Two goths plus Greg sat at a table, talking inside La Gelateria. One goth (Sadie) stood outside, blowing vape rings at the window everyone else was seated near.
"Wooow." Heidi mouthed at her through the window, giving a little wave.
Gerard was silent.
Greg scratched the back of his neck. He was probably going to have to wash all that sticky vape residue off the window later.
"Look at her go." Heidi said, turning her head back to Greg and Gerard.
Greg scratched the back of his neck again, and then glanced over his shoulder at his mom, who was currently distracted talking to a store regular at the till.
"Gerard, has Sadie made you try vaping?" Heidi said.
"No." Gerard said.
"Lucky. She made me try it last week, it was bad. She was like, "no, you're breathing wrong," but like, I dunno. It was like trying to inhale a Jolly Rancher."
"Mhm." Gerard said.
Greg poked his spoon at his stracciatella gelato in silence.
"It's okay Greg, I know you'd say no if she asked you." Heidi said. "I saw you crying during the D.A.R.E. assembly, the PSAs scared you straight."
"Those videos fucked me up-" Gerard started, before being uncharacteristically interrupted by Greg's voice.
"You can't prove I've never vaped." Greg said, wiggling his eyebrows.
Greg had never vaped. His parents didn't drink or do drugs, and they'd passed that down to him. Drugs and drinking and vaping and smoking were all... well, he didn't want to pass judgement, but he always felt a kind of kneejerk "that's trashy" reaction deep within himself when he saw people doing them. But, he guessed... when he thought about it more as an abstract concept, it didn't sound that bad...
Heidi stared at Greg, making eye contact. One of her eyebrows raised up slightly.
In the background, Sadie reentered through the front entrance.
"I mean... Greg, I know you, so I know you've never vaped." Heidi said, shaking her head slightly. She took a stab out of her gelato.
"Yeah..." Greg said, nodding and looking down at the table.
((Continued from vantablack humor))
One goth plus Greg were staving off the cold, staying inside the Research Station's long-abandoned gym.
"Jacob," Greg said, staring up at the ceiling while laying with his back flat on the track of a treadmill.
"This is probably silly, but... can you teach me how to smoke weed?"
Reefer Madness
Day 5, let's say... PM for Entry.
Reefer Madness
none of you can prove im in v8
I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge.
-
almostinhuman
- Posts: 227
- Joined: Sun Jul 12, 2020 3:20 am
((Jacob Winters continued from vantablack humor))
Jacob was sitting in a chair, gazing out the window in a sleepy-eyed daze. The weather was gloomy and foreboding, though it wasn't such a problem now that they were off the mountain. Back home, he loved urbexing on those kinds of days, especially when the rain or snow actually fell. Bad weather completely changed the character of a neighborhood, turning practically the whole location into an abandoned space, and offered a totally new atmosphere to the forgotten places he loved to catalogue. That it reduced the likelihood of anybody seeing him was an added bonus.
Of course, he didn't have his camera now, and the risk of being caught was now death instead of angry parents. So now it was just bad weather that might leave them trapped in the gym they'd huddled up in. A little less exciting, that.
Greg's offer, though, did give him another way to pass the time.
"Oh, uh, yeah,'" Jacob replied, turning to look at Greg on the floor. "Sure thing, dude. Just sit right there."
Jacob got up, grabbed his bag off the back of the chair, and started rummaging around for the good stuff.
"This ain't the best weed I've ever smoked, but I'm kind of a lightweight and you're a first-timer, so it'll do."
Jacob was sitting in a chair, gazing out the window in a sleepy-eyed daze. The weather was gloomy and foreboding, though it wasn't such a problem now that they were off the mountain. Back home, he loved urbexing on those kinds of days, especially when the rain or snow actually fell. Bad weather completely changed the character of a neighborhood, turning practically the whole location into an abandoned space, and offered a totally new atmosphere to the forgotten places he loved to catalogue. That it reduced the likelihood of anybody seeing him was an added bonus.
Of course, he didn't have his camera now, and the risk of being caught was now death instead of angry parents. So now it was just bad weather that might leave them trapped in the gym they'd huddled up in. A little less exciting, that.
Greg's offer, though, did give him another way to pass the time.
"Oh, uh, yeah,'" Jacob replied, turning to look at Greg on the floor. "Sure thing, dude. Just sit right there."
Jacob got up, grabbed his bag off the back of the chair, and started rummaging around for the good stuff.
