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Post by Markise Sterling on Oct 12, 2009 10:53:58 GMT -5
Things were going smoothly, Markise couldn't deny that. No one so much as looked sideways at him or Ariel, and they hadn't been caught anywhere. They had their routine of where to meet and when so no one could pick up a pattern, and they had their time here after school. They were still talking easily, still desperately passionate together. But they never went anywhere, and the rut was grating on him. He hadn't said a word, since there was nothing they could do about it, but he wanted some damned excitement!
With Ariel working, he didn't have any trouble finding time to sew, and so there was an entire section devoted to his little unofficial clothing line. He was working on something wearable for every day right now, sitting in his little room between the shop and the staircase, his antique sewing machine whirring as he pieced things together. For once, he'd neglected to turn on his radio, and though the shirt was recognizable as such, it lacked the enthusiasm of most of his work, his mind wandering with the ennui this rut brought.
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Post by Michael Blackwood-Hardt on Oct 12, 2009 11:04:04 GMT -5
Michael felt horrible, like he hadn't slept in days. But it had only been two days since Dare had come in acting so strange, and he had slept, at least a little. It had been hard to sleep, and eventually he had gone upstairs to the spare bedroom where the memories weren't so strong, and managed to catch a few hours each night. The store hadn't opened, though he had made sure to take care of the animals, and he couldn't remember eating.
He was finally cried out, though, or so he thought, and without that release home had become too much for him. He hadn't known where to go, and Dru, Kane, Grey, and even Eros had flashed through his mind before he had settled on Markise as the most likely to have a clue as to what was going on. Markise and Dare had started talking again, Michael knew that, so surely Markise would be able to tell him something, right?
As Michael walked into the store, he caught sight of himself in a mirror, only to look quickly away. He didn't want to see his chapped lips or his bloodshot eyes, didn't want to see the dark circles beneath his eyes or the glint of the ring he had been unable to remove. He was wearing dark colors, thrown back years to when that had been his shade of choice. Had he called for Markise already? He couldn't remember, but he called anyway.
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Post by Markise Sterling on Oct 12, 2009 11:20:14 GMT -5
Markise had heard the bells at the front door and turned himself to finishing a line of stitches, but at the sound of Michael's voice, he blinked and raised his head, the whirring of the machine stopping. He blinked again and looked into the shop, then pushed what remained of his careless work fully onto the table before standing.
"Michael?" he called, his brows narrowing further the closer he got. His eyes took Michael in at a glance, the dark clothes that set off his hair, as well as the red of his eyes. He looked like hell. And Markise hadn't seen Dare at school for a couple days. He'd assumed it was the flu. His feet quickened, bringing him close to Michael, a thought flickering to Ariel and the sudden desire to have him close right now, though he wouldn't call him. Not yet.
"What's wrong?" he asked, obviously worried. "Is Dare okay?" Had something happened with the Death Eaters again? Markise thought Michael's dad was dead! Talk! Markise silently demanded.
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Post by Michael Blackwood-Hardt on Oct 12, 2009 12:39:45 GMT -5
"I don't know," Michael said, shoulders hunching just a little more. "He came home early two days ago and broke up with me." With that he promptly forgot exactly why he had come to Markise. It was painful saying it, but even more painful were the vivid memories of the longest few minutes of his life. He had no idea if Dare was okay.
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Post by Markise Sterling on Oct 12, 2009 12:50:34 GMT -5
Markise blinked, his eyes widening even as confusion swam through them. "Are you serious?" he asked. His mind jumped to Ariel again, and he flicked a glance back over his shoulder, suddenly hoping the man was in the bedroom somewhere, and wouldn't hear this. His chest was tight with conflicting emotions, and Ariel would confuse everything.
"Whaddyou mean he broke up with you?" he asked, turning back to Michael. "You just f~ing got partnershipped or something." He couldn't imagine Dare just breaking up with Michael after a year of romantic drivel and determination.
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Post by Michael Blackwood-Hardt on Oct 12, 2009 13:10:56 GMT -5
Michael looked away from Markise and took a deep, shaking breath. "He showed up, said he was staying in the school that night, that he was tired of this..." His eyes closed and he tried to avoid thinking it, but the memory was still so very fresh and vivid in his mind. He looked up at Markise, "Do you know anything about Lalita?"
