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 Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2016 12:41 am
so about that
Thorne decides that they need to talk the morning he wakes up thinking about Jeremiah and the scorch mark still on the warehouse floor. He is sharp-minded and restless as he goes to the kitchen, making breakfast by flipping pancakes until he has two impressive stacks, steaming as he cuts strawberries and blueberries into a bowl, the maple syrup on the counter and freshly cooked eggs in the pan.
Everything smells delicious, everything smells like home, one of the small basil plants next to the sink bright green in the light.
He waits until Chris comes out of the bedroom to broach the topic, his voice halting and tentative.
"Hey," he says, "I think we need to talk about Jeremiah."
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Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2016 1:59 pm
so about that
Chris isn't expecting to wake up to such a breakfast when he wanders out of the bedroom, lured by the smell of food and the sound of Thorne cooking. The bed was empty and cold too, another deciding factors, but food had far more appeal when compared.
He blinks at Thorne sleepily, dropping into a chair when -
Oh.
The food was totally a bribe.
"What, about the weird... fight stuff?" He says cautiously. "Do we have to?" He doesn't want to at all, hasn't thought about it since. Has purposely kept his mind off of it. Thorne, apparently, has other plans.
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Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2016 2:03 pm
so about that
Thorne flips another pancake with an expert motion, the soft slap of it hitting the pan in rhythm with a soft hum, deep in his throat. He glances over at Chris, working on a plate for Chris full of food and says, "Yeah."
He pauses and hands to the other, because if there's one thing he can cook in this house, it's a damn good (and aesthetically pleasing) breakfast.
"I really don't want to," he adds, "But there's something that doesn't add up here, and - what Jeremiah did - doesn't feel like Jeremiah to me."
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Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2016 2:06 pm
so about that
Well, ******** presses his lips together but accepts the food because if there is one thing Chris doesn't turn down, it's Thorne's food, and anyways its still good, even if he wants to talk about things. He picks at it a little though, waiting for Thorne before eating.
"Okay," Chris finally says reluctantly. "It didn't feel right either but.. I don't know. What do you want to start with?"
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Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2016 2:10 pm
so about that
Thorne rumbles and sets his own plate down, picking at a blueberry and popping it between his teeth. His eyes flick down to the food and back up, cautious of how to tread the waters of this subject.
"What did he tell you? What did he say?" He rubs the back of his neck and bows his head. "When he came here, he comforted me, said things as though he as trying to absolve me of blame. And then he said that you told him I was becoming Melany. That I was no better than her."
He leaned his head against his palm, the trouble in his eyes apparent, the ever-living fear that concept rooted in him like a sapling tree.
"I couldn't believe it, and the entire time it felt off," he added, "it felt - wrong."
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Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2016 2:17 pm
so about that
Chris himself fusses with a strawberry, staring down resolutely at the plate of food. He doesn't want to talk about this, doesn't like talking about this, but Thorne's right. Chris is just being stubborn.
He flicks his eyes up at Thorne, immediately says, "I didn't say that, I would never Thorne. You're not like her in the slightest."
It burns cold in him that Jer would even say anything like that and resolutely, everything feels wrong all at once. The unnerving feeling that he had during the fight, the sense that something is wrong.
"He told me that you couldn't be trusted, that Melany had changed you. That you'd given into what she made you. He wanted me to talk to you, said that if I couldn't bring you around we'd have to.. do something." His voice is weak and whispery, the more he says the more apparent something is off. This doesn't feel like Jer but Chris, so upset, hadn't even noticed it.
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Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2016 2:34 pm
so about that
Thorne tilts his head at Chris, eyes conflicted, his mouth drawn taut even as he reaches down and plays with another strawberry that stains his fingers red. He works out the words to say in his throat, breathes deeply.
"I know," he says like a confession, "But I wouldn't have blamed you for thinking that. But I - the most exciting thing Alg is doing right now is teaching Mare arithmetic."
He runs his hand through his hair and flicks another blueberry around.
"I would never give into that though," he said, his voice raw and open, "She did not make me, anyways. That Court doesn't belong to her." He looks up at Chris. "Do something?" he echoed, and shook his head. "It just doesn't add up. It doesn't sound like Jeremiah. And one was bad enough - but you don't think that - "
Thorne had discussed it with Mare earlier.
He had asked her what fetches were meant to do.
"You don't think that he's been replaced as well, do you?"
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Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2016 3:10 pm
so about that
Chris finally pops the strawberry in his mouth, gives himself something to work with besides playing with his food. A blueberry is next to be rolled in his fingers, like he's working something out.
"Is he really? She must be thrilled," Chris says, slightly amused. He won't say anything about Thorne not blaming him - he would never think like that. There was nothing to be said.
"I'm sorry I even listened," Chris replies, voice just as raw and open, "It doesn't sound like at all though..."
