Junior room was relatively messy, not the total abandoned messy but a messy that would have made his uncle-father proud at that age, the kind of messy that had a system. There where a few band posters on the walls, one in particular was of the Young Avengers and there where a few darts sticking out around the portion with Spider-Girl and Iron Lad.
Junior came up the through the floor with Penelope's hand in his, phasing her with him as he came. He pulled her up until she came free and let her rematerialized as he set her down on solid ground. "
That is my way."
"Bloody Christ!"
Penelope shouted and fell down onto the ground, thankful it was there. "I almost wet myself. You aughta warn me next time you do that!"
He laughed. "Try falling thirty stories through the basement, unable to breath. Had Aunt Lyra not been there I'd have died. It was the first of my powers to emerge." He looked through his piles of organized junk, looking for his photo album
"Does that mean she is my Aunt too?"
Penelope asked, sitting on his bed.
"Yeah." He said. "My father's sister." He pushed over a pile of crap and found the album. "Here we go." He said, finding a picture of all of them. "Aunt Lyra and I share the same body type, the legs, the tail. I have her phasing, but Dad's powers are all energy based like yours and I can do what he can do. All I got from Uncle Jayn is a resistance to flame and heat, but I hate the cold." He turned the album around to her and pointed everyone out. "A family of freaks."
Penelope's eyes were watering and her hands were clasped together, "Everyone is so beautiful." She had never had aunts or uncles before... or even cousins. Isabelle hadn't ever had a sibling.
He smiled. "Come on, sit down." he said, handing her the album, let me get rid of some of this stuff..." He hadn't been here in three weeks, there were still clothes laying around, mostly pants since he wasnt a fan of shirts.
Penelope took the album, ""Oh my god... look at what they wore back then. So ... who's kids are who's?"
"Uhh..." He pushed clothes off the bed so he could sit and flipped pages till he came to a family photo of all of them. Waya was there too with her parents because... well, she had been raised with them. She was like a sister... A sister he once wanted to taste every inch of. All the kids were probably seven or so and their parents were behind them. They were dressed for easter and all carrying baskets full of Easter eggs. "We're not related to Waya." He clarified.
"Oh look at you guys.... adorable! To think... I could have been part of this family. See... Mum doesn't have any siblings so I never grew up with any family but her and my grandparents. I've always wanted to know what it was like to be a part of a big family like this."
"Hell some days." Junior said. "But you have people to fall back on when you're hurting. Dad tried his best but... I always felt a little on the outside. Not being..." He stopped and rephrased. "Feeling like I wasn't real since I'm a clone."
"Really? Aww... you poor thing. So you're Father told you that? At least you knew and he didn't hide it from you. Or..would you have prefered that?"
"I remember asking why I didn't have a mother like everyone else." He said. "I think I was five maybe... He told me that I wasn't born like most kids... That I was a gift that he didn't knew he'd been waiting for..." He smiled a little. "When I was older I asked what he meant and he told me about what happened in Genocia. That he, Aunt Lyra and Uncle Jayn were abducted and when the others came to rescue them, they found me. He said the second he laid eyes on me he knew I was his. I was equal parts Jayn and Lyra but... for some reason I was meant to be his and he just knew... Dad never lied to me and I'm glad."
Penelope nodded, "That's a really cute story. Besides,... it probably helped your Dad found you when all his siblings started having kids. You said you were the youngest, right? And your Dad looks like the oldest, so... it much have been lonely to not have someone."
"Maybe." He said. "He was always... I duno. He was a quiet man. Hard to anger but easy to smile. If he was ever lonely I didn't notice, but I don't know if he was before me or not."
"Was? You... he's still alive, Junior. Mum will find him and everyone else. Don't give up hope." Pen said.
"I know..." He said. "I didn't mean to say it like that... he's just been gone so long..."
"I know and I'm sorry..." Penelope said, "I wish there was more I can do.... I'm sure Mum's team will figure it out though. All that science stuff...takes time."
"I'll bank on Liz' machine before I trust a bunch of eggheads I don't know."
"No offense but I'll bank on a bunch of genius eggheads with top of the line experience and equipment before I trust Eliza." Penelope said.
"Eliza is a genius egghead." Junior told her. "Aunt Lyra was a genius and she passed that onto Liz."
"Alright alright... I'll take your word on it." Penelope said, not wanting to fight. She looked down at the photos again, specifically to William. She really did have his eyes, didn't she? "You think he would like me?"
"I think he would be very upset that he didn't know about you." He said. "And I don't know you very well but... I think he would yes."
"Say.. how old were you when you discovered your powers?" she asked, glancing at him now.
"Twelve." He said. "Same as most. Waya and Rhydian are part of that really rare percentage who's powers show before puberty."
"Mine was about that age too."
Penelope said. "But I've always liked singing. Even when I was a toddler...and I have the home movies to prove it." She chuckled and added, "It was until I was a preteen that my voice started breaking things. The energy whisps came later on."
"I didn't develop my energy control till I was fifteen." He said. "But this is pretty cool." His skin suddenly changed like a kaleidoscopic rainbow of colors, like an octopus changing color rapidly to match it's surroundings.
"Blimey! No way!" Penelope exclaimed, "Do me! do me!" she insisted.
He laughed and took her hand, the pattern shifted to her, but he couldn't do more than himself for very long.
"Woah- what I said before... forget about it.
Now you look hot." Penelope laughed.
He stopped the effect and his cheeks were white with blush. "You gotta stop saying that..."
Penelope laughed, "Don't worry, I'm just playin' with you, love." she said and patted him on the back roughly. "I don't want to come between you and Maribel or anything. Just messin' around."
He nodded. "Ok then... I've got one more trick you've not seen." He said, wondering if she could guess it.
"So you have phasing through walls... camouflage... and you siad something about energy right? Like me?" Pen asked.
"Yeah but that's not what I meant..." He said, having forgotten she'd not seen his energy yet. He'd also not told her he could increase the level of his strength based on the material he phased into, but there was a lot going on today. "I'll show you this, then what I can do with energy." And he vanished.
"Woah-" Penelope said, looking at the void he had been in. "Did you teleport or... are you still there?" she asked and reached out.
"I'm still here." He said. "Move from side to side. No matter where you look, my skin changes based on you're perception of my location... Here..." He concentrated a little and waved his arm. "I'm waving my arm." Then he held his powers steady and she could see parts of the wall and dresser behind him move as he moved his arm because he wasn't letting his abilities compensate for the movement. "See?"
"Blimey... it's like you bend the light around your body and reflect what is behind you to the front. I've never seen anything like that before."
Penelope said, "You are a man of many talents."
He reappeared. "Benefit of being a clone I guess." He said. "It would have been nice to have fire abilities from Uncle Jayn, but I guess my body had to draw the line somewhere."
"Can you show me what your Dad does now?"
Penelope asked.
