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 Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2009 7:36 pm
"Well, aren't you a super fancy guy? A lt. colonel and everything." Ace remarked with a mouth full of bread as he very briefly rolled his eyes. It really wasn't hard to figure out that the teenager could care less about Warrick's rank. If he was in the military, then he was just the same as the rest of them. A dog to the government. Always making excuses, always doing what they are told.
Ace finished off the chunk of bread and reached into the bag once again to tear off another very large piece. He supposed that he must have been very lucky if he were to think about it hard enough. The older man could have easily shot him when he took off running in his attempt to make a speedy escape. He could have stuck him in much worse conditions than this.
Actually... it was really... nice of the man to treat him as more of a guest. However, since he was a military man, Ace would never find himself admitting this out loud. He also couldn't help but to be mildly suspicious about it all. Besides, he was still a prisoner and he would hold that against the lt. colonel no matter what was going down.
"In your bed?" Ace asked, finishing off the second chunk of bread, probably eating much faster than he should have been. He grabbed up the canteen so that he could down some of it's contents. When this was accomplished and he had returned the canteen to where it was sitting on the ground, he snatched an apple from the canvas bag. However, he just held the apple in one bloodied hand, his eyes watching the back of Warrick's head as he scrawled in a note pad. "Where are you gonna sleep? Are you gonna stay up all night and make sure I don't escape? or are you planning on getting cozy, lieutenant colonel?"
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Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2009 7:46 pm
Warrick considered disputing the fact that he was fancy. He certainly wasn't a very fancy guy. But he had a feeling that was sarcasm anyway so he chose not to comment on it. However, the question about where he was going to sleep probably deserved some sort of answer. After all, he did NOT plan on getting cozy.
"I don't sleep often. This is not on account of you. It is just a fact. If I do get tired I will probably sleep here," he answered honestly. Warrick was always honest. If someone asked him a question, and he knew the answer, he would give it to them. These were his morals for very specific reasons. Reasons he knew he would not soon be able to forget.
He paused for a few brief moments after answering Ace then. He wondered if it was even fair, making someone call him by his rank even though they were not enlisted, and clearly hated the military. He wondered if Ace would be any less hostile if he didn't have to call him Lieutenant Colonel... But then he thought again and decided he was almost certain Ace had no interest in his name.
"I will try not to keep you awake," he said then. He had had a lantern on but now he reached over a dimmed it a bit, before returning to his notebook and scrawling a few more things. It would be a few more minutes, however, before he shut it and shoved it away altogether. And then for the rest of the night he planned to sit quietly and wait for morning. There was still no word about when the next investigation crew would go in for SURE. Maybe it would be tomorrow. If not, where would Ace end up? He didn't really know.
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Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2009 8:10 pm
Ace frowned a little bit. To be perfectly honest, he was hoping for more of a rise out of the older man in response to 'getting cozy' comment. It definitely seemed like his mission in life was to make things harder for anyone involved in the military or to demean them in any way possible.
When it came right down to it... Ace was a general nuisance. However, he did have his morals. As much as he hated and despised the military, he would never be able to take a life. It just wasn't who he was.
The teenager was staring at Warrick as he raised the apple in his hand so that he could take a bite out of it. All the while his eyes did not stray from the older man. "Because you're a vampire." He commented. It wasn't a question, just more of an observation. It wasn't hard to see that Lieutenant Colonel Rhodes didn't just get his nickname from his interesting skills, ((Ace didn't know EXACTLY what these specific skills were yet)) but also from his habits. Ace could see that Warrick was a pale man. He had revealed he didn't sleep much. And whatever his alchemy skills were, it had to do with blood.
Also there was the scarf that the older man kept securely around his nose and mouth. maybe he had fangs under there. Either way, the teenager didn't bother to ask. He merely wondered all of this in his head. Not only that, but the military man was just so damn polite. maybe he was trying to lure Ace into a false sense of security so that he could eat him... or something.
"How long am I going to be forced to stay in this town? The people are kind of crazy... in case you didn't notice. And I can't exactly make a living if I can't get in and out." Ace took another bite of the apple.
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Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2009 8:26 pm
At the time of Ace's response Warrick had still been jotting a few things down. But he stopped suddenly when Ace called him a vampire. His hand just paused, ceasing to write altogether. It stayed that way for a few moments, then finished a sentence. He closed his notebook entirely now and set the pen down, then finally did shove the thing away altogether.
"Yes... I mean, I'm not," he said, pausing again for a few moments. He glanced over his shoulder a bit then. Well, if he had heard it of course Ace had heard it. He wondered if Ace had heard of him otherwise. Maybe the scarf was a giveaway. It was a curious thing. He supposed there was no need to go on about it, though. What good would that do?
