MCSKSG, Four point four
End of Chapter 4! Fun stuff starts tomorrow! :D)-\ 2,211 words.
Para stayed for breakfast. I found this out when I walked downstairs and saw her eating at the table. She greeted me with a smile and a, "Morning!"
I just stopped in the doorway, giving her a bleary-eyed stare, and mumbled back something to the same effect. I wasn't really happy about seeing her here. There's also the fact that walking into your kitchen in the morning to find your history teacher sitting at the table in your mother's red silk pajamas is really surreal.
Mom looked up from the stove, radiant and sunny as ever. "Morning, honey! Have a seat."
I wasn't quite awake enough to argue yet, so I walked over and sat down at the table. Mom set a plate in front of me and then sat down across the table, near Para. Despite having woken up starving, I suddenly wasn't that hungry anymore.
"This is kind of nice." I didn't really think Mom had any business sounding that happy. She smiled brightly at Para. "It almost feels like a real family."
I set my fork down, pushing myself to my feet.
"Guido?"
"I'm eating upstairs."
"Guido." I grabbed my plate and got about two steps before the, "Guido Julius Barcardi."
I fell back into my seat with a huff, setting the plate back down on the table a little more harshly than I'd intended. I heard Para mumble, "Maybe I should go--"
"You stay right here." Mom looked me in the eye from across the table. "Do you have a problem with sitting down to eat breakfast as a family?"
"She's not a part of this family."
"Guido!"
I saw Para sink back in her chair, nervously fidgeting with her hair.
"Well she's not."
"Alicia, I really think maybe I should leave--"
"Stay!" Mom stood, slamming her hands down on the table, glaring down at me. "What has gotten into you today, Guido? You don't usually act like this when she's over."
"You don't usually call her family when she's over."
"Alicia--"
"You know full well I didn't mean it like that, Guido--"
"Don't call her family! She's not! She's not my dad, she's your girlfriend, it's not the same thing! It isn't like a real family! We are a real family, Mom!"
I heard Para's chair slide back and glanced away from Mom long enough to see her stand and move away from the table.
"Para!" Mom moved for her and I used the distraction as an opportunity to grab my plate and head back up to my room. She called after me but I could hear Para saying, "Let him go."
I just wanted a break today, damn it. I didn't want to be getting in fights with Mom over statements made at breakfast, and I didn't want Para to be here all goddamn day. This was seriously hindering my plans to not do anything today, because now I just didn't want to be at home. When I left by way of the tree, Para's car was still in the driveway. That just seemed to justify my leaving.
I wasn't sure where I was going. I just needed to be somewhere else. I ended up just aimlessly wandering Prontera most of the day, trying to forget about my own life and concentrate on something else for a while.
It was a nice day out, warm as usual for our unusual February weather. Maybe Kafra was behind the weather, somehow. Wouldn't that be ironic. Maybe I'd end up eventually fighting a weather monster. Why did Kafra keep turning its employees into monsters anyway, and how were they doing it in such a way that we could talk them down from it? Why was it our job? And why didn't the police ever show up in the middle of a fight to try and handle it instead?
Ironic that I'd be thinking about the Kafra monsters, because one ran past me right then in a blur of orange and black. When I turned around to look, I realized the Kafra monster was skidding to a stop and turning around to stare at me.
Oh, not cool. Can these things sense your artifacts or what? I ran for the closest alley to transform; I could hear it running after me. I hopped up to the nearest roof, looking back down as the Kafra took too wide a turn and rammed straight into the alley wall.
Another fight was really the last thing I wanted right now, but there wasn't a whole lot I could do to fix that.
I jumped down, back into the street, and waited for the Kafra to come out of the alley for a renewed assault.
"You're n-n-not water, are you?"
I looked up for the source of the voice. He'd appeared beside me, another Seductionist. He was a Rose, short brown hair, ears and tail fading from cream into black at the tips, wearing glasses that somehow managed to stay balanced on his nose despite not having the earpieces that usually hold them on. He had a greatcoat trimmed in ribbon and fringed in lace ruffles, a lace cravat (which made me feel slightly better about my own), and of course the ribbon tied around his waist into a bow in the back. It was kind of nice, actually, to find a Seductionist who was not only another guy, but a Rose too. I felt a little less out of place in this role now.
