Stone's Throw

[GamesMaster]

"Well! That's awfully ungrateful of you, Diligence. What would Naugrix think of your selfish behavior?"

[Diligence]

"He's probably wonder who I am, and why someone was bothering Him about me?" There's a beat of silence as Diligence realizes that his entirely honest and earnest answer is likely to be... ill recieved.

[GamesMaster]

Father puts down his napkin, standing up from the table. "Go cut a switch," he says, his voice quiet but anything but soft. 

[Diligence]

Swallowing back both a reply and his fear, Diligence just nods before standing up. At least there are some benefits to their ignorance, he thinks to himself, trying to pretend that the protection of his scales means that being caned by his 'father' is actually not so bad. 

But... what am I going to do? I don't want to move away...

[Charon Tethras]

It's the middle of the night when a pebble hits Charon in the nose. Instantly he bolts upright, reaching for his knife; his claws are weak, but a knife he can use to defend himself. He squints, looking up to the little glass-free window above his head, realizing it must have come through there. Frowning, he pokes his head out, looking down at the figure in the moonlight. 

"...Dil?" he asks himself. How did he... he must have been out here a while, throwing rocks, hoping I'd wake up. 

[Diligence]

Dil lowers the strap of leather he'd been using the lob pebbles and opens his mouth to... "I forgot to plan what I'd say at this point," he realizes.

[Charon Tethras]

"I'll be right down." Charon scampers down the ladder from the hayloft, heading out the side door to the barn, ensuring he shuts it firmly behind himself. Nobody locks barns around these parts, after all. 

"What's going on? A heist?"

[Diligence]

Dil jumps a little, looking at Charon with a start. Which is strange-- he's not wearing goggles and his eyes are open, which is expected given that it's night and slightly overcast. He still can't see all that well, but moving blurs of shadow is far more than he gets during the day. "Sorry, lost in thought and-- Cloud Song is almost two weeks away."

[Charon Tethras]

Charon frowns. "...more like ten days, but okay... so what? What's in cloud song?"

[Diligence]

"Not you, not school, our cove, my sibs, but in ten to fourteen days, me."

[Charon Tethras]

Charon's frown deepens. "For how long?"

[Diligence]

Dil stares at Charon mutedly, then just waves a hand wildly in the air.

[Charon Tethras]

Charon's eyes widen as it clicks. "No," he breathes, shocked and pained. "I thought for sure you had the real thing. They've had you for so long..."

[Diligence]

"Honored Father..." Dil hesitates, trying to make the thoughts organize in his head. "My Good Parents needed to make an especially large donation this year for some reason, so Honored Father elected to use a more economical fertilizer for the strawberry fields. They, umm, rotted. And killed some of the goats? So."

[Charon Tethras]

"And since you're not their natural son, they just gave you up," he says bitterly. "Fuck that shit. I am never having kids, but if I did, I'd never, ever give them over to strangers."