think." She shrugged, not entirely sure how it worked.
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Posted: Sun Jul 28, 2013 8:12 pm
"You guys have Twitter?" You guys. No "we," not yet. And maybe he hadn't known a Hulk reference when he heard it, but he didn't act like that was a strange and newfangled thing. "I haven't... ******** around with it yet. All in good time, I guess." He ran his fingertips absently over the phone, watched them shakily navigate the screen. The tremor made him self-conscious, and he pulled it down behind his knees, out of sight. An excuse to drop his eyes more, anyway. "I think I'm supposed to figure out some way to make myself useful, tomorrow," he said quietly. "I haven't... done much. Yet." Gotten his lectures, gotten his supplies, gotten his weapon. Gotten a shower. Hadn't even eaten, although he desperately wanted to. "I figured there'd be someone barking orders at me already." He looked up, suddenly. "I was serious about your laundry," he said flatly. "I don't want to... owe people favors."
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Posted: Sun Jul 28, 2013 8:14 pm
"Yep. No clue how it works, but we do. I think everyone on the island has an account." Shrugging, she tucked her phone away again then draped her arms loosely around her legs. "You'll have plenty of time to ******** with the phone, assuming of course we don't get summoned to a mission, like, tomorrow." Lips pulled in a grimace. "That would just be horrible luck for you."
Pale eyes dropped to his coat, searching for the crossed scythes she was pretty sure she'd seen before she'd sat down. "You're death, right? Aren't they all about infiltration and information?" Honestly she wasn't sure. She knew what Sun did, and Moon, and Mist. Life and Death she was still a bit foggy on, though she knew Life had to do with science and infirmary. "I don't think anyone ever expects you to be useful right out of the pod." Lips pursed, recalling Maebe's first day. "Well, usually." That had just been bad luck also. Poor thing had been shoved on the boat straight from the pod. "There's a surprising lack of order barking. We fall into a routine of what we're supposed to be doing, and when we get our work done for the day we're free to do whatever. Watch out of Cealius though, your division head, I've heard some interesting things.
"As for my laundry, I'll get it together before I head state side to pick up your smokes. Any particular brand?" She wasn't usually that much of a chatter box, but Obi was an interesting guy, and he had questions she could answer. The more information he got, the better off he'd be.
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Posted: Sun Jul 28, 2013 8:17 pm
He'd gotten the briefest of rundowns on the divisions and their various roles, and knew about as much of his own as she'd just said. He rolled a shoulder in acknowledgement but didn't contribute anything, although maybe the faintest flicker of relief flitted over his brow when she hinted at some total-newbie leeway. Please god, let that be accurate. He wasn't sure he could do a damn thing right now, between the inner turmoil and the frantic whirl of new information and the gnawing distraction of how badly he wanted to smoke. He wanted to sleep, but he wasn't sure he could do that either. Whatever he'd gotten in the pod, it didn't feel like real sleep. Ordinarily his brand was "what's your cheapest?" or in moments of true desperation, "what can I steal off the outside tables at the Starbucks while they're not looking?" She didn't know that, so he sprung for what he'd sprung for on the rare occasions that he had extra money to blow: "Camel Lights," he said automatically. "In a box." He eyed her again and wondered if they'd think she had a fake ID before realizing she would, if he'd gathered correctly, have a fake ID. It was an uncomfortable thought. "Thanks for... for everything. I should try to sleep." Not the gentlest hint that he wanted her to leave, but he was desperate for time alone, or as alone as it was possible to be with someone living in your head.
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Posted: Sun Jul 28, 2013 8:30 pm
Camel lights, in a box. That was easy enough to remember, and if she somehow forgot she sort of got the impression that he'd be happy with whatever she happened to bring back for him. Beggers couldn't be choosers, and all that.
She got the hint, and grinned at him as she got to her feet. "Sure, I'm sure you're tired. I'll get my laundry together and leave it in a pillow case just inside my door." She prattled off a room number, It was literally right across the hall. "I'm pretty sure I'm in your phone, and no one else has a name even close to mine. If you need anything," she shrugged. "Anyways, I might as well head out,s'not like I was saving my leave day for anything this month, and I wanted some new socks anyways. I'll pick up your cigs while I'm out, and you'll probably have then by tonight." And since she only got the one leave day, she was going to buy a carton, and just stash it in her room. Then she could ration them out to him, since there was no telling who else would be willing to pick any up.
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Posted: Sun Jul 28, 2013 8:37 pm
He didn't make any move to get up from the floor, just stared absently into the middle distance as she left, looking a bit shellshocked. He caught himself, just as he was about to let her go without so much as a goodbye: "Peyton with an E, or Peyton with an A?" he asked suddenly.
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Posted: Sun Jul 28, 2013 8:37 pm
She paused right before her door, glancing back over her shoulder. "With an E, but like I said, no one else here has anything close to my name." With a last bright grin she let herself into her dorm to gather up the laundry that needed doing, as well as to get ready to leave for the rest of the afternoon.
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