((The following is heavily adapted and edited for flow from live play in the RDI on 5/17/17. Thank you to those who make appearances for Edward's debut!))
May 17th
Heading up the cobblestone sidewalk in a pair of shoes that hadn't quite been broken in yet, the young man stalled out in front of the Inn and rocked back on his heels a moment, muttering to himself as he hitched the pack on his shoulder back towards his spine instead and squinted dark brown eyes towards the front porch. Specifically the sign.
"I'm, um... I'm gonna go get more water." Clara said quietly to the crowd on the porch as she edged for the door. The bottle she held still had plenty in it. That is until she cast a look out over the front walk. Her breath hitched. "EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" She squealed, pushed past those that may have been between her and the stairs and launched herself at the young man carrying a backpack.
Alarm and recognition registered at the squeal, but by the time Clara was mid launch Edward was stepping forward to catch her up in a hug. The backpack dropped off his shoulder and to the ground in the meantime. "Oh thank --" The rest muffled because it was probably about the time he caught her.
What came next was a thousand word a minute jibber-jabber as she squeezed her arms around the older boy. "OhmygoddessIdidn'tthinkyou'dbehere! Did you get my messages? Did someone hear them? I've been so worried I just... I just I'msohappyyou'rehere!"
Swaying and staying upright in the squeezing compress of her arms, he managed a startled laugh while trying to catch all the words thrown in there. "Yeah, I," Dubious as he looked around. "Wait. You don't know? LiLi didn't tell you?" Easing back on the hug now, trying to watch both her face and spot the other girl.
She seemed reluctant to let him go so when he released her from the hug, she wound her arms around one of his. Cling! "Wait! Yunni's here too?!"
"She's supposed to be. She left before me." While she dangled on his arm and showed no sign of detachment, he reached beside his feet to collect the pack he'd dropped. "She'll be here soon." Reassuring in tone, he somehow managed to give her a believeable smile. Acting was in his genes or something.
Her bottom lip quivered like she may very well cry right there on the front lawn. But the smile was there, a wan thing that tried its best to persevere. "I'm so glad you guys came." It meant they could go home soon too. "I've been trying so hard to, like, get ahold of someone or something but nobody answers." She let Edward go long enough to wipe her eyes, no tears here! It was obviously just sweat in her eyes. Obviously.
"Hey hey, of course." Since she wasn't crying it wasn't a big deal to pretend to not notice. "We should probably go sit for a bit." And wait for Liyun, he thought. Looking up over the porch, he upnodded to the place with a grin. "So this is where you've been holed up?"
Clara took a deep breath and finally let him go. "Yeah, I figured... well, it's where I ended up. And it's the most noticeable landmark, so... yeah." She nodded, a bit sheepish. Somewhere along the way she had lost both her water bottle and two playing cards. "Here, come on." She gestured for the porch, still crowded but less so than before.
"So much has changed and then, kind of hasn't at all you know?" Commenting as he looked up and down the street until he was stepping forward again for the porch. It may have emptied out some prior to his arrival, but at least he wasn't about to step foot onto a powder keg. The dry cleaning bill would be unfortunate if so.
"It's surreal, isn't it?" She said, brows lifting. Edward got it. "It's like a funhouse mirror where it's just slightly distorted but not." Confiding as she climbed the steps again. Once up, she brushed an errant wisp of hair out of her eyes and smiled for those on the porch. "Everyone alright up here?"
"Aye" Camellia said with a grin towards Clara. Yeah, she may have....Spaced out for the last half an hour or so? But the lights were on and someone was home again, as the saying goes, kinda....Maybe not. Grin.
Edward’s smile returned, easy and friendly without force while the nagging worries could be tucked into the back pockets of his mind. Continuously his eyes drifted back to Clara, at least for the first few moments, let he wasn't going to completely let her to get too far from his sight. "Hey," giving a general greeting to those on the porch as he made his approach with Clara.
"These are some of the friends I've made here," she told Edward then pointed them out down the line. "That's Cam and Trick and Morgan and Person-whose-name-I-missed-but-is-still-cool." That last one was Alexia, in case that wasn't clear. "And this is Edward. He came to get me." That's what he came there for, right? She's assuming.
With introductions made, Clara looked back to Edward. "Are you thirsty, did you have to walk far? Ooo, I wonder where Yunni is... maybe we should find her? Or maybe we should wait for her. Do you think she'll come here too, like to the inn?" Girl's got a thousand questions.
“Yeah, a little. Seemed like it with this damn new shoes." Complaining mildly as said dress shoes tapped against the porch floor. Unsurprisingly, Edward looked overdressed, but at least he was not in a suit and tie. "She should come to the Inn. That's were we all agreed to meet. It's the one thing that's.....well sorta stable."
"Okay. So we should wait." She nodded twice, chewing at her bottom lip. Compared to what she was accustomed to, E was all kinds of casual. Other than the dress shoes, of course. "You didn't break them in?" Probably because it was just going to be a quick trip. Obviously.
"Mom demanded that I look my best." Eyes rolled as he muttered that aside to her and finally crossed the porch.
So his mom knew he was coming, oh gods that meant her parents probably knew too. Clara's expression filled with dread. She was so dead when she gets home.
Both his parents knew, but he wouldn't add on to tell her that most of their parents knew in some fashion or another. Brows rose as he looked after Morgan and the door shut after a vague explanation of why E shouldn’t follow in. "Hecklers?" Over to Clara, but it seemed to be rhetorical as he made his way to a seat. "It's okay." In response to the look on Clara's face.
"Umm, it was a little... tense up here before you showed up," she explained to E. He hadn't gone inside with Morgan, so she had no need to go in either for the sake of keeping him in sight. "But it seems better now. Trick was showing people how to throw cards just right to make 'em stick in things."
“You missed the show." Trick said aside to E.
The door would opened on Morgan’s way out, and then was left to slam shut. "Waters." He would hand them out in order, then with the coke and beer in hand, he would offer the coke out to Trick to take with his good hand.
"Thank you!" Clara chirped to Morgan and then cast a look out over the yard, waiting.
"So what are we waiting for, Clara?" It was Trick’s turn to pry. And he didn't really mean 'we', but they're sort of become a group of urchins--the porch teen degenerates.
"Card show?" E was interested and thankful for the distraction. "Thanks Morgan." One bottle claimed for himself, he sat down and left his bag alongside the chair. "Are you uh.... what's that guy... Gambit?" Hopeful look, though brief.
"My other friend, Liyun." She told Trick, her smiling lighting up. Already the girl was a bundle of energetic excitement but this practically had her floating. "She's going to meet us here." Firmly nodding, there could be no alternative.
"Gambit?" Trick's Earth knowledge is lacking.
"He can turn objects into explosives, so he keeps decks of cards with him. He can do really neat stuff with them." There's clearly some hero-worship in Alexia’s tone, there.
"A, um... comic book thing," she told Trick. Maybe that would help fill in the blanks.
"It's a....comic book character," E explained vaguely though there's less embarrassment or shame since Alexia knew who he was talking about.
“I do own a grenade," Trick commented thoughtfully.
Clara grinned aside at E.
"Please do not use the grenade," Alexia said, green eyes widening. He was still toying with the card between his fingers. Even if it was sticky. "I'm not interested in being blown up. Even if you are cute."
"I don't think he needs a grenade to knock out a bunch of melons," Morgan remarked.
"It'd be a lot quicker than using cards, though," commented Camellia.
"Probably messier though," said E. A near laugh sounded, sharp and rough exhale.
"Oh, cool. I'll have to look it up. I need something to do until this stupid thing comes off." Don't think Trick won't find and buy every Gambit comic out there. And it's clear in that moment he isn't used to being flirted with. The boy's cheeks turn scarlet, but he smiles. Granted, the smile is quickly stifled by him biting his lip, but. You know. "Don't worry. I'm a lover, not a fighter." Oh god did you really just say that? Shut up.
Edward mouthed Nice one while giving a solid thumbs up of approval to Trick.
Where's the nearest hole? Trick looks like he'd like to crawl into it.
Clara sucked at her bottom lip to keep from giggling, she leaned and bumped a shoulder to E's. Poor Trick. "We should probably avoid explosions for the time being. At least here."
Morgan was still chuckling at the interaction between the two, taking a 3rd sip of the beer, still leaning some. "Here is probably the best place for explosions, the Inn tends to be more durable."
"It's self healing. You could punch a hole in the wall and it'd be fixed by the time you get to the bar." Cam said with a grin. She did not demonstrate, however.
Edward rocked the opposite direction and then back to her in order to return the shoulder bump and lift the water for another drink. "But are we out to play hot potato with a grenade though?"
"I'd rather not, exploding grenades are messy." Cam nodded in a slow, sage kind of way.
Thank you, Edward, for once again supplying a distraction. Alexia gave him a wide-eyed look. "Absolutely not!" A hand gestured in a swipe. "Nej!"
Oh good. At least Alexia hadn't laughed. Now Trick could attempt to recover. "I'd rather play with fireworks. You know, if we're going to play with things that explode."
"I'm not blow-up proof, so let's not hot potato any grenades, please." She grimaced slightly. Her flightsuit, upstairs as it was, may have been able to withstand extreme force but Clara was squishy without it.
"Safe bet most of aren't. Water balloons though....." E countered. It was an easier and safer jump to that with the hot weather.
"I have fantastic aim." Trick said regarding water balloons. Obviously with that cast, he couldn't get wet himself.
Clara’s smile was full of mischief. "We definitely need water balloons then."
"I mean, I don't have any on me right now but.....Wouldn't be too hard to get them." E slanted a grin.
"I saw these ones... that you just hook up the main thing to a valve and it fills like fifty of them in less than a minute. It's freaking insane!" Clara rocked onto her toes and back again, casting another look down the walk.
"Pretty sure someone in the Market sells them. Especially with the weather getting warmer," Alexia pointed out.
There was a nod towards Thorn from Morgan, as he then looked towards Clara "I say we get as many people together, that would be involved, and do that sort of thing."
"Okay... so..." Clara began slowly. "This sort of thing would need to be planned out then. So as many people as possible can show up?" Clara looked to Morgan for confirmation.
"Dude. It's hot right now. Let's just go have fun." Trick said. "Unless you've got something better to do." Which is to say, Trick didn't.
E’s smile was given to the jingling and friendly woman as she passed the crew on the porch, a curious look after her before looking over to Clara. "Wanna show go with to the Marketplace and get some supplies?"
Clara bit her lip and looked to the street. A slow nod bobbed her head. "Yes, we can do that. If a girl shows up, about my age, sorta looks half Asian but probably isn't and her name is Liyun, tell her to wait here?" She asked those still on the porch. It was Clara's serious face.
"I'm going to leave a note at the bar for her." E got to his feet then while snaking an arm to grab a strap of his backpack to bring with him.
"E and I can grab stuff unless anyone wants something particular." She looked over Trick's way. "Want some saran wrap?" Grinning, she held her right arm up for emphasis.
Trick brightened considerably. "Yes! A big roll of it. If we use enough, it might just work." Of course he was going to try.
"And tape. I'll get tape too." She nodded. While Clara took orders and requests more or less, Edward disappeared inside to get a pen and paper to scratch a quick note on and leave it in a mailbox. It may have been subconscious but she shifted slightly so she could peer through a window to watch E's progress to the bar.
“Actually, I'll go buy the saran wrap. And a couple other things that might come in handy." Trick stood, stuffing the incomplete deck of cards in his back pocket while stepping into his flip-flops.
"When are we planning on meeting back up. And if so, where?" Morgan asked.
"Yay, okay!" She bounced again. "Umm, whenever. I'm not particular."
"Here, I guess? Nothing stopping us from turning the yard into a war zone."
