What, me worry?
The Fountain
Layla tried to reason with this kid, hoping to get him to back off. But his mocking tested her patience.So what if I had filmed you? Would you be saying the world deserves to know your shame? You think you have the right to invade someone's privacy? And for what? Money? Fame? You're willing to destroy someone's lives for glory? You've left me no choice.
She dialed her phone.
Father? I'm at the water fountain now. There's this boy here who's harassing me, trying to film me, even invading my personal space. Okay.
She handed the phone over to the boy. My father wants a word with you.
"Young man, I don't know why you feel the need to film my daughter or dig around her affairs. But I suggest you cease and desist right away. I don't wish to persecute you. Because I'm sure it would cost you and your family quite a bit. But you will not do anything to harm my daughter. She's been through a lot already and I will not let you damage her further. If you don't cooperate and destroy any recordings of her, I will be taking you in court. Do we have an understanding?"
Fwomph
The Slab
"Mom took me on errands after school. We went up to this random big house and she needed my help to notice there were tire marks from a bike and they led here and now apparently I'm just allowed to hang out for now? I have no clue what's going on today."
Outside, Mrs Smith
As she went down to pick up another piece of this shed trash, she took the quickest glimpse at her phone even though she was pretty sure this child before her was the one.
"Alright, I think that's this all cleaned up. Are you alright?"
It's clearly a case of backroom political albumizing.
Alex's House
"Well, it is," said Coralie, getting back a smirk of amusement. "But all joking aside, here's where I come down on it: a nice, dull, simple life is no substitute for being who you really are- who you're most comfortable being around everyone else. So, if your doggy side isn't so dangerous, then, well... hopefully it makes that part simpler for ya."
"Ha! No, ma'am. I get enough misbehaviour done on my own." Truth be told, Coralie was a smidge annoyed that her transformation just now had already ended. She'd hoped to time it so that Sandra could get spooked by the strange woman in the house too, which would maybe lead to fun with the transmogrifier all around for the night. Oh well, there was always next time.
Coralie nodded along to Sandra relaying information about when her parents wanted to call, and pocketed the communicator for later. Then on being asked on what she'd like for dinner, Coralie had herself a little think. "Well, I have been craving some kind of pasta lately... Honestly, though, I've got no preference. Especially not after a weekend spent eating scraps of pilfered meals. You could do plain spaghetti with cheese grated over and it'd be a dish fit for a king to me."
THE SLORG!
Monday, Little Haven, Alex's house, after school - Alex Palencia the werewolf not sure what meaning was intended.
"Who I really am?" Alex muttered in a genuinely confused tone after Coralie's statement, clearly unsure how to take that.
After Coralie mentioned how simplistic she was feeling for dinner, Sandra looked taken aback in a way, though not in one that seemed to direct any negativity towards Coralie. (At least, not intentionally.) "Plain spaghetti with cheese? Oh no no no, we can do better than that. If you want pasta, I will make sopa seca de fideo.note Should be about thirty minutes," Sandra said in a proud tone, then turned and headed into the kitchen. There, she started to prepare chopped tomatoes, onions, garlic, and chipotle peppers, then threw them in a blender with a cup of water, and some chicken bouillon cubes.
As the cooking started to commence in the kitchen, Alex had turned his head back towards the television. His face however was still scrunched in confused thought, and it seemed like he wasn't really paying attention to the game show that was still on. "... I'm confused, did you mean I'm who I really am, or the wolf is who I really am?" he finally asked, turning back towards Coralie with utter befuddlement. Had he simply not even understood what she said/meant in the first place? Perhaps... Okay, more like probably.
You are reading this.
The Slab
Marilyn's phone buzzed one final time before finally quieting down.
"...well, it seems a bit...I don't know, rude?...to just ignore her completely...you should at least look at what she's sending you...she's probably apologizing..." said Val, again only to Marilyn.
Val seemed confused at Marilyn seeming confused. "...huh?...oh! Oh!..." (This was audible only to Marilyn until the final "oh", which was audible to everyone.) "...oh my gosh I didn't even notice I was doing that!...I don't think I could do that if I was trying...sorry about that, heh..."
Blake's story was met with confusion from Val (as best as anyone could tell). "...what?...that's not normal, right?...there's...definitely something weird about your parents...oh, have you told the others about the...you know, the thing?..." Val tried to covertly make a "flipping coin" gesture.
