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Post by mintedstar/fur on Sept 2, 2019 14:32:32 GMT -5
(I'm ever so slightly annoyed that I deleted my actual post instead of the accidental one I'd posted instead. And annoyed that I didn't save the original version, since it was posted early this morning and I already deleted it. SIIIIIIIGH. Take 2. ) Briefly, Sam looked over to where Kelsier and Hector were talking. They didn't seem to be paying that much attention to them. They could have seen both of their children, but Sam didn't think they could hear what they were saying. "I don't think they would mind," he confirmed. They seemed to be talking together more than paying attention to anything both boys were doing could be doing. Nico's words had felt buoyant in Sam's chest, making his emotions light and airy. Nico's conviction seemed far more real than what Sam could muster. It encouraged Sam to make his boyfriend happy. He wanted to see Nico smile more. Wanted to see him happy. Because despite everything that they had been through, Sam knew that Nico had shadows behind his eyes. Sometimes, when they were together, Sam noticed they were gone. And right now, he could feel a bit of the light remaining in himself. A bit reckless, just to see Nico happy. He leaned toward Nico, a whisper soft voice directed at his ear. "Did you want to go outside?" The pit of his stomach tingled with the danger. The night bell had already tolled. But the roof would be safe, wouldn't it? At least from all outside dangers. That might not stop both their fathers from chasing them down and reprimanding them. But the thought of silence and it just being the two of them and the stars and fantasies they made up in their head … it might be worth it. "There has to be a window to a rooftop somewhere around here," he added, still in that soft voice at Nico's ear. There was something about the adrenaline rush of rebellion that seemed to heighten Nico’s senses. It was as though he was hyper aware of everything happening around him. They could easily sneak out and nobody would notice. Yet the doors were all locked… so would a window be safer? It was hard to tell. Maybe they would be safe if they just weren’t on the ground. Although it seemed unlikely that this place would have windows that opened if the danger was that real. But there was something about Sam’s whisper in his ear that made him want to find a place to go outside and stay there with his boyfriend all night if it meant they got just a little more time together. He cast a glance at their fathers, smiling softly to same before moving so he could whisper in Sam’s ear. “Follow me,” he murmured. It was lucky that both boys were relatively small and the tavern was crowded: they were able to slip between people without really being seen by either Kelsier or Hector. They made it to the stairs, Nico leading but clutching Sam’s hand tightly the entire time. He doubted he would have the bravery to try to find a window if Sam hadn’t been right there. If Sam’s presence hadn’t been a promise that doing something dangerous would be well worth it. It was a tavern, so there was bound to be a place upstairs. Whether or not it was occupied would be the real question, but with all the commotion downstairs Nico doubted that anyone would actually be in the accommodation even if they had paid for it. “I’ve been working on lock picking,” Nico laughed once they were out of earshot of the downstairs patrons. “Even if it’s locked…” he paused, noticing a window at the end of the hallway. “I suppose my recently acquired expertise won’t be necessary,” he added, pressing a kiss to Sam’s temple. “Here we go.” One. Two. Three. A step towards the window. It was dangerous outside, his head screamed at him, but it was worth it for the stars. It had to be worth it for the stars and for the limited time he’d get with Sam. “Should we try to open it together?” There was no shout from Hector and Kelsier, so Sam assumed they had gotten away without drawing notice. Last he'd seen, they'd been talking to that small boy who had been with the dragon before. He was assuming they would be distracted with the little kid for a while. If this worked out, maybe he should thank the small boy. There was some noise as they left, but it wasn't until they were already up the stairs that Sam looked back, wondering what had happened. It didn't sound like anything major though. Instead of saying anything, he looked back to Nico and smiled, picking up speed so their shoulders were brushing. He was looking for a door or window to unlock when Nico pointed out the most obvious one. He shot a look at his boyfriend which might have contained just a bit too much mischief. "Guess we get to see what's behind window number one." He tried to peer out the glass, but it was too dark outside and too light inside the hall. Sam put both of his hands on the sill, waiting for Nico to join him. "Time to see if it's unlocked ..." Hopefully it wasn't. Sam couldn't actually see any lock to pick and none to slide either. Instead, he lifted the window along with Nico, and it opened easily. A fresh breeze from outside swept into the hall, bring the sent of the nearby trees and - to the left Sam assumed - where the horses were. If the horses were safe, they should be too, shouldn't they? Or was something specifically targeting humans? Sam leaned his head out and looked down. Thanks to the light casting a glow down below, he could just make out the ground. Nothing was there. He looked up. The roof wasn't that far away. He could make it. "You want to go first or should I?" he asked Nico, grinning at the rhetorical question. Sam was the better climber. Nico had always seemed better at just about everything else. Satchel swinging, Sam eased himself out of the window far enough that he could grip the edge of the roof. There was a rush of butterflies in his chest, but before they could freeze up his limps, he pushed away from the window and boosted himself up, rolling up the steady incline so he was away from the edge. Then he looked around. A bit dirty. But nothing dangerous. He leaned back over the edge, hands out. "Come on," he said in a loud whisper.
