Octavius and Dash walked down the street, searching for Vinyl. A few snowflakes had started to fall in the half hour that the two had been outside, slowly starting to cover the ground in snow.
“Dash,” Octavius said, looking over to the woman, who met his gaze. “Where would she have gone?”
“I don’t know,” Dash replied, casting her eyes down to her feet. “She told me that her parents live just outside of town; maybe she went there?”
“Maybe she did.” Octavius turned once more to the sidewalk in front of him. Not very many people were out today, given the weather. He continued to walk down the empty, snow covered streets, lost in thought.
Vinyl had been fuming when she had left the diner. She had said she hated both him and Dash. But why? How was what happened their fault? He needed answers from her. He quickened his pace as Dash did the same.
“How far away, exactly, do they live?” Octavius turned to look at Dash.
“Maybe half a mile,” she replied, matching his pace. Octavius noticed she was shivering slightly, her hands clutching her arms. While she’d thought to throw on a bright blue sweater, she had forgotten a coat. Octavius shrugged his off and handed it to her. She grinned at him. “Look at you, Tav-Tav,” she laughed as she pulled on his black coat. “Always the gentleman, ain’t’cha?” Octavius simply rolled his eyes in response, but grinned.
“What kind of a gentleman would let a woman freeze while he himself was perfectly warm?” He laughed a little, then turned to continue walking. However, he felt Dash’s hand take his gently. He turned back to her.
“Hey,” she muttered. “You don’t agree with your parents, do you?” She looked up at him. “I’m not a whore, or a slut, or any of that, right?”
Octavius smiled at her. “No, you’re most definitely not. They just don’t like very many people. I promise it’s nothing personal.”
Dash returned the grin and let their hands fall, continuing to follow him as they headed to Vinyl’s home. She looked up at the cellist. “Hey, can I ask you another question?”
“Besides that one?” Octavius smirked down at her.
Dash rolled her eyes in mock exasperation. “Yes, smart ass, besides that one.” She playfully punched him in his good arm. “Why do they look down on everyone? It’s not like they’re royalty, is it?” She grinned up at him devilishly. “Or did I steal a prince’s virginity?”
“No, they’re not royalty,” Octavius said, ignoring her last comment. “They just… I don’t know, they view themselves as everyone’s superior. They only care about those who can help them get further in life, and spit on anyone else.” Dash was reminded of their cruel words back at the supermarket. “They want me to grow up and be this big important musician. Not because they want me to like it, or because they actually care about me at all. The way they see it,” his voice was low at this point, almost a whisper. “All I am to them is a way forward. Nothing more.”
Dash was stunned into silence. She had figured his parents were stuck up snobs, but what she had just heard from Octavius genuinely shocked her. She took his hand and squeezed it gently, an action he returned with a small smile. She smiled back silently, then dropped his hand, looking back ahead of her. “Up here on the right,” she told him, pointing to a small white house with a chain link fence in front of it. The house didn’t look too shabby, not showing much age. Octavius figured it was probably built within the last quarter century.
The two pushed open the gate and approached the door. They looked to each other one more time, then Octavius pressed the small doorbell.