#EVEN ****** AND I WERE TALKING AND JUST 'hmmmmm so this aint gonna go where we thought but we care about one another so lets just do this

[second-chance-stray]

(Split Ends) RP Log: Rising and Riylli help Baldur while Cravs is MIA

Days prior ----- Cravs is gone, but has left two letters for Rising, Riylli, and Lin to read over.

Mindred's letter To the party of Singing Gull: Thank you for reaching out - I will consider extending a loan to your cause. Please meet me at the office of Red Spice Emporium on Windsday at 5:30 pm sharp. Baldur will be waiting by the entrance of the Hawker’s Alley to escort you all to the designated meeting area. I look forward to speaking with you all. ~Mindred R.

Crav's letter Shit happened. Busy. I’ll meet up with you guys on the day we have to see Mindred.

Day of -----

Cravendy Hound - The two of you arrive right on time, but Cravs is nowhere to be seen. Baldur (B) is there to greet you at the entrance of the Hawker’s Alley. The boy gives each of you a casual nod, and then looks around. “Where's your third?”

(Riylli Aliapoh) Riylli tilts her head as she approaches the boy. "...Is Cr... Singing Gull not here yet..?" She asks, looking around nervously. "She left us a super vague note. Hope she's alright..."

(Rising Lotus) grunted, looking just as anxious about the matter as Riylli if not more so. "She'd said she'd meet us here, so she'll probably be here soon." She gave a nod, trying to hide the slightest bit of doubt in her voice.

(Cravendy Hound) Baldur shakes his head no. “Been keeping an eye on the crowd while I waited. Thought you’d arrive all together.” He looks around himself, similarly anxious, then sighs. “We’ve got a few minutes to spare, but we shouldn’t keep Miss Rot waiting long. You said she left you a note?”

(Riylli Aliapoh) Riylli put her hands on her hips and gave a huff. "Barely. Just said she was busy and she'd meet us here. Should... we go see Rot without her..?" She asked, looking up at Rising

(Rising Lotus) "Yeah, didn't say nothin' jus' that she was leavin'." she sighed, running her hand over her head and down her neck. "S-She's not going to jus' leave I'm-" she was interrupted by Riylli, remembering they were here to meet said lady. "Oh...I don't know, maybe? But she wanted to meet Gull, so maybe we should wait?"

(Cravendy Hound) Baldur crosses his arms. “She makes a bad first impression, skipping out on the meeting like this. But since you two are here...maybe we can just have this be a meet and greet?”

(Riylli Aliapoh) Riylli lets out a heavy sigh. "I... Guess..? Maybe it'll help with the mission?" She looked up to Rising again, before remembering their cover story and turned back to Baldur. "Er... Mission to advance her singin' career."

(Rising Lotus) Rising dragged her hand down her face, trying her best to collect herself. "Aye..." she shook her head quickly. "We ought to do somethin' before she decides not to meet with us. We'll jus' have to say that.." she took a few moments to remember the alibi. "..Gull, had some urgent.. singin' matters to attend to."

(Riylli Aliapoh) Riylli grinned. "We can say she had a bit to drink earlier but she's a total lightweight and couldn't make it. Probably not that far off from the truth even!"

(Cravendy Hound) “I’m sure Miss Rot would understand. She’s a business woman too, after all,” Baldur chimes in. He then begins to walk down the Alley, past vendors hawking exotic wares and savory snacks. Eventually, he leads you to a building emblazoned with crimson banners. The Red Spice Emporium awaits.

(Rising Lotus) Merely nodded and hurried to catch up with Baldur. "..Maybe we ought to not say she was drinkin' though..probably gonna leave a bad impression...even if it's true."

(Riylli Aliapoh) The Miqo'te shrugged and followed along, gazing curiously at the various stalls they passed on their way to the ominous building

(Cravendy Hound) Stepping into the building, the boy exchanges a few words with a Roegadyn clerk at the front desk, and then the trio is led into a small conference room. A petite midlander with greying auburn hair swivels in her chair to face you all with a tight smile. “Hello! This is Singing Gull’s party, correct?”

(Riylli Aliapoh) "Mostly! Gull couldnt... really make it unfortunately. But we were hopin' we could still talk to Rot and see if we can't work somethin' out anyroad!"

(Rising Lotus) Nodded along. "Aye, we're hopin' she'll be 'round soon at least, but we can get things started maybe?" she shrugged "We don't want to waste her time an' all, since she's lettin' us see her."

(Cravendy Hound) Mindred’s hair falls loose on her shoulders, and she’s wearing a neat red shirt that has her business logo embroidered at the pocket. At the news of Singing Gull being missing, she  pauses, shock flashing in her eyes for a second. Then it’s gone, and her smile is even wider. “Ah...don’t worry. I know how it is with celebrities. Always sending their lackeys to do the actual work.”

(Riylli Aliapoh) Riylli plops herself down onto one of the conference room chairs. "Tell me about it... Barely even left us a note either!" She said with an overdramatic sigh. "She's lucky we like her so much. How does this all work anyroad? I aint really all that familiar with loans to be honest..."

(Rising Lotus) "Aye, she's a right fine singer, but you know..." she turned her attention to Riylli as she started speaking, rubbing her temples as she brought up her unfamiliarity with loans. "...Well I'm fairly familiar with how they work at any rate." she shot Riylli a glare.

(Riylli Aliapoh) The Miqo'te tilts her head, not really sure why she was getting glared at all of the sudden

(Cravendy Hound) The woman laces her fingers together, elbows braced against the fine mahogany table. “You tell me how much you want, and I lay out some options...There are a couple forms I’ll need you to fill out, but given as your Lady isn’t here, you may mail them back to me at your earliest convenience.” She slides out a thin stack of papers.

(Riylli Aliapoh) Riylli accepts the papers and begins to flip through them, before realizing she really didn't understand what she was looking at anyways and hands them off to Rising

(Cravendy Hound) “These papers will allow me to follow up on Gull’s loan history, which I’ll use to determine whether I want to approve the loan or not. If all works out, I’ll have the money ready for you to pick up,” Mindred states. She looks at Baldur for a second, her smile unflinching.

(Rising Lotus) Rising was quick to try and take the lead. "We're lookin' for 'round..." she paused to take the papers from Riylli, trying to think of a believable number. "uh...twenty-five thousand was it? Most to cover...costs an' get her face..well voice.. out there more. I'm sure we'll be makin' it back quick though.." she started flipping through the pages.

(Cravendy Hound) Mindred’s gaze rolls back onto Rising. “Mm, I see. I’ll take note of that. This certainly sounds like a promising deal...so I do hope everything else falls in order.” She slides out her business card to Rising, and seems to be waiting for one in turn.

