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nonscriptum) wrote2019-06-27 11:42 am
nonscriptum) wrote2019-06-27 11:42 am
{ inbox } hadriel
This is Nate, you know what to do. I'll get back to you.
This is Nate, you know what to do. I'll get back to you.
[ And then there's this, apropos of nothing. ]
we have a shower, but no one's using it right now. room 308
we have a shower, but no one's using it right now. room 308
[ well, eugene's had him digging holes recently to bury extra supplies, and showers are scarceish. besides, at least the rooms are safe from graves. ]
Thanks.
[ he actually knocks on the door like a normal person, within 10 or so minutes of replying. he's carrying, as usual, his lantern and pack, blazer folded and slung over the latter. the umbrella academy tattoo sits visibly on his wrist as he straightens his bag's strap, looking up when the door opens. ]
How's the hot water?
[ what if we just didn't talk about what's going on at all. ]
Thanks.
[ he actually knocks on the door like a normal person, within 10 or so minutes of replying. he's carrying, as usual, his lantern and pack, blazer folded and slung over the latter. the umbrella academy tattoo sits visibly on his wrist as he straightens his bag's strap, looking up when the door opens. ]
How's the hot water?
[ what if we just didn't talk about what's going on at all. ]
[ He answers the door just after the knock comes, having waited around for this explicitly. Is this weird? Nate thinks it's weird. Their last conversation didn't end in bloodshed, but it only just danced the knife's edge of civility. ]
Hot.
[ He says with a questioning lilt at the end of the word, stepping aside to let him in. The tattoo doesn't escape him, and neither does the state of Five's clothes. ]
Been busy?
Hot.
[ He says with a questioning lilt at the end of the word, stepping aside to let him in. The tattoo doesn't escape him, and neither does the state of Five's clothes. ]
Been busy?
[ if asked, five would have to admit that he somewhat forgot the tone of their last conversation. not entirely, but like. tense conversations are pretty par to course for his life, and they didn't end on bad terms, so. you know. more important things to worry about. ]
Nice.
[ he steps in with the tacit invitation, crosses towards the window to set down his bag. ]
Been digging. So, yeah, you can say that. [ is he going to offer any explanation? apparently not. ] You?
Nice.
[ he steps in with the tacit invitation, crosses towards the window to set down his bag. ]
Been digging. So, yeah, you can say that. [ is he going to offer any explanation? apparently not. ] You?
[ Nate shuts the door behind him as he enters, turning to watch Five move across the room, set his bag down with a pragmatism that many would aspire to, and make arbitrary small-talk. He leans against their lone chest of drawers, raising his eyebrows. ]
Hope you weren't digging for remains.
Hope you weren't digging for remains.
[ his blazer is settled on the bag once again -- not the floor, he's not an animal!! -- and it's as he's straightening back up that nate's not-a-question registers. ]
Don't be ridiculous.
[ sharply, but not meant to cut. ]
If there's anyone worth digging up, I haven't heard about 'em yet.
[ yeah that's the problem here. ]
Don't be ridiculous.
[ sharply, but not meant to cut. ]
If there's anyone worth digging up, I haven't heard about 'em yet.
[ yeah that's the problem here. ]
Edited 2019-07-21 01:49 (UTC)
[ Arms folded over his chest, he tries (and fails) to suppress a wide smile and the evident tone of amusement that accompanies it. ]
Yeah, and usually when I'm grave-robbing I pick a different outfit.
Yeah, and usually when I'm grave-robbing I pick a different outfit.
[ he shrugs, leaning back against the windowsill. ]
It's just clothes.
[ why NOT wear fussy clothing when doing anything, honestly. ]
But if I find any real graves, I'll defer to your expertise.
[ operative word being real. he's keenly aware of what's just outside the window, behind his back. ]
It's just clothes.
[ why NOT wear fussy clothing when doing anything, honestly. ]
But if I find any real graves, I'll defer to your expertise.
[ operative word being real. he's keenly aware of what's just outside the window, behind his back. ]
Kind of you.
