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 Posted: Thu Jul 14, 2016 6:38 am
Zan knew he had a roommate. Everyone here did, or at least they would eventually, and even though he'd seen signs that someone shared his bathroom, he had yet to run into whoever it was. He and his mysterious Hermes bro (or sis, he supposed) orbited each other but never crossed paths, neither shitting nor showering at the same time since they'd arrived.
He was sure they would meet someday through inevitable coincidence, but he was curious and impatient, and he wanted that day to be today. Rather than simply leaving the door on his side of the bathroom unlocked and hoping they'd be nosy enough to wander in, Zan took a seat on the closed toilet with the notepad he'd found in his room, crumpling page after page and aiming the paper wads at the trash can.
He waited.
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Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2016 2:33 pm
His reward for his ambush would be that he'd see more of Asher than he likely wanted; not naked, but out of his pants and stripped down to shirt and boxer briefs -- half of which he shed as he came in through the door from his room into the bathroom. He had the shirt off over his head but still caught around his arms, hair tousled and falling into his eyes , as he finally laid eyes on the young man who was his roommate -- and for a long moment he just froze like that, very still, like maybe he was worried he'd ended up in the wrong room -- Asher took one last look backwards, spotting his own suitcase, on the bed, and then refocused on Zan. Slowly, very slowly, he peeled his shirt off the rest of the way. And then he grinned, a somewhat defensive edge of self-mocking in the way he held himself, shirt dangling from his hands in front of any sensitive parts of himself. "Uh. I'm not about to get jumped or something, am I?"
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Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2016 9:52 am
Not yet used to the subtle sounds of the Hermes dorm, he didn't register that anyone was approaching until he'd already seen most of him. Zan straightened from his slump then went still, several thoughts darting through his mind before he was noticed.
This is a surprise.
I wonder if I've just made an enemy.
I'm going to have to get some nicer underwear.
When the other young man grinned, Zan let out the breath he had been holding, which huffed from his nose in an airy chuckle.
"Is that what usually happens now? I solemnly swear there will be no jumping for at least the next twenty minutes. I thought this would be a good place to introduce myself, but in hindsight, it's so not." He laughed again, a single snort. "I can give you a minute?" Zan swiveled in place, vaguely angling his feet and legs back toward his own door. He probably should have turned away or flushed or stuttered or apologized, but it hadn't occurred to him to be embarrassed, nor was it likely to.
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Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2016 8:25 pm
It was only as Zan turned in place that Asher's eyes finally flashed to the door on the other side of the room -- and a slow realization dawned across his face, an ohhh forming visibly in his eyes. "We share the bathroom." He said it like it was a bit of wisdom, as if Zan hadn't long since figured that out himself, and relaxed by inches. Not some stranger lying in wait, then, but some not-exactly-a-stranger waiting to chat. He hummed a little. "Ten minutes? Or you can sit on the toilet and we can talk while I shower." Asher wasn't shy. He'd had too many housemates, back home, for that.
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Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2016 6:28 am
"Sure, yeah." Not an enemy then. He finished swiveling away until his back was turned and his feet were up on the seat, then closed his eyes for good measure. "The second one," he told the wall. "I didn't mean to ambush you, I just knew you were around here somewhere, so... I'm Zan, and this whole thing's weird, right?" He didn't believe in gods and monsters, and still couldn't shake the feeling that this was all some elaborate prank.
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Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2016 8:45 pm
"I try not to worry about what's weird and what's not too much...." Zan couldn't see what he was doing, but he'd hear the movement: the shedding of what little clothing Asher still wore, a towel tossed onto the sink, and finally the water kicking in. He sighed as he stepped into it, hair ducked in under the water -- but all things considered, he'd try to be quick. Just swipe the sweat away -- "....but yeah, a bit. People don't usually give out free rides, is my thinking. So there's a catch, and it hasn't fallen yet."
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Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2016 7:39 pm
"Hm." When he wasn't contemplating hidden cameras, this did seem too good to be true, and therefore riddled with potential catches. It was kind of vindicating to hear that someone else shared his opinion on that possibility, though not exactly reassuring. Not that he needed reassurance or anything. Zan shrugged a little at no one. Whatever this was, he had walked into it willingly. As long as he didn't die, they were going to have to try a lot harder to make him regret it.
"I mean, I'm on board for catches and weirdness," he continued. "This has already been way more exciting than what I was doing before."
