Network | Video

[the_freak]

[Eddie would have preferred the theatrics of the drama room, but he did his best to set up an imposing angle for his message. ]

I’m thinking a lot of us could use a chance to blow off some steam, hmm? Lots of work to do around here, and weird ass monsters to fight, but not a whole lot in the way of recreation.

Back home I ran a group called Hellfire Club. Led us in some of the most epic D&D campaigns Hawkins Indiana ever saw. And I was thinking…I could offer my services as Dungeon Master here if people were interested.

Beggars can’t be choosers and I know we have a lot of people who’ve never played, so- lucky you- I’ve decided to open up admission to first timers. Little bonus- anyone who joins gets a Hellfire Mk2 shirt of their very own.

[He shifts to show off the new design he’s printed, a proud smirk on his face.]

I’ll be at the diner this week for people to sell me on their characters. If it’s your first go, I’ll have sheets prepared and can help you fill them out.

Comments

[in_extremis]

Tony knew a diversion when he saw one. He was an expert in the field. Eddie only bore the weight of another narrow look, though, before Tony was rolling his eyes thoughtfully aside, considering what a person would have to explain about demons if they had never lived in New York or watched the news or gone outside. It would probably get them back around to what Eddie was trying to dodge.

"I don't know if there's any basic mould for a demon. A lot of them follow this pattern where they have the most insanely hot body, and then a head that's just fire or tentacles or whatever. Like, the kind of body that makes up for it being all teeth up there. There's other that'll be your neighbour for three years and you only find out because their uncle shows up to get some jewellery back and they level the block."

[the_freak]

He blinked innocently in return, and sipped at his drink.

Eddie eyes widened a bit though, like he hadn't quite considered that they could be a combination like that, always picturing one extreme or the other. But hot body and fire head was honestly way more metal how that he was thinking about it.

"And which type did you date, the head on fire sort or the girl next door?"

[in_extremis]

The look of offence that Tony adopted for even being asked was incredibly brief, and disappeared in a sip of his coffee. "A gentleman doesn't close himself off to a multitude of experiences," he answered lightly. It was floaty and half-focused enough to hopefully catch Eddie off guard when Tony's sharp focus was suddenly cutting into him again and he accused, "But you're the girl next door type."

[the_freak]

That earned a giggle of amusement, and Eddie grinned, nodding his acceptance.

"Like...personally? Or that's the type for me?" he asked, a little warry a he was suddenly fixed under that look again. He playfully licked over a canine, but laughed again, shrugging a shoulder. "Maybe."

[in_extremis]

The impish glint in Tony's eye was almost always there, so it might have been easy enough to miss as he grinned in return and pressed, "Both." He had meant Eddie's preference, but he could guess that the kid might be a little bothered by the suggestion that he was going to settle down in the safety of the suburbs, just playing his games in his basement.

[the_freak]

It'd be a step up from the trailer park. Eddie wouldn't mind honestly. He hummed and gestured a wavering motion with his hand. "I'm not really sure of my type. Never really dated anyone seriously."

[in_extremis]

That gamble hadn't paid off at all, so maybe there wasn't some demon thing that Eddie was hiding, or Eddie was more unflappable than Tony had anticipated. He gave a brief pout, then his fingers were wiggling to cast it off. "What are you waiting for?" he asked. "What are you, twenty-two, -three? I was almost married by then. Twice. Three, if you count, you know, that dying devotion thing you have for the first gal who blows you in the family limo. Nothing to lose, though, not really--not if you don't have it in the first place."

[the_freak]

"...Yup," Eddie agrees, not about to correct someone for guessing higher. Whether it's flattery, or just a genuine guess, he's happy to accept it.

"Ah, yes, the first blow in the family limo. Fond times," he teased, pretending to reminisce. "...I'm just not looking for anything serious," he lied.

[in_extremis]

Right, okay, maybe that was not a universal experience, and Tony flapped a hand to wave it away, you know what I mean. The summer cottage, then. What he did press on, and repeated, was, "What are you waiting for?" His cutting focus wasn't on Eddie then, idly on his coffee instead, which didn't entirely hide how he kept still, listening. When Tony 'wasn't looking for anything serious', it was because he thought it wasn't possible.

[the_freak]

"..." Eddie fidgeted, toying with his rings. "I dunno, man, just-...maybe when I leave Hawkins, move to a city that's not so-....it's just not in the cards right now, that's all." Not a big deal.

[in_extremis]

Tony wasn't going to ask a third time, though he did narrow his eyes with some impatience, because that also wasn't an answer. If there wasn't some girl keeping Eddie in Hawkins, it still wasn't clear what the wait was. "You've got to get to New York," he recommended grandly instead, tossing his head and offering a flippant, "Look me up if you need a room. Then you'll finally see something interesting."

[the_freak]

"Yeah, you got a room for me in 1986?" he asked with a smirk, looking Tony over doubtfully. "That was the plan," he admits, "Not New York necessarily, but...graduate. Finally. Then tour around. Maybe make it big." Tony saw how he came in. The both of them can guess that futures not going to happen. But they can also blindly pretend.

