Body Doubles (Chris) - CJ's Den

Something, anything. Who he was now, what he was now. How was he suppose to live? What was he suppose to do? HE was so lost, with nothing to hold onto of his own life which had suddenly slipped through his fingers like sand.

CJ was still a trembling mess, unprepared for the Embrace as he was with no knowledge of what to expect from it or from an existence as a vampire. So when he got no answer, he simply went back to being silent, his hand slipping away from his chest and coming to rest in his lap with no strength left. No nothing.

God he felt hollow.

He just sat there.

"Trying to help you, kid. Hell of a lot harder to do if you're not gonna talk to me."

"I don't know what I'm suppose to say..." or do, his voice still a whisper as he sat there for a few moments longer and then tried to move.
"I need a shower..." at least a shower was a normal thing. And Heaven knew he needed one right now. Badly. He'd probably just burn the clothes rather than keep the reminder of what had just happened.

Cj pushed himself up, staggering as he did so. Uncertain of himself and unable to do much about it.
"Leave me alone... I need to rest..." the soldier muttered.

He shook his head.

"Can't do that. Get your shower."

And now he had a babysitter? Well, in all honesty he was already fucked so it couldn't really get any worse.

CJ just shook his head in silence as he headed towards the bathroom, discarding his clothes in the wastebin rather than the hamper, before turning the water on and the heat up. Allowing himself a moment of silence as the water washed over his now cold skin and took with it the tears and the sweat and all the other things now clinging to his body.

Still trembling... he didn't seem capable of stopping that as he rested his hands on the wall and closed his eyes, resting his forehead against the wall as well in complete silence but unable to rid himself of the tension... it just wouldn't let go. Not even in the nearly painfully warm water.

While he was in the shower, Logan did what Logan was prone to do: Clean up the mess left behind. Granted, the normal way he would clean up a mess involved claws and ashes, but you know... this works too. By the time Chris would be finished with the shower, there wouldn't be any trace of what had just happened to the soldier -- no physical traces on the floor, anyway.

It... it would be a while before he re-emerged from the shower. Like fourtyfive minutes later at least, when the water had turned cold and what little comfort it had held disappeared with the heat.

He'd stopped crying at least. Though he looked like a wreck there he stood, having at least had the mental capacity to pull on some boxers and jeans, though no socks and no t-shirt, leaving his scarred and tattooed torso visible as he staggered from the bathroom and towards the nearest possible chair.

He looked up from where he had been cleaning his nails.

"Didn't help, did it?"

CJ just shook his head. At least that meant he was capable of picking up what Logan was saying, right?
He leaned forward, linking his fingers behind his head and leaned forward, his face hidden from view as he simply sat there in silence again. Still unable to get rid of the hard knot that had formed in his chest and his stomach.

The muscles of his back flexed when he did that, scarred and tattooed, the skin held the tell tale signs of a rough existence. Though at least that existence had been by choice.

It's about to get worse. A lot worse.

"Ya need to pack up a few things. We can't be staying here for long."

He glanced toward the windows idly.

Of course of course it could still get worse. Silly him thinking he'd hit rock bottom. Of course he could still dig himself deeper.

"Fine..." he was past protesting. The soldier, defeated and robbed of his usual glow, simply pushed himself up off his seat and move to grab a duffel bag. A change of clothes, the H&K from the safe along with some bullets, a few other mundane things. It wouldn't seem like he was planning on taking much.

Lastly, he stopped to grab a t-shirt and a jacket, along with a pair of well used boots. All the while without talking. Because there really wasn't much to talk about at this point as it had been made clear to him that if he didn't want to do something, he'd simply be forced to do it. And right now he didn't have the energy or strength of mind to even try to fight it.

"Ready..." the word was spoken with a tone of voice as flat as the expression in his eyes. The duffel bag hanging over his shoulder, the keys to the warehouse and his Harley in his free hand.

Fine, whatever. His entire body language seemed to say that even if the words didn't pass his lips. Funny that in the middle of this a small part of his mind was capable of thinking about how this was going to cost him his job. As if that mattered anymore.

"And ya need ta get over bein' pissed off now."

