Antonio Pavlatos (Cheap Hotel): He
finishing creating a make shift ice pack, and holds it against his cheek as he
looks at the door to the next room. After a few minutes he retrives his cell
phone from his pants on the floor, and hits the second -A-, dialing the number
Alex programmed into it for Aerin.
Aerin Thomas -> Antonio Pavlatos (Cheap Hotel):
*Click* "Hello?" He sounds...a little tired. Distracted, maybe. A brief pause
comes, before... "Tony?"
Antonio Pavlatos (Cheap Hotel): He sighs
in relief as Aerin answers the phone. "Yes, Sir... it's Tony. I... I'm supposed
to let ya know that... Dante is here, with me, 'n he ain't hurt, but he's... not
okay." His voice also sounds tired.
Aerin Thomas -> Antonio Pavlatos (Cheap Hotel):
"Dante...shit." The sounds of him standing up, and
shuffling sounds, like he's putting something on. "What happened? What's going
on?"
Antonio Pavlatos (Cheap Hotel): He groans
softly as he moves the wrong way. "He... he went outta in... in the park, Sir...
I was... on the phone with him, 'n then I was talkin' to someone else... 'n..."
A long sigh. "Please, Sir, kin ya come here? I'm at (insert name of out of the
way, cheap little hotel), not that far from the park."
Antonio Pavlatos (Cheap Hotel): (in=it)
Aerin Thomas -> Antonio Pavlatos (Cheap Hotel):
"I'm on the way." A door opens and shuts. He's all
business at the moment, his voice calm and in control. "Fifteen minutes. Calm
down, Tony. Everything's going to be okay, all right?"
Antonio Pavlatos (Cheap Hotel): He nods
his head, even though Aerin can't see him. "Yes, Sir... he's asleep in the other
room... can't wake him... I'm in room number 5, up the stairs... at the end of
th' hall."
Aerin Thomas -> Antonio Pavlatos (Cheap Hotel):
"I'll be right there." *Click*
Antonio Pavlatos (Cheap Hotel): He groans
softly again as he reaches down and snatches up his pants. He had 15 minutes to
get himself together. He takes his time getting into his pants, fumbling with
the laces, and finally just leaves them half undone and slowly pulls his sweater
on over them. No comb, but he runs his fingers through his hair enough to at
least make it presentable, then puts the ice pack back on the side of his face.
Aerin Thomas: And fifteeen minutes later,
his hybrid is pulling up outside the hotel. He slips out of the car, the trench
coat covering a straight green T-Shirt and a pair of blue jeans. He makes his
usual paranoid glance around the street before he slips into the hotel, moving
quickly to the Room 5. He moves up to the door and knocks.
Antonio Pavlatos (Cheap Hotel): He
stiffens when he hears the knock, and peeks out the tiny hole in the door to
make sure it is Aerin. He quickly dumps the make-shift ice pack in the sink, and
opens the door, stepping to the side, head lowered, to let Aerin inside the
room.
Antonio Pavlatos (Cheap Hotel): The room
is a normal cheap hotel room, with basic necessities and the tv and pictures
bolted to the wall. The room is messy, the bed unmade and the sheets half off of
it, a few splatterings of what could be dried blood on them.
Aerin Thomas: He steps inside, immediately
looking around and assessing the situation in the door. The dried blood causes
him to frown deeply, and he looks at Antonio, looking him over. "Hey." His voice
is soft, gentle. He reaches out to brush the other's hair back, looking at him.
"Are you okay?"
Antonio Pavlatos (Cheap Hotel): He winces,
his face bruised on one side, lips swollen. He tries to turn his head to the
side, to hide it. "I'm... okay, Sir. But... Dante ain't. He's... still passed
out in the other room. Damien helped me with 'im... 'n paid for the second room
so I could stay here 'till Alex come."
Antonio Pavlatos (Cheap Hotel): There is
an adjourning door, unlocked, into the next room, where Dante is totally out of
the world passed out across the bed.
Aerin Thomas: "And what happened to you,"
he asks quietly, head tilting to look at the bruises.
