Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Aug 4, 2020 0:48:41 GMT -5
Nico kept running, focusing on one thing and one thing alone. Freedom. He squeezed his eyes shut as he ran towards where Kelsier was hiding, his hands out to take the brunt of running near bushes. And then his feet were no longer on the ground and he was in the air and his body hit the ground so hard he couldn’t breathe for a second. Or… maybe he couldn’t breathe because there was a weight on his chest heavier than he had anticipated. Panic struck a chord in his brain and he tried to struggle free. He punched and kicked, trying to get close enough to bite, even, but he had the disadvantage of being small and dehydrated and half starved. He was crying even harder now, the tears fueled not just by fear and desperation, but also by anger. He wanted to be free, he wanted to get out of this, and Kelsier wasn’t making it any easier. Eventually the fight left him and he fell still, his small form trembling both with the force of sobs but also with the fear coursing through his body. “Get off!” he managed quietly, the words lacking any force behind them. It was clear he wasn’t going to run anymore. It was clear he didn’t have the strength. The world was over for him, and there was nothing he could do about it. He tried to stop crying, but it didn’t work. He needed Kelsier off, he needed to be able to breathe. He needed to be literally anywhere other than where he was. “Please get off. Please.” His voice was so tiny as to be almost inaudible. He kept repeating the word ‘please’ as though it would do something. As though it would save him. His eyes closed and he swallowed, trying to imagine himself anywhere other than where he was. “I hate you,” he murmured after a moment, shifting so he could see Kelsier’s face. He eyes had a far away look in them, like he wasn’t quite actually seeing Kelsier. His words might’ve been meant for Kelsier, but they may have also been meant for someone else. Someone whose weight in Nico’s mind was as suffocating as Kelsier’s physical weight. “I hate you.” His words caught in his throat and he curled in on himself. His sobs came again, and this time he didn’t even try to stop them. If there was any chance of not seeming vulnerable in front of Kelsier, he’d ruined that. He wasn’t sure he cared anymore. His life as he knew it was over and he had nobody to blame but Kelsier. Yes, he knew why Kelsier had done it. To do the best he could, to do his job. To try to save a kid he thought needed saving. Nico didn’t blame him for not knowing that there was no happy ending here. It didn’t mean he hated him any less. “Don’t touch me,” he managed. “I won’t run again, I’m sorry. I promise.” Miserably, he shifted, offering his bag up to Kelsier. Kelsier didn’t know yet, but he would learn what a promise meant to Nico. In this case… he was yielding, just a few steps. It didn’t mean he’d stop fighting for what little freedom he could manage. For a chance at life. - Finding food wasn’t easy. Orpheus’ feet hurt from walking and his throat hurt from a lack of water. He just wanted to find something to bring home to L. Was it sad that he considered their little temporary shelter home? He kept his eyes trained on the ground, wavering away from anyone that looked too big or anyone who might get angry about him being in their way. So… everyone, really. Orpheus has risked a lot for the small bread roll he’d been able to salvage from a bakery trash can – it was burnt and probably not very good, but it had been wrapped up, so it was probably safe. The real question was whether L would be willing to eat it. It was hard to be picky when you were starving, but he still wanted to take L’s preferences into account. It would have been okay if he’d managed to get some jam as well, but… he sighed in frustration, hugging the bread to his chest. This would have to do. He dodged out of the way of a man wearing a suit, trying to stay as quiet as possible. He tugged at the filthy bandana on his neck, trying his best to calm himself down. The makeshift shelter was visible from where he was, and Orpheus practically melted with relief. They may have considered it a failure if they didn’t return with food, but as far as Orpheus was concerned, it was a success if they both made it back alive. He gave a small smile as he noticed L approaching from the other direction, and he raised his free hand in greeting. As long as they were alive, and together, they were okay.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Aug 13, 2020 16:35:10 GMT -5
Kelsier pinned the boy down, hating himself for every minute of it. He knew the kid would hate this. He knew it would hurt him, and he was doing it anyway. He didn’t have a choice. He had to. He had to. He had to. He didn’t have to like it, though. He didn’t move. He was waiting for the kid to struggle, as he expected him to. Wouldn’t anyone? Wouldn’t anyone fight for freedom? Who was he to steal it so cruelly away? And there it was. It was sad and almost pathetic and it hurt Kelsier but he didn’t get up. He pinned the boy down, careful to keep out of reach of his teeth and limbs, and long experience taught him how to hold him properly. He knew the kid was crying. He knew it was his fault. And there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it, no matter how badly he wanted there to be. Kelsier felt the fight leave the boy, and he relaxed a little, but he didn’t get off right away. He didn’t trust the kid, bluntly. How could he? They didn’t know each other. All they really knew was that neither of them particularly wanted the other in their lives. It wasn’t a good start to the relationship. He hesitated. He didn’t want the kid to run again, even if it seemed clear that he wouldn’t. He couldn’t risk it. His heart broke at the sound of the kid’s next words. He got off and stood up, ready to pounce again at a moment’s notice. He hated himself for it, but he wouldn’t let this kid go. He wouldn’t lose him, whether he liked it or not. And not seemed more likely at the moment. “Alright.” He said quietly. “Alright.” They were never going to like each other. At least, the kid was never going to like Kelsier. Kelsier liked the kid just fine, but that didn’t matter much. It certainly didn’t make things any easier. He didn’t look away, even as the kid said the words that tore his heart out. “You have every right to.” He said softly, still ready to tackle the kid if he ran again, but less intimidating about it. He wasn’t going to do anything he didn’t have to. He wasn’t going to do anything the kid didn’t make him do. The sobs were unbridled and free, and the detective didn’t judge him for them. He was free to cry. Maybe it would even help. He hoped the kid would understand, someday. Maybe not anytime soon. But he hoped he would be grateful someday that someone had cared enough to chase him down. That someone wouldn’t let him run away. It was more than plenty of people could offer, it seemed, though he didn’t know where this kid’s parent (parents?) were. The world was cold, and cruel, and it was no place for a kid to be alone. He hoped someday the kid would feel the same way. He took the bag. He could open it, probably should open it, but he didn’t. He was saying I trust you and [/i]I won’t invade your privacy[/i]. He was saying everything the kid wouldn’t believe he meant if he said it with words. “Come on.” He said, his voice very gentle. “Let’s go get you some McDonald’s.” - L waited patiently for Orpheus to come back. He was very hungry and thirsty, but there was nothing he could do about that besides wait and hope his friend had had more luck than he had. He hoped there was at least something Orpheus had managed to scavenge, or it was going to be a very fun night for either of them. He knew all about staying hidden. It was easy, really. All you had to do was look like you knew where you were going. He looked up, seeing Orpheus approaching with what looked like...was it food? It looked like food. His face lit up and he hurried, stumbling over his feet as he tried to get there faster. Their little camp wasn’t much, but it was something. It was enough. He liked it, actually, because it was home and it had been too long since he’d had one of those.
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Aug 13, 2020 22:00:22 GMT -5
Nico wiped the tears from his cheeks rather roughly, making his cheeks as red as his eyes. Running had been stupid. It didn’t change the fact that it was the only way out. The only chance he had to escape. What did escape even mean at this point? Freedom? Yeah right. Maybe the freedom to die how he chose. Were his hands shaking? He shoved them into his pockets before Kelsier could see, grateful that his jacket, at least, seemed to have survived his escape attempt. A scared voice at the back of his head told him they would probably have to take the jacket off him when he got to the station. It was big and bulky and easy to conceal something in. Nobody was going to care that Nico wore it because it made him feel safe. He eased himself up to a sitting position, his head still hanging low as he tried to get a hold of himself. His hair hung in a curtain obscuring his face. Hopefully Kelsier wouldn’t be able to see the effect his words had. They were kind and gentle in a way they had no right to be. Nico hated them. Nico clung to them desperately, because how did he manage to get the nice detective when anyone could have broken into his hiding spot? How was he even thinking about Kelsier as nice when he had tackled him to the ground and held him there so he couldn’t get free? Maybe I should have lied and said I was just being a teenage rebel, Nico thought numbly. Maybe I should have promised him I’d go home to my parents, but they’d kill me if they knew I had taken a detective’s time. It was too late for that now, and lying didn’t come easy to Nico anyway. It was probably a waste of time to even consider it now. Nico forced his breathing to even out, forced himself to be okay before he pushed his hair back from his face and looked at Kelsier. He was waiting for… for something. For Kelsier to pull cuffs on him, or for backup to arrive and take Nico in themselves. For the infuriatingly kind expression to give way to something darker. Quietly, Nico shifted so his weight was on his knees, so he could get up as soon as Kelsier forced him to. Surely Kelsier would force him to, he would drag him back to his car, and he’d do it with Nico kicking and screaming if he had to. Nico wasn’t going to let it come to that. He’d made his heroic escape attempt, and he wasn’t going to try it again. There would be no point in that. His brow furrowed as Kelsier took the bag but failed to look inside. He didn’t understand. “You don’t have to pretend, you know,” he said, sharper than he meant to. It was a defense mechanism, a way to protect himself from someone who had seen him at his most vulnerable. Who had made him his most vulnerable. “I know you’re going to search it as soon as we’re there.” Deep down he knew why Kelsier did it, and he was grateful. But right now he didn’t want to give Kelsier any credit. He wanted it to be simple. Kelsier, the detective who ruined his life. Not Kelsier, the detective who was kind and gentle and gave Nico as much respect as he could while having to make the hard decisions. It was easier to hate him if he only considered the former. His thoughts cut off completely as Kelsier’s next words reached his ears. “What?” Now that just wasn’t fair. He didn’t get to still offer that, not after the stunt Nico had pulled. “I ran away from you,” his voice was rough from crying. “That’s a crime, right? Even if I’m not under arrest, resisting an officer doesn’t sound very… legal.” His eyes were narrowed. “Is McDonalds code for something?” - Orpheus grinned as he spotted L, looking behind him to make sure nobody was coming, then ran the rest of the way. He didn’t want to make it look like he’d stolen the bread – he had, technically, though was it really stealing if someone had thrown it out – and running would just make him look more suspicious. But L was hurrying, and Orpheus wanted to show him, because sharing it would make the whole thing worthwhile. He hugged the bread a little tighter as he made it the rest of the way there. He winced at the feeling of his foot going into a puddle – if his shoes had ever been waterproof, they weren’t anymore – but nothing was going to stop him from getting to L. Inseparable, the two of them were. Not by choice, but by circumstance. Because two kids against the world sounded a lot better than one kid against the world, especially since they’d been able to help each other. They had opposite strengths. L was good at staying hidden, at figuring things out. Orpheus was good at reading people and charming people, to some extent. It was hard. Being with L was easier. As soon as he was close enough, he held the wrapped loaf out for L to examine. He nodded slowly, his light brown eyes meeting L’s dark. He couldn’t help but smile. It may not have been nutritious (he could still recall his father begging him to please, Orpheus, eat your vegetables. You can’t have a fifth piece of bread), but it would hold them over for at least a day, maybe more. That was all they could hope for sometimes.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Oct 16, 2020 19:09:02 GMT -5
Kelsier knew why the kid had tried to run. It had been his only option. It had been one last attempt at freedom, and how could Kel begrudge him that? He didn’t know what the boy’s situation was, but he knew desperation when he saw it and he recognized it in the boy’s eyes. Whatever he was running from, it was bad. And Kelsier might be bringing him back to it. He shook his head slightly at the thought. He couldn’t think like that. This was his job, and he needed to do it well, whatever that meant. And sure, he was willing to bend the rules to get the kid a happy meal, but that didn’t mean he was going to do anything that could get them both in trouble. This was a big deal and he was going to handle it sensibly. He let the kid take a moment. He hated the fact that it had come to that, but it had and he wasn’t going to let the kid get away that easily. Even if he would rather have done it differently. He knew there wasn’t any other way he could have stopped the kid, and so he wouldn’t have gone back and done anything differently, but that didn’t mean he had to like it. That didn’t mean he had to think it was ideal. He honestly wasn’t sure he was helping with his words, but he was trying. He had to try, didn’t he? He didn’t know that the kid didn’t lie, and he didn’t trust him not to try. If the boy had claimed he would go back, then Kelsier would have insisted on coming with him. It wouldn’t have worked. There was no way he was getting out of this, not even if he ran again. Not even if he never stopped running. Kelsier didn’t move. He didn’t put cuffs on him and he didn’t call for backup and he didn’t try to take his jacket away, even if he probably should have. What he did do was smile at him, not in a triumphant way or a way that suggested he’d won, but a genuinely friendly way that seemed to suggest this was going to work out all right, even if it didn’t seem like it now. A hopeful way that seemed to mean it was going to be just fine. He waited for the kid to get up on his own time, he didn’t think he would run again. He didn’t think he would, but he didn’t know that for sure, so he had to be ready in case he was wrong. “I’m not pretending.” He told the kid lightly, holding the bag casually, as if he hadn’t just confiscated it. He knew that the kid was scared and trying to protect himself and it made sense that he was, but he still needed to keep the bag. It wasn’t fair, but none of this was fair, and Kelsier was one man. He needed time if he was going to fix everything. And yes, he understood that the kid hated him, but there was nothing he could do about that now. It was better to be hated by him than to let him die because he didn’t want to be saved. Exposure alone would be enough to get him killed pretty soon here, and for all the boy’s excuses, they both knew that surviving winter alone would be hard, if not impossible. “I mean.” Kelsier began, considering that. He raised an eyebrow at the kid, and his smile deepened. “Technically I would have to be arresting you to charge you with resisting arrest, right? And I’m not arresting you, so technically you didn’t break any laws. See? I know how laws work.” He looked proud of himself for that, too. Then he tilted his head. “Yes.” He said very seriously. “McDonald’s is code for….French fries.” - L watched as Orpheus began to run, and for a moment he thought the other boy was running away from something, but then he saw his expression and he realized he was running towards L. He was also carrying something, and L realized suddenly how hungry he was as he saw it from a distance, bouncing in Orpheus’ arms. They were better as a team than they were apart. They were so much better working together than they had been when they were alone, and L was happy to see Orpheus whenever he came back after a long day of searching for food. He shifted on his bare feet, waiting impatiently for Orpheus to get closer, and then finally he could see him better, and his dark eyes instinctively checked his friend over for injuries. He didn’t see anything, so he had hopes that everything had gone okay today. He accepted the load, closing his eyes as he held it up to his nose and smelled it. It smelled...good. He looked at Orpheus, a smile in his dark eyes, and then he headed back to camp, trusting his friend to follow. He didn’t know what it would taste like. He didn’t really know how to tell from the smell. But he knew they were both hungry, and he wanted to get back and open the loaf as soon as possible.
