Legal Disclaimer: I do not own Red vs. Blue or any of the show's characters. They are the rightful properties of Rooster Teeth.
Chapter Nine:
The Guild's little traveling party of Donut, Sarge, Grif, Simmons, and Lopez had fallen quiet while listening to the purple-wearing newcomer's retelling of the information that he had overheard earlier. All of their eyes were on Frank "Doc" DuFresne as he finished talking, the rest of the Peaceful Harbor inn fading away into the background as they convened.
"So, you're saying this newfangled information is accurate then? It ain't no trap?" Sarge asked into the midst of the group, clearly suspicious.
Doc opened his mouth to respond to the older man, but Franklin Delano Donut beat him to the punch.
"Come on, Sarge!" The dirty blond stated exuberantly with hands on his hips, "Does Doc look like the type of person who would lie?"
Sarge made a noncommittal noise, but decided not to verbally argue the point further.
Donut flashed Doc a reassuring grin. The bespectacled man returned the gesture with a brief smile of his own, his face going slightly red at the attention that the pink-wearing Magic User was throwing his way.
Dexter Grif witnessed the exchange and sighed, realizing he needed a hell of a fucking lot more drinks if he was going to have to deal with this bullshit. Never mind that it was way too early in the morning to be up, let alone to be having a group meeting to discuss their next course of action.
The Orc seriously hated his life sometimes. But, if this information could help pin down where Kai and the others were, he'd be all for it. …Not that he wouldn't bitch about it all the same, of course.
"We're definitely going back to Kimball and Doyle with this information, right?" Grif couldn't help asking at the thought of his still missing sister.
From nearby, Simmons glanced Grif's way at the surprising urgency in the chubby man's tone before turning his attention back to the others.
Sarge scoffed at Grif's question, "Way ahead of you, numb-nuts." He informed the orange-wearing man testily, "Tucker's already arranging transportation back to Armonia as we speak."
Grif couldn't help but let out a small sigh, glad that was already being taken care of. When he looked up again, it was to Simmons smiling at him in reassurance. The tan-skinned man couldn't help but return the human's gesture in kind before remembering not to do too much to injure his lazy reputation.
"I'll be coming along too," Doc noted eagerly just then, "Since I'm the one that overheard the information. Plus, I'm also registered at the Guild!"
"Uh-huh. What are the odds." Grif was only partially listening to what the man in the flower crown was saying now, having decided that at this point in the conversation he didn't need to exert more than the bare minimum of energy and concentration.
"That's great, Doc!" Donut exclaimed just as Lavernius Tucker and Washington joined the group, "The more the merrier, I always say!"
"Y aún no has tenido razón." {"And you haven't been right yet."}
"Lopez is right! Even if there are tight spaces, we can squeeze in if we work together!"
"...Voy a dejar de hablar ahora." {"…I'm going to stop talking now."}
"Hey," Tucker cut in following Lopez's mysterious aside, his feline ears twitching ever so slightly atop his head, "Just got in touch with York. We can go in about five minutes."
Sarge nodded his head in affirmation, "Excellent. Let's get this show on the road then."
Tucker and Washington both nodded their heads in agreement, tough the dark-skinned Beast Folk couldn't help but turn to Grif and Simmons just then with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"Did you guys sleep well?" he couldn't help but tease, the shit-eating grin evident in his voice.
Simmons' face turned red at the reminder of their shared bed situation, though Grif was nonplussed by the whole thing. Truthfully, the orange-wearing man had slept rather well. He wouldn't even mention how good it had felt to wake up draped around a still sleeping redhead.
So, instead, like the true maverick he was, Grif countered Tucker's question with one of his own, "…Did you?"
Simmons shot the Orc a grateful look, and he half-assed shrugged back in response.
There was a brief pause after the heavy-set man's question in which both Tucker and Washington glanced at each other. Both of their faces were curiously red.
Tucker's cat ears even drooped, "It—it was fine, dude." He finally stated, before adding slightly under his breath, "If someone could keep his hands to himself…"
The Seas' face was a tomato hue after picking up on what Tucker had just muttered, "I—I couldn't…! I mean, I didn't—!"
Grif and Simmons both exchanged a curious glance at the blond's anxiety attack.
Simmons bravely stepped forward then, obviously feeling a tinge of sympathy for Washington, "Any…anyways, we should get going, right?"
