Silver read Miki's text out loud for Cage. "I mean… I understand. That she left cuz they don't get along." She rested her head on Cage's shoulder. "I didn't think last night would end this bad." She whispered.
–
"Anyway." Miki said. "I'm good. It's been a while since I've been on the streets and I kind of miss it."
Dio stared at her like she had grown another head. "I respect your decision, Miki, but you are tied to us now and for everyone's safety I would like to see you not on the streets. And if anything happened to you I know Silver and Cage would be heartbroken." He sighed and looked directly into her eyes. "Please."
–
Lackey gave Ryder a look from his place by the front door. He hadn't moved since Dio left.
It's the middle of the morning.
Cage clenches his jaw, still staring into nothingness.
“But… Ben is one person. Couldn’t she put up with him for us?”
-
(Lackey XD)
Ryder glares at Lackey out of the corner of his eye.
“Don’t look at me like that. This is way earlier than I normally get up.” He heads into the kitchen and looks over Dio’s breakfast.
“Do we have more mangos? Maybe a papaya?” He shouts to Lackey as he starts to rummage through the cabinets.
Silver sighed and rubbed her forehead, staring at her phone. Slowly she rested her cheek on Cage's shoulder. "I don't know." she whispered. "Maybe… I don't know." she shook her head. After a moment her eyes filled with tears and she took in a shaky breath. "I should have told Ben. We never should have invited Dio over." her chest shook with sobs. "I should have told Ben."
–
Miki stared at Dio, frozen. He seemed so sincere and… honestly concerned. It made her uncomfortable, for someone to be so interested in her well being. She shook herself and looked down at her phone. Usually she was the one who looked out for everyone else and she took care of herself. No one worried about her. Finally she shrugged, unsure how to respond. "Yeah. Okay. That's fine, I guess."
–
Lackey eased into the kitchen after him, still surveying Ryder with unveiled disdain. There's a fruit bowl on the counter, you dolt. Slowly he picked up a peach, holding it in the air with just his thumb and forefinger, raising his eyebrows at Ryder over it.
Cage leans his cheek on Silver's head and sighs. He wasn't used to people just leaving since they were all stuck together.
_
Ryder spins around and gives Lackey grin, snatching the peach. "This, my dull friend, is not a papaya. But I'll eat it anyways."
"She'll come back." Silver said. "She'll miss us too much to stay gone." To Miki, she texted, "Where are you gonna go?"
–
Dio nodded and lead Miki over to his carriage. She stood beside it, looking it up and down, and gave him a look.
"You have a carriage?" she asked incredulously.
Dio opened the door and bowed to her. "I vowed years ago to never contaminate myself by touching an automobile."
Miki rolled her eyes and scrambled inside. "You keep getting stranger and stranger."
Dio followed her in and settled into the seat across. "I have been told before that I am somewhat of an 'oddball', as they say."
"It must be a side affect of the powers." Miki retorted, glancing down at the text from Silver.
–
Lackey huffed through his nose and turned back into the living room. You ate all of them. That's why there aren't any more.
Cage sighs, laying his head on Silvers lap. “She better.” He sniffles.
-
Ryder takes a bite out of the peach, “touché.”
Silver leaned back against the wall, stroking her fingers through Cage's hair while she stared at her phone, waiting for Miki's reply.
–
Dio's carriage pulled up and he hopped out, holding the door for Miki as she scrambled after him. She swung her backpack over her shoulder and eyed his giant house.
"Why am I surrounded by stupid rich people?" she muttered under her breath. Dio lead the way up the steps and bowed to her as he opened the door to his house.
"Welcome to my home, Miki." he said.
Lackey stilled when the door opened, ignoring Ryder as Dio entered with the human girl. Slowly he stepped out of the kitchen doorway and placed his back against the wall. Miki gave him a wave. "Heyo. Dio decided I needed to live with you guys for a while."
Dio stepped around her, trotting through the living room. "I invited Miki to stay with us until she decides to return to Benjamin's house." To Miki, he added, "I made pancakes this morning. If there are any left, you're welcome to them."
Ryder returns from the kitchen, giving Miki a quick wink before looking to Dio. “The pancakes were disgusting. I ate them all.”
