[REG] A Walk with Mom (Ginger/Julian)

[Lucifer Force]

Rythulhu

Delilah had reminded him to always check the "eye-hole" in the door before letting anyone in. After spending some time with Evan and snuggling with Delilah on her birthday, every day seemed a little easier. He still stuttered, his ankles still rolled, he still fell in the hallway sometimes or forgot to brush his teeth. She and the other Council members were patient and gentle, which Julian could not express enough gratitude for.

He did what he could to help Delilah around the house - sweeping was difficult and took much more time than it should have, but Julian desperately wanted to start helping. He hated being such a burden on everyone around him, being crippled, in a way, and wished his legs and brain would work well enough to contribute properly. Sometimes he would cry about this and sometimes he would ask Delilah what he could do.

She would pat him on the head and say things took time.

With a sigh, Julian was trying to sweep the kitchen when he heard a knock at the door. Carefully did he lean the broom against the counter top and he toddled to the door to peer through the viewfinder. Though distorted, the hair was distinctive. Joy was evident in his demeanor and on his face when he fumbled with the door-chain and the knob, pulling the door open slowly.

"G-Ginger!!"  

[Ryuthulhu]

"Hey Jules!" Ginger beamed, with a cheerful wave. Her wild cascade of red and gold hair was partially tied back, and she was dressed for the just barely cool weather in an chocolate covered button down shirt and ripped jeans, the least potentially alarming thing she could think of in her wardrobe at a glance, with her sleeves rolled back to reveal part of her tattoos. "I came by to check on you guys, and see how you were holding up, and see if you wanted to go get some fresh air. It's sunny, it's beautiful out, and the food trucks are out." She added, encouragingly. "C'mon, me talk you into getting some delicious greasy food. We'll take it at your pace."

She understood the frustrations, the need to take time, but Ginger was... Ginger. She was restless and liked to aim high, and delicious food was always a great motivator. "It'll be good practice for apple picking season."

This kiddo was not missing out on fresh cider doughnuts if they had to carry him. Not if she had anything to say about it. Besides, it was where she'd met her team, it was like... family tradition.

Lucifer Force

 

[Lucifer Force]

Ryuthulhu

Julian did his best to keep up with Ginger's speech, furrowing his brow and concentrating heavily on her lips. Slowly but surely, he was getting used to how quickly other people spoke and how to process what they were saying. Delilah spoke slower than Ginger did, and probably deliberately. The fiery redhead did not, which proved to be a challenge for the young man working diligently to be human again.

He had to twiddle his thumbs and step aside to let Ginger into the condo. "H-hi, G-ginger. H-how are... how are you, today? It's very... very good to s-see you!" Julian practically vibrated with joy every time he saw the other members of the Council - the people he considered to be his big sisters.

Ginger was something of her own category, and while Julian couldn't think of anything better, he defaulted to calling her mom. His eyes were bright and face was full of a sunny, if slightly anxious, smile.

"A-apple picking?" The bluenette tilted his head in confusion. Apples... apples were... Oh! Those small, red fruits that grew on trees. Well, sometimes they were red, and sometimes they were green or a greenish-yellow. Delilah often gave them as snacks to Julian, cut into wedges for easy consumption. "D-do we get to... get to, pick apples, soon?"

Going outside was both exhilarating and terrifying. Really, Julian feared falling down and embarrassing Ginger, who was going out of her way to visit. He desperately didn't want to shame her by being a failure at something as simple as walking. Looking down at himself, he was wearing the faded old dark blue sweatshirt Mercy had provided and loose-fitting exercise pants Delilah had given to him. He hated jeans too much to fuss with them. Jeans pinched and rubbed too much, and weren't soft. Buttons were stupid, too.

Shoes were an entirely different story.

"I get to... go on a w-walk... with you, mom? I would... like that, very much."  

[Ryuthulhu]

"I don't think they're ripe yet but we're getting there. I figured it would be good practice to just go out on the street and try some stuff, then you don't have to worry about grass, fallen apples, or bumps in the ground so much."

That combination was a hell of an obstacle until Julian's body remembered how human ankles were supposed to work again, and she sympathized in her limited way, remembering the damage the youma-dog had done to her calf even through boot leather. It was different, but she knew it must be frustrating, when it came so easily to the rest of them.

