Collab: Emo Vampires, Drew @Elle Joyner
It took a lot of strength for little Gaia to guide Shiloh down the hallway, her lumbering and heavy footsteps sending waves of aches through her bare feet. She wanted to get out of the building, if only for a little while. The walls felt as if they were growing closer and closer, squeezing her in a box with no escape. Squeezing her eyes shut, she tightened her grip upon the golems hand. The thought of one of Orlando's members killing Rebecca broke her heart. Knowing the man Finn had been wrongly accused broke her heart. The terrible plague that affected one of her own friends and was causing Yul major stress...that seemed too surreal for it to be true. Shiloh didn't want it to be so. She didn't.
The mission revolving the rescue and capture of two seperate agents brought further stress into the young woman's mind. It had been completed safely, but she felt drained. Her knuckles were swollen from the hits, mind somewhat foggy from shifting her golems' form. She had let Demeter and Terra run off, Gaia only greeting her once it knew that its creator needed it. Shiloh was grateful, for she missed Drew more than she could bare to admit.
Her door came into view. Gaia let go of her hand and looked up to its creator, offering its arms. Hug. Shiloh sighed and kneeled before it, embracing the small creature. "Thanks Gaia. I needed that." Brushing her fingers gently along its crown, Shiloh left a small kiss upon its demeanor. She slowly made her way to her feet, tapping her knuckles against her door.
"Drew, sweetheart?"
"Enter…" Came a grim reply. Today, Drew was, of course, a vampire. And as Shiloh undoubtedly knew, all vampires were moody and dark… Lying on the cot, arms crossed over his chest, he stared up at the ceiling, "But bringest thou not garlic!"
"Oh thank God." Shiloh muttered, recognizing the possible blooming teenager that resided within his pretend. He had stayed inside. Thank God. "I bring no garlic, fair sir." Slowly she turned the knob and sneaked inside, making sure to close the door behind her. "How's it hanging Count Dracula?" Shiloh brought herself to sit beside the cot, resting her chin upon it as she inspected him. Gaia plopped miserably into her lap, snoozing immediately. "I'm sorry I was gone for so long, moody vamp."
"When one is undead, my dear Shi shi… time has no meaning." Peering at her with a sidelong glance, he grinned a little awkwardly, "But you were gone a real long time. Were you on a mission???"
"Drew honey don't go so emo on me at this age. Goodness, I'm not gonna be able to handle you when you are older if you are already on the verge of having a phase." She teased him, reaching up to affectionately ruffle his hair. Her breath caught in her throat. "Um...listen sweetheart. We had some scary things happen in the last few hours. It's nothing to be concerned, there are no bad guys around. It's just safer that we remain in here, okay? I promise everything is okay. I was just out, getting the information. Everything is okay."
Blinking, he swung his legs around and sat up, his expression both curious and concerned, "Wh...what sort of scary, Shi?"
"Um...sweetheart…" Shiloh attempted to chose her words very carefully, not wanting to scare the poor boy. She didn't want to bring up Rebecca as of right now, and instead worked as formulating as best as she could. "Some people have the flu. They are sick right now and it's best to keep inside. It's nothing they can't get over, but…" she wasn't sure if this was true. She didn't want to lie to her little brother, but at the same time, she needed to be somewhat honest to fully explain the situation. "It's icky."
"Gross. Are they throwin' up? Or is it just like… boogers are stuff?? I'm not leavin' our room till it's gone. Naaasty! Wait. You're not sick, right???"
"I don't know the symptoms. I assume they are mostly sleeping right now." She shook her head reassuringly, beyond relieved that he was going to stay put. "No Drew I'm not sick. I'm feeling just fine. Promise."
"Okay…" He said, a little apprehensively, "D...don't get sick, alright? Scares me, when you're not around a real long time."
"I'm not going to get sick, I promise. The flu isn't really going around, it's just people trying to get over it right now. I just need you to know there is still a possibility, so please be careful. I'm not going to leave you, okay? I'm going to stay right here, I promise I won't leave you for a really long time. I'm sorry enough as it is for leaving you as long as I have been."
