|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2009 3:40 pm
Damn change.
It was inevitable. Cindy knew that she couldn't stay in her little one room apartment forever. Though, it had been her crutch. It had helped her overcome so much. Gotten her out and on her own. Indeed, this place held much more than just her belongings. It stood for her freedom. Living for herself, and not for others. Running away on one limb from the vultures.
Alas, her oasis in the desert had been found. And moreover, it was a one person oasis. Aesop was growing. He needed his own space. Not just for himself, but so Cindy could keep her sanity in tact. If you would've asked her when she was a young teen, sleeping next to a cute guy in a one room apartment would've been the bees knees!
But this was just too awkward. Since, Aesop was like her child. Hell, if you went by the "if you raised them, they're yours" idea, then she WAS his parent.
Outside of the apartment, a little storage attachment was hooked to her white car. Because God help them if they tried to store all this stuff in that vehicle.
Cindy was doing her best to pack... But a broken arm sorta hinders a project that involves a lot of lifting.
Which is why she called some friends in to help.
"Where do you want this, Mother?" Aesop asked as he finished packing a box and labeling it properly.
Cindy looked up from the box she was packing and sighed. "We'll probably put that one in the back seat. Just in case. All that stuff is fragile."
As she spoke, she looked back to the door which was propped open. Honestly, after what had happened, she HATED leaving it wide open like that.
Cindy had been very jumpy since they got back home. Every sound got a flinch out of her. She triple-checked to make sure the door was locked every night...
And, in general, didn't sleep very well. Aesop had been watching. Because, in all honesty, he felt the same way. But what unnerved him a bit was that she'd started carrying a switchblade in her pocket at all times. Even to bed.
"Aesop?" Cindy broke the silence with her soft voice.
"Yeah?" He glanced her way as he continued packing things up.
Cindy's eyes looked up at him for a moment, as if she really wanted to say something... But then quickly looked back down. "N-nothing."
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2009 5:02 pm
"Knock knock," Mir called out, peeking into the open doorway as Julien carried a wicker hamper behind her. She'd stopped along the way to rent a trailer, not sure just how much stuff Cindy and Aesop had, but figured it couldn't hurt to be prepared. "Extra hands at the ready."
Julien was more than a little excited at the call. Not only was he being given a chance to help an old friend, but it was someone he'd been missing of late. So the thought of finally seeing Aesop again made him grin. He'd prepared a hearty lunch, suspecting that they'd need the energy before the day was out, and added plenty of water and coffee to the mix. "Thanks for inviting us," he called from behind Mir, towering over the woman with a grin.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2009 5:13 pm
At the sound of approaching footsteps, Cindy's eyes shot to the door. She looked like a deer staring at the headlights of a car... But as soon as she saw Mir, she let out a big sigh of relief.
"Hey there guys! Thanks for coming by." Even her voice sounded relieved. Though, whether it was because they'd come by, or it was actually them was left up in the air.
Aesop looked up from his packing and smiled. It was nice seeing their familiar faces again. Maybe they'd lighten up the obviously tense atmosphere. "Hello Mir. Julien." Aesop nodded to the both of them with a smile. His voice had grown significantly deeper since they'd last seen him. Well, honestly, everything about him had grown significantly since they'd seen him. And it was a fact he and Cindy had sort of neglected.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2009 5:19 pm
Mir blinked at the sight and sound of Aesop, stopping to admire for a long moment before a nudge against the small of her back reminded her and she stepped aside to let Julien into the room. Jules set down the hamper on the floor nearby, then moved to hold out a hand to Aesop, grinning cheerfully. "It's been too long," he said firmly, eyes bright. "You caught up with me."
Letting the boys say their greetings, Mireille instead moved to sit down beside Cindy, looking over at her with a smile. "How've you been?" she asked gently.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2009 5:28 pm
Aesop tilted his head and stood up for a moment to take a break from packing. Oh! Right.. He had... "Heh. Yeah. Overnight growth spurts." Literally. That had to be the worst thing he'd ever experienced. He took Julien's hand and gave it a firm shake. There was actually a lot he wanted to tell his old friend... But didn't want to do so in front of Cindy and Mir. Even though he was happy to see both of them again, his eyes held a bit of trouble to them...
