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Post by ALEC MATTHEWS on Nov 1, 2013 14:35:35 GMT -8
alec matthews It had seemed like only yesterday that Alec was able to manage sleeping more than 2 hours at a time. The lack of sleep was starting to make him grumpy, causing him to be slightly more irritable toward others when his intentions were pure. He already foresaw what was going to happen; soon, his sleeping habits would need to change. He would have to work on sleeping during the day so that he could stay awake at night. It sounded miserable, but it was probably the only thing that would keep him sane. Who knows...maybe he was meant to be a night person. Maybe, whatever the heck was going on, saw it best for Alec to become a night owl. He wasn't necessarily opposed to the idea, but it was still weird.
So, why hadn't he been sleeping? It was rather simple. That nice, worn scroll that Alec managed to get from a piece of paper? Well now it would glow. And talk to him. Oh and it moved around on his desk too. So, instead of trying to fight/argue with it, he decided to shove it in his back pocket and go for a walk. Nestled in a pair of camouflage cargo pants, the scroll seemed to be rather content. No movement and no glowing, to Alec's knowledge, so it probably just didn't want him going to sleep. This had only been going on for a few days, but it was long enough to make Alec irritated. He was hoping that he'd get some kind of cool power, like being able to summon up a tornado or turning someone to ice, but all this thing did was keep him from sleeping. That wasn't a very cool power at all.
The best part about this was that he honestly wasn't surprised. Not with everything else going on, at least. It almost seemed like things were happening to try and make him miserable. He was to the point where he knew that he was special, and something had chosen him to be this special person. He also knew Lucas and Kittim were special, or whatever you wanted to call it. Lucas could bend and shape metal like it was a balloon animal, and Kittim could control blood (or maybe it was liquids in general - he really didn't know). And somehow, through all of this, he was "blessed" with the power to see a strange, flickering glow around them. He had heard people speak of auras and simply assumed that's what it was, but he didn't have a clue. Did he have an aura? He wondered because he never could see himself. It was odd to be thinking of all of these things right now, but his mind was going a million miles per hour with no intent of stopping.
But his mind was the only thing that wanted to stop. Alec, somehow or another, managed to come into contact with a pole. A few rather ungentlemanly words while he rubbed his head, wondering how he had gotten so engrossed in thought that he missed the giant pole in front of him. His throat seared with pain, and Alec mentally blamed himself for not remembering that he wasn't supposed to be speaking. Only four days ago did he discover he had some throat polyps that were cancerous, and he would be getting them removed at some point. But until then, he wasn't allowed to speak for fear that he would agitate the polyps and in turn cause bleeding and possibly other nasty things. He sighed and kept walking, pulling his arms around his solid black t-shirt and aimlessly walking, wondering where he would end up.
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Post by SEBASTIAN E. G. BRANDT on Nov 2, 2013 21:50:14 GMT -8
Sebastian couldn’t really tell why he was where he was right now.
It was too early in the morning to pay the beach a visit, but that’s what he adamantly seemed to be doing, in spite of his better judgment. It was unlikely anyone would mess with him—he was probably one of the most intimidating people in the area right now, ridiculously tall and strutting around in a nondescript, dark leather jacket with a white hood pulled up over his face, obscuring his features, his hands occasionally clenching menacingly by his sides—but then again, he was hardly relieved because of that fact either. Nobody would mug him, sure, but there were worse things to deal with, in his opinion. If anything, he was frustrated.
Sebastian had never openly hated the ocean or the beach before, but the tang of the brine on his tongue and the scent of the salt water in the air offended his nose. His stomach twisted into knots—and not because of the smell—but because of the simple fact that the Pacific was a vast, turbulent barrier between him and his home country. Coming here had been a mistake because it reminded him of the distance. Worse, there was an even bigger problem weighing on his mind, one that he hadn't experienced in a while. At least, not for this long anyway. He stretched one hand up to his ear, growling under his breath—most people would stop, sit and listen to the whispering waves crash and sift across the sandy shores of the beach, lapping at rocks and seashells while seagulls and pelicans rested peacefully for the night. But Sebastian glowered as he stood there on the sidewalk, debating jumping the boardwalk fence separating him from the rest of the beach, simply because—well, because he couldn’t hear it.