"Our skin constantly absorbs energy." He said. "Our hair, eyes, even our teeth. We can shut it off but it takes a lot of concentration. It's easier to just absorb and purge when we get too much. This was one of the tricks he taught me to learn detailed control. It's easy to blow up something or shoot a big wad of energy at a bad guy but the beauty is in the little things..." He placed his thumbs and index fingers together and pulled them apart about a foot, making a loop of white glowing energy, just a string about the size a strand of yarn. He hooked it between his fingers and began crisscrossing the loop between his hands, making shapes. When he was done he held his hands out and upside down. "It's a tea cup." He said. "See? I can never get it right side up for some reason..."
Penelope clapped and asked, "Can I touch it?"
"Yeah." He said. "I can make like ladders and shields and stuff. Or I can increase the heat and make it unbearable to touch."
Holding out her index finger, she moved to tap the teacup. The energy seemed to bend around her finger and ripple around it. Penelope watched this curiously and tried to touch the light again but the same thing happened.
"Um... Idea." Junior said and sang, "Do you believe in magic, in a young girls heart..." And the energy suddenly snapped away from his hands and into Penelope's.
"How the music can free her, whenever it starts~"
Penelope sang to finish the lyric. The white energy he had given her morphed and in Pen's hand floated a perfect, right faced teacup with a whip of steam from the rim. "Wow..."
He smiled and opened his palm, making a more realistic teacup than his previous one.
"Pip pip." Penelope mocked and gestured so that the teacup lifted to her mouth and down again.
He toasted with her and pretended to drink. "You'd have made me play tea party a million times as a kid wouldn't you have?"
Penelope smiled, "Probably. Jeeves and my Nanny used to play with me sometimes... but mostly I was by myself."
"I'm sorry..." He said. "I had the kids around here but... I know what it's like to be a part of something and still feel alone."
"Having a following helped a little as I got older. Getting emails and fan mail.. people who say how much they idolize you. It's great..." Penelope explained to him. "But there are still moments where you really wish you had a friend you could
really rely on and someone who isn't just around because you have money or are popular."
"I had that..." He said. "The friend, not money or popularity... now it just feels like we're strangers again. Rhydian..." he said. "He was my bro, my mate... Then..." He shrugged, not sure he should tell her why he and Rhydian were, not quite astranged, but no longer as close as they used to be.
"Was it a girl?" Penelope asked, tilting her head.
"Are you psychic too?" Junior asked with a smirk. "It was kind of a girl... We both had this thing for Waya... He still does but... well... that ship has sailed for me. Um... I'm kinda... bi I guess. I mean I could never marry a dude but... sometimes... Well you know... It doesn't happen often. I don't look for homosexual relationships but... Any way..." he ran his fingers through his hair. "Me and Jeremy we... once... we were never a thing but I have a particular... anatomical... trait. Waya's been having issues with her telepathy since it showed up and from Jeremy she... saw that particular thing and transmitted it to
everyone. It led Rhydian to believe that Waya and I had been together. We haven't and it took a while to convince him, but the rift never really healed between us. Not like it should have."
"Oh sorry mate... that sucks. Telepaths tend to mess a lot of things up. There are just somethings that should be kept personal, you know?"
Penelope said with a shrug. "Waya is the only one here who is telepathic, right?"
"Yes and she tries hard not to poke." Junior told her. "Sometimes she can't help it. She wears a control collar to sleep now... she was giving us nightmares..." He chose not to tell her that Waya's nightmares had been of the hound raping her.
"Just another reason why this place needs some administration of some kind. I see what my Mum was getting at about it honestly." Penelope said. "But even then, you can't get away from teenage drama."
"We do fine." He said. "The school was left to us. It's not like we have kids to take care of. We keep ourselves just fine and our neural implants have all of us at a basic college level. We don't need anyone to tell us how to run things..."
"Well from the sounds of it, I'm a bit surprised that no one has gotten knocked up yet." Penelope lifted her shoulder. "I'm just saying that I see where she is coming from with concern. The place hasn't burned to the ground so you guys are doing something right... right?"
"There's actually less sex that goes on here than it seems." He said.
"Hey man... I'm not judging. So long as nothing
else is being passed around, everyone could be having weekly orgies for all I care." Penelope explained.
"It's not like that." He said. "It just sounds worse than it really is."
"It's kind of hard to blame you guys too much really... after all the shit with your parents disappearing and getting no government help whatsoever....
and all the attacks. Then Mojo..." Penelope sighed, "Well if anything else comes along looking for a fight, I hope I can help."
"You'll get your chance." He said. "Things don't stay quiet around here for very long.
"Well whatever happens, there ain't no way I'm taking orders from Ms. 'Stick-up-her-ass'." Penelope said flat out. "I don't care who her parents were or that she has been the ringleader since day 1. There ain't no way." she repeated again. "If being the leader around here just means who can bitch the loudest, there needs to be some serious changes around here."
"She's really good at it." Junior said. "I know she's rough around the edges, but when when lives are on the line, she comes through. It was her plan that got us out of Mojo's World..."
"I could have thought of something too if I was given a chance." Penelope argued. "A leader should be someone that you can look up to...like Yalala. Not someone like Waya. She has issues that are detrimental to being a team captain."
"Penelope... I'm sorry you lost Yalala, but... Waya has saved our lives on more than one occasion." Junior told her. "Whether through direct action or delegation. I know she has issues, but they seem to go away when they need to. She's abrasive... but she's a good leader." He was a little bias. He had loved her once and loved her as a sister now. He had faith in Waya.
"Even so that girl needs to be knocked down a few pegs." Penelope realized what she had just said and laughed outwardly, "Oh blimey...pegs... that's awful." She thought of the time Waya and her met... and she had sliced her legs off.
Junior looked horrified. "Oh god... that's terrible!"
"Pff...HAHA! Oh come off it, that was hilarious! Haha!" Penelope tossed her head back onto the mattress and held her stomach as she giggled.
"Why did you?" Junior asked. "I mean... the worst I've ever seen her do is drop a giant into her shadow realm to keep him from killing us all... What could she have done to warrant you cutting off her legs?"
Penelope cut off her laughter and sat up in silence. "That bitch tried some sort of... illusion fear voodoo on me." Her arms wrapped around themselves and she let out a shiver. "She covered me in giant boils and warts... they looked and... smelled so real. Then leaches everywhere. I warned her to knock it off, but she wouldn't so-...."
"She thought you were trying to kill her." Junior said in Waya's defense.
"And I thought she was trying to kill me." Penelope said, "Besides, they grew back and I already apologized. I don't remember her saying anything though.
"You did kinda cut her legs off." Junior said. "Wait... they grew back or they grew back on?" He asked. "Because... potentially... the way her powers work... two new people could grow from her legs if given enough time and darkness..." Mojo could have two new Waya's in no time. Though Junior was pretty sure that without her mind, they'd be blank slates to teach and mold into his perfect little killers. Junior was nothing if not paranoid all of a sudden.
"Wha.... that's stupid. That wouldn't happen. What is she- an amoeba?" Pen asked.
