Daybreak | IC Inbox.

[awooligan]

CLIFFORD NORMAN
UN: REDRIDINGHOODIE

STATUS: grade 11

ACCOLADES: n/a.

BIO: name's cliff. let me know if you'll buy cigarettes and shit for me, we can work something out.

© TESSISAMESS

Comments

[awooligan]

"The same...?" Cliff isn't used to people talking around things to begin with, and even if he knows the Riveras are only music more than mischief, it sounds ominous to him. What's there going to be to scream about... Looking back to Coco melts any worries away, and his grin comes easily. It challenges her words with utter certainty -- he is going to be the best at flying, second only to Tobias. Bolstered by his own confidence and her introductions, he gives waves to each person named. It's good to be able to faces to voices and the ideas of people he'd built in his mind.

Mili waves back at him before going back to considering their options with a hum of musical scales up and down, hand joined with Papá's swinging playfully back and forth. Eventually, they cup their other hand around their mouth to call over to their brother-son. "Teto! Can I ride home with you? I want to see what you're in trouble for!"

It's tempting to not give him the option, stubborn and entitled as most fairies are, but it's better to move at his pace when everything had been rushing around him out of control so far. Besides, even if it ends up that they don't get to be in the same vehicle as the bigger Héctor, it more than likely meant they'd still get to glom onto Imelda. They'd get to soak up love and happy feelings no matter what mode of travel they took.

Watching the antics goin on, almost a comedy script, Cliff shakes his head and shifts his weight to his heels. "Your family is so weird," he confides, not hiding any amusement or even the fond spark in his eyes that seems all the brighter once he turns his full attention to Coco. "It's really good to see you, too, Coco. And seriously, Mr. Rivera, thanks for flying me out here. You didn't have to stay up in the day just for me and Teto, though."

He should probably get all that out of the way, even if now he's just really looking forward to getting to actually talk with Coco, presumably just them on the cat. It's embarrassing, feeling sappy or whatever in front of her parents and uncles!!

[unpocoloco]

"The same realization that flying is not as great as every story suggests, it's terrifying," He says dryly.

"It's not that bad," Coco counters. "You get to feel the wind all around."

"Mmm, yeah... I'll stick to good old earth," He says, hand swinging with Mili's grip.

Teto, as he's called, jumps. He moves back to their group and he speaks hushed to Mili.

"Don't point it out! You're gonna get me in more trouble!"

"What did you... oh! Hah!" It's Héctor who laughs at what he sees. "Very sneaky. But do wait on the tattoo follow-up, ay? You don't want it to deform when you hit a growth spurt." Which, they both know, he will.

To Cliff, Coco shrugs helplessly, denying nothing. The weird is inevitable.

Also to Cliff, Héctor says, "Nonsense. Of course I did. There's no just about it."

Teto looks up at his older self and his smile shows a faint hint of gratitude. Héctor meets it with a soft and knowing look. He releases Mili's hand, gesturing over Coco, and she goes, even knowing what's to come next. Thus begins the embarrassing onslaught in which he kisses both cheeks, both side of her forehead, the middle and then some, laughing helplessly all the while, before he pulls her into a tight hug, then lets go again.

"Stay safe up there, mija. I'll see you at home." He looks up and calls out. "The lovebirds are yours, querida! I'm taking the other two!"

"You have my mark. If you must, then use it!" She calls back. He nods. She addresses her brothers, directing them to take the luggage with them and to not lost it, no spells, no antics. Finally she waves over Coco and Cliff. "Come then! We've spent enough time here."

[awooligan]

Now that he's closer, Mili grins brightly and takes up Teto's hand too so they can have a Héctor on either side until the goodbyes than we're see-you-soons. The ideal, whether they're in trouble for bringing attention to the piercings or not. Count on Papá to be irresponsible cool about it, though -- a fact that relieves Cliff, even if he hasn't been ratted out as the one to encourage it, as far as he knows. Yet.

