A New Addition
And we're back with another installment with A New Addition. This one shouldn't be too lengthy like the other one but we'll see. There will be some swearing so be warned. So without further ado, Enjoy!
A Friendly Wager
"Oh c'mon Lori, don't be so lame, it's our last night here!" Lola cried as she, alongside Luna and Leni, tried to convince the blonde to go with them to a nightclub that they had been recommended to go to by Toby. Seeing as how the only relatively 'Party-girls' amongst the women were the three blondes and one brunette, they felt the need to go together.
"I told you already, I'm not going. If you really need a fourth then take Luan with you," Lori stated as she texted away on her phone. Hearing this, Lola threw up her hands indignantly and stormed off.
Meanwhile, Toby was sitting in Loan's room, a controller in hand as the two were going at it on Loan's console. Playfully, the two were pushing each other lightly and having some small banter.
"You sure you've played this before, Loan?" Toby asked as he sent Loan's character flying off the stage, claiming another one of her lives for himself.
"We all can't grow up living a block over from Mr. Furukawa," the young woman shot back as she and Toby clashed again with her easily taking two of Toby's lives, putting them on even footing.
"No! Not my lead!" The teen cried out before starting to juggle Loan's character, preventing her from using her ultimate. As fate would have it however, Toby's phone rang and in the split second that the boy took his eyes off the screen, he heard his character's death scream before hearing the signature 'GAME!'. Snapping his head toward the screen, the teen saw the '2nd' above his character before turning to Loan and, surprisingly, seeing a lightly smug grin on her face.
"That was fun," she said easily, her smug grin turning into a more genuine one.
"Yeah, it was," The white haired teen said before remembering his phone call, "Hold on, I need to take this."
Seeing her brother answer the phone, Loan decided to give him some privacy and get a drink. Making her way into the kitchen area and easily snagging two cans of soda, the blonde woman was startled by a sudden voice behind her.
"It seems you've taken to Tobias fairly easily," came the monotone voice, eliciting a yelp of surprise from Loan. Spinning around, the blonde saw her Aunt Lucy standing not too far behind her. Clutching her heart a bit in an effort to calm it, Loan gave a small nod.
"Y-Yeah, he's fun to be around."
"That's good to hear, I was starting to think that only the little ones were taking a liking to him." Loan nodded at that, in agreement this time. What Lucy had said was true, over the course of the past few days, Toby has taken his time to actually try to get to know his siblings and spend time with them, which earned him a mixed bag of reactions from them. The teen even helped Liena cook dinner last night in an attempt to bond with her.
The two stood in silence for a bit before Lucy spoke again. "Loan, the fridge is still open," The goth mom said calmly, making her niece spin on her heel to close it and by the time she spun back around, the goth had vanished.
Shaking her head lightly, Loan shrugged off her Aunts' habit of disappearing and reappearing before going back to her room. Rounding the corner, the blonde saw the familiar faces of Lemy and Lupa as the two were seemingly eavesdropping on Toby, given the fact that they were outside of her door.
Seeing their older sister, Lupa put a finger to her lips before waving the blonde over. Curiosity peaked in Loan and the woman soon found herself listening alongside her little siblings.
"Look, Vinny, I don't give a shit what those morons say, if I say that it's at the docks then it's at. The. Damn. Docks!" came the angry voice of Toby. Loan was taken aback slightly at the tone, in all the time Toby had been around her, she's never heard him speak to anyone like that.
There was a brief pause before he spoke again, "No, no, I got it. These sharks play for keeps so we definitely need to win tonight. You think Emilio would step in for you?" Another brief pause for the person to respond. "The hell do you mean he won't do it?!"
"What's he talking about?" Loan asked quietly, earning shrugs from the two.
"Screw his bachelor party! He owes us this!"
"Maybe there was a video game tournament happening today?" Lemy threw out as they continued to listen.
"Why would it be at the docks though?" Loan countered.
"It's probably a drug deal and his muscle guy is backing out," Lupa said.
"We're not forfeiting! I'll find us someone and I'm making sure they get your cut of the winnings, Vinny!" cried Toby, the teen losing it a bit as he shouted into the phone before hanging up violently. Taking a deep breath and releasing it slowly, Toby slicked his hair back before heading for the door. Upon opening it though, he was met with two shocked expressions and a mischievous smile. "How much did you all hear?" Toby asked calmly.
"Just about all of it," Lupa said, her smile not faltering in the slightest.