Antonio Pavlatos (Cheap Hotel): He licks
his lips, eyes on the floor. "It was my fault... I called Alex... toldt him I
called Damien fer help with Dante... 'n we was in the park... the Mtolo has
somethin' goin', but... he come by here... 'n he... he wasn't real happy with
me..." He tries to change the subject again. "I was talkin' to Dante on the
phone... Mercury was out in the car asleep... wanted to know if wanted to get
suthin' to eat with me... 'n he suddenly made this... strange sound, like a
scream, 'n wouldn't answer me... then this woman come on his phone 'n toldt me
he was all rolled up in a ball in the park..."
Antonio Pavlatos (Cheap Hotel): Once
started he continues, fumbling over his words hastily, nervously. "I... I didn't
know what to do... Mercury wasn't there (in the bathroom, since Raven had to go
about then) 'n so I called Damien. I knew he didn't live that far away, 'n
the.... the woman... her name was Surly... I asked her to stay with 'im, to get
him to a gate where we could come get 'im. She wasn't right pleased, but she
said she would do it..."
Aerin Thomas: "Alexander did this to you?"
His jaw sets, and he shakes his head. This isn't something he can deal with
through Tony. He'll deal with that later. "Okay. So something happened to Dante
in the park, then. And he's messed up over it. You said he's not hurt,
just...messed up. Do you know if it's anything more then purely emotional?" He
says it not in a way that indicates the emotional could be trivial, just trying
to make determination.
Aerin Thomas: "Surly." he nods a little
bit. "Yeah, she wouldn't be pleased about dealing with a mess. Especially if
that mess was a male Garou."
Antonio Pavlatos (Cheap Hotel): He seems
scared then, and grabs Aerin's arm. "It was my fault, Sir, not Alex! He... he
almost lost it when he heard I called Damien... he didn't hurt me bad, I've had
a lot worse, he just slapped me a little, I'm okay... I didn't know, didn't
realize they might hurt Damien..."
Antonio Pavlatos (Cheap Hotel) -> Aerin Thomas:
Alex almost lost it in a Rage roll. I don't want
to put him in a bad light, but outside of the ways he would normally punish Tony
for things - rather play or for real - the only things he did was slap him silly
a couple of times, the rest are fairly normal stuff. They get rough.
Aerin Thomas: "Exactly. You didn't know."
He shrugs a little, a hand smoothing over Tony's hair. "It's okay, Tony. Don't
worry, okay? I'm fine."
Aerin Thomas -> Antonio Pavlatos (Cheap Hotel):
((I figured as much...but there's no way this
ISN'T going to look bad to Aerin. He's almost pathological about this kind of
thing. *S*))
Antonio Pavlatos (Cheap Hotel): He
blinks up at Aerin, biting his lower lip enough to almost draw blood. He nods
then, calming abit - as long as Aerin understood that it was his fault in
angering Alex. "Dante... Dante was cryin' she said, I ain't sure what happened
to him, but Damien 'n me got him to a taxi and he just blacked out. He was so
upset... has been since he showed up at our cabin... he was sayin' in the park
he wanted to talk to Jim..."
Antonio Pavlatos (Cheap Hotel) -> Aerin Thomas:
(Okay then, just wanted you to realize that they
do play rough, and Tony DID do something that almost made Alex flip out. He's
more upset about angering Alex than the actual pain he suffered. He is into pain
somewhat, but not to the extreme and Alex doesn't take it that far.)
Aerin Thomas: "Shit." He sighs, shaking his
head. "Which, of course, he can't do. That's the LAST thing he should do right
now. If he goes back, he'll never leave." He puts a hand on Antonio's shoulder,
leading him to take a seat on the bed, gesturing for him to do so. He drops to a
crouch, brushing Antonio's hair back from his face and looking the wounds over.
"And Dante's asleep right now? Does he have his knife still on him?" Keep the
kin talking about the situation...that seems to be the plan, while Aerin
examines the damage.
