Realistic or Modern We'll Get Through This Together

[Gold Phoenix]

He laughed. "I know pretty much any instrument you can think of. I've loved music for as long as I can remember, and have been taking lessons just as long." He grinned at her when she blushed, but he was impressed that she was proud of being a band geek. From what little he knew about public school, that wasn't usually something people would be proud of, never mind admitting to anyone. "Don't worry, I would have been one too," he admitted. For a fleeting moment, it crossed his mind that she didn't really look like the type to be a band geek, but the thought disappeared just as fast as it came. After all, he wasn't exactly well-versed in the ways of the public schools.

 

[AviouslyPTX]

She smiled laughing slightly at his comment. Yawning softly, she laid her back as she looked at him. She actually enjoyed talking to him. It was easier than she had anticipated. Several thought roamed her mind as she kept her eyes trained on him, unaware that she was staring.

 

[yistae]

Xavier shook his head. "No, sorry. Haven't seen them. Maybe they're in the clothing section?" He suggested, stickpin his hands in his pockets and waiting for Cassidy to finish paying. Watching Tommy go off to find the others, Xavier stood boredly. He wasn't used to being around so many people, or in a place with so many cameras watching his every move. It was nerve racking and he wanted to run outside. Finally Cassidy was done and Xavier took the majority of the shopping bags. "Come on, I'm sure Tommy will find them. Let's go make food!" He declared childishly, pointing towards where he thought the apartment building was and fake marching.

 

[goldcat16471]

Cassie grinned at Xavier and nodded following him out of the store. She giggled softly from his marching, then cleared her throat and tried to get a straight face. She thought for a moment then ran up to him to walk side by side. "Xavier? Do you ever feel bad? You know... For taking stuff?" She made sure her voice was only audible to him.

 

[BloodThunder27]

Although Adam enjoyed being in the company of his companions, he didn't exactly know how to show it. However, as he was practically a runaway, he had to be careful about where he went and what decisions he makes. After a couple of minutes, he met up with Cassie and Xavier. As usual, he was quiet, seemingly timid and almost always looking unhappy as if he didn't want to to be there. Adam was confident that they would not be found by cops, despite knowing that half the Police Department in town knew who he was because of his Father, so he could only hope they'd turn a blind eye for his sake.

 

[Gold Phoenix]

For a few minutes they sat in comfortable silence, before Aspen noticed Nico staring out of the corner of his eye. At first he didn't mind, wondering instead what she was thinking about, but eventually he began fidgeting under her gaze. He began to wonder if something was wrong, maybe he had something on his face. How embarrassing would that be... Finally, curiosity got the better of him and he turned to her and waved a hand in front of her face. "Hello? Anyone home?" he asked jokingly.

 

[goldcat16471]

Cassie blinked surprised to see Adam join them. "Adam!" She thought for a moment, "Tommy's looking for you. Did you see him and do you know where Kira is?" She glanced back at Xavier still curious about her previous question. Sighing softly she looked back at Adam.

 

[AviouslyPTX]

Nico jumped as the realization set in and immediately looked down. She blushed a deep shade of red and mumbled, "Sorry." Really Nicolette?! What the hell is wrong with you?! Just freaking great, now he's gonna think you're a creep and a weirdo! She sat, looking down as she mentally criticized herself for her actions.

 

[yistae]

Xavier almost tripped with the next step he took, surprised by Cassidy's question. He stopped to look at her, then jogged a few steps to catch back up. Silence stretched between them for a few seconds, Xavier rethinking before finally answering. When he spoke, his voice lacked it's usual upbeat and peppy tone, and his expression remained somber. "I don't," he said simply. "I'm not sure about you guys, but I've never had anything of my own besides a name. No home, no family, no nothing. So I guess I figure that taking just a little is fine." He didn't say anything after that, and walked with his head slightly down. Weather it was because he didn't want to talk or because he didn't want Cassidy to see him looking upset Xavier didn't even know.

 

[farewell]

Once Vinaya rounded another corner, she was shaken out of her thoughts by familiar faces. Across the street, she'd spotted Xavier and Cassie coming out of a store, shortly followed by Adam. So perhaps her suspicions weren't so unfounded after all - it appeared as though they had gone to get breakfast, hopefully for everyone. After looking both ways to check for cars Vinaya quickly jaywalked to where the three stood. Upon reaching them she smiled and got more or less straight to the point: "Good morning, Xavier, Cassie, Adam. Did you guys find any breakfast?"

