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He'd talked her into pants--of sorts. Terra clung to Roch's back, her knit pants thankfully tied around her calf so they weren't fluttering in the breeze. They were on his bike, heading down the street to the road that led out of Halloween Town and into the wide, wide world. Both of them only had enough clothes and food to fill the saddlebags of his bike--had he allowed her to bring her scooter, she thought irritably, they would have had much more. But Roch had said that she needed to get her license first--and she was too young for that.

"Hermano," she said over the mic in her helmet, "should we not have told people that we were going?"

"Like who?" Roch asked.

"Like Austin?"

"Eh, it'll be fine," he said, shifting into a higher gear once they got to more open roads. She let out a sigh and rested her head against his back, watching the buildings rush past--or perhaps watching as they rushed past the buildings. Then Roch cursed, making her sit up straight again, wondering if she'd done something wrong. "Yeah, it'll be just fine," he said dryly.

"Why?" she asked.

"Because both of the jackers are on our tail," Roch said, swerving and turning down an alley to try and lose them. Terra glanced behind her, blinking at the sight of two others riding motorcycles and following them as smoothly--if not more smoothly than Roch was riding.

"Now how's that talking nice about your family?" she heard Austin ask over the speaker in her helmet. "Hello, princess. Where's your scooter?"

"She can't go as far as we're plannin' without a license," Roch said. "But where the jack do you plan on goin, old man?"

"Same place as you," Austin said.

"I'm feeling a bit ignored back here," Vegas called over the speaker thing.

"That's because you are," Roch and Austin said at the same time. Terra blinked--a laugh escaping her accidentally.

"I vote Princess rides with me," Austin said. "That bike of yours isn't nearly as comfortable for passengers."

"Who said we're letting you tag along?" Roch demanded. "Find your own way!"

"Hermano! Austin can come with us!" Terra said. "It is just Senor Vegas who should find his own way," she added snottily.

"Road's free, little ghoul," Vegas said.

"It's a pain in the a** tryin' to get rid of Gramps," Roch told her. "Just ignore him."

"So what prompted this--other than the flier?" Austin asked as he pulled up next to their bike, driving along comfortably. "And where's Am--"

"Do not say that name, por favor," Terra said. "Roch is feeling very much in the dumps over that."

"She dumped me," Roch said bluntly. "So I grabbed my bike an' my lil sister an' took to the road."

"Why am I listed after the bike?" Terra demanded. "I sound like a teddy scare or a toy of sorts, pulled along for comfort! I am not a teddy scare!"

"Fact. Teddy scares are scarier."

She pinched his waist, but there was hardly anything there to pinch, he was so skinny. He yelped, regardless. Austin sighed, shaking his head, but she couldn't see his expression since he was wearing a full helmet as well. "Sorry about that, Roch," he said quietly. "It ain't easy, that's for sure."

"Yeah," Roch said quietly. Terra leaned against his back again, hugging him around the waist. She hadn't known him long, she thought, but she already hated hearing that tone from him.

"She was just one ghoul," Terra said. "Roch is not bad looking! He will get another one!" She felt firmly about this.

"Not yet," Roch said. "Maybe not ever. Who knows?"

She let out another sigh and stayed right where she was, hugging him from behind, her heart hurting because of the entire situation. There had to be something she could do! She was so busy trying to figure things out that the world had rushed past her and the group was pulling to a stop in a small town outside of a creepy looking hotel. The sign, which flickered a nauseating green neon color, said "Heartbreak Hotel."

Quickly she looked around, searching for somewhere else to stay--anywhere else. There was no one on the main street, and most of the buildings around them were empty and falling apart. Signs that had lost their words years ago hung from busted chains, flapping and bumping against the buildings. The only working sign among them was this one--

She got off the bike and pulled off her helmet, giving her brother a dark look. "And you planned this trip?" she demanded.

"Sounded about right," Roch said with a shrug as he pulled off his helmet and dismounted as well. He locked his bike and headed for the building, digging through his pockets and pulling out a plastic card.

"I figured he had that," Vegas said from behind Terra. "Boil, your son is a thief."

