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 Posted: Thu Aug 11, 2011 6:52 pm
West didn't hesitate. He followed a handful of paces behind Riley's forward surge, but when she stopped, he did not. He strode ahead, appearing leagues more confident than he felt. His parents had lied, he had known that all along, but had they been aware she had never even brought him here at all? That b***h was going to get what was coming to her.
The wrath demon turned his head to look behind him, already well into the patch. He spun all the way around, raising his arms in a T. "Come on," West urged. Rotten memories had left him feeling angry, betrayed, a little hungry, and probably as far from loving and nurturing as was demonly possible. It was perfect. "Nothing's gonna happen." He lowered his arms as his feet and legs threatened to bolt back toward the trees, but he managed to stay put.
Homework. Badassery. Science. They were getting done.
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Posted: Fri Aug 12, 2011 3:17 pm
West looked like a wild animal jumping into the fray without a care, and if he had any hesitations, Riley couldn't see them. They made her own hesitance seem shameful, and her pride flooded her with anger. The voices in her head silenced like a switch had turned them off, and her fingers curled into her palms, tightening into fists.
There he was, standing in the middle of the pumpkin patch, defiant and unaffected, making a silent mockery of her fear without even trying.
Bringing West had been the right choice.
Riley stormed into the pumpkin patch, nearly crushing one underfoot as she stomped through, and stood beside - wait, as a second thought she immediately took two steps back, and stood two feet from West. There she stood, surrounding by.. yes. Those very pumpkins. She looked at each, and every one of them, slowly.
And waited.
None of them jiggled. None of them cracked. None of them gave a rat's a** about the two teenagers standing in their midst. They were lifeless, unmoving, and most definitely not filling with FEAR.
You- ah, you see? She prodded one of the pumpkins carefully with her toe. Nothing. WAIT A MINUTE DID ONE OF THEM JUST MOVE- no, that was just the one she'd nudged settling back into place.
Riley swallowed her heart back down, and took a deep, calming breath.
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Posted: Fri Aug 19, 2011 8:14 am
He took a step away from the ghoul a moment after she backed away from him. There was a very distinct difference between outward confidence fueled by old feelings of angry betrayal and actual confidence, and West was definitely only experiencing the former.
He watched her toe prod one of the horrible fruits, his eyes growing wider by the second. He was holding his breath. He had been holding it for so long that he might have been getting light headed. A happy burst of white stars obscured his vision for a second. Yup. West clasped his hands behind his back and inhaled.
"Yeah. Nothin'." He nodded and smiled a very small, shaky smile. "So." He brought his arms forward again, folding them across his chest."Is my word enough t'prove I was 'ere an' what y'thought was true is true? Or d'y'wanna take a picture or somethin'?" He grinned at the thought of having solid evidence of their little trip.
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Posted: Fri Aug 19, 2011 9:20 am
She hadn't really thought of taking a picture. Now that the danger was obviously fictional, and Riley's anxiety was melting away, she remembered that this was all homework, and physical evidence actually sounded like a splendid idea.
Smart. She murmured distractedly while she pulled out her eyePhone and set it to take pictures. Then, without even thinking about it (which would later make her proud enough to burst) she walked back over beside West, got up on her toes and bent in to rest her head beside his, while holding the camera out in front of them. Her other hand lifted up in a very unladylike position, indicating how she felt about the entire pumpkin stigma that had had her so crippled with fear, before today.
In other words, she flipped the bird at her phone and smiled.
Say pumpkin juice.
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Posted: Sat Aug 20, 2011 2:20 pm
Damn right smart. To be fair, West was thinking more along the lines of blackmail material and sources of potential argument for the mindflayer, but evidence that they had done some homework research was good too. Sadly, the fact that Riley was taking this incriminating picture with her own phone was probably indicative of the fact that no one she knew would care that she was here with him. Oh, well. This had most definitely been an eye-opening experience, regardless. He had a lot to speak to his parents about, among other people. West backed away ever so slightly when Riley leaned closer, not because he was particularly frightened of their location anymore, but because that was simply what he did when people got too close. When she raised her middle finger, he grinned with approval, the expression lingering even after he muttered the magic words. When it was all over, West didn't quite know what to do with himself. His grin faded completely and his arms crossed over his chest again. He turned his head and glanced back the way they'd come in. "So. This was somethin'."
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Posted: Sat Aug 20, 2011 3:13 pm
Riley wasn't paying attention to West's sudden change in mood, because she was saving the picture, and giving it a critical eye. She needed a manicure, bad... her claws were getting out of control. Not to mention..
This picture is highly inappropriate to show Nurse Cricket as proof of our trip. She chuckled in regret. I wasn't thinking. Ah well, what's done is done. I only hope she doesn't eat me for it.
She finally put her phone away, and looked up at West, taking in his now closed up demeanor. It made her feel slightly awkward, but the feeling was dwarfed by the pride of her accomplishment. She followed his gaze, and nodded. Yeah. Something. Her eyes turned back to him, slitting critically. If she could smile, it was clear she would be.
Thanks. For doing this, I mean. It's hard to explain why this means as much to me as it does, but, that doesn't really matter. I owe you one. Her hand patted his shoulder. I won't forget it.
And now the awkwardness was starting to etch its way into intruding on her pride, and she dropped her hand and nodded sharply. Right. We're done here. Back to the dorms, shall we?
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Posted: Thu Aug 25, 2011 3:07 pm
"Guess so," West said, shaking his head with the ghost of a laugh. He really didn't like the idea of being eaten. Or, even worse, what if Cricket had the power to give out some of that mold she had gone on about in class as punishment? He held back a shudder, looking down at his shoes as he shuffled them in the dirt.
He hadn't expected her thanks, but it certainly didn't go unappreciated. West supposed he could have said no to Riley's surprise request, but he had been curious and this strange little journey had managed to bring some of his own pumpkin-patch-related issues that much closer to resolution. He couldn't very well thank her in return without sounding weird, so instead he just muttered, "No problem. This was more interestin' than anythin' I woulda been doin' anyway." He didn't back away from her shoulder pat, but it was clear any further gestures of thanks would push him into no touchy mode.
Time to go. "After you." West was fairly sure he could find his way back to their dorm if he tried really hard, but considering he had been more preoccupied with not chickening out than making a mental map on the way here, he didn't want to take the chance.
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Posted: Thu Aug 25, 2011 6:13 pm
And then West, and Riley, walked all the way back to Amityville, and their dorm rooms, pumpkin-free and just a little wiser for their trip.
And nothing else happened.
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