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Oct 22, 2020 0:19:26 GMT -5
It would have been so much easier if Nico had a single clue what to make of Kelsier. It would have been easier if he were the sort of detective who was either cruel, or who didn’t take their jobs seriously when it came to finding abandoned boys in the middle of nowhere. It would have been so much easier if Kelsier weren’t pretending to be Nico’s friend when they both knew he was only there to ruin his life. Or save it. It was a fine line, wasn’t it? Nico was still scared and uncertain and he didn’t know what, exactly, to do, but he had to move forward. He had to go with Kelsier, whether he wanted to or not, because that was the best tactic for survival. Like it or not, Nico wanted to survive. He wanted to grow up and see the world and get a job and everything that meant he had come out on top. Nico di Angelo, living life as he wanted to be living it. “You are pretending,” he murmured quietly, shaking his head. “Whether you want to admit it or not.” Was it unfair of Nico to hate Kelsier? Probably. But it was so much easier than the possibility of admitting that he shouldn’t hate him. Than admitting that, like it or not, Kelsier was Nico’s best chance at survival. What did survival mean, though, when all it could lead to was pain and fear and everything Nico was running away from? So why did Nico want to believe Kelsier’s smiles? Why did he want to believe that the world could be kind enough to send him one really good detective, one that could find an option “c” that let him both live and thrive? He wasn’t an optimist. He was cynical and tired and he didn’t always think the world was capable of kindness. How could he start believing that now? How could he believe that somehow, this could turn out okay? It was just him and Kelsier for now. Even if Kelsier was good… well, it wasn’t likely everyone Nico was going to meet because of Kelsier would be. He had to prepare himself for that, and maybe make the most of what Kelsier was offering. He felt like he was on thin ice, about to fall to his death if he made one wrong move. Part of him wanted to not have to juggle everything just to survive. Part of him wanted to believe Kelsier would handle this. The rest of him wasn’t going to give in that easily. “I’m not sure that argument would hold up if someone actually wanted to question it,” Nico retorted, but he sighed in relief. It seemed Kelsier was willing to let all of his transgressions slide, for now. Against his will, Nico found gratitude blooming in his chest. Carefully, Nico eased himself back up to his feet, hugging his jacket tight against him as though making himself smaller would let him just… disappear. “I’m serious,” he said quietly, staring at the ground because it was easier than showing his tear-stained eyes to Kelsier. “Why would you take me there after I just ran away from you? Why wouldn’t you make sure I’m restrained like… immediately?” It wasn’t making sense. Normally Nico wouldn’t have advocated for anything that would have been worse for him, but in a way he was testing the limits. Wanting to see how far Kelsier would go in the nice direction, because that usually meant he would go that far and worse in the bad direction when he decided Nico was a lost cause. Kind people were unpredictable, and Nico wanted to gauge what his immediate future would look like. Kelsier wasn’t making that easy, even if he was being completely honest with him. - Orpheus watched L carefully, doing his best to make sure L was alright too. It would have been so easy for someone to see two kids on the street and decide they wanted to teach them a lesson, or worse. It would have been so easy to get back to camp and find that the other wasn’t there and never know what had happened. Orpheus sent a quiet prayer up every evening, thanking whatever gods there were that he and L were safe and alright. It was a silent prayer, but he had to believe that the sentiment would still be received. A smile spread across Orpheus’ face as he watched L smell the bread. Orpheus too had spent a decent amount of time smelling it, reminding himself that it was real, that they were going to have something to eat that night, that they wouldn’t need to get up early and scavenge somewhere before they got shooed away by people who didn’t want them there. They were easy targets – they could sneak into places a lot of others couldn’t, but they could just as easily be forced away. It took him a moment to realize L had started moving, but he followed behind as quickly as he could, practically bouncing behind L. He could see camp from where they were, but he knew they couldn’t open the loaf until they got there. It wouldn’t be safe. Besides, he’d waited this long, what was another few minutes? He kept watch behind, making sure nobody was following. It seemed… well, it seemed they would have a relatively uneventful evening. If their luck held out.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Oct 25, 2020 21:52:53 GMT -5
Was Kelsier trying to be hard to understand? Was that part of his strategy here? No. He wasn’t intending any such thing - the opposite, actually. He was trying to be something the kid could understand in a sea of things he couldn’t. The problem? Kindness wasn’t something familiar to the boy. That was the problem here. Kelsier was trying to be friendly, but it was backfiring because that made him untrustworthy. He was trying to be kind, but it was just making him look like a liar. Was he going to stop, then? Of course not. It was still doing some good, after all, whether the kid admitted it or not. It was still proving that not all kindness was a lie, and eventually, Kel trusted that the boy would be able to see that. Even if it took a little while to actually happen. He dipped his head. “That’s a fair theory.” He conceded. “But it’s still not true. I’m not lying to you, and I’m not pretending, but if you need more than my word, that’s okay, too.” He was okay with being hated, for now. It would take time, probably, to overcome that. And Kel wasn’t going to give up, so time it was. Survival may not have been very appealing to the kid yet, but Kelsier was going to fight for it, anyway. The kid was just going to have to be okay with that. That option “c”? That was hope. And if there was one thing Kelsier was good at, it was hoping for a better day tomorrow, even when there seemed to be no reason to believe it would happen. Even when every single day leading up to it was awful, the detective still smiled and said tomorrow. Tomorrow will be better. I will make it better. He still went to bed truly believing that it would be okay in the morning. Was that foolishness or hope? He looked at the kid, watching his expression. Maybe being foolish enough to believe in a better day tomorrow was a part of being happy. Or maybe the mere belief was enough to make it so. The reality was...the reality was likely somewhere in the middle. Maybe getting up in the morning was enough, sometimes. And Kelsier knew that that was not always easy. He knew that it couldn’t be easy for the kid to keep going when the world seemed to have turned its back on him. “Well, that just means I’ll have to come up with a better one before anyone questions me.” He said lightly, smiling at the kid. He wasn’t going to press charges against a kid with the weight of the world on his shoulders already. Whatever he had done, he had had a reason, and a Kel himself would probably have done the same. No, scratch that, he would have done that and then a whole lot more. He wasn’t going to pretend he was on some kind of moral high ground, here. And he certainly wasn’t going to act like he thought stealing to survive was a bad thing. He looked at the kid, and his expression turned a little bit more serious. He considered the question for a long moment, but really, he already knew what he was going to say. “You’re not a bad kid, okay?” He said gently. “Yeah, you ran away from me, but I don’t think you’re going to do it again. And even if you did, well…you have a pretty damn good reason not to trust me. I’m just the adult who’s tearing you away from the life you chose. I wouldn’t trust me, either.” He smiled, and it was gentle and even a little quiet this time. “I hope to prove that I’m not a bad guy, either. But even if you hate me as long as you live, well...if you’re alive to do it, then I’ll have done my job well.” He paused, then inclined his head slightly. “But for now, let’s go get some fried potatoes. Sound fair?” - L was okay. Better than okay, now that his friend was okay, too. He knew that they were never truly safe, but at the same time he felt safe when Orpheus was there, and when they were at their makeshift camp, he even sometimes managed to sleep, as long as his friend was watching over him. Not alone. Never alone. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure Orpheus was still there. He dreamt about being alone, sometimes. It was usually when Orpheus was late returning from his search for food, but sometimes it wasn’t for any reason at all, and those times were the worst because he couldn’t predict when they would occur and so they just made him afraid to sleep at all. But he didn’t need to worry about that, now. For now, he could simply enjoy the fact that they were together and there was food and things were okay. L brushed his long black hair back from his face as he turned, looking at Orpheus in time to catch his smile. Seeing him happy made a warm feeling spread across L’s chest, and he smiled back, the bread solid and comforting in his arms. Then he turned and kept moving, faster now that they were close enough to see camp. The sooner they got there, the sooner they could open the bread, and then they could taste it. Hunger stabbed through his body, but he ignored it, just a few more minutes. The moment he stepped foot inside their makeshift camp, he headed for the place they normally ate what they found, then turned and handed the bread back to Orpheus. He tilted his head slightly, then smiled. It was only fair that the person who had found it should get to take the first bite, right?
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Oct 31, 2020 1:06:58 GMT -5
This was a game of life and death. This was Nico fighting as hard as he could to stay alive, because even though what he did was often reckless, he did it because he thought it would give him the best chance at survival. He may not have been thriving. He may not have even been living. But he had hope, and that was what made it so very different from being at home. If it weren’t for Sam, Nico would have been on the next train out of the city and into somewhere new. Where he wouldn’t have to worry about seeing Hades at all, where he could learn a new city and hide and when he finally came out of hiding, he could take on a new name and nobody would question it. If it weren’t for Sam, Nico would never have met Kelsier. Because he didn’t want to leave Sam behind. He wanted to emerge from the shadows one day and present himself and say “I have a job and a place, and I want you to run away with me.” But he wasn’t there yet. He couldn’t say that. And now, thanks to Kelsier, he probably never would be able to. “At least you admit it,” Nico allowed, shoving his hands into his pockets. He knew Kelsier was doing his job, and he knew Kelsier believed he was doing the right thing, but at least he wasn’t pretending he was the good guy who deserved to be lauded and trusted immediately. It seemed they both knew it was possible to have good intentions and still yield a terrible outcome. It certainly wasn’t Kelsier’s intentions that Nico was questioning. It was just that… well, the good he thought he was doing was all wrong, and there was no way he was going to listen to Nico about it, because the alternative was leaving Nico to die. Was Nico a bad kid? Regardless of Kelsier saying he wasn’t, Nico himself wasn’t so sure. He was just… well, he was tired of trying so desperately to survive, and he had done some bad things. He didn’t think he would ever break the law for the hell of it, but survival forced people to do things they didn’t want to do. Nico hadn’t had the time or energy to figure out whether or not he was deserving of the moral judgment that would have come with an indictment for theft or impeding an officer or anything else Kelsier could have charged him with. There were things Nico understood, and then there was Kelsier. There was kindness. Did kindness ever yield good results, or did it just get the person who tried to be kind stomped on by society? Did Nico believe any adults actually could be kind? He wasn’t sure. He wasn’t going to admit that to Kelsier, though. Did he hate Kelsier? That was a complicated answer. He wasn’t going to tell him that either, but he had to admit it to himself. Kelsier wasn’t easy to hate, even if he was tearing Nico away from every scrap of freedom he’d clawed his way towards. Every sign of progress, every last bastion of independence. But he did it kindly with a smile that said he was doing it for a good reason. How did Kelsier know what was good for him? What gave him the authority to decide that for Nico? The government, Nico reminded himself, frowning. The worst part was that he did have the authority to decide. “I don’t trust you,” he announced, as though that wasn’t already obvious. “But I am hungry, and if you’re willing to get McDonalds before we go to hell, that’s fine.” The look he sent Kelsier was a challenge. Maybe he shouldn’t have been so brash about it, but he was so tired and Kelsier might as well know exactly where he stood. Honesty. It wouldn’t get him out of this situation, but… it might help. And it would make Nico feel better to be honest, even if he didn’t tell them enough to lead them back quite so easily to Hades. - Orpheus had learned as best he could how to keep his footsteps quiet so he could tell if anyone was following them. This time, nobody was. It wasn’t like it was a common occurrence, but it had happened more than once, because when they had food, other people saw them as easy targets. It wasn’t as hard to take food from two little kids as it would be to steal from a store. Stealing from little kids wouldn’t go on a permanent record. Stealing from a reputable business would. He was grateful when they made it back to camp safely, especially given how loudly his stomach had started grumbling. He couldn’t remember the last time either of them had eaten a full meal. There were times when they found something and one of them was flagging a little bit more than the other, so the one in worse shape was given more food, but… that wasn’t full meals. It never was. But bread was as close to a full meal as they had gotten in a while, and Orpheus could feel L’s excitement mingling easily with his own. He grinned back at L as he handed the bread back to him, then very carefully looked it over to make sure it wasn’t damaged or anything. It would have been better warm, but they would have to learn to go somewhere remote and build a fire if they wanted anything warm. For now, bread by itself would have to do. Grinning at L, Orpheus did his best to tear the bread in half. It was more uneven than he would have liked, but it was still in two pieces, and that was what mattered. Wordlessly, he held the bigger half out to L. He curled his half under his arm, hoping L wouldn’t notice the size difference. Orpehus had gotten slightly more last time – it was only fair L get more this time, even if he knew they would never agree on who deserved the larger portion.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Nov 20, 2020 20:57:29 GMT -5
If Kelsier had known the circumstances, would he have made the same decisions? Would he have tracked the kid down, chased him when he ran, tackled him and pinned him to the ground? Probably not. Who was he to take away hope? Who was he to steal away the only thing that was keeping this kid going? Who did he think he was, anyway? But he didn’t know. All he knew was that there was a kid who was alone and desperate and winter was coming, cold was close to setting in, snow was close to falling and ice close to covering anything it could reach. All he knew was that he protected people, and if he didn’t do something, then this kid was going to die of exposure, if nothing else. Maybe the kid would hate him forever for this. He hoped not, but if he did, that was his decision, and Kel wouldn’t hold it against him. He wasn’t pretending to be someone the kid should immediately adore. He wasn’t pretending to be a hero, because, put simply, he was not one. He was trying to do his job. He was just trying to help, and he realized that that wasn’t what the boy wanted from him. He understood that. His intentions may have been pure, but his actions were still complicated, and it was hard to say whether he was doing the right thing. No...no, he was doing the right thing. He knew he was. Leaving a kid alone to starve or freeze to death was not the right thing, and that was the only alternative. He wouldn’t charge him, obviously. He saw me need to mention the probable shoplifting, either. If anyone asked, he would shrug and say he didn’t engage in idle speculation. Who cared if some bread had been taken here and there? Kelsier certainly didn’t, not when a boy’s life depended on it. He didn’t know the background here, of course, but he knew that whatever had happened, the kid was desperate and that meant it was bad. The question was, was he lost? Kidnapped and escaped? Did he have family to be returned to? Kelsier believed that kindness was a reward in itself. It was almost ironic, how much he believed in hope, yet still he was taking it away from the kid without even realizing it. He could be kind, yes, and he could also be strong. He didn’t believe they were mutually exclusive things. He was doing his best, of course he was, but was that good enough? If he was making a mistake, he couldn’t take it back. But what choice did he really have? He could take the kid’s freedom, or he could leave him to die. And he wouldn’t leave him. He absolutely refused to do that. So he smiled, and he tried his best to ease the blow, hard though he knew it was. He had authority here, yes, but that wasn’t what he intended to offer. That wasn’t the reason he was continuing forward. He dipped his head, accepting that. “I couldn’t ask you to trust me.” He answered calmly. Then he smiled and raised an eyebrow. “Hell, huh? I do work there, you know.” It was light, and there was no genuine offense in his tone or even in his eyes. “But call it what you will, I can’t blame you. Come on. Let’s go.” He would have liked to walk in front, so the kid didn’t feel threatened, but he wasn’t going to risk the kid deciding to make a run for it again, so he gestured for the kid to walk in front instead. - L, too, was constantly on the watch for people who might decide that they were easy targets. Because, well, they were. He knew that being followed or found was always bad, and he understood that having something meant that someone else might decide to take it away from you. He had learned these things very quickly, as it became extremely relevant to their survival. Besides, it wasn’t like they could do anything about it. They were too small to put up much of a fight, even the two of them working together. He was so hungry. When had they last eaten? He knew Orpheus had to be starving, too. They never really ate without sharing, so they tended to eat and need food at about the same time, which worked out very well for the scavenging. He was longing to tear into the bread, desperate in a way that made it hard to wait, but wait he did because it wasn’t completely his. He had to wait until it was distributed evenly. He had to wait until his share was given to him. He watched hungrily as Orpheus tore the bread in half, his dark eyes wide and very intense. If he were paying more attention, he might have realized that his half was bigger, but he wasn’t looking at the sizes, he was watching Orpheus. And then at last the bread was handed to him and he took it, immediately beginning to take large bites out of it and trying to remember to chew. It was good, really good. Or maybe that was just the hunger talking. Either way, it did take him more than a few seconds to finish it, and he licked the crumbs from his fingers, eager not to miss a single one. He looked up at Orpheus again, making sure his friend was eating, too. He hadn’t intended to eat so fast, but once he was holding his half, it had been impossible to resist it.
