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Post by Felix Falora on Apr 7, 2011 17:15:58 GMT -5
The crowd went wild. It was a full house and the exhibition match was set up well in advance. Someone there wasn't a regular, but the other was well known, so of course everyone wanted to step in to check out what was going on. The one who was well known was the champion himself, a man wrapped in mystery, but of vicious fighting spirit. People there adored him and looked up to him; men worth their weight in guts would aspire to be just like him. But the other contestant wasn't a regular. In fact, when people saw him walk in, they gasped because they knew the kind of man he was. And he didn't look to be all like himself in the arena.
Trevor Birmingston seemed more focus and serious. He wasn't swaggering like a drunk, having definently downed himself in alcohol after the tragedy and the seperation of Bonsai's Heroes, but his stance was sharp and his swords drawn. The champion chuckled and drew his own weapon, a double ended spear meant to be handled from the middle. He twirled it around him and took position. "Don't think I'm gonna go easy on you just because of what happened to you. The crowd's looking for a good fight and I intend to give them one."
"Believe me, if you went easy, I would know and I wouldn't be happy." Trevor's reply was curt and blunt, yet somehow somber as well. With both their responses given, the two did not wait much longer to begin. The champion threw the first strike, twirling his spear and jabbing at Trevor's chest. Trevor's body swayed to the side, dodging the pointed tip and grabbed the spear in between his blades. He twirled himself around, wrenching the spear from the champion's hands and sending it crashing to the floor, caught the man's neck between his swords in a position ready to decapitate. As quickly as it had begun, the fight was over.
Trevor let the champion go. People were stunned. Many more were dissapointed, but quite a number were also fascinated at Trevor's speed and technique. The champion picked his spear up, heavily shamed. Who would not be after a loss like that? Trevor, on the other hand, walked over and shook the champion's hand like a gentleman before walking away. Not strong enough. Not even the champion is strong enough, he thought. This burning in my chest. Alcohol doesn't quench it. Battle seems to soothe it. I feel like I want to just beat the crap out of someone. I bet it's him, but if I touch him, Fletch will rend me apart. And... he would be dissapointed in me. I have to make the pain go away. I have to.
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Post by nintendonut1 on Apr 7, 2011 22:12:34 GMT -5
Elwood grimaced. He did not like this place. Not at all.
He had heard Trevor was heading for the Arena, which made him reluctant to follow, but... something drove him here anyway. Elwood was never one to enjoy fighting to begin with, not unless it was absolutely necessary, and this place smelled like blood and iron and man-sweat and UGH.
Still, he had somehow managed to get in a peek at the current match, which happened to be Trevor's match. To see him end it so quickly was essentially not all that surprising, but it was still suspicious.
Trevor usually made his fights a little more... showy than that.
Elwood nearly fought his way down to where Trevor was to exit the arena, and when he spotted the viridian-tressed swordsman, he rushed over to him. "Trevor! Hey, Trev!"
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Post by Felix Falora on Apr 7, 2011 22:20:30 GMT -5
Lost in his thoughts, Trevor nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard someone call his name. On guard, his hand reached absentmindedly for his blades, but when he could tell from distinction that it was the voice of Elwood, his hand immediately moved away. Elwood... he was one of the ones who, that day, had agreed with him. But the majority still accomplished their goal, like an angry mob moving in on a convicted person, and drove the one person keeping them together out. Trevor had thought that Crow lady had just been speaking a bunch of ill-mannered bullshit, but after Edd left, the tension in the House of Blue Leaves had become unbearable. His urge to kill King had risen until he eventually left in order to keep himself from becoming just as bad as the one who hurt Edd in the beginning.
Trevor was genuinely stunned to see Elwood here. He knew that Elwood hated the arena. Not many of the others came to watch him and his fights, but he tried to make a show out of it generally. This time, however, he had wanted some hard combat. But the champion had made a mockery out of himself and thus the combat was wasted. He crossed his arms and cocked his head curiously as a gentle breeze blew his emerald locks out of his eyes. "Elly... what are you doing here?" he asked softly.
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Post by nintendonut1 on Apr 7, 2011 22:39:18 GMT -5
It was a long moment before Elwood responded. He was a bit taken away by that little moment of brillance that had graced Trevor for a second.
"...I was..." He coughed, straightening up. "...getting some fresh air. And, looking for you." He shrugged, a bit uneasy. He couldn't use the 'I hate to be alone' excuse because most of the time he prefered that. He wasn't sure why he was suddenly so self-conscious around Trevor, for whatever reason.
"So, uh..." He sought to change the subject. "What was up with that battle? Where were the trick flips, the winks to the audience? That... wasn't like you. At all."
