Good Zeke hunting

Ryan clutched onto one of those worn leather covered pads, frayed bits of page peering out through the expanse between these covers. A small notebook composed of various notes and images he couples with them. Flamel had dropped him off here, bidding goodbye before going about doing his own thing. Important alchemist things  that he couldn’t comprehend at this time.

Full of images he had been gathering and drawing throughout a small tour of the country that his own rampant curiosity  that had grown as rapidly as his own body. A form that had shed that guise of youth into something else entirely, and left him bewildered with the whole concept. People milled about with much care for the young man who had stepped through the front of the small art museum. Slipping through the small exhibits and various other things the more artistic people could appreciate.

The art was nice of course but that wasn’t all he was here for. He had been following the small breadcrumb trail for his brother; Lucas to be specific. After their fathers death he had been left wondering where to find his sibling who had all but disappeared from everything.  This lead was Zeke, the strange child unable to control what some charitably called shrieking. He personally never had much an issue with the young man, though his reason for being beyond the compound was a mystery. One he didn’t have an immediate answer to and so maybe he could ask that too.  When he visited the kid, which came after him enjoying the art itself and hunted down what looked to be where he stayed; a hotel.

Taking one of these cabs moving around until he stepped out before the hotel.  Wasn’t anything to look at really, but that just created more questions.  Booking one of the rooms was easy enough, picking up the key card and considering it with a silent fascination. Reading through it while walking through one of the hallways. Looking for the numbers affixed to one of the metal plates until he came to the door itself. With a small breath through his nostrils, he let his knuckles rap against the door loudly and waited. Occasionally glancing down at his little sketch pad, and then back to the door until he finally got an answer.

He wasn’t much taller from his younger state though he was aware of the fact his body changed quite a bit. Now dressed in jeans slightly loose on him and a short with a rainbow colored sunrise emblazoned on it, a four metal studs pressed through his right ear along the lobe. Eventually the door clicked and open and he smiled at the person that answered him. ”You’re a really hard person to find ya know little bro,”

New Hampshire was a beautiful place to be sure. Zeke was getting by just fine, and truthfully he was grateful to have the change of scenery. He was also more than happy to have a place to call a school and a room to call his own. Even if it was just a three star hotel room. He didn’t need to worry about anything, not like he did when he first left the compound. He was happy out here, even if life wasn’t the way he wanted it to be. It was good enough. He held a small 1 liter bottle of pop that had to get him through the rest of the day. That wasn’t a problem. He learned how to ration himself out for a week on four pouches of instant noodles and a bottle of water. Every time he faced a hardship he was eventually forced to reconcile with his past. To reconcile with himself what he had done.

He sighed slightly, but remembered what his friend had told him to do. Force a smile. The corners of his mouth twitched and his smile was a rather awkward one, not sincere or genuine in any way. But he found peace in being able to force himself to do it. To remember that right here, and right now was what mattered. He was okay with the past being the past. He wished things could be different, or rather that he could be different. But there was no changing that now. It was too late… But he had to confess… his life wasn’t horrible. Struggles made him tougher, as did homelessness. But he felt more accomplished and stronger being here, a place where he worked hard to be. Especially here, in this hotel room. Quiet and alone as he reached up to take a swig of his beloved cherry soda.

”You’re a really hard person to find ya know little bro,”

“GEYAH! JESUS CHRIST!” There was a shriek that came from the room as there was suddenly the contents of a pop bottle poured everywhere, from the ceiling to the window and the walls. A little whimper escaped the small boy ashe looked over the remains of his last drink. Hsi entire little body was trembling, wracked with fear and anxieties as he felt his heart trying to break through his chest like DOOM Guy wrecking his way through hell. His teeth chattered as his eyes threatened to water as he realized the mess of red that would stain on the walls and carpet. “I-it’s o-o-o-okay. Still a safe-space.still a safe-space. It’s probably not real….” He let out a calming breath and his shaking stopped. Then with a deep breath in he peeked his head around his side, seeing the invader and squeaking.  

“Oooh, it’s totally real.” He said as he seemed to squirm in his very skin. He cleared his throat, trying to not suffocate from the fear of an invader. He forced his throat clear and began nervously rubbing his arms as if he were cold. “H-hello. Y-you must have the-eh-AH! Wrong room...”

