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Post by Cyraus on May 24, 2010 20:55:11 GMT -5
V placed his left hand behind his back and stayed in his place as Tom struck at him. He blocked all the blows with his right arm as if he knew they were coming before they happened, but then took ahold of Tom's leg with his chopsticks and lifted him into the air. He sneered and said, "My, Thomas, you brazen fool. All I asked of you was to get up; I did not order you to try and hit me." His lips widened in a grin. "But since you insisted..." He kicked Tom in the face and dropped him right afterward. After waiting a moment, V picked Tom up by the shirt, placed him on his feet, and karate-chopped him right beneath the nose. This hit was rather slight as to what he could've done, so not to cause death but an immediate bloody nose. He clutched a handful of Tom's hair and bashed his head against his knee. His arm drooped to his side, but still had a grasp of Tom's hair. He dragged him over to the nearest wall and pressed Tom's face against the cold metal. "Truly I tell you, Thomas," he whispered in Tom's ear, "if you're able to land one strike on me, I shall bow down to you and call you master..." He released Tom, but then pushed him onto the floor. "The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides," spoke V in a calm manner, circling Tom, "by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he, who in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children." V stopped walking and approached Tom once again. He took Tom's face in his hand, firmly yet painlessly, and settled his face against his, nose-to-nose. His cataract eyes were expanded to their fullest size with a seemingly profound amount of intensity within them. They cried out with anguish, roared with wrath, and sang with passion. V continued the Ezekiel scripture with a rather angered voice, enunciating every syllable, "And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers." V's left hand clasped Tom's other cheek when he nearly shouted, "And you will know my name is the Lord..." His lips nearly closed in on Tom's as he whispered, "... when I lay my vengeance upon thee." V released Tom and turned away, shouting, "Deuteronomy 32: 39 through 42!" The audience, otherwise completely silent, immediately began to say in unison, "See now that I myself am He! There is no god besides me. I put to death and I bring to life; I have wounded and I shall heal, and no one can deliver out of my hand. I lift my hand to heaven and declare: as surely as I live forever when I sharpen my flashing sword and my hand grasps it in judgment, I will take vengeance on my adversaries and repay those who hate me. I will make my arrows drunk with blood, while my sword devours flesh: the blood of the slain and the captives, the heads of the enemy leaders." V turned back to Tom and said, "Thomas Anderson, do you swear by your life that you shall forever be a faithful and participating member of Chironine; never shall you betray and become adversary, never shall you harm another member, never shall you need to be slain by my hand for as long as you live?"
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Post by Ichigo Kulric on May 24, 2010 21:32:12 GMT -5
Tom yelped as he was held into the air. What?! he thought wildly. How could he hold me up with nothing but hischopsticks?! He landed on the floor, his cheek throbbing from the kick. He squeezed his eyes shut, his heart thundering in his skull. He wanted to let loose the wolf. But he couldn't, it was a rule. So, why was this guy trying to kill him? Suddenly Tom screamed in agony as his nose broke. Blood splashed everywhere. The pain, the blood, the pure pleasure of both made Tom's stomach twist and his mouth salivate. He groaned aloud from both pressure of the turn and his pulsing nose. The impact with V's knee nearly knocked Tom out, and he gnashed his teeth together, focusing on his blind eyesight. His hot cheek met cool metal and he heard V's voice close to him. "Truly I tell you, Thomas," It's Tom, The Wereling thought, but kept his sore trap shut. "if you are able to land one strike on me, I shall bow down to you and call you master..." Tom's eyes widened. He didn't want to fight this guy. He knew he was lose. He guessed maybe he shouldn't have lashed out. It was just mere instinct for him due to his past with messing with werewolves and their clans. Papa Takapa had been ruff as it was with his many traps. Even using his parents once, and joining up with Marcie Folan, Kate's twisted and messed up mother. Tom felt himself back on the ground. Dazed, Tom stared at the bright lights of the arena overhead. His ears perked up as he heard V again. And, again, this man was reciting the Bible. Was he crazy? Yes, it seemed to be, but who wasn't these days? He recognized the script, for his mother was quite religous, and would practice the scriptures everyday and made the family always go to church on Sundays. Thinking about his mom made Tom escape the agony of his injuries for a second. He wanted to