008 [open commentlog]

[tanvirus]

[Tanvir is...NOT in the library! He is surrounded by books up on Deck 1, though, reading and enjoying the evening air. So much cooler once the sun goes down! The books are mostly about martial arts and various aspects of the same, but there's one on physics and a couple on cooking mixed into the bunch.

There is also a copy of something titled

Comments

[havea_heart]

[That, at least, Herz picks up on. He wonders at first if Tan's thinking about Christa.]

Hey.

[He taps Tan's elbow with his own.]

You, uhm. Y-You okay?

[tanvirus]

[He blinks back into awareness of his surroundings at that.]

Huh? Yeah, I'm fine. I was just thinking about something.

[And now, for once...Tan hesitates. This is not nice and he knows it.]

So um. [Yeah, he actually can't believe he's going to do this. This is a dick move and he might deserve getting decked for it.] How'd you get the scars? The ones on your face, I mean.

[havea_heart]

This kid from my school dragged a modified brass knuckle across my face while his friends held me down--then--then Erol added onto them over here on the left side.

[The second he's done speaking, Herz's breath catches in his throat. He feels ill.

Something is very wrong. There's absolutely no question about it now. Something is fucking with him and his answers and making him answer and he wants it to stop. He wants this to stop.

The teen reaches over and smashes the next available floor number. Flight over fight, baby. He wants off this crazy thing.]

[tanvirus]

[Oh fuck. Oh fuck, he was right. Of all the times to guess right about something, it had to be now. And now he's staring at a visibly ill-looking Herz and he feels like the biggest asshole on the planet. Ship. Whatever.]

Shit. Shit, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to--well, I meant to, but I was just testing something--fuck, I'm sorry, I didn't actually think you'd answer.

[He reaches for the "close doors" button--there's got to be a way to make this right, you don't just spring questions like that on friends--but doesn't hit it in time, and the doors slide open.]

[havea_heart]

I--

[Sure, he hears him, but he's not exactly listening to him. He's already pushing past him out of the doors.]

Look, I--I gotta--I--I gotta go.

[tanvirus]

Wait!

[Great, now what?]

At least...at least give me the books before you go.

[havea_heart]

[Herz catches that like a punch to the gut.

Wow, is that really why you didn't want him to leave? Or is comforting someone just too much of a hassle for you?

The Kansan turns around, tosses the books to Tan's feet, then takes off down the hallway.]

[tanvirus]

Holy shit!

[That's...somehow not what he was expecting. He probably should have, but he totally didn't.]

Herz!

[Oh, awesome, the elevator doors closed in his face. That went well.]