[ He watched her with an arched brow as she put on gloves before heading to her couch as Max offered. Shadow didn't comment on her attire, recalling vividly what she looked like after touching his coin. He understood her desire to have on the gloves than chance going through anything like that again ...although he wasn't sure what she might touch in the barren space. Maybe she intended on checking his wound. ]
My place isn't any different. [ Shadow took off his jacket and draped it over the side of the sofa he was going to sit next to before finally sitting. ] At least anyone who came from Rapture isn't going to trust this setting any time soon.
[ she does, actually, but won't quite yet. first she'll come to sit by him on the sofa. ]
Thing I don't get are the people who went from here to there and back who do. [ although she knows that's not necessarily fair. everyone has their own coping mechanisms when trapped in a bad situation. ] Although they did end up bringing my motorcycle here, so that's one point in this place's column.
Did you really? [ He commented, impressed. ] All I got were books.
[ And his clothes. After Rapture, Shadow was never more happy for fresh underwear. That was a luxury that even prison provided. ]
Have you met anyone with any idea what this is all about?
[ Shadow had yet to stop believing that this was the work of the gods regardless that one told him otherwise. Just as Max had said, Technical Boy had been taken to Rapture and back to Deerington as if nothing. ]
Yeah? [ she smiles; max doesn’t get much opportunity for reading herself but she likes doing it when she has the chance. ] What were they?
[ at his question, she shakes her head. ] No. Ran into someone else who wasn’t here before ending up there and another who’d been here a while, but didn’t seem to think we’d be getting out of there.
[ wow that’s a whole lot of non-specific words. she sits up, peering around him (sort of) to get a view of the bandage. ] How’s that been healing up?
Invisible Man, A Tale of Two Cities, Of Mice and Men. [ He answered casually although interested to see if she’d read any of them. They were classics for the most part. All penned before he was even a twinkle in his father’s one eye.
They were onto the subject of getting any insight on Deerington and Shadow sat quietly introspective for a moment until Max asked about the wound on his neck. He shifted so she could look at it. ]
[ not all of them. a tale of two cities and of mice and men had been covered briefly in their adaptation lessons when she was younger, before the escape. they probably regretted having them read the former. ]
Interesting choices. [ considering the place would likely prefer that they adapt instead of revolt, too. but back to checking out his wound.
she comes around to stand (well, kneel) behind him, careful as she pulls the back of his shirt down. her fingertips carefully splay over the wound, which looks to be healing quite well, considering what she'd had to pull out of it. enough of his skin is exposed to see his tattoo - in a similar spot to hers, though hers is a lot smaller and less intricate. ]
It looks good. [ she leans in a little closer, her hand staying in place as she gets a better look. ] Have you seen your tattoo yet?
Not gonna lie... It feels almost like my mom made sure that I had them. It’s not that they were favorites—-I mean, we did appreciate the stories, they just weren’t necessarily feel good material. Seems fitting for here. How to deal, that kind of thing.
[ Shadow still wasn’t sure if Max knew the books but it didn’t matter.
She went to look at the bug inflicted injury and made him think. ]
No. Mirrors and light were for shit in Rapture. Forgot to look at it while here. It’s the face of a deer, right?
[ she does, but doesn't really have attachments to them aside from knowing they're classics and the general themes of the stories. she 'hms' quietly in response, still a little distracted by the tattoo, gloved fingertips still splayed over his skin. ]
All I can make out with your shirt still on are the tops of the antlers. It's pretty big.
[ which feels like an understatement, but she doesn't want to freak him out. ]
[ It was simple work, tugging off the t-shirt he wore. The design was possibly mocking as it held what could be interpreted as a moon between the deer's antlers. Or maybe it was a sun given the other circles surrounding it. Shadow didn't expect to get any kind of explanation over the design regardless of seeing it.
Some in Deerington had tattoos hardly bigger than a coin. His seemed to take the entire expanse of his back from what someone else had told him. It was strange not being able to feel anything at all on his skin given the process it took to get a tattoo. Shadow didn't have any ink on his body. Neither did he have scars although he'd been through a number of moments in life that should leave them. ]
[ max is a little taken aback by the sheer size of it, especially considering shadow is not a small man. she doesn't have any tattoos that weren't part of her genetic code and going to come back no matter how often she tried having them removed, but she knows enough to know that something like this requires a lot of time to design and execute. with it fully exposed to her now max traces her fingers lightly over the full expanse of the antlers without really realizing what she's doing, and then he asks her to take a picture. ]
Yeah. Give me a second.
