[IC] MONSTORY

[Dead Cruiser]

With all of the discretion and obedience of a particularly smug cat, Blake followed Izzy to the bathroom, hanging just outside of the door to talk to her from the threshold. "Well, I wouldn't want you asking Zach about this. He loves giving advice, but his success ratio... well, just to ballpark it, I'd say that it's zero percent. I on the other hand have a success rate of one-hundred percent, so I may take pity on you, dear sister." He thought for a moment, rubbing his chin as he leaned against the doorframe. "Well, I'd just see how you react to this guy. Y'know, does your attention drift away from what you're supposed to be looking at and to him when you're together? Do you find yourself wanting to run into him when you're out and about? When you watch a romantic movie, do you think about him and yourself in the actors' places? I think those are the kinds of signs that you like someone."

[Riven Wight]

Izzy narrowed her eyes and let out an annoyed sigh when Blake followed her. But at least she had gained his interest. She left the door open as she pulled her toothbrush from the holder on the sink.
“You’re awfully confident about your ‘success ratio’ for a twelve-year-old,” she said not unkindly as she looked at him sideways, and slathered toothpaste on the brush. She could not help but wish she had his level of self-assurance. She started brushing her teeth absently as Blake rattled off his assessment questions, trying to not nod, though the gentle pink on her cheeks gave away her answers.
She finished with her teeth, then spat out her mouth-full of foamy toothpaste. “Thanks, Love Doctor. I’ll spare your bacon for today as payment.” She picked up her hairbrush. “How about this one:” she glanced to Blake in the mirror, “how can a girl tell if he’s interested in her?”

[Dead Cruiser]

Blake made a nebulous sort of expression and said with palpably less confidence, "Well, uh, I guess just see if he does the same things. Just... if he acts different around you compared to other people." This was kind of unhelpful. Firstly that Izzy would essentially have to spy on Trevor to observe this in action, and secondly that she didn't know who any of his other friends were. "Anyway, less talk, more breakfast."

A door slammed shut downstairs. "Aloha! I'm beat. Where's breakfast?" Zach was home, apparently. Stepping inside, dripping wet, he gingerly removed his flooded shoes and socks, before padding over to the sink. Whereupon he stuck his head under the water and drank the water like a horse.

[Riven Wight]

The corner of Izzy’s mouth puckered slightly at Blake’s response, then rolled her eyes with an exaggerated motion at his request for breakfast again.
“Okay, okay.” She put her hairbrush away, and placed a couple hair ties around her wrist, a habit that had formed within the last couple months.
She had just stepped out of the bathroom when Zach’s voice called up to them.
“In the fridge,” Izzy answered as she descended the stairs, still in her fuzzy pajamas. “Waiting to be...” Her sentence trailed off as she stopped in the doorway to the kitchen, taking in the Zach’s wetness as he drank directly from the faucet. “Is it raining,” she leaned backward to glance out a window, “or did you jump in a lake?”
Not quite feeling like cereal for breakfast--or trying to convince her brothers to have a bowl themselves--she stepped to the fridge and pulled out a pack of bacon and a carton of eggs, and deposited them on the counter.

[Dead Cruiser]

After downing what had to have been about five liters of water, Zach lifted his head to answer Izzy, "Neither, this is sweat." He took off his shirt in the middle of the kitchen, and wrung it out in the sink. "I don't usually run, so I had some problems pacing myself. I ended up going about twenty-three miles."

He left his soaked shirt hanging halfway out of the sink, and wandered over to Izzy, grinning like an idiot. Apparently not content on missing out on pestering her that morning, he grabbed her in a sticky, sweaty hug, and rubbed his slick, salty cheek against hers.

"Thank you for making breakfast, dear sister," he said, continuing to rub his stink on her, "I wasn't sure about trusting Blake to wake you up by himself, but I'm glad everything worked out."

