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Post by Buggy on Jun 9, 2015 12:21:03 GMT
Omaron looked from Gale to Rook and back again. The poor kid wasn't meeting his eyes. He wondered why.
"Oh of COURSE we can make them some tuna!" Mrs. Townsend trilled. She immediately began to bustle about, looking for bread and a can opener and different things to mix into the tuna all while firing off a barrage of questions for the boys.
"Now when I have tuna I usually mix pickle relish into it, but I know Omaron doesn't like that at all. Do you? Would you like your bread toasted-- or I could put it on crackers, that might be nicer. I have saltines and Ritz, so it's up to you which type. Oh goodness I didn't think we'd EVER have little children in the house again! This has me all of a flutter!"
Omaron quietly got the can opener and started opening the tuna while his mother bustled around distractedly.
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Post by Unokins on Jun 10, 2015 1:18:59 GMT
Gale rubbed at his arm, and climbed up on a stool next to Rook, watching Mrs. Townsend work. She talked way too quickly for Gale to even attempt communicating with. Maybe if he was better at writing, he could have just written down something. But his writing was just as bad as his speech. But one thing was amazing to the boy. She didn't sound angry. She didn't sound like she was upset at them showing up. She was... happy? Excited? Something good. It gave Gale a bit of confidence, especially since Rook was quietly biting his lip and fidgeting for an answer.
"Pickles," Gale said, nodding, "A... and Riz." It came out slurred and just a bit difficult to understand. But he hoped she understood it. Gale even smiled at her hesitantly. Maybe this place would end up being better than the other. He hoped it was. Rook needed a good place, and he did too.
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Post by Buggy on Jun 10, 2015 12:19:28 GMT
"What was that dear?" Mrs. Townsend said distractedly without looking back at him.
"Pickles and Ritz crackers, I think," Omaron told her quickly. He pulled back the can's lid and dumped the tuna into a bowl with a gross wet sound. "You could also pour them some juice, if we have any. I can take care of the tuna."
"Very good idea! There's still some orange juice in here, let's see..." She bustled to the refrigerator and began to dig through it.
Omaron smiled at the kids. "It'll just be a second."
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Post by Unokins on Jun 10, 2015 17:54:43 GMT
The smile slipped when Mrs. Townsend didn't look back. Gale stared at the counter instead, and listened to Rook hum and tap. Were they really not angry with them? What did it look like when people were angry again? He couldn't recall. But he knew if they smacked him, they were angry. That was the most obvious one, and Gale was sure there were other ones.
Gale did return Omaron's smile, and gently nudged Rook. The other boy jolted slightly, and looked at Gale with wide eyes. At a gesture, Rook glanced at Omaron. "You - You not m... mad, right?" The older boy asked, watching Omaron as he fixed the tuna.
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Post by Buggy on Jun 11, 2015 0:00:09 GMT
Omaron almost dropped the jar of relish he was opening at Rook's question. "Mad?" he asked blankly. "No, of course not. Why would we be mad at you?"
"And here is some juice for you boys!" Mrs. Townsend gave a glass of ice-cold orange juice to both Rook and Gale, smiling widely. It had been a long time since her little Ronnie had been their age. It was nice having children around again.
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Post by Unokins on Jun 11, 2015 0:37:38 GMT
Gale shrugged, encouraged by the bright chirp in Mrs. Townsend's voice. That one reminded him of a bird singing, and he liked it a lot. "Saunk oo," he said quietly, taking the glass and sipping before draining half of it.
Rook gazed at the counter top at Omaron's question fiddling with the rim of the glass when it was given to him. "Sometimes," he said, even softer than Gale, "p-people are a-angry. And I don't kn... know what - what happened." He didn't like those memories, and shook them away when Gale rubbed his head against his shoulder. They weren't mad, and Rook was just hoping he wasn't lying. A part of him, however, was sure he wasn't. And it was a nice feeling.
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Post by Buggy on Jun 11, 2015 3:27:26 GMT
Mrs. Townsend chuckled at Gale. "You are very welcome. You two are so well behaved."
Omaron frowned as he put tuna onto two plates along with some crackers. "That doesn't sound like much fun. But hey, you don't have to worry about it right now. Here." He handed a plate to Gale and a plate to Rook. His nose wrinkled a bit at the smell of the tuna. He'd never cared much for it.
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Post by Unokins on Jun 11, 2015 3:44:41 GMT
Gale decided he really liked this lady. She gave them juice and let them stay inside and got them food. She didn't yell or make Gale's ears hurt. And, best of all, she wasn't making a big deal of the way he was speaking. He knew it was going to be a problem late but, for now, he wouldn't think on it.