black out so he could possibly see his family in his mind if only for a moment. How long had it been? Almost a whole year... Tears from the pain leaked from the sides of his eyes, but he wiped them away, hoping no one had seen them. The pain was not from his wounds. It was for not being able to have a family. "Agh," Tom grunted as V's strong hand clutched his jaw. He cringed at how close he was, and realized V was reciting all of the moving verses. All he could do was widened his eyes in fear, his pupils shrinking and reflecting the intense eyes of V. He was scared of those eyes. At least they were better than Takapa's raw pink ones. Those eyes made him feel weak and like Tom was just meat. But V's were different. They were whitish-blue, and although they pierced his soul, Tom felt... oddly safe. Sure, this asshole was being the shit out of him. But, something was off. V looked like a killer. Looked like a psychopath. But Tom's ears rang as V recited the verses. They hummed pleasently in his ears, V's voice turning into his mother's. Tom cringed once again in V's hand as V got closer. Why was he reciting this verse? Tom's soft brown eyes drifted towards the members, and he understood. This was the test... "... when I lay my vengeance upon thee." Tom relaxed as V released him, then slowly rose to his feet, swaying somewhat. He listened to the members of Chironine finishing the verse and he ended up mumbling the ending as well. "...the blood of the slain and the captives, the heads of the enemy leaders..." He bit his lip, tasting blood, and he felt light-headed. But when V's piercing gaze turned back to him, Tom went alert and met those killer eyes. "Thomas Anderson, do you swear by your life that you shall forever be a faithful and participating member of Chironine; never shall you betray and become adversary, never shall you harm another member, never shall you need to be slain by my hand for as long as you live?" Forever? That was a long time... and Tom had many questions, but if he could get his loved ones safe... Slowly, Tom looked at the members, seeing some of their metal limbs or scars. But they all respected V so much. They didn't look like they were some prisoners or something. They, like V had recited so strongly, would be his brothers and sisters in arms. And V... Brown met blue and Tom nodded. "I swear," He said in a meaningful whisper. Forever to be bound by Chironine. And his wolf self would be the first enemy that Tom would slay.
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Post by Cyraus on May 25, 2010 20:16:05 GMT -5
The indecisiveness and fear in Tom's eyes was clear, but also was the uneasy trust he had in him. V's expression didn't change when Tom swore his dedication to Chironine. After waiting a moment, he lifted his chopsticks into the air and descended it upon Tom's right shoulder, and then his left. As he did this, he said, "Thomas Anderson, I dove thee as an eternal member of Chironine with great honor." His hand recoiled from Tom's shoulder and dunk into one of V's pockets. Using his chopsticks, he pulled out a bright orange, curly band with a key attached to it. He indicated it to Tom and said, "Go to your room, 316. You may rest until tomorrow, when you shall begin your training." V was about to walk away before saying, "Oh! And here." He gave Tom a handkerchief. "Fix your face." Once V approached the exit, he thundered, "Dismissed!" The members on the first row on the bleachers stood up and patiently walked out of the room after V. Next came the second and so on.
It was nearly 11:00 p.m. when Kate and Alan returned to the apartment. After dancing for a while, he had decided to cook on a Sunday and whip up some dinner for everyone there. Giving up to Alan's persuasion to let him pay for the dinner, Kate had ordered a grilled steak sandwich and a small bowl of chili. She fed the rest of her french fries to a begging Rescue. Afterward came watching the pool game, being pushed into playing darts, and having a blast on air hockey. Remarkably, Alan was terrible at these games. "I'm sorry I made you stay out so long, Kate," said Alan as they came into the apartment. Kate smiled and said, "No, I'm okay. I had fun." She wasn't lying to please Alan; she actually did have a good time. "Alright," he said, going into the kitchen as she settled on the couch. "Do you want anything to eat?" "No, I'm still stuffed from earlier." "Are you sure? I have ice cream." "No, thank you." "Do you want anything to drink?" "Alan, I'm fine." "Okay," he said in a rather high tone. He walked into the living room and said, "I know it is pretty messy in here. I'll take the couch if you want the bed." Kate gave him a sheepish smile and said, "I really appreciate your hospitality, Alan, but I would feel guilty for kicking you out of your bed." "No, you won't be. I'm of-" Kate shook her head and said, "I'll take the couch." With a sigh, he scratched the back of his head and said, "Well, good night then. I'll be in the bedroom; you can call me if you need me." She nodded her head and thanked him.
