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Post by Bee on Nov 28, 2008 0:38:29 GMT -5
This man was an idiot. Clearly. Jin couldn't even find the words to express how breaktakingly stupid it was to wander into the frigid wilderness with no proper gear and no fucking clue where you were going. He was going to turn himself into frozen foodstuffs in a matter of days, if that--sooner if he got caught in a storm.
He eyed the Morganberry critically. "If you really have that kind of deathwish, by all means, be my guest."
As he said the words aloud he thought that he might actually have hit something close to the truth. He was simultaneously more interested and a little more weary and disgusted; he wanted to get to the bottom of everything, but at the same time he didn't want to touch anyone's emotional problems with a ten foot pole.
"I'm going to head off to my nice warm home and have a nice warm cup of hot chocolate."
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Dark
Five of Diamonds
Bladed Hare
You are not prepared.
Posts: 2,105
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Post by Dark on Nov 30, 2008 16:27:00 GMT -5
Home. Hadyn stopped, watching his breath hang in the air against a too-blue sky. He'd left home when he found out he was pregnant and hadn't looked back since. He wasn't even sure where home was anymore.
The mountains looked beautiful, but--Hadyn shoved away thoughts of the sweet oblivion offered in those cold peaks, and forced himself to think about what he was doing--really think--for the first time in weeks, months.
When he had been--pregnant--he had tried to take his own life. Twice. So it was safe to assume he was suicidal. And while he hadn't actively tried to kill himself in weeks, he had done a damn good job of putting himself into situations that could quickly turn out for the worse. But--did he really want to die?
Hadyn wanted a lot of things, but maybe--maybe death wasn't one of those things anymore. He just didn't know.
He took a shaky breath, and turned his back on the mountains, "Mind if I join you?
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Post by Bee on Dec 2, 2008 15:44:35 GMT -5
He was aware that if he said yes, Jin was effectively getting himself saddled with someone who had the potential to be every bitter as annoying as Abner, but on the other hand, if a cup of hot chocolate would make this cat a functional human being that would leave the Glacier forever and contribute something worthwhile to society other than being a douche, Jin would be performing a great service to the world. On the other other hand, what the fuck did Jin owe the world?
Then he gave up trying to rationalize the fact that he was about to do something nice for someone; he would just be twice as much of an asshole to Abner for the next couple of weeks, he reasoned, and everything would be back in balance. Besides, he was banking on the cat being worth the entertainment value.
He shrugged. "I don't see why not."
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Dark
Five of Diamonds
Bladed Hare
You are not prepared.
Posts: 2,105
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Post by Dark on Dec 11, 2008 22:02:07 GMT -5
Hadyn all too aware that the man didn't owe him anything--the unspoken rebuttal was palatable in the air between them--but Hadyn didn't trust what he'd do if he was turned away, and maybe it wasn't fair to put that much on a complete stranger's shoulders, but life was rarely fair and Hadyn wasn't exactly in a position where he could claim to be making rational decisions besides. He didn't examine too closely the rush of relief that followed the whippet's nonchalant acceptance.
Hadyn gave a brusque nod, nerves worn thin, "Alright then."
He trailed behind the man in silence, absently musing about the last time he'd had hot chocolate. It had been well before he'd left home that last time, and it hadn't been cold outside at all--the weather had been unbearably hot--but his mother had insisted on making it regardless. She'd put marshmallows in it.
They were quickly approaching a small, well-built cabin when he finally remembered his almost non-existent manners; if they were going to be drinking hot chocolate together, they should at least know each other by name. "I'm Hadyn."
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Post by Bee on Dec 18, 2008 2:11:26 GMT -5
Jin looked over his shoulder with some measure of surprise; he didn't expect his guest to be interested in any sort of pleasntries. But perhaps the promise of something warm to drink and somewhere warm to sit was opening him up a bit. Who knew? He was an enigma wrapped in a mystery smothered in conumdrum sauce. Or something.
"You can call me Jin." He pushed open the door to the house, happy for the blast of warm air. Mother had a very nice fire going; neither she nor any of Jin's siblings needed or appreciated the heat as much as he did, but in some dark corner of his mind he was mildly touched that they endured sweating a bit so he didn't lose any toes to frostbite. "Welcome to my humble home. Mother! I've brought a guest."
He didn't wait for Sana to present herself; he wandered into the kitchen for the appropriate drinks. He threw about forty pounds of marshmallows into his own cup. Hadyn could throw in his own if he wanted any. He made his way back to the fire; best place to settle down.
