Chapter One: By The Books
It's been a long road to follow...
Someone out there,
is calling me...
Something keeps telling me,
to keep going!
I'm not going to stop,
till I hit the top!
That's the way it's got to be...
It was cold and harsh in Russia for the Blitzkrieg Boys and as well as all the other boys that grew or in the Abbey. A rough snow storm hit the town the night before and most of the streets there were still covered with the crystallized water. It was well into the late afternoon and the townspeople had yet to clear the streets.
Bryan and Tala were summoned to Mr. Dickenson's BBA Office located outside of town to discuss their new living arrangements.
Their previous prison, for lack of a better word, a.k.a. BIOVOLT had been officially shut down after their headmaster, Boris had been arrested and sent to jail. And all the boys who had been staying there had been sent home to their families. Whoever didn't have a home to go back to were sent to Mr. Dickenson to be assigned a temporary home until they no longer needed providing for. However, Bryan and Tala fell into that category whereas their teammates, Ian and Spencer already had homes to go to, and were currently sitting with Mr. Dickenson in his office; talking about how they were going to get back to their families.
The other two Russian bladers sat together and waited for their turn with tension resting on their shoulders. They didn't want to go their separate ways yet. The BEGA Tournament that threatened the BBA had been over for a few months now, and Boris was exposed for the fraud that he truly was; thus finally putting an end to BIOVOLT once and for all. Now, all that was left was the boys in Russia. The other Abbeys from all over the world had also been shut down and all those kids (boys AND girls) had been sent home.
"Why are we here again?" Bryan asked in an irritated tone; folding his arms over his chest and glaring a hole in the door where Mr. Dickenson was talking to his friends. "This place is seriously giving me a migraine."
Tala sighed and leaned back into his seat. "Mr. Dickenson is talking to Ian and Spencer about going back home to their families." He answered in an annoyed tone; looking up at the ceiling. "Then he's gonna talk to us about where WE'LL be living until we are legally old enough to take care of ourselves."
Bryan unfolded his arms and gripped his knees tightly. "But WE can take care of ourselves! We were pretty much living by ourselves our whole lives!" Bryan argued angrily through his teeth.
Tala growled angrily at Bryan; causing him to stop complaining. "We don't really have much of a choice. We are still minors and people here won't let us work until we're old enough." He reasoned with the lavender haired teen beside him.
The assistant sitting behind the desk looked up at the two stressed out boys from her computer. "You two really should stop looking at this as the end of the world." She spoke up in a solid tone. "Try thinking of it as a second chance at life. After everything you boys have been through, you deserve to have a better life."
"NO ONE ASKED YOU!" Bryan called out angrily; making the assistant tremble at his rage.
"That's enough, Bryan." Mr. Dickenson called out calmly; stepping out of the room with Ian and Spencer at his side. "There's no need to yell at my assistant. She's only giving you a different look on this whole situation."
Tala looked up to see the two boys standing next to the old man. Both of them had looked so lost and relieved at the same time, and Wolborg's blader could see that they didn't want to be separated from the other two.
"So what's gonna happen to the Blitzkrieg Boys now? Are we just gonna leave all that behind? I thought we were a team!" Bryan declared in an angry tone; standing up to face his friends and Mr. Dickenson in contempt. "Are you two just gonna walk away?!"
Spencer looked down at Ian and then back up at Bryan. "Listen, Bryan," he began in an empty tone. "Ian and I still have our families to go back to. Mr. Dickenson pulled a lot of strings to track them down for us."
"Yeah, man," Ian said in a defensive tone; standing up to the angry boy, "we're all finally free from the Abbey. But it's not like we'll never see each other again! I'm sure there's gonna be another tournament rolling around soon and the Blitzkrieg Boys will be back for another shot at Tyson and the championships!"
"And it's not like we don't know how to use a computer or pick up a pen and write to you guys!" Spencer added in a reasoning tone; reaching out to the angry boy. "I'm sure you'll get so tired of hearing from us once we're ALL settled in!"
Bryan huffed and folded his arms over his chest. "Whatever." Was all he said in reply.
Mr. Dickenson cleared his throat and placed his hands on Bryan and Tala's backs; guiding them into his office. "Come along, boys." He said in a fatherly tone. "We've got a lot of things to talk about before I turn you over to your new lives."
"Goodbye, guys... We'll see you off at the air port when we're all done here." Tala said in a hollow tone; keeping his anger in check as he followed Bryan and Mr. Dickenson inside.