Outside
"Y-Yes, I'm fine, ma'am," said Elaine, who was obviously not fine. "And this, uh, this other girl I've never met before is fine too. Probably. I would assume," she continued, gesturing to Jackie. "Nothing to worry about here! Feel free to continue your phone conversation, don't mind us!"
The Fountain
Mr. Gardner's speech didn't just fall on deaf ears, it didn't fall on any ears, because the kid didn't actually put the phone up to his ear. He just stared at it until he was pretty sure whoever was on the other end was done talking, then hung up and tossed (not handed, tossed) Layla's phone back at her.
"Look, I don't care what you or your dad thinks. And I don't care about money or glory or whatever. I just want the world to know about all the weird shit that goes on. Like, like a week ago I was filming through the window of a building and I saw an adult turn into a teenager. That's crazy, right! I can't just let that pass by without anyone finding out about it!"
"So listen, this is how it's gonna be. I'm gonna film, and you can't do anything about it, and if you don't like it, you can just not walk in front of the camera, alright?"
Suggested wine pairing: pinot noir.
What, me worry?
The Fountain
Layla sensed this kid didn't even put the phone up to his ear. She heard her father chewing him out, but she knew he didn't hear him. Then she yelped after the kid threw her phone back at her. She didn't even question this adult that turned into a teenager. In fact, she was left speechless over him declaring he can do whatever he wants. If she had her head, she would be fighting back tears right now. All she could do is whimper as she began to saunter away from the fountain.Just then, she noticed the black Mercedes-Benz pulled up right to her. Mr. Gardner exited his vehicle before running over to his daughter in a warm embrace.
"Layla, did he listen to my message?" No, father, he didn't even put my phone up to his ear. And he said he can do whatever he wants. "Get in the car, Layla. I'll have a talk with him. I'll make sure he sees reason." Layla did as she was told, getting into the passenger seat. After the day she had, sitting in the luxury car, with its learher seating and the exquisite exterior made her feel safe. Something she hadn't felt since this morning.
Mr. Gardner marched up to the kid, his eyes sharpening into a glare that complimented his red hair and beard. The lawyer appeared as he was trying to restrain strangling this kid or breaking his camera.
"Young man, I don't know who you think you are or who you know, but you do not mess with my daughter. She has had a difficult enough life as it is before coming to Little Haven, and I will not tolerate you harassing her. Now, I will suggest that you hand over any footage you have of her to me right now. And you will not step within a foot of my daughter. If you don't comply with my request, I will call the police and they will confiscate your property. And I will press charges."
Mr. Gardner handed him his business card, reminding him that he just trifled with a lawyer's daughter.
"And let me remind you. I have been a lawyer for 20 years. And I have never lost a case. And I've dealt with people who are a lot more difficult than you. I will stomp right through you in the courtroom. Now I know someone like you doesn't want to go through all that. You're still a young kid. So I'm giving you a chance to make things right while you still can. Hand me the recordings and leave my daughter alone. And I'll leave you and take my daughter home and we can forget about everything. Or you can test me. Which is it?"
THE SLORG!
Monday, Little Haven, shopping center, The Slab, after school - Lynn Polyhymnia the quadruplets who have working phones.
"One, I doubt that. Two, I don't have any obligation to her, so as far as I'm concerned, we can ignore her as much as we want," Marilyn said to Val, closing her eyes. "But fine, as a courtesy to you, I'll look. If I don't like what I see though, I'm not responding," the yellow dressed quadruplet continued, getting her phone out of her pocket and checking the texts.
Meanwhile, Lindon glanced over at Blake. "Yeah, why would your mom need you to follow bike tracks? That doesn't make any sense... And what's Val talking about?" the blue dressed quadruplet wondered, in a rather confused tone.
You are reading this.
Alex's House
"Ooo, how exciting!" said Coralie, clapping her fingers rapidly. Of course, she had no idea what was supposed to be so special about 'dry noodle soup', but if this was apparently better than plain spaghetti, then she was eager to learn more. So she beamed excitedly up at Sandra as she went off to cook
"I mean, pourqué no las deus, right? Maybe the wolf somehow reflects how you are? Y'know, how you might look mean and scary from the outside but really you're just a big fluffball?"