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Nov 24, 2020 12:38:11 GMT -5
At least now, Nico figured, Kelsier trusted him about as much as he trusted Kelsier. Which is to say, not at all. He shifted uncomfortably, standing up all the way and watching Kelsier as carefully as he could. He didn’t believe that Kelsier wouldn’t press charges. He seemed to be all about doing his job, and doing his job meant filling quotas, surely. And charging people who broke the law. He couldn’t read Kelsier yet. He didn’t know what he meant by most of what he said, he didn’t understand his actions, and he certainly didn’t have a chance at grasping what Kelsier was thinking. It seemed… inconsistent that Kelsier was so keen on taking him in, yet unwilling to charge him with shoplifting and resisting an officer. Perhaps because he didn’t quite realize it was possible for someone to put a human life above their job. He’d never seen Hades do it, and that was his prime example. He wasn’t going to take back the comment about hell. It wasn’t an exact metaphor – if going home to Hades was hell, then perhaps the station was purgatory – but he had made his point. He didn’t want to go, and whether he meant to or not, Kelsier was forcing him. Nico hesitated for a long moment, watching the way Kelsier gestured for him to walk, and his heart immediately started pounding. If Kelsier wanted to, he could drag him kicking and screaming to the back of the car. But he was giving him enough space now, he wasn’t getting too close, and he seemed to trust Nico well enough to walk on his own. Even if he had Nico’s belongings – the things that, like it or not, he couldn’t replace. After several very long moments of hesitation, Nico began to walk forward, keeping an eye on Kelsier as he did so. It was slow going, if only because he needed to make sure Kelsier was staying a safe distance away. And because he was dreading what was waiting for him when he got in the car. If he got in of his own volition… was he contracting away his freedom? Could that be used against him, somehow? He didn’t know, but when he got close enough, he found he had no other choice. He couldn’t run again. He couldn’t plant himself where he was and refuse to move. He was already trapped, and Kelsier seemed to know exactly what he was doing. He got in the car. - Orpheus wanted to wait until L was done eating before he tucked into his own piece, but as it turned out, hunger had a tendency of winning against self-control. He was hungry, as he always was, but this would be enough to satiate him until they found something else. Hopefully. He watched for just a moment or two as L scarfed his own half down before frowning and immediately tearing into his own piece. It was slightly stale, but he didn’t notice, because it tasted… well, it tasted like food that hadn’t yet gone bad, and that was the most he could ask for lately. He finished off his piece, careful not to miss even the smallest crumb. Once it was finished he wiped his hands off on his pants and grinned at L. In another world, the two of them might have gone to school together and spent time on the playground talking and exchanging names and interests and becoming friends that way. But that wasn’t how life had turned out for them. The truth was, he didn’t even know L’s name. He searched the other boy’s expression for a long moment, letting his thoughts wander. They were friends because they had to be, but also because L was kind and willing to share, and they were safer together, but… but also because Orpheus enjoyed L’s company. He enjoyed feeling safe, and he enjoyed the way L waited to eat until they both had a share, and he enjoyed sharing a life with someone. He was too young to differentiate between enjoying L as a person and enjoying not being alone, but he was old enough to know that a lot of other kids wouldn’t be so kind. They wouldn’t be so understanding, and they certainly wouldn’t give as much to protecting Orpheus as he gave to protecting them. With L… everything felt mutual. His smile deepened, becoming even more genuine as he moved deeper into their makeshift camp and lightly fluffed the pillow they had managed to find hidden behind a trashcan. It wasn’t in good shape, but it was enough, and it was theirs. He wasn’t tired yet, but it made him feel better to do things and make sure everything was in order.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Nov 27, 2020 11:17:49 GMT -5
Kelsier watched, half expecting him to run again. He didn’t. Maybe he knew there was no way he was getting out of this. Maybe he knew that, if it was hell Kelsier was taking him to, then it was hell they would go. Kelsier was many things, but mostly, he was stubborn. The sooner the kid understood that, the better things would be for everyone. He got into the car as well, and he turned on the child lock. He didn’t like locking into into the car, but he didn’t know whether he could trust him not to bolt, and those few seconds of unbuckling his seatbelt might mean he was too late. He wasn’t willing to risk that. …... Kelsier parked in front of the station. He paused, watching the door for a moment, though he could see none of his coworkers through it. That wasn’t the point of his hesitation, though, and he guessed the kid probably knew that as well. He turned, looking back at the boy. They had gotten McDonald’s, just as he’d promised they would, which hopefully did something for his credibility, though he wouldn’t blame the kid if he still didn’t trust him. He was doing what he had to do, but he knew it was probably harder to see that from the other side of things. “Ready?” He asked finally, though he knew it wasn’t much of a question. Of course the kid wasn’t ready. How could he be? He had no idea what was happening next. Neither did Kelsier, in fairness. - Waiting for food was almost impossible, yet somehow they both did it, when it was necessary. They would never eat without making sure the other had food, too. But once they actually had food, L always found he couldn’t wait any longer. He couldn’t stand waiting any longer. He was so hungry all the time, and holding food in his hands without actually eating it felt like torture. Once they were both holding their food, L couldn’t wait anymore. He hoped Orpheus didn’t mind that. Stale was okay. Stale didn’t bother him. It was food. It was food, and he wasn’t going to complain as long as it took the edge off the ache in his stomach. Things could have been so different. But that’s not the way things happened. He didn’t need to know Orpheus’ name. He didn’t need to know Orpheus’ past. All he needed to know was that Orpheus was there and he wasn’t going to just disappear on him. He needed to have one thing that wouldn’t change, no matter what, no matter where life tossed him. He often felt at the mercy of the wind, of fate. He didn’t know what was going to happen, of course he didn’t, but he knew he wanted to stay with his friend, and was that so much to ask? Just one thing that wouldn’t change? He finished his bread quickly, licking the crumbs from his fingers and then grinning back at Orpheus. They needed each other. They protected each other. He never felt like he was the only one who was doing the work, and he felt safe, safer than he’d felt in a long time, as he watched Orpheus move away. He followed, dark eyes watchful, curious what the other boy was doing. Was he tired? Probably not yet. He knew from experience that Orpheus liked made things the way they were supposed to be, something he shared. It was much better to have everything in its proper place. He stayed where he was, quiet, his bare toes light against the ground. The bread had taken the edge off his hunger, but he still wished there was more. He always did.
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Dec 1, 2020 20:05:13 GMT -5
Ready was a relative term and they both knew it. They both knew that Nico had no interest at all in entering the building, that he was terrified of what might happen to him inside, and that even a meal (which Nico was secretly grateful for, even if he hadn’t said thank you) wasn’t enough to make him feel safe going inside. There was the issue of Hades being found, yes, but there was also the fact that not every person inside the station was going to be as kind as Kelsier was. There were going to be people who would want to charge him with crimes just to meet quotas. Besides, throwing a kid in jail was probably easier than finding his parents, especially if he refused to talk. The more he thought about it, the less jail seemed like the most terrible option, though. Nico rubbed his greasy fingers on his pant legs one last time, the bag from the fast food balled up in his hands. He was going to throw it away in case he was questioned about it, but he didn’t exactly see a trash can. Oh well. He looked over at Kelsier and silently shook his head. Nonetheless, he opened his door and waited for Kelsier to lead the way. - Content that everything was where it was meant to be – and considering how few belongings the two of them shared, that wasn’t a difficult challenge – Orpheus moved back towards his friend. He wasn’t bored (bored was something you could really only be when you weren’t using every waking moment to try to survive) but he was struggling with a way to fill the time. He didn’t need to talk to L. They were similar enough that most of what they needed to say could be communicated through looks. Nonetheless, Orpheus sometimes wondered what his friend would have to say if they could talk with each other. Secretly, though, he was glad L hadn’t tried. He didn’t know if L couldn’t speak or just didn’t want to. Frankly, he didn’t know the answer to that question about himself. Did they even speak the same language? It was possible they didn’t. Orpheus shook the thought away. It wouldn’t do to dwell on questions he wasn’t ever going to get an answer to. Besides, whatever language they had heard for the first part of their lives, it didn’t seem to impede their ability to communicate now. They got hungry at the same time, and they had somehow mutually agreed that it would be better to separate to look for food. Orpheus had learned a great deal just from watching his friend. Although the way they lived encouraged both of them to be careful, Orpheus got the feeling that L was more cautious than he was by nature. It had taken Orpheus a little bit to learn how to not only stay out of other people’s way, but not to be noticed in the first place. He had always been somewhat decent at the former – having two parents who didn’t really want him around had that effect – but he’d had to learn the latter just from watching L. He wasn’t very good at it, but he tried. Without giving it much thought, Orpheus settled down in the far corner of their little campsite. There wasn’t much to do except sit with each other and wait for it to grow dark. They could play games, but Orpheus didn’t know very many, and he wasn’t sure L would be interested. Even though he thought of L as his friend, he had little insight into how L regarded him. Perhaps as merely a matter of convenience. Orpheus didn’t want to risk losing him over something as trivial as a way to pass the time.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Dec 12, 2020 21:11:16 GMT -5
If the meal had been enough to ease the kid’s fears, then Kelsier would have been deeply surprised. The mistrust went a whole lot deeper than that, after all. He suspected it had a lot more to do with what he was than who he was, since he personally hadn’t done anything to seem untrustworthy yet. Well...besides chasing the kid down and pinning him and forcing him to leave the only place he had against his will. Okay. So maybe it was a little bit understandable to hate Kel, but that didn’t mean he was actually untrustworthy. It just meant it was easy to see him that way. Important distinction. He was very aware of the fact that the boy was anxious. He also knew there was good reason for him to be. Not that he hated all his coworkers or anything….nope. He definitely didn’t hate them. Not even a little bit. He didn’t even dislike them. They were great. He probably should have made the kid go in front of him. Especially now that he had run away once, and he was more than desperate enough to try it again. But what he did was offer him a small smile and then turn and lead the way into the station, still carrying the kid’s stuff. - Orpheus may not have gotten bored, but L did sometimes. It wasn’t that he wasn’t still hungry, and he was never relaxed, but when there were long afternoons with nothing to do, he found himself wishing there was something to think about. He would have been interested in a game, perhaps, or even just someone else’s thoughts, but talking didn’t really occur to him as an option. If he’d had to explain it to someone, he wouldn’t have been able to. He didn’t know why any more than Orpheus did, he didn’t even know if he was physically capable of it, and he didn’t try it. He was extremely grateful to his friend that he didn’t, either. He watched his friend, his small body still and cautious and his head tilted slightly, not in. A question so much as a thought. Orpheus was interesting. He was similar to L in a lot of ways, but he was also very different, and it was those differences that made L sometimes consider his friend for hours. He couldn’t have said how they had communicated the things that they clearly had. It hadn’t been verbally. Still, he was glad, even if he couldn’t have explained it. He watched Orpheus now, though he kept glancing around now and then, just in case. He was never completely at ease, never completely at rest, not even at their makeshift home. The only time he was completely relaxed was when he slept, and that was only because the one person he trusted was watching out for him. He didn’t know when he had started being so careful. Had he always been like this? Was this just who he was? He didn’t like thinking about the past, and somehow his brain made that part easy enough by protecting him from those memories. Still, it wasn’t like they were completely suppressed. He had nightmares about it sometimes. The night everything had changed. The night his life had been gently pried from his fingers and shattered against the hard ground. Maybe that was when he had stopped trusting. Maybe that was when he had seen the ugly side of the world, and started seeing it everywhere else, too. Because it was everywhere. He just hadn’t seen it before. L watched Orpheus settle in, and he turned, glancing around their small camp. Yes...he did get bored, sometimes. Still, he wouldn’t trade this for anything else he could think of. He didn’t think there was anything better out there. They had each other, didn’t they? Someone to watch his back when he needed to sleep was more than he could have asked for, really. He moved a little closer and settled in near Orpheus, not too close, but close enough. It wasn’t dark yet, and he wasn’t tired. He shifted a little. Then he began to run through the alphabet with his hands, as he did now and then, as something to keep his mind occupied.
