THE THIRD STANDARDISED OCCURRENCE OF VIOLENCE PREREQUISITE TO ROMAN ANTZ (Jacky+Invisimort)

T.Mor:

Automatic death sentence... based on...hair? That was... Again, I have to go and talk about gingers... They get ignored...and like... stuff... but, never anything this... bad... Just... socially.... whats that word... ostrich-ized.

"...Help?" I was curious. How could she... help someone with a death sentence? Or...er... whatever.

I had another sip of coffee. It was less hot now, which was better.

Bells

"Aye, puppy," I said, leaning back further in my chair. ". . . once I found a girl. No older than I am now, pretty little thing in an odd way, 'cause she 'ad this brownish skin. And a little baby with th' same . . . Don't know 'ow she got there or where she came from, but Skelet was around. Tried t' 'ide 'er away in one o' th' lower buildings, said I'd sneak 'er off later . . ." I twisted my finger tighter around a strand of my hair, focusing on that. ". . . I think Skelet 'ad known about it all along. Never did make it back there 'til th' tide was in, and th' girl 'ad drowned by then."

T.Mor:

...Well. That was... That was... kind of... bad. I mean... I had no idea what a 'Tide' was... but it sounded bad... especially if it could drown people inside buildings...

I kind of just stared at her. "Why didn't you... like...er... go... back... uhm, without... without... him?" I asked. I didn't really like that guy... I mean... even putting the whole... 'violence' thing aside... he was just... kinda... He didn't seem to... care about...anyone but himself... which wasn't good. Or something. Yeah.

I drank more coffee, noticing that my hands weren't shaking anymore... That was good.

Bells

I crossed my arms, watching him. " 'e wouldn't let me go alone. 'ad this knowing smile through th' whole thing, th' rat bastard."

Actually, that wasn't the entire truth. He'd let me go, but at the last moment . . . probably could have saved them, but I got scared of what Skelet would do, so I just stood there as the place was flooding up below me, and the Outlander girl was yelling for me 'til she went quiet. But I wasn't about to tell him that.

The girl dying wasn't the thing that haunted me, though . . . that little Outlander baby. It had sounded just like a regular baby screaming.

T.Mor:

"...Oh." Well... That kind of made sense... If he wouldn't let her.... I mean... from what I can see that works out to Mr.Face telling me to go do something just because he knows it will make me kind of sick.

"Why do you...er... why do you stay... with him?" I asked after sitting there for a minute. I wondered if he'd let her if she tried to go... Again, reminding me of my job. Maybe... maybe she was stuck as well.

Bells

"Because I love 'im," I answered quickly. If I had Skelet, I had a roof over my head, and food, and someone to hold me. If I didn't have Skelet . . . well, I didn't know where I'd run to. " . . . people respect 'im. It's safer that way," I added.

T.Mor:

That... uhm. That didn't make a whole lot of sense to my brain. She was just... I mean... he didn't treat her nicely... at all. And she... She stayed. I... I didn't get it. She... she didn't... deserve to be treated like that.

And... I didn't really... understand what she meant when she said...'safety'. Safety from...what?

I looked at her for a second and then at my coffee. I didn't really know what to say at the moment. "...Oh..." I told the cup of coffee. Well...technically, I was talking to Bells... but... I was looking at the-- nevermind...

Bells

" 'e can be kind," I said, for some reason feeling as if I ought to defend him. " 'e loves me. 'e doesn't say so, but I know."

T.Mor:

I didn't really entirely buy that... I mean... he hit her in the face with a gun. ...That really didn't say 'I care' in my...er...well, I can't read... but...I think that 'book' is the only word that goes there...so...erm.

"He...He hit you..." I stated. I think it kind of is a rule in the friendship protocols that people who are friends and stuff don't hit eachother with guns. Or...if it's not a rule... it should be.

I drank more coffee. ...Coffee...made everything better. Except for the things it didn't.

Bells

" . . . I made 'im angry," I said frustratedly, crossing my arms tighter. I didn't have to listen to puppy. His opinion didn't matter. Then why was I sitting here, having this conversation, and why did his words make me so . . . what's that feeling when you're hanging on to what you believe so hard, it's like your life counts on it?

T.Mor:

She looked kind of mad at me...

Er.

I hadn't meant to... do that. Uhm..."...I'm sorry..." I muttered. Sorry that he hit you...Sorry for making you mad... Sorry that you seem to be living with someone who acts like Mr.Face does when you're five minutes late for work...Sorry for---

Oh crap.

What time was it?

I suddenly was looking around for a clock... If my shift had started...Internet... I didn't really want to leave. Maybe... maybe if I was too late already... I'd just stay...and... deal with Mr.Face tomorrow...

Yeah... that... that sounded good...