"Kinda..." Junior said. "It's tissue regeneration. Both her parents had it, but her's works like her dad's, in the absence of light she heals really fast. Her mom regenerated once from a pile of mush like she'd been shoved in a blender. It's a little scarey. If there had been two piles of mush, there would have been two of Waya's mom... We like to try and keep her body parts with her at all times."
"Well she reattached them so don't worry about that." Penelope said, "One Waya is enough."
"If we had three a lot of the hormones in this place would relax a bit." He said. Waya was the girl everyone lusted after. Before the hound she'd sort of... flaunted herself. Perhaps not intentionally, but her clothes had become... more covering since Rex had come and gone. Her uniform was still as revealing as ever, but she'd probably not thought to change it since they'd been on no missions since before Rex.
Penelope frowned, "Well gee thanks."
"That's not what I meant." Junior said. "Just... Rhydian, the twins... me at one time. Guys fall over their dicks for her around here..."
"Gross." Pen said simply. "You must all be masochists."
"No..." Junior groaned. "Rhydian is a gentlemen and I've moved on. The twins are..." he turned to her and took her hands firmly in his. "Stay away from them." He told her. "They act cute and like they've changed, but... In more ways than one they're the most dangerous ones here..."
"Aw what? They seem so nice... and seem to be on the bottom tier as far as danger goes." Penelope said. "Plus they can cook...super hot."
"No..." He said. "It's... it's not exactly an act but they are dangerous. They can hypnotize you and do make you do anything they want. They've done it before... it's been a long time, but... I don't want you waking up six months down the road and realizing they did something terrible to you..."
"The hell..." Penelope grumbled, "That leaves George and Phinagin... hmm... well are there any fun pubs around here?"
"The legal drinking age in the U.S. is twenty one." Junior told her. "You're not legal here any more..."
"Whaaaa... ugh! I didn't even think of that. Christ..." Pen rolled her eyes and said, "But there aren't adults here.. we can still drink here right? Have a little fun."
Junior looked at her. "No... but when the wind is southerly, I know a hawk from a hand saw..." He got up, misquoting Shakespeare as he went. He went to his dresser, in the bottom drawer and uncovered a small box. "Thankfully Waya hasn't found my plants yet or she'd probably cut them all down and skin me for keeping them..." He came back to the bed and opened the small wooden box, revealing the pungent aroma of marijuana and his favorite bowl. "If you're into this kinda thing..."
"You smoke?!" Penelope asked, sounding thrilled. "You have no idea how much I've been craving it since I got kidnapped. Oh my god my brother is awesome!" Her arm wrapped around his shoulders, giving him a half hug.
He laughed. "I've... backed off quite a bit lately." He said, pinching off a bit of bud from the sealed baggie inside the box. He rid it of seeds and stems and crumbled it into the bowl. "But I think this might just be a bonding moment." He handed her the bowl and a lighter.
"So you grow your own? That's rad." Penelope said, taking the pipe from him. "I hope you don't mind me buying some off of you every so often." She went to the window and opened it a crack. "I could never smoke inside.... Mum's got a sensitive nose and could even hear a lighter from across the damn house. I had to either go outside or wait til she wasn't home." She lit the little green tufted and inhaled. Extending her arm for him to take a hit, she exhaled out the window when he took it.
"You have to be careful around Waya too." he said, then paused to inhale. He held it in as he spoke, "The nose thing too, but-" he exhaled "You can trick her with air freshers and incense. Her mom, never. Waya's nose is just as good, but she never relied on it or practiced really. And you can borrow whatever you want. I was actually thinking of putting out fewer plants this spring since I grow too much for myself alone."
"What the hell would Waya care anyway?" Penelope asked, "It's not like she is Ms. Good-to-shoes herself. Who is she to tell you what you can and can't do? Seems to me you guys need to learn the meaning of fun around here." Penelope said and took the pipe when he had finished and had another long drag. She wasn't as skilled in speaking with her lungs puffed, so she simply held it for a moment and exhaled out the window again. "Dude... I'm already feeling it. Man I'm such a lightweight. That was one long tolerance break though."
"That's a good thing." He said, talking with his lungs full. "Less you need the more you save it." He finally exhaled and inspected the bowl, finding it cashed. He tapped it out and sat the box asside. "Oh that is just what I needed after the week I've had..."
"With Mojo you mean? ...well.. and finding out you have a long lost sister. That should be a good part." Pen siad.
He nodded and scooted back till he could lean against the wall. His anthropomorphic legs stretched out, his big paws hanging off the edge of the bed. He stretched a little, his toes spreading as he did.
"You're like a cat." Penelope snickered, "Sooo... what was that trait that Jeremy liked? You mentioned something earlier."
His cheeks flushed white for a second. "Uh... no..." He said. "No, no, no...." He was shaking his head, not wanting to say.
"Oh come on." Penelope said, feeling hazy. She walked over to the bed and plopped down. "We're family."
He grumbled. "Might as well... everyone else knows..." He wanted another hit but he ignored the bowl. "I have two penises..."
"Pffff Hahah! Whaaa? No way." Penelope laughed, and saw the seriousness in his face, "Holy shit- are you serious?! Let me see!"
"Hard or soft?" He asked seriously. "You don't really get the full effect unless they're hard..."
"Hard! Hard! Hard!" Penelope chanted with a giggle.
"oh god..." he slipped off the bed and stood, running his fingers through his hair. "I'm about to show my pseudo-sister my hard dicks... Ok, gime a minute..." He lifted the edge of the mattress and pulled out an issue of Luscious Ladies fall magazine. "I don't think I can do this with you in here..." he said. "Um... " he pointed to the bathroom. "I'll be back..." He started that way.
"Oh come on- I could show you mine if you show me yours. Wouldn't that be fast?" Penelope laughed, forgetting all about Maribel. She wasn't intending on having Junior cheat on her by any means.
"Just..." He held up his finger, "Gime a minute. You want to see you'll see but I need a minute..." He went into the bathroom and once the silence stretched on she heard him call, "Sing something, or humm... something so I don't feel like you're waiting for it..."
"Pfff hahahah... you are so ridiculous. Okay... let's see..." Penelope hummed, really feeling foggy now.
He sat there on the closed lid of the toilet, magazine in hand, feeling high and ridiculous. If he really, really thought of Penelope as his blood sister, he'd never be doing this.
Penelope took a moment before a song clicked. She got comfy and laid her back across on the mattress, her legs straight up and flat against the wall. Choosing a nice, smooth melody to fit her mood and Junior's predicament, she began singing, starting with a first strong note. "At laaaaaaast.... my loooove has come along~" Of course she wasn't singing to him, but hoped the melody would help in getting him in the zone.
More like zone out. Her voice was radio perfect and it let his mind wander to the ladies in his magazine. He didn't like traditional porn. He preferred pin-ups and he thumbed through the mag, tuning out her presence in the other room.
Penelope kept singing and brought the photo album back over using her energy arms. She held it above her and flipped through it again.
After about five minutes the bathroom door opened behind her and what she had asked to see was revealed in sixteen or so combined inches of erect flesh.
