Well… right now it all the information that this man needed to have. Besides he had managed not to threat him or voiced any other gruesome thoughts and that… was an achievement. And while Richard was indeed a nervous bundle of unstable emotions Jim like pretending to have all of them. Thinking about it now it seemed a bit unfair that his brother apparently had the lion’s share on this one, when he was struggling to have at least a single one of them.
Of course it bothered him that now there was another man walking around with his face. Now he had to shield this person from his clients or else… Jim didn’t even want to think about it. All this fuss over one silly face; not silly at all because it was his own, but it got the point across rather well. The fact that he was talking, apparently, to himself, well, someone else, but he looked just like him wasn’t as disturbing to him as to Richard. Maybe though that was because it hadn’t seeped through all the filters of his mind yet and reached the core. Jim still felt dazed, as if standing beside himself. Quite literally actually – the thought almost made him laugh.
How very delightful. No questions were always the best questions. Jim kicked a small stone out of his path. “No…” he answered, although he could think of many things he wanted to know at this moment, none of them could be answered by the man in front of him. That though was not of Richard’s concern at this moment. Again Jim checked his phone and this time it was Sebastian demanding his attention. “In fact it seems I have to go as well…” So much for his day off. Jim ground his teeth together, squashing his chewing gum ruthlessly. “Seems there’s no need for me to play Story Teller for a while…” He shoved both hands into his pockets, watching Richard’s reaction curiously.
Their goodbye was awkward and short. Quietly Jim noted that he had enough of awkward family meeting for this year and wouldn’t attend any other again so soon. Annoyed with… the interruption, Sebastian, his apparent twin brother, the fact that his day off was now in ruins in general he headed nowhere.
First things first. Jim called Sebastian so he would pick him up and while he waiting decided that calling his parents, something which he never did anyway, would now be even more courtesy than they would ever deserve. Neither did he call his older brother, he only bought tickets to visit his old home today. Either someone was present and would be as kind to let him in, or he would let himself in.
Later at home Jim spend most of his day sulking, snarling at Sebastian and not picking up phone calls, especially not reading incoming messages. He entrenched himself behind his laptop in one corner of his couch and dug up all information he could find about Richard.
Richard was an actor – of course. Story teller on kids TV. Birth date, current address, insurance policy number, adoption papers, medical record, blood type… all public and non-public information was on display for him with a few legal and lot illegal tricks at hand. By the time he looked up from the screen it was dark outside, a cold mug of tea sat beside him on the coffee table and Jim down it without thinking about it. The taste was all the same to him anyway. Blinking he sat there for a good nother hour, adjusting the new gained information in his head and adding to the picture in his mind. It took another two hours until he fell asleep for the exact same time.
What followed the next few days was a mixture of head aches, awful conversations with his parents who hadn’t been home for a total of four hours only to get back and find their youngest rummaging through all drawers and desks for at least one single proof of Richards existence. Next things were a blur of anger in his mind, still the confession of his – their mother rung in his ears like a distant unwanted echo as he pressed bell next to the Brook name tag. He closed his eyes, leaning against the wall. Now that he had spend his remaining time with getting his flight-kit he’d had little time to care for the wound on his upper arm. The constant blood loss, plus the exercise of running were starting to take its toll. Light headed as he was Jim fished for his tools, suddenly glad that it wasn’t his arm bleeding. So he could still pick the lock and let himself in.
Trying to maintain as much countenance as it was possible when you were rain-soaked, out of breath and bleeding from a wound on your arm, Jim started walking up the stairs. The hardest part was not to stagger or just drop onto the floor, because lying down seemed so inviting and Richard could just… He kept walking, telling himself that it would be over any minute.
“Hello Richard,” Jim tried the most cheerful smile he could manage. “I’m going to live here for a few days.”