Summary: Mia get's a call, and after much filler, the party finally sets out! [PRE-NOTES] Ben - Gareth: Cleric - Dino Liz - Selia: Wizard - Dino Mia - Heydeth: Barbarian - Dino Damien - Ser Damien: Fighter - Human (For some fucking reason) [/PRE-NOTES] "Hiiiiiii Miiiiaaaa!!!" Came a high-pitched squeal from the phone. The noise was loud enough to cause everyone at the table to wince. Liz tried to overlap her head in layers of neck to muffle her hearing; Damien’s sharp nails dragged across the tabletop, his frills fanning out to their full length; and Inco and Ben simply covered their heads with their hands. Mia simply sat there, leaning forward on the table, a hand on her forehead, and a tired, exacerbated look on her face. "What do you want, Naomi?" Mia grunted, nursing her forehead as if she had the mother of all headaches. "Hey, so your dad is making chilli tonight, and he’s wondering what time you’ll be home and if he should plate some up for you." Came the voice through the phone. Gosh, Mia, your dad is such a good cook; you’re so lucky to have him. But I’m sure you tell him that every day, huh?" Inco could have sworn he saw the Parasaurolophus’s eye twitch. "I don’t need to, Naomi. He knows it." Mia said through gritted teeth. "Tell him I won’t be home till late since I’m with friends and to just put the leftovers in the fridge. I’ll eat it tomorrow. Tell him I said thanks anyway." "Oki doki!" blurted whoever this mysterious Naomi was. There were some muffled noises, as if someone was walking about with the phone pressed to their chest. "-yeah…" "Yeah." "No." "-well she said she’d rather spend time with her friends. Just stick it in the fridge or something. She doesn’t care, she said." Mia rolled her eyes. "She’s such a bitch." The heavy-set Parasaurolophus muttered. "Yup…uhuh. Wow, Uncle Archer, she doesn’t tell you that, like, all the time? Huh, well, I-oh, alrighty then, I’ll tell her." There was some more muffling and a loud clunk that made Damien bounce in his seat. This was immediately followed by a high-pitched "Eep! Whoops. Butter fingers, heh." And then more sounds of movement. "Hello. Still there, Mia?" "Unfortunately." "Har-har. No one likes sarcasm, Mia." She actually sounded like she was on a high horse there. Even Liz was pulling a face at this mystery girl. "Anyway, your dad says it’s fine; just don’t make a racket when you get home. He’ll have a whole tub of chilli waiting for you in the fridge." Mia’s expression softened. Was that—could it be? Did Inco spy that correctly? A genuine smile creeping across her face as she stared down at her phone? A smile not brought on by mischief or malice? Inco was surprised; he’d never seen her like that before. Spooky. "Yeah...tell him… Tell him I said thanks. And that I love him." As she continued to smile, she had unwittingly shown a softer side of herself to the group. Inco felt strange. Like he shouldn’t be seeing this, like it was some private matter. "Will do! You can count on that!" Naomi’s voice changed to that of a hushed whisper as she talked to some unseen individual. "Yeah, she says whatever, and she can’t talk much longer. Busy with friends." Mia’s face hardened once more, her lips twisting into a silent snarl. "Oh, by the way, my parents say hi and are sending you their love." Naomi said cheerfully, the same awful pitch returning once more. Without even missing a beat, Mia slammed a fist down hard onto the table, sending Damien jumping once more, and spoke up in a tone of mock civility. Gee, Naomi, your parents are so kind and loving. They’re really lucky to have you; I bet you make them tell you that often, huh?" "Sure do!" Came an oblivious chipper reply. Mia sighed, pinching the bridge of her snout. "Uh-huh. Yeah, tell Tucker and Hoshi I said hi back... They don’t deserve you." She muttered quietly. "Right, I’m going to hang up now; I don’t wanna keep you all waiting over there." She looked like she wanted to end the call as soon as possible. Inco felt a pang of sympathy for the girl. This ‘skank cousin’ seemed pretty unbearable. Oh, by the way, before you go, Mia, I just want to say I’m proud of you. We were all worried about you and how you didn’t really have any friends or a real social life, and to hear you're out now, with a new group of people, actually doing something. Well…it’s just nice to see you being social for a change. I was worried you were going to be a real outcast, but I’m so relieved to hear you found a group of people to lean on. This can be a change for the better, Mia. You’ll see. You’ll start losing your attitude and become a fully functioning member of society in no time!" The sound of her clapping her hands together in excitement was audible through the phone. "I’m so proud you’re not a friendless loner anymore!" From the look on the blonde Parasaurolophus's face, Inco was afraid she was going to pop a blood vessel. She stared down with wide, twitching eyes at her phone and took a deep breath. Everyone at the table braced themselves for what was sure