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Dec 21, 2020 1:57:23 GMT -5
Nico wasn’t going to run away again. He had told Kelsier he wasn’t going to, and… well, besides. Kelsier had his bag. He wasn’t going to go anywhere without that unless things got really, really bad here. He didn’t acknowledge Kelsier’s smile, merely fixed his gaze on the front of the building. It was intimidating. There was no other word for it, but whether that was because of the building itself or because of what waited inside for him was anybody’s guess. He didn’t know when he had started shaking, he just knew that once he started, he couldn’t stop. He took several tentative steps closer, staring up at the door and swallowing. He was going to have to stay here for who knew how long, and he doubted they had comfortable beds. Not that the attic had been comfortable, but at least he’d been alone. He hesitated, stopping several feet from the entrance to the building. He couldn’t go any further. His heart was racing, and though he didn’t turn to run away, he couldn’t get his feet to move forward. “Sorry,” he managed, his voice catching in his throat as he stared, wide-eyed, at the building. “Please… please don’t… don’t drag me in, I promise I’ll… I’ll go in on my own in just… just…” - Orpheus looked over at L, breathing out as he settled once again close to his friend. It wasn’t dark enough out to warrant going to sleep, and he wasn’t tired anyway. His brain was running through too many things at once. He breathed out, trying to read L’s thoughts from his expression. It was odd, he thought, how well he felt he knew his friend despite not even knowing his name. His mother, he thought, had once told him that names were important. They had power. You had to take the time and effort to learn and remember people’s names, because they could help you later in life. He didn’t care about people helping him – he was fine on his own, as long as he had his friend – but he felt it was probably respectful to at least try to learn people’s names. Of course... the only name he cared about was one that he had no way to find out, so he tried to push it from his mind. His friend’s name didn’t matter nearly so much as what his friend had done for him in all this time. Orpheus had gotten used to being on edge all the time. He couldn’t really remember a time before, when he didn’t have to look around every corner, when he didn’t have to worry about people finding him and taking him away from his friend, when everything he owned could fit in one tiny tent. It was second nature to look around, to make sure his back was against a wall, to make sure L was in sight at all times. Sleeping was different – somehow they had come up with a system that worked for them, and though neither of them got enough sleep, they still felt comfortable enough to sleep when the other was around, keeping watch. He gave L a small smile, noting the distance between them. Orpheus didn’t like distance. When he slept, he imagined a world where he and L could curl up on the same bed and fall asleep safe in the knowledge that they were safe, that nobody was going to find them or hurt them. He would wrap his arms around L and lay there, his chin resting on L’s shoulder, and he would feel safe. But it was always a dream. Orpheus never came that close when he was awake – he let L set the boundaries, because he could tell that L’s boundaries were a lot more stringent than his own. It was better to live by L’s boundaries. That way they both felt safe, even if Orpheus felt lonely sometimes. He glanced over, head tilting as he saw L’s fingers moving. It was something he was familiar with L doing, but he had never before asked what it was. It seemed to have some sort of meaning, based on the way L was going through it so carefully. He frowned slightly, then waved his hand a little to get L’s attention. He tilted his head, hoping that was enough to communicate his curiosity. He would have scooted closer, but L had sat where he had for a reason, and Orpheus had to remind himself carefully of boundaries. Still… he was curious.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Dec 25, 2020 11:09:59 GMT -5
Kelsier didn’t see it as particularly intimidating. He was taller, though. And significantly stronger. And he also worked there, which definitely had something to do with it. A glance at the kid told him he was not seeing it the same way. To him, it must have been huge, arching up in a threatening sort of way. It wasn’t really his fault. The building itself wasn’t that different from other buildings, but it was what lay inside that he suspected was scaring the boy so badly. He watched the kid walk forward, and he half expected him to try and run again, to make his last attempt at an escape. To his credit, though, he didn’t. Kelsier could tell he was shaking. He hated that he had to do this, he hated that he had to force this when it was obviously so frightening, but he really didn’t have a choice. Then the kid stopped and Kelsier paused. He really didn’t want to drag him in kicking and screaming, but if he flatly refused to enter? What was he supposed to do then? He knew that it was terrifying, he knew that it was awful, but he also knew that it was the one place that could actually have a hope of helping the kid. When he hears the boy’s voice, though, he went still. Then glanced behind them. As long as no one was trying to get in or out….”take a moment.” He advised gently. He didn’t say he wasn’t the one in charge the moment they walked through those doors, but he might as well have. “I won’t drag you. Focus on your breathing, okay? You’re okay.” - Maybe L was a natural at staying in the shadows, at keeping to himself and never being found. Maybe he was a natural at disappearing the moment you thought to look where he was. Maybe all of this had been natural for him, easy. It certainly felt that way sometimes, when he wandered the streets alone, looking for food. When he tried to disappear when he thought someone might be following him. He was aware that a kid on his own tended to stick out, and that was why he had to be so careful. It wasn’t always easy. But he thought he was getting better. Before….what did L know of before? He didn’t really remember his parents, not clearly anyway. He knew there was a time before now. He dreamt about it more than he actually thought about it. Maybe that was his brain trying to protect him...or maybe it was just his brain not realizing that it didn’t matter. What happened before wasn’t important. What mattered was now, with Orpheus, with his friend. What mattered was that he could sleep because Orpheus made him feel safe enough, because it was safe when one of them was keeping watch. He glanced at Orpheus, seeing the small smile that put him at ease. He wasn’t relaxed. He was never relaxed, really. He wasn’t aware of Orpheus’ loneliness, he didn’t know that he was causing it, he just tried to feel as safe as he could in a world that wasn’t safe at all. It wasn't an easy task, but he was doing his best. Maybe his goal wasn’t really to feel safe, though. Maybe he was just trying to make them both be as safe as he possibly could. L looked up, his eyes catching on the moving hand. He blinked slowly at Orpheus, pausing halfway through his second alphabet run through. He glanced at his hands, frowning slightly, his black hair falling in his face and obscuring his vision. He didn’t move to push it back. He didn’t want to lose the carefully formed letters his hands were making. Did Orpheus really not understand what he was doing? That was a new, strange thought. He had never seen his friend run through the alphabet, never seen him try to sign, but he had assumed it was simply something Orpheus did on his own, which was perfectly fine. But if Orpheus really didn’t know… L looked up again, meeting Orpheus’ gaze with his own wide, dark one. Then he carefully help up his hands and made an “A” sign. He wasn’t sure how to communicate what it was. Or whether Orpheus actually cared. But maybe, just maybe, L, too, was a little bit lonely.
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Dec 27, 2020 2:46:05 GMT -5
Nico glanced at Kelsier, hating him for another long moment. He could say whatever he wanted, but as long as he wanted to take Nico in there, as long as he wanted to insist on looking for Hades, his words were empty. He might have meant well, but Nico knew his actions could only ever end in pain. In suffering, because Nico was going to be under Hades’ thumb for as long as he lived. And for a few brief, painful weeks, he’d been free. What would he give for freedom? His own life? He hadn’t really been given the chance to make that choice for himself. Kelsier had made that choice for him. His words, therefore, meant nothing. It wasn’t okay. It was so, so far from okay, and Nico was tired of trying to make Kelsier understand that. He grit his teeth, staring at the building in front of him. At his fate. He would enter on his own terms. He wouldn’t make Kelsier drag him in. Taking a deep breath, trying to steady his shaking form, he started walking again, aiming for the door. Whoever was in charge wasn’t likely to be as honorable as Kelsier seemed. Perhaps that meant it would be easier to get away with getting placed in the foster system or something. It was a hell of a lot better than the idea of going back to Hades. It was somehow scarier inside, and he couldn’t help the way he kept his back pressed to the door, the way he instinctively looked to Kelsier for… for what, exactly? Advice? Instructions? He was the enemy. He had to be the enemy. Nico forced his gaze to the ground, arms hugged tight to his chest as though he could disguise his trembling that way. - Orpheus remembered before. He remembered his father, the stern voice he took with him, and he remembered the day his mother left. It weighed like a stone on his heart. It was easier not to think about it, it was easier to live in their makeshift tent and think of nothing other than how they were going to get enough food to survive until the end of the week. One meal a day wasn’t going to be enough, especially when a “meal” very rarely consisted of more than half a loaf of bread. They needed a better plan. They needed a better way to survive. Sometimes, worrying about the future wasn’t any easier than thinking about the past. Orpheus could dream all he wanted about nice people who would give them food for free – like the bakery owner, who sometimes gave Orpheus the leftover bread that nobody was going to buy at the end of the day – but he knew the truth. There weren’t a whole lot of nice people out there. The future was quite possibly as bleak as the past, though Orpheus was determined to believe that the future had the potential to be better. The easiest thing to do was to just… live in the present. Exist with his friend, never saying a word, hoping he didn’t do anything to chase him away… he forced himself to focus on what L was showing him. He’d done the thing with his hands more than once, but Orpheus had refrained from asking about it. Orpheus had his own habits – tapping out rhythms on his leg or on tables or the floor or anywhere his fingers could comfortably rest. He had thought L’s hand motions were similar to that, but based on the way his friend was looking at him… perhaps it was more than that. Perhaps they had meaning. “A,” Orpheus signed back experimentally. He didn’t know what it meant, but it seemed to mean something to L. He then shifted his hand to the next sign L had made, then the next. They weren’t perfect, but he had picked up a few of them from watching his friend, though they were just shapes to him. Exercises maybe? To increase finger flexibility? Orpheus was about to tip his head and find a way to ask when he heard something behind him and immediately stiffened. He gestured for L to get to the side, then peered out of the tent, staying as well hidden as he could manage. There were two people, a man and a woman, approaching. They stopped when they noticed Orpheus, but began pointing and talking more quietly. His eyes widened, and he resisted the urge to look at L. If they thought there were only one person in their makeshift campsite… maybe they’d leave L alone. Maybe. He withdrew into the tent, breathing hard. They needed a plan. Now. He could hear the voices of the people as they approached, saw the shadow as the woman lifted up the entrance to the tent, and Orpheus bolted right past her. He assumed L would be right behind him.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Dec 29, 2020 22:35:12 GMT -5
The kid wasn’t actually wrong. Kelsier was there to bring him in, to bring him out of the cold and away from freedom. It was far from ideal, and Kelsier knew that the boy had every single reason to hate him. So he took it without comment, his expression giving absolutely nothing away. He hadn’t given the kid a choice. The kid had been forced into this, and Kel honestly didn’t really expect to be forgiven for that. It might not have been okay, but Kelsier believed it could be. He believed it would be, eventually. Maybe that was a fool’s hope, but he believed in it anyway, because that was how hope worked, and he didn’t think it would do any good not to believe in it. He walked in after him, stepping close enough that he couldn’t run again but not so close that he felt uncomfortable. That was the goal, anyway. He couldn’t be sure he was succeeding. He raised a hand, waving at his coworkers, an easy smile on his face in spite of the circumstances. They would probably want to get the kid situated somewhere immediately, and that was one thing Kelsier happened to agree was a good plan. He glanced at the bag he was carrying, then looked at the boy sideways, realizing that he was going to have to go through the bag sooner rather than later. He silently cursed himself for not doing it outside. Then he could have gotten rid of anything that wasn’t…well. Good to carry into police stations. He paused in the hall, turning a serious expression to the kid and holding the bag. “Is there anything in here I should know about?” He asked, his tone gentle. “Because I’m the best person to find out, and I would rather not go through your things, but someone is going to have to. If you have anything you shouldn’t have, tell me now and we’ll work something out, okay?” - They were both in need of more food, more water, more sleep…always more. L knew they didn’t have enough, he knew that they needed a better plan to survive if they were going to make it. One meal a day, if they were lucky...it wasn’t enough for anyone, and they were still growing. Still, L wouldn’t have traded this for anything at all. He had Orpheus, he had something like safety (even if he never really felt safe) and he had food sometimes. It was as good as it was going to get, and he knew it. Well...he wasn’t going to complain. Still, there were too many mean people who wanted to take the little that they actually had. It wasn’t enough as it was. When they had it taken away, he worried they would go to sleep and not wake up. It was frightening, being a kid and worrying about that. It was frightening, wondering how long they could survive without food, and not knowing the answer. If only L could have known that, he might have been able to calculate their chances of survival. He watched Orpheus, pleased his friend seemed to be paying attention to what he was showing him. He went through the alphabet slowly, just like when he’d been taught, and he tilted his head, curious whether Orpheus actually cared what he was showing him. He seemed to. Why hadn’t he asked before? Although...if he didn’t know what the signs meant…L’s eyes widened. Was it possible his friend was interested in communicating after all? L had been content to stay silent if that was what Orpheus wanted, and he wasn’t sure he could speak even if he tried, but sign language...he had assumed that everyone understood it. If Orpheus didn’t know what it meant….L started over, signing “A” again, just a little bit slower this time. Orpheus was doing well, he thought, at copying the signs. Especially if somehow he hadn’t been taught them before. It was one of the few things L had left of his parents, of his past, and maybe that was why he had been so determined not to let it go, even if there was no one left to communicate with. He blinked as Orpheus gestured suddenly, and even though he hadn’t heard anything, he moved without question, scooting to the side and out of sight. He didn’t know what was happening. He couldn’t see past Orpheus, and he had missed the initial noise, so all he knew was that Orpheus was suddenly tense. That was all he needed to know. Something was very wrong, he trusted Orpheus that much, and he understood that if it was happening in their camp, then that meant one thing. They’d been found. He tensed, biting his lip. As Orpheus withdrew, so did he, his small body trembling slightly as he watched his friend for any clue about what was happening. He knew enough. But the details...he didn’t know those. He didn’t know enough. So when he saw the shadow as they approached the tent. He froze. They were here. They were here. He, too, bolted the moment the tent was opened, but it was in the opposite direction. He ran right past the man, his small form moving almost faster than should have been possible, and with a flash of his dark hair he was gone.
