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 Posted: Sun Dec 15, 2013 10:57 am
The weirdness of being in a body that wasn't quite his own had worn off. For once, the strange transformation hadn't been accompanied by further disaster; Jordan wasn't sure what he thought about that. Was he relieved or dismayed? He could have used something to fight, something tangible to take his frustrations out on. The point was moot, though. He'd been unable to summon Ferros when he'd tried.
Rep and Harrison had gone back to the room, and Jordan found that he didn't really want to follow them immediately. He went back to the locker room instead and changed back into his own clothes; the snow he was made of was apparently not the sort that fell apart easily. His clothes had stayed the same, at least, instead of transforming into some weird sugar confection or wrapping paper or something else Christmassy.
Instead of going upstairs, he went outside, boots crunching through the layer of snow that covered everything in a glittering, picture-perfect white blanket. He hadn't planned on going anywhere in particular, but once he noticed which direction he was headed, morbid curiosity kept him going.
Even in this weirdly jolly landscape, the graveyard retained most of its dignity, flanked by tall pines and cloaked in snow. The flagpole had become a candy cane and the markers glistened in a way that suggested that they'd become some kind of hard candy, but the melancholy stillness remained. Jordan stayed on the outskirts instead of going to any row in particular, walking slowly around the perimeter under the drooping branches of solemn pines.
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Posted: Sun Dec 15, 2013 1:45 pm
It had been a hard few weeks.
After he'd talked to Rep awhile, Rep had drifted off, maybe dreaming of sugar plum fairies. Or reindeer games. Harrison didn't blame him. He'd dozed with him a while, but couldn't push away the feeling of not-quite-right-worry. Not because everything smelled like a bakery, but because it was just two of them.
"Gonna go see if I can convince Jordan to skip work," Harrison said. The tips were nice, but half the money on the island was chocolate coins, and right now Harrison just wanted to lie down a while, together, in their room.
He didn't shuffle on any clothes or boots. What was the point? And his wings would have gotten in the way anyhow. He made sure Rep had access to the gumdrop pillows, told him he'd be back with Jordan, and locked up for what good it would do. He wasn't sure if the tiny cookie mechanisms were in working order. At this point someone could just lick the frosting off the knob.
When he got back outside, he found he didn't mind the winter air. It might as well been regular weather. The ice cream truck had mostly disbanded, and Jordan was nowhere in sight.
Harrison checked his phone instinctively (the screen was frozen, because everything was frozen). That wasn't going to help. Instead he went with his gut and followed a quarter-half of a hunch with a likely-looking set of footprints.
They ended, miraculously, with a snowman wearing some familiar clothes.
Harrison looked at the markers, then at the figure in the middle of them.
"What're you doing out here?" Harrison asked.
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Posted: Sun Dec 15, 2013 1:54 pm
The familiar voice startled him. Jordan stopped and turned, waiting for Harrison to catch up. He considered the question for a moment, then said, truthfully, "I don't really know." He started to reach for Harrison's hand, but hesitated. Was it okay? He felt unusually awkward, disconnected and far away. Maybe he should have followed them back to the room. Maybe not.
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Posted: Sun Dec 15, 2013 3:16 pm
Harrison took Jordan's hand, pulling him into a loose hug from behind and resting his snowy chin on Jordan's shoulder.
He looked out with him over the lines of names.
"You okay?" He asked, and then more gravely, "Nobody pinched your ice, did they?"
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Posted: Sun Dec 15, 2013 3:21 pm
Jordan relaxed into the embrace with a long, slow sigh of relief, bringing one hand up to cover Harrison's and loosely interlacing their fingers. "I think so. I don't know," he answered. The chill of snow at his back would normally have been off-putting, but at the moment it was every bit as comforting as warmth would have been in their usual shapes.
He laughed a little at the second question. "Nope. No pinching."
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Posted: Mon Dec 16, 2013 9:35 am
"Thought maybe somebody went and traumatized you." Harrison gave Jordan's ice a pat.
"Shame about the tips. Guess we've got to start trading in chocolate and snowballs."
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Posted: Mon Dec 16, 2013 9:39 am
Jordan leaned his head back against Harrison's shoulder, smiling more genuinely. "Not today. Well, maybe minor trauma from the costumes, but that's not anything out of the ordinary."
"I did get a few tips," he protested. "But you're probably right about them being chocolate now. What form of currency do snowballs translate to?"
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Posted: Mon Dec 16, 2013 9:55 am
Jordan's clothes were plain, now. He must have gone and changed them.
"You get to keep the maid outfit? I liked the ruffles."
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Posted: Mon Dec 16, 2013 10:15 am
"That's a serious problem, there. You can usually tell the difference by the sound." Jordan turned a little so he could slip an arm around Harrison's waist. "Maybe we should get your ears tested."
"I turned it back in. I could probably get it for extended use, if you ask nicely," he teased. "Was it the ruffles, or was it the master part?"
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Posted: Mon Dec 16, 2013 10:47 am
"If I got them tested they'd come back as ******** snow. Just like everything else."
He answered with a small smile.
"Ruffles. I just liked seeing you with a ruffly butt." He ruffled Jordan's hips for emphasis. The snow made squeaky sounds.
The graveyard was a sad and quiet place to end up in. It was good to come and pay dues every now and again, but...
"You've been thinking a lot lately. What's got you thinking so much?"
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Posted: Mon Dec 16, 2013 11:13 am
"I'm sure that could be arranged." Jordan laughed a little.
He sobered again at the question. "Just wondering how well I know anybody. Myself or anyone else." He turned a little towards Harrison, leaning into him, even though his gaze drifted out across the graveyard again.
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Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2013 5:41 am
"Ah. Some serious Socrates-level s**t."
That was about as thinking as thinking got.
"I've been thinking that too, some. There's not a lot anybody can be sure of. I thought Rep'd listen to me, if it came down to it. But he didn't. So he says he wants another chance. Dunno what to expect out of it."
Harrison felt cosmically, they were all running out of chances. You can only get so many survivable dice rolls in a row. That was math.
"...What about you, you afraid you're going to up and ******** everybody over."
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Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2013 7:11 am
"There aren't a whole lot of chances left." Jordan sighed. "But the range of choices isn't real wide, either. Give him another chance, or give up what we've made together." His arm tightened a little around Harrison's waist, possessive, seeking comfort. "I don't know what to expect either. He keeps his word, but sometimes it just ... goes off the rails."
"Not if I can help it," he answered with a small, grim smile. The smile faded a little, and he cast a suddenly-uncertain glance at Harrison. "Do you think I would?"
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Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2013 6:38 pm
"I don't think you're going to ******** anybody over until exactly when you intend to," Harrison reassured Jordan. "Difference between a grenade and a sniper rifle."
Harrison rubbed Jordan's shoulder.
"And give up? s**t, those are not the only choices. I just wasn't going to give him the opportunity to ******** up next time. Not going to leave him over not listening to me, even though I'm pissed.
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Posted: Wed Dec 18, 2013 4:11 am
Some of the tension went out of Jordan's shoulders. "That's a relief," he answered solemnly. "I just want you to know I wouldn't ******** you over."
He gave Harrison a thoughtful sideways look. "That's part of another chance, the way I see it. Safeguards. I've never seriously considered leaving, but I think he's still afraid of it. Of being abandoned. I won't do that."
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