Totally Family [Three Trinities Haven Church]

[Sterling]

Risha was pissed off at her. Sterling had been ditching school more and more and Risha couldn't come -- she didn't want to lose her academic scholarships or something like that.  Sterling didn't care. She wanted to learn how to channel, and the only place she knew she could do that was at Kalisti.  So that's where she went.  But Nox had been an asshat.  He'd contacted her parents through actual mail, sent them a proposable about learning to channel, and keeping her grades up.  It was bullshit really.  

She could sneak off to the club and learn, but she had to maintain classes online and keep up her grades.  Turnes out that was the easy part.  Channeling wasn't.  It was hard.  And Juls didn't know much more than she did, but Sterling kept at it.  

While he was gone, she started looking out for the twins that Nox had brought to the club a couple of times.  They'd gotten her number from Nox's hacker friend and Sterling spent many days hanging out with them, doing school work.  They liked doing work.  I guess when you didn't go to school it might be.  Sterling hated it, but she helped them out.  

And they had so much freedom, Sterling enjoyed spending time with them at the church they currently called home. There were a bunch of people there. Sterling tried to ignore the smell.  It didn't bother the twins.

Today they were playing a rather rousing game of hide and seek in the Church.  Kenzie was it.  Morgan insisted she knew the best hiding places and dragged Sterling after her.  "Come on, she's gonna be done in a minute.  She always cheats." 

Sterling laughed.  "Says the girl who counts by twos."

Morgan blushed, but pulled Sterling down and into a hole which they both had to crawl through.  They still weren't hiding when Kenzie called out "Ready or not!  Here I come!

[Cruz]

The laughing skull was driving him nuts. He'd gone to the Carnival several times over the past month to visit the tent that gave him such a fright. That fear was never the same. And the girls were never with him during them. He wondered if there was more to them than he could have imagined. But they showed up. The skull showed up. His grades were dropping. His parents -- all three of them -- were starting to intervene. His grandfather had even flow in from Madrid to check on him. Though he never even said hi to Cruz, just went around his back to his parents.

Drinking was doing little to help with whatever feeling he was chasing. And he didn't know what had put him on the hook to chase his fears. But he needed to get his head on straight. He saught the first time he'd seen the skull. It wasn't at the church, but it was where he'd brought the skull. Maybe Ezekeil would know what he was chasing -- or why.

Cruz didn't dress down anymore than he had the first time. He didn't own anything other than name brands. But he wore jeans and an old pair of tennis shoes. His shirt and jacket were his roommates. Those at last fit if they were a bit too big for him. It was the best he could do. Last thing he wanted was a pissing contest again.

The church was just as full as it had been the last time, if not fuller because of the cold weather outside. The nights on the street must be horrible. It was something he never wanted to experience himself. He pulled the door closed behind him and as he was stepping into the hall, a girl ran into him. "Excuse you." she said running past.

She didn't look like she was running with a purpose. She was just darting around the place looking in places and then moving on. She ran past him again and he stopped her. "Can you help me?"

She looked up at him with a frown. "I suppose. What do you need? I'm on the clock."

He laughed softly to himself. I'm looking or Ezekeil."

[Ezekiel]

The church was full of little birds. Children were delightfully impressionable, and providing for the feral little creatures was not so hard. They came and went as they pleased – the ones without families at least – but they knew that here they could find shelter and food and protection, for a paltry sum of loyalty and news when they had it. Some of the adults took them underwing, those that cared for it, but many ran loose, laws unto themselves. Zeke allowed it. In this ragtag kingdom he was affable, often smiling, and generous to a fault. But no one here crossed him. Child or adult alike.

He was reclining on cushions when the news of an arrival reached his ears. Under sly amber eyes, a smirk teased Zeke’s lips – though the return of Cruz Vega had never been in doubt. The bird flitted on its merry way, and Zeke giggled a little to himself, sending a plume of fragrant smoke up into the air. The church was cavernous, but blankets and screens made a maze of it to unwary travellers. The children might send him on a merry chase, or lead him directly. That was entirely up to them, and either outcome would earn no ire from Ezekiel.

When Cruz arrived, Zeke’s welcome would reveal no prejudice from their last meeting. His wide grin was the same curious delight he bestowed on all who sought him out here. Other venues had other faces of course, but here he was a benevolent king. He reached to pat one of the cushions around him as he took another drag on the smoke. Let the high and mighty join him in the dirt.

