[ooc]Sorry for not updating, but I've kind of been going through a depressive streak at the moment, so I haven't had time to bother to upload[/ooc]
"If you keep eating that much ice-cream, you're gonna get fat."
"Will not!" insisted Dan, chocolate sauce dribbling down his chin.
"You look like a pig already," teased Kel.
"Do not!" The brother and sister were sitting at an outside table of Dairy Bell, an ice cream shop, with Savage curled up on Kel's lap. Somehow, they're table felt disconnected from the busy street, like an island of serenity in the chaos of reality.
However, Kel had no idea where they were going to stay.
Their bags, containing all of their belongings, were under the table between their feet, along with what little cash they had left, which would surely be depleted rapidly for ice cream if Dan got his way. If only there was someplace cheap we could both stay, mused Kel dreamily. She liked the area, and didn't want to have to leave. But they couldn't pay the bills…..
"Excuse me," murmured Combo, one hand holding his faithful music box, the other holding the back of the convenient third chair at the table.
"Mind if I take a seat," he asked. Kel panicked.
"I wasn't tagging! I wasn't looking for trouble or anything! Honest! I was just-"
"I only asked if I could take this seat," repeated Combo calmly.
"Oh. Yeah, sure, take it. Take it anywhere you want." Combo sat down, which Kel had been half hoping he wouldn't.
"I saw what you were doing," said Combo calmly, resting the stereo on his lap.
"Well then, you'd have seen that I wasn't doing nothing."
"It looked like you were going to leave, little Love Shocker."
"Yeah? So what?" Dan looked between the two older kids as he dealt with another rich mouthful of ice cream.
"Just wanted to know why. Don't be so uptight." Kel sighed. Someone always wanted to know. They wanted you hear the story, and then they'd say they were sorry and couldn't help.
"I don't have a source of income. We can't pay the existing debts for water and electricity. We gotta move out of where we're staying. We had relatives out of the city, but they don't take cats on busses it seems."
"Don't you have any friends around here? I thought there were three of you Love Shockers?"
"There are," agreed Kel, "But we go different places at the end of the day."
"Who are you?" Dan asked Combo between mouthfuls of ice cream. Combo chuckled.
"The king of Shibuya," he joked.
"You're a king? Wow!" Dan's eyes shone in wonder.
"He's not really a king....." muttered Kel.
"Sure I am," laughed Combo, "A prince, abandoned at birth in a wicked plot. And to prove it, I'll buy you both another ice cream each."
"Really!" squeaked Dan. Kel rolled her eyes. They way to her little brother's heart was definitely through his stomach.
"Really."
"Really really?"
"Really really," assured Combo. He decided he liked this kid.
"Yeah!" shouted Dan.
"Finish the first one, piggy," Kell teased her little brother.
"Sure thing!" Dan resumed eating at gobble pace.
"So you got no place to stay, eh?" Combo asked Kel, letting Dan get on with the vital business of eating.
"Yeah."
"You could stay at my place. Both or you." Kel raised a suspicious eyebrow. Her other eyebrow crept up a little to join it at the same time.
"What's the catch?" she asked.
"No catch," insisted Combo.
"Oh come on! You're offering your place with no catch? Nobody does that. We're even from different gangs, dillbrain, what do you think you are? A saint? I don't reckon you're a saint. Come on, what's the catch?"
"I told you no catch."
"Then what's the deal?"
"Look," said Combo, "Family should stick together. I would if I had any family. I don't mind helping a good cause."
"Well then," Kell leant back and started to think. The guy didn't seem that bad.
"Finished!" declared Dan, holding up his spoon and empty bowl.
"Let's get you another one then," said Combo, standing up. Dan jumped up.
"Yay! Shibuya King is buying food!" Combo laughed as Dan dashed back into the shop.
"Coming to make your choice, milady," he bowed dramatically, wobbled a little on his skates, and offered a hand to Kel. Kel rolled her eyes again,
"Looks like Dan's made the decision," she said, standing up without any help.
"The name's Combo."
