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[email] Erik- We can figure out how much once you've had a chance to look? The thing is ancient so I'm inclined to say a few of the wires are shot- but I definitely don't the ability to fix that. The grids go unresponsive too frequently for my liking- I've checked everything on the catwalk, so it's gotta be something with the board. I understand busy, trust me. Any day after four I'll be in the theatre working or tutoring, so whenever your schedule permits is fine. Thanks again. -Zee

[Email] Zee-That's fine. I can take a look and then give you an estimate if that works better. I'm free Monday. If it's alright just to stop in around five and have a look, I can do so, and then we can talk afterwords. -Erik

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[email] Hello Erik, I'm Zee, the stage manager over at the theatre (yea, we have one, shock shock) one of the professors in your dept suggested I email you when I tried to get his help with one of my light boards. The switches and the actual light sets aren't matching up right and I don't know what has happened. Any chance I could persuade you to lend me a bit of your time? And yes, there are departmental funds in it for you if you can help me straighten this out. Let me know, ok? Thanks- Zee

[email] Hello, Zee. My professor already mentioned you to me. Go ahead and try to send me as much information as possible about the problem. I'm also extreamly busy, so any pay would be very appriciated. If you have some time later in the week, I wouldn't mind taking a look to see what the problem might be. Let me know when a good time is and we can schedule something. -Erik

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[text] not coming home tonight. have a good night!

*Sighs frustratedly and deletes text*

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dear charles

i am sorrY I'm such a bastard to you. you are the best roommate and friend xoxo

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mutantpride replied to your post: mutantpride replied to your post: mutantpride...

Okay. I’ll see you when I get home? :^)

I'm here if you get back early enough. Not sure how late I'll be up, though.

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mutantpride replied to your post: mutantpride replied to your post: ...

Okay. I just feel like I never see you. :^( We should make plans soon.

I've just been more busy. We'll figure something out, though.

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mutantpride replied to your post: mutantpride replied to...

Are you working more shifts this semester? I don’t remember you being gone this much last year. Siigh. I’ll miss you~

I'm sure you will. And yeah, I've been working a lot more. Just trying to save money. 

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mutantpride replied to your post: mutantpride asked you:  I’m worth your time,...

Wait, only /most/??

mutantpride replied to your post: mutantpride asked you:  I’m worth your time,...

No. You should come drinking with me later though.

That's much better than a lot of other people. You should feel honored. And I can't. I have to work early in the morning.

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mutantpride asked you: 

I'm worth your time, right?

mutantpride asked you: 

That was a stupid question. I'm always worth your time~

Most of the time, you are. Did you need something?

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[ooc] Starting over! Everything up to this point doesn't exist.

I'm currently redoing the bio and then I'll be good to go.

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Erik mostly sticks to the background, hovering just beside Charles and not saying much at all. As impossible it is for him to really blend in anywhere, he does try to make himself as unnoticeable as possible. It's rather clear upon walking in that he really doesn't belong in a place this grand, with people dressed just as if they are part of the  art, like moving statues of wealth and privilege. He dislikes them immediately. He tries not to glare over much at them as they make shallow and forced conversation at Charles. He also tries to ignore the way they whisper behind Charles back. He knows Charles hears it. He tries not to let it get to him too much. He does find him self quite irritated over it, however.

He takes a few moments to be grateful at least that Charles is really nothing like them. He figures he would like him a lot less if that were the case, anyways.

He listens to whatever Charles wants to tell him, quietly nodding and smirking at the appropriate moments. He hopes desperately that he doesn't make Charles uncomfortable by being here with him, although he figures the alternative may have been worse, seeing how Charles would most likely have been completely by himself the whole time. Especially considering he had said his sister was coming. 

"Are you sure she coming?"

Funerals Are For the Living (Erik and Charles)

Charles’ adjusts his tie one last time before going to knock on the door.

It goes how mourning does.

The butler ushers them inside and makes small talk with Charles -asks him about school, gives his condolences, and kindly doesn’t raise his eyebrows when Charles introduces Erik as simply Erik, with no qualifiers attached. No one will believe him if he says Erik is just his friend, anyways, and saying boyfriend just seems pathetic. So he leaves them to make their own assumptions. It’s easier that way.