 

[BloodThunder27]

When Cassie asked him about Tommy, he shook his head, not knowing about where Tommy or Kira was. Although he was worried about them, he was hesitant to show it, but deep down in his heart, he did actually care and was worried about them. When greeted by Vinaya, he smiled as a sign of good faith. When he turned to his left, he went wide-eyed, seeing two Police Officers that were asking around as if they were looking for missing people. Unable to hear them clearly, he turned his two companions, not sure what to do. The only thing he could think of was to act 'casual' and hope the Police pass them and something else distracts them. He became even more concerned about Tommy and Kira.

 

[DrCompton]

Tommy continously walked around the store looking for the two, "Did they go back on their own? That would be pretty surprising." He frowned a little at the thought of being alone in the store. He quickened his pace a little searching for the two, not realizing that Adam was already with the others. "Were they found by the police? No, it would have made to much noise.. they most likely went back on their own, who could blame them? They didn't have to carry much anyways, just toothpaste and stuff, right? Clam down, YOU CALM DOWN. Stop. Fine." Tommy stopped and took a deep breath. He hadn't realized he was holding it.


"We shouldn't get this attatched to any of them, even Cassidy. They're my family. No they aren't, they're a bunch of run aways, we cant afford to feel like this when we dont know where one is at... eventually they'll leave. We don't know that. What makes you think they would stay? What can we offer them? We can offer them what we dont have, a family. Pfft, like they'd want us. We're not that smart. Speak for yourself. Ouch. Im sorry. I know.. look, we need to find them, even if we think they wont stay. They will... Even if they dont, we need them, weither we like it or not." Tommy composed himself, relaxing a little by thinking of football. Football was simple for him.

 

[goldcat16471]

Cassie immediately felt bad for asking her question, as soon as Xavier replied. She felt a pit in her stomach and turned away and looked at Vinaya and smiled, "Good morning, and yes we got a bunch of groceries." She held up a bag to make a point. "We're going to make breakfast when we get back." She glanced at Adam and saw a concerned look on his face and glanced over to where he was looking. She saw the police and the pit that was already in her stomach grew deeper. She looked down feeling sick and tried to pick up her pace. She preyed that Tommy and Kira would be alright, and hoped none of the others were wandering around like Vinaya.

 

[Gold Phoenix]

"Don't worry about it. I know, I'm incredibly good looking and people just can't take their eyes off me," Aspen laughed and winked. He was silent for a moment before adding, "Aaand I'm awful at making jokes. Sorry about that." He studied her for a moment. She blushes a lot, he noticed suddenly. "But just out of curiosity, what were you thinking about?"

 

[farewell]

Vinaya beamed. "Great, thank you," she said. "Let me know if you need any help carrying things," she said. She was a part of a group now, after all. She was going to have to make more of an effort to work collaboratively. Adam's sudden change in demeanor caught her attention and when she glanced over, she noticed what had him and now Cassie unsettled. Though she didn't blame either of them, she didn't share their unease. It was unlike her to get easily anxious over something. She caught up with Cassie easily and confidently walked alongside them, as though the cops weren't there. The easiest way to avoid attracting attention was to act as though you belonged there, and so that's exactly what she was doing. Knowing that the cops may be eavesdropping, she said, "I so appreciate what you guys are doing!" She was careful to use an American accent instead of her native Indian one. "My parents will love this. They haven't properly celebrated their anniversary in years. On behalf of all of us, thank you so much," she added for extra emphasis. If they were looking for orphans, they wouldn't be looking at a girl talking about her family - and hopefully, by extension, they wouldn't be looking at the people she was talking to, either.

 

[BloodThunder27]

To Adam's relief, the Cops had to turn back around, presumingly because they had to answer a hot call and it was after Vinaya put up her 'Family Orientation'. He then turned to his companions. He would then speak for the first time since leaving the Apartment, surprising everyone. "We should probably go look for Tommy and Kira before those cops come back." he said, looking around. Although he said it out loud, it was at a volume level to where only his companions could hear.

