inverseye | ic inbox

[ Adolphe wasn't in the tunnels anymore by the third week of the month, instead checking the surface and that all is in order there... He had thought to return to the underground, but the wave of electricity and his mare's lack of interest in the runes and hosts had made him consider that they accomplished what they had to.

After he checks on underground groups and how people fare, then he can pull back again. Recede and stick to himself until he crosses paths with people, comfortable. He's looking forward to it.

Except engaging with the rat king has been so bad for everyone involved?? It's on his mind about what else they might face later. The brain, now an iconoclast of Hosts, and now—he sees Saheon who is drunk on the streets and their connection feels weirder than it usually is. ]

Saheon?

[ Adolphe is layered in some winter clothes for the cold, wolf ears having decided to be propped onto his head and tail lashing low. His sword is still on him and also the usual bag of resources over his shoulder. ]

[ Back home, Saheon hadn't been the type to miss the last train home drinking. Drinking for work is an annoying habit any self respecting salaryman has to pick up, but he always preferred to do any of his honest, self directed substance abuse away from the public eye. A locked door and a cheap case of beer will do the trick.

He's been keeping his schedule. He left the tunnels a few days after everyone else, went back to his apartment, showered, changed his clothes. Methodically put everything away, cleaned up any evidence he'd been there, and then he left. He'll go back in another few days, if only because it might be odd he

The only thing he did bother to take was the whiskey. Japanese, the American all went to Choi a few months ago... It doesn't matter. He's not stumbling over himself drunk, but when Adolphe pings in the tether, Saheon has finished pouring himself another serving from the pile of bar glasses he's looted from a nearby bar. No need to grab ice with how cold it is, Saheon himself seems unbothered even if his breath comes out in short bursts. ]

What are you looking at...

[ His heart isn't really in it. Saheon sighs, putting the bottle down so he can move the glass around in a small circle and take a sip. It burns, but that keeps his hands steady. ]

Stalker. I didn't ask you to come join me.

[ His wolf ears pin back as he takes in this somewhat pitiful sight. Saheon hasn't lost himself completely, but drinking out on the streets bodes ill. Especially when these streets always hide some kind of danger, whether in the curling mold or the darkest shadows. ]

You.

[ Whether that's the answer to the first question or just a rude way to refer to Saheon after being called a stalker again, it's all up to interpretation. ]

Why are you outside drinking?

[ Indoors can be warmer, away from the elements and all. Adolphe paces over to get a better look at him. ]

[ Don't you dare pity him. Not if you aren't going to do anything about it, Adolphe. Saheon scowls, those flattened ears cutting through his mellowed mood more then any glare Adolphe could have mustered.

It would be great if he could get up and pick a fight, but he's just. tired. Worn out. Relaxed only by a little to much cloudiness in his thoughts, enough to get his bearings and function as needed. So he frowns over his glass as Adolphe approaches, sulking like a child. ]

I have a naaame. Sa-Heon. Is it hard to pronounce?

[ He takes a sip, scribbling out 백사헌 in the frost as if that will make things more eligible. ] I'm even not supposed to share that much, so where's my gratitude for being so open..! You could at least use it!

[ He's not avoiding the question! ]

I said it earlier.

[ He doesn't see a reason to say it again. His ears perk right up, though he kind of wants to flatten them so he doesn't need to hear Saheon be obnoxious. He has to see it though when the other man scrawls his name somewhere.

I can't read that. How pointless. Annoying. He's contemplating as he stares at the lines and circles, simply using them as an anchor to his thoughts.

His attention flits back, but he doesn't say anything yet. Instead, he takes the wrist of Saheon's free hand. ]

Come on.

[ Is this familiar... ]

Whatever.

[ Anything to keep the conversation off why Saheon is out here drinking. He'd even spend the time bothering to spell Adolphe's name out phonetically. His free hand comes up again but-

He stares at where Adolphe grabbed his wrist. It is familiar. Is this always the pattern with the two of them? ]

I don't want to go back to the apartment.

[ He slouches in his seat, leaving his hand limp in Adolphe's grasp. His eye stares straight past Adolphe, resting on his ears or the building beyond. ]

I need to stay away for another day. Then I can go back.

[ His wolf ears flatten against his head for a moment before flicking back upright. ]

I don't know where that is, so you're not going back there.

[ Stupid.