All those good feelings are suddenly vacuumed out, leaving a flustered void at lovebirds. He'd already unconsciously been holding an arm around himself, seeing all the affection going around, but the jolt of surprise makes it wrap a little tighter around. Does it have to be like this? Can't he just visit his best friend and girl he likes in peace? Stop calling attention to it! His mental yelling does absolutely nothing, just as expected. Oblivious to the boy's anguish, Mili barrels along by running to Coco and their Mamá, hugging them each so tightly in turn, one might think the pair were here to get on a flight out rather than just taking a different way home. Cliff gets another wave from them, then goes to latch onto Teto's arm instead.

"You went on an airplane! I haven't been on one yet," they chatter, not stopping for a reply before continuing, "Your earrings are pretty! Why was Mamá mad about them?"

As disappointed by it not just being the two of them and as lowkey intimidated by Imelda as he is, Cliff is glad for her more task-oriented presence in the moment. They have indeed spent way more than enough time here, yes! One last look of lingering worry over to his luggage, then he's ready to focus on anticipation. "Okay. Lead the way to the flying cat express, Mrs. Rivera."

And maybe when she turns their back on them, mercifully letting Cliff out of any scrutiny, he can lightly nudge Coco with his elbow and offer a small, secret smile.

[unpocoloco]

Teto doesn't protest the held hand, though it comes far less natural to him than it does his elder counterpart. Just as the hugs, after, come easy to Coco and Imelda too. It's a short reprieve before they're back to Teto and he's back to an awkward, unsure smile. It's a smile that's bound to stay as he's steamrolled.

Héctor reaches out and pats Mili's head before saying, "That's a long conversation, Mili. Why don't we get to the Taxi and I'll try and explain instead?"

He urges both along.


Imelda waits, hands on her hips and smile on her face. Her gaze, however, is far more critical than Héctor's would be, eyeing Cliff up and down.

She turns on her heel to lead them. She can appreciate getting on to the point.

"You'll want to call her Pepita," She corrects. "I expect you won't have any trouble flying?"

[awooligan]

They pout on instinct, because that meant it was going to be a stupid human rule, a dumb box that was invisible but you still couldn't get out. They decide to like Teto's earrings even more on principle.

But! They'll behave, at least for the ride. Small mercies.


Clifford is used to the inspection, and while it makes his skin crawl uncomfortably, it's a far cry from the scathing focus he used to get back home as Carl fought to find anything to make a big deal about. From what he knows about Imelda and her past, he's pretty certain that this look is coming from a place of love, instead. It's good...as long as he could almost come close to sort of measuring up to it. He's already resolved to be on his best behavior, leaving his pack of cigarettes back at the dorm and only packing a pair or two of his skinny jeans with rips in them. Being a sixteen-year-old boy and Coco's secret trouble-making buddy was already putting him at enough of a disadvantage with The Mom.

Pepita. Right. He hopes Coco was right in thinking that she would like him well enough, and there wasn't going to be a problem with him as either a boy or a wolf. He's seen her, of course, but he's really looking forward to seeing her, this wild beast in bright colors that was also an adorable little tabby cat.

"No way. Never done it before except on planes a few times, but I like being up high." Ah, but... Hm. He frowns to himself as a thought occurs to him, glancing at Coco before asking, "Uh, could I be in the back? I don't really like being touched or grabbed, is all."

Even if it ends up that arms have to be around someone, it would be a lot easier to hold someone else than to have it the other way around.

[kept_his_letters]

Other teenage boys would probably take the chance, the excuse, for the extra bit of closeness. But, this doesn't entirely surprise her. She nods, a bit of sympathy in her smile.

"Of course," Coco says. "Right, Mamá? Though, you might still need to be a bit close unless you want to fly by her tail. That's a little precarious." She's sure Pepita wouldn't let him fall, but still, first-time flyer.

Imelda isn't so quick with the answer, humming and pressing her lips. But, she nods too. It was an understandable reason and no boy would go about such funny business many feet in the air on a flying cat if he wanted to live.

She leads them all outside, just to the front of the airport building, before the parking lot. There is some benefit to the dropping of the veil, like being to whistle then and there. The sound rings and is soon met by a jaguar's snarl and the sound of a great pair of wings. People around jump, pause, stare, and point. Pepita lands on those front steps and Imelda greats her cat by smoothing her hands over its great head, which lowers to allow her to climb aboard. She reaches a hand for Coco next, who climbs up with similar ease. Then, she reaches for Cliff.

