Strange Days

[Mandaz]

Nathan Knapp: Daniel returned to the boy rather promptly, bag of coins in hand. He tossed it up in the air once, catching it without a hitch. The coins rattled and jingled around within the small burlap coin purse, a very pleasant sound to the ears of Daniel Kerington. How long had it been since he had heard this? This amount of money, jingling around with the sound of gold? There should have been a smell to accompany this, some sort of fragrance of gold-- of hitting it rich! Well, not that he was going to be filthy rich or anything. It was only twenty gold coins, and he was splitting them up with his partner in crime, but ten gold coins could still go a long way, especially since a lot of people were selling for bronze anymore. If there was one good thing about the End of the World, it was the fact that the economies around the world had lost hold of, well, everything that made them strong. Now, values were much lower, and it was leveling out. Something cheap sold for around one or two bronze coins, not a single gold peace, like things had been in a lot of countries before the cataclysm. Everything sold for the equivalent of gold back then, gold which was obnoxiously difficult to come by.

"Got it!" Daniel declared, albeit a little hushed, as he arrived to meet the boy, just beyond the tavern a little ways, but not quite in the forest. "That was so easy it should'a been illegal! Good thing it isn't."

Daniel grinned slyly as he thought about the future. He wasn't a thief or anything, but this sort of thing could be taken advantage of. He could always make up a monster or <c>
Nathan Knapp: something in towns, and go pretend to slay it-- and get paid! And after awhile, his name would be put out there as some legendary monster slayer, and people would actually start hiring him to go slay real live monsters-- monsters that were actually threatening the lives of people. Man, that would be so sweet.


Mandaz: The boy had been awkwardly sitting in the dirt nestled in some of the bushes in so as not to be seen. He did keep the hood up too, so he looked more like a clump of dirt than a person. When the sound of money and Daniel’s confident chuckle hit his ears he perked his head up, smiling widely once he saw what he was promised. The boy quickly shoved himself to his feet, not bothering to pat off the dirt he was covered in. With a spring in his step he met Daniel with excitement, unable to take his hidden eyes off of the bag. The sound of the jingling was a beautiful music that the boy eagerly listened to; made only more beautiful by the fact that half of it was his.

“Wow!” he said breathlessly. “All that for getting me? I musta made someone awful mad.” The smile never left his face. Something about playing the monster seemed like fun. That is until hunters came after you. He’d never purposefully scared someone or hurt anyone in his life, but it sure would pay well if he did so. “So they believed you then! Man that was a really good plan. My fingers are all scabbed back up too.”


Nathan Knapp: "Every word," Daniel replied proudly.

He'd told his fair share of lies in his life, but they had never gone over this well before. This was a first, definitely. And it felt good, damn good. Maybe this was his big break. Maybe he was just getting better at lying, without even realizing it at all. That would be so fantastic. Then, maybe, his idea of feining monsters in every town he goes to would actually work. It all hinged on him being a better liar. Yes! Yes, I think I really am getting better this.

"Well! Guess it's toime to split the earnings up, roight?" Daniel asked rhetorically as he opened up the small burlap coin purse, counting out a total of ten coins as he withdrew them. These were kept in one hand, so he could hand off the coin purse to the boy. There were ten more gold coins to be found within there, and Daniel had no need for the coin purse. He always had a habit of losing those things. He always forgot where he kept them, and wound up leaving a place and leaving it behind somewhere, in a drawer or something. It had happened too many times for him to risk that anymore.

"And this here's your half."


Mandaz: The dirty little hands found their way out of the long sleeves and into the air. He caught the worn bag with clumsy grace and smile warmly as he felt the weight of it in his palm. A rush of different feelings came to him. Happiness, eagerness, wonder, amazement, responsibility, confusion, doubt, money had a way of filling people with all the emotions at once. The boy opened the purse to look at the money inside. To his surprise his face was not met with silver or bronze but with gold. Real gold. His mouth dropped in disbelief. He was rich. Officially rich. All those strange emotions came out of him as laughter. He held one of the little coins in his hand as if it were as precious as a newborn child. It was unbelievably amazing. He slid them all in his palms and listened to them cling against each other. Again he looked to Daniel with a smile.

“Wow man this is….this is fantastic. I…I dunno what to say I’ve never held this much money before.” The boy was near speechless, he gently dropped each coin back into the back and shoved it in the pockets of Daniel’s sweater. Without another word he wrapped his arms around Daniel, just a little shorter than him, he got under his arms and tugged, hugging him like one would a long lost family member. “Thanks a lot. I don’t know how I could repay you for all this.”


Nathan Knapp: "I--" Daniel was about to speak, but the boy threw his arms around him in an instant. This surprised him a bit; he wasn't used to this sort of thing. People didn't hug him very often. Not nearly often enough. A little nervously, Daniel returned the hug. It was slight, but still he patted him on the back. "Well, uh-- y-yeah, don't worry about it, okay?"

Daniel let go and gently broke away from the boy. He'd already repaid the favor, anyways. Daniel didn't have to hurt someone terribly bad or anything like that; in fact, he had worked with someone on the deal-- someone who could very easily be a new friend, perhaps! He had a lot of friends, really. Perhaps a little too many to count.

