Chapter 6 – the underlining
The day before Arthur's return
"What do you mean no?" Aashi's was experienced with kids so thankfully she had a lot of patience.
"I mean no!" Lucy pouted.
"Why? I need to know where your school is so if there's an emergency I know where to go."
"But I don't wanna go! It's the holiday and you're not supposed to be at school during the holiday!" Lucy moaned.
Aashi sighed heavily, "You're not going to school you're just going to show me where the building is and what route you take".
"But I. Don't. Wanna!"
;-;-;-;-;
"Hey Artie! Ya better be care with those lot." Bob warned.
Arthur flexed his jaw in irritation, "I am, Bob."
"No, you're not. I've seen the way you look at them and they way they look at you. It ain't good, man."
Arthur leaned against the chicken-cord fence, "What do you mean 'the way I look at them'?"
Bob crossed his arms, "Like you're laughing at them at some inside joke."
Arthur rolled his eyes but Bob carried on, "And they see it to man. They don't like being laughed at man. They're Falcone's men and he's rising in the ranks lately."
;-;-;-;-;
"Come on, child. You're the leader yet you're lagging."
"I dunno, I just feel tired today."
Aashi weighed her choices and opted for the option most beneficial for the both of them, "You need a little motivation. Would you feel less tired knowing that Jak and Daxter will be waiting for you when you get home?"
Aashi literally saw the power surge in Lucy as she perked up and began to hop along, "Really?!"
What a ball of energy she was, "Really, really."
;-;-;-;-;
Arthur grunted, not in the least worried about the mobsters, "What are they gonna do, huh?"
"They could take Harley. They could hurt Lucy. You really want that?" Bob's tone was dead serious and the suggestions he just made chilled Arthur to the bone.
"I don't give a damn about Harley, they can take her for all I care. That woman is driving me crazy. Lucy… they won't touch her."
"How do you know?" Bob challeneged him.
Arthur snapped, "'Cuz I'll kill each one of those slick bastards if they did!"
;-;-;-;-;
"So, this is it? I expected worse" Aashi commented, holding Lucy's hand.
"Yeah, it looks worse on the inside. Me and Daddy call it the hell hole." Lucy shuffled her feet, feeling uncomfortable.
"Why?" Aashi stared down at the small girl.
"Daddy says this is where the pigs are born"
;-;-;-;-;
Arthur was kicking the fence so hard, Bob feared it would topple. "Should anything happen to Harley, I don't know what I would do. I mean who would look after my honey bear? Can't just leave her alone, she's just a kid."
"You could always leave her with Shaylee. She won't mind taking care of both our daughters at the same time."
"No, she needs to stay near me!" Arthur banged his hand on the fence.
"I… I don't know then, Artie."
;-;-;-;-;
"Pigs. What kind of pigs?" Aashi queried, oddly eager to know.
"The kind that hurt you badly." As Lucy whispered this a gust of wind blew which caused her shake violently and gripped harder on to Aashi's hand.
"The kind that hurt you badly…" Aashi repeated.
;-;-;-;-;
"Bob, I dread the thought of Lucy being alone. It's not good for her, you know. She hates it. I know. I can see it in her eyes every time I leave."
"What do you mean?"
;-;-;-;-;
"Can we go? I have a bad feeling, Ai!" Lucy wove her hand completely in to Aashi's hand.
;-;-;-;-;
Arthur scowled at the now toppled fence, "Some days when I know I'll be gone for long, she knows it too… and she gives me this look so I won't go."
;-;-;-;-;
"Yeah. Let's go. This place looks like a grave…" Aashi absentmindedly commented.
;-;-;-;-;
Arthur turned away from Bob and brought his hands to his scar, "It's almost like she's about to beg. Beg me not to go… but the words never come out. She just watches me."
;-;-;-;-;
As they made their way back, Lucy suddenly halted midway. Aashi kneeled down and found she was crying. "What's wrong, child?"
;-;-;-;-;
"And I can see it in her eyes; she's about to cry like I'll never come back to her. Like I'm already dead."
;-;-;-;-;
"I miss Daddy!"
Aashi stroked her face, "He will be back."
;-;-;-;-;
"And… I don't know what to do. How to let her know everything will be alright."
Bob rested a gentle hand on Arthur's shoulder, "Comfort. That's what all children want above all. Emotional comfort from their parents."
;-;-;-;-;
"Are you sure?" Lucy hiccupped several times.
"I know so, Lucy. I've been watching your father. He's in a bit of a mess but he'll be back."
Lucy nodded as if convincing herself, "He will, won't he?"
;-;-;-;-;
"There's nothing I wouldn't do for my girl but you know I'm not good with stuff like that, Bob."
"You're gonna have to force yourself then man. You have one kid and she's not getting' any love from either of her parents. At least not in the way that she can see or understand."
Arthur was silent, considering his friends' words over. His tongue sneaked out and slithered over his scar, "You're right."
"I know" Bob added, though in this case he was not happy to be right.
;-;-;-;-;
"Yes, he will" Aashi adamantly told her.
Lucy hummed and Aashi was about to reach down to pick her up but Lucy then yelled, "No, Ai!"
"I thought you said you were tired, child." Aashi said with a small smile.
"I know. I am tired, but I'll walk myself" Lucy confirmed.
"Why is that, child?" Aashi raised a brow.
"Well I want to be strong like you. I want to do things myself. The only time you should ever carry me was if I couldn't even stand."
Aashi laughed, proud of the little girl, and they made their way home, both hand in hand enjoying the other's presence.
To be continued…
A/N:
This may be a short chapter but it holds a lot of significance as there are a lot of hints for what is to come. There is a lot of symbolism in there too though you will only be able to understand them by the end of the story.
For those of you who may not have caught on, the last scene is quite significant because of what is said and because of how many dialogue sentences each character has had as that number will make a whole lot of sense in the end.