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Post by Ichigo Kulric on May 25, 2010 20:28:56 GMT -5
Tom slightly flinched as V dubbed him the old fashion way. However, it was with those... chopsticks and Tom was beginning to hate them. When he looked back up, V had dismissed the clan and had given Tom a key to his own room. He looked down at it in his hand, looked at the bright orange that almost hurt his eyes. Tom looked up at V once more and caught the handkerchief. He suddenly remembered the pain, and he groaned and put the cloth to his aching nose, staggering out of the arena. As soon as Tom went out of the doors, he looked around, wondering where to go. He looked to his right and there was a long spiral staircase, so he took his chances and began to climb.
Reaching room 316 hadn't been too bad, but Tom was already exhausted from the whole day, so once he unlocked the door, and rebolted it on the inside, he collapsed onto the perfect bed and dozed off immediately.
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Post by Cyraus on May 25, 2010 21:46:41 GMT -5
To her eyes, it was still in the middle of the night. Kate had woken up and wanted to speak with Alan. As she trudged toward his room, she felt as if she were a child running to her parents after having a bad dream. She walked through the doorway and saw Alan hunched over some papers on the desk to the right of the room. The double mattress bed was against the wall to the left flanked with a nightstand and a dresser at either end. He was scribbling furiously on the paper, as if he were drawing rather than writing. "Alan," she murmured drearily. Apparently he had not heard her for he did not respond immediately. Before she spoke again, he turned to her and asked, "What's the matter?" "I don't know," she said. "I can't really sleep." Sighing, he put down the pencil and said, "Well, you kind of caught me at a bad time." She frowned, perplexed at his peculiar attitude. Alan though for a moment, then said, "You know what? I think you could help me, actually." "Help you with what?" asked Kate. A beeping noise suddenly went off. Alan chuckled a bit and said, "Well, I guess it's time. Would you mind cleaning up after I'm finished?" Kate shook her head and said, "Alan, I don't understand what you're-" He waved her off, then bent his back to reach a drawer. He retrieved an object from it. He looked up at her with a smile and said, "The towels are in the second drawer under the bathroom sink." Alan placed the muzzle of the gun in his mouth and pulled the trigger. The blow of the bullet reared his head backward and he collapsed onto the ground along with the chair. "Oh my God!" screamed Kate, raising herself from the couch cushions. "Oh God! Oh no!" She rubbed the blood that was smeared over her face in the dream. She could still almost see the spatters of red over her hands when she opened her eyes. After blinking repeatedly, she was able to put herself back into reality. She covered her eyes with her hands and began to shudder with stifled weeps. A pair of hands wrapped around her shoulders and she looked up to see the concerned face of Alan. At first she nearly recoiled, but then she just stared at him with horror. "Kate," he murmured, looking into her eyes for answers, "are you okay? What's the matter?" What's the matter... With her eyes glistening, she shook her head and croaked, "No. I'm fine. It was just a nightmare." Embracing her, Alan rubbed her back to console her and said, "Oh, I'm sorry. That was quite frightening. It must've been a pretty bad dream with... those screams." Kate allowed Alan to hug her, but kept it brief. He smiled kindly and said, "I was just about to go get some groceries, but I can hold it off-" "No," retorted Kate. "Really, I'm okay. Go ahead." She tried to smile as to convince him. His smile widened for a moment but then returned to a wry one. He nodded and said, "Okay... I'll be right back." She nodded and he stood up. "There's some food in the cupboard by the refrigerator." She got up from the couch and asked, "Do you mind if I take a shower?" "No, that's fine," said Alan, walking toward the door. "The towels are in the second drawer under the bathroom sink..."
