Blinded Company

[Dina Doo]

Noah, who had been lounging on the bed beside Hiro's, perked up at the question. His ears twitched and he offered a shy smile. "You don't have to ask, Hiro, of course I'll go." He didn't feel it was his place to press the issue but it didn't stop Noah from wondering anyway. He rolled himself to the edge of his bed, sat up and pulled his shoes on. "Did she say she was coming back?" Noah inquired hesitantly. "Or do you think this is something her parents planned?"

But meanwhile, with the way Elaine fidgeted with the bag that she maybe held in her hands, it was clear it wasn't something the young ketsuki had planned herself. She said nothing as her mother spoke.

"If there's any way we could slip in and out without my father noticing, that'd certainly make this easier."

Elaine bit her lip at the thought. The less attention, the better. "You guys don't actually have to stay," she chimed in quietly. "I'm sure I can find the others just fine on my own." Not.. that she necessarily wanted to. Gods, she just wanted to hide.

[clouds just clouds]

Lips pressing into a thin line, Hiro lightly shook his head. He flashed his friend a quick smile and said, "I hear noises, not thoughts." He stepped up to the door and slipped out. "Uhhh, thanks for coming. It's probably a pain and stuff, to be pulled out of bed." Hiro looked back and forth down the hallway before choosing to go right. "Some people tried to attack and kill Kenneth, by the way."


Charles set a hand on Elaine's shoulder, after wishing the cab goodbye. He looked down into her eyes, a serious look pulling his usually cheerful face. "I just want to make sure they're here, darling. Can you contact that blonde of yours?" His eyes drew towards the building before a wry curve lifted his lips. "Oh, darling! But I love your father, and he is so amazing." He stepped closer to whisper into his wife's ear, "The beast has eyes everywhere dear."

Plus. There was someone Charles and his wife had to talk to. To help with Elaine.

[Dina Doo]

Again, Noah's ears gave a twitch at the news, but perhaps he wasn't so surprised to hear about it. "I know," he said quietly. "(Maybe) Your dad mentioned something about it earlier. I figured that with the fuss having settled down, he was alright and everything was taken care of." He followed Hiro, hesitantly stepping into place beside his friend, unsure whether or not it was his place to. But he walked there nonetheless. "And it wasn't a problem," he offered with a small smile. "I wasn't doing much anyway."

Elizabeth let out a small chuckle, perhaps reaching up to pat her husband's cheek. "You don't have to worry, Charles. As odd as it is, there aren't many eyes on us at the moment, if any. You can take a breath, it's okay."

"They wouldn't have sent me this address if they weren't here," Elaine mumbled to herself, quite sure her parents were no longer listening to her. But she did as she was told anyway, pulled out her phone and sent a text to Rylan letting him know she was here. She decided it was best not to mention that her parents were there with her, lest it make her feel more like a child than she already did.

[clouds just clouds]

A long breath left Hiro and his brows pressed together. "Still." He stepped into an elevator and sighed at the ceiling. His skin flushed and he closed his eyes for two counts before pressing for the lobby. "It's crazy if you think about it. All this shit we're involved with. I used to be friends with the queen, we're traveling with a leader of a race, and princes of another," he probably overheard that one, too, "It's like we're asking to get bombed." He glanced at Noah, slouching. "Do you ever just... want to get away from it all? I mean, Dad could probably buy us a house to live in. And we could actually pretend to be normal. Or, I don't know, safer?"

With a warm smile, Charles leaned in and gave his wife a quick kiss. He pulled back to give Elaine a glance. "Elaine, we're simply making sure you'll get settled in alright. I know your blonde is with you, but..." He stepped forward to gently hold her face, to peer into her eyes. "We love you so much. You're our baby girl, and we want to make sure you're safe."

[Dina Doo]

"I mean, I do think about it," Noah admitted as he sheepishly twiddled with the fabric of his sleeve. He'd been around Hiro for so long and yet even now, years later, he remained hesitant and shy. "But they're your friends, aren't they? Even if it's not safe, you'd want to make sure they were okay, wouldn't you?" Well, at least he would. "And there's some things we wouldn't have been able to get through if it hadn't been for the others."

Despite herself, Elaine lulled her head into her father's gentle hold. "The blonde... You know his name is Rylan, right?" She said nothing but she maybe knew her mother wanted to at least see Hiro before they departed again, off home to take care of her siblings. Pushing away the thought, Elaine took in a breath to steady herself, offering Charles a small smile. "You're not still mad over the whole hijacking incident, are you? I thought we had moved past that."

