[FIN] savages (alexis & nasir)

[azuredreams]

Nasir considered Alexis a friend, for all that they had a handful of meetings and most of them involving him giving them food as well as chatting. His dreams had been off of late, his senses as well, and it made for him having circles under his eyes and looking a little sleepless.

It did not stop him from checking some of Alexis's usual haunts, trying to find them. Nasir let out a breath, fiddling with one of the barrettes in his hair (clipping and unclipping it) before he turned to go try the next spot.

They had to be at one of them, they had to be.

5aekie

 

[Daekie]

Nasir is lucky -- Alexis is at the next place he checks, although they look somewhat reduced in more ways than one -- their formerly long hair is chopped short, in the way that happens when you go to a barber and tell them 'just cut all of this off', and they seem to have lost weight.

They don't look like they've been sleeping well; they're catching an odd nap, curled up on a bench with a heavy backpack under them, dressed in all greys and blacks.

They have a black eye, which is also somewhat unusual, and there is traces of blood on their chapped lips.

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

Nasir is panicking when he takes in how they look but he's smart enough to not immediately shake them away even if he's right next to them in moments.

"Alexis?" he says softly but loud enough they should hear him. This is the voice of the very worried.

Daekie

 

[Daekie]

"What," Alexis says, without opening their eyes. "I'm trying to sleep. Leave me alone." They sound perfectly fine, if a bit annoyed -- certainly nothing out of the ordinary there. "Tell me what you want and let me go back to sleep, alright? 'm tired."

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

Nasir didn't actually buy it but at least they sounded normal. "I was wondering if you wanted to eat some lunch, maybe?" he asked, sounding a touch uncertain.

Also possibly not stab him because they were sounding in a mood but he'd yet to have that happen his direction.

Daekie

 

[Daekie]

"Lunch sounds fine," Alexis sighed, rolling their shoulders back so far with a stretch it seemed they'd pop right out of socket. "Sorry. I haven't been up to a lot of stuff lately. Been in a funk -- y'know how it is."

They wouldn't quite look at him, though.

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

"It's burgers and some seasoned fries, if that's alright?" Nasir actually winced at the sound that was made when they stretched, shifting awkwardly on his feet a moment as he waited to get a seat next to them.

"Yeah, I do ..." He tilted his head to study them, blinking a few times because ... Alexis had issues but the not looking at him was new. "I've been not up to much either myself if I'm not working. Really weird dreams and work do not mix."

Daekie

 

[Daekie]

"Yeah," Alexis mumbles, rubbing sleep out of their eyes, "sounds fine, sure, whatever." They're not really paying that much attention to him. "Weird dreams about rain? Everyone has them around here. Considering how ******** up the weather is lately, 's not a surprise, yeah?"

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

Nasir is pulling out a container and offering it to Alexis. The previously mentioned burger that is, perhaps not surprisingly, not cooked to being charred and perfect.

"No, it's ... not raining," he replied, "I mean if I was dreaming about a rainy Ashdown that would mean-" Nasir frowned, lips pressed together before he shook his head. He knew what that meant but his dreams didn't follow what he knew.

Daekie

 

[Daekie]

Alexis, if nothing else, could never be the type to turn down food -- even anything that's not perfect. They're not an incredible cook themselves (not that they can cook, now, no kitchen to do it with), but any food is good food when they're hungry, and they're always hungry.

"Huh. Still weird Ashdown in your dreams, though? No rain?"

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

"Empty, streets are kind of off ... Not right? Like the college isn't there and I think I was by the high school and it was a pile of rubble ..." Nasir slid the hamburger over and pulled out a couple bottles of water.

One was given to Alexis, the other he kept for himself to drink.

Daekie

 

[Daekie]

"Yeah, that matches up -" Alexis holds the water bottle for a few seconds, eyes kind of blank, like something's just switched off inside of them and it's difficult to care - but they put it down, delicate-fingered, patient. "Everyone's got stuff 'bout that town." They take the hamburger, eating it slowly, like any faster and it would be worthless and evaporate.

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

"... guess this time it finally caught me?" Nasir looked down at his water bottle before he focused back on Alexis. He pulled his glasses off a moment, cleaning the lenses before they were slid back on. "I was at Blackfriars and never had weird dreams after the fact but that wasn't the case after the ball."

He shook his head.

"How long have you, ah ..." His hand flicked, not quite sure how to phrase been neck deep in magic s**t.

Daekie

 

[Daekie]

A jagged, uneven shrug. "March. Things got worse a couple of months later. I try to keep outta it best I can - " they took a swig of water, careful not to accidentally bite through the bottle - "doesn't work great. Basically, you're ********, sign your will." There's none of Alexis' usual vitriol in it, teasing or not.

They're just tired.

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

Nasir spun the ring on his finger idly. "Was that- When the fog got really bad?" He glanced over to them, taking in stride what they said. Mostly because he had kind of expected it? The warnings he had been given about other ashdown had been particularly dire.

"Were you pulled over then? I think I heard something about that." He sighed. "I haven't been over there besides when I went to the ball. Not that I was even supposed to be at the ball ... There was a mix-up with invites."

Daekie