(Sorry for the delay, work has been kicking my ass LOL)
Vaughn's brows raised as he listened to Aragorn. Aragorn agreed with what he was doing. Maybe not the method and way he was going about it, but he still agreed. "If you think he's doing something good, why are you still trying to stop him?" he asked. He hoped that was a normal and unassuming thing to ask. He was curious now, and it was getting the better of him. It excited him that Aragorn could almost understand why he was doing this. No one else would save those people, which meant that he had to. He was their only hope, and arresting him would stop all of that.
(XD it’s cool! Take as much time as you need ^^)
Aragorn sighs softly. “I just…” He looks around, then leans forward and whispers, “I’m getting paid…a lot…and I need the money. Really bad. Especially with the situation I’m in right now…” They sigh. “I understand the guy…and honestly…if it wasn’t against my morals…I may have done the same. But…I just can’t. I also need this money. Then I can sustain myself no matter where I go. I wouldn’t need to be homeless and worry about my next meal…”
He clears his throat. “Anyway- sorry. Please don’t tell anyone about that. I’ll lose everything.” They then started looking worried as they fidgeted with his pen. “I just…” He sighs heavily and looks away.
(I love dogs, but they are so exhausting sometimes LMAO)
Vaughn lost a tiny bit of hope. He had thought that he might have the chance to convince Aragorn to back off of the case, since he did partially agree with what he was doing. But at the mention of money, he felt a tad frustrated. He took it as Aragorn choosing money over anything else, something he couldn't do. If he had been offered a large sum of money to stop doing what he was doing, he would never take up that offer. He was passionate about what he did, and he would die for the cause of helping people. It was what he lived for.
"I won't tell a soul," he simply confirmed with a nod of his head. He leaned back in his chair, catching Figure out of the corner of his eye.
(Ooooo dogs! I completely get it tho- my dogs a menace in of herself-)
Aragorn fidgeted uncomfortably, sighing. “I…” He debated on admitting that they also had no choice in this matter. He was promised protection from the very thing he was running from. As long as he worked for these people…they were safe. Others he sought to protect were safe. He and anyone else still close to him were cloaked. The cult hunting him wouldn’t be able to find them or anyone else. And he needed that reassurance. Plus…if the cloaking were to break…he’d have enough money to still keep himself and those he loved safe. They honestly didn’t want another bird tattooed on his skin again. That was his goal. And he’d do anything to keep that from happening.
Eventually, Aragorn just sighed heavily and leaned back, looking back down at his papers. Maybe he shouldn’t share…he didn’t want to seem like he was asking for pity. He just wanted to reason…he just wanted someone to understand. They of course, decided to keep it to themself. They wouldn’t bother this man any longer with his problems. “Thanks.” He whispers finally.
(Yeah it’s pretty great, most of the time LMAO)
Vaughn frowned as he watched Aragorn. The silence was tense and there was a heavy weight in the air. Something was wrong with the whole situation, but he would have never been able to guess what it really was. He assumed Aragorn was having some sort of moral dilemma, and that was none of his business to pry.
“How long have you been on the case? If you don’t mind me asking,” he asked. That, he would pry on. Any bits of information that could give him the upper hand on how the investigation was going. An opportunity like this didn’t come around this often. Never had he been able to get information from the inside.
Aragorn blinks as his thoughts flee. He looks up at Vaughn and smiles slightly. “Almost a year now…I’ve been jumping apartments so I can stay close to the organization and areas of investigation.” He sighs heavily as they set some files out in from of them. “I’m kinda upset that I’m just now getting somewhere…at least the people I’m working for are kinda understanding.” Aragorn mutters under his breath, then rubs their forehead.
He then takes a deep breath and takes a drink of water. “It’s been rough…” They murmur. “I’ve had certain deadlines that I’ve barely been able to finish. I’ve gotten sick a couple of times from the added stress and moving around. But I don’t really get off days…so…I still haven’t had much time to recover from the last time I got ill.” He makes a face of what seemed like annoyance.
Vaughn’s brows raised a tad upon hearing the time frame. A year? He was a bit surprised he hadn’t run into Aragorn before last night. Maybe he had and he just didn’t remember. It wasn’t that large of a city. But it told him that he was getting messy. Aragorn had only recently got those leads on his identity. He had gotten sloppy, and it was coming back to bite him. That told him to up his game a bit.
“I see,” he replied shortly before getting an idea. He could use this to get ahead. Being friends with Aragorn could prove helpful. “Would you like to grab coffee with me?”
Aragorn blinks up at him. “I- oh- um…sure- yes. Yes that would be nice.” He stammers, his cheeks coloring slightly. They then smile warmly at him. “What time would you like?” He asks softly, setting the papers he had aside to show he was fully involved in the conversation.