He dropped his hand to his side.
Panic and fear slicked its way down his neck and spine. Gritting his teeth, he snapped his gaze up, eyes flashing angrily as he reached out and grabbed the railing, vaulting the barrier and landing in a huff on the sand. His boots sank instantly into it, but he cocked his head and held his breath, listening. “It’s too early,” he mumbled, glancing around him fearfully. “Too soon.” His accent was thick and angry, but laden with anxiety and doubt. He cast uneasy glances toward the ocean, balling his hands into fists, the white, bone rings embracing his fingers almost glowing in the dark of the night. And yet, contrary to what he wished so hard for—he couldn’t hear anything. In fact, he hadn’t been able to hear anything for almost three days now. Once or twice he thought her heard warped noises attempting to breakthrough, but it could have been his imagination.
His brow glistened with sweat; he had marched all the way here, and now a drop of it slithered down his forehead and disappeared past his jaw line. It wasn’t exhaustion that tore through him either—it was fear. Sebastian started to pace like a caged tiger, grinding his teeth, feeling the dull drum of his own heartbeat pound against his ribcage. German oaths spilled from his lips as he moved back and forth as if searching for a target to take his frustration out on, practically snarling his words, hoping against hope that no, this was not the day he would officially lose his hearing. He wasn’t ready for that. The sign language, the lip reading, the effort he put into his expressions so that people would understand him better—he did all of these things all the time, and yet, he confessed he still wasn’t ready. He didn’t want to be ready.
He didn’t want to admit he was officially deaf.
Time Stamp: May 5th
Notes: Tag ALEC MATTHEWS. This thread will be used for the contest and completing one of Sebastian's challenges: Your Character Must Face A Fear. As a side note, I will also be using up one of my Extra Thread Slots and will post so up in the Residue thread.
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Post by ALEC MATTHEWS on Nov 3, 2013 16:37:00 GMT -8
alec matthews This was getting ridiculous. On top of not being able to sleep, Alec now had a rather mild headache. Just something else to add to the long list of things piling up, of course. The night wasn't going to get much worse, he didn't think, but he couldn't say for sure since things tended to go south whenever he was around. It just happened - he could conjure no rhyme nor reason for it. In recent memory, there were no elderly ladies that he shoved or anyone's mother he had made fun of. So why did it seem like karma was out to get him?
Again, being lost in thought, Alec came into contact with a railing, but this time it was much more gentle and it elicited no unkind words from the teen. He noticed a man walking toward the ocean it appeared. Being the friendly guy that he was, Alec wished to call out to him and greet him, despite all signs pointing toward a suspicious man walking around in the middle of the nigh- er, morning. But for some reason it didn't click that he could be a danger, not in the slightest bit. Instead, Alec did the smartest thing that he could: he dropped down close and approached the man.
In his head, he played out the scenario between the two: Alec would greet him, curse himself for speaking agian, and the man would probably pull a knife on him and gut the poor boy. Well, that probably wasn't the best way to reassure himself, especially not when he jumps the rail behind this huge guy just so he can "greet" him and have a friendly conversation. Then again by now a really tall, athletic man didn't scare Alec all that much. Now holograms of Asian bands, dinosaurs, trees, and old tablets? Terrified.
Alec walked around and hoped to get the man's attention. He raised his arm up in a friendly gesture and smiled, mouthing the words Hi! It's a nice morning to be taking a walk. |
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Post by SEBASTIAN E. G. BRANDT on Nov 3, 2013 21:57:14 GMT -8
Sebastian was not used to having anyone sneak up behind him. Truth be told, no one could ever really grow accustomed to that sort of thing, but when you were a trained, specialized Hunter in the Impedio Society, it was doubly insulting when someone managed to do so and take you by complete surprise. Usually, such encounters did not end well. Sheep did not stalk wolves for a reason. And Sebastian was already emotionally unstable, perhaps even looking for something to hit. He couldn’t even hear Alec approaching, and his mind was too preoccupied to keep track of faint movements in the dark—no, the way he had finally noticed the young man had been the instant he turned around, changing the track of his pace—and there Alec was, standing in front of him. It almost stopped Sebastian’s heart; his eyes narrowed into pinpoints at the shock of it, the shadows accenting the raw emotion in his eyes. It took some time before he realized that no—he wasn’t under attack.
