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 Posted: Sun Feb 12, 2017 5:53 pm
Ice wanted to tax K with the banality of grocery shopping for the household, but the russian was so often not around that Ice would likely starve to death before getting the chance to ask him. Their arrangement included assisting him with laborious tasks, however, so Isaiah weighed the option of docking Kavinsky's pay internally. Playing fair about the verbal contract arrangement constantly conflicted with his frustration.
He tried to remind himself that ental debates about monetary compensation didn't matter in the moment. Here he stood, in the grocery store, with basket in hand and coat draped over shoulders. He knew the necessities, and that he could carry the lot of it in one hand when returning home, even if the soreness bothered him. Milk, eggs, tonic water, and cat food cans constituted a short trip through the store and then he could return home to ample heat, blankets, and a marked lack of snow. He just needed to wind through the perpetually overpopulated grocery store to find the lot of it.
Which was, in part, why he wanted K for this - his legendary b***h glare cleared crowds.
Ice wound through the alleys, glancing at the overhead signs as he walked, and occasionally checking for a less crowded aisle for cutting through the store. Naturally the dairy was at the exact opposite end of the store as the entrance, so he picked the most depopulated area that led to the nearby deli counter. Sidling past a few people nearly lost his coat from his shoulders, and as he stopped to pull the fabric taut once more, he caught sight of a familiar burly frame. Dreadlocks cascaded in an unruly mess, and self-doubt assured him that the familiarity was misplaced. This was a bustling metropolis of a city - running into someone he knew at a grocery store sounded much too improbable.
Plus, he and Kam hadn't spoken in several months; the last contact he made to the other man was on Halloween. That in itself was reason to walk on without exchanging a word. But he knew nothing of the circumstances, and while his constant companion urged him to simmer with anger on the matter, Ice couldn't pass up the opportunity.
While he didn't approach, he offered a tentative call. "Kam?" He wasn't sure if he hoped he was wrong.
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Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2017 11:15 am
It wasn’t the most uncommon thing, running into someone at the grocery store, but Kam’s current opinion on running into someone at all was written in the way his shoulders tightened and hunched at the sound of someone’s voice with his name on their lips. With his face still hidden to the unknown person that had called out to him, only the woman cutting thin slices of whatever Boar’s Head meat was on special even noticed the grit of his teeth when his jaw clenched. Her eyes glanced over the set of his face and away, unperturbed, probably expecting him to complain about how long she was taking and clearly showing she was not in the mood to initiate that conversation. Not today, meathead. Kamboja forced himself to unwind the tension between his scapulas and pulled his face at least back to neutral before he turned his wide shoulders and scanned the speckled crowd behind him. It didn’t take long to spot him there, Ice stood out like a sore thumb among the eclectic colors of the stay-at-home moms and retired couples milling around them. He wasn’t sure, at first, if Ice even really wanted to see him - his face didn’t seem exactly thrilled by the discovery. “Hey,” he managed, forcing some kind of hesitant smile on his lips when he turned himself slowly to face the other man. Isaiah looked like he had seen rougher times than Kam had hoped for him once he had finally moved out and moved on, but Kam knew, too, that he looked like a small and shrunken version of himself. His vibrant skin was dull, cheeks less full, and he seemed startlingly thin for his body type - the metabolism he worked hard to fight made him a ghost of Khetal, now. As he made a lumbering, slow approach, he reached up and rubbed at the side of his head, ghosting his fingertips along the shorn hair at the sides of his pinned dreads in a nervous tick. He really wasn’t sure what to say. Hi, nice to see you, sorry for being such a shitty friend? The dark man’s other hand squeezed the handle of his dinky little green shopping basket, then relaxed, then tensed - rinse and repeat. “Sorry,” the word came in a sigh as he dropped the hand from his head and pulled himself to a stop, staring down at the pale man. “Surprises make me a little anxious.”
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Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2017 7:12 pm
The man turned and confirmed his suspicions that he was indeed Kam, and Isaiah wanted to smile, but couldn't. They stood in the middle of a grocery store, where dozens of people buzzed about them and shot them dirty looks for taking up part of the aisle (though these reached Kam, mostly, for the man was truly a wall of meat). But the frequent herds of people offered anonymity in a different way, for those who didn't already don headphones were too engrossed in their own loud conversations to pay their exchange any mind. Isaiah wagered that he could shout his identity as Scholomance and few, if any, would take notice.
