|
|
Post by eragon on Jan 24, 2020 4:05:12 GMT
As Bo trudged toward the small house in the middle of the farmlands, he felt the backpack he was wearing start to slip down, and he hitched it upward, wrapping his fingers around the straps by his shoulders. As he moved, items within the backpack clattered and clanged together, but the noise didn't bother him. Rather, he found both the weight of the bag and the clinking of objects satisfying. It meant that his most recent visits to the city markets had been fruitful. It meant that he had a lot of valuable items to exchange: items that were plucked from the stalls of unsuspecting vendors, and sometimes, the purses of unsuspecting customers, as he moved through the markets like a wraith. Thievery was a skill he'd refined in recent years, and it was his means of survival.
He had never met Xander at his house before, but the older boy had missed their meeting yesterday, and Bo, not knowing how else to reach him and somewhat desperate for his next fix, figured this was the best place to look. He halted several feet from the doorway, hesitating, and then continued to the threshold and knocked loudly on the door. He was more than a little irritated by what he assumed was Xander's forgetfulness, and he tried to mask this, albeit unsuccessfully, as he stood and waited with impatience.
|
|
|
|
Post by Val on Jan 24, 2020 5:55:57 GMT
A few days had passed since Xander learned of his mother's death. Though to him, those days were more of a blur. He'd isolated himself to the farmhouse and grieved the only way he knew how; numbing the pain. However, his binge on alcohol and opium hadn't been completely useless. He'd been thinking, scheming, coming to terms with how he intended on continuing life without his matriarch.
A knock on the door struck him with immediate anger. How dare someone bother his spiral of misery? He dragged his lanky body upright and stumbled toward the front door, using the walls to steady himself along the way. Without caring to check who his guest might be, he shoved the door open and shielded his eyes from the unbearable sunlight. When his cloudy gaze finally focused on Bo, he scowled in annoyance and slammed the door back shut. He considered leaving the runt out on his stoop, but only a few moments passed before the door creaked back open and he leaned dramatically against the door frame, "What do you want?"
|
|
|
|
Post by eragon on Jan 28, 2020 1:37:14 GMT
As the door opened, Bo took in Xander's cloudy-eyed, rumpled appearance and felt a slight twinge of jealousy for the high that the other boy had obviously only recently come out of (or was possibly still under the dying influence of). Before he had a chance to open his mouth and explain his presence, however, the door had slammed in his face, a fact which only served to further upset him. Bo raised his hand and brought it forward to bang on the door right as it re-opened, and he was only just able to jerk his arm to a stop before his fist collided with Xander's face.
Hastily, he lowered his hand to his side. "You missed our meeting yesterday," he said pointedly.
|
|
|
|
Post by Val on Jan 28, 2020 4:08:34 GMT
Xander rubbed a hand over his face, trying to clear his mind. How long had he spiraled for? The potent combination of grief and drugs had a way of warping time, it seemed. He gazed at Bo for a long moment, appearing neither sympathetic nor concerned that he had missed the meet up. He could, however, relate to the look in the boy's eyes as he feigned for his next fix. It made him itch to get back inside.
Scanning his front yard to be sure they were alone, Xander turned and slunk back into the house, leaving the front door ajar, "Come on, then. Lock the door behind you," he ordered, meandering into his bedroom. The room was dark but for a few candles lit around a table. He slumped into a chair and kicked his feet up on the table, reaching for a questionable bottle of liquor as he waited for his companion to appear. He had been meaning to talk to the Bo, after all.
|
|
|
|
Post by eragon on Jan 28, 2020 4:34:47 GMT
Bo stared back at him defiantly, as if daring Xander to shut the door again. He didn't expect Xander to care; he probably wouldn't if their roles were reversed. What he did expect, however, was Xander's desire to make a profit, and his lack of interest in this seemed odd.
As Xander turned to go back inside and instructed Bo to follow, he didn't hesitate. Based on Xander's state he knew there were drugs inside of the house, and that's what he wanted. Nothing besides that really mattered at the moment. Bo stepped inside after him and closed the door, slipping the bolt into place a moment later. As he followed Xander to his room, he glanced around curiously, having never actually been inside of the house before.
When they entered the room, he sat down in a chair opposite Xander and pulled off his backpack. His eyes hovered on the liquor bottle for a moment before he pushed the backpack across the table, sliding it to Xander's feet. "There's a lot in there," he said.
|
|
|
|
Post by Val on Jan 28, 2020 5:50:44 GMT
Xander sat upright, but did not feign interest over the bag of goods that was dropped at his feet. Instead, he opened a wooden box on the table and pulled out a vial of opium that had been derived from a poppy plant. The drug had been worked into a liquid form for convenience and worked as a powerful sedative. He popped the vial open and poured the sacred liquid into the bottle of alcohol, effectively mixing the two into a dangerously intoxicating combination.
Finally, he looked up at Bo as he lifted the concoction and took a sip, feeling almost instantaneous relief. He placed the bottle onto the table between them, but did not yet offer it to Bo. Instead, he reached an arm lazily into the backpack and produced an ornate looking chalice from the pile. He observed it through half-lidded eyes, turning it in his hands with an almost deliberately slow pace, "Never come to my house without permission," he stated suddenly, "There are traitorous rats all around us...They might start showing up at my doorstep soon," he murmured, thinking about how Brogan had yet to find the fool who had gotten his mother killed. He grip on the cup stiffened as he stared across at Bo, "You would never betray me, would you Bo?"
|
|
|
|
Post by eragon on Jan 28, 2020 19:01:11 GMT
Bo watched as Xander opened the wooden box, removed the vial of opium, poured it into the bottle, and drank. His eyes followed the bottle as Xander set it down on the table, remaining on it as the other boy opened the bag for the first time. He wouldn't touch it until it was offered, but it took a tremendous effort not to reach out and try to grab it, knowing the relief its contents would bring and near as it was to him.
