[ location: Cain's place ] poisonouspartyDecember 11 2011, 20:18:31 UTC
He has no idea why he's here.
...Well, no. He knows exactly why he's doing this but it leaves a giant question hanging over his head and for a brief moment Party can physically taste it, or so he thinks. Then again, maybe he's just loopy. He's cracked. Not cycling properly.
That explains why he's here. He's simply gone mad from the cold. He tells himself it's because Kobra might be here but it's a flimsy, flimsy excuse because Kobra's not there on the tablet and Party used the tablet to find where Cain's damn apartment was.
No, he's here because he recognizes that text. Maybe he's reading too much into it but that text reminds him of Battery City, of that one question everybody asks when they come down from withdrawal and realized just how stupid they were. How different they were acting.
Party knocks, licking his chapped lips and taking a deep breath.
[ location: Cain's place ] and the icon doesn't do this justice, but...tin_heartsDecember 11 2011, 22:05:55 UTC
For a while, there's nothing. Not a thing. Not a sound, no movement, not even the slightest indication that he's in there but the dot on the map with his name on it.
Then, something comes along in the sound of footsteps, and the ever so slight creak of hinges as the door opens. Cain stands there, and for a moment he just looks at the young man as though he doesn't quite believe his eyes. He blinks slowly, and something like a light switches on at the back of his gaze.
"Party." Clearing his throat (ducks head, looks to side and back). "Would you like to come in?"
[ location: Cain's place ] and the icon doesn't do this justice, but...poisonouspartyDecember 11 2011, 22:13:34 UTC
"Well, someone got into a clap," He announced, and because maybe Cain didn't know the lingo yet, remembered to clarify: "You look like shit," he said helpfully, and began rubbing his hands together for warmth.
He wasn't trying to be rude, but he pushed his way into the house at the invitation instead of answering, looking around, glancing around. Cain's house isn't like Party pictured it. It's sure as neat as he pictured, but he had it in his head that Cain would be full of ranch-y, Texas-style doohickies. It's the cowboy motif.
Eyes flicker to any and all points of exit, and then immediately sweep over anything that could be used as a potential weapon. It's sheer habit, and even though the place is sparse he picks up a few things he automatically categorizes before returning his attention back to Cain.
...No, no, that won't work. He occupies himself with crossing his arms and looking around, as if just noticing everything for the first time.
"Seen Kobra around here?" He already knew the answer.
[ location: Cain's place ]tin_heartsDecember 11 2011, 22:30:05 UTC
Two windows in the living room area, one substantially larger over the sink; plenty of chairs and tables to smash into kindle or swing about if needed. The pillow cushions would make excellent silencers, and Cain's holster hangs over one of the kitchen chairs, gun and all
( ... )
[ location: Cain's place ]poisonouspartyDecember 11 2011, 22:35:47 UTC
Coffee. Party remembers he likes coffee, he likes coffee a lot, and when he was in highschool he'd drink as much as he could to stay up all night, drawing. That was a long time ago, when he was Gerard, but even while he was Party he would pretty much give his kidney to Tommy Chow Mein, even if it was just a packet of instant.
Wandering around hostile territory and getting drugged drink seemed like a Bad Idea, but Kobra had been staying and had been around. Plus, with the shape Cain looked in? There was no way he could fight back, even if he wanted to.
[ location: Cain's place ]tin_heartsDecember 11 2011, 22:48:46 UTC
One of the coffee mugs slip out of his hands when Party next speaks, the sound as sudden and loud as a gunshot to Cain, who reacts accordingly.
He hasn't been this jumpy in over a year; hasn't even wanted to think about death, or what his own did to his friends. That's almost a year ago now, too. An annual since he begged Glitch to put an end to him, to use his gun, and Glitch wouldn't because he didn't have the heart or the brain or the courage for it. Neither of them did, and it all seems like such a waste now, that all he's hanging onto is the fact he came back after three days. Everyone who died then came back. Fixed and shiny and new, not a mark on them
( ... )
[ location: Cain's place ] all of the tl;drpoisonouspartyDecember 11 2011, 22:59:32 UTC
"I--"
And then it happens.
Party gets it.
It's taken him months but he gets it he gets what's happening and part of him wants to throw up and part of him wants to laugh, laugh right in Cain's face even though it's not funny. None of this is. He's frayed himself but Cain's situation is Cain's and he can see looks and he can recognize and empathize but he'll never actually be Cain His stomach is flip-flopping and he stares at the tin man and for a moment he thinks they're going to have a staring contest with how still both of them are
( ... )
[ location: Cain's place ] teal deer 4-ever, as we used to saytin_heartsDecember 11 2011, 23:12:15 UTC
Cain's shaking his head and backing away the moment he catches on that the kid's moving in the wrong direction, he's backing up and shaking his head and holding up his hands the way he's seen other people do countless times - no, please, not my son, take me, please not him, leave him, leave him alone - begging for their lives. His heart lurches in his chest on its way up his throat, and his face twists right into the folds of Party's beat up jacket and he hugs the kid like he wanted to hug his best friend for an eternity but somehow never got around to.