Miki snorted in laughter. "Suuuuuure. Sounds like they were–" she froze as her gaze actually landed on Ryder, and she stared, mouth open. "Wait… you're the Mango Dude!"
Ryder raises his eyebrows, refocusing on Miki. “Do I- have we met?”
Miki threw her backpack down on the couch and faced Ryder, hands on her hips, as if she was ready to fight. "OH my word, Cage and I saw you in the grocery store the other day! You were freaking eating a mango right in the middle of the store before paying! I knew there was something weird about you!" She snapped her fingers and turned to Dio. "Why do you let him out in public? He picked up a mango straight from the display and just chomped right into it like a cannibal."
Ryder gives a sudden laugh and takes a few steps forward, smacking her back. “Yeah! Now I remember. Girl, I’ve been out in public for forever. I only met this guy like.. two years ago?” He puts a hand on his chest and breathes in, closing his eyes and trying to look composed. “I am…. my own man.”
Dio took a deep breath, all but rolling his eyes. "Unfortunately, Mikela, I have no control over Ryder whatsoever. I have," he continued, cutting a glare at the Kavi. "warned him about the dangers of acting like his own kind in public. As you can see, he's quite… special."
Miki snorted again and whacked Ryder in the chest with the back of her hand. "Okay, but legit, Kavi thing aside, who just munches down on a mango in the middle of the grocery store??
Lackey's lips twitched a grin and he raised an eyebrow at Ryder. Good question.
Ryder rolls his eyes and pushes her out of his way, walking to the couch and slumping down into it. “Whatever, whatever. People just think you’re a weirdo, nothing else. You guys overthink things.” He sticks his hand between the couch cushions and pulls out a bag of almonds, turning on the tv.
Dio shook his head and went into the kitchen, actively distancing himself from the stress Ryder's actions caused. He saw the carnage of dishes in the sink and sighed. Ryder really had eaten all the pancakes.
Lackey leaned on the doorframe, looking into the kitchen. And like three peaches. And a bag of almonds.
"Have you eaten yet, Miki?" he called out to the living room, standing in the middle of the kitchen and trying to figure out what he should feed her.
Miki flopped into a chair and watched Ryder produce his almond bag from the couch. She doubted Dio knew he hid food in the couch, otherwise she was sure he would kick him out. "Uhh, I had a muffin." she called back to Dio. To Ryder she asked in a lower tone, "So many Kavi's are around here? I thought ours were the only ones but now there's you and Lackey so…"
Ryder shrugs, “I dunno. I was thrown out of society. Disowned.” He puts the back of his hand on his forehead and stick out a pouty lip, but only for two seconds before returning to his almonds. “Why do you have Kavi? For all I know they stay put in one place. Licky over there is only out because… of certain reasons.”
Miki raised an eyebrow. "Wow, I didn't know they disowned people. Yeah, ours are–" she paused to blink at him at his purposeful mispronunciation of Lackey's name, and fairly felt the other Kavi turn and glare at Ryder from the kitchen. "Ahem," she coughed. "Ours escaped all the bad evil science-y people or whoever they were, like everyone else. I'm the only human." she added. "Like, normal normal human. My sister was kidnapped and got out with Ben and the others so Ben put up with me for her sake but I was done putting up with him so I left."
Unfazed, he nods. “Mmn, so you’re out with the elementals? Is that what-“ he turns a little to look at Lackey. “Is that what they go by?” He turns back around and shrugs. “I’ve heard of Ben, cause he stresses Dio, but I guess I hadn't realized they had Kavi besides Lack.” He looks her over. “Too bad we got stuck with the only normal one.”
Lackey flicked a cashew at Ryder when he glanced at it, and it flew threw the air and hit his ear.
Miki nodded. "Yeah, elementals. Ben is one of the most well known ones." she met his gaze and gave a saucy move of her head as she said, "Well, yeah, somebody's gotta balance out the mango-eating weirdo. No wonder Dio wanted me to come here so bad."
He grins, paying no attention to the cashew that hit his ear. “Ha! Sure.” He ruffles her hair. “Soo, hows it living with the most uptight, stressy people. You live with like, what, twelve of em? I couldn’t like with twelve Dio’s. It’d be the death of me.”