[awooligan]

He wishes he could be like other teenage boys, too, Coco. Alas. He shakes his head and raises an eyebrow at her, amused. "Yeah, something tells me that she wouldn't like it if I pulled her tail even to save myself. Don't worry, I won't be stupid about it."

And yet, when the time comes for him to take Imelda's hand, he visibly hesitates rather than do the smart thing of getting it over with as quickly as possible. Pepita had gotten a look of wonder and excitement on her arrival, so it definitely isn't the prospect of getting too close to her that gives him pause, to further corroborate his claim. After a couple seconds, though, he accepts the help as briefly as he safely can, then settles behind the other two. O-kay. Time to go.

[kept_his_letters]

Coco laughs, while Pepita makes a grumbling sort of growl to save that no, she would very much not like that, proving too that she's listening and understands perfectly.

Imelda is patient for this, waiting for Cliff's hand. Her expression seems to soften in the face of his hesitance. The tug, when he finally takes her hand, is steadying, not a sharp yank. Coco offers him an encouraging smile as he pauses by her.

"Prepare yourself," Imelda calls back, mostly to Cliff. There's the slightest hint of excitement in her voice, apparently well made for flight, as she ducks her head to match Pepita's crouch before the cat pushes off from the ground, great wings flapping hard. It's well into the air that Coco laughs again, free, and she spreads her own arms out to catch the wind rather than hang on. Papá didn't know what he was missing.

It'll be some time flying over Mexico before they reach Santa Cecilia proper, with the city fading away into rolling hills and stretching fields.

[awooligan]

Even if he prepares himself, only taking a moment to hug his arm to himself before getting properly settled, Cliff can't fully expect the swell of wind that sweeps through his hair and seems to fill his lungs with the feelings of taut anticipation and freedom in equal measure. Once he's processed the initial rush -- thankfully without squeezing Pepita with his knees or digging his fingers into her fur -- he turns to look over his shoulder behind them, disbelieving grin spread wide. It was the sort of surprise that reminded him of being a kid on Christmas, or when they'd brought Kevin home and it settled in that he was going to be an older brother. It filled him.

And then there's Coco, the wonderful, adventurous girl that can catch him off guard like no other. He doesn't have nearly the same confidence to copy her, not yet, but his attention returns to watch her and her joy rather than the world passing beneath them. Both were good sights. This is the one he'd come all this way to see, after all. Doesn't even mind getting smacked with her braids, which is probably inevitable because of his choice of seating. If anything, that just makes him laugh more.

The longer it goes on, the more relaxed Cliff finds himself, though it doesn't stop the constant onslaught of awe. It was beautiful, better than he could have imagined, enough so that he didn't even mind the brief mental visual of a dog with its head out the window, tongue flying behind. Oh, he could get used to this...

[kept_his_letters]

At some point in the flight at least, Coco's arms go down and she leans forward so there's slightly less braid in Cliff's face. But, the giddiness never leaves especially not when his is so obvious every time she spares a glance behind.

They fly and fly until it truly seems they're in the middle of nowhere, nothing but a string of road, of a river, and of very old train tracks long out of use but still lingering as a reminder of its history. A few more rundown homes settle in among the fields of green and then the full town appears

Pepita circles high above the town before swooping lower, giving Cliff a chance to spy the buildings below, modest in height and painted in sunbaked colors. The tallest building of the town is the church with one high stone belltower beside it and several old outcropping buildings to the church's other side. Coco points out the school with its gated entry and her old teacher, Señor Sena, the market with its vendors and overhanging papel picado, the fountain and the plaza and the cemetery. The whole place is busy with activity, as many going about business as there are those simply stopping to talk and greet people in town. Pigeons flee their roosts at the sight of Pepita only to settle again. And then, at last--

"Home," Coco says over the wind.

The building is sprawling, something old with newer buildings latched on around it like a series of growths around the courtyard. There's an old well boarded up and a garden full of blooms from which several monarchs flee. It's not the architectural splendor of Daybreak's castle or even anything typical mage-like, but from Coco's face alone, one might guess it was better.

Pepita lands and it's then that Coco slides down and off. Imelda stays where she is.