"He's had it for months, you're only complaining now?" Austin asked.

"Most of the stuff he uses it on can be written off as business," Vegas admitted, lighting up a cigar. Terra could feel his eyes on her, but she didn't look back at him. She had nothing to say to him! A smoke ring floated past her, but she ignored it, stubbornly keeping her eye on the front office, where Roch was renting rooms for them. The teenage boil came out a few moments later with a key.

"Terra, you an' me have room 106. You old geezers can get your own," he said, heading for the bike to grab their things.

"That's my deadit card y'got there," Vegas said. "You can at least rent me a room with it, as well," he complained, heading over and grabbing the card from Roch.

"Get me one, too, old man," Austin said, smoking a cighoulette and looking suitably dramatic under the flickering neon light. "Otherwise I'm going to steal yours."

"Ungrateful pain in the a**," Vegas muttered as he headed inside. Terra looked at Austin for a second, earning a little grin, before she headed to Roch to grab her things and follow him to their room. The idea of sharing a room with a boil seemed a bit awkward to her, she thought as Roch reached their door, but he was her brother. It was not inappropriate if they were siblings, no?

The door creaked open, almost falling off of the hinges, and scurrying sounds announced that there were plenty of insects living in the room already. Roch flipped on the light, revealing a handful of scarebeetles and cockroaches scurrying to hide. He made a face at the lack of housekeeping. "Y'want the bed without the body outline, right?" he said, nodding to the second bed that was closer to the bathroom.

Terra was staring at the body outline on the first one. "They are very big on setting the atmosphere, no?" she said finally.

"Outline, huh?" Austin said from behind them. "You're lucky, mine's got a noose prepared. Right in view of the window. I guess if you're going to kill yourself over a ghoul, y'wanna make sure the maids get a good view of it." The older reaper headed inside, dropping down on one of the stiff looking chairs at the table next to the window and taking a drag off of his smoke.

"I do not see the point of it," Terra said, shooing a few of the cockroaches off of her bed. She doubted she was going to get much sleep tonight, she thought irritably. She hated having things climbing on her as she slept. She climbed onto the bed once she was relatively certain the bugs were gone, and looked at the other two expectantly. "We are on an adventure, no?" she asked.

"Nope, just another family trip," Roch said, dropping down on his own bed and summoning his guitar. He tuned it quickly and started playing a song, like it was just a normal thing to have the family get together and burst out into guitar playing--she looked at Austin, wondering what he would say--

Austin looked almost blissful. He was lounging in the stiff chair as if it was comfortable, lazily smoking his cighoulette and staring forward blankly, a slight smile on his lips. It was so strange, Terra thought as she saw the door open. Vegas stepped in, heading for the other chair at the table and dropping down without a word. The others didn't even look at him. And when Roch finished his song, she almost wasn't surprised when Vegas summoned a large set of daggers--which he slid out into a keyboard looking line. They were hovering there, she thought in amazement, floating in the air as Vegas did a quick set of scales to warm up. Then he started to play.

The feel in the room--it was different, she realized. Smokey haze filled it, the creepy sensation that someone would step out of the closet at any time was gone--instead the little hotel room felt like an secret meeting, one that only a select few would ever be invited to--and she was part of it, she thought with wonder. It had an intimate feel, one that she hadn't felt since her mother had taught her to cook--but in a way it seemed even more intimate. And when Vegas had finished, the tiniest of glances from Austin had her jumping to her feet to summon her violin. This felt like her time to--to apply, she thought. She needed to show off what she could do to them so she would be fully accepted--

Her hands hesitated as she brought up her bow. What if she wasn't good enough? Would they throw her out of the room? Out of the family?

"Go for it, lil sister," Roch said, jerking her out of her panic. She shot him a little grin, took a deep breath, and started the song she had been teaching herself ever since she found gruetube. She was dancing a bit--not nearly as much as the ghoul on the video, but a bit by the time she had finished, it was so much fun to play. She had forgotten she had an audience by the final note, until they started cheering and clapping loudly and enthusiastically. Even Vegas was clapping, much to her shock.

