Not What You Signed Up For (Reboot)|| Mature || CLOSED

"Where is Lock?"
That same level of fear ran thickly with every word Harrison said. If Lock wasn't with Aster then who knew where he could be, or if he was still alive. "Please tell me he's with you, you need to get him home ASAP"

Why would Lock leave the house when he knew he couldn't be away from his plants for too long? What was he trying to prove by endangering his life?

”Lock? Oh, they’re somewhere. Not sure where though but definitely in the marketplace,” even though his words may seem like he didn’t care even a bit, Aster was rushing through the crowds of people looking for Lock.
He was debating whether to use his powers to locate the Drus but… when he glanced over and saw so many people, he changed his mind. This was not the right place.
If he knew Lock well enough, the flower shops might be a good place to look for him. That was where he went, hopefully he can find the Drus there.

"Wait. Lock is gone too? I just thought it was the sadists and Eskja." Vix said as she hurried into the house to look for the small Drus.

"Find him!" Harrison shouted down the phone to Aster, his body turned cold when he found out Lock wasn't with him. "Or so help me you will never see the light of day again!"
He hung up. He placed his phone down on the kitchen table and stared at it in shock. Was that really him who had shouted? Harrison never rose his voice at any of them but today just seemed to be an exception. What was wrong with him?

Today just seemed to be going all wrong, living with them had never spiraled out of control as much as it had in the last few hours—and it wasn't even eleven o'clock yet. Lock.. Please come home safely.

Cora stood in the market in Kingston upon Thames, staring down at the phone in her hand. More specifically, staring at the phone number she had typed in. 'Just press send. It's just Harry. He'd be happy to talk to you.' She bit her lip and looked around the shop she was in. The smell of flowers was lovely, but did little to calm her nerves. The bell above the door dinged as a man in a suit entered the shop in a hurry. 'Stop getting distracted and just do it Cora.' She blew out a breath and pressed the call button, then held her phone up to her ear and waited.

Lock wearily left the herbal drugs store, clutching a brown paper bag tightly to his chest. The store owner was nice, he didn't mind that Lock was a little different to normal—plus Lock was one of the main reasons he was still in business what with his constant purchases. Next stop, the flower shop… He needed to see if they had any new seeds yet. He stumbled down the street, pushing open the door to the florists after almost walking straight into the glass. The ground appeared to stretch further away from him, a soft hum vibrated in his head. No, he had to do this. He had to prove that he wasn't a child anymore and was perfectly capable of going out by himself..

Harrison didn't even look at the Caller ID when his phone started ringing again. He picked it up, not even bothering to try and hide how terrified he was. "Did you find him yet? Are you on your way home?"

It did not take long for her to come across where the seafood would be at. Most of it, if not all, was freshly caught. With what change she had, Eskja looked for the most affordable but also most quality she could find. Eskja thought back to the times where she was flying by Iceland, and catching fish there, right from the water. You wouldn’t find much better fish than that.

Some trout would probably have to do. Eskja made her exchange.

The urgency in Harry's voice was enough to make Cora jump. His words sinking in did nothing to help her concern or confusion. "I- what? Harry? Find who? Who am I supposed to be looking for?" Her mind raced. Had they had some conversation that she didn't remember? Did Harry realize it was her? She quickly looked at her phone to make sure she had called the right person. No, it was definitely him. She furrowed her brows. "I don't live with you." Way to state the obvious Cora.

Harrison froze.. who was he talking to?? He checked the phone for the caller ID and frowned. “Cora..” he whispered. Was she the girl from——“Cora, perfect. Are you in town at the moment?” Wait, Cora didn’t live where he did… “or, well.. Never mind.” He took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves, checking his phone every now and again just to make sure Aster hadn’t tried to call him. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”

"Oh well, that's actually why I was calling!" As soon as she started talking, she paused and reconsidered. "Is this a bad time? Cause it sort of seems like a bad time. I can call back later if you like. It seemed like you were doing something . . . more important." Her call could wait anyways. She had time. Really, she was just a little scared and had wanted to get the call out of the way.

"No! No…" Harrison rubbed a hand over his face, trying to calm himself down. If Cora had figured out that it was a bad time then he must have been showing his emotions a lot more than he intended. "No it's okay, what did you want to talk about?"

