The Quill [OPEN]

[abster]

Headphones in, Abby hummed to herself as she bit into a cheese and onion muffin. Scrawling over her dad's face in the local rag pretending to be a newspaper, Abigail worked on finding something more secure than working for some crappy little fishing place fixing up their internet and online business. And something that paid a damn sight better seeing as she now had a house to maintain. Head down, she didn't see the person who attacked her until the last minute.

"ABBY!" Looking up at the excited sound of a voice, Abigail blinked in confusion as this tiny little bundle of blonde hair threw herself at her. Letting out an ooof as the kid crawled all over her, she managed to free herself from the tangle of wires to wrap her arms around... her sister. Her stupid, amazing baby sister Gabrielle- Gabby. "Hi! Were you surprised? Mom said to wait in the car while she called to find out where you were but then I saw you and I wanted to surprise you."

"Gabby... one thing at a time. Does mom know you're in here?" Abigail asked, pulling her up to sit on her lap properly and not just flail around. "What are you even doing in here anyway? Why the hell are you in town?"

"Awww, you swore! I'm going to tell on youuuu," Gabby sang. Abigail looking up as her mom walked through the door, looking pale and tired. Which was weird. "Mom! Abby swore lots, she said the h word."

"Gabrielle don't tell tales, Abigail don't swear." Flushed Abigail, ducked her head as she picked Gabby up and put her down on the floor so she could hug her mom. Her mom looked smaller too, thinner, almost unwell. It was weird. "I'm glad I found you, could you look after Gabby for a little bit while I go run some errands."

"Sure but mom-" Abigail began as her mother cut her off and kissed Gabby and her goodbye. Blinking at her mother's strange behaviour, Abby's voice trailed off. "-why are you here? And who dressed you brat, you look like a rainbow vomited all over your clothes."

"Do not!" Gabby yelled as Abby watched her mom through the window, the way she slowly walked away from the Quill. The way she stopped every so often as if catching her breath.

"Do too!" Abigail muttered worrying.

"Do not!"

"Do too, what are you five?" Abby asked as Gabby held up her hands with eight fingers showing. Abby held one back in response.

"I'm so telling," Gabby said, making Abby smile. "Unless... you buy me an ice cream."

"Yeah, yeah fine. Come on, let's get you something to eat. And maybe some ice cream." Abigail muttered, groaning as Abigail jumped onto her back as she carried her over to the counter. It was nice to see her sister but it was kind of weird and her mom was acting so, so weird. Maybe she'd tell her later.

Comments

[louise_abasi]

It is just the sweet, innocent thing Louise needs after all of this. She dodged the little girl and smiled at the older woman.

"If only we could fix everything with icecream, right?"

[abster]

"Ice cream makes everything better!" Gabby yelled, half strangling Abigail as she carried her little sister towards the counter.

"Gabby get down," Abby muttered, prying her little sister loose and dropping her to the floor. "I don't think you know eight year olds everything is able to be fixed with ice cream."

[louise_abasi]

Louise winced just a little because of the volume coming from the little girl.

"I really don't, I can admit that easily. At what age does it end?"

[abster]

"What are you talking about? It never ends, asked, never watched a chick flick?" Abigail asked bemused as she let Gabby cut in front of her so she could talk to the barista and ask for one of everything. "She'll take one scoop and she can have one sample of something. I'll just have coffee. And can we get waffles, that's breakfast-y right? I mean, if you were a mom that'd be a solid meal?"

[louise_abasi]

"I much rather watch monster movies than those so called chick flicks."

Trying a hand at social interaction had been a bad idea. Trying a hand at anything but old files seem to have been a bad idea. "I'm sorry, I -"

Was she being asked parental advice? Louise felt her throat close up. She wasn't a mother and might never be one. "W- waffles are certainly breakfast, yes, I'd say so."

[abster]

"Yeah, me too. The more gore the better," Abigail muttered as Gabby made an ew face. Grinning as she agreed that waffles were a breakfast, she ordered a stack for herself and one for Gabby too. "Thanks, I can totally blame you now if my mom kicks my ass. I'm Abigail by the way, Abigail Flynn. This is Gabby."

[louise_abasi]

"Blame m-

Flynn?" Oh God. Please be a cousin. Somehow Lou knew that she wasn't going to be a cousin. Suddenly the blackout turned into her savior from the adulterer Flynn. She was never going to touch him again. Ever.

