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

[kept_his_letters]

There's a split-second moment where she's afraid she's said the wrong thing. But, he doesn't let go of her hand. She listens and tries to follow both what he says and doesn't. She nods slow, not entirely sure she has it but...

"I suppose it is a lot. Especially after a flight," She says. "You want to just... be alone? Together?" Boy, that was a tall order in this house. "I guess I'm the one who should say sorry then. I didn't do a lot to make room for that."

She should've talked to Mili and Mamá and Papá too, her Tíos... She laughs sheepishly, he free hand lifting to tug at a braid.

"I think I'm a bit bad at this. But, um, thank you. For being cool with things anyway."


Teto's head tilts at them. He notes their kicking feet, the way they wear every feeling. He laughs just a little, then releases his knees to lay back too. The stars poke at his back, but it's fine. Hardly different than gravel.

"I had a childhood," He points out. (And has one, but what teen admits to that?) "But, I'm also the one who's mostly looking after me. I guess there's Señor R and Tía, but it still feels a bit like fosters you know? Or, maybe you don't, since you're a fairy." He laughs awkwardly. He turns from them to look at the stars on the half-finished ceiling.

"Being boxed up sounds pretty bad. But, I think I'm more used to, um, being stuck out of the box. You know what I mean? I'm used to... not fitting just right, even with my friends. Or my fosters and having to go somewhere else-- or running away on my own. I'm used to sleeping outside and writing songs about things I don't really know anything about. I don't fit now because I'm the wrong time and things like that. Part of me just wants to go-- anywhere. Not just stay in the doorway, not fitting. But also... everyone's nice... and so are you... I don't want to be thrown out of the box again."

[awooligan]

Cliff sighs, frustrated with himself even as he's trying to play everything coolly so she doesn't make herself worry about him or feel even worse. That's definitely not okay. Not even around the full moon and he's fucking it all up anyway.

"No, Coco, it's fine. I knew what I was walking into, coming here." He even knew not to expect to have time for them on Valentines, not that he's going to mention that and certainly not the why of it. Girl deserves that happy surprise unspoiled. "I told Teto we'll just go off and do our own thing if it's too much. If I really need to, I can get space."

Not much they could do about it, with his speed and experience in finding places he could be alone. Well, except Pepita. She might be a problem...but then, hopefully if she insisted on tracking him down, she'd let him pet her a bunch.

"Don't worry about it. I just need to wind down, that's all."


The way they stare at the ceiling, it's almost like they're searching for the constellations Teto offered to teach them. Being stuck outside the box, huh... That doesn't make any sense at all. They let their eyes close and let it go instead of contemplating it too long. All their optimism about opportunities doesn't spring forth, somehow.

Mili opens their eyes again, trying to pinpoint why. Instead, they murmur, "My other parents weren't anything like Mamá and Papá. Even when Mamá is mad about something, or Papá is too tired. I wonder if they were like fosters."

They don't know. Unless they can bury themself in Teto's memories, they're not sure they could ever properly compare the two experiences.

Then, "We can do puzzles together. See where pieces can go?"

[skeletones]

"Okay," she says. She nods. "Then... nothing to apologize for."

At least that much is settled. She runs her thumb over the top of his hand.

"Good news, Pepita's very good for winding down."

And, with a push through that front door, a moment of squinting into the sunlight, it looks like she is indeed around, a grey tabby cat once more.



Parents like fosters huh? He knows about that. He met other foster kids-- hard not to, in the system. He met some who knew their parents but didn't want anything to do with them. Once or twice those parents tried to come around.

"Imelda loves and looked after her brothers," He says. "And... and I wouldn't want anyone to feel bad like that. Even if I was tired. So, I think... I hope they're better to you. I'm sorry your old Mamá and Papá weren't that good."

The change in topic is sudden, but, after thinking about it, he's not sure it really is a topic change. He turns a smile their way.

"That sounds good. I'd like that."

See where the pieces go...

[awooligan]

The extra touch makes his breath catch before a slow inhale, not so much a shock to his system as just a weird, fuzzy electrical feeling that made its way to his chest. Turns out that avoiding contact made little things like that feel...a little less little. With an awkward smile, he moves his free hand to her other braid, mimicking her tug but even more gently and with a teasing air before leaning in and kissing her temple. He still owed her for that cheek kiss.

"Okay."

But! Anyway!! There's a cat! Half-reluctantly, he drops Coco's hand -- his nerves were probably going to make his sweaty and gross, anyway -- and moves to crouch next to Pepita. Cat, cat, cat.

"Hola, Pepita." He offers that hopefully-not-sweaty hand limply out for her to sniff, the way he's seen animals do even if he doesn't have much firsthand experience. Pretty girl. This house's girls were very pretty? In different ways, obviously. "Mind if I pet you?"


