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 Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2016 8:34 am
The rain accosted them viciously until they cleared themselves from Other Ashdown. He met the dry, quiet night with his own sound and fury, each breath seething with the urge to castigate Finn and Aleksy and anyone else who had a hand in his forceful parting from Other Ashdown. Perhaps it was foolish to blame them for what they considered a good deed, but little thought of that came now. With no rain to pelt his face, no spider to his web, he felt lost and ultimately out of place.
Three short months and already he was a stranger to the lands of Ashdown. Tate, he knew, was much further behind - and he hated her for trying to face it so bravely.
„Okay, fine, so zey were trying to kill us,“ Alois huffed at Finn. „I could’f just shut myself in a room. You didn’t haf’ to drag me all zis way back to Ashdown to avoid zeir little tantrums. Father would’f done somesing for me.“ Another blame-laden glance was spared toward the park ranger, yet Alois kept tramping through the soft grasses of the park.
„I don’t understand how you guys ******** it up so badly. It’s like you managed to ******** up in two diametrically opposed ways. On one hand, you haf’ assholes standing around gawking while I get my hand ******** broken, which is extremely painful by ze way, and on ze ozzer, people ******** up the tithe process when zey were all too happy to play ze role of sheep before! What ze hell kind of reaction is zat?“ Alois hissed, and massaged the healed bones of his hand absently. He knew not how Autumn could correct such a severe injury, but he thanked her for it nonetheless.
„You know you’ll haf’ pissed off our patrons by taking us from zere. I wouldn’t be surprised if Ezra stopped by to set your pubes on fire.“ The latter of his remarks came sullenly, a sulk threatening to claim ownership of his disposition.
„I’m exhausted.“
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Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2016 8:59 am
Finn caught Aleksy's eye, and a quick moment of non-verbal communication, the gist of which seemed to be I'll handle this passed between them. He reached over and gently took hold of Alois' arm. His fey finery didn't seem to leave any place to stash a set of house keys, so that seemed quite out of the question. (Finn's were, somehow, miraculously, in his pocket, even though he was now wearing an entirely different outfit than he'd started the night in.) "My place isn't far," he said, steering Alois away. "Let's give them some space - lots to catch up about." As they passed a bank, Finn swore at the LED clock on the sign. "I have to be at work in an hour and a half," he said. "********. <******** class="quote"> Hetzerei
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Posted: Sun Sep 25, 2016 2:50 pm
“You say zat like she isn’t going right back in once zis whole ordeal dies down,“ Alois shot back while he allowed himself to be dragged apart. Stumbling slightly, he rejoined Finn at a more autonomous pace. „I doubt Ezra would just let her go right back to Ashdown like nossing ever happened. To him we are property, and to him we belong - to ze strongest go ze spoils and all.“ He huffed, and ran a hand through his hair until it caught in the spiderweb for the seventh time that night.
„Look, I can just… Walk back. I’ll sit it out for a few hours for sings to die down and resume status quo. I’m not interested in returning to a land of strangers and ******** empty monotony. I can’t just pick up where I left off like nossing ever happened. Too much has changed - I don’t fit ze mold of my old life anymore.
„So go do your work routine and I’ll stick around here.“
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Posted: Mon Sep 26, 2016 9:08 am
"No, I've gotta..." Finn looked down at himself, indicated his shirtless state and his sodden finery and the mascara he could only assume was tracking down his face thanks to the rain. "Change," he said, lamely, and eyed the spiderweb atop Alois' head. "You probably should, too." Unless Alois had grown particularly attached to his court-given clothes, but if not, Finn had some things he did not mind parting with at home. "I'm, um, renting," he explained, as they turned up a quiet, residential street full of colonial-style cottages. "From this couple in their 80s. So I've gotta be, like, quiet and well-behaved at home..." A dark look crossed his face, clearly visible in the early morning light. "I'm thinking of moving. In with Aleksy, if he'll let me. Anyway. It's this one. Quiet on the stairs." He motioned for Alois to follow him up to his bedroom, which was small and orderly and gave the impression of someone who spent a great deal of time elsewhere. The space had been somehow made to work for a full-sized bed and a bureau and a very small computer desk, half of which was occupied by a coffeemaker. "Home sweet home," said Finn ironically. "Bathroom's through there if you need it. I've gotta change and wash this crap off my face, but you should, uh, sleep or something. You've been up all night, yeah?" Technically they both had been, but Finn was ignoring that, because if the face caught up to him he would keel over and die (probably).
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Posted: Mon Sep 26, 2016 9:24 am
Alois spared fin a glance and sighed through his nose. The man looked like New Orleans after hurricane Katrina, and somehow threatened to look worse if allowed to remain like that through the day. „Yeah,“ Alois consented after a beat, „you look like a travesty.“ No apologies given.
The explanation given for renting was an easy one to swallow. European lifestyles prohibited much distance from one’s neighbors, so the practice of ascending stairs in absolute quietude proved familiar, almost welcome. Latent urges in him insisted that he raise a ruckus and endanger Finn’s leae agreement, perhaps even under the guise of ‚helping him out‘ toward moving in with Aleksy, but he knew better than to jeopardize his own temporary place to rest. He knew not where his fetch relocated him to, regardless - and he doubted that his old landlord would provide a forwarding address at this hour. For all he knew, he could be on no-speaking terms with the old landlord.
Wouldn’t that be a b***h, he thought glumly.
Alois followed Finn with great practice when led into the quaint household, and ascended the stairs with minimal creaks. He glanced to and fro, hand ever on the warm wood of the banister, in his search for hanging photos. They often issued a wealth of information about those featured within, and he was curious to know how staunchly these octagenarians would object to his existence in the space. Such ideas halted when he witnessed the cozy bedroom that Finn rented, and nearly bumped himself into the desk space upon entry. „I remember sings like zis.“ Fingers tapped matter-of-factly on the desk itself.