Antonio Pavlatos (Cheap Hotel): He sits
down gingerly on the bed, resting more on his hip. The marks on his face are
obvious open-handed slap marks, as probably the side of his mouth. Nothing else
is visible at the moment. The ice helped the swelling, and the brusining is just
begining to show. "Yes, Sir... he's been asleep since we got him in the taxi...
sorta... weird... I tried to wake him, but I couldn't. He's real tore up about
Jim, Sir, and... and that little mouse... he seemed real upset... Alex had him
stay with us then, to rest some, but we woke up 'n he was gone. Didn't talk to
him again until... until he was in the park."
Antonio Pavlatos (Cheap Hotel): (oops,
forgot this part) "He's still dressed, Sir... I don't know what he's got on him,
'cept his cell phone that Surly give back to 'im. She sure didn't like Damien."
At that he drops his head and murmurs. "I'm sorry, I... I didn't know he
shouldn't be in the park. He come to help though, 'n didn't actually go in, just
helped me."
Aerin Thomas: "He is upset. And I
understand that. We'll do what we can to help him." He nods a little bit, his
hand coming up to rest on the kin's forehead for just a moment. He focuses on
the touch.
Aerin Thomas:
d10: Mothers Touch: 8,9,10,3,6,9,
Antonio Pavlatos (Cheap Hotel): He
remains still as he can get, obviously a little uncomfortable at the moment
sitting, waiting for Aerin's next question.
Antonio Pavlatos (Cheap Hotel): (Whoa...
you probably couldn't get that high if that had been in combat! lol)
Aerin Thomas: "It's okay." He sighs a
little bit, not withdrawing his hand as the beating heals up. He strokes his
hand along Antonio's face, smiling a bit. "You didn't know. Someone should have
told you. I probably should have."
Antonio Pavlatos (Cheap Hotel): He blinks
in astonishment as the pain eases from him. He realizes in the next moment what
Aerin had done and he murmurs, "Ya... didn't hafta do that..." He sits back
easier on the bed then, the marks seeming to fade from his face even as Aerin
looks at him. "I... I didn't know, 'n Alex... he was upset then after... 'cause
he got upset, but it weren't his fault... he gets upset he... starts swingin'
sometimes... he didn't mean to really hurt me or he couldna. I was stupid, 'n he
toldt me to contact you..." He tenses then as the phone in his pants starts to
vibrate. He frowns, looking up at Aerin before he gets his phone out and answers
it hesitantly. "Hello?"
Aerin Thomas: He sits back on his
haunches, quiet as Antonio answers the phone. He gives the kin a moment, rising
from his spot to slip into the other room and take Dante's knife from him, if he
has it. No suicides on his watch.
Antonio Pavlatos (Cheap Hotel): He watches
Aerin leave, then touches his face where minutes before he had been hurting. He
closes his eyes, knowing that cost Aerin something, and feeling guilty because
he had been so stupid to not realize something so obvious.
Antonio Pavlatos (Cheap Hotel): He blinks
then, amazement going over his face. "Yes, Sir... I remember ya. I... I sorta
ain't goin' many places... I... I can't unless... unless I got somebody to go
with me." He looks toward the other door. "Mr. Kristja... right?"
Antonio Pavlatos (Cheap Hotel): (Kristjan)
Antonio Pavlatos (Cheap Hotel) -> Aerin Thomas:
(your choice rather he hears Tony, since the door
to the room is open)
Antonio Pavlatos (Cheap Hotel): "I can
go... places, just not... on my own. Alex wants me with somebody he knows...
'n... well, he knows you..." He speaks softly into the phone. "He wanted to talk
more with ya too, just didn't have... time that day."
Antonio Pavlatos (Cheap Hotel): He
stretches out, realizing that he isn't even sore anymore and blinks again.
Aerin Thomas: The knife removed ((if it's
there)), he slips back out of the room, slipping the blade into the closet.
Looking to Tony, mouthing 'It'll be in here.' He takes a lean against the wall,
pulling a smoke and lighting up as Tony speaks.