"What were you even talking about?" Lemy asked.
"Business," came a clipped response from Toby before starting to walk off but found his exit halted as he felt Loan grab his wrist lightly.
"Toby...please tell us. We could probably help you solve your problem," Loan said softly, her eyes meeting Toby's. Heaving a heavy sigh, the teen gestured into Loan's room and without much more prompting, the three walked in. Upon the door being closed, Toby turned to his siblings and asked an odd question in an irritated tone.
"Do any of you know anything about street racing?"
The question took them by slight surprise before Lemy and Lupa felt wide grins spread across their faces. Loan, on the other hand, merely seemed confused by the question and easily voiced it before any of her younger siblings could speak. "Uh...is that what your call was about?" she asked her younger brother.
"Yeah, one of our drivers is taking his wife out for dinner tonight," Toby began but was cut off by Lemy piping in.
"Vinny?" the boy asked, earning a nod from the white haired teen.
"And now, Emilio, our backup, can't make it either so my team has to either move location or forfeit the race, if we can't find another driver," The teen finished before sighing heavily again. Hearing this, the grins on Lemy and Lupa's faces grew even bigger.
"We know someone," Lupa said with ease, making Toby snap his head in her direction.
"Who? Wait, how?"
"Doesn't matter how. As for who though, I can tell you but I'd need something out of this."
"What do you want, you little gremlin? My first born child?" Toby asked, not amused with Lupa's desire to try and make a deal.
"Nah, nothing like that. Just a cut of the money, there's something I want to get and don't feel like asking for someone to buy it for me," The smaller white haired girl said with her usual smile, her fangs prominent.
Sighing and knowing that he was on a bit of a time crunch, Toby agreed to her terms.
After a bit of pleading Lori had finally broken and agreed to go, causing her sisters to immediately feel the need to go on a shopping trip, bringing Leni's three kids with them. If Liena were being honest with herself though, she wasn't looking forward to the shopping trip with her aunts and mother. While the blonde didn't mind going to shop for clothes occasionally, she wasn't as invested in the activity as much as her mother was.
As the seven Louds made their way out of the Lobby, a limo having been called ahead and waiting for them, they were given a sudden surprise. As they climbed into the vehicle, the sudden sprinting form of Toby was found bursting out the doors of the hotel and before anyone could remark or react, the boy dove into the limo through the window, crumbling onto the floor of the now moving vehicle.
"Phew, I made it in time," Toby said as he tried to catch his breath.
"Dude, nice dive. I give ya a solid ten outta ten," Luna said as she and the others looked at the new Loud with various expressions.
"Are you okay, Toby?" asked Leni, earning a thumbs up from her nephew. After gaining confirmation from the teen, the mothers seemed to breathe sighs of relief before going back to their earlier conversation about what outfits they were all thinking about going with. Climbing into an open seat, Toby was met by the confused expressions of Bed and Liena as well as the indifferent look of Lyle.
"(Why'd you dive through the window?)" came Liena.
"(I had to catch you before you left.)"
"It couldn't be important enough to dive through a window," Lyle stated, having been watching the conversation unfold.
"Mind your business, Legolas," Toby snapped at the boy, getting a small hmph from him.
Turning back to his older sister, the teenage boy took a deep breath before continuing, "(Anyways, I have a small favor to ask)"
"(What is it?)"
Toby began to tell the blonde before throwing a look over his shoulder at the other occupants and upon noticing their not so subtle attempts of Lyle at eavesdropping, he decided to move to Liena's unoccupied left side and whisper into her ear. Keeping his voice low and getting straight to the point of his request, Toby asked his favor before pulling away from his sister and said, "Well?"
Liena, in turn, mulled over his favor. To say the blonde was surprised by the request would be an understatement. Toby had asked her to do something that she hasn't done in two years. On top of the fact that it was something that had worried her mother endlessly when she was doing it. Looking over at her brother, the blonde's face showed a mix of apprehension and excitement.
"(Only tonight?)" she asked, quickly receiving a nod from Toby. Heaving a heavy sigh, Liena nodded her head once, giving her brother the answer he was looking for.
Seeing her agreement, Toby couldn't help but smile brightly and hug Liena tightly. "Driver, to Lenora's!" Toby shouted towards the man, who easily began to turn and head in the direction that was requested.
After several outfits and accessories being tried on, the Louds began to make their way back to their room, excitement becoming palpable on the drive back. The Loud women were talking amongst themselves as they discussed their plans for tonight.
