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Tweak says, "Brian is gonna have a fit."

Malcolm Gray (thedaedalus) wrote in nosuchplace,
@ 2008-10-03 00:11:00

Entry tags:

adam alexie, malcolm gray

Thursday, October 4, 2007
Who: Malcolm and Adam
When: Morning
Where: Helicharis
What: Finishing up generators and looking for Simon

Malcolm had arrived early at the storage unit to work on the generators. They were just about finished. He and Simon had been spending the last few days setting up the wind generators around Helicharis. It would only take another day or two before they were able to start getting power for the various electronic devices still left. It was a good thing too. Malcolm had other projects he had to move onto. Also, he wanted to spend some more time with Maddy, Idehr and Emily.

But he enjoyed working with Simon. It had been a lot of fun getting to know the young man while they worked on the generators. Malcolm was thinking about asking him to continuing working with him on his upcoming projects.

When Malcolm arrived at the storage unit, he found Simon to be missing. Usually, Simon was there when Malcolm got in. Morning was busy, getting Maddy ready for the day. Yet Simon wasn't there yet.

Figuring Simon was running late, Malcolm got to work on the finishing touches on the generators. He finished the last bits of the magical generator and then looked at his pocketwatch. Simon was more than an hour late now.

"Huh." Rubbing the back of his neck, Malcolm got up. He quickly locked up the storage unit and decided to walk into town, in hopes of finding someone who might know where his work partner was.

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constantguard
2008-10-06 02:49 pm UTC (link)

Adam was wandering all over the place. His mind was unable to stay focused on anything and remain settled in one place, and it seemed as if his feet were the same. He walked continually, finding it almost unbearable to stop. Occasionally, he tried to talk with the trees nearby in order to draw his thoughts away from the guilt that was eating at his mind, but the trees picked up some scattered thoughts that Adam let slip through by accident. Death, death, death, they trembled, their leaves shivering in the wind. Adam knew of Simon’s death, but he was to keep it a secret. So far, he hadn’t told another person, but the plants all around him heard of the news and reacted to it. It felt as if the plants lost their vibrant green hues or that the wind became colder. All of these things were probably all in Adam’s mind, but that didn’t make them go away or seem any less real to the elemental.

Currently, he stood by a tree somewhere on one of the roads in Helicharis. Adam hadn’t looked around himself, and therefore, he wasn’t sure exactly where he was. His mind wasn’t with him today. He was new to guilt. Until he came to deal with it in one way or another, he was going to remain lost. Right now, he was lost, staring at the tree and wishing he could take back what he had told it. His hand came out to touch the bark, light sweeps of his fingers against the tree’s trunk. His eyes were large and sad, and he didn’t at all look like the grown man that he was.

Adam sighed deeply, wishing he could remove the heavy weight that pulled down on his chest and lungs. He didn’t know how, though, and he would continue to not know how for a while. The elemental simply wasn’t very fit to deal with things of this nature.

He blamed himself for Simon’s death, and he had no one to talk to about it.

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thedaedalus
2008-10-06 09:30 pm UTC (link)

Malcolm spotted the young man down the road. He was the first person he had seen since leaving the storage unit. He was surprised by that. Malcolm didn't spend a lot of time in Helicharis, but he was under the impression it was bustling with activity, as the hub of Elysium. Malcolm had not seen this young man before. Of course, spending most of his time locked up with the generators or taking care of Maddy, he didn't have a lot of time to socialize. He held up a hand and broke into a brisk jog. "Excuse me!" Malcolm called out.

He stopped in front of the young man. He smiled in a very casually friendly way. "Hello. I hate to bother you, but... Have you seen Simon Myles?" He held out a hand. "I'm Malcolm Gray. Simon and I have been working on generators for the Council and he hasn't shown up for work today. I'm starting to get a bit worried about him. I'm afraid I don't know where he lives to see if he just overslept."

His brow furrowed as he looked over the young man. He hadn't seen it from far away, but there seemed to be a dark cloud surrounding the man. Usually Malcolm was quite oblivious to other people, but without a doubt something had saddened this young man. "Is everything all right?" Malcolm asked quietly. "You seem... Well, it seems like something's wrong."

