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Feb. 15th, 2007 07:13 pmFinally, the eight-year-old Guppy stepped outside, dry, calm. He looked up at the wooden sign of the Traveller's Arms as it swung gently in the breeze.
Jake emerged from a bush and handed him his schoolbag, and they set off into the Mists, the stench of stale cigarette smoke permanently lingering in the alleyway.
"Thanks for saving my ass Fish. Sorry you got chucked in."
"S'ok. You'd have done the same for me."
"Yeah." Jake nodded. "I tried anyway."
They hesitated at the end of the passageway, as the streetlamp flickered on and off indecisively. And nodded, with the mutual understanding as always that they were not to be seen together.
"I might have known." Came the voice of Guppy's father as he grabbed Guppy by the arm. "Where the hell have you been? I told you to stay away from this urchin."
"Take him to and from school in the car then." Jake replied, shoving his hands in his pockets, pretending to chew gum and generally look as undesirable as possible. "Then we won't have to have safety in numbers."
"The subject is not for discussion with you." Jas snapped at Jake. "Now clear off. I'm not having my son further dragged down the social ladder by a brat who will never make anything of himself."
***
"Watch your back tomorrow Fish." Jake replies, sauntering away. Guppy sighs and follows his father into the house. His mother, eyes worried, greets him and stands in the corner, watching him. Maths books waiting on the kitchen table. And when the lesson is over he picks up his bag and heads into his room, hearing the voices of his parents behind him.
"Jas, he's only little, I think we're letting this go too far."
"He has to learn to stand up for himself in life. I don't believe in mollycoddling the boy."
"But after what happened with the dog?"
"We reported that, I'm not a monster."
"I'm not saying you are Jas, but even the day to day things are hurting him, look. Can't we protect him from some of that until he's older?"
"He will never get tougher if he has no reason to. This discussion is over."
In his room, sitting on the windowsill, Guppy writes on a piece of paper. Dots and dashes from a torch in a window in the distance. He picks up his own torch and sends a message back.
"Jake?"
Guppy opens his eyes. February 15th, 2007. Two in the morning. He groans, and gropes for his pager on the bedside cabinet.
So much for that day off he'd been promised. Called back from Milliways for a six car RTC when he'd much rather have been swanning off to Corascant and Strongbadia. And then asked to work on and not being able to find his way back into the bar. All the normal portals had been closed off, except one he found last night when it really wasn't convenient. And now, on the day that Harry had sworn he could actually have his day off, another bleep. 'FIRE, ?MAJAX, SRY, HH' He swears. He scrambles out of bed and tries to find his clothes.
He is much relieved to find the fire has claimed relatively few victims, and having sent the majority of them off home or to a ward, Harry tells him that the morning is young, thanks him for his help and sends him on his way.
He leaves Abs a note on the bathroom door, then sets off again to try and have his holiday.
'Abs, gone world-hopping, back Friday. Please feed the cat. Thanks, Guppy.'
Jake emerged from a bush and handed him his schoolbag, and they set off into the Mists, the stench of stale cigarette smoke permanently lingering in the alleyway.
"Thanks for saving my ass Fish. Sorry you got chucked in."
"S'ok. You'd have done the same for me."
"Yeah." Jake nodded. "I tried anyway."
They hesitated at the end of the passageway, as the streetlamp flickered on and off indecisively. And nodded, with the mutual understanding as always that they were not to be seen together.
"I might have known." Came the voice of Guppy's father as he grabbed Guppy by the arm. "Where the hell have you been? I told you to stay away from this urchin."
"Take him to and from school in the car then." Jake replied, shoving his hands in his pockets, pretending to chew gum and generally look as undesirable as possible. "Then we won't have to have safety in numbers."
"The subject is not for discussion with you." Jas snapped at Jake. "Now clear off. I'm not having my son further dragged down the social ladder by a brat who will never make anything of himself."
***
"Watch your back tomorrow Fish." Jake replies, sauntering away. Guppy sighs and follows his father into the house. His mother, eyes worried, greets him and stands in the corner, watching him. Maths books waiting on the kitchen table. And when the lesson is over he picks up his bag and heads into his room, hearing the voices of his parents behind him.
"Jas, he's only little, I think we're letting this go too far."
"He has to learn to stand up for himself in life. I don't believe in mollycoddling the boy."
"But after what happened with the dog?"
"We reported that, I'm not a monster."
"I'm not saying you are Jas, but even the day to day things are hurting him, look. Can't we protect him from some of that until he's older?"
"He will never get tougher if he has no reason to. This discussion is over."
In his room, sitting on the windowsill, Guppy writes on a piece of paper. Dots and dashes from a torch in a window in the distance. He picks up his own torch and sends a message back.
"Jake?"
Guppy opens his eyes. February 15th, 2007. Two in the morning. He groans, and gropes for his pager on the bedside cabinet.
So much for that day off he'd been promised. Called back from Milliways for a six car RTC when he'd much rather have been swanning off to Corascant and Strongbadia. And then asked to work on and not being able to find his way back into the bar. All the normal portals had been closed off, except one he found last night when it really wasn't convenient. And now, on the day that Harry had sworn he could actually have his day off, another bleep. 'FIRE, ?MAJAX, SRY, HH' He swears. He scrambles out of bed and tries to find his clothes.
He is much relieved to find the fire has claimed relatively few victims, and having sent the majority of them off home or to a ward, Harry tells him that the morning is young, thanks him for his help and sends him on his way.
He leaves Abs a note on the bathroom door, then sets off again to try and have his holiday.
'Abs, gone world-hopping, back Friday. Please feed the cat. Thanks, Guppy.'