Penelope stopped singing, and tilted her head up and off of the edge of the bed. The album that was floating above her fell from gravity and smacked her in the face. "Opf!" she grunted and took it off of her face and set it onto the bed. Turning around, she sat willingly on the bed, still quite intoxicated.
Perturbed, he vanished and the bathroom door closed sharply.
"Hey- what was that for?!" Penelope laughed and called, getting up from the bed. She went to the door and knocked, "Yoo-hoo...."
"Nope." He said. "You saw, that was the agreement." She was terrible stoned. She apparently hadn't been at it very long before her kidnapping. He wasn't coming back out till things were back to normal down south. He was an idiot for thinking she could be adult about it. He understood a girl's curiosity at something like that.
"Oh come on... I didn't get a good look." she snickered, "I was upside down! That was a thing of beauty, it was." She laughed some more.
"Nope." He said again. "You had your chance..."
"Ugh....you are such a buzzkill." she joked and went back to his bed to plop down.
"Maybe I'll send you a pic..." He said, coming back from the bathroom, put to rights again. "But, even you have to admit it's weird. It's like showing me your pussy..."
"Maybe a little." Penelope shrugged, "There is nothing unique about mine. I just have one and it's perfect." She smacked her lips together, finding her mouth strangely dry.
"I had hoped you could have been mature about it." He said, flopping down into the bed beside her.
"Oh please... you didn't even give me a chance to look at you from across the room. So like- do you pee out of both?"
He grumbled. "No... but I can... It's not exactly a trick you wanna pull out at a party though." He was reminded of that part in Ghostbusters where the guys were warned not to cross the streams.
"So I take it that feature is a clone thing... not from William." Penelope tilted her head.
He nodded. "Yeah." He said. "Boy with two fathers kinda thing... I might have a clit in my ass, I'm not sure... Anal sex is fucking awesome that's all I know... and well... I can cum from there." Which was impossible. The body could feel intense amounts of pleasure, but a full on orgasm from that particular part of the body wasn't possible. "Why the fuck am I telling you all this..." He covered his face with his hands, rubbing. He shouldn't have gotten high.
"Maybe you just need someone to talk to?" Penelope asked, not judging. "It's nice to bond with someone after so long. So... does your lady friend know about your...secret spots?"
He flinched a little. "No..." He said. "Maribel doesn't even really know I like her like her... Oh God..." He groaned. "How am I gonna tell her? I mean... Two... that's gotta be frightening as hell to a girl like her..."
"....A girl like her? What is that supposed to mean?" she asked, "She's French, right? Have you asked her if she has been with anyone else before?"
"No..." Junior said. "I just... she seems to sweet and innocent. I don't want to freak her out..."
"Well I wouldn't freak out yet... if she doesn't even know you like her. Does she like you?" Pen aksed.
"I... I'm not sure." He said. "I've been kind of attentive since I broke her arm. Accidentally. She was kinda... distant when she started changing, so I wanted to give her her space, but you know... freaks kinda gotta stick together..."
"So she just looked like a normie before coming here?" Penelope asked.
"She was cute." Junior said. "Brown hair, big expressive eyes... then she started changing. She started hiding from everyone."
"Harsh." Penelope said honestly. "She's still cute though. In her own way... and that's coming from a gal who never really liked spiders."
"I think she's beautiful..." He said softly.
"Then you should tell her that." Penelope said, having not expected that she would be giving him girl advice when they first came up there. Then again, she also hadn't thought to see his cock(s) either.
"Ehhhh..." He said, sounding as if that weren't a good idea. "Morning Mari, pass the fruit loops, by the way, you're beautiful..."
"What are you talking about. For one, I doubt the twins would let you eat processed cereal. For two, girls love that sort of stuff. Don't even think about it... just say it. Catch her off guard even." Penelope said. "Trust me... especially if she is down on her appearance lately."
"Really?" He asked. Aside from her eyes and color, Penelope was normal. Maribel hadn't looked very normal for a while. Maybe she would like it if he just casually said something.
"Trust me." Penelope said with a kind smile. She may be still high right now, but she at least gave good advice. "You're golden."
He smiled. "Thanks..." he said. "So... about the boys... What was your first impression? I just don't want to frighten her... That's a lotto take in... pun intended."
"To be honest I was expecting like... malformed dicks. One bent weird and the other misshapen and teeny." Pen said, "From the glance though, they both look normal sized just...two. You should probably give her a warning about those."
"Oh Hi Mari, boy you're pretty. I have two dicks..." Junior said. "Like that?"
She laughed outwardly. Had she not been high, she would have smacked him. "No no.. .are you bloody off your nut? No... that is a conversation for another day. First things first man."
"Girls are hard..." He groaned, but he was shifting in the bed, higher, closer toward the pillows. He could reach the night stand and his little box.
"You're a sweet guy." Penelope said with a smile, moving some of her stark white hair out of her face and behind her ear. "You'll be fine. If she doesn't like you back... well... at least you'll know and can move on."
He made a noncommittal sound and couldn't reach the box. He reached over her and grabbed it with his tail.
Penelope found that amusing and snickered at it, "Looks like you got all the cool genes."
"Heh... it's hard to hide." he said. He opened the box an broke into his stash again, using his tail to hold the bowl while he packed it. He took the green hit this time and handed her the bowl with his tail.
"Oh my god... you are going to put me out." Penelope said, taking the pipe from him. She placed it to her lips and took a nice, smooth inhale, watching as the greens crackled under the spark.
"Heh heh..." He laughed a little, taking the bowl back and shifting in the bed till his back was by the pillows and his anthromorphic legs were resting on the wall. They didn't stretch all the way out, but he did cross them. His new position put their heads almost together and he took a deep hit before passing it. He held the breath as he spoke, his voice sounding tight. "How long ago were you nabbed by Mojo?" He asked. "You gotta catch up, besides... you deserve it after that shit..." He released the breath, smoke billowing up from his lips with a sigh. He was usually a one or two hit guy just to take the edge off these days, but after being in Mojo's world for as little time as they were, fuck it, he needed it too.
"Man... I don't know how long it's been. Felt like a decade. If it's March now... I've technically been there for...uhhh...." Penelope went quiet for a while, not saying anything. Then, she asked, "What were we talking about?"
"It's January." He told her. "And surely you're not so stoned that you not only forgot what we were talking about, but what month it is... Though considering you were kidnapped and in a different dimension, I can forgive that one. How long were you there? What year and month was it when Spiral grabbed you?"
"Uh... I don't know... spring? It was right before I started the summer tour." Penelope said, "So like... uhh... maybe....April?" Penelope guessed.
"That's nine months..." Junior said. "Damn..."
"And Veronica and Berry...and Yalala never bothered helping me escape." Pen grumbled.
"Ver and Kale been gone from here longer than that..." Junior said. "We thought they were dead. Had we known... We never would have let it go on so long."
"Yeah..." Pen rolled over, toward him. "Are you hungry?"
"No." Junior said. "And if you eat now you'll kill your high." He handed her back the pipe.
"Do you have a soda at least? I've got like...a duckling in my mouth."
