Finding Ida's sister

(Sorry I haven't posted until now. Busy night with band stuff and a bunch of unexpected problems arising. When it rains, it pours, eh? Oh well, back to Grin.)


The busted up alleyway door rattled once loudly before bursting open, a male flying out of it. As he stood, he brushed himself off. It was none other than Joseph Grin, looking like he'd met the business end of a beating. As if not noticing his injuries, he kept brushing himself off when two men rushed out the door after him.


The first was a tall and slender looking man of about 40, carrying a baseball bat that was soaked with blood. The second was a portly fellow, holding a surprisingly clean crowbar. "You shudda' jest' let us take few piece'a sh#t tings you had in yer' place, buddy," the first said, laughing. "Either that're just die already!" With this, the bat swung again, hitting Grin in the stomach. The second man laughed at the 'oof!' sound that it made, beginning to say a quip of his own, but stopped. The bloodied man before them had a smile on his face.


"Jus' what's so f$@king funny?" the second man asked, readying the crowbar. Before he could bring it down, however, everything in the alley went dark and the bloodied man's smile became a grin.
 
(lol of course not. Ida isn't supposed to go back in time until the next day, they can come by before she does...Liza's just confused. It's like, probably seven am lol, so she's up and raring to go while meanwhile Ida just wants to go to bed without someone digging in her head, I would assume...but you guys can do your thing until you get to the Cord house and then if you want, we can pick up with them actually about to do it. I won't be able to tonight, and I would prefer if Macal was able to be on too when we do, he wasn't around last night)
 
Jason cried out and stumbled backwards when Mr. Grin was thrown out of his door, followed by the two thieves. He looked at the blood on the baseball bat with horror- it looked fresh.


He watched, unable to move, as the next events passed; but when the world suddenly became dark to him, as if the sun had temporarily been swallowed up, he shrunk away and covered his eyes. He knew what was next.
 
The grin spread wider and wider on the man's face and from the dark alleyway came screams that were suddenly cut off. A few minutes went by before the darkness lifted again, showing both thugs splayed out on the ground. The shaky rise and fall of their chests showed that they were at least still alive.


Grin was on the ground as well, sitting against the wall of the alleyway and leaning his arms onto his knees. Blood dripped from his chin to the ground and he wasn't smiling, until he saw Jason. His expression shifted into a weary smile and he stood, moving slowly toward the other. "I am sorry you had to see that again," he said, voice raspy and thick. He coughed, turning and spitting a bit of blood onto the ground, then looking over at himself. "What a mess... but I had to see if they knew what they were looking for." He laughed a little, then leaned back against the wall.
 
"No- no problem," stammered Jason. He had been able to avert his eyes in time. But the crooks?... He gulped as he saw them, sprawled on the floor.


"Uh," he said, "Are you okay?" he motioned awkwardly to his injury.
 
Grin looked down at the blood around him and blinked a little, reaching up to touch his face gingerly. "Hmm, I think I'll be alright," he said, trying to smile reassuringly, but wincing all the same. Smiling hurt, more than it should have. "I don't think they broke anything but my nose, so that is a plus." He moved from the wall, favoring his right leg and moved a little closer to Jason.


"Are you okay?" he asked, in all seriousness. "You have seen me change twice now. You must have all sorts of questions." He frowned, rubbing his temples a little as if there was a great deal on his mind.
 
Only now that he had been asked, Jason's mind went into overdrive. Who was he, really? What was that? How? Why?


"I- I think I'm okay," he said, shakily. "I'll... I'll live. I'm sure you won't... won't aim... your attack, at me." Holy crap, Jason, look at how much you're stammering, he thought to himself.


He suddenly noticed a little stream of blood meandering down the alley, wandering underneath the resident dumpsters. "Woah- hey, excuse me," he said, racing past Mr. Grin. Dropping to his stomach, Jason reached his arm under the bin (making sure to avoid the sticky liquid) and retrieved the notebooks he had left there. Sparing a quick glance to Joseph, he scanned the four. Only one of them had a few bloody spots on it.
 
Grin blinked, tilting his head a bit at the boy's reaction and stammered words. He began to say something, but before he could, the boy dashed past him and grabbed the notebooks. Grin frowned. "I'm sorry if any of those are ruined. I had not known they were there. I should have just settled this little skirmish inside. I hadn't expected more than one person and did not expect a weapon. So careless..." he murmured, trailing off as his mind went fuzzy for a moment. He was dizzy, but could already feel his body getting stronger again. He grabbed his nose and pushed it to the left with an audible 'crack!', hoping it would heal correctly.


He looked back to Jason once again and sighed. "I'm sure you're quite confused at what is going on or what exactly I am. I should have explained when you first noticed... but there was little time."
 
(Sorry, I keep getting pulled away.)


"Yeah," said Jason, closing his notebook and turning around. "An...explanation would be great," he finished. He still regarded Joseph with wariness, but he knew from experience that the unknown was much less frightening when it could be explained.


 
(Sorry for taking so long to post as well. Was working in Photoshop on a character image and got dragged away by the fiance to help with some things. Should be back for awhile to post, though.)