[Riven Wight]

Izzy raised her eyebrows at Zach as he gulped down water, then added a tub of butter to her small pile. She retrieved a pan from one of the cabinets and placed it on the stove top, her face twisting in disgust as she watched Zach wring out his shirt.
“You can’t think of anywhere more sanitary to do that?” she asked, turning the burner on. “The bathroom, for instance?” She turned from him to collect a spatula, then went to return to the stove, but Zach was closing the distance between them.
Recognizing his mischievous expression, she pointed the end of the spatula threateningly at him and stepped away. “Don’t you even think about--!” Her protest ended in an appalled groan as he forced her into a damp, reeking hug.
“GET OFF ME!” she shouted, trying to wriggle from his grasp and push him away, her attempts aided by the handle of the spatula as she tried to jab it into his side to make him back off. “Unless you want to make your own breakfast!”

[Dead Cruiser]

Zach took a few steps away, still laughing at his sister's agitation. He reached over and mussed up her hair while he was still in arm's reach, before moving fully away from her. Ever since he had gotten taller than Izzy, he had taken particular pleasure in subtly reminding her of that fact. He was growing up in a lot of ways, really. Though he was kind of an idiot, he was still the older of her brothers, and he might have a different perspective on Izzy's issue, if she deigned to ask him.

[Riven Wight]

A scowl still pulled at Izzy’s lips when Zach pulled away. She eyed him as she returned to the stove, brandishing the spatula between the two of them as if it would shield her from another sweaty hug.
She glanced to him as she turned the stove burner on, and sighed. She had already gotten the view of her situation from the younger of the two. There would be little harm in bringing it up with Zach.
“So,” she began slowly, flicking a spoonful of butter into the skillet. “I’ve already gotten the Love Doctor’s thoughts on this. Thought you might like to put your two cents in.” She paused, bracing herself for his answer and potentially a barrage of teasing. “How do you tell when you’re in love, or if the feeling’s mutual?”

[Dead Cruiser]

Zach had retrieved a bottle of juice from the fridge, and was drinking it in a decidedly more civilized manner as Izzy asked her question. As she finished, he paused for a moment, clearly carefully deliberating his answer. He thought about it long enough that the silence was pronounced and awkward, and Izzy began to regret asking him,

Then, finally, he turned to her and said in complete seriousness, "If you look at someone, and you want to have their children, that means you love them."

Breakfast was eaten with its usual share of banter and shenanigans, and afterward Izzy decided on a refreshing walk into town to help digest. It was warm and not terribly windy in the late morning, and perfect walking weather. With her staff in hand she set out, leaving her brothers to watch the house. She had managed to walk well into the more populated part of town by the time she spotted him: the current object of her turbulent emotions, Trevor Hansen.

He was probably walking to the library, she figured at first, but realizing that it was sunday, the library was probably closed. In that case, perhaps he was going to the bookstore? But that was the opposite direction of where he was walking. Izzy momentarily thought to avoid him, at least until she better understood how she felt about him, but a passing glance back at him stayed her feet. Standing out like a black cloud was a piece of bulky gauze, taped to his face. It was attached to his left cheek, nearly obscuring that complete side of his face. It was a strange sight for sure, and a stranger thought possessed Izzy: if a right handed person struck you in the face, the mark would be on your left side.

However, before Izzy could make a swift getaway, or even think more on this, Trevor spotted her and waved. He greeted her in his usual polite, yet friendly manner as he approached, "Good morning, Izzy. I trust you're well?"

[Riven Wight]

Izzy shifted her weight awkwardly as silence fell in the kitchen, only the sizzling of the butter melting filling the quiet. She opened the pack of bacon as Zach thought, and added a few slices to the pan, creating sizzling anew. When he finally gave his rather unexpected answer, she stared at him for a minute, until the smell of the bacon cooking reminded her to flip it.
“Well, that’s one to file away. Aren’t you a little young to be thinking like that already?” she asked, her brows raised.
After breakfast, she hurried back upstairs to change out of her pajamas, habitually adding a decorative camo-patterned scarf she had found shoved in the corner of her closet a few weeks back. With her usual jacket and its back-up out of commission, it killed two birds with one stone.
Not wanting to waste the mild weather, Izzy hurried from the house, her walking staff, as usual, in hand, and partially hoping her brothers would not burn down the house while she was gone. Izzy paid little attention to where she was going, letting her feet carry her wherever the streets may lead, confident that, no matter where she was in town, she would be capable of finding her way back home when she decided to return. She let her mind wander with her feet, her thoughts frequently falling to Trevor.
As if summoned by her thoughts, she glanced behind her, and caught sight of her only friend about a block away. Izzy turned and stopped, watching him and wondering where he was heading. She shook her head, deciding it might be a good idea to avoid him until she got herself sorted out, but he turned. She did a double take at the gauze on his cheek. But before she could dwell too long on it, he noticed her.
She returned his wave with her free hand, smiling warmly. She walked toward him to help close the distance. Her smile deepened at his greeting.
“Better than you, by the looks of it!” A mix of concern and curiosity replaced her smile, her gaze on the gauze. “What happened?”

