open | i heard that you make old things new; so I give these pieces all to you

[adamparrish]

Since the arrival of the other three members of their group, Adam had been scarce. He purposefully stayed at work at the garage extra late. The sickness had kind of made it an easy excuse for him to bow out of sleeping in the same bed as Ronan. His erratic presence at the apartment made it easy to avoid actually talking. On June 1st though, after hyposprays and everyone being magically healed, it was the first true test for him and Ronan and Adam failed.

Instead of going home, he stayed at the garage until he couldn't stand the same four walls anymore. Then he went out to the forests of Itinere where the ley lines were. He worked on repairing them for Ronan. At least he could do one thing right, one thing to help. Maybe Ronan would notice he had done this for him. Maybe he wouldn't.

Adam would stay out in the forests way past dark, taking his time, doing what he thought needed to be done. Then he would head back in town to walk through the park, sit on a merry-go-round and push at it with his feet to move it around. The metal squeaked and after a quick trip to the garage, he came back to dismantle and oil the merry-go-round to keep it from squeaking so loudly.

Probably another thing no one would notice. Productive, though. Adam Parrish felt productive and useful... busy, even now at some god awful time in the night or morning. And he supposed that was the point.

Comments

[deathbysk8board]

The grin that spreads across Noah's face is a bright one, his face lighting up with it. He fisted his hand and bumped it against Noah's.

There's a plus he hadn't thought about!

[adamparrish]

That fist bump might seem like nothing to most. But Adam knew it was a big deal to Noah. And to Adam, well, it was something to show Noah there were good things too about being alive.

"Ronan will be happy about that." He says.

Turning back to the merry-go-round, he continues working. "Did you wish for it when you came in? To be alive?"

[deathbysk8board]

"I don't even know what to wish for," Noah says with a shrug. "I mean ... who wishes to be alive? I mean, I wanted to be more, you know? I ... Blue was having to work really hard to keep me around, right? I didn't want her to have to keep doing that."

[adamparrish]

"Maybe... maybe Itinere caught onto that somehow. Made it happen." Adam surmises, smearing the back of his hand across his brow and leaving a trail of dirt and grime on his skin.

Adam was just trying to make sense of it all. "This place, it can almost read our thoughts. We think we want something, we wish for something, it makes it happen. The apartment we live in is always changing, stuff we want or need just appears."

He glances up at Noah and back to his work. "It brought Ronan the Barns."

[deathbysk8board]

"What like a genie bottle?" Noah smirks at that idea. Not doubting it, exactly, just ... trying to make sense of it. "What have you wished for? Like ... " Like even what? "Did you wish us here? Gansey and Blue and me?"

[adamparrish]

"Kinda like that." He says, holding back a smirk. He won't blame Noah if he does doubt it. It seems unreal. But Adam has experienced it. And isn't it something that both the Barns and Monmouth and Ronan's BMW are all here? And when Adam wished for something to keep him busy Parrish's Garage was suddenly a part of the city?

He doesn't look up to Noah when he shrugs. "Maybe." Yes, he and Ronan had probably both wished them here. Which means it's their fault that the rest of them were here. But at the same time, Adam isn't sure that it works with people.

"It might only work with things." He adds. "Not people."

[deathbysk8board]

It doesn't matter, Noah supposes. He's alive here and in one piece in one place, whereas back in Henrietta, he's scattered all over the place and draining Blue dry, so.

"I could wish for my Mustang," he realizes.

[adamparrish]

"You could. You could wish for anything." He tells Noah. Lord knew that Ronan took full advantage of the wishing. And he dreamed things like cars that never needed gas or batteries to run.

Adam was used to having nothing and wished for very few things beyond what he absolutely needed. Ronan kept telling him he should be greedy and wish for whatever he wanted. Maybe someday he would get there.

"You could wish for new clothes." Ronan had dreamed him new clothes. Adam has never had clothes that were actually new before.

[deathbysk8board]

Looking down, Noah tugs at the hem of the same Aglionby sweater he's been wearing for seven years. "I guess I could, huh."

He gives Adam a crooked smile. "Maybe a new sweater."

[adamparrish]

"A new sweater. Some jeans and tennis shoes... or chinos and loafers, like Gansey." Aglionby rich kids seemed to like chinos and loafers. Gansey fit into that part of Aglionby pretty well. Maybe Noah would too.

"You can come up with your own style." He says.

[deathbysk8board]

Noah has always been a follower, pretty much his whole life. His own style? What is that?