"Louise Abasi. Fully willing and able to take the blame, if I will be promised that this isn't a regular breakfast and you eat your fruit and vegetables from time to time."

[meowhistory]

Lena didn't feel good and she couldn't find her brother. The Quill was the one place where she could possible find someone to distract her enough from the biggest head ache ever. Muscle ache as well, and with everything happening, she really didn't want to die being a cat.

Or die at all. She curls up on one of the chairs, meowing softly.

[abster]

"KITTY!" Gabby yelled, making Abigail wrap her arms around her and physically lift her off the ground before she could squeeze the cat to death.

"Be careful with her Gabby, what have I said? Hey Lena, you don't look so good." Abigail murmured, dropping Gabby into a chair opposite as she dropped down to stroke the cat gently. "You want to come sit on my lap?"

[meowhistory]

I don't know, would you mind if I'd throw up all over it?

Still she gets up on wobbly legs and half-climbs, half-pulls herself up into the woman's lap. Any magical veterinarian you know of, possibly?

[abster]

Abigail reached out, helping to support Lena as she climbed up onto her lap. Stroking her gently, she checked her over for scratches and cuts.

"Hey Gabby, this is Lena. She's a friend, I don't think she's too well though so be good yeah?" Abigail asked as Gabby very carefully patted Lena's head gently.

"I don't want her to be siiiick," Gabby whined, looking panicked.

"It's okay, we'll take her the vets if needs be. Okay?" Abigail muttered and tried to figure out what was wrong with the cat.

[meowhistory]

Lena meowed in protest when her stomach was touched. I don't really think that's the best idea.

She circled thrice before lying down, hiding her head between her paws and shivering. Cold. Help.

[abster]

Touching the tip of her nose, Abigail made a face as the cat circled her before hiding in a shivery mess in her lap.

"Okay, Gabby grab my bag and take out my stuff. Can you be a good girl and carry it for me?" Abigail asked as Gabby nodded and opened up the bag so there was room enough for a cat. "Okay, this is going to be undignified but don't freak out. Let's take her the vets."

[phoenixfalling]

Kim was conflicted about going out. He'd spent the better part of a week trapped in a cave so the idea of being able to do stuff was nice, but he wasn't really feeling up to socialization. In the end, he refused to let whoever had kidnapped him get in anymore in the way of living his life so he had decided to head to the Quill to get some coffee and just... relax.

Standing in line, he glanced over to see a little girl at a table looking at him intently. It would have been creepy if she hadn't been so cute.

"I've seen you on the TV," she told him.

"Me?" he asked, eyes going wide as he pointed at himself. Kim wasn't too worried about being outed by a little kid. Even if she recognized him not many people would take her word over his. "Why would I be on TV?"

"I've seeeeen you," she said, leaning more over her chair as she studied him.

[abster]

"Oh my god Gabby you can't just tell people you've seen them. It's creepy," Abigail muttered, as she placed down the ice cream in front of Gabby.

"Is not!" Gabby yelled, following the path of the ice cream before making om nom noises as she dug in.

"Is too," Looking up, she half-smiled at Kim as she recognised him. "Hey, you're back. You want to join us?"

[phoenixfalling]

"If you saw me on TV, what was I doing?" Kim asked, raising an eyebrow at the little girl before smiling a bit, fine with playing this game.

"And wait, how did you know I was missing?" he asked, taking his coffee before sitting down with the crazy girl and the loud little girl. His own Aunt hadn't really know he was missing. That wasn't saying much though.

"You were on TV. You were with Taylor Swift on a stage! Only you had tattoos on your arms," the girl said, glancing at Kim's arms, now covered by his hoodie.

[abster]

"Because I do in fact read newspapers," Abigail replied, pulling a chair out for Kim to sit nearer her than Gabby who could be Loud when she wanted to be. And apparently now was fixated on Kim being someone she knew. She probably thought he was one of her Princes or Superheroes. "Ahuh, course you did."

Abigail snickered at the idea of Kim having tattoos. Abigail kind of had this image of straight laced, nervous, apparently goody two shoes Kim and that did not match up with tats.

"Yeah, he does not have tattoos. You are far too straight laced for tattoos." Abigail said, reaching out to touch his arms. Her palms brushing against bare skin almost pushing his hoodie up a little.

