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 Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 5:34 am
Rivener flew over the road like a red bullet, his wings beating with all the strength in his half-formed body. He left specks of skin behind him, the wind whipping at his face and hissing through his wool sweater, pulling the dried flesh free and scattering it to the ground. It was as though he was leaving a trail of breadcrumbs, like Hansel and Gretel, a trail that could lead him back Home. He clutched the vial of Isi's blood tightly, and sped onwards.
Rivener ignored his eyes, which were watering constantly. He told himself it was from the wind in his face, and nothing else. But the wind couldn't explain his lungs shaking with every breath, and his teeth biting on his lower lip to keep from sobbing.
What had he done? WHY did he do that? Rivener had time to think, now, and he hated himself fiercely for what he'd done. He didn't want to be left alone with the realization that he was a Monster, a horrible perso- no, a THING. He was a monstrous creation, and he probably shouldn't have been born. Maybe that was why he was dying. Maybe deep down he knew he was a monster, and going away was the best solution for everyone?
Riv's speed had begun to lessen as he thought these dark things, he noticed. Shaking his head, clearing them of the thoughts as best he could, Rivener picked up his wings and flew faster again, setting his face in a determined frown. Save Isi, Save Isi, Save Isi, he told himself over and over, to keep the other thoughts at bay.
It took the Frei nearly an hour to make his way to Julian's apartment building. Eventually, Rivener had given up on following the roads, especially when he got to the city. He had no time to waste at crosswalks and city blocks. He'd taken to the sky, making a line to Julian's door straight as an arrow.
He severely hoped the man was home. And he severely hoped he would be able to help. And he severely hoped he would be WILLING to help. Who knew how much time Rivener had? A sleeve-covered hand reached up to buzz at the door over and over, practically yelling into the intercom. "Hello? HELLO? Mister Sweet, Gage, Help! It's me, Rivener! Please help! Open the door!" Tired of the buzzing, Riv resorted to banging on the door with his woolen fist.
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Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 3:12 pm
Julian's fingers tapped a rhythmic staccato against the keyboard's surface as he made a few final crucial edits to his latest report for a class he attended at the University. The last few weeks had left the young man sleep-deprived and disjointed which did not help his already often sour mood any. As of yesterday, the scientist had been acting particularly ruthless towards any living being that crossed his path, even if he had requested their presence in the first place. Eventually, for Gage's sake more than his own, the student had locked himself in his study and refused anyone entry or himself even the remotest chance of exiting until he had written the final word on his final assignment. Minutes dragged their tired selves together to form hours which became at least a day and a half in which Julian heard no other sound than his own breathing, typing, and periodic cursing when a fact or theorem did not support his current argument so much as make it obsolete. If he was not such a controlled beast, he might have screamed in frustration, but instead he carried on in such an agitated fashion until someone that obviously had a death wish began to abuse his apartment's intercom function.
The fact it was Rivener—Aphismet's Raevan—did not help Julian's temper any. Whatever grudge he had against the other man held firm, and Rivener was an unfortunate victim of the unhappy circumstances surrounding their relationship. If there was anyone he did not want to see, even to take his anger out on in a fit of possibly unjust rage, it was anyone to do with Chloe Star's boyfriend. If he never heard stray rumors about her predicament again, he would die a happy man.
"Gage, send that miscreant away this instant!" Julian yelled, not even bothering to tear his eyes away from his computer's screen. It was as though the pixels had permanently fused with his pupils and irises, forcing him to see only Arial font and the paragraphs constructed from it.
Providentially for the scorpion Frei, his kinsman was not nearly so heartless as his guardian, and certainly not the type of person who would send away a possible friend in need. Gage waited for Julian to fall back into quiet solitude before he pressed the intercom's conference button and tried to pacify the distressed Raevan.
"River," he began, employing his usual shortened version of the other's name, "what is wrong? I will let you in. But. Julian will not be happy."
Warning issued, Gage twisted a small knob, and the front door (which was normally left unlocked, but Julian's mood was quite foul on that occasion) no longer had the ability to bar Rivener's entry. "Come in."
