[Ephemera nods, watching Sweets. It doesn't hurt as much as it used to, talking about his squad. Before, when he'd been Sharkface, he'd been convinced that the hurt was so strong it had drowned out anything else he might possibly feel. And the only things left then had been his love for them, and rage over their passing.]
Yeah. It was something. I didn't really get it. But it was important to her. Daisy's your girlfriend, right?
[It's to both questions, but especially the last one.]
She's very kind, but not to the extent of being meek or allowing anyone to take advantage of her. She's just... Really positive.
[He admires a lot of things about Daisy, especially those points; Lance has a hard time finding the balance between needing approval and letting people get away with things he shouldn't because of it, and although his outlook is generally optimistic he doesn't have the incredible, boundless energy for it that Daisy does.]
Solving a murder case. She was an intern with Dr. Brennan, and I was consulting from the FBI, so we ended up having a conversation.
[And it was as simple as that; one of those instant connection. Lance goes to retrieve the knives from the target and the floor, returning to stand next to Ephemera again and place the weapons on the counter.]
She minored in psychology, so we had something to talk about right away, and it just went from there.
[Why wouldn't they meet at work? Most people do, Ephemera supposes.
He picks up one of the little knives, miming an overhand throw this time. He does it twice, so Sweets can see. Then he throws. Hears it land. Not quite where he meant it to - about an inch too far to the right. Ephemera frowns.]
Overhand throw. They're harder for me. You get more force in the throw, but you can overcompensate pretty easy. You try.
[He watches what Ephemera is doing carefully, nodding to show he understands, though he can't imagine he'll be particularly good at this style of throwing. He's even less encouraged by that even Ephemera doesn't get a bullseye.
But he'll try anyway, picking up a knife and practicing the motion a little, but he stops in place at the last comment. Yeah. They were happy. Finally, things were going right, but 'were' is more accurate a word that it might've been intended to be.
He realizes he's gone quiet again and pretty much frozen in place, then mentally shakes himself out of it. He's not doing this again.]
Yeah.
[And that's all he'll say about that topic, deflecting immediately after a quick glance to make sure there's no one around to overhear; he's not totally sure if it's still a secret or not, but he wants to be safe before asking--]
Speaking of couples, how are you and Drake doing?
[After, you know. Everything. And he still hasn't thrown the knife yet, but he's giving himself a moment to make sure he's steady before tossing around any bladed weapons.]
[Maybe that wasn't a good thing to say. Ephemera shifts, looking away. But then Sweets recovers, asks a question of his own, and Ephemera breathes. Better. Okay.]
Good, I think?
[He pauses. Nods.]
Yeah. Good. He's living with me now. My place is still in one piece.
[It wasn't as big an adjustment as he'd worried. They move around each other well.]
.....I'm pretty new at this sort of thing. But he's. Good about that. Patient with me.
Edited (arg spelling) Date: 2018-01-19 04:13 am (UTC)
Moving in together is a big step, so I'm glad it's working out for you.
[He means that, returning to miming the motion for throwing a few more times before deciding to go for it. It's... Way too hard, which causes the knife to spin, and it hits the wall hard and bounces off before skittering across the floor.
Oops.]
...Yeah, I see what you mean about the overcompensating.
I guess. Always lived with other people. But was different, with them.
[Aside from prison, but he's not really in the mood to talk about that.
Ephemera just grins.]
Yeah, that happens sometimes. 's why most people don't use throwing knives in the field. Unless you're really good, they're more trouble than they're worth. Still awesome at winning you free drinks at the bar, though.
Maybe it seems like a bigger deal to me because I usually prefer living a lone.
[And so it was a huge step to move in with Daisy, or not do, as the case was the first time. He was honestly still getting used to it back home, but making sure he could help her out during the pregnancy was the most important thing.
And he'll just prevent himself from thinking too much more about this, refocusing on picking up another knife to try again.]
That sounds like what I'd just this skill for, yeah. Showing off.