"We both made out here, you know?" Daniel asked rhetorically, scratching the back of his headawkwardly. "Ten gold coins goes a long way."

Speaking of: Daniel remembered something.

"Oh, hey-- you want to come back to the tavern with me? We could celebrate this with a couple'o drinks."


Mandaz: The boy stepped back from the awkward embrace still with his pleased smile. The weight of the coins in his borrowed pocket was almost unnoticeable, but he could feel it there. A friendly little reminder of his half-adventure and his new future. No more rummaging through trash for scraps of food and literature, now he could buy whatever he wanted like a regular human being. That was a good feeling, to know that he could be treated like a normal person for once. He didn’t express it to Daniel for fear of boring him, but living in the woods and hiding from people was a very lonely and sad life. Not that he’d cry or anything. No he was far too old and strong and a man for that.

Daniel saved him from that life. He was someone who gave him a friendly smile and a means of becoming something better. Maybe he could consider Daniel a friend? He’d never had friends before, so he wasn’t sure of the etiquette, but he’d sure like to have one in Daniel. He was so smart and nice and friendly, why couldn’t they be friends?

“Sure!” The boy piped up when asked to go back with his new friend, but he quickly recoiled. “Oh wait. Wouldn’t that be bad? You just killed me, yeah? Wont they be mad if they saw me?”


Nathan Knapp: "oI didn't kill you," Daniel replied with a furrowed brow. He'd forgotten for a moment that, as far as the official record went, he had killed him. Oh. Roight. Daniel scratched the back of his head again. My mistake. "Nah, won't be a problem at all."

Daniel reached forward to tug on the boy's new hood again. It couldn't go any lower to hide his face, but still, it was a good means of indicating what he was about to talk about. One couldn't even see his hair under the hood.and it was long enough on him to cover his hands completely. The boy was completely cloaked in this! It didn't even need to cover his legs. After all, who focused on a person's lower half? And there was another thing, too . . .

"Anyways, no one's really seen you before, roight? Just a silhouette sorta thing. That's what those guys had told me. You could go into public loike this, then take the hood off or something once people saw you wearing it-- and they won't notice a difference!" Daniel declared as he started towards the tavern. In less than a second, he changed the subject. Something else came to mind. "Oh! Hey! You know-- my friend should be working tonight. oI'll introduce you to her. She moight even be able to get us free drinks or somethin'!" A discount, at least!


Mandaz: “I know you didn’t!” he defended “I’m still alive and awful grateful too!”

His body lurched forward as the hood was pulled down more. The boy felt like a monk the way these clothes hung on him like robes. He put both hands on his hooded head and smoothed out the ruffles he could feel in his hair beneath. His face scrunched in an uncomfortable pout which quickly disappeared when he bought the subject back about going to get some drinks. His face was dark in the hood, but Daniel could probably tell he was smiling. Some people just had a sound to their smiles, and this kid was one of them. He had to be with half of his face covered up like it was.

“That sounds great” he chattered. “I’ve never been in a tavern before. I’ve seen that one in town though. It looks nice and warm. I’ve never bought anything either! I’m kinda excited.”


Nathan Knapp: "Well, let's go get some drinks, then!" Daniel exclaimed as he put his arm around the boy's shoulder again.

What to drink, what to drink . . . Daniel thought about it as they climbed the hill towards the bar. They could always get some birch beer or something like that, something flavored but non-alcoholic. Or they could get some actual beer. Daniel thought about it for a moment. Come to think of it, he hadn't actually had any taste of an alcoholic beverage since he started traveling with Everett. He just didn't have the money for it as soon as he had to split funds between two people, but now he did. It wasn't like he was a drinker or party goer or anything like that, though. Daniel just didn't mind the taste of beer, and sometimes it cleared his mind a little. That was always a plus.

Daniel pushed the door open to make way for he and his friend. Now, he could ignore the people he'd taken the job from. It wasn't like they were going to be paying attention to him anymore, anyways. They had a much more demanding problem to take care of, after all. As soon as Daniel and his new friend were past a few tables, he started to glance around. If Everett wound up taking this job, she would be around here somewhere, in a nice clingy tank-top and short skirt. Just look for the legs, Daniel, he thought to himself, It might be the only chance you'll ever get.


Mandaz: The boy stayed silent for the trip, mulling over everything that had happened and everything that was going to happen. He twitched his thumbs excitedly under his the jacket, walking side by side with Daniel. Once there, he was a little too astounded to go inside right away. After Daniel was well inside did he realize he had stopped and was gawking for much longer than he should have been. He rushed inside, stumbling a little in the doorway, but otherwise making it in seemingly undetected. Surely the townspeople knew who he was. They could smell him right? Just like he could all them. It was unsettling how he could possibly pick out ever random bar patron by their stench. Surely they could sense the dirt and blood and sin on him. The whole thing made him very nervous. He stuck close to Daniel, really close. Unnervingly close. He reached out to grab Daniel’s arm with his bloodstained fingers, holding on to him like a lost child.

“ahh d-dude. I don’t feel so good.” He whispered.
--
“DANIEL”

Everett rarely addressed Daniel by his name, but when she did it was usually very important. A very angry and scantily clad Everett came up from behind the boy she addressed, and when she turned around he would find her fist square in his face.

