Thread: How to Ride a Night Mare [Quin x heartless]

Oh, yeah, I forgot about your parents, Dorito smirked. Your mom was younger than you and Mr. David was already 30 when they hooked up. It was one of Dorito's favorite love stories, particularly for how natural the three adults seemed together. Dorito was nothing but a toddler at the time of David's first campaign but they still had recordings of the broadcast and newspaper clippings. The way David introduced his beloveds kissing first Charlotte and then Eric in front of the press, proud to have them standing by his side. And because he was so relaxed about it and refused to be shamed about his polygamous union, the media sharks couldn't touch him. There was literally nothing there to offend or insult. And after everything they'd been through to restore balance to the world, it was accepted and normalized, despite people's wariness about the multiple wives of Piper. Dori puffed up a little internally to hear Star acknowledge missing her when they weren't hanging out. She tried to be a good friend and be supportive but after spending years being two peas in a pod, it definitely pushed Dori's jealousy button anytime Star had to decline making plans with her because of plans already made with Jason. Even if Alex was very good at spending equal time with both of them, Dorito would never openly admit that she was a greedy little bitch when it came to her best friend. So, not only was it a relief to finally have a distraction of her own but also something to bring them all together as a group. She wasn't so completely lost in her head and her own drama however to miss the almost spoken something and her friend changing her mind last minute. She didn't get a chance to confront the girl about it when Star's little brother showed up at the door. Rolling her eyes with a huff at Mr. Eric's ultimatum for joining dinner, Dorito was once again giving Star probing and direct looks when Ethan left, trying to silently get the other girl to spit out what she'd avoided saying just a few moments before. It paid off and Dorito was rewarded with the breaking news of her friend finally willing to go all the way with her steady, good-looking boyfriend. Her eyes getting as big as fists in her head, she gave the other teen a quick jabbing punch in the arm out of shock. Oh my Crumb! she squealed excitedly. You're gonna finally take him on a magic carpet ride?! Who are you and what have you done with my best friend, you big floozy! Giggling uproariously about it, and pinching Star teasingly, she finally embraced her happily. That is wonderful news! I mean, it's pretty serious right? Do you know what he has planned for it? Still watching her friend attentively, Dorito got up from the bed and without any embarrassment, began to take her shorts off, peeling her gory leggings off her smooth, gazelle-long legs. At one point standing in nothing but her cute homemade boyshorts and loose hanging shirt, she took up her black shorts again and began putting them back on without the tights underneath. Maybe we can dye our hair tonight, yeah? she asked, buttoning her shorts below her navel and flopping her shirt out where it'd accidentally gotten tucked into the waistband. That way I'm ready for my date tomorrow and you can look nice as well for your special night. Tossing her tights onto Star's dresser to be retrieved later, Dorito headed for the door, leading the way downstairs for dinner. As they approached the dining room it was warm, boisterous chaos with children helping to set the table with the steaming hot food, while some children already sat and teased each other mercilessly and the men talking over them, having perfected the art of drowning out petty squabbles between their babes years ago. Brown hair, blonde hair, and variations between green and blue eyes abounded, the family a petri dish of genes and love mixed like paint to make human life. Peaches, the fully antlered shadow psychopomp held a toddler Charlie in it's rail thin black arms as it approached the table. Eric, finishing helping a stubborn Ethan put a hot casserole dish onto the table, stood and took the young boy from the shadow. I got him. Thanks for changing him Peach, he murmured with a nod, his eyes lighting up as he took the little boy into his hands, smiling at his brown haired son. He peed in the toilet earlier, Peaches said with a shrug. We're making progress at least. Eric made 'om nom nom nom' noises as he playfully mouthed the baby's chin and cheek, setting the boy into the high chair Eric made for Star when she was little. That's alright, we'll get there. We'll get there, the blonde man said, half to the shadow and mostly to the little boy as he set down the fold up platter over the child's lap. David was there standing and hovering over the table, helping Sophie, the little 4 year old, rescue a glass she was pouring into from a heavy pitcher of water flavored with berries. Tall and slender, the only real sign of his age were the crow's feet at the corners of his eyes and the graying at his temples, his features no longer smooth but hardened and chiseled with a weathered over time strength. Glancing up at Peaches return to the room, David asked, So, you're going to ask for revisions then, on the Kippie Citizenship course? Ever since the new government was established, the populace in Green River agreed to mandatory schooling and testing on the current events and issues for those who sought citizenship and voting rights. No longer were citizens rewarded with participation in politics just for being alive and showing up but were actually required to know the issues and be informed about the players. It cut down on the media circus playing on people's knee-jerk emotions and turning people into clueless numbers for petty, greedy lobby groups. It was actually making sure that when people voted and made decisions about the state of their country and the future of their community, they had more power in their understanding and were more involved than they had been in the state of the country before the Rift opened. The baseline requirement was a 50 score on specific issues in order to vote on them, so, there were still people who did the bare minimum duty during elections. But the majority of voters could name the men and women in their government body and the current issues of the week being addressed on the agenda. After he left office as Mayor, David still wished to help his community and give people voices, so, he'd taken a position as a public defender, along with Peaches. No longer were lawyers a secret cabal who handled the complexities of the law with an ignorant and over-charged populace. Most people who broke the law could defend themselves in court now, the language no longer archaic and an understanding of their rights giving them control and power over their own defense. Still, not everyone who committed crimes were citizens nor were they knowledgeable of the laws they broke in the first place. That was where David and others like him came in, educating his clients so they'd understand the options available to them. The courtroom wasn't a place to bully people into a guilty verdict or throw around accusation on the unsuspecting and unprepared. It was an open conversation and determination of the evidence available to judge the fate of individuals and their individual cases, whether they were at fault or not. Are they just not passing the tests? Eric asked, licking his thumb free of butter that dribbled on him when he was making a plate of food for little Charlie. Generally they are, Peaches said, helping a child into their seat and pushing the chair in for them. But the corruption versus eating thing is still an issue. The way it's worded now, a lot of kippies come into the town feeling frustrated and wary because they don't know how they're supposed to or rather, whether it is okay for them to get sustenance. It just needs to be reworked a little so they feel like they have options while still setting down firm ground rules, that's all. Just then Dorito and Star entered the room and Eric arched an eyebrow at her and pointed at her legs with a smug nod. Did you tattle on me, then, Mr. Erk? Dori asked, pulling out a chair for herself next to an empty seat that was Star's. Yes, Eric said with a smirk. Brownie said if Star ever gets caught wearing bloody tights, I get to complain to her and she'll punish you. So there. Dori just rolled her eyes and looked at Star's mom. How are you doing today, Charlotte? she asked her eyes brightening in the presence of the mother. Where do you stand on the whole gory tights issue?