The Robber Bridegroom. (letalegroom) wrote in bellumlogs, @ 2010-07-12 19:48:00 |
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Entry tags: | ichabod crane, npc |
Who: Cole Evans and Jason [NPC].
What: PHASE ONE IS A GO.
Where: Le Croquembouche.
When: Sunday afternoon, 7/11.
Warnings: Nothing for now...
JASON: He couldn't wait any longer for his plans to fall into place. According to his observations, his soon to be victim (otherwise known as Cole Evans) really enjoyed a cup of coffee at Le Croquembouche. His other advantage happened to be that he was no stranger to Cole--the two met when he was pretending to be a reporter at his place of work. It took some work as he had to run through his notes to remind himself what he was temporarily, but he did find his summary that simply said "Derek Martin, NY Times, English teacher, Interview: Education Spotlights." Sipping on a cup of Viennese Cinnamon flavoured...whatever, the man to be known for now as Derek sat outside with a newspaper, pretending to read while waiting for Cole to show up. COLE: Leaving Bellum was a big step for him, considering the fact that he'd basically been living at 1203 ever since Ileana had been discharged from the hospital. But after days of her insisting that he 'go out and get some fresh air' he finally relented, if only so she wouldn't get all worked up with worry over him when she was supposed to be resting and focused on getting better. Lately he'd developed a little bit of a coffee addiction, but his own coffee machine just wasn't up to par which meant that he made a lot of trips to Le Croquembouche for some ridiculously sugar-high and ultra-caffeinated coffee. Usually he just went in and out, but after he'd ordered his extra-large caramel mocha, he caught sight of someone sitting outside that he recognized - which was a rare occurrence. It took him a moment to place the man as the reporter who'd interviewed him all those months ago, and since he felt it would be rude to just walk on by again, he approached the man's table with a weary smile. "Hi... you're Derek Martin, right? Sorry if you don't remember me, I guess this might seem kind of weird if you don't." He laughed, hoping the guy didn't think he was totally insane for approaching him when they'd really only met once. JASON: Looking up, he furrowed his brow at the man as he pretended to try to remember where he had seen him before. One second, two, and three. Long enough. "The English teacher, right? Evans." 'Derek' was beaming, looking pleased he remembered Cole. "Please, sit down, relax." Stay a long, long while, he thought as he gestured to the chair in front of him. "Man it has been a while hasn't it? It feels like yesterday we were talking. And of course, when I was fighting to get that that story somewhere closer to the front page. Memories!" he declared, raising his mug in mock celebration. Motioning for the waitress to come over, Jason asked, "So, what have you been up to since I last saw you?" COLE: For a few seconds he thought Derek had no idea who he was, and was resigned to being 'that weird guy' when the light of recognition finally started chining. "Right. You can call me Cole, but if you prefer Evans I don't mind." Even if it reminded him of his asshole math teacher from ninth grade who loved calling everyone by their last names right before yelling at them. He took a seat without hesitation, almost eager to have a conversation with someone who wasn't from the insanity he knew as Bellum Letale. Someone really needed to just tear the damn place down one day. "It has," Cole agreed. It didn't seem like that long ago, when his problems had been minor at best. "I still don't understand how time can pass so quickly with none of us even realizing it." His smile as he raised his cup in response to Derek's wasn't quite as wide as it once might have been, but at least it was still genuine - until he asked what he'd been up to, that is/ Obviously the truth was out of the question, so he'd have to lie... unfortunately, lying was not one of his strong points. "Uh, just the usual. Exam time was pretty busy, but it's nice to have a break from work for a couple months." He shrugged. "What about you? How's the life of a reporter been treating you?" JASON: He smiled widely. "Cole it is then. Only because Evans is so formal." It pleased him to see how easily Cole followed instructions carefully wrapped and concealed as invitations of friendliness. If it had been up to him he would have just gotten right to the chase (heh) and conked him upside the head in a dark alley. But he was trying more surreptitious tactics here. "It's because we're sticking our noses to the grind and not taking a look up at the stars or smelling the roses," he sighed wistfully, as