[prp] Trust Issues - Zac/Alexis

[endejester]

He was still upset that he had to set up a new phone, hell, he was upset he had to get a new phone. Autumn had helped with the worst of his injuries, and aside from tape around his ribs and stiffness in his shoulder he was a lot better than he’d been left after the apartment had been robbed.
The Ribs were even almost healed given Autumn’s abilities, but with everything else that had happened it was the most oddly irritating part. Phones had become personal artifacts, journals made in phone numbers and photographs, lives hinted at by applications and game scores.

They had locked out his old phone, rendering it utterly useless unless somehow Alexis could provide a proof of purchase, which they could not.

But they hadn’t found it either, and he’d needed to ask for help to get a new phone, partly because he’d grown far too accustomed to the phone he had, and swapping to something with buttons that flipped close because it was cheep had been a short lived idea.

At least he’d kept his old number. Perhaps that was how the text reached him, unknown number – with only the message. “We need to talk – meet me outside the library at 6’oclock pm.”

It of course gave him great pause. Unknown messages to meet unknown persons at a given time and place, that while public, still elicited a deep seated suspicion that it would quite probably be, at the least, a prank.

Despite himself, he went. Perhaps his brush with the Unspoken had not quite cured him of a reckless edge that leant itself heavily towards self-destruction. Or perhaps it was the questions this town always seemed to raise, and never really answer.

He did though, have a pepper spray in the pocket of his oversized coat.

daekie

 

[Daekie]

Alexis hadn't had a phone in -- hm. It was hard to think, lately. Not difficult, but -- when their thoughts started to meander, it was a real, physical effort to not shut it down with a slam and to just let them go. They didn't have to focus anymore. They didn't. They didn't. Hell, if they repeated it fast enough and enough times in their head, maybe it'd come true.

They knew what their fetch had done to Zac, known it in lurid detail - she'd taunted them, wearing their face every time, knowing it would incite them to strike her and make things worse - and it should have made them sick. It didn't. It didn't make them anything. Maybe slightly upset, just a tad, just a tinge -- but it was nothing in the grand scheme of things --
but they. They needed to apologize. They'd done it -- they'd done it for. Well. What they'd done it for didn't matter, anymore. What Alexis knew was that their fetch had hurt Zac, had hurt him badly, and that was reason enough to see if he would be maybe willing to...hear them out. Or, if not, accept an apology. Alexis supposed they didn't want him to hate them.

They were there early, in an oversized shirt (a pale blue, not part of their wardrobe - hell, that alone was obvious from the fact most of their arms were uncovered, scars on full display - they hadn't had the chance to fix that yet. They would soon, when they had somewhere solid to stay that wasn't just Nasir's couch.) and a pair of tattered jeans, hair hanging in loose waves to the middle of their back, clipped out of their face by loose barrettes. When they saw Zac coming, they didn't raise a hand in greeting - just said "Bantock," quiet, their face set in a grim line. "Sorry. Didn't want to tell you it was me. Figured you wouldn't come."

endejester

 

[endejester]

Zac stopped, with what he hoped was a safe distance between them. He was not sure what the purpose of this was, but after Jeremiah, he had a creeping suspicion.
He glanced over Alexis, taking in the whole of their appearance

“You’re not wrong.” He admitted, cautious
He worried at his lip, thinking, frowning and then stripped off his coat. Deep blue with a pattern of oversized stars and tossed it at Alexis. It’d be long enough to cover their arms at least.
“Here,” he offered. But didn’t try and explain it, he thought perhaps they both understood. He’d never seen Alexis without something covering their arms.

You… increased your odds by making it a public place” He admitted.
“What did you want to say?”

Daekie

 

[Daekie]

Alexis holds his coat like a lifeline, putting it on as quickly as they can, relaxing a little but not by much. There's something uniquely unsettling about their presence, the way the hold themself, constantly looking around but with no real surprise - they're not afraid. They're just alert.

The difference is important.

"I'll give it back if you want." Flat. They braced themself on the wall, wincing; their side still hurt, even though they thought they'd gotten over it by now. "Just. Wanted to tell you I'm sorry." They took a deep breath. "Wasn't me that hurt you. But I have a feeling you know that, what with --" Alexis gestured at their hair -- "this n' all."
"You don't need to accept my apology or anything. I just wanted to say it. If you're staying, though -- we need to sit. I'm not doing great." They're really not. Even for Alexis, this is exceedingly pale.

endejester

 

[endejester]

“Sit.” Zac agreed, though he said nothing of asking for the coat back.

