Red-Handed in the Rain[Trevor/Open]

[thal]

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If only she would stop struggling, this would be so much easier.

"Mph! Stop holdin' me wrong! Gerrof!"

Backpacks were, by definition, something worn over the shoulders. But Valus carried his down the street, holding out both arms in order to support the weight of the contents... which were moving. It was a miserable day, thankfully! Grey clouds choked the sky, and water dribbled into the gutters at a constant rate, meaning that the only people around were those who hid their faces beneath hoods or umbrellas.

He was one of them. Bundled up in his coat, he wouldn't be noticed since he'd blend into their ranks. Just another indescriminate figure to them, and soon he'd be out of sight almost completely! Crossing over the road and into the park - it was almost always deserted on days like today, which meant that the run of the place would be almost completely his!

He couldn't wait for it.

A break from all the running and fighting, a chance to just sit back somewhere and be safe for a while. His house had been wrecked, and the Digital World was full of enemies, but here, mixed up in the sounds of the city and the rain? Maybe he could let his guard down and relax for a moment.

"Near there yet? It's 'orrible an' cramped! Lemme go like!"

With great satisfaction, Valus dropped the bag. Having arrived now at his intended destination. It looked like an old shed, really. He didn't know what it was for because everyone else ignored it, but he assumed that it was just a piece of forgotten property. And even if it was owned by someone, the chances that they would come to check on it on a day like this were remote. The door was locked, but that hardly mattered.

Just to be on the safe side though, he took a quick look around first. It wouldn't do for anyone to see what was about to happen next. "Hello?" he called out, without really knowing why. Who did he expect to answer!? ... no, better not to ask that question. It was always better to check, when you knew there were people after you.
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[trevor]

He was cold and miserable. Well. That wasn't much on an improvement, Trevor was always cold and miserable. Though this time, he could fact the fact that he was cold, miserable, and soaked to the bone. Yes, Trevor had remembered to bring an umbrella, he just happened to have lost it that very day. Not lost, actually, he was fairly certain some terrible person had stolen it from him. The nerve of some people, Trevor was beginning to wonder why he even bothered with life in the first place. He was a perfectly fine boy, he hadn't done anything "rude" or "mean" yet all day, and just as it started to rain, someone took it away from him. How did he deserve this kind of treatment, it surely couldn't be karma, because Trevor couldn't think of anything he had done wrong for well...the past years or so. His green eyes glared up at the sky and he huffed, a very upset breath, as if to express to what ever gods may be up there that they were doing their job wrong.

Trevor shivered, looking back to the path he was taking, eyes blinking way whatever rain might have fallen in his face. Hrmm. He certainly could use that umbrella, but Trevor was no wimp, he wasn't going to let it get to him, and give up in misery in the rain. Instead, he kept trudging foreward, hearing his shoes squish in the wet grass, it was an annoying and childish sound, something that might entertain a little kid, but certainly not Trevor. He didn't like that sound, in fact, every time he stepped, his thoughts interupted. Well, the sooner he got out of here the better, because every step seemed to make him feel even more angry and upset with the world. Honestly if he had control over this world he would certainly have done something about the terrible person who stole his umbrella. In fact, after Trevor was done with them, they'd be begging to be sent straight to hell. That was how he imagined it would go anyway.

Something caught Trevor's eye that made him stop dead in his tracks, it looked like a human being, well, of course it had to be, what else could it be? That wasn't what caught his interest, it was the fact that this human appeared to be breaking and entering into a shed in the middle of the rain. What did he think he was doing? Trevor's light green eyes narrowed in disgust, robbing a shed? Not only was that probably illegal, but a stupid thing to do, what on earth could that shack be holding that had some value. Absolutely nothing. So... there had to be some other reason, and Trevor wanted to stop them, whatever it was.

He moved closer and closer towards the shed, and then before he knew it he was at the door of the shed, glaring with those ame demanding green eyes "Just what the hell do you think your doing?" the boy demanded, voice dripping with unfriendliness "Not robbing the place, I hope." he paused and let out a half hearted chuckle "Doubt there is anything in there anyway."

[thal]

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Valus wasn't actually expecting anyone to actually answer him, and the fact that the person doing it was some kid who'd come right around the corner from nowhere didn't help. He flinched in shock, which probably made him look even more guilty, and he did feel guilty now, but also humiliated and angry!

Hearing voices outside, the bag containing Modoki squirmed, just to add more to his problems. Ignoring the kid, he dashed over to it and scooped it up again. Hugging it to his chest tightly and hissing through his teeth.

"Hush... hush... hush now!" He tried to sound comforting, but he wasn't very good at it. Modoki struggled more, and made a frustrated noise like a croak, prompting Valus to glance over his shoulder at the kid. The awfully perceptive kid.

Crap, what did he say to explain this?

"That... that was kind of the point..." he said slowly, forcing the words through his lips with analytical slowness, as if testing out the sound of each one in his head before he said it. Lying really wasn't his strong point, it never had been. So he'd fall back on telling the kid the truth from a certain perspective.

"I don't know what's in there, but I was hoping it was empty. I was looking for a place where I could keep my pet. My parents... won't let me keep it anymore." It was technically the truth, but the effort of bending it and sounding convincing while doing so grated on his nerves, and gave his voice an unexpected remorseful quality. One he quite welcomed under the current circumstances.

