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Post by JayThorne on Jun 20, 2015 9:05:35 GMT -8
Venue: Team Statice dorm room
Date/Time: 14th June 2015, 10 00hrs
----
With the window opened, Joakim aired out the last of their blankets, though it was mostly his own and Grim's as Amsteria and Shorinaga had already done theirs. Sniffing a little from the dust, the viking moved away from the window seat after making sure the blankets weren't going to fall out of the windowsill. It was just him and the team medic in the room today as Shorinaga and Amsteria have gone off to carry out a quick reap order. Just a car accident with one or two casualties, and they weren't allowed to leave without at least one partner. Having all four of them move out was just going to be a bother, anyway. Looking up at Grim who was busy fitting new sheets on his bed, Joakim did kind of wonder how much he knew about any of his teammates. It's been at least a month now that they've been in the same team, right?
While he didn't feel like being nosy about his other teammates, a nagging voice in his head did tell him to try to be nice to his current team. So far, they haven't been really nosy with him either, and they didn't exactly treat him like some kind of beast that needed a leash. Or some rabid monster that needed to be put down. So he reached up and knocked on the rails of Grim's bed to catch his attention, "Grim, you got a minute?" he asked. Joakim wasn't much for beating around the bush, he found that he was pretty horrible at it. Straight-to-the-point was best for him.
"We've been in the same team for a little over a month now (or was it two?) and I guess I haven't been making too much of an effort to get to know any of you beyond what we show each other." his thoughts drifted to the first time they sat down in an attempt to break the ice between them. Ugh, that went down pretty badly, all things considered... Maybe he could make this one work out better? "So I was thinking maybe we could try learning a bit more about each other? I'll tell you one thing about myself if you'll tell me something about you." without skipping a beat, he pointed at Grim like an unamused parent, "No lying. I can't tell if you will, but just know that I won't. I trust you to do the same." turning around, Joakim walked over to the window seat, feeling the sun and the morning summer breeze on his back, "So who wants to start first? If you want me to start, you'd better have a question for me. Kind of drawing a blank right now."
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Post by MIRG on Jun 20, 2015 17:14:18 GMT -8
Mornings were pretty harsh on Grim. What was the point of waking up early? Time is limitless now that he is practically dead, and he had chosen to dedicate the early hours of dawn to sleep.
Not today, however, since the team had chosen to do some cleaning on this glorious morning. Absorbed with switching his sheets, he jumped a little with the knocking. "Vat?" He stated, mind still a little groggy from the little hours of sleep. Up all night on his phone, the medic was busy checking the documents of a recent missing apprentice. As a result, his concentration was at an all time low this particular morning.
Getting to know one another? That was unexpected, the medic thought. Beyond their first meeting, almost everything was strictly kept to business and in his impression, the team was leaning towards a no-nonsense stance. Besides, their first encounter wasn't exactly pleasant and he'd hate to see that sour further with another "get along session".
But it wouldn't hurt to try. He'd take up the bet.
The blonde's concentration veered and he only snapped back to reality with the prompting question. Giving a faint smile, the medic plopped himself on his fresh sheets, leaning over the railing. "You can start..." He uttered hesitantly, rubbing the bridge of his nose. It'd be a miracle to be able to stay awake through the conversation but he'll persevere. The viking seemed pretty sincere after all and he saw no reason to decline.
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Post by JayThorne on Jun 20, 2015 18:03:25 GMT -8
He gave it a bit of thought, since Grim was letting him start their conversation off. Maybe he should let the medic sleep after this, the poor guy looked exhausted... "Hmm..." he crossed his arms over his chest, bowing his head slightly as he thought of something to ask. To be quite honest, he wasn't sure what to ask. Should he ask something trivial like his favorite food...
Nah. Grim was tired, might as well make the question count. Now what would he ask a new teammate... He parted his lips slightly as he looked up at the half-asleep Grim, "Do you have any... conditions I should know about? I dunno, something that'll get in the way of you completing a job."