As much as they can while laying down, Mili shrugs. "I didn't know any better. Papá had to tell me. Now he's showing me, and Mamá, Coco, and my Tíos, too." They're much better, they think, even through all the confused feelings and the barely-squashed urge to assure Teto that it was probably their fault anyway. It felt strange to be too upset about it now, so long after they were gone.

Also strange, but much more welcome, is the fluttering warmth as they glance over and see his smile. They smile reflexively back. "So -- you said we don't really know each other. We should do that! Like why did you think you could drive a car? That's illegal, you know."

[skeletones]

The little tug makes her laugh. Her head moves with it. And then, just like that, just when she stopped anticipating the possibility of it, she feels his kiss. Her breath pulls. Her cheeks redden almost immediately.

He lets her go, but she stays where she is, feeling vaguely dazed. She touches the spot on her cheek.

Pepita observes this all with an air of detached amusement. She pads over to Cliff, then sits down right before him as he speaks to her. She takes a moment to clean a paw, then she moves forward the rest of the way, pressing her head against the leg of his pants and winding around.


He shrugs too. "Still. It's not fun to be told what you thought was good isn't either." Though his only frame of reference for that is a memory that only barely ghosts through his mind.

The next moment, he's sputtering a laugh. That had hurt and he felt pretty bad for what happened with his friend, Avery, but it's still kind of funny in retrospect.

"I didn't think it would be hard!" He protests. "Adults do it all the time and people do it on TV and stuff. I didn't know it would go backwards! Besides, I was trying to bring Avery home."

[awooligan]

This is...the best day. His best friend is his girlfriend, he went flying, his friend trusts him, a cat is rubbing herself on his leg... And he's still got so much vacation left ahead of him. With a grin, Cliff lets himself fall back onto his butt to really settle in and run his hand between Pepita's ears and scritch along her neck down under her chin, like Coco told him she likes. What a good girl. Content as he is, it isn't long before he's laying down, arms behind his head.

"You sure know how to pick a spot..." If ever there was proof he's an introvert, this is it. Time away from people, soaking up the sun with a cat... He's looking more rejuvenated already. Or like he might fall asleep here. Maybe both.



Mili props themself on an elbow, having to giggle at that reaction even if they couldn't see the memory itself as funny in retrospect like he can. "Even I can't drive. Adults do a lot of hard things, silly. That's why they're adults."

That's...not true at all, but anyway.

"I am glad Papá helped find you two, though! And you were okay, after... I was really worried about you guys! But I couldn't exact visit you myself, with everyone so mad at me."

[skeletones]

It isn't long before Pepita is settling in and purring up a storm. It isn't long before Coco, smiling fond, sits down to join him. If he sleeps, he sleeps, that's just as well, and fine with her. She turns her face to the sun and lets her eyes close, listening to the music on the wind.


"Yeah, probably," Teto agrees. Though his older self can't drive either. "But it was worth a shot."

He realizes now that they never would have found Avery's home. It really didn't exist anymore, just as Avery he knew doesn't really anymore. It's a sad thought, but it's just another thing to get used to.

"I'm sorry I worried you. And... that people were mad. They'd probably have been less mad if I wasn't, um, causing trouble. Heh."

[awooligan]

Hearing Coco settle beside him, even with the loud rumble of this perfect beast, Cliff cracks an eye open to watch her. He hasn't really stopped smiling since the end of their conversation there, but that doesn't stop the fact that he smiles at her. Yeah, he thinks he'd like to stay like this until someone comes to get them again.


The idea makes Mili scoff and turn up their nose in a very haughty, fairy way. They knew Héctor was a silly one, and that humans in general were silly, but this is just outright ridiculous. They much prefer the whimsical, hopeful wish that had gotten the boys to try than this apology.

"They were mad before any of my kids did anything. Besides, they were you guys once, too! I still think they were overreacting, when you were all so wonderful and cute." Like a proud parent that can find no fault with their children. Why should they!!! "Anyway... I learned a lot, so that was good. Oh -- I played a song for you, when you were hurt! Do you remember that? I guess I don't even know if you were awake..."

[skeletones]

He gives Mili a weird look. Mostly because they're being weird. Their kids. Faeries were strange. The added comment of being wonderful and cute feels like the verbal equivalent of getting his hair ruffled by someone his own age, or younger. Even if Mili did say they're old.

That expression shifts when Mili brings up a song.

"That was you?!" Of course, he remembers. How could he have forgotten that? "No way! That was beautiful!" He remembers getting up out of the hospital bed, wandering to the window. He'd asked Avery if he heard that and then rested his elbows on the sill, just listening to the song in the night. "Can, um... do you think you'd be able to play that song again sometime?"

[storywalks]

They were their kids!!! And they will not accept hearing otherwise. Even as their own people back in memories, the children had been brought back to the world using their magic. That made them partly theirs.

