most precious snowdrop cinnamon bun
Posts: 54
Preferred Name: Chika
Pronouns: she/her
Character Profile: Knight-Prince
Character Name: Polydeuces Chariot
Main Account: Teddy
Status: Active
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Post by Polydeuces on Jul 31, 2015 13:50:27 GMT -5
The sound of the drawer opening is what brought his attention back to Zeke, blue eyes widening a bit. The offer was taken, not rejected. Poly found himself almost shaking as he watched the pen hover near paper, silently willing the blond to write. If they could converse, after all, it certainly didn't seem so bad.
When the other young man stood and approached him, Poly couldn't quite put his thumb on what feeling seized him. It wasn't fear, maybe just... wonder? He kept his eyes trained on the other, lips parted in a surprised sort of way, before gently reaching up to take the notebook. He made no attempt to reach for his new housemate, instead pulling the notebook down to look at the words on the page. Fine, just a little shaky, and printed small, as if the idea of paper was such a precious luxury not to be wasted a single bit. ... W-was it?
His fingers brushed the ink, which was mostly dry but still smudged a tiny bit to stain his fingers, and he looked back up at the other. "Zeke?" he questioned with a small, unsure smile. Pausing briefly, just enough to make sure he'd pronounced the name right (you never know!) and corrected himself if need be, he let out a hesitant breath. He held the notebook back out to him. "It's alright. You were only doing what you felt you had to, right? You didn't hurt me, so of course I forgive you."
Well, that wasn't completely true. He had a rather large, rather sensitive to the touch bruise on his shoulder from hitting the wall, but it was fine. Making sure to keep his pose as calm as possible, he considered what else might be... safe, really, to ask the other.
"Is there anything you need right now? Even if you think it's silly, I'm sure I could get it for you. I want you to be as comfortable as possible while you're here with me." Safe. It wasn't invasive, and it was a legitimate question. He couldn't think of anything off the top of his head, and he was no doctor, but he would certainly try to do whatever Zeke needed.
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Post by zeke on Jul 31, 2015 14:43:54 GMT -5
Zeke was watching very closely as the notebook was taken, gauging Poly's reaction to his words. He wasn't sure how he felt about the situation, still - but there was enough of him that so desperately wanted to be given a chance, some help, something that he couldn't pull away or keep his distance. He was immediately forgiven; another strange concept to him. Quietly, he looked away for a moment, taking the notebook back. It... wasn't really okay. It shouldn't have been. There should have been some sort of repercussions for attacking someone in the streets and there was no way that waking up in a safe place, soft bed to warm food and someone to forgive him was what he deserved.
The pen tapped idly on the edge of the notebook, a quiet fidgeting noise that filled the gap after Poly was done speaking. Did he need anything else, he was asked. Well, he knew he needed a lot of things - and on top of that he ached for some more Magix, good stuff, even just bad stuff in his system. Zeke wasn't going to ask for that, though, felt as if he couldn't. A feeling of shame washed over him for even thinking of it, thinking of using someone's hospitality to feed his addiction. Unknowing to him, he withdrew a little bit - knees pulled nearer, shoulders draped lower; the thought of asking for more when he'd been given so much already was... uncomfortable.
What would he ask for, even, he thought. There were just.... so many potential things he might want that now that it was before him, he couldn't say what they might be. Rolling the idea over in his head, he decided to think of things that he might not get ever again for a good while, things that would be nice to have for a moment or two of safety. A quiet's night sleep, something clean to wear, a shower. A real, warm shower - he may have laughed at the thought of that being what he really wanted but it seemed to stick out in his mind. Good and safe and relaxing and not hurried and cold, not make-do.
Looking back down, he wrote, [[. I could use a bit more rest. And a shower, if it wouldn't be too much trouble.]] If he felt too ashamed of himself to ask for Magix then maybe he could at least do that and try to appreciate the kindness he was being shown. He added, [[Thank you. I don't deserve what you've done for me.]]
The pen rested on the last word, he paused, he wondered if he had more to say but that seemed to be it so instead he passed the book back to Poly.
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most precious snowdrop cinnamon bun
Posts: 54
Preferred Name: Chika
Pronouns: she/her
Character Profile: Knight-Prince
Character Name: Polydeuces Chariot
Main Account: Teddy
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Post by Polydeuces on Jul 31, 2015 17:51:12 GMT -5
As his words faded off, silence surrounded to two of them again, save for the small sound of the pen tapping against the notebook. Poly drew in a quiet breath, before exhaling softly. There was a constant worry of doing something wrong that reminded him of his first days working as a florist. New things, foreign things, they were always exciting and he never wanted to mess up. And what was drawing him in even more, was the way Zeke carried himself. His timid mannerisms and the way he shrunk into himself. Poly wanted him to feel safe.
