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[100more]

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[100more]

[ Hob glances to the screen but the horror of the scene is lost on him. There's an anxious feeling that grips him, but when he looks back at her, his expression is a touch sad. ]

No, I didn't. I was afraid before I realized what you were doing. I judged you too quick, and I owe you an apology.

[morethan084]

[That won't do. It she doesn't want his pity. She wants his fears]

No.

[He'll feel the glasses in his hands begin to tremble,]

You were right to fear me.

[100more]

[ Again, he looks to the glasses just before he sets them down. It's strange, feeling the vibrations in his hands. He's not sure if it's best to put them down or not at this stage. ]

Please, stop this. Have I done something to upset you? There's no reason for this.

[ He may be a little afraid, but he's also very confused by her behavior. ]

You want to be terrifying? Fine. Does that make you happy?

[morethan084]

[The vibrations stop just as he sets back down the glasses, and this time she does lean away from him.]

Nothing about this place makes me happy.

[How's that for a non answer?]

[100more]

[ Hob frowns again, but at least he can put the glasses safely down. ]

Being here isn't easy, I know that. What do you miss most about home?

[morethan084]

[This night is not going how it she was hoping it would.]

You thinking talking about what I miss about home is going to do what, exactly? Make me feel better about being kidnapped?

[100more]

[ When she snaps at him again, Hob can't help but feel as if he's stuck his foot in his mouth. Now, he feels guilty. ]

No, I... sorry, I thought maybe you wanted to talk about it. Truth be told, sometimes I don't think things out. It's stupid, I know. I almost lost a good friend that way. I mean, I did, and it was my fault. Me and my big mouth.

[ Maybe that influence is starting to get to him a little the more she hangs around. ]

[morethan084]

[Change of strategy.

Daisy tilts her head to the side, expression softening at the mention of a past experience gone wrong.]

What happened?

[100more]

[ Hob isn't sure just how much he should say, but if he wants Daisy to talk about the things bothering her, he has to be willing to do the same, right? ]

Well, I had, or have, this friend, but years ago we weren't exactly friends. I mean, we were, but we treated it as more of a business arrangement.

[ Does that make sense? ]

Anyway, when I suggested we were actually friends and he pointed out he might be lonely, he took great offense. We didn't see each other again until many years later.

[morethan084]

[Not exactly the kind of situation Daisy was hoping for, but maybe she can work with it.]

What happened when you two saw each other again?

[100more]

We reconciled, I'm happy to say.

[ And that is a happy memory for Hob, though it occurred fairly recently for him. ]

[morethan084]

[It’s not the answer she was hoping for, and she just barely smiles in response.]

That’s—

[Daisy sucks in a breath before finishing her sentence, the word feeling foreign.]

Good.

What kind of business did you two do?

[100more]

Oh, well...

[ Clearly, he hesitates to answer, but he does trust Daisy, and he knows he doesn't need to be as wary of people in this world, who come here with all sorts of different powers. ]

It may sound strange and.. unbelievable, but he granted me immortality. Well, I guess his sister did, but he was part of it. All on the condition that I check in with him every one-hundred years.

[morethan084]

[The word ‘immortality’ is an immediate punch to the gut as she’s reminded of someone.

Andy.

Hob explains how it happened, but it takes Daisy a moment to respond.]

Granted you-? Are they vampires?

[100more]

[ Hob wonders if something he said may have bothered her, but she seems bothered by a lot this evening. ]

No. [ He actually laughs a little, since Morpheus kind of resembles a vampire. ] They're like gods. Well, even greater than gods, I think.

[morethan084]

Greater than a god?

[Daisy asks, sounding doubtful.]

Does that make you one too?

[100more]

God, no.

[ Hob is quick to deny that idea. ]

I'm just a man... who happens to not die. I can't do the things they do, or even the things you do.

[morethan084]

[Daisy looks off to the side for a moment as memories bubble to the surface. Personal conversations that she's had with Andy, about what immortality is like for her.]

That sounds lonely.

[She says, sympathy seeping into her tone.]

All of the people you know, eventually dying, and you can't be there with them in their final moments. Because if they're lucky enough to live to an old age, they would notice that you don't age.

[And because maybe he needs to know to understand...]

I knew people like you.

[100more]

[ Hob shrugs slightly. ]

It has been, at times, but not always.

[ Despite being immortal, it's impossible for him to cut himself off from others. What's the joy in living like that? ]

I've told some people before. Those I wanted to spend my life with. Unfortunately, they didn't live to an old age. If they had, I would have done anything possible to stay with them. Take care of them somehow.

[ He'd just have to figure that out without other people catching on. But hearing she's known an immortal before gets a look of surprise. ]

You have? What happened to them?

[morethan084]

You loved them.

[It's not posed as a question, because it's obvious he had. Why else would he risk everything to stay with them?]

What happened to them?

[Besides the fact that they obviously died young.]

I don't know. We lost touch along the way.

[Which is not the truth, but she doesn't want to stray too far from the intended topic.]