The game's afoot!

[godsavemy]

WHO: Arthur and Alfred
WHEN: Thursday Afternoon
WHERE: A random sidewalk in Liberty
WHAT: Arthur and Alfred's first encounter. Oh yes, this will go well.

Comments

[godsavemy]

Something in Arthur just would not allow the younger man to leave thinking he was right, and he quickly snatched up the closest wrist to prevent a premature getaway.

"Do you think you could just--" Before he could launch into another rant, a wave of exhaustion suddenly engulfed Arthur, leaving him momentarily dizzy. With a couple steadying breaths, Arthur regained his bearings, only to look up and see the other man eyeing him warily, as if he were waiting for Arthur to detonate.

And then just as suddenly, Arthur wondered what was he doing.

It was true his manuscript that he put his heart and soul into was damaged beyond repair, but what was the point of standing here and throwing a fit? It's not as if Arthur could force the other to rewrite the whole thing or turn back the clock to a time when his papers were immaculate.

Suddenly feeling childish and worn out - when was the last time he had slept? - Arthur released his hold on a wrist that was now slightly stained with the blood from Arthur's palm.

"Forget it," Arthur muttered briskly, just wanting this whole experience to be over and done with so he could go home and lick his wounds. "Just go."

[13_foundations]

Slowly, Alfred let his free hand, which had instinctively reached out to steady the other man, drop to his side unnoticed. His other hand he jerked back a bit more harshly once it was released from the other’s hold, not noticing the red smear left on it.

“Don’t worry, I am. See ya.” He said with a grin, a hardly hidden biting tone and a two-fingered salute.

If it were any other circumstance he might have tried to make nice. Maybe he would have cracked a joke to ease the tension running down his spine. But he had an inkling that wouldn’t go over well. The slightly shorter man suddenly looked weary and for all Alfred knew that meant his temper would be worse then ever. Tugging at his shirt absent mindedly, Alfred gave one last look out of the corner of his eye at the man with the odd eyebrows and stuck up attitude standing defeated in the center of his spilled work.

After that fiasco, he really hoped he didn’t have to see the guy again.

Remembering why he’d in fact been in a hurry before the collision, Alfred easily bound into a sprint once again, maybe, subconsciously, forcing himself to run a little faster.

Well, that guy had been a little scary.

[godsavemy]

Arthur blearily watched the other until he was out of sight (running, did he ever learn?), half-wishing he had throttled the man when he had a chance. His younger self certainly wouldn't have hesitated to take such an action...

But back then Arthur had been a different person and now... Now Arthur simply wanted to return to his house and rid himself of the fatigue that plagued his bones.

Arthur hung his head, feeling older than his twenty-three years, and let out a small groan when confronted with the sight of his scattered papers once more. Despite knowing they couldn't possibly be restored, Arthur slowly gathered the pieces of parchment, careful not to smudge or rip them any further.

And, Arthur realized as he stared mournfully at his failed project, soon he would have to decide if there was any value staying in Liberty any longer.