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| Freedom in Desolation; [Marcus, PM to join] | |
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| Topic Started: Oct 17 2009, 05:33 AM (410 Views) | |
| Ellis Reed | Oct 17 2009, 05:33 AM Post #1 |
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Energy Manipulation / Wraith Form
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[align=center]July 30th, 2009 around midnight new york state[/align] Already, the anger had cooled, congealed in his stomach... left him feeling a little ill. A little empty, a little lost. The worst part was that he couldn't really be angry at either of them. When he thought about how things had ended, he just felt sick. Tense. Frustrated. Hollow. He just didn't understand how things could have gone so wrong. For some reason, he'd thought he'd known these people, but it seemed like he understood nothing. It began raining; he leaned on his back in the overgrown grass, propped up by his elbows. Stared at the dark sky, as the wind grew more intense, and the rain fell around him. Without thinking about it, he had thrown up a shield to protect him from the elements. He dropped it, and was quickly drenched by the warm rain. He could stay like this forever. It had been over a year past since he'd last felt this free, and this alone. A welcome feeling, strange as it might be. Lightning struck in the distance. He smiled slightly. This was something he'd missed, in those damn tunnels. The refuse of humanity. Disgusting that his life had come to that. But where would he be if he hadn't been taken in by Callisto that night? Dead and forgotten, having carelessly thrown his life away in anger. An angry and hateful thing he had been. The past year had helped cleanse him of it. Some of it, at least. He could remember brooding for hours. Blaming himself. Hating himself, yes, and the humans that caused the torment that his life had become. Laying back in the wet grass, his fingers tangled in a chain around his neck. Finding his father's ring by touch. Warped, ruined, and his. It was only rain fallen into his eyes, nothing more. What path would his life had taken if his father hadn't died? Baz would still be alive, he was sure. Past that.. he couldn't say. He wouldn't be himself, but surely that wouldn't be much of a loss. He was a miserable person. Odd thoughts flickered through his mind. It felt like someone was watching him. If any place was haunted, surely this was it. Young lives cut violently short, in a night of terror unlike anything else. Fire, metal monsters, and.. what else? He remembered little of that night. Except Bazie's crumpled body at the foot of the Sentinel. Eldan shivered in the rain, fingers digging into what was becoming mud. Energy was crackling around him, but that was okay. No one would bother him here. No one was left, except the dead. And the dead did not speak to him. No, he was alone. Alone with his regrets, alone with his thoughts. Eldan wouldn't give up, not quite yet. He would speak to Callisto. If they could not find a balance of their personalities, he wouldn't be able to stay. Yet he couldn't leave, either. What was a fool such as he to do? He couldn't abandon them, but he couldn't live with them. As for Marcus.. that was a loose end he couldn't touch yet. Maybe it had been a mistake to encourage him. Thoughts of him stung at the moment, so he avoided them. His ignorance hadn't been his fault. Young naive thing. There hadn't really been harsh words between the two of them, yet somehow everything had been shredded to dust. Maybe proving that there had been nothing there to begin with... |
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| Ellis Reed | Oct 17 2009, 06:06 AM Post #2 |
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Energy Manipulation / Wraith Form
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[align=center]August 6th, 2009 morning[/align] Seven days. The isolation was most welcome. Much of the time he'd spent lost in his thoughts, lost in memories and the emotional roller coaster that went with them. He had returned, not to the city but to a small town nearby, to 'borrow' some supplies. Not more than he needed, and nothing extravagant. The tree house he'd built, first for himself and his friends, and then rebuilt several times over for the children.. whose powers damaged it more than once. A few things had to be repaired, and the tools he'd borrowed for that were quickly returned, but the tree house became functional again. Well, it had quite a few drips and the wind went right through it, but it was summer. And he could make shields if it got stormy. It was fine for a few days. It wasn't like he hadn't done this as a child, without his powers. A pillow and several blankets were crumpled in a corner, a box with food and some clothes, and that.. was pretty much it. If he and Callisto couldn't get along, he would need to find a better shelter for the winter. If he didn't approach her soon, their meeting might not be pleasant. He'd said he'd been gone for a day. It had been seven already, and he wasn't sure whether he could approach her yet. If he couldn't get past his issues, or hers, it would mean everything would be unsettled again. He'd have to start over. And the Morlocks... he was a Morlock. How could he possibly leave them? It had just been a misunderstanding. Eldan dropped to the ground, going into his wraith form on the way down. He was going hunting, to supplement his supplies. Make something hot over the fire.. Well, even if it ended up mostly burnt, at least it wouldn't be more dry cereal. [align=center]August 6th, 2009 afternoon[/align] The day was just past its hottest, its brightest. He remained in the tree house, half asleep. The fire he'd made to cook his kill was a full mile into the woods, doused by a nearby stream, smoke dissipated into the canopy. No need to make it obvious that someone was living here, though he doubted he could stay for long. It was an obvious spot for him to return to, if someone was searching. Within sight, not that he looked, was the remains of both the guest house and the mansion. The tree house wasn't visible at first glance, well weathered and originally painted various shades of green and gray. It wasn't safe, but it felt safe. He could stay here for now. Rest. Think. He must figure out what to do next.. Seven days of reflection, however, was too much. The silence was starting to get to him. As much as he liked his solitude.. it wore at him when it went on too long. His musings had come to a standstill. He just felt tired, and it was far too bright outside. So.. he allowed himself to sleep, and maybe that night he would stray from his self-imposed isolation. Maybe. |
