( open ) the all-purpose galen log 2: the reckoning

[gleans]

WHO: Galen Howard and YOU!
WHAT: Hanging around House 20 and hunting for books.
WHEN: Day 56!
WHERE: House 20, and the library.

Thankfully, after a long night of staying up with a drunk Kenzi, both Galen and Jesse manage to sleep in, the next morning. And it's a slow day, to boot -- he reads a bit, warms up his voice, spends a little time on the couch with his guitar when Jesse goes out.

And that's where he is now: Galen is stretched out on the couch with his feet propped up, his notebook wedged between his leg and the cushion, focused on working through a particularly frustrating chord progression. Between strums - which aren't bad at all, until he gets to the tricky bit -, he's muttering to himself.

"Christ, I need a fucking capo."

--

Later that day, Galen puts away the guitar and heads out to the library. Mainly, he's looking for books that might help in his attempts to learn Russian from Kenzi, but at this point, he'll take anything. In fact, once he's satisfied with a small armful of basic Russian lesson books (and a small book of Russian poems, because if there's one thing he can connect with, it's the rhythm of a language), he's nearly nested himself in the fiction section, looking for anything that might be of interest.

He's on the lookout - or listen-out, really - for anyone else who might be in here, glancing up at creaks in the floorboards and cutting off his own quiet humming. Ever since that gunshot earlier, he's a little nervous.

Comments

[onteamdyson]

Kenzi looks about as bad as she feels by the time she finally schleps down the stairs holding her head in both hands. She pauses to glare at Galen on her way to the kitchen only to appear a few seconds later with a glass of water which she slowly sips before flopping into one of the arm chairs. Not the couch.

The bags under her eyes are dark and she's sorely missing her magical, Siren bro right about now. She holds up a hand, eyes closed and head slightly bowed over the glass of water. "If you fuck up those chords one more time, I'm going to take the guitar and smash it over your blond head."

Someone's a little grumpy and a lot hungover.

[gleans]

Hey, at least he strums a little more lightly when he catches the glare, smiling sheepishly at her when she returns. He just avoids the tricky chord altogether and starts playing a different song.

"Sorry," he says as gravely as possible. At least he's not obnoxiously loud when he sings, but: "Looks like you've got a hangover, whoa-ohhhh! You've been drinkin' too much fo shoooo!"

He's seriously bracing for impact.

"You shoulda had some water, whoa-oohhh --!"

[onteamdyson]

If looks could kill, Galen would be on fire with his face melted off and a billion knives sticking out of his chest while a bear busts through the door to bite off his head. Except she can't keep it up and she pulls her hood up, turning away and curling up in the chair so he can't see her smiling. Don't laugh. Do not laugh! Son of a bitch.

"This would be the part where I do a highly-experimental, sledgehammer drum solo on your face, but that would mean I have to get up. You're lucky, Howard. This time." It's not that foreboding and intimidating when you're trying not to giggle like a dumbass, Kenzi. Stupid Galen! Stupid motherfucking headache! "Feels like I got hit by the cheap vodka truck, rolled over the side of a mountain, and slept it off in a ditch."

[gleans]

Galen grins, feeling successful in his attempt to make Kenzi smile, and stops with the guitar playing. He sets the instrument down over his legs, tapping idly at the head to the song's rhythm.

"No kidding. How much did you guys drink? You were totally plastered last night." And how much do you remember? That's something he's really wondering.

[onteamdyson]

"Uuuugh, I know. I barely even remember how I got home. Just gonna assume that I walked..." You know, because that is the only available option. Unless you're Anna. "We for sure had a bottle each, but he wasn't drinking vodka. I was doomed the second we switched to beer."

Girl is tiny, but she can drink. Comes with the territory when you're possibly a bit of an alcoholic. Shhh, shh it's fine. She rests her head against her arm and keeps her eyes shut. She remembers a few things about last night, but it's not like she plans on bringing certain parts of it up.

"... You called me a goof." That's safe enough to mention. It does stand out because it was pretty fucking hilarious and she felt a sense of pride while lying on the floor like a loser. Actually, she's pretty sure he used a possessive determiner there and now she regrets bringing it up because it's just making her think of-- "Your Russian's getting better, Koschei."