Antonio Pavlatos (Cheap Hotel): He
hesitates, looking again to see where Aerin is. "Not really.... bad, Sir...
just... I need to find out what Mr Aerin's doin'... I'm... sorta... with a
friend here what needs help."
Antonio Pavlatos (Cheap Hotel): He looks
to Aerin, then to the cigarette he is holding and licks his lips - he wants one,
but he doesn't ask.
Antonio Pavlatos (Cheap Hotel): He blinks.
"You know Mr Aerin? Yes, Sir, I'm with him 'n a... friend." He looks to Aerin
then.
Aerin Thomas: He raises an eyebrow, head
tilting. Only now does the name actually seem to be heard...a sort of delayed
reaction. "Kristjan, did you say?" He smiles a little, warmly, as he pulls out a
smoke, moving to Antonio and offering it to him.
Antonio Pavlatos (Cheap Hotel): He nods
to Aerin, taking the offered cigarette gratefully. Speaking outside of the
phone, but no doubt easily heard. "Yes, Sir... we met him at a bookstore...
when... when Alex was gettin' me some stuff to learn with."
Antonio Pavlatos (Cheap Hotel): He then
simply hands the phone to Aerin, no other words.
Aerin Thomas: He nods a little bit and
takes the phone, holding it up to his ear. "Kristjan? It's Aerin."
Antonio Pavlatos (Cheap Hotel): He digs in
his pocket to find his lighter, and lights up the cigarette, taking a deep drag
from it and although he coughs he seems to enjoy it. Odd perhaps.
Antonio Pavlatos (Cheap Hotel) -> Aerin Thomas:
(too bad Mother's Touch can't heal Asthma! lol)
tony's cell -> Aerin Thomas: "I know. I
told Tony to give you the phone. I think he'd still tell me not to bother myself
if he were dying. Are you guys okay? Do you need anything?" Calm. He's perfectly
calm. It's just spooky.
Aerin Thomas: "We're..." He sighs a little
bit, moving to take a seat. "We've got a Cliath here. Dante Lacastos. One of
your Tribe, for the time being. He's on his way toward becoming one of mine.
Something happened, and he's fairly messed up. Tony called me and now I'm here.
If you'd like to come over, that would be nice...we could use the company, and
I'm not leaving until Dante wakes up or Alex is here."
Antonio Pavlatos (Cheap Hotel): He rises
off the bed, taking another drag on the cigarette and this time not coughing as
he moves to the bathroom, in case Aerin wants some privacy on the phone. He is
nothing if not considerate of privacy.
Antonio Pavlatos (Cheap Hotel): He hears
Aerin, and almost says something, but holds his tongue. He has gotten into
enough trouble for one day.
tony's cell -> Aerin Thomas: "Okay. Where
are you? Should I bring anything? Are you hurt?"
Aerin Thomas: "We're at the Insert Name
Here Hotel, near Central Park. Room Five...some scotch would be good. No one's
hurt, no...not physically, anyway."
tony's cell -> Aerin Thomas: There is a
soft laugh, caught somewhere between wistful and bitter. "Just like old times.
I'll be there soon."
Antonio Pavlatos (Cheap Hotel): He washes
off his face, looking into the dull mirror over he sink, wishing that he had not
shown any weakness to Aerin.
Antonio Pavlatos (Cheap Hotel): (he-the)
Aerin Thomas: "Awesome. See you then." He
hangs up the phone, moving to the bathroom door and knocking on it. "Tony? You
okay?"
Antonio Pavlatos (Cheap Hotel): He
turns his head, then opens the door. "Yes, Sir, I'm fine... you made sure of
that. I... I just don't want to... make ya think less of Alex... it really
wasn't his fault... he was thinkin' bout how stupid I was... 'n how I might have
gotten Damien in really bad shit... he couldna torn my throat out iffen he
wanted, but he didn't... I... I just don't wanna make ya think less of him,
'cause of me." Nakedly sincere.
