Author Topic: Calm before the storm (Open) (Read 1,440 times)
Mike Daniels
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 Calm before the storm (Open)
« Feb 20, 2016 21:03:52 GMT -6 »
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Mike was laying out in the courtyard just looking up at the clouds.  It was peaceful outside, despite the chaos that seemed to be looming on the horizon.  He was going off to war against the Empire.  There was no guarantee that he, or anyone else would come back again either.  And yet, he'd not have it any other way.  At least for him.  He was always tougher than other people, if people like him didn't stand up to bullies than who would?  


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Aaron Silverman
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 Calm before the storm (Open)
« Feb 20, 2016 21:14:59 GMT -6 »
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Somewhere in his musings, Mike might hear someone walk past. Aaron would stroll through his peripheral vision, unnoticing, off in his own world, his walk more of a shamble than the usual purposeful stride. Probably the first time Mike'd seen him since the guy vanished from their pod, leaving almost all of his stuff in his room. 

Aaron had thoughts aplenty on the subject of war, right now. He wanted to fight, but to kill? Not so much. It bothered him, how easy it was. But then, it didn't really matter what he wanted, did it? War was here whether they liked it or not, and really... well, his desires had never been important. Even without what had happened, he'd joined Paradigm to put the whole above himself. He'd just forgotten that of late.

He'd started to think, just like when he'd been with Cara, that maybe his own happiness was important too. There were innocents to protect out there, monsters to face down. And they wouldn't all be coming home. Possibly including him. That should have put a leaden weight in his gut, but instead he was... empty.

If it happened, it happened. His parents could make another him, a him actually worth something.

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Mike Daniels
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 Calm before the storm (Open)
« Feb 20, 2016 21:16:26 GMT -6 »
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Upon noticing Aaron Mike would raise up a hand and give him a small brief wave. But wouldn't disturb him otherwise if he was looking for alone time.

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 Calm before the storm (Open)
« Feb 20, 2016 21:23:18 GMT -6 »
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All time was alone time. Because in the end, no matter what people said to his face, in reality he was alone. Thinking he mattered to someone was just a way to get betrayed. He wouldn't matter until he'd found that power he'd tasted during the "trip" back to Rath's attack on Chicago.

Maybe not even then. His power would matter, not him. Still, he noticed Mike's wave, flickering in the corner of his eye, and after a few steps halted, turning around and blinking when he saw his roommate. Well, his nominal roommate since lately Aaron couldn't stand to actually return to his pod.

For a long moment, he just stood there. Then he waved, weakly as a blade of grass in the wind.

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Mike Daniels
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 Calm before the storm (Open)
« Feb 20, 2016 21:25:11 GMT -6 »
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"You okay?"

He looked like shit.

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 Calm before the storm (Open)
« Feb 20, 2016 21:28:17 GMT -6 »
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"Just thinking."

A blatant lie, but, well, his problems weren't problems. He didn't matter.

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Mike Daniels
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 Calm before the storm (Open)
« Feb 20, 2016 21:30:21 GMT -6 »
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"Oh, okay."

He wouldn't press the matter. Far be it from him to shove himself into someone else's personal life.

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 Calm before the storm (Open)
« Feb 20, 2016 21:33:16 GMT -6 »
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"You?"

This time, Aaron appreciated the lack of prying. If he had to actually think about an answer he might break apart. God, he could use another of those happiness pills right now.

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Mike Daniels
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 Calm before the storm (Open)
« Feb 20, 2016 21:36:19 GMT -6 »
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"Just enjoying the weather and looking at the clouds."

He'd point upward at one of the blobs.

"That one is a Skeletal Dragon head eating a bunny."

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 Calm before the storm (Open)
« Feb 20, 2016 21:39:11 GMT -6 »
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Such strange weather for February. Regardless, he looked up, frowning, looking for the cloud Mike mentioned. He wasn't sure he saw it.

"Sounds like an omen."

But were they the bunny, or the dragon?

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Mike Daniels
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 Calm before the storm (Open)
« Feb 20, 2016 21:40:24 GMT -6 »
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"Huh?"

He looked back at Aaron.

"They're just clouds."

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 Calm before the storm (Open)
« Feb 20, 2016 21:41:52 GMT -6 »
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"A dragon eating a rabbit in the sky, days before we go off to fight a world war. Risking ourselves to save the innocent from the Empire. That doesn't look ominous to you?"

Maybe the dragon was the Empire, the bunny was innocent people, and the sky between was him, getting in the way as best he could.

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Mike Daniels
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 Calm before the storm (Open)
« Feb 20, 2016 21:43:15 GMT -6 »
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"Not really. They are just clouds."

He'd reiterate.

"You sure you're okay?"

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 Calm before the storm (Open)
« Feb 20, 2016 21:46:46 GMT -6 »
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"I'm thinking about a lot of things."

Aaron hadn't even looked back at Mike yet.

"It's too convenient. Those clouds appear, looking like that, now?"

People are dying across the ocean right now, and here they were, looking at clouds.

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Mike Daniels
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 Calm before the storm (Open)
« Feb 20, 2016 21:49:22 GMT -6 »
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"Huh?"

He had no clue what Aaron was talking about, or why he was fixated on the clouds.

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 Calm before the storm (Open)
« Feb 20, 2016 21:50:38 GMT -6 »
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"Guess it just feels like the world's trying to tell us something. We're not all coming back home after all."

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Mike Daniels
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 Calm before the storm (Open)
« Feb 20, 2016 21:51:32 GMT -6 »
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"It's war..."

Mike would sit up.

"It's okay to be scared."

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 Calm before the storm (Open)
« Feb 20, 2016 21:54:28 GMT -6 »
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"I know. What scares me is I don't know if I'm scared."

He didn't know, to be more honest, if he cared if he came home on foot or in a pine box. But this was getting dangerously close to acting as if he had problems.

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Mike Daniels
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 Calm before the storm (Open)
« Feb 20, 2016 21:57:39 GMT -6 »
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"You don't know?"

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 Calm before the storm (Open)
« Feb 20, 2016 21:58:57 GMT -6 »
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"I don't know."


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Mike Daniels
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 Calm before the storm (Open)
« Feb 20, 2016 22:00:20 GMT -6 »
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"What do you know?"

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 Calm before the storm (Open)
« Feb 20, 2016 22:02:57 GMT -6 »
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"That I don't know."

Thrilling conversation. But he probably just paused for thought, because eventually he continued.

"I don't know if I'm scared of going to war. Of maybe dying."

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Mike Daniels
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 Calm before the storm (Open)
« Feb 20, 2016 22:05:04 GMT -6 »
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He just sat in silence thinking about what Aaron said before leaning back, planing his hands on the ground as he looked back up at the sky.

"It's okay not to know either, I think."

None of them really knew what to expect. He couldn't exactly tell Aaron that was he was feeling, or not feeling was wrong or even abnormal. They all dealt with things in their own ways.

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 Calm before the storm (Open)
« Feb 20, 2016 22:05:55 GMT -6 »
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"I think so, too. Our job is to die so other people don't have to if we have to."

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Mike Daniels
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 Calm before the storm (Open)
« Feb 20, 2016 22:07:15 GMT -6 »
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"I disagree."

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