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 Posted: Thu Jan 25, 2007 3:46 pm
Where was Newt? Despite having intended to find the frog immediately after his encounter with Nita, the jumpy guy had proved more elusive than a pudgy green man should be.
Gaius peered around the halls of the village center for what seemed the hundredth time. His feet were still a bit unsteady, but his system had mostly cleared of the drinks awhile ago, leaving him with a faint headache and a very strong thirst, both of which he ignored.
Cupping his hands around his mouth, he gave a great bellow down the hall. "Newt? Are you there?"
He'd checked everywhere, the gym, the cafeteria, his duplex... Shaking his head, Gaius went for a door to one of the smaller areas, this one being the arcade. "Newt? Where the hell are you?"
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Posted: Thu Jan 25, 2007 4:06 pm
A cleaning cart had been left in the walkway between a table for lounging and the row of arcade games and pinball machines. Down a little ways, there was a startled croak behind the open door in front of one of the machines. Someone had long ago stuffed something into one of the slots of the pinball machine and had poked it in with a stick or something, rendering that particular pinball event (themed with Back to the Future I, II, and III all in one exciting package of flashing futuristic lights, the thunder of the hooves of cowboy steeds, and the excited, frantic Doc's voice crying out, "1.21 Gigawatts!") silent and unusable for the past three months. Newt had decided to do something about it. He had no keys, but a small screwdriver, a bit of wire and twenty minutes of fiddling, and he had popped the door open and had been chipping the solidified chewing gum off of the circuitry when he had heard Gaius's call.
He couldn't stop the startled ribbit that escaped him, but he stay still behind the open door, hiding and hoping the horse-man would go on his way. He didn't have time for Gaius right now. He had important work to attend to. He didn't have the heart to face him this way either.
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Posted: Thu Jan 25, 2007 4:13 pm
The pointed horse-ears perked up. Gaius, who had just been about to turn back into the hallway, gave the room a slow look-over.
"...Newt?" he called. That croak had been all too familiar, and he didn't know of any other islanders, or even island frogs, that made that particular treble of sound.
He took a couple steps inside, frowning as the frog didn't come out. "Newt! Stop hiding! It's me, Gaius! I... need your help on something!"
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Posted: Thu Jan 25, 2007 4:24 pm
Oh, bother. He'd been spotted. Although it wasn't a wonder, considering the fact he was far larger than the door he hid behind. "I... I c-can't," Newt finally replied after taking in a deep breath. It had been painfully clear he had overstepped boundaries, but where were those boundaries, and how far was too far? He wasn't like the other islanders- Jordan and Sabin made that clear. He had a job to do, and he had no choice to do it, or brave the wilderness or worse, judging by Sabin's strategic avoidance of the question.
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Posted: Thu Jan 25, 2007 4:27 pm
"You can't?" Gaius repeated with surprise, taking the explanation the wrong way. Finally, his searching eyes were rewarded with the greenish figure hunkered behind an arcade door.
"What's the matter? Are you stuck?" he asked as he walked over to get a better look.
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Posted: Thu Jan 25, 2007 4:38 pm
"N-no, I'm n-not stuck, I'm j-just busy!" It was strange to hear a testy tone in the usually timid frog-man's stutter, but the annoyance was there all the same. He kept his head low and partially submerged into the belly of the machine to try to avoid looking at the horse-man face to face.
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Posted: Thu Jan 25, 2007 4:45 pm
Gaius paused a few feet away, put off by the unusual tone. It was apparent now that Newt was fiddling with something inside the arcade machine, but the pegasus-man hadn't made the connection yet, having been so long since he saw Newt as a janitor.
"You, uh, working on getting some new supplies for gadgets or something?" he inquired, tail flicking behind him as he tried to peer in at Newt's work. "You know, that's not very fair to the others who use this place to be gutting the machines..."
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Posted: Thu Jan 25, 2007 5:02 pm
Newt jerked back, his throat inflating widely for a moment before he let out the air to speak, "N-no I'm n-not! H-how... how d-dare you accuse me of... of vandalizing F-feral p-pruh-property! I w-was j-just fixing it! B-because th-that's m-my j-job! KrrKIT!" As he moved out of the way of the door, it was easier to see his old badge clipped smartly into place.
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Posted: Thu Jan 25, 2007 5:18 pm
The vehemency of Newt's proclamation surprised Gaius. Instinctively, he took a defensive step back, wings raising behind him to show their meager half-feathered flesh. "Your job? But, since when did you have a job with them? I thought you'd quit or something. Hell, they're turning you into a frog... why are you doing anything for them?"
Gaius shook his head. The whole thing was ridiculous as far as he was concerned. "Come on, drop that stuff. I need you to help, there's some trouble with the construction site."
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Posted: Thu Jan 25, 2007 5:22 pm
"N-no, I hadn't... quh-quh-quoo..." He swallowed in annoyance at his own inability to speak, throat and eyes trembling anxiously, "I w-was... I j-just... h-had... a... a... a h-holiday," He was quick to turn back to chizzling at the ancient gum with a screwdriver, "And... th-they t-told me to g-get back to work."
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Posted: Thu Jan 25, 2007 5:39 pm
Gaius paused, frowning at Newt's back, then he spoke again, with a stern tone that expected to be obeyed. "Forget them. Come help me, Newt."
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Posted: Thu Jan 25, 2007 5:41 pm
"I c-can't," The frog stubbornly replied, nose millimeters from his work to try to hide his watering eyes. Damn, not now! He was too busy to feel sorry for himself!
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Posted: Thu Jan 25, 2007 5:53 pm
Gaius ground his teeth before spitting out, "Damnit man, where's your loyalty! They screwed you over and you're still doing their cleaning? Do you like being bullied? What about your inventions! Quit this silly work!" The pegasus-man waved his hands in frustration as he took a step forward. "I need you!" he added on a more selfish level. Without Newt, how was he going to continue the theater? Damnit, how'd such a pivotal role come to rely on spineless Newt, of all people!
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Posted: Thu Jan 25, 2007 6:05 pm
"I... I c-c-can't, G-gaius!" His tone returned to his more usual terrified tenor. He glanced around quickly, trying to spot the cameras while wiping at his eyes with the sleeves of his jumper, "I... I w-was r-reprimanded the other day f-for being s-selfish! I d-don't want to be in any m-m-more t-trouble! I c-can't... g-go off and... and f-fool around wh-when there's... th-things to f-fix or... or m-mop or... or wipe or..." His mouth twitched into a wide, terrible, miserable frown. "I h-have to earn m-my k-keep. Th-that's what they said."
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Posted: Thu Jan 25, 2007 6:13 pm
"Fool around!" Gaius bellowed, his expression twisted with hurt anger. "Is that what you think I'm doing? You and Sabin and Zach and all the rest!"
It was all too much. Newt, little meek, appealing Newt, had betrayed him for the labs. It was like they'd taken everything all over again. It was a painful blow to a man who'd been slowly rebuilding his bruised ego over the weeks.
He wanted to hit something. He wanted to yell. But those big green eyes and quivering lip stayed his hand, so he stood tensely, clenching and unclenching his fists, nostrils flaring with pent rage.
"I though you were better than them..." he spat, turning his head away.
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