【ready to roll! ❤】

{ self interpreted roll, post mm10. read rules + about. mutuals only. }

[fortifiedforeman]

Tenor carries his little sister outside, through the back door; where used to be empty, grassy space was now a full playground.

Swings, slide, monkey bars- the whole thing. It was one of those home sets, and not a cheap one either; after all, only the best for the Light kids! The others would probably have a blast here, too; the littler DWNs, if they were interested and playing with them. Cut, Ice and Time, if they were home and had some free time they wanted to kill here, too. (Though, Tenor kind of doubted Time would be at all interested.)

“Pop got me to help set this up before he headed back to work this morning,” Tenor said. “He’d been saving up on the side for it- well, as much as he was able. You know how he is with money.” He grinned- “What do you think?”

[rollswxng]

“Oh, wow....!”

Roll falls silent at the sight of the playset that now sat in a once mostly-empty yard. She’d passed by a few houses with playgrounds like this in their backyards, but none as big and full as this one! It looked like it belonged in a park! The blonde wastes no time in hopping off her brother’s shoulder tto get a closer look, ‘oooh’ing and ’ahh’ing appreciatively. Geez, no wonder Daddy had gotten them to do errands away from home all morning!

Tenor would be rewarded with his baby sister jogging back and throwing her little arms around him as far as they could go. “Okay, you’re forgiven. Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!! You’re the best big brothers in the universe!!” 

[fortifiedforeman]

“Hey, now- you and Rock are still kids, and kid ‘bots need their rest. You know that- besides, if I said I had a gift from Pop waitin’ for you two, would you forgive us?”

Granted, Tenor had helped- since Pop had to leave again for work. Still, they’d had enough time to set it up and confirm it was stable. Not that it was hard, for a demolitions expert and a construction foreman!

[rollswxng]

“...A gift?”

As (probably) expected, the mention of Pop mollifies Roll. She still looks a little sulky, most likely because her favourite brother wasn’t around to present it himself, but at least she’s stopped pouting. And arguing about her bedtime.

“Maybe,” Roll decides at last, “Nothing beats having you guys around to play with, but if you guys went out of your way...”

[fortifiedforeman]

Picks up the tiny sister and sets her on his shoulder, grinning.

“Sorry we didn’t warn ya, sis! But, you’re awake to see us now.”

[rollswxng]

The tiny sister is not appeased. In fact, she is crossing her arms from her perch and pouting.

“You could’ve woken us up, Tenor! We’re robots! Does bedtime really matter?! I mean, you guys are our family and you’ve been so busy and-- And it’s not fair!”

[rollswxng]

“Whaddya mean everyone came home last night and we missed it?!”

[fightingismyforte]

 “That bad, huh?” Forte winces and decides to tone down his excitement a little bit. If she’s been having a rough time, she needs sympathy or something, right? Definitely not someone brushing her issues off because he can’t see past his own good news.  “Wanna talk about it?”

With the offer on the table, he nods absently. He can’t keep the smile off his face, but he does manage to amp down some of the exuberance in his voice and answer her questions calmly.  “Uh-huh. Her name’s Piano, and no, she ain’t a combat model and - and I don’t want her t’ be. She c’n stay safe and stuff and outta most of the fighting.” 

And now that he thought about it…

 “Uh… she’s gonna need friends, though. Think you could look out for her whenever Doc starts making trouble again?” It’s only a matter of time, after all - Forte may be younger than his siblings but even he knows that Al just won’t quit trying.  “I really don’t want her t’ get caught up in the messes he makes… oh, list… list… yeah! I c’n give you a copy at the fortress, if you’d be okay stopping by there before I take you home?”

It’s not a kidnapping if he just takes her by for a minute, right?

Right?

[rollswxng]

Aww, he's cute when he’s excited like that. Roll feels kind of bad for dampening his mood a little, but she really wouldn’t mind having someone she can trust to vent to-- Someone who’s an outsider to the situation. Blues technically was, but from what she could see he was having issues of his own trying to get along with their older siblings; She doesn’t want to make that worse by dumping her own problems on him!

