[open] i'm high, broke, searching for symbols

[substances]

Who: Klaus Hargreeves; OTA
What: just a catch-all for some threads that don't fit in the intro log and an open prompt (might add more later)
When: month of July
Where: various
Warnings: definitely drug use or thoughts of drug use; anything else tba in the subject lines



👻 aspiring horticulturist

It had taken Klaus approximately four days to completely run out of the weed he'd had in his pocket when he came from Hadriel. But since he's not really the type to run rescue missions and doesn't have the technical know-how to fix computers, he's mostly been wandering around the city trying to figure out what he actually can do. Trying to keep his mind occupied now that he doesn't have pot to turn to, trying to keep his mind off the painkillers in his bag back in his room.

When he makes his way to the upper levels, he lifts the bottom of his shirt to hold it over his mouth and nose, because the air up here is awful, and he pokes around a little bit, determined to check out what's going on and get the hell out of here. At least, until he finds the horticultural area. There's a computer there, the screen cracked and flickering, but it seems to be at least a little bit functional. Klaus doesn't know computers, but he's been using a phone since he arrived in Hadriel and that's like a month and a half of experience, so he heads over to the terminal, tapping at buttons under the screen until he figures out which one scrolls through the files of what kind of plants are stored here.

When he hears a sound behind him, he turns halfway to the side, glancing over his shoulder.

"Oh hey, do you know anything about computers?"

Comments

[deadlycurves]

Oh... [A small frown creases across his features at that comment. He'd never really... understood how it worked. But it seemed, from what he could glean about Klaus and his powers, that ghosts gravitated toward him, followed him. He didn't know much more than that, and it was an easy assumption to go with, that they were stuck with him, since he essentially had one foot in each realm of the living and the dead. But knowing it wasn't that way. That Ben could move regardless of Klaus... it's different. And weird. Something he hadn't ever really considered at all. Not that he'd had any reason to consider it. Nothing about Ben as a ghost had ever truly concerned him-- he couldn't see him, couldn't hear him... Diego would be lying if he said that he'd never been jealous of Klaus for that power because he got to keep the people he lost. But as Ben continues, he gets a curious look from his brother, head tilted, eyes squinted for a brief moment before he gives into the instructions and closes his eyes. He imagines as he listens, gives a legitimate try at putting himself in his brother's shoes, multiply that by fourteen years of it-- and he knows it still isn't completely accurate, nothing could be, really, except to experience it himself, but the little exercise still makes his chest tight, his heart sink. How many times had he tried to give his input in that week back home, only to be blown off and ignored, because even if Klaus tried to tell them his input, they all shrugged it off. Why hadn't they believed him? He can't even pinpoint a reason, really. More of the same, lousy treatment they kept handing out to Klaus, apparently. Finally, he opens his eyes again and levels Ben with a look that's part concern and part understanding-- and all soft, gentle, in the crease across his forehead and around his eyes.] I never really knew anything about... how it worked, I guess... [There's a pause before he adds-- ] It shouldn't have...all fallen on you, the way it did, but... I'm glad that you were. There for him. [His voice drops quieter, as his gaze sinks down to his fingers.] At least somebody was.

[benhargreeves]

How could you have known?

[ Well... he could have believed Klaus and talked to him about it, but Ben's already told Diego his opinion on that and how he should apologize and he's not going to bring it up again for cheap points and satisfaction. But Ben doesn't want to dwell on the past. He wants to move forward. ]

What I'm saying is... he was there for me, too. As much as he could be. So- just keep that in mind.

[ Klaus has messed up a lot of things in his life. But Ben wants Diego to give him credit, for all the times Klaus has made him laugh over the years, talked to him even when it made people stare, held books open so Ben could read them, and a hundred other tiny things that had made his in-between spectral state at least bearable. ]

And now we can both be there for him. [ He doesn't know how he knows it is time to head back to bed - and hopefully for Diego to get some sleep too. It is just an intuition; a gut instinct like the one that told him Diego needed to talk in the first place.

Ben gets to his feet, straightening out his pajamas and bumping his arm against Diego's shoulder in a friendly, brotherly sort of way. This won't be the last of these talks they will have, he's sure. But he is feeling... better. He had missed this. ]

And each other.

end~

[deadlycurves]

Yeah... [He mumbles with a quiet nod, glancing up when Ben knocks his arm against his shoulder. His lips turn up in a small, not-quite smile as he watches his brother get back to his feet. Diego nods a little.] We can at least try.

[That's been a theme of his last two months. Just try. Try to do better. Be better. Figure out how a family is actually supposed to be. Or how it might work within their already screwed up dynamics with each other. But trying is a kind of kick he's been on already, he'll just continue it here. Ben's right-- they should be there for each other, all the way around.]end