forum “You don’t know what they did to me. To us.” (a continuation of an abruptly deleted thread)

Started September 23, 2020 by @Tired-but-passionate

tune

Alister couldn't deny that the boy was growing on him, even just a little bit. All the same, he couldn't understand why he was so attached to him in the first place. Didn't he have parents? Alister was sure there had been two families being auctioned back in District 7. Why wasn't he attached to one of them? Of course, he didn't want the boy to be a slave for the aliens, but it was just so odd.
They approached the gates of the prison. Alister shuddered. Who knew he would be back at this place again? Briefly, he glanced at Evan and Trent, trying to gauge their expressions and see what they thought of being back here.
August brought out her electronic ball, a small holographic screen projecting from it. After glancing at it, she put it up. "Eastwood should be notified of our arrival…" she murmured.
Just then, there was a groaning of metal. The gates slowly swung open.
"Alright, guys," August said. "If Malachi's not here, then we can check in with Takahashi and look for him that way. Plus, we should rest up and eat as well. Let's go."
She led them inside.

Malachi tried to hide his snicker. He was wading through the river on the sphinx's other side, as he found that being in the water helped him get used to walking.
"Calme-toi, chat noir," he said. "It's not so bad. This river doesn't have any strong currents and isn't so deep. You can do it."

Kali huffed at him not looking at him so she could focus, "Easy for you to say, your not my size. I bet the water only comes up to the top of your legs." She grumbled, keeping a hand lightly placed upon the spinx for safety purposes.

The little boy very much cling to Alister, bit he seemed to look afriad as the gate open, and then he took his tiny hand and slapped himself in the face, before having a determined expression on his face.
"I's gonna do this…" He muttered to himself. "For mom's."
He still jumped at every littles sqeak and squish. Every other noise.
Evan on the other hand swallowed largely the lump he felt growing in his throat. He hadnt been away from here for long and he felt like they could already sense that he was back, so he didn't flicky every time he heard something.
Trent made sure to cover his ears and tail firmly, though he could hear a bit better then most he still looked around hesitantly, he didn't really like being back here but he knew he had too.

Malachi couldn’t hide the snicker anymore. “Oh wow, look at that, it only comes up to my ankles! Surely it’s not so bad for you if that’s the case. And besides, I’m the one who’s having trouble walking. This should be easy-peasy.”
The creature trilled, though it was unclear if she was reacting to Malachi’s teasing or not. River is… two feet and seven inches deep, she seemed to say matter-of-factly.

The boy seemed so startled by every noise that crossed his ears, so Alister decided to pick him up in his arms again. After a moment, he started emotionally shutting down, his mind trying to keep the memories and trauma from coming back. He didn’t consciously realize this was happening though. All his conscious mind focused on was walking, looking down, don’t draw attention to yourself or bad things will happen and you’ll never see her again-
“August! Good seeing you alive. Who’ve you brought with you?”
Alister snapped out of it. There was a woman up ahead, guarding the door to the prison along with a few other people. August ran up and hugged her.
“Danni! Same to you. This is Vixen O’Shea from ‘7, and that’s Alister Storm, Noel’s brother.”
Danni’s rust-colored eyes twinkled. She nodded at Vixen, then glanced at Alister and Evan. “O’Shea,” she greeted. “Looks like the brother and Arden over here are the resident gardens with legs.”
Noel cackled. Alister hung his head in embarrassment, flushed.
Danni smirked. “Good seeing you too, Storm, Pike.” She nodded at Noel and Trent. Her eyes drifted to Alister once more. “And the kid?”

"Up to your ankles?! Seriously?! It's up to my friggin waist!" She yells at him, "People have drowned in small amounts if-" she turned to him to rant before she lost focus of where was walking and slipped clinging onto the spinx and missing as she landed in the water, she quickly got up coughing and sputtering out water, she got up using the spinx, and clinging desperately to them, shaking from the water and slight mini heart attack and panic attack she totally didn't have.
And then another splash was heard down the way within sight of malachi, a little kitten fell into the water and started crying out for help, drowning.

The boy was shocked at the fact that Alister had picked them up, and even though he said he as gonna try and be strong, he finally let some tears fall, sniffling a little bit as he turned into Alister not liking being there. Evan frowned at the state of the little boy, moving to stroke his head gently trying to calm him down gently, though immediately flustering up at the walking garden comment. Trent chuckled a bit at the comment though nodding at the awknowlegdement of him.
"the kid? He helped us find a way here past most of the aliens and then just sorta followed us, we thinking he might have been a part of one of the auctioned off families and somehow escaped." Evan tried to explain with a bright red face.

