|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Wed Apr 10, 2013 6:51 pm
It was a rare occasion when Chase chose to work from home instead of going to the office but he had felt particularly drained lately so he opted to stay home for once. He didn't feel like dealing with his older co-workers who judged him for his young age and who were still skeptical of his ability to step into his father's shoes. He would mentally tell them to ******** off because he was getting better results than they were, which was probably why they didn't care much for him.
But he cared little for his co-worker's opinions because he didn't need to work. His father's life insurance money had been plenty, more than enough to keep them cared for for years, and his inheritance had been even greater. Samuel had always been so money smart.
Chase worked because it was a distraction, something to keep him busy in the daylight hours where he couldn't focus on his alter-ego duties. Besides, it gave him influence over others. Power in his civilian life. He wasn't going to turn that away.
Just because his civilian life wasn't a priority didn't mean that it wasn't important.
Still the double life took it's toll on him and this week was a rougher one than most. He attributed it to his latest charge. No, that wasn't quite right. Dustin wasn't his charge, he wasn't his keeper but he was responsible for the boy. Temporarily.
Still, Dustin was a handful because he was brash, rude and quite frankly ungrateful. But Chase had extended his hand out to the corrupted senshi and offered him sanctuary. He could deal with it until intel got their s**t together.
Or at least he hoped.
He would say that he was thankful that Dustin wasn't around at the moment, the peace and quiet was something he hadn't had at home for a while. The house wasn't crowded, frankly he had room for several more people, but he hadn't been alone it in since his days in house arrest. It was rather relaxing.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Apr 10, 2013 8:09 pm
It would have been the most dramatic to appear in Chase's home, to spy in through an opposing window, to take in the interior and teleport onto the floor, heavy coat swirling around him, an imposing picture of 'General'. Perhaps someone else would have; someone who took amusement in that wide-eyed blink of surprise, in being the center of attention.
That wasn't Ever. His arrival to break Chase's hard-earned peace was almost the polar opposite. A knock, two pushes of the bell, and when Chase answered the door, he'd find someone a bit shabby on his doorstep. White hair desperately in need of a cut, comfortable and worn out clothes that looked second or third hand, a pair of combat boots largely held together with duct tape.
In uniform, Ilmenite could cut an impossible figure -- if he put backbone into it. Out of uniform, other than his height, very little impressed. But at least the boot was off, now, his limp mostly gone --
"Chase Black?" He raised one eyebrow, hands shoved into his pockets, and tilted his head to peer inside.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Apr 11, 2013 7:52 am
He should have known better than to expect the peace to last, still he was mildly agitated his doorbell was rung twice. "Didn't even give me a chance to answer the first ring," he muttered to himself, pushing his chair back. He closed his laptop and made his way over to the door. He pulled it open and was surprised to see a tall shabby white haired man standing before him.
He frowned looking up at the taller man, an eyebrow arching in confusion. He didn't know him, but he apparently knew his name. Ever didn't look like someone he would have known from work, or school. He looked older, though not by too much, so Chase wracked his brain to find some sort of memory of the man.
He came up with nothing.
"That's me," he replied cautiously, keeping the door mostly closed. There was just enough space for his body and a tiny sliver of space to see into the front room. It was a mostly empty room, a rack for shoes in the corner. A rug here, a painting there. "And you are?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Apr 12, 2013 1:11 pm
"Ever Ambrodiel." Who leaned into the doorframe in an amused sort of way, considering the careful way Chase kept the door from opening. Expecting trouble, perhaps? Someone who'd come barging in and breaking things? He could identify. At different points in his life, perhaps....except, of course, that Ever had never had a place even this nice.
"We work together, though I don't know if we've ever met. Dustin mentioned something about staying with someone..." He shrugged, hands in his pockets and head cocked to the side. At the very least Ever didn't look dangerous. He was tall, yes, but he was also the kind of skinny that looked about ready to snap in two, bundled in layers that failed to quite disguise that fact.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2013 11:39 pm
Ever Ambrodiel.