though he had some regrets to his life as being a busy reporter. It was an easy profession to tap into in some ways as he found his real life to always be hectic and trying. He laughed at Cole's question in response. "Oh you know, the life of a reporter is so exciting. Between the running around, indigestion from fast food and partial insomnia, I have no idea why I haven't passed out from being so awesome," he joked, inwardly cringing at how 'Derek' was kind of smarmy. Time to amp things up. "But it's worth it. Do you see that family over there with the I'm assuming father reading the newspaper?" he asked, pointing away from their table. "Those are the people I write for. The regular guy who normally wouldn't be informed of the world going on around him unless we print it. That's important to me." While he gave his speech (partially stolen from an online interview he read), he took the opportunity to slip a small vial of chloral hydrate into Cole's coffee. Simple, unassuming, odorless and mostly tasteless. He was just grateful at this time most people were too busy and concerned with their own lives to notice what he just did. Jason lifted his mug again. "To regular people," he saluted, taking another drink. COLE: It was almost sad, really, because once he'd thought was was the sort of person to 'stop and smell the roses', but lately he hadn't time to stop in general. Time seemed to be speeding by, and no matter how hard he tried there was always some kind of weight on his shoulders. He was beginning to think it would always be there, and his sigh was almost as wistful as Derek's tone of voice. "That's true." Part of him had to admire the guy for choosing to become a reporter in the first place, since it wasn't an easy job and sometimes they weren't the most popular people either. "I guess we all have to make sacrifices sometimes, but if it 's worth it then that kind of balances out all the negative." Cole didn't hesitate before turning his gaze to where Derek was pointing, never once thinking that it was anything but an innocent gesture. Why would it be, after all? He was just a reporter and people pointed at each other all the time. Besides, families always made him smile for some reason. It gave him hope that there was still a normal world outside of Bellum, and maybe someday he'd be able to return to it. Turning back, he laughed and raised his cup in return before taking another deep gulp. He didn't once suspect a thing, and if he noticed anything different about his coffee then he didn't mention it. Cole was the kind of person to dismiss minor things, a little too unassuming for his own good. JASON: Oh Cole, when will you learn there is no such thing as normal? Jason himself figured it out a long time ago, during darker days. But those were the times he liked to imagine was someone else's life he was temporarily occupying, just sitting in until it was his turn to crawl out of his chrysalis and transcend above the other disgusting fodder known only as 'humans.' More false smiles as he glanced once to see Cole drink his coffee with a special additive before placing his mug back down. "Just like you as a teacher. I interviewed quite a few for that article, and they all said the same thing: it's difficult, full of long hours with little pay, but they wouldn't trade it for anything in the world." Jason willingly pretended to be Derek, solely for the sake of waiting for Cole to fill himself and become overwhelmed with what he slipped into Cole's drink and smiled because it wouldn't be too long before Cole would succumb and become a statistic in the bureau of Missing People. "So what are you teaching to the kids at the moment?" he asked. COLE: He shrugged, although it was true that most teachers tended to sound the same. "I guess it's a sort of constant mindset. Most of us get into teaching because we want to, but there are always a few who aren't quite as dedicated or happen to be more interested in the summers off." Unfortunately the more tired he felt, the more rational he thought it was to drink more coffee - he dismissed it as a side effect of not getting much sleep in the past few days and worrying too much for his own good. If he looked like some kind of addict downing his coffee this way, well, so be it. He was pretty sure Derek would understand, though. Lack of sleep was a common thread in both their professions. "Um... Shakespeare, mostly. One of his plays is always the main text, followed by a few other ones. There's some poetry too, and short stories..." Cole trailed off with a wave of his hand. "Some people might think it gets repetitive, but I don't agree." JASON: "I have no idea why, doesn't it mean you're practically unemployed for two months?" Jason was sure he heard that somewhere