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| Animal | Oct 18 2009, 11:25 AM Post #3 |
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Unregistered
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Marcus had received directions of the place Eldan was most likely to go. He had spent hours just sitting there and wondering what he would do. What would he say? He had paced his room for a few more hours and drove his roommate to distraction. At that point he had packed a few of his belongings and what food he could carry in his backpack and had jumped out his window. He ran to the front gate and walked out, not really wanting to know when he would be back. He would stay with Eldan as long as he wanted Marcus to be there. He looked down at the directions that Faye had given him and once again the actions that had brought all of this came rushing back. Marcus had been arrogant to the point of stupid when he had met Callisto. He said and did all the wrong things and had ruined a relationship that had meant so much to him. He just wondered if Eldan would even look at him, or talk to him, or would he sit there ignored until he was forced to leave, or was run off. He slowly started to walk in the direction indicated. As he walked he started to realize that Faye had told him everything he needed to know. He smiled and decided to get the party started. He quickly used Cheetah and Wolf and ran. Marcus loved to run, it was freeing and gave him time to think. Though this time he wasn't thinking about much. Just when to turn, when to stop and where he was going. Marcus soon arrived at what looked like a very large house. He marveled at it, it was huge and at one point would have looked grand, but it was ruined by disgusting robots. At this time Marcus stopped and used Tiger and Wolf to "hunt". He was looking for Eldan and quickly picked up the scent. He circled what looked like a really nice Tree House for a while and wondered how he was going to do this. He figured the best tactic was to be visible so he climbed up the side of the nearest tree to the small house and sat on a branch across from it. He figured if he rushed in it would be a disaster. So he crouched on a branch, enjoying the rain. *This should never have happened* he thought as he waited. |
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| Ellis Reed | Oct 19 2009, 09:28 AM Post #4 |
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Energy Manipulation / Wraith Form
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Restless. As. Hell. Eldan just couldn't relax. Something was off. His mind returned to an errant thought he'd had when he'd arrived. If ever had he been in a place that was haunted, this was it. And not just by his memories. There was nothing disturbing his rest except a feeling of oppression whenever he closed his eyes. Something had been disturbed. Standing wasn't really an option in the tree house, not for him. It had been built for children, by children, and not much improved in the meantime except for stability. After all, he'd figured that it would have been blown up a few more times by those kids.. He sighed, and with a thought shifted into his wraith form and through the floor of the tree house, not noticing Marcus in the nearby tree. Some time while he was approaching the main house, the burnt out husk of a mansion, he shifted back into his human form. The slight mist of rain didn't seem to register with him. The cloak that protected him from light, also kept off the rain. It was handy like that. Maybe he should leave this place. The idea that something remained, however.. caught him like a net. Was there such thing as a soul, did it survive death? The only thing that was really recognizable was the staircase. It had been.. some kind of stone. El had liked to think it was marble, whether or not it was the truth. Probably was. His father had been extravagant. A lot of art had been lost in the fire. Beautiful furniture. And other, much more important things. Like lives, hearts, and ... him. Never had really found himself since then, though he'd come close once or twice to his old self. Maybe he was buried in these ashes. Morbid thoughts, great. He sat on the bottom step, and sighed. Something he hadn't noticed before.A doll. It didn't look damaged at all. Frowning slightly, he reached out to pick it up, and memories of the fire surged. A sharp pain where his fingers had brushed against it. It was melted, sharp, unrecognizable. "Great, now I'm hallucinating," he mumbled, bringing the tips of his fingers to his lips. It had felt hot. Impossible. The fire had died a year ago, just like everyone else. |
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| Animal | Oct 19 2009, 03:20 PM Post #5 |
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Unregistered