Walking into Loan's room, Toby was met with the gazes of three people. Lemy, Lupa, and Loan had waited on his return. Seeing the small smile on his face, they all couldn't help but feel their lips tug upwards.
"I've got a phone call to make," Toby said to them.
After some time had passed and the four Loud women had left for the club, the remaining parents allowed the kids to have their own fun throughout the room as they ordered pizza for everyone. Lyra was relaxing in the living room with Loan laying her head in the brunette's lap, a common sight in the family as of late, as the two watched a movie together. Seeing this, Liena knew that it was her chance to leave without being spotted.
After grabbing her wallet and donning her leather jacket, she made her way out of the room as quietly as she could.
After a minute of navigation, Liena spotted Toby near a vending machine, looking over each snack option available.
Toby was looking at the options on the machine as if he were expecting something to change. Clearing her throat, the girl got his attention.
"Oh, hey, you made it," he said before taking in Liena's appearance. "Oh, damn, you look amazing," the teen said, making the older blonde smile a bit at the genuine compliment. The two began to make their way down the hall and eventually out of the hotel, unbeknownst to them that they were being followed by a chaotic duo.
After grabbing a taxi and climbing inside, Toby gave Liena the plan. "Alright, when we get there, I'll introduce you to everyone. Try to appear as aloof and uncaring as possible, these guys thrive off of picking on the more...kind-hearted, to put it simply," the teen said, making the blonde raise an eyebrow before rolling her eyes. Relaxing into her seat a bit, Liena donned an expression she hadn't used in a couple of years.
With half-lidded eyes and a faint look of annoyance, Liena looked over at her brother with a raised eyebrow as if to silently ask 'Like this?'
"That...that'll work," Toby stated, taken aback by how almost natural the expression seemed on the usually cheery young woman's face.
The rest of their ride continued in comfortable silence before the vehicle slowed to a stop and they got out. After paying for their ride, the two young adults made their way to the entrance to the docks where they were stopped by three adults.
"Toby, ya made it!" came the excited voice of a pink haired woman as she ran and jumped onto the teen in a tight hug.
"Did you find a replacement?" asked a raven haired man.
Prying the woman off, Toby looked at the man, "Do you think I'd be here if I didn't?" he asked. Looking over at Liena, he gestured for her to come over. Doing so, the blonde caught the gaze of the last member of the trio and felt herself stop in her tracks.
The last member, a dirty blonde with some stubble on his face, looked at Liena and felt a smile break across his face. "Double S!" he cried out before rushing over and hugging the blonde tightly. Liena was shocked by this but she soon felt her shock turn to anger as she harshly shoved the man away from her.
Quickly getting between the two, the raven haired man put his hands out to keep the two apart. "Alright, alright! Whatever you two have between you, we'll handle later. Right now however, we need to get inside," he said before turning to the blonde man.
"What? She pushed me!" the blonde said.
"I said later, Eric," the man said, evenly. Huffing, Eric stormed off with the pink haired girl running after him. "Sorry about that, Double S. Had I known you were the driver, I would've told him to stay home," the raven haired man said. Liena simply raised an eyebrow at him as if to ask who he was.
"Oh right, allow me to introduce the rest of the team. You already know Eric, the ball of energy with the gum hair is Addison, and I'm Cameron."
Liena gave a small nod to the man at the introduction. Cameron gave the blonde a soft smile before speeding up to catch up with the other two. The young woman let a heavy sigh escape her before the voice of Toby came from behind her with a question she was dreading.
"How'd Eric know you?"
Looking over at her brother, Liena felt her frown deepen at his concerned expression, "(He and I used to race together when we were in high school. Last race we did together in senior year got me arrested and fined a grand,)"
Toby couldn't help but feel his eyes widen at that but before he could say anything, she continued.
"(Mom bailed me out and paid the fine...and he ran away with the winnings. Hadn't seen him till just now,)" Liena finished, her gaze hardening as she stared at where she could see Eric. Her hands clenched into fists. Her staring however, was soon cut off as she felt Toby place his hand on her shoulder. Upon seeing his concerned expression, Liena took a deep breath to calm herself and once she was calmed enough, they made their way to the rest of the group. Another question being asked as they did so.
"What does Double S stand for anyway?"
"(Silent Speedster.)"
"Really? That's lame," Toby said, earning him a playful shove from Liena.
