|| could it be that everything goes round by chance / or only one way it was always meant to be ||
WIP: Hellbent
Words: 1127
POV: Raleigh
Content Warnings: discussion of drug use, addiction | swearing
Context: This is approximately chapter three, maybe. Raleigh and Dash’s second meeting, commencing after Alec has left.
Notes: You’re missing the first half of the scene, involving Raleigh meeting Alec and (more or less) figuring out he (Alec) is a Partner. I may post that bit at some point but I’m not hugely happy with it right at the moment, so have this instead. :D
***
Dash grinned again, then stepped over and sprawled out in the corner. He waved a hand. “Make yourself comfortable.”
Raleigh wasn’t really sure that was possible. There was nothing in the room he could use as a seat; after a moment of deliberation, he moved over and folded himself onto the floor a couple of feet from Dash, crossing his legs. He had a sudden, intense flashback to primary school – which he was fairly sure was the last time he’d sat cross-legged on the floor – before Dash’s voice distracted him.
“I didn’t actually think you’d take me up on my invitation.”
Raleigh carefully folded his hands in his lap, determined not to fidget. “Why not?”
Dash tilted his head, his eyes catching the light that filtered through the window. Raleigh forced himself to blink before his looking at them could be considered a stare.
“Prejudice, I guess,” Dash said. “I just assumed no fundie would ever actually want to know about the commoners.”
Raleigh sucked in a deep breath, but his voice still came out a little tight. “I’d appreciate it if you’d stop using that word.”
Dash blinked, clearly thrown. “What- oh, fundie? Sorry, I forgot that your lot considers that an insult.”
“It’s flippant and disrespectful, is all.”
“Well, there you go, you’ve hit on my two major personality traits. You are good at this whole shrink business.”
Raleigh stared at him. “Is- are all of the non-Members like you?”
That made Dash laugh; the sound was unrestrained and delighted, as if Raleigh had told a particularly good joke. “They are not, thank fuck. They’re not all like Alec, either. In fact, if you really study them, you’ll probably find a decent spread of personalities, not unlike what you’d find within your cult.”
Raleigh chose to ignore the last bit, seizing on the mention of Alec to ask the question that was most bothering him presently. “He’s a Partner, though, right? Alec, I mean?”
Dash’s grin faded; he looked away, stubbing out his cigarette as though as an excuse. “Is that a problem?
”“Depends, I guess.” Raleigh hesitated. “Are you?”
Dash snorted, the most derisive sound Raleigh had ever heard. “No.”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t believe in the same bullshit they do.” Dash reached into his jacket, the pill bottle rattling as he withdrew it. His face was hard. “Change the subject, Pretty Boy.”
Raleigh had to swallow before he could speak; Dash’s tone and the flatness of his eyes made his anxiety spike. Though at least there was an obvious topic to grab on to. “Are you sick?”
Dash looked up from where he was counting pills into his hand, his eyebrows tugging together. Raleigh raised his at his confusion, nodding his head towards the pills; Dash looked down and huffed some air out his nose in an almost laugh.
“No,” he said. “Not in the way you’re thinking.” He snapped the lid back onto the bottle and tossed it at Raleigh.
Raleigh fumbled, unprepared, but managed to keep the small orange container in his hands. He turned it over to read the label.
OXYCODONE 10MG
He could feel his brow furrow as he looked for the name: AIDEN SMITH.
“Your name’s Aiden?” He looked up to see Dash take a mouthful from a water bottle; he was smiling as he lowered it. “Where does Dash come from then?”
“My name’s not Aiden.”
Raleigh frowned down at the label again. “But-”
It hit him with a kind of dawning dismay, his eyes wide when he looked back up at Dash. “You stole these?”
“I did nothing of the sort. I paid for them. Fucking well, too.” He clicked his fingers, gesturing. “Gimme. You look like you’re considering tossing them.”
Raleigh was. The only reason he threw them back was because he didn’t know the house well enough to know where to dispose of them. “So, what? You just use them to get high?”
“That’s the aim, yeah,” Dash said, stowing the bottle back in his pocket. “’Course, I’m addicted, so it doesn’t always do much more than level me out, but…” He shrugged.
Raleigh was speechless for a moment. Of course, he knew academically the functions of addiction, but it was kind of unsettling to hear someone talk about it so candidly and unashamedly.
