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 Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2015 5:03 pm
He winced slightly, but Otto was right; he couldn't pretend that the first encounter with the Horseman would be his last, not after what everyone had told him about what they were and how they treated people. There was nothing that said he would be fortunate enough to escape their traps.
Chance let out a small exhale of breath. "You sound...very intelligent," he said, and then added, "I mean, you sound intelligent already, but I mean that you seem like you really know what you want out of your...specialization? did you call it? It sounds like something I myself could really use, come to think of it."
The fact that he hadn't been put on any horrible missions so far was a clear indicator of that. Chance rested his elbow on the table and rested the side of his head against his hand, fingers absently poking into his curls.
"If I had thought that it would be just a cozy niche to spend the rest of my life, I wouldn't have agreed to come in the first place," said Chance agreeably, leaning back and keeping his feet propped up on the opposite bench. "I'll admit, it's not what I expected, but this is where we are, and this is what we do."
He poked Otto's leg with the toe of his boot "Hopefully any dying that happens on your end won't be for a while," he said with a slight smile.
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Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2015 5:37 pm
Otto stared at Chance with a dumbfounded expression for a while. He was no sure he'd ever been called intelligent in his life. He even felt like he could accept it as truth from him. It felt nice to try on. Made him feel warm, and valuable. Otto hit him back with a quick movement of his leg side ways, a small smirk playing on his lips briefly. "Hopefully." He murmured back. He had no plans to die, and avoided it despite everyone else dying around him. He put his own legs comfortably up on the seat beside Chance now, having every intention of ordering dessert. "It's been pretty quiet lately. As far as major catastrophes go."
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Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2015 5:46 pm
The dumbfounded expression was met by a slightly surprised one, Chance's eyebrows rising.
"Did I say something wrong?" he asked, a little concerned that perhaps he'd insulted Otto's specialization or something. He laced his fingers together on his stomach, and tried to look back on his own words, to see if there was something peculiar about them.
Otto's leg jostled into his, and Chance was shaken out of his inner musings. "Hopefully," he repeated lightly, smiling across the table at him. "It's not every day that I meet someone I feel comfortable about hanging with, so I think it'd be much better if you didn't die anytime soon."
The last part was said with a gentle sort of humor, Chance plucking up the little drinks and dessert menu on the side of the table and sliding it across to Otto.
"Maybe it's the calm before the storm," he said. "Or maybe we're just having a nice break to relax."
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Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2015 6:16 pm
Otto shook his head. "No. It's nothing." He dismissed passively. "No worries man. I'm hard to kill." That or he'd just been lucky; spared by chance after chance. Or maybe he was kept alive for something else. Some other purpose. He wasn't sure. "Probably the calm." He murmured, looking over the little menu. Anything with chocolate was on the radar. Maybe a hot fudge sundae or a brownie, he thought. Maybe even the cheesecake. He didn't want to go back after this. He didn't really want to be the man saving the world and dying to try. Didn't want to feel so complicated and grasping at understanding. But this was the life he was saddled with; all he did now was try to make something good from it. Still, if only he'd known. Maybe he'd have survived a few more years in his miserable excuse for a home and eventually found a way to live on his own far far away. Then he could have days like this all the time. Eating out with a friend, enjoying the wonders of the world. But the grass was always greener on the other side. Maybe it never would have worked, anyway. Maybe this was the only life he had; and he'd just have to cling desperately to these small moments of peace. "Chocolate cheesecake." He needed a thick and heavy dessert right about now.
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Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2015 6:26 pm
He relaxed a little, offering Otto a smile. It felt nice sitting here, talking as comfortably as he was with someone. The drama and the messes back on the island seemed somehow more distant, in spite of Chance attempting to avoid them while he was there anyway. He liked the ease and friendliness of the diner, liked the way that the conversation seemed to flow nicely between himself and Otto. Few people were able to do that lately, and now the number had lessened even more, so finding Otto had been an unexpected pleasure.
"Well," said Chance, as he slid the menu back to look over it himself. "If this is the calm, then I guess we just need to enjoy it as much as we can, right? We just...keep doing the best with what we've got.
"And what we've got now," he added, with a wider smile as the waitress came whipping up to their booth to take their empty plates and dessert orders. "is some ******** delicious looking chocolate cheesecake, and a caramel blondie for me, as well as some hopefully awesome company."
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Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2015 6:41 pm
"Yeah. Relax, and maybe prepare a little. We don't get many chances like this." The island was a hub of activity, whether mission related or mind games related. Dream worlds were a threat as well. "Amen to that." Otto concurred. Sweets made everything better. Sweets and good company. Maybe he could talk himself into braving the crowded streets, he and Chance could spend just one more hour among normal humans. At least a book store, anyway. He was tiring of the same few books.
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Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2015 6:50 pm
His lips quirked upwards at the word chance, just because it always amused him to hear his name in relation to something other than himself, specifically. It was a conditioned reaction, a small bit of amusement in something.
