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Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2014 7:37 pm
"So basically, he's all yours. Show him around, tell him how to do s**t, don't let him touch the coffeepot, don't let the Doctor see him. Easy enough." The Hunter said, shrugging his part of the assignment off as he gave Oliver a firm pat to the middle of his back, passing the proverbial torch to Lex.
The man, in his mid-twenties now, was not used to carting teens around. But, such was the life of Deus, he supposed. Hell, the kid could be his replacement if something ever went wrong, which it inevitably would. Lex smiled at Oliver, offering a small wave and deciding to definitely not stoop to eye level. "Hey, name's Lex." He offered a hand. "I hear you're interested in learning more about runes? I was just about to go gather some rune stone for my own research."
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Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2014 8:04 pm
For his part of the introduction, Oliver could barely bring his eyes up off the floor. With all the recent happenings he had been made even more aware of his deficiencies, the kid was suffering for having thought too much about his position, and the suffering showed on his face. He had been jittery right from the start of it all when he woke up in the pod room, he even ended up in the infirmary before he made it to the cove to get his weapon. But today he looked a little tired and had a slightly haunted look to his eyes. The shell-shock seemed to take the edge off his anxiety, almost as though knowing he was doomed gave him less reason to fear it.
"Y-yes, sir," The teen said, glancing up quickly to meet the older hunter's eyes. It didn't last long. His 'babysitter' Lex looked nice, a little intimidating with the scruff on his face, but the greeting was gentler than most. "O-Oliver Keeley, sir," he added in a tiny voice, finally offering a weak shake in return.
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Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2014 9:30 pm
Though Oliver's shake was weak, Lex still gave the boy a huge smile and grasped his hand firmly. "Oliver Keely!" He announced, as if the boy didn't know his own name. "Well, Olivier, I hope you don't mind getting a bit wet! We'll need to be heading to the Sun division's equipment room for you, since I think you'll be needing a breathing apparatus." Lex babbled, sauntering towards the general direction and expecting Oliver to follow.
---
One they'd secured a breathing apparatus for the young man, Lex began trying to humor him. "So, anything exciting happen recently? Girlfriends, boyfriends, near-death experiences?" He joked, ribbing the teen.
Well, the last one wasn't a joke. He may have been fishing for information on the shared dream of The Circle.
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Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2014 12:02 pm
There were lots of things Oliver could learn by himself, but some things were easier to follow by demonstration. Like how to sign out equipment, and the basics of using said equipment. The kid had never really been a strong swimmer, and even though the idea of having air on hand should have been reassurance, he was getting more nervous by the minute. But now he was supplied and under this man's tutelage for the time being, and if he wasn't going to last long on the island anyway, why sweat the small stuff? He shook his head in response to the older man's questions, blushing at the mention of relationships. It wasn't the first time he felt awkward for having never been in one. At the mention of near-death experiences though... Oliver swallowed hard and began to look a little ill.
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Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2014 4:22 pm
Ah, so he had been involved in some way. They'd all nearly died in that dream, the shared experience of close death wasn't uncommon for Deus. He put a hand on Oliver's shoulder, squeezing it in hopes to ease the boy's discomfort. "I hate to say it, but get used to it. Things happen here, but they're not all bad. You make friends, we have some crazy parties, and at the end of the day you can hopefully get a few hours of sleep in and hopefully not have nightmares."
The optimistic smile coupled with Lex's words was astounding, maybe even slightly off-putting. "What I'm trying to say, Oliver, is that we've all gone through a lot. You're going to make it out okay - we all do."
That was a bold faced lie, right through his shiny smiling teeth. He didn't know about the most recent of deaths, but he knew not every Hunter made it out okay. In fact, it was rare to make it out without some sort of maiming. He was one of the few unscathed.
A short pause, and Lex's whole body seemed to reanimate. "Alright! Time to dive!"
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Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2014 5:28 pm
Oliver wanted to believe those kind words, and that smile. He really, really wanted to believe. But he knew his heart now, and he didn't have what it would take to survive. His eyes teared up just a little bit, and he rubbed at them quickly with the sleeve of his coat. He had more important things to do right now than cry. Enough hunters had seen his tears already! He hesitated. "Ah, um... I d-don't think I'm dressed for this..." Oliver said meekly, glancing down at his clothing. Aside from his coat he wore jeans and a geeky-sciency-dinosaur t-shirt, and hadn't even thought about owning a pair of swimming trunks.
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Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2014 6:46 pm
"There's bravery in you yet, kiddo." Lex remarked, smiling at the quick wiping of his tears. It was clear Oliver didn't want to cry much more, and that was good. "Just remember that tears are good for the soul. Don't lose that while you're here." He nodded, finishing up his pseudo-philosophical speech. He was such a try hard when it came to being encouraging.
