Lessons have been neglected as of late but for a solid reason. His attack has not made the news, not as others have, but that is due to his own wishes. Still word seems to have gotten out, especially after the attack on Hope. Now that he's slightly more mobile, even though less at the same time, Robert decides that it is time to pay a long overdue visit to Scarlett. His hand is no longer in a cast which enables him to get along better on his crutches. Even though not moving quickly he enters the oh so familiar shop, a backpack slung over his shoulder to help him with whatever things he may need to carry.
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The strange thing about the ARtistik Talisman today is how eerily silent it is. No rock music blaring, no loud singing along. Just silence, and the gentle tappity-tap of a small hammer against something metal. Scarlett is busily at work again — no longer painting, but working on jewelry. With her own cast off, she can handle the more intricate work a lot better. It's the concentration that's blown so far as her protection magic goes. That will take a bit longer to get back into.
Hearing the door open, she glances over her shoulder. A frown develops upon her face, brow creasing inward slightly. Getting up, she dusts her hands on her artists smock, and peers at him. "You should have called, Slugger. I would have brought over a healing talisman had I known."
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At least he is wearing jeans, as baggy as they are, to hide the swollen knee and other various bandages. For a brief moment Bobby almost appears sheepish before he just shrugs. The expression he offers her is soft but it is lacking the passion that he had the last time that they met. "I didn't want to get you involved. Hell, I didn't want you to be anywhere near me." It may sound harsh, but at least he's going to explain. "People around my family are getting attacked and in some cases are being killed. I couldn't place you in that kind of danger." It's bad enough that Hope is in the position that she is. "The surgery was just aftermath of it all, really."
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"Already involved, considering my brother's girlfriend was nearly ripped to shreds." Scarlett may not talk to her brother often, but she does know all the big news, even if the rag-mags are trying to make it sound like the poor woman was just suffering another bout of insanity. "I'm a big girl, Slugger. I can handle it. Besides, I'd just fry it." Granted, that is likely the entire reason that she herself has been safe thus far. Grabbing her jewelers chair, she drags it to the center of the shop and motions for him to sit. There's no invite to the back room just yet, though she does ask, "Can I get you anything?"
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The talk of Faith's involvement causes him to shift uncomfortably. "That's my fault, too. I bet. She does look just like Hope." Everything is clearly his fault, after all, even though Robert has no idea what he's done wrong. "It actually happened, too. Damn girl nearly went insane all over again in the hospital." Her being allowed to visit them while they were all in the hospital is likely the work of Ivan and the doctors to keep her from being tied down. He doesn't look at the chair, the back room or anywhere other than Scarlett's eyes. "Still, I'm glad to know you're safe. This thing needs stopped but you don't need to be involved." Pause. "Any more than you already are."
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He doesn't sit, he doesn't want anything and so Scarlett isn't going to push. She does start to remove the smock though, going to hang it on a hook on the wall near the back room. "I really doubt that it's your fault, Slugger. Someone has a vendetta against your family. That doesn't necessarily mean you're at fault for it." Something the Fontane twin knows all too well thanks to her grandfather. "Well if you don't want help, that's fine. If you've been keeping up with what I showed you, you should be able to handle it. Problem is, you're on those crutches and chances are you're not going to be able to keep yourself steady and work your magic."
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He wants many things, most importantly is to not be here. To not have such an awkward situation. "Maybe it's not /all/ mine, but some of it is. I need to end this, I don't need to create anymore victims." The Tylers are his fault, of this Robert is aware. "I've been practicing as much as I can, and I intend to use it. When I'm not such an easy target. But that does leave me with a few questions." He looks around, as if they're not alone. "I'm not sure how much longer I can actually use what you've taught me. Does it change if a person becomes… no longer human?"
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Scarlett isn't jumping him, nor is she making with the uber-flirtations. Mostly, it's due to the look in his eyes. She's a decent body language reader, and his has been saying "keep away". That doesn't mean she's not going to be friendly, or there won't be friendly flirting, it simply means she's giving him the space he needs to ask what he needs to. When he does, she runs her fingers through her hair and exhales a slow sigh. "I've heard of a few vampires that seem to have witch-like abilities, though there's so little actual information on them, it's hard to say if they were witches in a former life or not." Moving over to her eclectically cluttered wall — which is less clutter, and just a mess of organization only she can decipher — she pulls out a few books. "I don't know the veracity of these. Legends, and tales from all over the world about creatures that can use magic. It's a start though." The books are carried over to him.
