The little boy doesn't blink as he waits for an answer to his question. Creepy.
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"From monsters" Rust moves to block the scratch he on truck from his claws. The other hand hand goes up to block Faith. "Monsters that come to take people away. Monsters that hurt people." Rust notes the strangeness of this particular kid. "Do you know what I mean? The Monster under the bed. The Bogey Man in the closet. The Witch that hides in the woods. That is who we protect against kid." Broad daylight or not, this kid was creepy.
Rust would drop a knee to get on the boy's level, but he wants to be sure this kid is not one the formerly mentioned 'monsters'. A tough call.
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The boy's eyes go wider as Rust speaks. After scrutinizing the Summer King with a rather skeptical look on his face, he looks away in order to seemingly examine the cracks in the sidewalk. After a moment or two, the boy nods to himself with a grim expression on his face, as if some important decision has been made. He looks up at Rust Mane with all of the fragile strength that a thirteen year-old boy possesses.
"I believe in the Bogey Man. He took me and Reece, but I got away. Will you help me get Reece back?"
Rust smells the faint odor of decay on the boy's breath.
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Oh shit. He is a monster. A monster Rust knows all too well. "You see me. Don't you." It was not much of a question. Rust folds his arms to think how to reply. "You left Reece behind. You think you can go back." Also not really questions. Rust wonders how he would feel if Spartan was kidnapped.
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"I didn't leave him behind! I didn't... I didn't..."
Yeah, those are tears coursing down those brave, young cheeks. He won't admit it, but they are.
Faith's eyes widen at the boy's words. Not to mention at the tears. Dang it. Kid crying. Come on, girl, you handled the monkey-boy, you can handle this, right? Right? She pushes aside Rust's arm from in front of her, more firmly than she should. Throwing the King a venomous glare, she crouches low enough to be eye to eye with the kid. "No one's saying you did," she says, her voice softening considerably, no longer a breath away from swearing a storm. Her expression follows soon after.
"How long ago did the bogeyman take you two?" No matter what he would answer, he might as well say 'too long'. But it was worth asking, if only to get the kid to calm down, and to think. Hopefully.
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Rust doesn't exactly grin. But he looks proud. The Courtier the hardly gave fuck has changed her tune. The Summer Bravodo was nothing but brash cheer-leading. This, this moment here, was what the Court of Wrath meant. "And how did you escape" Rust adds working to sound understanding. I likely comes off as simple curiosity. But the Elemental was trying.
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The creepy kid wipes the tears from his face with the back of his hand as he looks over Faith's shoulder at Rust.
"He did. He said I left Reece. I didn't leave him."
The boy ignores Rust's question but does get a funny look on his face as he looks to his left, seemingly talking to thin air.
"Well, yeah, but I didn't mean to... I mean, I didn't even know where you were. How can I leave you there if I don't even know where there is?"
Looking back at Faith, his grave little manner returns. He stares at her with his big, thoughtful eyes for a few seconds before answering her.
"It was last year... I think. It seemed like it was a lot longer, but the calender's only a year later. I talked to Brother Lucas... but he said I should never try to go back there. I can't just leave Reece there! Will you please help me?"
Faith rolls her eyes, making a small dismissive gesture over her shoulder. "Oh, what the f**k does he know? Don't listen to him. I know I don't." Even the swear comes out softer than it usually does, like it's just another part of the sentence. Gonna have to have a talk with the King after this. If he starts thinking... Bah, not now. Kid now.
She's taken aback when the kid starts talking to nothingness. She blinks a few times, wondering if she should just leave the kid there and go. Which simply wouldn't be nice. Still, damn weird. Yeah, like I've got any right to talk about anything weird.
When the kid starts explaining, though, a little light clicks on somewhere in Faith's brain. "Brother Lucas?" A brief glance at the church, before she looks at the boy again. "I think the girl's looking for you." So it's settled. Dump the kid there, then go home. Easy-peasy, right? "Look, we can't help Reece, alright? Not right now."
Yeah, that's it, push him back, slowly, she thinks. "But we can help you, if you want."
And that's when somewhere, deep inside the Flamesiren, her mouth and her brain get into another bar fight.
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"Can you kill Him?" Rust asks next. Hard eyes focus on the boy. "Brother Lucus knows what he is talking about. Going back, unprepared, is suicide. You should not go back."
Rust finds a grins, razor teeth filling his maw. "Not until your ready. We can make you ready. Is that what you want?"
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