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Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 3:58 pm
Rivener practically melted to the floor when someone finally answered his call. He'd been worried sick that there would be no one here, and he'd be left to make his way to the Lab, which was, in the Scorpion's mind, much too far! Gage's voice, quiet over the intercom, had set off a strange mixture of apprehension and gratefulness in the red Raevan. Julian wouldn't be happy? Whatever for? Rivener hadn't even yet said what he was here for!
As soon as Rivener heard the door click open, he bolted inside and rushed to the stairs, not bothering with the elevator. He flew straight up to the top floor and burst into the hallway, charging through Julian's door and closing it behind him, turning wild, fear-filled eyes to Gage, ignoring the cracked skin now covering most of his left cheek. "Gage!" he breathed in relief. "Gage, you have to help me! Something's happened, Isikoro's been poisoned, but I can't make an antidote and I can't remember which poison it was! I brought some of his blood, can you analyze it or something? I need to know which poison it was, and what the antidote is! Please, this is really important! Isi's dying!"
Riv had strung together all his words in one breath, and proffered the bottle as he finished, clutching it tightly in sick-looking fingers until someone took it from him.
"Please! Please tell me you can help!" Rivener begged, raising his voice slightly. If he'd been of sound mind, he'd have known better than to possibly get Julian's attention. He'd also have known that something was amiss; there was a very noticeable lack of the glasses-wearing man, but the clickety-click of keys could be heard faintly through the hall.
If Rivener HAD been of sound mind, he might have noticed that his instincts were telling him to flee.
But at the moment, he was too concerned for someone else. Which was quite new for him. And all his mind could process at the moment was Gage's presence, and the need to beg for help.
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Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 4:38 pm
Gage shot back as the door was nearly ripped off its hinges at Rivener's whirlwind entrance. He was allotted just enough time to flip the final latch, before he hovered backwards as fast as he was able. There was a frantic edge to the other Frei he had never seen before, if only because his guardian never lost his immortal cool enough to be anything other than lightly chilled (at least when midterms were not just around the corner). Wary of Julian's raw disposition, he motioned several times for the decibel level of his friend's voice to lower itself by any means necessary. While no one else in all of Gaia might have placed a paper for school above someone else's wellbeing, there was only one Julian Sweet the toxic Raevan was aware of. Too much noise, and disastrous consequences might occur, which would not help anyone.
"You… poisoned Eiry's owner?" he surmised, a touch of laughter infiltrating the words up until the point he noticed the cracking of Rivener's skin and just how hysterical he truly was. Clearly, it was a little selfish of him to believe he was the only one of his kind that could unintentionally hurt those dear to him with a mere touch. Nodding curtly once, Gage coiled his loose end a bit tighter than he normally would, and turned his gaze meaningfully in the direction of the apartment's sole hallway. "I can not, but Julian can. We will make him."
The word "somehow" was left unsaid. Gage clamped one four-fingered hand onto Rivener's wrist, and in a small flurry of motion led him to the door which would allow them entry to Julian's private lair. Hesitation crept into the green Frei's very soul when he stood right in front of the doorway, staring at the grain of the wood. The entrance revealed a very displeased human male long before Gage could bring himself to even knock.
Julian was never truly as feral or unrefined as when he was secure in his belief that nobody would be barging into his home on any given day. Thus, he had felt comfortable working on his report in only a pair of blue jeans so worn the denim was nearly white in patches and his black-rimmed glasses. The look he fixated on Rivener was nothing short of lethal. "Gage."
"Isi—"
"Mr. Delaran can wait. Why is he here, and, more importantly, why is he shedding skin on my floor? Did you invite him over? I didn't approve of this, and—"
Julian stopped only to accept the shirt Gage passed over to him. In the scientist's "absence", some core parts of the apartment had fallen apart, such as where his Frei thought to leave the laundry his owner might want to change into should he actually leave his den.
"Julian, Isi is—"
"Oh, fine, Gage. If you two absolutely must play in here, I still do not see why you need my attention. I feel almost as though you are distracting me on purpose, and if you wanted my attention—"
The conversation was most likely never going to end if a certain outsider did not interject.
