equals and opposites

Catch-all blog for various Fallout New Vegas RP side characters who don't necessarily warrant their own RP blogs.

[foreveryreaction]

Livianus met Gallus’s eyes, his chest rising and falling softly, but otherwise he stood completely still. But then, his hands moved too, clenching then unclenching in and out of fists at his side…

And then, finally, he moved abruptly forward, hands raising to the veteran’s face… but not still as fists. Instead, they rested on either of the man’s cheeks, pulling their faces roughly together.

[gallusgams-blog]

Gallus had been expecting a conversation. He had been prepared for anything—a discussion of their situation, an affirmation of their unspoken agreement to remain apart to avoid wagging tongues. Anything, it felt, but the feeling of the Vexillarius’s lips on his own again.

For a moment he was decidedly, horribly, at a loss for what to do.

In the end, he let instinct take over. His hands snaked out and grabbed the other man by the waist to tug him closer, putting more force into returning the kiss than he might have if it had occurred weeks ago.

[foreveryreaction]

After only a few (rather long) moments, Livianus pulled his head away. His eyes caught Gallus's, and he meant to say something, maybe apologize, maybe something else... maybe a brief explanation. Instead, he sucked in quick breath and surged forward again, lips locking against Gallus's again.

[foreveryreaction]

Still allowing his footsteps to be heard, Livianus followed wordlessly behind the veteran. He wasn’t going to say anything. He was, frankly, still trying to work through his own thoughts, and more importantly, his own impulses.

[gallusgams-blog]

Once they were safely behind the rocks, Gallus turned around and faced Livianus. He eyed him coolly for a little while, a scowl crossing his face. He seemed, for the moment, to be waiting for the other to speak. When there wasn’t an immediate response, he frowned almost uncertainly.

[foreveryreaction]

Livianus met Gallus's eyes, his chest rising and falling softly, but otherwise he stood completely still. But then, his hands moved too, clenching then unclenching in and out of fists at his side...

And then, finally, he moved abruptly forward, hands raising to the veteran's face... but not still as fists. Instead, they rested on either of the man's cheeks, pulling their faces roughly together.

[foreveryreaction]

Even as he found no one around them, all Livianus could see in his mind’s eye was that insolent young man, lying on the ground in the bloodied dirt, Gallus’s fists ruthlessly doing their work on him. His lips pursed slightly only for the faintest of moments, before turning to face Gallus again. His head tilted to his right, gesturing wordlessly to a small grouping of tall rocks off to the side. That would do.

[gallusgams-blog]

Gallus stared at the other man, his lip still curling at the idea of conversing with him further. His eyes flickered towards the outcropping of rocks that Livianus had nodded towards before returning to the Vexillarius’s. After a moment’s hesitation, he strode to move behind it without turning to see if Livianus had followed.

[foreveryreaction]

Still allowing his footsteps to be heard, Livianus followed wordlessly behind the veteran. He wasn't going to say anything. He was, frankly, still trying to work through his own thoughts, and more importantly, his own impulses.

[foreveryreaction]

Livianus broke eye contact, just for a moment, to scan the area to the left, then the right, and perhaps for his own sake beyond that.

His head turned, glancing behind them; the coast was clear, but…

"…Perhaps… not so out in the open."

[gallusgams-blog]

Gallus’s lip curled just a bit. He suddenly felt very exposed—the two of them were certainly alone, but once again it felt as though every eye in the camp were fixed on them and the thought made his skin crawl.

He was not certain what game the other was playing, but after what had happened the last time they had spoken together alone some more privacy sounded…appealing.

The veteran bristled, his eyes flickering uncomfortably towards the camp. “…and where would you…propose that we speak?”

[foreveryreaction]

Even as he found no one around them, all Livianus could see in his mind's eye was that insolent young man, lying on the ground in the bloodied dirt, Gallus's fists ruthlessly doing their work on him. His lips pursed slightly only for the faintest of moments, before turning to face Gallus again. His head tilted to his right, gesturing wordlessly to a small grouping of tall rocks off to the side. That would do.

