Disclaimer: I do not own 'The Loud House' or any other property in this work that I did not make myself.

Ace Observations

Chapter three: Coming to terms with what was learned

When Astrid Ace and her siblings who go to Royal Woods combined grades school got back home, none of them had any idea of what to say; they had learned that the Loud sisters, who they were friends with, had all ganged up on and beat Lincoln, the only boy among the siblings, to the point that Lincoln had to be taken to the hospital; the baby of the Loud family was the only Loud sister who was exempt from this crime. None of the five youngest Ace siblings had any idea how badly the sole Loud boy had been beaten by (most of) his sisters.

They all worried how their older siblings who go to the high school would react.

The front door of the Ace residence opened, and in walked Astrid, Alphonse, Andy, Argent and Anna, with their mother Ashe (who had not yet been told what happened) following behind. "Hey Allison, Aggro, Amy," Ashe said as she called out for her three oldest children, "I just got back from picking up-"

"Now's not a good time, mom," Aggro's voice said, cutting his mother off; Ashe and the K-8 school-aged Ace siblings saw Aggro and Amy walk out of the kitchen. "Allison, Amy and I just learned some rather disturbing information at school," Aggro began to explain, "We learned that Allison's friend Lori Loud-"

"-And her sisters aside from the baby all ganged up on and beat their brother to the point that he needed to be taken to the hospital?" Argent asked, cutting his older brother off by finishing his sentence for him. The male Ace twin looked at his eight-year-old brother with a look of mild surprise. Amy's look at Argent was similar to that of Aggro's.

"…Yeah, actually," Aggro replied, "Argent, how did you find out?" With that prompting, Argent proceeded to fill his older siblings in on what he and the others learned at school that day; this talk likewise filled Ashe in on what transpired. "…Yeah, that's basically it," Aggro said in a grim tone, "I'm still having trouble wrapping my head around the fact that Lori and her sisters would actually do something like that to their own brother."

"I…" Ashe began, feeling heartbroken after having heard what befell the sole Loud boy. The Ace matriarch could only begin to imagine how Rita felt; both women knew each other, mostly because of how often their respective children have been known to interact with each other.

"Hey Aggro-Oniisan," Anna said in a curious tone, "Where's Allison?"

"She took her golf club with her to a nearby junk yard," Aggro said dryly, "Saying something about wanting to smash some stuff. She also took along two bottles of mead."

"…I assume that Allison going to the nearby junkyard to rage this time is because she found out what Lori had done?" Argent asked dryly.

"We first learned of what happened from Bobby, who ended his relationship with Lori," Amy began to explain, "At first, Allison refused to believe what we were told, especially since it came from a guy who did just break up with one of her closest friends. After Allison stormed off from Bobby, I went to follow her. We eventually found Lori, along with her sisters Leni and Luna, sulking alone in the library." Amy sighed in a resigned tone before she continued.

"Lori and her sisters ended up confirming what Bobby told us," the fifteen-year-old Ace girl went on, "And that confirmation…it did not sit well with Allison…"

(FLASHBACK)

Allison and Amy stood in front of a table in the library. This table was somewhat secluded from the rest of the library, due to how the tall rows of bookshelves were lines, so no one anywhere in the library would see what goes on there unless they head directly to the table. Also, Lori Loud, along with her sisters Leni and Luna, all sat at this table. All three girls clearly showed signs of having cried recently, with Leni being by far the most obvious example.

However, none of the girls were currently crying; rather, they were practically paralyzed with fear because Allison, whose current expression was a complete visage of fury, was glaring at them. "…You…" Allison began in a venom and rage-filled tone as she spoke to the three oldest Loud sisters, "…You three would actually…the very idea that…HHHNGRRRARRR!" Lori, Leni and Luna all flinched back in response to Allison's roar to the heavens; it was a roar that carried anger and rage, frustration and…sadness?

Pointing an accusing finger at the three Loud girls, Allison swore, "If you, or any of your sisters, do to any of my siblings what you did to your own brother, then pray that Odin will have mercy on you, for I shall have none." Without another word, Allison turned around and left the library, clearly in one of the foulest moods that she had ever been in. When Allison stormed off, Amy turned around to regard Lori, Leni and Luna.

Amy said nothing, only looked at the three Loud girls with an expression of somber regret. After a few seconds, Amy turned around and left the library herself, albeit quietly rather than storming off in a rage like her Viking of an older sister.

