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Post by Seven on May 7, 2009 3:04:03 GMT -5
He shrugs. "Heck if I know."
At the moment, Joseph comes galloping down the stairs in a hurry. His hair has been messily towel dried from what was apparently an extremely quick shower. He's wearing a different set of clothes, though they aren't significantly different in style or even color than the last. "I'm going now, have a good night everyone," he says with a small degree of formal politeness that lies almost solely in his tone.
Tall nods. "Alright Joseph, have fun--and I know that your technically an adult now and I'm just a worrying parent, but try not to come home too late, ok?"
Joseph nods and smiles. "Good night guys, have fun."
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Post by The Imfamous AKA on May 7, 2009 3:05:38 GMT -5
Elena raises a hand with a smile. "Night bro." Darian raises two fingers without looking up from his book.
"Have fun!" Cyn calls after him, then sighs.
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Post by Seven on May 7, 2009 3:53:38 GMT -5
((And now, for something different.))
Joseph gives a final wave before disappearing out the door. And with the ability to shift, it would only take seconds to disappear into the creeping darkness of twilight to vanish all together.
The light have finally died off and given way to night as Joseph stepped out the other side. And if his college attending, good albeit a bit mischievous, eccentric self could be considered his light half, then it too vanished with the setting of the sun. Not that he didn't like said side, splicing it up sometimes felt necessary as well.
As he stepped out of the shadows which hid his entrance so well, he hardly looked like the same person. But then again, shifting is such a convenient power, no? Two studs pierced his upper right brow, looped rings adorned the helix of his ear, a black collar and suit that seemed to scream punk-vampire, if such a thing existed. His hair was left in its towel-dried tousled form, but now it consisted entirely of black and white streaks. Light and Dark...How very cliche Joseph? He grinned to himself.
The sixteen year-old version of his mother that stared up from old photo albums might have taken pride in her adopted progeny. After all, in more ways the one her look had inspired his. Not that he meant to hide this from his family yet. He just didn't feel compelled to mention it either, for some reason. For some reason, it seemed he loved secrets.
He walked down the stair into what looked like the basement of a warehouse. His eyes were now entirely golden, practically glowing, pupils slitted like cats. He could not explain why, but they always somehow felt more natural that way. Secrets. If only he could figure out his own. Human-but-Not-Human an unknown voice taunted him. Again. He felt like he heard someone say that before, he felt he heard it a thousand times, but he had no idea where. Then again, it wouldn't be such a stretch, all things considered. Not at all.
The pounding of the music's bass seemed to shake the bland, cement hallway, light grey in dim lights, he traversed. He would stop in front of a thick door, the noise loudest at that point. The underground rave. He would have never known of it had it not been for his exceptional hearing and an unlikely stroll down a few paths he'd never thought of taking prior.
A moment later, he was inside, mesh of hot bodies, sweat, alcohol, and strobe lights. It didn't take long to pick out the dark green hair that seemed to parody a cockatiel, and the girl that went with it, dancing alone in the crowd. He grinned watching her spin slowly around. She danced like a fool. He had yet to see her outside night's domain, but he imagined that without her one-use hair dyes, clanging bracelets and spiked collars, with her retro-librarian glasses and less than athletic physique, she would have been pinned as a dork.
She caught sight of him, and instantly flashed a playful smile. "Hey, J." She beckoned him over with the call of a single finger. He stepped forward, and though in no particular hurry, he couldn't help but grin darkly. She grabbed his collar forcefully, tugging him down slightly. "You're late."
They closed the distance, her tongue sliding into his mouth. He could taste the smooth metal of her tongue-ring as she did so. God he loved this girl!
((Bleh. Sorry for all the spelling/grammar errors, but i was half-asleep working on this and still debating if I wanted to go through with it. And I'm too lazy to edit.))
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Post by The Imfamous AKA on May 7, 2009 11:54:50 GMT -5
((Meh. Editing is for the patient.))
Exhausted, Radar fades in among the chattering teenagers, flopping back against the second couch. In the years since the conflict with Rhinoa, his role has become less and less tangible. Darad continued to follow Aka implicitely, though his attention was more than a little distracted by his mate, who was as devoted to the daughter as to Aka. Kellen and his obnoxious Light counterpart has developed identical roles as teachers to Elena and companions to her parents. None of the Lightlings or Darklings roles had changed, other than that. But Radar was different.
He knew, somewhat from Kellen and somewhat from his own instincts, that Aka had no idea of what she had done to him that day. She had no idea what rules she had broken, and no one was particularly willing to inform her. Those five little words, "Take care of him, Radar," had changed the rules.
A release of a Sentinal could not have exceptions. Either they were released in full or they were not, it was as simple as that. But when those five words left Aka's mouth and she laid a hand on his head and said the words to release him, she had entered him into an altered, unnatural state. But rather than break her heart and incite her guilt, they let her believe Radar followed Joseph by choice.