[gleans]

Galen smiles a bit, still tapping at the guitar head. How Kenzi can hold that much booze, he'll never know -- he can barely stand the fucking taste, himself. But he nods -- and his smile widens at the mention of the Russian. He doesn't really want to talk about what happend before that, either. Not right this second, at least.

"Ehhh, I have a good teacher. Ida Straum, man." Another grin, hoping she remembers. "What'd you just call me?"

[onteamdyson]

Hells yeah! She remembers and she smiles brightly. That had been a really, really good day. One of the best days, actually. "We should go visit her. It's getting warmer, we can find flowers or something."

Her smile gets a little mischievous as she sets her glass of water on the coffee table and sits with her knees close to her chest and the hoodie pulled over her legs. Toasty warm. At least she pushes the hood back and finally faces him. "Koschei. He's this immortal douchebag that harasses badass warrior chicks with his cheap-ass magic powers."

[gleans]

Galen's pretty sure that the hoodie she's wearing is his (or his-and-Jesse's), but he doesn't mind. Of course, it just makes him think of what happened last night, again - especially his use of our - but -- it's whatever, right? That kind of thing happens to people who spend a lot of time together. They just sort of adopt each other. He's been on different tours long enough to figure that out.

He scoffs a little over-dramatically, but it's all play. "Uh, wow, rude. Mine are at least, like -- moderately priced."

[onteamdyson]

Hey, it was warm and she grabbed it. That is usually how she makes her fashion decisions lately. Hoodie theft is nothing new and just because-- augh. Never mind. Kenzi is seriously starting to get sick of this elephant in the freakin' room.

"Wasn't talking about your sleep thing, dude." What even is she talking about anymore. This is stupid. She closes her eyes, rubbing them until they hurt, and still doesn't open them when she pulls her hands away. "Just for the record? I can tell the difference. You're not-- ... you guys aren't even close to the same. You're legit the most opposite two people could ever be so don't think I don't know that." She sighs, "Just wanted you to know that wasn't why."

Hoodie town suddenly got a lot less comfortable and the floor suddenly got a lot more interesting. "I'm getting really tired of losing people, you know? So can we just forget my drunk-ass shenanigans and still be cool?"

House 20 // evening

[nedofpies]

Ned's had a long day. A long, frightening, surprising, weird day. By the time he makes his way back to House 20, he is bone-tired, despite the fact that it isn't very late. He opens the door to see Galen with his guitar, looking comfortable and as unconcerned as can be. Clearly his day has been going a little better than Ned's, or he is just better at hiding it.

He hasn't spoken to Galen all that much, since he moved in, though that is mostly his own fault. He's the one who is still getting used to the idea of having people around all the time, after so many years of living alone. Ned has been letting himself hermit away in his room far too much, these past few days. Today, however, Ned isn't particularly looking forward to being on his own with his thoughts, so he decides to join Galen.

"Hey," he sighs, shutting the door behind him and shuffling his way in. Ned is entirely unaware of the state that he's in; he's all but forgotten that the white shirt he's wearing is rather conspicuously sprayed and smeared with now-dry blood. He all but collapses into one of the free armchairs, then feels bad for intruding and causing a ruckus (or at least what Ned, in his Neddish way, considers a ruckus) while Galen is trying to practice. "Sorry," he mutters, and adds, "You don't mind if just... listen, do you?"

[gleans]

"Hey." Galen looks up from the guitar and smiles when Ned walks in, pausing in his fingerwork. Ned looks -- tired sounds like a gross understatement. Exhausted. And Galen can't help the concern blossoming, even though he doesn't know Ned very well at all; they share a house, Kenzi took him in, and that's enough, for now. He considers, though, that maybe this would be the time to get a little more acquainted with him.

"Nah, man, it's fine, go ahead." His eyes dart down to the stains on Ned's shirt. He knows blood when he sees it. "Is... everything okay?"

[nedofpies]

"What?" Ned asks, nonplussed for a moment, until he follows Galen's gaze down to his shirt. He hadn't realized so much blood had gotten on it when he picked up Laura.

"Shit!" he hisses under his breath. Here he was, thinking he would wander in here like nothing had happened. Maybe even have a few days before the news spread through the whole town and his housemates found out about his involvement in the events of that afternoon. He should have been more careful, should have snuck in and changed first thing, gotten rid of the evidence. So much for that plan.