as a common complaint for teachers. Though he had taken the time to study on the habits and behaviors of teachers (especially reading up on Shakespeare), he didn't have that much time to go over everything again when he planned to enter the second phase of his plan. He resisted grinning at Cole's sudden need to down more caffeine. It was sort of a risk, pouring the drug into a caffeine laden drink. Usually it was meant to be poured into water or juice, but from his readings, the early 1900s found people drinking alcoholic drinks laced with it. He was sure the combination wouldn't kill Cole. "Oh yeah, which of his plays? I'm admittedly a fan of the the Merchant in Venice, but it was also what I was assigned to in school, so I suppose that doesn't count." He laughed and sipped his coffee, doing his best to be patient. He had to give it time or Cole would be suspicious. COLE: He'd never minded the summer vacation, although too much free time was something he didn't really know how to deal with. "I don't think a lot of them look at it like that. They just think of it as a... job perk or something along those lines." Cole shrugged, his eyelids beginning to feel heavier than usual. "I don't mind time off, of course, but all this free time can be enough to drive you crazy sometimes." His expression darkened for a brief instant when he thought of Bellum, and how not having to work meant that he was stuck in the insanity for even longer without an escape. "I taught that one to the eleventh grade class." Cole grinned. "For the older students I've done Macbeth and Hamlet... the school likes us to alternate. The tragedies seem to be really popular with the administration." He stared into his coffee mug for a moment, absently wondering if he'd even make it to September - the building seemed dead set on either killing them or severely injuring everyone. He'd probably end up in the hospital or something during the next big stunt, especially if time travel was just a warm-up act. "Some kids don't think the tragedies are very realistic... like Hamlet." His comment was sudden, and he downed the rest of his coffee before continuing. "Too much killing and dramatics, but I don't think so. Shakespeare might have exaggerated it a bit for theatrical effect, but betrayal and revenge... they exist in everyday life too." Christ, when had he gotten so insightful? Somehow he couldn't bring himself to think about it too much. A few moments passed before he realized the coffee hadn't done much to make him feel more awake, which was annoying. If he wanted to feel more groggy then he would've taken some damn sleeping pills, honestly. JASON: He nodded as he closely watched Cole's face for its expressions. It was almost funny to him how humans liked to believe they were the most superior species on the planet, yet there was plenty of scientific proof to suggest otherwise. Monkeys had opposable thumbs, dolphins were capable of recognizing themselves in a mirror of. Only humans could think they were the higher life form possibly because they enjoyed killing for pleasure. Jason didn't think it was enough to reassign the mammals above their own kind. He himself only killed out of necessity, making him feel truly of a higher caliber despite the sharing of DNA. Shakespeare. Despite the flowery language, the man did know how to write. "Suppose given the budget cuts, the Administration knows tragedies all too well," he joked. Carefully he listened to Cole's explanation of what he worked with and why regarding literature. He almost sounded like the true definition of a higher level of human. Which is just exactly what Jason needed. Now it was long enough, he decided. "Are you feeling all right?" he asked, smile disappearing and brows turned upside down to give the illusion of concern. COLE: He paused for a moment before laughing. "Yeah, I think you might be right." Not that the administration was the one really suffering... not when teachers couldn't get proper textbooks and the students had to suffer through it. Cole was going to say something along those lines, but for some reason he felt like he'd said it to Derek before. Maybe he'd mentioned it during their last interview? He tried to remember, but for some reason it felt like it happened a long time ago, rather than just a few months. "Am I..." He trailed off, frowning. "I'm just... kind of tired. I haven't been sleeping very much, but usually caffeine works well enough. Is there a limit to how long people can go without sleep?" Somewhere within his haze he felt a stab of panic - was the overload of coffee combined with lack of sleep finally taking its toll? He started to rise from his chair, but for some reason he didn't feel as steady as he should have and ended up sitting back