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Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2016 9:17 am
"Really? Aside from the dragon head, it's been pretty...quiet, for me." He worked soap through his hair quickly, ducked under again, considering everything that had happened here. The weaponry and the fighting was new, and he was still wary to dive in too deep there -- but, maybe, he should. He huffed out a sigh, blowing water out of hys face. "What'd you do before?"
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Posted: Mon Aug 01, 2016 8:43 pm
"Maybe exciting's the wrong word." Nothing had happened to him at all so far if he was being literal. It was the potential for excitement that had him... excited. The security they were offering here, a home base to come back to between fighting mythical beasts or whatever. Knowing that no matter what he set out to do, he'd always have something to eat at the end of the day.
"It's more like I can see what's on the horizon, you know? And it looks like more fun than begging. Which is basically what I do. Did. Times Square stuff. I can't touch the Naked Cowboy's profits, but there's enough tourist money for the rest of us most of the time." He turned a little to speak over his shoulder, remembered where he was, then faced the wall again. "How about you?"
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Posted: Tue Aug 02, 2016 7:46 pm
"Hey, you're from the city?" It made his expression light up almost immediately, Asher poking his head out to take a look at Zan -- and grabbing a towel as he did. Maybe he was trying to get a look, as if he'd recognize him. As if he knew every single person in Manhattan. Maybe he did, to a degree; Asher made his way around. "I'm a bike messenger. Er. Was?" He wrapped the towel around his waist, swiping hair out of his face. Unabashed, apparently.
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Posted: Tue Aug 23, 2016 7:57 am
It might have been a little strange to think of the life of a bike messenger as a respectable one, but any job with a boss and regular pay seemed that way to Zan. He wondered if he might have thought to do something similar with himself if he'd ever had a role model who hadn't considered living off the kindness of strangers a proper career. Not that it mattered now.
"Small world," he said, turning around halfway. "We probably passed each other a bunch of times. What's that like? Did you just bring paperwork to offices or were you in any billion dollar penthouses?"
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Posted: Tue Aug 23, 2016 3:34 pm
"Uh." Asher's eyes skidded sideways at the question -- and maybe that, all by itself, would be enough to answer Zan's question and drive any thoughts of it being a respectable profession out of his head. Asher looked cagey, for that moment, adjusting the towel again and stepping past Zan toward his room, beyond. He'd leave the door open, so they could talk. "Well. Yeah, paperwork, people liked paperwork. But packages, too, you know."
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Posted: Tue Aug 23, 2016 7:57 pm
Zan's brows twitched. His eyes widened, just barely. He smirked, his sudden mirth generating a rather obnoxious grin he only let out from under the cover of his hand once Asher was out of sight. When necessary, he was excellent at hiding his genuine reactions, but if there was anything worthy of open giddiness it was a man with secrets, especially when that man was his roommate.
"Yeah, sure." Maybe he had connections. Maybe he knew some things he shouldn't. Either possibility would explain why Asher was here, which was more than Zan could say for himself. "Billion dollar penthouses, packages, and mystery." He wiggled his fingers to emphasize this air of mystique, even though Asher was gone. "No wonder you're not impressed by anything less than a dragon head."
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Posted: Wed Aug 24, 2016 11:13 am
"Or maybe I'm just that cool." He dragged on fresh underwear and then leaned in over the the bed to rummage through some of his things for fresh pants. Asher hadn't brought much with him -- one bag, and he'd thought that would be enough. Thought. Except it looked like they were here for more than the handful of days of orientation he'd been expecting. "Maybe nothing freaks me out." Pants. He hopped into them, stepping back into the doorway. He grinned unabashedly at Zan while he buttoned them up.
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Posted: Thu Aug 25, 2016 12:39 pm
"Mmhm. That's probably it." His smile had remained when Asher returned to see it, but he reined it in shortly after, only his eyes left to dance with mirth. "With you so close by, some of the cool might even rub off on me."
There was a pause before Zan stood, stretching his body and lungs with a deep inhale. Realizing that he wasn't the shortest person in the room for a change, he appraised Asher in an additional moment of silence, almost as if seeing him for the first time. "So. What are you going to do with yourself now? Not that I'm planning on following or anything, but this," he gestured at the bathroom, "was the extent of my plans for the day. I could use some suggestions."
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