Ryan heard the telltale shriek of Zeke, sympathetically wincing when the younger looking boy began to fall into hysterics.  There was always something about seeing and hearing his siblings distressed that managed to mess with him on a most profound level. His easy smile wavered into a small line, a single brow arcing as he found himself unable to really respond at first. It had felt like forever since he actually interacted with him so he almost forgot how to deal with him. ”No, definitely looks like the right room to me. You look like Zeke, and act like him too so I think this is the right room,” He scanned the room beyond, catching the faint sight of what looed to be a dark red stain on the floor. ”I probably look different though. Got hit with the puberty hardcore, but you probably remember me when I was...this tall.” He measured himself with a hand rested around his chest a few inches below the shoulder.

He took a few seconds before breaking the whole guessing game they might have been going through. ”I’m Ryan. Just not as young,” As far as he knew there had been only one Ryan around the compound or rather one that everyone knew. Especially considering he found the supposedly defective one of them endearing. Even tried to make a friend of him despite how it seems he was difficult to talk with. ”can I come in? Fine with standing out here but I don’t want people looking at me,” As if to make a point, he turned to see a large woman eye him as she walked by the door. What she was thinking he didn’t even want to fathom.

He reached into a large satchel slung over his shoulder for what looked to be two large chocolate bars. ”wanted to catch up with one of my fellow runaways, though I guess I had a few questions too.” He offered one of them with a hand before stepping aside and settling onto the bed even if he wasn’t invited into the room.

Now Zeke was confused. This person had said “Little bro” but at the same time he also knew that this was not one of the Masters siblings he was aware of. He wondered if there were sleeper agents or undercover plants in the society on the outside that had updated dossier on all their newly born siblings. But then this foreigner said something that really caught Zeke’s attention. The man said about puberty hitting him hard, and that he may have an easier time remembering if he imagined him smaller. Zeke’s eyes narrowed for a moment as he seemed to try and solve world peace, focusing that intently. After a moment he realized exactly who it was, just make the features a bit more rounded like his own, then maybe put on a distant ut innocent smile on it and it was like looking at Goku and Bardock. Then again the Master’s all tended to look something alike. At least due too the recurring genetics that deviate. They also all bounced back a ton stronger If they survive a near death experience...

…. Filthy monkeys

“W-wow I’m racist...” He whispered to himself, realizing what his brain just put in his head. He was immediately perking up with his head spontaneously twitching twice to the left, an eye half lidded like a stroke just happened. After a little grunt, Zeke smiled hesitantly. Ryan had already introduced himself, again, for the second time in Zeke’s life. Zeke cursed his spasms and interrupting his cognitive capacity to carry out physical actions in a timely manner. “R-Ryan! Hey! C-C’min. J-just don’t mind the mess.” He said as he started looking around the room, nervously making sure that everything was suitable for his older brother, he was one of the Masters-Alba trinity. That meant more now than ever, with what happened at Chicago.

“R-runaway? O-oh. You...A-are you okay?” Zeke asked concern flooding his voice, and maybe an overpowering sense of anxiety as he imagined something having happened to his family. Even the possibility that he set his alarm and went full-bore coma and woke up with everyone else now suddenly older. Logically he knew that couldn’t be the case. He went to class today and everyone else was the same age, and this wasn’t Endgame. He didn’t just go back to school as Peter Parker five years later, leaving an unanswered plot-hole that no one wants to acknowledge. Zeke pulled out the recliner from the wall desk for Ryan to use. Then he started to the fridge.

S-sit. I-I’ll get a drink. I only have- GHA!....Refrigerator  light... Gets me every time...heh….Uhm. Only have water Sorry.” Zeke said. Sadly his beloved cherry soda had been felled, or he would have been able to offer that. But at hand all he had was water to get him through until tomorrow. He pulled one out and would place it on the table for Ryan, then sitting himself on the recliner, allowing Ryan to have the bed. If Ryan didn’t want the water he didn’t need to drink it. But Zeke was going to nom the hell out of that chocolate bar. Chocolate, though full of sugar was calming for the child. As he thanked his brother with a smile and a nod of the head he started to speak. ”So questions? Not that question but the fact you have questions. Not even about the questions about what I said but from what you said. I don’t do well with tests, please don’t make me take a test!” The child began, paranoia kicking in. He had gotten so much better at not pulling his hair out, but he found both of his hands in his hair, pinching and kneading locks of scattered blonde hair between his fingers.

