Derrick Magnus
Designated Decoy
The Quiet Hero
Rise and rise again, til lambs become lions.[A1i:3]
Posts: 52
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Post by Derrick Magnus on Dec 13, 2011 3:25:42 GMT -5
Derrick had been out taking care of a few things earlier in the day, and now that those were done, he went out in search of his little brother. He knew Richard was out playing with his guitar, and even with as cold as it was, Derrick knew Richard would be fine, considering his gift. But that didn't stop Derrick from fetching their favourite hot chocolates from the cafe nearby once he spotted Richard talking to a girl in a wheelchair. He decided to get her a hot chocolate as well, considering she looked incredibly cold sitting there. Such was Derrick's way after all. With all three drinks in a carrier, his marked with a D and his brother's marked with an R, he headed over to where the two were talking. "Leave it to you to discover the prettiest girls in town. I swear it's like following you around on a treasure hunt or something." Derrick said with a chuckle. They sometimes teased each other playfully a bit, but they had always been close and grew closer still after their mother had been killed. He knew Richard had little interest in other people beyond a few friends, the brothers content to just keep close to each other for the time being, especially given their heritage and their father's slow deterioration over the last three years. Still, it never hurt to make new friends, after all. He stepped up next to Richard and offered him the hot chocolate, took his own from the holder, then held the remaining one out to the girl. "You looked cold so I got a hot chocolate for you too." he offered with a genuine smile. "I see you found my little brother, somehow I keep misplacing him in the weirdest places." he added and smirked at Richard, then chuckled good naturedly.
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Richard Magnus
Laser Fodder
The Pyromaniac
They call me Pyro[A1i:1]
Posts: 47
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Post by Richard Magnus on Dec 13, 2011 3:59:57 GMT -5
"No I haven't, what genre is it?" Richard asked curiously, then glanced towards Derrick's general location for a moment when he sensed him approaching from one of their favorite coffee shops. Richard hadn't thought much of it yet but he was starting to wonder where Jessica's mother was.
Were it not for what Richard and Derrick were, Richard would have been surprised to see Derrick approach them with the hot chocolate they always liked to buy when they were out and about in the cold. He tried to look/sound a little surprised, but luckily he was able to cover it up a little bit because of having to react to Derrick's comments. "Aww seriously bro? You make me sound like a pimp!" he laughed a little and took his cup of hot chocolate. "I'm not that hard to find. You can just listen for the guitar." he shuffled his feet a little, trying to act innocent and figuratively nudge back a little.
It was true though, Richard wasn't that social, but he always tried to make friends from time to time. Having been out of high school for a while though, it was just a little more difficult. He took in the scent of the hot chocolate before taking a long sip of it, unafraid of the heat. "Thanks for the hot chocolate, smells great as always, tasty stuff." He smiled broadly for a moment before glancing over at Jessica and gesturing to Derrick.
"He is the brother I was speaking of. Jessica meet Derrick, Derrick, Jessica."
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Post by Jessica Ross on Dec 14, 2011 19:26:28 GMT -5
"Nightfall in Middle-Earth is a Metal song version of The Silmarillion by Tolkien. I forget the band, and not everything is metal, or songs actually since there is some talking, but since I am a bit of a bookworm, it was the best introduction to Metal my brother could have ever given me. Dad's not so happy about it, but he's not all controlling, which shocks most considering he's, well...he likes his life in a certain way and doesn't like it being disrupted," Jessica answered cheerfully, happy to bring something to the conversation.
She wasn't expecting the apperance of the older brother, Derrick, or the fact he had hot chocolate from the cafe her mother had entered. She became worried at that, before flushing from Derrick's comment, ducking her head away slightly in embaressment. The scars along the right side of her face becoming a bit more obvious then they already were with the movement.
The offer of hot chocolate was too good to pass up, however, and she hesitantly took it, carefully. "Thank you," she answered quietly, still red from his earlier comment.
Mostly because she did not find herself beautiful at all, even if her brother would argue the case every time he saw her. She carefully turned the cup of hot chocolate in her hands. It gave a slight burning feeling, but not in a bad way. More like her hands were slowly waking up sort of way.
"It is nice to meet you Derrick," she answered softly and shifted a bit.
She was hesitant to ask if he saw anyone staring out a window watching or not. She twisted the cup in her hands a bit more, before she decided to chance asking. "While were you in there, did you see a woman staring out the window watching in this general direction?" she asked.