to be a very loud and very angry verbal diatribe. Her tone was so…sickly pleasant. "Thanks Naomi. It really means a lot to hear you say. You’re such a sweet cousin. Hey, before you go, tell Naser I said hi too. He’s really lucky to have such a sweet girl as a girlfriend. Be sure to tell him I said that—oh, wait, no! Ah, sorry, Naomi. I forgot that he dumped you. Aw, yeah, that sucks. I didn’t mean to remind you of him. Well, if there’s hope for me, I’m sure you’ll find a guy who likes you for who you are. I’m sure he's out there. Waiting" Her tone turned at that last part. Something deadpan and cynical entered her voice. "In the shallowest depths." The voice on the phone became flustered and hostile. "I-You-Look I told you it was a temporary separation!" She squared angrily. "We’re going to get back together real soon, just you watch. This is only temporary!" "Uh-huh." Mia said flatly as she brought the phone close to her face. "Sure it is. You keep telling yourself that if helps you sleep at night." "Mia-!" "Don’t call me back, cunt." She lightly tapped the ‘end call’ button on her phone and casually tossed it onto the table with a loud thud. The blonde slumped back into her chair, a hand rubbing her face as she spoke. "God, I hate that little, two-faced fuckwit. You have no idea what it’s like being related to such a fucking sociopath. Eugh." She stopped rubbing her face for a moment and peered through the gap in her hand with one eye. Everyone at the table was silently staring at her. Unsure how to respond. "The fuck you all are looking at?" She barked, dropping her hand. "We gonna play this dumb game or what?" She began clicking her fingers at Inco impatiently. "C’mon Mr. Crypt Keeper, or whatever you call yourself. You wanna start us up again?" Ben reached over and placed a hand on Mia’s shoulder. The glasses-wearing Parasaurolophus had a concerned look on his face, one that matched his tone. Look, Mia, if you need a minute..." Her body tensed up at the touch until she turned to look at him and eased up somewhat. "I’m fine." She grunted, waving a hand dismissively. "I only gotta put up with my wankstain of a cousin a handful of times a year. I’ll be alright…" She turned away from him and instead stared silently at the table for a few seconds. A worrying sign, to be sure. Ben opened his mouth to speak again before Mia suddenly showed up. "Tell you what. I’m gonna go take a leak, then we carry on as normal." She turned to face Inco, looking like nothing had even happened. "Which way to the can?" She asked casually. "Uh, upstairs, second door to the right." The human replied awkwardly, not expecting the question. "Cheers." She said as she departed the table, passing into the darkness of the hall beyond and up the stairs. The rest of the group simply sat there in awkward silence, all looking to one another to speak first. Finally, it was Ben who broke the silence, he too rising to his feet. "I’m going to go talk to her, see if-" "You’re gonna sit back down and stay there!" Came a voice in the distance. "I bet you wanna watch me pee, eh freak? You've gotta earn that right, choir boy. Whaddya think I am? Some kind of hussy like my cousin?" Red-faced and spluttering, Ben sat straight back down, hands over his face in embarrassment. Liz pulled a face and went "Yuck." But Damien had a grin on his face. He leaned forward on his elbows, smirking towards his friend. "Really man? That’s what you’re into? Don’t worry, I won’t judge." Ben’s hands fell away as he shot a horrified and angry look at Damien. "What? Of course not! Don’t be disgusting! How could you even think that?" He was practically squawking at Damien. "That’s just Mia being... eugh, Mia." Damien’s face dropped temporarily. "Oh, really? Huh…" Suddenly, the grin came back with a vengeance. "So, what are you into then? Go on." He cooed slyly. "Tell me one of yours, and I’ll tell you one of mine; how’s that?" Before Ben could even answer, Liz’s head slid into view, fully taking up all of Ben’s vision. Eyes wide, pupils unnaturally small. "Tell him, Ben. Tell him what you’re into. Do it. For me-uh, him." Yeah, Ben, c'mon, tell me. I bet it’s really freaky, huh?" "No! Stop it, both of you!" As a nervous Ben tried to deflect the ad hoc interrogation, Inco couldn’t help but glance over towards the dim hallway and the staircase beyond. For all her bravado, Mia seemed to have something of a soft side. He had a feeling none of them were really meant to see any of that today. He hoped she was alright. Then, as his gaze drifted back onto the little show before him, he couldn’t help but crack a smile. "Clowns!" "No!" "Is it mimes?!" "What?! No! Look, stop asking!" Ben, I think you should just tell him. He said he’d tell me-you what he likes. Isn’t that a thing guys do?...Pssst Damien, is that something guys do?" That chip on Mia’s shoulder? Well, it couldn’t be that bad, Inco reasoned. She could still put Ben on edge without missing a beat. Poor lad. She had a talent for it. You, uhhhh, you like’em with, you