He's caught by the idea, though. He's alive. He can be anything.

"I guess if I'm going to be here, I need a job."

That's something living people have, huh. Jobs.

[adamparrish]

"Yeah. It helps to pass the time." And to keep your mind from going crazy. Of course Adam was used to being busy. He doesn't do very well with copious amounts of time with nothing to do.

"You could work at the garage. Or there's a bookstore that looks cool." He says. "I've heard you can think of a book and it just pops up in the bookstore." Which he thinks is cool, even if no one else does.

[deathbysk8board]

"... really?" Noah looks at Adam wide-eyed. "... wow." That does sound cool.

When did he last read a book? Probably about seven years ago. Maybe he'd check out this bookstore. He'd liked his English classes back at Aglionby.

[adamparrish]

"Yep. Really." He says, twisting the wrench around in his hand a few times. There are plenty of cool things about this place, he guesses. It was just hard to full appreciate them until Gansey, Noah and Blue were here too. Now he can see things in a different light. Maybe Ronan can too.

Whether or not that new and different light's a good thing, remains to be seen.

[deathbysk8board]

Noah will follow the others on this good-or-bad-thing debate. He often doesn't have opinions of his own. Well liked that about him.

Or maybe he didn't after all. Hrm.

Anyway. "Where's the bookstore?" Not that he'd go now, of course.

[adamparrish]

"It's on the opposite corner of the end of the block from where my garage is." Noah had been in his garage before. Maybe that would give him a reference point. It was a massive building, although not as tall as the apartment building.

"There's also a rec center. Lots of shops. Nothing costs anything, people just... live life without money, I guess." He speaks as he works. Not having to pay for anything isn't something Adam is used to. Or probably will ever be used to.

[deathbysk8board]

"So ... I don't need to get a job." Is that what Adam is saying? "If I want new clothes, I just ... take them?"

That seems very strange. Why work if one doesn't have to? Noah scratches through his hair. He needs to get in the habit of brushing it.

[adamparrish]

"You don't have to if you don't want to. Ronan doesn't." Ronan didn't work because he didn't have to. But then Ronan was used to having money and not working. Gansey would probably do the same. Noah could do that too, if he wanted. Mostly, Ronan came and bothered Adam at his job. Adam, on the other hand, needed to work. If not to keep busy then because it was just something Adam had always had to do and needed to do still.

He shrugs. "It's weird. Almost too perfect. But... there doesn't seem to be any crime either. Honor system, I guess."

[deathbysk8board]

When Noah was alive, he was like Gansey, more like Gansey than Ronan. He was, when he was alive, used to having access to everything he needed, not because of the honor code, but because he could buy it. He's not used to working, but he's willing to give it a try. Now that he's alive again, he's less like Gansey, he realizes.

"Too perfect," he echoes. Huh. "If I go to the bookstore, I'll come by and see you," he tells Adam.

[adamparrish]

Adam presses his lips together to quell any semblance of a smile at Noah's promise. Noah would come by and see him? For no reason other than just to see him? That shouldn't feel good. Adam doesn't want to feel good right now, not until he knows where he stands with Ronan.

And that's why he fights it. Really, it shouldn't surprise anyone who knows Adam even a tiny bit, least of all Noah. "You don't have to if you don't want to." In other words, don't feel obligated. He doesn't want to be an obligation.

[deathbysk8board]

"I know." Noah's smile at that is nearly beatific. It's kind of art and parcel to being alive. He can go wherever he wants and do what he wants and people will see him. "I want to."

[adamparrish]

Adam is still and quiet for a minute, tugging the squeaking merry-go-round this way and that for a bit. Then he looks over to Noah.

"You wanna swing?" He hadn't been on a swing set since he was a tiny kid... before kids were old enough to differentiate who to hang out with and who not to.

[deathbysk8board]

Looking to where the swings are, Noah then looks back, smiling still. "Okay. Just ... not jumping off or something stupid, right?"

He likes being alive.

[adamparrish]

"You don't have to jump off. I mean... we don't even have to swing at all, just..." Just, he's had a visit from a woman earlier in the night who had sort of inspired him to do something silly. Venus, her name was. But maybe it was stupid. A stupid idea. Stupid all around.

"It was just a suggestion, really." He looks back down to his work on the merry-go-round.

[deathbysk8board]

"God, Adam," Noah says, doing a passable Gansey impression. "Live a little."

He nudges Adam's shoulder and urges him toward the swings, then he starts to run, getting to the swings first and sitting.