[He says it with a small grin, half joking, but he definitely doesn't expect himself to get good enough at this for it to be practically useful even if he wanted to do. Instead he'll just stick to making bets, provided he even gets that good at it.]
[It's a genuine question. Ephemera can't remember the last time he lived entirely alone. There were a few days in Hadriel, when he'd still been figuring shit out, and Locus' men had given him his own quarters back on the Tartarus, but he was still Sharkface then.
Another thing he doesn't' want to talk about right now. This is fun. They're having fun.
[Usually not lonely, but sometimes. Most often, though, it just means Lance doesn't have to worry about keeping up any sort of appearances in front of someone while at home, doesn't have to worry about where someone else is or what their schedule is like, and has as much quiet time to himself as he might need. It works out really well for him, but then again he's pretty introverted.
And hey, fun or not they're showing an incredible talent for dancing around delicate subjects, at least.]
Okay.
[He tries another overhanded throw, doing his best not to overthink it, and is a little more successful; it still rotates too much, but doesn't hit the wall nearly as hard as the last time.]
[Doesn't sound too bad. Just different. Ephemera supposes he would have liked that, when he was younger. Not having to fight with his foster siblings for space. He hasn't thought about them in a long time. Wonders if any of them made it out.
But then Sweets throws, and it's back to the moment. Ephemera grins, picking up a knife of his own.]
I stand by it. This shit is hard. Most people flinch when they hear it land, you know? Instinct. But you're getting it. There's a program in my HUD that can calculate everything - trajectory, force, all that shit - but it's not the same as knowing.
[He tips his head to the side, eying the target. Throws. Watches it land.]
Helped me a lot when I lost the eye. The focus. Also because I was crashing into everything.
I can't imagine trying to adjust to only having one eye.
[Somehow Lance has managed to get out of all the horrible experiences and injuries that he's been through with no significant permanent physical damage; some bones and joints hurt when the pressure changes, before Brennan healed him he had to be careful about not putting too much strain on his ribs or bad leg, and it's probably for the best if he avoids any more concussions, but those are or were all relatively minor as far as impacting his daily life. Losing an eye--or anything else--is something he can't even guess what might be like.]
That's a good way to look at things; the last part, anyway.
[And finding some good thing about being here, aside from just hating it more and more as Lance has been finding himself doing. He watches Ephemera make the bullseye, and decides to return to trying to throw the first way he'd been teaching him; he got at least a little closer to being successful that way, and this time when he throws it hits and sticks into the target, albeit not close to the center.]
That makes sense. It's not very useful to have good aim if you just hit it with the handle every time.
[But Lance is perfectionistic and finding it more and more annoying that he can't get it all right immediately, no matter how illogical that is. He'll probably be ready to switch over to drinking pretty soon.]
Not unless you mean to, [Ephemera agrees.] Clock somebody in the forehead with that, and they'll startle. Won't always go down, but it's a good way to get somebody's attention without hurting them. Chica used to do that when people wouldn't take a hint at bars.
[And it had been hilarious.]
Most beautiful woman you'd ever seen. Never took anyone's shit.
[His voice is fond and a little sad. He misses her a lot.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2018-01-18 02:54 am (UTC)[And extremely swag, honestly.]
Did you ever master it yourself?
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Date: 2018-01-18 03:01 am (UTC)[Ephemera's expression is fond and a little sad. He misses Chica the most, out of everyone in his squad.]
Nah. Even with my HUD running calculations, I could never get the angle right. She just had a knack for it.
[He's quiet a moment.]
Her name was Jessica. But everybody called her Chica, 'cause she into all that girly stuff. Always had her lipstick on, even when we were jumping.
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Date: 2018-01-18 06:08 am (UTC)My girlfriend wears really high heels, even when analyzing a dead body. I have no idea how she does it.
[But it makes her happy, and that's what matters. But Daisy's behavior means Lance can easily imagine Chica as Ephemera describes her, at least.]
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Date: 2018-01-18 03:06 pm (UTC)Yeah. It was something. I didn't really get it. But it was important to her. Daisy's your girlfriend, right?