“I quit.”


Nathan Knapp: What was the boy all worked up about? Daniel glanced around briefly. He couldn't see anything that would be problematic or anything like that. Just people all sitting around, drinking, hootin', hollerin', and having a good night. There was nothing wrong with that. No one here knew who he was; a few might have looked at him, but no one was reacting poorly towards him or anything. They didn't even smell anything, it seemed. Not even the people sitting right next to where they were standing! They looked up at Daniel, probably wondered why he was covered in blood, and that was about it. The whole thing was going off without a hitch. The kid didn't have anything in the world to worry about!

"Wh--? Nah, you're foine, don't wor--" Daniel stopped dead in an instant, as he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand at attention.

Daniel, on the other hand, did have a few things to worry about. A few things wrapped up into one package. One very angry package. As if he were a door badly in need of an oiling, Daniel creaked slowly, turning around as slowly and nervously as he possibly could. Something told him that was a horrible idea, though. What instinct had told him to stay where he was, or maybe keep walking as if he just heard a breeze or something, he didn't know. But he probably should have listened to i--

--as soon as Daniel had turned around, he received a well placed punch to his nose. Without a semblance of air resistance, he fell back and stumbled to avoid falling to the floor. He had to let go of his new friend in the process, just to keep from accidentally dragging him to the ground. Daniel winced loudly as he held onto his nose. Was it bleeding? He checked. Yes. He winced again and tried not to think about it. Slowly, he opened his eyes, to look at his traveling partner-- his very, very angry traveling partner.

"Eh . . . heh . . . h-hey . . . E-Everett . . ." Daniel whispered nervously, still holding onto his nose-- but all the while, he looked her over-- well, he would, if given the chance. If he was getting punched in the face, he may as well catch a glimpse of something that might make him deserve it.


Mandaz: “I have never. EVER been so humiliated in my life. I’m a warrior for Battle’s sake Daniel Kerrington. A warrior! You see that sword sitting in the corner collecting over two hors worth of dust? That is no place for a great sword. You forced that sword in the corner and me into this…this RIDICULOUS get-up. And then I hear rumors about you gallivanting off to destroy some great beast. Why the hell would you not-“

Everett continued to rant, stomping her feet and waving her arms around. However, as one who has never worn such revealing clothes before, the proper procedures for keeping oneself concealed were not followed. Daniel, from his place on the ground, would have a perfect view of her budding curves, smooth legs, and the narrow space between them, covered with a thin layer of cloth

“And who the hell is this? Don’t tell me you’ve gotten so ued to the homeless that you go hanging around them now. Is that blood on your shirt? If you think we’re stoping to wash it you’re dead wrong. You’re just going to have to walk with that dirty shirt until we reach our destination!”

--

The boy stood, horrified at the events before him. His hero was beaten by a single hit, bleeding a foul smelling blood profusely from his nostril, The hooded boy shook nervously as this strange waitress screamed, looking around to see if they had drawn much attention.


Nathan Knapp: Yes. Yes, it was now completely worth it. He had been punched in the face and brought down to his knees, but that didn't matter anymore. His cheeks flushed red a little as his eyes trailed up, examining every detail of Everett's legs, up to the point where he could see under her skirt, and it was there that his eyes were tranfixed, locked on that position. It felt like hours, even though only a few seconds had passed. Hours of utter greatness. Daniel's nose bled a little more. Odd, that. But it didn't matter. Questions, concerns, doubts, difficulties, and all that jazz didn't really matter right now, not in this moment of glory. Unfortunately, though, it was extremely easy to figure out where Daniel was staring, and why he might be a little . . . unresponsive. All one would have to do is look at him for a moment, the look on his face, albeit half-covered by his hand, his somewhat flushed cheeks, and where his eyes were focused. He wasn't looking up at Everett's face, clearly.


Mandaz: Everett stopped ranting to watch where Daniel was staring. Her face grew beat red but the anger stayed. Soon her foot was slammed into Daniel’s face as well. She pulled her skirt down to cover what needed to be covered and stomped on Daniel’s chest.

“You unbelievable jerk! I can even fathom why I’m stuck here with you! You don’t even give me a lick of respect. WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT?”

Her glare shot to the hooded figure Daniel had with him, she didn’t like this hobo. Not one bit.

“I’m going to change and we are going to get out of this hellhole.” She spat, backing off of Daniel and folding her arms. Her angry face was slowly fading into an upset one. Daniel would be able to see the slight pout in her face and the redness in her eyes. She really wasn’t comfortable here. And she was admittedly jealous that she missed out on a good battle.

---

The boy jumped back when he was yelled at. He really didn’t mean to stare. How could she tell? He felt a little bad though, this girl seemed obviously upset. He wished he knew why. She seemed really pretty when she wasn’t yelling. He awkwardly stepped forward holding his hand out to her.

“Uhm..i’m..i’m sorry.” He started his voice meek and nervous compared to hers. “Don’t be upset. He-he was o-only trying to help. Honest.”