After what felt like an eternity of being lost in thought, though, Zeke began to write again, and the white-haired boy's chest tightened as he waited. The blond seemed to hesitate, perhaps considering if there was more to say, before handing the notebook over again. Once more, Poly took it carefully, reading over the words on the page. Didn't deserve it... his brow pinched together at that. Didn't everyone deserve these sort of things...? A gentle smile reappeared on his face as he looked up at Zeke, though, nodding once.
"I can most definitely offer both of those. Would you like some spare clothes? We seem like we might be close enough in size, and I have plenty of loose-fitting things." Idly, he looked down to thumb at the hoodie resting over his under shirt, before reaching up to tap his chin. "While you shower, I can get your current attire cleaned up, too."
Poly shifted his body so that he could gesture behind him, down the hallway. "This first door that will be to your left is the bathroom. The towels are in the cupboard right next to the shower, and you're welcome to any of my soaps too, of course. Um--" he paused, a sheepish expression coming over his face as he looked back at Zeke. Space, he needed space, so Poly didn't move. "Behind you, now, in the tall dresser, the second drawer from the top probably has some things you could fit into, if you wanted something more comfortable to sleep in. And whenever you're done, you can just come right back in here and sleep.
"If you need anything else, I'll be in the main room, probably fiddling with flowers, so don't worry about interrupting me or anything, alright? If you need anything, just let me know. As long as you're here, my home is your home." Letting out another breath, Poly chewed on his lower lip for a minute before handing back the notebook. Yes, that probably covered the current spectrum of things. Maybe it was a little silly of him to offer the bed to this stranger who had tried to mug him, considering his home only had one, but it was simply his nature.
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Post by zeke on Jul 31, 2015 21:52:17 GMT -5
The offer was given to him, notebook handed back and Zeke nodded in response, looking down at it before standing and setting it down on the edge of the bed. He, very hesitantly, moved to the dresser and peeked inside. Simple, comfortable stuff - he pulled out a shirt and pants and - a little unsteadily still- moved out the room down the hall. As he left the room, his movements skirted around where Poly was in a way that he would still be out of reach - despite what he told himself he still wanted a bit of space, still needed that security. Still.... he was, as strange and uncomfortable as this was, so grateful and not willing to turn down an offer he was unlikely to ever get again.
The bathroom was easily found, and the shower incredibly welcoming. Hot water, warm and relaxing - it was something he'd done when he was younger, take a long hot shower after a stressful day and despite the simplicity of it, it really did help. Being clean felt nice, too. Though he was tired, dizzy, still a little weak, it was nice. If only this luxury had been afforded him more often. He took his time a little, not lingering long enough to be wasteful but not hurrying himself, just letting the hot water feel nice against his skin before getting out of the shower to dry off.
Better. This was definitely better. The ever present want still hummed in the back of his thoughts, twitchy and loud and digging into his skull but the comforts made it a little bit bearable for now. He had no means to get Magic right now and so he put it off as best he could.
Giving the mirror a wipe with his hands, he snorted in amusement at himself. Yeah, he did look pretty bad even clean, didn't he? Thin and tired, beat up and worn down; he could imagine how Poly would have gotten the impression that he wasn't okay and he needed help. Towelling himself the rest of the way dry, he ran his hands through his hair to push it back out of his face and then pulled on the teeshirt and sweats he'd borrowed from Poly. A loose enough fit, given that he was pretty much all tall and bones - but it was comfortable and it felt clean and he felt as close to good as he could consider himself feeling.
Zeke took care to put the towel he'd used in what looked to be a small laundry hamper in the bathroom and then cautiously wandered back out into the hall. Cool air on his face, soothing after the steam of the shower; he poked his head into the bedroom again to find Poly not there. Right- front room? His head whined for sleep but instead he looked from the bed to the small notebook and reached for the latter. He wanted to thank Poly again, wanted to rest a bit but also.... wanted to 'talk' with him some more. It was... oddly refreshing.
Sneaking back down the hall, his footsteps still on the timid and unsure side, he found the 'main room'. Holding himself still at the entrance way, he knocked against the wall, just a gentle rap of his knuckles, to get Poly's attention.
