savetheearth | [Closed] You've stained your skin and I won't stick around...

While he waited on Ravindra to fetch out his lighter, Xander's free hand started to snap his fingers together. It wasn't a gesture for the other man to hurry up with his task, but his hands preferred to be occupied when talking to others. Then again, while doing the motion, it caused him to experience a 'pulse' and that threw him off for a moment, but he tried to play it like nothing happened.

"Thanks." He replied before receiving the lighter with the same hand that held his cigarette.

Just as he's about to move the lighter to his other hand, he heard his last name and froze. There wasn't that many people who addressed him by his last name, so he was able to narrow down the list of people from his army days. He forced a bit of a smile and studied the other man's face, trying to place him. But, he was half distracted by a minor burning sensation he was feeling on his fingertips.

"Yeah, that's one half of my name." He stated in a teasing manner, trying to buy himself more time before dropping the tone for a question. "...How have you been?"

Ravi...couldn't remember the other half. It'd been so long since the last time he'd seen Xander, and uses of first names had been too few and far between for him to have retained it. All he remembered was that it was unique and supposedly memorable, and that it started somewhere toward the back end of the alphabet--which he remembered only because of the symmetry it had with his brother's name starting toward the front of the alphabet.

But not being able to remember Xander's first name wasn't nearly as awkward as it could've been, because Ravi could tell that Xander had no fucking clue who he was. He'd played that off enough times to recognize what it looked like. It was understandable in this case, because Ravi looked very different now than he had in the Army with a clean shave and a crew cut.

He suddenly wasn't sure if he wanted to provide that information, though. As soon as Xander did know who he was, he was certain this encounter was going to get exponentially more awkward. After all, what did you even say to the guy who failed to save your brother's life?

For that matter, what did you say to the guy whose brother you failed to save? If he'd been thinking, he would not have called Xander's attention down on him like this.

That train of thought screeched to a halt when Xander's fidgety snapping brought forth a lighter-sized flame. His eyes flew wide, shock that turned quickly into horror and then paranoia. He surged forward, covering Xander's hand in both of his, smothering the flame and shoving his arm down as he cast an anxious glance at their surroundings. "Don't," he hissed, an urgent warning.

Probably not how a normal person would've reacted to watching someone casually conjure up a flame in their fingers. The reaction of someone who knew there was something inherently dangerous about doing something so obviously out of the ordinary.

Xander was trying his best to visualize Ravindra with shorter hair and no beard, but with the increasing pain in his fingers, it was hard to focus. He turned his attention down to his hand and that happened to be at the exact same time the other man noticed the flames on his fingers. His blue eyes widened a considerable amount, startled by the sight in front of him. This wasn't good! A public display of unnatural abilities. How many people saw? What could he say to cover this? A magician's trick that went wrong?

Before he can even say a word, Ravi was already grabbing his hand and smothering the flame out. He was grateful for the other man's quick reaction, but he caught that hiss. Was he a member of the network? It wouldn't be the first time he met someone out on the streets.

His expression returned back to normal, but with a bit of a frown as he kept his voice down. "I didn't do it intentionally."

Ravi's reaction was slightly delayed, because once the situation was under control, he was hit by an echo of his own. Conjuring flame from one's fingertips--magic, and people who could use magic existed, and they were called mages. It was such a simple piece of information, but it raised an awful lot of questions.

As if suddenly realizing he was being weird, he yanked his hands back, drawing them in to his chest. He looked up at Xander, not quite making eye contact. Was it lucky or not to discover someone else he knew was a part of what was going on?

Unlucky, probably. He liked Xander well enough, but things were never not going to be awkward around him.

"I'm Savarna," he said, throwing Xander a bone with trying to place who he was, even though he considered not doing so right up until he did. "Can you hear it?" he asked, meaning the impossible to ignore buzzing that seemed to be emanating from the towers. Best to keep vague and not to mention the numbers directly just yet, he figured.

Well, this was another first. He had never seen someone experience a pulse before and it was rather interesting to witness. Just when he was about to ask if he was all right, the other man pulled his hands back and was avoiding looking him in the eye. He partially didn't blame him for thinking that and forced another smile to his face as he glanced down at his burnt fingers. He was still holding on to the other man's lighter and his unlit cigarette.

