Post by Kalidah on Jul 26, 2024 14:57:02 GMT
Eli Buchanan was out in the graveyard behind Hotel California. The children had brought him out here for some fresh air, at the behest of their mother. Not that the chaotic quintet required much encouragement from his wife to do such things. Ever since he was blinded in the ring, the children had done whatever they could to take care of him; taking him for walks, reading to him, and hanging all over him every chance they could.
Currently, Eli was sitting with his back against a tree, shaded under its canopy. The children had left him there while they went out amongst the graves, banging on the headstones to see if anyone was awake today. It was far too sunny and warm for any of the dead to hear their calls though. He listened to them laugh and sing, it allowed him to forget his troubles for a moment. His eyes ached. The doctors had prescribed him medication, but he had tossed it all out, refusing to take even the antibiotics. He told the doctors he would rather be in pain than risk becoming addicted to drugs ever again. Charlotte had understood but he can tell how worried she was about him. She was taking this so much harder than he was; despite how much she tried to hide it, he could hear it in her voice. If for nothing else, Roy Vezina would pay for the grief he had caused his family; blinding him would prove to be the worst error of judgment he ever made.
So lost was he in thought, that Eli almost didn't notice the ground vibrate beneath him. He immediately sat up and turned towards the direction it had come from, Hotel California.
"Haruto."
A pair of feet came running towards him and he felt a hand rest on his shoulder.
"Yes, Father?"
"Take Maria and the others back to the hotel and find your mother."
There was a pause. Eli could sense his oldest child processing his request. The boy was too smart for his own good.
"Without you, Father? I can't do that. Mother told us to keep an eye on you."
Eli smiled brightly. He reached up and patted the boy's hand, reassuringly.
"I'll be fine."
"Perhaps. Father, what is going on?"
Yes, way too smart for his own good, Eli thought.
"I'm not certain, Harry. Please, take the others back to the hotel and find your mother. When you're done, run back with Maria. I promise, I'm not going anywhere."
Eli could feel his son struggling with this request. Haruto wasn't as headstrong as his sister, Maria, but he was such a serious boy for only ten and was by far a better human being than Eli could ever dream to be.
"Haruto Christopher Buchanan," Eli said, keeping his voice soft, "please take the others back to the hotel. I'm depending on you."
He felt his son stiffen. Using his son's full name was a dirty trick, he knew, and his heart ached more than his head for doing it.
"Very well, Father," he heard his son say, "but I'm coming right back once the others are with Mother."
"That a boy, I'm proud of you."
He hugged his son before sending him off to gather up the others. Of course this meant having to hug each and everyone of them, which he had no problem with. He and Maria had a brief argument in Spanish; gods, did she remind him so much of himself growing up. Finally she relented, and along with Haruto, ran off with their younger siblings towards the hotel.
It was only when the sound of their voices faded away that Eli's smile finally disappeared. He slumped back against the tree and closed his eyes to wait.
“Eeny, meeny, miny, moe.”
Eli nearly jumped when the voice began singing by his left side. He hadn’t heard anyone approach. Another voice sang into his right ear, making him flinch.
“Tora o tsumasaki de tsukamaemasu.”
A third voice, this one came from above him in the three, sang, “Si grita, déjalo ir.”
The trio finished in unison, “Eeny, meeny, miny, moe.”
There was silence for a moment before. Eli didn’t need his eyes to know he was surrounded. He let out a smile and allowed himself to laugh.
“Well, it appears I’m the victim of an ambush.”
Eli reached to his left and grabbed the hand of a young woman. “Hello, Sunfire.”
“¿Qué pasa, Papi?”
His right hand was grabbed and Eli turned his blind face towards the individual.
“Hello, King.”
“Konnichiwa, Sensei.”
There was the sound of someone landing in front of him and dropping to their knees.
“And Negro too, this is a pleasant surprise.”
“Hola, Maestro.”
“You do not seem surprised to see us, Sensei,” Red Tiger King whispered into Eli’s ear.