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Jan 3, 2021 1:15:07 GMT -5
Every person was an enemy. Every person could hurt Nico, if they wanted. Best case scenario, they found his father and sent him home. Worse case scenario, one of these people got upset that he wasn’t cooperating and decided to do something about it. Was torture legal? Nico didn’t think it was, but there was always the possibility… there was always the chance of getting hurt. Nico squeezed his eyes shut, trying to ignore the curious looks so many of the others were giving him. Let them focus on Kelsier, that was fine. He just wished they would ignore the anomaly, the thing that didn’t belong. He opened his eyes soon after, realizing he would need some way to navigate within the station. He didn’t trust Kelsier close enough to touch him, let alone to lead him around somewhere completely blind. He could take the way they were looking at him. It would be fine. Where was he even going? A holding cell? Was he going to be treated like a criminal? That seemed an inevitability, even if Detective Kelsier kept his word about not pressing charges. About not trying to get him in jail for shoplifting or trespassing or any of the other transgressions he’d committed. He didn’t realize Kelsier had paused until he heard his voice. He turned, eyes catching on the bag. Right. “Three shirts, one pair of pants, a water bottle, fifteen dollars in cash, trail mix, toilet paper, matches, a letter…” His voice was quiet as he listed off items, careful to avoid Kelsier’s gaze. He would rather just get it out and tell him what was in there, but he couldn’t help but hesitate at the last item. “And a swiss army knife.” He stared at the ground. “It’s not illegal.” He had made sure when he had purchased it with what few funds he’d had when he left home. It had come in handy more than once, though he doubted they would assume the best of his owning it here. It was, after all, a weapon. Technically. - Any attempt to learn what L had been teaching vanished as Orpheus made his great escape. He could hear footsteps behind him, heard shouts as the man called to the woman. He didn’t look behind. It would just slow him down, and he trusted L enough to believe his friend had followed him. He had chosen the path he usually took to try to find food, relying on the familiarity of the path to help him in escaping. He wasn’t as familiar with the other ways, and he had taken off first. He had a plan, and though he wished he could have told it to L, he just had to trust that L was following. He had to trust that his friend would follow his plan, even if he didn’t know what it was. Was that impossible? Orpheus didn’t know, and he didn’t intend to find out. He kept running, relief flooding him as he heard only one set of footsteps behind him. He ducked behind a building and into a doorway, turning to gesture L to come follow him. It would be a safe enough hiding spot. Except the footsteps didn’t belong to L. It was the man who had found them at first, yelling something about it being for Orpheus’ own good. He didn’t care. The only good in his life was his friend, and he wasn’t even there anymore. Orpheus felt his heart thudding in his chest as he backed away from the doorframe, rounding the corner of the building and running straight towards the stairs leading to someone’s cellar. He veered away at just the right moment, breath coming hard as he ran back past the man, only narrowly avoiding the arms that reached out to grab him. How had they been found? He didn’t recognize the man, but anyone could have seen him and L and called the authorities. They hadn’t technically stolen anything, they weren’t technically criminals, but they had to be wanted for something, otherwise the man wouldn’t be chasing them. Orpheus wound through street after street, doing his best to lose the man who had followed him. He wanted to call out for L, but he knew his voice wouldn’t work. It didn’t matter anyway. He didn’t know his friend’s name. He hadn’t had a way to tell his friend which way he had chosen to go. He was useless. And now he didn’t even know where L was. It was a solid fifteen minutes of running before Orpheus slowed to a stop, ducking behind a couple of trashcans in an alleyway. He didn’t know where he was. He hadn’t been watching where he was going. But, at the very least, he wasn’t being pursued anymore. That was the end of the silver lining. He was alone again, with nobody to watch for him while he slept, nobody to share his bread with, nobody to exist besides. He curled his knees to his chest, eyes squeezed shut as he tried to make himself as small as possible. He needed to find a way home, but he didn’t want to risk the man finding him again.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Jan 3, 2021 17:08:26 GMT -5
If Kelsier could have read the kid’s mind, he would have stopped right there and told him to forget about torture. No one was going to hurt him. Kel believed that completely, or he wouldn’t have been nearly as confident in his decision to bring him here. But he had no way of knowing what the boy was thinking, and so he didn’t say anything as he passed the others, trusting the kid’s nerves in the new situation to make him follow. Kelsier glanced back in time to see the kid open his eyes, and he nodded a little. He understood that he wouldn’t likely trust him enough to lead him, and Kel wasn’t about to force anything. He knew this was hard, he knew this wasn’t what the kid wanted, and he hated having to do it, but it was for the best. He believed that completely. He listened silently as the kid listed the things in the bag. Good. That meant he could work with it before anyone else jumped to any conclusions and did something they shouldn’t. He considered the boy for a moment. Matches and a knife weren’t great, but it could have been a lot worse. As he’d said, it wasn’t illegal. Just not exactly as innocent as he would have liked. The detective smiled a little, trying to look reassuring. “You’re right, it’s not illegal.” He agreed lightly. “And I understand, I do.” He paused. Then continued gently. “With your permission, I’m going to take the knife, the matches, and the letter out.” He told him, his voice steady. “Not that I don’t like my coworkers and all that, but I’d rather no one jumped to any conclusions. And I’m guessing you wold rather no one else read that letter, am I right?” - If L had been thinking clearly, if he hadn’t panicked, then maybe he would have followed Orpheus. Maybe he would have understood what Orpheus was planning, maybe he would have caught on and run the right direction. But he didn’t understand and he did panic, and when he ran, he ran the wrong way, darting past and swerving out of camp, his small body leaning forward in an effort to go even faster. He didn’t think to look for Orpheus, he just assumed his friend would go the same way he did. He ran, not daring to look behind him, not daring to even imagine that Orpheus wasn’t there. He had to be. L couldn’t let himself imagine he was alone, not after everything they’d been through together. He darted into an alley. It wasn’t a smart move, but he didn’t have a choice, he just knew they were after them, he knew they would follow. He froze. It was a dead end. Panic gripped his chest as he whipped around, struggling to breathe. The woman was right behind him, and now she approached, slowly, her hands held out in front of her. She was blocking the only way out. And what was even worse was that Orpheus wasn’t there. He backed away, eyes huge, as she approached, making small noises. She murmured something he ignored, her tone obviously supposed to be calming, but all it did was make him even more panicked. He made his decision and ran forward, aiming to dart past her. Then he felt a hand close around his arm and his mouth opened in a silent, terrified scream. He fought, thrashing as hard as he could, dropping his weight to throw her off, but the hand only tightened around his arm. He turned and bit down as hard as he could, hearing the scream, only letting go when she did - and he tasted blood first, Then he turned and ran, ignoring the curses of the woman behind him. It didn’t take him long to lose her after that. She still followed, but her heart didn’t seem quite in it anymore, and it only took a couple of quick turns to trick her. He slipped into a drain, breathing hard, watching as she ran right past his hiding place. It let took him a long time to come out again, but eventually he crawled out, shaking his head and trying to breathe. Orpheus. Orpheus was gone. He straightened up, searching his surroundings, his dark eyes huge. No….no no no no no. No this couldn’t happen, he didn’t...he couldn’t let this happen. His friend was the one person in the whole world who could watch out for him, who protected him as he slept, who found bread and shared it. He wanted to call for him, but he couldn’t. So instead he began to try to retrace his steps. Tried to figure out where he was, and how to get back to camp. Which was a bad idea, since they’d been found, but they didn’t have another meeting place and he refused to even entertain the possibility that Orpheus was gone.
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Jan 8, 2021 4:00:39 GMT -5
He understood? Nico’s eyes narrowed slightly, and he couldn’t help but take a step back. How? Wasn’t he going to be upset about the weapon? Nico hadn’t used it to hurt anybody, but he could have, if he’d wanted to. He had no proof that he was innocent, that he hadn’t actually hurt anyone. It was odd, to him, that Kelsier seemed so willing to believe him. Then again, he was also willing to throw him right back into the fire. No matter how this situation ended, Nico knew it wasn’t going to be ideal. He just had to hope that it was foster home “not ideal” instead of going home “not ideal.” “Is that… legal?” Nico asked, searching Kelsier’s expression. His own was thick with suspicion, waiting for some trap or another to spring. “Hiding evidence? Couldn’t I get in trouble for letting you do that?” He wanted to agree. He wanted to trust Kelsier, wanted to believe that he wouldn’t get in trouble for the knife – or the matches, he hadn’t even considered the matches dangerous – but he couldn’t let himself believe that. “Promise me,” he murmured after a long moment, crossing his arms over his chest. “Promise me you won’t get me in trouble with them, I didn’t do anything wrong. It’s not illegal.” His eyes were wide with worry, and he squeezed them shut and turned sharply away to hide the tears that were building up without his permission. “The letter is private,” he added, brows furrowed. “If you take it, then you’re the only one who has to read it, right?” His voice had an edge, but it was scarcely enough to hide the real fear there. “I promise there’s nothing to find from it.” No address, no name, just a letter printed at the bottom and handwriting that wouldn’t match anything in any database, because Sam had never committed a crime. - Orpheus waited until the sky grew dark, until the cities sounds dimmed at least a little bit, until he was absolutely certain the man who had followed was gone. The thing about the night was that there were other people, scarier people. People who thought they could get away with more because the sun wasn’t watching. And Orpheus was completely, utterly lost. He peeked out from behind his trash can, eying the alley with wide eyes. Nobody was there, so he felt comfortable sneaking out onto the main street. If he headed in one direction… it was possible he would find something he knew, right? He hadn’t kept track of all the twists and turns he had made to lose the man. He probably should have, but it was too late now. Was L alright? Had he been taken? The thought merely served to strengthen Orpheus’ resolve. He was going to find L. There simply weren’t any other options. Taking a straight path when he didn’t know where he was going was likely to lead him right into a dangerous part of the city. Kids like him – small, vulnerable, easy prey – didn’t make it through the dangerous part of the city alive, even he knew that. Especially not at night. He didn’t want to be roped into a gang or worse. He had a few options. He didn’t recognize the street name, but if he headed towards the area with the brighter lights, he might be able to find something familiar. A tiny voice in the back of his mind told him to find shelter for the night, but he ignored it. If he stopped to look for shelter, he was never going to see L again. He needed to. He needed his friend. He needed to know about the weird thing he did with his hands, he needed someone to share bread with and to watch over while he slept, and he needed his best friend. Other kids had probably never had to depend on their best friend to live. Orpheus was different. And he didn’t know how long he’d be able to live on his own. The building he was approaching was large and well-lit, but completely unfamiliar. Where had Orpheus ended up? He scanned the horizon, trying to pick out buildings he knew. Buildings he used to navigate during the day. There. In the distance, a skyscraper that was always to the left of their campsite. It was to his right now, which meant… he needed to head right. He set his jaw, trying to do exactly as L did, keeping to the shadows of the buildings, trying not to be seen. It was much easier at night than it was during the day. Don’t be afraid of the dark, he reminded himself, remembering the song his mother had sang once or twice when he’d been afraid. He wanted to sing it now, but his words wouldn’t work. He was too frightened to hum the tune. And Orpheus kept walking, pace quick as he tried to get home before he lost L forever.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Feb 2, 2021 23:27:53 GMT -5
Maybe he didn’t understand, not quite. Maybe he couldn’t understand, because he wasn’t the kid, he wasn’t in the kid’s position. He had never been in this situation before, after all, he had never experienced this or gone through what the boy was going through. But he thought he understood parts of it, even if he couldn’t understand all of it. He couldn’t tell what the kid was thinking. He couldn’t tell, or he might have acted differently. Was it legal? Well…it wasn’t exactly illegal, right? Except it was technically evidence, probably. Which meant it was probably not legal. He considered the kid for a moment, considering how to answer, because he didn’t want to lie to him. But he also didn’t plan on taking this back. “If anyone would get in trouble for it, it wouldn’t be you.” He answered finally, meaning it. “But there’s no need for anyone to know about it, and if no one knows, then no one gets in trouble.” He met the kid’s eyes, not looking away, his expression serious. “I promise.” He said, putting a hand on his heart. “I promise I won’t get you in trouble with them.” His tone was sincere, he meant it, he didn’t intend to break that promise. He refused to break that promise. He hesitated, still looking at the kid, still meeting his eyes, his expression serious. It seemed for a moment he wasn’t going to answer, it seemed he didn’t have an answer. Then he tilted his head a little. “Who said I was going to read it?” He said at last. “I said I was going to take it out.” - L was terrified. Orpheus wasn’t there. Orpheus wasn’t there and L didn’t know where he was, he didn’t know where to even begin to look. All he knew was that maybe, maybe, if he got back to their camp, maybe things would be okay. He had to believe that Orpheus would be there when he made it back. He had to believe he wasn’t alone, or he would break down completely. He walked, keeping to the shadows as he always did. This time, though, it was even more important. This time, everything depended on him making it back, as fast as he could. He knew how dangerous this was. He understood that if he didn’t get back in time, if he was found...it would all be over. Everything would be over. He didn’t want to think about that, he didn’t want to imagine being caught, never seeing Orpheus again. He didn’t trust anyone else, especially not adults, and the streets were full of those. He was lost, but he didn’t stop. He thought he remembered the steps he had taken, he was pretty sure he knew how to get un-lost. Maybe. He didn’t have time to doubt himself, he needed to to get back, he needed to get back to camp as fast as he could, if he was late, he had the strongest feeling he would never see Orpheus again. And that...that couldn’t happen. He wouldn’t let it happen. He couldn’t. He moved, darting from shadow to shadow, eyes always moving, always taking is surroundings in, making sure to never let himself be seen, even though there were very few people who might see him at the moment, he couldn’t be too careful, though. He couldn’t afford to make even a single mistake. When he made it back to the camp, it was empty, quiet. He didn’t feel safe there anymore, he didn’t feel safe anywhere at the moment because was alone, but even less so there. This was where they had been discovered, after all. It hurt that the place he had considered safest in the world now felt so dangerous. It slowly got darker, the shadows growing around him. He crouched, waiting, hoping, begging his friend to come. He didn’t even know whether Orpheus had escaped, he didn’t know whether it was pointless to wait there, but wait he did. How could he not? How could he give up on his best friend? No...he would be there, he had to. L didn’t move as the chill of night crept in, didn’t move. He had to come. He had to come. He has to.
