A Year in the Life: Part Eight- The Lalondes

by kaybee613

Rose doesn't know how to feel about high school. She doesn't know how to feel about her family's problems, and sometimes she seems to be the only one trying to be proactive about them. Roxy is in a new environment, and suddenly very unsure of herself, in a way she's never really been before. Maybe they can help each other out, if they can get over their perceptions of the other.

6. Everybody Panic!

Rose and the others left Tavros' around midnight, Dave standing from the couch after a movie and stretching out.
"Welp, thanks for the party, man," he said.
"Yeah, I had fun, Tavros!" John grinned.
"Are you guys… leaving?" Tavros asked? Jade nodded.
"Yes, my dear cousin Braiden will be picking us up," Rose answered. Feferi stood up as well.
"Ugh, fuckin' Bro…" Dave muttered, and Rose couldn't help but notice the stark change in his attitude.
"And I have a curfew, sorry, Tavros!" Feferi explained. Tavros bade all of them goodbye, and they went out and climbed into Bro's car. Rose informed him she'd be staying at Jade's, and that was that.
Rose and Jade didn't have a ton in common, but that didn't prevent them from getting along. They had a very enjoyable evening, and Rose was surprised to learn that Tavros apparently had a short-lived crush on Jade, among other juicy gossip tidbits, and Rose was comfortable enough to share her feelings about Kanaya, and it was, overall, a good night. What followed was a less-than-pleasant morning, though, that began at about 5am when Rose was rudely awakened by her phone.
"Mm, hello?" Rose murmured, half-asleep into her phone.
"Rose," Dirk said on the other line, "are you home? Have you heard from Dave?"
"No to both questions. Why?"
"Dave's missing."

Roxy woke up with an ache in her head. Well, she supposed that was expected after a party. But… what happened? She remembered talking about Calliope, and Jane, and body shots, and then… hm. And then what? Ugh.
"Roxy, get up." Roxy sat up in her bed, only to see Rose standing in the doorway. It was still dark out, sunrise barely breaching over the horizon when Roxy glanced out the window. "Roxy. Dave's gone. Dirk can't find him."
"What!"
"He said he texted you, but figured you were passed out."
"I thought you were at Jade's."
"Are you really missing the point here? I left her a note. We need to look for Dave." Roxy nodded. "Please, get yourself awake enough to help soon."
"Sure."
Rose left the doorway, looking rather frazzled. Roxy stretched out, checking her phone before getting out of bed. There were definitely a lot of missed calls from Dirk.

timaeusTestified [TT] began pestering tipsyGnostalgic [TG]

TT: Rox.
TT: Roxy.
TT: Please, this is urgent.
TT: You're passed out, aren't you?
TT: God damn it.
TT: Okay well hopefully you'll wake up soon and see this.
TT: I got home around 2am after the party, and Dave wasn't here.
TT: I'm going looking for him.
TT: Gonna drive around, I guess.
TT: I'm really kind of…
TT: Panicking.
TT: So.
TT: I could use some help trying to find him.
TT: Let me know when you get this.
TG: oh shit dirkyyy
TG: rose just woke me up
TT: Roxy, I've been looking for three hours, where could he be?
TG: i dunno
TG: but were gonna look for him too
TT: Are you okay to drive?
TG: i just gotta down some coffee ill be good.
TT: Okay.
TT: I'll let you know if I hear anything.
TG: same here

timaeusTestified [TT] ceased pestering tipsyGnostalgic [TG]

