Oh mai... This is new...

(Pippa: What kind of feels? ono' *is scared for Chase*)

"I-it's not that, it's just... I..." EJ tried to think of a way to explain it, and pointed out, "Anytime I ask you to be nicer, you say you can't. So I was worried when you started acting differently is all, after you defended yourself so much before..." He sat up a little as he spoke to her, his ears now flat to his head, "I-I didn't mean to upset you... I was just worried that maybe something else happened..." Like one of those freaky ghost people messed with you again...


----

"Uh, no, i-it's okay..." Chase assured her, standing up. He awkwardly fixed his shirt and his hair, which wasn't in its usual ponytail and rather flopped over his face, "It was my fault, really... how long've you been here, though?"

----

Ruth glanced up, and was instantly wary when the couple came over all serious-like, with Marie looking like she was going to hyperventilate. The elder mouse sister scowled at them, asking, "Are you pregnant?!"

"N-no! NO! No no no no no!" Marie stammered, shaking her head and waving her hands.

"Then what is it...?" Ruth eased up a little, though she still seemed wary.

(Oh, y'know... feels... e3e The kind with sadness...)

(NO FEELS. JUST NO. *dies* AS,NAMHSDJKDWJWF CHASE NO)

The twins had fallen silent, and stared at the photograph with wide eyes. Chase was as skinny as Roy, and maybe even more....it wasn't genetics. They could tell it was a more malnourished, especially from how thin and almost brittle his hair was. Roy's eyes were hard to read, but Rachel had more expression on her face, and looked pained, like someone had hit her. 

They were honestly just silent....they had no words to really back them up. Roy very much wanted to say that Chase admitted that Lucas was like a brother to him, to prove her wrong, but the words were stuck in his throat. The same went for the fact that Chase thought he had given the twins back to Richard and Anna.... It was just unfair. Unfair, and just sad and cruel... And he really didn't know what to do. 

"E-eet's not like zat...." Rachel finally ended up saying, as Roy looked like he wasn't able to really respond. "'E deedn't geeve us up... I know zat our real parents are 'ere, buht zat doesn't mean we steell aren't family..."

(Pippa: ;~; )

"Like what?" she asked. Her fur was now flat and her ears weren't as pinned down. She was calming down a bit.

----

"Not very long." she answered. She smoothed out her fluffy tail that got a bit messy when Chase cuddled her.

----

"Well...we're engaged." Duel answered. He seemed calm and wasn't as nervous as Marie. He did glow a bit though when Ruth asked if Marie was pregnant.

(Well, turns out I won't be drawing after all... because I just got my new glasses and they are fucking with me. XD

AND SPONTANEOUS FEELS WE DIDN'T EVEN PLAAAAN! *sob* ;~; </3)

"You say that, but... how is it really?" Sasha pointed out, her eyes falling on Rachel as she spoke, "When was the last time you guys went to Chase for something, even just as small as a conversation or a favor? I'm not accusing you two of anything, and I didn't come here to make you feel bad... but I'm not gonna sugarcoat anything for you..."

She flipped through a few more photos, stopping when she got to the ones of Chase she took when he wasn't looking... there were quite a few, since Sasha had sort of become a camera ninja as a teenager. Some of the photos were for fun, but others were evidence the teens kept in case they eventually got the chance to put their father in prison for what he did to them. She tried to keep the twins from seeing those ones, wishing she had sorted the photos before going there. The canine sighed, stopping again when she got to a photo of Chase that was taken before she met him... he was just a little kid in this one, one of his ears still floppy like young puppies' often were, "Now that we don't have our Mods, our bodies are returning to normal... Chase is literally about twenty pounds lighter than he used to be, without the steroid factor of his Mod. It makes us look less invincible, and it suits us... He's so fragile on the inside, even if you can't see it on the outside... like glass wrapped in a cloth. You can't tell it's glass underneath until you drop it, and the broken shards stab through the cloth that hid the truth..."

She had a lot of interesting metaphors, now that she had more control over her mind. It was strange, to have clarity again, but she was going to use it to its full potential, "He took care of me for so long, and I'm trying to repay the favor, but... it's so hard to take care of someone who keeps trying to sew up those little holes in the cloth, desperately hiding the glass inside... You're not there when he falls apart when he thinks nobody is listening... just like when we were younger..."

---

EJ shrugged a little, "I dunno... maybe you saw a ghost again. I know how freaky that is, cause it happens to me sometimes, too... mostly in dreams..." He relaxed when Flare did, relieved that she didn't seem to be too upset. He pulled the blanket closer around him again, starting to get cold in the chilly room, especially since he was just in a t-shirt and thin cotton sweatpants.

---

It was true, what Sasha said about Chase being twenty pounds slimmer than he used to be-- a lot of the muscle had melted off of him, making him leaner and less bulky, which was how he was supposed to look. The Mod's effects were almost gone, and having to stay in bed for a long time to recover from his back injury had sped up the process of his muscle deteriorating. Of course, he still had some natural muscle, being fairly bigger than Roy through simple genetics, but he wasn't as beefy and intimidating as he had once been. It suited the honest-eyed canine, especially when he shyly looked at Pippa like a helpless, nervous schoolboy, fiddling with the hem of his tattered t-shirt, "O-oh... okay... um... want some coffee or something...?"

