Fragmented Truths [ Armageddon x Equilibrium ]

[Armageddon]

What a lovely night it had been.


Ah, yes, it was indeed night time - the most beautiful time, in Valessandra's opinion. Outside, a black, velvety sky beheld twinkling gems, a pearly orb shining down the soft glow of moonlight, caressing each building and surface, casting faded shadows against the ground. Though static and unmoving, they held a sense of mystery in their black confines, some darker and more defined than others. There was a soft breeze drifting through the air that could send small chills through somebody simply strolling along, a gentle temptation, a push towards their homes or cozied-up places of rest and relaxation. There was a deep silence filling the air, interrupted by the occasional revving of a car engine, or the quick, echoing footsteps of passerby.


It seemed pretty peaceful. More peaceful than usual, actually. And although it was indeed a nice night to be out, Val had better, more fulfilling plans she had to attend to.


With that, we move on to a specific little street block, away from all of the tranquility and to the noise of the night. A specific building had it's lights on nice and bright, a warm glow emitting from it's windows. The noises of voices and their various laughs began to fill the air surrounding it, muffled by the walls of the building, yet emitting a vibe of both cheeriness and moroseness - a strange mix of the two. Well, what could you expect from a bar? Some will be drinking alone, some with friends; some depressed, others pretty happy with life.


As we enter the building, we find a surprisingly small amount of people for a bar - most likely because of how late it was that night, and how tempting it was to stay inside. A few groups were huddled about, some sitting at tables, others standing about, going about with their various activities, as well as a few who remained in solitude. There was a specific group that seemed significantly more . . . intoxicated than how the other patrons appeared to be. Their faces red, their laughs often and almost obnoxiously loud, each holding their bottles or cans loosely in their hands.


Although this group did seem entertaining to remain focused towards, we must move on to the young woman that would change the course of this once serene night.


This young woman was placed on a barstool near the front of the building, sitting just across from the racks of liquors, wines, and beers placed decoratively along the walls. A long table separated the patrons from the drinks, and stools lined the customer side of the table. The young woman's boots hung off of the stool, idly swinging back and forth, her toes unable to touch the ground naturally with her petite stature. Black jeans encased her legs, the ends tucked safely into the confines of her boots. A sweater of light beige practically hung off of her shoulders, the sleeves slipping over her nimble, thin fingers, the black heart knitted into the chest hardly visible in her position. Her sleeved arms rested nonchalantly on the table, an elegant glass filled halfway with a deep violet liquid near her elbow. Her blonde hair (or, at least, the side that wasn't shaved down short) cascaded down her back and over her shoulders like a waterfall of dark gold, a thick lock near the front threatening to fall over her face. The woman's lips held a crooked smile, her pierced corner turned up while her other remained down, making for an amused vibe. Mismatched eyes, one chocolate and the other ice, were bright behind black-framed glasses slipping down her nose.


Meet Valessandra.


Although Val did have a light-hearted vibe coming from her, she felt her smile masking the inner discomfort in the pit of her stomach. She couldn't deny that talking with her most trusted, most valued, most pure-hearted friend made her heart feel warm, almost fuzzy - he always managed to cheer Val up when she most needed it, and some of the silly happiness on her features was genuine to the bottom of her heart.


Although, it was apparent how uncomfortable she'd become when one of the intoxicated patrons approached her general area - her shoulders would stiffen up slightly, her smile would die down, her fingers would twitch a bit and tap against the table quickly. She was never quite comfortable around people, and drunk people were even worse, since most of them were out of their minds on their beverages. Although, she did take comfort in the fact that her friend was close to her, since he always solved a problem that involved her - it made her feel even warmer inside thinking about it. Plus, if advances were made, she had her strong mask of confidence to put on and save herself from embarrassment or weakness. She definitely didn't want to appear vulnerable to these people.


At one point, Val started to hear murmurs in her direction, as well as obvious stares on her back. She'd occasionally turn her head to the side to glance towards the group that was now taking interest in her cautiously before turning her head sharply forward again to continue with what she was doing/talking about. In her anxiety, she reached towards her glass and snatched it from it's spot to take a small, savoring sip of the tart sweetness of Blackberry wine. It seemed refreshing and somewhat calming to her nerves. She was so glad that she was legal to drink - although she almost never drank beer or anything of that sort. She usually just went with sweeter wines, sometimes the tarter stuff if she felt like it - it just relaxed her, loosened her up and allowed her time to forget her worries of everyday life. Normally, she didn't order the expensive wine she was drinking now, but she felt she deserved a treat once in a while. It was nice.


She carried on with what she was doing with her closest companion, feeling a little edge of anxiety nibbling at her stomach as she felt the drunken group's stares jabbing at her back every once in a while.


= - = - =


[ @Equilibrium ]

 

[Equilibrium]

Here it is! Again, I sincerely apologize for the long wait.


