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 Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2012 6:30 pm
Sneaking into the kitchens at Deus Ex Machina was no easy task, especially when Gale, after almost two weeks now, was still limping after his last encounter at the Haunted House. It was noticeably less than it had been, at least, and thankfully he had transported himself out of the room before his FEAR shield had completely finished dissipating, but it was still giving him some trouble whenever he put to much weight on it.
However, he was hungry, and with hunger came a strong desire for food - after hours, of course, because it was clearly too easy to be hungry during normal eating hours, as Jinhai had so delightedly put it.
Which was why, late on a weekday evening, Gale found himself slipping into the deserted cafeteria, the tacky, luminescent lights casting a yellowish glow on the white and grey tiled floor. The long tables, with their plastic attached chairs, were all empty, casting strange, distorted shadows on the ground. There was no sign of the cafeteria lady - which was good, since she was one of those people who gave Gale the willies...
Sitting cross-legged on a box of powdered milk in the back of the kitchens, Gale held a sandwich in one hand and a cup of tea in the other, which he set carefully beside him as he took another bite. He had not bothered to get in uniform at this hour, dressed in a pair of black sweat pants and a teeshirt, his neck feeling strangely bare without the familiar ponytail. His newly cut short hair still felt odd, but he liked it - it would just take some getting used to.
<< You're crazy. >> murmured Jinhai sleepily, the dragon curling up in Gale's mind.
So are you, came the quietly sardonic reply as Gale chewed absently on a bite of ham and cheese and enjoying the quiet solitude of the empty kitchen.
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Posted: Sun Feb 12, 2012 9:22 pm
God. It was three in the ******** morning, and she was starving. The redhead growled right after her belly did, slapping it with irritation. "Okay, you big baby, hold the ******** on." Her voice was raspy with sleep, and eyes weary with it as well. It had been a long day-- up at six, minipet feeding (and cleaning, oh sweet christ Clarice, you cruel woman-- they are so abysmally MESSY, how do they EVEN--), followed by training. And more training. Clerise realised, perhaps too late, she was pushing herself a little too hard. Regardless, the redhead rolled out of bed, yawning widely as she did. She was a bit of a mess, really-- the long parts of her hair hanging down in crimped waves, going down past her chest just in two pieces. Instead of the leotard underneath her coat, there were well worn sweatpants and a overlarge shirt that advertised CLERISE, THE AIRBORNE EXTRAORDINAIRE! THE GREATEST SHOW KNOWN TO MAN! It was...a gross exaggeration, of course, and it was so worn that the letters were peeling off a little. Shoving her arms through her coat, foregoing shoes entirely, Clerise wandered down to the kitchens, and was significantly less stealthy than Gale had been. She barreled in, bleary eyed, staring at Gale with beady eyes. "Mmnngh," was all Clerise said in her eloquent state, shuffling to the fridge to fish out some yogurt. {[ I knew you were brainless, sheila, but really? Really? ]}
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Posted: Mon Feb 13, 2012 6:46 pm
Well, it had been quiet. At least until there was a scuffling noise, a crash, and someone came staggering into the kitchens. Gale glanced up, the sandwich still in his mouth as he peered at the newcomer, giving no sign of surprise except for a raised brow. He pulled his sandwich away from his mouth and chewed slowly, watching as the girl - a red and gold haired trainee that he vaguely recognized from the pod room and the orientation - stumbled around blearily, clearly still half asleep as she threw open the fridge and rummaged around in it.
<< What's her name? >>
No idea - I can't remember everyone's names just yet.
<< Come on, little deathie - you've gotta do better than that. >>
So can you, little dragon.
<< Touche. >>
He didn't say anything, but then again, neither did she - at least not anything that was understandable, since all Gale could make out was something along the lines of "arrggmmmfffmmg" - which was very nearly as bad as his writing (which he still thought wasn't all that bad).
After a moment, when she had retrieved what looked as though it might have been a cup of yogurt, Gale said mildly, "Midnight snack?"
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Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2012 5:06 am
Clerise was the epitome of grace. A venus, as it were. They would erect statues in her honour, sing songs of her glory, let loose whispers into the wind praising her elegance: words that said... Clerise Nicole Wilson is a bull in a china shop, and a drunk one at that. She managed to literally stumble into the fridge before prying it open, fishing out some plain yogurt. Still in her bleary daze, Clerise rummaged for a spoon, and found a granola bar to crush in her palm and sprinkle on it. On it and the rest of the counter. As Gale spoke, she turned to look at Gale, red eyes taking in the smaller figure. She'd never believe that he was so much further ahead than she was. "Yeah," the redhead finally acquiesced, voice hoarse from sleep. "Trained too hard, not enough food," she explained, the burning in her back and legs evident to that truth. ********. Marcus had kicked her a**. First Robert, then Whiny, then Marcus, all in rapid succession. They'd beaten her shield down to nothing without her getting them back NEARLY as bad. But hey, she was learning. But ******** if it wasn't taking a toll on her. "You too I guess, eh?" My god. She didn't even have it in her to remark at how little the fellow looked. it was starting to not phase her quite so much-- but it was still a little disturbing. That kids were joining. She had just barely run away to the circus when she was 16, and these guys were fighting monsters and kicking a**. She had to say...There was some jealousy there. Clerise shoveled some of the yogurt into her mouth, hopping up onto a countertop right in front of Gale, swinging her legs back and forth. It was nice to not be in boots for once. "what's your division?" She was always so curious. It was like the Deus Ex version of astrology.
