[AP]

                             it was late… but mob was out assisting reigen… his mother was                          probably going to kill him. after all, who lets a middle schooler be out so                          late? he probably wasn’t going to be able to function in class… but oh well.

                                       he blinked, seeing the girl out. she… looked like she was in pain.                          should he help her? he gulped lightly before glancing away and then back                          at her.

                                       reigen was going to kill him.

  Moscato blinked once, twice, before giving a weak smile towards him in some sort of response and wiping their face with the bottom of their palm.

Apollo’s arms folded over one another and he lost himself in thought for a few moments. This certain supported what the bartender had said, and it was just the testimony he needed. Since he already had a sworn affidavit of the bartender’s statement, corroborated by the owner, he didn’t need a second signed statement, so he stowed that away, but there were a few interesting tidbits brought up in the owner’s statement that had caught the lawyer’s attention.

“In a nasty trenchcoat and smelled of iron? Did it look nasty like it was covered in dirt or more a wet kind of nasty?”

     She’s silent, staring at them with eyes so wide they might just pop out of her head. There are tears in the corners of these wide eyes of hers, and she can’t help herself from suddenly crying out.

     “Viskis-!”

     Her arms wrap around the other and pull them into a tight hug, a kiss press to their cheek. She’s sobbing and burying her face into their shoulder, and it seems as if she’s saying something- but it’s hard to hear through all the tears she’s producing.

  The hug is received and reciprocated, arms reaching around to embrace Bobby protectively and tightly.  They don’t mind the kiss on the cheek either, a usual sign of affection from her.  Ever so gently does Viskis rub her back in some sort of attempt of soothing the sobbing girl.

     “Can we really do that? Do we have money? Doesn’t it cost something? Viskis, we can’t! I know you- and we can’t.” She turned to the other and bent down to them, eyes wide and mouth slightly parted even when she didn’t speak. Her hand rested on their own and right now, she seemed calm- but inside she was about to burst just like before. The only reason she was so fine right now was because she was calming Viskis down. Even though they weren’t as stressed as her, she knew them well. She knew everything about them.

      “ We’re a small business but I. . .  I do have money saved up.                  I don’t know how clean it is but we could use that if worst came to worse. “   There’s no way they’re giving her up.  She was their priority right now; Bobby came first no matter what.  After-all, you don’t abandon family twice right ?  She would never abandon them and they’d never do that to her ! 

  She’s leaning to their height now, hand covering theirs as the two make eye contact for a second before Viskis attempts a smile.

He had to, for the first time in his life, take his bracelet off. It was applying so much pressure to his arm that he as seriously beginning to wonder if it was going to break the skin. He kept his discolored hand tucked away in his pocket as he read the sign language, blanching as he pulled out his now-injured hand.

He’d never felt such tension from  a person in his life- he’d thought Bobby was nervous, but this guy took the neurotic cake, frosting and all.

Slowly, wincing through the pain of moving the digits on his left hand, he slowly began to sign back before he slapped himself in the forehead. The guy had understoof everything he’d said, why was he signing back?

  Color Viskis surprised when Apollo signs back to them.  You’ve honestly earned some respect and points for that, you know.  Not many people have the audacity to even attempt to understand the signs ( sometimes they’ll play Charades with Viskis in an attempt to grasp an idea on what they’re saying ), let alone communicate in return.  

  That’s not enough to give him the respect that they probably should give him though.  This bartender is stubborn, specifically with people from the law field.

     “I don’t want to go home, Viskis! I don’t! What if he sends me home? What if he was really here for me? I gave him my real name! I can’t go back there- do you know what will happen?”

  Throat closes as it usually does before there are words uttered, a single swallow being the only reason that the words are allowed to come forth.