Alec had raised his arm in greeting, but Sebastian was still bristling, his fingers twitching at his sides. “What are—” he began before pausing, choking on his own aggravated words as he realized—Alec was saying something, and once again, Sebastian couldn’t hear any of it. No matter how hard he strained, there was nothing. He blinked. A faint pressure burdened Sebastian’s ears; he could almost swear at first that he had heard the ocean hiss across the sandy shores for a split second, filling him with hope, but that too, bled into the familiar void and left him with absolutely nothing to take away from it. His heart plummeted in his chest. He stared weakly at his new companion. Alec might as well have been mouthing breathlessly rather than actually speaking—Sebastian couldn’t even hear it, and in the dark it was difficult to read lips.
Sebastian supposed he should attempt a response anyway. “Damn, you startled me,” he grumbled under his breath. His accent was heavy. “You should be more careful; for all you knew I could have hurt you,” he said. Hell, Sebastian hit other things hard enough to kill a living thing on good days. He flexed his fingers at his sides, very aware that his rings were still in his possession if he needed them. He flushed irritably, heat trickling its way up his face as he realized he might not even be saying these words right because he couldn’t hear them; he raised his hands and also signed his next words carefully with his hands, just in case. “I have trouble hearing,” he explained. He still refused to admit that he was, at this point, probably completely deaf. He swept one hand back into his pale hair, almost throwing his hood back in the process. “It has been too quiet a morning for me,” he continued, “and I am agitated. What is your name?”
He had no clue what to ask beyond that. Sebastian wasn’t even sure of why he was asking really. He still needed time to fume and brood, but he supposed he was desperately reaching too—trying to test his hearing with anything and everything he could.
Notes: Lol. If only he realized his hearing is shoddy atm, not completely gone, and Alec really is mouthing his words. xD If only.
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Post by ALEC MATTHEWS on Nov 4, 2013 16:43:29 GMT -8
alec matthews Well this was awkward. He hadn't fully intended to make the big guy jump or startle him or anything, but it seemed that things were not going as he intended. His greeting was met with an equally strange equivalent. It sounded like he was choking on his own words, which was weird enough, but Alec couldn't even understand him. His accent was extremely thick, and with the sound of the waves it was hard to really understand what the man was trying to say. Alec shrugged his shoulders in confusion, hoping to portray his muddled understanding to this man.
His confusion was met with hang gestures along with the words, which made him feel much better about not really understanding things. He must have known that this skinny little white guy was, of course, not going to understand him with his accent. Alec did, however, catch the words "hurt you", which didn't really sound all that good. Immediately he felt his hand reach into his pocket, ready to pull the knife out at any given point. It only lasted for approximately two seconds because the teen thought the situation through: Alec goes to swing a knife at this man, he gracefully dodges it and plunges his own weapon into Alec's face, and Alec dies. That wasn't the scenario he hoped to play out tonight, especially not since he already figured he would die due to some strange monster thing.
Now, much more relaxed than a few seconds previously, Alec was listening intently trying to pick up on what he was saying. He made a movement toward his ear that looked a lot like something a deaf person would do. Well that would explain how Alec was able to sneak up on him like that. In the next sentence, the young boy caught something about a name. Was he asking for his name? Probably so, but with Alec being unable to talk it was going to be difficult to tell him. He went eye to eye with the man and mouthed I am Alec. What is your name? Since he wasn't very good at mouthing things and being clear with them, they probably looked like something like Lamb Lick.
It was getting aggravating not being able to talk. Alec had forgotten his notepad and pen that he typically carried with him. Well, it probably was more like I'm not gonna need this on my walk this early in the morning. It was going to make communication hard, but Alec was handy enough to where he would figure out something. So far the man seemed friendly enough, and Alec was hoping that despite their awkward encounter he would make a new friend tonight. One that spoke with a thick accent and couldn't hear worth crap, but a new friend nonetheless.
