Edwin Seabeck is a killer in potentia (elusive_control) wrote in invol_rpg, @ 2013-04-09 06:34:00 |
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Entry tags: | ! log, edwin seabeck, understanding jones |
WHO: Edwin Seabeck and Understanding Jones
WHAT: Truths are had.
WHEN: Sunday afternoon, 4/6
WHERE: Room 3G
WARNINGS: none
STATUS: log complete
Edwin walked up the emergency stairs rather than take the elevator. It wasn’t that many flights up anyhow and it felt somewhat more secluded than the elevator, even if in actuality it wasn’t. He’d still have to cross his floor. It was midday - hopefully everyone was out doing whatever they did on the weekend and not lying in wait. He pushed open the door onto the third floor and tagged his card into 3g. “Oh,” he said surprisedly as he saw his roommate at his bed. “I hope you had some lunch,” Edwin added as he closed the door behind him, “and haven’t just been waiting. Here.” He’d been back in his own clothes instead of the scrubs they’d had him in, and with his sunglasses in place he must look the picture of ordinary. Edwin knew enough to know he wasn’t going to get away with it. If it had been Jace or Sol as roommate, they’d all just push it under the rug until he spoke of it first. But Americans wanted to talk and Understanding, even if he did try to keep his tongue and nose to himself, was no exception. It’d be a lead balloon in the room until it was discussed. Edwin sat down on his bed and unbuttoned the top button on his collared shirt, then slid his shoes off. “They said you came to visit. I’m sorry I wasn’t better company.” Understanding had been going over the script for Volspray as he waited, penciling in notes in the margins of his libretto about blocking, a small notebook next to him on the bed where he'd sketched a few potential set layouts. Unfortunately for the play, his heart hadn't been into it and he'd only gotten through two scenes, jumping at every set of footsteps heard in the hallway, thinking it was Edwin coming. Still, despite that he had been waiting since Edwin first texted him, Understanding acted casual, only looking up at his roommate and slyly putting aside his book rather than jumping up to embrace the English boy. "There's no reason to be sorry," he replied in a whisper, stretching his legs out in front of him. It had only been a day this time, not like the previous time Understanding had sat at his roommate's bedside, worrying over him and waiting for him to rouse from unconsciousness. It may not have been fun, but Understanding wouldn't have been anywhere else. "I did eat, actually." Nawal had left shortly after they woke and he'd tried to distract himself since lunch. "How did the tests turn out?" “Em... good. Or at least as they good as they get,” Edwin replied with a wan smile as he kicked his legs up and laid back on his bed. “I suppose we’ll see if I get to sleep tonight or not. And everything else they want me to keep a journal on. I can at least trigger things on my own, which is the most important thing at any rate.” He looked over from the ceiling to Understanding. “Did I miss anything important?” he asked optimistically, trying to be casual instead of the awkward he felt. It was one of those hypocritical things he existed within - if the situation were reversed, he would be unreservedly annoyed that he had been kept in the dark and wouldn’t stop prying until he was satisfied. It wasn’t though and Edwin rather futilely hoped that Understanding didn’t altogether care enough to be annoyed or pry. All of his excuses were terribly selfish. "No." Yes. Well, would Edwin find a physical union between Understanding and Nawal something important? Understanding wasn't sure. But while he told Nawal that he would inform his roommate about their activities, this wasn't the time. This was about Edwin, no matter how much his roommate would try to dodge. And, though he wouldn't admit it, Understanding felt slightly uncomfortable about the timing. He was a human animal, he tried to tell himself, and urges stemming from strong emotions were part of what made humans so wonderful. But... he still held off. "I mean, nothing much." He sighed. If there was one thing he was finally starting to learn about Edwin, it was that Understanding needed to be more direct. In some aspects of his life, that was no problem for Understanding, but when it came to boundaries for which he wasn't sure where the line was drawn, it was more difficult. He adjusted himself on the bed so he was sitting on the edge, feet planted on the floor. "Please don't try to change the subject. This isn't nothing." “I suspected not. Disappointing,” Edwin replied with a sigh. He’d gotten as far as sending out a text message to who he’d thought had played sentinel Saturday, but he didn’t want to particularly explore what might have been posted about him. He’d been showed the video tape. The fact that he’d hit the upper bound of the forcefield did not sit well with him, but the deep divide he’d managed to put in the ground bothered him more. It was a wonder he hadn’t fallen in, all things considered. “Some things are easier, some things are different. Some things are the same. I’ve got control of it again though,” he quickly repeated, sitting up “You don’t have to worry about that.” Understanding, of course, had seen his powers before at a mere 30% when he’d had his concussion, but that he’d gone ahead and seen the complete force as of now - the thought suddenly struck him that he might not altogether comfortable continuing to room together. He wasn’t sure he could comfort him on that piece. He looked down at the neatly-made bedspread for a moment. He really wasn’t sure he could comfort him on that piece. Yes, they had tested a few things: made sure he had manual control of switching on and off his blasts, checked his reflexes, that sort of thing. But there was the odd night-vision thing, the strange smoothness with which the activation was happening, and the headaches, which weren’t by any means gone but... muffled. What any of it meant, he wasn’t sure. “Probably easier said than done, eh?” Edwin finally added understandingly. "I worry more about