"See what I mean?" Roch said with a grin.

"That's my princess," Austin said proudly.

Only she seemed to catch the dark look Vegas shot him, along with the start of a protest which he quickly stopped. It... confused her, she admitted as Vegas looked at her. She looked away, just as Austin summoned his sax.

Roch was asleep a few moments later. (She had to poke him awake with her bow.)
***
((WC: 1801))

Vegas stopped at the front desk before letting them leave. There were some words--but nothing that Terra could hear clearly enough to understand, and the reaper came out of the building with a dangerously dark expression on his face. She automatically glanced at his hands, wondering if he had blood on them from that little meeting, but his pristine white clothes were still white and his hands were clean--

Then again, she thought, for a reaper that didn’t mean much. But she looked away when he stopped in front of her, jerking as he reached out, touching her hair. “I’m sorry,” he said quietly, walking to his bike before she could get past her stunned silence to figure out a reply. She had wanted to hear those words from him since the moment she met him--but not for this.

“Princess, why don’t you ride with me today?” Austin asked. “My bike’s bigger, and the seat’s more comfortable,” he said.

She looked at him, then at Roch, who shrugged and admitted, “He’s got a point.” She nodded, taking her things to Austin’s bike and waiting to mount behind him. A part of her wanted to protest. Roch needed someone right now. But it wasn’t as if they would be that far apart--Austin liked to ride right beside Roch, so it’d be fine, right?

Her mind kept going back to her fear, her knowledge that they saw her as a weak link. Would they send her home? They hadn’t said anything along those lines yet-- She stopped as Roch held out his spare helmet and she took it, slipping it on. He’d been right about the hairdo, she thought. It fit inside the helmet.

“Princess?” Austin said. She glanced down, realizing that he was already on the bike and waiting for her. Without a word she slipped on behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist. He smelled like smoke, even after his shower, she thought. But at least the helmet blocked the smell somewhat.

“Si,” she said, leaning against his back and positioning her feet where they should be.

“Let’s head out,” Vegas said. “Next occupied town, we’re picking up camping supplies.”

“Agreed.”

“You do not need to do this on my behalf--“ Terra started out.

“We’re getting camping supplies,” Roch said firmly. “Jacker tried to touch my lil sister--had y’not kicked his a** already I woulda finished him off.”

“He did not touch--“

“Princess,” Vegas said, making her jerk. “We’re already decided. No arguing.”

“I’m putting on some Janis,” Roch told them. “Anyone argues they’ve got to offer up a better singer.” She didn’t even have time to ask what he was talking about before a raspy, crooning voice started playing in her ears. The three bikes took out, leaving the hotel behind. The conversations died, replaced by music that touched a small part of her heart that she didn’t even know existed. Janis was changed to Jimi, then changed to another and another, each of the males taking their turns to provide.

She got the feeling they were trying to comfort her with music. She wanted to yell at them that she didn’t need comforted, that she was unaffected by what had happened--and that it really pissed her off that even Vegas was going out of his way to try and make her feel better, but she found herself hugging Austin’s waist just a little tighter and listening to the music silently.

Vegas was the first to turn down a side road, leading the group into a town. He headed for the biggest building, stopping in front of it and pulling off his helmet. “Boil, go buy us some camping equipment,” he said to Roch. “Take the princess with you.”

Roch looked at him for a moment before shrugging and dismounting, his helmet going to the usual place over the handlebar. “Terra, c’mon,” he said. She scrambled to get her helmet off and follow him inside, not really wondering at the fact that they were doing the shopping. Although she had no idea what they would need.
***

Vegas stared moodily at the door that Terra had just ran through. He fingered the cigar he had lit up, looking at it blankly as he tried to deal with the thoughts in his mind. He'd felt... something--no, there was not ignoring it--he'd been pissed off with the way Austin had claimed the little ghoul as HIS princess. It wasn't so bad, her calling Roch 'hermano,' he didn't mind that, he admitted. He thought of Roch as his, too--but to have Austin practically claiming the ghoul as a daughter--

"If you really want her, you're going to have to do it a different way," Austin said. Somehow between now and a moment ago, he'd gotten himself a coffee and a bag of donuts. He leaned against his bike, sipping coffee and watching Vegas with amusement. "You can't just steal half of her bed and expect her to be happy about it--even if it was for her protection."