"Kelly. Or Kel."
"Hmm, Lady Kel it is."
"If you keep eating that much ice-cream, you're gonna get fat."
"Will not!" insisted Dan, chocolate sauce dribbling down his chin.
"You look like a pig already," teased Kel.
"Do not!" The brother and sister were sitting at an outside table of Dairy Bell, an ice cream shop, with Savage curled up on Kel's lap. Somehow, they're table felt disconnected from the busy street, like an island of serenity in the chaos of reality.
However, Kel had no idea where they were going to stay.
Their bags, containing all of their belongings, were under the table between their feet, along with what little cash they had left, which would surely be depleted rapidly for ice cream if Dan got his way. If only there was someplace cheap we could both stay, mused Kel dreamily. She liked the area, and didn't want to have to leave. But they couldn't pay the bills…..
"Excuse me," murmured Combo, one hand holding his faithful music box, the other holding the back of the convenient third chair at the table.
"Mind if I take a seat," he asked. Kel panicked.
"I wasn't tagging! I wasn't looking for trouble or anything! Honest! I was just-"
"I only asked if I could take this seat," repeated Combo calmly.
"Oh. Yeah, sure, take it. Take it anywhere you want." Combo sat down, which Kel had been half hoping he wouldn't.
"I saw what you were doing," said Combo calmly, resting the stereo on his lap.
"Well then, you'd have seen that I wasn't doing nothing."
"It looked like you were going to leave, little Love Shocker."
"Yeah? So what?" Dan looked between the two older kids as he dealt with another rich mouthful of ice cream.
"Just wanted to know why. Don't be so uptight." Kel sighed. Someone always wanted to know. They wanted you hear the story, and then they'd say they were sorry and couldn't help.
"I don't have a source of income. We can't pay the existing debts for water and electricity. We gotta move out of where we're staying. We had relatives out of the city, but they don't take cats on busses it seems."
"Don't you have any friends around here? I thought there were three of you Love Shockers?"
"There are," agreed Kel, "But we go different places at the end of the day."
"Who are you?" Dan asked Combo between mouthfuls of ice cream. Combo chuckled.
"The king of Shibuya," he joked.
"You're a king? Wow!" Dan's eyes shone in wonder.
"He's not really a king....." muttered Kel.
"Sure I am," laughed Combo, "A prince, abandoned at birth in a wicked plot. And to prove it, I'll buy you both another ice cream each."
"Really!" squeaked Dan. Kel rolled her eyes. They way to her little brother's heart was definitely through his stomach.
"Really."
"Really really?"
"Really really," assured Combo. He decided he liked this kid.
"Yeah!" shouted Dan.
"Finish the first one, piggy," Kell teased her little brother.
"Sure thing!" Dan resumed eating at gobble pace.
"So you got no place to stay, eh?" Combo asked Kel, letting Dan get on with the vital business of eating.
"Yeah."
"You could stay at my place. Both or you." Kel raised a suspicious eyebrow. Her other eyebrow crept up a little to join it at the same time.
"What's the catch?" she asked.
"No catch," insisted Combo.
"Oh come on! You're offering your place with no catch? Nobody does that. We're even from different gangs, dillbrain, what do you think you are? A saint? I don't reckon you're a saint. Come on, what's the catch?"
"I told you no catch."
"Then what's the deal?"
"Look," said Combo, "Family should stick together. I would if I had any family. I don't mind helping a good cause."
"Well then," Kell leant back and started to think. The guy didn't seem that bad.
"Finished!" declared Dan, holding up his spoon and empty bowl.
"Let's get you another one then," said Combo, standing up. Dan jumped up.
"Yay! Shibuya King is buying food!" Combo laughed as Dan dashed back into the shop.
"Coming to make your choice, milady," he bowed dramatically, wobbled a little on his skates, and offered a hand to Kel. Kel rolled her eyes again,
"Looks like Dan's made the decision," she said, standing up without any help.
"The name's Combo."
"Kelly. Or Kel."
"Hmm, Lady Kel it is."