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Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 4:50 pm
Rivener's relief when Gage took his wrist, reassuring him that they would make Julian help, was almost like a physical weight had been lifted off the Scorpion's shoulders. He laughed lightly, borderline hysterically, and easily let himself be dragged along, although he self-consciously made sure his sleeve was covering the wrist Gage was touching. After all, whatever was making Rivener sick might be contagious to others... He didn't want Gage to catch it.
The green Frei had stopped in front of a door and was hovering there for a moment, long enough for Rivener to begin to worry. He'd been about to ask what the delay was, when the door opened itself to reveal the Scientist, shirtless and looking decidedly... different.
Rivener simply listened, shivering with impatience, clutching the bottle of blood to his chest, as Julian berated them. Gage tried to interrupt, but each time Julian would just cut him off. They didn't have time for this!
"Mr Sweet!" Rivener cut in, his voice highstrung and urgent, "Please help me! I need to identify the poison in this blood and find the antidote before Isikoro dies! Please help!" He then shoved the bottle forward, keeping his other hand locked with Gage's for support, taking solace in the presence of at least this ONE person who DID want to help. Hopefully Gage will have spoken true, and they will be able to get Julian to do the work needed.
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Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 5:22 pm
"Please, Rivener, do not interrupt me," Julian stated firmly, exasperation edging into his facial expression. True, the Frei technically were children by general standards, but tolerating immaturity had never been the man's forte. Mild concern filtered into his gaze a nanosecond or so before the words and presented vial of blood and their concentrated implications really sank in. He tilted his head slightly to the right, a noncommittal gesture as he cautiously accepted the glass and examined its contents. There had to be a little irony in the concept of Aphismet's Raevan coming to him for help, but he supposed he could not truly fault Gage's friend for his relationship with an unfavorable individual. Furthermore, a challenge was a challenge, and timed tests were rarely as impressively packaged. "Identify a poison and an antidote? From this size of a sample?"
His laugh was not anywhere close to good-natured, but it was not exactly abrasive. "Child's play. Who do you think I am?"
Another smooth chuckle, a miniscule adjustment of the way his glasses were set on the bridge of his nose, and then Julian disappeared into his study once more. For convenience's sake, the door was left open so that the Raevan could watch him as he approached a steel-crafted table. With decisive movements and precise intentions, he separated the blood between several test tubes, and set to work at adding various liquids and powders that he pulled from drawers and chrome-colored cabinets. "Can I identify a poison—ridiculous question. Gage."
"Yes?" the green Frei responded instantly, and it became clear it was more his willingness to help with the project rather than an engrained reaction that made him speak so quickly.
"Prepare my car. The keys are in my jacket's back pocket. The gray one. Rivener, you come in here. I would like some of the complex's carpet to be skin-free by the time you leave."
Someone had to have priorities; Julian tended to assume that person was him.
Gage was loathe to leave his friend when he was in the throes of such distress, but he understood would be best to do as his guardian suggested. His eyes implored Rivener to follow his own brand of instructions shortly before he pulled out of their mutual grip and went in search of the aforementioned clothing article.
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Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 5:34 pm
Rivener smiled, his entire face lighting up, when Julian took the vial, stating that he could do what was asked, and easily at that. Rivener clamped his mouth shut before he could begin stuttering thank yous, knowing that speaking might break whatever concentration the human might be working from. He simply stood there fidgeting, shedding skin, until Gage was told to fetch the car and Riv was ordered to come in.
Riv shared a look with Gage, catching that please do as you're told glance. The Scorpion only nodded, lips setting into a thin line, as he let go of the green hand and floated forward onto the shiny floor of the study. He fretted in place, not wanting to touch anything, not wanting to disturb Julian's work. He watched what was being done closely, noting the similar techniques to what he'd seen on TV... So some things on television WERE real?
With a frown, Rivener shook that idea from his head. To hell with TV! "Can I help?" he asked quietly, reaching up one of his sleeves with a hand, scratching at the itch, sending a small shower of flakes to the floor. "Will it be long?" It was hard to just stand still, when Rivener felt like he should be doing something, he should be helping, he should be having more of a hand in this atonement.
Only now did the order sink in; Julian had asked Gage to prepare the car? ..."Why did Gage go start the car?" Rivener asked, weary of the answer. He felt his face flush with a new wave of shame as he suddenly realized that Julian might intend to come along. Rivener didn't want anyone else seeing the terrible thing he'd done! He didn't want others to see what a monster he was! Self-conscious, the Raevan huddled into his sweater, peeking out above the collar with worried eyes.