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Marcus sat and watched the tree house for a while. He really didn't know or care how long he was there. He saw Eldan, but he was going into wraith form and didn't see him. He wasn't all that surprised, Marcus knew how Eldan was when he brooded. Marcus watched as Eldan walked towards the house, or what was left of it. Animal wanted to follow, he jumped across the tree to the house and left a small package of Eldan's favorite candy. He then followed for a ways. He landed on a tree along the edge and allowed a branch to snap. He hoped that would let Eldan know he wasn't alone. He was a little nervous about this meeting. He had kept a really big secret, one that had hurt Eldan when he found out. He crouched on the tree and watched. Ready to jump and run if it even looked like Eldan needed his help. He doubted he would, he hoped he wouldn't, but he was here if he did. Marcus focused on what Eldan had picked up, it was a doll, and he seemed a little perplexed that it was there. Marcus saw that the doll wasn't as burned as the rest of the house, maybe someone was squatting at the house. He couldn't smell anything because of the rain. |
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| Ellis Reed | Oct 22 2009, 09:16 AM Post #6 |
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Energy Manipulation / Wraith Form
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Eldan had been too lost in thought to really notice.. well, much of anything. He was feeling off. Maybe he shouldn't have laid out in the rain the other night. Usually he was smarter than that.. He sighed, and frowned at the doll he'd dropped back to the ground. It didn't matter. Call it an overactive imagination, leave it at that. Still, he felt like he was being watched. And, well, there was no one here. No one knew he was here. Few people knew the location. Well. Okay, plenty of people knew the location, but it wasn't like it was something people would want to remember. That night was hellish. A figure stood at the edge of his sight. For a moment he was hesitant to look. It might be something he didn't want to see. Not that he really believed in ghosts and such... well, okay, he did. Who was he kidding? Himself? Unlikely. A slight turn of his head and he froze for a moment. What.. was he doing here? How did he know 'here' even existed? He'd brought up the place once, and hadn't spoke of it again since the guy had gotten upset and run off. Though he wasn't sure why, exactly.. A sigh, and he stood up. Putting it off, well, he could do that. To what purpose? They had to talk eventually. Theoretically. El tugged the hood of his cloak a little further over his face to protect his eyes from glaring sunlight and began walking toward Marcus. He stopped several paces away, and searched for something to say. His tongue seemed paralyzed. "What are you doing here?" he finally asked, just sounding tired. |
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| Animal | Oct 22 2009, 09:42 AM Post #7 |
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Unregistered
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Marcus watched as Eldan set the doll back on the ground. He hadn't seen or heard him yet, or if he had he wasn't giving any indication he knew. He was unsure of what to do so he landed on the ground and watched Eldan turn and look at him. He pulled his hood higher and walked towards him. Marcus tried to figure out what to say, what to do but could think of nothing. He was almost in a state of panic, but decided he couldn't let on to that fact. Eldan stopped a ways away and still Marcus had no idea what he was thinking. His face was covered, the rain was masking any scent. He asked Marcus "What are you doing here?" Marcus couldn't think of anything so he said simply. "Looking for you." He knew it was completely inadequate. It was simple, and true but it wasn't he only reason he was here. He maintained the distance between them, knowing that if he made a wrong move here he could possibly loose Eldan for good. "I thought you deserved an explanation about my past." He hoped that by offering to share about his own past and offer honesty that Eldan would see that he wasn't a complete child, or animal for that matter. He knew he shouldn't say much more. It was enough to handle him just showing up here out of the blue. A place that Marcus knew had a history he could only somewhat relate to, on a much smaller scale. He figured he would deliver messages later, if things went as he hoped they would. |
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| Ellis Reed | Oct 22 2009, 08:32 PM Post #8 |
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Energy Manipulation / Wraith Form
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That wasn't a real answer, exactly, but the question hadn't really asked what he really meant to ask. With Marcus standing there, looking somewhat worse for wear since he'd last seen him.. offering an explanation of his past. Really.. that wasn't enough, and Eldan was beginning to see it. But it would be a good start. A nod, slightly stiff. Things had been too easy, before. He wasn't so great with social situations, and between the two of them they'd missed something. Actually getting to know each other, for one thing. "I think it'd be best if we just started over," he said thoughtfully. Things had started to get serious, emotionally, with absolutely no foundation. However, standing here like this was feeling a little awkward. He needed to move, get out this pent up energy. "Mind if we walk while we talk?" he asked. Talking. They hadn't done much of that, had they? They were just... together. And then, that had been enough. It had given a false sense of understanding though, where there was little to none. Like right now.. Marcus' expression, his body language, he couldn't read it. At all. "I'm sorry, I am a little... on edge," he admitted. "I think this place might be haunted.." And yet here he was. It was only a moment or so after his comment that he wondered what Marcus would make of it. Did he even believe in otherworldly things? Eldan wasn't quite sure what he believed, but.. well, he tended to trust his feelings, and this place was making him uneasy. Then again, it might have been what happened here. Most likely. What a nightmare.. |