But, when Ravindra mentions his last name, it was like it sparked a bit of missing information inside of his head and brought back an unpleasant memory. It didn't help that memory went to another horrible memory that wasn't his, but it still hurt. His expression drops and he gives a nod of silent acknowledgement.

"I hear it." He answered, still keeping his voice quiet. "But it isn't as loud as it was earlier."

He takes a moment to light his cigarette and takes a long drag of it. He'll be handing back Ravi's lighter.

The shift in Xander's expression brought about one in Ravi's own. He folded his arms, shoulders tense, and let his eyes fall to the sidewalk behind Xander. Simply knowing--or thinking he knew--that he'd reminded Xander of that unpleasant memory was enough to bring the same one to the forefront of his own mind.

Thankfully, it seemed Xander was going to pretend to ignore that elephant in the room, and Ravi wasn't going to question that. He did feel like it was only a matter of time before it came up, though, so he remained on-edge.

"Ah--?" He took his lighter back, glancing down at it simply for something to do, his expression puzzled. He looked up at Xander, and then toward the towers. "Closer?" he asked, to clarify if that was what Xander meant by 'earlier'.

There was a time for discussing the past and their current location wasn't a good place for it. After all, they had more pressing matters to attend to, like not being caught by the cops.

As Ravindra inquired more details, he took another drag of his cigarette and courteously blew the smoke away from him before returning his attention to the other man. He saw him gesture to the Tuning Tower.

"You're talking about the buzzing, right? You've been hearing it for a few days too?" He asked back, still keeping rather quiet. "If my information is correct, I think might be getting close to the source."

He turned back to Xander and nodded, answering both questions at once. He hesitated before speaking, because this was a theory founded on very shaky ground and he didn't want to voice it only to end up being wrong, but he told himself it was better to be wrong in this case than to forego confirmation if he was right. "The towers, I think."

Well, that nod was definitely a confirmation that Ravindra was part of the network. At least he didn't have to worry about a cover for that flame incident anymore, unless there were other people who witnessed that.

"So, I take it you're wanting to go scout the place out?" He asked. "Want some company?"

He wouldn't be surprised if the other man declined, given their history.

Well, he'd been considering it, but wasn't sure he wanted to subject himself to an even worse buzzing than this. Going by himself seemed especially daunting, but the offer of company--no matter how awkward the source--served as something of a confidence boost. If something unexpected happened, at least he wouldn't have to handle it alone.

He looked off toward the towers, debating his options for a moment, then finally answered, "I think so, yes."

Of course, he would wait for Xander to take the lead. Or awkwardly claim it once it became obvious Xander was waiting for him to. Either way.

Xander wasn't particularly sure what to expect if they decided on approaching the towers. He derailed his current train of thought of possibilities by taking another drag of his cigarette, before noticing how quickly he had burned through it. But his attention was drawn away when the other man answered and his eyes widened slightly in surprise.

"...All right then." He stated with a nod before taking the lead. "By the way, you didn't answer my earlier question."

...THERE WAS A QUESTION?

Suddenly this felt like a test he'd forgotten to study for. The conversation had been so thoroughly derailed by dredged up but unspoken memories and the startling realization that they both had Numbers that Ravi couldn't for the life of him remember what question Xander was referring to.

His mental floundering was thankfully brief, because he came up with the solution fairly quickly. You know. Ask.

"I'm sorry?" he said, prompting Xander to repeat it.

He didn't blame Ravindra for forgetting, after all, they were distracted by the flame on his hand and remembering names. There was no harm in having him repeat the question.

"I asked how you were doing, before things happened." He stated before raising his burnt fingers, wiggling them and then lowered his hand. "But, if you're not in the mood for small talk, that's fine."

After all, they probably needed to focus on the buzzing to figure out if they were going the right way.

He was quick to respond with, "No, it's fine." He'd just gotten distracted, he didn't want that being interpreted as purposefully ignoring the question.

It was a question that was normally difficult for him to answer (nobody actually expected honesty, and they asked it so frequently that there was never anything new to say), but in this case there was quite a lot worth mentioning, given how long it'd been since the last time they'd seen each other. "Better," he said. "I left the service, obviously. I am an RN at the LCU hospital now, I work ER. You?"

"That's good to hear." He responded with a nod and took a moment to take another drag of his cigarette. "I've been all right. Decided to try out the other side of the family profession -- which is baking. It's been going well for me."

