Marsh Grey (marshgrey) wrote in birthrightrpg, @ 2021-12-20 09:06:00 |
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Entry tags: | marsh grey, rhiannon lee |
A Hunter and a Telepath
Who: Rhiannon and Marsh
What: Figuring it out (swap plot)
When: Tuesday December 14th, around 3am
Where: Marsh’s trailer, Searchlight
Content: Mild
“It’s just constant noise...
It started when he walked outside that morning, too tired to keep his blinders on and too anxious to even bother keeping out everyone else’s thoughts. Except that he didn’t. He didn’t hear the salacious thoughts of the old lady watering her plants outside her trailer, or the judgment of the truck stop clerk when he bought his pouch of tobacco. He thought, maybe he’d spent so much time keeping other people's thoughts out of his head that maybe he was just doing it on autopilot. It wasn’t until his shift at Lucky’s that Marsh began to panic. A couple threw drinks on each other before Marsh could even try to listen in and all he heard was the din of the bar instead of the intentions of the patrons. Had he lost it? Maybe he could finally let go of this burden that had been driving him slowly crazy over the course of his life.
He’d been so preoccupied with his own thoughts that he hadn’t noticed that he hadn’t taken a pain pill all day. His leg usually throbbed at least once or twice in a day but he hadn’t felt a sharp pain since yesterday. The trash bags didn’t seem to be as heavy today, their bags going easily into the dumpster at the end of the night.
After he got off of his shift he noticed a group text. He had wished he had never had to see another one of these in life again but the contents stopped him as he walked over to his truck. That definitely explained a lot and while Marsh had given himself the small glimmer of hope that maybe his torment was over, chances were this was only the beginning. He sent a text to Rhiannon. “Can we meet?” he could really use some advice himself and she probably needed all the help she could get. He remembered what those thoughts felt like when he had no control over them and he couldn’t imagine the hunter was having a good time.
‘Yeah sure. Where do you want to meet?’ The brunette tossed her phone on the couch and took a deep breath. Leaving home was a bigger mountain to climb than it seemed. She got up and wandered to her bedroom to scrutinize her wardrobe. After a moment, she eased into a well-worn Dead Can Dance t-shirt, which was more charcoal than black from multiple washings, its image of a monument draped in a shroud beginning to fade. She chose a faux leather jacket with sleeves loose enough to slide over her wrists.
Once she applied her lipstick, checked her teeth, and grabbed her essentials, Rhiannon left the apartment. She didn’t feel like herself, but she could look the part. She got behind the wheel of the Dodge and started the engine, thanking God she hadn’t broken the arm she used to shift gears.
He wasn’t sure what would even be open near Searchlight at this hour but his home was warm and quiet save the excited dog that was constantly at his side. He typed in his address for her and got into the truck, driving the short distance to his trailer where he did his usual end of the night routine. He fed Rudy, put away the dishes that were drying in his sink and rolled a cigarette to enjoy out on his patio. It had been pretty cold the last couple of nights so he put on his best peacoat and a scarf and waited to see if Rhiannon would show.
‘I’ll be out on my patio.’ he texted, followed by the unit number of his trailer. He was sure she’d probably been to this trailer park before but there were plenty of places to get lost if you didn’t pay close enough attention.
After the drive south on 95, Rhiannon parked on Marsh’s street, one she knew like the back of her hand from the time she lived in Searchlight. She walked the short distance to his patio and approached it with care. “Hey,” she said. The hunter left a tentative space between them. She wasn’t certain of things, like at what physical proximity Marsh’s thoughts would leak into her mind. The scent of his cigarette tempted Rhiannon to pull hers from a pocket and light up, but she put it off a little longer. “I used to have one of these.” She nudged the edge of the patio with her shoe. It reminded her of the square behind her old place, where she spent a lot of hours in the quiet.
