for Joe

[yellowlion]

I yawn, and turn the page. It's not that late, really. I shouldn't be tired. But the house is unusually quiet and I'm finding it incredibly hard to focus on these reports.

Oh, well. I sip my coffee, then pick up my red pen again and make myself concentrate.

Comments

[yellowlion]

"Call me the second you find something," I tell her fiercely. I find a tissue and hold it out to her. "Please."

[bluedolphin]

"Of course. Got to bring Joe back ..." I suppress a sob and snatch up the tissue gratefully. No time to waste.

[yellowlion]

I kiss her on the forehead quickly then shoo her out the door.

[thread jack a-gogo]

[catcameback]

There's something very wrong, I can tell as soon as I slide in through my door. It's not technically a door and I know that, but sometimes I like to pretend.

Jou is alone in the kitchen. And he... has been crying, I think. And he's not the only one, the entire room, no, the entire house reeks of bad news.

"What happened?" I demand. Yummy leaps from my shoulder five feet to the table. Man, he's getting really agile. He puts his head under Jou's hand, inviting him to pet. Smart, too. "What is it?"

Re: [thread jack a-gogo]

[yellowlion]

Kazari.

Good.

I take in a deep, unsteady breath and scritch Yummy gently, absentmindedly. "Bad news," I say quietly. "Joe's gone. The others are out looking for him."

[catcameback]

Yummy trills loudly and butts his head hard against Jou's hand, the scratches he's getting obviously not sufficient. Jou must be really upset then.

I take a step closer and grip the back of a chair hard, waiting for the hammer to fall, but what he tells me is almost... worse than I even expected.

"The pirates?" I growl, shoving a hand in my pocket to grasp at my Switch. I'm not about to let them take him. I'll tear them all apart.

[yellowlion]

"No, no, no," I say hastily. "I spoke to Marvelous. He could've been lying, but I suspect he would've wanted me to know if Joe had decided to be with them and had run away from us. I also... I really don't think Joe would do that anyway. Not without telling us. And they wouldn't kidnap him."

[catcameback]

"You're sure about that?" They are pirates, after all, and pretty damn proud of that fact. I wonder if Jou is being too forgiving, but then I notice that Joe's left his little blue pirate guy figure here. Along with the phone-thing that goes with it, and his real phone too.

I growl softly. "How long ago? Which way did he leave?"

[yellowlion]

"Yeah," I say sadly, stroking Yummy again. "I almost wish it was them, because then we could just go get him back, but I'm sure."

I swallow. "A couple hours. I thought he'd come back after he cooled off... he ran out the front door and I don't know which way he went, I should've paid more attention."

[catcameback]

"Well, if it's not them, then it's someone else." I say flatly. "Joe's really dumb sometimes but he's not stupid. He'd be back by now if he was coming back. Something happened to him."

I snarl softly again and finally lift my Switch out of my pocket, turning it comfortably between my fingers. "I'm gonna find him." I press the Switch in the same motion as turning and stalking towards the front door.