[Sterling]

Mackenzie looked up at the man when he asked where Zeke was. He didn't look the sort that usually saught him out here. The high and mighty didn't come down here unless they were desperate, and this one looked pretty bad with his sleep deprived eyes and baggy clothes. If it weren't for the pants he might have pulled off the look. She pointed towards where Zeke usually held his court. That's what everyone called it. Mackenzie didn't really understand, Zeke wasn't a king, though people did call him one. He was nice enough. Maybe that's what a king should be, though she'd never read a book where the king was like Zeke. Most were cruel and bossy. Zeke wasn't cruel, at least not if you followed the rules.

Mackenzie turned but a hand on her shoulder made her stop. She didn't hesitate as she grabbed the wrist attached to the hand and turned with a quickness she'd been taught and swept the man's legs from underneath him. He fell to the ground in a loud thump and Mackenzie glared down at him. "Don't ever touch me." Her training with Nox had at least one advantage, no one messed with her or Morgan.

---

Sterling watched from her hiding spot. Morgan curled up behind a tipped over pew . Sterling peeked above it watching for Kenzie. She saw the twins counterpart and she was talking to Cruz. She'd never really met him, but she knew most of Nox's friends. She'd done her own research after finding him. And he was a channeler too. It's how they met. Nox taught him. She wished Nox could teach her but it was pointless. They had tried, but she was stuck with Juls and Juls new little more than her.

Kenzie turned to leave but Cruz put his hand on her shoulder and the next minuite he was on the ground. Sterling bolted out of her hiding spot with Morgan whispering after her "Where you going?" Morgan peeked around the corner and saw her sister standing over a man and she giggled. "That was stupid."

Sterling smiled. "It was, but that's Nox's friend."

"Oh..." Morgan followed Sterling.

The both rushed over to Kenzie and Sterling put her arm around the looming twins shoulder and smiled. "You shouldn't touch people without their permission." Sterling bent down and looked him over. "You okay? That looked like it hurt."

[Cruz]

His hand wasn't on her shoulder for more than a second before he was flat on his back with the tiny girl standing above him with a proud smirk on her lips. He'd be proud too. His head was dazed as another pair of girls joined this one. The red hed who knelt down stated the obvious. "I know better now." Cruz sat up and rubbed the back of his head.

"I only wanted to ask if she would take me to him. I don't want to go someplace I'm not wanted." Cruz was doing his best not to offend anyone. Though he had failed miserably already..

The red head stood up and offered him a hand up. "Where do you need to go?"

The tough girl answered. "He wants to see Zeke."

The other girl who hid behind the red head giggled. "We can take you." She looked identical to the other, twins. "Any friend of Nox's is a friend of ours."

"How do you know I'm a friend of Nox's."

The red head grinned. "I told her. I'm Nox's cousin. And I sorta stalked him for a while, to figure out if I could trust him."

Cruz chuckled. "That seems to be a normal thing to do around him. What did you find?"

The red head shurgged. "Not much, most of what I have someone sent me."

"That would be Wicked, I'm sure."

"You know him too?" The red head asked.

Cruz nodded. "Sage is a good friend. And a business partner."

"I'm Sterling. That's Mackenzie and this is Morgan." she said putting her hand on Morgan's shoulder.

"Cruz Vega. A pleasure." He offered his hand and Sterling shook it firmly. Morgan, on the other hand wrapped her arms around his torso and hugged him tightly.

Mackenzie didn't give any other sign she cared about the conversation, much less the introductions.

When Morgan pried herself from his body she was gigling. "Come one. Zeke is this way." She rushed off to through the crowd of people and the maze that their belongings made. Cruz followed behind her, almost having to jog to keep up and keep the little girl in sight. The other two followed him, whispering behind his back. Cruz wondered what they were talking about. Probably him.

Ezekiel was lounging on cushions on the ground like some Indian prince. Maybe he was.

Morgan giggled and announced him like he was some sort of visiting dignitary. "Zeke. This is Cruz, he wants to talk to you." She gave him a bright smile and then rushed over to Sterling and Mackenzie, and the three girls whispered as they took their leave without dismissal or even a wave to him.

Zeke patted the cushions next to him and Cruz politely sat down. He'd learned to not offend the man in his home. And it's wasn't like he was asking him to bend the knee or anything, just join him in his lounging. Which was better than their last encounter. "I... I don't know why I'm here. I just want this madness to stop." Cruz took a deep breath. "i'm sorry I was an entitled jerk. The images on your coin keep following me and..." He didn't go on. He didn't want to admit tohimself that it had been both fascinating and frightening and that he was intoxicated by the fear that came with the revelations. It wasn't something a gentleman wanted known about himself. His parents would be so ashamed. Yet he hadn't stopped. And he was here for something... he didn't know why. It just felt right.