[ her device is on a table in front of the couch. she stands to grab it, trying to get it all in view before she takes a picture and hands her device to him. ]
[ He remained sideways on the seating, not giving his position any thought as he looked at the image she took of his back. It definitely wasn't anything he'd want as a design. The art was eerily profound, giving the deer eyes that made him think of a deity than a normal buck.
Shadow slowly turned forward rather than keep his back to Max. His eyes finally moved from her device. ]
I'm glad that I can't see it.
[ He uttered the statement quietly, affected by seeing the design more than Shadow wanted to let on.
The wound on his neck should have been fresher. Rapture had only been a couple of days since he'd seen Max and she'd helped him but Shadow had learned that everyone experienced their return differently. Someone he'd seen after Max said they'd been back in Deerington for a week when they crossed paths when he (Shadow) arrived.
Yet for someone who walked away from a trainwreck, the wound should have healed completely. ]
[ that's something that max probably should have picked up on, but she also heals quicker than most. whether or not that's something that's typical for him is beyond him, but it does occur to her that something like that kind of would probably should still require a bandage, and yet it doesn't look like it does anymore.
he mentions he's glad he can't see it and she nods, setting the device aside again. there's a moment's hesitation before she turns and moves her hair off of her back and neck, exposing her own tattoo and her barcode. ]
A little less invasive than the last modification someone did to me, but. [ she gets it. ]
[ He twisted, turning to see what Max was showing him. His fingertips reached to touch her skin without thinking of any consequences. Shadow had felt her gloved digits on his back and wondered if her tattoo had any kind of texture. Maybe it wasn't actually embedded in the skin.
Yet he felt no imperfections on her surface. Much like what he'd seen of Max, her back was flawless. ]
I'm sorry.
[ Shadow hated hearing that she was modified at all. The apology was for the experimentation, not the unconscious act of touching her skin. He knew what it was to be strapped to a machine against his will and pictured the same for Max. ]
[ she doesn’t remember any of it, when it comes to the implant. which is probably for the best, considering her childhood and the time she’d been recaptured, but not knowing what was done to her is equally uncomfortable. honestly, she just tries not to think about it on most days.
his touch ghosts over the skin of her back and she draws in a soft breath of surprise at being touched. nothing happens; the implant doesn’t glow and her mind is still her own, but it’s something of a shock to be touched like that when she’s gotten used to needing barriers between her skin and anyone else’s. her heartbeat picks up in speed and she swallows before turning to face him. ]
It’s okay. [ not that she knows what the apology is for - it could be the touch, for what she’d told him she’d been through, both, neither. none of it is his fault.
well, maybe the touch, but she hadn’t minded it. ]
I... [ Had she seen anything about him when he'd touched her? She didn't look unnerved as Max had when touching his coin with her bare hands. Shadow didn't feel right asking if he'd triggered her abilities. Her chest didn't glow. He took a breath. ] ...should put my shirt back on.
[ And he did. Quickly, not realizing it was inside out as he slipped back into it. At least it wasn't backwards. He felt awkward enough as it was. His dark eyes stayed fixed on the floor for a moment after getting his shirt on. ]
Does it bother you, someone touching you? [ He asked with eyes lifting to meet her face. ]
[ she falters a little, giving him space and averting her eyes as he finds his shirt and pulls it back on. it's not until it is and he asks if his touch had bothered her that she looks back at him, her eyes meeting his. ]
I don't know. It's been a while since someone has. [ it's odd and, truthfully, a little embarrassing to admit, the lack of intimacy in her life as of late, extending to before she'd even found herself in new amsterdam. ] That didn't, for whatever it's worth.
[ His brow knit together, more concern than confusion. He didn't really know much about her. Shadow didn't like prying but he did want to learn about Max.
He didn't catch how she looked away. It was simpler to believe her attention had been drawn elsewhere.
