Between Love and Blood Chapter 6

The darkness surrounding us had departed and we were now left standing in an area with plenty of light. Justin got out of the basket first then held out his hand assisting me in stepping out safely.

Not too far away from us was the door that led to the main section of Mr. Ages home. The only dilemmas faced are that it was neither very welcoming nor large. The size of the entrance is mainly big enough for most mice to get through. Outside of the entrance were signs made to discourage us from even thinking of entering the dwelling. They said thinks like "Not Welcome", "Go Away" and another hung beside the door instead of above reading "Danger". All of this was supposed to ward away those who would hope to visit. This may work successfully for the majority only not the two of us.

Upon reaching the small door Justin bent down considerably in order to knock on the metal. The noise resulting from it brought out an immediate response.

"Go away," shouted an irritated Mr. Ages.

Obviously he's far from pleased with anyone intruding on his space at any time of day.

Knocking again, Justin called "Mr. Ages, it's Justin. I need to talk to you."

There was silence on the other side of the door as if Mr. Ages was in the middle of contemplating what he'd been told.

Nudging Justin slightly, I said "I thought you said we were coming around for some fresh air not to visit Mr. Ages."

Shrugging, Justin said "In truth I thought I mentioned it already to you. Did I not?"

Arms crossed, a skeptical brow raised, I disagreed "No, you certainly did not."

"My mistake then," apologized Justin, bowing his head, slightly.

At this exact moment the door swung open with a bang immediately drawing forth our combined attention. His hands placed on the side of the doorframe, sticking his head out, Mr. Ages spotted Justin leaning by one arm over the door. Mr. Ages was old for a mouse although by the experiments the humans from Nimh put on us they wouldn't really come to realize this fact. Mr. Ages is of an unusual stature with pure white fur. His eyesight caused him a bit of a hindrance so he wore circular rimmed spectacles over his very eyes. The clothes he's wearing were smaller than those carried in regularity by the rats. Among the white of his fur there were gray in some places similar to the patches stretched into his garments showing how old and worn they were.

"Justin," said Mr. Ages in vexation, agitated, eyes narrowed. "I believe we agreed you'd be over in the afternoon not so early in the morning."

"We were in the neighborhood and decided to come now instead of later. We didn't want to waste any time," said Justin.

"Well I can't keep having such unexpected visits," stated Mr. Ages, hands on hips. "My schedule is very delicate so…" Mr. Ages paused in his ranting's as he realized the catch he heard in what Justin just told him. "Wait a moment, did you just say we?"

Nodding, Justin said "Yes, I did. I haven't come alone."

Mr. Ages couldn't actually spot me yet standing as I was behind Justin so he hand no knowledge anyone else had accompanied him.

"Oh, is that so," said Mr. Ages, opening the door farther and stepping out while adjusting his glasses as he looked around for the mysterious second visitor he couldn't yet see. "Who exactly did you bring with you and where is he?"

"She actually," corrected Justin, moving aside so that I became visible, "and you're not going to believe who it is."

Stepping out into the light, smiling, I said "God morning, Mr. Ages. I apologize if we interrupted anything of importance."

A look of astonishment traveled over the old mouse's face as he got a good view of who I was.

"Well I'll be," said Mr. Ages in disbelief. "If it isn't Joanna. This is quite a surprise. You barely ever lease the Rosebush if you can help it."

"That's exactly what I told her when she agreed to come out with me today," said Justin.

He then released a small yelp as I elbowed him hard in the ribs. That got him to keep his yappy mouth shut after that especially when I shook a fist in front of his eyes.

Mr. Ages began to laugh, quickly composing himself back into his normal grumpy demeanor.

"What's brought you out from the underground, Joanna," he inquired, intrigued.

Rolling my eyes, I said "Thought it was time for a change. After all I can't stay confined there underground forever. Once in a while the body requires some fresh air and sun."

"True, very true indeed," agreed Mr. Ages.

"Since you didn't like having visitors for long can you please let us in," I asked. "Think of it this way, the faster we conclude business, the faster we'll leave your home."

The wheels could easily be seen turning within the complex mind of M. Ages. It's pure fact he didn't like anyone coming to intrude on his personal space preferring to live alone, but knew his duty to the Colony came first. So if eh wished for us to be gone he'd be required to speak to Justin post haste.

Defeated, Mr. Ages sighed "Very well. You may come in, but don't touch anything!"

The last few words were emphasized making it quite apparent he seriously meant it.

Oh, we would not dare.

Authors Note:

Merry Christmas!

Heads up guys! We've got trouble. I received this alert from another fellow author.

Subject: #SAVEYOURINTERNET

Can you imagine a world without the following:
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- Memes
What if I told you that all of this could potentially go away before the end of next year. #Article13 threatens to stop almost all user-generated content and their creative freedom, such as fanart and fanfiction.

To everyone in AND outside the EU. Just because you don't live in the EU, doesn't mean Article 13 won't affect you. The wording of Article 13 is so loose that it could be manipulated in a way where only big companies can upload content on the internet.

Article 13, as written by the European Parliament, will create large unintended consequences for everyone. Let's come together for a better solution. #SaveYourInternet

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Spread the news. Do what you can to help stop #Article13 from passing.
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Why Article 13 Will Destroy YouTube
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