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Post by ALEC MATTHEWS on Apr 5, 2013 22:10:52 GMT -8
Words: 869 Tags: Name Dated: 1st of May, 2012. 1:00pm.
Words could not describe the past few days. Hell words could not describe Alec's past two weeks. He had met some pretty extraordinary people, specifically Lucas...There was something about that man that made his heart smile every time he thought about him. Something in that goofy smile...something about that brightly colored hair on top of the giant mass of muscle...It was befitting of the man. Kittim was also an interesting guy, or at least Alec assumed he wanted to be called a guy. He wasn't quite sure, to be perfeclty honest. Alphard was a pretty gentle guy, and even Alyssa seemed super friendly. And then there was the hell. He was nearly ripped apart by holograms come to life (not to mention a beast that tried to make Alec's brain turn to pudding) while watching a teenage boy die right in front of him. Some crazed woman came into the gym with guns blazing yelping about monsters and all things chaotic broke loose then. Then Alec was locked in a natural history museum with animated dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures. Oh and he was impaled by an inanimate object that apparently liked him enough to leave him a piece behind when it shattered. Since then, he hadn't cared for contacting anyone outside of his family for anything. He hasn't left the house but once by himself, and that was only for about ten minutes. Walmart called him and gave him his official termination over the phone, which elicited no sort of emotional response. He had been so...depressed. Too depressed to cry, but enough to become numb to a lot of things. Looking down, he noticed the colored tattoo on his left hand. It resembled absolutely nothing that he could make sense of, but he knew it had some sort of importance. And then there was the paper - no it looked more like a scroll now. It made no sense to Alec, but he knew it wa also just as important. He kept it on him at all times, looking at it on occasion while trying to make heads or tails of it. Life hadn't been the same since all of this came crashing down on him at once. He knew that he was, somehow or another, destined for something...And he knew that there was a god or entity out there that wanted him to figure all of this out. Or kill him. That seemed to be another of its primary goals. But today was going to be a little different. The red-eyed teenager got dressed and headed out to try and start living a little again. He couldn't go anywhere at night anymore because of the eyes...those eyes followed him, and Alec hated seeing them. They hadn't harmed him yet, but he could feel something, like a menacing presence, just waiting for the right time to eat him up. At this point, he wasn't going to assume that they were harmless, especially if he wanted to live. As he took a bus down to Santa Monica Pier, he didn't take his eyes off the floor of the bus. He knew that he if watched the buildings pass by, he could see those eyes...faint, glowing eyes watching from the shadows. Nobody knew that he could see them - he assumed that he was just going crazy, really. But no one would believe him either so there wasn't much of a point. The exhausted boy stepped off the bus and breathed in the fresh air. It was good to be outside but he hated being alone. He didn't want to bother Lucas - the man had plenty of other things to do than to accompany Alec just anywhere he wanted to go. It would be nice to be held in those big, muscular arms. Reality set in, though, and he kept walking down until he found a somewhat deserted area. There was a bench facing outward looking into the sea. This would be the perfect place to sit down and just...think. Just like he had been doing the past few days. Sleep eluded him as he feared for his life every time he saw those eyes, but as of last night he began to grow quite tired of them. They didn't strike him as an immediate danger but instead as a warning. One that commanded him not to grow too comfortable for they didn't belong to someone friendly. Alec enjoyed the pier because he could feel the breeze flowing from the ocean. It ruffled his oily hair, sending frigid chills throughout his entire body. The weather was nice, probably around 75 degrees, but Alec was freezing. It wasn't something a heater could do; right now, he was cold on the inside. His heart was frozen in distress while his body rejected going on any further. He hadn't given up on life just yet, but the poor fragile teen wasn't far from it. He had cried enough tears for a very long time; now, he would just look into the open sea and watch the waves, feeling like an empty shell of who he once was. Someone needed to remind him. Alec's outfit |
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Post by OSKENÓN:TON on Apr 6, 2013 22:00:19 GMT -8
tagged: Alec. time: May 1st, 2012. 1pm. speech: Oskenón:ton. notes: - - -. The ocean was calling, but that was nothing new, now was it?