Note: This is absolutely wonderful!! I cannot stop laughing over the poor guys and their communication follies. |
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Post by SEBASTIAN E. G. BRANDT on Nov 5, 2013 20:20:27 GMT -8
Sebastian paled at the quiet, albeit, pantomimed conversation they seemed to be sharing. Even after the younger man had stepped forward to make himself more visible, Sebastian’s brow still furrowed in mild confusion. Reading lips was a last resort really; people that were well versed in it could still make mistakes. But trying to read lips in the dark was much worse. The corners of his mouth turned down in a subtle frown as he searched Alec’s face. What was the guy trying to say? Landlick? Lambick? That couldn’t be right. Perhaps it was foreign. Liam? That was…somewhat close, wasn’t it? Sebastian reached up and ran his hand through his pale hair, utterly lost. Common sense told him that the young man must be saying something along the lines of “I am…” but Sebastian could not piece together the last bit. He squinted and attempted to reason through it, but could still come up with nothing. Eventually he shook his head.
“I don’t understand,” he deadpanned. However, it was much easier to read into the next sentence, and Sebastian was surprised for an instant, because the pressure on his ears increased again, and for a few seconds he could swear he heard the ocean waters lapping at the beach—but his shoulders sagged moments later as that sensation vanished. He lifted his hands to dictate what he said, even though he also spoke, “Call me Sebastian. I’m afraid I can’t tell what you are saying,” he continued. “It is…what is English word? Messy? No. Jumbled?” Sebastian had no idea if that made sense, but he sighed a second later. Another shiver crawled up his back; he was still not willing to admit to himself that he could hear nothing. He continued to strain, even during seconds of silence. “You don’t know sign language, do you?” he asked, still gesturing with his words.
It was unfortunate, because right now, Sebastian felt as if it was his best way of communicating at this point. “Well I apologize if I frightened you as well,” he said stiffly. “But it has not been a good day. I,” he paused, blinking, wondering why he was saying what he was saying, “I feel as if I am on the edge.” That sounded like a typical American thing to say, didn’t it? It made sense, right? “Your name is not Liam, is it? Perhaps the sand. Spell it out in the sand?”
It would be difficult to see still, but it would be better than these awkward guessing games.
Notes: Lol, yes Sebastian. His name is Liam. Way to go. xD
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Post by ALEC MATTHEWS on Nov 9, 2013 12:08:07 GMT -8
alec matthews Well this was becoming awkward... Alec honestly didn't know if he should just give up trying to communicate with this man or if he should keep going. Alec was able to catch a few words that he said, but it didn't make all that much sense. Sebastian - he finally caught the man's name, but there was a jumble of other words in there that he sifted through, trying to figure out what was going on. So he got an introduction, which was good, but he still wasn't much further than before. It seemed that the man either didn't know much English or his accent was making everything worse. For some reason, unbeknownst to Alec, it sounded like he was almost whispering. His voice was rather soft, which also made it difficult to comprehend with the background noise of the ocean.
All he could do was sigh. For now, though, at least he didn't seem to be a threatening figure. Or someone out to kill him. If Alec could use some sort of sign language, he might be able to communicate a little better. He began to use gestures of his own while trying to mouth the words I still can't understand you when he just gave up. There was no point in talking to him if he couldn't lip read. Unless... there, that was the solution! Sebastian said something about sand, and Alec quickly dropped to the ground and began to draw out his name in the sand. He would be able to communicate much better that way!
In just a few moments, Alec had finished writing out a message that even this man would be able to understand. "My name is Alec. I can't hear or understand you. English?" There, that would be enough to get his point across. The man had to have known English for Alec to catch a few of his words, but something told him that it wasn't very good. That or he just mistook half of his speech for words in a foreign language. Either way perhaps this was going to be their ideal way of communicating for the time being.
