Vincent
Accepted Character
Posts: 23 
Full Name: Vincent Capulet
Species: Human (Vampire)
Gender: Male
Homeworld: Earth
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 163lbs
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Post by Vincent on Feb 5, 2014 4:03:51 GMT
Gus tapped Vincent's shoulder and he quickly spun around, ready to defend himself. In Vincent's experience, taps on the shoulder were usually followed by a punch in the face or a knife to the gut, and he had enough problems as it is. Once he realized it was simply to get his attention, however, he immediately went back to a normal standing position.
"I'm going to get a better view of the area. I'm still a bit lightheaded, and I'm a smallish sort of bird, so I don't imagine it's going to improve when I head up. Um, so if I pass out mid-flight- and I don't want to hold you to anything, especially with that side of yours- but I'd appreciate it if you tried to catch me."
For the brief moment between his statement and his leap of faith, a very confused Vincent tried to understand whatever he just heard. Did he have a small flying vehicle such as a remote control helicopter with a camera attached? Whatever it was, it- He is jumping in the air and... is actually trying to fly. Vincent didn't take Gus to be one of those people, despite how dead he was convinced he must be. He simply watched in quiet astonishment as the man tumbled down the hill exactly the way a small bird wouldn't.
He hoped his legs were alright. Normally, Vincent would slide of rather quickly to make sure this poor delusional man was okay, but his side reduced him to taking cautious steps as not to slip and fall. (Though surely his fall would be far more graceful.) Once he reached the bottom, he looked Gus over and sighed as he appeared to be fine, with the exception of some bruising.
"Perhaps you should consult with me before making further, erm, plights of exploration," Vincent suggested.
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Gus
Accepted Character
Chump #1
Posts: 48
Full Name: Augustus Dunhall
Species: Pied Crow Shifter
Gender: Male
Homeworld: Birdverse (1970's)
Height: 5'6"
Weight: 165
OOC Name: acorncap, Acorn
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Post by Gus on Feb 5, 2014 4:11:45 GMT
That was a miserable failure.
Gus lay dazed at the bottom of the hill, his head traitorously tipsy from the fall and subsequent rolling. It took a moment for his scattered and confused thoughts to swim back into some form of coherence, and even then the only thread he could quite grasp was Good job buddy now you look like a damn fool way to go.
He hadn't stalled in shifting since he was a child. Of course, hindsight being as clear as it naturally was he realized that he should have tested that skill before literally leaping into it. He decided to test it now, stretching his beak out and-
Nothing.
Huh.
When he couldn't so much as sprout a feather it occurred to him that maybe, maybe, something was wrong. Not that it was a terrific loss to be without wings, no more than it would be a terrific loss if he were to cut his hair. He barely flew as it was, so it wasn't like being stuck, permanently, in one form was going to hurt him, right? It wasn't like he needed it anyway, it wasn't really necessary, extraneous, actually, it wasn't like he couldn't just walk where he needed, people were very accommodating toward flightless birds nowadays, it was all very nice and progressive and really it wasn't like he was going to cry no this was all very funny wasn't it he was just going to laugh ha ha
ha
ha
He was going to stop thinking about it right now.
"Perhaps you should consult with me before making further, erm, plights of exploration,"
"Perhaps." Gus sat up slowly and took a deep breath. He could feel his ears growing hot. "So, um, I can't, ah, fly anymore. It's not a problem, really, but um, I guess I can't exactly scout ahead." He laughed a little nervously. "Sorry for the, um, delay." He rubbed his hands together. "Let's, ah, carry on, shall we?"
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Vincent
Accepted Character
Posts: 23
Full Name: Vincent Capulet
Species: Human (Vampire)
Gender: Male
Homeworld: Earth
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 163lbs
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Post by Vincent on Feb 5, 2014 4:12:54 GMT
Ah, he just couldn't fly anymore. That cleared up things quite a bit. Vincent offered a hand to help Gus up off the ground and briefly wondered if he was going to make it. "And exactly how long have you been flying?"
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Gus
Accepted Character
Chump #1
Posts: 48
Full Name: Augustus Dunhall
Species: Pied Crow Shifter
Gender: Male
Homeworld: Birdverse (1970's)
Height: 5'6"
Weight: 165
OOC Name: acorncap, Acorn
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Post by Gus on Feb 5, 2014 4:14:08 GMT
Gus accepted the hand and pulled himself to his feet. He was still feeling a bit flushed about the whole thing. "Bit personal, don't you think?" he asked as he brushed himself off. "Um, probably since I was about... hm, ten, eleven? A bit late, I know, but I had a rather nasty incident with my first try- my parents were very old fashioned, had us jump off the roof. Two stories up, but I was never good with the shift." (You're rambling.) "Broke both my legs, sort of turned me off to the whole thing for a few years." He shrugged and laughed a little. It was funny now. Remarkably painful then.