Teto's exclamation has them perking up even more, obviously delighted by the confirmation. Oh good! He'd heard! Even better, he'd liked it! Were they not busy supporting their weight with their arms, they'd probably be preening, smug despite the purer joy they felt.

"Sure! I think I lost that flute? But that part doesn't matter so much. I might even be able to teach it to you, since you're kinda part fairy. Humans don't really learn some of our music so good."

[skeletones]

"Really?"

He brightens further and sits up. It's not so much surprise at the concept of fairy music being difficult for people-- somehow, that makes sense. But, getting to learn it anyway, that was cool. Getting to learn any new music was cool.

"Playing fairy music..." It's hard to control his smile. "So, I'll teach you the stars and you teach me that. Then we'll definitely know each other better too."

They're going to finish that puzzle in no time.

[awooligan]

Seeing him excited by the prospect only makes them even more giddy -- it's hard to not cheer at his proposal, but they manage to tamp it down. Even if it turned out Teto couldn't get a handle on the layers of fairy music after all, showing him would be fun, and he'd still be getting a new song out of it. And they'd know each other better!! That part's the most exciting.

"Yeah."

Oh boy, oh boy... Time should move faster so that they can get started on that already!!


Lucky for me, I get to say FUCK THE WAIT and it's evening, now. Everyone is fed and happy, and Cliff is glancing at the door as he goes to sit on his bed during this moment alone with Teto.

"You're hanging out with Mili tonight, right? Or you going to do that later? How'd that go, before, anyway?"

He has motive for asking... He's got plans to go back to the secret base and all, but if Teto really needed him there, then he'd...grudgingly...postpone... Plus, being around people that are meant to be family can really suck if you're not comfortable. His interest isn't purely self-serving.

[skeletones]

Teto is settled in the hammock, swinging gently back and forth with a guitar lain on top of him and a leg hanging over the side. He plucks out gentle mindless tunes, but looks up when Cliff speaks.

"Huh? Oh, uh, yeah. Yeah, that went real good!" He thinks to ask the same about Cliff but decides he doesn't really want to know that much. Too weird. "We were gonna see about doing some music together. Though, I might be going somewhere tonight anyway."

He kicks his dangling foot to renew the slight swing of the hammock.

"Are you doing anything?"

[awooligan]

It's nice to see him so relaxed. Like this could be his home someday, just like it's meant to be. If that weird fairy helps make things that way, then maybe Cliff can stop thinking they're so weird all the time. Or at least...think they were a really good weird.

"Sounds like your kind of plan," he muses with a grin. As for the rest of it... "Uh, yeah. I think so. I mean, unless you don't want me to, but that was the plan, yeah."

[skeletones]

He grins back, wider. His kind of plan. Yeah, it kind of was, wasn't it?

"Nah," He says, stopping his careless plucking to wave a hand at him. "I can handle myself! I was heading to the plaza alone anyway."

It's not home until you're at the place that's home home, after all. And the plaza under the stars was that. He'll take it all in, play a song, and head back for bed.

"Ah, I guess, have fun?" Or something like that.

[awooligan]

Well, he can't really get on the kid's case for going out to do random shit at night, since that was his life back home. Sounded like Teto was going to be on his own, but...he knew the place. Or he did, once. Seeing all that changed and stayed the same might be nice to do on his own, so he has a chance feel whatever he needed to without worrying what someone else is going to think. Cliff nods.

"I always do." He makes his own fun, come on. Also Coco was just. really great. "Want to have a contest? Person that comes back later has to do something for the other?"

This might be to dissuade Teto from falling asleep out there... He worries, okay. Kid became a popsicle to avoid him before, and Santa Cecilia's weather might be infinitely better, but he still would rather have Teto passed out in that hammock he instantly fell in love with.

[skeletones]

He snorts and grins. Sure you do, Cliff. The competition makes his head tilt.

"You're not going to be too fast are you? I can see everything if I race..." He wanted to take his time!!! But... he doesn't want to turn down a game either. "Mmmm okay. Sure. Not too weird though."

He doesn't know what would constitute as too weird but he's going to cover the bases!

(And Cliff is probably right to worry in any case.)

[awooligan]

He raises an eyebrow. "What does that even mean?" But he's not actually fishing for an answer and waves his own question off. Nothing too weird, whatever.

"I'm not going to rush or anything, you can take your time. Just don't want our chances of being able to sneak out some more completely blown. If I really wanted it to be a race, you wouldn't stand a chance, man."

Wolves were more physically able than ghosts, or whatever one would classify Teto's powers as. Plus, he knows Teto should be pretty good at sneaking around, no stranger to misbehavior, but even with the brief nap he took earlier in the sun (mortifying) he's going to want to crash hard once he's back from hanging out with Coco. Uninterrupted sleep is better.

