the die has been cast (alea_iacta_est) wrote in rrinitiative, @ 2013-05-16 17:51:00 |
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Entry tags: | day sixteen, edan, edan and hunter, hunter |
the first rundown
Characters: Edan and Hunter
Setting: the library, late
Edan was in a good mood still, even as the day had worn on. It was impossible with spending the morning like she did with Matt. Even though they made a decision to part ways, they’d been slow about it, lingering for a little longer before finally separating. It wasn’t right, part of her was sure of that, but damnit it felt good and she was holding on to that as she wandered through the stacks of the library, looking for something new to read, but not quite able to focus on the books.
Hunter had been in his room since he'd escaped from Cassandra and Hayden. He hadn't wanted to leave because he hadn't wanted to chance running into either of them, but eventually he knew he had to. He just arranged it to be later, when it would be less likely. In theory. He looked around, and found the library, heading inside to see if he could find a book or several to read. After all, he planned on remaining in his room as much as possible. He'd be bored. So, he'd need something to do. Plus, if he was doing anything like watching something or listening to music, people would be able to hear it through the door. Reading was a silent activity.
He started down the stacks, though pulled up short when he spotted someone there. And for a second, he just stood there, looking like he didn't know what to do--which he didn't.
She heard the footsteps, turning with a smile, expecting to see Matt, considering he worked here, but it was someone else. That let the smile shift, not gone, but watching the newcomer closely. She didn't recognize him, which she guessed meant he was new. She didn't know everyone, but she had seen most of them at this point. Waiting a breathe because he seemed confused, she settled slightly. "Hey there. Just get here?"
Hunter held up one hand. "Didn't mean to disturb you." he said first, just in case he had been, and he didn't want to start out here getting on someone's bad side. It was, however, good to see a girl. Why, exactly, he didn't know. Maybe because even with everything he'd been through, he'd never actually opted to disown the entire gender for what Cassandra did. Hayden had been just as involved. It was them specifically, not humanity as a whole. Kinda. "And yeah, earlier. Guess I just got around to looking around now."
"You aren't," Edan promised, drifting a step closer. He didn't seem as rough around the edges as some of the others, but Evan's insistence on caution was in the back of her mind. "Welcome, I suppose. You're in for a ride." It wasn't lost on her that Brady messaged her and had asked to leave with no explanation behind it, though she'd heard murmurs about something going on the night before and more than one person leaving. But she was feeling positive with the way things were going with Matt and that was enough to ride on this hour.
He didn't quite know how to take that, or this woman, so he stood there, cautious himself. "...what do you mean?" he asked. "A ride?" That didn't sound good to him. Then again the tacked on 'I suppose' to her welcome didn't frame it in a great light to start with. What had he gotten in to here?
She shook her head. “Nothing that bad.” Not really. “It’s just been interesting, people are still adjusting even though we’ve been here a couple of weeks.” Edan smiled to go with it drifting closer again. “Where’d you come from?”
Maybe it was because it was so late, but this seemed a little surreal. Or maybe he was just that out of practice interacting with people. "Sorry, I just got here, I know nothing about what this place is even really about, who's here, what's up or what's 'interesting'. If you're going to talk to me about things--which I would actually really appreciate, due to my total ignorance right now--could you do it less in something that sounds like code to me? I just...don't have the frame of reference, so you're already losing me." he admitted, not annoyed, just not wanting to keep the conversation on the same plane when he was lost already. "And where like...like my room here? Like where was I born?" he asked, feeling like he was overcomplicating this, and he hated it, but he also didn't quite know what information she was looking for. Seemed pretty broad to him. He didn’t want to look like an idiot already. Which was probably too late.
Edan frowned, watching him for a moment then held out a hand. “I think for starters you should sit down,” she said nodding over her shoulder to a study table nearby. “Then we start over and I will do my best to properly explain all of it?”
He looked where she was indicating, and half wondered if she was going to like, try to hold hands with him, so he opted to start moving instead. Yes, it had been a long time since he'd been around a girl, and yes, this one was very pretty. But he so wasn't ready for that.
"Thanks." he said, glad she hadn't decided to leave. He looked around before he headed for the nearest table with some chairs, and he sat down, doing one more sweep of the immediate area with a quick glance. "I appreciate this, miss....?"
Edan hadn’t expected him to go for her hand, but if he had she would have led him to the same place he got to on his own. It wasn’t a big deal to follow after or sit across from him once he seemed settled. “Edan. No miss, just Edan.”
For a long moment she watched him then launched into the explanation. “I’m assuming you read the welcome message. So we’re all convicted criminals, mostly for big stuff. Like, I’m in for arson and at times I think it’s pretty far down on the scale of crimes. As you can guess you lock a bunch of cons in a place with minimal supervision? Just complicated.”
"Edan." he repeated, so he got it fixed in his head. "I'm Hunter." he added, realizing belatedly that he hadn't done a basic introduction himself. Yeah, he was shit with social stuff these days, apparently. That...wasn't good. "I keep waiting to get jumped." he admitted. "...does that happen?"
She shook her head slowly. “Not like in prison. There’s been scuffles, one guy tried to jump someone half his size and got the crap kicked out of him, so it looked more like a bar fight than a jumping you know? There’s been some stuff, but not...not to prove dominance like in prison. I think this is more people with short tempers not getting along.” And Matt defending her honor. Edan didn’t want to think about that though and focused on Hunter instead.
He looked hesitant to accept that. "Oh." he said, frowning a little like he just wasn't sure he understood. "So...what do people do all day?" he asked. "What's with the 'community' thing?"
Edan didn’t like that hesitant look, but she got it. It made sense. “Most of us have jobs. I work down in the store in the basement level. And my friend Matt, he’s the librarian. There’s a bar some people run that, some people clean. We’ve got our own police force of sorts.”
"Is there anything available that means you don't really see people all that often and spend time alone?" he asked, figuring if at least he was doing that, he could still technically be a part of this process, but not have to talk to many people at all. Well. He could do that without seeming really rude, anyway.
Edan frowned. “Maybe cleaning? Do you really not want to see anyone?” That seemed like the bigger issue rather than what he was going to to with his time.
Hunter shrugged. "I'm not a people person." he said. Though that wasn't really true. He used to be, in his own way. Not a social butterfly by any stretch of the imagination, but he hadn't been some hermit, either. But these days? He would rather that. It was just easier. "Cleaning. I could probably do that."
“You aren’t?” Edan propped her chin on her hand. “Any particular reason or just because?” He wasn’t the first one who wasn’t a people person, but she found herself wondering why people were. “I’m sure you could manage it just fine.”
Hunter shrugged. "It's just how it is." he said, not quite sure how else to put it. By any stretch of the imagination. How did he even start? And it wasn't like anyone was going to care. They had no reason to. "And thanks for the vote of confidence, but you don't really know me. Thanks for trying, though." he said, totally honest in that. He was grateful that she was putting in effort. "I should probably go, though." he added, not really wanting to stick around long enough to alienate her.
Edan doubted that was 'just how it was', but beyond the skepticism in her expression, she didn't confront him on it outright. "I guess...I do really need to? I kind of figure anyone who got this far is a bit of a survivor even if they aren't sure how." She felt that way about herself some days, and she could relate it to more than one person she had met so far. "Okay. But if you are looking for a familiar face, I'm around." She didn't move, not pressuring him to stay, just waved as he left.