Aerin Thomas: "I don't think less of him
because of you, Tony." Careful choice of words there. He smiles a little and
runs a hand along Tony's shoulder. "Don't worry about it, okay? Everything's
going to be fine."
Antonio Pavlatos (Cheap Hotel): He smiles
softly then. "Good, 'cause Alex has been better to me than anyone else, 'n I
afraid of him... just afraid of me bein' stupid 'n upsettin' him without good
reason. I wouldna never done anythin' against Damien iffen I thought the others
mighta seen him as bad. He ain't bad, or Alex woudln't be with him. I... I don't
understand the Garou sometimes... 'n Alex don't neither... maybe iffen we did,
things wouldn't be so weird. I... I can't see how some that aint normal folks
are so bad, iffen they got the same aims as us..."
Antonio Pavlatos (Cheap Hotel): (AH! Make
that... "I ain't afraid of him")
Aerin Thomas: "It's about trust." He sighs.
"We're...not a trusting people. And Damien's people have done too much damage to
ours in the past. They're called caern raiders for a reason...they would attack
the caerns and drain them dry of Gnosis. Or they do things like Ness, and play
with people's minds. There's a lot of bad among willworkers, and our people
don't know which we can trust and which can't...but either way, we're not
letting them near our caerns any more. Does that make sense?"
Kristjan Ivanov: There is a soft knock
at the door.
Antonio Pavlatos (Cheap Hotel): He nods
slowly to Aerin. "Damien only come because I called for help, 'n Alex... he
toldt me that I put Damien in a bad spot... that he come but he couldna been
really hurt if things didn't go like they did... he was really upset with me...
at first... then upset he had got upset with me... he ain't wrong, I was... I...
I didn't think. Damien ain't been nuthin' but good to us, a friend, 'n he only
come because I askted him to. He seemed real careful not to come inta the park
itself, 'n I didn't understand then why... but he come, 'n he helped with Dante,
'n he didn't ask no questions, he just helped me."
Aerin Thomas: He nods a little as he moves
toward the door. "You didn't know...and that's not your fault. You know
now...and that's what's important. Don't be too angry at yourself, okay?" He
smiles at Antonio before turning to look through the peephole...once he knows
it's Kristjan, he opens the door with a smile.
Antonio Pavlatos (Cheap Hotel) -> Aerin Thomas:
(Alex also explained, after nearly raging and
slapping Tony without meaning to, that the Treaty in effect wouldn't let Damien
protect Tony if a shifter, in his own territory would be able to. He got upset
at him, but didn't mean to, which is why Tony doesn't want Aerin thinking bad of
him - so many things could have gone wrong with him calling him for help with
Dante that the boy didn't understand at the time)
Antonio Pavlatos (Cheap Hotel): He stands
back, letting Aerin take complete control of the situation.
Kristjan Ivanov: Kris nods to Aerin, offering him a bottle of scotch. It spares him trying to figure out if he's supposed to shake hands, or hug, or just step in. Neutral. Neutral is good. "Hey."
Aerin Thomas: "Hey, Kristjan. It's good
to see you." He takes the bottle from him and smiles. Once Kristjan's in, he
shuts the door behind the man and moves to the table. "How are you?"
Antonio Pavlatos (Cheap Hotel): He leans
against the wall, not far from the unmade bed - it is after all, a cheap-ass
hotel room. He nods in respect to Kristjan as he enters though.
Kristjan Ivanov: "I'm fine. Moved out of
the K-R. Figured it was about time. I'm the only one that still comes home." He
walks to the bathroom and knocks the two plastic cups over with a faint scoffing
sound. "You need a better class of motel. Those're no good for scotch. How're
you two?"
Aerin Thomas: "Alive and kicking...or
rather, alive and getting kicked." He smirks a little bit. "Sometimes, it's hard
to tell which is which, after so long, you know?"
Antonio Pavlatos (Cheap Hotel): He gives
Kristjan a weak smile, his hair showing a little tangle here 'n there for not
being actually combed. "Evenin', Sir."