Ryan watched his little sibling appear to work through something in his jumbled mind until he muttered something and only confused him even more. What did racism have to do with anything? Had whatever impaired his brother also given him a secret hatred for people not like him? So many questions but he wasn’t sure how many of them had any merit for anything. Regardless he asked no questions and accepted the invitation into the sparse little hotel, eyes scanning it with a quick glance. He wasn’t too pleased with seeing these conditions, though he imagined Zeke didn’t have the access to money he had. At the very least ”I don’t mind the mess. I probably left my room pretty messy,” He gave a small shrug,  taking his seat on the edge of the bed and allowing his little pad to sit beside him free from the crook of his arm.

”Me? I’m fine...mostly. I mean my dad died like right infront of me but I have other dad so I guess it’s okay. Honestly puberty is a  pain though, all the hair and hormones. Could really do without that, ” Thinking back on it, everything sounded pretty ridiculous though he assumed Zeke didn’t think that was weird. They both had lived in one of those strange situations most humans he noticed would never live in. Having two dads was just another thing entirely. Thinking about the complexities of his life just left to him running his palm over the dark blonde stubble forming over his chain and jawline. Now that was something he still needed to get used to. He only broke from his thoughts to nod along to the offer of a drink, which ended up being a bottle of water he brought to himself with a thought.

With a twist of the cap, he took a small swallow and sighed contently. About as flavorful as water tended to be, but he appreciated it nonetheless. The silently thankful smile was all he needed to feel good he was helping his brother. ”Don’t worry, it’s nothing like a pop quiz or anything. Just wanted to know if you saw Lucas lately. I’ve been looking for him but it’s like he vanished or something,” He furrowed his brows, looking a little worried before shaking off the negative emotions trying to congregate onto his features. That as followed by him trying to smile and reassure his sibling who always seemed to wracked with anxiety. Might have been because it made him realize most others didn’t really need or care much for the assurances of a child like him; despite being their effective superior.

”Though I guess I should ask why you’re here. Like in this hotel with the spilled coke all over the floor,” He raised the spilled can of coke with a motion, hopping down and examining the large stain. With a shrug he rose to his feet and seemed to sit back on the bed and flip through his pad.  ”did you have some kind of disagreement with dad or something?”

Zeke relaxed a bit, his breathing normalizing as he heard the question about Lucas. He cocked his head to the side a bit as he wondered why one of the big three would be with him. Or why they would have seen each other at any point. He had met Lucas in passing, but Zeke wasn’t anyone special. He wasn’t nearly as important as anyone from the prior generations, let alone the big three. He took a small nibble from the chocolate bar and let out a hum. He was worried about Lucas now too. With Lucius gone it was possible that he felt as though he had no home amongst the others.

He worried about Ryan even more though. While it was true that Lucas lost his father, Lucas was one of a kind. Ryan was too, but Zeke knew all too well what it meant to have so many siblings, and unknown generations more that would be vying to be your better. Zeke never knew what it was to be at the top, but he knew how much progress and progression meant to his family.

“L-Lucas? Hm. I-I dunno man. I haven’t see-seen him. B-but I could help look.” Zeke said, though the second portion was blurted out mainly as a way to make himself useful. Even with months away from his family, he still wanted to be helpful in some way. He had nothing to gain from it really. He couldn’t gain standing with his family, because he opted to walk away from it. There was just the personal satisfaction of knowing his family was okay.

“ N-No. I -I wasn’t drivne out. I left. I-I just didn’t wanna be a bother anymore. C-chris was just wasting time looking after me all the time. I-I’m a sq-qui-...GYAH! SQUICK! I’m a squick man. A mistake, a mess up. N-no powers. N-not even similar in some ways. B-besides. It’s better off this way, r-right? Being there only took resources man. T-they shouldn’t waste resources on me, T-the best thing I can do for them is st-stay away.” Zeke explained as best as he could, then taking another nibble from the candy bar. He was twitching really bad at this point, but he seemed to be cognitive of it, because he was quick to change the subject back, trying to avoid the commentary on his departure from the family.

“S-so L-lucas is missing. Would he be in this area, do you think?” He asked before looking to Ryan, then out to the window, realizing that while he could partially understand and empathize with Ryan...there were ways he was so foreign to understanding. “L-left your room a mess too, huh? W-well th-that means we both left….a-are you just looking for Lucas? G-goin’ home then?”