The comment about living here made him smile as Rudy whined at the door inside. He was going to ask her about it but the whining was becoming intolerable. He looked behind him at the noise and sighed. “I hope you don’t mind dogs.” His gaze returned to her and if it wasn’t obvious on his face she could certainly hear it in his mind. Are you having a hard time controlling it? Does it consume your every waking moment like it did to me when I was young? Even more odd than the fact that he was speaking to her with his thoughts, it felt more odd not being able to peer into her brain and find the answer for himself.
“Sorry to have to ask you to be detailed, but I can’t just pick it up through my antenna anymore. How are you handling it?” For him it felt like a weight had been lifted but he couldn’t imagine having something like that sprung onto him at this point in his life.
Rhiannon shook her head that no, she didn’t mind dogs. She’d grown up an equal opportunity animal enthusiast. She looked around the small yard; for the first time in her life, shadows were inscrutable to her. “It’s… just constant noise,” she began. “It’s chaotic. It’s hard not to catch people’s moods. And I can’t even fully process it because I’m distracted.” She faltered with a kinder way to put it but there wasn’t one. “I can’t stand being normal, physically speaking.” There was a seat not too far from Marsh. She took it and pulled a pack of cigarettes from her jacket. “These may actually kill me now,” she said, lighting up and blowing smoke through red lips.
His eyes softened at the words. Marsh knew this wasn’t his fault but he would never wish his ability on anyone in the world, even if they asked for it. “Well, they won’t kill you too fast so maybe this will just be a temporary thing.” He couldn’t guarantee that, hell he didn’t even believe it. He didn’t want to believe it because for once in his life he actually felt like a normal person.
I don’t want it to be temporary, he thought automatically, a look of guilt as he knew she could hear it. Next door the next door neighbor came out of her house, glancing judgmentally at the woman on his stoop. If only she knew to be jealous of the curly haired man who spent a lot of time there with him instead of Rhiannon.
“Look, I don’t know what’s going to happen and there doesn’t seem to be much we can do about this but I can help you navigate it the way that I learned how to. It won’t be easy but there are ways to…lower the volume.”
“Yeah,” Rhiannon agreed. But she was hung up on the other thing, the unsaid one. “It’s not a vacation,” she murmured after a moment. “What you’ve gotten from me. I know it feels like one right now, but sooner or later you’re going to get a buzz in the back of your neck, which means there’s work to do.” Rhiannon pulled the heels of her boots onto the seat and examined the burning end of her cigarette. ‘Which is my birthright, by the way.’ She was grateful her inner voice was in a one-way conversation.
“Anyway. Sure, shoot.” Rhiannon flicked a cherry on the patio.
That was new information. Marsh didn’t realize there was more to the strength than just that. His brows furrowed and he bit his lip, stamping out his cigarette in the ashtray before sitting back and running his fingers through his shorter hair. He wasn’t used to the short strands still. His mind raced. That’s not good news. How am I supposed to take that? Am I going to have to go out and hunt? I did not sign up for that. Marsh was a pacifist by nature and the idea that he might have to do what she did was terrifying.
He looked over at her, suddenly remembering she could hear all of it. It felt strange to be on this side of it. He felt exposed. “I’m sorry, I can’t shut my brain off sometimes.” He offered her, sighing as he looked out into the neighborhood. “So, what do we do?” Clearly she needed him and the truth was, he wouldn’t know how to navigate all this without her help either.
Rhiannon’s dark eyebrow ticked. ‘Please don’t try to hunt.’
Rather than saying that part out loud, she settled against the back of the seat. In the quiet, she listened to the subtle noises of the desert and the highway that cut through it. Looking at him, Marsh seemed different in an intangible way. Looser. Maybe it was a trick of her imagination, or the fact that they were hanging out in his yard without a bar between them. She watched a cloud of her cigarette smoke dissipate in the chilly air. “We can tell each other what to expect. I’ll go first. Right now, you’re a bloodline hunter, meaning you’re stronger. Faster. More coordinated. It’s harder to injure you, but not impossible, and you’re still mortal. Unless we exchanged muscle memory, you won’t know how to fight, but you’ll catch on if there’s something supernatural nearby, like a vampire or a Were. For me, it’s like the hair rises on the back of my neck, or I get goosebumps on my arms. You might even taste better than the average human, so I wouldn’t go offering your neck up for a snack, if you’re into that.”