know, a bit of carpet, eh? Eh?" "I’m going to kill myself." Meanwhile, upstairs, in the third bathroom of Inco’s very nice house, Mia hunched over the sink. The bowl was slowly filling with cold water from the fancy, ornate tap as the Parasaurolophus slowly watched. Eventually, she closed off the tap and submerged her hands into the cool liquid. She enjoyed the cool sensation between her fingers, a rarity amongst her cold-blooded kind; it was...pleasant. Silently, she swirled her hands left and right, gently splashing the clear liquid around the bowl. "She’s such a bitch..." Mia muttered quietly. She hated her cousin. Hated her with a passion. She used to be a quiet nerd some years back, even as she was older than Mia, she was deathly afraid of social interactions between the two. Then she changed. ‘Reinvented’ herself, she called it. What a load of hogwash, Mia thought. She went from some little loser who was afraid of her own shadow to some kind of peppy, holier-than-thou saint who was on a personal mission to fix everything and everyone…Fixing in her favour, that was. The whole thing was an act, of course. Mia could see right through it, even when she did her best to act courteous. It was all part of some scheme or another. Every action and every word were carefully choreographed for some ulterior motive. To drive people apart and to drive people together, all for her benefit. It made Mia sick. And she knew that even now, back home with her family, she was playing her little twisted game. She was probably trying to subtly convince her family she was some deadbeat, whereas she was a precious angel who had all these amazing opportunities coming her way. And why would she do this? Hell, if Mia knew. She couldn’t care less about Naomi’s nasty little end goals, but she knew she was playing games right this very second. The water was relaxing. As simple and almost childlike as it was, simply wading your hands through cold water was…therapeutic. She enjoyed this brief moment of quiet after dealing with the band of nerds’ downstairs. She liked having the time to think. To think about Naomi…in her home…sat at the dinner table with her mother and the old man…whispering her poison into their ear. She gritted her teeth and clenched her fists, her face twisting in a momentary snarl as she watched herself in the bathroom mirror. Then it was gone. "Don’t let her get to you." She muttered to herself before cupping her hands and splashing her face. The cool water was refreshing, and she watched herself in the mirror as droplets ran down her face and back into the sink. "You’re here to have fun with your friends. Forget about her. Enjoy yourself." Closing her eyes and leaning her head back, Mia took a deep breath. "Enjoy. Yourself." She exhaled, banishing all thoughts of that skank of a cousin from her mind. Tonight, she was Heydeth Bloodaxe. Barbarian and part of that fruity little team of adventurers who were going to save some rando from goblins or whatever. And she was going to have fun doing it. Pulling the plug out of the sink, she watched the water swirl and sink down the drain. She began to think. She hadn’t gone swimming in a good while. Maybe she should. It wouldn’t be half bad to be under the water again. Maybe she could invite the rest of the gang, even Lucy. It could be…nice. Then she pictured a nervous-looking Ben in swimming shorts and smiled. Oh yeah. Very nice. As Mia left the bathroom and headed towards the stairs, voices echoed from below. "You like being tied up?" "How many times do I have to say no?" It was good to see (or hear) that someone was holding the fort for her while she was gone. The female dino paused at the top of the stairs, whipping her phone out. She had meant to send this earlier before she got carried away in thought. Selecting her father, she opened the messenger and sent a text. ‘Love you pa’ …………….. …………….. ‘Ghey’ ‘Love u 2 sweetie xx’ She cracked a small smile and began her descent. Meanwhile, back downstairs... "You think humans are hot?" "Wha-look Inco, can you just make him stop? Please?" "You, uh, like red heads?" Liz asked rather nonchalantly. Eugh, not you too." Damien went quiet, turning and staring at her for a long, frozen moment. Then suddenly, he clicked his fingers and beamed. "That’s a great question!" He turned, his face still cheerful. "Hey Ben, you like redheads? You tell me, and I’ll tell you how I feel about them? Deal?" Liz suddenly gripped the table with her hands like a woman possessed and shot her head forward, eyes wide. "BEN TELL HIM RIGHT NOW!" she snarled, practically foaming at the mouth. "Holy shit!" Ben cried, recoiling in his seat from the madwoman, even as Damien nodded happily, urging him to confess his feelings. It was on days like this that Inco questioned his choice in friends. He cared deeply for them all, but…God Damn were they all a bunch of freaks and weirdos. From Liz’s thirst to Damien’s obliviousness to that ever-so-slight twitch of the eyelid Ben gave when asked about the hair thing