down. "I'm fine, just sleep deprived. It's probably nothing." JASON: His face was set in the perceived emotion of absolute consideration for the person whom he considered a friend. Well, not a friend, but close enough. He'd deal with the petty concern of titles later. Looked like the drugs were working just as they should be. Of course, timing was of the essence: while he moved passed the initial waiting until something might be wrong phase, he now had to make sure he didn't let Cole completely pass out. While no one paid much attention to his sneaky tipping of the vial nor Cole's current sleepiness, everyone would jump up if the man keeled over right in his chair. "There's always a limit to how long a person can forego sleep." His eyes widened for a fraction of a second when his dear friend wobbled. "No, you look like you need some real rest. Tell you what, I'll get you a cab, you can go back to your place and just relax for a bit, okay? And before you try to refuse, I'm a reporter, I never take no for an answer." Standing up, he walked over to the curb and waved down a cab, asking the driver to wait a moment before he walked back over to Cole. "Cmon." Jason held out his hand to help him up. COLE: He sighed, feeling incredibly stupid for even leaving his apartment when he was clearly unfit to be in public. All he needed was to fall asleep or even keel over in front of all these people, especially Derek - he'd been so friendly, even though they barely knew each other. Although Cole had walked over to the coffee shop, he highly doubted he could walk back, and a cab seemed like a safe enough option. Then he'd go back to Bellum and sleep for a week. Maybe two. "Alright." He managed a rueful smile as he let Derek help him to his feet, feeling uncomfortably like people would think he was drunk or something. "Thanks - I should probably start taking better care of myself." Ileana would freak if she knew that he wasn't sleeping well, but he couldn't bring himself to tell her when she had enough to worry about. JASON: 'Derek' was indeed a helpful person! So much so, your teeth might rot at the sweetness. Keeping one arm on Cole, he threw down enough money to cover the bills and tip before guiding him to where the cab was waiting. "All right, here we are and in you go," he lightly commanded, holding the door open so Cole could crawl in before he followed after. "I'm just going to steal this cab after you to get home myself," he explained. Then he gestured to the driver, silently instructing the English teacher to give his home address. COLE: It took every ounce of his willpower not to collapse into the cab as soon as the door was open, instead restraining himself and sliding onto the seat. For some reason it felt especially comfortable, and he could barely keep his eyes open long enough to process the fact that he was supposed to tell the driver his address. "No problem," he muttered thickly, trying to rub his eyes in an attempt to wake up. "Thanks for... your help." Cole didn't think much of Derek taking the same cab, since people did that all the time and it kind of made sense anyway. Everything was getting slow and heavy, and he heard himself tell the driver that he lived in Bellum Letale; but his own voice sounded so far away, and before he could get out the address he finally gave in to the heaviness and sank into unconsciousness. JASON: He would have grinned in triumph, but this was not the time nor the place. "Not a problem, friend," he murmured as he watched Cole's body slowly sink against the cusions. Turning to the driver, he knew it was time for the next phase. "I'm so sorry, let me give you my buddy's address." Rattling off one that was certainly not the building Cole mentioned, he relaxed as the driver took off to that location. Time was still something to be concerned with as he only had a limited amount of time before Cole would wake up. Hopefully traffic wouldn't be bad. When they arrived, Jason paid the man before forcing Cole's arm around him, pulling him somewhat upright and partially walking/partially dragging him into the apartment complex. "I forgot how heavy your kind can be," he grumbled, wishing he had a levitation device to make the transportation easier. At least he was on the first floor, so once they were inside his place, he resorted to dragging Cole inside. In the pseudo living room/dining room, there was a nailed down chair ready and waiting for him, complete with four handcuffs for his hands and feet. Locking the poor man in, Jason patted the side of his head. "You get some sleep, dear friend. Tomorrow is a big day and my presents to your attachments wait for no man." Grinning to himself, Jason strutted to where the desk in his bedroom lay so he could get down to work. |