[indent][right][sub]Saturday morning, day after gym scene, around the same time as the baptism and protest.[/sub][/right]
[color=lightgray][center]
[sup]A [@LovelyComplex] & [@BrutalBx] Collaboration[/sup]

[img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/220315/325b0516e29cfc4a2e343b01e68d3539.png[/img]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/YK18N5d.png[/img]
[color=darkgray]____________________________________________________________________________________________________[/color][/center]
The farewell tour continued.

Roddy had said goodbye to Marco, he had said goodbye to Beau and now was probably the time to say the hardest goodbye of all; Kylee.

It was, to put it bluntly, an absolute shit feeling to be leaving behind all these people but Rod knew that it had to be this way. It wasn’t like when people went off to college, this goodbye was for real. Of course he would always venture back from time to time but there was something final about this; Edenridge was soon going to be an object in his rear view mirror and like the great Meatloaf once said, they appear closer than they are.

After leaving Marco and dropping Rylie back with Lanie, Roddy made his way to Rochambeau for a quick bite and coffee with his bestie. Kylee had always been by his side, from the moment the Grimms landed on Scott Street, she had been his other half, his best friend, the Velma to his Shaggy. Over the years the pair had been on many a wild adventure. Some were fruitful and provided great stories to tell, others not so much. If their final mission together was to be solving the mystery of Allison Davies death and the letters that tormented the town, then it was a hell of an adventure to go out on.

Being the intrepid reporter that she was, Rod had a suspicion that Ky already knew why he had called her to the cafe but he had been proven wrong many times before. Grabbing their favourite booth at the back, good for spying she always said, he ordered her favourite drink, an espresso, to the table along with his own chai latte and awaited Kylee’s arrival.

This was gonna suck.

Kylee Grimm had gotten caught in the commotion that her sister brought to town square. Her sister was an agent for chaos, drawing people in by her radical views, audacious behaviour, and scantily clad attire. She sold sex even when she wasn’t trying to and lets be real, people weren’t there for the politics, they were there to hear her sing. Music brought people together and what better time than now? When all the people of Edenridge were at war with themselves and each other. Hailey had a knack for that, using the pain of others for her own benefit and success. A cutthroat business woman only thinking about herself. 

In Kylee’s honest opinion, her sister was a Venus flytrap in disguise, luring people in, offering them a piece of pie, only to eat them whole and alive - metaphorically speaking. A killer of the soul, if you may. She knows exactly what she’s doing. All her siblings knew what they were doing. Don’t be fooled by their kindness. Her house was meant for sinners not saints. When Kylee finally squeezed out of the crowd, she sauntered her way to the cafe, where she’d be meeting her best friend.

Wearing her red, stylish leather jacket, a black lace crop top, and a pair of dark jeans that fits just right, Kylee entered Rochambeau. A woman always on a mission, her heel boots resonating throughout the cafe, Kylee’s gaze immediately fell on her best friend. She beamed at the sight of him, before slipping on her side of the booth, [color=a95963]“Sorry for making you wait. It’s crazy out there. I hope you haven’t been here for too long.”[/color]

[color=D2D518]“Nah I just got here, got stuck between your sisters speech and your dads rally. Your family do know how to pick their spots, Ky.”[/color]

He slid the brunette’s piping hot drink across the table. Roddy’s soft blue eyes fell upon Beau behind the bar and the two men shared a nod. Before a very specific day in September two years ago, Beau had not been Rod’s favourite teacher but they had held a level of respect. It was the day of the shooting that everything had changed for the pair. It was Beau who, when counting heads on one of the school buses filled with terrified students, realised he was one short, one Roddy Callahan. Of course, being who he was, Beau figured out what had happened, that the boy who had a knack for getting into other people's business had gone back into the school to help. In a faculty of thirty only three teachers sacrificed everything to go back into that school, Beau himself, Mrs. D’Amiano, and Coach John O’Hara. Sadly by the time he reached the gym, Beau was too late. Roddy had been shot, O’Hara too and Charlie Decker lay dead on the ground with Poppy James watching from the sidelines. Tragedy, the true name of this godforsaken town.