"We'll have to make time," said Chance, tapping his fingers idly against his stomach. "You know, just to have a break. We do what we have to do on the island, and then, when we can, when there's a calm, take advantage of it to just...relax and not think about s**t."
A large piece of cheesecake was slid in front of Otto, and a pecan caramel blondie in front of Chance. He picked up his fork and dug in, letting out a hum of happiness.
"This is ******** delicious," said Chance, closing his eyes in sheer bliss. "Do you want a bite?" he added, pushing his plate forward a little. "It's got like this buttercream sauce s**t on it, it's amazing."
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Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2015 7:00 pm
Not think about s**t. Yeah, during a calm, he was creating his own drama; making himself miserable. He really ought to let things be. "Yes." Otto said earnestly, leaning forward to meet the plate's journey. He cut out a peice of it with his own fork, and helped himself to a bite. "********.." He murmured, leaning back in his own seat. "God that's good..." Dessert was heaven. Sweet wonderful heaven. He slid his cake closer to the centre of the table. "******** it all, let's just eat both." Sharing is caring. And delicious!
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Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2015 7:13 pm
"Here, here," said Chance with a laugh. The blondie was warm and melt-in-your-mouth delicious, a little crunchy with the pecans, while the cheesecake was cold and fantastic and refreshing - which made eating both of them at the same time an excellent idea, Chance soon decided.
"Why don't they serve good food like this at Deus," he said, sucking on the end of his fork, eyes closed to properly enjoy the food the way it was supposed to be enjoyed. "******** delicious, that's what this is."
It was way too easy to get lost in the sweets, and eventually - and reluctantly, Chance had to put his fork down and admit that there was nothing left on either of their plates to scrape off.
"We should get one to go," sad Chance as the check was deposited on the table. "Smuggle it back."
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Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2015 7:20 pm
"I dunno.." He murmured, his mouth a playground of sweet flavours. "Need more good cooks and less crappy supplies, maybe." The less gruel they served, the better. Food that tasted like cardboard seemed the main ideal there. Sadly the plates were cleaned off. For the better, since Otto was sure he'd eaten more than his stomach could handle. He had no regrets. "Good call." Otto made sure to order one of each; possibly planning to share it with his room mate. "I got this." He shoo'd away any attempts Chance made at paying; even if it meant pressing a foot to the man's chest, and reached to hand his card over to the waitress.
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Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2015 7:27 pm
Otto had preemptively anticipated Chance's attempts at sneaking the check away, the foot to his chest successful at keeping him check. Chance fell back against the booth with a little whine of protest, a little smirk on his face as he shoved the offending shoe away.
"Fine, next time I'll pick it up," he said, picking up his fork to point it accusingly at Otto, though the mischief in his eyes suggested that he was more amused than anything else.
He stretched out his arms and then asked, "So, what do you want to do after this? Do you have a bit more time to just hang out, or do we have to go back to Deus already? I mean, I know crowds aren't your thing, but maybe we can find somewhere close by to look at."
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Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2015 7:31 pm
"You can try." Otto dared with a smirk, sitting back triumphantly. "I'm willin' to brave the crowds." He was glad Chance brought it up. He wasn't sure he would have otherwise. "Book store? Then I wanna get some CDs, too."
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Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2015 7:37 pm
"Next time I will be victorious," Chance deadpanned, as the waitress came back, depositing a plastic bag with the dessert inside on the table. Chance scooted out from his side of the booth and scooped up the bag, gesturing for Otto to follow him.
"I think I saw a bookstore down the block, just a little bit," he said, brightening at the prospect as he led them to the front and outside once more. Noise and sound exploded on the other side, bright and vibrant and loud.
"And you can just stick close to me, I don't mind the crowds so much, I can kind of push our way through so they won't be too close."
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Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2015 7:41 pm
"I like that plan. You're taller so.." So he had less a chance of getting trampled than Otto did. The blond stuck close to the taller man, mostly behind him since the crowded sidewalks were packed and narrow to allow otherwise. Chance said he knew where a book store was anyway. "Wonder if this place is always so busy.." A crowded, busy city.
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Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2015 7:46 pm
It was only marginally less crowded outside as the night wore on, people shifting from one place to the next. Chance made sure to keep his pace steady enough for Otto not to have jog to keep up, but not slow enough that they would be there for too long.
"I think cities like this never really sleep," he said, with a slight smile over his shoulder as someone jostled into him. Chance reached a hand back and his fingers closed around Otto's wrist, tugging him sideways, away from the throngs of people that were beginning to converge.
"Here, over here," he said, and let go, gesturing to the store in question. Chance reached for the door and ushered Otto in before him, a little bell dinging above their heads to indicate their arrival.
Inside it was much quieter; there were old, worn yet comfy looking armchairs and sofas, none of them matching, all sitting around, and rows of books tucked haphazardly on shelves. It wasn't huge, but it was somehow comfortable, smelling of coffee and warmth.
"This good?" Chance asked, smiling. "No crowds."
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