Pleasantries - Chapter 3, Part 3
Sep. 14th, 2010 03:56 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
genlisae
Continued from Part 2
Advisories from Part 1 are still in effect, specifically Death.
Carry on.
Pleasantries - Chapter 3 - Grunt Work- Part 3
3:30 PM Thursday, April 17
Dustin ducked his head staring thoughtfully down into his cup.
“It isn’t like they are even getting a divorce, but I can’t really say I blame him for it either,” Lilith was saying, “I mean she is so clingy and needy I would be going insane if I had to deal with that all the time.”
Dustin glanced up sharply at that, “Ang does.”
Lilith slumped back against the booth, “I know.”
They sat in silence for a moment both lost in thought before Dustin spoke again.
“What happened with you guys anyway?” he asked quietly, “You used to be joined at the hip.”
Lilith snorted, “Try living in Miss Perfect’s shadow for a while.”
“She’s not perfect …”
“Oh please,” Lilith snapped, her voice shifting to a remarkably accurate imitation of her mother, “Angela wouldn’t do that,” she mimicked, “Angela wouldn’t wear that. Angela got an A on that test. Angela doesn’t sneak boys into her room!”
“Aren’t half your friends gay?” Dustin laughed.
Lilith nodded, “Mom doesn’t seem to care, but I’m sure if they were Angela’s friends she would be baking them cookies and inviting them to dinner.”
“That’s funny,” Dustin shook his head, “I hear about how you always get your Dad’s car whenever you ask. How your Dad let’s you go out whenever you want with whoever you want. She’s sure you get away with anything and everything.”
Lilith stared at him dumbfounded, “Are you serious? They pulled me out of class and gave me a full time shrink! What exactly am I getting away with here?”
“He’s a shrink? I thought he was just a tutor.”
“Trust me, he’s more shrink than tutor,” Lilith sighed, though she failed to hide the small smile caused by thinking about Winston.
“And you are loving every second of it,” Dustin challenged.
“Maybe a little,” she admitted.
“Yeah?”
She shrugged, “He’s kind of cute in a geeky, dork sort of way.”
“So are you actually learning or too distracted by the scenery?” Dustin smirked at her.
“See, this is why I hate you,” Lilith shot him a glare.
“But you will still help right?” he asked immediately turning serious.
She sat back again, heaving another sigh, “Yeah, I’ll help. When did want to do this?”
“I’d like to do it tomorrow, but I kind of thought you already had plans this weekend.”
Lilith nodded, “I do, but I can keep next Saturday free. Is that okay?”
“That would be awesome,” he grinned at her, “Thank you, Lil, I owe you one.”
“You do,” she agreed immediately, “You owe me big for this. You can start by giving me a ride to Ripp’s so I don’t have to deal with the bus.”
“That’s all the way over …” Dustin started to protest.
Lilith snorted rising to her feet, “So? You aren’t doing anything else. Besides, he hasn’t been at school all week. I’m worried.”
Dustin nodded standing up to follow her out of the diner, “He sick?”
“That’s what he said,” Lilith acknowledged, “I just want to make sure he’s okay.”
* * *
4:30 PM Thursday, April 17
Lilith’s lip curled into a disgusted snarl when Tank answered the door.
“What do you want?” Tank demanded.
“Mind your own damn business,” Lilith didn’t wait for an invitation simply pushed her way past Tank and into the house.
“Oh,” Tank leered, “Forceful. I like a woman who knows what she wants.”
Rolling her eyes, Lilith shook her head, “And it isn’t you. Where’s Ripp?”
“Grounded,” Tank informed her smiling smugly, “So unless there is something I can help you with you are wasting your time.”
“I’m right here, Lil,” Ripp said quietly stepping out of the kitchen.
Lilith stared at him in shock for a moment, “Wow …”
Shaking his head Ripp grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the stairs, “Not now.”
“Hey!” Tank objected, “You can’t have guests! You’re grounded! I’m telling Dad!”
Ripp glared at him, “Tattling to Daddy is so you isn’t it? What? Are you six years old?”
Lilith jaw dropped as she followed Ripp up the stairs and into his room. When had Ripp started giving Tank his own crap back? It was about time in her opinion, just unexpected. Usually he kept quiet and pretended to ignore it.
Ripp closed the door behind him once they had reached his room and slowly turned around, “Sorry about that, he’s more of a dick the last few days than usual.”
Lilith gave a dismissive wave, “Forget Tank, what happened to you?”
“Hair cut,” Ripp replied fidgeting nervously.
“And then some,” she grinned at her friend, “Wow.”
Ripp cocked his head, “You keep saying that.”
Lilith laughed and pulled him into a hug, “I keep meaning it. Is that why you’re grounded?”
Ripp nodded, glad she couldn’t see his face and the slight flinch of pain he couldn’t avoid at her touch, “Yeah, Dad didn’t approve. I wasn’t about to change it, so I’m grounded.”
Lilith sighed crossing the room to sink down on the bed, “How long.”
Ripp shrugged joining her, “Tomorrow. He’s got the weekend off and doesn’t want me stuck inside when he’s home that long.”
Lilith nodded, that was usually about as long as Ripp’s groundings lasted, just as long as it took for Buzz to get tired of Ripp being underfoot.
“How are you feeling?” she asked remembering her original purpose for visiting; noting the puffy rings around both his eyes, “You okay? You still look a little sick.”