Nathan Knapp: Caught. There was no way to avoid it. He'd been caught red handed. Or red eyed. Red cheeked, rather. Yes, that was it. He'd been caught red cheeked. His hands were already red anyways, but not from anything to do with this, but from touching the book that his new companion in business had bled all over-- at Daniel's request, of course. Nonetheless, Daniel should have seen this coming when he decided it was necessary to stare. The kick to the chest, which inevitably bowled him over and spilled him out onto his back, was still worth it. He got ten gold coins and the opportunity to see Everett's panties. A bloody nose and a blow to his pride was well worth it. Besides, she didn't kick him between the legs or anything, like the logical side of his mind was expecting. He'd made out like a bandit with this deal!

As Daniel slowly stood up, he made sure to apologize, "Sorry, sorry-- you just, uh, got, uh, noice legs . . ."

Of course, that last part was muttered under his breath. Like hell he was going to let Everett hear that. Then he'd probably get kicked in the nads. No, he would. Without a doubt in the world, he would. She also might try and ditch town without him, which would have actually been kind of bad. Why, he wasn't too sure. It wasn't like Everett was nice to him or anything. But she's just so damn cute when she does that. Pouting, that is. Cute, and it even made him feel a little bad for making her pout like that!

"So, uh, Everett?" Daniel asked after coughing and trying to change the subject. It was probably for the best, and he really needed to introduce: these two, to make life easier. "This is . . ."

And then, Daniel stopped and drew a blank. Oh, shit. I totally don't even know this dude's name.


Mandaz: Everett fought with her expression, trying to stay angry and not break out into tears. She ignored the boys, sniffling and rubbing the moisture from her eyes. She was just so mad she couldn’t stand it. The boy reached out to her, trying to get her from being upset. A part of her was touched, another part disgusted. This bloody little urchin had sympathy for her? It was disgraceful.

She stood straight again, recovering from her momentary emotional lapse. Everett glared at the boy, taller than her, but obviously not as tough.

“This is who? Why are you hanging around with people like this? Didn’t you learn your lesson?”

--

The boy felt nervous as all eyes fell on him. Angry eyes, mostly. He stepped back as if that would save him from the glare, but to no avail. The hood turned to face Daniel, wanting to affirm that he would be protected if this girl were to lash out at him. Sadly enough, when he saw that bloody nose he realized there was no safe retreat from this horrifying lady.

“I..uhm well.” He began. “I don’t think I have a real name. Everyone’s called me different things. I dunno which one you want.”


Nathan Knapp: Daniel had also recovered from the bleeding nose and (somewhat) hurt chest. He had just a little more blood on his hand, now. It was no big deal anymore, though. He was perfectly fine, completely bounced back. If Everett were going to take a swing at Daniel's business partner here, he'd be able to protect him. A fairly serious protection, too. When Everett lacked her sword, it was all just a matter of restraining her. He really didn't want to have to do that, ever, because he definitely wasn't one to flaunt any sort of physical superiority over anyone, especially a girl that he was at least moderately attracted to, but if worst came to worst, he'd be able to keep things from getting out of hand. Everett punching Daniel in the nose, though . . . that was fine. He didn't mind her attacking him nearly as much as he would have minded her attacking someone else that didn't necessarily deserve an attack.

Nonetheless, the boy's response was a fairly odd one. Even Daniel didn't know what to say. Maybe the boy had a worse memory than him or something, and had just forgotten his name? Or maybe he really didn't have any particular name to go by. That would've been really, really odd, though.

"Uh, well-- y'know, a name. Loike mine-- Daniel. Or her's-- Everett. Just something we moight know you by, you know."

[Nayt]

Manda: Was this kid retarded? How could he be stumped on the question of his name? It was a one or two word answer at most. Everett really had no room to judge though. Her own mother called her something new every day. It was up to her to choose who she wanted to be. If she could take initiative to do that, why couldn’t he? Tired of waiting, Everett sat in the nearest booth, folding her arms stubbornly. The boys had a way of going on about nothing which only kept her in this horrible place longer. She might as well take the stress off of her legs as it surged through the rest of her body.

--

The boy was silent for a long time. He stood awkwardly for a bit before shuffling to the booth across from Everett. One could tell he was thinking, even without seeing his face. His head was pointed down, staring at his exposed toes as they climbed over one another.

“Manny” he said finally, popping his head up a little. He sounded happy about the name, at least a little less stressed. The noise of him smiling could be heard again. “You can call me Manny!”

Nayto: Daniel watched Everett make her way towards the closest side of the room, where booth seating could be found. Booths lined all the walls, while tables sat within the center of the main room. A fairly expansive main room, at that. The place got a lot of visitors. This was, after all, the only tavern outside of town. Anyone coming in or leaving could stop in and get some drinks, either for here or the road, or if someone wanted to evade the bustle of town, they could just sleep here. For a price, of course..

Daniel followed the boy to the booth Everett had taken a liking for. He glanced around for a moment, checking to make sure no one else was watching. The merchants could have caught on or something. He doubted they were going to, but the risk was there. Without thinking about it, he decided to sit down--next to Everett, specifically.

"Manny? Cool name," Daniel remarked with a shrug of his shoulders as he plopped down-- as if there'd be no problem at all, sitting right next to Everett. No-- no risk at all! No way was she going to kick him out or anything! "As oI said, oI'm Daniel, and this here's Everett."