Note: Liam...hehehe. Alec is so done xD |
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Post by SEBASTIAN E. G. BRANDT on Nov 10, 2013 12:07:02 GMT -8
Finally! Sebastian released a breath that might have been a sigh of relief. They’d finally found a method of communication that would work reasonably. His shoulders slumped and he finally tucked his hands back into his pockets to keep them still. He was still wary that the younger man had snuck up on him, but there was nothing Sebastian could do about it now. At least they were close enough to the shore that the sand was damp and therefore easy to write in; it made the edges on his words that much clearer, though Sebastian flushed and reached up to rub the back of his neck after reading the message. He’d been so far off the mark this time. The guy’s name was Alec, not Liam. His heart jerked uncomfortably in his chest. He was letting his irrational fear and anger affect his ability to focus on what others were saying to him. And yet, he combed his hand through his hair, wiping away some of the sweat still clinging to his forehead; it was difficult not to be angry or upset. No one wanted to lose their hearing—but Sebastian had always known he would. He just hadn’t expected it to be so soon.
“Alec. Sorry.” Sebastian noted the rest and then sighed, kneeling down in the sand to scrawl his own message. “I know I am not the best English speaker,” he explained aloud as he wrote. “And I’m sorry.” But he understood at least, how to do this much. Writing English had thankfully never been a problem. But then again, it seemed that grammar rules were easier to overcome than speech nuances. What he etched into the sand was, more or less, notes though. Scrawling entire sentences would take too long. But he spoke much more slowly and louder too, so that Alec would probably be able to understand him easier.
“I am originally from Germany,” he said. He drew out that single word in the sand, and then made an arrow from it to the next word. “But moved to Italy when I was young. That is why I sound like this. It is…hard to check or know what I am saying wrong. English is a difficult language for me. But I also have trouble hearing.” He growled after that last enunciation, pulling his hand away from the sand and glancing up at Alec to make sure that made sense.
Notes: So many Sebastian posts today. xD
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Post by ALEC MATTHEWS on Nov 13, 2013 19:04:22 GMT -8
alec matthews
Alec listened to the nonsensical words from the older man as he carefully wrote in the snow. A small yawn escaped from his mouth, leaving Alec feeling a bit more tired than previously. His eyes were now feeling heavier, which was a good thing in some ways. It reminded him that, hey, it's important to get your sleep at night! It also brought painful memories of just hours before when that wretched scroll-thing skipped around the room flashing lights and all sorts of weird nonsense. Not once did his dad ever seem to notice, despite their rooms being somewhat close and his dad being a bit of a night owl himself. Great - it's probably something that only I can see and hear. Another reminder that I'm probably going insane.
But it wouldn't get the young man down for long. Instead, he focused on some of the better things in life. He was alive, for starters, and that was a plus. While he didn't have a job he still had some money left in his bank account, which was also great. There were other things he had that many people didn't, so he tried to smile and stay positive. Right now probably wasn't the best or most appropriate time to be showing off a grin, but Alec was doing his best to be the happy-go-lucky kid that he had been most of his life.
Meanwhile after losing himself in thought, yet again, the other man had finished his writing in the sand. He had completely tuned out the man for a moment, and he quickly snapped his attention back toward the writing sprawled out in front of him. Well that makes sense. His accent was such a cluster of other accents, making it even more difficult to pick up on what he was actually saying. That and he wasn't speaking very loudly, or at least Alec wasn't hearing much. But seeing that the man had trouble hearing made complete sense now! He felt relieved now that both of them had found a form of communication that worked.
Bending down, he began scribbling in the sand to write out his own message. "Wow. Sorry to hear that." He looked up at Sebastian to make sure he got the message for continuing on. "Taking a walk too? I couldn't sleep." He didn't want to go into detail about a possessed piece of paper because...well, it likely would land him in a crazy house. That wouldn't do. And yet again he yawned once more, this time not even bothering to cover his mouth.
I really need to get some sleep...