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Post by Shadepelt15 on Sept 2, 2019 14:50:54 GMT -5
hey man no worries, as I'm sure you can see I'm also p slow ksks ~∂єѕтιиу zeph! )) Shade grinned when the pirate scolded her inability to keep her eyes still. Usually she was quite good at staying still, but she found that having weird powder smeared over her face made it... a little bit harder. At the mention of the weird little creatures of her world she sighed, dramatically slumping her shoulders and slouching. "Oh yes, those little demons. It took me days to catch them all after I blinked out. Been a while since I've seen any since I've been hanging around in the city, but some people do keep them for pets." She listened passively to Hook and Morrigan's exchange for a moment then hummed with amusement. "Hes not incorrect. Who else have you met here? Theres a lot of really fantastical places people have come from. I remember... Some of the older blinkers. One was a ghost kid, kind of jumping between his own world and a ghost realm. Another was similar I believe, but I'm not sure if she had a ghost realm. She looked pretty ghostly though. Theres also been a good few Gods that have popped in, some scary little demon children... Lots of really cool people." By now her smile had faded from a broad grin to something softer as she reminisced in old memories.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Sept 2, 2019 15:00:30 GMT -5
Kelsier didn’t step back, but he didn’t move any closer to the two children, either. The girl seemed a lot more cautious than Amico, which he took as a fairly good sign. It didn’t mean they weren’t alone, though. And whether they had real parents or not didn’t matter if the parents weren’t there to protect them, which at the moment, no one but him and another man he didn’t know seemed to care. He could be angry about that later. Right now, he needed to get the kids away from the door, and it didn’t look like the young woman who’d opened it was going to let him do that, unless.... “Yes, I’m their father. I’m sorry if they’ve been any trouble, the inn is so crowded tonight I lost track of them for a moment.” He answered lightly. He didn’t have to fake the worry in his eyes as he offered the Amico and his sister a small smile. He hoped he wasn’t scaring them with this ruse, but what choice did he have? He couldn’t turn a blind eye. “Can we come away from the door, please? We have to go find your mother.” ( mintedstar/fur <Raintalon> zeph! )
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Sept 2, 2019 15:29:04 GMT -5
Neither man exactly considered himself cunning. At least, he didn’t think of it that way. He did think he was smart, but that was because he had evidence for it, and there was no use in ignoring it, right? Which Orpheus was real? Mare frowned, turning it over in his head. How were they supposed to tell? As much as he hated to admit it, his double was right; they didn’t know each other well enough to be able to guess something the House wouldn’t be able to replicate convincingly enough. His head hurt. For the first time, doubt seeped into him...he had to assume he was the real Kelsier. He had to assume that much, or where could he start from to figure out which Orpheus was real? He had to start somewhere. No, he had to be real. So Spook has to be the fake. All he had to figure out was which Kelsier was right. Spook nodded, even though the only one who could see it was himself. He didn’t know who L was, but he had to guess it was someone else in the House his new friend had met. It didn’t matter. Calliope was right, how could they fight something as powerful as the House? “Hope.” Spook answered his own silent question softly, watching Mare as the other version began to pace. “Whichever Orpheus is real; we can do this. It’s not impossible to beat this room, all right? We just need to figure a way out, and I think we can both do that. It’s Spook, by the way.” Mare didn’t stop pacing, and he didn’t take his eyes off Spook. What was he doing? If he was trying to trip the House up with that speech, he was doing a poor job. Maybe he thought parroting things the real Kelsier might say would get him picked faster? “It’s Mare.” He spoke up, and Spook’s eyes met his. “There’s no guarantee that we can beat this room, but we don’t need one. There has to be something about the fake versions that’s off, something the House can’t replicate, right? If we can find that, we can guess right.” “It’s Spook again. I actually agree with myself.” Spook managed a smile, and he even managed to halfway mean it. “And I think you’re right. I know I believe I’m the real Kelsier, and I believe Mare does, too. So probably both of you believe it too.” Mare interrupted, stopping his pacing abruptly. “Mare again. I just thought of something, how do we know...we aren’t both real?” His voice cracked a little on the last word, so he tried again. “I mean, the House can blink in different real versions of the same blinker, right? What if it just blinked us in... twice?” Lyre nodded slowly. He didn’t know how to believe Spook, but he wanted to. And didn’t that give him the power to actually do it? They could figure this out… they could beat the House somehow. Even if reality seems to be crashing down on them both, there was a way to figure everything out and maybe it wasn’t as hard as they had imagined. He opened his mouth to respond when he heard Mare’s voice. The two seemed to have a discussion, and then the chilling realization. What if they were both real? How would that even work? “Calliope here. You mean if we’re both from different versions of our own world or something?” Calliope asked, trying to process it. “Or if we’re from the same world moments apart? How… how could the House do that unless it altered our memories so they’re perfect up until about two minutes ago?” It was easier to believe the Orpheus in front of him was a perfect copy because they were literally the same person from the same timeline, because that meant the House didn’t have access to all of that information on its own. Yet at some point Calliope had to come to terms with the fact that the House knew that all anyway. Having two of them here, both as real as the other, meant something much more complicated was going on. “Lyre now… what if that’s just what the House wants us to believe?” His voice was small as he spoke, but the gears in his head were whirring. If Mare was right - and he really wanted him to be - both Calliope and Lyre should have something similar running through their head: that they needed Mare or Spook to say exactly the right thing. They needed one of the Kelsiers to “win” this challenge, because… well, because anything special about Orpheus’ voice was already gone, and it seemed like Kelsier needed his. What difference did it make to Orpheus whether all of his voice was gone or just some of it, because the power that came with it only existed when he had all of it. And he didn’t want Kelsier to lose, especially because if anyone had a right to win… it was the other man. “Calliope now… I think Lyre’s right. One of us has to be fake, otherwise we would be here, right? There has to be a right answer.” He caught Lyre’s eye and nodded in a way that was very nearly imperceptible. They were on the same wavelength it seemed. Calliope didn’t know for sure if he was real or if Lyre was, but if they were both real… then all they needed was for Kelsier to say definitively that none of them were fake. Lyre didn’t seem capable of killing Mr. Hermes… and the fear with which he’d regarded his clone… there was no way the House could mirror that exactly. But it was still possible they were both false. There was something about Kelsier’s voice, though. It didn’t matter which Kelsier was speaking; when one of them had an idea or thought they were on to something their tone shifted to something that seemed inimitable. Not that either Orpheus could say for sure, though. Both Orpheus’s sounded like he felt by the idea that both of them were real. Afraid? Not really. Mare didn’t look afraid to Spook, anyway, and though Spook was afraid, it was for different reasons. A better word for it, maybe, was bewildered. How could they both be real? They’d have to be identical in every way. Was that even possible? They had to be different in some way, at least, they had to be different now that they were...two...of them. His head hurt. He shook it, and shot a glare across the glass at Mare. “Spook here. This is getting too complicated. How could we be both real? Calliope is right, we would have to be from different versions, or different time. Something would have to be different, right?” “Maybe not.” Mare murmured. Thinking about it was helping quell some of the nervous energy of the room. “Maybe we’re from the exact time time, just...instead of blinking us in once, it did it twice. We don’t know how blinking works. If it’s not in our time, why couldn’t it reuse the moment’s we come from and get two exact versions of the same person?” There was a beat of silence, then two. Because on the one hand, Spook knew that meant he didn’t have to worry he was the fake anymore. But on the other hand, that opened up a whole closet full of possibilities he didn’t want to think about. The House was powerful, sure, but… Nothing should be quite that powerful. Not him, not anyone else. “I agreed with you two. One of us has to be fake. It’s Spook.” He said finally, breaking the silence so suddenly it was like he’d physically shattered it somehow. “And I think there’s a good chance my fake is Mare. He knows a lot about what the House can do, and he seems to think pretty highly of it, doesn’t he? Does that idea sound like something I would come up with?” Mare stepped back from the glass, and Spook stepped forward. Trying not to let the room get to him. Maybe failing. He wasn’t sure. “Maybe we have to figure out which one is fake on our own. Maybe that’s why we can’t help each other, just hear each other. Orpheus? Whichever one of you is real, I need you to think. How can you prove it?”