"When we do though I think you'll have fun. Some yummy fall treats to try, but there's stuff to try today too. I -think- I saw the truck with the dipped cheesecake bars. I think. If we're lucky I'm right, but I thought maybe a hot dog at the park first. Or a hot pretzel if you want. Or both."

She'd come hungry, deliberately, figuring on a desire to try a lot of things and figured she might as well make the most of it.

Style was way outside of her list of concerns, this was more... a carrot. Something exciting that made relearning to walk more than a tedious plod of one foot in front of the other. Walking -toward- something just seemed... well it worked for her. When they got that down, she could invite him to Yoga class. Watching her failure to do the crescent moon pose would probably make him feel better anyway.

Lucifer Force

 

[Lucifer Force]

Ryuthulhu

"O-okay! I'll go get... go get... my sh-shoes!"

They weren't exactly shoes that were meant for running or even lacing. Mercy had given him a pair of inexpensive, colorful blue flip-flops. Easy to take one and off, though learning how to walk in them was a challenge. Julian preferred to be barefoot, but as Ginger had said previously - who knew what was on the ground that one couldn't see. The sandals could only successfully be worn if he kept his feet flat - the main purpose of the sandals to begin with. Julian had to be frequently reminded to keep his feet flat while walking, rather than traipsing around on the balls of his feet like he did as a youma.

With a few minutes of fussing and leaning onto the wall for support, shoes were acquired! He didn't have any keys to the condo, but the other siblings did, and Delilah was home already. Things would be fine.

"Mmm... h-hot dogs and... pretzels and... cheesecake..." he mumbled happily to himself, wandering outside the condo to wait for Ginger to follow. This was the first time he'd left without following someone out. A small triumph. "...and a-apple picking and... I love you, mom."

Julian looked like a mess, really, or someone incredibly lazy, but as long as he was with Ginger, he didn't really care. A walk in the sunshine with someone he adored was more than enough to keep him focused on positive things. "W-what would you l-like to have? I'll... I'll eat... anything. I'm just very... very happy to eat at all. Eating is... e-eating is great."  

[Ryuthulhu]

"Oh man, you know me, I'm up for anything. It's been a week and I've got boxing tonight if we don't go out." She sighed, stretching languidly and then lazily boxing air. "Aww, I love you too Jules." She added, grinning and reaching out to lightly tousle his hair.

Quite a difference from when they'd first seen him, but she was happy for him, very much so, and happy they'd been able to make such a difference in his life. "Well I'm probably going to have a hotdog with ketchup, mustard and onion, but I want you to think about what you want to try. You won't know if you have a preference otherwise and you might end up liking something totally different." She pointed out. "And if you don't like it you can get something different."

That had been a strange lesson to learn with her own adoptive parents. She'd grown up with a great deal of 'eat it or be hungry', and 'don't try it, you probably won't like it and that wastes money' and she'd never been so glad to break a habit. Delicious, exciting foods had become something of a passion, even if she herself wasn't as strong a chef as she was a boxer. Still, she could make enough now to get by, and learning that it wasn't the end of the world to burn the chicken was a good lesson under her belt. "Like do you want a salted pretzel or a cinnamon and sugar one?"

She wanted salty herself, but she blamed that on boxing. Something about boxing always made her itch for chips or pretzels.

Lucifer Force

 

[Lucifer Force]

Ryuthulhu

Julian couldn't help but giggle and lean into Ginger's touch. People seemed to like his hair, and he certainly didn't mind. Being able to feel her touch was a blessing in an of itself.

He took the first few wobbly steps towards what he assumed was the way out of the condo complex. He'd only been through it one time - the night of his birthday, and the subsequent trips with Sita and Mercy and Delilah were in and around the complex itself - not outside of it. Twiddling his fingers, Julian kept concentrating on keeping his feet flat while walking.

Heels on the ground. Ball of the foot to the heel. Don't walk on your toes. Don't walk on your toes.

"I want... all the pr-pretzels!" he declared, toddling along at a pace that would be considered decent for Julian, but was slow by normal standards. "....but, not at... not at the s-same time. D-Delilah, she... gave me a p-piece of chocolate and... I ate too much and... then g-got a s-stomach ache. P-people stomachs are... are... more c-complicated." You couldn't just eat everything you wanted. Moderation was key, which Julian was somewhat sad about.