Adolphe carefully pulls him up and tries to steady him so he doesn't stumble. He doesn't think Saheon is so far gone in alcohol, but who knows. There are a lot of questions aside from drinking outdoors, like why does he have to stay away for another day? ]

[ Asshole. He's walked his drunk self home alone plenty of times. He shoves the bottle into Adolphe's hands instead. ]

Good. I don't want you to know where I live.

[ It begs the question where they're going, but as long as its not 161 Mullberry street, Saheon is happy. ]

Where do you even live. The sewers?

[ Saheon can be happy? Adolphe leers forward at the sewers comment. Bastard. To a nearby discreet apartment complex, up a floor or three. ]

I don't live anywhere.

[ And as if to cement that, he opens the door to the apartment. The only sign that it's lived in is that it is relatively clean rather than abandoned to collect dust and mold. That is it, though. No signs of personality. No signs of belonging to anyone. It exists as a roof over one's head. At least the walls are insulated.

He doesn't live anywhere, just like he said. ]

[ He can be un-sad. ]

You lived on an island before. Why not go to... [ A vague hand waves in the direction of the bay as Adolphe pushes him through the door. ] the one with the statue.

[ Because this is so...nothing. The first thing Saheon did when getting here after realizing what supplies meant and becoming increasingly nuerotic about how to collect them, was find a place to store them. He couldn't say that the place he lived had any personality, but it was crammed full of the junk of months now, food, blankets, odd trinkets that he shoved away with the thought someone might want them later. Useless clutter, maybe, but something solid and real that could be seen as proof of life. ]

There's nothing here..

... I don't like bodies of water.

[ So he would love to not be on an island and to be further away from the ocean or a lake. Rivers might be okay.

Saheon's hoarding might be telling enough of his person, though perhaps that can be the same for Adolphe. The lack of anything can be telling, maybe. He sets his rucksack on the kitchen island and opens it to take out some convenience store bread. ]

Why would there be? It's just a place to sleep if I'm nearby.

[ Even though technically there are bottled water packs in the cabinets, but that might be it. ]

I see.

[ What an odd fact to learn about someone. Can Adolphe not swim?

Still woozy, nothing short of a blackout would have stopped Saheon from dropping that conversation thread and making his way over when Adolphe pulls out bread. The sound of the packaging is echoing and overly loud in such a dull, quiet atmosphere. It's too easy to hear yourself breathe or think. ]

But where do you keep your things?

[ Saheon can appreciate the necessity of splitting up your goods but what if one, perhaps, needs a bedframe. ]

[ Who knows... ]

On my person?

[ Like where else? His sword, some supplies, first aid, etc. They're probably in his backpack that he has been hauling around. Seems like he doesn't quite have a lot of belongings. This apartment has a bedframe, maybe. Adolphe only cares that he can crash on a couch or a mattress.

When he senses Saheon closing in, he forces one of the packages into his hand. Something solid in the stomach will do you good. ]

Are you going to tell me why you look awful? Or do you want to keep drinking.

...Tell me if you ever run out of pocket space.

[ If you don't think you deserve a bed frame, at least allow Saheon to take it of your hands you illogical illogical man.

It's weirdly nostalgic to eat dry flavorless bread like an cheap after-school snack, maybe like a hungover college student. It puts a weird emotion in his chest, buoyed by his odd mood and his drifting thoughts. Saheon leans on the counter of this dead end empty apartment, staring at Adolphe over his elbows as he chews mechanically. ]

I'm not drunk enough to spill my guts to you. [ You can hand him the bottle again, and he'll be happy to make a solid attempt to become incoherent, Adolphe. ]

I just had a bad week. I never should have gone in those tunnels.

[ That seems like so much of a hassle to steal a bed frame which a logical man like Adolphe wouldn't try. There's a snort. ]

You're still feeling yourself enough to posture to me instead.

[ For someone who looks like garbage? There's a small sense of relief. He actually does not think that Saheon should drown himself in alcohol, so he doesn't encourage it. He won't stop him, either, unless it's to the point where he might throw up. Adolphe doesn't want to clean after him. Do that outside.

He will have his own stale bread full of preservatives and processed sugars. ]

... I'm surprised you went down there.

I'm not posturing?