(Riylli Aliapoh) Riylli stares at the business card for quite some time, clearly trying to figure out what it was but not wanting to actually ask.

(Rising Lotus) "We'll have her look over these soon as we see her next, get it all figured out. You're a busy lady after all seems like." picking up the card and reading it quickly, she then realized what Rot was waiting for. "Oh, sorry...we are lookin' to make some more, caught us right after a show out in uh, Thanalan. Lots got picked up there."

(Cravendy Hound) Mindred chuckles. “Ah. Here, you can borrow this.” She takes a notepad and pen out from a sliding drawer underneath the desk, and presents it to Riylli. “Just leave me with some kind of contact information, so I can follow up.”

(Cravendy Hound) “Business can move fast. I’d like to be able to reach out to your party just in case.”

(Riylli Aliapoh) "...Contact..?" She asked, looking up to Rising for a moment. She wasn't so sure about giving them the name of Heartwood, still not entirely sure whatever they were up to was on the right side of the law. "Can I give you my linkpearl? My clan's a bit hard to find, so it'd be much easier that way"

Rising Lotus started to sweat as she saw the paper and pen placed before Riylli, fingers curling closed as she hope she put something not stupid. Her eyes narrowed at the answer, offering up the linkpearl was a classy move, but the mention of clans...

(Cravendy Hound) “Clans? Is that what you call your....singing troupe?” She gives Riylli an odd look, but accepts the linkpearl regardless.

(Rising Lotus) Rising was fast to butt in yet again. "Oh that's jus' what she calls our little.." she twirled her hand around "Group, like us together, but not what our singin' group is called! It's jus's Singin' Gull is all."

(Rising Lotus) "Jus' a Miqo'te thing, how she was raised, we're her clan. That's what it is."

(Riylli Aliapoh) Happily hands over her linkpearl, Rising able to spy a number of them in her pouch alongside that faintly glowing mcguffin. She looked up at Rising as she spoke. "Uh... Yeah, just a bit of Keeper lingo I guess, don't worry about it. Just contact me on that, and I'll gather up Gull and the crew to come handle the payment. Hopefully she actually show's up next time."

(Cravendy Hound) Mindred seems satisfied with this explanation. “I do not see many of your kind around these parts, forgive me. I did not know.”

(Cravendy Hound) hMMMMM THE mcguffin -eyes- )) (Riylli Aliapoh) (ITLL SEE USE ONE OF THESE DAYS I SWEAR) (Rising Lotus) also did she steal all those linkpearls?)) (Riylli Aliapoh) (I plead the fifth) (Cravendy Hound) djfkslfdjs LOL where do they phone to?? )) (Riylli Aliapoh) (To her! She keeps a bunch on her to hand out for jobs and such, since she's trying to build a reputation (Rising Lotus) Probably should stop doing bow things in the woods then xD)) (Riylli Aliapoh) ('Bow things in the woods' describes 99% of Keeper activities)

(Cravendy Hound) “May this loan go well, and both our gilpurses benefit. As soon as you send the forms, my clerks will be at the ready.” Mindred leans back and then directs her attention to Baldur, who had so far been standing guard at the door. “Baldur, I’ve heard you’ve picked up the axe. You should’ve told me that was what your most recent loan was for! Why, you’ll break this old woman’s heart at this rate.”

(Cravendy Hound) Baldur looks awkwardly to the side as Mindred continues, a loving drawl in her voice. “If it’s herowork you’re looking for, why didn’t you come to me? I’ve got just the problem...a troublemaker hounding my caravans as of late. Innocents in need of help. Do your father proud, why don’t you? That’s what heroes do.”

(Cravendy Hound) Baldur looks exceptionally confused, but Mindred cuts him off. From how he responds, you come to realize that she probably talks over him often. “Call it intuition, but I have a feeling you’ll really grow from this encounter. Now, run along and play.” She turns to Rising and Riylli. “Hopefully, I’ll be speaking with your group soon.”

(Riylli Aliapoh) Riylli's ears immediately perked up with undisguised interest. "Oh! I can help out with that! I do a bit of hero work of my own y'know!" She says, leaning forward excitedly

(Cravendy Hound) Mindred smiles at Riylli’s interjection. “Perfect. I’ll be sure to pay you both, then.”

(Riylli Aliapoh) The Miqo'te grins, ears wiggling even. "Sure! You can use that same linkshell to contact me for that too! I'm sure with me and Baldur on the case your caravans got nothin' to worry about!" She says, flashing Baldur a friendly thumbs-up

(Rising Lotus) Rising used all of her restraint to not smack Riylli's ears clean off her head. "Sure, with any luck we'll run into Gull along the way." she punctuated her sentence with a bit, strained smile. "I 'spose we ought to be off then, our singer has kept you waitin' but we won't!"

(Cravendy Hound) Baldur sends Riylli an uneasy look, though it’s not because of her. He gives Mindred a quick bow and then steps out first to hold the door open for Riylli and Rising. There’s something on his mind.

(Rising Lotus) Rising Bows as well, placing a hand on Riylli's upper back to force her to bow as well. "Thank you for your time mam!"

(Riylli Aliapoh) Riylli grunts a bit as she's forced to bow, but manages to keep any particularly offensive comments to herself as she rises and follows Rising and Baldur out of the room. "I was totally gonna do that already y'know! I know how to be polite!" She mutters to the Roegadyn once away from the loan-shark's hearing

(Cravendy Hound) Baldur doesn’t stop walking until you all are gooood distance away. “Um, well that went well for you guys? I guess?” He fidgets at the hem of his glove, then lets out a sigh.

(Rising Lotus) Making sure they were out of earshot from not only the people of Rot's establishment but also Baldur, she glare down to Riylli. "If you don't know anythin' 'bout somethin', next time keep your mouth SHUT." she said the last part sharply. "You know what people like her do Riylli? They break legs an' fingers! She's gonna tell somethin's not right." she brought her hand to her face "An' we still ain't seen Cravs, so much to plan for the fishin' trip, an' now this..." her breathing was growing a bit rapid as Baldur approached. "A-Aye." she pushes it all down for now "considerin' we can't find our star an' all."

(Riylli Aliapoh) Riylli looks up at the Roegadyn. "Pssh, so what, I do that too!" She says dismissively, before wandering off and up towards Baldur to give him a friendly pat on the back alongside a fanged grin. "It did! Sounds like you and me are gonna be workin' together soon too! I'll be sure to share all the tips and tricks I've learned with ya, don't worry!"

(Cravendy Hound) Baldur takes the pat like a champ, does his best to mirror Riylli’s positive attitude. But ultimately, that troubled look returns to his face. “Yeah, I’m really thankful you jumped in too actually. Mindred's got a habit of...well. Let’s just say she tends to teach by tossing someone into the frying pan without any safety guards.”