He nodded his head, thankful that he didn’t know many vampires. Derek and Ronnie were friends for sure but he didn’t see the vampire often. He realized this was the point where he was supposed to tell her what to expect. “Truth is, you probably have experienced all of what this is. Constant words in your head that don’t belong to you, the feeling of someone else’s emotions starting to affect yours.” It wasn’t just something that happened when certain people were around, Marsh’s abilities didn’t just turn on and off at random. It took concentration and breathing to keep it at bay.
“If it starts getting too loud it helps to take deep breaths and focus on one word. It can be anything but just focus on that and it should quiet down.” The word Marsh had chosen lately had been a name, Lawrence, to remind himself that even hearing the truth from someone else could be catastrophic.
Rhiannon wet her lip. “It’s weird. Telepathy, I mean. With telekinesis, and pyrokinesis, you can turn it on and off. Right? So why’s this different? I dunno,” she shook her head, “Maybe you don’t have the answer. It’s just a thing I don’t understand.” She got up and stubbed her cigarette in Marsh’s ashtray, then returned to sitting. “And here’s the other thing. Most of us, at one time or another, would give anything to know what a person’s thinking, but right now, I am terrified to be around my boyfriend. When we got together, we agreed that we could see everything. Have everything. But this is… I mean, it feels so intrusive.”
It felt odd, knowing that another person felt exactly how he felt almost all the time. He’d met another telepath before but he knew that hers worked differently and he doubted she lost any sleep over it. He sighed and leaned forward in his chair to let Rudy out. The dog would come when he called so Marsh tended to let him wander outside without a leash when he was with him. “I didn’t start dating until very recently for that reason. Once you know what’s inside a person's head, it becomes hard to love them.” Except for Tina, except for Ronnie. They were the only two who never thought a bad thought.
Nobu was different too but only because his thoughts were in a language Marsh had only barely begun to understand when they broke up. “I wish I could tell you why it’s different. I’ve been dealing with it my whole life.” He was sensitive, even as a young child and the constant vision into people’s minds made him grow up far too quickly. “You think we’ll ever go back? To the way we were.” Do I even want to? Rudy first went to Rhiannon and then began to make figure 8s in the parking lot.
Well, that was bleak. Maybe Noah could revert to thinking in Ukrainian.
“Yeah,” Rhiannon said, lifting her shoulders. “It’s a spell. Spells get reversed all the time. It’s just a matter of when.” The rings on her right hand were spun methodically. It occurred to her that Marsh had been sad every time they spoke, and now she could hear his doubt, his longing to be someone else, or at least have someone else’s life. “I’m sorry. Maybe you can talk to James or Gabe about a charm, like a thing you can wear to ward off intrusive thoughts. Fuck, there’s probably a tattoo for it,” she said, smiling. “But you can’t keep this. I don’t care if I have to learn magic myself, we have to go back. I look at you right now, and I’m actually pissed. Not at you, but… that’s my lineage. It’s not a fluke for me.”
It was clear who got the sweeter end of the deal with this and Marsh couldn’t judge Rhiannon for being pissed. He’d be pissed too if he’d just gotten his telepathy now. All these years feeling the torturous constant had callused him to some of the intense feelings it brought on. Rudy found a pile of leaves and began to roll around in it, Marsh whistled at him and the Kelpie stopped what he was doing and ran toward Marsh. He stopped at Marsh’s foot and leaned against his owner.
“I’m sorry this happened. I never asked for this, at least not directly unless you count childhood prayers as acts of magic.” He offered her a small smirk at the joke, trying to lighten the overall mood of the shit show they were both involved in. He also didn’t know what it was like to have his gift inherited. His childhood might have been easier if someone was there to help him navigate it. He stood and opened the door to his trailer.
“You like scotch?”
She shook her head. “Don’t apologize. I mean, hearing people’s thoughts isn’t my idea of a good time, but the main issue I’m having is losing my ability to hunt effectively. I kill the monsters that are on Hell’s last nerve, so.” Rhiannon nudged her sleeve up her arm to show him a splint on her wrist. “This isn’t gonna work for me. But yes to scotch.”