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Feb 3, 2021 0:46:52 GMT -5
Nico watched Kelsier, trying to read his every move. Trying to see what he was going to do next, trying to figure out why he chose to do what he was doing now. Because he didn’t need to be kind about this. He didn’t need to try to clear Nico of suspicion, he didn’t need to hide the things that could be used as weapons. The things that Nico had never even really considered using as weapons. Did Kelsier know what a promise meant to Nico? Nico figured he didn’t – how could he, after all? He had only met him a few hours ago. Promises weren’t something most people took lightly, but what if Kelsier were one of those people? What if Nico couldn’t trust his promises? Even worse… what if he could? What if Kelsier found Hades, what if he made him go back, because he made some stupid promise to solve this? Nico had to stop the shudder from running down his spine. Very slowly, he nodded. “I won’t tell anyone,” he added, though he knew that was never really an issue. He would have to be an idiot to tell the other police officers that Kelsier had taken potential weapons from him. If they were going to torture him, though… maybe he wouldn’t have a choice about what he told. He didn’t legitimately think they were going to torture him, though, not if he took a moment to think of the situation logically. “What?” His voice was hard and startled, leaping up at least an octave. Kelsier’s words had lurched him out of his thoughts, his eyes locking on the detective’s searching for any sign he was joking, any sign this was some sort of cruel trick. “You aren’t going to read it? But it could be a clue… I mean it’s not, but you… you probably shouldn’t believe me about that.” He was tense, entirely caught off guard. Looking in Kelsier’s eyes, he felt every bit as young and frightened as he probably looked. His hard mask fell away for just a few moments, revealing the boy underneath. - The anxiety crept in, slowly but surely. Who did Orpheus think he was? He was one tiny kid in a city that could eat him alive slowly but surely. He was one kid, alone in the dark, trying to figure out the way back home. He kept to the shadows, creeping from one building to the other, always keeping that skyscraper in sight. It was cold out, the night air cutting through his thin, tattered clothing. They had never had much at their little campsite, but at least they had blankets. At least they had a way to keep warm. And they’d had each other, which was worth more than any number of blankets. L might not have escaped. L might have escaped but gotten lost. He might have escaped and been mad at Orpheus for going the wrong way, for leaving him behind, for… for not coming back soon enough, for not asking about what he was doing with his hands earlier… for hiding for so long or for getting lost and taking so long to find his way home… tears filled Orpheus eyes and spilled down his cheeks. He angrily wiped them away with his sleeve. He didn’t have time for tears. They smeared the lights in front of his eyes, making it hard to tell where he was going. What if they were waiting back at their camp? What if one of them got caught and hurt because they tried to go back? Maybe it would be safer for L alone. Maybe… L knew how to hide, he got food sometimes even without Orpheus’ help… maybe he’d want to be alone… No. Orpheus scolded his mind firmly. If L wanted to be alone, then he could have been alone before now. He was Orpheus’ best friend, and the only reason they were both still alive was because they had each other. Because neither of them had to be alone. Orpheus continued forward with even more determination. As much as he needed L, L needed him. He wasn’t going to let his best friend down by being stupid and getting lost. He wiped more tears from his eyes, wishing they wouldn’t keep trying to fall. Finally, his surrounding grew more familiar. Orpheus managed a tiny smile. It was dark, late enough that the night was blacker than it was navy blue, late enough that the lights in the windows were few and far between. The city wasn’t asleep by any means, but it was safe. Safe as long as Orpheus managed to stay hidden. There… there, flapping in the slight breeze. Home. Well… not home anymore. They’d have to move. But Orpheus would very quickly learn that home wasn’t a place as much as it was a person. He stopped several feet away, hiding in the shadow of the nearest building. He’d seen L crouch there hundreds of times before, staying mostly out of sight. What if it was a trap? What if… what if L wasn’t there? What if Orpheus was too late? He was trembling, he realized. He just needed to get close enough to see. Silent footsteps took him closer, though the white of his shirt caught the light nearby, practically making him glow. He scrambled back into the shadow, heart racing. If someone had seen him… he pulled his knees tightly to his chest. He just wanted L back. But he was too afraid to go inside and find it empty.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Feb 21, 2021 3:43:58 GMT -5
Kelsier was trying not to make any sudden moves. He really was. It was better not to do anything that might startle the kid, after all, and he seemed jumpy enough. He may not have needed to take so many precautions, but...well, he knew his coworkers too well. They were going to look for anything and everything they could to close the case quickly. They were interested in justice as much as he was, of course they were, but...it seemed that sometimes, the need to get paid just won out in the end. There was a quota to fill, after all. He didn’t know what a promise meant to the kid. Couldn’t know. But he knew what a promise meant from him, and that was a guarantee. He didn’t break his promises, especially not to scared kids just trying to survive. He may not have had any idea what Nico had gone through, but he didn’t have to. He thought he understood enough. His smile deepened a little at the next words. “Neither will I,” he said, placing a hand over his heart. A semi dramatic motion, but one he meant. “There aren’t any cameras here, in case you were worried about that, too,” he added, just to be sure Nico felt as secure in this as possible. If he’d been able to see inside Nico’s head, he would have assured him that torture was not even on the table, but he didn’t know and he couldn’t have even guessed that that was a concern. He knew instantly that the boy hadn’t expected that his words at all. And well...who could blame him? Kelsier knew it wasn’t smart. He knew he should read the letter. But...how could he when it was the last private thing the kid had now? When he was going to be under constant surveillance and pressure and he would be questioned and every single secret he had was going to be snatched away? Well...not every secret. There were always more of those, Kel knew that better than anyone. But probably more than the kid wanted to tell. “These next few days, or weeks, aren’t going to be easy.” He said it as gently as he could, but there was no softening the words, “you deserve to be respected as a person, and to own something no strangers are going to take away from from you. You don’t know me, I get that. But when it gets hard, I hope that it brings you some comfort to know this letter is safe.” - It was cold. L was aware that he was cold, too. He was shivering. His teeth were chattering. Symptoms of being cold. Or fear. Maybe both. Orpheus wasn’t there. He wasn’t there, he wasn’t there, he wasn’t there, he wasn’t…. He didn’t seem able to get a blanket. Or move to warm up. He kept hearing a memory telling him he needed to come inside or he’d get sick, but every time he shifted to obey, he remembered where he was and stopped himself. This wasn’t home. It never had been, but now it felt haunted, like someone had died there. What if they’d hurt Orpheus? L had run away when it came down to it. If Orpheus was hurt or...worse...then it was L’s fault. He hadn’t stayed with his friend. How could he have run? Left him? How could he have abandoned his friend? Coward, he yelled inside his head, ignoring the tears stabbing at his eyes and falling when he blinked. He couldn’t have slept if he’d tried. He was terrified Orpheus would come back and not see him, terrified Orpheus would be angry with him and leave if he wasn’t awake. He didn’t know how it would be better if he was awake, he just felt like maybe, maybe he could explain. Even though they couldn’t communicate. He began to sign the alphabet, slowly, concentrating on getting each sign perfect. After he’d run through that twice he switched to words. “Help. Alone. Friend. Alone…” He ran out of word and dropped his hand, exhausted. Maybe Orpheus didn’t want to come back. Maybe he was afraid. Maybe he was upset. Maybe he didn’t know L would come here. Was he looking for L? Was he looking everywhere but here, hoping to find him? Or was he lost, trying to come back with no way of succeeding...L didn’t know, and he hated that. He wanted to know one way or the other whether he was waiting for someone who was coming or not. He got up suddenly, though he wasn’t sure why. Maybe he just couldn’t stand the feeling of doing nothing anymore. Or maybe there was no reason at all. It didn’t matter. He began to walk through the whole camp, pacing in a spiral that led him to the center. That done, he turned and headed for the exit, hands in his pockets, shoulders hunched. He wasn’t going to leave, he wasn’t, but...he needed space. The camp felt suffocating now, somehow. And too achingly lonely. And that was when he saw it. Just a flash of a white shirt, but it was enough to make L’s body go completely still, his attention focused on the spot even as the person vanished into the dark again. Orpheus wore white. L was running before he made the decision to move. His bare feet made slapping sounds against the sidewalk, he wasn’t hidden, this was dangerous, everything screamed at him to turn back, but he didn’t. He couldn’t.