As soon as his breathing calmed, Ryan smiled with the knowledge that he for now was not suffering through uncomfortable looking hyperventilating. There was something about seeing someone he cared about in distress that just bothered him more deeply than anything else. Family was one of those things his uncle told him should be considered without equal in importance afterall, even if that person offered nothing in return. ”Haven’t seen him? Okay. You can help look though. I do need some extra eyes around,” His frown quickly turned into a semi-excited smile at the idea of having help from his brother.   There was likely not much he could offer to help but that didn’t register in his mind which seemed to be ignoring that avenue of thought entirely. What did a persons usefulness have to do with anything?

Zeke however seemed to think about it more, driving into a twitching fit that seemed to show it affected him rather badly. He wanted to comfort his brother, though that didn’t seem possible as he quickly changed the subject and his mind switched to that subject, despite the pitying look that formed on his face. ”Don’t know really. Was hoping maybe he came to see you, but that obviously isn’t the case,” Ryan broke off one of the squares of his bars, popping it into his mouth to chew into a chocolaty mash before swallowing.  ”tried to ask Flamel, but he didn’t seem to know or want to tell me. Don’t know why but might be one of those alchemy thing  guess.” Immortals from his short experience were always about those esoteric mysteries afterall.

He shook his head to the question about returning home. ”You’re not the only one who’s left. I wanted to see what was so great about the outside. Living in it I mean,” He took up his pad, artfully scrawling something on it. ”tv made it look great I guess, though some of the shows not so much. Too many mixed messages to just let all those actors tell me what its like. Also I can do,” His eyes scanned the room until they focused on a can which snapped to his hand before landing on the dark colored stain only seconds after he allowed the paper to flutter over it. A small flash of red light, followed by the stain being entirely gone and Ryan lifting the can to sip from it.

Transmutation successful.

”Alchemy stuff I guess. I know I probably shouldn’t be using it to remove stains” He shrugged before leaning forward, seemingly more interested in something else now. ”so what do you do here? Go to school? I heard that was a thing, schools I mean. Though dad always said I was probably too smart for that stuff. ”

“So cool!” Zeke said, rather envious of the alchemical power itself as he looked over and watched his brother remove a stain without issue from the wall. He even seemed to somehow sip form the can. He was wide-eyed, which was typical. But this was in a different way than normal. He seemed to be amazed rather than afraid. Shaking his head he realized he needed to answer the question.

“G-uuuuh. Y-yeah b-better to feel it in person. School mostly f-for me. Then I go to work. S-sundays are really busy. M-most stressful time. B-uut it’s worth it, G-get to h-have my own pl-place.” He said, stammering again as he reached to the nightstand cupboard door, opening it and pulling out several books on the courses he was taking. The subjects would probably seem easy for someone like Ryan, but to someone like Zeke it was incredibly difficult. Even though he genuinely knew all the material, getting his mind to focus in on something was just too difficult to manage.

“A-Art, S-Swedish, Eng-Engli-LITERATURE! GAH! D-damnit.” Zeke seemed to suddenly seize up and spazz, his body violently pulsing as he pulled at his hair before his entire body stopping for a moment, only minute twitches remaining after the outburst. “S-sorry. J-just remembered something. I-uhm-Calculus too, and Physics with B-Biology.” He finished. He pulled out a small thin writing composition book from within the thick literature book and flipped it open. Quickly he began to scribble notes, thought he seemed to bit down on his tongue to focus and keep his hand from twitching or moving excessively. His handwriting was extraordinarily elegant and refined, even for someone without his type of over-stimulated actions.

“S-so looking for L-Lucas. Oh man. S-so we should get on tha-that now huh?” He asked as he looked up at Ryan with a nervous twitch. “GNYAH! I-I gotta get used to this man. I-I was always younger, b-but you’re b-bigger now.” Zeke said, seeming sort of defeated by the fact this was actually Ryan was partially elluding his mind.

Ryan soaked in the admiration like a sponge, aware that the time he took to practice the art itself was not lost in this moment. There was so much that he wanted to show, however he would have to wait until he found Lucas to do anymore of the showboating. Even now he could feel Flamel’s disapproving glare, those eyes ringed with wrinkles narrowed as if they could bore through him. Even thinking about it made him shiver. So instead he listened to Zeke utterly interested in his normal person life, even arcing a curious brow at the thought of him working. ”Woah, you have a job? I thought people didn’t get those till they were grown,” His curiosity was warranted, though he didn’t seem to disbelieve him. If anything Ryan had been taught to consider anything to be possible and experience proved it.

