[PRP] The Other Child (Alex & Hel)

[Lucyal]

When Hel thought about it, she probably should have gone to talk to Salbei sooner. After all, he was really old, and presumably was very worldly wise…so even though he was a horseman, maybe he would be familiar with reaper lore? Maybe he could advise her about her broken weapon. Out of anyone on or near Amityville, she felt that he was definitely the go to being, despite Mot’s insistence that she ask Malcolm.

Upon arrival at the tent though, any hope of asking was dashed. No one was there, not even Nanners. Hel’s face fell into disappointment. There went another hope out the window. She noticed, though, that there was another note in the tent, and she went to claim it. Ah, ya, out. Okay. Hel tucked that note into her apron, looking to keep it, because any note Salbei wrote for her, even if it was just to let her know he was gone, made her feel special. A note addressed to her was to be cherished.

Hel let out a breath, and spun on her heel and left the tent. Well, without Gramps here, it was time to get off the Lost Clans territory.  

[Seussi]

Alex really hadn't been spending much time in the lost clans sanctuary lately. With the pressure of graduation looming, his duties as public relations for student council, a part time job and a boilfriend-now-fiance to take up his time, it just didn't really fit in to his busy schedule. And beyond that...well, he actually didn't even remember agreeing to become an initiate so he saw no reason to spend unnecessary time around the sanctuary, unless it was to visit Salbei, which he was about to do now.

Or not........

The zomboil shuffled up to the famine sages tent, calling out when he was still several long feet away, as loudly as possible. "Saaaaaa-aaallll, your favorite Amityville inhabitant has come to see yooouuuuu!" Because clearly Alexander was the favorite of Sal's adopted pile of students, right? After all, he had been friends with the sage longer then Mort or Belladonna had been! Okay, he was very well aware that Sal didn't play favorites, but he thought he'd joke around about it anyways.

Lucyalx

figured she could just hear him yelling idk XD <3 sorry this is so late!

 

[Lucyal]

Hel hadn’t made it too far away until she heard a voice calling out for Salbei as well. Nosy, and definitely curious, the ghoul immediately stopped and spun on her heel. She stared at the zombie boil at the tent, and she sorta bristled as he made the boisterous claim of being the favorite.

Hel’s eye’s narrowed. No. She was the favorite (okay, well, Hel didn’t think that was true…but she could pretend). But she was actually the problem child, and more often than not, she liked to ignore the fact that Salbei had ‘other children’. But…oh…he had adopted the Public Relations student, eh? WELL THEN. Hel marched right on back to the tent, and over to the zombie boil.

“OI!” She called out to Alex. “Gramps is out. He left me a note saying so.” She then settled her hands on her hips. “What is your business with him?”

Oh yes, nosy.

Seussi

No problem! <3

 

[Seussi]

The sudden burst of shouting right behind him had the zomboil flinching, wondering if it was a horseman come to yell at him for being on their land, or maybe to set him to some task for them since he was just standing around doing nothing. It hadn't happened before that he could recall, but he did at least remember doing odd jobs in the human world for them, even if he couldn't remember why.

When he slowly shuffled around to look, however, he was met with the sight of somebody that he was pretty sure was not a pony. In fact he was fairly certain he remembered this ghoul from around the school, and upon realizing this, offered her a giant grin. "Gramps? Oh, right, haha, the old man." He chuckled a little at her name for him, storing it away for later use, though he preferred to call the man 'papa pony' himself.

Not too fussed about her obvious attitude and nosiness, Alexander just shrugged his shoulders, still smiling away, before reaching up to scratch skeletal fingers along his forehead.

"Well, actually, I'm not sure I can really tell you. It's kind of uh, Family Business, you know?" Because yes, he thought of Sal as family, obviously. In fact, considering his own skeletal parts, his tall, lanky frame, and white hair, he could practically pass as Sal's actual son.

"You're uh....Hel is it? A friend of Belladonna's, right? She's mentioned you a few times. How do you know Sal?" He asked, cheerful, and in a fairly polite tone.

