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 Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 3:18 pm
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Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 10:57 pm
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Posted: Fri Nov 11, 2011 10:10 pm
It was nearing midnight, yet Gale was still awake.
He wasn't sure why this was - or maybe he did, and just didn't want to admit it. Admitting it would be the same as admitting weakness; at least, in the mind of a fifteen year old guy.
Fifteen, thought Gale, idly tugging at a stray thread on his blanket as he lay back on his bed, one arm beneath his head. His hair was loose, spreading out across the pillow like a golden wave. I won't be fifteen for much longer. Or maybe I'm no longer fifteen. I've lost track of the days, the months, even what time it is half of the time.
Maybe my birthday's already passed. How am I supposed to tell?
It was not really that Gale cared about his birthday. Turning from fifteen to sixteen, after all, was not exactly something that was life changing, after all. It was just a year, just an arbitrary year.
But it was one more year closer to catching up with the rest of the Hunters.
Except he couldn't really kid himself; there was no way to catch up with them. Each year that Gale got older, they did as well. It was like a never ending game of tag, where he could stretch out his fingertips as far as they would reach and still he wouldn't be able to touch them.
Maybe eventually he'd get taller. And maybe eventually he would look older. But he could never be older than them.
Under normal circumstances it didn't bother him. He was here for his own reasons, after all, and they had nothing to do with the rest of the Hunters. There was no reason why he should have to justify himself to a bunch of people to whom he owed nothing.
...with a few exceptions.
But the feeling of general uselessness and inadequacy were not leaving him - and they had grown especially more prominent since returning from the Incident, as Gale had grown to call it. He had felt as though he had performed well, even with the whole room debacle and even with the whole "Caelius is going to chop off your head with his scythe" mess. And he'd felt accomplished - at least, until they returned and were completely railed on by their leader.
Though, now that he thought of it, this wasn't an unusual occurrence.
I really need to stop assuming things.
Jinhai had been quiet for the better part of the evening, but now he spoke up.
<< You do know what they say when you assume, right? >>
Did anyone ask you? Anyway, I thought you were asleep.
<< I don't sleep. Well, not technically - not in the traditional sense of the word, at least. Besides, you can't expect me to not hear your outrageously annoying voice when you're off whining about life and whatever else teenage boils angst about. >>
That term is so weird. 'Boils.' It just sounds gross.
<< Well, if the term fits... >>
You're hilarious.
<< Go to sleep. You can't do anything now. >>
The rifle's voice had grown quieter, Jinhai making a sound similar to what might have been a sigh. << You did your best, Gale. You can't expect anything other than that. >>
Gale rolled his eyes, but didn't reply back, lapsing into silence. Jinhai rarely praised him, so this was rather rare, but that also meant that Gale didn't really know how to respond to it. And he did not really want to reply with sarcasm, despite the fact that he used it quite often and mostly with Jinhai.
...I know. It's just...my mind won't turn off.
<< You can't do anything about it now. Sleep and then you can do things in the morning. >>
Yeah. I guess you're right.
<< ...did you just agree with me? >>
Shocking, I know.
<< I think the world might be ending. >>
Now now, Ginny, don't go all dramatic on me.
<< You're right. We can't have that, now, can we? >>
A smile tugged at the corners of Gale's lips despite himself. It did not take a genius to understand that he and the rifle bickered like four year olds a good portion of the time, but when it came down to everything, they were compatible, even with the differences.
He rolled over and pulled the blankets up, sinking down into the bed.
Good night, Ginny.
<< Good night, Gale. >>
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Posted: Fri Nov 11, 2011 10:59 pm
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Posted: Mon Nov 14, 2011 2:29 pm
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Posted: Mon Nov 14, 2011 3:03 pm
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Posted: Mon Nov 14, 2011 10:51 pm
It was one of those nights.
Tell me, Jinhai, what were you like as a dragon?
The rifle was silent for a long moment, and for a time Gale thought he wasn't going to respond. Since the mission of Aria's betrayal, the weapon had lapsed into periods of odd quiet; no snarky comments, no dry remarks, no insults - just silence. It concerned Gale, but every time he had asked about it, the rifle had merely grunted and said nothing, or he had changed the subject.
Which meant that recently Gale had taken to asking Jinhai subtle questions regarding his life as a Halloween creature.
<< What do you mean, 'what was I like?' I was a dragon. That's not really something that's difficult to define. >>
Were you big?
Jinhai's voice sounded outraged. << Of course I was big! Dragon, you idiot. Most of us are enormous, with a few exceptions. >>
It took quite a bit of Gale's self control to not comment on that. Instead, he asked - out loud this time - "What sort of dragon were you, again? I forgot. Something with a long name that I have trouble pronounci - "
<< A fucanlong. >>
"Right. That. What did you look like?"
There was a long pause.