[From the dream. Ephemera sketched her, once.]
She seemed nice.
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Date: 2018-01-19 01:53 am (UTC)[It's to both questions, but especially the last one.]
She's very kind, but not to the extent of being meek or allowing anyone to take advantage of her. She's just... Really positive.
[He admires a lot of things about Daisy, especially those points; Lance has a hard time finding the balance between needing approval and letting people get away with things he shouldn't because of it, and although his outlook is generally optimistic he doesn't have the incredible, boundless energy for it that Daisy does.]
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Date: 2018-01-19 03:08 am (UTC)[Ephemera thinks he can imagine that. She and Sweets probably suited each other.]
How'd you two meet?
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Date: 2018-01-19 03:20 am (UTC)[And it was as simple as that; one of those instant connection. Lance goes to retrieve the knives from the target and the floor, returning to stand next to Ephemera again and place the weapons on the counter.]
She minored in psychology, so we had something to talk about right away, and it just went from there.
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Date: 2018-01-19 03:44 am (UTC)[Why wouldn't they meet at work? Most people do, Ephemera supposes.
He picks up one of the little knives, miming an overhand throw this time. He does it twice, so Sweets can see. Then he throws. Hears it land. Not quite where he meant it to - about an inch too far to the right. Ephemera frowns.]
Overhand throw. They're harder for me. You get more force in the throw, but you can overcompensate pretty easy. You try.
[A pause.]
Sounds like you were happy.
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Date: 2018-01-19 03:58 am (UTC)But he'll try anyway, picking up a knife and practicing the motion a little, but he stops in place at the last comment. Yeah. They were happy. Finally, things were going right, but 'were' is more accurate a word that it might've been intended to be.
He realizes he's gone quiet again and pretty much frozen in place, then mentally shakes himself out of it. He's not doing this again.]
Yeah.
[And that's all he'll say about that topic, deflecting immediately after a quick glance to make sure there's no one around to overhear; he's not totally sure if it's still a secret or not, but he wants to be safe before asking--]
Speaking of couples, how are you and Drake doing?
[After, you know. Everything. And he still hasn't thrown the knife yet, but he's giving himself a moment to make sure he's steady before tossing around any bladed weapons.]
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Date: 2018-01-19 04:12 am (UTC)Good, I think?
[He pauses. Nods.]
Yeah. Good. He's living with me now. My place is still in one piece.
[It wasn't as big an adjustment as he'd worried. They move around each other well.]
.....I'm pretty new at this sort of thing. But he's. Good about that. Patient with me.
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Date: 2018-01-19 04:28 am (UTC)[He means that, returning to miming the motion for throwing a few more times before deciding to go for it. It's... Way too hard, which causes the knife to spin, and it hits the wall hard and bounces off before skittering across the floor.
Oops.]
...Yeah, I see what you mean about the overcompensating.
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Date: 2018-01-19 06:41 pm (UTC)[Aside from prison, but he's not really in the mood to talk about that.
Ephemera just grins.]
Yeah, that happens sometimes. 's why most people don't use throwing knives in the field. Unless you're really good, they're more trouble than they're worth. Still awesome at winning you free drinks at the bar, though.
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Date: 2018-01-21 05:54 am (UTC)[And so it was a huge step to move in with Daisy, or not do, as the case was the first time. He was honestly still getting used to it back home, but making sure he could help her out during the pregnancy was the most important thing.
And he'll just prevent himself from thinking too much more about this, refocusing on picking up another knife to try again.]
That sounds like what I'd just this skill for, yeah. Showing off.
[He says it with a small grin, half joking, but he definitely doesn't expect himself to get good enough at this for it to be practically useful even if he wanted to do. Instead he'll just stick to making bets, provided he even gets that good at it.]
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Date: 2018-01-21 10:55 pm (UTC)[It's a genuine question. Ephemera can't remember the last time he lived entirely alone. There were a few days in Hadriel, when he'd still been figuring shit out, and Locus' men had given him his own quarters back on the Tartarus, but he was still Sharkface then.
