George Camarine (cursed_prince) wrote in madisonvalley, @ 2018-01-27 15:56:00 |
|
|||
The thing was, George knew he wasn’t especially fast. He definitely wasn’t very strong. And keeping so many dead things alive in his youth had taken a lot out of his own soul, making him tire much faster and more easily than most people in his line of business. That was okay. The thing was, George knew he physically weaker than most spies and assassins. It was that knowledge that made him so successful. He made it on his wit and his ability to get people to underestimate him. And when he did strike, it was with deadly precision. Such was his approach to the obstacle now. He’d seen people go at it trying to break their personal records for speed or strength; George was simply going for technical perfection. He was at the monkey bars now, flowing so smoothly from bar to another that he could very well be holding a martini glass in one hand. *** Will had watched a lot of people come through his obstacle course. He enjoyed watching the various types and competing against those who came for their best times and working with those learning strategy to fight. This bloke was a new variety entirely. He moved slowly and deliberately, but never missed a step. The movements were not hurried, but instead measured and deliberate - as if he was striving for sheer perfection. Fascinated despite himself, Will moved so he could be better watch. His blue eyes followed the man’s form, wondering how he would tackle the shaking bridge that came next. Will couldn’t help his curiosity and called out as the man landed on the platform in front of the bridge. “What’s your tactic?” he inquired, pointing at the shaking bridge which routinely dropped links at a random pattern. *** George had noticed that he was being watched, but since there didn’t seem to be an immediate threat, he finished off the monkey bars before examining the next obstacle. When the other man approached, he looked up. “Core strength and a lot of luck,” he said, with a self-deprecating smile. That wasn’t completely it, however. Core strength, of course, was important in anything athletic, and luck was certainly welcome. But what George was also very good at was rate of weight transfer. It was a technique he’d learned from dance classes that served him extremely well when it came to unstable terrain. Most people would take this bridge at speed, trying to get past it before their balance could be completely shaken off, or a link fell under their feet. But in bounding through it, they’d have to commit their weight completely on one foot or the other - which meant that as soon as a link fell out, or the bridge shook, they’d be off-balance. George planned to have both feet on the bridge at all times, so that if one foot lost its support, he could quickly switch to the other. So he strolled across the bridge while it shuddered under him, posture perfect. *** Arms crossed over his chest, Will watched, blue eyes assessing every movement. “Doesn’t seem like much of a plan,” he taunted, aware that plans came in all kinds of shapes and sizes. But he wasn’t there to always cheer people on, sometimes he pushed by asking the awkward questions. He watched as the bloke moved fluidy from link to link of the bridge, crossing the first fallen space with ease. “Come on now, get a move on before you end up on your arse on the floor.” He grinned as he teased, wondering what the guy would do. Unfortunately, Will couldn’t control the speed of the bridge or he certainly would have made things more complex. But now Will was entranced as the guy made it over the bridge without a stumble. Next in his path was a series of swinging ropes and chains - what Will affectionately called the Tarzan. “I don’t think you can count on luck to get through that.” He smirked. If pressed to explain why he was taunting this bloke so much, Will wouldn’t be able to explain. It just seemed to be the right tactic to take. Somehow he felt this guy wouldn’t expect or enjoy a conversation filled with flattery - he wanted a challenge and rose to meet it. *** George was used to taunts. Growing up an Edge Rat meant people tended to look down on him and subject him to all forms of bullying. He’d risen above all that, though, by not letting any of those taunts rile him. He did things his way, and then if he could be bothered, he took revenge. So while the newcomer urged him to go faster, he resolutely refused to. He probably could’ve sped up a bit , but why reveal that that level of skill? Let people think he was slow to act. Speed wasn’t necessary until he had to kill someone. “Luck is always welcome,” George replied mildly. And so was good timing - which was what he really relied on to get through this obstacle. Understanding the arc of momentum and the distance between the ropes and chains allowed him to pass Tarzan as gracefully as if he were dancing on air. And so he completed the rest of the course: not at all quickly, but with such impeccable technique that he was barely sweating at the end of it. “You