Forte’s easier to talk to, anyways. Even back when he was still picking fights left and right, he’d always seemed to calm down around her and turned out to be really sweet when he wanted to.

“Yeah, probably... Later though, okay? I want to hear more about your sister first. It wouldn’t be fair to make you shut up about something as incredible as this!”

With that, she goes back to listening. Piano, huh? That’s a cute name! Even cuter is Forte being so protective of his twin already...

“Yeah, sure! I’ll be friends with Piano-- She’s your sister, it’d be bad if I couldn’t get along with her... I bet Rock’ll be her friend too, if you want?” Forte could get weird about Rock, not that she could blame him. After all, he was built to be the Wily version of Mega Man, superior in every way... Or something.

...Geez, did that mean Piano was supposed to be the better Roll? Weird... But Roll guesses that would make sense.

“Hmm...? Oh! Yeah, I wouldn’t mind stopping by for a while! If that’d be easier for you, we can totally do it!”

[rollswxng]

fightingismyforte:

“Heh.”

“If you did, I’d probably just kidnap you for a while anyway,” Forte says, but he’s mostly teasing her. Mostly. He can’t deny that the thought crossed his mind, after all - but he’s missed her! And he has so much to tell her about.

“Oh, uh. While I’m thinkin’ about it… d’you think you could help me hunt down some parts? If I can’t find them I’ll just take ‘em from myself but last time I tried that it didn’t go so well… uh… oh! Roll, Roll~!”

His thoughtful rambling turns into excitement and he catches Roll’s hand as soon as she’s out the door, squeezing it even as he beams from ear to ear.

“Doc’s makin’ me a sister! My own twin unit, even - I was supposed t’ have her from the start but he scrapped the idea. I found her blueprints the other day and he’s gonna make her now! I’m getting a sister!”

“Honestly? I think I’d let you kidnap me at this point. Stuff’s been so crazy at home, I could use a few days being stuck at your place...”

Forte’s brothers aren’t that bad, anyways... Well, with a few exceptions. But if Forte or even just Gospel was around, Roll knows said exceptions aren’t that big a deal.

...What’s this about parts, though? Roll blinks, about to ask why he wanted parts all of a sudden -- and to scold him for trying to take them from himself! -- but Forte’s cut her off again, and the little Lightbot’s frown breaks into a grin.

“A sister?! Oh man, Forte, that’s incredible! I’m so happy for you-- What’s her name? Do you know yet? Did your dad tell you anything about her-- Was she gonna be a combat model too, or--?! Oh! Of course I’ll help you track down parts for her... As long I don’t actually have to steal them. But-- Wow. A sister, Forte...! And a twin, at that! You’re so lucky! Having a twin is the best!”

Roll returns the hand squeeze, following Forte with a little giggle. He seems so happy-- Happier than Roll’s ever seen him, and it’s so cute...! Maybe she won’t really talk about what had been going on at home, if he asks. No need to ruin Forte’s good mood!

“So did Dr. Wily give you a list of what you’ll need?”

[enterwithabang]

“Of course! Heck, I’m not gonna be free for a while after today, so now’s about the best time!”

“C’mon- we’ll head down to the usual place!”

[rollswxng]

“Aww... Work, or so many parties lined up you don’t have time for your little sister?”

She’s teasing. The youngest DLN wastes no time catching up to her big brother and grabbing his hand. She grins up at him, giggling a little. 

“Okay! Let’s go let’s go let’s go!! It’s been a while since we’ve gone anywhere together... I don’t wanna miss out on even a minute that I have with you!”

[rollswxng]

"Hey, Roll - wanna hang out for a while?"

“Forte!!♥”

“As if I’d ever say no to you; Let’s go!! I kinda wanted to get out of the labs for a while, anyways...”

