Sing for Absolution

"I wannnnt…waffles," Matt sang to himself as he passed the memorial fountain in the village and found a small café that served just what he was looking for.

With strawberries. And whipped cream.

He ordered a cup of tea and sat down with a newspaper, half of which was in a language Matt couldn't understand, so he just looked at the pictures.

Economic plunge. Economic plunge. Economic plunge.

"Twust in our government, they'll fix it!" Matt mumbled to himself as he sipped at his tea, earning himself a few stares from the locals wondering who the crazy man was that was talking to himself. "Everywhere in the world it's the same thing, no matter what language."

"A society based on continuous growth is… unsustainable."

Matt was chewing at his sleeve in thought as the waitress brought his waffles and he dug in hungrily.
 
Once her breakfast was gone, Alyne amused herself by tapping out a few songs on her bodhran and feeding some birds her leftover crumbs. The sun was getting strong, and she figured that she might as well go back home and face the music.


Perry was probably going to show up later if he realized Andrick didn't live with her anymore.. A small stirring of fear coiled in her belly but she shoved it aside. She refused to be a coward.


No way.


"Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket.." she sang softly to herself, scrambling down the path to the village.
 
Matt finished off his waffles with a belch that yet again turned heads. He patted his lips with his napkin. "Woops. Sorry," he said, not at all sorry and winking at an old couple who stared with obvious disapproval. He paid his bill, leaving a generous tip and trotted out of the café.

He stretched lazily and hummed to himself.

Today, I have begun step two of project: Ruin Perry's Life; rescued some booze from a terrible and tragic death; pondered the state of the world; and given the local fogies something to rant about for the next week. All before breakfast~ Except for the last one. Good job, Matt.

He was about to head back down to the resort when he spotted Alyne coming down the path. He called to her and waved.
 
Alyne passed the first few village shops and homes, not really paying much attention to anybody out walking until she heard somebody call out to her. She looked up curiously and saw that it was Matt. Uh oh. Good thing she thought to cover the bruise up earlier. She smiled a little and walked over to him, deciding against mentioning anything about Perry or Andrick.


"Hey, Matt. What're you doing up here so early?" she asked curiously, tilting her head at him.
 
Matt waggled his eyebrows. "Ohhhh just ruining people's day."

"How'd you survive the commotion from last week? We caused quite the stir. Sorry. I hope you didn't have too much trouble. I didn't mean for that."
 
"Oh, I was f-fine. I didn't get into any trouble, my brother was just a little worried since I didn't leave a note. Don't worry about it. He's gone now anyway," she said with a shrug, not looking at him since she always stuttered more through her lies if she was meeting the eyes of the person she spoke to.


"Uh, how are you ruining peoples day?" she added curiously, changing the subject again.
 
"You're a terrible liar, you know that? Don't worry, I only know this because I, too, am a terrible liar." He stared intensely at her for a moment, then let it drop.

"You can't say anything," Matt said, putting a finger to his lips, "But I took some of Perry's stock. I think I'll be going to the bar a few nights a week, gather some dirt on this fellow. And order some...soda. Care to join me?"
 
Alyne flushed as he called out her lie, looking down at her feet. As long as he didn't realize the truth, it didn't matter if he knew.. right? She looked up only when he spoke again, listening curiously as he explained how he had stolen stuff from Perry. Her eyes widened and she shook her head quickly.


"Matt, you have to put it back. Perry's.. not safe," she whispered anxiously, glancing back to the bar before looking up at him worriedly.


"I.. I won't be able to join you. I think I have to leave town before.. Just, now," she said, slipping up slightly as she tried to figure out what to say.
 
"I'm not scared of Perry and you shouldn't be either. What's he gonna do, beat me up? He probably could, and I'm sure he will. But it doesn't matter. I've gotten in plenty of fights in my life and I usually lose." He held his arms out to his sides, the baggy jumper showcasing his tiny figure. "How many people am I going to win against, physically? Honestly? I'm short and Chris could probably break my arm with his bare hands if he wanted to… It doesn't matter. I know that I can win in other ways and already have. And so can you.

Are you seriously going to run away?"
 
"Matt.. I.." she tried to explain. There was no point. He didn't and couldn't understand because he hadn't been here. She knew that it was her own problem, but she couldn't help feel as though he was right and she really was just running away. Her stomach twisted - she really was a coward. Andrick had been right to leave her behind this way.


"I'll stay," she whispered brokenly, looking away and ignoring the terror she felt at what was coming. She shook her head and cleared her throat quickly. "I'll talk to you later," she said, moving past him and going back to her house.
 
Matt tangled his fingers in his hair and glared up at the sky, a frustrated growl emanating from his throat. "Don't act so helpless!" he shouted after her, unable to contain himself. He kicked a rock across the pavement and shoved his hands in the pockets of his corduroys. He made his way back down to the resort, his mood off now.

The others had barely risen but Matt immediately made his way to the studio, picking up his guitar and cranking up the volume and distortion on the amp. He scratched his fingernails across the kaoss pad, making it screech.

"Jesus, Matt," Dom shouted, coming in the door and turning down the volume on his amp. "Just a little early for concert volume, don't you think?"

Matt was sullen and didn't answer.

Dom rolled his eyes. So it would be one of those days.
 
Alyne slammed the front door shut behind her and slid down to the floor, crying into her hands. She had heard Matt, of course. He was right. She was pathetic, weak, useless. Words of hatred filled her mind and she clutched her head, dropping her bodhran to the floor as she scrunched her eyes closed. Gone, they were all gone.


