WELCOME

[Aiden Joshua Alexson]

>

like it's midnight in vegas new years eve in new york city Vivid colors danced behind the young males eyes. He wished there were better things in this life than what he knew so far. But he was wrong. This was New York City now, too. The city that never slept. A place he found no comfort in. Not when he had knowledge of events dashing around. When Aiden was young, his life was wonderful. He loved his brothers, he loved his family. Though he knew his parents were well and devoted to the family, he had certain insights about them that bothered him easily. He was so easily vexed. Not a foreign word to him, not at all. Actually, he was rather used to using it more than he had been as a teenager. Opening his eyes to a green pasture full of farm animals, mostly pigs and horses, he relaxed. He loved horses. He loved farms. He loved the redneck trampoline that was out in the back. He knew it was so rare for there to be a farm in this area, but he took what he could. The country air was stale and pungent. He'd never get the smell out of his clothes by the end of the day, he was sure of that. But it was still the fact that he was here. That he was doing something other than trying to hunt those damned doppelgangers down. He hated them. He hated them for his own personal reasons that only his brother understood. Shifting on his feet, Aiden looked over at the stables, hearing the whines of the horses within. He was curious, honestly, about what was going on in there, but he had one of those feelings that that would be a terrible idea. Stretching his arms over his head, he looked to the sky. These colors behind his eyes were less annoying. The bright blue and the dots of white. Beautiful. He loved nature sometimes, mostly when he was not camping in it for days on end. Or when he was only given a few hours per day to stare into it. This was different though, different in its own way and he enjoyed it. tag: open | words: 359 | notes: none TEMPLATE BY KAYLA JEAN FROM MARS OF A THOUSAND FIREFLIES

[Evan Noel Dalton]

when it all comes down -

.

When it all comes down to a sun rise on the East side, will you be there to carry home the remains of my wasted youth, this wasted time on you, has left me shaking in waiting for something more. Make all of my decisions for me. I've never taken the fall for deceit. I'll keep a secret if you keep me guessing, the taste of your lips says we shouldn't have met like this. . .

Evan hadn't been to New York in a long time, mostly because of tech/tour duties and other assorted nonsense. Now that she and the boys were in state, however, she took the opportunity to go exploring for the day, the bag over her shoulder containing a laptop which she used for communication purposes in loud areas. She hated being, for all intents and purposes, mute. It just didn't seem fair.

As she wandered off toward a set of stables, she froze, spying a familiar face, her eyes widening. She had forgotten that Aiden lived in New York now. Sighing softly, she carefully picked her way toward him, carefully shifting around scattered piles of manure to take a seat beside him, as silent as ever. She would have said something, were she able to do so, but she preferred silence this time, waiting for him to notice her, to speak.

Carefully, she removed her laptop from the shoulder bag and opened it, it's screen already white with a notepad document, cursor blinking as it awaited her command. She had a feeling he was just going to enjoy the silence, so she figured she might as well start the conversation, her fingers passing over keys in rapid succession. "It's been a while." The cursor blinked after the period, awaiting his response. Part of her couldn't look at him, knowing what he was, what he had done, or even began.

She had dirt on every person she knew, some to use as ammunition against them, to use if necessary to protect herself. She had hacked various computers from her home system, expertly finding her way through files and files and files of nonsense to find the little seeds of evil and darkness that everyone tried so desperately to hide. She knew he was a hunter, she knew that. Why she chose to remain in contact, or even keep a line of contact open to him was beyond her. Maybe she hoped he could change, that he could accept that not all were bad, just like not all normal people were murderers. Deep down she also knew that he was stubborn and probably wouldn't change his mind no matter what it was she had to say, and if she told him the truth. . . he would hate her forever.

Still, a part of her had to try.

SHAKING IN WAITING FOR SOMETHING MORE.

THIS POST IS TAGGED FOR AIDEN. WE'RE HANGING OUT AT STABLES. AND MY LOVELY CHARACTER IS WEARING THIS. THIS POST IS ROUGHLY 592 w/code WORDS LONG. AND I JUST HAVE TO ADD: MERP. .

I LOVE ASPEN @ CAUTION 2.0.