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Feb 22, 2021 1:48:34 GMT -5
Nico didn’t trust Kelsier. He couldn’t afford to trust Kelsier. He was in a strange place with someone he didn’t know, and he was only days away from being sent somewhere worse. Days away from failing, from having to face Hades and hear him yell about how much trouble he had caused him by getting the police involved. He felt tears burning at the back of his eyes, but he didn’t let them fall. He wasn’t going to cry here, not in front of Kelsier, and not in front of whatever strangers were going to be taking over the case. “Okay,” he whispered, nodding as he looked up, eyes scanning the ceiling and walls for any sign of cameras. Kelsier was right, there were none. It wasn’t that he hadn’t believed him, it was just… it was easier to check for himself rather than just taking Kelsier at his word. Still... he trusted that Kelsier wasn’t going to tell his coworkers about the weapons. He trusted that Kelsier was going to keep the letter a secret, and he found he even trusted him when he said he wasn’t going to read it. He would probably read it at some point. Maybe there would come a point where they simply couldn’t get any information off of him. Maybe he would need to use the letter to solve the case. Could they track Sam down from his handwriting? Could they find him and hurt him? No… they had no reason to hurt Sam. They had no reason to hurt Nico himself yet, either. They just… hadn’t yet realized exactly how uncooperative he could be. How uncooperative he was going to be. This was a case for htem. A way to get money. For Nico… it was nothing short of life or death. “Are you going to be questioning me, or is it someone else?” Nico asked after a moment, searching Kelsier’s eyes. It would be harder if it was someone else. At least Kelsier already knew that he didn’t want to share anything. At least it didn’t seem like Kelsier was going to be upset with him for keeping his secrets. In a way, he was lying to himself when he said he didn’t trust Kelsier. He trusted him more than anyone else here, because at least he made an effort to be kind. In the long run that might make him the most dangerous person in the whole building, but for now… it was a small comfort, but a comfort nonetheless. “I’m guessing… there’s a holding cell somewhere?” - Orpheus didn’t know what to expect. He stared at their camp, heart thundering in his chest, because the likelihood it was empty seemed high. Because he didn’t want to go in and realize he was alone, alone for good. He didn’t want to learn that he’d lost his only friend. No. His best friend. The only didn’t matter. He didn’t try to stop the tears from falling. He was sitting there like a coward, convincing himself that it was probably best not to go inside, while L could be in there waiting for him. He would tear the whole city apart if it meant finding his friend again, but… but he was too scared to even go into the only place he’d been able to call home for the past several months. He shuddered, pressing his back up against the building and trying to decide what to do. His eyes closed for just a moment and he let the beginning of a sob wrack his small body. He didn’t want to be alone. He didn’t want to face the possibility that L was gone, and the entrance to the campsite right there… that was hope. And hope, Orpheus was learning, was as cruel as it could be kind. And then he heard something. His eyes widened and he immediately ducked down, trying to make himself as small as possible. He was hidden. He was hidden like L usually was, hidden like his friend had taught him, because hidden meant safe. Nervously, he peeked around the corner. In a different world, one where Orpheus was braver, he would have pushed himself away from the building and faced whoever it was who was coming at him. In a different world, Orpheus would never have gotten separated from L. Never would have ended up on his own. In a different world, he wouldn’t have tears tracing through the dirt on his face, he’d be holding his friend’s hand and daring the world to even try to pull them apart. But he wasn’t brave. He wasn’t smart. He was just… Orpheus. Oh. Orpheus’ eyes latched onto something approaching from the direction of their camp. The sound began to make sense. Without thinking, Orpheus stood up and moved forward, unable to quite believe his eyes. He was running before he could stop himself, meeting L halfway, his arms wrapping around his friend with a fervor. He was trembling, the tears falling down his face more intensely than before as he held L close, not minding the force with which they’d collided. He hadn’t slowed down, he’d just let his momentum carry him. There were words running through his mind, words he wished he could speak but didn’t know how. Orpheus buried his hand in L’s hair, pulling him just a little bit closer, as though he needed to make sure he was real, and solid, and there. There were no words for this, even if Orpheus had been able to speak them. Nothing to describe the wave of relief that washed over him, the choked feeling in his throat, the way he didn’t think he could make himself pull away from L even if he wanted to.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Feb 22, 2021 20:30:35 GMT -5
Kelsier didn’t know. He didn’t know what the kid was so afraid of, didn’t know how afraid of going home he was. Maybe he should have known. With how resistant to helping them the kid was? How determined he’d been to escape? Yes, Kelsier should have known, but he didn’t want to make any assumptions just yet. He might not even have parents, he might have escaped an orphanage, or perhaps he’d been living alone for a long time and it was mere chance that Kel had stumbled on him. He didn’t mind that he had checked for cameras. It was only natural that he didn’t trust Kelsier’s word. If their positions had been reversed, Kel wouldn’t trust anyone, either. Least of all the person stealing his freedom away. That was perhaps the worst part. Kelsier believed this was the right thing to do, but he felt for the kid, understood how it felt. He’d been there, once. Though held had a protective older brother. Did this kid have any siblings? He wouldn’t read the letter. He swore he wouldn’t, and he didn’t like breaking promises, not even to himself. Did the boy believe that? Probably not. And it wasn’t like he could prove that he hadn’t read it...he pursed his lips a little at that thought. It would be very easy to read it and then say he hadn’t. He wished there was a way to prove that he hadn’t read it. He could seal it, but it would be easy enough to read it before he did that. Was there a way to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that he hadn’t read it? He hesitated at the question. “That depends, but I’ll probably be there at least,” he answered, frowning just a little. “And it’s technically my case, so it’ll probably be me at least most of the time. That’s not a promise, though.” He smiled a little, a gentle expression on his hawk-like features. “Yeah, but it won’t be too bad,” he reassured him. “It won’t be cold and you’ll get to have pillows, and if you’re okay with telling me your favorite foods, you’ll get to eat them everyday if you want. Alright?” He was doing his best to make this easier. He really was. But some things were difficult to soften, and he knew that. Hopefully...hopefully he was at least helping. He tucked the letter, the knife, and the lighter into his coat pocket. They were completely out of sight, not even a bulge that might tip anyone off. “Are you ready now?” - When L started to run, there were two thoughts in his head. One: what if that’s him? Two: what if it isn’t? He knew this was stupid. This was how you got hurt. This, this foolish running in plain sight when they could be right there waiting to ambush you, the loud sound of his feet against the ground, the way the light caught his white shirt and practically made it glow in the dark...he was a target. He was a moving, obvious target and if something bad happened to him, he deserved it. He relied on his brain. That felt like the most important thing he could offer. He was constantly figuring things out, solving puzzles, teaching himself new things in case he needed to know them. And they tended to come in handy. Once when his parents were still there, they’d taken him to a person who had given him puzzles and asked him to solve them. They’d been easy for him, he’d been incredibly bored the entire time and had only tried his best because his mom had specifically asked him to. Otherwise he might have spent the entire time daydreaming instead. But then again, maybe he would have tried his hardest anyway. It was like a competition, and he’d already loved those. They acted like he couldn’t do it, so naturally he had to prove them all wrong. Then they’d talked to his parents in another room. Which was another puzzle, really. He’d figured out how to listen through the vent. To this day he didn’t know what an “IQ score” was, but most high scores were good so he wasn’t too worried about it, especially when his parents had bought him ice cream afterwards, a sure sign he’d done something correctly. The memory faded. He didn’t want to think of that now, not when his past didn’t matter nearly as much as now did. The point was that if this was a puzzle, he was failing it. But he didn’t care. Because that was when he saw Orpheus running towards him. He didn’t slow down. He sped up. He was sprinting, leaning forward, and when he crashed into Orpheus he didn’t care that it hurt, he only cared that he was there and Orpheus was there and they were holding each other. He was crying now, the tears finally escaping and falling. He held onto Orpheus as tightly as he could, small body pressed against him as though he couldn’t believe he was real. He felt like he was drowning in the need to express himself but not in words, the feeling wasn’t translatable, he didn’t know how to express the emotions inside of him. So he just held his best friend and sobbed.
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Feb 22, 2021 22:35:41 GMT -5
If Bianca had been alive still, Nico might not have left like he did. He might have held on for as long as humanly possible. If Bianca had still been alive, Nico wouldn’t have been asked to leave in the first place. She had always been the one to spare Nico from their father’s anger, she had always known exactly what to say in order to win him over. She was the better of the two of them, and now she was gone. He’d had someone to protect him, and now he didn’t. He had thought, for a moment, that he had been able to become his own protector while he was on his own. Standing here now, face to face with Kelsier, his freedom on the line… he had to admit that whatever he tried to do was impotent. No matter how much he resisted, how hard he fought to protect himself… it was only a matter of time before they found Hades. Only a matter of time before Nico lost. Nico didn’t know if Kelsier was going to read the letter. He didn’t believe him when he said he wouldn’t, but… part of him hoped he could believe him. Part of him hoped that Sam’s words to him would remain a secret. Those words had been for his eyes only, and if Kelsier read them to search for clues… he wouldn’t find anything there. No, all he’d find was Nico’s heart. “Thank you for not promising,” he whispered, voice small as dark eyes met hazel. Kelsier had no way of knowing what a promise meant to Nico, but the fact that he wasn’t’ going to make one here meant something. It meant he respected him enough to tell the truth, at least. He wondered if the other officers would even see him as a person if he resisted. Or even if he didn’t resist. He wasn’t going to make small talk with them. He wasn’t going to be their image of a poor, lost kid just looking to find his way home. He wasn’t lost, and he didn’t want to go home. Even more than that, he didn’t want to be pitied by a bunch of strangers. “I already told you I like panettone and McDonald’s,” Nico mumbled, trying to stop himself from shaking. He wasn’t ready. He would never be ready. He didn’t care how nice the room was, if they gave him nice food or a better place to stay… he would have preferred cold canned peas and his abandoned attic any day if it meant not having to face Hades ever again. “You aren’t going to fool me into telling you anything just ‘cause you’re nice,” he added, tone sharp. He wanted to make it very, very clear that he couldn’t be bought. He didn’t respond to Kelsier’s question. He just… stood there, waiting for Kelsier to lead the way to wherever he needed to go. - Orpheus felt L’s tears warming his shirt as they fell, but he didn’t mind. He didn’t mind that his own tears were wetting L’s, didn’t mind that the streetlight was on them and making them as bright as a beacon. He didn’t care about anything other than the fact that L was there and L was alive and he didn’t have to worry about being alone again. He knew that L had taken a risk coming after him when he’d seen him, but… but that wasn’t what mattered now. They could go back to being careful as soon as they appreciated the fact that they had each other back, even though the worst had happened. Someone had found them. Orpheus didn’t know how and he didn’t know how to avoid them in the future, but it seemed a lot more feasible when he had L at his side. L was smarter than he was. They hadn’t said so much as two words to each other, but he could tell. From the way L did things so methodically, the way he knew how to hide in the shadows, the way he did that thing with his hands tha the had just started to show Orpheus when they’d been found. He was still curious what that was, but he didn’t know how to ask. He wanted to speak. He wanted to tell L how scared he was, he wanted to sob into his shoulder and tell him he missed him, that he was frightened he’d never see him again, that he was his best friend and he loved him and he didn’t know how to live without him there by his side. He didn’t have words, though. There were none that encapsulated the feeling he had, that were strong enough to tell L the strength of everything that was trapped inside his heart, but he wished he could have at least tried. He wished he could pull away and tell L exactly what he meant to him, but he wasn’t strong enough to do that. He settled for squeezing just a bit harder, pulling L closer and thinking at him everything he could possibly want to say. Telepathy wasn’t real, but maybe if Orpheus tried hard enough, L would understand. I love you, he thought, though he didn’t really know what the word meant. He knew it was what he had felt for his mother before she left, and this was… close to that. You’re the only reason I’m alive and you’re kind and you share with me and I can’t imagine living even one day without you, because you make me not scared. You make me want to be brave enough to try to speak again, and you also make me feel safe because I don’t have to, even if I wish I could tell you all of this out loud. I was so scared when we got separated… I didn’t know where you had gone, I thought you were right behind me… I got lost. And I just kept thinking if you were there, I wouldn’t have been lost, because this stupid tent isn’t home, you are. You are. You’re home, and I don’t even know your name. I can’t even tell you mine. He felt his entire body tremble as his tears renewed themselves. I’m sorry, he thought, I’m sorry we got separated. I’m sorry I don’t know how to tell you any of this. I’m sorry we have to find somewhere else now…
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Feb 23, 2021 4:03:05 GMT -5
If Kelsier had had all the information, would he still have gone through with this? No. He wouldn’t. He didn’t know, didn’t know how much he could have related to him. They’d both had terrible fathers. Both had older siblings bent on protecting them. Perhaps the reason Kelsier was so determined to keep the kid safe was that he had been where he now stood. But he didn’t know. All he knew was that this was a kid and Kel was going to do his absolute best to protect him. Even without knowing the truth. He hoped to learn the kid’s story. Maybe not now, but...someday. Kelsier wouldn’t read the letter. He wouldn’t, not to solve the case, not for anything, not unless he specifically told him to. And even then he would be very hesitant about it. He didn’t trust his coworkers to agree with his decision, though. Hence the reason it was in his pocket. “One more thing,” he added, pausing. “Do you mind if I seal it? So I’ll know if anyone else reads it, and you’ll know I mean what it about not using it. He dipped his head a little. A promise wasn’t something he would offer without certainty behind it. He’d already made the kid promises, but only ones he was sure he could keep, because as much as he knew the kid didn’t trust him, he refused to break what little trust he might have. He would see the kid as a person. The kid was a person. And Kelsier wouldn’t let anyone act like he wasn’t. “I know. But if there’s anything else you like, you can let me know and I’ll see what I can do,” Kelsier said simply, smiling a little. “And believe it or not, I’m. not being nice to trick you. I’m being nice because I want to be.” He hesitated, then nodded and led the way, back to where his coworkers were. They weren’t paying him that much attention, but...well. He did have a strange kid with him he was bound to get a few stares, he supposed. He led the way to a holding cell. It wasn’t terribly uncomfortable looking, but it also didn’t look extremely cozy, with the simple cot and lack of decoration. It was far from homey, at least. “Can I get you anything?” He asked, turning to Nico. If not...he hated that he might have to leave him in there for a bit, but there was a lot of paperwork now. - L couldn’t have stopped crying even if he’d been trying, and he wasn’t. He could feel Orpheus crying, too, and to him that meant he’d been missed as deeply as he’d missed. It meant he’d done the right thing, taking that risk. It meant everything was going to be okay, now. He didn’t care if they were seen again. Or he did, but...it was okay. He’d rather fight them then run again. He’d hurt them, badly, before they took Orpheus from him again, he couldn’t lose him again, he wouldn’t. He didn’t understand how they been found, but he didn’t care at the moment. All he cared about right now was that he hadn’t lost his best friend. He didn’t know how two people who never spoke to each other could get that close, but they could. They were living proof of that. He knew they would be okay as long as they stayed together. They would be okay as long as they didn’t let anything like that happen again. And for that...they needed to make a plan. Which meant they needed to communicate. He didn’t think words would work even if he could find his voice. Not verbal ones, anyway. He could sign, but Orpheus didn’t seem to be interested in that. But he had been, he’d wanted to know what L was doing when they’d been found, so maybe..? He didn’t know but if there was a way to communicate with Orpheus, he wanted to take it wait both hands and not let it go. He didn’t know how to tell Orpheus how scared he had been. Didn’t know how to communicate at all. He wanted to sign to him, but he wouldn’t understand…. He leaned in as Orpheus pulled him closer, breathing out and holding him back. It would be okay. It would be okay, even if they never communicated, even if Orpheus didn’t want to learn to sign, they were friends, bear friends, and that meant more than words could hope to describe anyway. L had loved his parents. L knew what love was, or he thought he did. But he didn’t know how to express it. Expressing himself had never been easy...he didn’t know how. But still, maybe, maybe, Orpheus understood without hearing it. Or seeing it. If I could tell you this, maybe you’d understand, he thought, leaning just that little bit closer. But he couldn’t. He couldn’t tell him, he couldn’t find the words and he didn’t know how to express himself and he couldn’t stop crying. He knew they should move. They should get away from here, far away. But he didn’t want to, yet, he wanted to hold Orpheus and let himself sob for the terror he’d just felt. He wished, suddenly, that he knew his best friend’s name. Then maybe he could say it, maybe…maybe that would be his first spoken word. He didn’t pull back, not even to see Orpheus’ face, not even as he tried to imagine what he should have done differently. He should have waited to see what Orpheus did. He should have made a plan. There were so many things he needed to do now, to make sure he never lost his friend again.