He knew of at least one person whose trauma at death made it impossible for them to get blood on their clothes without completely breaking down, another who goes catatonic at the sound of knives being sharpened and at least one or two who simply couldn't reap children without moping for weeks or drinking themselves stupid for the rest of the week while completely ridden with guilt. If Grim had something this crippling, he needed to know. As he waited for Grim's reply, Joakim made a mental note to ask Amsteria and Shorinaga the same thing the next time he saw them. That is, if they were willing to share such information with him.
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Post by MIRG on Jun 20, 2015 18:59:55 GMT -8
Rubbing his eyes absent-mindedly, he revealed a silly smile before answering, "Not particularly..." Ah, a question that requires brain power right off the bat. There was a slight pause before his distracted mind truly processed his question with actual considerations, and he opted to correct it, "Well, I'd prefer if I went for reap orders alone since I do seem a little vulnerable when I cut." He wouldn't exactly say he would cry. It wasn't a conscious act after all, absolutely uncontrollable. The medic wasn't sure Joakim got his drift, but things didn't have to be too explicit. It was hard to admit it out-rightly.
There was an unsettling feeling pooling in his chest, but the blonde couldn't quite place a finger on it. There was something else... something important..., the german thought hard as he rubbed his chin, but to no avail. Was he thinking too much? Perhaps it wasn't that important after all, seeing how he had forgotten about it. Whichever the case, he could probably share it later when he does recall.
Straightening up, Grim glanced down at the viking with expectant eyes, "What about you? Any restrictions?"
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Post by JayThorne on Jun 20, 2015 20:39:16 GMT -8
If Grim was paying attention enough, Joakim looked very much like someone who took things at face value. Meaning... he didn't catch Grim's drift. A small frown creased his brows slightly as he processed this, "If you're vulnerable while you're cutting, shouldn't that be all the more reason someone has to watch your back?' he asked absently, uncrossing his arms so he could lean back on his arms. So far so good though, conversation-wise. Maybe two more questions before he tucks Grim back to sleep.
"Mmm..." he thought about the question a bit more, chewing on his lip before answering, "Nah, nothing really. Just don't let me see any of you die a second time." Joakim shrugged nonchalantly at this, as if it was a normal thing to say. Well, it wasn't. It was just Joakim's way of caring for people, "Let's see... what else..." he muttered to himself. Maybe he should try an easier question this time?
Lifting his head to look up at the medic's mint-green eyes, Joakim asked his second question, "How long have you been an Apprentice?" He doesn't remember how long he's seen Grim in the infirmary, and all this time he was under the impression that Grim was probably around since the 1990s or something. It was hard to tell, "Just give me an approximate figure, no need to give me an exact number." Dammit, he was supposed to be asking easy questions. Asking a half-asleep medic math questions really wasn't ideal. Well, he'd better think of an easier question, and fast.
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Post by MIRG on Jun 20, 2015 21:32:37 GMT -8
"No... I mean...!!" He stopped, unable to spill the words from his mouth. I cry when I cut thread. What an atrocious confession to make. Pursing his lips, he inhaled sharply. "Just don't..." He said with restrain in his voice. Rubbing his temple in an exaggerated manner, Grim briefly wondered about communication problems. Joakim was far from an idiot but he may find it hard to read between the lines, he supposed.
"I'lll stay alive, alright. You can count on that, so watch their backs instead." The medic replied in a sarcastic tone, rolling his eyes at the strange answer before eyeing the other bunk. It's an occupational hazard that they deal with and to be completely honest, it would be naive to assume any promises. As far as it goes, his hazy memory assures that his reap orders have been rather efficient.
When the second question was posted, the medic couldn't help but stared confoundedly at the viking. Really? Giving a short sigh, the german got off the bunk by jumping off the end of his bed. Perhaps some standing could stimulate his zonked out brain.
"70 odd years... plus minus." Years was becoming a foreign, distant measurement given that their ages have been frozen in time. "Old enough to make wise decisions." He added with a smug look on his face as he pointed at Joakim. It helped that Joakim was sitting and he was standing, thus arguably, towering above him.
For once, he needn't look up at his team-mate.