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Post by <Raintalon> on Sept 2, 2019 22:41:14 GMT -5
mintedstar/furReal and real crazy - definitely a solid base for a character) Lovelace watched the Doctor closely, noting her momentary discomfort as she seemed to process what she’d said to her. What about it had upset her? It was impossible to say - not enough information about this woman to know what might have set her off. She seemed to get over it in a moment, though, and then it was Lovelace’s turn to be uncomfortable. “Why do you care what I do?” she asked, a hint of snappishness to her tone. “Maybe you wanna find answers, but I don’t got any questions to begin with. I know who did this, and the only thing I need is to get out of this place, find them, and kick their ass.” She sighed, then picked up a couple shards of the broken lamp, tossing one to the Doctor. “Here. If you feel like making yourself useful, help me get a start on cutting through this wall. Gotta be something on the outside, right?”
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Sept 3, 2019 2:22:02 GMT -5
mintedstar/furNico couldn’t stop grinning. It felt like something out of a novel, to be running out of a window with Sam into a dangerous night, evading the people who wanted to keep them safe because safety was synonymous with being locked up. Perhaps that was an exaggeration, but it felt freeing to see the dark sky and the wind blowing in through the window, even if there was something dangerous outside. It seemed so peaceful that it was hard to believe they could be in danger. He laughed lightly at Sam’s question, wordlessly watching his boyfriend cast his magic. Okay, so maybe it was just physical skill, but it sure seemed like magic from an outside perspective. The other boy just seemed so lithe and smooth as he made his way up onto the wall and caught hold of the roof, pulling himself up with a sort of grace that Nico doubted he’d ever be able to muster. Nothing immediately happened to Sam, which had been Nico’s secret fear. He hadn’t wanted to see the other boy crawl out the window only to be snatched away by a faceless fiend. He gratefully took a hold of Sam’s outstretched hand and levered himself onto the roof. “We’ve probably got about an hour or two before Hector and my dad notice we’re missing,” he commented softly. “And then probably at least a half hour before they find us. No way they think we’re stupid enough to actually go outside,” he laughed, but not too loudly. It seemed almost as if he could bring the danger to them if he spoke too loudly. There was a spell, almost. They could be safe in each other’s company as long as they weren’t loud enough to draw anything towards them. Deep down, Nico knew that was just his mind making up excuses for why it was okay for them to be outside. “It’s beautiful up here,” he added, catching his breath. “It’s a pity nobody can go outside anymore.” He thought of something before chuckling softly to himself. “Maybe it’s just a conspiracy cause people were stopping work early to enjoy the night air and now they’re all trapped in their indoor jobs until sunrise,” he joked, turning to glance at Sam. Suddenly losing his breath again at the sight of his boyfriend, he smiled softly and pushed a lock of hair away from the other boy’s face.
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Sept 3, 2019 2:23:09 GMT -5
Lyre nodded slowly. He didn’t know how to believe Spook, but he wanted to. And didn’t that give him the power to actually do it? They could figure this out… they could beat the House somehow. Even if reality seems to be crashing down on them both, there was a way to figure everything out and maybe it wasn’t as hard as they had imagined. He opened his mouth to respond when he heard Mare’s voice. The two seemed to have a discussion, and then the chilling realization. What if they were both real? How would that even work? “Calliope here. You mean if we’re both from different versions of our own world or something?” Calliope asked, trying to process it. “Or if we’re from the same world moments apart? How… how could the House do that unless it altered our memories so they’re perfect up until about two minutes ago?” It was easier to believe the Orpheus in front of him was a perfect copy because they were literally the same person from the same timeline, because that meant the House didn’t have access to all of that information on its own. Yet at some point Calliope had to come to terms with the fact that the House knew that all anyway. Having two of them here, both as real as the other, meant something much more complicated was going on. “Lyre now… what if that’s just what the House wants us to believe?” His voice was small as he spoke, but the gears in his head were whirring. If Mare was right - and he really wanted him to be - both Calliope and Lyre should have something similar running through their head: that they needed Mare or Spook to say exactly the right thing. They needed one of the Kelsiers to “win” this challenge, because… well, because anything special about Orpheus’ voice was already gone, and it seemed like Kelsier needed his. What difference did it make to Orpheus whether all of his voice was gone or just some of it, because the power that came with it only existed when he had all of it. And he didn’t want Kelsier to lose, especially because if anyone had a right to win… it was the other man. “Calliope now… I think Lyre’s right. One of us has to be fake, otherwise we would be here, right? There has to be a right answer.” He caught Lyre’s eye and nodded in a way that was very nearly imperceptible. They were on the same wavelength it seemed. Calliope didn’t know for sure if he was real or if Lyre was, but if they were both real… then all they needed was for Kelsier to say definitively that none of them were fake. Lyre didn’t seem capable of killing Mr. Hermes… and the fear with which he’d regarded his clone… there was no way the House could mirror that exactly. But it was still possible they were both false. There was something about Kelsier’s voice, though. It didn’t matter which Kelsier was speaking; when one of them had an idea or thought they were on to something their tone shifted to something that seemed inimitable. Not that either Orpheus could say for sure, though. Both Orpheus’s sounded like he felt by the idea that both of them were real. Afraid? Not really. Mare didn’t look afraid to Spook, anyway, and though Spook was afraid, it