“I’m fine, Lil,” Ripp shot her a small smile, “Was just a stomach bug. Mostly now I’m just tired.”
A moment later he nudged her gently with his shoulder, “Thanks for checking up on me, but you better go before my dad gets home. I’m in enough trouble already and Tank might just tell him anyway.”
“You coming to school tomorrow?” she asked, gently nudging him back.
“Yeah,”
“Okay,” she agreed, getting to her feet “Get some rest, you look like you need it.”
“I will,” he assured her rising to walk her to the door.
Lilith hugged him once more, “Stay silly, I know my way out.”
Ripp nodded, managing to hide his flinch more successfully this time.
Lilith didn’t notice as she turned and made her way from the room.
As soon as the door closed Ripp let out the breath he’d been holding. Gingerly he sat back down on the bed. He had expected to be less sore by now. The bruising was fading and hardly hurt at all anymore but both times Lilith had hugged him she’d managed to hit a particularly tender spot.
Heaving a sigh he lay back on the bed. He was still sore, but he would go to school tomorrow just like he’d told Lilith. He wasn’t so sore that he cringed every time he moved anymore so he’d be okay. A day at school would probably be easier than the list of chores Buzz left him every day he stayed home.
He hated lying to his friends like that, telling them he’d been sick. He really hated lying to Lilith, but he couldn’t exactly tell her the truth either. Telling the truth would lead to questions. Questions like where had all the bruises come from? Why hadn’t he said anything to anyone before?
All perfectly good questions. All questions Ripp never wanted to answer. If he answered people would know. If he answered then everyone would find out the truth.
Everyone would know what he’d done.
* * *
7:30 AM Friday, April 18
“You got a wife?” Detective Taneli asked slowing the car as they approached their destination, “Kids?”
Anto shook his head, “Dog.”
“Oh yeah? What breed?”
“Mutt,” Anto replied, “Big, black and mostly stupid.”
Taneli grinned, “Those are the best kind. So no girlfriend either?”
“Nope.”
Taneli nodded, “At least the dog won’t nag when you get called out at three in the morning or miss your anniversary.”
Anto chuckled. There was always that.
“You nervous?” Taneli asked pulling the car to a stop.
Anto nodded, he saw no point in lying to the older man, “A bit.”
Taneli smiled, “You’ll do fine. Give it a week and you will wonder how you ever did anything else.”
The two men climbed out of the car and made their way toward the small group of officers and other investigators milling about the alley.
“Detective Taneli,” one of the officers nodded to them, “and of course Detective Nakai. Congratulations on the promotion man.”
Anto nodded back briefly already looking around making mental notes of everything around him.
“Where is she?” Taneli asked.
“This way,” The officer sighed leading them over to a pile of junk in the back corner.
Anto stared down at the corpse of the young Alien woman. This all looked very familiar.
Taneli stepped up behind him, “Hell of a first day on the job, huh? Nothing like jumping right in. Lets get to work.”
* * *
On to Part 4.
Notes:
Are the time stamps working for everyone? I hope so there was a lot of stressing on my part over the flow of this chapter.
Speaking of the flow of this chapter ... I know this was a short update. This is working out to be a long (huge!) chapter. Originally it was supposed to be two chapters and then I realized that there simply was not enough things going on for two chapters so I combined it into one. That was working really well. Except part way through the writing of part 2 certain characters who will remain nameless smacked me upside the head with their personalities!
I tried to ignore it. It didn't work and really what they hit me with I should have noticed a long time ago! It should have been planned for from the beginning. It wasn't. That is a failure on my part.
Now I am playing catch-up and adjusting (lots of adjusting! Ugh!) the story to fit. It has been interesting. Some of what I had planned has been altered, some tossed entirely, and new plot lines have been added. So as we go on from here if anything at all isn't working or is coming across just plain weird don't hesitate to let me know! I'm scrambling a bit here. I'm trying to make it seamless. I might not succeed.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2010-09-14 01:31 pm (UTC)I just want to say, I'm always in awe of your posing. They always have the perfect expressions. :)
Also, this picture, in the background there. That wouldn't happen to be Cyd and Julien, would it? Those two live together in my game and I just though it was cool seeing them together in someone else's game.
no subject
Date: 2010-09-14 08:04 pm (UTC)And yes, that is Cyd and Julien. They pop up all over in the background. Technically they live together in my game as well but they move around a lot since they are my official "Random set place holders". If I need a random residential set, it is a safe bet those two are the residents :)
This time though they were actually customers!
no subject
Date: 2010-09-14 02:27 pm (UTC)I want to swoop in and save Ripp :(
And yay, more Anto!:D
no subject
Date: 2010-09-14 08:07 pm (UTC)Ripp :( But, Anto! He actually got more screen time! This makes me happy! And probably him too as well ...
no subject
Date: 2010-09-14 07:30 pm (UTC)Lol, personalities...you got hit with personality and then some XD.
no subject
Date: 2010-09-14 08:13 pm (UTC)I am not discussing the personalities >:|
Though I will admit in a lot of ways it works way better than what I had and I love that. What I don't love is the standing back and sniggering and going "You should have listened to us sooner." Jerks.
no subject
Date: 2010-09-14 08:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-14 08:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-16 03:28 am (UTC)Once again your interactions are just flawless, they create such a strong sense of each character.
no subject
Date: 2010-09-16 07:02 am (UTC)Thank you!