|
|
Post by Val on Mar 3, 2020 5:40:43 GMT
Xander sat perched on the edge of a short, stone wall overlooking the bustling Jade Coast Port. He people watched and listened to passing conversations with mild interest, but he had a reason for finally leaving his home after several days of binging on alcohol, drugs, and misery. He'd bailed on Lennox. Not intentionally, of course. His mother's death had turned his life upside down, but he was finally setting himself back on track.
Despite his best efforts, he looked disheveled and tired. His thick, curly hair was messier than usual and dark circles had appeared under his eyes, which were full of unmistakable sadness. To his credit, he wasn't high for the first time in several days, but he could feel the need to take the edge off.
He reached an unsteady hand into his pocket and produced a small flask, tipping it against his lips for a swig of liquor. He savored the burn and scanned the crowd once more for any sign of Lennox. He'd told her to meet him here days ago, so it was unlikely that she'd show up now, but he had a strong feeling. He'd waited hours by now, but he was determined to find the girl that had peaked his interest. He was fixated on slowly but surely building himself a new family and using them to find out what happened to his mother.
Xander imagined that the feisty girl would be angry with him, but at least it would be a welcome distraction from the intense pain he felt emanating from him ever since the news had been dropped on him like a bomb. He barely knew her, but he felt that he needed her.
|
|
|
|
Post by starrea on Mar 4, 2020 19:00:52 GMT
Every since she had parted ways with the angry boy from the beach, shit had gotten worse for Lennox. She had finally accepted that she was sick when she had coughed up blood four days after she had met Xander. The only cure seemed to be her ever-evolving supernatural traits. Everyone else who had been gifted magic by the Universe seemed to have something useful or cool - everyone except Lennox. She had deduced by now that the only way to fend off whatever sickness plagued her was by physically touching someone else. Every person gave her a different sensation and none of them compared to the addictive high she had felt when she collided with Xander.
But things were always changing. The last time she had grabbed a stranger by the hands, she was assaulted by sights and sounds she can only assume belonged to the woman she grabbed. The shock made her let go before her nausea could fade and she had been fighting the urge to throw up ever since.
Needless to say, when Xander didn’t show up, Lennox was angry. Anger grew into rage, but as much as she tried to blow him off as he blew her off, she found herself returning to the meeting spot each day. In the end, her desperation for the relief that he provided was proving to be greater than her urge to rip his head off.
Lennox almost didn’t see him, mostly because she didn’t expect to see him, but when she did she charged over to him like an angry bull. He looked almost half as bad as she did but she didn’t give a shit. She was too angry and felt too shitty to be focused on anyone else’s pain but her own. Without a word, she all but threw herself into his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck.
The effect was immediate. Unlike last time, his energy wasn’t wild. It was deep and sad and she let it wash over her, relishing in the instant relief it brought her. She closed her eyes and relaxed as her symptoms receded - the nausea, the headache, the fogginess... they all slowly vanished. All because of the stranger she was basically straddling.
|
|
|
|
Post by Val on Mar 5, 2020 1:18:35 GMT
Xander had barely enough time to register that Lennox had appeared before she threw herself onto his lap. The impact nearly knocked him backwards over the other side of the wall, but he managed to steady himself as her arms wound around his neck. His first reaction was to throw her away, but the contact awakened something in him that had been dormant for a very long time. He couldn't recall the last time he had allowed someone to be so close to him, let alone hug him. He found himself frozen in place, staring blankly over her shoulder as she clung to him like a magnet that had finally found its long lost counterpart.
Slowly, his arms circled around her and squeezed, as though they had a mind of their own. He hugged her until she was flush against him and pressed his face into the crook of her neck, feeling the overwhelming urge to cry. Not that he would ever allow that to happen. Instead, he squeezed his eyes shut and reveled in the human contact and vulnerability that he'd denied himself for so long.
He wasn't sure how long they stayed like that, but by the time he opened his eyes again, he felt as if much of the anguish had been drained out of him. "You've been waiting for me," he stated it matter-of-factly, slowly loosening his grip to pull back and look at her, "I was expecting another punch in the face."
|
|
|
|
Post by starrea on Mar 5, 2020 1:38:43 GMT
Lennox wasn’t expecting a hug back, but it wasn’t unwelcome. It only added another layer to her relief. The relief started in the areas where her skin met his, which was mainly her hands, so the euphoria spread from her fingers to down her arms and finally the rest of her body. After feeling so sick and bogged down by constant, unrelenting pain, the relief was indescribable. It was like first breath after being underwater for a long time. And if she hadn’t realized it before, she did now. Xander was her air.
His voice broke herself out of her trance. Now that she didn’t feel like on the verge of death, her anger flared. She untangled herself from just enough to send a fist flying into his face.
