prowl; [open]

[Raron]

Tarsus rubbed the bone plate atop his head and thought for a while.
"Gah... dang... getting old sucks. These are hard memories to sort through... going and getting completly wasted after my last trip there probably didn't help."
He grinned sheepishly.
"You see all this was kinda a side project, not a major thing in my life. Most of the time I was with my friends, playing at being the protecting muscle, and getting a detective liscense... which I turned out to be horrible at but got me into what I do now, a repairman."
Scratching his chin he began to remember.
"I remember this one book I found, it was ridiculously old. Written by hand it seemed. By... um... dang... I remember this weird oval on the cover, it was the last book I snatched. The Oval seemed to made out of embossed metal.... silver I think. I took it home, read it... and got angry... I remember getting very very angry. I didn't want to remember the book... yeah. YEAH! That was when I went out and got blind stinking drunk. I remember the hangover afterwards, my brain felt like it was trying to crawl out my eyeballs and strangle me. My tongue felt like hair had grown on it... it turned out to be alot of paper cuts... I think I ate the book..."
He shook his head in disbelief at his younger self.
"No, before you as I have no idea what was in that book now, I went through alot of pains to forget and I have no intentions of poking around in that part of my memory hoping for a break through. I am too old to get that drunk now. A little pick me up from time to time is fine but I don't think my liver can do what it used to. It is hard enough picking up girls at my age with a functioning liver, not to mention they never seem to want to hang around more then a month or two."
He peered at Rook.
"You have any kids Rook? A special someone?"

[Rook]

book book book book

Rook felt a sharp bitter taste in his throat, of bile or blood though he was pretty sure there was really nothing there. His stomach had twisted at Tarsus's mention of this....book.

What book? Had their ever been a book?

Well did it matter now? Perhaps the dinosaur really had consumed the bloody thing. Just as well. but he felt a disquieted sense of rage and frusteration that he couldn't explain, it came from deep inside him, in that locked part of his mind. He wanted to get out of here right now!

Shaking his head, to clear it, (though he made it look like he was doing it to be sympathetic) Rook took another sip from the cup, finishing it off.


"M-..." Shit. "Me? Yes. I have a little girl". He paused "Well, she's not exactly 'little' any more. Scary teenager now. But I raised her on my own so we've had to learn to tolerate eachother pretty well, and she's quickly becoming more competent than I am. I'm fucked".

He diddn't answer the 'special someone' thing Hell If Imma open up THAT can of worms.

But he diddn't usually babble about his personal life like this, especially to someone he'd been interrogating. What the hell was wrong with him? It's the bit about the damn book. Got me all shaken up.

Rook did a relatively good job of hiding his intense emotions, on the surface he only looked perhaps puzzled and a tad confused.

[Raron]

Tarsus smirked at Rook's discription of his kid and raised his glass in salute.
"A kid... you know I am not sure if I should be jealous of you or pity you. Heh, the thought of another me running around. Teaching it, raising it... wow... that is terrifying. I don't know how you did it. I have enough trouble keeping myself out of trouble."
He looked at Rook and then looked up in thought.
"I may have not done a good enough job."
There was a thump as Tarsus gentle banged his head on the table top.
"The first person I talk to about that time and it was an Angel... wow... I mean really just wow. Could I get more dumb... I wonder if there is a way to test to see if I am getting senile."
His brought his hand up to the brow of his head and rubbed it.
"Okay, any other bits you need to know about me? If so I would like to order some more food, I have all day. My client canceled on me."

[Rook]

The darkness around Rook's sharp silver eyes, the youngest part of him, was most evident now, he was tired.

"No. I'm satisfied. You wont' hear from me again, well, unless you behave yourself and don't rape, maim or steal anything".
His eyes narrowed a bit at this, almost like a teacher's but the light in them gave it away as a joke.

He actually doubted that was a promise he could keep. He wouldn't seek him out but he had a feeling he and the shifty dinosaur would meet again.

He took his flask from his long pockets, and took a short swig, shaking his head and screwing it back as he righted his collar almost habitually.

His brow furrowed

"Goodbye Mr. Ridge".

[Raron]

Tarsus's grin at the "steal" line. He only stole things back... it was practically a public service.
"I told you, call me Tarsus. Only people I don't like get to call me Mr. Ridge."
Standing he heard his knee joints pop and flinched but kept standing. He looked Rook square in the eyes and said.
"Oh, and give me regards to the girl. She seemed like a nice enough girl... try to keep her out of two much trouble. She is not like you or me. She is practically innocent compared to us."
He rotated his shoulders and reaching down picked up his coat and scarf and put them on.
"Remember, the name is Tarsus. Give me a call sometime if you need a hand."
He pointed a finger at himself.
"T A R S U S.... Tarsus... not Mr. Ridge."
He spoke slowly as if speaking to a child and then tilted back his head in a laugh as he walked to the door.
"See you on the other side."