"I don't even want to know what that means." Junior said, coming off the bed legs first so he rolled backward to his feet.
"PPFffhahahahha...." Penelope lolled her head and lifted the pipe to her lips. She polished off the rest of the bowl and laughed the smoke out through her mouth and nose.
He smiled at her and went to a little mini fridge he kept in here. He had Dr. Pepper and nothing else. He grabbed two cans and traded her the bowl for the soda. He packed the box and it's contents away and sprayed some rather abrasive room deodorizer around the door. Most of it had gone out the window, but it was only prudent to be cautious.
"Juniorrr..... Junior." Penelope waved to get his attention, "So... you're real name is William, right? Like your Dad"
"No." Junior said, using his tail to drink his soda as he hunted for a bit of food since she said she was hungry. Most things were spoiled since they'd been gone so long. He found a small bag of frito's chili cheese corn chips and tossed them to her. "Just Junior... I think he thought it was funny."
"Really?" Penelope snorted and cracked up, "Can you imagine... when you are old... 'Grandpa Junior.'?"
"Genocian clones have an expiration date." He said. "Chances are I won't get old enough for grand kids."
Penelope stopped laughing and grew serious, "What?" She rolled over so that she could look at him, "When..."
"I don't know." He said. "I wasn't grown rapidly like all the others. My development was mostly natural. I was the equivalent of three months old or so when Dad brought me home. It could be a byproduct of the rapid growth process and I skipped it by developing normally or I could just start to degrade once I diminish past the peek of my physical and mutant strength. Hank, Dr. McCoy was looking into it before the incident that took everyone so I'm not sure what he found."
"Well hopefully it will just mean you'll die three months earlier than you would have if you were born out of a lady. That's not so bad." she remarked.
"Born out of a lady..." Junior said. "Damn... that was poetic. You should use that in a song."
"Hey man...writing lyrics is hard." she argued with a shake of her finger.
He laughed and violated her bag of chips with his tail. He tossed one into the air and caught it in his mouth.
"You know who needs to smoke with us? Waya." Penelope concluded.
Junior laughed. "Maybe." He said. "If you could get her to. She's pretty big on rules around here... I'd hate to experience her powers under the influence of pot. Then again it's not coke or acid or anything. It'd probably chill her out a lot."
"Wait! I just remembered something!" Penelope paused as if she were about to say something of great importance. It never came. "Wait... shit... what was it? I forgot...wait..." she paused again, "HEY! Junior! The twins said Waya sings, is that true?"
"Yeah." He said. "She plays the guitar too. Her dad was a pretty big deal for a couple years."
"Her Dad? What did he do?" Penelope asked, munching on some chips.
"Mostly alternative rock." He said. "You've probably heard his music. Unleashed, Dark Eyed Lady... Insane Idea... They used Insane Idea for that movie with the chick who got shot off into space and sold into slavery. Kurtis Smith..."
Penelope looked dumbfounded at first...but that could have just been the pot. "What?... No fucking way man." She suddenly grew hyper and grabbed his shoulders, "NO FUCKING WAY!"
"Ack!" She made him drop his corn chips. "Yes. Damn woman... Kurt Smith is Waya's dad... What you couldn't tell by the resembelence?" Most mutants who were fucked as far as skin pigmentation went were bright colors. Not many where pure white.
"You have to show me!" Penelope insisted. "Show me! Show me!"
"Show you what?" Junior asked. "She's asleep by now probably. She was exhausted after yesterday. If you wanna see a pic of him go back to the one of Easter in the album. He was right there next to Waya's mom."
"Oh my god make sure I don't bloody forget this tomorrow." Penelope said seriously, "I need to talk to her. I was way into Kurtis Smith for a while in Middle school."
Junior shook his head and scooped up the album. He opened it to the page, pointing out Waya's parents. "Everyone was into him." he said. "He didn't tour much. Never wanted to be gone too long and Waya's mom didn't like the crowds. He mostly toured a few big venues during the summer for a few weeks and that was it. I think that's why he sold so much. That and he was pretty good. I persionally like heavier stuff."
"My favorites were his more...ballad-like songs. They were so strong and emotional. 'Blue Necklace' made me bawl my eyes out...heck, it still does." Pen said.
Junior smiled. "I did always like that." He said. "His ballads were always the best. Some stuff just felt like filler, but you knew the good stuff he's written himself."
"Oh this is so rad. I had no idea!" Penelope explained. "What sort of music does Waya make?"
"None." Junior said. "She used to go around always singing something or humming. She used to keep people up at night playing too, but... I don't think I've heard her sing since Kale got turned to chum all over her... Having one of her best friends get chopped up by a giant roatery fan and sprayed all over her kinda killed what music hadn't died when we lost the X-men..."
"Buzzkill." Penelope said, but she was so high right now no though could kill it at this point. "I'll talk to her tomorrow. People who love music don't just... stop loving it."
"I don't doubt it." Junior said. "But she's just not as open about it I think. If she listens and plays any more it's with headphones. Then again, she was a real Daddy's girl..."
"You don't have any recordings of her voice?" Penelope asked, curious now.
"No." Junior said. "Uh... wait a second." He went to the untidy pile of music drives stacked around his stereo. He searched through them. "You know when Ozzy and Kelly Osbourne did that duet in the early 2000's? Her and her dad did one when she was... oh thirteen or so. Maybe fourteen." He found it. "Ah ha." He said and cued the song up on his stereo.
Pen shoved some chips into her mouth and rolled over on the bed, listening.
It was one of Kurt's lesser known ballads. Considered too cute for the radio it had gotten buried on his Sweet Days of Darkness album. The first voice on the track was her's. She was only thirteen or fourteen, but she had a solid if not slightly small voice. She sounded like a girl, but when her father's more rusty sounding voice joined her's, she sounded more confident and her voice got a little bigger.
"Aw... she sounds adorable." Penelope said.
"You should hear her now." Junior said. "Or, before she stopped. She was always a little self conscious she wasn't as good as her dad... Her voice was more like Del's. Her mom. She refused to sing in front of anyone but Kurt."
"Well you can hear she is inexperienced in here... but yes, I'm curious as to what she sounds like now. If she really hasn't sang in all this time, she probably needs practice."
He shrugged. "Fat chance hearing her now." He said. Little did he know that Waya sang whenever she damn well wanted to, she just did it in the shadow realm where no one could hear her.
"I love singing... it feels great. Mom had to make my room soundproof though. The loud noises hurt her head."
"I was never really good at it." Junior siad.
"Nonsense. I believe that anyone can sing... they just need to be taught how." Penelope said. "It takes years to master, but one can at least be taught to carry a tune."
"Uh-huh..." Junior said, not believing. He joined in with the lyrics of the duet between Waya and her dad, proving that his voice was certainly not like an angel. He couldn't figure out which key to be in and his voice was often ether way too deep or way too high.
"You are tried too hard." Penelope snickered. "And emphasize your words with your lips."
"Yeah, no." He said. "Going back to the bed..." He did so, leaving the stereo to play. He laid back down, draping his legs across hers as if he'd done it a million times.