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For a man who never was a fan of reading, he's been doing a great deal of it lately. It isn't that he isn't attracted to Scarlett, either. This is just an extremely awkward stage in his life and he'll not deny that he's focusing most of his being on Hope. "Hope's old friend mentioned some vampire that I should speak to about things, and she may or may not help me. She wasn't a big help at that moment. I was supposed to talk to my sister's coworker but he was attacked shortly after I was told to." This is why Robert feels like everything is his fault. "I don't even know if I'm human anymore." He's breaking down, now, because he's in front of Scarlett. He won't do this around the others. "How does someone know? I'm just supposed to wait and find out the hard way?"
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When he sounds so hopeless, so upset, Scarlett finally moves toward him. She places an arm around his shoulder, and directs him to the comfortable chair she wheeled out earlier. "Relax, Slugger. No matter what happens it will be alright." She's not smiling, but she's not going to make anything sound like the end of the world either. "I don't know much about vampires or werewolves. I tend to stay out of the business of other supernatural creatures, just to keep myself out of trouble." Since her family has enough trouble as is. "I guess the theory is to just wait. If it is a werewolf, you'll find out at the full moon. Otherwise, I really don't know." If he's allowed her to seat him, she just gently rubs at his shoulders. "If that's the case, we'll just keep up with your lessons either way. You still have three other elements to master."
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This is a side of the man that he hates to show anyone, yet here it is. Due to this he finds himself sitting without really intending to. Robert's backpack finds the floor and he just slumps. "You sound like me." This actually has him smiling somewhat. "It's odd having someone actually echo me. Reassuring, too." He isn't suicidal like his ex girlfriend, though. "If this is what attacked my parents, and I have no doubt that it is, I stand a good chance of changing. I think. I didn't get sick like my father did, like Hope did." Hope will compare him to Tripp now; that is a main part of Bobby's issue. "Though I guess I should be lucky that I won't be as scarred as your brother's girlfriend and the librarian." When Scarlett doesn't seem to mind the fact that he'll be something else he finally tilts his head back so that he can look at her. "You'd associate with me even though I'd be one of those supernatural creatures?"
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"I sound logical is all," she says, looking down at him. "It's true though. You're alive, and that's what matters. Everything else will work out. Eventually someone will tag the wolf, or kill it." Scarlett really hopes that they capture it and question it first, but that's only because she wants answers due to the fact it's come close to harming her family, and it has harmed some friends. "Sometimes the stress of an attack, coupled with an infection can make a fever too," she points out. Things may not be as bad as he thinks they are, but she doesn't know that for certain. "There are salves for injuries, that can make the scarring disappear." Non-magical ones, even. When he tilts his head back, she leans in and kisses his forehead. "Slugger… I'm a witch. It would be awful stupid of me not to associate with you just because you're different, don't you think?"
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Logic. If only it were that simple. He just watches her, not at all certain about what to do, how to proceed. His head remains tilted back as he just takes in Scarlett for who she is. "They better find it before I do, then, because I will kill it if I can get my hands on it." He doesn't even care about reasonings at this point. It has gone so far. "Tell your brother that, then." About the salves. Robert isn't going anywhere near Faith since Ivan is so unpredictable at times. "Not really? I mean, yes, but I can see it happening." Quinn. "Don't get me wrong; I'll keep fighting no matter what. But people like Hope, they're not so accepting of things. My biggest fear is that I'm going to go home and find out she did something." Like shoot herself.
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Ruffling her fingers through his hair, Scarlett shakes her head at him. "You're not in any condition to face it again, Slugger. I sincerely hope they catch it before you are in a condition to do so. Otherwise, it's going to mean what? Another four weeks with this monster running around?" Grinning, she backs up a little, so that she can move to the front of him. "I'll send some up to the apartment later. Ivan and I are still not on the best of terms." She's still not forgiven him for his drunken stupidness. The Fontane woman is about to say something to him, but winds up just opening her mouth and then closing it into a grim line.
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Were this a few weeks ago he would turn the simple act into something playful, into a way to kiss her, but he just smiles. "Yeah, well, they better hurry." Despite the teasing, and even the tease to his tone, Bobby is serious business these days. He finally stops looking back once she moves, his eyes remaining on her. That's how he can tell that she was going to say something. "I don't think he'd be too happy to have me around no matter what, especially not now." He blinks, his mind active with debate before he finally just says it. "What were you going to say?"
