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Aaron Silverman
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« Jan 18, 2016 16:16:05 GMT -6 »
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"Fair enough. So'm I."

He didn't like getting eyerolled at, but for the most part the sarcasm would just roll off him, as he gave her a shrug. The growing warmth was probably affecting how he reacted to such things.

"We've got a few people from military families around here."

A few he knew of anyway.

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Leif Adamson
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« Jan 18, 2016 16:34:14 GMT -6 via mobile »
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"Doesn't surprise me."

She gave a little swirl of the alcohol, staring at how little was in the bottle, and cursed softly under her breath before taking another swig.

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« Jan 18, 2016 16:45:11 GMT -6 »
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"Just draws that kind of crowd I suppose."

Aaron would go quiet and look up at the stars, take in how the night sky started to feel like it was spinning around him. He liked to look up there, sometimes, get some perspective. There was something so much bigger than him, to care about. All of it.

But then, he caught the hint of a curse under her breath, and looked back over to her.

"Something up?"

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« Jan 18, 2016 19:00:04 GMT -6 via mobile »
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She was oblivious to her own curse moments after it happened. Looking up at Aaron, she flashed him her best smile and then took another swig.

"I'm great," she said, offering the bottle once more "Aren't you?"

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« Jan 18, 2016 19:09:39 GMT -6 »
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Her best smile was a good smile indeed, enough that he smiled back and took the bottle back despite itself. He stared at it for a moment, then two, before he could steel himself to take another sip, a small one.

He wasn't used to the burning yet. Too much more of it, he might end up sick.

"Dunno about 'great'."

If he were great, he wouldn't be up here right now.


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« Jan 18, 2016 19:13:50 GMT -6 via mobile »
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"Awww. Why aren't you great?"

Despite the condescension in her voice, she seemed interested in what he had to say.

"Wait about ten minutes and trust me, you'll be bloody awesome."

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« Jan 18, 2016 19:18:54 GMT -6 »
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If not for the drink, the condescension might have drawn a reply that bordered on the downright vicious. That was the mood today had left him in, and even on a good day, he always hated feeling talked down to. She seemed nice, but was she just mocking him? Wouldn't be the first time he thought things were good, and he was apparently getting laughed at behind the curtain.

Instead of putting any of that into the light, he chuckled, shook his head, took a smaller sip.

"Will I, now? You sound pretty confident."

He would arch an eyebrow, playfully, and hand her bottle back to her.

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« Jan 18, 2016 20:38:41 GMT -6 via mobile »
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"You're sipping from the bottle like you've never been drunk before," Leif said pointedly, snickering to herself.

She downed the rest of the bottle and set it aside. Fishing her pack back out of her pocket, she freed another cigarette and lit it, taking a deep drag.

"So I'm assuming you don't know what to expect. Give it a bit to settle. You'll be fine."

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« Jan 18, 2016 20:46:03 GMT -6 »
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"I haven't been."

This could end up bad. But she seemed to know what she was talking about. He'd be fine, huh? The bottle being empty was a mercy, any more and it'd knock him flatter than Mr. Amtrum would.

"What was that stuff?"


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« Jan 18, 2016 21:41:03 GMT -6 via mobile »
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"Vodka," she said with another low snicker. Then, popping her thumb up, she continued. "Straight up."

She took another drag, giving a shake of her head. It was just starting to get light. Her tolerance was significantly stronger than his.

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« Jan 18, 2016 21:50:49 GMT -6 »
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He drank what, now? Oh dear. No wonder it tasted like that, and no wonder it felt like his stomach was slowly tying itself into knots.

"That explains the kick." Funny thing, if she'd told him what was in the bottle beforehand, he probably would've said no. He blinked, slowly, before he would look back to her. He wasn't exactly out on his feet, but it had packed a punch.

"Can't say I've ever had this before."

It was impressive, really. She'd had more of it than he did, and didn't look bothered at all.

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« Jan 18, 2016 21:55:29 GMT -6 via mobile »
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"Yep," she said with a popping sound. Leif looked entertained by his reaction.

She took a deep drag.

"You'll have a good time. Don't worry. There's a reason people drink. Especially when they're upset."

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« Jan 18, 2016 22:04:50 GMT -6 »
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Aaron was good at entertaining strange, pretty girls.

...Wait. Phrasing. There was something on the tip of his tongue, about how she seemed interested in showing him a good time, but that sounded terrible. Even as, for half a moment, he couldn't help but look amused. It did cause a brief lull to fall between them, though, as he tried to put words together.

"Don't worry, I trust you." Drowning one's sorrows was a cliché for a reason, right? "It's really nice of you, you know. Being all helpful like this."

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« Jan 18, 2016 23:16:59 GMT -6 via mobile »
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Trust? Now THAT made her laugh. If he thought he could trust her, they were both in for one hell of a ride.

"No problem, man," Leif said with a shake of her head, grinning from ear to ear.

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« Jan 18, 2016 23:38:08 GMT -6 »
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Well, maybe he shouldn't; look what happened last time he gave someone his trust too quickly. But still. He couldn't help laughing along a little, even if, without the alcohol, he might have wondered if he were the subject of some joke. It wasn't every day some girl just randomly offered him booze.

"Guess I thought I'd let you know anyway. That it's appreciated."

He wasn't quite drunk enough to ask if she was in the habit of offering vodka to random people.

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« Jan 19, 2016 1:32:51 GMT -6 via mobile »
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"You're sweet," she commented, taking a long, slow drag of her fag. She wasn't sure why he thought she was so nice. Because she shared booze?

"You got something on your mind, sweetie?"