Roll hurries to grab her coat, messaging her twin that she’d be going out with Forte for a while, and that she’d be home soon. Geez, she’s needed a change of scenery for quite a bit now-- And she’s really wanted to see the SWN lately...

[rollswxng]

Hey Roll. There's a Forte on the roof of the labs, snoozing with his puppy. "Zzzzmuh...."

Huh? What was that sound? It was like something... Snoring. Roll blinks, setting the broom she’d been tidying off the lab’s porch with aside and hops down to investigate... Only to eventually find Forte and Gospel sleeping on the roof. 

...Somehow it seemed... Awfully dangerous for the both of them to be up there sleeping like that, but Roll can’t help but find it sort of cute. The DLN is almost tempted to either climb or teleport up to the roof to join them.

“Hehe... Talk about surprises. How long has he been up there...? N’ better yet, how has no one noticed? That snoring isn’t exactly quiet...”

[enterwithabang]

“Heh- I got the message, Roll. Y’wanna head out?”

[rollswxng]

“Ooooh, can we? You’re not too busy right now, are you?”

[rollswxng]

Icon of Your Muse:

What is Your Muse’s Blood Type: Roll is a robot, therefore she does not have blood. In its place is circulatory oil. Being a Robot Master designed as a housekeeper, Roll does not require any specialized oil and thus hers is the standard A-Type. How do You think Your Muse Handles Rejection?: She will get huffy and sulk for a while, but ultimately get over it. Roll is a plucky girl; it’s hard to keep her down! What Makes Your Muse Jealous?: While it’s not as much of an issue today, Roll initially didn’t take being ignored while her twin got all the attention very well. It made her feel lesser and not as important, even though she and her their dad helped Rock save the world! It’s since gotten better, though. What’s a Bad Habit Your Muse has?: While generally sweet and easy to get along with, Roll has a pretty explosive temper once you’ve set her off, and can occasionally get violent. Many of her brothers have fallen victim to being slapped with the broom of death, including Blues. A Prized Possession of Your Muse: Forte gave her a Roppi plush from a UFO Catcher game in Japan for Christmas, and she sleeps with it every night. Along with that, Bomb Man gave her a pair of Met earrings some time ago that she treasures deeply-- She’ll wear them if she knows she’ll be spending time with him! Any Medical Conditions?: None.

~Questions for the Muse to Answer~

What’s Your Favorite Color: “Hmm... Man, it’s hard to pick! I guess I like blue, red, and green? But purple and gold are really pretty, too...” What’s Your Favorite Food: “Soft-serve ice cream! Tastes even better when daddy or one of my big brothers takes me out, hehe! Hint hint, Pop...” Skiing or Snow Boarding?: “Snowboarding is fun!” Worst Injury You Ever Got?: “Uh... I’m pretty sure it’s when Blues shot me back when he was working for Dr. Wily...” Early Riser or Sleep in?: “Gotta wake up early if I wanna have breakfast ready for my brothers before they all need to leave for work!! ‘Specially when Tenor eats as much as he does...” Video Games or Books?: “Video games are fun! Rock and I compete a lot and I always win!!” (...Except for when she doesn’t.) Something that Makes you Cry?: “Mmm... I guess when bad or really scary stuff happens to my family. Like... Really bad. When Rock almost died during the whole Ra Moon thing, and when we thought Blues had kidnapped our dad... Saying goodbye to the ninth line wasn’t very fun either, but at least they were okay!” Someone You Hate? Why?: “Dr. Wily needs to just give up and stop hurting people already!! He’s not gonna win as long as any of my brothers are around, and even if they’re all gone there’s still me!” Phobias: “Eheh... Well, something happening to Rock. Like, that he really won’t ever recover from. He’s been doing this for years now so I know he’ll be okay from the bottom of my heart, but... Still. He’s my twin brother, so I’m gonna worry no matter what.” Favorite Soda?: “I like Orange Crush!!” Favorite Drink in General?: “Hehe, I like smoothies. Baritone makes good ones! He hasn’t in a while, though...” What did you have for Breakfast?: “…I, um... I think I forgot to eat it this morning, I was so busy getting everyone else’s ready. I’ll have a snack soon!” Song you are listening to right now?: “Switch on the sky and the stars glow for you; Go see the world ‘cause it’s all so brand new!” Worst Job Ever?: “Cleaning up after a brother who tracked mud all over the floors I JUST finished cleaning! It’s not like we have doormats for decoration! They’re meant to be used!” Best Job Ever?: “Helping people! I’d love to maybe work in a hospital someday, when I’m bigger.” Ever Been thrown out a Window? Why?: “No, and I hope it stays that way!” Do You Regret what You’ve Done?: “Nope! I mean, there are a few tiny little regrets like ‘maybe I shouldn’t have pranked Rock that one time’, but in the grand scheme of things I don’t think I’ve done anything big or bad enough that warrants still feeling bad now.” Any Roommates?: “Daddy, Rock, our big brothers, and our pets!!”

