Notebook.ai

Monsters? These are my children -Ben (o/o with lisapickle)

@chickenfrogman group forum 2580 comments schedule
group
@chickenfrogman group

He’s silent for a minute, staring at the floor as his stomach twists into a knot, knowing full well he couldn’t trust his sister or Dio, or even Ben for that matter.
“Everything is wrong.” He firmly stares, his voice a little louder than normal. Then he continues quieter, “we’ve made every bad choice possible. I can’t trust Kissa because she’s not loyal to people, she’s loyal to power. The moment a more powerful person comes in, she’ll be off. And I know it’s gonna be Etienne again. Ben is too anxious and stressed to make good choices, but he doesn’t really have a way right now he can cope and clear his mind so he’s just make the- the best wrong choices? The ones that are least harmful but they’re still not good. And he’s most fit to be in charge but he’s overwhelmed. And Dio- he’s a whole conversation in himself. He’s most likely not who he claims to be, and if he is Kissa will kill him eventually for Etienne.” He takes a deep breath, never taking his wife eyes off of the floor. “I want it to be done. I can’t deal with this right now but… I know I have to. Everyone is angry with each other for stupid reasons. There’s tension and anger and I can’t fix it, but it’s ruining things.” He rubs his forehead with a sigh.

@lisapickle

Silver stared at him, startled with each passing second that he kept talking, but as his words sank into her ears, her eyes filled with tears that she didn't have the strength to hold back. She nodded. He was right. About everything. And they couldn't do a thing to fix any of it.
"I know." She whispered, sniffing. "I want it to be done too. I'm so tired of… everything." Her breaths came out shaky and unsteady as she tried to not completely break down.

group
@chickenfrogman group

Gabriel blinks, realizing he’s spilled over and probably overwhelmed her.
Dang it, I need to be careful. She doesn’t need to take care of me, and she shouldn’t be worrying about all of this.
He gives a small sigh, steps forward and embraces her, pressing her head gently against his chest and trying his best to absorb all of the nasty anxiety.
He gives the top of her head a small kiss. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have bothered you, Sil. You don’t need to worry about all of this.”

@lisapickle

She shook her head, wrapping her arms around him. She wasn't sure if she was holding him to make him feel better or herself. "It's okay." She said. "I know you don't like to tell me things because I'm so… emotional. No one likes to because I just cry all the time." She sniffled again. "I just can't help it. I don't mean to. I want to help and do my part. I'm not…" She sighed and shook her head again. "I'm okay. I'm okay." Looking up at him, she asked, "Have you talked to Ben or Vi about any of this? Do they know about Kissa?"

group
@chickenfrogman group

Gabriel puts both hands on her face, holding it as he stares into her eyes. “Listen, your part is to not worry and to be a good friend. And you play it amazing. And if anyone doesn’t talk to you because they think you’ll cry, tell me and I’ll punch them for you. Crying is healthy, you hear.?” Despite how firm the words are, they still leave his lips quietly and softly. “I’ll talk to Ben and Vi about Kiss, it’s okay.”

@lisapickle

Her breath caught in her throat as her tears spilled over down her cheeks. "Oh, Gabriel," she sobbed. "I know. I know it's okay. But I want to be a better part of the team. I could do so much more if I just–" she angrily dashed her hand across her face. "I could be so much better if I didn't just panic and cry all the time."

group
@chickenfrogman group

He sighs before continuing. “Okay, okay, panicking hurts things, I won’t lie. But crying isn’t harmful. It’s okay. Just take a deeeeep breath.” He puts his hands on her shoulders. “You gonna be okay?”

@lisapickle

Silver sucked in deep breaths, wiping her face, and calmed down after a minute. "Yes." She finally said, looking up at him again. "Yes, I'm okay. I'm fine." She nodded, mostly to herself. "I'm good."

group
@chickenfrogman group

A small smile crosses his lips. “Yeah? Good. Don’t worry about it, Silver. It’s okay.” He gives her forehead a kiss and leans back against the wall again. “What do you think? About Dio.”