Totally high, Penelope innocently rubbed her hand on Junior's stomach, feeling the soft abs that laid there.
He jerked and snatched her hand. "D-don't." He said. "Tickilish..."
Penelope smiled and popped up, tackling Junior and savagely tickling him. Of course she would do that.
"Fuck, shit, NO!" Junior jerked into a ball suddenly, trying to stop her. "NO! Ha ha! Stop, no no no!"
His shouting caused her to moan a little. It only encouraged her to tickle him more.
Junior phased and rolled away, leaving her tickling nothing but mattress. He staggered to his big not quite so clumsy feet. "Stay back..." he said, crossing his fingers in front of him as if she were a vampire and it would keep her away.
"Dah dah.... dah dah...." she began humming the Jaws theme. Her body rose from the bed like some sort of ghost, hovering nearer at a slow pace.
"You'll run face first into the wall..." he warned. "You can't catch me if i don't wanna be caught..."
She kept humming... when the tune grew louder and frantic, Junior felt something constrict around his body and pin his arms to his torso. She pounced, using her energy whisps to keep him pinned.
His eyes widened as her energy actually caught him. "W-what the hell?" he asked. She felt him pull against her. "Wait." He said seriously. "I... I can't phase... I can't absorb it... what the fuck Pen?"
It seemed that Penelope was so high she forgot that she was planning on tickling him. "That's the point."
"No, you don't understand." He said, looking worried. "I can absorb anything... anything. Kenetic energy, radiation, leptons... I absorb it and my body converts it into what I can use... But I can't absorb this... and I can't phase through it..."
"Well isn't that a shame." Penelope said and the wrap around his body brought him standing upright.
"Stop..." He begged. "This isn't funny any more..."
He was released and Penelope sat on the bed again, "Sorry love."
He dropped back to his more normal half crouch and rubbed his chest where it tingled. "I... I have this thing with... being confined..." He told her. "Like a phobia... I phase through shit for crying out loud... When something actually catches me I... I kinda start to panic..." He was getting better though, but his was more of a flight than fight response.
"Sorry. I had no idea." Penelope said. "I wouldn't ever hurt you though."
"I know, I know..." He said, then shivered all over. "Let's forget it." He said. "Don't let it ruin us trying to get to know each other... Do you have any phobias?" He asked. "Other than boils and leaches made from shadows?"
"Hmm.. phobias? Well for obvious reasons I would hate to ever lose my voice or become deaf." Penelope said.
"Ok, weaknesses then." he said. "What turns off your powers or really kicks your ass?"
"It's all that mental powers that bust my shit up. I have no defense against them. I'm all physical." Penelope explained.
"So telepathy gets to you?" He asked. "It kinda gets to everyone."
"I can slice steel and create barriers... but those damn mental attacks I have no defense with." Pen went on.
"There are ways to protect yourself from that." Junior said. "Magneto wears a special helmet."
"Not the most practical." Penelope explained. "Maybe if I try to take over the world or something... but let's leave that for another day."
He nodded. "Alright... I hate the cold... then again I don't like wearing shirts and jackets..."
"So I've noticed. Do you sun burn at all?" she asked innocently enough.
"No." He said. "I just absorb the sunlight before it happens."
"Well lucky you." Penelope teased. "So where does the skin color come from? I clearly got it from Will's side."
"That's the only thing I can figure." Junior said. "We both get really pale when we're low on energy... Do you?"
She nodded, "Yeah... I start looking like a normie who is sunburned."
"I... turn pink." He said, not really proud of it.
"Hey man- ain't nothing wrong with pink." Penelope said with a shake of her head.
"For you maybe." He said with a smile. He crawled onto the bed again, but paused. "You're not going to tickle me again are you?"
"Nah- you're good." Penelope laughed, "Man... I think... I don't know if I have been this high before.'
He smiled and actually reached for the bowl she'd not cashed. He finished it off and laid back down.
"Hah... what a champ." Pen said and smacked his leg playfully. "So.. whatcha wanna do?"
"I'm doing it." He said, exhaling as he sat the bowl aside. He didn't usually smoke so much, but after Mojo's World he didn't want to do anything else.
She laughed again, "I love having a brother."
"I'm pretty excited to have a sister." He said, knowing he must seem lazy to her. "I'm not usually this boring by the way... I don't often smoke this much either."
"No worry, love." Penelope said, "I don't either. Feels good to chill out though. I appreciate it."
"Welcome..." He said, stretching out. Laying down from toes to head he was greater than seven feet tall, standing his legs wouldn't let him get much taller than Pen. "You wanna watch tv? When was the last time you saw any earth programs?"
"Months ago." she confessed, stuffing her face with some chips.
Junior grabbed the remote with his tail and flicked on the television.
There was a soft knock at the door.
<Hr>
"Just a sec!" Junior had no ability to sense who was at the door so he jumped up, shoved the box under the door and hit the air once with a spray from the arisol deodorizer. He should have lit some incense, but he doubted it was going to be Waya and her drug dog nose that came to the door. He quickly looked to make sure there was nothing... instinctual about how he and Pen looked together in the same room. He shrugged, she was dressed and he wasn't wearing any more or fewer clothes than normal. He opened the door.
Penelope stayed where she was, too busy watching an infomercial.
At the door was Maribel who motioned to sign, but winced at her broken wrist. Holding up a finger, she plugged in her speaker and said, "I wasn't sure where you were. Was there a problem with Ms. Carrington-?" That's when she saw Penelope, "Oh sorry-"
"No, it's ok." Junior said. "Come in. We were just getting to know each other a little better." He stepped out of her way, inviting her in. "There was a little bit of an issue yeah..." He looked at Pen. "Can I tell her? It's not like there's much reason to keep it a secret..."
Penelope jumped up and staggered a little, but she made it over to Junior without falling. She wrapped an arm around him and exclaimed, "We're brother and sister!"
Maribel blinked and looked between the two, "What? Like...really brother and sister?"
Junior winced, she was a little bit of a tard when high. "Sort of..." Junior told her. "My dad is her dad... but my dad isn't my dad..." Did she even know about him being a clone? It wasn't as if he and Mari had long deep drawn out conversations about each other... yet. Maybe he was just high and explaining it wrong. "Does that make sense?"
"Like...step-siblings then?" Maribel asked through her robotic speaker.
"Kinda... but he's also like my uncle or something. Pretty cool, eh?" Penelope chuckled.
"Dad's DNA was present when both of us were made." Junior told Mari. "Pen's mom and my dad... well... you know how babies are made. I'm a clone of Dad, the twins dad and Eliza's mom... They were siblings. I honestly don't know if anyone ever told you." Had she been in the Entrance Hall when he'd blabbed it to Mis. Carrington?
She hadn't, nor did she know Junior was a clone. "A... clone...." she repeated, "You're... joking, right?"
"No..." He said. "I'm not... it's a bit of a long story, you wanna come in and sit down?"
"Sure. It... really stinks in here and...and have you two been crying?" asked Maribel, though she didn't mean to and unplugged her speaker. Junior's eyes were almost as red as his skin.. she couldn't tell with Penelope's though.