Mandaz: Everett folded her arms tight against her chest so Daniel would not be able to oogle her. He deserved double ignoring time now, for everything he put her though. She paid no attention to him sitting next to her and instead focused on the hooded boy before her. While she was able to tell the gender, the rest of this boy was hidden to her. That did not make her comfortable with him at all. Why so secretive? Something just didn’t sit right.

“So your name is Manny.” She said in an almost scolding tone. “Why did it take you so long to come up with that one? Where are you from? And why are you hiding? Is that Daniel’s sweater?” Her brows furrowed and she gave him a fierce look. Since Daniel was being ignored all of her rage would be focused on him.

--

“Uh, Y-yes. Yes m’am.” The boy stammered. He could feel the girl’s eyes burrow into his soul. She felt dangerous to him. Like someone he would never want to meet, even in the most pleasant of settings. But Daniel was there, and he was his friend, and sitting right next to her. He was sure if any incident were to happen he would have his back. Still, Manny thought it would be best to answer her the best he could.

“I uhh. B-back where I came from they called me ‘Son of Man’. B-b-ut I didn’t like that so much. So I just sorta made a name out of it. And I um. I’m from a place I can’t get to anymore. But that’s okay too; I didn’t really like it there. And…and…and i…I’m hiding because…uhm because…”

Nayto: Daniel didn't understand why Everett folded her arms over her chest, but that was fine. If he was going to oogle her, he was going to oogle at her legs, anyways. Her legs were much nicer than her chest, and as they were sitting at a booth table, he couldn't really see her legs all that well, not without explicitly looking under the table or something, and that would only end with him getting kneed in the face. Daniel didn't need that sort of noise. Or pain.

Nonetheless, the boy, Manny's, explanation about his name was pretty interesting. 'Son of Man, huh?' He didn't know what that meant, or why someone would call him that, but it was still pretty interesting, nonetheless. Not that Daniel was going to explicitly look for any history or traces of anyone being called Son of Man or anything; that took a little more work than he was willing to give.

"oI loike the name," Daniel remarked with a shrug, "Got a noice ring to it."

He hadn't yet made the connection that Everett was currently ignoring him.

Mandaz: Her eyes narrowed on this hooded boy. He was nervous, perhaps this meant he was guilty of something. What had Daniel done now? This kid acted as if he’d been following him for a while, and Daniel only know learned his name? The time for ignoring her thickheaded counterpart was over. Everett wanted answers and she wasn’t getting good enough ones from the boy.

“What monster did you fight? Did this kid help you? Look, his fingers are covered in blood. Why is he wearing your jacket Daniel?”

--

Manny fidgeted nervously in his seat. He felt like he’d walked in on a private quarrel between a married couple. The girl scared him. He could almost feel the hate pouring off of her. Daniel must have been really brave to be with her. They must have been in love. Why else would they still hang around each other if they weren’t? Manny tugged the hood down over his head to hide away in the shadows more. Let the lovers fight it out. He didn’t really feel like he belonged here anyway.

“Thanks Daniel, I like your name too.” He replied, muffled under the hood. “Maybe I should go…”

Nayto: "E-eh, uh-- er-- oI, uh . . ." Daniel stumbled over his words.

Well, until Manny felt like he should have been leaving. That wasn't right! He didn't need to feel like he was unwanted or anything, just because Everett was in a bad mood. Granted, Daniel felt that way sometimes when Everett wasn't too happy, so it might have been completely normal, but still! Manny was his new friend, and they were going to get some drinks together!

"No, no-- it's foine, Manny! Stay, stay," Daniel urged as he motioned for him to keep sitting and relaxing.

Which meant he needed to address Everett, now. He glanced around a bit, checking for the black haired man or the merchants. He couldn't any of them. Maybe they had left? Well, that still didn't discount the other people of the town that had heard of or seen Manny around. He couldn't tell her anything about this too loud. Actually, they'd be better off getting a room and talking about it there.

But he kind of wanted some drinks first. Maybe they could get drinks delivered to a room? Or maybe they could order some drinks, purchase a room, and go up there with their drinks? That would be super convenient!

"Hey, how about we talk 'bout this over some drinks, in, y'know, a room upstairs. You still 'ave those two silver pieces for a room, roight? And oI can buy some other sorts of drinks for us now, too." The way Daniel talked was a little rushed, somewhat on purpose. He didn't want to say outright that he wanted to talk about it in private, but he still wanted to hint to it at least.

[Mandaz]

“The room’s already been paid for.” She barked. “I had to keep my actual clothes and belongings somewhere.” Though she spoke to Daniel she didn’t look at him. Everett kept her eyes forward. Not really looking at the boy anymore either, but past him, or through him. Daniel’s affiliation with Manny and both of their secretiveness were starting to annoy her.

“We can go up whenever. They provide a room service. However there are only two beds. ” She said that last part with a bit of extra viciousness.

--

Manny eased his fidgeting. While Everett made him nervous, Daniel calmed his nerves. Between them he was only slightly nervous. He wanted to leave a good impression on the girl, and then maybe she’d stop yelling at him. She obviously didn’t care for him, but Manny was used to that. He didn’t want to overload on potential friends. With not much social experience to speak of, more than one friend at a time would be overwhelming! It was good that someone hated him!

