[Seth Perry]

Isn't it strange that a gift could be an enemy?
Isn't it weird that a privilege could feel like a chore?

---

Her heart sank when Noah confirmed that he hadn't seen her phone. She could only hope to be able to find it when she went back… Was he going to even bring her back? Seth hadn't even considered how she was going to get back to her campsite yet. Or when that would be. She certainly was not in any condition to make her way back on her own right now, and it did seem like Noah wanted to help her after their giant misunderstanding anyway.

“Thank you.” Seth was grateful when he said he’d double check his car, and maybe even look in the woods as well. “It’s all I have left of him, of Jason.”

Noah held his phone, fingers poised to enter her number. He looked at her, expectantly, but Seth paused, instincts conflicting over whether to say the number or not. She was so used to being careful, to keeping her information secret. It felt unnatural even considering telling him the digits, but he was just trying to help her find the phone. It would be easier if he knew the number. Seth let out a breath she hadn't realized that she’d been holding, and told him the number.

He asked her more questions, wondering about her camping situation. She wasn’t sure if it was judgment, concern, or just thinking about the reality of the circumstance that made him frown. He seemed to be putting the pieces together from what she’d already told him.

“Uh, yeah… I have been staying out there most of the time.” Seth admitted. “I mean, if the weather is really bad or if it gets too cold, sometimes I get a motel room for a couple of nights. But it’s been okay, being out there for the most part. I know I’m not really supposed to be living out there, but the park ranger is pretty cool about it. He leaves me be most of the time, unless he’s coming by to tell me about storms or whatever.” She was rambling, but she felt like she needed to justify her choices to him for some reason, to make him understand why she was living the way she was.

“It’s where Jason and I were supposed to go. He disappeared the same day that I was ambushed by that Hunter, right before I came here. I’m pretty sure they got to him first and then realized that there were two of us.” She reached over and picked up the glass of orange juice and took a small sip, setting the glass back down before continuing. “I thought.. If he got away from them, I thought he’d make his way here, that he’d find me. But, it’s been over a year now, so I know it’s just wishful thinking that he’ll show up now. I mean, he would have come and found me already, or he would have at least contacted me if he was okay.”

Seth didn’t like admitting it, but in the year that she’d been in Los Eurosia she had been losing hope. Jason was gone, just like Jenna. Just like their parents. The Hunters had eliminated the entire Sturm family. She was terrified that they were still looking for her, too. Jason had drilled caution into her since she met him. Even if he was gone now, she still wanted to make him proud if she could.

---

Noah St Cloud
Let me know for changes!

[Noah St Cloud]

[nospaces]

[break][break][break]

[attr="class","NoahLpostlyric"]Looking at you from the end of a leash[break]
It’s a little better, it’s a little better[break]

[break]

[attr="class","NoahLpostingbox"][break]

Having saved her number under the name ‘Poison Ivy’ (not his most original, but it would work for the time being), he put his phone away. He wasn’t lying. He would look for her phone. It was one of the most obvious ways to solidify trust. To make her grateful, even if he was the reason she’d lost it in the first place.[break][break]

At his prompting, Seth explained her living situation and Noah’s mouth tugged downwards almost as soon as she started talking, displeased by the picture she painted.[break][break]

She continued on, clarifying that she was supposed to meet Jason in Los Eurosia and that he'd disappeared the same day she was attacked. Clearly she was losing (or perhaps had already lost) hope, and Noah supposed he ought to comfort her, to tell her that he may still be out there and perhaps he only hadn’t found her because she was so damn good at hiding and was living in the forest, of all places.[break][break]

“Oh, honey,” he sighed quietly. “I’m sorry.”[break][break]

Like she'd said, it had been over a year.[break][break]

“You’re very loyal,” he decided, “and tenacious, to have done that for so long. But you can’t be living out there on your own. It’s not safe. Not healthy.” She'd already mentioned bad weather, but what about food and drink? She was pretty skinny. And though he knew some people could eat and eat and not gain weight, he was now suspicious that she simply wasn’t getting enough food, because where could she get the money to pay for meals and for the aforementioned motels when she needed them?[break][break]

And if she were injured (not by him), would she receive adequate medical attention? What if she scratched at a bug bite and it got infected? Would she be able to get a prescription for antibiotics?[break][break]

