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 Posted: Sun Mar 08, 2009 7:35 pm
Almost done.
With these two floors, at least. There was still a huge amount left to fix - the rest of the pipelines, the heating, the air conditioning. More building to be done, more rooms to be outfitted. But for now, he sat back and considered it done.
It had taken every night for the past week, but he'd done it. It had probably never looked as new as it did now - the carpeting, the tile, the walls, even the light fixtures and furniture. A fridge he'd dragged down the street even found itself fitted into the corner that was being constructed into a mini-kitchen, and he'd defeated the poor excuse for a bathroom one room over.
Ciro had better be damn grateful. He'd had to do it all on his own. But even if he wasn't, Vale felt a swell of pride for it himself. These past nights, he'd been able to concentrate on things he enjoyed doing, keeping his mind busy with the focus required for it all. Sighing through his nose in satisfaction, he brushed the last of the paint flakes off of his jeans, tossing his gloves and goggles down and surveying the domain that he'd created.
All that the light touched belong to him!
Wrong species. And all that the light touches most certainly does not belong to us. Tezcatlipoca sounded like he was in a rare good mood, perhaps pleased by the resurrection of Vale's optimism and determination. Not that he'd ever admit it.
Close enough, he thought back with little heat, good mood unmarred by his god's nitpicking today. Even thoughts of Quinn and the Game did little to drag him down. They could wait until tomorrow to knock him off his game.
Today, Valeriu was in the zone. Creator of a home, like his forefathers before him, like he'd always wanted to do.
Now if only there was someone else to see this.
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Posted: Sun Mar 08, 2009 7:51 pm
He had found the perks of this growth far more enjoyable than the last ones.
In fact, one particular perk had turned out to be pretty damn useful. He finally knew where he was living, for one. And for another, he could explore that home. Ciro, with his newfound sight, had already looked around the upper and lower levels of the business building. The time since Vale had left had been busy indeed-- and while he wasn’t doing anything compared to Vale, Ciro felt a sense of accomplishment for exploring as much as he had.
Of course, that sense of accomplishment was replaced with raw curiosity when he got back to the basement.
“Oh, you’re here.” His figure loomed in the doorway from the upper levels, a hand draped on the molding around the door. He could see Vale now, but it wasn’t that big of a deal-- it wasn’t like he was the type to freak out and try to get a good look, anyway.
“And hey. Fridge! Sweet.” Fridges meant cool drinks, and cool drinks meant that his night cravings for some chilled vodka would be a thing of the past. The rooms had been repaired to livability-- even if he never saw their original state, he could tell that Vale had been busy as a little beaver, working hard to make Ciro’s man cave as good as it could possibly be. And a free man cave? That was just pure win.
And yet, Ciro also knew that Vale had not once spent the night here. Either it was an issue of trust or just a lack of closeness, but Vale always seemed to rush home as soon as the work was done. Whatever the reason, Ciro didn’t really care. The kid was weird enough without slumber parties.
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Posted: Sun Mar 08, 2009 8:09 pm
He rolled his eyes, although he couldn't stop the grin on his face at the thought that Ciro might approve of the renovations. At the very least, it meant Vale wouldn't ever have to step foot into that mine of germs that Ciro had last called home.
"Yeah, I found a fridge for you."
Found was such a good word. The fridge hadn't been put to good use, just left on display like that for all those weeks. Vale had felt sorry for it, really he had. Plus, a means to an end. The fridge would do more good here than it ever would elsewhere.
"Try to fill ee't v'ith stuff besides alcohol though, da? You know," he gestured dryly to the steel box, "things like food. And juice. Juice ee's good."
Finally glancing at the other godling after cleaning up the last of his materials, his eyes widened marginally.
"Eh! You grew?"
That meant Shamash had seen fit to let Ciro grow. Curiously, he studied the other man, noting the differences, and more especially the eyes. And the bling. Lots of bling.
Seeing Ciro like this reminded him of why he'd been so awed by the older godling the first time they'd met. Even now, Vale felt like he was ten again, staring up at this giant of a man who looked so fearsome and strong.
He was glad for him.
"Hah, you look even cooler now," he noted wryly, ears twitching to the side in good humour. "Did Shamash finally approve?"
