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 Posted: Mon Sep 23, 2019 8:32 am
Mali and him hadn't really talked since the fight after the attacking plants at his apartment. Aside from a few text messages asking how his health was doing and if he was okay, it had been quiet. Wolframite grew a increasing sense of unease that Mali was doing what he did before where he wanted space but then it became too long and he wasn't contacting again. It was something that made him worry that Mali would just stop altogether.
Sending a text out, he asked if he could come over to catch up and talk.
He needed to know what was going on now. After the fight, did Mali just not want to deal with him anymore. Was it finally just not worth the trouble?
He waited in his room for him, sitting in his bed and talking messages away on his Negaverse tablet.
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Posted: Tue Sep 24, 2019 2:15 pm
Unlike the last time where Mali put time and distance between himself and his friend, this time, it wasn’t on purpose. First there was the time needed to recover after the attack, and then soothing Gryphon’s worries and unease about what exactly Winter was to him...
And then after that, he was a little unsure of approaching the halfling empty handed. So he waited for that sweet wee kitten to finish his gift and.. time went on and on and on and finally it was ready... Just in time to receive a worrying message, asking him to come over.
Unlike last time, there wasn’t any hesitation. It was a simple ‘sure’, and he called in another favor to be dropped off in the Negaverse. After stopping by Chip’s little closet first to grab his gift, he went straight to Wolframite’s door, knocking on it gently with his foot, given that his hands were full.
“Wolframite, I’m here, could you be so kind as to get the door?”
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Posted: Tue Sep 24, 2019 5:03 pm
"Uh, okay?" He said, rising up from the bed and going to the door. He paused, for the briefest moment, to check himself and his hair, before opening the door.
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Posted: Tue Sep 24, 2019 5:28 pm
Thankfully, it didn’t take long for his friend to come get the door, and when it opened, he was met with a slightly frazzled Mali’ who awkwardly balanced a box before him.
“One moment...” He had been familiar enough with the room to know where the Desk still was, and went over to it, carefully putting it down with the hopes of not knocking anything down. The last time he was here, he recalled strange little slime-like creatures that inched their way across the desk. No sense in simply crushing the small, harmless things..
“I apologize, I didn’t realize that was so heavy... Chip sure seemed to like gears, and... Well, I believe this contraption is full of them.” Now that his hands were free, he fully took in Wolf’s new look. The Uniform, the hair... Had it really been so long since they had seen each other last? Nearly a month had passed.. No, nearly two...
Damn... he was much more awful of a friend than he really tried to be.
“You look... Good, Wolframite. Powerful. I’m sorry I wasn’t there to see your promotion, but I am certain you deserved it...”
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Posted: Tue Sep 24, 2019 5:35 pm
He touched his neck modestly at the compliment. "Thanks and, it wasn't a big deal. It was kinda sudden when I got called in to promote. And you were recovering and busy and - " Maybe mad or with that guy.
"- It's nice to see you again. I should have texted more or sooner or -" Maybe he should not make this seem so gloomy.
"-I'm glad you came. That's what I'm trying to say."
He paused a moment, taking Mali in, before he seemed to blink out of a daze.
"Uhh...what did Chip do that's in the box?" And most importantly, why was it here?
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Posted: Tue Sep 24, 2019 6:15 pm
”No, honestly, it should be. You’ve worked hard, and I know how important getting strong is to you, so I’m glad you’re on your way there. And Don’t feel bad about it, we’ve been busy. I hope you’ve been way.. Between the hospital visits, classes starting up again, and the photo shoots I still have to go to and participate in, it’s been a mess... Fall is always a busy time for me, and by the time I get home, I’m half dead and collapse on my bed to go right to sleep... Heh, it reminds me of when your General would train you from sun up to sun down.” Perhaps in their time apart, Landry had grown in his own way. Maybe just a little bit, he seemed to open up, words came out a little more confident than they were before. Not that he wasn’t confident already.
Gryphon’s presence forced him to speak up about things instead of letting his anger just simmer away. And along with that came him opening up about praise.
... Smiling seemed to come easier as well.
“I’m glad I came too. It’s really been too long.” At the mention of his box, ‘Mali beckoned him over, and began to pull out a few wires.