"This ain't the best weed I've ever smoked, but I'm kind of a lightweight and you're a first-timer, so it'll do."
One goth plus Greg sat at a table inside La Gelateria. It was late in the evening; the winter sun had already been down for a few hours. Streetlights outside illuminated sheets of white clumps floating down from above like pieces of cotton. There was a weather warning in place courtesy of the NWS's office over in Norton. Tomorrow morning was gonna be snowplow weather. Gerard and Sadie had already left a while ago in order to make it home while the blizzard still hadn't gotten too bad. Greg was still here, because it wasn't closing time yet. Heidi was also still here, because she "didn't really have anything else to be doing," whatever that meant.
The two mostly just sat in silence. It was too cold for gelato. Heidi was looking down at her phone. Through the window over Heidi's shoulder, Greg was looking outside, mesmerized by the spotlighted snow. Greg's parents were around somewhere, getting ready to close up for the night. The deluxe edition of The Lumineers's self-titled debut studio album The Lumineers was playing on the shop's music system.
"Well, I ain’t nobody’s problem but my own
Said I ain’t nobody’s problem but my own
Said I ain’t nobody’s issue, don’t you come around babe, I don’t miss you at all
I ain’t nobody’s problem but my own." Wesley Schultz finished stomping and hollering, before the song faded out into silence.
...
In from the silence faded the next song, starting with a lone acoustic guitar playing a quiet, naively soulful melody.
"Home," Wesley Schultz sang, "is where I want to be,"
Heidi's gaze suddenly shot up like she'd just heard someone calling her name. She flipped her hair. Her eyelashes fluttered almost like hummingbird wings.
"Pick me up and turn me 'round
I go numb -" Wesley Schultz sang.
"You know this is a cover, right?" Heidi stated in her usual monotone, easily drowning out the music.
Greg snapped from his reverie of the snow outside.
"Huh?" He said.
"- The less we say about it the -" Wesley Schultz sang.
"It's actually by Talking Heads." Heidi stated.
"Oh, uh, ahahaha." Greg said. He hadn't heard of that musician before. 'Talking Heads' was a really strange stage name for someone to decide to use. It was even weirder than Meat Loaf.
"- Head in the sky
It's alright I know nothing's wrong, nothing wrong
HEEEEEAAAY, I got plenty of time
HEEEEEAAAY, you got light in your eyes
And you're standing here beside me
I love the passage of time
Never for money
Always for love
Cover up and say goodnight, say goodnight." Wesley Schultz sang.
Heidi closed her eyes, exhaled through her nose, and pressed the power button on her phone. Then, she opened her eyes, crossed her arms, and slumped her head down a little.
Greg scratched the back of his neck.
A dramatic cello joined the guitar.
Heidi didn't say anything. She sniffled, and then sighed quietly.
She seemed like something had suddenly made her upset. Greg wasn't going to pry. He knew she wasn't comfortable with being emotionally vulnerable around people, and he liked respecting boundaries.
Greg hadn't really been expecting Jacob to say yes, and so he felt a brief moment of internal panic before realizing there wasn't anything to panic about. He hadn't really been expecting him to say no either, it was just... well, you know. All the circumstances of where they were and what their classmates kept proving themselves capable of -- it kind of all brought with it a certain underlying sense of anxiety and inevitable dread.
And that was kind of why he'd asked in the first place. People talked about weed like it made you... chill, and so... yeah. He didn't think, if this were under normal circumstances, he would have ever felt up to trying it out. Maybe he'd have tried a gummy, in extremely specific and unlikely circumstances. But never smoking. He had sensitive lungs and he didn't think he even actually knew what weed smelled like.
But he was a little curious, and the opportunity had presented itself. And he wasn't sure there was any reason not to ask. At the least it would be something to do other than nothing. When people imagined what victims of SOTF went through, they probably imagined it closer to a movie than anything else; constant pain and emotion and violence. And, Greg guessed it sort of was like that if you were looking at it as a single event from the outside. But... actually experiencing it, it wasn't really like that. It was big giant long timespans of nothing much at all happening, interspersed with brief fights to survive. It was like being trapped in a really terrible waiting room.
Every day felt so long. He guessed, depending on how he looked at it, that was a blessing.
"Thanks." He said quietly.
He was silent for a few seconds.
"What's it, uh... like?"
The two mostly just sat in silence. It was too cold for gelato. Heidi was looking down at her phone. Through the window over Heidi's shoulder, Greg was looking outside, mesmerized by the spotlighted snow. Greg's parents were around somewhere, getting ready to close up for the night. The deluxe edition of The Lumineers's self-titled debut studio album The Lumineers was playing on the shop's music system.