He laughed hard. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding! Are you alright? It actually comes up to my-"
The sound of something crashing the water caused Malachi to stop and whip around. He just caught a glimpse of whatever it was falling in and crying out, and on impulse, he moved toward it. Luckily the currents here weren't strong enough to carry the thing away, but it was very likely that a creature of its size could still drown. Unfortunately, the water was rather murky and clouded as well, so Malachi only found the small thing by feeling around and catching the faintest glimpses of white in the water. Once he grasped something soft in his hand, he pulled it up.
"Oh, pauvre petite… tout ira bien, tout ira bien… vous êtes en sécurité maintenant," he whispered to the small kitten. It was just barely more than the size of his hand. He went back to the others, drying the kitten with his sleeve.
"Chat noir," he said, a little heh at the end. "I found un chat blanc."

When Alister heard the child's sniffing, it brought him out of his own head enough to where he found himself rubbing the boy's back, trying to soothe him. Now, he found himself making glances at Evan's red face, but he wasn't sure why.
Danni's eyes seemed fixed on the child in Alister's arms. "Really? Poor guy, kinda amazing that he got away and helped." Then she frowned. "Of course, we'll have to check him for any tracking devices, just to be safe. And don't worry, it won't hurt or anything," she added, for the kid's sake.
She looked over them all. "O'Shea, Alister Storm, the name's Danni Adams, your friendly neighborhood weapons engineer." To emphasize the point, she tapped a small gun hanging from her belt.
"Charlie knows you're here," she said, facing August. "I'll take you to her."
Some of the other guards opened the doors, and Danni led them inside.

He just turned more into Alister, though the sniffling was calmed down at the two of them helping him, stroking his head and rubbing his back, he just turned slightly to look at the girl that was speaking to them before looking away and clinging back to Alister, though he did give a thankful look to Evan before he looked away. He felt pretty safe in Alister:s arms and he didn't intend to seperate from them. maybe i should tell them my name… No. Just him
He tugged on Alisters shirt slightly, so he could get him to lean down and speak into his ear.
"Matteo….it my's name.." he whispered so that the others couldn't hear him.
Evan smiled at the two of them conversing, before turning back to the main speaker.
Trent nodded, making sure to follow them inside right behind noel.
"looks like the kid is pretty attached to your brother.."

She wasn't aware that malachi had moved to save something until he walked back with it, her heart almost melted at the sight of the kitten and made her almost forget that she was soaking wet and shaking from the cold.
"Is it okay?"
The kitten shook terrified, it tried to make itself as small as possible and when malachi tried to dry it it scratched at him in fear of being hurt, when it didn't hurt though the kitten didn't try to scratch again, just merely meowing in fear. There was a small brand mark on its face that was still fresh.

Alister gave the boy a small smile. "Nice to meet you, Matteo," he whispered back. "I'm Alister if you don't already know, hehe."
Noel glanced back at her brother. "Yeah, that's weird…" she muttered to Trent.
The prison was quite different than he remembered. The once clean, pristine, almost unremarkable building now looked like ancient ruins; some lights were shut off or flickering, creating dark, shadowy spaces where, instead of dull, empty cells, the bodies of dead or dying aliens now took residence. Some of the cells were blocked off by the debris created in the battle. Most of the alien technology in the various offices and rooms that didn't house inmates were left untouched, but sometimes there would be a spatter of human blood or whatever the greenish-white stuff was that the aliens bled. Alister tried to avert Matteo's eyes from these rooms.
Soon they were out of the shadows. The white light above them became constant, and this was where the prison was most utilized. They found other rebels studying the containment rooms or the weapons and restraints storage, and eventually, they came to the mess hall where the center of the rebellion had been established. People were eating, staring at holograms, talking to one another, quickly passing through, or a combination of these. Danni led them over to one of the tables, where a woman with short, wavy, platinum blonde hair was talking to someone with a black pixie-cut and a holographic screen in front of them.
The blonde woman soon noticed them. "Hey, Danni, thanks for escorting them here," she said, turning from her other conversation.
"Of course," Danni said. "I'll be back at my post."
She left. August smiled at the other woman. "Good seeing you, Charlie."
"And you," the woman replied, an easiness in her expression. She looked to the others. "Pike, Storm, Arden." she greeted, her gaze lingering on Evan then moving to Alister, probably because of the flowers. "I see some new faces." She grinned. "Seems we have a lot to discuss."