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Feb 23, 2021 4:35:22 GMT -5
“Oh,” Nico murmured, brow creasing a bit. He hadn’t expected that. Of course, Kelsier could always read it before he sealed it, but… once he sealed it, that was it. Nobody could use it to track down Sam, nobody could use it against him… it wasn’t a guarantee that Kelsier would keep his word, but it was close. It was far more than Nico had been expecting. “No, I wouldn’t mind,” he said after a few moments, lifting his eyes to search Kelsier’s gaze. He didn’t understand him. He didn’t think he was ever going to understand him. The only thing he knew was that, out of everyone here, Kelsier seemed the most likely to actually care about what Nico wanted. Even if he was going to send him back someplace horrible. At least… at least he was trying to treat Nico like a person. To do what he thought was in his best interest, even if it was misguided. Nico shrugged the thought off. He tried to remind himself that Kelsier had tackled him. That he was taking away his freedom, that he wasn’t to be trusted or even liked. He was nice now, but he probably wouldn’t be when Nico refused to give him any answers. Even if he said he was nice just because he wanted to be… everyone was nice for a reason. Sometimes it was just because they wanted to be friends with other people, but that was still a reason. And he was under no delusion that Kelsier cared about being his friend. He cared about doing his job, and that was probably about it. The holding cell was nicer than he had expected. He had expected it to be fully exposed to anyone who wanted to walk by, but it actually had a door. There were more windows inside than Nico was comfortable with, but it was far better than he was expecting. “This is fine,” he replied quietly, moving forward and sitting tentatively on the cot. He curled his knees up to his chest, hugging them close. He wasn’t safe here. He wasn’t safe here. He wasn’t safe here. --- Nico had lost track of the time. It had probably been a few hours, and a couple of people had looked in through the windows to gawk, but Nico had tried to ignore them. They weren’t in charge of the case. Kelsier was. Kelsier was in charge of the case, and as long as he was treating Nico like a human being, it seemed likely he was going to make whoever had to question him treat him the same way. If it was his case, he was in charge. He set the rules. Nico hated how desperately he had been clinging to that idea. He rolled the pillow under his hands for what felt like the millionth time, trying to breathe out and steady himself. He needed to be ready for questioning. - Orpheus wasn’t thinking about what would happen if they were seen again. He was just letting himself have this, letting himself hold onto L for as long as he needed. They were going to be okay. As long as they were both alive, as long as they were together, they were going to be okay. It might be hard, but they would survive. They had for the past several months. Orpheus knew he wouldn’t have without L’s help. Or without someone to come home to. It gave him a reason to keep fighting, to not give in to the loneliness and the cold and the hunger that never seemed to go away. Neither of them were particularly healthy, but they were together and that made everything pale in comparison. If Orpheus had known what the movements L made with his hands were, he would have demanded to learn them immediately. But he didn’t know. He had never heard of sign language. His parents had never spoken about it, and he’d been able to speak just fine until his mother had left and he’d found… he pushed the thought out of his mind. He wasn’t going to sour this moment by thinking about all of the bad things. He, too, was aware that they needed a way to communicate. He was trying to come up with a plan, but he wasn’t as good at those as L was. He didn’t know how to plan for the sorts of bad things that might happen, not like L did. He couldn’t anticipate them. But he did know that sometimes people wrote things to each other when they didn’t speak verbally. The only issue was that his mother had left before she’d finished teaching him how to read, and his father… hadn’t cared that much about it. He had a lot on his plate and teaching his child how to read wasn’t at the top of his list of priorities. Besides, he hah been too young to know very well when he’d ended up on the streets. He knew the alphabet, but he didn’t know how to spell things. If he wanted to talk to L by writing things to him, he would have to learn how to read and write, first. And probably how to spell, though that was less of a priority. Orpheus was pulled from his thought by the reality of holding L close. The way he felt L’s heartbeat hammering alongside his own, two steady, intertwining rhythms that seemed to be slowing down, at least a little bit. The danger was over. They were safe, for now. Safe until they pulled apart and had to find somewhere else to call home. Perhaps they would have to find somewhere less comfortable to sleep tonight. Orpheus found he hoped they had a way to take their blanket and pillows, even if they had to leave the tent. He could feel L breathing, hear the way his jagged, gasping breaths followed a pattern of sort as he sobbed. Orpheus, too, was sobbing ceaselessly, but it felt better to hold L close. It felt like it was safe to cry, and he never wanted to stop. It hadn’t been safe to cry before, even if he had done it. He hadn’t been able to let it out, to let the full wave of feelings that were too strong wash through him. It seemed to have lessened up a little bit – the intense pressure of feelings he didn’t know how to deal with. Carefully, Orpheus pulled L just a touch closer and began to tap gently on his back. He was syncing his breathing to the rhythm of L’s heartbeat, carefully tapping out the pattern on L’s back. It was easier to breathe now. Easier to realize that they were safe, now. Safe as long as they were together. But he couldn’t let the exhaustion seep into his bones just yet. They had to find somewhere safer. Although… not until Orpheus let L go. Which wasn’t going to be just yet.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Apr 10, 2021 0:06:42 GMT -5
Kelsier nodded a little as the kid gave his permission. He knew it wasn’t a guarantee, at least not the kind Kelsier would have liked to give him, but it was better than nothing, right? He tucked the letter away, meeting the kid’s eyes as he did. If he didn’t understand him, it went both ways. Kelsier didn’t understand him, either. Or...he thought he did, and maybe he was closer than the kid was, but still. He didn’t know the details, he didn’t know enough. He couldn’t possibly understand the situation just yet. This was only the beginning, and whatever the kid thought of him here, that was likely to worsen. If he already hated him fine. He was going to hate him even more in the coming days and even weeks. Not that Kel knew how long this wa going to take, but...it seemed safe to say it wouldn’t be over right away, especially with how determined the kid seemed to not talk. Which made Kelsier wonder what it was he was so determined to hide, and so desperate not to return to. He nodded as the kid stepped inside. He had half expected him to freeze or try to run again, and he was glad that he hadn’t. The last thing either of them needed was for Kel to have to pin him again. Neither of them wanted that, and they both knew that Kelsier wasn’t going to let the kid go. It was best to just make do, for now. Even if he wished things were better. “Get some rest,” he advised. “I can’t guarantee who will talk to you, but it might be me.” And with that he dipped his head and moved to go, shutting the door behind him. --- It was time. Kelsier moved towards the door, taking his time to get there. Truth be told...he didn’t want to do this. He wanted to have good news - news like it’s now safe and legal for you to go back your hideout, here’s enough food and water to last the rest of your life and a heater for the winter. Or even just we solved your case and solved whatever happened to land in that building all alone. But Kel could offer none of that. So he just walked. And finally made it to the holding cell. He paused, then knocked lightly, stepping back to wait for an answer. Privacy was not something he was going to have a lot of for a while...the least Kel could do was give him what he could. - L didn’t know what he was thinking. He was just...scared, mostly. Scared and tired and cold and...and mostly just scared, though it was fading into the sort of relief that made people collapse, their whole bodies shaky and weak. He felt like all the adrenaline was draining out of him at once, leaving him without anything to hold him up. He had no idea Orpheus wanted to learn. He didn’t know...he had tried a little and Orpheus hadn’t seemed to really care. So he’d just assumed his friend wasn’t interested, which was a small problem when that was his only way of communicating. He didn’t know how to put it right. He didn’t know how to communicate if Orpheus wasn’t interested on sign language, but they were going to have to think of something or this might happen again, and he didn’t think he could cope with that. They’d found each other this time. What about next time they got separated? What if someone took them away from each other and they couldn’t find their way back together? No...L wouldn’t let that happen. He could think of something. He had to. But not now. Now, he just needed to be allowed to cry and hold his only friend close. He needed to be held like he hadn’t been since his parents had died. Held like he mattered, like he could be important enough that someone would grab on and not let him go. Held like Orpheus was holding him now, and like he was holding Orpheus back. He felt Orpheus pull him a little closer, felt the taps on his back...he hadn’t even realized he was starving for this until now. Hadn’t realized how badly he needed it...did Orpheus feel the same? Was he desperate to be held close and not let go? From the way he was sobbing, L thought he probably was. Maybe they’d both needed this for longer than either of them had known. He didn’t want to pull back, ever. He knew they needed to move, he knew they weren’t safe here, the people could be coming back any second now, but he didn’t want to move away ever again. But Orpheus wasn’t going to pull away. And L refused to lose him just because they hadn’t left in time. He pulled back a little, slowly, dark eyes huge as they found Orpheus’ hazel ones. He wished they could communicate...he wished he could tell Orpheus how much he wanted to just stay there the rest of the night, safe in his best friend’s arms. Instead, he inclined his head towards camp. Hopefully...hopefully Orpheus would understand.
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Apr 10, 2021 13:40:25 GMT -5
It was boring, in the holding cell. Then again, Nico had been given plenty of time to get used to boredom when he was on his own. He didn’t dare move too much when he’d been in that attic – moving took energy, and he needed to conserve as much of that as possible. He was used to staring at blank walls and occupying himself with his own thoughts. Or, sometimes, learning how not to think at all. It was easier to do the latter, now. Most of his thoughts had been hopes for the future, when he had been alone. A future where he could get a job and work until he was able to actually afford a place, and he could afford a heater so he wouldn’t get cold at night… a future where he would have enough to eat and he would never have to think about his father ever again. That future had just been displaced. His eyes widened at the sound of a knock on his door, and he moved to the back right corner of the cell. He waited a long moment for whoever it was – Kelsier, probably, nobody else would have knocked – to enter, frowning as he realized that they weren’t going to enter without his permission. “Um… yeah,” he managed, hoping that was enough. - It would have been much simpler if Orpheus had known what sign language was. Would have been easier if he had gotten up the courage to ask about the strange hand things L was doing earlier than he had… but he still didn’t know. And he hadn’t wanted to invade his friend’s privacy by asking about the hand signs. L hadn’t asked him about the way he tapped on his leg when he was stressed, the rhythms that seemed to bleed from him even when he didn’t have anywhere to put them. He remembered music, and he could create the beat to it, but… if he couldn’t talk, how was he supposed to make music? It was a lost dream, but the rhythms escaped anyway. The melodies built up in his head, though he couldn’t let them out. He had just… figured that L’s signing had been something like that. And he’d stopped doing it around Orpheus as much, so Orpheus figured it would probably be even worse to ask now. But he was intrigued. He mentally ran through the few hand shapes that L had taught him before they were found. He didn’t know what they meant, but… they were important to his friend. Like the tapping was important to Orpheus. But that didn’t matter now. What mattered was that they were together. Orpheus had been afraid to even touch L. Afraid that even casual contact would scare his only friend away… he had done everything he could to make sure he wouldn’t end up alone again. This, though… this, holding L and letting himself feel and cry… he had needed this for longer than he had the words to describe. Not that he really had the words to describe anything at all, but still. It felt… safe. Safer, even then when L watched over him while he slept, safer than sharing their meals and knowing there was someone else there. Even if he knew this was technically less safe. Technically, someone could find them, and with both of them sobbing as they were… they might not notice until it was too late. As much as Orpheus didn’t want to separate, he knew why L pulled back. He searched his friend’s gaze, following it back to their little camp, and nodded. They would need to dismantle it. They would need to move somewhere else so they wouldn’t be found. He sighed softly, using one hand to wipe away his tears and the other to grab L’s. They may not be able to hug in case they were found, but he wasn’t going to let L out of his reach again for a very long time.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Apr 27, 2021 12:04:25 GMT -5
Kelsier knew it wasn’t the best place to stay, a holding cell. He knew, among other more obvious things, boredom was likely to have struck already, and the kid would be not happy to see him, but probably relieved to have something to do. Still...it was understandable if he wasn’t actually relieved at all, after what Kelsier had done to him. He’d taken him away from his home and made it impossible to go back. He’d effectively ruined whatever his plan had been. And then he’d chased him down and tackled him when he tried to run. So, no, they were not off to a flawless start here. He stepped inside when the kid spoke, taking that for an answer. He smiled a little and closed the door behind him, then stepped forward, leaving some distance between them. “Hey,” he said simply, voice steady. “I need to ask you some questions, but not here. Can you come with me?” He wasn’t as in control of the situation as he would have liked. Still...he thought he could pull it back. He was pretty sure he could still make this work out the way he wanted it to.
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