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constantguard
2008-10-07 12:02 pm UTC (link)

Adam heard a noise in the distance, though it barely registered in his mind at first. He continued to stare at the tree until the person was practically right beside him, and the elemental turned his somber eyes onto the man who had just called for his attention. Even while looking at the man, Adam still looked like his mind was far away.

However, mentioning the name Simon Myles was enough to cause Adam's heart to fall out of his chest to the ground. In almost an instant, Adam's form began to morph in front of Malcolm's eyes, turning into dirt before falling into a pile onto the ground below. The dirt vanished into the earth as if it had been all soaked up, leaving nothing standing there in front of Malcolm anymore. It remained that way for about ten seconds. Finally, the dirt came back up from the ground and reformed itself into the image of a man: Adam's humam form, more specifically, returned in full. He was standing in the exact same position that he had disappeared in with the same sad look still etched on his face. For some reason, it wasn't going away.

Adam quickly shook his head. "I don't know him," he lied in a quiet voice. Of course, something was wrong with him, but Adam had no idea how to approach a matter like that with someone he didn't know. "I'm sorry," Adam said sadly, staring at the ground. "I have a feeling in my chest I can't get rid of it, and it hurts."

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thedaedalus
2008-10-09 04:50 pm UTC (link)

Malcolm was pretty clueless as to what was going on. This was not new to Malcolm. He was very often the last to know things. So often he was lost in his own thoughts and failed to notice what was going on around him. But he could tell there was something grave disturbing this young man.

He gave a slight jump when the young man disappeared and was replaced by dirt. Well, that was certainly... New. Malcolm had never witnessed anything of the type before. Oh, he knew about Elementals. There was a bit of a kinship between alchemists and sorcerers. But he had never seen an Elemental in person before. Malcolm rubbed the back of his neck, unsure of what to say as the man reappeared in front of him.

Malcolm was a man who took words at face value. He had no reason to believe Adam would lie to him, thus the thought didn't even enter his mind. But the young man's whole demeanor concerned Malcolm greatly. "Do you need me to get someone?" Malcolm asked gently. He reached out to place a hand on Adam's shoulder in a comforting gesture, but hesitated, not knowing how he would react to the touch. "Your alchemist?" He paused. "You are an Elemental, aren't you? I've never seen one before, but I've read... Ummm... Errr... I'm being terribly rude, aren't I?"

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constantguard
2008-10-16 01:34 pm UTC (link)

Adam shook his head very slowly as he stared at the ground before his feet. He didn't need Malcolm to call for anyone. Adam was in no need of physical help or anything like that. The elemental was simply wandering around Elysium in the town and trying his best to deal with the things on his mind that he found were made worse if he stood in one place. Staying inside of his cottage with Constance wouldn't do, and he couldn't bring himself to face Constance at this moment. Adam was avoiding her, and not sure why he was doing it. Overall, it wasn't very important, especially for the current time being. Later was another matter altogether.

"You don't need to get anyone," Adam said, reacting out with his hand to lay it against the tree's trunk. "I am just . . . sad." He finally turned his eyes to look at Malcolm steadily. His confusion and guilt was clear on his face. "Do you ever feel sad?" Adam inquired, hoping Malcolm knew what he was talking about. Sometimes people reacted in odd ways to questions or topics revolving around emotions. Adam had seen his fair share of it to not be sure what Malcolm would say to him in response. Some people, according to what they said, didn't feel those kinds of things. Constance always said they would hiding it, though, or lying.

When Malcolm mentioned Adam's alchemist, it caused the elemental to sober up somewhat. Adam took in a deep breath, removing his hand from the tree. It retreated to his side. He nodded his head. "I'm an elemental," he said. "I came from the earth." It was so odd explaining it to someone else. Normally, Constance explained it and Adam rarely thought about it. "Earth elemental," he added in a quiet voice.

Adam wasn't sure if Malcolm was being rude or not. He didn't feel as though Malcolm was being rude. "No, you're not," he assured.