A part of him thought that a conversation was more polite but another couldn't help think of how much he yearned for touch after years in prison. However, he wasn't going to assume that Max felt how he did. He was mostly a stranger to her other than their encounter in Rapture. ]
I know the feeling. I... [ He took a breath then exhaled his confession. ] was in prison for three years. Released a few days early to attend my wife's funeral. The only touch I had was a hug from her best friend.
[ Shadow swallowed thickly, his eyes had left Max's before the last statement. ]
[ there's a long beat as she absorbs this, and what it means that he'd shared it with her. it's true they haven't really shared much with each other about their lives prior to arriving in rapture (intentionally, anyway), and it strikes her as really sad that people can bond over traumatic experiences without really knowing who they are.
but it's still something, isn't it? ]
Before - [ she gestures to her chest ] this, I was - there was a facility I was created and raised in. They gave me a virus hoping I'd give it to someone I loved who was making things difficult for them. I got out of there thinking they'd sent someone to kill him. Turns out it was me.
[ or it was supposed to be, anyway. ]
There was an antigen that saved him, but right before I ended up where I was before rapture, his skin brushed against mine and he almost died. Again. [ her tone becomes harder here, a little angry, and it's a surprise to her. ] And it turned out he'd rather think I would go around behind his back than not want to see him because I didn't want to kill him.
[ Max didn't seem to be bothered by his being an ex con or having been married. There was a lot more to the story but he was glad she opted to share her life with him instead of asking him for details. He gave her all his attention, reaching out and placing a hand on her lap in a supportive gesture as she spoke about being given a virus to kill someone she loved.
His life suddenly seemed like a walk in a park.
Shadow was a better listener than talker. He opted to remain quiet and leave the floor open for Max to continue talking. There seemed to be more to her story. Any question that he had could wait.
It meant more than anything he could think to say, hearing her talk about someone she loved. There hadn't been much of that in Deerington or Rapture. Even less before he arrived. Shadow had been a huge believer in love but felt as if the belief was constantly being stripped away. ]
[ there's not, at least not anything that she feels up to sharing at the moment. later on she'll go deeper into manticore, what they'd been trying to do with her, and why that made her anxious to touch anyone. right now his hand in her lap draws more of her attention.
she stares at it for a moment, then her eyes are drawn to his face as she covers the hand in her lap with one of her hands. the other is, cautiously, placed on the side of his face as she looks in his eyes. ]
[ His eyes searched her face in the silence. It didn't feel awkward. Shadow understood that Max had said all she wanted to in the moment.
He watched her as she registered his hand on her. There was a question briefly on his features as she moved her hand to touch his face, but only for a second. His gaze was warm and inviting with a glance down to her lips then back up to her eyes.
Was she as starved for touch as he was? His heart felt like a drum in his chest but Shadow didn't inch toward her face, not wanting to project his feelings onto Max. Instead, his eyes closed and his face nuzzled into the hand that touched his cheek. ]
[ her own heart is thudding in her chest and pounding loudly in her ears as he reciprocates instead of pulling away. she's recognized that she's lonely, but it's not until she's up close and personal with someone else, someone who knows enough about the weirder shit in her life for her to feel comfortable revealing the more painful parts.
she looks into his face a moment longer before pressing forward, kissing him almost hesitantly and bringing her opposite hand to frame the other side of his face, both still gloved. if either were to open their eyes, they'd notice her chest is glowing, but no memories flood into her head. there's just her, and him, and whatever happens next. ]
[ Her touch was both hesitant and somehow full of conviction. Shadow regarded Max in the same manner. Once she had met his lips, he met them a little firmer. His hands moved around her waist and pulled her close.
There was a glow but he didn't open his eyes. Instead, Shadow enjoyed the intimate connection. His arms wrapped around her form and pulled Max onto his lap. He slipped the tip of his tongue past her lips for a taste, a moan rumbling at the sample. ]
[ the glow is still present as he guides her to sit in his lap, but her mind still remains her own as they keep kissing. he responds to her eagerly with his mouth and her lips part to allow his tongue to enter hers, eventually pressing back with her own.
her own moan catches in her throat as he steals her breath, and she adjusts her position in his lap so that her knees are draped over his hips. her hands travel down his torso until they find the hem of his shirt and she starts tugging upward, trying to remove it as they continue to explore each other's mouths. ]
[ The alterations didn't change Max to something he couldn't recognize. She was very much a woman; by scent, touch, sight, sound and taste. Shadow relished each in his own way and gave in when she pulled up his shirt.