---

Ruth stopped what she was doing and just stared at them with an unreadable expression... she stood like that for several long moments, her eyes boring into her younger sister, who practically withered under her dark gaze. Then, at last, Ruth spoke, "You are... I suspected it, the way you've been tiptoeing around..."

"Y-you're not mad...?" Marie stammered, holding onto one of Duel's hands.

"No, not mad... but not very happy, either... I don't agree with your decision, but I will support you the best I can, I suppose..." Ruth sighed reluctantly, and Marie squealed before launching at her sister to give her a hug, glad she at least wasn't going to be angry.

(BIIIIG POST! o7o! XD)

"I see ghosts everywhere EJ. I got used to seeing them." Flare said. Ghosts didn't freak her out at all, she could get annoyed with them though.

----

"Sure." Pippa said and gave a little smile as she tried to make things less awkward between them.

----

Duel gave a little smile, but he didn't hug the mouse. He wasn't really a hugging a person. Duel just let the mice have their sister moment.

"W-well... still..." EJ felt like a little kid being yelled at for being stupid, and his face got a little red as he glanced away, "Sorry..." He suppressed a slight shiver, the cold feeling creeping over him more. He wanted to ask for another blanket, but it felt weird asking Flare for anything, especially right after upsetting her.

---

"O-okay... I'll go make some..." Chase was glad to have something to do, and walked off towards the kitchen to make some coffee for the two of them. He fidgeted as he watched the coffee pot, messing with the hem of his t-shirt again. It fit him more loosely than usual, not that he minded... Sure, he had noticed he had lost some weight, but he was fine with it.

---

Relieved, Marie let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding, "I was worried that you would forbid us to get married..."

"I can't forbid you from anything... you're adults," Ruth pointed out, though if she could have her way she likely would have told Marie not to go marrying her boyfriend just yet. She rubbed her sister's back, then stepped away, "Well, I'm glad you told me... We should get back to our patients now."

"You can ask me for anything you know." Flare said and put her good hand on his. She was nice and warm as always and he was freezing cold to her, but everyone felt like that with the exception of Duel and Amigo.

----

Pippa sat up on the couch and started to fix her hair a bit and she put it in a ponytail after she was done. She hated that most of her hair kept wanted to get into her eyes.

----

Duel just suddenly looked around, like he heard something. A low growl game from him. "I'll be right back." he told them and then teleported away.

(Hehehehehe~)

EJ almost flinched when she reached over to put her hand on his, mostly because she was so much warmer than him; and it was sort of embarrassing that her hand was a little bigger than his. He finally lightened up and gazed sheepishly up at her, "I-I'm just a little cold is all... Weird for me, I know." He kept his hand in hers, appreciating the warmth she cast into his little fingers.

---

Chase returned with two mugs of coffee a minute later, and handed her one, "I thought you might like a little sugar and milk in yours, so I put some in..." He himself put milk in his, but no sugar. The canine sat down next to her on the couch, then did the same thing she did a moment ago-- he tugged a hair band off his wrist, and put his hair into a little ponytail.

---

"Duel...?" Marie was confused when he went off like that, but her sister was right-- she had patients relying on her. So she went off to take care of them, hoping nothing was wrong with her fiance.

Fuck it Im tired of hitting next. Hows it peeps?)

(Heeeeey you! ouo *glomps* I see your account has been verified. I'm doing pretty good, but I just got my new glasses like an hour ago and they're seriously messing with me... XD I keep pushing at them and stuff, and my eyes aren't used to the new prescription to I'm totally wigging out. But I'll be used to them in a few days. o3o How's you?)

Pretty alright. Are we doing Doomsdays still or has that kinda flown out the window?)

(This is Doomsday, but they are now at Safekeep, the new base, and are going to be getting supply shipments from neighboring nations and stuff. ouo Also, the Devas are going to make a Council instead of Roy being the only leader. K3 was pretty much put on hold after you left. XD)

(Roy: And may I peetch een zat eet wasn't my idea? Not zat I'm complaneeng at all.)

(Anyway, hai Pluto! o7o)

"Well that can be fixed." Flare said. She moved the bucket to the floor and laid down next to EJ and wrapped her arms around him to pull him closer. She wasn't just doing this to warm him up, she wanted to show that she cared for him.

----

"Thanks." Pippa said and took a sip. She was a little nervous to touch him, she didn't want to make things awkward again.

----

Duel wasn't very happy, after a while some parts of his clothes were ripped and he had some burn wounds. Ice people were getting too close for Duel's comfort and he acted out. He managed to take of them, but he knew that most likely there would be more coming to kill him and his friends.

(I must go T^T I shall be back at 8!)

(FEELS 

FEELS NO

SASHA YOU REALLY ARE GOING TO MAKE THEM FEEL REALLY GUILTY 

ESPECIALLY SINCE CHASE DIDN'T TELL THEM A LOT.) 