Another thing he doesn't' want to talk about right now. This is fun. They're having fun.
He nods at Sweets.]
Throw again. You're getting it.
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Date: 2018-01-22 06:05 am (UTC)[Usually not lonely, but sometimes. Most often, though, it just means Lance doesn't have to worry about keeping up any sort of appearances in front of someone while at home, doesn't have to worry about where someone else is or what their schedule is like, and has as much quiet time to himself as he might need. It works out really well for him, but then again he's pretty introverted.
And hey, fun or not they're showing an incredible talent for dancing around delicate subjects, at least.]
Okay.
[He tries another overhanded throw, doing his best not to overthink it, and is a little more successful; it still rotates too much, but doesn't hit the wall nearly as hard as the last time.]
You may have spoken too soon.
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Date: 2018-01-22 04:23 pm (UTC)[Doesn't sound too bad. Just different. Ephemera supposes he would have liked that, when he was younger. Not having to fight with his foster siblings for space. He hasn't thought about them in a long time. Wonders if any of them made it out.
But then Sweets throws, and it's back to the moment. Ephemera grins, picking up a knife of his own.]
I stand by it. This shit is hard. Most people flinch when they hear it land, you know? Instinct. But you're getting it. There's a program in my HUD that can calculate everything - trajectory, force, all that shit - but it's not the same as knowing.
[He tips his head to the side, eying the target. Throws. Watches it land.]
Helped me a lot when I lost the eye. The focus. Also because I was crashing into everything.
[Yay for screwed up depth-perception.]
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Date: 2018-01-22 09:58 pm (UTC)[Somehow Lance has managed to get out of all the horrible experiences and injuries that he's been through with no significant permanent physical damage; some bones and joints hurt when the pressure changes, before Brennan healed him he had to be careful about not putting too much strain on his ribs or bad leg, and it's probably for the best if he avoids any more concussions, but those are or were all relatively minor as far as impacting his daily life. Losing an eye--or anything else--is something he can't even guess what might be like.]
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Date: 2018-01-22 10:45 pm (UTC)[He didn't. Ephemera shrugs. Touches a hand over his bad eye and the mess of scars there.]
Probably went a little crazy for a while. Medic said it was a fucking miracle I lived at all. But what're you gonna do, right?
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Date: 2018-01-23 11:06 pm (UTC)[Not like losing an eye--especially with other injuries, at it sounds like there were--is easy to just brush off.]
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Date: 2018-01-23 11:20 pm (UTC)Yeah, well. You get back up. I was motivated, I can tell you that. Not by the right things. But it kept me going.
[He twirls another knife, showing off a little before throwing it. Hell yeah, bullseye.]
I like being here, you know? I got perspective.
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Date: 2018-01-26 03:08 am (UTC)[And finding some good thing about being here, aside from just hating it more and more as Lance has been finding himself doing. He watches Ephemera make the bullseye, and decides to return to trying to throw the first way he'd been teaching him; he got at least a little closer to being successful that way, and this time when he throws it hits and sticks into the target, albeit not close to the center.]
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Date: 2018-01-26 03:27 pm (UTC)[It's a process, Ephemera supposes. But he's happier, now. Calmer. Not Sharkface anymore.]
You're getting it. First part is getting the knife to stick, see? Then you work on aiming.
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Date: 2018-01-29 02:04 am (UTC)[But Lance is perfectionistic and finding it more and more annoying that he can't get it all right immediately, no matter how illogical that is. He'll probably be ready to switch over to drinking pretty soon.]
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Date: 2018-01-29 02:59 am (UTC)[And it had been hilarious.]
Most beautiful woman you'd ever seen. Never took anyone's shit.
[His voice is fond and a little sad. He misses her a lot.]
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Date: 2018-01-30 01:50 am (UTC)[...Even if he did get hit on by a guy at this bar during an event a few months ago, but he just... Won't mention that.]
She sounds like she would've gotten along with Dr. Brennan, though.
[And probably Daisy, but Lance doesn't want to talk about her any more right now; it's difficult, sometimes.]
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