Extemporé

Bit of a longer, more involved chapter. It\'s rather sad, really... that he can do all these hurtful things to himself and not even realize it until it\'s too late to save him.


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Ch. 8 \"Why, dammit...\"


“Alright, Henn, you don’t have to go inside. But don’t move from this spot, okay?” Quinn sighed, gently ruffling his hair and waiting for a reply. Henn looked up at him. He would handcuff himself to the bend he was sitting on. Anything. Just don’t make me go in there again. Quinn bent down and gave him a quick kiss on top of his head and went back into the chemist. Henn heaved a sigh, kicking his feet back and forth under the bench, staring at them like a small child would do. Where had he seen that man before? His head hurt from trying to remember so hard. It was very frustrating. And he didn’t.. he didn’t remember… where exactly he knew him from. The only thing he remembered is that he knew him a long, long time ago. He brought the heels of his paws to rub in his eyes, leaning back on the bench and sighing to himself again. Paws moved to rest behind his head, he now staring at the now dimmer sky. It was going to rain soon… He could smell it even more than before. It was a good smell. His ear twitched as he heard the door open, attention on the person who walked out of it. He blinked up at him. Quinn had a strange look on his face.
“Wh…what?” Henn asked quietly. Quinn shook his head.
“The weird guy behind the counter… He kept asking about you. And he had this.. Sick grin on his face.” He shuddered. “It was eerie.” Henn frowned again.
“What did you say…?” he asked, his tone bordering on disappointment. What had been said about him…? Quinn shrugged a little, taking a seat next to him on the bench and leaning over onto him.
“Nothing. I just told him you were in another shop,” he explained. Another look crossed his face, and he shook his head. “Don’t think he believed me.” Henn shifted uncomfortably. Random potential strangers being so curious about him… it was unsettling.
“I… I think I know him, from somewhere…” he murmured, staring at the street. Quinn lifted his head from his shoulder and let his hands clasp together, letting his elbow rest there instead.
“Oh?” was his simple reply. Henn nodded.
“Yeah… I don’t know where from, though…” he sighed. Quinn lifted a hand to gently brush through Henn’s hair, humming thoughtfully.
“Did you maybe see him in TSC?” he offered quietly. Henn shook his head after a moment.
“I… don’t think so.” He stood suddenly. “Can we go…?” he asked softly, his features flushing a little. Quinn stood too, looking a little put-off. He nodded regardless.
“Of course. Just want to go home, or…?”
“Whatever,” Henn replied with a shrug. “I just don’t want to be here, anymore…” Quinn nodded again, wrapping an arm around his shoulder and gently nosing his temple.
“Hungry?” he offered. Henn shrugged and nodded. Sounded good to him.
“Sure… you pick where.”

The small restaurant was one that Quinn had been trying to get them to go to for nearly a year. Things always kept coming up that kept them from this little place. And now that they were finally here, he was a little sad it had taken them this long. It was really small but cozy, and the only people that were there were the people that ran it. And the smell… it smelled so good. All kinds-of food smells tickled his nose. It smelled wonderful. Quinn smiled and led them to a small table in a secluded corner, moving the second chair that huddled to the table next to his. Henn pulled it out a little and sat down, his tail swinging and almost brushing the floor. He sighed softly, his paws twitching. He felt dirty. He stood to excuse himself.
“I need… my paws feel dirty,” he mumbled softly. Quinn nodded.
“Of course! Of course… I’m not sure where the restrooms are… but I’m sure they’ll be easy to find.” Henn nodded and gave a look of reassurance that he’d be safe and back, and wandered off.

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Quinn watched him go with a sigh, knowing that he’d return , but his paws would be sore. He shook his head slowly. Poor Henn. Even though he couldn’t remember it, he still couldn’t escape his past. He smiled as a waitress came up to the table, her poofy tail bobbing behind her and her downward…sloped… ears… Quinn pointed at her, smiling slightly.
“You! How are you do… ing…” His voice faded off. Veronica, aka Galway, now had a patch residing over her left eye. It didn’t distract from her beauty, but it was just… it seemed out of place on her smiling features. “What… happened…?“ he dared to ask quietly. She dipped her head forward.
“I… had a little accident,” she explained with a small sigh, gently tapping the tip of her pen on the notepad she held. “I’m lucky… it was only half my vision I lost.” She smiled wanly. Quinn wondered vaguely… if… But no, it couldn’t have been. The dark had no idea that Veronica was even alive. If they did they wouldn’t be so persistent on getting Henn. If the dark… even really existed. She was as good as free. So what had happened?
“An accident here?” he asked hopefully. She nodded.
“Grease is a lot hotter than you’d think it was! Took my fur a whole two weeks to grow back. It was terrible,” she breathed in exasperation. Quinn smiled and nodded with her, relieved.
“I’ve gotten burned before. But never… never that bad. Ouch, I’m sorry. Any chance that you could see again?” he questioned in concern. She still had her oval glasses, her remaining vivid green eye peeking just over the top of it. Such a happy face… such a happy person. He felt a tinge of pity. If only Henn could meet her… She shook her head.
“Doctors don’t know.” She shrugged, smiling again. “But I’m not worried. I’m still alive, right? Could have been worse. Say, what can I get for you?” she asked cheerfully, readying her pen. Quinn blinked, drawn in by her happiness. He shrugged.
“Ahh… well, what’ve you got?” he asked. Veronica sighed.
“Well… to tell you the truth, I was just about to leave. Shift’s over. But I decided to come and see how you were doing. So I’ll be taking your order and then I’m sorry, but I’ll have to be off. Buuuut… we do have a bunch of tasty sandwiches… Ummm… some really good salads…” She tapped the pen to her chin. “Soups…” she shrugged. “It’s such a tiny place, we don’t have much variety.” Quinn smiled, waving a hand.
“Have them bring me whatever your favourite thing on the menu is.” He winked with his words. “I trust you enough.” They both laughed a little, and Vero nodded.
“Right. Extra cheesy turkey sandwich and a cup of vichyssoise,” she chimed, scribbling the order onto the paper. “Anything to drink?” she asked. Quinn shrugged.
“Water, I think. That should be fine.” Vero nodded, wrote more, and smiled at him.
“It was really good to see you, again. Don’t be a stranger, okay?” she giggled, giving a small wave before turning and walking to the back, an unmistakable bounce in her step. Quinn sighed, shaking his head. Hard to believe that she was Henn’s sister. They were polar opposites.

