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"There's stuff he's going to get interested in soon," he said. "Sex, drugs, more tattoos--and hell, the kid has a jackin' ENGRAVER pal, I almost couldn't blame him for that one. But if he's like me, he'll have at least five ghouls before turning seventeen. He'll stop thinking of ghouls as friends, and I don't want that to happen to him. He'll wind up like me, ditched and raising a six year old kid with no clue how, or like the old man, with more ex wives than I can count."

He was being extremely blunt. But he didn't feel like she'd get it otherwise.

"What's he talking to her about?" Roch demanded of Vegas.

"She looks like an easier mark than you are," Vegas called back. "He's trying to get information about your scar."

"He won't."

"I meant," Austin said with a smile, "that there's no better tattoo artist in all of Halloween than an Engraver. They're masters at what they do, just like Roch is--or will be, at what he does. I bet they've got a TON in common with my kid, including childhood training and hours and hours of hard work on their own. That also explains why he's less terrified of ghosts."

He was quiet for a second, as the themepark came into view in the distance. "Has he told you about his mother?" he asked her.

"She was a drunk," he said coldly. "And a lousy mother. I thought I was in love, stupidly enough. She skipped out when he was six years old. It's really hard to fully trust females when the first female in your life dumped you like that. Trust me, I know. My own mother? I can't even remember her name. But he trusts you, at least somewhat. Don't betray that trust, little baku. For everyone's sake."

They pulled into the parking lot of the themepark, and he pulled off his helmet, hanging it off the handlebar.

Roch tugged off the helmet, hanging it on his granddad's handlebars as he got off and running over to Xiu. "What.. did he talk to you about?" he asked quietly, touching her arm and giving Austin a dark expression as his dad pulled off his helmet.

"Just random stuff," Austin said, dismounting after putting out the kickstand. He looked up at the themepark, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Let's go," he said. "There's a whole lot of stuff to do, and only one day to do it!"

Vegas followed, looking a bit bored. This didn't seem to be HIS idea of a good time, but that just made Roch grin evilly. "C'mon, if only to piss off the old geezer," he said to Xiu. "He was perfectly fine dancin' with beautiful Catrinas and watchin Jimi play, but put an amusement park in front of him--" Roch laughed.

Roch looked up at the the giant pumpkin that made up the front of the park. There were people selling tickets in little booths, which Austin was heading for. Behind the pumpkin were the rides. A lot were so huge that they could be seen over the top of the pumpkin. A grin spread across his face, a massive, excited grin that almost reached his ears. He reached down without thinking, taking Xiu's hand and tugging her towards the gate as Austin came over with the tickets.

"Here," Austin said, handing them each one. "We're good to go."

Roch didn't wait to reply as he looked at Xiu. "This is gonna be AWESOME," he told her as he started into the park.

Roch looked around, then up--and up--and up a bit further, his eyes huge as he saw the massive roller coaster. It was a terrifying thing of black wrought iron twisting through the sky like an angry Eastern dragon. The carts of the roller coaster were sleek and covered in thorn like spikes--

"It's jackin' gorgeous," he breathed out, infatuation on his face. "Can we ride that?" he asked her. "Please? Just once?"

He grinned. "Just once," he agreed, heading for the line. He looked at the huge group of people around them and motioning her forward so she was right in front of him, using his body to block her from those behind him, and watching those in front of him.

He'd been attacked from behind one too many times lately. "I know you couldn't answer the whip question, but I'm betting that's not all he asked you, is it?" he said quietly. "Do you want to know about the whip?"