The name didn't ring any bells for the pink-streaked haired boy and the lack of recognition only darkened the scowl on his face. Who was this man who appeared at his house, knowing his name. The scowl was briefly replaced by a look of confusion when he claimed that they worked together.
"I'm not sure I've seen you around the office," he commented, casually. His grip on the doorknob tightened and he found himself leaning forward slightly while pressing himself against the door.
The the name Dustin was tossed out and amber eyes widened when his other job pinged in his head as the job they worked together. "Oh, that job," he muttered, grip loosening and his body relaxing. He stepped back, the door opening wider. "Yes, Dustin has been staying with me," he confirmed. He looked around, almost nervously then stepped back and gestured for Ever to enter. "Why don't we talk inside."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2013 3:16 pm
The muttering made Ever grin -- or, well, all of it made him grin. He was someone who'd never worked in a real office a single day in his life, and probably wasn't about to start now. If that was the kind of job about in store for him, he was likely to get in a bit of trouble.
"I'm not here to surprise-inspection you, or anything, it's just..." He would step in, even as he said it, easily. Not intimidating, no, but he was tall, just over the top of six feet, and still smiling down at Chase. "I figured I'd come meet people. I might have been a bit lax in getting to know as many co-workers as I should."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon May 13, 2013 10:53 pm
Everything about Chase screamed he was on edge. Perhaps it was because of his new tenant (who was proving to be quite the handful), the continued secret-keeping from his mother (oh she would never find out), the general avoidance of his other tenant (he wasn't about to get started on that one) or his constant late night patrols (he couldn't remember the last time he slept for more than four hours) but he was on edge. He only began to relax when Ever told him that there would be no surprise inspection.
Thank god.
His posture slacked and he let out the breath he'd been holding. He shut the door once his visitor was indoors and he moved towards the living room. "Please, have a seat," he gestured to one of the chairs as he sat himself. "Would you like a drink?" He offered looking from the coffee tabled to the white haired man. While he had been a cocky, over confident teenager who was full of himself he had always been a generous host.
Mama raised the boy right.
He showed respect where respect was due.
"I must admit," he began slowly, fingers combing through the pink in his hair. "I haven't been much of a socializer lately myself, so having company from 'work' is nice." Sorta. Maybe. If this went well. Oh Metallia he hoped it went well.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed May 15, 2013 5:35 pm
Ever shot a look around the place, briefly, taking in the chair and the couch, his hands in his pockets, and rather decisively didn't sit. Not while Chase was still standing. This wasn't a business meeting, and even if it were, he wasn't a business kind of guy. He hummed, thinking about it.
"You drink?" This probably came out of nowhere, his eyes resettling onto Chase. "Alcohol, I mean. And maybe play some darts?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu May 30, 2013 2:57 pm
The question caught him off guard and for a moment, Chase did not know how to respond. He swallowed, looked away briefly debating his answer before looking back up at the taller man. "On occasion," he replied carefully.
There had been a point, once, when the question would have been answered with a quick yes! But times had changed and events had led to his...separation from alcohol. Still, he mused that he could make an exception.
After all it wasn't often that a general approached him with an offer to go out for drinks. "Suppose this is such an occasion?" He half stated, half asked.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jun 02, 2013 10:31 am
"That was my thought. I saw a dive on the corner." He raised an eyebrow as he said it, questioning, attention resettling on Chase -- and he smiled, easy enough, full of teeth, even if it seemed a bit ingenuous. Nothing personal, it was just how Ever was, full of bright grins and careless bluster and impossible to tell exactly how much of it was surface and how much sat below --
"I figured we could drink, play some darts, chat some. I've got no business, just trying to find out who people are and what they do, some. And, maybe, work out a plan to keep Dustin from running off and hiding again."