I hope my post lives up to what you were expecting from me!


~~~~


If I hear one more bloody drunk thought, I think I'm going to hit myself over the head with a god damn wine bottle. Being a telepathist and deciding to run a fuсking bar was a rubbish idea.





See how wonderfully calm he is? That's most certainly something he would say about himself, the words doused and dripping with such blatant sarcasm that one would have to be absolutely bladdered to miss it. His mockery and mordancy, in all likelihood, came from his clumsy, confident yet insecure, equally sarcastic best friend, Valessandra Elizabeth Elwyn. His charming and comely Essie whom he knows so much about, who was led to believe she knows so much about him — but who really knows almost nothing at all. And for that, Va'ahkai, or Gideon Josiah Hollow as she and the rest of Earth knows him, feels unquestionably, unconditionally, and undeniably awful.


The lunar and caliginous lighting of the tavern caused the young man's startling amber eyes to crackle like a red-hot flame as his head turned to lay his stare upon the girl whom occupied his thoughts. His thick golden lashes casted shadows atop his high cheeks; on anyone else this look would have made the individual appear timid or shy — on him it made him appear masculine and intimidating. A smile almost never graced the blond's constantly stoic face, but when one did, it graced it just for her. One of these rare times was now as he rested his defined forearms on the counter in front of him, casually leaning over to allow himself to talk to Valessandra from her place on a bar stool.


"Aye. How you holdin' up?" Gideon knew that his friend became anxious and fidgety around people as it was; being around those who were intoxicated made those two traits amplify. His voice was soft as the question left his lips, a sure sign that he truly cared about this girl; his pupils dilated as he caught her gaze before he glanced somewhere else as he waited for a reply. He couldn't look Essie in the eye while conscious of all the lies and falsehoods he's told her and all the secrets he's kept. But this wasn't out of the ordinary — he typically didn't make eye contact with anyone. His fingers drummed on the bar in a slow, rhythmic pattern while he studied her body language.


He could tell she was most uncomfortable when the inebriated folks came near; her shoulders tended to tense, her small grin had a habit of fading, and her fingers often twitched or tapped against the table's surface — well, that, and he could read her mind.


The young man wasn't fond of doing that, though.


Gideon considered his telepathic abilities to be an intrusion of privacy; the things people think were meant to be private, and he had the ability to read them anyway. The thoughts of people in a close enough proximity to him are the ones he can hear. He can't choose a specific individual and only read their mind — no, it doesn't work like that. He has to read everyone's thoughts.


Everyone's.


He habitually ran his spidery fingers through his flaxen hair before speaking once more. "D'you want more wine, Essie? Your glass is half empty, so I was wondering." His accent was thick but understandable; it sounded like a mix between Swedish and French, melodious yet sharp. He then started up some mindless chatter with his friend, beginning a coversation that involved him making goofy faces in an attempt to make her laugh. In the middle of one of his sentances, however, he seemed to stare right past her at someone — or someones.





"Aye, you two over there. Yes, you, sitting on the sofa sucking each other's faces off." He called out to a boy and a girl, presumably a couple, whom now both were looking embarrassedly in his direction. "You both look too young to be 'ere." The female opened her mouth to speak, but Gideon cut her off; he was staring them down. "Aye, you're both only nineteen! Get out of my bar you stupid minors! Who the 'ell let you in anyway?" He didn't need to tell them twice — they bolted out of there before he could intimidate or question them any further. "Anyway.." he continued his conversation with Valessandra as if nothing happened, no one even batting an eye at how he was able to guess the young couple's exact ages.


He kept shooting small, meaningful smiles at his friend until a woman came up to ask him for a drink; he acknowledged the request and obliged as the costumer left to wait, his back turned to fill a tall glass with ale.


Across the room, three pairs of tipsy eyes bore their stares into Essie's back. The first set, of which the color of iced scotch overwhelmed, belonged to a tall man most likely in his mid twenties; shaggy and serrated green hair laid feathered on his head, dark rimmed glasses occupied the bridge of his nose, and his strong, squared jaw moved in line with the whispers that left his lips. The second set, of which the color of blueberry wine dominated, belonged to yet another towering young man, but this one in his early twenties; thick brunette curls rested in a disheveled state upon his head, one lone spiral tickling his left cheek. Stubble dotted his chin and several rings embellished his long fingers. The last set, of which the color of rosé engulfed, belonged to the oldest of the trio, a man in his late twenties to early thirties. He was a more muscular man, redheaded and solidly built with a thin face and prominent laugh lines. The three, clearly drunk with shifty eyes, walked in what was clearly not a straight line toward the bar — toward the young blonde, to be exact.


"Hey pretty lady," the green haired man said, his words so slurred that the phrase was almost unintelligible. He trailed his pointer finger down her right arm, a terribly crooked smile causing his mouth to go lopsided. Gideon obviously heard this statement, for his back tensed up and his shoulders mitered themselves at perfect ninety degree angles. One didnt have to even have to be looking at him to see the anger swelling in his chest.