"Uh." He swallows nervously. What a great impression he must be making, "I'm alright, it's not my blood. Everything's fine." He realizes a second later that this isn't accurate. Sooner or later Galen is going to hear about what happened, all of it, and Ned would rather not have Galen think that he had tried to hide the truth. "Okay not really everything. S-someone died. Two people, but one of them isn't dead anymore. It's a long story. And complicated. It's a long and complicated story."

He actually feels a little nauseous, looking down at the stain, inevitably remembering the whole horrible sequence, in the space of a second or two. Ned gets to his feet, all antsy energy. "I can explain in a minute but I should probably get cleaned up, first."

With that he all but runs out, towards his own room. It takes him a quarter of an hour or so to re-emerge, and when he does, it's clear that he's taken a shower, as well as changing his clothes. Because there is nothing quite like realizing you were walking around drenched in gore for hours to make you want to stand under scalding hot water for a little while.

"That song was nice," he says, in a weak attempt to re-establish some kind of normal conversation. "The one you were playing when I came in."

[gleans]

Galen tries to think of something to say, before Ned leaves, but all he manages to come up with is "Okay". He'd figured out as soon as they met that Ned was a nervous guy, which was why he'd left him to get settled before really talking to him, but Ned's reaction and sudden departure are a little whiplash-inducing. That, combined with the fact that someone apparently died... well, okay, maybe it's a little unnerving.

He noodles around a little while Ned cleans up, and when he comes back, Galen quirks another little smile and tries to remember what exactly he'd been playing.

"Thanks. I was just fucking around, like... Sound of Silence meets Explosions in the Sky, or something." A shrug. "You good?"

[nedofpies]

Ned resumes his former seat, surprised by how calm Galen is being, considering he came in covered in blood, babbled a bunch of nonsense, and ran off. He supposes it must be a side effect of being a famous rock star: not a lot is surprising any longer. He's more than happy to benefit from that nonchalance and move past the awkwardness of the situation.

"I'm good," he answers, concisely, sitting on his hands and wondering if he should explain more. He decides that if Galen is curious, he can ask, and if not, he's certainly not going to be the one to bring it up.

"I don't know a lot about music. Is Explosions in the Sky a song, or a band? Or did you mean actual explosions?"

[gleans]

Galen nods, watching Ned closely, but stops playing. At the question, he chews a little at the inside of his lip, trying not to grin -- it's just a little funny, when he's so far out of his circle of familiarity, like this. His playing hand comes up, and he chews at one of the ragged ends of his short nails.

"Uh, a band. Instrumental, a lot of melodic guitar work. -- Man, I'd kill for some internet right now." He laughs a bit, until he realizes what he just said, which... actually brings him to his next point. He sits up a little.

"Sorry, but -- did you say someone died? On you?"

[nedofpies]

Ned sighs, breaking off eye contact and nodding glumly. So much for avoiding explanations. He knows he's being unfair; Galen has every right to be curious. It's just that he feels worn thin from explaining it so many times. Plus... he wants Galen to like him, to not be afraid of him. Even if they hadn't interacted much in these last few days, Galen has treated him like a normal human being. He's going to miss that. After all, he thinks Galen isn't like some of the other people here. He's not blue, or a robot, or a psychic, or an alien. He's just an average guy (or so Ned believes) and will undoubtedly react accordingly, rock star or not.

The silence stretches as Ned searches for the right words, for the energy to say them. Staring down at his hands, he manages a bare explanation. "I was in town today with a girl named Laura. Do you know her?" He doesn't wait for an answer, doesn't think he'll be able to get himself talking again if he stops, "Anyway we were gonna make an inventory of the farming supplies. That- that military guy--" Ned knows his name, now, but he doesn't want to say it. Doesn't want to humanize him any more than he has to, considering the revelation that is to come, "--he thought we were trying to take all of it for ourselves. He went all crazy and shot her. But she's okay now."

The temptation to leave it at that is strong, but he knows there is no point. His instinct to conceal the truth isn't useful now, when Galen can easily ask any of the many witnesses what happened and get a first-hand account, and potentially one that will make Ned look a lot worse than his own telling does.

"She died, but... I brought her back to life. Because, um. I can do that." It's never going to stop being unreal, he thinks, hearing himself say it out loud. He exhales, a little shakily. "But the price is that someone else has to die. So... the guy with the gun did." He's become a master of this, hasn't he? The careful phrasing, tiptoeing around the direct truth. So I killed him.