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Post by Felix Falora on Apr 7, 2011 22:59:20 GMT -5
Trevor found himself curious at the fashion designer's lack of response. Elwood was usually more calm and collected then that. He eventually did explain himself, but Trevor found himself wanting to question Elwood. And, being the type of guy to voice his feelings no matter what they were, he decided to call it out. "Are you ok, Elly? You seem a little tense," he said. His voice was gentle, probably to try and feign the fact that he, himself, was barely ok. Sure, he had a grasp of reality. He just wished he could return to fantasy.
However, Elwood's diversion was successful. At asking about Trevor's state, the man chuckled lightly, a sad sounding laugh. He brought his hand up to brush the rest of his hair away from his face and had a weak smile on his face. "Wasn't like me, huh? Maybe that's because I don't feel like myself. The strength I possess, the grace I wield... None of it was enough. What's left of me is a rage I cannot explain. Until I can quell it, I can't go back to normal and I can't return home. After all, the reason you sought me out was to question why I left, am I right?"
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Post by nintendonut1 on Apr 7, 2011 23:05:09 GMT -5
"Me? Oh, no, I'm fine, really," Elwood shrugged, rubbing his arm. "I mean, as fine as I can be with all the drama, am I right?"
Trevor then continued, and Elwood's attempt at light, casual chat was quickly dashed. "...a rage, huh." He paused, sighing. He nodded at Trevor's assumption. "Well, yeah. I mean, I care about you, Trevor. I was worried you were gonna get hurt or drunk or worse."
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Post by Felix Falora on Apr 7, 2011 23:15:05 GMT -5
Trevor listened to Elwood's words and sighed. "To be honest, I went to the bar the first few times. But it did nothing but made everything worse." He smirked lightly, though it didn't seem cocky or snide, but rather amused in a way. "For the first time in my life, getting drunk has done shit. Maybe it's the world's way of telling me that no matter how hard I try, this is something I can't just close my eyes to. And I guess it really isn't. He's gone... they're all gone. Kyle, Seven, Edd, Felix... Even Lucy left to join them without telling any of us. Don't think Edd's gonna take that well."
He sighed. "The alcohol fueled my rage. When I got back to the house drunk, I didn't find myself cool or collected as usual while drunk. Rather, I found myself wanting to pound a certain someone's face into a bloody mess. But that kind of thinking is what caused this, Elly. That's why I ran. To figure out a way to end this nightmarish anger that's plaguing me. I'm sorry I worried you, but until I can figure out a way to either forgive... him... or get rid of all this anger in my chest, I can't bring myself to go back there. I'm not gonna betray my own morals or the morals of the one who left because of my inability to protect him."
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Post by nintendonut1 on Apr 7, 2011 23:34:10 GMT -5
As he usually did, Elwood stayed quiet as Trevor vented, nodding occasionally. Halfway through, he had subtly started a small walk, and they slowly made their way out of the arena to a place somewhere more private.
He thought long and hard about what Trevor said. His words floated about and mixed with a few of his own thoughts, his own desires for simpler times, for some kind of escape for this despair and anger.
He then looked up at Trevor, and spoke a bit quieter than usual. "...maybe... you're approaching this the wrong way. You've tried all these aggressive stuff--drinking yourself stupid, fighting, and all but gnawing your own goddamn leg off--and obviously it's not working."
He placed a tentative hand on Trevor's shoulder. "Maybe... you need to try a more passive approach. Instead of releasing the rage, maybe find a way to... simmer it down. Know what I mean?"
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Post by Felix Falora on Apr 7, 2011 23:44:40 GMT -5
If anyone knew Trevor, it was Elwood. Of course, as he spoke, Elwood had begun to walk. Trevor, knowing Elwood's desire to get away from the arena, followed. Elwood often let Trevor get what he needed to say out. In turn, Trevor listened to Elwood and his problems and also tried to provide assistance. He knew that Elwood was hit hard by the drama that had happened. But then again, it wasn't in the same magnitude. Trevor would listen, he'd offer advice, and he'd do it all with a smile on his face. Those days were nice, but they seemed so far gone now.
Elwood helped reinstate them by giving Trevor his own advice. It was a mutual bond between them. They listened to each other and tried to help each other. But Elwood's advice made no sense to Trevor, for he was a man of passion, a man with a burning spirit. When he felt sorrow, he didn't just mirror it. It enraptured his every being. That's why he had went through life with an optimistic outlook. But there was nothing here Trevor could find to be optimistic about, except for Elwood himself. In actuality, Elwood's presence there was helping more then Trevor had thought.
He decided to distract the issue. Thinking of King now, he realized that the boy would still have to deal with Fletcher. Fletcher was the leader of the Skylark Team. Fletcher was also King's boyfriend. Fletcher could do things Trevor couldn't. One side of him evilly thought that whatever King got, he deserved. He wrought it with his own hands, henceforth he had it coming. Another part of him, however, realized that no matter what King did, he shouldn't have to suffer in the same manner as Edd. Edd wouldn't have wanted that at all. "How are Fletcher and the others?"