[Dead Cruiser]

Trevor made a particular sort of face when Izzy asked about his gauze. Clearly he was expecting the question, but still wasn't looking forward to it. While the rest of his face maintained a pleasant, neutral expression, he made a sort of grimace with only his eyes, glancing away momentarily. That faded quickly, and he looked back to Izzy with his usual demeanor.

"Eh, we can talk about that in a second. Let's just walk for a bit for now, huh?"

The two strolled along for a few minutes, enjoying pointless chitchat. As it turned out, Trevor was out and about for no reason other than to enjoy the weather. Sundays were his walking days, as he described them. Eventually though, Izzy made a vague mention of the tribulations that she had faced that morning.

"You have... two brothers, right? I think you told me right about when we first met." Trevor asked, seemingly just reaffirming what he already knew. There was a peculiar curiosity in his tone, somewhat unlike him, especially given that he appeared to already know the answer.

[Riven Wight]

Izzy raised her chin slightly at Trevor’s reaction to her question, his hesitation to answer only wetting her concern. She eyed him for a moment at his request.
She nodded slowly. “Yeah, sure.”
She walked alongside him as they went. She cast him and his bandage frequent glances, but listened and offered conversation nonetheless, waiting impatiently for him to decide when he wanted to divulge the cause of what laid behind the gauze. She mentioned the events of her morning, leaving out the jumbled mess of feelings revolving around him.
She looked sideways at him at the tone in his voice when he asked about her brothers. “Two menaces, rather.” She rolled her eyes exasperatedly. “But, yep. I, uh,” she rubbed the back of her neck with her free hand, “used them to explain the martial arts books. At the bookstore.” She cleared her throat. “Why do you ask?”

[Dead Cruiser]

Trevor smiled slightly at Izzy's disparagement of her brothers, but seemingly ignored her question as he continued, "It seems like you help each other, though. At least indirectly, so I've seen. That must be pretty nice, very much like a family." He walked on in silence for a few seconds, before piping up again, "Have I told you that I'm an only child? I'm sure I come across much like one."

[Riven Wight]

Izzy looked at him oddly when he ignored her question.
“Yeah, I guess we do,” she answered when Trevor fell silent. “I want to strangle them sometimes, but I’d do almost anything for them, when everything’s said and done.”
She shook her head at Trevor’s question. “You haven’t. But you do give off that sort of vibe. So,” she looked to him, tired of waiting for him to answer the first inquiry she had given him that day. “What’s the story behind the new accessory? Or did you get bored and decide today was a good day to put some gauze on your face for the fun of it?” She gave him a playful smile, though concern shone through her eyes.

[Dead Cruiser]

Trevor waved off her concern, not callously, "I'm getting to that." He continued in silence for a moment, took an audible breath, and spoke up again, "It goes a little bit deeper than that. I don't have any family. Well, okay, actually, that's an exaggeration. But not an overstatement. It's not like I don't have any relatives; I have a mother and father. But we're not a family. Are you following so far?"

[Riven Wight]

Izzy raised her brows at Trevor’s response, trying to figure out how her having brothers was connected to him having a wound on his face. She cast him a look when he inhaled, walking just a step behind him, letting him lead the way on their walk through town.
She frowned slightly at his revelation about his distance with his few family members.
She nodded slowly. “Because someone’s family by blood, doesn’t mean they’re really family. There’s more to it than that.” She glanced between him and the sidewalk ahead of them frequently. “Trevor…” she paused and bit her lip lightly, debating on if she should pose the possible link between subjects. “Did one of your parents hurt you?” she finished slowly, the thought of anyone harming him making her stomach flip angrily.

