Pleasantries - Chapter 3, Part 7
Dec. 9th, 2010 01:35 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
genlisae
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Last time I will be spamming this part so, If you haven't already please read: The Future Of Pleasantries
Continued from Part 6
Advisories in Part 1 really are in effect this time including : Language, Violence (of the spousal abuse and death varieties), Angst (the angst fairy hit this one hard.), Death (This is a big one! With blood even.), And yes he really is an asshole! With name calling and degrading commentary in regards to sexual orientation.
Pleasantries - Chapter 3 - Grunt Work- Part 7
5:30 PM Friday, May 2
“Let’s say, just for arguments sake,” Fenrir explained, “there is a vat of acid there.”
Dirk shook his head, “Why would there be a vat of acid?”
“I don’t know,” Fen rolled his eyes, “Maybe it’s the dungeon of the Acid Fiend, Lord Corrosion or something.”
“That is the lamest dungeon boss name ever,” Dirk snorted.
Fen let his head fall forward in exasperation, “Do you understand the concept of hypothetical situations?”
Dirk laughed, “Alright, sorry. So there is Lord Corrosion the lamest dungeon boss ever and he is surrounded by vats of acid. Go on.”
“Right,” Fen lifted his head again, “Now let’s say you fell into one of these vats of acid and were totally melted down. No corpse or anything left at all.”
“Right,” Dirk nodded.
“Could the healer still resurrect you?”
“Of course they could,” Dirk scoffed, “Cause your molecules would still be there so the healer would just have to cast res on you and it would pick all the you bits out of the acid, fuse you back together and you are good to go.”
Damon shook his head, his expression grave, “That would be one hell of a lot of res sickness though.”
Dirk nodded agreement.
Lilith and Rein exchanged a glance in the heavy silence that followed. Slowly Rein’s lips began to twitch.
Lilith quickly looked away catching sight of Juliet, eyes squeezed tightly shut, hiding her face behind her hand. That proved to be Lilith’s undoing.
A moment later all three girls had dissolved into hysterics.
A split second later, already red faced from trying to control his own laughter, Tybalt joined them.
“What did I miss?” Damon asked puzzled.
Dirk’s brow furled in confusion, “Donno.”
“Sorry,” Juliet managed to choke out around peals of laughter, “You just …”
“You looked so serious,” Lilith gasped when Juliet’s voice failed her.
“Tel?” Ripp paused just inside the door, wringing his hands nervously.
Telesto turned to face him, “What’s up?”
Ripp sighed, “Could we maybe not mention anything?”
“Okay …” Telesto looked confused.
“About you know,” Ripp hurried to explain, “You helping me? I am okay with you around, but if they find out …”
Telesto grinned at him, “Got it. No mention of anything to do with dancing.”
Ripp visibly relaxed, “Thanks.”
“She’s perky!” Dirk was whining as Telesto and Ripp approached the couch, “No one should ever be that perky.”
“Hi,” Telesto flopped down beside Juliet flashing her a warm smile, “Who is perky?”
“Hi,” Juliet returned the smile, “Dirk’s father is dating again. Dirk doesn’t like her because she’s perky.”
“Which you would know,” Dirk accused, “If you two hadn’t been hiding for weeks.”
Feigning confusion Telesto turned to Ripp, “I haven’t been hiding. Have you been hiding?”
Ripp shook his head staring down at the floor. He should have known there were going to be questions.
“Cut the crap,” Dirk frowned, “You guys have been weird for weeks now.”
Telesto shrugged, “So what’s up with this chick your Dad is dating?”
Ripp tried to make himself as small as possible. Lilith was staring at him questioningly. His stomach clenched with guilt. He never kept anything from Lil. Well, not most things.
“Nice try,” Dirk snorted, “Seriously, what the hell is with you two? Ripp hasn’t even been around at lunch since …”
“I’m hungry,” Rein announced loudly interrupting Dirk, “Is anyone else hungry?”
“I am!” Juliet agreed immediately, “Let’s all go get something to eat.”
Dirk stared at her for a moment, “You know don’t you?”
Juliet smiled innocently, “Know what?”
“You both know,” Dirk added with a frown to Rein.
Ripp felt his stomach drop. Dirk was right. It was obvious Juliet and Rein both knew. It made sense if he thought about it. Of course Tel would tell Jules what was going on, she was his girlfriend after all and he would have told her why he was suddenly spending a lot less time with her. Rein, as Juliet’s best friend, would also know because Juliet would have told her.
So much for keeping secrets but at least Jules and Rein were trying to help divert the conversation.
Come to think of it why were Juliet and Rein trying to divert the conversation? He’d asked Telesto not to say anything, not them.
With a slight puzzled frown he turned his attention back to the conversation.
“No really,” Damon was saying, “You guys lock yourselves in Tel’s room as soon as you get there and then we don’t see you except when you come out for food or Ripp goes home. What the hell are you doing in there for hours on end?”
