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IC;; "Alright," Lucas replied as Damien walked away, removing the robe and pulling on the clothes he had been given. Thankfully, they fit quite well, he determined as he looked back into the mirror. Satisfied with his appearance, he cleaned up after himself as best as he could before exiting the bathroom again and starting to go back to his room, wondering at what to do.
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IC;; Cal couldn't help but chuckle at Andrew's ramblings. He seemed harmless, and good enough to possibly help him. "Hello, Andrew," he replied, keeping a smile on his face as the intense look in his eyes faded. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Callum, but you can call me Cal." At this, he waved slightly in return like Andrew had. In his head, he made note of the community's hostility and of this Andrew attesting to it. He would most definately need a way to stay here and seem inconspicuous. "I didn't mean to cause a stir," he explained, "I was planning on staying here for a while, but if I cause unrest in the community of course I'll move on." This he added in a reluctant manner, looking up to meet Andrew's eyes again.
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IC;; Callum blinked in surprise at Andrew's sudden desperation and determined reassurance. "Well... It's not like I really have anywhere else to go," he admited, and swiftly berated himself for saying that outloud. He wasn't supposed to look weak or helpless like that. He saw Andrew become nervous again, as though he regretted insisting. Cal found himself wanting him to reassure him in turn. After all, it couldn't hurt. "I'd... much appreciate any help I could get." Again, he scolded himself mentally. He supposed he would just play the innocent, not-so-well-off card in order to make this situation work. It seemed that it could work well with this stranger's personality and gain him the most trust. He wouldn't dare admit to anyone, let alone himself, that he was slightly curious about Andrew at the time being.
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IC;; Lucas paused as he entered his room, and surveyed it for a moment before entering. He moved over to a shelf of books, briefly scanned their titles and running a light finger over their spines. After a long moment, he moved to the door again, hesitating before moving towards Damien's door down the hall.
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IC;; Lucas raised his hand to knock tentatively on Damien's door. He hoped the other would not be busy that day as much as he hoped he wouldn't be interupting him.
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IC;; Cal couldn't help but to smile at the stranger's responce. He decided quickly that he should be as honest as possibly with Andrew in order to avoid becoming tangled in his complex web of lies. "Lots of things," He replied vaguely before realizing how rude it was of him to keep the other standing. "Come on then, sit down." Callum insisted, nodding to the empty chair across from him. The man let himself talk about his interests freely, explaining his appreciation for literature of most sorts, music, computer programing, and finally the arms industry. This last thing he hadn't planned on mentioning, as it was a strange topic and made him seem like a pyschopath. Though, in truth most people saw him as such, but he didn't want Andrew to believe he was. He was surprised with himself how easy he found he could speak about himself to the stranger, hopefully soon-to-be-friend. The way he acted seemed quite inviting and accepting, and against better judgement Callum felt himself being drawn to the other. He also felt himself carrying on, which made him duck his head in slight embarrassment. "But... really, enough about me. What about you? What are you interested in?" He inquired, leaning forward casually on his elbows and holding his head in his hands.
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IC;; Callum's face lit up in a grin, listening with consistant curiousity thoughout. He found that he liked the way Andrew spoke, how his mind worked. It wasn't often that he spoke with someone who also enjoyed fictional realities and even preferred them over real life. After his new friend stopped speaking, he laughed before replying. "You're very lucky you can cook. I admit that I have no skill with food and can't even make an egg to save my life. I could probably burn water if I tried," he commented in embarassment. "Maybe... you could show me how to cook sometime? I mean, if you'd want. I can't say I'm the best student." Sh**, He thought. He hadn't meant to say that...
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IC;; Lucas's eyes went wide in shock and immediatly dropped to the floor when he saw Damien, cheeks heating violently and unexpectedly at the sight. He hadn't meant to barge in... "I had just wanted to know if you were busy but... uh... I... sorry." He murmed, shuffling backwards slightly and moving to leaving.
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IC;; "I'm sure you'd be great," Callum assured Andrew with a smile. He glanced at one of the windows along the wall and found that the sun was beginning to set, the two had talked so long. The man turned his gaze back on his new friend, whom he realized he actually liked quite a bit. It wasn't like the acting he had done before in other towns and cities. For once, he just wanted to be himself. For once, he wanted a real friend. Or maybe something more...? Callum had to restrain himself from flinching at the voice that pointed out his interest to him. He... couldn't. He'd given up on the idea of a relationship ages ago. Besides, it wasn't like anyone could ever be interested in him back.