Both Washington and Tucker seemed immensely relieved by the save, nodding way more exuberantly than was necessary.
"Right you are, Simmons!" Sarge said in agreement as Grif rolled his eyes at the huge smile that lit up Simmons' face at the praise (…kiss-ass!), "Let's skedaddle while the going's good!"
It was unusually quiet as Leonard Church's group made their way back to Armonia, the only noise other than the nature around them being the low whispered conversation going on between North and Theta. Church had a feeling that his "brother" and North actually wanted to engage in customary small talk, but they both must have wisely sensed that now wasn't the best time.
Truthfully, Church wasn't exactly used to this level of silence given that he and Carolina had spent the last few days traveling with Michael J. Caboose.
So, even if he had often prayed for quiet in those torturous travels, the dark-haired man was surprised by how fucking uneasy it was making him feel currently. Not to mention annoyed. Though, if he was truly being honest with himself, Church was always annoyed by something or other.
It wasn't as if he expected a lot of conversation from his sister or Tex since they were currently in their patented "fixed on the mission at hand" modes and trudging a little farther up ahead from the rest of the party.
No, it was the absolute and utterly uncharacteristic silence of Caboose that had Church annoyed at present. And maybe, just maybe, if he was being honest with himself, it had him a bit worried too.
Caboose was usually always trying to talk everyone's ears off, especially Church's. Often at the worst possible times too. …Which, again, in Church's case was pretty much all the time.
But, ever since they had arrived at the downed airship and had discovered that Caboose's older sister was its missing pilot, the younger Dwarf had fallen completely silent.
Church was so used to Caboose being normally oblivious and carefree when it came to the situations going on around them that this turn of events was more than just a little mildly disturbing to him.
Anything that was mildly disturbing to Church kind of pissed him the hell off.
The cobalt-wearing man was this fucking close to whipping around to the blond in what would no doubt have been an awe-inspiring (yet humble) attempt at saying something semi-encouraging when three figures appeared on the path up ahead, evidently waiting for them.
Church sighed in grateful relief at the newcomers since, if he was honest with himself, trying to say something positive would probably turn out to be more painful in the long run than a normal conversation with Caboose was.
It didn't take Church long to recognize the eagerly enthusiastic Guild trainees, Volleyball and Palomo, who were already saluting. The older human who was with them, however, was a complete stranger.
"Welcome back, sirs and madams!" Palomo greeted them far too cheerfully the second they were within earshot, Church recalling just then how annoying his Guild friend Tucker claimed the younger man was.
"Were you sent to escort us back to the city?" North inquired after a friendly wave himself, perplexed by the notion.
Palomo shook his dark-haired head, "Nah, we just happened to run into you here." The younger man said in way of explanation.
Volleyball nodded in agreement, "York and Delta are up ahead, getting ready to bring a group back."
Carolina stiffened slightly at the mention of York's name. It was subtle, but Church, Tex, and North all noticed the redhead's action.
"And Andersmith here asked to come along on our patrol because he wanted to take his mind off of things." Palomo motioned to the older, dark-haired man standing close by them.
"We still have no word on where Jensen and the others are being held." The newcomer, apparently named Andersmith, started without preamble, worried lines etched heavily across his face.
Ah. So, he must be a friend or something of one of the Magic Users who had been abducted. That probably meant he'd be tagging along on Guild business until this matter was solved.
Church was thoroughly surprised when understanding seemed to seep into Caboose's blue eyes, the blond stepping forward to pat the obviously distressed Andersmith on the shoulder.
"Don't worry, Smith!" Caboose told the older man with a surprising amount of cheery conviction, "My big sis is missing too, but she's tough! They'll be okay if they're together."
For a moment, there was nothing but the dark-haired man's stunned silence in response to Caboose's declaration.
But, then Andersmith blinked and a teary smile crossed over his features before he fucking saluted Caboose, clearly touched by his words.
"Thank you for your kindness, sir!" He stated emphatically, "I will do my best to keep my chin up, just like you are!"
"Chin-ups are hard." Caboose muttered under his breath, as Church openly gaped at the totally random exchange.
His attention was quickly turned around, however, by Carolina and Tex moving a little ways off to the side of the group.
"I take it something happened between you and York while I was away?" Tex asked the other woman casually enough, though there was an assessing look in her brown eyes all the same.
