Nightshift 41: M11-M20 Hallway
Endrance sighed just slightly as he got his things together. Those injuries from the night before were still there, and he knew he would need to be careful if they should run into something unexpected that night. With any luck, any exploring they did wouldn't require fighting, but he knew now to be on his toes and prepared for anything that could
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So how did one go about properly punishing a renegade sibling? Kristoph had several ideas--all personally crafted to fit Klavier's trigger for apprehension and discomfort--but it didn't feel adequate. Torturing someone for ruining even the smallest shred of dignity was not enough; the man wouldn't feel vindicated until what wrongs were completely eradicated. Dear Mr. 'Smith' and Mr. Wright fell into this category and so, unfortunately, did his little brother.
This individual, however, required a bit more fineness than the last two. For one, he was, regardless of such disgustingly dissimilar attributes, family. For another, Klavier had some uses the others did not. If Kristoph went too far, it could mean the presence of dead weight, and the man would be forced to...rid himself of it. So to speak.
As of right now, that path was undesirable. Thus, the question: what could he inflict?
With this in mind, the former attorney reached the entrance to M12. Unlike the previous nights, he wasted no time in letting himself in, albeit slowly as to not disturb his brother. He wanted the younger man to feel every last ounce of his presence before speaking; barging in was not the way to accomplish that.
Only, he hadn't quite calculated the timing correctly. As soon as Kristoph opened the door, he found himself mere inches away from the brother in question. Though his own expression shifted momentarily to surprise, the glint in the man's eyepiece covered any outward reactions, making him appear far more menacing than usual.
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But as far as both situations went, Klavier could only be honest. That was all. He expected nothing more from his brother and vice versa. And despite their varied reputations for being a little eccentric in their own ways, both men were known for being blunt. So long as he stayed on his toes and was sure not to offend the elder, that should be--
Klavier's head suddenly snapped up. It wasn't until now that he noticed the other's presence in the doorway, only a few inches away. Another step and he might have slammed right into right into him. Off guard as Klavier was, he'd jumped, startled, and taken a single step back before he so much as realized what it was he was doing. Pure instinct. "Kris--!!"
His heart was in his throat before he could so much as finish the word. Kristoph had nearly given him a heart attack! How long had he been standing there?! To his credit, Klavier didn't do anything stupid like put his hand to his own chest or stammer like an idiot. But upon locking onto his brother's face, his mind completely locked up. Blank. He knew he should be saying something. Anything. But he couldn't think of a single thing. All he could do was stare.
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"Ah. Good evening," he responded quickly enough, trying to cover for his reaction. "No, not at all. Ah, have a seat." He stepped away some more, but this time it was obviously to make room so Kristoph could actually walk into the room without colliding into anyone.
As opposed to a few moments ago, his mind was suddenly racing at a mile a minute. Should he mention something first? Or should he hope they were both going to act as though nothing happened? He honestly hoped against the latter. Klavier absolutely hated leaving things unresolved. If he did bring something up, which mess up should he be addressing first? How was he even going to--
One thing at a time. Slow down. Think. It was refusal to do that which got him in as much of a mess as he was in. Besides, he needed to assess the situation. His own presumptions and some text on the bulletin didn't exactly do much to solidify his brother's actual feelings or opinion. One doesn't start playing a song without knowing the tempo first. "How are you doing?"
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He glanced up at his brother--senses alert--and blankly watched. There was that tinge of sped nerves and tense muscles; Klavier was more than a little nervous at the moment. It did not take much to know exactly why.
"I am perfectly fine," replied Kristoph, his tone indicated that, yes, the words were true. "Perhaps a bit... Hm. Never mind." A shrug.
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However, he had yet to actually sit down. Klavier looked up after placing the chair, fairly thrown off by the statement. Or more the cutoff. What? What 'nevermind?'
"...Perhaps a bit what?"
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Blue eyes literally bore into their mirror as Kristoph held his tongue for one glorious pause. Give the child enough time to form the assumptions, feel the pressure of his gaze, and second guess himself in a fashion that would make acute paranoia seem a bout of nervousness. Oh, he truly loved his brother.
Finally, he canted his head to one side. "They would not provide me an hour's time with the emery board. It was dreadful."
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His recent bout of behavior. Clearly, he had underestimated his brother's opinion on the matter. Klavier was being entirely selfish. The problem with today hadn't so much been that he had been messing up... It was that he had been messing up in ways that targeted and harmed his brother. Harmed being subjective, of course. The cutting remarks on the bulletin board, his idiotic display in the courtyard, and his own lack of general progress due to poor focus. It all fell on him. All because he couldn't so much as THINK before acting.
That moment seemed to stretch on forever. And Klavier simply waited, waited, for him to just come out and say whatever it was he wanted to say. That he was careless. That he was being an idiot. Something. Anything. Even if Klavier didn't agree. Any admonishment was better than nothing at all. And he was ready to hear it; prepared, or so he liked to believe. But when his brother opened his mouth again, it was something... completely out of left field, as the saying went.