She knew her mother. While her mother would go through hell and back again for her daughter, had been the one to insist on the home-schooling, was seemingly the most against Jessica gaining some independence, she was the one to encourage her to go out. If Jessica was talking to someone, she stayed out of the way until the conversation was finished.
And, as could be derived from the fact she was sitting out here, alone, until Richard had strolled over, was the one who gave Jessica the most freedom.
Despite acting like an over-emotional, controlling, 'sing out Louise' type of mother.
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Derrick Magnus
Designated Decoy
The Quiet Hero
Rise and rise again, til lambs become lions.[A1i:3]
Posts: 52
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Post by Derrick Magnus on Dec 15, 2011 10:30:27 GMT -5
"True, not unlike your big brother that way." Derrick chuckled in response to Richard's halfhearted complaint, then nodded to Jessica once they were introduced. "Nice to meet you, Jessica." he offered and glanced over at the cafe for a moment. "Hmmm... I think there might be, though I was paying more attention to what I was doing and getting out here to see what my little brother was up to than I was at who was inside the cafe, honestly." he admitted and took a sip of his hot chocolate. Being 6'4" Derrick found navigating some places interesting at best, having to duck a lot in a world built for people mostly 6 foot tall or shorter. His brother Richard didn't have to deal with it as much, but arguments with low hanging light fixtures were not uncommon, especially for Derrick. That and he had to be careful of things that were smaller and below his usual field of vision so he wouldn't trip over them, which Richard sometimes teased him about. He didn't mind so much though, it was all part of being himself after all.
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Richard Magnus
Laser Fodder
The Pyromaniac
They call me Pyro[A1i:1]
Posts: 47
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Post by Richard Magnus on Dec 19, 2011 23:51:32 GMT -5
"It's probably busy in there if she's getting coffee too. And it's winter." Richard replied, sipping his hot chocolate as he stood there with them, glancing around warily. Today was a pretty chill day, nothing to stress about. It was quite nice. "Hey bro, guess what? Jessica sings! I was talking to her about possibly singing with us sometime, and she can hear us play some music. Perhaps we could add a member to our little garage band while we're both still here."
Richard was referring to the fact that at some point, he was going to be the one going to college next, and it was likely going to be out of state if Magnus would let him...he hadn't spoken to him about it much yet, but both Derrick and Magnus both knew he had an interest in engineering and to do that meant it was better to go out of state for the good stuff.
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Post by Jessica Ross on Dec 20, 2011 0:22:41 GMT -5
Jessica nodded a bit and then waved at the window before looking back to the brothers. "She's letting me have 'bonding with people my own age' time. She figures she could get to me quickly enough if something bad were to happen," she explained softly and turned the cup around in her hands again before she took a tiny sip.
It was enjoyable and the warmth seemed to explode in her mouth. She hummed happily, before wincing as some of her muscles did a light spasm. She would never get used to it, but they usually worked themselves out.
Jessica flushed as Richard brought up her singing. "Um...yeah. I guess the only thing that I kept from all of this, omitting Mom of course," she answered, before she realized what she said.
She almost winced again and gave a half-smile before she quickly focused on her hot chocolate, pretending it was the most interesting thing in the universe, even as her face, omitting where it was scared, turned a beautiful shade of red from embarrassment and shame.
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Derrick Magnus
Designated Decoy
The Quiet Hero
Rise and rise again, til lambs become lions.[A1i:3]
Posts: 52
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Post by Derrick Magnus on Dec 20, 2011 9:13:10 GMT -5
Derrick's eyebrows rose up a bit at the mention of her singing and he looked at Richard curiously. "Oh? Now this I gotta hear." he replied with a grin, and as he looked at her again, he noticed the slip and how uncomfortable she suddenly became. //"Bro, something bad happened to her. The scars, the wheelchair, the flinching from pain or muscle spasms or both, and she's out here away from people instead of being inside where it's warm..."\\ he said over the bond as he gave Richard a sidelong glance, then looked back to her. He then crouched down in front of her, pulling his sunglasses off to look at her directly. He could see the pain, a pain he knew all too well. He didn't know what had happened, but he knew something had happened to her that scarred her far beyond just physical damage. "I can see it in your eyes, something happened to you." He then lowered his gaze thoughtfully for a moment. "You're not alone, Jessica, not by a long shot." He closed his eyes then as he tried to gather the strength to actually say the words and took a couple deep breaths to steady himself. "Three years ago, we lost her... I was in the car with her when it happened..." he told her softly, trying to keep his voice steady, though it still wavered slightly towards the end. He tried to clear his throat and it took a moment before he could speak again. "You don't have to tell us what happened, just know that you're not the only one who suffers, that you're not alone..." he offered her gently and extended a hand towards her as he opened his eyes to look at her again.
