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kuropeco rolled 1 20-sided dice:
13
Total: 13 (1-20)
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 Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2014 11:41 pm
Step One of Ian's list had already been put into motion, and so had Step Two, which meant he was still working on Step Three of getting back in touch with all of the friends that he had essentially abandoned for so long. Finn was on the list, right next to Jack and Quinn and Ripley, so it was early one Saturday morning that Ian stood outside of Finn's room, dressed in a pair of sweats and a ratty teeshirt.
"Yo, Finn, wakey wakey, let's go spar."
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Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 7:39 am
Finn was awake, and thankfully alone, so the door was thrown open wide, revealing the man wearing a grey pair of sweat pants and nothing more (though his eye patch was securely in place, of course), and a lot cigarette dangling from lips turned up into a small smirk as he leaned against the door frame with forearms resting on either side. "I was wondering when you'd come around and offer to get rough with me again." He took a long inhale from his cigarette before reaching up to remove it from his lips, turning his face to the side, before saying. "Ya, okay. Give me a minute." He turned and disappeared back into his room, reappearing moments later with the addition of a t-shirt and a pair of running shoes to his ensemble, his cigarette gone. "Let's go, dickhead"
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Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 7:45 am
The look Finn got was one of pure exasperation and skepticism, Ian raising his eyebrows, though he said nothing at all. He folded his arms over his chest and waited for Finn to get ready, the smell of smoke curling towards him. It was a familiar scent; Ian only smoked casually, but it had been quite a while since he'd had a cigarette at all, mostly because he was attempting to rid himself of that habit.
When Finn reappeared, this time properly dressed, Ian just stepped out of the way to let him out and into the hallway, lifting his arms to link his fingers together behind his head. There were still bandages wrapped neatly around Ian's throat, and his hair was still shorter than it had been before, though it was beginning to grow out, the ends of it curling down the back of his neck.
"Good morning to you too, shithead," said Ian conversationally. "How's life lately?"
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Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 8:29 am
Finn made his way out, shutting and locking the door behind him before turning back towards Ian, letting his gaze roam over the other man, taking in the bandages he still wore around his neck but not commenting on it. Some scars people would rather keep hidden. Finn could respect that. "You mean since you dropped off the social life spectrum?" Oh yes, Finn had noticed a certain absence of this particular friend. "Not bad I guess. Can't complain too much." Certainly not now that he had found himself a certain somebody to keep him company on the particularly long and lonely nights, but Ian didn't need to know about that. "Yourself, asshat?" He asked, while they made their way through the building and to the outer grounds.
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Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 8:37 am
Ian winced slightly. "Yes, well," he mumbled, cheeks reddening a little, "I was, uh...going through some stuff." Not that that was any excuse, and they both knew it. Ian lowered one of his hands but the other stayed at his head, absently running through his hair. "I was going through some s**t and I was pretty antisocial for a while, as you saw."
Ian lapsed into silence for a moment and then said, as they stepped outside, "Things are okay;" and then, in a more resolute tone of voice, "More than okay, things are great, really. Much better than they've been in a long time, much more than they've been since...since Nevada died."
He hadn't even talked about Nevada for weeks because it had hurt too much; and even now, he could feel the pain of her loss as acutely as though it had just been the day before. There was a hole inside of his heart that could never be filled with her gone, and if he let himself think about it too much, he would drown in the agony of her disappearance from his life.
Ian turned his head to look at Finn, a small smile on his lips. "I moved in with Shiloh," he said cheerfully, trying to keep the mood from dropping. "We got back together after, er...some s**t happened, and now I'm living in his room while we both get ready for promotion."
They were out on the fields now, and Ian summoned Naomi, the short sword appearing in a gust of light. He rounded around to stand in front of Finn, tapping the blade thoughtfully against his chin.
"You're not, uh..." A pause. "Still pissed at me for ditching you, are you?"