“I waited for you!” She hissed, pushing herself off of him. The connection between them was abruptly broken but she was too pissed to care about the loss of the euphoric tingles that seemed to heal her.
|
|
|
|
Post by Val on Mar 6, 2020 6:21:15 GMT
Xander had barely had a chance to look into her eyes before her fist connected with his face. Pain burst across his freshly healed nose and he yelled out, covering his hands over his face as he rocketed to his feet, "You bitch!" he shouted. He advanced a threatening step toward her with clenched fists and genuinely considered hitting her back. He would have, if not for the prying eyes that his yelling had drawn.
He glared daggers at Lennox and then at the nosy civilians, daring them to intrude. When they started to go back to their business, he raised a hand and pointed a finger directly in her face, "Fuck you," he enunciated. With that, he spun on his heel and stalked away from her, shoving past the people that happened to be in his path.
If she expected him to apologize for not showing up, she was even crazier than he thought. He wasn't about to become her punching bag. That wasn't how this relationship was going to play out. As far as he was concerned, he had the upper hand in this situation. Clearly she had been desperate to see him. Why? Well, he was going to find out. Right after she begged him for forgiveness.
|
|
|
|
Post by starrea on Mar 6, 2020 15:55:37 GMT
The punch was satisfying. It wasn’t even an ounce of the pain she had endured, but it did make her feel better. She glared at Xander as he balled his fists up and stepped towards him, refusing to back down. For a second, she thought he was going to hit her - and that would have been a mistake. She hadn’t felt this good in days and if he wanted a fight, he would get a fight.
She almost didn’t want to follow him after he stalked off, especially after he cursed at her. Her face twisted into a scowl, her cheeks red with anger as she watched him walk off. In the end, she couldn’t let him leave her. Not when she needed him. She jogged after him, swinging around so she was in front of him to stop him.
“I didn’t think you were going to come back.” She tried to explain, her voice lacking the anger she had. It was different for Lennox because when Xander hadn’t showed up, she honestly didn’t know if she was going to die or not. Even though she was in touch with the Universe, she hadn’t realized how much death scares her until it became a very real possibility.
That was closest to an apology he was going to get. She wasn’t sorry, not even a little bit, but she was prepared to play his game. The Universe obviously put him in her life for a reason, she just needed to figure out why.
|
|
|
|
Post by Val on Mar 8, 2020 3:13:28 GMT
Xander stopped abruptly when she appeared in his path. Although he was pleased to find that she had immediately chased after him, he continued to glare at her, appearing unimpressed with her explanation. "I'm here now, aren't I?" he retorted impatiently. There was a pause as he took a moment to study her, trying to understand her fascination with him. No one had ever paid him any kind of special attention before, and he found that it was quite addicting to feel wanted.
He reached out suddenly to grab her hand, tightening his grip before she could pull away, "Hit me like that again and I'll never come back," he promised her. Before she could respond, he turned and tugged her toward a dark alley, leaving behind the crowds of people in favor of a dreary maze of passageways. As the voices faded, he slowed his pace and released her hand, continuing down the winding paths with a clear purpose.
He considered coming right out with the news of his mother to explain himself, just as he had with Bo, but it felt different with her. The words got caught in his throat and he remained silent for some time until he finally found his voice again, "What's your deal, huh?" he glanced at her, "Running up to me like that..." he avoided the word 'hug', nearly cringing at the thought of it, "Hitting me for no god damn reason," he shook his head, "I don't get it." He figured she was just plain crazy, like most girls, but he still wanted an explanation from her.
|
|
|
|
Post by starrea on Mar 8, 2020 17:36:08 GMT
Any softness Lennox has just shown was immediately covered up with his snarky response. She matched his glare with one of her own, but that was replaced by a look of surprise when he reached out to grab her hand. The second his skin brushed against hers, warm tingles traveled down her fingers and up her arm, spreading slowly to the rest of her body. It felt different from before, it was a warm energy but there was something else there. Her vision started to dim as she felt her consciousness start to be consumed by him and she frantically tried to rip her hand away but he was too strong. They were moving but Lennox couldn’t see where and after that, she couldn’t remember.
The flashes were quick and terrifying. She could only hear snippets of conversations and they were so loud that it hurt. Someone was screaming but she didn’t know who. Another flash morphed into a figure, Xander, and she tried to call out to him but no words came out. More words floated by and she watched him fall to the ground in grief. Someone had died.
The connection was abruptly cut off when he dropped her hand and Lennox snapped back into consciousness. A wave of nausea hit her like a brick and she had to slow her erratic breathing to keep her stomach from emptying itself right then and there. She didn’t remember walking with Xander and she had no idea how long she had blacked out. She didn’t even know if Xander had noticed that she had mentally disappeared.