"Who says I want her as my kid?" Vegas said.

"You do," Austin said. "It was written all over your face when she played last night. I've seen that look in the mirror for years. But I still don't like you enough to give you pointers," he said evilly.

"She's a decent musician," Vegas said. "That means nothing."

"She's FEAR of our FEAR, a walking, talking, living Scythe from the top of her head to the tips of her toes," Austin said bluntly. "Sure she's not as cruel as we can be, she's a lot more forgiving--except for with you, but she's a Scythe."

"Roch said she's the best of us."

"One of the best of us," Austin agreed. "Roch is a damn good example, himself. But he's got a point."

"I coulda sworn all of the goodness went out with Tex," Vegas said quietly.

"You an' me both," Austin admitted.

Vegas fell silent, scowling in thought. "She shouldn't have been exposed to that," he said finally.

"I know. We'll fix things now." He watched as Terra came out with her arms full of sleeping bags, and Roch followed with a tent and a few other things. "Princess, is the pink one for you?" he asked curiously.

"No! It is for senor Vegas!" she said evilly.

"Be thankful, I wanted t'get the one with the cat with bows on it," Roch said with a grin.

Vegas didn't mention the fact that all colors were the same at night. If it made her happy trolling him with pink bags, well, he wasn't going to complain too much. He watched as Roch grabbed the bag of donuts, instead, sharing one with his sister before finishing them off. Then he headed off to get himself a coffee as well.
***

Morning came, the day started over. Terra was starting to get sore from being on a motorcycle all the time. She wondered when she'd be able to bring her scooter instead--it was much more comfortable. The males of the group didn't seem to notice--and she gave them all a dirty look for that fact before she headed into the cheap fast food joint that they had stopped at with a flounce. "We are going to sit at a table!" she lectured the ones following her. "And eat properly! There will be no drive-thrus and eating as we ride this time!"

"Her butt hurts," Roch said, earning an extremely dark look from his sister.

"Well if she'd ride with me, she wouldn't have that problem," Vegas said, not in any hurry to go inside. He was smoking again--but so was Austin, so she took her time to give them both a dark look.

"She's not used to the family trips," Austin said, letting out a long stream of smoke. "She's a delicate princess."

"I am not!" she bellowed, stomping her foot. "I am very tough! I am the toughest of all of you!"

They looked at each other--and promptly burst into laughter. She took the time to punch each of them in the arm before sticking her nose in the air and heading for the counter. "I am not speaking with you," she declared brattily.

"Awww, Princess, we didn't mean it!" Austin said, grinding out his cighoulette and following her inside. "Come on, don't be like that," he said, hugging her from behind. She couldn't help the laugh that escaped her as he picked her up, swinging her slightly. But she stopped herself quickly, pulling out of his arms and smacking at them.

"No! I am not speaking to you until you admit that I am tough!" This was more serious than she dared to let on, she thought as she looked at him. She needed to hear it.

"You're tough, lil sister," Roch said, stopping beside her and fixing her hair. "You're plenty tough. Doesn't change the fact that three days on a bike makes your a** hurt." Then he stepped up to the counter to order their food. She looked at him and burst into laughter as he rubbed his butt. It... shockingly, made her feel a lot better, especially when Austin kissed her cheek and went past her to make sure his order was added to what Roch was ordering. It was only when she felt a huge, unmoving object behind her that she glanced up, seeing Vegas. He was huge, she thought--for a reaper, of course. He towered over her, twice as broad so that even if she tried to look around him, she would have to lean.

"What?" she demanded.

"Ride with me after this," he said, looking down at her. She tried to be offended at being looked down on--but the man was so tall, he had no choice.

"I do not wish to," she said, sticking her nose in the air.

"Do you want to be able to walk tonight?" Vegas said.

