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[othersdie]

[Justin, unaffected by the cold induced by sitting near the fountain that the City had seen fit to drop him into during winter, finally tires of waiting for what he’s convinced what must be a trick of the mind to dissipate and resolve itself into the nothingness of death. For a lack of any other distractions, he fumbles with the device he had found in his pocket earlier.

He doesn’t fully understand why he would bother hallucinating what resembles a camcorder. The brain is truly a strange and unfathomable thing.]

Am I dead yet?

[It’s a ridiculous question. He still exists enough to imagine things; the answer is clearly no.]

If not--if not, I hope this doesn't last long.

Comments

[had_not_lived]

It's just not something I talk about.

[Ever. Though Justin's been privy to more of that conversation than perhaps anyone other than Todd.]

But, if you're going to stay with us, you may as well know. We're... together.

[othersdie.livejournal.com]

[Justin would like to insist that Neil continue not talking about this something, but that's hardly friendly.]

In what way? Romantically? [Said without surprise or much emotion at all. That may, however, present a problem...] I don't want to bother you--either of you--if you prefer privacy.

[had_not_lived]

[This is at least as uncomfortable on his end. Neil shakes his head, slightly.]

We've had roommates before-- if it bothers you I understand, we'll find you somewhere else. I just thought you should know. [He frowns slightly.] Most people don't.

[othersdie.livejournal.com]

I don't mind. It's not abnormal.

[He looks mildly surprised and then pleased, but only for a moment.] Thank you for telling me.

[had_not_lived]

[It's enough to crack the tension, at least, and Neil laughs. It's just such a Justin way to put it.]

I think that's enough information to start with.

[othersdie.livejournal.com]

[Laughing... is good. Perplexing, but good.]

My curiosity is satisfied. I have enough to think about.

[And when they reach Xanadu, he has even more to think about. Justin doesn't believe in deja vu, but he's almost certain he's been here before.]

[had_not_lived]

It's something.

[Some things, some places, speak better for themselves than Neil could manage. So he doesn't. For once. As long as they don't get too off track to find their way home, Neil doesn't mind letting Justin wander.]

[othersdie.livejournal.com]

[And Justin is quite content to traipse about the garden, examining the odd flower here and there, waiting for Neil to tell him he's bored and ready to go somewhere else. Or maybe Neil won't do that. Justin has yet to determine the parameters of their friendship.]

Do you know anything about plants?

[had_not_lived]

[Well, eventually he might get cold and tired and want to go to bed, but that's a little different. And has less to do with the parameters of friendship, and more to do with the practicality of wandering.

He shakes his head.]

No, not really.

[othersdie.livejournal.com]

[Cold? Tired? Being City-dead has its perks.]

Oh. We don't need to stay here--not if you don't want to.

[had_not_lived]

Are the plants here interesting?

[Neil's got a while left in him yet. Seeing Justin interested in something is worth it.]

[othersdie.livejournal.com]

Yes. I don't think all of them exist at--where I'm from.

[Then again, he hasn't seen decent plants in months. Even the withered dandelions are interesting.]

You mentioned poetry. Who do you read?

[had_not_lived]

Romantics, mostly. Shelley, Byron... I like Walt Whitman, and-- well, really, I'll read almost anything, those are just my usual favorites.

[othersdie.livejournal.com]

They're all good. Keats, Wordsworth, Coleridge...

[He stoops to examine a small bunch of flowers blooming brightly in the snow.]

Dickinson is the only poet I won't read.

[had_not_lived]

Why not?

[He leans against a tree, careful not to knock a bough of snow down on himself.]

[othersdie.livejournal.com]

[He shrugs.]

She's not engaging. And I--her personal life makes no sense to me. She had a privileged life... nothing but herself to make herself miserable.

[had_not_lived]

Well, I suppose that makes sense. I can't say I'm much of a fan of how she writes, either...

[He shrugs, too.]

I work in a bookstore, here, so I get to do a lot of reading.

[othersdie.livejournal.com]

A bookstore?

[That seems like a very normal thing for an abnormal place to have.]

That's... convenient. The bookstore. You have forty-four years of reading to catch up on. [His tone becomes vaguely worried.] What's the cost of living here?

[had_not_lived]

It doesn't translate very well into anything you'd remember...

[He digs in a pocket, comes up with a handful of coins-- a couple of reds, a yellow.]

Our apartment is two Indigo a month... Counting it takes a while to get used to. But, well, mostly everyone gets by.

[othersdie.livejournal.com]

[He's visibly unimpressed with the colorful monetary system, but doesn't comment.]

What would a third of two Indigos be?

[had_not_lived]

You'll need to find some sort of job, but it shouldn't be too tough to manage.

[othersdie.livejournal.com]

[He makes a sound that's somewhere between a 'hm' and a self-deprecating laugh.] I don't know. I don't have any marketable skills.

I'll pay you, though. For rent. [haltingly] Thank you for... everything, I guess. I'm just--I'm still spinning out, and I still don't know if this is real, but it... I know it would worse. Alone, I mean.

[had_not_lived]

That's one good thing about the City-- even if you don't know anyone here, someone's always willing to help out. Everyone remembers what it's like to end up stuck here.

[He smiles very slightly.]

[othersdie.livejournal.com]

So in some ways, it's better than most places.

...What happened to you when you arrived here?

[had_not_lived]

[It's a question that, once upon a time, might have brought up nothing but regret. His smile widens a bit.]

I met a man who looks exactly like me, a super hero bought me a burger, and I ended up living in King Arthur's apartment for a while.