[Dead Cruiser]

Trevor made another ambivalent gesture, his silent way of saying that Izzy should hold on, as he had more to say. "My mother and father are not my real mother and father." That statement hung in the air for a moment, before he quickly added, "They're fakes, in a way." He seemed to think for a moment on how to explain this obviously confusing statement, but then spoke up again, "I'm going to digress a bit and tell you a story. Seventeen years ago, there was a lovely young girl. Seventeen years old, same as me. One day, the girl became pregnant. She didn't know who the father was-- it seemed she had a lot of lovers. In any case, that illegitimate child was me." He walked forward a bit more without saying anything, a sour feeling in the air.

"Ah, I don't mean to confuse you, now. I know I said I have a mother and father, but they're fakes; I don't know who my biological father is. My current mother isn't my mother, either. The woman that gave birth to me committed suicide. Hung herself. Right above my crib. Like a mobile." The way he said this, so placidly, made it seem like he was discussing a television show or something similarly mundane. Not the specifics of his mother's suicide. "Anyway, right before she killed herself, she got married. She had no money and no relatives, so she tried to get a man to support her and her child. Under certain circumstances even a loveless marriage can't be criticized. Tragic for the man, though; he had to adopt a child whose father was unknown. That man was my first father."

Trevor sighed, saying, "I think he was the real victim in all of this. I don't have many memories of him, but he was a very serious individual. The image of a workaholic. He had no idea how to raise a child, so he married again to a woman who could raise me. He should have just hired a babysitter, right? My first father, in the end, worked himself to death. The woman who was left was my second and current mother. My current father is her second husband. That's the end of my story." Trevor said, looking back to Izzy with a smile. So guileless, as though he was about to tell her it was all a joke.

"So the mother and father I'm living with are not blood related to me. I'm almost a complete stranger to them. But they're my legal guardians, mom and dad. Though they've never behaved like parents to me." He paused, before adding quietly and bitterly. "And I've tried so much to behave like a son." Trevor sighed deeply, and looked back at Izzy. "I'm sorry about all that. This was a fit of anger. I have no idea what it's like to be told all these things out of nowhere. Honestly, I just wanted to talk to you to forget my troubles. Work off my frustration."

[Riven Wight]

“Oh?” Izzy said as Trevor began, her eyebrows pulling downward in curiosity. “So, like, adoptive parents?” she offered, trying to help him, before he found his voice once more.
She nodded in encouragement of him telling his story. She did not break the short silence during his pause, the emotion that came from him at the revelation making Izzy glance again from the sidewalk to him.
When he spoke of his mother’s suicide, she gawked at him and how calmly he mentioned it.
She listened quietly as he continued. She gave him a small, uncertain smile at his quip about hiring a babysitter. When he finished, she could only stare at his almost carefree expression about the whole thing.
“Sounds like a soap opera gone wrong,” she said slowly, trying but failing at showing the same untroubled countenance. She looked back to the sidewalk as he continued with the present.
Izzy shook her head at his apology. “You have nothing to be sorry for. I’m sorry you’ve had to go through all that. Honestly, I’m glad you told me. It’s nice knowing more about you. And everyone needs to vent every once in a while.” She raised her chin slightly. “You know, if your so-called parents can’t see how absolutely wonderful you are, then they’re complete morons. They have no idea what they’re missing out on.” She smiled at him again, this time with sincerity.

[Dead Cruiser]

Trevor smiled back at her, warmly. "Thanks, Izzy. I suppose I should worry less about imposing upon friends."

Though he hadn't said it directly, his story more or less answered Izzy's question from earlier. All there was now was a choice between whether it was his mother or father that hit him, and possibly if they used some sort of implement or not.

[Riven Wight]

There it was, the smile Izzy so loved to see on him. Her heart fluttered every time one graced Trevor’s face. She felt her cheeks grow warm, and looked away, letting the lose part of her hair, which she again wore pulled up in its usual high half-ponytail, fall over her face.
“That’s what friends are for. Listening without feeling imposed upon, I mean.” She took a deep breath as, once again, her question about the gauze came to mind. “So,” she began, a dark tone to her voice at the thought of anyone harming him, let alone the people who were supposed to be his parents. Her grip on her walking staff tightened slightly. “Which one hurt you?”