Meanwhile, near the entrance, hiding behind some oil drums was the chaotic duo of Lemy and Lacy.
"Oh man, I can't believe they haven't noticed us yet," Lemy said, a bright smile on his face as he and Lacy continued to make their way closer to where the racing was being held. The young metalhead having snuck out to see the race for himself and Lacy merely tagged along cause she was told there was a race happening and she wanted in. It took some begging from some siblings, mainly Lupa, to cover for them as well as spending the shopping money they had for the rest of the trip to take the taxi to get to where they were.
"This is gonna be awesome! Toby's gonna be so excited when he sees us there!" Lacy said, a smile just as bright appearing on her face as she stretched her arms.
The two kids walked in companionable silence as they followed the path for what felt like a few minutes until they heard the roar of engines as well as what sounded like a party. Stopping in their tracks, they speared a glance at each other before deciding to pick up the pace. Making their way into a clearing, the duo saw what made their jaws drop and eyes sparkle in excitement.
A seemingly endless line of sports cars in wide arrays of colors and designs was laid out in front of them. People of various sizes and styles all seemingly talking amongst themselves and checking under the hood of some of the vehicles. Some of the cars looked heavily modified while others seem to just have shiny coats of paint on them. Something that caught the two's eyes however, was a car that looked as though it should be in an Autoshow parked amongst the more modern cars.
It was a glossy snowwhite with what looked to be darkly tinted windows on it. Someone had their head under the hood, possibly doing a final check on everything. Lacy and Lemy couldn't help but marvel at the beauty of it but in doing so, they failed to notice the two pairs of arms coming up behind them.
If he were being honest, Toby was more than a bit nervous at the moment. He, alongside his team, was just moments away from doing the biggest race in the underground and while he didn't have to worry about the police, he was worried about losing.
In this race, Tour De Rose they call it, each racer must compete in a one-on-one race of a certain route which wouldn't be a big deal, if it weren't for the fact that if a racer loses, then their cars' pink slip is given to the winner. That's what has Toby worried because he wasn't ready to give up Snowflake, his white classic car. The very idea of him having to give up his car was nerve wracking but ultimately, more exciting to him.
The white haired teen, with that in mind, continued to tinker away at the car before he heard sounds of struggling behind him. Dropping the hood and wiping his hands clean, the teen turned around to see something surprising.
In the arms of two guards were the struggling frames of Lacy and Lemy. The boy tried, in vain, to free himself while the girl was actually giving the burly man a hard time with her impressive strength. Toby felt his blood run cold as he looked at them, they had followed him to something illegal and that was not a good combo of things for him.
"Found these two snoopin around the outside, Boss," One of the guards said as he kept a hold on Lemy. A tall, slender Japanese woman walked out from the crowd and made her way over to the two.
Her face was set in a neutral expression as she looked down at the two before gesturing to the guards to release them. Doing so, Lemy and Lacy easily backed away from the three adults and dropped into fighting stances. The surrounding group began to laugh as they saw the two look around for a way out.
Gesturing her hand again, the laughter died down significantly as the woman looked down at them. "You two seem a bit young to be wanting to join the race," she said evenly, a small smile gracing her plump red lips. The two felt a small chill run down their spines as they heard the woman's voice.
"We aren't here to join, Ma'am," Lacy began, having found her voice first, "We just came here to see our brother and sister race."
"Is that so? And who are your siblings?"
Lacy looked around, being silently thankful that she could break eye contact with the woman's piercing gaze. Searching the crowd, the brunette soon spotted Toby's distinct white hair and gestured over to him, "Well our brother's right there."
Following the young girls' hand, the woman couldn't help but smile wide when she and Toby made eye contact. "Tobias, come over here. The rest of you, keep prepping, we're starting soon," she said, easily causing the other racers to disperse and go back to their own business.
Making his way over, albeit slowly, Toby finally stepped in front of the woman. He had carefully and subtly slipped himself between her and Lacy. "Yes,Yukiko?" he said.
"Tobias, you didn't tell me we'd have guests coming," The woman, Yukiko, said playfully.
"If I'm being honest, I didn't know they were even coming. If I did, then I would've had you make tea. Speaking of which though," Toby paused to switch his gaze to his two younger siblings who had donned more relaxed stances. "What are you two doing here?" he asked sternly, his arms soon crossing over his chest.