And those would be the Negaversers, he reminded himself bitterly.
"You look like s**t," Ice managed, and finally gave the other man a smile. Genuine, it was, and Isaiah felt a modicum more confident in knowing that dentures meant only straight pearly whites. Such an understanding might've been the only benefit to what transpired.
But Isaiah wasn't only teasing his friend - there remained some truth in the phrase. Kam looked drawn, sallow, tired. Kam looked all the parts that Isaiah felt over the last few months, and an echo of more. The wall of man shrunk to a column of man, and while he looked to weigh more than Ice did, that number seemed more manorexic than simple weight loss suggested. Briefly he wondered if Kam ever contended with such things; Isaiah often thought the notion remained too far beyond Kam's array of considerations. He hoped it did. Maybe Kam just had trouble finding decent quality cuts of meat.
Or he spent some time in prison, Ice considered. It would account for his absence, his shitty appearance, and the sheepishness that was so unbecoming of the dark-skinned man. He rather preferred it himself; serving a prison sentence gave him an agreeable out for his lack of assistance, and for his long absence from Ice's life. Maybe he finally killed Alkaid and won his life back. Ice didn't know. Perhaps he didn't want to, either.
Ice brought the basket handles up to his shoulder to redistribute some of its weight. His arm needed to flex, and he couldn't simply ditch his load on the floor. "Haven't seen you for a few months." He tried to keep his tone neutral as he sidled his way closer to Kam. "Something happen?" A cocked brow belied a greater seriousness to the question.
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Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2017 3:10 pm
"Speak for yourself," he countered, though the bit of a dig from the pale man had already pulled his lips into a weak smile, echoing Ice's visage. The back and forth was a comfortable, easy habit to fall back into even when he could feel the tension their long months apart had created. As different as they seemed, Kam had always found an easy co-existence with the smaller man until recently. When had life gotten so damnably complicated? The dark eyes followed Ice as he shifted the weight of his basket and, instinctively, Kam reached out a hand in offer. Ice didn't have to take it and, Kam thought, might even be too stubborn to actually hand it over given the circumstances. It was a simple equation in his own mind though: big guy carries things, shitty appearance or not. It was just the way of the world and not really a big deal to him when every flirty woman in the world liked to feign weakness for an excuse to talk. With his hand still held out, he shrugged, doing his best to downplay the unfortunate reality behind his sickly appearance. "Yeah, a bit of ******** up something stretched out over a few months." The tone to his words was as dismissive as he could manage but the tightness at the corners of his eyes as he followed Ice's movements belied how he felt about that particular bit of something. If the words seemed cryptic, it was on purpose. He knew Ice was smart enough to keep any Negaverse chit-chat on the down low, even if Kam had never been quite so careful himself. "I think most people would just call it Karma, though." The smile on his lips remained but the enthusiasm had faded. Ice didn't look any better than he felt and, having been so caught up in his own bullshit, he'd never thought twice about what had been happening for him. With Alkaid distracted, her threat was removed, but the Negaverse was not just that one, wicked witch. "I'm not gonna put it on your shoulders, Isaiah, but if you want to talk or something I can help you finish up here."
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Posted: Sun Mar 05, 2017 10:06 am
Kam offered assistance, and Ice took it. He retired the basket into the taller man's grip and felt nothing ill for it. The last months placed heavy strain on his arm as it worked to bear the burden of all tasks. While Kavinsky proved useful with house-bound chores, Isaiah could not drag the man wherever he pleased for further relief. Certainly he couldn't drag Kavinsky outside as Scholomance. At least, when Kam offered a hand, he did so without expecting money in return. That proved a pleasant gesture to his wallet.
Kam gave two peculiar phrases to Ice, which drew his attention almost immediately. The first denoted, presumably, more Negaverse interference. Alkaid proved highly determined in her dogged pursuit of Kam and his identity. Since Kam still remained to this day, Ice assumed that he managed to rid himself of her for a time. And since he spotted the Ascended General not once since, reason claimed that her death was not out of the question. Was Kam a murderer now? Or did he find some means of circumventing certain doom for his senshi tail? The pallor and exhaustion racking his frame made a case for the former. Ice was uncertain how to feel about that.
