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Post by Glyph on Dec 4, 2010 20:15:44 GMT -5
Under his breath, Silver muttered something that sounded a bit like "liar", but the smirk didn't slip. Today, his antagonizing wasn't serious... even if he was of the opinion that Gold had about as much sense of direction as a Seel in the desert.
Again, Silver's grip shifted as Gold straightened, but didn't loosen--he wasn't going to risk that until he was sure that his friend's grip on reality was secure.
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Post by Meryck on Dec 6, 2010 15:47:10 GMT -5
Gold continued to seem more and more clear headed the further away from the city they got, despite the fact his hand continued to grip Silver's jacket fearfully in spite of his expression.
And still, his eyes remained dulled and empty.
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Post by Glyph on Dec 8, 2010 0:09:14 GMT -5
As they retraced their steps back through the route, and Gold began to look a little less like death warmed over, Silver's own gaze turned inward. Partly, it was because he didn't like the idea of backtracking to the lake after what had happened earlier--his shoes were still damp--but mostly it was because he was getting frustrated. This felt too much like running.
Silver never ran, not if he could help it, and he had to keep reminding himself that he wasn't. He was going to Olivine, for Gold's sake, not because he was afraid. He was doing this for his best friend's health, not because he was the least bit intimidated by the idea of Team Rocket's return.
Silver was the son of one of the formerly most powerful men in Kanto. He had been fighting Team Rocket for most of his life. Gold hadn't.
Silver had practice dealing with the strain, with falling back on the stony ruthlessness he had to shoulder every time he went up against them. Gold didn't.
Silver had been involved--he'd always been involved. Knocking the feet out from under Team Rocket whenever he could was a promise he'd taken up years ago.
Gold had just been another poor, unfortunate kid who'd gotten saddled with the task of cleaning up after them, and now they were going to Olivine so he wouldn't have to buckle under that weight again.
The redhead never said a word--just blinked and stared straight ahead like he always had.
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Post by Meryck on Dec 9, 2010 15:31:26 GMT -5
Slowly, Gold started to straighten further, started to take the world in again, started to calm the storm of thoughts in his mind. However, the glaze in his eyes never left- and perhaps, had always been there-, and his grip on Silver's jacket did not waver.
It was like a lamb being led to slaughter.
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Post by Glyph on Dec 10, 2010 9:48:13 GMT -5
They passed the National Park in silence. Once they'd cleared the rustle of grass and the noise of the Bug Catching competition undoubtedly going on, Silver's stance changed--true to what he'd said earlier, he was going to let Gold lead.
"All right, you're up." The redhead said simply, hoping that the task would pull him a bit farther out of his funk. The dullness in his eyes was still making him uneasy... and the fact that Ecruteak City was just a few scant miles to their northeast wasn't helping his nerves, either. He hated Ecruteak, almost as much as he hated Vi... his home town.
... Well, okay, maybe not that much. He'd still be glad when he couldn't feel it looming over him like that anymore, though.
He shrugged, glanced at Gold, coolly, "Better not run us off a cliff."
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Post by Meryck on Dec 10, 2010 16:07:21 GMT -5
"Not gonna", Gold giggled, chirpily, with that fake innocence so painful for those who knew him to hear. His strides were easy as his eyes- those dull, brassy, empty shells of the past- bounced around, distractedly. His breaths evened out into a steady, patient flow.
And he wouldn't let go of Silver's jacket.
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Post by Glyph on Dec 12, 2010 1:48:26 GMT -5
Unfortunately, Silver was one of those people, and listening to the cheerfulness oozing from Gold's voice grated on his nerves just as much as the city looming in the distance did.
But would he say anything? No. Would he bring it up later? No. Would he pursue the subject at all? Of course not. It was Gold's business, and, anyway, if his own experiences were anything to go by, he didn't think he really wanted to know what had broken his best friend into this scrap of strewn-together-pieces.
Silver had to hide a bitter smirk at that, pretending to study the woods off to their side. Maybe he really was turning into a coward.
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Post by Meryck on Dec 17, 2010 13:24:46 GMT -5
Gold didn't quite notice, wrapped up in gathering the shards of his mind into a semblance of what he was. He didn't quite notice anything he laid his eyes on, really, for those dull orbs and fake smile were merely empty windows shining on a broken, fragile, pain-wrecked psyche.
