Bonus Track - Stacy's Mom

[princeofjunes]

Action - The Park - Shortly after this thread - for unexculpable

[True to his word, Yosuke's been scouring Mayfield for signs of Ed - and of course he'd find him in the park. He runs up, to the blond, waving]

Ed! I've been looking everywhere for you!

Comments

[unexculpable]

[He shakes his head, stumbling backwards until his legs hit the bench behind him. He plops down on it, leaning forward with his head in his hands. LOGICAL THOUGHT PROCESSES WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU PLEASE COME BACK.]

H-how...? I don't... How can she be here?

[princeofjunes]

[On the one hand, he wants to comfort Ed. On the other? Not eager to get punched again. So he only takes a few steps towards him]

The same reason any of us can be in this fucked up place. The same reason my girlfriend's technically thousands of years older than me. None of the rules matter here.

[unexculpable]

[Ok. Ok, ok, ok. Calming down now. Breathe. Deep breaths. DEEP. BREATHS. BREATHE EDWARD, BREATHE. Ok. Now just think. Take a minute and think. He doesn't want to believe it, even considering it makes his stomach writhe, but...

Yosuke was right. Nothing about this place made sense. Greed was here and he was dead. Lust was here and she was dead, too. Why not his mom? Why not Trisha?]

I just...

This town is fucking sick.

[princeofjunes]

[Ed looks less murder-y, and Yosuke is forever a bro, so he moves closer and puts a hand on the blond's shoulder. It's not much, but it's what he can do right now]

It is. It really is.

But... come on, Ed. Your mom's here. And whether it's fucked up or not, she's worried about you.

Isn't that what matters right now?

[unexculpable]

And she's looking for a five year old kid, too. And Al, but she'd just assume he was with me, so....

[he swears under his breath, rubbing his temples and taking another deep breath]

Yeah. Yeah... you're right. I should... I'll go look for her.

[princeofjunes]

[He nods]

You can help her adjust. Get her settled into this place.

[unexculpable]

[Ed rubs at his face as he sits up.]

I guess I'll get going then.

[He pushes himself up off the bench and hesitates before walking away]

... Thanks for telling me, Yosuke. [And he means it.]

[princeofjunes]

... yeah, no problem. I'll see you later, Ed.

[And demand an apology then. Now is not the time]

[unexculpable]

See you.