@lisapickle

She wiped her face again, but stared thoughtfully at the wall beside his head. "He… he was very open. And… real. I think if he was playing us he wouldn't have been quite like that. And he didn't feel bad. Like, usually when Kissa's about to play a mean prank on Cage I can feel it, you know? I can feel her meanness. I didn't feel anything like that off of Dio. He seemed like he was just completely involved in being here and talking to us. Like he was… just really happy."

group
@chickenfrogman group

Gabriel looks to the ground.
Maybe I was too caught up in Kissa to really read him.
He gives a small sigh.
Not to mention the fact I hate his brother.

@lisapickle

Silver reached up and brushed his long bangs away from his face. "Hey. You're doing it again." She tried to tuck his hair behind his ear but it fell forward again. "What did you think of him? How long were you there? I didn't see you after a while."

group
@chickenfrogman group

“I wasn’t there long.”
He stares at the ground.
He shouldn’t be trusted. I don’t-
He looks back to her eyes. “I’m sure he’s fine. Especially if Violet was so comfortable around him.”

@lisapickle

Silver nodded, not quite managing to suppress a wry smile. "Considering she got herself drunk, I don't know that I would go off her behavior around him. But I think she was the one who invited him. I think that's what she and Ben were arguing about that time they came home and we were in the living room." she sighed and rested her head on his shoulder. "I really think he's okay. Ben is just freaking out because nothing went according to his plan so he's mad. I think it was just too much for Violet. She tried so hard to have a normal evening with a guest over and we ruined it. But he was really nice. I want to meet him again."

group
@chickenfrogman group

Gabriel furrows his brow. “Wait, wait. Violet’s drunk?”
We’re all gonna die tonight.

@lisapickle

Silver lifted her head and blinked up at him. "Oh. Yeah. You weren't in the dining room. Violet drank like a whole bottle of wine on her own and now she's literally drunk. Last I saw Miki told Ben to take her to bed and he was swearing. I just… left after that."

group
@chickenfrogman group

He blinks, trying to process it.
I- I think we should all just go to bed. Today is Bad.
He swallows and puts a hand on the door knob. “I- I think I’ll go find Kissa and make sure she’s going to bed.”

@lisapickle

Silver felt his emotions spike and gently grabbed his arm before he could escape. "Hey. Gabriel. It's okay. We'll be alright. Don't worry about Ben and Vi. They're adults, they can take care of themselves. We all just need to get some rest. Tomorrow will be better." she stood on her tiptoes and just barely brushed his jaw with her lips. "Goodnight."

group
@chickenfrogman group

Not knowing what to say anymore, he gives her a tight nod and leaves the bathroom, instantly turning himself invisible and wrapping his arms around himself. A shiver runs up his spine as he walks into the living room.
I want out.

@lisapickle

Silver stood in the bathroom doorway for a few minutes. She wasn't sure Gabriel was alright at all. Well, he never really was, but she was pretty sure he was less not-alright than usual, despite having just spend at least 30 minutes telling each other they would be okay. She sighed and climbed up the stairs, heading for bed. Vaguely she heard Miki still in the kitchen, angrily crashing dishes as she cleaned up, but she left her to it and crawled into bed, falling in an exhausted and deep sleep.

group
@chickenfrogman group

(TIME SKIP TWO DAYS)(Let's just say it's been just as normal, but with Gabriel being more close to Kiss because suspicion, and Violet had a throbbing headache the next day XD)(To set up the scene, it's around 11am and Ben and Kiss are downstairs 'training' and Gabriel is also down there, but invisible. Cage is chilling on the couch with a DS and snacks. Violet it a few houses down the road cleaning for one of her jobs)(Ben left his phone on the island counter just for you)

Cage makes a popping noise with his mouth and hands the DS to Miki. "I can't catch the tarantula. Can you catch it for me? It keeps biting me and now I owe the hospital enough to buy a plot of land for my deceased body." He sighs and flops back. "This game will be the death of me."