Note: Hooray for communication that works!!! |
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Post by SEBASTIAN E. G. BRANDT on Nov 19, 2013 14:05:35 GMT -8
Couldn’t sleep, huh. Sounded familiar. Sebastian huffed quietly after reading the latest message, ignoring the empty pressure on his ears. He shrugged halfheartedly in response, doing his best to ignore Alec’s yawns and swallowing back his own. Sebastian had weathered too many nights to know for sure if he was a night owl by nature or a night owl because of his nerves. It was probably the latter, because he often focused on anything but the issues that were actually hanging over his head. Instead he busied himself with work or more training, throttling or laboring his way through the worst of whatever problem he was experiencing until finally he was too exhausted to actually care anymore. He supposed it said a lot for his tolerance levels, but this time it was difficult to weather.
He swept his hand over the sand to erase some of the writing and make more room. Funny—he never would have imagined he’d have to share a conversation with someone on the beach by scrawling jagged messages in the sand. “Yes and no,” he wrote, sighing. He cocked a brow and then added thoughtfully, “You seem tired.” Unfortunately, in spite of the withered look he offered the young man in return, Sebastian himself was too used to being up at this hour. He supposed the most exhausting part of the night was the senseless rage and panic he felt about his hearing problem. Nonetheless he wrote, “At least it is a good night.” Sebastian glanced over his shoulder toward the ocean. He could loathe that it separated him from his former home and reminded him he was stuck halfway around the world instead, but he could not deny that it was beautiful. He reached up and rubbed his ear before once again erasing what was said and adding something new.
“It’s less about sleep for me and more about the things I can’t forget.” It was a cryptic note, and could easily lead to more questions, but at this point Sebastian was too exhausted with himself to care.
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Post by ALEC MATTHEWS on Nov 20, 2013 17:33:11 GMT -8
alec matthews With his deep, dark eyes, Alec watched the older man scribble more into the sand. He couldn't help but to notice how large this man was... His body was very toned, too. The teen's mind wandered for a moment, wondering how long it would take for him to get that big. He was slowly gaining more and more mass, but it seemed like it was taking forever! And he could also tell how tired he was from the amount of wandering his mind was doing. It was becoming harder and harder to focus, which was no real surprise. He needed some sleep and he needed it soon, but for some reason he knew better than to try right now.
Blinking his eyes a few times, Alec was aware that the man was probably watching him. He reached down and pressed his index finger in the sand, curling it up and down to form the words he need to get across. "Very. Can't sleep much lately." He figured that would be a good enough answer; besides, it was fairly common for teenagers to stay up all night and goof off, so this wouldn't be any sort of unusual behavior for a stereotypical teenager. He carefully watched the older man scribble more words into the sand while he rubbed his eyes. Coffee. There was a coffee shop nearby that was open 24/7. Well, the drive-thru at least. Maybe he could walk through the drive-thru and get some coffee...
And yet again, he focused back on reality and what was in front of him. In response to the weather comment, Alec quickly wrote out "Yes the ocean is very nice and temperature is not hot. Very nice." But what piqued his interest, and kept his thoughts from wandering again, was that the man talked about things he couldn't forget. Alec wanted to probe and ask questions, but it was already hard enough to jot out simple notes in the sand to communicate. But he wanted to give it a small try, so he reached down and finished his message before he stood back up to stretch his legs. "Personal things?" |
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Post by SEBASTIAN E. G. BRANDT on Nov 20, 2013 19:01:01 GMT -8
Really he should have been quiet about it. Sebastian wasn’t the sort to unload his problems on others. If anything he was used to standing quietly by while they fell apart or finally broke under the burden of their own stress. It was rare that he find the chance to do the same, and not because of foolish pride. If anything, Sebastian supposed it had a lot to do with how he was raised and all the training he had been through in his life. He didn’t have other siblings to confess things too. Friends had been extremely rare once he joined the Society, particularly if they weren’t involved with it, so that too, hadn’t been much of an option. In the Italian branch, Salvatore favored men and women that could get a job done and done as quickly and as well as possible, in teams that might have relied heavily upon one another in combat but were not friends. Work had always come first.
Sebastian therefore sighed when he read Alec’s question, thinking about what he should say. He didn’t even know him very well—but maybe that was a good thing. It might make it easier to talk. Of course, he’d have to skimp on certain details. The Society sort of frowned on the whole talking-about-Fate-activity-outside-of-work thing. But maybe he could manage. He curled his fingers and frowned down at the sand as he tried to think of a way to word this.
