[Shenandoah]

Robyn cast him a sidelong look before yelling across the yard. "And remember this, Peanut! Assult's a crime! So is harassment! Don't think you're getting away with this!" She watched the Neanderthals leave the vicinity before returning her gaze to Shannon. "And you! You should report that to the police! Don't these public schools have cops around for this sort of shit?"

Her voice was full of rancor and she was obviously a less than happy individual. Her mother and father would have kittens over this, she knew well. But at least he hadn't actually hit her, but she was going to drag Shannon to some kind of authority figure to get whoever that jackass was reported.

---

((Despite the fact Rick is a mechanic, I am not. I may have to B.S. my way through the damages.))

"Looks messed up," Patrick said, his wild red hair bright against his navy uniform as he walked over. "But doesn't look too terribly bad." He knelt down next to it as Hector frowned, not liking that Rick had horned in unexpectedly with the hot chick. "Looks like the back end is fine, but the front suspension looks like it has some issues. Kinda bent and will have to be replaced. Rim of the tire's bent, too."

Hector bucked up at that point, trying to save some face and plastering a bright smile on. "It shouldn't be hard to fix at all, ma'am. We can get the parts in and work on it immediately. Do you have insurance?"

[M e w]

Shannon's eyes widened in shock, then he composed himself and felt his mouth turn down into a frown.
"I don't need to tell anybody, it's fine," he grumbled, glaring down at the ground. His face was numb where Jason's fist had met it. He spit onto the ground, a red-tinted glob of saliva.
He knew he was going to have an even worse day tomorrow. The fact that Robyn had had to jump in and rescue him would only cause more ridicule. He wanted to tell Robyn to just leave him alone, but he couldn't get the words out of his mouth. She was just trying to help, and she had saved his life more than once in the Game. He should be grateful to her.

- - -

Patrick had seemed to pop up out of nowhere, surprising Maddison, but she didn't show her shock. Instead she grinned and stopped tapping her foot.
"Thanks for the analysis eye patch," she teased.
Then she turned her attention to the other man present.
"Ya I do... the paperwork would be in the storage of the seat, as long as it isn't torn to shreds. Or if you can even open it."
She shifted her weight before continuing.
"I do have copies at my apartment though, just in case the ones in there.. aren't there anymore."

[Shenandoah]

She saw the look on his face and recognized defiance when she saw it. He was one of those types, it seemed, that would take a beating and not do anything about it. "Hardly fine," she said, softening her tone as she eyed him critically after he had spit out that bloodied saliva. Robyn sighed. "Open your mouth and let me see the damage. I wish you would tell someone, though. You could file a suit and I could provide the lawyer. My dad's one."

---

Hector nodded and turned to the bike only to find Patrick already working the seat open. Patrick sifted through the material and located the insurance card. "I'm going to be honest and tell you that it could be hard to repair and cheaper to buy a new one," Patrick said, looking at Hector with amusement gleaming in his eye. Hector, he felt, needed to be taken down a few notches. He was the sort of guy that was typically coined a 'ladies man' and Rick enjoyed his company at times, but in times where Rick was the superior (especially when it came to being the repair man), he felt that Hector should back off.

"You did file a report with the police as well as the insurance, right?" It seemed redundant to ask such a question, but Rick wanted to cover his bases.

[M e w]

He was going to refuse, but ended up doing what she asked, opening his mouth wide.
"Ah don nee uh lahaw, ah cah deu wi doe gahs ahsef," he gargled out at her, his mouth still open.
If he went around telling adults about what was happening to him it would only make the situation worse. He was a guy, and guys couldn't go around crying about getting beat up. It was the rules... of life or something, the way things were. For the time he had been going to public school he had been teased, and a coward. But now that he had gone through that hellish night, he felt as though he could finally stand up for himself, as if it had injected the courage he was missing all his life. He thought suddenly about the Wizard of Oz, like he was the cowardly lion and had just received his courage from the leader of the magical city. Or some of it at least, the thought of returning to that shadow world tonight frightened him to the point of feeling sick.

- - -

Foot beginning to tap again, she merely nodded at the question. The news that she probably need to buy a new bike didn't make her happy. She would probably end up doing so, perhaps take out a small loan to help pay for it, but she wanted to hear the cost of the damages before she made a decision.

