Outcasts RP

"I'd better not do it again then, Isabelle and Aunt Genevieve were scary enough." Lily said so seriously that Mercy had to stifle a chuckle.

Ben cracked a smile at that, "That sounds like my sister." he then hesitated, "You said something about Ash, what happened to him?"

"He got really sick while we were there." Lily said frowning "I don't know what was wrong but Aunt Gen seemed really upset."

Ben paled a bit, he realized how bad this could be, "I see." he said quietly, obviously distressed.

Mercy bit down on the inside of her lip, eyes wide.
"What, what's wrong?" Lily asked, frightened by her parents reactions
"Nothing sweetie, Ash could just be very very sick."
"Will he be okay?" she asked
"I'm sure he'll be fine." Mercy assured her daughter, though she was worried

"Don't worry about it," Ben said, forcing himself to put on a smile, "He'll be fine." he assured.

"Okay then." Lily said, reassured.

Ben smiled, kissing her forehead, "I'm just glad you're home safe."

"Me too." Mercy said looking down at her. Lily offered them a tentative smile, almost relieved to be home as well.

"But, the punishment still stands. Sorry, kiddo." He said, getting up to his feet.

"Aww, okay." Lily said, her face falling
"No getting out of it." Mercy shook her head, standing up.

"I'm going to go check and see what happened." he murmured to Mercy.

"I'm coming too." Mercy replied softly
"We'll be back to check on you later sweetheart." Mercy said to Lily

"And remember, no outside." Ben said as he led Mercy out of the room.

Lily nodded as she watched her parents leave.
Mercy followed Ben, shutting the door gently behind her.

(I'm gonna get off for the night!)

"I know Ash gets sick a lot but . . if he was in the city." Ben sighed, shaking his head, full of worry.

((Okee, night ! ))

Mags wrote:"I'm their father, I should've had someone keep an eye on the kids." Alaric sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Oh, honey." Gen sighed, hugging him and kissed his forehead, "I'm not mad at you, I shouldn't have yelled at you. I'm sorry." she said quietly.

"And I'm their mother. But honestly, did we expect that they'd stay cooped up here forever? They would've found a way out sooner or later." She kissed his cheek. "They're home now."

He sniffed. "But I'm mad at me."

Israel found Levi staring into a fountain in the far corner of the garden. The cement was overgrown with vines as nature started to claim back its land.
"I'm getting better at listening, you know. I could even hear you coming," Levi said without turning around. His voice sounded different. It wasn't as light or carefree anymore. It was heavy, stoic, and lined with ice.
"I'm impressed. You've developed skills in other areas, so I've noticed." He stood next to his old friend. He met Levi's eyes for a long moment. Those weren't so different. He could see remnants of the old Levi hidden in there, but so much pain, anger, and exhaustion hid them. They were old eyes - much like his own.
"One of the benefits of being gone for years. Met some people along the way."
"Also something I've noticed. Who are your men? They're quite mysterious. I've heard far too many rumors from the servants."
He smirked at that - amused. "What kind of rumors?"
"That they're sorcerers, ninjas, necromancers, and - my personal favorite - aliens."

"True." He sighed, wrapping an arm around her waist, "I guess we sheltered them too much."

"Honey, this isn't your fault." Gen tried to assure, "We can't change what happens, we just have to be here for Ash now and hope he gets well."

"I think we did. It was for their own good, but still. Sheltered kids get too curious." She leaned her chin against his shoulder.

"I'm supposed to take care of him!" he cried. Tears wouldn't come. He seemed to be empty of them.

"Aliens, huh? Ninja is probably the best description out of all of those. They're a creepy bunch, but they're useful. And strong. Much like you." He smiled over at him. "You'd fit in well. But, you didn't come to talk about my men. You have questions to ask, guilt to unload. After all, you could've stopped me. If anyone could, it'd be you."
"No, that would be Gen, but I'd be second on the list. But, yes, I have questions. Not accusing ones. I'm just worried. What have you seen?"
He raised a bright eyebrow. "Strange question. Explain."
"They way you're acting now. What happened before you left wouldn't have changed you this much. What else happened?"

Alaric nodded, "True. And they'll be next to rule Avon, so they'll need to start seeing more of the area."

"Jennings, you're suppose to be a kid, you can't make your full time job protecting Ash." Gen said, pulling him closer, "He needs to learn to take care of himself, you and I can't keep babying over him."

"Exactly. Maybe we should start setting up field trips or something."

Jennings wiped his eyes on the back of his hand. "But I like taking care of him. It makes me feel good. Like a dad. He wants a dad."

Levi was silent for a long moment. "You don't want to know."
"I can guarantee I've seen worse."
"Alexander's men ran. There are still people out there, waiting to pick up where he left off. I killed as many of them as I can. Killing does stuff to your head. I've killed before . . . but not like this. Not that much." He shivered. "But, these guys, they were butchers rather than soldiers. They made sure that whoever they were killing suffered as much as possible."
"And you did the same to them?"
He nodded mutely, only glancing over at Israel. His dark eyes were understanding like they always were. He really understood though. He had done and seen the same.
"You lose part of yourself when you kill someone like that. It's not a big part, but it's the part that matters the most." He looked down at the fountain. "You never really get it back either. You can come close, but it never fills completely."

"I'd like that." Alaric smiled, kissing her on the cheek.

"You're his brother, Jennings, not his father." she sighed, "And I know he wants a father, I know you'd like one too but . . your father just . . " she hestiated, not knowing what to say.

"Good. After this whole punishment thing blows by, we'll let them know. Can't make it look like we agree with the general idea of taking them to the city."

He stared at her, waiting for an answer. "He's what?"

"You know, for being my best friend, I don't really know a whole lot about you, Israel."
"There's a reason for that. I might not be such a friend anymore if I told you." He smirked, glancing over at him.
"I can respect that."
Israel paused for a long moment. "I'm guessing Gen told you about Ash and Jennings."
"Yeah," he said quietly, the thought tugging his lips into a smile. "Talked to Ash, actually. He doesn't know who I am, but I needed to talk to him."
"He's a good kid. Jennings reminds me more of you though."
"Does he?" He smiled again. "Poor kid. They'd be better off taking after Gen."

"Yeah." he nodded, "And once Ash gets better." he nodded, still unable to process what had happened.

"He's just . . not ready to be a parent yet." she finally said, kissing him on the forehead.

She smiled sadly up at Alaric, cradling his face between her hands. "Then we'll take him too."

"Oh. OK."

"Is Ash alright?" he asked quietly, watching a leaf drift slowly to the surface of the water where it floated.
Israel's hesitance answered his question.
"Ah."
"You should talk to Gen about that. Maybe you can help."
"Even if I can't, I want to know. He's my son, after all, even if I'm not winning any awards for best father."