If it did, that meant Vale didn't really have a reason to be here anymore. He'd done his part, in whatever way Shamash had recognized. The thought was a little bit disappointing. But they were still allies, at least.
And Ciro did look pretty awesome. He counted himself lucky to have the man on his side.
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Posted: Sun Mar 08, 2009 8:23 pm
He almost felt embarrassed, the way that the kid was gushing all over him like this. It wasn’t really that big of a deal, was it? It’s not like he hadn’t grown before-- where was his praise then?
But then Vale had hit a nerve, and Ciro’s face darkened considerably. “It’s not that he approved.” He growled out, his grip tightening against the wooden doorframe, “But because of all the s**t that’s happened… he really didn’t have a choice.”
It took some effort to stop himself from breaking the door altogether, but he did. It took less effort to cross the room, throwing himself down on the stolen couch. His chest heaved, before falling low as he rested the back of his head against the top of the couch. His lungs itched for a cigarette, but his mood quelled the urge.
“You know about the murder that happened, right?”
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Posted: Sun Mar 08, 2009 8:34 pm
He nodded, grin dropping off his face at the thought. He'd heard about it, alright. It had been in the news, and had his coworkers somberly talking about it over coffee break. The only reason it had made the news was the nature of the murder.
He'd heard she'd been ripped apart by some sort of monster. Even Vale, whose instincts were telling him more and more each day to kill, knew that was a terrible act. Doing that to a woman was despicable. Such a horrific, painful death.
But why would Ciro bring that up?
"Yeah, I heard." He couldn't say any more on the subject. It wasn't his right to, he didn't know the girl, and gossiping made him uneasy.
He remembered Ciro's face last week, and he got the feeling he knew where this was going.
"V'as she...?" He hesitated to say any more, bypassing grabbing a chair to simply leaning against the wall and giving Ciro his space. The man looked like he needed it.
And, despite his desire for a good fight, he wasn't ready to test his odds against a Cultist.
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Posted: Sun Mar 08, 2009 8:44 pm
“She was… The assistant-- to the Score Keeper of the Game.” He said flatly, trying to avoid the subject as much as possible. “She was a neutral party, yet she got taken out.”
Of course, he would have to say more, of course. Ciro wasn’t the type to go worrying about others that he had no connection to, and Vale knew it. He’d figure it out if he asked around, anyway.
“It happened because she started to pick a side-- She was… with me, if you know what I mean.”
Telling this story-- To say so little seemed an injustice to Echo. She was more than just ‘with him’. But that… Vale didn’t need to know the details. It wasn’t essential to his participation in this Game.
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Posted: Sun Mar 08, 2009 8:50 pm
He understood. More than Ciro probably realized. It had been him who'd recognized that Ciro had something to fight for, and he'd known too well the look on Ciro's face when that something had been lost. Uncomfortably he shifted, crossing his arms reflexively and mind instantly going back to the sister he had to leave at home.
"I know," he answered quietly, "v'hat you mean." He recognized what Ciro couldn't say.
"Do you know v'hat did ee't?" He wasn't about to dignify the killer as a person. This was on an animalistic level that even Vale hadn't fallen to yet. Valeriu was still partly human; whatever had killed the girl was nothing more than a beast.
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Posted: Sun Mar 08, 2009 9:01 pm
“Yea, I saw it happen.” He lifted his head, looking level at Vale, the pain creeping along his face once more, “But by then it was already over.”
The pain was spreading, a trembling starting from his chest, “I know who did it. It’s another player.”
In an instant, he was up again, pacing around the room like a trapped beast.
“He’s a player, like me. He’s grown twice, too.” His fists, still healing from the week before, were clenched once more, his nails digging into the palms of his hand. “His God’s a Coyote. And I’m sure he can turn into one too.”
He turned once more in his pacing, stopping to stare the Godling down, “And it was a coyote that killed her! Of course I would figure it out! It‘s a declaration of war!”
The man’s voice was booming now, bouncing off the walls of the underground shelter with the rage of a hundred men.
He resumed his pacing, trying not to break something-- not after the kid had worked so hard. Back and forth, his boots treading along the new carpet, as if there were no way to quell his rage.