[Ezekiel]

He watched the three little birds flutter away, then turned his attention to the man beside him. Cruz looked uncomfortable, not necessarily with the relaxed seating arrangements, but perhaps with the reflection he had glimpsed of himself in the mirror. A smile hovered, and Zeke tilted a shoulder. “No apology is necessary,” he said, the unpleasantness of before waved clean away. By his humble return, in this very moment, Cruz was one of them, and Zeke welcomed him like a sheep who had strayed. He shifted his hips to produce a tin from his pocket as his new friend unburdened himself.

“Do you partake?” he asked as he flipped the lid, wafting the distinctive smell of weed. The warm bronze of his gaze looked up for an answer, but he did not seem bothered as to Cruz’s reply. Leaned back comfortably on one elbow, Zeke began to roll himself a new joint. Should Cruz deign to join him, he would pass the first one over.

He knew Esper and Roza had been running rings, as only they could. Zeke never required all the details of their exploits, for they always delivered the required result, and if they enjoyed themselves a little too well sometimes it was no business of Zeke’s. The coin’s images were always going to drive Cruz back here. The game was never done until Ezekiel declared it so.

“You had a taste of something new, and now you want another. Perhaps you have not encountered something you could not easily have before. It is indeed maddening,” he agreed.

[Cruz]

Cruz only nodded when asked if he'd partake. Before moving out he probably would not have agreed. But he'd done a lot of things since then. And his parent's didn't like it much. And if it weren't for this crazy ass shit they probably would never have noticed.

Ezekiel's words made some sense, but Cruz shrugged. "Maybe. I know how to do the work, not everything was given to me." Cruz held out the palm of his hand and a small flame danced on the palm. "This was once hard, took a lot out of me." He sighed.

"Its just... First finding the coin, then what happened in the Devil's lair...The fear." His body shuddered at the memories. "Maybe some kind of punishment. I don't know."

When Ezekeil handed him the joint Cruz lit it with the flame in his palm and took a long draw and passed it back to the man.

[Ezekiel]

“Ah, but I do not mean things you must work for, I mean things you simply cannot have, no matter how hard you persist or how much you want them.” He accepted the joint back between his fingers, inhaled a long draw, and was quiet for a moment before he released with a sound of satisfaction. If his lips rippled mirth, it might have only been for the blessed high. It seemed Cruz didn’t need the drug to loosen him up today, though Zeke would continue to share – it was good stuff, a personal blend, and Zeke was nothing if not generous with those who allowed themselves to be friends.

“They say that is a dangerous place,” he agreed, meaning the club mentioned, one brow raised as though impressed Cruz had dared descend into such a sinner’s welcome. Truthfully, Cruz was fortunate to be alive, if the girls’ account was indeed correct – accidents happened, after all, and many monsters haunted the Devil’s Lair. Literal and figurative both.

“A first experience can never be repeated, only diluted. It is true for prince or pauper, you or me.” He shrugged, and watched from the corner of his eye as Cruz literally shuddered at whatever memory he plucked from his head in that moment. Afterwards he leaned in a little and asked, in genuine hushed curiosity:

“Is fear the punishment? Or is the punishment that you may never taste it again?”

[Cruz]

The question wasn't so easy to answer. "Both." His voice was just a whisper. He wasn't sure there was anything else to say. But the fear felt good. And the things he'd seen.

Life just wasn't the same as it was before his dad left. Now...

"But why does it keep bringing me here to you. The coin started it all. A trinket I found in a club john that intrigued me."

[Ezekiel]

Zeke laughed a little as he leaned back on his elbow. “How philosophical an answer, my friend. Both indeed.”

He let Cruz linger a while with his thoughts, the drugs, and company that would not judge him. The bustle of the church sounded around them, but no one disturbed their silence, or even paid them much mind. Despite his laughable efforts to blend in with the abject poverty here, Cruz did not in the slightest, yet he was accepted nonetheless – by virtue of Ezekiel’s company at least. The same had been true for Nox, whose flames had destroyed many of these people’s homes. “I think you do not know what you want,” he said after a time, because sometimes the obvious answer needed to be voiced aloud. Through a haze of smoke, he glanced at the other man. A small smile lifted his lips.

“Fear is my kingdom, Cruz. That is why you return.” He reclined fully now, an arm cushioned behind his head. Tattoos spread up his arm, discordant and meaningless patterns and images. Something flashed dully in his other hand, caught between the fingers. Zeke held it up between them. “If I offered you a second chance, would you take it?”