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Seussi rolled 1 20-sided dice:
17
Total: 17 (1-20)
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Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 8:27 pm
Finn really could have given less of a crap that Ian had mostly fell off of the face of existence (at least, of those people that Finn normally paid attention to). The fact of the matter was, sometimes, people just desired a chance to be alone, and Finn not only respected that, but he was also practically an expert in the art of avoiding his friends when he felt that some solitude was necessary. And so, he waved away the apology with a dismissive hand and the words, "You don't need to explain yourself to me." After that, a silence had stretched out between them, only broken once they had stepped out into the early morning sunshine, the island air already feeling far too hot, though he know it could and would get worse as they day dragged on. Ian was giving him an answer to his question, and Finn listened with vague amounts of attentiveness, not really reacting to much that was said though giving him a small smile as he finished. "Glad you got your s**t together, finally. I was starting to...well, not worry for you because that would require some give a s**t on my part, but I suppose I was mildly curious about how you've been." The fact that he and Shiloh had gotten back together wasn't surprising, he had seen them together at the beauty pageant. That they were living together was news, and Finn had to wonder how they could possibly stand to be around each other as much as they were. Ah well. He supposed it didn't have to make sense for him. If they were happy with the arrangement then they were happy with the arrangement. Soon they had arrived at the training fields, and like Ian, Finn was summoning his weapon, Trynt appearing in his hands in a flash of magenta. Already giving the lance a casual spin in front of himself, he paused when Ian asked his question. If Finn was capable of expressing himself better, he might have given the other man the are you ******** crazy look. "I was hardly pissed to begin with." Finn shrugged his shoulders, while continuing to spin his weapon, switching it to his other hand now with a smirk. "Besides, I found somebody else to keep me company." And now, Finn had somebody on call for that 24/7. Could life be any better?
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Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 8:38 pm
Finn was, at least, still Finn; which meant that his distinct lack of personal interest in other people was reassuring because it was very Finn. And the fact that he a) wasn't ticked about Ian practically falling off the face of the earth, and b) was actually smiling (and not in an I'm going to kick your a** sort of way) were good signs to Ian, some of the tension easing from his shoulders. A grin had wormed its way onto his face.
"Awwww, you're so cute when you try to deny everything," he said teasingly, elbowing Finn in the ribs. "Just admit it, douchebag; you totally worried about me because you do give a s**t about my well-being, even with this assholic personality of yours. Finn Connor totally gives a s**t."
Most of it was just playful joking, since Ian was perfectly aware what kind of person Finn was (he and Jack both fell under the same category of people who pretended not to give a s**t about anyone; except Finn mostly really didn't care about anyone except himself), which Ian found that, surprisingly, he didn't mind all that much. Still, it felt normal to be talking back and forth like this; the friendly name calling, the little teasing insults, the mocking; it was all so very normal between the two of them, and Ian found that it was easier to slip back into his friendship with Finn than it had been to try and make nice with Jack and Ripley again.
Probably because of the whole not giving a s**t thing.
Ian raised his eyebrows, already sliding his feet into position, the blade raised in a defensive position as Ian bent partially, trying to adopt a strong stance. "Glad to hear you weren't sobbing into your pillows," he said in amusement, but then he stopped, his expression one of mingled surprise and curiosity. "Wait. Do you? I know you're not with Fini anymore; did you shack up with someone else, then?" Ian grinned. "Anyone I know?"
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Seussi rolled 2 10-sided dice:
3, 10
Total: 13 (2-20)
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Posted: Fri Aug 01, 2014 10:54 am
Finn had to fight a sudden strong need to recoil and gag at Ian's words. Caring? Giving a s**t? Okay, fine, sometimes the moon intermediate did possess a keen interest in certain individuals, his friends included, but that was generally when they were in the position of almost sure death. When it came to their personal lives, however, he found he really could not be less interested, and chose not to get himself involved based on that, and the idea that investing himself that much in a friendship was a terrible idea. "Oh yes. Totally." The sarcasm in his voice was palpable as he jerked himself away from the jab in the ribs even while a hand flew up to backhand Ian on the shoulder. "I just don't know what I would do without a charming young dumbass like you in my life." Finn abruptly stopped with spinning his lance, stopping it while it was straight up and down before turning it at an angle and holding it in a two handed grip. Ian's question gave Finn pause. "I do not shack up with anybody." He decided was the safest reply, rolling his shoulders to stretch them out before pivoting on his feet and sending the bladed end of his lance sweeping out towards Ian's stomach. HP: 50 Damage: 7 Charge: 1/3
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kuropeco rolled 2 10-sided dice:
2, 10
Total: 12 (2-20)
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Posted: Fri Aug 01, 2014 11:10 am
He was rankling Finn on purpose, half because it was amusing to see him get annoyed over it and half because Ian knew that it was just playful banter. Finn's Give a s**t About Anything was most assuredly broken, or maybe it had never existed in the first place; either way, the heavy sarcasm dripping from his voice was entertaining to listen to.