"Well, I ain’t nobody’s problem but my own
Said I ain’t nobody’s problem but my own
Said I ain’t nobody’s issue, don’t you come around babe, I don’t miss you at all
I ain’t nobody’s problem but my own." Wesley Schultz finished stomping and hollering, before the song faded out into silence.
...
In from the silence faded the next song, starting with a lone acoustic guitar playing a quiet, naively soulful melody.
"Home," Wesley Schultz sang, "is where I want to be,"
Heidi's gaze suddenly shot up like she'd just heard someone calling her name. She flipped her hair. Her eyelashes fluttered almost like hummingbird wings.
"Pick me up and turn me 'round
I go numb -" Wesley Schultz sang.
"You know this is a cover, right?" Heidi stated in her usual monotone, easily drowning out the music.
Greg snapped from his reverie of the snow outside.
"Huh?" He said.
"- The less we say about it the -" Wesley Schultz sang.
"It's actually by Talking Heads." Heidi stated.
"Oh, uh, ahahaha." Greg said. He hadn't heard of that musician before. 'Talking Heads' was a really strange stage name for someone to decide to use. It was even weirder than Meat Loaf.
"- Head in the sky
It's alright I know nothing's wrong, nothing wrong
HEEEEEAAAY, I got plenty of time
HEEEEEAAAY, you got light in your eyes
And you're standing here beside me
I love the passage of time
Never for money
Always for love
Cover up and say goodnight, say goodnight." Wesley Schultz sang.
Heidi closed her eyes, exhaled through her nose, and pressed the power button on her phone. Then, she opened her eyes, crossed her arms, and slumped her head down a little.
Greg scratched the back of his neck.
A dramatic cello joined the guitar.
Heidi didn't say anything. She sniffled, and then sighed quietly.
She seemed like something had suddenly made her upset. Greg wasn't going to pry. He knew she wasn't comfortable with being emotionally vulnerable around people, and he liked respecting boundaries.
Greg hadn't really been expecting Jacob to say yes, and so he felt a brief moment of internal panic before realizing there wasn't anything to panic about. He hadn't really been expecting him to say no either, it was just... well, you know. All the circumstances of where they were and what their classmates kept proving themselves capable of -- it kind of all brought with it a certain underlying sense of anxiety and inevitable dread.
And that was kind of why he'd asked in the first place. People talked about weed like it made you... chill, and so... yeah. He didn't think, if this were under normal circumstances, he would have ever felt up to trying it out. Maybe he'd have tried a gummy, in extremely specific and unlikely circumstances. But never smoking. He had sensitive lungs and he didn't think he even actually knew what weed smelled like.
But he was a little curious, and the opportunity had presented itself. And he wasn't sure there was any reason not to ask. At the least it would be something to do other than nothing. When people imagined what victims of SOTF went through, they probably imagined it closer to a movie than anything else; constant pain and emotion and violence. And, Greg guessed it sort of was like that if you were looking at it as a single event from the outside. But... actually experiencing it, it wasn't really like that. It was big giant long timespans of nothing much at all happening, interspersed with brief fights to survive. It was like being trapped in a really terrible waiting room.
Every day felt so long. He guessed, depending on how he looked at it, that was a blessing.
"Thanks." He said quietly.
He was silent for a few seconds.
"What's it, uh... like?"
none of you can prove im in v8
I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge.
-
almostinhuman
- Posts: 227
- Joined: Sun Jul 12, 2020 3:20 am
"Hm. Well, it's kinda different between folks, from what I've seen. For me, it gets me kinda giddy and stupid, but in, like, a chill way I guess."
Sober-him wasn't super proud of what an idiot stoned-him apparently was, but he was fine with making a bit of an ass of himself if it took the edge off his daily woes. Especially out here, where the woes were much woe-ier.
"Not gonna lie, kinda interested to see how it hits ya. Once I find... oh, here we go!"
He produced the baggie holding both weed and paper, a grin plastered over his face.
"You want me to roll this for you or do you wanna take a stab at it yourself?"
Sober-him wasn't super proud of what an idiot stoned-him apparently was, but he was fine with making a bit of an ass of himself if it took the edge off his daily woes. Especially out here, where the woes were much woe-ier.
"Not gonna lie, kinda interested to see how it hits ya. Once I find... oh, here we go!"
