the porch of the haunted house: monday afternoon

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

Nathan actually kind of like the house they'd been moved into for the time being. Sure, he'd been hearing voices at night and it was colder than he was used to but it just seemed a little more fitting for him. He still didn't like sleeping inside but with his roommate yet to show up, it meant he could have the space he needed to be inside when he was there.

But, he wasn't there right now. The porch was large and warm and wasn't currently being invaded by any strange voices right now. It meant that he could lean against the railing and enjoy the warm (but not too warm) weather while eating a late breakfast he'd managed to make.

The kitchens were really well stocked and Flick had made a pretty large plate of waffles since the ingredients had been there and he'd been hungry. The plate was settled on the rail beside him while he had his own separate plate for his own meal. Maybe he'd have a lot of leftovers. Waffles weren't a bad lunch choice either.

[Open public place. Waffles are for sharing]

Comments

[dauntless-four.livejournal.com]

Four didn't scare easily, but this place made his skin crawl.

Thus outside. Possibly living outside. Or maybe wondering if Rebecca Black was really that bad.

"Hey," he said, giving Flick a nod and finding a rocking chair to sit on.

It squeaked. Of course it did.

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"Afternoon," Nathan said, giving Four a nod. "Rocking chair seems to be greeting you too."

With a squeak. Every piece of furniture seemed to make some sort of sound here.

[dauntless-four.livejournal.com]

"Just what I always wanted," Four said a little dryly. "This is weirder than the other island and I didn't know that was possible."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"I don't know, I don't think it's so bad," Nathan said, shrugging. But that might be because he was a little weird himself. "Something wrong with your room? Or your roommate?"

[dauntless-four.livejournal.com]

"My roommate's fine," Four said with a shrug. "He's my school assigned big brother. My closet is weird, that's all. It wouldn't open and then it sounded like someone was crying inside it. Weird wind or something."

And if it wasn't the wind, Four had spent enough time in his life crying in a closet so all of his clothes were now jammed under his bed, and he would just not ever ever touch the closet, thanks.

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"Crying?" Nathan asked, raising an eyebrow. "Maybe it was your neighbor's television?"

He was trying to be logical even if he knew that probably wasn't it.

[dauntless-four.livejournal.com]

"Maybe," Four said, but he sounded doubtful. And squeaky, as he rocked in the chair. "This is only temporary, right? I've lived in worse."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"So have I," Nathan said considering he'd lived in a cage and all. "I don't really mind it but I sleep outside a lot. Makes me feel better and I avoid any random closet crying."

[dauntless-four.livejournal.com]

"How do you avoid getting eaten up by mosquitoes?" Four asked, smiling. "They seem to like me."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"I heal them," Nathan said, shrugging. "But I've heard bug spray works for fain. I've seen it in stores before."

[dauntless-four.livejournal.com]

"Fain?" Four repeated, wrinkling his forehead. "What's that mean?"

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"Oh." Nathan's brow furrowed and he shook his head. "Human. Means human. Guess it's just a word where I'm from."

Since no one else seemed to know it.

[dauntless-four.livejournal.com]

"Do you have...not humans...where you're from?" Four asked carefully.

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"We do," Nathan explained with a brief shrug. "We just have...other things too."

Other things like him, actually. "It helps to separate them."

[dauntless-four.livejournal.com]

"What kind of other things?" Four asked. "Talking ponies?"

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"No." He shook his head. "Hunters. Witches. That sort of thing. Fairy tales, mostly."

Nathan said it casually so he could gauge how Four would react to news like that. Most people seemed to take it pretty well but you never knew.

[dauntless-four.livejournal.com]

Four chewed on his lower lip. "...huh. Okay."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"That's a little more believable than talking animals, isn't it?" Nathan had to wonder.

[dauntless-four.livejournal.com]

"Hunters, sure," Four said, "but witches kind of go with the talking animals, at least in the books at home."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"That mean they aren't real if it's in a book?" Nathan wondered. "Books are stupid anyway."

He couldn't read so of course he'd think that.

[dauntless-four.livejournal.com]

Four snorted. "Why are books stupid?" he asked.

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"Just a bunch of words," Nathan said, slightly bitter. "I can listen to the radio if I want a bunch of words and it'll be more entertaining."

[dauntless-four.livejournal.com]

"But if you only listen to the radio," Four said, "you're only getting their perspective on what's important instead of your own."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"I need books to have my own opinions of things?" Nathan wondered, shaking his head. "I can make up my own words."

[dauntless-four.livejournal.com]

"It helps to have facts to back up opinions," Four said, "and facts tend to come in books, at least where I'm from. The radio's run by a faction with its own agenda."