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Post by Julian Vorpalle on Jun 23, 2011 21:23:23 GMT -8
Time: Morning, Day 5
Weather: Rain
Warnings: A very, very disturbed newbie.
Characters: Julian, Charlotte
It was...a good thing that Polly was kind.
He wasn't even staying in this hotel. He had only moved into his little apartment a couple of days ago, arranging his meager belongings and trying to get adjusted. Despite his better efforts, what little food he had was already gone, and he was quite hungry; so when he heard that the Deer Yard offered free breakfast, he made his way out, desperate and hoping he would not be turned away.
With no car, he had had to hitch and walk...and so it was a considerably bedraggled figure that currently sat at the table, hungrily working on a plate of bacon and eggs. His jet black hair was soaked, clinging to his sallow, thin face...his baggy black turtleneck was stuck to his lanky, malnourished form, tattered jeans unpleasantly moist as he sat in the dining room chair.
It had been strange to him, how few people were out and about due to the weather. How cautious they seemed to be in the rain was odd, too, but he didn't really blame them for that. A bedraggled stranger in the rain, trying to hitch a ride to a hotel?
Mmmm...I wouldn't have let you into the car, either, I don't think.
Jumping a little, he shook his head to clear the voice away, mumbling low under his breath. "...Shh. I'm...I'm trying to eat, okay?" With that, he fixed his big green eyes upon his plate again, continuing in his polite (if quick) munching.
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Post by Charlotte Jacobs on Jun 23, 2011 22:06:57 GMT -8
Charlotte made a soft, contented sound, stretching and curling up closer to David, ignoring the sharp stab of pain from her ribs. It was enough to wake her a little, though. She drifted in the gentle fog of being equal parts asleep and conscious. It was a wonderful place to be, she decided drowsily. Despite the pain. And especially lying there next to some she (loved) cared about with all her heart, head pillowed on his chest and his arm curled warmly around her bare waist. The other was draped loosely over her shoulder, fingers occasionally tracing unconscious circles on her skin.
Best place in the world.
She happily remained that way... until her stomach began to rumble slightly. Damn it. She heaved a mental sigh. Well, she could go downstairs and grab a couple plates of food and bring them back up. The smell of bacon would rouse anyone from dreamland. That sounds like a plan to me.
Path decided, Charlotte slid carefully and gently from his embrace, swallowing the groan and sharp intake of breath as well as mourning the loss of the warmth of his body against hers. Goosebumps prickled her skin. He made a quiet, sleepy sound but didn’t wake. Smiling, she padded quietly over to the closet, past the crumpled puddle of blue fabric that was her dress from the night prior. Hand on the doorknob she hesitated... before turning and slipping into the bathroom.
Flipping on the light she studied her naked reflection in the mirror. Her ribs were an amazing assortment of blues and purples, at times so deep it almost seemed black. The darkest part was in the vague shape of a boot-print, blurring out to blend in with the rest of the bruising. David had been stunned into silence when he had first seen it, anger fairly radiating off of him. It had taken some talking to calm him down. He had pressed a feather-light kiss to it (a smile flickered onto her face at the memory), before they had finally fallen asleep.
The burn on her wrist and hand (where she had saved his life) was faint, hardly noticeable and barely hurt at all.
The OTHER burn, however...
Leaning forward, she gently touched the bruised burn encircling her throat and hissed in pain. She'd been right. It hadn't been terribly noticeable immediately after it had happened... but it was sure as hell making up for it now.
She dressed quickly (after deciding that she probably shouldn’t just run downstairs in her robe), throwing on a pair of pyjama pants and a tank top. A brightly coloured scarf (turquoise with red orchids) wound loosely around her neck finished the ensemble. That should hide it and prevent any questions should I run into Polly. She didn't want to worry the older woman more than she already had. Then she made sure she had her room key and slipped silently out the door.
There was a sprightly (albeit a careful sprightly) bounce in her step as she made her way into the hotel’s dining room. It was far emptier than the last time she had been within its walls, for which she was grateful. Though not ENTIRELY empty. To her surprise there was someone she didn’t recognize seated at one of the tables. Someone new? He was the only other person there so, feeling oddly social, Charlotte made her way toward the newcomer.
“Hi.”
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Post by Julian Vorpalle on Jun 23, 2011 22:19:34 GMT -8
Said newcomer wasn't...really expecting company. He jumped a bit as he was greeted, nearly choking on a mouthful of toast before calming and swallowing it. He was a young man, his eyes bright and apologetic...a nervous smile twitched the corners of his lips, his spidery hands curling awkwardly on the table as he spoke in a stammering, shy tone of voice.
"...H-hi. Sorry, I just - I didn't hear you come in."