"It is, for now," Malachi said. "Kittens don't usually survive for long without their mothers, I think. Strange mark though, may not be a normal chaton blanc."
The creature purred, drawing close to the small thing in Malachi's hands. Small thing! Arden would hear her say. I can take care of him. He will survive.

Kalis face contorted in disgust, "They branded the kitten…and so young too..that's awful." She let out a sigh before turning to the spinx and then back to malachi.
"she says she can take care of him, he will survive." She then moved to look back at malachi and the kitten. The kitten was shaking still either from the cold or from the fear of what it had been running from who knew, only the kitten.

Evans face once again heated up from the lingering gaze, trying to cover up his flowers with his hands, he wasn't used to this much attention and it was making him really uncomfortable he was used to being the background guy maybe even the background of the main squad who helped out when needed guy, he wasn't the oh everyone look at evan 24/7 and constantly point out that he has a soulmate next to him who's really good with kids and- he just got redder as he stopped his thoughts. He just looked away, looking at Alister before just looking at the ground.
Trent nodded when his name was mentioned, otherwise not saying much.
Matteo curled into Alister for most of it, especially when his eyes were shielded by alister, but he smiled at that little bit of knowledge, he had told Alister it was nice to meet him too and it made him feel very accomplished, so he relished in that factor.
He did still hate it there, until the lights were brighter. He turned to looks and exhaled at what he saw.

"I've actually never seen an animal branded like this before, do you know why he has it?" Malachi inquired.
Then he smiled at the sphinx, briefly stroking her neck and saying, "Merci, mademoiselle," before carefully setting the kitten on the creature's back, in a fluffy patch of fur and hair. They started wading across the river again.

Alister felt his own face burning as well. Why did Evan have to get that one cut on his cheek so that Alister had a random poppy there as well? He would like it if he could at least have no flowers on his face. But he caught Evan's eye before he looked away, and Alister found himself smiling a little. Why did he look so cute when he was blushing?
After introductions were made, the woman (her full name was Charlie Eastwood, the researcher and reporter on anything going on with the rebellion and nearly everything outside of it) then stated that Malachi wasn't anywhere in the prison. August then asked if she had seen someone who matched the description of the girl they saw before Malachi disappeared. Charlie shook her head, her expression concerned.
"This isn't good," she said. "We'll need him to properly make ties with the rebels in '7, and if we're going to establish this prison as a home base."
"Yeah," August agreed. "It's like we're on pause."
It was decided that they would try and search for him via technology instead of a physical search, but everyone was tired and hungry, so it was also decided that they would do that after some lunch and rest.
While everyone was getting rolls of bread and mashed potatoes, Charlie asked Alister to stay.
“Oh?” He said, feeling a little nervous around her.
“We should check the kid for tracking devices in his body,” she explained. “Just in case.”
He nodded. He carefully unwrapped Matteo’s arms around him and set him on the ground. “It’s okay,” he said. “Just a procedure.”

"No i don't know why…those people were sick, but maybe it's just to show that they own the cat. You should never brand animals, especially this young. He doesn't look that old, but he could just be small." She seemed very invested in the kitten, having forgotten how worried she was about falling.
"i hope it's okay."
The kitten upon being placed on the spinx's back relaxed, nuzzling into the furr.

Matteo tried to hold onto Alister as long as he could as he was set down he sat there and looked at Alister trusting only him pretty much, if Alister wasn't there he would not cooperate.

While Alister and matteo we're getting there stuff done evan tried to go over and move to be with trent and noel, since he felt Awkward going else where since we'll he didn't spot anyone he recognized enough to bother them by sitting by them.
Trent just walked with Noelz before noticing evan following them and nudging her elbow.

Alister was once again confused by Matteo’s utter attachment to him, but to keep him from freaking out he held the boy’s hand and showed him that he was supposed to hold out his arms in a t-pose. Charlie turned to the person she’d been talking to earlier, who was still studying the holographic screen.
“Hey Emery, you got the scanner on you?”
Emery nodded, glancing sympathetically at Matteo. “In my bag,” they said, reaching into it and producing a small box-like device with a blinking green light on one corner.
Charlie took the scanner. “Thanks.” She turned to Matteo and Alister. “Alright kid, when I turn this on, it’s gonna scan you. It won’t hurt or anything like that, you shouldn’t notice anything at all. Just gotta make sure you there’s nothing, ah, bad inside you. Okay?”
She turned the scanner on, the blinking green light turning a solid blue. After about 5 seconds, it remained blue but started blinking, and Charlie took the scanner in her lap to see the results.
“Alright, awesome.” She looked up and smiled at them. “You’re good. The scanner didn’t detect anything.”
Meanwhile, Noel turned to see Evan when Trent nudged her. She smiled and went over to him.
“Evaaaan,” she said mischievously. “Can I touch the flowers?”

