mayfield_rpg | action; phone (forward dated to Monday!)

Entry tags:

action; phone (forward dated to Monday!)

{ACTION} Mayfield Elementary; before class
[Despite seeing and hearing some things he didn't want to encounter during the trip into the void, Czeslaw has been attending school without missing a day. Dressed in a white shirt with a tie (fixed to be straight by his drone mother) and jacket but missing his usual hat, Czes makes his way on campus, arriving a little bit early.

He bumps shoulders with people sometimes, uttering a small "sorry" whenever he does. But if he sees a face he recognizes, he looks up with the best smile he could plaster on his face.]

Hi... good morning! How's it going?

{ACTION} Stone Street; afternoon
[Czeslaw received something in the mail after coming home from school. It was just an envelope with a card inside, but what's important to Czes is what is dran on the card. It's a two-panel comic, a simple picture of a human with a wound in the first panel; the human's wound is healed in the second. He looks at it for a couple of seconds before he pales and nearly drops it, turning white and running inside the house.]

{PHONE} filtered to Firo Prochainezo
Firo! Hey Firo, can I talk to you?

[First he calls Firo, because this is the guy he was living with back home. First he's got to call Firo and see if he's still alive and around, and tell him what happened. He already tried to see if the mail wasn't joking, and sure enough it was real. The cut on his lip he bit down on it earlier healed in seconds.]

Not over the phone, though -- I can come to to your house or meet you anywhere, but I need to talk to you!

{ACTION} Nelson Street; nighttime
[Czes was also going to try calling Elmer C. Albatross but instead he runs. He remembers that Elmer lived on Nelson Street, so he runs as fast as he can to that street, hoping he'll find the house. But it's the one with the treehouse, right?

He's running so fast he might crash right into a passerby, saying "Sorry!" and hoping he won't get pulled into a conversation.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Oh, come on, that's not what I meant! Just that we're family, you know?

[Or at least they will be, going by Firo's timeline, but he likes Czes enough already and the kid probably needs somebody.]

... What if I end up being, like.

A really bad person?

Huh?

[He looks Czes up and down; he just looks like a kid, nothing bad about him.]

You? What would you do to be a bad person?

Because... we live long. Because lots of things happen when you live long.

[He pauses for a long second, but shakes his head and smiles. Kind of nervously.]

I'm joking.

[Czes doesn't seem so amused, but Firo cracks a smile in response anyway. Whatever came over the kid for that moment, maybe it's better forgotten. He reaches over to gently pat Czes's shoulder.]

Right. I can't imagine you ever doin' somethin' that bad. You can't even be more annoyin' than Claire when he was a kid, I bet.

[Even with Czes saying he's a "bad person," Firo assumes he's referring to misbehaving like kids do, despite Czes's maturity.]

[That makes Czeslaw's stomach drop a little, but also makes him feel a little warm inside. It's a complicated feeling. He feels like he's deceiving Firo, and he's scared the secret's going to come out one day, and that Firo will see him as a traitor or a liar and he'll lose his place to be again. But at the same time the trust is nice to have, and he likes the feeling that someone can think he's a good person.]

... Right. Y-yeah.

[His face is a little red and he smiles a little bit more.]

[Firo's not sure what to make of the reddening of Czes's face, but the smile is heartening. Still smiling, he keeps his tone light and teasing.]

I'm glad it was only a joke, but don't say such crazy things next time, okay?

I won't... I promise.

[He's still a little red-faced, and he can't deny it. That put him in a little bit of a better mood. He judges Firo.]

But really you can't judge people by just the way they look, okay!

Good.

[He blinks, then shakes his head quickly.]

I didn't say that just 'cause of how you look! You act like a nice kid, too!

[But mostly because Czes looks like one.]

So? Maiza acts pretty nice all the time too!

[Maiza's Dark Side is not like his own, he knows, but that is the easiest name to throw out.]

Yeah, so what?

