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 Posted: Sat Jun 27, 2015 10:05 am
Jack scoffed under his breath once Chris left and ran a hand through his hair. "Spooked a guy and campfires in odd places—reminds me of China." Although thank God he didn't feel the same isolation.
"How are you holding up?" he asked touching Chel's shoulder. "Spotted anything?"
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Posted: Sat Jun 27, 2015 10:23 am
"Yeah there was some real scary leaves- coulda died," she deadpanned. She put a hand over the one on her shoulder, but then brushed it off. "I'm doin' fine. I done this hike before."
She leaned over the fire, moving to kick off her boots. "Worried about Chris a little I guess. He's doin' really good though." Chel had been prepared for a meltdown or worse- he really had recovered a little bit, even if Chel could still see the way he sometimes panicked internally.
Seeing no reason not to, Chel sat down near the fire and pulled open her MRE. Boring food, as always. There was at least a granola bar she could munch on until Chris got back. With a mouth half full of granola, she knowingly added, "Chris never even told me he enlisted y'know. Not personal like anyways. He told us all in a big family meetin' and everyone was all proud. Little ********' American son doin' his duty. Real patriotic." She took another bite of the granola bar. "Tried talkin' to him later, came up with a million reasons he shouldn't go- y'know like body counts and job openings back home. All sorts of s**t like that." Uncharacteristically, Chel had put in a lot of work at that time before completely detaching herself and veiling her pain under a guise of "who cares." "But no, he's gotta be soldier guy. Gotta do this to get free of Michigan-" Free of me her tone seemed to imply. "-Gotta do somethin' with his life or whatever. S'already set in stone t'him." Whereas for Chel, nothing was ever set in stone.
"He's stubborn."
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Posted: Sat Jun 27, 2015 10:31 am
He remembered the rest, that Chel had gone to Deus on the promise that Chris wouldn't get collected into more bullshit, and commented, "I noticed." Stubbornness towards their goal seemed to run in the family, even if their methods were different.
Jack took a seat next to her after pulling his lack over, digging around for a water bottle. "You ever talk to him about those black crystal visions?" he asked.
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Posted: Sat Jun 27, 2015 10:40 am
Chel made a grabby motion for the water bottle. She had her own but Jack's was closer and she was lazy as ******** style="color: deeppink">Yeah 'course." There was very little that Chel and Chris didn't b***h about over a beer. "Just not ... all of 'em." They'd talked about the kaiju one, at least, but certainly not the ones Jack was thinking of.
Her head sank to his arm, leaning against him. There was something nice about her toes in the dirt and a fire to sit by. It was like China. "Why?"
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Posted: Sat Jun 27, 2015 10:54 am
He passed the bottle over after taking a gulp. "Curiosity. He's jumpy around me because of one," Jack explained. "That fight right after you got podded? We had a vision where he actually went through with killing me there." Nonchalant, unbiased. He frankly would have done the same had their lives been switched. But it was still nice to have familiar contact while talking about it.
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Posted: Sat Jun 27, 2015 11:01 am
It should have been a surprise, but it wasn't. It felt numb and familiar at the same time. Maybe it should have hurt more, but it just made her tired.
"So bringin' you both was a bad idea," she concluded, handing the water bottle back. "Sorry." Always sorry.
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Posted: Sat Jun 27, 2015 11:23 am
"Hey," he turned his head to her, "you trust us. And I bet you banked on the hope that working together on a mission could start making us hate each other less." Taking the bottle back, he let it dangle limply from his fingers and tapped the ground.
Jack made a small face at himself. "I shouldn't have brought it up while we're working. You have enough to think about right now."
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Posted: Sat Jun 27, 2015 11:38 am
"I banked on nothin'," she told him, holding up a finger accusingly, "Cept that snarky a** attitude of yours."
Her face twitched into a frown at his concern. "Don't pull that worry s**t with me. S'gross when you start carin'." And it was, at least for Chel. "I got nothin' but-"
Then it sounded, the low churlish growl that reverberated in every crevice of the cave until it was shaking your bones and echoing in the hollows. It almost seemed sad in a way, but it was powerful. It waned slowly, and Chel didn't realize she'd sat up until it was completely silent again. The sound had long since stopped scaring her (she'd heard it at least a dozen times during her scouting trip), but that didn't mean it wasn't enough to interrupt her thought.
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Posted: Sat Jun 27, 2015 11:55 am
Jack opened his mouth to protest but was also cut off by the noise. The way it reverberated through his bones unpleasantly made him want to grip something tight, and he nearly summoned Owain just to feel equipped for something that might or might not come their way. He didn't relax until a solid seven seconds passed after the last of the growl had finished echoing.
"That sounds bigger than both me and Owain combined," he said casually. And then, less casually, "I'm going to marry you, Chel. Get used to gross moments."
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Posted: Sat Jun 27, 2015 12:22 pm
The roar startled him so much his joints locked up and he fell to his knees. The log he was carrying hit the ground with a heavy thud. He could handle the cave and the confined space - it was uncomfortable and made him nauseous, but he'd handled worse. But the sound of something bigger, stronger, was too much.
He took a shallow, shuddery breath and clapped his hands over his ears. His eyes were closed but he could see the monster wearing Chel's face, claws outstretched for him.
"I am breathing," he said, clearly breathless and struggling to talk. "I'm okay, I'm okay, I'm okay..."
Chris clutched his hair between his fingers, following Ava's pattern. It hurt to slow down, but his breathing was under control in a couple minutes.
"I'm sorry," he choked.
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Posted: Sat Jun 27, 2015 12:35 pm
She rolled her eyes rather dramatically and smacked him on the arm lightly. "You keep sayin' that an' yet-"
Then the cousin senses started tingling. "Chris' been gone for a while," she said with a nervous laugh. "D'you think ...?"
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Posted: Sat Jun 27, 2015 12:42 pm
"Going to," he repeated just to be a brat.
Normally Jack would have replied with something like he can handle going out for five minutes, but it was the nervous laugh and the knowledge that Chel wouldn't be at ease unless she was doing something that made his decision. "He shouldn't have gotten far," he said as he got up, offering a hand up. "Forest is thick as ******** maybe he was just s little paranoid himself.
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Posted: Sat Jun 27, 2015 12:45 pm
It seldom happened, so Chel was grateful that sometimes Jack just shut up and let her worry instead of trying to reason the worry away.
She took his hand, kept hold of it for a few seconds and then let go, heading out the way Chris had left. She summoned Tenebrae only for the extra light (and just in case- no, he couldn't have gotten far).
"Chris buddy? You out there?" she called, and it was almost terrifying how loud her voice sounded in the emptiness.
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Posted: Sat Jun 27, 2015 12:50 pm
Chris stayed on his knees in the dirt while he recovered from the shock. He shakily wiped a stray tear from his cheek, shut up Ava it was because he could breathe.
His head shot up at the sound of Chel's voice. "********, goddammit," they couldn't see him like this. He told her he'd be okay. "Over here," he called back, standing quickly. But his knees were still weak and dirty and his eyes were bloodshot.
He was a ******** disaster.
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Posted: Sat Jun 27, 2015 1:00 pm
Owain was summoned briefly to cut through some of the thicker areas, and because Jack was getting fed up with leaves slapping him. At least Chris far, excellent. He noted the dirt, the pallor, and red eyes as they approached but shortened his strides so that Chel remained ahead. Her eyes were on her cousin; his were on the surrounding area.
< What could have made such a sound? >
Lucky for you, we'll probably find out.
He let Chel check on him for a few moments before waving his water bottle at Chris as an offering. "Think you can walk?"
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