“Do I ask what you do in your room when the door is closed?” Telesto countered.
Damon grinned, “Nope, but I seriously doubt you and Ripp are doing the same thing as me and Tybalt.”
At that moment Ripp really wanted to couch to open up and swallow him. Even better if the floor would open up and swallow the couch after the couch had swallowed him.
Telesto laughed.
Ripp’s stomach gave a lurch at the sound momentarily distracting him from his misery. Tel had the coolest laugh. Okay so it was a little disheartening that Tel was laughing about just how ridiculous the thought of them ever being more than friends was, no matter how much Ripp might want to be way more than friends. Still Tel had the best laugh ever. He loved Tel’s laugh.
His stomach gave a second lurch. He loved a lot more about Tel than just his laugh.
“Keep wondering,” Telesto smirked, “Watching you guys miss the obvious is fucking hilarious.”
With that he stood and turned to Ripp, “You ready to go?”
Ripp nodded. He was more than ready to go. He’d been ready to go almost as soon as they sat down.
“Ripp?” Lilith finally spoke up as the two boys were leaving.
Ripp flashed her a small smile, “I’ll call you later, Lil.”
He wouldn’t. Not this time and they both knew it.
Leaning back against the wall in the corner Tank watched them leave, a wide, vicious smile spreading slowly across his face.
* * *
2:40 PM Tuesday, May 6
They stood staring thoughtfully down at the corpse.
“Not going to find blood,” Taneli remarked.
Anto nodded.
“No obvious sign of trauma,” Caliban added.
“Got to be something,” Anto countered, “We just haven’t found it yet.”
It was Taneli’s turn to nod, “So who is thinking what I am thinking?”
“Third dead alien girl in the last four weeks?” Cal asked.
“He’s quick,” Taneli remarked.
“We don’t know they are related,” Anto put in, “worth noting, but lets not jump to conclusions here.”
“You are absolutely right.” Caliban agreed, “We should never jump to conclusions. We are here to investigate the facts and only the facts. So when this one comes back with her organs scrambled as well you owe me a beer.”
Taneli chuckled as he turned to take in the rest of the scene.
Anto sighed. Of course they were related. He didn’t know how he knew, but they all knew it. What they didn’t know was the why and the how.
Three dead girls, all three alien. The first two with no outward signs of injury. Internally was another matter entirely.
Crouching down beside the body he smiled sadly, “Give me something to work with, alright? You give me something to work with and I will do my damnedest to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
* * *
3:00 PM Wednesday, May 7
“Where the hell are you going?” Tank demanded.
Ripp shot him a glare pushing past him, “Mind your own business.”
Tank let him go for a moment, waiting until he was almost at the door before he spoke, “You need to be home by six.”
“Dream on,” Ripp snorted, “I will be home when I get home.”
Tank smiled serenely, “You hear the most interesting things at FM on Fridays.”
Ripp froze.
“Things I am sure Dad would love to know about,” Tank continued, studying his nails nonchalantly, “Tell me, when you spend all that time locked in the little freak's room, who actually does the fucking? Do you like take turns or is one of you the designated girl? I’m curious, you know, not being a faggot myself …”
“You have no God damn idea what the hell you are talking about,” Ripp snarled cutting him off.
“That is the beauty of it,” Tank chuckled, “I don’t have to. Personally I do think you’re a fucking homo, but it doesn’t matter if you aren't. Who is Dad going to believe?”
Ripp’s shoulders slumped. Tank was right, it didn’t matter. There was no way Buzz would ever believe him.
“Now be a good boy and be home by six,” Tank smiled cheerfully, “I am going out tonight and I would really hate to have to explain to Dad that I had to cancel my plans because you were too busy screwing your little alien fuck-toy.”
* * *
3:45 PM Wednesday, May 7
Telesto leaned against the door he had just closed. For a long moment he stood watching Ripp shift uncomfortably from one foot to the other, “What?”
Ripp shook his head, “Nothing.”
“Something.”
Ripp sighed sinking down on the edge of the bed, “Remember last week at FM?”
Telesto nodded crossing the room to join him.
“Remember that comment Damon made about …” Ripp trailed off. He couldn’t bring himself to say it.
Telesto grinned, “That we aren’t doing the same thing in here that him and Tybalt do over there?”
Ripp ducked his head blushing, “Yeah, that one.”
“What about it?”
“Some people think we are,” Ripp mumbled quickly.
“Seriously? Who?”
Ripp’s blush intensified, “Tank.”
“How the hell does he figure that?” Telesto asked brows furled.
“He was at FM,” Ripp explained miserably, “I guess he heard the whole thing.”
Telesto was silent for a moment, “Okay, so Tank is a douche, but we all knew that. What is really wrong?”
“He’s threatening to tell my Dad if I am not home by six to look after Buck, which okay, whatever,” Ripp gave a sad shrug, “But he is not going to stop there. This is only the beginning.”
“But it isn’t true,” Telesto countered.