"I will be fine," she said, walking away from him to join the other two. He didn't reply, and she glanced back, seeing him watching her with a slight smile pulling at one corner of his lips. She wondered if he even realized just how angry she was with him. Maybe he didn't even care, she thought darkly, looking back to the others. She would go back to ignoring him, she decided. As much as she could. It was sort of impossible when he wound up sitting right across from her at the tiny plastic tables in the restaurant.

Somehow, she realized, they'd backed her into the corner of the table, with Austin on one side, Roch on the other, and Vegas blocking out the rest of the world. It was like being in a massive shield, she thought irritably. She wondered if they even realized what they were doing. At least she did until someone bumped against Vegas and the large reaper grabbed a huge drink before it poured all over him.

"I think this is yours," he said, handing it to the boil carrying the tray.

"R--right," the boil said. He scurried away as if he were on fire.

Terra started fixing her food how she wanted it, then began to eat, watching the three curiously as they almost discreetly watched the rest of the world. Even Roch, she thought as she glanced at her brother, even Roch was keeping an eye on the rest of the people in the room, although he was scarfing down food as if he'd been starving.

"Is this a dangerous place?" she asked finally.

"Nope," Roch said. "Not at all."

"Then why are you so observant?"

"We're... ah... feeling a little on edge, Princess," Austin said. "Don't worry about it."

"Is it because of me?" she asked, sipping on her straw.

Vegas answered before the others could. "Of course it is," he said bluntly. "We screwed up this morning, letting that jacker slip into the room unnoticed."

"But--"

"Princess, you don't--it's not entirely--" Austin started out, only to look at Roch expectantly. Roch finished draining his huge drink, letting the straw rattle as he kept sucking. Then he put the cup down and looked Terra in the eyes.

"In a family of all boils--an' the youngest, as well," he said, "you got no choice but t'be the center of attention, sis. Y'might as well get used t'it. Tough as y'might be."

She gave him a dirty look. "And what of Monica? She is not a boil!"

"Monica doesn't count," Vegas said. "Monica's a full grown woman. She's also not here, she's back home running the casino--which she does damn well," he added.

"I am not listening to you," Terra told him irritably. "I am not happy with being singled out like this at all! I am tough! I am not a little princess to be coddled and cooed over! Or surrounded like a shield!"

They were staring at her with various expressions. Vegas looked like he was going to roll his eyes any moment, Roch looked like he was going to bait her, and Austin looked like he wanted a smoke. In fact he reached into his trench coat and pulled out his pack.

"No smoking inside!" Terra bossed him.

"Then it looks like its time to leave," Vegas said, standing up. "Because I need a smoke, too." She got up, intent on being either in front, or the last one following, but somehow she found herself right in the middle of the group--which seemed to be her place, she thought irritably. She looked up at Roch, who was right behind her.

"Why are you not the one they are so focused on?" she demanded. "You are the male heir of the familia, you are the one they should be most protective of!"

"We... we got somethin' t'tell you tonight, lil sister," he said, ignoring that comment entirely. "Somethin' I've been wantin' t'tell you for months. You'll listen, right?"
They stepped out of the restaurant before she could reply.
***
WC: 1196

There was no way he was going to tell her when there were hundreds of people surrounding them, Roch thought as they set up their camp. He would have to wait until they were on the ship. He glanced at the other males, earning slight shakes of the head. "Not here," Austin said, unwittingly reading his mind.

"I know," Roch said quietly. He started up the fire and turned to see Terra drop down on the ground with a sigh, then wince. "C'mere, sis," he said. "Let's heal you."

"Does it involve touching my behind?" she demanded, giving him a suspicious look.

Roch stared at her. "You're my lil sister," he pointed out. "Not only that, but y'got a seriously bony lil a** t'begin with, so trust me, I ain't gonna like it any more than you do--"

She stared at him, then reluctantly got up and headed over. "Fine, heal me," she said, turning so her butt was to him. "But I do not have a bony behind!"

"I'm lookin' at it, it's bony," Roch said, barely touching her to heal her. "There, all fixed. Now go make dinner!" She gave him a dirty look as he smacked her on the butt, then kicked him lightly on the shin before heading for the fire to start cooking. Roch reached down, rubbing his shin more to make her happy than because it'd hurt.

