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 Posted: Sun Aug 02, 2015 10:58 am
Death Division
Fireworks had not been the full reason for Chel's short responses, though they certainly didn't help the situation at hand.
She decided rather than visit anyone or spar or any number of things that would have helped were best avoided, because right now she wasn't sure how to gauge herself. In fact for once, Chel thought maybe it was best to be alone.
There was a moment she thought about going out to the forest's edge where they'd played guitar, but she didn't think it could be avoided even there. It would probably just make her think about it more; being alone with thay much space.
Seeing as her only option was her room, she trudged up the stairs and tiredly sagged through the door. Jack was there already and Chel greeted him by saying, "Don't you ever go home?" It was a joke, like always, but today there was a twinge of bitterness in her voice.
Chel didn't wait for a response; she crossed the room to take off her shoes and coat, but didn't bother with the rest of the outfit before tossing herself on the bed. Her boots were crusted with a reddish color and it was easy to deduce blood. She picked her gameboy off her nightstand and put the noise on full volume. Grumpy teenage emo sulk had been activated.
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Posted: Sun Aug 02, 2015 11:09 am
Lab Rats
It was clear he wanted to know more and was that close to just asking her to be frank about it. But instead Jack fixed his glasses and directed them out of the testing room. "I can't take it," he said as he looked for the clipboard. "It formed its bond with you. Only you can make it disappear and appear at will."
Pen and paper back in hand, he began to jot something down. "I'll say it causes the target to have minor hallucinations . A feeble power at best." Putting nothing at all would put up a red flag, but a mostly useless power wouldn't draw attention.
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Posted: Sun Aug 02, 2015 11:13 am
An Old Victorian
Almost as if entranced, he led them around and just within the confines of the house. It looked older than most of the others, as the town was an eclectic mix of architecture and style, and barely standing. One of the steps creaked on the way to the front door, and he couldn't help but laugh softly.
"This is amazing. Completely shitty looking, but—"
He stopped as soft hisses began to be heard beyond the door. It didn't dim his restrained enthusiasm as he summoned his sword and poked to Chel. "Ladies first," he said with the first grin that day.
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Posted: Sun Aug 02, 2015 11:19 am
Death Division
Jack didn't hear her at first. He had his earbuds in and was fully engaged in his work, and he only paused it when he thought he heard something beyond the thrum of his music. Catching the tail end of Chel's slightly annoyed question, he watched her ghost to her bed and bundle herself up in her own cocoon of noise; easy to deduce it hadn't been an easy day.
"Hey yourself. Got you some more juice," he said. "Long day?"
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Posted: Sun Aug 02, 2015 11:28 am
Lab Rats
She opened her mouth to argue, but the finality of Jack's words told her it would be useless. The fact that Jack was twisting words at all was already pushing it.
"Fine." She could see him hesitating and answered him quietly. "It's 'cause I don't want anyone in my head." If Death division found out she could see into others' minds, it would open up a whole myriad of interrogation potential. She didn't want to be forced to use it for that, because it was a two way street. Paranoia got the better of her often these days.
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Posted: Sun Aug 02, 2015 11:31 am
An Old Victorian
Chel was content to watch Jack prowl around the property like some kind of jinxed cat. She was baffled as to why he liked THIS house (well, not completely baffled, it was old and spooky) but she was happy to oblige whatever spell he was having.
"Needs some work-" she commented, but it was cut short by Jack's gesture and the hissing. She nodded at his command and pushed past him, crouching lower on her knees in an alert position. She got to the door and listened for a moment before kicking it in and firing at will.
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Posted: Sun Aug 02, 2015 11:34 am
Death Division
"Thanks. S'fine," she answered shortly.
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Posted: Sun Aug 02, 2015 11:37 am
Death Division
Noting the curt response, he hit the play button again and went back to his work. As far as Jack was concerned, unless Chel explicitly told him he needed to go, he was fine where he was and that she just needed some space. God knew he did at times.
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Posted: Sun Aug 02, 2015 11:40 am
Lab Rats
He nodded and sympathized; she literally knew all too well at this point. "You'll get better at controlling it," he told her as he signed off at the bottom and passed it to her to put her own. "Almost all of what we shared was given voluntarily."
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Posted: Sun Aug 02, 2015 7:37 pm
Death Division
Chel stayed like that for ages, whittling away the early morning she normally slept during into the late afternoon. The same five levels. She was hungry but didn't want to eat.
Eventually she snapped the game off in a fit of monotony, shuddering herself out from the bed and towards the couch. She nudged Jack's arms open and shuffled onto his lap, tucking her head in his shoulder and her arms under his and around his backside. With the way she was sitting he would probably still be able to work if he wanted to; a koala to his tree.
"S'not right," she murmured, shaking her head with closed eyes. "S'not right at all Jack."
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Posted: Sun Aug 02, 2015 8:14 pm
Death Division
She enveloped him around the time he was merely highlighting things for later. In all honesty his brain had started to shut down about ten minutes before--no doubt due to the string of late nights he'd taken extra coffees for--and so he had decided to make a few important distinctions to go back to when he was refreshed. Chel's movement only gave him pause for a few moments, enough to let her get settled before he continued dragging his highlighter over key words.
"There's a lot not right here," Jack said, sitting up a little straighter so they didn't both lean over. "Which part are you talking about?"
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Posted: Sun Aug 02, 2015 10:32 pm
Death division
If Chel was bothered by him working she didn't say anything; the arrangement was so familiar it was normal. To others it might have been callous, but all Chel needed was a body and someone to listen. Jack was doing an excellent job of both.
"I had to work in the Halloween quarantines," she moaned, shuddering at the memory. "We keep 'em there like animals. They don't do nothin' like that to us."
Chel had never been a pacifist; she was fine killing Halloween creatures and she was okay attacking aggressors. But one of her closest and most trusted friends was on the other side of the gap and she had a hard time seeing them the same since.
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Posted: Sun Aug 02, 2015 10:40 pm
Death Division
"Mm." He wasn't sure if this was a time Chel needed actual feedback or only confirmation that he was listening. His first thought was that it was probably extremely difficult for anyone Halloween side to keep hunters in a cage since the ambient Fear would eventually just render them into a meat pile, but obviously that wasn't going to help. Nor would the obvious reminder of horsemen camps in their world.
"There's no point in treating them callously," Jack said eventually, glancing at her before turning the page. "The conversion rate is much better if the participant is willing, and not all Halloween species are antagonistic towards us by default. On the other hand, there are few ways to understand Fear better than by studying them up close and in a controlled environment."
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Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2015 12:07 am
Death division
"Not helping," she said softly, having long since learned that Jack was terrible at comforting and often needed blunt guidance. She didn't want to think about studying a person like Shun or Edel. It wasn't right.
Instead she buried her nose deeper in the fold between Jack and the couch. "They interrogate 'em too. And there's blood." Failed conversions. "They bleed so much." Explaining the shoes. "One of 'em was like twelve."
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Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2015 12:10 am
Lab rats
"Yeah until they figure out how t'make it involuntary." She was running aroun din paranoid circles but she shook the thought away.
Taking the clipboard from him, she sighed the squiggle that couldn't pass for her name and handed it back to him. "Thanks. Uh. Fer helpin' me figure it out an' stuff."
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