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Post by Ichigo Kulric on May 25, 2010 22:02:16 GMT -5
[[Oooo... creepy. COOL! ;D]]
Tom jolted awake from one of those 'fall' dreams. He clutched his sheets and looked around wildly. In his dream, he had been leaping from rooftops and towards V who had been standing on the far end of the city. One last jump before he reached him, Tom fell off the building, which was a skyscrapper and had hit the bottom... right on his nose. And thinking of his nose, Tom held it, and felt it was puffy and knew it was still broken. He looked up, suddenly remembering what happened, and that he was not with Kate. His heart sank as he pushed himself from the still made but messy bed. He stretched quickly and then ventured towards the bathroom to check his nose.
After a while of putting his nose back into place painfully and fixing it up, Tom left the room with his key in his pocket and found the hallway diserted. Shrugging it off, Tom decended the stairs and, once he reached the bottom, looked this way and that for any sign of life.
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Post by Cyraus on May 26, 2010 20:47:47 GMT -5
(( You thought it was cool? Damn, I tried to make it more grotesque...)) V approached Tom from the corridor to the side of him. With a little laugh he said, "A shame you woke so late. You missed breakfast. It is at 9:00, remember? Lunch isn't until two hours. You'll have to do without." He turned his back and said, "Follow me." He began walking briskly, as usual. "All of my children here are taught basic hand-to-hand combat. You can either choose enhanced training of hand-to-hand combat, where you will learn various self-defensive and offensive techniques of various martial arts. Or you can choose to train with guns or explosives." V turned toward a door and opened it. After Tom came in, he shut the door and turned on the lights. Rows of lights flickered on to illuminate the extensive size of the room. There were several shelves to separate each section of the room. The shelves held guns... a lot of them. They were hung up on the ledges as if they were items from a dollar store. V pointed to the far left shelf and continued down the line, saying, "That shelf holds hand guns; rifles are over there; next comes shot guns; then the machine guns; the coveted artillery guns; then we have a shelf of grenades, mine throwers, autocannons, and some chain guns. The last shelf has BB and paint guns for recreational purposes." V sighed and turned to Tom. "The next room has blades, axes, machetes, katanas, and spears if your more comfortable with that sort of weaponry."
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Post by Ichigo Kulric on May 26, 2010 21:06:33 GMT -5
[[O.o What? It was. What the hell did you want me to do? JuMp uP aNd DoWn?]] Tom frowned, already feeling hungry as it was. "I suppose..." He mummbled then followed V towards the Weapons room. He didn't care for guns and other violent weapons. So when V told him he had two choices, Tom answered quickly, arching his back so V could close the door. "Please, hand-to-hand combat first. I'm not a gun fan," He said quietly, looking down. But, they all looked cool. And he actually perked up at the word 'katana'. Except of course he'd never handled a sword before let alone a Japanese one.
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Post by Cyraus on May 28, 2010 0:27:30 GMT -5
V gave a nod of his head, saying, "That's quite alright, Thomas. Most werewolves and vampires prefer to rely on their own physical abilities than weapons." He walked back toward the door and shut off the light. The light from the outside corridor flooded into the room when V opened the door leading to it. Once he stepped out of the room, he indicated to the right of the corridor. "Down at the end of the hall in the door to the left you will meet your instructor, Sensei Hinakawa. He is teaching class right now, so just observe the movements his students make until he is able to confide in you." V turned and waved Tom away. After Alan went away, Kate slowly made her way to the bathroom, feeling sick to her stomach. She had had grisly nightmares before, but none which she witnessed a person die. 'The towels are in the second drawer under the bathroom sink' repeated itself in her head over and over until she got there. She couldn't get the image of his head rearing backward from the bullet he had put in his head. When Kate stepped inside, her legs gave out and she fell to her knees, heaving air in and out. The churning in her stomach was too much to contain, so she gagged, and eventually vomited, into the toilet. She didn't have much in her stomach, so there was only a little amount of puke in the toilet. After getting undressed sluggishly, Kate stepped into the bathtub and turned on the shower. She was stricken by how cold the water running over her body was at first... and how long it took to heat up. There were various shampoos and body washes Kate had to choose from, but she hated it there. She hated using other people's bathrooms and showers because of how uncomfortable she felt, thinking of how many times they'd been in there nude. It was very discomforting, so she made the shower quick.
