🔱🏮🏮🏮🏮🏮🔱
Chapter Six:
Enjoy!
🔱🏮🏮🏮🏮🏮🔱
We finally find Ava trying to comfort Noi at the park about 20 blocks away from the restaurant, both of them sitting on the swings. Leif and Asch are still unconscious, being carried + dragged by Pierce and Rhys. Gently, we approach Noi and Ava on the swings. I should probably find time to apologize to Noi later. I… haven’t exactly been the sweetest or easiest to approach lately. Not to mention this is the second time I’ve made him panic.
I feel really bad.
(So it’s settled. I’ll apologize to him later.)
Ava looks up and sees us coming up to them.
She kinda glares at me and subtly gestures to Noi. I send an apologetic look her way. She rolls her eyes and pats Noi on the back. Noi looks up and the instant that he sees me, his face turns pale. My heart wrenches by his natural reaction.
I sigh deeply and say,
“We should head home. Before Asch or Leif wake up.”
“That would be wise.” Comments Rhys.
“Yes.” Pierce nods.
Ava slumps her shoulders and stands up, helping Noi onto his trembling feet. His body is stiff, and it only makes me feel WORSE. Well, I’m going to start going over an apology thing in my head now. We start to leave the park and head home. Rhys walks beside me.
“Can I ask you something, Lady Juliet?”
“Ask away.”
“Where did you learn to use combat? The way you fought Asch and Leif is unlike any form of combat I’ve ever seen. You didn’t even need the use of any weapons. It’s very intriguing.”
I snicker under my breath,
“I guess I’ve adapted my fighting stuff from multiple things. I used to take Judo classes, which are a japanese fighting style. I also learned Taekwondo when I was seven. And in highschool, I got into a lot of fights. Fights that didn’t have time for my full proper moves. So, I kinda just blended them into my own style over time.”
Rhys blinks at me, an expression of amazement on his face.
“Fascinating.” He grins.
I chuckle and we keep walking and talking.
🔱🏮🏮🏮🏮🏮🔱
(Time / Skip)
(Home)
🔱🏮🏮🏮🏮🏮🔱
We all come into the living space, exhausted from going out. With everything that happened, I just want to chill out for the rest of the day. The time is 4: 57 pm right now and the first thing I do once we’re inside is go over to the couch and faceplant into the cushions.
Rhys and Pierce drop their commerads down to the floor. Both of them hit the ground with a bit of a thud. I feel so exhausted. Not to mention I’m going to have to pay off my car now.
Well, I guess the good news is that they got what was coming to them. So, I’ll try to go easy on them when they wake up. I look up to see Rhys plop onto a chair across from me. Rhys takes a deep breath and lets it out. Looks like I’m not the only one that’s exhausted.
Pierce comes and stands next to Rhys’ chair. The both of us look at him and he says,
“I’m going to retire for the night.”
Rhys nods his head. I watch as Pierce walks over to a wall that has a rectangle drawn on it in crayon. Then, and I don’t know if it’s me being delusional, but then I see Pierce disappear through the wall. I sit up so fast, my eyes widen. Did I really just see that?
Did he just… walk through a wall??
I got to admit, I knew I was tired but am I going crazy from it?? Ava’s voice sounds from behind me.
“Ohh haha… yeah I forgot to tell you about that. The boys kinda have their own dimension attached to my apartment? Trust me, I thought I was crazy the first time I saw it too.”
“Are you shitting me? Well, now I’ve gotta check it out!”
“Ah ah ah! You don’t get to check it out until you apologize to Noi.”
“Oh, get off my back! I was already gonna do it. I don’t need you to nag me about it.” I snip.
Ava pulls me off the couch and onto my feet. She turns me to face the direction of the counters, where Noi sits. She gently nudges me in his direction.
“Then go on.”
I mentally glare and grumble somethings that are indecent under my breath. But nonetheless I take that step and go to Noi’s side.
“Hey.” I say softly.
Noi slightly jumps.
“Sorry, did I startle you? I didn’t mean to. And um, I wanted to say that I’m sorry for being so… how do I say this? Sorry for being such a demonically possessed rage beast lately.”
Noi looks at me confused as I sit beside him.
“What does that mean?”
“Well, to put it simply it means that I’m apologizing for terrifying you.”
“Can I ask you something?”
I nod.
“Yeah, sure. Ask me anything.”
Noi lowers his head, dropping his gaze to the floor.
“Why were you so angry?”
“Well, last night I got mad because I was woken up to quite an awkward situation. That and I lost some sleep. I might not sleep as much as my cousin, but I sure as hell don’t like losing it.”
“Yeah, Sorcerer Ava is s-scary when she doesn’t sleep right.”
“Heh, no kidding. But I guess I got angry today because of, well Leif and Asch acted like fools. They had no right to destroy that car. And now it’s gonna cost me.”
“What is it gonna cost? A few chickens?”
I’m a bit taken back by his reply. Has Ava not taught them how our currency works? Oh great. Well, how do I describe this?
“Okay, n-no we don’t trade chickens like that. Instead, our economy or our world is pretty much made up and run off of something called money. And different places call money different things. But here in America, which is where we are, things will cost different amounts of money. Not everyone has a lot of it, though.”
“What happens when you don’t have a lot of it?”
“Well, I guess a few different things. Sometimes, it’s just hard to get by. Other times, but not often, rarely I should say people die.”