“I-I wont be staying long.” He assured. “But I wouldn’t mind a drink.”

[Nayt]

"Oh. Cool, we can get them delivered to the room, then."

That sounded like a great idea. When Everett knew what happened that lead to Daniel meeting Manny, she'd totally accept him! They had a room with two beds, too, which meant that if Everett was fine with Manny hanging around for a bit, then he could just stay with them for the night or something, and enjoy a comfortable bed before departing. Tomorrow, they might have to go their separate ways, but a night of drinks and conversation to celebrate their little victory today could still work just as well!

"Whot do you guys want? oI'll buy," Daniel asked, before looking at the bar and investigating it briefly. "Looks loike they've got hard stuff, fruity stuff, stuff that don't look too healthy, ale? oI think that's ale over there. Yeah. It looks loike it. And then water, oI guess." But if they were going to spend lavishly to celebrate the recent accruing of moneys, they might as well buy something a little more expensive than water.

He got up from the booth table and waited for drink orders. Everett had been putting in drink orders all night, right? This time, Daniel was going to put one in!

[Mandaz]

Everett tapped her foot. “Oh no, I’d hate to see what you look like on alcohol. If I didn’t know any better I’d say you’ve been sipping on it for this whole journey anyway. But I’ll take milk and a bit of cake. They’ve been baking cakes in the back. The scent is enough to drive one mad. A nice big chocolate piece with cherries. Yes.” Everett’s tone softened as she spoke of it, and her gazing drifted off as she pictured the perfect pastry prancing in her stomach. “Yes cake it must be.”

--

“Just water.” The boy sang. “But I would really like some bread too. You think we could get some? I haven’t eaten a good bit of bread in forever!”

He excitedly tapped on the table with his grubby little hands. The thought of water was nice, but bread on top of that? He would feel spoiled! Fresh baked too, he could almost taste it now. Warm and fluffy, inviting and not at all stale or half munched by rats. And the water was pure, he was nearly positive. Not something scooped up from an awning after a fresh rain. Maybe it would have ice too!

[Nayt]

"Eh, uh . . ." Daniel scratched the back of his head.

He didn't remember if he drank much or not, but really, after traveling with Everett for so long, it was extremely tempting to just go up and buy something. It didn't matter what. Ale, liquor, something fruity--no, it didn't matter at all. If it had alcohol in it, it would make the headache go away.

But maybe he wouldn't, just because Everett didn't want him to. It was amazing what a girl could get a boy to do sometimes. Under any other circumstances, he would have debated it for awhile and wound up deciding against it. But here and now, Everett ceased being difficult as soon as she started talking about cake. The way she talked about it like it was so dreamy, she started sounding girlish again! It was cute, without a doubt, and if he went and had alcohol delivered to the room for him, he was going to be letting this cute girl down. Not no way, not no how.

"Foine, foine, oI won't get any alcohol or anythin'," Daniel relented before finally standing up straight again and addressing the two, "So, cake and milk for you, bread and water for you. oI'll put the order in, you two want to meet me in the room? oI'll just be a tic."

[Mandaz]

“Fine.” Everett said as stoically as she could, the excitement for cake was rising in her throat, but she couldn’t let her forget her anger. No cake in the world could trump her anger. It would have to be really good cake. Really, unearthly good cake.

Everett stood from her seat and kept her arms folded. She glared at this boy now, with an odd feeling that she’d be seeing much more of him than she wanted. She hoped her intuition was wrong, but it wouldn’t hurt to inform the boy on the pecking order around here.

“All right, follow me boy, and listen well.” Everett began, leading the hooded boy up the staircase. “You seem to be quite taken with Daniel, but you should know that what he says isn’t law. He and I are on a quest, you see, and this quest is mine and mine alone. Consider Daniel my patsy, if you will. Which would temporarily make you the patsy of a patsy, since he’s the one that found you. So you’d do well to remember that my word is law as long as you are with us.”
--

Manny followed nervously at her heels, his dirt encrusted toes leaving small trials behind. “Yes ma’m” came from his lips along with vigorous nods of understanding. He knew right away it would be a bad idea to cross this girl. Something about her made him feel nervous, uneasy. It was like she emanated an aura that was exact opposite to his and they clashed in his heart.

[Nayt]

Really, it was tempting to snag a shot or two while he was downstairs and they were upstairs. Daniel thought about it for a moment, but then recalled the simple fact that he had made a commitment to Everett that he would not, in fact, order any alcoholic beverages tonight. Daniel might forget commitments every so often, but when they were still fresh in his mind, he always stayed true to them. Understandably so, Daniel let out a deep sigh. A couple of shots would have done wonders for his pride right about now.

Nonetheless, he stayed downstairs for a moment to order Everett a piece of cake and a glass of milk, Manny a fresh loaf of bread and a glass of water, and himself . . .

"Eh, oI think oI'm foine for now."

Nothing at all.

Nonetheless, it wasn't long after that a knock upon the door arrived; it was the same waitress from before, the one that looked about Everett's age, with Daniel in tow. He was helping her out in exchange for her leading him to his room. He couldn't remember if Everett told him a room number or not, but the two delivered the goods, and the girl was off, leaving Daniel behind--devoid of any goods for himself.