He pulled a book out from somewhere under the mantle of his greatcoat, flipping it open and following the words with a finger against the page. "N-no...earth?" He adjusted his glasses, looking worried. "Oh, d-d-d-dear. This won't d-d-do."
How did he know before I told him? Was it in that book somehow? I didn't have long to ponder that; the Kafra pounced at us and we dodged in opposite directions.
I whirled around to face her as she slid to a stop on all fours and turned to snarl at us. She seemed vaguely tiger-like. "She's f-f-f-f-fire." He'd sidled up to me again. "Water would b-b-be b-best."
The stutter was getting a little annoying, but at least he wasn't Lydia. "She's not attacking with fire."
Of course as soon as I said that she opened her mouth to spit a gout of flame at us. A flash instinctive reaction, I pulled up on the street's strings to raise a wall of asphalt in front of me. It blocked the attack nicely, but damn. "Okay, she's attacking with fire!"
"See?!" He'd ducked behind my wall too and was now furiously flipping through the pages of his book.
"Yeah." That could be a bit of a problem.
"Oh d-d-dear..." He fidgeted with his glasses again, scanning the pages.
"What are you doing?"
"There has t-t-to be a w-way..."
A quick glance up revealed the Kafra at the top of the asphalt wall; I grabbed him and dragged him away before she could land on us.
"P-p-p-p-perhaps b-b-burying her in earth would..."
"Are you gonna fight or what?"
"Oh. Oh." He turned around and held up a hand; the Kafra had been pouncing at us again but this time she slammed straight into nothing, like an invisible wall, and fell right out of the air, hands (paws?) pressed to her face.
"C-can you t-t-t-trap her?"
"I don't know, I'm pretty new to this whole magic thing--"
"T-t-try!"
She was struggling to her feet. Well, I did need practice, right? I found the strings again and pulled at the wall I'd raised, sending it falling on top of her, pinning her from the waist down at least. I was the one who pounced this time, kneeling beside her with one knee between her shoulders, and set a hand on the back of her head to keep her face-down in the street. She flailed, but I managed to stay away from those dangerous looking claws.
The other guy walked over, kneeling in front of her, and started talking her down. Amazingly enough, he didn't stutter at all during that part. The monster parts faded, leaving a very disheveled looking Kafra girl under me. I got up then, stepping off to the side.
He raised his hands and the asphalt that had been pinning her down lifted into the air. With a side-ways motion of dropping his arms, it fell back to the street, off to the side. It was like he was controlling it with his mind.
I helped the Kafra girl to her feet and she thanked us before running off.
"Who are you?" I turned to him.
"The P-P-P-P-P-Professor." He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as he adjusted his glasses again, looking down at his book. "You're the C-C-Cowboy."
"Yeah."
"N-n-nice work." He closed the book, shoving it back under his mantle somewhere. "The m-m-media."
What? A quick glance up revealed a news van pulling up and people peeking out of doorways at us. News van. That was bad news.
We both had the same thought apparently, because I glanced up from the roof where I landed to see him vanish over one on the other side of the street. He waved before skipping off to another and falling out of sight, which I returned somewhat uncertainly. Weird guy. Maybe I'd run into him again later and actually get to ask him what his deal was.
It was a few blocks away that I finally dropped over the side onto the ground and changed back. That was where I realized I was only a few steets from home now and I decided with a sigh to head back.
Para's car was no longer in the driveway, but the front door was locked so that meant she and Mom had probably taken it out somewhere together. I came in by way of the tree and my bedroom window instead.
I was still feeling really wound up about that morning, and now added to that was worry about whether those news crews had actually caught me and the Professor on film. I decided on a shower to see if it would help get my mind off any of it, but it didn't really. Usually showers make me feel at least a little better, but not today, I guess.
After getting dressed again I spent some time just sitting on my bed thinking about the fight, both of them. I found myself wishing I could go live with my dad for a while just so I wouldn't have to deal with Mom and Para together. It was really the first time I'd ever seriously wished for something like that, and it was kind of depressing.
