“But… when you say goodbye I get worried,” Leo frowned. Malik didn’t reply, he just drank more coffee. “You have that look,” he continued, “You’re not telling me something,” he accused.
“I don’t know what look you’re referring to,” Malik said curiously over the lip of his mug.
“That one you get when you’re lying to me,” Leo snapped, “And obviously lying like when you tried to tell me you hate children. Tell me,” he implored.
Malik didn’t speak at first, he was obviously thinking of his reply and if he could avoid the truth. “I’m thinking of asking if I can stay with them instead of coming back here,” he said putting the half empty mug on the coffee table. The silence in the room was practically numbing as Leo stared at him, shock plain as day on his face.
“What? Why?” he finally said.
Malik sucked in his lips, “I… have a brother Leo.”
“You told me, you said he died.”
“I know, but he isn’t dead.”
“Well what does this have to do with the Rift?”
Malik couldn’t look at him when he spoke but he didn’t doubt the truth in his words either, “My parents were going to make him a pet. I knew people, they took him to the Rift.”
“Than he probably is dead Malik-
“Altair told me he’s alive,” Malik cut in, the words practically leaping off his tongue. “And if he is… well, he’s the only family I have.”
“So you’d give up your entire life to see someone who probably doesn’t remember you? Who got raised by Rifters and to him you’d be ‘one of them’,” that got a wince from him, “That’s so stupid!”
Malik was looking at his shoes, “Look, I don’t even know if I will or not,” he sighed, “I haven’t asked them yet.”
“And why would they take you along?” Leo was being harsh because he didn’t want to lose Malik. It was bad enough that he’d never see Ezio and his brothers again, but Malik as well? That was too much to ask for and for him to not try and fight it.
“I have my belief,” Malik said.
“What about me then? Just going leave me all alone? I’ll become a recluse without you around.”
Malik grinned smugly, “I doubt it,” he said. “But that’s why I came here; to say goodbye, for whatever may or may not happen,” he pushed off his knees and stood so that Leo quickly scrambled to his feet. “I need to get home and finish preparing myself and get some sleep,” he said. Leo was just frowning. “I’ll see you tomorrow though Leo,” he said and abruptly hugged him tightly. Leo hugged him back and Malik left. Leo didn’t know what to do with himself once he was gone.
—
The sky was strangely poignant when Malik and the others arrived at Leo’s house the next day. It was still fairly early in the morning though the sky promised to be heavy with thick, low hanging, clouds and a watery sun. They had one car, a van, something that was easy to lose in any sort of traffic and didn’t draw attention to itself by being too big. There were a few small packs in the back as well as some other, empty, bags that would hold rations. It would only take two days or so to reach the closest they could get to the border by car, the rest of the way they’d have to walk. It would take a week to actually reach the Rift which was the most obvious dividing line between the two countries.
Parker waited in the van, he was the first on on driving duty, while Malik and the others went to collect their ‘cargo’, as they were called by movers. He knew the other three personally, even their real names but he tried not to think of them while on the job. For the next week they were Night, Parker, and Pseudonym and he was King. He couldn’t remember what Altair and Ezio were calling themselves though, but they were strange tangled words that sounded more than a little off to his ears. That didn’t matter to much though.
Night knocked on the front door and glanced down the street. The place was quiet though and except for someone headed off to work no one was about. The door was answered by Salai who stared at them with wide eyes, he obviously wasn’t expecting them but then Leo appeared behind him. “Hello,” he said and gently shooed Salai away before welcoming them in. The brothers were sitting on one of the couches, Des between the other two.
Re: Clipped (16e/?)
“I don’t know what look you’re referring to,” Malik said curiously over the lip of his mug.
“That one you get when you’re lying to me,” Leo snapped, “And obviously lying like when you tried to tell me you hate children. Tell me,” he implored.
Malik didn’t speak at first, he was obviously thinking of his reply and if he could avoid the truth. “I’m thinking of asking if I can stay with them instead of coming back here,” he said putting the half empty mug on the coffee table. The silence in the room was practically numbing as Leo stared at him, shock plain as day on his face.
“What? Why?” he finally said.
Malik sucked in his lips, “I… have a brother Leo.”
“You told me, you said he died.”
“I know, but he isn’t dead.”
“Well what does this have to do with the Rift?”
Malik couldn’t look at him when he spoke but he didn’t doubt the truth in his words either, “My parents were going to make him a pet. I knew people, they took him to the Rift.”
“Than he probably is dead Malik-
“Altair told me he’s alive,” Malik cut in, the words practically leaping off his tongue. “And if he is… well, he’s the only family I have.”
“So you’d give up your entire life to see someone who probably doesn’t remember you? Who got raised by Rifters and to him you’d be ‘one of them’,” that got a wince from him, “That’s so stupid!”
Malik was looking at his shoes, “Look, I don’t even know if I will or not,” he sighed, “I haven’t asked them yet.”
“And why would they take you along?” Leo was being harsh because he didn’t want to lose Malik. It was bad enough that he’d never see Ezio and his brothers again, but Malik as well? That was too much to ask for and for him to not try and fight it.
“I have my belief,” Malik said.
“What about me then? Just going leave me all alone? I’ll become a recluse without you around.”
Malik grinned smugly, “I doubt it,” he said. “But that’s why I came here; to say goodbye, for whatever may or may not happen,” he pushed off his knees and stood so that Leo quickly scrambled to his feet. “I need to get home and finish preparing myself and get some sleep,” he said. Leo was just frowning. “I’ll see you tomorrow though Leo,” he said and abruptly hugged him tightly. Leo hugged him back and Malik left. Leo didn’t know what to do with himself once he was gone.
—
The sky was strangely poignant when Malik and the others arrived at Leo’s house the next day. It was still fairly early in the morning though the sky promised to be heavy with thick, low hanging, clouds and a watery sun. They had one car, a van, something that was easy to lose in any sort of traffic and didn’t draw attention to itself by being too big. There were a few small packs in the back as well as some other, empty, bags that would hold rations. It would only take two days or so to reach the closest they could get to the border by car, the rest of the way they’d have to walk. It would take a week to actually reach the Rift which was the most obvious dividing line between the two countries.
Parker waited in the van, he was the first on on driving duty, while Malik and the others went to collect their ‘cargo’, as they were called by movers. He knew the other three personally, even their real names but he tried not to think of them while on the job. For the next week they were Night, Parker, and Pseudonym and he was King. He couldn’t remember what Altair and Ezio were calling themselves though, but they were strange tangled words that sounded more than a little off to his ears. That didn’t matter to much though.
Night knocked on the front door and glanced down the street. The place was quiet though and except for someone headed off to work no one was about. The door was answered by Salai who stared at them with wide eyes, he obviously wasn’t expecting them but then Leo appeared behind him. “Hello,” he said and gently shooed Salai away before welcoming them in. The brothers were sitting on one of the couches, Des between the other two.