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 Posted: Sun Aug 16, 2009 7:25 pm
This was puzzling.
Quinn was ignoring him.
Valeriu was suspicious. Immediately. Five days had gone by after the hospital fight; and Quinn hadn't said a word to him. Not a single word after helping Valeriu patch himself up, even though he'd smiled and waved goodbye and promised to check in on him again soon.
And then nothing. He scowled, staring out his window; he was not spying, oh no. He was investigating. Journalists did this. Valeriu was not a journalist, but he felt he'd read enough books to pass as one.
He glared, nose pressed to the glass, as he investigated on the house across the street. Quinn was ignoring him, Tepin was acting strange--
Something was up.
That night, he snuck out under the cover of rain. Snuck out, and snuck up - up the fire escape upon Quinn's house in a strange twist of irony, until he was peering , soaked to the bone, through fogged up glass into the room on the other side. He leaned, harder, squinting -- only for the window to pop open.
It was one of the latched ones.
He fell forward, windmilling, and crash-landed gracefully, face-first, against the floor.
Smooth.
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Posted: Sun Aug 16, 2009 7:37 pm
Mm, Hot chocolate. For some reason, in the past five days, his life had been calm, relaxing, and peaceful. No injuries, no yelling, no angst, no sarcasm, just nice, calm days. He couldn't quite put his finger on why, though.
He figured it was best to not question the calm that god sends.
He sipped some more at his drink, and peered around the room for the book he had decided to read that night, and brought his coffee along with him to the lounge chair in the living room. He set the drink on a coaster on a small table next to him, and closed his eyes, listening to the pitter-pattering of the rain on his window.
It was a nice sound. He glanced down at his book. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. His mother had had a fondness for interesting books from before their world was limited to The City, and this one was no exception. The title seemed a bit unnecessary, but the cover was interesting. A long-faded picture of a zombie woman. He shrugged. It looked interesting enough.
Such a perfect night for reading. Rain, hot chocolate, a good book, a relaxing chair...
It is a truth universally excepted that a zombie in possession of brains is in want of more br--
Crash.
Thunk.
He set the book back down on his lap, picked up his mug, and took a sip, watching Vale with cold eyes.
"My carpet," he stated, "Is going to smell like wet animal."
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Posted: Sun Aug 16, 2009 7:42 pm
"You and I both know that my shampoo makes my fur smell like peaches, even v'hen v'et," he groused back, sitting up and rubbing his back with a groan.
Oh, yes, best landing yet.
"I came to visit," he said, quite unnecessarily, and for a moment was left sitting, awkwardly, in his own tiny puddle on the carpet. "And such."
Because someone hadn't come to visit.
"You're ignoring me," he stated, quite bluntly, frowning at the other. "V'hy?"
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Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2009 5:09 pm
Quinn nodded. "I suppose that's true. I'll have peachy carpets." Quinn raised an eyebrow at Vale, and set all of his things aside, rubbing at his legs.
"And such?" He wondered, scratching at his head. "What does 'and such' mean?" He stood up with his cup and finished the last few gulps, heading back to the kitchen to make some more. It looked like he was going to need it.
"I'm not ignoring you," he pointed out, "We just haven't run into each other." He wanted to blame Tepin. He wanted to blame Tepin. Oh, how he wanted to.
But he didn't want someone to come into his store and shoot a gun around again. It was better if he didn't.
"Purely coincidental."
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Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2009 5:14 pm
"I don't know," he confessed, staying put in the place he was so as to not spread water all over Quinn's house. "I just v'anted to say it."
To sound intellectual.
"You have!" he scowled, petulantly, wrapping his arms over his knees. "I glared at you across the street yesterday, and you just v'ent back in your house! Not so much as a v'ave."
How dare Quinn. Valeriu didn't waste glares on just anybody.
"Coincidence? I think not."
Oh yes. He really did just want to say that. Very intellectual.
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Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2009 5:37 pm
Quinn shrugged. "Okay," he said blankly, making an extra cup of hot chocolate, to give some to Vale. He went back to the living room and held it out to him.
"Maybe I didn't respond because you were glaring. Sometimes I don't want to deal with negativity, you know." Quinn raised his eyebrow at Vale, again. He had been doing that a lot.
"Stop acting like Sherlock Holmes. I'm sorry we haven't talked, but I promised I wouldn't." There. Vague, but true.
"I added cinnamon," he gestured to the hot chocolate, "It's really good."
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Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2009 5:51 pm
"Oh," he said, quite intelligently, looking down at his hot cocoa dumbly. "I see."
Well, no, he didn't really see. Didn't understand much beyond the cinnamon part.
"Sorry, then." He stood up, careful not to drip water beyond the soggy patch he'd left on the floor, sneakers squeaking as his feet shifted. "For, ah, making you break your promise."
Quinn's looks and tones said a whole lot more than his words did. Despite the hot cocoa in his hands, things were pretty chilly in this room. Tentatively, he set the mug down on the nearest flat surface, shifting his balance between his feet awkwardly again.