And it was the same with Cindy. When Mir asked her how everything was, she raised an eyebrow and looked down at her arm in a sling. "Well, to be honest Mir, I've definitely been better..." She let out a sigh, her smile fading a little.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2009 5:32 pm
Both of them caught the unhappiness and exchanged a look before Mireille nodded. "With that arm, you really don't need to be doing any lifting. Do you have a couple of light boxes? We could take them over to the new place and get started unpacking while the boys finish up here," Mireille suggested. Perhaps a change of scenery might help.
Julien nodded at the suggestion, looking over at Aesop. "You and I can probably handle whatever needs lifting, right?" he said. "And Mir can worry about hauling lunch out and getting it organized for when we're done here and headed over."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2009 5:44 pm
Cindy wanted to help. She wanted to prove that through this, she could still function normally... But, the offer was too tempting. And, she did want to start setting up at her new home.
Aesop, wanting his mother to be out of harms way, gave a big nod. "Julien and I can finish up everything here. You should go on."
"Will you be okay, Aesop?" Cindy asked, not really wanting to leave him alone in this place... Though, he wouldn't really be alone, would he? Julien would be here. And surely the two of them could look after eachother.
With a final nod from Aesop, Cindy looked to Mir. "Alright... I've got a few light boxes in the car..." She said, finally caving in to the idea.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2009 5:48 pm
Mir leaned over, murmuring to Cindy, "Don't worry. Julien would never let anything happen to Aesop." Mir reached down to grab the hamper, staggering just a little under its weight before she got her bearings and followed Cindy out to the car.
Once the girls were gone, Julien looked over to Aesop, his grin fading into a worried look. "Something's not right, is it?" he asked, brows drawing together.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2009 6:10 pm
Cindy opened one of the backseat doors so Mir could sit the basket down and hopped in the car to start it up. Once both women were in, she started the 30 minute drive to her new place. Surprisingly, she didn't seem hindered driving with just one arm. In fact, she was sorta used to it. "I neglected to ask how you were, Mir."
Aesop watched both women leave, then looked to Julien. The question, and how he'd phrased it, was just perfect. "Nothing's been right for awhile." Aesop replied simply and carried more boxes over by the door. As he piled them up neatly, he paused. Leaning on the boxes and facing the other way, Aesop began to recall everything that had happened. "I don't understand. How cruel humans can be, that is. How thoughtless and uncaring towards their fellow people. It's one of the few things I just can't comprehend in this world." The boy glanced over his shoulder towards Julien. "A week ago, one of Cindy's relatives found out where she was living and beat the living daylights out of her. At that time, I was still small... And there was nothing I could do about it." An unusual coldness lingered in Aesop's eyes as he told the story. "I've never felt so weak..." A touch of Deja Vu reached out and smacked him in the face as he spoke that sentence. It had been happening a lot. That Deja Vu thing. And he hated it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2009 8:00 pm
Julien's stomach twisted at the thought, and he took a step back, looking a little green. "They... WHY? Why would they beat their own flesh and blood, Aesop?" he demanded, though he knew his friend had no more answers than he himself did.
Mir glanced over at Cindy again, then shook her head. "Don't worry about it it. I've been just fine. Just... writing and ignoring the world, you know? What about you? What happened to your arm?" she asked, adding hurriedly after, "If I can ask, that is."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2009 8:22 pm
Aesop didn't turn around. He stood up straight, but faced the wall. "I... I don't know all the facts. But... She told me that before she ran away from her home, she told everyone 'the truth'. And truth in the ears of ignorance is asinine." He knew more than he let on, thanks to the little box of things Cindy kept under her bed... Which she packed up first and foremost.
"That woman... She said some pretty terrible things."
They echoed through his mind, like two canaries at either side of his brain. Back and fourth the words went. Those vulgar words. Those distasteful things. "I wouldn't repeat them out-loud, but they continue to echo through my mind. Like... Like someone painting crude things on a religious idol. Defacing the things you hold highest in life..."
It was good to hear that Mir was doing just fine. At least one of them were.
