First Meetings: A False Beginnings Spin-Off (1X1)

[Mssr Miles]

Locke snickered, shaking the older boy’s offered hand. “Nice ta meet’cha, Reno!” At the invitation to come to the boy’s house, Locke stood surprised for a moment. No one had done that since he got there, to tell the truth. Everybody that he knew at school either hated him or were only acquaintances, not really friend material. Even if it was just to explain things to Reno’s father, Locke was quite fine with that. “Oh, well, yah of course! It was my fault that you got caught up in it all, so...” the boy laughed nervously, scratching the back of his neck with a gloved hand. The boy did have an appointment with his Psychiatrist that night, but that wasn’t until much later, so Locke figured there would be plenty of time to do both.

Just then a bell chimed in the school, signaling the end of the first period. Locke jumped into action, stating, “I’m sorry to cut this short, but I gotta run! I’ll meet you by the West Entrance after school!” The boy started running down the hall towards his next class, yelling over his shoulder, “Thanks again, Reno!” and then he was gone, skidding around a corner and out of sight.

The rest of the day past slowly for Locke – he had half a mind to just skip his classes after lunch, but that would leave him with absolutely nothing much else to do for the remaining two hours of school. So he struggled through the classes, finally finishing his Math class with only one or two extra pens in his possession. Shoving his prizes in his bag, he exited the classroom, making a headline towards the Western Entrance, wondering if the red-headed Reno would indeed meet him there or not.

Shaking all doubts out of his mind, the boy strode towards the small exit. Seeing no sign of the red-head inside, he exited the building, stepping into the humid afternoon air.

[X Accelerando X]

"You move pretty slow you know?" Reno called, pushing himself off the side of the building as Locke walked past, bag slung over one shoulder, and his uniform jacket over the other. It was way to hot to be wearing the stupid thing, so why did they make the students wear them at all? Just another way the adults were in a pain in the neck. Reno honestly wished sometimes that just about all of them would disappear. But, since that was impossible, he would relegate himself to the task of imagining it instead. Walking up behind the other, he tossed his jacket onto Locke's head, and his bag onto the kid's shoulder. "Carry those for me, would you?" he grinned. "You owe me after all...and if you try to take anything...well, doesn't matter anyway. All I have are my school books in there anyway." He shrugged and kept walking, and talking, to ensure that Locke couldn't say anything otherwise.

"You know, I'll be honest, I've been watching you for a while now. Can't say I wasn't impressed either. Kinda nice to have someone who makes more trouble then me for once." Looking over his shoulder, his devious grin widened, an action that could make anyone question the validity of his 'I'll be honest' statement. "Of course, now that Seifer hates you, you're gonna be branded till you graduate as a trouble maker anyway so, if you stick with me...well, safety in numbers, right?" Folding his arms behind his head, he began walking again, looking forward as he chattered away.

[Mssr Miles]

Locke stumbled for a moment under the extra weight put on him, but caught himself quickly enough as he moved Reno’s bag to the opposite shoulder, snickering at the older student’s reasoning. Tearing the coat off his head, wrinkling his nose at the rather ripe smell coming from the interior of the jacket, he tucked it under one of his arms. “God, do you ever wash this thing?” Locke asked as he removed his bandana that had been displaced from the sudden coat-attack. Shaking his blond hair out, the boy shoved the accessory into his pocket as he jogged a few paces to try and catch up with Reno.

“Yeah, well, Seifer can kiss my a**, y’know?” Locke told the man with a bright smile, coming to walk beside the red haired student, rather interested that he had caught the eye of a fellow trouble maker that was willing to spend time with him. “But I’d appreciate the back-up, if ever I get into a bind!”

The boy walked a few steps in silence, before speaking again. “Haven’t really been in too much trouble with Seifer since today, y’know? Sure, he’s yelled his arse off at me when he’s been able to corner me, but nothing that bad...” Shaking himself, and adjusting the bags to strain his lower back as much, Locke asked, “What do you want me to tell your dad, anyway? I’m quite fine with taking the blame for the situation since, well, it’s my fault and all that you got caught up in everything.” The boy looked up at Reno curiously, chewing his bottom lip nervously.