“Well, I realized that as part of an apology for being away for so long, it only seemed fitting to come with a gift. Something for your room...” Another few wires came out of the box, then a Giant box... And then a few controllers. Lastly, he pulled out a pair of joysticks. “... I knew you had a TV in here, and one of my favorite things to do is to play games when I’m alone so I asked Chip to modify a PlayStation 4 to play all of the most popular systems now. It can play All games, even some older ones that may need to be emulated... But more importantly he made these..”
Landry had put as much thought into the gift as he could, and even colored the joysticks to match Wolframite’s Uniform colors. “Perhaps it’s a little retro but... I had him create these joysticks for you to use as you game. There’s buttons on the side too, so that you can switch what the buttons are mapped to for each system.... It’s a little complicated, but I was almost hoping that you and your friends could use these to play in your down time. I think... There’s a few of the more famous games out there already loaded, and it has slots to insert other disks and cards that would work. I do hope you like it...”
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Posted: Tue Sep 24, 2019 7:18 pm
He is just busy. He had work and school. It wasn't you. He just as a very chaotic life and job to juggle. He felt relief wash through him and smiled back. "If it's like my training, then I guess I should learn to make cookies to return the favor. I do still keep your tins from before." Though whatever he mad wouldn't be nearly as delicious as to what Mali could make.
Moving over to stand beside the senshi, he looked as cables were pulled out and was confused just what the heck this even was. It was some kind of box with cables coming out from all ends. Even when the joysticks came out, it didn't fully dawn on him at what exactly it was and he picked one up to stare at it with clear confusion.
Bit as he was told what it was and stared at the colored joystick - black, purple, and green - which ironically were both Nubi and Mali's colors too, it dawned on his what Mali had done for him.
"I can play a video game?" He whispered to him.
He had known people okayed games. They talked a out it all the time in offices and the cafeteria and a few people in the barracks owned their own consoles. With the holidays coming, he even saw advertisements all over the place. He just never considered it something to look into given how his claws were and he felt it would be selfish to ask one to be fixed up for him. There was a worry they he'd be scolded or judged for wasting his and a Mauvians time with a silly toy, but he had been curious. He had no recollections if ever playing a game before and it always seemed so fun.
"Mali...I love it. Thank you. I honestly don't know what to say. I mean, here I wanted to appologize to you and you just -" He was honestly both touched and speachless.
"I didn't even get you anything."
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Posted: Tue Sep 24, 2019 8:33 pm
“You still have those? If you leave them out in the open, maybe you’ll find cookies in there again all of a sudden.” Eventually he’d be able to come in and out of the Negaverse without needing to piggyback off of someone stronger than him. And when that happened, he could just come over to the room and leave treats behind whenever he wanted.
Everything was laid out now for Wolframite to see, and... Well, that expression he had meant something, didn’t it? That ‘Mali had done something right for his friend.
“Yes, a game.. Many games, in fact.” Where exactly could he put it though? There was the small TV right there... But the contraption was heavy... Maybe on the floor.
“You do? Thank goodness, I thought that maybe you would think it was boring or not really good for your work ethic... It’s a little strange to say but... I realized while talking to Chip that I don’t know much about you. What you like, what your hobbies are, besides hunting and doing everything for the Negaverse.” To avoid looking directly at the halfling, he busied himself by shifting things around near the television, placing the console on the floor and plugging in wires where they could go.
“... And as I thought about it while we were apart, the more worried I’d get. It’s a frightfully silly thing but... I wondered to myself, could we still stay friends. I wonder that now too, given how strong you are now. Your goals, your mission, your dedication to the queen... Is there room for me still, with how little I care about the Negaverse...?” There was one button on the console that was bright red and rather strange that ‘Mali had so carefully covered with a “Do not press” sticker. Not that it was dangerous, just unnecessary. Beside that was the green ‘on’ button that he pressed, and the system made a slight ‘do do dodo!’ Sound before powering on.
“Ah, but regardless, I’m really happy you do like this. You didn’t need to get me a gift either. This was just something I wanted to do...”
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Posted: Wed Sep 25, 2019 6:02 am
He knelt down to sit on the floor beside Mali, watching him plug things but otherwise bit looking at him. For that he was grateful because he wasn't sure if he could keep his gaze long.
Instead, he helped set a few things aside to give Mali space to work and then moved a few pillows down for them to sit. It helped he kept the small apartment clean most days. Again, he had little to do outside of work a d watching TV so cleaning just helped pass the time.