Maybe hanging out with Chris would help. I didn't put my boots back on, trading them instead for the sneakers I'd worn before I'd gotten them. I didn't want any more fights today, and if I could be tracked by wearing them like today's Kafra had seemed to be able to do, I'd rather not risk it.
I left by way of the tree again, and walked the back roads to Chris's place. It was nearly dark by the time I got there, but not especially late. It still gets dark early in February, oddly warm weather or not. I was slow taking the stairs up, figuring the ghost wouldn't strike until mid-nightish.
Unfortunately, I found Chris's door locked and nobody was answering. He hadn't told me he was going anywhere tonight, damn it. I sighed, leaning against the door, and tried to figure out what I was doing now. I still wasn't so keen on heading home just yet; I ended up sitting outside his door to see if his family would be home anytime soon.
I really shouldn't have been this down about it. It was just a fight over breakfast. Did Mom even realize what she'd said? Why I was upset about it? Like we're not a real family... It's been just the two of us since I was born, does that not count for anything?
Chris's family wasn't getting home any time soon. Maybe I could stay at Rayu's for the night, if he hadn't left for Geffen/Morroc/whichever yet.
Reluctantly, I started back down the stairs. I passed somebody at the third landing down, halfway between the seventh and sixth floors, and stopped when I recognized Lacy's brown ballet-slipper style shoes. She stopped too and we looked up at each other.
"...Hey."
"...Hey," I echoed.
She glanced away, reaching up to tuck her hair behind her ear. "You're not wearing the boots today, huh?"
"...No."
"Hey, um..." She looked back at me and then let her eyes drift down to the floor. "Sorry I kind of went off like that last time. I was just...kind of frustrated."
I hesitated for a moment before finally saying, "It's okay." I was just really surprised that she'd apologized. With the look she'd given me Thursday when she'd caught me coming to talk to Esperanza, it was really unexpected.
"Um, anyway..." She flashed a faint smile, gave a light shrug, and stepped off for the stairs leading up.
That was when the lights went out.
Para stayed for breakfast. I found this out when I walked downstairs and saw her eating at the table. She greeted me with a smile and a, "Morning!"
I just stopped in the doorway, giving her a bleary-eyed stare, and mumbled back something to the same effect. I wasn't really happy about seeing her here. There's also the fact that walking into your kitchen in the morning to find your history teacher sitting at the table in your mother's red silk pajamas is really surreal.
Mom looked up from the stove, radiant and sunny as ever. "Morning, honey! Have a seat."
I wasn't quite awake enough to argue yet, so I walked over and sat down at the table. Mom set a plate in front of me and then sat down across the table, near Para. Despite having woken up starving, I suddenly wasn't that hungry anymore.
"This is kind of nice." I didn't really think Mom had any business sounding that happy. She smiled brightly at Para. "It almost feels like a real family."
I set my fork down, pushing myself to my feet.
"Guido?"
"I'm eating upstairs."
"Guido." I grabbed my plate and got about two steps before the, "Guido Julius Barcardi."
I fell back into my seat with a huff, setting the plate back down on the table a little more harshly than I'd intended. I heard Para mumble, "Maybe I should go--"
"You stay right here." Mom looked me in the eye from across the table. "Do you have a problem with sitting down to eat breakfast as a family?"
"She's not a part of this family."
"Guido!"
I saw Para sink back in her chair, nervously fidgeting with her hair.
"Well she's not."
"Alicia, I really think maybe I should leave--"
"Stay!" Mom stood, slamming her hands down on the table, glaring down at me. "What has gotten into you today, Guido? You don't usually act like this when she's over."
"You don't usually call her family when she's over."
"Alicia--"
"You know full well I didn't mean it like that, Guido--"
"Don't call her family! She's not! She's not my dad, she's your girlfriend, it's not the same thing! It isn't like a real family! We are a real family, Mom!"
I heard Para's chair slide back and glanced away from Mom long enough to see her stand and move away from the table.