[X Accelerando X]

"Hey, not my fault," Reno shrugged, motioning towards his jacket. "It's too hot to be wearing that stupid thing anyway, so if it smells then blame the school for starting the whole damn process in the first place." Turned back around and grinned widely as he thought about Seifer, who was probably slamming his fists into a few lockers in the gym by now, or pretending to plot against Vincent, though he and everyone else knew he'd never go through with it. Vincent had too much influence, lots of friends in the right places, namely the gang called the Turks that he used to be a part of at one time. Reno had wanted to join, but Vincent left before Reno was old enough, and forbid the red-head from ever joining, since their activities were too unsavory...Though, in reality, the group had a major hand in nearly every club, since they had the dirt on just about anyone, and they would be more then happy to share for the right price. No matter who you were, crossing the Turks meant social suicide in every respect.

"And actually, I want you to come with me to see dad just so I can have a witness. If I went to him and told him that Seifer did this to me and I didn't start it, he wouldn't believe me..." he grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck. "Thing is...well, this isn't the first time old jock-strap and I have been in a fight. But, if I have you there to prove that it was all in self-defense for me and you, then it'll be easier for dad to believe."

[Mssr Miles]

“Ah, that’s fine then,” Locke accepted with a neutral expression, inwardly excited that this was a guy who had stood up to Seifer and lived to tell the tale – if the boy stuck with him, then he would have quite a fair chance of getting through Seifer’s reign of terror with all his limbs attached. “I’ll make sure that your dad knows that you didn’t start it all. He’s Mister...Valentine, right?” Locke looked up at the backwards-walking Reno questionably, wondering vaguely if the red head was going to trip over the upcoming rock that stuck up out of the path a few meters ahead of the travelers.

“And yeah, what are with these uniforms?” the boy had removed his coat around noon himself, and with the sun now beating down on him and no air conditioning in sight, he loosened his tie and the first two buttons on his button down shirt. “I mean, we had uniforms like this at my old school, but we got snow in the winter, y’know? None of this tropically-hot-all-the-freaking-time crap...”

Speaking of freaking-hot-all-the-time, Locke was getting rather uncomfortably warm. Wiping a hand across his brow, he just had to ask, “How do you islanders deal with all this heat?”

[X Accelerando X]

"Yeah, I guess you could call him Mister Valentine," Reno laughed, though guffawing was probably a better word. "Though, dad'll probably have you call him Grimoire, or maybe Doctor Grimoire...Dad's a scientist, see, and so he can be kinda weird." Reno snickered at the thought, shaking his head. "He may be a lousy cook and an even lousier repairman, but dad knows his chemistry, and even I've got an 'A' in Science because of him!" He beamed proudly and then turned, just in time to trip over his own feet, taking a nose-dive to the ground. Jumping up and brushing himself off quickly, face burning, he tried to turn around and make it look like it was nothing.

"Uh, yeah, so anyway, we usually don't dress like this if we don't have too...and uh, usually after school we head over to the Island..."

[Mssr Miles]

Snickering softly as Reno dropped to the ground, bouncing back up like nothing had happened, Locke chose to ignore the stumble as much as he could in favour of leaving the man’s dignity intact – but the boy stored the incident away to bring up at another time... possibly in a hilarious nick name?

Instead, he stated with a grin, “Mister Valentine until he tells me otherwise, then!”
“Which Island...?” Locke asked, a look of mild confusion left on his face. He had seen several other Islands close to this Main Island when he came over on the ferry... but he had been told that none of them really held anything that young people would really be interested in.

The two of them were nearing a line of houses, and Locke wondered vaguely if any of them was their destination. Locke’s temporary home was on the opposite side of the school that they were heading, near the outskirts of the town’s centre street.