But, when Mir asked what happened to her arm, Cindy couldn't help but glance at her for just a moment. Her eyes quickly went back to the road as she pondered whether to spill her guts out.
"Mir, It's an awful long story. I don't..." Then again, this is why you had friends. To share the good and the bad. "The short and sweet version is... One of my step-relatives found out where I was living and beat the snot out of me..."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2009 6:22 am
Julien swallowed, watching his friend's back for a long minute before stepping forward to rest one hand on Aesop's shoulder. "Then... we'll just have to protect her, won't we?" he asked quietly, squeezing once, a friendly touch, before letting his hand drop to his side again.
"And... I might be able to help her arm a little." Oh, how awkward and uncertain those words sounded in his ears. He'd been practicing at the shelter, true, but he was still scared of doing things wrong. And yet... he had to help somehow. He had to heal not only Cindy's body, but this terrible chasm of unhappiness he felt in Aesop and Cindy both. He had to find a way.
In the car, Mir blinked, twisting to stare at Cindy for a long moment before her brows drew together into a dark look, and she turned back to the road. "You called the cops on the b*****d?" she asked, her voice low and one hand creeping to where her purse sat beside her. Her cellphone was inside... and if Cindy hadn't yet called, Mireille certainly could!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2009 11:09 am
Julien's words calmed Aesop like rain after a hot day. With a big sigh, he turned to face his friend. He could do that now. He could protect her. He was bigger. And stronger... He could scare them off like last time if he had to.
At the mention of being able to help Cindy's arm, Aesop raised a brow. "You... You could?" How in the world could he do that?
"b***h would be the more proper term. And, no I haven't." For good reason. "First, I don't know where they live anymore. Second, if I did call the police on her, one of her sisters would just take over where she left off. Third, she'll be pretty mad when she gets back out of jail. And fourth... Well... How would I explain Aesop to the police?" Apparently she'd thought about this a lot. "It's sorta my fault anyways. Before I ran from my house, I had to get the last word and tell all of them how I felt about them. If I hadn't, they probably wouldn't have looked for me... But..."
"Someone had to tell them the truth..."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2009 11:34 am
Julien flushed pink, busying himself with finishing off a box as he considered just how to explain. Finally, he gave up, shrugging and staring down at the box as he searched for the words. "I'm able to heal people, to an extent," he said, starting to wrap up a few of the more delicate items and place them in the box. "Toulouse taught me a little, and I've been practicing at the shelter where I work, and studying human bodies as much as I can manage, so that I know where everything goes. I still don't fully understand how it works, but... I can try and see what I can manage tonight?"
He didn't look up at Aesop, not quite sure just how his friend would take the idea that Julien had magic powers. Several of the other Ashe did, certainly, but Julien had never really discussed magic with Aesop. He had no idea what the boy even thought of it.
Hearing Cindy's words made Mireille furious, and she gripped her hands into fists in her lap. "Never ever say it was your fault again," she murmured softly. "You're the victim here! They're the monsters! If you let yourself take the blame for their actions, they win!" She shoved her back against the seat in a rare display of pure frustration for a minute before nodding to herself. "You wanna stay with us for a few days or anything? Or maybe... get some security installed at least? We'll help."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2009 11:50 am
At Julien's confession, Aesop was both somewhat relieved and intrigued. It was very, very good to know that he wasn't the only one with... Abnormal powers developing. But the fact that Julien could actually heal people was... Pretty cool. "I'd really like that." Aesop finally said, grateful to have such a good friend.
"But uh... I also have... A kind of magic... Thing..." With lack of a better way to phrase it. He'd been fiddle-faddling around with what he'd done that day a few weeks ago, and didn't particularly know what to think of it...
Mir's tone caught Cindy off guard. She looked over at the woman, taking her eyes off the road momentarily. And, she did flinch a little.
"Well..." She responded after a few minutes of silence. Cindy had never been great at raising her voice in the face of frustration or anger. "I'm kinda... Nervous about staying in the new house alone for the first night..." She paused to make a turn onto a different road, then continued. "If... If you wanted... And if it wouldn't be too much of an issue, would you guys mind... Staying a night? We could order a pizza and watch some movies or something..."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