"We wanted to see the race," Lemy said quickly with a shrug, Lacy happily nodding in agreement. Hearing this, Toby let out a heavy sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
"So rather than asking if you could come along, you two decided to sneak out?" The teen asked, his tone starting to take on a more frustrated tone. Hearing this, the two couldn't help but feel dejected.
"Now, now, Toby. No need to fly off the handle, they just came to support you," Yukiko cut in, placing a hand on the teen's shoulder. Stepping forward, the woman crouched down to the younger sibling's height. "How would you two feel about actually being in the race rather than just watch it?"
Hearing that, Lacy couldn't help but perk back up at that. "Really?!" she asked, her excitement not at all being hidden.
"Of course-" Yukiko began.
"Not!" Toby cut her off, his expression beginning to contort into one of pure anger. Just as he was about to launch into a tirade though, a hand landed on his shoulder. Following it up the arm, the teen was met with the kind eyes of Liena.
"(Let them race, Toby. They'll be safe, trust me,)" The blonde said as she offered a soft smile to the concerned teen. The teen wasn't wholly convinced by the blonde's words but seeing the expression on Liena's face, Toby sighed before turning back to the dynamic duo.
"Do you two promise to put your seatbelts on?"
"Yeah!" Lemy said.
"Promise!" Lacy quickly added.
Sighing heavily again, Toby looked over at Yukiko with a slight glare. The woman's sly smile not faltering in the slightest. "They get hurt, I'll have your head," Toby growled out.
"Geez, with a tone like that, you sound like Mom," Yukiko said with an eye roll before smiling and adding, "Fine, I'll make sure they don't get hurt. I'll even buy pizza after."
With a huff, Toby stormed over to his car. Yukiko sighed before looking at the two and then looking at Liena. "Have you gotten your route?" she asked, receiving a nod from the blonde, "Good, head to your car and take the girl with you."
Nodding again, Liena gestured for Lacy to follow before the two went over to get prepped.
"Guess I'm going with Toby," Lemy said but was quickly stopped by Yukiko, who merely let a sly grin come back to her face.
Before anyone knew it, the time had come and the sound of engines was beginning to be heard throughout the area. Like a well oiled machine, racers were paired off and flagged to go. Soon, Liena's steel grey car pulled up and the passenger window rolled down.
Lacy's head popped out as she smiled brightly and said, "Wish us luck, Toby!"
"Good luck," Toby said calmly, his anger having subsided due to the time having passed as well as Lacy's bright smile. Sitting in her seat, the brunette clicked her seatbelt and gave a thumbs up at her brother. Smiling, Toby gave one back.
As the window rolled back up, Liena gave her brother a two finger salute before making her way over to the starting line. Much like before, Liena and her opponent were flagged and took off like bats out of hell.
Getting into his own car, it occouried to Toby that Lemy wasn't in the passenger seat. Panic quickly set in as the teen began to run around the quickly emptying lot, looking for his little brother. His heart began to race as his search was starting to come up empty. Feelings of fear and panic began to overwhelm Toby as he began to fear that Lemy might've gotten into the wrong car.
"Yo, Toby!" cried a distant yet familiar voice. Spinning around to the source, the teen saw the very person he was looking for. The small boy was leaning out of the window of a sleak, black sports car. One he knew way too well, seeing as how he himself had been in the car.
The negative emotions quickly melted almost completely away as Toby soon found himself climbing into his car and making his way over to the car as it was making its way to the starting line. Getting there was no trouble for him however, upon getting to the line, Lemy sat back in his seat and Toby was greeted by the smiling face of Yukiko.
"Hope you don't mind me borrowing your little brother."
"Yukiko, what the hell are y-" The teen began before the window was quickly rolled up. Growling to himself, Toby sat forward and got into position. The flag girl began her flirtatious routine before signaling the start and much like his sister, Toby and Yukiko took off like rockets.
Easily making their way out of the docks and back onto the roads. The two cars were speeding through the streets at breakneck speeds, weaving between cars like trained fighters. Neither of them seem to be able to gain too much of an advantage on the other. At least that was the case before a sharp left turn came up and Yukiko slid ahead with precision, effectively blocking Toby from going around her.
Growling in frustration, Toby took a moment to see ahead of the car and noticed there was a sharp right he could take that would spit him out on the route again. Only problem was that it was on a busier road so he'd be having to move in between cars and avoiding pedestrians.
"Damn it, Yuki!" growled the teen before he took the turn. Just as he predicted, there were cars and people to get around which wasn't hard for the teen. Until a drunk blonde practically fell in the middle of the street with her other friends trying to pull her up.