"You think you can give me an estimate of the costs? Maybe we could sit down and discuss it..." she said to Patrick. She glanced down at her bracelet that couldn't be removed and thought about thanking him for last night. She wasn't the type of person who ever thanked anyone, but he DID save her ass. It was quite the coincidence that she ran into him again today, she hadn't expected to see him again.

[Shenandoah]

Robyn inspected the interior of his mouth, mentally running the words to translate the gibberish. "Yes, you did very well with them," she said in a somewhat sarcastically 'consoling' tone. "You must have had your tongue between your teeth at one point because you bit the shit out of your tongue." She pulled away after the inspection. "You do realize they could be kicked out of school for what they've done? Brought up on criminal charges? Why don't you do something to ensure not only your safety but the safety of others like you?"

---

((I'm not going to throw a number out. I have no clue what the costs would be. Pretend it to be whatever you want.))

Patrick did a mental tally and held a hand up, see-sawing it back and forth to indicate this was an approximate guess-timate as he tossed a figure range out to her. "That's just an approximation, not an actual tally," he warned. "It could be more than that."

((Sorry, short post.))

[M e w]

[Sorry for taking so long to reply. Dx
Also, do you know how we're gonna get into the plot really? Should we discuss it over pm?]

Shannon shook his head at all of her concerns. It probably would be smart to tell someone about the bullying so that they might be taken care of, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it. Perhaps it was a matter of pride, he wasn't sure.
"No. Forget about them, I sort of have bigger problems to worry about now. As for other victims... I think I'm the only one they mess with to this extreme... since I'm the most wimpy and cowardly one at this school," he said with a sad sigh. He wouldn't be such a victim anymore, and he would stand up to Jason and his gang of goons from now on anytime they messed with him.
He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and looked back up at Robyn.
"What are you doing here anyways?" he asked. During all the excitement he had forgotten the shock of seeing her again. He had honestly expected to either only see her during the Game or never again.

- - -

The number was as bad as she had expected, but nothing she couldn't handle over time. Being broke and not being able to afford luxuries wasn't something that Maddi spent time worrying about.
And right now she wasn't thinking so much about the bike, more about talking to the other Player in front of her. Since she wasn't a very social person, especially during the Game, she had never interacted with someone she had seen in the Game outside in the real world. Despite her usual attitude, right now she felt a bit of marvel at seeing this man in a greasy mechanics uniform with a monkey wrench instead of wielding a massive hammer and taking out monsters.

Impulsively, she grabbed Patrick's wrist and pulled him out of the small room and into the bright sunlight outside. She dropped his arm and walked a few feet further from the building, then turned to face him.
"Maybe it's not as strange to you as it is to me but I'm a little shocked to see you. And as a barking mechanic no less. Isn't it a bit tough to work on dainty engines with one eye?" she asked, not caring if the subject was insensitive or not. She was actually surprised at herself; she always figured if she saw another Player outside of the Game she wouldn't give a shit, but now she thought that maybe she really did want someone who knew about that world to talk to.

[Shenandoah]

((We probably should discuss it over PMs. I'm trying to think of ideas, but I can't put any together at the moment. We need to toss ideas off each other.))

Robyn blinked and then had the decency to blush. "Um... I was going back home to get my homework done." She looked down her front at her school uniform before returning her gaze to him. "And I should get going. Just because you're involved in the Game doesn't mean you have to lay down for whatever life throws at you otherwise." She turned and began to walk away from him. "Talk to you tonight." And with that, the young woman took off, running to get to her own school.

---

Patrick looked at her for a long moment before he barked out a laugh before falling into a boisterous chuckle. "Believe me, it's not too bad when I'm close. Depth perception only whacks me at a distance." He chuckled again, his lone eye shining. "Imagine my shock when you come strolling into the shop. I never would have thought about seeing a Player outside the Game. Most of the ones I do see tend to have just died in it." There was a morbid humor to that as well, but he sobered slightly and only allowed himself a small grin.

"So, Mizz Maddison..." he drawled, deliberately affecting a Mississippi accent into his words. "What, pray tell, can I do for you?" He waggled his eyebrows at her, not allowing her annoyance to dampen his spirits any. After all, that incredulity was the very thing that was making him laugh.