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Henn found the bathrooms easily enough, his paws still twitching a bit. Touching all those old things had just.. He didn’t mind them! He liked antique things. But the feeling they left on his paws was just… yuck. He was glad the thing was empty, and that the faucets turned and held the water on, and you didn’t have to press that stupid thing just to make it go, only to have it stop seconds later. He hummed softly, fetching some soap from the little dispenser and rubbing his paws together for a minute or so before he turned on the water and actually washed anything. His mind wandered. What was up with that scary chemist guy…? And why was he so concerned with Henn not being back a second time? Any why the hell did he seem so familiar? Where had Henn seen him before? He shuddered. And what was going on with the attacks? What started them? Why did they stop? Were they over or what? He sighed heavily, scrubbing his paws harder. He hoped so. God he hoped so. He hated being afraid of the only person he trusted in the world. And he hated that he didn’t have anyone to talk to about it, either. He hated it.. He hated everything.
“Why, dammit…” he whispered harshly to himself, dragging his claws through the fur on the back of his paws to assist in the cleaning. They were so dirty… he was so dirty. So dirty from everything that was happening. Maybe if he scrubbed hard enough he’d just vanish, and he wouldn’t have to worry about anything anymore. Erase himself. Soap seeped into the scratches he was leaving and it stung and he winced, but it didn’t stop him. He kept clawing and scrubbing. Clean, he had to get clean. He had to wash this filth from himself. Little was stopping him from just jumping right into the sink and scrubbing over his whole body. But no. That’d not only humiliate himself but Quinn as well. He couldn’t do that. So he had to clean his paws as best he could. His breathing picked up and he scrubbed quickly, trying to rid himself of that gross feeling. Blood dripped into the sink for a full minute before he even noticed it, stopping all movements and just watching it spread and dissolve, turning the water pink before it was swept away. He whimpered softly, his paws trembling slightly as they just sat under the running water. He looked around frantically, gathering the roll of paper towel into his paws and ripping off several pieces and trying his best to make the cuts stop bleeding and get the blood out of his fur. He finally did after a short while, and his breathing was finally back to normal. He cleaned up his mess, and took a few deep breaths until he found himself able to walk back out into the restaurant.
“Sorry…” he mumbled, sinking back into his chair, his tail hiding under it as he sat there. Quinn shook his head, pulling him close.
“It’s alright, no need to be sorry. I understand. Those antiques can be awfully filthy sometimes.” He smiled and pet through his hair. “Food should be here, shortly…” he murmured softly. Henn nodded, his paws twitching a little. They still stung. He hid them under the table.
“What… what did you get?” he asked, trying his best to sound casual. Quinn shrugged, smiling a bit.
“You’ll see. I think it’s something you’ll like. If not… I’ll just get something else. It wouldn’t be a problem,” he explained. Henn nodded a bit, still semi-distracted by his paws. He’d eat it, even if he didn’t like it. It was just who he was. He blinked to attention when their food was slid onto their table minutes later by a short, squat old waiter.
“Compliments of Avery. No charge,” the man said, seeming to be put-off by the fact but trying to remain kind nonetheless. Quinn frowned thoughtfully.
“So she changed he name, again…” he murmured. Henn looked over at him.
“Who did…?” he asked quietly. Someone was changing names? And often? How strange… His ear twitched a little at Quinn’s surprised look.
“Oh! No one. I’m sorry. Thinking out loud to myself,” he stammered quickly. “Our food’s here! Good. Here, let me split this…” Henn watched him cut the sandwich in half and separate them on the plate. He noticed a small cup next to the plate, and wondered what was in it. He sniffed the air, trying to see if he could catch a breath of it. Identify it that way. He couldn’t.
“Qu\'est-ce que c\'est…?” he asked softly, pointing at the bowl. Quinn ‘ahh’d’ and brought it closer to him, setting a spoon next to it.
“You’ve had it before,” he clued in. Henn knew that’s all he’d tell him. He picked up the spoon, carefully ladling it into the cup and taking a sip of what it came out full of. He frowned, lifting his glasses and rubbing at his eye with the heel of his paw. His head suddenly hurt really badly. Right behind his eyes.
“Henn are you okay?” Quinn asked in concern, shifting closer and setting one hand on his knee, and the other gently rubbing his back. Henn managed a nod.
“I… I don’t like it…” he stuttered. “It… it gives me bad pictures…” Henn couldn’t think of any better way to explain it. Quinn frowned, leaning him over so he could kiss his cheek.
“It’s okay, Henn. You don’t have to like it,” he assured gently. “Here, eat some of this instead,” he offered, pulling the plate closer to him. Henn took a deep breath and nodded, shaking the bad pictures from his mind and trying to focus on the food. He really was hungry.