A Run, A Day, A Step Away (David)

[Eliot Holt]

Eliot’s feet hit the ground in a steady rhythm, his breathing sounding laboured, forced; erratic. His heart was thumping hard against his rib cage, almost as if someone was trying to pull it out from his body and hoard it to themselves, capture it and lock it away in the deep shadows of closets, hidden away from light and day, and others. A force to obviously not be reckoned with; after all, his heart was his heart, right, and who needed to take it from him? It pushed blood through his body, pushed oxygen to his muscles, it made sure he was still able to move, to breathe, to live. Everything about his heart screamed – it was one of the most important things in the human body after all, wasn’t it?

He had ran probably three miles through the trails, took a quick break before turning and heading back down; the sun was still struggling to peek up over the horizon, the rays of it hitting across the sky, painting it orangy-red and light pinks and purples as it tried to force the bleak grayness of the haze out of the sky. He had enjoyed watching the sunrise, especially when he woke up after a night of hardly being able to sleep, and he glanced at his wrist watch, showing the time – seven in the morning. Even though it was only seven, to Eliot, it seemed earlier than that, but the feeling of the wind in his hair, the sweat beading on his face and down his back, the way his feet fell in the same thumping rhythm against the ground seemed to have consumed his mind.

He had slowed about a mile and a half back towards the entrance when he saw someone sitting up on the bench, looking quite exhausted. Eliot slowed his pace to a jog rather than te on and off sprint he was doing for the last hour or so, and walked as he approached the bench – he knew the younger man who looked absolutely tired. He cocked an eyebrow, “You look exhausted. Did you run up here and get lost?” he questioned, almost jokingly but the thick film of sarcasm that had laced his voice gave him away. He had a very dry sense of humor, but this man… he just started at the Asylum, and seeing as Eliot was an important person there, being the head of security and all, he figured he’d at least get to know the rest of the staff.

[maxiecat]

Benches were becoming Dave's thing. Just yesterday he had fallen and asleep and been 'attacked' on one, and now he was just sitting, tired, on this one, which had a remarkably good view of the forest. Of course, because of yesterday, he was still skittish, and had drank some coffee earlier to prevent himself from falling asleep. The caffeine, however, didn't seem to have an effect on his energy level, it just prevented him from closing his eyes for more than a few seconds. Well, playing hide and seek wasn't an option now. Too bad. He yawned, stretched his arms above his head, then settled more comfortably on the bench. He didn't even remember why he had picked this place, he just knew that he had needed some time away from Lucid Manor and school and everything else in his life. His not-so-sensitive ears picked up the sound footsteps, spaced apart in just a way that David could tell the person in question was jogging. He pulled his legs in as not to trip the man when he came by, but to Dave's surprise, he stopped by the bench instead of running past, and asked Dave a question.

"Oh... um, I walked, actually. Enjoyed the... scenery." he mumbled, still skittish. He made a vow never to sit on a bench again, not until he was gone from Lucid Manor and everything in its vicinity. "And I'm not lost." he tacked on as an afterthought. He pondered on why the man would come up and talk to him, as Dave didn't think men sitting on benches and looking tired were really that interesting. He obviously hadn't recognized Eliot from Lucid Manor, which led him to ask "Who're you?" in a rather suspicious voice. As mentioned earlier, the last time someone had approached him on a bench out of the blue, they had touched his face while he was asleep, earning themselves the title of 'creeper' in Dave's mind. At least Dave wasn't asleep this time.

The man wasn't touching him, and he obviously wasn't anyone from Lucid Manor (or at least... Dave thought so). Maybe he could make an actual friend this time, no matter how random the meeting conditions were.

[Eliot Holt]

It was just a tiny bit strange to find someone else up in the path that he ran on a normal day at this time of day, but as he slowed, he called out – no wonder the man seemed familiar. He had just started to work at Lucid Manor – an intern or something. After eight years of working at the asylum, he had come to know faces, people, and even some names – gosh, Eliot Holt wasn’t good with names at all. He managed to know Jeremiah, and Sid, and a few of the other really high profilers names, especially when he dealt with them on an nearly every day basis, but sometimes, the names just escape him. If he didn’t know them for long, he’d forget, and have to ask. It was one of the few perks of being the head of security – he didn’t exactly need to know names of everyone, just needed to know the names enough to put them onto faces – that he knew.

He pulled out a small, white towel from his pocket as he slowed to a stop, wiping the sweat off his forehead and face as he asked the other man almost sarcastically if he had gotten lost. But he gave a curt nod, “The scenery up here is nice. It’s one of the few reasons I come up here to running. Sorry, though; I was just playing when I asked if you were lost,” even though I have no sense of humor, he told himself, snickering quietly before draping the towel around his neck and holding onto the sides with his hands, panting a bit as his body cooled down. The man seemed to be uncomfortable, almost like Eliot was going to jump his bones or something, and he quirked an eyebrow, “I’m Eliot. I work at the asylum – I’m the head of security. You work there, too, right? The new guy… I’m sorry. I’m horrible with names so I can’t exactly pull it out of my mind to tell you all awesome like,” he gave a shrug, looking around the scenery a bit. It’d be a hot day, he was certain of it.

[maxiecat]

If Eliot wasn't good with names, Dave wasn't good with faces. He could be chatting with one person for hours on end, go to sleep, and not recognize them the next day (though luckily he would probably remember the conversation, saving him a lot of embarrassment). It annoyed him to a high degree, and he had actually tried to go to classes on how to remember faces. They utterly failed. Taught by some wackjob about how to recognize the spiritual energy of someone. 50 dollars down the drain, but at least he knew what to avoid now. He'd just have to work on it himself.

It kind of offended him when the man had said he was playing. That wasn't very nice, was it? Not at all. But Dave forced a smile and a little laugh anyway. Had to be social, if he was going to make a friend outside of Lucid Manor. But then this man, this Eliot, said that he did work at Lucid Manor, and Dave almost groaned out loud. Almost got up and hit his head against a tree until he got a concussion, he was just that upset. Though he managed to refrain from doing it, he did wince visibly, and in the direction of one of the larger looking trees. He had wanted to get away from the manor when he had come out for a walk, not meet more staff! This completely ruined his day, though he didn't let the smile slide from his face. Maybe he could still make a friend, and they just wouldn't talk about Lucid Manor. Yeah, that would work... if Dave was being extremely positive. It should work, yeah. Just hope he never mentions that place again. But the topic was unavoidable at this stage in conversation, and he had to bear through it. Why, oh why, had he chosen this place to walk? "Oh, um, yeah. I'm Dave, one of the new interns." He reached out his hand to shake, not exactly sure what he was doing.