[X Accelerando X]

"Here we are," Reno beamed, running up to the second house on the left. "Home sweet home!" It was a plain looking house, two stories, with a picket fence around it that was slightly faded. Around back, just around the corner and almost out of view, was a garden with what appeared to be several bushes of flowers, and a small patch of vines, most likely a vegetable garden. Reno pushed open the door before looking back towards Locke. "And it's just some island we used to play on as kids. Some of us still hang out there after school and during the summer to get away from the parents, you know?" Walking inside, he left the door open for Locke, calling out, "Dad? You home?"

"Reno? Is that you?" a man's voice returned, before its own came around the corner. Dressed almost too finely for the neighborhood (or possibly even the town), it was easy to see where Vincent got his looks from. The same sharp features, dark eyes and hair, and the tall form revealed what Vincent would possibly look like in about thirty years, and though his face looked slightly serious at first, it quickly become a genuine smile as he caught sight of Locke.

"Ah, hello there," he smiled quietly, laugh-lines showing as he drew closer to the door, hand extended in greeting, "You must be the the young Mister Cole everyone has been buzzing about. A pleasure to meet you, young man."

[Mssr Miles]

Locke stepped into the house after Reno, nodding at the logic of the hang-out – a place to get away from adults sounded rather nice, and the boy would have to remember to ask Reno where said Island was... and just how they were suppose to get over there. Was there a bridge to take the children over? Or a ferry? Or, heaven forbid, would they have to use their own boats to travel to the island? Locke had yet to learn anything of little sea-fairing boats, and was a little nervous about learning...

And it didn’t help much that Locke was a little terrified of deep water.

Closing the door behind him, the boy looked around him curiously, wondering if he should remove his shoes before entering the house itself. Figuring it to be the safe thing to do, he kicked his hiking boots off, and left them on the matt near the door, dropping Reno’s bag beside them. Following Reno a couple steps into the house as the red head called for his father, Locke’s socked feet padding softly on the floor, the boy began to wonder just what the father of Reno and Vincent could be like...

Locke stopped his eye’s exploration of the room he was in when a finely dressed man stepped into the room, addressing him in a very friendly manner. The boy grinned up at the man who looked like an older, much friendlier version of Reno’s big brother, and shook the man’s hand. “There’s been buzzing, Sir?” the boy asked good humouredly, continuing a polite greeting, “Pleased to meet you, Mister Valentine! You have a very nice home.”

Releasing the handshake, the boy trapped the corner of his lower lip in between his teeth, chewing a little nervously.

[X Accelerando X]

Grimoire let out a dry chuckle, one that sounded old, and yet warm. "No need to be so polite," he added, looking around at the house. The front room was tidy enough, but any other room, except perhaps Vincent's, was a disheveled mess. "I know I don't run the tightest of ships, so I should warn you to be careful while you're here, especially in Reno's room..." His voice became a bit deeper, carrying a feigned, spooky tone. "You may end up falling into a pile of odds and ends and never be seen again! And please, call me Grimoire, everyone does, though, if it will make you feel better, you could tack on 'Doctor' in front of it."

"Aw, come on dad!" Reno grimaced, rolling his eyes. "My room's not that bad! And anyway, you're not a 'doctor' doctor. You're a scientist, so he can't call you Doctor Grimoire!"

"No, I suppose not that bad," his father replied, "But what I have people call me is my own business Reno, none of yours...However, I do believe you have some explaining to do concerning that Seifer boy." Grimoire glanced back to Locke almost apologetically. "I would guess that's why you're here, am I right? Reno's accomplice and his witness." He didn't sound mad, maybe a little irritated, but not upset as one would have thought. It was almost as it he had simply given up on controlling that particular aspect of Reno's behavior, which he had. Besides, Vincent had taken care of it before things had gotten out of hand, and had already given him an earful, so it wasn't as thought it needed to be reiterated.

"Ho-how did you know about that!?" Reno gasped, his hand going to his eye. He had been planning on calling it an accident in gym, and had spent most of the day coming up with an elaborate story to give to his father when he got home.