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thedaedalus
2008-10-17 11:35 pm UTC (link)

Malcolm wasn't really sure what to do when someone was distressed. He was rubbish when it came to people, especially people he didn't know. But he knew when he was feeling down, he wanted to be around the people who were close to him-- Ide, Emily, Maddy, his sisters-- not strangers. He couldn't see any way he would be able to help this young man. But he would do his best.

"All right." Malcolm nodded, his eyes still filled with worry. He nodded, swallowing hard. "Yes. Sometimes I feel sad. I think everyone does." Malcolm did his best to show a bright smile to the world, but there were times when he felt darker thoughts. Thinking about his disastrous relationship with Helena, his father's death, the destruction of most of civilization... Oh, there were many things that could prey on him. "I try to be cheerful most of the time," Malcolm admitted. "Because it makes the people around me happy. But... You can't help but have those feelings get to you sometimes."

Malcolm nodded once again once Adam confirmed what he was. "I knew a few alchemists in Scotland. Not well, but... They did like to talk a lot about what they did." He remembered the parties his father had thrown back when he was younger. He was itroduced to all of Alistair Gray's metahuman friends, who always went on about their important work. As much as Malcolm tried, he could rarely get them interested in his own endeavors.

Malcolm managed the faintest of smiles. "I'm glad," he said quietly. "I sometimes don't know when it's time to stop talking. My sisters are always saying I go on too long and wind up offending people by being an idiot."

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constantguard
2008-10-20 11:49 am UTC (link)

"It's nice to know others feel sad, too," Adam said in a faraway tone as he looked somewhere beyond Malcolm's shoulder. "Sometimes I believe I am the only one with feelings, but I guess it's easy to think that way when you can't feel what other people do." Despite the fact that was in his twenties, Adam was highly sheltered throughout his life. He was raised in a special way, and he had no need for making conections with other people. As an elemental, the only bond he ever felt he needed was the one he had with Constance. He never wandered because of that and always did what he was told. She encouraged him often to go and meet people, but Adam chose not to do that. He chose to stay home with her, and though he aged, he retained a very elemental view of the world. Adam never quite became human. He was always largely detached from the mindset of those around him, thinking in his own special way and reacting the same as well.

Adam hadn't actually known any other alchemists aside from Constance, and so the only one he could judge them by was her. Adam didn't want to think about Constance right now, though, and perhaps his avoidance of her was the very thing bringing him pain. He wasn't used to spending this much time away from her, not like this. "You're a nice person," Adam said, tilting his head in Malcolm's direction. "No one has asked me if I was okay today. Just you," he added, and his voice didn't really sound sad right then as much as it sounded almost dreamy. Adam looked down at his hands, his fingers fiddling with each other.

"Maybe I should disappear into the earth," Adam mentioned, "until I feel better. I can do it."

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thedaedalus
2008-10-20 07:09 pm UTC (link)

"I think a lot of people feel that way," Malcolm said with a sigh. "That they're the only person that feelings that way.... The only thing that can assure you otherwise is another person." Malcolm didn't know what he would do if he didn't have Ide or Emily or his sisters to talk to about what he felt. Of course, Ide and Emily were a bit easier to talk to about such things. While he had grown up with them and loved them dearly, Elspeth and Fiona were not the easiest people to speak to.

Malcolm felt his heart go out to the Elemental. He seemed to be quiet lonely and very innocent. It brought out a protective quality in him. It seemed like since he had adopted Maddy, he was feeling very paternal.

He offered Adam a small smile at the compliment. "Thank you. I like to think I am." He averted his gaze, a bit bashful at the idea of him being the only one to worry about Adam's well-being. "You seemed... Well, it seemed like something was bothering you. And it's not good to keep that stuff pent up."

Malcolm wasn't sure what to say to Adam disappearing into the earth. "If you believe it would make you feel better, perhaps it is for the best. But... I'm sure there are people who will miss you and worry about you if you just disappeared." He pause for a moment, realizing something. "What's your name? You haven't told me."