Ripp snorted, “You don’t know my Dad. True or not he would have a problem. Hell he’d have a problem just because I am friends with you.”
Telesto arched his brows, “Really?”
“Really.”
They were quiet for a moment, each lost in their own thoughts before Telesto spoke again.
“Okay,” he nodded, “So since I don’t plan on not being friends with you any time soon, why don’t you tell me what I need to know?”
Ripp grimaced, “That could take awhile.”
Shifting around on the bed, Telesto made himself comfortable, “I’ve got time.”
So Ripp told him.
He told him about Buzz’s problems with aliens and gays and really anyone that fit what Buzz considered “unnatural”.
He told him about Buzz’s objections to music and clothes and everything Buzz considered “abnormal”.
He even told him a small bit about Buzz’s problems with Ripp himself. How Buzz thought Ripp was lazy.
Ripp talked for a long time and through it all Telesto simply lay there, listening quietly, letting him talk.
When he was finished talking Ripp sat back surprised to find he felt just a little bit better. The world looked just a little bit brighter, he could breathe just a little bit easier.
Ripp was deep in contemplation over how strange it was to feel even that little bit of relief when he felt fingers lightly brush against his arm.
He jumped slightly, startled, staring down at Telesto’s hand.
“You okay?” Tel asked, “You looked awfully far away there for a second.”
Ripp nodded, forcing his attention to Telesto’s face and not on how much he wanted to take the alien’s hand in his instead of having it simply resting against his skin.
“Yeah,” he managed a small smile, “I guess I was just thinking.”
Telesto smiled back.
Ripp’s breath caught in his throat.
Kiss him! A voice shouted in the back of his mind and for a split second Ripp almost listened, leaning forward slightly to do just that before he came to his senses.
He quickly tore his gaze away from those all too tempting lips, “I should go before I’m late.”
“Okay,” Telesto replied quietly, pulling his hand away and sitting up.
Ripp stood and headed for the door, Telesto following close behind.
“Hey?”
Ripp stopped at the sound of Telesto’s voice, “Yeah?”
“You know I am always here if you need anything, right?”
Ripp nodded as he opened the door, “I know.”
He did know. That was part of what made Telesto such an amazing friend. What he didn’t know was if he could keep what he wanted from becoming what he needed.
* * *
10:23 AM Thursday, May 8
Anto stepped out onto the sidewalk and shifted the grocery bag to his other hand fumbling for his car keys.
“You are looking for me,” a voice said from over his shoulder.
He froze momentarily caught off guard before slowly turning to face the owner of the voice. “I am?”
The boy nodded but didn’t say more.
Anto took a moment to take in his appearance. This kid couldn’t be more than about 16, if he was even that old and everything about him from his ripped jeans to his ill fitting t-shirt suggested he lived on the streets.
“I don’t know what I would be looking for you for,” Anto said after a few moments when the boy didn’t volunteer any more information.
“You will,” the boy answered, “but I can’t be seen talking to you like this. It’s not safe, for either of us. You live above O’Malley’s right?”
Anto nodded, a little startled that this kid would know that.
“I’ll find you,” the boy smiled before disappearing into the alley.
Anto stared after him for a long moment. How incredibly bizarre.
* * *
2:20 AM Friday, May 9
He’d been very, very bad and now his father was shouting at his mother.
His mother didn’t answer. The only sound she made was the rhythmic, angry tapping of the knife against the cutting board.
He knocked a chair over in his hurry to hide. Crouching under the table he covered his ears trying to block out the words.
He could still hear them. On and on his father went, shouting so loud he could feel it vibrating through the wooden floor.
Still the only sound from his mother was the tap, tap, tap of the knife.
Then a new sound.
Flesh striking flesh. Hard!
His mother cried out.
The knife skidded across the floor spinning to a stop just at the edge of the table.
She was sobbing now. Quiet little choking gasps.
His father was still shouting. Soon he would slap her again and again and again. His father always slapped her more for crying.
This was all his fault. He had to make it stop.
His toe stubbed against the knife handle as he scurried out from under the table. In a daze he extended a hand to pick it up.
Then the shouting had stopped.
“Momma?” he cradled her head against his leg where she had collapsed, bringing him down with her.
She didn’t move, didn’t look at him. Her eyes had gone cold, empty. He watched as the crimson trails slowly trickled over her lips. Lips that had always been ready with a smile to tell him how much she loved him didn’t so much as twitch.
For a long time he didn’t move. The whole world seemed to have gone silent.
And all the while the stain spread out along the floor.
At long last she moved. Inch by inch her head tilting back until wide, tear filled eyes met his.
Her lips at last moved, but not to smile. Instead they formed one word. One word spoken in a voice cold and hollow and breathless.
“Why?”
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Chapter 4 is now started.
So umm, I'd like to take a moment to point out if you strangle me (even virtual strangles can be deadly!) We won't get to Chapter 4 ... which is just waiting for pics!