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| Animal | Oct 23 2009, 02:43 PM Post #9 |
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Unregistered
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Marcus was at a loss for words for a while. He figured he had given a half-answer and that Eldan was contemplating what to do next. He soon got his answer and was hopeful. Eldan had said they should start over. That was a good sign. He nodded his head and started to move when he said he wanted to walk. He almost shivered when Elden mentioned this place felt haunted. "I am glad I wasn't going crazy, this place gives me the chills." He moved towards the trees and started to talk. He felt a brief explanation before his teen years wouldn't hurt. He stood a couple feet beside Eldan when he started to speak. "My life started like most. I was born in Chicago, my parents said I was their "miracle." They had two kids both grown and married. I was born as you see me, eyes and hair both. My siblings decided they didn't want to have a mutant for a brother. My parents decided to move to Mutant Town. I grew up easy, and I didn't even know it, or appreciate it. I went to school and tried my best to stay out of trouble. That worked until High School. My mutant ability turned on full force and I became rebellious." He stopped there. He was ashamed of what happened next and had to take a minute to calm down and focus on his past life. "This next part might be a little long so I will hold off for a few." He wanted to make sure that Eldan had an opportunity to speak and ask questions. His posture was now a little more relaxed and his eyes were a little more open. |
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| Ellis Reed | Oct 27 2009, 05:22 AM Post #10 |
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Energy Manipulation / Wraith Form
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Eldan led the way into the cover of the trees as they talked, both protecting from what was left of the rain and Eldan from the sunlight making its way through the clouds. It was far too open by the mansion, and he was feeling suddenly uneasy about this place. And not just because he felt like they were being watched. No, it was just that something terrible had happened here. It felt like it could start all over again... He frowned. It could. It could very well start all over again. Maybe not here, there was nothing left here. He listened to Marcus talking with a strange expression that, well, no one could see. Of course. As usual it simply didn't occur to him that his protection hid him from more than the harsh light of the sun. He didn't know pretty much anything about Chicago, he didn't know what most people's early lives were like. He couldn't imagine having siblings, let alone ones that didn't accept him because of a mutation... couldn't understand what it was like to have parents. Real parents. Not some broken man with no clue what to do with a child. However, he did understand... not realizing how great things were until it was too late. Until it was over, it was gone, and you were stunned wondering what the hell happened. How it happened.. Marcus seemed to expect something, as he fell silent, waiting.. Still, he no longer seemed so tense. Maybe that was a good thing? Eldan didn't even know anymore. When he wasn't here, it seemed like it would make things much simpler, for both of them, to go their separate ways. Now.. he didn't know what to think. Not so much because of what the young man was saying. Just his presence.. "I can't say that I.. know what kind of life that would have been," he said with some hesitation. "Or that I understand why you'd want to rebel. I never really had anything to rebel against." What a shock it had been when he'd been thrown, against his will, into the real world. If he had understood what the world had been like, before, what threatened them all, he would have trained harder. He could have, he knew he could have protected them if things had been different.. |
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| Animal | Oct 27 2009, 07:20 PM Post #11 |
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Unregistered
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Marcus could almost feel the tension, or maybe it was the awkwardness that he felt. He was a little ashamed of this next part and wasn't too enthused to reveal his most embarassing secrets. He almost kicked himself for not continuing with his story. Now Eldan was thinking he needed to say something and he hadn't even heard the half of it. "Rebellion was only a small part of my teenage year mess. It goes a lot deeper and it isn't exactly my best years." "When I turned 14 I my powers were fully awakened. My primary mimic is the tiger and his personality was overwhelming and I couldn't control it for a long time. He loved to fight, so he chose the biggest and baddest people at school to prove himself. They turned out to be bullies, jocks, and thugs. I got a reputation for defending the weaker, that was not the case. By this time my parents were at their wits end. I was passing school, but I would be up at weird hours. I would stop listening to them and would ignore most of their orders." At this point he stopped for a second and then continued. He had to get this over with, and hopefully Eldan would not run away. "At 16 I was a leading member in a street gang comprised mostly of Ferals. We terrorized shops, and were known for never being caught stealing. By that time I started to volunteer at a zoo and had my cheetah mimic. I could get