Forsaken Angels:
Chapter XI—Tea Anyone?
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Sorry for the hiatus. But I've been working on my online comic. It's called Upon a Raven's wing. And it is at http://puppet_maiden.tripod.com/index.html. It has been taking up lots of my time. Sorry! So this chapter will be short so I can go draw my 3 page quota.
Disclaimer: @.@:; Jhonen-sama is allowing me to write again. But he's giving me all this other stuff to do as well. _;; Jhonen-sama you suck. (YEAH RIGHT!)
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Todd drank the tea down and stared at the oblivious Eff. Eff didn't seem to need food or water. He just made the lunches/dinners for the family and watched them eat. It always confused Todd as to why that was. Wasn't Eff free now? Didn't that mean Eff no longer had to be a doll? But he supposed it would be rude of him to ask.
"Good tea." Todd gave an awkward smile.
"How are you and Nny getting along?" Eff looked at the now shocked Todd. I'm not going to beat around the bush. I want to know if my "elder brother" is doing alright.
"…fairly well…but…"
"But?"
"I don't think he knows…umm…" Todd looked off, ashamed, as if he had said too much.
"Knows what?" Eff prodded. He was curious now if things were horrible. If Johnny had been horrible to Eff's big brother he would…
"Live."
"Huh?"
"He doesn't seem to know how…it saddens me." Todd looked down at the cup in his hands, avoiding Eff's questioning stare.
"…I…don't know what to say…"
"It's alright Eff…there's nothing to say."
"But…it makes sense."
It was Todd's turn to be surprised. "What do you mean?"
"…Human beings need touch…"
"….what…?"
"You people," Eff looked into Todd's eyes, "need reassurance. You need someone there to pat you on the head or hold your hand. [9]"
"Do we?" Todd seemed amused and curious. Eff never seemed like the intellectual type to him. No offense to Eff, but he was more of a…fun-loving clown doll. Perhaps his reasoning was wrong.
"You do. I used to watch a lot of you from the window in Nny's house." Eff's eyes slowly began to glaze over, remembering something so long ago. "I would watch children walk by always with their parents holding their hand or swooning. It seemed natural. But when I saw you all alone…it didn't seem right."
"….why?" A small voice escaped Todd's throat.
"Because…" Eff's eyebrows came together. "It's like you were starved. I mean, after you came back from the asylum, you were always with Nny or Pepito. Both seemed to always talk to you as a person and pat you on the head or something."
Todd nodded.
"Didn't you notice how much taller you got? How much more weight you gained?"
Todd looked shocked. He didn't. Sure he noticed when he could soon look at Johnny without straining his neck. But it never dawned on him as to why. He was always short, so he figured it was a growth spurt…or something.
"Interactions with others." Eff nodded a bit. "It was something needed. Once you got enough your body began to grow accordingly. To be without such stimuli causes hurt to humans, though they don't realize it."
"Is that what's wrong with Johnny?"
"Yes. He's gone so long without any human interaction…he no longer can deal with people." A sad look crossed the boy's face. "It's like…if a puppy is born and it is never played with or talked to…that puppy would never know how to be around people. It would always feel like an outcast. And eventually it might even die."
"…..Johnny might—" Todd began but was stopped by Eff.
"No! Nothing like that. You see, those first years of Johnny's life were the years that saved him." Eff gave a kind smile to Todd, suddenly feeling older than the other. "It's why he is alive now…because he had that positive influence in the past."
"….ah…" Todd looked at Eff calmly. "Where did you learn all of this?"
"It's more of D talking than myself."
"But I thought D…died." Todd blinked a few times.
"He did." Eff replied. "But he used to talk like that all the time to me. I would ask him questions. However, some of that is Nailbunny's voice. She was pretty smart for a rabbit head."
Todd realized he didn't want to know anymore about Nailbunny. Two styrofoam dolls and knowing the Anti-Christ and his father were enough for one mortal, thank you very much.
"They were smart." It was a stupid comment, but true.
"Yes. They were." Eff had a melancholy look on his face.
"Do you miss them?"
"Sometimes. Despite the fact I hated Nailbunny…I miss her nagging voice. She was like an elder sister. Never thought I would miss her." He looked off again, lost in the past.
"What about D?" Todd had to inquire.
"Yes. Him too. I…I thought I loved him." Eff blushed a small shade of red.
"Love…?"
"Sick, isn't it? I don't think he felt the same way. I think he only viewed me as a little brother. " Eff gave a few nods. "So don't get the wrong idea. I'm very happy with Pepito and I would never leave him."
"Even if D were to come back?"
"Even then I couldn't. Pepito risked a lot to get me out of my former Master's control. I couldn't just ignore that."
"I see."
Todd suddenly saw Eff in a new light. He wasn't some airhead boyfriend. He wasn't just some clown. He was a person. He had a soul. If he didn't then, he did now. Todd suddenly was glad that Pepito and him were together.
They're good for each other, Todd. Schmee's voice spoke up for the first time since their arrival. He had been in Todd's coat, keeping warm.
"I think so too."
"Hmmm? Who just spoke?"
"Just Schmee."
"Ah."
Warm. I'm going back to sleep.
"You lazy bear." But Schmee was soon fast asleep. Todd turned to look at Eff who was making another batch of tea.
But…does what Eff say go with himself? Did he ever need human touch?
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TBC?
C&C are welcome.
[9] Came from a book I'm reading. I thought it was a deep conversation that had to be had between the two bishounen.
P.S. I'm going to say how Kyle died in the next chapter, hopefully!