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Post by Ichigo Kulric on May 29, 2010 19:46:22 GMT -5
Tom just nodded as V walked off, then went to where V had instructed. As he opened the door, Tom's hearing senses perked up at the yells of the students in combat, and the ones who were practicing. He walked in meekly and then stood in a corner, his hands behind his back and kept his head high in respect and waited for the class to end. These skills looked tough. Although Tom had always had a chance to join Tae Kwon Doe and also Karate when he was living in the city with his family, but he never really thought about it because there really were no big bullies that would push Tom around. He'd gotten along with a lot of people and hadn't needed to really protect himself. Until the bear attack that eventually lead him to the Folans. Tom's heart tensed, and he looked down, thinking what Kate was doing now and praying she was okay. He'd have to ask V if they could fetch her sooner rather than later.
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Post by Cyraus on Jun 15, 2010 16:07:22 GMT -5
The class ended ten minutes after Tom came into the room. An average-height yet burly Asian man wearing a white kimono and a black belt noticed Tom in a corner of the room. While he approached him, he said, "Class is over. Why are you still in the dojo?" He spoke with only a slight indication of an accent.
This can't be possible, thought Kate as she stared down at it. I don't believe it. But it was there; the same thing in the same drawer. After the shower and getting dressed, she had been curious about her dream and decided to investigate the room. It was stupid, but when she opened the drawer there it was. The same handgun from the dream. Maybe it's for protection... She could also see the glimmer of the blade of a knife and a few other objects all on a small stack of papers. As she began to rummage through it, the self-defense theory faded. There was also a full pill bottle, several feet of rope, a syringe, and a unlabeled container full of fluid. A big sickening feeling grew in her stomach along with an aching knot in her chest. She jumped when Rescue's cold, wet nose touched her arm. She petted the dog and he laid down beside her. Kate took out the papers and scanned through several of them. Tears sprang in her eyes as she read: '... Life is too much to bear anymore; tolerating every day that I live. I've been carrying around this sadness for too long that it destroys any amount of joy I'm able to receive...' '... I'm so sorry for lying day after day, but I didn't want any of you to pity or reject me if you knew the truth. I wanted to be a perfectly happy friend. Striving for this is impossible when you are anything but...' '... I hope that you will all forgive me for this devastation. I am not angry or disappointed with any of you because this is nothing any of you could've fixed. I was just tired of living with this thing. You are all great friends and I thank you for all of the blessings you were able to give me throughout these years. God bless. I love you all, Alan' 'I love you all, Alan' 'I love you all, Alan' Her fingers closed over her mouth and she began to silently cry. Kate couldn't believe it; she never got that vibe from Alan. He must've been hiding it for so long that no one would be able to tell that he was actually suicidal. She couldn't understand why he was so depressed. He had a lot of people who loved him and cared for him and he had nice jobs. Why would he want to end his life? Kate furiously jumped at the startling sound of the apartment door opening. The knot in her chest became ten time more painful in a second. Leaping up to his legs, Rescue barked and scuttled out of the room to greet his master. She hastily gathered up all of the papers with trembling hands and flung the dangerous objects in there. Alan was saying something to her, but she wasn't paying attention. She grabbed the knife's blade and sliced her palm when the hilt hit the edge of the drawer. She dropped the knife, cursing to herself. She saw Alan in the corner of her eye in the doorway. She wanted to turn away, but her head moved toward him. His eyes were wide and his eyebrows furrowed with his mouth open just a little bit. Alan looked stricken at what he saw. The two stared at each other for quite a while before Alan looked down at Kate's bleeding hand. His face drained of emotion as he said, "You're hurt." He then turned around and walked toward the bathroom. Kate could only sit there and stare at the blood pulsing out of her wound.