Carolina seemed to pick up on what Tex was getting at as her green eyes narrowed, "It won't affect our working together, if that's what you're implying."
The blonde snorted, "I'd assume as much." Tex stated before looking oddly sympathetic, "Relationships can be complicated."
Now it was the redhead's turn to snort derisively, "Says the woman who is currently…what?" She inquired, "In or out of a relationship with my brother at this time?"
Tex smirked, actually looking contemplative for a moment, "Let's see. What week is it now?"
"Hey!" Church had heard about enough of that shit, stomping over to where the women were standing angrily.
Tex's grin had him responding by giving her the finger.
Carolina's look as she watched the exchange was an amused one, and Church realized that Tex had probably done all of that on purpose. He couldn't help but smirk at the notion.
"I'll leave you two to figure it out." Carolina stated a moment later, "I'll go on ahead."
With that, his sister was gone, her super speed leaving a cloud of dust in her wake.
"You know," Tex began, placing a finger to her lips in thought, "I think we're on a break right now."
Church rolled his eyes, noting the teasing tone in her voice, "Shut up, bitch."
"Takes one to know one, Church."
They were both smiling then, no true venom behind their words.
Kaikaina Grif wasn't used to waiting. In fact, it fucking sucked. But she knew that, until they figured some way out of this mess, she'd have to try to be patient.
Like when you were really close, but someone was being a fucking tease and…
With that thought, she could almost hear her brother's exclamation of "Goddamn it, Kai!" in her head and sighed.
None of the other captives in the cells nearby were currently talking, but there was still a shit-ton of noise that was seeping into the holding cells from the rest of the Asshole Compound and beyond. It was enough to get her both curious and agitated all at once.
"What the fuck is going on out there?" The half-Orc, half-Beast Folk finally demanded, jumping into a standing position with her wings fluttering behind her.
She hated being locked up without enough room to move around in to fly freely. There was only about two meters between her head and the ceiling. The other three prisoners in the cells around her did not say anything in response to her question, not that she had expected them to do so since they were all in the same boat.
The human girl, Katie Jensen, and Dwarf lady, Four Seven Niner, both listened intently to the noise as well, though the Seas boy remained in a tight ball on the floor of his captive space.
"There is preparation going on for a tournament to gain more recruits." An unfamiliar, feminine voice spoke up in response to the yellow-wearing girl's question from the doorway of the dungeon area.
Kai glanced that way sharply, surprised at the sight of a woman standing there.
The newcomer seemed to have been carved out of shiny diamond. She moved away from the doorway, standing before the cells in an oddly subservient manner.
"My name is Filss." The stranger stated before Kai or one of the others could ask who the fuck she was, "I am here to help make your stay with us as comfortable as possible."
Kai couldn't help but snort, "Nice going so far, lady."
"Huh." The Dwarf woman, Niner, spoke up at around the same time to also address Filss, "You don't seem too happy about your job."
Kai glanced over at Filss again, noting that the tan-skinned woman's assumption seemed right on the nose. From her posture down to her fake smile, there was something about the diamond lady's very body language that just screamed "reluctance."
Filss bowed her head even more, stony tendrils of hair refusing to budge at the motion, "You are correct. But I can't—"
"Filss. That is more than enough." A dark-skinned man with an unnervingly calm edge to his voice appeared in the doorway just then, accompanied by the jackass guard in tan and orange from before.
Filss bowed her head again, looking stricken at the reprimand, "Yes, Counselor."
The man, obviously a big shot of some kind, gazed amongst the occupants of the cells. There was a slight smile on his face that definitely did not reach his eyes. This Counselor guy was beyond creepy, and for a second Kai's mouth froze shut.
"You should be used to your new accommodations by now." He spoke in that same eerily placating manner once more, "This situation will be much easier if you just accept it."
Niner snorted at that, and Kai was pretty sure she had a new fucking hero. The Counselor's gaze flickered to the Dwarf given her outburst before coming to land solely on the seemingly catatonic Seas boy.
"This one still hasn't eaten or drank anything, has he?" He mused out loud, more to himself than to anyone else. Finally, he motioned to the young guard standing nearby, "Bring him."
There was an explosion of outbursts following this announcement as the guard with multi-colored hair opened the cell door to comply. Jensen and Niner's protests swallowed up Kai's, "Leave him the fuck alone, assholes!"
