handwritten;

[brotimaeus]

[The message starts off with a few unevenly-spaced dots as he taps his black biro against the paper. His handwriting is spidery and sprawling, but legible.]

Well, don't I feel special.
One minute I'm minding my own business and the next I'm having a string of numbers pushed into my head and finding my way around this merry fucking mess.
That was rude, by the way.
What if I was driving or something.

[dot... dot dot]

Either this is working or I'm getting concerned about making an ass of myself for no reason.
If it isn't then who would even give a damn anyway.

Comments

[Text]

[oncedevil]

[Because his handwriting is sloppy chicken scratch, you get text instead.]

Isn't there a law against texting while driving anyway? Or writing, I guess. I don't know, did they ever specify you shouldn't write and drive?

Don't worry about it, everyone does their first time around. Hope you're not driving right now, pal, things are about to get crazy.

[brotimaeus]

Loopholes. I could wriggle out of a prosecution on something like that but I got this feeling it would come under not paying due care and attention or something.

Not right now. At home attempting to digest all of this bullshit.

[oncedevil]

Sure, something like that. I wouldn't really know myself, honestly.

Hope you've got some tums handy, you're going to be doing a lot of digesting.

[brotimaeus]

Great. And I had my night all planned out.

This is a fucking inconvenience.

[oncedevil]

You're telling me. I'm still trying to think of ways to wiggle my way out of this but I think I'm stuck. This really wasn't what I was planning on doing with my life.

Sorry man, I could dig up the FAQ if you really want to jump down the rabbit hole?

[brotimaeus]

I got it. Amazing what you can find if you pay a bit of attention.

So is this the part where we introduce ourselves and get down to hazing the newbie or what. I never got the college experience.

[oncedevil]

Hazing? Naw, at least not from me. Still pretty new myself. Honestly you made a better introduction, pretty sure everyone thinks I'm a drug addict.

Anthony. And you?

[brotimaeus]

Richard Stroude.

[oncedevil]

[The response takes quite a bit longer than the others had.]

Richard? It's you?

[brotimaeus]

What do you mean it's

Fuck.

Tony?

[oncedevil]

You got it.

Haha, shit. You too, this has got to be some kind of weird family trait for you guys.

[brotimaeus]

"You too"?

You better start talking straight with me, son, and fast.

[oncedevil]

Okay, okay! Relax, don't be mad.

Dirk's got a number too, and a couple of his cousins Dallen and Harper.

[brotimaeus]

Christ.

I'm not mad. Shit. Where are you??

[oncedevil]

Uh. In a tree? The ground's too wet.

[brotimaeus]

Cute.

Do not fuck with me right now.

[oncedevil]

Are you coming to pick me up or something?

You're not gonna be happy.

[brotimaeus]

Yeah, you bet that's what I'm gonna do.

You out on the streets again?

[oncedevil]

The big park close to Dirk's neighborhood.

Yeah, his parents have been home and they've been pretty adamant they don't want trash in their house.

You know how it goes.

[brotimaeus]

Yeah. My sister can be a real bwitch when she gets something into her head.

I'll be there in fifteen minutes. Sit tight.

[oncedevil]

She's something alright.

I'll be here.

--> action;

[brotimaeus]

[It's around fifteen minutes before headlights belonging to a red Mazda 3 flash around the nearest corner and the car pulls to a stop.

Richard gets out, looking more ruffled than usual, casting his eyes about for the kid as he leans one arm against the roof of the vehicle.]

[oncedevil]

[He'd climbed out of the tree when Richard told him he was on his way and moved closer to the parking lot. He stuck to the safety of a nearby tree to try to stay out of the light drizzle as best he could, the hood of his worn grey (and lightly singed) hoodie pulled low over his face.

Once he spotted the headlights he trotted out to meet Richard, some sort of strange wrapped parcel in tow.]

Hey. Fancy seeing you here.

[He was trying to act casual and nonchalant, and trying even harder to cover up the slight tenderness in his stride.]

[brotimaeus]

[He huffs out a sharp sigh through his nose, tapping the car roof.]

Get in.

[Mostly because the heating is on inside the car, to be honest. When he's pulled the driver side door shut he turns the engine off, but leaves the radio on.]

How long has it been this time?

[oncedevil]

[Uh oh, he sounds annoyed. Tony hops in without argument, of everyone Richard is one of the few he doesn't like to irritate beyond his patience.

Not because he's afraid of him or anything like that, he just respects him more than anyone else.]

Ah, when did Snakezilla trash everything? Been the better part of a month on and off, I guess.

[Oh man warm yes please. He hunkers down in the seat, thunking his strange parcel on the floor on accident. It sounds oddly metallic.]