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 Posted: Wed Jan 08, 2014 6:51 pm
It was with a heavy heart that Al touched the looming door in front of him. Guests? Rarely welcome. Friends, likely the same. Minions?... He hoped at least a crack in the door would be awarded.
He could feel him slipping right through his fingers. It had been so long and himself so cowardly to approach in fear of stress being redirected onto him. He sighed. Then tapped very lightly with the very edge of his curled fingers. His fist so tense his knuckles turning white.
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Posted: Wed Jan 08, 2014 7:00 pm
Rep was stressed. That was an understatement really, stressed didn't do justice to the jangling edge-of-the-cliff sort of tangled awful that he was presently subject to. There were problems in all aspects of his life, from relationship to weapon and it was beginning to grate heavily on him. He'd taken to running his fingers across the strange spiral of raised flesh on his thigh, always resisting the urge to shudder at the thought that it had to be the worm itself as it had given up and died under Tracey's resistance.
He didn't bother to put on the hat he'd taken to wearing to conceal his half-missing hair as he got up to answer the door, dressed in shorts, t-shirt and nothing else. When the door opened he hardly seemed to respond, instead simply stepping aside. He looked weary and very gaunt around the edges.
"Come in if you want."
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Posted: Wed Jan 08, 2014 7:18 pm
Al refrained from expressing his shock at how Rep had looked. Crushing the emotion that surged to erupt. His face forced into a quiet calm. A lot clearly had happened since the last time he darkened the man's doorstep. He went from the large towering man that symbolized power and manliness. Now a shadow of himself. Al's mind wandered to visions of drug ravaged persons who aged two-fold in weeks. He never thought he'd see this in... him of all people.
Despite it, he still obeyed. Following the offer without skipping a beat. 'Are you okay?' was something he wondered, but it was already apparent he was not. Pointing out that fact was not helpful.
He decided instead to treat this situation as it was; Rep granting him permission to enter, an honour. "Thank you," he squeaked sheepishly as his eyes browsed the room. His mind finally allowed to let go of the trivial to accept the wonder that was the rooms style and adornments. It was stuff, but it was still awesome stuff.
"Man it's so big," he finally remarked after a long uncomfortable pause.
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Posted: Wed Jan 08, 2014 8:05 pm
Rep watched Al with the same sharp, bright sapphire keenness he levelled on anyone who held his interest as more than just a passing annoyance. Running a hand through his hair - followed by a brief pause as he registered once again the dearth of the bangs he expected on the left side - he wandered over to sit in his zebra chair.
Only when he was actually seated did he register Al's comment from moments before. He gave him an odd look.
"...What's so big?" he asked, slightly worried.
Tracey volunteered.
"Oh. OH. Right aye. It needs to be, there's three of us live here." he said, feeling obvious and stupid even as he said it. The room itself was tidy, decorated with various notable items of furniture, from the carved headboard over the frankly enormous bed to the hand carved and decorated bookshelves. The place looked well loved and lived in and the only real mess was the several mugs of hot chocolate Rep had accumulated at the table in front of his chair.
He gave Al another somewhat dazed look. "You daein' awright?"
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Posted: Thu Jan 09, 2014 4:08 am
The objects within the room were far more impressive than the room itself. They took him back to another time, another world, ********, even another life entirely. Grand elegance and custom made objects unquestionably worth more than himself. Only here, they were clearly cherished beyond the role of flaunting wealth and worth. Eclectic? Yes. But here they seemed... cherished. Not just put on display and forgotten. It was a lot to take in, but every piece seemed to be admired... just, some more than others.
His attention carefully teetered back to Rep and his question, "Cannae complain." Rep had left the door open for him, "You?"
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Posted: Thu Jan 09, 2014 6:17 am
Rep raised a brow at Al and took a long few moments to reply. He wasn't keen on having questions rounded back on him without an actual answer. It smelled like deception and lately he was one hundred percent more paranoid than he'd ever been. He let it slide though, for now at least.
