Stopping by a grocery store the three of them walked in, "Bad news is I forgot I didn't have any food there, good news is this place as one of the best eateries you will ever find in the city." Patting Angel on her shoulder he smiled at her, "And as the first part of your birthday gift you can have whatever you want and however much you want, my treat."
As they walked she stood there confused as to how he knew only for Flintlock to pin him against a handicapped parking sign, "And how in the hell did you find that out?" As his mouth started to open she slammed him back into the sign, "And leave the smart ass jokes out of it this time."
With a chuckle he rose his hands, "It was in her transcript plain as day." As he was gently lowered he straightened his clothes back up, "One thing I didn't catch was the year..." Looking at Angel he walked up to her, "so kiddo how old are you today? And don't mind her too much she only gets that way with me, but she would never harm a fly."
'Unless that fly was you.' She grumbled under her breath.
Angel looked around the store, thinking to herself. She could make this really good cheese sauce and pasta… and sugar cookies. She hadn't made those in forever… she glanced at the stallion and swallowed nervously then said softly “I'm 16… And can i make sugar cookies… i haven't made them in forever and i really like them...”
Because of past experiences, she instantly regretted asking, expecting to be yelled at or hit because she asked. Her parents would always hit her and yell at her if she asked for something. She was used to it, and it was what she always expected with anyone and everyone.
Tousling her hair he smiled at her, "Would you like to make it from scratch or just pick up the dough? And I'll have to find something for you while we're here. After all today is about you." Placing his arm around her he walked her into the store.
Flintlock groaned and grumbled for a bit but quickly stopped knowing this was who he was, "If you're going to get her something there's a clothing store along the way, you can let her pick out some things there."
He stood frozen like a pillar in a hall as he swallowed a mouth full of air rather hard, he knew the place she spoke of. And though they had a nice selection to choose from their prices made him uncomfortable, sure he was a thief in the eyes of the law but they were just plain crooks in his eyes.
'No honor among thieves anymore is there?' He sighed under his breath slowly pulling out his wallet to count his over all, "Sure we can go there, after all it's like I said before. Today is all about her, she can have what she wants today." His eye twitched looking at the thick stack of bills in his wallet.
At least fifty by his count each a hundred dollar bill, he shrugged his shoulders as a thought passed through his mind. Looking at how content she seemed to be he could only guess how much she was going to get at both locations, let alone what all she would really want.
Looking at how she kept her eyes trained on her feet he gently pressed her head into his chest, "Hey it's going to be alright, you want anything, and I mean anything, I'll make sure you get it alright? All you have to do is ask."
Angel started shaking a little and she could feel her chest tighten in the beginning of what she knew was an anxiety attack. She wriggled out of his arms and went through her backpack, paws visibly shaking. While she was looking for something, a small silver object slipped out of one pocket.
She didn't notice as she pulled out her ipod and started playing black veil brides. As she sat on the ground hugging her knees, she started singing softly, her voice sounding different from when they all first met. Music was her strength… her passion… her release from the pain she felt on a daily basis. She kept singing, tears streaming down her cheeks.
In a faint motion he sat down next to her picking up the razor blade unnoticed.
Slipping off one of her ears he kept his arms to himself as he whispered to her, "Hey, it's going to be okay. I'm here for you now, there's nothing to be afraid of."
He tucked the blade into one of his coat pockets knowing he would have to ask her about it. He only hoped that she would be willing to talk and to shut herself out. Gently he pulled her in hugging her, his left hand caressing her head as his right held firm across her back.
"How about for now we just focus on the simple things alright? You want to make cookies then we will get everything you need, you can make them however you like. We will get both the dough and the ingredients to make them from scratch the choice is yours to make." He realized that granting her all that freedom at once had caused her to enter this state, he had hoped bringing the restriction in with some leeway for her would help.
He could hear her faint vocals as she sang the song, looking down he saw tears slowly starting to roll down her face.
Gently he cleared them away with his thumb, "You're going to be alright kiddo, you're safe now I promise. Nothing and I mean nothing is going to harm you so long as I live, I promise."
Slowly he stood up bringing her along side with himself, he felt her clutch his coat tighter as they walked.
'Poor kid...' He thought calmly walking her into the store, 'she doesn't deserve to be like this, she's too damn young to be in this kind of state.'
With her exposed ear at his chest she heard his heartbeat, it was faint but steady and calm like he was expecting something. As they walked into the store they were greeted with a faint whistle on their right by the eatery.
A chuckle escaped his lips as he gently pulled Angel a few inches away from himself to look her in the eyes, "Before we start running around the store, let's get you something to eat. Flintlock will take you by the ordering station and I'll meet the two of you at the register."
With a faint nod she let him go and calmly walked with Flintlock as he went to the woman who whistled to them.
Leaning against the wall he smiled, "You look good for a woman, maybe you should make the change permanent."
"I only dressed like this because I can't show my real face." A deep scruffy voice responded, "And unlike you I stick out like a sore thumb when dressed like a man, so you gotta do what you gotta do. How's sis by the way she hardly calls me.”
"Don't you have our phones tapped?"
"It's not the same as hearing her tell me."
With a chuckle he looked up and watched them slowly pick out what they wanted, "So how did you pull it off?" They stayed in a moment of silence for a moment before his jaw faintly lowered, "Got me into the system so easily I mean."