Malachi shook his head sadly. ”Pauvre chose,” he said. “That’s horrible. Seems he ran away from his owners though, that’s good.”
The creature looked at Arden. Current status: one and a half pounds, four inches in height and six and a half inches in length, evidence of malnutrition.

Her face softened even more, "aww poor guy…he needs some food."
she moved and seemed to grab shadows mid air almost like a weapon and sliced into the water, spearing a fish, then cutting up the fish into baby bite size pieces.
"Oh wait- can he- is he old enough to eat this or does he still need milk?"
all thoughts of the self centered kind were completely gone.

He stayed still and shut his eyes the whole time he was being scanned, holding tightly to alister's hand, until when they said it was done he opened his eys and did a little formal bow to the girl who scanned him, moving to hide behind alister and look at her, his eyes sparkled a little bit. pretty lady…
Evan blushed at them asking to touch his flowers, "i m-mean i guess you canyeah."

Malachi’s eyes widened as she used the shadows to spear the fish. ”Mon Dieu,” he murmured. “Wait, did la dame say something about him?”
The creature replied, Strange… he is eleven weeks old, it seems… but it’s fuzzy. I’m unsure, but I think he can eat it.

Charlie chuckled. “Very polite, isn’t he?”
Alister smiled ruefully. “I mean, in his own way, I guess. C’mon Matteo, are you hungry?”
He thanked Charlie, then led the boy over to the little buffet with the cafeteria workers, where Evan, Noel, and Trent stood nearby.
Noel giggled, touching a cluster of lavender on Evan’s shoulder. She leaned in to smell it.

Matteo continued to stare at charlie as they walked off, waving at her as they walked off before turning forward and muttering something Alister would probably be able to hear, "Woah….."
Evan just looked away as Noel leaned in to smell the Lavender growing on his shoulder, through looking away he noticed Alister and the boy walk in and he smiled.
Trent was busy looking at noel, and watching her smell the lavenders with a smile.

She frowned crouching down to where she was at the same height as the kitten, she held her hand infront of the kitten a few inches back, he sniffed the fish and slowly went forwards the cut fish, and started to slowly eat the fish, making Kali softly smile.

Noel couldn’t help but laugh as she watched Evan’s reaction. She noticed Alister walking up and went over to him, motioning for the other boys to follow. “So, how do you like going on missions?”
He returned Evan’s smile as he scooped some mashed potatoes. “Um, terrifying.”
“That’s a fair assessment.”
“Yeah…” he chuckled. “At least I didn’t mess anything up, right?”
“Yeah, you actually helped a little bit.”
He shrugged, finished with the scooping and walking with the others to find a place to sit, when he spotted Charlie waving them over with August next her. He walked toward them. “I didn’t do that much…”

"Okay, don't answer my question then," Malachi said, throwing his hands up. Then he sighed, shaking his head and smirking a little. "You really like la petite chaton, don't you?"
He watched the kitten eat the fish, his smirk softening. He reached up to stroke the little creature's fur.
Soon they were on the shore. Malachi had to overcome a bit of dizziness upon walking on dry ground before he could keep going. He wanted to try and not rely on the sphynx for support, and besides, the little chaton blanc needed the sphynx more than him.

Matteo just stay clinging to Alister, though he did puff out his chest a bit while walking around to show he wasn't afriad and that he was strong maybe to impress charlie who knows
He noticed that they were walking towards charlie and he accidentally caught himself staring at her, he kept his jaw from dropping though.
He waved at her when they sat down, keeping a tough guy face on, he did wink at her though. Trying to be very discreet about it.
Evan let out a chuckle when he noticed what matteo had been doing, he stiffiled his chuckles though as too not draw too much attention.
He leaned over to Alister, "I think The little guy has a crush on charlie." He whispered so mattie couldn't hear him.
Trent was just staying near to Noel, not having much to add. He did get some food.

Kali needs a response-)

"Yeah i do so what? If the kitten was drowning and you were drowning i would choose the kitten.' she was completely serious faced so it was hard to tell if she really meant that or not.
The kitten tried to shrink upon the pets, but then once again realizing that the pets were friendly, he let them happen pushing slightly into the pets.