He continued to be quiet while Zeke pulled a few books from a nightstand, explaining some courses while he let the can remain held aloft by the invisible hand of his telekinesis as it hovered to Zeke. This was his drink after all, right? That was just his assumption, but then again. Was hard to not worry over someone trying to tear out their own hair with frantic fingers, twitching up a storm before stopping.  ”sounds like a lot of stuff you’re studyin,” He was probably too impressed with the whole thing but then again not as if Ryan cared what people thought about him and his reactions.

”We don’t have to get on it right now if you don’t want to. I...kinda wanted to hang out with you,” He knew what it must have felt like to have someone he knew suddenly were bigger somehow. ”I mean, i’m only a little taller than you so you might be taller than me when you get all grown up. ” He shrugged, standing up to keep his body which seemed equally in disdain of sitting still moving. ”so, what do you do for fun around here? Bet it’s not just homework is it?”

Zeke smiled when he heard his brother comment on his job. He twitched, trying to shrug a little, but his head twitching lopsided for a moment before returning to its normal position. It was truly believed that only adults had jobs, but Zeke soon realized that there were requirements for one to live. When the situation was pressed down on you, you had to make accommodations. Improvise, adapt and overcome. Just like that one meme Grant seemed to like entirely too much.

“W-well see I-I have this friend. H-his family has a ministry that they run. I-I help his family and they provide me a s-salary. They taught me how to budget, m-manage time and resources with school. E-even gave me m-my own place then set m-me up to p-pay it on m-my own s-so I didn’t owe them anything.” Zeke said as he pulled out his phone, swiping his finger across the screen and unlocking it, revealing his background being him with two other boys. The one was older with brown-red hair and faint freckles with a baseball bat and cap on. The other boy was about Zeke’s size and had hair that matched in length but was a dark brown, almost black that stayed neatly. Zeke seemed to be smiling in a slightly nervous manner as the older boy seemed to wrap an arm around both of them, but Zeke seemed to almost sandwiched between them. A few apps on the bottom lingered. Snapchat was one, Find-My-Phone was another, a very strange looking emblem that said Calculator and one with an eye that had a cross for a pupil, the name beneath it was simply “S.O.S”.

“T-that’s them. N-Nihilus and C-CJ.” He explained for a moment before realizing that he had just completely ignored his brother in a moment of happiness. He shuddered, realizing what a horrible mistake he had made, getting too far ahead of himself. “G-GYAH MY GOD! I-I totally didn’t mean to ignore you. I got excited. R-right. I-I tend to study. I-if I need to calm down the manager will l-let me sneak into the pool after everyone else is supposed to be out of here. B-but that’s not until n-night. T-there’s the Arcade. I c-could skype-Oh! W-wait a minute! There’s a sports complex. S-six mile walk from here. Roller blading-gyeeeh!” Zeke said as he pushed his phone back into his pocket. He leaned back a bit to see what his brother was thinking about, now noting that he had a tendency to rant and rave on.

Zeke looked around to the room surrounding him, only to see that there were many pictures strewn about the walls and sitting on desks. Him with various people he had met. But by his bed there had been a stack of magazines, all of which had members of his family on them for one reason or another. Some of the magazines had cuts made in them, as if Zeke had removed something. Thankfully it wasn’t the ocular regions of the people. His mind slowly did what his mind always did, and jumped to the immediate negative and anxieties of all of the actions of leaving his safe space. He shook from it quickly, realizing he had been negligent of his brother's normal regiment.

"W-what sort of th-things do-do you like?" He inquired, wondering if there would be anything like it nearby.

Ryan hadn’t known how jobs worked before considering that mostly his dad made all the money and he just managed to benefit from it. He leaned over slightly to consider the phone presented to him and committed the faces to mind all within the span of a second. Now he had two faces that would forever rest within the supercomputer he called a brain. ”Well...these people sound like they’re pretty nice,” He didn’t expect any of the people to help them, or so he guessed from the various news casts projected. If someone was willing to help his brother, they either didn’t know what he was or didn’t care about what he was. It was the names that really tipped him off, though one sounded normal compared to the other. Expression twisting into curious confusion while he chewed it over mentally.