(FLASHBACK OVER)

"…Aggro, Allison and I came home about an hour or so before you guys got here," Amy said to her younger siblings, "She went into the kitchen, grabbed two of the mead bottles, put them in a bag, then took said bag and her golf club with her to the nearby junkyard."

"Aggro," Ashe began in a concerned tone, "Do…do you think that your sister is going to be okay?"

Sighing in a resigned tone, Aggro said, "Mom, Allison is just coping with what happened in her own unique way. Sure, she'll be coming back home sweaty, a bit dirty, and with the scent of fermented honey on her breath, but Allison will be fine."

"Can…can you go check on your sister, Aggro?" Ashe asked.

Aggro rolled his shoulders a bit, causing the cloth carrying case over his back to shift a little bit. "I had to miss the Kendo practice at the local park because of what happened," Aggro began, "So I suppose that I have the time." Walking to the front door, Aggro added in a grim tone, "I'm kind of in the mood to smash a few things at the junkyard myself."


"HHHNGRRRARRR!" Allison roared in the nearby junkyard as she smashed a half-broken plant pot with her golf club, the somewhat thin pottery shattering into oblivion. Turning around, the female Ace twin looked for something else she could smash. The windows of that junked car that sat about twenty feet away from the remains of the pot looked to be a rather tempting target for her fury, fury that was fueled by disgust, rage, disappointment and two bottles of mead.

Gripping the handle of her golf club with both hands, Allison proceeded to charge at the junked car, as if she were a Viking charging at an enemy who she was going to decapitate. However, the female Ace twin stopped when she heard her male counterpart call out.

"Mom is worried about you, Allison," Aggro said, getting Allison to turn and face him.

"I am in a foul mood right now, brother," Allison said as she panted, "Leave me be to work the rage out of my system."

With a playful smirk, Aggro replied, "If I were to leave you alone to work the rage out of your system, then you'd be here in the junkyard forever."

"I am in no mood for jokes," Allison spat back right away. The playful mirth that was in Aggro's expression faded instantly, replaced with stern disappointment.

"And I am in no mood to just leave you here in the junkyard," Aggro retorted, "Drunk and smashing everything within sight."

"Well what would you do if you discovered that your closest friend had just committed an act of ultimate betrayal against their own family?" Allison shot back at her twin brother. It was then that Aggro saw why his twin was so upset; Allison took the concept of family very seriously, no doubt because the Vikings of the Ace family's Swedish heritage, whose values Allison tried to live by, cared greatly for kin and clan. She found it inconceivable that anyone would do any serious harm to their own flesh and blood. It was for that reason why Allison got so mad at Bobby, accusing him of trying to slander Lori. So, when Allison and Amy were told by the Loud girls that they (the Loud girls) did indeed beat their own younger brother to the point that he needed to be hospitalized, it was natural that Allison wouldn't react very well to the news.

Aggro knew that Lori and most of the other Loud sisters had 'betrayed' Lincoln, as Allison had just put it, but the male Ace twin could also tell that his twin sister was also having feelings of being betrayed. Betrayed by someone she considered as her closest friend.

Who, from what Aggro was able to gather, was no longer counted as a friend.

The rage that was pushing the female Ace twin on was dissipating. Allison started breathing shakily, as if she were about to start crying; her grip on her golf club slipped, allowing the cherished four-iron to fall to the ground of the junkyard. "…For Lori and her sisters to do what they did to their own brother…" Allison said as her voice started to break, "…How can…how can such a thing even be possible…?"

Aggro sighed in a resigned tone before walking over to his sister. Picking up Allison's golf club, Aggro slipped it back into the rectangular leather carrying case over Allison's back. After he did that, Aggro stood directly in front of his sister who, for the first time in as long as Aggro could remember, was crying. Softly crying, mind you, but crying all the same. The last time that Aggro remembered seeing his twin so vulnerable was roughly five years ago, when their father Shigure was killed in an accident. Given that his sister was upset, Aggro did the only thing he could think of at the moment.

He wrapped his arms around Allison to give her a hug.


It was Thursday of the week, only a few days after that most fateful Sunday. During the afternoon, after everyone had gotten out of school, Argent could be seen walking in the part of the neighborhood where the Loud family residence was located. Aside from his backpack, Argent didn't have anything with him. Eventually, the eight-year-old Ace boy found his goal, that being the Loud's place.

