Difficult Changes (7-18-9) #6

Phoebe Scribe shook her head when she limped in. "Too big. Killed park man an' hurt me... not worth fightin alone." She disappeared through the door, hoping Conor would follow. She didn't want Runya to feel alone with the nun.

 

Runya Vita looks at the familiar grafitti and her face falls, shaking her head. "No, that's was Spike I think... he did it to scare people away. Her eyes move to the ladder, still there, only you didn't need to go through the sewers to get here anymore. She looks back at the nun. "There were drawings we had stuck on the walls? With nails and gum and stuff." She moves to make room as the others troop in, not really having any idea about what they were speaking about and too fixating on finding out what had happened.

 

Jaina Lefevre stays with Conor and eyerolls. "Don't you start. I gotta hear enough from the assbags already. He was nice - was helpin' me with target practice and then...he wasn't nice." She shrugs. "I learned. And they hurted some of us and we learned. Kimi? She didn't learn. I think maybe she got dropped on her head a few times when she was a baby. Moms said that can make you kinda stupid. Doesn't mean we don't still loves her, just that she's a dumbass."

 

Darkness Odigaunt assumed cookie monster wasn't what she meant, "Father might still have them. I wasn't here the day they went through... actually, I wasn't in here at all before they put in the door." she looks down as they're joined by others, maybe that would help Runya?

 

Phoebe Scribe called back to both kids. "Dumbasses deserve to be culled from the herd. Daddeh said so." She paused to lean against the back of a chair, hoisting her foot up to rest it. "Want to see the cage. Why's there a cage at school, Sister D?"

 

Conor Nitely shrugged though his head shook a little forcefully. "I dunno a Kimani or a Kimmy but if you love someone not supposed to say bad thing about them." Eyes darted to the bookshelf off to the side of them, lingering on it as if searching for some clue. "Or tattle," added in a whisper. Face looked stricken for a moment before it seemed to relax, hands shoved back in his pockets. "How come you're talking like that now?" asked with forced casualness. "Cuss words and stuff?"

 

Runya Vita looks to the ladder again, looking torn. She'd been fomenting a good mad for over a week and wasn't ready quite to let it go. She nods at the suggestion, reluctantly, looking aggressive again. "But who TOLD?" And on the heels of Frank's remark. "An' they put a CAGE up there! We didn' need it then an' how're you supposed to get out if things get bad?"

 

Darkness Odigaunt shook her head, "I didn't know there was a cage at school, Frank." She looked at Jaina and Conor, but seems to have missed a good part f their talk, "We have a way to get out, a secret that Father told me about." She took a step closer to the center of the room.

 

Jaina Lefevre looks at Conor. "Just sayin' it like it is. And I'm not some dumb baby that has to talk in stupid words. I can use whatever words I want." She crosses her arms and looks at him. "And I love Kimani like a sister, but I'm pretty mad at her for being stupid enough to get caught - again- and for making Rai hurt and all of us worry. And I don't want my Moms getting hurted rescuin' someone who ain't smart enough to NOT get caught in the first place."

 

Runya Vita looks at Frank, then at a the nun, distracted. "A secret?"

 

Phoebe Scribe tilted her head, then looked at Runya. Was the girl right about them wanting to keep school kids in? "Why is it a secret?" She furrowed her brow and eyed the ladder, then set off in a slow limp towards it. "It's up high?"

 

Runya Vita follows Frank and says, "This used to lead up to the bottom of the Nest." It comes out easier this time, like she's getting used to the past tense. "An' it goes up really high? All the way to the roof. Cater an' me, we went along ladders and got above the church and it was real windy? And we had to go through the cat's places, the roofs and this one tried to shoot us only we ran..." she's obviously attached to the story before she trails off, sneaking a look at the nun.

 

Conor Nitely's lips stayed pressed into a thin line as he listened. "Not supposed to say cuss words 'cause Miss Winny said that's not how gentlemen talk." He was kind of insistent on this point for some reason. "And Imma be a gentleman." Gaze flicked appraisingly over the girl, she seemed -different- somehow. "Not smart to get caught," he nodded sagely. "And...bad when people get hurt."

 

Darkness Odigaunt nodded, "A secret. I can always tell you later, whn it's safe to tell secrets." They should know, the ones in the older class... "I've been up the roof too... Leor's got a garden up there."

 

Jaina Lefevre glances into the room as she hears about the ladders, then turns back to Conor. "Sometimes, there are some things so bad out there, that the only words that fit are sorta cuss words. The real words just aren't bad enough to cover it all. Like that Ass-brink guy. There isn't a word that covers just how mean he is. He made us watch him cut up a girl and he screamed when Rai and I cut him. And then he got some other soljur guy killed by my Mom and ran away. He's really evil bad."

 

Runya Vita makes a snarky face at that then looks at Frank. "Lemme show you the cage..." and heads out of the classroom and to the door that leads to the orphanage.

 

Conor Nitely paled at Jaina's words, skinny legs suddenly backing away from her. He hit the wall with a thud, the skin around his mouth turning a faint shade of green. Hands went flat against the bricks as his ears flattened to his skull, as if he were trying to block out the words. Eyes squinted tight into slits, looking vaguely back around the room. Anywhere but at the girl. He didn't speak, didn't make a noise. Just looked like he was trying to ward off some ghost.

 

Phoebe Scribe nodded her head at Runya, then Sister D to tilt her head. "S'okay if we go up?" It sounded like a question at first, though she pushed back her shoulders. "Cmon Conor. Let's go upstairs an' see the cage... this way..."

 

Darkness Odigaunt moves as if to follow them.

 

Jaina Lefevre frowns at Conor. "Con...Deputy? You okay? Hey..." she steps closer. "Remember holding my hand when I was scared? Does ya want me to hold yours?"

 

Runya Vita yadayada, climbs up the ladder, going behind Frank to make sure she can make it.

 

Phoebe Scribe made her way up with a quick look back towards Conor, her lips pressing into a flat line. She mumbled under her breath the whole way up the ladder... only to see another ladder waiting for her. "MORE? HIGHER?"

 

Darkness Odigaunt takes another look out the door, "Conor?" she murrmers. ((GARG! BRB))

 

Conor Nitely's face hardened then. It was another mask, but this one he had a little more practice with lately. "No," said flatly back to Jaina, his hand already fumbling in his pocket for his phone. A vague nod at Frank as he moved to follow, head dropped low and hair covering his face. "Cage like my nook. Home isn't a building," chanted as he marched towards the ladder.

 

Runya Vita nods, a grin bursting free. "Don' worry, we'll go slow, okay?"

 

Phoebe Scribe mumbles. "Stupid soldiers an' their guns." She followed up that next ladder, hoping there would be another waiting at the next level.

 

Jaina Lefevre flinched as if struck at the sudden change in Conor. She takes a step back and then looks to the other kids and just turns away. Maybe leaving the apartment was a mistake.

 

 

Done