Eventually he returned his eyes to his desk. They traced the grain for a while before he spoke again to answer the last question. "I don't know. It's... Not my call," he answered honestly. Silly, that he could be in charge so many people, and yet when it really came down to it nothing was his call, was it? He was just a soldier like any other soldier.
"Goodnight," he added after his answer. They might as well get some sleep. He still wondered if Ace was going to try to run. But he seemed smart, and that would be very unwise now that he was in the encampment and people were aware of his presence. He trusted him not to risk his life. Trust was important. "I trust you," he added. Because it meant something. Sure, it was just a trust that he wouldn't run. But it still meant something.
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Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2009 8:44 pm
To be honest, throughout the entire duration of his time in the lt. colonel's tent, he had been pondering a way to sneak out in the middle of the night without any of the soldiers or Warrick noticing. But then the older man assured Ace that he trusted him and all of that thinking suddenly stopped. Either this guy was completely insane... or he actually did trust Ace not to run away.
The young man stared at Warrick, once again giving him a very strange look. Ace was probably the last person that the military officer should be trusting at this point. He was sneaky and tricky, and Warrick had definitely seen that Ace refused to be confined.
Ace was still suspicious of the older man, his expression both strange and skeptical. But eventually he turned his eyes away from the lt. colonel to the half eaten apple in his hand. Most of the blood on his skin had dried by now. He definitely didn't feel particularly clean... but he had been through worse. Taking another very large bite of the apple, he dropped the remains back into the bag before he shifted so that he was stretched across the cot, laying on his back. The young man folded his hands over his stomach, not bothering to respond to Warrick.
He had been contemplating a way to escape during the night so that he could go about his life. But this guy... for some crazy reason... trusted him.
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Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2009 8:59 pm
There was no question that in the morning Warrick would be up before Ace. He really didn't sleep much. And while he had fallen asleep on his desk briefly, perhaps even before Ace had done so, he had not stayed asleep very long. As soon as the sun had begun to rise he was up and out of the tent as well, leaving a couple people to guard it for him.
It was nearly ten o'clock now and those two soldiers were still standing outside the entrance to his tent. One was a nervous looking young man and the other was the young woman from the night before. They were chatting quietly with one another. Despite his nervous looks, the young man seemed very talkative. And the woman was answering as she saw fit.
"Where did he even go? I'm getting sort of hungry... Do you think he'll be back soon?" he asked. "I don't know, Witt. I don't keep track of the Colonel. I just know we're posted here for now," the young woman said, sounding a bit tired. "Could have fooled me," the young man muttered. "What was that?" Lt. Branyon asked. "... Are you into him or just a suck up?" Witt asked. Lt. Branyon sighed loudly, "Will you cut the crap? I've been here a long time. We talk," she said defensively. "You just want to see what's under the scarf, don't you?" the young man teased. "Yeah, you know what? I do. And it's not a crime to get bored. It is every woman's right to make men squirm for fun from time to time. Nothing serious," she assured her postmate. "You're kind of a b***h," Witt teased. "Knock it off, idiot," she shot back.
A few moments later their chatting ceased and they both straightened up to salute. "You should go have some breakfast," Lt. Col. Rhodes' voice suggested. "Is that an order, Sir?" Lt. Branyon asked, the smile clear in her tone. "I-... No... Just... You can if you would... Like to do that," Warrick said, his face reddening again slightly. "Yes, Sir," she said, and her and her postmate took their leave. Warrick stood where he was for a moment, composed himself, and then entered the tent. His eyes shifted over toward Ace immediately, wherever he now was. "Good morning," he said politely.
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Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2009 9:35 pm
Ace spent the first half of the night wide awake. Part of the reason was that he wasn't particularly tired. The other part of the reason was because he was still very suspicious of this Lieutenant Colonel Rhodes. He didn't know if the man would eat him or drug him in his sleep and take him to another location and he would wake up in someplace very unfamiliar. He did not trust the military. There was no disputing this fact.
The second half of the night, Ace finally fell asleep. It wasn't a particularly peaceful sleep, but it wasn't a restless sleep either. Sometime during the night, the young man had shifted from his back and ended up sleeping on his stomach.
When Ace finally did wake up, there was some light coming in through the door of the tent. He groaned quietly, raising his head and glancing around through squinted eyes. Sometime before he had fallen asleep he had tossed his hat to the ground. But now he snatched up up again to place back upon his head and cover his hair which was sticking up oddly.