Upon my final word, Leif shoots up like a rocket.
“Someone said people die!”
I grab an apple from the fruit bowl and throw it at Leif.
“You! Back to sleep.”
Unfortunately, Leif catches the apple in his hand. He smirks something wicked.
“That trick may work on Asch but I have quicker reflexes.”
Good to know.
Leif continues.
“But I’m liking you more and more. I can tell that you’re violent. And I admire that. So, I’ll let you live this time.” He chuckles.
Leif takes a bite of the apple and lays down, minding his own business. I look back to Noi.
“Anyway, my point is that I’m going to have to give more money that I probably have. Yippee. But enough of the bummers, I just wanted you to know that I’m sorry.”
Noi lets out a light laugh.
“I forgive you. You seem nice and it’s also good to know that you’re not going to kill me.”
“Heh, why would I do that?”
“I’M SORRY, I DIDN’T MEAN TO HIT YOU!”
Noi and I jump upon Asch’s screaming awakening. Everyone turns their heads to him. Looking at him like he’s crazy. He scans the room to find that everyone’s gaze is fixed on him. Asch scowls.
“Why is everyone looking at me?”
I hear Ava snickering as she gets up and walks to her room. I check my phone for the time. It’s only 5:09. I can still go like 4 hours until I can go to sleep. Now the question is how do I spend that time?
Aha! I got it! We can color!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~Time Skip~~~~~~~~~~~~
I dump all my colors down on the table and I pass around five papers for the boys. Asch looks at everything intrigued but also skeptical.
“Tell me. What is the purpose of this cool-ur-an?”
I laugh. “It’s called coloring.”
Leif pops up at the table out of nowhere.
“What does it do?”
I spread out the colors and then go to answer Leif’s question.
“I guess it destresses? It makes people relax. It also helps your imagination.”
“What’s an imagination?” Asks Pierce.
“Your brain makes up things that may not be real but can be fun.”
Asch scoffs.
“Sounds boring.”
“You want to know what sounds fun to me? Either you trying it or me getting to hit you over the head with a lamp again!”
I smile at him innocently.
Asch quickly shuts up and sits down. Leif snickers and jabs Asch in the arm with a blue crayon.
“Seems to me like you’re going soft, Asch.”
“Shut up! I am not!”
“Are too!”
“I am not!”
“Both of you shut up!” Ava shouts from her room.
I gently roll my eyes. Rhys seems intrigued by this. He picks up a green crayon and studies it in his hand.
“So, what exactly do you do with this cool-ur-ing?”
“Here, I’ll show you.”
I pick up a grey crayon and draw a little heart along with other shapes. The boys seem to gasp.
“OOHHHHHH!!!”
“I believe this is similar to painting.” Rhys buds.
Noi chuckles, grabbing a few crayons and pulling them towards him.
“Hehe! Yeah, but this seems way easier!”
The boys begin to grab their desired colors and begin putting them to the pages. Even though their drawings don’t necessarily look good at all, they seem to be having fun. I do my own doodle, drawing a person.
It’s about 15 minutes later that problems arise.
Leif reaches his hand for a pink crayon, but Asch unnoticing swipes it first. Leif gasps as if he’s been betrayed in the most horrible way possible. Asch looks at him as if he did nothing.
“TRAITOR! I THOUGHT WE WERE FRIENDS ASCH!”
“What did I do?”
“DON’T PLAY DUMB WITH ME!”
Asch scoffs and goes back to coloring.
“You’re crazy.” Asch mumbles.
“AND YOU’RE A THIEF!”
"Am not!!"
"GIVE IT BACK!!"
"I don't know what you're talking about!"
Leif lunges at Asch for the pink crayon. In doing so, the two bump into Rhys and his steady hand slides across the page. This ruins Rhys' drawing.
"You idiots!! Look what you did!! You'll pay!!" Rhys shouts, drawing his staff.
"It's all Leif's fault!!" Asch claims.
"You started it!!!" Leif mauls.
I scowl as the table shakes.
"Enough!!" I yell.
The three freeze, eyes locked on me.
"You guys are so annoying!!!"
….
…
Noi laughs.
We look at him, surprised.
"Why are you laughing?" Leif grumbles.
Noi keeps his eyes on me.
"Because. I just realized how cute Juliet is when she's mad."
I feel my face warm up.
Hottiejustcalledmecute. A hottie. Just. Called. Me. CUTE. Am I dying? Is that what this is? Death?
I swallow my squeals and stand up.
"Leif. Go sit in the corner by the window."
"Why??"
"Because you're in trouble. Now go."
He huffs and does as he's told. I point to Asch and then the corner by the kitchen.
"You. That's your corner."
"Aww man."
Asch goes.
Rhys sticks his nose in the air.
"Humph. Serves them right."
"Rhys. You're in trouble too." I say, pointing to the third corner.
He goes to object but I interrupt him.
"You involved yourself, therefore you are a part of the problem. Go. Corner. Now."
He sighs and moves to his spot.
I feel hungry now. I go into the kitchen and get a snack. Some fruit.
Just an orange. I peel it apart as Pierce and Noi continue to color.
The three boys in their corners sit in stubborn silence. Good. Everything is just as it should be. I made up with Noi, introduced the boys to a stressless game and have food here at Ava's now. All is right with the world.
Let's try and keep it that way, yeah?
XxxxxxxxX
END CHAPTER 6.
XxxxxxxxX