Grin thought for a moment on the best way to explain it, finally deciding to just throw it out there. "Jason, I am an immortal. The change in me you have witness was a 'gift' along with my immortality from the Old Gods." He sighed, knowing how all this must sound. "You may think this all insane, but I assure you... I am telling the truth. I've been alive for a thousand years or more... I can't always recall. Time has a way of blurring and running together."


The man fumbled in his coat pockets for his pipe, filled it and lit it with a match, then raised a brow toward the boy through the exhaled smoke. "If there is anything you wish to know, please ask. I'm not sure what all I should explain."
 
"Oh, well, then," said Jason, putting his hands in his pockets and trying to look casual. "Uh, immortal. Cool." At this point, special effects could no longer explain it; what video effect could invoke such terror?


"Then, who are these 'Old Gods'?" he asked, sounding like he was talking to just anyone.


 
Grin chuckled a little, but winced. "You sure are being quite open about all of this," he joked, giving a smile. "The Old Gods are beings that have existed throughout time in this universe and others. They are very powerful and once ruled Earth. Now they have mostly fallen to slumber, thought there are still those who worship them." He pointed over toward the two thugs that were out cold on the ground. "These two have scarred markings, showing they are ones that worship Atlach-Nacha, The Spider God." He sighed, scowling lightly. "Their cult seems to believe I have objects that connect me to the Old Ones."
 
Jason glanced in the two's direction. "Mm... Okay...."


Gods? The world had gods? Jason stared at the crooks for a moment, trying to comprehend. How could it be?


But then he shook his head. Religion stated the same thing; and it didn't have representation such as which Mr. Grin had shown him. He could do that. He could believe in gods. Gods were real. So were immortals.


The proof was standing right in front of him.


 
(be on tomorrow night, just got in lol...so where should we start, Ida? With Ida bothered by Liza, next morning, or when they're ready to go into her dreams?)
 
Grin nodded, seeming to finish, then having another thought. "I will stress, though, that the Great Old Ones or Old Gods are not like the God of religion. There are few that are at all caring and forgiving and even fewer that are not outright monstrosities." He tapped his pipe empty and continued. "If you try to look for things on them, tread lightly. The cults that worship these deities are very seldom ones to reason and their reach stretches far through many things in the life of this age. Government, religion, business... anything you can imagine."
 
Grin noticed the boy's discomfort and frowned grimly. "I know it can be hard to take in all at once, but these are things that should be known." Glancing at his watch, he swore under his breath. "I should have tried to contact Ida by now. I'm sure there is some more information on what the Cord's are going to to about her sister."


He thought for a moment, then spoke again. "Jason, if I end up heading to the Cord home, would you care to come along? Perhaps you can aid in finding Ida's sister."


As he awaited the boy's answer, he took his phone from a coat pocket, relieved to see it unbroken, and sent a quick text message to Ida asking what he had missed. As he re-pocketed the phone, he moved a hand over his face again. He hoped it would start to heal soon, as he wouldn't want to look too awful on his second visit to the Cord home. His first impression had not gone as he'd hoped... especially in the eyes of Sheena.
 
After Ida manages to persuade Liza to return to her own room (which I'm assuming she would), the others go about their day until Ida is awake. When she awakens Faith (and often, a very enthusiastic Liza) continue to show her around their property, then Faith tells her to amuse herself until the evening however she wants. Liza shows her their horses, cats, and dogs, as well as every stuffed animal she owns, which is quite an extensive number.


Sheena is not unfriendly but keeps her distance, still somewhat confused and hurt over Ida's earlier behavior. Often when Ida looks in her direction she is frowning faintly, and she doesn't speak often. Whenever she thinks about how she told Ida that her mother is dead, that she is bisexual, and other personal facts about herself, and how Ida then reacted strangely afterward in her own eyes, she regrets her words, embarrassed, and attributes Ida's abrupt mood change to what she shared with her.


As the day wears on and the skies begin to darken, Faith calls Ida and Liza into the living room; Sheena comes as well, but remains distant from the others. As Ida joins them Faith looks at her. "Was that Grin guy going to come today too, before we start?"
 
Jason had misgivings about following Joseph around. The Grin... That he wanted to avoid for the rest if his life.


But... Really, as he knew by then, that really wasn't the matter. Because he was still hungry. The last thing he had eaten were the bacon and eggs; and if he wanted more food....


Well, food meant life. "Uh, sure," he said. "I'd love to come with you. But what do you mean about Ida's sister?" He leaned over and placed his old journals back under a dry part of the dumpster. His current one he hid in his pocket.
 
Grin began walking, gesturing for the younger boy to follow. "Ida's sister went missing some time ago. I told her I would help find her and Liza and her family agreed to assist as well. Something tells me, even after all this time, she's out there." Reaching into his pockets, he took out a handkerchief and wiped as much of the blood from his face as he could, then tossed it into the nearest trash bin. "I hope the Cord family doesn't mind me stopping over again unannounced and with another guest, but we'll just have to find that out when we arrive, hmm?" he said with a weak smile.


Before long, they had arrived. Grin extinguished the pipe he'd lit earlier and gave the door three sharp knocks. He hoped that the condition he was in wouldn't bring too many questions from the others... but things usually weren't that easy. If he had to explain, he could at least be truthful here.
 
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