[color=D2D518]“So that thing with ReyRey, that happened.”[/color]

[color=a95963]“Yes it did, very sad,[/color]” Kylee absentmindedly responded as she reached for her espresso and took a deep sip. After she placed it down, she immediately diverted the topic, already over yesterday’s news, [color=a95963]“Anyways, I caught my dad talking to Mrs. James early this morning, a little before his rally. I was bringing him breakfast because he had forgotten to eat and she was in his office for awhile. That’s a scandal waiting to happen I bet.”[/color] 

To most people Kylee rambling about theories in a fast paced manner would be normal but to Roddy, the slight tone shift in her voice was a sign of nervousness. She wanted to dance around whatever topic he wanted to talk about by throwing in random curiosities. [color=a95963]“Honestly, at least Mrs. James is a bit more age appropriate than [i]that[/i] woman that calls herself my mother.” [i]Like ew. Seriously.[/i][/color] 

[color=D2D518]“Ky, stop.”[/color] Roddy chuckled. [color=D2D518]“Your dad isn’t having some sordid affair with Poppy’s Mom, ok? They were probably talking charity stuff.”[/color] It was typical of Kylee to start off a conversation with her latest piece of gossip or hearsay. She was the queen of whispered words but this latest song was not her usual. He knew that her motormouth was a sign that she probably already knew why he had brought her here, of course she did, she was Kylee.

[color=D2D518]“Do you remember when we were, what maybe twelve? and we went to the House on Hanging Hill Lane?[/color]” He looked out at the growing crowd outside for Hailey’s demonstration; she sure did know how to build a crowd. Then again so did her father. Must run in the family. “I remember you being so scared that you didn’t come to school for three days because you thought we were cursed.”

He was being nostalgic because he thought it might ease the blow of what was to come. With most everyone else, it would be easy for a Roddy to say sayonara and head off into the sunset with Lanie and Rylee. That wasn’t going to be the case with Ky. She wouldn’t make a scene, that wasn’t her style. 

[color=a95963]“How could I forget?”[/color] Kylee rested her cheek in the palm of her hand, her elbow on the table, as her dark stare never looked away from her dear friend. Roddy was the light in her life. He made her a better person. He was the reason she didn’t fall under the pressure of being the daughter of Theodore Grimm. No matter who she dated, whether it was Pierce or Natalia, or even her fling with Mei, none of them mattered like him. He was her rock. He kept her afloat when she felt like she was drowning. He entertained her mind, while bringing her back when it was going too far. He was everything to her - in the most platonic way. 

Kylee truly believed soulmates weren’t only in the form of lovers. No, there were some souls that had a different job, and yet still made life worth enduring. Hm, now that she thought about it, maybe Roddy wasn’t her rock. Maybe he was her flashlight, getting her through the night. Losing him would hurt like a bitch but she knew she needed to find that light inside herself. [color=a95963]“The witch that was brutally murdered on October 30th 1995 came to visit us. The longest and most vibrant red hair we ever did see… if we actually stopped and stared, now that I’m thinking about it, she was really beautiful. But because she gave us a jump scare I went running for my life. I still think we’re kind of cursed for entering that place. If we weren’t…”[/color] Kylee paused, bringing her hand down for him to grab it, [color=a95963]“You wouldn’t be leaving me.”[/color]

There it was. The truth of the matter.

Roddy took his hand and placed it atop hers; entwining their fingers together like their souls had been for so many years. [color=D2D518]“Course you figured it out.”[/color] There was no use in trying to lie to the Grimm girl in both name and demeanour at this point. She would see right through him, just like she always did. Rod had for too many years been accused of being an unfeeling robot but that couldn’t be further from the truth. He felt so desperate, so intensely. His issue was not being able to show those emotions, to display them to a world that he doubted would fully comprehend his thoughts and feelings. Robo Roddy was a name that haunted him even to this day.

[color=D2D518]“Ky, you know I love you. With everything I am I do but Rylie and Lanie,”[/color] He paused and sighed through his nose, exhaling the demons to allow his rational mind to talk for him. [color=D2D518]“I’ve missed so much already cos of this stupid fucking hole in my spine and I can’t miss any more. If those letters and that shit with ReyRey has taught me anything it’s that you have to hold on to those you love and just because I won’t be here, doesn’t mean I won’t be with you all the damn time. I’ll be a phone call away.”[/color]

[color=a95963]“I know,”[/color] was all Kylee said in response to that. Her heart was heavy, which showed on her face and in her eyes. She would no longer have Roddy to keep the voices out of her head. She would no longer have Roddy to help her ease her mind as she replayed the scene over and over again of the bloodbath that was in the auditorium with the old Lucky Charms A Capella troupe. No longer would she have her flashlight when she was stuck in the dark. Even so, this was how things should be. He had a family to care for. She couldn’t hold him back when he had so much to live for. 

The fact that he could leave Edenridge was heartwarming. It meant he’d be free. If this was the burden she had to carry, to take on the bad omens meant for him, she would gladly do it because that’s what love is. Love meant you had to make sacrifices for those you loved. Love meant you had to let go because it’s what’s best for them, even if it wasn’t best for you. Love means no expectations - it’s a selfless kind of thing where you give and give and give, yet never expect anything in return. Love is what she had for Roddy. 