Once they were all inside, the boys found a middle aged man standing beside the window with his arms folded over his chest; looking up at them as they entered the room. Bryan and Tala looked over at the man and back at each other with unsure eyes before Mr. Dickenson placed hands on their shoulders.
"Don't worry, boys," he said in a fatherly tone; giving them a kind smile, "Mr. Pendragon here is a very close friend of mine and also the one who helped bring Boris down with all your help."
"Couldn't have done it without you and your friends' help." The man known now as "Mr. Pendragon" stated in a proud tone; giving the boys the same kind smile as Mr. Dickenson always gave them.
"We told you everything we know." Bryan said in a snotty tone; not looking up at the man.
"That's not entirely why I'm here, boys." Mr. Pendragon replied in a careful tone; pushing himself off the window. "We WILL talk about it later on though."
"Then what exactly ARE you for then?" Tala asked in a curious tone; keeping his eyes on the men in the room. "To thank us helping you take the Abbey down perhaps?"
Mr. Pendragon chuckled and walked up to the two boys. "I was going to thank you boys for your help, but in a different way."
The two boys looked at each other before they turned their eyes on Mr. Dickenson; their eyes both demanding a reason for Pendragon for being there. The plump man chuckled at the boys and leaned into his desk.
"The reason why Mr. Pendragon is here today is because after he read your profiles he recovered from BIOVOLT, he volunteered to take you two in." He informed in a mature tone; looking the two straight in the eye.
"I also brought down the Abbey in Ireland a few years ago and am housing another child that was placed there. Once I found your profiles, I just couldn't help see a connection and thought that you three would be able to get that second chance at life." Mr. Pendragon stated in a sympathetic tone; giving the boys sad eyes.
"Thanks, but we can do just fine by ourselves!" Bryan snapped back hotly; folding his arms over his chest in defiance. "We don't NEED your pity!"
Pendragon snorted and folded his arms over his chest. "I'm not the man to give pity, son," he retorted, "I just try to help good kids who need it."
"Bryan, we talked about this." Tala warned in a final tone; trying to keep his friend's temper in control.
Bryan took a deep breath and leaned back in his seat. "Are we going to be split apart, too?" He asked in an accusing tone; not taking his eyes off the two grown ups.
Pendragon laughed and smiled knowingly at the two. "I understand what you're going through, Bryan, and how much your friend means to you. I just hope that you understand that I have no intentions of allowing that to happen." He explained in a gentle tone; offering the boys a gentle smile.
"You promise?" Bryan asked in a final tone; not taking his eyes off the other man's.
Pendragon smiled and patted Bryan's shoulder. "I'll raise your promise and give you my word." He said in a strong tone. "I'll even get your other friends' addresses and emails so you'll be able to talk to them the minute we get you two to a place where you can have some food and a warm bath. You can even meet that kid I was talking about earlier."
"Who's this other guy you keep talking about? Why isn't he with his parents?" Tala asked; finally looking up at Pendragon.
Pendragon sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, HER name is "Yubel", and she's not too different from you boys." He reasoned in a cryptic tone; giving them a kind smile. "Well, aside from gender. I took her in only some time ago, and trust me when I say that she's pretty much mute. She only speaks if she absolutely has to. Other than that, you two probably won't even she's there. I hardly know she's there half the time."
The two Russian boys stared at the man in disbelief; not knowing how to respond to the information given to them. There was a moment of silence, and the boys took their time in processing that information, until Bryan looked up with a curious face.
"But why us though?" He asked in a more calm tone; taking in deep breaths to control his annoyance, "Couldn't you guys just throw us into an orphanage or foster care and save yourself the trouble of having three teenagers living with you?"
Pendragon sighed and shook his head. "Couples here are the same as any other couple anywhere: They want infants, not teens. No one will take you in." He explained in a reasoning tone; looking over at Bryan with honest eyes.
After a few minutes passed by, Mr. Dickenson cleared his throat and leaned back in his seat. "Okay, boys, the papers are already signed and you may now go home with Mr. Pendragon." He said in a trusting tone' giving them both smiles. "I hope you two have a pleasant time staying with both Yubel and Mr. Pendragon and I'll come by to see you two after you've settled in, okay?"
