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[img]https://i.imgur.com/01SRfar.png[/img]
[sub][color=fdc68a]Featuring the snappy kid sister[/color][/sub]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/B7Z9B7z.png[/img]
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[indent][indent]As Kavi stood outside, watching Ariel’s car drive off, he stayed there for...well, he didn’t know how long he stayed there. He was feeling good and not just the sort of good that meant he was going to be having a hot date at some point in the future, but a genuine feeling of joy and relief. There never was a day that he ever thought he’d find himself in the position that was in right now: committing to one person instead of playing the field. 

When he came inside, a grin on his face unlike any prior times, he suddenly came to the sight of his kid sister waiting for him. [color=teal][i]Was she watching the entire time?[/i][/color] Kavi pondered that, not saying anything to Nikki. He walked around her and started to walk towards the kitchen. By the time he had done so, he heard the sound of her unreasonably-large feet stepping rather annoyingly behind him. When he finally turned around, Kavi, who had all that he needed for a sandwich, rolled her eyes. [color=teal]”I feel like you’re going to ask me something. So just be done with it so I can get back to making my sandwich.”[/color] Kavi just looked at her, wondering exactly what was on her mind.

As per the usual with Nikki, she didn’t speak at first. She kind of circled the kitchen and took a place in one of the high chairs across from him. Much to her older brother’s annoyance, she still didn’t say anything until she kind of hummed. [color=fdc68a]“You know, I heard about that one,”[/color] she finally spoke.

[color=teal]“That one? You mean the thing we call ham? Shocking! Can’t believe you’re [i]that[/i] observant.”[/color] He didn’t bother looking up at her as he constructed his turkey-ham club sandwich.

[color=fdc68a]“Okay Mr. Smartass,”[/color] Nikki rolled her eyes at him (not that he saw). [color=fdc68a]“I’m talking about the pasty emo chick who was just here. Serafina or whatever her name is.”[/color] She seemed to try and remember her name.

[color=teal]“Ariel. Her name is Ariel. She hates going by Serafina,”[/color] Kavi properly corrected her, going back to the fridge to get the dijon mustard.

[color=fdc68a]“Well, whatever her name is, I’ve heard whispers about her."[/color]

Stopping for a moment, Kavi looked up at Nikki and, to his surprise, there was a worried expression on her face. Almost as though she wasn’t bugging him because she didn’t have better things to do. [color=teal]“What things?”[/color] He asked her. [color=teal]“You’re a sophomore, Nikki. How could you possibly know about a senior, let alone a senior I know personally. Don’t you think these things you keep vaguely referencing would have gone into my ear instead of yours and whoever you heard it from?”[/color] He asked her. As soon as he did, Kavi went down to bite into his now completed club.

[color=fdc68a]“Well, maybe if you weren’t so busy trying to two-time her, then maybe you’d know some things about that wonderful girl.”[/color] Nikki’s famous fiery tongue spat back at him in full.

Kavi sighed, giving only a small amount of his attention to his sister. Honestly, he was about ready to just ignore her and go back to his room. He wasn’t exactly thrilled with her at the moment. He didn’t know if he was more bothered by the fact that she claimed to know something he didn’t about Ariel or that she had to throw in the most recent of his mistakes in her face. Either way, Kavi was only going to entertain her nonsense for so long.

[color=teal]“Fine. What did you hear from your little group of little hellions?”[/color]

[color=fdc68a]“I don’t know how true it is, but I heard from a guy who heard it from his sister who then heard it from their older sister’s friend’s aunt that heard some troubling rumors about Trillian Grey.”[/color]

Kavi stood there as his sister explained. [color=teal]“Okay, so what troubling rumors?”[/color]

[color=fdc68a]“He has a bit of a temper.”[/color]

And in the span of the shortest moment, Nikki lost her older brother’s undivided attention. [color=teal]“Get the fuck out of here. That’s the big thing you had to tell me? The hotshot criminal defense attorney has a temper? That’s barely worthy of a mention, let alone hyping it up like it was some cardinal sin.”[/color]

As Kavi started to walk away, Nikki got in front of him. [color=fdc68a]“You didn’t let me finish, pinhead! The rumor wasn’t just about his temper. It was about what he does with that temper,”[/color] she had clarified, a rare worried look on her face.

Kavi had known his sister to be a lot of things. She was overdramatic, teased him a lot (as he did to her on several occasions). She could also stretch some truths to bide time for whatever she needed time for, but as he looked into her eyes, this was the first time he could see a genuine worry in her face for anyone other than her family. Something in him told the teen to shut up and listen to what she had to say.

[color=teal]“Nikki, what’s wrong?”[/color]

She shook her body a little. [color=fdc68a]“I shouldn’t be saying this cause it’ll probably get back to her, but that friend’s aunt I mentioned? She had apparently treated someone for a broken wrist that looked a lot like that Ariel girl."[/color]

[color=teal]“What are you saying?”[/color]

[color=fdc68a]“Maybe nothing. Maybe it’s everything, but if Trillian has a temper and can be an asshole to his clients and those who work at his firm, who is to say he could be the same way with his own daughter?”[/color] 

Kavi didn’t say anything, not to himself and most certainly not to his kid sister. All he did was smile at her and take his sandwich as he went to his room. As the door closed behind him, he set the plate down on his desk where his laptop and Playstation 4 was. He just sat in his chair, head leaning back, looking up at his ceiling. He must have kept his eyes up there for at least ten minutes. He didn’t keep track of the time. The only thing Kavi did was think about what Nikki told him and run it on repeat in his mind. If it was just a rumor, then it was all fine. Ariel wasn’t in any danger and her father wasn’t an abusive prick. He was just a regular, arrogant lawyer prick.

[color=teal]“But what if he wasn’t?”[/color] Kavi questioned himself.

He grunted loudly as he leaned forward. The thought of it turning out to be true was not being entertained. If proven to be the whole truth and nothing but the truth, then could he just sit on this information? What right did he have to do that? Kavi knew he cared about Ariel. He didn’t know exactly how much because they weren’t exactly close like they used to be. The date he’d take her out on at some point was going to be the start of whatever they had between the two of them. So he couldn’t exactly assert himself with something that he’s not even sure was true... 

No, he couldn’t do shit right now. And he knew mulling over every detail of a rumor that may very well be just that: a rumor -- nothing but teenager gossip. But, then again, what if it was true?

And that’s when he remembered the bruise. That bruise on her neck. [color=teal]“It couldn’t be...could it?”[/color] He ran his hands through his hair, frustrated with all of the back and forth. He couldn’t take it. Not knowing was hard but running back from rumor to paranoia was getting to him. He needed to distract himself for a few hours. Kavi knew just exactly what that was. [color=teal]“Time to kill some zombies on Black Ops!”[/color] 

And with that, Kavi flipped on his PS4 and was going to have some quality time with his sniper and hopefully get a few undead walkers in the process. It was a lot better than driving himself crazy with the totally crazy idea that Trillian Grey was abusing his daughter. It was crazy…

[color=teal]“Crazy.”[/color][/indent][/indent][/color]