"I will return shortly. Do not go far. I am just making sure that your father and uncles are on course." And not in any trouble, goes unsaid but is there in the faintly exasperated note. Once Cliff has slipped down, she'll be off again. Coco turns to Cliff.

"Welcome to Santa Cecilia."

[awooligan]

He's not going to remember all of this, no matter how he tries to pay attention to what she's saying over the roaring wind. It's interesting, mostly because he's interested in her and her life, but also because despite them both coming from humble towns, the shapes, colors, and atmosphere was so different from Podunk. Their respective names were fitting, it seems, a fact that becomes even more obvious when he leans to see Coco's face a little better and some of her affectionate joy reflects onto his. Plus, he'd get to see all this with her again when they inevitably took the ground route.

Before he slides down to join her on the floor, he lightly pats Pepita's back in the space Coco had just been. "Gracias, Pepita, por el, uh...aventón?" He thinks so... But anyway, Imelda's got to be on her way, and now he'll get to talk to Coco without feeling like they're being projected onto a giant movie screen being watched through a microscope. He waves the woman off and steps back to Coco's side.

...He'll get to talk to her, but what does he say?

"Thanks. I can't wait to check it out. So, uh..." Great, he's doing great. No, he's being a huge loser, but it was fine. Maybe. Someday it will be. "I've missed you, but... You look good. Uh, like you're really happy to be home, I mean. ...And also good."

[kept_his_letters]

Pepita gives Cliff a sidelong look and a faint chuff of response before she's off and away with Imelda. Of course, Cliff's going to have to enjoy this time alone because in the Rivera house, that never lasts for very long.

She's patient in waiting for him to talk things out, though still a bit amused. Her head tilts and her braids swing for it. Then she laughs and covers her mouth, less to hide that than the red flush that creeps up her cheeks.

"I am happy," She says. "To be home. And because you're here." Her flush deepens. "It's good to see you. I've missed you too."

[awooligan]

He'll enjoy it. As soon as he can wrestle his idiot brain enough to let himself. Her blush makes his own heat up, and while he's kicking himself over how much more obvious his must be than hers, he's also thinking about how nice it is to see. It's oddly relieving, even though he's still some sort of embarrassed. Maybe it meant she was, too.

"Yeah. I'm happy I'm here, too."

With her. He crosses an arm across himself again to hold his other one, thinking how it would have been nice to be able to give her the rose now, given that he's pretty sure moments like this will be few and far between, even if she was basically the whole reason he was there.

"Okay, I know your mom said not to go too far, but do you want to walk around a little? Too much sitting around on the plane... You'll owe me a proper tour later, of course. Show me everything."

[kept_his_letters]

They're going to wind up in a very stupid competition of red-faced-ness. They will both lose.

"Y-Yes! Of course!" She bounces on her feet and glances around. Where to go? Around the house? Out-- "Wait."

She runs- dances- to the gate in the wall pushing it to peer up and out. No sign of flying cat or Mamá. She races back to Cliff, then right past him.

"Come on! Hurry up before they get back!"

She doesn't wait for him this time. It won't be entirely the walk around he's looking for, but it would be good all the same. Better to show it now too. She leads him right around the back, something of neglected area with things piled up for home repair and extension. There's a stack of bricks and old ply would and as precarious as they appear, she doesn't hesitate to climb both onto the branch of a tree and then onto the tin roof. She turns back just long enough to grin at him, then she presses on, pushing aside the loose boards of a connecting building before crawling into the attic space.

It's dark and full of junk with low ceilings. Still, she looks excited, even proud, with her hands clasped together.

[awooligan]

Oh -- there she goes. He finds himself smiling again, something easy when he sees her like this. Movement was her element, whether it was a celebration or mischief, or the rare retribution, and he can't be as graceful as her or anything, but at least he can follow her with the same confidence, trusting both her and his superhuman strength and agility to keep him from doing something dumb like falling and breaking his neck.

Cliff ducks into the space moments after her, curious even though he has to take a moment to make sure he's not going to smack his head due to being half a foot taller than her. The dim lighting doesn't bother him any, though his improved sense of smell means the attic smell leaves something to be desired.

"Secret base?"