The second phrase promised self-deprecation, outside judgments, and litotes dismissal. Kam always spoke in a laissez-faire manner, and Ice knew this from his own experiences. The disturbance hiding in that sentence came from how quickly it eroded away Kam's easy self-confidence. True, Ice spotted nigh none of it in the taller man's frame, but he wrote it off earlier as exhaustion and perhaps apprehension. Now he faced the old demon that wore everyone down, including himself.
It often felt odd, he mused, when others called him by his full name. 'Isaiah' sounded so formal, so distant compared to the crisp ease of saying 'Ice'. Perhaps Kam was trying to imply his distance from the shopkeeper. Ice imagined so; there remained an element of self-preservation in drawing away, and similarly an attempt at protecting others. If Kam's ******** up something grew contagious, as it had before, then Isaiah could count on another burned down apartment or worse.
Likely worse, given his own experiences with the Negaverse.
"Alright," Ice conceded at last. "You can tell me stories about your adventures in ******** while I get what I need. I've already got the cat food and tonic water, so I just need the milk and eggs." Luckily dairy was but one stop, and then they could evacuate the store for more serious discussion.
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Posted: Sun Mar 26, 2017 8:21 am
Kam took the basket from the smaller man without complaint - even in such a wasted state of being for the musclehead, it was barely any trouble at all apart from suddenly having no free hands. That was fine, as long as he didn’t need to suddenly punch someone. “Deal,” he retorted around his easy, lop-sided smile. “I’m just waiting on my -” “ORDER NUMBER SEVEN THIRTY-TWO, READY!” The voice over the crackling intercom interjected into the chatter of grocery store customers around them, drowning a few groups to silence as everyone craned their necks to try and hear the numbers. Kam held the winning ticket between his thumb and forefinger but didn’t bother looking when he already knew. It was only a few long strides back to the glass countertop that separated the masses from the deli machines and in no time, he had his basket on top. They were too far away to clearly hear much of what was said but the dreadhead was quickly layering several different types of meat and cheeses into the hard, plastic tote - as well as what appeared to be a warm sub. In a matter of minutes, Kam was forcing his way back through the crowd that had closed behind him (much like a bar top and possibly more annoying since he couldn’t just shove old ladies out of his path) and was back at Isaiah’s side. The brute didn’t need a sour face to make the crowds part around him, thankfully - his girth and skin tone were pretty good deterrents for even the pushiest of stay-at-home moms. “Alright, c’mon. Let’s get out of here before I start getting ******** claustrophobic.” Which had never really been an issue before, of course, but he didn’t seem to be altogether joking now. The young man stepped into stride easily, though judged his own gait to make sure Ice didn’t have to do double time to keep up, and made his way for the back walkway behind the aisles. It was the fastest track to the dairy section and also the only place he thought they could walk side-by-side without running into anyone. Almost as an afterthought, he glanced down into Isaiah’s basket. “I’m pretty sure your cat eats better than you do.”
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Posted: Sun Apr 16, 2017 9:07 am
Isaiah stood back, watching the meat counter with interest while bustling customers traded places with one another. The butchers behind the mob worked with speed and efficiency in getting out white-wrapped orders with little down time between numbers called. And, given the height of the numbers, Isaiah assumed they served many throughout the day and with significant haste. He couldn't himself imagine serving seven hundred people before the close of a work day. If he did, he supposed he'd have formal staff to take care of needs like this.
He also found interest in watching Kam's burly form cut into the gaggle of old women, who looked marooned between righteous indignation and stuffy interest in the man that encroached on them. Some of the housewives, either too bored with their husbands or too inclined to a wandering eye, took note as well. Isaiah grinned to himself. He could agree with them wholeheartedly that Kam was easy on the eyes.
Much of his mirth vanished with Kam's nigh panicked declaration, and Isaiah conceded easily to his request. Isaiah himself cut through the store relatively unimpeded; his narrow size allowed him to sidestep between oblivious customers while he took care to ensure that his coat went undisturbed. He didn't want that conversation with Kam just yet - or, perhaps, at all. As the thought of past events encroached, Isaiah mentally combatted the lot of them by visualizing his next purchases - the milk jug's textured surface, the feel of the chill creeping through his fingers when he seized it by its handle, the red cap to denote the milkfat content inside… All the while he scanned the fridge doors in seach of the items he sought, and stopped only when one caught his eye.