“Why should I be shocked,” Eli asked, snorting, “You and Sunfire have been baking in those coffins for over a year. I was starting to think you two were never going to come out. I take it from that vibration I felt that you broke them on the way out?”
“Fucking rights we did, Papi,” Sunfire replied. “You ain’t gonna be using those wooden boxes again.”
Eli laughed even louder.
“No, I suppose not, but they probably stink so much after your long rest they probably needed to be burnt anyway.”
Eli heard Negro growl and felt the man’s face mere inches away from his. Eli crunched up his nose at the smell of Negro’s breath.
“You make a lot of jokes for a blind man, Maestro.”
Eli leaned forward and rested his forehead against Negro’s. The other man jerked back for a second, but quickly pressed his head back against Eli’s.
“Why shouldn’t I make jokes? Funerals should be a happy occasion.”
There was a long pause before all three of Eli’s visitors began laughing. He was pulled back against the tree and he felt Sunfire lay her head on his shoulder.
“What, you think we’re here to put you outta your misery like that anciano you put down a few weeks ago?”
“But you did not really, Sensei,” King added, resting his own head on Eli’s other shoulder, “The old man deserved far worse than what you did to him, especially after what he had done to you for so long.”
“You showed merced when you didn’t have to, Maestro,” Negro said, moving in to rest his forehead back against Eli’s. “So we’ve agreed to show you some as well.”
“It took us a while, but we finally understood why you put us in those boxes, Papi.”
“You were trying to heal us, Sensei. After what HE did to us.”
“And I just got in the way,” Negro added with a laugh.
Eli took a long moment to soak in what all of them had said. He was truly taken aback. The bandages covering his eyes began to grow damp with tears. Without meaning to, Eli began to weep. The trio huddled in close to him and held him until he finally stopped crying.
Sunfire kissed him on the cheek.
“You aren’t him, Papi. It took us a while to get that, but you’re a better man than he ever was.”
All four of them turned their heads as the sound of Haruto and Maria loudly arguing as they finally came running back filled the air.
“And if you needed proof, Sensei,” King said, “it is coming right towards us now. You do not want to fail them, like he failed Sunfire and me, and we’re going to help you.”
“We got your back, Maestro,” Negro said.
“We’re all familia,” Sunfire added, giving Eli another kiss on the cheek, “and you don’t fuck with familia.”
Currently, Eli was sitting with his back against a tree, shaded under its canopy. The children had left him there while they went out amongst the graves, banging on the headstones to see if anyone was awake today. It was far too sunny and warm for any of the dead to hear their calls though. He listened to them laugh and sing, it allowed him to forget his troubles for a moment. His eyes ached. The doctors had prescribed him medication, but he had tossed it all out, refusing to take even the antibiotics. He told the doctors he would rather be in pain than risk becoming addicted to drugs ever again. Charlotte had understood but he can tell how worried she was about him. She was taking this so much harder than he was; despite how much she tried to hide it, he could hear it in her voice. If for nothing else, Roy Vezina would pay for the grief he had caused his family; blinding him would prove to be the worst error of judgment he ever made.
So lost was he in thought, that Eli almost didn't notice the ground vibrate beneath him. He immediately sat up and turned towards the direction it had come from, Hotel California.
"Haruto."
A pair of feet came running towards him and he felt a hand rest on his shoulder.
"Yes, Father?"
"Take Maria and the others back to the hotel and find your mother."
There was a pause. Eli could sense his oldest child processing his request. The boy was too smart for his own good.
"Without you, Father? I can't do that. Mother told us to keep an eye on you."
Eli smiled brightly. He reached up and patted the boy's hand, reassuringly.
"I'll be fine."
"Perhaps. Father, what is going on?"
Yes, way too smart for his own good, Eli thought.
"I'm not certain, Harry. Please, take the others back to the hotel and find your mother. When you're done, run back with Maria. I promise, I'm not going anywhere."
Eli could feel his son struggling with this request. Haruto wasn't as headstrong as his sister, Maria, but he was such a serious boy for only ten and was by far a better human being than Eli could ever dream to be.
"Haruto Christopher Buchanan," Eli said, keeping his voice soft, "please take the others back to the hotel. I'm depending on you."
