Luke King (notanecromancer) wrote in summerview, @ 2019-02-08 10:52:00 |
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Entry tags: | complete, lucas king, thaddeus ealain |
Nails done with dark blue polish - courtesy of Nerissa - and a hankering to play video games and eat popcorn on his mind, Luke headed towards the arcade to entertain himself. He'd thought about a round of Dance Dance Revolution but honestly, it was too quiet for that and it was always more fun when he had someone to play with/against. He hung around a few of the arcade games, shooting until his shoulders hurt when movement caught his attention. He hadn't seen anyone else and had been a little socialised out from meeting Percy, and Cece, Ness and then Roman. But having spent some time alone he felt a bit recharged so was curious enough to wander around the machines to see who it was - that wasn't an employee - that had headed around the machines intending on investigating.
It took him a few seconds to put a name to the face and location - The Minute Clinic! - before he cleared his throat to get Thaddeus' attention, hand lifting to wave a little. "Doc, hey!" He approached, "Glad to see you're still here, I got a mental checklist of people I'm checking on to make sure no one's left in the last twelve months, as well as adding to those that have arrived." He gave a small grin. "How's things?" “I’m still here,” Tad was intent on his pinball game, leaning over the machine slightly as his fingers worked the buttons on each side to keep the silver ball from falling through the bottom. “They’re good, you?” He wasn’t wearing his usual slacks, button up and white jacket, though the white lab coat lived in the pharmacy of the Minute Clinic. Instead, he wore a pair of comfortable jeans, worn so thin in places they were beginning to rip with a grey sweatshirt that said NAVY on it. His winter wear, jacket and such, were checked at coat closet near the arcade entrance. Luke leaned around to get a better look at Tad’s face, since he hadn’t looked up from the game and the background buzz from all the machines meant that Luke was struggling to hear him. He rubbed at the side of his head and lifted his shoulders in a shrug, turning his gaze to watch the silver ball bouncing up and down. “Good,” he responded, hoping that the question he heard - or thought he heard - was asking how he was. “Settling back into the house. Shawn turned the heating off when he left so it was like an ice-box.” He glanced back at Tad. “You… want me to leave you be to finish your round…?” “Give me a moment....” Tad replied, the little silver ball bouncing at an awkward angle and falling down the hole. That was the game. “Or no moments,” he straightened, giving Luke a smile, “Sup?” Offering a sympathetic grimace as the ball disappeared down the middle, Luke leaned his hands on the machine for a moment before tipping his head. “Nothing much,” he replied honestly, “just kinda making the rounds, saying hi to people now I’m officially back and not sort of back-and-forthing from the St. Pier house.” He’d been looking after it for Oksana, caretaking a grieving house that was imbued with magic was harder than he’d thought. It looked like she was struggling for definite, with the house being upset with her for leaving. “Tryna understand what I’ve missed. A year’s a longer time than it seems and despite my best efforts,” he grinned, all boyish cheek and charm, “the world still doesn’t revolve around me, so your lives went on.” “It doesn’t?” Tad gasped in faux surprise, grinning and looking much younger than his actual years. He didn’t have any sort of aging or anti-aging abilities, but he had been blessed with good genes that made him look much younger than he was. And great cheekbones. “I had no idea, I thought it did. Guess I missed that memo,” he teased, “Welcome back. Not sure you missed that much though really, at least not where I’m concerned.” Lucas laughed, rubbing the back of his head. “Well, you and me both. But apparently it doesn’t.” Without missing a beat, he added, “I also found out recently that fire is hot and the sun doesn’t revolve around our planet.” He scuffed his toes on the floor and tipped his head. “Fancy a round of air hockey while you fill me in? I mean, I have to have missed something.” “Sure,” Tad agreed, heading to an empty air hockey table and putting in the coins for it. “Um....my love life remains non-existent because I refuse to try dating apps, but I might just lose that battle. Still a pharmacist. Still have my house...” he tried to think, “I’m boring. There’s an ax-throwing place I heard about in Atlantic City to try. Oh, and I went to visit family. I need to plan a trip for fun somewhere. Any suggestions?” Taking the striker that was on his side of the table and looking down to see if the puck had clattered to his side now that money had been fed into the machine. It had, but if Luke even allowed himself for a moment to think that gave him anything close to an advantage he was deluded. Picking it up and placing it on the table, fingers feeling the cool puffs of air that were coming from the table was he did, he looked up at Tad and grinned. “That axe-throwing place sounds like fun,” he offered. “New York’s a pretty fun place, if not a little far away… I spent a bit of time there with Max. Doing work stuff, rather than fun stuff, but there’s a lot to do there.” He paused, adding, “Dating apps are a terrifying minefield. Charlie used one and she ended up sitting opposite a neckbeard who had a spirit attached to him that told her to run.” “I go to New York a lot, actually,” well, not a lot, but enough. It was close enough to make easy weekend trips, especially if he used Air BNB. Grabbing his striker thing, he got ready to play, “Have a couple buddies there and we hit the town, make bad decisions, the usual,” so long as he wasn’t arrested, it was fine. Listening to the story about the neckbeard, he shook his head, “And that is why I’m hesitant. We had a rule in the Navy. Don’t stick your dick in the crazy and don’t let the crazy stick its dick in you. Pretty good advice, assuming you can recognize the crazy before it’s too late.” Intending on knocking the puck in Tad’s direction, he was distracted by the knowledge that Tad left Summerview to go and hang out with other people. He