”Is that his real name? Because it sounds kinda made up,” He stated rather plainly, having risen from the mire of thought he pushed himself into. He gave his brother a light pat on the shoulder; hoping it came across as trying to comfort him. ”you skype with people? Is there even anyone you skype with or is it your friends?” He questioned, genuinely curious as he tried to imagine Zeke talking with people without freaking out and throwing his phone across the room. Honestly he didn’t like the idea of just watching some technology being smashed against some wall.

Of course the idea of roller blading really managed to catch his interest. His eyes followed where Zeke’s seemed to scan, mostly about the strangely cut up  magazines which existed with a few of their family members on them. People really did like to fawn over his did or write strange puff pieces about him. ”Rollerblading sounds pretty cool. That’s like the one where you roll around on the shoes with the wheels, right?” His exposure towards the whole subject was limited to terrible 90’s media.

”haven’t really done much lately because of all the..alchemy training. I do like art, painting and stuff like that. Video games, trading card games and….lotas of stuff honestly,” What could he pick out that would also jive with Zeke who seemed to have his own things he enjoyed doing? ”show me this arcade! It sounds pretty fun,” He finally stated, standing to his feet with hands rested on his hips and already trying to imagine what would would look like. ”i’ll..um..pay for it.”

Zeke winced when he had heard that his brother now probably assumed that he was making up a name, or maybe at worst making up the person entirely. He trembled, but then tried to calm himself. Forcing himself to think logically he knew that he would never be able to photoshop himself into a picture. His spasmodic dexterity made it more unlikely than a Legend of Dragoon sequel. He sighed a little as he contemplated explaining everything, but he shook his head and smiled sheepishly, rubbing his head a little while Ryan seemed to pat his shoulder.

   “Y-yeah! He’s my best friend! N-nihilus is h-his real name. I-it’s s-sorta funny, b-becau...he-uh. He was born ki-kinda weird too. H-he’s a nice guy, once you get past the stabbing. Heheh...” Zeke said with a lopsided smile. He stopped and the smile faded rather quickly as he was suddenly engrossed in thought. He had a moment of clarity when he realized that his brother probably didn’t need to know too much about the people that helped him. But they could in fact be useful to finding someone like Lucas.

   “Y-yeah. I-I skype my friends. O-oh a-and I skype people online sometimes. B-but that can ge-get pretty weird. N-normally pe-people from work just c-call to check in. M-make s-sure I’m okay.” He corrected everything before realizing that his brother seemed fascinated with the thought of rolling around on shoes. Zeke nodded enthusiastically before sitting back in his chair, oddly calm for a moment as he listened intently, rather interested in what Ryan had been up to.

   “A-alchemy training s-sounds tough.“ He said, trying to empathize with his bolder brother. He quickly found himself changing the subject to the concept of things Ryan liked. “I-I love art! N-not s-s-so good at it though. Ghee! I0I just make the jewelry, b-but I-I miss Chris’ art. I-I used to make r-rings and Chris would j-just draw what...came to mind.” He smiled, warmly remembering the thoughts of home before standing up with a slightly more somber expression, shifting to a spasm in the head and arm, causing him to convulse for a moment, allowing him to recalibrate his own brain. He nodded and motioned for Ryan to follow him.

    The walk was pleasant enough. There was a cool crisp nature to the air, the entire state seemed as if it were still just about ready to start warming up, or at the very least stop being too cold for others to come out. Zeke walked the entire way, twitching. He knew a few people in the city, but it was mostly the older people sitting on the porches, or on the stairways leading to an apartment complex. As he walked with Ryan he continued to pester him with little questions. Asking about what all alchemy entailed, then wondering if alchemy was a talent, a skill or an inherent gift. Then he found himself struggling to contain his excitement when he realized that they had a chance to find Lucas later.

    By the time they had reached the arcade, Zeke was likely satisfied, having pestered his older brother for long enough. Zeke reached into his pockets and pulled out a couple dollars. Walking up to the change machine.  He smiled as the dark arcade was lit up with fluorescent colored lights and glowing specks of paint apparent on the ceiling and walls as part of the dark ambiance and design. The cosmic, neon nightlight styled décor was only accentuated by the glowing game screens and the swarms of people wearing clothes and a few employees in their "Dress code" which consisted of neon glow in the dark face-paints and the occasional mascot.