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Posted: Sun Mar 08, 2009 9:26 pm
It was painful to see Ciro so hurt, even physically distressing. Almost as bad to feel as when he'd seen his parents hurt or troubled or angry, to see his mother cry and his father slam his fist down upon the table.
He wasn't surprised at the man's rage, and he didn't startle at the furious tone or the glaring stares. They weren't meant for him. It didn't mean that he didn't double-check to see where the nearest exit was, however, ears flinching slightly down to minimize the noise level.
Right now, he was pretty damn expendable to Ciro, a fact highlighted by the growth the man had received. If he got too angry, or if Valeriu said one thing wrong to point that anger at himself - it might be the last thing he'd ever say.
He watched the godling pace out his rage, a thoughtful frown forming on his face and crossing his arms tighter.
"That v'as...no declaration of v'ar," he finally spat out, eyebrows furrowing angrily. "This v'as a murder by a beast no longer human."
He knew, oh, he knew how close he was to that point as well. He looked back up at Ciro, expectant and serious. "V'hat are you doing, pacing around here? Letting ee't live to take another breath?"
Normally, he'd advise Ciro to wait. To think, to plan. This was another Player who was just as strong as Ciro was. It would be dangerous - Ciro could get seriously injured, or die in such a confrontation
But he understood too well. Waiting would do no good; planning would do nothing either. There was no calming down from something like this, no logical reasoning until retribution had been had. The longer they waited, the more it would drive him mad. Beginning a war was not an option. It had to end.
"Find ee't, and kill ee't." He said it simply, but his tone held so much more; make it suffer, make it regret, hunt it down right now and rip your vengeance out of its flesh, no matter the cost.
Maybe that was just his instincts talking, but the thought of losing Sydni in the same way...
He imagined he'd do the same whether or not he'd ever been made a godling.
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Posted: Mon Mar 09, 2009 6:40 pm
Cinder eyes stared at the boy, wavering to take in all the details-- while he was young, he seemed to know a lot.
He was speaking the pure and simple truth. That was all there was to it. He needed to hunt Writ down and take his revenge.
All he had to do was find that b*****d mutt now.
“But, hey, Meow Mix.” Okay, even then, he had to get at least ONE stab in, “Calm down-- This is my fight. I won’t even think about letting you get a hit in.”
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Posted: Mon Mar 09, 2009 7:09 pm
Valeriu was silent for a moment, derailed from the direction his thoughts had been traveling, staring back at Ciro in bewilderment.
"Did you just call me Meow Mix?"
Meow Mix?
"First Commie, now Meow Mix?"
Tezcatlipoca started laughing, and laughing, and cackling, and there was no end to it.
To add insult to injury, his offense manifested itself in the outrageous fuzzing of his ears and tail. He scowled, and scowled, and wished balefully for his fur to settle itself down before he chopped off his own tail. Giving Ciro a look that said he most certainly did not like that nickname (but he was also most certainly not sulking about it), he gathered up the last of his tools into his backpack, slinging it upon his shoulder.
"I v'ouldn't ee'ntrude on ee't," he replied, also most certainly not huffing either. "Ee't v'ould not be right. Just...do not die, da?" He frowned, and adjusted the bag on his shoulder. "You are the only ally I have. And you still have to teach me."
He was childishly adamant on that - Ciro still had to teach him how to kill, or else he'd never be able to take out other godlings weaker than him.
Plus, he just didn't want Ciro to die yet. This was as close to a mentor, an adult-figure, as he was ever going to get. He didn't want to lose that just yet and be left alone to Tezcatlipoca's sole care again so soon.
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Posted: Mon Mar 09, 2009 7:56 pm
He could almost smile at the kid-- it felt a little nice to be worried about. That was something he figured he had lost with Echo.
“Like hell! I wouldn’t die even if you killed me.”
Yes. It made sense. Somehow, in that twisted brain of his, it made sense.
It almost made as much sense as Ciro bolting out the door this instant to put a flaming fist into Writ’s face. Almost, but not as much.
“I’ll take care of that. You’ll know I’m done by the smell of burnt fur.”
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