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Post by Lucien DeChain on Feb 3, 2013 18:59:30 GMT -8
Another day...
The Crow's nest, while active throughout the night, was dying down. Patrols shifted, refugees started to walk lazily towards their rooms, and the echoing through the halls slowly decrescendoed to a standstill.
Lucien, however, was not done for the day. In fact, the late nights had become a large part of his time here. Between midnight patrols, ongoing training, and trying to keep his stomach relatively full, the poor boy only had enough time for about 6 hours of sleep a night. Which, granted, was much more than he was getting before.
As the young boy paced the halls, he waited and watched. The First had sent for him, and he, being the paranoid man he was, didn't want to approach the meeting place with people watching. Especially if it was important.
Finally, the way was clear. He galloped towards the staircase, trying not to make a noisy approach. Once in the stairwell, he ran up the stairs at a moderate speed, activating his Qi and stealth walking up the stairs to the roof. It was in these such moments that Lucien realized that he would never be able to look at someone and say 'Did you see that?' when he did something skillful. It was also in these moments, that Lucien was showing off.
Deactivating his Qi, he opened the door to the roof. The clear night air hit him, and he breathed in deeply. There was still a sliver of sun on the horizon, providing enough light to see a figure standing near the edge. His commander.
Walking towards her, Lucien spoke in a calm voice, a voice that was much different than it was just a few short months ago, when the raven-haired woman in front of him kidnapped him off the street and brought him here.
"You wanted to see me, ma'am?"
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Post by Delilah A. Black on Feb 3, 2013 19:28:19 GMT -8
Lucien would find Delilah sitting on the edge of the roof facing West, watching the sun set over the endless expanse of sea in the distance, setting the area ablaze with red and orange light. It lit her unbound, breeze tousled hair with shimmering facets of colour and added a sheen to the scars adorning her arms that made them all the more obvious.
She didn't glance up as Lucien came onto the roof, keeping her eyes forward with her hands calmly cupped in her lap. Completely still, save for the subtle movement of her clothes and hair, caused by the light breeze coming off the sea. But she noted without looking his voice and position on the roof behind her. A mark of the young man's growth, if she was any judge. But she had to know how he was faring to know more about him.
"Yes, Lucien. Come, sit," indicating the ledge beside her without moving.
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Post by Lucien DeChain on Feb 3, 2013 19:39:42 GMT -8
Lucien would accept the invitation, and take a seat on the edge beside her. He sighed as he tried not to look down, instead focusing on the setting sun in the distance, and an occasional glance at his First.
"It's quite a view, isn't it?" He noted quietly. From this position, they could see all the way to the ocean, and a far expanse of Crow territory. Lucien unconsciously scanned the area, and noted all of the above ground reconnaissance points, or Crow perches, as he had grown to call them.
He was slightly anxious, now, even though she was so casual about the meeting. Anxious that, even though the situation was calm, that Delilah had something of dire importance to discuss.
"Was there something you wanted to discuss...?" He spoke now with trepidation in his voice, increasingly nervous about the nature of the meeting.
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Post by Delilah A. Black on Feb 3, 2013 20:10:04 GMT -8
And Delilah would just sit there, blinking slowly and not moving, watching the sun set as Lucien slowly got more and more agitated and nervous. It was adorable how he got so easily worked up. But this was also part of why he was called here. She had to see how he was handling everything...the life they lead here with the Crows.
"Was there something you wanted to discuss...?"
Well, at least he was coming right out with it rather than silently flipping out until he was addressed. Still funny, though. A small smile came to her lips. "How have you been?"
Starting off small and simple. Delilah would continue to breathe slowly in and out as she kept her gaze towards the horizon.
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Post by Lucien DeChain on Feb 3, 2013 20:31:46 GMT -8
Of all the things that Lucien expected to hear from Delilah's mouth, that was not one of them. He looked over to her pensive face, looking for some kind of indication of context behind the query.
"I.. I'm not sure I understand the question." He replied, trying to think of something to say.
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Post by Delilah A. Black on Feb 3, 2013 20:42:03 GMT -8
Her smile widened a little further, but she kept her eyes forward. He was over thinking things, and her calmness (or maybe it was just her stillness) was unnerving him. Too. Funny.
"Since I last saw you, I mean. How have you been?"
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Post by Lucien DeChain on Feb 3, 2013 20:58:10 GMT -8
Since I last saw you...
Lucien thought back to then. The infiltration mission that he had gone on, without orders, to recover Mr. Asiv. How he needed to call for backup, and Delilah responded without hesitation. How she had saved his life. And how it definitely wasn't the first time.
"I've been okay, I guess.." He thought instead to his recent accomplishments. "I started eating again."
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Post by Delilah A. Black on Feb 3, 2013 21:09:05 GMT -8
Her eyebrows lifted at that and she nodded, happy. "That's good, very good," and it was! it meant he was coping and that he was less likely to faint from hunger in the middle of a fight. Or die. That was important, too.