He made sure not to include any of the other things he was dealing with and remained focused on the task at hand. After all, he didn't want to surprise Ravindra with another ability by slipping off in to the shadows.

A few moments later, he slowed down in his pace to extinguish the cigarette butt and took out a container to put it in. He wouldn't litter and doubted it was safe enough to discard in to a garbage container.

"That's good to hear," was a sort of rote response that he'd trained himself to reply with in that situation. Once it was out of his mouth, he realized it was exactly what Xander had just said, which was...awkward. Chagrin crossed his face, but he tried to keep it minimal.

He could cover it up by changing the subject, but what else was there to even ask? Of course, because it was the one thing he didn't want to bring up, his brain kept conjuring up stupid things to say about Xander's dead brother and little else.

Thus, awkward silence. The best.

As they grew closer to the front doors of Tuning Towers, the buzzing did indeed grow even more intense, which made it even harder to think coherently, which was not appreciated. But it did give him something to break the silence, which was. "It is definitely louder," he mumbled. He slowed to a stop, looking up at the towers, then glanced to Xander. "What happens if we go inside, do you think?"

Ravindra's response to what Xander was up to caused him to chuckle slightly. He didn't mind the silence, it was sort of comforting, but a little awkward at the same time. He was having slight difficulty keeping the topic of conversation away from Conleth and the memories attached to it. So, he kept his mouth shut and kept walking.

He starts to slow down, noticing the increase in buzzing. He glanced over to Ravindra, making sure to focus on him to lower the noise inside of his head. He nodded at the mumble before glancing towards the towers.

"The noise might become even more unbearable..." He started. "I'm not even sure what to expect. It shouldn't be dangerous, right?"

With that, he starts making his way towards the doors.

Xander you can't just say that it'll become unbearable and then walk right into it! "Ah--" It was a protest that didn't even make it off the ground. Ravi was curious enough to want to know himself, and since Xander was already headed in, that was the perfect excuse to ignore his own misgivings and follow.

"Never say that," he mumbled, casting an anxious glance at a small group of bystanders. "It tempts fate."

The buzzing did, indeed, get worse the closer they got to the doors. So much worse, in fact, that it became more than just an auditory sensation by the time they'd entered the building's lobby. Ravi, who had been through earthquakes before, both in New Delhi and Los Angeles, stiffened as soon as he felt the first tremor, setting a hand on Xander's shoulder to stop him.

He'd lived in Locke City for about thirteen years now, and he knew earthquakes were not exactly common fare here. The fact that nobody was reacting was what tipped him off that it wasn't real, and the fact that the feeling of the earth shaking beneath his feet was not matched by seeing any effects of an earthquake confirmed it.

It wasn't exactly his own fault for not thinking straight. The noise, the unpleasant memories and his two newest echoes were major distractions. He did catch that attempt at a protest and the comment about tempting fate, but said nothing else.

Once inside, he cringed slightly at the sound, but tried to play it off again like it was nothing. Although, the tremors were new and it caught him off guard. He felt Ravindra's hand on his shoulder and responded by stopping in his tracks. He turned his attention down to the floor with a slightly confused expression before raising his gaze up to his surroundings with a blank face. Strange, no one else was reacting to the 'earth-quake'. He turned his attention back to Ravindra.

"...I take it what we're feeling beneath our feet isn't really happening?" He asked in a hushed voice. "Or are you thinking we should retreat?"

Because he's not entirely sure if they can cross the rest of the room without looking ridiculous from the shaking underneath their feet.

"Shh," he hissed urgently, throwing a suspicious glance at the receptionist (who didn't seem to have noticed them). If this was something only Numbers people could sense, then the walls had ears and it was actively dangerous to be here.

"We should go." Equally hushed, equally urgent. He turned to leave, and made it out the door before he came suddenly to a dead stop, hit by another, much stronger Echo.

Xander watched the other man for a moment before following his gaze to the receptionist. He wasn't about to go looking for security cameras, that would just look suspicious and risk identifying themselves more. When Ravindra mentions they should leave, he nods and turns to follow him out.

He only manages a few steps before bumping in to the other man. He was confused by the sudden halt in movement, but quickly backed up to give him space.

