//------------------------------// // S2 Episode 4: Ant and Sky, Parkour-a-thon (Part 1) // Story: The Mute Octave // by HenryAnthonyCourtler //------------------------------// Eipsode 4: Ant and Sky, Parkour-a-thon Nope. No no no no no no no! No way was this gonna happen! No way! Vinyl put her hoof down. "Tavi! You are NOT going to skip out on me tonight! We're going to that rock concert together, you owe me!" Octavia groaned as she pulled the covers over her head. "But Vinyl, darling, I don't want to see Black Saddle or Stones n’ Roses! Vinyl, please, you know what I think of that... that dreck you call rock and roll!" Vinyl sighed. "Fine, whatever. Have fun being a freak here at home, then." Octavia scratched her head with her index finger. "What? Vinyl, I don't under-aargh!" Her snapped eyes opened, and she looked around blearily. "Vinyl...?" Her eyes widened, and she snapped up, alert and fully awake. "Vinyl...!" Her voice trailed off as Henry opened the door, a tray in his hands with a steaming pile of pancakes, a small serving of eggs, two strips of bacon, and a glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice. Octavia slowly calmed her beating heart, breathing deeply as she closed her eyes and sighed softly. Henry set the tray down on her lap, sitting by her bedside with a worried look on his face.  ”Are you okay?” he wrote on his slate as he set down her fork and knife for her. She shook her head softly, parting her bangs and tossing the rest of her hair behind her shoulders. “I just... I had a weird dream and Vinyl was in it... she wasn’t herself though. She called me a f-freak because I wouldn’t go to some concert with her.” Octavia muttered, hanging her head at what she could remember from the dream. Henry tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear and gave her a gentle smile, tilting her chin up gently. Octavia blushed and looked up into his green eyes. He placed the fork in her hand and grinned, patting her head as he left the room briefly. Octavia smiled softly as he left. “You goof... always knowing how to cheer me up.” Shaking her head, her smile slowly became a ponderous frown. “I wonder why that is so,” she muttered quietly as she poked at her fork’s pronged end. “Is it something about me, or him?” She sat idly, pondering the answer for a few more moments before Henry came back in with his own tray, grabbing his desk chair and setting his tray by her. "Are you gonna eat?" he wrote on his slate, looking at her curiously as he cut up some of his pancakes. She blushed in embarrassment. "Oh, yes, I will. I just spaced out for a moment; I'm sorry," Octavia said as she tucked into her eggs with gusto, matching his pace as they ate their breakfast. Henry put on his favorite hoodie as he checked his duffel bag to make sure he had everything he needed. Feeling content with his last minute check, Henry walked over towards Fortissimo's bed, petting the growing pup as he slept. Making sure Octavia hadn't left the room, he left the dog a treat next to him with a grin. "I'm ready Henry!" Octavia called from his room as she headed towards the door, adjusting the headband she chose to put on that morning. Henry smiled and hugged her. “I gotta get going. I’ll see you when ya get back.” Octavia hugged him back, stepping back and adjusting his hoody before beaming at him. “Alrighty.” He chuckled. “Try to have fun on your ‘girl’s night,’ ” Henry teased. Her cheeks flushed slightly. “I’ll try...though I must confess that I’m a bit nervous about it.” Henry waved his hand dismissively. “You’re just overthinking it; it’ll work out fine, trust me.” He wrote before hugging her one last time and heading out the door. Octavia looked through the open window as he jogged across the street to his car, warming it up momentarily before pulling out. Sighing quietly to herself, she walked into the living room and sat down on the couch, watching as Fortissimo yawned adorably. The pup stretched out, yawning again before shaking every inch of his body and taking a deep drink out of his bowl. She giggled at his antics. “Sometimes, I swear you’re a person, Forte.” Octavia teased. Fortissimo’s ear twitched and he turned around before running towards her and jumping into her lap with an eager bark. Octavia rolled her eyes and rubbed his back gently with her nails; feeling him growl happily. ”Oh Forte, you’re just too adorable, you know that?” She cooed gently, smiling softly at him. He barked softly, shuddering under her caring touch as she scratched behind his ears. She leaned back on the couch as she absentmindedly continued to pet him. ‘I can’t believe I’m about to have a girl’s night out... It’s been a long time since I have, but it just doesn’t feel right; I always did that with Vinyl... even if I wasn’t a fan of it,’ Octavia