Panicking slightly, Toby noticed an open space where a car had paralleled parked then left, giving the teen an idea that he doubted he could pull off without any damage to the car or possibly himself. Gritting his teeth, the white haired lad executed the maneuver, drifting around the group by sliding into the space and quickly ejecting out of it.
As the car began to eject out of the space, one of the women in the group caught his eye as her surprised gaze locked with his when a neon light temporarily lit up the car. The woman's appearance couldn't be mistaken, even with the speed he was going.
He had just locked eyes with his Aunt Lori. Not only that though, she seemed to have noticed that it was him driving, as indicated by her lips beginning to mouth his name. However as quickly as it happened, it was over and Toby was now back on track.
Just as he predicted, the road spat him out and practically rammed him into Yukiko, the two cars barely a couple of inches from touching. Righting himself, the teen grit his teeth and continued along the route. The two drivers now neck in neck again, only this time Toby was focused and allowed himself to flow through the traffic with ease. After a wide turn, the drivers quickly turned onto a winding road. They had reached the last stretch of their race and things were going to start getting tricky for Toby.
The two came upon a wide turn and, unlike Toby's car, Yukiko's was built to handle gripping on wide drifts. With practiced skill, the sleek black car slid around the corner with the older car starting to trail behind it. Another wide turn had put more distance between them and Toby could start to see the finish line ahead. Knowing that he only had one option left, the teen shifted gears a bit before flipping the cover to a switch open. With a couple of button presses, the car shifted into high gear as fire erupted from the exhaust pipe of the white vehicle, the rush of power seemed to be enough to make the car rocket ahead and cross the finish line.
The sudden power proved to be too much as the car came to a screeching halt, smoke and tire tracks being shown as it spun 90 degrees to a complete stop. The door to it was thrown open and the figure of Toby came tumbling out of the car, his hands smacking against the pavement as he was trying to gain his bearings.
"Toby!" came the concerned tone of Yukiko as footsteps could be heard moving towards the teen. Looking up, the teen was met with the concerned faces of his team as well as his family. "Are you okay?" Yukiko asked, kneeling down to him.
Taking a deep breath, the white haired teen opened his mouth to speak but vomit quickly replaced those words, making everyone take some steps back. Spiting the rest of the bile out, Toby gave a weak thumbs up.
Climbing to his feet, Toby steadied himself before walking over to Yukiko. The woman's face showed nothing but worry as she looked at him. "Toby, are you okay?" she asked, her hand cupping his face as she looked him over.
"'M okay. Wasn't expecting to almost spin out of control."
At that, the woman brought him into a tight hug, kissing the top of his head. Liena, Lacy, and Lemy were all confused at this as they had assumed Yukiko and Toby didn't like each other. Looking over at the three, Yukiko could see their confusion and decided to clear the air.
"I never properly introduced myself, my apologies," she began, not breaking the hug, "I'm Yukiko Hirayama, Toby's older sister. You all can call me Yuki though."
"Nice to meet you, I'm Lacy and this is Lemy and Liena," the brunette said with a bright smile. Yuki couldn't help but feel her heart melt at the young girl's kind demeanor. The moment was ruined however when Toby spoke in dialect that the three weren't expecting.
"手放す、あなたは私を窒息させ始めている、あなたはゴリラ。" came from Toby, causing Yuki to let go of him with a huff.
"Did...did you just speak Japanese?" asked Lemy, the boy having played a lot of Japanese games with Loan so he could tell what the dialect could possibly be.
"Yeah," Toby confirmed, before receiving a punch on the arm from Yuki.
"I'm not a gorilla," the woman pouted, earning a round of laughter from the siblings.
If she were being honest with herself, Lori was still in relative shock at what had transpired roughly an hour ago. One moment she was practically having to babysit a drunk Lola and tipsy Luna and the next, she catches her nephew performing a maneuver that left them all practically speechless. The eldest blonde had been the only one to see Toby in the driver seat but that didn't mean that her other sisters hadn't had anything to say about the situation.
"Ugh, the nerve of that guy! He could've killed me!" Lola shouted in between bites of her incredibly greasy pizza. Let it be known that Lola Loud, a woman voted to have been 'Sexiest Woman Of The Year' at one point, was currently gorging herself on pizza with the same fervor as Lana. A scene that only people who have been around the drunken woman get to see, including Lana herself.
