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Posted: Sun Mar 19, 2017 5:36 pm
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There were any number of magically-inclined people Horace could have bothered. Any number of those who potentially had more experience in this sort of thing, if it was magical at all. He could just be dying. It would make sense, of course, to happen now. Things had been too good. The knowledge that his comeuppance was hurrying towards him had lingered over his head like Damocle's sword, suspended by a string waiting to snap. This was it.
He knocked on the door calmly, considering how anxiety twisted in him like a snake. No one ever expected him to be anxiety-ridden. Loud Horace, smiling Horace, Horace who happily offered rides to strangers when it was raining. He was a product of his past, and that meant that whenever things started to get good, he expected them to immediately drop. Like now, for example. For the past couple of nights, his vision had been blacking out at random. He'd be reading or watching T.V. and then, nothing. A fluke, Horace had thought, and resolved not to drink anymore for a while.
But it happened again. There had even been a very brief, but utterly frightening moment in his car on the way here...
"Ollie?" he said, worry carrying through in his tone.
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Posted: Sun Mar 19, 2017 5:56 pm
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Ollie was quietly enjoying a cup of tea, the earl grey leaving a subtle taste in his mouth. The TV was set to one of those channels that only played music, the soft classical tones rolling through the air quietly. Chai was in his lap, purring. Nosey was on the back of the couch, loafing. His attire was utterly comfortable even to look at, lounge pants loose and shirt possibly a hair too big for him. It was picturesque and relaxing.
It put Oliver in a rare mood. He wasn't relaxed like this, not completely, not often anymore.
So when the door knocked, he was actually rather unbothered. He swiveled his head in the direction of the sound, only moving when he heard his name faintly echoed through the walls. It gave him pause. He shooed Chai away a moment later, "I know, I know." He said apologetically as he stroked her fur, "But I'll be right back, I promise."
She occupied the warm spot he left behind, seemingly content.
The door opened to reveal him standing there, still holding the cup of tea (if he left it behind, Chai might try to get into it). "Horace?" He took a long, slow, deliberate sip as he assessed the situation, eyes looking the man up and down very obviously, "Did... you need something?"
The Semblance of Unityyyy
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Posted: Sun Mar 19, 2017 6:38 pm
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Oliver took another slow, deliberate sip. This time he tasted the tea in his mouth for a while before swallowing, licking his lips afterwards. Finally he sighed. "It's possible?" He stood to the side, "You can come in, but only if you promise not to do the dying part in my living room. I was having a very nice* afternoon and I don't feel like cleaning your corpse up." His eyes glinted, "Nor do I feel like calling your workplace to explain your death and arrange for your funeral." And for good measure, "The explanation to the cops and the subsequent obituary they'd want me to write would really eat into my school work."
"Horace Nokoni," He mad a grand motion with his free hand, "Keeled over in my living room, aged twenty-something, slashed his hand open in Ashdown's hell-twin and almost crashed his car taking me home one day. He'll be missed." Despite this, his voice wasn't sarcastic in a mocking way. He was calm, merely being dramatic, maybe joking? He was joking.
Chai's head appeared over the back of the couch, apparently interested in all the commotion. Nosey continued to loaf like the loafer she was, eyes bright yellow against the black-as-pitch void of her fur.
The Semblance of Unity *this edit was done just for The Semblance of Unity
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Posted: Mon Mar 20, 2017 7:40 pm
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"...why am I not surprised you work at a funeral home?" He sighed, but still seemed rather lax as he closed the door behind him. "Anyway, if you ask me, you're looking very alive, so..."
Chai was very thrilled with not just company, but familiar company. She squeaked out a tiny mew before hopping on the back of the couch, her stout body homing right towards Horace's hand. Nosey remained as still as ever, eyes wide and watching. She looked offended actually, in that judgmental animal way.
"...if you looked a hair's breath away from death, maybe I would be giving you more regard. Can I get you some tea? Granted, the dead and dying don't really drink." He moved to turn the TV down a little more, even though it was already soft as is. On the coffee table was a massive photobook looking thing with colorful bits of papers and fancy scissors, but he seemed oblivious to them for the moment.
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Posted: Sat Mar 25, 2017 11:45 pm
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Oliver shrugged, "Maybe it's magic-blind?" He joked, lips forming a small smile against the warmth of his cup. "I don't think flowers have spirits, but you're welcome to think that if it makes you feel any better."
He took a sip.
"Though, it does... sound a little familiar to what I went through." He said after a long moment, "Not exactly the same, because I had my symptoms for a while before I learned how to manually turn them off. They weren't time sensitive either." He shrugged a second time, "So you're probably just normal-dying." A more serious, less lighthearted thought hit him, "Wait, you've been blacking out but you drove here?"
The implication made him look a little angry; sort of how he looked back when Horace gashed his hand open. "You really are a dumbass." He huffed as he furiously drank his tea. Still, he didn't seem as mad. Something about him was still overtly calm. No panic, no anxiety, nothing.
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Posted: Sun Mar 26, 2017 9:58 pm
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Horace huffed. "Sorry for being stupid," he said childishly, pettily. He stood, knee knocking against the table. "I'll just g-" Then the world when dark again and he wobbled, off balance.
"Oliver?" he said, his voice higher pitched. His hand had immediately fanned out and he froze, afraid to move. In the darkness, he could... see, almost, like a faint memory of things. But it wasn't the table near Oliver's couch.
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