Impatience

[touchedinthehead]

Aldaras doesn't bring up the knife with Annie again, nor his sister, or various ways she could be hurt. Annie has homework, so she doesn't stay at his apartment too long. He goes back to having nothing to do - there's some more pacing, some quiet freaking out over Annie and her safety, and then he distracts himself with obsessive preparation for taking care of the knife.

He'll - pack with the assumption that he can save his sister. There's lots of non-perishable food, packing as much as possible with the least amount of weight. Water, too, but that one's a bit harder. It's always heavy. Whatever, that's fine, he'll just - obsessively pack some more things. Pack, pack, pack.

Predictably, he runs out of things to do. Except think. Which has become something of a minefield, lately. To keep him from doing something stupid. He can't think about Zevaia, can't think about the knife, can't think about the Dean and how insanely long it's taking him to get the smallest tidbits of information out of him. He can't think too much about obsessive ways to make sure Annie's safe, for fear of becoming some kind of psychotic, controlling stalker or something.

But trying to not think about Annie is a recipe for failure or insanity, so he distracts himself with - what ifs. What would have happened if he'd met her without the necklace's and tracker's side effects combination, what he would have done if she'd asked him to kiss her...

That helps the time pass by faster.

Comments

[alicornucopia]

"Thanks. I'm so sorry. I'm sure whoever she is will be fine and I'm sorry about your sister and - and I'll just go." He scurries off.

[touchedinthehead]

He nods.

Well. That was - not what he was expecting. He still wants to go curl up in a corner and cry for a bit, but he's not allowed to. Not right now, he needs to save his sister. Back to - handing out flyers.

[alicornucopia]

More people ignoring him. A few hear him out but for whatever reason are not cut out to help.

One man lingers, reading a flier thoughtfully.

[touchedinthehead]

Aldaras tries very hard not to look expectant or too hopeful or - something. It doesn't quite work.

[alicornucopia]

"What's it take to trigger the necklace side effect exactly?" asks the fellow when he's read the whole thing.

[touchedinthehead]

"Mine was by sight. It could also be through something else, but that was mine and I'm still the only one touched by it. And I'm not willing to wait for a week or two to find out from the specifics from the Dean."

[alicornucopia]

"But if I go live in a cabin in the forest and use my share of bounty money to get groceries left on the porch I'll be fine?"

[touchedinthehead]

"Probably. And it's - symmetrical, apparently, so you won't fall in love with me for sure. So I could deliver things to you in person."

[alicornucopia]

"You want to go from knife-hunter to delivery boy?" snorts the man.

[touchedinthehead]

He shrugs. "I'm not in it for the money. It has my sister. I want her back."

[alicornucopia]

"Can I have more than half, then?"

[touchedinthehead]

Aldaras quirks an eyebrow. "I'd prefer not. Half of the reward is still an obscene amount of money. I have no idea what sorts of other side effects the knife's had on my sister, and I might need to hire caretakers for her or something. Sorry."

(He sincerely hopes he doesn't need to hire caretakers, that his sister is still functional...)

[alicornucopia]

"Worth asking. I'll go along if the Dean's office confirms the flyer."

[touchedinthehead]

"Thanks," says Aldaras, smiling a little.

[alicornucopia]

"Sintre," says the man, holding out his hand. "When do we leave, what do I have to bring?"

[touchedinthehead]

"Aldaras," he replies, shaking the offered hand. "Nice to meet you. Sooner the better, but I'd like to see if there are any more takers before we go. I'm bringing a ton of food and water, because the necklace can uncut people and they'll be pretty hungry, but you should probably bring more. Uh - lethal weapons are a bad idea, but things to trip up a large amount of people so we can poke them once with the necklace. Nets or clubs or something."

[alicornucopia]

"Have a really good walking stick," says Sintre. "If you get more than one other taker I'm dropping out, I'm in it to finance the cabin-in-woods lifestyle, not the glory."

[touchedinthehead]

"... Okay. You might have to worry about one of the cut being the person you fall in love with, but it seems to be very - specifically targeted. I went days without even knowing what the side-effect was, and saw hundreds of people with no effect whatsoever. But I feel I should warn you anyway."

[alicornucopia]

"There shouldn't be that many of them right now, it hasn't been hitting towns."

[touchedinthehead]

"Yeah. I just don't want you to go in not knowing the risks."

[alicornucopia]

"That's why I won't go in for less than a third of the take. I'll go pack things unless there's more to say."

[touchedinthehead]

"Nope. Thank you."

[alicornucopia]

Off goes Sintre.

[touchedinthehead]

And Aldaras goes back to trying to recruit more people.

[alicornucopia]

There is no luck before Sintre returns with a stuffed hiking backpack and a solid walking stick that looks like it will be suitable for kneecapping cut people.