The sunshine was beautiful and warm on his skin. Julian stopped in his slow toddle to look up to the bright blue sky in all of its glory, reaching up with a trembling hand despite the fact that there was nothing tangible to grasp. Breath hitched in his throat from the overwhelming beauty of daylight. The bluenette sniffled, tiny tears forming in the corners of his sapphire eyes. "E-everything... is so... b-bright and... and colorful. And... and it... s-smells nice and..." Sniff.  

[Ryuthulhu]

"OK so how about we get one of each pretzel and then split them down the middle?" Ginger suggested. This seemed like the best way to answer an salty -and- sweet without a stomach ache. She wasn't terribly worried about her own caloric intake, she knew what she could handle, and what she couldn't, but poor Julian still had the training wheels on. She had to remember that.

"Yeah I did that a few times, especially with my folks. I... kind of ate an entire box of those filled cupcakes because I wasn't entirely sure they wouldn't change their mind and take them away and oh my God so much regret." She dramatically held her stomach at the memory. "It gets easier." She promised. "And I promise no one's changing their mind either. And one way or another there will be hot pretzels and walks in the park."

His powerful reactions to things were something as well, and it always made her slow down and appreciate what she might otherwise rush past, so she took a deep breath and looked around too. "It is isn't it? Man, you're going to love fall. But we have to get you some comfortable shoes first. Cold toes aren't as fun. Maybe some fun socks will help?"

Or just good, comfortable ones. Fun socks were kind of more for the idea of 'being ok with things on your feet' she suspected, but it was kind of a work in progress.

Lucifer Force

 

[Lucifer Force]

Ryuthulhu

Wiping his tears with the heel of his hand, Julian took a few deep breaths and continued on his way. "Half and... half. S-split down the... middle. Yes, I'll share anything w-with you, mom. Don't want you to... to.. get a s-stomach ache. M-moms have to be... to be... in tippy-top M-mom shape. Yes."

Ginger had led them carefully and slowly out of the condo complex, past the decorative trees Julian had to stop and touch, commenting about how green they were. He commented about how the sun made all colors brighter and crisper, how the sky was a lovely color of blue he didn't remember seeing before. The dirt beneath the trees was soft, cool to the touch. Julian bent over slowly to simply touch it, to appreciate it. He didn't wish to keep Ginger long and used his hands to push himself back up to a standing position.

The condo complex's walls were smooth and cool to the touch, the soles of his sandals made scraping sounds against the concrete. Julian was perhaps too attentive to these things, but appreciated every little bit of the journey. With Ginger leading the way to the food trucks, the pair wouldn't be lost. "F-fun s-socks? D-do you have fun socks, mom? W-what are... fun socks?"

When it came time to cross the street, Julian did exactly as Delilah instructed - look both ways and hold onto the other person's hand. He wouldn't be alone when outside, so Julian reached over to softly hold Ginger's hand. "W-walks in the p-park are the b-best..." Even the loud rumble of passing cars didn't seem to bother him with Ginger at his side.  

[Ryuthulhu]

"Fun socks are just... socks really, but they have neat patterns on them. You've seen Delilah wearing socks right?" She was wearing one of her pairs of boots, and it would take a bench and a minute of unlacing to show off her own ridiculous toe socks. "They make them with grippy stuff on the bottom too, but those ones aren't really meant to go inside shoes, they're just to wear inside and keep your toes from getting cold. We can probably look at some if you want, but I know you're not super keen on having stuff on your feet yet." She offered. "I mean damn, I'm trying to imagine the list of stuff you want to do. I think I'd have a hard time fitting socks and shoes in there too if I were you. And I am definitely a fan of a good pair of shoes." She admitted.

Lucifer Force

 

[Lucifer Force]

Ryuthulhu

"M-maybe... ones with... with... stars!" Julian cried joyfully. Yes, he did like stars, very much, and while he didn't much care for shoes and such, he didn't want cold toes. Cold feet, metaphorical or otherwise, were uncomfortable. Julian preferred to be warm above quite a few other things, which is why he so loved the sweatshirt Delilah let him borrow. He practically lived in it.

For mom, he'd wear socks.

Shuffling along, they made it across the street and safely to the sidewalk where Julian continued his slow toddle. So far, so good. No ankles were rolling and he kept reminding himself to keep his feet flat when he walked - front to back, front to back. Don't walk on the balls of your feet. Walk on all of your feet.