"Oh that was easy. All I had to do was reroute their mainframe through a series of third party sites, then convert their hard drive into one of mine were I can then crack their codes. Once I've done that it was a simple matter of re-uploading the whole thing all at once"
"Damn your good, I didn't think hacking took so much work."
He received a punch into the back of his knee, "It's not, that was all a load of crap. You idiots think it's so complex, the building's administrator has a Hoofbook page and uses the same password for the two. Sadly enough it was the name of their dog." Trying not to look back at his brother the stallion let out a faint laugh, "Oh it gets better the dog's name is Spot, but the administrator changed out the 'O' with a zero thinking it was clever."
As Flintlock and Angel neared the register the stallion started to walk towards them, "Thanks for the help, stay safe out there alright."
Taking only a step he felt his brother's hand grab his wrist, "One more thing..." The tone was stern, the grip tight, everything about the single moment spoke volumes of how one didn't want to hear it and the other didn't want to say it, "I found them... your..."
He pulled his hand away from his brother, "I don't give a damn about them. I have parents, good parents with a great family. You and Flintlock know this."
"You can't keep running away from it. You know this, Mom and Dad said it to you countless times. Sooner or later your past will catch up with you, better to face it now and get it over with."
Pulling his wallet out he scoffed, "Like hell I do. I'm the best damn thief in the world, I can escape my past just like I do the cops."
Angel looked back at the stallion, who was talking to the woman. She nervously followed Flintlock, her paws shaking. She kept playing her music, but it wasn't doing much to help her. Her paws were visibly shaking and her breathing was still a little rapid. She tugged her sleeves down further and wiped away the tears that refused to stop dripping down her cheeks.
Living a life full of extreme restrictions and punishments, then suddenly having freedom, it freaked her out to the point of a anxiety attack. Flintlock, as the stallion called his friend, kinda scared her but she seemed nice… but that little voice in the back of her head kept telling her that this wasn't going to last… that she was gonna go right back to where she started.
Stepping up to the register the stallion looked back at his disguised brother and sighed, "So how much for the meals?" He hoped the quick lunch and grocery shopping would take his mind off of his recent conversation.
A young griffin looked at the two trays of food as he started to ring up the total price, "We have one deluxe meal with sweet tea, one high fiber / high protein meal with a chi latte, and one woman's granola health bar. That brings the total to thirty five dollars and sixty one cents."
Pulling out a single bill the stallion looked at Flintlock, "Yeash, I knew you had a problem. But do you really need to have more muscles?"
Striking a posse she slowly waved her hand down her body, "Well I have to keep up this girlish figure." She smiled knowing the looks she was getting from many of the men around her.
Rolling his eyes he looked back at Angel to notice she had yet to stop crying, "You can get yourself more if you want, I'll even help you pick out what you want." Taking his change he wrapped one arm around her shoulder as they started slowly walking back to their brother, "I know it's important to keep healthy, but if you don't eat properly-"
As Flintlock sat down she chuckled interrupting him, "The deluxe meal is for her, the granola bar is yours."
Standing there frozen his eyebrow twitched a little as he looked at all they got and how much he spent, "Well it's for the good of one young life I can live wi-"
Slowly Angel sat down next to Flintlock as she watched a scaly claw reach over and take the granola bar, "Thank you sis, you always know what I want." The stallion's jaw hung open as faint noises left his throat, "It's good to see you after all these years..." Turning only his eyes he looked up at Angel as his face remained aimed at the table, "is she going to be okay?"
Sitting down next to Angel the stallion gently patted her shoulder, "She will be alright, I'm taking steps to ensure she's going to have a happy and enjoyable life."
"Provided the investigation turns up something." Flintlock hinted slowly drawing a faint reaction out of Angel.
Having caught the reaction the stallion knew she was paying some attention, "The investigation will turn something up, and when it does what then she stays with me right?"
"That depends on what the state decides, if there's even a faint amount of evidence that could bring up suspicion." Looking at Angel Flintlock motioned to her that it was alright for her to enjoy her meal to the fullest, "If that happens a case will slowly be built and given her age she may be allowed to choose if she goes back to her parents, or stays in the custody of the state."
The dragon groaned having heard the speculations and possibilities, "No..." As they stared at him the watched him scarf down the bar, "I'm not fucking doing it, I've placed far too much to chance and I'm still helping dumb ass over here."
"Come on Susan, I'm sure there's one tiny little thing you can do that won't be too much trouble." The stallion clasped his hands and puckered out his lower lip.
The dragon growled as he showed the sharpness of his teeth, "If dad hadn't made me..." He groaned, "look the issue with this is it comes down to what a judge decides to do. We have no control over this." Reaching over he grabbed the stallion's collar and pulled him in, "And call me Susan one more time because of this disguise and I will burn your face off."
Leaning in Flintlock looked at her brother, "Speaking of the law and those in power, how goes your current living arrangements?"
"Oh I love being on the run, every five minutes is some place new." His sarcasm wasn't hidden in the slightest as he glared at the stallion, "I see your little friend is full, why don't the two of you go shopping while sis and I catch up."
Stiffening his hand he saluted his brother as he slowly started to stand only to let his hand go limp as he fanned his brother, "As you command Mr. sailor. Come Angel The Village People wish to sing and dance alone isn't that right..." Patting his brother on the back he faintly danced as he sang, "macho macho man?"
He growled as he looked at flintlock, "I'm going to kill that stupid bastard."
"Not before I break his bones you're not." The dragon sighed as he rolled his eyes knowing that he couldn't hurt Flintlock even when they were kids.