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Post by Markise Sterling on May 14, 2009 21:33:23 GMT -5
Markise's nose wrinkled in disgust; why in hell did Ariel need to say things like that? Maybe he'd ask them to have Ariel drugged so he'd keep his damn mouth shut. "I'm not playing f~ing nursemaid if that's what you were hoping for. Lie down, Ariel. I'll be right back." As soon as he could contact the nearest medical facility.
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Post by Ariel Logan Callahan on May 14, 2009 21:39:55 GMT -5
"Would it help if I said I hadn't done my job since that night?" Ariel asked hopefully. It was the truth, which made it all the more annoying that the one man had come after him. The one guy he hadn't gotten paid to be with had been the one to get him beat up... "Markise, please...I don't know what to ask...but...just don't send me to a healer."
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Post by Markise Sterling on May 14, 2009 21:45:17 GMT -5
Markise couldn't help the sneer/glare combo he gave at Ariel's first question. Would it help if I said I hadn't done my job since that night? No, not at all, actually. It might have if he hadn't done his job since before that night, but it only rubbed in further that Ariel had had no problems walking away and begging money for a f~ in an alley.
"No, it doesn't help, and I can't stay here to take care of you anyway. I'm leaving tonight. I've got a Portkey waiting at the Ministry of Magic."
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Post by Ariel Logan Callahan on May 14, 2009 21:48:55 GMT -5
Ariel momentarily forgot his own problems at hearing that. "I thought you had decided to stay for the end of school." It seemed pointless to leave with less than a month left. He had a sudden, harsh, bitter wish that they had never left Australia. At least back there he hadn't completely destroyed his life, back then there was no one to care for and so no reason for his chest to constrict at the thought of never seeing that person again.
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Post by Markise Sterling on May 14, 2009 21:59:05 GMT -5
"I changed my mind," Markise said pointedly. He had only agreed to stay for Ariel, on that one night he didn't let himself think of anymore. It was safer for him if he just left, and Ariel couldn't get to him anymore. He'd decided there wasn't much point in finishing his sixth year when he could take his N.E.W.T.s independently later.
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Post by Ariel Logan Callahan on May 14, 2009 22:01:22 GMT -5
"But...you only have a month left," Ariel said, his eyebrows creasing. He couldn't imagine just quitting when there was so little time left. Too much work had been put into it to quit then. The subject was enough to momentarily take Ariel's thoughts off of what had happened to him, and he was glad for the distraction, even if it was the possibility of never being able to make amends.
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Post by Markise Sterling on May 14, 2009 22:07:45 GMT -5
"Yeah, a month of watching Dare stick to his Michael, who's a total loser, a month of Anna hovering like a mother hen trying to fix me after what happened▬" Markise cut himself off. It was none of Ariel's f~ing business what had happened that night. He didn't want Ariel knowing how hard he'd taken it. It was another f~ing moment of weakness and stupidity.
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Post by Ariel Logan Callahan on May 14, 2009 22:11:20 GMT -5
"Markise...then..." Ariel stopped himself and shook his head, trying to clear it so that he could think to say what needed said. "I said those things because I didn't want you to waste your time on me, not when you could do so much better. It was a mistake, I knew that if you stayed with me I would hurt you even worse, though..." Did Markise understand in the slightest? Ariel couldn't imagine he would, Ariel barely understood himself.
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Post by Markise Sterling on May 14, 2009 22:15:12 GMT -5
"Like you're doing now?" Markise asked. "I'm trying to get away from you! You and Dare and Anna, the clubs, everything! Everything's getting worse and I'm not staying so you can suck me in again! I'm tired of getting hurt!" He was getting emotional, and it was cutting through the numbness. He didn't want to let go of the numbness! It was all that was protecting him! He wiped at his eyes, then shook his head slightly to let his hair fall into his face.
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Post by Ariel Logan Callahan on May 14, 2009 22:19:32 GMT -5
Ariel's eyebrows came together and he wanted badly to be able to comfort Markise. He refused to give in to the urge. "I'll leave," he said softly, then carefully unfolded himself to push himself up slowly and stand on weak knees. He kept his eyes away from Markise. He didn't know what he could do or where he could go. He had no money, he didn't even have a shirt to wear, but he would leave. "I'm sorry." He put a shaky hand to his head to try to gain some kind of control to get him out of the shop.
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Post by Markise Sterling on May 14, 2009 22:25:51 GMT -5
Markise could have growled in frustration. "You're not going!" he said. "You're not... staggering out of here so I can add a f~ing guilty conscience to everything!" He raised his wand, though it had to be obvious how little he wanted to use it. "Sit. Down." He was calling a Healer, whether Ariel wanted him to or not.
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Post by Ariel Logan Callahan on May 14, 2009 22:32:19 GMT -5
"You don't want me here!" Ariel insisted. "I was stupid to come here." What had made him think that Markise would be willing to help him, anyway? Well, that was another easy question to answer. Markise had never truly decided to get rid of him. This was a first. "You're just going to call a healer and get me sent to the Ministry or something," he said.
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Post by Markise Sterling on May 14, 2009 22:39:08 GMT -5
"And you'd deserve it!" Markise argued, brandishing his wand with more determination now. "Sit. Down. Or I'll use that f~ing zapping spell." He didn't know any other spells he could threaten Ariel with, but even if he had, this one had a ring of irony to it. "I don't wanna f~ing... do something stupid," Markise said, changing his wording mid-sentence, "because you were stubborn enough to walk out and die in a f~ing alley somewhere. Sit down!" There was a hint of desperation in his voice, and he hated the feel of it. He hated feeling so close to losing control again. It hadn't been long enough!
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Post by Ariel Logan Callahan on May 14, 2009 22:43:49 GMT -5
Ariel's eyes had widened at Markise's threat of using that spell, then narrowed in challenge at the last, before he finally sat. He braced his elbows on his knees and buried his face in his hands. He didn't even know what he wanted anymore. He knew what he would have wanted in the beginning, he knew what he would have wanted in the middle...but now....he had no earthly idea.
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Post by Markise Sterling on May 14, 2009 22:50:45 GMT -5
Markise stood for some moments, waiting to see if Ariel would get back up after all, or pull out his own wand to fight, but he didn't. Markise waited, then reset his anti-apparition spells. He bit his tongue on telling Ariel to stay put and moved back out the door, pulling it shut and locking it behind him. He did the same with the doors at the bottom of the stairs and into the workroom, then headed for the fire to make a firecall.
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