"I could complain about a lot, if I wanted to. ******** I look there are problems. If its no ******** losing to nerds because of the charge lockdown, it's having my ******** hair fall out or being ******** nibbled by parasites from the hoard. But on the whole I'm alive, so I apparently have no right to complain about anything. I can complain when I'm dead."
He looked the other hunter over. "I've no seen you in ages. You must have been up to things, you must talk to people."
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Posted: Thu Jan 09, 2014 8:02 am
Al's eyebrows slowly crept up on his forehead, a look of concern slipping through his defences. It was hard, hiding all the time from his own emotions as if simply having them made him a weak disappointment. But here they were, showing, he knew it and it took far longer than he liked to admit in order to squash them yet again. It was even harder accepting that Rep was mortal. A fact that caused the concern in the first place. It was almost like seeing your god bleed the same exact red you bleed. But at the same time... Rep was not just a symbol or a thing. He was not simply just an ideal. He was a person, and certain feelings get tied to people. You waver the person, those feelings too become affected.
"It's too late then," he finally squeaked. The entire long pause of thought spent looking Rep over in great painful detail.
"The dead can't speak."
His gaze slid fluidly to Rep's feet. What seemed like an innocent question was received as an accusation; 'I've no seen you in ages.' Where the hell have you been? 'You must have been up to things,' Too busy for me? 'You must talk to people.' Are they more important to you?
"I'm sorry," he began with an apology. "I forgot if you met Noah? Just beating him up and twitter," he tread carefully. "I met with America too but she just gave me some free candy," he added as forgetting such a seemingly insignificant detail could have hurt his trust. She wasn't an enemy too now was she? "I think that is it. Anything else, I can't really remember." He was certain that was everything filled in. He smiled, just a bit, " did you have anything you wanted me to do sir?" Better make sure.
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Posted: Fri Jan 10, 2014 12:17 pm
Rep was indeed mortal, but it didn't stop the edge of intense madness that seemed to sit a shadow's width away as he watched Al watching him. He didn't like the way the other man seemed to look at him despite having no idea what he was thinking when he did, he felt fragile, unattractive and self concious. As far as he was concerned Al had no place looking at him, he'd see the weakness underneath, and anyone who saw the fragile and fractured weaknesses in Rep inevitably pursued them. The point was to keep Al intimidated and compliant.
Tracey said in response to his doubts.
The questions were interpreted accurately by Al and the apology was what Rep wanted to hear. "I did meet him." A bad influence, well adjusted, likeable, reasonable and stubborn. "And America too?" He had to fight to keep the disapproval out of his tone, keeping it level and calm. "America is manipulative and dangerous, she pretends to reign in the basement but she's ******** delusional and will throw people into the fire and call them her ******** peons. She wanted to burn my stuff while I accidentally stored it in the basement. Free candy from her would come with strings attached and potential ******** danger. You aren't stupid Al are you? Of course you aren't, it's why I have you as my friend."
He beckoned Al over and waited, when (and if) the other hunter moved into seizing range, he tugged him to sit in his lap. "I don't always ******** want s**t from you Al. Like I said, it's been a while since I last saw you, I just wanted to have a chat."
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Posted: Fri Jan 10, 2014 4:17 pm
Al listened to Rep speak in silence; despite the calm tone, the words themselves carried certain clues that were very important. He glazed over Noah quickly and succinctly. This was not approval, but appeared to be a careful and easily revoked pass. Al intended to keep it. America however? Rep lingered on the subject, using Al's own intelligence against him. He quite possibly was suggesting that he treated her much like Candace? He was not entirely sure, but he was sure enough he has already mentally stricken the woman off his list.
"Yes sir," he finally spoke at the very end. A faint smile cracking the surface at the friend remark. It was the nicest thing Rep has ever said to him or well... anyone aside from his finances. Al felt special. His defences dropped and he approached without hesitation.
There was an almost imperceptible jump of startle as he was initially seized, but he immediately moved in to follow just the slightest of a guiding touch.
In Rep's lap now, he looked away and downward, his voice small, "I..." He choked on it. He felt a surge of emotion he had been holding back for weeks suddenly pushing against the dam he had built for as long as he could remember. Feelings trickled out of the cracks. He turned his body towards Rep's. His arms shifted to wrap around his chest with awkward uncertainty, the motion drawing his face against the man's chest where it was buried tightly against him. Breathing was difficult but that was the least of Al's concerns at this point. He said something, but it was muffled into complete incoherence.