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Post by JayThorne on Jun 20, 2015 22:04:04 GMT -8
Joakim maintained eye contact when Grim jumped out of bed. Oh, he was ready for more conversation. Good. 'Just don't', though?
"Don't what?" he asked plainly, shifting in his seat so he now had his elbows on his knees as he looked up at the younger man, "Does cutting bring back memories and you'd rather I don't see you in pain? It happens." it was a little puzzling though. 70 years into the business and Grim hadn't recovered all his memories? How long did it take Joakim to regain his own memories...? Man, if only he could remember, "I won't judge you, don't worry about it. Things weren't exactly pretty for me either."
The sarcasm... flew over his head. He did hear the tone a lot from talking to Fran all these years, but after a while it became difficult for him to tell whether or not it was meant to be taken seriously, "Hm. Pretty confident in your survival skills, huh? Good." at least that meant one less worry on his mind if things got ugly. He'd still keep an eye out, just... probably less than he would watch out for Amsteria and Shorinaga. Well, maybe just Amsteria. Shorinaga looked like he could handle himself well enough. ...Ehhhhh whatever his role was that of a Guardian. If anyone dies because he was complacent, it was completely his fault. Definitely watching out for everyone regardless.
70 years, though, "Heh, older than I thought." he didn't mean anything by it, it was simply an observation. Probably not worded right, but yeah, "That's... uhh... World War? Around there?" Joakim raised a brow at Grim, asking for confirmation, "I hate dealing with numbers. Back in my time, math is sorcery." pulling out a pen from his pocket, Joakim wrote four numbers into his palm before showing it to Grim.
1013.
"That's the year I died. You can probably count how long I've been dead faster than I can." putting his hand down, Joakim shifted his gaze when Grim mentioned being old enough to make wise decisions. That may be true for Grim, but he wasn't so sure if that applied to him. He's been around forever, it seemed. How many stupid decisions did he have to turn a blind eye to just so he could keep going? It shouldn't matter now, at least if he didn't think about it, "So since you're wiser, I'll be leaving decision-making to you, then." he grinned up at the medic at this.
He tried to think of another question... "...I'm actually running out of questions, so you try asking me a few after this." resting his chin in his palm, Joakim closed his eyes for a moment, "...Did you have siblings when you were alive?" Joakim's thoughts drifted to his recently ascended brother. ...He was glad he passed the questioning baton to Grim. If he had to think of more questions, it might hit too many of his own chords for his own good.
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Post by MIRG on Jun 20, 2015 23:11:50 GMT -8
The blonde couldn't help but laugh at how dense his team-mate was. With a defeated sigh, he simply pat Joakim's head lightly, casually saying, "You'll see what happens next time..." He would see it sooner or later anyway. Staring out the window, Grim continued with a softer tone, "It doesn't bring back memories." Remembering would be nice. Faces, they were starting to fade. How did Rafael look like? He swore that he'd remember Ilse...
"Yeah, it's World War Two.." His voice grew meeker, with discomfort crawling under his skin. Seventy-three years and it still made him uneasy. Ugh. That tugging feeling was returning once again. Maybe it had something to do with his history... Should he probe himself further?
"Mmmm." The math was not clicking in his mind. 1013. He'll remember that at least, and maybe even snoop some information on that in the library much later. Leaning on the wall, the medic gave a half-hearted grin, "I have 4 siblings. 2 brothers and 2 sisters. I'm the second youngest." He bit his lip, unsure of the extent of how much he should reveal. It felt like he was getting too close to the fire and it was unnerving.
"Alright, my turn. So what kind of movies do you like?" He questioned with a peppy tone. It was a good but sudden diversion from the darker parts of himself that he'd rather not explore. He was curious to know more about Joakim's brother (as seen from his medical history), but not now. Not where that conversation was heading earlier.
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Post by JayThorne on Jun 20, 2015 23:32:32 GMT -8
Ah, so he was right about Grim being a casualty from one of the World Wars, "...As busy as it was for you down there, it was busy up here too." He recalled having to stay on the warfront, dressed like one on the soldiers in rain and shine in case any of them could see Apprentices.
Most of them could, when they were dying.