Oskenón:ton woke up that morning and decided he absolutely needed to go to the sea. Those urges seemed to roar up to him at the strangest times, but especially in the early morning or late in the night, when he couldn’t sleep. His mind was open during those times, he supposed… And during those open, supposedly vulnerable moments, he wanted what he found the most familiar. Without the option to go home for another long while, he had to make do with what he happened to have. But he was lucky he was in L.A. when the urge hit him again, because what he had happened to be very good.
He didn’t take a taxi or a car or anything like that. From the moment he got up, he got dressed, and then walked. The hostel he was staying in was some ways from the ocean, unfortunately, but he’d had worse. Walking helped clear his thoughts, anyway, and perhaps the ocean would help that even more. The ocean had been his babysitter when he was young; it had been the source of food for his family when money was tight, and a serious part of most of his life as far as religion was concerned. The ocean was the ocean, no matter what part.
On his way, he couldn’t help but try to put some of his thoughts in line. Oskenón:ton had been in L.A. for a grand total of a couple of weeks, and he still didn’t like it any more than when he first arrived. Big cities had a certain allure from afar, surely, but it was much like a painting to him; from afar, they seemed perfect, but upon closer inspection, there were plenty of flaws and brush strokes. His father had talked about Toronto a lot. He had been sure he’d find his happiness there, he told him over and over. There was just so much opportunity, and there had bound to be a chance that something could happen. But for his father, it hadn’t happened in Toronto, where he had expected it to.
Strange, how things worked, didn’t they? Paved pathways turned to salt-crusted wood under his feet, and he barely noticed until he felt a stiff breeze ruffle his hair. The air was cool and it smelled of salt and whatever that very distinct smell was that told a person they were right there at the ocean. Like a switch being flipped, Oskenón:ton perked up visibly, glancing around and finding very few people there. There was a boy occupying the bench that sat near the end of the pier, but bothering him wasn’t exactly something he’d like to do.
Oskenón:ton stood perhaps a couple feet away from the bench, but kept quiet as he stared out at the ocean. To say the least, he longed for it. Perhaps he could just jump in right then and there, but it definitely wouldn’t be wise. At least being near the body of water helped ease his sense of urgency. There was something to be found in L.A. perhaps… he just needed to go that extra mile.
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Post by ALEC MATTHEWS on Apr 8, 2013 17:35:04 GMT -8
Words: 369 Tags: Oskenón:Ton Dated: 1st of May, 2012. 1:00pm.
After some unknown period of time, Alec's eyes became glued to the sea. The sea breeze caressed the small waves, lapping them over the shore and creating a harmonious melody. It was an alluring, beautiful sound that sent him to another place in his mind. But when an older man came into view just in front of the boy, he immediately came back to reality and scooted away from him. He seemed...relatively harmless, Alec supposed, but he couldn't be too sure anymore. He honestly wasn't too sure of anything at this point.
Something was different about him. His clothes looked very unlike those of a typical resident of California. In fact, they were almost Native American-like. Alec had seen pictures of the "Indians" and how they dressed before the English settlers came over, but he hadn't witnessed one in person. That wasn't to say that this man was a Native American because Los Angeles was full of aspiring actors that pranced around in odd clothing. There was something serene about him...a soothing quality. The teenager wanted to speak to the man, but he wasn't sure how. It's not like he was going to pull out a tomahawk and brutally murder him, right?
Alec noticed the same dull gray aura surrounding him. Since his run-in with the scroll and the tablet shard, he had begun seeing a faint glow around people. The majority of people he saw were gray, and he honestly had no clue what it meant. He hadn't been anywhere too crowded since he went off the deep end so there was no telling if anyone else had a colored aura. Alec searched the crowds of people from a distance, hoping to notice someone that stood out, but it was too far to ascertain anything. With a sigh, he stood up and walked closer to the edge of the pier, watching everyday citizens from a distance carry on with their lives. He silently cursed to himself, wishing that he could go back to living his own life.
"Those lucky people...they don't realize how great they have it." Without realizing, Alec found a way to initiate conversation with the new visitor. It wasn't intentional - heck the frightful teen didn't even realize that he said those words aloud. But the conversation had awkwardly begun.
