TR 8
Authors: Marina and Casey
Story: Taking Root
Challenge: Coconut 5 (does this make me look fat?), Milk Chocolate 29 (stagnation) [Marina]; Blueberry Yogurt 5 (on edge) [Casey]
Toppings/Extras: Caramel, Chopped Nuts, Smoothie
Word Count: 1,057
Rating: PG
Summary: [October] Chase receives an unwanted present from his father.
Notes: Introducing Resh and Kenz!
Nicole Solaris bounded into the kitchen with a wide grin. "Drink break!"
"You mean Carrie is letting you take a break from helping beat things?" Kenz Midden asked, leaning comfortably against Nicole's older brother, Resh, who had an arm around her waist.
Chase snorted, shifting a little in his seat on the kitchen table. "Do you guys have any root beer?"
"Um, always," Resh said, with a mock affronted look. "Nic'll grab you one if you want it."
"Who says?" Nicole retorted.
Resh reached over and ruffled her hair. "I do."
In turn, she elbowed him hard in the side. "I don't need to listen to you, jerk."
"Please may I have a root beer, Nicole?" Chase asked, as sweetly as he could manage.
She grinned. "Course, Chase," she said easily, bopping over to the fridge and tossing him a soda as she fished out another for herself. He saluted in thanks and popped the tab. Nicole blinked, tilting her head at him curiously. "What's that around your wrist, Chase? That's new, isn't it?"
He glanced down at the ID bracelet and scowled. Instead of replying, he took a sip of his root beer as if doing so would make the thing disappear. She raised an eyebrow but did not press it, instead leaning against the counter and opening her bottle.
Her brother, highly intrigued, did not pay him the same courtesy. "S'not nice to not answer a question, Chase. Something's got you riled."
"Resh," Kenz said disapprovingly.
"I don't want to talk about it," Chase said flatly.
"You could at least say what it is. You're not exactly the jewelry type." At that Kenz stomped hard on Resh’s foot. "Ow! Okay, okay, shit. Chase, it is quite all right if you do want to wear jewelry. I won't hold it against you."
"It's not jewelry." Chase hopped off the table, slamming the can down onto it. "It's a freaking identification bracelet my stupid dad is making me wear because he thinks I'm still a baby." He began to stomp out of the kitchen.
"Oh great, way to be a bigger jerkface than usual, Resh," Nicole said, glaring at him.
"How was I supposed to know?" Resh protested.
Kenz frowned. "Chase, do not go. You know Resh does not mean to be insensitive or stupid."
Her gentle voice deflated Chase somewhat, and he stopped in the doorway, though he did not turn around. "Really? Could've fooled me," he muttered.
"I'm sorry, Chase," Resh said apologetically.
"Yeah, it's stupid your dad thinks you're a baby, but our parents did something similar," Nicole piped up. "Our phones have GPS things so they can track us, because Resh is stupid."
"Okay, honestly, can we stop calling me names?" Resh said. "I said I'm sorry!"
Chase turned, unclasped the bracelet, and handed it to Nicole. "It's got a tiny button on the back," he said wearily. "If I get in trouble, like if I'm kidnapped or something, I'm s'posed to hold it down for three seconds and my dad will be able to find me."
She turned it over, squinting at the button before examining the rest of it. "Well, at least it's not butt ugly or anything."
"It's babyish," he insisted. "I'm freaking sixteen now, I don't need this."
"It does seem excessive," Kenz said. "But I suppose statistically we are just as likely to end up in some sort of serious trouble. You hear about it in the news almost every night."
Chase accepted the bracelet back from Nicole and refastened it mechanically. "Don't say I told you so if I ever have to use it, please."
"I would not dream of doing such a thing," she said.
"You say it to Resh all the time."
"Resh is different. And he makes it easy," she told him, smiling easily at Resh's nasty look. Nicole just snickered.
Chase had to smile, as well. "I guess so."
"Plus, there is a big difference between your situation and most of the times I tell Resh so," Kenz added. She tickled Resh in the side as she spoke, making him squirm and laugh as he tried to shove her hands away.
Chase made a disgusted face, but Carrie preempted a verbal response with a summons from the living room. "Nic! S'your turn!"
"Coming!" Nicole yelled back, handing her half-empty soda can to Chase unconcernedly and bouncing back into the family room.
Chase set hers on the table next to his. "I'm going to go watch," he said.
"All right. Enjoy," Kenz said.
"We'll try and not do anything to your drinks," Resh said with an air of innocence. Kenz just rolled her eyes. Chase mimicked her expression as he left the room.
Sensible Kenz had a point about the potential for trouble, and Chase’s own experiences had proved its truthfulness in the past-not that a tracking bracelet would have done him any good in the dragon world. His father did not know that, either, but he did remember that his children had gone missing for eleven days. That had, in fact, been one of his key arguments in getting the bracelet for Chase.
"I’ll feel better if you have this," Peter had told him, with a pleading look. "I won’t make you wear it, but I want to know that you can call for help if you need to."
When he said things like that, Chase had no real choice except to do what he asked. He remembered how terrible it had been to think that he might not ever get home, and imagined that it had been just as bad, if not worse, for his parents, who still had no idea what had even happened. They never would, if he was lucky.
He scowled darkly at the bracelet, then crossed his arms and slumped into a seat next to Carrie on the couch. It’s all Geran’s fault, he thought. Dad wouldn’t feel like this if it wasn’t for him.
Carrie had been focusing on Nicole’s progress, but she glanced back at him when she sensed his movement. “Chase? You okay?”
“Yeah, fine,” he said automatically, and let his features relax so she would not question it.
She merely arched an eyebrow, not fooled but willing to let it go for the moment. “Do you want a turn when Nicole’s done?”
