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 Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2015 7:57 pm
He allowed Chance to tug him sideways by the wrist, feeling well good taken care of. Had he been alone, he'd likely have gotten irritated and shoved past people in a fit of childish revenge. While he was still uncomfortable, Chance served as a valiant body guard and cow pusher through the crowds. Every now and then, Otto actually appreciated being helped without needing it. It depended on the person, really. The book store was a relief. It felt cozy and private, and less eyes around to stare or shove. His heart rate finally calmed down. "Works." He shrugged nonchalantly, as if he didn't care. Which was a lie. "What sorta stuff you read?" Otto asked, already wandering towards some fictional novels; most of the post apocalyptic in nature. Or natural disaster related. Or both.
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Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2015 8:02 pm
He turned and gave Otto a scrutinizing look, eyes passing over his face to make sure that he really was okay. There were only a few other people in the store, which wasn't that large, but well-lit and comfortable looking. A man drinking coffee was in one of the armchairs, and the cashier reading a magazine behind the counter reminded Chance of his old job.
"I like history,' said Chance, following after Otto. "Or, well, I like anything that interests me, really. I like bizarre and strange historical facts, but there's something very appealing about like the whole...'the world already ended what do we do now' genre," he added, eyes raking the shelves.
"Mysteries are pretty cool, but really, I'll try anything if interests me. Got any suggestions?"
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Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2015 8:20 pm
Otto's tastes veered towards teen novels, even if he was longer a teenager technically. He looked over the books, trying to find ones he'd read among what was there. "I liked Monument 14. It's about a buncha kids and teens facing an environmental catastrophe trapped inside a mall." It was a three parter, to which he had the first two. The third remained elusive; and he rarely ventured out anyway. "Also um..." He rubbed his neck, wondering if his tastes should be bothered to be spoken aloud. He stuffed that feeling back down. "The Percy Jackson series. It's like.. Greek demigods in modern times sorta thing." "One of my favs is actually a book my mom made me read for a book report. The Catcher in the Rye. It aint got the stuff I normally like in a book, but I enjoyed it."
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Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2015 8:29 pm
Chance's eyes skimmed the shelves, looking for some of the suggested titles, bent over so that he could see them better (being tall did not always have its advantages).
"So your taste in books kind of imitates your taste in movies, right?" he asked, casting a glance up at Otto and smiling in amusement. "I like the Greek demigod idea, that sounds pretty badass; what's the first one called, there are a whole bunch of them on this shelf down here..."
He reached out a hand picked one at random, looking at the cover.
"I think I might have heard of Catcher in the Rye, actually!" Chance said, snapping his fingers and looking rather pleased that he recognized the title of a well-known book. "We had it in the satire section at the bookstore I used to work at, I think..."
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Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2015 8:35 pm
"Pretty much." Something about the way humanity dealt with disaster, and the way it made you feel out of place. Otto related, of course. "I like how powerful storms and nature can be. Just the size and scale of it all." A whole city felt so small when taken apart at the seams by titan sized earthquakes that ripped apart LA. "Umm... The Lightning Thief, I think." He nodded, looking down at the books Chance was looking over. "You worked at a book store, huh? I never had a job before Deus. Weren't much opportunity back where I was from."
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Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2015 8:41 pm
"I like rain," said Chance thoughtfully, as he mulled over what Otto had said. "I like thunderstorms, there's something very intense about them that's rather appealing. I got stuck in one of those a few months ago, out on one of my night walks."
Which had resulted in his evening with Finn, but Chance wasn't thinking about either of those two at present, deliberately keeping them out of his thoughts. He gave a nod to Otto, and put the book in his hand back on the shelf, instead reaching to take the first one. "Oh, you're right, it's got a one on the side of it," he said with a laugh. "I think maybe I'll get the first two..."
Chance piled them onto his arms and stood up, brushing dust from his knees. "I did," he aid with a smile. "Wasn't really very glamorous, but it let me live on my own, which was what I wanted, after having been stuck at my mother's house first and then the boys' home. It was quiet and nice.
He took a few steps to peer at the next shelf, then glanced back at Otto.
"What would you have done if you hadn't come to Deus?" he asked curiously.
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Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2015 8:48 pm
"Watchin' storms out a window is nice. Not so much when ur stuck in'em." Maybe Chance didn't mind getting caught in the rain; but a rain and a full on storm were wildly different. Sometimes getting rained on felt cleansing. As if the sky was washing away all the dirt of his life. "I dunno what I woulda done... I wasn't happy. I kinda wanted to be a rock star." A stupid dream. "But I hate it when people are lookin' at me, and I don't like crowds. So.. it never woulda worked." He shrugged lightly, squatting down to look at the bottom shelf. "Wasn't a practical career choice, anyway." "Livin' on your own musta been really cool."
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Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2015 8:54 pm
He laughed, shaking his head so that his curls fell about his face, half concealing the stars around his temple. "It can be fun to walk around in the chaos for a bit," Chance said. "But admittedly when you walk inside after, and all of your clothes are sticking to you and your hair is plastered to your face, it's a little less pleasant."
He was on the back side now, Otto on the other facing him. Chance peered at him from over top of the shelf, which was low enough that he could rest his arm across the top and lean to look down.
"Just because it wasn't practical doesn't mean it's bad," he said, and then added, with a slight grin, "What about private concerts? I'd like to hear you play sometime, if you're okay with it. But I do know it might be something personal, so if you'd rather not, I totally understand."