[in_extremis]

Under his breath, Tony echoed, "Eighty-six?," incredulously, only for his eyebrows to shoot up with a nod as that did very quickly explain a lot that Tony couldn't quite equate to dimensional discrepancies. Not enough to stop him from acknowledging, "My god, you could be my dad," giving that thought a similar brief reload, and landing on, "That's kind of hot. Is that weird? It's got to be weird. There are schools in New York, you know, some pretty good ones. Better'n West Virginia or..." Tony narrowed his eyes, trying to place 'Hawkins' somewhere between Eddie's accent and expression, "Wisconsin." That didn't seem to be right, but Tony powered on anyway, "Better music scene, anyway, if you're trying to get eyes on you. And, listen, don't think I haven't noticed, that's a lot of big swings you're taking before you're letting yourself be 'serious'."

[the_freak]

Dad? Eddie took a mock arrow to the heart, but paused his dramatics to consider. Was that hot? It was weird. But...yeah. Kind of hot. A weird hot... "I could do worse than a genius kid with pretty okay taste in music," he allowed with a smirk.

He snorted softly, shaking his head. "Indiana," he corrected, but really it wasn't surprising.

"Maybe people like me don't get serious."

[in_extremis]

"Impeccable," Tony rebuilt, tipping his head back to try for a challenging stare and landing mostly on a fangy grin. He tried to hold it, keeping light as he pressed, "Like what? A tortured artist that nobody could possibly understand? She doesn't have to understand you to love you. I don't understand my--..." He hadn't planned this out, and hadn't landed on the right word yet; not one that he had used with anyone else, anyway. "Beloved," maybe wasn't the right kind of ambiguous, and Tony cleared his throat awkwardly, lifting his mug like he might sip, only to have to continue, "Most of the time. I mean, does anybody, really? Please. We're from different planets, didn't stand a chance."

[the_freak]

He snorted softly, but glanced away at she, which is as close as he's come to directly addressing the other issue. Apart from his imminent death. But Tony's odd choice of address for his partner drew Eddie's gaze back.

"You met someone here? Isn't that kind of...scary? Knowing they could just- " Eddie snapped his fingers with a frown.

[in_extremis]

Was that the issue they were edging around? It couldn't be the entire thing, because Tony's slow, expectant smile, not nearly as sharp as the edge of his smirk, still ended with him being the one to point out gently, "They can do that back home, too."

[the_freak]

"..." That gave Eddie genuine pause, and he reflected on that with a furrowed brow. Maybe Tony had earned all those doctorates for a reason.

"...that's a good point," he admitted, looking a bit bashful.

[in_extremis]

As full of too many words as Tony tended to be, he seemed content enough to give Eddie his meditative moment, taking his time with a mouthful of coffee and going back to considering the kitchen someone still had to tidy before he admitted, "They--he did go, though, once. Just disappeared, back home, where I knew, he had known, he was going to die." He didn't quite repeat Eddie's snap, but a softer gesture without the sound, leaving his hand open and empty with a shrug. "I could have never seen him again. So when he did come back--you tell me. He comes back, am I supposed to say, no thanks, don't want to go through that again? How is that different from the first time?"

[the_freak]

It took some work to keep the interest from his face at the shift in pronouns, getting a bit antsy again. It wasn't that he didn't like girls exactly. He did. He had countless crushes. He just...liked guys more. And maybe a specific guy, currently... Tony was the second person he'd seen admit to the same interests, though not nearly as openly as Richie, and he wondered if it was something safer to admit here.

He considered Tony's words again, and it's not hard to image himself in that situation. "...I dunno if I know how to be brave like you, Mr. Epic Super Suit. Maybe that's my problem."

[in_extremis]

Tony started to laugh, a short breath with a wry smile, and wanted to say he'd consider updating his alias because the branding sounded pretty strong. What came out instead was a much more hard-edged, "It's not bravery to refuse to give someone love." His mouth opened again like he might elaborate, he always had an elaboration, only to click shut, sure that wasn't a point that needed expanding on. If Eddie didn't understand it, they were working from very different fundamentals.

[the_freak]

That...was a really good point. Eddie blinked and bowed his head, no witty comeback or joke on his lips for once, and he nodded after a moment.

"...I'm glad he came back," he said finally, offering Tony a small smile, meaning Tony's...person. "He's got a pretty cool dude here."

[in_extremis]

While this was surely a lofty title from Eddie, that was a little heavier, and much more personal than Tony was entirely comfortable with, so he was more than happy to give a toss of his head and a hand to correct, "I'd say you're closer to the big, weird nerd end of the spectrum, but sure, I'm glad he didn't miss his chance to meet you, too."

[the_freak]

Eddie laughed and nodded. "Oh no, yeah, I'm totally the King Freak. So tell me about your guy then. He's not one of the demons you were talking about, is he? Cause that would be awkward."

[in_extremis]

This was an area that Tony was more of an expert at dodging than he was talking about, though most of his tactics were more effective on tabloid reporters than one guy who didn't seem to be trying to draw out the right blade to cut him with. Tony still fixed him with a dubious sidelong look and did his best not to betray too much anxious tension in the way he flicked a careless hand, tighter and closer to his chest than his typical bold gesturing. "You're going to have to let me know how much hellfire is in there," he said, "when he figures out you're the one stealing from him."