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Posted: Tue Sep 29, 2015 7:05 pm
Standing with a shoulder propped up against the nearest bookshelf, Zeke stood quietly behind the other man as he chewed his lip in a thoughtful way and frowned, pale eyes all but boring into the back of his blonde head. There was a plate in one hand, the contents still steaming faintly. Vegetable lo mien he'd had brought in from an acquaintance in the infirmary's trip to the real world the day before; expertly reheated. He didn't bother saying anything, just stood there, confident that the smell of food would eventually reach Ever. In the mean time Zeke watched him rather hungrily. Drinking in the details of of what he could see of the lean body hidden beneath the layers of over large clothing. He lingered on the back of his neck, the short cropped hair that extended up in a half circle just behind his ears. It was getting long again, they'd need to trim it.
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Posted: Tue Sep 29, 2015 8:49 pm
Ever had been here -- right here -- for the better part of eight or nine hours today, and it was highly unlikely that at any point in that time he had remembered to stop and eat. Instead, he'd assembled a great mound of papers, other hunters' research on one side and untranslated work on the other, a computer three-quarters buried under all of it. At least he'd finally managed to get over his fear or discomfort with that -- He didn't notice Zeke. It was probably all the more frustrating, as time dragged on, that he didn't look up. When he did, it was because the smell of food finally made his body react, stomach letting out a low, angry grumble that raised his head. He peered at Zeke uncomprehending over his glasses for a very long moment before sense kicked in. "...uh. Time is it?"
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Posted: Wed Sep 30, 2015 9:16 am
Frustrating the first few times, but by now Zeke was used to it. It wasn't a mark against him, but rather a mark of just how into his work Ever sank. He'd wager anyone could have stood in the same spot, watching, and the taller man wouldn't have noticed until something sensory alerted him to their presence. In this case(in many cases) food. He shook his head as he came over to lean his hip against the table Ever was working on, and set the plate down in front of him with a lazy smile. "Late enough." He picked up one of the notebooks, perusing it idly. "Little after ten." The runes, to Zeke, looked like chicken scratch, but this wasn't his major. Beyond his awful French and a little broken Spanish, the shorter man had a very basic understanding of it all. Sea life, that was Zeke's life, and what had been taking up a lot of his free time. "How's it going?"
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Posted: Wed Sep 30, 2015 9:31 am
Maybe it would at least be a worthwhile reaction that Ever not only took the food but took it like he was hungry, grabbing his fork and starting to twist up a healthy amount of noodles. It actually grabbed his attention, meant he leaned back to eat. And quickly. Or maybe he was eating quickly so that he could also more quickly get back to his work, hard to tell. "It's gibberish, mostly." He spoke with his mouth full, somewhat carelessly, shoving broccoli in. "Getting nowhere. Should talk to some of them, maybe, but..."
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Posted: Wed Sep 30, 2015 10:56 am
the fevor with which Ever responded that the food was enough to have Zeke's brows arching ceilingward as he watched the other man over the edge of the notebook he still held. It was not the usual sort of reaction he'd come to expect--Zeke staring the blonde down until he forced down an an acceptable amount of food before just finishing the rest himself. There appeared to be enthusiam behind the quick shoveling of food. The Mist made a mental note. "...But," he provided, turning to rest his butt against the table and bringing his empty hand up to smooth along the short hair at the back of Ever's neck. Palm cupping against his nape. "Hard to find one that won't just try to kill you in sight." No thank you.
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Posted: Wed Sep 30, 2015 12:18 pm
"Mmm. I dunno." Maybe Ever was just that hungry. Maybe it had just been that long since he last ate. He tipped his head as he chewed to take in Zeke's expression, twisting up more pasta in a thoughtful sort of way. He fought against the urge to take his papers back, to dive back into the word. After food was done, maybe. Possibly. He shook his head, stabbing another piece of broccoli and pausing. "There are notes somewhere that imply people talk to them, sometimes. Moderately friendly ones."
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Posted: Wed Sep 30, 2015 1:57 pm
With a hum he set the notebook down again, that hand then retreating into his pocket. The other stayed on Ever's neck, a warm weight, thumb sliding absently up and down along the edge of the undercut. A habit he'd taken up since the other hunter had gotten his hair cut, when he managed to drag him away from his work, that is. "Are there names attached to these notes? People you can talk to?" If they could find a friendly horsemen, that would be swell, but Ezekiel's opinion of the race on a whole was pretty low. Not surprising, given what had happened to them, to him, earlier in the year. "Maybe they'd know where to find these supposedly not hostile horsemen."