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Richard Magnus
Laser Fodder
The Pyromaniac
They call me Pyro[A1i:1]
Posts: 47
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Post by Richard Magnus on Dec 23, 2011 4:42:58 GMT -5
Richard's throat tightened then, and he hugged Derrick through the bond. "Yeah, he's right." Richard certainly didn't want to share his side of the story unless he was asked. Everyone had their unpleasant memories. He stared at the ground for a moment as a hand quivered slightly, he was unconsciously remembering the day he had freaked out at school, and transformed right in front of his classmates while in the middle of an indoors basketball game...his own scream as well as Derrick and Magnus's echoed inside his skull as he felt himself buckle to the floor and suddenly released a giant wave of heated energy from his aura, completely frying almost everything in the gym and then some... he didn't realize he was sweating a little on the neck and wrists when a gust of wind interrupted his train of dark thoughts. So he focused on his older brother as he spoke via the sibling bond.
//"I noticed, I just wasn't sure what to say. Should we offer our help?"\\ Richard replied uncertainly, glancing over at Derrick for a moment. He wanted to take a tiny step towards Derrick and comfort him, but instead he didn't make any noticeable motion.
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Post by Jessica Ross on Dec 23, 2011 19:19:13 GMT -5
Jessica stared at Derrick. The sunglasses seemed so much a part of him that it threw her for a loop that he took them off. Her hands twitched on the cup that still held the hot chocolate. She looked briefly over at Richard, before she looked back at Derrick. Her heart was clenching slightly as he opened up to her and her grip tightened on her hot chocolate.
She had opened her mouth to try and tell him that everything was fine, when he mentioned being in the car with her. Distantly, she heard the screeching crash of metal and phantom pains, {"Oh, I can tell the difference"}, the rain streaked window flashing across her vision for a moment and she let out a strangled sob sound instead.
It was quiet, strangled almost, and she shook her head, even as tears began to slide down her cheeks. "It's...it...that's not the worst part. My dad and brother...it's like they've hated each other ever since, and...I just...I don't know why and they're so very angry all the time and I try and they can't even be in the same room without the tension being so thick no one can talk," she began to sob out, carefully taking Derrick's offered hand.
And there was the fact that she couldn't be in an enclosed space anymore. She wasn't bringing that up, though.
Across the street, a woman debated going to collect her daughter.
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Derrick Magnus
Designated Decoy
The Quiet Hero
Rise and rise again, til lambs become lions.[A1i:3]
Posts: 52
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Post by Derrick Magnus on Dec 23, 2011 20:30:31 GMT -5
Derrick gently gripped her hand and as she spoke, he could see just how badly whatever it was had affected her and her family. He rose up on one knee and gently pulled her into a hug, letting her rest her head on his shoulder as he rubbed her back. "At least you still have your family, be thankful for that much. Trust me, my brother n I understand more than you know." he offered her softly, hugging her gently but firmly. Inwardly, he hugged Richard through the bond tightly. //"She needs our help, bro. Her whole family needs our help I think."\\ he replied, looking to his brother a moment.
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Richard Magnus
Laser Fodder
The Pyromaniac
They call me Pyro[A1i:1]
Posts: 47
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Post by Richard Magnus on Dec 27, 2011 5:28:20 GMT -5
"It's tough, and hard on everyone, trust us on that. Emotion runs deep through each person, it can spread to others, especially with losses involved." Richard gently rested a hand on Jessica's shoulder, making sure Derrick had room. He didn't want to smother Jessica either, so a simple additional gesture would suffice. He almost wanted to tell her about the emotional pain they went through every day, but he knew he and Derrick certainly didn't and couldn't try to one-up what she and her family dealt with. Well, maybe. Magnus still greived, and Derrick was terrified of black vehicles after Andrea's death. And Richard? he was emotionally scarred because of the pain experienced from all three through the bond.
//"Since it might not be best to tell her what happened to us unless she asked, maybe we should change the subject."\ Richard was a bit worried that Jessica's mother might show up any minute and see nothing but a crying teen next to two older guys.