She was shaking by the time she opened her eyes, mumbling to herself absently as she got up and toddled unsteadily to the kitchen. Once she had poured herself a glass of juice - getting most of it all over the counter - she sat on a stool and started to drink it. The sugar started to soothe her at first, but then somebody knocked on the door.


Dropping the glass to the floor, she didn't even flinch when it shattered and left cranberry juice coating the tiles. She stared at the front door as it opened, realizing too late that she had left it unlocked.


Perry.


She gasped and raced out of the kitchen to the dining room, hearing him behind her enough to know that he would give chase. As she turned and bolted up the stairs, he grabbed her ankle and yanked her back down forcefully, pinning her against the lower landing as he caught his breath.


"You little minx! First you turn me down and insult me, and then you think it's funny to steal my shipment, hm? Oh don't look at me like that, I know it was you.. Well, don't worry, sweetheart. I already know how you can pay me back."
 
This time it was Matt who was distracted through the recording session. His glare dared Dom to say something and Dom avoided his gaze. After a painfully long day of getting very little done, Dom pulled Matt aside and suggested maybe he avoid the village, as it seemed to be a distracting factor to him. Matt only responded by punching Dom in the face and stalking off.
Chris could only laugh as Dom stood rubbing his jaw. "He only punched you because he knows you're right and you're making him eat his own words. A different day might have yielded better results."

Matt was already on his way back into the village, taking the shuttle again this time, more determined than ever to run Perry into the ground, and not at all sorry for his previous actions. He was miffed at Alyne and he was miffed at Andrick and he was miffed at Dom and Chris and just about the whole world. No, he was miffed at the whole world.

He made his way into the bar and ordered three straight shots of bourbon.
 
Perry strolled into the bar about ten minutes after Matt got there, not even noticing the boy. He was whistling to himself and saluted the bartender before strolling out back, not even making a single comment about the lost stock. After a few minutes of checking in, he came back out with lunch and sat the the end of the bar, eating in a shockingly good mood. Most of the people in the bar were staring, not understanding the turnaround.


Alyne had taken a trembling shower, not even daring to look at her own bruises as she dressed in jeans and a long tunic that the sleeves went down past her wrists. It was too warm to dress this way, but there was a good breeze on top of the mountain. People wouldn't ask questions anyway. She left her hair down and applied makeup carefully again, then slipped out of her house with a hastily packed bag. Her plan was to sneak down to the resort and catch the bus there before anybody realized she had gone.
 
Matt glared at the man from his spot at the bar, his mind whirring in what was a relatively drunken mess. He took another shot and stood up, staggering over to Perry and slapped a hand on the man's shoulder. "Saaaay. Hullooo~"
 
"Hm?" Perry said distractedly, looking up at Matt with curiosity. New kid? Oh well. He was in too good a mood to care.


"Hey, kid. You're looking pretty drunk. Better go take a seat before you fall on your ass," he said, chuckling a bit as he finished up his lunch and handed the plate to the barkeeper.


"I'll be in later, Sean. I'm visiting my new ladyfriend before my shift. Might be a few minutes late," he said with a smirk before walking around Matt and leaving.


Alyne was stumbling down the path around the lake, ignoring how her legs and arms ached. Forgetting the mud, she ended up sliding and tripping right into the cold water. Damn, and she had just been laughing at Matt for this.. She climbed out quickly, walking the rest of the way down to the resort as fast as she could and wondering how catching a bus even worked.
 
Goddamn…

That hadn't worked the way that Matt had hoped.

"Gimme another drink," Matt hissed at the bartender. He took the shot before the bartender had even set it down and guzzled it. Slapping money on the counter, Matt swayed out the door, determination written on his face.
 
Perry was gone by the time Matt came outside, and Alyne had made it to the resort. She looked around blankly, having no idea where to go or what went where.. People were outside and looking at her oddly, but she ignored them. It was warmer down her and her shirt was bothering her, but she ignored that too.


"Excuse me, where does the bus pick up?" she finally asked a woman, nodding her thanks and heading in the direction that had been pointed to.


She didn't see anybody from the band that she recognized as she walked through the building, but then again she wasn't really looking for them. Once outside again, she sat on the bus bench, looking down at her feet and waiting.


Running away. A coward.
 
Standing on the street in frustration and with Perry completely missing, Matt stalked around to the back of the building and began kicking at the repaired cable with his shoe. He broke through the cable easily enough, but he felt the outage before he heard it this time. The electricity coursed through his body, making his hair stand on end and he staggered backwards in pain with a little cry.

He was mad, drunk and unreasonable and now he'd done something stupid. He knew he had to get out of here, or he'd get caught. He hurried as fast as he could for the path that lead to the resort, but his leg wouldn't work the way it was supposed to. His pace was gimpy but he made it to the path safely and with decent timing. He had no idea what good it would do to go back to the resort but he felt he needed Dom right now and that was the only reason he could think of that propelled him there.

Unfortunately, his trek was painful and he tripped a lot, falling and skinning his hands on the gravel and by the time he got back to the resort he was swearing like a sailor.
 
"Excuse me, when does the next bus leave for the city?" she asked a passing man. After giving her an odd look, he said it'd be about half an hour.


She understood the look. Not only was she dressed in clothes that weren't appropriate for the weather, but she was dripping wet from her dip in the lake and- Oh no! She just realized that the water had likely washed her makeup off. Keeping her head tipped down, her hair covered it. At least the others were all under clothing. Damn it. Maybe nobody would ask questions..


From somewhere in the resort she could hear indistinct shouting that sounded like curses, but she couldn't make out the voice. Not her business, she figured as she stared down at her shoes.
 
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