Stepping back out onto the porch, mostly satisfied that his note would be found since it had to be, E was slipping the backpack back over one shoulder as he checked for Clara. "All set."
"So we are becoming a porch gang," said Morgan.
"Best gang." Cam agreed.
"I like it," Trick said decidedly.
Briefly Clara patted her pockets to make sure she had everything she needed then nodded to E. "Me too! Let's go." She wasn't going to let him out of her sight now that he was here. "See you all soon." AKA whenever because time's weird and it's open for debate and flexibility and such.
"See ya," E said while in motion for the steps and alongside Clara.
Clara waved cheerfully then hopped down the steps to head down the walk, intent on the marketplace or where ever sold water balloons and other tools of mischief.
And thus the Porch Gang was born.
Two's Company, Three's a Crowd, Four's a Party
Moderators: King, Cooper Gallows, Claire Gallows
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Clara Wyatt
- Adventurer
- Posts: 32
- Joined: Sun Apr 23, 2017 9:33 pm
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Clara Wyatt
- Adventurer
- Posts: 32
- Joined: Sun Apr 23, 2017 9:33 pm
Re: Two's Company, Three's a Crowd, Four's a Party
((Adapted and edited from live play. Thank you to those who made appearances for Liyun's debut!))
May 17th (Continued)
A blur of soaked fabric and wild hair came zooming past the front of the inn amidst a barrage of water balloons. A few splattered against the front windows, Clara laughed wildly and ran around the side of the building. There's a bucket around the side of the building. From it, she pulled a few water balloons and loaded them in the cradle of her tugged up shirt. One was wielded in her right as she peeked out from the inn's corner. If Morgan's still out front, she launches one at him.
Right in the noggin, Morgan would turn and launch another quick balloon in retaliation.
Alexia, for the record, does not have good aim. Not even a little. Not even slightly. This did not prevent him from trying his best, even if his best resulted in him being soaking wet, tank-top plastered to his chest and him laying in the grass, panting. "This was a terrible idea," he told himself, face hurting from laughing and one hand over his stomach. "Just terrible." It was a great idea.
Splat. Water balloon went sploosh against the building's edge and sprayed Clara with water. Alexia's her next target, sitting duck that he was in the grass.
From Morgan, two balloons would be rapid fired towards Alexia just as well as Clara’s had been thrown.
Where was Edward and Trick? She had a terrible, terrible feeling about this.
Not so well hidden perched in a tree, bare feet dangled to the ground from a semi-low branch as E sat there, undershirt wet and spattered still, along with the khaki dress pants rolled up a few times as if he had been warding off a flood. Which isn't that far from the truth. A poor impression of a bird as he whistles and then starts slinging a pair of green and yellow water balloons out to Clara's corner of the building.
Terrible idea. Pafpaf! went the water balloons, soaking Alexia with more water. At least he would be...kind of clean for work tonight? Sort of? He burbled another laugh, rolling off his back and getting to his feet. "Okay. That's it. No more Mr. Nice Guy." Lies and slander, that. But he did still have a water balloon in hand, so maybe the threat held some honesty.
"Ack!" Totally splattered, Clara looked around for the source of the now broken yellow and green balloons. A pair of blue ones from the nearest plastic bucket are lofted as she comes running out from the building's corner and wings one haphazardly toward Alexia and another with a little bit better aim at Edward's tree perch.
Two balloons sailed right past Morgan, as he would grab two from the bucket and move from his vantage point to sling them both in the general direction of Edward, laughing as he tried to duck back into cover.
Patrick blazed across the yard, bare feet thumping against the grass. His chest was heaving -- and that was bare, too. He's lost both his shirt and his flip flops somewhere during the course of the water fight. One, two, three balloons sent on a course toward Alexia, Morgan, and Clara. The fourth was loosed a couple seconds later, at Edward in his tree. Unlike Alexia, Patrick had excellent aim. He was running, though...
Clara got pegged in the back of the head and went stumbling as her hair got drenched again. "Damnit Trick!" The boy had nailed her a couple times already. With water balloons, don't be dirty. She reloaded and tried to find somewhere to hide for a better vantage point.
Morgan had tried to duck out of the way of Trick's balloon, which ended up with just his shoulder getting drenched, as he rose up some and slung the next balloon back towards Trick as fast as he could as he started to limp away.
Edward’s laughter was a quiet thing, indicated more by his wide mouth's grin as he gets pegged with one, two -- make that five?! water balloons. Though that last one got him square in the chest and he's turning to tumble out of the tree with the grace of a resilient youth. He'd roll on the ground and exaggeratedly die. Or pretend to die since one eye peeked open to see if he could pin point everyone else's location and the nearest source of water balloons.
Trick’s cast was wrapped up safely in at least a roll of saran wrap, secured with duct tape, allowing him to partake in the evening's festivities. He crowed a joyous noise, even as Morgan's balloon exploded against his back.
Clara cackled at E's dramatic death. "Wrecked!" But just for good measure, she flung one more his way before looking for Trick to pitch a yellow balloon at him in retaliation.
There was a laugh at the 'death' of Edward as Morgan would gimp his way over and stand there victorious. Even though he didn't get the 'kill' he would definitely claim it
Ooooh, Trick was going to get it. Maybe not here, maybe not now...Alexia whipped around, slinging his water balloon right at the back of Trick's head. And probably missed. Because he couldn't hit the broad side of barn with a canon.
Alexia did miss. But Trick grinned at him anyway, now-empty arms held out to either side of himself. "Oh come on! You can do better than that!"
Morgan would take a nearby water balloon and toss it high and up in the air. If Trick didn't move, it would come down and hit him hopefully.
"I'm a dancer, not a gunslinger!" Alexia protested, before shaking his head quickly, slinging water everywhere. That done, he slicked it back away from his brow, just for it to flop everywhere.
Edward tried to catch the balloon Clara threw at him, with hopes of throwing it at Morgan, but the best he could do is hope he got splashed with him when it burst and roll back up on his feet.
Now Trick's just asking for it. One of the buckets that previously held a bunch of balloons was empty save for water and a couple broken balloons. Clara picked it up and tried to run past Trick to dump it on him. Or throw the water his way, either way.
Clara got him good! Probably because he was too busy looking at Alexia. Why'd the guy have to bring up the dancing? His imagination ran with the reminder.
Splashed from below, Morgan grabbed the bucket and tossed some of the water at Edward.
At least there wasn't ice in the bucket. Impromptu ice bucket challenge is no fun. Clara laughed and ran, trying to get out of the way to go find more balloons.
Alexia snickered, seeing Trick get his comeuppance! Well done! He gave Clara a thumbs up! "There! I feel vindicated!"
"Clara-beara! The reserves!" E shouted what sounded like an emergency call. And then went chasing after her in search of said reserves.
Sputtering, he laughed. "God, that's cold!" Patrick shook his head, spraying water everywhere like a wet dog. Then he wiped his face with his good hand and checked on the efficiency of the saran wrap. Have to be careful!
"Affirmative ghost rider!" Clara seemingly disappeared down the side alley next to the inn. She emerged on the opposite side of the building a few minutes later, dragging a big ol' plastic bucket with the last of the balloons and a handful of plastic super soakers, fully loaded. One was grabbed and thrown toward Edward. "Heads, E!"
Wait...wait, what reserves?! Alexia looked briefly panick'd, and then was racing for the porch, full tilt boogie. Nope. He didn't want to have anything to do with those reserves, thank you very much!
Like a bad action movie Edward caught the tossed super soaker one handed and dropped to a knee while taking aim. Pumping water out after Alexia, or at least until he reached the porch which was probably deemed some sort of safeish zone. So he'd scan and spray the next victims who get in his path.
"You poked a bear, Morgan." Taunting the older boy as he watched Senka set her sights on him. Edward probably got Trick with the super soaker, which made him roar in feigned dismay and dart for the porch after Alexia.
Clara tried to pelt Alexia and Trick with as many balloons as she could, one after another, half of them poorly aimed.
They had super soakers! Oh, that was cheating! By whatever set of odd criteria that Alexia was operating und---He got another water balloon in the chest. This time, he started to put on a very dramatic death scene, sinking to his knees.
Edward turned to aim on Morgan, but he either had emptied the super soaker by now or thought better of spraying him and Senka. A slow whistle and he started to turn and squirt the gun at Clara, only to get distracted by the drama on the porch, Alexia's death scene.
Along the way, Trick snagged one last balloon from a bucket as he passed it. "Nooo! Alexia, God no. Clara, what have you done?!" Hey, if they're being dramatic! "I'll avenge you," Trick mock-sobbed at Alexia, taking aim and sending the balloon at Clara.
"Man down! Man down!" Edward called out. Though this could apply to both Morgan and Alexia.
"Traitor!" Clara gasped at E when he turned toward her with the soaker. Instead Alexia was falling and she was laughing too hard to stand up straight. Soon after she got splattered in the face with a balloon from Trick and sputtered water. Super soaker brought to bear, she fired it and tried to spray anyone she could while making a dash for the porch.
"Gah!" She shot Trick square in the chest. There was nothing for him to do but die in the muddy grass beside Alexia now.
Hold on, Clara had to pause to gloat over Trick's fake-death, her water gun raised high. "Yeeeeeees!"
Alexia better get an award for the display he's putting on, for the record. Re-enacting such a grisly demise was not easy! He turned his head, mouthing to Trick: 'I deserve chocolate for this performance..!'
Too busy to aim properly as his shoulders quaked with mostly silent laughter, E threw down his weapon and covered his head until Clara was celebrating. "All Hail Queen of the Water Wars?"
“Oh hey, I won?" Clara looked around then jumped, her bare feet squishing in mud and wet grass. "Yay!"
“....Uh, guys?" Alexia suddenly asked, staring at the porch ceiling. "....Did anyone bring any towels?" Because, you know. Soaking wet.
Patrick sat up abruptly, looking at Alexia. "Um."
Alexia gave Trick an alarmed look.
Edward opened his mouth and then shut it as his response to Alexia.
"..." For Alexia's question, Clara leveled the super soaker and spritzed him again.
“...Oh f*ck me." Alexia griped. "Hey!" Mmph! He sat up, spinning around. "I was dead, you know! Dead! Killing me again was uncalled for, I tell you!"
"I mean, I don't know, I just met you...." E shrugged his shoulder. "You've got towels in your room here, right?" To Clara.
"Come on. We can go steal some from one of the rooms upstairs." Trick scrambled up to his knees, knocking his knuckles against Alexia's arm.
"Just making sure you stay dead!" Clara giggled. "I didn't do that and this guy got back up." She thumbed over to Edward. "Yeah, I can grab some!" Squishing her way to the door, there were broken water balloons all over the front yard and likely on the porch a bit too. Still toting her super soaker, she squish-squish-squished inside, leaving semi-muddy footprints in her wake. She's absolutely drenched, her grey-blue shirt clinging to her and her denim shorts darker than before. Her shoes were outside somewhere so the slap of bare feet on wood would have to suffice. With an amused giggle, she waved vaguely to those inside without pausing to eye faces so that she can head for the steps. Squishing to her room, she raided the bathroom for all the towels she could find. Which was... two. They didn't stock it very well. But they were fluffy so it worked. She wrapped one around herself over her clothes and carried the other folded one down with her with a laugh so she could get the other towel out to E while others came inside.
As things began to wind down, Edward headed to a spot on the porch steps to sit on and set the super soaker on the grass at his feet. The undershirt was pulled off overhead and he started making a poor attempt at squeezing it dry as he wrung it out.
