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 Posted: Wed May 13, 2015 5:53 pm
He just needed a little time to breathe -- and so, when things settled enough that no one would notice, Julian slipped out as quietly as he could to find a sheltered corner where he could sit and rub at his face with shaking hands, lean forward on his knees and struggle to catch his breath. He thought he just wanted to be alone, but maybe that wasn't it, exactly. Some part of him was so used to silence that all the noise had become something overwhelming, that left him tired and trembly. He was so used to solitude that the press of all these people around him was exhausting and, honestly, somewhat frightening. He was so used to closed quarters that the open sky gave him the chills.
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Posted: Wed May 13, 2015 5:59 pm
He'd seen him slip out of the courtyard looking a little off, a little worst for wear. There was a moment's pause, of consideration and the images of the vision still rattling around his head, then he moved to follow, slipping just as soundlessly out of the courtyard. He found him easy enough, learning what echos of habits he had by now, and was sinking down to crouch in front of him as he scrubbed at his face. "Julian." The paler man wasn't the only one looking rough. There were obvious signs of strain. Eye tight and tired, a certain fidgety quality that wasn't quite flinching, but not far from him. Elbows on his knees, he didn't try to touch the other man, just stayed close enough that hushed voices would work just fine.
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Posted: Thu May 14, 2015 9:35 am
"Augh." His reply was rough, definitely frustrated: working fingers up through the tangled mess of his hair, wishing he had a stretch of leather to truss it up with. Except, of course, then he'd have very little shot of hiding behind it right now for long enough to gather his attention and turn it to something mildly annoyed, in Ezekiel's direction. "You're following me around, now."
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Posted: Fri May 15, 2015 5:22 pm
"Now?" It pulled a derisive snort from the man. "Haven't we been following each other since you cleaned up my eye?" The remaining one narrowed slightly as a cold little smile touched his lips. Perhaps it hadn't kept them alive, but it had kept them from injury, at the very least.
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Posted: Fri May 15, 2015 10:53 pm
"I'm not sure exactly why, unless you're planning on getting injured again." Julian gave him a skeptical sort of look, not smiling back -- and behind his expression were the clear signs of that misery he had been only too happy to indulge in, until now. Mixed in was a dose of self-hatred. Too many things had gone wrong, and he'd proved useless too many times. He rubbed his hands together, between his knees, palms oddly itchy. "...actually, that seems fairly likely. I'd find you trying to sew up your own abdomen..."
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Posted: Sat May 16, 2015 11:03 am
There was a snappy retort there on the tip of Ezekiel's tongue for that jabbed comment, but whatever it was never made it past his lips. The second comment, off handed as it was, hit a little close to the vision he'd seen in that damn mirror. Jaw set, throat working, he was leaning back from the other man before he realized he was moving, tanned skin lightening a shade as the memory flashed back vividly. A hand pressed against his abdomen, over the place the spear had pierced him.
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Posted: Sun May 17, 2015 12:04 pm
Julian had been expecting the sarcasm, and so it was the silence that came as a surprise: that made him blink and come more fully into focus on Ezekiel's face, that snapped him out of his dash of misery to focus on something else instead. He cleared his throat and straightened just a touch, blowing out a breath. "What?" It was meant to be somewhat reassuring, just lightly questioning, but he couldn't quite help turning it into something more aggressive, instead.
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Posted: Sun May 17, 2015 12:10 pm
Ezekiel blinked, snapping into focus on Julain's face before giving a shake of his head that was a little too quick. Not in answer, just a reaction. As if he could shake away the vision from his psyche. It didn't work. "Did.." He stopped, throat working as he swallowed, then tried again. "Did you see anything in that mirror?
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Posted: Thu May 21, 2015 10:45 pm
"Oh." Julian blinked at him, slowly, his teasing melting away to something more thoughtful and focused. He strummed long fingers against his knee and took in Ezekiel's distant expression. "Sure. Death and slaughter, fire...but it was just a game someone was playing with us." For all that he feared real danger, it seemed he was gloriously immune to the psychological.
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Posted: Sat May 30, 2015 11:03 am
"Well, I hope they're having a good time of it." He sounded bitter, and he looked away, expression lost between self-deprecation and a heavy frown. He didn't like this, it didn't feel right. There were so many holes in who he thought he was supposed to be, and only a tiny handful of answers, and those didn't come close to putting the puzzle together for him. He felt lost, vulnerable, and that led into irritation. Twitchy, he pushed his hair back from his face, sank back until he was sitting, rather than crouched. "Did anything happen to you? In what you saw?"
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Posted: Sat May 30, 2015 11:11 am
"It wasn't me." He sounded surprisingly, decisively certain of this fact -- shaking his head just a little bit while he frowned at the look on Zeke's face, his own expression decisively disapproving. Slowly, he leaned in closer, elbows on his knees and fingers lacing slowly together while he tried to figure out how to put what he was thinking into words. It should have been easier than it was. "Someone showed me something, but it wasn't real. It felt real, but as soon as you stepped out of it, you could see it was just a dream." Julian had to pause again, assessing. "When you wake up out of a nightmare, you have to be able to shake that world off and return to this one."
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Posted: Sat May 30, 2015 11:18 am
Ever leaning closer pulled Ezekiel's attention back to him almost reluctantly. He was having trouble, now that the vision was at the forefront of his thoughts, maintaining any sort of lasting eye contact. He both wanted to analyze what he'd seen and forget it outright. It seemed, to him, out of character for himself to have tossed away his life for someone else. Maybe for the blue eyed girl, but... Did he really value Julian's life above his own? How many times now had he stepped in to defend him? How much danger had they walked through together? "You were in mine," he spoke up finally. Not disregarding what the other man had said, but apparently determined to get it all out.
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Posted: Sat May 30, 2015 11:24 am
"You weren't in mine." It was oddly dismissive, casual -- but then, Julian wasn't exactly a people person. As he said it, he sat back again, shaking away their near-intimacy, a moment which had left him just a little uncomfortable. Slowly, he slid fingers through his hair. At least he'd managed to forget the worst of his own troubles, focusing on Ezekiel's. "No one was. It wasn't real. It wasn't even a dream. It was something someone wanted us to see, to unsettle us." And maybe, also, seeing Ezekiel in a moment of weakness helped him steel his shoulders, too. "It doesn't mean anything. Unless you think I'm about to join the other side and start slaughtering villagers..."
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Posted: Sat May 30, 2015 11:29 am
"What?" That had lost him, briefly, before he realized what Julian was saying. "No. We were defending the castle," he explained, frowning. "It could have been real. We were in the same place, in the damn treasure room, and horsemen had breached the defenses and were attacking us." It had seemed so real, so normal at the time. Just one more disaster they'd had to defend against. "I took a lance through the chest for you." It came a little muffled, but because he'd brought his hands up to rub at his face.
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Posted: Sat May 30, 2015 11:37 am
"Yes, well, I was riding a horse like I'd been born there and was done up like one of the monsters we're fighting." He shook his head at Zeke, briefly, and as he said it he rolled up to stand. He felt better. Not great, still, but definitely better. From here he could look down on the other man, arms crossed over his chest. "I was practically leading the charge. If that seems plausible to you, then you can worry about whatever you saw." But, said his tone of voice, Julian couldn't see that happening ever.
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