"No trunks, eh? Well... hm. Looks like you'll be going in your skivvies." Lex shrugged, stripping himself of coat, shirt, boots, and pants. He had no qualms about stripping in public, due to a hard-earned body of iron and a lifetime of getting naked or close to it at a moment's notice.
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Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2014 7:10 pm
Oliver doubted those words even more. Lex hadn't seen him run away, while Finn's girlfriend got hurt trying to keep him safe. There was no bravery in him, just fear and cowardice. But he wasn't given much time to dwell on things, not when faced with the frightening prospect of... taking off his clothes. He fidgeted nervously, and the anxious gestures only increased as the older hunter began to strip down for the swim. Unlike his companion, Oliver had not yet earned any muscle to speak of. He was skinny and pale and soft all over, and definitely shy about revealing himself. After a sufficient amount of fidgeting time had passed, Oliver quickly pulled off his coat and kicked off his shoes and pants. His slim-fitting undershorts had dinosaurs on them, and it was quite telling when paired with his T-rex shirt. It wasn't bad enough to make him remove his shirt, but he did decide to get into the water as quickly as he could. Until his toes actually touched the water. With a startled squeak the kid danced back a couple steps, and glanced up at Lex with an expression of near-betrayal. It was colder than he expected. How were they supposed to swim in that?
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Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2014 5:56 pm
Oh, right. He was new, so obviously the water would be too cold for him. Lex gave a small hum in deep thought, attempting to figure out a way to coerce him into the water. How had his dad gotten him to swim?
Oh, right. By literally throwing him into the pool. Lex couldn't quite do that. How else could he get Oliver in the water? Hrm... "You like sweets, Oliver? I make a pretty good cake. We should have some after we do this!"
Sweets always worked, right?
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Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2014 6:12 pm
There were two things Oliver had learned early. The first, as all good kids need to learn, was that you shouldn't take sweets from strangers. It was a bad idea, and would probably get you hurt. The second thing he had learned early in his time at Deus. There were no good things in life, not on this island. He couldn't eagerly anticipate any sort of tasty treat, not without a catch, and who knew how much cake would cost. He had no pokerface to get goodies smuggled in through the portals, and supply and demand would always drive up the prices... Besides. Every videogamer knows the cake is a lie. The kid gave Lex a doubtful look, and made no move to re-enter the water.
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Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2014 6:25 pm
Okay, so bribing him with cake didn't work. Maybe he'd end up having to pull a "you'll swim and you'll like it" a la his own father, but he'd try to do something a little more gentler for the time being. "I can score you some free coffee?" He asked in a vigilant attempt to continue bribing.
Or... well, he hated to do this, but... "I can get you a dinosaur minipet to study."
He wouldn't, however, mention the unfortunate end.
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Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2014 6:33 pm
Oliver was ever the skeptical child. He had no interest in the coffee, and the lengths at which Lex was going to coax him into the water was starting to raise his suspicions. Maybe he was expecting something a little more rough, like how Finn would have shouted and called him a princess and maybe even pushed him in and laughed. It hadn't occurred to the little trainee that Lex was merely being nice to him.
At the mention of a dinosaur minipet, Oliver began to look just a little interested. Standing there in his dinosaur underwear and geeky dinosaur shirt, it was clear he was fighting an inner battle between accepting the terms, and avoiding the suffering.
For a second it looked like he was about to make a move, and then he took a step backwards. "I-is it always so cold?" He finally asked.
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Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2014 7:18 pm
Okay, he was making some sort of headway. A very minimal amount to be sure, but headway nonetheless. Now, he just had to keep playing his cards right. "Yeah, but you get used to it. Going in all at once helps." He offered with a shrug. Lex had grown up in the desert, but he'd swam enough whilst here to grow used to the cold water.
"Just jump on in." He encouraged, waving him in.
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Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2014 7:27 pm
Oliver was still doubtful, but he could at least try to be compliant. Sometimes that was his biggest saving grace. He was used to being a lackey, and had an easier time giving up his free will than some others on the island. He swallowed heavily and looked down at the water, and took a couple steps back like he was going to take a run at it. But when it came to moving forward, he stopped just short of the waterline and ended up windmilling his arms almost comically as he realized how badly he didn't want to go into the water. He paced up and down the shoreline for a couple seconds, and then took a deep breath and waded in to his ankles. And there he stood, eyes tightly closed, hands clenched at his sides, trying to get used to the temperature. Why did it have to be so... cold...
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Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2014 7:39 pm
Lex smiled, still treading water lightly. It was a good start, sure, but he needed Oliver to get in the water more quickly than this. A few inches every few minutes was going to get them nowhere, and both H and Ami would kill him for being away from his usual tasks for this long.
Plus, they had a time limit on that airtank. He'd give Oliver a few more moments before fireman carrying him into the depths of the Deus sea. "You got it buddy! Just keep coming!"
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