<< I can't...quite recall. At least, not everything. I remember in my natural form I was long - a good fifteen feet, at least, but I rarely took that form while at school. Most of the time I was in a humanoid body in order to attend classes and focus on that sort of thing. >>
Gale stretched out on his bed, his fingers linked behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling. It had started to become a habit for him lately, since he'd been having difficulty sleeping. That much, as he had told the baku demon creature, had not been a lie, at least. He had not slept well since returning from the disastrous trip that had resulted in Aria's betrayal (a blow to their leader's ego more than the facility, no doubt), the death of the one known as Professor Red (Gale could have cared less about this one), and the burning alive of not just himself, but several of the Halloween creatures and Hunters alike. It had been pandemonium - pure and utter chaos.
Now the quiet seemed to consume him.
He went back to his thoughts.
Did you ever think it would come to this? Being a weapon, I mean.
Silence.
For a few moments, Gale thought Jinhai was going to ignore him. Then -
<< No. >>
Just one word - and Gale knew, despite the fact that he still had several more questions in his head, that that was the end of the conversation. It had such a hollow, flat tone to it that it was difficult to distinguish anything other than the fact that Jinahi no longer wished to speak on the subject.
...well. I think I'll sleep then.
<< ...sleep sounds like a good idea. >> said Jinahi quietly.
Gale nodded, suppressing a yawn as he covered his mouth with his hand. He had become so used to the voice in his head over the past several months that he found it difficult to imagine what it would be like without it. Now, however, seemed not to be the time to delve into Jinhai's past.
Another night, perhaps, thought Gale, then rolled onto his side, pulling his covers up.
Good night, Ginny.
There was no answer from the sniper rifle.
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Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 8:47 am
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Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 10:10 am
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Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 1:24 pm
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Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 6:19 pm
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Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 7:51 pm
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Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 8:19 pm
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Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 11:45 pm
For the first two days after returning home from The Incident (as Jinhai had started to call it) Gale sat in his dorm room and did not come out.
This was not because he was upset, though that was, at the very least, a small part of it. Rather, he did not really feel the need or the desire to interact with those around him after what had happened - especially after what had happened. Any knocks on his door had gone unanswered and ignored, and any shouts of his name were just that - shouts, echoing off the walls of the dormitory building.
It was easy to block all of this out; Gale had only to clamp the headphones he wore more tightly over his ears, and he could drown out the world around him. Even Jinhai had remained unnaturally silent since returning, though Gale was uncertain as to whether or not it was out of respect for himself or because he just did not know what to think of the whole experience either. Somehow he doubted it was either or; a mix of both, perhaps, since Gale had not pestered Jinhai needlessly, and Jinhai had refrained from making snide comments every now and then.
He did not even know how to handle this.
Gale had thought he was prepared; thought he was capable of handling every situation that was thrown to him. He had survive the "test," hadn't he? Been killed three times, set on fire, killed people, been attacked by ice and fire demons, and stabbed with needles? Shot, stabbed, strangled, burned...Gale had seen it all.
Until now.
The bodies were still fresh in his mind - rotting, oozing, slimy, their flesh falling off the bones, the maggots crawling from their eye sockets. Every time he closed his eyes, he could see them, whether he wanted to or not.
Dozens. Hundreds. And he had almost been one of them.
...Ben was one of them.
Gale had only caught a glimpse of the squad leader's face before he had dropped from view, disappearing down into the jaws of the monstrous creature below. The look of resignation and a resolute calm - of someone who knew that it was their last moment, their last breath of air. Ben had looked as though he knew it was coming, and had dropped without hesitation.
If you hadn't picked me to go along, would you still be alive?
He had not been close to the squad leader - not in the slightest. After all, Gale barely even knew the redheaded man who had simply shown up randomly one day, saying he was filling in for Caelius. But he had been the first person - the first leader - on the island to treat any of the trainees with an ounce of respect.
And hadn't he shown faith in Gale by allowing him to come on the trip? He could have said no. He could have found a different Death Hunter; after all, Gale was not the only one - just the youngest. And yet Ben had grabbed him without hesitation. To fulfill a necessary quota, perhaps, in a time-sensitive approach, but the fact remained that Gale had been the one there, in the moment, and Ben had seized his chance.
And now he's dead. DEAD.
It was an ugly black thought. Gale pinched the bridge of his nose between two fingers and sighed through gritted teeth, dropping his hand after a moment. The room around him was still and quiet, the only sounds that of his own breathing. Every once in a while Jinhai would make a soft hum, though whether or not it was supposed to be a comforting noise was unknown to Gale - all he knew was that it was comforting, even if it wasn't meant to be.
Do you think...he knew that was going to happen?
There was silence for a moment - a long moment. For a while, Gale wasn't entirely certain that Jinhai had even heard him. Then -
<< ...I honestly don't know. He looked...resigned, somehow. >>
...calm.
<< ...yes. Calm. >>
Another sigh escaped Gale's lips. He rolled over onto his side, closing his eyes and breathing in the scent of the night air from the window just beside his bed, barely cracked open.
...am I really supposed to be here?
The answer was clear, resolute.
<< Yes, Gale. >>
There was another moment of silence.
...okay.
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Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2011 12:02 am
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