gave a little grin, “Should we be offended that you have to travel, like, two hours away to go do social stuff?” Of course, he did knock the puck, with a little more force than intended as he heard some sage Navy wisdom spilling from Tad’s lips which caused him to bark out a laugh in surprise. “That’s actually a pretty good rule. Long-lasting in that format or amended following the retraction of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell?” He watched the puck, though did glance up when Tad talked, “Man, sometimes being in the military sounds so interesting.” “Shockingly, I do know people outside of Summerview. I’m not even related to all of them,” he teased, knocking the puck awkwardly and sent it spinning and slowing towards Lucas. Laughing, he shook his head, “Nah, there’s female soldiers, too. They don’t want the crazy dick either, but no reason it can’t apply to homosexuality either. Or strap-ons for lesbians. Really, just avoid the crazy,” it was sometimes better theory than practicality. Luke was grateful for the slow return of the puck, in all honesty. Sometimes when he played, people whacked it back way quick and it disappeared down the goal and started the game ending before it had really begun. He knocked it back gently, scuffing his converse on the beat-up floor. “Stay away from the crazy is probably the best relationship advice anyone can give.” He thought about jokingly offering to make sure that Tad’s next date didn’t have any literal skeletons in their closet but changed his mind. “Still, not sure what to make about the fact that you have other friends, on behalf of the town I am wounded.” He grinned, distracted briefly by the loud cheering of a machine not too far away from them. “Wounded.” “There, there,” Tad offered, voice flat and devoid of anything sympathetic. “Would you like some cheese to go with that whine? Maybe a tissue for your issue?” he would buy the guy a drink later, but maybe not cheese. Or wine. Beer was better. “You’re the one who left, remember? I did my leaving before I ever arrived. If you didn’t meet other people, then that’s on you.” Luke barked out a delighted laugh, knocking the puck back across the table, hearing it bounce off the side as it pinged. “I forget how much in everyone’s business you all are,” he responded, having sort of just left with a quick goodbye and no explanation. It was no wonder people were confused and giving him shit for it. He cleared his throat, “I went to stay with Max and the only people I really met were hopeful family members and grumpy-ass police officers. Holy shit they’re grumpy everywhere.” Snorting, Tad sent the puck flying back awkwardly zigzagging it at a high speed, “They are even worse when they’re military police,” he shared, “so, hopeful family members? Were you successful then?” he was glad Luke was back, but he wasn’t actually sure why he left in the first place. Or returned. "I avoided the military police," Luke said, feeling thankful in that case that they were only the normal PD, but even that had been bad enough, scepticism that had been difficult to win over even though they'd been called in to assist. People could be such assholes. The zigzagging of the puck made Luke's brain totally fry and he moved to the left to try and intercept it but the puck bounced off to the right, then off the corner and bounced off the back of his striker into the goal, technically providing an own goal for himself. Well, shit. He bent down to pick up the puck and placed it back on the table, knocking it across, intending on bouncing it off the sides a little. "Mostly successful," he said, "a couple were cold cases where there was just answers that could be given rather than anything else. They were kinda hard, felt like sham helping them when I couldn't really... y'know." He waved his other hand. "But the break away from that stupid bridge was good." And it was, truly, good to be home. “The bridge loves you, too,” Tad drolled, missing the puck completely as it slid neatly into his goal, lighting up a point for Lucas. Setting it back on the table and launching it again, he continued, “You do good work and you don’t bullshit ESP woowoo fakery, that’s important,” he had known plenty of people into the woowoo in Colorado, though fortunately few in the military. He was not a fan of the woo. Luke snorted, glancing up and then back at the table, struggling to follow the conversation over the pinging of the puck on the table, so when he whacked it back across his eyes lifted once more. “Yeah, I know. Doesn’t make it any easier though.” Or pleasant when he had to try and recount what happened to someone when they were kidnapped to try and race against the clock to save them. He rubbed the side of his head, “But if I never have to cross that bridge again it’ll be for the best. It’s so depressing. Anyway, someone from my family’s gotta be here to help out with the barrier. Figured I’d take that one for the team.” Though he didn’t look too unhappy about it. Summerview was home. “I don’t have any plans to leave again soon. So you guys’re stuck with me again.” He grinned, like that was possibly the worst possible outcome of his return. “And we are all grateful for that,” Tad acknowledged, then paused, stopping the puck so he could meet Luke’s eyes, seriously, “Sometimes, people have to step up and do what is needed, and what is right regardless of whether it is pleasant or fun. It is good that your family does that and that you do your part. It is equally important to know yourself well enough to recognize when you need to step away and let someone else take up the mantel for your own self-preservation.” Luke shifted awkwardly as Tad stopped the game to make eye contact with him. He’d never been great with that, but he rubbed the back of his neck, finger catching on the edge of his implant before he just nodded. “Y-yeah, I guess. Thanks, man.” But then, to dispel the discomfort he could feel crawling across his skin he nodded his head, “You gonna hit that back and let me kick your ass at this game or not?” False bravado, because obviously, he was going to lose, but hey he could at least have fun whilst doing it. “Eh, sure,” Tad shrugged slightly as the moment passed, dedicating his attention to the game. He was in it to win it even if it was only air hockey. |