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Post by OSKENÓN:TON on Apr 11, 2013 12:28:27 GMT -8
tagged: Alec. time: May 1st, 2012. 1pm. speech: Oskenón:ton. notes: - - -. The gulls would be left well enough alone; despite their cries, he remained silent and just watched them flutter around as white and grey smears in the breeze, against a blue background. The boy had now sunk into his peripheral vision; he was somebody that was there, but wasn’t important until something happened, if anything happened at all. It felt like Oskenón:ton was in a bit of his own little bubble; he was captivated by the sea, and he wasn’t about to shrug away from it on his own accord.
But the boy seemed to have other plans. He glanced over at him as he spoke up, one brow raised in curiousity. Had he been talking to himself? It certainly seemed like it, looking at how vacant he seemed to be. But still, he smiled a little at him anyways. No use in being impolite after all, even if he’d never met this person before. Now, what was it that he’d said? Something about lucky people?
”I’m sorry, did you say something?” He didn’t say it like he was looking for a fight, or was insulted; he was just curious if the boy was talking to him or not. Had he met him before? He’d travelled so much, he could hardly be expected to remember individual faces he perhaps only met once. Maybe he had met this one before, and he just didn’t remember. That would’ve been a little more embarrassing, but it wasn’t like he could help it.
He turned a little back to the sea, a faint smile still present on his face. ”It’s quite pretty, isn’t it? The sea?” And how he’d missed it when he was in any landlocked province or state. Even if Los Angeles wasn’t his cup of tea, he liked how it was near the ocean, and how he could see it on a regular basis.
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Post by ALEC MATTHEWS on Apr 15, 2013 16:35:51 GMT -8
Words: 462 Tags: Oskenón:Ton Dated: 1st of May, 2012. 1:00pm.
The young teen was caught off guard when an older voice chimed into existence. He obviously hadn't realized that he spoke aloud, evoking a response from the older gentleman. Startled and nerves already on edge, Alec made an obvious motion that informed the visitor that he was, in fact, quite taken back. He half expected him to turn around and try to stab him or something ridiculous - it always seemed to strike in one of those ridiculously calm moments. But right now he didn't feel like he was in danger. He just felt at ease...well, as much as he posisbly cloud for a sleep deprived guy.
After a moment of awkward silence, Alec responded to the guy, not wanting him to think he was rude. "OH! I'm sorry...j-just thinking out loud..." He retracted back to his own world for a moment, trying to keep quiet before he said something ridiculously stupid. Alec knew it would come at some point because it always did. Something would happen and BAM out came the socially-awkward kid. Nothing could get him to speak right now - he made a silent vow to himself to stick with his pity party and try to just relax to the sounds of the ocean. Everything was just so wonderful today. He had to convince himself that it was unless he wanted to go crazy.
But then the man spoke again. His voice wasn't raspy and menacing - in fact, quite the contrary. Alec could get a better look at him now. This man was probably in his thirties as he was much older than himself but much younger than his parents. His skin had a wonderful complexion, one that Alec wished he could have. Not wanting to trust the young man, Alec made an attempt to shrug him off and just ignore his polite request at a conversation.
But he couldn't.
Alec wasn't really like that. In fact, seeing the faint smile upon the man's face made Alec want to talk to him. He wanted to tell the man all about the crazy events he had been through and the rough hand of cards he had been dealt. Maybe it was him going insane or maybe it was just needing to let it out and tell someone. All Alec knew was that he could use a decent conversation, one that would get his mind off the nonstop pessimistic chatter. So he gave in and made an attempt at conversation of his own. "Yes, quite. I'd much rather closer my eyes and just listen...there's a soothing quality about it's sound." Imitating his own words, Alec closed his eyes and listened to the sound for a moment, drowning out the ruckus from people nearby.
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Post by OSKENÓN:TON on Apr 17, 2013 11:13:54 GMT -8
tagged: Alec. time: May 1st, 2012. 1pm. speech: Oskenón:ton. notes: - - -. Thinking out loud? Well, that was acceptable, he supposed. Oskenón:ton wasn’t even one to do that; all his thoughts were generally confined to his head. He didn’t even own a journal, and the only ‘documenting’ he took of his travels was the occasional photo here and there through those throw-out, one time use cameras that weren’t the greatest quality anyway. Sometimes he could even go through several cities without using one of those up, because he took so little. He didn’t feel the need for it; he was looking for something, not being a tourist.