thought with a chuckle, thinking back to the rather tense, petty confrontations they had every time Vinyl convinced her to go out and just have fun. Octavia stood up, cradling Fortissimo in her arms as she distractedly rubbed his stomach, causing him to pant happily. She walked into the kitchen and looked out at the neighborhood. Trees had started to grow back leaves, flowers bloomed as though the winter had never happened, and she felt as different and alien as the world beyond. “I have changed, haven’t I?” She rolled her eyes at an imagined retort. “Yes, yes; I eat meat, have a different body, and am on a strange, futuristic planet of short, skinny minotaurs, but... it’s beyond physical. I just feel like something deep inside changed, but I’m not sure whether or not that’s good. Perhaps I should give it some time?” She pursed her lips as she looked out the window. A sudden knock at the front door shocked her out of her reverie. “Coming!” She yelled, power walking to the door and opening it. Jackie and Tara were on the landing, both wearing clothing a little less casual than their normal attire. The two of them wrapped her in a friendly hug, much to the excitement of Fortissimo. “Hey, ‘Tavi. Ah’ see y’all purdied yerself up right nicely.” Jackie complimented as she took a good look at Octavia’s outfit. Octavia giggled. “Yeah, you too, Jackie. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in a dress before...” Jackie looked at the simple, one-piece sunset-colored dress she was wearing. “Oh, this old thing? Ah haven’t worn it in years, Ah’ think.” Tara rolled her eyes as she brushed down her form-fitting red dress. “Quit being so humble Jackie, you know you look great in it!” “Pssh, maybe you think so, Tara. Buuuut...” Jackie trailed off, a grin blooming on her face. “The real challenge is Nick. If he says Ah’ look good in this, then I’ll feel like a million bucks.” “Trying to impress your man~?” Tara teased in a husky, seductive tone of voice as the three girls walked down towards the street. “Oh, hush. Y’all got no right ta judge me when it comes ta datin’ boys. After all, y’all are datin’ mah younger brother.” Jackie retorted with a grin, giving Tara a light bop on the shoulder. Tara smiled wolfishly. “Oh, what can I say, Jackie dear?” She put an arm over Jackie’s shoulders and bumped her with a hip. “I just love a younger man~!” “So you’re older than Mac, Tara?” Octavia piped up from the back of the small group. “Yes, but not by much. We were actually born almost exactly a month apart. How interesting is that?” She asked with a playful wiggle of her eyebrows. Octavia smiled. “Pretty coincidental, I suppose.” Tara laughed. “Not as coincidental as the fact that Jackie here is trying to go after a younger man than I did,” she teased as the trio got to her 2002 Mercury Sable. “Oh, jus’ shaddup, Tara. So what if he’s only twunny-one? He’s still fun ta be with.” “Does he even know you’re ‘dating’ dating, yet?” Tara asked incredulously. “Well...” Tara rolled her eyes as Jackie trailed off. “So he doesn’t really see you as his girlfriend?” “No— yes— no, I mean— ugh.” Jackie rubbed her temples as she got into the passanger’s seat, leaning the seat back a bit to fit more comfortably in the squat vehicle. “He knows we’re dating, Tara. We’ve gone out to lunch, dinner, movies, and even jus’ hung out tagether at my place or his animal house. Ah’ just... Ah’ think he’s just not fully able ta see this as wonderful. Ah’ think he’s expectin’ this ta all jus’ be a crazy dream, an’ he’s gonna wake up any minute now ta realize the sad truth that he’d never find love.” Jackie shifted in her seat as Tara looked at her, brows furrowed. “Ah’ think he’s afraid, Tara. Not of commitment. Not of himself, or me, or what might happen to us. Ah’ think he’s afraid ta let anyone inta his world. An’ trust me,” she said as she turned to give Tara a hard-eyed look. “Ah’m perfectly capable of understandin’ his viewpoint.” Tara held Jackie’s gaze for a few moments longer, before turning the key and starting up the car. “Right, then,” she said. “Sorry Octavia, but it looks like we’re bringing a boy with us on our Girl’s Day.” Octavia, head still swimming as it tried to catch up with all the information that had been shipped between her two friends, simply nodded weakly. “I’m quite alright with that,” she replied at length. “I admit... it’s a lot take in all of a sudden, but I can empathize with Jackie’s points. It’s easy to not concern yourself with age when you’re infatuated.” Tara stopped at a stoplight. “And what of you, Tavi? You've been sharing a small apartment with Henry, right?" Octavia shrugged. "Yes, we've been roomates for quite some time now." "Just roomates? Come on, Tavi, give us some credit. We've seen the way you two eye each other," Tara