A hand smacked Ian's shoulder, and he yelped, darting out of the way. "You ********, talking so sweet and all."
He would have batted his eyes obnoxiously, just to piss him off, but Finn's sweep of his lance slammed into his stomach, sending him staggering sideways, and Ian wheezed for breath, nearly dropping Naomi in the process. He stumbled a little, trying to regain his footing.
"Okay fine, you're getting some," said Ian, tapping the blade against his face exasperatedly. "Or you've got one of those friends; either way, it's cool that you've got someone. And you totally just avoided the question, didn't you, and that totally means it's someone I know, doesn't it?"
He lunged towards Finn, swiping at his torso with the sword.
HP: 43
DMG: 6
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Seussi rolled 2 10-sided dice:
5, 7
Total: 12 (2-20)
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Posted: Fri Aug 01, 2014 11:21 am
In no way was Ian going to manage to get Finn flustered, though he did not like where this line of questioning was going one little bit. Annoyed though, yes. Since that had been Ian's goal, he had at least succeeded in that. Still, Finn gave the other man that all too knowing smile from behind a cold eye, acting as if he were not at all phased by anything the other man had to say, or ask. Before he could answer, however, there was the small matter of the blade that was swinging towards him, one that he made an attempt to block, but too late as it went slashing against his chest, sending him stumbling back. Catching the breath that had been momentarily knocked from his lungs, Finn attempted to retaliate, swinging his lance up while spinning it in his hands, leaving him wide open for an attack for just a couple of seconds before it was swinging back down, aimed towards Ian's shoulder. "I suppose, if you really must know, you snoopy b*****d, then yes, it is somebody you know." Not that it was at all difficult to get to know a multitude of people on this island. They were all basically co-workers that shared a living space, after all. HP: 44 Damage: 6 Charge: 2/3
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kuropeco rolled 2 10-sided dice:
10, 3
Total: 13 (2-20)
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Posted: Fri Aug 01, 2014 11:31 am
Ian was nothing if not stubborn, which meant that, sadly Finn was going to have to deal with it. Maye one day Finn would learn to actually care about other people, but maybe not; for now, at least, he would have to make do with things as they were.
But that didn't mean he couldn't at least tease Finn a little because why not.
Ian flinched visibly as the lance caught his shoulder, and he stumbled a little, but let out a small cheer, victory punching to the sky with the hand that held his sword. "I knew it," he said cheerfully, in spite of Finn's unknown inner logic. "Well, I won't push it any further than that, since I doubt you'll tell me anyway, but good for you, Finn, I'm glad you've found someone to get down and dirty with while we're all stuck here in this hellhole."
He twisted around, gripping the sword tightly, and struck out at Finn's legs, hoping to catch him off balance. "Oh, speaking of which - well, okay, minus the sex part - Shy and I were going to have a little get together to hang out with people, celebrate our moving in together. You interested in stopping by? Free pizza and beer, of course, maybe a movie."
HP: 37
DMG: 7
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Seussi rolled 2 10-sided dice:
10, 2
Total: 12 (2-20)
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Posted: Fri Aug 01, 2014 12:02 pm
A cheer was certainly an interesting way to celebrate getting hit, and Finn let out a long sigh while Ian got his little so called victory out of his system, awaiting the inevitable question of just who it was that he was currently spending a good portion of his nights with, knowing that if asked straight out, he would actually quite easily give up Ripley's name, if only because it meant that they could then, hopefully, drop the subject. Except that Ian didn't ask. In fact, apparently, he was now going to leave it alone completely! Finn couldn't help but smirk at the other mans assumption, giving his head a small shake and leaving it at that, his attention instead diverted towards the shooting pain that was travelling up his leg from a solid blow to his knee, a hit that dropped him, forcing him into a roll before he got back to his feet with a hiss of breath let out between clenched teeth. That had ******** hurt. "Oh?" He somehow managed to breathe out then, testing out his knee by putting his full wait on it, pivoting as he brought his lance back up. "Who else is going to be there?" He asked, as if that alone could make or break the deal for him. And then he swiped down at Ian's legs, to pay him back for the previous blow. HP: 37 Damage: 6 Charge: 3/3
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kuropeco rolled 2 10-sided dice:
7, 6
Total: 13 (2-20)
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Posted: Fri Aug 01, 2014 1:09 pm
He probably would have pressed further, but the way to get information out of Finn was not to keep poking and prodding until he snapped. It had to be subtle and careful, at least in Ian's mind. Besides, it was really none of his business anyway, even if Ian was dying to know.