Deciding to further the statement, he crawled over and went to slowly hug Mali from behind. "I like it a lot. Thank you. It's probably one of the kindest gifts I've ever gotten." He admitted before releasing him and going back to sit down.
"To be honest, I don't even know myself enough to answer those questions. Now that I can glamour, I'm trying to figure things out about myself little by little. Do I like coffee or tea? What clothes do I like? What movies do I like or care for?"
Do I find this person attractive? Do I enjoy this?
"It makes conversations one-sided when I have nothing to contribute and I feel that's not fair to most people. For me to take and have nothing to give back."
He went quiet as Mali expressed his concerns so openly to him a d yet so easily. It actually helped prompt him to do the same.
"I worry about that too but in reverse. What do I offer you as a friend and am I even a good friend? How fun am I to be with when all I can talk about is work and that's not something you enjoy? How much can I ever connect with you with how our lives are? Do you deserve to not have all the headaches and fights I give you."
He set his hands in his lap, moving a few claws over the others.
"I thought too - that I'd never be as good a friend as a human could be like Gryph. That you deserve people you can connect with better and can come over every night and have fun." He couldn't help the tone as he talked about the other man.
Jerk. Mali could do better.
"That night, I thought you saw that when everything turned to s**t."
He placed a hand over his mouth and looked across the room, muttering something else.
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Posted: Wed Sep 25, 2019 6:25 am
While the hug was unexpected, they felt different than before.
Much less heart racing... His skin didn't flair up in red, and his face didn't feel as if he was about to boil over. Instead of thinking much of he, 'Mali gently patted one of the paws around him, before getting back to work when he was let go.
"Despite my sour behavior most of the time, I do try to think about what would be best as a gift. Things that are practical. Less a piece to sit around and gather dust, but more of something you can readily use and think of me when you do. Dolls, food, those sorts of things are fleeting at times. Hopefully with the addition of Mauvian tech, it will stand up alot longer to time itself. And come the next system to be released, we'll simply have Chip upgrade it. Rest assured, he'll be delighted to help." ... As long as 'Mali gave in and chugged down the next bit of gross, chunky coffee... A fair price, all things considered.
Now that everything was set up properly, he joined Wolframite on those pillows, handing him the dual joysticks, while taking a more generic looking one into his own hands. The screen powered up, and instead of any standard industry logo popping up before it fully booted, it was a scribbled image of Chip, with the words "A Chip Original Piece, Just for Wolframite from Zube-something something - Mali!" flashing across the screen.
Amusing... Not something he had specifically asked for, and certainly spelled wrong, but cute, nonetheless.
"That's a good question, isn't it? Before, it was easy to answer that. I loved you, and that's all that mattered to me. I couldn't explain why I felt that way, or why I wanted to try to get close, but I did." Another button pressed, and a little Chip head popped across the screen as a menu selection icon. He certainly loved to throw himself all over the place here, didn't he?
At the mention of Gryph, the senshi paused. What to say about the man...? About how special he had become to Landry? The thought was met with a soft laugh to himself.
"That day was a s**t show, for lack of a better word. I don't blame you for it. I don't blame Gryphon for it either. It was complicated and painful and... No one could have predicted that would happen. And I'm sorry for yelling at you, but I wasn't quite myself at the time. I was more panicked that your secret would be outed." Finally, he let his gaze return to Wolframite, and sighed.
"You do realize that Gryphon didn't become my friend overnight, right? The circumstances in which we met were less than ideal... It wasn't an instant 'I want to be friends with this man' like it was with you. Human or not, I don't like people. I much rather be alone, on my couch, with my kitten. But I wanted to be with you the moment I saw you. Gryphon... Well, you saw him. He's a bulldozer who wouldn't leave me alone."
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Posted: Wed Sep 25, 2019 6:47 am
He took the joystick, trying to get a feel of it inside his hand and finding the buttons. It felt strange even being able to hold one comfortably and he guessed his info was somewhere in the Mauvian database when he got his other requests done when Faustite made the order with Tiberius.
Chip showed up several times and he had to smile at the Mauvian giving up on writing out Mali's full officer name. Wolframite didn't think the final round of a spelling championship would touch that one.
It promoted two players on the screen and promoted them both to hit a button to register their controllers, which he did.