He barely flinched when it moved over his neck. The wound was almost healed, no other scars maligned his skin other than the ink she had just seen on his back. His hands didn't go for her top but did grab at her ass. Shadow quickly returned to kissing again once shirtless.]
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My place isn't any different. [ Shadow took off his jacket and draped it over the side of the sofa he was going to sit next to before finally sitting. ] At least anyone who came from Rapture isn't going to trust this setting any time soon.
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Thing I don't get are the people who went from here to there and back who do. [ although she knows that's not necessarily fair. everyone has their own coping mechanisms when trapped in a bad situation. ] Although they did end up bringing my motorcycle here, so that's one point in this place's column.
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[ And his clothes. After Rapture, Shadow was never more happy for fresh underwear. That was a luxury that even prison provided. ]
Have you met anyone with any idea what this is all about?
[ Shadow had yet to stop believing that this was the work of the gods regardless that one told him otherwise. Just as Max had said, Technical Boy had been taken to Rapture and back to Deerington as if nothing. ]
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[ at his question, she shakes her head. ] No. Ran into someone else who wasn’t here before ending up there and another who’d been here a while, but didn’t seem to think we’d be getting out of there.
[ wow that’s a whole lot of non-specific words. she sits up, peering around him (sort of) to get a view of the bandage. ] How’s that been healing up?
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They were onto the subject of getting any insight on Deerington and Shadow sat quietly introspective for a moment until Max asked about the wound on his neck. He shifted so she could look at it. ]
I think it’s mostly healed.
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Interesting choices. [ considering the place would likely prefer that they adapt instead of revolt, too. but back to checking out his wound.
she comes around to stand (well, kneel) behind him, careful as she pulls the back of his shirt down. her fingertips carefully splay over the wound, which looks to be healing quite well, considering what she'd had to pull out of it. enough of his skin is exposed to see his tattoo - in a similar spot to hers, though hers is a lot smaller and less intricate. ]
It looks good. [ she leans in a little closer, her hand staying in place as she gets a better look. ] Have you seen your tattoo yet?
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[ Shadow still wasn’t sure if Max knew the books but it didn’t matter.
She went to look at the bug inflicted injury and made him think. ]
No. Mirrors and light were for shit in Rapture. Forgot to look at it while here. It’s the face of a deer, right?
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All I can make out with your shirt still on are the tops of the antlers. It's pretty big.
[ which feels like an understatement, but she doesn't want to freak him out. ]
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Some in Deerington had tattoos hardly bigger than a coin. His seemed to take the entire expanse of his back from what someone else had told him. It was strange not being able to feel anything at all on his skin given the process it took to get a tattoo. Shadow didn't have any ink on his body. Neither did he have scars although he'd been through a number of moments in life that should leave them. ]
Can you take a picture with my device? Or yours?
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Yeah. Give me a second.
[ her device is on a table in front of the couch. she stands to grab it, trying to get it all in view before she takes a picture and hands her device to him. ]
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[ He remained sideways on the seating, not giving his position any thought as he looked at the image she took of his back. It definitely wasn't anything he'd want as a design. The art was eerily profound, giving the deer eyes that made him think of a deity than a normal buck.
Shadow slowly turned forward rather than keep his back to Max. His eyes finally moved from her device. ]
I'm glad that I can't see it.
[ He uttered the statement quietly, affected by seeing the design more than Shadow wanted to let on.
The wound on his neck should have been fresher. Rapture had only been a couple of days since he'd seen Max and she'd helped him but Shadow had learned that everyone experienced their return differently. Someone he'd seen after Max said they'd been back in Deerington for a week when they crossed paths when he (Shadow) arrived.
Yet for someone who walked away from a trainwreck, the wound should have healed completely. ]
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he mentions he's glad he can't see it and she nods, setting the device aside again. there's a moment's hesitation before she turns and moves her hair off of her back and neck, exposing her own tattoo and her barcode. ]
A little less invasive than the last modification someone did to me, but. [ she gets it. ]
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Yet he felt no imperfections on her surface. Much like what he'd seen of Max, her back was flawless. ]
I'm sorry.
