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 Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2011 5:54 pm
She was doing her best to be stealthy, but as always came up short. For a moment she froze again, that doe in the headlights look while trying to look as innocent as possible. What? She was here the whole time. He was talking to himself before, yes that's it. Uhh.
Well, since he knew she was there anyway, she creeped closer to the adult, peeking through the door and under the man's arm. She saw Roch...near a fish tank? Really? Why was he being so sneaky? It was just a fish tank! Not that she could see the fish he was going for...
Still, that sense of impending doom didn't leave, and Amrita was still remarkably uncomfortable. Should she call out to him? No, she shouldn't...what if that brought attention to him? He could get in trouble! Ah, but...What if this Reaper WAS the trouble? Then she had to call out to him! She wasn't sure, and she really, really didn't want to just stand there.
The older Reaper received another hesitant stare before she bolted forward, ducking under the adult!Roch's arm and through the open door, trying to get to Roch before anyone else did; if she managed it, she was going to grab his arm, and urge him to leave.
It seemed like the best idea at the time.
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Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2011 6:05 pm
"I'd suggest you stop." The voice seemed to echo through the room, even though it wasn't in a raised voice. Roch went perfectly still, only glancing over his shoulder as Amrita got to him. "Oh? You bring a friend to a break in?" the man--not Austin--in the shadows asked. "This your idea of a hot date, boil?"
"You stole my fish, old man," Roch snarled, moving to place himself between Amrita and Vegas. "I'm just here to take him back."
"That's called breaking and entering, boil," Vegas said, stepping into the light. "And poorly, on top of it." He held up a hand, summoning a dagger--
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Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2011 6:16 pm
Amrita slid her arms around one of Roch's, trying to urge the boil back; but the voice stopped her as much as it stopped him, and that feeling of dread hit her head on once more. Her grip on him tightened, stepping back to hide behind him in the presence of what sounded like a very, very angry male. Hot date, what? No matter how she squinted, she couldn't see the older man who was talking.
She saw the dagger though, her whole body going rigid as memories of the sword-wielding Hunters came flooding back to her.
"No!" Before her own hesitations could get in the way, she released Roch's arm and scrambled to stand in front of him, holding her arms out. "No, please, I'm...I'm sorry, It was..It's...It's my fault, not his!" She cried out in a panic, terror gripping her entire body, moving and speaking on instinct rather than anything else; she had to protect her friends, and this body was only a meat shield.
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Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2011 6:20 pm
"Jackdammit, Amrita, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Roch demanded, hauling her back and turning so he was glowering down at her. "That--" he said, pointing at the shadows-- "Is my jacktard of a fish stealing granddad!"
He turned his glower on the old man in the shadows. "I'm taking my fish--"
The sound of a sax started playing. It had some sort of power over the boil, even though it didn't make any sense. Roch swayed slightly, his eyes threatening to close.
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Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2011 6:32 pm
"Helping You." She grumbled right back, stumbling on awkward feet as he practically manhandled her. Roch's angry glower was met with a stubborn pout, though the discomfort and fear in her eyes was evident enough. "My fish!" She corrected loudly, trying to sound and appear brave; that trembling she was doing? Strictly because she was cold. Yes.
"...R-Roch...?" Backward hands gripped the front of his vest, gently pushing against him. "Wh-what's wrong?! Roch!"
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Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2011 6:35 pm
"Jackdammit, old... man... that's dirty," Roch muttered, shaking his head and trying to stand straight. He looked around a bit wildly. "Where are you?" he demanded when he couldn't see Austin straight away. "Quit that! It ain't gonna work!"
"Little ghoul," the other man in the shadows called out. "Go home. We aren't going to involve someone outside of family in this."
The music had a hint of FEAR to it now, and Roch stumbled over a table, almost falling on his face. "Amrita... that--go back--"
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Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2011 6:51 pm
"B-but..." Amrita protested, looking from the shadows to the open door and finally to Roch. She was trying her best to keep him standing, and if he wouldn't stay standing she at least didn't want him to hit the floor; in her experience, it was much nicer to fall on a body than floor. Muuuuch nicer. Floors were good for sleeping, not for falling.
"No!" She said again, stubbornly. "Y-You're ALL STUPID if you think I'm going to just go home!"
