Trick - or - Treat [Robin Little and Emerson]

[Robin Little]

At first Robin assumed that Maddison’s anger was directed at the jock. It took his mind a few turns to realise her anger sparked after the door had shut, however; and the following few sentences made it clear that all her anger was steadfastly directed at her boyfriend; the guy that was half blind and had thought he was playing a nice (if gross) trick on the jock who deserved to get a little dirty. The boyfriend who’d just got decked and now wondered if he had a broken tooth to add to his blindness. He wondered whether Maddison was angry because she enjoyed the lewd comments. Did they boost her confidence? Should Robin talk to her like that more often? Was he wrong for trying to step in?

A sweep of his tongue over the porcelain white of his teeth assured him that nothing was broken. That was a plus, really.

There was no sympathy for Robin, and nor did he really expect any. As affronted as he was, the one thing he realised in the here and now was that he was only a hindrance. He could not be taken anywhere without ruining things. The apology was given to Emerson, whose night was ruined. An apology on behalf of Robin – because it was all his fault. Emerson didn’t say much in response, just a couple of okays, that didn’t at all sound happy about the situation.

As soon as he was on his feet, Robin grabbed Maddison’s arm and pushed her from him. His jaw ached, he had a headache, but he did his best to force his swollen eyelids open. One was worse than the other. He could see a few feet in front of him. He could get home on his own. It would take a while, but they hadn’t gotten far. He was sure he could manage it.

”No, no. I’m fine. I’ll go home and go for a shower. I’ll figure it out, okay? You two keep going, have fun. I just ruin everything, right? ******* Robin always getting in the way, doing stupid ****. Don’t worry about me. I don’t want to ruin your precious trick or treating expedition. I won’t even eat any of the candy you bring home. I’ll stick to my room like a grounded little boy,” he said, already thumping his way down the stairs of the porch and heading for the street’s pavement, holding on to the fence as he began to stumble his way home.

[Maddison (DELETED 8452)]

Maddison was shocked, to say the least, when Robin said what he did. She hadn't meant to offend him. She hadn't meant to make him mad at all either. The blonde stood there shocked and by time she came around, he was already walking off. She looked over to Emerson, tears already pulling in those green hues. She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. "I...I think Halloween is over. I'm so sorry the night ended this way. You're more than welcome to come back to the house and still spend the night. It looks like there will be room in my room..."

Maddison frowned and stepped down off the porch. She didn't know exactly what to say. She hadn't ever seen Robin react that way before. And of course the blonde was still worried that the male might go death. "We can watch a movie or something." Maddison shrugged some and started down the way Robin had went.

There house wasn't too far. They hadn't made it very far before their whole night had been ruined. Maddison was really just looking forward to one night that wouldn't go so badly. Her and Robin needed to work on their communication because they both seemed to misunderstand each other on a regular basis. The blonde, lost in her thoughts, continued the way to her home, hopefully with Emerson in tow.

[Emerson (DELETED 8699)]

Halloween candy always went on sale the first of November. Big party packs of chocolates, caramels, and lollies were half priced. By the time November third rolled around, all the remaining bags of candies were as cheap as dirt, and Emerson wasn’t shy of getting a cashier’s discount. It didn’t matter that she wouldn’t be getting candy that night. What mattered was that she wouldn’t be spending time with Maddison and Robin. That was what the brunette cared about more than anything - more than the candy, more than the costume, more than the tradition of knocking on each door in the neighborhood. Plain and simple, Emerson wanted to spend time with the pair. She wanted the three of them to have fun.

And that plan was failing.