Speaking of legs, Gus took a moment to test them. Yes, they were working just fine, that was good. He was getting a bit of a headache though, but that's what you get for rolling down a hill like an idiot. He resumed his normal stance of hands folded underneath his arms, and started trudging off toward the vague promise of a river.
"How about you?" he finally asked, doing his best to make conversation. "When did you start flying?"
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Vincent
Accepted Character
Posts: 23
Full Name: Vincent Capulet
Species: Human (Vampire)
Gender: Male
Homeworld: Earth
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 163lbs
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Post by Vincent on Feb 5, 2014 4:18:09 GMT
"That's unfortunate." Vincent briefly wondered how much of his story was grounded in truth. Gus didn't exhibit any outward signs of lying. Maybe his parents were deranged as well and really did throw him off a roof.
It took Vincent a moment to remember exactly when he had, erm, started flying. If he was honest with himself, a rare event certainly, he would be quite amused by the question. While he had worked with the less than sane before, he had never had much of a chance to pick at their brain. It was unfortunate he asked such a "personal" question, but he was glad he answered it. Vincent's entire profession was about making the right impression. He walked beside Gus and paid careful attention to their surroundings. Nothing really made sense here, and it was beginning to seem more and more likely this was all some sort of illusion rather than a real place. He could've sworn the mountain range changed slightly from a moment ago.
"I'm simply an average man. I've never flown and I never will. That is, without the assistance of technology," Vincent replied as he slid his hands into his pockets.
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Gus
Accepted Character
Chump #1
Posts: 48
Full Name: Augustus Dunhall
Species: Pied Crow Shifter
Gender: Male
Homeworld: Birdverse (1970's)
Height: 5'6"
Weight: 165
OOC Name: acorncap, Acorn
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Post by Gus on Feb 5, 2014 4:22:15 GMT
Oh just brilliant. Gus could've slapped himself. He'd been assuming Vincent was a loon or a diver- he was now hastily amending this to some kind of penguin. Maybe. Damn it, he hadn't exactly met many flightless birds before, and now that he'd made a right ass of himself, Gus wasn't sure how to handle the situation, except to quietly mutter "Apologies. That was... insensitive of me." (You know what they say about people who assume.)
He resolved to stop talking. Vincent didn't seem like the chatty type anyway. You know what, he was just going to quietly go along with whatever Vincent happened to do. At least he seemed to have some idea of what was going on, and of the two of them, seemed less prone to stupid mistakes.
Gus turned his focus to his feet and the path ahead. Hill after monotonous hill stood to greet him, and to be honest, he was getting rather sick of them. Maybe this was Hell. A Hell that was endless hills and a blurred head and a blizzard that threatened to break over them at any moment.
The river, when it appeared, was a relief, simply for being none of these things.
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Vincent
Accepted Character
Posts: 23
Full Name: Vincent Capulet
Species: Human (Vampire)
Gender: Male
Homeworld: Earth
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 163lbs
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Post by Vincent on Feb 5, 2014 4:25:02 GMT
While Gus was reassuring himself that Vincent was indeed in his right mind, Gus’ insanity was now cemented with Vincent. Insensitive indeed.
It was reassuring when they finally did reach the river, Vincent let out a sigh of relief, the first sign of feeling anything for over an hour. Now was to decide which way to follow it, Either towards the mountain range or against it. But by now, his side was done and he couldn't take a mountain range. He needed to rest, but the snow was getting worse and worse and if they stopped now, they weren't going to make it.
He looked across the hills towards the left and followed the path of the river to the best of his ability. There was... something in the distance. It looked like a tree, but more blocky, like there was a tree house in it? But that didn't make sense, seeing as it was by itself. It didn't matter. It was the only way they could go anyway. So, without a word, Vincent started in that direction.
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Gus
Accepted Character
Chump #1
Posts: 48
Full Name: Augustus Dunhall
Species: Pied Crow Shifter
Gender: Male
Homeworld: Birdverse (1970's)
Height: 5'6"
Weight: 165
OOC Name: acorncap, Acorn
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Post by Gus on Feb 5, 2014 4:30:04 GMT
Gus hadn't even noticed the tree, and was debating whether or not drinking from the river was a good idea. It seemed clear enough, but he was no survivalist. By the time he noticed Vincent was no longer within arm's reach, the man was halfway to the tree and Gus had to jog- or rather hop awkwardly through the snow- to catch up.