”It’s not a problem.” It was pubic space, after all, and the kid could do whatever he wanted for all he really cared. He was really here to calm his urge to see the sea again; his babysitter since he could walk, and it brought his mind right back to Haida Gwaii, really. Sometimes, looking out at the water, he really just wanted to go home. He had an option to, but he found that he never really took it, and coming home without finding something that made him happy on his travels barely seemed worth it.
They both lapsed into silence once again, and Oskenón:ton was really content to stay that way before the boy spoke up again and he glanced over. So much for quiet, huh? Well, he didn’t mind that, either, as long as he wasn’t chattering for the sake of it.
”I guess that’s alright, too. I much prefer to look at it, though.” A bit of a pause as he mulled it over, before speaking again. ”I used to live by the sea. I come by sometimes, just for the nostalgia factor, I suppose.” It was a good a reason as any.
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Post by ALEC MATTHEWS on Apr 20, 2013 11:18:12 GMT -8
Words: 301 Tags: Oskenón:Ton Dated: 1st of May, 2012. 1:00pm.
The man was gentle alright, and Alec finally felt himself giving in to the serenity of the moment. He wanted to break down and just let it all out, but he knew he couldn't do that - not with this older man close by. Alec wasn't in the mood to be judged or looked at with disdainful eyes, despite his intuition hinting at no such thing. Instead, he stayed resolute and made sure not to break the conversation with something depressing. Today was his day to try and recover from his shell shock - he had something to do tomorrow, and if he couldn't get out today and at least get some relaxation time, he would never be able to make it. Sometime today or tomorrow he would call Lucas and find a way for the man to go with him; right now, however, he wouldn't worry about that.
The dark eyed boy couldn't help but to agree with this gentleman. It was definitely calming to watch...the waves would simply lap over the edge of the beach, each time taking a little bit of sand with it as it retreated. "Yes it is nice to watch as well." It was almost hypnotizing, really. The way it moved without effort...it was very enticing. Then he heard his acquiantance mention living by the sea. Alec could understand why someone would do that - he enjoyed swimming and visiting the beach, but he never did find himself on the sandy shores very often.
"That's nice. I'm glad it doesn't take long to get here - just a short bus ride from home." Alec turned to face the stranger and extended his arm in a friendly gesture. "I'm Alec - nice to meet you, sir."
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Post by OSKENÓN:TON on Apr 23, 2013 5:24:53 GMT -8
tagged: Alec. time: May 1st, 2012. 1pm. speech: Oskenón:ton. notes: - - -. Well, for some it was a short bus ride. For him, it was a long walk that let him think about things and contemplate where he was going next. He’d come in from Washington, actually, which was much closer to home then he’d travelled in a long time. Oskenón:ton did go back to Haida Gwaii on a semi regular basis, perhaps once or twice a year to tell his family that he was alive and well. The sea there near his home was unparalleled, or so he’d like to think. This one was nice, but there was nothing like home.
Oskenón:ton glanced over at the boy once more, and found that he’d extended a hand to him. His faint smile grew wider by a fraction; it wasn’t much, but then again, he didn’t grin ear to ear much too often. Alec. Not a particularly strange name, though wasn’t it usually Alex? Something along those lines, but who knew. People were giving their kids those weird celebrity names these days.
”Very nice to meet you, Alec.” He extended his own hand, giving Alec’s a firm shake. ”I’m Oskenón:ton.”
Realistically, he wasn’t expecting the boy to be able to pronounce his name without butchering it. Most people did, anyways, and he had to resort to giving himself a nickname. Deer was a very common one, because it was what his name translated literally to. Variants were also possible, and he’d long ago made it a game to record every nickname he was given.
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Post by ALEC MATTHEWS on Apr 25, 2013 10:01:34 GMT -8
Words: 363 Tags: Oskenón:Ton Dated: 1st of May, 2012. 1:00pm.
Wait - what was that guy's name again? Oskernan...Oskinun...Whatever. Alec, slightly embarrassed by not remembering even how to say it, used his excellent judgement and avoided using the older man's name. It was definitely weird (maybe because he had been expecting a name like "The one who summons rain" or another stereotypical variant) but no stranger than some of the other people in Los Angeles. The teen made a note to try and refer to him as anything BUT the man's name, but there would probably be a time where he had to let it go and just give it another try. Just not right now.
