SAMUEL
i am the ocean, crawling madly at your moon.
and with one wanton whoop — The routine was beginning to settle in again. It was odd how quickly it happened, Sam finding that somewhere in the weeks after his return to the Hollowed Grounds, he went from feeling out of place and strange to feeling once more like this was his home, the once-familiar streets showing themselves to him again and life in the Grounds returning to being his own.
Occasionally he would remember his time in Torchline, which now almost felt like a dream that ended a nightmare; his heart did ache for the beach and the friends he'd made there. It had been a great shame how he had had to leave, deserting Zeph, Milo, Vervain...but he had had no choice given the situation. He tried to tell himself that every time, but it was hard to resist the temptation of thinking that one day, he might go back (though the face of James, which inevitably appeared in these daydreams, was the best deterrent he could imagine). These thoughts often occurred as he did something monotonous and easy to drift away while he was doing, like dusting down the shelves. The books needed to be removed, the shelf wiped down front and back then the books themselves, then everything replaced; it wasn't uncommon for him to become completely enraptured with his thoughts during this process and finding at some point, hours later, that the shelves were clean. Humming something tuneless to himself absentmindedly, he was beginning to move the books back into the shelves, hardly in the bookstore in his mind, considering places he had been and where he had yet to go. — i melt into a sycophantic soup, & all that's left to do, is giggle, fawn, and swoon. |
no emotion that's worth having
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Book maker/seller✓
Age: 35 | Height: 5' 5" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds Level: 10 - Strg: 28 - Dext: 25 - Endr: 27 - Luck: 25 - Int: 1 MIA - Regular - Ragdoll Cat
Played by: lancydulac
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11-14-2020, 11:09 PM
Smuggler✓ / Guildmaster
Age: 42 | Height: 5'10 | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Torchline Level: 5 - Strg: 25 - Dext: 19 - Endr: 26 - Luck: 10 - Int: KI - Regular - Panther Chamelon
Played by: shark
Change author: Posts: 680 | Total: 4,629 MP: 2580
11-24-2020, 06:56 PM
Zeph
Blame the portals for your lack of visits. Blame the fact that you went on a boat, that you've been busy with Vai and Felix moving in, that people were sick and you helped take over. Blame whatever you damn well please: end of the day the thing that sticks is that you haven't visited Red since he left with only a weird and concerning note, making you a patently bad friend.
But you're here now. The Hollowed Grounds continue to be just... sad, dreary and cold and a far cry from the boisterous color and sunlight of home. You've managed to snag a high-collared coat and a cozy hat, from which you glare at anyone you pa. Which makes it incredibly difficult to get directions to the bookstore. Which makes you have to be outside longer. Which makes you cold, which makes you grumpy, which... I think the image is coming clear. Finally you find the store. You don't bother to knock - it's a business, after all - but push your way in, exhaling a sigh of relief as the relative warmth of the store rushes into your tired bones. With your hat pulled low and your collar pulled up you're nearly unrecognizable. You make your way to a display stand while waiting for Red, pulling down a book at random and flipping through the pages as you wait for your fingers to thaw. (No, it's not even particularly cold. Yes, you are a huge wimp.) you're not a bad person for the ways you tried to kill your sadness
Book maker/seller✓
Age: 35 | Height: 5' 5" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds Level: 10 - Strg: 28 - Dext: 25 - Endr: 27 - Luck: 25 - Int: 1 MIA - Regular - Ragdoll Cat
Played by: lancydulac
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11-25-2020, 10:47 PM
Smuggler✓ / Guildmaster
Age: 42 | Height: 5'10 | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Torchline Level: 5 - Strg: 25 - Dext: 19 - Endr: 26 - Luck: 10 - Int: KI - Regular - Panther Chamelon
Played by: shark
Change author: Posts: 680 | Total: 4,629 MP: 2580
12-01-2020, 08:04 PM
Zeph
Doesn't take long for Sam to turn up, and you can't help but exhale a sigh of relief to see him looking (relatively) well - and certainly better than the last time you crossed his path. You return the book you've grabbed to a shelf, giving the Ascended your full attention. "Hey, Red," you greet with a crooked half-smile, looking the kid up and down for any evidence of wounds or lingering sickness. "Ya look a sight better'n last time."