She shrugged and grinned awkwardly, realising she'd probably stuck her foot in her mouth just now and offended the boy who'd invited her into his home.
"...I dunno, maybe I'm just projecting," she said, dropping smile and eye-contact while rubbing the back of her neck. "Mostly I just said that sappy stuff because I, ah...went through a transformation of my own long before getting to this town."
THE SLORG!
Monday, Little Haven, Alex's house, after school - Alex Palencia the werewolf who just realized a connection he doesn't like.
Alex looked like he was still somewhat confused, but starting to get it, tilting his head a little with his face still scrunched in deep thought. "The wolf, reflecting who I am? But the wolf is because..." After trailing off, Alex's eyes widened a little and he turned back forward on the couch. He pulled his legs up, hugging his knees to his chest. "<Not that bastard,>" he quietly and angrily muttered in Spanish, now in a very sour disposition.
"... So what's your transformation story? Or, is it something you don't want to talk about?" Alex said after a moment of silence, though his tone was still in, 'moody teenager angry at the unfairness of the world and their futile inability to change it' mode, which also kind of made it sound like he didn't actually care.
You are reading this.
For the Horde!
"I'm fine, I'm fine, I just gotta get home!" Jackie insisted, wincing and covering her shirt as she tried to escape and get back towards her house. She ran down the sidewalk, wincing, when she again collided with someone. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—" she started to say, when she looked up and her face flushed red.
She had run headlong into Gill, who looked at her confused.
"Hi, Jackie, are you all right?" he asked. Jackie just stared him up and down, looking mortified.
"Oh my goodness... I didn't mean to run into you, Gill... I just... I wanted to get home..." Jackie said, sniffling. Gill frowned, then put a hand on her shoulder.
"If you want, I could take you home," Gill told her. "But after that I have to go find Blake's house." Jackie shook her head.
"You d-don't have to do that," Jackie stammered. "In fact, you shouldn't. I'm supposed to be home by now... and what if Mom and Dad see me come home with a boy...!" Gill just tilted his head in confusion.
"What? Why would that matter?" Gill asked. Jackie gasped, clearing her throat.
"Uh! N-n-n-no reason!" Jackie stammered, face bright red. "I've-I've-I've-I-I-I gotta get home!" With that, Jackie started running back down the street towards her house. Gill looked confused for a moment but blinked a few times and sighed.
"I just wanted to help..." he muttered, starting the other direction and walking down the street to continue searching for Blake's house.
I can still hail the Horde even though the company has shamed us. Strength and Honor even if Blizzard has neither.
Alex's House
Oof. Yeah, she'd really put her foot in it. Trying to get him to be self-reflective just opened up a can of daddy-issues. Coralie slouched, looked away, and inwardly scolded herself for trying to play therapist. Stick to your own doctorate, girl.
Coralie was quiet for an uncharacteristic amount of time. Should she really be getting into it? Did she really want to spill her whole crybaby backstory for a kid she befriended today? Well, he did let her into his house and all...he was having a crummy attitude right now, but the sarcastic way he posed the question seemed to be almost daring her to spill it. Coralie never could resist a dare.
"...Let's just say..." she said at last, "...see, there was this boy back home, right? Very meek, very mild, didn't really stand out. 'cept for the fact that he was biracial and poor so, y'know, easy target in middle school. Kid just kept to himself, real quiet, real small, awkward and uncomfortable. Then one day, his school did this thing where you got put in a simulation of being somehow different- fat, tall, old, little. Think it was just supposed to scare kids straight, spook 'em with dysphoria. But then...that boy got to simulate being a girl... and all of a sudden. whooosh! It was like a breath of fresh air for 'im. It was like he was stuck in a tight suit all his life, and then all of a sudden he was in a big, loose, comfy mumu, floating on water.
"And when it was over, o'course, he didn't want it to stop. He begged and pleaded to his folks, and finally, he got to start transitioning. Not with scalpels and hormone injections, mind you, but with these Timeline Realignment booths that transmogrified you right down to the chromosomes. Had to move part-time over the border, and put my parents out of pocket (Dad never let me forget that) but boy, was it worth it just for the self-esteem alone. Plus, while that was going on, I got real curious about how it all worked: quantum mechanics, stasis fields, entanglement, superposition, the whole nine yards. Devoured any textbook I could find, then moved on to tinkering with it myself. Stole from scrapyards, cannibalised computers, souped up some junk in dad's garage, and look at me now! Coralina Romero, Goddess of Science and Mischief!"
