I've Told a Million Lies but Now I Tell a Single Truth [January 27, Closed]

[dead_black_eyes]

Who: Lazarus Lawliet, Nathan Brooks, and Tony Sparado
What: L wants two white-haired young people who are important to him to be friends with each other.
Where: Willow Ridge Boarding Academy
When: January 27, Tuesday
Warnings: Here's hoping they get along!



Numbered abilities range dramatically in variety and intensity. Lazarus has cultivated many useful talents, skills and memories over the last year, but there are things he doubts he's going to obtain; as the picture of his powerful and brilliant Other grows clearer, so does the fact that he was mortal, and died shockingly young besides. While he has no plans to die young, himself, Lazarus has grown fiercely devoted to the life that has sprung up around him and flourished since he started receiving his pulses. This is largely due to the young people who have started to rely on him, more than he ever thought anyone could rely on him.

No one can take your place here.

The words had stroked his ego, but they'd done nothing for his peace of mind. While others are getting back rapid healing, incredible strength and endurance, even honest-to-goodness resurrection, Lazarus remains somewhat brittle, years of hard living catching up to him, reminding him that he's only human and skating on thinner ice than most other 26-year-old men. He doesn't want to make it a bigger deal than it absolutely has to be, or adopt an overly morbid attitude, but he's set aside a lot of childish things since he's stepped into a role entailing more responsibility and leadership, and that means taking a long, hard look at where he sees himself in 5, 10, 50 years.

Whatever happens, in that time, he doesn't want to leave the young people who rely on him utterly alone in a world that doesn't yet understand them. He's perhaps too eager and anxious to hand-fast those close to him and create a support network strong enough to someday exist without him, and while rushing it could damage those efforts, his recent pneumonia scare is on his mind a lot. Things can change in an instant, and his detective would be prepared for that kind of change.

He's ordered pizza, set out two-liters of soda and prepared a sort of relaxed neutral ground for their meeting. He wants it to go well, so badly that he's afraid he might jinx it.

Deep breaths. Balance. The best of intentions. Faith that it will go as splendidly as it possibly can, and that these two young men can not only cooperate, but see a kindred spirit in one another and bond.

Comments

[dead_black_eyes]

Lazarus is all for people being who they are without putting pressure on them to change; that being said, it's a strain sometimes to watch awkwardness in action. Just because Lazarus contributes actively to that awkwardness doesn't mean for a second that he's not aware of or immune to it. Though wood-carving isn't thrilling by any stretch of the imagination, at least the boy's talking, and he nods emphatically in an effort to look interested and encouraging, and he's relieved and pleased to see Tony making the same efforts. Heck, his interest looks so genuine it might be.

"I've heard that duck whistles make good first projects. They have a simple, clean shape, so it seems like they'd be good for practicing beginners' cuts."

[solvethepuzzle]

Yes, he's talking and he'd rather like to stop now, even if from what he has observed, there may be genuine interest on Tony's part. There is too much attention on him. No, he is not going to curl his fingers into his hair again; they're greasy from the pizza and that would be unsanitary.

He feels he owes the answer, at least. "Actually, there are more simplistic designs of chess sets that are suitable for practicing the basic cuts, if one has the patience. And I do. Why cats?"

Why yes he's just clumsily blundered over to that with no proper transition. He needs to quit talking for now, get the focus away from himself. It's Tony's turn.

[oncedevil]

He likes art and art related things, wood carving falls under that. Sorry, L, it's more interesting than sterile surfaces. "That would be kind of cool. Playing chess with pieces you made yourself? L said he was going to teach me sometime." Yeah, L, whatever happened to that?

Well everyone got busy and Tony kept smashing his face into death so there was that.

Cats? Okay, he can take the hint. "Why not cats?" Okay no that isn't fair Tony play nice. He doesn't really want to talk about this but... "I had one when I was little... before everything went to shit. Well, family cat, that sort of thing. And I'd pick up strays every now and then when I was on the streets. They were good at keeping the rats away." Which was important when you didn't want what few things you had turned into rat nests, or food you might have horded stolen away.

[dead_black_eyes]

Lazarus has little doubt that Nathan does in fact possess the patience for such a venture; much like himself, he doesn't seem to be put-off by repetitive or seemingly tedious tasks for periods of time that would drive others up the wall. Whether this is an indicator of incredible discipline or a deeper problem. The transition, or lack thereof, is a little jarring, but at least Nathan is trying to make conversation. L reminds himself that he needs to be grateful for small things like this.

He pinches the bridge of his nose when Tony mentions learning how to play chess, quirking a brow. Well, now that your brain's mended itself, let's get on that immediately, he'd say if he was in a snarkier mood. Instead, he just allows Nathan and Tony to talk. It's going decently, he thinks. He hopes.

"You should get another cat," he suggests. "Richard's not allergic, is he? Maybe Nathan could come over and pet it sometime."