fatespoken | [ fourty-six ]

[ Amory does wonder why he's so calm, but abandons the thought quickly. The man has made himself out to be something of a peculiarity ever since their first encounter ]

... On the count of three?

[ He's starting to believe Adrian now, considering there's a right hand on Adrian's neck that refuses to budge. ]

Since you're on top, you have to move first.

[Oh look, finally someone's becoming a believer.]

Fine. One, two, three.

[Being Ozymandias, completing his part of the deal isn't difficult. What might be difficult is counterbalancing Amory if he happens to fail.]

[ Tell me what reason he has to trust you, Adrian, and being a superhero doesn't count. ]

Shit.

[ Adrian's movements pull Amory along, while his own role comes into play when he's enough off the ground to gain proper footing and balance their precarious position. However, there's an unexpected moment where his feet lift pass the ground- Ozymandius is strong after all. He tries to fix this by leaning backward so his heels can touch the ground, but it's this position that throws the two men off. Could you try counterbalancing, Adrian? ]

[Being a hero and entrepreneur worked for a very very long time. It still does in his world, last he saw.]

Hmph.

[Yes, that's a huff from the world's smartest man. It takes some effort to correct the counterbalance, but more importantly, he stills them both by using that swaying force to simply pin Amory upright against the nearest wall.]

Better.

[No. Adrian doesn't quite care about anyone who might be watching.]

No. Not better.

[ It's not better because he knows this position all too well, a position he had shared with this very same man during a curse as inconvenient and uncomfortable as this one. The closest thing to distancing himself from Adrian is to turn his head to the side, even if that means bringing along the fingers connected to his face. At least he doesn't have to look at him anymore. ]

[He asks as calmly as ever.]

We could go back to the ground if you prefer.

Every position is a bad position.

[ Don't look, just pretend he's not attached. Breathe and settle down. Think of a way out of this. ]

That goes without saying. If this is a curse it'll be at least twenty-four hours. If not, then our odds are better.

[Or worse, depending on how it happened. It's been too soon for Adrian to determine the source of their condition. Oh yes and he does take a half step back from the wall now.]

Or worse.

[ Looks like the had the same thought, too bad they don't have the same idea when Adrian decides to take a half step back. It's an unexpected jerk and the momentum sends him slamming a short distance, a very short distance, into Adrian's chest ]

.....

[He keeps his surprise well underhand, the only glimpse of any reaction to it just the narrowing of his eyes on instinct. Must Amory be so ungraceful? But at least they don't fall over all over again.]

That was unpleasant.

What are your plans for the day?

[A seemingly random shift that is, he really just wants to know what their options are for enduring this dilemma.]

Next time give me a warning before you move.

[ Not everyone subjects themselves to the Veidt method, Adrian. And not everyone is naturally graceful, which is many times the case for Amory. ]

I was going to go home and sleep; then work tomorrow early afternoon. Neither seem possible today.

[ There was also a plan to fire a round of shots for stress-releasing purposes tomorrow morning. No need to mention that. ]

The only thing we can do is stand in place.

[Point taken, though Adrian believes there's no such thing as an ordinary person either.]

Not this place.

[The implication isn't subtle, but frankly, Adrian Veidt, Ozymandias, has no intention of wasting his hours standing in Amory's arm on a city block.]

[ However, Amory's intent on keeping himself as ordinary as possible. If he wasn't, then he would have already tried splitting the two of them apart by transporting himself away from the area.

But that would have probably dragged along Adrian too. ]

You suggest we walk to one of our places like this? Look at our attempt to stand.

[Must you make everything harder than it has to be, Amory Felix?]

Do you have any better ideas? A street corner's not very ideal.

[Someone's coach? Someone's ship?? No the last thing he wants is to get Dan involved, and by proxy Eddie.]

[ Isn't there some fun in difficulty, Adrian Veidt? ]

I... well, there's barely any public transportation or any transportation at all here.

[ Amory would be in favor of the flying bird ship, though if he knew who Eddie was and how he was like, he might think differently. ]

[Really really really would rather NOT contact Dreiberg unless absolutely necessary.]

Walk. It isn't hard if you time the pace.

[Oh yeah, Veidt Method in 5, 4, 3...]

[ Really would not want to transport himself back home. It'll take more energy to carry another person, and more power exerted, the greater the lashback. Adrian just isn't important enough. ]

But where are we walking to?

[ This will certainly be worse than high school gym and all the sports he sampled combined. ]

[Even Adrian knows how bad this sounds but it's a necessary question.]

Your place or mine?

[ Does he really care about how bad it sounds? ]

I just have an apartment.

[ You know, in case Adrian's ~~a billionare~~ picky. He knows that Adrian's suit is no Men's Warehouse special, and not because it's bright purple. Once upon a time in San Francisco, he had been a spoiled brat, and he knows quality fabric when he sees it. ]

Two cats, also.

[If only Amory were more forthcoming about his background, they might actually find something in common. Maybe.]

I have the Palace.

[It's big. No one will harass them there.]

[ Maybe. They had both given up a large sum of money in one way or another, possessed an inclination toward very old shit. But those are only a few points of similarity, really.

He should at least be more forthcoming to the point of offering Adrian a thank you. ]

You do realize this will take forever?

[ Of course he had the palace. ]

Let's go then.

[MUCH MUCH MUCH LATER.]

We don't have too long to go. Minutes at the most.

[The study is empty, private, and furnished with tasteful furniture, one of which is a long couch they could have used if they'd wanted to. Right now though they're probably standing. Probably.]

[ There's no angry retort, none of the sarcastic jabs that had only earlier been the extent of their conversation-- it's just a nod and a single word. But perhaps the reaction is not so much of a surprise now. As the day dragged on, Amory had put aside much of his venom for a more sedate disposition, meaning levelheaded responses and intervals of spacing out. It wasn't like he'd stop bitching at Adrian, but it was a start. ]

Finally.

[ His eyes are focused down and away from Adrian's face. The sort of look that makes a person seem half asleep.]

You can't sleep here.

[Adrian quips, having noticed the gradual loss of venom but far be it for him to actually remark on the change lest it come back at the drop of a hat.]

I wasn't planning on sleeping.

[ He was actually thinking, as surprising as that might sound. Thinking about the fact that Adrian did save him from either a serious head injury or even death. There wasn't any reason to do it, not after the way Amory treated him.

Even with his odd behavior during that curse, perhaps Amory was being overly judgmental. Or rather, just because Adrian couldn't trusted (not that Amory trusted many) didn't mean he couldn't thank him. He at least deserved that after today's curse. ]

...

[ No, he hasn't said anything yet- but his eyes are now looking at Adrian now. ]

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