[PRP] You've Read my Mind

[Saliru]

Al was physically and mentally exhausted and all he could think about was doing exactly what Melvin told him to do; go home to Noah. He would make a report after he has rested. For now, he was grateful to be back in one piece and significantly wealthier than he had been before he'd left.

He let himself into the shared room, "Noah?"  

[prolixity]

Noah startled awake at the desk, sitting up suddenly. His thoughts said !!! and oops didn't mean to sleep and there you are, the last tinged with affection. "You're back," he said out loud, and scrubbed drowsiness out of his eyes with one hand. "How did it go?"

I hope everything went okay, I wish I could have gone with. I got a lot done though so it's not all bad that I missed it. Also I didn't have to go out in the rain and dive. That's all right. Things must have gone okay, at least reasonably okay or I'd be visiting the infirmary, I'm glad that didn't happen this time.  

[Saliru]

Al flinched at the this time. "It went okay, Melvin... is staying though. For a while. They promised not too long though and I bet you noticed the rain stopped?" He made his way over to their bed and plopped himself down at the foot of it.

"I was given a pretty hefty pay bonus for it too. I wish you'd gone with me, we'd be up double that." He smiled meekly trying to find humor in the whole thing.  

[prolixity]

"I noticed. I figured it meant you succeeded," Noah nodded. Thank god, finally we can have some good weather I hope. "Will Melvin be okay?" he asked, sounding a little anxious. Not like I really know him that much but I still think of him as a friend, I'll make sure and check on the greenhouse, not that I wouldn't do that anyway but I will while he's gone.

"Oh, really? That's cool. I'm sorry I couldn't go with you this time." How much, I wonder?  

[Saliru]

"Five thousand," Al answered a bit taken aback by the amount himself. It was a lot of money no matter how he looked at it. "They assured me he would be okay. Melvin did too, and Jordan, then Rep was just an a**."

He motioned for Noah to join him on the bed. "And there's something weird I should probably tell you."  

[prolixity]

!!! "That's a lot," Noah said, blinking. "Okay. I guess, if Melvin said he'd be okay, he probably knows." Rep is always an a** and I don't know why you even listen to him. The thought was rather disapproving.

Noah got up, stretching, and moved to sit down next to Al. Uh oh. "What is it?" he asked.  

[Saliru]

Al rubbed the back of his head, "Like uh, I dunno why I listen to Rep at all either."

He raised his brows at Noah nervously, not sure he'd figure it out or if he'd need more to get what was going on. Like really, how do you explain that?  

[prolixity]

"Yeah, I don't -- wait," I didn't say that out loud, did I? Noah stared at Al and thought about it a moment longer. I never say that kind of thing because he's your friend and I don't want you to think I don't want you to have friends and it's not fair of me to judge your friends, hang on if I didn't say that out loud that means you heard it even though I only thought it, does that mean you can hear me THINKING? Oh crap, and out loud, he added, weakly, "Can you?"  

[Saliru]

"He's already made it abundantly clear he's not my friend." He frowned at the reality of what he'd said but also gave a small nod at the question. "You're smarter than you give yourself credit for sometimes."  

[prolixity]

!!! and ??? and How did that happen? "Did something happen when you were on the mission?" Noah asked aloud. That's a stupid question. It must have, you couldn't do this before. I think. I hope. Right? Oh no. You haven't been hearing everything all along. No, or we wouldn't have had misunderstandings before, if you'd been able to hear what I was thinking, you're not so manipulative to pretend not to know, you're honest sometimes even if it's not the best thing. Oh no. You can hear all of this. "I'm sorry," Noah said, wincing a little. I can stop talking but I can't stop thinking, this must be awful.  

[Saliru]

Al slid an arm around Noah and tugged him towards his lap with a soft audible sigh. "It's okay, I like your thoughts. But yeah. We were basically a part of a trial and represented Deus. As part of it they made us all... like this. I'm sure it's temporary but I'm not sure how temporary."  

[prolixity]

So basically I'm going to be talking to you nonstop until it stops then, "except when I'm asleep, or at least I hope it would stop then." Or maybe you'll hear me dreaming. That would be weird. Noah sighed. I'm glad I didn't go then/I'm sorry I didn't go then. The two thoughts overlapped and coexisted. "I don't know if I'd want to hear what other people were thinking. It's not just me, is it? From what you said. You can hear everyone?"  

[Saliru]

"Could be weird, or could be awesome," Al confessed of hearing Noah's dreams.

"It's everyone but they have to be nearby, otherwise it'd be really hard to hear you with this whole damn island and it's restless assholes mind chatting all night long."  

[prolixity]

"Mostly weird, I bet." My dreams aren't anything special or anything. Just like normal stuff and sometimes weird stuff and sometimes nightmares, I hope I don't have any nightmares at you.

He looked mildly horrified at the idea of hearing everyone all at once. I wouldn't want that. How awful. "I'm kinda glad it's limited like that. You'd go crazy if it was everyone at once, I bet."  

[Saliru]

"I bet your dreams are the best dreams simply because you are there," yep he tried the corniest line he could think of and even wiggled his eyebrows at Noah for emphasis. A small experiment.

Prolixity