[He rarely thinks about Maiza participating in the less savory aspects of their business for that very reason.]

...Look, if he does somethin' to somebody, it's 'cause they deserve it.

Mm, if you say so.

Still, you should be more careful about people Firo, really.

I do. He's a really good guy.

[He knows it's probably not intended as a dig at the Family, since Czes mentioned hanging out with the Alveare crew, so he does his best not to snap at the kid. The juxtaposition of the mention of Maiza and that question almost make shim bristle, though]

What's that supposed to mean? I am careful about the people I need to be careful about. Maiza isn't one of those people.

[What Czeslaw wants to ask is "he's over two centuries old and you're hardly two decades. What do you know?" But Firo looks like he might punch him if he went that far so he decides to keep Maiza out of it this time.]

... They thought they were careful about Szilard.

[Good move by Czes. Insulting Maiza probably would have provoked some sort of physical violence. Bringing up Szilard only makes Firo freeze up and stare at Czes. That wide eyed staring turns into a glare as he slams his fist on the table.]

Don't compare anyone to him!

What?

[He doesn't flinch at Firo's fist slamming down. He frowns back, his expression dark.]

It's true, you know. They thought it would be all right, but you know what happened.

[Czes, having been so small, doesn't know how much people didn't think Szilard was okay.]

[Firo doesn't know how most of the others felt, and he's not about to go dig around in the hazier memories of those eaten early on by Szilard right now. Szilard didn't care enough about other people to tell Firo reliably how they felt about him, so he doesn't disagree with Czes. Dimly, he's aware that he may be overreacting, but he just wants this subject gone. Sitting stiffly in his chair, he folds his arms and glares at Czes.]

You don't need to talk to me about him.

... Fine.

[He puts his hand in his pocket. Firo looks mad. He'll at least have enough money to pay for his own if he wants to walk out eventually. He can't help but be irritated that Firo is so mad over Szilard though. All he was was an old, greedy man.

There are so much worse.]

Good.

[Firo leans back, looking off to the side but watching Czes out of the corner of his eye. Now that he's yelled at the kid, regret is starting to trickle in, and he'll only feel worse once he's had time to cool down. For the moment, though, he's still angry that Czes would bring up the guy who hurt Ennis and Maiza so badly.

His appetite completely gone, he taps his fingertip on the edge of his plate. Maybe he should just pay for both of them and walk Czes home. He doesn't want to end their meeting on such a sour note, but what can he do?]

... I won't do anything.

[He mumbles it, glancing at Firo.]

You don't know anything about me, so I think... you should still be careful about how easily you trust me, or anyone. But I won't do anything to you. Promise.

...Huh?

[He looks straight at Czes now, cocking his head quizzically as he tries to understand what Czes is getting at.]

I... I wouldn't think you would.

[He leans in, now forceful but not angry.]

But if there's somethin' I need to know then... then tell me.

[He's on edge as he waits, then listens to Firo's reply. He's left unsure how to feel, and he leans back a little when Firo comes closer.]

... Yeah. I'll definitely let you know.

[He's taken aback by how Czes retreats and settles back in his chair accordingly. The more time there is after angry words are spoken, the worse he feels about it, and he really didn't mean to frighten the kid.

Just a moment ago he contemplated ending their little meeting on that note, but now that he's out of the fog of anger he realizes that that's a stupid idea. This is Mayfield; one of them could wake up tomorrow droned or dead.]

Good. And, um... I'm sorry if I scared you.

... Huh?

[His narrowed eyes widen into surprised circles, and then he immediately shakes his head.]

You didn't scare me. Don't worry about that, Firo. I'm not mad at you either.

[One side of Firo's mouth lifts into a smile of relief.]

...Good, I'm glad. And I'm-I'm not mad at you, either.

[His conviction that he has a right to be angry with Czes is disappearing. Given what, admittedly little, he knows about Czes, he wouldn't think the kid would bring that up to be malicious.]

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