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IC;; Lucas stops and turns around, back towards Damien. "Well, uh, I was just wondering if you had anything you needed help with today or anything." He said, shifting slightly on his feet.
IC;; He started slightly when Damien grabbed his hand, but let himselef be dragged along and hurried to keep pace with him. They walked down the hall and down the stairs, and all the while Lucas's head continued to spin.
IC;; Callum turned in silence to watch the sunset as well. The soft blending hues that grew consistantly darker until they were enveloped in a wash of dark blues calmed him, and he wondered briefly if this was what peace felt like. The black haired man turned back again to Andrew with an encouraging look as he began to speak. He let his new friend speak, and only blinked in surprise once. There was not pity in his eyes, for he knew too well that pity was not usually recieved well. However, he did reach out his hand to gently touch Andrew's hands. The voices in the back of his head balked immediately and he stilled himself against the desire to avoid all physical contact, ignoring their chant of don't touch, bad, hurts, no. His eyes softened almost sadly, and hesitated only a moment before opening his mouth to speak. "I would never judge you, or anyone for that matter, for such things that they cannot control. I... know what it's like to be judged," he started, the voices in his head screaming at him not to tell. He settled and shifted before looking back up at Andrew and continuing. "You see, I have generalized anxiety and panic disorder. I have to take strong medication every day to control it or I couldn't even go out of the house. It's not as bad anymore as it used to be, but it's still there." Callum raised his lips slightly in a small smile but it only made him seem strangely alone.
IC;; Lucas cocked his head to the side in curiousity as Damien unlocked and opened the decorated door. He gasped when he saw the garden that lie behind it. Beautiful hedges, flowers, and trees were carefully planted throughout the area in intricate patterns, manicured into incredible shapes and lines. "This is amazing," he said breathlessly.
IC;; Callum noticed Andrew's shaking voice and gripped his hand with both of his own in responce. His stomach fluttered with slight anxiety, but the man continued to ignore it. "You're welcome," he replied, smiling gently in return. "The people who judge others for their issues are horrid and wrong. I'm sorry you've had to put up with it too," He murmered softly. "Did... they help you when you took them? If it's too personal, you don't have to answer, of course, but I know I had to try several different kinds of meds before I found the one I'm on now that works."
IC;; Awe shown in Lucas's eyes as he gazed around him. "Thank you for showing me," he said, running his fingers lightly over a leaf of one of the roses before continuing. "What would you like me to do?" He knew well enough how much water most different types of plants needed and how to trim them, but he was uncertain what Damien wanted done in this magnificent garden.
IC;; Callum nodded, dropping his eyes. "I wanted to stop trying. There were too many questions, too many pills they wanted to stuff down my throat. But due to the... circumstances," he said finally, voice growing quiet, "at the time, I had no option but to find a medication that worked. I don't like doctors either. They treat you like a specimen instead of another human." This time Cal shook his head and looked up again, doing his best to appear somewhat cheerful. "I'm lucky I wasn't forced into therapy for more than a month. I might have gone mad if they had put me in for longer."
IC;; The chesnut haired man smiled and walked off into the garden. Using one of the watering cans still out, he watered the plants he recalled that needed it. After the water was gone, he trimmed a few of the bushes before finding himself sitting on the ground in a secluded area of the garden surrounded by tall hedges, feeling udderly at peace for once.
IC;; Noticing Andrew's blush, he chuckles softly. "But sometimes it's just beautiful." Cal added gently, squeezing his new friend's hand before looking out at the night and letting the cool breeze glide softly through his jet-black hair. He sat in silence for a long time, simply gazing out around them and listening to the sounds of people rushing home in cars and on foot. Finally, with a regretful expression on his face, the man turned back to Andrew with a sigh. "I'm afraid I'll have to go soon," he admitted, truely hesitant to leave. For once in his life he had actually found someone he generally liked as a person and he didn't want to lose him, no matter how possessive it sounded.
IC;; Callum's face lit up in a genuine smile. "Me too. It's been nice getting to know someone who I can relate to and is nice enough to talk to me." Ignoring the voices in his heads' protests, he dug around in his jean pocket for a slip of paper and a pen. No matter how strange it was, the man had found that such materials often came in handy in the most unlikely situations. Quickly, he scribbled down figures on the paper and handed it to Andrew. "My number," he explained with a chuckle. "Call me when your free or you want to talk. I should be going." With a last smile, Cal winked and took off down the street, having long ago paided for the drink he'd had. Despite everything, he was still nervous about being out in the open for too long, so he managed to get back to his new appartment as swiftly as possible without looking suspicious.
OOC;; Yeah, we can do that.