[color=a95963]“Promise me,”[/color] Her hold on his hand tightened, her sharp eyes penetrating his tender gaze, becoming deadly serious, [color=a95963]“No matter what happens here, you won't come back. You won’t look back. Promise me, Lanie will handle your heart with care and treasure it forever. Promise me, you’ll live like there is no tomorrow. For you. For your family. And for me.”[/color] She could feel her voice shaking and the tears building up. Releasing her hand from his, she began to fan her eyes, refusing to cry over this. 

[color=a95963]“Promise me, you’ll be happy.”[/color] Kylee said with finality. [color=a95963]“Just promise me, okay?“[/color] with a weak smile, she turned to her espresso and drank a bit more, desperately, wanting the warmth to help ease the pain. She wanted to beg him to not go. To not leave her. To not abandon what they’ve built but she couldn’t do it. She couldn’t do that to her Shaggy. She loved him too much. 

Robo Roddy had malfunctioned and his eye sockets were filling up with a salty liquid. Is this what they called tears? With a shake in his voice and a quiver on his lip, he nodded. [color=D2D518]“I promise.”[/color] He loved his family and he knew he was making the right decision to leave but god damn was it hard to leave Ky behind. If he could take her with him, if she could just give up on trying to figure out the secrets of this hellmouth, he knew she could be happy. Yet Roddy knew better. Kylee couldn’t leave this place behind, there were still things to be discovered, still truths to be brought to light, still mysteries to solve.

[color=D2D518]“I need you to promise me something too,”[/color] Rod motioned to the front door of Cafe Rochambeau with his eyes before returning his steely blue gaze to his best friend. He had always held a deep fear for her future. Not because Ky wasn’t talented or smart because she was both of those things in spades. No, it was because of the people she had around her; the people who were so very obviously part of the massive corrupting influence, the poison apple in the pit of its stomach that eats Eden from the inside out. 

[color=D2D518]“Don’t let what’s out there eat you up. Don’t let it consume you. We both know who you are, really. We both know what’s in your blood. Don’t let what’s inside burn you up and turn you into one of them. Promise me, you will always be Velma and promise me that when you’ve exposed that final truth you’re gonna come find me and we can find a new mystery to solve.”[/color]

She didn’t know if this was a promise she could keep because of who her father was. The further down the rabbit hole she went, the more likely she’d go mad. Still, she wanted to send Roddy off in good faith. They both can hope that her ending would be a happily ever after. Though, there were never happily ever afters in Edenridge. Until then, she had an oath to serve. An oath she swore, the moment she and Roddy found a music box in her father’s room, in the ceiling no doubt. 

[color=a95963]“I promise.”[/color]

As sweet as their moment was, sweet things don’t last. Suddenly, a ringing resounded in the cafe. Kylee’s attention was drawn to the opening of the front door, when she saw Wesley Silo striding in, with Clay Costigan slowly following behind. Her eyebrow rose up in curiosity. [color=a95963]“That’s the reporter I was telling you about,”[/color] Kylee gestured with her eyes for Roddy to give a good look. Ever since Wes came to town, that’s all Kylee texted about with her best friend.

[color=D2D518]“That’s the reporter you want to bang? Looks kinda weedy…wait why in the blue hell is he with McDungus? Why would anyone with half a brain want to talk to my idiot cousin?”[/color]

Roddy loved Clay, he really did. He was, if anything more a brother than an older cousin. Clay’s parents never really were there for him or his twin, Lamb. They weren’t bad people by any stretch of the imagination but his fathers job and his mothers…well let’s call it absentmindedness weren’t exactly a cocktail for a successful parent. It was because of this that Clay spent most of his time with Francis over at their house. Lamb ended up doing her own thing. Roddy’s own parents loved Clayton as if he was their own. Sure, he was a bit lacking in common sense but even a blind mind could see that the boy with the goofy grin and amazing hair had a good heart and a pure soul. There really wasn’t any surprise when he became a cop. It was just a surprise that he decided to come home. 

[color=D2D518]“Well well.”[/color] Roddy smiled before polishing off his drink and getting to his feet. This was actually kind of perfect. He could tell by that sparkle in her beautiful eyes that Kylee had already switched into mystery mode with the arrival of the two older men. He leaned down and kissed the top of her forehead before walking towards the exit. He offered Clay a simple smile as he brushed by his cousin. Stopping at the door, Rod turned to look at Kylee one more time before leaving. 

[color=D2D518]"Go get em, Velma.”[/color][/color]
[/indent]