Mr. Pendragon smiled and walked up between the two boys and placed welcoming hands on their shoulders. "Come on, boys," he said in a fatherly tone, "I promised Yubel I'd take you three out to dinner before we went home. All your stuff will be arriving at the house sometime in the afternoon tomorrow and I'm sure Yubel would help you two unpack and get settled in."
After the trio said their goodbyes to the elderly man, Mr. Pendragon couldn't help but notice the troubled looks on the two teens' faces and sighed in defeat.
"Look, guys," he said in an all knowing tone; causing them to look up at him, "I know things look bad and dare I say, a little "unfair", but try looking at it this way: Sometimes, life knocks you down, but it's your choice if you want to stand back up."
Bryan and Tala nodded silently and kept up with the man. Mr. Pendragon opened the door leading them outside, and held it open for the two. "I'm sure you'll find a friend in Yubel. She certainly understands what you're going through." He paused for a moment, and then his fatherly face turned into one that hardened. "I do have to warn you about her though."
Tala looked up at the man with a brow raised. "I think we can handle a girl." He said in a confident tone.
Bryan huffed and folded his arms over his chest in defiance. "She's not some warped fan that's out to steal our beyblades, is she?"
Pendragon chuckled and shook his head. "She's not the type. But she has a few complex medical problems that you two should be aware of." He replied in a defeated tone; rubbing the back of his neck. "Remember how that Abbey treated you?" He asked earning a slight nod and tense shoulders from the boys. "Well, let's just say that she's had it a lot worse. But what makes it so bad is that she was hurt from the ones she trusted above all else. And she's still a little... SHY if you catch my drift." He looked over his shoulder to see the confused looks from the boys, and sighed. "You'll see when you meet her. She's waiting outside by the car."
The trio of men made it to the parking lot and found a girl leaning against the passenger door; wearing a gray over coat that reached down to her shins. The girl had her hood pulled up over her head so no one could see her face, and kept her head hung low. Pendragon was right to some degree: She DID look hollow; like a doll propped up in a display case. Her over coat was open and the boys could see an all-black outfit under the coat. The two boys watched as the older man walked up to Yubel and grabbed one of her arms carefully; pulling her away from the car to introduce her to two boys.
"Bryan, Tala," he said in a proud tone, "I'd like you two to meet Yubel. She's the girl I was telling you about." He added as he stepped behind the girl, and placed her hands on her shoulders; causing her to look up at the man. "Why don't you say hello to your new roommates, Yubel?"
Yubel looked over at the boys with the bloodiest red eyes that they had ever seen. She looked up to reveal sickly pale skin with scars on her right cheek and over her left eye. She smiled faintly, as she pulled her hood down to show her silver hair.
"...Umm... hello..." She said in a quiet tone; extending her hand out to Bryan. "It's... nice to meet you..."
Bryan slowly took her hand in his and shook it. He noticed her arm was a little stiff and hardly bent. He watched her step over towards Tala and saw that she hardly ever bent her legs and her back was perfectly straight the whole time.
Pendragon looked up at the sky and saw that it was starting to snow again. "Uh, oh, kids. It's starting to snow again." He said in a fatherly tone; placing his hands on the girl's shoulders. "Let's shake a leg and get moving before it gets too bad, okay? I'm sure everyone here is hungry, and I, for one, do not want to hear you guys complaining that you'll be hungry later."
Yubel was looking up at the man behind her with a blank stare. "...I'm not very hungry. If you guys want something, I can fix it for you..." She whispered in a hoarse tone; now looking down at her feet. "I really don't mind."
Pendragon laughed and opened the back passenger door; tugging on Yubel's arm. "I'm going to treat you three for being so brave throughout this whole ordeal. I couldn't imagine what it was like for you guys. Especially you, Yubel."
Yubel blushed and tucked her bangs behind her ears; revealing the ugliest scars on her cheek and eye. When she pulled her hair back, she also showed them that she also had a pair of hearing aids inside each ear. She then nodded to herself and walked over towards the car; grabbing a hold of Pendragon's arm to lower herself into the seat. The man pulled the safety belt and the boys watched Yubel buckle herself in. The two Russian beybladers really got to see how straight her thin frame was by seeing her sit up as straight as a board from inside the car.
The elderly man looked back at the boys and nodded towards the back seat. "Are you just going to stand there all day? You'll get sick if you two stay out here too long." He said as he opened the front passenger seat.
Tala silently made his way to the front seat, and Bryan went around the back of the car, and opened the other passenger door; sliding into his seat and buckling himself in. The man walked around the front of the car and quickly got into the car; starting it up.
