ArchivedLogs:Closure

Closure
Dramatis Personae Derek, Shane
In Absentia	2016-03-23 "Whatever it ith, I can handle it."
Location <XS> Forest
Quiet and shady, the trees rise all around here high and thick. In stillness, woodland creatures make appearances, though sudden noises scare them back into the cover. Dappled sunlight filters down between the thick foliage, and the ground underfoot is heavily overgrown, though here and there paths have been worn, by deer or years of students wandering familiar trails. Classes have ended for the day for Derek and instead of going to the library, where he's been frequenting for the last few months in a promise to his sister, Daisy, to not fail every class as per usual. He hasn't been one for socializing as of late so it was a bit of a surprise when the email from Shane was received about wanting to meet up after class. Especially since he'd only met the shark-like mutant once. With spring bring nicer weather to the Northeast, Derek agreed to a meeting in the quiet woods. There's barely a breeze or any clouds in the sky leaving the day welcomingly sunny. Derek's worn sneakers crunch over the dead leaves and branches on the forest paths and once he thinks he's far enough in the woods, Derek pulls a pack of cigarettes out of the upper pocket of his jean jacket and lights up, enjoying the nicotine goodness while either trying to find Shane or have Shane find him. It isn't too much longer after that before there's a rustling of branches from a nearby path, a smaller figure meandering out of the brush -- finding Derek an easy enough task, it seems, for the sharkpup. Shane's nose is still twitching as he approaches, hands tucked into the pockets of his leather vest (Mutant Mongrels MC logo emblazoned large on its back) and a messenger bag slung over his back. There's a cigarette between his lips, too -- hand-rolled. Currently unlit -- he's flicking a silver lighter open and closed in one hand. "Hey." His chin jerks up, lighter snapping shut once more. Glancing down, Derek nods at Shane. "Hey. Thorry Daithy couldn't make it, she'th thtill in clath." He runs a hand through his messed hair uncertainly, stopping his hand at the back of his neck to scratch. Flicking the end of his cigarette with his thumb his eyes glance down to watch the falling ash before looking back over at Shane. "Tho you wanted to thee me?" Shane nods at this, eyes tracking the motion of Derek's fingers as he flicks at the cigarette. He tucks his own lighter away, cigarette unlit; plucking it from his lips, he just holds it. His own fingers (their webbing not so /webbed/ at the moment, hanging loose and shredded where it's been neatly sliced apart between each digit) are restless, fidgeting at the hand-rolled stick where he holds it at his side. "Yeah. Um. I have news," he finally says, "and it's shitty. So... {Sorry.}" There's a small flutter of his gills, his enormous black eyes lifting to fix on Derek. "I mean, really my Pa should be the one -- here telling you, but he's..." He hesitates with a small frown and another fidget -- though the latest Prometheus raid and Jax's current terrorism arrest has been not just all over /actual/ news but the subject of /plentiful/ gossip around the school as well. "... not. Here." At the mention of Jax, Derek nods. "I've heard... rumourth. I jutht hope he'th okay." Jax is his advisor after all and Derek has garnered a certain amount of respect for him. "Don't appologize, not your fault. Whatever it ith, I can handle it." Derek really isn't sure what kind of 'bad news' Shane is refering to but his only guess is that it's about his advisor. He shrugs a shoulder and takes a long drag off of the cigarette. Derek doesn't really reflect much emotion except for a bit of tenseness. "Ith it about Jaxth?" "No. I mean, he's -- I don't know what's going to happen with Pa." The flutter in Shane's gills has quickened, here, but they press down flat a moment later. He folds an arm across his chest, stands up a little straighter -- which, all things considered, does not add very /much/ to his diminutive height. "Pa had asked my sister and one of the other guys on his -- on our team to. To look for your mom," he says, fingers tightening against his opposite arm, "while they were searching for what happened to the rest of the missing mutants who Prometheus had taken. Last weekend we got a lot of people out of the last prison they were being held in and got records of -- of everyone else. Who'd been taken." For a moment his head dips downward -- briefly, lifting again up to look back at Derek shortly after. "Your mom had been in Prometheus custody for a couple years. But she died. In one of the labs. I'm -- sorry." It wasn't was Derek was expecting to hear, he almost forgot that Jax told him he was going to look into it. There's no reaction at first and after a few moments he takes a few steps back until he presses against a tree. The cigarette falls from his fingers and he slides down, sitting on the ground in stunned silence. The ground starts to shake slightly, stopping for a few moments then starting back up just to stop again and this repeats. Derek's eyes aren't focused on anything and he seems unaware of the mini-quakes he's causing. He opens his mouth and his words come out faint and hollow. "Iat leatht I know. What happened, to her." His eyes move up, finding Shane and Derek gives him a single nod. "Thankth, for telling me." Shane tenses, muscles tightening and his posture dropping into a lower stance when the rumbling begins. He stays put after this, though. Breathes deep, watches the swaying of the trees and bushes around them, the scattering of a few birds startled up from their perches. He turns his attention back to Derek when the other boy speaks, nodding slow. "Yeah." Then silence, his hand lifting to rub at the back of his neck. "I know school's crowded as fuck. If you and Daisy feel like getting out of here for a bit, I can give you a lift into the city." He tucks his cigarette back between his lips. "I know I always used to hate when things sucked and people wanted to ask a million questions. All I wanted was booze and a quiet smoke." "Never really had the million quethtionth thing. Gueth I'm glad for that." Derek says quietly before giving the faintest of half-smiles that vanishes just as quickly as it appeared. "Yeah, I got the thomketh but not the booze. I..." He just shakes his head. "I thould have known, gonna hate having to break it to Daith but at the thame time, it'th good to know Mom didn't leave uth." At least the ground has stopped shaking. "Thankth again, I might have to take you up on that offer. Haven't been to the thity yet." Shane just nods, here. "Yeah. I guess that's-- good." Finally pulls his lighter out to light his cigarette for real. "Sure." He flicks the lighter closed, slips it back into his pocket. "Sure." And with one more nod, he's drawing a deep drag of the cigarette, and turning back to head off into the woods the way he had come. Derek watches Shane turn to leave before his eyes shift forward to stare at nothing. He only moves to pull another cigarette from his pocket and light it while trying to sort through all the thoughts in his head. Over an hour and several cigarettes later, he finally digs out his cellphone so he can get Daisy to meet him out in the woods and give her the news.