was for different reasons. A better word for it, maybe, was bewildered. How could they both be real? They’d have to be identical in every way. Was that even possible? They had to be different in some way, at least, they had to be different now that they were...two...of them. His head hurt. He shook it, and shot a glare across the glass at Mare. “Spook here. This is getting too complicated. How could we be both real? Calliope is right, we would have to be from different versions, or different time. Something would have to be different, right?” “Maybe not.” Mare murmured. Thinking about it was helping quell some of the nervous energy of the room. “Maybe we’re from the exact time time, just...instead of blinking us in once, it did it twice. We don’t know how blinking works. If it’s not in our time, why couldn’t it reuse the moment’s we come from and get two exact versions of the same person?” There was a beat of silence, then two. Because on the one hand, Spook knew that meant he didn’t have to worry he was the fake anymore. But on the other hand, that opened up a whole closet full of possibilities he didn’t want to think about. The House was powerful, sure, but… Nothing should be quite that powerful. Not him, not anyone else. “I agreed with you two. One of us has to be fake. It’s Spook.” He said finally, breaking the silence so suddenly it was like he’d physically shattered it somehow. “And I think there’s a good chance my fake is Mare. He knows a lot about what the House can do, and he seems to think pretty highly of it, doesn’t he? Does that idea sound like something I would come up with?” Mare stepped back from the glass, and Spook stepped forward. Trying not to let the room get to him. Maybe failing. He wasn’t sure. “Maybe we have to figure out which one is fake on our own. Maybe that’s why we can’t help each other, just hear each other. Orpheus? Whichever one of you is real, I need you to think. How can you prove it?” “You seem a little quick to cast blame. Calliope here,” Calliope murmured softly, not daring to look at Lyre. He would lose his courage if he had to look at his own face. Doubting his own existence would really get them nowhere, he knew that for certain. He had to believe that either he was the only Orpheus, or they both were Orpheus. There was no situation where he’d let himself believe that he was fake. “Lyre now. I just… I don’t know how to tell,” he admitted, shaking his head. “Mare, I want to believe that you’re right, that the House is tricking us because that’s what it tends to do, from what I’ve heard, but what happens if we’re wrong? If all four of us aren’t real, doesn’t that mean two of us killed Mr. Hermes and the… the real Mare? It means none of us remember it, and we all think we’re real, but… I can’t prove it.” “Lyre, please!” Calliope shouted, raising his voice for the first time. “I want to get out of here and I know you do too, and if we keep saying we don’t know, then none of us are ever leaving! And it almost feels like you want us to stay in here for longer.” “What, I…?” “Lyre is the fake.” Calliope announced, voice quiet once again. “Lyre and Mare are the fakes. They must be.” The statement hurt to get out, especially as he forced himself to look in Lyre’s eyes as he said it. There was fear there, but also hurt and betrayal and a firm sense of loss. Like Lyre’s world was crumbling in front of him. A few moments passed, and Lyre said nothing, just tried to form words that were refusing to come. “I’m sorry. But if you were real, you’d know for sure. And you’d have said something. Because I know I would have said something, and we’re the same…” his voice trailed off, pained in a way he wasn’t used to feeling. There was no case Lyre could make for himself. He had no proof he was real. He had a gut feeling, but maybe they were both real. Calliope seemed so sure, so why was Lyre doubting himself? If he was real, was Calliope right? Would he know for sure? “If I’m fake…” his voice was almost imperceptible. “If I’m fake, then the House is a skilled artist.”
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Post by mintedstar/fur on Sept 3, 2019 10:58:56 GMT -5
zeph! <Raintalon> ®Hawkpath® »ƑαƖcσηWhy was everyone focused on him? Amico did not understand! And why was Kelsier claiming he was dad and why was this girl trying to shake him off and why was Mei trying to pull him! Truly, when it came to Amico, the situation could have gone two ways. Either the combined effort wouldn't have pulled him off or he would have just given up and allowed Mei to take him. In this case, it was the latter. Amico's arms slackened and he flopped off Madeline's leg. Mei only had a grip on his arm, which meant the small boy was now laying on the ground with his hand at a slightly painful angle where Mei was holding it up. The corners of Amico's eyes were blurry and tears were forming thanks to the tightness in his chest. Why was everyone being like this! He just wanted to help! Why weren't they letting him! Why weren't they helping him! "Waaaaa," was the low keen that started in the back of his throat.
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Post by mintedstar/fur on Sept 3, 2019 11:17:37 GMT -5
(Why thank you. I'm glad you approve.)
"I have somethin' better than that," The Doctor said confidently, pulling something from a pocket. It looked ... well ... like a stick or a slab of stone with vaguely mechanical traits to it. She waved it at the wall ... and it did nothing. The Doctor seemed confused for a second and then sighed. "Oh yeah ..." She pocketed what she was holding again and seemed slightly exasperated. She looked at the shard in her other hand. She wasn't really confident that it would do anything. But she didn't have anything on ... oh wait ... She patted down her pockets again and finally found what she was looking for. A pocket knife. Only without the knife and instead it had all these other tools on it. She looked through them, pulling wires and corkscrews out until she found what she was looking for. It looked like another corkscrew, but this time with a handle. Pressing it to the wall, The Doctor started winding the handle as she looked over at Lovelace. "It's easier than -" She paused, frowning down at the corkscrew. The handle was getting harder to turn. Putting more pressure onto it, she finished, "Than hittin.'" The handle was not impossible to turn with her strength. She nodded to it, saying to Lovelace. "Can't go any further. Want to give it a go?"