Penelope looked at Junior and laughed outwardly, "Oh god... they are so bloody red, Junior!"
"Uh... we're high." Junior told Maribel honestly. "After this crap in Mojo's World we decided to relax a little. Let me open another window..." He went to the other window and opened it. "Please don't tell anyone. Either they'll all be up here wanting to get stoned or they'll run and tattle on me to Waya. It's really not that big of a deal unless you act like a loon like Pen here."
Penelope only laughed and tossed herself on the bed to watch TV.
Maribel smiled lightly and nodded. She had never been exposed to marijuana before...or known that he had smoked such a thing. She really wasn't sure what to make of it and decided to leave her stereo unplugged just in case.
"If you're ever curious..." Junior said, trailing off. "You're welcome to ask... maybe not today... I'm a little blitzed and we need to talk..." He turned off the stereo to diminish the noise. He also turned down the television. He offered her a seat in one of his chairs, hoping all these realizations didn't upset her.
Signing what she could, Mari asked, 'Talk about what?'
"Uh... you want privacy?" asked Penelope, seeing that he turned down her TV.
"I was going to explain how I'm a clone..." Junior said, glancing at Pen without answering. He didn't want to dump four big info bombs on Mari. She just learned he was a clone, had a sister and smoked pot. He didn't think telling her how pretty she was was going to help matters.
Maribel did look a bit overwhelmed and uncomfortable. She let herself be corralled inside.
"It's a little complicated." He said. Most of the residential rooms were built with sort of a partition splitting them in two. You could have the illusion of two rooms and a living room if you wanted to set it up that way. Junior's bed, television and closet were all on one side where Pen was and the other side was where Junior's stereo, weight bench and pile-o-laundry were. It was messy, which didn't help the slacker stoner image she was probably formulating in her mind. As he guided her to a chair he sat down on the weight bench. "My dad, Will, the twin's dad Jayn and Liz' mom, Lyra are brothers and sister. They were kidnapped by the Genocian government and... their scientists made me... Wow... not really as complicated as I thought..."
Maribel listened as if he was going to say more. When he didn't, she plugged in her speaker and said, "I had no idea...that is amazing. I...didn't think anything like that existed outside of science fiction. You...are telling the truth?"
"Yeah." He said. "When the x-men rescued them Dad wouldn't let them leave without me. He just kinda claimed me and raised me as if I was his. Shortly before that though he and Pen's mom had... sort of had a little affair. So I'm like Pen's brother, but kinda not at the same time."
"Wow." Maribel said, letting that all sink in for the time being. "That... sure is something then. Thanks for letting me know. Not that it mattered really. Still, it's very interesting. There aren't any ...side effects with that, is there?" She wondered if he was infertile or something.
"I might fall over dead one of these days." He said. "Clones usually have a shelf life, but I think that's because they're rapidly grown. I wasn't. So far I'm ok..."
"Sacrebleu! I hope that isn't true. Have you visited a doctor? What have they said?" she asked, worried for him all of a sudden.
"I'm fine Mari." Junior said with a smile. "Dr. McCoy has been very cautious about my development since I was little. So far there's nothing to really indicate my body is gonna fail any time soon."
"My goodness...I'm so sorry, Junior. I hope nothing like that happens to you. That would be awful." Maribel said and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay?"
He took her hand and held it in his. "I'm ok." He told her. "I've known for a while now, I'm not gonna live my life like I'm gonna fall over tomorrow."
"Maybe you should?" Maribel said, "Live today like there isn't a tomorrow...isn't that how the saying goes?"
He smiled. "Yeah..." He said. "Maybe I should..." He looked down at her hand, he was still holding it. "This is probably not the best time to say this, what with learning I'm a clone, have a long lost sister and that I occasionally smoke a bit of reefer but... Mari... I think you're beautiful..."
Her dark greyish complexion lightened as she blushed. Her eyes fluttered and her speaker began rambling, "Beautiful?! Ohmygod! He thinks I'm beautiful?! Ohmygod! Ohmygod!" Before it could spew anything more, Maribel yanked the cord out with her bad wrist. She winced and held her right eye shut as the pain faded. She smiled and looked at him with a nod.
Junior couldn't help but smile like a fool at the way the box had betrayed her. "Oh trying to play it cool now are we?" He asked, smirking.
This speaker was both a blessing and a curse. She refused to plug it back in and instead, held up the cord, then signed with one hand, 'Broken.' Her cheeks were still warm, having not expected such a flat out compliment.
"Uh huh..." Junior said, not believing her. "If you don't want to talk ok, but... I just thought you should know. I know you and Phinagin had been... talking and... If you like him that's great... But if you're... I duno... interested in going for a walk sometime or maybe having a picnic on the roof or something... I'd like to spend some time with you if that's ok..."
Again, what he was saying was so sudden and direct, it caught her off guard. Then again- had it been something she said that provoked this? Maribel sat there, as if not sure what to tell him. She was still a bit shocked. Then, something occured to her and she signed the only who words she could to convey what she wanted to ask, 'From smoke?' as if the pot had made him ask this and nothing more.
"I don't think you want to try it." He said, not understanding. "Not today any way, get used to the idea a little first."
Maribel shook her head and plugged herself back in, feeling a little more in control, "Are you just saying this stuff because you are intoxicated?"
"What?" He asked. "Mari, no... and it's not like getting drunk or anything. It's just... Look... what I said I meant. Pot doesn't make you say things you don't mean, if anything it makes you spew out more truth than you intend to. I like you Mari and if you and Phinagin aren't seeing each other, I'd like to get to know you more..."
Her speaker rambled despite her best judgement, but she let it go, "Phinagin hasn't spent time with me since I started changing. Of course I would like to spend time with you. You are a great guy...and handsome. Red was always my favorite col-" she turned the volume down before she went too far.
He smiled, knowing she hadn't intended to say all that. "Well... if we're being honest, I think I really have a thing for... spiders..."
Maribel looked up at him again as if to ask, 'really?' Her cheeks grew lighter again at such a lovely compliment. She would take his word and assume this was all truth.
"Really." He said with that tilted smile of his. "Kinda just figured that out today though... but I've... I've been interested in you for a... for a little while now..."
Her speaker asked, "And it doesn't bother you that I... look like this or that I can't talk?" Maribel had never shown insecurity to her inability to talk, but she felt better asking flat out. To her, Junior was one of the more "popular" kids in school.
"Does it bother you I have dog feet, a tail and am the color of black cherry number thirteen?"
Maribel smiled, unable to rid it from her face. She was so thrilled to hear Junior's confession. She shook her head, "Of course not." Her eyes went down to her hand as it was still being held in Juniors. "This was a nice surprise, Junior. Thank you."
From the other room, they could hear Penelope snoring in a rather un-lady-like manner.
He smiled. "I'm glad..." He said. "And Phinagin is a dick if he can just forget about you that you started changing... Honestly... that's when I began to notice..."
