(no subject)
Lucas was back at his mother's grave after walking through the door. He found he didn't have to fake still being upset once he got back, the reality of the grave leaving him awash with fresh grief once more.
He ended up sleeping next to the grave only to be woken up by Claus the next morning.
"Where are you going?"
"To see Dad, then I'm going to the mountains where the Dragos live," Claus says. "I'm going to find the Drago that killed Mom."
"What?!" Lucas replies, turning to follow. "Why? What's that going to do?"
"It's going to avenge Mom is what that's going to do," Claus answers, turning to face his brother. "We can't let that thing get away with it!"
Claus turns to walk away again and Lucas follows, tripping as he does.
"Claus..." he says with no small amount of despair as he pushes himself up off the ground. "Claus, it's not going to bring Mom back..."
And now his brother is going to possibly face the same fate.
"At least let me come, too!" Lucas adds.
"No," Claus says, holding up the knife Lucas remembers Dad making. "I gotta do this alone. You can wait here for Dad."
"Claus!" Lucas calls.
But Claus was walking again and not turning around.
Lucas dusts himself off and turns to watch the grave again.
"What do I do, Mom...?" he whispers.
"Hey Lucas," a soft voice calls a bit later.
He looks up and replies, "Hi, Mister Duster."
"Lucas... I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am about what happened," Duster says, limping over until he's just close enough for Lucas to notice his halitosis.
He puts a hand on Lucas's shoulder, partially to comfort the boy and partially as a bit of aid so that he can get better footing on his lame leg.
"You know if you or anyone else in your family need anything, my dad and I will help," Duster tells him. "We'll always be there for you and your family."
Lucas nods, his mouth in a somewhat neutral expression.
"Thank you, Mister Duster," he says. "Mister Duster? Do you think you could you please help keep an eye out for Dad?"
"I'll do that," Duster gently says, giving Lucas a couple of pats on the shoulder before he limps away.
Eventually some mourners join him, though none stand next to him until Grandpa Alec arrives.
"Oh Grandpa," Lucas says, going to hug him.
"I know, Lucas," Alec says back, holding his grandson.
And when Lucas pulls away, he finds he's a little bit surprised to see Grandpa is crying, too. Even if it makes sense, he's never seen Grandpa cry before.
They stand there quietly again, Grandpa's tears drying before Dad is there to finally see. He puts a hand on Lucas's shoulder and the boy turns around.
"Dad..." Lucas starts, mentally reeling over Claus leaving and the renewed reality of Mom's death. "I thought you said anything could come true, as long as we prayed from the bottom of our hearts?!"
He could see Flint wince a little at his words.
"Mom can't even punish me anymore now... I...don't want it like this..."
Lucas turns back to the grave, wanting to give anything and everything for Mom to be here to scold him for withholding the truth.
Unfortunately, there are still people around to do that, as he realizes when Grandpa Alec calls his name after talking with Dad.
"Lucas," Alec says. "Do you know where Claus went?"
Lucas turns and his head involuntarily slumps down when he says, "...No..."
"Lucas!" Alec says again. "It's not good to keep secrets from people! Don't tell me Claus went after that despicable Drago to try to..."
"N-n-n-no! He didn't take Dad's homemade knife and go into the mountains to kill the Drago!" Lucas blurts out.
He then jumps and claps his hands over his mouth when he realizes what he's said. "...Aah!"
Alec says, "It's a good thing you raised him to be honest, Flint!! Does Claus honestly think a homemade knife can kill a Drago?! Lucas! Why didn't you stop him?!"
"Well..." Lucas begins, looking down again and wringing his shirt some. "I said I wanted to go, too, but he said no because he was going alone..."
"So you just let him go?!" Alec asks, alarmed. "You fool!!"
Lucas could feel his heart jumping into his throat, his voice getting choked up. He ran off with his head hung down, tears streaming down his face.
He ended up sleeping next to the grave only to be woken up by Claus the next morning.
"Where are you going?"
"To see Dad, then I'm going to the mountains where the Dragos live," Claus says. "I'm going to find the Drago that killed Mom."
"What?!" Lucas replies, turning to follow. "Why? What's that going to do?"
"It's going to avenge Mom is what that's going to do," Claus answers, turning to face his brother. "We can't let that thing get away with it!"
Claus turns to walk away again and Lucas follows, tripping as he does.
"Claus..." he says with no small amount of despair as he pushes himself up off the ground. "Claus, it's not going to bring Mom back..."
And now his brother is going to possibly face the same fate.
"At least let me come, too!" Lucas adds.
"No," Claus says, holding up the knife Lucas remembers Dad making. "I gotta do this alone. You can wait here for Dad."
"Claus!" Lucas calls.
But Claus was walking again and not turning around.
Lucas dusts himself off and turns to watch the grave again.
"What do I do, Mom...?" he whispers.
"Hey Lucas," a soft voice calls a bit later.
He looks up and replies, "Hi, Mister Duster."
"Lucas... I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am about what happened," Duster says, limping over until he's just close enough for Lucas to notice his halitosis.
He puts a hand on Lucas's shoulder, partially to comfort the boy and partially as a bit of aid so that he can get better footing on his lame leg.
"You know if you or anyone else in your family need anything, my dad and I will help," Duster tells him. "We'll always be there for you and your family."
Lucas nods, his mouth in a somewhat neutral expression.
"Thank you, Mister Duster," he says. "Mister Duster? Do you think you could you please help keep an eye out for Dad?"
"I'll do that," Duster gently says, giving Lucas a couple of pats on the shoulder before he limps away.
Eventually some mourners join him, though none stand next to him until Grandpa Alec arrives.
"Oh Grandpa," Lucas says, going to hug him.
"I know, Lucas," Alec says back, holding his grandson.
And when Lucas pulls away, he finds he's a little bit surprised to see Grandpa is crying, too. Even if it makes sense, he's never seen Grandpa cry before.
They stand there quietly again, Grandpa's tears drying before Dad is there to finally see. He puts a hand on Lucas's shoulder and the boy turns around.
"Dad..." Lucas starts, mentally reeling over Claus leaving and the renewed reality of Mom's death. "I thought you said anything could come true, as long as we prayed from the bottom of our hearts?!"
He could see Flint wince a little at his words.
"Mom can't even punish me anymore now... I...don't want it like this..."
Lucas turns back to the grave, wanting to give anything and everything for Mom to be here to scold him for withholding the truth.
Unfortunately, there are still people around to do that, as he realizes when Grandpa Alec calls his name after talking with Dad.
"Lucas," Alec says. "Do you know where Claus went?"
Lucas turns and his head involuntarily slumps down when he says, "...No..."
"Lucas!" Alec says again. "It's not good to keep secrets from people! Don't tell me Claus went after that despicable Drago to try to..."
"N-n-n-no! He didn't take Dad's homemade knife and go into the mountains to kill the Drago!" Lucas blurts out.
He then jumps and claps his hands over his mouth when he realizes what he's said. "...Aah!"
Alec says, "It's a good thing you raised him to be honest, Flint!! Does Claus honestly think a homemade knife can kill a Drago?! Lucas! Why didn't you stop him?!"
"Well..." Lucas begins, looking down again and wringing his shirt some. "I said I wanted to go, too, but he said no because he was going alone..."
"So you just let him go?!" Alec asks, alarmed. "You fool!!"
Lucas could feel his heart jumping into his throat, his voice getting choked up. He ran off with his head hung down, tears streaming down his face.