germans are annoying text it

[pathfinding]

[A; Bookstore]

It is an enjoyable morning where you're trying to enjoy your silence with books and maybe a sub-par latte. Instead, you have to deal with some jerk two tables away blasting some techno neo-classical dubstep monstrosity, made worse by that tinny static that overtakes anything heard second-hand through cheap headphones.

After the token glare at the jerk's direction, there is a hand dismissively waved at you. They don't even bother looking up from their book. "I know I know, final warning afore you throw me out, I'm almost done. Shoo now."

---

[B; Redbright]

Books are useless. Next idea on the list, go try the stupid famous school to help weirdos get a better handle of their powers. Fast forward an hour and an obscenely short interview, only to walk out with a rejection slip because humans are unwelcome here, chains forged of paranoia by entwin it's a normal school and he's normal. Well.

Ain't that hilarious.

Legal ways are out then. Time for being sketchy. Enjoy having your space invaded in any fashion of your choice at any time you let your guard down: sliding up against your shoulder, leaning over the back of your park bench, suddenly sitting next to you in the lunch room and eating your fries. Usual totally normal college exchange student stuff, not suspicious at all, obvs.

"Heeeeeey, so what are you? And how much do you pay a year, that's more important."

---

[C; Hobos kind of smell like shame - Closed to Kate]

The message is left at just before six, rambling and tripping over itself like what usually happens in those subtle fits of panic. Most of it is just obtuse nonsense - again, not new - but parts stand out. Left the wallet somewhere. Or it got stolen? Shrugs??? Also he's detained, no big. The spare house key is under the left bleeding heart this weekend. There's also a cat stuck on the fridge.

Maybe somewhere in there is a 'please don't leave me here' but really. Totally obtuse nonsense. She's just hearing things from the stupidity overdose.

When she actually turns up, the idiot in question is still in a holding cell, sitting cross-legged on a bench and staring vacantly into space. There is also a drunken scruffy dude sleeping on his shoulder. These two things are obviously not related. "Your sunglasses look stupid."

Comments

[pathfinding]

Removal, red, it dissolves like water to his own Eyes, yet still obeys gravity everywhere else. Weird. Either way, it doesn't hurt. It's more the burning from the red yellow orange white red that comes up around the form in shield. Such rejection. How very familiar- fear, doesn't understand, lacks the qualifications and thus reacts with vitriol.

A second set of eyes follows a rope that flows off into the distance, the scene changing from a two visible figures to countless hollows acting out an endless waltz. They fade out in hordes.

"Were you lynched?" It's detached, a little bit confused, eyes following nothing into the distance, but still rings in Cooper's head as staring at him, "You're too open. Honest. So easily aimed, held on the leashes of others. Of course the wings would not be harmed. You are far easier to control for their likes."

Does any of this effect the actual world at all? Good question. So the one rope around his neck is casually yanked.

[emotioneater]

Cooper bites back the automatic question that forms on his lips. 'How could you possibly know that?' He already knows. The damn kid's an oracle and even right now is looking at god-only-knows what from his past or future. He nods slowly. No use lying, not to someone who can literally see the truth. How he died is something he never discusses with people. Too many bad memories associated with what happened before and after. "Hanged. Fer treason 'n inciting rebellion."

He watches with puzzlement as Aleks' hand comes towards his neck, moving through the air and pulling like there's a necklace or something hanging down there. It's easy to see why his earlier behavior was so erratic. This kid isn't even on the same plane of reality that the rest of the world is.

"Shut up," he snaps (and the red surrounding him inside the Sight flares up, overtaking the other colors), not yet putting any of his power behind the words. He wonders, if he told Aleks to be quiet using mind control, would that work on him, or would his own weird set of prophetic powers overrule? It's a question better asked at a moment when he feels more in control. Right now, he's only understanding about one phrase in every three Aleks is spouting.

[pathfinding]

Treason? That's silly. It was probably something along the lines of someone else orchestrated the treason and he's the one who got caught like a dweeb. Scapegoat, or someone with bad enough luck to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Thinking about it, most likely that one, especially with the manicured nails wrapping around Cooper's neck wait what oh god-

His hands jerk back at the instant the shut up and the red flare starts up (so very, very honest), and Cooper can even take the look of vague horror out of the jump back as because of him. Let the poor boy have his ego boost. This had a point and pissing off the vampire wasn't it he's not that far off into death yet he can get a handle on this. A mask is slammed down over a gaping hole, cracks breaking up the surface with white flames, and in Cooper's eyes it's just some highly concerning mortal shoving his face in both hands and swearing up a small storm in a language too angry to be anything but German.

"It's difficult this form cannot embody This for we shit, I'm sorry, I wanted needed must be confirmed we had to check something the two pillars were too busy being blighted pansies to near-kill me," and it's utterly strained strained, but back to English. Except at random points it slips back in German. Overall verdict: extremely unsettling. "I only get pieces, rarely helpful, Liam came back with the flashes, would never agree, that pissant isn't allowed to die, yet it wasn't him, your ghosts followed him home, who did you even piss off to have a death shroud that strong, what the fuck, did you piss in Sylvia's cheerios or something, you're almost as bad as the mutts sometimes, I swear-"

Stop freaking out.

"Sorry, I suck at shutting up like this, it's just a neverending fountain of bullshit, a result was taken from you without permission or request and all debts must be repaid, if blood is payment enough then fuck off, but should you have any requests for This of any variation the current level of submersion can be maintained for your cheating convenience."

[emotioneater]

Later on, he'll go over what Aleks has been spouting at him for the past few minutes. There's true prophecy in the midst of all that babbling and it's worth sifting through to try and figure out what he's talking about. He'll realize there's more truth in those words than he realizes. The kid knows more than he thinks he knows. But that all comes later. Right now, Cooper has only one way of dealing with the oracle. Predictably, it's the same way he deals with everything else.

He grabs Aleks by his shirt, drags him forward, and slaps him a few times across the face. It's not done too hard. Cooper's strong enough to punch through doors made of solid oak wood when he's of a mind to. He doesn't want to take the poor boy's head right off. "Either speak sense about my future or snap out of it, you crazy freak!"

Yes, because that is a surefire way make the oracle to work properly. It's just like fixing a faulty rabbit-ears TV. You just have to smack it around a few times to get it to work properly.