“Too many personal things,” he said. He scrawled the first two words into the sand and sighed again, cracking his knuckles before continuing to write. “My hearing has never been this bad before. It’s my fault. I did this to myself. But if I hadn’t been hurt, someone else would have been. So I've accepted it. But I always knew I would lose my hearing eventually. I just didn’t expect it would happen so soon. It usually comes back.” He paused and erased a section of the sand so that he could continue writing. Sebastian made sure to only write keywords as he talked, so that Alec could understand better and the writing itself was more efficient. “But it hasn’t lately. Have you ever regretted something you’ve done—truly and deeply wished you hadn’t—but at the same time, know it was the only way? That it was the right thing? Sometimes. Sometimes the price I paid for what I did makes me regret. And I hate myself for it.”
Because it wasn't right to feel that way.
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Post by ALEC MATTHEWS on Nov 22, 2013 11:45:39 GMT -8
alec matthews In that moment, something struck Alec. He saw that look that this man had given him... This teenager was no counselor. He was not someone that could sit down and help people with their problems. It had been a long time since he had been in close contacts with any of his friends. They had moved away, so Alec was used to know really listening to people's problems or talking about really deep things that had been bothering them. It was a little different for Lucas, somehow, but even that wasn't quite the same. That felt more like sharing the burden since both of them were in the same boat. No, this was completely different.
As soon as Alec saw his fellow friend scribbling in the sand, he felt like he had stepped over a boundary. It was too late to cross back over and say "I'm sorry!" or "I shouldn't have ask something so personal." Now all that was left was to read silently and politely nod in acknowledgement. He carefully watched the man write out bits and pieces of some rather personal things, which Alec was definitely not ready for. But he listened anyway and tried his best to keep a neutral face. Honestly he felt sorry for the man, but it sounded like he did something truly heroic in order to keep someone else safe. It took a lot of courage for a person to put aside their own health in order to keep another from being harmed. Whoever this man was, Alec really liked him. Nothing about this man was menacing, evil, or even remotely bad. This man...it was someone that Alec could admire and look up to. He wanted to do that same thing one day. He wanted to set aside his own personal wishes and desires so that he could care for those around him.
In that moment, though, all Alec could do was to stare at him. He felt like crying and saying that he was so sorry this man had to go through all of that. But something told him that there would be no point in shedding tears. This man had probably already done that, and now it was time to accept his fate and move along whether happy about it or not. It took a little longer for him to react, but the young man finally bent down and started his own message in the sand. "Wow... you've been through a lot. I'm so sorry." There was nothing else he could say to make him feel better.
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Post by SEBASTIAN E. G. BRANDT on Nov 22, 2013 12:40:55 GMT -8
No. There really was nothing that could be said, sadly enough. Sebastian looked down at his scribbles in the dirt almost tiredly after Alec had written his own response. Apologies were not going to make the situation any better for anyone—it would not fix the deterioration of Sebastian’s hearing, and it certainly could not erase the slight demotion that Salvatore had enacted afterward. There was nothing left for Sebastian to do but accept certain things as pure fact, and it was both frustrating and pessimistic to think that way. But that’s what it was and nothing he could do or say would ever fix the matter. His eyes dropped to the bone rings encircling his fingers. They were a constant reminder of what had happened, but he was torn between thinking that they were a curse or a gift. At least he had been given the time to teach the girl how to use them and protect herself. She would never have to suffer what he was going through as a result.
“I am not the type to...” he searched for the right word, “talk like this,” he finally settled on. Sebastian knew it wasn’t exactly what he wanted to say, but it got the point across well enough. He spoke slowly even, to be sure that Alec could understand him better this time, because writing everything in the sand was pointless. “Some things are easier to accept than others.” He could still hear nothing in fact, in spite of how hard he tried to focus on it. Irritated, he rolled his shoulders. “I should not have said such things to you,” he admitted. “I am sorry. Sometimes it is difficult to—ignore it for so long.” Sebastian shook his head and glanced over his shoulder again. Time moved on regardless of his troubles and it was growing ever later. He remembered only a few seconds before that Alec had been yawning enough to reflect as much as well.