Once back downstairs, it was hard for Clara not to catch the boys doing that weird thing where they look at each other with sad heart eyes. It made Clara's nose scrunch so she shuffled the towel over to her left arm and used what was left in her super soaker to channel Sissy from Stars End. Squirt squirt, she spritzed Trick on the way by. From there she stepped outside and tried to drop the other towel on E's head.
Pelted with a towel on his head, he paused as it hung there for a second. He may have been bracing himself for a soak or spray, but when it didn't happen, he hung the damp shirt over his knee and grabbed at the towel. "Yeah," an audible laugh sounded out with the word, and his grin came back into view. "It was."
Drip dried enough, Morgan would smile towards Clara "Thanks for the idea. It was lots of fun" A nod as he would rise to his feet. Dry enough that he only made a minor squish, he would come inside and make his way towards the bar, that limp a bit more pronounced.
“It was a lot of fun," she agreed with a grin then went to sit by Edward. "I can't remember the last time I had a good water balloon fight like that."
"Been a few years," agreeing as he started to rub the towel over limbs and dry himself off. A glance over his shoulder to spot Morgan disappear inside and Senka step back out, but he turned to nod a bit to Clara. "And you didn't win that won. Pretty sure Jake did."
She leaned forward to set her elbows to her knees, a wan smile on her lips. "That boy's got freakish aim though. I'm pretty sure it's not fair."
"All's fair in Love and Water Wars." Noting officially. "Plus we all gotta use the skills we were born with, or something." Half muttered as the towel came up to dry dirty blond hair.
"That should be on a motivational poster or something." She snickered and peeled her towel off so that she could rub it over her hair. "Not everyone gets to be born with uber special fancy pants stuff."
A sharp exhale then from under the towel, but he didn't counter it immediately. Damp hair held a bit of a haphazard curl as he lowered the towel to his lap. "Pretty sure most kids born here though are." Wry.
"Perils of a place like this with all the weirdos that end up knockin' boots." There's something neither of them likely wanted to consider so she quickly moved on. "Do you think Yunni is okay?"
The mild creeped out look that flared up at her retort soon gave way to thoughtful concern. Another look out towards the street in the direction he had originally come from that afternoon. "Yeah, she's good. She's fine." If he repeats it enough times in his head and out loud, maybe he'll even believe it. "Maybe she went sightseeing."
Looking back to Edward, she sucked at her teeth and tried to believe in his conviction. "Yeah, you're right. Seeing how things are different, right?"
"I mean, I'd be lying if I didn't admit I was curious about checking out my dad's place." To Clara once he hung the towel over his shoulder and then rose to his feet.
Her eyes widened as she openly gawked at E. "That's... that's not a good idea. I mean... I've been here like... a month and I haven't seen... haven't seen..." Her bottom lip quivered and she took in a deep breath, holding it until she wasn't at risk of losing it. "When are we going home?"
"When he's not there!" As if that made it all better. "I mean, I'm pretty sure he's not gonna be there..." Trailing off until he frowned for Clara's question. "Well we can't go home until Liyun gets here. Otherwise that could just turn into a back and forth mess of two ships passing in the night and," head bobbled side to side. "Can't have that. Need to bring both of you back."
"Oh. We can't leave Yunni." She nodded her agreement. But it seemed confirmed that once Liyun got there, they'd be set. "Should I pack my stuff?" There wasn't much of it, but still.
"Nah, I mean unless you want to. We'll wait for you to pack when she gets here. And to say goodbye to your friends." Upnodding to the porch and inside the Inn.
"Okay, yes. You're right." She nodded. Of course E would be right, he's older, he's supposed to be the smarter one. Chewing at her lip, she cut him an aside look. "Then we can go from there, without going to your dad's, because that's trouble and we don't know who will be there." Maybe it was her turn to try and pretend she's smarter.
Morgan glanced toward Clara and Edward. "Thank you for the fun today. It was needed" He Would down the beer and then start to move towards front, and then towards the path home.
"Bye Morgan, it was nice seeing you!" And maybe meeting you. It might be the last.
The reason why the pup had been late became apparent as the sight of an impala came cruising down the street. Blue in color, though looking darker than that with the darkening night. The car came to an easy park in front of the inn and allowed its driver to step out from an opening door as if she owned it for her whole life. Liyun raised a hand without needing to see her two targets - since she smelled them well before rounding the corner. "Sorry I'm late. I had to visit the dojo. Orders." Why, oh why is she grinning.
He'd been about to argue maybe, but he was distracted by waving goodbye to both Morgan and Senka as they headed off. And then he was just straight up gawking with his jaw on the floor at Liyun. And more importantly, the Impala in the parking lot out front.
Clara gawked at the car as it pulled up, or more precisely the girl driving it. "Where'd..." The question was answered before it even came out of her mouth. "What the what?"
"Were you supposed to gank a car as your orders?" Finding his tongue somehow and making words form.
Clara just pointed at Edward. That.
Liyun lifted up a claw and speak matter-o-fact like. "I was ordered to meet with mother and discuss, in little detail, why my presence was required." the claw curled some. "It turned into a three hour sit down and dinner." Makes a wavy gesture at the Impala. "But, worth it. She's like the one back home, except not wrecked.." She may also be giving the car a hug.
Dinner. That reminds her, she hadn't ate since that morning. Her stomach rumbled, Clara set a hand over it to mute it. "I'm hungry."
"Wait -- Hey she gets to see her Moms?!" Wild gesture to Lili as he blinks over to Clara. "And you were about to say -- Hey Lili, can we go out to my Dad's club?" Dropping the towel and pulling the semi-dried undershirt back on. "Though, eating.....sounds like a good idea." His own stomach soon growled.
"Orders are absolute." She's using her mock voice here. It's easy to tell who she's mocking. "It was either that or wait for them to track me." Liyun made a motion by patting the sheathed blade that hung loose at her side. Edward's question had her thinking. A fanged little grin shown. "Maybe, but we should get Clara something to eat first. I bet she's starved out of her mind."
"That's how you break things!" She told Liyun, trying not to frown. Clara reached for her boots and cringed a bit at the thought of putting them on. "What if he's there? Then what? Let's get food and think about things after we eat."
"It's my mother.. You know how she is." There's a fake pout there. The kind that asks for forgiveness without truly meaning it. "Are you going to complain or are you going to get in?" Pats the hood of the Impala.
Clara squeezed her feet into her boots but left them untied for the most part. Who was she to argue that, especially with food being offered. Once her boots were on, she got to her feet and headed down the walk toward the Impala. "You're not gonna wreck this one too, right? I really don't want to die."
Grabbing his pack from the safety zone of the porch, he followed after Clara. "How'd you convince your Mom to let you drive this? Don't worry. You two can't die. You're not born yet." Chipper reminder.
Clara groaned a little but climbed into back seat. "Don't remind me. It's so weird here."
"Wouldn't we fade into nothingness?" Li though this over. "Like a dream.." Watch her waving hand movements. The way her fingers curled into a fist then - pop - spread like a slow-popping firework. "I haggled, obviously!" Happily said to Edward. "I asked for the Skyline and then acted disappointed when she said no.. so then I went for the real prize." Aw. She's hugging the impala again. "I wonder if I can take it back with me.. then I'd never wreck it in the first place."
There's a little sniffle from the Impala's back seat. Just a quiet thing. "I don't wanna think about it."
He gave Lili a doubtful look as he shook his head and soon climbed into the front seat. He couldn't resist admiring the inside and suddenly felt awful for being less than perfectly clean for sitting there. "Wow. So this is what it looks like before Lili ****s it up."
Edward fixed the sniffles. Clara giggled. Poor Yunni.
"I'm not worried, Eddy isn't worried.." She's giving him one of those looks to say don't act worried. She might have been all smiles, but she had a bit of worry in her own gut. Awkward little butterflies best left to not be spoken of. Li slipped into the driver’s seat and then peeked over to Clara through the rearview. The look turned to Edward right quick due to his comment. Li puckered her lips and gave off a fake, yet playful sneer. It made Clara giggle, so she couldn't be upset. It was better than all sniffles. "Where are we eating?"
"You think the Jade Dragon is still in the same place?" Suggesting while he began fixing his pant legs.
"There's a Chinese buffet in Dockside we can go to... it's still there." Owlish blink at Edward in the rear view. "Get outta my head, Ives."
"But it's comfy in there with all that space," grinning back at her.
Swat swat! She tried to get at the back of his head from the back seat. "Jerkface." It lacked any heat. Clara sat back with a huff. "But yeah, it's there if you guys want."
Liyun made an aww face. One that could easily have matching words teasing about love. The face said it all though, so she didn't need to speak it. What she did do was start up the car, grip the wheel happily as it purred, and nodded her head. "Jade Dragon. Princess isn't born yet.. but maybe I can leave her a note under a table." She'd tap the claws of her index and thumb. I'ma steal yo man - that sounded like a fun note to her.
Liyun messing with things was going to drive Clara up a wall before they left, she was certain of it. But she didn't say anything, instead buckling up so they could hit the road.
He didn't worry about Li messing with things, since he had his own other worries clouding his mind. But at least Liyun's arrival silenced once of them. Sitting back once he got his shoes back on and running a hand through his hair as they started off for dinner.
May 17th (Continued)
A blur of soaked fabric and wild hair came zooming past the front of the inn amidst a barrage of water balloons. A few splattered against the front windows, Clara laughed wildly and ran around the side of the building. There's a bucket around the side of the building. From it, she pulled a few water balloons and loaded them in the cradle of her tugged up shirt. One was wielded in her right as she peeked out from the inn's corner. If Morgan's still out front, she launches one at him.
Right in the noggin, Morgan would turn and launch another quick balloon in retaliation.
Alexia, for the record, does not have good aim. Not even a little. Not even slightly. This did not prevent him from trying his best, even if his best resulted in him being soaking wet, tank-top plastered to his chest and him laying in the grass, panting. "This was a terrible idea," he told himself, face hurting from laughing and one hand over his stomach. "Just terrible." It was a great idea.
Splat. Water balloon went sploosh against the building's edge and sprayed Clara with water. Alexia's her next target, sitting duck that he was in the grass.
From Morgan, two balloons would be rapid fired towards Alexia just as well as Clara’s had been thrown.
Where was Edward and Trick? She had a terrible, terrible feeling about this.
Not so well hidden perched in a tree, bare feet dangled to the ground from a semi-low branch as E sat there, undershirt wet and spattered still, along with the khaki dress pants rolled up a few times as if he had been warding off a flood. Which isn't that far from the truth. A poor impression of a bird as he whistles and then starts slinging a pair of green and yellow water balloons out to Clara's corner of the building.
Terrible idea. Pafpaf! went the water balloons, soaking Alexia with more water. At least he would be...kind of clean for work tonight? Sort of? He burbled another laugh, rolling off his back and getting to his feet. "Okay. That's it. No more Mr. Nice Guy." Lies and slander, that. But he did still have a water balloon in hand, so maybe the threat held some honesty.
"Ack!" Totally splattered, Clara looked around for the source of the now broken yellow and green balloons. A pair of blue ones from the nearest plastic bucket are lofted as she comes running out from the building's corner and wings one haphazardly toward Alexia and another with a little bit better aim at Edward's tree perch.
Two balloons sailed right past Morgan, as he would grab two from the bucket and move from his vantage point to sling them both in the general direction of Edward, laughing as he tried to duck back into cover.
Patrick blazed across the yard, bare feet thumping against the grass. His chest was heaving -- and that was bare, too. He's lost both his shirt and his flip flops somewhere during the course of the water fight. One, two, three balloons sent on a course toward Alexia, Morgan, and Clara. The fourth was loosed a couple seconds later, at Edward in his tree. Unlike Alexia, Patrick had excellent aim. He was running, though...
