{ open } all my troubles on a burning pile

[gleans]

Who: Galen Howard and YOU!
What: Wandering on the beach, smoking, throwing rocks!
When: Day 30, afternoon.
Where: The edge of the water, near houses 20, 9, and the lighthouse.

It's easy for Galen to feel like he's trapped in a movie, when he's alone. After arriving in a strange place, encountering all kinds of impossible things, and to top it all off, being told that he may end up going insane at the hands of a living nightmare, it's hard to feel like this is real life. But there's really a God here, there's really a sweet doctor who turns into an angry green monster, and he's really become good friends with a woman who works regularly with the supernatural. It's almost strange to think that just a few weeks ago, he was working early radio, spending long hours in writing sessions, going on dates with his non-traumatized boyfriend -- it all seems so damn normal, in comparison.

He doesn't like being alone, but sometimes he needs it. He isn't far, at least; Galen has nicked one of Jesse's remaining cigarettes and has wandered out to the beach, not too close to the lighthouse -- and not too close to the water's edge, either. After the boxes, he really doesn't trust this open expanse between land and God-knows-where, no matter how soothing and home-like it sounds.

Galen crouches, digging where the sand and the snow meet for a rock of the right size and shape. When he finds it, he rolls it over in his hand a few times, then winds back and throws it -- he freezes for a second, arm midair, one foot kicking slightly up off the sand, as he watches the rock go; it drops with a deep plunk several yards off-shore, swallowed by the roll of the waves. He repeats this action with another rock, cigarette pinched firmly between his lips, humming something unrecognizable quietly under his breath.

Comments

[tooghoulforschool]

"Flexin' those muscles, huh? Didn't think you even had any." Now who's the showoff? Alright, it's a little impressive. He can't exactly think of too many real-world applications for throwing rocks really far, but beaning an enemy from a distance is probably more effective than skipping a rock off their face.

Except now he's just been outdone. And now it's a contest. Ghoul nudges the sand with the toe of his boot, searching for another rock.

"But you're not out here just to throw rocks, are ya? Somethin' up?" Not that he cares. He just wants to make sure the next time he sees Jesse, he doesn't have to put up with second-hand bitching ruining the entire meet up. And it's not like he has anything better to do.

[gleans]

Galen snorts, but pays the comment no mind, already looking for another rock. His shoulder is starting to get a little sore, now, and that also bothers him; getting thrown off his axis like this is taking a physical toll, too, not that he'd been doing a hell of a lot since tour, anyway.

He picks up a rock, butts his cigarette out on it, and glances up at Ghoul. He's dying to know what he and Jesse talked about; all he knows is that they supposedly got along, which is something. Maybe he's not so bad.

"Nah," he says with a shrug, rolling the stone over in his hand. "Just a little homesick. Or -- suffering workaholic withdrawals, one or the other." A little smirk; he's joking.

[tooghoulforschool]

"Don't think takin' it out on the water's gonna fix much of that homesickness, sweetie." His tone isn't malicious, just playful. And Galen's not the only one feeling like that.

Ghoul grabs the biggest rock he can find, it's about the size of a small melon, and chucks it hard. Doesn't go half as far as Galen's but it makes a big splash and that's apparently good enough for him. He turns back to look at Party's doppelganger, running a hand through his hair and letting his expression settle somewhere between a smirk and a frown.

"... Me too." Both options. No joking. He's getting restless. There's only so much around here you can tinker with that won't send you drooling into the carpet for a few hours. And while he might not miss the desert, there are two incredibly important pieces missing to be able to call this place home. Home is still back there. Home might be lying dead in the dirt with no one to bring them back.

"'M not allowed to mess with you, so you don't have to worry 'bout that. We're okay, Howard." For now.

[gleans]

After Ghoul's rock lands, Galen winds back and throws his. It wobbles through the air and pings through the crest of a wave, and he almost laughs, looking back over at Ghoul.

"Well -- good. Cool. I mean, the party thing was a dick move, but I can forgive." Mostly. Galen can be good at holding grudges, but Ghoul seems to be trying, here. He can give him a chance. "And if Jesse Finch can tell me that the guy with his face is pretty okay, I should probably believe him. So. Yeah, we're okay."

[tooghoulforschool]

Doesn't mean he's not watching. Doesn't mean he's not still suspicious. Just means they're okay. Family comes first, and if this kid poses a threat, no matter how much he might like him or his boyfriend, you can bet Ghoul's gonna do what he needs to do if the need arises.

"Yeah. Believe him. Not so bad himself." And that grin gets a little wicked. Oh, Galen, do these boys have plots. Evil plots. Mildly evil. Mischievous as hell!

As for the shit that went down at the Christmas party, "Had to be sure, man. Sorry. I mean it." They're all he has. Had to be sure. "You got people you care about, you know how it is."

[gleans]

"Yeah. I'm just glad Jess is here." Galen kicks at the sand a little, sticks his hands into his pockets. It's still weird, knowing that Jesse is from the future, but now that things are out in the open, it's been better. This can be like their vacation together. Their... crazy, kidnapped adventure.

"Oh, by the way?" He smirks a little. "Don't think I don't know what you guys have been scheming."

[tooghoulforschool]

Oh, really? Now, there are two ways he can play this. Deny everything and risk Galen ruining all their fun. Or he can own up to it with a fucking twinkle in his eye like a champ.

"You gonna spoil our games before they begin? We're bonding. You gonna ruin it? There's worse ways to kill boredom 'round here."

[gleans]

Galen snorts. Of course Jesse is bonding with his insanity twin; he's probably the one who started it. Fucking with anyone who'll listen is one way to stay entertained -- and he'll just stop himself before that train of thought goes any further.