Moving her hands from her lap to brace themselves against the ledge, her legs now swinging comfortably in the empty air below them.
"What made you decide to eat again?"She would ask after a moment, remembering that he was weird about that sort of thing.
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Post by Lucien DeChain on Feb 3, 2013 21:18:01 GMT -8
Lucien smiled slightly, glad that his commander felt he was progressing. Though, he felt a pang of stress in his stomach. He hadn't told anyone about that night. He had just reported in the next day and started eating. Now, his thoughts went back to that night. The thinking, the screaming, the hunger...
For a while, he was silent. He wasn't sure what to say, even if he wanted to tell her the truth. Though, the whole story was pretty long.
"I.. had an epiphany. I can't help people if I can't take care of myself. So, in order to keep myself, and those I care about, safe..." He paused. "I had to start eating again."
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Post by Delilah A. Black on Feb 3, 2013 21:41:19 GMT -8
The very sort of epiphany that seemed obvious to Delilah. She had to remind herself that it had taken her quite awhile to get to that place. God, how long ago had that been? She took a moment to think back. High School. When she had decided that peace was worth fighting for and joined up with Militia.
"That's a good enough reason to start, if any. How has your training been going?" Meaning both with Marcus and during basic training.
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Post by Lucien DeChain on Feb 3, 2013 21:50:27 GMT -8
Lucien sighed softly, grateful that Delilah was satisfied with his short answer. Though, just as quickly as she replied, she posed another question for him.
"Basic Training, with Drill Sergeant Tai... Well, I survived. Training with Marcus Prasad and the Wolfpack, I actually quite enjoy. I think surveillance and covert ops are my forte." If anything, he was re-learning his stealth skills now. And a lot of parkour.
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Post by Delilah A. Black on Feb 3, 2013 22:13:13 GMT -8
She let out a deep chuckle at his mention of 'Drill-Sargent Tai'. Oh, Tai. She missed him and the others. Didn't see them anywhere often enough, in her opinion. Even this small window had been squirreled away for "work" purposes, allotting herself just enough time to attend to a few of her duties before passing out for a few hours.
"Mmhmm, good, good..."
She would pause for a moment, watching as the last rays of the sun sunk over the sea, the darkening sky above them alight with millions of little specks of starlight.
"And us. The Crows. How have you fared here?" she turned her head slightly to look at him. 'Don't hold anything back. If you have a complaint, voice it."
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Post by Lucien DeChain on Feb 4, 2013 12:53:58 GMT -8
The sun's final rays over the sky gave up their hold, and it grew more and more black around them. But, Lucien was not counting stars tonight. In fact, at this moment, he was incredulous.
"The Crows?" He repeated. "You took me in, gave me a family, gave me something to fight for. I don't have any complaints about the Crows."
He paused for a moment, his mood growing a bit darker, before continuing.
"Though, my fear is that I'm not faring well here, that my superior officers and comrades think of me as a joke... It's not that they treat me differently, it's just that... I'm not sure they want to know me."
{OOC: Gemmy. That last paragraph right there. That's Marc.}
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Post by Delilah A. Black on Feb 4, 2013 20:05:09 GMT -8
He said that first bit and she was almost...disappointed. Delilah had wanted him to speak as openly as possible and be frank with her, but she also was aware that may be difficult for someone who was usually very withdrawn. Perhaps it was too much to expect. But she was pleased that he seemed to have found purpose with the Crows.
And then he surprised her with his mention of how he was really feeling. Instead of laughing or telling him he was wrong, she simply gave him a warm smile.
"Your thoughts probably aren't far off. But I feel that the reasoning for that may well be self-preservation," she began. "You're new, fresh out of basic training, and it's clear to them by your appearance that up until recently, you weren't much of an eater. They might not want to get to know you or include you because they're afraid that if they get attached and you die...well, we've all seen a lot of death around here, Lucien."
Delilah lifted and dropped a shoulder in a half shrug. "They're just protecting themselves. The best thing you can do is show them that you're going to be valuable and are willing to get to know who they are.
Are you willing, Lucien?"
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Post by Lucien DeChain on Feb 4, 2013 20:20:05 GMT -8
As he listened, Lucien thought about how difficult it must have been for these men, who had seen battles that came before his involvement in the Crows. It was more difficult for those who survived, he thought. It was easier to lay down and die.
He nodded, in recognition of his comrades. And, as she finished talking, she posed her question to him. He knew the answer immediately.
"Yes, I'm willing. Everyone I've gotten to know here has been valuable to me, and I'm very lucky to have met them. So, the other half of it... Showing them I'm valuable, as you say..." He paused to think of how he could do that, other than what he was doing already.
"How would I do that? Besides, of course, being the best Crow I can possibly be?" He looked to the silhouetted face of his First, as the sun finished setting, and the streets were only illuminated by the bonfires in the nearby shanty parks.
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