[ Tongue in cheek, emphasis on the cheek. Nate watches him for another long second before speaking again. ]
...So if you weren't looking for something, what were you burying?
[ Tongue in cheek, emphasis on the cheek. Nate watches him for another long second before speaking again. ]
...So if you weren't looking for something, what were you burying?
Supplies.
[ then shrugs. ]
Eventually, anyway. Think of it as a fail-safe, just in case.
[ gene had wanted to keep the location private, but they'd discussed the idea on the network publicly enough. ]
Right now, the town's just screwing with our minds, but that's not going to last forever. Next problem we face might be harder to survive.
[ then shrugs. ]
Eventually, anyway. Think of it as a fail-safe, just in case.
[ gene had wanted to keep the location private, but they'd discussed the idea on the network publicly enough. ]
Right now, the town's just screwing with our minds, but that's not going to last forever. Next problem we face might be harder to survive.
[ It's reasonable. Practical, even, in a way he acknowledges with a nod of approval, because it sounds very survival-oriented, and in these unpredictable times it's a preparedness he can respect. ]
Oh, I can almost guarantee that.
[ Hadriel was the same way. When it wasn't throwing emotionally manipulative curve balls, it was warping the landscape and environment just to fuck with them. ]
Oh, I can almost guarantee that.
[ Hadriel was the same way. When it wasn't throwing emotionally manipulative curve balls, it was warping the landscape and environment just to fuck with them. ]
Exactly like that? No.
[ He huffs a laugh, something bitter at the edges, and levels a look at him. ]
But it did once conjure up ghosts of loved ones that would slowly kill us by feeding on our energy unless we killed them first.
[ He huffs a laugh, something bitter at the edges, and levels a look at him. ]
But it did once conjure up ghosts of loved ones that would slowly kill us by feeding on our energy unless we killed them first.
[ miscalculation. he'd never considered hadriel might be as fucked up as this place, or more so. ]
You should make a list, if you haven't already. There could be similarities between what those so-called gods pulled and what the Lighthouse Keeper has planned.
You should make a list, if you haven't already. There could be similarities between what those so-called gods pulled and what the Lighthouse Keeper has planned.
[ Following this thread. ]
[ Rafe pockets the tablet β still no reply β after letting Raylan down... not gently, probably. It was quick at least. That has to count for something. Melisandre is set and resting back at the church so that leaves him free and clear to track Nate down and pry that answer out of him.
Beacon is small, at least, and he has the benefit of knowing Nate better than he's comfortable admitting. Or he did, once upon a time. And with what that knowledge, he aims high as possible. The town hall. The cobbles make for easy climbing and a makeshift grapple helps where it's not so much, and in about as much time as it takes to say Rafe is up on the roof. Peering into the dark, he makes his way to the clock tower, not sure if he'll have to scale that too. Maybe he ought to, just in case, get a better view of the square to catch that spot of light from Nate's lantern.
Cursing under his breath, he heads up the clock like a pissed off mouse ready for one o'clock. He takes hold of a parapet to heave himself up and head for the front where there's the best light.
Said to himself and hardly expecting any answer yet: ] There's only a dozen roofs in this place, so where are you?
[ Rafe pockets the tablet β still no reply β after letting Raylan down... not gently, probably. It was quick at least. That has to count for something. Melisandre is set and resting back at the church so that leaves him free and clear to track Nate down and pry that answer out of him.
Beacon is small, at least, and he has the benefit of knowing Nate better than he's comfortable admitting. Or he did, once upon a time. And with what that knowledge, he aims high as possible. The town hall. The cobbles make for easy climbing and a makeshift grapple helps where it's not so much, and in about as much time as it takes to say Rafe is up on the roof. Peering into the dark, he makes his way to the clock tower, not sure if he'll have to scale that too. Maybe he ought to, just in case, get a better view of the square to catch that spot of light from Nate's lantern.
Cursing under his breath, he heads up the clock like a pissed off mouse ready for one o'clock. He takes hold of a parapet to heave himself up and head for the front where there's the best light.
Said to himself and hardly expecting any answer yet: ] There's only a dozen roofs in this place, so where are you?