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Post by mintedstar/fur on Sept 3, 2019 12:49:25 GMT -5
mintedstar/fur Nico couldn’t stop grinning. It felt like something out of a novel, to be running out of a window with Sam into a dangerous night, evading the people who wanted to keep them safe because safety was synonymous with being locked up. Perhaps that was an exaggeration, but it felt freeing to see the dark sky and the wind blowing in through the window, even if there was something dangerous outside. It seemed so peaceful that it was hard to believe they could be in danger. He laughed lightly at Sam’s question, wordlessly watching his boyfriend cast his magic. Okay, so maybe it was just physical skill, but it sure seemed like magic from an outside perspective. The other boy just seemed so lithe and smooth as he made his way up onto the wall and caught hold of the roof, pulling himself up with a sort of grace that Nico doubted he’d ever be able to muster. Nothing immediately happened to Sam, which had been Nico’s secret fear. He hadn’t wanted to see the other boy crawl out the window only to be snatched away by a faceless fiend. He gratefully took a hold of Sam’s outstretched hand and levered himself onto the roof. “We’ve probably got about an hour or two before Hector and my dad notice we’re missing,” he commented softly. “And then probably at least a half hour before they find us. No way they think we’re stupid enough to actually go outside,” he laughed, but not too loudly. It seemed almost as if he could bring the danger to them if he spoke too loudly. There was a spell, almost. They could be safe in each other’s company as long as they weren’t loud enough to draw anything towards them. Deep down, Nico knew that was just his mind making up excuses for why it was okay for them to be outside. “It’s beautiful up here,” he added, catching his breath. “It’s a pity nobody can go outside anymore.” He thought of something before chuckling softly to himself. “Maybe it’s just a conspiracy cause people were stopping work early to enjoy the night air and now they’re all trapped in their indoor jobs until sunrise,” he joked, turning to glance at Sam. Suddenly losing his breath again at the sight of his boyfriend, he smiled softly and pushed a lock of hair away from the other boy’s face. Nico seemed more happy when they were together, laughing more and smiling more. It eased Sam's heart. But even so, he couldn't help feeling that right now it was a bit strained. Where they were was a place they had both been warned away from and it felt like too loud a word, maybe even breathing, would cause the spell to break. Sam forced himself to relax, and he did that by moving close to Nico until they were side by side, his head on Nico's shoulder, with his eyes trained upward and looking toward the stars. "Maybe," he breathed. "Or maybe they're all inside so we can have out here to ourselves?" His lips twitched at his own attempt at continuing the story. It was a nice thought. But he had already formulated as many reassurances as possible. They were high up. They weren't alone. They would, he assured himself, be fine. He was going to believe that because it made him feel better and made Nico feel better. A night breeze, just a little chilly, blowing over the roof and dancing around Nico's hair and sending it into Samuel's face. Sam blew it away, laughing softly. Then he pointed up. "Remember your promise, Nico. I wanted to hear about the stars." Sam could look up at them and almost imagine what they looked like up close. He could almost close his eyes and feel like he could travel to them and back. But even if he could see them in his mind's eye, he couldn't actually know them. Nico had the stories, Sam just had the feelings. He gave Nico a one armed hug, not feeling the cold so much as enjoying the stiff breeze that rolled through.
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Asexual
zeph!
tired + busy but i'd like to say hello again :]
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Post by zeph! on Sept 3, 2019 17:24:25 GMT -5
Sky had gone silent at this point, frustrated that, a, her 'plan' was a complete failure, and, b, that the others had given up. That was the last thing she wanted to do at that moment, but even she knew to do things independently at the time was risky. So, she listened as the others spoke, only giving a faint reaction at the talk of the statues and dragons. Truth be told, she didn't know why they mattered- in her world, dragons were just creatures, neither good nor bad- they were just trying to survive, like they were in this situation. However, the thing that really made Sky think was the comment from the yard captain about the round man thanking the doctor. Wait. Didn't the man with the yellow-green eyes talk about something similar earlier? About the prime minister using hysteria to get himself into office, and then blaming it on the doctor? Well, what if it was really the round man? It sounded as though he had advanced through this, just as the man with the yellow-green eyes had said. Before she could think about it more, let alone actually say something, the lantern shattered, and she was startled slightly. Sky went back to gripping her wand tightly, with glances at the threads with a mixture of disgust and fear. She really wanted to blame someone for this- only, she now was even less sure who. mintedstar/fur, Auransky, and Cloverleaf
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Pansexual
Cloverleaf
For certain as our banner flies, we are not alone. The people too must rise.
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Post by Cloverleaf on Sept 3, 2019 17:32:08 GMT -5
Hector jumped forwards as Amico bounded away, though he didn't reach to grab him, just see where he was going. The boy had made a big fuss about going outside, so why was he- oh. He nodded as Kelsier spoke, letting the other man go talk to the kids while he scanned the area for someone who looked like they might be looking for someone or were going towards the shouting of the child. "If they were here, they'd surely have heard him."
As Kelsier followed the boy Hector spotted a blond man looking around, his head angled slightly down as if looking for a child. Perhaps the boy's guardian? Although, with the commotion with Kelsier and the rising keen of the boy Hector wasn't sure if he should throw himself into a situation with the boy's father.
Hector had only caught sight of the back of the man's head, but as he looked, Hector caught sight of his face. A cold feeling pressed on his chest, though the farrier didn't recognize him at all. There was no reason for the way his breath had caught, but... something just outside of his memory flickered, though he had no idea what.
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Post by <Raintalon> on Sept 3, 2019 19:45:58 GMT -5
Mei fixed Kelsier with a venomous glare as he came closer, and as he began to spin a lie to the women Amico was still clinging to, her hand went to her cloak, fingers inches from closing around the knife she kept hidden just beneath her belt. If she had to...she could get out of here, Amico in tow. She could. She knew how.