He kicked the door open a bit and looked over at her. “Why don’t you come inside where it’s warmer?” Rudy immediately ran inside to sit on the couch, panting from all the pent up excitement. He leaned over to his counter while he waited for her and grabbed two scotch glasses, pouring two glasses neat. This was a predicament he wasn’t sure he’d ever thought he’d be in but then again, Marsh realized long ago that strange things happen in Searchlight.
His trailer was decorated nicely, a large section of the wall filled to the brim with records and in the center a record player with large speakers framing it. One could say that Marsh was a vinylphile but that would be putting it lightly.
She followed him indoors and did a quick visual perusal of those albums most visible without kneeling. Marsh seemed to have a taste for classic and hard rock. “I’m a little envious,” she said, the tip of her boot lightly tapping the floor. “I’ve never had enough room for much stuff. It was weapons and art, because music can live online. It’s not the same though, is it?” She backed away from his records and looked up at the ceiling and around the walls.
Letting the door close behind him he picked up the glass and walked over Rhiannon to hand it to her. “I was used to a much bigger place in Durango but I had my mom and my sister with me so I collected a few things over the years. Records have always been my weakness.” His mom and sister had decorated the rest but he did have a room only half the size of his trailer.
He took a sip of the scotch. He didn’t afford too many luxuries in his life but scotch was one thing he didn’t mind splurging on. Returning his gaze to her, Marsh eyed the splint on her arm. “How did that happen?” People didn’t just break their arms without good reason and Marsh had a feeling she’d discovered her loss in a less than ideal way.
The scotch was good. She swallowed and raised her hand, a bit of the splint poking out of her sleeve. “Oh this is super embarrassing. I got taken out by a teenage skateboarder. It was right after the whole,” she gestured between them, “Switch thing, I guess? I was out for a run but everyone was loud and my body just felt off, so I stopped. I was standing in the middle of the sidewalk, like an idiot, and he just plowed right into me.”
She shook her head. “I mean, I’ve broken my arm twice before, but both times, I was getting my ass kicked. This is just sad.” The brunette offered a self-deprecating smile. “Okay, I don’t wanna talk about that.” Rhiannon took another sip and set her glass down.
He let out a small chuckle, in hopes to lighten the mood. He had no damn idea what they could do but he could at least try to brainstorm some solutions while he had her at his disposal. “Well, we may not be able to stop whatever it is that’s happening but maybe we can figure out something else for the time being. You could.. walk me through what it is you do.” At six foot three, the extra strength he’d had could be useful for her to at least try to continue her work. Marsh knew it was a dumb idea, he didn’t know the first thing about what she did but at least it might help to get the conversation going.
The scotch burned nicely down his throat and he sighed whilst mentally kicking himself for suggesting it. I don’t have the first idea how to be a hunter. Don’t much like confrontation. He couldn’t remember the last time he felt so self-conscious without his ability to hear thoughts. Suddenly everything he thought was compounded by the realization that they weren’t exactly silent to her.
Rhiannon winced. “Okay. Marsh? Don’t take this the wrong way, but please, don’t try to go from Kindergarten Cop to T-1000 in a week. I like teaching, but fighting is gonna take time. You’re strong enough right now, you could easily mess up a human, but hunters spend years practicing martial arts and training with weapons. Part of that is to compensate, because vampires and Weres are just as strong as, but way harder to kill, and also vampires have this whole extra gift. Some of them can turn into fog or climb walls or use mind control on us. You know what our big trick is? Holy objects. Which only work if both of us believe.”
Rhiannon didn’t want to put him off entirely. She wished they had met up for their tag team hunter/telepath plan before this happened. “I can show you how to stake someone. Let’s start with that. Then we’ll figure out what’s next.”
Well at least it’s a start. he thought and nodded his head, putting his glass down. “Well then why don’t we hop to it?” He asked. He supposed this was better than nothing, though he never expected to have to learn a skill like this.