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Dark
Five of Diamonds
Bladed Hare
You are not prepared.
Posts: 2,105
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Post by Dark on Dec 19, 2008 1:23:00 GMT -5
Hadyn considered the bag of marshmallows for a moment before dumping in a handful and following Jin to the fireplace. He hesitantly curled up into an overstuffed armchair.
The silence lengthened.
He contemplated the mug he was holding; he had liked sweets well enough as a child, but as time went on he'd found he'd lost his taste for them. The change might have been the natural progression of child to adult, or it could be the lingering memory of summer, sweet cream on his tongue as he curled about a soft body. Both theories failed to explain the cup of hot chocolate in his hand, or the marshmallows he'd put in it.
Hadyn watched the steam curl up from his mug, enjoying the warmth his paws leeched from its surface. He might not feel cold the same way most people did, but the warmth was comforting nonetheless.
He scalded his tongue with the first tentative sip.
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Post by Bee on Dec 20, 2008 2:01:30 GMT -5
Jin had hoped that his mother would provide some kind of social lubricant, as his mother was wont to do, but Sana seemingly had other things on her mind. She came into the living room only briefly, and she spoke quietly in their native tongue.
"He's a bright young man," she said, referring, Jin assumed, to his coloration rather than to some superficial assessment of his intelligence. "Looks a little grumpy, though."
"You have no idea," Jin replied. Sana smirked, told him to stay out of trouble, and disappeared. Way to be useful, Mother.
Jin settled back into his chair, and was perfectly content for quite some time to just sip at his drink and not say anything at all to his visitor. Finally, though, his curiosity got the better of him, as it usually did. "So. What do you hope to accomplish out here? Are you one of those adventurers trying to prove his manhood by 'conquering' the Solandrian wilderness? Because better men than you have died at that."
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Dark
Five of Diamonds
Bladed Hare
You are not prepared.
Posts: 2,105
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Post by Dark on Dec 20, 2008 2:41:07 GMT -5
The smirk was counterpoint to Jin's drawl apathy, and Hadyn could only assume that the woman was Jin's aforementioned mother. He managed a weak smile in manner of greeting, but she was already gone. He thought maybe he liked her.
"Accomplish?" He looked up from his mug--empty now; funny, how he didn't remember drinking it--to glance at Jin, staring at the canine rather blankly as his mind floundered. He blinked and turned his attention to the fire, "Nothing. Nothing at all."
It was a lie, of course, or maybe more of a half-truth. He was running, yes, but he hadn't come to the Glacier for any specific kind of purpose. Or had he...? Wicked smile, blue hair, being fucked over a desk. Hadyn scowled, watching the flames. It wasn't like it had been a conscious decision.
Quietly, "Honestly? I--don't know."
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Post by Bee on Dec 21, 2008 1:55:13 GMT -5
It seemed a rather silly thing to wander up here with no discernible reason, and some of Jin's incredulity probably showed in his expression as he carefully watched the cat. You didn't come here to do nothing at all. You didn't come here without a plan, unless you were a total fuckwit, and while his estimate of Hadyn's smarts was not particularly high on first impression, he really didn't want to think that his low assessment was giving the feline too much credit.
He stuck to his original feeling that this whole thing had been some kind of passive death wish, which meant that he was officially dealing with Issues. It was an amusing puzzle, at least. And when he was done he could just ship it back to the capitol. Case solved, excitement concluded, you may now return to your regularly scheduled frigid monotony.
He polished off his hot chocolate. Hadyn's last words were quiet. He took a stab in the dark. "What are you trying to avoid, then?"
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Dark
Five of Diamonds
Bladed Hare
You are not prepared.
Posts: 2,105
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Post by Dark on Dec 21, 2008 2:20:49 GMT -5
Ah. Hadyn set the mug carefully aside, swallowing past the lump that had lodged itself in his throat. He didn't understand Jin's sudden fascination in his personal affairs--in their short acquaintance the man had struck him as a tad too glib to actually feel any sort of empathy towards another living creature; it was probably only curiosity, boredom maybe--but Hadyn didn't particularly care for his reasons, and found himself speaking before he could make a conscious decision to do so.
"The person that looks back every time I look in mirror. The family I haven't spoken to in, well, years. The eleven month old accident I--that I--abandoned. Gods, I just left her. How could I do that?" The man that asks too much.
His voice was barely audible by the end, and Hadyn curled in on himself, feeling the stirrings on panic. He couldn't breathe.
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