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The had better hurry, as these attacks are getting far too frequent now, and a lot of people in the area of the shop are arming themselves — something that is really not going to help anyone. Especially if there are those with twitchy trigger fingers. "It's nothing. I can give you something for her." Scarlett moves away from him again, returning to her jewelry rack. She rifles through it for a few moments, giving all her attention to it.
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Admittedly he is not the best people person. He can tell when a fight will break out but he can't read emotions, not as well as he would like. Even Robert can tell that something is happening. It's with a heavy sigh, both emotional and physical, that he stands. He would literally walk over to Scarlett but Bobby is doing this right. Instead he grabs his crutches and uses them to approach her. "And now you're not going to talk to me? It's that bad, isn't it?" How bad he screwed up, not the wolf bite.
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"I'm not that kind of girl, Slugger." As in, she's not the kind of girl to stop talking to him just because there are issues. Scarlett looks over her shoulder at him, and weakly smiles. "Sit down before you hurt yourself. I don't have a trinket for that." When she reaches the back of the rack, she ah-has, then presents him with an atrociously designed pendant. It's big, and sort of gaudy. "I made it for someone that was suffering self-mutilation issues, but the premise remains. Prevents the wearer from hurting themselves in a physical manner." Realizing that he's now closer, she just hands it to him. "That should at least put your mind at ease."
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If he can tell that something is gaudy it is certainly saying something, but he is not about to comment. "No." That's in regards to her telling him to sit. The pendant is taken when handed to him but Bobby remains standing with the aid of his crutches. "It likely will, if I can actually keep her wearing this stuff." The ring at least has a good reason not to be worn. "No, but you're upset. I'm sorry. I really am." He just has this way about him that makes it so he upsets females on a regular basis, apparently.
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Scarlett is aware that the trinket in question is gaudy. It was made so on commission, though the client never came in to pick it up. "I'm fine, Slugger." It's not as though they had any expectations one way or the other. "No need to apologize." To prove it, she offers a smile. It would seem she really is fine. "Got to admit, it was a hell of a ride while it lasted though." Winking at him, she takes a step back to replace the jewelry rack where she prefers to keep it.
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She… does appear fine. It's not quite what he's expecting, but he also has more vested emotionally in their pairing. It is somewhat of a big deal to him but not enough for him to comment on. In fact, he almost blushes so instead he walks over to his bag to insert the necklace. Carefully. "That's an understatement." Beat. "Your brother is going to kill me." Speaking of someone being killed, Bobby begins to panic slightly as he looks through his bag. Something is sought but he just isn't finding it. This is… not good.
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It's not that Scarlett didn't have any emotions vested in their getting together, but she promised herself she wouldn't get hurt. So she's not going to allow herself to be. "My life is none of Ivan's business. We're adults, Robert. We were also friends before anything else." She means to maintain that. "Doesn't mean we couldn't enjoy ourselves when we did." That's really all she wants to say on it. "Did you lose something?"
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"That's true. He's also an adult but that doesn't… stop him from… acting like…" The pauses come from him looking around in his bag, trying his best not to panic over the potential loss of a particular object. "This sucks." It's worse than that, Robert realizes, but he's trying to downplay things in case he just misplaced it. "I had a box in here. I don't remember taking it out, either." He also hasn't been all that many places. Way to go, Robert.
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No, it really doesn't stop Ivan from acting like "…", but it should. Scarlett watches him digging through the bag, and then asks, "Did you drop it on the way in?" The woman has no idea what box he could be talking about, though she truly hopes he didn't lose it in the shop, as she has quite a few boxes they would have to dig through. "When was the last you saw it?"
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He nearly dumps the entire contents of the bag onto the chair but decides to at least act somewhat like an adult. "I don't think I did. I haven't gotten into this thing all day." The outside of the bag is examined for holes but Bobby finds it to be solid. "I last saw it at home. I know it was in here the last time that I…" Immediately his mind goes to Serenity. Great puppy, but a puppy all the same. "… I have a feeling that something little with paws has been going where she shouldn't."
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Scarlett watches, almost amused as he contemplates dumping the bag out on the chair. It's doubtful that spilling the additional contents will actually help. "A pocket could have been opened." While he examines it for holes, she lifts her brow. "Something with little paws? Do tell…"
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It's amazing how many things have happened that he hasn't shared with others. "The night my sister was attacked, someone left her a beagle puppy. To be funny? I don't know. But she's not good with pets. So she threw it at me." That's basically how it happened, at least in Robert's opinion. "She's really cute, but little. And because I'm a sucker I took her in before the hamsters." Oh, yeah. He has hamsters, too.