Clara got pegged in the back of the head and went stumbling as her hair got drenched again. "Damnit Trick!" The boy had nailed her a couple times already. With water balloons, don't be dirty. She reloaded and tried to find somewhere to hide for a better vantage point.
Morgan had tried to duck out of the way of Trick's balloon, which ended up with just his shoulder getting drenched, as he rose up some and slung the next balloon back towards Trick as fast as he could as he started to limp away.
Edward’s laughter was a quiet thing, indicated more by his wide mouth's grin as he gets pegged with one, two -- make that five?! water balloons. Though that last one got him square in the chest and he's turning to tumble out of the tree with the grace of a resilient youth. He'd roll on the ground and exaggeratedly die. Or pretend to die since one eye peeked open to see if he could pin point everyone else's location and the nearest source of water balloons.
Trick’s cast was wrapped up safely in at least a roll of saran wrap, secured with duct tape, allowing him to partake in the evening's festivities. He crowed a joyous noise, even as Morgan's balloon exploded against his back.
Clara cackled at E's dramatic death. "Wrecked!" But just for good measure, she flung one more his way before looking for Trick to pitch a yellow balloon at him in retaliation.
There was a laugh at the 'death' of Edward as Morgan would gimp his way over and stand there victorious. Even though he didn't get the 'kill' he would definitely claim it
Ooooh, Trick was going to get it. Maybe not here, maybe not now...Alexia whipped around, slinging his water balloon right at the back of Trick's head. And probably missed. Because he couldn't hit the broad side of barn with a canon.
Alexia did miss. But Trick grinned at him anyway, now-empty arms held out to either side of himself. "Oh come on! You can do better than that!"
Morgan would take a nearby water balloon and toss it high and up in the air. If Trick didn't move, it would come down and hit him hopefully.
"I'm a dancer, not a gunslinger!" Alexia protested, before shaking his head quickly, slinging water everywhere. That done, he slicked it back away from his brow, just for it to flop everywhere.
Edward tried to catch the balloon Clara threw at him, with hopes of throwing it at Morgan, but the best he could do is hope he got splashed with him when it burst and roll back up on his feet.
Now Trick's just asking for it. One of the buckets that previously held a bunch of balloons was empty save for water and a couple broken balloons. Clara picked it up and tried to run past Trick to dump it on him. Or throw the water his way, either way.
Clara got him good! Probably because he was too busy looking at Alexia. Why'd the guy have to bring up the dancing? His imagination ran with the reminder.
Splashed from below, Morgan grabbed the bucket and tossed some of the water at Edward.
At least there wasn't ice in the bucket. Impromptu ice bucket challenge is no fun. Clara laughed and ran, trying to get out of the way to go find more balloons.
Alexia snickered, seeing Trick get his comeuppance! Well done! He gave Clara a thumbs up! "There! I feel vindicated!"
"Clara-beara! The reserves!" E shouted what sounded like an emergency call. And then went chasing after her in search of said reserves.
Sputtering, he laughed. "God, that's cold!" Patrick shook his head, spraying water everywhere like a wet dog. Then he wiped his face with his good hand and checked on the efficiency of the saran wrap. Have to be careful!
"Affirmative ghost rider!" Clara seemingly disappeared down the side alley next to the inn. She emerged on the opposite side of the building a few minutes later, dragging a big ol' plastic bucket with the last of the balloons and a handful of plastic super soakers, fully loaded. One was grabbed and thrown toward Edward. "Heads, E!"
Wait...wait, what reserves?! Alexia looked briefly panick'd, and then was racing for the porch, full tilt boogie. Nope. He didn't want to have anything to do with those reserves, thank you very much!
Like a bad action movie Edward caught the tossed super soaker one handed and dropped to a knee while taking aim. Pumping water out after Alexia, or at least until he reached the porch which was probably deemed some sort of safeish zone. So he'd scan and spray the next victims who get in his path.
"You poked a bear, Morgan." Taunting the older boy as he watched Senka set her sights on him. Edward probably got Trick with the super soaker, which made him roar in feigned dismay and dart for the porch after Alexia.
Clara tried to pelt Alexia and Trick with as many balloons as she could, one after another, half of them poorly aimed.
They had super soakers! Oh, that was cheating! By whatever set of odd criteria that Alexia was operating und---He got another water balloon in the chest. This time, he started to put on a very dramatic death scene, sinking to his knees.
Edward turned to aim on Morgan, but he either had emptied the super soaker by now or thought better of spraying him and Senka. A slow whistle and he started to turn and squirt the gun at Clara, only to get distracted by the drama on the porch, Alexia's death scene.
Along the way, Trick snagged one last balloon from a bucket as he passed it. "Nooo! Alexia, God no. Clara, what have you done?!" Hey, if they're being dramatic! "I'll avenge you," Trick mock-sobbed at Alexia, taking aim and sending the balloon at Clara.
"Man down! Man down!" Edward called out. Though this could apply to both Morgan and Alexia.
"Traitor!" Clara gasped at E when he turned toward her with the soaker. Instead Alexia was falling and she was laughing too hard to stand up straight. Soon after she got splattered in the face with a balloon from Trick and sputtered water. Super soaker brought to bear, she fired it and tried to spray anyone she could while making a dash for the porch.
"Gah!" She shot Trick square in the chest. There was nothing for him to do but die in the muddy grass beside Alexia now.
Hold on, Clara had to pause to gloat over Trick's fake-death, her water gun raised high. "Yeeeeeees!"
Alexia better get an award for the display he's putting on, for the record. Re-enacting such a grisly demise was not easy! He turned his head, mouthing to Trick: 'I deserve chocolate for this performance..!'
Too busy to aim properly as his shoulders quaked with mostly silent laughter, E threw down his weapon and covered his head until Clara was celebrating. "All Hail Queen of the Water Wars?"
“Oh hey, I won?" Clara looked around then jumped, her bare feet squishing in mud and wet grass. "Yay!"
“....Uh, guys?" Alexia suddenly asked, staring at the porch ceiling. "....Did anyone bring any towels?" Because, you know. Soaking wet.
Patrick sat up abruptly, looking at Alexia. "Um."
Alexia gave Trick an alarmed look.
Edward opened his mouth and then shut it as his response to Alexia.
"..." For Alexia's question, Clara leveled the super soaker and spritzed him again.
“...Oh f*ck me." Alexia griped. "Hey!" Mmph! He sat up, spinning around. "I was dead, you know! Dead! Killing me again was uncalled for, I tell you!"
"I mean, I don't know, I just met you...." E shrugged his shoulder. "You've got towels in your room here, right?" To Clara.
"Come on. We can go steal some from one of the rooms upstairs." Trick scrambled up to his knees, knocking his knuckles against Alexia's arm.
"Just making sure you stay dead!" Clara giggled. "I didn't do that and this guy got back up." She thumbed over to Edward. "Yeah, I can grab some!" Squishing her way to the door, there were broken water balloons all over the front yard and likely on the porch a bit too. Still toting her super soaker, she squish-squish-squished inside, leaving semi-muddy footprints in her wake. She's absolutely drenched, her grey-blue shirt clinging to her and her denim shorts darker than before. Her shoes were outside somewhere so the slap of bare feet on wood would have to suffice. With an amused giggle, she waved vaguely to those inside without pausing to eye faces so that she can head for the steps. Squishing to her room, she raided the bathroom for all the towels she could find. Which was... two. They didn't stock it very well. But they were fluffy so it worked. She wrapped one around herself over her clothes and carried the other folded one down with her with a laugh so she could get the other towel out to E while others came inside.
As things began to wind down, Edward headed to a spot on the porch steps to sit on and set the super soaker on the grass at his feet. The undershirt was pulled off overhead and he started making a poor attempt at squeezing it dry as he wrung it out.
Once back downstairs, it was hard for Clara not to catch the boys doing that weird thing where they look at each other with sad heart eyes. It made Clara's nose scrunch so she shuffled the towel over to her left arm and used what was left in her super soaker to channel Sissy from Stars End. Squirt squirt, she spritzed Trick on the way by. From there she stepped outside and tried to drop the other towel on E's head.
Pelted with a towel on his head, he paused as it hung there for a second. He may have been bracing himself for a soak or spray, but when it didn't happen, he hung the damp shirt over his knee and grabbed at the towel. "Yeah," an audible laugh sounded out with the word, and his grin came back into view. "It was."
Drip dried enough, Morgan would smile towards Clara "Thanks for the idea. It was lots of fun" A nod as he would rise to his feet. Dry enough that he only made a minor squish, he would come inside and make his way towards the bar, that limp a bit more pronounced.
“It was a lot of fun," she agreed with a grin then went to sit by Edward. "I can't remember the last time I had a good water balloon fight like that."
"Been a few years," agreeing as he started to rub the towel over limbs and dry himself off. A glance over his shoulder to spot Morgan disappear inside and Senka step back out, but he turned to nod a bit to Clara. "And you didn't win that won. Pretty sure Jake did."
She leaned forward to set her elbows to her knees, a wan smile on her lips. "That boy's got freakish aim though. I'm pretty sure it's not fair."
"All's fair in Love and Water Wars." Noting officially. "Plus we all gotta use the skills we were born with, or something." Half muttered as the towel came up to dry dirty blond hair.
"That should be on a motivational poster or something." She snickered and peeled her towel off so that she could rub it over her hair. "Not everyone gets to be born with uber special fancy pants stuff."
A sharp exhale then from under the towel, but he didn't counter it immediately. Damp hair held a bit of a haphazard curl as he lowered the towel to his lap. "Pretty sure most kids born here though are." Wry.
"Perils of a place like this with all the weirdos that end up knockin' boots." There's something neither of them likely wanted to consider so she quickly moved on. "Do you think Yunni is okay?"
The mild creeped out look that flared up at her retort soon gave way to thoughtful concern. Another look out towards the street in the direction he had originally come from that afternoon. "Yeah, she's good. She's fine." If he repeats it enough times in his head and out loud, maybe he'll even believe it. "Maybe she went sightseeing."
Looking back to Edward, she sucked at her teeth and tried to believe in his conviction. "Yeah, you're right. Seeing how things are different, right?"
"I mean, I'd be lying if I didn't admit I was curious about checking out my dad's place." To Clara once he hung the towel over his shoulder and then rose to his feet.
Her eyes widened as she openly gawked at E. "That's... that's not a good idea. I mean... I've been here like... a month and I haven't seen... haven't seen..." Her bottom lip quivered and she took in a deep breath, holding it until she wasn't at risk of losing it. "When are we going home?"
"When he's not there!" As if that made it all better. "I mean, I'm pretty sure he's not gonna be there..." Trailing off until he frowned for Clara's question. "Well we can't go home until Liyun gets here. Otherwise that could just turn into a back and forth mess of two ships passing in the night and," head bobbled side to side. "Can't have that. Need to bring both of you back."
"Oh. We can't leave Yunni." She nodded her agreement. But it seemed confirmed that once Liyun got there, they'd be set. "Should I pack my stuff?" There wasn't much of it, but still.
"Nah, I mean unless you want to. We'll wait for you to pack when she gets here. And to say goodbye to your friends." Upnodding to the porch and inside the Inn.
"Okay, yes. You're right." She nodded. Of course E would be right, he's older, he's supposed to be the smarter one. Chewing at her lip, she cut him an aside look. "Then we can go from there, without going to your dad's, because that's trouble and we don't know who will be there." Maybe it was her turn to try and pretend she's smarter.
Morgan glanced toward Clara and Edward. "Thank you for the fun today. It was needed" He Would down the beer and then start to move towards front, and then towards the path home.
"Bye Morgan, it was nice seeing you!" And maybe meeting you. It might be the last.