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Post by Ichigo Kulric on Jun 18, 2010 19:46:45 GMT -5
Tom sighed deeply. "Well, I didn't want to interrupt. I've learned it's rude with Martial Arts classes. Not to mention, I just wanted to watch the first time, so I have an idea of what to expect... master." He smiled, and then slightly bowed. "However... I was wondering if I could have private lessons? I'm... not too sure of these people yet, and I'd prefer to train myself alongside only my master." Tom looked down, feeling stupid. But he really hoped that the guy would accept it.
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Post by Cyraus on Jun 20, 2010 20:18:19 GMT -5
The man maintained a straight face as Tom was speaking. Once he was finished, the Asian said, "You are the new student, I presume. First thing is first, never address me as master. V is our master; I am your sensei. My name is Sensei Hinakawa, so you should address me as such." He turned away and stepped toward a closet. The door opened to reveal a towering stack of white kimonos and, on the upper shelf, were white belts. As Hinakawa took down a robe and a belt, he said, "I do not offer private classes to beginners. You must receive a black belt in one of my martial arts classes and then I will teach you the advanced classes, in which you will receive striped belts each class you complete." Hinakawa gave the outfit to Tom, then pointed to a paper on the wall. "There's a schedule over there for when I begin my classes and which form of martial art they are. I teach Aikido, Judo, Taekwondo, Savate, Karate, and Wing Chun. You may choose whichever one or ones you would like to participate in. The last classes I have today are Savate and Wing Chun." He turned and left the room.
Kate heard the faucet of the bathroom sink running and the mirror of the cupboard sliding over following after. She cupped her right hand under her left to keep the pulsing blood from flowing onto the ground. There was no real pain that she expected to get from a cut that released so much blood; just the faint sensation of stinging. She probably wouldn't be able to notice the cut if there was no blood. Her thoughts were scrambled; she tried to concentrate on the cut so she wouldn't think about what she had discovered. But attempts at not thinking about a situation lead to thoughts about it no matter how much effort Kate put into it. Alan returned to the bedroom, causing the knot in her chest to twinge again. She did not acknowledge his presence, but he crouched down and just took her left hand in his and dabbed around the cut with a wad of toilet paper to soak up the blood. He rubbed the blood off her right hand and then placed a warm wash cloth on her cut. The silence between them was profoundly excruciating. She didn't know how Alan would react because she didn't know him anymore. Although the silence was achingly intense, Kate wanted it to stay that way. Obviously, it wouldn't. The first one to break the silence was Rescue, who was idling in the doorway. He sneezed once and shook his head. Following after, Alan asked, "How much do you know?" The pain in Kate's chest multiplied. She failed to give an immediate response. "Enough," she choked out without looking in his eyes. After clearing her throat, she continued, "to know that you're not who you say you are." The silence continued after that as Alan took away the towel and dabbed at the cut with a dry portion of the cloth. Lifting a box of Band-Aids, he reached in and took out a couple. After unwrapping them, he gently placed them on Kate's cut. Alan sighed as he sat back, staring at the ground. For the first time, she looked at him. His face was sullen, as if he had tasted something bitter in his mouth. After thinking about it for a time, Kate realized that she was looking at the real Alan, without the feigned smile he had plastered onto his face. "Are you angry with me?" he asked drearily. Kate didn't want to pause at a question like that. "No," she said immediately. "Why would I be?" "Because I've been lying to you." There was another pause that Kate couldn't help. She made a silent sigh and said, "Well, I'm not angry about that. I would just... like to know why." Another moment of silence passed by. "To prevent you from discovering... this thing," he muttered. Kate exhaled again and said, "Alan, I don't really understand why you feel this. I mean, there must be something I'm missing, because you have a lot of people who adore you." "Happiness doesn't always come with the adoration package." "You have a lot of friends and nice jobs though. I don't understand." Kate saw a glimpse of a smile in Alan's lips. "I don't really understand