He felt his son stiffen. Using his son's full name was a dirty trick, he knew, and his heart ached more than his head for doing it.
"Very well, Father," he heard his son say, "but I'm coming right back once the others are with Mother."
"That a boy, I'm proud of you."
He hugged his son before sending him off to gather up the others. Of course this meant having to hug each and everyone of them, which he had no problem with. He and Maria had a brief argument in Spanish; gods, did she remind him so much of himself growing up. Finally she relented, and along with Haruto, ran off with their younger siblings towards the hotel.
It was only when the sound of their voices faded away that Eli's smile finally disappeared. He slumped back against the tree and closed his eyes to wait.
“Eeny, meeny, miny, moe.”
Eli nearly jumped when the voice began singing by his left side. He hadn’t heard anyone approach. Another voice sang into his right ear, making him flinch.
“Tora o tsumasaki de tsukamaemasu.”
A third voice, this one came from above him in the three, sang, “Si grita, déjalo ir.”
The trio finished in unison, “Eeny, meeny, miny, moe.”
There was silence for a moment before. Eli didn’t need his eyes to know he was surrounded. He let out a smile and allowed himself to laugh.
“Well, it appears I’m the victim of an ambush.”
Eli reached to his left and grabbed the hand of a young woman. “Hello, Sunfire.”
“¿Qué pasa, Papi?”
His right hand was grabbed and Eli turned his blind face towards the individual.
“Hello, King.”
“Konnichiwa, Sensei.”
There was the sound of someone landing in front of him and dropping to their knees.
“And Negro too, this is a pleasant surprise.”
“Hola, Maestro.”
“You do not seem surprised to see us, Sensei,” Red Tiger King whispered into Eli’s ear.
“Why should I be shocked,” Eli asked, snorting, “You and Sunfire have been baking in those coffins for over a year. I was starting to think you two were never going to come out. I take it from that vibration I felt that you broke them on the way out?”
“Fucking rights we did, Papi,” Sunfire replied. “You ain’t gonna be using those wooden boxes again.”
Eli laughed even louder.
“No, I suppose not, but they probably stink so much after your long rest they probably needed to be burnt anyway.”
Eli heard Negro growl and felt the man’s face mere inches away from his. Eli crunched up his nose at the smell of Negro’s breath.
“You make a lot of jokes for a blind man, Maestro.”
Eli leaned forward and rested his forehead against Negro’s. The other man jerked back for a second, but quickly pressed his head back against Eli’s.
“Why shouldn’t I make jokes? Funerals should be a happy occasion.”
There was a long pause before all three of Eli’s visitors began laughing. He was pulled back against the tree and he felt Sunfire lay her head on his shoulder.
“What, you think we’re here to put you outta your misery like that anciano you put down a few weeks ago?”
“But you did not really, Sensei,” King added, resting his own head on Eli’s other shoulder, “The old man deserved far worse than what you did to him, especially after what he had done to you for so long.”
“You showed merced when you didn’t have to, Maestro,” Negro said, moving in to rest his forehead back against Eli’s. “So we’ve agreed to show you some as well.”
“It took us a while, but we finally understood why you put us in those boxes, Papi.”
“You were trying to heal us, Sensei. After what HE did to us.”
“And I just got in the way,” Negro added with a laugh.
Eli took a long moment to soak in what all of them had said. He was truly taken aback. The bandages covering his eyes began to grow damp with tears. Without meaning to, Eli began to weep. The trio huddled in close to him and held him until he finally stopped crying.
Sunfire kissed him on the cheek.
“You aren’t him, Papi. It took us a while to get that, but you’re a better man than he ever was.”
All four of them turned their heads as the sound of Haruto and Maria loudly arguing as they finally came running back filled the air.
“And if you needed proof, Sensei,” King said, “it is coming right towards us now. You do not want to fail them, like he failed Sunfire and me, and we’re going to help you.”
“We got your back, Maestro,” Negro said.
“We’re all familia,” Sunfire added, giving Eli another kiss on the cheek, “and you don’t fuck with familia.”