[log] justin! he's punching all my blood out! [closed]

[bywolves]

Characters: Royce Melborn and Alfie Solomons
Location: House 12
Date: Day 351ish
Summary: We'll see if they both last the night, honestly.
Warnings: violence, extra stuff will be cw'd in the subject lines.

BUILDING 12: This bizarre house, while fully intact, only consists of one very large empty room and a hatch that leads to the maintenance tunnels.

Comments

[devoutish]

[Alfie lets the silence reign for a little while, but it's not long before he speaks up again.]

What's that round your neck?

[bywolves]

[ Royce glances up, and then back down at the necklace. Some ring. ]

I don't know. Had it on when I woke up. Why?

[devoutish]

[Alfie grunts.]

Dunno. Curious, that's all.

[He adjusts the bandage on his arm... with fingers covered in several bloodstained gold rings.]

[bywolves]

[ Which - look, Royce is going to notice that. There's no way he wouldn't. Expression mostly hidden under the hood, Royce tenses. He tries to be subtle about comparing the appearances of the two, at the very least, but. ]

[devoutish]

What?

[Alfie snaps, because of course he was going to notice that. He's seen Royce tensed up under his cloak enough to know what it looks like.]

[bywolves]

Nothing.

[ He says it quickly, grabbing for his razor. He stares at Alfie, on alert. ] Nothing. Go back to making sure you don't bleed to death.

[devoutish]

Fucking hell.

[He mutters under his breath. And then he shoots Royce a lightning-quick look of concern - which is a mistake if he really wants to keep up the ruse, because even just for the split second that it lasts, it's clear that it's not the kind of look one gives a stranger. It's especially not the kind of look one gives a stranger who's just given them a severe stab wound.]

[bywolves]

[ He catches that, too, and actually sits up. ]

What was that look for? [ He practically growls it out. ]

[devoutish]

[Alfie closes his eyes and leans his head back, thumping it lightly against the wall behind him.]

I'm too tired for this.

[bywolves]

[ ??? ]

You are - infuriating.

[ Gods above. ]

[devoutish]

Mm, and you're not?

[bywolves]

Moderately so, yes, but not as much as you.

[devoutish]

And I am very tired. What excuse have you got?

[bywolves]

I don't make excuses. I am what I am.

[devoutish]

[Alfie lets out a short, barking laugh.]

Yeah, we are what we are.

[bywolves]

[ A slight scowl. ]

If you're going to continue to make no sense, I'm going to stop talking to you.

[devoutish]

You don't think it's funny that you fucking stabbed me, and we're sitting here chatting? You don't think that says something?

[bywolves]

I think it says that I can't trust you. Don't think it's funny at all.

[ Because - because he knows at least one person who would've had the same reaction as Alfie. He folds his arms across his chest. ]

[devoutish]

I'm not him.

[Fuck pretending. Fuck the principle of the thing. His arm is throbbing too much for that.]

[bywolves]

[ Wh -- Royce's gaze shoots straight up, and he stares at Alfie from under his hood, visibly alarmed. ]

[devoutish]

[Alfie meets his gaze tiredly, but still manages to raise an eyebrow in a defiant sort of way. Yeah, that's right, what are you gonna do about it.]

[bywolves]

[ Be... very uncomfortable. That's what he's going to do. It's very raw, and it hurts, and it actually surprises him with how much it does. He thought he was finished with feeling this. That he could move on.

I'm not him. It makes Royce wonder if this is - if he's hallucinating. Manzant isn't done with him. Or Manzant is done with him, and he's dead, he's gone to hell, pyre, whatever it is, and they're looking to torment him for the life he led.

There's no way the person here before him would've told anybody about Merrick. Right?

Which leaves Royce just staring at Alfie, unsure and pained for the first time since they'd seen each other again. There's too much to unpack. ]

[devoutish]

[He lets out a breath, pulling his injured arm closer to his body.]

This is a bad one, this injury you've given me. I'm not very sure at all that I'm gonna survive it. And if I might not, then I'm not gonna go out with these secrets.

[bywolves]

[ There's a length of silence, and in the middle of it, Royce grinds his teeth, trying to pull himself together. Fuck - fuck, what does he say? How does he respond to this? ]

I don't know who you're talking about. [ Royce says, roughly. But it's not a very good cover up. ]

[devoutish]

Yeah, you do. You've been rattling on about it for days.