After they got a few blocks away from BBA Headquaters, Pendragon looked over at Tala for a minute; then looked up at the two teens sitting in the back seat through his rear view mirror. "So, does anybody have any ideas of what to have for dinner?"
"We don't eat that much. Anything will be fine." Tala spoke up in a defensive tone; looking out the window.
Pendragon looked over at Tala, and took glances at the two in the back. "What about you two?"
Yubel gasped and looked up at the man driving. "How about we just go home and I'll make pizza or something? I remember seeing some stuff to make it." She said in a quiet tone; her voice barely a whisper.
Bryan looked over at Yubel and gave her a slight grin. "I haven't had pizza for a while. That actually sounds pretty good to me."
The driver smiled into the mirror. "Okay, I'm up for pizza, myself." He said in a pleased tone; turning his eyes over at Tala. "Well, my boy, it looks to me like you're out numbered: 3-1. We're going home and having pizza."
Tala nodded obediently and turned his head out to look at the window. "I actually like pizza. It doesn't matter what I eat." He retorted with a soft snort.
The driver sighed and turned his eyes back to the road ahead; smiling a cheesy smile. "I didn't tell you boys this, but Yubel CAN make a mean pizza. Her baked salmon isn't nothing to sneeze at, either." He said in a proud tone; causing the only female in the car to blush bright red, and turned her head away. "Don't be so modest, Yubel. You're a great cook, if you weren't so into beyblading, I'm beginning to think that you'd be a top chief!"
Bryan turned his head around to give Yubel a surprised look. "You beyblade?" He asked in a shocked tone.
Yubel smiled faintly back at him and nodded in agreement. "I used to be on a team called, "The Pretty Devils". My beyblade is something that I put together from parts of different blades." She explained; pulling her beyblade out from her chest pocket, "I call it the, "Flying Shadow." model."
"Do you have a bit-beast?" Tala asked in a curious tone; turning back around in his seat to looked at the girl.
Yubel gulped and nodded; handing the blade to Tala. "Her name is Slifer. She's a harpy." She said in a shy tone. "She may not look like much, but she does have a little kick to her attacks."
"What type of beyblade is this?" Tala asked in an impressed tone; flipping the blade around and looked at the specifics of the blade in his hands.
"She's a combination type. We do alright in the stadium, but we're nowhere near as good as some bladers are." Yubel responded in a modest tone; taking back the blade from Tala.
"Maybe we could have a friendly match after dinner?" Bryan asked; taking the beyblade when Yubel offered it to him. "I wouldn't mind seeing what this blade can do against me and Folborg."
Yubel smiled faintly at the boy, and watched him examined and analyzing that beyblade in his hands. She was about to reply to his request, but was stopped by Pendragon.
"Actually, Bryan," he said in a disappointing tone, "Yubel can't blade until she gets better."
Tala looked over at the driver and raised a brow at him. "Why can't you blade? What's wrong with you, Yubel?" He asked in a curious tone; looking back at her through the mirror attached to the window.
"I'm not sure if you two have noticed this," he started out in a grim tone; keeping his eyes on the road, "but she got hurt pretty bad when my team found her, and she has to wear bracers to help her get back to 100%. Doctor's orders."
Yubel growled warningly at the driver and turned her head towards the window. It wasn't long before the group made it home. The males had no problems getting out of the car without problems, but Yubel took her time sliding out of the car. The oldest male rushed over towards the girl, and helped her out of the car.
"...Thanks for the help, Alex." The girl said with a strained tone. "It's hard enough just getting out of the car."
Pendragon smiled fatherly as he looped her arm through his; guiding her away from the car. "Well, at least you don't have to use that wheelchair anymore." He said in a reasoning tone. He looked up at the boys with a kind grin. "Would one of you fine young men please get the door for us?" He asked in a curious; extending his keys to them.
Tala nodded and took the keys from the man, and ran up the stairs to the house. Pendragon helped Yubel up the stairs; Yubel took a firm grip on the rail and pulled herself up the steps. Bryan brought up the rear and stayed close to the two going up the stairs to make sure the girl wouldn't lose her grip and fall backwards.
Once they all got inside, the remaining Blitzkrieg Boys took in their new surroundings. It certainly looked like a slightly normal home with a fair sized living room and a den located in the back of the house with a small kitchen in between the two rooms. There was a few rooms off to the side of the living room with an old fire place across from the couch and a table with a place for their feet to slide under the table. It was most likely where everyone would be eating their meals.