She said it curiously, not flirty. She was used to guys thinking she wanted in their pants anyways, but she figured Aaron would be too drunk to even really care.

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« Jan 19, 2016 1:46:18 GMT -6 »
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He wasn't that drunk yet!

Sweet, huh? He didn't feel sweet. He felt like absolute scum on the bottoms of the shoes of everyone in the world, and not just because of the vodka. The metaphorical knife was still lodged right in his heart, and every second he thought about it, the more he felt like he absolutely deserved it.

He wasn't a hero. He wasn't someone someone could love. He wasn't even a good agent. All he could do was hurt people. Ruin everything he came near.

"Yeah. A lot."

Without even entirely realising it, he would shift around to lay flat on his back, staring into the night sky. Usually this was comforting, but right now... not so much. Was it really appropriate to go into it, though? He'd just met her, he'd bothered enough people by throwing all this at them. And besides, she was nice to him, she could've just laughed in his face and walked off to leave him to his accidental drunkenness and his thoughts but here she was, actually asking.

From here, he could see Hercules, one of his favourite constellations. Sure, the actual mythological figure wasn't much of someone to admire, but the idea of Hercules the mighty hero, that was something he always admired. Aspired to. With a little painted smile, he traced the stars with one finger, even as he gathered his thoughts.

Tried to figure out what to say to this nice girl without seeming weaker and more pathetic than he already was.

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« Jan 19, 2016 1:59:54 GMT -6 via mobile »
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Leif didn't bother to say anything. She looked at him as he fell back, pulling her feet up to rest on the edge of the roof. She placed her elbows on her knees, folding her fingers together, and looking out over Paradigm Academy.

If he didn't want to talk about it, she wouldn't force him to. Sure, she cared, but not enough to push or prod him. Instead, she just stared, a little smirk on her lips.

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« Jan 19, 2016 2:10:14 GMT -6 »
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The silence was welcome, for a moment. He wasn't sure what was right to say, what he wanted to say, what he should say. He shot her a look as he laid down, and occasionally glanced over at her as he traced the stars, and thought. Felt it all bubbling up inside him.

Wasn't he supposed to be feeling "bloody awesome"? Though maybe it hadn't been ten minutes yet. That she was still there surprised him, a little. A lot of people would've left him.

"If I tell you about some of it, you won't laugh at me, will you?"

He couldn't take more scorn right now, more derision. It wasn't about if this girl wanted him or not - he only wanted one person to want him. No, he just didn't want her to think he was weak, contemptible.

She was nice, and pretty, and she seemed to care at least a bit. He didn't want her to think he was a loser.

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« Jan 19, 2016 9:33:27 GMT -6 via mobile »
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"Probably not," Leif said, ashing her cigarette. "Can't make any promises and not lie to you, though."

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« Jan 19, 2016 15:24:14 GMT -6 »
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"Well, I appreciate you being honest."

At least someone around here wasn't lying to him. He stopped tracing the stars, placing his hands behind his head and just staring upwards.

"Thinking about where to start."

Vodka made thinking tricky.

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« Jan 19, 2016 17:21:08 GMT -6 via mobile »
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"The beginning is usually a good place," Leif said with a nonchalant shrug.

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« Jan 19, 2016 17:27:12 GMT -6 »
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"Beginning, huh?"

Which beginning? There were a lot of beginnings. He couldn't be as nonchalant as she could, not this time. What to say? What not to say? What was even appropriate to dump on some girl he'd literally just met?

Why had he drank so much vodka? Oh, God.

"I didn't have to come here, you know. My parents might actually be happier if I were doing something safer. I became an agent because for as long as I can remember, I've wanted to be a hero, to make this screwed up world we live in a better place. To use my power to protect everyone."

He let out a small, bitter laugh. So much for not sounding pathetic.

"I'm realising I'm not one. Heroes don't screw up, they don't hurt people they care about."


« Last Edit: Jan 19, 2016 17:30:57 GMT -6 by Aaron Silverman » Back to Top  

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« Jan 19, 2016 17:43:35 GMT -6 via mobile »
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"You want to be a hero? That's dumb."

Leif finally turned to look at him, her gaze sharp despite the alcohol.

"Heroes don't exist, man. They're just plot devices for the old stories. If you try to be a hero, you're going to fail, because you're setting LITERALLY mythic expectations for yourself. If you think you should do something where you don't fuck up, then get a desk job."

She shrugged, still staring at him with a strange intensity. While the alcohol made it easier for her to speak, it was the lightest of the things she did.

"If you want to change the world, then do it. But changing the world doesn't mean being a hero. At least, not the kind of hero you're talking about."

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« Jan 19, 2016 18:43:59 GMT -6 »
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"Well, hell to a desk job. I'm not hiding."

Sober Aaron might have gotten angry. Drunk Aaron, not so much, even though she'd described everything about who he is, everything about what he wanted to be, as 'dumb'. He would look over to her as she talked, meet her eyes, keep himself from flinching. Partly because right now, his movements were too lethargic for anything like that. If she were a perceptive sort, she might pick up on the pain in his eyes, even though he kept up a brave face, and even smiled a little at what she had to say. He appreciated the straight talk, that much would be obvious.

"I know nobody can be Superman. Even with superheroes an actual thing, now, nobody's perfect. Nobody can be everywhere, do everything. I'm just sick of failing, of not being able to protect people. Last mission I was on, I went to protect people I care about, someone I love, and they all almost died - 'cept me."

« Last Edit: Jan 19, 2016 18:44:46 GMT -6 by Aaron Silverman » Back to Top  


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