Ace realized that the lt. colonel was no longer at his desk, where his eyes came to rest. He recalled Warrick falling asleep there at some point, but now he was obviously awake and up and about. The teenager stretched himself out, realizing that he was slightly sore from the struggle the night before. His arms and hands still had spots of dried blood, which he took a moment to observe again. His pants had a big hole in them and his knees were bruised and slightly bloody as well. He would have to get cleaned up at some point, he supposed.
Standing, Ace stretched again and took the time alone to take in his surroundings. It was probably a very decent sized tent for the lt. colonel. Ace spent his nights either in inns or on the streets. He had probably slept in a tent before at SOME point, but definitely not one like this. Ace peeked out through the door, spotting the two soldiers flanking the tent. He found himself frowning slightly and retreating back inside. Well, he was trapped either way. Briefly he paced the length of it, observing this and that.
The teenager came to stand by the writing desk in which Warrick had fallen asleep at the night before. He opened the first drawer and briefly sifted through it before closing it again. Then he did the same thing with the remaining drawers. Once this was accomplished, Ace spotted the notebook on top of the desk that his captor had been writing in. Picking it up, he skimmed over the writing. However, he didn't get a terribly long time to look through it's pages.
When the Lieutenant Colonel came back in and greeted him, Ace tossed the notebook back onto the desk and spun around to face the man. "Uh... uhm... Morning." He said, slightly surprised by Warrick's sudden presence.
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Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2009 9:56 pm
Warrick had almost forgotten about Ace's disheveled and mildly bloody appearance. And when he really took the time to look him over he frowned lightly. But this was hidden by his scarf, as always. He glanced at the notebook then, noting that Ace had been holding it when he walked it, and then back at the younger man. There was nothing terribly important in it. Just progress reports and documentation of action. Maybe it was confidential, but Ace was really a part of this, wasn't he?
Warrick moved over to his desk and set down a book he'd been carrying. It wasn't anything special. It looked old, though kept in good condition. The spine read 'Fables' in gold letters. It was perhaps an odd choice of literature for a man like Lt. Col. Rhodes, but he found fables interesting. They were fairytales with morals, fairytales specifically written to make a point about something. Of course, some of them he wasn't sure he agreed with entirely.
"I have asked someone to bring clothes and clean water in case you wanted them. And if you would like I could show you to a place where you can get something to eat for breakfast if you're hungry," he said. He reached up and adjusted his scarf slightly. It was on well, but making sure it was had become a habit. He couldn't risk it falling down. Especially not here and now.
"I never as-," he began to say something else, but then suddenly there was a voice from outside his tent. "Lt. Branyon, Sir," the voice said. Warrick looked surprised, and turned toward the tent entrance. For a moment his eyes were wide with what could almost be described as some form of terror. "Come in," he said. And so she did.
"I intercepted Private Reins on the way to breakfast, Sir, and relieved him of his duty. I hope that is alright," she said. Warrick stared at him for a moment like she was a large, wild cat, but then blinked himself back into consciousness. "That's fine. Thank you," he said. Lt. Branyon set a pile of clothes down on the cot, then a large bucket of warm water and a wash cloth. "Sir, permission to be frank," she asked, eying Warrick. "Granted," Warrick said. "You should get something to eat yourself, Sir. I wouldn't mind saving a place for you, not that you need one saved," she said. Warrick's brow furrowed a bit, "I'll be along," he said immediately. "Yes, Sir," Lt. Branyon said.
For a moment or two they just stood there staring at each other, until Warrick remembered he had to dismiss her. "Dismissed," he said suddenly, feeling like a general idiot. Lt. Branyon smiled, "See you later,... Sir," she said, turning to leave. "Yes... Yes... You will see me,... Fiona," Warrick said awkwardly. Lt. Branyon chuckled to herself lightly and then she was gone. And once again Warrick found himself frowning. "Damnit," he hissed under his breath, turning away from Ace to pretend to arrange things on his desk.
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Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2009 10:34 pm
Ace didn't particularly care that he had been caught looking through the lt. colonel's notebook, especially since there was nothing really important scrawled on it's pages. it was just that the older man had surprised him with his very sudden appearance.
Briefly the teenager glanced at the book that Warrick had set on the desk to join the notebook. His eyes scanned over the gold lettering on the worn out front cover. Indeed, he found it strange for a man like the lt. colonel to be reading. Of course, he didn't exactly know said man, but from the first impression that he got from him, he didn't seem to be the type to read these sorts of stories.
"Sure... okay." Ace responded, tearing his gaze from the story book so that they could rest on his captor. He didn't say thank you, even though it was terribly nice of the man to be so hospitable towards him. Never did Ace think that he would end up on a military camp. Well... as long as Warrick was offering him food and a bed and a way to clean himself without pay.