~Choose Between~

Dogs, Cats, or Both: “I can’t pick! That’d be unfair to Rush and Tango!! So both.~” C4 or Dynamite: “I’ll have to ask Pop which one is safer...” Catch Phrase or One Liners: “They’re both pretty ridiculous...” Day or Night: “I like the day time!” Star Wars or Star Trek: “Star Wars! It’s fun marathoning the movies with my brothers...” Cake or Pie: “Hmm... Cakes are more fun to bake, but personally I like pie better. Why not have both, though?” Zombies or Vampires?: “Zombies are scary... I’d rather have a vampire around!”

Tag: no

[whistlingtheblues]

Why would Blues take it personally? He’s used to attacking and being attacked by his siblings. That’s been the most normal part of this visit so far! The fact that he smells actually manages to bring an embarrassed blush o the wayward DLN’s face - he hadn’t really noticed, but if Roll said it was bad then it was probably bad.

"Sorry," he mutters, more embarrassed than he’d like to admit. "There wasn’t really any running water where I was at. The humans needed what there was." He probably could have found somewhere to clean up before returning to the lab, but it hadn’t crossed his mind, and it’s too late now.

He’s a little reluctant to let anyone else take a look at his systems - even his sister - but pushes the discomfort aside for now. Independence is all well and good but even he knows his patch jobs have just been that - patch jobs. For a more permanent fix he does need the help, and so he climbs onto the worktable with no fuss.

Better to let little sister have her way in this - he’s already pushed her too far.

[rollswxng]

“No, that’s okay,” Roll concedes, "If you were helping people then there’s no need to apologize! I’m glad they got what clean water was there.”

And she’s starting to forgive Blues’ absence, too. All of her fury could have been avoided if he had pointed out he was working with people who really needed it-- Roll had assumed Blues was off gallivanting across the globe and goofing off. He kept so much of his life under wraps, after all...

Though she’d always thought that hadn’t fit. He hid it, but Roll could tell Blues was just as kind as Rock, deep down. She’s glad he’s pretty much confirmed it. 

The blonde fetches a portable scanner, then goes over he brother to assess what exactly needed repairs, and what was alright. Thankfully, most of it were things she could fix herself-- He might not respond well to Dad having to step in, and Roll had been worried. 

“You’re in luck-- You’re not too badly off! Just give me a bit, and you’ll be good as new!”

With that, Roll hurries off to fetch the tools and parts she needed and sets to work by the time she returns. She makes it a point to be gentle with Blues, and always asks permission before touching something he might not be alright with her working on. It’s a little slower, and she’s a little more hesitant and less confident than Dr. Light might be, but it’s more because she wants to do a good job repairing her beloved big brother than anything else.

Eventually, Roll pulls away, having finished mostly everything...

“...I’ll need to take off your helmet for what’s left. Something cracked, and I want to take a look at it. Um... Is that okay?”

She’s also planning on stealing that scarf of his to toss in the wash. It smelled even worse than he did!