"It… it's okay. I know it's not your fault, Shi. I know we don't… we don't really talk about it, but… you didn't exactly… you know… ask to get stuck with me. Kinda hard on you sometimes." Smiling dryly, he shrugged, "Sorry your friends are sick…"
"N-no sweetie that's not it. That's not it." Slowly pulling herself upon onto the cot, she inspected him up and down with a frown. "I'm not stuck with you, buddy. I choose to be by your side, and you are my main priority above all else. You are. Im just expected to do other things and...well, this scary event is just another one of those things that I'm expected to be informed about. I'm not stuck with you. Booger you are stuck with me." She stuck her tongue out at him, her shoulders deflating. "They will get better. I know they will."
"Pssh. I know that, nerd. I just wanted to hear you say it." He gave her a nudge, grinning slyly.
"You son of a biscuit!" She exclaimed with a pout, crossing her arms. She dramatically flopped onto her back. "You are a fiend, you know that Count Moody?"
Flopping onto Shiloh, Drew grinned, "Mwah ha ha! I am!"
"Hey! You big lug!" She exclaimed, giggling as she wrapped her arms around him and embraced him tightly. She began to mess with his hair furiously, keeping the disappointed pout. "Crushing me you are."
Poking her in the rib, Drew shrugged, "Cause I'm the Hulk. Sorry. It's just how it goes…"
"Oh, so you are the Hulk, Dracula and Batman? Man of many hats." She let him loose, keeping her arms behind her head. "Just be careful of your strength short stuff. Only got one strong body to last me a lifetime." She patted her stomach.
"I'm a flexible dude, Shi. Gotta be pretty quick to keep up. Cept right now, cause I'm kinda tired…" With a punctuated yawn, he shrugged, "If I promise not to crush you can I stay here a while?"
"I'm not gonna push you off, you angry immortal bat lug." She muttered, chuckling softly. "Although you are kind of heavy...eh, I'm not gonna chuck you off. Have you been resting properly?" She questioned, hoping he'd say the correct answer.
"Erhm. I sleep… sometimes. You know how it is when you're the king of all vampires. You toss and turn a little. Responsibilities and all."
"Mmm. You need to catch up on sleep young man. And if there's a reason why you are not, let me know." She clicked her tongue against her teeth. "Do you need me to get a blanket for you?"
"Nah… I'm cool, Shi. Just…" Frowning a little, he shrugged, "Just dream, sometimes. Stuff I don't like."
Shilohs eyes screwed shut at this. She was expecting this, and the moment he said it she felt bitterness crawl up her throat. "Drew...honey, do I need to get you someone to talk to about the dreams? I'm here and so are the medical folks."
"N...no." He said, shifting a little, "Don't want to talk about it."
"Honey…" A frown grew at her lips. "I know...I know we had it rough. And I know it's hard. It's normal to dream bad things but...if you ever change your mind I'm here. You know that, right?" Her heart felt like it was breaking in her chest. She didn't know how to help him if he wasn't willing to speak, and in all honesty she didn't know what she could do if he was willing.
"Just…" with a shrug, he pushed himself upright, "Not ready, Shi…"
"I know sweetheart. And its okay not to be ready. I just want you to know you aren't alone. I dream bad things too sometimes, and it's good for, when you are ready, to vent."
Blinking, Drew looked her over, and his expression softened, "Y...you dream about it, too?"
"Yes. I do." Shiloh admitted softly, her golem climbing up beside them to place a hand upon each of them. Shiloh gratefully ran her thumb along Gaia's crown. "I dream about him sometimes. The home. Sometimes I dream about being separa-" She clamped her mouth shut, not wanting to upset him. Tickling Gaia's toes absently, Drew gave a small nod, "Me, too. I… I'm afraid sometimes… That he'll come back. That I… I won't be able to keep you safe."
"I feel the same way, buddy. I'm afraid of that sometimes; but I can assure you, we are so safe here. And I won't let him come near us ever again. He won't. We are safe, Drew. There is no reason to fear him ever again."
"You… you know I'd never let him hurt you, Shiloh. I won't. Not ever again." Looking at her, Drew frowned, "No matter what."
"I know sweetheart. I know." Her hand came to rest upon his head. "You are my little superhero after all. But I do want you to know that I'm not going to let anyone hurt you ever again, either. I promise I'll look after you."
"That's the deal, right?" He asked, and the light, easy smile returned to his face, "We take care of each other…" Flopping onto the pillow, he yawned again, "Love you bunches, Shi…"
"A deal that is eternal." Shiloh vowed, relieved to see that smile return to his face. She pulled some the blanket from the cot and made sure Drew was neatly tucked in. "I love you bunches too, Drew."