"Para!" Mom moved for her and I used the distraction as an opportunity to grab my plate and head back up to my room. She called after me but I could hear Para saying, "Let him go."
I just wanted a break today, damn it. I didn't want to be getting in fights with Mom over statements made at breakfast, and I didn't want Para to be here all goddamn day. This was seriously hindering my plans to not do anything today, because now I just didn't want to be at home. When I left by way of the tree, Para's car was still in the driveway. That just seemed to justify my leaving.
I wasn't sure where I was going. I just needed to be somewhere else. I ended up just aimlessly wandering Prontera most of the day, trying to forget about my own life and concentrate on something else for a while.
It was a nice day out, warm as usual for our unusual February weather. Maybe Kafra was behind the weather, somehow. Wouldn't that be ironic. Maybe I'd end up eventually fighting a weather monster. Why did Kafra keep turning its employees into monsters anyway, and how were they doing it in such a way that we could talk them down from it? Why was it our job? And why didn't the police ever show up in the middle of a fight to try and handle it instead?
Ironic that I'd be thinking about the Kafra monsters, because one ran past me right then in a blur of orange and black. When I turned around to look, I realized the Kafra monster was skidding to a stop and turning around to stare at me.
Oh, not cool. Can these things sense your artifacts or what? I ran for the closest alley to transform; I could hear it running after me. I hopped up to the nearest roof, looking back down as the Kafra took too wide a turn and rammed straight into the alley wall.
Another fight was really the last thing I wanted right now, but there wasn't a whole lot I could do to fix that.
I jumped down, back into the street, and waited for the Kafra to come out of the alley for a renewed assault.
"You're n-n-not water, are you?"
I looked up for the source of the voice. He'd appeared beside me, another Seductionist. He was a Rose, short brown hair, ears and tail fading from cream into black at the tips, wearing glasses that somehow managed to stay balanced on his nose despite not having the earpieces that usually hold them on. He had a greatcoat trimmed in ribbon and fringed in lace ruffles, a lace cravat (which made me feel slightly better about my own), and of course the ribbon tied around his waist into a bow in the back. It was kind of nice, actually, to find a Seductionist who was not only another guy, but a Rose too. I felt a little less out of place in this role now.
He pulled a book out from somewhere under the mantle of his greatcoat, flipping it open and following the words with a finger against the page. "N-no...earth?" He adjusted his glasses, looking worried. "Oh, d-d-d-dear. This won't d-d-do."
How did he know before I told him? Was it in that book somehow? I didn't have long to ponder that; the Kafra pounced at us and we dodged in opposite directions.
I whirled around to face her as she slid to a stop on all fours and turned to snarl at us. She seemed vaguely tiger-like. "She's f-f-f-f-fire." He'd sidled up to me again. "Water would b-b-be b-best."
The stutter was getting a little annoying, but at least he wasn't Lydia. "She's not attacking with fire."
Of course as soon as I said that she opened her mouth to spit a gout of flame at us. A flash instinctive reaction, I pulled up on the street's strings to raise a wall of asphalt in front of me. It blocked the attack nicely, but damn. "Okay, she's attacking with fire!"
"See?!" He'd ducked behind my wall too and was now furiously flipping through the pages of his book.
"Yeah." That could be a bit of a problem.
"Oh d-d-dear..." He fidgeted with his glasses again, scanning the pages.
"What are you doing?"
"There has t-t-to be a w-way..."
A quick glance up revealed the Kafra at the top of the asphalt wall; I grabbed him and dragged him away before she could land on us.
"P-p-p-p-perhaps b-b-burying her in earth would..."
"Are you gonna fight or what?"
"Oh. Oh." He turned around and held up a hand; the Kafra had been pouncing at us again but this time she slammed straight into nothing, like an invisible wall, and fell right out of the air, hands (paws?) pressed to her face.
"C-can you t-t-t-trap her?"
"I don't know, I'm pretty new to this whole magic thing--"
"T-t-try!"
She was struggling to her feet. Well, I did need practice, right? I found the strings again and pulled at the wall I'd raised, sending it falling on top of her, pinning her from the waist down at least. I was the one who pounced this time, kneeling beside her with one knee between her shoulders, and set a hand on the back of her head to keep her face-down in the street. She flailed, but I managed to stay away from those dangerous looking claws.