That type of body language was learned from years of experience and watching humans. He has learned, that no eye contact, doing other things while listening, and having a blank expression was considered rude for most mortals. So, he started trying to perfect his skills of people pleasing. Look at the person speaking, eye contact, set everything else aside, nod and shake your head to show you understand, and make various facial expressions to show empathy and sympathy when needed. It was a skill that had gotten him many jobs in the past, and a skill that took years to perfect.
Vaughn tucked his small notepad and pen away into the back pocket of the jeans he wore. "Are you free now?" he offered, head tilting in the slightest. It was dog-like, almost. Unlike Aragorn, he didn't know many social cues and never really learned how to portray them. Sure, he could read others like a book, but when it came to himself expressing things physically, he fell short. He seemed to have a distant expression most of the time, and that paired with his monotone voice could cause some confusion on what he was really meaning. The only times he really had emotion was when he was killing, and all that showed was rage.
Aragorn smiles and nods. “Sure. Yeah we can go now.” He starts packing all his belongings up, then stands, towering over the sitting Vaughn. From that point of view, Aragorn looked like they could easily snap him in half if they wanted to. Hell they probably could. Though of course, the intimidation didn’t last long when Aragorn smiled at him softly and turned slightly to put his hair half up into a bun.
Once he was done, he looked at Vaughn once more. “Ready when you are.”
Vaughn didn’t like their current position. He didn’t like being stood over, and he seized up for a moment. While it wasn’t very noticeable, it caused a nauseating feeling in the pit of his stomach, and he was glad he hadn’t eaten that day. It reminded him of his father, a position they often took with each other when he was a child. His father was a tall man, and he had been much shorter during the time he was in his life.
He snapped out of his panicked daze after a moment, clearing his throat and getting to his feet. He stuffed his hands away into the pockets of his dark jacket. “I’m ready, let’s go on ahead,” he said, beginning to walk for the door. As he went, he glanced over at the librarian, who seemed to be looking at him thoughtfully. The paranoia was trickling into his brain, and he was quickly convinced that she could see right through him. He quickly glanced away, breaking eye contact as he headed out into the street.
Aragorn watched Vaughn closely as he followed, their strides long and graceful. They tilted their head ever so slightly as they watched their acquaintance. He definitely seemed off. Very off. Aragorn seemed concerned at this behavior, but just decided to watch and learn. File down this data and see what happens.
As he followed Vaughn, he tried to make small talk. “Are you from around here?” He asks softly.
Vaughn kept stride with Aragorn, having to walk a bit quicker than usual, though it was not much of a bother to him. It was a quick walk to the coffee shop, it only being a couple of blocks away from the library. When asked about himself, he wondered if he should lie, just to protect himself and his identity a bit. He decided against it. Aragorn had no reason to suspect him of anything at that point in time. That's what he told himself, at least.
"No, I'm not. I've only lived here for a couple of years. I moved around a lot growing up," he answered. That wasn't a complete lie. He had been there longer than just a couple years, but he had moved around a lot. Being stuck in the foster care system for a good portion of his life could be thanked for that. He was moved from home to home, each one giving him up quickly due to his mental health issues. "What about you?"
“I’ve also been moving around a lot…” he sighs. “I honestly can’t remember the last time I stayed idol…I haven’t had a home for as long as my memory spans.” They sigh a heavy sigh, looking down as they fidget with his hair. “I think the longest I’ve ever stayed in one place was a year…and even then I’d have to go from place to place all day…sleep on benches…”
Aragorn shook their head, clearing their thoughts and brushing his long hair over his shoulder. “It’s alright though…can’t miss what you’ve never had…right?” He laughs softly, trying to brighten the mood.
Vaughn's lips pressed together thoughtfully as he listened to Aragorn talk. A traveler not by choice, similar sounding to his own situation. He nodded his head carefully in agreement about not missing what he never had. He could only partially relate. He had something- while not for long, he still had it at one point. A family, a stable home and environment. A reminder of why he could not stop what he was doing. He killed to keep other people having that same feeling of a happy life being ripped away from them.
They arrived at the coffee shop shortly after their conversation. Vaughn opened the door for Aragorn before following him in. They headed up to the counter to order, and he ordered a small black coffee that he would put cream and sugar into.
Aragorn orders a simple black coffee with about 4 packets of sugar and creamer. He then looks at Vaughn. “Would you like anything to eat?” He takes out his wallet, smiling. “I’ll pay.” They start pulling out a one hundred dollar bill. He seemed persistent on paying for both of their drinks, or at least his own. It looked like he had done this before. Get taken out somewhere, then asked to pay for everything.