"I...." Rachel was going to reply, her ears angled back, but Sasha beat her to it, or maybe the canine didn't hear her. She was honestly feeling guilty now, especially since Chase told them so little about his past-- they were too naïve as kids to really ask him. And they were scared and terrified then, while battling their own problems, so they never really stopped and thought about Chase all too much, until they got older. She was really left dumbfounded; helpless, even, as Chase wanted to protect them. 


"You zink we don't know zat?" Once Sasha was finished, Roy was the one that was talking. He was more on the defending side, and sounded annoyed as he leaned in closer to Sasha-- his ears were pinned back on his head. This wasn't how he expected this entire talk to go, "And I am vairy much aware zat we 'aven't seen each ozair all zat much aftair I was seeck and 'e was inzhured! And I know zat 'e was spendeeng 'is time wiz you!" He didn't really mean to raise his voice, but he hated the feeling of guilt that gnawed at his stomach, and it made him act out, "'e nevair wahnted to tell us anyzeeng, zhust like you said! We couldn't 'elp 'im zat way! You aren't makeeng us feel any bettair for not 'elpeeng 'im!" 


Rachel had stiffened when Roy acted out like that, and honestly looked a little nervous, "R-Roy....." However, her near-silent plea to her brother was either not heard, or Roy chose to ignore it.

(Okay. Um...as far as what happened to Jonah and them...hmm...have to think about that. Then for K3 Im not too sure where to go with it. XD Damn you BMT for running my idea wells dry with ridiculious stress...

Zero: They gave you the business man.

YOU GOT IT TOO!!!!

Zero: True...

I have too many weird habits now...ITS WEIRD!! *realized what I said* DAMN IT PASKIE!!!)

(Okay, Sil, bai! <3 If I'm still online then, I'll see you later. ouo

AND FLARE. JUST. SJFKGDFKSHFIGH--! <3333)

EJ actually gave a little mew when Flare sat down and suddenly pulled him over to her like that. He was stiff at first, but being the trusting little guy he was, his heart started to melt and he wrapped his arms around his cousin. He leaned his head against her, determined not to get all emotional on her. Don't cry. You cry too much. Just enjoy this without freaking out like a little kid. He shivered a little again as he slowly began to warm up, trying to think of something to say.

---

Chase sipped at his coffee once his hair was pulled back, though his bangs hung in his face again, since they weren't quite long enough to reach back into his ponytail. He then gave a little yawn, still a bit on the drowsy side after his nap. Glancing over at Pippa, the Shiba Inu asked, "So how've you been lately?"

(Duel nuuuu! D8 *flails*)

---

(Sasha: I'm sorry, I didn't mean for the conversation to go this way! omo')

Unable to help it, Sasha's defensive nature kicked in when Roy leaned in her face like that. Her pupils shrank down, fur bristling as her ears flattened and she bared her teeth, "Fuck off! It's not my job to make you feel better, idiot, it's my job to tell you what my brother won't! I didn't mean for the visit to end up this way, okay?! I wanted to show you the happy things, but I guess the bad things just keep coming up! I'm sorry, okay?!"

She rose to her feet, her chair screeching on the floor as it was abruptly pushed back. She was about to storm off, but then stopped herself, one hand slapping over her face. Sasha was then very still, focusing on breathing... counting her forced, deep breaths as she calmed down, keeping her eyes covered with one hand. The tension slowly left her, and she dropped her hand again, "Listen, kids... this is as hard on me as it is on you, but it's the truth... we can't just ignore it, or say we can't do anything. If Chase won't come to us, we have to come to him... no excuses. I was an awful sister to him, and I never want to be that person again, get it? So even if you don't have it in you to deal with this and be there for him, I will. He needs somebody."

(Hehe, well... We can figure something out. ouo

Oh, and I suppose you might not know this, but Cay and Blaze are no longer with us... They just decided they weren't really into Kolerin anymore. o3o So Duel made us this nice new group and it's been just us for a while now, but we manage. All of the characters used by the others were just kind of dropped when we moved on to Safekeep, and we made some new characters to compensate... I have a sheep with a faint Scottish accent, and his nickname is Scotty because of it. XDDDD He's dense as a brick, too. It's great.)

Ha...My MTIs left too much of a mark on me...I keep saying crap that they say. Namely from Sergeant Paskie...

Zero: WEIRD!

Fucking hell would you stop that?!)

(I actually imagined him getting even more pissed off in my head, but it didn't really fit.... So yeah. ^^" ) 

Roy had realized that was a bad idea too late after Sasha rose to her feet rather abruptly. He pulled away quickly, his breathing a little hard, with his heartbeat faster than normal, albeit slightly. He could feel Rachel give him a dirty look, but didn't pay it much attention as he just watched as Sasha calmed down after looking like she was ready to storm out of the place. His tension was leaving him as well, but he was still rigid and on the defensive side. He looked like he was going to say something after Sasha was done, but Rachel beat him to it. 

"O-of course we're goeeng to be zere for 'im!" Rachel hated the fact that Sasha even said that, as it wasn't true, "As you said before, 'e barely told us anyzing! We want to 'elp 'im as much as you, buht we were literally zhust told now about your abusive relationsheep wiz your fazair!"