He produced the baggie holding both weed and paper, a grin plastered over his face.
"You want me to roll this for you or do you wanna take a stab at it yourself?"
-
Ruggahissy
- Posts: 2541
- Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 4:13 pm
((Colm Forsyth continued from Lullabies to Paralyze))
Colm had almost run down the stairs from the sleeping quarters with his axe in one hand and bag in the other. He shot down and then just started opening doors.
I don't need this today. I just -- I like -- I don't need this!
He was a murderer, without even realizing it. And someone had fled from Betty and him because they were both murderers. Who was ever going to stop and listen for long enough about the extremely specific and tangled reasons that he had ended up a murderer and she had done her murder and why they were together? But he couldn't just leave her! Colm had already looked after her for this long, that made her his responsibility.
The recreation building was an ominous construction, and the light coming through the windows cast sharp, scornful shadows inside. He pushed open a door and found himself in the gym, where two guys were sitting. He dropped the axe as if it had zapped him.
"I'm sorry -- I don't -- I've had a really bad morning, I'm really grouchy," he said, exasperated.
It took a moment before he registered the baggie Jacob was holding.
A moment passed.
"Is that weed?"
Colm had almost run down the stairs from the sleeping quarters with his axe in one hand and bag in the other. He shot down and then just started opening doors.
I don't need this today. I just -- I like -- I don't need this!
He was a murderer, without even realizing it. And someone had fled from Betty and him because they were both murderers. Who was ever going to stop and listen for long enough about the extremely specific and tangled reasons that he had ended up a murderer and she had done her murder and why they were together? But he couldn't just leave her! Colm had already looked after her for this long, that made her his responsibility.
The recreation building was an ominous construction, and the light coming through the windows cast sharp, scornful shadows inside. He pushed open a door and found himself in the gym, where two guys were sitting. He dropped the axe as if it had zapped him.
"I'm sorry -- I don't -- I've had a really bad morning, I'm really grouchy," he said, exasperated.
It took a moment before he registered the baggie Jacob was holding.
A moment passed.
"Is that weed?"
"AAAAAAAAAAAhh
WAAAAAAAATCH out, 𝙔𝙊𝙐 𝙈𝙄𝙂𝙃𝙏 𝙂𝙀𝙏 𝙒𝙃𝘼𝙏 𝙔𝙊𝙐'𝙍𝙀 𝘼𝙁𝙏𝙀𝙍
cOoL, BaBiEs – 𝙎𝙏𝙍𝘼𝙉𝙂𝙀 𝘽𝙐𝙏 𝙉𝙊𝙏 𝘼 𝙎𝙏𝙍𝘼𝙉𝙂𝙀𝙍
I'M AN OR-DIN-AIR-EE GUY
BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE!" Mr. Talking Heads barked manically from a speaker built into Greg's desktop monitor.
Greg blinked and paused the (legally-obtained from the local library) track playing in Windows Media Player.
Uh, holy jeez! That was certainly... different from what he'd been expecting. He... he wasn't sure if he wanted to keep listening....
Jacob offered to let Greg roll his own marijuana cigarette, and Greg felt another sudden panic. Did he really want to do this? He'd never done anything like it before. Being high would make them, like... extra-vulnerable, right? Like, if they were inebriated, they could accidentally make mistakes they otherwise wouldn't make. What if someone killed them? Greg didn't want to die because he'd decided to smoke weed -- that would just be embarrassing.
...
...Whatever, screw it. He'd already asked, and Jacob seemed excited about it. So... might as well keep going.
He slowly sat up, raising his back up from the surface of the treadmill. He rolled his shoulders.
"Ahahaha, uh... it's probably better if you roll it, because -"
All of a sudden, someone burst in through the door like a giant, axe-wielding, Scottish Kool-Aid Man. Greg almost flinched and yelped, but instead froze in his upright sitting position. UH, UH, OH, Oh jeez, he was gonna die. His gun was in his backpack. He was gonna die. Maybe Jacob would be able to get away while this guy was distracted dismembering Greg instead.
Then the axe clattered to the ground, and the big guy started babbling about something.
"- UH," Greg's throat squeaked out. He remained motionless.
Then, the big guy asked about Jacob's weed.
Well, so... now Greg wasn't quite sure what was going on. But whatever this was, the ball was now in Jacob's court.
His eyes flicked between the big guy and Jacob. He reached his hand behind his own back, fishing around for his bag resting somewhere against the wall behind the treadmill. You know, just in case a bad thing happened.