in and out, fast. I loved the life, even though I was in control. When I was about to turn 17 a gang of mostly psions started to invade out territory. A war was started and I was right up front. On the day I was arrested the war was ended, the Psions won by tossing me through a mall wall. I was injured and raging. SHIELD was called in because things were getting thrown around and people were screaming. I can still smell the fear, it was sickening. I ran was told by many SHIELD officers to stop, I ran rigth through them. I was tasered and arrested. I had to go to triel. At my trial I was given the option of either going to Jail, or going to Xavier's. I chose the school." He was done, he had little else to say about himself. His secrets and past had been laid out for the world to hear, and he hoped it was enough. He had been a troubled teen, but was not as wild as he used to be. |
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| Ellis Reed | Nov 4 2009, 07:08 PM Post #12 |
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Energy Manipulation / Wraith Form
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As they continued walking through the woods, the light rain dripping through the leaves erratically, Eldan just.. listened. As he said previously, he didn't exactly understand the whys of Marcus' past. Didn't mean he wouldn't try to, it just wasn't transparent to him. The young man admitted he wasn't proud of how he'd lived. El would have responded with a question - if he was happy with who he was. Because if he was, then there was nothing in the past to regret. It made him who he was. However, instead he just let him speak. Maybe these things needed to be said. One thing he was puzzled about was SHIELD's part in it all. Why they didn't toss him in jail or make him disappear, instead of dropping him off at the school confused him. It wasn't like they were soft-hearted toward the younger generation. For fuck's sake.. it didn't make sense. Not that he wasn't glad for it, but something seemed off. Not with Marcus' story, but he didn't trust that SHIELD just handed him to the school. There had to be something else to it.. Still, he didn't speak of his concerns. Marcus had finished speaking. He'd spoken of the harsher aspects of his life, how things had gone wrong, but he still didn't know .. didn't really know him. Somehow he thought he might be incapable of it. Connecting to anyone. It hadn't been this hard before. Was it that he didn't get Marcus, or was it him? It was like something had switched off in the back of his mind.. |
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| Animal | Nov 8 2009, 12:44 PM Post #13 |
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Unregistered
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Marcus had no idea what to do now. Eldan wasn't speaking so he had no idea what he was thinking. He was confused and was starting to think this was all a bad idea. Eldan was so emotionally detached that he might never be able to bond with anyone. *Oh well, I tried. I told him my past and how it all led up to SHIELD.* He had done all he knew how in order to fix whatever had gone wrong. Maybe he wasn't supposed to have a relationship with Eldan. Maybe he was supposed to be the friend that was just there. He wasn't sure what to say or do now. He wasn't going to stay here, it was depressing and kinda weird. "I should probably get back to the Mansion. Don 't want to get in trouble with SHIELD or the Professor." He didn't know what else to say, he was at a total loss and he usually was better than this. He started going from Tiger and Wolf, to Cheetah and wolf. This would take about 10 minutes and he would only have his wolf abilities since he was not changing out of that mimic. "If you need me you know where to find me." |
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| Ellis Reed | Nov 8 2009, 09:27 PM Post #14 |
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Energy Manipulation / Wraith Form
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"Ah... alright," Eldan replied when Animal said that he had to get back to the mansion. "I wouldn't want that.." Worrying more about him getting in trouble with SHIELD than with the professor. What he knew of the man, he wouldn't overreact. SHIELD had a long history of overreacting. And while he was having difficulties sifting through his emotions, there was one that tended to come natural to him. Worrying. Not about himself so much as others, and his friends more than others. Whatever else Marcus might be to him, he was a friend too. He wouldn't want anything to happen to him, and for it to be his fault.. would be unacceptable. At the same time, he realized that he'd made a mistake. Marcus had opened up and he'd barely acknowledged it. It was just, what could he say now? Nothing. Words were meaningless, and there was no understanding between them. It was disappointing, but maybe he'd expected too much. And Marcus seemed to expect something from him that he couldn't be. He shook his head. "Take care of yourself, Marcus. I'll be going back to Mutant Town at least. This place has too many memories.." he said quietly. Maybe he'd known it from the start. They couldn't go back to how things were. Eldan stood there. When Marcus left he would return to the tree house and pack his things, rest there until nightfall, and return to Mutant Town. Maybe the Morlocks would have him back. He wasn't sure, but the idea of living alone left him uneasy. He'd never really been alone, as much as he acted like he didn't need anyone. One of the reasons he was so out of sorts at this desolated spot. Something was nagging at him to explain himself, to apologize, but he couldn't make words come. They were tangled in the back of his throat and it was hard to swallow. |
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7:26 PM Jul 11