Sam puts a hand on your shoulder and you respond with far more gusto, pulling him into a brief, tight hug and patting him on the back. When you release him one large hand lingers, holding him steady as you peer into those bright blue eyes, reassuring yourself once again that he's okay. "Whaddya mean, what'm I doin' here? Enjoyin' th'fine scenery'a th'Grounds, a'course." you're not a bad person for the ways you tried to kill your sadness
Book maker/seller✓
Age: 35 | Height: 5' 5" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds Level: 10 - Strg: 28 - Dext: 25 - Endr: 27 - Luck: 25 - Int: 1 MIA - Regular - Ragdoll Cat
Played by: lancydulac
Change author: Posts: 3,135 | Total: 8,707 MP: 0
Smuggler✓ / Guildmaster
Age: 42 | Height: 5'10 | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Torchline Level: 5 - Strg: 25 - Dext: 19 - Endr: 26 - Luck: 10 - Int: KI - Regular - Panther Chamelon
Played by: shark
Change author: Posts: 680 | Total: 4,629 MP: 2580
12-16-2020, 09:22 PM
Zeph
'I'm sure you did. Heh. Well if that isn't an odd thing to hear, causing your old withered heart to squeeze tight with some bizarre and uncomfortable cross between Awww, fuck, and Aw, fuck. Y'know. That oh-I'm-turning-soft feeling. The kind that people who tell themselves that they aren't soft but absolutely are get all the time.
Like you. Anyway. So maybe there's a little more heat in your face then usual when you break off the hug, and maybe you quickly busy yourself with looking around the shop, grunting a laugh as Red kind of recounts your nickname for the Spire. But you come back to him soon enough, and when he doesn't meet your eyes in return it squeezes you again. You want to ask what's going on, but hold off for the moment. "Anythin' stronger?" you wonder instead, raising an eyebrow and following Sam towards wherever he's going to get the tea from. Only when you're situated, leaning on a tabletop or counter and freed of your lingering self-consciousness do you broach the real concern you have, trying to sound nonchalant. "So. Letter ya left- what's that shit about?" you're not a bad person for the ways you tried to kill your sadness
Book maker/seller✓
Age: 35 | Height: 5' 5" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds Level: 10 - Strg: 28 - Dext: 25 - Endr: 27 - Luck: 25 - Int: 1 MIA - Regular - Ragdoll Cat
Played by: lancydulac
Change author: Posts: 3,135 | Total: 8,707 MP: 0
Smuggler✓ / Guildmaster
Age: 42 | Height: 5'10 | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Torchline Level: 5 - Strg: 25 - Dext: 19 - Endr: 26 - Luck: 10 - Int: KI - Regular - Panther Chamelon
Played by: shark
Change author: Posts: 680 | Total: 4,629 MP: 2580
01-05-2021, 11:09 PM
Zeph
Caaaaaan you handle a drink without a shot in it? You're not sure, though the tea does smell pleasant without the burning aroma of whiskey to cut it. Grumbling loudly in response, you settle deeper into your lean, watching with keen eyes as Sam goes about his work - for all the world just as comfortable as a clam in a cookpot. It's... weird, given how much he always said he hated this place, but you suppose you ought to be happy for him.
You're just a little worried is all. Y'know. Like a friend. "Th'one ya sent me seemed coherent enough." The counter is a little uneven; you frown at it, as though it has personally offended you, and rub your thumb over the groove. "'I was sick, I'm leavin' Torchline forever, ya can visit but I ain't botherin' sayin' goodbye, etcetera etcetera.'" So it turns out you're a bit more hurt than you realized by Sam's abrupt departure from your life. Big deal. Anyone would be. It definitely doesn't say anything about the abandonment issues you absolutely do not have. Sucking in a breath, you look back up at Sam, schooling away the hurt and replacing it with annoyance. "It ain't that one I'm worried 'bout, though. It's what ya sent Milo." Your eyes narrow; how much of that missive does the kid remember? And how much of the alarming contents were anything close to true? you're not a bad person for the ways you tried to kill your sadness
Book maker/seller✓
Age: 35 | Height: 5' 5" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds Level: 10 - Strg: 28 - Dext: 25 - Endr: 27 - Luck: 25 - Int: 1 MIA - Regular - Ragdoll Cat
Played by: lancydulac
Change author: Posts: 3,135 | Total: 8,707 MP: 0
01-07-2021, 06:57 PM
Smuggler✓ / Guildmaster
Age: 42 | Height: 5'10 | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Torchline Level: 5 - Strg: 25 - Dext: 19 - Endr: 26 - Luck: 10 - Int: KI - Regular - Panther Chamelon
Played by: shark
Change author: Posts: 680 | Total: 4,629 MP: 2580
01-12-2021, 08:26 PM
Zeph
"What kinda trouble?" you demand gruffly, trying to ignore the burn of hurt that still sears somewhere in your belly. The last time someone left you a letter like that her body never washed to shore- but whatever. Sam ain't dead, so you got that going for you, which is nice.
