“You’re my guest, Remedy. Go sit. Or have a look around if you’d like. My room’s over there in case you ever need somethin’ during the night.” Winston nodded towards his bedroom door, wetting a paper-towel and wiping it swiftly over the counter.
Anthony let a quiet growl of frustration slip. Why wouldn’t Winston just let him help? It was cleaning a kitchen, for god’s sake!
But, seeing that the other boy wasn’t going to budge, he turned away. He’d have a look around, make sure the grotesques weren’t up to any trouble.
Winston raised an eyebrow as Anthony growled and turned away. He really was like that feral cat… more grouchy, it seemed, than vengeful.
Now all he could do was use the authority he had for the moment. He doubted Remedy would let him be in control for very long, but Winnie was convinced that he only needed a little time to start to soften Remedy up. He was good friend material underneath the mood swings. Anyone could see that if they bothered to look.
Once Anthony had rounded up each and every grotesque, he put Samuel and the largest one in charge and set off to explore the rest pf the apartment. To Winnie, it must have seemed small. But to him…. It was practically a mansion.
What I wouldn't give for a place like this…
Winston watched Anthony with amusement out of the corner of his eye. He didn’t speak up, not wanting to spook the other boy before he could get comfortable.
Anthony quickly located Winston's room (the apartment had five rooms including the kitchen, after all) but hesitated with his hand on the doorknob. Was this an invasion of privacy? Why did he care?
Winston left Remedy to his own devices, mainly focusing on cleaning up the mess they had made. He still couldn’t believe how excited the boy was to call this apartment home, and his awed expression from earlier was something Winnie couldn’t seem to get out of his head.
After a moment, he pushed the door open, deciding that he shouldn't care. Winston didn't seem to have the ability to get angry, anyways… if the waterworks came on, he could always send Samuel in.
(what does the room look like?)
(Its small and pretty sparse. Grey-blue walls, rickety hardwood floor. Across from the door is a desk with a bunch of drawers that hold pencils, paint, and drawings. In the far right corner is his bed and in the far left corner is a dresser. There’s a light switch by the door and a lamp on the desk.)
Winston was too busy singing along to Dancing’s Not a Crime to notice the door opening as Remedy entered his room. He was, however, having a great timing dancing and singing softly while he swept the floor.
Sienna’s POV
Before Sienna could respond to Opal, the world went dark. She stumbled back in surprise, reaching for the table to support herself. “Don’t waste anymore lies on me Opal.” She hissed, taking a deep breath. “You got what you wanted.”
Opals POV
Opal cringed back at Pasitheas words, each one striking deep at her, and hurting her worse than the last. But it could barely even numb the shock of who followed in after Ae-Ri.
Ae-Ri's POV
Ae-Ri's shock at seeing Opal with a criminal again dissipated in the face of her fury. Pasithea must have done something to her friend, some kind of mind control—
Before she could stop and think, she was forcing an image into Pasithea's head, one of total darkness.
Alecs POV
As Alec followed Mirage in he could only wonder what was going to happen. Needless to say, he was very dissatisfied to find that Pasithea was already out of commission when he got there, as evidenced by the way that she was stumbling about and shouting. He turned to Mirage, “Are yous sure you even needed me?”
Winston was too busy singing along to Dancing’s Not a Crime to notice the door opening as Remedy entered his room. He was, however, having a great timing dancing and singing softly while he swept the floor.
The floor creaked beneath Anthony's feat as he made his way into the room, his footsteps as soft and tentative as an easily startled deer. The room was simple enough, its grey-blue walls largely unadorned by photographs, but it gave off a sort of homey feel. It looked lived in. Loved, maybe.
Sienna’s POV
Sienna stood still, her head raised with dignified poise as she awaited her approaching fate. So much for getting to my lecture on time… The girl refused to let any emotion show, smothering any betrayal that had lurked in her now blind gaze.