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Posted: Wed Sep 30, 2015 4:25 pm
"Yeah, there's some, I guess." But Ever sounded reluctant, mumbling around another generous bite of noodles, his eyes narrowed to slits. Absently, he tapped his fork against the plate -- maybe about full, or full enough that he had less of a voracious appetite for the lo mein. "I worry about going up to someone and being like, 'hey, can you help me find a nice horsemen to chat with' because, well." He shrugged, taking one last bite before he dropped his fork. "Death division, and all that."
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Posted: Wed Sep 30, 2015 5:13 pm
Broad shoulders came up in a shrug. "I'm not sure why that should manner. Don't we do similar with students for potential weaponization?" Thumb and forefingers worked down the long line of Ever's neck, following his spine on either side. "Stands to reason, if you're seeking information for a project that will only benefit the organization fuller, there shouldn't be much of a problem with how you obtain it. The idea of actively seeking out the horsemen for any reason was enough to make the Mist's skin crawl, but then his current project didn't revolve around trying to decipher their language. "In fact, Death division might be able to locate a nonviolent monster for you to question."
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Posted: Wed Sep 30, 2015 5:17 pm
"Worth an effort then, definitely." If nothing else, Zeke was succeeding in distraction: Ever's head drooping, just slightly, tipped to one side. He was tense, from his close curl around the desk, muscles bunched under Zeke's touch. It wasn't stress that did it but simply the posture. Too much sitting, not enough standing. His hand ached, too, but that didn't shine through quite so clearly... "Do you have any idea who I should talk to? Suggestions? If not, I can go through some of these names, maybe." It was a little mumbly, near the end. Maybe, if he kept doing that, Zeke could even convince Ever to head back to the room and sleep.
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Posted: Wed Sep 30, 2015 5:34 pm
Brows rose as Ever's head dipped forward, the corners of Zeke's lips twitching up in a pleased little smile, and he pushed away from the desk to take up point behind the other man. At first it was just the weight of his hands on thin shoulders, then the inward roll of thumbs across taunt muscles. Inward and upward along the ridge of his spine, towards the base of he scalp. "Gale is working on something to do with the horsemen, I believe." His voice was low, almost rumbling, comfortable. "If you're up to it, Caelus himself could point you in the right direction." Another shrug, not that Ever could see it. "I don't work very closely with Death, unfortunately. I'm not as up to date on their rooster or who is working on what." Now, Life and Moon, those he knew. "The names on your list might be your best bet. They're at least a place to start. If nothing else, they could provide descriptions on the horsemen in question."
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Posted: Wed Sep 30, 2015 6:03 pm
"Yeah." It was a sigh now, though: partly from the press of thumbs through his spine, and partly from the idea of getting out and about and actually talking to people. As social as Ever could be, recently he'd found it a bit more...difficult. It was easier to lurk in the basement and stick to his own research than try to fight his way toward friendliness with people who tended to be angry or paranoid or both. He shrugged, but only faintly, his body relaxing but his mind still whirring while he considered his next move. "Probably more likely to get me anywhere but here."
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Posted: Wed Sep 30, 2015 6:16 pm
"Mm." Not exactly an agreement, but an acknowledgement. Zeke continued working along Ever's neck, pausing to work on a knot as he found one. Applying just enough pressure to be just this side of painful, but in that wonderfully achy way that came with a good massage. "How's your back doing?" If that slender neck was this tensed up, he imagined the back wasn't much better.
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Posted: Wed Sep 30, 2015 6:42 pm
"Been here too long." But it probably wasn't smart to give in to this while they were on camera in an official building: the thought sunk in at last and Ever sat up, slowly, with a sigh. He started to gather up his papers, fingers just a little limp as he worked. Zeke had driven strength and tension out of him at the same time, and he really did kind of want to just lie down and sleep for a good twelve hours. A strange sensation, all things considered. "Help me grab my stuff?"
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Posted: Wed Sep 30, 2015 6:54 pm
He let his hands fall away slowly, lingeringly. "Yeah, grab what you can and head up, I'll get the rest." A pause, Zeke watching Ever as he attempted to gather materials. Bending, the Mist gathered the notebook, some books, some loose papers all up together in a stack. The laptop was closed and placed on top, and the whole bundle was lifted into his arms. "Which room are you headed for? I'll work the rest of the knots out of your shoulders and back." Ever could get some well needed sleep after.
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