The two turned their attention back to the two and saw them taking off their jackets. Yubel hesitated; debating weather or not she should take her jacket off. Pendragon noticed the girl's hesitation, and gave her a small smile.
"They're gonna find out sooner or later, Yubel." He said in a logical tone; almost as if he were able to read her mind. "Go ahead and get it over with and I'll cook the pizza, okay?"
Yubel blushed dark red, and looked down at her arms. She mouthed a few words, but not a single sound was heard. She lowered her head and hid her bloody eyes from the boys in front of her.
"Why are you so nervous, Yubel? It's not like we're going to attack you." Bryan reasoned in a slightly joking tone; giving her a cocky smile. He moved over to her and gently took one of her sleeves in his strong hands. "I'll help you take your jacket off." He advised in a friendly tone; gently pulling on her sleeve.
Yubel looked at the boy with a defeated sigh. She nodded in reply and pulled away from her sleeve. After she got one arm free, the boys could see that she had worn a black tank top with bracers on her arm; shocking them both. She didn't bother looking up at them when she freed her other arm; revealing that it too was in the same shape.
The two boys were shocked to see that she had to wear such things on her arms. They looked at the man with curious eyes and saw that he had nodded to them in understanding. Bryan felt something in his heart break when he saw the poor condition Yubel was in.
"What happened to your arms, Yubel?" He asked in a slightly worried tone; looking at the bracers on her arms.
Yubel snapped her bloody eyes up towards the lavender haired boy with slight disdain. "What do you think happened? I lost a match to one of my teammates, and was punished..." She answered shortly; turning on her heel to walk into the kitchen to prepare dinner.
Pendragon watched Yubel walk past him, and looked over at the boys. "I warned you two. The Abbey she grew up in was pretty rough on her." He said with a 'told ya so" tone. "Boys are naturally stronger than girls and can take a lot more beatings than they can. Apparently, no one really cared too much when they were beating her."
Bryan felt angry at the ones who hurt Yubel. He didn't know why he was so mad; he only just met her today and still he was already attached to her. It just wasn't possible!
Tala seemed to understand how his friend was feeling. How could someone like Yubel live through so much pain. It was bad enough she had to live in an Abbey like they did, but at least they could take the abuse. Tala couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for the hand Yubel was dealt, but seeing how Bryan was reacting to her in general made him think that maybe this whole ordeal wasn't going to be so bad. At least for his friend.
The two were snapped out of their thoughts when the older man cleared his throat. "Alright, gentlemen," he said in a ready tone, "I've cleared out those two rooms over there. I'm going to let you two fight over who gets what room. If you get too out of hand, I'll let Yubel break it up. In the meantime, I've got a small favor to ask you boys."
Tala raised a brow at the man and folded his arms over his chest. "Oh? And what would that be?" He asked in a challenging tone.
Pendragon held his arms up in surrender. "It's nothing much." He said in a countering tone; giving them a nervous smile. "I just thought it'd be a good deed if you two treated Yubel as if you don't even see her handicaps. Just help the poor girl feel like she's a normal kid. Show her that there's nothing wrong with her."
Bryan followed Tala's example and folded his arms over his chest. "What are you talking about? She IS a normal kid."
Pendragon smiled and sat down at the table. "It's just that the kids around here don't really like her because she can't do as much as they can right now. She has to wear those bracers for a whole year before she can take them off for good."
Bryan and Tala took their seats at the table. "So how long does she have till they come off?" Bryan asked in a concerned tone; looking into the kitchen to see Yubel standing in front of the counter; making the dough.
"She's only got a few months to go. I think it's only three, but I can't be too sure unless I look at a calendar." He replied in an honest tone; waving the boy's question off. "But I do know that they'll be off here real soon. So, my request won't be in effect forever."
"Are you in here bothering those guys, Alex?" Yubel asked in a scolding tone; bringing in a tray of tea and coffee. "You know scaring kids isn't very nice."
Pendragon laughed nervously and the back of his head. "Oh, you know me, Yubel!" He said with a shaky laugh; taking a cup of coffee.
Yubel growled in annoyance. "Yeah, I know you'd give these guys a hard time." She said in annoyance; giving those two a playful wink.
"He's not bothering us, Yubel." Tala said in a reasoning tone; giving the girl a small smile.