With a sigh, Julian looked up and spied several large trucks a few blocks ahead of them. Several people formed small lines in front of the trucks, which had windows open for the people inside the trucks to talk to the people in the lines. He couldn't quite smell the food from here, but the birds singing were a welcome distraction from his stomach growling. "...m-mom, were the... the food trucks always... always so f-far away...? Whew..."

The human experience was a beautiful, but exhausting, sort of thing. Julian wasn't used to processing so much information simultaneously - the beauty of the sky and the bright colors of grass and trees and cars, the birdsong, the sound of the wind through the leaves, the rumble of cars and noise of the radios as people drove by, the smell of wet earth and the breeze and gasoline... Julian stifled a yawn. He couldn't nap yet. There was food!  

[Ryuthulhu]

"I am pretty sure I can find pairs with stars, I'll look around!" Ginger promised, making a note to make sure she found some that either had incredible reviews, or that she could get hands on with. Somehow she suspected snaggy strings would be a complete deal-breaker. Not that she blamed him. Getting your toes caught in strings inside the sock was usually the source of many, sleepy swear words.

"They kind of try and hang out in places where there's a lot of foot traffic, so they move around a bit." She admitted. "But that's partly why they were the goal today. Do a little extra work but, get a delicious reward." She explained. "I mean, it works for me. We can sit on the bench and eat once we order."

Lucifer Force

 

[Lucifer Force]

Ryuthulhu

"...hang out in p-places with... lots of... foot traffic..." he parroted. Julian looked up from his intense concentration on his feet once the smell of lunch wafted to his nose. His sense of smell was dampened now, he noticed, and he couldn't discern smells as distinctly anymore. Luckily, though, all of it smelled delicious and it made his stomach growl.

At the last intersection before the food trucks, Julian seemed to have an epiphany.

"...they f-follow... the hungry p-people!"

Yes, that's why the food trucks moved. It made perfect sense. Sometimes it was difficult for him to sift through all the sensory information and mishmash of jumbled English knocking around in his head. Julian was quite thankful that Ginger and the others didn't judge him for it. He wasn't stupid, he was just... slower.

The wobbly boy's pace quickened once the walking man appeared on the sign before them. Food was within walking distance now, and boy was he hungry! "...do a little... extra work... get... d-delicious reward..."

He stumbled just a little bit, forgetting to lift his legs for the raised curb of the sidewalk, and instinctively reached out to grip the streetlight for stability. Julian didn't seem bothered by the slip up much, instead focusing on how delicious pretzels would be, and how much he enjoyed spending time with Ginger. Now to find suitable truck.

Many of the trucks were shiny, painted in a gloss finish with bright logos and pictures on the sides for advertising. One was serving Mexican food, and Julian could hear the sizzling of meats on a griddle. One had burgers and fries, decorated with cartoonish food on the side of the truck. They were so crisp and brightly-colored. Julian seemed thrilled by the sight of them. "....mom, w-which one?"  

[Ryuthulhu]

"See you've got it!" Ginger approved, pausing to scan the carts for a sign of the favorite pretzel vendor. "Ok it's usually the guy with the hot dog cart... he's got the picture of the Dachshund in a bun, you know the weird dogs with the short legs and long bodies that think they're Godzilla?"

Trying to focus on both Julien and the trucks made it harder to focus on the food trucks, but eventually her drifting gaze spotted some familiar decor and she pointed. "That way I think! Just up the path! Unless you want something else?"

Lucifer Force

 

[Lucifer Force]

Ryuthulhu

"...Weird dog with the... the... stumpy... oh!"

Julian lit up like a Christmas tree and pointed to the truck on the end of the line - just the truck Ginger had described. Everything smelled delicious and he was more than excited to start eating as soon as possible. Everything tasted wonderful now that he could actually eat things, and the young man really had no preference whatsoever. The fact that he could eat was more than enough.

Yes, Dachshund. Wiener dogs.

Hahaha~

Wandering up to the truck, Julian remembered he had to stand in line to order. Yes! Ginger was sure to join him shortly. Delilah was afraid Julian would be assaulted and robbed if he carried money, so he wasn't trusted with it yet. Once he got to the counter, he was determined to make mom proud, and order by himself. "Two.... two.... pretzels, please. ....one is salt and... one is... sugar! Please."

Turning around, Julian beamed at the redhead.