Roxy got dressed as fast as she could and got downstairs, disregarding the swath of people still sleeping on the floor (including Jane) and pouring herself a cup of coffee. Rose raised an eyebrow at her.
"Am trying to sober up, Rose. We gotta go look for Dave."
"That was fast."
"Dirk's freakin' out and, tbh, so am I."
"Well, okay, then let's get going."
Roxy finished her coffee, then grabbed Rose and hopped into the car, sunrise painting the sky purple as the light sprinkled into the night sky. Roxy didn't really know where to go, so she started with the neighborhood around the Strider home, car weaving slowly through the streets. When there was no sign of Dave, they went to the school, and the neighborhood around Tavros' place, and all the parks in town. Rose was really beginning to worry. There were no signs of him anywhere, and after two and a half hours, her phone rang—she and Roxy had been out since 6 in the morning and had forgotten their mother was supposed to return that morning.
"Hello?" Rose answered.
"Rose, where on earth are you and your sister?"
"We're out looking for Dave. Dirk said he went missing."
"Oh God—you haven't heard from Braiden at all, have you? Does he know what's going on?"
Rose bit her lip. "Yes, about that… I think I might know why Dave left in the first place. Can we talk about it later?'
"Of course. Keep me posted on any news."
Roxy let out a sigh and pulled over, feeling somewhat hopeless in the situation. There was no sign of Dave anywhere and no way of telling where he'd gone.

tipsyGnostalgic [TG] began pestering timeausTestified [TT]

TG: cant find him anywhere dirky :((((
TG: seriously i am so sad and scared for him
TT: Me too, Rox.
TT: I don't know what to do.
TT: Wait.
TG: wait what
TG: ?
TG: dirk?
TT: Sorry.
TT: It was Dave.
TG: !
TG: HES OKAY
TT: Yeah, he's at John's.
TG: oh thank god
TG: why'd he bail?
TT: I'll tell you about it later.
TT: Right now I need some sleep.
TG: yeh ok fair enough
TG: get some rest cuz 3

tipsyGnostalgic [TG] ceased pestering timaeusTestified [TT]

"Okay, Rose. We're goin' home."
"Was that Dirk?"
"Yeah, he said Dave contacted him. Dave's at John's place."
"Ah." Rose understood why he'd go there. John was his best friend, after all. But she also thought it might make some uncomfortable things come to light. As Rose drove back home, she attended to her own phone.

gardenGnostic [GG] began pestering tentacleTherapist [TT]

GG: rose!
GG: gosh im so sorry i was asleep when you left
TT: I'm sorry I had to leave.
GG: no don't be!
GG: sounded urgent.
GG: did you guys find Dave?
TT: No, but he's safe.
GG: where?
TT: At John's.
GG: oh gosh good!
GG: that's a relief
TT: It definitely is.
GG: why do you think he left?

Rose bit her lip again. Well, it wasn't her business to share with Jade. She knew Dave definitely wouldn't appreciate that. It was toeing the line enough that she'd shared with Kanaya, but that was for her own mental stability.

TT: Not sure.
GG: hmm
GG: its probably personal huh?
TT: Yes, probably.
TT: But after looking for him all night, I could use a nap.
GG: alright well thanks for letting me know!

gardenGnostic [GG] ceased pestering tentacleTherapist [TT]

The Lalonde girls returned home and Roxy immediately collapsed into her bed, whereas Rose sat down at the kitchen table with her mother.
"Rosie, come're," she said, and despite her rocky relationship with her mother, Rose did so, and her mother wrapped her in a hug.
"I was so worried about him," Rose said, leaning into her mother.
"I know, sweetheart. I'm sorry I wasn't here." Rose rescinded after a moment and sank back into her chair. "Now… what do you think is going on here?"
"Dave has… I think Braiden is hurting him. He told me that they have these training fights on the roof, and he's got all these scars on his arms, and…"
Rowan slammed her hands on the table. "WHAT. That manipulative, violent piece of—god damn him!" Rose watched as her mother whipped her phone out.
"Braiden! You told me you could handle him. …what? No, I don't want your excuses! Your businesses aren't what's important, your brother—training? That's a load of shit! No. If it were up to me, he'd be here right now. I cannot believe—Oh, I know damn well I'm not your mother, but I am a mother. Yes, I do think I know better. You're talking about pulling swords on your 13-year-old brother! I feel like I'm losing my mind. …don't you yell at me. You're the one in the wrong here. Yes! I will absolutely take him from you! Well… no, he's not here. I don't know! And even if I did I sure as shit wouldn't tell you right now."
Rose sighed as her mother continued to shout on the phone. She went to go lay down after the drama of the evening, but before taking a nap, she sent off a couple of messages.