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Post by Jessica Ross on Dec 27, 2011 14:17:25 GMT -5
Jessica almost clung to Derrick as he hugged her, carefully resting against him. She fought against the need to yank herself away when she felt his arms enclose around her, but they weren't strong enough to have her panicking and throwing herself away from the comfort. She was tense, however, as she was trying her hardest to not fling herself out of the hug. She continued to cry softly, hearing Richard talk about it.
However, it was slowly becoming too much and she began to pull back, shaking her head. "I can't even be hugged anymore!" she sobbed out, her chest aching from surpressing some of her sobs.
She tried to pull more out of his hug, needing to get away from the feeling of being in a confined space. The faint screeching of memory forced her to cover her ears and shake her head, trying her hardest not to break down in front of people she just met.
She didn't want to lose the first two friends she could have made since the accident.
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Derrick Magnus
Designated Decoy
The Quiet Hero
Rise and rise again, til lambs become lions.[A1i:3]
Posts: 52
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Post by Derrick Magnus on Dec 29, 2011 19:15:10 GMT -5
Derrick let her pull away, inwardly nodding at what Richard had said through the bond. He kept one hand on her shoulder though, and let his forehead rest against hers, hoping that just that small comfort would be enough. He gently took one of her hands in his and held it against his chest lightly, reaching out to her and hoping she would reach out to him and his brother. "You were trapped somewhere, weren't you..." he murmured softly, more an observation than a question. "So was I once, trapped and unable to get out... You're not the only one with fears, Jessica... We can try and help, if you let us." he offered softly and looked at her, his hand moving from her shoulder to her cheek. He could see the pain and terror in her eyes and it felt like a knife in his heart. He then closed his eyes and lowered his head a bit, trying desperately to suppress the sound of tearing and crunching metal and the echo of his mother's dying screams mixed with his own terrified and painful ones, and the sight of the immense black truck that had come after them, the one who virtually destroyed his family. But Richard could feel it through the bond, could see the flashes from Derrick's memory. He had seen them before and he knew well what Derrick had seen that day. Not to mention his own pain and anguish when he felt his mother die. It took Derrick a few moments to gather himself again and he took hold of her cup of hot chocolate and carefully wrapped her hands around it, his hands over her own. "Finding friends who understand is a first step, letting them help you is another. Both are up to you." he offered softly and moved to touch her unmarred cheek again.
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Richard Magnus
Laser Fodder
The Pyromaniac
They call me Pyro[A1i:1]
Posts: 47
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Post by Richard Magnus on Dec 29, 2011 19:45:05 GMT -5
Richard stiid and watched, mostly, before he spoke up again. "We can help you...if you let us. Brother and I, we're different. We can help ease your pain, physically as well." He knew that would sound a little awkward. He looked to Derrick then, knowing between both their abilities they could do a lot for her stiffness and muscle pains.
//"Please, Derrick? Between both of our abilities, we could help ease her pain significantly, at least temporarily, if she grows to trust us. But that means she would know the truth about what we are at some point. People are aware of the Cybertronians, at least."\\
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Post by Jessica Ross on Dec 30, 2011 2:34:17 GMT -5
Jessica had been lucky she hadn't spilled her hot chocolate when she tried to cover her ears from sounds that were no longer there. They were as old as her scars and her pain and the outright anger that her brother seemed to have for her father now. She tried not to cry harder, still feeling the overwhelming urge to run, but she couldn't not anymore.
Running from her problems was no longer an option, though Derrick was still reaching. She could feel his forehead against hers and one of her hands was againsthis chest. There was something comforting about it, even when she wanted to run away and hide. Pretend that she was ten all over again and that her brother was getting ready to go be in the Rangers.
She just nodded to his statement, carefully pulling back slightly so she wouldn't rub against his forehead. "They had to cut me out. It only hit the back passenger side. I was...awake and it hurt and burned and my mom just kept telling me not to move," she answered shakily.
She was tired of being happy all the time, but she couldn't be seen sad. It just made things worse, made the tension thicker. Whenever she wasn't happy, or fine, or smiling, all the while she screamed and cried on the inside, always, always, always shoving that strong facade out there, keeping it up, always and forever, if just to keep her family together, maybe.
She felt the warmth of her hot chocolate fill her hands, while Derrick's hands closed over hers. She pulled back, again, at their words and looked between the two. "How could you help?" she asked softly, unsure of how to approach this situation.
She hadn't had friends since the accident and she hadn't been able to feel she could rely on others to take care of it since the accident, not really. After all, she had to be happy for her family, even if all she wanted to do was scream.
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