Not to mention the isolation, which could really mess with someone’s mental health – though, she’d mentioned she wasn’t completely alone.[break][break]

Noah’s eyes darkened. “And you’re telling me there’s some random guy who knows exactly where to find you? A guy who knows that you’re alone with no one else who knows where you are and no one who checks in on you? Park ranger or not, I’m not a fan of that.”[break][break]

There was a clear solution. One he wasn’t keen on offering. Blackstorm loved to lend a helping hand to Gifted who were down on their luck; he was sure if he brought her in and told them her deal, someone would instantly open up their home to her or make sure she had a roof over her head somewhere else. But he held his tongue. If she was being actively hunted, perhaps it wouldn’t be wise to bring her into the fold. Because if she were captured and hurt in just the right ways, perhaps she would tell the hunters where they could find other Gifted.[break][break]

Then again, it had been a whole year. Perhaps the hunters had moved on. And although it would be an incredible shame, perhaps all she needed to do was dye her hair a different colour to fly under their radar.[break][break]

He ran a hand through his own hair. “I can’t just abandon you in the woods and expect you to get better without help. How would you feed yourself? How would you keep your stitches clean without proper sanitation?” If he discovered that she'd died after he released her, and everything that happened got back to Tawny, how would he explain himself?[break][break]

“You’ll have to stay here – for a week or two at least. Maybe a month.” As much as the idea exasperated him, it also amused. It could be fun to have a responsibility for a while. A pet to take care of. “You would be safe. No need for trips into town where a hunter might recognise you, and no one knows our paths have crossed so there’s no way anyone would come looking for you here.”


[break][break]

[attr="class","NoahLPostTag"]Tag: Seth Perry

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[Seth Perry]

Isn't it strange that a gift could be an enemy?
Isn't it weird that a privilege could feel like a chore?

---

As she explained the way that she’d been living, staying in the forest most of the time, Noah’s frown deepened. She wasn’t sure if it was if he was judging her or if that was how he looked when he felt concern for someone. Even if it was judgment and not concern, it wasn’t like it would make much difference in her situation. She could call her parents, they would gladly help her out if she was ready to settle somewhere. She could find work, even if she wasn’t sure what kind of job she’d be qualified for. The biggest factor stopping her was wondering if it was the safe thing to do.

The more she thought about it now, especially since Noah wasn’t actually a Hunter like she’d believed, Seth was starting to think maybe she wasn’t in as much danger as she originally thought. What if they were only after the Sturm family, and she was just caught up in it because she was with Jason? Was it worth taking the risk? What if Jason had been right, what if she was still in danger too, even after they’d gotten to him?

Once she finished, it almost felt like a betrayal. She’d rarely let herself dwell on how long it had been, what each passing day meant. If she was completely honest with herself, her hope had been waning for the past few months at the very least. She knew that it was less and less likely that he would show up, that he’d come to Los Eurosia looking for her. If he even was still alive, he had to assume that she’d moved on by now, that she wasn’t still there, a sitting duck waiting for someone who might have been dead this whole past year.

Noah called her loyal, tenacious even. He didn’t know the half of it though. She was fearful, anxious, and lonely. She missed Jason and Jenna, but she also just missed people. She was too scared to trust anyone new though, too timid to strike up a conversation with the people who came through the camp grounds or went out for hikes. If it hadn't been for the ranger, John, she would have spent the last year completely alone.

Though, the mention of John seemed to be worrisome to Noah. “Well, yes. He’s been really chill, though. He hasn’t given me flack for staying out there, or for starting a little garden.” Seth shrugged. “He was even nice when I, uh, borrowed a fishing pole from him, without asking. But he brought out a better one and taught me some tips for fishing since I’m pretty hopeless at it.” Would John notice she was gone? Would he realize her vehicle and equipment were still there but she wasn’t? Or would he just assume that she’d gone wandering and not give it a second thought, if he even realized she wasn’t at her usual campsite?

Seth was about to tell him that she always managed, that she was resourceful and when all else failed, she had back up plans. But then he went on to say she’d need to stay there, even up to a month, while she was healing. She wanted to protest, to say she was capable of keeping the wound clean and caring for herself without help. But at the moment, she could hardly walk six feet without crumpling, so any argument she could think up evaporated just as quickly, all unspoken.