And then, Amico’s weight fell out from under her, and she fell with him, losing her footing and bumping hard into Madeline on her way down. She heard him start to cry before she saw him, and the sound made her own chest begin to tighten, like someone was squeezing her heart from the inside.
“Amico...” she said, trying to think of something to say that would help him calm down. The open door was making it hard to think. That was the first thing she had to fix, before someone got hurt.
So, she turned to Madeline, her single visible eye fixed intensely on the woman as she held tightly to Myrnin’s hand. “Close the door,” she commanded, voice low and steady. “Please, close it now.”
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Post by <Raintalon> on Sept 3, 2019 19:54:07 GMT -5
Lovelace raised her eyebrows, pleasantly surprised to see that the Doctor was not only actually willing to help, but had tools. Good tools.
“Hell yeah, I can actually work with this,” she said, stepping forward a little as the other blinker stepped back, offering her a turn. “Uh...thanks. Gotta say, I didn’t really expect you to be so gung-ho about this whole escaping thing. Last dude I ran into was not into the idea. Dunno what his problem was...”
With no further ado, she began to crank the corkscrew into the wall with surprising strength, her military training put to good use for the first time in...well, a while. She could actually take out the wall with this.
After a few moments of huffing and puffing, she finally had a piece of the wall that had mostly separated from the rest. Eagerly, she let go of the corkscrew and gave it a pull, peeling the footlong segment of drywall off and tossing it triumphantly aside. “Ha ha...eat sh(oops), other blinker dude,” she muttered to herself, grinning as she stuck her head inside the cavity she’d created, eager to see what she’d accomplished.
Inside was...well, more wall, was the long and short of it. More specifically, it was the skeleton of the house. Wood bars intersecting, and more drywall behind that, holding it all in place.
“Yeah, we’re definitely getting somewhere,” she said, voice muffled by the fact that her head was inside a wall.
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Bisexual
Iceclaw
You can kill me, but you will never destroy me.
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Post by Iceclaw on Sept 3, 2019 20:40:26 GMT -5
Rex's head snapped up at the sound of Amico crying. Injured or not, at least he was still here. It was then that he noticed that the door to the tavern was open. Blood turning to ice, he froze for a heartbeat as the image of someone stealing Amico out into the deadly night suffocated his thoughts. An eternity later, his legs remembered how to move, and he rushed through the crowd, pushing past people to get to the door, the fear quickly turning to anger. Nobody was going to take his son. Nobody. He'd never fought a day in his life but if anyone so much as laid a finger on Amico-
Rex came to a stop at the door. His gaze landed on Mei first, then Amico, and then the open door. Pushing Madeline aside, he slammed the door shut. "Don't open this door at night," he snapped, shudders racing down his spine. He had heard something. Someone- gods he hoped whatever it was hadn't gotten in. Turning to his children, he knelt down. "Are you okay?" he asked tensely.
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Post by mintedstar/fur on Sept 3, 2019 22:21:22 GMT -5
<Raintalon>"Really?" said The Doctor, interested. She leaned forward. She had thought the wall was solid past a point, but clearly the House held secrets she wasn't aware of. "What's beyond that?" She inquired, unable to see what was beyond the wall with Lovelace in the way. "Which other blinker?" she inquired instead, waiting for Lovelace to make the first move. It was easier that way, since she seemed to have the plan. She was curious about the House and all that it might hold among its walls and halls, but she didn't think Lovelace was actually going to find the exit that way. "What next?" she inquired. Even if it wasn't to find an exit, it was still possible that they might find something else. "Can you actually get any further into the wall than that?"
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Post by mintedstar/fur on Sept 3, 2019 22:52:47 GMT -5
Of course Amico wasn't alright. His arms wrapped around Mei's neck and buried his nose in her shoulder. As soon as Rex turned up, however, he turned away from Mei and wrapped his arms around Rex's arms instead. He was more reassuring than Mei when Mei was upset too. Instead, he bawled into Rex's shoulder, the late night and the threat of nightmares weighing down on him just as much as the threat of what had been outside. Instead, he reached out his hand to Mei and continued to cry like he was loosing his breath. Great, gasping breaths as something clamped at his chest. He didn't want anyone to hurt. He didn't want anyone to die. He didn't want anyone to disappear. I can't loose anyone. I can't loose anyone ... I don't want to be alone. I don't want to be left alone. He wasn't saying anything more, he just cried into his father's arms.
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Post by <Raintalon> on Sept 4, 2019 8:56:51 GMT -5
Rex was here.
Slowly, Mei got to her feet, and as she watched Amico tear himself away from her to bury himself in Rex’s arms, the flood of relief she’d felt at hearing his voice was slowly replaced by another feeling - one of simmering anger, deep in her chest. Suddenly, it wasn’t these strangers that had hurt Amico at all. It was the man standing right in front of them, who should’ve been there right away. If Mei had been a few years older and had had a few less life-altering experiences to shape her perception, she probably would have realized this was illogical, that Rex had found them as quickly as possible, but right now she could only focus on the fact that Amico had been frightened and in danger, and so had she, and the one person who was supposed to have their back had been nowhere to be found.
As the crowd continued to push in around her, and as Amico’s cries kept trying to drown out all other noises, the feeling in her chest boiled over, and she clenched her fists, shoulders squared as she stared just past her father. “I was the one to find him,” she said, icily, barely audible over the din of the tavern. “You’re supposed to be the one to make sure you protect him...you said I didn’t have to worry, but it was me. You were wrong.”
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Bisexual
Iceclaw
You can kill me, but you will never destroy me.