Emerson watching Robin stumble away angrily was like a stab to the heart. He wasn’t even really mad at her (at least, she was pretty sure he wasn’t), but the fact that he was upset and the fact that Maddison was upset with him made her mood stoop incredibly low. Emerson hated it. She hated watching him make his way back to the house, and she hated seeing Maddison go after him. Were they leaving her? Because it was all her fault? She’d barely heard the blonde speaking to her until a movie was mentioned, and then she was turning away. So, no. Although they were leaving her, it wasn’t because they were blaming her. In fact, they were expecting her to follow. And follow she did, a few steps behind. The girl hesitated at first, feet frozen in their spot on the porch, but with nowhere else to go, she complied. All her stuff was back at their house, so if she wanted to head back to her own home, that was where she’d have to stop by first. But she wasn’t planning on that. The whole scenario was absolutely draining her, and she was ready to just crash on the couch or the floor or wherever Maddison and Robin wanted her, as soon as she walked through the door.

A small crowd had formed at the sight of the scene, consisting mostly of teenagers and parents whose children had run up ahead. Emerson could feel pairs upon pairs of eyes on her as she walked down the stairs and started to make her way down the street. She’d expected that, of course. People were drawn to that kind of stuff - fights, car crashes, fires. Everyone always stopped to look and listen, but they never really stopped to talk. Emerson hadn’t expected two men to approach her.

“Is everything alright?” one of them asked. He was dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt. A plastic orange candy bucket was held in his right hand, probably belonging to one of his kids. Emerson decided he was nothing more than another neighborhood dad.

“I think so,” Emerson mumbled. Her steps slowed until she was standing on the side of the street.

“You think? Your boyfriend just got decked in the face. He looks pretty bad.”

Emerson furrowed her eyebrows. “Robin?” she mumbled. “He’s not my boyfriend.”

The men turned to each other and exchanged a short glance. It was weird. The whole thing was weird. Emerson looked up ahead, already having lost sight of both Maddison and Robin.

“I should really be-”

“And the guy at the door?” the other man cut in. This one did not look like just another neighborhood dad. For some reason, his tone sounded sort of angry. “He said something to you?”

[Robin Little]

Robin was completely oblivious to what was going on behind him. As far as he knew, the girls would continue their trick-or-treating. The truth was, on the surface, Robin didn’t believe that he was worth the wasted effort of care. Though the words were uttered in bitter sarcasm, he did actually think he was an inconvenience and wouldn’t blame them if they decided to continue without him. Deep down he was angry, and given the time to think about it he would eventually figure out why.

For now, he didn’t have the wherewithal to think about anything other than putting one foot in front of the other, his eyes held wide and aching with the effort. Everything was blurry, and every ten seconds he had to reach up and wipe the tears away. Now, Robin was no crybaby. He was not crying due to any overwhelming emotion, he was not crying at all. It felt like someone had stuck chilli sauce in his eyes, and it stung like a *****.

Eventually he’d make it back to the condo and he only managed to trip over once on the way. Most of the cuts and grazes that he’d received upon his palms and knees had healed, except for the one where a rock was still lodged beneath the skin. As much as he rubbed the irritant against his jeans it was stuck fast, and there was not much Robin could do about it until he’d done something about his eyes.

It took a good ten minutes for him to find the right key to get inside. And once he was inside he went straight to the bathroom. He made a mess in there, too, cursing under his breath the whole time. What exactly he’d dropped and smashed he couldn’t see; one of the broken shards sliced into his foot and he fell into the tub, knocking his head against the hard tile wall. At least he was hardy enough not to pass out, though he felt like he could.

He showered and scrubbed at his face, but it didn’t help. By the time he gave up and sat at the bottom of the tub his eyes were completely swollen shut and the world was dark.

But at least the bad luck couldn’t get him here, no more than it already had. Not wanting to step out into the hazard of the bathroom, with shattered shards of glass or porcelain or something all over the floor, he instead tugged one of the big fluffy towels into the tub with him. He dried himself the best he could, and curled up with the door closed and locked. He didn’t want any more help, nor any more sympathy. He only hoped that if he slept through the day, he might wake up with his sight back again.

[Maddison (DELETED 8452)]

Maddison stopped in her tracks when she realized that Emerson was not behind her. That was unusual, so the blonde turned and squinted to see what was going on. She didn't like the scene, so back tracking her steps was going to have to be the way to go. Robin would need to wait for the moment, he was already mad at her anyways. Best to let him cool down.