[ He'd hoped to stew in himself for a little while, and fully intended to after prying Kyna off of him with all the gentleness he could muster. She let him go with some reluctance but he thanked her for being there, for being a presence he could turn to, but some things necessitate distance, and time. The latter they have in abundance but for the lack of mountains that Nate can determine in the inky blackness, the next best thing is a rooftop shrouded in shadow.
He would give anything for sun, just for five minutes. Just to feel warm in a way that isn't facilitated by rising temperatures and a sticky humidity that shouldn't exist in a place with flora like this.
Nate isn't anticipating anyone else up here. No one really comes up here, and the peace and somnolent quiet it affords him would be nice if not for the hair-trigger reaction that's kicked like a mule as soon as he hears someone else talk. Nate reacts without thinking, immediately reaching for his gun and turning on the edge, risking a fall he doesn't need.
Who he sees meandering over from the other side nearly gives him a goddamn heart attack. ]
Are you f- what the Hell are you doing here?
He would give anything for sun, just for five minutes. Just to feel warm in a way that isn't facilitated by rising temperatures and a sticky humidity that shouldn't exist in a place with flora like this.
Nate isn't anticipating anyone else up here. No one really comes up here, and the peace and somnolent quiet it affords him would be nice if not for the hair-trigger reaction that's kicked like a mule as soon as he hears someone else talk. Nate reacts without thinking, immediately reaching for his gun and turning on the edge, risking a fall he doesn't need.
Who he sees meandering over from the other side nearly gives him a goddamn heart attack. ]
Are you f- what the Hell are you doing here?
Two years' worth of events is a lot.
[ Nate points out, not unkindly. The suggestion isn't an impractical one in theory, but even Nate doesn't remember everything that happened to them, and he doesn't have the sketchbooks and notes he kept while he was there. ]
I could write something up, but don't expect it to be totally comprehensive.
[ Just thinking about putting them on paper again feels like reliving the experience. ]
[ Nate points out, not unkindly. The suggestion isn't an impractical one in theory, but even Nate doesn't remember everything that happened to them, and he doesn't have the sketchbooks and notes he kept while he was there. ]
I could write something up, but don't expect it to be totally comprehensive.
[ Just thinking about putting them on paper again feels like reliving the experience. ]
Anything is better than nothing.
[ if he were nicer, he might think twice on the suggestion or at least apologize. he isn't, doesn't. he shifts his weight a little, says, ]
I want to be prepared. Anything can happen to us --
[ in moving, he'd knocked his foot into his jacket just enough to jostle the pockets. something small and round falls out, hits the floor with a thud and starts rolling. ]
[ if he were nicer, he might think twice on the suggestion or at least apologize. he isn't, doesn't. he shifts his weight a little, says, ]
I want to be prepared. Anything can happen to us --
[ in moving, he'd knocked his foot into his jacket just enough to jostle the pockets. something small and round falls out, hits the floor with a thud and starts rolling. ]
[ Nate isn't the only one taken by surpriseβ Sure, he'd come up here in a search for Nate but things are never in the first place he looks, expecting to do nothing more up here than get his bearings and maybe get a bead on where Nate would actually be. It shouldn't have been this easy. Nothing ever is.
And maybe this isn't either as Nate wobbles near the edge and Rafe's stomach lurches with sudden deja vu. Even as he reaches for his own gun, he backs up a step until his heel catches its own ledge. He hisses a shit under his breath and so much for the hand at his holster β his arms go out on both sides for balance, trying not to earn a fall of his own. Karma? Maybe. But preferably not today.
Once things are settled again, or at least vaguely certain he won't take that tumble, Rafe's arms drop back to his sides in an exasperated shrug. ]
It's the highest point in town,
[ he answers, like it's obvious. And it is, on several levels. The best vantage point, the least accessible point, the most likely spot for either of them to go for the simple fact that practically nobody else can. ]
And maybe this isn't either as Nate wobbles near the edge and Rafe's stomach lurches with sudden deja vu. Even as he reaches for his own gun, he backs up a step until his heel catches its own ledge. He hisses a shit under his breath and so much for the hand at his holster β his arms go out on both sides for balance, trying not to earn a fall of his own. Karma? Maybe. But preferably not today.