Ae-Ri's POV
Ae-Ri tossed Alec her handcuffs without another word and made straight for Opal. "Are you okay? What did she do to you?"
Alecs POV
Alec face lost his smile as he caught the cuffs in the air. He still didn’t like them, even if he was the one using them. He walked up to the girl who was still trying to find her way out of the restaurant. He slowly snuck around her and slipped the first of the two cuffs on.
Opals POV
Opal was surprised at her own actions when she slunk away from Ae-Rito say anything, but she still managed to squeak out a soft. “I’m sorry.” She felt even more sorry as she realized she wasn’t saying it to Ae-Ri.
Winston’s POV
Winnie finished cleaning up, joining the grotesques in the living room. White splotches of flour speckled his cheeks and arms and he sank into the couch, assuming Remedy was trying to figure out the faucets again.
Sienna’s POV
Sienna inhaled sharply as she her Ae-Ri fuss over Opal. What did I do to her? Yeah, right. Like I’d let anything happen to her. She wished she could hurl the thought at Ae-Ri. She felt the cuff slip on around her wrist, tentatively reaching out to the mind of whoever was sliding them on, but retracted as she felt a small zap of electricity through the link she was trying to forge. “Outlet, you got yourself caught?”
Ae-Ri's POV
Ae-Ri's heart plummeted. "Opal…" she whispered, stepping forward again. "Come on, we're going to W—To Firefly's"
Anthony's POV
He drifted around the room, wondering if Winston had noticed his absence yet. Eventually, he made his way to the other boy's desk.
Winston’s POV
Winnie curled up on the couch, beckoning for Sam to join him. He admittedly missed the small creature already. Remedy refused to let Winnie coddle him, so he would simply have to coddle Sam instead.
Alecs POV
Alec felt his usual smile return to his face. “What can I say, the scary girls made me a changed man.” He joked, slipping on the other cuff.
Opals POV
“Okay,” Opal said, unsure of what to do next. All she could think about was Pasithea, and how she desperately wanted to help her, but even if she did, she would simply be arrested by Ae-Ri right after. With a small sigh of exhaustion at her own thoughts, she asked. “Is that the crazy guy?”
Sienna’s POV
“Oh I’m sure she did. Going to settle and be her trophy husband now? Do I get an invite to the wedding?” Sienna replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
Ae-Ri's POV
Ae-Ri gave a nod. "Mission Control is making me work with him. He's using this as a leverage to buy his freedom. Look…. I don't know what she did to you, and I know you don't really want to be associated with me anymore….. so I'll leave you be when we get to Winnie's."
Anthony's POV
Anthony paused with his hand on one of the drawer handles, a surge of guilt drowning out his confidence. What was he doing, snooping around in Winston's personal belongings? There was no reason to….. he was just being a nosy asshole. The thought shouldn't have bothered him, but at that moment, it was powerful enough to make him turn around and leave the room.
Winston looked up as he heard footsteps, breaking into a smile as he saw Remedy. “What’d you think? Can I talk you into stayin’ here with me for awhile?” His eyes were wide and pleading, silently begging the other boy to give in and stay.
Alec’s POV
“Only if you’re nice.” He responded, laughing. He carefully guided her back towards Mirage.
Ipals POV
“No, wait… I’m sorry for what I said.” Opal cried, “I shouldn’t have said that. I didn’t mean it, and I am sorry.” Opal did feel sorry, about everything, but still felt guilty and relieved over the subject of Pasithea, making her wonder what was going on with her
Anthony's POV
Anthony came to a stop halfway across the room, his wariness evident through the way his eyes darted about the room. "I think I'd be stupid to turn down the proposal of actual shelter," he said cautiously, "But as soon as my contract with the Guard is done, I'm leaving."
Ae-Ri's POV
Ae-Ri froze. What? An enormous wave of relief crashed against her, but she did her best to contain it. "I—We'll talk after I've dealt with Pasithea," she finally managed, swallowing.