Xander’s voice grounded her as she tried to re-establish her surroundings. She looked at him and the image of him, stricken with grief, flashed through her mind. She wondered if that was why he had stood her up. It took her a couple more seconds to gather her thoughts enough to answer, “I just haven’t been feeling well. Why do you care?” She snapped back defensively. She hadn’t told anyone about what was happening to her and even if Xander was a new fixture in her life, she wasn’t sure she wanted to share this with him.
“You’re going to be disappointed if you think that I make sense.” There was a reason that Lennox was homeless and without any family. And even though she said in a somewhat-joking manner, there was a hint of truth in it.
|
|
|
|
Post by Val on Mar 9, 2020 3:55:13 GMT
"So I make you feel better then?" he quickly surmised, liking the conclusion he had come up with. He finally glanced back at her and his smugness faded when he noticed the pained expression on her face. He came to a stop and turned to face her in the narrow alleyway that they had ventured to. It was quiet now and he felt much calmer now that they had distanced themselves from the crowded sea port, "I'm not disappointed. Just curious," he insisted. In no particular rush to reach their destination, he leaned a shoulder against the wall and regarded her.
Xander tilted his head, studying her as if she were a complicated puzzle. Convincing Bo of his plans had been so easy; he'd just offered the orphan drugs and a home. But something told him Lennox would require more than that, even if she was exceptionally drawn to him, "If you're sick, I can get you medicine," he offered. Being the son of a drug lord came with many perks, even if she was deceased. "You have a home?" he asked forwardly, not caring if the question offended her or not. He was determined to learn more about her.
|
|
|
|
Post by starrea on Mar 9, 2020 20:54:44 GMT
Lennox looked around, trying to figure out where they were only to turn back to Xander to see him leaning up against the wall. She wasn’t entirely familiar with where they were and he didn’t seem in any hurry to leave. Before, she had been so desperate to see Xander but after what she saw, she felt unnerved. Even though the Universe was pushing her to him, it didn’t feel entirely right.
Her eyes narrowed, her signature irritated look replacing her concern, “I didn’t say that. I just said I wasn’t feeling good.” She wasn’t about to admit he was right, even though it wasn’t in the way he meant. She shook her head, “No. I’ve tried, medicine doesn’t work. It doesn’t matter anyway because I’m fine.” She didn’t want to talk about it anymore. She didn’t want to lie because lying was bad karma, but she didn’t want to tell the truth either.
She tensed up when he asked if she had a home. People hadn’t asked her that since she was a little girl, but now that she was older people didn’t give a shit. “Of course I have a home.” She snapped defensively, crossing her arms over her chest.
In the wild, weak animals were the first to die. And Lennox didn’t want to die. She couldn’t show weakness. She had taken care of herself for this long, she didn’t need any help.
“Are we going somewhere?” She asked, trying to change the subject.
|
|
|
|
Post by Val on Mar 10, 2020 0:48:35 GMT
Xander rolled his eyes and turned away from her, continuing down the path. He didn't believe anything she was saying, but it wasn't his place to force the truth out of her. He was convinced it would come with time. Besides, he wasn't exactly coming clean either.
"Yes," he glanced back at her, "I told you I was going to show you something, didn't I?" he pointed out, recalling their interaction on the beach with surprising clarity, despite his prolonged drug binge. He picked up the pace, keeping his mouth shut until they reached a dead end in the form of a brick wall. A pile of unassuming boxes and scraps cluttered the ground and he knelt down to shove it all to the side, revealing a metal grate covering a hole in the ground.
"I hope you're not claustrophobic," he mused, smirking at her before he gripped the metal and yanked several times until the grate creaked open. He shifted to the edge, letting his legs dangle into the darkness below, "I'll help you down," he promised, expecting her full compliance in jumping blindly into his secret passageway. With that, he pushed himself forward, disappearing into the cavern and landing several feet below with a thud.
He blinked rapidly, though he knew it would be too dark for his eyes to fully adjust, no matter how long he tried. He gazed up toward the opening in the ceiling and braced himself, preparing her soften her landing, "Come on, then," he called, voice echoing through the enclosed chamber.
|
|
|
|
Post by starrea on Mar 10, 2020 1:22:10 GMT
Lennox knew he didn’t believe her, but that was okay because he didn’t have any proof. It didn’t really matter if he didn’t believe her anyway because as he couldn’t prove anything, then he wouldn’t try to fix something that wasn’t broken. Lennox has always been a private person and that was because no one understood her, and that wasn’t some form of young adult angst. Between her new unexplainable supernatural health problems and her deep faith in the Universe, Lennox has always been an odd duck. The thought of opening to someone, especially someone she needed to stick around, didn’t seem like the smartest plan.