The reason why the pup had been late became apparent as the sight of an impala came cruising down the street. Blue in color, though looking darker than that with the darkening night. The car came to an easy park in front of the inn and allowed its driver to step out from an opening door as if she owned it for her whole life. Liyun raised a hand without needing to see her two targets - since she smelled them well before rounding the corner. "Sorry I'm late. I had to visit the dojo. Orders." Why, oh why is she grinning.
He'd been about to argue maybe, but he was distracted by waving goodbye to both Morgan and Senka as they headed off. And then he was just straight up gawking with his jaw on the floor at Liyun. And more importantly, the Impala in the parking lot out front.
Clara gawked at the car as it pulled up, or more precisely the girl driving it. "Where'd..." The question was answered before it even came out of her mouth. "What the what?"
"Were you supposed to gank a car as your orders?" Finding his tongue somehow and making words form.
Clara just pointed at Edward. That.
Liyun lifted up a claw and speak matter-o-fact like. "I was ordered to meet with mother and discuss, in little detail, why my presence was required." the claw curled some. "It turned into a three hour sit down and dinner." Makes a wavy gesture at the Impala. "But, worth it. She's like the one back home, except not wrecked.." She may also be giving the car a hug.
Dinner. That reminds her, she hadn't ate since that morning. Her stomach rumbled, Clara set a hand over it to mute it. "I'm hungry."
"Wait -- Hey she gets to see her Moms?!" Wild gesture to Lili as he blinks over to Clara. "And you were about to say -- Hey Lili, can we go out to my Dad's club?" Dropping the towel and pulling the semi-dried undershirt back on. "Though, eating.....sounds like a good idea." His own stomach soon growled.
"Orders are absolute." She's using her mock voice here. It's easy to tell who she's mocking. "It was either that or wait for them to track me." Liyun made a motion by patting the sheathed blade that hung loose at her side. Edward's question had her thinking. A fanged little grin shown. "Maybe, but we should get Clara something to eat first. I bet she's starved out of her mind."
"That's how you break things!" She told Liyun, trying not to frown. Clara reached for her boots and cringed a bit at the thought of putting them on. "What if he's there? Then what? Let's get food and think about things after we eat."
"It's my mother.. You know how she is." There's a fake pout there. The kind that asks for forgiveness without truly meaning it. "Are you going to complain or are you going to get in?" Pats the hood of the Impala.
Clara squeezed her feet into her boots but left them untied for the most part. Who was she to argue that, especially with food being offered. Once her boots were on, she got to her feet and headed down the walk toward the Impala. "You're not gonna wreck this one too, right? I really don't want to die."
Grabbing his pack from the safety zone of the porch, he followed after Clara. "How'd you convince your Mom to let you drive this? Don't worry. You two can't die. You're not born yet." Chipper reminder.
Clara groaned a little but climbed into back seat. "Don't remind me. It's so weird here."
"Wouldn't we fade into nothingness?" Li though this over. "Like a dream.." Watch her waving hand movements. The way her fingers curled into a fist then - pop - spread like a slow-popping firework. "I haggled, obviously!" Happily said to Edward. "I asked for the Skyline and then acted disappointed when she said no.. so then I went for the real prize." Aw. She's hugging the impala again. "I wonder if I can take it back with me.. then I'd never wreck it in the first place."
There's a little sniffle from the Impala's back seat. Just a quiet thing. "I don't wanna think about it."
He gave Lili a doubtful look as he shook his head and soon climbed into the front seat. He couldn't resist admiring the inside and suddenly felt awful for being less than perfectly clean for sitting there. "Wow. So this is what it looks like before Lili ****s it up."
Edward fixed the sniffles. Clara giggled. Poor Yunni.
"I'm not worried, Eddy isn't worried.." She's giving him one of those looks to say don't act worried. She might have been all smiles, but she had a bit of worry in her own gut. Awkward little butterflies best left to not be spoken of. Li slipped into the driver’s seat and then peeked over to Clara through the rearview. The look turned to Edward right quick due to his comment. Li puckered her lips and gave off a fake, yet playful sneer. It made Clara giggle, so she couldn't be upset. It was better than all sniffles. "Where are we eating?"
"You think the Jade Dragon is still in the same place?" Suggesting while he began fixing his pant legs.
"There's a Chinese buffet in Dockside we can go to... it's still there." Owlish blink at Edward in the rear view. "Get outta my head, Ives."
"But it's comfy in there with all that space," grinning back at her.
Swat swat! She tried to get at the back of his head from the back seat. "Jerkface." It lacked any heat. Clara sat back with a huff. "But yeah, it's there if you guys want."
Liyun made an aww face. One that could easily have matching words teasing about love. The face said it all though, so she didn't need to speak it. What she did do was start up the car, grip the wheel happily as it purred, and nodded her head. "Jade Dragon. Princess isn't born yet.. but maybe I can leave her a note under a table." She'd tap the claws of her index and thumb. I'ma steal yo man - that sounded like a fun note to her.
Liyun messing with things was going to drive Clara up a wall before they left, she was certain of it. But she didn't say anything, instead buckling up so they could hit the road.
He didn't worry about Li messing with things, since he had his own other worries clouding his mind. But at least Liyun's arrival silenced once of them. Sitting back once he got his shoes back on and running a hand through his hair as they started off for dinner.
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Clara Wyatt
- Adventurer
- Posts: 32
- Joined: Sun Apr 23, 2017 9:33 pm
Re: Two's Company, Three's a Crowd, Four's a Party
May 26th
It was a dark and drizzly night in Rhy'din...
It was raining, a fact Clara adored. Better yet, it wasn't a downpour, the light rain making it more than reasonable to walk unaided by an umbrella of any sort. Fresh from Turtle Junction (a legitimate store, she swears), she had a little opaque bag on one wrist, likely full of socks and other little things. Her hair, worn loose and free, was wet enough that it stuck to her cheeks but not so much that it was gross and uncomfortable. Black Vans, denim shorts, and a t-shirt rounded out the rest of her outfit, secondhand as it may have been. Money's tight, ya know? Gotta do what ya gotta do. And what Clara had to do before meeting Liyun was stop by the fruit stand in the heart of the marketplace to see if they were still open. An apple a day or something like that, right?
There's a downside to time travel and expecting you'll be back home in forty-eight hours.. and that's traveling lightly. Liyun was lucky enough to have something going for her though -- and that's having two not-parents-yet who were willing to give her what she needed. Clothing being one, and a phone - which she didn't ask for but had pushed in her hand - being the other. She's still getting used to the old technology and how slow some things can be. It'd be the phone she had currently been messing around with as she traveled with umbrella in hand ( another thing that had been given to her when she left the dojo ). She had been told to come back for dinner but she made up an excuse as to having things that needed to be done. Those things being = meeting Clara and getting some fast food.. because, as much as eating healthy is nice, she really - really wanted a fat burger.
Quite glad to see that the fruit stand was open and more than willing to supply her with both an apple and a banana, Clara trotted off toward the market square as happy as a clam. Palming her fruit-dinner in one hand, she thumbed out a message on her dinky little flip phone; Where R U. Send. The stone lip of the market's fountain was wet but she took a seat anyways.
There's a buzz but Liyun didn't reply. Not when she could speak up instead of sending a text. "I'm right here." It's one of those things she's inherited -- showing up without a sound and all. Even if the reality is that she's very, very quiet when she moves and was out of sight just enough to get the drop on Clara from behind. Because why not treat it like a mini-hunt of a game and see if she could put a little scare on the girl? She'd even tilt the umbrella to share it.
"Gyah!" Clara flailed, nearly falling over into the fountain when Liyun snuck up on her. "YOU SCARED ME." Unnecessarily loud voice was loud. Hand over her chest, she could feel her heart pounding against her sternum. "Why do you always do that!" Still she leaned over a bit under the umbrella.
Laughter took her then. She's even pointing with that wrapped and half eaten hamburger in hand. Give her a few seconds, she needed to recover from laughs as they died down into snickers. "Because it's fun!" Which is why she'd never, ever, ever take Clara hunting. Because it's way more fun to play hide and seek and hunt her instead. "What's the plan? Oh! They have races down in Kabuki I think.. orr, we can go to that arcade in Seaside.. I think it may be there?" Maybe. Hopefully.
She looked terribly amused. Terribly. "It's SO not fun." Clara huffed, stuffing her phone into her pocket and bringing her apple up to chomp a bite out of its glossy red surface. "I thought your moms said to stay away from Dockside."
"That's never stopped me before.. as long as we don't - get - caught." That last part for Clara, because we know who's the queen at getting caught. "And that's future Dockside.. It doesn't count for this Dockside." Bending logic to fit her needs.
"Yeah, our Dockside is Post-Little-Korea-Expansion and therefore safer." If a bit more full of questionable businesses. It was safe though. "This one doesn't seem to be yet. Seaside would probably be safer."
"Maybe we can sneak into one of those boat casinos if it's Seaside.." Thinking now. Either way -- Dockside, or Seaside, she's probably going to find some trouble.
"With what money?" Logical to a fault, she was also excessively practical most times, and considering they were again stranded in this Rhydin, she was pinching almost all of her silver that she could.
"We could use the money now-mom gave me.." It was for picking up some new clothes, but -- she could totally double OR triple it.
It started as the faintest of shimmers in the darkness. A little glitch in the system of the cosmos, the faint sheen along a rounded corner. It happened twice, maybe three times at the precipice of a nearby alley and then the darkness swallowed it again. It was only then that the whispers started. Ephemeral things, the disembodied nonsense of dreams cutting through one world and into the next. Dark promises. Darker threats. Hollow voices echoed in the alley and faded to nothing. This was Rhy'din. Likely it was nothing. Just another anomaly in the city of the abnormal. Or maybe it was a warning.
"What'd she give it to you for?" She asked the obvious question, tapping the toe of her shoe against the cobbles underfoot. A flicker on her periphery drew a brief look but by the time she turned her head it was gone. Clara took another bite out of her apple and got up to her feet, brushing a hand over her wet butt. "Weeeeee should probably get goin' though." Call it a feeling.
"Clothes." She might have been a little too honest in her answer. Maybe it had been due to her being put on alert. It's hard to play games and be coy your chin is tipped up and your nose in taking in a new scent. That poor, poor burger was left to drop on the ground the flicker which caught her attention had her zeroing in off to the side. It had been something drilled into her from an early age, which is why she seemed more than prepared to settle in front of Clara in a protective sort of way.
Liyun furrowed her brows a touch and pursed her lips. It could have been nothing, which is why if nothing did come she would start to relax after a few passing seconds.
"Then we probably shouldn't blow it at a casino boat we shouldn't be on to begin with." She said with a nervous laugh. Liyun was on edge which put Clara back on edge. The garou had far better senses than Clara did even with the slight enhancements she had picked up over time. The dropped burger was fixed with a frown and she moved to try and slip an arm through Liyun's. "C'mon Yunni, there's a store I wanna show you." Tug. Tug, tug.
The ghostly whispering became a titter, and then a baleful moan that somehow sounded both far away and too close for comfort at the same time. Farther and then closer. Nearly gone and yet closer still. A sickly purple light outlined portions of a door in the air. A door to nowhere; from nowhere. And that was when they came. Thin ribbons of purple and black unfurled from near invisible creases, falling into the mouth of the alley and bloating to a larger size with an appalling urgency.
Lips parted a touch to show the white of her teeth as the arm not grabbed by Clara reached to instinctively set itself on the hilt of the blade that had been resting from it's slightly loose held position hanging from the small of her back. She didn't pull the weapon, not yet anyway, but it had been there as simply a show that she just might have to. The tugging had been noticed, but much like an alert animal, her attention had been fully set on the alleyway -- in which no amount of tugging, unless Clara put more weight into it, would draw her attention away.