"Vincent called," Grimoire shrugged. "He told me everything...strange as it seems, but he was the last one in his class to own a cell phone, and yet he seems to use it the most..." He ginned to himself, a chuckle in his throat as he regarded Locke again. "Still, I have to apologize for Reno since he somehow only made the problem worse for you. Seifer is a bit thickheaded, but all in all, I think that he means well...maybe a violent, uncontrollable sort of 'well' but 'well' none the less." He looked at Reno a moment, then leaned closer, the back of his hand blocking his mouth, as if Reno couldn't hear him, and whispered, "So, did you really swipe his pendant? That was a gusty move, but I'd have to applaud you if you did!"

[Mssr Miles]

Locke grinned at the interaction between Mister Valentine and his son Reno. “Doctor Grimoire it is, then!” Locke decided to call the man – it would let the boy be polite to Reno’s father and annoy the red head just a little bit, from the look on the older boy’s face. And doing both was rather entertaining.

When Grimoire started in on the topic that Reno had asked Locke over for, the boy wondered if Vincent had already been home... or if, perhaps, this Grimoire was somehow psychic... though the latter was a silly notion. Looking towards the floor rather sheepishly, the boy turned his own bruised cheek and bloody lip away from the man.

“I swear, I really didn’t steal it this time!” Locke stated defensively, holding his gloved hands in front of himself in defensive manor, as if it would help his case any. The boy grimaced as he realized what he had said... well, that wasn’t going to help his case, now was it? Though, the psychiatrist that Locke was seeing had told him that his behaviour wasn’t entirely his fault...

Back on topic, this Grimoire was sure a strange fellow... defending Seifer and commending Locke all in the same breath. Locke looked towards Reno, a pleading look on his face. What was he suppose to say?

[X Accelerando X]

"Dad, come on, you're scaring him," Reno sighed, folding his arms and grimacing, though it obviously wasn't a very serious look. Grimoire, truth be told, did not get out much. After all, he was a scientist, and most of his work remained indoors, either at home, or at the lab located outside of town. Sure he was out of touch, but he was a cool dad all the same, though definitely no push-over. He could get serious when he wanted to, naturally, but all in all, Grimoire Valentine maintained a respect for his sons, and they gave him the same and more. So despite thinking he was a scatterbrain sometimes, Reno loved his dad greatly.

"Ah, I suppose you're right," the scientist grinned, looking a bit silly since it was almost like seeing what Vincent would look like should he ever crack a smile, before he continued. "I must apologize, I don't get too much excitement in my life, at least, not since I came out here with my wife from a place called Radiant Garden. Have you ever heard of it?" he paused only a second, since he was now in 'Lecture Mode' as Reno called it. "A wonderful place, plenty of room to explore the scientific world. Here, things are a bit more cramped, but I manage all the same. Perhaps you would like to see some of my work? I suppose it would be a bit difficult, but I-"

"Dad!" Reno barked out, bringing the dark-haired adult to a stop.

"Oh, I-well, pardon me," the doctor blushed, looking a bit shamefaced. "I suppose I was rambling again? Well then, I'll leave you boys alone. Reno, why don't you get yourselves something to eat? You may want to since, well...it's Vincent's turn to cook tonight..." Both Grimoire and Reno blanched at the words, before Grimoire turned one last time to their guest. "You'll have to excuse me. I need to finish up a report of mine. Help yourself to anything in the kitchen, and, though you are more then welcome to join us for dinner, I would...well, advise against it. See you later, Mr. Cole." And with that, he turned and left, going down the hall, turning, and then disappearing down a flight of stairs.

[Mssr Miles]

“Bye, Doctor Grimoire! It was nice meeting you!” the boy called after the older man as Mister Valentine returned to the basement, where Locke figured the man’s lab to be... the guy was just like a crazy mad-scientist, though a real friendly one – and Locke found it hard to get the mental image of the man splicing the DNA of a mouse and Reno together... getting mice with tuffs of red fur at the tops of their heads. That out of his system, the boy knew that the encounter was definitely the most unique first meeting that Locke had ever been a part of, and he knew that he would not forget Reno’s eccentric father anytime soon, that was for sure.