"Hey, no, I'm not a fun-hater. Just... don't do anything stupid, alright? Then I'm cool with it." He shrugs. "At least you two are, uh, getting along, I guess."

[tooghoulforschool]

Cool with it. He's cool with it! And that would be a genuine grin on Ghoul's face as he gets Galen in a headlock for a split second, messing his hair up and patting him on the back as he moves away. Hopefully he got some distance before Galen could retaliate for the overly-friendly gesture.

He points, still smiling, "You're alright." It's surprising. Not all that surprising, but surprising all the same. If Galen wasn't already off-limits, he would have been safe after this.

Ghoul starts walking backward, back up to the path. "We're not bad guys, yanno?" Not anymore. "We're the good guys. You'll see."

[gleans]

Galen follows, still smiling. Ghoul's words just make him more curious about his crew and their weird names, and, well -- if they're okay, then Galen takes that as an invitation to ask.

"Good guys, huh? So am I right about you guys being a gang of comic book heroes?" Fun Ghoul and his slightly psychotic sidekicks.

[tooghoulforschool]

Ah-- haaaa, well then. Treading on thin ice, headed for uncharted waters, inevitably sinking to the bottom. His smile shrinks a tiny bit but ultimately remains. Keep it light.

"Pretty much." They're definitely a gang. They're definitely trying to make a difference. And those bitches are definitely his sidekicks. "You're not wrong." Per se.

[gleans]

Galen knows they're weird about info, so he can hear the little bit of hesitance in Ghoul's voice. Still, though -- he's curious! They have weird names and look like him and Jesse and apparently he's... not wrong about his guess. Assuming Ghoul isn't lying.

"I'm just curious, dude, for real. You don't have to spill anything, but I'd kinda like to know."

[tooghoulforschool]

Huh. They really haven't told him anything, have they? But they know aaaaaall about him. Have to. Gives them the upper hand. But the basics... he can know the basics. Maybe doesn't deserve to know, maybe should know anything--

It's obvious Ghoul's grappling with something big internally. Kobra's been spouting his mouth off to the dark haired girl, but he and Party think she's okay. And he knows the red head and the robot know. The Kid needs to learn to keep his mouth shut instead of befriending every single person he talks to. But it's done. It's out in the open. Fine, then. The basics.

He stares at nothing in particular, nodding to himself and hooking his thumbs in his pockets. Okay. Fine. "The place we come from's not so nice. The only things not tryin' to kill you are your crew. There's a great big bad sitting on a throne of lies, controlling everything it can get it's hands on and we don't fucking like it. So we fight it. Fight with all we got. We fight and we survive."

Are you following, Galen? Ghoul moves closer, peering at his face to be sure he gets it. Make sure he understands everything he's saying and part of what he's not saying. They're crazy because it keeps them alive. They gave him crap because they couldn't trust him. Nothing personal. It's survival. That behaviour was fucking necessary and while he's sorry it had to happen to Galen, he's still not entirely sorry.

[gleans]

He patiently waits for Ghoul to sort it all out in his mind, then listens carefully once he does. Somehow, the story doesn't surprise him, and it just makes him want to know more, but he doesn't press. If there's one thing he's learned about those three, it's that they don't trust easily. Now, at least, he knows why.

"... Okay. Good, that's a good start. Kinda makes things make a little more sense." He shrugs. "Must've been a real culture shock for you guys, coming here."

[tooghoulforschool]

"... More like a relief." And that's enough truth. That's where he draws the line. This place pales in comparison to where they come from. It's like being on a goddamn vacation. If he thinks about it for too long, the guilt starts to weigh down on his chest. Some days he swears it's crushing him. Jet's back there. Jet and their girl. No one should know about that. They're alone and unprotected.

Ghoul's expression darkens and his hands clench into fists. "Listen, Howard. We need our secrets. You've got our faces, our masks are useless. Secrets are all we have. Get me? If you need to know somethin', we'll tell you." But he gets it. He does. He understands now. There's a hint of that smile from before. "Gotta respect that you're not prying. Really do. You're right, it's a start."

But it's not over. Not so fast.

"All in due time, huh?" There it is. That shit eating grin. He's not done with you, Galen Howard. Not even close.

[gleans]

Galen nods. He understands. It doesn't do anything for his patience, or his desire to learn more about this crazy 1984 stuff, but he gets it. Some people need their space, need to open up gradually as they start trusting. He learned that lesson with Jesse.

"Yeah, I'll hold you to that," he says, smiling a bit. "I'll subscribe to that newsletter. Um -- I guess we all got off on the wrong foot, cuz you guys aren't so bad."

[tooghoulforschool]

"Tune in and turn it up loud. Broadcasting once in a blue moon, no repeats. Spread the word and we spread your guts." Still smiling, Galen? Keep smiling. "But I don't think we gotta worry about that." It's a joke. A JOKE! Really. Mostly. Give him time, Galen, he's adjusting. Normality isn't restored yet.

"Told ya so. We're not bad, just suspicious as fuck. You wanna grab a drink?"

[gleans]

He laughs a bit - and it's a touch nervous, so sue him - and reaches up out of his pocket to run a hand back through his hair.

"Yeah, alright. -- How is it that we're out of shit like bread, but not booze?"

[tooghoulforschool]

"Because half the people in this town don't know how to loosen the fuck up." A knowing grin and a wink, "And a few of us know how to hide shit real well."

But it won't last forever. He's prepared for that. Going without is just going back to normal. Booze is a luxury. You can bet he's hoarding and stocking up on anything that lasts. Anything they're gonna need. Back to rations and eating from a can. That's normal. That's more like it. Feels more real.

Ghoul claps a hand on Galen's shoulder as they head for the bar.