When Xander spoke, Bo finally shifted his gaze back to him. "No," he said after a moment, sensing this was the answer Xander sought. Having no real role models in his life, Bo did look up to Xander in a way, and beyond that, he was dependent on him for his drug supply. They weren't exactly friends though. "Why would I betray you? And to who? What do you mean by traiterous rats?" All in all, he was a bit confused by the atypical nature of their interaction and wondering if Xander was a little more high than he had originally estimated.
|
|
|
|
Post by Val on Jan 29, 2020 19:40:02 GMT
Xander leaned over the table toward Bo, his foggy eyes burning with almost tangible hatred, "My mother was murdered," he revealed, "Someone set her up...And they will pay." He was clearly out for vengeance, but that wasn't all. He was alone now without his mother and he suddenly had a very real need for people on his side- people he could trust.
He studied Bo carefully, tapping his fingers on the table top. He knew why Bo was here; not out of friendship or loyalty. Rather, he had an arguably more powerful hold over the boy, "What's your plan, Bo? Are you going to keep using and stealing and using?" he goaded, eyes flickering to the bottle between them, "I think we're capable of more than that."
|
|
|
|
Post by eragon on Feb 5, 2020 23:58:11 GMT
Bo's eyes widened fractionally at Xander's declaration. He hadn't really known Xander's mother personally, but this certainly hadn't been where he'd expected the conversation to go, and he was surprised. Before he had time to ask anything about it, Xander had spoken again, and this time his words cut arguably more sharply. Bo's evident surprise was replaced with anger as he clenched his jaw and stared rather icily at Xander. "So what if that's my plan?" He threw back. "Who cares?" Truth be told, he was fifteen, and he didn't really have much of a plan beyond the present. Stealing was something he was good at, and using was something that made him feel good, so why not continue that way?
After a moment, Bo blew out a breath, clearly trying to calm himself down. "Look, I'm sorry about your mom, that sucks, but can we please just get on with this? I don't need a lecture about trying to be better right now, and I don't think you're the person to be giving one." He gestured vaguely toward the backpack and the bottle as he spoke.
|
|
|
|
Post by Val on Feb 7, 2020 0:34:09 GMT
"Who said anything about being better?" Xander scoffed in annoyance. If Bo insisted on being worthless in his new endeavors, he would shun him without a lick of remorse. He snatched the bottle back up again and took another small sip before finally sliding it across the table toward Bo as an offering, mostly to get him to shut up and listen, "This shit doesn't matter," he stated, giving the backpack a kick so that it toppled over and spilled the valuables across the floor. "If you want to keep working for me and carrying on this lifestyle," he gestured at the bottle, "Then you're going to have to grow up. I have plans, and I need people on my side. People like you, Bo." The downtrodden were his target demographic. He already had a few people in mind, but his ambitions grew beyond that. If he no longer had a family, he intended on creating one.
|
|
|
|
Post by eragon on Feb 8, 2020 0:30:49 GMT
Bo caught the bottle as it was slid toward him and took a long drink, eager for the relief he knew it would bring. Whether Xander decided to utilize the now scattered valuables or leave them lying on his bedroom floor, Bo didn't care; he'd gotten what he wanted. He set the bottle back down between them and was quiet for a moment before looking at Xander with skepticism. No one had ever needed him, and frankly, he didn't understand why that should change just because of the death of Xander's mother. "What are these plans?" He ventured finally, his previous anger seemingly satiated by the concoction. "And why do you want me to a part of them?"
|
|
|
|
Post by Val on Feb 8, 2020 4:35:46 GMT
Xander watched Bo consume the drug and waited for the boy to relax, his glassy eyes reflecting the candlelight that surrounded them, "Vengeance, protection, wealth," he listed his desires in a detached sort of way. Perhaps he had been locked away, high out of his mind for a few too many days, but he didn't care. He would get Bo on his side one way or another, "Because I think you're capable of more than you think, Bo. Are you saying you're not interested?" he challenged, raising an eyebrow.
|
|
|
|
Post by eragon on Feb 13, 2020 0:51:41 GMT
"No," Bo protested. "I just... No one's ever thought that about me, or wanted me to be a part of something." His voice grew smaller as he spoke, clearly embarrassed by the revelation of how unwanted he was, and he cast his eyes down to his well-worn shoes. "I really am sorry about your mom. How do you plan to get this vengeance?" He asked after a moment, looking back up at Xander with equally glassy eyes.
|
|
|
|
Post by Val on Feb 17, 2020 1:41:47 GMT
Xander knew exactly how Bo felt, and that was why he was confident in his ability to influence the boy. Even though his mother had loved him, he never felt that he had lived up to her expectations. He always tried so hard to gain approval from others, but never felt fulfilled. His mother's death had given him the push he needed to want to take control of his own life and stop living for others. Ignoring the condolences, he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, "First, I must gather a few more people. Then...we find out who did this." His eyes reopened to focus on Bo, "Keep your eyes and ears open from now on. Tell me if you hear anything suspicious."
|
|
|
|
Post by eragon on Feb 20, 2020 3:32:04 GMT
Bo nodded slowly, still wondering at the fact that Xander wanted him to be a part of this. He was surprised, certaintly, but it was a pleasant surprise. His life had been a mostly lonely one the last several years, with the haze of drugs being his only small comfort. Interpersonal interaction had always been something he observed but infrequently participated in, and he didn't really have friends. The idea that he might get to be a part of something and experience that connection was too tempting to ignore. "Okay," he said, finally. "I will. How should I get in touch with you again then?"
|
|