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Post by Markise Sterling on Oct 12, 2009 13:15:20 GMT -5
Markise shook his head, but that question hardly registered. "He's not at school," he said definitely. "He hasn't been at school, I thought he was home sick and he's not in the Gryffindor dorms." He was sure that Ariel would have mentioned it if Dare suddenly showed up in the dormitory. Assuming Ariel was really staying in the dorms. But he refused to let himself acknowledge that thought. He'd know if Ariel had slipped up. "I'd have heard something if he was."
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Post by Michael Blackwood-Hardt on Oct 12, 2009 13:33:57 GMT -5
Michael's eyebrows came together as he looked at Markise and tried to figure out what that meant. "He said he was going to be with her, instead," he said, confusion washing over him all over again. If Dare was going to be with a girl, then why hadn't anyone seen him? "He took clothes..." What was going on? He wanted to talk to Dare, but the second that thought crossed his mind he just remembered how Dare had acted.
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Post by Markise Sterling on Oct 12, 2009 13:51:18 GMT -5
Markise's brows drew further together. "I haven't seen him," he said. He glanced over Michael's shoulder at the front door, then lowered his voice a bit anyway. "I could ask Ariel," he said. "He's in Gryffindor... and he's working here." Michael would know anyway. Dare knew, and that was like telling Michael. Markise couldn't even wrap his mind around Dare dumping Michael like that.
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Post by Michael Blackwood-Hardt on Oct 12, 2009 14:52:05 GMT -5
Michael shook his head, though he didn't speak immediately. If Markise hadn't seen Dare...what if Dare and Lalita had just run off somewhere? "What if he didn't go back to school?" he asked, looking up at Markise. "What if he just went off somewhere with her?" He couldn't imagine Dare doing that...but he had never imagined Dare leaving him, either.
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Post by Markise Sterling on Oct 12, 2009 17:24:02 GMT -5
"Not unless he's been Imperius'd," Markise said, the suggestion totally off-handed. He had no clue what was going on, but he didn't think it was possible that Dare had just decided to leave Michael for some chick with a whorish name. "Dare so isn't like that, and if you think he is, you're a massive idiot. He's got a f~ing hero complex, the only reason I can see him being such a raging di~ is either he's on something or he thinks he's f~ing protecting you." In which case Dare was a massive f~ing idiot.
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Post by Michael Blackwood-Hardt on Oct 12, 2009 17:30:38 GMT -5
"Don't you dare talk down to me like that!" Michael snapped, eyes narrowing as his mind locked on Markise's statement that he was a massive idiot. "What the hell am I supposed to think, Markise? He shows up, tells me it's over, and leaves before I can even begin to try to figure anything out, and I haven't even heard about him since! I know he's not like that but what the hell can I do?!" he demanded.
He ran his hands roughly through his hair and shook his head as he looked out over the shop. No, it wasn't like Dare, but the fact that it wasn't like Dare had been one of the last things Michael had been thinking about. He was far more concerned with the fact that Dare had up and left him for some girl.
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Post by Markise Sterling on Oct 12, 2009 17:46:49 GMT -5
Markise shrank from Michael, taking a reflexive step back. It wasn't until Michael looked away that he looked back over his shoulder, wishing Ariel would hear and come down after all. If the guy pulled his wand, he was toast, and trying not to think about it did little good. He shook his head. "I don't know," he said, more than a little afraid of really pissing Michael off.
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Post by Michael Blackwood-Hardt on Oct 12, 2009 17:50:10 GMT -5
"I didn't come here for you to tell me I don't deserve him, Markise," Michael snapped, then shoved his hands back deep into his pockets and started pacing. He had no intentions of pulling his wand, but if Markise decided to continue talking like that he would leave. There wasn't anywhere else for him to go, but he wasn't going to torture himself by arguing with Markise.
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Post by Markise Sterling on Oct 12, 2009 18:02:14 GMT -5
Markise's lips pressed tightly together for just a moment before he had to say something. He backed toward his little sewing room as he did so. "I don't know what to do either," he said, his hand hovering over his wand pocket. "And if you think he's just gonna whore off on you, you don't deserve him,." Markise ducked into the room, fully expecting a spell to be shot at him.
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