[ location: Cain's place ] poisonouspartyDecember 12 2011, 17:43:12 UTC
Cain's grapefruit is a mess, and it's pretty sad that it's only now that Party's realizing it. They're more alike then they are different, and the thing that seals the deal about Cain not being a S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W is the fact that Cain's crying, Cain's actually crying and that breaks the younger kid's heart. He's clinging to Party's Dead Pegasus jacket like Kobra when he's having an episode, and Party's next words are softer as he attempts to guide them over to a couch he'd seen earlier.
"Ease up on the gas, dust angel, let's just take it a little slower, huh?" Of course, he could just say 'calm down,' but instead he has to spew odd words as he began to rub the other's back. In a weird way, he was surprised that his back wasn't bandaged, either.
[ location: Cain's place ] tin_heartsDecember 12 2011, 21:49:41 UTC
Something in him protests the idea of letting someone so young carry his burden, but it's a moot point now. It isn't his choice to make, and frankly, between the week or so he's had and the news of his friend's sudden demise, he doesn't have the strength to object.
Party's hands are gentle, but moving over old scars both real and metaphorical and tangible even with his habitual layering of clothes. They might be mistaken for wrinkled fabric, and some part of him hopes that's the case even as he nods and brings a hand up to wipe his face.
Coffee. He was supposed to be making coffee. Or tea. Something warm to chase away the damn cold.
Instead he tries to take a deep breath or two, and lets the kid steer them to the living room area. It's sparsely furnished like everything else - a small rectangular coffee table carved from wood, a couch big enough to fit three people, and armchair to the side. Nothing ornamental, no pictures in frames, no nick-knacks.
[ location: Cain's place ] poisonouspartyDecember 12 2011, 22:06:52 UTC
"Yeah, I'm sorry too. I mean, this place is total BLI. Gotta get some colour in here, phew. Don't want people thinkin' your a drac."
He shoots a look to Cain and there's an odd thing on his face. He's smiling. It's the tiniest of smiles but it's still a slightly reassuring one. His own, silent way of apologizing for getting jumpy around Cain, his own way of saying 'I know what's wrong but you don't have to talk about it.' He punches Cain's arm playfully and sits up, whistling low. An unspoken I'm sorry.
[ location: Cain's place ] tin_heartsDecember 12 2011, 22:20:21 UTC
Odd is the word, all right. Oddly comforting to let someone else pick up the slack for once - or twice, what with Paul's efforts to keep him well fed and on somewhat regular hours. It's only in the last few months that he's really started to realize what a difference sleep makes. Good sleep, the deep kind that leaves you relaxed to the point of boneless...
He can't imagine he'll ever sleep again.
Giving Party a nod to go ahead, he ducks his head for another swipe over his face. The kid's bright, he doesn't need directions.
[ location: Cain's place ] poisonouspartyDecember 12 2011, 23:00:15 UTC
Party's staring at the counter and it takes him a few seconds to remember how this works--get beans, grind, put in coffee maker...
It takes only two awkward movements before he's in the zone, remembering how much coffee he made and drank and how much Kobra emulated him, leaving the two practically with IV drips in their arms by the end of things. It's surprising, how such a simple task can comfort you.
"Glitch?" He asked. "He's a loyal guy, that's for sure." He isn't sure if he should continue. Instead, he decides maybe it's best if he just simmers down and waits for Cain to get it out.
[ location: Cain's place ] tin_heartsDecember 13 2011, 08:32:48 UTC
"You don't know half of it," Cain replies, and if he wasn't already feeling like a big pile of dung, maybe there would've been some bite to it. Instead he slumps in his seat, rubbing at his forehead and temples. Anything to relieve the pressure.
"He was there, right from the start. When DG-- They found me. They set me free, and I gave them nothing but a hard time for it. Especially Glitch. And he still dragged my sorry, unconscious ass through miles of snow."
[ location: Cain's place ] poisonouspartyDecember 13 2011, 08:55:27 UTC
Snow. Party didn't even know what snow looked like until recently, but he hated it, that was for damn sure. He doesn't ask what Cain wants in his coffee--he has a strong suspicion the guy likes it black, just because Cain seemed like that type, but he fixed his own and found a tray.
So fuckin' domestic, Party. You're practically Jet Star.
He rolls his eyes at himself, but once the coffee maker is on and the water's all filled up he pulls himself up to sit on the counter of the kitchen, still talking to the oddly robotic man with the same colour skin that would normally make his damn skin crawl...
"If I had a can of power pup for every time a Killjoy saved my sorry ass..."
[Visual/Locked]tin_heartsDecember 13 2011, 16:01:57 UTC
If it's any consolation to Party and his paranoid streak, Cain's face may be pale still, but blotchy from staying out too long in the cold, and flushed from losing his composure. The rest he can't help, and couldn't be bothered with even on a good day.
...Well, no. He knows exactly why he's doing this but it leaves a giant question hanging over his head and for a brief moment Party can physically taste it, or so he thinks. Then again, maybe he's just loopy. He's cracked. Not cycling properly.