"That's a very unique name. May I ask where you are from or what it means? I think Alec means something like defender of men." There was a bit of sarcasm in his voice as he spoke, noting that he was anything but a defender of mankind. In fact, he was born with the wrong name - they should have named him after the wuss of mankind, whatever that name would be. But enough about names; this was starting to make the boy's head hurt. Something else to talk about....anything, really...but Alec was drawing a blank. He stood there, waiting to try and keep the conversation going with him, but nothing. If he were Okser-something, then he would have just stared at the boy and wondered why he had this dumb look plastered on his face.
And then something came to him. Not much, but it was something. "I've just lost my job at Walmart and I'm looking for some work in the city. I know this is an odd request, but do you happen to know anywhere that might be hiring?" It was true that he needed a job, but with his mental state like it was, he didn't know that they would want to hire a nutjob. If he could try and power through this, maybe he could fill his life with normal stuff to help remind him that he wasn't going insane (though the latter might as well have been true).
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Post by OSKENÓN:TON on Apr 26, 2013 5:31:56 GMT -8
tagged: Alec. time: May 1st, 2012. 1pm. speech: Oskenón:ton. notes: - - -. His name was short, compared to some others he’d come across. Native Canadian names were long in the first place, but only if they deserved it. Technically, he already had, but naming ceremonies were often long and time consuming, so it was decided that when he came back for good, he’d receive his name. He’d wonder about it at times, but there’d be little point to trying to rush it. If he had something for people to call him by, then he was happy enough with that.
”That’s an interesting meaning for a name.” He didn’t know where it was from, of course, but he thought it was interesting to know nonetheless. As for his own name, he offered him a bit of a smile, a little wider than the last. It was rare that somebody found an interest in the name, or the culture, enough to ask him about it.
”The name is Mohawk, but I’m from Haida Gwaii; I happen to be half of each. The name itself means ‘deer’.” Literally translated, of course. A lot of people tended to call him that, anyways. It was really the easiest route to take, and few were willing to learn a complicated word like Oskenón:ton to actually identify him.
The boy went silent, and for a couple of minutes he wondered if anything was wrong in him saying that. He glanced over, but Alec spoke up, breaking the rather blank look on his face. His expression fell ever so slightly at the mention, and he shook his head.
”Unfortunately, I really have no idea where you’d be able to find a job. I work for myself as a carver and waver, and I don’t live around here.” It was unfortunate, though. Oskenón:ton had been self employed all his life, so it wasn’t like he could give references, either.
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Post by ALEC MATTHEWS on Apr 28, 2013 16:33:35 GMT -8
Words: 363 Tags: Oskenón:Ton Dated: 1st of May, 2012. 1:00pm.
Alec was glad that he found the name interesting. Well, to be perfectly fair he didn't care all that much, but at least he was being nice about it and keeping the conversation going. It was small talk, but the effort was still nice and he seemed very genuine in his words.
When he told him his own name, though, it was his turn to be interested. Mohawk? Was that a real tribe name? Of course it was; there was no reason that this stranger would make up something like that. And Haida Gw-something? Alec hadn't heard of that place either, but he was sure that it wasn't somewhere they talked about in any of his high school geography classes. In fact, that was one thing that he hated about his classes. They would talk about all these different places, but when it came time to point them out on the map, the majority of teachers didn't have a clue where to start. He didn't want to be a bother, so he kept quiet, but he would make a mental note to remember the names and look them up later.
It was quite unfortunate when this man named Deer told him that he couldn't think of anywhere for him to work. It was definitely a long shot, but it didn't hurt. Alec hadn't heard of someone that weaved and carved for a living. Could you make that much money doing things like that? He guessed it was possible, but it wasn't very common. "Weaving? That sounds interesting. I can't imagine it paying well, but if it pays the bills and it's what you enjoy then just keep doing it."
The calm ocean crashed against the shores as a small breeze ruffled the teen's hair. He brushed it out of his eyes and returned his attention back to his acquaintance. He wasn't a bad guy at all, but he didn't seem to be one for long conversations either. Alec could empathize - anytime he was in a conversation for over two minutes, he tended to make a fool of himself by saying something awkward or just plain out stupid. So far, though, he was choosing his words carefully, despite his cognitive impairments due to lack of sleep. Tonight would be the first night in a long time that he would be tired enough to just crash and sleep.
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