crucio (crucio) wrote in cwf,
@ 2011-08-02 21:53:00

to majid
As much as Noah had been avoiding Majid, he could still sense that the older lion was still hanging around. A part of him found it comforting, like maybe Majid was looking after him still. But after their last encounter, and how it had ended, Noah couldn't help but feel rejected. And the longer Majid stayed in Cold Water, the closer he got to realizing that Haben was still very much alive and well. Luckily Haben wasn't around Cold Water at the moment, though. Noah was thankful that his friend was off on some adventure somewhere, protected by wolves who cared about him. At first Noah hadn't understood Haben's tolerance of the other creatures, but he'd slowly come to understand the more he hung around and the more time he spent on pack land. Still, despite how he'd grown more comfortable there, he didn't stay at Wolf Haven unless Haben was there, so he'd decided to rent a little apartment in town.

He'd grabbed some food from the diner down the street and he was heading home. He was tired and he just wanted to take a hot bath, eat his dinner, and turn in for the night. He missed Haben terribly and wished his friend would come back soon, though he knew it was best that the other lion stay away for now.

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impotentwaffle
2011-08-03 02:00 am UTC (link)

Majid had reluctantly let Noah go, finally believing that he wouldn't skip town, leaving him utterly in the lurch. He stuck by his decision to throw Jato off their track and even though they had fought afterward, Majid could still feel the way Noah had squirmed against him. Sometimes, there wasn't a shower cold enough to get that feeling off of his skin, burrowing into his being and making him miss the lion.

He was good at following Noah--stalking him really, but that was his job. He'd been excelling at his job recently, and finally he felt ready to interact with the other again. And so he was waiting outside of the diner. "You don't spend much time with the wolves," he noted. "Did you really find any friends among them?"

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crucio
2011-08-03 02:04 am UTC (link)

Noah felt that Majid was near, and the second he stepped outside he caught the other's familiar scent. That was another good thing about Haben being gone. Majid couldn't smell Haben on him, though it'd been so long and Haben's scent was a little different now thanks to growing up and mingling with Robin so often that maybe Majid wouldn't have recognized it.

"The one I saw the most is away right now," Noah replied, though he wasn't sure if he meant Robin or Haben. Haben wanted Noah to get to know Robin, so they'd started interacting but before it could grow they'd left.

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	impotentwaffle 2011-08-03 02:25 am UTC (link)
	"Away? I thought wolves were the most territorial. Why on earth would this person leave?" He quirked a brow, falling into step with Noah as if this was all very casual. Really, it kind of was, since Majid had given up forcing him. Though his prodding to 'do the right thing' was going to get annoying pretty fast. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	crucio 2011-08-03 02:29 am UTC (link)
	"It's complicated," Noah said as he walked along. "Some very bad things happened to him and he... Needed to get away for a while. He needs to go find those who did him wrong and make it right," he added, though really he supposed that would be up to Sullivan and Austin. Robin didn't have it in him, he was too sweet. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

impotentwaffle
2011-08-03 02:34 am UTC (link)

"Ah, complicated." He'd grown fairly familiar with complicated these days when before his life had been so painfully simple. He looked wistful for a moment before snapping back to reality. "I do not suppose you bought enough food for two. The way I see it, you owe me still for the ice cream cone and for the dinner we had at my miserable hotel. Then perhaps you can try to explain this complication to me over food."

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	crucio 2011-08-03 02:36 am UTC (link)
	"I have enough for two, but I just explained why it's complicated to you, so if you want to be around me then just say so and don't dance around it," Noah said as he stopped and turned to face Majid, tipping his head up a little to meet his eyes. "You're sticking around here for a reason." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

impotentwaffle
2011-08-03 02:41 am UTC (link)

"Some very bad things is not an explanation. It is your half-assed, arrogant nature to believe it is, but it is not. Unless, of course, you do not know the very bad things and then perhaps you are just covering up the fact that you're not that close of a companion to him and you could easily leave to go back to Africa with me, peaceably, like a grownup instead of a cub."

He looked satisfied with himself until Noah stopped and faced him, then he faltered. "I'm sticking around here because my job isn't finished and because--" he offered a shrug. There was no other reason.

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crucio
2011-08-03 02:44 am UTC (link)

"Some men tortured and raped him and starved him and nearly killed him, they were going to kill him, but the Alpha of the pack saved him," Noah answered flatly as he stared Majid down. "And you said you weren't going to force me to go back, so your job is done. I'm not going back. I'm not some idiot cub anymore who listens to grownups blindly. I've travelled on my own for a long while now and I can take care of myself."