Now that he'd explained himself... barely. He wanted to know what this kid's deal was. The boy didn't have an umbrella or even any waterproof clothing, and everything about him seemed... hostile. Was this kid going to judge him based on a first impression too, Valus wondered? His face turning red with anger at the mere thought of that.

Today was supposed to be a break from accusations and threats, and now it was going to be ruined by a minor of all things!

"Why are you all wet through? And why are you alone in the rain of all places, with burglary on the brain?" It was his turn to do the accusing now, and suspicion was an area of conversation he was far more adept at controlling. The fear of being judged helped make him sound angry too, which possibly made him out to be slightly more menacing than normal.

"Mmmmfrgrrrrrh! Varrrrrfoo! Lmmmmke!" (Lemme outta' this bag! Valoos! Lemme out like!)

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[trevor]

Trevor glared at the older person, light green eyes seemed to be even brighter with dislike and superiority in the rain. If this was a thief, Trevor certainly wasn't going to let them get away with the crime. Though Trevor had taken a great interest in criminals, he certainly wouldn't sink as low as to become one as well, he was more of the type to tell on the criminal, no matter how minor it was. Certainly people might call him a tattle-tale, but that didn't bother Trevor at all, he just enjoyed others getting in trouble. He was getting a little of topic though, Trevor's attention should have been on the stranger in the shed. It didn't help the ten year old's great suspicion by the fact that he seemed to flinch when he actually noticed Trevor. Caught Red-handed in the end. His usually blank expression grew into small smirk, how interesting. Was he one of those fools who actually felt guilty for committing crimes, but did it anyway? Those were always the criminals that look like they had just got done crying in their mug-shots.

Something odd made Trevor's attention, it was the fact that he seemed to be struggling over trying to keep something quiet. It wasn't a kidnapped victim, it wasn't a cat or a dog...in fat he was fairly certain it...croaked.
"That... that was kind of the point..."
Really? What was? Trevor was only half paying attention to the human now, and tried to peer at what might have made that noise. It seemed that here in Japan, people always seemed to always be carrying odd things with them. Part of the boy just wanted to reach over and snag what he had, and steal it, but he stayed quiet, waiting for his perfect opportunity to do some damage to this person. He deserved it anyway, Trevor figured, after all, this person was stupid enough to cross paths with HIM, Trevor of all people.

"Kind of the point?" he repeated slowly, green eyes blinking away more rain that fell in his eyes. What did he mean by that, was he really not some criminal after all? Well, it did't matter what intentions this stranger had, he was clearly breaking and entering into private property, and that was a crime itself, was what Trevor decided. It was then that the stranger started to explain himself, making the situation seem more innocent that what the boy was expecting. He let out a small disdainful noise from his nose, clearly disapproving of this thought. What a fool. What pet was worth breaking rules for? Trevor could honestly not fathom it, it was just an animal wasn't it? As for as the boy cared, they were just stupid creatures created for the use of humans, and the use for company had to be the dumbest reason to keep an animal yet. Especially when people thought of breaking rules to have one. "A pet, that's it?" he asked scornfully "Just get rid of it, It will forget about you in a few months anyway." he nodded, that was the truth in his mind, animals didn't have good memory.

"Why are you all wet through? And why are you alone in the rain of all places, with burglary on the brain?"

The hostile tone that came from Valus made Trevor glare and stand even more defiantly. " Why am I wet?" he repeated again, "Because somebody stole my bloody umbrella, that's why," his voice was starting to snap and become very defensive " OR, maybe because it's RAINING, and people who stand in the rain get wet. I'm not sure, maybe your too daft to understand what happens when people stand in the rain," again he paused, lifting one hand to move some hair out of his face, and then continued once more, ignoring his last question. "What's in the bag anyway? It sounds like a smothered person, rather than an animal."

[thal]

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As the child resumed speaking, predictably Modoki's struggling grew quieter. She wanted to listen in, it stood to reason. Although given the boy's choice of words, Valus wished not for the first time that she hadn't. Just get rid of her? Throw her away? He... there was no way he could do that. This kid didn't know what he was asking.

"I can't get rid of her. And you won't make me." There it was again, that stubborn anger he'd been trying to get away from. This kid seemed just as angry - he was being just as defensive about being here as he was. But why? Over a lost umbrella of all things? If that was his only problem in the world, then this kid had things cushy! No, there was probably another reason. Wait, why was he wasting time trying to understand this boy?

On second thought, he didn't want to know the reason.

Modoki was being suspiciously quiet. Although the reasons for that were not so mysterious, given those things he'd said a couple of days ago. Things he wished he could take back now, but couldn't. He'd ruined his own chances back then - and heck, he could have been killed! Making up for that would take a while, and until then, he didn't need to make any more enemies.

"I can't just replace her for the same reason you haven't just bought a new umbrella yet." Valus said as confidently as he could manage, even though it was really only a guess. "You can't let go of what you have because being yours gives it unique value." Imagining how he would feel under similar circumstances, Valus clenched his teeth at the idea. "You'd want to make someone pay for taking it... anyone would do. Is that why you're after me? You want a scapegoat?"

Thinking about it, it all made sense. At least from his point of view. It was the same thing he'd do in that kind of situation - but now he had to think quickly. How would he feel about being called out on it? He might be even angrier... some sort of peace offering was needed. "What if I told you there was a way to get even?" Would an offer of power do the trick? No, what about a bit of boot-licking too? "I'm at your mercy here kid. I could probably help you, if you'd make me."

He had to admit... doing all this felt horrible. Still, if it got him out of trouble?
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