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Oh dear, seemed he'd opened a wound with Draconia. He felt a stab of guilt.
"Uh... have a good fangsgiving?" he called after her before returning to work, tedious, unpleasent, thankless work.

When finally it was time to shut up shop, Perry wanted to do little more than simply crawl back into bed and sleep for a week but now a worse torment awaited. Family.

All he could do was hope to Hades that Vinnie showed.

Stuffing done, turkey in the oven and with family gathering around, Vinnie still hadn't shown. Perry was starting to believe she'd changed her mind and could he really blame her? A whole day with his family was a daunting prospect to HIM and they were blood!

"What time should we expect Vinnie?" his mother enquired as she settled bustled around the kitchen clearing things to make space.

"Uh.. I... don't know." Perry admitted.

"Stood up? That's gotta hurt kiddo." His brother smirked. Perry scowled and sent one final desperate text to Vinnie.



You ok? Not fallen down a ditch or something? Should I launch a search party? He hesitated, then added. When you get here, just ring the bell and i'll come down.

"i'll get it!" Perry yelled as the doorbell rang.

Please be Vinnie. He couldn't deal with any more of his family asking where she was. It was driving him mental.

Ayla came running. "No! I'll get it!"

The siblings raced to the stairwell and Perry shoved his sister behind him as he opened the door, panting heavily.

"Hey.. you... made it... then." He grinned, still trying to catch his breath.

His ten year old sister peered out from behind him, studying the other ghoul critically.

"You're Vinnie?" She remarked.

"Get back upstairs." He looked appologetic to his friend. "So.. uh, come in." He moved aside so she could enter the stairwell. It was a little cozy.

Ayla retreated a few steps but continued to stare.

"I said GO upstairs!" Perry snapped at her.

She snickered and ran up yelling "Vinnie's here!" as she went.

Perry looked pained. "I owe you one for this."

Perry was utterly oblivious to Vinnie's embarrassement, shrugging at her suggestion.

"I suppose so. I mean we could just make a run for it now..."

He winced as his mother's voice carried down the stairwell.

"Is that your friend? Come on up!"

"They're probably canoodling on the stairs." Perry's brother Buck snickered.

Perry glowered. "Let's get this over with then." He indicated that Vinnie go first and the pair headed upstairs and into the living room.

The house was modest, being above a shop it wasn't exactly a large premises but they managed to make the most of limited space.

An elderly Peryton was sitting on the sofa sipping a glass of something, next to her sat a tall, muscular young man with dark hair and a striking resemblance to Perry himself.
Ayla was sitting on the floor colouring and looked up and grinned.

Perry looked a little uncomfortable.

"uh... Vinnie this is my grandmother, my brother Buck...." He managed to twist the sound of his brother's name in such a way as to rhyme with dirt. "and Ayla who you already kinda met. "

A strawberry blonde female and a dark haired man with glasses peered in from the kitchen.

"Vinnie?" There was a moment of silence, then Fawna smiled broadly and cleaning her hands on her apron, came over to shake the ghoul's hand.
"So nice to finally meet you! I'm Fawna, Perry's mother."

Her husband still seemed a little dumbstruck. It was the grandmother who spoke next.

"yer a ghoul then... " She spoke gruffly.

Perry groaned.

"Well, a pleasure to meet you Vinnie." Perry's father finally managed. "You aren't quite what I was expecting..."

"I don't think any of us were love" his wife interjected.

Perry sighed loudly. "She's not my ghoulfriend."

"Of course not dear." His mother patted him on the head, turning to Vinnie. "Thank you so much for coming, I can't wait to get to know you better. Our son seems quite taken with you." and with that, she went back to the kitchen.

Perry groaned, flushing as vividly red as his hair. Clearly his family were intend on completely humiliating him today.

Ayla stared up at them both wide eyed. "I thought you didn't like ghouls?"

"So... " Perry diverted the conversation rapidly. "How about I give you the grand tour? yes? Of course you want the grand tour. " He grabbed her by the arm and practically dragged her into the next room.

"I'm sorry, my family are... annoying. " He lead her across the dining room and down a hall, toward a conveniently open window.
"What do you say we... fly the nest?... so to speak." he looked Vinnie up and down.

She had wings right?

And it wasn't THAT much of a drop.

"I hear the school are putting on some sort of event, gotta be better than dealing with this lot all day right?"

He didn't wait for a response from the poor ghoul who was too dumbfounded and confused to really react before he shoved her out the open window to FREEDOM.

He fluttered gracelessly down beside her.

"Sorry, heard someone coming" He glanced back up at the window where his younger sister was staring down at them in confusion.

"Mom said you should come help set the table!"

"Uh... tell her we uh... went to get some fresh air.. yes... " He looked to Vinnie.

His sister looked like she was about to call out for someone.

"She's not buying it... RUN!"
Perry shouted, scurrying rapidly out of the alley and disappearing around the corner.

Saturday

Perry stared forlornly out his locked, sturdily barred window. His parents had not been in the least amused by his escape attempts, he was pretty sure he'd never seen them so mad. It wasn't as if he didn't pull this sort of stunt a lot, but they were clearly smarting over Fangsgiving. Truth be told, Perry was rather tired of being asked questions about Vinnie and whether he was "ashamed of her" or something. No matter how many times he told them, his parents refused to accept she was JUST a friend. How frustrating parents could be.

His phone pinged. A message from Chase asking about the wrestling event. Perry groaned, no way would his parents let him go, he wasn't going to see unlife outside of school till Cryptmas at this rate.

Thankfully his parents hadn't confiscated his phone, they'd been far too preoccupied by making sure he couldn't jump out any more windows. Spoilsports Now he'd have to find some other escape route, but his initial search of the building had netted nothing viable. Try as he might, there was just no way he could squeeze out a ventilation shaft.
Bummer.

As he sat there moping, a realisation hit him. Draconia would be at that wrestling event right? Q had invited her as well. This could be his one and only chance to appologise and avoid harpy related maiming.
Hellene's face flashed into his mind's eye, full of wrath and homicide.
Perry shuddered. That ghoul was scary.

He looked down at his phone. Maybe he could at least make peace with that particular ghoul. The Addison sisters had picked out a particularly lovely (or so they claimed) hat they thought any ghoul of Hellene's taste would simply undie for.
Perry had no choice but to trust their judgement, after all, fashion was hardly his forte.
Maybe this peace offering would convince Hellene NOT to ruin any chance he ever had of dating. Though as far as Perry was concerned, he was doing a pretty good job of sabotaging his own love life without the harpy getting involved. It wasn't like any guy had any interest in him anyway right?

Still, it felt prudent to sooth the Harpy ghoul before she really got her talons out. He was worried what else she might do.

But how was he supposed to fix this mess? he was grounded, house bound, unable to venture out. Slowly, surely, a plan started to form in his mind. He just had to hope Hellene would agree to it.

He searched his contacts. Yes, there she was, darkroom monitor.

"Please be cool... please..." He whispered to himself as he texted.



Need yr help. Grounded, 'rents suspicious, need escape plan. Draconia at Q Farm, need to get there. Appologise. Mend ruby heart. Or try. Help? Say it's for a photography project, you can be very persuasive.