“I- is that why you’re homeless? I mean…” He felt heat suffuse his face. Trust him to stick his foot in his mouth. “Um, I mean, why you- why you’re here, and not-”
“Relax, Pretty Boy.” When Raleigh chanced a glance at him Dash was grinning, apparently unoffended. “Living in a condemned building definitely fits the definition of homeless.” He paused; his smile faltered then disappeared. “The oxy isn’t why. Other way around, actually.”
Raleigh frowned. “The homelessness caused the addiction?”
Dash blew out a sigh. “Something like that.”
They lapsed into silence. Raleigh was still struggling to wrap his head around the whole thing. Sure, he’d thought it would be educational to expose himself to someone new, someone outside of his usual comfort zone, but he hadn’t expected to stumble upon a homeless addict with a friend in the Partners. It was all a bit much to absorb.
“Enough about me.” Dash reached for his cigarettes, tapping one out of the packet. “Tell me about you.”
Raleigh raised his eyebrows. “What do you want to know about me?”
Dash contemplated this as he took a drag. “Why d’you wanna join the Brotherhood?”
That should be an easy answer, and Raleigh had a standard response he pulled out whenever the subject came up. But Dash’s brutal honesty stayed him; somehow he felt he should return the favour. He twisted his hands together in his lap.
“I… I mean, it’s stupid,” he said finally, keeping his eyes fixed on his fingers. “But I- I feel like it’s my only opportunity to get out of the shadow of my father. Like, doing something significant for the Brotherhood would be the only way to give myself a- a distinct identity within the Church.”
He winced a little as he raised his eyes, but Dash’s face hadn’t changed. He still looked thoughtful, flicking his cigarette absently at his side.
“What’s your last name?”
“Lukas. My father’s-”
“The Bishop.” Dash sucked in a breath. “That is rough. And explains why you got so defensive about studying psych.”
The things this commoner kept pulling out were gonna give Raleigh a headache. Once again he was left speechless, staring at Dash in incomprehension.
“What-” he finally managed. “How do- I- I didn’t think the identities of the Clergy were common knowledge outside of the Church.”
The corner of Dash’s mouth quirked up. “Come on, Pretty Boy. You haven’t yet worked out just how uncommon I am?”
[About time, huh? I'm still up in the air about a lot of these, particularly the supporting characters, but hey, it's a start at least!]
POV
Raleigh Lukas | brown hair, brown eyes | he/him | 24 | member of the Church | raised by a rich family and tends to take money and power for granted | been dating Kennedy for the past two years | only child | great at hiding emotions | book smart and curious | straight but questioning (he's totally gay, guys)
Dash | black hair, blue eyes | he/him | 26 | supports the Partners in a mostly passive fashion | addicted to opioids (pills) | aloof but wildly emotional | dropped out of school at 16 | street smart but in no way academic | bi
Main
Kennedy Martinez | blonde hair, green eyes | she/her | from the middle class but using the College and social climbing to improve her prospects | genuine computer genius | uses her looks and gender to get people to underestimate her | straight but unconvinced
Evelyn Brookes | dark hair, brown eyes | she/her | brainbent; telekinetic | Partner | I guess she's kinda the mum of the group actually? | dry and sarcastic but will fight to the end to protect those she loves | has a undefined history with Dash | bi
Supporting (so far)
Alec | black hair, brown eyes | he/him | 28 | Partner | Dash's friend-with-benefits for a long time | big into the Partners' cause and spends a lot of time trying to convince Dash to be the same | deals drugs to make money, especially to fundies | very okay with violence to get what he needs | gay
Jasper Ubrihien | sandy hair, hazel eyes | he/him | 24 | Raleigh's best friend | member of the Church and Brotherhood | takes "go forth and procreate" very literally | bends whatever rules suit him so liable to get drunk at the drop of a hat | good heart but misguided | 'straight' (because that's all the Church will accept)
Peter McCarthy | black hair, brown eyes | he/him| 26 | son of the Deacon | member of the Church and aware that's what will guide his future | Junior Liaison of the Brotherhood | very motivated to do what it takes to rise up the ranks | straight
Melinda | blonde hair, hazel eyes | she/her | 28 | Partner | qualified doctor that offers her services to Partners and the brainbent | keeps everything else close to the chest | gay shhhh spoilers
Alec rolled his eyes then his focus moved past Dash and onto Raleigh, who froze.
"What're you drinking?" Alec's voice was gruff, but not openly bellicose.
"Um, just soda. Please. Thanks. I mean, you don't have to-"
Alec transferred his gaze back to Dash. "I'm still not sure how you deal with the babbling."
"Oh, you get used to it." Dash looked at Raleigh again; his smile was almost hopeful. "It's actually kinda endearing."
