accio_rp | The Inspection

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The Inspection

On the whole, the weather had been temperamental lately. One minute, it was absolutely bucketing it down, and the next, it was bright sunshine. The amount of rain had turned the ground into a muddy mess, but at least the tents provided perfectly adequate shelter, and a gazebo had been erected over the community dining table to protect everyone from the elements.

Despite the temperamental weather, however, it had been fairly warm throughout the past two weeks, so the chill in the air during dinner that evening was particularly noticeable, even before the dark, hooded figure by the Ministry's representative's desk had been seen.

Nervously, the Ministry representative approached the table.

"I'm afraid we have a visitor," he said, addressing everyone at the table and hoping that anyone not there could hear him. "This is a Dementor, one of the Guards at Azkaban. It's a high security prison. He's just here to, well, ensure that a certain escaped criminal isn't hiding amongst you.

"I don't expect he'll be here for more than an half an hour, so do try not to worry too much. They can make people rather, well... uncomfortable."

Bowing his head slightly, he left the Outsiders to their meal.

[And so, a Dementor is lurking around the camp, just in case one of the Outsiders is secretly Sirius Black. They're known to sap the happiness out of the environment, and - in cases where there are true horrors in someone's past - cause traumatic memories to resurface.

The chilly, depressed feeling can be lifted by the deliciousness of chocolate, though the Outsiders will need to discover this on their own. Good thing there's dessert.]

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[The screaming abruptly stopped as Sho's hand came in contact with the boy's side -- a touch which, even light, clearly laid on bones -- only to give way to more frenzied yelling as he clumsily scrambled up and away before tripping on his own feet and hitting the ground again.

The look focused on the other man is even more terrified now, as if the boy expects himself to be mauled any second.]

[ The look he gets back is one that was a second away from rolling it's eyes and looking to the heavens for help. But instead of giving in to that temptation, Sho settled back on his heels and kept his hands in plain view. Skittish kids... He'd seen them on the streets, children that had been broken by time and neglect. He hoped that he wouldn't see his own daughter end up like that. ]

I can't be that scary looking, can I?

[In response to the question, the boy nods almost instantly. Yes, apparently, you can be.

But the fact that you're talking to him seems to draw his interest as well, and he tilts his head ever so slightly.]

[ With that, Sho scrunches his nose and pats himself down, even doing a body order check, before shrugging. ]

Funny, I don't feel like I am. Are you sure I am cuz I could've sworn I put my real person face on and everything.

[That gets a brief, amused little giggle, a hand going to his mouth as he blinks a little curiously.]

....

[He does that little pat down thing himself, looking over before finally stopping to fidget with the small bracelet on his wrist.]

What's your name? I'm Sho.

[ A good response there, though the kid was still being quiet. He hoped that the kid had calmed down a little because screaming might just make that whatever-the-fuck move even closer and Sho did not want that. ]

....Tobias.

[The voice is so quiet that it might be difficult for Sho to catch it at all.]

...Didja say Tobias?

[ So quiet. Sho nodded at the table and the food sitting out for them. It wasn't the kind he was use to, and there was a huge lack in the spicy stuff that he did like, but at least they weren't being starved to death. ]

Are you hungry?

[He nods, confirming that Sho did "Tobias" correctly. At the other question, he sits up a bit and nods much more violently, putting his arms around his stomach with a noise that one would usually equate to starving animals.]

Then let's sit at the table and help ourselves. It looks like the reject from a bad drama is gone so we can actually eat in peace.

[ He stood up and brushed himself off, and then reached down to give the little guy a hand up. ]

I don't even know what half of this stuff is. [ Sho is just going to prattle on, just because talking seems to be doing Tobias a world of good. ] It's nothing like my wife would make and she was a great cook.

[He cringes at the suggestion, looking at the table distrustfully with a soft breath. After a moment, however, he shakily grasps Sho's hand with both of his, the trembling even more present with the contact now than it had been before.

He's... light, far, far too light for a boy of his height and apparent age to be, but at least it makes him easy to get on his feet.]

[ Sho had been a tiny kid himself from the streets so he knew how it went. He also wasn't sure that he could trust sitting at the table with that thing crawling around the camp. ]

Or maybe we could grab a couple plates and have a picnic under the table. I'd always thought that would be fun as a kid.

[That is a far, far more appealing suggestion to him and he nods a bit too eagerly, giving the briefest, shakiest smile as he can manage.

A picnic sounds like fun!]

Alright, picnic it is. Here, I'll load up the plates and you point out what you want the most of, okay?

[ He grabs a plate and some silverware and starts picking out stuff that looks okay. He recognizes some of the veggies and meats, though he was more used to a Japanese/Taiwanese diet then this heavy English stuff. ]

[Tobias sticks right on Sho's back, physically clinging to what he can grip of the taller man's shirt. He points out... well, most of everything, though the things he really seemed excited over are the more carnivore-styled dishes. This boy must like his meat.

After a short time of this, however, Tobias steps up closer when Sho stops, burying his face into the man's back with a soft noise.]

[ He makes sure there are veggies in the mix, but of the kind that was either bland in taste or went well with the meat. When he finishes witht eh plate, smiling a little at the weight against his back. ]

Doing okay back there? It's time for the picnic.

Okay.

[The feeling of being pressed into another human is one that he's gone so long without that he almost can't bring himself to let go, though he does pull back enough that it's only his grip at the base of Sho's shirt that might be a little difficult to deal with.]

...Sho...

[ He was a father so maneuvering around a clingy kid was actually almost second nature to him by now. Juggling the plates and silverware, he finds a spot where the table goes past a tree, making a little enclosure that other people didn't seem too keen on. ]

Yeah, Tobias? [ He'll ease himself down, letting Tobias move with him and then hold out the plate for him to take. ]

[It's actually comforting that he doesn't need to let go, and by the time Sho's found their secluded little place he actually seems to be somewhat more settled, stoic expression giving way every so often to a flash of curiosity as he looks around, feeling safe now.

He sits as well, taking the place from Sho and setting it on the table and pausing before giving the other man a look between confused and hopeful.]

...Why?

[ There were a lot of answers to that and Sho takes a moment to think them through. He didn't want to sound too mushy or crazy and scare the kid off, but he also didn't want to explain Kei either. ]

I know what's it like, being scared and alone.

[There's a lengthy pause, Tobias looking at his food and -- for once -- not pouncing on it.]

I'm not human.

So? [ He just looks over at Tobias, shrugging slightly. ]

A person is a person no matter what race you come from.

What if that person is a monster?

I grew up on the streets where the nicest thing that could have happened to me was getting ran over by a car or starve to death. The worse things that could've happened to me was the stuff other humans could do to me. So long as you aren't hurting anyone, I don't care what you are.

[ It was almost the same kind of speech he gave Kei, although with the vampire there had been more of a mutual background to start from. Sho sighed softly, leaning back against the tree and stretching his legs out. ]

Humans can be monsters. We all have our good points and our bad points, the only difference being how we live our lives.

...

[He just can't help it. Tears begin to fall from Tobias' eyes again and he turns, burying his face into whatever part of Sho's body he can reach. His body is trembling again, but it's not from fear this time -- relief, perhaps, that for the first time in years, there's someone he can touch without being turned away.]

Thank you...

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