( in his less charitable moments, nick hates them all a little for the way they look at him. he never fully understood the details of what happened, some convoluted ritual to seal some opened rift that resulted in nick waking up surrounded by people that he knew intimately, staring at him like he was a stranger. the going theory is that they traded places, that this nicola is running around in his world, just as displaced as him.
( in his even more uncharitable moments, he hates her a little too. )
they're no closer to figuring out how to fix things, so for now nick is resigned to his life here. he does't know how to act around these people that are supposed to be the best friends that he's ever had, but he can't pull away either — and he thinks they probably can't either, even if it's clearly hurting them all.
he looks at august and the scar on his palm aches. he wonders if their nic — if august's nic — has a matching one on her palm. he doesn't ask. it's another night of trying to figure out a way to get them back, just as fruitless as all the ones they've tried before this, and after a moment nick sighs. he digs his thumb into the gnarled scar that's never going to heal, looking at the painted symbol on the floor instead of the person in the room with him. )
So like, does your town lake have a mermaid in it too?
( that's a safe question, at least. they all remember the lake, there's nothing in this town that they don't all have weighty memories scattered across, but at least those were mostly happy ones. lazy summer afternoons, when they were all still in school together and blowing off classes anyway. it's less of a minefield than some of the other places around here, at least. )
[ august has never been closed off to the idea that other realities based of their own exist. he dealt with entities, spirits, the unknown -- why limit his view of what was real when the proof was all there? the thing is, he never thought he'd come face to face with a time and space altering situation at the same time. nic was warped away from here and this nic stood in her place.
they were doing everything they could. august blew through information the way he used to when he was cramming for studies, with a new sense of urgency. he was always the calmest of the group, but this unsettled him. where was his nic? was she okay? were the boys taking care of her? they must be. he had to rely on the authenticity of his friends.
nic avoids his gaze, but august scrutinizes him, watching every movement, almost like he's disassembling every part of nic to make sense of him. he doesn't dislike him, but the air around this nic is different. something's changed. august's expression remains nearly empty as he stares unapologetically, and one could say he's watching the way a cat watches its prey, but it's more complicated than that.
the question pulls him from his thoughts, and he replies softly, with a gentleness that betrays his lack of expression: ]
Of course. She's interesting, isn't she?
[ but he wants to get to the good stuff. all in good time, he's patient. he'll deal with easy conversation for right now. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
» » do you call her, almost say my name?
( in his even more uncharitable moments, he hates her a little too. )
they're no closer to figuring out how to fix things, so for now nick is resigned to his life here. he does't know how to act around these people that are supposed to be the best friends that he's ever had, but he can't pull away either — and he thinks they probably can't either, even if it's clearly hurting them all.
he looks at august and the scar on his palm aches. he wonders if their nic — if august's nic — has a matching one on her palm. he doesn't ask. it's another night of trying to figure out a way to get them back, just as fruitless as all the ones they've tried before this, and after a moment nick sighs. he digs his thumb into the gnarled scar that's never going to heal, looking at the painted symbol on the floor instead of the person in the room with him. )
So like, does your town lake have a mermaid in it too?
( that's a safe question, at least. they all remember the lake, there's nothing in this town that they don't all have weighty memories scattered across, but at least those were mostly happy ones. lazy summer afternoons, when they were all still in school together and blowing off classes anyway. it's less of a minefield than some of the other places around here, at least. )
no subject
they were doing everything they could. august blew through information the way he used to when he was cramming for studies, with a new sense of urgency. he was always the calmest of the group, but this unsettled him. where was his nic? was she okay? were the boys taking care of her? they must be. he had to rely on the authenticity of his friends.
nic avoids his gaze, but august scrutinizes him, watching every movement, almost like he's disassembling every part of nic to make sense of him. he doesn't dislike him, but the air around this nic is different. something's changed. august's expression remains nearly empty as he stares unapologetically, and one could say he's watching the way a cat watches its prey, but it's more complicated than that.
the question pulls him from his thoughts, and he replies softly, with a gentleness that betrays his lack of expression: ]
Of course. She's interesting, isn't she?
[ but he wants to get to the good stuff. all in good time, he's patient. he'll deal with easy conversation for right now. ]
Ever trade treasures with her?