Coffee Talk [Complete]

[masterofweapons]

Character(s): Ironhide, Alexander Terius
Pairing(s): N/A
Location: Outside
Rating: PG-13
Warning(s): Mild creepiness
Summary: Backdated log from fall, a nice little chat outside.


Terius: A quiet evening, the sky orange with the light of the fading sun. Add the changing colors of the leaves, and it's obvious - fall has come to Tranquility, even in its mountains. The forest surrounding Olympus is a tapestry of reds, oranges, and some lingering greens.

It's a view that seems to have caught the attention of one man, who has seated himself on a bench. He's hunched over slightly, a cup of what could be coffee held in both hands, but his attention isn't on it - it's in the trees not far away. Something through it, perhaps, that only he can see.

Ironhide: Fall's always been Ron's favorite time of year, ever since he was a little kid; the weather isn't too hot or too cold, and even he has to admit, the leaves changing colors is a very beautiful sight. Ron steps outside for some fresh air and to admire the view, hands in the pockets of his jacket, and notices Terius sitting on the bench.

He hadn't gotten much of a chance to talk to the man at the cookout and hadn't seen him since. Walking over, Ron stares off in the direction that Terius is and comments, "S'nice out, isn't it?"

Terius: For a few moments, Terius is silent. Then inhales deeply, and breathes it out in a heavy sigh. "It's empty," he muses before taking a sip of his drink, grimacing slightly at its taste.

Ironhide: Ron glances down at Terius curiously, one eyebrow raised slightly in confusion, "...empty?"

Terius: Terius is silent again, before shaking his head as if to ward off dizziness. He looks up, furrowing his brow slightly in confusion.

"Ah - I'm sorry. Have we met?"

Ironhide: "Ron. Julie introduced us at the cookout, remember?" Ron must have caught Terius in the middle of some thinking.

Terius: He blinks slowly, then shakes his head a little, looking apologetic. "I...have a bit of a memory problem. I'm sorry, Ron, your face doesn't ring a bell...I'm sure it was a pleasure to meet you, though." A rueful smile crosses his face before he seems to remember something. "Did you ask me something just now?"

Ironhide: "Eh, no big deal. I have a tough time remembering names of people I just met, think it's a common guy thing," Ron shrugs, "just said the weather's nice, s'all."

Terius: Terius chuckles softly, looking up into the sky. "It is, isn't it?...and soon snow will start to cover us." He blinks once, before taking another sip of his drink, and making another grimace. Whatever he's having, it's certainly got a flavor.

Ironhide: Ron notices the look on Terius' face, "Too strong?" He takes a seat next to the other man and leans back, a grimace of his own on his face, "...a little snow's nice, but I hate it when it's more than half a foot high."

Terius: "In a sense." The smile returns, though it's a little more lopsided now than anything else. "My mother...she used to take us outside, when it snowed. We'd play in it, my brothers and I. It's one of the few memories I still have clearly...and it was so long ago." He sounds quietly amazed.

Ironhide: "I never really got to deal with snow until I got stationed up in Annapolis," Ron smiles, "I'd always go and play in the leaves instead, in the fall; we had a lot of trees in our yard."

Terius: Another soft chuckle. "I hope you were made to clean up, afterwards..." He fingers the rim of his cup. "Young boys of every generation can get into such messes..."

Ironhide: Ron laughs, "Yeah, and my mom always bitched about the leaves she found in mine and my sister's clothes. We couldn't help it, though."

Terius: Terius gives him a sidelong look. "If you had thought about it, you could have taken them out of your clothing." The smile is still there, softening what could otherwise be a harsh statement.

Ironhide: "Tried to, always seemed to miss a few," he shrugs, watching some squirrels off in the distance chase each other around a tree.

Terius: "I suppose it can't be helped." Terius's gaze returns forwards and he leans back against the bench.

Ironhide: Ron's silent for a moment, then chuckles, "I should rake up a big pile of leaves for Sari, I think she'd love it."

Terius: "Sari...Sari." Terius furrows his brow again, thinking...before his face lights up. "Ah! The young one?"

Ironhide: "Yeah, that's her. Cute little kid, isn't she?" Ron smiles, "Hyper as all hell, too."

Terius: "She brightens everyone's day. I could almost say I think better around her..." He shakes his head, smiling dismissively at himself. "...it could just be the tonic, I suppose."

Ironhide: "...tonic?" Ron asks, curious.

Terius: Terius's forefinger taps against his cup. "This foul concoction. She says it's to help me keep my mind clear, but I have a feeling she simply likes the look on my face when I down it..."

Ironhide: Ron tilts his head to the side slightly, "She? And why do you have to drink it, if you don't mind me askin'?"

Terius: "She..." His voice trails off, finger tapping against the cup again. Terius's eyes stare into the forest, looking almost...blank. As if he's staring at something past the forest, or not even there at all.

Ironhide: A curious look, and after a few moments of silence, Ron straighten ups a bit, "...you alright?"

Terius: Tap. Taptaptap. Tap. Taptaptap.

"...I'm missing something," the man frets quietly. "...something I should still have, but I keep missing it..."

Tap. He looks back towards Ron, eyes not blank now, but piercing - starkingly so.

"...can you see it?"

Ironhide: "..." Ron stares at Terius, not sure what to say.

Terius: "No, of course you can't," he mutters. "You can't see what isn't there to /see/ because they keep changing."

Ironhide: Ron quirks an eyebrow, "...you feeling alright?"

Terius: He shakes his head quickly, fingers beginnings to tremble. "You don't understand. You need to look harder, before it becomes too late - before it happens again." Terius's voice lowers slightly, becoming more urgent, almost desperate.

Ironhide: "...before what happens?" Ron is beyond confused, and just about ready to call Aidan for some help. Terius /can't/ be stable.

Terius: If Ron thought Terius wasn't stable before, he will now - the man suddenly lunges forward, reaching to grab Ron by the collar and pull them together. His mug falls onto the ground, contents splashing out onto the grass and emptying into the soil.

But as for words - Terius seems to be struggling to speak now, opening his mouth and closing it. There's a disconcerting look in his eyes as they stare into Ron's own, as if he's searching for something.

Ironhide: Ron freezes, eyes wide, then he pushes Terius away, standing up from the bench, "I'm going to call a medic..."

Terius: "Wait!"

The urgency is still there, Terius reaching to try and grab a part of Ron before he gets out of reach.

Ironhide: "You're acting strange," Ron doesn't move beyond adopting a wary pose, hoping that this is something that will pass soon.

Terius: "I can't see," Terius insists, his voice somewhere between a desperate cry and a frustrated hiss. He balls his hands up into fists, hunching over slightly and putting them up to his head. A pained expression crosses his face, though it's somewhat hidden by his arms in the pose he's in. "Your eyes work fine, why can't you see what's right in front of

Ironhide: "...you should go to the infirmary. Maybe get more of that stuff you were drinking," hesitantly, Ron reaches down to pick up the mug, brushing dirt off of it.

Terius: Terius doesn't respond at first, breathing heavily. In, out, in, out.

"I...yes. That stops it." His eyes dart towards the mug, then up at Ron. They then shut tightly. "God above, I just want this to stop." More to himself than to Ron.

Ironhide: Another hesitant move, this time placing a hand on Terius' shoulder, "C'mon, I'll go with you."

Terius: The man stiffens at first, then shakily reaches up to grab Ron's wrist. It's a surprisingly tight grasp, but after the initial squeeze, it seems to calm him.

"Thank you," he says quietly.