“…So… you’re one of them now.” He shifted, clearly uncomfortable but deeply conflicted. He felt totally on edge but at the same time he wanted to do the right thing. “I kind of – kind of thought so. You’re not the first person traded for fetch I’ve seen lately.” He shook his head and folded arms over his chest looking at nearly anything but Alexis.

“Come on… find you somewhere to sit. Have you eaten? You look like hell.”

Fingernails sunk into his arms and dragged against his skin where his fingers tucked under his own sleeves.

Daekie

 

[Daekie]

Alexis moves over to the steps and sits, clearly relieved by it, some of the tension in their body releasing with a huff of air. "...yeah. She -- she told me what she did. Like she was proud of it. So -- I wanted to try n' say sorry at least." They're definitely uncomfortable from the topic. "******** stabbed me. Otherwise I wouldn't ask to sit. Again, sorry." Alexis doesn't make eye contact with him- not because they don't want to, but because he's clearly uncomfortable. They know how to pick up on that better, now. They're -- not incredible at it, but they're alright.

"...know this sounds crazy coming from me, but are you ok? You look pretty bad. ...and I've eaten. Don't worry about it."

endejester

 

[endejester]

“Stabbed y-… have you had it looked at?!” He demanded, concern at least for a moment overriding the anxiety that had taken such solid hold of him.
“I swear I’ll call Autumn right now if you’re not at least sporting stitches and some kind of medication….”

He shook his head fervently. “I’m alright, I … I let Autumn look me over.”

Daekie

 

[Daekie]

"It's not the first time I've been stabbed," Alexis grumps (well, it's the first time it's actually ever been that bad, the first time they've had to pull it out and keep losing blood all the way back to a safe place), but nods all the same. "I can't do hospitals, but I had it looked at, I'm on a s**t ton of ibuprofen, and as long as I don't jump a ******** hurdle or six for the next month I'll probably be okay." The mention of Autumn, though, brings light to their eyes for only a moment, and Alexis takes a sharp breath.

"...is she ok? Did my fetch do anythin' to her? She got told to break us up, but she never said anything about hurting Autumn, so --" there's a fraction of genuine panic in their face -- "I -- she's alright, right?"

endejester

 

[endejester]

“No…. She’s fine. I made sure of it.” He promised and then shook his head frowning.
“You get two choices… I’m calling Autumn, or I’m calling Temperance. Telling me you had it looked at is NOT going to cut it. The only reason I’m offering Temperance is because we both know I think, that it hurts Autumn to do what she does.

Daekie

 

[Daekie]

"I don't --" and just like that, Alexis closes up, their face cold all the way through -- "I don't want people I don't know touching me. And I want Autumn to stay out of this. He did first aid, alright? The wound's clean, it's packed, it's not infected. If you're goin' to be stubborn and call Temperance, fine."

And so much quieter, that Zac has to strain to hear it:
"...I don't wanna hurt anyone, okay? I'm not sure I can't."

endejester

 

[endejester]

He took a breath and let it out slowly. “…I’ll make introductions, and besides that.” He offered carefully. “I’ll ask them not to judge in any way. I know that’s a very small part of it, but… I trust her. I’ll call her, we can meet, and you should drink more water at least though. You’re too pale even for you.”

He hesitated and then added.

“I won’t let you hurt anyone else, and not yourself either.”

Daekie

 

[Daekie]

"You don't get it," Alexis says, pointedly calm, and the leftover rainwater vibrates on the steps besides them like an earthquake is coming, shaking itself into changing shapes and falling down the steps with the force of it; it circles around Alexis' shoes in loose circles before losing form and falling back to just puddles again. "I don't know how t'control this -- whatever this is. And if I don't know, it's gonna hurt people, and I won't be able to stop it. I don't know how to learn, but I don't want to be anywhere I might hurt people until I do."

endejester

 

[endejester]

“Then I’d say, from just then that your emotions have something to do with it. If that’s true, pain isn’t going to help.”

His hands were shaking but he tried to keep a calm expression on his face.

“At least, you haven’t hurt me, You’re not your fetch. Please… let someone look at it.”

Daekie

 

[Daekie]

"I'm tired," Alexis confesses numbly, staring at their knees. "I really just want to sleep. The only reason I got up today was because I wanted to apologize, alright? If you want to call her to have someone look at it again, if you don't do it now, nothing's gonna happen."

A swallow. "...My fetch was in my head. She didn't do anythin' I haven't thought of. But I have a lot of awful thoughts."

endejester

 

[endejester]

He sighed and let his chin drop. “… I can’t force you. It would be terrible if I did. Go… go sleep.” He said and shook his head.

“And try not to get stabbed again.”

Daekie