[clouds just clouds]

There were also some things they wouldn't have gone through if they weren't with the group. The doors opened and Hiro took in a sharp breath, his hand reaching to grasp tightly onto Noah's hand. It wasn't the lobby. A young child and their parent stepped into the elevator, with the child speaking softly to them and telling their parent of the animal they saw. Hiro's cheeks scorched and he slid his hand out of Noah's and muttered an apology, his eyes sliding to the ground.

The doors opened again, to the lobby. Anxiety twisted Hiro's insides and he breathed out slowly. "I'm nervous," Hiro whispered, flashing Noah a frightened glance. "Stupidly, I am scared." He held out his hand again. "Do… do you mind?"

A grin filled Charles' lips and he kissed the tip of Elaine's nose. "I am always mad, my little scarlet bug." He held her face for a moment longer before pulling away. "No, I appreciate how much that boy has done for you. It's just more fun to say the blond. Plus, think of all the blond jokes I can say!"

(Optional!)

Whether or not Noah took his hand, Hiro ventured forward and made his way towards Elizabeth and her family. He ducked his head shyly, knowing exactly where they were before he even saw them.

[Dina Doo]

While always hesitant, Noah never faltered as he took Hiro's hand. He said nothing but it brought him an ounce of comfort as well. He wished though, that he could comfort Hiro, assure him that there was no reason to be nervous. Maybe, if beautiful gorgeous wants, maybe Noah had an idea that it had something to do with the ketsuki's affinity. Noah, however, had no chance to reply as a pair of eyes drifted towards them. Not blood red, but a softer lighter shade of red. Even so, the color was still unnerving as the image of another more intimidating ketsuki came to mind. Not so much when he saw a soft smile curl the lips of the ketsuki who had glanced their way.

Elizabeth broke away from her family and made her way over towards Hiro and Noah. "Hello again, Hiro," she mused. "It's nice to see you again." She stopped in front of the pair, acknowledged Noah with a nod and a smile. While she probably wanted to hug Hiro, maybe she knew better to wait till it was something he decided to do on his own terms. (Idk if this is okay for her to day but I'll put it in here as optional.) "You look more like your father every time I see you, with that curly head of hair of yours. How have you been?"

[clouds just clouds]

Surprise touched Hiro's face. His cheeks warmed with a blush. "I… guess that's a compliment." A tilted smile filled his lips and he self consciously reached up to tug one of his curls. "I guess when my hair was longer it weighed down more." He let go of Noah's hand to shyly sidled forward. Loosely he hooked one arm around Elizabeth and set his chin on her shoulder. "How…" His brows pulled together in worry. "How are all you guys?"

Charles hooked an arm around Elaine's shoulders and he stared thoughtfully into Hiro and Noah's direction. "Want to see Hiro?" He asked gently. "And… who is the cute one?"

Elaine's phone buzzed and she got a message from Rylan: "ahhhhhhh!!!!!!! ok love i'll be down soon. a little busy, but, will be quick!! Xo"

(Kass could come down and explain what happened to Kenny, or Ry could just do that to Lizzy.)

[Dina Doo]

While Hiro made the first move, Elizabeth was less reserved as she stepped forward and tried to wrap the younger ketsuki up in her arms. "Much better now that I've seen you," she mused playfully. "I'm glad to see you're still doing well. How have things been since we left?" If gorgeous wants, maybe Elizabeth gently brushed a stray strand of hair from Hiro's face. She was such a mom. In a softer tone, she said, "I hope my father hasn't been too much of a bother. I know he tries but he has little self control, if you haven't noticed."

Elaine's gaze flickered back up to Charles after having fallen to her phone. "That's Noah, Dad," she confirmed, perking a brow. "You've seen him before, remember? He's been with the group for forever." Or at least what felt like forever. There were a lot of thing that felt like a millennia ago and gods, she wasn't even that old. (Younger still with having been a leap year baby.) "And Rylan got my text. He says he'll be down in just a bit." And she'd rather hide behind her father than face anyone in the group at the moment.

[clouds just clouds]

Hiro doubted very much that everything was much better. His cheeks filled with warmth and he shook his head lightly. "I've learned to lay low." He searched her eyes. "Your... grandfather, I guess, is with Kenneth. Again. And... well. Kenneth's..." His lips pulled into a thin line and he shook his head. "I hear everything. Um. He had a bad infection, is basically grounded right now, and... I mean, Elaine just said Rylan was going to be down here soon. He'll probably explain it better. More lavishly." He gave Elizabeth a shy smile.

"I may see faces but don't think I go around memorizing names," Charles smirked softly. He wrapped an arm around his daughter's shoulder and turned them slightly away from Hiro and Noah. He glanced down at Elaine, peering into her eyes. "Darling," he said softly, sternly. "Your friends are going to help you out here, you know. They're your friends for a reason."