WAAAAAAAATCH out, 𝙔𝙊𝙐 𝙈𝙄𝙂𝙃𝙏 𝙂𝙀𝙏 𝙒𝙃𝘼𝙏 𝙔𝙊𝙐'𝙍𝙀 𝘼𝙁𝙏𝙀𝙍
cOoL, BaBiEs – 𝙎𝙏𝙍𝘼𝙉𝙂𝙀 𝘽𝙐𝙏 𝙉𝙊𝙏 𝘼 𝙎𝙏𝙍𝘼𝙉𝙂𝙀𝙍
I'M AN OR-DIN-AIR-EE GUY
BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE!" Mr. Talking Heads barked manically from a speaker built into Greg's desktop monitor.
Greg blinked and paused the (legally-obtained from the local library) track playing in Windows Media Player.
Uh, holy jeez! That was certainly... different from what he'd been expecting. He... he wasn't sure if he wanted to keep listening....
Jacob offered to let Greg roll his own marijuana cigarette, and Greg felt another sudden panic. Did he really want to do this? He'd never done anything like it before. Being high would make them, like... extra-vulnerable, right? Like, if they were inebriated, they could accidentally make mistakes they otherwise wouldn't make. What if someone killed them? Greg didn't want to die because he'd decided to smoke weed -- that would just be embarrassing.
...
...Whatever, screw it. He'd already asked, and Jacob seemed excited about it. So... might as well keep going.
He slowly sat up, raising his back up from the surface of the treadmill. He rolled his shoulders.
"Ahahaha, uh... it's probably better if you roll it, because -"
All of a sudden, someone burst in through the door like a giant, axe-wielding, Scottish Kool-Aid Man. Greg almost flinched and yelped, but instead froze in his upright sitting position. UH, UH, OH, Oh jeez, he was gonna die. His gun was in his backpack. He was gonna die. Maybe Jacob would be able to get away while this guy was distracted dismembering Greg instead.
Then the axe clattered to the ground, and the big guy started babbling about something.
"- UH," Greg's throat squeaked out. He remained motionless.
Then, the big guy asked about Jacob's weed.
Well, so... now Greg wasn't quite sure what was going on. But whatever this was, the ball was now in Jacob's court.
His eyes flicked between the big guy and Jacob. He reached his hand behind his own back, fishing around for his bag resting somewhere against the wall behind the treadmill. You know, just in case a bad thing happened.
none of you can prove im in v8
I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge.
-
almostinhuman
- Posts: 227
- Joined: Sun Jul 12, 2020 3:20 am
Jacob froze, startled at the new arrival, talking to them like he'd been their all along and gotten halfway through a thought. Jacob hadn't even realized he was armed until he dropped the axe in his hand and it clattered to the ground. Folks seemed eager to barge in on him lately. Maybe it was good he didn't have a gun; he might've killed someone in a panic by now if he did.
"O-oh, uh..."
Jacob looked at the baggie as well, as if the other boy's question had made him unsure of what it contained.
"... yeah? Not a whole lot, but enough for us two."
Jacob briefly looked the other boy over.
"... or three, if that's what you were getting at."
"O-oh, uh..."
Jacob looked at the baggie as well, as if the other boy's question had made him unsure of what it contained.
"... yeah? Not a whole lot, but enough for us two."
Jacob briefly looked the other boy over.
"... or three, if that's what you were getting at."
-
Ruggahissy
- Posts: 2541
- Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 4:13 pm
Colm took a big, deep breath and picked his axe back up. The sound from it hitting the floor still seemed to reverberate in his body.
"No, it's fine, please. Don't -- I don't want to impose," he said as if he had walked in on them around a pizza box with only two slices left.
He sat at the rowing machine and placed his weapon beside him.
"I just am having a quick spiral. A wee meltdown. I just found out that I KILLED someone and not seconds after I found that out, some guy took one look at me and ran the other way before I could even say anything. And I only ended up in a fight with that guy because he was trying to kill the -- the Betty that I'm trying to stop from killing more people."
He hunched over with his elbows resting on his knees.
"I'm not used to this. But I understand if you're at capacity/helping someone else in a crisis. I'm not crazy. I'm a zoo ambassador at home!"
Colm's eyes became misty.
"No, it's fine, please. Don't -- I don't want to impose," he said as if he had walked in on them around a pizza box with only two slices left.
He sat at the rowing machine and placed his weapon beside him.