“Your dad’s cool,” the boy told Reno, now at a loss of what to do. To gloss over the awkwardness, his eyes began to gaze around the walls around the living room, seeing pictures of a happy little family of four. The woman in the pictures had bright red hair, just like Reno’s, and it was glaringly obvious which sibling took after which parent. To break through the somewhat awkward silence, Locke pointed towards one of the pictures, asking, "Is this your mum?" The boy smiled softly, reminded suddenly of his own parents... He took after his mother with his lighter hair and short stature, but after his father with his athletic build. He missed them... They had given him up for foster a while ago, but they had promised that when he was better, he could go back home.

The boy was looking foreward to going home... and was trying to do everything that his psychiatrist, Doctor Banon, told him to do. He was even keeping up with the [crappy journal assignment] that the man given him. How this was going to help his kleptomaniac tendencies, the boy had no idea... but whatever got him home faster, right?

“So, what now?” Locke asked Reno, tilting his head slightly to the side.

[X Accelerando X]

"Yeah, a bit crazy, but cool all the same," Reno nodded, looking in the direction his father had departed before Locke called his attention towards a photograph of his mom. Reno hadn't really thought about her in a while. Not to say he'd forgotten her or anything. No, it was just kinda like she was there, even though she wasn't. He'd talk to her sometimes, maybe ask how she was doing, but he had figured out a long time ago that thinking about people in the past-tense only dragged you down. It was much easier to simply accept the fact, and recognize that he would still make her proud. Sure, he had a streak in him, but he knew his mom loved him all the same, with or without all the parent-teacher conferences.

"Yep, that's mom!" Reno declared proudly, looking over Locke's shoulder. "You'd have liked her, and she definitely would have liked you. She kinda had this way of making you feel good, no matter what you'd done. And she was always able to keep dad from doing anything too insane downstairs with his work," he added with a small chuckle. "And she was a way better cook then Vincent." At the question of what they would do, Reno considered the idea for a moment, before replying, "Let's head out to the Island."

[Mssr Miles]

Locke wondered for a moment why Reno spoke of his mother in past tense, but decided not to question his new friend... not yet. He just met the guy, and there were probably things that the redhead didn’t want to talk about with a near-stranger... and, really, it wasn’t any of Lockes business, now was it? Though, the fact that Reno thought that his mother would have liked Locke... that made the boy smile.

“Alright!” Locke stated in affirmation of the suggestion, wondering once more how they were going to get out there. The boy kept this thought in his head as he retrieved his shoes and followed Reno out of the house. They weren’t walking for too long before they came to stand at the edge of a shared pier... and Locke was looking on quite nervously in the direction of the water moving the pier softly up and down as the waves rolled in and out. In and out. He hesitated near the edge of the pier... not really wanting to get any closer to the water, but the prospect of going to an island he’d never been before... well, it was too appealing.

So, pushing his reluctance away, he stepped out onto the pier, and followed Reno towards the boats that were tethered nearby...

Oh god, they were all little tiny canoes! Maybe he couldn’t do this... at all... But no. He would persevere... he could definitely do this!

But as he looked over the side of the pier, Locke’s burst of confidence withered, and he stood too still on the moving pier, trying to make sure his panic wasn’t showing outwardly... though he knew he was failing quite smashingly since his body had a slight shake to it...

Trying his best to overcome his fear, Locke followed the redhead tentitavely to the canoe that looked as if it would sink with even Locke's slight weight. He carefully stepped into the little boat, and sat down at the bottom of the canoe, holding onto the sides for dear life.

Oh good god, he was so close to the water...

Looking up swiftly, he gave Reno a tentitive smile and stated, "Right. Let's.. go?"