Psychosis

[Ashi]

Dark clouds gathered in a sea of gray, lightning streaking across the sky and instantaneously lighting up the darkened world. Thunder rolled in the dark sky, billowing like the belly of a hungry beast. Rain poured from the blackness, creating swirling puddles and miniature ponds on the roads of the city. Cool winds tossed the trees, throwing bouts of rain at the faces of any who dared walk outside. Street lamps stood tall in the darkness, casting eerie shadows and dingy light on the gravel. Cars roamed the streets like beastly animals, the sidewalks filled to the brim and spilling over the curbs with people in coats all scurrying like ants, going about their day in spite of the bad weather.

White hair stirred in the stormy breezes, violet eyes cutting through the wall of rain with their intent glare. Frey stood in the middle of a mostly empty street, taking in his surroundings. His heart was racing; he could hear it pounding in his ears, and he needed to catch his breath. The alley was narrow and littered with garbage; bagged, in cans, and strewn about on the pavement. It was a dead-end road with a wooden fence at the end, blocking off the way to a backstreet. Grabbing the top of the fence, Frey hoisted himself over it and came to stand in the little alley between two buildings.

"I should be far enough away for now." He thought, taking up a slow walk towards the end of the alley. He peered around the corner of one building. It opened onto a sidewalk of a busy street, with many shops and people walking with umbrellas. The building whose wall he stood against was a drug store. It would do to get out of the rain.

 

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The rain was downright violent, Neil thought, scurrying through it. He pulled the hood of his thick sweater down ever further over his face, for all of the good it did. The young man had a fundamental dislike of umbrellas; they were clunky, always in the way, and they made his hands so damn cold. Most of the time, the rain wasn't this heavy, and a hood was sufficient to keep him acceptably dry. But this? His sweater had practically soaked through as soon as he'd stepped outside his apartment. Neil could feel the water trickling through his dark hair, running down his face. Even with everything that he had to shield his brown eyes from the rain, Neil found himself squinting through it, anyways.

He sighed and walked faster. Everyone else on the street had umbrellas. Even though Neil just had to run down a block and a half to the drug store, it was ridiculous. His shoes- his socks were wet instantaneously. Maybe he should buy another pair while he was out. Hell, another outfit, or just a swimsuit might be called for; as it was, Neil was going to have to toss everything he was currently wearing in the dryer, anyways.

It was practically a relief when Neil turned the corner and saw the bright lights of the drugstore. Admittedly, it just sort of made the sidewalk and street a shiny grey, as opposed to the dark grey that permeated everywhere else, but what could you expect from a city in the rain? He practically ran the rest of the way there. At the door, Neil paused and tried to squeeze some of the water out of his sweater. He wasn't sure if what poured out from his hands was from his sweater or just runoff from the rest of him, but it didn't matter- he'd never be an acceptable level of dry. With a shrug, Neil pulled the door open and stepped in, then paused, holding it open for a young man who was standing by the door.

 

[Ashi]

For a long while, Frey stood just outside the door of the shop, merely staring in through the large glass windows as if in a daze. The movement next to him caught his attention and he turned to face the young man opening the door. He blinked when the other paused, holding the door for him, and finally grabbed the handle and entered after him. Just inside the door, the pale-haired young man shook his head, spraying the doors and windows with the rain water from his hair. The guy behind the register grimaced at this, but said nothing except to tell the customer the total.

From the doormat, Frey observed the register where the people in line stared at him strangely. He wore plain, solid gray sweatpants and a white t-shirt without any shoes. The shirt was soaked enough that his pale skin showed through it. He walked to the nearest shelf, picking up and inspecting different articles of food. At the magazine rack, he picked up a magazine with women plastered all over it and flipped through it, furrowing his brow in confusion.

"What is the purpose of this?" Frey muttered to the air. He put the magazine back and began pacing the aisles. A woman looking at the candy shelves with her child grabbed her child by the hand and pulled her away as Frey turned down the aisle. Similar occurrences took place on just about every aisle, people moving away or watching him with suspicious expressions on their faces. Frey didn't appear to notice, or perhaps he simply didn't care.

 

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It took the other boy a moment to walk in, which is what made Neil really consider the man. What had he been doing, then, waiting, leaning against the wall for? Neil could think of no conceivable reason, unless he'd been waiting for someone and only just then decided to give up, and wait inside, or not wait any longer. If that wasn't strange enough, Neil could see that he had hair that was incredibly fair; it was practically white, it was so light in color. Dyeing one's hair was one thing, sure, but that looked too convincing... Must have been a trick of the rain. And where Neil paused to try and drip off a little before walking in the store, this boy- with no shoes!- shook himself off like a dog.