seem to know this course well,” he remarked when he walked back to where the other man stood. *** “It’s mine,” Will said without an ounce of humbleness. “I’ve run it more times than I can admit.” His head tipped to the side, hair sweeping down across his forehead. “I admit to never seeing someone run it with that kind of deliberateness. I find myself fascinated,” Will admitted. He did nothing either slow or measured. It was perhaps a fault, but Will embraced it about himself. Why admit a weakness when you can take it and make it a positive? “Where did you learn such tactics?” he inquired. “Come on, I’ll get you some water and you can tell me your life story.” *** “It’s a good one,” George remarked. “There’s a nice variety of obstacles here.” At Will’s question, he smiled slightly. “I won’t say no to water, but my life story’s pretty boring.” Absolute lie, but he spoke it so smoothly it could easily be believed. “I know I won’t break any records for speed, so why not do it properly?” *** “Come with me,” Will gestured, heading off the main floor as someone else started on the obstacle course. He led George into his office and moved to fridge and pulled out a bottle of water. He tossed it to George and indicated the set of chairs in the office. Will collapsed into one and commented, “Everyone thinks their own story is boring. Listeners generally disagree.” He grinned at George. “My name’s Will Herondale. So tell me about yourself and learning that speed isn’t everything.” He gave one of his own careless grins, wondering if George would respond to this kind of challenge. *** George caught the water bottle in mid air, again with great grace. “George Camarine,” he replied as he twisted the lid of the bottle. “I have a brother who’s both fast and strong, so I learned quickly that I needed to take a different approach to get anywhere.” He took a sip and smiled blandly at Will. Even that was a thing of beauty: George was an extremely pretty young man. “As I said: boring.” *** “Let me be the judge of boring or not,” Will retorted. He was now quite curious. Will wanted to investigate George so he could understand why someone who must have had some kind of training would consider himself ‘boring’. “Though you seem to convinced that is the only word to use to describe your life,” Will continued. He drank some water himself and peered at George, wondering if he would get anything else. *** “Compared to some of the stories I’ve heard here?” George laughed. He’d met the living embodiment of death. Even if he hadn’t been lying about his life story, his history in the Edge and as a Mirror agent would be positively dull compared to that. He took another sip of water and studied the other man. With his dark hair and brilliant blue eyes, Will was startlingly pretty as well. Madame V would like him. “Haven’t you heard of some wild life stories here? Are they more interesting than yours?” **** “Most stories are more interesting, but only one is mine. Anyone can make a story interesting,” Will commented as he considered what everyone had been through. And then he realised what George was doing. “Do you always answer questions with more questions? Is it your way of deflecting information seeking questions about yourself?” Will inquired, leaning forward with curiosity, blue eyes twinkling. *** George’s lips quirked up in a smile. So the other man wasn’t just a pretty face. Usually a deflecting question like that was all that was needed to turn the attention away from himself. He could see he’d have to work harder here. “What do you think?” He asked the question deliberately, knowing it would only prove Will’s point. But they both knew that; it was his version of a joke. *** Immediately Will laughed. “Clearly you subscribe to Voltaire’s philosophy then - a man should be judged by his questions and not his answers.” Will now was facing a challenge and he liked a good challenge. Weaving his fingers together, he raised his hands put them behind his head and looked at George. Now it was all about asking the right questions to get information from George. “Tell me then - what is the most interesting story you have heard since you’ve arrived?” *** Now they were getting somewhere. George understood what Will was trying to do: ask him questions by whose answers he could be judged. He appreciated that. It was a nice mental challenge; George hadn’t had much of that in Madison. “I talked to a woman who claimed to be the physical embodiment of Death,” he replied. “Is that more or less interesting than your best story?” *** “That is interesting - that death could be personified and quantified into a single entity,” Will agreed. “But the term interesting is also quite subjective.” Will put his feet up as he considered the question. “Though I think it is interesting people who have been saved by arriving in this location,” Will commented. “Do you not find life more interesting than death?” Will’s blue eyes were alit now with pleasure at the conversation. *** Normally this was when George would break out the revelation that he