The Park, Tuesday Afternoon

[doesnotkneel]

It was a lovely enough day today - one of many as of late. Edward had been told on no few occasions that this was a relatively mild summer for the area, a claim which he could not help but doubt. These kinds of temperatures were unusual in Bristol for more than a few days at a time, and it had most certainly been more than a few times.

At least the clouds were out often enough.

In fact, the clouds were out again today, which had driven Edward from his hiding spot in the cool dorms and out into the park. He'd secured some fresh fruit from the common room, which he was now eating, and a garment called a t-shirt that he'd managed to talk some poor sod out of a few weeks ago hung off his frame.

He started off walking laps 'round the park - but occasionally his eyes would skip over to one of the trees, and he'd wonder if he could climb it. Perhaps if boredom struck worse than it already had?

[[ open! ]]

Comments

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

Nathan had been taking the long way back from the preserve after sleeping late there the night before. It led him through the park and he eventually saw Edward up in front of him.

He gave the other boy a brief wave before saying, "Hello. Surprised you're not in the water already."

[doesnotkneel]

"A man can't spend every day splashing about," Edward said. He glanced upwards. "Especially with clouds like that making the sky."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

Nathan hadn't even noticed that and he'd spent the last few hours laying on the ground and staring up at the clouds. Must have been off elsewhere with his thoughts or something.

"Think it's going to rain?" he asked once he looked back at Edward. "Or storm?"

He'd found that he actually liked the feel of storms especially the ones this area received.

[doesnotkneel]

"Might rain a bit later," Edward said critically. He looked back at Nathan. "Can't say it with certainty though, but I didn't see the need to risk it."

He fixed an easy smile on Nathan. "So what're you up to here, then?"

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"Walking back from the preserve," he said, nodding in that direction. "I slept late and don't have a class for a bit so I decided to take my time coming back. I like being outside if the other option is being inside."

[doesnotkneel]

"Tired of being cooped up?" Edward said, not without sympathy. "It's better in the dorms than where we were, but I understand the impulse."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"I never really like being inside," Nathan told him, shrugging his thin shoulders. "It can make me physically sick if I stay there too long."

[doesnotkneel]

Edward blinked. "Seems a bit dramatic," he said.

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

Nathan made a face. "It's not something I can control. I don't do it for attention or anything. My body reacts better to being outside. I'm stronger there."

Thanks, Dad.

[doesnotkneel]

"Never met anyone who reacted that strongly to a breeze of fresh air, but who am I to judge?" Edward said.

Well, he judged a bit. But not a lot.

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"My kind does," Nathan said, shrugging. "Learned about it pretty quick when I got what my gran thought was a flu that wouldn't go away when I was younger. I couldn't heal myself like I typically can so it had to be something else. And it was."

[doesnotkneel]

"So you stepped outside your home and your flu had gone?" Edward asked, eyebrows creasing.

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"Not instantly but I was able to heal myself then," Nathan explained, shrugging his shoulders again. "I could heal the sickness outside where inside, everything was...stalled or stunted. I just stayed violently sick."

[doesnotkneel]

"Wait," Edward said, after a beat. "When you say heal, you mean...?"

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"I mean heal," Nathan said, nodding. "If you've a knife or something sharp, I'll show you."

His wrist was already speckled with faint scars where he'd been made to cut himself in front of Hunters to prove his healing ability.

[doesnotkneel]

"No need to cut anything on my behalf," Edward said quickly. "Are you serious, though?"

Because that was a new one.

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

He nodded. "Managed to partially heal from a bullet wound a few months ago. The only thing that stopped me from fully healing was that it was a poisoned bullet. That one actually hurt for awhile."

[doesnotkneel]

Edward was silent for a moment or two as he processed the information. "That ought to come in handy in a rough spot," he said thoughtfully. "You ever been in a bar brawl?"

... No, Edward, let's try not to exploit your friend's powers.

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

Nathan shook his head. "Didn't frequent too many bars back home. Plenty of fights, though. Those happened often enough when someone didn't like me because I was me."

[doesnotkneel]

"How'd you do in those?" Edward asked. "Manage to get a few punches in?"

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"I know how to fight." Celia had taught him that. "I managed to best a black belt before. And I've been expelled from schools for fighting before."

[doesnotkneel]

"Suppose it's too bad we don't have some sort of local boxing club or the like," Edward mused. "With all the sorts running around this island, there'd be money to be made."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"There'd probably be other people like me too," Nathan pointed out since this island was full of strange people. "Might be even better than I am at the healing thing."

[doesnotkneel]

"Just a thought," Edward said easily. "There's none, so it's really little more than that."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"You might have better luck on the mainland," Nathan suggested, shrugging. "Or you can always start your own. That'd just take more work than you might wanna do."

[doesnotkneel]

"Seems like a bit of a waste," Edward allowed. "Ah, I'm just tryin' to find a decent way to make a living 'round here - no luck just yet."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"What have you tried?" Nathan asked, scratching his cheek. "I've been trying to do something similar."

And he'd been doing it via some not so scrupulous ways.

[doesnotkneel]

"Taken some looks at the stores, but none of them seem the like to hire me," Edward said with a slight shrug. "Too many letters, for a start."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, I thought of that but without being able to read, I don't think it'd work."

He rubbed the back of his neck. "Kind of hard to get by in a place like this without some money, isn't it?"

[doesnotkneel]

"I manage to scrounge a bit," Edward said. "But my main trade is sheep farming, and there's not a lot of that around here."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, that seems to be...not a big thing around here," he agreed with a nod. "Back home, I had to steal from people."

He'd done a little bit of that here but he'd tried to keep it very light and to people not on the island.

[doesnotkneel]

"In that terrible straights?"

Edward couldn't see himself outright stealing. Convincing, yes, but stealing? ...Didn't mean he'd condemn the lad, but still.

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"Yes." He nodded. "I needed money but had to stay out of sight. Getting a job was out of the question and no one could help me or they'd be in danger."

[doesnotkneel]

"How'd you even manage that without anyone catching you?" Edward said. "Seems like a dangerous art."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"I had some very basic instruction from someone along the way," he elaborated. "I stole from those that had a lot of money and wouldn't miss a few dollars here and there. I used my size and speed and I apologized."