The tree-house wasn't remarkably high - just a little over both their heads. It was fairly simple, not much more than a box with a door and a few stylized monkeys splashed on the side. There wasn't much in the way of footholds either- no ladders, no ropes, no cute little boards nailed into the wood. Just a whole lot of tree trunk and a couple branches of questionable integrity. It would be a tight fit for shelter, if they could even get to it, but the way Gus saw it, there weren't any other options, and he couldn't feel his feet anymore.
He cleared his throat- A quick break in his vow of silence couldn't hurt, right? "Um, I could boost you up, if you like."
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Vincent
Accepted Character
Posts: 23
Full Name: Vincent Capulet
Species: Human (Vampire)
Gender: Male
Homeworld: Earth
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 163lbs
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Post by Vincent on Feb 5, 2014 4:30:42 GMT
Vincent looked up at the tree house suspiciously and analyzed it. They would probably fit, but it certainly wouldn't be comfortable and with zero room to move it would be difficult to get out once they squeezed in. And while he didn't see anything in there, it was possible something could already be inhabiting the single visible shelter in the area. However they didn't have much of a choice if they didn't want to freeze to death.
After a moment's consideration he took a deep breath, which he immediately regretted as the stabbing pain intensified. It would probably be better to be boosted now so he could pull Gus up later. While Gus certainly seemed fit, Vincent was a trained super spy and was probably stronger.
"Sounds like a plan," he replied with some skepticism.
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Gus
Accepted Character
Chump #1
Posts: 48
Full Name: Augustus Dunhall
Species: Pied Crow Shifter
Gender: Male
Homeworld: Birdverse (1970's)
Height: 5'6"
Weight: 165
OOC Name: acorncap, Acorn
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Post by Gus on Feb 5, 2014 4:38:37 GMT
Gus had been keeping an eye on Vincent's side, and part of the reason he offered to boost the man up was because he doubted Vincent would be able to do much strenuous lifting in his state. His wound couldn't make him more dead, but it obviously wasn't making things easy on him. He wondered if it would ever heal, considering, or if he was going to be stuck bleeding for the rest of eternity.
He was almost surprised to hear the man agree with him, and gave him a genuinely pleased smile. "Don't sound so worried! I'm sure it'll hold the both of us, and, well, if it can't, I certainly can't get any colder." He rolled his shoulders- they were getting stiff. While he was pretty sure he wouldn't suffer any permanent negative side effects from the snow (Seeing as the usual worries were now a moot point), he wasn't entirely fond of the idea of freezing stiff. The cold simply wasn't his element.
He braced his side against the trunk of the tree, crouched a little and cupped his hands into a step. "All right, when you're ready."
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Vincent
Accepted Character
Posts: 23
Full Name: Vincent Capulet
Species: Human (Vampire)
Gender: Male
Homeworld: Earth
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 163lbs
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Post by Vincent on Feb 5, 2014 4:45:40 GMT
Vincent took a moment as he looked up at the opening to gauge which foot he should step off on. Either way, it would hurt. He took off his jacket to give himself a better range of motion, tossing it inside, and stepped into Gus' hands with his A. Testoni shoe (on the leg without the ankle holster and his concealed pistol). As he was lifted up, he climbed into the simple house with two efficient movements, obviously having done this before.
It was a relief that there was nothing but some leaves inside- that's odd, it was windy and the tree itself was bare, but not impossible- and it smelled faintly of... animal. Not cat, not dog, not rodent, but certainly something. Inside, he could safely say they would both fit but Vincent, not able to even sit up straight, would be uncomfortable to say the least. He turned himself around, grabbing his jacket again, and offered his hand to Gus, ready to lift him up to the opening that now included a lovely blood smear kindly provided by his only half white shirt.
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Gus
Accepted Character
Chump #1
Posts: 48
Full Name: Augustus Dunhall
Species: Pied Crow Shifter
Gender: Male
Homeworld: Birdverse (1970's)
Height: 5'6"
Weight: 165
OOC Name: acorncap, Acorn
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Post by Gus on Feb 5, 2014 4:54:37 GMT
He wasn't exactly frail, so Gus was able to lift Vincent without too much trouble. The man was heavier than he expected, but he'd dealt with worse. Now, to fly up and-
Right. No flying. It was with a bit of reluctance that Gus took Vincent's hand. He braced his foot against the trunk, and between the two was able to boost himself just high enough to grab the edge of the entrance. He then immediately let go of Vincent's hand and dangled for a moment. Dead or no, the wet and bloody shirt was disconcerting, and the last thing he wanted to do was make the situation worse.