"I just am having a quick spiral. A wee meltdown. I just found out that I KILLED someone and not seconds after I found that out, some guy took one look at me and ran the other way before I could even say anything. And I only ended up in a fight with that guy because he was trying to kill the -- the Betty that I'm trying to stop from killing more people."
He hunched over with his elbows resting on his knees.
"I'm not used to this. But I understand if you're at capacity/helping someone else in a crisis. I'm not crazy. I'm a zoo ambassador at home!"
Colm's eyes became misty.
Heidi and Sadie sat next to each other at their regular table at La Gelateria, sharing a pair of earbuds that were plugged into Heidi's phone.
"I dreamt that I was perched atop a throne of human skulls on a cliff above the ocean, howling wind and shrieking seagulls. And the dream went on forever, one single static frame. Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name." Heidi hummed along, her melody upbeat.
"Slay kween," Sadie said.
"The backup vocals heeeeeere are actually St. Vincent. It's true, look it up." Heidi said.
"Oh, St. Vincent?" Gerard said even though he wasn't listening to the music.
Greg scratched the back of his head, silently poking at his gelato with a plastic spoon in his other hand.
Sometimes he felt lonely.
Greg's hand found his backpack. Luckily, it didn't seem like he was gonna need it during the next few seconds, because Jacob wasn't being murdered with an axe, so... that was good.
He tugged the backpack a little bit closer to himself, so that he was sitting against it.
He'd already spent his whole life before SOTF not killing people, so... well, he hadn't had an especially hard time not killing anyone during the past five days. But... aw, this guy was crying, so that meant he felt bad about whatever it was that he'd done -- Greg didn't know, the guy was Scottish and rambling, so he was having a hard time parsing everything (zoos??). But this guy felt bad, and that made Greg feel bad, because he felt bad when other people felt bad. And he seemed like he felt bad enough that he Greg was pretty sure he wasn't gonna hurt him and Jacob, so...
Just, uh, aw jeez... he didn't know what to do. He was a little bit out of his depth. He just wanted to get this guy to calm down. Then, then, then, he could... figure out what the guy was saying, and what was going on, and, uh, how to approach this whole thing.
He scratched the back of his head.
"Uh, ahahaha, it's okay. I'm okay with letting you have my, uh, dose, if Jacob doesn't want to use up so much of his stuff at once. I can be the designated driver."
"I dreamt that I was perched atop a throne of human skulls on a cliff above the ocean, howling wind and shrieking seagulls. And the dream went on forever, one single static frame. Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name." Heidi hummed along, her melody upbeat.
"Slay kween," Sadie said.
"The backup vocals heeeeeere are actually St. Vincent. It's true, look it up." Heidi said.
"Oh, St. Vincent?" Gerard said even though he wasn't listening to the music.
Greg scratched the back of his head, silently poking at his gelato with a plastic spoon in his other hand.
Sometimes he felt lonely.
Greg's hand found his backpack. Luckily, it didn't seem like he was gonna need it during the next few seconds, because Jacob wasn't being murdered with an axe, so... that was good.
He tugged the backpack a little bit closer to himself, so that he was sitting against it.
He'd already spent his whole life before SOTF not killing people, so... well, he hadn't had an especially hard time not killing anyone during the past five days. But... aw, this guy was crying, so that meant he felt bad about whatever it was that he'd done -- Greg didn't know, the guy was Scottish and rambling, so he was having a hard time parsing everything (zoos??). But this guy felt bad, and that made Greg feel bad, because he felt bad when other people felt bad. And he seemed like he felt bad enough that he Greg was pretty sure he wasn't gonna hurt him and Jacob, so...
Just, uh, aw jeez... he didn't know what to do. He was a little bit out of his depth. He just wanted to get this guy to calm down. Then, then, then, he could... figure out what the guy was saying, and what was going on, and, uh, how to approach this whole thing.
He scratched the back of his head.
"Uh, ahahaha, it's okay. I'm okay with letting you have my, uh, dose, if Jacob doesn't want to use up so much of his stuff at once. I can be the designated driver."
none of you can prove im in v8
I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge.
-
almostinhuman
- Posts: 227
- Joined: Sun Jul 12, 2020 3:20 am
Jacob turned back to Greg, shaking his head.
"Nah, man, it's cool. I can split it three ways and have a little left over. 'Sides, everyone should try this shit at least once."