was a necromancer, because he liked seeing people’s reactions to it. But since they had a rhythm in their verbal dance now, it seemed a pity to derail it. “I think life and death are all part of the same cycle,” he replied smoothly. He lifted an eyebrow. “Who do you know who’s been saved simply by coming here?” *** “People,” Will said with a general shrug. He wasn’t going to give in that easily. Of course he had specifics - Jem being one of them. “It happens more than most people think. Madison Valley provides second chances.” Those blue eyes examined George as an idea occurred to him. Maybe he’d even get an actual answer this time. “Does your second chance revolve around life?” Will paused, “Or death?” *** He was getting closer. Curious, that he’d managed to pick that up about George. Or maybe he, like George, liked to do research in advance. Nah. Will seemed to be the sort to live in the moment. It was intuition, then. Fascinating. He shrugged in response to the question. “I don’t so much believe in second chances as I do making the most of your first one. What was that some philosopher said? Everyone dies, but not everyone lives.” *** “There is some truth in that saying,” Will said, his grin flashing across his features. There was something about that answer that provided more than just a basic answer to a question. What it was Will couldn’t put his finger on, but his intuition reared its head and made him want to pay attention. “Hemingway would agree with you,” Will added, quoting the writer, “Every man's life ends the same way. It is only the details of how he lived and how he died that distinguish one man from another.” Again he leaned forward, “So what details of your life set you apart? You must have some?” *** George shook his head. “I’m terribly boring, I’m afraid,” he said, with the full knowledge that Will wouldn’t believe a word of it. He was enjoying this conversation as well; it stimulated him in a way he hadn’t been since arriving here. He nodded out towards the obstacle course. “As you can see, I’m not particularly fast or strong.” He turned back to give Will a faint smile. “I suppose the only thing I have going for me is my meticulousness.” And his good looks, of course. Even without anything else, someone who looked like him was bound to have stories. *** “Being so careful was never my strength and I doubt it ever will be,” Will replied, “but it is good that there is someone out there who is being extra thorough about their second chance as you clearly are.” Will was stabbing in the dark with the statement, but he felt it was a good bet. “Strength and speed have their places - perhaps overused places or over relied upon,” Will commented with a shrug. He counted on both as part of who he was. Will would never be meticulous unless you counted how he checked off the list of books he wanted to read. Will lowered his hands and laid them across his stomach, resting them. It was as still as he could manage - not that he managed it very well. “Who did you leave behind that might argue that you are boring?” Will inquired, again attempting a question vs. a statement. *** George grinned, seeing the question for the probe it was. Will was angling more than just the identity of the person in question. “Did I say I left anyone behind?” George looked innocent. “I think it’s enough that I know of my own limitations, don’t you think?” *** “You’ve left someone behind,” Will immediately retorted. He knew now that he had. But it was also logical - all of them had left someone behind. Whether they were important and how important was what varied. The innocent look didn’t fool Will in the slightest. He’d too often used it for his own purposes to be fooled by it. “It may be, or it may not. At times it is good to know the limitations of others - or at least to be able to pry them out of someone.” Clearly that was what he was trying to do. *** George laughed slightly. “Usually, when someone seeks to find the limitations of others, it’s because they find them a threat. Do you agree?” He wasn’t committing himself to one philosophy or another. He was more interested in what Will prescribed to. *** “I’ve decided I’m going to charge you a quarter every time you answer a question with a question instead of an answer,” Will replied with an answering laugh and shake of his head. “I assume you normally leave behind piles of frustrated companions.” “But this time I’ll disagree. Sometimes knowledge is the ultimate goal.” Will liked knowing things. It was part of the reason that he was such voracious reader - he just wanted to know. If the knowledge was useful at a later date, that was a good addition, but he just preferred to have it. *** George smiled. “A man after my own mind.” It was, perhaps, the closest he’d come to a straight-out admission of anything, but Will had worked for it. Besides, it was true: he and Will both liked knowledge for knowledge’s sake - although George liked it more for what he could do for it. He rose. “I won’t take any more of your time. I hope to see you around, Will.” |