Didn't stop him from shuddering when they got to the edge of Ecruteak.
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Post by Glyph on Dec 19, 2010 17:06:59 GMT -5
Silver noticed the shudder, but didn't the redhead didn't comment. He was aware that Gold wasn't fond of Ecruteak either, but, well... not for quite the same reason he hated it.
At least, he hoped not.
The mask of casual boredom slip, just for an instant, to let a flicker of fierce disgust flash across his eyes--and then it was gone, replaced with cool, calm boredom once again. Silver'd been back here since the Hacks and lived. He'd be able to survive it again. He always found a way to survive.
But that didn't mean he had to like it.
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Post by Meryck on Dec 22, 2010 16:46:53 GMT -5
Gold twined his fingers in the jacket and looked back down, refusing to notice anything in the town save for the feeling of his best friend next to him and his own slightly-shallow breaths.
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Post by Glyph on Dec 22, 2010 21:25:20 GMT -5
The Ecruteak Dance Theater passed somewhere on their right.
Silver just stared straight ahead, and though his expression was smooth and calm, there was a hardness about him that turned his silver eyes into chips of steel. Tiny creases appeared, dividing his brows--
... it wasn't the face that bothered him--although it still stung quite a bit--but, no, not so much as the expression, the undisguised, predatory, evil smile that marred it. It wasn't the voice that chilled him, but the words, and the cold, sick sadism that had covered every syllable. The unnaturalness of the situation, the complete and utter wrongness was enough to freeze him where he stood--and the fact that he could do nothing, that he couldn't even lift a finger to change things, no matter how desperately he wanted to, filled him with more anger, and disgust, and horror than he knew how to handle...
--and the redhead's pace quickened almost imperceptibly--he probably didn't even realize it, himself. All he knew was that he hated this town, and the sooner they left, the better.
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Post by Meryck on Dec 23, 2010 14:55:12 GMT -5
Gold was perfectly happy to oblige, shivering the shadow of what he knew was the Burned Tower passed over them--
....even with the blood marring his sight and the absurdity of being able to still stand when all you have for arms were livid, pouring geysers of crimson amongst a grey landscape- a landscape also twisted and blanched beyond recognition- he knew what it was- the embers were still glowing after all this time and he was compelled, either by pain, insanity, or the dim hope he could finally find shelter to curl up and die there, to move foward...
---and he let out a whimpering mewl, clinging a bit tighter to Silver and ducking his head further.
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Post by Glyph on Dec 24, 2010 10:20:20 GMT -5
Silver pushed everything from his mind at the noise, even the uncomfortable way his jacket was pulled at the base of his throat, and clamped down on a single thought: Keep moving.
It was the same thought that had gotten him through those first three years alone; it had gotten him across Johto Before, when all he had was tunnel vision and hate; it had gotten him to Mt. Moon, kept him from sinking into the cowed depression he could still feel traces of, left over from Victory Road; and it had gotten him through the Hack, the year long living Hell that had so thoroughly broken him that he was still taping up the loose pieces.
But he had survived it, on that thought alone. Don't dwell on it; don't think about it; don't look back. Keep moving.
So Silver simply tightened his grip and did just that.
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Post by Meryck on Dec 27, 2010 18:27:11 GMT -5
Gold gulped as they skittered onto the road and glanced up to check and see if the duo really were out of the woods. Upon ascertaining that, indeed, no towers were in sight, the ex-Champion straightened up once more. While he still wouldn't let go, his grip slackened slightly.
And the glassy film slid over his eyes once more, staining his expression with false innocence.
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Post by Glyph on Dec 28, 2010 19:17:54 GMT -5
Silver, on the other hand, did not look up. He wasn't interested in the Tower--what he wanted was to get out of Ecruteak as fast as he possibly could.
Neither did he look at Gold, but not because he was any less concerned; no, Silver didn't look at Gold because he didn't trust himself not to flinch. Normally, it wouldn't have been a problem, and, either way, it wasn't his friend's fault--it was being in this city... So all Silver did was stare straight ahead, with that cool expression on his face and that chip in his eyes, and count the steps until Olivine.
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