Or, well. Showing up drunk and horny on his doorstep. Ever swiped at his eyebrow and thought it, but definitely didn't say it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2013 2:56 pm
"I could never turn down a game challenge," Chase responded after a beat of silence. He missed gaming, traditional gaming, so darts was right up his alley. His thoughts drifted to the location he mentioned and determined that, though it was close by, it was unlikely that he'd ever been to it.
"Let me just grab something," he mumbled, excusing himself briefly so he could dig through his drawers and pull out the fake id he had tucked away. He couldn't remember the last time he had used it, dust had collected and he absentmindedly wiped it across his pant leg.
"Dustin is..." he paused, examining the photo in the fake id. He looked so much younger, less haggard then. It was safe to say, those had been the easy days. "A handful, but seems to be adjusting here. I think." Chase found that he had been spending more time with the trouble teen than originally anticipated.
"Although, he is hard to keep track off." It appeared that Chase knew naught of Dustin's disappearance and appearance at Ever's doorstep. He needed to keep better track of his charges.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2013 6:35 pm
"I think he enjoys disappearing and throwing everyone for a loop." It came with a shake of his head, Ever taking two steps back out of the doorway to let Chase through, grinning as he did. No fake ID here, and maybe if he'd known Chase was underaged -- well. No. He still would have preferred the bar to anything else, and if he had the fake ID, not exactly Ever's fault, was it?
"He's playing us. It's alright, that's a useful skill to have at hand, I think." Though, he did swipe at his mouth as he said it, thinking about the possibility of two very attractive young men fighting over him. Ridiculous. Whose life had he stepped into?
"You know where we're going?" His smile had faded some, to something more perplexed, thoughtful.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jun 09, 2013 9:11 am
Chase couldn't disagree because he really didn't know. Dustin had been staying with him for a month or so now, but most of time Chase was absent from the house. He knew the corrupt didn't like the idea of having a 'handler' and liked to do his own thing. He hadn't pushed the issue much as long as he wasn't causing trouble at the house.
Perhaps he needed to keep a closer eye on his second charge. Or stop accepting strays into his home.
Maybe he needed to keep the boy more in line.
He smirked at the idea of Dustin playing them, if the troubled teen thought he had the upper hand then he would be mistaken. "True, though he should chose his playthings wisely," he commented thoughtfully.
Chase was only a year shy of being the legal drinking age but he had had a fake ID since he was seventeen. He looked older than his picture now, most probably wouldn't even think twice about it.
He hesitated and thought about it. "Uh, well...Actually no. I had a general idea of where it is but never been."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jun 09, 2013 6:21 pm
Ever shot him a grin at that, amused by the uncertainty and the comment both, his uncertainty washed away like that. It was reassuring to know that Chase could joke around, could relax a little bit and not look so, well, stressed out. Ever'd been starting to worry about him, just a bit.
"Want me to run into the corner store and ask? Or do you just want to strike out blindly to find it?" He dug out his cigarettes as he asked it, pausing just to offer the pack to Chase. He could afford to share, these days.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jun 20, 2013 10:45 pm
Stress had become such a natural part of Chase's life that he hardly thought twice about it. Relax had become a foreign word to him. If the young man was honest with himself, he would have to admit that he could not recall the last time he had done something to relax.
Well...he could count the picnic with Naomi but considering how poorly the whole thing had gone he would rather push it out of his thoughts completely.
If he continued to be honest, then he would admit that he probably really needed this night out.
He had stuffed his hands in his pockets, fingers sliding over the deck of cards he always kept on him, when Ever offered him a smoke. He stared at the cigarettes blankly for a moment as if he didn't know what it was or what to do with it. Eventually, he cleared his throat, "Ah. No thank you." He pulled his hand from his pocket waving his hand for emphasis. "Don't smoke."
He had tried it once, but it didn't suit his fancy. One rebellious thing he never quite picked up.
He shrugged, at the suggestion, half grin on his lips. "Why don't we wing it?" He suggested. "Life's a bit more fun when you don't ask for directions."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