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Post by Iceclaw on Sept 4, 2019 10:12:45 GMT -5
The scolding Rex had been preparing for Amico about wandering off dissipated on his tongue as the boy clung to him, sobbing. "Amico..." he sighed, wrapping his arms around his son, holding him close. He was alright. Not gone. Safe. And then he heard Mei's voice, barely a whisper over the sounds of the tavern. Confused and startled, he looked up at her. She wasn't looking at him. She was looking past him, all the anger and rage he didn't know how to help visible in every tense muscle and cold word. The world shrank to just the three of them: him, Mei, and Amico.
She was right, wasn't she? He had frozen. When the door had opened and he heard Amico's crying, he had frozen instead of helping. What kind of a parent did that make him? But then he hadn't asked to be a parent. He was just a baker with maybe too much heart and belief that he could help, but how could he help this? Mei's life before was beyond anything he could understand, and maybe, distantly, he realized that she was only lashing out at him because of what she had experienced, but it just brought to light again how woefully unprepared he was for this.
And Amico... he couldn't help Amico any more than he could help Mei. The constant nightmares the boy had, the incredible fear he had of losing everyone- it was all beyond Rex.
The world returned, deafening and oppressive as Rex moved mechanically, picking Amico up and offering a hand to Mei. "I'm sorry," he said quietly, not knowing if she would understand.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Sept 4, 2019 10:37:54 GMT -5
Kelsier’s lie hadn’t seemed to help. If anything, it seemed like he’d made things worse, and a stab of pain shot through his chest as Amico began to cry. He was about to move forward, protective older sister or not, to see if he could comfort the boy when another man arrived and took over. Relief washed over him. They weren’t alone. He could tell by the children’s reaction that they knew this man, and though he didn’t look like them he was clearly their actual guardian, which meant he didn’t have to see if he could convince them he wasn’t trying to hurt them for long enough to find out whether they had a home. It also meant he had someone to blame for them having been alone in the first place. He backed off, just enough for them to have some space. “She’s right.” He said quietly once the girl and the other man had had a chance to reunite. Anger was making it hard for him to keep his voice low and level, but he did a fairly good job of it anyway. “If Amico hadn’t been so afraid of going outside, he could’ve dashed out that door and been gone in seconds. If your daughter hadn’t found him, he might’ve gotten spooked into going out anyway. How long would it have taken you to get here if he hadn’t started crying? Did you even notice they were gone?” He was being harsh, he knew that. But they were so young, way too young to be left on their own in a place with this many strangers, and who knew what lurking just outside the door.
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Post by mintedstar/fur on Sept 4, 2019 11:20:05 GMT -5
He didn't want Mei to fight. He almost had vivid memories of two other people fighting … or one person, anyway, and the feeling like this. But all he could do was look at Mei with squinting, watery eyes and hiccuping sobs that no one understood. It all felt to hard, but he hugged Dad because that made him feel better and because letting go meant giving up the familiar feeling of someone carrying about him. His own hand reached out to Mei, silently asking her for a hug too. Because she looked scared and Amico didn't quite understand that it was he who had frightened her by running away and then Rex who had when he hadn't found Amico. "I - I - I," stuttered Amico. "Wanna hug. I - I - I don't wanna go to bed." Because wasn't that what this was about? Why they had found him? But he couldn’t have people leave the building. What if they were hurt? What if …? He started crying harder as soon as Kelsier started talking. He didn't want people to fight. Didn't want - didn't want ...
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Post by <Raintalon> on Sept 4, 2019 16:49:51 GMT -5
Mei turned around, her face a mask of icy calm, and faced Kelsier next. “It might be a good idea for you to get your son off the roof before you start shouting at my father,” she said, visible eye narrowed at the man who was, inexplicably, still hanging around. She didn’t wait to see what he would do about that proclamation, though - instead, she turned back to Amico and Rex, looking over the two of them as Rex’s words registered. She didn’t like how she was feeling. She didn’t even know what she was feeling. There was just too much of it.
“We need to get Amico to bed,” was the only thing she said in reply, falling in line next to Rex but not taking his hand. “He gets hyper if he stays up.” Rex knew that already, of course, and saying it was petty - a trait she disliked in others - but any softer words just got stuck in her throat.
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Bisexual
Iceclaw
You can kill me, but you will never destroy me.
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Post by Iceclaw on Sept 4, 2019 17:38:34 GMT -5
Rex shifted Amico closer so the boy couldn't see his face. He knew Amico didn't want to go to bed, but there was no avoiding it. He had to sleep. "You can sleep in my bed tonight, okay?" With any amount of luck, that would comfort him and keep the nightmares at bay. At the very least, at least Rex could be there immediately if there was a nightmare.
Any response Amico might have had was cut off as a stranger began chewing Rex out. Rex blinked, immediately taking a step back away from the man, turning Amico away. Shock jolted through him as the man continued furiously. His gaze flickered around the tavern, scanning the faces around them. Most everyone was a stranger, blessedly. In such a small town, stories of Amico trying to escape into the night would spread in mere hours. More people could deem him irresponsible, which could harm the bakery and their livelihood. There was already too much attention focused over here. Making a scene would only make sure everyone knew.
He started to shake his head and turn away, only to hear Mei lash out at the stranger. His eyes widened. Oh no...
His gaze snapped back to Kelsier, and then Mei, who was approaching him as though she hadn't just announced the death of the stranger's son to him. Rex barely processed what she was saying, a strange rushing sound in his ears. "What do you mean his son is on the roof?" he asked sharply. "When did this happen?"
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Sept 4, 2019 17:52:47 GMT -5
Kelsier’s blood went cold. For a moment he didn’t move, couldn’t move, as though the words had paralyzed him like venom. Then he whipped around, his eyes searching the tables, his heart beating frantically in his chest as they found... The table Sam and Nico had been occupying was empty. Dread settled deep in his stomach, as the words the one-eyed girl had said played again and again in his mind. The roof. He’s on the roof. Then he was running, towards the stairs, avoiding people as best he could and shoving them roughly aside when he couldn’t. Pain shot up his foot as his toe hit the leg of a table but it was nothing to him and he didn’t slow for a second. Up the stairs, where would they have gone? There wasn’t a lot of ways to get to the roof. And the goatherd noticed the open window immediately as he made it up the stairs, a low groan escaping his throat without him meaning to. He lunged for it and climbed out without hesitation, his muscles burning immediately in protest - he wasn’t used to climbing - and began to make his way up to the roof.