Once things are settled again, or at least vaguely certain he won't take that tumble, Rafe's arms drop back to his sides in an exasperated shrug. ]
It's the highest point in town,
[ he answers, like it's obvious. And it is, on several levels. The best vantage point, the least accessible point, the most likely spot for either of them to go for the simple fact that practically nobody else can. ]
[ It's valid, and Nate's main reservations are restricted to his ability to remember every traumatic event when he's the sort of person to bury them, deep. He opens his mouth to agree when Five shifts, something is bumped, and a small orb falls out of a jacket pocket and rolls across the floor before gently tapping the toe of his boot.
Nate stoops to pick it up before he can help himself, an ingrained need to handle anything shiny reaching for the white marble that he realizes is a glass eye as soon as it hits the light of his lantern.
He raises an eyebrow as he straightens up again, turning the iris in Five's direction. ]
So...this is creepy.
Nate stoops to pick it up before he can help himself, an ingrained need to handle anything shiny reaching for the white marble that he realizes is a glass eye as soon as it hits the light of his lantern.
He raises an eyebrow as he straightens up again, turning the iris in Five's direction. ]
So...this is creepy.
Whoa, hey-
[ Perhaps unintentionally, Nate retreats in the only way he physically can: by lifting his arm higher than Five can reach. While the abortive attempt as transportation is weird - enlightening, but maybe not in a good way, are his powers so limited? and why? - it's weirder still that Five is feral for a glass eyeball. ]
I'm not gonna break it.
[ Perhaps unintentionally, Nate retreats in the only way he physically can: by lifting his arm higher than Five can reach. While the abortive attempt as transportation is weird - enlightening, but maybe not in a good way, are his powers so limited? and why? - it's weirder still that Five is feral for a glass eyeball. ]
I'm not gonna break it.
No, because what you're going to do is give it back right now.
[ it's stupid, that he cares so much about the goddamn eyeball. it almost certainly belongs to harold jenkins; he knows that now, and his siblings do too. the thing has served its purpose. he followed the lead to meritech, learned what little he could, and then the trail went cold.
well, it went up in flames. thanks hazel, cha cha.
it's worthless now. a hunk of glass that tells him nothing, got him nowhere. there's no more information he can possibly mine from it. he should've thrown it away after meritech burned. he should've thrown it away after getting that slip of paper from the commission. he could've thrown it away here, after dying, for chrissake.
but that stupid eyeball has been his lifeline since he was thirteen, was his reminder over the years and years and years that there was a job he needed to do. had to keep going, had to survive, had to get home. had to find this asshole and kill him before he kills everyone.
nate wouldn't break it, not on purpose, and it wouldn't even matter if he did. but five feels a stab of irrational panic anyway.
he says, low, angry, ]
I swear to God, Nathan, I know ten ways I could kill you right now, without breaking a sweat. Hand it over.
[ it's stupid, that he cares so much about the goddamn eyeball. it almost certainly belongs to harold jenkins; he knows that now, and his siblings do too. the thing has served its purpose. he followed the lead to meritech, learned what little he could, and then the trail went cold.
well, it went up in flames. thanks hazel, cha cha.
it's worthless now. a hunk of glass that tells him nothing, got him nowhere. there's no more information he can possibly mine from it. he should've thrown it away after meritech burned. he should've thrown it away after getting that slip of paper from the commission. he could've thrown it away here, after dying, for chrissake.
but that stupid eyeball has been his lifeline since he was thirteen, was his reminder over the years and years and years that there was a job he needed to do. had to keep going, had to survive, had to get home. had to find this asshole and kill him before he kills everyone.
nate wouldn't break it, not on purpose, and it wouldn't even matter if he did. but five feels a stab of irrational panic anyway.
he says, low, angry, ]
I swear to God, Nathan, I know ten ways I could kill you right now, without breaking a sweat. Hand it over.
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