It didn't take her very long before she approached the scene. Maddison came to stand between the two men and Em. "I'm not sure what you're wanting to accomplish from picking on her, but I suggest you back off." When it came to people she cared about, she had a protective side and no one would mess with her family.

Maddison didn't have very many people left and the ones that she did? She didn't need them getting hurt. Especially not by two punks who weren't minding their own business. And this wasn't any of their business. It was between Maddison, Robin and Emerson. The whole damn neighborhood didn't need to get involved. Hopefully, by the morning, people wouldn't remember what happened.

Maddison took Em's hand and tugged her along. She didn't want to be there any longer. They needed to get home to check on Robin. She only hoped the man's eyes were not going to be stuck like that forever. It was not a pretty sight. Could vampires go blind? Well. If it could happen.

It would happen to Robin.

[Emerson (DELETED 8699)]

Emerson was barely able to think up a reply to the man’s question before Maddison was swooping in to save the day. And that was a good thing. Although she could probably manage on her own just fine and didn’t necessarily need or want to be saved from her own battles, it was appreciated. When the blonde made her way over to talk the men up, the shorter brunette stayed slightly hidden behind her. She was thankful for when Maddison was tugging her away, even if it meant stumbling over her feet for a bit until she could catch up with the woman’s longer strides. She was even more thankful to see that the men weren’t giving chase after a quick glance over her shoulder. If her green gaze had lingered longer, she would’ve realized that although the two weren’t following behind, they weren’t moving much either - instead, staying put and watching closely.

But, like Maddison had said before, she couldn’t live her life being paranoid or being scared. This was supposed to be a night of fun, and even with the course of events that had played out in only the short amount of time that had been spent, it still could be a night of fun.

“Thank you,” Emerson mumbled, trying to sound as sincere as she was. “I dunno what that was about, but thanks for getting me out of it.” It wasn’t long before the two arrived, once again, at the house. The girl realized that the trio really hadn’t gone very far after all. Her disappointment from earlier returned as she also realized that she wouldn't be trick-or-treating as she had intended to. Shaking her head to clear the thoughts away, Emerson focused on the more important thing at hand. “Do y’think Robin’s okay? I feel bad.” She reached for the doorknob and paused. “It’s not my fault, is it?” she asked quietly.

[Maddison (DELETED 8452)]

Maddison shook her head, blonde locks being tossed about softly. "Of course not. It's not your fault. I think it's mine. I pissed him off..." Maddison refused to believe it was because someone was messing with Robin. Whenever they went out something bad usually happened. The fire, the wine spill, the sneezing fit at the corn maze and now this. He was a bad luck magnet, it seemed.

Maddison pushed open the door to the house and headed in after Emerson did. She didn't exactly know where Robin was, or if he was feeling like talking to either one of them. Maddison just wanted to get out of her costume and into something more comfy. "So, the spare bedroom has a bathroom. You can change in there if you want? I'll try to find Robin and change my clothes. Then we can relax and maybe watch a movie, if you're feeling up to it?"

The blonde tried to offer the woman a smile. She was trying to hold it together, to be the glue between the three of them. She could sense Robin's presence in the house, but not sure where exactly the male was. She turned and headed into her bedroom after showing Emerson the guest bedroom. She pulled out some sweats and a t-shirt and headed into the bathroom only to have the door not budge. "Damnit, Robin."

The blonde jiggled the handle again. "Look, let me in please. I need to check your eyes and I need to get this make up off my face."

[Robin Little]

Even though the world was dark, Robin knew that the bright lights were blaring, bouncing off the cold white tiles and making the bathroom appear colder than it already was. Although Robin’s preternatural body already ran cold, it still didn’t feel natural nor right to be curled up naked in a cold tub. The heat from the shower eked away, the steam dispersed and settled. Humidity gave way to frigid cold and Robin moved only to fumble for the towel rack, hoping to find another fluffy white towel. One that wasn’t damp. It wouldn’t do much to warm him, but it was a fleeting comfort. The damp towel was rolled up to use as a temporary pillow.

