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Jen shook his head and half smiled... "It's not for now... Mom and I are about to leave.."

Just then Keppit popped her head around the door... "Jen, Love... Moo has offered us a place for the night, so we'll be staying here... I'm going upstairs now, and hopefully crash into a nice materess soon... I do hope that you'll join me at some time durring the night instead of standing here? " Jen just stared at her shocked... she tried not to laugh... and walked over she gave him a quick kiss on the forehead... "I love you, Don't stay here all night please... " and with that she walked back to where Moo and X were waiting for her...

Jen turned his head slowly ... and shook it at Isto... then he walked over and sat down on the stairs... head dropping... "Alright... if you must know... I decided that you and I shouldn't... no, can't be friends anymore... for both our sakes... so I decided that tonight would be the last time that I ever saw you." He turned and looked up at Isto to see what his reaction was...

*X followed Moo to wherever she was leading them to, with Slush tucked securely in her arms, wondering to herself about the fourth and fifth floors.*

What exactly... are on... the fourth and fifth floors? If you don't mind me asking...

(( crying @ Jen.))

"The fifth floor's infested," Moo calmly stated, leading the way up the stairs. "Hundreds and hundreds of spirit...things. Very dangerous. But there's a charm on the house, so they rarely escape that floor.... Sometimes they do, however, which is why we've barred off the fourth floor and given the third to Isto and Jack. They make sure any spirits that escape don't make it much further."It all made perfect sense to Moo, but it would likely confuse her guests. Mentioning the spirits usually did, anyway. They weren't exactly spirits...though it was hard to describe them as anything else. Best just to leave it at that.

"Replacement?" Isto stared at his friend, shocked. Did Jen really think Slush was a replacement? Slush was just some kid who Isto happened to have met and befriended, that didn't make him...a replacement. Though, when he thought about it, Jen did have a point... They'd been fighting often, and Slush was a lot like Jen had been, and Isto had sorta...kinda... well, yeah, he'd been neglecting Jen. But he hadn't meant to! It had just...happened. "He's not replacing you, Jen, and... And it wasn't your fault at the lake, so don't even begin to think that. Things just added up. Everything had gotten so good and then, out of the blue, it all fell apart...Listen, just, I dunno, give me another chance or something. It wasn't you upsetting me, Jen. Please don't just leave... Everyone's just leaving..." His gaze left the brown SM with his final comment, eyes turning back to the floor, head bowed and face hidden in his normal hand.

Yawning was contagiuos... and so Keppit yawned right after X... and then she grinned at Moo... "So, just generally what do I say if one of these spooks comes to the bedroom door and asks for a drink of water? "


Jen looked up unsmiling... "I'm gay, Isto... " He let that hang in the air for about a minute... then he felt the need to punctuate that... "Bent, twisted, different, homosexual, fruity, Happy.... just generally I like men.... and the reason that it's not fair for me to be around you is because.... IthinkI'mfallinginlovewithyou... and it's not even fair of me to tell you that!" He crunched up in a little ball for a second... then he sat up again... not looking at poor Isto... "And the worst part is I love the Sm that I see when you laugh, when you fight, and expecially the Sm who thinks that nobody likes him........................... I want you to be happy, and if that's Mauli, then I wish you Mauli, and if it's Slush then I wish you slush... and if it's some super model somewhere, then I hope to whatever god is out there that you get her... but I know that you can't love me... and I would NEVER ask such a thing... or even dare to hope for it......and that's the only reason that I decide to leave... " Tears came to his eyes... "It's like you said before... Can't snog a monkey..... " He half smiled and didn't move.... he just waited... waited for isto to explode at him, angry... he thought for a fleeting second that it might actually be better if Isto tore him to peices.... little tiny peices...

Moo laughed, turning down a hallway as they reached the top. "You'd best hope you don't see one. But if you do, just shout until someone finds you. Mauli's room's near yours, and she has a weapon that'll work against them, so she'd be your best bet. Isto and Jack'd prolly take longer getting there. Er...don't let it touch you, kay?"

Isto choked. Not a 'hackcoughwheezehelpmythroatisstuck' choke, but he simply couldn't breathe. Clearing his throat, he managed a quiet "Oh...", keeping his eyes carefully averted from the brown SM. That explained...a lot. Isto wasn't quite sure how to reply. So he didn't, remaining silent for the next few minutes, mentally re-running everything Jen had just said. Finally he looked up, speaking quietly. "Listen, Jen... Everything is...really, really weird right now. What with Mauli...and you...and Slush, and.. I'm really not ready to make any decisions just yet about...anything...at all. Umm..." He paused, gnawing his bottom lip thoughtfully.

"For now, though... I don't want us to stop being friends because of this, alright? I don't have a love interest, I don't -want- a love interest... Not just yet. Not after that whole thing with Mauli. Umm..." He sighed softly, then glanced over to Jen, managing a faint smile. "If it helps any... I'munna do everything I can to help you get Fifth, alright?"

Keppit grabbed the banister and raised an eyebrow at Moo... "Start a joke and get really spooked out... That's enough of that thanks and I'll apologise right now to you and Mauli and everyone for the frights I'll get now from the stupidest things.... " She poked Moo in the shoulder... "And it's all your fault..." Then she grinned and continued following...

Jen shuddered.... "I'm not asking you to choose... and I know that things are wierd.... and I thank you... But being fifthe stage isn't all that very important... " He was lying of course.... he itched to be fifth stage... just like all the other monkeys that weren't getting it... He had even looked through a men's clothing magazine and picked out the clothes that he would wear.... A nice loose fitting button up shirt and nice trousers... but he couldn't think about that... "I'm sorry that I said all that to you... I never meant for you to have to have to deal with it, or make decisions, or add any kind of pressure... trust me... it's mine... not yours." He stood up. "I'm kinda tired... I was thinking you should go to bed anyway... do you know where my Mom is sleeping?" He stood up and had tears on his face... it had been harder to say out loud than he had first imagined...

Goodnight Moo, and thanks again.

*X smiled gratefully and waved to Moo before entering the room and shutting the door behind her. Almost as soon as she got in there, she curled up under the covers of the bed, dragging Slush with her, and drifted off to sleep.*