Kam's comment drew a snort from the shorter man. "Yes, well, she might eat better than I do, but I drink better than she does." As an afterthought, Isaiah picked up a jug of cream. Luckily for them, eggs weren't far from the milk and butter.
Initially he checked a pack of six, then defaulted to the dozen after he considered his russian live-in's possible taste for decent breakfast foods. Usually Kavinsky seemed too busy to bother with actually cooking food, but on the off chance that he'd do so, having eggs on hand wasn't such a bad idea. He set the last purchase into the carried basket. "Alright. I've about had it with all these buzzing ******** myself. You'd think they were prepping for easter a month early, now."
With a quick nod to his escort, Isaiah approached the front of the store where self-checkout stations waited while the cashier lines grew long. At least they could get out without having to make conversation.felyn sorry about the wait! i was stuck on this tag for some reason
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Posted: Thu Apr 27, 2017 5:24 pm
There was a wistful smile on the lips of the burly dreadhead, spurred by the words Ice quipped back so easily. He wasn’t sure if he was more uneasy over the discussion of liquor or if it was the worry over whatever Ice had so clearly gotten himself into. There was a deep reminder that it wasn’t really his place to comment and so he didn’t, choosing to simply shoulder through the crowd and carry on with their chores.
“I’m pretty sure every holiday starts as soon as the last one ends.”
With that thought, he tossed his dark gaze at a display of chocolate bunnies accusingly as they passed it on the way to the self check-outs. His own items were few and simple, slid through and paid for quickly with a card. He opted to just slide Isaiah’s through without question, bagging them and stepping aside with a palm held up towards the machine for his smaller, paler companion. He didn’t mind being a mule for someone that he had at least once known well, especially when they so obviously seemed.. uh, down on their luck. Cosmos knew he needed a helping hand, himself.
“At least in the good ol’ united states,” his hand slapped lightly against the side of the checkout to punctuate the poor joke but he managed to pull a more convincing, lopsided grin across his lips. He hadn’t felt the need to expend energy on being jovial since he had been released back to Earth but he didn’t want Isaiah to think he wasn’t at least happy to have run into him. He was. Deep down, beneath all of his self involvement and anxiety. Both Sana and Ice had left him to his stewing since he’d royally begun ******** up his life and he couldn’t well and truly blame them.
“You ready?,” he was already reaching for the bag as the machine chimed at Ice, ready to grab it and commence pack animal duties.
Strickenized I think it's because they're both in a place they find extremely uncomfortable, haha, or maybe just us? We can be out of the store with your tag!
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Posted: Mon May 08, 2017 3:28 pm
"Until they invent a** Wednesday, I can't say I'm all that interested in all these Christian holidays in a row." Ice himself was plenty content to stand aside and allow Kam to work with the groceries on his own; exposing his missing arm to yet another acquaintance opened questions for which he wasn't ready that day. Instead, he ensured his coat was properlty fastened around his shoulders, disguising them until an arm emerged to withdraw credit card and pay for his necessities. Kam's slap to the machine startled him visibly, and he hated himself for it. The Negaverse's grip on him tightened by the day, it seemed.
The machine registered his card transaction as complete and Ice stepped away, leaving the next person to deal with the expelled coupons and receipt. "Been ready since I set foot in here," Isaiah mumbled as an aside while passing up Kam in his shouldering of the goods.
The outside air welcomed them with markedly fewer customers, though a chill hung with the slow departure of winter. Some relief followed as Isaiah ascertained that his coat-wearing was justified that day, and he turned to the side to wait for Kam to emerge with their collective groceries. When he spotted the unmistakeable dreadhead, Ice stepped up to his side as if already invited. "What's that?" Ice called to him with a raised brow. "You're offering to take me to lunch? Oh, you're such a gentleman, Kam. Really, though, we could catch up at your place. At least then I could keep my milk in your friedge. Though that sounds like a bit of a euphemism, doesn't it? Not that I'm complaining."
After observing some of the uncomfortable reactions from the thinning customer herd, Isaiah dropped his voice for more serious conversation. "And really, it'd be best if Sana's out if your last few months of business are as serious as I think they are. I'd offer my place, but I have a live-in at present and I'm not so certain he's in on all our after-hours bullshit."felyn sorry for the wait! it's surprisingly difficult to swap between ice and elex
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