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Post by <Raintalon> on Sept 4, 2019 17:55:18 GMT -5
(//waves magic wand// char switch time)
“Dunno...” said Sameen, craning her neck to see if she could see anything other than support frames. She couldn’t. “Probably. It’s just wood and more wood in there. Gotta be something on the other side, right?” She extracted herself from the wall, pieces of the broken part of the wall clinging to her dark hair. “Gonna take a long time to get anywhere if we can’t find anything better than this corkscrew, though,” she added, tossing it back and forth between her hands. “No offense. I don’t suppose you’ve got any more tools where that one came from? A power saw, maybe? Hell, I’d even settle for a regular saw.”
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Post by <Raintalon> on Sept 4, 2019 18:16:51 GMT -5
“He went outside to go on the roof,” she said quietly, knowing she sounded cold to him. She did care...quite a lot actually...about the strange boy’s wellbeing. Whether or not that actually came through in her tone was always a toss-up with her, and she didn’t know what she was supposed to do about that. She also knew that Rex was the kind of person who was incapable of turning a blind eye to someone who might be in danger, no matter the risk to himself.
She also knew that if he did, he could die, and a bit of the ice over her heart melted away at that thought. “Are you going to go outside?” she asked, finally meeting his gaze with one wide eye that traveled first to Amico, then back to the soldier’s face. It wasn’t a loaded question, just a simple one. A determined one. She didn’t want him to...but she also couldn’t stop him if that was what he decided to do. You can never stop people, once they’ve made up their minds, and trying always makes things worse.
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Post by mintedstar/fur on Sept 4, 2019 18:26:55 GMT -5
He didn't want Mei to be like this. He didn't want to go to bed. The whole situation was just a swirl of not wanting. He didn't know what Mei was talking about. Kelsier's son on the roof? The thought caused him to cry harder and squirm, trying to tell Rex around the blubbering that they needed to help. He managed to lose one of his arms from Rex's grip and used it to point after Kelsier, the sons going quiet even as he used his other hand to reach for his sister. The tight feeling in his chest hurt, and he thought she was mad at him, and as much as he was worried about Kelsier and what was happening he couldn't have her being mad. If she was mad, what would he do? He couldn't feel better about going to bed. Nothing in the world could make him enjoy it. Would she have felt better if he had taken her with him? Would that have made anything better? "Mei …" he whined. "Mei-Meeeeeee …" He usually didn't use his small nickname unless he really wanted her attention. His eyes were still wide and glassy, still full of tears.
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Post by mintedstar/fur on Sept 4, 2019 18:54:21 GMT -5
"A power saw wouldn't actually work," said The Doctor with a sigh. "This place has a problem with tech not working." She pulled her sonic screwdriver from her pocket again and held it up as an example. If this worked her, her life would be a whole lot easier. "I don't actually have a saw," she said, slightly disappointed. She did pat down her pockets, in case there was anything she was missing. "I have a hand saw - I have a lot of things. They just aren't on me." She took the multipurpose tool back and unfolded several more items. A nail file, a ruler, a pen, a pair of scissors. She walked back to the nearest table and set it down. Then she started to pull more things out of her pockets. They weren't that big of pockets. They would have been smaller or absent altogether if she'd actually bothered to by these pants from the Woman's department. If she'd actually bought these pants. She couldn't remember. One regeneration had bought a lot of clothing … which one …? She shook the thought off and instead pulled the last of what she had out. Her sonic, physic papers, a pen, a stick of gum, a newspaper, the old sock she had found under the chair in the console room, a paperweight, a handful of various coins, and something that looked like an undefined glob. "What do ya have?" she asked without looking up. "I invent things. I'm *good* at inventioning things. But I don't have enough things to invent things, ya see?"
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Bisexual
Iceclaw
You can kill me, but you will never destroy me.
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Post by Iceclaw on Sept 4, 2019 19:11:13 GMT -5
"Wait-!" Rex's words were lost as Kelsier bolted away, charging upstairs. Rex stared after him, his heart racing in his chest. Damn. Damn. He shouldn't go after Kelsier. Not when he had two children to look after. He had to worry about himself and his own family. Kelsier would have to deal with it himself. Right? Torn both ways, Rex had no answer for Mei's question. Amico thrashed in his arms, pointing after Kelsier and sobbing something along the lines of needing to help. Damn.
"Watch Amico," he said, handing Amico to Mei. "I'll be back. I promise."
He hoped.
Before he could stop to think about what he was doing, he ran after Kelsier, following him up in time to see him disappear out the window. Rushing toward the window, Rex ducked out it. "I'm with you," he told Kelsier, flashing a quick glance at the ground and oppressive darkness. "We need to be quick."
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Post by mintedstar/fur on Sept 4, 2019 19:17:24 GMT -5
"Love," Myrnin was saying with a say, his tongue clicking over the word in such a way that it was clear he was talking to someone he cared about but also that he was getting impatient. "I do think it was a good idea to bring Sam along, but I also feel like there are some things we haven't cove-" He stopped, realizing where he had appeared. The man sighed. Considering the general pressures of his own world, other than his last blink he hadn't been here in a couple of days. Not unusual, but the time passing within the House - or rather the events - seemed to be passing at a greater speed than what he was used to. Ah well. He flopped into the couch, coat tails flying around him and Ben Franklin style glasses almost going flying from his face. His black and gold shoes were on the cushions … no … he didn't care. The whole outfit was a loose fitting grey coat (halfway unbuttoned to show the bright purple shirt), the glasses, bellbottom black and white pants, and the black shoes with gold trim. As usual, he didn't seem to be wearing the same outfit twice. His expression, however, seemed pretty usual. It was something close to a smile, though the frustration remained around the eyes.
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