"You were going to tell me something, no?" she asked.

"Not tonight," Vegas said. "There's too many people here. This is private family things." He was lounging next to the fire, smoking a cigar.

"And what does it have to do with you?" she demanded.

The entire group went silent, looking at each other before Vegas said, "Princess, it has almost everything to do with me." His voice was quiet, serious, and mournful all in the same moment. "Just as it's got to do with the others. But I'm telling you now, wait until we're alone."

She looked at Austin, who nodded. "I see," she said, focusing on her cooking for a long moment. She put together a nice little fireside meal, handing the plates to Roch who handed them to the others, then sat down to eat, silently.

"Now, Princess," Austin said, "don't think we're cutting you out, or anything. It's just the time and place."

"Are you sure you should tell me?" Terra asked finally. "I am just an intruder in the familia--"

"Minishit," Vegas said. "Quit with the pouting, ghoul. You ARE my daughter, my only daughter, there's no way in hell you're an intruder."

She looked at him. "Why are you so happy to announce it now?" she demanded. "I do not like you, you abandoner! You will stop trying to claim me now!"

"Like hell," Vegas said. "But this is another thing we need to talk about in private."

"Why don't you sing for us, Princess? Or are you still not up for it?" Austin asked, clearly changing the subject.

"I do not feel like singing," she said, sticking her nose up in the air. This wasn't how she planned her evening, she thought. Fighting after spending all these days in relatively calm settings--

"Then I'll sing," Roch said, summoning his guitar. For a moment there was silence as all the monsters and ghosts turned at the rise of FEAR--then they saw the guitar, or told the others what it was, and Roch started tuning it.

There was still tenseness in the air, as if a fight would start at any moment, but then Roch began to play. The notes lingered in the air, not doing any harm, and peace came back.

"I wish I was a neutron bomb, for once I could go off
I wish I was a sacrifice but somehow still lived on
I wish I was a sentimental ornament you hung on
The scaremas tree, I wish I was the star that went on top"

The song carried gently over the group, and even to those around them. It was a gentle song, a bit mournful, but Terra found herself relaxing as the sound flowed over her. It was peaceful, listening to Roch sing. It was like, even surrounded by strangers, they were back in that small, intimate setting that had taken place in the creepy hotel room. She leaned back against the log and sipped her water, forgetting how angry she had been moments before. And when the song finished and they looked at her, she nodded.

"Roch, will you give me a simple beat--" she said, rattling off the notes for him. When he nodded and started playing she took a deep breath and started to sing, herself. But the silence she was greeted with when she finished had her looking at them in worry. Had she been right? Was she not worthy of singing in public?

Then Austin let out a loud cheer. "JackDAMN, ghoul! You're good!"

She flushed, grinning shyly. "Gracias, Austin," she said.

"I got NO IDEA what she just sang," Roch said. "But I'd love t'hear it again. But it's not her turn now--Pops, how much has all that smokin' you've done ruined your voice?" he asked.

"Not so much that I can't sing," Austin said. “Dream on?” he asked Roch.
“Alright,” Roch said, starting the well known song. When his dad started singing he almost jerked, shocked that the old guy could sing as well as he could.

But when they looked at Vegas he raised both hands. “I don’t sing,” he said. “I really did smoke too much,” he said.

“Which is why both of you need to quit!” Terra said. Vegas summoned his weapon--just to change the subject. Terra fell asleep around the second round of playing, and slept peacefully, unaware that the rest of the group were silently dividing up the hours to keep watch.

Not everyone liked reapers, and they knew it very well.
***
WC: 1000

Night fell. The boat kept moving, and the group lounged amongst the ropes and wires. "It's time t'tell her," Vegas said quietly.

"But--"

"It's fine," he said. "Princess, Austin isn't--wasn't your only brother," he told her. "I had a son before him, Dallas Texas. Tex..."

"He was a guitarist," Roch said quietly. "An acoustic guitarist. He... he was killed at our school, long before either of us were born."