He walked his feet partly up the tree trunk, which gave him just enough leverage to haul himself gracelessly into the treehouse. He was breathing a little heavier than he'd expected, and his head had resumed riding the merry-go-round, but he was in. He tried re-arranging himself into a more comfortable position, and kneed Vincent in the side doing so. "Sorry! Sorry."
There wasn't much room in the treehouse, so even when he did wriggle his way into a sitting position, it was hardly 'comfortable'-his shoulder was still pressed uncomfortably against Vincent's, and short drafts of cold air would blast their way past his leg. Small miracles, though, at least he could lean his head back a little. He sighed heavily. "This is a good sign, right? A treehouse means there has to be somebirdie nearby."
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Vincent
Accepted Character
Posts: 23
Full Name: Vincent Capulet
Species: Human (Vampire)
Gender: Male
Homeworld: Earth
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 163lbs
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Post by Vincent on Feb 5, 2014 4:55:32 GMT
Vincent watched the struggling man with less and less hope by the second. If it came down to a bare bones survival situation, he wasn't sure if he'd be able to keep Gus around. Of course, karma knocked violently on the door of Vincent's contemplation via knee to the side. This caused Vincent to groan and cough at the same time, partially out of surprise but mostly because it hurt more than he expected it to.
That wasn't good.
He felt through the shirt to the bandage and after a few moments confirmed that the delicate scab that had managed its way forgivingly over the wound had broken. However, this was not the time to panic, or cause the idiot next to him to panic. Instead he calmly, though with much wincing, bent forward to slide his jacket behind him before leaning back and trying the sleeves around his waist as tightly as he could.
"This is a good sign, right? A treehouse means there has to be somebirdie nearby."
Vincent was about to respond with his opinion of the situation when, "I may have heard you wrong, but did you just say 'somebirdy'?" Not even the unmoving features of Vincent's face could hide the concern and confusion behind that question.
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Gus
Accepted Character
Chump #1
Posts: 48
Full Name: Augustus Dunhall
Species: Pied Crow Shifter
Gender: Male
Homeworld: Birdverse (1970's)
Height: 5'6"
Weight: 165
OOC Name: acorncap, Acorn
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Post by Gus on Feb 5, 2014 5:01:31 GMT
"Um, yes?" Gus shrugged. It was a fairly common bit of slang, at least in his area. Maybe it wasn't as fashionable elsewhere.
He furrowed his brows at Vincent's makeshift bandage. "Your side, is it..." (Well it's not good. Even I can see that- probably helped that, actually.) "Um, how is it doing?"
The treehouse was warmer than outside, but only just. After a few moments, Gus pulled the bottom half of his sweater as far over his knees as it would go (Which was decently far if he scrunched his legs into his chest.). He then pulled the turtleneck a little over his frozen nose (Why didn't you think to do this before? Seems obvious now.) and slipped his arms into the body of the sweater, leaving the empty sleeves to dangle. Transformation complete. He now resembled a black-and-white rock, or maybe a rather ridiculous snowball. It didn't matter- it was a little bit warmer now.
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Vincent
Accepted Character
Posts: 23
Full Name: Vincent Capulet
Species: Human (Vampire)
Gender: Male
Homeworld: Earth
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 163lbs
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Post by Vincent on Feb 5, 2014 5:01:58 GMT
"It's bleeding again." Vincent stated plainly like he had just told Gus what he had for dinner the previous night. There was no irritation or sarcastic "thanks a lot by the way" or anything else you might expect from an apparently wealthy man with a ruined suit who was (somewhat) clearly in pain. He looked out what little he could see of the entryway and his heart sank as the snow picked up even more. This was certainly going to turn into a blizzard and this tree house didn't seem terribly high up. As Vincent sat there quietly and pondered their situation more and more, things seemed to get more and more grim. Even he was getting cold, and that was rare. He wished he had a dumb looking sweater.
Everybirdy was still bothering him. Was is some weird form of slang among crazy people? Normally, he could dismiss it, but it was part of Vincent's job to know slang among crazy people and he began to think, as paranoid spies often do, if Gus was part of some kind of bird based cult. "I don't understand... everybirdy," Vincent finally said after a few moments of awkward shivering silence.
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