It was just too difficult not to watch him after that... Interaction, or whatever it was, that the two had had. He made his way directly to the counter, and waited for the previous customer to grab their things and leave. Neil was only here for cigarettes, he was only sort of ashamed to say; while he waited, Neil couldn't help but to turn around and watch the pale haired man. The cashier cleared his throat, prompting Neil to buy what he had come for, and fumbled with his money.

A few moments later, Neil hesitantly approached the door, then gave another glance towards the man. No, this was too interesting to pass up; he went and stood next to him, just in time to catch him mutter something under his breath. Neil grinned. "What, haven't noticed the sex appeal of all well-selling things in our great country?" he asked, quietly, glancing between the man and the magazines on the rack.

 

[Ashi]

At first, Frey didn't seem to notice Neil's presence; or if he did, he didn't acknowledge him. He picked a candy bar from its box on the shelf in front of him, gingerly turning it over between his fingertips. With the seeming slowness of passing centuries, Frey's violet eyes narrowed into a squint and he turned his head to look at the dark-haired young man. "'Sex..... appeal?'" He repeated with an expression of deepening uncertainty as he tilted his head to one side. For a moment, he merely stared at Neil; then, he put the candy back and continued looking.

"Oh, you mean the use of intercourse in marketing to temp people to buy things based on primal human instinct?" Frey said after a couple of minutes, like the realization of what Neil meant had only just hit him, and added, "Then... no, I have not noticed." His voice was monotone, carrying only a sort of simplicity that made every word sound like it was a matter of fact or common knowledge. Again the pale-haired man tilted his head to the side in consideration. "But I believe I see what you mean. The shape of this 'candy bar' could be compared to the human penis, though its likeness not the least bit accurate." The words "candy bar" were clearly foreign to Frey, and quoted straight from the wrapper.

"I do not understand why. The urge to mate should have little bearing on the need for sustenance. Hunger alone should be able to sell food." At that Frey turned his gaze towards the windows. The rain had apparently let up, but it was doubtless only for a short time. Without word he started for the door, but paused to turn back to Neil. "I believe the customary saying for departure is 'good-bye.'" After some trouble figuring out the door, Frey stepped back out into the cold drizzle.

 

[upscalerat]

((I'm so sorry for how long this took! Time just kind of got away from me, I guess...))

Trading in the magazine for a candy bar, the boy considered Neil's words like they were stirring some nearly forgotten memory. Was he some sort of tourist, perhaps, from somewhere where society wasn't at all like this? Neil didn't exactly have a great grasp on what society was like in other areas of the world, so it was, by all means, possible, but he felt that he would have at least heard of such a place existing by now. How would that sort of a society even function? The notion was practically preposterous.

And then the boy recited a dictionary definition. Maybe he was different. Lead a sheltered life, Neil finally offered to himself, after a few moments of searching for the right phrasing. The boy associated the concept with the candy bar, and Neil couldn't suppress a chuckle. "I meant more the magazine, but I guess the chocolate's a bit phallic, too," he remarked, looking at it in a new light. Funny, what new eyes could see. "And it's not so much a need as it a... Positive association, I guess," he offered. Neil didn't exactly know the ins and outs of marketing, but what he knew was at least enough to talk to this interesting man for a few moments more. He would have kept going, but the man was starting off, and offered a curt farewell before leaving.

There was no question on whether he should or not; Neil just followed the boy outside. "Hey, wait a minute," he called. Thankfully, the rain had let up, but it was still chilly. "Where are you going? Do you know?" It wasn't exactly safe for people to act strange and wander around the city- that inevitably lead to their death. Even if that didn't, walking in the cold without shoes would, and Neil had enough of a conscience to not walk off certain that the boy would die. "Do you need any help with... Whatever you're doing? Like getting shoes?"

 

[Ashi]

Frey stopped just to the side of the doors to look around, squinting in concentration at nothing in particular. There were a few other little side streets between some of the buildings on both sides of the street that he could see; the question was where they led to. Having taken multiple twisting and turning back roads to his current location, he had lost his sense of direction. It didn't help that Frey didn't have any idea where exactly he was going. He'd just been so focused on getting away; he hadn't thought of a destination. Frey turned to look at Neil as he addressed him.

"I do not. It seems I have lost my sense of direction." The pale-haired male confessed without hesitation, his brow furrowed slightly. He took no notice of the stares he was beginning to get by passersby or the whispers and mutters of their talking about him, eyes focused on the dark-haired young man next to him. "Shoes?" His gaze into Neil's eyes broke, drifting down to his bare feet. "Ah, yes. Shoes would certainly be more appropriate for this weather; however, I have never worn shoes. Whereabouts do I acquire them?"