“I guess you have a point.” She didn’t miss the part that he said about no one knowing where she was. That no one would come looking for her. Earlier, that would have sounded much more of a threat than a reassurance. “It wouldn’t disrupt your life? Having someone staying with you?”

She didn’t even know yet if he lived in this house by himself, but aside from him having clothes that clearly weren’t his, it didn’t seem like there were signs of anyone else. She had only seen just a small area though, maybe he’d have a roommate or spouse or family member, someone else who lived with him that would be mad about her being there. Would he tell them why she was there, what had happened in the forest? She’d been so certain he was a Hunter there to kill her. She’d resigned herself to dying, but now she was happy that she had been wrong. “For what it’s worth, I’m glad you didn’t end up being a hunter after all.”

---

Noah St Cloud
Let me know for changes. This is a little all over the place.

[Noah St Cloud]

[nospaces]

[break][break][break]

[attr="class","NoahLpostlyric"]Looking at you from the end of a leash[break]
It’s a little better, it’s a little better[break]

[break]

[attr="class","NoahLpostingbox"][break]

Seth didn’t seem to think the park ranger was an issue, and though Noah was inclined to disagree (feeling there was room for the man to turn around and declare she owed him for the advice and the fishing pole), he reflected that it really wasn’t his problem.[break][break]

Once she was out of his house, she would no longer be his responsibility. And if she wanted to go back in the woods and risk getting murdered in them, far be it from him to stop her. That was her prerogative.[break][break]

But she wouldn’t go back there just yet; she agreed to staying in Noah’s home, albeit appearing somewhat concerned that her presence would be a bother to him.[break][break]

It would be a little strange. Especially when she inevitably felt well enough to hang around downstairs for long periods of time, rather than staying out of sight and out of mind as she rested in bed. But he’d already decided it would be kind of amusing. A fun challenge for himself and more than a bit satisfying to see her wince and limp around, as well as fascinating to track her healing progress (a.k.a. analyse how well he’d stitched her up).[break][break]

He chuckled, with a small shake of his head. “No. It's fine, it's the least I can do, okay? If anything it should make grocery shopping easier for me, as everything comes in portions ‘to feed two’ nowadays. I shouldn’t be working much this week, and if I am it’ll be stuff I can do from home, so I’ll be around to make sure you have whatever you need.” Well, unless someone really messed up and had to call him out for a clean-up, but that had only happened a twice that year so far. And he could probably ask Rotty or one of the other guys to step in for him.[break][break]

“For what it’s worth,” Seth said, “I’m glad you didn’t end up being a hunter after all.”[break][break]

Noah blinked at her. At the sincerity in her voice as she spoke. And he found himself amused by how she seemed to already have accepted his fib so completely. He would have thought that living in hiding would have made her a little more guarded than the average person – a little more wary – yet she seemed so trusting once she’d stopped fighting and running long enough to let him actually talk to her. Maybe he was just that good at making people believe him. The thought made him a little smug.[break][break]

Yes, letting her stay for a while would definitely be entertaining.[break][break]

He smiled and gave a light pat to where he thought her knee was, hidden under the duvet. “I’m glad you’re not a hunter either… And, again, I’m sorry for having thought otherwise…”[break][break]

He was quiet for a beat, letting that sentiment linger, before slowly standing up from where he’d been perched on the bed. “I should leave you to rest.” It had been a long day for her, one he imagined had been almost as emotionally taxing almost as it had been physically. “You know where the bathroom is, and my room is across the hall so just shout if you need anything – food, water, a book, anything.”[break][break]

Not that he’d be in his bedroom for the next few hours. He’d be downstairs, keeping an eye on the stairs in case she was manipulating him and waiting for a chance to run off to his neighbours. Plus, with the matter settled that she would be staying there, he would need to make some arrangements; new clothes being near the top of the list as she’d probably like something other than pyjamas and summer dresses to sit around in.[break][break]

He made his out of the room, only pausing to give her a last soft smile over his shoulder. “Goodnight, Seth.” The door was left slightly ajar behind him, not quite closed; he wouldn’t lock her inside again. Not unless she gave him a reason to.



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[attr="class","NoahLPostTag"]Tag: Seth Perry

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