The house seems smaller and older than it used to, and he’s not sure if this is from growing up or his own distance from his childhood. It’s still overly extravagant to an extent Charles hadn’t appreciated until now. The false, gilded glamour of it all leaves a bad taste in his mouth, but he supposes it’s appropriate for the mansion’s current residents.

The service is at a funeral home a ways away. The people gathered here are old family members, great aunts and uncles and distant cousins. They talk to him, sometimes, but they never seem to mean it. The whispering starts up every time he walks away. His stepbrother doesn’t appear to be present - he wonders vaguely if he’s still deployed in the army somewhere. His sister is nowhere to be found either. He knows she’ll turn up later, but even with Erik here the rooms feel too empty without her.

However, for the most part it’s boring. He tries to entertain himself by whispering to Erik stories about the people present, just things from Christmas parties and old family reunions. He wonders if he should politely say goodbye and see them at the service, but it doesn’t seem like the proper thing to do.

“I wish my sister would show up. I think you’ll like her.”

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He steps out and shuts the door behind him. He almost forgets, but at the last moment before he walks away, he changes his momentum and steps backwards a bit to open the back door and pull out his suit jacket. He slips it off the hanger and slides it on. Before closing the door, he hits the lock button. He adjusts his collar and steps toward the front of his car. He looks back and a waits for Charles to lead the way to the house.

Funerals Are For the Living (Erik and Charles)

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He exhales and turns back toward the...estate, looking up at it's highest point and studies it for a moment. His eyes slide back toward Charles. This tells him a lot more than he should probably know about why Charles acts the way he does. He figures this plush house can at least account in some small amounts for Charles' naivety about the world. He's curious, to say the least, what else this house and Charles' family night reveal, but he keeps any such questions to himself. It does make sense, at least, in the context of all they had (very little) talked about Charles' family before: why Charles acts they way he does, or why perhaps for example he tends to be so loose about his money sometimes, or why he never talks about his family except for mostly in negativity. The way he'd talked about them did suggest a falling out, he just hadn't known the extent of it. He doubts he will at all. He is not curious or rude enough to pry further. If Charles wants to tell him, then he will, though of course Erik is sure that he won't.

He cuts the ignition finally and puts the car in park, "Are they expecting you, then?" he asks as he removes his seat belt and opens the door. He moves to step out of the car.

Funerals Are For the Living (Erik and Charles)

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He finds his eyebrows rising higher and higher up his forehead. The large houses give way to bigger houses which give way to more houses that look suspiciously like castles. He doesn’t make any sound that hints at his surprise but he’s sure the look on his face make it evident. Finally, Charles directs him down a long driveway. And the moment he stops in the driveway he turns fully to Charles and says ‘Anything else you’d like to say? Before we enter your castle?'

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The ride is quiet, regretfully so, despite the music like white noise in the background. The silence spreads out, spills into all of the spaces of what they could be saying to each other but just aren’t. Nothing he can think to talk about even seems appropriate in the context of where they're going, or where they've been in their conversations before. It shouldn’t bother him, except that it does. Normally he doesn’t care about silence; people can keep their mouths shut unless they have something intelligent to say as far as he’s concerned. But not so much with Charles. It’s starting to sound ridiculous, the way he sees it in his own head, that Charles' words mean so much more that he actually feels the silence around him pushing in when he stops talking. He tells himself that it's his energy, or maybe his intelligence that draws Erik to him, but that's not necessarily all of it. The ride drags on: minute pass like hours, one and then two.

Funerals Are For the Living (Erik and Charles)

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He watches Charles out of the corner of his eye, wondering, curious, what he's thinking. His reaction was subdued, but Erik has a feeling that there's more to it than just a quiet noise that Charles heard what he said. And while of course Erik knows the statement could have meant something different to Charles, it was an entirely serious statement on his end.

He means it. He cares. Whatever Charles needs. He really doesn't mind. He cares a lot more about Charles probably more than anyone else, admittedly. He wonders if Charles knows how important to Erik he is. That even if they don't end up together, he hopes that this friendship can stay just as strong. 

He sighs after a long moment and turns on the radio. Classic rock pours from the speakers, "You can change it if you want," he says before going quiet.

It's going to be a long trip.

Funerals Are For the Living (Erik and Charles)

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He closes his door and sticks the key in the ignition and starts the car. "I don't mind, really," he says as he puts the car in gear. He glances over at him once and then away again at the road as he turns the car out of the parking lot, "Whatever you need." 

Funerals Are For the Living (Erik and Charles)