Argent made a beeline for the home, taking note of how eerily quiet it was in the area, given that there was usually enough noise generated in this part of the neighborhood to make a few people go temporarily deaf. In fact, Argent felt that it got quieter and quieter the closer he got to the Loud's place. Weird, considering how it typically tends to get louder and louder the closer one gets to the Loud's place, as it's the source of the aforementioned generated noise.

…Or rather, it was the source.

But more of that later. Right now, Argent had a task that he was carrying out, a task on behalf of a friend. Reaching the front door of the house, Argent gave it a quick few knocks. A few seconds later, the door was opened by Lynn Loud Sr., the patriarch of the Loud family. Lynn Sr. gave the eight-year-old Ace boy a curious look.

"If you're friends with any of my daughters at school, then I'm afraid that you can't come over," Lynn Sr. began, "All of my daughters are grounded. Other than Lily, of course."

"I'm actually here on behalf of my friend Rocky Spokes, sir," Argent replied as he took his backpack off and set it on the patio floor. Opening his backpack, Argent removed two items. The first item was some beanie-boo eyed black cat stuffy that looked like it was a stitched-up lab monster, obviously a special edition toy that was sold around Halloween. The second item was a sheet of line paper that was folded twice in a way that made it sort of resemble an envelope. The phrase 'From Rocky' was on the front.

"Is Lucy home?" Argent asked the Loud patriarch, "These are for her."

Sighing in a resigned tone, Lynn Sr. replied, "Yeah, hold on." Turning around to look up the stairs, Lynn Sr. called, "Lucy, get down here! Someone is here to see you!" A few seconds later, Lucy Loud came up to the front door; Argent even saw her a bit as she came down the stairs. To the eight-year-old Ace boy's piqued interest, Lucy had her bangs up, exposing her eyes. When she saw who it was at the front door for her, the gothic Loud sister could not help but show some amount of surprise.

"Argent?" Lucy began, "Why are you here?" In response, Argent handed Lucy both the Halloween cat stuffy and the note. "…That's the cat stuffy that I gave to Rocky last Halloween," Lucy remarked, concern in her tone. It wasn't a hint of concern in an emotionless monotone, but rather a straight-up concerned tone. This also got Argent attention.

But Argent put his curiosity to the side, as he had a job to do. "Yeah, Rocky asked me to give you both the cat and the note for him," the eight-year-old Ace boy said, a hint of disgusted bitterness in his tone. Argent's mention of the note prompted Lucy to look at it. Trembling a bit as she recognized Rocky's handwriting on the cover, the gothic Loud sister unfolded the note, and read what it said;

I'm sorry.

The short and simple message, combined with Lucy's gift to Rocky being returned, told Lucy everything that she needed to know about what exactly was going on. Lucy, looking like she was about to tear up any moment, looked up from the note to Argent, who was not in any mood to offer her any comfort.

"I hope you're happy," Argent said to Lucy in a bitter tone, "You broke my best friend's heart." Picking up his backpack and slipping it back on, Argent, without saying another word, turned around and took his leave from the Loud's residence.


The day following Argent's visit to the Loud's residence would normally be cause for celebration for the students of Royal Woods combined grades school. After all, it was a Friday, the day that many took to be the beginning of a short break of freedom from the trappings of the school system. But this Friday, for all its promises of rest and relaxation, was not abuzz with talk of what someone was going to do during the weekend or talk of what someone was going to do the moment they got home from school that day.

Rather, Royal Woods combined grades school was abuzz with rumors and gossip. Rumors and gossip about why Lincoln Loud, the only Loud boy attending the school and the only Loud boy overall, had apparently been hospitalized.

"Maybe he tried to pull off a totally sick skateboard trick he saw somewhere, but got really hurt when he stuffed it," one fifth-grade boy guessed.

"Maybe he was hit by a truck or something," one fifth-grade girl suggested.

"I was going to guess that maybe at least one of Lincoln's many sisters is somehow involved," another fifth-grade girl remarked.

"That doesn't sound very Oh hey!" a second fifth-grade boy said, "I see Lincoln right now! He's talking to Ronnie Anne!"

"Jordan, that's Astrid," a third fifth-grade girl pointed out dryly.

"…Oh," Boy Jordan replied as he took a second look, sounding very much embarrassed.

Over by one of the rows of lockers in the one hallway, Astrid was talking to her friend Ronnie Anne. "Huh, thanks for keeping tabs on everything I missed while I was suspended," Ronnie Anne remarked to her friend, "That'll make catching up loads easier."