There was so many red strings. Not yet unraveled, but still so crimson. Joakim couldn't remember where he was or when it was, but his station had been in either a battleground or a nearby town.
Women. Children. Soldiers. It didn't matter who. There was so much red. No wonder many of them defected and became Fallens and Hunters. They couldn't bear to see another life moved from one plane to the next by their own hands.
He simply nodded when Grim said he'd find out about his little secret sooner or later, letting out a small, involuntary 'mrah' when Grim patted his head and tilted his head slightly, "Really? ...Heh. Must be because you weren't a killer when you were alive. My memories started coming back the more threads I cut."
Joakim looked mildly surprised when Grim mentioned how many siblings he had, "That's a lot." He couldn't stop himself from blurting out, "My people usually only had one child. Two if they're lucky. Three if they're blessed. Four is a miracle. Five? Freya must be walking alongside you." The viking chuckled as he straightened up, hands on his knees while thinking about the question Grim gave him.
"I don't really have any preference. Movies are just another way of story-telling and I just watch whatever's on, I guess. Seems like action movies are all the rage lately with all the over-the-top explosions and shit." He frowned slightly as he remembered that one time Fran dragged him to watch a movie just because he reminded the tactician of some huge green guy. Hunk???? Hulk????? What even was that movie??????
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Post by MIRG on Jun 21, 2015 2:29:36 GMT -8
A killer huh? The german shrugged at his experience. He'd like to think he had clean hands, free from blood, but even he couldn't be too certain. He had his fair share of fresh orders then when he first arrived. There were still 3 more years till war ended then after all. He couldn't have been more glad with the announcement of surrendering.
"The more the merrier then~" Grim merely snickered at the viking's remark. Apprentices came from all walks of life and it was always interesting to see other people's point of view. Even with several siblings, the medic felt that it was just the right size and he wouldn't trade the world for it. Oh, what he wouldn't give to see them again...
The young man spaced out for a bit but managed to catch on to some bits of Joakim's answer, "E-explosions...?" He stuttered nervously, with a brief frown before he maintained his default smile. Effects... they are all effects... He mentally reassured, interlocking his hands behind his back. "I-I zink so too... I prefer comedy..." Biting on his tongue lightly to calm himself, he adamantly refused to give any eye contact to his team-mate.
Maybe a cigarette... His slightly wavering hand began searching desperately in his pocket for the wretched box.
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Post by JayThorne on Jun 21, 2015 3:13:15 GMT -8
'The more, the merrier'. Joakim chuckled at that. There was always the neighborhood kids to make them feel like they have more siblings than they actually had. Everyone was family in the village he grew up in. His ears perked up at the nervous tone of Grim's voice, though. Looking up at Grim, Joakim found that his gaze was averted, and that his hand was fumbling in his pockets for something. His pack of cigarettes, if Joakim had to guess.
"You're scared. Why?" he could be wrong, maybe the nervous tone didn't really mean fear. Somewhere in the back of his mind imagined a shakey, nervous voice. He didn't like it, "...Are you afraid of explosions?" Joakim's brows furrowed, curious as to why Grim would be afraid of explosions of all things. He did take note of Grim's preference for comedy movies, though.
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Post by MIRG on Jun 21, 2015 5:19:36 GMT -8
"S-scared? You gotta be kidding me..." His tone was rather offended, but hinted more denial than that. Drawing a stick from the packet, he lit it up and took a long drag of smoke. "I'm not... scared... of explosions..." The medic re-emphasised, hiding his shaking hand. He could almost hear it now, those treacherously loud booms. Oh no. It was ringing in his mind endlessly, echoed with screams.
No, he wasn't scared of that. He was fairly sure.
Gradually squinting, he began focusing on the illusive noise in his mind. Amongst the deafening blasts, there was a distinctively sharper, clearer and closer reverberation. There was an overwhelming instinct that told him not to pry further, along with the dreaded feeling of migraine setting in. Was it the lack of sleep or was it his conscious preventing him from delving deeper? Either way, he wasn't ready to find out.