"Well, racers usually try to avoid hitting people," Leni said, her voice eerily quiet compared to its usual bubbly tone.
"Leni, you okay?" Luna asked softly, the rocker sensing something wrong with the fashionista.
The blonde merely frowned before looking between her sisters, tears beginning to well up in her eyes as she asked, "Do...do you guys think the driver was Liena?"
Hearing the blonde ask that question, the Loud women almost immediately began to console the blonde. All three of them bore witness to the toll it took on Leni when Liena was racing in highschool. Seeing her start to get back into that mindset was worrisome to them, especially since the last time Leni got worked up about it, she almost considered sending her eldest daughter to military school.
"It's not Liena, sweetie," Lori reassured her younger sister in a soft tone, offering her a small yet kind smile.
"Y-you think so?"
"Totally brah," Luna cut in.
"Besides, if it were, she would've stopped or texted you," Lola added before taking another slice. Leni smiled a bit at that, her worry subsiding a bit at her sisters' words.
"Well, well, well, what we got here, boys?" came an arrogant voice, a tone that the four women had grown accustomed to over the years. Looking over, the four are treated to the sight of some rather 'fancy' dressed men. The four intruders were wearing variations of just some muscle shirt/jean combinations and they had waves of cheap cologne wafting off of them.
They all stared down at the four beautiful women in front of them, hungrily taking in their appearances. Rolling their eyes, Lori and Lola went back to their food while Leni and Luna stared up the men in curiosity.
"Hey ladies, haven't seen any of you around these parts. You new in town?" the lead man asked.
"On a family vacation actually and tonight's our last night before we fly back," Leni answered easily, having wiped her eyes with some napkins.
"Oh, yeah? Well how would you four like me and my boys here to show you the night life before you leave?" The leader said, a smug grin cracking his face.
"Not interested," Lori said curtly, not looking up from her food.
"Oh, c'mon, babe. Let us show you a good time," one of the other men said, his true intentions being laid out in his tone.
"We said not interested, so leave," Lola snapped, her appetite being ruined by the rather annoying men. Hearing Lola's tone however, seemed to trigger one of the others as he slammed his hand down onto the table top, easily grabbing everyone's attention.
"You aren't gettin' what we're saying, blondie. We run this city, so if my boss offers you something, then you say 'Thank you' and accept the offer," he growled out, cigarette smoke could be smelled on his breath due to how close he was to Lola's face. He couldn't see it though, but Lola's hand was starting to curl into a fist as her drunken rage began to grow. Before she could swing however, a familiar voice cut in.
"Oh? You four run this town, do you?" asked a calm yet commanding voice.
"Yeah! So we suggest y-" The man in Lola's face said, pulling himself away from her and towards the source but was quickly silenced by who the voice came from.
Near the entrance with his siblings behind him, stood Toby. The teens face showing a cold yet calculative expression as he began to slowly make his way over. The four men, upon seeing who it was, began to scoot away.
Making his way to the table, Toby looked at the four women, "You four okay?"
"Yeah, we're fine, Tobes," Leni said, a smile spreading on her face at seeing her nephew.
"T-Tobes?!" The leader squeaked out as they looked at the teen.
"It's a nickname my aunts all settled on giving me," Toby said simply, looking back at the four men with his piercing blue gaze.
"A-Aunts? As in...those f-four?"
"Yes, the four that you idiots were just threatening. Not to mention the fact that you just lied to them about who really runs this town."
"H-hey, listen Tobes-"
"That's Mr. Finley to you four," Toby spat as his cold expression began to heat up with rage, "Now unless you four pencil-dicked, shit brains want to royally piss me off, I suggest you leave before your shit excuse for fashion and pick up lines make everyone lose their appetites."
Quickly doing as he says, the four men duck out of the pizza restaurant with their tails tucked. Releasing a heavy sigh, the teen's anger melted away as he squeezed in next to Luna. Everyone else took some seats in a booth not too far away.
"Thank, Toby," Lori said, giving the teen a small smile.
"No problem. Sorry you all had to see that."
"You kiddin'? That was kickass dude!" Luna exclaimed, a smile easily coming to her face at having just seen what happened.
"Oh! Before I forget, I have someone you guys should meet," Toby said, gesturing over to Yuki. "Ladies, I'd like you to meet Yukiko Hirayama, she's my older sister. Yukiko, say hi to my aunts; Lola, Lori, Leni and-" he was cut off by Yuki suddenly reaching out and taking Luna's hand and shaking it vigorously.