"Just…try to keep out of trouble in the future, alright?" Astrid replied in a mildly concerned tone, "You know how much I tend to worry whenever you get into trouble."

With a bit of a huff, Ronnie Anne said in a tone that clearly carried a strong hint of bitterness, "Well that bitch Lynn had the beating I gave her coming. All of Lynn's sisters, aside from the baby, deserve at least one good beating if you ask me."

Astrid was concerned, and a bit alarmed, to hear the Hispanic tomboy use such language. Ronnie Anne's beef with the Loud girls must really be serious if she's actually using foul language; the closest that Astrid has ever come to cursing is using the word 'heck'; not its firmer version of 'hell', just 'heck'. But Ronnie Anne has been cursing up a storm due to her issues with the Loud girls. Astrid was really thrown for a loop when Ronnie Anne referred to Lynn as the 'c' word, and in so casual of a tone as well.

And Astrid knew full well why Ronnie Anne was cursing so badly.

"Ronnie Anne…" Astrid began in a concerned and somewhat timid-sounding tone, "…I know that you're really upset with what happened to Lincoln, but is there really a need to-"

"Hush," Ronnie Anne said, cutting Astrid off, putting her left index finger over Astrid's lips in a gesture to get her to be quiet. The white-haired Ace girl could see why her friend wanted her to hush up; Lynn was walking by in the hallway. The athletic Loud girl, for some reason unknown to Astrid lacking her usual aura of athleticism, had even seen the two girls, and was shooting death glares at Ronnie Anne, just as Ronnie Anne was shooting death glares back at her.

Lynn looked like she was about to say something, but she stopped short when she noticed Astrid standing next to Ronnie Anne. Seeing that Lynn was looking at her, Astrid instantly froze up, afraid that the sporty Loud might try to do to her what she did to Ronnie Anne back on Monday. Lynn looked at the half-Swedish half-Japanese girl, who was paralyzed in fear. The firm anger that was in Lynn's expression when she stared down Ronnie Anne dissipated suddenly as she stared at Astrid. This did not escape the white-haired Ace girl, who began to clam down as she sensed Lynn's temper dying down. Lynn turned her head back around to face the hallway ahead of her. Hanging her head slightly as if ashamed, Lynn, without saying a word, took her leave.

After the sporty Loud sibling was gone, Astrid and Ronnie Anne turned to face each other. "That was one of the scariest moments of my life," Astrid remarked to her tomboyish friend, "I was kind of afraid that Lynn was going to try and tear me limb from limb."

"I think such thoughts from that bitch were aimed at me, not you," Ronnie Anne pointed out to her friend in a casual tone, "Besides, she probably wants to avoid getting into trouble, seeing as how she was just allowed back onto school grounds today." With a knowing look on her face, the Hispanic tomboy added, "I know the feeling all too well."

Astrid smiled in response to what her friend had said. "Aww, you actually do care about wanting to stay out of trouble," the white-haired Ace girl remarked, her touched tone carrying a hint of knowing playfulness.

Chuckling a bit despite herself, Ronnie Anne gave Astrid's right shoulder a playful shove while saying, "Shut up."


Trixie Goldman had to miss classes at Royal Woods High School today due to breaking something in her right forearm. She was at the hospital, having just gotten a cast on her arm that should stay there for at least a few weeks. The cast was solid white, making it a perfect target for people wanting to sign their names to extend wishes of a swift recovery. Wishes from people who care about Trixie as a person, not Trixie as someone who had connections.

Roughly five years ago, Trixie was rather wealthy, the one percent of Royal Wood's one percent. In fact, Trixie's father Buford was even running for Mayor of Royal Woods back when Trixie just entered the seventh grade. However, Trixie had a feeling that all of the friends she had back then were friends with her because she was rich, stylish and popular. Not one of them truly saw her as anything beyond someone to latch onto in order to climb the social ladder.

Until Lori Loud showed up, that is.

Back then, Lori looked like the very definition of nerdy awkwardness. Many would never suspect a pretty, stylish popular girl like Trixie to form a connection with a nerdy, awkward loser like Lori. But the connection began when Lori saved Trixie from being harassed by two girl bullies that were looking to throw her into a nearly-full trash can because reasons. Within very short order, Trixie had recognized Lori as her closest friend, her first actual friend.