((It's fine. Sorry this is short.))

 

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((No worries.))

The answer to the first question wasn't really a surprise- it was the boy's second statement that got Neil. he stared, eyes wide for a moment, then blinked hard, regaining his composure. "Either home or a store. If, uh, you've never worn shoes, then I doubt home would really help you... So I guess we're going shopping?" At least the rain had lightened some, but at this point, both men were soaked. No store was going to be thrilled letting them in like this, particularly not somewhere where his new friend would be trying things on. Wait out the storm, then.

"Places won't be happy if we're wet. Would... You like to come back to my place, and dry off, first?" It would give Neil a chance to drop off the things he had bought, anyways. "And, uh, I'm Neil. Nice to meet you...?" His voice trailed off, waiting for the other man to fill in the blank with his name. It wasn't until after that it occured to Neil that this guy might not pick up on the social cue that meant offer his name- this was a strange man. Where was he from? Nowhere good, if Neil had to guess, but what did he really know?"

 

[Ashi]

"Home is not an option." Frey said curtly, not meaning to interrupt. At that point, home didn't even bear thinking about. It was behind him even if just for a short time and he wanted it to stay that way. Realistically, shoes weren't much of an option either without the means to pay for them. Taking them would draw attention if Frey were to get caught. Although, he supposed he could always use the power of persuasion, Frey wasn't sure it was worth the trouble it would cause.

"But.. places are inanimate. They cannot be unhappy." Frey muttered and squinted at Niel, not quite understanding that he meant the people at the aforementioned places and not the places themselves. He hadn't figured this out before he was presented with another question. While Frey had no real social skills to speak of, he knew at least to be careful of offers such as that Niel made. It could be dangerous to enter a stranger's home; however, Frey wasn't picking up any suspicion. In fact, Niel's presence wasn't threatening or even just off-putting; it was just normal.

"I am Frey." He filled in the blank where Niel's words trailed off. He contemplated the other's offer, weighing the possibilities and their outcomes in his mind. All he needed was to get dry, something better done in a private residence than out in the open or in a convenience store. It was better in his case at that moment to not draw attention to himself. "I would be most grateful to accept your offer."

 

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Well, at least he'd been right about home not being much help for the man. Not that he was exactly a genius for figuring that out- even a cursory glance could get that much across, truth be told, and it should have been something that Neil noticed sooner, rather than his own amusement for how strange this guy was. But- that didn't matter at the moment. They were past that, and getting shoes for the guy now. But, again, at his next comment, Neil couldn't help but grin. "No, but, I guess I don't mean the places themselves. More the people running them."

It seemed that he was going to have to be very literal with this guy. This was beyond being pedantic, this was straight up not being familiar with how things just were, wasn't it? Unless it really was an elaborate joke- maybe a friend would pop out with a camera, or some local viral vlogger... But this was an awful lot of effort, and a poorly chosen day, for such a thing. The more that Neil thought about it, the more puzzling the situation got, so he stopped thinking about it, for the moment.

"Nice to meet you, Frey." He offered a wet hand. "I'm not quite two blocks away, so we should be back there fast," he said, and glanced back, towards where his home was. At least the rain had lightened up some, for all the good he did. He would still leave a river behind him and his newfound friend on his way back, but they wouldn't get quite as cold, he supposed.

 

[Ashi]

Frey watched Neil, confused as to why he was smiling. Did he say something amusing? Or was it Frey's confusion that was funny? It didn't help that Frey couldn't read him, or anyone else for that matter. It was still too soon yet to try after he'd exerted himself so much in his escape. Neil seemed a bit confused as well, perhaps even weary of Frey. Not that he didn't have cause to be. If Neil knew what he was getting himself into, he wouldn't be there. Frey looked down at Neil's hand as he held it out to him, eyeing it suspiciously. What was he supposed to do with it?

"Oh! I think it goes.." Gingerly, he reached out and grasped Neil's hand. "..Like this?" He looked up at the brunette, as if to ask him whether he had the hand shake correct or not. "I am afraid I am not well-read in social customs and behaviors. This is my first experience in meeting another person." Frey explained and dropped his hand back by his side. He followed Neil's glance with his own and nodded affirmatively. It didn't matter how far it was really. What mattered was that he could get dry.

Frey followed a few steps behind Neil, his pace almost leisurely. His bare feet made little noise as he walked, unless he stepped in a puddle. He looked in Neil's direction, but paid him little attention over the course of their walk. His eyes were distant, a clear indication that he was off in space, yet he managed to not run into anything or drop too far behind.