[Aiden Joshua Alexson]

>

like it's midnight in vegas new years eve in new york city New York was his home now, sure, he missed Arizona dearly, but this was somewhere he was comfortable being since the large move. Since everything had changed. Aiden was perfectly well walking the streets of the city, perfectly fine with being alone in the place now. Before however, he had needed a guide, he had needed someone to be with him at all times for his own safety reasons. The place was loud, he would give it that much, and it was fairly easy to get lost in. Even the stables were loud, louder than he had expected, but fairly calming. Every horse's neigh and whiny, all of the snorts and hoofs clapping against the ground. Strange as it was, it was nice. He was ever silent as he listened, silent through the worst of times, even. So having not noticed the female, Evan, sit beside him, he was caused a near heart attack when he turned his head to see her. Her bright red hair had not changed, nor did much of her facial features. Not too highly a surprise to him. As she removed her laptop from the shoulder bag, he raised an eyebrow. He knew of her mute-like silence, but seeing her in New York was definitely not expected. Not at all. On the screen appeared the found simple words, "It's been a while." He chuckled. She was right, but he was unaware how long in reality it had been. "It has been indeed. Have you been well, Evan?" He wondered if she knew about him, about what had happened. Then he vaguely thought that no, that was a silly thing. How could she know when it was a personal family business? Aiden was a stubborn person, so knowing anything and being unable to see around it, well, it was not a surprise to him. He was merely showing his ass to people. Okay, that was all the time. He was just... different, like everyone else. But not in the ways of some people were. Not in the ways of the halflings or the full fledged. He never listened to reason, there had to be reason for him to listen to in the first place. Which he was almost sure made no sense to anyone but himself, but nonetheless, he was content with that. Content with making everyone around him confused beyond utter belief. Perhaps that was his second job in life: confusing the fuck out of people when he was only trying to make sense. He was in no way, shape, or form, Yoda. Nor did he even try to claim to be that wonderful creature. tag: evan | words: 446 | notes: none TEMPLATE BY KAYLA JEAN FROM MARS OF A THOUSAND FIREFLIES

[Evan Noel Dalton]

Evan wasn't much for talking, not because she couldn't speak, but because not many could hear her, so when she parted her lips to reply, she surprised herself. "I've been better than expected." She responded, typing it out while whispering the words aloud. She couldn't hear them herself, so it was likely they were lost to the sounds of the stables, and that was fine. It wasn't often that Evan was surrounded by silence when conversing with others. It would have made things almost too easy, and life had not been terribly easy on her so far, so what, exactly, was there to change that?

She sighed gently, brushing a hand through her hair in a nervous and annoyed gesture, knowing full well what was coming, what her questions were going to be. She had to know the answers, she had to, and if it meant telling him the truth, she had no choice but to reveal it. As it stood, not many others were aware, not many understood. Her mind flashed back to when she was sixteen and lost the ability to speak, had nearly lost her life. Her forehead sank to her knees and she inhaled as deeply as possible, as her heart rate accelerated.

"How have you been, Aiden?" She queried, before sighing again. "I'm going to be forward as this has bugged me for a long time now. You've no doubt heard somewhere about doppelgangers, correct? What is it that you believe about them? So many people seem so scared, and I don't understand why. Why would they fear other sentient creatures?" She questioned, hoping beyond hope that his answer wasn't what she thought it would be.

[Aiden Joshua Alexson]

>

like it's midnight in vegas new years eve in new york city Things were different lately, more different than they ever were. Things were not quite what they seemed to be. Yet, when had they ever been? Never, come to think of it. "I've been better than expected." He nodded to her, watching as someone walked by, making him clamp his mouth shut as he had gone to reply to her. He had to be careful in these parts. One wrong word and blam, you're dead. It was strange to think of things like that, but it was the honest truth. A truth he was unsure about how it even existed. He didn't speak, he just listened. He knew it was rare should Evan speak. "How have you been, Aiden?" Aiden shrugged -- he was normal. Mostly that translated right into that "he was unamused and had been bored for the last few months of his life". He had no bother to speaking out, just his simple shrug. "I'm going to be forward as this has bugged me for a long time now. You've no doubt heard somewhere about doppelgangers, correct? What is it that you believe about them? So many people seem so scared, and I don't understand why. Why would they fear other sentient creatures?" Evan had caught the male off guard. That was not a question that he was asked every day, let alone a question that made him feel at ease. Yet, he felt almost obligated to answer her. Obligated in a crazy sort of way. "I have, yeah. What I believe though? Tough one. What I believe about doppelgangers is that they are senseless monsters -- killing machines. That they are the ones who are responsible for so many missing people worldwide. But mostly in Tempe and here, in New York." His words were not softly spoken, but rather, harsh and hard to collect. His mind was flashing back to his brother, his missing brother, the one who was gone and yet, not quite forgotten. The one who had been killed by such a monster, or at least, that was what Aiden found himself believing. tag: evan | words: 358 | notes: none TEMPLATE BY KAYLA JEAN FROM MARS OF A THOUSAND FIREFLIES

[Evan Noel Dalton]

Evan sighed, and shook her head, despondent at his reply. "I have, yeah. What I believe though? Tough one. What I believe about doppelgangers is that they are senseless monsters -- killing machines. That they are the ones who are responsible for so many missing people worldwide. But mostly in Tempe and here, in New York." She hated that he had that opinion. She knew something had happened to his brother, she knew things had gone wrong, but she was unable to accept the fact that blind hatred was all he knew, that he thought of her kind as monsters.