The other guy walked over, kneeling in front of her, and started talking her down. Amazingly enough, he didn't stutter at all during that part. The monster parts faded, leaving a very disheveled looking Kafra girl under me. I got up then, stepping off to the side.
He raised his hands and the asphalt that had been pinning her down lifted into the air. With a side-ways motion of dropping his arms, it fell back to the street, off to the side. It was like he was controlling it with his mind.
I helped the Kafra girl to her feet and she thanked us before running off.
"Who are you?" I turned to him.
"The P-P-P-P-P-Professor." He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as he adjusted his glasses again, looking down at his book. "You're the C-C-Cowboy."
"Yeah."
"N-n-nice work." He closed the book, shoving it back under his mantle somewhere. "The m-m-media."
What? A quick glance up revealed a news van pulling up and people peeking out of doorways at us. News van. That was bad news.
We both had the same thought apparently, because I glanced up from the roof where I landed to see him vanish over one on the other side of the street. He waved before skipping off to another and falling out of sight, which I returned somewhat uncertainly. Weird guy. Maybe I'd run into him again later and actually get to ask him what his deal was.
It was a few blocks away that I finally dropped over the side onto the ground and changed back. That was where I realized I was only a few steets from home now and I decided with a sigh to head back.
Para's car was no longer in the driveway, but the front door was locked so that meant she and Mom had probably taken it out somewhere together. I came in by way of the tree and my bedroom window instead.
I was still feeling really wound up about that morning, and now added to that was worry about whether those news crews had actually caught me and the Professor on film. I decided on a shower to see if it would help get my mind off any of it, but it didn't really. Usually showers make me feel at least a little better, but not today, I guess.
After getting dressed again I spent some time just sitting on my bed thinking about the fight, both of them. I found myself wishing I could go live with my dad for a while just so I wouldn't have to deal with Mom and Para together. It was really the first time I'd ever seriously wished for something like that, and it was kind of depressing.
Maybe hanging out with Chris would help. I didn't put my boots back on, trading them instead for the sneakers I'd worn before I'd gotten them. I didn't want any more fights today, and if I could be tracked by wearing them like today's Kafra had seemed to be able to do, I'd rather not risk it.
I left by way of the tree again, and walked the back roads to Chris's place. It was nearly dark by the time I got there, but not especially late. It still gets dark early in February, oddly warm weather or not. I was slow taking the stairs up, figuring the ghost wouldn't strike until mid-nightish.
Unfortunately, I found Chris's door locked and nobody was answering. He hadn't told me he was going anywhere tonight, damn it. I sighed, leaning against the door, and tried to figure out what I was doing now. I still wasn't so keen on heading home just yet; I ended up sitting outside his door to see if his family would be home anytime soon.
I really shouldn't have been this down about it. It was just a fight over breakfast. Did Mom even realize what she'd said? Why I was upset about it? Like we're not a real family... It's been just the two of us since I was born, does that not count for anything?
Chris's family wasn't getting home any time soon. Maybe I could stay at Rayu's for the night, if he hadn't left for Geffen/Morroc/whichever yet.
Reluctantly, I started back down the stairs. I passed somebody at the third landing down, halfway between the seventh and sixth floors, and stopped when I recognized Lacy's brown ballet-slipper style shoes. She stopped too and we looked up at each other.
"...Hey."
"...Hey," I echoed.
She glanced away, reaching up to tuck her hair behind her ear. "You're not wearing the boots today, huh?"
"...No."
"Hey, um..." She looked back at me and then let her eyes drift down to the floor. "Sorry I kind of went off like that last time. I was just...kind of frustrated."
I hesitated for a moment before finally saying, "It's okay." I was just really surprised that she'd apologized. With the look she'd given me Thursday when she'd caught me coming to talk to Esperanza, it was really unexpected.
"Um, anyway..." She flashed a faint smile, gave a light shrug, and stepped off for the stairs leading up.
That was when the lights went out.