InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "I'm not.... sane"

minmouse (minmouse) wrote in devils_tower,
@ 2008-07-13 15:33:00

Entry tags:

hazard, mouse

Week Seven: Monday
Who: Mouse and Hazard
What: People are not where they're supposed to be
When: Monday Morning
Where: The hospital
Rating: Not too high

Everything was simply just cold. It used to be, a long time ago, that Mouse had loved when it snowed. Sometimes it would get so bad that her dad would actually spend the day at home. Of course the cold back then was something that she could hide from. Now that was less possible. At least there was plenty of room to move around in the hospital, and moving kept the blood up and pumping and helped keep you warm. She was going a bit stir crazy with the cold though. At least when she was bored she could find some old medical texts that she had hidden and read, but now she just could not sit there and go over facts that she had now read at least a hundred times. Now she just had the hallways to wander through, happening upon people every so often. Sometimes she stopped for a bit to listen, but nothing very interesting was going on today it seemed. The snow was blocking out everything, even thoughts.

At least, she did not think anything was all that interesting until she heard swearing starting to drift up through the hallway she was walking in. There was not anyone in the rooms that she was passing by, and it was getting louder as she came closer to where ever it was coming from. It did not take her long to come up upon Hazard, pacing as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders. With what was coming out of his mouth it seemed very likely that he was feeling like it was too. Her heart went out to the young boy. She hated seeing anyone upset, which he clearly was. It was written all over, in his voice, his gait, his posture. There was no hiding it, which was probably why he was not near anyone else. Or at least it would make sense.

Biting her lip, she was not sure if she should make her presence known. He was upset, yes, but she never liked prying into other people's business. Still, maybe she could help. And if she could help, then it was her obligation to help, wasn't it? That was her job after all, helping. Sure he was not visibly hurt or anything like that, but she could still do something. "Hazard?" she said softly, walking up towards him. She still kept back a bit, in case he snapped at her. "Are you all right?" It was a silly question, if one thought about it. Of course he was not all right, he was pacing and swearing, that much was pretty obvious. But she could not think of anything else to say.

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verilydarkflash
2008-07-13 03:23 pm UTC (link)

It was horrible. Hazard couldn't believe that Sensei and Blaze were nowhere to be found. Where the hell had they gone especially without telling him? He was a few years younger than both of them so there was no reason for them to report to him, but he wanted to protect them in whatever way he could. Did this mean they were lost or just did not want him to know? The latter thought hurt; he wanted to be included in whatever those two were doing - not that he had so much interest in blowing things up, but that was besides the point. He worried about them, as much as he wouldn't admit it aloud.

He paced up and down one of the hallways, swearing louder than usual. No one would be around this area at this time, he was pretty sure, though the thought depressed him. Hazard suddenly heard Mouse's voice near him and stopped dead in his tracks. He liked her because she was kind and wanted to help people, and old enough to be the perfect older sister figure. Even if he was upset, he didn't want to snap at her. Hazard didn't directly answer her question. "Have you seen Sensei and my brother?" he asked. Hoping against hope, but it was unlikely she found anything. Knowing he could trust her, he broke down just a little. "I've looked everywhere in the hospital and I have no idea where to look outside. How stupid can you get? They don't have stealthy abilities like me; anyone could have done something to them!"

Worried was a fierce understatement. His mother was dead and now his brother could be next as well as the leader he liked and respected. It made him sick to his stomach, and Hazard crouched down to stare at the floor. Damn it, damn them, damn everything. He needed to be better than this and actually think of a plan. "I need your help to look for them. Please." His voice was quiet, fingers tracing the lines in the floor. It was only a minute before he straightened to his normal height and looked at her with eyes brimming more pleadingly than he thought.

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minmouse
2008-07-13 03:36 pm UTC (link)

"No, I haven't." she said simply, a bit confused on why that would be an issue. She had not really been looking for anyone, or keeping track, but as soon as soon as he started to break down a little, her eyes went a bit wide. He had looked through the entire hospital? It was not as if Sensei made a habit of disappearing. Plus, with the weather as it was, it would be dangerous if the two of them had gone outside. They could easily freeze to death and not be found until some of it melted away. It was a frightening thought.

Even if he was much bigger than her, he was still just a young boy. All of them had already lost so much because of the virus, it was unthinkable to think about losing any more. He looked about to simply break down, it tugged at her heart. Going over, she reached up and touched his hair lightly. "It's ok, we can go look for them. Four eyes are better than two, right?" she said softly, giving him a smile to try and put him at ease.

Wrapping her arms around him lightly, she hugged him to her like she did with some of the younger ones when they were upset. "We'll find them, we're both good at finding things." she reassured before letting him go. For a moment she was afraid that he might actually cry. That would certainly make the situation just a little bit harder for her to deal with. If they were going to look for the two of them, they had to be calm and collected, and keep their wits about them.