THE SLORG!
Monday, Little Haven, Alex's house, after school - Alex Palencia the werewolf who understood the important part, but not everything.
Alex didn't seem to care much about the story at first, as the start of it sounded to him like she was just trying to relate to him on some level. It was when she got to explaining that the transformation was like a 'breath of fresh air' that he turned his eyes over. Though, he stayed quiet and in the same position until she finished her whole story. Alex then turned his eyes away again, now clearly trying to think, but also just as clearly confused about something.
After a few moments, Alex turned his head towards Coralie, with a similar befuddlement as his earlier question about whether the 'real him' was the wolf. "So, you used to be a guy?" he asked simply; there was no judgment or disgust in his tone, just a mild confusion. "And they changed your... Chromosomes?" he continued, clearly not following or possibly even sure what those were.
"... Does that mean you still have a dick?" Alex then wondered, after a moment of contemplating whether or not he wanted to ask that.
Meanwhile in the kitchen, Sandra put oil into a skillet and heated it up on the stove. Then she added the noodles and started frying them in the oil until they were lightly browned. After that, she removed the noodles from the skillet, and poured the sauce she made in the blender into the skillet, along with some oregano and salt. Then she turned up the heat and waited for the mixture to start boiling.
You are reading this.
Fwomph
The Slab
"Oh right the coin! Uh... Who have I told... Hm... You, Alex... Uh... Yeah I think that's about it?"
Outside, Mrs Smith
Mrs Smith let out a little sigh and tried to lower herself to get eye contact, yaknow as you do when you're an adult trying to be supportive.
"Well, it seems like your friend has run off. Do you have anyone who can come pick you up or do you need a ride home?"
Edited by Pentigan on May 5th 2024 at 8:18:37 PM
It's clearly a case of backroom political albumizing.
The Slab
"The coin?" Vivian asked Blake curiously. "What's so interesting about this coin of yours?"
The Slab
This is what Marilyn would see when she opened her phone:
Sorrrrrryyyyyyyyy
I'm not thinking straight I'm too distracted by this shed
It's got like scorch marks beneath it and
Ok nevermind you don't care about the shed
Anomalous or not, you are a valued member of the community
And, uh
Sorry that the word I use to describe this stuff offended you
Shit that sounded like a sarcastic apology
I swear I didn't mean anything bad by it
The apology and the word usage
I think you're cool
I mean I don't really know you but if you're hanging out with Val you're cool
Friends? :)
Val, meanwhile, didn't say anything, deciding it'd be better to let Blake explain the coin on his own.
Outside
"...Huh?"
Elaine seemed to drop her guard a bit. She seemed less tense, but also a little...confused?
"You...want to...give me a ride home? But I thought y—" Her blank eyes went wide for a second, and she clasped her hands around her mouth.
"Uuuhh...I thought you...were just some random stranger! That's, uh, very kind of you, ehehehehe..." she said, slipping back into her weird and seemingly unjustified nervousness.
(It's worth noting Gill was in earshot here.)
The Fountain
The kid blinked a few times and apparently zoned out while the car was pulling up, then blinked a few more times about a third of the way into Mr. Gardner's speech and seemed startled that he was there.
By the end of it, however, he just seemed annoyed. "Jeeeesus Chriiiist, you guys care way too much about this shit. Here. Watch." The kid ejected the tape from the camera, tried and failed to break it with his bare hands, then slung it against the ground repeatedly until it broke. "There. Now no one gets it. You can't force me to give it to you and you can't force me to...destroy..." He looked down at the cracked tape.
His realization that he had just lost was quickly overtaken by an even stronger drive to be right than before, as often happens with jerks. "LISTEN, MAN!" he shouted. "I'm gonna go home and WRITE DOWN what happened here today, and you can't stop me from doing THAT, because THAT'S NOT ILLEGAL, mister..." He glanced down at the business card Mr. Gardner was still holding, snatched it out of his hand, then read it. "...GARDNER!" He then stuffed the business card into his pocket, flipped a double bird, grabbed his camera, and ran off.