It took a lot of strength for little Gaia to guide Shiloh down the hallway, her lumbering and heavy footsteps sending waves of aches through her bare feet. She wanted to get out of the building, if only for a little while. The walls felt as if they were growing closer and closer, squeezing her in a box with no escape. Squeezing her eyes shut, she tightened her grip upon the golems hand. The thought of one of Orlando's members killing Rebecca broke her heart. Knowing the man Finn had been wrongly accused broke her heart. The terrible plague that affected one of her own friends and was causing Yul major stress...that seemed too surreal for it to be true. Shiloh didn't want it to be so. She didn't.
The mission revolving the rescue and capture of two seperate agents brought further stress into the young woman's mind. It had been completed safely, but she felt drained. Her knuckles were swollen from the hits, mind somewhat foggy from shifting her golems' form. She had let Demeter and Terra run off, Gaia only greeting her once it knew that its creator needed it. Shiloh was grateful, for she missed Drew more than she could bare to admit.
Her door came into view. Gaia let go of her hand and looked up to its creator, offering its arms. Hug. Shiloh sighed and kneeled before it, embracing the small creature. "Thanks Gaia. I needed that." Brushing her fingers gently along its crown, Shiloh left a small kiss upon its demeanor. She slowly made her way to her feet, tapping her knuckles against her door.
"Drew, sweetheart?"
"Enter…" Came a grim reply. Today, Drew was, of course, a vampire. And as Shiloh undoubtedly knew, all vampires were moody and dark… Lying on the cot, arms crossed over his chest, he stared up at the ceiling, "But bringest thou not garlic!"
"Oh thank God." Shiloh muttered, recognizing the possible blooming teenager that resided within his pretend. He had stayed inside. Thank God. "I bring no garlic, fair sir." Slowly she turned the knob and sneaked inside, making sure to close the door behind her. "How's it hanging Count Dracula?" Shiloh brought herself to sit beside the cot, resting her chin upon it as she inspected him. Gaia plopped miserably into her lap, snoozing immediately. "I'm sorry I was gone for so long, moody vamp."
"When one is undead, my dear Shi shi… time has no meaning." Peering at her with a sidelong glance, he grinned a little awkwardly, "But you were gone a real long time. Were you on a mission???"
"Drew honey don't go so emo on me at this age. Goodness, I'm not gonna be able to handle you when you are older if you are already on the verge of having a phase." She teased him, reaching up to affectionately ruffle his hair. Her breath caught in her throat. "Um...listen sweetheart. We had some scary things happen in the last few hours. It's nothing to be concerned, there are no bad guys around. It's just safer that we remain in here, okay? I promise everything is okay. I was just out, getting the information. Everything is okay."
Blinking, he swung his legs around and sat up, his expression both curious and concerned, "Wh...what sort of scary, Shi?"
"Um...sweetheart…" Shiloh attempted to chose her words very carefully, not wanting to scare the poor boy. She didn't want to bring up Rebecca as of right now, and instead worked as formulating as best as she could. "Some people have the flu. They are sick right now and it's best to keep inside. It's nothing they can't get over, but…" she wasn't sure if this was true. She didn't want to lie to her little brother, but at the same time, she needed to be somewhat honest to fully explain the situation. "It's icky."
"Gross. Are they throwin' up? Or is it just like… boogers are stuff?? I'm not leavin' our room till it's gone. Naaasty! Wait. You're not sick, right???"
"I don't know the symptoms. I assume they are mostly sleeping right now." She shook her head reassuringly, beyond relieved that he was going to stay put. "No Drew I'm not sick. I'm feeling just fine. Promise."
"Okay…" He said, a little apprehensively, "D...don't get sick, alright? Scares me, when you're not around a real long time."
"I'm not going to get sick, I promise. The flu isn't really going around, it's just people trying to get over it right now. I just need you to know there is still a possibility, so please be careful. I'm not going to leave you, okay? I'm going to stay right here, I promise I won't leave you for a really long time. I'm sorry enough as it is for leaving you as long as I have been."