That settled, Cliff goes over to his luggage, grabbing something and starting to bring it out before becoming the wolf instead. Nothing in his paws or, less bizarrely, in his teeth. Magic bullshit means that whatever it was is on his human person -- and this is the main reason he shifted over in the first place.

"Have fun!"

Time to sneak around, careful of any clacking his nails his might make against the floor and eyes kept peeled for Héctor or Pepita, the two most likely obstacles, in his mind.

[unpocoloco]

"Psh, whatever Güey," Teto says, waving a hand again. Though he definitely absolutely cannot outrun a wolf.

He gives Cliff a look when he pulls up out of the luggage holding nothing, but maybe he just wanted to check on something or other. He shrugs to himself and goes back to plucking tunes. Maybe it'll help cover Cliff's steps.

There's no sign of Pepita within the halls but down the one, a door opens. Héctor steps out, stretching his limbs before heading to another room. Depending on how late it is, it could be Coco's or Imelda's. Early evening likely meant the former, and so waiting a short time before he'd step out again and head for Imelda's anyway.

[awooligan]

Hmm. He doesn't trust Pepita's absence, since he's sure it will mean he has to avoid her later on, he's onto you, spirit cat. Cliff pauses, but when it's clear, he goes ahead and moves on rather than lingering to say hello or...just stick around weirdly. He didn't need to watch and listen to sappy family feelings, even if they made his heart do little flip-flops. A dad that's so present and loving is such a marvel to him...but tonight's about a stealth mission to the secret base!

Once he has a little more distance, he sets his nose to work finding a way back to the odd pathway that was...hopefully clear of trouble. His eyes reflect the light brightly, so it wouldn't be hard for anyone to spot him as either boy or wolf. He'll have to think about which one will have an easier time dealing with the sometimes-precarious nature of the way over. Arms would be good...even if one was busy holding onto something.

[skeletones]

Cliff is wise in this one respect. Pepita is outside, again settled on that high gated wall, looking out over the town with a flicking tail. He ears swivel with sounds but he might yet be able to pass on by all the same. So long as he's careful. The wolf paws are certainly bound to be quieter than any human feet.

The way up to the secret attic can be reached by the four-legged for certain, but he might have a time keeping quiet with it, keeping wood planks from falling and not landing too hard when jumping from tree to roof.

Should he manage and make it, however, he'll find the room as it was left.

[awooligan]

Well, friends, our boy rolled a stunning 9. Which is just as well because either way he probably would have hesitated, wondering which was the best way to go about it: sneak by and pray for success, or approach Pepita to at least partially explain his intentions and request that she look the other way. His wolf paws might have been helpful in keeping him quiet, but the wandering thoughts take away any advantage they've given...and now he can't even choose from the options those thoughts had provided for him. Guess he's doing this...!

"Uh. Hey. Not that there's anything to tell, but I don't suppose we can just keep this between us?"

How does the connection between Pepita and Mrs. Rivera even work, oh god does she already know he's sneaking around...

[skeletones]

The silhouette of the cat looks over, her eyes catching what light there is in the dark and shining bright. She eyes Cliff a long moment, considering. Then, she turns and gets to her feet, walking further along the wall. She'll keep quiet now, but don't think she won't call attention to whatever this is if funny business follows, young man!

Well, Cliff sure did take the time to talk to a cat. All speed ahead?

[awooligan]

Phew. This is why you give the chin scritches and take naps with cats!! He doesn't spare another second to say it, but as he hastily continues on his way, he sure does think, Gracias, gatita. More chin scritches tomorrow, unless she turns out to be a snitch after all.

...Well, okay, he'd probably give her chin scritches either way, but it was the principle of the thing!

Noise was slightly less of a concern, but while he's pretty sure that he could make it across those balance beams and all, he does go ahead and shift back into boy for it, parcel hugged to his chest. Cliff looks around the attic, relieved to be there for the brief moment it takes for a different set of nerves to kick in. Maybe this was stupid, aaaa... But he brought the thing with him, so the point is moot. Cliff moves in, returning to the OLD RELIC they had sat around earlier, and carefully sets the long, clear box that holds a red rose just out of sight until it was faced like before.

TIME TO BE EMBARRASSINGLY NERVOUS.

[kept_his_letters]

A wise man.

If also an anxious and silly boy.

It takes some time for anything to happen. There's a lot of quiet and a lot of stuff in the space. Hopefully Cliff can entertain himself up until the moment that the rustling and thumps begin outside. The sounds are quiet, but still perceptible to werewolf hearing. There's quiet again, a clink, then the shifting of wood. Finally, a girl slips into the secret room, looking up and being to see the boy there. She lifts a little metal tin.

"Got it," She declares, triumphant. She also seems to be carrying along with another little box, trying not to squish it in her grip while clambering inside. The latter is shoved behind her.