(Cravendy Hound) In a lower voice, Baldur adds: “Sometimes, I feel like she wants me to fail. Either that, or I’m shit at meeting her lofty expectations.”

(Riylli Aliapoh) Riylli raised an eyebrow. "Ah, that type huh? Don't worry, I'll keep you safe." She said, giving him a slightly gentler pat. She turned back to Rising. "Well, aside from the rough teachin' methods, she seemed nice enough to me? Maybe were lookin' for someone else on the list after all?"

(Rising Lotus) Rising rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Well whatever may attack ain't going to be much a threat with us there. Done this sort of work thousands of times. Bandits aren't a big deal." she rolled her eyes as Riylli brought that up so close to the lad. "Loan sharks act nice at first, once your indebted to them that's when they strike." she'd reply back in a hushed tone.

(Cravendy Hound) “Bandits at my level...seems pretty fast, is all,” Baldur says. He looks over a paper containing the job’s details. “Sheesh. Mindred’s putting us to work right away. You got time? Like...now, now.”

(Riylli Aliapoh) Riylli blinked. "...Wait, like NOW now, now? Uh... I guess I'm free. Ish. Supposed to be huntin' tonight, but whatever... I'm sure Ava'll understand." She shrugged, then looked over to Rising for her opinion

(Rising Lotus) Rising raised an eyebrow at that. "So you're suddenly not runnin' smack into things?" she managed to chuckle lightly, probably really needing a lightened spirit after the night so far. "We might as well, not like Gull is 'round here or nothin'.." she sighed, chewing her lower lip as she glanced around incase Cravs would finally make an appearance.

(Cravendy Hound) Baldur nods. “Yeah, NOW now. This is nuts, right? Like, I’ve never done a guard job in my life, but this is weird, right?” But the money was too good to pass up. He’d risk it.

(Riylli Aliapoh) Riylli nods to Rising and Baldur in turn. "If you wanna be a hero, you gotta be ready to jump into action at a moments notice! Try not to worry so much, I got protection spells to keep you safe and Rising there is a great meatshield. You just focus on learnin', we'll handle the rough parts!"

(Rising Lotus) "Like I said it should be fine. Let's get it over with, I've dealth with a behemoth in Dravania I'm sure whatever might attack it here won't be an issue." she would hurry forward, only to realize Baldur was the one that knew where to go.

The Job -----

(Cravendy Hound) Waiting at the road’s junction is a caravan (C), “Red Spice Emporium” painted on the vehicle’s canvas like a big target. It’s handled by two employees - one to direct the chocobos, and another to ride in the back. They’re expecting guards, but are surprised to see Baldur with you two. One of them gives the boy a proud pat on the back and then, you’re off.

(Cravendy Hound) The first part of the trip is uneventful. Just orange orchards and hills of grass - maybe the occasional stray goobbue at a distance. But at the halfway mark, a small canister tumbles out from the right and you see it only for a second before it goes off. A flashbang!?

(Cravendy Hound) Something attempts to hit when the flashbang goes off. Roll to defend!

(Cravendy Hound) lmao buildup? what's that xD )) Random! Riylli Aliapoh rolls a 211. (Rising Lotus) Random! 267 (Cravendy Hound) Random! 586 (Cravendy Hound) me sweating as I watch the time :-)  )) (Riylli Aliapoh) (I warned you!)

(Cravendy Hound) Whoever it was makes contact. You feel something hit you on your shoulder - a sleep dart? It’s fast acting, but with your combat experience, you resist for the moment.

(Rising Lotus) Good thing both of my shoulders are armored)) (Rising Lotus) kind of xD)) (Cravendy Hound) ayyy :D well one of them lol )) (Riylli Aliapoh) (Time to attack or are we still blind?) (Cravendy Hound) it was a flashbang so now your eyes are kinda blearly. can kinda see ))

(Riylli Aliapoh) Riylli was looking directly at the flashbang when it went off, learning a lot of new things about the world today. She tries to swing her staff blindly as she feels the dart hit her, only to realize quickly that wasn't going to help anything. Not able to do much else, she decides to cast stoneskin on herself to try and keep herself safe from whatever was inevitably coming next

(Cravendy Hound) Baldur hits the ground and crawls into the caravan for cover. “Someone’s shooting at us? Anyone catch them?” He looks to his right and finds one of the caravan’s employees, fast asleep. Shit.

(Rising Lotus) Rising had brought her arm up to shield her face as she saw the thing throw into the road, but still was a bit affected by the flash. The dart to her exposed shoulder caused her to shriek out, it didn't particularly hurt but she had a thing about needles now. She felt a numbness moving over her upper body. Cursing, she let her eyes readjust as she looked for their enemy.

(Cravendy Hound) More shots - from the north! At this distance, you see someone aiming a gun in your direction. Dressed in black and blue, their face is obscured by a wide-brimmed hat.

(Cravendy Hound) this is not necessarily ICly cravs but here's an outfit ))

(Rising Lotus) Catching a glimpse of their assailant, Rising grit her teeth and ducked  behind cover. "Riylli! North of here, get some rocks thrown in that direction!" she ordered, waiting for her distraction to press her assault.

(Riylli Aliapoh) Riylli nods, having arguments but not willing to waste time. She began to pull shards of earth and stone from the ground, launching them forward like small spears in the hopes of forcing the assailant to move and disrupting their aim. "Baldur, stay with the sleeping guards! You're on defence, got it?"

(Cravendy Hound) There’s a pause between the next barrage of shots and - while the bandit’s aim is good, you’d notice that the ammunition being used is all nonlethal. Sleep darts, rubber bullets, etc. Riylli’s hunk of rock forces the bandit to change positions, and now, she’s simply down the road. Far, but straight ahead.

(Rising Lotus) Their enemy was still a bit far away for Rising's comfort, but staying still wasn't going to help with the tranquilizer flowing through her veins. She charged forward, spear at the ready to run the gunner through, non lethal ammo or not.

(Cravendy Hound) Baldur doesn’t listen. Instead, he uses his axe to tear open a crate within the caravan, causing its contents to spill. The crate converted into boards, he tosses Riylli her own wooden shields. “Use this! I’m going in!” Makeshift shield held forward, he blindly charges up the road.

(Cravendy Hound) When Rising charges forward, the bandit takes an uncertain step back. The sight of Baldur also moving forward gives them hesitation. Then, without a word, the bandit tosses a gas canister in between them, and it begins to spew an obscuring gas.

(Riylli Aliapoh) Riylli blinks and instinctively accepts the board, staring at it in confusion for a moment before realizing Baldur had run off. "What part of protection magic don't you get!" She called out, throwing the board to the side and immediately chasing after him. She does her best to cast stoneskin on him as well, but casting complex spells like that while moving would prove to be rather difficult. "Would! You! Stop! Running!"

(Cravendy Hound) ahahha Riylli playing babysitter xD )) (Riylli Aliapoh) (Baldur is the newbie tank overpulling in dungeons) (Cravendy Hound) HE IS )) (Cravendy Hound) undergeared underleveled )) (Rising Lotus) Healer just needs to adjust)) (Riylli Aliapoh) (Riylli is gonna learn swiftcast after this) (Cravendy Hound) pffff ))

(Cravendy Hound) “This is what heroes do, didn’t you say?!” Baldur shouts back. The gas from the canister is starting to build - think of it at like 40% opacity.

(Riylli Aliapoh) "Don't listen to me dammit! I'm a bad influence!" She yells angrily, managing to very slowly build her spell as she begins to catch up with Baldur.

(Rising Lotus) Rising just passed the canister as it's tossed out, trying to keep her lock on the gunner while her vision slowly became clouded. She was poised to impale them if she made it, though the dart's poison slowed her running speed by a bit, gradually taking a greater toll.

(Cravendy Hound) The bandit seems distracted, or maybe confused. In his recklessness, Baldur chucks his axe at the bandit and grabs their attention. They easily move out of the way of the axe - but the attack succeeds in another way. From dodging the axe, the bandit takes a hit from Rising’s lance!

Riylli Aliapoh >> So! To phrase this in a way that can avoid spoilers: Does Riylli manage to recognize the scent? (Just say no if you dont want that revealed yet) Cravendy Hound >> honestly, you'd mostly smell a TON of alcohol ahah )) Riylli Aliapoh >> ITS CRAVS Cravendy Hound >> I NEVER SAID IT WAS )) Riylli Aliapoh >> Lmao!

(Rising Lotus) The bandit was lucky enough to only get grazed in the side instead of being full on shish kabobed, but it was still a clean cut! Once the distance had been fully bridged, she let go of her spear with her armor fist and aimed to punch the bandit in the face, even in her drugged state there seemed to be a lot of aggression behind that strike, the bandit could only wonder how Rising's day was going.

(Riylli Aliapoh) Riylli manages to finally cast her stoneskin spell once they had both caught up with the assailant, showering Baldur in aether in order to ensure he would come out of this skirmish uninjured. She would need a moment to recover after that however, the amount of charging needed for that spell being much greater thanks to Baldur's recklessness

(Cravendy Hound) roll for the punch? :D )) (Rising Lotus) Random! 3 (Rising Lotus) wow)) (Riylli Aliapoh) (wow (Cravendy Hound) that's impressive!)) (Riylli Aliapoh) (dont do drugs kids) (Rising Lotus) Hits her face lightly then passes out xD))

(Cravendy Hound) The bandit wobbles back, one hand at her bleeding side and the other with their gun at the ready. It would seem that the tranquilizer is kicking in, and they easily dodge Rising’s blow.

(Cravendy Hound) But when Baldur draws close, and when the kid and bandit lock eyes with each other, they both freeze in place. As if they’ve seen a ghost, or worse. A demon.

(Cravendy Hound) The smoke thickens, your vision grows grey with it. When it clears, the bandit is gone.

(Rising Lotus) The dashing and strong attacks had left Rising bereft of her strength, all the activity just pumping the tranq through her veins quicker. She stumbled back, swinging her spear in slow wide arc as the bandit vanished, hitting nothing and then falling to one knee, panting heavily.

Rising Lotus drops to her knee winded.

(Riylli Aliapoh) Riylli grits her teeth, falling to her knees. Her smaller size combined with the wasteful spellcasting meant the drug was taking effect much quicker than with Rising, though she was trying her absolute best to hold on. "Baldur... You good?"

(Rising Lotus) Rising was looking too hazy to ask about her teammates, she merely raised a hand to grip the dart still in her shoulder, pulling it out with a whimper and tossing it as far as she could down the road, which wasn't too far right now.

(Cravendy Hound) There’s something feral behind Baldur’s glare. An uncontrollable rage, deep rooted and cold. “That was...but they said....” Riylli and Rising momentarily forgotten, he simply stands here, consumed by something bitter.

(Cravendy Hound) Baldur snaps out of it and goes over to Rising. “Shit, you okay? Come on, wake up.” He shakes her in an attempt to help her. And to Riylli: "I'm good. You two...how can I help?"

(Riylli Aliapoh) Riylli was way too tired to deal with vague mutterings. "Hey! Focus! Are you okay!? Who was it?"

(Rising Lotus) Finally succumbed to the poison, collapsing in the road into a deep sleep.

(Cravendy Hound) While bracing against Rising’s weight, Baldur hesitates. His heart feels rooted to his throat, his blood burning hot at his temples. He hesitates. And then he finds his courage. “If I’m not crazy...if my eyes aren’t lying to me...”

(Cravendy Hound) “The one who killed my pa.”

(Cravendy Hound) Risings gonna have some nice, deep sleep tonight )) (Rising Lotus) Probably the best she's gotten in a while xD))

(Riylli Aliapoh) Riylli just stares at him for a moment before letting out a sigh. She proceeds to reach up to hand him the linkpearl from her ear. "We'll deal with that in the morning, 'kay..? Tell Ava what happened... Sorry if she yells at you..." She mutters, before closing her eyes and allowing herself to give in to the drug

#ff14 rp logs #Split Ends #Cravendy Hound #Riylli Aliapoh #Rising Lotus #DUN DUN DUN........ #me grimace/smiling as this all falls apart #falls....together?!

[hitchell-mope]

(Third film. After “The Phoenix”. In Audrey’s bedroom she’s explaining what she knows to the vks)

Audrey:...and the last time I saw him he was getting out his violin. I’m sorry I can’t be of more help

Mal: no, thank you Audrey. I um I figured it’d be something like that

Harriet: you don’t wanna be doin that during a crisis

Uma: ahem notaeuphemism, notaeuphemism

Harriet: ohhhh

Harry: tch sounds like one though

Mal: alright. Both of you. Not a peep out of either of you two crackpots for the rest of the millennium

Uma: eh, sounds fair.

Mal: are you doing ok. Chad going crazy, it must be horrible for you

Evie: oh who cares. She’s probably the cause of it

Mal: Evie shut up

Audrey: she’s right. It’s my fault. If I hadn’t left I

Mal: what happened

Audrey: after what happened to you guys on the bridge. We went back to his room. He forbade me to see you guys or be friends with you any more. I tried to leave and then he grabbed my wrist and tried to get me to stay

Mal: I’m gonna kill him. I’m gonna rip him apart limb from limb

Audrey: I read him the riot act. And I left. It’s my fault. If I’d stayed I could’ve stopped him

Mal: if you stayed. Then we’d be fighting you right now. And it not your fault. Chad’s problems are Chad’s problems. Not yours or anyone else’s

Jay: oh my god

Mal: what?

Jay: he wants her

Mal: huh?

Jay: he wants to be king. And he never forgave you for Ben dumping Audrey because she was being a swot to you. He’s like an equally pathetic and creepy version of harry. Psychotically devoted to who he thinks is the perfect woman

Mal: holy shit

Evie: well then we know hey we have to do.

Mal: no

Evie (blatantly ignoring her sister): we give her to chad. They both burn to death. We’re home free

Uma: I can’t believe I’m saying this but it could work

Mal: no it couldn’t. Because. A. Chad’s power mad. B. Even it could work then we’d still have a homicidal dark fairy on our hands.

Uma: shit you’re right. Ah well only one thing to do

Hadie: what’s that?

Uma: rifle through her shit while she’s in a depressive episode

(She starts doing just that. Pulling out books from shelves, tearing down clothes from the wardrobe, until she finds something of interest)

Audrey: um excuse me. That’s my diary

Uma: I know. That’s why I’m reading it.

Audrey: yeah but it’s really old. From a time in my life I’m not exactly proud of so if

Uma (reading and ignoring her please): “Eighth of March. They’re here. Poor Benny boo is too nice to see it but I know the truth. They want my throne. That little purple skidmark, the magic mop head, Mouthoff and that spindly freckle faced...” Woah, and you still wanna protect her after all this?

Evie: she’s Mal’s friend. Not ours. And even then. It’s only because Mal feels guilty

Uma (rifling through the pages): lets see now it’s gotta be somewhere here. Oh yeah. “Eighth of April. I can’t believe it. He dumped me. All because I was reading that stuck up little handbag the riot act. She’s got to have used a love potion because there’s no way in hell Ben would dump me for sowing one so poor and ugly. At least I’ve got chad as a fallback. That little witch has gotten too comfortable. It might be time to shake things up as it were”. So how’d ya do it?

Mal: do what?

Uma: trap lil beasty boy. Cause there’s no way in hell he jumped you willingly

Mal: why the fuck would I spell Ben? Who the fuck do you think I am? You?

Harry: what’s that supposed mean?

Jay: it means you hypnotised Ben before the cotillion last year. Or have you forgotten about that?

Harry: cut me some slack alright? Sometimes I can’t remember what happened yesterday. Which for me in fact it was actually. See as I lost a year of me life

Carlos: oh boo fricking hoo dickbrain

Uma: oh look there’s more. “Tenth of June. I’m an idiot. A pink frilly stupid idiot. I was completely wrong about Mal and the others. She saved my life. I tried to kill her and she saved my life. How could I be so stupid. They had no choice but they chose to save me when they could have let me burn. I have to make things right. It’s the only way”. Damn Ophelia. When do you jump into the lake?

Audrey: it’s um ahem that’s the last diary entry. I didn’t feel like making another one.

Uma: then you wouldn’t mind if it do this

(She frisbees the dusty into the empty fireplace and sets it alight. Audrey runs up to stop her but is held fast by the hook sisters)

Audrey: please, please. They’re my mother’s diaries. It was a for my fourteen birtday

Uma: oh yeah? Well do you know what I got for my fourteenth birthday? A triple unpaid shift at the restaurant where I work for a roof over my head.

Mal: Uma! Leave her alone

Jay: yeah she’s ignorant. She doesn’t know what it’s like over there. And she can’t be held accountable for what Adam did

Uma: you all can (she grabs Audrey by the throat) now. What do you suggest we do with her highness?

Cj: how about we make sure her incessant prattling is stopped forever more?

Harry: ooh good choice.

Harriet: but how do we silence her?

Uma: hmmmmm...OOH! I know. Harry your pocket watch please

(He hands her the watch and she throws it into the mirror above the mantlepiece through which it disappears)

Uma: see ya feckers

Mal: NO WAIT NO!

(Uma freezes the other Vks with magic, chucks Audrey through the mirror, sending her falling through the blackness and teleports her and the hooks to the same place. This is when “this is Halloween” happens. After the song. Carlos blurs for a second and the spell ends)

Carlos: of course. Now what to do first. Hmmmmm. Right! Gil. C’mon buddy. Wakey wakey

(He double taps Gil and the shoulder and the blonde starts moving again)

Gil: owww. We have to save her don’t we?

Carlos: unfortunately. Yes

Gil: shit.

Carlos: tally ho my friend

(They both jump into the mirror and land in a watch)

Gil: where are we?

Carlos: a pocket watch. Your ex’s pocket watch I believe judging by how it’s kaput

Gil: oh yeah. Yah um. James kept smashing it so he stopped asking me to fix it after the fifth time it was thrown at his head

Carlos: that explains so much yet absolves absolutely nothing

Gil: stands to reason

(Audrey’s muffled screams can be heard from their right)

Carlos: this way?

Gil: yep

(They head off in a northern direction and sure enough they’re Audrey. Bound to a clockwork chair. Mouth gaffes with tape. Carlos almost releases her but Uma steps out of the darkness followed by the hooks)

Uma: I wouldn’t do that if I were you

Carlos: really? You wouldn’t do this if you were me? Well if I were you then I wouldn’t kidnap the friend of the future queen

Harry: back off you son of a bitch

Carlos: kill me and we both go down you skinny ass rooster brain

Doug: oh my god they got you too

(Everyone turns around to see Doug standing there looking downright haunted)

Carlos: Doug what are you doing here

Doug: mirrors are connected.

Carlos: right. Wanna help us free Audrey from the grim grinning ghosts?

Doug: eh sure why not. I’ve got nothing better to do until the spells broken.

Gil: yay. The normies are back in business. Shame Lon-Lon isn’t here though

Doug: who calls ya normies?

Gil: you had nightmares. Lots of them

Doug: those ice packs were from you?

Gil: yeah. When people have nightmares they get incredibly heated.

Carlos: this is true. Jay ices his hands when I have nightmares

Harry: hey, dipshit! Are we gonna talk or are we gonna obligate you?

Doug: it’s obliterate dickless. Not obligate

Harry: I don’t care

Audrey: *muffled sounds of protests*

Doug: yeah we’re not on you right now

Carlos: lemme talk to Uma. C’mon captain

(They walk a little way away from the others)

Uma: what?

Carlos: you don’t wanna do this

Uma: oh? Why not?

Carlos: because it interferes with your plans Uma. No matter how many times you say to the contrary. We know you. 9 times out of ten your need to one up and hurt Mal outweigh your desire to help the island. But I’m telling you. Let your altruism win out instead of your sadism. Not killing Audrey might not be fun. Believe. Jay Evie and I have fantasised about it many a time. But right here right now. Your best bet is to let bygones be bygones. Capiche?

Uma: no. Still gonna killer her

Carlos: I thought you’d say that

(This is when “I will not bow” happens. After the song Harry hurls the debris at Carlos who explodes it into to dust)

Carlos: so you really do have magic. I thought Evie siphoned it off?

Doug: it’s the “mother hauling a car off her child” reaction. Uma was in danger and Harry reacted instinctively

Carlos (sarcastically): perfect

Harry: and now, I’m gonna finish what I started in the alleyway

(His eyes glow blood red and he charges at Carlos. Who just peruses a few buttons on his wrist so a force fiend forms in front of him knocking the pirate off course. Harry roars in anger and his hair ignites in blood red flame. Gil punches him in the face and his hair goes out)

Carlos (utterly disgusted): oh. My. God.

(The brown is Harris hair has burned away to black)

Carlos: what the fuck. Is-is that natural or is it the ember?

Harry: you what?

Harriet: your hair. It’s black again.

Harry: no my hairs brown

Cj: no brother dear. Your hair is black. Again. Like it hasn’t been since you asked Uma to lather it in boot polish when you were six

Harry (absolutely traumatised): no! NO IT AINT

Doug: yes. Yes it is.

(He uses the selfie function on his phone camera as a mirror. Harry takes one look and screams in melancholy and assumes the foetal position)

Carlos: what the fuck

Cj (long suffering sigh): you see, my siblings hair is naturally black. Harriet is our fathers favourite. Harry is not. So Harry asked Uma to dye his hat brown when he was six. And hasn’t looked back since.

Carlos: and you

Cj: I’m a natural blonde. I’m Gil’s cousin. His mother’s the middle bimbette. My mother is the youngest bimbette.

Carlos: we would not be out of place in Storybrooke.

Doug and Gil: nope

Carlos: so! Here’s what we’re gonna do. Uma, you and the tweedle twits are gonna come with me back to the home side. Gil, I can count on you to untie miss priss?

Gil (cheerfully): Roger! Doug, you can come back with us

Carlos and Doug: no, absolutely not

Doug: I need need to stay here in the mirror world until my body wakes up. If I go through with you guys I’ll die.

Carlos: your body and mind are safe. You might need to hide. If you stay here. Evie will most certainly kill Audrey

(Audrey screams in protest)

Carlos: oh we all know she’ll blame you. She hates you enough as it is already. And if...fucks sake I can’t take you seriously looking like that (he rips the tape off her mouth ignoring her screams of pain) that’s much better. If she sees Doug in the Moore she will blame you and she will kill you

Audrey (conceding): that’s fair

Carlos: now. Let’s see, how am I going to do this. Oh! I know!

(He uses his exosuit to shove the girls through the mirror, not noticing Harry using his own magic to root Doug to the spot. Gil hoists up both Harry and Audrey and, together with Carlos jumps back to the real world. Once there Carlos makes Uma reverse the spell which she does without complaint)

Uma: you of course realise you are incredibly dangerous to people with that exosuit?

Carlos: That was the idea. Gil could you put Audrey on the bed please

Mal: what happened?

Carlos: oh the usual. Uma let her instincts get in the way of logical thinking.

Mal: of course

Evie: Doug? Doug! Oh my god. Doug wait right there

Carlos: shield Audrey

Mal: what

Carlos: trust me on this mom. This not going to end well

Harry (aside to Uma): watch this

(He uses magic to bring Doug, who’s futilely trying to get away, closer to the glass)

Evie (climbing up on the mantelpiece and tapping on the glass): Doug. Honey I’m here. What..what’s wrong? Why can’t I get through? Let me through. Let me through. Dammit let me through. Let me go to him for fucks sake let me through. (She starts banging on the glass with her fists) LET ME THROUGH. LEMME THROUGH. LET ME GO TO HIM LET ME THROUGH! PLEASE (her eyes start glowing and the mirror starts to crack) LET ME THROUGH LET ME THROUGH! (She starts sobbing). LET ME THROUGH. LET ME GO TO HIM. PLEAE

Carlos: jay get her, now!

(Jay lifts her up by the waist, still screaming and crying, and pulls her away from the mirror. Doings hands remain on the glass where hers were)

Evie (still crying): why can’t I why can’t why can’t I go to him? It should be easy I have magic Uma’s not that much more powerful than me I should be able to get through why can’t I get through? (She stops crying, jay lets her go and her voice evens out) you. You did this. He’s doing this because of you. It’s all YOUR FAULT

(She launches at Audrey intent on scratching the princesses eyes out but Jay and Gil grab her just in time)

Evie: LET ME KILL HER

Mal: no!

Evie: IF SHE DIES HE’LL STOP

Mal: but Maleficent won’t. Do you really want to take that chance?

Evie (extremely reluctantly): n...no

Mal: ok then. Put her down guys. And just where the hell are you going?

Uma (hand on the door handle): I can’t stay here. I. I just can’t. (Harry makes his way to her). And nobody! Nobody. Nobody, follow me

Harriet: you heard her Har. Stay here

(Uma leaves the room. She magically deadbolts and soundproofs the door and then sinks to the floor crying her eyes out. That is until she senses someone approaching her)

Uma (thickly): go away. There’s an attack on this dump. People are dropping like bats. Find a nice soft spot to collapse if you know what’s good for you

Adam: I know there’s an attack on the school dear. I’m part of it you see. Don’t bother getting up. This will be over quickly. I just wanted to tell you that what’s about to happen is entirely deserved.

Uma: you’re him aren’t you? Beast

Adam: THAT’S NOT MY... (he takes a deep breath). That’s not my name. My name is Adam

Uma: yeah don’t care. To us you’re the beast. The bastard boogeyman who damned to the island

Adam: like I said it was deserved

Uma (scoffing): huh! Deserved? Really? You really think what you did to us was deserved? How fucking delusional can you get?

Adam: no more delusional than you thinking that I can be stoppped.

Uma: what did she offer you?

Adam: my kingdom back. And your kind flung back to the scrap heap where you all belong.

Uma: not if I have anything to do about it

Adam (scoffing): what can you do. You’re a child who’s oh so very far from home. And I’m a man with years of experience.

Uma: you’re a crackpot, corrupt politician. And I have magic that you cannot even begin to comprehend

Adam: is that so?

Uma: damn straight. I can tear you apart without even touching you.

Adam: care to put that to the test?

Uma: your move. Five paces?

Adam: of course

(They move to opposite sides of the corridor. This is when “calling all the monsters” happens. After the song Adam slashes off one of her tentacles and she falls to the ground screaming in pain. While all this is going on Harry is desperately trying to open the door)

Hadie: Harry it’s no use. She’s deadbolted it. It won’t be lifted until she chooses to.

Harry: there has to be a way. Use me as a battering ram

Carlos: nobody here wants to touch you

Harry: have you got any right ideas?

Jay: it’s bright ideas. And we don’t want you to be happy so why would we help you

(At the mantlepiece Evie’s got an idea)

Mal: there’s no guarantee that’d work Evie

Evie: I have to do something. I can’t just leave him there. He shouldn’t be alone. Please if blood or, or family mean anything to you then help me make sure he’s not alone.

Mal: I’m doing this for Doug and Doug only. Let’s see here (she flips through the spell book) damn. What you want to do counts as love. Sorry.

Hadie: what’s counts as love

Mal: Evie wants to send part of her consciousness into the mirror to keep Doug company. But her love for him is the driving factor. And Maleficent ripped out and burned the last one hundred pages of the book contains love spells because real feelings need to be there for it to work and according to her I’m not worthy of love.

Cj: she’s a smart lady

(Mal clicks her fingers, CJ’s leg snaps in two and she collapses in pain)

Hadie: restoration spell?

Mal: at the coronation. It didn’t work.

Hadie: May I?

Mal: go ahead.

(Hadie takes the book, flips it and mutters a spell in Ancient Greek. The book glows bright steely grey then returns to normal. He opens the book and the pages are restored)

Evie (pulling him into a bear hug): thank you thank you thank you

Mal: you’re gonna have to do it. The spell is incredibly painful. It says here part of you has to be physically ripped out for it to work. And our friendship is tenuous at best. So it’s best if you do it. Audrey get in the crawl space. Jay shield Gil. Carlos c’mere. The blowback could be dangerous to mortals

Cj: pardon me for asking but what of my siblings and I?

Mal: I don’t care about you

Evie: if this doesn’t work?

Hadie: then Doug will remain asleep until Maleficent is defeated

Evie (voice breaking): then dont fuck it up. Please

Hadie (chuckling sadly): I promise I’ll try not to. Ready

Evie: do it

(He takes the ember, puts it in the middle of her forehead and starts chanting in Ancient Greek. Evie starts to glow bright blue. Then she starts screaming in pain. Blue light shoots out of her hands and face. Harriet gets thrown into the wall followed by Cj. Harry, still trying to wrest the door open, gets thrown into a large Ming vase. Jay, Mal, Carlos, Hadie, Evie and Gil stay standing. Celia remains on the bed. The light stops. Evie nearly collapses but Hadie catches her)

Jay: wow. Is that?

Evie: he’s what I see yeah

(A ghostly version of Doug’s standing in front of them. He’s dressed like a vk. Everything about him from skinn to clothes to eyes is completely blue all over and glowing)

Evie: go through the mirror. Go to Doug. Be whatever he needs you to be. I’ll be fine. Just go to Doug. Now.

(Ghostly Doug turns to smoke and floats through the mirror. His form changes to Evie in her coronation dress. The front of her loosely braided and pinned back. Real Doug looks completely shocked)

Evie: oh! Ohhhh dear. This isn’t what you wanted. Do you want me in jeans? I can wear jeans if you’d prefer. Or is the hair not right. I know! It’s the shoes. Haha. Wrong shoes

(Doug pulls her into a hug which she returns relievedly)

Doug: you look perfect. You always do. But how

Evie: magic. I’m not really her. I’m just part of her consciousness.

Doug: of course.

Evie: do you really like the dress?

Doug: yes. It’s Evie’s favourite so its my favourite

Evie: you’re incredibly sweet did you know that?

Doug: no.

Evie: why not?

Doug: because nobody’s ever said that to me before

Evie: well you are. Sweet brave kind and

Doug: I’m sorry. I tried to protect the twins and I’m sorry. Maleficent got to them. I failed.

Evie: what Maleficent and chad do isn’t your fault.

Doug: I—

Evie: she knows. Trust me. She knows

Doug: it’s really difficult to say

Evie: I know. That’s what makes it important

Doug (chuckling): so uh. What do we do now?

Evie: we wait. We wait until we win.

Doug: and until then.

Evie: we could

Doug: no.

Evie: damn. Worth a try

Doug: always.

Evie: how about a dance. You can practice here and wow Evie later

Doug: sounds good to me

Evie: you lead?

Doug: I’ve offered to let Evie lead but she always insists on letting me lead

Evie: she’s a smart girl

Doug: yes. Yes she is. May I have this dance

Evie: yes sir you may

(This is when “come what may” happens. As this happens Uma’s pained screams undo the soundproofing spell she put on the door alerting everyone else to her predicament)

#disney descendants #zendaya!mal

[theblackestthoughts-blog]

Crown Aint Worth Much

“You think that know about the West Side?” I looked at Quise and couldn’t stop laughing. He always asked the craziest questions. Whether it was in history class, or outside of school. His mind was so abstract. I always loved that about him. “Yo Ron, get your head outta the clouds, I asked you an important ass question!” exclaimed Quise. “Well hold the fuck up and let me give you an important ass answer!” I yelled back. I honestly had to think about it. We had always heard of folks over the bridge, but we’ve never seen them. As far as we knew, they were those the half animal half human creatures from Dr.Moreau. “Well, I would hope so. I mean I live on the West Side. So I’m pretty sure they must have heard a little something about us.” “Ron, if you don’t shut your big head ass up bro! I’m serious. This oratorical contest will be our first time going over the bridge in our whole lives. Don’t you think that’s something?” “Quise, stop worrying about superfluous shit. Bro, as long as you got your words down, everything will fall into place.” “I know bro, I know. I’m just a little scared. What if they don’t like us cuz we’re not from there?” “Bro, if they don’t like us because of where we came from, they aren’t the kind of people we should be wanting to impress.” “That’s true! Wait a damn minute, what did I tell you about using them big ass words again?” said Quise as he began to knock my cap off. “Matter of fact, they have too. Because I went over there before!” I said, remembering the story mom would tell me about how I met my grandparents. “Yeah, but you were a baby.” “I know, but I still went over there. I think my daddy might be there too.” “Well if he is, then we can both kick him in the knees when we see him.” We both laughed and headed back to my house. Honestly, it seemed like we were almost always heading back to my house. Momma and Ricky didn’t mind it. Honestly, I loved having a brother my age. Sometimes I wanted to ask him what happened at his aunt’s that night, but I didn’t want him to relive that shit. What kind of brother would I be if I actually asked him about his problems? I hope yall can tell that I was being sarcastic. That whole year we practiced. Our school only had 3 spots to go to Booke Prep for the finals. We would be competing against the best kids in our area. We knew that we were good. I mean, we made it to the finals. But, we had never heard the other kids go before. What if they knew more words than us? What if they had better clothes? What if they paid the judges off? Shit, everyone knows that the kids over the bridge were filthy rich. We had the hopes of everyone in our school weighing on our backs. It was the night before the competion, and me and Quise couldn’t sleep. I kept trying my best to close my eyes shut, but for some reason, a piercing light was burning them. I looked up, and I saw Quise going over his lines again. “Bro, don’t you know we gotta sleep?” “I know bro, I know. But I really need to win this.” “Bro, I’m trying to win this too.” “No bro, for me it’s different. I don’t have a family. I never knew my dad. My mom is out with God knows who. And I can’t go back with my aunt and them.” “I know bro. But my family is your family. You don’t have to win this to prove that to us. It’s not like you were going to beat me anyway.” As soon as I said that, I wished I could’ve taken it back. “You don’t think I know that bro? I know yall have love for me. And I know you’re better with big words. That’s why I’m writing a new poem.” “So you’re writing a poem the night before? How is that gonna give you a better chance bro?” “Bro, just trust me okay. Me and Ricky have been working on ideas for it for a little bit.” “Nigga you and Ricky? That nigga don’t even talk to me!” “I know bro, he used to didn’t talk to me too. But I showed him some my ideas and he said they were dope.” “Bro, you’re supposed to be my brother! What kind of shit is this?” “Bro, I didn’t know it was gonna be a big deal like this.” “It is tho. You know I don’t like him. If I don’t like him, you don’t either!” “That’s not really fair bro. I can have friends outside of you. Shit, he’s your brother. You should give him a chance.” “This conversation is over!” I said as I buried my face into my pillows. I couldn’t tell him what I saw that night. I couldn’t tell him that on the way to pick him up from his aunt’s house I saw Ricky selling drugs to his mom. He wouldn’t want to hear that. He was still telling the kids at school that she had moved out west and was looking for a place for them to move to. He wouldn’t want to know that his new “hero” was selling his mom poison. In the morning, mom had left our outfits on the couch in the living room. We stepped into our makeshift suits and were proud. Fine, the blazers had more patches than a girl scout. And we could the pants used to be blue, but now they were an almost ash grey. But it was all my mom could put together. As we were stepping out, Ricky stopped us. “Yall better not wear them ashy ass clothes. Here, take them off and wear these.” he said throwing a bag of clothes on the same couch. Quise ran over to the bag like Santa himself had dropped it down the chimney. And in a flash, he was dressed like what the Booke Prep kids might be wearing. “Hurry up and change Ron-Ron, yall gonna be late.” I put on the new clothes, but they didn’t feel right. I still felt dirty. We were probably walking around wearing something Quise’s mom paid for. But we had to look nice for the contest. “You think mom is gonna be mad?” “Why the hell would she be mad? Just hang the other clothes up in your closet, and she won’t have nothing to say.” I took both hangers and ran up the steps. I put the clothes in the closet, and on my way back down, I noticed that Ricky had left his room door unlocked. That could’ve been my chance to see what was in there. But, me and Quise were late enough. The walk to the bridge had never seemed too long. Most days, it was like a 10 minute, tops. But maybe the anticipation was getting to us. We were also wearing new shoes Ricky got us with his drug dealing money that we didn’t want to mess up. As we finally got over the bridge, it was easy to see that these folks didn’t live like us. The houses and the stores actually looked nice. There was barely any trash on the ground. And all of the people who would either try to sell us drugs or “the oils” were replaced with Christians trying to sell us their God. We thought there was a chance we got lost when we made it to the gates of the school. Not only was there a gate, but there was a huge intercom. We looked at the surroundings of the school and saw cameras almost everywhere. It was like we were in some sort of hi tech prison. “Are you guys here for the contest?” asked the voice from the intercom. “Well come right in.” the warm voice greeted. We followed the arrows that lead us to an auditorium, and we were given our numbers. And now, we waited. I tried my best not to pay attention to everyone else’s performances. But they were all amazing. And soon, it was Quise’s turn. I was worried. I wasn’t sure if he had gotten all the words down to his new poem, because he never shared it with me. But it was too late to try to help him now. Quise: Home Is where the heart is Well for me, it was where the hate was Cuz every time I stepped into the doors Niggas said “hey cuz” They knew what was happening when I went upstairs But they were so happy it wasn’t them So I couldn’t pay them to care The first time she touched me, she said that it was innocent The next time she touched me, she took my fucking innocence Etched into my mind, those memories won’t fade, they’re permanent And I used to fake a crooked smile I really used to play pretend I thought that if I let it happen once it wouldn’t happen again.. But it did And that made realize that with you, I wasn’t home Home is begging Ricky to hear your unfinished poems Home is your new mom giving you every ounce of love your bio fam couldn’t Home is you brother choosing to sleep on the floor with you instead of in his bed Home is the West Side Home is being surround by folks who really love me Home is staying up late writing poems with my best friend in the world All of those things? Yup that’s what home is to me The crowd erupted in applause. But I couldn’t. I hadn’t realized that my brother was going through some shit like that. I was really a fuck up. I was too busy being jealous of him and Ricky getting close, too busy trying to be the best at everything, and too busy not being a real friend to notice. I was just as bad as his aunt. As he stepped off the stage, he gave me a hug. And again, I felt dirty. I didn’t even feel like I deserved to be there. I was supposed to have Quise’s back. And I had let my big ass head get in the way of that. By the time they had called my name, I had decided I was going to choke. I mean I had to. Quise had to win. He had to let the world know that his voice mattered, and he had found his home. I stepped on the stage, and I saw Him. I hadn’t seen him in years. But, I could feel it. At the back of the auditorium was Ronald Jennings III, or as my mom would refer to him, “My No Good Rotten Ass Daddy”. He must really have lived just over the bridge all this time. I was excited. This meant that I had to do my best. And then in came his new family. I felt like the same scared little kid all over again. The same pain I felt when he left rushed all over me. I had felt weak. It felt like I had crossed the bridge for nothing. But I couldn’t let that happen. I thought of the words to the poem, but they didn’t seem to feel right anymore. I had to make a new one, even if that meant I messed up. Hmmmmm Here you are In this room Looking just like yourself A sorry excuse for a person A sorry excuse for a man A sorry excuse of… Matter of fact, I can’t even go there with you, because half of you is me You see, without you I’ve grown I stopped crying to mom asking when you were gonna come back I stopped trying to achieve well in school to make you proud Because you know what, I realized I can just do that for myself I am not that scared little west side boy anymore That’s what you wanted me to say right? I know exactly why you left You were afraid You didn’t want to be a father so young, so you ran away from your family You left us to starve And now I can finally look you in the face and say Thanks! Thanks for not being a part of my life Cuz I’d be damned if I had a man like you for a father And with that I walked off stage. The rest of the night seemed like a blur. But me and Quise walked home with our trophies proudly. What place we scored? It didn’t matter, cuz a crown aint worth much. What mattered is that we stood for what we believed in. We stood for our home. West Side forever!

#wrth