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Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2008 1:47 pm
Julian believed there were periods of time in which he found a private, internal subspace when he worked on a bit of routine chemistry or even a paper he found required far too little effort on his part. His body went into action as his mind traveled to some alternate realm where he could rest or merely contemplate what it was his fingers had begun to type on pure educated instinct. Eventually the task was done without him ever becoming truly aware of all the work that he had done, and it was that sort of mentality that fueled the young man's belief he never really needed to sleep more than two or three hours at a time. His hands shifted into that sort of automated rhyme, diluting the blood so that he could perform various little tests. By the time Rivener fully entered the room, the scientist already had a book of various poisons and their chemical makeup opened on the other side of the desk.
"I can only assume this is organic and most likely from a scorpion, as you were involved," the man commented more to himself than to the fretting Raevan that drifted right behind him. Carefully, he applied a drop of yellow-tinged liquid to one of the separated portions of his sole sample, and the poisoned blood began to fizz with little bursts of white foam. "Interesting. Mr. Delaran is quite lucky you knew to come to me, Rivener. I've used a poison similar to this before. I might even have some suitable remedy already prepared."
Deep within Julian's study was a cabinet taller than the man himself. He took a moment to open the padlock that kept the storage device thoroughly off-limits, and then flung the doors open wide to reveal approximately two or three hundred neatly labeled bottles of various size and color. On one shelf a light was set so that any solution that rested on that plank of steel would feel the effects of it, while yet another was cloaked in near absolute darkness. It was the latter that he began to search through the contents of.
"He is starting up the car so that we will not have to bother with the sidewalk when I accompany you back to Mr. Delaran's estate," Julian explained, his tone leaving little room for discussion on that decision.
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Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2008 2:10 pm
Rivener had frowned when Julian didn't reply to any of his questions, but he knew better than to bother someone in the middle of important things like this. Especially when someone's life was at stake. He would let his wounded pride shrivel and die, telling himself that it didn't matter if Julian answered him or not. All that mattered what that he found the answer.
Julian's subsequent words were correct to some extent, and Rivener had been about to add that he could produce ANY poison, not just a scorpion's, but then it seemed the Scientist had found the proper substance. Rivener saw no need to interrupt with information that was no longer needed, so he simply followed the scientist to his shelves, wringing his sweater frantically, sending more flakes to the floor. He left a trail of white specks anywhere he went, making it seem like it was snowing under his shirt.
As Julian searched for the antidote, his reply to Riv's earlier question sent a shock through the Scorpion. It was as he feared! B-but could he really protest it? Would he really know how much antidote to administer anyway? Fidgeting, Rivener moved over to the door, any protest dying on his lips. He simply waited for Julian to find the bottle, eager to be out of here and on his way back, before Isi got too sick to cure.
"Is he going to be alright then?" the Scorpion thought to ask, worried. Since there was an antidote, and Julian was actively looking for it, it was safe to assume it wasn't too late, right?
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Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2008 6:42 pm
"If you had requested the assistance of any other person in all of Gambino, I would not say that Mr. Delaran had much of a chance to survive. However, since you have the good fortune to be friends with Gage, here I am. Helping you," Julian crouched down as he spoke, rooting through the marked substances at eyelevel so that he would be sure not to miss any key text. It was rare the young man could make such a statement without grudgingly mentioning the doctor's name, but some part of him simply knew that Dr. Kyou did not have his experience with poisons. Nor, he was sure, would the older man already have a stock of antidotes prepared for just such an occasion. Julian Sweet and the owner of Lab 305 did not share similar obligations. "In other words, I think we have enough time. In fact, I am sure of it."
Julian was unquestionably not the sort of person to claim such a thing to spare anyone's feelings. That might have been a diminutive form of relief to the Raevan; the student would most likely never lie about his abilities.
