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 Posted: Thu Oct 16, 2014 5:17 pm
Oliver had never been a sound sleeper. He had mostly grown out of the nightmares by the time he was recruited, but that relapse was inevitable. Many hunters had nightmares, it was merely a part of the hodgepodge of people and personalities and coping mechanisms he lived amongst. He wasn't sure how he was coping with the stress, all he knew was it led to many long, lonely nights, and many short, awkward naps during the day.
Sometimes he wished for someone to keep him company. It was cruel he thought, wishing for another person to suffer his own poor sleeping schedule just to feel a little less alone while sleep remained beyond his reach.
The silence, broken as it was by occasional footsteps outside, the rhythmic thud of bass speakers in another room, or voices, angry or jovial, only added weight to the boy's sense of isolation.
Jökul… do you ever feel lonely?
There was a long moment in which Oliver was doubtful. The leviathan that shared his mind's space was not very talkative, only infrequently did he offer some rumbles of advice. But he had never failed to acknowledge when a question had been asked. His replies could be unsatisfactory, a low rumble or a gusty snort, indicating what he thought, but his communication with Oliver could rarely be considered a conversation.
The weapon stirred in his mind.
Oliver felt his heart sink.
The creature rumbled.
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Posted: Thu Oct 16, 2014 5:27 pm
I had that dream again.
Oliver lay on his back in his room, staring up at the ceiling. He was exhausted. Naps could not keep him on the level all day, but even spending time in a brain-dead fog in the gym didn't make it easier to get the sleep he needed.
When his mind had collapsed in on itself from overwork, Jökul would curl around with a restless whisper.
That dream dream. Oliver's descriptions were not quite so important when the one he conversed with shared the same space as his thoughts. The one where I was a white rabbit. In the wonderland game. I dreamed about that pool of water, in the room that changed when I got deeper. I was swimming again, and all the little animals swam around me, and crawled up onto my shoulders. This time there were little birds too, pelicans and albatross. But I was afraid to keep going.
The boy rolled onto his side and picked at the standard, military-grade sheets. I was afraid I would hurt one just moving around, they were so small. But if I didn't keep going, there might have been others ahead that I could have saved. There were so many huge things swimming below me, and I was afraid they would hurt me, but I was more afraid they would hurt the little ones.
The leviathan seemed content.
But why does it keep coming back? It's really silly when I think about it, even in the game it was just an illusion.
I'm not strong, I was still afraid.
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Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2014 6:04 pm
Guess what number I'm thinking of.
What about now?
Now?
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Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2014 2:05 pm
Oliver lay in be on his back, hardly daring to move. The deep cut in his abdomen ached, reminding him of it's severity every time he took a breath. It would heal quickly. That was one of the many benefits to sharing a bond with his weapon, that he had even survived the injury and was walking about almost the next day was what anyone else would have called a miracle. But while Jökul did his work, patching together damaged tissue and speeding the healing process, Oliver would just have to take the pain...
The words were a surprise, out of habit Oliver opened his eyes as though expecting a source of the voice. I didn't think you were chatty enough for a story, he thought back, but he did kinda, anything that made Jökul more willing to speak was something his bonded might want to know about.
Did it have trees? Oliver asked, thinking about his own home.
They grow in summer back in Ontario, the boy replied. Then in the winter, it could get so cold they would explode.
Oliver nearly laughed, the pain in his abdomen increasing as the muscles tightened. They don't, but the sap freezes. You know water expands when it freezes and all. It sounds like… gunshots or something, really loud.
Like those really still nights with no wind, right? Then when it snows, everything is so quiet you can't even hear the river under the ice. All you can hear is the sound of the snowflakes falling.
Yeah. I miss it too sometimes. I never liked being so cold all the time, but I miss it, the sound of snow falling, and in the deep winter, the sound of the ice over the river creaking and groaning. And those stupid trees. I kinda miss them too.
There was a long pause.
Shut up, everyone gets cold, Oliver replied promptly, unable to keep the smile from his face.
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