We are defined by the things we fear.

[bigbads]

The door creaks open, and a little boy steps into the Inn, looking a little confused. If you bother to look behind him, you can see a hospital room, and a boy who looks... just like this boy, actually... lying unconscious in the bed

Comments

[lifetimerole]

He might be just barely this side of being a kid himself, but Peter's always had a compassion for those younger than himself. Mercifully, he is actually wearing jeans and a T-shirt advertising St. Cecilia's School. "Um, hey, kid, are you alright?"

[bigbads]

Billy's still frowning as he looks up at the other kid, looking more than a little confused - not unlike a lot of people who first come into the Inn, actually.

"Where am I?"

[lifetimerole]

"You're at the Inn." Peter crouches down so he can get a bit better look at him. "It's... well, I don't know where it is, really, but it's not where you're coming from." Beat. "Uh. I'm not too good at this introduction thing."

[bigbads]

Billy looks back over his shoulder at the door, rather nervously. "So the Ugly Man's not here?" Someone may have just woken up (so to speak) from bad dreams. He's got dark rings around his eyes, like he hasn't slept well in a while - or like they're fading bruises, it's hard to tell.

[lifetimerole]

"Um. More than likely not the man you're thinking of. I saw a couple ugly men the other day, but they're not really up to capital letters." ... the mun would like to know who Peter's meaning.

[bigbads]

He eyes the door for a second quietly, and then swings his gaze back to Peter. "Good. It's safe here?"

Peter might not be good at the introductions, but something about him is reassuring to a little kid.

[lifetimerole]

"Yeah. It is." At the very least it's safer than back home. He holds out a hand. "My name's Peter."

[bigbads]

Billy looks, for a moment, a little bemused at Peter offering him a hand. Grown-up people don't usually offer to shake like that, but after a moment he puts his hand in Peter's. "I'm Billy."

[lifetimerole]

Peter smiles. "Come on, Billy. Let's go sit down. What do you like to drink?" He pauses, then looks at the boy, confident, comforting. "Um. I'm going to warn you. Food appears here when you think about it. I promise it's not bad. It's just food. This place is really wierd, but it's not bad." Anything that gives him his Jason back can't be bad.

[bigbads]

Billy looks up at Peter, somewhat baffled. But he's so confident, it's just the sort of thing you don't question. "Umm... okay?" There's a pause as he thinks back to Peter's question. "Cream soda?"

As he says it, a can appears in his hand. Startled, he drops it. He's not usually this jumpy, it's just... special circumstances.

[lifetimerole]

"Oooh! Careful!" Peter thinks up a can of cream soda, and one of coke, setting the cream soda in front of Billy and taking the coke for himself and opening it, drinking a bit. "See? It's alright. I know it's startling sometimes, but it will be alright." Not as startling, though, as seeing one's dead boyfriend, but that doesn't need to be discussed at the moment.

[bigbads]

Billy frowns a little at his cream soda, silent for a while, and then he says at last, "If I open it now, it's going to explode." And he wouldn't want to get the soda all over the nice carpet in here.

[lifetimerole]

"I'll teach you a trick." Peter takes the can and thumps on the side a few times. "If you flick the side, then it won't fizz all over. Also, you have to open it reeeeeeally slowly." He clicks the top and the can goes pfffffzzzt. Yes, just like that. It foams slightly, but opens without mess. "See!"

[bigbads]

Billy looks impressed. He smiles a little shyly and takes the soda, sipping it carefully. "Thanks. I never heard that..."

[lifetimerole]

"I pick up the oddest things sometimes." Around the theatre, but he's not saying that just yet. "You never know when you're going to need odd information." He smiles. "So, where are you from, Billy?"

[bigbads]

He doesn't actually look up from his soda as he talks - he's still trying to get his bearings here, and it's easier if he doesn't look at Peter when he's talking to him.

"Sunnydale. In... California."