 

[AviouslyPTX]

Alex took a slow, deep breath, gathering up as much confidence as she could. "That was no joke. It's true," she said as she looked him in the eyes. "And if you really wanna know what I was thinking about, I was thinking about you," she said before letting out a silent sigh. All she did was spoke the truth so she wasn't ashamed. Bringing her knees up to her chest, she rested her chin on them.

 

[yistae]

Xavier glanced over at Adam and Vinaya, then spotted the cops over their shoulders. He swallowed nervously, remembering the last time he'd run into a cop it had landed him in the orphanage for three years. He smiled and played along with Vinaya's act, then paused. "Oh shoot. I forgot to get something at the store," he said, making sure to put on a pouting expression in case the cops looked over. "Here, can you take these?" He asked Adam and stepped closer to hand the other boy the bags. "I'll go get the others, don't worry," he said quietly, making sure the cops wouldn't hear him before turning and jogging back to the store. Inside he stopped jogging and ducked his head down every aisle, finally turning down one when he saw Tommy. "Hey, Adam's with Cassidy and there's cops outside. They're not suspecting us, but we should probably hurry."

 

[DrCompton]

Tommy looked at Xavier, "is Kira with y'all?" He looked around and frowned, "I haven't seem her and I will not leave here without her." He looked around, then back to Xavier, "the others are safe?"

 

[goldcat16471]

Cassie was relieved when the cops went away, grateful for Vinaya's act, and also Xavier going to get Tommy and Kira. She was still worried about them. Thinking, she realized she should tell them about Tommy's job. "Hey guys, so Tommy got a job that could get us some more cash." Cassie saw the apartment up ahead.

 

[BloodThunder27]

Before they walked inside, Adam hesitated, looking back. Worried for Kira, Xaviar and Tommy. Out of worriedness, he stopped Cassie and Vinaya from entering the apartment. "Wait, we can't just leave them out, we should go back and look for them!" he said. This was a first for Adam, normally because he only helps people when it is in his best interest, this time, he actually cared.

 

[goldcat16471]

Cassie stopped and gulped softly, looking back. She was thinking about they should do. If they went back looking for them, they will be in a larger group, and that's more suspicious and likely to get caught. However, she was worried sick about the others. Now was one of those times she didn't know if she should decide logically or emotionally. She managed to choke out, "Big groups are more suspicious..." However, she immediately felt bad for saying it, and figured he would probably judge her badly. Just like everyone used to. She sighed and looked away, "But I am worried about them..."

 

[farewell]

Once the cops got distracted, Vinaya let her forced American accent drop. "I was never good at maintaining an accent for a long time anyway," she said, pleased with the success. However, she hadn't had a chance to thank Xavier; she made a mental note to do so once he returned. "Good," she remarked regarding Tommy's job. She was relieved to see that she wasn't the only one thinking about earning money and really making this whole living arrangement serious. After a moment she added, "that's very kind of him." As for Adam, she didn't think to be surprised or worry about these uncharacteristic outbursts. Bedside manner had never been her forte. "I'm sure they'll be fine; they're just as capable as we are. Besides, Cassie's right; the more of us there are, the more attention we attract. And if we get home now, we can have breakfast ready for them by the time they get back." How insensitive I must sound, she mused, but she figured that trying to cover up might be futile. Though she was just as considerate of the welfare of every individual in their ragtag group as they were, she was apparently far more confident that they could successfully pull this off.

 

[BloodThunder27]

Despite wanting to go out and look for them, Adam agreed with them and decided that if they were still gone after breakfast, he would go out and look for them himself. When they got back into the Apartment, Adam went into the bathroom to wash his face. He found it weird to see that an abandoned place would have clean running water. After washing his face, he starred at his reflection in the mirror.

 

[goldcat16471]

Cassie was relieved Vinaya supported her and went inside. She looked at Vinaya once inside and smiled softly at her, "Thank you for helping back there. I'm sure they'll be alright." She looked around the apartment as she put the groceries on the counter and started taking them out. She saw Nikki and Aspen talking on the bed. She wasn't sure if Ava was still asleep or where Issac was and that unsettled her. "Hey guys? Where's Ava and Issac...?"