teased as she continued driving. “I...I’m not sure where you’re going with this. Henry and I look at each other just fine.” Octavia said, brows furrowed in an inquisitive frown. “Don’t play coy with us, Tavi!” Tara chastised playfully, “Just spill the bea— “For Christ’s sake, Tavi! Are ya datin’ Henry or not?” Jackie interrupted, fed up with the one-sided banter. Octavia looked taken aback. “Of course not! I mean... we u—” Tara slammed the brakes with an irritated sigh as she pulled up in front of Nick’s house. "We're here! Now go get your boyfriend, and hurry up about it!" Jackie sighed and got out of the sedan, striding quickly to Nick’s front door and rapping loudly. “Nick, y’all home t’day?” The door opened and a slightly shaggy-looking Nick stood there in his boxers.         “Nnn? Wazzit?” He asked, his voice still laced with sleep. “...” Nick stopped rubbing his eyes and squinted, before blinking rapidly. “Jackie...?”         Jackie was standing there, face flushed red as she oh-so-obviously looked every-which-way that wasn’t down, but still took the occasional glance; even though she knew she was being watched. “Boxers, huh,” she mumbled as Nick’s brain finally shifted into gear.         “Uhh...!” Quickly closing the door, he staggered back towards his room, scrambling to find something to put on. After zipping up his jeans, he finally had a thought break through his panic. “Wait... wh-why was she wearing a dress?” Nick asked himself aloud. Jackie stood awkwardly outside Nick’s apartment door, shifting her dress’ skirt a bit as she waited. Finally, she could hear some hesitant footsteps on the other side of the door, and Nick reopened it, his hair combed flat and still a bit damp, his eyes wide, and his face taut. “Umm... hi,” he said in a voice slightly higher pitched than normal. “Howdy.” Nick scratched at the back of his head, and Jackie scuffed at the ground for a moment. “Uhhh... so? Can I come inside? Or d’you wanna come outside? Either’s fine by me.” “Uh, y-yeah... Outside’d be better, I think... Don’t want to dirty your dress.” Jackie looked down at her dress and felt her cheeks heating again. “Oh, yeah, that. Sorry ‘bout showin’ up all suddenly an’ the like, but Tara, ‘Tavi, an’ I were all gonna hit the town. Tara decided that, well, since we’re datin’ an’ all, that we should pick you up.” Nick looked past Jackie and saw Tara’s car. It wasn’t one he was well acquainted with, but it was vaguely familiar. The two conversing inside it were definitely so. “Um... Do you think I’d fit inside?” Jackie chuckled a bit, the tension in her shoulders easing. “Aww, don’t worry, ya big lug. Mac’s squeezed in there just fine b’fore, so you’ll fit nicely. Snug as a bug!” She let out a sharp, barking laugh before cutting herself off. “Uhh, sorry.” Nick automatically shook his head. “No need to be sorry.” He shuffled his feet awkwardly. “So, uh... we’re going somewhere?” “Yeah, we were gonna go do some shopping, but now that you’re comin’ along, we’ll prolly keep that down to a minimum.” “Mmkay. Fine by me. I feel embarrassed enough when my mom takes me shopping and makes me tell her what bras she looks good in.” Both Jackie and Nick shuddered at that. “Well, no time ta dawdle! Let’s get a move on!” Jackie grasped Nick’s hand and lead him effortlessly to the car, opening the back door and sitting down next to Octavia. “Mind if we sit in the back, ‘Tavi?” Octavia started when she heard Jackie’s voice, but gave a prim nod and scooted out the door, walking around the front of the car and getting in the passenger seat. “Arlighty.” Tara begun. “So now that everyone is here, including our guest of honour,” she teased as she pointed at Nick. “We can finally get this day started, huh?” Nick raised his hand. “What are we doing this fine, sleep-deprived day, and why did you find it necessary to wake me up early in the morning for it to begin?” Tara snorted as she pulled out of the front of his house. “Just having some good ol’ fashion hangout time, Miss Melodramatic.” Nick scoffed. “As you say, Mistress of Priss.” One of her eyebrows arched. “So I’m your mistress now, huh? Well in that case, why don’t you case your fellow subject, Jackie then?” She asked with a devilish smirk. Nick glanced at Jackie, and once again felt a nervous fluttering in his stomach. “.... I’m hungry.” Jackie snapped back just as quickly, “Ah’m famished.” “I already ate,” Octavia said, sounding as though she were in a daze. “I’m game for something to eat,” Tara said triumphantly as she continued in the direction of the mall. “Where d’yall want to eat, anyways?” “I could care less, honestly,” Nick said with a shrug. “Maybe we could pick something out at the mall,” Jackie suggested. Nick visibly cringed, burying his hands in his face as the car arrived at the parking garage.