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Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2011 6:56 pm
"Go," Roch repeated, almost falling on top of her. He was grabbed by Austin before she could get squashed to the floor.
"Don't worry, darklin'," Austin said, grinning at her. "I was gonna grab him sooner or later anyway." He swung Roch's arm over his shoulder, then dug in his pocket with his free hand, holding out a flyer. "A town I know is having a festival this week," he told her. "I'll make sure to send you some chocolate skulls."
The flyer depicted a mariachi band and beautiful skeleton women dancing in classy, ruffled dresses.
"The kid's gonna love this," he said.
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Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2011 7:08 pm
...Wait what.
Visibly stunned, the ghoul stared at the Older!Roch Reaper, both her eyes wide before turning that overly shocked stare down to the poster. A Festival? A Festival?! All this, over a festival? This was...not what she was expecting at all. Just. What. Whaaaaat.
"S-so...you're...not going to hurt him?" She said slowly, still not sure if she trusted these two yet.
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Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2011 7:13 pm
"I was going--"
Austin glowered at the man in the shadows. "Shuddup, geezer. I'm talkin' to the ghoul." He sounded a lot like Roch when he said that. "Listen, Darklin', he was going home, right? Well I'm his dad, and as much as I hate to admit it, that's his granddad. We're his home." He seemed like he believed it, too. "I'm gonna take him on a family vacation. You'll let me do that, right?"
"I did hear Jimi was playing the Amphitheater this week," the man in the shadows said thoughtfully. "I haven't seen him play since he was in the human world."
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Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2011 7:23 pm
Worried grey eyes moved from Roch's Father to the shadow where his Grandfather apparently was. She was aware that he was going home, but this detour of his was what threw her off; all she could do was nod meekly. There was something still unsettling about it all, but it...at least sounded like it made sense.
The mention of the Human World reminded her of the bulletin that had gone out; it made her flinch as though she were in pain, and both of her backwards hands moved to grip the shirt's fabric over her heart. The body's heart wasn't beating, but the weight in her chest was the same.
"Y-you'll...you'll let him go back t-to school, right?" They weren't going to pull him out, right?! She didn't want to lose her friend! So far she had been lucky; her friends were staying, she hadn't lost one yet, but she couldn't start now.
At least she was caving.
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Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2011 7:27 pm
The casual way Austin was hugging Roch into his side, the way Roch looked so much like--like a kid when held by the taller reaper, his head resting on Austin's shoulder--it looked almost as if they were a close family.
"If he wants to," Austin said quietly. "For the first time in a while, I haven't been gettin' calls in the middle of the night, saying the boogeys caught him doin' something he shouldn't be doing. That's more than I could hope for."
"He was BREAKING into my casino," the grandfather pointed out.
"Jack, old man, you stole his fish. What did you expect to happen?" Austin asked with a snort. "Look at it, how could you not know?"
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Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2011 7:37 pm
So the choice was up to Roch. Okay. At least they probably wouldn't force him in to that, right? Not like they had to force him to go on a vacation. Amrita was right; they did care enough. Her grip loosened on her shirt, and her attention moved to the fish in the tank.
"I...I think he's a nice boil. Worries too much, though." The last part was said shyly, mostly because she had a similar problem. Too much worrying was bad for ones health, she was aware. She side stepped slowly, leaning to keep her balance, and look into the shadows.
"I showed him th-the fish." Her gaze dropped to the floor, apparently content with shouldering this on her own. "I'm really sorry Sir, I...I should have known he'd..." He looked so calm and assured her that everyone would be alright! That was apparently a warning sign for him.
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Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2011 7:40 pm
"So I liked the fish," Vegas muttered, crossing his arms over his chest and scowling. "Ain't no sin in that."
"Heh, I'll buy it from you, after I get back from vacation," Austin said before reaching up and touching Roch's head. "What the jack did he do to his hair?" he asked, with a hint of amusement. "Looks like a freakin' porcupine gone bad."
Roch snored.
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Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2011 7:43 pm
"It's a lot softer than it looks?" She offered innocently, clasping her hands behind her back.
Suddenly, she felt a lot better about this.
"A-and how do I get out of here...?" Her gaze moved to the open door she had come from. Was it rude to go out the way she came in...?
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