you." It was probably foolish on the American's part, but it was true. He had seen Edwin's powers at about 30% one fateful pub night, the image dwelling in his mind for days afterward, and while he had been far away from the latest blast, the one that seemed to knock the boy into unconsciousness for days, it had still been powerful. He had two separate pieces of the puzzle, but he could fit them together quite easily. Understanding understood, and he probably should be more concerned. Edwin was, given how quickly he tried to assuage any fears Understanding might have had. Yet still his main concern was Edwin, the boy behind the blasts. They could be frightening and destructive and, above all else, dangerous, but they could never be divorced from the image in front of him: the tall, pale English boy with long lashes and an angular jaw, never without a slight air of fragility about him. His powers may have restabilized, but had Edwin? "I don't say that in a completely idiotic way, either. I know what can happen." He wouldn't try to say that he didn't think Edwin would ever hurt him; that would be an insult. Understanding knew well enough that a person's best intentions could sometimes not prevent even a more passive power from hurting others. Chad was a perfect example of that. But Understanding also trusted in Edwin's judgement, his extreme caution. Or, he had until this. "Though I do hope that you wouldn't lie to me next time. I don't know if you just didn't want me to worry or what, but I think that should be my choice if my safety is involved." “I didn’t -- I didn’t know it was going to go that way,” Edwin said, putting his hand to his heart. “The whole idea was to burn out the physical triggers and leave the emotional ones and.” He trailed off and closed his eyes behind his sunglasses. He didn’t really have an excuse. Of course he was right. Of course. He was quiet for another few moments before he ventured forth, quietly. “I can’t promise there will always be advanced notification though.” Edwin paused, shifting on the bed to mirror Understanding’s position, serious as a surgeon. “I didn’t lie to you. I didn’t know what was going on save for Wednesday night and... you’re right. I shouldn’t have come back to the room or I should have woke you up and told you what was going on. That was a complete and utter dereliction on my part.” He leaned forward on his knees a bit. “But this is what it is. None of us know what we’re doing, but the consequences of that are different for you and I. I won’t lie to you. I didn’t lie to you. But I can’t promise you’ll always have the chance to consider your safety.” He said it with a straight face, but his insides tightened slightly. Understanding didn't reply right away. He studied Edwin's face, the sunglasses that were too familiar and hid half his face, but Understanding knew the face anyway. His eyes moved down to Edwin's knee, as if he was avoiding eye contact that he never fully could make anyway, his mind digesting Edwin's words. Weighing them. This is what it is. He was right. And this is what it would always be for Edwin, Hunter had even said as much. Their consequences were different between their powers; Edwin was also right about that. But he seemed to think that meant he was the only one was to deal with those consequences. That he always had to face everything alone. "Okay," the hippie finally said, as if that suddenly cleared everything up. And in a way, it did. Edwin understood Understanding's feelings, and Understanding accepted what Edwin had to say. That he didn't know. That he should have told, but also that he might not be able to in the future. Which was all Understanding really asked for. This would be where he would get up and hug his roommate, was there not one more topic on the agenda. "There's just one other thing..." What in blazes did that mean? That he wanted a new roommate? That he didn’t? “One other thing?” Edwin parroted back, confused. Understanding had told Nawal that he was never embarrassed, so he made himself look up at Edwin for this. It still was probably not the best timing, but putting it off wouldn't do. No, that would lead to worse timing and more procrastination, and he had told Nawal he would do this to save her the embarrassment. "I'm sorry if the timing on this is bad, but we thought it was a good idea to tell you... Nawal and I engaged in sexual intercourse last night." Edwin blinked behind his sunglasses, eyebrows crinkling curiously over the tops of them. He really couldn’t quite adjust his thinking fast enough, so the first thing that he thought came out of his mouth. “Did she blow anything up?” Was that... standard? Understanding didn't know. He knew Nawal's powers, could see the instability in her aura, saw the burn on her back. "Power incident," she'd said. Perhaps there'd been a few. He hasn't pressed any further. "No..." He replied slowly, unsure if he should ask. No, he wouldn't. Edwin's voice held surprise and the comment was a knee jerk reaction. That much was clear. And it made sense: were he Edwin, he too would have been shocked. "She didn't." He didn't want to say anything more though; the point was to help Nawal avoid embarrassment. "She really cares about you. You're really lucky." On the one hand, he was going to tease Nawal mercilessly about this; for someone who’d declared her type to be clean-cut, practice was bearing out something else entirely. On the other, more heavily weighted hand, he was genuinely happy for her. It must have been tremendously satisfying to have successfully put a stop on her powers and even if he might question her taste, he couldn’t question that the experience must have been fantastic. “I think she might be regretting putting her eggs in my basket,” he replied with a small, slightly apologetic smile. “But I’m glad she has. And you have. Even if I drive you mental sometimes.” Understanding wouldn't lie, so he couldn't deny it, but he also wouldn't simply agree. "I probably drive you just as mental," he pointed out. More, perhaps. Most likely. "But we manage pretty well, I'd say." He smiled, then pulled himself to his feet. "I'd like to give you a hug now." |