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most precious snowdrop cinnamon bun
Posts: 54
Preferred Name: Chika
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Character Name: Polydeuces Chariot
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Post by Polydeuces on Aug 1, 2015 3:02:37 GMT -5
Poly waited, allowing Zeke to move about at his own pace. He'd shuffled sideways a bit, to give the blond more room whenever he exited into the hall. A small smile stayed on his face the entire time, and it wasn't until he heard the shower running that he'd gotten up, grabbed the dishes at the nightstand, and slipped back into his kitchen. There was more stew where that had come from if Zeke found himself hungry later on, but Poly felt bad about just throwing out the other half of what was left in the bowl. He decided to cover it and place it in the fridge, just in case. And after he finished tidying that, he slipped into the living room, immediately busying himself with flower arrangements there.
A while passed before the shower had been shut off, and another fragment of time before he heard Zeke exit the bathroom. Poly assumed that the blond would head off to sleep, so perhaps that was why the light rap startled him enough the draw breath from his lips on top of a soft sound. He withdrew his hands from the flowers on the coffee table, looking over at Zeke from the couch with wide blue eyes.
It only took a few seconds before his expression softened into a sweet smile again. "You didn't want to go straight to bed?" he prompted, before he glanced at a chair on the opposite side of the table. He'd invite Zeke to sit on the couch with him, but he didn't think that would be the best idea just yet. Turning back to Zeke again, he gave a small little laugh. "You're welcome to sit with me as long as you want. I know I'd love the company, personally."
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Post by zeke on Aug 1, 2015 23:58:11 GMT -5
When Poly said that he thought Zeke would want to go straight to sleep again, he just shook his head. He... sort of did but he wanted to have more conversation, wanted to prolong any contact with someone that wasn't ... bad. It was a strange thing, but he felt almost a sort of regret; he knew that this was not something he was likely to get again, this sort of kindness. This must have been a fluke, a blip, a one in ten million chance that Poly was who he ran into but here he was, in borrowed clothes, clean and fed and according to all signs he'd seen so far, safe.
It was a large stretch from where he'd been every day for the past few years and it was sort of uncomfortable a thought that this had happened but at the same time - - he selfishly didn't want to have to leave. It would be imposing, it would be wrong for an unwanted person like himself to abuse the kindness he was being shown but he still felt that want in the back of his mind.
Entering the room, his movement still slow and deliberate enough that it would seem he was ready to spring away at a moment's notice, Zeke made his way to the chair across the table from Poly. He settled on the edge of it (it was comfortable, it was nice, but he wondered if he sunk into it would he fall asleep and miss his chance at conversation?) and pulled the notebook onto his lap to write again. This time the letters shook less - all of him was a little less shaken, now; he still felt sick, still drained of color and wanting magic but it hadn't built into a burning need just yet. Other comforts softened the craving.
[[Thank you, again.]] He wrote, then paused and added, [[What were you doing with the flowers?]]
Zeke passed the notebook over to Poly, offering him the smallest and most unsure of smiles. He wasn't sure why the flowers was the thing he had asked about but he more just wanted to.... have something to talk about. Something not about him or about anything important. He wanted to try and forget that he hurt, forget why he hurt; he wanted to pretend everything was okay, even though it wasn't.
He knew his body couldn't forget, that his reflexes and instinct was to shy away and hide and leave, to flinch away from help or contact - but he could tell himself otherwise when he was rested and mostly calm like this. He could, maybe, try to make himself believe it if only for a short moment.
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most precious snowdrop cinnamon bun
Posts: 54
Preferred Name: Chika
Pronouns: she/her
Character Profile: Knight-Prince
Character Name: Polydeuces Chariot
Main Account: Teddy
Status: Active
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Post by Polydeuces on Aug 3, 2015 4:59:51 GMT -5
Blue eyes stayed focused on Zeke as he entered the room, still rather skittish. Well, Poly couldn't expect him to be outgoing after a simple shower, so it wasn't exactly surprising. He straightened his own posture, though, hands folded in his lap as he watched the blond write. It was a little cute, honestly, how Zeke sat on the edge of his seat. He wondered why, wondered if maybe it was a way to spring away at the drop of a hat, or if maybe it was so he didn't get too comfortable? His expression softened further as he was offered the notebook.
Glancing over the words, he handed it back over as he began to speak. "It's my pleasure. And, the flowers... well, nothing too special," he noted, a faint tinge of red coming over his cheeks. He fidgeted, hands restless in his lap, and he looked down for a brief moment before looking up again. "Don't make fun of me, alright? I was making flower crowns."
A soft laugh escaped him and his cheeks reddened farther as he glanced toward the floor. "Mostly, little kids like them a lot, so I try to hand them out in the Slums or Lower Class sector, since their families wouldn't have access to this sort of little thing all that often. But I have given them to friends before." Reaching forward into the mass of flowers, Poly retrieved one full of blue and white flowers. It was probably... definitely not a secret what his favorite colors were, but well. He couldn't help himself. "I hope that doesn't seem too silly?" His gaze went back up to Zeke, a small and nervous smile touching his lips.
