Pheo bristled erectly, part lion, intermingling eyeLaSHades of eagle. “Well,” she responded slowly. “Lucky for you, Mo-Fo, I respect a bold answer.” Then promptly rose with a snigger, retracting Overbearing steel to the Pack-hatch where it belonged.
She adopted a lower jeer: “Nothing really creeps MEE out.” Then patted my arm as if that was going to reconcile the whole stunt - “But you forgot I was trying, dinch’ya?”
I sat up some more, and rubbed at spots where the knicks and lumps were swelling. “Momentarily,” I ceded. “I was contemplating about slapping the smirks off your face.”
She started to lift a reprimanding gaze, but dropped it, gathering how disgruntled my throat just broiled. “Come onnn, dude, playing a point. You need a kiss for your boo-boos too?”
“No, you sweat-Monger; I need like, some cream for that,” I elaborated, trying to enhance any twinges of guilt.
Didn't anticipate it when she advanced rapidly, & combed her fingers around the fluffy edges of my ear. But I didn’t lean away from the gesture either, as no one was trying to rake me apart. “Sorry, no challenge escapes me,” she withdrew in a lively half-apology (and what I hoped was guilty glee).
In return, I beamed whole-heartedly as I savored the breath-pool of our vicinity. “Can I challenge you next, to a massage session?”
“Now now,” she angled back some, unflattered. “If I give you an inch, you’ll get to asking miles won’tchu?”
I tilted my lips, fondly. “Ah well it was worth a shot; when in BathRome...”
There was a thump, and the door opened to a pair of long feet. The shadow of Rovone’s strapping form fell upon us. He blinked. “What the hell is this?”
Only one eye peeked out in surprise to regard us. The other was buried under chocolate bangs that draped over one side of his face and drew to a small point across his cheek. His mouth dangled open like a cavern unwilling to yield beneath a mountain. And he was utterly scraping the ceiling at this bug’s view angle, an easy handful of inches over six feet. And as always his nose was a Staggering knob of art too.
Pheo turned & snapped, “Chill out, Rovo. I came to retrieve him first so you’re the tardy party. Then we got carried away with some speculations and jokes.”
“So sorry to infringe upon your private entertainment,” he spat. “But the old guy sent me to find you two. Y’alls absence is delaying our efforts to move forward.” He cast a vexed look at his sister. “He was afraid something had captured your attention.”
“Not what it looks like bro,” I insisted.
Perhaps he rolled that one visible eye. “Don’t bullshit me, man.” He groaned. “Of all times. We have bigger fish to fry - literally.”
“I just wanted to take a leak,” I grumbled. “I inherit spies...” and gestured either arm between the duo hedging me in.
“I hope you enjoyed yourselves,” he wry-Plied.
“Give us a moment?” entreated Pheo.
Rovo’stance tightened, neck bulging. “How many more minutes do you freaking need!”
Pheo pursed her lips and cocked her head. After a modest stare down, he tapped his wrist cantankerously. “One minute. 90 seconds max. I’ll be waiting outside,” and he departed.
She shook her hair as he vanished. “The ignorance of brothers.”
“I wouldn’t have any clue in that department,” I stated.
She bopped her brow. “Thick-headed.”
“Given our location, what was he supposed to think?”
She set her jaw open in annoyance. “I mean who just assumes in a flat second, the snippet they see is the whole situation? And then to pompously try and tie me to HIS game-clock...”
“Hmm, I can partially agree - but we did lose sight of flowKiss. However I’d like a quick moment to invite you to the school Drama club,” I proclaimed. “You make sensational portrayals and passionate reasoning.”
“Nuh Uh,” she observed askance, and rose to her feet. But I could tell she was very likely celebrating her prowess beneath the surface. “The shocked faces of my victims must forever accentuate my Legacy of Command. I shall never vary my roles.” Annnd there was the proof.
I bared my teeth in deference. “Oh, you dastardly assassin.”
I brushed some dust & grime off my clothes, then walked over to the cabinet mirror overhanging the sink to better examine myself: Take a good look. Maybe the last one you’ll ever get. Placing my palms flat upon the surface of the counter, I leaned closer: haywire brows, bloodshot eyes, skii~ramp nose, hair creeping toward shoulders. Some dirty locks sagged, still damp, even boasting new rounds of perspiration after those recent anxious exchanges. I adjusted my bandanna gone lopsided loose.