Oh, dear. Was I being too loud again? Tch, poooooooor boy....
Not now, he sternly told the nuisance, his eyes momentarily narrowing in a brief, subtle twitch. A hand twined back through his wet, dark locks, attempting to tame them and tuck them partly behind one pierced ear. "...I, um...can I help...you?"
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Post by Charlotte Jacobs on Jun 23, 2011 22:36:41 GMT -8
Charlotte felt somewhat bad for surprising the poor kid. She grabbed a chair, spinning it around and carefully straddling it. She was trying to appear as non-threatening as possible. Hopefully it’s working.
“No worries. I’ve trained as a ninja,” she finished with a lop-sided smirk. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you. Just wanted to introduce myself before grabbing a bit of breakfast and heading back upstairs.” She held out a hand (the uninjured one, of course). “Charlotte Jacobs.”
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Post by Julian Vorpalle on Jun 23, 2011 22:45:27 GMT -8
"O-oh."
Calming a little, the young man settled down a bit, fidgeting a little with the silver pocketwatch that hung around his neck before reaching out to shake the hand offered. His grip was loose, his fingers bony and incongruously calloused.
"...Julian. Julian Vorpalle. I...uh...I'm not...not actually staying here. I l-live in town." That nervous smile grew and fixed upon his face, not quite matching his eyes. "Ms. Oxford was just...nice enough to...to let me have something to eat. I r-ran out at home, of what I brought when...when I moved in."
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Post by Charlotte Jacobs on Jun 24, 2011 23:22:43 GMT -8
Charlotte noticed the fiddling with the pocket watch around his neck, and made note of it as she released his hand, offering a friendly smile and resting both hands on the back of the chair she was sitting on.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Julian Vorpalle.” His smile didn’t reach his eyes. Am I making him that nervous? Or is there another reason? After a moment of wondering she mentally shook herself. Stop it, Charlie. Don’t go and find trouble where there isn’t any yet. It’s probably just a nervous habit. “Polly is a sweetheart,” Charlotte replied. Despite herself she couldn’t help but think of the night after she had returned from the lumberyard. One hand unconsciously pressed against her ribs.
Thank god she doesn’t know about what happened yesterday.
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Post by Julian Vorpalle on Jun 24, 2011 23:58:08 GMT -8
"Likewise. Oh - u-uh - just Julian is fine," he amended softly, blinking just a little too often and folding his hands on the table. Unconsciously, he picked at the edge of the table with his fingernails...probably a habit that he displayed often, given the rough, uneven state of them. The little smile remained, still fixed and...a little unnatural.
He nibbled at his last piece of bacon before responding, his eyes occasionally darting about before resting back upon Charlotte again. Antsy?
"She is. I...she got me a towel, too. I, um...I don't have a coat, so I...I looked pretty pathetic when I got here."
'You always look pathetic.'
Julian flinched a little, shaking his head subtly with a subtle twitch of his big green eyes. He was getting louder. NOT. NOW.
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Post by Charlotte Jacobs on Jun 25, 2011 0:11:36 GMT -8
Huh.
His smile was a little... off. Slightly fixed, and slightly on the unnatural side. Oddly enough, though, it didn’t phase her much. Really, a strange smile, after everything ELSE she’d seen in Greenvale, was not all that strange.
He did seem a little antsy, though. Apparently her efforts to appear non-threatening were a resounding failure. Offering another lop-sided smile, she hopped up just long enough to grab a cup of coffee. Once she had added sugar and creamer to her liking, she returned to her chair and took a small sip.
“The rain’s... not for everyone,” Charlotte said, eyes moving towards the window where the rain pounded against the glass. No. Not here. “Though looking a little rain-drenched never hurt anyone.”
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Post by Julian Vorpalle on Jun 25, 2011 0:31:28 GMT -8
Despite his constant and firm self-assertions, Julian could feel the usual headache starting. Great. Not even three days in town and he was about to have an...episode in public. Gingerly, he stole a glance down at his watch, trying to judge how much time he had. Not that it was an exact science, but...well, if he believed in a set time limit, perhaps it would trick things into actually having a set time limit.
So his psychologist would have told him, anyhow.
Three minutes seemed about right. Any more than that and it would just be a case of proving him wrong for the sake of proving him wrong.
He rubbed one of his temples, leaning a little on the table. "I'm...I'm okay with the rain, usually. I'm used to it, anyway. I mean, I...um...I spend a lot of time o-out of doors." Not that I remember it. "But, y'know, I...I know I kind of look a little...scrappy as it is, even without being a drowned rat.
'Rat? Don't you mean dormouse, dear Julian?'
Three minutes. Come ON. I think that's reasonable, okay? Just...just be quiet until then? Please? I'm trying t-to make a good first impression here.