Her parents would never forgive her if she went and got herself killed in a different time and worse yet, if she got her friends hurt for coming to find her. That said, her blaster was at the embassy and she had only five rings total spread across her fingers. Tendrils like that, she didn't want to test with the lacking power they packed. "Liyun," she said insistently. "We should go."
Primal instincts were one thing, but orders drilled into her head were another. Protection sometime came at the cost of running. A tactical retreat to make sure your client came out of things safe would be considered a successful mission; though Clara wasn't exactly a client, but the same rules applied. Her back leg shifted some as she took a single step back, then seemed to finally listen to Clara. Now would she be lifting the girl over a shoulder and running? It might come to it, but for now it might not be best to draw attention. So she began to back up slowly with Clara's tugs.
Come home. Go home. Come home. Hoooooooooome. Like despair personified, the bloated creatures sprouted legs like insects and vicious pincers on eyeless face. Words drifted through the nether to touch upon nearby minds as they advanced on the erstwhile pair. Succumb. Sleep. Sleep is home. We are home. Come live in usssssss.
Clara had spent plenty of time running. If it came time to fight or run, she was the first to go. She played casual as Liyun finally begin to back up but the touch of ethereal words that seemed to spread from monstrous things had her going pale, her grip tightening on Liyun's arm. "Ummm, no thank you!" She squeaked, shifting the loop of her arm to try and grab the garou by the hand instead. It would make running less awkward. Run, Yunni, run!
If there were any K9 ears on her at the moment, they would be nice and flat while teeth bared. She put on a good show but she knew when it was time to run -- and running right now sounded like the best idea. Liyun turned as Clara grabbed her hand and began to start running with her. Her other hand kept in place at the handle of her weapon since she didn't know if there would be a moment when she'd have to pull it or not. But running? Yes, running's the plan. "It's in my head.." She'd squeeze one eye closed while dashing.
From oozing to charging, the creatures launched themselves across the way towards the girls. A dozen in total, claws dripping shadowy ichor. They were fast, matching the pace of their prey but only slowly gazing ground. In the distance, as far behind them as near, it was almost as if... someone was laying on a car horn.
Clara let out a high pitched scream, reflex more than intentional squeal. Her hand tightened on Liyun and she took off like her life depended on it. For all she knew, it did. The hand not caught in a vice lock around Liyun's sparked with latent energy, protective but destructive just the same. Her sneakers beat wet pavement, senses thrown for a loop by the conflicting sounds, she could focus only on moving forward.
It's moments like these that Liyun was happy that she listened to mother. The hand retreated from the handle of that sheathed katana to reach and tug at a throwing blade nestled away at the saya. She threw it, along with the explosive talisman attached to it, right at the nearest oozing blob that had been advancing after them; yet another sound to rock poor Clara's ears and possibly overlook one of the sounds that Liyun had caught onto. The car horn, that's something she couldn't ignore. Maybe someone fearful? .. But it still meant one thing, there's someone in a car -- which is a chance to escape. Which is why she began pulling Clara in that direction. Commandeering a ride is perfectly fine in a time line this.
Clara’s feet made a quick shift to accommodate the change in direction. Lead the way wolf-girl.
The change in direction took the pair back towards their aggressors. The sound of the horn drew closer but there were no cars in sight. Beyond them, from whence the creatures came, the doorway became more defined. Both wide and tall, tiny fractures and cracks formed in reality on its surface, widening with every blare of the unseen horn. And then reality at the distant portal suddenly... exploded. A wealth of artificial light spilled into the street from the alley's mouth as cracks became shards, which quickly crumbled into nothing, an old and heavily modified pick-up truck smashing the barrier and spilling into the fray. Four of the creatures were instantly pulled beneath the truck's wheels and crushed, causing the vehicle to turn sharp and fishtail into a sideways slide. It stopped fifty feet later.
The wealth of light had been the reason she raised a hand to block her eyes. This was so, so, so not a good idea.. but maybe juking the creatures and dashing to the sound had been a good thing -- which.. seemed exactly that when a few of those creatures became skidmarks. Liyun lowered a hand while continuing to tug Clara along. Okay, whoever did that pulled off a neat trick.
The burst of light found her shielding her eyes, the sudden explosion forcing her to let go of Liyun's hand. Her feet went skidding to a stop so she could dodge aside and avoid the splatter of those pulled beneath the truck's tires. Had she been less frazzled, recognition would have dawned on her, but she was on the edge of hysterics as it was and instead she could only swing a panicked look Yunni's way. "Truck? Go!" Though the truck had taken a handful out, that still left just as many behind.
She had doubled back a little. Maybe it had been all the training, but Clara had been her priority moreso than herself at this moment. She'd probably realize this later on and freak herself out while having alone time, but right now wasn't the case. She made sure Clara was the more more ahead so that she could toss out a few more items. A smoke bomb, another exploding knife, things in an attempt to buy some time before they claimed the truck for their own. "Get inside, get inside, get inside!" She's repeating.
Something hammered at the driver's side door from within. Once, twice, thrice-- the third time saw the door fly open before someone stumbled. "What in the ever loving Hell!" Boom! Silver fire exploded from the barrel of the polished wood shotgun he leveled at the shadow creatures. Within the tendrils of smoke and shadow, there Jake was, wild-eyed and disgruntled looking as he fired the weapon over and over. BOOM! Shck-chck. BOOM! Shck-chck. BOOM! "Everybody in the truck, we're goin' home. Now!" In the moment, he was too busy to see the newly formed opening in reality rapidly healing itself.
"Jakey?! JAKE!" She squealed, sprinting for the open car door at Liyun's urging. Long legged strides ate up pavement until she could make a dive in through the door and across the truck's bench seat until she crashed into the opposite side. "...Ow."
Liyun didn't go inside the truck, but the little sound of her landing in the bed of it could be heard by those inside.. well, if they had better hearing since there's loud shots going off. The six-soul blade, a weapon passed on to her by her mother, had been brandished and was quick to do its calling as she slashed it in front of herself. The blade itself moaned eerily as projected ripples of wind reached out to create open gashes upon the advancing tendrils of ooze. "Home, away from here, anything! Step on the gas!"
Not a conventional shotgun, the silver flame-spewing beast didn't click empty. When it was spent, the last of the fire merely fizzled and died, leaving thin wisps of silver-grey smoke in its wake. Not every creature had succumb to the energetic onslaught and Jake ended their exchange with a growl and a sudden "***!" before launching himself back into the truck. "Twinkle! Seatbelt! Li! Rollbar!" The door slammed and he was quickly throwing the truck into reverse, coming back around to... their way home closed. "$#&@!" His foot slammed back down on the gas and propelled them forward, away from danger. "***."
Seatbelt? Of all the times to worry about a goddamned seatbelt and this was it? She gawked at the teenaged boy in the driver seat then clumsily fumbled for the seatbelt, just barely clicking it into place when he gunned it. "Language."
The suggestion was a good one. Liyun hooked an arm to support herself while using one arm to create those slashes.. which almost came to an end as the blade hit the side of the truckbed when the reverse came to a sudden stop and she'd be thrown forward as Jake gunned it. She didn't fall over herself completely since the arm-hooked hold kept her upright enough, but she had to forgo the slashing as the poor truck-struck blade couldn't be pulled free just yet. She'd hug the bar and keep herself from tumbling until she dropped onto her backside and went along for the ride.
A fresh string of invectives spilled from his mouth as they raced away from the scene of his arrive, whipping sharply around corners and quickly putting distance between the truck and the creatures. Before he knew it, they were slowing down and turning into a beachside parking lot in Seaside. They lurched to a stop, finally, before Jake spilled out of the truck, drawing in a deep breath and looking around. Eventually his blue-green gaze swept back to the truck and its occupants. "Are you two okay?"
She's got a pretty mighty looking bruise forming on her arm right now. Liyun was busy rubbing at it once they came to a stop and she fully collapsed back to rest against the truckbed. She'd peer up at the still stuck blade and reached out with her bruised arm to reclaim the handle with a curling of fingers. A tug, a jerk, another tug and a push up had her finally pulling the weapon free. It was had for it to be damaged, since it had been forged with the souls of others, but she knew it would need some cleaning. Her arm hurt, but she didn't say anything about it. She'd keep it tucked to her side after sheathing the blade and jumping from the truck bed. ".. What the **** was that?!"
Okay, maybe the seatbelt was a good idea after all. It locked hard across her torso when they finally stopped and once physics corrected things, she slumped back against the seat, her mouth ajar. Jake was out of the truck before she could say a thing and she was only vaguely aware that Liyun had made it in the truck's bed. The wheels were spinning but the hamsters must have been dead. Maybe that was shock. Who knew.
"A rescue... apparently." His attention bounced from face to face as things settled. "Twinkle -- Clara, disappeared. Then you and Deadward. And no one knows where... and," Jake paused and then looked around again. "You're still here in Rhy'din? Where've you been hidin'?"
Within the cab, a soft click disengaged her seatbelt. It retracted as she fumbled with the door handle before finally spilling out onto the pavement. This wasn't real, it couldn't be. She smeared a hand over her mouth, still vaguely tasting the apple she didn't get a chance to finish. The door was left open, a victim of her shellshocked neglect. Rounding the truck's front end, she gaped at the boy, likely in much the same way she had when both E and Yunni had shown up. "You came for us?"
So another for team rescue. "I wonder if there will be a line.." A line of those trying to rescue, that is. She found humor in it - but she also found humor at times when she's nervous. "We've been at the dojo.. my moms in the here and now let us stay." She frowned a little and looked away. ".. My rescue attempt didn't really work out, for some reason the thing isn't working." That thing is probably something Clara had a better name for.
"Damned right I came for you!" His attention lingered on Clara before shooting back on Liyun. "I looked for you guys at the dojo. And Clara's parents. At all out haunts. No one's seen you! Wait..." He stared. "Here and now. Here... and now. Wait a sec. When are we?"
"Twenty-seventeen," Clara mumbled.
".. and it's almost June." Liyun added on.
"....%$#@."
Clara winced then rocked forward on her toes. "I'm gonna fix it! I just... I'm working on it. It'll be okay."
"Think of it like a tiny little summer vacation." Eh-he-he.. Nervous smile from Yunni.
Grumbling, Jake reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose. "It's fine. We'll make it work. We can work with this..." Said the remarkably ungifted one in their little group.
"We're good at making things work. We just need to take breaks so Clara can cry a little." Adding some humor once more. She did look over her shoulder toward the direction they came from. Her lips thinned a touch. "Well.. I guess you're stuck here?" She looked to Jake. "I'm sure mother will let you stay at the dojo too.. But we can't share a room." She's wagging a finger.
Her hand lifted slightly then dropped before she ever touched a thing. Teeth worrying at her bottom lip, she looked between Liyun and Jake. The former received a withering look before she settled her worried gaze on the latter. "I was staying at the inn at first but once E and Yunni got here, we moved over to the dojo... it's safer there. We can go back now and talk more about things... if you're okay driving still."
"Man," he continued to grumble. "I indebt myself to a whole family of Bone Gnawers and Mad Max my way through the Dark Umbra, action movie my way into a rescue... and no one's even gonna swoon or hug me?"
That was all the prompt she needed, having perched on her toes unsure if he would welcome such a thing. Whomp! Like she had Edward, Clara threw herself full force at the taller boy, all arms and legs and koala bear action and indecipherable mumblings about how happy she was he was there. Gross.
"Oh, I swooned." There's a little grin playing along her lips. While she swooned, it was Clara who hugged. So it's the best of both worlds. She'd pat at Clara's head. There, there.