Lucyal

 

[Lucyal]

If Hel was a bird, her feathers would be puffed out right now from all this teasing. Didn’t Alex know who she was? Apparently not. Luckily the zombie boil’s easy going attitude and grins were helping to not let Hel fly off the handle. After all, it was hard to be pissed off and eager to thump some heads when Alex was so easy going. “Uh, I am family too, okay?” She puffed out her cheeks. “Ya, I am, Mister Public Relations.” Hel replied, and once the question was asked, Hel jabbed a thumb at herself.

“He is my Gramps, and I am the Problem Child!” Wow, never thought she’d see the day when she was declaring that loudly and proudly. Sigh. “How do you know him?”

Seussi

 

[Seussi]

Again, if Alex was at all taken aback by Hel's attitude, he didn't let it show, just continuing to smile like nothing was amiss at all. Some might find it creepy, his expression, maybe because he was a zombie. Maybe cheerful zombies actually looked like they were about to try and eat your face. Or worse. Something more sinister....

But not Alex, nope, he was just happy to be there and that was all.

"OH....Well I'm sorry I mean, I might consider you family if this wasn't...you know...the first time we met?" He did genuinely feel a bit badly about it, his eyes widening slightly and his grin faltering. "I just don't know you at all and.." Ah, he hated making ghouls upset!

"Look, you know what." He took a step forward towards her, raising his hands apologetically.

Wait...problem child? No! Focus!

"I've known Sal for a long time now, over a year in fact. I met him shortly after he got here, helped him and another horsemen, Soren, wrangle an alpaca."

He decided to leave out the part where he'd actually tried to eat the alpaca and that Sal was going to give him a new one in replacement for helping.

"And I trust him, with my unlife in fact. If he's your gramps, then that makes us....siblings, kind of, right? So let's hang out a bit and get to know each other!" He beamed at her, because this was the best idea ever! "And then I will tell you anything you want to know."

Lucyal

 

[Lucyal]

Yeah, Alex looked like the secretly sinister type…especially with his significant other. Oh yes. Hel could picture it clearly….

No she couldn’t.

That was the furthest thing from her mind right now anyways.

Hel just stared at Alex and narrowed her eyes as he spoke, until he seemed to bring up some points that suddenly turned this into a competition. He never heard about her!? WELL THEN…THAT WAS OKAY BECAUSE GRAMPS NEVER SPOKE ABOUT HIM EITHER HA!

She then seemed to bristle as he brought up how long he knew the Sage, and Hel had to stop and think about that as well. Let’s see…she first met him at Battle of the Bands so…HA! “I have known him for over a year now as well!” The ghoul exclaimed, almost in a pout. Almost. “And I trust him too!” Hel was definitely displaying little sibling syndrome at the moment. At his offer, Hel rubbed her chin very dramatically.

“How about you tell me what I want to know now, and then we can hang out.”

Seussi

 

[Seussi]

"I suppose it's actually been more like a year and a half? Right after they got here, really." His eyes had drifted upward in thought, and he nodded in affirmation, not having a single clue that Hel might feel it was a competition. "But then it was a good couple of months before I saw him again after that. You know what, he still hasn't even given me the alpaca he said he owed me?" gave his head a shake and rolled his eyes.

At her new proposal, however, Alex narrowed his eyes at her, as though finally catching on to her game. Was she jealous of his interactions with Sal? Maybe....

He let out a bit of laughter once more. "Okay fine. You win. Now what was it exactly that you wanted to know? And uh...do you mind if we find a place to sit down?" He really felt as though he'd been on his feet long enough and his laziness was calling to him enticingly.

Lucyal

 

[Lucyal]

Cue more pouting and puffed out cheeks. Look at Alex, one-up-ing her with his ‘half year’ thing. Bah! Her cheeks deflated though, and she looked up at the boil with a quizzical brow. “Gramps has alpacas…?” This was new. She hadn’t ever seen any…or there was never any mention of them either. Huh.

The ghoul puffed up with pride though as Alex admitted defeat, and finally a grin pulled upon her lips. “I want to know what your business is with him.” She reminded, and at his question, Hel looked around. “Oh…uh…” Her brows furrowed. “There are some fallen logs outside the Reserve…?” She offered, but regardless, started to walk in that direction anyways.

Seussi