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Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2012 7:26 pm
Molly...Ami...Saya...nope.
None of the names he was running through his head was the right one for this hunter, Gale thought, as he watched the redhead in front of him now found a granola bar to crumble in her yogurt, stumbling around sleepily.
<< It's Clerise. >>
How on earth could you possibly know that?
<< I remember from the pod room. Plus it says it on her shirt. >>
...I knew that.
"There's never enough food," said Gale agreeably, which was true, since he tended to eat like it was his last meal on earth - namely a lot. Jinhai made fun of him for being a growing boy who needed nutrition, but Gale just tended to be hungry a ll the time.
"And yep - figured I'd come for a bit of nosh," he replied, taking another bite of the sandwich. It was a little dry, but he'd make do.
His brows lifted at her somewhat abrupt question, Gale lifting his cup of tea to his lips to take a small swallow before setting it back down to answer.
"Death," he said easily, idly peeling away the crust of his sandwich with a slightly wrinkled nose. He never did like that part of the bread. "I'm in Death Division. What about you? Your name's Clerise, right?"
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Posted: Wed Feb 15, 2012 9:34 pm
Chomping down, Clerise's brain slowly started to come alive at being reintroduced to food. <********. Amen. Sheeiitt," Clerise muttered at the mention of never having enough food-- she felt like a black hole, most days. Unfortunately, she had a figure to watch out for-- 2000 Calories a day felt like so LITTLE when she was working out for what felt like all day. "Wha..." Clerise stared at the other, blinking rapidly a few times in succession, confused. "The ******** a NOSH? Sounds like an unpleasant dish. You're eating cereal." Her voice was deadpan, but it was clear she was confused. Somehow, she didn't put the tea and the funny accent together-- British slang was rather lost on her. "Life," she replied cleanly, eating another spoonful of yogurt. "That is is." She tugged at her shirt, smiling softly at it. "Good to know some of you can read. After meeting Robert, I wasn't sure," she teased, laughing to herself.
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Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2012 12:09 pm
He wasn't sure what to make of Clerise just yet (besides the fact that her name was identical to a certain Life Division Assistant, but if he recalled correctly it was, at least, spelled differently), but he found her rather curious, at the very least.
"Er, food," said Gale dryly. "A snack. And yes, I am eating cereal at three in the morning."
<< You should be asleep. >> said Jinhai reprovingly, but Gale just made a shush-ing noise in his head and went on eating his food, chewing slowly as he regarded the redhead.
"Ah, Life," he said, nodding. "So you're in the division with Doc H. My condolences," he added dryly, shaking his head. "That guy's....weird, but at least you have your namesake in there as well. Clarice is a good person, and she's quite friendly once you get to know her."
Spooning another bite of cereal into his mouth, Gale repressed a snort. "So you met Robert, did you," he said, and shook his head. "He's an interesting one, I'll give him that. I don't really know much about him except that he's engaged to that Petra girl and he's really loud."
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Posted: Sat Feb 18, 2012 11:10 pm
This tiny little British fellow was just PRECIOUS. He was so tiny. And dignified.
She couldn't ******** deal.
"Oh. Yeah well, cereal this early's not so strange, just uh. A gnosh is."
"Yeaahh, he's not so bad. Drank me under the table when he recruited me-- I don't even know how I got home." She laughed a little, shrugging helplessly.
"And yeah, she's a nice gal. And uh. Yeah Robert. The dude kicked my a**, did some fancy moves at me."
At the last part, she DID laugh, with a smile. "So loud." She hopped down from the counter, returning to the counter to rummage.
Christ. She was so HUNGRY. "What I would not DO for a HOT POCKET. RIGHT NOW."
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Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2012 7:33 pm
"Unfortunately, it's not like Deus has much to offer in terms of what there is to eat," said Gale, spooning another bite of cereal into his mouth and chewing methodically. It wasn't anything special - just some Corn Chex he had found in the cupboard. The cereal wasn't particularly appetizing, but it had been all there was at the time.
The Robert comment, however, made Gale lift a brow. "Did he now?" he said. "I wouldn't know how he fights - I've only ever spoken to him a few times - " And stuffed snow down his shirt during an impromptu, Joy-induced snow fight " - but, er, he seems..."