"I know. You were bleeding and I just wanted to fix you up. I wanted you to sit down and not move. We all sucked as nurses in the end. It was probably best you could go to the hospital in the end." He said, staring off into the screen.
He went quiet as Mali spoke and there was that same unsettling twist in his gut. "Is he a friend or - is it becoming like it was with me?" He didn't look at him as he asked this.
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Posted: Wed Sep 25, 2019 8:01 am
"You know, it was also the first time I've ever actually been hurt like that before. I bruise easily and bleed forever, so the amount of blood that was there was alot more terrifying than I could explain. Even if you finished patching me up, I probably would have ended up in the hospital anyway due to pain. 'Nubi probably has tons of drugs to dull that stuff, but I don't." Now that the system was up, there were a vast list of games that were listed, and 'Mali set down his controller to let Wolframite scroll through them himself.
The question about Gryphon caught him a little off guard... Maybe it was the tone, or maybe it was the fact that after everything they'd gone through, the halfling still wanted to ask him such a thing...
"Well... My feelings towards him are complicated. There wasn't an initial attraction or a moment of 'oh, I want to get to know him' like there was with you. Actually, I nearly called the cops on him when he first came to my house since he was there to sell 'Nubi drugs... But he hung around, and we talked and... It's strange. He keeps pushing to get to know me. And he knows how to get under my skin so easily... I can't say I hate it though... Everything he does is out of consideration for my feelings and... It makes me want to do the same for him." 'Mali was more than a little fond of Gryphon, it was easy to tell by the sweet, yet slightly annoyed expression he got on his face while reminiscing about the man.
About the kisses they shared and how very gently such a bear of a man treated him.
With him, he felt as if he was allowed to be fragile or irritable or whatever came naturally, instead of being forced to mute his feelings due to 'threat of death'.
"... Ultimately, no, it's not the same, if only because the circumstances are completely different. But what of you? You can't tell me you've been alone this whole time, waiting for me to show up again. Have you met anyone you've become friends with?"
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Posted: Wed Sep 25, 2019 8:20 am
"He's a drug dealer." Wolframite repeated the information, looking at the screen as he scrolled down. Wolframite had killed dozens of drug dealers before with Castor and he wondered how close he could have been to offing this guy at any one point in the past. He wondered too, darkly, how things might be different if he did.
His claws clacked against the joystick as he scrolled down one by one, but in the glow of the TV screen, he saw the expression on Mali's face as he spoke if the guy. The half-youma's eyes narrowed before flicking back to stare at the TV.
The clacking continued as he scrolled.
"There is another half-youma here. We've hung out a couple of times. Name's Lavendulan." He said briskly. "Otherwise that's it. Not really easy to make friends. I plan on having some trainees though."
He wasn't one to fall for a change in subject if he didn't want it.
"He came late that night. Didn't want to leave your side either. Even said he cared about you."
Clack. Clack. Clack.
"Have you two kissed yet?"
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Posted: Wed Sep 25, 2019 9:22 am
"Strange, right? You wouldn't think our worlds would connect like they had, but they did. It's kinda like how I was brought into the Negaverse. By force, and because of 'Nubi." With all the games listed he... Realized now that there were some less appropriate games listed, but made no mention of them. He could just chalk up that to Chip being pretty enthusiastic with his downloads.
"Lavendulan. That's a mouthful. Do you like this person? A new friend? I suppose it is hard to make friends, but I am hoping you're getting along well with other people. And soon with more responsibility, you'll have less and less times for games like these. It's best to enjoy them now."
Turning as red as he did when asked about his intimacy with Gryph was only Natural. After all, Landry, when it boiled down to it, was a very private person. No one needed to know his business unless they were directly involved with it, and in this case, Wolframite didn't need to know.
"... Why are you asking that? Does it even matter to talk about...?"
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Posted: Wed Sep 25, 2019 9:52 am
"She's nice. She was forced into the Negaverse too. You might like her if you want to meet her."
"I'll find and make time to do things like this. For games. For people. For you." He said, pausing as he stared at the screen as Chip's icon blinked back at him.
"Why wouldn't I want to know about someone that important in your life? Do you not want to tell me now that we found out we can't be intimate together? I thought that's something friends talk about. About love."
He started to scroll again, not really reading now. "I don't know any of these. Pick one for me, please." He asked. "A game you enjoy with someone."
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