Jacob's eyes returned to the axe, and the boy looking all teary-eyed like he'd inhaled a lungful of the stuff already. Jacob wasn't sure he wanted to know the full story on whatever the fuck was going on there, but as long as he was around, he may as well have a little fun, too. Or at least pull out of this little spiral he was circling through.
"So c'mon. I get you're all wound up, but I guarantee this'll unwind ya."
"Nah, man, it's cool. I can split it three ways and have a little left over. 'Sides, everyone should try this shit at least once."
Jacob's eyes returned to the axe, and the boy looking all teary-eyed like he'd inhaled a lungful of the stuff already. Jacob wasn't sure he wanted to know the full story on whatever the fuck was going on there, but as long as he was around, he may as well have a little fun, too. Or at least pull out of this little spiral he was circling through.
"So c'mon. I get you're all wound up, but I guarantee this'll unwind ya."
-
Ruggahissy
- Posts: 2541
- Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 4:13 pm
Colm looked up, tears already making their way down his face. He messily pushed his sleeves against his cheeks and took a deep breath. He inwardly chastised himself.
Get it together.
Don't fall apart.
"Yeah," he said hoarsley. "OK."
He got up, left his bags on the rowing machine, and sat on the ground closer to the other two. Colm put the axe off to the side. He took a place closer to Jacob, because the other guy made him uneasy for some reason. Something about the way he laughed and the way he intoned his words made Colm feel like he was scrambling up an icy wall, trying to find hold somewhere before falling back down.
"Just for a little. Then I have to go back."
He hugged himself. He felt paranoid. Maybe these people thought this was a ruse to kill them. Maybe the thought he was trying to get something from them. And the thought that someone suspected him of that made him feel sick, and made him feel horrible about himself.
"I promise. I won't be a bother."
Get it together.
Don't fall apart.
"Yeah," he said hoarsley. "OK."
He got up, left his bags on the rowing machine, and sat on the ground closer to the other two. Colm put the axe off to the side. He took a place closer to Jacob, because the other guy made him uneasy for some reason. Something about the way he laughed and the way he intoned his words made Colm feel like he was scrambling up an icy wall, trying to find hold somewhere before falling back down.
"Just for a little. Then I have to go back."
He hugged himself. He felt paranoid. Maybe these people thought this was a ruse to kill them. Maybe the thought he was trying to get something from them. And the thought that someone suspected him of that made him feel sick, and made him feel horrible about himself.
"I promise. I won't be a bother."
Three goths plus Greg sat clustered in front of the screen of a school computer displaying a browser window open to Wikipedia.
"Bridget Bishop's case was the first brought to the grand jury, who endorsed all the indictments against her. Bishop was described as not living a Puritan lifestyle, for she wore black clothing and odd costumes, which was against the Puritan code. When she was examined before her trial, Bishop was asked about her coat, which had been awkwardly "cut or torn in two ways". This, along with her "immoral" lifestyle, affirmed to the jury that Bishop was a witch. She went to trial the same day and was convicted. Bishop was executed by hanging on June 10, 1692." Sadie read aloud from the page, and then turned her head to the only person in the group who was not wearing black clothing or an odd costume. She gave him a long glare of faux disapproval, shaking her head lightly.
Greg scratched the back of his head.
"Kinda fucked up, Greg..." Sadie said.
"Ahahaha?" Greg said.
Heidi sniffled quietly in the background.
Gerard gave Heidi a subtle pat on the back.
Heidi sniffled again. Her head and shoulders slumped down.
Sadie's eyes darted to Heidi.
"Oh, Jesus." She sighed. "Come on, Heidi. What?"
Greg glanced backwards over his shoulder at Heidi. She was crying.
"Heidi." Sadie repeated harshly.
Greg swiveled his chair around and stood up. Before he could even take a step towards Heidi, she'd already kicked her heel out against the ground to roll her chair away from him, Gerard, and Sadie. She rose to her feet, hugged her arms tight to her chest, turned around, and quickly walked out of the room.
Gerard stood up. "I'll talk to her." He muttered to Sadie.
Sadie crossed her arms and sighed, remaining seated.
Gerard turned around and walked out, trailing after Heidi.
Sadie sighed again and muttered something under her breath.
Greg remained standing completely silent, his brain still processing exactly what had just occurred.
Greg gulped down the lump in his throat. His eyes shifted to Jacob, and then to the Scottish axe guy, and then back to Jacob, and then back to the axe guy, and then finally back to Jacob again. He nodded his head at the boy.
"...," He said.
He gulped down the lump in his throat better this time.