“If I’ve kept you from something,” Sebastian finally said, “I also apologize for that. If you need to go, I understand.”
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Post by ALEC MATTHEWS on Nov 22, 2013 14:40:59 GMT -8
alec matthews And there it was. The unnamed man started to speak again, but this time he spoke much more slowly, and Alec was able to catch on to what he was saying. It was easier than writing in the sand, that much was a certainty, but he couldn't help feeling bad that he still had to write. He wished that everything would get better and that this man would have his hearing, but that was a wish that wouldn't be coming true. Being a teenager was pretty easy sometimes, but it sucked having to grow up and do adult things. Like battling monsters and losing hearing. All he could do at this point was to try and "go with the flow", so to speak.
For an instant, Alec opened his mouth to speak, but he quickly realized that while this man was speaking, he would be unable to hear Alec. Quickly the dark-haired boy wrote out another message in the sand. "It's okay. Everyone needs someone they can talk to." He looked up to make eye contact with his acquaintance before going back to his message, making sure to erase enough so that he could continue. "No I was just walking because I could not sleep. I'm in no hurry, but I do not want to keep you either." Alec didn't want to rush the man, but he also felt like he might be ready to get somewhere. Somewhere away from the shrimpy kid that he just unloaded his problems to.
But just after he wrote his message, he leaned back to yawn and fell on his butt. Not sleeping had somehow managed to creep its way into Alec's sense of balance, causing him to feel a little disoriented. Geez maybe I do need to try going to sleep right now...at least I can go take a nap or something. That might help! So before the foreign man could make any indication regarding the need to leave, the awkward boy picked himself back up and smiled. His next message was written rather quickly and clumsily as to get the point across. "Well, maybe I should get some rest." |
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Post by SEBASTIAN E. G. BRANDT on Nov 22, 2013 20:06:30 GMT -8
Maybe? Sebastian snorted, standing up at that point, mildly impressed with the both of them. His conversations with others rarely lasted this long, and for being a perfect stranger, Alec had been remarkably patient and even somewhat sympathetic. The younger man had already fallen over once, and it was clear he was exhausted, so it was probably for the best that Sebastian allow Alec to go on his way and get some sleep. “Maybe you should,” he said honestly, still speaking as slow as before for the sake of comprehension. “I believe I should be going myself.” It might do him some good to get back to the base and take an hour or two at the gym to punch his frustration out on a weight bag instead of depending on strangers to sit and listen at this hour of the morning. If he were honest with himself, Sebastian would admit he was also uncomfortable with the fact that he had even gone so far as to say so much—he just wasn’t the type to thrust all of his issues on someone else. Particularly someone who barely knew him.
“Thank you at least for listening,” Sebastian finally said. He scuffed his boot against the sand to erase the remains of their former conversation. “If we’re lucky I’ll see you again, Alec. I owe you.” He extended his hand, wearily looking down at the young man and waiting for him to return the gesture. “And be careful on your way home,” he said. L.A. was not like the small hometown in Germany that Sebastian grew up in. In some ways it wasn’t even like the big cities of Italy that he stayed in when working for the Society. America had far too many problems with crime and general street violence. Sebastian knew he should be getting back though, and didn’t want to linger longer than necessary. It would only send him back into a brooding mood and stir up panic again. So it was probably best he take all of his fear and frustration out at the gym or his workload at the Society. Regardless, he pulled his hand away from Alec’s and quietly stuffed both into his pockets, turning to head his own way home and sincerely hoping that Alec wasn’t too far from his home either.
Notes: Annnd I think we might be done. xD
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Post by MIKE on Nov 22, 2013 21:10:28 GMT -8
| | | Finished Thread
This thread has been marked as complete. It has been placed in the archives under the 'finished' sub-board. You are more than welcome to PM fate if this thread is not finished or if you are unhappy/unsatisfied with the amount of residue that has been rewarded. Keep up the great work and keep posting with other members.
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