Lennox was mildly relieved that he didn’t grab her hand again to lead her away. She didn’t think she would have been able to handle another violent onslaught of memories or visions or whatever the fuck they were. If her health hadn’t been directly tied to these visions, she would have been thrilled to explore this new opportunity. Instead, she had the worry that brushing up against the wrong person would quite literally kill her. She had absolutely no idea and as far as she knew, she was the only one with these symptoms.
She didn’t question him lifting the grate in the ground or jumping in. She had spent much of time in sewers and frequently slept in them if she could find a dry spot. She hadn’t been down there in awhile but she had a certain comfort level with being in sewers that others lacked.
One of the downsides to being homeless meant that her education had holes in it. She had always had a veracious appetite for learning but life hadn’t always allowed her to dedicate time and energy to studying, so there were some gaps. She knew that ‘phobia’ meant fear, but didn’t know what the prefix meant.
“I’m not scared of heights. Move out of the way, I’m coming down.” And without a second thought or question as to what they were doing or where they were going, she jumped down into the dark after him.
|
|
|
|
Post by Val on Mar 10, 2020 2:59:40 GMT
Ignoring her demand, Xander steadied her as she dropped into the tunnel, gripping her forearms briefly until he confirmed that she had landed stably, "Tight spaces," he corrected her impulsively, thinking nothing of it. He released her and took a small step back, although there wasn't much room to make distance between them.
It was nearly impossible to see a hand in front of your face, but he decided to share the details of the strange tunnels anyway, simply because he found it fascinating, "These are the catacombs," he informed her, "Ages ago, they used to bury the dead beneath the city. These walls...they're filled with the remains of thousands of people." He wished he could see her reaction to the information, but left it up to his imagination. His mother had showed him this passage years ago and he'd been captivated ever since.
"This isn't the final destination, though," he added quickly, in case she wasn't impressed. He took a step forward and then paused, "You can hold onto me, if you want. It's only going to get darker." Leaving the option open, he began to walk slowly down the tunnel he'd traveled through many times before.
|
|
|
|
Post by starrea on Mar 10, 2020 16:57:20 GMT
The rush of Xander’s touch hit her hard. She could feel herself start to slip from consciousness but he broke away before she was fully out of it and that jarred her. This time, she couldn’t stop the wave of nausea and she spun around and spilled whatever was in her stomach all over the floor. It was even more disorienting because it was dark enough that she couldn’t see anyway and her body was having time adjusting her balance to a world it couldn’t see. When she was done retching, she ran her fingers through her hair and took a deep breath before turning back in the direction Xander’s voice was coming from.
She was mildly surprised that they weren’t in the sewers but that turned to horror as the realization of where they were set in. She immediately started clawing at the walls but she wasn’t even close to being tall enough to reach the manhole.
“No, we have to leave, I can’t be here. We need to go now.” Her words were thick with only a fraction of the bubbling panic she was feeling, which was only amplified as she heard his footsteps move away.
“Xander, I’m serious! I can’t be here!” She wailed, remaining where she was and anxiously staring into the wall of darkness that he had disappeared into. Lennox didn’t consider herself religious, at least not in the conventional way, but she did worship something she referred Universe. Entering or disturbing the resting place of another without proper protection or offerings was extremely disrespectful and right now, she couldn’t afford to upset the Universe or any restless spirits. She was just barely scraping by as it was.
|
|
|
|
Post by Val on Mar 10, 2020 18:37:31 GMT
Xander halted at the first sign of Lennox's panic, turning around and using the wall to guide him back toward her. He could hear her retching and frowned, feeling a tinge of guilt for causing her to be sick. Perhaps she was claustrophobic, but something told him that it had to do with the sickness she refused to admit to.
"Hey, hey!" he interrupted her panicked cries, fumbling into his pocket until he found the box of matches he always kept on him. He quickly struck one and illuminated the small space between them, "Calm down. It's okay," he tried to reason with her. His dark eyes reflected the flickering flame as he found her gaze, "Tell me what's wrong," he persisted, keeping his cool.
As the match burned down to his fingertips and the light fizzled out, he produced another one, quickly striking it to maintain a bit of light between them. His eyes drifted toward the opening in the ceiling. He'd never attempted to climb out that way and he wasn't confident that he would be able to lift Lennox that high. Although he had recently hit a growth spurt and added an inch or two to his lanky frame, he still wasn't tall enough or strong enough to pull it off. Instead of sharing this news, he decided to try to convince her onward, "It's not far. It's safe, I promise."
|
|