[phoenixfalling]

Whoa. Okay, for some reason that light touch was really nice. Or maybe Kim wasn't all that used to being touched by cute girls or something because it caused him to shiver a bit with goosebumps.

"Haha, yeah, tattoos would be crazy," he said, reaching up to scratch his head. It just to happened that the motion pulled his sleeve back enough that the little girl was able to see a bit of the tattoo that went to down his wrist. Her eyes went a bit wide and he gave her a grin and a wink.

"But I didn't even know I was in the paper. Was there a picture and everything?"

[abster]

Abigail went to push up his sleeves and smiled when he reached up to scratch his head. Not even checking Abigail made a 'told you so face' at Gabby while she just looked all weird back at her. Mouth open and everything.

"What's wrong with you?" Abigail asked, looking at her sister as she pointed at Kim. "Yeah, it wasn't even a half bad picture. The kind you could almost put up in your bedroom." Abby paused before adding. "If you were a teenage girl and not in some weird way."

"What kind of weird way?" Gabby chirped up.

"In the kind of weird way, you don't get to know about until never." Abigail replied, pushing her sister's bowl of ice cream in front of her.

[astra_inclinant]

It's the first time Mira's ventured outside all weekend, between her own exhaustion (and need for cuddles, frankly) and her parents being slightly terrified to let her do anything, which she figures is fair.

At a certain point, though, cabin fever has set in and she's haggled her way into going to a very public area to get food during daytime hours. Going back down to the boardwalk is a little freaky, actually, but it helps that it's much brighter and busier and 100 percent less foggy than it was when she got snagged.

Also: espresso.

She looks over when she hears the do-not-do-too argument going on and grins as she sees Abigail hauling a tiny blonde tornado of a girl onto her back. "Ice cream does pretty much solve all problems," she puts in from where she's studying the menu. Technically caffeine solves all problems but the kid's probably a bit young for that.

[abster]

"What if the problem is too much tiny ninja sister, very ice cream, so wow?" Abigail replied, wiggling her fingers in greeting as she saw Mira. "You look.. good, you are good right?"

[astra_inclinant]

"In my experience the solution to sisters is mostly a lot of back and forth bribery." Mira waves and smiles self-consciously at the compliment-concern doubleup. "Thanks. I...think I am. This year I'm definitely going to be thankful for having hot showers and WiFi back, though."

"You don't look too bad yourself," and then teases, "I mean, the extra head is a new thing. Family Thanksgiving?"

[abster]

"No, she doesn't use bribery. She uses blackmail," Abigail muttered under her breath as Gabby smiled sweetly and innocently. Abigail swore that although Abby was dark like their father, it was Gabby who took more after him. "I... do they know why it happened or what was it about?"

Abigail smiled, brushing her hair back at the teasing before shrugging her shoulder. She still hadn't figured out why her mom had come out, they weren't going to do that but apparently she wanted to surprise her. "Yeah, I guess so. I mean, it's nice but it'll bring up some... questions with people later. I found a place though that is slightly better than scuzzy motels."

[astra_inclinant]

Mira retrieves her coffee with a thank you and shrugs. "Sirens, is all I got from it." She glances at Abby's sister, not sure how much the little one knows, since growing up here is a distinctly different experience than, well, not. "I mean. I've heard rumors, none of them particularly good. We definitely had our own ideas inside." She takes a breath and takes a long sip of coffee.

"Good! Where? I ask with no ulterior motives at all." Mira's still apartment hunting. And sweet talking her friends. Some of them. She half-lives with Davin already, but she thinks they're probably better off using each other's places as crash pads than actually living together for a variety of reasons. Though she's pretty sure moving in with him would set the tabloids aflutter.

"Are we talking questions like 'Mystery Girl' questions?" she jokes with a wry raise of the eyebrow. Speaking of which. "Or more serious actual questions. Speaking of which, does the ninja have a name?"

[abster]

"A house, it's a bit of a fixer upper but it's not bad. It has the internet, no roaches, running water and it's not expensive. Also, came with a free truck." Abigail said. She still had her car but that was going to be an issue soon, she should probably sell it. But that kind of felt weird also she was still suspect of the house. It felt a little too good, a little too much like her dad manipulating her again. "And more like mystery people questions. This is Gabby, Gabrielle."

"Hey!" Her sister said, poking her tongue out. She was more interested in ice cream and doodling on a napkin though right now which was kind of good. She could be as vague as she wanted to be then.