[enterwithabang]

"Heh, yeah!" Bomb Man adjusted his little sister in his arms to properly carry her, keeping a wide grin on his face. "Everybody needs a ‘bot everywhere these days! Y’know how it is." Especially since Bomb Man was a multipurpose Robot Master.

"Oh- yeah, Fire Man told me ‘bout that. Magnet an’ Shadow, right?" Two of the third-gens, at least. Basically their half-siblings. “D’ya need any help with fixin’ up the place, sis?”

[rollswxng]

Roll hums in content, settling into Bomb’s arms happily. Yes, this was good. This was perfect. After all that’s been going on, it’s nice to be spoiled a little. Being carried around by one of her older brothers is the best, too! “Yeah, I know. Just-- Be careful, okay? I know things get really demanding after Wily’s through with his stupid plans, but you guys can’t overwork yourselves! That won’t help anybody at all! Make sure to take proper breaks, and if anything seems damaged come home as soon as you can to get it looked at! I worry about you guys sometimes!”

She probably didn’t have to lecture Bomb about this, but... Well, best to cover all her bases. Some of their brothers could be real workaholics (cough cough, Elec), and with the demand for their services post Wily schemes things usually got worse. Thankfully, the worst of the cleanup seemed to be over...

“Oh, uh, yeah! Be nice to them. Please? Rock said there was an argument or something, and if it was bad enough for them to feel the need to leave, well... I can imagine they’re not in a good place right now. Shadow Man is really nice! He’s one of Rock’s really good friends, so...!” Roll sighs, leaning against her brother’s shoulders. “I just want their visit to be a nice one. So if you want to help, I’d really, really appreciate it!”

[whistlingtheblues]

"Yeah," Blues says, again trying to say what was needed without messing up and saying too much - or the wrong thing. For all he’s been able to help Rock in the past, he seems to keep messing up when it comes to Roll.  He nods a good-bye to Flare - how would he even talk to him? He’s never really gotten to know any of his siblings.

…And that, sadly, includes the twins. Oh. So that’s what Roll meant, okay. He understands it a little better now.

Turning back to Roll, he tilts his head to one side to try and compensate for the way the world keeps trying to tip on him, and holds out his hand - his left, for now, if just because it’s slightly cleaner.

"We’re good. … you know, you can hit pretty hard with that thing. You should try it out on a practice target at some point."

[rollswxng]

Roll nods at her older brother, waving a goodbye as he heads off now that the fighting has been quelled. Suddenly she feels very awkward, an arm gripping the other as she regards Blues with an air of regret-- She really shouldn't have hit him. Roll's remembering now that he's a little less sturdy than Forte or any of her brothers, as powerful as he was.

"We’re good. … you know, you can hit pretty hard with that thing. You should try it out on a practice target at some point."

"Really? I-I didn't know that..." This gets a smile out of the blonde finally, and she takes the outstretched hand gently. Glad Blues didn't seem to take the attack too personally, the Lightbot begins leading him to the nearest work space.

"And after I fix you up, you're taking a bath, Blues." she states, giggling. "You smell really bad, and while you might not mind it, the rest of our brothers and Daddy probably will. But it's okay! I have bubble bath! We'll have you good as new in the blink of an eye, and then I can give you your present! And then we should go find Rock-- He really wants to see you again, you know!"

...Who would've thought that just moments before this child was screaming and smacking Blues with the fury of a thousand suns?

[southern--vaquero]

Flare cringed a bit as Roll continued to let her anger get the better of her. Even though Blues had been gone for quite a while with no explanation, he was clearly in no shape to be hit by anything, much less the broom of death. Not only that, but on one end Blues was trying to get Roll to listen to him, and on the other end Roll kept trying to talk over him. She wasn’t even trying to listen! Well, that’s what he was here for, he supposed.