"I heard that!" Dio yelled from the kitchen.
"Oh my word, no. Not twelve." she counted on her fingers. "Just… four elementals and two Kavi. One is my blood sister, so that helps. And Cage and I are besties. It's not bad, honestly. I mean, Ben and Sil fight literally every day, and Kissa almost murders someone every day, and Gabriel is the creepiest little weirdo ever. I have no idea what Sil sees in him. He's even weirder than you. But yeah, it's not bad." she laughed. "Well, I guess it sounds bad. But it's not, really. It's just really dramatic and sometimes I have to run away for a while."
At the mention of Kissa and Gabriel he automatically jumps up, now standing on the couch. “wHAT.” He kneels on the arm of the couch, much closer to her now.
“What do Kissa and Gabriel look like. I need details.” He whispers, offering her almonds almost as a bribe.
"YO!" Miki yelped, scrambling back in her chair as he leaped up. She stared at him, eyes wide, not sure whether she should be afraid or not, especially when he leaned closer, like some feline high on catnip. "I–I–well, Kissa has white wings and red hair and she's a little murder child of evilness and Gabriel is a freakin' creepy weirdo and sleeps in the dryer and leaves his wings all over the floor and we trip on them and my sister's in love with him and I don't know why." she inched backwards, half climbing up the back of her chair. "Why? What? You know them? Wait, are you actually a spy and now you're gonna go kill them? Cuz I'll kill you first, dude."
Ryder lets out a random yell, standing on the couch again. “THEY'RE ALIVE. Come here, c’mere.” He jumps off the couch, and yanks her off her chair, basically throwing her over his shoulder as he marches out the back door. “BE BACK TONIGHT, DONT WAIT FOR US!”
He turns them both invisible, repositioning Miki, and leaps into the sky.
"Hey, wait–what–HEY PUT ME–" Miki's protests turned into a long winded shriek as he took to the sky and she wrapped her arms around his neck, curling up in his arms, still screaming into his shoulder.
Dio scrambled out of the kitchen in time to see Ryder disappear out the door. Dio lifted his hand but it was too late–he couldn't stop them. He clenched his hand into a fist and swore, thoroughly, in Korean, before snatching out his phone and texting Ben. "I'm sorry for contacting you again but be warned, there is a mentally unstable Kavi flying at high velocity toward your house. He's got Miki with him." He read the text over, swore again, and then sent the text and tossed his phone away toward the couch. He turned to Lackey, lips pressed together in frustration. "He's not allowed to come back. I always said he was welcome here if he behaved and that does not count as behaving." he visible shook himself and walked back into the kitchen. "Damn."
Ryder, eyes still wide, laughs a little. “Hold on, wait. Where is Ben’s house? Directions please?” His flight slows and he lands them on a tall building, letting her go slowly, but keeping ahold of her arm so she doesn’t stumble from dizzy ness.
Miki clung to him even after her feet were down, gasping for air. "What the CRAP, dude! You don't just grab someone and take off! Literally, take off into the air! I am not made for flying, okay? And we can't just yeet over to Ben's house, okay? He'll definitely kill me for previously mentioned reasons and he'll certainly kill a crazy, maniac Kavi who just shows up at his house. Especially with me." she turned away, still holding onto him, and tried to regain control of her breath.
He gives a small chuckle, not listening to a word she says. He runs a hand through his hair, beaming. “I’m PUMPED. I haven’t seen them in so long!! How tall is Kiss now? She was like teeny weeny when I last saw her! Does Gabriel still hide animals?”
Miki paused her yelling and peered up at him, standing as far from him as she could while still gripping a handful of his shirt. "Yeah. Yeah, he does. The attic is full of them. And Kissa is still teeny weeny. Like four feet tall or something." she frowned. "How do you know them? You said you were banished and they were taken for the experiments or whatever, so how do you know them?"
He turns to look at her, eyes bright. “I grew up with them! Me and Gabriel went hunting together, and Kissa would braid our hair before we went out. And their mom use to throw dishes at me when I’d try to climb in the window, and I cut Gabriel’s hair every month.” He blinks back over the buildings. “I’m so excited.”