"Oooof." And there he had it, two armfuls of Clara. "Mm, I was worried about you buttholes. Glad none of you is hurt. Or worse."
Under typical circumstances, Liyun would've received a swat but she was too busy squeezing the life out of Jake. "We're okay, all of us. It's been a really ****ed up month though..."
That's where Liyun tugged a little on her sleeve to make sure the forming bruise is hidden. "I guess the casino trip is a no-go now, since Jake is here. He wouldn't want to make mother mad." Fake sigh. Clara's words had her stopping with the head pats and instead setting a hand on the girl’s shoulder.
"Is stayin' at the dojo gonna be okay?" Jake looked between the pair of them while carrying Clara back towards the truck. "Nayun's always been nice to me, but your other mom always likes to remind me of the time dad tried to kill her."
"I bet you can bunk with E." She mumbled and hugged him again before looking to Liyun for confirmation.
"It should be fine. Mother isn't digging for any answers.. She doesn't seem to want to know how things are in the future. I guess that's a good thing." She'd take her time in climbing back into the truckbed. Sitting inside wasn't her thing -- she liked the feel of the air rushing and what not. "Mmm." Thinking on it. ".. I guess, and it's only down the hall from the room me and Clara are using." She's cutting a look Jakes way with a wicked grin. "Late night poker."
Real talk, Liyun didn't like sitting in the cab because it's hard to stick her head out the window like a dog. Climbing in, Clara slid over on the bench and tugged her seatbelt on.
"I, uh... yeah. I guess we're goin' to the dojo." Easing Clara into the truck, Jake climbed in after. "Can we eat somethin' first? I've been in the DA for a week and I ran out of food three days ago."
Yunni had dropped her burger, Clara had lost her fruit. Jake was hungry too so that settled it. "Lots of stuff on the way back, if something looks good stop there."
"We're in Seaside, right?" She leaned over to peek her head through the window. "Let's get some lobster." Because money meant for clothes shopping can obviously be used for lobster. She's sure mom would understand.
"Let's just get somethin' easy and take it back to the dojo. You guys can fill me in on what the Hell happened." Starting the truck up again, he threw it in reverse to get the turned around and soon enough they were cruising at a sedate pace. "I'd kill for some cherry pie."
Liyun sighed and settled back in the truckbed as they started to go, making sure they can hear her, "No fun~♪." Well.. Maybe they had all the fun they should tonight. Liyun would make sure the moms didn't hear about this.
"There's a diner not far from here... they make stuff to go." Lili would just have to make sure Clara didn’t open her yap. Otherwise they'd be golden.
"Let's do it." Agreed Jake.
"As long as they have curly fries." Liyun stipulated. It was an agreement made and away they went, well and alive.
((Written with Liyun and Jake.))
It was a dark and drizzly night in Rhy'din...
It was raining, a fact Clara adored. Better yet, it wasn't a downpour, the light rain making it more than reasonable to walk unaided by an umbrella of any sort. Fresh from Turtle Junction (a legitimate store, she swears), she had a little opaque bag on one wrist, likely full of socks and other little things. Her hair, worn loose and free, was wet enough that it stuck to her cheeks but not so much that it was gross and uncomfortable. Black Vans, denim shorts, and a t-shirt rounded out the rest of her outfit, secondhand as it may have been. Money's tight, ya know? Gotta do what ya gotta do. And what Clara had to do before meeting Liyun was stop by the fruit stand in the heart of the marketplace to see if they were still open. An apple a day or something like that, right?
There's a downside to time travel and expecting you'll be back home in forty-eight hours.. and that's traveling lightly. Liyun was lucky enough to have something going for her though -- and that's having two not-parents-yet who were willing to give her what she needed. Clothing being one, and a phone - which she didn't ask for but had pushed in her hand - being the other. She's still getting used to the old technology and how slow some things can be. It'd be the phone she had currently been messing around with as she traveled with umbrella in hand ( another thing that had been given to her when she left the dojo ). She had been told to come back for dinner but she made up an excuse as to having things that needed to be done. Those things being = meeting Clara and getting some fast food.. because, as much as eating healthy is nice, she really - really wanted a fat burger.
Quite glad to see that the fruit stand was open and more than willing to supply her with both an apple and a banana, Clara trotted off toward the market square as happy as a clam. Palming her fruit-dinner in one hand, she thumbed out a message on her dinky little flip phone; Where R U. Send. The stone lip of the market's fountain was wet but she took a seat anyways.
There's a buzz but Liyun didn't reply. Not when she could speak up instead of sending a text. "I'm right here." It's one of those things she's inherited -- showing up without a sound and all. Even if the reality is that she's very, very quiet when she moves and was out of sight just enough to get the drop on Clara from behind. Because why not treat it like a mini-hunt of a game and see if she could put a little scare on the girl? She'd even tilt the umbrella to share it.
"Gyah!" Clara flailed, nearly falling over into the fountain when Liyun snuck up on her. "YOU SCARED ME." Unnecessarily loud voice was loud. Hand over her chest, she could feel her heart pounding against her sternum. "Why do you always do that!" Still she leaned over a bit under the umbrella.
Laughter took her then. She's even pointing with that wrapped and half eaten hamburger in hand. Give her a few seconds, she needed to recover from laughs as they died down into snickers. "Because it's fun!" Which is why she'd never, ever, ever take Clara hunting. Because it's way more fun to play hide and seek and hunt her instead. "What's the plan? Oh! They have races down in Kabuki I think.. orr, we can go to that arcade in Seaside.. I think it may be there?" Maybe. Hopefully.
She looked terribly amused. Terribly. "It's SO not fun." Clara huffed, stuffing her phone into her pocket and bringing her apple up to chomp a bite out of its glossy red surface. "I thought your moms said to stay away from Dockside."
"That's never stopped me before.. as long as we don't - get - caught." That last part for Clara, because we know who's the queen at getting caught. "And that's future Dockside.. It doesn't count for this Dockside." Bending logic to fit her needs.
"Yeah, our Dockside is Post-Little-Korea-Expansion and therefore safer." If a bit more full of questionable businesses. It was safe though. "This one doesn't seem to be yet. Seaside would probably be safer."
"Maybe we can sneak into one of those boat casinos if it's Seaside.." Thinking now. Either way -- Dockside, or Seaside, she's probably going to find some trouble.
"With what money?" Logical to a fault, she was also excessively practical most times, and considering they were again stranded in this Rhydin, she was pinching almost all of her silver that she could.
"We could use the money now-mom gave me.." It was for picking up some new clothes, but -- she could totally double OR triple it.
It started as the faintest of shimmers in the darkness. A little glitch in the system of the cosmos, the faint sheen along a rounded corner. It happened twice, maybe three times at the precipice of a nearby alley and then the darkness swallowed it again. It was only then that the whispers started. Ephemeral things, the disembodied nonsense of dreams cutting through one world and into the next. Dark promises. Darker threats. Hollow voices echoed in the alley and faded to nothing. This was Rhy'din. Likely it was nothing. Just another anomaly in the city of the abnormal. Or maybe it was a warning.
"What'd she give it to you for?" She asked the obvious question, tapping the toe of her shoe against the cobbles underfoot. A flicker on her periphery drew a brief look but by the time she turned her head it was gone. Clara took another bite out of her apple and got up to her feet, brushing a hand over her wet butt. "Weeeeee should probably get goin' though." Call it a feeling.
"Clothes." She might have been a little too honest in her answer. Maybe it had been due to her being put on alert. It's hard to play games and be coy your chin is tipped up and your nose in taking in a new scent. That poor, poor burger was left to drop on the ground the flicker which caught her attention had her zeroing in off to the side. It had been something drilled into her from an early age, which is why she seemed more than prepared to settle in front of Clara in a protective sort of way.
Liyun furrowed her brows a touch and pursed her lips. It could have been nothing, which is why if nothing did come she would start to relax after a few passing seconds.
"Then we probably shouldn't blow it at a casino boat we shouldn't be on to begin with." She said with a nervous laugh. Liyun was on edge which put Clara back on edge. The garou had far better senses than Clara did even with the slight enhancements she had picked up over time. The dropped burger was fixed with a frown and she moved to try and slip an arm through Liyun's. "C'mon Yunni, there's a store I wanna show you." Tug. Tug, tug.
The ghostly whispering became a titter, and then a baleful moan that somehow sounded both far away and too close for comfort at the same time. Farther and then closer. Nearly gone and yet closer still. A sickly purple light outlined portions of a door in the air. A door to nowhere; from nowhere. And that was when they came. Thin ribbons of purple and black unfurled from near invisible creases, falling into the mouth of the alley and bloating to a larger size with an appalling urgency.
Lips parted a touch to show the white of her teeth as the arm not grabbed by Clara reached to instinctively set itself on the hilt of the blade that had been resting from it's slightly loose held position hanging from the small of her back. She didn't pull the weapon, not yet anyway, but it had been there as simply a show that she just might have to. The tugging had been noticed, but much like an alert animal, her attention had been fully set on the alleyway -- in which no amount of tugging, unless Clara put more weight into it, would draw her attention away.
Her parents would never forgive her if she went and got herself killed in a different time and worse yet, if she got her friends hurt for coming to find her. That said, her blaster was at the embassy and she had only five rings total spread across her fingers. Tendrils like that, she didn't want to test with the lacking power they packed. "Liyun," she said insistently. "We should go."
Primal instincts were one thing, but orders drilled into her head were another. Protection sometime came at the cost of running. A tactical retreat to make sure your client came out of things safe would be considered a successful mission; though Clara wasn't exactly a client, but the same rules applied. Her back leg shifted some as she took a single step back, then seemed to finally listen to Clara. Now would she be lifting the girl over a shoulder and running? It might come to it, but for now it might not be best to draw attention. So she began to back up slowly with Clara's tugs.
Come home. Go home. Come home. Hoooooooooome. Like despair personified, the bloated creatures sprouted legs like insects and vicious pincers on eyeless face. Words drifted through the nether to touch upon nearby minds as they advanced on the erstwhile pair. Succumb. Sleep. Sleep is home. We are home. Come live in usssssss.
Clara had spent plenty of time running. If it came time to fight or run, she was the first to go. She played casual as Liyun finally begin to back up but the touch of ethereal words that seemed to spread from monstrous things had her going pale, her grip tightening on Liyun's arm. "Ummm, no thank you!" She squeaked, shifting the loop of her arm to try and grab the garou by the hand instead. It would make running less awkward. Run, Yunni, run!
If there were any K9 ears on her at the moment, they would be nice and flat while teeth bared. She put on a good show but she knew when it was time to run -- and running right now sounded like the best idea. Liyun turned as Clara grabbed her hand and began to start running with her. Her other hand kept in place at the handle of her weapon since she didn't know if there would be a moment when she'd have to pull it or not. But running? Yes, running's the plan. "It's in my head.." She'd squeeze one eye closed while dashing.
From oozing to charging, the creatures launched themselves across the way towards the girls. A dozen in total, claws dripping shadowy ichor. They were fast, matching the pace of their prey but only slowly gazing ground. In the distance, as far behind them as near, it was almost as if... someone was laying on a car horn.
Clara let out a high pitched scream, reflex more than intentional squeal. Her hand tightened on Liyun and she took off like her life depended on it. For all she knew, it did. The hand not caught in a vice lock around Liyun's sparked with latent energy, protective but destructive just the same. Her sneakers beat wet pavement, senses thrown for a loop by the conflicting sounds, she could focus only on moving forward.