Lock made it inside the building with no hassle, smiling softly at both the clerk and the woman who was on the phone. She looked familiar, but he couldn't quiet place where. Plus, he could have been seeing her wrong, his vision wasn't exactly holding up. Now where did the florist usually keep the seeds?

Cora narrowed her eyes, but let it slide. Harrison wasn't fooling her, but he didn't have to know that. The bell above the door to the shop distracted her again, and it took her a moment to remember what she was saying. "Well, funny enough, I'm actually in Kingston upon Thames this week. Right now, in fact. You still live here, right?"

"Yes of course. I don't have plans to leave anytime soon." It was unusual for Cora to be in the area. The two of them went to school together, but from what he could remember, she lived nowhere near where he did. "What brings you to the area, a wedding or something?" Come on… He needed to know where Lock was and Aster hadn't tried calling back. Was Lock still safe?

Cora laughed a little. "Yeah, actually, how did you know?" Some white roses caught her eye and she walked towards them. "So does today work? Because if not, we can meet up tomorrow." She looked at the roses as she talked. "And you live in that big house, right? How do you feel about flowers? To liven the place up a bit? I'm in the flower shop in town, I could bring you some."

"Flowers sound great—Wait did you say you're in the florists?" Harrison picked up his phone, grabbing his car keys from his jacket as he jogged to the front door. He moved his phone away from his ear to call out. "I'm going to get Lock, I'll be back soon." Hopefully Vix and Gavin heard him. He left the house and fumbled around for the button that opened the garage. "Cora, is there a boy there? Looks kind of sick, like he's about to pass out any second?"

"Yes, I'm in the florists." Cora held her phone away from her face in confusion as Harrison ran . . . somewhere. "Oh!" Cora looked around and found a boy matching the exact description Harry had provided. "Yes, actually! What can I do? Will he be scared if I go up to him?"

"Probably, just tell him you're a friend of mine and he should be okay with you." Harrison clambered into his car, setting his phone down on the passenger seat while he put it on speaker. He quickly fastened his seatbelt and turned the key in the ignition. Soon enough he was pulling out of the driveway and sped down the long stretch towards the town. "Whatever you do, don't touch him. He's a.. uh.. troubled kid." Harrison cringed after those words came out of his mouth, but he couldn't exactly tell Cora that Lock isn't human.

"Alright, I won't." Cora's demeanor had rapidly changed. She squared her shoulders. She had a job to do. She put her phone down from her face but didn't hang up the call. She walked cautiously over to the boy, who was looking around the shop like he was searching for something. He stood next to some lilies. She came to stand next to him. "Lovely, aren't they?" She smiled. "Hi. I'm Cora. I'm a friend of Harry's– er, Harrison. I hear you are too."

“Harrison’s friend…?” Lock turned to the woman, a soft smile on his lips. His words were soft, almost dazed, and his eyes darted around as if he were searching for the person he was speaking to. “Cora.. That’s a pretty name.” He turned back to the flowers, his fingers reaching out to gently brush the petals of a single flower. “I tried growing a bed of these myself, it didn’t quite work out as well as I’d hoped.. Got the wrong seeds.”

"What? Why?" Vix yelled, poking her head down the stairs, just in time to see Harrison leave.
"Well, OK then." She mumbled to herself a's she walked down stairs. "I guess we have the house to ourself, Gavin." She said, hopefully loud enough that Gavin could hear her. "Do you want to do anything?"

“Harrison’s friend…?” Lock turned to the woman, a soft smile on his lips. His words were soft, almost dazed, and his eyes darted around as if he were searching for the person he was speaking to. “Cora.. That’s a pretty name.” He turned back to the flowers, his fingers reaching out to gently brush the petals of a single flower. “I tried growing a bed of these myself, it didn’t quite work out as well as I’d hoped.. Got the wrong seeds.”

The boy's dazed look concerned Cora, just a bit. "That's a pity. Is that what you're looking for? Seeds?" she asked. "I could help you find them." She smiled sheepishly. "I'm not very good at growing things. I do love flowers, but they never seem to quite work out. So I stick to buying flowers other people have grown."