"We can take care of ourselves!" Bryan said in a cocky tone; leaning into the table and smiling arrogantly at the girl.
Yubel gave Bryan a bright smile. "Don't let Alex fool you," she advised in a motherly tone, "he may look like tough, but deep down inside he's just an overgrown teddy bear."
And with that she turned back to the man in question. "Instead of harassing these two, why don't make yourself useful and build a fire, huh?" She ordered in a demanding tone; pointing an accusing finger at the man.
Pendragon yelping and jumped up to his feet; getting started on the fire and causing Bryan and Tala to snicker at the man. Pendragon turned over at the two with an evil glare. "You two think this is bad, wait till she gets you, too." He said in a warning tone; turning back to the fire. "That girl is a real wild cat, but you didn't hear it from me."
"I heard that!" Yubel called out from the kitchen; causing the boys to laugh themselves into hysterics.
Yubel returned shortly later with the pizza. "It's still pretty hot, so be careful." She warned in a gentle tone; bending down to set the pizza in the center of the table. "Don't forget to clean up before you go to bed tonight, guys."
Pendragon looked up at the girl with surprised eyes. "Aren't you going to eat with us? I'm sure you're hungry and these two won't bite."
Yubel smiled and whipped her hands on her apron. "I already said I wasn't hungry. I'm too tired to have anything to eat." She explained in a lazy tone. "So I'm turning in for the night."
"Alright, Yubel, goodnight." Pendragon said in a disappointed tone; looking down at his food.
Yubel gave Pendragon a warning glare. "And don't let me catch you harassing those two!" She said as a warning as she pointed a finger at the man.
Pendragon laughed and waved the girl off. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. It's not like they're going to take me seriously with the way you bully me around." He said in a nervous tone.
Yubel folded her arms over her chest and turned around. "Someone has to keep you in line." She said before she looked over at the boys with a kind smile. "I'll be in my room if you guys need anything. Have a good night, you two and I'll see you in the morning!"
Bryan looked over at the man with a curious look. "Where is Yubel's room?" He asked in a quiet tone; not knowing if Yubel was listening.
"She's in her own room up in the attic." Pendragon said in a loving tone; looking into the kitchen. "She seemed to have spent most of her time in there when I brought her here, so I made a room for her up there."
"How long has she been here?" Tala asked in a curious tone; taking a bite of his food.
"Next week will be her third year with me." Pendragon answered simply; taking a swig of his coffee. "She was a mess when I found her, and it took a while before I could actually bring BIOVOLT down, but I guess she's worth it."
"How come she isn't like us?" Tala asked again; pointing to him and Bryan to prove his point.
"Yeah, BIOVOLT pretty much turned us into their little soldiers. How come she's still..." Bryan chimed in; wanting to know as much about the girl as he could.
Pendragon raised a brow at the two boys sitting across from him. "Normal? That's because Yubel and her brother didn't like to be controlled like that. Those twins did everything they could to stay the way they were before BIOVOLT took them away from their parents. Even when the worst thing happened to her, she's still the kind sweet little girl I KNOW she was when she was little. Call it a gut feeling, but something about her just seems like no matter what happened to her, she would never change who she is for anyone."
"I got the same feeling, too." Tala said in a thoughtful tone; looking up from his food, and standing up. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm pretty worn out from everything that's happened today. So, I'm gonna hit the sack before I pass out."
"I'll clean up here." Bryan said as he got up from his seat. "I'm gonna stay up a little longer though."
Pendragon smiled at the two boys and got up from his seat. "I've actually got work to do. So, I'll be staying up all night. But whatever you do, DON'T tell Yubel I stayed up! We'll ALL be unhappy campers if she found out." He warned in a joking tone; getting up to walk into his room. "I'll put the fire out when I actually DO get ready for bed. Good night, boys. See ya later."
"Good night, Mr. Pendragon." Tala said in a polite tone; watching the man grab one last slice of pizza and his coffee to take with him into the room that was next to the front door.
Pendragon coughed on his drink, and looked at Tala. "Call me Alex. Yubel already does." He said in a fatherly tone; giving Tala a friendly smile. "Just don't call me late for dinner."
Bryan chuckled and nodded to the man; watching him retreat to his room. He saw Tala walking into the room that was furthest away from the one Pendragon walked into, and guessed that he was taking that room. He sighed and rested his hand into his palm; staring into the flames in front of him and letting his thoughts take him over...