[foreveryreaction]

"…Are you affiliated with anyone, then?" A strange feeling of realization was descending upon the man, but he was wary of his own conclusions and pushed them to the back of his mind for now.

[s0ldier-of-misfortune-archive]

“I’m affiliated with myself. Playing factions out here tends to be a draw back.”

Redwood stand their silently until he threw his hands up within an irritated burst.

“Look, you think I’m Californian. I think you are Raider scum. We both have the wrong idea.”

[foreveryreaction]

There was a long silence while Callaghan looked over Redwood once more. "...Sir, if you are who I think you might be, I should probably work a little harder to prove that I'm not a raider. Or a Fiend..."

[foreveryreaction]

[Continues not stopping] Sorry!

[layla-granville]

Will you please just hold on! I’m not going to do anything to you!! *continues continuing*

[foreveryreaction]

LATE! [He shouted again]

[foreveryreaction]

Without having told himself to, Livianus sucked in an instinctive breath, then smoothly transitioned that into his words.

"We need to speak."

There was hardly an expression on his face to interpret, but what little there was only showed and hard coldness. He waited for a response, though he really didn’t want to.

[gallusgams-blog]

Gallus frowned and stiffened, squaring his shoulders as though he were standing his ground against an enemy. He regarded Livianus wordlessly for a long moment, almost as though he were waiting for him to back down and leave.

When that failed to work, he lowered his head just a bit and sucked in a breath of his own. He narrowed his eyes. “…about what?”

[foreveryreaction]

Livianus broke eye contact, just for a moment, to scan the area to the left, then the right, and perhaps for his own sake beyond that.

His head turned, glancing behind them; the coast was clear, but...

"...Perhaps... not so out in the open."

[gallusgams-blog]

Gallus almost didn’t catch the sound of the other man’s footfalls at first. He had been so caught up in his anger, in trying to calm the rush of adrenaline still coursing through his system after the fight, to truly pay attention to his surroundings like he should have.

But when he’d been stopped long enough to listen properly to the sounds behind him, he felt a fresh surge of rage course through him. He turned around swiftly, prepared to lash out again if this was another man in need of learning to hold his tongue around him.

The last thing he expected was to come face-to-face with Livianus’s icy blue eyes again. He froze, his heartbeat missing a beat again for the second time that day.

[foreveryreaction]

Without having told himself to, Livianus sucked in an instinctive breath, then smoothly transitioned that into his words.

"We need to speak."

There was hardly an expression on his face to interpret, but what little there was only showed and hard coldness. He waited for a response, though he really didn't want to.

[new-vegas-npcs-blog]

Nonus frowned, confusion and uncertainty briefly crossing his face. But the moment passed quickly. He looked at those who had gathered around them to stare and another smug smile crossed his face as he reached down to draw his machete as Gallus had instructed him to.

[gallusgams-blog]

When Nonus drew his machete, Gallus wordlessly drew his own. He stood his ground, narrowing his eyes and waiting silently for the recruit to take the hint and come rushing at him. Quickly, it became completely obvious just how absurdly beneath him he was when he lashed out theatrically with his machete.

Gallus spun, grateful that Nonus had come at him in just the right way that he could use his good leg to pivot away from the attack and grab the recruit’s arm. He pulled him in and slammed the hand that grasped his own machete into the recruit’s temple violently with the handle. Nonus let out a surprised yelp of pain and Gallus suddenly felt better than he had in weeks. Months, even.

With the other man now firmly off-balance, it was simple enough to wrestle his arms behind his back and use every ounce of strength in his body to shove Nonus face-first into the dirt. He dug his knee harshly into his back to pin him and dropped his own machete to the ground to punch him in the back of the head again and again and again. The crunch he felt each time was satisfying enough that he didn’t stop until he saw blood on his fists. He curled his lip and pulled his hand back to inspect it, looking down at the recruit with disgust and standing up. He poked him with the corner of his boot and got a groan in return; Gallus took that as a sign to roll him roughly over and inspect his face quietly.