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Post by zeke on Aug 3, 2015 14:52:19 GMT -5
How did... someone like this honestly exist? Even before - before he'd made a mess of his life, before he'd gotten mixed in with bad people and everything else, before he'd ruined himself - no one he'd met had ever been like this. Somehow, Poly actually seemed to care about even the smallest of things, and Zeke found this strange enough, odd enough, different enough to have curiosity slip past most of his wariness.
[[Not silly.]] He started, and then his fingers curled around the pen, unsure what to write next. Zeke leaned back further into the seat, sinking into it now despite his concern over not wanting to fall asleep and continued, before holding out the notebook for Poly to take. [[Little things like this help people. Tell me more about the flowers?]]
Little things like a hot bowl of stew and a notebook, for example. He didn't want to let the notebook go, to be honest; it gave him a freedom to express himself that he just... didn't have often otherwise. When handed the notebook back he'd lay it down across his lap and let it sit there, instead wanting to just listen to Poly talk. It was really relaxing, in a strange way. Zeke barely knew him but having someone speak to him in this way, tell him about things - he didn't really have any sort of interest in the flowers at all, he just liked hearing about anything that the other young man might want to speak of.
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most precious snowdrop cinnamon bun
Posts: 54
Preferred Name: Chika
Pronouns: she/her
Character Profile: Knight-Prince
Character Name: Polydeuces Chariot
Main Account: Teddy
Status: Active
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Post by Polydeuces on Aug 13, 2015 2:08:09 GMT -5
Pausing, he waited for the notebook to return to him, before his eyes scanned the words written. The smile on his face became a little bigger, a little more cheerful. Those were rather reassuring words; it was nice to actually have someone tell him he was helping. Offering the notebook back, Poly's gaze went back to the flowers on his table. "Tell you more about the flowers? Well, there's a lot to talk about..." He tapped his chin, leaning back a little in his position."Hmm... Well. There are a lot of different breeds, but I like the blue or white kinds the best, if you couldn't tell." A gentle expression fell across his face as he turned back to Zeke, chuckling softly. "Summer blues are some of my favorites, because they're this really gorgeous pale blue sometimes... kind of like your eyes, actually--" Poly immediately stopped in his talking, a fresh blush rising on his cheeks, before he shook his head and rubbed his cheek, glancing down at the flowers on the table again.
Clearing his throat, he continued, "They really like to grow in warmer conditions, and they grow on these really compact plants. My boss likes to use them as accents to make deeper blues stand out, but I think they look a lot prettier surrounded by snowdrops or lilies." Poly leaned forward again, picking through the assortments of flowers, before he picked up a very light colored flower crown of pale blue flowers and tiny white flowers intertwined around a braided tan rope. "These, actually!" A cheerful grin placed itself on his lips, and he beamed up at Zeke.
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Post by zeke on Aug 13, 2015 3:46:27 GMT -5
Leaning back into the chair, Zeke pulled the notebook back in towards him and just watched as Poly spoke. He... never really had too much interest in flowers, but the subject of conversation wasn't really what he was concerned with, anyway. A soft fuzziness slid lower across his shoulders and he leaned back in the chair, letting himself just... relax to the sound of Poly's voice. The young man went on about the pale blue flowers he liked - Zeke had noticed there was a lot of white and blue, yeah. He missed, somehow, the flush to the other's cheeks and the way that he glanced away. Or rather, he missed the sort of cue someone else might have picked up from it.
Instead, the pale blue eyes that matched Poly's favorite flowers found themselves drawn to the rustling of floral bunches at the other's fingertips. As Poly continued speaking, Zeke found himself looking eventually back up from the flowers to meet his eyes. The way he smiled as he held it out to show it off - obviously yeah, he really did see something in working with the flowers and there was something about the way he looked talking about it that drew up the corners of Zeke's own lips.
Flickering his glance down to the paper, he brought the pen back up and wrote. He sort of felt like he needed to respond to that - and it was so nice to be able to, even if it wasn't something important to be said. [[The blue and white are nice like that - they're soft and gentle, like y ]]
He realized how he had been writing and stopped mid sentence, looking at it. That was. Probably. Hm. Obviously his head was still nowhere near screwed on right but it was on paper and it wasn't like he could pull it back so with a few less connected strokes of his pen he finished, [[you.]] and handed it across. His motions seemed a little hesitant - he didn't.... want Poly to stop talking, didn't want to succumb to his need for sleep and to the ever present empty feeling buzzing in the back of his mind.
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