Not that Radar resented his commitment; on the contrary, he would have followed Joseph no matter what his state: released, Sentinal, or this half-form he existed in. But the link that Aka forged, releasing him only if he took care of Joseph while he was in contact with the child in question, was more than a hindrance.
"This stupid pounding!" Radar hisses under his breath, hiding his head under a pillow as if it could block out the noise that was only in his head.
Darian glances at him, but the everyone was used to Radar's mutterings by now, so they paid the Darkling little mind.
((Sorry. I felt a need to give a bit of Radar's point of view, to explain his circumstance better.))
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Post by Seven on May 7, 2009 12:19:23 GMT -5
((RADAR! *glomps* Poor thing. For being a tri-quel that has no defined plot, this is getting to be really interesting full of possible plot points...I do love Radar's point of view...the link back to what happened 15 years ago....Sweet! ^^ ))
Tall looked Radar warily, oblivious to why he was in such a condition. If Aka had never realised what she had done those 15 years ago, there was no chance in hell that he did. And yet...he couldn't help to wonder if it had something to do with Joseph.
Joseph pulled away, wearing a smirk. "Hello Lindy-Lou," he said in a low and teasing manner. She dropped her jaw in minor outrage and playfully hit his arm. "I told you not to call me that!" He chuckles. "But you made it so easy for me giving me to, Linda-Louise Harmon" Even in the dark, he could see everything perfectly. Granted, the music was so god-damn loud, the first day he had come back feeling like he had a hangover despite not drinking. But, he managed to get use to that.
"You still have to tell me where you get your contacts?" she demanded snootily, arms crossed.
He pretended to taken aback to tease her more. "Contacts? Whatever do you mean? I told you before, I don't wear contacts!"
"Ha-Ha, just like you don't dye your hair either!"
He continued to grin. "But I don't."
She punched his arm again.
"Feeling a little violent tonight, Dear?" he said with eyebrows raised. At that moment, another swung in. "Hey Joseph is here!" He called out over the crowd. He had a short blue mohawk and beatnik sun glasses that Joseph imagined made it impossible for the man to see in the dark room.
"About time," a female pushed through the crowd, paled out with white powder, bright red lipstick and unnaturally black hair. She had the same gangly thin frame his fifteen year old sister had.
((Just for note, I have no idea where I'm going with this....))
Joseph smiled. "Hey Todd, hey Ash," he said to the guy and girl respectively. His freak-friends.
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Post by The Imfamous AKA on May 7, 2009 12:26:53 GMT -5
((Well, I need some specifics, here. Is it a secret rave, invite only? 18+? 21+? HELP ME!))
Radar groans and rolls off the couch, landing on all fours on the floor before rising. "I need to get out of here. I'll be in the DR if anyone needs me." He looks pointedly at Elena, the only one who can fetch him. She nods cautiously as he fades out.
"I swear, that shadow gets more and more freaky every day," she mumbles, looking at her father. "Was he this weird when he was still serving Mom?"
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Post by Seven on May 7, 2009 12:44:36 GMT -5
((Yup. Secret rave. That's why he said, "I would have never found it had it not been for my hearing and taking an alternative route. It's technically +21. Joseph would only be 20 right now, but the rave people either don't know that or don't care do to its secretive nature. Most people are invites only.))
Ash People. That's what his friends were--dressed all in dingy clothes, would-be practitioners of black magic and dark idealism, yet innocent. They had once joked to him about joining a cult once, but in that telling manner that he knew meant they wanted to find something, anything. Joseph had merely laughed it off, telling them, 'trust me, it's not worth it.' At times, he thought they looked a little annoyed that no matter the topic, eyes, hair, cults, etc, he always claimed something out of the ordinary. His 'jokes' were getting old.
The memory of that made him grin. Why was it that no one ever believes me? He teased himself.
Part of him felt guilty for leading them on, in some ways. He wondered if Mom had felt that way with her friends---she might not have though, since she wasn't super close with any of her high school buddies other than perhaps Damien. "Hey! Where's Radar?" Ash asks looking around. Joseph shakes his head. "Probably at home with a pounding headache."
"Aww, is that guy always hung over or something? We hardly see him anymore!" Todd complains.
"Well, maybe i can convince him next time."
Tall shrugs. "Radar was weird when he was you Mom's sentinal, but in a different way. But yeah, he has been acting oddly lately."
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Post by The Imfamous AKA on May 7, 2009 13:01:11 GMT -5
ELena nods, then shakes her head sadly. She glances at her watch, then rises hurriedly. "Come on, Dar, Cyn. If we don't leave now, we're going to get a crappy spot at the drive in!" The twins rise in unison as Elena grabs her coat.