'Ha. Soaking wet and stuffing your face. Bang-up job you're doing.'
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Post by Charlotte Jacobs on Jun 25, 2011 1:41:02 GMT -8
Julian was looking a little... pinched. Was he unwell? Or just... under the weather? Headache, Charlotte realised as he rubbed at one of his temples. Or something resembling a headache, anyway. I wonder if Polly has some Advil or something lying around. Poor kid looks like he could use some.
She laughed a little. “There’s nothing wrong with looking like a drowned rat.” Charlotte paused for a moment before adding, “You should have seen me a couple nights ago. ‘Drowned rat’ would have been kind.”
Then again... it was a little more than just rain, wasn't it.
She looked at Julian over the rim of her coffee cup as she took another sip of her coffee.
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Post by Julian Vorpalle on Jun 25, 2011 1:54:25 GMT -8
"Ahaha...hah...right...."
Well, this was just peachy. Now he had less than three minutes to try to explain to a woman that he had literally just met that he was about to - or maybe he could just...disengage? Oh, it was hopeless. Anxiety crossed his face as plain as day behind that smile.
"...Look, ah...it's...I mean, it's nice to meet someone, I really...haven't yet, but...I, um...I'm feeling a little bit...er...." Oh, come on. String some words together! His shoulders tightened, and he...looked quite ill. "...I'm...not well, and I think I might be...kind of...about to take a bit of a...turn." He finished the sentence in quite a lame tone of voice, and cringed just after he said it.
Were he a more direct man, Julian could have just said he'd like to be left alone. But Julian was not a direct man, and he didn't want to appear rude. He glanced down to his watch, wincing at the increasing severity of his headache.
Do you have to do this to me RIGHT NOW?
'...Why? Are you ashamed of me, dear boy?'
In a minute or so the rudeness wouldn't really be his, he supposed.
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Post by Charlotte Jacobs on Jun 25, 2011 2:12:18 GMT -8
There was a lot of anxiety crossing his face under that smile. It was... a thin veneer over an amount of anxiety that it wasn’t enough to cover. Charlotte was both concerned... and confused as hell. She was damn certain that she hadn’t done anything to warrant THAT much anxiety. Unless he had an irrational fear of coffee drinkers...
Should have gone for tea.
Or stayed in bed with David.
She blinked at his rambled sentence. A turn? Oh boy. Heaving a great mental sigh, she quickly contemplated her next move. It was obvious that he very much wanted to be left alone... but if something was going to happen, if he was going to take a turn (whatever that meant, exactly)... he might need help.
Or he might be dangerous. She wasn’t entirely certain if she meant to himself, or others, and the distinction really didn’t matter. Charlotte took a sip of her coffee. She hadn’t run from trouble last night... she might as well not start now.
“Can I get you something? I’m sure Polly has Advil around here somewhere.” She could apologize for rummaging around later.
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Post by Julian Vorpalle on Jun 25, 2011 2:20:37 GMT -8
"No - I mean, thank you, but no, there - there isn't time for-"
He could...see that he was confusing her. And, honestly, he wished that he had more time to explain himself. But...that wasn't going to happen. Time was just about up. He sighed in a defeated manner, his expression becoming...strangely apologetic.
"...I'm...I'm really sorry about this. I...ah...you can just...just walk away...if you need to, I wouldn't be upset."
Time was up. Cringing, he placed his face in his hands, dark bangs tumbling over his fingers...and then he was silent for the moment, shoulders slackening from where they had been drawn taut in nervousness.
My turn to make new friends, hm?
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Post by Charlotte Jacobs on Jun 25, 2011 2:29:12 GMT -8
There isn’t time?
The strangely apologetic expression on his face did nothing to ease Charlotte’s confusion. She was seriously considering getting a doctor, calling the hospital, SOMETHING. Walk away? Why on earth would I walk away? Just leave him here in obvious distress? No way.
“No, I... It’s fine. Why would I?”
Then he buried his head in his hands, hair falling over his fingers further obscuring his face. The nervous tension eased out of his shoulders, leaving her feeling as though something of note had just happened and she had missed it.
What the hell?
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Post by Julian Vorpalle on Jun 25, 2011 2:42:54 GMT -8
Silence. A few long, deep breaths....
And then suddenly the young man's head snapped back up, eyes bright and...a very broad, toothy grin on his thin face. His movements had changed...now in place of the nervous, staccato twitches he had been displaying, he behaved with a fluid grace, an ease. He looked almost like a different person.
He sounded like a different person, too, his voice now a smooth, sly purr.
Uh oh.
"...Do excuse the theatrics. All a bit ridiculous, if you ask me."
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