Kristjan Ivanov: "Mmmmm...I found that
years of experience led me to appreciate the difference. You okay?" He walks
over to sit on the bed near Tony. "Come sit down," he says to Tony. One
shouldn't manage to absently command someone, but Kris just seems to do it
reflexively.
Antonio Pavlatos (Cheap Hotel): He moves
then immediately to Kristjan's side, not questioning the order.
Aerin Thomas: "We'll see," he says with a
faint chuckle. "For now, I'm here."
Kristjan Ivanov: "Good enough." He sounds
maybe a little concerned by the answer. But not anxious at all. He reaches out
to pet Tony's hair, still reflexive more than anything. "What's going on?"
Antonio Pavlatos (Cheap Hotel): He nuzzles
his head against Kristjan's shoulder, perhaps a greeting or merely a submissive
gesture, hard to tell unless he knows the boy more. Tony seems to quiet while he
sits by Kristjan, obviously more comfortable doing what he understands.
Aerin Thomas: He sighs, opening up the
bottle and taking a drink straight from it. "Dante Lacastos, in the other room.
Shadow Lord Theurge...he's making the transition from Lord to Child of Gaia. Not
by choice," he adds, pointedly. "Something happened in the park...something that
fucked him up emotionally. He's...a mess."
Kristjan Ivanov: "Fucked up how?"
Antonio Pavlatos (Cheap Hotel): He stays
quiet by Kristjan's side, letting Aerin take the lead now.
Aerin Thomas: "I...don't know. Despair,
from the sounds of it." He looks to the bedroom, frowning. "I don't know if it's
a Harano concern...he's still asleep right now."
Antonio Pavlatos (Cheap Hotel): He drops
his head, having seen Dante in his last conscious moments and couldn't deny that
he wasn't in Harano.
Kristjan Ivanov: "Okay. Does he have a
pack? Family? A place to stay where we might not have add invansion by an army
of angry hyper-intellegent creepy-crawlies to our list of potential issues?"
Aerin Thomas: "I'm working on getting him
into my pack. His family's his old pack...Craven's group. He's been told not to
have any contact with them."
Kristjan Ivanov: He sighs. "Shhhhhh...."
He starts to comb through Tony's hair with his fingers gently.
Kristjan Ivanov: "Well, that'll fuck
someone up. Okay. So you're here. Should anyone else be with him?"
Aerin Thomas: "Yeah. It gets better,
Kristjan. He was, after getting kicked out of the Dark Elements packhouse,
living with a willworker. Imagine how well THAT would go over with the Lords..."
Antonio Pavlatos (Cheap Hotel): He relaxes
more at the touching of his hair, and he remains still and seemingly calm as the
two men speak togehter.
Antonio Pavlatos (Cheap Hotel): *And his
eyes drop to the floor, tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth as he stays
silent.*
Aerin Thomas: He looks to Tony, sighing.
"It's...I don't condemn him for it, Tony. Far from it." There's a sudden flash
of honest, naked pain in his face, and he takes another drink from the bottle.
"But the man could become Ronin for reasons exactly like this, if Angie, the
Gaian Elder, doesn't accept him. And those relationships..." He shakes his head,
jaw setting as he moves to the window, staring out of it. "They don't work out.
And spectacularly so."
Kristjan Ivanov: "Mmmmmmm...I know exactly
how unforgiving they can be. And I'm not feeling suicidal enough to get involved
there. I keep my distance for a reason. I do have a safe place he can go, and
enough experience in disassembling people's minds to have a decent idea how to
put them back together, at least in theory. I can also buy about twelve more
bottes of scotch and let you guys have at it. I'm flexible. Ideal scenario -
what do you need?"
Antonio Pavlatos (Cheap Hotel): He
murmurs, in a helpless tone. "Sir...what is wrong if the one he cares for only
wants the same things?" He really, doesn't understand the problem in the whole
of things, even Alex had gotten so upset with hin.
Antonio Pavlatos (Cheap Hotel): (even
'though' Alex)
Kristjan Ivanov: He catches that look and
sighs, watching Aerin move. "Would you like to join us?"