"At--at Amity?" Terra asked.

"Yeah," Roch said. "Where we go t'school, it's dangerous," he told her. "We've already lost one of our own, sis. I--I'm not gonna let the same thing happen t'you."

"But who--how did--if you die, do you not just--"

"It was permanent," Vegas said. "He's never coming back. Because of his death my wife left me, my remaining son hated me, I didn't meet my only grandkid until he was eight--and that was only because I'm a better sharpener than Austin is. I... well, I'm just going to come out and tell you all. I became a drunk. Everything had fallen apart, I'd lost all the ones I loved, I was useless as a man. I started wandering... hell, I wandered for years, don't remember most of it. And I found Los Muertos."

It was almost too much, she thought. First she found out that she had a brother that she never got to meet, now she found out that the only reason she was born was because of him--

"I met your mother," Vegas said quietly. "She was... jack, she was beautiful, accepting, everything I never thought I'd find again. She took me in, helped me get back on my feet, I loved that woman--but not as a lover," he admitted. "She was... a saint, I guess you could say. I would have willingly died for her. That song you sang the other night, I felt that way about her. And when she asked for me to help her have the one thing she'd never had, I couldn't--wouldn't say no."

"What was it?" she asked almost numbly.

"You, baby," he said. "With all her heart, all her being, she desperately wanted you. I don't think you understand just how old your mother really was," he went on. "Margarita--she was from the beginning. As old as Halloween, itself, almost. She wanted to pass on her FEAR, to create something beautiful before she left," he told her. "And she did it. You are her final masterpiece, Princess. I... I just didn't expect her to leave so soon," he added quietly. "I thought... at the time, that you'd be raised to be the princess you'd become and--I was no use as a father, I'd already proved it."

Terra didn't--couldn't look at him. She found herself staring at her hands, wondering why this hurt so much. She jerked as an arm wrapped around her, hauling her into a hug. But it wasn't Roch, or Austin. It was Vegas. "I'm so sorry," he said gruffly. That one sentence sent her over the edge. She started to bawl, her sobs loud and unabated.

"I--I miss her," she wailed. "I miss her so much. I--"

"I know, baby, I know," he said, rubbing her back. "Let it all out."

"But you--you did not admit I was yours!" she said once the sobbing had calmed. She jerked away. "I did not even know about you until someone said something, and when I come--you do not know me! You do not claim me! I show you Rosa, you still do not claim me! I have your eyes--I am told by Austin that I AM a Scythe--"

"I screwed up," he said. "You are a Scythe, baby. From the top of your head to the tip of your toes. I'll not deny it again." He reached up, wiping at the tears that had run her makeup. "But no more shoplifting, understand?"

She let out a startled laugh, then, when he tugged her forward, she willingly hugged him back. "I miss her, too," he told her softly, patting her head. "She was a beautiful ghoul. There will never be one--no, that's a lie," he said, pulling back and nudging her chin. "There will be one that is as beautiful and gracious as her, I figure."

"Maybe with time," Roch said. "She's got a temper on her right now."

"Silencio," Terra told him with a dark look. He grinned back, shamelessly.

"We're here," Nate called to them. "Scarewaii." The boat had stopped moving when they weren't paying attention, and Terra pulled out of Vegas's arms to look at the island they were docked on.

"It is so beautiful," she said as she stared at the dangerous looking foliage that started right past the bone white beach. "There are so many plants!" She looked at the others, first Vegas, who she didn't know what to say to anymore, then at Austin, and finally Roch. For a second she hesitated, wondering how he was doing.

He gave her a crooked smile and got to his feet. "C'mon, lil sister. Let's go to Bloodstock," he said, holding out a hand. She sniffed, wiping at her tears, knowing she needed to wash her face, then took the well decorated hand with her own.

"First I demand a bathroom," she announced. "I need to fix my makeup."

"I know, I know," he said. "You look like a monster."

She let out a laugh as he tugged her off the ship--then headed onto the island for the promised week long concert. She couldn't wait.
***
WC: 919
Total WC: 11,341