„Sanks for ze stay.“ He made no further effort to indicate his gratitude - its expression alone felt awkward enough. The first to go of his unusual wardrobe was the headdress, which he ripped from his hair unceremoniously and tossed into the nearby wastebasket. „I’f caught naps here or zere when not playing sommelier, but it’s s**t for sleep in ze Court. I’m sure you’f found out for yourself.“ All effort in expressing anger or sorrow ebbed from him, and Alois found himself wading through a state of ennui. He approached the bed, dropped upon it, and considered whether to sleep now or wait until Finn finished with his morning routine and left.
By the way, Finn, I sleep naked. That’s okay with you, right? … I’ll take that silence as a yes.
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Posted: Mon Sep 26, 2016 10:28 pm
Finn, ever the generous host, tossed Alois a clean pair of flannel pajama pants before stepping into the bathroom. He left the door open as he washed his face and splashed water into his hair. "I guess... you don't have your phone anymore, do you?" he called. The mascara wasn't coming off. "Okay, ******** it," said Finn, turning off the sink. He stepped out of the bathroom. "I'll just say I went to Rocky Horror or something." He half expected Alois to not even know what that was. <******** magic," he announced, opening the bureau. "I mean it. Today is going to ******** suck. Like cutting my coffee with Red Bull suck. But you should enjoy yourself. Get cozy. Et cetera."
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Posted: Tue Sep 27, 2016 8:10 am
By the time Finn returned, Alois’ robe and sarong found the floor in exchange for the pair of pajama pants. Stretching, he popped both shoulders and some part of his chest before he laid back against the bed. Relaxing proved easy on this bed - too easy. He wondered if he really spent three months away, or something more like two years.
Finn returned and Alois didn’t sit up. Only his shins remained vertical for how he stretched perpendicular on the bed. „Your bed is too ******** comfortable. I might not leaf’,“ he teased. „Hell, I don’t even know where I lif’ anymore. Might be under a bridge somewhere.“ No one knows anything about Vale, really. Who the hell knows where he’d want to move to?
„At least you get to look like a drag queen at ze workplace. If you accidentally rub your eyes, zat s**t will sting you awake.“ He wasn’t telling how he knew this. „But if you really need to stay awake… Try cocaine.“
Without sitting up, Alois scooted himself to the head of the bed where he got much too comfortable with Finn’s pillows. On his stomach, only a swath of black hair marked where his head lay. His voice came pleasantly muffled. „Befidf, you can alwayf call ouff.“
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Posted: Tue Sep 27, 2016 8:57 am
Finn turned his back to Alois, not particularly concerned for modesty - especially because he seemed half-asleep already. "Nah," he said, dropping his wet clothes into a pile on the floor. The spell had even changed his underwear, and while he hadn't minded much during the ball, in the morning light he felt sort of... violated. "Nosebleeds and service uniforms aren't a great look," said Finn, pulling a clean pair of khakis on. "And nah, I've got a field trip..." He stopped, sighed, said <********> under his breath. "I've gotta go buy some makeup remover, I guess," he said, lamely.
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Posted: Tue Sep 27, 2016 12:04 pm
Wait, what? Alois lifted head from pillow abruptly and eyed Finn through the tousled mess. When did you ever discov-
Oh, nice butt.
Alois trained his focus on the miraculously thin floss tucked between Finn’s cheeks. He looked very fit from the rear (ha), which was likely due to his hiking all about the Rider Waite forest. He wondered, then, if any residual magics emphasised this to onlookers. Maybe; he still had mascara caked onto his face, after all. „I’m surprised you weren’t picking at your a** ze entire night. I would be. Hell, I do zat wis’ briefs sometimes.“
His head returned to the long-missed comforts of the pillow. With a sigh, he added: „You never heard zif from me, but if you haf’ coconut oil, you can rub it on, zen use a damp cotton pad to get it off. Fhould work okay.“
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Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2016 8:25 am
Finn was caught momentarily off-guard. Then, he laughed nervously and said, "I hadn't really noticed. Maybe it's magic." There were very few things he wasn't willing to attribute to magic in this day and age, and not feeling his wedgie was one of them. He pulled his shirt on and turned back towards Alois as he buttoned it up. "That assumes I have coconut oil," he said. "Is that, like, a thing people just keep around?" Needless to say, he didn't have any. "I should get going in a second if I'm going to stop at 7-11 to overcaffinate," said Finn, fastening the last button. "There's a landline downstairs. Do you want me to leave you my number in case of like, an emergency? I'll let Al and Martha know you're here so they don't freak out if they hear you making noise. I'll be home a... a little after two-thirty."
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Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2016 9:26 am
“I don’t know. My next door neighbor always did… She’s one of zose people who falls into fads easily. Used it for everysing. But, uh, good luck wis’ zat.“ Attempt to help number one failed. Now he remembered why he usually just left people swinging in the wind when it came to any issue he might have expertise for. The following embarrassment proved too much to cope with.
Thankfully his face was buried in pillows.
At the offer of a phone number, Alois raised hand just enough to wave the idea away. „I don’t haf’ my cell phone. If zere’s an issue, I know where you work. I probably won’t be awake by two-sirty anyway…“ Even if he was, Alois knew that leaving the bed proved a tough prospect - especially when the day’s chore of ‚find out where you live now‘ sounded so glum. He preferred unconsciousness.
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Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2016 11:20 am
If Alois had been looking at Finn, he would have seen the momentary flash of jealousy that crossed his face at the prospect of not being awake by two-thirty. "Okay, yeah," he said, and headed out the door. "I'll see you then."
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