When Omaron set the crackers and tuna in front of him, he almost squealed with delight, and dug right in without any hesitation. It was a bit wet and slimy, but the crackers helped with that and it was a meal he was thoroughly enjoying.
Rook was a bit slower in eating, and he nodded at Omaron's comment. "I... I like it. Here. It's pretty." He nodded again, and put some tuna on a cracker. "Y... Your mom is nice," he added quietly. "You - You, too."
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Post by Buggy on Jun 13, 2015 16:13:05 GMT
Omaron smiled a little at the enthusiasm with which Gale attacked the food. How far had they walked today to get to their house?
Mrs. Townsend beamed at Rook. "Thank you sweetie, now just sit tight and finish your food. Alistair will get all of this sorted out, just you wait, and so long as you need somewhere to stay I would be very happy to let you stay here."
Omaron blinked at Rook and shrugged, feeling a little awkward. "Thanks."
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Post by Unokins on Jun 13, 2015 17:36:54 GMT
Gale looked up at Mrs. Townsend, his mouth full of food. They could stay? Here, at this nice place? With these nice people and clean smells and dry floors and warm rooms? His eyes were practically sparkling.
But that sparkle soon dulled, and his smile faded into a worried frown. He swallowed his mouthful of food as Rook licked tuna off the cracker before eating the cracker itself. He looked at Mrs Townsend again, turning the words over in his mind, his mouth moving slightly as he tried to form the words before letting them go.
"If-" he started, swallowing. "If Papi foond, wi - we. WEee... go?" There was a tinge of worry in his voice. Gale didn't want to go back to their dad. The apartment was small, stank of things he couldn't name, and there was no food. His dad was rarely home to fix that stuff, anyway.
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Post by Buggy on Jun 13, 2015 19:53:13 GMT
Mrs. Townsend hesitated. She didn't want to promise anything that she couldn't carry through on, and she didn't really know everything about the situation. Still, the worry in the childrens' faces made her feel bad.
"Alistair is looking into things," she repeated, sounding unsure. "I'm sure that DHS will help us to get everything sorted for you."
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Post by Unokins on Jun 13, 2015 20:47:47 GMT
Gale nodded, and stuffed the last bit of tuna and cracker in his mouth. Adults would do their things and Gale would just go where he and Rook were told, like always. Don't go in the kitchen, don't cross the street. And then, follow these instructions. Ask strangers for help. Go to these people. Go.
He liked them a lot, so far. Gave them good food and juice and didn't yell at him or Rook. Granted, it had only been about fifteen minutes. But that was fifteen minutes of niceness and actually feeling okay here. He nodded again. "Uhkay," Gale said, finishing off the juice. He just had to wait.
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Post by Buggy on Jun 14, 2015 23:47:31 GMT
Mrs. Townsend hesitated, looking from Rook to Gale with a furrowed brow. "Ronnie, perhaps you can watch the boys and I'll go... go get some ice cream for everyone or something?"
"What?" Omaron looked at his mother in surprise. Watching kids? What if he screwed up and wound up with one of them in the ER?
"Please Omaron? I just think it'd be so nice, and perhaps I can get out the good china."
"Uh... if... if you trust me with that, okay." He eyed Gale and Rook nervously, as though they might throw themselves out the window at any moment.
"Fantastic! Just tell Alistair what I'm up to if he asks!" And without another word she bustled from the room.
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Post by Unokins on Jun 15, 2015 3:18:44 GMT
Gale and Rook turned to watch Mrs. Townsend scurry out. Together, they turned their big round eyes on Omaron and stared at him quietly. This... This was their half-brother. They were related. And they were here. Together. With no parents.
Gale and Rook looked at each other, and then Omaron again. They seemed just as confused and nervous as Omaron. What did they do? What were they supposed to do? Were they going to get into trouble if they did something wrong? Surely Omaron wouldn't hit them. He seemed too... wimpy.
Rook fidgeted, and was the first to cast his eyes down, biting his trembling lower lip.
Gale tilted his head to the side, as if seeing him from another angle would help. He hummed quietly to himself. "H.. Hie," he said, nudging Rook.
Jolting, Rook rubbed his arm and spoke in a quiet mumble. "We can do - do something?" He asked, picking at his fingers again. Gale motioned with his hands, holding them out as if playing a hand-held video game and pressing buttons.
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Post by Buggy on Jun 18, 2015 0:36:58 GMT
Omaron blinked at Gale and Rook. What should he say? 'I suppose we're related, nice to meet you,' didn't seem quite right. But they took matters out of his hands.
"I think we could do something, yes," Omaron said with a slight smile. He couldn't help trying to find bits of himself in their faces. "What did you have in mind? I might have some kid-friendly video games, or some stories I could read or, um... balls."
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