@lisapickle

Miki looked up from her phone and took device, making a face at the screen. "What? Why are you trying to catch a tarantula? What game is this anyway?" She tested the controls for a minute before catching his tarantula on her second try. "There. Why on earth do you want a tarantula?"

Silver raced upstairs, dragging the ladder to the attic down and scrambling up into the darkness before pausing to catch her breath. Ben's gonna kill me.

group
@chickenfrogman group

Cage leans on her shoulder. "HOW DID YOU DO THAT!" He snatches the DS back. "Wow! Too bad the museum wont freakin' pay me for this. DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY TIMES I WAS HOSPITALIZED TO CATCH YOU THIS TARANTULA." He shouts at the character in the screen. He turns back to Miki with a sigh. "Animal Crossing. I had to catch him to give to the museum."

@lisapickle

Miki watched him with wide eyes, slowly picking her phone back up. "Ooooookay. Sounds fun." she looked at her phone for a few moments before leaning over and looking over his shoulder at the game. "I'm so confused. Why does the museum want a tarantula??"

Silver looked around the dark attic once her heart had calmed down and tucked herself into a corner, half hidden by some un-identified piece of furniture. Slowly she pulled her hand out of her pocket and stared at Ben's phone.

group
@chickenfrogman group

Cage shrugs, leading his character into the museum. "They have a whole huge room full of insects. It's terrifying. Especially because they just have them loose. Imagine walking into a museum and seeing killer bees just chillin."

@lisapickle

"What kind of museum is that???" Miki yelped. "And they don't even pay you for catching the bugs for them? Rude."

Silver pulled her own phone out and then scrolled through Ben's contact til she found Dio's number. She hadn't exactly had a plan when she swiped Ben's phone off the kitchen counter, just the thought that popped into her head that she could copy Dio's number into her own phone.
After that she had no idea what she was going to do.

group
@chickenfrogman group

Cage nods. "I know! I catch fish for them too, but those don't hospitalize me. Wanna try to catch a fish?"
He hands her the DS.
*
Ryder runs a hand through his hair, taking a bag of m&m's from the counter and making his way to the couch.
"Thanks for letting me crash here again, Dio. Can't imagine why the apartment owner didn't like me." He pops a few m&m's into his mouth. "How'd that meeting thing go with the tall guy?"

@lisapickle

Miki took the DS again and tried to catch a fish. "Is this all you do in this game? Catch stuff for the museum that doesn't pay you anything?"

Silver took a deep breath, staring at both phones showing Dio's number. I could text him from my phone but then I'd have to tell him who I am. But if I text him from Ben's phone Ben might see the texts.

*

Dio nodded from his nest of blanket on one end of the couch. "Of course. You know you're always welcome here." he flicked through files on his tablet. "Hmmm. Let's just say… it went. His children are absolute darlings, but he and his wife seemed really stressed. I understand, obviously, but I thought the evening went quite well, honestly. I thought they would enjoy having a relaxing dinner as well."

group
@chickenfrogman group

Cage bites his lip, pointing out a fish to her. "Nooo, I also have to work for that stupid raccoon, and pay him wayyyy too much just for a toilet. The guy is evil. And his nephews are annoying."
*
Ryder turns on the TV, raising his eyebrows. "He has kids? How old are they?"

@lisapickle

Miki blinked at Cage, not even paying attention to the game. "This games sounds awful, Cage. Why are you even playing it?"

Slowly Silver typed "When are you coming back?" in the text field and stared at it. I'm gonna get in so much trouble.
Then she hit send and wrapped her arms around her legs.

–

"Oh!" Dio laughed. "No, they're not his biological children. They're other elementals he's protecting. But he acts like their parent. It's adorable." His phone chimed and he picked it up, frowning at the text.
"…who is this?" he typed back.