Gale trailed off, not entirely certain on how to finish that sentence, and instead focused on what Clerise had said about Clarice, the corners of his lips quirking upwards in a small smile.
"She's probably the one I like the most out of the division leaders, though she's only an assistant," he said. Then, after a slight bit of musing, he added dryly "Though with people like Doc H and Caelius as Division Heads, it isn't really hard to like Clarice more. I'm not sure anyone likes Caelius, for that matter..."
Gale's brows drew together slightly. "A...what, sorry? What's a hot pocket?"
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Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2012 12:25 pm
"You're tellingg MEEEE, pintsize!" Clerise grumped at the lack of delicious things available-- hell, even at the lack of MATERIALS for delicious things. "Fancy, with some dancing, yadda yadda yadda. Better than me, for now anyway," she rambled, grinning a little, deciding on some crackers. Back to the fridge, now, digging for a block of cheese. "Oh, yeah, I love her. She showed me minipets." A sage nod, and a...beautiful smile. She sighed, happily-- but then. Clerise gasped, stalking over to Gale after popping some of her scavenged snacks into her mouth. Clerise shook him by the shoulders-- once, and then twice. "YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT A HOT POCKET IS?" Clerise shook him one more time. "You're a big kid on the island and can leave to go places, right?" "You need to go get them. They are vile and amazing. Get them."
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Posted: Wed Feb 29, 2012 1:02 pm
Studiously ignoring the cackling laughter that came from Jinhai being amused at "pintsized," Gale tilted his head and scrutinized Clerise curiously. She was quite...flamboyant, in a way, and seemed to be just a bit...odd, but she hadn't done anything quite crazy yet.
At least not until she suddenly leapt off the counter, ran across the room, and grabbed him by the shoulders.
Gale stared blankly at her.
"Er. No?" he said. "Should I? And wait - ow - what are you - stop that - !"
His face a bit flushed, Gale - again ignoring Jinhai laughing, attempted to pry Clerise's fingers from his shoulders.
"Fine, fine, next time I will find some hot pockets. What are they, anyway? What's in them?"
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Posted: Sat Mar 10, 2012 9:42 pm
"EXCELLENCE!" the redhead exclaimed, releasing poor gale from her vice-grip. "It's like pizza stuffed into a tiny, nuclear heated crust of amazing." She grinned at him, observing his little bit of a blush. "I wish I could leave the island, I'm not cleared for it yet." An obvious pout came over her face, grumping about it. "Do you have any snacks that you miss? Tea or those weird cookie-crackers you guys have or whatever?"
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Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2012 8:41 am
Clerise was weird, but not exactly in a bad way - mostly because she was quite unlike anyone else on the island - and there were definitely some odd people around.
Gale scowled under her scrutiny; an involuntary reaction. He leaned back, however, and took another bite of his cereal, which had sloshed over the sides of his bowl at Clerise's abrupt shaking. "You'll be cleared once you get used to things and pass a few missions."
He gave her a Look that clearly said I'm not THAT British, which was not even that true, but then he resigned himself and said "I have enough tea here. And I have no idea what cookie-crackers you're talking about, but I think what there isn't much of here is muffins."
Then he felt slightly embarrassed and hastily bent over his cereal, suddenly becoming very interested in the bowl.
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Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2012 11:25 pm
"Grumpybutt," Clerise accused, pointing squarely at the younger hunter, poking him in between the eyes. "YEAH but god that's not for aagessssss." Especially given her luck. She'd be fortunate if they ever decided to let her out of the cage, but at least she wasn't breaking things left and right like a CERTAIN someone. "Ohhh, the ******** you don't know what I mean, the uhm. ********, what are they called..." This was clearly important. "Crumpets! That's it. Crumpets." Her stomach growled at the mention of muffins. "What I would not give for a costco chocolate muffin, right <******** now." The redhead sank onto the ground by Gale, obviously content to sit on the floor, poking at his shoes. "That was at least one thing the different states had in common. I could use my ********' costco membership card no matter where the damn circus went."
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Posted: Sat Mar 17, 2012 10:41 pm
He gave her a Look.
"Grumpybutt?" he said, with mild outrage. "I am not a grumpybutt."
<< Yes you are. >>
No one asked you.
<< Grumpybutt. >>
Shaddup, Ginny.
Then he gave her another Look, and took a bite of his cereal, chewing very slowly and deliberately as he swiveled his head to follow Clerise's movements, waiting until she was seated on the floor to actually answer her.
"Well, I don't really care much for crumpets," he said dryly, shifting a little. "But I do miss a good bit of fish and chips - what they have here does not really count as such."
She was poking at his shoes. Gale eyed her curiously, trying to figure out how her mind worked.
"Never been to Costco," he said breezily. "But I did once have a penpal who's father worked there...was ages ago, though..."
He lapsed into thought, his memories swirling around in his head, a slight frown on his face.
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