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Posted: Sun Jan 12, 2014 8:31 am
Rep smirked toothily to himself as Al complied with the gesture. It was easy to manipulate people's emotions when he had to, Al was alone because Rep had endeavoured to keep him that way, and that was the way it had to be to make him entirely dedicated to rep. He didn't stop the other hunter from hugging him either, doing so would segregate him to solitude away from Rep which was counter-intuitive to the whole idea. He patted his back.
"It's ok."
His voice was soft and friendly as he went on. "You just need to be careful man, there are a lot of people who will trick you on this island. I've been here a long time, I've seen them show their true colours, I know what they are like. I only want the best for you." Al's time on his lap was short lived, after all, he wanted to keep him wanting more approval. He lifted him out and stood up.
"You have to be strong. Sometimes people seem nice, sometimes they seem like the best people around, and then they stick the knife in your back."
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Posted: Sun Jan 12, 2014 9:07 am
"It's not that," Al sniffled as he was finally held back again where he could breathe and speak freely. He took a moment to compose himself and clear his eyes and voice. "I was scared," his voice was still dry and raspy. "I was scared you weren't coming back," his gut wrenched and his eyes shot to the floor on instinct. "I... ... thank you for not..," his feelings were swelling up in his chest again. It was getting increasingly harder to breathe again. He looked up to Rep. His hazel eyes fixed on the sharp piercing eyes of the older man. Keen focus making it easier to speak if only just for a moment.
"Thank you for not leaving us."
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Posted: Mon Jan 13, 2014 5:27 pm
"Don't be scared of that. I don't die so easily man, I am a ******** fighter, a survivor, I was ******** up but I'm ok." He lifted his shirt to show the ragged wrecked scar around where H had punched through his chest. "We are stronger than normal humans."
He gave Al a keen, half lidded smirk. "And I'm stronger even than that."
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Posted: Mon Jan 13, 2014 6:22 pm
Al gasped in amazement at what Rep had revealed. He wanted so bad to touch it. "Awesome!" So so badly to touch it. He started to wiggle a little, he wanted to ask. He refrained however and easily contented himself with look but don't touch. Rep really was made of tough s**t. There was no way Al would have survived that. "You always have such cool scars man." And a quick stroke of the ego in hopes of being offered. Doubtful, but worth a shot.
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Posted: Tue Jan 14, 2014 8:04 pm
"Scars aren't cool, not really." Rep said, raising a hand. "They mean you ******** up somehow. You shouldn't have to test what your ******** body can sustain. It cost me a ******** n****e. Don't get caught up in the idea that it's glamorous or anything, just keep being as tough as you can be and avoid getting scars if you can, they'll probably come to you eventually anyway."
He lowered his shirt again and smirked at Al. "I'm glad you've been shmoozing at least, even if it is with dodgy people. You are smart but you aren't the brightest, you need to look out for people out to take advantage of you. America is a man eater, she lures men in with promises of pie and good tidings and then makes them her slaves. Nothing on this island is free."
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Posted: Wed Jan 15, 2014 4:11 pm
Al's mind had scampered off to all kinds of amazing places and self visions of epic badass scars and tattoos and arms like pythons when Rep deftly swooped in and shattered the thought. Scars aren't cool. At the mention of the loss of n****e, Al not-so-discreetly double-took. He did not actually notice at first, but now that Rep mentioned it... damn, no. Al wanted to keep both of his nipples attached to his chest. When it was all finally out of view, re-concealed by shirt, he realized that no he would not be permitted to be touching it any time soon. But for lack of n****e, he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to anymore. The missing n****e spot might feel weird.
He perked up again at what seemed like approval. He wanted to ask to be sure, but since when should Rep ever need to repeat himself? Al thought better of it and instead brightened, "Should I stay away from anyone offering me anything or just... take, but keep leery and distanced?" Details were important when it came to things he wanted.
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