Edited by TheFullestCircle on May 6th 2024 at 8:58:23 AM
Suggested wine pairing: pinot noir.
What, me worry?
The Fountain
Mr. Gardner watched as the kid walked away. After he disappeared from sight, he picked up the broken tape remains and walked back to the car.How did it go, father?
"He was difficult, just like I expected, but he gave me what I wanted. I'm going to destroy this completely when I get home. Are you all right, Layla?"
Yes. He tried to take off my veil, but I sensed him before he could do anything.
Layla sensed her father trying to restrain his anger. "Some people have no concept of privacy. He's quite the disrespectful punk, too."
Did you get the tape?
"Yes, Layla. He stepped on it like he was trying to teach me a lesson. Yet he gave me what I wanted in the end, so the joke is on him. If he gives you any more problems, you come to me."
I will. Oh and I went to visit the cemetery and the morgue to find my head. No luck. But I gave the morgue your card to get a hold of you should they find anything.
"Very good. I have a good feeling we'll find your head soon. Just have to remember to stay persistent."
I will, father.
"Good girl. I've had quite a day at work. Between that and that cretin of a kid, I've worked up an appetite. Ready to go home for dinner?"
That would be wonderful.
And on that, the Mercedes drove off away from the fountain.
For the Horde!
Gill had been walking along the sidewalk when he heard a familiar voice. Slightly familiar, anyway, he hadn't spoken with the person in question much, but he knew what she sounded like. He bounded up towards the outside of the smoothie shop.
"Hey, Blake's mom! It's me, Gill! I'm sorry, I was heading to your house right now!" Gill insisted. He turned and looked at Elaine, looking surprised for a moment. Then he smiled warmly. "Hi! My name's Gill!" Gill greeted, not seeming bothered by Elaine's eyes.
As soon as Jackie entered her apartment, she rushed into her room and changed her shirt, tossing her ruined one in a basket in the corner of the room. She sighed, slumping onto her bed. She pulled out one of the textbooks that her mother had bought her for classes, and she started to study.
After a while of studying, she felt a change coming on, and once again she felt her body morph, changing back into her alter-ego. Heidi stretched.
"Ahh, fuck, that's much better. Was getting sick of being stuck in that form," she sighed. She pulled out her phone and started dialing someone, leaning back into the bed. A couple of tones chimed.
"We are sorry, the number you have dialed has been blocked by your plan owner. Please hang up and dial another number," the voice on the other end said in a chipper voice. Heidi hung up and threw her phone on the bed, swearing loudly. She groaned and leaned back. Of course her parents had to put her on a restricted call list after running up her parents' bill on long distance earlier that week.
"Shit... not my fault everyone I know and care about is the entire fucking country away," she muttered angrily.
I can still hail the Horde even though the company has shamed us. Strength and Honor even if Blizzard has neither.
THE SLORG!
Monday, Little Haven, shopping center, The Slab, after school - Lynn Polyhymnia the quadruplets who still don't want to cross the bridge right now, but won't burn it yet either.
"Hm, she did actually apologize. That's a surprise," Marilyn said, in a mildly impressed tone, then typed in a reply.
Meanwhile, Lindon was keeping his attention towards Blake, wondering where this was going. Linton and Carolyn both kept an eye out over the rest of the store.
You are reading this.
Monday, Little Haven, shopping center, The Slab, after school - Lynn Polyhymnia the quadruplets who have working ears.
"Oh, well, if you're sure then," Lindon said to Blake, then took his seat and grabbed his spoon. His siblings did as well, but before they dug in, there was a pause after Val spoke to Marilyn. With slightly confused expressions, Lindon and Linton leaned towards each other, and the green dressed quadruplet raised a hand between his ear and his brother's, and snapped his fingers. The two then looked a little more confused.
Marilyn turned her attention to Val again. "Well, we would prefer her to mind her own business, thank you," the yellow dressed quadruplet said, then seemed hesitant about if she wanted to say anything else. "... Oh right, you said your voice was like a silence you can understand. That is a strange one for sure," she added in a kind of impressed tone, as she had a little realization, which seemed to cross the expressions of her siblings as well.
With that, the siblings started to partake of their ice cream.note
Edited by FirockFinion on Apr 17th 2024 at 10:04:22 AM
You are reading this.