His hit had managed to get Finn down to the ground, Ian letting out a whoop of success that didn't last very long as the lance smacked into his own legs, sending him careening to the grass. He let out a few choice expletives, rolling onto his stomach, and scrambled back to his feet again, swaying slightly.
"You," he said, "Me. Shy, Jack, when he gets back, and Ripley, probably. He said he was game for coming. Maybe Fini, if I can get ahold of her. Why?" he asked, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. "Hoping I'll invite your new friend? Bring 'em along, if you want, the more the merrier."
Clearly Ian still hadn't been able to drop the subject yet after all whoops. But then he laughed, waving a noncommittal hand. "It's supposed to be super casual, y'know? Just a bunch of us hanging out, like we used to. It's been so long since we all hung together, and what with everyone being all antisocial and s**t, not to mention all the dangerous crap, I figured it would be nice to just have a night off to relax."
A pause.
"One that does not involve dressing up in any way," Ian added delicately, remembering only too well the last time they'd had a guys' night. He swung the sword around and aimed for Finn's shoulders.
HP: 31
DMG: 7
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Seussi rolled 2 10-sided dice:
2, 2
Total: 4 (2-20)
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Posted: Fri Aug 01, 2014 10:22 pm
Finn politely waited for the other man to get to his feet, lowering his weapon until Ian was back and on the ready. This was just a spar, after all. It wasn't like he was out to kick the other guys a** or anything (though he had to admit it was a bit satisfying to see the other man take a roll through the grass, just as Finn had done only Ian did it a great deal less gracefully...or so Finn believed). "Oh, yes, of course. How I would love to bring the man I'm screwing to a little get together that involves my ex. How very, incredibly thoughtful of you to suggest it." Finn drawled with a decidedly sarcastic edge, his lips pursing together. The dropped hint at the gender of the person he was with (sort of) was intentional. Ian so very clearly was curious about who it was, and now that Finn understood that, he decided that instead of telling him, he would tease and taunt him by giving him just enough information to keep him wanting more. He had to admit, however, that hanging out sounded like it could be...nice. Well, until somebody got drunk and acted like an idiot, which was bound to happen, but otherwise, yes, nice was a word for it. "Spoil sport." Finn tacked on as Ian added a small clause to this whole hanging out arrangement. "But yes, regardless of your intent to suck the fun out of everything for me, I'll be there." These words were barely gotten out before Ian's sword was swinging towards him, knocking him painfully in the shoulder so that his grip slipped off of his lance, leaving him still holding it with one hand as he shook out his arm and took a careful step back out of reach, while swinging his weapon with one hand (of course, catching nothing but air) and trying to keep the other man back. HP: 30 Damage: 0 Charge: 3/3
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kuropeco rolled 2 10-sided dice:
7, 6
Total: 13 (2-20)
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Posted: Fri Aug 01, 2014 11:08 pm
Ian gave a shout of laughter, not even bothering to hide his gleeful amusement now. "Okay, fine, I won't invite your ex-girlfriend," he said with a grin, swinging his sword around in wide circles with one hand. "You're such a ******** drama queen, Finn Connor, but fortunately for you, that's part of your charm."
He hadn't missed the dropped hint, intentional or otherwise, and Ian smirked as the flat side of his blade connected with the other man's shoulder. Finn had thrust out his lance in an attempt at keeping Ian at bay, but Ian was already twisting out of reach, practically dancing as he leapt backwards. This was more fun than he'd had in a long time, and he was certainly going to enjoy it for all it was worth.
(He really needed to find some less assholic friends, but that was beside the point.)
"I am not a fun sucker," said Ian loftily, and then, realizing how it had sounded after he said it, he added, just to be obnoxious, "But Shiloh might tell you otherwise."
He lashed out with his sword again, aiming for his stomach. "Face it, Finn, you're gonna come over to our place, and you're gonna be your usual d**k self, and you're gonna toss insults everywhere, and you're gonna have a ******** good time because that's all it's gonna be is all of us just sitting around having a ******** good time."
A pause.
"Just save the actual ******** with your hot man friend - I assume he's hot - for after the party, and preferably not in our new room."
HP: 31
DMG: 7
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