Bells

There were those eyes again. I glared on for a moment, and then my gaze softened and I looked down at my hands. I sighed. "Don't apologize," I muttered. Wasn't his fault, I didn't think. Something about how he talked about Skelet was both refreshing and infuriating. Holy Hell.

T.Mor:

She told me not to apologise again. "I'm sorr--" I cut myself off. ...Apologising for apologising... She'd told me not to do that either. Which made me want to apologise again. ...Which... really wouldn't have helped anything.

And my mind dragged me back to thinking about work... If I was only a few minutes late, I could run all the way there, and maybe things wouldn't be too bad. ...maybe. I mean... It was one thing to decide that I was going to skip... It was another to actually... follow through on that.

If I knew what time it was...

But it would be rude to ask her...

But...agh. Ok...so. If I was less than twenty minutes late, I'd run like mad. After that...and I'd have to... Deal with it all tomorrow.

"Uhm...Do... do you... know what time... it is?" I asked somewhat hesitantly. I mean... It was kind of totally off from what we had just been talking about... but... I needed to know.

I didn't really want to leave though... because... I mean... work was bad...and Bells was nice.

Something in the back of my brain reminded me that I wouldn't be getting paid for not going... but...It was one day. It wasn't like... I'd die--well... Not like I'd die of starvation-- for lack of one day's worth of pay...right?

I didn't know. I kind of noticed that I was getting all tense again... worried about... all that.

Bells

"No idea," I said, raising an eyebrow at the sudden change of subject. Wait a moment . . . "Work, aye?" I asked, glancing around for something to check the time. The chatbox didn't have a sun, that I knew of. I whistled something quickly at the cashier, who gave me a very confused look. Right. "I asked what th' time was!" I called, and then added under my breath, "Dumbass."

"Um. Seven ten," he said, gave me another wierd look, and went back to being a dumbass.

T.Mor:

I nodded. Yes...work. Unfortunately.

I watched her yell at that guy again. It was kind of... well, even though she was completely sane, she kind of reminded me of Riddle when she yelled at that coffee guy. It was entertaining...even though it was also kind of... not the right thing to do.

And then I knew what time it was. Not that that made the answer any better. 7:10. Ten minutes late. "Expletives." I muttered. "I... I... I have to go... Late as it is... gah... he's going to be so mad..." I sort of...ranted as I stood up. "See you..er.... later... My shift ends in sixteen hours..." unless he kept me late for being late... "er... "

I was suddenly kind of regretting getting the biggest coffee cup there, as my stomach was fighting against me... Being late... well, I shouldn't have been worried, as I knew what was coming.... but still.

I sort of did a little wavey thingy as I bolted out of the shop and ran... all the way to work. About halfway there I realised I left her with the bill,and I almost turned back to go and pay for my coffee... but then I remembered that she didn't believe in paying for things... and I didn't feel as bad about it.

I ran all the way to my cellblock. Where...Mr.Face was already loitering, scaring some of the n00by guards. I wondered how long it had taken me to run here.

"Mr.Namechov. How nice of you to join me. I do hope that your occupation is not an imposition on you, as it seems to me that you are suffering from some kind of critical priority failure. Perhaps you should... reprioritize. Unlike everyone else in your insignificant excuse for a life, I actually pay you to be here. Therefore, logically, I trump the 'priorities list'." He smiled as he talked, which was always creepy... especially when he stood so that I had to put my head all the way back so that I could see him properly.

The n00bs all kind of stood there, listening to this. Probably watching in fear. No idea how many of them had actually had the privilege of being late before... but.... yeah.

"Furthermore, it sounds to me like you have forgotten your mask, Mr.Namechov. You are slipping. Do not let it continue." I felt like facepalming about the mask... I knew I had been forgetting something. "Arms." He added, as though it were implied. It practically was at this point.

I noticed that I was suddenly shaky again as I rolled up my sleeves for Mr.Face. probably had nothing to do with lack of coffee though...

Bells

I watched as his skinny self dashed out the door. Oh bother. Wonder how much trouble he was going to be, remembering that . . . thing . . . that apparently he worked for . . . I winced despite myself. Swung my legs off the table, pushed myself up, and headed out the door. May as well find Skelet.

"Hey! You're going to have to pay for that, or I'll call the police!"

"It's a bloody coffee, Outlander, get over it!" I whistled angrily on my way out. Skelet was going to ask where I had been. Oh . . . just getting coffee. I hoped he wouldn't pry too much. Lying to him would be tough.

T.Mor:

Acid... burns. I walked back into the box thingy after my shift and slid down a wall, completely...feeling like crap.

Apparently I had been late enough to warrant the slicing open of the bottoms of my feet too...I was pretty sure the blood had dried my feet into my shoes...Since I didn't have any socks clean, since the last pair was split between Bells and I after I was late that other day.