"'Ou've got some nice 'air. All blonde and stuff." The redhead was clearly not the most poetic of the group.


"'Ow would'cha like to spend some... private time wi' us, eh? You know you 'ant to." The brunette's right hand traveled a little to close to her chest and his left a little to close to her ass to even be remotely platonic.


Gideon's knuckles turned pure white for a brief moment before the glass he was holding shattered completely by the force of his fist.


"If you don't leave her the fuсk alone I swear to God you will never be able to function property again. I will make damn sure of it. Do I make myself clear? I said: do. I. Make. Myself. Clear?" He yelled this all as he spun around to face the three men, beer dripping down his arm as his eyes narrowed in a protective manner; his tone held enough venom that if his voice was a snake, the trio would be bitten and positively dead by now. Red scratches littered his fingers where the skin got cut by the shattered glass, and he slammed his palms down on the counter as the brunette decided to speak again.


"'Ey man, she ain't yours or nothin'. You don't know what she 'ants--"


"Get out! Get out of my bar right now or so help me I will throw you out with my own hands!"


The redhead backed up first, then the one with the green-hair, and finally the brunette; as Gideon stared daggers, the three, seemingly piss-their-pants scared, staggered as quickly as they could out of the tavern. His expression than changed dramatically into one that resembled a lost puppy as he looked at Essie.


"You're okay, right?" He paused, a flicker of fear crossing his irises. "I didn't scare you, did I?"


He did know what he would do if he scared her.


Hate himself, probably.

 

[Armageddon]

[ Holy - oh my God, you are an absolutely amazing writer. Jesus Christ, woman, that amount of talent should be illegal! ]


= - = - =


Being honest, Val wasn't doing all too well, with her inner anxiety continuing to twist her stomach into uncomfortable knots, and this thought crossed her mind as her glance flickered over towards heart-melting amber eyes. That beautiful, even if gruff accent of his sent a small shock through her heart - that was normal when he spoke. Her gaze managed to lock with his for only a brief moment before his moved to the side, looking towards something else. Val's expression, hiding distinct traces of her nervousness underneath the mask of confidence, suddenly softened, her tense shoulders drooping back down, the little smile returning to her pierced lips. Just seeing Gideon, just looking at him, calmed her down a great deal, and hearing his voice felt comforting to her quickly beating heart.


Val's tone was as nonchalant as she could manage to make it, as honest, as she replied to Gideon's question, "I guess I'm doing alright." The phrase made her gaze quickly flicker behind her again and back forward in the same instance before she allowed herself to glance towards the table, slipping into a blank stare. She seemed to zone out a lot, especially with the wine in her system.


After a minute or so of silence, she was snapped from her self-induced trance by another question from her friend, asking if she wanted some more wine. Her head tilted back up quickly and she stared at the young man for a moment, processing the question in her weary mind. She then blinked once and said, "That'd be lovely, if you could." The young woman flashed another genuine half smile towards him before lapsing back into silence.


Once the glass had been refilled, Gideon engaged in some strange little conversation that seemed more like a game, involving him making amusing faces at her. Each time they came and went, she couldn't help but smile; at one point, she raised one of her hands up to her mouth to hide her silent laughter. It was so funny to watch this man make faces like that. His features had always been generally dark and more . . . intimidating than most other people's, the solemn expression he normally wore giving off that vibe. Watching him be silly was even more amusing because of this - it contrasted so greatly with his usual look, in the best way possible. She kept doing little waves with her hands, as if trying to bat him away, having to hide her laughter with each one. Although, at one point, Gideon's light-hearted expression melted away as he stared around her, his eyes darkening and features hardening somewhat.


This made Val's own smile fade as she twisted her head around to glance at where he was glancing. What she saw made her eyes widen and her head immediately snap back forward, finding a younger couple making out very kinkily on one of the sofas. She listened as Gideon's tone became sharper, more authoritative, and her own expression became blank, even if her eyes flared with obvious amusement. For some odd reason, she always felt like laughing when Gideon kicked certain people out. This was especially funny, considering the guy on the sofa back there got majorly cock-blocked. She had to hold her laughter in, pursing her lips slightly as he finished off his statement towards the kids.


She then allowed a smile to pass over her lips, pushing back her laughter as she glanced back upwards towards Gideon. Recovering from her amused state, the two continued with their silly conversation, the faces he made now replaced with small smiles that, in turn, made Val's face just light up each time they appeared.


A customer strode up and took Gideon's attention, which Val politely allowed, resting her chin on her hand and waiting quietly on her stool. Although, Val suddenly felt herself stuffen up considerably, noticeably; her fingers curled inward and clenched into fists, her eyes widened behind her glasses, her breath hitched in her throat. The feeling of intense stares that just dug straight into her from behind remained clear for a moment before she heard wobbly, uneven, and heavy footsteps heading in her direction. Oh no. Oh shit, oh shit.