"Uhh, okay, let's, uh, I guess," he stumbled verbally, "I guess... let's roll."
"Bridget Bishop's case was the first brought to the grand jury, who endorsed all the indictments against her. Bishop was described as not living a Puritan lifestyle, for she wore black clothing and odd costumes, which was against the Puritan code. When she was examined before her trial, Bishop was asked about her coat, which had been awkwardly "cut or torn in two ways". This, along with her "immoral" lifestyle, affirmed to the jury that Bishop was a witch. She went to trial the same day and was convicted. Bishop was executed by hanging on June 10, 1692." Sadie read aloud from the page, and then turned her head to the only person in the group who was not wearing black clothing or an odd costume. She gave him a long glare of faux disapproval, shaking her head lightly.
Greg scratched the back of his head.
"Kinda fucked up, Greg..." Sadie said.
"Ahahaha?" Greg said.
Heidi sniffled quietly in the background.
Gerard gave Heidi a subtle pat on the back.
Heidi sniffled again. Her head and shoulders slumped down.
Sadie's eyes darted to Heidi.
"Oh, Jesus." She sighed. "Come on, Heidi. What?"
Greg glanced backwards over his shoulder at Heidi. She was crying.
"Heidi." Sadie repeated harshly.
Greg swiveled his chair around and stood up. Before he could even take a step towards Heidi, she'd already kicked her heel out against the ground to roll her chair away from him, Gerard, and Sadie. She rose to her feet, hugged her arms tight to her chest, turned around, and quickly walked out of the room.
Gerard stood up. "I'll talk to her." He muttered to Sadie.
Sadie crossed her arms and sighed, remaining seated.
Gerard turned around and walked out, trailing after Heidi.
Sadie sighed again and muttered something under her breath.
Greg remained standing completely silent, his brain still processing exactly what had just occurred.
Greg gulped down the lump in his throat. His eyes shifted to Jacob, and then to the Scottish axe guy, and then back to Jacob, and then back to the axe guy, and then finally back to Jacob again. He nodded his head at the boy.
"...," He said.
He gulped down the lump in his throat better this time.
"Uhh, okay, let's, uh, I guess," he stumbled verbally, "I guess... let's roll."
none of you can prove im in v8
I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge.
-
Ruggahissy
- Posts: 2541
- Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 4:13 pm
Greg looked at Colm like he was ready to jump out of his skin. And who could blame him? Colm was just revealed to everyone (including himself) that he was a murderer. And he was huge and had an axe and was having a break down.
"Y-You know, that's actually OK. I probably don't need to be any more paranoid than I am -- or hungry."
Maybe they were terrified of him. The thought was upsetting.
"I'm sorry. Thank you though, for the offer."
Colm picked up his things and backed out of the room nervously.
((Colm Forsyth continued elsewhere))
"Y-You know, that's actually OK. I probably don't need to be any more paranoid than I am -- or hungry."
Maybe they were terrified of him. The thought was upsetting.
"I'm sorry. Thank you though, for the offer."
Colm picked up his things and backed out of the room nervously.
((Colm Forsyth continued elsewhere))
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almostinhuman
- Posts: 227
- Joined: Sun Jul 12, 2020 3:20 am
Jacob frowned, watching the strange guy exit the room almost as suddenly as he'd entered. He'd done his best to try and accommodate him, but it seemed it wasn't enough. He wondered if they'd ever bump into him again. Given his skittish nature, the fact he was armed, and that he'd apparently already killed someone, it was probably best if they didn't.
He turned back to Greg, shrugging.
"Well, just us then."
Hopefully Greg was still up for it.
((Jacob Winters continued Jacob & Greg Go To White Castle))
He turned back to Greg, shrugging.
"Well, just us then."
Hopefully Greg was still up for it.
((Jacob Winters continued Jacob & Greg Go To White Castle))
Greg remained sitting completely silent, his brain still processing exactly what had just occurred.
"Good luck!" He eventually called out after the Scottish guy. Hopefully he wasn't gonna come back with his friend to murder him and Jacob.
Greg scratched the back of his head.
"Alriiiighty..." He said to Jacob, shrugging.
((Greg Craig continued in the same place.))
"Good luck!" He eventually called out after the Scottish guy. Hopefully he wasn't gonna come back with his friend to murder him and Jacob.
Greg scratched the back of his head.
"Alriiiighty..." He said to Jacob, shrugging.
((Greg Craig continued in the same place.))
none of you can prove im in v8
I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge.