Ben
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Posted: Jan 12th, 2007 at 02:36 pm
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Luck was all that got them out of the mud. After Sofie surprisngly agreed to read the cards, Ben as well thought it may be best to get out of the mud before they rushed to any decisions. After contrasting between the brakes and the gas pedal for about 10 minutes, he'd managed to reverse them back to a more stable ground, where he was able to easily pull out.
First off, he wasn't even sure how he was going to go about bringing Sofie back into the carnival. Libby was sure to ask about Jonesy, and the last thing either of them wanted was more hassle. The whole ordeal would have to be kept under the table for now.
Eventually, they arrived at Soda Springs. It was probably the halfway point between there and Lovelock, Nevada (where the Carnivale was located). The town was fairly small, but there was a tiny diner at the foot of it. Ben pulled his mud caked vehicle into the remote lot, curious if the place was even open at first. He peered through the windshield, past the opaque rain stained glass to see a few lights on.
Pushing the door open, he stepped out onto the flooded streets. He waited for Sofie and then made his way into the diner. It was empty, aside from one lone customer in what appeared to be... a black suit. At first, he didn't even see a waitress or a cook. Ben glanced behind him to see if Sofie was indeed coming in as well. There was nobody there. His car was gone. Something wasn't right.
Slowly, he shifted his gaze once more to the solo man sitting at the counter. At a very, unsure and steady pace, Ben began approaching him. "'scuse me sir," he enquired. There was no response. As Ben reached out to touch the man's shoulder, suddenly, the head that seemed to be steady on the stranger's shoulders before, rolled off into his lap. It landed face up, making Ben stumble back, as he recognized the face... it was Scudder. The face of his father lay there, agape, decayed and terrified. Like some sort of monster trophy a hero had just slayn for.
Suddenly, all of it was gone. Ben had snapped back into reality. He was still in the diner, but now there were two or three customers, staring at him blankly. The waitress who stood before him, rose a single eyebrow, tilting her head to the side. "You look like you just seen a ghost. You okay?"
Completely ignoring the question, Ben made his way to an empty booth and waited for Sofie.
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Posted: Jan 12th, 2007 at 04:12 pm
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The rain had ceased some way back down the road but everything remained slick and wet from the passing storm. The air seemed fresh, renewed and after a moment, she too climbed out of the cab of the truck and unsteadily made her way towards the door through which Ben had disappeared. She lifted a lucky strike to her lips and lit it with a match as she pushed the door in with her shoulder. Not paying attention she nearly walked right into the back of Ben as he stood seemingly frozen. She leaned around him and rose a brow questioningly, nudging him with her elbow as she took a drag of the cigarette and exhaled the plume of smoke into the already smoky air. "Ben?" She uttered questioningly before he abruptly moved off towards a booth. She paused a minute to glance about the room oddly, then followed sliding into the booth opposite him. She peered at him as if delving, as if seeking explanation for his odd pause. The colour had drained from his face somewhat, and a lingering air of creepiness hung about them, making her shudder very lightly, though it may well have been from the still damp clothing and hair. She felt chilled, though the warm air of the little diner was welcome. She looked up at the waitress as she approached and with her usual neutral face she ordered a cup of coffee then ashed her cigarette into the little glass ashtray before turning her attention back to Ben. She wasn't much in the mood or polite pleasantries with the waitress and peered back at her again as she lingered. Her face betrayed her aggravation and she snatched up the little paper menu and ordered a breakfast dish absently. The waitress took the hint, noted down an extra coffee for the gentleman who seemed to be off in a daze, then headed back to the little bar with an air of indignation. She sighed softly and looked down at her now obviously blue stained fingernails. under the overhead light it looked as if she'd dipped her hands in a bucket of blue paint and wiped them off on a cloth. She swallowed hard again, feeling the nausea creeping into her gut again. Something was askew to be sure.
"You okay?" She mused, picking a flake of tobacco out of her mouth idly as she leaned back into the booth. She ashed the cigarette again and cast a glance about the room once more. Her hand on the table trembled slightly as the hunger flared up again and so she moved it to her lap casually, returning her attention to him once again. The waitress returned with two cups of coffee and a little metal milk jug then left without a word. Sofie watched her go with a blank expression. She didn't much care if she'd pissed her off, she wasn't in a social mood, infact, she rarely ever was. The night was however looking up, they weren't in the field at least, though the thought of returning to the carnival made an anxious churning in her stomach. She wondered if they'd welcome her back or regard her as a stranger, some far away rube. A power flared in her at the thought of it, something strange and disquieting that made a rare strength fluctuate through her trembling hands. She dropped her gaze to the table top, letting her hair fall from behind her ears to cloak her for a moment. She breathed steady through the sensation and memories of the shack came back to her. The cloaked figure. Something had happened, hadn't it? Something odd. The new sensation felt familiar to her somehow. Then she stood peering up into Justin's black and unfathomable eyes and he leaned in and whispered to her; I sense you haven't quite surrendered yourself to the cause...
She snapped out of the waking dream abruptly and turned her gaze up to Ben as if nothing had happened. She took another drag of the smoke then crushed it out in the ashtray in favour of drinking the black coffee set before her. She shook her head lightly to herself as she gazed into the dark liquid, unable for a brief moment to hide her disquieted nature. The coffee mug was unstable in her one hand and she grasped with both quickly. "His eyes..." she muttered. A sense of familiarity crept up over her and she glanced at Ben again. She sniffled a brief laugh at herself and sipped the coffee. "Maybe I'm goin' nuts like Momma." her gaze lingered on him as the implications of it widened her eyes slightly. Maybe she was going nuts! Maybe all of this, all that had happened, maybe none of it had happened, maybe she was imagining it. "Jesus..." She whispered to him, furrowing her brow. She set he coffee cup back down. Much as she pondered the nature of sanity, she couldn't simply put it all down to her losing her marbles, it was too real, too tangible. "I think I did somethin', somethin' I'm missing, somethin' import'nt." Again she furrowed her brow. She wanted to read the cards in that moment, if not just for him, for herself, to remember what had happened, to read what he had done and how it was all somehow connected.
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Posted: Jan 12th, 2007 at 04:37 pm
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(( Continued, if this will ever bloody-well post! ))
She wanted to ask him everything but could think of no questions. She couldn't even fathom where to begin. What does one ask when one doesn't know anything at all? A thought crossed her mind and she outstretched her hand to him, gesturing her fingers. "Gimme that blade." It wasn't exactly a demand, infact it was more questioning than anything else. She wanted to examine it, strain to remember where it came from.
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Ben
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Posted: Jan 12th, 2007 at 10:19 pm
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Scudder was dead. That was for sure. However, Ben never took his dreams for granted. Ever since he started having them about Management, Scudder, Justin, all of them... they meant something. One way or another. He wasn't sure what to think of his father's death. It was the only family he had left, and just as he finally reunited with him... Scudder was gone. The preacher beheaded him, Ben knew that much. At least, something to that effect...
Perhaps he just dozed off. It'd been a long day after all and he hadn't gotten a wink of sleep the night before. Finally, he let his thoughts shift to reality and away from whatever he just saw. Sofie was sitting in front of me. Ben thought about saying "thank you" to the waiter, or something to that effect, but nothing came out. He gave a slight nod, before taking one of the cups. Before taking a drink from it, he let his eyes drift down to the cup, as if suspiciously eyeing it in order to spot something.
"'m fine," he eventually said, in a slightly restless voice. "Just didn' get much sleep is all." When he lifted his gaze once more, he noted that Sofie was staring into her cup as well. Then, it was as if a sudden wave of realization had crossed her face. She was contemplating something, in deep thought or what not. Ben couldn't read her entirely, but there was a lurch in his stomach, hoping that she'd remembered something "important."
Sofie wanted to read the cards for the exact same reason that Ben wanted her to read them. It would clear up whatever connection, missing pieces and questions both and either of them had. At that moment, she abruptly asked him for the blade. Ben almost seemed to hesitate. His head skimmed over everything they'd talked about, said... If this was going to solve something anytime soon, before she could even get a hold of those cards... this might be the way.
He reached into his back pocket, and with drew the blade. He stared at the stained piece of a weapon for a moment, and then gently handed it to her.
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Posted: Jan 12th, 2007 at 10:37 pm
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She reached an unsteady hand over the table and took the silvery metal from his open hand as if wary of it, and what it might do, what it might mean. Her hand paused as it connected with Ben's and the blade and a scramble of images rushed over her so quickly she couldn't quite make sense of it for a moment, she dropped the blade to the table as if it were red hot and instantly withdrew her hand from his. It hadn't meant anything before, perhaps it was her contact with Ben in that brief moment, either way, a lingering memory floated in the forefront of her memory. In the blazing California sun a field of corn swayed lazily in the calm breeze, and spread at her feet was the tattooed man. She knew his face, and her mind linked back to what she'd seen beneath his shirt up in his room. Perhaps the realisation of it crossed her features. She saw her own hand digging for the shiny blade. The blue liquid was warm to the touch and she moved without feeling, without intent, as if she were a sleepwalker. Though some pieces were still missing, she knew what she'd done. She knew why it was all so familiar yet distant. She didn't lift her gaze to his but let it linger on the silvery blade upon the table top. Memories of Jonesy's face came back to her and she blinked absently. Her lips moved to speak but no sound came out until she cleared her throat. "Sorry..." she uttered quietly, finally meeting his gaze with her own unreadable one. Her mind flew into a flurry of excuses, shocked by her own actions. Their relationship could be utterly altered given the information. She leaned back into the booth and lifted her coffee cup to her lips before setting it back down. Her gaze flickered back to the blade. "I'll read the cards when we get back," was all she said before the waitress arrived with the plate of breakfast food.
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Ben
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Posted: Jan 12th, 2007 at 10:53 pm
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Ben almost felt a faint, yet suddent jolt, as the blade passed between him. He didn't see nor feel anything afterward, but he felt his eyes widening slightly as he watched Sofie. Her expression now, was very comparable to the times she'd had visions whilst reading the cards. It was this glazed over, soulless look to an extent.
He wasn't psychic, he wasn't god, and he wasn't extremely good at reading people at all. Ben could figure out however, that something was going on. She realized something when she held that blade again. The realization provided her with yet another distinct look of realization and familiarity. He could at least relate in that sense. Excepet in Ben's case, he clearly remembered the events that took place that night.
He was tempted to ask her what she'd seen, what she felt. But he had a feeling, he wasn't going to get an answer from her, not yet at least. Ben cautiously put his hand on the blade once again. He retrieved and returned it to his back pocket.
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Soda Springs, California - (Read 232 Times)