Shortly after that, Trixie and Lori came across some terrible truth about Trixie's dad. Although doing so was one of the most painful things she ever had to do, Trixie, who was taught to live honestly by the very man who turned out to be dishonest, helped Lori, along with Allison Ace, gather evidence needed to have her dad arrested. Due to the fallout of the arrest, the Goldman name lost its wealth and prestige, its influence and respect. After Buford (who is still in prison) was arrested, Trixie moved in with her Aunt Tara, and still lives with her to this day.

You know how some people say to others 'do as I say, not as I do'? Well, Trixie was all too glad to do as her father said, not as he did.

With the change in social class came a change in wardrobe; Trixie now dressed in casual clothes that some might say would be blue collar. The seventeen-year-old former rich girl wore her hair in a long hairstyle that seemed as casual as Luna Loud's short pixie cut, and she wore a red unbuttoned shirt over a black t-shirt, a pair of jeans (held up with a belt) and a pair of sneakers; it was a style that Trixie sported to this day.

The change in social class and wardrobe also carried a change in Trixie's friends; the many pretty popular girls who were quick to be friends with Trixie started to slowly drift away. Sure, they stuck around a bit out of sympathy because Trixie's dad was recently arrested at the time, but since Trixie no longer carried the prestige of being in the upper class, the pretty popular girls, all aiming to further their own position on the social ladder hierarchy, soon lost any interest that they had in the former rich girl.

…However, the falling away of those fake friends helped to make Trixie's real friends stand out all the more. There was Allison Ace, and Carol Pingrey soon joined the ranks as well. Trixie also came to know, and befriend to some degree in her own right, some friends of the other Loud siblings, such as Sam Sharp, Bobby Santiago and Allison's siblings Aggro and Amy, and there is also no forgetting Lori's siblings Leni and Luna. But Lori was the top of the lot in Trixie's opinion. Lori was Trixie's first real friend.

Her best friend.

Which was all the more reason why Trixie was concerned to see that Lori, as well and Leni and Luna, all looked beyond guilty on Monday of the school week that had just come to an end. The former rich girl was also concerned when she heard that Lori and Bobby had broken up, then became even more concerned when she heard why one of the hallmark romantic relationships of RWHS came to a sudden and abrupt end.

Lori…there's no way that Lori and all of her sisters (aside from the baby, whose name Trixie actually hasn't learned yet) really did severely beat their only brother to the point that the sole boy among the number of the Loud siblings really needed to be taken to the hospital for medical treatment.

…Is there?

As Trixie, wearing her current usual outfit, sat on a chair in one part of the hospital as she waited for her Aunt Tara to come pick her up, gently rubbing the cast on her right forearm as she waited, her attention was suddenly perked up when she heard what sounded like a young male voice crying out in panic and fear.

"I'm sorry!" Trixie could hear the young male voice shout fearfully, "I'm sorry I didn't respect your Sister Fight Protocol! I promise I won't do it again! I'll do anything you want! Just, please! Don't hurt me!"

"What is that all about?" Trixie thought to herself in confusion, "And what the hell is a Sister Fight Protocol?" Trixie didn't have much time to dwell on her question, as her Aunt Tara came walking up to her. Tara was a young-looking, slim yet healthy woman who was about as old as Rita Loud. Tara wore more or less the same outfit as her niece, although Tara's shirt was white and the buttoned shirt was blue.

"There you are, Trixie," Tara said, "Ready to bounce?"

"I've been ready for the past forty-five minutes, Aunt Tara," Trixie replied as she stood up and followed her current guardian out of the hospital. The bit of that young male voice crying out in panic became forgotten by the former rich girl the moment she hopped into the passenger seat of her aunt's car.

END, ACE OBSERVATIONS CHAPTER THREE

Author's notes:

In my efforts to flesh out the Aces, other OCs and various side characters, to show how they are feeling/how they are doing, I decided that I'm going to be expanding upon a few bits from 'Syngenesophobia' here and there; I wanted to put an especial amount of effort into the scene where Argent brings those things to Lucy on Rocky's behalf, since Lucy said at one point that Rocky didn't want to talk to her anymore due to her role in what happened to Lincoln.

Anywho, the next chapter will be set during Saturday, which is the day that that the first of the therapy sessions with the good doctor occur. Since there are very little scenes in that part of 'Syngenesophobia' that doesn't focus exclusively on the Louds, I'm going to be taking the time to flesh out a few more key parts, although some references to the story proper are still going to be made. As always, 'Syngenesophobia' is the work of That Engineer, not me. Full credit for his story should go to him.

By the way, if any of you are curious about just who the character Trixie Goldman is, you can find out in detail by checking out 'Awkward Hero'.