"What makes them so different from your normal murderers? From the serial killers that already plague the world? From Jack the Ripper? From the Son of Sam? From Jeffrey Dahmer, Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy? What makes doppelgangers different so much so that they're held in such obvious regard as scum? Why don't you hate humanity too? And what makes doppelgangers any different from the politicians, the human rights activists, too? They're people too." She paused for a moment, and sighed, her fingers running through her hair again, her head lowering between her knees as her limbs began to quiver. Could she do this? Could she tell the truth now? Could she be that open, take the risk that everything all go to hell without a warning? She had to.

She had no other choice.

"Aiden, I'm going to tell you a story. Did you ever wonder how I lost the ability to speak?" She queried, fingers flying across the keyboard in quick keystrokes, the words appearing as fast as she could type them. "I've been hunted since I was fourteen. I've been lucky enough to escape most of the time, but at sixteen, Aiden, one of them caught up with me. Yes, I am one of those creatures you hate, but I can assure you, I've never tried to kill a soul in my life. All I ask for is to live in peace, and for my human counterpart to do the same. She's been abused by her father, and I recently acquired an apartment in the city for her to stay in, one away from everything she's had to endure." She was digressing, she knew, and she paused to compose herself.

"As I was saying, at sixteen, a young hunter caught up to me, tried to murder me, when I had done nothing, when I was still just a kid. He slit my throat, destroyed my vocal chords. By some miracle, I survived, but he did manage to take away my ability to communicate. He had no proof I had committed a crime - although, hacking doesn't exactly have doppelganger written all over it - he had no proof that I had taken a life. All he saw was lens flare in my eyes, and he came at me." She paused again, feeling sick to her stomach at the memory. She didn't hate the hunter for what he had done, however. She didn't harbor any ill will toward him. She hoped he lived a long, happy life.

"The difference is, Aiden, I'm not looking for revenge. I don't hate him for what he did. I just wish he didn't do it. Life is short, and it's fragile and it sucks. There's nothing in this world I wouldn't give to be able to speak again, or to live in peace. Unfortunately, society doesn't allow that."

[Aiden Joshua Alexson]

>

like it's midnight in vegas new years eve in new york city His half-brother, Jason Pyree, was long gone. He was anything but his brother now, he was a person with a name and face, and a glow to his eyes. He was different before he even knew him, a whole new person, maybe a person within a person. Aiden was not sure how he would describe such a thing. It was not a disorder of sorts, but a whole new person masquerading to be Jay. A person that he hardly agreed with when it came to the point. And when his other half-brother, Dustin, never showed up, he had had to assume the worst. That Jay was a doppelganger and had killed him. They had to. He was not used to hearing Evan speak so much, but this seemed to be a time that was calling for it, maybe more so than he was willing to recognize. "What makes them so different from your normal murderers? From the serial killers that already plague the world? From Jack the Ripper? From the Son of Sam? From Jeffrey Dahmer, Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy? What makes doppelgangers different so much so that they're held in such obvious regard as scum? Why don't you hate humanity too? And what makes doppelgangers any different from the politicians, the human rights activists, too? They're people too." She'd made a decent point -- what set them apart from serial killers in such a way? They were human in some way, surely, but there was something about them that set him off. And he knew it was due to his past. "I hate interrupting you when you get started, but I feel this time I must do that. What makes them so different from human rights activists and politicians, even humanity? I believe it's because of how they act. Of what they have been known to do. They aren't just humans -- they are creatures. Much like halflings are, much like they are given a choice and others are not. I also believe that the reason I hate them about as much as my brother hates them is because one killed Jay and Stin. He did the unspeakable act to my family, albeit not my full blooded family, but my family. I won't forget the lens flare in his eyes. I never have." Why had they let him live? Why had they given him a choice to go out and kill again? Why had they been so stupid? "Aiden, I'm going to tell you a story. Did you ever wonder how I lost the ability to speak?" He had actually, wondered that for some time now. Not in a complete way, but in a way. He watched her type away on the keyboard, awaiting her next course of action. "I've been hunted since I was fourteen. I've been lucky enough to escape most of the time, but at sixteen, Aiden, one of them caught up with me. Yes, I am one of those creatures you hate, but I can assure you, I've never tried to kill a soul in my life. All I ask for is to live in peace, and for my human counterpart to do the same. She's been abused by her father, and I recently acquired an apartment in the city for her to stay in, one away from everything she's had to endure." No. There was no possible way that she was one of those creatures. She was too nice to be one of them. She was not like the ones that he had been hunting. She was not like them at all. This could not be, this was not fair. Everyone he knew was a creature. How could he trust anyone now? Left and right, people were creatures or dying. Aiden did not interrupt her though, just let her carry on with her story. It was starting to hit him harder than anything had before. And perhaps, he was not ready for this. Not ready at all. "As I was saying, at sixteen, a young hunter caught up to me, tried to murder me, when I had done nothing, when I was still just a kid. He slit my throat, destroyed my vocal chords. By some miracle, I survived, but he did manage to take away my ability to communicate. He had no proof I had committed a crime - although, hacking doesn't exactly have doppelganger written all over it - he had no proof that I had taken a life. All he saw was lens flare in my eyes, and he came at me." He breathed out. There was no way. No way possible that this was happening right now. How? How was this fair? How come it had to be Evan that was a doppelganger? How? He could not accept this, even if he was bargaining with no one but himself. "The difference is, Aiden, I'm not looking for revenge. I don't hate him for what he did. I just wish he didn't do it. Life is short, and it's fragile and it sucks. There's nothing in this world I wouldn't give to be able to speak again, or to live in peace. Unfortunately, society doesn't allow that." "Evan... I don't know what you want me to say. I don't even know anymore. This is too much, just far too much." tag: evan | words: 908 | notes: none TEMPLATE BY KAYLA JEAN FROM MARS OF A THOUSAND FIREFLIES

[Evan Noel Dalton]

"I hate interrupting you when you get started, but I feel this time I must do that. What makes them so different from human rights activists and politicians, even humanity? I believe it's because of how they act. Of what they have been known to do. They aren't just humans -- they are creatures. Much like halflings are, much like they are given a choice and others are not. I also believe that the reason I hate them about as much as my brother hates them is because one killed Jay and Stin. He did the unspeakable act to my family, albeit not my full blooded family, but my family. I won't forget the lens flare in his eyes. I never have."

Evan was quivering at his reply, unshed tears attacking her vision as she sat huddled in the grass. "So you judge so many upon the actions of one person? That's no different from me hating the entirety of your kind because of that one act of violence done to me." She replied. And then the tears were falling, streaming down her face as she tried to stop them.

She didn't talk about the incident that robbed her of her voice, for the sole reason that the psychological trauma remained and she was concerned he would come back, afraid he would finish the job. She wanted to live and she wanted people to see that not all of her kind were bad people and they had just enough of a right to life as anyone else.

"I'm sorry, I'm crying. I don't talk about what happened, Aiden, because, well. I'm sure you're aware of the consequences." She apologized, and wiped at her eyes, salty tears making tracks through the dirt on her cheeks.

"Evan... I don't know what you want me to say. I don't even know anymore. This is too much, just far too much." She shook her head again, and rubbed at her eyes, before she sighed, and went back to typing.

"You don't have to say anything, Aiden. You've heard my story. That's all I ever wanted you to hear."

[Aiden Joshua Alexson]

>

like it's midnight in vegas new years eve in new york city Aiden noticed the female quivering and he felt terrible for what he had said. He felt like he had done something wrong, that this was his fault now. He felt like he should have done something more, said something less of a snarl toward her. She was a friendly person and he may have honestly just ruined the friendship that they had. He held his breath in for a moment, not sure what to do, not sure what to say. He was scared of the things that he could have done, things that he could have said instead of what he had said. He wanted to learn how to think before he opened his mouth. But that seemed like an impossible thing to do. "So you judge so many upon the actions of one person? That's no different from me hating the entirety of your kind because of that one act of violence done to me." But is that not what humanity did to their own kind too? Drove them away, told them that they were wrong for having their own opinions? That was what he was taught in public school, anyway. That having an opinion of how he should live his life was wrong. That he had to have a white picket fence, a dog, two to three kids, and a wife who was a stay-at-home mom. Perhaps, society was beyond wrong. He was sorry, he honestly, truly was. "Evan, Evan. I'm so sorry. I am." He whispered, he hated seeing a woman cry, especially someone who was strong as she was. He hated that he was part of the reason that she was in tears like she was now. God, what had he done? Why had he been like that toward someone he liked well enough to call a friend? Aiden did not have many friends, not with the type of life that he was leading. "I'm sorry, I'm crying. I don't talk about what happened, Aiden, because, well. I'm sure you're aware of the consequences." He nodded. He could understand that, but she had no reason to cry. Would he hurt her? No, probably not. Not when he knew that she was different than the others, that she had not done something so truly terrible to keep living. "Evan, don't be sorry. You're the only exception to whatever laws there is for hunters. To me, and to my brother, anyway. Neither of us would ever hurt you." He murmured. He moved then, silently, depicted almost like a photograph in his mind, he knew what he was going to do. "You don't have to say anything, Aiden. You've heard my story. That's all I ever wanted you to hear." Aiden hugged her as she went on with what she had been saying before, his arms wrapped tightly around her in a metaphorical sense of being. tag: evan | words: 491 | notes: none TEMPLATE BY KAYLA JEAN FROM MARS OF A THOUSAND FIREFLIES

[Evan Noel Dalton]

"Evan, Evan. I'm so sorry. I am." Evan shook her head and gently swatted him before she typed again. "Stop apologizing, Aiden. None of this is your fault." She leaned lightly against him, nudging him gently in a gesture that said it was okay. She wasn't taking anything personal at all, and in fact, she was much more aware of the fact that she couldn't hate him for what he believed. She didn't have to like it, but she wasn't going to hate him.

That was how Evan operated. Ninety-nine percent of the time, she was forgiving almost to a fault and she hardly ever held grudges against people. She was by no means raised right, but she had taught herself that in the end grudges never fixed anything and forgiving made everything easier. There was no anger, no deep-seated feelings of betrayal to muck up your life if you simply forgave. It was her nature.

The only unforgivable sin, to her, was turning your back on someone you considered a friend. No matter what they had done, they were still a friend until they removed themselves from your life.

"Evan, don't be sorry. You're the only exception to whatever laws there is for hunters. To me, and to my brother, anyway. Neither of us would ever hurt you."

It was a small comfort, really. There were still so many others out there that would kill her on sight, that she had to be careful, more careful than most. Still, the sudden hug from the male was a comfort and she very carefully returned the favor, shifting the laptop from her knees so she could turn and wrap her arms around him. With her mouth now close to his ear, she could speak without fear of him not hearing.

"Thank you, Aiden. For everything." She sighed. "I didn't--- I didn't want to lose one of my closest friends because of. . . something I see as silly."

[Aiden Joshua Alexson]

>

like it's midnight in vegas new years eve in new york city Aiden had the habit of apologizing for things he was unable to really control. But this was different; he could have controlled his mouth this time. He could have held everything in and just not have said a word. But no. No, he chose to take a shot at a friend's species and not know it. "Stop apologizing, Aiden. None of this is your fault." He shook his head, even though she leaned against him lightly, it did not soothe him. Nor did the nudge, this was his fault in the highest of faults. "I still should have watched my mouth, Evan. I should have known better, too." He murmured, nudging her back lightly then. He was glad that Evan was not holding this over his head so far -- unless she silently was, but he did not peg her as the type for that. Aiden knew that she was too nice for her own good sometimes, but it was enough to make him smile like no other. There were not enough people in the world that were nice -- not enough that were able to make him smile. If Aiden remembered right, it was just his brother, Jase, and her. That was how rare it was, how rare he smiled. It was not that he was not happy though, he just had a hard time showing his emotions though his facial features. The male was not about to remove himself from his spot, because if he did, he would feel as though he had betrayed her. He would feel as though he was doing something so unforgivable when he did not even mean to do so. "Thank you, Aiden. For everything. I didn't--- I didn't want to lose one of my closest friends because of... something I see as silly." He nodded. He understood. In fact, he knew what she meant. To lose someone over what you were was unacceptable. It was not as though you had a choice in the matter (which, in fact, some did; halflings), but this was not the case. Evan was a friend, and she would always be one. "Evan, if you ever need anything, you know where to find me. You know how to get a hold of me, I think? If not, I'm always here at the stables at least once a day." He murmured, still slightly surprised how well he was able to hear her when he had been closer to her. He knew how rare her speech was, and he was proud that she was able to do that. He let his arms fall back down to his side, a hand falling to his knee. Aiden would need to remember that this was a few and in-between thing. tag: evan | words: 470 | notes: none TEMPLATE BY KAYLA JEAN FROM MARS OF A THOUSAND FIREFLIES