either, Kate," he said, looking into her eyes. "I've felt this way for as long as I can remember. I have a nice life in moderation, but I am not happy." Alan's voice began tremble as he said, "I haven't made a true smile or a real laugh in forever. I don't r-really know why. Aren't there enough reasons to be happy f-for me?" Tears glistened in his eyes as his voice continued to break. "I don't understand w-why I can't be happy... I try... I can't do it. I've lived with this for so long, I guess I just don't have power to m-make a real smile anymore. Maybe my emotion of happiness is completely gone... I can't find it... anymore." Every feeble board and thin string that held Alan up collapsed right then. He covered his eyes and wept with no honor or dignity. His image of a happy man shattered to reveal a broken man with no motivation for living. Sitting there, looking at that sobbing man took a great impact on Kate's heart. She stifled the urge to cry herself. She wasn't sure what to do or how to comfort Alan. So she just sat there and watched. She watched Alan's eyes spilling out all of the poisons that he had that day. Kate wasn't sure whether to think that this was the breakdown for Alan or another moment of getting out his emotions. Either way, it was a heart-wrenching scene. After nearly ten minutes, Alan's weeping subsided. He gathered up his ability to speak and said, "I'm really sorry, Kate, for having to make you watch that." Kate shook her head and said, "Don't apologize." Alan made a sigh and said, "I lie to everyone to make them think that I am happy and have a great life. If I tell people what my life was like after they asked about it, I don't want them to be sorry for asking. I want people to think I have had a fun and adventurous life and not pity me." Kate recalled hearing Alan talk about a trip to the Black Hills in South Dakota the night before. Evidently that was a lie. "I was born in a small apartment in a large city. My mother was a prostitute. It's not rocket science to find out how I was born. But she was a wonderfully supportive mother; she tried to be happy at any moment possible. I seldom participated in school because I was working a double part-time shift for a bar and a mechanic garage, thus my skills came about. My mother was murdered when I was eighteen by a customer." Kate lowered her eyes when he said that and he continued, "I was given fifty thousand dollars in her savings and life insurance. I moved here and set up my own mechanic garage. "My birth was an burdening accident to my mother, although she never admitted it. So I have been trying to make up for it by being the best I could be... by being perfect in any way I could. I always do favors for my friends at any time I can so I can be the perfect friend. I do whatever a lover asks of me so I can be a perfect lover. The thing is... far too many times has my loyalty been taken for granted. Sometimes my friends don't even give me a thank you when I do them favors." Kate recalled how Derek had shown little gratitude for Alan fixing his car at the last minute. "I no longer get a good feeling after I help someone when they are just so indifferent about it... which is getting more frequently day by day. Like when American GIs went to Vietnam to protect the Vietnamese and they showed little appreciation for the Americans' sacrifices. It just seems pointless sometimes..." "That's... a shame," murmured Kate, somewhat sheepishly. She thought she should say something instead of just stay there silent. "A real friend wouldn't do that." Alan nodded and said, "I have only four real friends: Sophie, Chuck, Megan, and Cora. They are really the only reason I am still living. Whenever I... attempt suicide, I always think of them and I cannot go through with it. After Sophie and Chuck's wedding, they are moving to Colorado. When they are gone, I will have no motivation to live anymore, but they won't have to be in the area when I do commit suicide." "Alan," said Kate, "you can't. Please don't. I... know that you feel like you have no reason to live, but I really think you should stay alive and wait until... something or someone comes along and brings you happiness." Alan made a grim smile and said, "I appreciate your protests, Kate, but that 'someone' already came along." Kate frowned. "Lisa Matthews," said Alan, enunciating every letter in the name. Kate understood now. "I met her nearly two years ago at Chuckers. As I was working, she sent me a black martini after she got her order of my bourbon filet mignon. We talked after my shift." Alan paused for a moment of reminiscing. His eyes beamed. "I remember what she was wearing: a navy blouse with flowing