When he was certain Nonus wasn’t going to get back up, he reached down to pick up his machete and brushed himself off before leveling another silent glare on his face. He spat in the bloody dirt between them. “…let that be a lesson. Men of the Legion don’t insult others when they have no strength to call their own.”

Gallus looked up then, turning his glare at the spectators who had surrounded him in a near-challenge. When he was satisfied that no one else was going to insult him, he turned and strode firmly for the edge of camp as he had intended to when he first left his tent that morning. He didn’t bother to acknowledge the feeling of eyes on him this time and kept walking until he was well and truly convinced that he was well and truly alone.

[foreveryreaction]

For a moment, all that accompanied the man was silence. But then, quietly but clearly, footsteps. Ones that had no attempt at silencing themselves.

Livianus hadn't been able to help himself. He'd have been damned either way, if that had gone wrong, if Gallus had made a fool of himself. Damned either by others or simply in his own mind. But Livianus's opinion on damnation was simple; if it was coming for him, he wanted to know about it. Wanted to face it.

So he had. He'd seen, quietly, inconspicuously from the back of a small crowd after doubling back around. He'd seen the brute force doled out by the veteran, quick, but with something a bit too hot-tempered to be called efficient. Brutal, though. Savage. Effective.

And with an unpleasant twisting in his guts, he'd followed after the man, stealthily at first, but now he willed Gallus to hear his footfalls. Bade him turn around without even uttering a word.

[gallusgams-blog]

Gallus’s head snapped up at the laughter and his eyes immediately narrowed at the recruit. His frown sharpened and he strode closer, his fists clenching at his side as he towered over the other man and locked his icy-cold eyes on him.

"…soldier." His voice was quiet, though a bit strained. "What…precisely…are you laughing at?"

[new-vegas-npcs-blog]

Perhaps if Gallus had been anyone else, Nonus wouldn’t have stood his ground. He certainly would have given him the respect he deserved. But he most certainly had not been the first to laugh at the veteran, and he was convinced he would not be the last if he continued to act so…so…blatantly.

Instead, he crossed his arms cockily and let a smirk cross his face. He cleared his throat, speaking loudly enough—much more loudly than Gallus had asked his question—so that others nearby could hear him. “What do you think I’m laughing at, hm? A man of the Legion blushing and staring like a lovesick, dissolute woman.”

[foreveryreaction]

If the stifled laugh had been easy to miss, that certainly had not been. Still, as much as his instincts were to turn and watch, this was a bit too close to his problem to want to linger. Even now, ahead of him, Livianus could see the faces of a few fellow Legionaries turning to glance in the direction of the voices. The Vexillarius would do no such thing. He would merely continue on his way. This was the veteran's issue to handle, not his own.

His pace held its steady, quick tempo until he turned a corner, and was gone from sight.

[gallusgams-blog]

Gallus frowned, angling his body away and reaching up as though he were going to cover his face…only to shift awkwardly at the last moment and uncomfortably rake his hand down his face. He took a step away in the opposite direction, wanting nothing more than to avoid further contact with the other legionary.

[new-vegas-npcs-blog]

From his spot nearby, Nonus had noticed the two other legionaries making eye contact. He’d watched them turn, to awkwardly move in opposite directions. He’d heard the rumors around the camp—of course he had, the incident had been so loudly messy once the two centurions had become involved—and now here they were, staring pathetically at each other. Disgustingly. Openly.

Though he knew that he perhaps should have held his tongue, he could not help himself. The situation was so…so ridiculously unbecoming of two men ranked so highly that he could not stifle a laugh.

[foreveryreaction]

It wasn't as if Livianus hadn't heard it. It rang loud and clear, of course.

But there was no way to know at whom that errant noise had been aimed. What had caused it. A hasty mind, jumping to conclusions -- had it been the eye contact? What a fool he'd been to even...

...No. No, no, he was letting nerves (nerves?) get the best of him. It was likely nothing. He would not address it. It was not his place.