[ What kind of assumptions are you making about him, an honest hardworking man? Saheon is rarely (never) honest, but he's not posturing like some...teenager... He gives an affronted look, ruined by his decision to continue eating stale bread. He tears the crusts off first, making a small pile on the plastic wrapping. ]

I'm more surprised you didn't. [ A perfect deflection. ] Walking around with a sword... I just had that stupid pocket knife. Should have known we'd be fighting something.

[ Adolphe shrugs while chewing on his bread. He thinks Saheon is kind of uppity for no reason sometimes, as if he has standards. What he said earlier did remind him of a teenager, though. Sorry. ]

I did go down there and handled some Host nests with people, but went back up to check out how we were doing on the surface. [ Closing his eyes for a moment, he considers himself fortunate for once. ] Were you getting chased through the tunnels?

[ How dare Adolphe... ]

You wish.

[ He was doing the chasing for most of it, thanks to his no good scumbag of a co-worker, but thats neither here nor there. Instead he rolls an eye, leaning a bit closer as if to share a secret. ]

What if I said I killed a person? Would you believe me?

[ He looks away for a moment because yes... He thinks it would be a little funny for Saheon to get chased around as long as he doesn't die. Death isn't a laughing matter regardless of his background.

And his attention flits back. There's no drop or spike in his emotions, they're still. ]

Yeah, I would. [ He wouldn't be and isn't surprised. ] You were in a tough spot?

[ Saheon wouldn't kill for no reason, he thinks. ]

[ No drop at all? Weird. Adolphe is so weird. Do you think that well of him, or do you hate him that much already? He'd have an opinion if Adolphe killed someone, he thinks. He's not sure what opinion it would be, but it would exist. ]

Wow. It was just a hypothetical. A joke.

[ He puts the plastic wrap down, smoothing it out with both fingers so the creases might come out (they won't). ]

I think most people don't kill for fun. They have that much left.

You should stick to your dangerous job. Comedian wouldn't work out for you.

[ You're bad at jokes. That isn't his fault, is it? It's Saheon's.

They can only have hypothetical emotions with hypotheticals, but Adolphe isn't without sin, either. He wants to focus on intent and aftermath. ]

Yeah? We are talking about you right now. I don't care about most people, or a few people.

...I don't want another job.

[ But he could probably do any sort of job if he didn't want to do this job, Adolphe. You wouldn't be a good comedian either, Adolphe. ]

You're getting so caught up in an hypothetical. Am I supposed to play along with you now?

[ He sighs, as if this isn't a confession and Adolphe is just being insane. If the other man doesn't care about most people, Saheon takes that idea to its most minimal extreme. But if they're the same, then really, what's the harm of at least telling a few truths. ]

I don't kill for fun, and I didn't touch anyone down there. I didn't fight anyone at all.

You drive me nuts.

[ Grumbled. Saheon makes his head spin all the time, not even sometimes.

Not that Adolphe was playing along earlier, but trying to steer them back to the root of it all—why were you trying to drown yourself in alcohol out there? The bottle still sits on the kitchen island, right in front of them both, but he ignores it to fetch two water bottles from the cabinet.

One for you, but in terms of words there are none. He stays quiet while he screws off the cap of his bottle, just letting Saheon command the silence instead.

Say all you want or say nothing at all. He's still here. ]

If you say that, I made a good point, right?

[ After so many repetitions, it seems to be Adolphe's default for trying to end conversations he's not keen on. The thought of winning, even something as pointless as being too difficult for Adolphe to keep up with in a conversation brightens his mood a degree. The water on the table sits untouched, but he doesn't grab for the alcohol when Adolphe's back is turned.

The silence does stretch on for quit a while. Saheon watches Adolphe's reactions, or lack thereof until he finally speaks again. ]

Let me...try another hypothetical then. Just a hypothetical. I just want to know what you think, since I'm so crazy. [ He lifts the glass of water to waggle it. ]

Would you ever pray to a higher being for something?

It doesn't mean that.

[ Don't get it twisted? It simply means you make his head spin, Saheon. Maybe you make good points one time, maybe you make bad points another time, and Adolphe is here suffering regardless.

Aside from his small utterance, he comfortably drinks water and relaxes. Saheon assumes Adolphe thinks he's crazy, which is right, so no correction here. He tenses at the mention of prayer, knots forming in his stomach. ]

I've been desperate before, yeah. Never got an answer to any of it.

[ Does it count? Where are you going with this? ]

ic inbox

JANUARY EVENT, WEEK 3

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject