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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Oct 14, 2013 15:26:57 GMT -5
At long last, everything had been set up and the band had officially moved into their new apartment. It wasn't much, but it wasn't meant to be; they had established this apartment simply as a place to stay whenever they were on Dimensional Island, as everyone agreed that they would have to learn to juggle their new life here and their responsibilities back in their home world.
For now, though, the crew from Summer Snow Valley was enjoying their down time, relaxing after a long day of situating themselves in this building. Jen, Andromeda and Aether had left some time ago to visit the hot springs in the north, leaving the guys and Swift to hold down the fort.
At the time, Darien was sitting at the table, working on his laptop, Patrick was putting some final touches on his bedroom (as in turning it into a housekeeper's nightmare), Toby was spending his typical alone time in his own room, and Evan was in the living room, watching TV with Carter at his feet and Swift snuggled up next to him on the couch.
Eventually, a knock at the door drew Darien away from his computer and over to greet their guests. "Kendall!"
"Hey, Darien!" Kendall cheered before looking over the Brit's shoulder. "Evan, Swift!"
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Post by Pink Moon Wolf on Oct 17, 2013 13:42:28 GMT -5
"Kenny!" Swift excitedly leaped out of her seat and rushed over to greet the angel, signalling for Evan to come along. "Oh, it's great to see ya! We've been wondering when you'd show-"
She stopped herself once she noticed the person standing behind him. Ace wore a nonchalant look and had her hands folded behind her back. Her wings were of course folded away, so all Swift saw was a girl in an admittedly awesome outfit who looked completely out of place next to the mild-mannered angel.
"Uh... Who's this?"
Ace said nothing. She simply tilted her head and raised an eyebrow, her gaze fixated on Swift's wolf ears.
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Oct 17, 2013 22:51:23 GMT -5
Evan chuckled at Swift's reaction and calmly followed, though his mirth faded at the sight of the newcomer. "Oh... Hi there."
Kendall awkwardly cleared his throat. "Guys, this is Al... Ace. She's an old friend of mine. She was brought here by accident and has been through some hardships, so I was hoping you guys could provide her with a place to rest for a while."
"Well, of course we can!" None of the guys had even seen Patrick come out of his room, but clearly he was already keen to let this girl into their new home. "There's room for one more, right, guys?"
"I suppose there is," Evan replied, rubbing his neck. "This is kinda weird and spontaneous, though... but I trust Kendall's judgment. If she really needs someplace to stay, I'm willing to open up our home. Besides, it's not like we haven't done this before."
"True..." Darien, though not about to outright reject Ace, seemed a bit more hesitant than his companions. "But let's not be too hasty. So... Ace... tell us about yourself." He opened the door wider, allowing Kendall and Ace to enter.
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Post by Pink Moon Wolf on Oct 23, 2013 8:46:41 GMT -5
(I really need to stop taking so dang long to post. XP)
"Um..." Ace entered the apartment without hesitation, slowly reaching a hand up before forcefully grabbing one of Swift's ears. "Are these real?"
"OW, OW, YES, THEY'RE REAL! LEGGO!" Swift shouted.
"Sorry." Ace drew away and moved around the group, sitting down in the nearest chair.
Swift scowled and rubbed her ear. As far as she was concerned, they had already gotten off on the wrong foot. "So? What's your story?" she spat rather harshly, undoubtedly gaining some appalled looks.
Ace sighed and dropped her head into her hand. "There's nothing to tell."
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Oct 23, 2013 20:44:39 GMT -5
"Swift," Evan whispered sharply, elbowing her arm.
"Nothing to tell?" Patrick asked, walking over to Ace and giving her a sympathetic look. "What do you mean? Surely there must be something you can tell us about you."
"And please do," Darien added. "I'd prefer not to open up our newly-established home to a complete stranger."
After an awkward pause, Darien sighed and spoke up again in a gentler tone. "You don't have to tell us too much if you don't want. I just want to know where you've been so we-"
"Darien," Evan cut in quietly. "Don't. If she doesn't wanna talk, she doesn't have to." He turned to Kendall and nodded. "You can promise us she won't act out?"
"Of course."
"Then I say let her be. If she needs rest, let her rest."
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Post by Pink Moon Wolf on Oct 24, 2013 13:35:47 GMT -5
"At least someone gets it..." Ace mumbled, looking up at the group meekly. "I'll try not to be a bother."
Swift lowered her ears and looked away. She was already bothered enough, and Evan's defense of Ace wasn't exactly making her feel better. The things she wanted to say wouldn't have made her look any more right in her friends' eyes, so she held them back and instead said, "Fair enough. But if you're gonna be sleeping, don't do it in our room."
"I-I won't. So... yeah, I'm Ace. What're you guys' names?"
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Oct 24, 2013 18:06:47 GMT -5
"I'm Evan. This is Swift." Evan gently nudged Swift, trying his best not to still look annoyed by her behavior.
"I'm Patrick!" Patrick declared, shaking Ace's hand against her will. "And if you need a place to sleep, I'm happy to offer my room to ya!"
"Darien, and I wouldn't take him up on that offer," Darien half-joked. "His room's a bloody mess and a half."
"Toby's in his own bedroom and some of our other roommates are out right now," Evan continued. "And don't you worry about a thing. This apartment's big enough for twelve, and you seem cool enough. I'm sure you'll fit right in."
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Post by Pink Moon Wolf on Oct 25, 2013 18:11:23 GMT -5
"Um... Th-Thanks?" Ace stuttered, caught off guard by Patrick's handshake. Once her hand was free, she said, "I-I don't mind where I sleep for now. I can handle a little mess."
Swift turned to Kendall, giving him a typical "We need to talk" look.
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Oct 27, 2013 16:50:44 GMT -5
Kendall nodded in understanding, then turned to Patrick and Ace. "Well, then, Ace... if you want, Pat can take you to his room..."
"Right this way!" Patrick happily lifted Ace onto her feet and started to usher her down the hall. "You'll be right at home in no time!"
Evan smiled awkwardly and waved to Ace before they disappeared inside Patrick's room. Then, in a split second, he turned a sharp glare on Swift. "What was that?"
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Post by Pink Moon Wolf on Oct 29, 2013 13:33:19 GMT -5
Ace was quiet at first, then the tiniest smile crept onto her face. She couldn't help but be amused and uplifted by Patrick's enthusiasm. "Sure. Thanks." With that, she followed him to his room, more than ready for a decent nap.
Once they were alone and Swift's attitude had been questioned, she didn't hesitate to speak her mind. "Evan, there's something weird about this girl. Nevermind the as-of-yet sketchy past and the fact that her face is pierced more than Iron Man 3. Her scent is... strange, like there's a layer of evil trying to cover something else."
She turned to Kendall, left ear flattened and lips pursed. "So, Kendall, mind explaining who exactly Ace is?"
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Nov 2, 2013 11:12:43 GMT -5
("Pierced more than IM3." I get it. XDDDDDD)
"Here it is!" Patrick opened his bedroom door with a grand sweep, showing Ace the cluttered mess inside. Rather than put his clothes in the dresser, he simply threw his suitcase in a corner and let its contents explode all over that side of the room. His bed already looked like he had been sleeping in it for months, the sheets ruffled and unmade. Random knick-knacks were scattered across the floor, and his Ghostbusters posters and memorabilia had been set up all around.
It might not have been as bad as his bedroom in the valley, but give it a few months and no one would want to set foot in it.
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Evan's mouth fell open and he shook his head in disbelief. Sure, he knew not to doubt Swift's wolf instinct, but since when was she this distrusting? This was the girl who took two aliens and a wanted criminal into her house! Now Ace shows up and suddenly Swift is putting her foot down? It was so unlike her, and frankly, it left Evan both frustrated and worried.
Kendall sighed and accepted his position. "Okay, guys, let's sit down for a moment. You deserve an explanation." He strolled inside the apartment and sat down on the couch. Darien followed and claimed a chair. Evan hauled Swift alongside him and sat down next to Kendall. Toby poked his head out of his room, having heard the whole thing and wanting to know more.
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Post by Pink Moon Wolf on Nov 10, 2013 15:02:10 GMT -5
Ace had to chuckle at the sight of Patrick's room. It wasn't the messiest thing she'd ever seen; heck, anyone who knew her knew that she wasn't all that orderly herself. Suffice to say, she wasn't at all deterred.
"Thanks so much... Patrick, right?" She sat down on his bed and laid back with a relaxed sigh. "You have no idea how much I need this."
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As Evan sat her down, Swift lowered her head and sighed. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry. Maybe I'm being too harsh. I guess her tugging my ears and you defending her didn't help me warm up to her that quickly." She shrugged. "Sorry. I'm sure I'll make it up to her eventually. So... go on, Kenny."
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Nov 10, 2013 15:15:31 GMT -5
"That's my name!" Patrick jumped and landed on the bed, sitting next to Ace and bouncing a little before going still. "Glad to be of service. So, uh..." He trailed off and went silent as he heard Kendall talking down the hall...
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Kendall hesitated, trying to come up with an explanation. He didn't want to give away too much for Ace's sake; he just wanted to clear enough tension for both parties to understand and trust each other a little more.
He took a deep breath. "Alright. Ace is an angel. We've been friends for a long time, but after that whole ordeal with Lucy and me, we kinda lost contact with one another. A few years ago, Ace got mixed up in some harsh stuff and ended up falling for it. Since then, she's been through hardship upon hardship, cast out and turned away by society. When I found her at the church, she had pretty much hit rock bottom."
He exchanged sad glances with everyone around him. "I promised her I'd help her on her path to redemption... but right now, I just want her to feel better."
"God..." Evan mumbled, turning away. "Poor thing."
Darien nodded somberly. "The life of a being associated with darkness is a harsh one. I would know."
Though no one saw him do it, Toby nodded along with him. He also knew too well what that life was like.
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Post by Pink Moon Wolf on Nov 10, 2013 15:23:05 GMT -5
Ace turned on her side, facing away from the wall that the sound was coming through. She didn't speak as Kendall told her tale. At the very least, she was glad that he didn't go into any serious detail, but hearing the story again and the murmurs of sympathy that followed made Ace sad again.
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Swift grimaced, ears flat and head sinking even lower. She was already feeling bad for how she treated Ace, but hearing this only added salt to the wounds. "Aw, geez, now you're gonna go and make me feel all guilty." She buried her head in her arms. "Nyah... I feel like crap... I'm so sorry, guys."
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Nov 10, 2013 15:40:23 GMT -5
"Oh..." Patrick looked down at Ace, sorrow and sympathy in his eyes. "You... You were...?"
He swallowed hard, hiding a blush as he slowly reached up and placed a hand on Ace's arm. "I'm so sorry. I-I didn't mean to act so quickly. If I freaked you out at all..."
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"Don't be too hard on yourself, Swift," Evan sighed. "I get what you were saying; I know what you were thinking when Ace just showed up out of thin air. I'm sure she'll understand too."
"She's been through worse, after all," Kendall mumbled. "Thanks for understanding, guys. She needs time to heal, and I don't know how long that will take."
"However long it is, she's free to do it here," Evan replied. "We'll help you and Ace however we can, right guys?"
Darien nodded in confirmation. Toby stepped out into the open and grinned, conveying that he understood the situation and was totally on board. Carter bowed his head and said, "Not a problem."
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