    "T-this is E-den. E-elec-electronic den! I-I think Harley m-might b-be working." Zeke stammered as his eyes seemed to search about, the flighty attention span coming to play as he seemed to warily search around for the one he spoke of, shaking with anticipation and paranoid eyes darting about.

Ryan was beginning to wonder if he was just saying even worse things without even meaning to. His brother seemed to wince, though he was lost at the reason as to why that was the case. Sure, sporadic spasms were things that he couldn’t predict so he gave himself to assuming more than anything else. Instead he listened to him insist that it was his friends real name and he nodded along, not wanting to seem like he was being rude or whatever. That was a bad thing for people to see him as, right? ”Okay kay, I believe you. Just never heard that used as a name before is all,” He explained, hoping that made some sense considering that...well most languages he did study didn’t involve that being used as a proper noun. Could have been one of those new age names, like Khaleesi or whatever.

Hearing that the brother he didn’t expect to actually do well in the world outside doing well just sounded pretty amazing honestly. Maybe the opinions of his siblings were poorly founded and he could make it in this world. The fact he didn’t manifest any abilities yet only made that even easier, though he assumed he had a brain that worked faster than normal peoples. ”people getting weird on the internet? Aaron told me that’s  pretty common actually,” Which was why he avoided most of the internet, because he didn’t know how to deal with overly weird people. Especially those that he was told ended up kidnapping kids like he used to be for weird reasons, though that sounded more an issue for Lucas. Luckily they switched to something that he could add to, such as his training in alchemy.; which reminded him of all the things he did with Flamel.

”Was pretty tough. Had to read a lot of old books and stuff. Was pretty boring I guess, but now I think i’m pretty good at transmuting stuff,” His demonstration only moments ago felt like a good example of what he could do. Even if he knew his mentor was way better when it came to the whole art. Art was also something he was okay at, though the concept of making jewlery sounded pretty great in his own mind. ”that sounds pretty cool too. Jewlery sounds pretty great, necklaces and all that other cool stuff,” He wondered what he made the jewelry out of, now that he likely didn’t have access to anything above beads and maybe some macaroni shells. He remembered Chris, always mild mannered as he scribbled away at his sketch pad with fingers smudged black with charcoal.

With that the two of them picked up and were off, walking along to the arcade. He had so many mental images of how one should look, though he was quickly ripped from that when Zeke continued to ask him about alchemy and various other things. Plenty of things he didn’t know if he should talk about, though he gave the answers to Zeke anyway. He explained it was mostly a skill, though talent played some part in it. He assumed being able to use magic was some part of it though that was more of an unknown than anything else. Before they reached the arcade he stated he believed that even Zeke could learn how to do alchemy if he was willing to put the time and effort into it; though that was left to Flamel.

By the end of their journey they had come upon the arcade with as many questions as Zeke could ask. Lights flashed from the neon sign, bright green and fascinating. Before entering the neon painted place he pulled a few large bills from a nearbye ATM and shoving them into his pockets, knowing that at the very least that they would need change. His eyes widened in a pleasant surprise. ”I feel like i’m not dressed up right for this,” He noted, feeling over his cheek which was woefully lacking in glowing neon paint. ”so, who’s Harley? One of your friends?” Ryan jumped to questioning, walking up to the change machine and churning out a deluge of glittering metal coins which he shoveled into his jacket pockets. Making sure they stayed there without falling out.

Everything in the world stopped for a moment. He was trying to focus, furiously and rapidly looking through the crowds, a little bead of sweat irritating him as it slid from his forehead down his brow and off to the side. This was truthfully the most focused he had been in a while, only a small spasm in his eye as it twitched, a small smile creeping onto his face nervously as he rubbed the back of his head. His older brother had asked if Harley was a friend of his. While that was not exactly correct, it was in fact someone he knew. He chuckled and twitched with a small nod.

“W-well n-not really. H-harley i-is a ff-friend of G-GAH!. Friend of Grant ehehe. B-but he-he’s really nice.” He said with his smile fading a little as he realized right where the change machine had been. He smiled and brought his brother to the counter. The clerk there was an unamused teenager looking at the computer screen. Zeke cleared his throat politely for a moment. Before Ryan could go to interact with the man, Zeke would stop him and then dramatically cleared his throat again. Zeke calmly sighed as the man ignored him again before suddenly letting out one of his spasmodic cries. “GYAHDUDE! W-we need some-some help dude!” Zeke cried out twitching a little as he seemed to growl a little. The clerk basically fell out of his chair, steadying himself with his hand and one foot on the floor. He stood up and chuckled a moment, looking down at Zeke and reaching over to place a hand on the small spaz’s hair.