"And sorry about the v'ater." He shuffled back until his heel hit the wall below the window, palms resting behind him against the wooden panel. "But, but have a nice, cocoa-filled night, da? I must be going to do things. Yes. And such."
Goddammit, he'd already used that phrase!
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Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2009 2:29 pm
Quinn looked at him, and a smirk slowly formed across his mouth. "You don't have anything else to do, Vale. Otherwise you wouldn't be here. I don't know why you're even here. I thought you were mad at me. I did zap your eye, and all." He sighed.
"Tepin told me not to see you again." He finally stated. "She came into work, and tried to shoot me. She hurt herself. I didn't touch her. I wouldn't touch her. I told her I'd call the police if she didn't leave, and I had to agree to not see you to make her calm down." He sipped at his cocoa again.
"She hates me, Vale. And she doesn't want me near you. And she's your girlfriend, now, so I guess I have to respect that." He didn't want to, but felt he did. This was complicated, and he didn't like complicated things. He felt it was better to try and stay away form confrontation where he could.
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Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2009 2:46 pm
He frowned. "Even if I'm mad at you, you are my friend."
He thought that was pretty simple. "A jerk friend, but a friend nonetheless." His best friend, really. His only friend. That counted for a lot.
He didn't blame her for not understanding, but - Quinn was his kill. Cutting to the chase. He didn't know when, and he didn't know why or how, but when it came down to it, that was the fact.
But...but what? A gun?
"She tried to shoot you?" he asked, disbelieving. He couldn't - he thought those burns had come from Quinn's lightning. "I'm - I'm sorry about that. I know how scary it can be," he added, more quietly. "And, that..."
That was a lot to process. He'd thought she'd just picked a normal fight. But to do something like that? He definitely needed to talk to her, later.
He scowled, crossed his arms, uncrossed them, before stomping over and giving Quinn a rough hug. "Don't. You are my friend, v'hether she likes that or not. She's the one that needs to respect that."
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Kappawolf rolled 1 20-sided dice:
11
Total: 11 (1-20)
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Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2009 2:51 pm
Quinn smiled, and hugged him back. That was good to hear.
And Tepin could suck it.
After a moment of the hug, a mischievous grin crept over his face, and he slowly slipped his arms back to Vale's sides, fingers poised and ready. Suddenly, he launched himself in a tickle attack on Vale's sides.
"En guarde, mon ami! Est-ce que tu veux mourir?" He pushed Vale over and continued tickling, giggling madly in turn.
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Scroll rolled 1 20-sided dice:
15
Total: 15 (1-20)
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Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2009 2:52 pm
This was not how a hug was supposed to go.
He yiped, something high-pitched and uncomfortably surprised.
"Quinn!" he hissed and squirmed and tried to claw his way along the carpet far, far away. Quinn's fingers were far too slippery against his damp skin, lending to the tickling. "Ha-ah--stop it! I v-v'ill end you!"
He hated being tickled. Hated it. His dad used to do it to him, all the time, knowing how much he despised it.
"Seriously--" he whined and snarled and wriggled. "This is v'ar!"
He attacked back, going straight for the soles of Quinn's feet - the death blow. The Achilles Heel. The minute he had those toes in his grasp, he knew - he had won.
"Say I am the best!" he demanded in his tickle-hold.
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Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2009 3:12 pm
Quinn struggled against Vale, and tried to remove his foot from the man's grasp, unsuccesfully. "No, you--snrrk-- are the worst tickler," he cackled in between fits of laughter, "Ever! In the world! Everyone in the world is better than you!" More cackling.
"Fine! Fine! You win, I'll say it. 'I am the best.' There, now let me go!"
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Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2009 3:14 pm
He scowled.
That was not what he was looking for.
"You are a cop-out," he declared, severely, but let go of the foot, sitting back in the, by now, soaked carpet.
"It's v'hat you get. You see, now? I v'in. All the time."
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Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2009 3:41 pm
Quinn laughed and sat back up, grabbing Vale in a hug again. "Yes, but I'm the best cop-out you know!" He giggled (voluntarily, this time). "And sure, you win." He smiled. "Now, drink your hot chocolate! Don't just set it aside, fool!" He pointed at the place Vale had set it, and hopped up onto his feet.
"I feel like smores. And camping." He paused.
"Let's go camping! Not now, but soon. Today, I want to make macaroni and cheese!" He clapped his hands happily. "Time for some cheesey goodness! You'll love it, I'm a great cook!" Only if he made things that were slathered with cheese, but that wasn't important. He skipped off to the kitchen.
"Mac and cheese~" He sing-songed happily. His mood was much lighter, suddenly, and he realized that the calm of the last five days was boring.
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Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2009 3:45 pm
He grinned, quite pleased. This - this was better. He unfolded to get back to his feet, picking up his hot cocoa and gingerly sipping it while he grabbed a seat back on the carpet.
"It does taste good," he complimented, and then had to wonder if Quinn had ADD. Curiously, he watched as the other babbled, mentioned something about macaroni and cheese, and disappeared into the kitchen.
"Are you sure you v'ill not burn it?" he asked, somewhat teasingly. "After all, it is not chocolate."
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