Pheo had come to stand next to me, also gazing into the glass, touching up her hair & adjusting cargo pants. Her nose was scarred twice-over like a patched Tent. Tough bird.
I recalled the first part of the day. “This started out one straight-forward Saturday. Woke up, ate some Banjo Strings cereal, played with my cats, went to the Diner while chewing the risks of our Operation - but it never exactly settled & caused my video game play to suffer -- so I did a workout to let off steam until it was about time to meet up with you guys at the park. Now i’ve been attacked by more Leeches than I can count - and some kind of toilet Siren.” I threw a mock, sideways glare.
“Posh,” Pheo enunciated. “I spilled coffee all over my favorite stealth Top, which is why I’m wearing last year’s bothersome Christmas Gift special.” She briefly yanked at the collar of tight-fitting, green polyester currently draping her shoulders.
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
“So that’s why my humming song of choice summoned you,” I couldn’t resiSTapling that common *thread.
“Actually, it’s probably the other way around isn’t it?” she measured. “Your subconscious was already brooding on my outfit, and remembered the season from whence this snowsuit came.”
“Please, that’s your worst wardrobe item. I prefer all your brighter colors.”
“Ok shut yer sass-trap and just hear about how my morning came to unravel to this. When I took out the trash, (which I should have tossed this godforsaken Top into) I got attacked by a hornet, and then I misplaced the car keys right before driving to the park, so we was late. When I did find them, I remembered my fresh-forgotten coffee and scooped it up on the go - BUT BLAST IT ALL I stumbled out the door in my rush & it roasted my forearm. Honestly, been a rotten day from the start.”
“Well that actually must have stank. Sorry about your arm under there. I think the trash could’ve waited ’till you got back home; It doesn’t mix well with coffee.” I said in repulsion. “How do you like your coffee anyhow? I only do sugar, so I might as well stick to pastries and milk.” - This earned me a ‘Fur Real’ look.
“I take it Black - but why don’t you even care that a hornet chased me? We need to gas the backyard trees again. Maybe even the walls,” she tracked.
“I meeeaan, it was a lot to process. And I feel like that part’s maybe just a cover story, since I know you aren’t afraid of weightless little bugs,” I teased. Then cleared my throat pointedly. “But black coffee is a real worry. That will sting you like a real South jungle tiger in a jiffy.”
She rolled her eyes. “One: hornets are agile & they can sting infinite times! 2: we’re basically in the Caribbean already, you moron,” she emphasized. “3: they have Loads of sugar down there, so that would work out really well for you, Softie.”
“Haw Haw,” I defended. “I shall repress my sore pride with artificial laughter since I was insulted from every Cardinal direction, miss Edge-yu kay-Tar. Now when they rearrange the map for you, let me know.” And I finally escaped the clutches of Bathrome.
***
Rovone swept from the far side of the hall’s shadows to join me - or better stated, devour me vampirically. His dour aura may have been the major contributing factor to the hall’s general despondency. “Alright,” he said, eyes narrowing at me. “Glad to see play time’s over. That took 3 entire minutes, thank you very mu--”
Pheo appeared & P-unched his arm. “Good grief, stop being a shit-scolding nanny.”
The blow didn’t appear to register. The forcible contact was only embodied by the flat tone he disregarded her with: ~ “Whatever.”
She strolled off down the hallway. “She’s like a handful of cocaine,” I concluded.
He coughed with an ounce laughter. “Something I guess you’ve now experienced firsthand. I assume she strong-armed you.”
“A little,” I admitted.
Rovo snorted. “All but gave you a concussion then.”
“I should’ve expected as much,” I said, dryly, as we began to follow after. “It’s not exactly an enchanting act.”
“Most people she spends time with are on that same line of thinking,” he affirmed. “The two of us always have our disputes, too. For example, I didn’t think it was necessary for her to tag along with this outfit and shadow me. But she’s the oldest, she feels entitled to her demands. Zahara and dexTweezer are likely going to follow right in our footsteps.”
I knew far less about Zara than Pheo. Hell, she wouldn’t even share her true hair color. Her illustrious curls were ever blanketed by amorphous stages of Tye dye. I couldn’t remember if she was thirteen, or fourteen, just that she was the youngest, and below five foot, the shortest, too. Zara seemed moody, and kind of avoided me whenever I was over. She was not the eye-catcher like her big sister. Yet.