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Post by nintendonut1 on Apr 8, 2011 0:03:18 GMT -5
Elwood hesitated; obviously Trevor missed his tiny hint. He didn't blame him; it was extremely subtle. Besides...it was obvious he didn't...
He bit his lip, not wanting to think about it, and drew his hand back. "...oh. You know. Quiet. Tense. No one wants to talk about it, so the whole place is stiff with silence. It's suffocating, I tell you."
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Post by Felix Falora on Apr 8, 2011 0:10:15 GMT -5
Trevor could feel some sort of sadness in Elwood. However, something about it didn't seem right and, for once, Trevor felt he ought not to pry into it. So he kept his mouth shut about it and sighed. "Fletcher... is his boyfriend. Fletcher's not gonna take this lying down. I know the man and he prides himself on keeping his teammates safe. His lover's actions have caused a good deal of his teammates to break ranks and now he can't keep tabs on them. I can only imagine how pissed off he must be, much less I. Maybe this anger of mine is useless because Fletcher's got more authority on him then I do and can hurt him worse without throwing a single blow if he so chose... then again, Fletcher's also not that cruel. I admire that in him. Even when enraged, he knows how to keep his cool and talk things out instead of throwing blows. I've tried often to mimick that, you know... kinda like how a son mimicks a father..." He chuckled softly. "Maybe that's what I view Fletcher as. A father figure of sorts. Odd, considering... no, wait a minute, that's not really... never mind." His train of thought had died at that point, so he tried to drop it. He only hoped his rambling has distracted Elwood from his sadness.
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Post by nintendonut1 on Apr 8, 2011 0:17:59 GMT -5
Elwood nodded, agreeing. "Yeah... his job isn't easy... that's for sure." He was reminded of that fateful night, when he tried to take control like Fletcher always did... and failed miserably. He wasn't sure if he was ever going to forgive himself for that. "I don't know how he does it, but... wait, what?"
He looked up at Trevor's odd, abrupt ending. "Considering what?"
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Post by Felix Falora on Apr 8, 2011 0:27:28 GMT -5
Trevor realized his fault when Elwood started to pry. He knew he wasn't going to get out of this one unscathed, so he decided to just say fuck it all and be honest. He sighed. "To be blunt, Edd wasn't actually my first crush. Fletcher was. But as time went on, I began to realize that it wasn't exactly romanticism I felt towards him. It felt more like Fletcher was the father I never had. My own wasn't so great before I awakened into what I am today. After that... well he tried to kill me, now didn't he? Fletcher was the one who helped me become who I... was before that less-then-pleasent incident. So, like I said before, he's like my father."
"But... I guess I had a minor crush on him too." Trevor sighed and shrugged. "Love is a fickle, wicked thing. It's going to show its nasty nature when Fletcher gets a hold of him." The fool had yet to realize the feelings Elwood were going through. Then again, Trevor wasn't very good at observation and Elwood, like Trevor before him, was incredibly good at not spilling it. He kept it held in so that nobody knew. As a result, Trevor would never have a chance to react if it remained untold.
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Post by nintendonut1 on Apr 8, 2011 0:32:24 GMT -5
Elwood was... rather surprised by that admittance. Well, he had his assumptions, but he never knew for sure...
...wow. Why had his heart suddenly picked up a little?
...oh, who was he kidding.
"That's... wow." He coughed, clearing his throat. "Um. That... must've not been easy to admit." A pause. "Well, since we're sharing secrets, I guess it's my turn, huh? Heh."
His throat tightened. He really didn't want to say it. What the hell would Trevor think? And how insensitive would it be at this time? Seriously. Why was he even considering it? "...no, wait. Um. No, nevermind. I..."
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Post by Felix Falora on Apr 8, 2011 0:36:35 GMT -5
Trevor could feel Elwood's tension. He could've felt it from a mile away. He wondered if his admittance to an old crush for Fletcher had somehow screwed up their relationship in anyway. However, Elwood then mentioned that he ought to share his secret. Trevor felt that sharing secrets helped friends bond, but some secrets were better left alone. So when Elwood found he'd rather not speak his secret, Trevor did not jump on it like some story-crazed reporter, but let it go. "It's ok, Elly. Some secrets are better left unsaid."
Trevor definently wasn't aware and it showed there. Otherwise he would've been more curious and confused. He just thought Elwoood was flustered and embarassed. He had no idea the true meaning behind the tranny's hesitations. That was always a problem with the swordsman. He was too narrow sighted sometimes, couldn't see beyond what was happening or what happened. He could be philisophical at times, but only when he knew what was wrong. Sometimes he just didn't know at all.
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