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constantguard
2008-10-22 11:10 am UTC (link)

Adam frowned slightly, turning up his gaze to catch Malcolm's eyes. "It's not?" he asked, responding to the sorcerer's mention of keeping things inside instead of speaking about them. Issues concerning Adam usually were not ones of high importance, but it seemed like he had finally stumbled upon one in his life. Something he couldn't talk about but that he felt he needed to, and yet he knew there would be consequences from higher authority that had nothing to do with Constance if he did.

Whatever the case, Adam knew very little about handling emotions since he never had anything of an extremely serious nature to deal with. Little things were under his control, but the guilt he felt regarding Simon was far beyond the simplicity Adam understood from day to day.

People would miss him if he disappeared without an explanation, but Adam didn't plan on being gone for long. Maybe a few hours at most until he felt like coming up again. Occasionally, Adam liked to run away in his elemental form. It helped him to just be in a way that he couldn't be in human form. The best way to describe it was a sense of peace, a lack of thought, that allowed the elemental's mind time to rest in hard situations. Escaping into the earth would be good for him, if only for a little while.

"My name is Adam," he said. He didn't often give away his last name, since Adam identified more with his first name than his family name. It suited him well; like the first Adam, he too was born out of the earth and made of the same materials. Adam sometimes wondered if the first person was an elemental, and from those beginnings came humans as a whole. Well, if he took the tale literally, anyway.

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thedaedalus
2008-10-23 04:13 am UTC (link)

Malcolm smiled gently at the young Elemental. It almost felt like he was explaining something to Maddy when she was upset. He was so very, very young. At least, it felt like it to Malcolm. Part of him just wanted to give this young man a big hug. His paternal feelings were going mad, even if Adam was probably not that much younger than him in actuality. "It's not," Malcolm confirmed. "Because it's only when you speak to someone else that you realize that... Other people have the same sort of feelings. And that people care about you and want to make sure you're all right." Maybe it was a little simplistic, but it was the best answer he could give.

Malcolm had almost completely forgotten why he had approached Adam in the first place. Rather, he was focused on the Elemental's problems. He had no idea what was wrong with Simon and had no reason to believe him to be hurt.

Nodding slowly, Malcolm put a gentle hand on Adam's shoulder. "It is nice to meet you, Adam." He pursed his lips and furrowed his brow, unsure of what to say next. This situation was not one Malcolm was at all used to. But he was doing his best to handle things. "Are you... Really going to disappear into the Earth?" Malcolm asked tentatively. "Is there anyone you want me to tell that you're doing that? So they don't worry about you?" He knew if someone he was close to just disappeared into the Earth without a word, he'd be quite worried. Of course, he didn't know anyone who could just disappear into the Earth.

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Fin!

constantguard
2008-10-26 01:27 pm UTC (link)

Simplistic was the best way for Adam to understand and he did, so he nodded in response. Sometimes it was better for things to be simplistic. Once everything got too complicated, it failed to make sense anymore, especially to the elemental. His world was much simpler than the average human's world, or at least he thought it was simpler at times. It looked like humans tended to complicate everything beyond a reasonable limit, and it baffled Adam more than it made sense. He appreciated Malcolm's direct and simple answer. It was so hard sometimes just getting the honest truth out of some people, which usually boiled down to a single sentence at the center of everything.

Adam shrugged his shoulders lightly. "I think I should disappear into the earth for a while," he answered. He found himself shaking his head next. "No, you don't need to tell anyone. I'm my own person. I'm just . . . not having a good day." It was the only way Adam really knew how to explain it. It was worse than his usual bad days, but even then, Adam assumed all things passed and this would too. If a human suddenly vanished, there wasn't much of an explanation for it, but Adam had always been able to sink into the earth and everyone he knew was aware of it. It never made anyone worry before, so he couldn't imagine it making anyone worry now.

He turned to Malcolm and offered a gentle smile with sad eyes. "Thank you for talking with me," he said. "I hope I see you again when I'm not like this." With that, Adam nodded his head and morphed into soil before Malcolm's eyes and sunk quickly into the ground below, disappearing beneath the green grass.

It was an abrupt end to their short conversation, but Adam needed to hide away for a while. Hopefully, Malcolm would understand.

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