[kept_his_letters]

"Secret base," she confirms with a nod.

She leads him deeper inside, past a drawn bit of curtain in an extension of the attic that's pretty much the same, but it's here she kneels and starts pulling things out. She pulls out old CDs, sets of headphones that are almost certainly from the nineties, a pair of dance shoes.

"I used to sneak up here to dance when I was smaller. It was the only place I could without being caught. And I found some of their old things up here too, stuff Mamá didn't know about and forgot, like her rancheras and Papá's casette player."

She pats a big box of a thing indeed meant to play casettes as well as CDs. Revolutionary.

"I thought about telling them, but, then I'd have to say where I found it and you never know when you need a secret hideout."

[awooligan]

Secret base. Amazing. He follows, half-blindly thanks to how he's busy looking around at the odds and ends along the way. He sits criss-cross-applesauce, relieved to feel like there's a little more space even if he knows it's all in his head, and reaches to pick up some of the RELICS OF OLD to turn over in his hands.

The hint of fascination comes more from imagining Coco's story in his mind, and then further back, to her parents being younger and looking through the same things. He wonders if these were tucked away out of sight by someone during the time after Héctor left and Imelda was throwing things out in order to keep them safe, or if this had been a haven long before that. Two teens like them, finding this space for themselves and having moments that were peaceful despite the love and laughter, the singing and dancing. Probably. It makes him smile softly, setting a pair of headphones gently to the side.

"Good call," he assures her, moving more directly to her side and leaning to inspect the cassette player by running his fingers across the different buttons. Maybe it's an excuse to be closer. "Sounds like I'm pretty great, with you letting me up here. Hey, does this still work...? Are these things batteries or a plug, I've never actually seen one."

[kept_his_letters]

It warms her, seeing that he can appreciate the things she does. Coming here, finding this stuff, it had been a point of wonder for her back then. None of it, not a bit, was simply junk. She laughs but doesn't deny that letting him up here is something special.

"Six C batteries or a plug. I don't have either though so..." She rummages around until she finds a bit of white chalk. Then, on top of the machine, she draws a rune. "That lasts about an hour, if I can power it up with some mist."

They don't have that a lot of time right now, but maybe with him knowing where this place is, he'll be able to sneak out later with fewer problems. She briefly imagines a secret dance, as she's imagined before with previously faceless figures, but she shuts the thought down. That's not Cliff.

"I haven't told Teto or Mili yet. Mili can go anywhere, you know? Fairy magic and stuff. And, I haven't really gotten to know, um, Teto yet. Besides through Papá. So, for now, it's just you and me that know about it."

[awooligan]

He doesn't know if he's ever even used a C battery... Maybe a really long time ago, in a flashlight when he was a kid? The rune really is the better way to go, not that he's sure finding mist should be any easier. Knowing they won't really get the chance now, thanks to the others getting back sometime soonish, he sits back with his hands behind him and watches her instead.

"He's cool, you know. Teto." Buuut as much as he wants the two to get along, being friends with both of them and also just thinking it's nicer when siblings have someone there for them... Cliff's eyes drift down to the space between them, trying to not give in to brooding due to his shyness. "I kind of like the idea of it being just ours. At least for a while."

...

"Speaking of, uh, telling people things..." No chickening out now, and he'd like to get this part sorted out sooner rather than later. "What do your parents know about...us?"

[kept_his_letters]

There's probably mist in a cupboard somewhere, but she's sure that will be with her Mamá's things or her Tíos'. It was easier to sneak things from the latter when the house was rife with chaos and almost impossible for sneak things from the former.

Her smile widens. She nods in agreement. That was her plan. If nothing else, she'd keep it their secret until Cliff had to return to France. Then once he was ready to come home, she'd bring in Teto. And Mili as soon as she found a way to keep them from blurting the truth out. They were all bad enough with secrets.

And then she's back to flushing and ducking her head. She shakes it.

"I-I don't know. I just told them you were my friend. But Papá keeps giving me looks."