Tweezer was a sophomore, and we got along greaTho: compatible being dreamers and sarcastic knuckleheads; he had an edge on me though, traits I wanted to replicate. But he had some wrath issues- over being kind of handicapped from an offshore accident.
It was quiet for some steps.
I broke the hush, “Anyway, there isn’t a thing going on between Flameo & i - Just so you know.”
That turned his head. “She doesn’t just hug guys outside the family. But Besides, I’ve seen the way you stare at her sometimes.”
Rubbing the back of my neck, I recoiled: “For starters, friends should hug more often. For finishers, my gaze ain’t that obvious.”
He nodded. “Sure, to most you could shade it, but she hasn’t made many previous remarks of interest in you. Maybe she’s filtering me out the frame too...” Rovo could be right. But today itself was driving us all wonky. Could it be in her sight I’m valued enough that she’s Apprehensive about reaching out? The dread of screwing it up would be a constant reminder, after scaring off numerous folks. So bad, that later they were even too petrified to taunt her about being Tigeriffic.
Then again, perhaps I was a bit vain to think I was any high priority on her list. She was probably only screwing with my head.
I never worried about if she had interests in decidedly male activities. She was more fun to interact like that with. Either way, whether she feared to admit it or if it was just her social need to be thrilled, I wouldn’t blame her after all the crap she’d taken from bored posers who had nothing better to do than compare everyone else’s identity.
“Well, I’m not into *Drama*,” I suggested, [--Rovo shook his head, biting back a grin--] “But another thing I’ve learned, is that she makes a convincing actor.”
“Ah,” Rovo assented. “That may be the only thing we really know of her.”
“What are you two going on about back there?” called Pheo. “Don’t be strategizing without me.”
Rovone cushioned us instantly: “We’re talking about you of course,” he double-bluffed to play it down.
She twisted around. “Don’t be sharing my inner thoughts now, boys. My ninja skills do not stop at my combat training.”
I snorted. “I’m sure your brother’s been watching his back since the day he was born.”
“So just think about how much chance you have against my wiles,” she boasted. Our trio turned the corner, and the imperative business hit me as I saw the light from the main room. “So is everyone hanging in there?” she asked Rovo.
“Head honcho is a little boozed up.” He chuckled. “Maybe impaired.” And then a forlorn attitude transformed him in an instant. “The other three, their spirits are down. Actually, Sig is fired up about something.” - Heh, maybe he reached Sienna after all, figuratively speaking. - “I can’t say I don’t feel more than a little discouraged myself.”
“Well i dunno about you two have planneDown the road,” I yakked, “but I wanna graduate.”
“No fair,” Rovo complained. “Graduation’s nothing to me until next year.” But then I saw his cogs whirring. “Wait. Is that because the minute the ceremony is over you two’re gonna break out the white cake and wedding bells?” Smooching noises followed.
Pheo whirled toward him donning the stink eye, face scrunched, and lips peeled back like a barbarian, fingertips crawling the machete’s hilt. “Pyram wasn't as tender as he could've been. And cake isn't nutritious - we'd have fruit.”
Her brother showed his palms in defense, “Chill, take a joke,” he pleaded. “You think a real ruffian volunteers as my dietary advisor? That's gotta be worth something."
“Slim chance of marriage,” I played it down again as well. “Particularly if our bones are left here to rot in the wilderness long enough for mounds of bacteria clog the bones so rancid that one glimpse of them would contaminate the viewer into a zombie.”
“Pyram!” Pheo thundered. “I honestly don’t need those kind of visuals in my life.”
Rovo blinked & his jaw hung into a tight side swing. “Your M rating will be for Morbid instead of marriage if you don't watch that potty mouth around the ladies.”
I had even surprised myself a little with the imagery. But I was enjoying a trite round of spite for the bathroom intrusions. “Your sis started it. Sure, the comment was grimy unsophisticated, but so was when someone tackled me on bathroom tiles."
She fluffed her hair. “You're used to football in bad weather, bRrro.”
“Did you see me wearing pads in there?" I contested. "Have you considered anger management?”
“You radiate better humor captions with every squeeze,” shot back, neglecting to even grace me with her eyes.
I couldn’t tell if that was just sarcasm or an actual flirt. “Get a hobby that doesn’t involve slashing everything in sight?” I settled as we meandered out from under the delectable awning of Darkness... shuffling toward the gorgeous Arena... smeared disorienting shades of uncertainty.