"Holy shit, you're hotter in person!" Yuki blurted out before quickly following up with, "It's an honor to meet you, Ms Luna! I'm a huge fan!"
Laughing a bit awkwardly, you'd think the rocker would be used to weird fans by now, Luna said "Nice to meet a fan. And thanks for the compliment, it means a lot," the brunette said in an awkward tone. She could tell this was gonna be a long meal.
Morning soon came and the Louds were finishing their packing. After having pizza and taking a lot of selfies, mostly Luna and Yuki, the Louds parted ways with the woman and made it back to the hotel where Lyra promptly lectured Lemy and Lacy for sneaking out as well as attempt to lecture Toby and Liena on allowing the two kids to be out and about in a dangerous city. After finishing her lectures, the Louds decided to head to bed so they could catch their plane in the morning.
There was soon a knock at the door, Lincoln, having already finished packing, answered it. Upon opening the door, the man was greeted by a pair of bellhops. Two men with luggage carts smile at him with the usual friendliness that you'd expect.
"Alright everyone, bring your bags!" Lincoln shouted, making some of the kids and adults appear with bags in hand. Handing them off to the bellhops, the carts were soon filled as everyone handed off their luggage. "Is that everything?" Lincoln asked, seeing everyone nod or verbally confirm with him.
With a gesture from the bellhops, the Louds filed out and down to the Lobby. Making their way to the desk, the Louds were greeted by the concierge as well as a woman in a fancy three-piece suit.
"Louds?" the woman asked calmly.
"That's us," Lincoln said, already knowing what to expect. The suited woman gave a nod to Lincoln before turning to walk towards the front door. Following behind her, the large family was greeted by a group of SUV's. The bellhops began loading the luggage into the backs of the vehicles while the family broke off into groups for the vehicles.
Swiftly, everything and everyone was loaded up and they were on their ways. Chattering amongst themselves, the ride was smooth and uneventful. After a series of twists and turns however, the Louds noticed that they weren't heading to the entrance of the Airport but instead directly to the hangers.
The talking soon stopped as everyone now wondered why they were heading there. Leaning forward to get a better view, Lincoln saw a private jet waiting in the hanger with a couple of people in there. Turning inside, the cars came to a stop and the people, who they all recognized to be employees were soon starting to unload the bags and move them to the aircraft.
At this point, the Louds all left their seats to walk upto the jet and marvel at it.
"Welcome, Louds! Hope you all enjoyed your vacation!" came the voice of the old man they had met on the first day. Looking over, they all gave some form of appreciation, prompting the man to continue. "You might be wondering why I've decided to fly you home in style and the answer to that is simple. It's my parting gift to you all, seeing as how Toby loved meeting you all so much."
"Where is Toby?" asked Lemy.
"He should be on his way. There was some business he had to take care of before he left," The man said.
"Before he left? Toby's coming with us?" asked Leni, earning a smile from the man. Seeing the gesture, some of the family couldn't help but scream in excitement at the news. Over the course of the trip, the family had tried to have as much fun as they could, fearing that they wouldn't see Toby at the end of it all.
Calming themselves, the family easily began to launch barrages of questions at the old man before a whistle sounded off. Stopping the barrage, the family looked over to see the familiar figure of Toby as he stood next to the car he arrived in.
"Alright, alright. No need to blow the man's hearing out, I'm here."
"Toby!" cried some of the younger kids as they sprinted over to him but quickly stopped in their tracks when they saw what he was holding in one of his hands. A sheathed katana with twin white dragons winding around the black scabbard. Noticing their gazes, the teen chuckled at how awestruck they looked, even noticing some of the adults' appreciation of the design.
"Okay, let's get a move on. I wanna be at my new home before lunch time," Toby said as he made his way onto the jet and into his seat with everyone filing behind him, some with questions about the sword.
While this was happening however, Lucy noticed something that had followed Toby onto the plane when he arrived.
A Spirit.
More specifically, the spirit of a woman. She seemed to follow Toby as he got onboard, giggling silently into her yukata sleeve. This development brought a smile to the goth's face, she couldn't wait to hear the woman's story. Or more specifically, how Toby ties into her story.
And thus concludes the story intro. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter because it was great getting to write it. Next chapter should prove to be a fun one as we get to see Toby get taken out of his element and brave this new environment. How will he make due? Well, to find out, Stay Tuned, Readers!