tentacleTherapist [TT] began pestering timeausTestified [TT2]

TT: So what exactly is going on over there?
TT2: Probably exactly what is going on over there.
TT2: Your mother is pissed, isn't she?
TT: Yes. I bet Braiden is also yelling into the phone.
TT2: He was pissed when he realized Dave bailed.
TT2: Surprised he didn't turn on me with the damn sword.
TT: Did you train with them too?
TT2: Yeah, but…
TT2: I guess I never thought too much about it.
TT2: Braiden and I can both hold our own.
TT2: He always spouted stuff about wanting Dave to be stronger, to fight back.
TT2: I didn't realize how much pressure that put Dave under.
TT2: The more I think about it the more I realize that it's probably Bro's way of taking out his anger.
TT: That's fucked up.
TT2: Yeah, I know that now.
TT2: I think the triggering factor was Dave actually getting hurt pretty bad.
TT: How so?
TT2: Slid off the roof in their latest strife and landed on the fire escape two floors down.
TT2:He just about broke a rib.
TT2: That was yesterday morning.
TT: Makes sense.
TT2: I told Bro he was pushing Dave too hard.
TT2: It was too much.
TT: I bet the only reason he hasn't taken you up on the roof is because he thinks you could kick his ass.
TT2: I definitely want to at this point.
TT2: God, what a piece of shit.
TT: So what's your move here?
TT2: God, I don't know.
TT2: Not telling Bro where Dave is at, first of all.
TT2: Getting out of here as soon as I can.
TT: Keep Dave safe, but keep yourself safe, too.
TT2: Sure thing, Rose.

timaeusTestified [TT2] ceased pestering tentacleTherapist [TT]

tentacleTherapist [TT] began pestering grimAuxiliatrix [GA]

TT: I apologize for bothering you with my own familial issues yet again
TT: But since you expressed concern about Dave I thought it only fair to inform you that he left his brother's apartment last night.
TT: Without informing ANYONE, which certainly caused some stress to Dirk.
TT: Regardless, we all heard this morning that he is safe, and currently at John's house.
GA: Oh
GA: Well I am glad to hear that
GA: It is good to know he's safe
TT: Yes, it is a bit of a relief.
TT: Don't get me wrong, this is far from over.
TT: According to Dirk, Bro was on an angry rampage this morning and the only reason swords didn't get involved again was because Braiden knows Dirk might actually beat him in a fight.
TT: It's going to turn into a custody battle.
TT: My mother has been shouting at him over the phone for about an hour.
GA: Is your mother going to fight for custody?
TT: She wants to but I don't think Dave would accept it.
TT: It seems more likely that he's going to hide out at John's until Dirk is 18.
TT: Then Dirk can become his legal guardian.
GA: Ah I see
TT: There are other measures that are going to need to be made.
TT: I dread the idea of Dave having to meet with Braiden again, particularly if there are lawyers involved.
TT: But this is certainly a step in the right direction.
GA: It seems Dave has finally realized there was a problem and is taking measures to fix it
GA: Or at least put himself in a safer environment
GA: I do think you should focus on yourself for a bit
GA: It must be taking tremendous mental energy just dealing with this
TT: It has been a lot.
GA: I can imagine
GA: But now that Dave is safe, you should take the day to relax
GA: Let your mother deal with the legalities
TT: That is probably best.
TT: Thank you, Kanaya.
GA: It is my pleasure
GA: I am always here if you need to talk

grimAuxiliatrix [GA] ceased pestering tentacleTherapist [TT]

And with that, Rose collapsed for a well-needed nap.