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Posted: Wed Jan 31, 2007 7:30 pm
Tommy gingerly took off the lid of the medical container like one would the Arc of the Covenant. A grin lit his face as he dug around, pulling out one of many medical bags of blood. He began trying to open it with a straw like one would a Capri Sun. After a few failures mostly due to his odd hands, he finally got it open. He took a long plug from it and sighed.
At Richard's comment he glanced over to him...and then pictures. All of a sudden he felt extremely embarassed and nervous. "..ye...yeah...Joliette printed 'em out for me...I just..uh...I needed to remind myself of something...that's all..."
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Posted: Wed Jan 31, 2007 7:39 pm
Richard nodded. He could understand it, he had his own human face on his desktop, so he could remind himself who he was. Still, a month after he had taken the covers off his mirrors he still recoiled slightly from his own face. "I understand that." He flipped the photo around for Tommy to see.
"Family?"
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Posted: Wed Jan 31, 2007 7:44 pm
Tommy looked down at his arms, scraping the ground like an animal as Richard spoke. And then he looked up to see the picture and instantly his eyes welled with held back tears. "Yeah...That's um...that's my brother on the right...it was Christmas day and...heh...we were arguing who was going to take the next shot of tequila," he grinned somewhat at the memory. "I took it, of course...we had that bigbrother littlebrother mentality still...God I wish I could just talk to him..."
He absently wiped away at his eyes with the back of his wing/hand after sitting down with his back to the wall. He sipped on the bag of blood.
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Posted: Wed Jan 31, 2007 7:54 pm
Richard let the room fill with silence as he moved over to the desk to place the picture on it. He looked at Tommy for a moment, his face unreadable. His hand went to his pocket, where he kept the rings. He pulled them out and opened his hand, then closed it again. It had be at least a week since he had thought about her. It was odd that he needed to be reminded of his own loss by Tommy's own.
"Was he alive when you left?" The question seemed to be out of the blue.
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Posted: Wed Jan 31, 2007 8:05 pm
Tommy blinked a few times and looked up at Richard, a frown creasing his face. That is, until he saw the rings. His face went solemn. "What...? Oh...yeah...yeah he was. A first lieutenant working Aircraft maintenance in North Carolina...didn't see him too often. Last time I saw him...s**t...first period leave last summer. We went to Vegas for my twentyfirst birthday." A grin lights his face once more, remembering that amazing weekend.
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Posted: Wed Jan 31, 2007 8:23 pm
Richard smiled, "Well you'll see him again then. In time." In recent times Richard started to cling to the desperate hope that eventually Moreau would lose control of his little empire. Some day they would at least be free again. Changed still perhaps, but who knew, maybe that could be fixed. "This..." Richard gestured around him. "Won't last for ever. Today we're here but maybe not tomorrow eh?" He smiled, trying to be encouraging. "For now we endure, stay sane and hope for that day. We just have to stay sharp right? I'm sure they taught you POW surivival and all that. Never give up hope and all that." Richard waved his hand in the air and stood up.
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Posted: Wed Jan 31, 2007 8:28 pm
Tommy just smiled slightly and then his face went slack as a thought struck him...something that he hasn't thought of in a long time...
"The Code of Conduct of the members of the armed forces of the United States is as follows...
Article three...
If I am captured I will continue to resist by all means available. I will make every effort to escape and to aid others to escape. I will accept neither parole nor special favors from the enemy."
After finishing the words that were engraved into his memory, a grin split his face. "And we all know who the enemy is"
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Posted: Wed Jan 31, 2007 8:36 pm
Richard shoved the rings back into his pocket. He'd ponder the curious lack of grief later. He was just pleased he'd managed to bring back someone from the brink. It could be done. Now he just had to help Colche. "That's right. Well just don't be stupid." He looked over Tommy once more and sniffed. "And take a damn shower, will ya?" He winked.
"See ya later, Tommy." With that Richard departed, heading out the door.
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Posted: Tue May 29, 2007 7:13 pm
The manta ray sat on a large rock facing the graves of the poor souls who had already lost their lives to this sick experiement. The girl noted that new graves were place with those she'd already known. These for the guards taken by her former lover. A man turned mad for the sake of... what? Science? Knowledge? Or just Moreau's sick pleasure and plans?
Looking up at the sky clouds rolled blocking most of the natural moon's glow from ever reaching the earth. With a sigh she waited.
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Posted: Tue May 29, 2007 7:29 pm
Awen had certainly lived up to her promise for a creepy meeting place. The graveyard, at night, that would be enough to give anyone the heebie jeebies. It was so far from water too, Richard wondered if it might be someone other than Awen who had left the note.
She made her way down the forest path with no small amount of caution. An audible sniff occured every few paces and her green eyes scanned her surroundings. As she neared the graveyard, she caught wind of a smell that was unmistakable, a tangy, sharp smell of drying manta skin. It relaxed Richard considerably as she stepped into the clearing. She saw the manta's outline on the rocks and hurried to the figure. She made little sound as she stepped behind Awen and placed a handpaw on her shoulder.
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Posted: Tue May 29, 2007 7:34 pm
Awen, though lost in thought, didn't flinch, jump or even shudder when the paw was placed on her shoulder. Calmly, or perhaps apathetically, she twisted her neck slightly to see who was behind her. She gave a vague smile when she saw the cat behind her and gestured for her to take a seat next to the manta.
"Been awhile." She mumbled softly. "How are things with you going?"
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Posted: Tue May 29, 2007 7:48 pm
Richard slipped next to Awen on the rock. The handpaw stayed where it was and pulled Awen into a quick one armed hug as she settled on the rock. "I was starting to get worried about you." she whispered before releasing Awen. She sighed in response to Awen's question. "They're going, I can't say I've had much luck. And I think I've finally read all the Tom Clancy Novel's in existence, twice." Her ears drooped a bit, it had been over a month now and she had nothing solid, it was beginning to eat at her.
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Posted: Tue May 29, 2007 7:53 pm
"You were right." She said finally. She didn't really seem in the mood for responding to the small talk she herself had created. She looked over to the big cat and gave her a meaningful look. "About your 'friend'. He can't be trusted.... and all our suspisions have been confirmed."
She looked over to the graves marking only the beginning. "And my fears have worsened..."
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Posted: Tue May 29, 2007 8:10 pm
Richard nodded slowly. They couldn't talk freely here, the graveyard would definitely be monitored. "Friend," She rolled of the word off her mouth. "Funny way to put it. You know originally I was trying to save him. Make him see what was happening. Now he doesn't seem to care anymore. " Richard remembered their most recent meeting, now two month ago. Jordan had not cared about anything beyond himself, just wanted to take the easy route.
She pulled Awen closer. "We'll stop him eventually, somehow. But for now prehaps you can tell me the story on the way back." She didn't need to add that it wasn't safe here. As spoke her eyes roamed across the tombstones.
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Posted: Tue May 29, 2007 8:22 pm
"I don't really want to go back." She said softly still staring at the graves. "He's not exactly as far gone as that anymore. He listened to a bit of reason, but even he knows he can't be trusted for much longer." She tried to think of a way to put this without raising too much suspision...as thought it weren't already raised with her sitting next to Richard. "His changes are going to get the better of him. He knows it, I know it... and he knows my position on things. All of my fears and convictions... He knows them, I know his. He is going to give into the changes.... They've already claimed so many. Annie, Jamal...for the most extreme. They've taken lives... in so many senses of the word."
"Everyone falls eventually. Why even bother fighting it?"
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