You try to relax your fidgeting on the countertop, only to bark a laugh of surprise and disbelief when the deep dark secret is revealed. Catching yourself quickly you shake your head, trying to cover your mouth with the back of your hand. "Sorry, Red, I jus- you? Hurt somebody?" Another shake of your head, and you can feel tension leaving you. You thought... well, truth be told you don't know what you thought, but now you're utterly confident this is a misunderstanding and overreaction on Sam's part. "Aw, c'mon, I saw ya sick. Worst ya coulda done was give 'em a nasty scratch, or a bad hickey." you're not a bad person for the ways you tried to kill your sadness
Book maker/seller✓
Age: 35 | Height: 5' 5" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds Level: 10 - Strg: 28 - Dext: 25 - Endr: 27 - Luck: 25 - Int: 1 MIA - Regular - Ragdoll Cat
Played by: lancydulac
Change author: Posts: 3,135 | Total: 8,707 MP: 0
01-12-2021, 10:12 PM
Smuggler✓ / Guildmaster
Age: 42 | Height: 5'10 | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Torchline Level: 5 - Strg: 25 - Dext: 19 - Endr: 26 - Luck: 10 - Int: KI - Regular - Panther Chamelon
Played by: shark
Change author: Posts: 680 | Total: 4,629 MP: 2580
01-17-2021, 04:44 PM
Zeph
In your defense, Sam has a pattern of making himself and the things he does seem like The Absolute Worst. In his mind, at least. So while you school your amusement appropriately, you still aren't particularly convinced by his grumpy face and protests.
You turn so your hip is against the counter, waiting for Sam to elaborate. At first your face is carefully neutral, though as he goes on a small frown tightens the lines between your brows. It's the only indication of your thoughts, however, until you speak again. "What happened, Red?" you question gently, arms crossed over your chest. You haven't heard of Sam having murdered someone, and figure that sort of news would get around. Does the 'Biter know?" you're not a bad person for the ways you tried to kill your sadness
Book maker/seller✓
Age: 35 | Height: 5' 5" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds Level: 10 - Strg: 28 - Dext: 25 - Endr: 27 - Luck: 25 - Int: 1 MIA - Regular - Ragdoll Cat
Played by: lancydulac
Change author: Posts: 3,135 | Total: 8,707 MP: 0
01-18-2021, 07:42 PM
Smuggler✓ / Guildmaster
Age: 42 | Height: 5'10 | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Torchline Level: 5 - Strg: 25 - Dext: 19 - Endr: 26 - Luck: 10 - Int: KI - Regular - Panther Chamelon
Played by: shark
Change author: Posts: 680 | Total: 4,629 MP: 2580
01-26-2021, 06:23 PM
Zeph
You listen in silence. Sure, there's a flicker of recognition at the mention of James, and your eyes widen - momentarily - in surprise, but for the most part you are carefully stoic, your expression schooled, your almond eyes revealing nothing, as calm as you might have been if he was telling you about a particularly dull encounter with an old woman on a Leafchange afternoon.
Inside, you're losing your gods-damned mind. You're patient. You're calm. You've seen some shit in your time. Death... you aren't a stranger to death, nor murder, if we're being real. And you've seen kids a lot stronger break under a lot less. It's only when he seems to be done that you exhale a long, slow breath, unclenching your arms and raking one hand thoughtfully through your hair while the other comes to rest on the countertop. Fuck. Fuckity fuck fuck-a-duck. What a fucking clusterfuck. "Right. K. Here's what we're gonna do." Straightening, you begin to pace, moving back and forth from counter to books. "I'll talk to Jata, get this mess cleared up. Ya fucked up. It happens. An' then y'can come back t'Torchline, an' stay outta th'way'a all this war nonsense." you're not a bad person for the ways you tried to kill your sadness | ||||||
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