It's moments like these that Liyun was happy that she listened to mother. The hand retreated from the handle of that sheathed katana to reach and tug at a throwing blade nestled away at the saya. She threw it, along with the explosive talisman attached to it, right at the nearest oozing blob that had been advancing after them; yet another sound to rock poor Clara's ears and possibly overlook one of the sounds that Liyun had caught onto. The car horn, that's something she couldn't ignore. Maybe someone fearful? .. But it still meant one thing, there's someone in a car -- which is a chance to escape. Which is why she began pulling Clara in that direction. Commandeering a ride is perfectly fine in a time line this.
Clara’s feet made a quick shift to accommodate the change in direction. Lead the way wolf-girl.
The change in direction took the pair back towards their aggressors. The sound of the horn drew closer but there were no cars in sight. Beyond them, from whence the creatures came, the doorway became more defined. Both wide and tall, tiny fractures and cracks formed in reality on its surface, widening with every blare of the unseen horn. And then reality at the distant portal suddenly... exploded. A wealth of artificial light spilled into the street from the alley's mouth as cracks became shards, which quickly crumbled into nothing, an old and heavily modified pick-up truck smashing the barrier and spilling into the fray. Four of the creatures were instantly pulled beneath the truck's wheels and crushed, causing the vehicle to turn sharp and fishtail into a sideways slide. It stopped fifty feet later.
The wealth of light had been the reason she raised a hand to block her eyes. This was so, so, so not a good idea.. but maybe juking the creatures and dashing to the sound had been a good thing -- which.. seemed exactly that when a few of those creatures became skidmarks. Liyun lowered a hand while continuing to tug Clara along. Okay, whoever did that pulled off a neat trick.
The burst of light found her shielding her eyes, the sudden explosion forcing her to let go of Liyun's hand. Her feet went skidding to a stop so she could dodge aside and avoid the splatter of those pulled beneath the truck's tires. Had she been less frazzled, recognition would have dawned on her, but she was on the edge of hysterics as it was and instead she could only swing a panicked look Yunni's way. "Truck? Go!" Though the truck had taken a handful out, that still left just as many behind.
She had doubled back a little. Maybe it had been all the training, but Clara had been her priority moreso than herself at this moment. She'd probably realize this later on and freak herself out while having alone time, but right now wasn't the case. She made sure Clara was the more more ahead so that she could toss out a few more items. A smoke bomb, another exploding knife, things in an attempt to buy some time before they claimed the truck for their own. "Get inside, get inside, get inside!" She's repeating.
Something hammered at the driver's side door from within. Once, twice, thrice-- the third time saw the door fly open before someone stumbled. "What in the ever loving Hell!" Boom! Silver fire exploded from the barrel of the polished wood shotgun he leveled at the shadow creatures. Within the tendrils of smoke and shadow, there Jake was, wild-eyed and disgruntled looking as he fired the weapon over and over. BOOM! Shck-chck. BOOM! Shck-chck. BOOM! "Everybody in the truck, we're goin' home. Now!" In the moment, he was too busy to see the newly formed opening in reality rapidly healing itself.
"Jakey?! JAKE!" She squealed, sprinting for the open car door at Liyun's urging. Long legged strides ate up pavement until she could make a dive in through the door and across the truck's bench seat until she crashed into the opposite side. "...Ow."
Liyun didn't go inside the truck, but the little sound of her landing in the bed of it could be heard by those inside.. well, if they had better hearing since there's loud shots going off. The six-soul blade, a weapon passed on to her by her mother, had been brandished and was quick to do its calling as she slashed it in front of herself. The blade itself moaned eerily as projected ripples of wind reached out to create open gashes upon the advancing tendrils of ooze. "Home, away from here, anything! Step on the gas!"
Not a conventional shotgun, the silver flame-spewing beast didn't click empty. When it was spent, the last of the fire merely fizzled and died, leaving thin wisps of silver-grey smoke in its wake. Not every creature had succumb to the energetic onslaught and Jake ended their exchange with a growl and a sudden "***!" before launching himself back into the truck. "Twinkle! Seatbelt! Li! Rollbar!" The door slammed and he was quickly throwing the truck into reverse, coming back around to... their way home closed. "$#&@!" His foot slammed back down on the gas and propelled them forward, away from danger. "***."
Seatbelt? Of all the times to worry about a goddamned seatbelt and this was it? She gawked at the teenaged boy in the driver seat then clumsily fumbled for the seatbelt, just barely clicking it into place when he gunned it. "Language."
The suggestion was a good one. Liyun hooked an arm to support herself while using one arm to create those slashes.. which almost came to an end as the blade hit the side of the truckbed when the reverse came to a sudden stop and she'd be thrown forward as Jake gunned it. She didn't fall over herself completely since the arm-hooked hold kept her upright enough, but she had to forgo the slashing as the poor truck-struck blade couldn't be pulled free just yet. She'd hug the bar and keep herself from tumbling until she dropped onto her backside and went along for the ride.
A fresh string of invectives spilled from his mouth as they raced away from the scene of his arrive, whipping sharply around corners and quickly putting distance between the truck and the creatures. Before he knew it, they were slowing down and turning into a beachside parking lot in Seaside. They lurched to a stop, finally, before Jake spilled out of the truck, drawing in a deep breath and looking around. Eventually his blue-green gaze swept back to the truck and its occupants. "Are you two okay?"
She's got a pretty mighty looking bruise forming on her arm right now. Liyun was busy rubbing at it once they came to a stop and she fully collapsed back to rest against the truckbed. She'd peer up at the still stuck blade and reached out with her bruised arm to reclaim the handle with a curling of fingers. A tug, a jerk, another tug and a push up had her finally pulling the weapon free. It was had for it to be damaged, since it had been forged with the souls of others, but she knew it would need some cleaning. Her arm hurt, but she didn't say anything about it. She'd keep it tucked to her side after sheathing the blade and jumping from the truck bed. ".. What the **** was that?!"
Okay, maybe the seatbelt was a good idea after all. It locked hard across her torso when they finally stopped and once physics corrected things, she slumped back against the seat, her mouth ajar. Jake was out of the truck before she could say a thing and she was only vaguely aware that Liyun had made it in the truck's bed. The wheels were spinning but the hamsters must have been dead. Maybe that was shock. Who knew.
"A rescue... apparently." His attention bounced from face to face as things settled. "Twinkle -- Clara, disappeared. Then you and Deadward. And no one knows where... and," Jake paused and then looked around again. "You're still here in Rhy'din? Where've you been hidin'?"
Within the cab, a soft click disengaged her seatbelt. It retracted as she fumbled with the door handle before finally spilling out onto the pavement. This wasn't real, it couldn't be. She smeared a hand over her mouth, still vaguely tasting the apple she didn't get a chance to finish. The door was left open, a victim of her shellshocked neglect. Rounding the truck's front end, she gaped at the boy, likely in much the same way she had when both E and Yunni had shown up. "You came for us?"
So another for team rescue. "I wonder if there will be a line.." A line of those trying to rescue, that is. She found humor in it - but she also found humor at times when she's nervous. "We've been at the dojo.. my moms in the here and now let us stay." She frowned a little and looked away. ".. My rescue attempt didn't really work out, for some reason the thing isn't working." That thing is probably something Clara had a better name for.
"Damned right I came for you!" His attention lingered on Clara before shooting back on Liyun. "I looked for you guys at the dojo. And Clara's parents. At all out haunts. No one's seen you! Wait..." He stared. "Here and now. Here... and now. Wait a sec. When are we?"
"Twenty-seventeen," Clara mumbled.
".. and it's almost June." Liyun added on.
"....%$#@."
Clara winced then rocked forward on her toes. "I'm gonna fix it! I just... I'm working on it. It'll be okay."
"Think of it like a tiny little summer vacation." Eh-he-he.. Nervous smile from Yunni.
Grumbling, Jake reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose. "It's fine. We'll make it work. We can work with this..." Said the remarkably ungifted one in their little group.
"We're good at making things work. We just need to take breaks so Clara can cry a little." Adding some humor once more. She did look over her shoulder toward the direction they came from. Her lips thinned a touch. "Well.. I guess you're stuck here?" She looked to Jake. "I'm sure mother will let you stay at the dojo too.. But we can't share a room." She's wagging a finger.
Her hand lifted slightly then dropped before she ever touched a thing. Teeth worrying at her bottom lip, she looked between Liyun and Jake. The former received a withering look before she settled her worried gaze on the latter. "I was staying at the inn at first but once E and Yunni got here, we moved over to the dojo... it's safer there. We can go back now and talk more about things... if you're okay driving still."
"Man," he continued to grumble. "I indebt myself to a whole family of Bone Gnawers and Mad Max my way through the Dark Umbra, action movie my way into a rescue... and no one's even gonna swoon or hug me?"
That was all the prompt she needed, having perched on her toes unsure if he would welcome such a thing. Whomp! Like she had Edward, Clara threw herself full force at the taller boy, all arms and legs and koala bear action and indecipherable mumblings about how happy she was he was there. Gross.
"Oh, I swooned." There's a little grin playing along her lips. While she swooned, it was Clara who hugged. So it's the best of both worlds. She'd pat at Clara's head. There, there.
"Oooof." And there he had it, two armfuls of Clara. "Mm, I was worried about you buttholes. Glad none of you is hurt. Or worse."
Under typical circumstances, Liyun would've received a swat but she was too busy squeezing the life out of Jake. "We're okay, all of us. It's been a really ****ed up month though..."
That's where Liyun tugged a little on her sleeve to make sure the forming bruise is hidden. "I guess the casino trip is a no-go now, since Jake is here. He wouldn't want to make mother mad." Fake sigh. Clara's words had her stopping with the head pats and instead setting a hand on the girl’s shoulder.
"Is stayin' at the dojo gonna be okay?" Jake looked between the pair of them while carrying Clara back towards the truck. "Nayun's always been nice to me, but your other mom always likes to remind me of the time dad tried to kill her."
"I bet you can bunk with E." She mumbled and hugged him again before looking to Liyun for confirmation.
"It should be fine. Mother isn't digging for any answers.. She doesn't seem to want to know how things are in the future. I guess that's a good thing." She'd take her time in climbing back into the truckbed. Sitting inside wasn't her thing -- she liked the feel of the air rushing and what not. "Mmm." Thinking on it. ".. I guess, and it's only down the hall from the room me and Clara are using." She's cutting a look Jakes way with a wicked grin. "Late night poker."
Real talk, Liyun didn't like sitting in the cab because it's hard to stick her head out the window like a dog. Climbing in, Clara slid over on the bench and tugged her seatbelt on.
"I, uh... yeah. I guess we're goin' to the dojo." Easing Clara into the truck, Jake climbed in after. "Can we eat somethin' first? I've been in the DA for a week and I ran out of food three days ago."
Yunni had dropped her burger, Clara had lost her fruit. Jake was hungry too so that settled it. "Lots of stuff on the way back, if something looks good stop there."
"We're in Seaside, right?" She leaned over to peek her head through the window. "Let's get some lobster." Because money meant for clothes shopping can obviously be used for lobster. She's sure mom would understand.
"Let's just get somethin' easy and take it back to the dojo. You guys can fill me in on what the Hell happened." Starting the truck up again, he threw it in reverse to get the turned around and soon enough they were cruising at a sedate pace. "I'd kill for some cherry pie."
Liyun sighed and settled back in the truckbed as they started to go, making sure they can hear her, "No fun~♪." Well.. Maybe they had all the fun they should tonight. Liyun would make sure the moms didn't hear about this.
"There's a diner not far from here... they make stuff to go." Lili would just have to make sure Clara didn’t open her yap. Otherwise they'd be golden.
"Let's do it." Agreed Jake.
"As long as they have curly fries." Liyun stipulated. It was an agreement made and away they went, well and alive.
((Written with Liyun and Jake.))
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