Because anger and things like that? Being a Kindred? Usually equaled frenzy. And a frenzy, for a Gangrel, was generally bad.

He wasn't sure if he was angry. He wasn't sure what he was. And regardless of what he was feeling, it was not something he could just switch off. Sorry Logan, fat chance of that happening. Though for the time being he seemed mostly just indifferent to what was happening.

Annoyed Gangrel was becoming even more annoyed. He stepped around in front of CJ, his voice low and calm. But there was a hint of steel in the words.

"You can either stop acting like a petulant five-year-old who didn't get to go to the birthday party, or one of two things happens. One, I will break you down to nothing until you have no choice but to quite acting like a child or I kill you. Fun fact about the Accounting: I still get to do that."

"Fun fact" he looked into the Archon's eyes. "I told them to kill me... So you really consider that a threat?" when he'd already lost everything? What the fuck did he care? Not that he was aware that the God damn Dominate would have him trying to fight back once on the brink of death, but hey... he was so past caring at this point he'd simply take the shit as it came his way.
"So are we going to go see this Mist? Or are you going to break me, or kill me?" CJ gave a light shrug of his shoulders. " 'scuse me for not fucking smiling for you, but I don't quite feel like it. You said we were going, so we're going unless you wish to go with one of the two other options. Do you see me stopping you? Or resisting you? I've packed my bag, I'm ready to go if you want me to. Otherwise? Fat chance I could do anything to stop you from tearing me to shreds, now is there?"

He shrugged one shoulder.

"I'm not going to repeat myself. You're still acting like a child. If I were you, I'd start watching my mouth."

Fine. Just meant he shut up again. Still staring at the Archon as if silently asking if they were going or if he was going to get his ass kicked.
He had, in all honesty, seemingly reverted into soldier mode. Which was the best he had to offer at the moment. People could think what they wanted to, most people? Most people didn't take well to being forced to do something so massively life altering as he'd just gone through. And when you throw in the betrayal of someone he trusted on top of it? Well, he'd shut up and he'd made it clear that he'd follow. That was all he could offer.
Logan could choose to accept that for now or do whatever the Hell he wanted to if he didn't. The soldier looked like he was done talking.

He frowned.

"Son, a sulky, suicidal vampire is a liability. You're starting to make me think that you're a liability."

Yeah, they were getting nowhere fast.

"You're entitle to your opinion" he replied flatly, the words Henri had planted in his mind echoing through his head over and over again. He still seemed to be waiting for Logan's decision though. Stay or go. Live or die. It was all out of CJ's hands now as he seemed to simply be going on the other man's lead.

There was no warning for it. It looked like, just maybe, Logan was going to slap the soldier. Or even punch him in the gut. It felt like the latter, too... until the soldier realized that the sharp and searing pain was being caused by Logan's wicked-looking claws.

"One chance, kid. Suck it the fuck up or die. I'm done playing."

Funny... Well kinda. Or rather, no not funny.
He was being told to suck up something that no human could possibly suck up and deal with in a matter of hours. And as if to add to it? He now had a gut full of claws.

So.. suck it up?
He was busy trying to understand what had just happened and processing that excruciating pain that struck him and caused him to double over and drop the bag he'd been holding.

He was almost conversational about it.

"See, kid. It's like this. You don't know what I do in our society, but I fix fucking problems. Right now, you're a problem. I don't give a rat's furry ass that you've had a bad night or that you didn't ask for this or that you're overwhelmed with hate and anger over the lot that you drew in life. You had it better than me, who got left out in the woods after being Embraced with no note, not a fucking word. At least you've got somebody who is willing to teach you if you'd stop acting like a pissy fucking five-year-old. I don't care about your bad day, I don't care that it's overwhelming and I sure as fuck don't care that you didn't God damn ask for it. If you really want to die so bad, say it now and I'll be done with it. If you want to suck it up and act like an adult, say so now and we can go on about our night and you can meet the Lady of the Swamp."

Excuse me! But how the fuck do you talk with your gut full of Gangrel claws?

He'd given the man the only answer he could, that he would follow, that he would shut up and do as he was told. He couldn't give more than that and if that wasn't enough? Well... he already felt like he was dieing... for the second time that night as his knees tried to give in.