"This conversation is over." Grim winced, but stated his stance clearly and firmly. Even though Joakim looked positively confused and perhaps even concerned, the medic had no answer to offer. He was equally disoriented. Tugging on his ear consciously, the german naively wished that he could wash off the noise. His mind was in a terrible jumble, and he had stubbornly attributed it to his meagre hours of sleep. It must be, it has to be.
"Joakim, I'm tired. I'm taking a nap." It took a few minutes before Grim finally opted to give some explanation, albeit half-hearted. He will have to try to sleep off that unease. Why wasn't the shaking going away?
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Post by JayThorne on Jun 21, 2015 6:34:03 GMT -8
Was Joakim confused? Yes. Yes he was. That said, he fell silent when Grim announced that their conversation was over, that he was tired.
Grim's avoidance of the subject made it pretty clear to him that loud noises associated with war was a definite trigger point.
The sudden need to smoke told him just how rattled he was about it. Or at least that's what Joakim assumed. This silence was fine, for now.
"...Alright."
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Venue: Eisenstadt, Austria
Date/Time: 21st June 2015, 14 00hrs
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Multiple reap orders had come in while they were having lunch that day. Two different locations, and it looked like their team was going to be divided into two as the reaps were rather close together. Drawing straws resulted in Joakim being paired up with Grim, and for a moment Joakim wasn't sure if Grim was up for it. Sure, he was all better after the conversation they had the week before, but he wasn't sure if that's how Grim really felt about the whole situation. He would have gone alone, but Death would have his hide if he did...
So eventually they found themselves in Eisenstadt. All that was left now was to find the place where the reaping was to take place. Opening up the message again, Joakim squinted at the location.
"...Ober...berg... Where the hell is that?" he wondered aloud, turning to look at Grim who stood beside him as he adjusted the weight of his bag over his shoulder. Surely the young man would have some idea.
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Post by MIRG on Jun 23, 2015 6:20:36 GMT -8
"...Just keep walking." Grim answered flatly, with subtle irritation in his voice. The sun was intense and clearly it was a bad idea to wear the darkest colour that ever existed. He was starting to sweat with the heat on his back. Having a hand over his eyes, his face felt rather tired with the constant scrunching from the strong rays. The only reassuring thing is that they were walking in the correct direction. Or at least he thinks so. Directions were never his strong point and it was puzzling as to why Joakim would even consult him on this.
Why did he have to bring this blockhead around his hometown?
Glancing around, he silently observed the desolated buildings. No recollection it seems. Despite how old they were, they were still built after his era. With a short huff, the fidgety german mumbled audibly, "You know... you don't have to come along. I'm pretty sure I can handle it myself." Sure, the medic was trying to prove his capability, but there was also this ominous vibe he was feeling. As a medic, his first concern would be casualties and he was adamant not to let Joakim get hurt under his watch again, regardless of how tough he may seem.
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Post by JayThorne on Jun 25, 2015 18:42:20 GMT -8
"I know you can," he said with a sigh, "But rules are rules. I'm not letting any of you take a reap order alone." The tone he used was a stern one, mainly because it was freaking hot and partially because he was starting to hate hearing people say they can handle the reap themselves.
Because they sounded exactly like him when he first started. Back when he was a hazard to pretty much everybody around him. He got much better since then, but it definitely didn't help him forget how many people he led to their deaths because of his recklessness. He wasn't going to let others make the same mistake.
They continued walking, and Joakim checked his phone for the time. They had 15 more minutes till their target's string turns red and they trudged on. Across a few roads, through some twisted alleys, down some old pathways... And finally, they arrived at their destination.
A cemetery.
Joakim frowned at this. He had expected the reap to be someone jumping off a building or getting run over by a car on the busy roads. Here, though...? "Keep your eyes open, we might miss them." Joakim piped up as he walked through the cemetery gates and started looking around. Maybe they weren't here yet?
As Joakim walked around, he failed to notice a young man sitting on the edge of one of the mausoleum roofs. He was just barely out of view. His head was bowed, looking at the gun in his hands and at his feet dangling off the edge of the roof. The young man had short, blonde hair, and his dark green eyes saw no reason to continue living.
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