That explains why he's here. He's simply gone mad from the cold. He tells himself it's because Kobra might be here but it's a flimsy, flimsy excuse because Kobra's not there on the tablet and Party used the tablet to find where Cain's damn apartment was.
No, he's here because he recognizes that text. Maybe he's reading too much into it but that text reminds him of Battery City, of that one question everybody asks when they come down from withdrawal and realized just how stupid they were. How different they were acting.
Party knocks, licking his chapped lips and taking a deep breath.
He still doesn't know exactly why he's here.
Reply
Then, something comes along in the sound of footsteps, and the ever so slight creak of hinges as the door opens. Cain stands there, and for a moment he just looks at the young man as though he doesn't quite believe his eyes. He blinks slowly, and something like a light switches on at the back of his gaze.
"Party." Clearing his throat (ducks head, looks to side and back). "Would you like to come in?"
Reply
He wasn't trying to be rude, but he pushed his way into the house at the invitation instead of answering, looking around, glancing around. Cain's house isn't like Party pictured it. It's sure as neat as he pictured, but he had it in his head that Cain would be full of ranch-y, Texas-style doohickies. It's the cowboy motif.
Eyes flicker to any and all points of exit, and then immediately sweep over anything that could be used as a potential weapon. It's sheer habit, and even though the place is sparse he picks up a few things he automatically categorizes before returning his attention back to Cain.
...No, no, that won't work. He occupies himself with crossing his arms and looking around, as if just noticing everything for the first time.
"Seen Kobra around here?" He already knew the answer.
Reply
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Wandering around hostile territory and getting drugged drink seemed like a Bad Idea, but Kobra had been staying and had been around. Plus, with the shape Cain looked in? There was no way he could fight back, even if he wanted to.
...He couldn't believe he was doing this.
"Coffee's fine. Listen, Cain. You.. You shiny?"
Reply
He hasn't been this jumpy in over a year; hasn't even wanted to think about death, or what his own did to his friends. That's almost a year ago now, too. An annual since he begged Glitch to put an end to him, to use his gun, and Glitch wouldn't because he didn't have the heart or the brain or the courage for it. Neither of them did, and it all seems like such a waste now, that all he's hanging onto is the fact he came back after three days. Everyone who died then came back. Fixed and shiny and new, not a mark on them ( ... )
Reply
And then it happens.
Party gets it.
It's taken him months but he gets it he gets what's happening and part of him wants to throw up and part of him wants to laugh, laugh right in Cain's face even though it's not funny. None of this is. He's frayed himself but Cain's situation is Cain's and he can see looks and he can recognize and empathize but he'll never actually be Cain His stomach is flip-flopping and he stares at the tin man and for a moment he thinks they're going to have a staring contest with how still both of them are ( ... )
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He can't stop the tears. It's too late for that.
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"Ease up on the gas, dust angel, let's just take it a little slower, huh?" Of course, he could just say 'calm down,' but instead he has to spew odd words as he began to rub the other's back. In a weird way, he was surprised that his back wasn't bandaged, either.
Reply
Party's hands are gentle, but moving over old scars both real and metaphorical and tangible even with his habitual layering of clothes. They might be mistaken for wrinkled fabric, and some part of him hopes that's the case even as he nods and brings a hand up to wipe his face.
Coffee. He was supposed to be making coffee. Or tea. Something warm to chase away the damn cold.
Instead he tries to take a deep breath or two, and lets the kid steer them to the living room area. It's sparsely furnished like everything else - a small rectangular coffee table carved from wood, a couch big enough to fit three people, and armchair to the side. Nothing ornamental, no pictures in frames, no nick-knacks.
"Sorry."
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He shoots a look to Cain and there's an odd thing on his face. He's smiling. It's the tiniest of smiles but it's still a slightly reassuring one. His own, silent way of apologizing for getting jumpy around Cain, his own way of saying 'I know what's wrong but you don't have to talk about it.' He punches Cain's arm playfully and sits up, whistling low. An unspoken I'm sorry.
"Let's hope I remember how to make coffee..."
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He can't imagine he'll ever sleep again.
Giving Party a nod to go ahead, he ducks his head for another swipe over his face. The kid's bright, he doesn't need directions.
"He saved my life, you know."
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It takes only two awkward movements before he's in the zone, remembering how much coffee he made and drank and how much Kobra emulated him, leaving the two practically with IV drips in their arms by the end of things. It's surprising, how such a simple task can comfort you.
"Glitch?" He asked. "He's a loyal guy, that's for sure." He isn't sure if he should continue. Instead, he decides maybe it's best if he just simmers down and waits for Cain to get it out.
Reply
"He was there, right from the start. When DG-- They found me. They set me free, and I gave them nothing but a hard time for it. Especially Glitch. And he still dragged my sorry, unconscious ass through miles of snow."
Reply
So fuckin' domestic, Party. You're practically Jet Star.
He rolls his eyes at himself, but once the coffee maker is on and the water's all filled up he pulls himself up to sit on the counter of the kitchen, still talking to the oddly robotic man with the same colour skin that would normally make his damn skin crawl...
"If I had a can of power pup for every time a Killjoy saved my sorry ass..."
Reply
"Yeah..."
Reply
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