"Enjoy," Daniel remarked as he let himself fall back first into one of the two beds, specifically the one nearest the door. It'd been a long day, and relaxing was a pretty good idea.

[Mandaz]

Everett nearly jumped him as he came in the door. The cake was her prize. Money didn’t matter; this was the true reward from a hard day’s work. She snatched the items from him and took her place on the other bed, muttering out a small yet sincere ‘thank you’ so as not to come off too terribly rude. Soon she was at work on the baked delight, hummed soft coos to herself as the sugary confection slid on milky waves down her throat.

--

Manny took his meal gingerly, as if not sure how to properly accept a handout. Though once the weight of the bread was in his hands and the smell hit his nose a wide smile came to the hooded face, ready to hug the food if he wasn’t worried about ruining it.

The hood came down, and for the first time both Daniel and Everett would be able to see the boy in a clear light. His hair was a very rich auburn color, highlighted reds when angled just right. His flesh was pale and stained by dirt, his lips cut and chapped, parting on behalf of the slight jutting of his gapped teeth. Eyes, hidden from view.

Seeing that both beds were occupied he took a seat on the floor, folding his legs to rest his elbows on his knees as he began to tear into the fresh loaf. After a few healthy bites he took a big gulp of the water he was given, only to notice Everett enjoying her cake and Daniel enjoying nothing. This worried Manny to no extent, to him Daniel was the hero, who shouldn’t he have anything.

“Daniel?” the boy asked after his mouth was clear. “Why don’t you have anything? You’re the reason we’ve got all this stuff!”

[Nayt]

"Ehh," Daniel shrugged, "It's foine. oI didn't really need anything."

Daniel peeked over at Manny, but only for a brief moment. He wound up just shutting his eyes and yawning. Daniel was happy enough to just lay back on the bed, put his hands behind his head, and relax. Indeed, it had been a fairly long day. Everett and Daniel had been walking all day before this. They came here, stopped off for a room and a couple of jobs, made some money, and were well off for awhile. But still, they had been traveling for a good while, and prior to that, they'd been sleeping outside. He was able to lay down on a nice bed; it was the first time in a long time, it felt like. How long, who knew? Daniel wasn't good with that sort of thing.

The original want was to have a couple of drinks with someone. Alcoholic drinks, namely. But Everett wasn't cool with that, so he went with the almost as fulfilling option of buying his friends some eats and resting. This was just the next best thing, and he was perfectly fine accepting it.

"If you guys are happy, oI'm happy." He didn't sound depressed about it at all though. In fact, more than anything else, he sounded content and relaxed.

Yeah. This was a nice bed. And his new friend Manny was happy--and Everett, too. She was over there, sitting on the other bed, happily indulging in her cake. He could hear that from over on the other bed. All in all, it was a good choice. For once, one that was probably not going to end in pain.

[Nayt]

Manda: Everett paid no mind to Daniel’s absence of items. She slowly savored the treat, finding it a great way to relax after a stressful day. After a delicious sweet like this, Everett felt like she could forgive Daniel for leaving her there to that horrendous job. Something caught the corner of her eye between chews. The redheaded boy moved towards Daniel, seeming to offer him something of his. This made her not only aware of the boy’s presence again. But of Daniel’s lack of food. He had to eat something! After using all that energy to defeat a monster, he absolutely had to regain some strength or else they wouldn’t be able to travel on. Daniel was dead weight most of the time, but a tired Daniel would just be extra dead weight!

“Take it.” She ordered of him, mouthful of chocolatey goodness.
Delicious Retard: “And what’s the deal with this kid anyway? You pick him out of the monster’s mouth or something?”

--

It wasn’t right. Not one bit. Daniel had shown bravery and intelligence today, why shouldn’t he be rewarded? If Manny could earn a loaf of break just by ripping up a book, then Daniel deserved five hundred loaves! Sadly, Manny was 499 and one half loaves short of that goal, so instead he could only offer what he had. The boy stood and walked to the bed, ripping off a bit of his bread and offering it in his grubby little palms.

“Here!” he said with a smile. “It’s really good. Hero’s need to eat good things, right?”

Nayto: Daniel opened his eyes when he heard Everett's voice. Take what? And then he let his eyes wander from Everett to Manny when Manny spoke to him. Oh. Take that. He was about to say that it was all right and, again, that he didn't really need anything, but he couldn't turn down generosity! That would've just been rude. So, he flashed his smile to Manny and nodded. This just meant he'd have to buy Manny another loaf of bread, though! One that he wouldn't have to share.

"Thanks," he replied.

Daniel, still laying on the bed, took a bite out of the chunk of bread Manny had given him. This was actually some pretty damn good bread. Must've been fresh baked or something! That certainly helped with baked goods. Especially bread. Hm. There might have been some spices here, too. Very faint, but there. It added an extra bit of flavor. He could not complain about this.

"Well, see . . ." Daniel started; he was talking with his mouth full without thinking about it, "Whot I wanted to tell you in private is that Manny here was the monster. See--all these people, roight? They all thought he was a monster. But here he is, just a homeless kid. They hired me to kill or run the monster off, but when oI found 'im, he really wasn't much of a monster. So we struck a deal; we fake the 'ole thing, get paid, split the reward with each other, and call it a fair business trade."