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"Please tell me she didn't literally throw a puppy at you." Scarlett would be very upset by that. Puppies are defenseless creatures. "Never pictured you for the pet type, Slugger. Guess everyone's entitled to their little mysteries though." Now that he seems a bit calmer at thinking he knows where the box is, she quirks a half smile at him. "So is that what you came here to tell me? You've got a puppy, and you don't want to see me?"
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This lightens the mood, at least a little. "Well, I really never had one before." He rubs at the back of his neck, as if he has some reason to be shy. "She didn't actually throw her, no. She just didn't want to keep her, and I'm not going to abandon a little puppy." If Scarlett only knew how pampered Bobby has allowed Serenity to become, and Hope only makes things worse. "I… no. I mean, I don't know. There's just been so much going on, and I haven't talked to you, and…" He loves someone else.
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Scarlett would know, if she'd been over to the house. She's not been avoiding him, per se, but she has been giving him a bit of space. Allowing him to make the next move if he wants it. No pressure; it's what she promised him. "I'd rather have a puppy than those annoyingly squeaky rodents." There are several upstairs, but thankfully she pawned hers off on Helen. "I don't like cages." Which makes absolutely no sense, but that's her own little mystery right there. "You could have always picked up a phone."
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Her feelings on hamsters actually causes him to chuckle in response. "I guess I don't mind. I mean, one of them was named after me and I guess the father to all the babies, or something. To be honest, Faith dropped them off at a bad time so I didn't have time to do much about it." It doesn't surprise Bobby that she doesn't like cages, but then again he's seen some fairly weird things in the past couple of months. "I'm sorry, Scarlett. I really, really am. It's just that when I saw Hope on my front porch, bleeding, I just sort of lost it. I've been running on emotions since then, I think." When he finally calms down enough to relax he'll likely be out of it for a while.
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There would be a big discussion into why she dislikes cages, though instead she just sort of peers at him. "She named a hamster after you, and brought them all to your house?" This wasn't told to her when the creepy rodents were dropped off. A hand is wafted in his direction, almost dismissively. "It's fine, Slugger. Had I known you were going in for your knee, I would have called. Brought flowers. Something." A quirky smile is given to him again, and she goes to punch him lightly on the shoulder. More of a tap than anything else. "You call me if you need help with any of your witchy stuff, and don't be a stranger, alright?" Message received, loud and clear. Scarlett won't be the one to contact him from here on out.
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It sounds like a great discussion to have, but likely at a time where he hasn't just basically poured his heart out about his ex. "Not all of them. Just the one, and a son of him. I don't know; it's Faith. She's crazy." He can be blunt like that because he doesn't really know her. "The surgery was a split second decision, with little decision on my part. I screwed it up pretty bad the night before." Carrying Hope. Bobby knows that he should do something, even if small, but he can't decide what he wants to do. "I won't stay away if you don't want me to. I just didn't know how you'd feel." Since it's apparently very clear what's going on.
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"We've wound up with three, and they smell." Scarlett; not a fan of rodentkind. There is no comment made about her brother's girlfriend, mostly because she actually likes the woman. Even if she is still has a few screws loose. She'd go on about him calling from the hospital, but lets it drop. His life, his decision. "Would you rather I cry?" Shaking her head, the Fontane twin looks down. "We were taking it one day at a time for a reason, Slugger. If you want to stay away, stay away. I'm not going to force you to keep coming by for lessons if you don't want them."
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He doesn't mind the hamsters, in all honesty. They don't make much noise and are fairly low maintenance, especially compared to a puppy. "Just don't breed them." He's smiling at that, though. A second round of baby hamsters would be a bad thing. "Oh, God no. Please don't cry." Crying and Bobby don't mix, not at all. Finally he reaches out to her, not to hold her cheek as he might have but instead to rest his hand on her shoulder. "I don't want to cut communication with you. I just don't."
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Scarlett is not a crier. At least not in this sense. Besides, it's not as though they were in a serious relationship — which she may have taken a bit harder. The hand on her shoulder is glanced at, then she nods. "Ball's in your court, Slugger. You know my number." With that, it seems that at least on her end, the conversation is over. It's dismissive, but there's really not all that much left to be said on the subject.