Ace's attention was torn away from the older man when the lieutenant announced her arrival and slipped into the tent. The teenager watched their exchange with mild interest, glancing between the man and the woman as they interacted with each other. What an awkward encounter. Ace didn't even acknowledge the woman's presence. He merely stared at her, his eyes following her as she finally exited the tent.
Once Lt. Branyon was gone, Ace eyed Warrick curiously before wandering over to sit on the cot. He grabbed up the wash cloth and dipped it into the warm water until it was thoroughly saturated. He wrung it out a bit before he ran it over his bloodied hands and up his arms since he had had his sleeves rolled up since the night before.
"Are you and your lieutenant a thing or something?" The young man asked rather bluntly, setting the damp washcloth aside so that he could push off his suspenders and then go about unbuttoning his shirt. "You almost seem afraid of her. She must be the aggressive one then." Ace didn't expect the lt. colonel to answer anything, because he probably wouldn't answer any questions if HE was asked. He was mostly just observing his new environment.
The teenager removed his shirt completely and set it beside him on the cot. Under this he had a rather dirty wife-beater tank top in which he peeled off as well. Ace was pretty pale for the most part. He was skinny and small for a young man his age. Picking up the wet washcloth again, he began to run it over his bare skin.
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Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2009 10:46 pm
Warrick couldn't help but blush slightly at the question. Luckily, his back was still turned toward the young man who had asked it. He wasn't quite sure how to answer it, actually. More just unsure if he even should. It seemed like improper conduct. But then, the only law Ace had broken was wanting his freedom. That didn't make him a criminal in Lt. Col. Rhodes' eyes. He would rather be friendly, and above all honest.
"No," he said. That was the simplest, best answer he would think to give. He considered going on. He then considered not going on. But he was a bit confused about the encounter himself, and he wanted to seem friendly. "We were in basic together for a little while and she is now my personal assistant... Of sorts," he explained. Which was very true. "I think we might be friends," he added.
It was then that he considered what Ace said about him seeming afraid of her. He had been afraid of that. Eyes showed more expression than any other part of the face and people were bound to notice his, as the rest of his face was covered for the most part. Body language was a good indication of certain things as well. The truth was, he was a little afraid of Fiona Branyon in a way. She was nice to him, one of the only people who had ever shown an interest in him and not just his rank or abilities, and for this reason he felt shy, self-conscious, and sort of flustered around her. Maybe he did like her, maybe it was just strange to be liked.
But did she like him? He wasn't even certain. He turned toward Ace for a moment, then looked incredibly surprised that he wasn't wearing a shirt. When had he started changing? Warrick wondered if he should have been expecting a warning or not. He just stared for a moment, mildly shocked, then turned away quickly. "I was going to say earlier... That I never got a chance to ask what your name is," he stated. He still didn't think Ace wanted to know his, but he wanted to know the young man's. He was sort of curious by nature.
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Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2009 11:22 pm
Ace dipped the washcloth back into the warm water of the bucket once it was dirty enough. It felt really nice to clean himself. The warm water was soothing. he hoped that maybe he would have enough money for a room at an inn soon so that he could have a bath. That sounded like a particularly nice idea, actually. He made this a goal to strive for in his mind. But for now this was good, he supposed.
"You think? I don't have many friends myself, but I'm pretty sure that's something you either know or you don't." The young man said, taking a moment or two to soak his hands in the water because it was a soothing feeling against the cuts which were beginning to sting now. There was a particularly nasty cut between the thumb and the index finger of his right hand. That was probably the worst of all of the wounds on his arms and hands.
Ace removed the washcloth from the water and once more wrung out the excess water. He ran the thing under his arms and over the back of his neck. He pulled off his hat and continued to run the cloth over his bed-head hair.
"Yeah, you did. But I spit at you instead of answering." The teenager said as if it wasn't something that particularly bothered him. Because it didn't. Setting the washcloth aside again, Ace stood grabbed the shirt that the lt. colonel provided for him and pulled it on. Clean clothes was always a plus. Once he got it on, he stood up so that he could slip off his shoes and pull off his pants. He had on boxers beneath these, so it wasn't a huge deal or anything. Ace seemed particularly shameless anyway.
As the young man sat back down on the cot and soaked the washcloth again so that he could wash the dirt and the dried blood from his scraped knees, it almost seemed as if he wouldn't respond to the older man's question. But then he found himself speaking again. "But since you are giving me food and clothes and water... I guess you can call me Ace." He finally revealed. As much as the teenager didn't want to give his name to the military man, and didn't exactly want to admit that he was being... nice... it was the only thing he could give him in return.