To be honest…he had. There has been several occasions where someone would ask him out, order the most expensive things on the menu, then make Aragorn pay for all of it. So now…he’s gotten into the habit of pulling out his wallet and instantly paying for whatever it was they wanted.
Vaughn arched his brow when Aragorn took out his wallet. He had been taught manners by not only his mother, but by adults that worked in the foster care system. They insisted it was important that he had manners and that it would make a huge difference in getting a lifelong home. That clearly never happened, but he felt comfortable using those old habits. Not for the sake of the foster care system, but for his mother.
He took out his own wallet, holding his hand up to Aragorn. "I invited you out, you don't have to do that," he counteracted. He was a stubborn individual and had learned of many ways to pursued people into going along with the things that he said. He slipped a couple of smaller bills from his wallet before speaking in a more persistent tone. "You can put that away, it's my treat."
Aragorn stares at this man for what seemed like forever. What? He wasn’t used to this. This had never happened before. He blinked slightly after a while and slowly put his money back into the wallet. “A-are you sure? I have no problem with paying. I’ve got plenty of cash.” He insisted, still looking absolutely dumbfounded. “It wouldn’t be a problem at all.” They said softly.
“I insist on paying. I’d probably be asking you a bunch of questions anyways and I’d rather repay that time now then later…” They looked at Vaughn, still looking confused.
As Aragorn put the money back into his wallet, Vaughn took that moment to turn to the barista and hand her the bills that he had in hand. he was given his change bu the waitress, and a moment afterwards they were handed their cups of coffee. He took a small step away over to a side counter where he was able to dump a couple of packers of cream and sugar into his coffee. He mixed it with a small wooded stirring stick before taking a sip, the slightly bitter taste being exactly what felt like he needed at the time. “Don’t worry about it. Like I said, I was the one who extends the invitation to come here so it’s only fair if I pay the bill.”
Aragorn blinks once again, then clears his throat and bows his head slightly. “Well…thank you. I appreciate it.” He murmurs. “I’ll try not to ask you too many questions then.” He looks back up, quiet. Once he retrieved his coffee, he softly thanked the waitress and fixed his coffee to his liking. Four sugars, four creamers. The packets were small just like he planned, so he was able to dump them all into his coffee.
Once they were situated, they took a seat in a cozy looking corner and took a sip of his coffee. He looked at Vaughn with a thankful look in his eyes. “I really appreciate this. Thank you.” They smile.
Vaughn’s head to the side at Aragorn’s comment about not asking him many questions. “Were you planning on doing so?” he asked. He wondered what they would have asked him. Would they have been questions about him and his personal life or maybe more things about the murders? Either way, he didn’t want to answer too many of either of those types of questions, so he wouldn’t complain too much.
They took a seat in a more quiet corner of the café, and he took a small sip of his coffee. He didn’t drink too much coffee, so it was a rare treat that he indulged in. “You’re welcome. While I do owe you more than a coffee for letting me crash at your place while drunk and for fixing my stitches, this is a start.”
Aragorn laughs softly. “Well I like helping people in need. So it’s no problem.” He reassured. They took another sip of their coffee, relaxing slightly. “So…where are you from? I’m from Ireland.” He chuckles. “As you can probably tell.” He grins playfully.
They honestly missed Ireland. It was so beautiful. Especially in olden times. They wished they could go back…but sadly, they couldn’t. The cult they had ran from had their main settlement there…so Aragorn could never go back to his home.
When Vaughn was asked where he was from, he considered lying. He didn’t need to tell Aragorn everything about him. Doing so would be practically handing over a profile to identify him with. A vague answer wouldn’t hurt, though. “I was born in Colorado, in a pretty small suburban town,” he answered. He had picked up on Aragorn’s accent, as it was hard to miss.
Aragorn coos softly in interest, “Nice…I heard its beautiful there. Full of beautiful mountains, yeah?” They tilt their head, smiling warmly. “Oh I wish I could visit there…I’ve heard of all these amazing places to go…it’d be nice…” He sighs heavily, looking down at their coffee. Aragorn knew damn well he wouldn’t be able to visit…he didn’t want to bring the cult there. It was already a risk here. He’d have to book it if he didn’t want those people destroying anything.
Vaughn nodded his head. “Yeah, lots of pretty nature out there. It was always really quiet, which I loved,” he said, having begun to ramble briefly. He hadn’t meant to, but his guard that he had placed had slipped a bit. He collected himself momentarily, gripping his cup of coffee tighter. His head tilted a bit in thought as he sipped his coffee. “Why wouldn’t you be able to go there? Well, if there is a reason besides staying here for the case you’re following.”