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verilydarkflash
2008-07-13 04:00 pm UTC (link)

No luck. Hazard had asked several people in addition to looking by himself and both were in vain. The storm made actual trips outside impossible unless there was a very good reason, surely, but anything could have happened. He crossed his arms over his chest for a second to press his hands against himself in the attempt to warm them. Damn this cold, he thought. Why didn't they have heat? If the weather kept like this, all of the Carrion might freeze to death unless he managed to find more blankets or start a fire. Or, he could steal from another tribe if he was desperate enough. He'd keep this tribe afloat by taking command because no doubt he was the best suited for the job out of the people left.

Losing his brother sometimes plagued his nightmares, and there was nothing less he wanted to happen than that. It was difficult for him not to panic just a little when he didn't know his whereabouts. Granted, most of the time it was pretty obvious where he was, but the weather... "Okay," he said, amazed by the power of her smile. She was older and had to know these things, right? Right. Also, how could he not feel reassured with her here? She made most things better just by being around, if he had to admit it.

He wasn't going to cry. Not when there was no proof of the two actually being dead. He returned the hug with a gentle squeeze and felt better with his thought and her words. She was right. "Yeah, we're sure as hell going to find them!" said Hazard, returning to his usual confidence. "They could be in a secret room they made and didn't tell anyone. Or they're still in the sewers." That had to be logical, didn't it? "Come on, I know where we can look first." He reached out to take her arm and lead her towards one of the rooms where he knew his brother liked to spend some of his time. Blaze wasn't there, of course, but there was the possibility of him finding recent signs of his brother being in the room. Twice more observant than he normally was, Hazard scoured the room, crouching by the seats, noting the sights and smells of everything possible. "This wasn't the last place he stopped before he disappeared," he added.

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minmouse
2008-07-13 04:12 pm UTC (link)

No one having seen them was not really all that unusual, especially with the weather. Everyone was staying in one place for the most part, huddled up. For the younger ones this really was the best, since the cold was a lot worse for them than it was for someone like her or Hazard. If Sensei or Blaze had simply not been by any of the rooms with people in them, then they could easily have not been seen by anyone. The hospital was a pretty big place. Just because she had taken to wandering to keep warm did not mean anyone else would. It was a reassuring thought, at the very least.

"Everything will be fine." she assured, because she had to believe that herself. Blaze and Sensei could both take care of themselves, they were not children. They were easily two of the most skilled in the entire tribe. Logically they wouldn't put themselves in too much danger, right? They both did know they had people that looked up to them, people that needed them.

While she was not exactly convinced that they would have a secret room, given how contentious that the two of them could be with each other, it was still a possibility. The hospital was a big space and they did not use all the rooms. Though she did nope that they weren't in the sewers, though logically underground was kept at a better temperature than above ground with the earth as isolation. Letting him take her arm, she followed along with him to where he seemed to be hell bent on looking. If he had an idea on where to start, then that was good. Because she really had no idea where to possibly start.

Entering the room, she looked it over much in the same way he was. There were no signs of someone having been there recently. Possibly the day before, maybe, but not today. Not in the last few hours. "Anything you've seen to indicate where he might have gone after here?" she asked, looking over at him. Tracking was not something she was the best at, but she was learning.

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verilydarkflash
2008-07-15 01:45 pm UTC (link)

He became more determined to find the two guys, because if he didn't, the tribe would suffer a severe loss of morale - something that he had to avoid at all costs. No, for all involved, it was essential that Hazard find his brother and leader. He glanced next to him at the older girl and wondered how she was affected by the disappearance of a couple of the oldest Carrion members. As she was near Sensei's age, she might be the logical choice to take over if... no, that wasn't going to happen. "Yeah, everything will be fine," he echoed to reassure himself once again. Hazard was not going to let his confidence fall at a critical point in time like this. Sensei was one of the most sensible people Hazard knew.

The two could have had a reason to be paired together. The tension between the two was obvious and he hoped they wouldn't strangle each other before he had a chance to rescue them. "This is ridiculous," he said. "I should have gone with them and helped. They might not have gotten lost. I've escaped from more than a few tricky situations, more than Alex anyway. I mean Blaze." Calling his brother by his preferred nickname was easier when he wasn't so distressed and he didn't have time to worry about things like names. "I think people should tell me where they're going so if they're not back by a certain time I can go and help them." It was typical of him to try to take the weight of the world onto his shoulders and do more than what was necessarily possible for the tribe. "Promise me you won't go off and get yourself lost." He wasn't sure he could handle having no support system at home - as much as he wanted to be independant, he relied heavily on the presence of his brother as one of the centers of his world.

No sign of anyone being here today or the day before that. "Shit," he swore. "Okay, nothing here and I think a couple other people have been here so I don't know exactly where he could have gone. But we could double-check their rooms. I was too out of it when I first looked there so I could have missed several things," he admitted. Hazard let go of her arm and led the way to Blaze's room, which was a little messy like always. He inspected the makeshift bed and tried to piece the clues to determine what had happened. The cabinet lacked a hammer and the wrench. "What the hell would Blaze do with a hammer and a wrench?" he asked.