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Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2009 11:32 pm
The Lt. Col was relieved that he did get an answer. He had thought that the pause meant that he wouldn't. And despite the fact that Ace wasn't being particularly friendly himself seemed to make it more likely he would get no answer as well. Warrick didn't suppose he could blame the younger man, though, and he was grateful for something to call him.
"Ace," he said to himself. It sounded so... Cool. He wondered if it was his real name. He glanced over his shoulder briefly at Ace, wanting to see if the name fit. But he was still changing so he looked away again quickly. How awkward! Things seemed to be so awkward for Warrick lately. He wondered privately why life was turning out as it was.
And then it occurred to the very polite military man that he ought to offer his full name. Even if Ace didn't want it, it was the polite thing to do. "Warrick Rhodes," he said, sure that Ace would understand that this name belonged to him. The kid really did seem pretty smart. He wasn't worried about dumbing anything down for him.
"When you're ready I would be happy to take you to get some food. I'm fairly certain this epidemic is not contagious, rather a product of environment, so it should be safe to take you to the mess tent. The question is how long it takes the affected to show symptoms and whether it's reversible... Anyway, you should let me know when you're ready. If you don't mind eating with a bunch of dogs, that is," he said at last.
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Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2009 12:00 am
Of course, Ace had a last name as well, but for now all that the lt. colonel would get was his first name. He SUPPOSED that this particular military man deserved to call him something. But he definitely wouldn't be doing anything more in return for Warrick. His grudge against the military would never allow this. However, that wouldn't keep Ace from mooching while he was stuck here. Once it was all over, he was sure he would just be on his way again... and he would be able to have a bath. He really hoped this stupid quarantine didn't last much longer.
"Warrick Rhodes." The teenager stated, trying it out on his tongue as he continued to dab at his scraped knees. They were clean now for the most part, but they were bruised a bit, purple bruises having formed on the joints. After the young man had pulled off his socks, he went about washing off his feet with the pleasantly warm water.
"Are you asking me out on a date, Warrick Rhodes? Everything is moving so fast, I don't know if I can keep up." He said all of this very calmly, though there was a slightly amused smile on his youthful face. Briefly he paused, dropping the washcloth into the bucket and then getting to his feet again so that he could pull on the fresh pair of pants. He grabbed his socks and returned those to his feet and slipped them into his shoes. The young man snatched up his hat and returned it to his head.
"I don't think that I want to stoop low enough to eat with the dogs. I'll eat outside." He stated honestly. If he didn't have to put himself around military officers, then he would avoid them as much as he possibly could. But Ace would take a free meal.
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Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2009 12:08 am
The first time Ace had made a mildly suggestive comment Warrick had let it slide. He hadn't really known for sure that the cozy comment HAD been suggestive. But this date business very clearly was. And it made Warrick frown. Of course with his back turned and his face hidden this was impossible to see.
Normally Warrick was very polite, as Ace had experience, but he turned around now and looked Ace over without hiding the fact that he was doing so at all. His eyes were strangely cold at first, then they seemed to soften. "Not at all, Ace. You're not my type. Dogs and rats shouldn't mix," he said. And he immediately felt bad about it, joke as it was.
He glanced toward the entrance to his tent once more, "I'm kidding by the way," he added. In case that wasn't clear. He returned his eyes to Ace then, "You don't look much like a rat to me, to tell you the truth. I just get the feeling you probably like to collect shiny things. Then again, who doesn't? Shall we go get some good?" he gestured toward the tent opening.
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Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2009 12:28 am
Ace's first reaction to the comeback was a mildly shocked one. He stared at the older man with raised brows, his mouth open slightly. To be perfectly honest, he didn't know if Warrick was joking or not... because all of his own insults shot at the lt. colonel and the military were not jokes. He genuinely thought that they were all dogs. However, if Warrick thought he was a rat... Ace didn't care either way. He was one when it came down to it, wasn't he? it was just surprising because the other man had been so polite.
And then Warrick felt the need to assure Ace that he was just joking. The younger man couldn't keep the smile from forming on his face. He laughed in an amused manner. "You're right though. You sure are right. " He said, reaching up and briefly adjusting the hat upon his head. At least he had gotten some sort of rise out of him this time. It wasn't the irritated one he had been hoping for, but amusing none-the-less.
The smile continued to linger on Ace's face as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his new pants. it was probably likely that the lt. colonel had sent for clothes that would be closest to his size based on how big he looked. And they fit decently enough. "After you, Warrick Rhodes."
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