"Bye Dad! We'll be home around midnight!"
Meanwhile, after retreating to the Dark Realm, Radar has assumed a similar position in a quiet plane. It doesn't make the pounding and the lights flashing any less, but at least he doesn't have people looking at him like he's insane.
"Goddamnit, Joseph!" Radar exclaims after a few minutes. He rises, carefully shifting his form. His features lose their extreme cat-like quality as he assumes a human, though radical looking human, form. His clothing changes from the soft cottony fabric to a shiny black leather and black metal rings appear in in his ears, lip, and any other number of places. Because he is no longer technically a darkling, he can change some of the colors on himself. So he leeches the color from his skin, leaving it with just a hint of black to leave it a shade of almost white to offset the black outfit.
Content with his appearance, he fades into an unoccupied corner of the rave and immediately locks onto Joseph. He comes up behind the young man and hisses in his ear, "Must you do this to me every weekend?"
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Post by Seven on May 7, 2009 13:12:00 GMT -5
"Have fun kids!" Tall smiles as they leave. Now, he's all alone--and bound to be alone for the next couple hours. He grins. Perhaps now is a good time to go see how Aka is doing....
Tall fades into the Light Realm, and then to California.
Joseph can sense Radar's discontentment, even when he's dimensions away. He can also feel that he'll be joining his group soon. Joseph smiles even as Radar hisses at him. He turns to face him, saying, "Radar! So glad you can make it. It would have been no fun without you." As a tease, he holds out ear-plugs for his friend.
Ash immediately squeaks. "Radar! She pops out from around Joseph, happy to see the Darkling. She then pouts seeing Radar's almost pissy expression. "Aww, what's the matter?"
"Radar doesn't like loud places. Or many people, for that matter." Joseph chuckles.
"Oooo---gothy." Todd says inspecting him, tilting his head to the side as he does so. he then nods, content with his decision. "Yup, Radar seems like the type that could just disappear in shadows!" he exclaims.
Joseph starts to snicker.
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Post by The Imfamous AKA on May 7, 2009 13:21:48 GMT -5
Radar rolls his eyes, gesturing to his ears, which already have a pair of pitch black earplugs in. He hands the earplugs back to Joseph. "Put them in. Your mother will dismember me if I let you drive yourself deaf." His expression says something different, however. However much the pounding might bother him, the earplugs don't help unless Joseph wears them as well.
He nods in greeting to the others. "Ash, Linda, Todd." He raises one decorated eyebrow at the latter. "Just ask Joseph. I disappear into the shadows plenty."
Aka is laying on her back on the bed of her hotel room, recovering from the flight. She's not too good with planes as it is, and the storms in the Midwest not only caused the trip to be an extra 45 minutes, but the turbulance kept her clutching her seat for the entire 5 1/2 hour flight. She would just jump, but her publisher and publicist would get suspicious if she could get everywhere without their help.
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Post by Seven on May 7, 2009 13:39:18 GMT -5
Joseph puts the ear plugs in, the pounding music seeming to lower fairly dramatically. Probably to Radar's joy.
Todd snickers. "I'll take your word, Radar."
A knock comes at her door. "Room service," she can hear Tall's voice on the other side. He is so cheesy sometimes.
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Post by The Imfamous AKA on May 7, 2009 13:40:41 GMT -5
"Why? You never take Joseph's word for anything?" He visably relaxes once the pounding dies down.
Aka groans, having order dinner and rolls out of the bed. She mvoes to the doot and opens it. She sees him, squeaks, and throws her arms around him.
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Post by Seven on May 7, 2009 13:44:07 GMT -5
Lin snickers, tugging on Joseph's collar again. "Of course not. You can never trust what Joseph says. He's such a liar," she teases. Joseph looks upward with a shrug.
"I'll never understand why everyone thinks that of me."
Tall's arms quickly circumvent her. "Mmmmm, good to see you too..." he kisses her.
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Post by The Imfamous AKA on May 7, 2009 13:54:05 GMT -5
Radar shrugs as well. "If you say so..." He glances around at the rave; it makes him wholly uncomfortable, but it's better to be there and know what's causing all the sensations then to have them and be stuck in the Dark Realm.
Aka grins up at him and tugs him into the room. "So how are things at the Manor?"
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Post by Seven on May 7, 2009 14:01:53 GMT -5
Suddenly, as Radar is glancing around the rave, he'd feel a pair of thin arms link through his. "Come on Radar--come dance with me!" Ash grinned up at him. She had braces, but as an aesthetic rather than to actually straighten her teeth. It was fairly obvious she had a thing for the Darkling. And considering Todd's discontentment, it was also fairly clear that Todd had a thing for her.
"Interesting. The kids left to go see a movie, Joseph is out doing....whatever it is he does, and Radar is acting oddly...again."
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