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minmouse
2008-07-17 05:13 pm UTC (link)

"Hey." she said softly, looking at him softly. Worrying was not going to help either of them. Kissing her fingertips, she pressed them against his cheeks. Smiling gently, she shook her head. "They're fine. They've probably just gone off and gotten distracted by something. Probably haven't even realized how much time has gone by." It was harsh that so much pressure was being put on such a young boy. But too much pressure had been put on all of them since the virus, they all had to grow up much quicker. He was certainly having a better time with it than some of the others.

They would find them. She was probably right. Maybe, she was never sure in anything she thought. But dwelling on that would not get anything done. Even if she would not be much help in searching, she could still be a help in trying to keep his spirits up. It was something to do. "I promise I'll try and not get myself lost." she replied softly. It was not something that she would be able to hold true on all occasions, but she could try her best. And he needed to hear that right now.

Nodding, she followed after him. Checking their rooms might tell them something, maybe. They came to Blaze's room first, and Hazard would know more about it than she would. It was not as if she kept track of what people had and what they didn't. That sort of thing just showed how much they did not have. "A hammer and a wrench?" she repeated curiously. "I'm not sure what he'd want with those, unless he was building something."

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verilydarkflash
2008-07-18 05:24 pm UTC (link)

He glanced at her and blinked as she suddenly touched her fingertips to his face, feeling a flush because of something wash over him. She was probably right; they'd gone off somewhere to play a horrible trick on all of them. Wasn't fair, but life was not fair in general. "I guess it's easy for them to lose track of time when clocks or watches are scarse," he said. She was trying to get him to calm down and he managed to do so. Most of the time, Hazard felt he could handle the pressure thrust upon him, but when a situation like this happened, it was all he could do to remain in one piece. Spies were supposed to be self-sufficient in times of crisis and this was practice for when things became more desperate.

Hazard knew what she was trying to do and was honestly grateful for it. It showed him how much she cared for him - or at least, that's what he told himself. Maybe he held a special place in her heart or something. Still standing there, Hazard reached out his hand to brush his fingertips against her own. "Thanks," he said with a small smile at her. "And if you do, then I'll find you. No matter what." Such was the loyalty of the boy.

Building something? "I don't know what he could be building. He's not the type," he said and frowning. What could it be? The mystery annoyed him to no end and he started to pace again. "There would have to be a damn good reason for him to do anything with his tools." There wasn't anything of note to fix, nothing possible to repair as far as he knew. Oh, this was so frustrating. "I don't know if Sensei's room has any clues because I'm not familar with the contents of his room." All right, that was mostly a lie.

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minmouse
2008-07-18 09:49 pm UTC (link)

He was a sweet boy, really. But she did wish he did not take so much on to himself. It broke her heart almost to see him worried like this. Not that she was not worried, it was not like Sensei to just disappear really, but he was clearly much more so than she was. She was used to trying to keep herself calm and quiet though. "Very easy. Especially with the storm added on top of that. Don't think anyone can really tell time right now, not very well anyway."

When his fingers brushed hers, she took his hand in both of hers and squeezed it tight. "I know you would, I've no doubt in that." she said with a smile, letting go of his hand. And she didn't doubt it, though she did worry that such loyalty would get him in to trouble some day. But these days trouble was not something that could really be avoided forever, just avoided until it simply could not be any longer. Sensei and Blaze were not in a situation like that, or at least she hoped not.

"You would be the one to know really, not me." Mouse had no clue what people really got up to, she was not very inquisitive and tried to let people have their own business. Prying was always something she was extremely uncomfortable with, unless someone was hurt. Hazard and the others were much better at finding out what was going on. "We could find his sister? Maybe she would know if something was out of place?"

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verilydarkflash
2008-07-21 07:39 pm UTC (link)

Deep down, he wanted her to think of him as more than a 'sweet boy' - granted, if he did find this out at all - though the age difference between them meant that she probably was not interested. Didn't girls her age want someone more mature? Sure, Hazard was mature for his age and taller than her... it wasn't the same. The dark thought of if he was going to die in his twenties often popped into his mind. Did that mean he only had a few years left with Blaze before he kicked the bucket? Not to mention with Sensei and Mouse, too? It really was a horrible thought.

Hazard wasn't expecting her to take his hand and the back of his neck tingled as he felt her soft skin against his own. It comforted him yet a warmth grew in his stomach for that brief moment. Ignoring it for now, he said, "Of course." There was a price to pay for loyalty if the situation grew worse, but he had no worry about that. He chose his friends carefully and made sure they were not going to betray him at the drop of a hat. Blaze wouldn't, neither would Sensei and Mouse.. no, he was certain of that. If Blaze and Sensei were in any trouble, he'd rescue them first and then chew them out.

All right, he needed to think. He had no ideas at the moment, so searching for Sensei's sister seemed like a good place to start. "Sounds good," he said. He didn't like to pry into his leader's things - sure, it was all right with his brother because they were family - but his sister might no if she visited him frequently. "She should be with some of the others near the lobby." Hazard was almost sure that he was right as he had a job to know such things."If not, we should search for other clues." Then, they could formulate a plan.

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