Kristjan Ivanov: "Shhhhhh...Tony...Garou...well...they're
better than the alternative. When they get it right."
Aerin Thomas: "It just doesn't work, Tony."
Said with a slight edge to it. "And it never will." He doesn't look away from
the window.
Antonio Pavlatos (Cheap Hotel): He nods
then to Kristjan, going into the quiet, submissive mode. He doesn't understand,
but moves into it almost unconcsciously.
Kristjan Ivanov: "Later I'll try to
explain without doing any irreparable damage to your worldview. It's more
complicated than right. We have a different problem that's a touch more
pressing. And unanswered questions. Aerin...?"
Aerin Thomas: He looks over his shoulder
finally, his eyes falling on Kristjan. Regarding him intently, jaw pulsing once.
"Yeah?"
Antonio Pavlatos (Cheap Hotel): He throws
a quick, daring glance to Aerin, wanting to understand so badly - what is it
that Aerin and Alex could understand they he coudln't? He swallows the sigh,
keeping his head down, hiding his thoughts as the two men speak.
Kristjan Ivanov: "Did you register
anything I've said for the last couple minutes before you're name?" It's a
gentle question, not at all angry.
Kristjan Ivanov: (your - gah!)
Aerin Thomas: "Yeah." He nods shortly,
turning to face the duo. "What I need is to keep Dante together enough for him
to make it through his meeting with Angie. We can't fix him that quickly...but
if we can get him of a state of mind where he can avoid being rejected, that'll
give us time to bring him back. We can't afford losing him."
Kristjan Ivanov: "Okay. What do you need
to do that?"
Antonio Pavlatos (Cheap Hotel): He listens
intently to the two men, seeming happy that they seem concerned with Dante. He
remains quiet though, merely a shadow there at the moment.
Aerin Thomas: He looks at the bedroom and
frowns. "Well, that depends. I need to talk with him before I can figure out how
bad he is."
Kristjan Ivanov: "Okay. So we need to wait
until then. Is there a reason you haven't spoken yet?"
Aerin Thomas: "To him? Because I just got
here not long ago, and he was asleep. And I'd only had opportunity to guess that
it was even remotely bad a few nights ago, when Bliss and I talked to him about
packing up. I had him come back to my apartment for a place to stay...and hadn't
had a chance to check in with him and talk more since then."
Kristjan Ivanov: He still works his
fingers through Tony's hair. He's not forgotten him at all. He's just not
questioning him.
Kristjan Ivanov: "Okay. Fair enough. We're
waiting for him to wake?"
Antonio Pavlatos (Cheap Hotel): He leans
into the touch. He is there, even if he is nervous about answering quesions, he
will do it, as Kristjan seems to know he will.
Aerin Thomas: "Basically, yeah." He takes
another shot off the bottle before offering it in Antonio and Kristjan's
direction. "Not much we can do about it until then."
Antonio Pavlatos (Cheap Hotel): He watches
Kristjan for obvious directions.
Antonio Pavlatos (Cheap Hotel): He has
done what was ordered of him - contacting Aerin to help with the situation - at
this point he is merely going on instinct, and hoping himself not wrong again.
Kristjan Ivanov: He does take a drink.
"Okay. Tony? Do you drink?"
Antonio Pavlatos (Cheap Hotel): Very soft
tone. "At times, Sir."
Kristjan Ivanov: "Would you like a drink
now?"
Aerin Thomas: The bottle out of his hands,
he goes for his other vice...cigarette time. He lights one up, moving to set
another one next to Antonio and offering one to Kristjan.
Kristjan Ivanov: "Mmmmmm...I'm good.
Thanks." He hands the bottle either to back to Aerin or to Tony and lays back.
Aerin Thomas: He shrugs a little bit,
taking the bottle back only if Tony doesn't, and takes a drag off the smoke.
"So, where are you living now, Kristjan?"
Kristjan Ivanov: "Sometimes the house.
Sometimes hotels. I...really should just find an apartment. But I'm not sure I'm
staying in New York."