At least he could not catch cold, regardless of the discomfort.

The Allurist did not expect someone to come looking for him so soon. He expected that the girls would continue their tour of the streets, but it wasn’t so long after he’d curled up intent on rest that he heard the knock on the door, the plea to let Maddison in.

He hadn’t thought about Maddison’s need to use the bathroom. There was another bathroom, but he didn’t think about the fact that all her make-up and moisturizers and whatever else it was that women liked to use were all in this one. Didn’t Emerson bring anything with her? Surely she’d brought some means to remove all that make-up she had applied to them. Maybe that’s what was wrong with Robin’s eyes, and why the seeming ‘allergy’ hadn’t gone away. He’d only used water and regular soap. Maybe it wasn’t enough. Given he wouldn’t even have been able to see himself in a mirror, regardless, there could still be make-up on his face, wreaking havoc. If it was even the make-up at all.

”I –“ he started before he ground his teeth and twisted where he lay. His skin squeaked against the tub. There’d be blood on the tiles where he hit his head. There’d be blood on the floor where he’d sliced his foot on a shard of glass. There’d be mess, and he didn’t think Maddison would be pleased.

”Can’t you use the other bathroom? I made a mess. I can't see it to clean it up yet. I’d prefer not to further stir your ire. I’ve fucked up your night enough, you don’t want to clean up after me. Besides, there’s glass all over the floor. You’ll cut your feet,” he said.

[Maddison (DELETED 8452)]

"All of my stuff is in this bathroom, Robin. Plus Em is using the other bathroom to wash up." Maddison banged her hand against the door again. "I don't care about the mess, and I have shoes on." If there was a huge mess, Maddison would want to clean it up. Most importantly she wanted to check in on Robin. She didn't know if his eyes would return to normal and she wanted to check on that.

"Nevermind. I'll just find a way in. If you made a mess, just stay in there and don't move." The blonde could be resourceful when she needed to be. She left the room to find something that could open the door. Maddison found a paper clip and some other things she could use to unlock the door. After a moment, she came back into the room and started to work on the door.

It didn't take long before she un-hinged the lock and pushed the door open. Maddison looked at the mess and the blood. "Robin?" She asked, stepping into the room and on the glass. It was a disaster in there. She walked over to the tub and looked down at the man. "You really can't lay here all night. You need clothes on and I need to clean up the blood and the glass. I need to check your eyes too. Em is still here too."

She tried not to sound annoyed, she was worried about Robin but her bathroom was a mess and Robin had just walked off from them. So many other things could have went wrong.

[Robin Little]

Robin had choices, and he liked none of them. He could get up out of the tub and walk to the door and shred his feet in the meantime. Or he could just wait like a useless lump of meat, wait until Maddison got in. Wait for the lecture he was sure he was going to get. By coming back to this condo, to this place specifically, of course Maddison was going to find him. On top of coming back to her place, he had locked himself into a corner, a bathroom from which he could not escape. It was all circumstance, of course. There was no other way that it could have gone, unless he’d stumbled further down the street in search of some other place to go. He probably would have got himself run over by a bus, or a train. It could have been messier than it currently was.

Finally, Maddison broke past the barrier. He could hear her shoes crunching in the glass. Her voice, as it hovered over him. His eyes were swollen shut and he couldn’t see her. He could see nothing but pitch darkness, no matter how much he tried to force the crusted eyelids open. Facts. He would give her the facts, nothing else.

”I would already be in clothes but I can’t see. I would have got out of the shower but I’d have shredded my feet. Didn’t think you’d appreciate me tracking blood across the carpet into the bedroom,” he said. He bit his tongue and pressed the heel of his palm into one of his eyes.

”Honestly you can just grab your stuff and maybe my eyes will be fixed when I wake up. Just close the door, you won’t have to see the mess. I’ll clean it tomorrow night,” he said. He was sitting up, now, shoulders hunched over, still trying to rub the swell from his eyes but instead he was just making it worse.