He doesn't dare look up at Galen, biting the inside of his lip and waiting for the questions, or accusations, or whatever else he has in store for Ned.

[gleans]

Galen listens carefully, chewing at his fingernail, saying nothing until Ned is done. Galen knows Laura. Not well, but well enough, after helping her arrange and set up the funerals for Phil and Maria, and the thought of someone just up and shooting her makes his insides twist uncomfortably. When Ned gets to the part about bringing her back to life, though -- it's hard to tell if Galen is surprised. He feels like he shouldn't be, judging from the things other people can do, around here, and what he can do, himself. But -- it's not hard for him to make his judgement call. Whoever that military guy is - honestly, Galen can't put a face to him - shot and killed Laura, and... now he's dead. But Laura is alive. Frighteningly, that seems fitting.

He doesn't say anything, for a minute, still processing the information, but the silence is kind of painful.

"Um. ... Holy shit?" Galen laughs a bit, nervously. "That's... heavy, dude." And before he asks more questions, or makes Ned even more uncomfortable, he has to ask: "Are you okay?"

[venatical]

Dean doesn't know what kind of lore a kidnapper-supplied library might have, but he's here to find out anyway. Maybe there'll be something in there about whatever the crap Ned is, if there's a history of that, and maybe -- you know, just to have handy -- how to kill him. Without his dad's journal handy, he's thinking he should start one of his own, and he's piecing it together from a couple of mostly empty notebooks he found.

He doesn't actually know his way around this library yet, so he finds himself in the fiction section before he gets anywhere useful.

"Hey," he says when he spots Galen, recognizing him. "How's it going?"

[gleans]

Galen's already looking up for the source of the footsteps when Dean appears, so when he sees him, he smiles and offers a little wave. The news about Ned has been digging at him a little, too, but hearing it from Ned himself has helped a lot. He gets a good vibe from the guy.

He shelves the book he's holding, glancing away from Dean. "Hey, not bad. You settled in okay?"

[venatical]

Not bad, not bad, just shacking up with a demon and watching a guy Jesus someone outside. Normal stuff, no big.

In real answers...

He purses his lips and shrugs, glancing over the titles on the shelf. Ooh, maybe he could get a couple more romance novels while he's here (there's no TV, shut up!).

"I've been kidnapped to worse places." Right, because that was more normal than what he was thinking of. Uh, anyway. He clears his throat and then points at the book he returned.

"What're you looking for?"

[gleans]

Galen isn't even surprised, anymore, ever since Kenzi spilled about the fae back home. There are probably a million other crazy stories floating around the town that he has no idea about.

He looks at the book, then back to Dean, and shrugs. "Nothing specific. I have an armload of fucking Russian, I figured I should balance it out with something that won't give me a headache." He grins a little. "You looking for anything?"

[venatical]

"Russian?" What the crap? "I don't know if you've noticed, but we stopped blaming the Commies for everything a little while ago. I don't think you need to worry about brushing up."

Seriously, who just thinks, oh, I need more Russian in my life? Though now he's thinking about Sam and all the stupid crap he knows, and that's depressing. He really should find another of those romance novels. They're good distraction.

"I'm looking for something maybe a little more relevant, but I doubt they'll have given us anything actually useful against them."

[gleans]

Galen grins at the reaction, glancing down at his small pile of Russian books. Yeah, probably not helpful, but hey, something to do.

"Yeah, I already checked for a copy of How To Overthrow Your Scientist Captors, they were fresh out." A shrug. "And uh -- my friend is teaching me. Kinda. Kenzi? Something to do."

[venatical]

Jeez, she keeps popping up everywhere, doesn't she. He wouldn't be surprised if she were a secret angel at this point, only she has way too much of a personality and a sense of fun.

"Oh, her. You know her too, huh?" He glances at the shelf and notices a vampire novel, and he snorts as he pulls it off the shelf. "How long have you been here? So I can know how long it'll take for me to get as bored as you."

He's only kidding, and that shows in his smirk.

[gleans]

Galen eyes the vampire novel as it comes off the shelf, trying not to smirk.

"A little over a month. You're doomed, dude." He turns his eyes back to the bookshelf, looking again for something that might catch his interest. "You'll be learning shit to stay sane in no time."