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 Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2012 8:27 pm
Danny was worried. Ridiculously so. She'd seen Rikki, talked things over with him- she'd been assured that he was there. He was okay. He wasn't a weapon.
Not Roch. Roch she hadn't seen at all. It was probably just their schedules not lining up. Maybe he was avoiding her. He was probably fine and she was just freaking herself out more than necessary Danny tried to reassure herself with these things, but it wasn't working.
This wasn't just anyone. This was Roch, the most stubborn person Danny knew- second only to herself. He hated hunters because of what they did to Edel and wanted to protect everyone- Danny knew this, to the depths of her core. Yet in the cave he'd thrown it all away to be on the winning side. Danny knew it was probably an illusion, probably a test, just like the horseman had said.
But she needed confirmation.
After stepping through the portal, Danny had taken a bath and stayed in Rikki's room, but she couldn't sleep. It was gnawing at her. While he was still sleeping, Danny slipped out of the bed, put on her shoes and ran across the hall in the middle of the night to her best friend's door. She knocked softly, shaking the knob a little. "Roch? Roch its me." She didn't even try to hide the concern in her voice.
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Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2012 8:30 pm
There was no reply. Although if she was really stubborn and held her ear to the door she probably would have heard snoring. Because, let's face it, hammocks are NOT papasan beds. He'd woken every time the jackin' thing swung, and had been existing on some five hours of uneasy sleep for an entire week.
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Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2012 8:33 pm
Danny bit her lip and shook the door a little harder, but it wouldn't budge. Either he was sleeping or ... He was probably sleeping. Danny didn't want to think of an alternative. It was late after all. Danny reassured herself with these things, but it wasn't a very strong argument.
Still, there was nothing she could do. With a defeated disposition on her face, she wandered back to Rikki's room and crawled under the covers once more.
---
In the morning she went for a half-hearted jog that ended with her in front of Roch's door again. It was late morning, and Danny thought she'd bided enough time. Once again she knocked, this time a bit more forcefully. She'd burn the damn thing down if he didn't respond this time.
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Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2012 8:36 pm
The door came open and the familiar little will o the wisp looked at her before letting it swing open entirely. Riff fluttered up, grabbing Danny's hand and trying to tug it towards the booth in the corner. Danny was one of the few females that she LIKED, after all, and Roch had closed the door on her when he went into the booth! That was not fair!!
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Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2012 8:38 pm
Danny wasn't pulled by Riff so much as she was willingly following the thing. After all, it was tiny and couldn't take her very far. Danny could've knocked Riff away with a good swat. Still, Danny liked Riff most out of all of Roch's minipets, and was willing to humor her.
Not for very long though. Danny patted Riff's orange hair and said, "Riff I can't play right now! Have you seen Roch?" Nevermind the fact that minipets couldn't talk. Danny didn't care.
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Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2012 8:40 pm
Riff let go and rushed to the doorknob of the soundproof booth, stepping on it and slamming one tiny foot down on the handle, indicating that she couldn't open this door--and it succckkkked.
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Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2012 8:43 pm
Danny frowned and let out a frustration breath of air. She hadn't budged a single step. "Riff! I told you! I don't have time to play! I need to find Roch." She took a step towards the bedroom door, and then it clicked. Ohhhh.
The fire demonness quickly walked over to the soundproof booth and twisted the knob, flinging the door open-
Where she found her friend sitting there playing his guitar, just like always.
For once, Danny didn't go draping herself all over him. She had an ounce of caution, because for the first time since meeting him, she wasn't sure where Roch stood. She waited a moment and then said, "Roch?"
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Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2012 8:46 pm
He'd cranked it up. For a moment the sound overwhelmed her saying his name, but the boil stopped as he caught sight of her, grinning slightly. "Look, Danny, I can play my guitar again!" he said, much like a little kid with a new toy. "Jack have I missed this. So sup? C'mon in, but close the door behind you, don't wanna piss off the neighbors."
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Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2012 8:49 pm
Danny's eyes flicked towards the door. For a moment, the idea that this might actually be a trap crossed her mind. The cave had made her wary. Then she realized how stupid that was and shut the door like he asked.
"That's great!" she said, referring to his guitar and crossing the small space to sit on Roch's black couch, with her tail in her hand so as to not burn anything down- especially not those nicely mounted pinatas.
Rather awkwardly, Danny just said what was on her mind like always. "Look- do you still hate hunters?"
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Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2012 8:52 pm
"Huh? Why would I suddenly start likin' them?" he asked her blankly. "Even if it was a dream the jackers turned me into a two headed guitar. And it WASN'T a dream when I went into the tent with our pals in cages. You're not thinkin' about what those DETH guys are sayin', are you? I didn't even remember you takin' that class!"
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Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2012 8:56 pm
Danny let out a sigh of relief, but it quickly turned into confusion. First he was talking about hating the hunters- good. Then he moved on to something about a death class, and cages- Danny got confused.
"What? Death class? We have a death class at Amityville?" she said, bewildered.
She shook her head and said, "I'm not thinking about the death guys because I don't know what that is ..." Wait was he making fun of her? AUGH TOO CONFUSING.
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Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2012 8:59 pm
"They're these halloweeners that want us to play friendly with the humans," Roch said. "Did you meet the fluffy white furball with red eyes that could talk? He was the teacher of the class. Well, I would agree with bein' nice to humans no problem, if they weren't tryin' to make us into weapons on a regular basis."
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Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2012 9:04 pm
Danny shook her head and nearly clamped her hands over Roch's mouth just to stop all the confusing chatter. "No- Roch no- ROCH LISTEN."
She rolled her eyes and took a breath in and out. At least Roch had gotten back on track to hating hunters. That made sense to her- that was comfortable.
"While I was at the cave on the war island- the one with the mushrooms?- I saw a bunch of weird stuff." Hunters, Rikki as a weapon, but more importantly, "You sold me out to the hunters and said you were on their side." She looked down, sort of ashamed that she had bought into all this.
She looked back up at Roch and said, "Look I mean I know it's probably not true and it was just the mushroom and you're still Roch, it's just ..." She looked at him sort of solemnly, embarrassed that she even had to say this. "I just ... I dunno, I wanted to make sure it wasn't true..." Wasn't she basically admitting that she didn't trust Roch? Awwwwwkward.
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Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2012 9:07 pm
"When I was in the cave," he said slowly, not responding to her lack of trust at all, "I was on an old street back home. One of the nastier streets--you don't go there unless you gotta. And the boogies came out, surrounding me. Except they were holding hunter weapons, y'know? So..." He frowned slightly, looking down at his guitar. "I ran. I figure they wanted me to go in, guitar blazing, and kick all of their asses, but I ran--until I reached a dead end."
He shook his head. "It wasn't real. It was a rendition of one of my nightmares, and I'm good at remembering my dreams, y'know? So I know what they look like when I'm livin' them."
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Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2012 9:15 pm
Danny nodded in agreement. It wasn't real. She had to believe it. While Roch spoke, she scooted a little closer to him. She wanted to drape all over him now that it was confirmed he wasn't with the hunters, but the guitar made it kind of hard, so she decided not to bother.
"But if it wasn't real ..." Danny said, "What was it?" A nightmare? It felt too real to be a nightmare. A real fight? That didn't make sense with reality. Just what was it?
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