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	impotentwaffle 2011-08-03 02:54 am UTC (link)
	Majid's face went unchanging at the stark reality of what had happened to Noah's mysterious little friend, but it struck him to hear it. "I said I would not force you. But I fully intend to continue trying to convince you. But since you're such a grownup now, I suppose my staying here would be entirely futile." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

crucio
2011-08-03 02:58 am UTC (link)

Noah turned and continued on his way. His apartment was only a few feet away, and he headed up to the door to unlock it. He left it open for Majid and he went in to set the takeout containers down on the counter before he turned to face the other lion.

"You know what'll happen to me if I go back," he said quietly with a frown. "I'll be punished for leaving. And then I'll be raped. You really want that for me?"

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impotentwaffle
2011-08-03 03:46 am UTC (link)

Noah always did know what to say to him to get him to yield. "Do you remember when Haben fell into the river? He must have been 4. You went in after him and for a little while it seemed that I would have to choose which one to save. I chose you and you hated me for it because you loved him so much." He didn't really know why he had decided to reminisce instead of responding to Noah's question, but that was the path he chose. Why he had chosen Noah instead of the King's son, he didn't know.

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	crucio 2011-08-03 04:03 am UTC (link)
	"You're avoiding my question," Noah said quietly as he crossed his arms and looked away. He didn't want to think about Haben. He didn't want to talk about him. He didn't want to give anything away. "Majid - you just - you want to follow the rules of our Pride, but our Pride has fallen apart. Just... Stop. For once, stop and enjoy yourself. Just once." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

impotentwaffle
2011-08-03 04:31 am UTC (link)

"You weren't raised to be nothing but the Pride. That's all I am and now I'm nothing. So forgive me that I cannot be as flippant as you about the fact that it's destroyed along with our only hope of bringing it back together." He meant Haben. Haben had been destroyed.

He pushed his hand through his hair and then went to the food that Noah had brought home. He hadn't even taken his usual precautionary prowl of the premises and that was very unlike him.

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	crucio 2011-08-03 04:35 am UTC (link)
	Noah frowned and when Majid came over to the the counter, he turned to face the other lion. After a moment, he reached out and gently touched his arm. "What makes you so sure that Haben could fix all of this if he were still around? What if he didn't want to? What if, like me, he wanted to just stay away? Then what?" he asked quietly. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

impotentwaffle
2011-08-03 05:19 am UTC (link)

"Why wouldn't he want to? His father worked so hard to keep the Pride together." Majid couldn't understand what had happened because he didn't know. No one did except for Noah and Haben himself. "I understand that it was painful to lose his grandfather, but that's all the more reason to gain control of the Pride. Make them strong so that warring lions cannot hurt each other. We're stronger together."

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crucio
2011-08-03 05:23 am UTC (link)

Noah crossed his arms over his chest and he looked away with a frown. He didn't want to tell Majid Haben's secret. It wasn't his secret to tell, but he felt so conflicted.

"I don't know," he whispered softly before he turned away and went to sit down on the couch. "I can't go back, though. I know that," he mumbled, which was so strange considering the fact that he wanted to. He just didn't want to be with Jato.

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	impotentwaffle 2011-08-03 05:26 am UTC (link)
	"Then we won't go back. Now can I meet these wolf friends of yours? I do not like that you hang around with them, but the least you can do is introduce me. When he gets back, of course." Noah had explicitly told him that he was not messing around romantically with anyone, but Majid still felt jealous of this wolf. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

crucio
2011-08-03 05:32 am UTC (link)

Noah swallowed hard, and after a moment he got up and folded his arms across his chest. He held his breath and went over to the window before he turned around to look at Majid.

"I have to tell you something," he said softly. "I - I -" he paused and wet his lips. "While I was travelling, I found... I found Haben. He's alive. But I don't know where he is now." That was all true, he wasn't lying.

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impotentwaffle
2011-08-03 05:00 pm UTC (link)

Majid couldn't even react to it because the words stopped making sense as soon as he'd heard them. His body tensed, frozen with confusion.

After what seemed like forever, Majid's eyes narrowed. "And where exactly did you find him?" He had thought back to the details of Haben's disappearance. It had been certain that he was dead, but no body had ever been recovered. It was entirely possible that someone had kidnapped him. That was Majid's first explanation. "We have to rescue him. Why did you not tell me before, Noah? I can help him."

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crucio
2011-08-03 10:31 pm UTC (link)

Noah shook his head and let out a sigh before he tipped his head back and looked up at the ceiling. He had no idea if he'd just made the biggest mistake of his entire life or not, but he prayed that he hadn't.

"No - it's not like that, Majid," he said softlyy before he looked over at him again. "He wasn't kidnapped or taken. He ran away on his own. And he doesn't want to go back. He's in love and he's happy. Just leave him be."

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