Val felt her muscles twitching in her arms when she suddenly heard very, very inarticulate words next to her, obviously in a drunken state, flirtatiously greet her. A shiver rolled down her spine when she felt the tip of a finger brush down her arm, and her already white knuckles clenched further and turned lighter. The air around her suddenly felt much colder, and her expression became wiped clean of any noticeable emotion, her mind starting to run faster and faster with her fear, her thoughts flying by as she tried to decide what to do, gaze fixed on the table in front of her. The 'compliment' another one of the drunken men surrounding her spoke of made her arm muscles twitch again, as if ready to fly backwards and break the guy's nose. She probably would have if her gaze hadn't instinctively flickered up an inch.


She felt herself go numb when she saw Gideon. He was turned away from her, yet she could just feel the anger rolling off of him in heavy, thick waves you could practically slice through. Even just looking at the muscles in his back told her that he was getting into his protective mood, something she had seen before, and had experienced when it came to other annoyances or assholes. She couldn't breath, and it was even hard to hear the third drunk next to her ask that stupid question of his - but as soon as he did, her eyes suddenly narrowed, her venomous tongue peeking through her nervous shell. The young woman turned herself around a bit to glance at the red-faced brunette hovering at her side, she started to speak through gritted teeth, her eyes flashing momentarily.


"Not in you're f-cking -"


CRASH.


Val jumped about a foot in the air before her head whipped towards Gideon.


He had spun around and was now facing the men behind her - and being painfully honest, he looked terrifying. The look on his face was one of utter loathing and profound contempt, his amber irises alit and burning with a familiar emotion. His arm, mostly his hand, was now covered in small red scratches and ale from what she now realized was the glass that was shattered to bits, and this sent a note of distinct shock through Val. One of the men, the brunette man, spoke after a moment of silence, announcing that Val 'wasn't Gideon's or anything', as if she was some free sample that could be picked up at any moment - something that sent distinct annoyance through her.


Although, before she could voice her own contempt, the table underneath her trembled violently with a loud slam. Val's eyes widened as she flinched with the force of Gideon's voice aimed at the three men:


'Get out! Get out of my bar right now or so help me I will throw you out with my own hands!'


Val, with her head bowed slightly and her eyes shut from her small flinch, suddenly felt the three presences around her disappear, and her eyes fluttered open as she glanced back towards where they had trailed off - but there were no men anymore. The doors of the bar were swinging, yet no drunken idiots remained. And then there was silence. Silence fell across the room, shocked silence that sent a tingle through the air, a tingle down Val's spine. Val kept her gaze on the bar doors for a moment before she slowly turned her head forward again, suddenly locking with Gideon's own gaze. For a small second, she nearly cringed away, thinking she would be unable to handle the burning emotion once inhabiting his irises -


But she stopped herself before doing so, watching Gideon's now completely changed expression in astonishment - blank astonishment. He had a desperate look in his eyes, almost pleading and hopeful at the same exact moment, once crackling amber now seeming alit with the same emotion. He asked if she was okay, and if he frightened her with the sudden outburst. Val honestly couldn't respond for a moment - she continued staring at Gideon blankly, processing the questions through her now dazed mind for a full thirty seconds. She then blinked a couple of times slowly, her shocked expression calming somewhat, as she responded in a stammering voice with underlying tones of surprise:


" . . . W . . . well, that was c-certainly . . . shocking."


She blinked again and flicked her head to the side, as if shaking something off, before continuing in a slightly calmer tone:


". . . But I th-think I'm alright." She took a long pause, getting her thoughts and her emotions back in order before saying in a quieter, more honest tone that was a failed attempt at being light-hearted, " . . . Thank you." She gave him a small, tight half smile.


The look that Gideon gave her did calm her back down from a once genuinely frightened state - at least he wasn't angry anymore. Although, Val had never witnessed the man becoming angered to the point of shattering a glass with nothing but his grip. This thought suddenly made a reminder occur to her, and her eyes widened as she glanced down to his cut-covered hand, doing a small intake of air in surprise when she saw all of the little red marks covering his hand.


Val was frozen still for a second before she very gingerly reached out with her own now exposed fingers, placing hers very gently under his hand , feeling worried now about his cuts. Even though they were small, they were injuries nonetheless. Her other thoughts were pushed to the back of her mind as she picked up his hand in both of hers and spoke in a similarly concerned tone, "Oh, b-but your hand!" She now had the corners of her lips pulled down into a grimace, her gaze flickering from Gideon's eyes to his hand quickly.


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[ Apologies for the late response - I hope you can excuse any typos found in it. x . x ]