He picked up another book called The Messenger by Markus Zusack, and tucked into his pile before rounding the corner back to where Otto was crouched.
"It was nice," said Chance agreeably, sliding to sit down on the floor beside him, back against the shelves. "Definitely beat living at home, and that boys' home wasn't awful, but it wasn't where I wanted to spend my whole life, either. Too may people, too many guys, all in one room, it was madness."
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Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2015 9:03 pm
"A hot shower feels good after getting soaked in the rain. Funny how that works, seein' as you're all wet anyway." Warmth was the answer to tat of course. That and dry clothes. Otto looked up as Chance looked down, asking about private concerts. To this Otto flushed, embarrassed, and looked back down to hide it. "Mm. Maybe.." He murmured. Sometimes he was able to play quite freely for a friend, and other days he felt his shyness overcome him, and he wouldn't even play for someone who'd already heard him. "Hmm. Yeah. Guys are dicks." One on one was fine, but get a group of men together, and there was Hell to pay. Maybe not always, but.. Deus was his only basis for comparison. One of the reasons he was glad for a private shower was the irritating company of men during peak hours at the communal showers. He looked over to find Chance closer now, more on eye level. He felt his legs start to tingle and go numb from squatting in place so long, and chose to flock back into a seated position, flipping through a book on volcanos in history. "Boys home? That some sorta juvvie jail?" Of course Otto would assume the worst. Yet he said it so nonchalantly as his lidded gaze flipped through a chapter on Pompeii.
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Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2015 9:11 pm
It was very hard to bite back the immediate and almost knee-jerk reaction to reply that's what she said to Otto's comments about the rain, Chance's lips twitching as he hid the smile on his face. The embarrassed flush had already been noted, and the last thing he wanted was to make Otto uncomfortable about anything.
"Don't worry," Chance said, waving a hand. "If you feel up to showing me, then I'd be honored, but if you don't, then I'm honored you even considered it in the first place."
There was gentle, reedy music floating throughout the bookstore; something classical that was rather appealing in a roundabout way. "That they are," said Chance agreeably, placing his stacks of books on his lap, and reaching for one of them to just flip through curiously. "Get us all in one place, there's bound to be a bunch of unnecessary drama."
The demigod books Otto had suggested already did seem very interesting, just from the first few lines. Chance squinted at the page.
"More like an orphanage, kinda," he said mildly and just as nonchalantly as Otto had asked; flipping to the next page. "It's basically just a bunch of teenage boys off of the streets, runaways, kids in abusive homes. It meant well, it wasn't terrible, but there were like twelve of us in one room alone, it was kind of a mess at times."
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Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2015 9:19 pm
Otto might have worried that he wasn't good enough of a drummer to warrant those words. But he knew better. He was good. Really good. Drumming was something he'd done for a long, long time. He was confident in it. His singing voice he knew was good; maybe not as solid as his drumming. Or maybe singing was just way more personal to him, and thus harder to share so easily. "Jeez.. reminds me of the bunkers. Deus was under attack once, and the buildings got compromised. Everyone in Deus had to live in these bunkers, with tons of us sleepin' in the same room; like bunk beds. Uncomfortable bunk beds. No privacy. It was Hell. I ain't heard of a symphony of snoring till then. Didn't get much sleep."
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Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2015 9:23 pm
Chance lowered the book with a little hum of thought, leaning his head back against the bookcase - which was, thankfully, sturdy enough to hold his weight added to the weight of the books already on the shelves.
"That sounds a lot like how the home worked," he said, a little wryly, his fingers absently smoothing along the spine of one of the books. "Except we actually did have bunk beds, about six to a room. There were one or two private rooms, but those were for the real intense kids, the ones who had violence issues and s**t."
He shrugged a shoulder, Chance exhaling a breath. "My first bed mate was some druggie from the streets; he used to try and get me to buy pot from him," he said with a small laugh. "There was all sorts of that s**t going on under the wire, as much as they tried to stamp it out."
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Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2015 9:32 pm
"That place sounds..." Dangerous? Uncouth? Was Deus any better, really? It held the guise of civility, but was it really? "Can't even imagine. Makes my life sound cozy." He remembered it being anything but that. However, at least he slept, knowing he was safe from bad influence and harm.
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Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2015 9:36 pm
"It was certainly somewhere," said Chance, idly tugging at one of his curls as he sifted through the memories. "I had a few run-ins with people I didn't particularly care for, and one that wouldn't leave me alone. But I was only there for about a year or two before I was able to get my own place."
He smiled over at Otto.
"At least Deus is crazy, but it's a different kind of crazy. I have a job, a room, even if it's small, good company. Now, if I could actually manage to sleep, I'd be golden," Chance added with a laugh.
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Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2015 9:44 pm
"Wish I could help." Otto said with a light and brief smile, turning back to his book. It had a lot of records of disasters in history. He'd be getting this one for sure. And maybe that one too... Oh, and famous shipwrecks. Those were fun too. A small pile accumulated between them. "When I was a kid and my grandpa babysat me, I was real bratty about bedtimes. So he'd let me watch the News with him, which put me right to sleep." He chuckled, "That s**t was boring when yer five." He also had to admit hair petting conked him out quick, even nowadays. Like some kind of short circuit, it just did the trick. "Course, like I said. I can sleep at the drop of a hat. I ain't got much advice that'd be good for ya."
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