“Yes, please.”
Story: Taking Root
Challenge: Coconut 5 (does this make me look fat?), Milk Chocolate 29 (stagnation) [Marina]; Blueberry Yogurt 5 (on edge) [Casey]
Toppings/Extras: Caramel, Chopped Nuts, Smoothie
Word Count: 1,057
Rating: PG
Summary: [October] Chase receives an unwanted present from his father.
Notes: Introducing Resh and Kenz!
Nicole Solaris bounded into the kitchen with a wide grin. "Drink break!"
"You mean Carrie is letting you take a break from helping beat things?" Kenz Midden asked, leaning comfortably against Nicole's older brother, Resh, who had an arm around her waist.
Chase snorted, shifting a little in his seat on the kitchen table. "Do you guys have any root beer?"
"Um, always," Resh said, with a mock affronted look. "Nic'll grab you one if you want it."
"Who says?" Nicole retorted.
Resh reached over and ruffled her hair. "I do."
In turn, she elbowed him hard in the side. "I don't need to listen to you, jerk."
"Please may I have a root beer, Nicole?" Chase asked, as sweetly as he could manage.
She grinned. "Course, Chase," she said easily, bopping over to the fridge and tossing him a soda as she fished out another for herself. He saluted in thanks and popped the tab. Nicole blinked, tilting her head at him curiously. "What's that around your wrist, Chase? That's new, isn't it?"
He glanced down at the ID bracelet and scowled. Instead of replying, he took a sip of his root beer as if doing so would make the thing disappear. She raised an eyebrow but did not press it, instead leaning against the counter and opening her bottle.
Her brother, highly intrigued, did not pay him the same courtesy. "S'not nice to not answer a question, Chase. Something's got you riled."
"Resh," Kenz said disapprovingly.
"I don't want to talk about it," Chase said flatly.
"You could at least say what it is. You're not exactly the jewelry type." At that Kenz stomped hard on Resh’s foot. "Ow! Okay, okay, shit. Chase, it is quite all right if you do want to wear jewelry. I won't hold it against you."
"It's not jewelry." Chase hopped off the table, slamming the can down onto it. "It's a freaking identification bracelet my stupid dad is making me wear because he thinks I'm still a baby." He began to stomp out of the kitchen.
"Oh great, way to be a bigger jerkface than usual, Resh," Nicole said, glaring at him.
"How was I supposed to know?" Resh protested.
Kenz frowned. "Chase, do not go. You know Resh does not mean to be insensitive or stupid."
Her gentle voice deflated Chase somewhat, and he stopped in the doorway, though he did not turn around. "Really? Could've fooled me," he muttered.
"I'm sorry, Chase," Resh said apologetically.
"Yeah, it's stupid your dad thinks you're a baby, but our parents did something similar," Nicole piped up. "Our phones have GPS things so they can track us, because Resh is stupid."
"Okay, honestly, can we stop calling me names?" Resh said. "I said I'm sorry!"
Chase turned, unclasped the bracelet, and handed it to Nicole. "It's got a tiny button on the back," he said wearily. "If I get in trouble, like if I'm kidnapped or something, I'm s'posed to hold it down for three seconds and my dad will be able to find me."
She turned it over, squinting at the button before examining the rest of it. "Well, at least it's not butt ugly or anything."
"It's babyish," he insisted. "I'm freaking sixteen now, I don't need this."
"It does seem excessive," Kenz said. "But I suppose statistically we are just as likely to end up in some sort of serious trouble. You hear about it in the news almost every night."
Chase accepted the bracelet back from Nicole and refastened it mechanically. "Don't say I told you so if I ever have to use it, please."
"I would not dream of doing such a thing," she said.
"You say it to Resh all the time."
"Resh is different. And he makes it easy," she told him, smiling easily at Resh's nasty look. Nicole just snickered.
Chase had to smile, as well. "I guess so."
"Plus, there is a big difference between your situation and most of the times I tell Resh so," Kenz added. She tickled Resh in the side as she spoke, making him squirm and laugh as he tried to shove her hands away.
Chase made a disgusted face, but Carrie preempted a verbal response with a summons from the living room. "Nic! S'your turn!"
"Coming!" Nicole yelled back, handing her half-empty soda can to Chase unconcernedly and bouncing back into the family room.
Chase set hers on the table next to his. "I'm going to go watch," he said.
"All right. Enjoy," Kenz said.
"We'll try and not do anything to your drinks," Resh said with an air of innocence. Kenz just rolled her eyes. Chase mimicked her expression as he left the room.
Sensible Kenz had a point about the potential for trouble, and Chase’s own experiences had proved its truthfulness in the past-not that a tracking bracelet would have done him any good in the dragon world. His father did not know that, either, but he did remember that his children had gone missing for eleven days. That had, in fact, been one of his key arguments in getting the bracelet for Chase.
"I’ll feel better if you have this," Peter had told him, with a pleading look. "I won’t make you wear it, but I want to know that you can call for help if you need to."
When he said things like that, Chase had no real choice except to do what he asked. He remembered how terrible it had been to think that he might not ever get home, and imagined that it had been just as bad, if not worse, for his parents, who still had no idea what had even happened. They never would, if he was lucky.
He scowled darkly at the bracelet, then crossed his arms and slumped into a seat next to Carrie on the couch. It’s all Geran’s fault, he thought. Dad wouldn’t feel like this if it wasn’t for him.
Carrie had been focusing on Nicole’s progress, but she glanced back at him when she sensed his movement. “Chase? You okay?”
“Yeah, fine,” he said automatically, and let his features relax so she would not question it.
She merely arched an eyebrow, not fooled but willing to let it go for the moment. “Do you want a turn when Nicole’s done?”
“Yes, please.”