earlier, giving away his thoughts, Inco sure had a motely crew on his hands. "TELL US RIGHT NOW!!!" And he wouldn’t have it any other way. "Simmer down, nerds. Pretty sure he only likes blondes." Mia said as she strode casually back into the dining room, plonking herself down on her chair next to Ben. "Isn’t that right?" She remarked, shooting the Parasaurolophus a wink and a grin. She leaned back in her seat, resting her arms behind her head in a rather aloof manner. For his part, Ben just seemed to slink into his turtleneck and rested his hands over his head, muttering about something no one else was able to make out. "Alright pink skin, take us a way." Mia called out. Inco raised an eyebrow. "You sure?" He asked with a hint of scepticism in his voice, "You uh, feeling better?" The reddish-pink dino brought a hand up and waved it at the human. "Yeah, yeah, I’m fine; don’t worry about it. Now c’mon. Don’t we have some farmer or something to save?" "Alright then, uh, Damien, you good to carry on?" Inco turned to see his friend mid-slurp from a can…a rather loud slurp now that Inco was actually aware of it. The Dilophosaurus raised a finger, continuing his slurp. Slurrrrrp. Slurrrrrp. His finger was still held aloft, forstalling Inco. Slurrrrrp. … "You good Dam-" Slurrrrrp. … Slurp-"Ahhhhh. I needed that. Yeah, I’m good." "And Liz?" "Wha-?" The redhead was still staring intently at Ben until she was snapped out of her fugue. "Huh? Uh yeah, yeah, I’m a redhead—I mean good." She retracted her long neck away from Ben. Slowly and glaring at him all the while. She eventually went back and settled into a more normal sitting…neck…head…placement thing position. "How about you, Ben? You ready?" He still lay there, covering his head in embarrassment. "Mphmmhph…" He mumbled from his self-imposed confines. "Err?" "He says yeah." Mia chimed in, leaning over and patting him on the shoulder. "I’ve known this loser long enough. I know how to speak nerd." She said with a smirk. "Don’t worry about him; he’ll snap out of it soon enough. This isn’t the first time he’s been like this." She leaned close towards Inco, holding a hand up to her mouth to mask the sound. "You should've seen him at my family's pool party two years ago. Thought he was gonna pop a blood vessel when I came out in my bikini, heh." Inco glanced over at Ben, then back to Mia, and shrugged. "Well alright then. Lemme just... uh, where were we again?" He glanced over his notes, trying to figure out where abouts in the story they were. This wouldn’t have been a problem if Damien hadn’t spilled his Bepsi over half of his notes earlier. That DM screen did nothing to protect him. What a waste of money. "Oh, oh, I know!" Damien shouted, raising his hand up like a kid trying to get his teacher’s attention. "We were just about to set off on our noble quest!" Yup. He had to strike the pose again. "Right, yeah, thanks. Okay. So…!" The inn’s crowd cheered and clapped as the party assembled and made ready for setting off. "It’ll be dangerous out there, so you all be careful now." Said the portly innkeeper, waving a hand and summoning one of her serving girls. "It ain’t much, but here, take some supplies for the trip. I can't let you all die up in the Whisperwinds, can I?" The serving girl had in her hands a pack full of supplies. Rope. A tinderbox. A prybar. Paper with ink and a small bottle of ink. Some dried meat and two skins of water. "Thou hast mine deepest most thanks ma’am. Thou art as generous as thine is beautiful." Came Ser Damien, slumping the pack over his shoulders and adjusting it so it sat snugly on his back. "Why does he get it all?" Asked Selia. "Oh don’t you worry, dearie. Just make sure you come back alive now, you hear?" Said the innkeeper, pinching the human’s cheek and giving it a hearty tug. "Now then. Best be on your way. You have an adventure to go on and a da to save!" She waddled over to the main door and held it open for the party. "Goddess’s luck be with ya!" "Alright ye merry weirdos. Let’s go! I wanna get back for that little you know what with the tavern girl and Bright-whatever over there before the sun comes up." Declared Heydeth, gesturing with her hand for people to move. Gareth simply kept his head down, trying to avoid eye contact as he passed her. The entire crowd followed the party and the young girl out of the inn and right to the edge of the village, all cheering and shouting encouragement the entire time. As they strode forth with purpose, Ser Damien and Heydeth gave each other a grin, both of them ready and raring for a fight. Selia whispered soothing words and ruffled Bethwin’s hair, and Gareth…Well Gareth was oddly quiet, but that wasn’t all that important. Each of them knew what they had to do, each ready for whatever was waiting for them up those foreboding mountains. Who could say what trials they would face on this quest? Only time will te- "Oh wait, can we have a redo? I forgot to get my horse from the stable!" "Damien for the last time, you don’t start with a horse!"