"Hey..." He started, sounding rather concerned while keeping his voice down as he touched Ravindra's shoulder. "Why did you stop? Is everything all right?"

As if he needed an answer, Xander was experiencing another echo himself. This one was different from the others he received so far. Sure, there was no context, but it was information. He could deal with information, even if it was about beings that only exist in literature. It answered some questions, but spawned many more.

Ravi's earlier Echo had been nothing but simple information, easy to process and deal with.

This one did not afford him the same luxury.

It was a memory, vivid and sharp. He was intent on something, something direly important, and then the ground began to shake beneath his feet and yanked his attention away from whatever that was. He remembered confusion and a visceral sense of fear, the same kind that comes along with an unexpected turn for the worse in a combat zone. And then the ground seemed to slide out from under his feet, jolting him off of them. The deafening roar of the earth rumbling filled his ears, drowning out a cacophony of panicked cries.

He remembered, very clearly, looking up to see the city wall and the mountain beside it, and seeing the mountain seem to grow into the sky. That was the moment he realized what was happening, and instead of nebulous visceral fear, he was consumed instead by a highly specific panic. He hauled himself to his feet and ran, fighting against the ground itself every step of the way. Uniformed soldiers, some in blue and gold, others in olive green, most having forgotten their fight and struggling now to find the quickest way out of the city. He remembered shoving aside one of the green-coated men who'd stepped in his way with a sword brandished, having no fear to spare for an enemy when it was all dedicated to someone he needed to find.

The city's descent took minutes, agonizingly long but not nearly long enough. He remembered when it stopped sliding and began to tilt, and then began to fall. Despair threatened him but desperation kept him alive. It became a blur of devastation and destruction, details he couldn't spare any concentration for, because he had to use it all on protecting himself from the city crumbling around him. He couldn't remember exactly how he managed it, instinct having taken over and leaving his conscious mind behind.

Then, the sudden clarity of darkness with a single point of light breaking through it. Dull shock that he was still alive. A sharp breath that felt like a knife in his ribs. The sound of the rock settling, piece by piece, until finally nothing. Only an absolute and terrifying stillness.

Once the memory had finished playing itself out, he drew in a sharp breath for real, almost expecting it to hurt the same as he remembered. The pressure on his shoulder, he realized, was a hand, and when he looked, it turned out, unsurprisingly, to be Xander's.

He was too shaken to even try to guess whether Xander had asked him anything or what he should answer with. He let out a breath, quiet and slow, and stepped away from the Tuning Tower doors toward the building's front steps that led down to the sidewalk.

He sank to sit on the top step, finding it difficult to manage to go any farther. He pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his back pocket and lit one up, because fuck he really needed a cigarette after some bullshit like that.

When Ravindra pulls away from him, it was enough to bring him out of his 'trance'. He blinks a few times, realizing he must have zoned out before following the other man outside, but kept a reasonable distance away. He had no idea what Ravindra experienced and wasn't about to pry about it.

"Savarna." He started, mainly to get Ravindra's attention but kept his voice gentle. "Can I get you anything?"

He wouldn't be surprised if it was a no. After all, he had no other reason to stick around and bringing up Conleth's death would be distasteful.

He shook his head. There was nothing Xander could do for him right now, certainly nothing that would make him forget what he'd just remembered.

Suddenly every earthquake he'd lived through as a child seemed so much more chilling. He pushed the thought out of mind, attempting to shove the new memory along with it, but was only partially successful.

He exhaled the smoke and dug out his phone with one hand, navigating to the notepad and typing something in. He held the screen toward Xander so he could read it. Did you get something too?

It wasn't that he didn't trust his voice--well, he didn't, but also he didn't trust their privacy, and it was much harder for someone spying on them to read his phone screen than to overhear a conversation.

The answer was one he was expecting and was about to head off when he noticed that the other man had pulled out his phone. Was he wanting to keep in contact with him? A brief look of confusion crossed his face before he stepped over and sat down beside Ravindra.

When Ravindra showed him the text on his phone, he gave a nod in response before digging out his own phone to do the same.

I did. It wasn't another ability.

He wasn't sure if he would be asked to elaborate further on his echo, which happened to be knowledge of the different types of angels and demons. Or if Ravindra saw his post on the network about not being human anymore and becoming one of these things he just learnt about.

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