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 Posted: Sun May 14, 2017 12:27 pm
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He sighed. "She.... the charter is engraved into her spine, in her bones. Your brother, Ollie, locked it away for a bit, but that's only a temporary measure. The lock is already cracking." Please get your hand looked at, Oliver. You need them. His hands clenched and unclenched.
"If not us, then who else? I can't just leave things to be done by other people because I'm afraid. I came here to ask you guys because I trust you... Because I'm afraid if someone else took this on, they'd forget there's a girl who never asked for any of this attached to it all." He ran his hands through his hair. If Horace had thought he could do everything on his own, he would've done it alone. But weren't three minds better than one?
"If...if either of your don't want to help me, let me know. I just don't want her to die; I want to find a way to free here, to make up for this charter that apparently we all inflicted on her." Horace couldn't force them into helping him, of course. He'd... he'd find someone else. He stared at the countertop.
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Posted: Sun May 14, 2017 1:38 pm
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The stretching thing? A bad habit that Elliot had a sneaking suspicion wasn't actually an issue. Something else was wrong, but now didn't feel like the proper time to bring it up. Later, once all of this had been settled, he might broach the subject again. For now...
"I'm willing to accept it," he said after listening to the rest of Horace's explanation. Even if his voice was quiet, his resolve was obvious. "Now that I've been given an opportunity to do something, I can't just sit aside and pretend like people aren't putting themselves in danger trying to figure this out. Even I'm not that selfish."
Except part of his reasoning was selfish, there could be no denying that. Now that he could join them, he didn't want to be left behind. It had already been enough of an emotional issue before now, despite the fact he rarely brought it up.
"I'm going to help, Horace. I can tell this is important to you." With a small sigh, he took a sip of coffee. Much like Oliver's, his was slowly growing cold. "Is there anyone the two of you know who might, I don't know, have more knowledge on this subject than us? We need somewhere to start."
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Posted: Sun May 14, 2017 1:57 pm
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I can't. I literally can't. There's nothing wrong with it that medicine can fix. His white lie was immediately outed, and his eyes were wide and blue and owlish as he looked at Horace, willing him to keep it a secret. I can't tell you why.
Either way, they were discussing, plans full speed ahead. Elliot was getting involved whether he liked it or not. Horace was gung-ho about this. Oliver was still hung up on his phone as it gave the occasional buzz in the background, is he getting desperate or what? Christ. Because that's what this entire thing was, right? An inconvenience? He set his tea down quietly. "You know you're on the charter?" His eyes turned fearful for a second, and then they looked down towards the floor, "Be careful, Horace."
"If you want someone to talk to..." His nails were tapping against the cup, "Silk may know, she's older than the charter. She'd also want Melany's best interests at heart, I think." He sighed. "There's Mr. Leroux too. He's older than the cage." At this point he was sipping the tea not out of enjoyment, but because it gave his hands something to do.
"I could get in contact with him easily. I'd think he'd be willing to field our quests too, so long as you're respectful. He's very busy." He still hadn't said he'd explicitly help, though.
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Posted: Sun May 14, 2017 2:27 pm
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Is it magic? Please don't... keep things secret from me. I want to help you with anything. He glanced back down at his coffee, a thread of embarrassment snaking towards Oliver. He wanted to talk to Oliver about everything: his deathsense, his lessons, his brother, his hand.
"I know I'm on it. Is Eli on it?" Thank you, he pinged over at Elliot. "Silk is a um, fetch - they are similar to servants to the nobles - like Odal, who sent the letter you guys got." Just in case Elliot didn't know. "I don't know if Silk had Melany's best interests at heart or the Spinel Lady's though, and I'm worried they might be too dissimilar."
"I'd appreciate if you contact Leroux.... I think he's the best bet. Though... does this mean you're helping us, Oliver?" Horace was attempting to give him the biggest, shiniest puppy-dog eyes he could manage. It probably looked ridiculous.
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Posted: Mon May 15, 2017 8:34 am
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The voice in his mind was familiar now, so much so that Eli didn't immediately react. Eventually he smiled at Horace, small and cautious, the only real you're welcome he could give. Mental projection wasn't one of his abilities, after all. What any of them were, he didn't know.
It did get him wondering, though. Did Oliver have this ability, as well? How common were crossovers in power? He'd been receptive enough to catch almost every twitch and shift in their expressions, but he tried not to worry about what they may or may not be discussing out of earshot.
"Let's talk to this Mr. Leroux, then. If you could get us in touch, Oliver..." he trailed off, glancing between Horace and Ollie, expression carefully guarded. "A phone number would be enough. If you don't want to get involved, I mean."
There, an out. If Oliver wanted it, he could take it. Horace wasn't the only one who hoped he'd join, though.
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Posted: Mon May 15, 2017 1:26 pm
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I literally can't tell you. He insisted. I literally can't. It hurts if I do.
Oliver let out a breath he didn't know he was holding in. "It's... he's busy. If I end up cutting into our tutoring time then I'm going to be irritated." He huffed, but finally stood up to retrieve the phone he was neglecting. A somber look fell over his face when he lit the home screen up, his thumb hastily swiping things away. "It'd probably be for the best that I was there with you two whenever we talked to him."
He sighed. "I don't want to, but I will." Between tonfa-extraordinaire Horace Nokoni and 'I have no idea what I'm doing' Elliot Labelle, Oliver decided he had to be the straight man to keep them from feeding into some sort of self destructive implosion. "Who else is going to look after you two?"
Such a thankless job.
"I'll send him a text and see what time's convenient for him, then. Remember, he's going to be doing us a favor—if he even says yes—and I'm not about to have you guys make me look bad." His stare was harsh, but at the same time not. Tea in tow, Oliver left the room to gather his thoughts. Professional, he had to make it sound professional.
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Posted: Mon May 15, 2017 3:48 pm
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"Yes, thank you," he added, also genuine. Of course he didn't doubt Horace was as knowledgeable about all of this, or at least as able to speak to someone and learn as Oliver was, but it was nice to have more people on their side. It was nice to think about working side by side with someone he'd tried to support in the past, but always felt like he was falling short of doing anything.
"I'll look forward to his response," but by the time he said so, Oliver was halfway gone. That was fine, let him have a moment to settle himself. Tipping his weight to one hip, he let out a long-suffering sigh. After that, though, he seemed considerably better.
"A movie sounds nice, actually. I'm sure we could lure Oliver back in here with popcorn once he's contacted Leroux."
They'd discussed what they needed to, at least for now. It wouldn't hurt to take a break.
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