"A’ight, a’ight, Roll, Roll…" Flare said gently, facing his sister and kneeling down in front of her. He gently put his hands on both of her shoulders, hoping that if she wouldn’t listen to Blues, she’d listen to him. "If Blues didn’t want t’ah be ‘yere, ‘e wouldn’t be. None ah us forced ‘im t’ah come back, an’ Ah don’t think he wants t’ah high tail out’ah ‘yere, otherwise he already would’ah. Ah think he’d like t’ah speak t’ya, preferably without ah broom whackin’ ‘im whenever he tries t’ah speak. Think y’kin just listen t’him?”

With that, Flare let go of his little sister, stood up, and took a step back to let Blues speak. He stood there to make sure nothing got out of hand again, but this wasn’t so much his conversation as it was theirs.

[whistlingtheblues]

Why would he ever tell Rock and Roll what it was he spent so much time doing? Okay, Blues thinks as Roll continues to rant - but fortunately at Flare this time and not at him - maybe he could share the nicer anecdotes, but he doesn’t particularly want the twins catching on to the kind of places he’s been traveling and trying to follow him.

It’s bad enough that he goes into the places he does - but, well… somebody has to help, and he’s in a unique position to do it. Unaffected by human disease, able to teleport and move supplies, able to physically fight back… He can help the people that everyone else forgets. But he doesn’t want Rock and Roll to ever, ever catch on. And if that means he doesn’t talk to them except when he’s dead certain they need advice or help, then fine.

If it means they hate him… that’s not fine, but he can’t stop helping just because of his siblings being unhappy.

As Roll’s rant goes on, though, any indignation he had melts away (and at one point he tries to sniff at his armor surreptitiously - is it that obvious he’s spent a few nights under a bridge?). She’s… got a point, and if he keeps avoiding coming home to help with the next problem then he really won’t ever come by to visit any more.

Besides, it’s getting hard to think around the persistent clicking and dizzy sensation, so he sighs and adjusts his scarf with dirty fingers. 

"…I’ll stay." For how long, he wasn’t sure… but maybe this was the right thing to say?

[rollswxng]

Roll finally goes quiet when Flare places his hands on her shoulders, broom clattering to the ground as she finally lets it go and listens. Maybe... Maybe she shouldn't have hit him... More than once. He deserved that first one for making them worry at least, and Roll would argue that till her deactivation day! The others, however... Not... Not so much. 

And now that she's gotten pretty much everything she wanted to say out of her system, shushing and listening to their wayward brother doesn't sound like such a stupid idea anymore. The blonde gives a tiny nod and a soft 'okay' when Flare asks if she can listen to their brother, placing her hands behind her back and staring at the ground awkwardly once the redhead steps back.

...Not that Blues had much to say in the end, but well... Now he had as long as he wanted to talk, and Roll would try her best to listen. She really doesn't like being angry at her brothers, so the little Lightbot decides to let it go and start fresh.

"...Okay," she murmurs, glancing back up at Blues, "I'm sorry I got mad at you. And hit you-- Can we make up? I didn't hit you too hard, did I...?"

If only so she could drag him off to get repairs... And then a bath. His scarf looked like it could use a good wash, too. You could hardly see the sunshiney yellow under all that grime!

[southern--vaquero]

It was difficult for Flare not to notice the sound of Roll screaming at who he figured was Blues. He hadn’t seen anything, but based off of what he was hearing, it was probably their perpetually missing sibling. Flare hadn’t gotten to know him well, but he certainly knew Roll well enough to know that she was probably giving him the beating of his life (that broom was not to be taken lightly).

Flare hurried into the room, not hearing anyone else coming along to stop the one-sided fight that was brewing. He stood there for a moment before walking up to the two of them and stepping between them.

"Blues! It’s awful nice t’ah see ya again!" Flare said, trying his best to sound more chipper than the two of them currently were. "Back from whatever it is ya do?"

Flare then looked at Roll with a slightly confused look on his face. “Pardon me fer askin’, but what’s all th’ yellin’ about…?”