The hope in his eyes, Alec's effort, and Dash's previous words gave Raleigh a shove, and he gathered his courage.
"Well, more endearing than taciturn hostility, at least," he said, looking pointedly at Alec.
For about three seconds he was absolutely convinced he was going to be murdered, and then Alec snorted, looking away to hide his smile. Dash laughed, rocking to the side to bump Raleigh's shoulder with his own.
"That's hysterical laughter in taciturn badass, I promise," he said.
"Shut up, you." Alec's lips were still twitching. "If I need a translator I'll fucking ask for one."
If y'all are lucky I may spend far too long a while typing out the beginning of today's scene out on my phone to post, cuz I quite like it and it doesn't contain any spoilers any of the spoilers I'm trying to keep secret.
Especially because at the moment I'm primarily writing the Plot that I worked out the other day and there's very little of that I can actually post without revealing the aforementioned spoilers.
There's also a slight possibility I may even write the first scene sometime this week, which would be cool because a) it's literally the scene that inspired this whole WIP and b) it may be entirely scrapped because at some point I'm gonna have to deal with the fact that the New Plot is gonna require some hardcore outline revision. So there's that!
Raleigh jerked his eyes up. "I think it was the first name starting with 'D' that popped into my head." He moved over to the couch, propping his hip against the armchair. "What is your real name, anyway?"
That got him an eyebrow raise. "Uh, Dash?"
"You expect me to believe your parents named you Dash?" Raleigh couldn't keep the skepticism out of his voice.
Dash snorted. "I know, right? A North Carolinian ghost town would've made so much more sense."
Thank you! (I am late, and I'm blaming computer trouble today but the truth is I'm useless yayyy!)
Ahaha yes, I do need to do something about that. However, have the unadulterated truth:
My current WIP is in its infancy. I have a *very* vague idea for the plot, and currently a handful of characters. Two of those (Dash and Raleigh) I've been playing around with in different universes (all my own), and I've finally found one where I can take all the bits of them that have emerged and basically combine them. That was the jumping off point.
Stats so far: it's contemporary fantasy, a world similar to ours after a War between humans and what they derogatively call the brainbent, or people with advanced mental abilities. Some of those abilities are genetically dominant, and the humans (placeholder name: fundies, for fundamentalists and also they're rich) therefore have tried to stamp them out. They're using religious ideology as an excuse (the Bible says man was created X way) and have more or less regressed to the more toxic tenets of fundamentalism as a result.
The brainbent (placeholder name for themselves: psycheberal, portmanteau of psychologically liberal) are quietly gathering forces, putting a lot of faith in a shadowy and perhaps mythical figure known as Dantalion, supposedly a Coercer - a very rare type of psycheberal that has the ability to control minds.
Current plot is essentially Raleigh meeting Dash, who's a Partner (placeholder name for supportive of the psycheberal) and Raleigh as a result beginning to question his beliefs, just as someone who claims to be the fabled Dantalion emerges and begins to encourage the nascent rebellion.
(This is why I don't have a WIP page yet; I'm horrible at condensing information. :D)
But yes! That is the main gist of what I have so far. Obviously there's other characters/themes/bits and pieces I haven't mentioned here, but with any luck it's enough to pique some interest! :D
“That decision made, [Raleigh] started searching for his jacket. He found it bunched in a ball near the foot of the bed, and winced a little as he picked it up and shook it out. Apparently drunk-Raleigh was not particularly concerned with his clothes.
Not a surprise. From what he’d heard, drunk-Raleigh was a dick.”
Raleigh flexed his fingers as he stepped out of the crowd and into the bubble Dash had created for himself, unsure of how he was going to react.
Dash clocked the movement immediately, his head turning sharply. The scowl softened into a smile.
“Hey,” he said. The warmth and intimacy he managed to imbue that simple one-word greeting with made Raleigh’s heart skip. No, that was the nerves. He was on edge, it made sense that his pulse would be erratic. “Come to watch the show?”
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Raleigh shoved his hands into his pockets and settled against the wall next to him. He was careful to leave a few inches of space between them, but it was pointless. Dash immediately closed the gap, his shoulder pressing against Raleigh’s. Nerves. “Though I gotta say you don’t exactly look thrilled to be here.”
“Yeah, well.” Dash scraped his toe along the scarred floorboards. “Let’s just see what happens, huh?”
A skitter of anxiety ran through Raleigh as he looked at him. “You’re not planning to do anything stupid, are you?”
Dash turned his head and gave him a wolfish grin. “Who, me?”