[ Shadow hated hearing that she was modified at all. The apology was for the experimentation, not the unconscious act of touching her skin. He knew what it was to be strapped to a machine against his will and pictured the same for Max. ]
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his touch ghosts over the skin of her back and she draws in a soft breath of surprise at being touched. nothing happens; the implant doesn’t glow and her mind is still her own, but it’s something of a shock to be touched like that when she’s gotten used to needing barriers between her skin and anyone else’s. her heartbeat picks up in speed and she swallows before turning to face him. ]
It’s okay. [ not that she knows what the apology is for - it could be the touch, for what she’d told him she’d been through, both, neither. none of it is his fault.
well, maybe the touch, but she hadn’t minded it. ]
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[ And he did. Quickly, not realizing it was inside out as he slipped back into it. At least it wasn't backwards. He felt awkward enough as it was. His dark eyes stayed fixed on the floor for a moment after getting his shirt on. ]
Does it bother you, someone touching you? [ He asked with eyes lifting to meet her face. ]
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I don't know. It's been a while since someone has. [ it's odd and, truthfully, a little embarrassing to admit, the lack of intimacy in her life as of late, extending to before she'd even found herself in new amsterdam. ] That didn't, for whatever it's worth.
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He didn't catch how she looked away. It was simpler to believe her attention had been drawn elsewhere.
A part of him thought that a conversation was more polite but another couldn't help think of how much he yearned for touch after years in prison. However, he wasn't going to assume that Max felt how he did. He was mostly a stranger to her other than their encounter in Rapture. ]
I know the feeling. I... [ He took a breath then exhaled his confession. ] was in prison for three years. Released a few days early to attend my wife's funeral. The only touch I had was a hug from her best friend.
[ Shadow swallowed thickly, his eyes had left Max's before the last statement. ]
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but it's still something, isn't it? ]
Before - [ she gestures to her chest ] this, I was - there was a facility I was created and raised in. They gave me a virus hoping I'd give it to someone I loved who was making things difficult for them. I got out of there thinking they'd sent someone to kill him. Turns out it was me.
[ or it was supposed to be, anyway. ]
There was an antigen that saved him, but right before I ended up where I was before rapture, his skin brushed against mine and he almost died. Again. [ her tone becomes harder here, a little angry, and it's a surprise to her. ] And it turned out he'd rather think I would go around behind his back than not want to see him because I didn't want to kill him.
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His life suddenly seemed like a walk in a park.
Shadow was a better listener than talker. He opted to remain quiet and leave the floor open for Max to continue talking. There seemed to be more to her story. Any question that he had could wait.
It meant more than anything he could think to say, hearing her talk about someone she loved. There hadn't been much of that in Deerington or Rapture. Even less before he arrived. Shadow had been a huge believer in love but felt as if the belief was constantly being stripped away. ]
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she stares at it for a moment, then her eyes are drawn to his face as she covers the hand in her lap with one of her hands. the other is, cautiously, placed on the side of his face as she looks in his eyes. ]
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He watched her as she registered his hand on her. There was a question briefly on his features as she moved her hand to touch his face, but only for a second. His gaze was warm and inviting with a glance down to her lips then back up to her eyes.
Was she as starved for touch as he was? His heart felt like a drum in his chest but Shadow didn't inch toward her face, not wanting to project his feelings onto Max. Instead, his eyes closed and his face nuzzled into the hand that touched his cheek. ]
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she looks into his face a moment longer before pressing forward, kissing him almost hesitantly and bringing her opposite hand to frame the other side of his face, both still gloved. if either were to open their eyes, they'd notice her chest is glowing, but no memories flood into her head. there's just her, and him, and whatever happens next. ]
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There was a glow but he didn't open his eyes. Instead, Shadow enjoyed the intimate connection. His arms wrapped around her form and pulled Max onto his lap. He slipped the tip of his tongue past her lips for a taste, a moan rumbling at the sample. ]
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her own moan catches in her throat as he steals her breath, and she adjusts her position in his lap so that her knees are draped over his hips. her hands travel down his torso until they find the hem of his shirt and she starts tugging upward, trying to remove it as they continue to explore each other's mouths. ]
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He barely flinched when it moved over his neck. The wound was almost healed, no other scars maligned his skin other than the ink she had just seen on his back. His hands didn't go for her top but did grab at her ass. Shadow quickly returned to kissing again once shirtless.]
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