nine | joy, then pain. is this how christmas is supposed to work?

[strike_you_out]

[Slugger cautiously makes his way down the stairs and into the living room, stepping around and over the many, many cats that have taken sudden residence in the house. A certain skeletal cat-lover comes to mind, but when Slugger reaches the living room, Death is nowhere around. Neither is Eddie or Susan.

He's about to go search for them when something catches his eye. Beneath the Christmas tree is a pair of golden inline skates -- his inline skates -- with a note attached. It's suspicious, but after examining the skates and putting his hands inside, he finds nothing wrong with them. Once he's got them on his feet, it feels so good to be wearing them again that all his concerns vanish.

Obviously, he has to try them right away and dashes outside where he can be witnessed doing the following:

A) speeding blissfully up and down the street on his skates, taking delight in the rush of cold air as he swerves around parked cars and people alike.

B) kneeling doubled over in the snow, panting shallowly and clutching the back of his head for no apparent reason. Damn you, Mayfield, and your horrifying surprise catches!

- or -

C) trudging home through the snow in his socks, the pair of skates dangling from his hand.]

Comments

[strike-you-out.livejournal.com]

[Not a word seems to reach his ears. As the episodic memory comes to an end and the pain begins to fade, he growls under his breath, furious. Still panting, Slugger raises his head and gives it a hard shake. For just an instant, a bright red glimmer flashes beneath the bill of his cap and his teeth look much too large for his face, much too sharp.

Then he freezes. Perfectly still and silent, head bowed. Evidently, someone has been watching him and he looks up slowly to see who it is.]

...

[hubrisextremeis.livejournal.com]

[Pride notes that with an odd curiosity. Not an insect then? He shrugs. HE can slowly test the water about this later. He needs to act like a normal kid. Which he does with aplomb, a worried expression plastered all over his face. ]

..Are you hurt?

[strike-you-out.livejournal.com]

[Slugger regards him with watchful suspicion. He isn't breathing as hard anymore and he raises one knee to place the blade of his skate on the ground, ready to stand. When he speaks his voice is steady and low.]

You a drone?

[Sometimes it's hard to tell.]

[hubrisextremeis.livejournal.com]

You mean the funny looking moro - Er, people? No. [Pride actually scowls a little. Even as a full human, his eyes manage to darken a fair bit. ] I'm just Selim 'Archer'.

[strike-you-out.livejournal.com]

[The kid's indignant scowl alone is enough to prove he isn't a drone.]

Good.

[Slugger rises to his feet and steps out of the snow onto the asphalt. He's feeling especially tall on his newly returned skates, but also a bit unsure. He hopes what just happened was just another freaky Mayfield incident that had absolutely nothing to do with his shoes.]

Has... anything happened to you, yet?

[rubbing the back of his head, checking for contusions...]

[hubrisextremeis.livejournal.com]

No. Not yet. I think that I should be happy. [He gives a shrug. He's actually not sure what to feel. Oh, he's proud that he's avoided the shitstorm that seems to be going on, but at the same time, he's unsure if a ten year old child would be happy to have avoided this all. it wasn't in his how to be a human manual.]

You're tall!

[strike-you-out.livejournal.com]

...

Compared to you.

[Anyone is tall compared to you, probably. You fortunate little shit. Bad things will happen to you some day. They have to. Or he's going to have to make them happen.

Whatever "attacked" him must have been entirely inside his head because he's not finding any painful spots on the outside.]

You're new?

[hubrisextremeis.livejournal.com]

[Hahaha.. Bad things happening are his favorite... when they happen to others. When they happen to him... a whole 'nother ball game.]

Yea. I only woke up here a few days ago. I'm Selim. [Bows a little in greeting.] Will you be ok?

[strike-you-out.livejournal.com]

We'll see... [He kind of doubts it.

Slugger notes the familiarity of that gesture and returns the bow. It is something people did in his homeworld, after all.]

The people here call me Slugger.