concoursec | (no subject)

Current Mood: curious

Entry tags:

(no subject)

Characters: Ace, Marco, Thatch, Grell, Espio, Toby, Namur, Open
Location: Quad, Marco/Grell's room, who knows where else.
Rating: PG +, never can tell with this family
Summary: Ace just arrived and needs to meet the rest of his wonderful family. That includes the rest of Garden too.

It had been a few crazy days to say the least. Ace had gone from a near death experience to being dragged through time and space to a completely new place unrelated to his own world. After take a few days to get rested up, learn the ropes of Garden, and enroll in classes he finally felt as though he could hold his own here.

So here he stood outside of his room waiting patiently for Marco to come along and get him. The blond had asked him to meet up with him so he could introduce him to the rest of the family. Ace had to admit it. He was curious about Marco's child. What would he be like and would he accept Ace as his uncle? He took a deep breath and leaned against the wall. Marco sure as hell better hurry up before he got bored of waiting and wandered off.

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"I don't need help," Espio said, with none of his usual snappiness - he just sounded tired. He then sighed and turned away, starting to walk off. "Look. I know you're excited your brothers are here, but seriously. I'm going back."

Ace waited till Espio was out of sight then turned to Marco with a wide grin. "What did you have in mind?" Mischief might as well have been his middle name. He liked causing mayhem and actually having permission from his typical wrangler was like getting a present. Whatever Marco had in mind, Ace was all for it.

This was going precisely as their last meeting. With no one on the same page, and only a small percentage of them caring. Espio was certainly more disconnected from them than before, and that was rather odd, even for him. She really had to talk to Marco about the power that hugs do and do not have.

During this entire time, Grell had been silent, which is not her style at all. Observing and giving her opinion was her specialty, but as with Toby, things were not that easy.

So she left to follow after Espio, glancing to Marco and giving him a small salute as she passed by. She'll see what she could do.

Marco shot her a wink.

Grell and him made a perfect team so far as Marco was concerned and no one could convince him otherwise. They filled in each other's weak points and made each other stronger. Together.

"Be you," Marco stuck his tongue out teasingly, but he was serious. "You're my secret Ace. I've got every faith that you'll just work your usual Ace magic and then I can be as lazy as I want." He shouldn't say things like that with so much pride.

"My Ace magic? You really want me to do that here? You usually give me a beat down for that?" He's totally being deadpan, after all he learned from the best, but he also knows what you meant. He just couldn't resist teasing him.

"Also...you said that with a bit too much pride. You being lazy never boded well in the past for us ya know. That's usually when Thatch and I did our worst."

Marco just arches an eyebrow in return, "Then don't expect me to bail you out this time," he deadpanned right back. It was a lie of course, Marco would always try to rescue the both of them form anything, even a war with the whole world.

"And I'm not sure what you think I meant by Ace magic, but keep your pants on, yoi." Ace, please, you can't out-deadpan the master.

Ace laughed and nodded. "Aye, I know what you meant. I'll do what I can to help for sure. Though I'm not sure that kid is willing. Then again, it's a challenge I accept."

Ace grinned widely at Marco. "Hey, is there anywhere we can get a snack? I'm hungry. I didn't get much to eat at breakfast and it's still to early for lunch."

"When aren't you hungry?" Marco stuck his tongue out mockingly, but nevertheless nodded. "Come on, I'll get you stuffed. Just don't eat too fast, eh? I doubt they fed you in prison." Actually, he was completely certain that they had not.

Marco was of course right, but that didn't mean Ace wanted to think about that place. It had not been able to break him, but that didn't mean it didn't leave scars. Oh well, that which doesn't kill you only makes you stronger!

"Lead on my beautiful blue pigeon." Ace grinned as he shifted in place, anxious to get some food to eat.

Marco flicked Ace's forehead irritably. "Phoenix. Get it right, brat." Still he led him to the kitchens to get the kid some food. "One of our cooks, the cooking teacher is actually someone you'll probably get along well with, eh?"

"Best of friends if I have anything to say about it!" Ace smiled as he sat on a stool and waited for Marco to gather things. He really was starving and he could feel his mouth watering as several things were pulled out for him to eat and enjoy.

Espio headed in exactly the direction he said he would - back to his room, but didn't seem to be in all that much of a rush. He didn't notice that he was being followed. In fact, he was a little disappointed that he hadn't been grabbed and forced to stay, even though staying isn't what he wanted to do.

It was complicated. Espio didn't want to put much effort into making those conflicting wishes make sense.

Her footfalls were pretty soft, despite her being in heels. Grell caught up to him, a few paces behind.

"In case you were wondering, I've been checking on him each day." Espio should know which 'him' she was referring to.

Silence.

It wasn't that Espio didn't hear her - her voice at least made him stop, and he turned his head just enough to catch sight of her. What could he say, though? 'Good?' 'Look after him?' 'Well, at least he can stand the sight of you, I guess?'

All he could really respond to that with was a slight nod - yes, he understood.

Well, at least he stopped, which Grell did as well. She crossed her arms, noting the silence and the single nod. Were things really that bad?

"Perhaps asking if you're in the mood for chatting would be redundant..." She sighed softly, doing her best to not look worried, even if her words convey otherwise. "You both truly need to talk to each other..."

Because she was afraid of losing her son, again. Not to Time Compression. She could live with that, but from heartache. The worst kind of pain there is.

And then Espio just turns away again, resuming his walk.

"I think it's pretty obvious that I can't help him. I've done a fine job so far. Making me talk to him might make him run away for good."

"And saying nothing may do just that!" Grell walked with him, keeping pace at his side. "Have you truly given up?!" Now she was just becoming irritated. "Do you want him to leave? For good?!"

Ouch... Espio winced. It was the very last thing he wanted.

"No... but every time he's run away, it's been because of me. And... I don't know why."

"You do have a tendency to say the wrong thing at an inopportune time." Grell wasn't going to bother with sugarcoating things. "What did you say before?"

"When? When he ran out into the wild, or when he dived into the sea?"

"Let's start with the former." Best to start at the beginning.

Hm. Well... Espio looked a little uncomfortable.

"I did snap at him once because I was surprised he'd run to the corner, but it didn't mean to come out like that - I said I didn't mean it that way.

"He... didn't bolt until I said that trying to force everyone to accept change right then and there was naturally going to cause a fight - I could hear you guys. The next thing I knew, he'd gone."

Grell shook her head, because it was a classic Espio sort of thing to do. "You shouldn't have been surprised. But what has been done cannot be changed. There's no use in dwelling on your faults. I've told him as much."

But of course, they were both stubborn.

Edited 2013-08-14 23:53 (UTC)

Moving on...

"The second time..."

And he trailed off, unsure. Whatever it was, however, it was enough for him to stop again and this time turn to face Grell.

"I was trying to tell him I would always be there, because he'd been acting a little funny and I wanted to help. But... he said... he wanted to go back to before. To his world, before we met. I didn't know what to say. I don't think I said anything. Marco said he didn't mean he wanted to forget me, but it sounded like it.

"His world was horrible to him. So why...?"

"I believe I know why." Toby hadn't told her much about that particular part, so hearing it from Espio was as if cold water washed over her suddenly. Toby returning to such a horrible world in exchange for the happiness he gained here was a true slap in the face.

"You have every right to be upset by that." What if Marco had said the same to her? That he wanted to go back to before them? Her world would shatter into shards.

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