sleeves, tight light blue jeans, and crimson flat shoes. Her hair is short, a burnt auburn." He shook his head. "God, she was beautiful. I couldn't believe that she sought me out. I was completely out of her league..." After the reminiscence, Alan sighed and continued, "She came back the next night, and the next. I finally got the courage to ask her out on a real date. I tried to buy her as many gifts and take her out to as many nice places as I could. We were lovers for almost a year, always inseparable... but then... well, I guess I bored her. I didn't see her as often as we usually spent time together. I found out that she was seeing another man..." Kate shook her head, saying, "God, that's awful, Alan. How could she do that to someone who treated her like royalty?" "She knew about the real me," said Alan, with a sheepish smile. "That's even worse that she would do that to someone who's..." Kate didn't know how to finish her sentence, and she felt terrible for doing so. Alan shook his head and said, "It's okay, Kate. I would only be offended if you said 'psychopathic'. But I understand why she would feel that way. I wouldn't want to be a partner of someone who's mentally unstable and has manic depression." "But she should try to support you, not desert you," retorted Kate. Alan shrugged and said, "I really don't blame her. I was very angry with her at first, but after a while I understood why she did it. If I came out to my friends, I know that a lot of them would do the same. So I just have to maintain this before the end comes." Alan gave Kate a smile, but she just stared at him, devastated. "God, Alan," she whispered. "Please don't... I'm sure that you won't have to end your life if you just got some professional help-" He looked at her with a grave face. "I've never sought help from anyone," he said, "and I never will. I'm sorry, Kate, but it's decided. I wish I didn't have to, but I don't want to live with the pain anymore. I hate tolerating each day that I live... always forcing smiles and laughs. It's a terrible way to live." The urge to cry was beginning to come back to him again. A tear slipped out of Kate's eyes and burned its way down her cheek. "God," she said through stifling cries, "I wish I could help you, Alan. I feel like I need to, but I don't know-" Alan gave her a smile; a smile that was fake and she knew it, but was beautiful all the same. "Please, Kate, it's pointless to worry about me," he said, even-toned now. "You shouldn't have to burden yourself with my problems. That will only make me feel worse. This is something no one can fix and no one can help. I'm just glad that you are not angry with me and that you haven't run away." Alan got up on his feet and said, "Replace those Ban-Aids if they get too bloody. I have an appointment at the garage. I'll see you in a half-hour; hour tops." His fakes smiles really ate at her. They seemed to mock her because she knew they were feigned. The smiles made her angry because of the fact that she could do nothing to bring a real one. It was helpless.
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Post by Ichigo Kulric on Jun 24, 2010 23:03:55 GMT -5
Tom listened intently to his Sensei until he left the room. He looked towards the list and then walked slowly to it, the belt and kimono wrapped around his left arm. He viewed the Martial Arts list and then decided on the most famous, Karate. He then left the room and hoped tomorrow would bring him luck. For now, he'd have to start on that, and work his way up to hopefully all of them. And now, he wanted to find V... but decided to venture around the headquarters. He walked down the stairs slowly, viewing the scene over the spiral staircase as he decended.
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Post by Cyraus on Jun 30, 2010 22:29:42 GMT -5
After speaking with V about Tom's whereabouts, Jasmine rushed through the corridors toward the martial arts room. She couldn't see him previously since he had to rest for the remainder of that day after his initiation. During this time, she was itching with impatience and anxiety. Fortunately, she found him roaming around before she reached the room. The burst of excitement at the sight of him nearly made her leap. "Hey howler!" she called grinning. After jogging over to Tom, she gave him a generous embrace. As she blinked back the tears that were springing in her eyes, she beamed at him, saying, "Jeez, I've been waiting to see you all damn day." She squeezed his shoulders. "God, what a coincidence, you know? I didn't believe that I'd ever see you again, and here you are... in Chironine... all the way in Washington!"
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