"Em-? Oh. Ah. I suppose that... would be dreadful, yes." He was struggling to maintain a level tone, to hide that release of breath. The pressure in his chest wasn't lessening any more, however. Could he really keep up a casual facade for much longer? "It would make sense, in a way. If one were creative enough, an emery board could be used to harm oneself or others..."
Actually, nevermind. He couldn't possibly sit still. Ach, why was he being so completely paranoid? He was far too jumpy. He probably looked fairly off because of it. And really, the fact that he even felt this anxious around him just made him feel that much guiltier. No. He wouldn't be able to stand going an entire night like this. He could already feel that he would simply tear his own mind apart at this rate. Maybe Kristoph felt like things were okay and everything that had happened today wasn't worth a second thought, but Klavier felt otherwise. And if he was going to have any piece of mind, he needed to rectify this immediately. Even if it just meant getting it off his chest.
"Look, Kristoph..." he started. There was an obvious hesitation. What did he even say? "Ah..."
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Or perhaps Kristoph just liked the idea of watching the younger Gavin squirm for as long as humanly possible. The man couldn't decide.
He purposely appeared surprised by the trailing of words, before twisting his lips into an apologetic smile. "Oh, my apologies." A hand waved over the his face. "I should not bring personal matters for what is strictly a business affair. Shall we begin, then?"
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"No, no. I didn't mean..." Maybe he should just stop trying to control this conversation. With the way this day was going so far, he would likely just end up offending Kristoph further. Klavier wouldn't stand for that. Unfortunately, this was the closest thing to freedom his brother would know for a long while, depending on the outcome of his appeal hearings. And it wasn't exactly a good place to consider a 'better alternative' in any manner of thinking. He didn't need to make it worse by making Kristoph feel...
Klavier simply exhaled, hoping it would help him relax and get his head together. He finally decided to go ahead and take his seat after all. Unfortunately, neither action was helping at all. "I don't consider this a business affair," he said in as level a voice as possible. Fine. If Kristoph wanted to play it off as if nothing had happened, so could he. At least for a while. Though it seemed unlikely he could push it from the forefront of his mind. "I didn't mean for it to come across that way. We can talk about anything. It doesn't really matter..."
Why was he getting flashbacks to his first few prison visits?
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The answer he received was rather lacking at best. And predictable. Klavier once again avoided the matter in what Kristoph assumed to be a bout of guilt. He was likely right: the boy apparently enjoyed blaming himself in his free time. Fine, he could deal with this. "You are beginning to worry me," the man stated, blandly. "What is on your mind? Have I spoken out of turn?"
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"No," he said calmly, though the tone verged closer to professional than nonchalant. "I've been a little... distracted today, it seems. It's nothing to worry about." He took a deep breath under the guise of momentary contemplation. "However, I did want to apologize for my behavior earlier today. Regardless of circumstance, it was unwarranted."
He absolutely hated speaking in blanketed understatements, but he would make an exception for now. Oftentimes, it proved best to simply be blunt. This time should be no different. At least, one should hope.
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So he opted to play along. "I'm not sure what you mean by 'unwarranted' behavior," Kristoph began, now purposely shifting his tone to confusion, "but there is no need for an apology." As if an apology was sufficient. "If you are fine, perhaps we can begin our business for the night."
He paused and looked over at the other man. "What is the name they've given you?"
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Dear goodness. His luck was starting to rival that of Wright's.
He wasn't sure what to think of Kristoph's perception on these matters, but for now, he chose not to care. Everything was fine. He had just been letting his paranoia get the better of him again. He was plenty willing to accept that and go along with the convenient subject change. Business was exactly what he needed to take his mind off things.
He relaxed himself a little before answering with a small smile. "Ah. They call me David. David Gilmour." It was an odd choice in name. What to make of it, he wasn't sure. As for his brother if he recalled what the nurse had said earlier, "And you are referred to as... Godfrey, yes?"
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"Yes." The elder forced an amused smirk. "Bruno Godfrey. A rather peculiar selection. Although..." The pleasant expression quickly faded. "They called you differently the last time you were here."
A bait. If Klavier was clever, he would dismiss the words as a matter of illusion. If not, well, Kristoph would not be held responsible for what occurred next.
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Kidding aside, it was certainly interesting that they chose to give them different surnames. Surely the staff couldn't be trying to imply that their relation was entirely in their heads, too? How careless. Differences or no, there was no doubting genetic resemblance. They weren't even trying to keep their stories realistic in that case.
"Yes, that is very strange," Klavier agreed with a casual nod. There was a pause for a few beats as what Kristoph just said sank in. The distant, casual look he'd managed to put on suddenly vanished with a renewed focus. He was actually so bewildered, he carelessly blurted the first thing that came to mind: "...Wait. What? Last..?" He must have misheard that. In fact, he was positive he had. "I'm... not sure I know what you mean."
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