[whistlingtheblues]

Any hope Blues had of this blowing over flew out the window at Roll’s growing rant, her broom hitting him with enough force that it hurts, even with his helmet. Blues dares to wish he had his shield on him right now even as he tries to shield his face and head with his arms (and did he hear a crack from one hit before he managed to guard his head? Judging by the growing dizziness, something got damaged there, and there’s an odd whirring from one arm… 

Eh. He can fix it all later. If there is a later, which right now may not end up happening—- "I do - wait - Roll just listen for a second!”

Not that he can really get a word in edgewise around the broom-whacks and the screaming, and while he doesn’t say as much he’s terribly glad when Flare steps in. If nothing else maybe he can get away… but that would be the cowardly thing to do, and he’s awkward and this is unpleasant but he’s not going to prove Roll’s accusations right, not when they aren’t - he does want to have something to do with the twins, with the family. He’s just… very, very bad at showing it.

…To say the least.

[rollswxng]

Thank goodness for Flare-- If he hadn't gotten between the kids, Roll's next swing would've been the hardest one yet. The blonde stops as though frozen when the cowboy steps between them, even backing off a step as she glares at Blues from behind Flare.

"Back from whatever it is ya do?"

"Yes, it sure would be NICE if we got to hear what you were up to more often, wouldn't it?" Roll huffs, her death grip on her weapon of choice loosening visibly. She's calming somewhat, thanks to Flare's presence... Be thankful, Blues.

When Flare asks her what's going on, Roll wastes no time in explaining. 

"Just look at him! He's filthy and looks like he's been living on the roadside for weeks now with nothing in the way of maintenance, and just shows up after MISSING CHRISTMAS like nothing ever happened, like it's okay that he didn't even call to tell us he's alive out there... He made Rock cry when he didn't come home to see us on Christmas day, did you know that?! He doesn't seem to know or care how much Rock and I worry about him out there, or how much we want him around... A-and now he's probably going to leave again, because I lost my temper, a-and I don't want him to go away, Flare! Tell Blues he has to stay for a while! At least a few days, so he can be cleaned and repaired and spend some time with us and I can give him his Christmas present...!"

...Even though they were already expecting guests.

[whistlingtheblues]

Ouch. Ouch, ouch, ouch. All good points, all accurate ones, and all of them sting because of their truth. And how can he defend himself? He was doing good things, sure, but… Okay, ‘sorry’ really isn’t good enough here.

"No, but it’s not like I  can say anything else.”

Maybe his tone is a little snippier than need be, but he has more of a temper than Rock and that’s never really been a secret, mysterious, cool sibling or not. (And he’s worked hard to maintain that image in the twins’ eyes, there’s no way he’s letting them see him in any other light if he can help it).

"What do you want me to do? I came back - I could have stayed away longer. I can leave again if you want!”

Wrong thing to say, Blues.

Wrong thing to say.

[rollswxng]

No, maybe he couldn't. That's true. But-- He could at least have the grace to act sorry, too! If Blues thought he could show up and just say sorry and have everyone be okay with that, he had another thing coming. 

...And after those last words, that other thing coming was a very hard whap from Roll's broom. Very wrong thing to say, Blues.

"You could call once in a while. Tell us HOW you're doing-- That you're not dead in the middle of nowhere! Or maybe, you could stop to consider that some of us might be INTERESTED in what you're doing! Maybe you could invite Rock to come help you feed the children once in a while, I'm sure he'd love the chance to do something that doesn't remind him of Wily every five seconds--! You know Daddy would be okay with it if he was with you!" Her voice is rising with every word, tears pricking at the corner of bright green eyes as she hits her brother once more. "You know what--?! Just go, then, if that's what you want! Just go and don't bother wasting your time with us because you very obviously don't want to! You could have said so YEARS ago instead of stringing... Stringing us along, making us hope our big brother would want to be part of our lives after all--!"

Yep, there she goes. Roll's practically screaming. Someone might want to come in soon...