He blinks suddenly at Thorne, feeling much like the rug has been pulled out from under him.
"What?" He asks, still trying to work his mind around the idea. It takes him a minute and then - "I. I don't want to believe it, but maybe."
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Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2016 3:15 pm
so about that
"You know Mare," Thorne responds, "She's probably drowned out the arithmetic by assaulting him on the qualities of marriage, and how well Alg performs in the bedroom."
There was a dry, gentle edge to his words, an attempt to bring some warmth back into the conversation, as heavy as it was.
His eyes flick to the other, and he chews slowly on his blueberry before saying, "It's alright. It was - a colossal mistake on my part in the first place."
It was still difficult to talk about this, still hard to converse about these things that had transpired. But if Jeremiah had been taken... if something had happened to him -
"It's a possibility," Thorne murmurs, and looks down, "I don't have access nor merit any invitation from other Nobles of the Court, so right now I have no idea what goes on beyond my sect." He ran a hand across his neck, nervous and worried and raw.
"I'd rather not believe it - but even in outrage, Jeremiah wouldn't try and pit people against one another like that." He paused, struggled, and added, "He cares about you a lot. It just doesn't seem like him anymore."
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Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2016 3:26 pm
so about that
"Oh, god," Chris says, popping the blueberry in his mouth. "I'm trying to enjoy the breakfast that you so graciously made to bribe me with, don't ruin it now with that image."
He returns the teasing back easily, willing as well to make this conversation less worse than it already was.
"Still," Chris replies, "I should've known better." He's unwilling to let Thorne take all the guilt in this conversation.
Chris is quiet for a long time, considering. Thinking. He doesn't want to believe it, to believe anything, but Thorne was right. As much as it hurt, this was wrong.
"You're right," Chris says, "He wouldn't do this to us - neither of us, he cares about both of us a lot. It's not his way and it points to things being off. I don't want to believe it either but.... it's pointing to it."
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Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2016 3:29 pm
so about that
"What?" Thorne drawls. "You don't want to know if Alg is a natural 10 in the bedroom? Mare certainly does. She seems positively determined to milk him of all the secrets of courting someone, and then depositing those secrets on me, as though that will somehow help."
He shakes his head though, an exasperated noise blowing from his lips.
"What's done is done," he hummed gently, and looked at Chris, "But I forgive you all the same."
He slices into a stack of pancakes, rumbling.
"Well," he said softly, "What do we do now?"
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Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2016 3:38 pm
so about that
"I'd be sorry about Mare but frankly, I kind of enjoy the way she literally digs you into a grave so," Chris smiles, positively amused. "Why does she keep giving you dating advice though?"
Chris hold's Thorne's look and while he doesn't feel absolved of the guilt, he does feel a little better. He picks up a fork and finally eats some eggs, chewing in thought.
He swallows, then says, "We could confront him? It's not like Alg needs that knowledge. I don't know what there is to do, except just knowing and letting the sons know. It's not like we can do anything, can we?"
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Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2016 5:58 pm
on a scale of one to ten
Thorne drags Chris to a bar one night, because of all the things they have done outside of the warehouse, they haven't actually had drinks. It's a quiet enough bar that it doesn't attract enough of a crowd to close them in, and it doesn't flash garbage neon lights or overly loud music banging around.
The scent of smoke and vodka stings the air though, and Thorne throws back another shot of whiskey with the grace and practice of someone who's been around the block more than once. Or twenty times.
"So," Thorne drawls, glancing sideways at Chris, "how drunk do I have to get you to do karaoke, for future reference?"
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Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2016 7:03 pm
so about that
"You would," Thorne responds, a low snarl of sound that is exasperated as much as it is warm, "She thinks if I get another year old I'll become ineligible as someone worth any value in marriage, or some nonsense." He doesn't add that she is completely sure that he is in love with Chris (he is) or that he can't even look at anyone else because of it (he can't). "But if I cannot even charm you, then what is the point?"
He sighs out, chewing on another piece of pancake.
"Alright," he says, "maybe. Maybe Jeremiah knows what he's doing. I don't know. It's up to him to do what he has to." He pauses. "But we can think about that more after breakfast. I'm not wasting a good meal on the most depressing topic ever. I worked hard on those pancakes."
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Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2016 7:29 pm
on a scale of one to ten
Of all the things Chris wouldn't ever expect Thorne to do, drag them to a bar is one of them, yet he's here and with Thorne. It's a quiet bar, a nice bar, and Chris is actually enjoying himself.
He watches Thorne with a half-lidded gaze, finger running around the rim of his glass of soju. How Thorne managed to find a bar with soju Chris doesn't know, but he's appreciative of it. He's taking his time with his bottle of soju though, making sure he doesn't go through it too fast. He knows how potent it is.
"Pretty drunk," Chris says, "If you want me to sing. I'll go to cheer people on, but I have to be pretty drunk to even start singing."
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