[awooligan]

rip to Mili

rip to Cliff, too, because he was really hoping she would know something he doesn't, but apparently not...! Not that it's her fault. It wasn't like they'd had too firm a handle on things even without the complication of parents, thanks to this whole having their faces light on fire and stammering around stuff. It's...a little easier in this space, not that he can put his finger on why. Guessing was easy -- he was closer to her than he's been able to be in a long time, no more ocean or technology between them, and they'd decided this was just for them. No worrying about someone disturbing things while they worked it out... Not that they've got forever, or anything.

"Yeah, and that 'lovebirds' thing he said." This is probably mostly his fault? Being a fool, asking if he could visit her for Valentine's weekend like he wouldn't be figured out even if he didn't explicitly say it. "I guess we haven't really talked about it that much. Because we are still friends, just, uh... Coco? Did I ever officially ask you to be my girlfriend, or did I just imagine it a lot?"

It'd be dorky, if it was an attempt at being smooth, but unfortunately he's half-genuine. It's been so long and full of panic?

[kept_his_letters]

She laughs nervously as she says, "Y-yeah. That."

She'd tried to brush it off as teasing. It was teasing. But she'd opted not to put much thought into how much truth was behind it. Only that, maybe, there was some. Because Cliff is right. They hadn't much talked about it. She almost felt afraid to talk about it, like something would come apart on her if they did, though what she doesn't know. She doesn't know if it's their friendship, even if she does feel relief when he says that's still firmly in place.

All the same, another nervous laugh breaks from her and her eyes stay down on the floor. Her face stays red.

"You, um, you didn't ask me. Imaginary me must be pretty happy for all the attention," She jokes. She swallows her nerves. "Did you want me to be?"

[awooligan]

Wow. She should probably punch him? He thinks she should punch him. This is a gross oversight on his part and, like, sure, he'd refrained from asking over text because it was more important than that, and he hadn't wanted to end a video call prematurely on an awkward note... Okay, looking at it from that angle, it makes sense to him, but now that he's right next to her, after flying across the world? What would an awkward note put an ending to now?

But she looks like she feels just as nervous as he does, and she said imaginary her must be happy. She looks really pretty when she laughs. He likes her a lot, and that thought hits him for maybe the twentieth time today after too many times for him to have kept track of since he met her. Cliff swallows hard.

"Yeah. I, uh, really want you to be. Do you? Want to be my girlfriend?"

[kept_his_letters]

She wouldn't very much like to punch him. It would probably hurt them both and make them both upset at that. Besides that, it's hardly his fault. She'd kissed his cheek. She'd... needed to thank him somehow, some way more than just saying thanks. It needed to be more and then... then she was going to go. She was going to run away and then go back home and, truth be told, she'd kind of assumed he'd forget her. Maybe not right away, but eventually. And it would be okay and they would have been friends and she'd treasure what was. Life would go on.

Thinking about it, it was kind of how things might have gone with her Papá. If music hadn't been banned, if she'd been allowed that quiet but fading memory, if he'd never come back for that brief time... Mamá had never wanted to be the mournful maiden of fairytales and though she didn't like what happened instead, Coco wouldn't have wanted to be like that either. She would've allowed the memory to be and go as new memories were lain over. She realizes it's how she expected to be thought of too, one day lost in the layers of memory, neither an act of malice nor completely out of mind. Just a very small piece of someone's big life.

But Papá had come home for her. Mamá had always held her tight, even when she disappointed her. Cliff didn't just let go. She wonders why, but, she doesn't want to ask. She wants to answer.

"Yes," She says, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "That would be really nice."

[awooligan]

"Oh."

????? why did he say that

Cliff goes to clear his throat, but he's interrupted by a laugh that's both nerves and happiness as oh it settles in again that she's said yes. She wants to be his girlfriend, and being his girlfriend would even be nice, as unbelievable as that is to hear. He glances away from her, brushing his knuckle to his nose like maybe that will be enough to sweep his blush away or hide his embarrassing, giddy grin. It's not. He doesn't want to not look at her much longer, so...he decides it doesn't matter, and he turns his smile over to her again and lifts his other hand to touch the back of her arm in a sort of invitation. Not that he really knows what it is he's inviting.

"Okay. Good, that's...really good." That established, "So, uh, does what happens in secret base stay in secret base, or...? I mean, not that I'm say we would announce it or whatever. Unless you wanted to! I...guess."

Help.