[M e w]

And just like that he was by himself, watching her run and her hair fluttering in the wind. Warily he glanced back at the school, saw nobody, and then started to make his way around the building so that he could get on his route to his house. There were still kids hanging out around the school and he could feel their gazes on him as he walked, but he just kept his eyes set forward and didn't bother to acknowledge his classmates.
Robyn's words were still sounding in his ears, "Talk to you tonight."
Suddenly the weight of the leather bracelet on his wrist felt like a concrete glove, reminding him that there was much more to fear than a schoolyard bully.

When he got home he shut the door, yelled "I'm home", and started to run up the stairs to his room. He was hoping that he could get to his room without his mother seeing him but of course he wasn't that lucky. She happened to be upstairs and he nearly ran into her as he hopped up the last few steps.

"Woah Shannon, slow down the-" she halted, a gasp erupting from her mouth as she saw her son's injuries. He could immediately feel her hands on his face, and he winced as she brought her palm across his left cheek where Jason's fist had slammed into it.
"Ah, Shannon, sorry! What happened to you?!" she said, her voice increasing in volume with every syllable.
He groaned and pulled away from his mother, ducking under her arms and then putting a hand out to stop her from coming at him again.
"It's fine mom, I'm fine. Don't worry about me."
And with that Shannon turned away from his mother, her face scrunched up in worry, and ran to his room.
He clicked the lock on the door as soon as it shut and threw his backpack to the ground. He waited for a few moments to see if his mother would come to the door and try to coax him out, but after a minute relaxed when no sound came from outside his room.
He didn't know what else he was supposed to do now. He had homework but it all seemed ridiculous now; sitting at his desk and doing algebra equations when in three to four hours he would be fighting off shadowy monsters. In the end he found himself slipping out his window, carefully climbing down to the ground, and roaming the streets. There was no point in waiting in his room, curled up on his bed waiting for night to fall so that he could repeat the previous night.

- - -

Crossing her arms, Maddison allowed herself a humorless smirk at his playfulness.
"Shut it Cyclops. I just thought I'd... ugh... thank you for saving my ass last night. And you should feel honored, I don't say such things to just anyone you know," she said with a grimace.
She felt awkward having those words come out of her mouth, and she didn't want to prolong the moment.

"Look, just... take care of my bike, I'll buy another one. And as for the stupid Game, expect this thanks as a one time thing. I don't take you as the buddy-buddy type and neither am I, it was strange to meet up with you again but I don't expect to see you again."
This whole situation had taken her off-guard and she didn't appreciate that. She would want to take out her frustrations out in the Game ten-fold tonight, and she was eagerly anticipating the chance.
"I can send the money for taking care of the bike, don't worry," she added as a last remark before turning away from the other Player and walking off. The whole conversation felt weird but Maddison was known for her ranging moods and personality.
Right now she forced herself to forget about the chance encounter with thoughts of pushing her spear through the ugly faces of the monsters in the Game.

[Do you mind the colored posts? I'm wanting to make my replies all pretty so ya... xD
You can tell me if you'd prefer them to stay black though heh.]

[Shenandoah]

((I don't mind. I used to do much the same myself. Just make sure they stay away from blinding.))

Time passed for Robyn. She was improving, but she didn't know it. Over the last week and a half, the monsters were getting tougher and tougher. Despite Shannon being a newbie to this existence, he had proven invaluable in a tough spot. And recently there were lots of tough spots. Robyn was worried. Why were the monsters getting tougher? More and more players were losing their souls. The incidences of comatose teens and young adults were escallating enough that the media had caught wind of it. Broadcasts were being filmed outside hospitals, newscasters reporting the statistics and the lack of progress in the recovery of the individuals within the walls of the hospital.

And Robyn remained worried. What the heck was going on?

---

Patrick, unknowingly, was in the same boat as Robyn though he did not know her. He spent all his time either working on Maddison's bike, fighting, or getting what little sleep he could. Granted, his definition of 'little sleep' was a far cry from what others considered a little sleep. He had not run into Maddison again, though he had run into any number of other players - newbies for the most part - that didn't survive their first week. Why the monsters had suddeny decided to hop themselves up on steroids, he had no clue and wished he could find another well seasoned player to ask what they thought.

No such luck. He had to focus on survival before he could worry about the why.