[Mandaz]

Everett was silent for a while after hearing the story. She stopped chewing her cake and let the mush sit in on her tongue for a bit before finally swallowing; hard. Her head slowly turned to Daniel with the strangest expression on her face. Not one of anger or enjoyment, but of sheer, utter, disbelief.

“Daniel…that’s.” she began, at a loss for the words as the story sunk into her head. “That’s the stupidest idea I’ve ever heard.” She was simply flabbergasted, how could anyone come up with anything like that. “How can you even trust this kid? The villagers thought he was a monster, so then you made friends with him? Where in your head did that ever sound like a good idea! I mean, and I’m sorry if this is offensive, the villagers must have had some basis for this accusation! How do you know he wont take all of our money while we sleep and slit our throats when he’s finished!”

--

Manny nodded fervently at the explanation. He was proud to be Daniel’s little partner in crime, or ‘monster in crime’ as it were. His smile stretch wide across his face as he looked to Everett for some sort of approval.

When none came, his shoulders sagged and he sulked into Daniel’s hoodie. Offended wasn’t a good word for what he was feeling, more like hurt that he could do nothing to gain the girl’s approval.

“I-I wont do nothin’ like that! Honest!”

[Nayt]

"Ehhhh, Manny's cool, Everett," Daniel declared as he waved off her concerns.

Daniel sounded tired. He'd eaten the piece of bread that Manny had offered him, followed soon after by laying flat on his back again and shutting his eyes. This was way too comfortable. Given another moment or two without excessive yelling or the like, he might fall right to sleep.

"He's a hobo. Y'know, loike those ones from that buildin'. Except not so crazy. All 'is clothes were old an' he only went out at noight, t'go routin' through trash and the loike," Daniel's accent became considerably rougher at that moment, and a little harder to understand, as he was actually getting fairly tired. Daniel was a little too tired to enunciate well. "So all the people see this dude routin' through their trash at noight, an' stories start spreadin'."

It made perfect sense to him, as he had deduced. Daniel paused for only a moment, however, as he had a little more to say after that.

"But if you're really all that worried, you an' oI could share one bed an' Manny could 'ave the other. Y'know, that way oI'd be able to protect you in the worst case scenario an' all," Daniel remarked as he lazily opened his eyes to look to Manny, flashing a very brief grin as a means of suggesting that he did not, in fact, mean that he suspected Manny of being a monster or anything, and was just trying to get into the same bed as Everett.

It was worth a try, after all.

[Mandaz]

“Pft, yeah, and those were the most trustworthy people ever.” Everett rolled her eyes and finished her cake, setting the plate and a now empty glass of milk aside for the evening. She’d done her share of waiting dirty dishes tonight. She kept on the bed and held a look of determination on her face. Determined not to move.

“So he’s a thief and possibly filled with all sorts of human diseases.” She deduced. “Well then Daniel I suppose since he’s your monster you might as well keep an eye on him. That includes letting him reside with YOU for the evening. That way if he were to slaughter us all you would go first, just in time for me to escape. Oh you will be missed Daniel Kerrington, you will be missed.”

Everett quickly shoved her body violently under the clovers and held them steady just below her neckline. She would not be moved. Let Daniel sleep with the disease ridden thing, or better yet let him go. Best to be rid of unwanted tagalongs by morning.

--

“O-oh I really don’t need to stay.” Manny spoke up, waving his hands up in defense. The last thing he wanted was to make trouble for Daniel. He’d only known this girl for an hour and already he knew how much of a pain she could be. If he could spare Daniel from her wrath even just a little he’d feel like a hero himself.

Before he knew it though the both of them were planted in their beds and Manny felt exceedingly uncomfortable being the odd one out. He inched away from Daniel’s bed and stood awkwardly away from them both, unsure of how just to go about leaving.

[Nayt]

"Ehhhh, Manny, you're cool," Daniel remarked tiredly.

Everett's declaration, while a little disappointing, was not entirely unexpected. The last time they slept in the same bed together, they woke up cuddling, and Everett damn near kicked the hell out of him. It was probably best that such a thing didn't happen again, but then again, Daniel didn't mind taking risks.

Tonight, however, he was way too tired to push the idea or even come up with a different justification as to why it would be awesome if Daniel could be Everett's pillow for the evening or, preferably, vice-versa. He was a little too tired for it to even matter, were Everett to just climb in bed and lay her head on his chest, or something like that. He'd just wind up falling asleep in a few minutes either way.

"Oi, Manny, jus' hop'un'er the covers," Daniel declared as he motioned beside of him.

Daniel, personally, wasn't under covers, so it wasn't like there was going to be any potential problems, if, in fact, Manny had any particular ailment or infection. That he'd just have to risk tomorrow. Tonight, though, Manny could just sleep under the covers where it was warm, and Daniel could sleep out of the covers, because he was far too tired to bother getting under those. He'd roll onto his side to give Manny room to lay down, and regardless of what happened from that point on, all coherency would be lost. In less than a minute following, Daniel was asleep.