The vial the man ultimately removed from the cabinet was slim and filled with a transparent liquid. As he tilted it from one side to the other in the dim light, miniscule iridescent rainbows expanded across the forming ripples. One could very much imagine such a substance dissolving into someone's drink without their notice. A lot of the fluids Julian kept in his study resembled the antidote in color which explained the intricate nature of their labels. "I hope he won't need all of it. Some of the ingredients were expensive and…"
The word "illegal" should have rolled off of his tongue, but Gage chose that moment to burst into the room.
"Julian. It is ready," the Frei explained swiftly, passing over a keychain (it was a piece of plastic warped into the letters "J" and "S") that had several keys attached to it. Common sense would deduct that one of the objects opened the man's car.
"Excellent. Come on, Rivener. I'll take you down to the garage."
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Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2008 7:10 pm
Rivener's chest expanded as though a tightly coiled spring had released when Julian reassured him that Isi would be alright. Julian was not the type to sugarcoat things, at least that was Rivener's impression. So if he thought there was enough time, then Rivener was inclined to believe him.
The scientist's comments about the vial were meaningless to Rivener. He'd pay back the ingredients himself if he had to, he'd work, he'd steal, he'd do whatever was needed, as long as this worked and saved Eiry's guardian. He didn't have time to say so, however, as Gage arrived in a hurry and passed Julian his keys, the human then heading out and asking Rivener to follow.
Nervous was too simple a word to describe Rivener's opinion at the moment. Julian would see what Rivener had done. Would he tell other people? Would he tell Aphismet, or Dr Kyou? ...Not that it mattered, Rivener thought as his heart sank, wings dipping. Isikoro would probably tell people already, or even Eiry... Riv deserved every dirty glare he'd get, up until the moment all of himself cracked and crumbled to the floor, like his skin.
But still, the Scorpion couldn't bear to be alone in the car with Julian, on the way to the scene of the horrific incident. As he floated past Gage, Rivener reached out, his fingers peeking slightly from the sleeve, and he took the green one's wrist. "Please come too," he whispered, tugging Gage along as the three of them made their way to the underground parking.
The large, cement room was echoing with the purring of an engine, and it was not hard to determine which of the few vehicles they would be taking. Rivener floated over to the car and opened the backseat's door, slipping in and pulling Gage with him, refusing to let go. He didn't feel like himself; normally he wouldn't be acting so damn weak, needing such comfort that he'd have to cling to someone else. But he was dying. He was worried. Most of all he was ashamed and humbled. There was no room for pride, and if he didn't hang on to Gage's hand he felt like he might turn into dust right here in the carseat.
"You know where we live?" he asked Julian quietly, ready to give directions if needed.
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Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2008 8:26 pm
Julian's garage was a spacious chamber that served as the elevator's final stop on the downwards track. The enclosure was well-lit and kept in as rigorous perfect repair as the rest of the complex. Large as the structure was, there were only four automobiles contained within it, and they took up a rather small portion of the entire lot. Wisely, Gage had chosen to prepare his owner's favorite machine; a sleek, black beast of attractive angles and arches. The interior was as impressive as the exterior with each seat draped in perfectly tan leather. Needless to say, the price tag had most likely been astronomical. As he slid into the front seat, the youth felt a small stab of remorse at the realization Rivener would shed all over the perfection that was his preferred mode of transport. It was a sacrifice he had no choice but to make.
"Seatbelts, Gage," he commanded resolutely, turning on the ignition with the proper key. Stopping only to minutely adjustment his rearview mirror, Julian backed the car out of its slot, and started towards the garage's sole exit.
Gage had been taken aback when Rivener first grasped onto his wrist, but he was not against accompanying the pair to the Delaran household. His only reservation had been if Julian would allow him to tag along, but either the man was too distracted with his own thoughts to agonize over his charge's presence, or he had intended for the radioactive Raevan to attend the event in the first place. At his guardian's words, the green Frei pulled on his own seatbelt before reaching across Rivener in order to snap the other's into place as well. At the time, he was not of a mind to question anything he was commanded to do.
"Rivener, hold this," Julian continued after he mentally made note of the twin clicks. The object he held out was the vial of antidote minus the elaborate label from before. For some reason or other, it had been removed without commentary. "I believe I will need directions as soon as we're out on the main road."
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Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2008 8:42 pm
Rivener startled as he was latched into place by Gage. He smiled thankfully at the green Frei, and then startled again as Julian proffered the vial to him. H-him, holding onto this most important bottle? B-but!