Aerin Thomas: "Oh?" He tilts his head, lips
pursing momentarily. "Going somewhere specific, or just getting out of here?"
Kristjan Ivanov: "That depends. Why do
you miss them?"
Aerin Thomas: "I don't know. They
were...simpler, maybe?" He shrugs. "Maybe I'm just getting old and bitter."
Kristjan Ivanov: "It's alright. The past,
even if some of it was frightening, is more certain than the future. It's less
threatening."
Aerin Thomas: "The future isn't
threatening. I can handle it. I think. I just don't want to get there
sometimes."
Kristjan Ivanov: "It'll be okay. No
worries."
Aerin Thomas: He snorts a little bit and
tosses the bottle back. "There's always worries, Kristjan."
Kristjan Ivanov: He takes a drink. "Mmmmmmmm...I
think you need to go through a little more hell. At some point something just
breaks. And once you have all the shards of it surgicaly removed from your soul,
you find everything's just...not so bad anymore. I think they call it a
psychotic break or something kinda scary sounding, but I'm sure that sanity
thing is perfectly overrated anyway."
Aerin Thomas: "Yeah, 'cause I haven't gone
through enough already." He shakes his head, chain-lighting a new cigarette off
the old one. "But yeah, sanity is entirely over-rated. Hasn't done me any
favors."
Kristjan Ivanov: "You wanna talk about
it?"
Aerin Thomas: "Talk about what? The fact
that I left my mate because vampires were after her and the Nation wouldn't
protect her? How she wants the daughter that isn't even hers back, and has
threatened the life of someone close to me to get it? Or how everyone I run into
these days, Garou or not, seems to have decided to take license to despise me
because I did what the Sept I don't trust has been leaning on me to do for a
year now?" Bitterness, table for one.
Kristjan Ivanov: He sighs deeply and
rises. Having decided on a course of action, there's no real hesitation as he
walks over to Aerin. There is a slight pause, and a very attentive wariness as
he reaches out to touch Aerin, less because he thinks Aerin will hit him really,
and more because he doesn't want to touch someone who doesn't want to be
touched.
Aerin Thomas: He keeps his eyes on
Kristjan...eyes narrowing a touch. His jaw sets, but he doesn't jerk away,
doesn't tell Kristjan not to.
Kristjan Ivanov: "I'm not going to hurt
you. And while I do judge damn near everyone, you'll note I still speak to you
more than about anyone else from the sept." Very gently he eases into hugging
Aerin, no sudden moves. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry you had to leave her. I'm sorry
people thought they had the rigt to decide for you. I'm sorry what they said
they wanted isn't good enough. It is right and it isn't fair. Not at all. I
know."
Aerin Thomas: He just kind of...stands
there when Kristjan hugs him. Slowly, he moves his arms up to return the hug
loosely, without any major conviction to it. "Thank you for your...condolences."
Kristjan Ivanov: "Well, I'm sort of tired
of being angry. Apologetic and empathetic I can do. Righteous indignation...not
so often these days." He shudders, just a little when Aerin returns the embrace,
even loosely.
Aerin Thomas: "Yeah...anger is pretty damn
tiring, isn't it?" He chuckles a little bit, eyebrow raising at the shudder. He
says nothing about it, though.
Kristjan Ivanov: "It's okay. I'm not used
to being touched. Especially not now. I'm not upset." He smiles. "Granted, you
seem remmarkably indifferent, so I'm getting out of your space." And he does
step back, still no sudden movement.
Aerin Thomas: "I'm just...tired, Kristjan."
He shrugs a little bit, a hand coming up to scratch at the back of his neck as
he takes a drag of the smoke. "Starting to wonder if maybe some people were
right. Maybe they are just all laughing at us."
Kristjan Ivanov: "Get some rest. I've got
things here. I'll wake you if your friend wakes."
Aerin Thomas: He nods. "All right. I should
call and leave a message at home, so Bliss or Ethan don't freak out again. My
phone about had a heart attack with all the messages I got when I didn't get
home the other night."