[gallusgams-blog]

The veteran had almost expected that no one would actually be looking at him. That, after all, the feeling of unease and being stared at had been all in his mind yet again as these feelings so often were for him. Feeling a gaze when you had not caught sight of someone staring meant nothing; it was more likely to be your mind simply playing tricks with your expectations.

So when he did run his gaze across the camp and caught the Vexillarius staring at him he felt his heart freeze in his chest for a startled moment as their eyes met.

For a moment, Gallus felt incapable of moving. He drew in a deep, uneven breath and stood up just a bit straighter as his eyes narrowed dangerously. Though outwardly he betrayed nothing so much as a flinch at the unlucky surprise of running into the last person in the camp he wanted to be caught staring at, inside his heart was hammering so hard in his chest that he was almost (ridiculously, pointlessly, stupidly) worried that others could hear it.

[foreveryreaction]

There was a sudden dropping sensation in Livanus's gut as he realized his gaze was being met. Being met by him.

But he did not show it, at least as far as he could manage. Instead, coldly as in any interaction, he turned his head away. As if he'd seen nothing more than an interesting outcrop of rocks. He continued on his way, smoothly as ever.

Even if he did have to swallow a lump forming in his throat.

[gallusgams-blog]

Gallus had never enjoyed having other eyes on him.

It was worse now that he had been, however briefly, the center of attention in the camp. Things had steadily been returning to normal, though, and he was glad to have fewer and fewer stares as he walked through the camp.

Still. He could not help but feel the hairs standing up on the back of his neck as he exited his tent this morning. He frowned, his eyes scanning the area around him silently.

[foreveryreaction]

Regardless of whether or not he need to be somewhere quickly, to do something punctually, Livianus had almost always made a note of walking with purpose, with a firm step and a quick pace.

That didn't mean he never faltered, however. Pausing to assess situations came with the territory, of course, whether it was taking note of the locations of enemy force on the horizon, or happening to notice an unwanted acquaintance entering his line of sight.

This was nothing new, now, of course, after the unpleasant debacle they'd been through. Unpleasant. No good had come of it, of course, nor would it ever.

Mutually, without so much as an exchange of words, the two of them had done a fantastic job of avoiding one another. No walking near each other, no eye contact, not even an off-handed nod. Livianus certainly had no desire to break the trend; it didn't matter anyway, but it was best to let the past stay the past and move forward from mistakes.

The Vexillarius adjusted his path somewhat, casually giving Gallus a wide berth, but, on a whim, because, of course, there was nothing between them, and there was no solid reason not too, he gave the man a glance. After all, Livianus prided himself on reading the expressions and postures of others, and this man, who was like any other man present, was no different. No exception. Nothing special.

And after all, it wasn't as if there was any risk of having his gaze met in return. Not from this one.

[foreveryreaction]

[Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope--] Sorry, I’m— …late!

[layla-granville]

No no! Just hold on! *continues following*

[foreveryreaction]

[Continues not stopping] Sorry!

[foreveryreaction]

Well, do you understand everything about your own body? That’s what medical doctors are for, after all, to get into the nitty gritty of the things you don’t quite know enough about. Besides, who do you know who’s actually objective about their own minds?

[travelinginthewastes]

It’s different.  I already know there’s nothing they can do to fix it.  It’s my job anyway.  I’m working on it.

[foreveryreaction]

Well, have you seen one before? Because if you haven't, how would you know?

[travelinginthewastes]

foreveryreaction said: You sound so sure about that…

[travelinginthewastes]

I won’t lie.  I’m not sure about it completely.  But if I don’t understand my own brain why should I trust some stranger to?  Waste of time.

[foreveryreaction]

Well, do you understand everything about your own body? That's what medical doctors are for, after all, to get into the nitty gritty of the things you don't quite know enough about. Besides, who do you know who's actually objective about their own minds?

[foreveryreaction]

layla-granville replied to your post:*Bumps into Callaghan while exiting the Dino-Bite lobby.* Oh, sorry!

*Squints* Oh! OH! Hey wait! *follows after him*

[Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope--] Sorry, I'm-- ...late!