(Do any of you have tips on how to sleep properly… I didn’t get any sleep last night…)

Aster was a bit frustrated when Harrison hung up on him. The florists… he stopped in front of a specific shop and looked inside, seeing someone who appeared to be Lock talking to a rather young lady.

When he was sure that the person inside was indeed Lock, he made his way into the store. Without saying a word to the lady, Aster put his hand on Lock’s shoulder before straight up pulling him out of the shop. Call him an asshole, but if anything, he’ll need to make sure that Lock doesn’t die even if it made him look bad.

Upon exiting the marketplace, Aster accelerated his pace in an inhumane rate. Where was he headed? Harrison’s place, of course. Where would he go?

On the same route, he saw a car pass by but… he couldn’t care less. Not with Lock here.

Lock jumped back, stumbling over slightly. His bag fell to the florists floor in shock and he started freaking out while Aster ran, pulling him along. Aster had touched him..
People needed to stop touching him!
It became a lot harder to breathe, a hell of a lot harder. He couldn’t understand why the atmosphere had become so heavy upon his chest. “Where’s Cora..?”

A car passed them by the side of the road, and that was the last thing Lock saw before hitting the pavement.

————————

Harrison made it to the florists and immediately picked up the fallen bag. And the woman.. that must have been Cora! Wow.. she was stunning.
“Hey Cor, nice to see you again. I wish it were under better circumstances. I——“ What was he doing?! He knew he’d seen Aster and Lock pass by him, so why was he still talking? “Meet up tomorrow, 10am, I’ll meet you at one of the coffee shops just text me which one.” He waved to her before turning to exit the shop. “Your hair looks nice by the way.”

Harrison jumped back in his car and started driving home. Lock and Aster must have been back by now——this knowledge put his mind at ease. Or at least, it should have done.. Who was that laid down on the pavement?!

Aster was focused on getting Lock home… well, at least he wanted to. When the Drus fainted, his eyes averted back in both shock and fear. His mind debated with itself. One side wanted to make a run for it using his demon form, the other wanted to care for him until someone else would pass by.

And thank the gods, Harrison came back. With a fake poker face, Aster carried Lock’s body and stood by the pavement.

Please stop the car, he’s running out of time,

Harrison felt like a complete idiot for leaving Cora back at the florists like that, but he needed to get Lock home. His knuckles had turned as white as his face from how hard he was gripping the wheel, his eyes had started to sting from the stray tears that had started to fall. He pulled the car to the curb, rolled down his window and murmured. “Get in. Keep the windows open.”

Aster moved to the passenger’s seat. Opening the door, he set Lock down and closed the door.
“I’m going on my own. Too much air will be taken if I get in too,” he mentioned as he set in motion towards the house. His speed was a bit too much and was honestly unnecessary but… could you really blame him.

He knew Gavin had some experience when it came to first aid and emergency aiding. Perhaps this might be a good time to put his experiences to work.

He reached the house in that short scope of less than a minute, immediately setting up a place to set Lock down on. He had to accept it, this whole ordeal was partially his fault— well… mostly his fault.

“Gav!!!” He called out, hoping that the butterfly would answer.

Her trout she’d purchased was packaged carefully and neatly. Given the fact she had no idea how long she would be outside for, Eskja appreciated it, since she wanted the fish to remain in good quality. Taking the small-ish package, Eskja thanked the seller.

Eskja turned to Eidus, package in hand. “Hello Eidus,” Eskja greeted. “Are you not getting anything at the marketplace?” The question was just calm, curious. As far as Eskja was concerned, she had what she came to the market for.

“You have a habit of getting yourself into these kinds of situations, ay Lock?” Harrison knew he was talking to himself at this point, but it was better than sitting in complete silence. “I get it, you want more freedom.. but you need to be careful. It’s the stretch that will kill you.”

As the car reached the stretch before the house, Harrison stepped down on the acceleration. Get Lock back to his plant beds, water him. He’d be right as rain in no time. Harrison kept telling himself that but a large cloud of doubt still hung above him.

When they made it back to the estate, Harrison carefully lifted the Drus into his arms and carried him into the house. He came to a standstill upon seeing a makeshift unit with Aster stood by it. “What’s that for?”