“Oh. Hey little rebel. Gonna show us some more of the “Neon Screeching” eh?” He chuckled. Zeke seemed to be unsure of how he felt about the comment, shrugging it off before placing a handful of money on the table. The teenager rolled his eyes and counted the money quickly, exchanging it for a few strange tokens that the boy would need.  Why would Zeke need tokens like this if the machienes ran from quarters, Zeke was still determined to use not only all of his quarters, but the tokens as well. Then he looked to Ryan with a curious glance and a smirk. “Hey, NS This your brother oooor?”

“Nyeh….Y-yeah. T-this is Ryan. My brother. Visiting...from Canada.” Zeke said before motioning to the dark haired young man. “Th-this is K-Killian.” Killian arched his head up as if it were a greeting, he reached down under the desk and brought out a couple tubes of fluorescent paste, glowing under the constant presence of the blacklights. Zeke grumbled and reached up taking the tube with a faint tremble. He took the tube and walked off to the side, sitting down as he glanced about, looking for something interesting to play. He stayed close enough for Ryan to keep by, but the games that lined the entirety to the arcade were extensive.

”D-die A-alive II is a g-good game. I-I like M-mario Kart too. T-then Th-there’s O-One Sh-sh-shot. Oh man. Too much pressure. Wh-what to choose? Hmmm… R-Ryan. W-what Kinda games d-do you play?” Zeke asked aloud, though he wasn’t even sure if Ryan was still listening. He was trying to figure out what kind of suggestion that he could give for them to be doing.

So a friend of a friend? Well that meant something if nothing else, though that brought questions about this Grant person. Someone he was just hearing about for the first time now, sounding like this unknown. Unknowns are always something that couldn’t be predicted and for all he knew this could be a bad friend. Really nice sounded good, so he held off on any judgment until he met these people. ”Nice sounds good,” He agreed with a nod, still amazed by the room of lights and neon paint that adorned the people  around him. Zeke walking ahead of him and addressing the bored looking person behind the counter and nearly scaring them to the floor with one of his patented screeches. He was caught in the surprised motion, nearly running into the counter but instead almost tripping over his own feet.

He mentioned something about Neon Screeching, which only made him imagine Zeke but somehow completely covered in neon paint down to the follicles of his hair. It was a strange mental imagine really, one that he didn’t really like having in his noggin. He considered the tokens with silent curiosity, wondering if they were necessary despite the fact that Zeke also had coins which were another confusing point.

He was introduced to the man named Killian and he offered a small wave. ”Nice to meet you,” He offered a small nod, curious who this other person was. Unless Killian was another nickname for Harley, which he highly doubted. His attention quickly shifted to the tubes of florescent paste, brows furrowing as he picked one up in the same vein as his brother did and rolled them between his fingers. Pondering over it until he was given the option to pick what game they could play between the two of them. There were afterall plenty of games they could pick out from the machines that lined the walls. Too many to make a snap decision in his own mind, even with the questions that were lobbed in his direction.

”Never heard about Die Alive, though I have played mario Kart a lot,” He explained, remembering the long nights of playing the game of an Italian Plumber racing with his otherwise mortal enemy. Mostly with Aaron and Rob who were pretty fun to hang out with when they weren’t basically disappointing their shared father. Aaron being all about hair dying, piercings and lately even tattoos which he found tasteless more than anything else. He quickly changed back his attention when asked what kinds of games he enjoyed playing, which was more loaded question than anything else. Giving the machines with a deep scan, he hummed to himself.  ”Platformers, shooters and RPG’s mostly I guess. I also like those games where you drive around a track until someone wins,” He pursed his lips, wondering what kind of games they did have around here.

”Wonder if they have one of those dancing games.” he shifted from looking for said game to a mirror or some kind of reflective surface. Two things that both sounded pretty great when he thought about it. In the end however he picked out the latest Mario Kart that was for some reason in this building, settling down into the large black chair and inserting his quarters through the slot. Waiting for Zeke to do the same, and considering him with a smirk. ”ready to lose?” His smirk wa splayful, considering that he heard that a lot when he played the game with others but never towards him. The game chimed as he picked out the koopa character and waited for the same to happen with Zeke.