Maribel laughed airily and the robot said in a plain voice, "Hah-Hah-Hah." It really didn't do her sweetness justice. "You really must have a thing for spiders then, hm?"
"Well... my ex was Spider-Girl... I was talking to Pen and she actually put two and two together..." Junior confessed. He leaned in close and said. "Most guys lite butts and breasts but apparently I go nuts for spinnerets." He didn't realize that rhymed.
When he came nearer, she didn't flinch backward. Instead, she pushed her shoulder against his. "My butt isn't too bad either." she joked.
He laughed. "No mademoiselle, it is not."
There was another grumbled snore from the other side of the room. Maribel snickered and said, "Seems like your sister has made herself comfortable. You know... I'm glad you told me the truth. When I first knocked I thought maybe ... you two were seeing one another or something like that. I admittedly was feeling a little disappointed at first."
He smiled. "No, nothing like that." He said. "Besides, she's cute, but not my type."
"I'm glad." she said proudly, then winced at how rude her thoughts were, "Sorry.. that sounded bad."
"It's ok." Junior said. "She's my sister... apparently. I'm not supposed to find her attractive any way right?"
"Well... it's a good thing you found out." Maribel said with a shrug, "You know... just in case you liked her or something."
"Please, no Luke and Leha romances for me thank you very much." Junior laughed.
"What?" she asked simply, not understanding the reference immediately.
"Star Wars" He said. "Never mind. No incest for me I mean."
She smiled and the speaker said, "Well that's good." Her long fingers curled around his knuckles, "I don't like sharing....I hope that is okay."
He smiled a smile that made his teeth almost blind her in that expanse of red that was his face. "I don't like sharing either."
"So.. you want to get to know me... what do you want to know?" she asked.
"Uh... oh gah um..." Junior didn't know where to begin. He was still a little stoned after all.
She smiled, "That's okay... you can think of some questions on our picnic." Maribel hadn't meant to put him on the spot like that.
"I will." he said. "I'll have a whole list of questions for you."
"If we have a picnic... I don't think it will be for a while. It's still quite chilly. Unless we have it in your bedroom or something like that. Which could be fun too." Maribel said.
"I can fix that." He said with a smile. "Trust me."
"Fix the fact that it's February? Okay Junior..." Maribel shook her head.
He smiled again. "Trust me."
Maribel smiled in return and glanced away, her gaze lifting when she heard Penelope snort herself away. "Should I let you two get back to... whatever you were doing?"
"She's asleep." Junior said. "I should probably just leave her. We could go do something..."
"If you are hungry, I think the twins made breakfast." Maribel said, having not been round to hear the drama and argument earlier.
"I could defiantly eat." He said, standing.
Maribel stood with him and tilted her head, hoping he wouldn't be offended, "Do you have... eye drops?" she pointed to her own eyes and went on, "They are a bit red-looking."
<Hr>
"Oh, right." He said and went to his bathroom. He came out, dropping a couple into each eye. He pocketed the drops for later if he needed them. "Are you convinced pot isn't some dangerous fiend drug?" He asked. "I've been high this whole time, could you tell?" He'd gotten perhaps a little more honest and flirtatious with her than he normally would have, but it seemed to have worked.
"You are a little goofy." she admitted, "Smiley..." Maribel brushed off her pants and added, "I really don't know what to think about it. I've never been exposed to it before to be quite honest. I haven't been exposed to much alcohol either. Dad has been a recovering alcoholic since I was five."
"I don't like to drink." Junior said. "That stuff..." He shook his head. "Being drunk isn't as fun as being high. You don't loose you're ability to function or speak. There's no vomiting or hang over and it doesn't cause cancer. You just cough a little. Get used to the idea a little, of seeing someone else high, then if you wanna try it we can. We'll go up to the roof or something, where it's quiet and nice."
"Is that safe? I've read about people jumping off balconies when on drugs..." Maribel said, notreally having a clue.
"Drugs like heroin and cocaine." Junior said. "Drugs are chemically manufactured. Pot is just a flower. A funky looking little green flower. I can even show you how I grow it when spring hits. It's just a plant."
"Is this peer pressure Mr. Relamn?" she asked with a cheeky grin.
"No." He said seriously. "I'll never try to pressure you into anything Mari..."
"I'm just kidding." Maribel said with a smile. "It seems fun... Penelope sure seems to be comfortable."
"She's had a rough few months." Junior said. She'd missed the weight of what he'd told her. He wouldn't pressure her into anything, not trying pot, not sex. Nothing. "I honestly expected her to maintain a little better than she did. When you get more used to the effects you kinda mellow out. Like me..."
"Can I... see what it looks like?" Maribel asked curiously.
"Sure..." Junior went to the other side of the room and brought back the box. He opened it, inside was a lighter, the glass bowl and a small clear baggie. Inside was a nugget that Junior pulled out and handed to her. It was about the size of an eighth, green with purple highlights. "You see the little white crystals. That's the THC, that's the part that gets you high."
Maribel looked at it in her palm and leaned in, giving it a sniff. Her Father always told her drugs were bad, but she trusted Junior and she knew he wouldn't intentionally hurt her. "Interesting....what does it feel like?"
"It's... Well the first time I smoked, I felt fuzzy, right here." He indicated his forehead and nose. His sinus area. "It kinda makes you a little dizzy not really falling over kinda dizzy, but light. Sometimes you can watch a complicated movie and understand the entire thing or see stuff no one ever saw. I feel like I think more deeply and you can focus on single tasks more readily. They actually give it to people with ADHD and learning disorders to help them focus. It's not like being drunk or on a psychedelic. There are no hallucinations or anything like that, but stuff does get really funny sometimes."
"You'll have to show me." Maribel said, looking at the pipe, "I've never been around or seen anything like that before. Except maybe in movies. Just- don't laugh at me if I mess up, okay?"
"You want to try it now?" He asked, looking a little reluctant. She had only just learned about him smoking, he didn't think her jumping right off in head first was a good idea.
"Uhm..maybe later." Maribel smiled, "I think I would like to be alone with you when I try it for the first time...so I don't embarass myself."
"Right yeah, of course." Junior said and took it from her. He put it back in the bag and the bag into the box.
"How long does a... 'high' last?" she asked.
"It depends on how much you smoke." Junior said. "You, having only had a hit or two after never having had it before, a couple hours. You'll feel a little... off most of the day, but not stoned stoned. Me, I smoked about a bowl... A few hours. But I've not had any since before we left so I might roll a little longer than that."
"I feel like I should be taking notes. How about we get something to eat and discuss it later?" Maribel asked. "I think the twins made bread pudding for me this morning."
"Mmmm bread pudding..." He groaned.
"Oh come on. You can try new things too!" she exclaimed and took his hand in hers, guiding him to the door.
"Mademoiselle, I love bread pudding." He stopped at the door. "What about Pen?"
Maribel looked over her shoulder at Penelope as she curled around Junior's pillow, passed out from infomercials and being too high. "I'm not waking that up..."
Junior laughed. "Come on then." And they headed down to the kitchen.
Stumble!