…But, they may as well all have fallen on deaf ears for all the good they did.
The guard pulled the unresisting auburn-haired boy along the dungeon's hallway, the mysterious Counselor following close behind. A dread silence fell over the space in their wake.
Filss glanced at the three remaining female prisoners before heading to the door herself, "I'll go and check on them. Do what I can to help." She stated quietly as if in reassurance before disappearing from view as well.
Kai sighed and sat down in her cell once more, a horrible feeling sinking lower and lower in her gut. They definitely needed to figure out how to get the fuck out of here. Fucking fast.
"…Whoops!" York's voice said from somewhere nearby, sounding more amused than it ought to be, "That is definitely not supposed to happen."
"Your assumption is indeed correct, York." Delta's voice added into the mix wryly.
Using the Teleportation Orbs, or "Future Cubes" as Grif liked to call them, to get back to Armonia and the Guild Headquarters worked like a charm. Except for one thing: Richard "Dick" Simmons was on the ground again flat on his back, head hurting as though he had hit it on the floor behind him.
Unlike the other times when this had happened, there was a distinct and heavy weight on top of the redhead that was nearly cutting off his breath.
"What in holy hell tarnation?" Sarge began from somewhere farther away, "This is no time to be taking a nap, dirt-bag!"
Yet, despite that comment, the dark eyes that were looking into Simmons' own were very much wide awake. Albeit a bit dream-lidded, it seemed.
"Eso es incómodo." {"That's awkward."}
Next to Lopez, Donut squealed, "Aww! Should we turn away, guys?" He asked in far too joyous a voice for Simmons' liking.
Of course, it would be Grif of all people to land on top of him.
Of course, it was Grif's lips hovering mere centimeters from his own, the Orc's stinky breath still smelling of his fucking nasty breakfast wafting down warmly onto Simmons' face.
"Does this happen often?" Doc inquired of Donut, in what was no doubt a stage whisper. Fuck them all!
"Well…!" the dirty blond began, and Simmons' brain scrambled to get his mouth to catch up as Donut's voice hummingly trailed off.
It was hard to yell "Get off of me, fat-ass!" though, especially with the odd, dual feelings of surprising contentment currently flooding his system. Why the hell was the chubby man so happy to be in this predicament?!
For that matter, why was Simmons?
A familiarly personal sense of panic creeped in as Simmons admitted that Grif's weight, once the chubby man had shifted somewhat, was oddly comfortable resting on top of him. It brought to mind how surprisingly pleasant last night's sleep had been before Simmons had freaked out over finding Grif's warm body draped over him like a heavy blanket.
Just like this morning, Grif evidently seemed to not mind their compromisingly awkward position now either. In fact, the Orc almost looked as though he was about to take a nap then and there, his tan-skinned face drifting closer to Simmons' own as he did so…
Tucker, from where he was standing next to Washington close by, chose that opportunity to whistle, "Whoa, looks like you two could use another room!" he joked.
Grif blinked, opening his mouth to no doubt tell Tucker to go fuck off, when running footsteps suddenly came to a halt right near the group.
Simmons felt his face heat up even more at the thought of someone else now seeing his current predicament, and he turned green eyes to the side to get a better look at who it was who had so quickly stumbled onto the scene.
The sight of equally green eyes widening in shock in a surprisingly familiar face gave him pause.
It took him no more than a few seconds to recognize that he was staring at his cousin.
Carolina's shaky voice spoke up a second later, his relative looking just as shocked to see him, "Simmons?"
Author's Notes: …Something tells me that Carolina will totally misinterpret the situation, lol. XD
Oh, and what happened between Tucker and Wash in the room will definitely be brought up in a future chapter at some point! :)
Next up: cousin reunions, awkward relationship moments all over the place, and we will find out what happened with poor Matthews too.
I am trying to focus my attention on all of my stories. In fact, Just Drive only has a few more chapters before it is completed, yay! So, I just want everyone to know that I have no intention of not finishing any of them. I am here to the end, no matter how long that might take! :)
Of course, my brain hates me and now I have another story idea trying to worm its way out (Grimmons, Tuckington, and everything of course! :D). Gah, I am a glutton for punishment! XD
As always, thank you very much for taking the time to read this chapter! :D