I noticed that I left bloody handprints on the floor where my hands had touched it... Meaning that my cuts were...still...oozing.

Fantastic.

I just sat there... not really paying attention to anything, and... enjoyed the fact that I was not standing on those feet anymore. Felt so good... to not have any weight on them.

Bells

"Well, aren't you a mess?" I said, leaning against a wall, watching him from the corner of my eye.

T.Mor:

I heard Bells talking...from... up.

"Uhm... kind of..." I answered her. I had kind of hoped to have at least cleaned up a bit before I ran into her again, because... showing up somewhere covered in...gore and stuff... isn't really all that...polite. Or... good or... whatever.

I looked up and saw her leaning there on the wall. Best thing I have ever seen from looking straight up... Pleasant change from the usual scary, faceless, employer.

Gah. Don't think about it don't think about it don't think about it...Ok. Better.

Bells

"Keep track o' time next time, aye?" I was half talking to myself, but covered that fact up with a small smirk. I had to watch myself . . . Skelet wasn't a fool. Though, I'd managed to get off easy last night; Found Skelet was off in the night to do hell-knows-what. T.Mor, however, was a literal bloody mess. "Look 'ere, look 'ere. I brought you something. B'lieve this is yours?" I pulled out a sock, which I'd tied around the belt loop on my skirt. It'd been washed . . . still a bit stained, but they'd been stained before.

T.Mor:

My sock... Well... that... that would help. One out of four... wasn't exactly passing, but... I'd take what I could get. Especially when it had already kind of belonged to me...

I reached up to take it from her, making an effort to keep a straight face. Moving my arms... was... really painful. I mean... I realise I kind of deserved it for being late and all... and that sixteen hours really isn't that bad, when you consider some of the other shifts I work... And... I really shouldn't be complaining about this. This... this wasn't... all that bad. No. No big deal. I was fine.

"...Thank you..." I muttered...Fingers... They weren't exactly cooperating with me. It was probably stupid to expect them to actually... As normally after being late, I go home and wrap them up and then stare at my ceiling for about three hours... Before I even try to move them. ...Normally they stop oozing too before I do anything. ...This sucked.

Rather than fumble with my motor skills anymore I just kind of... let my hand fall back to where it had been, not being able to keep from wincing as it hit the floor. "...Uhm..." Well. ...er. How... how to... asking for help... I didn't want to impose... but...er.

No, it would be rude. And... I mean... I didn't really want to show her all of that... bad...ness... She didn't need to see that...

But... That sock...

No. Manners... And... really, I didn't deserve the help... It was my fault. All my fault for being late and for having this happen..so there... was really no reason for her to get involved...or...something like that...er. Yeah.

Bells

I watched him fumble for a while, no where near grabbing hold of the sock. Tsk tsk tsk. "You're 'elpless." I ruffled his hair. "Arms, aye? You need me t' wrap 'em up, or do you a'ready 'ave that covered?"

T.Mor:

"...er... Yeah... uhm.. Arms and...feet.. but It's... It's ok... you... you don't have to.. I mean... you don't... It's... I mean... I don't but you... it... uhm... It's... " I said articulately. I mean... She didn't even have to offer. At all. But... she was being nice like how she was again... and... it was nice.

I kind of wish I had more words for nice. I say that one word a lot... especially about her, and It's like... I wish I had more words for it. Because, I mean she definitely... didn't have to do anything that she was doing... but she was doing it...and... I didn't really deserve it... and... yeah.

"...Er...ok..." I didn't even know where I had left off in my rambling words... but...yeah.

Bells

I boredly watched him ramble, sinking down next to him and rolling up his sleeve. Ooh, that didn't look fun, right there. " 'oly 'ell, T.Mor, what'd you do, stick your arms in a meat grinder? Oh bother." I wrapped the sock around it like he'd done to my arms earlier, and with a wince I remembered how much it'd hurt when the creepy faceless thing had scratched me up. "Don't 'ave t'. Pft. You need it. Look 'ere, look 'ere . . . this is pitiful."

T.Mor:

I flinched when she took my arm... I hadn't been expecting it. I mean... It... kind of hurt... to touch. uhm. There were gashes... wickedly straight lines... and blisters...from the acid... a mess of all the colours of gore...Red... redder... purple... a differenter red...

"No...uhm.. I.. I was... late... uhm..." I explained quietly as she wrapped my arm up for me. It was really nice of her... to do that... I mean... she didn't have to... at all. "... I was..really late..." I muttered.

Almost hesitantly I pulled the other arm over..." I'm sorry...if I'm... uhm... Imposing... It's... it's... uhm... I... my fingers... uhm...aren't really... ... ...working..." Maybe she'd help me get my shoes off too... That would feel really good after all the stinging died down from peeling them out of the dried blood...

But... I didn't want to make her do anything... I mean... uhm.