"It… it's okay. I know it's not your fault, Shi. I know we don't… we don't really talk about it, but… you didn't exactly… you know… ask to get stuck with me. Kinda hard on you sometimes." Smiling dryly, he shrugged, "Sorry your friends are sick…"
"N-no sweetie that's not it. That's not it." Slowly pulling herself upon onto the cot, she inspected him up and down with a frown. "I'm not stuck with you, buddy. I choose to be by your side, and you are my main priority above all else. You are. Im just expected to do other things and...well, this scary event is just another one of those things that I'm expected to be informed about. I'm not stuck with you. Booger you are stuck with me." She stuck her tongue out at him, her shoulders deflating. "They will get better. I know they will."
"Pssh. I know that, nerd. I just wanted to hear you say it." He gave her a nudge, grinning slyly.
"You son of a biscuit!" She exclaimed with a pout, crossing her arms. She dramatically flopped onto her back. "You are a fiend, you know that Count Moody?"
Flopping onto Shiloh, Drew grinned, "Mwah ha ha! I am!"
"Hey! You big lug!" She exclaimed, giggling as she wrapped her arms around him and embraced him tightly. She began to mess with his hair furiously, keeping the disappointed pout. "Crushing me you are."
Poking her in the rib, Drew shrugged, "Cause I'm the Hulk. Sorry. It's just how it goes…"
"Oh, so you are the Hulk, Dracula and Batman? Man of many hats." She let him loose, keeping her arms behind her head. "Just be careful of your strength short stuff. Only got one strong body to last me a lifetime." She patted her stomach.
"I'm a flexible dude, Shi. Gotta be pretty quick to keep up. Cept right now, cause I'm kinda tired…" With a punctuated yawn, he shrugged, "If I promise not to crush you can I stay here a while?"
"I'm not gonna push you off, you angry immortal bat lug." She muttered, chuckling softly. "Although you are kind of heavy...eh, I'm not gonna chuck you off. Have you been resting properly?" She questioned, hoping he'd say the correct answer.
"Erhm. I sleep… sometimes. You know how it is when you're the king of all vampires. You toss and turn a little. Responsibilities and all."
"Mmm. You need to catch up on sleep young man. And if there's a reason why you are not, let me know." She clicked her tongue against her teeth. "Do you need me to get a blanket for you?"
"Nah… I'm cool, Shi. Just…" Frowning a little, he shrugged, "Just dream, sometimes. Stuff I don't like."
Shilohs eyes screwed shut at this. She was expecting this, and the moment he said it she felt bitterness crawl up her throat. "Drew...honey, do I need to get you someone to talk to about the dreams? I'm here and so are the medical folks."
"N...no." He said, shifting a little, "Don't want to talk about it."
"Honey…" A frown grew at her lips. "I know...I know we had it rough. And I know it's hard. It's normal to dream bad things but...if you ever change your mind I'm here. You know that, right?" Her heart felt like it was breaking in her chest. She didn't know how to help him if he wasn't willing to speak, and in all honesty she didn't know what she could do if he was willing.
"Just…" with a shrug, he pushed himself upright, "Not ready, Shi…"
"I know sweetheart. And its okay not to be ready. I just want you to know you aren't alone. I dream bad things too sometimes, and it's good for, when you are ready, to vent."
Blinking, Drew looked her over, and his expression softened, "Y...you dream about it, too?"
"Yes. I do." Shiloh admitted softly, her golem climbing up beside them to place a hand upon each of them. Shiloh gratefully ran her thumb along Gaia's crown. "I dream about him sometimes. The home. Sometimes I dream about being separa-" She clamped her mouth shut, not wanting to upset him. Tickling Gaia's toes absently, Drew gave a small nod, "Me, too. I… I'm afraid sometimes… That he'll come back. That I… I won't be able to keep you safe."
"I feel the same way, buddy. I'm afraid of that sometimes; but I can assure you, we are so safe here. And I won't let him come near us ever again. He won't. We are safe, Drew. There is no reason to fear him ever again."
"You… you know I'd never let him hurt you, Shiloh. I won't. Not ever again." Looking at her, Drew frowned, "No matter what."
"I know sweetheart. I know." Her hand came to rest upon his head. "You are my little superhero after all. But I do want you to know that I'm not going to let anyone hurt you ever again, either. I promise I'll look after you."
"That's the deal, right?" He asked, and the light, easy smile returned to his face, "We take care of each other…" Flopping onto the pillow, he yawned again, "Love you bunches, Shi…"
"A deal that is eternal." Shiloh vowed, relieved to see that smile return to his face. She pulled some the blanket from the cot and made sure Drew was neatly tucked in. "I love you bunches too, Drew."