Rivener ignored any protest he might have offered, reaching forward and taking the vial carefully, clutching it as tightly as he'd clutched the bottle of blood. He cradled that arm to his chest, keeping his other hand entangled in Gage's for comfort.
He remained quiet as the car left the complex, and only spoke up again when he needed to offer directions. "We live in Durem Caves North; you have to take north exit 35. Then go down that road until it forks and take the left. Our house is about three minutes from there." He hoped this was enough direction, but he was more than willing to offer more if needed. Until Julian prompted him to speak again, Rivener resolutely decided to stay quiet and scratch as little as possible, knowing the scientist had once before expressed concern about getting flakes on his carpets. And this car was much nicer than those carpets.
The whole drive was grinding a hole of worry straight into Rivener's chest, where that tight spring had been before. His hand twitched in Gage's gasp often, as his arms itched and demanded attention, but Rivener single-mindedly refused to scratch. He just looked out the window with a concerned frown fixed on his face, biting his lip as he kept reliving what he'd done. Each time he saw it in his mind, it became less and less a righteous scene of vengeance, and more and more a meaninglessly violent act by a selfish monster.
He hoped it wasn't too late!
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Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2008 11:52 am
Julian knew better than to test the local police force’s commitment to its more mundane duties of watching out for driving violations, yet he could not help but press down a little more forcefully than usual on the gas pedal. Mr. Delaran the younger was not of any particular importance to him, minus the fact he felt a great deal of pity for anyone that would willingly keep in correspondence with Mr. Delaran the elder—more commonly referred to as Mr. Aphismet. They had met once in Deadwood Park, and possibly again at any number of Lab celebrations, but they were not allies. No, there really was no solid explanation for why Julian felt the need to hurray to some mere acquaintance’s aid. That, above all else, disturbed the man down to his very core.
Gage had a different perspective on the situation. Any person is manipulated by their upbringing, and thus he was not in the belief they were helping Isikoroin simply because Julian was a good citizen. The affair was a private sort of experience based wholly upon the fact Rivener mattered to Gage. Some weeks or months ago—the toxic Frei was not the sort to focus on the passage of time if he could help it—Eiry had ascertained that they were friends, but was that the honest truth when Gage could not face him? In a manner he knew was selfish, the older Raevan was glad to see Rivener’s imperfections. Such atrocities assured him they were linked. It was all right to enjoy the other’s company.
The directions Rivener offered were relatively simple to follow for an experienced driver. It was also likely that Julian speeded when he thought he could get away with it unscathed by sirens or tickets that would have taken far too much time. Consequently, the trio arrived at the Delaran household quickly and efficiently. Julian did not bother to lock the car doors as he removed his own seatbelt and exited the car. “Both of you. Up and out. We really don’t have time to waste.”
Just as he had put either seatbelt on, Gage removed both his own and his… friend’s. “He is right. We should hurry.”
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Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2008 7:41 pm
Rivener had been fidgeting the whole while in the car, furrowed brows staring at the passing buildings that dissolved into passing houses, then passing street lamps, then not even that as the vehicle continued down the familiar, bare road that led to the Delaran home.
Soon, soon... We're almost there, Isi! Hold on!
As the car had stopped in the driveway, Rivener barely waited for the seatbelt to be taken off, trying to fly out of the door as quickly as possible. He glanced over at Gage with a scared smile, the Scorpion's entire core shaking with the thought that they might be too late. Rivener rushed out of the car once he was free, and hurried to the front door.
"This way! Hurry!" He knew he shouldn't have bothered saying that, since Julian was already well aware of the need for haste, but he couldn't help it.
The old Victorian house was deathly quiet, which scared Rivener to no end. There was usually some kind of noise; Beauregard singing, the TV on, one of the other pets harassing Shalbriri, Eiry playing tricks... But everything was eerily still now. Rivener swore to himself in boundless worry as he bolted up the stairs, having to make a conscious effort to remember to pause and wait for Julian and Gage.
Without another word, Riv led the two to the painting room, where he'd left Eiry and Isi. "I'm back! I've brought help!" Riv announced to the room.
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